ethel

Jorr--the carpet, well that was a whole 'nuther story. That was replaced the day we moved in. I would not have taken the place if they weren't going to replace it. I couldn't imagine walking on it with rubber boots let alone barefoot. It was beyond disgusting.

STW--yes I do have a sense of accomplishment but I think it would be greater if we owned the house. I feel like we're doing all this work for a rental which will only help when the owner does decide to sell. It's like we're doing the work for him. I don't mind because it does have a lot of character and a lot more room (almost 3 times) than what we had. We just outgrew our little apt. and we've been looking to buy but the market in Lake Placid is just insane right now. We've managed to save a large amount so we'll rent this house for a year or so and just keep adding to our savings...Good luck on your interview btw.

GoT--congrats on the weight loss. I managed to lose 10 lbs after Thanksgiving and only "gained" 2 of it back after Christmas. The quest is back on and it's even more pressure now because I only have 9 months before my wedding. I think I can, I think I can. Keep up the good work.

tpatricco

Happy Friday!

Rant: Stressful week back at work after the holidays. Crazy clients who can't make up their minds about what they want but want it immediately!

Rave: I'm not the only one trying to focus on heaither diet & exercise habits and get back into shape!

I agree 100% about the ornaments. I've got a tree full of wonderfully meaningful decorations, and I too enjoy thinking about each of them as I put up & take down my tree every year.

Have a great weekend everyone! Trish

travgina

Rave: Most posters have more raves than rants today.

Rave: The sun is shining this morning; such a nice break from the dreary overcast days we've been having here in mid-Michigan.

Rave: Local speedskater who made the 5 man Olympic fast-track team, along with Apolo Ohno. The community has watched him develop over the years and will be glued to the TV as he competes in Torino. Go Izzy!!!!

Rave: Road trip in two weeks with daughter to watch granddaughter play hockey - 2 games in Grand Rapids on Saturday and 2 games in Kalamazoo on Sunday.

Rave: Upcoming road trip to casino and lunch with group of dear friends to celebrate one's birthday.

Rant: The loss of life in the mine disaster in West Virginia and the ice rink disaster in Germany. So much sad news these days.

I wish all Fodorites a happy and prosperous 2006, with love of family and friends and lots of exciting travel!

sppunk

Rave: I was offered a job yesterday at a place I've been wanting to be a part of for a long while now!

Rave: MY Longhorns beat "the greatest team EVER" for the championship. HOOK 'EM!

Rave: The wife and I are headed to NYC for a long weekend next week ... and aren't planning a thing!

Rant: My head aches.

Rave: The Pennsylvania Farm Show is underway ... it's truly a unique experience.

Tess

Seetheworld,

I'm with you on the weight droppage express. Too bad it's more of a slow crawl on my end...I just want/need to lose about 15 pounds--but mercy, do those pounds want to linger after age 40! Am now doing a modified Weight Watchers diet--lots of fruits, veggies, WATER and exercise. Bleh. I hear you, GoTravel, on the beer and wine--life is good with a lovely glass of Merlot by my side about 6 p.m.

Rave: The absolutely fantabulous series of college football bowl games this year. We're football fanatics in our house and this was the best year that I can remember.

Rave: that the Christmas decorations and tree are dismantled and the house is back to normal for another 11 months. LOVE having the decorations up--I just don't like putting them away!

Seetheworld, how cool is that about the Allman Brothers--would LOVE to see them!!! There's just something about bad boys...

We're off to the other end of the state this afternoon to see my husband's parents and celebrate "Christmas" with them. Our family's spur-of-the-moment trip to the Alamo Bowl kind threw Christmas plans out of whack this year. They live on a beautiful farm so the kids have a great time. My 16 year old and his dad will no doubt do a little hunting (ugh from this city girl) and my almost-14 year old daughter will practice her driving with Grandpa in a now-empty cornfield. Grandpa is a very calm man--LOL. Me--I'm taking along a couple of good books and plan on doing nothing!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Fodorite018

Rave--Had a really good trip to the WA mountains over New Year's. Lots of skiing, snowshoeing and just playing the snow. Went with extended family, and then old friends met us there as well.

Rant--DH ended up with the flu the day we got home. He has been miserable, and of course it is throwing my schedule off.

Rave--Two old friends were in town before we left for vacation, so we got to spend time with them.

Rave--Bought my airline ticket yesterday for my spa trip later this month.

