Saturday energy....

Mini garden......

Maybe it's just because it's Saturday and I don't have to go right to work, but I woke up feeling good and energized this morning.  I've already done 2 loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, emptied the trash and recycling and wanted to swiffer the floor, but apparently we don't have the cloths that you use with it.  I may feel great and energized, but I'm not really interested yet in vacuuming, tee hee.  I'll save that for later, which could mean tomorrow.  I have books to return to the library, and I need to go shopping for a few things.  

I don't like shopping as much as I used to, and do much of it online these days, but there are some things that I prefer to try on, despite my dislike of dressing rooms.  Is it the lighting?  The mirrors?  All I know is that I'm always horrified at how I look in dressing rooms.  

I spoke to my co-workers on Tuesday about the class I'd like to take this fall and was pleasantly surprised that there was no real opposition.  I think I've found a great way to approach them, giving them a list of 3 classes, and basically let them chose which one would be the least disruptive.  What I didn't tell them was that there is a class on Tues & Thurs that starts at 5:30.  I didn't want to take that one partly because it wasn't a subject I'm interested in, and partly because taking a class after work makes for a very long day, and I'm not as thrilled at walking around the campus after dark.  The bosses don't have to pay me while I'm gone, and I get a nice break from work.  Win, win.

I hope to get around to working on a project, doing some chalk lettering for the office.  It will give me some practice for my office chalk board, which has been leaning against the wall for 6 months now.  I really need to get to it while I'm on break from classes.  

Well, looks like the dryer is done, so need to empty that and get ready to run my errands.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 365

Winter is coming.........

"I drink, and I know things...."

After a long wait......couldn't really tell you how many months it's been........Game of Thrones, the final season begins tonight.  We didn't watch it at first for lots of reasons, like not wanting to subscribe when we were already paying a huge price for cable.  Just didn't seem right.  It was costing us over $150 per month!  We finally cut the cord some years ago, and stream our shows now with Roku.  We can add HBO for a few months until GoT is over.  Truthfully, I think that picking and choosing what we want to watch is the way of the future, instead of paying a fortune to Comcast, Direct TV, etc.  Anyway.....

The hero, who returns from the dead....

One of my co-workers said he doesn't watch it, although he might if he decides to watch a soap opera.  and perhaps it is, perhaps it is.  It's a bit more brutal than a soap though.  A tiny taste of what the quest for power was like when we rode horses and had simple tools of war, like maces, axes, swords and the like.  But....

The weak and despicable....

There is loyalty, betrayal, heroism, intrigue.  Best of all.....there are dragons.

Not pretty dragons....fierce and fire breathing dragons.

Yes, the sets are beautiful, but it's the story.  Winter is coming.....

Love, 365 

********(the next day)

So, the first episode started out with Arya taking care of her list....the list of people who must die.  Afterward, I wondered if the "many faced god" did indeed accept her, as she is able to impersinate others with no apparent suspicion.  Interesting as I thought she had left that all behind.  But, understanding Arya's deep seated desire to erase from existence anyone who murdered her family members (& there aren't many left), perhaps that was why she was "chosen" in the first place?

Other than that, this episode seems to be setting the stage for the season.  Not a lot happening, other than Daenarys finally returning home, and that Sam Tarly will likely be instrumental in the living vanquishing the dead.  But we don't know, so we'll just continue to tune in on Sunday evening until the season ends.

Wilted strawberries.....

A car in our local grocery store parking lot....how about that homemade spoiler?

I woke up this morning starving......Romeo has already taken the dog for a walk, so I stumble down the stairs for coffee and see the bowl of strawberries I didn't eat at dinner, still sitting on the counter.  They looked dull, and a little dehydrated, but I ate them anyway.  I wouldn't call it fine dining, lol.  I then grabbed a piece of multi grained bread (Romeo bought it, which surprised me ~ he used to call stuff like this bird food) and poured a thin layer of lavender honey on it and scarfed that down too.  I guess I'm ready to take on the day.

Just heard a news report that people living "downwind" from the Trinity bomb test site that were exposed and are now plagued with cancer have ~ once again ~ been denied compensation from our illustrious government.  Is this America?

