A New Car for Me!!

I can't believe I didn't blog about buying a new car! In September I decided that the price of gas was just too high to continue driving the VUE back and forth to RIT everyday. I needed a smaller and more fuel efficient car.

Dave and I looked at Saturns and just weren't thrilled with the prices or what was available. We checked out Greece Hyundai looking for an Accent or an Elantra but were totally turned off by the salesman and the "huge" guy.

So we went out to Vision Hyundai and I found an Elantra in the champagne color I wanted with all the features I was looking for. We had a terrific salesman named Kevin who just made buying this car an absolute pleasure. He wasn't pushy, he didn't make me feel like he was trying to slip something by me, and he was so nice and calm. We felt like we were the most important people in the world while he was working with us. We got a kick out of Kevin handing us the keys to take the car for a test drive (without even taking my drivers license!) and suggesting that we go out and get something to eat or whatever.

Anyway, Vision gave me the price I wanted and I was thrilled to learn that I could drive the car home that very afternoon. I picked out, bought, and drove the car off the parking lot in about 2 hours time.

I've since put almost 2,000 miles on the car and today had my first little mishap. I was rear-ended while waiting to pull out onto Scottsville Road from the 390 exit on my way to work. Luckily, I really didn't have any damage other than a small scratch. The driver that bumped into me had a little more damage but didn't seem upset about it. I was very pleased to see how well the bumper held up, even when tapped pretty forcefully. No dents or anything. I'm so relieved!

Picture coming soon!

Boring Week!

I am so very happy that it's Thursday and my work week is finally finished. I used to get so excited when a class canceled at the last minute or a student was a no-show and I had the hour free (well, what's left of it after waiting 20 minutes to see if the student comes in late, breaking down the equipment, traveling back to the office and filling out the required forms!) However, I'm rethinking whether it's as great as I thought it was.


This week has been three days of canceled classes, group work, exams (so you just sit there in case there is information the students need) or no-shows. I have barely typed any lecture materials and I think I probably only edited one set of notes (and that was today in a class with a few minutes of discussion with the professor and the student's project group.) I've come to realize just how boring it can be to be sitting around.

While I tried to spend yesterday practicing C-print by listening and typing to audio files and doing some dictionary maintenance, by the time the clock struck noon today I was practically running out the door. I am hoping that next week is better and, being the last week of classes, I don't get slammed with presentations and such.

It'll be interesting to see what exam week is like and then 2 weeks of break (although one of those weeks I'm going to be in Georgia -- woo hoo!)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a couple of days off and getting some cleaning done around here. Maybe take Rascal to the groomer (never a fun time!) and sleeping in tomorrow.

I certainly won't allow myself to be bored on my time off!

The Scariest Time of the Year!

Last year I posted pictures of Daniel and Meghan's pumpkins and thought I'd post a few pictures of some great pumpkin carving ideas that were shared in an email that my friend Mary sent my way. (Thanks Mary!!)

I thought it would be fun for Daniel and Meghan since I'm rather certain that they are scurrying around today getting ready for their first Halloween party. They have been preparing for weeks, building a fire pit in the back yard and engaging the talents of a friend to build them benches that can be used for the party-goers to sit on while they sit around the fire and hear ghost-stories. (Fire keeps the snakes away right Dan?)

We're hoping to get some great pictures from them once the evening is over -- we're just hoping they aren't getting the rain in Georgia that we're getting in New York!

Here are a few of my favorite carved pumpkin pictures ...











Happy Haunting!

An Evening with the RPO

Dave and I had a wonderful evening last night -- we attended one of the first concerts of the new Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra season under the direction of our long-time favorite conductor, Jeff Tyzik.

The concert took place in the Ingles Auditorium on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology where I work. It's a small, intimate venue that has stadium seating and a small stage. Dave and I were delighted to be able to have front row seats, with a fantastic view of everything happening on stage.

The orchestra performed masterpieces of early American jazz, with selections by Gershwin, Scott Joplin, and probably our favorite, a tribute to Jelly Roll Morton.

While each and every piece was spectacular, Tyzik had arranged three selections based on old tape recordings of live performances of Jelly Roll Morton's works. He brought out a trio to center stage which included principal clarinet Ken Grant, principal trumpet Doug Prosser, and principal trombone Mark Kellogg. The performance they put on was one we wish we could witness over and over again. Each of these very talented men performed solo pieces that highlighted their incredible talents and I can only assume paid incredible tribute to Jelly Roll's works.

I have to admit I was just pulled in by Ken Grant's obvious love of the music and his total immersion in the pieces he performed. He put his whole body and soul into each note. He is quite a showman!

