A week? Really?

Wow, it certainly didn't seem like a week, but I guess it has been.  It has been an exceptionally busy week and thankfully the bronchitis is finally clearing up.  I guess it's time for some bullet points.

• Monday--I don't remember.  Let's move on.
• Tuesday--very busy at work.  Major application error that left me at work until after 6 PM.  That wouldn't be so bad if I didn't clock in at 7 AM.
• Wednesday--more of the same crap.  Or, as my dad and Stephen King are quick to say "SSDD".  Obama was once again in town and this time he stayed to give a speech.  I would have LOVED to have heard it (since I'm still deciding), but my weeds were over a foot tall in places in my yard.  Well, that might be an exaggeration, but they were 8-10 inches in some places.  Halfway through the yard the self-propel function, the only redeeming thing about a push mower, crapped out.  It was actually easier to push it when it wasn't on than when it was on.  Then, halfway through finishing the remainder of the yard, I couldn't get the yank cord to work.  I was so tired and wheezy by then that I didn't really care.
• Thursday--worsening application errors and we finally decided to yank the patch that had been put in place for a different application error despite the vendors assertion that the two problems could NOT be related.  Yeah, whatever.  Problem fixed.  I had a bridal shower party to attend after work and here is my contribution:   If you can't figure that one out I really can't help you. 
• Friday--I was invited to the IS retreat at work, and it was really a lot of fun.  I got to spend time with people outside my department and interacted with the help desk staff, networking, and a lot of others in IS department that I don't normally meet with.  It was really a lot of fun and it was interesting to think through some problems that could potentially affect us.  I did not realize that terrorists (here and abroad) have been hacking or attempting to hack into our utility companies to bring down our infrastructure.  Wow.  So we discussed what we would do in those situations and how long we could survive as an institution without outside help.  We also discussed the earthquakes that hit a couple of weeks ago (and we are still having aftershocks) and how that affected our data centers.  Very interesting stuff...probably not for you as you read about it second-hand, but first-hand rocked. 
• Saturday--I celebrated my dad's birthday with my family and we also used it as a time to clean up my yard.  You may remember this post about the tree that came down in my yard.  Well, we spent the day cleaning up that mess--which was harder that it looks.  The tree is a cedar tree (which I didn't realize until we started burning it and I smelled the wonderful scent of...cedar) and it was likely killed by the overgrowth of vines back there.  Unfortunately, many years ago when this neighborhood was beginning to grow, somebody that didn't know better planted English Ivy.  This nasty vine will crawl and choke every tree that it can.  It can also climb brick houses which then creates problems for the brick.  I'm always pulling it off my house, my trees...when the neighbor had his broke-down junker truck parked behind my tree in the backyard I couldn't effectively clear it off my tree because he was parked so close.  Within a few months the ivy overtook his truck.  Anyway, we got part of the mess cleared out and now I am just waiting for my neighbor to work on her part.  Unfortunately there is no point in planting new trees until her messy ivy is cleaned up or it is just going to kill another tree.  My mom mowed my grass even though the self-propel is NOT working--thanks Mom!  The yard looks immensely better and I hope we will tackle the nasty bush in the front of my house next year. 
• Sunday--woke up with a very achy body.  My forearms and the backs of my legs feel the worst.  After church I settled on the couch with the kitty and slept.  I woke up to the sounds of "Aliens vs. Predators".  For whatever reason, the fastest way to get me to nap is the sound of a TV playing at low volume.  Actually, I take that back.  Yesterday afternoon my mom was reading my nearly 3 year-old niece a story and it put ME to sleep.  Poor MayLing...I may not be able to read her stories for fear of putting her to sleep!  When my niece was still a baby, I would rock her to sleep before her nap.  Sometimes she wouldn't go out very fast and I'd rock me to sleep before she went out.  I woke up one time with her looking up at me and wondering why the rocking had stopped. 
• Anyway, I think it's probably a bad sign with the most moving thing I have seen all day is the closing scene of Aliens vs. Predators when the Predator tattoos the girl's cheek and gives her a weapon.  Yeah, I admit I finished watching the rest of the movie.  I'm not proud. 

                          Have a good week!