I am heading down to Florida to do a WTP audit.  I am excited and nervous.  Excited because drinking water treatment is what I love to do, and nervous because I am hoping to turn this into a marketable area for me within the company.  Wish me luck!

I'm back Thursday, not sure I'll be able to post before then. 

Courtesy of Megan.

1. Books or Music? Why? (Thanks Michelle!)   I can't chose between those!  I would give TV up before either books or music. 
2. Do you like to cook? What is your best dish? (Thanks Sky!)  I love to cook, and am pretty good at it.  My best dish is my Rosemary Chicken.  Mmm...
   
3. Do you have a dress code at work? What do you wear? (Thanks Sky!) Well, corporate has a dress code, but we don't conform to it.  Business casual doesn't work for the lab.  The one day I wore a skirt to work, Cool Boss was all, "Hey, let's fix that refrigerator today!"  So I wear jeans, T-shirts, and Danskos. 
   
4. What's the best thing about where you live? I think that it has all the amenities of a city (the ballet, the symphony, theater, concerts) but that the country is close, so there are places to ride. 
   
5. What are your plans for this nice, long weekend?  Long weekend?  Ha!  Like we would have off for Columbus Day.  My plans for this regular-length weekend are to go to the Parade of Homes with Cdub. 
   
6. Favorite breakfast cereal? Thanks Laura!  Frosted Mini-wheats.  But occasionally I want Frosted Flakes. 
   
7. What's your favorite flower? (Thanks Jimbo! ;)   Hmm... I don't know that I have a favorite.  Maybe the hyacinth?  I love the smell.  I need to plant some bulbs this year. 

So, the trip went well.  The colleague I went with was great.  I can do what is needed. 

Oh, and I am never moving to Orlando. 

Saturday Cdub and I went to the Parade of Homes.  As usual, we weren't that impressed with the expensive homes we looked at.  (Well, there was this $859,000 one we liked.)  We even saw an example of shoddy construction.  (On my $350,000 house, I want rain gutters, so that the rain does not run off onto my wood deck.   Maybe that's just me?)  We had dinner at the Olive Garden.  (Never-ending pasta bowl.  Except who can eat that much pasta?)

Sunday was a very good day.  Indian food for lunch, NC Museum of History, and coffee with excellent company. 

I'm seeing someone who tells me I'm pretty.  (Note:  He has many other good qualities as well.)

(A co-worker and I are discussing mammograms, and when I'll need my first one.)

Watergirl:  Well, I will be 39 on my next birthday.

Co-worker:  No, you won't.

Watergirl:  Right, I'll be 30.

I certainly don't want it as a cake. 

From Megan

1. What is your dream car? (Thanks Michele!)   I'm in a weird place right now, I guess.  My dream car is the Subaru Outback.

2. How important is it that people spell, pronounce your name correctly? Why?   It's very important to me.   It's a sign of respect to me.  (one L.  ONE!)

3. Who's the jolliest person you know? Describe him or her.   Wow.  I don't know that I know anyone who is "jolly".  They would probably annoy me. 

4. What method for curing the common cold works best for you?   Rest and liquids.  And Chicken Fricassee.

5. Describe your favorite omelet (Thanks Laura!)  Feta cheese and mushrooms.

6. Do you have road rage? (Thanks Laura!)   Occasionally.  I am from New Jersey. 

7. What is the biggest risk you've taken so far in life? Are you glad you did it? (Thanks Sky!)   I would say it was moving from MA to NC.  I didn't know anyone- I did it to see if I could.  I've made a life for myself here, and I love it, but I also have the knowledge that I could do it again, so yes, I am very glad. 

8. The weather is changing... have you had to turn your heat on yet? How long will you wait? (Thanks Sky!)    No.  It's going to be 80 here today. 

9. What are your plans for the weekend?   Tonight, the new boy is coming up, we are having dinner and then watching a movie at my place.  Tomorrow I have a paddling class and then I have to work.  Sunday we are going to the State Fair. 

So, the new beau came up on Friday, and we went out to dinner at my favorite restaurant.  He loved it.  It's not a fancy place, but the food is good (and different!) and I love the atmosphere.  Then we went back to my house and watched Cold Mountain.  Hated the book.  Like the movie. 

Saturday I had a kayaking class.  It was a beautiful day, we had fun, and I learned quite a bit.  When we returned to the shop, we were stuck there due to an accident.  I checked my voicemail, and there was a message from the new beau saying he'd gotten a deer.   And also, his friend fell out of his tree stand, so he was heading to the ER.  (Friend is OK- one fractured ankle, one sprained ankle.)   He got another deer that night.  Yum!  Venison.

We were supposed to go to the Fair, but he bailed.  The whole getting the deer and his friend into the car was too much for his back.  I let him off the hook, but told him he owes me. 

We just received a hard hat.  In a box marked "Fragile".

I'm not taking that one. 

So, the new beau (who, btw, needs a better alias) came up last night and we went to the NC State Fair. 

Things I learned: 

1. He is left-handed. 
2. He shoots pool very well. 
3. Do not take him on spinning rides. 

We had a great time.  He won me a stuffed purple fish (the lady guessed his age as 3 years older, which he doesn't look) and a 2 ft. tall stuffed husky.  I shot the turkey shoot with him; I'd never shot a shotgun before.  My shoulder is sore.  Apparently, if you won, you got to choose between a T-shirt or a turkey.  Which, huh?

The cheesy part?  We went on the Ferris wheel.  During the fireworks show.  Which was cool, but cheesy.

As we were walking back to the car, he started to cross to the road over this large drainage ditch.

WG:  Are you kidding me with that ditch?

NB:  What?

WG:  It's dark, I'm wearing clogs, and I have a bad ankle.  Are you kidding me with the ditch?  If you break me, you have to call my mom and tell her. 

