The Country Mouse Will Survive!

Hello friends!  Is anyone out there??  I seriously don't blame anyone who has abandoned my so-called blog!  What kind of blog only gets updated once a month??  The answer would be a really boring one!  I have so much fun reading other people's blogs and my hope for mine was that it would be just as fun to read.  Well, let me tell you something friends....new job + grad school + no sleep = half dead country mouse that is hanging on by a thread! 

I can't even begin to tell you how tough school has been this semester.  This semester has made last semester look like a walk in the park!  I am supposed to be finishing a 25 page paper right now, but I was in desperate need of a diversion for a few minutes.  You can only write about a human resource strategy for globalization to India for so long, right??? ;-)  Thankfully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as the semester ends for me on May 8!  And I will have a WHOLE MONTH before summer school starts!  HOORAY FOR ME!!  Yes, please clap, jump up and down, throw a party, have a cocktail, make a toast, etc. in honor of the country mouse surviving this semester!  Well, I haven't completely survived yet, but I'm hoping for the best over the next few weeks! ;-)

My new job is going great and all of my co-workers are wonderful.  It is a very small, family-like atmosphere and the office is only 2 miles from house!  As much as I adore those three little chickens I nannied for, I am glad to be back in the good old adult working world.  I am definitely a much better babysitter than a full time nanny! ;-)

Well, its 11:45 and I have many pages left to go on my paper, so I need to get back to the salt mines.  I hope that all of you are doing great and *hopefully* I'll have the time soon to actually have a real blog, not a spot on the internet where the only thing I post about is how I don't have time to write posts! ;-)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!   

The Next Adventure

Well, its been a whole month since I last blogged and I have quite a bit to fill you in on!  I know I've said repeatedly that I am going to pay more attention to this neglected little blog, but between work and school I just can't seem to ever find the the time to sit down and write a worthwhile post.  I'd rather write about something interesting than tell you how many times I was spit up on during the day or how many diapers I changed. ;-) 

Speaking of diapers and spit up, the biggest piece of news I have for you is that I have decided to hang up my nanny hat and return to the good old corporate world!  I have taken a job with a Human Resources consulting firm here in DC and I start on Monday, March 22.  I accepted the job a few weeks ago and today starts my last week of nannying.  It was a very difficult decision considering how much I adore these three precious girls that I have taken care of for the past six months.  But, I knew deep down that this new job was an opportunity that I could not pass up.  I am definitely going to miss my little chickens very much and it will be hard not seeing them everyday.  Between all spit-up, diapers, time outs, screaming, hugging, and laughing, we've had ourselves quite a time together! ;-)

So, here goes the country mouse onto the next adventure in her life in DC!  I will be back to update you on my first day at work next week!

Have a wonderful week!

The Country Mouse vs. The Snow

As you all know, the nation's capitol has had quite an experience with snow...LOTS OF SNOW...so far this winter.  I have loved my first experience with "real" snow and hope that it snows maybe once or twice again before winter ends...just so long as it doesn't snow 20-30 inches again!  DC is so beautiful after a fresh snowfall and I didn't mind tramping through multiple inches of snow to take lots of pics of the three big blizzards we've had.  I loved sitting in my apartment curled up on the couch just watching the snow fall through my windows.  There is something so romantic and whimsical to me about a snowy day.  Unfortunately, the days following a fresh snow are not so romantic and whimsical!  The beautiful snow eventually turns to nasty, brown mush and then it all freezes into big solid blocks that make walking quite a challenge.  Speaking of walking, guess how I got home from work the other night?  Yep, I walked....all the way from Chevy Chase, MD to Georgetown.  Altogether I walked about 5 miles through piles of nasty snow and ice patches.  I know what you're thinking.  Why in the heck did she walk home from work when DC has a metro system and zillions of cabs?  Well, DC metro system and its cabs were NOT functioning properly by any means on Friday!  My car was still encased in ice and snow, so I rode the bus to work with no problems.  The ride home was a totally different story.  I spent TWO HOURS on one bus and we only went ONE MILE.  When we arrived at the next stop where I could catch the last bus to Georgetown, there were hundreds of very unhappy people waiting for buses that were obviously not coming anytime soon.  And wouldn't you know that there were probably ten buses on the side of the road all with their "Not In Service" signs lit up.  Ugghh!  So, I decided to walk a little bit and just grab a cab home.  Just grab a cab, simple, right?  NO.  Every single cab I flagged down just flew by like I didn't even exist!  By this time my hands and feet were feeling slighty frostbitten, despite being properly covered in boots and gloves.  I resorted to the fact that I had no choice but to keep on walking.  So, I started walking down Wisconsin Avenue and saw two guys waiting at a metrobus stop who appeared to be just as frustrated as I was.  I told them that if they were waiting for the bus then they better not hold their breath because it wasn't coming anytime soon.  One of them said he was headed to Georgetown and he offered to walk with me.  I know this sounds like a possibly dangerous situation, but he was a very nice young man and assured me that he was not a creep!  So, we started walking and I was so thankful to have the company and the protection from real creeps who might have been lurking around!  He was just as nice as he could be and thanks to him my walk home was not nearly as miserable as it could have been.  But, by the time I finally got home my hands and feet were swollen because they were so cold.  After a VERY hot shower I finally felt normal again!  Needless to say, that long walk made for a very good nights sleep.  Unfortunately, I had to wake up early Saturday morning to start walking again to class through the ice and snow.  Thankfully class is not five miles away!

