Call me anytime

I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our gadget family. I waited in line for about 40 minutes at Bellevue Square on Friday at 7:30am to get me a new 16G white iPhone 3G. I'm such a sheep.

I was supposed to wait until my Verizon contract is up at the end of August, but I just couldn't. The iPhone called to me. Once I got my hot little hands on it, it did not disappoint. It is so shiny and pretty.

I've spent the past couple of days playing with it, adding new applications from the App Store, and learning how to use the virtual keyboard and touch screen. The battery life is not great, and this was mentioned in lots of reviews, so I bought a car charger right away.

I need to find an unobtrusive case for it - for now I've just ordered some vinyl protective (and pretty!) decals from decalgirl.com. We'll see how that goes. I love my new iPhone.

Your lies, they drop like acid rain

Today I am imagining all sorts of cartoon character injuries to the bastards who stole my debit card number. Maybe I need a voodoo doll or something.

TJ got a call at home today from the Visa fraud protection people who noticed "unusual activity" on my debit card. To the fraud protection people, I send love and virtual warm chocolate cupcakes. I called my bank, and lo and behold, someone decided to go on a grocery shopping spree in Bellevue with my debit card today. They bought $300 worth of food at Whole Foods and Cash and Carry.

Suspiciously, both of these fraudulent transactions, plus a $1 charge at FedEx Kinkos, were made just minutes after I dined at another Bellevue restaurant for lunch with my friend Jenn. Strangely one of the grocery stores is in that same shopping center. Very sketchy.

So I had to drop everything and hustle in my car over to Seattle to get to my bank and fill out fraud paperwork. And of course there was crappy traffic both ways. Boo! Hiss!

The good news is that they didn't completely clean out my account. And after just those three charges, I canceled my card. I am super-grateful for the Visa fraud protection automated system. And the bank people were nice too. Hopefully they process my claim soon so I can get my money back.

I did call Whole Foods and they're looking into it. Lovely people there too.

Sigh. I really didn't need another stupid errand/personal action item. I hope these people fall off a sharp cliff. Or get hit on the head with an anvil. Thunk!

When you don't see me

Ooh, I've been so busy and didn't have time or the inclination to blog. I got this meme from Kristine via email and thought it would make a good blog post. It's one of those usual "random things about me" items, but it looks like fun. And at the end of the post, I'm gonna tag some of my blog buddies to do this.

1. What is your occupation right now?
Project Manager at Microsoft

2. What color are your socks right now?
brown

3. What are you listening to right now?
So You Think You Can Dance on TV

4. What was the last thing that you ate?
French Toast bagel from Blazing Bagels in Redmond

5. Can you drive a stick shift?
No, sadly, despite a few lessons in TJ's old crappy Saturn

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
TJ

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you?
Of course!!

8. How old are you today?
33

9. What is your favorite sport to watch?
um, none? Love the Olympics, though. Any event.

10. What is your favorite drink?
Lemon Drop martini or diet Coke during the day

12. Favourite food?
Macaroni and cheese

13. What is the last movie you watched?
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Poo

14. Favourite day of the year?
My birthday! I don't usually go to work. And TJ is nice to me.

15. How do you vent anger?
Whine a lot. If I'm being productive, I go to the gym and run on the treadmill.

16. What was your favourite toy as a child?
Commodore 64 computer

17. What is your favourite season?
Summer in Seattle

18. Cherries or Blueberries?
Rainier cherries, all the way

19. Do you want your friends to add this meme to their blogs?
Yes! Jenn, Katy, TJ

20. Who is the most likely to respond?
Katy

21. Who is least likely to respond?
TJ

22. Living arrangements?
A very cozy house in Redmond with my husband and two puppydogs

23. When was the last time you cried?
I can't actually remember

24. What is on the floor of your closet?
Donations for Goodwill, boxes of winter clothes, stray hangers

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest relationship with that you are sending this to?
TJ

26. What did you do last night?
Did some laundry and some work. Nothing exciting.

27. What inspires you?
Seeing people who are really passionate about their work

28. What are you most afraid of?
Not being able to take care of myself due to age or illness

29. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese, all the way baby. From Wibbley's in Redmond or In-n-Out Burger.

30. Favourite dog breed?
Beagle! And Peanut, of course.

31. Favourite day of the week?
Saturday. Because I get to sleep in, and I have the whole weekend ahead of me.

32. How many states have you lived in?
Five - (WA, AZ, PA, CA, MT)

33. Biggest Life lesson?
Listen to my intuition. Going against my gut feeling has always led to the wrong decisions for me.

And I'm passing on the dubious honor of completing this to Jenn, Katy, and TJ!
Link your entries in the comments section of this one so we can all read it, and pass it on to three more bloggity friends!

You'll find better days

Great shopping day today. Aimee and I went to Bellevue Square to buy summer clothes and catch up on what's been going on for the last 6 weeks. So much fun!!

I got two pairs of shorts which actually fit properly, which is just unbelievable. I haven't had a decent pair of shorts in 5 or 6 YEARS. I'm thrilled with these. I figured out that the shorts I need have to be knee length, straight leg, and a heavy material like denim or sturdy cotton. No stupid pleats or flimsy, floppy fabrics.

