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2-4 December 2005
Friday, December 2-
- in the office, this was Firm Day. At noon, we stopped work and went over to the AIA office, which has a large open room for us to partake in the festivities. We had lunch, played some games, heard the status of the firm - the financial history, listened to a motivational speaker, listened to our top principle talk about some of today's design challenges, and heard from our new strategic marketing guy. The focus of the motivational speaker was to talk about some of our worst clients and how to deal with them. We then got to do an exercise that simulates a project. (An egg is suspended 6' off the ground, there is a list of materials that we can buy and the goal is to not go over the budget of $150. The egg will be let loose and we need to keep it safe. The client will stop buy a couple of times and try to change things up and introduce something specific that they want incorporated into the design. All of this in 20 minutes.) We were all successful except for the female team of unruly junior partners who had a little too much beer...I couldn't help but think of the BBC's The Office with the Training episode.
- Friday evening (after work) we met up with my college roomate Dan and his wife Christie. They have a boy same age as Goose. I don't know if these outings are for us or for him. Anyway, we met at one of the local pizza joints (Papa Keno's) for dinner. The two boys had a grand time sitting next to each other, being loud-being funny. Dan and I caught up-it has been a few months since I've seen him. Much of our conversation was on the Jayhawks football season (it's nice to watch them win, for once) and the upcoming basketball season.
- Friday later in the evening, we put up the chirstmas tree and decorated it. (it smells good!) Put the kids to bed. Made a bowl of peppermint ice cream with candycane chunks and chocolate syrup drizzled on top and then settled down to watch "Christmas with the Kranks." I read the book a few years ago and I heard the movie was horrible, so my expectations were low. The movie actually wasn't bad. It is cheesy as all get out, but it is fun when you embrace the cheese.
Saturday, December 3rd-
- I have a project due at the end of this week, so I went in to the office and worked till noon.
- That evening was our office Christmas party. It was in the Lockton 2 story boardroom on the 10th floor overlooking the Plaza. The Lockton building is right above McCormick and Schmidts. They had an outdoor balcony. Maybe more on this later...
Sunday, December 4th-
- A pretty normal day with church in the morning.
- Vernal and I did some Christmas shopping in the afternoon. It was kinda of an unsuccessful trip as far as buying, but now we have a clear focus on gifts as we eliminated other ideas.
- When the kids were in bed, I made a run to Borders to buy a certain someone who may or may not read this a gift.
17 comments:
"embrace the cheese"...:) this is why I am so fond of you forrest.
Ooo Candy Cane ice cream? Candy canes just make me happy...
gigi, have you found your special spot yet?
There is a street close to where I live that takes on the name of candycane lane every christmas season. Each house along this cul-de-sac has something going on. I remember it as a little kid and they are still doing it. I'll need to take the boys by this year.
Too late. I read it. What did you get me?
So, I am guessing that you guys have a real Christmas tree and not a fake? We put our fake one up on Saturday.
ok thumbs up for a real tree!
but thumbs down for papa keno's... pastor brian liked that place too, and I just think it's funky because they don't cook the veggies enough on my pizza... (but the breadsticks are super good there...)
and it's cool that you guys still do fun little exercises like that egg thing at work. I always liked doing that stuff in school. I even did this after-school activity thing once in indonesia where we constructed bridges that would hold a dictionary, out of rubber bands, popsicle sticks and some other stuff. my favorite one was when we had to design something that would protect an egg from breaking when you drop it off the 2nd story balcony of our school. styrofoam boxes with extra padding on the inside all the way....
I went to Joe's pizza today. and that place is my favorite.... especially on tues and thurs when it's only 1.25 a slice!
Yes, real trees all the way. I took goose and my dad (he's got a truck) to get the tree. Goose got to help pick one out and even helped us carry it to the truck. Our hans were a little sticky from handling the tree so I told Goose to smell his hand - "that is the smell of christmas!"
