Snarky, Sleepy Jennifer

Hi guys. Just popping in for a quick second. Hi. How are you? End of pleasantries. :)

Quick JenUpdates(tm) before heading off to LullabyLand(tm). I am a tiiiiired girly. Long day. Here we go:

1. Yesterday's work-evacuation-hullaballoo was thanks in large part to a suspicious package located inside our facility. We in HR knew the skinny early this a.m. because we called and asked. Pathetic, isn't it? Wouldn't one think that the building proper'd have a right to know what in the hell happened yesterday? It wasn't until 1:40-something this afternoon that someone somewhere thought the site worthy of knowing what had actually happened:

-----Original Message-----
From: UsernameDeleted@SuffixDeleted [mailto:NameDeleted@SuffixDeleted]
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:42 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Yesterday's Early Dismissal


SUBJECT FOR E-MAIL: Yesterday's Early Dismissal

Most employees at the NameOfOurBuildingDeleted were sent home early yesterday following a Department of NameDeleted evacuation on the east side of the complex. GSA received notification from the Federal Protective Service at about 3:30 p.m. that NameOfAgencyDeleted was evacuating their Kansas City Plant after a suspicious package was discovered in the office areas of the NameDeleted-operated site. As a precautionary action, GSA and other agencies dismissed their employees for the afternoon.

Kansas City Police, Fire HazMat, the FBI, the ATF and the Bomb Squad all responded to the call. The package was determined to be not dangerous after it was investigated and removed from the premises. The NameOfOurBuilding site resumed normal operations about 5:30 p.m.

According to security personnel, the package met at least three criteria of a potentially dangerous package: it was wrapped in plastic, it included a handwritten address, and it had an oily appearance.

If you find a suspicious package while at work, please do not handle it. Leave the area immediately and contact security. You may also contact the property management office by calling 1-877-RestOfNumberDeleted.

Delicious. At least no one was hurt, thank goodness.

2. I saw a very rough draft today of the inter-agency agreement drafted to swap me from my current agency to the agency I've been telling you about (the we-really-want-Jen-but-can't-afford-her crew). This may just work out after all!

3. Technology did not fail me today at the office and I actually got some work done! Haaaa-lay-LOO-yuh!

4. Erin's swimming lessons went well. I am so proud of my little water blossom! :) She went off the diving board (one teacher was on the board with her, and another was waiting right below to catch her). She also floated on her back and did some lunges and kicks. Yay! I was distracted, however, by a poor, sweet little boy who was terrified and cold and couldn't find his parents. Sometimes, I find myself being VERY opinionated about how other people raise their children and how they allow them to behave. Tonight was absolutely no exception. This little guy was 4, if that. He was in Erin's class (which has 3 teachers), and his parents LEFT HIM. Turned their backs and walked clear to the other side of the pool and JUST LEFT HIM THERE. Well, God love him, the poor little guy was spooked and got out of the water. And they let him stand there screaming for his Mommy and wandering all over the pool area. I was NOT pleased. Whenever I see little ones unattended or who appear to be hurting/scared/sad/in trouble, my "Mommy Gene" immediately kicks in. I looked all around expecting some kind woman to come up and claim her son, but alas, that was not to be. Curtis and I were commenting aloud about this horrible situation, and another Mommy looked at us and said, "I think his Mom went away to see if he'd stay in the water." Well, quite frankly, that's completely unacceptable in my opinion. He was left unsupervised (although there were a TON of parents all watching him in complete shock/horror) and he was SCARED...first of the water and then of being alone and unable to find his parents. While I realize that it's truthfully none of my business how other people raise their children, I just couldn't help but feel badly for the little guy...and like I wanted to choke his parents. Is it me, or was that wrong of them to do that? Your opinions greatly appreciated.

That's it, I think. I am off to bed. Night night folks. :)

In Suspended Animation....

Hi everyone. What a day it has been.

