Okay folks, false alarm....they sent Mary home from the Hospital saying she wasn't ready. So she is at home for now until the contractions get stronger... But on the upside...awww, how cute is she as a pregnant girl? 

My sister Emma will be here in 3 weeks... wooohooo! 

doo doo da dooooo!

Attention everyone!

MARY IS AT THE HOSPITAL!

Her contractions are 5-6 minutes apart. I think that means I am going to become an aunt sometime today! I'll post pictures of her and the baby as soon as I get them...

sniffle....

I'm sick. It really really blows. This couldn't have come at a worse time. So, here I am sitting in my little grey office, my nose chapped from wiping and my eyes watering from the last 3 sneezes that assaulted me. *sigh*

Anyway, I'm really busy right now working on the Guardian Challenge Video. It's going pretty good so far. My problem is that, being a designer, my imagination far exceeds my abilities in video editing. So my project so far looks nothing like the one I had pictured in my head, but all in all, it looks alright considering we have no budget, no time, and no support.

Still no word from Mary on the baby... Guess we'll find out soon enough.

~e

aww... another story about the little Hippo orphaned by the Tsunami and his surrogate mother, a 130 year old tortoise

Yahoo! News - Reptile draws scared hippo out of his shell

I just wanted to share this picture of me and my dearest friend Echo. Hope we get to see you again soon!  

Tim can't hike without his Green Tea. Seriously. 

Hey what the heck is the Swiss Miss doing amongst all that wilderness? 

Look at Tim! He can take pictures like Ansel Adams, I feel a hobby comin' on... 

Here is Tim and I in our obligatory "we are so in loooove!" photo..... 

Smartfilter, you ain't so smart...

Smartfilter. It is the Air Force's way of forcing me to work harder. I already work harder then most of the mush brained losers in this sinking ship, but I am not allowed to view my own blog. I can update it, but I can't view it. It's really not that big of a deal, but I have little internet surf routines that I like to do when I have some downtime and the smart filter really screws that up for me.

And in other news, I'm actually glad to be at work. I love my weekends, but when I have so much time off I start stressing about all the stuff I need to do for work and start to feel guilty for not being there. That's sick isn't it?

I had such a nice weekend. It started with Friday night being the Guinness Toast. Sheila, Justin, Dane, Tim and I all went to Fado. I got "soused" as Dane put it. But it was a nice end to what had been an insane week of work. Saturday, I spent most of the day recovering from Friday. We were supposed to go to a party at Mingo's but never really made it out of the house. Sunday we went hiking at Roxborough park. It was amazing out there. So beautiful, it's hard to believe the city is so close. I'll upload some pics later...

Monday was more hanging out at the house, but I undertook a project I've been eyeballing for a while. The meshing of Tim and I's file cabinets. We now have all of our important papers in on cabinet instead of split between my cabinet and his office. I told him that it's all part of my plan to make it a real pain in the ass if he ever decides to leave me. :) Then we took a little trip to Target to pick up some more organization stuff. I'm trying to get our mail problem under control. It always ends up on the dining room table in little piles everywhere so my plan is to sort it when it comes in. We'll see how that works out.

So, my sister Mary is due to have her baby any day now. She is at her wits end and wants that baby to come out know. Can't say that I blame her. She must be so uncomfortable. Poor girl. Anyway, cross you fingers that it happens before the week is out. Also this weekend, did you hear? Paris Hilton's phonebook was hacked and released to the internet world. People have spent their presidents day weekend prank calling celebrities. I of course did not participate. But that is only cause Madonna's number wasn't on there. ;)

~Erin

p.s. Emmy Roo, you are my hero too.

Tim and I on our way to Valentine's Day Dinner... 

Erin's Grammy Wrap-Up:

So I watched the Grammy's Last night...It was...um...interesting. I think that whoever put the show together had the right idea about opening with many different musical acts...they did a pretty okay job of moving from act to act until something went horribly wrong at the end of the opener. I can imagine the planning meeting now. It's 3 a.m. and the directors and producers are trying to figure out how to wrap it up and someone says... "hey, I know, how about we just give them no direction at all and let them figure it out on live t.v.... now that would be funny!" It could have been funny, but mainly it was just unpleasant, so I used that time to take a pee break.

Most of the performances were pretty good. I really enjoyed Joss Stone and Melissa Ethridge's tribute to Janis Joplin and the performance Usher gave was spot on. I don't really get into his music, but his voice and dancing was flawless. His partner James Brown seemed drunk, instead of that moment between them being cool, it seemed a little depressing. And just for the record, why didn't someone get that man a suit made of something other than hot pink polyester and fringe?

Other hi-lights of the evening? j.Lo's voice cracking during her and her husband's sappy rendition of what ever crappy song that was. Really really bad... Loretta Lynn wearing the worst nightmare of an eighties bridesmaid dress I have ever seen. Seriously, does any dress need that many bows? She also seemed drunk... Whoever's job it was to keep the old people out of the green rooms entire supply of liquor failed miserably.

