Sometime late last week, I think on Thursday, I had already started working and B was trying to get started but suddenly had a weird Windows error pop up on his computer. It said something about a conflict with a computer on the network, so he asked me if I was having any problems. Just a minute after that, while B was resetting the modem and trying some other things, I got the same error about a network conflict, so I looked at our router management thing and guess what? Yet again, we had a computer named Scott on our network and I wasn't able to connect via our secure network anymore.
B once again created a new wireless network with a new password, which fixed the problem temporarily, but he decided he'd had enough of this and that we were going to get a big-ass networking cable to physically connect our computers as soon as possible. We made a stop at Staples on our way home from Vegas on Monday to get one and the guy working there said we should report this to the police because it's illegal to log onto someone's secure wireless network. What really blows my mind is that he's now done it three or four times and he's had to crack our password each time. I've done some reading about it, and apparently it's easy to get software to accomplish this. There's no way he's getting on our network anymore because B has turned off the wireless signal from our modem, so this should be the end of it.
So Sunday morning we left for Las Vegas around 10:00 a.m. and got there around 11:30, I think. Of course, by the time we actually got to where we were going on the strip, parked the car and got inside, it was closer to 12:00, I'm sure. We initially went to the Fashion Show Mall on the strip because we wanted to go to the bath & body stores there and also check out the department stores for possible new bedding. We didn't find anything we liked for the bed, but we did get some goodies from The Body Shop and we ate lunch in the food court there. We drove around and around the parking gargage looking for an empty spot, because it was packed, but we ended up getting a great spot right next to an entrance to the mall, so that was nice. While we were there, we were up on the second level and I noticed that something was going on down on the first level, so we stopped to watch from above. There was a runway and it looked like they were going to have a fashion show, but we couldn't see any models anywhere, so B said, "I'm expecting them to come out of the floor or something like Ayumi does at her concerts," and a second later part of the floor started to rise up and underneath was a room with the models standing inside. That was pretty wild. After it rose up completely, the models walked out onto the catwalk and then went back into the room to change into their various outfits between trips down the catwalk.
We ended up driving over to Sephora after that because B wanted some things that he wasn't able to find at the mall. I got a few things, B found what he wanted and he got a butt load of free samples - all kinds of lotions, creams, perfumes and body washes. Then I got two more free samples when I checked out because I'm part of their club or whatever that I signed up for when I was there last year. Whoo hoo! I love that place.
After that we went to the Bellagio to pick up our tickets for "O." There was a long line of people waiting for stand-by tickets, but we just walked up, grabbed our tickets and were done. We debated about whether to just hang around there until it was time for the show or try to go over to Excaliber and check in first. We really wanted to go check in, but we knew it was going to take us a while just to drive up the strip, find a place to park, get checked in and get something to eat before we had to be back for the show. So we decided to go for it and go over to Excaliber. Fortunately we were able to get all that done and get back over to Bellagio in plenty of time. We had a nicer room at Excaliber than usual. The bathroom was nicer and there was a big flatscreen TV on the wall. That was unexpected.
So we saw "O" and then dragged our butts back to Excaliber for the night. Our feet were killing us because we're not used to being on our feet that much after working at home like we do. I have to say I was disappointed by "O" and so was B. It wasn't as good as "Ka," which we saw back in 2005. Not that "O" was terrible, but I guess we were expecting something as good or better than "Ka," and it was neither. Oh, well. I think we would've liked it much better had we not seen "Ka" first.
The next day we were going to maybe do some more shopping or walk around on the strip or something, but we were still pooped from the day before. Mentally, I wanted to stay and have more fun, but physically I just wanted to go home and relax. We both had to work the next day, so we decided to head home after breakfast. For some reason, the traffic coming back was way heavier than going there, especially around Hoover Dam. They have security checkpoints there and you don't have to stop (usually), but you do have to slow way down, so that probably added an extra half hour onto the drive, but truthfully I didn't mind so much. Maybe if I would've been driving I would. :) But I enjoyed seeing Hoover Dam again. They're still working on the big overpass/bypass there and it looks like not much progress has been made since we were there last year.
