New Years Eve 2011 Ransome's party

We spent a fun, relaxing night with Jay and Jen, and Dave and Nikki. We played Wii bowling before the new year rang in...

10 Special Things I Did in 2010

10. Started watching a new TV series on Mondays -- "Hawaii Five-O"

9. Loved the color gray in her makeup

8. Went to Boston with her sister and niece

7. Caught the AMTRAK for the first time in her life

6. Rode in a Maybach

5. Read books that I normally don't read thanks to my book club

4. Enjoyed bootcamp and kickboxing aerobics

3. Had a pre-teen live in her house for the summer

2. Went to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for spring break

1. Attended many free pre-screenings of movies

GIRLIE UPDATE > MOVIE ALERT: The Tourist

I met Peggi, Michael and Luis to see the movie tonight. I wasn't able to catch up with Peggi since we couldn't talk during the movie and we tried to grab a coffee after with no success. Boo! No talk of Italy!

GIRLIE UPDATE: Whiteout

Being the great fan that I am, I ventured to watch a spooky movie called Whiteout tonight. Mr. O (aka Alika) played a reckless pilot / ax murderer in this flick. Even if he braved the frigid Antartic cold naked I like him better as a Navy Seal / bad ass cop!

At least the movie didn't give me nightmares. And I do appreciate living in Ohio now. There's a place worse than here!

IUI ALERT: Three time's a charm

Here we go again! I finally, after three tries, got to take the Clomid challenge blood test today. Its an evaluation of my hormone levels and ovarian reserves -- to see if my 43-YEAR OLD EGGS are okay. The first time, I didn't know I was suppose to do it. The second time, they didn't have the work order done properly. But this time, I was let in and was out of there in 5 minutes! I was lucky to do it in Elyria. Next week when I take it again, I'll have to drive into Cleveland. I hope the weather will be nice that day!

GIRLIE UPDATE: OMG Mr. Craig!

He split from his fiancee in May! What?! Apparently he's seeing a Dream House co-star now.

Filming "The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo"

Christmas 2010 Brlas dinner

We had Italian this year -- Aaron's spaghetti with meat sauce, chicken Saltimbocca, potato salad with mustard-anchovy dressing, fried tomatoes with sour cream and prosciutto, zucchini and cheese meatballs, chocolate gooey butter cookies, chocolate stout cakes and chocolate-hazelnut raviolis. I was going to make espresso cocoa but everyone was stuffed by dessert time! Grandma Brlas and dad Rick Keala, what are you doing? Ken and mom Cookie Ken and Becky unwrapping gifts Kyle and Aaron playing Grand Turismo 5 Ikaika eyeing up the desserts on the table Mele Kalikimaka everyone!

Da last day of work

Now that all my projects are complete (pat on the back to myself!) I got a little breather this week. I got some exercise moving all the books that were returned but other than that, finals week was a breeze. I worked a short 2-hour shift today. I'm off tomorrow since the library is only open before 3 p.m. Aloha fall semester!!

Now I'm off to buy all the food we need for our Christmas dinner on Friday...

Day off madness

Aaron and I finally have our days off at the same time! We're off to do our Christmas shopping. But first, lunch at Brown Bag Burgers.

GIRLIE UPDATE: Playing the Field announcement

Mr. Butler is producing and will be acting in the movie Playing the Field. Production will start in March 2011. You guessed it... he's playing a soccer player! I wonder where they'll be shooting this time... Ohio? I wish!

Weathering the work storm

I'm meeting with my assigned attendants and giving them their progress reports...finished the 24-hour schedule that starts tonight...sent out two emails to attendants who are about to lose their jobs...finalizing the January winter term schedule...hired the first round of new hires...salting with the icy ramp outside...clearing student accounts of library fines...dealing with the last round of fine appeals. Did I miss anything?

Let there be lights!

Hi Ikaika!

Decorate and be merry!

Gosh we didn't even decorate our lovely tree yet! We bought a new stand in hopes that this 8 foot tree will not fall like last year. I haven't had time to make any ornaments. And we should stop buying new ones since we'll be moving soon. What to do? Well this is the year for multi-colored lights -- I will go through all our ornaments and use all of them except for the silver and gold ones. That should work!

Now what to do with our village...

Schedules, schedules, schedules

Silly me decided to take over making the schedules now instead of in January. That means I need to put the sign-up sheets for the 24-hour schedule for next week as well as making the winter term, orientation week and the final spring desk schedules. Like I have nothing else to do now!!

The heartburn is back

Oh no! My heartburn is back! Can you tell... I'm stressed! Where's my pills?!

IUI ALERT: Trading jobs

I finally talked to my boss about possibly lightening my work load next semester since I am planning to do more fertility procedures. My first two attempts were done in the summer when I was not so busy. If Aaron and I need to do an IVF procedure, I fear I will be too emotional with all the hormones pumped into me to be stable to handle training new hires.

Allison thought it was a good idea and so I'm going to switch tasks with Yolanda in January. I'm going to take over making all schedules and fine payment/cash register reconciliation while Yolanda does training new hires. Allison is taking fine appeals away from me too. I'll be able to not worry so much about work now. Well, I'll still worry but at least I won't be responsible for all of that for the year.

So Aaron and I will do another IUI procedure during my December cycle at the end of this month. Wish us luck!

Madness mania...

Since we were running behind with training, my projects are coming up all at once! Not only am I doing back-to-back interviews, I'm also writing progress reports a.k.a. work evaluations for my 26 desk attendants.

One of the toughest tasks I do each semester is writing these reports. It takes time to observe them all and come up with ratings on how they do. I tend to rate them against each other, giving those excellent few the perfect 10's and the majority gets average rates with goals to become 10's. Then there are the "barely fair" rates to the few that are not doing the basic work. They get goals they need to improve by the end of the semester. If they fail, they are not rehired. Most times they are let go.

It's a not-so-good-feeling task, but it's something a supervisor needs to do. The student learns that not all jobs are right for them, and we get a chance to hire a more motivated student who wants the job. Now I'm off to finish them by the deadline!

Let the work madness begin...

Now that the major training has ended, time to look forward to the future. Spring '11 to be exact! I just got my current crew's schedules and made a draft desk schedule with them. It looks like we need 3 new attendants to interview and hire. 7 new attendants if our 4 struggling attendants don't shape up soon!

Shopping... for our Christmas tree

Compleanno di Nino

I had a wonderful dinner with my dear friend Megan tonight. We celebrated our birthdays together over good food and conversation. May 2011 be an easier year for both of us!

GIRLIE UPDATE: Burns in production

The boy is on a roll! G just finished filming Machine Gun Preacher and now he is next flick Burns
is in production. Its a biopic about Scottish poet/lyricist Robert Burns including his love affairs with his wife Jean Armour and Agnes McLehose, also known as Clarinda, an Edinburgh society hostess. I wonder who they'll pick to play those parts? I know a Hawaiian girl who would love to play opposite G...

Pink and kilts? He's still bloody manly!

The first signs of winter

Look what December brought us...

Ikaika and Keala in the backyard