Now, I swore on Friday that I would never set foot on a metrobus again as long as I live.  After pondering the idea of paying someone to dig my car out, I decided to take on the task myself.  I paid some guys to do it last week and it just ended up snowing again and my money went right down the drain because I never even moved my car!  My only problem was that I do not own a snow shovel and there are none to be found in this city because they've all been bought.  My landlords were out of town this weekend and I didn't have access to theirs, but I did manage to find just a regular old shovel in their storage room that connects to my apartment.  I figured it was better than nothing, so I decided to give it a try.  All I have to say to you is:  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SHOVEL HARD, ICY SNOW WITH A GARDEN SHOVEL!  You will pull every muscle in your body and be completely immobile when you wake up the next morning.  Obviously, you can't make a very wide path with a garden shovel, so you do probably four times as much shoveling with a regular shovel!  But, I was determined to get that car out and by george I did!  Of course now that I spent all those hours shoveling and working so hard to get my car out, I don't want to move it and lose my parking space!  Parking spaces are precious around here in all this snow because most people haven't moved and the snow piles have made spaces even more limited.  So, I have decided to keep my precious space for a little while longer and try the bus one more time tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that I don't have to walk home from Maryland tomorrow night! 

And Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

Just Can't Live Without It

I have several blogs that I "stalk" on a daily basis.  Most of them are friends of mine and I love checking in and seeing what they are up to every day.  I've noticed a few posts recently centered around "things I can't live without" or "a few of my favorite things."  Some of you may hate things like this, but I love to discover new things to try that others reccomend.  You never know when you might stumble upon something new that you might not be able to live without!

So, I came up with my list of things that I currently can't live without.  Here are the top ten:

1. Hunter Wellington Boots - I absolutely, positively could not have survived all of the snow without these boots.  Rain, snow, sleet or shine, these boots can handle whatever the weather brings!

2.  Nature's Path Flax Plus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch - If you like a really crunchy cereal and the flavor of pumpkin, then you have to try this cereal.  I am addicted!

3.  Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Butter Lotion - Not too greasy, no fake cocoa-butterish scent and it is CHEAP!  I have even been using it on my hands and it works wonders for my extremely dry skin!

4.  Thesaurus.com - Brilliance!  No more stopping in the middle of paper writing to flip through a bulky thesaurus.  I just keep this open on my browser when I'm writing and with the click of a button I can look up all the words I need to.  A grad student's dream!

5.  North Face Metropolis Coat - I can't say enough great things about this coat.  I don't know how I would have survived all of this crazy winter weather in DC without it!  It is so lightweight and not bulky at all, which makes wearing it over layers super comfortable. 

6.  Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Half Bottles - This is my absolute favorite white wine!  If you like sauvignon blanc, you must try Kim Crawford!  Actually, I haven't tried one New Zealand sauvignon blanc that I do not like.  I'm a huge fan!  But, I always end up wasting some of the wine because I never drink a whole bottle in three days, which is how long wine experts say you are supposed to keep it (after opening) before it starts to oxidize and lose its flavor.  I ran to Whole Foods the other day before the last round of snow and lo and behold, there was my Kim Crawford in...half bottles!  A half bottle is just the right amount and none of it goes to waste.  Perfect!

7.  Flannel Button Down Shirts - Super feminine?  No.  Super stylish?  No.  Would I wear one on a date?  No.  But, do I love them?  YES!  So comfy, cozy, and easy! 

8.  Aquaphor Healing Ointment - This pretty much speaks for itself!  If you've never tried it, do yourself a favor and run out and grab a tube.  This little miracle can fix anything from chapped lips to wind burn to dry skin to whatever ails ya!  Well, whatever ails your skin that is! 

9.  Diane Birch - I am by no means a music junkie, but I do love it when I hear a great new singer or band that I've never head before.  Diane Birch made an appearance on Conan the other night (might have been a rerun) and I immediately downloaded her new album onto my ipod.  She has a very Carole King-ish voice and I don't think there is one bad song on this album.  If you like Carole King (which I do!), then I high reccomend checking out Diane Birch!

10.  Clarisonic Facial Brush - My life was truly empty until I discovered this amazing little gadget!  My friend Lauren talked me into buying one and I have to tell you that it is worth every single last penny.  I have been using for about two or three weeks now (once per day) and my skin has never looked better!  You can order either a regular or sensitive skin brush and I chose the sensitive skin, just to be on the safe side. My skin is smooth, soft and blemish free!  I just wish I had bought one sooner!

 

Just Another Morning in the North Pole

I Think I Have a Bad Case Of....

Just Another 10-20 Inches...Blah, Blah, Blah....No Big Deal......

Did I move to Fargo and just not realize it until today???

Issued by The National Weather Service

Baltimore/Washington, MD
3:04 pm EST, Mon., Feb. 8, 2010

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TUESDAY TO 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* PRECIPITATION TYPE... SNOW.

* ACCUMULATIONS... 10 TO 20 INCHES.

* TIMING... MID-AFTERNOON TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

* TEMPERATURES... TEMPERATURES NEAR FREEZING AT THE ONSET TUESDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

* WINDS... LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TUESDAY BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY 15 TO 25 MPH WEDNESDAY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. THE COMBINATION OF SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS.

There isn't enough room around here for 10-20 inches of snow!!!!