Definition of the Highest Quality

With a deal just too mind blowing to pass up, Maverick and I purchased ourselves an early Christmas gift to each other--a 46" Sony LCD HDTV. It was 43% off retail plus it came with a free $300 Blu-ray player!

I always looked at new TVs in the store and thought "it's looks nice enough, but I don't really see the big deal or a big difference between that and our old TV". That was until this purchase. We got the TV home, hooked it up, got the HD signal and proceeded to turn on a hockey game. My exact reaction was, "WOOOOOAAAHHHHHHHH..........(jaw drop, sit and stare in silence)".

I am officially in love!

The Little Things

Sometimes I need to acknowledge just how lucky I am to have Maverick in my life. I love him, and he knows that, but as far as significant others go, I don't think he's aware that I'm pretty sure I won uber lottery when I (somehow) landed him.

He would do anything for me. His spends so much of his time making sure that I am happy. When I'm sitting on the couch watching TV and he walks by on his way to the kitchen to get a drink, not only does he ask every single time if I'd like something too, but eight times out of ten he stops and gives me a quick unsolicited kiss as he passes by. He helps me perform the household chores without being asked. He puts his hand on the small of my back to lead me through a crowd. He grabs me by the back of my shirt and pulls me to a stop when I'm not paying attention and about to get hit by a car in the Wally World parking lot. He lets me be in charge of the remote control. He sends me alerts to big shoe sales of my absolute favorite brand, even though he hates how many pairs of shoes I already own. He holds me and lets me cry when I'm sad, or when I'm crying simply because I dropped the can of green beans I just opened all over the kitchen floor. He even anticipates my needs before I do.

Picture it:

Hera and Maverick's apartment on a fall Sunday morning circa 2009.

Both are tired and hungry, but too lazy to cook or to get dressed to go to a restaurant. Maverick offers to run out and bring home some breakfast for them. Hera says she's "not really that hungry and would just like an order of hash browns".

Maverick returns with the yummy breakfast. Hera enjoys the hash browns immensely, but finds herself still a little hungry once they're all gone. She sits, not saying anything, just thinking, "hm, I should have had him get something else".

Maverick nonchalantly looks at her and says, "you're still hungry, huh?".

"Yeah".

Maverick answers, "I thought that might happen", and hands her a breakfast burrito from the bag of food. "So I got you this, too".

Just What The Dr. Ordered

I love my best friend. Dearly. She was sent to me straight from heaven. She always makes me smile, gives me good advice, provides me with hours of entertainment and when I'm in the middle of a week of depression and gloom, filled with lots and lots of tears (such as this week), she emails me the following poem:

Hera is my friend

I will not Lie

It breaks my heart

to see her cry

Enough with negativity

suck it up now

or I will kick you in the pee pee

find a new job

this I say

you will be happy on a different day

trivia night will be a hoot

so get it together or I will poot

Just the laugh I needed. Love you bestie!


UPDATE -- It turns out she emailed a little poem to Maverick as well.

Maverick o Maverick
seems your girl
is in the dumps
kind of like oatmeal
when full of lumps
I would like my Hera
happy and fun
so please go home
and give her some

Seriously. I love her. Too funny!

Grapes of Wrath

In the past I've really only been a social wine drinker. Meaning when I was around sophisticated folks, such as Maverick's family, I would say I love wine and only have one tiny glass claiming to be "a cheap date", thus limiting me to the one tiny glass. In reality, I just only sort of liked the taste of wine and one glass was my taste bud limit. However, over the last year or so I've really ventured out of my adult beverages bubble and tried many more wines. I've learned that I truly love many varieties and find myself wondering what my next glass of wine will be at very random times, such as sitting at my desk on Friday afternoon and not wanting to work at all. So here's to you my newest obsession....wine.

Any suggestions for a good bottle to try this weekend?

Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

Like many Americans I am a sports lover. I thoroughly enjoy watching pretty much every sport known to man. Well, that is pretty much every sport except golf. Watching golf is worse than watching paint dry. Playing golf is a great way to spend ones day. Hours and hours of enjoyment can be had on the links. Hitting a tiny little ball around a beautifully manicured course in the open air is quite lovely. However, watching someone else play golf on a television for four hours is this girls version of waterboarding. But back to my love of sports. My idea of a perfectly lovely day is plopping down on the couch with some snacks and playing armchair coach for awhile.