When we got home, we had a card from my mom and stepdad for our anniversary and they included a check for $400. Mom said half the money was for Christmas and half was for a housewarming gift (because she didn't send anything for Christmas last year). So then of course, I felt bad because I flaked out on Mother's Day this year and didn't send her anything. I did email her and thank her for the check and told her we're planning to use the money to landscape our yard. We got those rose bushes in, but we haven't done anything else. Maybe we can pay someone to come take care of the gravel and stuff for us.
It got kind of cold here for a while last week. We had the AC on, and then suddenly it was cold and we had to turn the heat back on. It really stunk because we were enjoying taking bike rides in the evening, but it got too cold for that. It was too cold in Vegas for me to wear the outfit I bought for the trip, too. It's warmed up this week, though. The lizards have come back out from wherever they were hiding and are slithering around the yard again. I'm still seeing tons of rabbits and birds around. I wonder if they'll be around all year?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
AC!
Two days from today is our fifth wedding anniversary. That means this coming weekend is when we're going to Vegas to celebrate. Yay! I can't believe I didn't realize that this coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend. No wonder all the hotels were so expensive. Duh. It's gonna be packed, I bet. Oh well, too late to make any changes now.
The doctor's appointment I had turned out to be a dud. I spent about an hour waiting to see the doctor, then when she finally came in she looked at my info, told me she couldn't prescribe the medications I'm currently on and gave me the name of another doctor to see. Fortunately they didn't charge me for the visit.
Yesterday I finally made an appointment to see this other doctor and I now have an appointment for June 3rd. I waited a while because I wasn't sure exactly what to say on the phone when I called to make the appointment. I wanted to somehow make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time like with the first doctor, so when I called I asked if he would be able to prescribe the medications I'm taking now. They said they couldn't tell me that before I even told them what I was taking, so still not sure how that part will go. I do know, however, that he treats fibromyalgia patients, so that's a good thing. That's why the first doctor gave me his name. The not so good thing is that he's a man. I'd really rather see a woman, but I guess I'll give this guy a shot. I had to call my old doctor's office in NC to get my records sent to this new place, so hopefully there won't be any glitches with that.
We've been having some really hot weather here the past few days. Friday was when it first got really hot, so B tried to turn our AC on for the first time and unfortunately it didn't work. B tried everything he could think of to get it going, but with no luck, so then we were stuck with no AC for the weekend and we were boiling. Yesterday morning B started making phone calls and he first called the company we have our home warranty with. They said they would call a repair place for us and that someone from the repair place would call us within 3 hours to tell us when they'd be coming out, but 3 hours went by and nothing. To make a long story short, it seems everyone in town turned their AC on for the first time this past weekend and the repair places were booked, so B ended up calling around himself, trying to find someone who could come out ASAP. While he was on the phone with one place, B explained the things that he'd tried already and they told him to try pulling this handle out and turning it upside down, and thank goodness that worked. Apparently this is a common thing they do on new homes so the AC won't have any chance of coming on until somebody wants it on. So that was around 2:00 or 3:00 yesterday that we finally got the AC going. It had gotten up to almost 90 in the house. It's true what they say about dry heat, though, because I wouldn't have guessed it was that hot in here. Still, it's much nicer now with the AC on. We have it set at 82 and that's pretty comfortable for us, though it's hotter in my computer room because I still don't have a blind for my window.
The doctor's appointment I had turned out to be a dud. I spent about an hour waiting to see the doctor, then when she finally came in she looked at my info, told me she couldn't prescribe the medications I'm currently on and gave me the name of another doctor to see. Fortunately they didn't charge me for the visit.
Yesterday I finally made an appointment to see this other doctor and I now have an appointment for June 3rd. I waited a while because I wasn't sure exactly what to say on the phone when I called to make the appointment. I wanted to somehow make sure I wouldn't be wasting my time like with the first doctor, so when I called I asked if he would be able to prescribe the medications I'm taking now. They said they couldn't tell me that before I even told them what I was taking, so still not sure how that part will go. I do know, however, that he treats fibromyalgia patients, so that's a good thing. That's why the first doctor gave me his name. The not so good thing is that he's a man. I'd really rather see a woman, but I guess I'll give this guy a shot. I had to call my old doctor's office in NC to get my records sent to this new place, so hopefully there won't be any glitches with that.
