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June 29, 2007

June 29, 2007


June 29, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
One of my tellers is a dancer, and her show was tonight. It was enjoyable, but long. 40 dances over the course of four hours. The littlest dancers were, as expected, absolutely adorable. Everyone was very good! It was loosely Disney-themed, with probably a third of the songs being from Disney movies. The best dance, though, was probably the one to Thriller that Jenelle choreographed for a group of eight-ish-year-olds. They had a blast!

Posted by kate at 11:12 PM | | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007

June 28, 2007


June 28, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
This is the year for bad luck with my eyes! I think I mentioned yesterday that I somehow managed to get myself some kind of eye infection. Whatever. It's not contageous, which is good, but it means no contacts for a week. Because I usually only wear my glasses when getting ready for bed, I feel half-dressed wearing them all day. Like I'm in my PJ's or something. I know, weird.

I have to use three of these drops four times a day. The fourth, regular eye drops, are because my eyes are apparently dry. (I should probably get some not intended for contacts... might be more helpful.) A surprise to me, about 20 minutes after using the drops, I can taste them. I suppose I knew everything was all connected up in there, but I never really thought about eyes having anything to do with the nose/throat. Either way, it's kind of icky.

I hope this is the last of my eye trouble!

Posted by kate at 09:38 PM | | Comments (0)

June 27, 2007

June 27, 2007


June 27, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
This is my laundry. It has been in this exact spot on my kitchen floor by the front door since Monday. This is Day Three of not being able to do my laundry. I'm waiting for my opportunity to grab it and RUN.

The laundry room, you see, has been occupied. SINCE MONDAY. This is the first time in the year and a half I've lived in this building that I have had real trouble getting in to do laundry, so I shouldn't really complain. There are something like 30 apartments here and two washers and dryers. And the last load has to be in before 8:00 pm (and can't start before 8:00 am) as to not go past "quiet hours" or whatever, so. I may never again have clean clothes!

I also left my leftover Indian food at work, which is to *weep*, and I have yet another eye infection. No contacts for me for an entire week. Bah. Today? Not my favorite day ever. Luckily it's for all silly reasons, so I'm still in good spirits. ;)

Posted by kate at 07:22 PM | | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

June 26, 2007


June 26, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
As a "welcome back to California!" gift, I got traffic. My drive to work is usually about 45 minutes. Today? An hour and thirty-five minutes. Oh, I was so irritated. I was late on my first day back to work! I HATE BEING LATE. Lateness is probably my biggest pet peeve. I am always, always early for things, especially work. Oh well. I wasn't the last one there, and I came bearing gifts, so I think that helped. *laugh*

I just remembered that the last time we were at my favorite Indian restaurant, we learned they deliver. SCORE! Paneer korma and naan, and I don't have to get back in the car! Best thing EVER.

Posted by kate at 07:44 PM | | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007


June 26, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
As a "welcome back to California!" gift, I got traffic. My drive to work is usually about 45 minutes. Today? An hour and thirty-five minutes. Oh, I was so irritated. I was late on my first day back to work! I HATE BEING LATE. Lateness is probably my biggest pet peeve. I am always, always early for things, especially work. Oh well. I wasn't the last one there, and I came bearing gifts, so I think that helped. *laugh*

I just remembered that the last time we were at my favorite Indian restaurant, we learned they deliver. SCORE! Paneer korma and naan, and I don't have to get back in the car! Best thing EVER.

Posted by kate at 07:27 PM | | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007

Vacation Pictures!

I uploaded a handful of vacation pictures to Photobucket, uploaded them in order, and now when I go to "view as slideshow" it plays them backwards! I mean, it plays the most recently uploaded ones first, which happen to be the end of my trip. Is there any way to reverse that? If I "create slideshow" it only has space for ten pictures. I have more than that. Is there any hope?

Well, anyway. For now, if you're interested: Our Vacation, In Reverse.

Posted by kate at 09:38 PM | | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007


June 25, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Gen left for her vacation on Friday, and I got back late last night from mine. The cats had the place to themselves for the weekend. They were fine, as cats are, but I'm pretty sure they were afraid we'd abandoned them. I'm getting this OMG WE THOUGHT YOU WERE NEVER COMING HOME!!! vibe from them. They have been stuck to me like glue since I walked through the door.