While I love all sports, one will always reign supreme for me. That's right, America's Pastime, baseball. Any team, any game, any player, I like to watch. However, only one team will ever hold my true love. I live for this team. I breathe for this team. I get so much joy from watching them play.

The only down side to this love is that I also get so much displeasure from watching them lose. It seriously affects my mood. Even now, three whole days after the team was mercilessly and lifelessly swept out of the playoffs, I'm still mad at them. And I sit and I wonder how can I let a professional sports team break my heart so badly?

Who Does That - Part XXIV

Seen at a pre-season game for the local professional football team:





The People Against Improper Sporting Event Attire present:

Exhibit A -- The refusing to grow out of his undergrad, immature fraternity days guy who not only obnoxiously cheers for the opposing team, but is also seen wearing a jersey in support of his favorite player, Joe Horn, which he's altered by handwriting a Y after the word horn.

Exhibit B --The refusing to grow out of his undergrad, immature fraternity days guy's girlfriend who is seen at the football game in three inch (clear) heels and some sort of fish net shirt.

Who does that?

Previously on Chin Music

When last we saw Hera she was quickly approaching her first 5K, getting healthy and enjoying her wonderful summer. Let's look in on her and get a quick update on the happenings of her life since she left us over three months ago.

The 5K was quite a success. Hera achieved her first and foremost goal of completely running the entire race (no walking!) with no problem whatsoever. With over 8,000 participants the start was very congested, leaving her in the middle of the pack and unable to break free and hit her stride until the second mile. While she did not reach her secondary goal of crossing the finish line under a certain time, she was not far from it at all. She left the race with the biggest since of accomplishment, pride at setting out to do something so far from her norm and conquering it, and a indescribable joy at the sight and sound of watching so many others with the same smile and sense of accomplishment that day. She looks forward to her next race.

Hera spent the summer very busy at work. She was slammed with several new and very important projects as part of the company for which work's merger with another company. That merger was completed last week and many exciting things lie on Hera's horizon, including a new position within the company. This new job should allow her to finally take the next step forward in her career that she's been looking for. Many great changes await her in the coming months, and she is quite excited to meet the challenges.

Hera and Maverick took a much needed vacation aboard a fabulous cruise ship for a week of sun and fun in the Western Caribbean. It was by far the most amazing vacation either of them have ever had. They experienced beautiful waters, interesting cultures, indulging at a 24-hour ice cream machine, swimming with sting rays, great food, delicious cocktails, indulging at a 24-hour ice cream machine, meeting lots of fun new people, feeding a monkey, great food, touring Mayan ruins, delicious cocktails and indulging at a 24-hour ice cream machine.

Now that we've ran through a quick update of Hera's recent activities, let's return to our regularly scheduled check ins on her current antics.

Run Hera Run

Just had to share a quick update. Personal goals in my life are being reached and I couldn't be happier.

I'll start with a little bit about my quest to take up running. I've been on the Couch to 5K plan for awhile now. Currently, I'm on week seven of nine. The plan is designed to follow either by time or distance. I chose time, since as a beginning runner I figured the first step should be to build my body up to the sustained high impact of running. I wasn't overly concerned with the distance I ran in the allotted time, just that I did it. However, I did track my distance, so I could chart my progress and know how much I needed to improve once I hit the distance portion of the training.

So for the first few weeks I just ran or walked for whatever the program time called for. My best mile per minute time during week one was 14 minutes and 10 seconds. As of yesterday that time was down to 10 minutes and 24 seconds per mile. Down almost four minutes in just over six weeks! With a little over two weeks left to train--all running, no more walking at all--I'm beginning to have a glimmer of hope that maybe I can reach my ultimate goal of finishing the 5K in under 30 minutes. (First goal is just to finish, second goal is to finish in under 30 minutes.)

One other great note to share: A year ago when I went to the junk doctor for my annual checkup my blood pressure was very borderline high. I don't remember the exact number, but it was something like 145 over 90. My doctor was very concerned and questioned whether or not to put me on medication to regulate it. Both of my parents and my brother are all on blood pressure medication, so I was a little scared of my hereditary destiny.