I usually like to string popcorn and cranberries on the tree but I haven't yet and that step usually happens after the lights go on.
Anyway, the smell can't be beat.
Oh yum, I love Papa Keno's. We used to go to the original in Lawrence all the time when we were in school, so we were delighted that they opened a KC location. Maybe, you shouldn't order veggies. I am sorry Pastor Brian ruined it for you.
My favorite pizza joints are:
D'Bronx
Minsky's
Papa Keno's
Pizzeria Uno
It all depends on what kind of a mood I am in.
I worked right next door to Joe's Pizza in westport for 5 years and ate there all the time. We would do the cheap pizza days, but Joe's is like cheap college pizza. You have to eat it in 5 minutes while it is still hot or it'll turn to cardboard and taste horrible.
So was Borders a gift card?
Does Molly mess with the popcorn and cranberries? I really want to do that, but I have a Sally, a Baylee, and now temporarily, a Bianca (I'm providing a temporary home for the homeless Fox's dog.) So, I don't want them eating my tree.
I remember candy cane lane. I can't believe it's close to your house. It seemed so far away to me. Does candy cane lane have the crazy house that has like a million things and we actually got out of our car and walked the path into their garage?
Our neighborhood had five houses that get together and decorate. One house has a big lighted Santa's sled, the each house after has a reindeer and each one is attached by a string of lights. I don't know if I'm describing it well, but my kids love it.
I can't talk about Borders.
Molly leaves the popcorn alone now, she might have messed with it at first, but she only likes popcorn with butter and salt.
Candy Cane lane is somewhere around 79th and Lamar and crazy house with a million of things on its roof is somewhere near 75th and Belinder. I haven't been to that house in a few years, so I need to see if they are still doing it.
The santa sled thing on your house sounds cool, we'll have to come see it. It's decorations like that and crazy neighbors that make Christmas with the Kranks a funny movie.
nope. still haven't found my special spot yet...but I'm on the look out...
Let me know about the house. I want to take the kiddos!
Crazy - solid is good.
Dust - that's awfully presumptious of you to assume that the gift was for you .... it was for me of course!
Forrest - What kind of tree did you get? Do you all get the perfect little acute angled trees or the big round ones?
Dash, right now we get the trees that are the cheapest, which is at Hy-vee. We used to walk up to the end of our street to St. Michaels and all angels and buy from the boy scouts, but when funds are tight I don't feel like buying a $40-60 tree.
My favorite trees are the Balsam fir, which has the really small needles. I think at target we got a douglass fir. I haven't gotten a big soft round one in quite a few years. Maybe we'll give it a shot next year to try something different.
Aren't real trees kind of a mess though? And don't you have to water them and stuff? And don't pinchy needles, like, get everywhere and stuff?
No Gigi, you are thinking of kids.
WWMSD
What Would Martha Stewart Do?
She told me that fake trees are Lame-O and are for people who are not fun nor cool. (This is from Martha's mouth not mine.)
[Aren't real trees kind of a mess though?]
Some needles will fall off as you bring the tree into the house. You will need to sweep those needles up. If you leave them it will look messy.
[And don't you have to water them and stuff?]
That is true with any sort of plant live that is cut from the ground. To make them last longer and continue to smell good you must water them. I never heard a girl complain about getting flowers because you have to water them. This shouldn't be any different.
[And don't pinchy needles, like, get everywhere and stuff?]
Once you place the tree in its stand leave it there. Do not take it dancing nor to bed with you and do not take a shower with it. Then you shouldn't have to worry about needles.
I was telling C-Man last night about the 16 foot blue spruce trees that my folks always got when I was growing up.
Thinking back on it, I can honestly say that I thought it was neat .. but I'm not willing to go through all the hassel - besides if I had to buy a live one every year, I'd be tempted to get a puny little Charlie Brown tree so I could spend more on presents.
I love my little three piece fold-down tree. I can decorate each tier of branches before before the others get in the way.
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