Healthy Living Thread

[Rod]

That's a funny street sign!

I hope you had a fun relaxing Sunday Marcy. Sometimes a day to yourself is a real luxury.

We had a sort of quiet day. The morning was nice. My brother and SIL were supposed to arrive around 3 PM and they are never early. We were at the grocery store at 1:30 when my brother called to say they were not only early, they were in our driveway. We wound up not getting any groceries and just came home. We wound up getting take out Chinese for dinner, which was good. A front is coming through and it's raining. Really Really raining.

I guess I'll watch the Grammy's as there's really nothing on TV tonight. And yuck, tomorrow's Monday already. I think as we get older, we should be able to delete a day each week. I vote for deleting Monday's altogether.

Have a good start to the new week.

 

[marcy]

Rod, sometimes it is nice to have a relaxing day to yourself. Sadly I seem to be getting too many of them lately. I did make a batch of sugar cookies this afternoon. They sure hit the spot. I haven't made those cookies for 5 years but they have been sounding good lately. They were my dad's favorite cookies and so I couldn't bring myself to make them before now.

Too funny your brother and SIL came by so early; but you all got to go out for a nice Chinese dinner. Sorry you are getting a lot of rain.

There isn't much on TV today. I am watching Armageddon right now. It's hardly rocket science.

Marcy

 

[Rod]

I remember Armageddon. It was fun, but you're right, not based on much real science.

So far the Grammy's show is pretty terrific. Some truly amazing performances. Lady GaGa and Pink were awesome.

I'm glad you enjoyed the sugar cookies. Charlie loves to bake them and he makes sure we have sugar cookies in the freezer constantly. They're so good, but I try to not them very often. He has one almost every night. But he's skinny and I'm not.

 

[marcy]

Rod, Armageddon has action and sound; that's half of the entertainment value to me.

Glad to hear the performances are good on the Grammy's. I might listen at work tomorrow. Skip through the blathering and listen to the music.

That's nice Charlie is skinny and can enjoy a cookie every day. My favorite cookie is chocolate chip but I do really like these sugar cookies. I just made a single batch so I ended up with about 3 dozen cookies. I might take a dozen or so to a friend and then take one or two out of the freezer for a treat. These are my most requested cookie but I've never taken them in to my current job and I've been there 19 years; they don't know what they are missing. Ha Ha. We ran in to a boss Marty worked for when we were first married and the first thing she asked me was if I still made those sugar cookies.

 

[Rod]

They must be truly special to be that memorable! The cookies Charlie make that I simply adore (and I've asked him to not make them for a while) are Black Bottoms. They're called cookies, but they're really mini cupcakes, with chocolate cupcake outsides and cream cheese with chocolate chips in the center. When we got together 38 years ago, his mother made them and I so adored them, she'd bake a whole tin just for me. When she passed away the recipe disappeared. One day last year I was reading through some recipes online and one of the recipes that popped up were called Black Bottom's. It surely sounded like what his mother made years ago, so we baked a batch and indeed it's exactly what his mom made.

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/8q93a07t/black-bottom-cookies.html

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Monday kids!

Curby, that sign if FABULOUS! And your cookies sound amazing. I love a good sugar cookie but I haven't had one for ages.

Rod, those black bottoms look great too! You guys are not doing much in terms of helping me shy away from the sweets this morning, LOL. We've got pastries in the kitchen and I'm making it a point to go around the long way to the ladies room to avoid them.

So I survived the movie(s)... well really one and half... we watched Anchorman and then started some movie about a guy that gets turned into a super hero, but went to bed before that one was finished.

Sunday I took a client to see a bunch of units, with a break in between for brunch. TR was supposed to come down to go to dinner with some of my friends but the weather turned and it didn't seem like a good idea, including the potentially brutal commute back out his way this morning if we did get an actual snow, so I went along. It was such a good time, I'm sorry that he missed it. Oh well, there's always next time.

Today I'm plowing through the annual certifications that got turned in last week on the days that I was out. They are DUE due tomorrow (per the regulatory requirement) so I'll be hunting people down later to get the ones who haven't turned them in. Really people... ? REALLY? I'm not your mother -- DO YOUR DAMN FORMS!!!

OK... of to get more coffee before I attack the paper.

 

[Rod]

This will be short. It was simply a lousy Monday. A candidate I placed who was supposed to start in a week got bad references from a previous employer and the company rescinded the offer. It's just awful when something like this happens. And the day just never improved.