I walked out of the doctor's office that day and gave up caffeine cold turkey.....from four or five Mt. Dews a day to nothing. First I went to Sprite and other caffeine free sodas. In recent months though, I've really just been drinking lots of water and Gatorade, and really only have one or two Sprite Zeros a week. I was never a person who added salt to my food, but never thought about the natural level of sodium in foods. I do now. Cut out lots of other crap, too. Took up frequent exercise--three to four times per week. All of those changes, along with the recent running venture, have certainly done the job! I went back for my annual checkup today and the blood pressure was down to 114 over 70! So stoked! No meds for me!

Jonesing

Earlier in the spring Maverick and I ventured off to Chicago for a weekend getaway. Outside of layovers in O'Hare, this was the first experience in The Windy City for both of us. We had an absolutely fantastic time. It was great to get away from reality, if only for 48 hours, and experience a new city together.

We shopped a tad on Michigan Avenue. We took a tourist trap architectural tour of the city via boat through the Chicago River. Which, even though the guide was a little obnoxious in her overly cute speech, was actually was a quite interesting and informational little view of the city, especially if you don't have a lot of time to see it. We met up with a college friend for brunch at a fantastic Southern style restaurant. It was heralded as one of Oprah's favorite joints, and being that I can't stand Oprah I was skeptical. It was phenomenal though.

We took in a Cardinals/Cubs game at Wrigley, and sort of delighted in the physical dump nature of the place. The nostalgia is there, but the place is actually a dump. Don't get me wrong, Wrigleyville is freaking fantastic. The stadium, however, blows. Not enough bathrooms, not cleaning the place between games, falling concrete, Old Style (who in the hell drinks that crap?) and poles in your way. If you really want to see an old park, I suggest you skip Wrigley and go straight for Boston. Fenway is a religious experience for any baseball fan.

Sorry for the tangent. Back on track....

We hung out with an old co-worker after the game at one of the bars in Wrigleyville, and mingled with the locals. That was lots of fun. We stayed in a cute little boutique hotel downtown. We enjoyed the fruits of an adequate public transportation system. I was kind of mesmerized by the elevated train system, particularly in The Loop. This also provided great rain protection on Sunday.

All of these wonderful memories from that weekend and pretty much the one and only thing we talk about now is the pretzels we had at dinner one night. We were told to try this place by several people, so we figured it had to be good and said "let's go". We ventured off to said pub, Elephant & Castle. Let me start by saying that every single thing we ordered was outstanding. However, everyone who recommended this place said, "you have to get the pretzels!". Let me assure you, they were not joking. Almost two months later and I still crave them.

They were so soft, moist, and unlike any other pretzel I've ever tasted. I have zero clue if the dough is that much different, or if they're basted in some sort of flavored butter, but whatever it is, it rules. The dipping sauce served with them is a Bass Ale Mustard sauce. The whole combination is orgasmicly good.

I've really been wanting pretzels today and sitting at my desk right now, this special little yummy gift of goodness is pretty much all I can think about.

I've discovered that Elephant & Castle is small chain across America and Canada. It looks to only be in very large cities. According to their website one of those cities is Boston. I'm not sure how we've never seen it before since it's right near all of the things we usually do there, but I know exactly where we're going the next time we go up to The Hub to visit Maverick's parents and brother!

Preeeettttt-zels! Preeeeetttt-zels!

Note: The preceding sentences should be read aloud like Cookie Monster says "Coooooooo-kie".

Hera Mifflin Infinity

Once or twice a year my employer holds what are essentially feedback sessions. One or two staff members from each department are sent as a representative of their office to the discussion group. The idea of the forum is that mid to lower level staff members are given the opportunity to meet with the president of the organization and the head of Human Resources and discuss any items they would like to see changed, are concerned about, have questions regarding, etc. without fear of their immediate supervisor being present, should they have the desire to air a concern about their boss/department. If the item at hand is deemed appropriate to take action or discuss with other upper level management staff members, it is then taken back to their monthly meetings and discussed without mention of the staff member who brought it up.

In theory it's a good idea and it works...most of the time. I have seen it backfire on staff members though. Their name was in fact brought back to their boss and it wasn't exactly a pretty situation. No one was relieved of their job out of it, but things were definitely tense for awhile.

Given that, when I was designated to represent my department at the last panel I sat tight lipped throughout the entire meeting. One idea was presented though that I thought was a rather good one. A suggestion box could be placed in each office location so that staff members can leave items they would like to see addressed while truly remaining anonymous.

