ice storms and ear infections

I hate ice...even when its not so bad. It makes me completely unmotivated to go anywhere or do anything. I thought about taking the girls to the library for a story time on Thursday morning, but didn't get moving or clean off my car in time. Friday, the girls and I hung out at home. The sleet and freezing rain paired with the tv announcers scared me away from heading out. We watched "The Heffalump Movie", Laney's new favorite and had a picnic in the living room.

On Saturday morning, Alison woke up screaming. She had gook coming out of her ear, so we ventured out to the pediatrician's office. Al has a perferated eardrum and an ear infection... She and I spent the afternoon laying on the couch, while Laney watched her new favorite flick over and over and over again....

Finally on Sunday, I put on something other than sweats! We ran out to exchange two of Carl's birthday presents and stopped at Lowes to get more paint samples. Preparation for our weekend of painting begins!

new season of Dancing wtih the Stars

Kristy Yamaguchi is going to be dancing this season...I am so psyched!

so much can change in a week...

I'm over the marketing job. I'm not applying. Deep down, I had some reservations about applying because the director of the department is not my favorite person. Inda encouraged me to consider this, but I had gotten so excited, I didn't listen to her. After some reflection, realization and of course chatting, I have decided that marketing is not the move for me. Again, I decide to wait for the best "next step". Perhaps I'm too picky, but for some reason, I do really think that something her at TU will turn up to fit my professional and personal needs. In the meantime, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing: I think I do that pretty well.

In other news, Carl the kiddos and I went with my parents to the Towson basketball game this weekend. Carl and I have been looking for some "low-cost" ways to get out of the house, and Towson athletic events are perfect for us. Saturday was some sort of mascot day and the girls loved seeing them! I think their favorites were Doc, the Oriole bird and the puffin from the aquarium.

and i just wanted to vote!!!!

All I could talk about or think about on Tuesday was voting. Carl and I had discussed the candidates and had plans to vote together that evening. Unfortunately, Carl had a hold up in MoCo and then the explorer broke down on the washington beltway, in a sleet storm, during rush hour.... so the girls and I went to vote alone (ps. Elmo votes too). When we returned home from the polls, the tow truck was supposedly on its way to help Carl. I asked Wen to pick Carl up from the car place, and the girls and I would drive down and pick him up from their apartment....then the evening got worse. The temps dropped, the rain picked up, and the roads (and my car) got icy-er. The tow truck wouldn't tow Carl, and roadside assistance said they couldn't find anyone to help him. When we finally got to Wendy's, I called the police, who couldn't help either (well they would tow him to the impound lot if he left the vehicle on the side of the road, but I don't count that as "helping"). Ford roadside assistance sucked. Geico roadside assistance sucked and was rude. Finally, Wen and I called tow companies and at around 9:50 pm (Carl broke down a little before 5) I found someone who was willing to tow him (woohoo). Greg went to bring Carl some dinner and sit with him on the side of the road until the tow came, and the boys arrived back at Wendy's apartment (5 miles from where Carl broke down) at 11:45 pm. A special shout out goes to Wen and Greg for being super troopers, helping Carl and I through this lovely adventure, and for helping Carl ring in his 28th birthday with a bang! We finally returned home to Towson well after 1am...8 hours after Carl broke down.

Last night we went to Applebees and watched "Blades of Glory" in celebration of Carl's big day!

marketing job follow-up (one of many)

I just met with Mike, the director of undergraduate marketing at TU and I was kind of hoping that he would give me some sense of whether he thought I would be a good fit. Basically he told me nothing, just that he was looking for someone with a strong background in maketing. If anyone has ideas about how to make my background seem stronger in marketing (port discovery, disney, the zoo) please let me know! I need to work on my cover letter, etc!

the waiting game begins again

My friend Joetta has decided to leave undergraduate marketing, and in leaving vacates a position that I REALLY want! I talked to her a bit about it today and I am definitely applying. This would give me a great opportunity and it would be a step up (both in title and in pay). Did I mention that I REALLY want this job?