That's my contribution for the day.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, I guess I've been known for my cookie baking since I was a kid and family / friends have assorted favorites. The Black Bottom cookies sound delicious. I looked up pictures of them and they look quite tasty. I am glad you rediscovered the recipe since they were something Charlie's mom used to make.

Dee Jay, the sugar cookies I make have sour cream and nutmeg for a little bit of a different flavor. I make them thick and cook them until they are barely done. I was looking forward to having some for supper all day.

Good for you avoiding the pastries at work today. I was good and stayed out of the snickerdoodles I took in for everyone because i wanted some sugar cookies tonight.

Is Anchorman a Will Farrell movie?

Darn that the weather turned bad for TR to come down and go out with some of your friends. I am glad you enjoyed going anyway.

Have fun tracking down everyone who hasn't turned in their certificates. We told my employees today about their new responsibilities and go figure the 2 who always need help getting their work done looked pretty unhappy and very concerned.

Marty is staying at an AIRBNB this week so i mentioned to check for bugs and he sent me this text today "damn you for mentioning bugs; I thought about that all night".

I brewing up mashed potatoes and a burger for supper. I already ate my raw veggies. And of course my dessert is pictured below. They were discovered by a rabbit though.

Take care.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

It's Tuesday kids!

Rod, I'm so sorry that worked out like that... biggest hugs my friend. Sometimes stuff sucks.

Curby, I've got seven of ninety-three people still outstanding. After I fortify myself with lunch I'm going to go and start banging heads. Adding to my resume: BABYSITTER.

Last night TR came down. We hung out on the couch and ended up going to be much later than I realized -- it was 11:30 when I looked at the clock. And then we got up early because he left around 5:30 to go home. Fortunately for him the reverse commute is not nearly as bad as my commute when I come in the other direction and he did it in just a bit over an hour.

I've got to start thinking of what to take to Switzerland. In a perfect universe I will only take on carry on bag (although I've got the AA credit card so I can also check a bag for free if I want to). I should start making a "pile" on the dining room table as I think of stuff.

OK, off to comply!

 

[Rod]

I hope the complying stuff goes well DeeJay. I do so appreciate working for a small company with zero processes or rules. LOL

How lucky for TR to have a better commute home than you do. I guess I didn't know (likely missed) that you're going to Switzerland. I'd be in trouble there, with my penchant for higher end Swiss Watches. Yes I would.

Today was an incredibly busy day. I picked up 5 new jobs. I've successfully scheduled two candidates for interview to [hopefully] replace the candidate who the company rejected yesterday. I had another candidate make it through his final interview with a major retailer client of mine for a high level management role and I've got two other offers in the works. So all in all, a better day.

It's chilly in Tampa tonight. I'm actually wearing a long sleeve shirt and I turned the heat on.

I should prolly be watching the State of the Union address, but I'm afraid listening to Trump makes me nauseous.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Rod, unfortunately our rules are often mandated by the SEC so there's zero wiggle room. Like, when they say that these certain pieces of paper are due by Jan. 30. The are DUE by Jan 30. Full stop. It can be a real PITA sometimes!

Last night I went to TR's and we were going to watch the SOTU together--we'd already negotiated terms ahead of time; who got to control the remote, the possibility of exiting the room altogether if things got to bad, etc.--but then never ended up watching it at all. Probably better, LOL.

My commute this morning wasn't *quite* as bad as the other day... Instead of driving home and getting ready there and then coming to work I got ready at TR's and then came straight to the office. It was still about 2-1/2 hours driving though... UGH. When I get back from Switzerland we're going to work on him coming down and bringing his dogs to stay overnight since his commute is so much better than mine. Hopefully that will work out.

Now that the certification process is done I've got some catch up to do today. I might also com in tomorrow since I'll be out all of next week. We will see...

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, i missed your post the other night; I didn't hit refresh before posting. Sorry about the problem with that candidate but it sounds like things got better for you yesterday. Sadly, my day is shaping up to be a total a bad copy of your Monday.
You'd have a great time visiting Switzerland; expensive, but wonderful.
I'm not feeling bad for you having to wear long sleeve shirts and turning on the heat. I got gas today in 50 mph sustained winds and I swear that wind was blowing off a glacier. I hope the temps warm up for you soon.