This afternoon, there was a full-scale, immediate evacuation of our facility. No reasons were given. No explanations. Just "get out...NOW!" It was about 4:00 this afternoon...after many of our folks have headed home for the day. Still, though, we're in a very large Federal building with numerous agencies contained therein. Many people work past 5:00 (some even past 6:00). It was scary and it happened so fast. One of my dear colleagues and I were the only ones left in the office, and she (God love her) is so strong and so solid and stable. Me, on the other hand...what a joke. No courage. No ability to self-reason and believe that, in the absence of any information, that the news wasn't catastrophic. All I could think of was the morning of September 11, 2001. It all came flooding back to me. And so my amazing colleague/friend/sister (who I truly love) kept me calm and got me out of the building. Immediately when we walked out the door, we noticed the helicopter flying over our building and police everywhere. One Federal Police Services officer was on his walkie-talkie discussing the immediate evacuation of the Federal day care center on our little plot of land. That's when my friend looked at me and said, "Something's wrong." My heart was in my throat for what seemed like an eternity as I battled traffic to get back home to Gardner. I thought to myself that surely the radio would let us know of any problems or dangers...any, God forbid, terrorist attacks or violent incidents that may have taken place. No such luck. It was normal Kansas City radio-ish stuff for a 4:00 afternoon....a commercial for Olathe Ford and ZZ Top's "Legs" and a whole lot of verbal bloviations about absolutely nothing. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. The same thing happened on 09/11 as I drove home from work shortly before our site was evacuated and closed (I was pregnant and scared and left before they forced me out). The entire drive, no one said anything on the radio. They played music and commercials like it was nothing. Nothing. Once I got home, CNN and the local news channels had no information for me, either. All of this means, I'm guessing, that everything is OK. Something happened and they needed to get everyone out and so they did. My boss and I were on the phone when the first news of the evacuation came in, and she raised her voice to me and said "GO JEN!" She never raises her voice to me. I knew something was wrong. It's been a few hours now and the freak-out in my spirit is slowly being replaced with calm curiousity, but lemme tellya, I was really freaked out this afternoon. Really. Tonight, I am waiting by the phone for my amazing boss to call with the word on what happened and the decision of the General Services Administration and/or the Kansas City Federal Executive Board regarding working tomorrow. I just hope that everyone is OK and that whatever happened today is minor.

I've not had a technologically happy last several days at work, and during one of my numerous down-times today at the office, I plunked out the below blog post with the thought in mind that I'd upload it tonight and catch all of you up on my life. So here you go...it's in italics below. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

What’s new and exciting? Hope that the last week has been kinder to all of you than it has been to me. It’s good to actually take a second and b-r-e-a-t-h-e and relax and post. You know, I bet I’d feel a lot better if I’d actually blog out all of my work and other frustrations. I mean, I talk about them with my family and friends, but it always seems to feel so much better when I type the words out. Somehow, things that look so monumentally huge really don’t have that same awful luster when reading about them in the printed word.

The major “bad” thing that has occupied me emotionally and physically in the last seven days is work. Now, when most people complain about work, it’s because they hate what they do, their bosses, their colleagues, their pay, their benefits, etc. etc. ad nauseum. Not me. I love what I do, adore the people I work with, and am better compensated for what I do than I probably deserve to be. No, this week your favorite minty momma was professionally frustrated because of technology. In every conceivable way that technology could have failed me last week, it did. I was already behind after having been gone to Nashville, and there I sat, ready and willing to catch up on old SF-39s and requisitions, yet completely powerless to DO anything. Our amazing systems person was in Indianapolis briefing and assisting the folks there (who actually took over our little DEU while I was in Nashville...long story), and so I had no expert guidance. Try as they may, my local and Indianapolis colleagues tried to help me, but it was for naught. It is exceptionally frustrating to be rendered unable to perform the essential tasks of your position when you are dependent upon an unstable technological resource to accomplish your mission. Technology is supposed to HELP us. You know, to make our lives EASIER and our jobs more EFFICIENT. That was not the case this past week, at least not at the office. The story gets better. Today, our systems person was back with us and she actually had me up and rockin’ and rollin’.......and the entire network shut down. No Resumix. No Oracle. No Internet. No EMAIL. No nothin’. So just as my momentum kicked riiiigght back up, it walked riiiight out the door. Delicious. I guess the good news is that, with the network down, no new SF-39s can come to me! The bad news, however, is that once that network is up, so too will my inbox fill with MORE SF-39s. Work, work go away...come again another day...

