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April 30, 2007

Pre-Launch

I was just thinking this morning how relaxing it was to have a limited role in the launch of our new account management site. I did some testing in the early stages, wrote a bunch of outbounds and "pushpins" about the launch, and am spending my afternoon doing more last-minute testing. But now that I'm testing different sections, almost every problem I see is considered an "enhancement" and won't be dealt with until later in the week. I'm also freaking out about the major holes I see -- information that we included before but don't include now. It doesn't matter how many bells and whistles we add, if we remove even a tiny piece of functionality that's what our users will notice.

Posted by criminal at 2:21 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007

More Notes on Moving

  • We've moved! Dozens of car-trips and a U-Haul truck later, we're in our new place. There are still boxes strewn about, but it's beiginning to feel like home. We even set up our bed and slept in New Hampshire last night.
  • We wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my brother-in-law, Steve. Well, we probably could've, but it would've taken a heck of a lot longer. He and Jon provided most of the muscle. In return he got a roast beef sandwich and some help getting a large piece of fiberboard from Home Depot. I'm not sure we could afford him at his actual hourly rate ;) Otherwise we would end up owing him our firstborn. I hope he'll settle for help when it's his turn to move.
  • There are still a couple carloads of stuff in Lowell that we need to pick up tonight. We never did finish packing the kitchen or the contents of our refridgerator. Add to that a few lamps, all our cleaning supplies, and all the miscellaneous stuff that seems to accumulate but never gets packed and you have at least a trip or two. I don't know about Jon, but I can't wait to have it done with.
  • I'm not sure what I'm going to do without Internet access or TV this weekend. I've been trying to limit my access at work so that I can get more done and perhaps just as important, look like less of a slacker. It's been hard to do today after spending a day without e-mail, knowing full well I won't see it again until Monday. Steve has offered us the opportunity to watch the Red Sox - Yankees games and 24 with him, so we won't be totally out of touch.
  • The move has not gone so well for the cats. After a quick tour of the basement they both hid behind the washer and refused to move for at least an hour. When I finally got Silly upstairs, she meowed at almost every step during her brief tour (Jon has taken to calling it echo-locating) and quickly took refuge underneath the sofa. By the time we got in bed she made it up to the second floor, exploring more boldly. She was more needy than usual during her 6am snuggle and still a bit shaky, but doing better. Tia is expressing her discomfort by growling at Silly at every opportunity, which probably isn't helping Silly. They both appear to be using the litter box in the basement, so that's at least a good thing.
  • After we unloaded the truck we used it to pick up a set of patio furniture at Wal-Mart. Sadly, today's rain is supposed to continue through the weekend so we won't get much of a chance to enjoy it. We did get to cook last night's dinner on the grill though!

Posted by criminal at 5:42 PM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2007

Pictures!

Those lovelies are the crocuses growing at my front steps! There are a few more pushing up right now with at least one purpley hyacinth. If I'm lucky there will be tulips too. I can add more if I can find the right bulbs and figure out when to plant them. They're so cheery and welcoming!

As you can tell, I finally got the photos of the new place uploaded to my gallery and labeled. I'll try to get a few more over the weekend with our actual stuff in it, but you can see from the photos why we were so happy to get it.

Posted by criminal at 5:24 PM | Comments (0)

Moving Notes

  • Even though I'm at work with plenty of things to do I can't get my mind off moving. I'm mentally packing things and cursing the inability to do so physically. Sadly, as I was packing last night I was mentally going through a check list of things I wanted to do at work. My mind never seems to be in the right place at the right time these days.
  • The cats are showing signs of moving stress and we haven't even taken them to Hudson yet. Silly gets more upset with each load. Other than camping out near the door when I was taking things out, she was pretty normal this weekend. This morning she won't roll around in the bathroom after my shower and is squawking when we pick her up or look at her funny. Tia on the other hand, is taking Silly's withdrawal as an opportunity to be more friendly. She's even a bit more talkative, much like she was before the last move when Silly move in. I think Tia will take the move in stride, especially with all of the new space (including a cool, dark basement!) to explore. I'm not so sure about Silly. Hopefully she'll relax again once we're settled.
  • I decided to try to salvage the curtains by sewing a strip of coordinating fabric to the bottom edges. I considered getting a new set, but the ones that appealed to me most were either outside my budget for the four panels I need or tab top. So I bought one package of the patterned tab top curtains to cut up. Anything that's left over will become coordinating pillows.
  • Although I've never been a fan of Wal-Mart, it's still the closest big box store to the new place, so I'm shopping there. It's kind of hard to go out of your way to another store when it's just down the road. It's a bit on the small side, but was remodeled recently. On the plus side, it's open from 6 in the morning until midnight for my spontaneous shopping pleasure.
  • The TV is making the trip up today with Jon and his (very generous) boss. Sadly, we won't have cable or Internet access until Tuesday. That means no American Idol, no Red Sox, and no 24. Then again, it also means no constant barrage of Food TV or channel surfing. My cell phone still works, so if you need something, give me a call.
  • I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I have too much crap.