We've been having some really hot weather here the past few days. Friday was when it first got really hot, so B tried to turn our AC on for the first time and unfortunately it didn't work. B tried everything he could think of to get it going, but with no luck, so then we were stuck with no AC for the weekend and we were boiling. Yesterday morning B started making phone calls and he first called the company we have our home warranty with. They said they would call a repair place for us and that someone from the repair place would call us within 3 hours to tell us when they'd be coming out, but 3 hours went by and nothing. To make a long story short, it seems everyone in town turned their AC on for the first time this past weekend and the repair places were booked, so B ended up calling around himself, trying to find someone who could come out ASAP. While he was on the phone with one place, B explained the things that he'd tried already and they told him to try pulling this handle out and turning it upside down, and thank goodness that worked. Apparently this is a common thing they do on new homes so the AC won't have any chance of coming on until somebody wants it on. So that was around 2:00 or 3:00 yesterday that we finally got the AC going. It had gotten up to almost 90 in the house. It's true what they say about dry heat, though, because I wouldn't have guessed it was that hot in here. Still, it's much nicer now with the AC on. We have it set at 82 and that's pretty comfortable for us, though it's hotter in my computer room because I still don't have a blind for my window.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Arizona animals
After having had no further problems with getting online since we got a secure wireless connection established weeks ago, suddenly yesterday morning I couldn't get online again. I kept trying to connect via the secure wireless connection and it just wasn't happening, then that connection just disappeared from my list of connections all together and I was being forced to connect via another connection, just like before. I checked the online modem utility and it said there were now FIVE people on our network, one being Scott (again) and another called Megan.
So B got on the phone with the tech support people again and had them walk him through the process of setting up another secure connection. This time he also set up a new password for the online modem utility that enabled him to create the secure connection because we're figuring that's how this person or persons hacked into our network again. Geez! It really sucks that this happened again. I wish we could find out for sure if it was our neighbor doing it or not, but it didn't even look like he was home yesterday morning. In fact, we haven't seen his car in his driveway in several weeks. Don't know what's up with him.
B and I took a walk in the evening the day before yesterday and I saw a little bird sitting on a street sign from a distance. It was starting to get dark and I didn't have my glasses on, but from what I could see it looked like an owl, even though it was small. I walked a little closer and sure enough, this is what it was:
It was the tiniest little owl I've ever seen, about the size of a finch. It's called an Elf Owl.
I'm really enjoying the wildlife around here. Yesterday there was a veritable bird-and-bunny convention going on outside my computer room window. There were four rabbits (two were babies) and at least a dozen birds. I saw some kind of red-breasted bird that I'd never seen before and I'm still not sure what it was. The cats are enjoying the birds and bunnies, too. Or maybe they're just frustrated because they can see them but can't get at them. While I was on the treadmill today, I saw a little bunny come flying out of some greenery growing in the middle of the yard and hop right over to the house. It was sitting practically right below where Spice was laying inside on the windowsill, just muching on some weeds, seemingly oblivious to the cat. Spice looked like she was going to bust right through the window to get it.
I've also been seeing some little lizards around recently. The cats like those, too. I still haven't seen any snakes, scorpions or anything scary like that, though we did have some roaches for a while (yuck). We've had an exterminator come and take care of that.
I took a little video of the birds and rabbits yesterday so maybe I'll see if I can get that up on Utube or something.
So B got on the phone with the tech support people again and had them walk him through the process of setting up another secure connection. This time he also set up a new password for the online modem utility that enabled him to create the secure connection because we're figuring that's how this person or persons hacked into our network again. Geez! It really sucks that this happened again. I wish we could find out for sure if it was our neighbor doing it or not, but it didn't even look like he was home yesterday morning. In fact, we haven't seen his car in his driveway in several weeks. Don't know what's up with him.
