Vent: my desk is covered in paper

AAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! We're nearing the end of the fiscal year, or so I'm told, so everything is in SUPER CRAZY mode right now. My desk is covered in more projects, tasks, paperwork and junk than it ever has been before. I like to keep an organized desk with a small pile of papers neatly stacked awaiting my attention, but ya'll, my desk is completely covered. I can only see little bits of woodgrain desk between the mass of paper. I can, however, find the phone and my stapler, thank goodness. Both has been in demand this morning. I've got a massive mailing that will begin next week (with temporary help I hope), graduation prep and tons of little things that need to be wrapped up for the fiscal year (which technically isn't until June 30th, but we get 'cut off' by the end of April)!




On another note - it's feeling like spring! We've got about 1/2 dozen tulips blooming around the mailbox with another 3-4 dozen gearing up! I love spring flowers. The two things about spring that I just don't love are pollen and daylight savings time. Both are upon us. My pretty blue car is looking green from the yellow pollen and we're losing an hour of sleep (and morning daylight) on Sunday, boo! Here is more information than you ever needed to know about Daylight Saving Time.

Total Eclipse Of Sun Working Way Across World

WRAL: World Watches First Total Solar Eclipse In Years



Since we can't see it here watch video from Turkey

Official UNC Asheville License Plate

Wow! I just happened to check out UNCA'a Alumni site and saw this! Very cool, but I'm not 100% sold on it... especially since 300 people have to apply AND pay before they will be made. Very cool none-the-less.

Any other UNCA alums interested? (I know there are a few Bulldogs lurking out there) Check it out for yourself, I'm sure we'll be getting a mailing about it soon.

Because Paul is awesome!

We now have some very nice shade in the backyard. First, he found an awesome deal on a 'gazebo' at Lowe's a few weeks ago (it was about 75% off)! He then was able to figure out a way to fit the new gazebo, which is amazingly larger than it seemed, onto our patio. That required a few trips to Lowe's and Home Depot to purchase bricks (150, 6lbs each), timbers (3, 8ft each) and other miscellaneous items. Then after redoing the brick because of a surprise in the size and a need to be able to open the backdoor, he was able to put it all together despite the very silly and near useless directions. Because I am so proud of our amazing work I had to post pictures (and it gave me another reason to be outside on this amazing spring day!)

From the back of the yard:


From the bridge


Another angle


One last look....


Now I want to add a window box for flowers at the kitchen window (far right) and get a new light for the patio (to replace the jelly jar light from the builder). It was a lot of fun to work outside, although it did give me my first sunburn of the season. I wore sunscreen on my face but not on my arms, so I'm working on a good t-shirt tan again this year!

Martha Stewart in NC

From WRAL:

Martha Stewart Makes A Stop In The Triangle
CARY, N.C. -- Martha Stewart visited the Triangle today. The first Martha Stewart-inspired community is going up in Cary. The domestic diva is discussing the project with local leaders and giving private tours of the model homes. About 1,800 of the homes are planned for Cary. The project is set to go nationwide next year.



Built by KB Homes, more info on their website

Looking forward to the weekend!

It's only Thursday morning and I am absolutely giddy about the upcoming weekend. The only plans I have are things to do around the house... or outside the house! The weather is shaping up to be perfect for working outside... but we have a bit of a project that I also want to wrap up inside.

Last weekend, while shopping at Target (for groceries, mind you), we happened (or was that I?) a GREAT DEAL on a mirrored, off the wall, medicine cabinet. I had casually looked at them at Home Depot and found myself quite disappointed in their higher cost and overall design. We need 2 for our masterbath to replace the massive plate glass mirror that was put in by the builder (and the UGLY 'hollywood' style vanity lights). So for just $49.99 each, we bought 2 of these to put up in our slowly evolving masterbath:



I also want to replace the lights with some that has a classic look to go with our chrome and white theme (which all the bathroom acessories look similar to this):



Looking for a classic light fixture to look something like this - to put over/between each cabinet (but in shiny chrome, not the nickel finish shown here):



It will require a little more wiring to be done... thankfully this comes naturally to Paul :) I also want to paint (maybe a light blue or calming spa green) and maybe one day add tie to surrond the bathtub. Oh the ideas!