Posted by criminal at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2007

Reason #1099 Why I Love My Husband

From the end of his moving to-do list:

In the near future:

Wait around for a cable TV guy on 5/1 between 12-4pm
Car insurance (NH)
Registration (NH)
Get economically priced vanity place that says something about me or my personality
Renters insurance
Make a batch of homebrew (for Josh's party/for our house warming)
Buy some stuff so I can have awesome beers for a party
Throw a killer party that people will talk about for the rest of my life
Get a new dresser/s from Ikea (?)
Make blueberry pancakes for my wife (because I love her a lot and I can't make waffles)

In the long term future:

Buy a house
Buy a new car
Have kids (2 boys and one girl)
Teach said kids how to play golf, baseball, basketball, etc
Profit

Posted by criminal at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

Shrinkage

I have been using a set of four beautiful red curtains in the living room for the last year and a half. When we took them down to move, I decided they needed a good washing since they were so dusty and full of cat hair. So I threw them into the front-loading washer at the new place on a short wash cycle in cold water. Into the dryer on low heat. Onto the waiting curtain rods. Above the floor by more than six inches!

Admittedly, the curtain rods are a couple inches high because I'm planning to hang everything with clip rings and would like an inch of clearance from the carpet. But they're a full four inches shorter than the brand new sheers hanging behind them. If they were covering a normal window I would just hem the sheers and deal with the height problem. Sadly, they're covering sliding glass doors, so they need to go to the floor. I'm trying to decide whether I should get new ones or find a way to salvage them. A strip of coordinating fabric might do the trick but I'm not sure I can find something that will coordinate.

I'm so disgusted with myself for not thinking about this ahead of time. I had thrown them into the dryer to freshen up just last year so I didn't expect shrinkage to be a factor this time around. If I can't fix them, does anyone need a set of four 80-inch long red panels?

Posted by criminal at 9:47 AM | Comments (1)

April 23, 2007

A Chocolate Thanks

Last week I did a good deed for a complete stranger and they thanked me by sending a small box of organic, vegan chocolates. They're tastier than I expected, perhaps because they came wrapped in so much honest gratitude.

Posted by criminal at 4:07 PM | Comments (0)

More Moving

There's still a lot more moving to do, but we've begun the process. We've had a few casualties, like the 5-gallon glass carboy that "leapt" out of Jon's backseat onto the pavement and the waffle iron which also met it's demise on the pavement. Most things have made it inside without any problems. Including our new (to us) dining room table and chairs. It involved a nerve-wracking trip to a downtown Boston high rise and an through an extremely low clearance parking garage with a U-Haul van, but I now have a gently used set that I would've bought new if I had a bigger budget. I need to tighten up a few of the chairs, but the table polished up really well. The giant plastic tray (designed for washing machines) we're using to keep the litter box mess contained also made it in.

Even though there's not much in the way of furniture, it's starting to feel like home. I took a few photos, so I'll post those once I have a little more tine.

Posted by criminal at 10:34 AM | Comments (1)

April 20, 2007

Mostly Sunny

Today's forecast calls for temperatures in the mid to high 60s with mostly sunny skies periods of spring fever. Productivity is expected to reach a seasonal low of 15 percent.

Posted by criminal at 3:13 PM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2007

A Few Things

  • The whole flood scare was a bit anticlimactic for me. Other than some pesky little twigs and willow branches all over my parking space, I didn't encounter much in the way of disaster.
  • I made a few cards last night. In my own immodest way, I find them adorable. Nothing terribly original, but still cute and very satisfying. I've been trying to make multiples of every card so that I have some stock for those occasions that pop up, samples to show off in (not yet planned) card classes, and a few to share with coworkers who like supporting my hobby. I've found it takes less time to make four nearly identical cards than it does to make two totally different ones, which is great for those of us that are lazy.
  • That little card-making spree was my way of saying goodbye to my craft supplies. My stamps, punches, trimmers, envelopes, ink pads, and ribbon are all packed up neatly in boxes. I would've packed more, but I ran out of crown boxes. Still to go is the paper, printer and printing supplies, finished cards, and the rest of the random supplies in the cubbies and shelves of the desk. I figure one large box for the printer, two for the paper, and two for the other random bits.
  • We're making our first trip to the new place today. Jon already took a few boxes from the living room, so I know he's planning to drop them and his golf clubs on his way home from work. I plan to load up my car after work and head up. I just have to remember my tape measure. And camera. And toilet paper. And paper towels.
  • Jon has asked me to better organize my crafty stuff so that everything has a place that isn't the floor or a random plastic bag tossed on the futon. Apparently when he's seeking refuge from my snoring in the guest room the cats follow him to play in all of the boxes and bags. That and the creative clutter is probably a bit embarassing when we actually do have guests. Perhaps even a fire hazzard. I agree with him, but I think it's going to take some work. I know we need at least one more tall bookcase to replace the old one that fell apart. That should hold all of the books, including the ones that are on my current crafty bookcase, freeing up the crafty bookcase to hold the less essential craft items on my desk. I'd like a little more working space, so I think I'll look into another table, maybe for the printer and scanner. I don't think there's room for another giant door, but I could get a smaller one to use as a table in the middle of the room... All of this pondering and I don't even know the dimensions of the room!
  • I drank the Kool-Aid when I started my current job. I mean, totally bought into the whole idealistic view of Internet advertising. It makes it easier for me to remain positive about the company and the sleaze I see on the Internet everyday. But recently I've noticed more and more people pissing in my Kool-Aid, messing with the few things we have going for us. We either need a new batch or I need to find something else to drink.