Have been reading "A Handmaids Tale" ~ mostly because I've been hearing about the hulu original series (I don't have hulu & don't plan to subscribe) ~ I've likely read a third (or a fourth?) of it, and the story is interesting, but the book bugs me.  I'm an avid reader of fiction (who needs reality? we're living it ~ and I rarely read biographies) and admit to all who might care (ha ha) that some of my favorite reads are pure entertainment, and not very "literary".  I think the reason I'm not thrilled with the book is the constant and unrelenting descriptions.  I want the story, not a paragraph long description of how the room looks, smells, the lighting, the dust motes....I want the story.  I can fill in my own backdrop.  I think my reaction is due to my lack of patience.  I will keep reading though, because I'm cheap, and already paid for it.  There's another clue to my personality :-)  Plus, I'm really bugged by the fact that these women just do what they are told.  Come on, there has to be a way!  I think I'd rather die than live in a society like the one described in that book.  =shudder=

Enjoy your Friday ~ Love, 365

Well!  I did receive my final grade for the summer class ~ an A.  I read through some of the final projects (which were posted on Google Drive, and truthfully took me a few minutes to figure out how to download my paper), and was impressed.  One was particularly good.  I can't figure out how I achieved an A in comparison, lol.

**Word of warning when scrolling through blogs (by hitting the "next blog" button....I ran across an extremely pornographic blog, so be aware.  I was surprised, then surprised that I was, because the world is full of that kind of stuff.  There was a warning, but I've seen those before and figured they might use a few choice words, but no.  Sheesh.

Re-organizing after the craziness...

Dahlia in the garden....6-20-17

Here I am, in front of the computer again, ha ha.  I need to clean off my desk, throw out the papers I no longer need and sort the books to return to the library.  Speaking of libraries, last Monday I drove to the main library of Albuquerque, for info for my research paper.  Before I left the house, I grabbed a book that I decided that I didn't need for return ~ which I did....but instead of giving it to a real human, I dropped it into the book return.  The next day I realized I returned a book from UNM to the public library.  I called on Wednesday, and they assured me that it happens, and they'll return it to UNM ~ eventually.  I'm not too concerned, as the book isn't due until early August, but I'll have to keep an eye on the status of it...I don't want to have to buy a book for UNM....I already give them too much of our money.

The beautiful dahlia in the photo (took with my i phone, the camera is really amazing) lasted a long time, but the 3 buds have all bloomed and are gone now.  I have no idea if it will send up flowers again during the summer, but it's really a fantastic flower.  I haven't had a flower garden in a long time, so I'm re-learning what I like, and what does well.  This one is certainly my favorite.

On the 4th, I received an e-mail from my oldest son, who informed the family he is going to jump into marriage again.  I was a little disheartened....he's only been divorced a year, and I hoped he would wait another year before taking the plunge again.  Although I told him I hoped he would wait a little longer, I don't have a good argument since I married again a bit over a year after my first marriage, and Romeo & I are going on 38 years now.  My niece is getting married again this summer as well, and my sister and I had an interesting conversation about the two yesterday.  Mostly we said to each other "what can you do, except hope they are happy".  I have no idea how son #2 is taking it because the reason he moved back to Albuquerque was due son #1 was getting married, and she not only had my new grandson but 4 other kids as well.  Yeah, it's kind of a soap opera.  It's family, after all.

Enjoy your week!

Love, 365

Too much computer time.....

Bing images.....

Oh. My. God.  I am finally done with my class project, which was writing a 10 page research paper on the old Albuquerque Airport terminal.  If I've written a 10 page paper before, I have likely wiped the memory of it from my mind......because it's grueling.  I've been working on it for a little over a week, although the last 3 days have been intense.  I have no idea how the Prof. will like it.  I am not an architecture student, although I know she knows that I took this class for a history requirement.  I'm happy with it.....and I thought about giving it to Romeo to look at, the last time I did that it resulted in a massive re-write, and I don't want to do that ~ nor do I have the time for it.  It is due tomorrow.  I work from 7am to 1, so I'll have to drive down to UNM and deliver it once I'm done with the work day.

This was a 4 week class.  I know from discussions with other students in the class I think we had all waited until the very end of June to make any serious headway on it.  Some of the architect students were making models, but they also had to write 5 pages to accompany that model.  Romeo and I talked about it, and he jokingly said a toothpic model, and we both laughed.  I have no experience what so ever with making models of buildings, but I assume there is a skill set that comes from experience.  

I hope I get a chance to see the models, but since she's viewing them at 10am, I doubt I will.  

Well, it's been a long week, and I've spent way to much time typing and editing and re-editing.  I'm ready for some quality time with my man.....

Love, 365

Happy Independence Day! And scrolling thru the blogs....