Not only did I wake up with both cats on my bed, but neither of them went into their usual mid-day hiding. Cymbeliney spent most of the morning on my lap, and when I went to get up out of my chair, I turned around and Monet was passed out on the floor directly behind me. (She opened one weary eye for the picture.) They're following me from room to room, and are now currently both curled up in my suitcase.

I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Posted by kate at 04:28 PM | | Comments (0)

June 24, 2007


June 24, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Vacation is over. See our frowny faces? We're sad to leave Hawaii. Not only was it a wonderful trip in that we did all kinds of fabulous and fun things, but it was really nice to spend an entire week just with my family. My "vacations" are usually home for holidays, and I'm always trying to fit in everyone and everything, friends and family and favorite places. I never get to spend enough time with anyone, and I come back exhausted. This week was just family, and it was relaxing. I feel like I had a Real Vacation.

So now it's just me and the kitties for pretty much the rest of the week, with Gen off on the other side of the country for her own family vacation. I'm wide awake, finally having gotten used to Hawaiian time (where it's only 10:00 right now). I'm so glad I took tomorrow off work!

Posted by kate at 01:41 AM | | Comments (0)

June 24, 2007

June 23, 2007


June 23, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
All week I've been wanting real Hawaiian shave ice. It took our last full day here to finally get some, and I was not disappointed! It's so soft it's like eating snow. SOGOOD!! We got it from the Little Grass Sugar Shack on Lahainaluna (I love saying that). I got pineapple/pina colada/passion fruit. Delicious.

Saturday was a laid back kind of day. Walked on the beach, laid out by the pool, snorkeled, watched the sunset, and had dinner at a Chicago pizzaria in Lahaina. I find it amusing that I went all the way to Maui to have Chicago-style pizza. There was live entertainment that was quite good, and it was a nice way to end the trip.

Posted by kate at 10:26 AM | | Comments (0)

June 23, 2007

June 22, 2007


June 22, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Friday night was our Stargazing on Haleakala Sunset Dinner. It was a long and winding road there; picture Lombard Street in San Francisco, only for 36 miles up the side of a volcano. With cows dotting the hillside and sometimes on the wrong side of the guard rail. We emerged above the clouds and above the tree line at 9,740 ft elevation. The bathrooms had signs warning us that the toilets use reclaimed water, so please do not drink. And me, with my toilet-drinking habit.

We hiked to the edge of the crater, which was quite impressive. The sun began to set and it was absolutely gorgeous from above the clouds. My camera battery chose then to die, so I didn't get some of the really stunningly colored pictures.

Once the sun was down, our guides set up a high-powered telescope and told us about the night sky. We saw a crescent Venus and craters on the moon, four moons of Saturn, a new star (blue) next to an old star (orange), and I even saw a falling star! Our guides were extremely knowledgeable, and Dad was in his glory, thinking back to the observatory and telescope he'd built as a teenager back behind his house.

Definitely something to look into if you're planning a trip to Maui.

Posted by kate at 05:02 PM | | Comments (0)

June 21, 2007

June 20, 2007


June 20, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
On Wednesday morning, we headed out to the Iao Valley. While it seems to be nearly always warm and sunny on the side of the island we're staying on, it was chilly and cloudy in Iao. We hiked up to where we could see the Iao Needle, and the fog was just rolling down the hillside. They're having a draught here this year, but we could see places where there are probably usually waterfalls that have dried up. There was a bridge crossing the Seven Sacred Pools and two boys jumping from the bridge. It was a high bridge and a small pool that didn't seem nearly deep enough, but apparently was. They jumped again and again. One tourist: "That's suicide! He do a belly-wop!" (Yes, belly-wop. Not belly-flop. Either way, it looked painful, but he did it over and over.)

The evening was the luau. This picture is of one of the decorations. It was very cool, with hula dancers (how do they move their hips like that?! Totally beyond me!) and cliff divers and a fire dancer. The food was good, and I even tried poi, which was pretty bland and not to my taste, but traditional. And purple. You have to try purple food! The pig was good, especially so since I don't normally eat any kind of pork. All in all, a very enjoyable evening!