Not long ago, I blogged about the former friend from my past who broke my heart and betrayed me by seeing my then-boyfriend behind my back. You won’t believe how this circle has turned. In the last few weeks, she and I have been exchanging EMAILs and talking (against my better judgment and that of several of my dear online friends who have advised me on this matter). What I am finding out about myself here is really interesting. I’m finding that I am better able to let go than I gave myself credit for. For years, I’ve held on to so much anger and hurt and bitterness. I blamed her so much for so many things, and I allowed myself to be resentful and cruel and closed my heart to her. I’ve heard her side of the story in these last several EMAIL exchanges, and I believe her when she apologizes to me for having hurt me. From what she has told me, there were numerous things that neither she nor I knew. Things happened that we weren’t aware of. Life has also dealt her some harsh blows in the years since that cold, horrible Christmas Eve I’ve spoken with you about. Perhaps if I’d actually listened to her all those years ago when she tried to talk to me (versus writing her off as a “bitch and a whore”), the feelings that I carried for her all these years might have been less sharp and poisonous. It’s funny how things affect you...and you’re not even aware of it. Had you asked me then (or hell, even one month ago) what I thought of and how I felt for this woman, the venomous vitriol that I’d have uttered would have surprised you. I didn’t realize that, all those years, some of the personal insecurities that I carried inside my spirit were directly attributed to what she had done to me. Hearing her talk now, I see the beauty of the past...the things that I couldn’t possibly have seen then. The life I have no pales in comparison to the life she has. She’s not happy. She’s lonely. She has no money. Her parents are deceased and her biological sister has nothing to do with her. She loves her family, but she isn’t the same happy, sweet person I remember her being all those years. In all honesty, I feel sorry for her. She made a horrible choice and lost the one person she was closest to in this world (me). I, on the other hand, have this amazing life that I’m still not truly certain I deserve. I have come so far from that horrible time in my life, and I see now that God deliberately assembled the parts and players so that the past could happen exactly as it did. (Anyone else hearing strains of “God blessed the broken road, that led me straaaaight to you....” playing?). It’s amazing how time and experience shape you. I had no idea that it would be this easy to let go. And forgive. Not forget, mind you, but to let go and to not hold tightly to feelings of extreme anger and cruel bitterness. Every negative, horrible feeling that you carry so weighs down your spirit and your soul, even if you don’t realize it. And the freedom that you feel when you let go...that sweet, sweet release, is so amazing. Does all of this mean that I see a place for her in my life? No. Not really. But it’s wonderful to reclaim all of the energy spent hating her and wishing for her to be miserable...and to USE that energy for the wonderful and good things and people in my life. I didn’t know I had it in me to actually forgive. For so many years, I grappled with what the entire concept of “forgiveness” truly meant. I’ve still got lots of learning and growing to do, but I think I’m on my way. I’m going to be just fine.

Let’s see...here are several random bits of JenNews(tm) to entice you:

1. Erin started swimming lessons tonight, and she goes back to school on August 16th. I cannot believe that the summer is almost over. It has really flown by.

2. Speaking of the fall rapidly approaching, life up at the sorority house is about to get crazy-busy as well. I’ve already faced some interesting challenges in this advisory position, and I am still nervous that I’ll be able to handle this and give it and the girls the support they deserve. Am I the right choice for this position? (Fuck, this is very “Broken Record” of me...how many times have I bloviated about this? Can I get a shot of self-esteem and another of courage in my Caramel Macchiato, please?)