Dee Jay, darn that you have no wiggle room on the paperwork. Good deal the certificate process is done.
I didn't know or remember (either is possible) you are heading to Switzerland. Have fun!
Good plan to have TR come stay with you since his commute back is easier.

I got up at 5:30 to watch the lunar eclipse. We had heavy, low clouds so I went back to bed. Then since I was still awake at 6; I looked again. I could see the eclipsed moon through a hole in the clouds. I put on shoes and a coat and ventured out to try and get a picture. I got 3. One distant shot is okay; the 2 close ups are awful. The one would pass as a great photo of Mars though because all the clouds look like the dark markings on Mars. I got in my car and drove around trying to see if I could find a break in the clouds but no dice.
I came home and took a shower then went to have coffee break with my dad's buddies. It was nice to catch up with them.
From there I went to pay Marty's gym rent but we are good through February and his contract is up at the end of February so I didn't pay March.
After that I went to the cemetery. Today is the 4th anniversary of my dad's death.
I stopped to get gas and groceries and then went out to lunch.
One of my "great" employees broke an automated system and of course none of them knew how or why or what to do to fix it. So I was dealing with that most of the morning. While in my email I found an email from someone at corporate telling me I broke something in the new test bed they want me to use. That really ticks me off - no one gives me any support or information, just tell me to go test my apps and something breaks and I screwed it up? That's why I had wine with lunch.
I decided I've had enough of that stupid "what wind?" so I'm home for the day.
Marty's department was sold to another company yesterday. The new company owns 51% and his current company owns 49%. The story I found online says the employees will move over but who knows what that means? The transition with be in the 3rd quarter. I'm trying not to freak out. Really, I'm trying.

Have a fabulous day!
Curby / Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Wednesday kids!

Curby, I have no doubt that everything will work out with Marty's company. BUT I also understand you are freaking out. So feel free to freak out here all you want, we're here for you!

Yesterday I took a client to see three things after work. Today we're going back to see something a second time and then going to see at least two, and hopefully three, more in the evening. It would be great to get her under contract because I leave for Switzerland on Saturday morning and she leaves for Thailand for a month on Sunday!

I'm in the office today trying to get some things done real quick so hopping off now. Later gators!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, thanks for allowing me to freak out. I know things will work out but I'm not good at change and uncertainty.
Good luck with your client tonight; I hope she finds something she loves.
Are you excited for your trip to Switzerland? Have you been there before?

We had about 2 inches of snow here at the house but probably 5 inches were on the ground where I work. The roads were icy this morning but clear when I came home.

They migrated us to another network today at work; that took about 2 hours out of my day. I still at work left to do at 4:30 but decided I'd had enough for the day and dusted my desk. Ha!

I am pretty happy tomorrow is Friday.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy Friday kids!

Curby, I have been to Switzerland when I hiked the Mt. Blanc tour back in 1997. Twelve to sixteen miles a day for sixteen days. I came home tired! I am excited though because I think this is a good group of people and we're going to have a great time together.

Today I got up early and made a quick trip to see TR in the morning. When I got home I needed a NAP! Then I got my hair cut and I've been doing laundry and *contemplating* packing (but not ACTUALLY packing) for the past four hours or so, ha ha.

I may go to bed super early and just get up and deal with all this in the morning. I don't need to go to the airport until about 10 so no rush in the morning.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy early I-go-to-Switzerland-today kids!

It's 6:05 and I am AWAKE! Man did I crash last night... it was glorious!

This morning I need to wash the sheets, run the dish washer, and... um... pack... Yeah. I haven't packed yet. Oops. But I WILL -- I promise!

American keeps sending me weather advisories, but it's perfectly clear according to the radar, both here and where my plane is coming from, so I'm not sure what the problem is/might be. Oh well, nothing I can do about it; either my flight will leave on time or it won't. I'm going to JFK first to meet up with some friends, and three of us are going on to Zurich together where we'll meet up with the others.

Alright, up and at em!

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids! Happy Weekend.

Dee Jay, that was some marathon hike on your last trip to Switzerland. I can see why you came home tired. Glad you are going with a great group of people, you should have fun. Have safe travels. I hope the weather alerts didn't materialize in to any travel delays.

We have a wind storm going on; last I saw they recorded a gust up to 68 around here. I had errands to run but decided they weren't that important. Marty went to the gym this morning so he picked up some groceries on the way home. Some friends are coming over tonight. Marty is making some kind of stir fry. Not my favorite but I'll just have an excuse to drink more.

