Clothing Conspiracy

I'm going to vent today about the clothing conspiracy that I have been complaining about for years. I've been trying to find a new spring dress this year (like, starting before Easter, which was freakin' early this year, so that's what, going on 3 months, now?), with not a cent of luck. On top of all the clothing companies trying to make larger sized Americans feel better about themselves by labeling clothes 2 sizes smaller than they should be, they're reeling in the big bucks as us ladies are fainting over the fact that "Wow, I used to be a size 10, but now I fit in a size 6! I'll take 3 of these!" It's frustrating and annoying for me, especially since I don't really like shopping for clothes, and this now means depending on the label, I have to try 2-3 sizes of EACH thing on, to figure out what size I wear in that particular item. Being a sewer, I know that in old-fashioned dressmaker sizes, I typically run a size 8 or 10 depending on what measurements need to fit (my waist is usually the culprit). Now in stores, I have tried on everything from a size 2 to a size 6. And make that petite, also. So in doing some intense speed shopping tonight, I found a great deal on a nice dress ($30, originally like $120), which was labeled a size 2 and fit perfectly, yet another size 4 dress that I tried on was too tight! And then two pairs of dress pants (note - both were from the same store and same label) - one fit in 4P, the other in 6P. Not that I am complaining about my size, but if only my shopping experience could be more consistent and definitely more expeditious! Good grief! Okay, end of my rant. To end on a nicer note, I am happy to have found some great bargains tonight, including some super cute polka-dotted ballet flats - thankfully shoe sizes have been pretty consistent!

Many random thoughts

There are many random thoughts floating in my head today, so instead of trying to type some organized paragraphs, I am just going to write stream of consciousness what's on my mind today...

I can't believe my cousin Ahn got a tattoo! But I just saw photos of it on Facebook and it looks pretty cool. My uncle (his dad) wrote their last name in Chinese calligraphy for him, and that's the tattoo.

In cleaning up the yard for more impending rain this week (we had a little flooding in our garage/downstairs room from the heavy but short rains on Friday night), I discovered that my blue hydrangeas in the far, back corner of our back yard, are indeed blooming! After the drought last summer and the freeze early spring, I was afraid they were done in. But here's a photo to prove it!

DH is leaving for a night tomorrow to take more field measurements in the happenin' Warner Robins base again - just me and the kitty tomorrow night!

I am happy to have helped Cyndi pick out a new refrigerator yesterday after hers died on Sunday. Luckily the Memorial Day sales were still going on. So now I at least have a little research done in case our dies sometime soon.

DS called tonight - I am happy that she had a great vacation in Spain and glad that she enjoyed it alone without incident and relieved that she made it back A-OK. Now looking forward to seeing those 800+ photos that she took! What did we do before digital??

Getting ready to host Cyndi's bridal shower and bachelorette activities this weekend. Looking forward to a short work week and a fun girls' weekend!

Wedding and ring and other things

We attended a beautiful little wedding today of our friends Heather and Gene. I am so happy for them and glad we were able to be there.

I forgot to mention that I went to the Intergalactic Bead Show at Gwinnett Center last weekend with friends Val and Cyndi, and we ended up taking a wire-wrapped ring class together. We first made a practice one out of less-expensive aluminum wire, then this one with real silver wire. Sorry for the slightly blurry pic, but my old digital camera can only zoom in so much. I actually sort of liked the practice one, so that bead is still in its practice wire (I need to photograph it too). Anyway, it was a really fun class, I have have enjoyed wearing my rings!

Tomorrow we're chilling out and going to the Braves game. I am looking forward to having Monday off!

Dining al fresco

Yesterday DH was as sick as can be, so he stayed home from work. I went to work because I had a deadline. Got deadline finished around 6 pm and headed to GT for a short workout. Finished workout, but on the way out got herded into the back hallway of CRC due to a tornado warning. Stayed corralled for about 20 min (it did look dark, scary, and lots of lighting outside). Finally got out and talked to DH on the phone on the way home. DH said power was out at the house, so get something for dinner that doesn't require cooking. Went by Publix, picked up a rotisserie chicken, bread, tomato, basil and potato salad. Got home, parked our camping chairs on the front porch, and dined al fresco so we could see what we were eating. Felt bad for leaving cat that desparately wants to be outside inside while we dined outside, so we hooked him up to his leash and extra line, tied it to one of our stand-up sprinkler pipes, and watched him eat grass as we ate. It was an interesting evening, but I needed the sleep, so the power outage did let me go to bed early (really, on time) for the first time this week!

