Grumble of the Day

Since when are flipflops appropriate footwear for a cocktail reception in a formal setting, where pictures are taken of the participants that everyone knows about ahead of time?
Jus'askin'....Is this an American thing?

Back from the road again

Got back from Memphis, TN last night--work-related travel. Would have been nothing special, were it not for my wonderful friend there, who moved from Colorado when she got promoted. She picked me up at the airport, took me to dinner (if you are in the area, The Commissary in Germantown makes a MEAN pork BBQ sandwich that is, sorry to report, is superior to any pork sandwich I had in TX), then showed me her new home and made me tea...We sat on her couch for HOURS and talked about stuff girls talk who bacame friends while wrking in offices hundreads of miles apart, meet maybe once a year and core-dump on each other every time they meet.
Next time I am going for training in August, I even got the offer to stay at her house...Should be fun. Whee!
Thankfully I am not going anywhere for a month...I was on the road one way or another almost every week in May and then from the end of June again up till now. It is good to stay and relax for a while--not to mention to finally get the chance to do something around the house--provided, of course, the weather will break as promised. You know you acclamated to Texas, when you say: "Oh, we'll get a cold front this wekend, it will only be 94 Saturday! How wonderful!"

I'll try to throw on some pictures over the weekend about our San Antonio trip last week that I still have'nt even downloaded from the camera. Argh!

Tooth Woes

So I am losing another tooth. I think it is a combination of genetics and the best of Socialist dental care in my childhood because I do not smoke, do not drink sodas, do not have diabetes, do not take meds that cause tooth decay,brush rigorously, and yet, I have another ugly cavity that according to my dentist requires either root canal or an extraction. Since he honestly told me the root canal has a 20-30% failure rate, I decided to have the sucker removed, since, as my dentist sternly reminded me 'we have a lot of work to do' and I'll have a buch of reconstruction to be done anyway. My lower jaw is in a pretty sorry state, apparently.
So-I'll be in a dentist's chair at 230pm today...after that's it's painkillers and bedtime for meee...

Happy Independence Day!

...to all of my American friends! Not that I do not celebrate...but, until I got my naturalization (which I need to inquire about after the holiday, I am not sure my country allows dual citizenship) I am technically just a guest. And I appreciate the heck out of it.

So we got back from our quick trip up to Nebraska where we had an absolutely great time, and survived a day without water in the house due to a burst pipe in the wall AGAIN. NOTHING, I tell you, NOTHING is worse than coming home dead tired from a 12-hour roadtrip at 1230 at night and find that The Husband has to run out and shut the water main because there's WATER COMING FROM THE BATHROOM WALL AND THERE IS STANDING WATER IN BOTH BATHROOMS...I tell you...

BUT, it is beter now. Plumber fixed leak, and though our wall in the master bathroom is all open and sink removed, we have WATER! I can take SHOWER, and brush my teeth and wash dishes, and all that kind of basic stuff we take so granted in life...

You know, like freedom.

So I guess this was a fitting July 4th reminder for us after all.