What I learned on my holiday break

Thanks to a nice university job, I was on break from December 22 - January 5.

Things I learned while on break:

1. We own 101 wash cloths. We have received wash cloths for Christmas every year we've been married. I found wash cloths still folded in half exactly as we received them. I did not count the kitchen wash cloths we received just those designed for bathing. I found this out while organizing the cabinets in one of the bathrooms. I kept pulling out wash cloths and became curious as to how many we own. The number may increase as other cabinets, drawers and parts of the house become organized. Depending on how neurotic Walter and I become, we could go 50 to 5 days (using 1 - 10 wash cloths per shower per person - I'll leave it up to you to count the body parts) without washing a load of wash cloths. We got rid of 2 wash cloths because they had stains on them. This improves the chances of using one of the other 99 at least once.
2. I have acquired a lot of t-shirts either through blood or sweat.
3. Without a schedule I wake up at 10:00 am or later and go to bed at 1:00 - 2:00 am. I did not take naps. Pills facilitated my transition to regular work type hours.
   
4. Our bed frame has six legs. Walter bought four risers for the bed. A few days after putting the bed on risers the bed sagged in the middle. This sag brought us closer together but also caused some soreness. The bed is off the risers pending the purchase of two more.
5. The extremes in the weather has not compromised my immune system, yet. Shorts and tank top one day, multiple layers the next.
   
6. I have gotten comfortable with wearing medium shirts, tank tops and single digit sized pants.
7. The birds like to sing when the morning sun goes through their window. This can be annoying depending on how well I slept the night before.
8. Salvador sings every afternoon from 12:45 - 1:10 regardless of the condition of the sky.
9. I'm getting the hang of this organization and getting rid of stuff thing.
10. I like nightly massages.
11. When the white chocolate covered Oreos hit store shelves buy three boxes. The white chocolate covered Oreos are never in the cookie aisle.
12. I have a great family.
    
13. Wash cloths make decent hand towels.

40 effing days!

I like support under my chairs and tables but that's just me.

40 days without a Mary Worth appearance. Will Mary reappear before the end of Ramadan (September 30 - October 1 in North America)?* That's one pious biddy - Lent and Ramadan.

*Source: http://www.when-is.com/ramadan-2008.asp

Feel free to participate in the newest poll - Mary Worth will reappear for which holiday?

September 30: Eid ul-Fitr (last day of Ramadan) - Muslim holiday
October 9: Yom Kippur - Jewish holiday
October 28: Diwali - Hindu holiday
December 9: Bodhi Day - Buddhist holiday

Lunch for today - 4.23.2008

Kashi Chicken Pasta Pomodoro, the package:
The reality after microwaving:

I received some cookies, lotion, shower gel and a Chick-fil-A gift card for Administrative Professionals Day. All of this came in a purple metal pail.

The shower gel is pineapple scented and Walter bought coconut scented conditioner and ocean breeze scented shampoo. I now have everything I need to smell like a great vacation.

Friday's Cartoon

I got the pattern from one my 1971 Sears catalog pages.

I finished reading Star Trek: Titan - The Sword of Damocles. Good book, mentally challenging in some places.

I will skip the "Black Friday" stuff but I still need to go out and run some errands. Errands that will keep me far away from shopping centers. I refuse to get up at the butt crack of dawn on my day off so I should miss most of the consumerism.

I don't get into the holiday spirit until Radio M*A*S*H

Cartoons

It turns out that I had two cartoons in my backlog. I drew four cartoons today. Three with gags and one funny drawing begging for a funny caption or dialog.

The next step is scanning, coloring and lettering.

Walter and I may watch the fireworks show at the George Bush Library. Our church is a prime viewing location and for the first time church members are actually using the area to view the fireworks.

This assumes that it does not get rained out or Walter is too tired from his travels to Temple. If either is the case then I will insist on at least celebrating the day with some ice cream.

The idiot neighbors will set off firecrackers despite city ordinances against that activity. I may have to spend some time calming down dogs. Ah, the joys of calming down 80 pounds of frightened Bull mastiff/ Pit Bull.

Yesterday, I walked 1,334 steps/ .50 miles.

Texas A&M will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 2 for the day of mourning for President Ford. I will pause for a bit to think about President Ford and his family and be grateful for the extension of my holiday.

I was born during the Nixon administration but Gerald Ford was the first U.S. president that I was aware of.

Can this week move any slower? It probably could but I don't want to find out. The students are gone, most of the faculty is gone and I wonder what the heck I'm doing here.

I have been scanning surveys and binging on sweets. I could clean my desk but I would rather do that when I get back next year. At least there is a nice week off.

I think Isaac is a cat in a giant dog suit. He behaves like a cat most of the time. I am fostering a 100 pound cat. He only behaves as a dog when it comes to going on the leash and feeding time. I'm going to increase Isaac's food the rest of this week and next week. He is looking real thin. If he doesn't gain any weight then I will have the vet check him out.

Pickles will be staying with us over the holidays. My father-in-law will be watching all the dogs Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I'm really looking forward to the days off between Christmas and New Year's Day. That will probably go quickly.

I've been forced to use the Ctrl + Mouse Scroll Wheel to increase the size of the words on my e-mails and websites. I'm getting old or I need to change my contact lenses.

Tomorrow I make merry with my co-workers. Usually, the whole thing is not too painful but it serves as a reminder as to why I am paid to be with these people. No really, they are nice people but I'm not into the whole socializing thing. At least socializing that is not on my terms.

I know, how self-centered to expect that all social activities occur on my terms. Hey, put a nice face on and soldier through it. Sometimes, I even enjoy it.

It's an INFP (or on some Meyers-Briggs tests - ISTJ) thing. The only thing definitive thing from these MBTI (Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator) I've taken is the I. Everything else tends to be about even. One test I scored 100% in the I. The I stands for "I @#$%! hate people". No, it stands for Introvert. My opposite/ arch enemy is E - Extrovert. In the United States the E outnumber the I - 65% to 35%.

I'm told the world needs people of my type. I wonder if I really need the world. Somebody has to deal with these people. Better them than me.