Whoa......

I was randomly clicking back through my archives and realized that it'd been awhile since I visited this really great time-wasting website. So I clicked it. And it's been totally updated!!!

Cooler than ever...

I really need a hobby. Yes, there are a number of activities that I do for fun...skiing, biking, and other random things. But those are activities, not hobbies. In fact, I've always been looking for something to call my own. When I was little, my dad suggested that I collect stamps. According to him, it'd be easy to maintain, fun to do, and might actually have some worth someday. Where are my stamps now? Uh...collecting dust at home in New Jersey somewhere. I just never really took to it.

I also tried knitting, which is my friend Elizabeth's talent. I think I went so far as to knit a pot holder. Maybe even two? I bought a lot of yarn though! Such pretty colors and textures...all gone to waste.

While Felix was in Taiwan, I picked up cross stich. Never one to start small, I bought this big ol' pattern of suns, stars, and moons. Really beautiful. Too bad I only finished one sun and half a moon.

So, when I announced to Felix last year that I was going to pick up photography, he was a little concerned. Unlike my other failed attempts to pick something up, photography would be a really expensive venture. It'd be a lot of money down the drain if I didn't follow through. Don't worry, I promised; this was a hobby I could get really excited about. Tom, who was already making some inroads into amateur photography, offered to help me find a camera on eBay. When the Nikon 8008s he won arrived, however, it was a complete mess. Wasn't it just my luck that his first time getting ripped off on eBay was over my $450 camera?! I managed to resell it for a rather pathetic price (I'm honest, even if others are not) and bought myself a nice little deal from Yahoo! Shopping. So far, I've shot three rolls...and they're OK.

I think I need to take a class. Gotta prove I'm serious. And gotta get this hobby thing going!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!

I must admit, I'm not really a romantic kind of gal. I think my brother Tom summed it up best when he told me that he wished he could find a girlfriend who was as low-maintenance as I was. I'm like a guy, he said; not a "real" girl. What does that mean?! There is a little bit of truth to that, though, which I discovered about myself in high school. You know how you dream about some hunky guy who will bring you flowers, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and woo you with gifts, love, and romance? In 11th grade, I actually had a boyfriend who was like that. He bought me those sappy Hallmark cards with scripty writing on them. He gave me little satin heart pillows that said I love you. He dropped notes in my locker in the afternoon to tell me that he missed me...from seeing me that morning.

He drove me nuts.

At first, I thought...awwww, how sweet and romantic. What a cutie. Then I thought...ok, this is getting to be a little over the top. Finally I decided...he's a total sap and I hate him.

It only took me a few weeks to come to the conclusion that I did NOT want a romantic dreamboat. Our relationship didn't last very long, and after I dumped him, I treated him horribly just so I could try to get his lovey-dovey-ness as far away from me as possible. How cruel was I? Let's just say that years later, when we were both in college and catching up one day over Christmas break, he admitted that I was the second worst girlfriend he'd ever had. (First place went to one of my best friends - heh, heh.)

Anyway, the experience made me realize that I just wanted a regular guy who was more of a friend than a flower crazed lovebird. And believe me, marrying an engineer is almost a guarantee that you're not going to be drowning in romance. So Valentine's Day always makes me smile. While the rest of the world is swooning over roses and sharing wine over a candlelit dinner, I'm just snuggling up to the greatest love of my life, hanging out in our little home and totally and utterly happy.

It's 11:31pm. I just got home. Felix isn't even back yet - he's at the Cupertino center, trying to get their e-mail up and running.

I'm tired...my right eye is teary, blurry, and achy (I just got LASEK done on my second eye this past Thursday)...my honey isn't here to cheer me up...and Chrissie is the best. The pencils totally brought a grin to my face, and I stuck your letter to our fridge, right next to the adorable announcement of your nephew's birth.

If you're still droppin' by and still reading my blog, thank you. You really do rock.

Good grief! I was just thinking about the fact that I hadn't blogged in awhile, so I went to the website...and saw that my last entry was January 22nd!!!!! Does anyone even read this anymore?!?!?! I'm so bad...

Let me just say that I am barely getting any sleep, much less time to blog. Excuses, excuses, you say. Well, here's a doozy. I can finally come out and tell everyone - I am now the proud owner of my very own business.

That's right. I'm CEO and President of a corporation. I've even got the EIN to prove it.

Shocked? Me, too. Felix and I have been wrangling over this business-buying deal for the last two and half months or so. It all started with an innocent phone call from an old friend of mine. He was a co-founder of Achieva, where I used to work, and I hadn't heard from him in ages. So we chit-chatted and caught up, and then he dropped the bomb. Achieva was selling off its assets, and in particular, they were looking to cut loose their two remaining college prep centers. Would I want to buy them? After the surprise wore off, I thought...YES, I would love to buy them. I never thought I'd be offered this kind of opportunity out of the blue, nevermind actually becoming a business owner.

To make a long story (and it's a very long story) short, Felix and I got a corporate attorney (they are SO expensive), made a ton of phone calls, talked to a million people, and argued and haggled our way into being business owners. I have employees. I have a payroll. And I'm incorporated. So...sleep hasn't really been in the picture lately, for me or for Felix. That's right - he's my VP, CFO, and IT guy all rolled into one.

What a sweetie!

Did I mention that we still have our full-time jobs, too?