The Spring Work Schedule

The thing about spring is that it wakes up clients at work. All winter, they slumber away with their dreams of what they're going to build one day... the keyword there is that they just dream about it.

As soon as the first really warm spring day hits, the one where you can roll your car windows down, they suddenly realize they need permits to build what they want. Which means they need plans. Which means they need to give direction... to me. And they want the plans NOW. No... they want the plans yesterday!

I should be used to this. It's standard practice in my industry. A winter lull leads to lots of spring deadlines and chaos. I had to work today, even... yes, on a Saturday. It sucks. In the past three weeks, I've had at least six 'we need it now' deadlines of some sort... and those are the ones I can easily think of. I'll admit... there's some projects I thoroughly put out of my mind once they're out the door.

But even with the chaos looming, it feels good to be busy. It wearing me out and I'm in desperate need of a vacation - I don't get a spring break like most folks around me seem to. But I'd rather be busy than bored. Which happens for me too easily... but that's just my mind. If there's any chance of it wandering, it will. And a wandering mind means I'm bored.

But I still at least want my weekends. This sudden burst should only be for a couple more weeks, and then we should settle into a steady pace through the summer. Plus, there's construction starts, which get me out of the office. Which I really like. I am not a desk jockey - can't stand being at a desk all day. Granted, it's nice to NOT have to be outside in the winter... but I'd a least rather be running around to meetings then.

This is why I actually miss working at Kite... I really miss the travel. I never got bored at that job. There was always something going on, or some place I had to be. I didn't travel like Eric had to... but it was enough to keep me happy.

The Pacers

So as I think most of you know, Eric gave up his Colts season tickets a couple of years ago, after having them for over a decade. Frankly, the Colts organization just didn't treat the fans like you find in some places or in other sports. No recognition for being a long time ticket holder - just annual cost increases with the "give me your money" mailings. It just felt wasteful to keep spending that much money on an organization that didn't give a damn about us or other fans.

So, as a trade off, we decided that with the money that would normally be spent on those tickets, we would go to more games or events outside of the football games. This year, the Pacers had a deal around the holidays to essentially buy a mini game pack of five of the top games. And the price was damn cheap. Granted, it was upper level, but the fact that they were doing this for the good games instead of the games they knew wouldn't sell out made it pretty damn worthwhile, regardless.

So tonight was the last of those five games... it was against the Miami Heat. The Heat have become one of the Pacers biggest rivals and the rivalry has become one of the bigger ones in the NBA this year. They even pushed back the start time so it could be ESPN's primetime game. It was a packed house! And it was a hell of a game, down to the last second attempt by the Heat to pull out a win with a quick basket. But it ended with another Pacers win, keeping them on top of the division.

Most of the games we went to were pretty good. We had a few other games, too, that weren't part of our package deal. for us, this was quite a year of going to Pacers games! It's just so easy for us - just a quick walk from home.

Now I'm trying to talk Eric into going to a playoff game. We'll see.

Spring!!

Today was the first day of spring! But only on the calendar.

Interestingly enough, it's supposed to go below freezing again this weekend. but today, at least it's in the 50's... almost normal. Remember when I said Mother nature was a tease? Well, it continues.

I will say this... it's getting better. So much, in fact, that I might even stop blogging about the weather for awhile. Maybe.

I am actually pretty excited to finally see the warm weather creep back in. This winter reminded me just how much I am NOT a cold weather girl. Not only am I not a fan of the cold temperature, I really can't handle being in them too long. Not even if they're artificially created (ie - super cold a/c). It's just not natural to be in temperature that cold!

Alas, with the first day of spring kind of here, I think I'm going to survive winter of 2014. It was a brutal one, but I made it.

St. Patrick's Day

Ah, St. Patrick's Day. The holiday that Americans turned into a drunk fest with every possible tradition that is NOT Irish. From the color green, to the four-leaf clover, to the food we eat.

Random fact... did you know that in Ireland, St. Patrick's Day was actually a DRY holiday for most of history? Yeah... no green beer there.

I remember when St. Patrick's Day plans were a HUGE deal. I would actually plan on meeting friends and hang out until the wee hours of the morning. And it was fun - no argument there. But, wow, times have changed! Most people I know don't go too far from home, IF they even go out.

My big thing now is making corned beef and cabbage - I found a killer recipe and it turned out great. Well, the one time I made it so far, anyway. And since it's a crockpot recipe, I can make it whether I'm working or at home on a weekend! Yay.

Ironically, that's another false tradition. The Irish actually eat beef and potatoes - the corned beef and cabbage, again, came from America. At least it came from Irish Americans.

At least this is one tradition I can keep around, no matter my age. I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind making it more often. But Eric says it's a St. Patty's thing.

Mother Nature's a Tease

She's toying with us. In all possible ways, Mother Nature is completely teasing us. And it is so not cool!

Yesterday, we had 60 some odd degree weather. It was actually pretty nice. It actually felt like spring. That glimmer of hope was in everyone's eyes... the hope that winter was really over.

But that hope quickly faded this morning, as we woke up to... you guessed it... snow. Not just frigid temperatures, but actual snow. Made for a fun commute... how quickly people forget how to drive when the roads get a little slick.

And it wasn't just during the morning commute. No... it snowed most of the day. The plus side, if there was one, was that the ground was still warm enough from yesterday that most of it melted rather quickly. But on other surfaces, it stuck around a little longer. I even walked out to my car after work to fine my door handle icy.

So Mother Nature is totally teasing us. Like, in a very mean way. She better make up for it with an absolutely awesome spring. And summer!

Spring on the Horizon

I can see it... the light at the end of this miserable winter.

This has been one of the snowiest, coldest winters on record for Indianapolis. And DEFINITELY the coldest and snowiest since I've lived up here. Multiple daily low temps have been broken, not too mention daily snow totals. Even more, to date, it's the second snowiest winter on record. Period.

And I say 'to date' because, technically, winter is not over. Still got a few weeks. And after this crazy winter, I wouldn't be surprised if we got snow in May. Which would really suck. I guess there would at least be color around us at that point...

The melting has begun, the ugly snow is everywhere. I'm not ready to bust out the shorts just yet... but here's hoping I can do so soon. At least by the end of the month. Which also means sandals... which means it's time to spice up my toenails!

Which brings me to one of the worst parts about this winter. I couldn't wear any of my cute shoes!! Seriously! I have so many cute booties and such, but because of either (a) the snowy conditions messing with the material or (b) trying to walk in heels on ice, they just couldn't be worn. Which really bummed me out. I love my shoes. Maybe I can squeeze some of them in these last few weeks, when the snow's gone but the weather is still cold... fingers crossed.