(He keeps walking, and we cross where there is not ditch.)

NB:  I haven't broken you yet. 

From Janet today, because Megan's got issues. 

There's a saying "To have a good friend, you need to be a good friend." How do you maintain a good friendship?  I listen to my friends, I try to be there for them, and I make them laugh.

What makes friends different from family?  Well, you choose friends.  I think that's an important distinction in the relationship- neither one of you is "stuck" with the other, this is a person who wants to talk to you and spend time with you (not all the time, of course!).

What qualities do you think are important in a friend?  Loyalty, humor, the ability to listen, and having a good heart. 

What are some ways your friends have influenced your life in a positive way? A friend got me into riding, which is very important to me.  The most positive influence they have had on me is having strong marriages, the kind I would like to have (unfortunately, I have never seen my parent's marriage as anything I wanted to repeat.)

What do you do to clear the air when you have a misunderstanding with your friend? I'll usually talk it out with them.  Sometimes I just let it go. 

WG:  Can I ask you a question?  Why are boys stupid?

Bud:  Because girls are stupid, too. 

The new beau was supposed to come up Saturday.  Got stuck in the woods, sent me a text message saying he would call.  Hasn't.  I have left 3 messages and sent an e-mail.  Either he's dead or he's no longer interested.  I'm betting on the latter.  Never saw it coming.  Am stupid.  Have spent 2 days crying.  Hate life. 

Y'all have become my go-to "Don't do that!" people.  I wanted to call him last night, so instead I composed a post.  But Typepad was down, so I couldn't actually post it.  Anyway, here it is.  A bit rambling, so forgive that.

Signs I wasn't expecting this:

1. Friday I went out and bought a new sweater.  V-neck, brown, perfect for wearing over my sexiest black bra.  Which won't happen now, because, like most sexy bras, it is not comfortable, so I don't wear it without reason. 
2. I also bought cold cuts to make sandwiches to bring hiking.  Generally, I don't eat cold cuts.  Not really into sandwiches.
3. I also bought Mountain Dew.  Not only did I buy non-diet soda, but it's Mountain Dew.  I hate Mountain Dew!  One of the worst things about the south, IMO.  So, now I have to give the Mountain Dew to someone. 

Remember how I was all upset that MW broke up with me over e-mail.  Well, I see that in a new light now.  If we were still in touch, I might actually thank him for at least telling me he was breaking up with me. 

Jasper spent all last night trying to make me feel better.   He's sweet and sensitive.  (Ri is less sensitive, but has been giving me more bonks.)  However, the gift of the dead cockroach was a bit misguided.  (It's just gotten cold here.  So many bugs in the house.)

Conversation with my mom:

Mom:  My mother always told me, "Life goes on."

WG:  Yea, but she's dead.

Oh, do you think it means something that when things go wrong in my life, I want to get on a plane and go back to New England?

So, I decided that I needed to get out of town this weekend, so I e-mailed Cdub to see if she wanted to go with me to DC this weekend. 

Cdub:  Yeah sure!  I know we have been half planning this so let's go.  Are we doing Ikea too?  And I don't mind driving.

Then I called Peg to see if we could stay with her.

Peg:  Of course you can!  Anything special, or do you just need to get out of town?

WG:  I just need to get out of town.

Peg:  Do you know how to caulk a bathtub?

Oh, and I just got this IM from Goose:

if it makes you feel any better, I will never ever ever do that to anyone...ever.

I just got an e-mail saying that I have two projects to manage fiscally now.  (Yes, I check my work e-mail from home.)  One of them I did the budget on, but the other one I have been just a monkey.

Although, I was told this was "crucial to [my] evolution as a task manager," so I suppose it makes sense."

First off, thank y'all for putting up with me during the Great Freak-Out of 2005.  The PE exam was Friday.  It went fairly well (I think), and it's possible I passed.  I will know in 6-8 weeks.

So, Cdub and I headed up to VA for the weekend.  When we were deciding on route (I usually take country roads), she said, "The only reason that concerns me is deer."  I told her I'd never seen a deer while driving that road.  So, we saw 12. 

Saturday we headed into DC.  Went to the Spy Museum, visited one of the Starbucks at DuPont Circle, and then went to Georgetown.  For the Lush store!  And Kiehls!  There was a Nicole Kidman movie shooting that day, so it was very crowded.  And I got to do one of my favorite things- use public transport.  (Am strange.)

Sunday I fixed Peg's tub, and then we went to the Pig 'n Steak for lunch.  Then, we drove home.

Jbabe called me up to see if I wanted to meet a group of our friends for dinner.  I decided, "Why not?"  I haven't seen these people in months.  So excited that I can get back to life now!

I forgot to tell y'all this story.  Thursday, I took of from work early to do a bit of relaxing before the exam.  At one point, Orion escaped.  I managed to catch him, but not before his paws got all muddy.  (Dear apartment complex:  we are supposed to be conserving water.  Installing leaky sprinkler systems that water a good portion of the road does not accomplish this.  Love, Watergirl)  I brought him inside and washed his paws off before I put him down. 

Later that night, he escaped again.  When I tried to catch him, he ran off into the woods.   I lost him.  I called Cdub in a panic, and she offered to come over to help look.  I took her up on this, because, hello, big test tomorrow.  Then I called Mom and Dad.

Dad:  Why would he do this to you?
Mom:  You have to put it out of your mind during the test. 

Anyway, Cdub came over, we looked, did not find him.  I walked down to the neighbors' and asked them to keep an eye out for him (they have a Shih Tzu; Orion loves him).  She agreed to keep an eye out and assured me he'd come home.  About an hour later, she knocked on my door; she'd taken the dog out and Orion came running up to them.   Yes, that's correct, my cat runs to dogs.  So weird.