Posted by kate at 05:35 PM | | Comments (0)

June 20, 2007

June 19, 2007


June 19, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
We started out Tuesday, our first full day in Maui, by taking an early morning walk down the beach from Ka'anapali Shores southward. We learned that if you want a chair on the beach, you best claim it early, because by the time we got back to the resort at around 9:30, all the beach chairs were gone. We took in some sun by the pool, instead, and then listened to Mom and deliberately stayed out of the sun during the mid-day hours.

We spent the late afternoon in Lahaina (which I may have just butchered the spelling of), wandering the local shops. We rested a bit under the banyan tree, which took up an entire block. ONE TREE. I took a picture of it, which I'll put up in some kind of album later. We watched the sun set over the ocean (beautiful) and had dinner at Kimo's: parmesan crusted opah with rice, a mai tai, and hula pie for dessert. YUM!

Posted by kate at 06:54 PM | | Comments (0)

June 19, 2007

June 18, 2007


June 18, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Aloha! Welcome to Maui! This was one of the first things we saw upon our arrival to Hawaii Monday. The rainbow was so big it didn't even fully fit in the picture! It was like a reminder to relax after the craziness of travel. We don't have much rain in Los Angeles, and even fewer rainbows. So pretty!

We got to the hotel (which is really a collection of condos; very cool), ended up with an upgrade to an ocean view room, and then ate dinner while watching the sun set over the water. I contemplated using a sunset picture, but this one was so 'Hawaii' I just had to choose it. This place is paradise!

Posted by kate at 04:20 PM | | Comments (0)

June 17, 2007


June 17, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
This is on the drive home from Champaign-Urbana. Wide open spaces! I tried to get a picture of the Adult sign (it sticks up on the horizon and, while it's the sign for the Lion's Den adult bookstore, it just says "ADULT"; it was always the landmark letting us know we were close to school), but it didn't come out very well. So instead, some good old Central Illinois farmland. The corn is still tiny (it needs to be knee high by the Fourth of July, right?) and the soy even smaller, so it was just field after field of green. Pretty in that midwestern farmland sense of things.

Posted by kate at 04:15 PM | | Comments (0)

June 16, 2007


June 16, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Saturday was Shefali and Chris's wedding at the U of IL Union. It was traditional Indian, the ceremony all in Hindi. It was gorgeous from start to finish, and a lot of fun. Also fun was seeing campus, which has changed so much in the few years since I've been down there.

I couldn't visit U of I without taking a picture of the Alma Mater. I was a bad photographer and didn't take any pictures of the wedding. I'm a little bit sad about that! I didn't take this one, so it's a bit of a cheat for my Picture of the Day, but I like it. This was taken while walking around campus in between the ceremony and reception.

Posted by kate at 04:08 PM | | Comments (0)

June 15, 2007


June 15, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
I arrived home in Chicago Friday after a looooong morning of travel. Lunch with Mom, manicure/pedicure, and then dinner with friends. I didn't get to see nearly everyone I would have liked to, but it was a quick trip home. Next time!

Also, thank you SO MUCH for coming, guys! It was really great to see all of you. *giant hugs*

Posted by kate at 03:58 PM | | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007

June 14, 2007


June 14, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
The cats think they're coming along. When I woke up this morning, these two cat toys had been deposited in my suitcase. So either they want to make sure they have something to play with on the trip, or they want me to have something to play with on the trip. Sweet of them, eh? They forget that last time they flew, they HATED LIFE. I'm not taking the toys. Sorry, kitties!

I think I'm packed. I probably forgot something, but I hope it wasn't vital. In five hours, I leave for the shuttle bus. And in three days, I'll be in Hawaii! Eeeee! I'm... excited. Yes. Vacation, here I come!

Posted by kate at 10:28 PM | | Comments (0)

June 07, 2007

June 7, 2007


June 7, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
My park was deserted today. There were a handful of nannies with children, a couple joggers, and a pair of guys doing some kind of martial arts. It was very pleasant! I did my usual walk, and then made a couple more loops around the eastern fields. I listened to the one Supernatural episode I managed to get onto my iPod and then switched to music.