Another highlight of the evening was a timpani performance by Charles Ross. You wouldn't think that timpani would lend itself to jazz improv but this guy was a master. I know this was probably Dave's favorite part of the concert. He was just awed by the talent. We also enjoyed the guitar accompliment by Bob Sneider -- who added some laughter to the evening when he accidentally flung his guitar pick underneath the timpani. His bald head turned bright red and Tyzik couldn't help but laugh and joke with him that they were trying to put on a serious performance. It was another fun moment of the evening.

We loved the coziness of the venue, the fact that we were close enough to the stage and orchestra to take in conversations of the orchestra members, and that Jeff Tyzik took time to field questions from audience members and create such a warm and inviting atmosphere. We were taken in by his obvious respect and admiration for the incredible talent of his orchestra members and that we were able to hear his private comments to his principals after their solo performances, such as, "That was so AWESOME!" after Charles Ross's timpani performance.

We totally enjoyed our evening and are really looking forward to attending more RPO concerts during the upcoming season!

Our Big Decision ...

We've debated about whether to get a little brother or sister for Rascal off and on for the past couple of years. It's pretty obvious that we have enjoyed Rascal immensely and we love the thought of having another one to love to pieces. And of course, this would end the squabbling about who gets to cuddle with Rascal every night -- this way we could each have one (and of course swap back and forth so we each get equal time!)

So we've sent off emails every now and then to the breeder to see if they were expecting a litter and generally we either don't hear back from her or the answer is "nothing at the moment." So that has made our decision making relatively easy.

Well, a couple weeks ago I sent off another such note to Kyla, the breeder, and didn't hear anything so I assumed there weren't any puppies in our future. But lo and behold, I checked my email this morning and there was a note from Kyla. Rascal's parents are expecting a litter towards the end of November!

So now we are faced with the big decision. It's put up or shut up time. We are of course nervous about how Rascal will react to a puppy in the house. He is typically scared of other dogs and we are a little concerned that a puppy would put him over the edge. But at the same time, we think if Rascal were given the chance to warm up to the puppy, he'd grow to love it and he'd have a playmate and companion to keep him company when we aren't home.

Of course, there are other considerations as well. There is the added expense of another dog -- twice the vet bills, twice the grooming bills. But there is also twice the fun and twice the bundles of fluff and love!

We'll have to decide fairly soon, but Kyla says we have first dibs so if we decide to go for it, the next big decision will be -- should we get a boy or a girl?

So much to think about!

October Snow!!!

It's Friday the 13th ... and something kind of spooky happened today!


I can recall having a few snowflakes appear momentarily once or twice over the past several years while it was still only October. I can even remember having snow on Halloween once. But yesterday we had actually flurries (although they didn't seem to be sticking) and by this morning there was actually snow on the rooftops. Definitely not our normal October weather!

But I had no idea that just a few miles west of here, schools were closed and people were digging out from a record-breaking mid-October snowstorm that left the NYS Thruway closed for hours between Buffalo and Batavia! You can see the tractor trailers trucks and cars lined up (this went on for miles) as they waited for hours until the Thurway was reopened!



I snagged these pictures from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle website so I could record this event -- let's just hope this isn't the start of another one of those "summer into winter" seasons! Either way, Dave says the snowblower stays in the barn until November 1st!



Here's one more great photo for good measure ... Dan and Meghan will appreciate this one!

Life Without Internet and Email Access

Nothing is worse than spending your entire day off trying to figure out why your wireless internet connection just up and quits on you, leaving you stranded and feeling totally disconnected from the world. I still don't know what happened, but I know that Bree and Dave still had their connections so it was something that had to do with my wireless connection.

But, no surprise, my wonderful husband came to my rescue as soon as he arrived home! After deciding it was just a whole lot easier to hook me up via cable and skip the whole wireless thing he went to work figuring out how to get the cable from one room to the next and through the wooden back of my computer desk without totally dismantling the desk (it weighs a ton!) or drilling a hole through it. Happily I'm now back online. And once again, Dave is my hero.

I guess should have just quit trying right off the bat this morning and occupied myself with all the other projects I need to work on (like cleaning off my desktop!) but as Dave would say, I'm a bit tenacious when it comes to these things :)

I think somebody is going to get a nice breakfast tomorrow morning!

Testing my RSS Feeds

This is just one of those annoying tests so please ignore it. I'll delete the post some time soon. My Yahoo feeds just don't seem to be working so I'm trying to reset them and see how long it takes to get them to start showing that there is new content on the blog. Please bear with me!

Barbie

Back to Posting ...

Well, the planned takeover of the camera never really occured. I found the camera wasn't working properly and kind of gave up on it. Dave has a new camera but I really didn't know how to use it.