I got the laundry out of Marty's suitcase washed the morning and did a batch of dishes.

Take care.
Curby / Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Dee Jay, I hope you are having a blast in Switzerland.
Rod, I hope you are enjoying some warm weather. I am not.

Sadly my alarm is very reliable and woke me up in time to make it to work. Phooey. I discovered missed files (mostly my time saving macros) right off so spent hours trying to get those back. I'd say I've got about 1/2 of them back and working.
I met some friends for lunch; that was fun to get out plus see my friends cute kids.
It was snowing like crazy on my way back to work and continued snowing off and on all day. There isn't much accumulation but it got icy.

I made myself a BLT for supper. I enjoyed every bite of it too. We had some nice tomatoes left from tacos yesterday so I decided what better way to use one of them than a BLT.

Take care.
Curby / Marcy

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

More snow this morning. At least it was sunny on the way home tonight.
We had filet thawed out for supper but neither of us were very hungry. I cooked mine and saved over 1/2 of it for tomorrow night and I will make up some fake beef stroganoff with enough for supper and lunch. I had some raw veggies tonight with the little piece of steak. Marty met one of his buddies at his gym so he'll cook his steak when he gets home.

I hope everyone is having a great day.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Rod]

Hey........Just a quick check-in.

Marcy, I'm sure Marty will be fine, but I know it's difficult to not worry. Anytime a company is acquired it's an unsettled time till the transition is complete. Sorry it's still snowing out there.

DeeJay, sorry I missed wishing you a wonderful trip. So jealous of you!

Work is simply crazy. I've got so many deals in the works that even if only half of them close, I'll have a very amazing month.

Like I said, a quick pop-in. Time to unwind for a few minutes, then to bed.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Happy hello from the base of the Matterhorn kids!

Curby, every time I look out and see all this crazy snow I think of you! I'll post some pics (not sure if I can do it from here, but if not then definitely when I get back). I swear just the snow on the ground is taller than I am in places!

Rod, I'm sure you will have an amazing month! I hope they appreciate you because you are a placement rock star!

So today is day three of the trip. The flight to JFK was totally uneventful despite all the messages from AA. I met up with two of my friends at the Admiral's Club there during the few hour layover. The second part of the trip, which was the long leg, was also great. I had an entire row of three seats to myself and could lay completely flat -- being short does have its advantages sometimes! I slept about three hours, so not a full night's sleep certainly, but not too bad either. Once we got on the ground we collected our luggage and then my friend (whose birthday we're here to celebrate) came in not long after so the four of us then took the train from Zurich to Zermatt.

Over the past few days other of our friends have shown up so now there are eight of us here. It's a great group of people and we're having a really good time drinking and eating and drinking and skiing (them) and hiking (me) and drinking... oh, did I mention drinking?! So much food though. We've got a chef here at the chalet that makes us breakfast every morning and then we have a big lunch on the mountain somewhere. For dinner the chef either cooks for us here or we go out. Three big meals a day is more than I'm used to eating and I feel ready to pop... and we're only half way through!

Getting ready to make a big trek up a mountain for lunch so I'd better go get myself together. Will check in more later!

 

[Dee*Jay]

My view right now as I wait at the restaurant for my friends.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

DeeJ: your guys arrange great holidays! I wanna come! Have fun and keep on eating and drinking!

Rod: here's to a great month!

Snowfall warning/alert here. Up to 35 cms predicted by Sunday night. That might be OK if I were in Switzerland but not here! (although the skiers in our neighborhood Rockies are loving it...)

MI Marcy.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Rod]

DeeJay, that view is killer and the trip sounds sublime. I'd love the food, food, food. Not much of a drinker here, but am so an eater!! If you get a chance, go pick me up a Breguet Marine, Big Date, Stainless with Metal Bracelet, (42mm) OK? It's only about $16K. LOL Maybe when I retire, this will be my retirement gift to myself.

Winter just won't lessen it's grip I see, Marcy. Stay safe and warm.

I've had a consultant of mine go missing. Really like he walked off the planet. I had to file a missing persons report with the police in Brentwood, TN this morning. So odd and completely out of character for him. I'm terribly worried something bad has happened to him. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, I am glad you are having a great month at work. I hope at least 1/2 of them close if not more. That is very scary about that guy going missing. I hope he turns up safe and sound. No winter won’t loosen it’s grip.