Posted by criminal at 1:35 PM | Comments (1)

April 17, 2007

The Great Flood of 2007

The Merrimack river has overflowed it's banks once again. Lowell declared an official State of Emergency a few hours ago and I was offered a chance to go home to secure my property and possessions. Last year's 100-year flood just caused large puddles and soggy ground in my neighborhood. The water-level in the marsh behind our building rose significantly, near the top of the retaining wall for the parking lot, but not into our yard or building (that I know of). I'm wagering that we'll be safe again this year and declined the offer to go home, even if I would like to spend an afternoon securing my belongings into cardboard boxes for easier transportation. It also makes me curious about the water levels in the stretch of the Merrimack behind our new place.

Posted by criminal at 1:26 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2007

Mind Reader

Good lord. Someone has been reading my mind.

Posted by criminal at 5:20 PM | Comments (1)

April 13, 2007

TV Meme

  • Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 TV shows you like(d).
  • Post three official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
  • Have your friends guess the show names.
  1. celebrity guests; dieting; obesity
  2. bittersweet; dysfunctional; midwest
  3. office romance; awkward; satire
  4. paranoia; surveillance; computer programmer
  5. bush pilot; 1930s; aviation
  6. prison; sibling rivalry; brother sister relationship
  7. roommate; innocence; cheesecake
  8. womanizer; movie star; stupidity
  9. roommate; innocence; funny accent
  10. rich kid; high school; soap

Posted by criminal at 2:53 PM | Comments (2)

Move It Already

I packed a few boxes last night and straightened up my craft area in preparation for packing it. I really don't want to be without it for long, even if I know I'll be too busy to use much of it. You never know when someone might need a last minute card or tag.

I really just want to be moved already. This moving in slowly and prepping in advance is killing me. When I decide to do something, I have to do it *now* or risk never getting that motivation again. It's something I've learned. So I'm obsessing about finding a dining room table and how to fit things into the guest/craft room so that everything will be organized. I can't actually do much about either until we're in the new place next weekend, but here I am, browsing craigslist for furniture, sketching desk layouts in my head, and trying to figure out just how much of my crap I actually need.

I realize we don't need to do these things immediately, but I have an urge to do them. After a few weeks without a table or craft organization, I may just get lazy and forget all about this creative energy. I think I just need to find a job that helps me channel that instant enthusiasm into worthwhile work.

Posted by criminal at 2:25 PM | Comments (1)

April 12, 2007

Pressed

What is the world coming to? The Panini Guy™ was not at Rebecca's today. Some woman was there in his place, slapping paninis and burritos together willy nilly, without a shred of concern for their placement or even distribution. She was jamming the paninis together on a new press without giving throught to the breathing room they require to properly crisp the bread and melt the cheese. She also put my tortilla on the griddle for just a split second before stuffing and rolling it. It's now torn at all of the folds and leaking oily burrito residue onto my hands and desk. I try not to take our Panini Guy™ for granted, but it really takes a day like this to remind you of just how good he is.

For those not in the know, the Panini Guy™ is an older gentleman who works in the office park cafeteria, always wearing his kitchen whites and chef's hat. During the lunch hours he mans the panini and burrito station, showing off his impeccable knife skills and love of food. From conversations with him, I know he designs the panini menu and prepares all of the tasty things on it, like the divine roasted tomato and onion rellish. The other kitchen staff seem to defer to him too. The way I figure it, he's probably the head chef for catering and the cafe but works the panini bar because he can.

