LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

I grew up doing puzzles every summer. We’d keep a puzzle on the kitchen table and add to it as we passed back and forth. Then, my family being who we are, we’d keep a tally how many pieces each of us properly completed. And when the puzzle was finished, the winner would gloat. Then we’d go and get another puzzle.

Unfortunately, having a bento box sized apartment, we don’t have a lot of space for puzzles. But oh how I yearned to feel that familiar soft thuddy click of a puzzle piece sliding into place. So last weekend we bought a cheap card table and one folding chair at Target.

And a puzzle. Yes, shut up, a Disney puzzle. But what I really like about this one is that the characters are roughly placed in the geographic locations where their stories took place. So Mowgli is in India and Tiana’s in the US Southeast and the rest of the Princesses are taking part in #occupyEurope.

Naturally, the puzzle we chose is too darn long for the card table, so we’re doing it in halves. When we’re done we’re going to glue it together and forget about it in a closet put it on the wall somewhere.

And then we’ll go and get ANOTHER puzzle!

**
And hey, tomorrow around 9:15am EST, could you send me some positive “knock-em-dead, champ” vibes? Maybe hum the awesome beginning measures of “Welcome to the Jungle.” Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-nuh-nuh! Dun-nuh-nuh-Dun-nuh-nuh-Duh-nuhnuhnuhnuhnuhnuhn. Thanks, all!

I’m so happy it’s Sunday because this past week was one of the worst ones I’ve had since 2006. Let’s have a crazy week in review…

1) Sunday: Father’s Day. Talk to Dad & learn that he’s having some nonbloggable (but not health) issues. Ugh.

2) Monday: Calm, which is good because I needed it for Tuesday…

3) Tuesday: More layoffs at the Courier-Post. We lost 13 that day including my manager, whose position was eliminated. This means more work for all of us. I don’t know how many times I can go through watching my friends and coworkers leave HR with teary eyes and an envelope.

Also, Tuesday was Mom’s first follow up post ankle break. She was told that the bones were healing wrong and she had to have surgery to pin it together. Plus, this resets her recuperation calendar. Grand!

4) Wednesday: Mom gets the call that her surgery will be Thursday. John* and Kristen take Mom to Jefferson in Philly for five hours of pre-admission testing.

Meanwhile, I get an email saying that I didn’t get a job I was hoping to get. I’ve been working that prospect for over 2 months. I made it through 2 interviews and didn’t get the job because I don’t know Drupal. Feh. I should really learn Drupal, I guess.

5) Thursday: Mom’s surgery. I take the day off. John and I leave her place at 5:15am and I don’t get home ’til after 8pm. Luckily, sugery goes very well and now the offending ankle is pinned and plated together. She’s back to “stay off your feet as much as you can for 2 weeks” meaning we’re all still going back and forth to make sure she’s fed and her dog is taken care of.

6) Friday: Back to work. The day is piles of crazy, because we’re all trying to adjust to being shorthanded again. It’s just a stinking sad day.

7) Saturday: WM (remember him? He’s awesome and wonderful because he’s been keeping my home fires burning and our dogs fed and happy while I’m running around like a nut. Everyone should have a WM.) and I go to the Celtic Fling at the PA Ren Faire site. We have a GREAT time until I’m felled by the Vile Goddess Menstrua. Now seriously…it’s been YEARS since I had cramps so bad that I’ve had to mention her. Plus I’m remotely trying to fix some advertising problems that I have no control over anymore.

Along the way, I gnawed off all of my fingernails, hemorrhaged cash, exceeded my text message allotment and was hit with a round of stress-induced rosacea.

But today’s a new week. Right now I’m off to Mom’s to take care of the lunch & dinner duties. Tomorrow I’ll go to work and try to juggle some more responsibilities.

*John’s week was worse than mine – he took last week off entirely to just chill at home. Worst. Vacation. Ever.

…must be blogged.

Because it’s Friday Five Day! And while Mom’s laid up with a cast, the sun has been relentless, Camden burns, the world is full of weiner jokes, some seriously neat nonbloggable stuff is going on and my workplace looks somewhat like this on any given day:

Still from Cockeyed Caravan

…the blog must go on. This week’s theme is “What goes in…” And here we go!

1. What goes into your coffee or tea?
Bailey’s Irish Creme flavored creamer. Or real Bailey’s, depending on the time of day.

2. What goes into a good omelet?
I like veggie omelets. So peppers, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and a bit of broccoli. And cheese.

3. What goes into your ears on a good morning?
My iPhone earbuds, which deliver enough music to drown out a sales floor full of super chatty sales reps.

4. What goes into a healthy but yummy lunch?
Yanno…I’m starting to think that a healthy lunch can’t be yummy. I make a salad, it turns out to be a billion calories. I make a fruit smoothie, I end up using too much fruit and it’s more calories than if I’d have a power bar. I have a low-calorie lunch and it tastes like wood.

5. What goes into a productive evening?
About 18″ of beading wire, some crimps, clasps and a handful of shiny beads. And some Bailey’s!

(Spike your coffee wisely. No driving after spiking your coffee.)