Well, as Mom put it, today was a red letter day. After work, Josh gave me the other surprise–it was a diamond ring! Not an engagement ring– we’ve talked about that, and neither of us are ready. He said it well in the card: “This ring is a symbol of my promise to you. May it always remind you of my love and embrace of you in my life.” I was, and am so surprised… it’s absolutely beautiful…

Maybe this is a red letter week… first the donuts, then the flowers, this wonderful, glittering surprise, and then a trip halfway across the world to top it all off. I can’t say I’ve got any complaints. ;)

I feel so very fortunate… not because Josh buys me flowers and diamonds, but because I feel loved. Josh, my family, my friends– they are all so special. =) I think I’m officially gushing now…

Josh got me flowers today! *ear-to-ear grin* They were delivered just before lunch–beautiful purple irises, roses, gladiolas, baby’s breath. My cube now smells all flowery-good… they’re soooooo pretty, and I was soooooo surprised. Now Josh is teasing me and saying that there’s something more… he knows how that kills me. The suspense!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHGGGG!

There is another softball game tonight– last week we won like 18-3, and while I didn’t actually *hit* anything, I did get to run the bases twice. The other team’s pitcher was horrible, and so several of us got to walk. I’m ok with that– I haven’t swung a bat in *years*.

Still reading tons o info about Bangkok/Korea– this week is CRAWLING– I’m ready for Friday to get here! There’s much to be done before then, though– need to still pick up a few things, working in some Goddess time with Laura tomorrow, the lawn needs mowed, packing, etc.

This morning on my drive to work I was dreaming about Bavarian creme donuts–the kind with the creamy filling and the chocolate glaze on top. Then, when I got to work (having resigned myself to a day sans donuts), an email was sent out announcing that there were donuts for all in the kitchen. Oh, happy day! There was a Bavarian creme, and I snagged it. =) Mmmm….

List o’ stuff to buy: Rit dye in orange, green, and black; any shirts on the sale rack at Target in my size that go with black/grey comfy pants for plane ride; Mad Libs; camera?; slip-on shoes for Josh; bathing suit that fits.

I have to say that I just really hate plucking my eyebrows. Or, rather, that I hate having to do it so often. It seems like they grow in so quickly, and that no matter how often I pluck, I’ve always got a few that decide to sprout in between pluckings. I don’t like the natural shape of my brows, so I don’t want to just let ‘em grow wild… maybe I need laser hair removal on my eyebrows. Hmm. Or, maybe I need to dedicate half an hour every morning to yanking baby eyebrow sprouts.

I’m cooking enchilada casserole for dinner. Mmm… I think I’ll put extra green chilis in. No one will ever know… muahahahaha!!!

Well, the innertube trip down the Guadalupe was much shorter than expected, due to the lack of rain the area’s been getting. We did still have a great time, though. :) Odd that it ended up being me, Josh, and Matt– just like last year. Maybe we should make this an annual event…

Just a few days left until we leave for Thailand! It seems like we’ve been waiting for so long– it’s hard to believe that it’s here. I’m getting really excited! I have been debating the new camera issue… my 35mm is sufficient, but it is old and doesn’t focus quite like it should (and doesn’t have a zoom feature). I could buy a $250-300 camera (with the good ol ccard, of course), just to ensure that I get good pics (unlike last time…UGH!!!). Or, I could just get by with the 35mm and have “okay” photos… I don’t know what to do. I’ve got a few days to decide, tho. ;)

Woohoo! We’re off to New Braunfels for an innertube ride down the Guadalupe River…. =) ….and the countdown to Thailand begins– less than a week left!

I am very restless today… it’s like my brain is fidgety. It’s been very hard to concentrate on work (and yes, I actually *have* work today!)— it’s almost as if there’s not *enough* going on. Maybe music will help. Hmm… I wonder if I try some mp3’s and have Katie turn on the radio simulataneously if my brain would be occupied. Probably not. ;)

I’m playing softball tonight with my company team… I haven’t played since like ‘95 or ‘96– this should be interesting. I don’t usually have a problem hitting the ball– it’s just that I hit it directly to the pitcher more often than not. I need some strength in my swing! I would be lying if I said I weren’t a little nervous. It made me really happy that Josh wanted to go watch… maybe that’s silly, but I don’t care. :)

I’ve got Bangkok on the brain!!! It seems like that’s all I can think about… all of the various things I need to get done before I leave, the bills I need to take care of, what I’m going to pack, how much money to convert to Bahts beforehand…. 10 days left to go!

Just wow, wow, and wow: “‘The network is the computer’ — yes; but we’re less interested in computers all the time. The real topic in astronomy is the cosmos, not telescopes. The real topic in computing is the Cybersphere and the cyberstructures in it, not the computers we use as telescopes and tuners.” - David Gelernter That’s a quote from “THE SECOND COMING — A MANIFESTO“, which I found via outlet. {thank you!} I’m just very impressed with this article… and the site it’s on, Edge.org, has lots of other features that I can’t wait to wrap my brain around. =)

Why do I care more about this stuff than the current events of the world? CNN bores me stiff…. I guess I get tired of hearing the same old stuff, especially when they only highlight the NEGATIVE. It seems like the positive stuff gets swept under the rug most of the time. I can deal with politics, I can even deal with weather reports… but OH, how I hate hearing how the crime rate rose in this quarter, and how unemployment is up in that city, and how so-and-so is going to be executed for who-knows-what, etc. Am I a current events snob? A news snob? What gives? Am I just intolerant? I suppose I just don’t see much use in putting those negative thoughts in my brain… I know a lot of people disagree with me, though… they say I’m disconnected and unaware of the world around me. I visit news sites fairly often– although I usually only read the headlines. If something grabs my attention, I follow the link. If not, I go about my day.

On top of that, I’ve also started giving in to ADD more… so many things out there can’t hold my attention for more than a few lines. I’m not meaning to be over-critical here, after all, it’s *my* mind that wanders, not the writer’s. It’s hard to focus on one thing… six or seven is much more manageable. As I put it to Nancy earlier, my thoughts flit about like butterflies on speed.

Anyway. Today is one of those days where I feel like I’m going to POP if I don’t get to leave work soon. Too much caffiene, too little tolerance for sitting in this cube, staring at my (albeit large!) monitor. If I weren’t connected right now, I’d be trying not to drool on myself as I struggled to keep my eyes open. In that vein, I have to mention how much I {heart} digging through the ‘most recently updated blogs’. I find some really great stuff there! Blogger is my friend. It makes me happy that so many others out there are writing– silly stuff, serious stuff, linking and surfing and communicating. Woohoo! All the more info for me to amuse myself with. There are some nice layouts, too… and (I have to say this, even if it does sound really bad) then there are some layouts that actually make me feel good about *mine*. :) That’s a nice feeling to have sometimes, even when it’s topped with guilt frosting.

I’m still working on that redesign. I decided to use my latest for webgravy– I have some tweaking left to do, but it’s almost ready to go. Then we just have to get some content ready…. there’s so much floating around in our brains, and yet so little has actually been able to escape that crunchy skull shell.

One more hour. If I can just surf for ONE MORE HOUR. I. Will. Survive. Must. Occupy. Mind. [pop] [fizzle]

This is so cool…. I really like the idea of getting several people involved in an art project– but keeping it separate enough that no one gets their toes stepped on. We all know how those ‘artist’ types are. heehee… I made an image the other day for a friend, and I’m trying to get Nancy to change it up– but so far it’s a no go. Matt? Dad? You wanna give it a try?

*wave* Hi, Daddy… Hi, Uncle Van… Thanks for the email…. you silly boyz make me smile. *hugs*