Problem is, I feel really uncomfortable around my current boss now. The position hasn't been posted, but I think she knows that this would be a good move for me, and I think she is waiting for me to talk to her about it (well I hope she thinks it would be a good move for me).

So the job waiting game begins again....until it is posted, and then I'll hopefully get an interview, and then I'll hopefully be waiting to hear.

Wish me luck!

I hate group work

I hate group work (in grad school). I hate it!

For my team building class (which I understand requires group work), my group can never meet. One of my group members can only meet Sundays and Mondays. Fine. We planned to meet tonight. Then, one member backed out and asked to reschedule. Fine. We planned to meet tomorrow night. Another member has class. One member doesn't want to meet on Sunday evenings (because she says she has other online courses..except I don't think she has them on SUNDAYS!!!!) and I really don't want to give up my Sunday days because my group SUCKS.

My favorite suggestion of the evening: lets meet on Thursday. Thursday? Less than a week before the project is due? I don't think so! So, I am sending out a list of potential breakdowns of the project tomorrow so that we can decide on who is doing what. That way those of us who are not last minute people (me) can get started, and we can use Thursday, for those of us who are available, to decide on the format and timeline. I emailed tonight to let the group know that I thought we really should have the bulk of the work done by Sunday so that we could assemble the paper in a "timely" fashion. I know that I thrive on organization and timeliness...but I would assume other working grad students would as well.

That's my vent of the evening! Other than that the weekend was good. Saturday, we spend running errands and then Cirucci came over for dinner. We grilled outside! Today, we layed low..cleaning and I did some schoolwork.

I'm getting psyched for this week. Monday night is book club movie night! Tuesday is dinner at Becky's (so excited to see the baby belly). Wednesday is Carl's bday (he's getting old, 28!). Thursday is Valentine's Day. Friday, is....well Friday!

the great parking debate

Wow. Am I ever an inspired blogger this week? (ha! not really) Anyway, after darting around county vehicles inappropriately (and illegally) parked at the end of my alley this morning and then arriving at work to find a giant big rig trying to turn around and back down the skinny parking lot area, only to find construction vehicles taking up most of the parking...I have decided to give my two cents on the parking situation here at TU, more specifically the enrollment services building.
People have been complaining for months. Ever since construction of the new residence halls began, we have had far less parking in front of my building. I have always said big deal (of course i have handi if all else fails, whereas others do not). But even still, walking from the union doesn't really seem to be that big of a deal to me (i generally walk around campus anyway, unless I have to go to admin). But I see both sides. We are paying a great deal to park at the university, even as staff members. When I first started, it annoyed me, but now I guess I see it as a necessary evil, something I have to do. The thing is, I don't see a solution. Towson is plagued with parking problems, for everyone! My only solution....get these construction trucks out of here, giving staff members a fighting chance :)

P.S. The toddlers figured out how to open their bedroom door. This morning, they ran down the hall and spied on my while I was showering. Oh no! Now to "toddler-proof" the doors!

Backyard plans

We have a small backyard, even for our neighborhood but I'm ok with it. We are within a block of the playground and park space which I love! I hate the way that my backyard is set up right now. I hate looking out the kitchen and dining room windows and seeing a space ridden with dead plants and brownish grass. There is lots of random concrete, and it looks hideous in the winter. I have been incessently looking at "small" backyard set ups, trying to find inspiration for ours. Our backyard needs more structure and more of an "all seasons" appeal. Carl and I have both drawn new backyard plans, and now I am itching to put them into action, especially with these unseasonably warm temps!

Perhaps this is another reason for my extreme spring fever....

work vent

Parents are killing me this year. I think that each year I am in college admissions, the parents just keep getting worse and worse. PSA: and 1300 is not a good SAT score. a 1400 is not a good SAT score. I don't care that you kid has a 3.5. A strong student who is going to well in college is not going to get a 1400 on their SATs. There are plenty of strong students who have done much better on their tests. A bad test taker gets a 1500, NOT a 1380.