French roast coffee to save the day!

Thanks to my wonderful husband who purchased a nice little single coffee maker for my office and to Harris Teeter for having a buy one-get one sale, a single cup of French roast coffee has saved my morning. I've been toiling away since 7am and not making much progress, but with just a few sips of the deep, dark aromatic coffee, I am on my way to being quite productive!



My goal is to plow my way through the insanely long "to do today" list and then reward myself with a taco from Moe's. The hitch: I've got to get TO Moe's by 11:30 am in order to beat the ravenous lunch crowd (including my 0.5 mile walk, I need to leave by 11:15am... darn crosswalks really eat up time on my walk to Cameron Village). The renovations are nearly done for Cameron... just a few more storefronts and a resturant and finally all the work will be done! This is the corner of the building where Moe's is located (artists' rendering):


It's a great place to walk around... except for crossing A LOT of streets, despite the crosswalks, you're taking quite a risk when not driving from one part of the shopping center to the other... This is what it used to look like (back in my high school days) Lots of cars and crosswalks...

Starting out the week with Happiness

Weekly email from The Ripples Project... on "happiness." It really struck me this morning when it is cold and dreary outside, I can choose to be happy!

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PEBBLE =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Without happiness we cannot be a refuge for others.
Ask yourself, What am I waiting for to make me happy?
Why am I not happy right now?
-Thich Nhat Hanh, submitted by Kalea B., Chico CA


=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= BOULDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o

There is a story told about a dog who discovered that happiness was in his tail.
He kept trying over and over to get it, but all he could do was run around in circles.
Exhausted and frustrated with this endless pursuit, he eventually stopped.
And then he discovered that if he would just go on about his life, it would follow him wherever he went.
-altered from unknown source, submitted by Jen M., Mt. Pleasant MI

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o= PONDER =o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

On the subject of this week's theme, HAPPY RIGHT NOW!: I hope that you can do take a moment right now to pause and ask yourself Thich Nhat Hanh's question: "Why am I not happy right now?" It may be tempting to respond that you're not happy because of some situation you're in or a problem you have or a certain person you have recently argued with. Even if they are truly yucky, events or people are not causing your unhappiness. With a little effort you can remember that happiness is a choice. Of course there are extreme situations of crisis or distress where happiness is nearly impossible to experience; I am more interested for you to experience happiness in your daily crazy merry-go-round of deadlines and to-do lists and meetings and errands. Give it a try!

Five Hurt As SUV Drives Into Student-Filled Pit At UNC

Five Hurt As SUV Drives Into Student-Filled Pit At UNC
Authorities Find Vehicle; Suspect In Custody

POSTED: 12:30 pm EST March 3, 2006
UPDATED: 1:40 pm EST March 3, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Authorities say that a sport utility vehicle drove into The Pit at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus around noon Friday, injuring at least five students. [read more at the above link]

Images from Sky 5

I was *JUST THERE* this time yesterday. It totally wigs me out - it's not that easy to get a car in the pit! Or at least from what I can tell. Goodness!

Spring is here today!

Spring is here today! It was here yesterday too - warm, warm, warm! And sunny, sunny, sunny! The days are slowly getting longer... my drive into work almost required sunglasses :) The sun rose at 6:42 AM and will set at 6:09 PM, it's great (daylight today 11h 26m, tomorrow will be 2m 15s longer)! Days like today remind my why I have having a sunroof in my car :)

Sadly, a cold front is coming through this evening that will pull our high temps back down to around 50 with lows in the upper 20s low 30s. Booooo! I really want to get outside and work in the yard! We're got a garden to plan :) A lot of our bulbs are coming up and I'm sure that within a week or so we'll have daffodils! YAY!

Daffodil from WRAL Gardens last spring

Ha!

I am easily amused - and really tempted by that cookie...