3. Certain individuals with whom I have recently reconnected are really, really pissing me off. Truthfully, people. Is it really that fucking hard to click the “REPLY” button and send me a response when I’ve taken time out of my (exceptionally) busy schedule to send you an EMAIL? Don’t want to reconnect with old friends? Stay the hell off Classmates and don’t key in your high school information on your MySpace page. Got it? It’s hurtful! (Christ, that makes me sound exceptionally immature. Oh fucking well.)

4. Remember the interview I had for the position I reallyreallyreally wanted? The one where they didn’t hire me, but said that it was because of budgetary constraints? Guess what? They’re trying like the dickens to get me. Apparently, they’ve tried to scrape the budget barrels of their other departments to no avail, and now they may try to inter-agency detail me so that I could come and work for them until they got final funding and could reassign me. Wow. It sure felt good to know that they really, really wanted me...and that they’d go to so many lengths to make me one of their own. I may just beat this BRAC after all...

5. I’m really looking forward to the August 9th release of “World Trade Center.” The trailer makes me cry every time I see it.

6. I’m absolutely LOVING “Home” by Marc Broussard. Wow, that guy can SING. I can't believe he's only 24. The only way that you could possibly improve on that song (which would be tough) would be for my beautiful Taylor Hicks to sing it.

Grand Ole Jennifer

Howdy! As promised, here is my bloviated recap of my week in Nashville at our sorority's 49th National Convention. Yee-haw!

This is the second time I've been to Convention, and I am so glad that I went. The last time I went (check out my posts from July of 2004), I was going in a completely different capacity...an alumnae chapter president. They offered good training and networking opportunities with the other alumnae women (some of whom were presidents of their respective chapters and some held other offices). I was really hoping that the same kinds of opportunities would be provided for collegiate chapter advisers. Unfortunately, that did not come to be. I spent the majority of my time along with the other women (collegiate and alumnae alike) in business sessions, learning more about upcoming programming and changes to our Constitution & Bylaws, and I also attended three workshops designed for collegians (one on discipline, one on financial matters, and one on House Corporations). All were interesting and I feel like I've learned more and am smarter than I was a week ago today, but still...I feel horribly unprepared for this whole chapter adviser thing. With recruitment (we called it "sorority rush" in my day) right around the bend, I don't really have much time to wallow in worry. Anyway...where was I...oh yes, Nashville. I met some wonderful new women and got hugs and hellos from sisters I've not seen in two years, which is nice. Our meetings and lodging were in what I'd consider to be "the most spectacular hotel ever constructed" - the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. The facility was HUGE. Gorgeous and HUGE. The internal workings made it look and feel like Europe. The balconies overhung (is that a word?) cafe-style restaurants and the whole hotel centered around a very large, lush, gorgeous garden (and numerous waterfalls!) Unfortunately, the photos I took just don't do the facility justice. Their website has photos, but here's one I took on my own:



Gorgeous, isn't it? There were numerous other conferences going on at the same time in the hotel, and the place was just packed. It was nice, though (well, all except for the rotten food and the L-O-N-N-N-N-G walks from my room to the training rooms, but I digress...)

In the evenings, we generally had social time with one another (and let me stress how big "one another" is...there were over 600 sisters there!). On one evening, most of us left the hotel and headed over to the Grand Ole Opry for an evening of music and entertainment. I like country music, I guess, but I had no idea how much I'd enjoy the show. The facility itself is much smaller than I'd imagined, and the grounds were beautiful and the people were very kind. Unfortunately, most of the photos I took didn't come out (please, Santa, bring me a new camera this Christmas!), but here are a few that actually don't look so bad:



When you first step onto the Opry complex, you see the BellSouth Roy Acuff Theater. This is where they broadcast the show "Nashville Star" on the USA cable network.

Not too long thereafter, you'll pass an informational sign about the property:



(An informational sign...now THAT'S a "wow" shot if ever a "wow shot" existed. Simply thrilling!)