Also, let your kid call. College admissions is about the accomplishment of the student, not how well the parent can whine/yell/negotiate. I love the parents that call to ask "what can we do to get so and so in". Well....your student can take responsibility, instead of having his parent call.

Finally, the woman (with the 1400 SAT kid) tells the students up in the phone center that she spoke with a "young girl" but she can't remember her name. That is so belittling when parents say that, and I am less willing to listen to them and certainly unwilling to alter the decision.

The rise of the helicopter parent!

quick confession

These past few months, as Dan and Mindy's wedding moves closer and closer (and so does the DRIVE to Clearwater, FL with my 2 year olds) I have been desperately trying to figure out something fun to do for the girls while we're there (outside of the pool and the beach). The wedding is just before the 4th of July, so all theme parks and tourist destinations will be packed. The last thing that I want to do on our 2.5 day vacation is push through crowds and wait in lines. Carl and I finally decided on dinner at Chef Mickey's on our way out of town. I'm secretly very excited. The "I'm obsessed with Disney World" part of me can't fathom driving all the way to FL (past Orlando) without at least stopping for a day with the mouse but the practical mom side of me knows that we want to do Disney "right" the first time we take the girls, and a quick stop over will not do Disney justice. Dinner with the characters at the Contemporary lets me get a quick fix without spending too much money or going into the parks, and now I'm really looking forward to it.

Superbowl day and night

Despite my best efforts to avoid it, I officially have spring fever. Yesterday the weather was beautiful! We spent the morning walking to Bed Bath and Beyond for a new coffee pot and to the grocery store. I loved wearing just sweatpants and a long sleeved tee. Last weekend, we had to wear winter jackets, gloves and hats during our trek to the store. Tomorrow, Justin Burke is predicting the temp to hit 61 and 65 for Friday. How can you avoid spring fever with temps like these?! Too bad it's supposed to be back in the 30s for the weekend.

After our best efforts to get the girls to take a nap, we headed to Auntie Cici's for the girls very first superbowl party. The party was great... The girls really enjoyed the yummy superbowl food-especially the veggie platter and cookies! I really enjoyed the buffalo nuggets and wine. Cici was able to get some great pics with her and the girls too. It seemed like a fun time was had by all :)

internet banking and a happy day!

Since I recently took over handling our family's finances, I have become obsessed with internet banking. I probably check our account 10 times a day...probably not so healthy. Just thought I'd share.

It is Friday morning, its raining, and I am happy. I love rain. I'm not loving the fact that the bottom of my pants are wet or that I needed to clean little footprints from them at Brooke's, but I love a good rain (on a work day or cold day of course). I am excited for tonight. We are having jalepeno burgers and fries (not the healthiest, but very yum-o). After putting the girls to bed and working out, Carl and I have plans to snuggle on the couch and watch "Halloween". I love nights like this every so often: no cleaning, schoolwork, or plans, just Carl and I.

I woke up happy. Laney slept with us last night and even though I know having one of your kids sleep with you is not always the best idea, I love it! Alie is my little attention hog, so I think Laney enjoys the extra attention when we watch a movie in bed a drift off to sleep. I love waking up with her next to me, snuggling with her as I turn on the morning news. This morning there was an extra bonus: TU opened late!!! Woohoo...a VERY unexpected suprise:)

I'm also happy on this rainy Friday morning because my desk is clean. Anyone who has ever been in my office knows that I struggle with the cleanliness of my desk. I may have a place for everything in my home, but not in my office. It has been a work in progress for almost 4 years! Yesterday afternoon, before I left, I cleaned. It is a wonderful feeling to come into work and have an organized desk. I feel much less stressed and more in control (kind of a drastic change from a 5 minute task). In fact, I think every afternoon I will spend a few minutes cleaning the desk area :)

Today, Brian and I are going to $5 Fridays. Many people in the office make fun of us for being such fans of the dining hall. My thinking: the food is great, there is a huge selection, and where else are you going to get a whole lunch (salad, main dish, drink, dessert, etc.) for only $5! For us, $5 Fridays are one of life's simple pleasures :)