It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So the conversation starts at work:

Co-worker (with incredulous disbelief): "You have NEVER had a real tree in your entire life?"
Me: "Umm, nope. Always had a fake one."
Co-worker: "You do realize we live in the largest area known for growing Christmas trees?"
Me: "Duh..."

So Sunday was spent trekking through Cox Christmas tree farm in Eatonville, where I dragged Mike and his dad, Don, through row upon row of trees to find that right one. I would reject one for not being full enough, Mike would reject one for not being tall enough, Don would reject it for leaning.

But we did finally find one... And Mike quickly sawed it down (I did offer to cut it down myself but was gently pooh-poohed...since the signs everywhere say ONLY ADULTS may carry and use saws) and then the two men half dragged/carried it to the baler, while Mike loaded it on his FJ (which again I offered to help do and was told kiddingly by Mike, "Just stand there and look pretty.")



And once we got it home, cleaned up some of the needles and stood it in the holder (which I also had to buy since I didn't have one of those either)- it sure is a beauty: A Fraser Fir...(oh come one, you know I had to go for a designer tree as my first one!)

So let the decorating begin! And the cats well.. they don't know what to think of this strange smelling monstrosity that is taking up the corner of THEIR living room.

Why I am making sure I get my absentee ballot in the mail

Read this article from Rolling Stone!!! It's an interesting commentary that has been circulating amongst friends. There is also a piece on McCain that I haven't had a chance to digest yet but from the Palin piece... "Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States."

Great writing and I couldn't agree with the author more!

From one of the comments on the RS board:

"Sarah Palin represents the ultimate seduction of women’s vote. It was obvious McCain had no redeeming qualities to incite the female vote. It just proves that the powers that be, will go to any lengths, even to the embarrassment of the Republican party, to protect their kingdom. Our suffragette ancestors are rolling over in their graves while women across this county are being baited like lambs to slaughter. They say history repeats itself, damn if that might be the case with Sarah Palin, a pawn in an insidious patriarchal game of chess. She doesn’t have a clue how she is being used. Intelligent women are affronted by her brainless, boring, egocentric maverick-ing. Most, I contend, are not buying the giddy-up."

God, I hope so... All I have to say is "WAKE-UP PEOPLE..."

I'm the biggest women-first, women-can-do-anything kind of person but sheesh... Give me someone with substance to support that is not a Republican puppet....

Funny thing happened on the way NOT to the altar...

So I get this email from my pet sitter this week as I try to square away some bookings for upcoming trips...

"Hi Liz:
Rumor has it you've gotten married. True?

If so, is there a name change we need to deal with and/or a new contact person to add to your list?"

Uh...no, I haven't gotten married....I just started dating the guy... sheesh.

But (as I have come to laugh about in the last year with my doppelganger) is that my friend and coworker Liz Shaw (same given name also Elizabeth Anne...) did get married this summer. It was her bbq that I hosted at my house.

At the time of her wedding, I don't know who was more excited about her becoming a Fontaine... LOL....there was massive confusion when we sent out the evites for the bbq and who it was for and who it was bring hosted by.

But Mike did get a chuckle out of the email from the petsitter when I told him...or I think he did :)

We were this close...

For Spring Awakening the other night (11 rows center from the stage)... and all I can say is wow!!! We were running (ahem, not my fault this time) a bit behind so Mike and I opted for some Thai food at the Pacific Place mall.

Wild Ginger is an institute around here and all I can say about the meal is "mehhh..." The rice was warmer than my stirfry. I've eaten here in the past year a few times and the quality has gone waaaaaay down... (It makes me want to eat better Thai, like Chili Thai over in University Place...I'm lusting over their Drunken noodles and this awesome squid dish of theirs right now...which begs the question has Thai and Vietnamese become the new Chinese?)

It's a musical (and I can hear the snorts from the Sports guys now) but so much more.

Very edgey, very cool and the touring actors can sing. This is not your mother's A Chorus Line.

From the Seattle Times preview: "The show has transformed Frank Wedekind's caustic 1891 play "Spring Awakening" into a work of great sincerity with an edgy rock beat, explosive dancing, and a frank, timely exploration of teen pregnancy, suicide and abortion."

I've seen some good musicals and I've seen some bad and well this has taken over Miss Saigon, and Wicked in my books!

Can February get here any sooner?

So I loved her books... and then the trailers started popping up throughout Gossip Girl and 90210...

And I can't believe Isla Fisher is going to be Rebecca Bloomwood. Whohoo....

Guess who got hired after Sept. 1?

As if I didn't already sell my soul to the paper for the last year, hear is another kick in the pants...


