Catherine as Myrrine in Lysistrata

Here's another fun photo of Catherine as Myrrine in Lysistrata:

Braggin' on Cat!

Catherine made straight A's her second semester in a row. Go Catgirl! (I know, I know...it's "Catwoman")

No family reunion!

For the first time in about a bazillion years, Cat and I didn't go to the big Memorial Day reunion in King City. Apparently, it isn't happening. I tried to e-mail family that would know, but most of my messages bounced back and the others weren't answered. I'm guessing nobody stepped in to take Judy's place. She organized it every year, but died suddenly last year shortly before the reunion.

I had an extra ballet rehearsal today, because our recital is coming up very soon (June 16 and 17). I've also got an Accordion Works rehearsal tomorrow. We had a performance last week and are having another one June 19th.

It's all about the chair...

Cat and I did a girl-bonding thing today. We had lunch at the Frog, then we both got pedicures. I like to have one at the beginning of summer, just going into sandal season. Judging from today's weather -- it's time!

After that, we went to Michael's for a bunch of art stuff she needs for one of her final projects. Then, on to the grocery store to restock our larder.

Our toes look very cute.

ssssssssssssssssssssscat!

I scared the living daylights out of one of my coworkers with this picture. How was I to know she's deathly afraid of snakes?!?

I snapped him out back near the maintenance shop.


My snaky little friend



Cute picture of my Cat girl

Smoking outside the building

Saw the same guy outside smoking three different times today. Then, my brain started wondering what sort of impact smoking has on productivity. And, I don't automatically think it's negative -- maybe some smokers are MORE productive, because they actually take their breaks. Who knows? Stuff for somebody's Master's thesis, I guess.

I got the fun task of digging into the emergency response carts to check the pressure levels on the SCBAs (Self Contained Breathing Aparatus) and inventory the vapor barrier suits. The part in my job description about needing to be able to lift 50 pounds actually is true! The worst part is that the carts are stored in sheds and they're all spider webby. Yuck. Spiders are not my favorite critters. I saw a squished (thank goodness!) black widow on the side of one of the carts. I'm not strong enough to get the carts out of the sheds, so I had to work on them inside with my skin all creepy from thinking about spiders.

On the bright side, the weather is truly lovely today. Rather windy, but quite clear and fresh and warm. I had some serious "spring fever" feelings as I walked from emergency cart to emergency cart.

Aloha!

Here are some lovely flowers from my special guy! Getting ready for Hawaii, already!

Tropical flowers

Lizzie and I are getting together tomorrow with my Accordion Works director tomorrow to talk wedding music, then I'm off to San Francisco for a two-day seminar. I won't be checking e-mail after tomorrow midday until sometime Wednesday, so if you need to reach me, try my cell.

Time to go get my nails done....

More training

Tomorrow, I'll be spending all day at an environmental crash course. It's in Sacramento, so I also will get to be thankful I only occasionally have to make that drive at 8 in the morning. I'm so grateful I don't have a "real" commute, just a dinky little one most days.

Next week, I've got a two-day seminar in San Francisco on training techniques. And, later in the month, I'll be at the Salinas Valley Ammonia Safety Day (Gilroy has garlic; Stockton has asparagus; Tracy has dry beans; Salinas has ammonia!).

I think there was some sort of wreck this morning in front of my building, before I got here. There was a highway patrolman walking around a burnt hulk of a pick-up truck in the ditch, making notes. I'm clueless as to what happened, but that's the sort of thing that never seems to make the newspapers around here!

Has anybody gotten an invitation to the King City reunion, yet? Is it happening this year? Inquiring minds want to know....

Old friends...

Had lunch with an old friend! Anybody remember Julie? She stopped by to visit the IT gang (that's when we worked together), so we all went out. I'm so glad they remembered that I'd worked with her, too, and invited me along. Her life is still as interesting as ever -- she's getting much closer to her dream of being a court reporter.

Julie's youngest son was barely a todder when she left and is now in second grade! Time flies by way too quickly, doesn't it?

Mark your calendar!

Cat's been cast as Cherie in Bus Stop. For the uninitiated, that's the same part that Marilyn Monroe played in the 1956 movie. Performances will be July 8, 9, 10, 15 & 16.

Check out the Stockton Theater Project website and Cat's Blog for more information and breaking news!

Cinco de Mayo!

Today, our boss said she was taking us out to celebrate. How cool is that? So, we're going to Casa Somebody in a few minutes!

Salud!

Update on other things

Turns out the employee who collapsed was dehydrated. Whew! I'm glad he's okay; that was quite worrisome.

Thank goodness for health insurance!

Just got the statements from Cat's doctor visits in February and March. Are you sitting down?

The total the insurance paid to the two doctors was $1245.63.

I paid $35, plus gasoline and a day of vacation.

Bad hair day and other things

Had some excitement at the winery. As the HR girls and I were returning from lunch, we saw an ambulance leaving, and there were a couple of fire trucks in the parking lot. Turns out a temporary employee working one of the bottling lines had chest pains and collapsed. We still haven't heard how he's doing, and of course we're quite worried about him. I'll post more when I know it. He's a young man (30ish). Yeah, that was my first question, too!

I did something really silly (having nothing to do with the previous paragraph)! I guess I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair this morning. It looks like I went a little crazy with hair gel. It looks clean, but it's got a bit of that "brill cream" thing going...

I'd better get going -- need to get Safety BINGO cards handed out to all the employees before I leave.

Bits & Pieces

We had a really good rehearsal last night (Accordion Works). We're starting a new piece called, "I Can't Stop Playing Polkas." It's very demented. Think Looney Tunes. I'm trying to convince Catherine to be our vocalist -- the lyrics are hilarious, and I think she'd have a ton of fun. Maybe she's got a friend who'd like to do it, too, so it'd be less time commitment and pressure. Who else can belt? We all sing the chorus (I can't stop playing polkas! ... on my accordion ... on my accordion ...), which is an enormous challenge. I've never tried to sing and play at the same time before, AND we're supposedly singing in two-part harmony!

We're also doing an improvisational piece based on Amelie. I'm really weak in improvisation, so this will definitely be a growing experience for me!

I dug out a bunch of music, so Liz and I can start figuring out what she'd like for her wedding and reception. I've got the book of wedding standards that I used at Wayne and Nancy's wedding. There's also a cool wedding song from Cabaret and a fun book of show tunes. Which Beatles songs might be good for a wedding/reception? I also have a hymnal and a copy of the other songbook we use at church (The Faith We Sing?).

I've got to figure out how to move some appliances this week. Our "spring cleanup" is Saturday, and they'll take up to two cubic yards of junk. If I can wrestle my old dryer out, that's one cubic yard. I don't think I can manage getting the dishwasher down the stairs, so that'll have to wait. If I could figure out how to do it, I'd put out the freezer and call it a day (also would involve stairs, since it's in the kitchen). I expect it's two cubic yards by itself. If I can't figure out how to move the appliances, I'll just put out a couple of old computer monitors and some rusty bikes. Frankly, I've got way more than two cubic yards of junk!