Yesterday I went to the mail room as I needed to check my office mail and also make some copies. Upon my entry into the room I noticed the above idea had been put into place.

Behold (names and logos have been blacked out):


Up close and personal:


Your eyes are not deceiving you. It is in fact a shoe box covered in construction paper, Scotch taped down (on the front of the box), hand-written in pen, with a free-form square cut out for the oh so inviting place to "drop your ideas here". Not to be missed--hiding under that big blacked out square in the lower right hand portion of the box is the company logo cut out of construction paper and drawn on in pen as well.

I've said in the past that I really do like my job. Like everyone else in the world, I do have days that are very frustrating and stressful, but overall I'm happy. I like my boss/Vice President very much, I have two great friends on the staff (one is leaving in a week though, boo!) and am uber thankful to have employment that provides food and shelter.

However, there is one particular VP in the organization (not my own boss) who is just in a class all their own. Now I can't say that I saw this suggestion box being made or know for certain who made it, but I have a very strong inkling whose idea it was and which department it came from. The aforementioned VP comes to mind. After all, this is the same VP who has given us things such as the Going Green Committee, the Safety Committee, the Fun Committee (yes, a real thing), a team building rah-rah breakfast that was not only funded by the staff members but also cooked by staff members in our board room during what should have been productive office hours, and even Diversity Day.

Yep, there's a VP in my organization who HAS to be a direct descendant of Michael Scott.

Where Did That Come From?

Just got the final results in the "Biggest Loser Challenge" I was competing in with my friends. I've been leading the last two weeks, working my butt off (literally) and even managed to drop two more pounds in the last two days, but somehow lost. To the person who was in third place just two days ago!!! How does that happen?

I'm pissed.

Don't worry, I can hear you through the interweb. I can hear you saying, "but Hera, look at what you've done in the last six weeks. You lost 15 pounds. Started running. It's so great........Blah, blah, blah."

Bite me.









Apparently, I do have a competitive bone in my body. Not sure when that happened.

These Are The Days of My Life

Let's face it, we all know I spend a good portion of my blogging time ranting and raving about something and not a lot of time commenting on the goings on in my life. So tonight I thought I'd shake things up a little and take some time for an overall update.

• I've been fortunate enough to gain some new readers in the last few weeks/months. Some of you have inquired about the reasons for the anonymous status of my posts. The answer to that question is two-fold. A) There are weird ass creepers in the world. Unlike FB and other social sites on the interweb, Blogger doesn't have an abundance of privacy controls. Now I realize no matter how much I try to protect myself on FB, if someone wants to see my profile they will find a way. (Not that I put anything too specific on those sites though.) But at least I can feel better and make some attempt to control who can and cannot see my stuff. With Blogger there's really no way to do this. At least not that I've seen, or when I set this thing up. B) In the beginning this was sort of a way to vent about the job I had at the time and the things that were driving me mad there. While I have since moved to another city and am in a new job that makes me pretty happy (most days), like everyone and their job I still have days that rile me up and I have been known to use this little blog to vent about it. Thus the anonymity. It's been going for so long now that it's just become it's own little blogging thing.
  

• When we last heard from me I had just begun my quest to train for my first 5K. At that time I was just entering week two of the Couch to 5K program. I have now completed week three and will have my first week four session when I run tomorrow. So far, so good.When I've ran in the past I've had problems with shin and knee pain after only a few sessions. This time I have really great running shoes--my Nike+ shoes, which I love so much. My little Nano and me use the Couch to 5K podcast and just go. It's great to see how I'm progressing on time and distance, too. This time around I also have the benefit of easy access to a great park with awesome running trails. This particular park has paved trails and trails like this. I think you call that chat. Yes? Anywho, it's basically finely ground gravel. You can tell it feels a little spongier when your feet hit. I've determined that running on pavement is super hard on my legs and running on this stuff is way better. Probably all in my head, but it's helping me keep my mental state and keep going. So woo-hoo for those trails! Also, it's crazy how quickly you notice your body change through running! Which brings us to.....