Rant--The miners...such a sad thing to happen.

otto

rave: had a few unexpected nights off from second job this week! whoo-hoo!

rave: booking ireland for may as we speak!

rave: the preformances in "brokeback mountain". not one for bandwagons, but this one's a fact! i was really not expecting such a film. Alot of layers, alot of story, the scenery! the most un-boring movie I've seen in a long time. So much fun seeing a movie during the week (no crowds!) with oldest and dearest friend!

rant/rave: miss my family and my cats at home, but it's nice to have something to miss!

rave: unusually warm temps in nyc. now that cold (6,7,8 degrees sometimes)will hit like a ton of bricks!

rant: so terrible about those minors. to think they were just going to work.

otto

buffalogirl...my bf will second your bills rant. ;-)

and you've brought back memories of my first dances! such a big deal at the time...he'll look sharp, hope he enjoys himself!

annesherrod

Rant- I will start off with Rants becasue I am in a crabby mood due to imcompetant people who are my clients and actlike 8th graders...ughhh

I have not seen the sun in days and days,.. and those poor miners and their greif stricken families... so sad...

Rave - I love my job, everyone is healthy and I am starting to plan a trip St. Kitts island!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

moneygirl

No rants today... just raves.

Rave: My 4 year old son who woke up this morning and said, "it's going to be a magic day today!" He has such a sweet soul.

Rave: Our Canada vacation was wonderful and all three boys did very well traveling by plane for four hours!

Rave: The three new hockey fans at my house who are raising the roof right now (here on the Central Coast of California) playing with their new indoor hockey set.

Rave: Finally checked my e mails at work after two weeks without my laptop... no fires to put out!

Happy New Year to all!

charsuzan

Rave: No injuries in the tornados on Monday.

Rant: Join all the others in heartfelt sympathy for the WV coal mining community with such a devestating loss.

Rave: No snow forcast and one week of January is almost gone (with a warm 60's, sunny day we enjoyed on Wednesday!)

Rave: Seeing my honey this weekend.

Little_Man

rave: all the truly helpful posters on fodors... love this place!

rant: weddings !

rant: like everyone else, the mining tragedy. Went to bed happy with the amazing news, but the first words my husband spoke to me the the following morning were "you're not going to believe this..." So sad.
Makes you sorry for complaining about minor things...

bennnie

Rant: Our Christmas tree crashed to the floor one night last week while we were sitting in the living room enjoying it. Many of the ornaments that we had collected on trips survived but many of the glass ornaments that I had been collecting for my daughters for the past 13 years did not.

Rave: The ornaments that my ever so wise mother in law gave my daughters DID survive. She was smart enough to select unbreakable ones! Very important as she passed away earlier this year and her gifts could not have been replaced.

Rant: Stomache bug hit my youngest daughter yesterday. Yuck.

Rave: I'm keeping my fingers crossed but I think we may actually finally really truly do the very sorely needed home renovations this year. Project was designed over 7 years ago by a local architect (whom we couldn't afford now) but we never managed to get the project moving forward. Met with bank and kitchen design guy this week and have general contractor lined up. So maybe it will really happen this time.

Rave: The Super Bowl Champion Patriots ready to give it another good try. Go Tedi and Tom!

bonniebroad

RAVE: My Carolina Hurricanes ... way to go, guys! Had tickets to the victory over Atlanta Thrashers Wednesday night! What a really great game ...

RAVE: Carolina Panthers in play-offs against NY Giants Sunday... Gonna show those Yanks what our Southern boys can do!

RAVE: NC State versus UNC Tar Heels basketball tomorrow. It doesn't get much better!!!

RAVE/RANT: Getting back on "healthy living program" in this new year ... Update: Long story short, since I took my "break" beginning last June, when I had lost 45 lbs. in a year, as of today, I had gained back 12 lbs. of that BUT this past week, I am back on program, lots of exercise, eating right, and am determined to get that last 35 pounds off by my birthday in June. Anybody interested, hop on this "healthy wagon" with STW and me! We can report our progress on this thread on Fridays, if some of you are game???

STW, good luck with your interview! IMHO, vertigo is about the worst ailment that doesn't kill you because it sure turns your world upside down! You have my sympathies ...

RAVE: All of you with trip-planning going on. I'm prodding my DH, but nothing in stone yet...

RAVE: My son, DIL and DGD had a great trip to Las Vegas, except for the pools being closed, for some reason. Very disappointing for the little girls. The Luxor was wonderful, and they loved Celine and David Copperfield. Thanks for the advice given here that I passed on to them!