And here's the best shot I took the entire time I was in Nashville:



(God, I need a new camera.)

On another evening, we ventured out to the Two Rivers Mansion for a tour and dinner. The home is just gorgeous, and it's easy to see our founders living in a home like that. Our organization was founded in the middle-1850s in Georgia, and it's so easy to see how the three upper-class young ladies that started our sorority could have come from homes like that. At the various meal times, we had a variety of speakers who came to share their inspirational stories with us. Three of whom are sisters as well (Sarah Stone, Mercedes Ramirez-Johnson, and Rikki Ragland). We also met a family whose lives were directly impacted by the philanthropy that we support. It was wonderful to feel like, in some small way, my involvement in this organization impacted this wonderful family. And, too, it was fantastic meeting new sisters and learning more about our organization and one another. It was a good experience. I'm glad to be home, but it was a good experience.

While I was gone, a package from my wonderful Secret Pal came in the mail:



I love my SP8! She sent me lots of yummy yarn (Crystal Palace Deco-Ribbon in "Chocolate Almonds" and the very soft Crystal Palace Musique in "Monet" and some pretty Noro and, my absolute favorite, a YUMMY thuck skein of Billy The Kid in "Petroglyphs"). She also sent me a WONDERFULLY yummy mint foot lotion and a bamboo crochet hook (niiiiice!) and two cute tags ("I Am A Crochet Goddess" and "Got Yarn?") and a Starbucks card (mmmmmmm.....caramel macchiato.....) and two beautiful Austrian crystal charms and some cute Sheep-Fetti! Thank you, SP! You rock! :)

Ohohohoh! I almost forgot! Shelby has asked that all of us in the SP8 game answer a few additional questions to give our Pals more info on what makes us tick. Here we go:

What is your favorite season of the year?
Fall. I love everything about fall...the way the air smells and the colors of the season and the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season...I just love it. Oh, and I adore sweatshirt-and-shorts weather, and fall's the perfect time to pull that off.

Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Well, I'd love to go back to San Diego with my hubby in tow for a romantic getaway. I love San Diego. Love La Jolla. Love it, love it, love it. Until recently, I might have said that an Alaskan cruise would be the perfect vay-cay for us, but given the recent tragedies at sea (illnesses and murders), ummm, no thanks. It'd be fun to take a European trek, too. Paris, London, Rome...wow. Someday, I'll be independently wealthy and I'll be off...

If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?
Well, I've always wanted to go to Manhattan (New York, not Kansas). I want so badly to go to Ground Zero and pay my respects and see the site. I'm also dying to SHOP IN NEW YORK!!! And take in all of the hot spots. I'd also love to go back to Kaiserslautern and see how much it has changed since I left there to return to Indiana in 1978. I'd also love to visit Australia.

If you could pick any job (and be well-paid), what would it be?
If I could have my own little store (maybe a yarn store or a Greek merchandise store) and be as well-paid as I am in my Federal position, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Or if I could make GS-12 pay selling Southern Living At Home or Stampin' Up products, I'd be all over the idea. I've always wanted to work in a voluntary capacity at a hospital (patient advocate) or teaching adults how to read. Wow, if I could make GS-12 level pay doing that, BAH BYE DoD! (Wait, I thought Jennifer worked here...)

If you were going on vacation for one week, and had to take ONLY ONE project with you, what would it be?
Well, I'm not currently crocheting anything, so you'd think this'd be an easy question to answer. I dunno...maybe I'd start on some Christmas gifts (scarves, mittens, hats, etc.)

If you won a shopping spree to your favorite yarn shop, what would you get?
Well, I'd definitely stock up on Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky and Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande and a complete line of bamboo crochet hooks made by Crystal Palace.

OK - I am off to bed. Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

I'm Home

Hi everyone. I made it! We got in waaaaay late last night, and I am still recovering as I drag myself in to the office this morning. No sleep for the weary. I will post later (probably tonight) with the full scoop about our Convention. I hope that everyone had a great week.

