I’ve been a hermit the last few weeks thanks to a huge work load plus needing to complete final papers and projects. The work load is still pretty high, as is the traveling, but I just turned in my final project, and I am done for the semester!

So, what have I been up to? Mostly traveling. I was in Richmond, VA and Glastonbury, CT last week, and I was in Stamford, CT last night, and Fishkill, NY tonight. I plan on being home tomorrow night, but I may be gone again on Wednesday night - depends on if our client gets their act together and agrees to pay us before then.

I flew into and out of Hartford airport last week, and our plane took off in about a foot of snow, and what I would call blizzard conditions. I know the pilot attempted a take off once, slid a bit, then tried again and we finally took off (3 hours after our original take off time). I’m just lucky I was able to get on the earlier flight out of Hartford - the flight I was supposed to be on later in the day was canceled. I took the train to Stamford, CT

Friday night was my company’s holiday party, which I think went well. Not as many people showed up as were expected, so we all got as many left overs as we could fit into the tupperware we were storing at work. My boss also got us all iPod Touches for Christmas. I just have to repeat that I have the most awesome boss in the world. Thanks Peter!

I’ve yet to jailbreak it, but I have loaded some of my iTunes TV shows on it, and I plan on watching a few on the train ride home tomorrow. I will probably jailbreak it tomorrow night.

Saturday night was Brian’s company’s holiday party, a formal affair. We decided to stay in the hotel it was hosted in because of the weather, and I’m glad we did. It ended up only raining, but we were able to dress in the hotel, and not have to walk outside in formal clothes (and women’s formal clothes are rather thin). I found a dress earlier in the month with Punitha, and I finished hemming it, and 3 other women were wearing the same dress - one I knew and was sitting at the same table as we were. It was comical

I made an attempt at getting my hair done, and I am not a happy camper now. See, I have super fine hair - won’t hold a curl if the curler was still in my hair. So, I went to the stylist and asked if they could do a permanent body wave with *very* large curls (and I held my fingers up for sizing - about 2-3″ between them). They said sure, so I said OK. Long story short, I don’t have 2-3″ curls, I have about 1″ curls and as soon as I brush them, my hair becomes frizzy. I ended up with my hair partially pulled back for the dance, and I’ve been shampooing and conditioning my hair more than daily to try to get rid of the curls (shampooing apparently relaxes the curls). I know there’s some kind of shampoo/conditioner/mousse/gel that keeps permed hair from getting frizzy, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called. Until then, expect to see me with it pulled back as tight as I can in a pony tail - I don’t like it. Luckily, I tried this well in advance of the wedding, and I know from previous experience that a perm only lasts about a month or so in my hair.

Upcoming plans: Friday night, Brian and I have a dance lesson, Saturday morning, I am sleeping in or playing video games until Brian’s grandmother’s belated Hannukah party, then we’re driving to my mom’s for Christmas. Then we’ll be back late Christmas night in time to head to work on the 26th I want this year to be over already

It’s that time of year again. I still have the addresses of everyone I sent cards to last year, so unless you’ve moved or you don’t want a card, I don’t need your address. Anyone else who wants one should e-mail me at elwing at elwing dot org with your address.

From Weered1: Try it!

I agree with everything except the second paragraph about success. I think I reach success fairly often, and while it’s true that many things can get in the way, I just “route around them”.

Elwing exaggerates about everything that has a physical nature. Although she may not intend to deceive or mislead, she blows things way out of proportion because that is the way she views them. She will be a good story teller. This exaggeration relates to all areas of her material world. Elwing allows many people into her life because she is accepting and trusting. She is sometimes called gullible by her friends. That only really means that she trusts too many people. Elwing has a vivid imagination.

Elwing is constantly disappointed when trying to reach success. She works very hard, perhaps harder than most, then just before succeeding, something happens that keeps her from success. Often, Elwing changes to a second project just before the first one is finished, thus failing to complete the first project. Sometimes she changes because she feels she needs a different challenge. Elwing feels dejected. This feeling relates to her failures. This trait is very important in a working situation and in a relationship. She must be handled in a very special way to get the most work from her or to make a relationship last. Concerning this trait, personality modification is available to change her life.

Elwing is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn’t necessarily mean things go as planned. Elwing basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality– not too “out of reach”. She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.

Elwing is a cumulative and procedural thinker. She likes to have all the facts before making a decision. She thinks or creates much like a brick mason, stacking fact upon fact. Her thought pattern or the conclusion will not be complete until the last fact is in place. Like that brick wall, Elwing learns faster through visual demonstration than through quick verbal instructions. Once she has learned new material, and understood it, she won’t forget. Elwing is a methodical thinker, therefore she is able to build things and come up with new ideas. In an argument, she often loses to rapid thinking people because she is thinking thirty minutes later about what she should have said. These people often are very booksmart, but can be out-gunned in a rapid fire verbal debate. She may learn new ideas at a slower pace than other “less detailed” people, but once she gets it, she can handle repetition. Some people hate jobs with too much repetition, she can handle it better than most.

Elwing is not facing something going on in her life today. She is deceiving herself about it. Often, Elwing’s opinion of herself is different than those around her. This trait gives Elwing the ability to deny anything that does not agree with her “truth.” This trait is not always something negative. It is only a defense mechanism allowing Elwing not to face some reality in her life at this time.

Elwing is sensitive to criticism about her ideas and philosophies. She will sometimes worry what people will think if she tells them what she believes in. This doesn’t mean she won’t talk, or that she feels ashamed. It merely means she is sensitive to what others think, regarding her beliefs.

Elwing is moderately outgoing. Her emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, she can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. She has the ability to put herself into the other person’s shoes. Elwing will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes she will be happy, the next day she might be sad. She has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because she is in between. Psychology calls Elwing an ambivert. She understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, she will not tolerate anyone that is too “far out.” She doesn’t sway too far one way or the other. When convincing her to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to her. She puts herself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet she will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Elwing is an expressive person. She outwardly shows her emotions. She may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Elwing is a “middle-of-the-roader,” politically as well as logically. She weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when she finally has to. She basically doesn’t relate to any far out ideas and usually won’t go to the extreme on any issue.

People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Elwing doesn’t write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.

Friday and Saturday night at the Kennedy Center - Video Games Live!

Brian and I will be at the Friday night showing in the orchestra. There are no more cheap tickets left for Friday night, but if you’ll be coming, let us know and maybe we can hook up before the show.