The Tsunami aid song was a dismal failure...Stevie forgot the words, Norah sang off key, and the sight of Richard Tyler playing four maracas was just plain random. Note: Brian Wilson, ALSO DRUNK! Bono looked embarrassed and didn't sing for most of the song. Scott Weiland rocks, but on t.v. looking at him, he just look like an addict. I know he's supposedly cleaned up, but those hollow cheeks and grey teeth may him look scary.

My hero John Mayer won for best song, Daughters. It wasn't his best song, I can think of tons of other ones that he has written that are more subtle and smarter and just plain better. But, we'll take what we can get. Also, he was wearing a strange sort of Sergeant Pepper jacket while on stage....A sign of things to come? Maybe next year he'll have a beard....

All in all the Grammy's made for pleasant entertainment. At least when bad things happen it's usually funny, and it really makes you look forward to the performances that are actually good. A shout out to Jamie Foxx. I loved him as Wanda, but who knew he could sing and play piano too? Alicia Keys is so good it's unreal and Queen Latifah? Who knew she could sing...She's much better than J.Lo anyway. Then again who isn't?

Okay, it has to be known that....

I'm rocking out to soundtrack from Clueless. Now don't laugh. That movie came out in 1995. I was 15, the same as as Cher in that movie. I mainly just envied her closet. I was more of a clothes hog than a boys hog back then. Either way, over the knee stockings were very cool. I remember wearing them with a skirt, but pulling them up all the way when I left for school so my dad would think I was wearing tights. Then I'd scoot them down to just over my kneecaps. SOOOO trendy. What was I thinking?

Portrait of an ENTJ

Portrait of an ENTJ

This is me. How strange...I always thought of myself as being the more sensitive type, but I guess I'm not the same after all these years in the Air Force.

hmmm...............

who am I?

ENTJ - "Field Marshall". The basic driving force and need is to lead. Tend to seek a position of responsibility and enjoys being an executive. 1.8% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs)

is it true?

The truth is out there...

I am sure every adult at sometime has been unhappy with their job. When I think back to why I joined the Air Force, I have to say I did so with he typical abandon that befits an 18 year old woman. I had no forethought. I didn't think " will this job make me happy?" or "Is this really what I want out of life?". I don't think anyone expected me to.

In my first few years in the military my personal life really held center stage for me. Whatever minor disagreements at work were just "filler" for my days and all the real drama happened in my free time. When I started coming up on the end of my first term, about a year before, I assumed that I would be getting out. I had always planned on getting out and nothing earth-shaking had really happened to make me change my mind. But socially, I was starting to figure things out which left a bit more free time for involvement at my job.

I've always enjoyed my work immensely. I used to jump out of bed in the morning just excited about being able to use all the cool programs and being able to create things. I always thought that was the measure of my success. How many beautiful things can I create? I received some accolades, but my work at the time wasn't anything special. My supervisors (all four of them...) hadn't really brought anything to my "creative" table. One was a Photo Lab Maintenance guy, (What the hell does he know about posters?), one was a video guy (he was a jerk, and in between talking to his girlfriends on the phone would make lewd comments to the girls in the office) one had an anger problem ( he like to call me names...that was a good time...) and one was so wrapped up in sitting in her office gabbing on the phone that I couldn't have talked to her about anything, unless maybe I called her.

Each one of them had ended up in their career fields as an accident and had no desire to learn anything beyond the same tiled backgrounds and plastic wrap effects. For a young person with no direction, the worst kind of supervisor is an apathetic one.

There was a captain in our squadron who at one time had been our flight commander. Like most flights we kind of had a revolving door policy on flight commanders. Just as we got one broken in, another would show up to replace him or her. He was no different except he was really interested in what we did. He always came into our shop to see what we had going on. My BVIM was always annoyed by him, but I thought it was cool that he made an effort. He was the one, in the end that convinced me that the Air Force had a place for someone like me.

Maybe he was wrong. Looking back on that decision, I realize that he was just doing what any good officer would do. Making sure the Air Force didn't lose someone that they'd spent the money on training. But for whatever reason, his recognition made me want to stay in and see what the future would hold. The time I spent at Malmstrom AFB was a learning experience and when I came to Buckley I thought it was going to be totally different. And in most respects it was. I was lucky enough to end up with a coworker who challenged me. (Tiffany) Even though she and I didn't really see eye to eye, and we still don't... She,with her competitive nature, constantly motivated me to "kick it up a notch". My supervisor at the time fancied himself a graphic designer but he came from the old school way of thinking and Tiff and I often joked about how behind the times he was.

Time passed and my work really started to improve and I have to say that when I look at things now I realize how far I've come. I don't think I'm especially talented, but I do think that everyone has a niche and I have found mine. I've always had a lot of ideas and this job does allow me to express them. But in every job, there are always downsides to things. Whatever happiness and satisfaction I find in creating, it is always tinged with frustration at my work center.

The Air Force is not as strict as some branches and for that I'm grateful. I've had disagreements with policy many times, but with someone who has a strong personality like mine, I figure that it normal. My biggest disappointment in recent time is that after being in the AF for over 7 years, I have yet to have a supervisor who has taught me anything about my job. Everything I know, I know from poring over Design Annuals, trial and error, and honest appraisals of my work by coworkers who actually understand composition.