I also found this adorable 60s mod print dress at Nordstrom with a cut I never imagined would look good. But according to the Nordstrom website, it's listed as an A-line shift, so that makes perfect sense. And I have to brag and say I think I actually look *better* than the model in it ;)

I will be a magnet-making fool this week - I got a last-minute invitation to be a vendor at an outdoor festival in Ballard next weekend. Part of my profits will go to supporting a mother-baby clinic in Kenya, which is why I thought this would be a good show to do. I'll post more details here in the next couple of days, once it's finalized.

And my new venture, because I just can't take it anymore. Resume review for techie people. I've looked at dozens of resumes and done tons of interviews and you would not believe how many people have no idea how to handle themselves. Bad, bad resumes from (probably) smart people. Horrible interviewing skills. Lots of rejections.

So I thought I'd offer to review resumes via email specifically for those looking for a career in the software/technology industry. Here's my "testing the water" ad on Craigslist: http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cps/752801528.html

I'm not sure if I'll get many hits, but thought I'd offer to help. Whaddya think?

Just my confidence and me

I couldn't take it anymore. After months (no, actually years) of being patient and trying to cope and the occasional professional assistance, I finally just gave up today.

And got all my hair cut off.

It was done so quickly that I didn't even have time to think about how I liked looking over my shoulder in the mirror on a day when I painstakingly used the flatiron, to see my long straight black hair reaching the center of my back, a length I last saw when I was 8 years old.

It was just too heavy, too flat, and too much work. Drying took a long time, and styling was a nightmare.

I love to look good, but right now I'm not feeling so great about myself. To use a cliche, I feel trapped in my own body - I don't have a lot of clothes that fit exactly the way I'd like them too, and sometimes I see myself in the mirror and think "holy crap, is that really me?" And that's when I bother to look in the mirror. Plus it's hot, and feeling fat when it's hot is just about the worst thing ever.

So I decided to lighten up (the easy way first). I made an appointment at Paule Attar Salon, my old standard even though my favorite stylist EVER, Lindsay, moved to Boston a couple of years ago. I took a chance today on a stylist I had never met before but is one of their most experienced. She was, of course, gorgeous and thin, with that perfect straight black hair that eludes me. That gave me pause at first.

But then we talked about my inability to handle my own hair and not being able to re-create that perfect blowout that you get right after a haircut. I told her about my hair's quirks - the super curly parts underneath, the sort of waviness all over, and the frizzy yuck that happens when it dries on its own. I felt self-conscious about this - after all, it was just a haircut, and one of the many she'd have to do today, and in the grand scheme of the world's problems, it seemed like a lot of talking for something so trivial. But I needed her to help me figure out the perfect haircut for the way my hair and my life are NOW.

Not what I wish it would be - long, silky, glorious Lucy Liu hair, or gently wavy, gorgeous Jessica Alba hair, or cute, spunky, spiky short Meg Ryan hair. I'm none of those people and I also don't have an armada of stylists to help me get ready every morning.

What I got is perfect. It's shorter than it's been in a long time, just below chin length. She put some goo in it and dried it partially with a diffuser to keep some of the waves in, and then added some shine goo to keep the frizz down. Literally, the entire shampoo, cut and style took less than 45 minutes, which is half the time of the usual long layered/blowout cut I've been getting. Woo hoo. I think the actual styling portion took 5 minutes. Tops.

I feel better already. Funny how hair can do that.

The high plains of expectation

My mom is visiting, so we went to the Redmond Saturday Market. I've lived in Redmond for almost 6 years now and have never been to it. I always see the sign for it during the week, but forget about it on Saturdays, then remember on Sunday when it's too late.

But this time we planned ahead. I was surprised at the size of the market - there were a LOT of vendors there. Lots of vegetables, fruits, some artisan cheese, soap, candles and even some jewelry.

I'm definitely going back next week to get some yummy handmade soap and maybe some fruit. And another bouquet of flowers to replace the ones from this week, pictured here. I love the colors - bright and pretty without the usual garish yellow flowers.

The other great find at the market - some local artisan cheese samples. The ones I bought were a mellow cheese with some different flavors in it - a fabulous spicy chipotle, cumin, and chili pepper. I skipped the caraway and dill ones since those are my two least favorite spices.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Redmond on a Saturday before October, go check out the market!!

People say I'm white and nerdy

Quick post since I'm at work, and need to actually, you know, WORK. Last night while I was working at home, I noticed that the Etsy Treasury was about to have spaces available, so I was lucky enough to get one and pick my own list of favorite items for display.

So my theme was Science Geek, and of course I had to name it after a song lyric so I chose Weird Al's "White and Nerdy". And to be a good Etsy sheep, I didn't even put one of my own items in there.

Here's a screen shot (click it to see the large detailed version):



If you see this before Sunday July 6, you can click on the real thing and actually add your comments:

White and Nerdy Treasury

Supposedly Treasuries with lots of clicks and comments have a better shot of making it to the Etsy Front Page, so help me out :)