Please take a few moments to check out my friend, Matt Singer.  He's a musician in NYC and I *thoroughly* enjoy his stuff!  If you like it too, please follow this link and vote for him, ok? 

It's for The Deli Magazine's
NYC artist of the Month contest. It's a
pretty big deal to win...

THANKS!
Andrea

Ok folks - it's time for the Atlanta Rent Party!

When: Saturday, Feb. 7th (this weekend!) around 7pm-til?
Where: Address is on the evite -- follow the link! 

Hope you can make it! 

Andrea

This is just another quick update about PositivePennies.org

So far, we've raised $9,062 towards our goal! 
We're still posting items on eBay and are also putting together some Rent Parties in February...
Check out the website for ongoing updates and to view all the items for sale!  :)
www.PositivePennies.org

We just posted some new items on eBay for PositivePennies.org! 
You can buy things you want/need, AND help out! 
Two birds, one stone... the math is good.  :)

PositivePennies.org/Updates

This is just a quick update about PositivePennies.org

So far, we've raised $1,034 towards our goal! 
Check out the website for ongoing updates and to view all the items for sale!  :)

This is the 'daring and a little crazy' plan I've mentioned to a few of you...

Please go to www.positivepennies.org and check it out!

Naturally, you are under no obligation to do anything... but I hope you'll consider it.
I could really use your help.

Sending this link to other people would be *greatly* appreciated.
Please also consider introducing this as a "worthy cause" to your church organization, book club, D&D group, band, coffee-shop folks, other social groups, family reunions, or use it as an excuse to have your very own 'rent party'!

Thank you...
Andrea

I haven't blogged in a while... there's just so much going on...

Jon and I bought a house last week - this has been a 6-month ordeal that's taken up every minute of "spare time" (of which, I didn't have much to begin with), has had detrimental effects on my overall health (migraines, random & persistent pains, weight-gain, skin-breakouts, perpetually oily hair...), has worn away any semblance of patience I might have once had (but now I have a 'roommate', so I'm hoping it grows back... it *will* be needed), and I long for a conversation - a real conversation - that doesn't have anything to do with a to-do list or what someone watched on tv... but I haven't the energy to think just yet, so that'll have to wait.  Actually, I take that back.  Peace and quiet would be better than anything... no one vying for my time or attention... that would be a welcomed break.  

Work has been amazing-good, but instead of the normal pace of things, everything has been on a "fast timeline"... and all at once... so everyone at work is coming in early (except for me), staying late (especially me) and working weekends (which is a trend we're all looking forward to ending).  By the time I get home, getting the correct key in the door is about all I can manage...

It's been so busy around here, that in order to spend some time with my friend (Miss Heather Cahill) while she was in town, she had to come over and help me unpack some boxes.  How awful is that?  "...you're coming into town?  Great!  Can't wait to see you! ...can I put you to work?"

Andrea needs a break.

Andrea needs some down-time in order to 'reboot'.  

I know that hibernation generally happens in the winter... but I may need to partake in some of that in the near future.

Some of you may already know (and many of you don't), but Jon and I are buying a house out here in Roswell and (if the closing goes as-planned) are moving into it on Thursday, May 29th! 

Here's the thing...
It's a weekday. 
Not ideal, I know.
And I'm also not allowed to pick up, move, or wrestle with boxes & furniture... so I'm willing to bribe folks that are willing to loan me their able-bodies and give me part of their Thursday!

I'm not proud.

And I know that no one *really* wants to do this.

But it would mean a great deal to me...
And I'd feed you...
And I would forever owe you a debt of gratitude...

And there *will* be a housewarming party (with dancing) in the near future, on which invitation you will certainly be at the very top!

**grovel-grovel**

Did I mention that "I'm not proud"?

Seriously, though -- if you could lend a hand, even for just a little while, let me know and I'll make sure there's plenty of food, water, and gratitude to go around, ok?

THANKS!
Andrea

This past weekend was proof that I could use a little less excitement in my life.  Or perhaps, excitement of my choosing, instead of being clobbered by the excitement surrounding me.

I knew I had a tough weekend ahead of me because I had a study at work that needed to be done very quickly (i.e., 4 weeks worth of work done in 6 days), and every time I turned around, something was going terribly wrong with it -- the client didn’t stick to their end of the bargain (a cut-off time, after which point no more edits could be made to the questionnaire), so we were a day late getting into data collection (so, make that 5 days), then the client scheduled meetings for the day *before* we said we could deliver the report - meaning we will now deliver the report a day early (so, make that 4 days), then the data collection folks did something (still trying to figure this one out...) and didn’t collect enough data in time for me to put the report together on-time, or to utilize the support of a lady who is much faster at data-entry than I am, so I’ve been completely tied in knots for a few days now.  HOWEVER, through some last-minute efforts, I managed to put the report together ON-TIME (though, with less data than desired).  I call it "pulling a rabbit out of my a..." well, you get the picture.

In the midst of all this, there was a knock on my door... or rather, frantic banging on my door, early Sunday morning.  I’m half-asleep, it’s before 7am, and I have no idea who this person is... but she looks scared... so I opened the door.  She proceeds to tell me that her boyfriend (who runs the paper route at our apt. complex) had just been shot upstairs, and the guys who did it were chasing her.  

*I’M AWAKE NOW*  

I let her inside and Jon tried to calm her down while I called 911.  
Sometime later, the police showed up at my apt. and took the young lady upstairs to walk through what happened.  (Did I mention she only had one sock on?)  About 10 minutes later, they came back downstairs as she walked him through how she got to my apt.  She hugged Jon and I again, and kept calling us her Angels...

As it turns out, yes, shots were fired, but no one was hit and her boyfriend was fine.  [Addendum: her boyfriend was actually hit with one of the bullets, but it just grazed his head.  Yes, his head.  He’s very lucky that the guy was a terrible shot.]
Everyone was pretty shaken up, but,... still upright.

The crazy thing?  
The two guys that caused all the ruckus sound a whole lot like the two guys that were arrested for the burglary of my apt. in January... yep... I’m gonna follow up on that, too. 
[Addendum: they also arrested the guy that shot at the boyfriend.  Still waiting to find out if it’s the same dude, but we’re glad he’s in jail.]

TGIM.