Yeeeee-HAW!

Howdy folks. I am heading to Nashville today for our sorority convention. I'll be back Sunday night. Hope that you have a great rest-of-the-week!

Sunday Night

Hi everyone. I am just passing through for a quick second. Wanted to pop in and say hello and see how you all were doing. It's hard to believe that the weekend is almost over. Monday already. Lovely.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I'm only in the office two days this week. Our sorority's national convention is this week, and I'll be going with two of the collegians at the chapter I'm now advising. I am excited...I love our conventions and it's wonderful to be around all of these sisters from all walks of life and from all parts of the world. And I am really, really hoping that they will be providing the advisers with some in-depth training. So much has changed since I was a collegian. I graduated from college in 1995, for crying out loud. Sometimes I'm still not certain if I can truly handle this! Time will tell.

Before I head out on Wednesday, I'll pop by the Post Office and send off my latest gift for my Secret Pal. Here's a photo:



She likes country music, so I made her a little mix-CD of "Country Classics To Knit By" and I also threw in a little hand-made gift card. I hope she likes her little surprise! (Stampin' Up products used for the gift card include the "Flower Filled" stamp set, Pretty In Pink cardstock, and inks in Ballet Blue, Handsome Hunter, and Rose Red. Oh yeah, I also used the double-circle hole punch and some white organdy ribbon.)

Hey, have you heard the song "Landing In London" by 3 Doors Down? It has absolutely blown me away. I guess it's a year or so old (yeah, Jen's a little slow on the musical uptake), but wowzers, I love it. And it's got Bob Seger...yowza. Bob was on The Bob And Tom Show last week, and he was discussing a new album that he's working on. Can't wait for that. Good stuff, I'm certain.

Off to finish laundry. Night, all.

A JenUpdate(tm)

Hi everyone. Just have a quick second to post. I am headed off today for an afternoon of shopping and showering! One of my sorority sisters from the alumnae chapter is having a baby shower, and I wanted to post my photos of her card and blanket:

This is the second time I've made "Beth's Little Star Afghan" and it worked out very well. I love this pattern...it's easy, it's pretty, and it's unique. I used a "J" hook and three skeins of TLC Essentials yarn in "Bambi."



And here is her card. Please click on it to see the detail!



Stampin' Up products include cardstock (Almost Amethyst, Pink Passion, and Pretty In Pink), inks (Pale Plum, Pink Passion, and Pretty In Pink), stamp set ("Baby Talk"), buttons (Pale Plum and Pretty In Pink), The Tearing Edge, the double-circle punch, pink gingham ribbon, and Stampin' Dimensionals. The white cardstock and glue dots aren't from SU.

Not much else to share with you. I'm in the final stages of planning and shopping before our sorority convention next week in Nashville and I can't stop listening to Gnarls Barkley's song "Crazy." Damn, that's addictive.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hi everyone. Just wanted to come by and ask you again if you'd keep my beautiful friend Donna in your prayers. She just recently lost her father, as you know from my previous blog posts, and her family is also facing two additional crises on top of this recent loss. She is very dear to my heart and your prayers and well wishes mean the world to me. Thank you so much.

I made a card for her, of course. You know me. What occasion in my life passes without a homemade card? Here it is. What do you think?



Stampin' Up products used include cardstock (Mellow Moss, Pretty In Pink, and Sahara Sand) and stamp sets ("Friend To Friend" and "Mini Messages") and ink (the now retired Forest Foliage) and accessories (pink gingham ribbon, Mellow Moss eyelets, the 1 1/4" square punch, The Tearing Edge, and Stampin' Dimensionals). The pink ink, "With Love" metal tag, and curvy scissors aren't from SU.

Hope everyone is doing well. We're about two days closer to Friday, and that's a good thing!

God Bless America

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Happy Independence Day, friends. Please remember to keep our country and our servicemen and women in your thoughts and prayers today. How blessed we are to live where we live and to have the amazing freedoms and securities that we do.