DATE: August 14, 2008
TO: All Employees
SUBJECT: Wage Freeze
*********** continues to manage through an economic downturn that is having an unprecedented negative effect on revenues, and, therefore, our financial health. While we have taken many steps to reorganize and streamline operations to respond to changing business models and these economic challenges, we need to do more to control expenses.
As an important part of that effort, we are implementing an across-the-board, one-year wage freeze effective Sept. 1, 2008.* This means that if you are scheduled to receive a merit or salary review between September 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009, your review will occur one year later than scheduled. For example, if your next salary review date is March 1, 2009, the salary review will be postponed until March 1, 2010. You will, however, receive regularly scheduled performance reviews during this period.
This freeze is being instituted across all of McClatchy, including at corporate and McClatchy Interactive. Employees for whom salary reviews are pending or whose scheduled salary review dates fall before the September 1, 2008 effective date remain eligible for their reviews. The freeze doesn't affect salary increases related to promotions or minimum wage adjustments.
We have avoided taking this step as long as possible. We know this freeze comes at a time when the economy is putting stress on your personal expenses and when you are working hard to adapt to our changing business model. We greatly appreciate all that you do for **********, and we hope we can continue to count on you as we manage through this very difficult period. We are confident that all of the efforts and cost control measures being made will result in a far more stable and financially healthy company in the future.

Oh the places I have gone....

So sorry that I have been away for awhile but as usual uber-busy.

This post is going to keep it lean... and I know I have many phone calls, emails, facebook requests, etc. to catch up on.

So where have I been the last couple months...well, running, cooking, bbq, working lots and just trying to get out and enjoy the gorgeous (yet too short) PNW summer.

-- Ran a few more 5ks since my last post (ShoreRun, Four on the Fourth, SummeRun) all were improved times, lengths and amazing mornings. But it is an AMAZING morning when I can get up before 9!

-- Went to my friends Liz and Scott's fab outdoor wedding at Point Defiance Park. Note to self: Garden there in July IS a perfect wedding spot.

-- Proceeded to get a bit too tipsy at said wedding and well, had a rocking good time flirting a bit too much (uh sorry Geoff!) and thanks a plenty to Rich again for dragging my sorry butt all over north Tacoma (I swear to God I had no idea I was sitting ON my keys!)

-- Had a blast cooking, and throwing a bbq reception for the new newlyweds and it gave me a chance to talk to some new peeps and showoff the ever changing Hilltop. So many coworkers told me horror stories about the area back in the day (One's wife Lisa did a double take on the address invite and said 'No Waaaaay!' and I had to giggle when she said it!)

-- Been to a few Mariners games and man, they still suck! (I'm 1-4 I think...) Had a great time meeting a really cool couple (Bill and Kim) who used to work at the TNT and now work for the Times. Kim and I have tentative plans to do dinner (she's a vegetarian who also does seafood too!) at Cafe Flora -- which I am extremely excited about since they were just featured in Vegetarian Times.

-- Had a chance to catch up with Leila, an old DMN co-worker who came to town with her friend, Ashley. Plenty of good food, and drinks and girl conversation!

-- Work has kept me super busy, in fact, I'm in the middle of 11 straight, then day off, then another 10 straight. Olympics, football sections, a baseball series, some redesigns. I'll be going, going, going at least through October.

-- And drum roll..... uh, dating. Yeah, I took that step a few weeks ago and met someone who has been super sweet, kind, attentive and pretty darn flexible with my off the wall schedule. It is still in the new, getting to know you stages but I have to say he seems to have NO baggage (never married, no kids, parents still together, making his way up the corporate ladder with hard work, ex-Army who was lucky to not have to be in harms' way). Holy crap, ladies, there are still men out there like this. WHO KNEW????? But he's also a sort-of workaholic too so he stays busy. And to cut down on travel time to do things, he...uh, lives across the street. Bought into the condo development across from me a few months before me. So since it is pretty darn new, I'm not going to jinx it by saying too much more... (I know, I know cynical me... always waiting for the other shoe to drop since well, I seem to have the crappiest dating luck in more recent years... Note to Dave: You are excluded but dude, you moved to Hong Kong so ummm... LOL....) And he even still found me cute/sexy AFTER my face completely blew up from a BAAAD allergic reaction to a new moisturizer (note to self: check all the ingredients before putting on skin!)... all I have to say is I looked like angry bees attacked my entire face.

-- In just the short time I've spent with the new boy I've seen more of the Puget Sound with him, then on my own in the previous 9 months. (Joke at work is I've been to Spain and Ireland but not south to Olympia yet!) Had a great date last week at Mt. Rainier/Paradise area -- really beautiful scenery and took tons of pics. I'll have to post later.

-- And all the farmers markets??? I've eaten my weight in fruits and veggies this summer and am loving it! Been hitting all the Tacoma ones and even a few Seattle ones here and there. I wish I could get this kind of produce all the time and have frozen so many berries my freezer is bursting at the seams!

-- Speaking of weight, all the exercise, and good food has paid off... drum roll... I've lost a total of 16 so far (1 lb. away from my 10 percent!!!) and after that last pound comes off (hopefully this week since I have another 5k Saturday) I'll set another goal (who knows maybe I will get back to close to my high school weight!) But I've given away all the larger clothing sizes to a couple of friends and can happily say I'm back in another smaller size 10... whohoo! New wardrobe and did I mention I've been doing some clothes shopping???

Well I guess I can hang up the keyboard and hit the pillows...

Hi to all and I miss talking to ya....