• About two months ago my best friend, her boyfriend and several other great friends came to visit for the weekend. An unbelievably fun weekend I might add. She, her boyfriend and several other friends talked me into participating in our own "Biggest Loser Challenge". I was pretty happy with the weight I saw on the scales then, but like everyone knew dropping a few pounds couldn't really hurt. Thankfully, when Maverick and I got our Wii Fit it didn't tell me I was obese. Rather, it was just above the normal BMI. Although, that little bitch of a Wii Mii shook her little head and cried when she told me I was "overweight". I believe "bite me you little asshat!", were my exact words at that moment. Back to my point--I was at a good weight, but like most Americans could stand to lose a few pounds. Between eating very, very well and my running I've dropped 15 pounds in this competition. As of yesterday morning I was leading. Final weigh in is tomorrow and hopefully I'm victorious. At $2o per person to enter there's a lot of money on the line! Which will be very handy for......
  

• Maverick and I have booked a seven night Western Caribbean cruise for a much needed vacation away and birthday celebration for yours truly. Sidenote, yes, I'm turning 25........again! And you people go getting any ideas and start planning for any sort of different number type activities on this birthday. Maverick and Mama Hera have been well informed that no such thing is allowed. That particular day does not exist on the calendar this year. Hah. The cruise will be my third and Maverick's first. I'm really excited. I love the Caribbean and in my last few trips have done an all-inclusive resort. It'll be nice to shake it up, and to enjoy sharing something I love so much with him. Now I just have to do the "please no hurricanes that week" dance.
  

• I'm really looking forward to this weekend as it holds lots of planned activities for us. As some of you know, Maverick works in the front office (group sales) for one of the city's professional sports teams. The team is currently in the middle of their regular season. His job means he has to work every home game. The team's recent schedule means he had to work the last 19 days straight. This will be our first weekend together in three weeks. Lots of errands to complete--grocery shopping and the like--and then date night planned for both nights of the weekend. Should be lots of fun.
  

• My mom's family has a big reunion every other year. It's a Catholic family, so there are many of us, and there are plenty of characters in her family to enjoy! I adore my parents, brother and sister-in-law and (most of) my cousins. There is a pretty good group of us who love each other very much and have the best time when we get together. Hours of beer consumption and yummy food intake, whilst laughing our heads off makes for a good time. It sounds so cheesy, but I really look forward to this hootenanny, as we've come to dub the reunion. Living away from them and missing them can be hard, so we make the most of the several times a year we get together.
  

• Work is going to be very interesting in the coming months. The organization I work for just agreed yesterday to merge with another organization in the city. Now comes all the work of moving forward and developing all the plans, moves and necessary changes to make this happen by the projected end of July deadline.

And there you have it. The (recent) days and times of Hera.

Commitment

I exercise.

I go for brisk walks.

I use cardio machines at the gym.

I use my Wii Fit.

I kickbox.

I, however, AM NOT a runner.

Something inside me though has long had a desire to show I can conquer my fitness wall and train for, and complete, an actual race. My ultimate dream is to complete just one marathon in my lifetime. I go through phases where I contemplate beginning to train, but my "not being a runner" always scares me out of the commitment factor at the last minute.

I've been going through one of these phases recently and just so happened to receive an email about an upcoming 5K in my city.

I thought, why not start small? Train for something very, very, very small scale and see if you can stick to it? Then, see if you could commit to the training for a marathon.

I mentioned this to a friend, who pointed me toward a couch to 5K program that gets you ready in just nine weeks! She even showed me this awesome podcast I could download for my ipod that changes music at the proper intervals, telling me when to walk and when to run. (That girl is always inspiring me to do great things. ;)

I was very intrigued.

Therefore, I have taken the plunge and am attempting to train for this 5K.

I am on week two of the couch to 5K program.

Root me on and keep me going! I'll need it!

Public Decency Lesson

As spring is officially upon us let us take a moment to discuss one of my biggest issues with the public.

The wearing of sandals.

This:
Plus this:
Will keep your feet from looking like this:
If your feet resemble the ones pictured above please refrain from wearing anything like this:
The people you pass on the street, in the grocery store, at the zoo, at the baseball game.....they all say thank you.

I Need Rehab

I have a serious addiction problem.

Have you tried these wonderful little drink packet things that you pour into a bottle of water and voila, instant yummy-ness? If you haven't you should.

About a year ago I gave up caffeine cold turkey. I went from four or five Mt. Dews per day to no caffeine at all overnight. This was a HUGE thing for me.

Alas, I still enjoyed soda, just the non-caffeinated kind--Sprite, Root Beer, etc. No diet though. I can't stand the taste of Aspartame. I've never been much of a water drinker either. It's too boring.