Dee Jay, I love your picture. It’s so beautiful! It sounds like you have a ton of snow there but hey you are in the mountains, what do we expect? Such a deal you had 3 seats to yourself on the long flight. I am glad you and your friends are having a wonderful time.

Sharon, that’s a lot of snow! Stay safe and warm this weekend.

Poor Marty had insomnia again last night. He wants to go to Denver Saturday and visit an Apple store (he wants a new Apple Watch). I made him cranky telling him it’s our cleaning day. He is tired of the inconvenience of having the cleaning lady come on Saturday. If he was home on a more regular basis we could try to find someone to come during the week but he’s gone so much now. If I have to wait for someone to show up then come home tout o let them that doesn’t set well with my boss. Right now Saturday works well for me. I don’t know what we’ll do. Hurry up golf season, then he won’t mind.

Have a fabulous evening and Thursday tomorrow.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Rod]

Hey Sharon, nice to see you. Sorry about the bad four letter word. S N O W.

Marcy, have you considered giving your cleaning lady a key to the house or code to the garage or some way to come to clean without having to be home? We've had the same cleaning lady now for more than 10 years, so she has a key and we just don't use the security system on cleaning days.

I'm sure Marty will love the new Apple Watch Series 3. I'm guessing he'll go for the Cellular one? That's what we both got for Christmas. We went with stainless on the Milanese Mesh metal bracelet. The stainless watch is the only one that comes with a Sapphire crystal. I have all these great Swiss watches and I wear my Apple Watch now just about everyday of the week. It's just so useful and I can leave my phone at home or locked in the car and still make and place calls.

No news on the missing consultant. I spoke with the police again this afternoon and they've turned up nothing. The client is pretty upset and they really counted on this guy. At this point, they've instructed me to start looking for a replacement.

I'm beat and heading to sleepy town. Good night.

 

[marcy]

Hi Kids!

Rod, we have considered giving our cleaning lady a key but Marty is kind of reluctant to do that. Our front door has to be locked with a key. It would be so nice to just let someone in and tell them to lock it when they leave. I am glad you enjoy the cellular benefits of the new Apple Watch. I think Marty is interested in the aluminum but wants to see them all. I get to swing by my favorite jewelry store in Denver too. Ha!

I hope your missing consultant is okay. I don't blame the client for wanting to look for someone else though.

I hope you get a great night's sleep.

I had my chat with my employee today and found out she had every intention of getting that work done on Monday so she didn't really violate procedures; she got sick and didn't come back from lunch. She has 4.5 hours after lunch and could have finished that work that day. I didn't give her any ultimatums then other than let her know she really left a mess and why it was a problem.

We had grilled burgers tonight and raw veggies. One of my favorite suppers.

Marty and I had a good talk tonight. He is going to give up his gym; put his gear back in our basement and take the test to get certified as a trainer. He paid for this course over a year ago and let it expire so he emailed them about taking the test. We'll see if he has to pay for it again or not (I"m guessing he will). He talked to a local gym who said once he is certified he can train people who go to their gym. He gets a free membership there; his clients get a discount and then he pays the gym a percentage. Plus the gym gets requests for trainers all the time so they will refer clients to him. I didn't remind Marty that is what I suggested he do before he rented a gym but I am glad he decided to go this direction. That $385 a month added up fast.

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday.
Take care.
Curby / Marcy

 

[Rod]

This will be really quick.

The good of today. I made the placements I hoped to make.

The bad of today. The missing consultant was found dead, sitting in his chair in his living room. I had to speak with his family and it was very difficult.
Charlie's nephew passed away today (his sisters son). It was completely expected as he smoked himself into the grave, but even if you expect something, it's never easy.
I'm sick and have a bad cold.

That was my day.

Marcy, see if you can convince Marty to get the Stainless Watch. Most people I know who have the aluminum one regret not spending more and getting the stainless because the Sapphire crystal is virtually unscratchable.

I'm taking my stuffy head, coughing body to bed..........

 

[marcy]

Rod, how awful about Charlie's nephew and the missing consultant. Agreed even if it is expected it is always hard. Was the missing consultants death natural causes? What an awful day for everyone.

I hope you get over your cold quickly. Winter colds are the worst.

I don't remember why Marty is interested in the aluminum watch. I'll mention the sapphire crystal to him. Then he can say his sapphire is bigger than mine (I know because he says that about his other watches.)

 

[marcy]

And Rod that's great you made the placements you'd hoped to make. Congratulations.