Very Rainy

I so wish that weekends and workdays could be switched around...so that we had two days of work and five days of relaxation. As you can probably guess by now...I do not like being in the office.
The weekend was fantastic even though it rained off and on. During the days it was mostly sunny and warm and looked so clear out....but then you would get the grey cover and pouring rain.
Saturday night we got the chance to go and check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. I was hoping to get some outside pics of it, but it was pouring when we arrived. This was our vantage point in the hall:They were performing a "War Requiem" that was composed in dedication to a church that was bombed in WWII by the Germans and then rebuilt after the war. The Philharmonic played with the LA Children's Choir and the LA Choir. It was quite heavy being a war requiem and the lyrics were not really my fave. I felt for the singers because if I was singing this I would think...What the....... It was a lot of "blood on my chariot wheels", death and dying.
Just what one wants to listen to on a Saturday evening.
The background singing was done in latin I believe and the main soloists sang in English. The building by far was my favorite part of the whole evening. The place is unbelievable and the amount of beautiful wood grains in the building is massive. The centerpiece is this large organ that takes up one whole wall of the hall. The choir was coming in to fill those seats while we took this photo.
The entire score was one hour and 25 minutes and I am so glad I did not need a bathroom break because you are not allowed back in the hall due to the acoustics. So, once you are out- you are out. No intermissions in this one. After the event, Acura (the car company) hosted a reception with coffee and pastries. Yummy! I do hope that I can go back again and see another piece. It is such a beautiful place and there are no bad seats.
The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning and working out at the gym. Love the aqua class on Sunday's and it was pouring yesterday morning while in the class and so I decided not to change and walk to my car in my swimsuit and towel.....I mean might as well since I forgot my umbrella.
Now I am back in the office with absolutely no motivation to do anything. I must push myself to complete something.....I want to get at least one thing on my to-do list done.
P.S. We also watched two movies this weekend, Transformers and Stardust. I was soooo confused in Transformers....half the time I could not figure out what was going on or which monster truck was either good or bad. Stardust...such a cute movie...a definite chick flick, fairy tale story.

Guests, Water, Craziness

Aloha, I have not updated as much as I wanted to in Jan, but here I am. I just had some guests come and visit. Norah, Jill and Joe came up the coast after their conference in San Diego to hang beachside for a few days. It was unfortunately kind of chilly and overcast, but I am hoping they had a good few days here. I know it was a lot warmer here than in Chi town.
I was hoping to take more photos while there were here, but alas, I did not charge up my camera and kept seeing the sad little flashy yellow battery sign in the frame.
The day they left the sky opened up and we got the downpour we have been waiting for. Last night's was the worst. It rained so hard I thought the skylight in the bathroom would break.
In other news, I have been enjoying salads made from the greens that grew in my Aerogarden...yum yum and I have been trying to keep my head above water at the office. I seem to have inherited several other smaller special events that I have to plan and it is taking up all my time to stay on top of them all.
I have dodged the bullet on jury duty this month which was a pleasant surprise. Last week I was sure I would be on a case for a full month. I was in the box and did not know either the plaintiff or the defendant. Luckily, I knew one of the witnesses.....I work close to the courthouse and one of the witnesses was on the foundation board where I work. They asked me if I spoke to him regularly and I figured I call him almost once a month to see if he will be attending board meetings so I think that is pretty regular. Thank Goodness, cause the case sounded super boring and it would have lasted three weeks to a month!
Well, hopefully my camera will be back in full swing...it is charging as I type this and I will supply you with tons of pics.
Tomorrow night I am heading downtown with some friends to check out the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I am very excited to check it out because it has been on my to-do list for a looooong time.
Hope everyone is staying warm and doing well.

Green Thumb part II

Forgot about this little plant which has also been growing fabulously:

Green Thumb

So, maybe I am actually getting a bit of a green thumb, or maybe it is because this device keeps a constant supply of water and light at the ready for these plants, but I am growing my own lettuce in the kitchen in the Aero Garden that Jon got me for Santa Day.

I am growing green and red leaf as well as romaine. The rain that we have had has also allowed my succulent to grow to amazing proportions:

So, I am not sure what other people's New Year's resolutions were, but I have already seriously failed in mine and it has not even been a month. The one resolution that I have stuck to is the exercise...except that I kind of over did it with the kickboxing on Saturday, Boot Camp on Sunday and then a training session on Monday. Right now I am taking the elevator in the office and I am only on the second floor.
Well, I hope the rest of you are staying on top of your new year's resolutions. :)

New Year!

Ahhh a new year! Hoping 2008 will be spectacular for everyone. :)
The holiday getaway was much needed and it was nice to have a white Christmas! Here are a few pictures of the winter loveliness:

Spending time with the family was nice because we feel so so far away out here on the coast.

We played tons of games and made use out of the pool table. I don't think I was ever on the winning team, but with practice I can be pretty darn good.

The travel back to the airport was treacherous. This is a shot of driving through Tapley Woods in the snow: We sat on the tarmack for about an hour or so and then we went back to the gate without getting off the plane for another hour or so before we took off. Needless to say it was a loooong trip.

It was nice to get settled in back at home, but I wish I could have stayed in the midwest longer.