However, in an effort to punch up the effort to lose a few pounds I recently decided to try diet soda and other drinks with little to no calories, if only for a little while. That's when I discovered these little bundles of joy.

Heaven!

The only problem is that when I put a powdered packet of goodness into a bottle of water it's so tasty that I down the bottle of water in less than five minutes. As a result, I've been visiting the little girls room way too much!

Now I know what you're saying. "Wait, aren't you notoriously cheap?" Why, yes. Yes, I am. Hence the fact that nine times out of ten I buy the store brand drink packets. Half-price of the brand pictured above!

I've also discovered that adding a little packet of raspberry to a bottle of Diet 7-Up hides that yucky Aspartame flavor perfectly. No more fear of diet soda for me!

Who Does That - Part XXIII

A few nights ago while driving home from work I was stuck in horrendous traffic. This particular traffic jam was worse than normal and had me stopped for quite some time.

As I have noted before, my commute takes me past a very popular park in the city--a park famous for the ability to participate in various forms of aerobic activity. So there I was sitting in traffic alongside said park when I saw something completely new to me.

A man.......appearing to be in his 40's.......wearing a tank top and shorts.......running......while juggling three of the those bowling pin looking sticks.

Traffic would move me ahead of him by about 50 yards, then he'd go ahead of me by about 50 yards. I'd stare straight ahead at him or watch him in my rear view mirror as I sat and waited to move forward again. I was mesmerized. I could not stop watching him.

This video is my attempt to catch him on my film, but it did not quite work out as well as I had hoped. If you focus just above the rear view mirror you can see him in his white shirt and sort of make out the juggling motion. My sincerest apologies for the quality.




Who does that?

It's 2 AM, Do You Know Where Your Blankets Are

Thought for the day:

Does you have a spouse/partner/living in sin roommate who sleeps rather wildly?

Do they smack you in the head with a stray elbow when they switch their sleeping position?

Do they wake up from a dream appearing to be wide awake and talk about crazy, nonsensical things?

Do they curl up with the blanket like it's a teddy bear so that it leaves your half of the bed entirely uncovered and you shivering?

Maverick does all all of these things and it provides me with great entertainment. Okay, so maybe getting woken up in the middle of the night by being whacked in the head with an elbow isn't exactly "fun", but I swear three mornings per week I have a story about his crazy sleeping antics.

Who Does That - Part XXII

There is a local business that uses a husband and wife type team in their commercials. The advertisements always astound me whenever they are on. I can't help but to stop whatever I am doing and watch. Every single time.


I think the more appropriate title to this post should be "How Does One Do That". How would you get your hair to stick out like that? It truly amazes me.

However, I highly doubt I would ever want my hair to look like that. So it still gets a big........

Who does that?

Please, Please, Please

From MSNBC.com:

Is the ugly shoe craze about to end?

Crocs auditor questions whether plastic shoe maker can survive

updated 7:38 p.m. CT, Wed., March. 18, 2009

NIWOT, Colo. - The auditor of Crocs Inc. says it has “substantial doubt” about the shoe company’s ability to stay in business amid falling revenue.

Crocs disclosed the opinion of Deloitte & Touche LLP in an annual report filed Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

“It’s a really serious sign the company has some financial difficulties ahead,” said Chris Hughen, associate professor of finance at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Still, he didn’t expect the company would die. “If they can right-size the company, the company will survive,” he said.

A Crocs spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a phone message Wednesday.

Crocs, which had ramped up for strong international and product growth only to watch sales drop last year, said it needs to find a cost structure that its revenues will support. The company lost $185.1 million last year as revenues fell almost 15 percent to $721.6 million.

The number of footwear units sold fell 24.7 percent over the year, the filing said. The company blamed deteriorating global economic conditions, falling demand and difficulty marketing its expanded product line.

Crocs said it must secure financing and maintain enough liquidity to pay obligations. It said it has $22.4 million in borrowings under a loan that matures April 2. As of Dec. 31, it had $51.6 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Through the end of 2007, Crocs grew so quickly it had difficulty meeting demand for its colorful, lightweight shoes, the company said in the SEC filing. It boosted production capacity, warehouse space and inventory, but revenue growth slid in 2008.

It had about 3,700 employees at the end of last year, down from 5,300 a year earlier. It also closed manufacturing facilities in Brazil and Canada last year.