B and I took a walk in the evening the day before yesterday and I saw a little bird sitting on a street sign from a distance. It was starting to get dark and I didn't have my glasses on, but from what I could see it looked like an owl, even though it was small. I walked a little closer and sure enough, this is what it was:
It was the tiniest little owl I've ever seen, about the size of a finch. It's called an Elf Owl.
I'm really enjoying the wildlife around here. Yesterday there was a veritable bird-and-bunny convention going on outside my computer room window. There were four rabbits (two were babies) and at least a dozen birds. I saw some kind of red-breasted bird that I'd never seen before and I'm still not sure what it was. The cats are enjoying the birds and bunnies, too. Or maybe they're just frustrated because they can see them but can't get at them. While I was on the treadmill today, I saw a little bunny come flying out of some greenery growing in the middle of the yard and hop right over to the house. It was sitting practically right below where Spice was laying inside on the windowsill, just muching on some weeds, seemingly oblivious to the cat. Spice looked like she was going to bust right through the window to get it.
I've also been seeing some little lizards around recently. The cats like those, too. I still haven't seen any snakes, scorpions or anything scary like that, though we did have some roaches for a while (yuck). We've had an exterminator come and take care of that.
I took a little video of the birds and rabbits yesterday so maybe I'll see if I can get that up on Utube or something.
Monday, May 5, 2008
I have some more pictures from around here. B took this first picture when we were out for a walk last week. It looks like the street sign is in the middle of nowhere, but there is actually a street there somewhere. A lot of the streets around here look like they were put in years ago and are now really overgrown; that's why you can't see the streets in this picture.
This next picture is of one of the rose bushes we planted in the front of the house yesterday. B spoke to someone on the phone about what kind of plants work well in this area and she said roses do great, so we got 5 rose bushes for the front yard. Apparently roses are a desert plant!
B picked up some unusual mums at Wal-Mart last weekend and we have them on the kitchen table. They have everything you could imagine at this Wal-Mart in town, and Mel, I am totally sympathizing with you on the $100 Wal-Mart trips. I find something new and cool to buy there every week.
This next picture is of one of the rose bushes we planted in the front of the house yesterday. B spoke to someone on the phone about what kind of plants work well in this area and she said roses do great, so we got 5 rose bushes for the front yard. Apparently roses are a desert plant!
Here's a picture of all five of them. Ideally we want to be able to sit on the front porch and smell the roses, but we'll have to get some patio furniture. It's on the list of things to do. You see which way the wind is blowing here. I hope the bushes don't grow up all leaning to one side. We just about killed ourselves digging out the holes for these things. The ground was HARD and dry as hell and our backs are really complaining today.
B picked up some unusual mums at Wal-Mart last weekend and we have them on the kitchen table. They have everything you could imagine at this Wal-Mart in town, and Mel, I am totally sympathizing with you on the $100 Wal-Mart trips. I find something new and cool to buy there every week.
This next picture is the back of our house. The big tree is in our next-door neighbor's yard and that's where all the Gambels Quail like to hang out. The fence is around the yard behind ours.
Next are a few pictures of the wildflowers growing around here. They're all over the place right now.
I made an appointment to see a doctor next week. You may remember all the trouble I had finding a doctor I liked back in NC, but once I found her, she was a dream come true. It sucks having to find a new doctor again, so keep your fingers crossed that I'll have good luck with this one. I need to get established with someone new before my current prescriptions run out, plus I want to talk to the doctor about my fatigue. It seems to be worse than ever. It's ridiculous, but I often need a nap after grocery shopping and I get tired from just riding in the car sometimes. B has been talking about taking a trip to Zion Canyon in Utah in the fall and I'd love to go, but I'm concerned that I won't have any energy to do anything once we get there.
I got a couple new albums yesterday that I've just started listening to. One is Madonna's album Hard Candy and other is Kyle Minogue's X. I liked both of their last albums a lot, so I'm looking forward to hearing these. I'm so out of the Amerian music scene, though. These albums have probably been out for a long time and I just realized it yesterday.