The Executive

DH sent me an article today about the ASPCA using a new scientific approach to matching up adoptable dogs and cats with adopters, called the Meet Your Match program. Cats and dogs are observed and assigned a color based on the points that they score. Adopters also take a short survey to assess the personality of the animal that they are looking for and their household situation. The two are matched up. They're called the Feline-ality and Canine-ality tests. I quote from the ASPCA site: "shelters testing the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match™ Program found a 40- to 45-percent increase in adoptions and a 45- to 50-percent decrease in returns and euthanasia. Amazing stats!" That IS amazing!

So I read the descriptions of the Feline-alities - I believe our DC (dear cat) falls under "The Executive": http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=adopt_mym_meetfelinealities. Tell me if you agree!

Spring Fever

It's been really nice this weekend, despite the crazy rain storm that passed through at 4:30 am this morning. By 11 this morning, the sun was coming out, the driveway was almost completely dry. My flowers that I planted last weekend survived the rain. It seems they are taking more of a beating from some pesky squirrels or rabbits in our yard that either dig up my poor impatiens or have nibbled leaves off all the marigolds by the mailbox. I hope they'll survive!

Thoth has really enjoyed us having all the windows open when we're home. Due to recent burglaries through unlocked windows in our vicinity, they are closed when we leave the house - woe is kitty! Here's pic of Thoth enjoying the front living room window this morning. Ah, to be a cat!

Still debating whether or not to schedule one more ARE this week before the May 15th cutoff to take and pass a section to stay on version 3.1. Been so busy at work, not much time to study.

DS leaves for Spain for two weeks today - Happy Vacation!

And Happy Mother's Day to all my Moms! :)

Inspirational Women

So I attended an event tonight through netWorking Women, a group formed through AIA Atlanta that creates events geared toward women who are professionally involved in the architecture/engineering/construction/allied industries community in Atlanta. I am actually trying to participate with the nWW Committee this year, so hope to be more involved in planning future events. We had a great panel discussion tonight, titled appropriately: LEEDing Ladies in Sustainable Design. (LEED is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.) The panel included women leaders in architecture, engineering, college campus facilities, the City of Atlanta, and state government. It was so interesting and inspiring to hear what these women have experienced in their work, and also great to hear perspectives that were other than from an architecture point of view. In fact, it was sort of inspiring and depressing at the same time, as I look at how behind some companies are (including mine) in incorporating sustainable design and our everyday work as well as through our projects. I mean really, truly talking the talk AND walking the walk. The U.S. as well. I am hoping that our planet is still here for the next 10 generations. I was definitely inspired to put more effort in my recycling and conservation at home. An added bonus - I won one of the book door prizes at the end - a copy of HOK's Sustainable Design book that I look forward to reading...eventually. These next two weeks at work are going to be very taxing. I'll be looking forward to June.

Saturday adventures

It was a busy but fun Saturday. We got up (relatively) early and stopped by Marietta Square for opening weekend of the Farmers Market for the summer. Bought some corn and bell peppers. Walked through some of the Arts Festival, but plan to stop back by tomorrow when we have more time. Met friends for Dim Sum at an old place but in a new location, Happy Valley Seafood, which was okay - probably back to our usual place next time. Better yet was getting to see Dan & Jen and brand new baby Sebastian, who is quite the cutie at only 13 days old! Post Dim Sum, we had a movie outing to see Iron Man, which was very good and I think everyone should go see it. Make sure you stay through the credits for the little bonus at the end. Now we're making dinner, watching the cat run from window to window to enjoy the afternoon breeze and birdwatch, and I am setting down to do a little studying. A nice Saturday all around.