Crocs said it expects more operating losses for the quarter that ends March 31. It is working to get a new credit facility and is exploring options for raising capital.

Crocs shares, which traded near $70 last year, were down 27 cents Wednesday, or 19 percent, to $1.14.

“The bottom line is, it’s a horrible time to be a premium product. People are looking to cut back on discretionary spending, and they view these shoes as something discretionary,” Hughen said.

Please let there be some merit to this article! If there is any fashion mercy on the Earth then, yes, the ugly shoe craze is over.

I give a free pass to children ages five and under, as kids are supposed to wear colorful, ugly shoes. On them it's cute. Plus, I'm sure any shoe that little Johnny can put on without help from mom or dad is welcomed. However, anyone above the age of six is held to an entirely different standard. You can tie a shoe. You're past the age of needing assistance to put on footwear. There are no more excuses for lazy, ugly shoe wearing.

Those things are just hideous and I pray for their demise everyday.

Long Sigh

Prior to moving to my current city and job I took an annual vacation to beautiful, tropical locations with my best friend. Those trips were the highlight of my year, every year.

The sub par vacation package at my current employer, dealing with a long-distance relationship and traveling to see my significant other, and adjusting to the increase in cost of living from my old city to my city have prevented me from taking one of my beloved holidays for the last three years.

No longer.

I finally have vacation time and a little nest egg. Maverick and I have (hopeful) plans to enjoy a tropical vacation this fall.

Any suggested destinations?

Who Does That - Part XXI

My daily commute takes me past a very popular city park. This park is filled with people engaging in some type of physical activity year round. Regardless of the weather people are always utilizing the fantastic trails and abundance of land. Walking, running, cycling, roller blading, soccer, baseball, softball, football, cross country skiing--basically any type of exercise can be seen in this park.

It is a not a surprise at all to see many people bundled up and running even in the dead of winter. It is, however, a surprise to see people who engage in these physical activities not dressed weather appropriate. Over the course of the last month and a half I have seen one particular such person several times.

In the midst of winter I have witnessed the same woman running in a tank top, shorts and gloves multiple times. What good do gloves do you when you're half naked anyway? Plus, I'm not just talking a sort of tank top or shorts either--shorty shorts and a spaghetti strap number. Nor have the times that I have seen her been on the rare nice days in the middle of January or February. The temperature on each occasion has been below 30. One day it was in the 20s and the ground was covered with six inches of snow!

Being that I am always driving at 30+ mph when I catch a glimpse of this woman I have not been able to snap a picture. I did my best (read awful) attempt to sketch a little drawing of her though, which you will find below. However ridiculous you find this piece of artwork, multiply it by about 20 and you will understand what I'm talking about.

One other important detail to note--this woman has to be at least 45, meaning she probably shouldn't be wearing the outfit regardless of the weather.


Who does that?

American History 101

Allow me to veer off my usual course of refusing to talk about anything political outside of my home for a minute. This is not a partisan post by any means, merely a lesson to some poor misguided folks.

First, the story. Taken from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Anti-stimulus protesters rally at the Arch

By Tim O'Neil

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

02/27/2009

ST. LOUIS -- More than 1,000 people braved chilly temperatures downtown today to protest President Barack Obama's stimlulus aprogram and to throw tea into the Mississippi River.

The gathering was organized by several local conservatives. There was no official crowd estimate, but the gathering filled roughly one fourth of the grand staircase from the Arch grounds down to the levee.

Among the speakers was former football Cardinals tight end Jackie Smith, who took a bullhorn and said, "We are mad as hell and we need to stay mad as hell. Don't let up."

Smith asked the crowd if this was their first protest rally, and most raised their hands.

Bill Hennessy, said he got the idea for the tea party from comments made last week by CNBC business commentator Rick Santelli about the stimulus program. Santelli urged people to have another Boston tea party.

Before the crowd went down to the Mississippi River, Hennessy urged everyone to rip open their tea bags and dump the tea without throwing the paper into the river. The group ended the 50-minute rally by lining up on the river's edge and doing as asked.

Whether or not me, you or anyone else agrees with the TARP funds being doled out in Washington is not the issue here. If you agree fine, if not fine. However, if you so strongly disagree with the program there are more efficient ways to go about showing your displeasure with the government.