Speaking of music, here is my favorite song right now from my second favorite singer, Namie Amuro. It has a definite 80s vibe going. I listen to it at least once a day. :)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
New gif
I made another new animated gif, over on the right, mostly to use on the transcription message board. I have to make them really small. They can only be 65 x 65 pixels. If they're any bigger, they automatically get squeezed into a 65 x 65 space and look terrible.
I'm taking a little break from work at the moment because my hands are just hitting all the wrong keys today, my arms keep slipping off my armrests, I can't get comfortable in my chair and the people I'm transcribing are annoying. Argh. The good news is, we're going to Vegas three weeks from tomorrow. Yay!
I'm looking forward to getting that bonus money from the feds because I'm gonna do what they want and stimulate the economy. B and I have discussed getting a hot tub for ourselves for Christmas this year and I said if that didn't work out for some reason, I'd like to get new curtains and a new comforter for the bedroom. So B suggested we use our bonus money to get the bedroom stuff right now. I already have any idea of what I want. I'm really drawn to the colors turquoise/teal and brown together, so I was thinking of making those two colors the theme of the bedroom. Kind of like this, but not that pattern necessarily.
Guess I better end this break now. Back to work.
I'm taking a little break from work at the moment because my hands are just hitting all the wrong keys today, my arms keep slipping off my armrests, I can't get comfortable in my chair and the people I'm transcribing are annoying. Argh. The good news is, we're going to Vegas three weeks from tomorrow. Yay!
I'm looking forward to getting that bonus money from the feds because I'm gonna do what they want and stimulate the economy. B and I have discussed getting a hot tub for ourselves for Christmas this year and I said if that didn't work out for some reason, I'd like to get new curtains and a new comforter for the bedroom. So B suggested we use our bonus money to get the bedroom stuff right now. I already have any idea of what I want. I'm really drawn to the colors turquoise/teal and brown together, so I was thinking of making those two colors the theme of the bedroom. Kind of like this, but not that pattern necessarily.
Guess I better end this break now. Back to work.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
No pics and Tai Chi
Unfortunately, Heather, I don't have any new pictures to share yet. We've taken some, but they're on B's computer. I have to wait for him to put them on a CD or email them to me. Mostly the new pictures we have are of the flowers in bloom around here. We noticed on our walks all the pretty little yellow, blue and orange flowers. Probably just weeds, but they're all over the place, and there are a lot of cactus plants with pretty fuscia blooms around here, too. Anyway, I'll see if I can get some of those pictures up soon. Maybe I can lure you guys out here. Tell CH how much I love it here so far. It's sunny every day!
B's weather station came yesterday and he got it somewhat set up with the various sensors outside, but so far it's not working right. It's supposed to automatically sync with the national atomic clock or whatever, and it looks like it's trying to, but it keeps coming up with the wrong time and/or date. The readings we're getting from outside don't agree with what weather.com says either, and sometimes by a lot. Don't know what's up with that.
I recently got a DVD on Tai Chi and have been using it most days, sometimes with B. It's an introduction to Tai Chi so it only has a few basic poses, but I like it so far. I've been using it to warm up before I get on the treadmill or the Total Gym. I may see if I can find another DVD that's a little more indepth so I can learn some more poses. It's supposed to be good for your health and I feel like my health isn't going to get any better on its own, plus I just want to feel better than I generally do, so I'm hoping this will help. Can't hurt, right?
B's weather station came yesterday and he got it somewhat set up with the various sensors outside, but so far it's not working right. It's supposed to automatically sync with the national atomic clock or whatever, and it looks like it's trying to, but it keeps coming up with the wrong time and/or date. The readings we're getting from outside don't agree with what weather.com says either, and sometimes by a lot. Don't know what's up with that.
I recently got a DVD on Tai Chi and have been using it most days, sometimes with B. It's an introduction to Tai Chi so it only has a few basic poses, but I like it so far. I've been using it to warm up before I get on the treadmill or the Total Gym. I may see if I can find another DVD that's a little more indepth so I can learn some more poses. It's supposed to be good for your health and I feel like my health isn't going to get any better on its own, plus I just want to feel better than I generally do, so I'm hoping this will help. Can't hurt, right?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