Tucked away in the back corner, behind the soccer fields and baseball diamonds and basketball and tennis courts, is this run-down looking little fenced-off shuffle board... board. There are, I think, six...boards (what the heck do you call them?) in all. I had no idea shuffle board was a game played anywhere but on cruise ships! I wonder if anyone actually uses them, or if they're all run-down looking for a reason.

My day off was extremely productive. I did my walk, got gas for the car, and went to the mall where I got a pair of shoes I've been looking for for weeks and a dress for the wedding (originally $254, marked down to $127, and then if I pre-bought and pick it up Tuesday, it was an additional 40% off!!). Grabbed a sandwich for lunch and sat out by the pool listening to Hell House again.

Now I'm sleepy from sun and productivity.

Posted by kate at 05:11 PM | | Comments (0)

June 06, 2007

June 6, 2007


June 6, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
This is the edge of Simi Valley, where I work. I love that it's far enough away from the crush of LA to have agriculture. And horses! Lots of people have horses in Simi Valley. So many of my older customers tell me that when they moved to Simi, it was empty. Just farms and orange groves and very few people. It's gotten quite a bit more developed in the last few decades, but it's still kind of sleepy compared to where I live.

(I was stopped in a turn lane to take this picture, and I think the people waiting at the cross street thought I was a little bit nuts. *g*)

Posted by kate at 08:17 PM | | Comments (0)

June 05, 2007

June 5, 2007


June 5, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Maybe it's a fluke... or maybe it's Maybelline. I have--really randomly--gotten compliments on my eyelashes three times in the last week or so. One of them was from a complete stranger! I just started using this mascara not long ago. It came in my Easter basket, but I had to finish the one I was using first. The brush is rubber and a little wiggly. It reminds me of a caterpiller, which is actually part of the fun. Anyway!

Posted by kate at 09:38 PM | | Comments (0)

June 4, 2007


June 4, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
Here we have My Haircut. I am terrible--terrible!--with hair upkeep. The last time I got it cut was last summer, and HOLY CRAP did I need a haircut! I finally got one on Monday. And I think I've found my girl! The reason I put off getting a trim was because I could never find someone I really liked. I had the $5 beauty school disaster, the girl I liked who left the salon and didn't leave contact info, the replacement for that girl who gave a fine haircut for too much money, and the crazy lady who didn't want me to shampoo my hair but once a month (CRAZY!). So finally, FINALLY, a girl I liked.

I have "real" bangs for the first time since, I think, freshman year in high school. We'll see if they get annoying. I love having healthy hair again!

Posted by kate at 07:16 PM | | Comments (0)

June 3, 2007


June 3, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
This is Sunday's picture, but was taken in the portion of Sunday that's really just the bonus add-on to Saturday night. C and S were house- and dog-sitting at a real house. Like, with a yard and grass and everything!

And there were three dogs! Kenai, the cutest beagle ever; C's Bernie mix, Kyanna; and R's wiener dog, Alley. The puppies played together and it was cute. I tried to get a picture of them all, but nothing turned out. So, here are the humans watching the puppies. Not nearly as exciting. *laugh*

Posted by kate at 07:09 PM | | Comments (0)

June 2, 2007


June 2, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
BUT WHY IS THE DIET COKE GONE?? If you know me, you know I must have Diet Coke or the world ends! I'd bought a case to leave at work (for everyone to share), but I hadn't gotten any for the house and I RAN OUT! I think that might be the first time *ever* there was not a single Diet Coke left in the fridge. It was really scary!

Posted by kate at 07:02 PM | | Comments (0)

June 1, 2007


June 1, 2007
Originally uploaded by kayay1
The week was sooooo sloooooow every day. Being a holiday week, I expected it to be pretty darn busy. Each day I thought would be the day it got busy, and it really... didn't. You can tell by the number of doodles. The three single-subject doodles are mine, and the space scene has bits contributed by each of the employees (can you guess what my portion was?).

Then... came Friday. OMG, BUSY!! Such a contrast to the rest of the week. Which is why Friday's picture is the downtime doodles. Yeah, it doesn't really make sense in my head, either.

Posted by kate at 06:58 PM | | Comments (0)