However, I recently signed up to take a photography course and plan to use Dave's cameras to learn with. So it looks like I might just start posting more again. I have a few things I've been wanting to blog about in the meantime so I'll keep busy with that in the meantime.

Three Minutes Til Breakfast

Well, I have 3 minutes until my designated 6 a.m. breakfast time and I have made a decision. I am going to steal my camera back from Bree so I can start taking pictures again and add them to the blog.

I really like to blog about the stuff I'm doing but I like to complement the entry with pictures. Kind of tough to do when everytime I reach for the camera it's back up in Bree's "office".

So -- I have no choice but to take it back.

Rascal is anxious to go out and see who (or what) has been visiting the neighborhood while we've been sleeping. And it's now 6 a.m. and time for my fiber whatchamacallit that I eat for breakfast everyday.

Moving Day for Daniel and Meghan!

Well, it's official -- Daniel and Meghan bought a house in Winder, Georgia and today is moving day! The new address is 610 Summerfield Court, Winder, GA 30680.

They're pretty excited and it's been a long couple of weeks trying to get everything in place but as of about 5:00 p.m. they had most of their stuff moved, appliances in place and were heading out with their friend Jesse (who generously came down from Tennessee to help with the move) to get something to eat and hopefully bring the last load of stuff out to the new place.

Here's a few pictures -- I'm sure we'll be getting more in the next few days as they have a chance to unpack and get their computers hooked up, etc.

Our Aesmowe and Idrcilnebe Mnid

I'm constantly amazed at the versatility and power of the human mind and how it is so wonderfully able to adapt to whatever curve balls we throw at it. It seems it is wired and programmed to do "whatever it takes" to make sure that we are able to comprehend meaning and messages.

Every now and then I come across little quizzes or examples that prove just what our minds are capable of doing ... and here is one that I'd love to share. It's pretty cool...

Reading Test

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.

THE PEOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID

Aoccdrnig to a rseercah sduty at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are wtrietn; the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

Thanks so much to my friend and fellow hypnotist, Marie Rossborough, for sharing this with me!

Lunch with Marie!

I have felt so out of touch with my hypnosis buddy Marie since her computer died and we've been limited to occasional phone calls. So it was absolutely wonderful to have a chance to get together yesterday, have lunch and talk hypnosis for a few hours!

We got together at Barnes and Noble in Greece and chatted about everything under the sun -- our hypnomoms, the book "Thinking Bodies, Dancing Minds" that Marie had just read and Wes Fox presented on at the recent NGH meeting, ideas for working with fertility clients, Ericksonian hypno, Time Line Therapy... it was just great to have a chance to talk with someone who "speaks my language"!

Before we knew it, we'd been sitting there for over 2 hours and we both had to get going. But we're planning to get together to watch the "What the Bleep" movie and we're thinking about working through the NLP training program together. That would be awesome!

Ice Cream in March? Oh Yeah Baby!!!

Dave and I decided it was time for us to have a FUN weekend and do some things we don't normally do.

So we thought that since we had these great gift certificates (given to me by one of my wonderful hypnomoms) for Cold Stone Creamery, we'd drive out and see if their ice cream creations were everything that Jessica and Josh have made them out to be.

First, I should explain that the idea of "Cold Stone Creamery" is to combine all sorts of yummy toppings in with the homemade ice cream of your choice to create a delicious concoction that you are sure to love. And all the ingredients are blended and chopped together as you watch on a cold granite slab that keeps the ice cream from melting.

They had an incredible number of toppings to choose from ... all your favorite candy bars and candies, nuts, brownies, cake -- you pick what you'd like. Or you can choose one of Cold Stone's signature combinations (which is what we did.)

And let me tell you... awesome doesn't give the Strawberry Shortcake Sensation enough credit. Delicious doesn't come close either. Heavenly is a possibility but somehow doesn't seem quite right. But I get warm and fuzzy just thinking about how yummy it tasted!

Dave had "At the Cocoa Banana Cabana" and since I didn't even get a taste, I'm pretty sure it was equally as good as mine was. We checked out their ice cream cakes and Dave was checking with the staff about whether it would stay cold to bring some out to Mo.

What a terrific gift to receive -- it only cost us $.78 after the gift certificate and we were able to try something totally new and different. We're already looking forward to going back. And I doubt we'll be waiting for warm weather!

And how convenient -- right near the Pittsford Wegmans that sells Dave's sushi :)

After a long absence ...

It's been so long since I've written anything in this blog and I'm kicking myself because this is exactly what I DIDN'T want to have happen! I guess I feel that if I don't have cute pictures to include or something awesome to write about that I shouldn't bother -- but I know that's just silly.

So -- this is an attempt to get back on track and blog more often and keep a record of all the fun things happening in the Paine household.

Here's to a happy return.