I grew up in a military family, Dad being in the Airforce.  Every 4th of July we would pack our cooler with drinks, take some blankets, and head on out to the base at Lackland AFB (which is now closed).  They had a huge grassy area where families would pick their spot, and once it was dark we would be treated to a truly awesome firework display.....at least it seemed that way to me then.  The business of fireworks is much more sophisticated today.  We always had a great time.  At certain points they would shoot off the really big ones, and the crowd would go "oooooooh".  Everyone was out for fun.   Kids were well behaved (hey, it's the military after all).

We don't go to those massive displays anymore because I just can't take the crowds.  I don't like being jostled by strangers, and because I'm vertically challenged it's not always easy to get a good spot.  It's probably been over 20 years since I've gone to a commercial display.  I can see them from my backyard since we live in the foothills instead of the valley, but it's not the same.  I thought about going up to Sandia Peak and watch from waaaay up there, but a patient at the office said he did that one year, and it's not all that impressive because of the distance.  I suppose it looks like an ant city with ant size fireworks, ha ha.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!  And be careful and use some common sense, for Pete's sake.
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Do you ever hit the "next blog" button at the top of the screen?  I've done that a few times, and once in a great while I run across a blog I like.  Mostly it's families posting photos of their kids, obviously intended to share with other members of the family that live far away.  Some are self advertising, actresses and musicians.  Some are so full of graphics that it makes you dizzy to look at it.  Really, it's like graffiti ~ and not very artistic graffiti at that.  The worst are the blogs that are selling something.  I skip right over those, because there are tons of places to buy things...it's like a junk blog to me.

Well, I need to get to writing.  I did manage a nice beginning on the paper yesterday, and want to knock out most of it today.....

Love, 365

Happy 4th! Let the grilling begin.....

Thought I'd start with this little gem I saw on The Feral Irishman's blog.  

Yesterday we had our last class meeting ~ yeah, on Saturday at 8am.  I'm glad I won't have to set my alarm for 5:30 on my days off anymore.  Of course, I have until the 7th to finish my paper and turn it in, so I'm also glad to have off Monday and Tuesday (& today of course!) to get a lot of it done.  

On Friday we had two guest lecturers and then left at 10:40 to go to Abiquiu to view Georgia O'Keeffe's home, 

It was a very long day....started at 8am and we didn't get home until after 7, then I made oatmeal raisin cookies and prepared a power point with photos to describe my project, a discussion on the architecture of the old Albuquerque airport terminal.  We were to meet at 8am (omg, I was so tired), and bring whatever we wanted for an informal pot-luck.  

We ended up with:

6 dozen donuts

bagels & cream cheese (she even brought her toaster!)

Liam brough soda and sandwiches

5 plates of fruit

all kinds of drinks, but no coffee (what!!!), which I suspected, so brought my own

As you can see from the photo, there aren't that many of us....so there were lots of leftovers.  I declined taking a dozen donuts.  My butt doesn't need those, no matter how yummy they might be, ha ha.

So, although I will not miss setting my alarm for so early in the morning, it was a phenominal class.  The instructor was wonderful.  Kind, but not letting you off the hook ~ one of my classmates (a graduate student no less) asked if she could present her project next Friday.  Obviously she wasn't paying attention.  But beyond that, and overlooking the somewhat chaotic scheduling (which changed every week it seemed), it opened up the subject of architecture as part of our history...can't wait to explore it further, as New Mexico has a unique architectual history.

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday, everyone!  

Love, 365

I called in sick.....

Here I am at Quarai ruins....the beautiful church show here was built by the women of the Pueblo.  The community was in existence for over 200-300 years before the Spanish came.  

The Quarai ruins are remarkable, but not for the ruins.  Nope, it's remarkable for it's gardens.  It is estimated that they grew enough food to feed around 500-800 people who lived there.  That's quite remarkable considering the climate, which has been described as either bone chilling cold (10 degrees) or broiling hot.  It was very hot yesterday, which is why you see me with the item that looks like a scarf...you wet it and it cools you down.  It worked very well yesterday, keeping me much more comfortable.  But all of this sun and heat wave we have had for the past week has left me feeling a little crummy.  I decided to skip the trip to Santo Domingo today, which pisses me off.  I think it would have been a fun trip to watch the horse races and view the Pueblo plaza and church.  Oh, well.  

I really need to catch up on my reading today anyway.

Guest lecturer and some of my class mates...

There were beautiful trees, and it was cool in the small valley...evaporative cooling from the stream that is just below the surface in some areas, and above in others.  

My favorite photo of the ruins.....

Well, I'm off to do some reading and relaxing.  Have a great weekend!

Love, 365

Home...