Posted by criminal at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

Action Packed

It recently occurred to me that I won't have another "free" weekend for almost two months. There are still a few free days or partial days in there, but no lazy weekends on the schedule. Up next is Saturday in Worcester for invitation assembly and a friendly gathering at WPI. I'm hoping to squeeze a little garage sale-ing in there before the invitations because the weather is supposed to be lovely and I'm on the hunt for a buffet/china cabinet. I would like to scour the antique stores along 101A in Nashua and Amherst for furniture, but I think that will have to wait until June.

Posted by criminal at 12:16 PM | Comments (0)

Passwords

I hate having to change my password at work. While I understand that it is supposed to improve security, it means I have one more string of characters to commit to memory. And there are enough in there already. I have a few standards that I use over and over, depending on how complex the password for each account must be. But every few months I have to come up with another. And I can't repeat any of my last six.

That's right, six. Sadly, I don't have six standard passwords. So now I have to start making things up. The only saving grace is that the qualifications are nowhere near as strict as WPI's six to nine character, must contain a lowercase and uppercase letter, a number, a symbol, your first born child, and the first and last characters do not count toward the requirements. The letters were also not supposed to spell any word found in the dictionary. Those were wicked hard to remember.

I still think it helps to keep things simple. When I go to log in to an account I haven't accessed in ages, I know that if my most frequently used password doesn't work, one of two or three others probably will. Same with usernames. I'm lucky enough to have just two that work almost everywhere. It just pains me to have to remember more.

Posted by criminal at 9:47 AM | Comments (1)

April 9, 2007

Easter Chill-Out

I had looked forward to a lazy Easter weekend, but spent most of it very busy or very sick.

I worked very late Friday, doing testing for our awesome, pentultimate, four-years-overdue redesign. So late that we ended up going to Applebee's for dinner after 8. Then assembled Barbie's wedding invitations with help from Jon until 1:30 when we finally passed out.

Saturday morning had me up at my usual time in an attempt to make sure I had everything together my meeting with Troy and Tamisha about their wedding invites. I had the base of the invitation done, but had not printed any of the wording/font samples. I also had to stop at the post office to get post card stamps and apply those. I figured 15 minutes tops. It was pretty easy and when I walked out of the post office I was shocked to see that the whole thing had taken over an hour and a half. So much for book club, but at least the invitations went into the mail. I did make it to Worcester for Moe's and our meeting, which went well. I came home and packed a few boxes, picked up pillow forms at JoAnn's and crashed.

I woke up on late Sunday morning with a monsterous headache. It never really went away. So other than watching the American Pie wedding movie and making a batch of tasty carrot cupcakes, I didn't do much of anything. I heard the weather was quite chilly, but I wouldn't know as I never made it outside. I spent most of the day sleeping and cursing my headache.

Posted by criminal at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2007

Good Friday

Note to self: Do not attempt to get lunch or run errands at the mall on Good Friday unless you want to be run over by throngs of unrestrained school-age children and their frazzled looking parents.

Posted by criminal at 5:46 PM | Comments (0)

Software Developers?

Anyone out there looking for a new position in Software Development or know someone who's looking? The company I work for in Burlington, MA has a new position open for someone with a few years of experience. Let me know -- I'll pass along the job description as necessary.

Posted by criminal at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

April 4, 2007

Say It With Stamps

I feel obligated to tell you that Stampin' Up is offering 20% off six stamps sets this month, including a couple of my favorites:

* retiring on June 30, 2007

I have In My Thoughts for inside my cards and love it. I won't have to drool over Warm Words anymore now that it's on sale and destined for my next order. I have to place an order envelopes for a set of invitations I'm making, so if you would like to add anything on, just let me know.

Posted by criminal at 3:54 PM | Comments (0)

Spring Snow

It's snowing. Has been for more than half an hour now. Big, wet, white flakes. It seems a little strange for the spring, but I have to remember that it's still April. And snow is definately not out of the question in April, even after you've broken out your flip flops and other warm weather finery.

Posted by criminal at 3:32 PM | Comments (0)

April 2, 2007

Polka Passion

polkaskimmer.gifI have fallen prey to yet another polka dot product. This time, cute navy canvas skimmers from Payless. They're practical, yet whimsical. Classic and fresh. Not to mention comfortable.

And navy. Did I mention navy? I love navy right now. If Jon weren't so adorable, I'd consider marrying navy. That's how much I like it right now. Navy sweaters, and navy slacks, navy cards and scrapbook pages, navy shoes, navy jewelry, and navy bridesmaid dresses. It's a nice change from my old black standbys. And it goes wonderfully with lime and kelly green, my other color obsessions. I think it helps that navy is a flattering color for me, unlike most shades of blue. I'm almost glad we weren't able to order the original medium blue dresses for Barbie's wedding because we ended up with navy separates from David's Bridal instead.

Posted by criminal at 1:58 PM | Comments (0)

Save me from these evil deeds before I get them done. [FA]