Let's start with the extreme inaccuracies in comparing this protest to the Boston Tea Party. The American Colonists were protesting taxes levied against them by the British government, and efforts of the British government to control their consumption of goods. They dumped tea into Boston Harbor that was a shipment from Great Britain. They were voicing their anger directly to the entity they were disagreeing with.

Dumping random packets of tea into the Mighty Mississippi to protest an economic stimulus package is accomplishing nothing more than being wasteful. A much more effective and relevant way for these people to protest the government bailout package would be to refuse the tax cut they're above to receive in their paychecks.

I highly doubt we could find many Democrats, Republics, Libertarians, Independents or non-voters who would give up their anticipated tax cut though. Don't you?

Help Wanted

We have a brand spanking new set of mattresses coming our way in a couple of weeks. I am uber stoked about this. The thought of a bigger, cushy bed is so exciting. There is one small hitch in our giddy up though--it's a bigger bed.

We're going from a full to a queen.

As I said, it's the mattress set, so just the box spring and mattress and not the bed. That's immediately the first thing that comes to mind that we need to purchase. We could just find a bed frame as a temporary fix, but that's still something on the list of things to shop for. Then there's the issue of sheets, blankets, a comforter, bed skirt, curtains to coordinate with new bedding and new pillows as ours our worn out. The list goes on and on.

Any ideas on where to look for these items in stylish patterns and hues at don't break the bank prices?

Waiting

I don't say this very often, or confide in too many people about this, so mark this momentous occasion. It probably won't happen again.

I admit it. I have the itch. I'm so ready to get married. It's just a matter of waiting on Maverick to ask what I'm doing for the rest of his life. Being the budget keeper of our relationship, I know exactly why he's waiting and I'm cool with it. However, that doesn't change the fact that every single day I think about how much I'm ready to share a lifetime of beautiful, committed, undying love with him.

Now I'm not your average girl. For me it's not about the event. I don't daydream about imported French silk and Italian lace dresses, or floor length gowns in the perfect shade of butter cream for twelve bridesmaids, or taffeta colored clothed napkins and regal place settings for a formal dinner at a reception with 250 people and all eyes on me. That's not to say there is anything wrong with that either. It's just simply not my style. The thoughts of my wedding are about me, the man I love more than anything on Earth and our future together. Loving each other so much that we want to share one life for all eternity and sharing that special moment with our immediate families, extremely close extended family members and our dearest friends.

That's it.

If you asked me where I'd want this to take place the only answer I could give you is that my dream location is any beach in the Caribbean. What kind of dress you ask? No clue. Something white in whatever style I try on that looks the best on me. What about flowers? I honestly doubt I'd even want to deal with worrying about carrying them around, and if we're getting married outside in God's beauty why would you need to dress it up? I have zero thoughts on a reception either. I'd guess that if there was a meal involved we'd just decide on some items that the house chef does well.

It's entirely possible that all of this might change when the time finally comes to seal the deal. Doubtful but possible. Nothing is ever impossible, so I won't say it's completely out of the questions, but I highly doubt either of us will care a great amount about the details.

There is one item though that I do care about immensely. The ring! This is one thing I daydream about very frequently. I don't mean to sound materialistic, but it's the only piece of jewelry I'll have forever and wear everyday. It should be special. The only problem is that I want to be truly surprised by the proposal.

Knowing this, I've made sure that Maverick and I have talked about diamond shapes and ring design numerous times. He knows my favorite cut, my next favorite cuts, the cuts I absolutely do not like at all, the metal I prefer, the design features I prefer and the ones I would never wear. I've even made sure to point out two friends I trust who he could go to for a little guidance. I'm constantly noticing rings on my friends (or even random women we see out in public places) and making sure I point it out to him. I also drag him into stores to browse. Poor guy. He's such a trooper about it though. He always smiles though the process, and I can see him taking mental notes every time.

It really is quite sad how often I think about the ring. A couple of days out of the week I secretly shop The Interweb and sit and drool at things like this:



There it is! My dream ring! I've had it pictured in my head for so long, but never quite found the exact thing in my searches until today. I promptly sat and drooled for about 30 minutes.

Current Conditions

Recent thoughts, feelings and emotions about my job:

Despise
Boredom
Hate
Daydreaming of other options
Annoyance
Boredom
Dislike for many co-workers
Loathsome
Detest
Regret for not staying in bed
Boredom