Old Albuqeurque Airport, home to the TSA

Romeo and I took a quick trip to the old Albuquerque airport building, which I understood has been renovated.  We could only look around the main concourse of the building, as the remaining rooms now house the TSA offices.  It's pretty cool ~ literally it was cool inside, as we are experiencing more triple digit temp's (or close to it).  The thick adobe walls are likely 18 inches thick, and are typically thicker at the base and thins somewhat as it rises.

Interior...note the beautiful beams and vigas on the ceiling.

As we were driving home ~ omg is it hot, thank god for a/c ~ we discussed again our earlier thoughts on moving back to Texas upon retirement.  Which granted, isn't for another 5 to 8 years.  This came about earlier in the year right before I traveled to Austin to visit the boys, Mom, and my sister.  Once I was there, and recalled the absolutely horrible traffic (Austin has become notorious for it), and the sheer number of people (San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the U.S.), I began to have my doubts right about the time Romeo was beginning to warm up to the idea.  

I had a discussion with a friend, and mentioned the reasons I wanted to move back, which is mainly for family.  And I would like to be closer to them.  And I realized that I was assuming that my sister and I would engage in a wonderful re-creation of my visits.....and just how unrealistic that thought is. She has two grandchildren from her husband's kids, and my nephew and his wife are expecting in August.  She has a lot going on.  And when we did live in the same city ~ at one point we lived less than a mile from each other ~ we didn't really see each other that often.  Family get togethers, sure, but otherwise, not so much.  Perhaps once we are both retired (she's already semi-retired) I suppose we would spend more time together.  

But, then I looked around me.  The mountains, the turquoise sky, the urban/suburban feel of Albuquerque.  The beauty of the countryside around us.  The smell of the desert.  And I began to have misgivings about the very idea.  Romeo and I decided to put the decision on the back burner for the moment.  I think it's kind of funny how a place can get into your soul, and before you know it, you feel as though you belong.  You are home.

Love, 365

A hidden gem in the heart of Albuquerque

Los Poblamos, Albuquerque

Our Architecture of New Mexico class went to Los Poblamos yesterday to view a style of architecture that is unique to NM.  But mostly, it was just fun, and amazing.  I never even heard of this place!  I will be going back soon....

The main crop is lavender.  The plants were beautiful and of course, smelled heavenly.

John Gall Meem was the architect for many of the buildings here....and also designed the Zimmerman Library on UNM campus.  

Professor Norman Crowe joined Prof. Karla Britton to give us the low-down on the details of the NM territorial style.  Sweet guy.

Our group photo for this trip....

This building would be the area for a wedding that was to take place that evening.

We had a real scorcher yesterday, and we were tempted to jump into this pool....

I was obsessed with this tractor and silos....I love this photo.

We arrived at 9am, and by the time we left around 11:30, the heat was pouring it on.  We went to have lunch at Flying Star....and for some reason they chose to eat outside on the patio.  Which was covered, but omg, really?  I took 2 ibuprophen as I left, to try to get rid of a building headache.  Soon after I abandoned my last errand and went home.  After a few hours rest, I was feeling better.  I decided to order a cooling neck wrap for next week's travels, as I don't want to deal with a migraine when we're an hour from home.  

Regardless of the headache/migraine, it was fun.  I purchased some lavender lotion and lavender honey (wow! is that stuff good) at the farm store.  I plan to visit again, and purchase gifts at the store. It is a historic inn and organic farm, and I'd love to spend the night there sometime...although it's a bit pricey.  

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Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's, Step Dad's, and men who fill the roll... 

My Romeo.....

Love, 365

Oh, good grief

I have class tomorrow morning at 8am  I've spent the week reading the material, and working on our assignment (there are 2 this week).  Basically, I worked 2 to 3 hours Monday and Tuesday, not including reading stuff during lunch hour.  ~ I though I had already gone through the reading material before I received her e-mail on what to read for this week, which was a little depressing.

Tonight, I planned to put the "finishing touches" on my assignments, print them up, put everything together, and be done.

But no.  Fate, or kismet, or whatever decided to throw in a little fun.  I couldn't print anything.  We've all had that happen....the printer won't connect.  For whatever reason.  I tried all the tricks I knew (which are dismally few).  Nothing.  I spent an hour before I threw my hands up and asked Romeo to help.  He gave me a memory stick, had me put the items on it and printed it on his computer.

Then, about 15 minutes later, mentioned that sometimes the wi-fi will ~ for some ungodly reason ~ chose a different wi-fi, which isn't connected to the printer.  And that was it.

I have bald spots now.....thanks to wi-fi.  And my own stupidity.

Love, 365