I'm not complaining about the personality here. Although lord knows, my supervisors personality drives me nuts.... but it's more about trying to figure out why it is that karma keeps on putting me in a situation where I have to answer all my questions on my own. I wish I had a supervisors who's abilities as a leader and professional in his (or her) field blew mine off the map. Someone who could make me respect them. Because, I've never experienced that. And that my friends is the bottom line.

I don't hate my job because it's military. I hate my job because the military keeps saddling with one supervisor after another who doesn't deserve my respect. Maybe on the outside, things might be different....

~e

rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

This always happens to me. I had a great weekend as usual. It was a nice long three day weekend that I spent hanging with my friends and my husband. Then, Sunday night rolls around. About 7:00 p.m., I start to get that crappy feeling. I start dreading the next day. Then I have a hard time falling asleep because I'm doing a mental check to see if I can find a reason not to go to work the next day. Does my throat feel even a tiny bit sore? Is my nose stuffy? Do I feel nauseous? Sometimes all the stressing actually makes me nauseous. Then I go sit on the cold bathroom tile and stare at the dust bunnies under the toilet hearing Sgt. Azzmunch's stupid voice droning on and on. I don't know what he's saying. Probably something really banal and boring. It's not what he says. It's how he says it...He sounds like the school teacher on Charlie Brown. Wa-wa-wah-wa-wa-wah-wah.

It's not that I hate my job. It's not even about hating the military. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The AF has been an invaluable part of my evolution as a human being. But it's just that I've moved past it. There is nothing here anymore that I look forward to learning.

The AF is about small minded people trying to smoosh you inside their ideas of what is right and wrong. It is about people with no potential to move beyond their comfort zone trying to make you feel guilty for reaching beyond yours. It is about imposing you beliefs however old and antiquated on whoever you are supervising. It's about bad leadership, bad ideas and bad attitudes.

I've been one of the lucky few who ended up with a job that affords me some outlet for my creativity. But I've outgrown my job and my coworkers and my rank and my environment. I'm just not happy anymore. In an attempt to give my career a shot in the arm I've volunteered to be UAC VP and be on the GC committee. But it's not enough. They start to see that you've volunteered and they just start trying to take more away from you. It's not enough that I give them every waking hour during the week. They want my weekends too.

I'm miserable here and I can't wait to be free.

murmur....

it's 1:25 and the day will not die... It's dragging on and on. I bid on a dress on ebay for valentines day... It was stolen from me. I didn't win and I'm sad. Ah well, I'm just going to sit here and feel anger towards those spiteful ebayers who wait to the last minute and steal things from people. You know who you are...

Sheila has a show at the D-Note on saturday. Be there or be square. No seriously, if you're not there you are a big loser.

Things I hate about my Flatmate

Things I hate about my Flatmate

Passive-Aggressiveness for the new millenium...

get me a map of EVERYTHING.

get me a map of EVERYTHING.

An excellent quiche recipe in the feb. 3rd entry...

Lola Grill

Lola Grill

This is where Tim is taking me for Valentines day...

Far from wishing to awaken the devil within
the charlies and daniels of the world play fiddle
and boss themselves into the house of the rising sun.
I've been taken captive by the air force.
I'm in a room with no doors and no windows
and a phone that never stops ringing.
I suspect that the powers that be
are losing their minds and they don't
want anyone to know.
Maybe if i type faster no one will ever know the truth
that lies here in the land of the captives of the air force.
or am i just crazy?
it's the weasels and the little league
that are banging on my door
and the candles are
all melting down to nubs
like little lost limbs of veterans.

100 % Funk

I officially have the funk. My sniffles have gotten better. I keep on sneezing though. But now my throat is really sore. :( This blows. On the upside I was at target today getting some better workout pants and I picked up some more disco CD's for my birthday party. Now, I know what you're thinking... "Erin, why are you planning your party right now? It isn't for another four months..." Well, I'll tell you guys. I takes work throwing a really good party and since it's my birthday, I want a REALLY GOOD party. Speaking of which, look what I'm bidding on. Yeah that's right....tennis show roller skates. This party is gonna be so awesome. Well, I'm off to the gym to punish my body for making me sick.

~e

p.s. Shout out to Sheila's new roomie Katrina, it's her birthday today! haaaaaaapppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy birthdaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to youuuuuuuuuuuuu!

I got it bad and that ain't good....

I'm getting sick. yup. It's finally happening. I have a stuffy nose and a sore throat. I thought maybe I'd escape it this year, but no. *sigh* Isn't that just the way life goes? Also, I've been very accident prone lately...First I smashed my big toe under the drawer on the bottom of our oven, then I was playing with he cats and got my finger gouged pretty good, and then not five minutes ago, I smashed my knee on the drawers in my cubicle. Why GOD? WHY????

I have so much work to do today and I'm feeling kinda groggy so I'm having a hard time getting motivated. Not to mention the phone has been ringing of the hook. Mostly about VTC stuff, but it's still annoying. I don't know how it is for the rest of the world, but I can't get into the "work groove" when I keep on having to stop to answer the phone. Maybe it's just cause I'm cranky. Who knows...

~e