RAVE: The Igloo Cake and the Gingerbread Christmas train done with my granddaughter came out great!!!! STW, was it you who mentioned it on last week's thread? Thanks for asking ... you wouldn't want to eat much of that Igloo Cake! You've never seen so many marshmallows, so much frosting, so much crystal sugar in your life!

RANT: The mining disaster. How heartbreaking for all those families ... I feel so sad for them.

Fellow Fodorites, have a wonderful weekend!

Statia

annesherrod, you'll be only 9 miles from me when you're on St. Kitts! Happy planning!

frankie's rave about weddings.

STW - Enjoy the Allman Brothers! I saw them in NYC a few years ago and they were great. One word of advice, though. Don't partake in the smoking elements that will constantly be passed to or by you. I was surprised by that at their show in NYC and needless to say, the snack bars were PACKED at intermission.

sppunk, congrats on the job offer!

JJ5

Rave: Unemployment down and figures lowest in over 5 years.

Rave: Bears, but I'm not as confident as you are (Patriots) that they will be in the Super Bowl. It could be though. I would take a Patroit/Bears replay of 1986 January with the same score.

Rant: All industrial accidents and road deaths. We have so many by us that it is getting to be funeral of the week. It is not funny on either count. Miners too. That profession and the high rise iron/construction workers, it just really doesn't change. Your life is in others' hands- literally.

Rave: A day off for my birthday next week, and I look at it like another step closer to retirement- nothing bad at all.

Rave: Weather has been over 30 and no snow- after Dec. blizzards who would have "thunk" it. Most of the week it was 40 plus.

Rant: My polar bears Payton & Hadley are getting sent to the Memphis Zoo to be their new "couple" and to center their Northwest Passage huge acreage and 130,000 gallon pool exhibit. I helped name you Payton (after Walter Payton, of course)- Good luck to you and your offspring. Your mom will miss you, you big lug.

Rave: Memphis Zoo - is sounds like a must see.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Please drive safely.

FainaAgain

STW, yes, yes, yes, I want to join you! 6 lbs lighter, and can't go down any more

Rave (/rant??) only 2 months till next vacation, but feel like haven't done any research, arghh... always something comes up!

Rant: a sonogram confirmed my friend's mammogram's fears. Feeling of being helpless - what do I say? how can I help her?

Rave: our younger son staying in touch, sending e-mails from Europe

Rave: our older son gave us a russian poster which we framed. Our sarcastic tribute to the communist past is now hanging shamelessly in the living room.

During the first 2 years at this work I didn't really take vacation days off, now I have 4 weeks a year, so created a "vacation overflow" which will be paid off. It's OK, I don't have enough money to use those days as vacation anyway!

cmcfong

Rave: Tiff and several of our other Fodor friends have mentioned the Christmas ornaments, so I wanted to add my thoughts. My dad died forty one years ago Christmas. Initially everyone told me I would never enjoy the holiday again, it would be so sad. They were very wrong. My dad loved Christmas services at church, he loved presents and he loved the tree and decorations. Celebrating the holiday keeps him very much with me.
When my mom lost the ability to keep or decorate her tree, I inherited the ornaments. As I hang the ornament my kid brother made in Cub Scouts, or the one my Dad brought back from Austria at the end of WWII, or the one with the picture of the darling little Sealyham puppy he gave me for my ninth Christmas, he is decorating the tree with me and I am truly grateful for such a special way to celebrate his life and reflect with pleasure on all the memories of family and friends Christmas revitalizes.
Rave: The secret messages shared in posts. Yes, Tiff, I mean you! My DH thought it meant damned husband.
Rave: OK, stw (think of how you will wow them at the interview!),girlonthego, Ethel (what an incentive a wedding dress can be),Tess and Bonnie, you are on. Fodors biggest losers. I am in for twenty in the competition. No fair, GoT, you are already quite trim!
Rant: Mine safety issues. Such an unnecessary loss of life.
Rave: Our servicemen. Their sacrifices and heroism are inspirational.
Raveeace in 2006. It can happen.

cmcfong

Rant:I have not the foggiest notion how the P in peace became a less than appropriate emoticon.

annesherrod

Statia,
Only 9 miles!!! We may have to have a mini GTG while I am there!!!

I could you bring you some supplies from the midwest!!

have a great weekend! Oh, and have fun in Rome! We were supposed to go there for springbreak with the kids but it did not work out. Maybe nextg year.
sorry to hijack this!!!