Randomness

Here are a few random thoughts so far this week:

1. This is what happens when I'm left unsupervised in a room with a fireplace mantle.  Seriously, these pictures do not do justice to the gigantic gash and goose egg on my head.

2.  This is what happens when Ryan is left unsupervised:

I will post more later regarding what exactly he was doing in the garage before I got out of bed last Sunday.

3.  Below are some pictures of our furbabies being cute.  China had a bit of a mishap yesterday morning.  She has this terrible habit of barking at us to put her on the bathroom counter so she can get a drink from the faucet.  I believe I was the bad influence that taught her that when she was just a little puppy.  She used to like to watch me getting ready in the morning so I would put her on the counter top and the bad habit just blossomed from there.  Well, yesterday I put her on the counter and when she was done she came to the edge for me to pick her up and before I could get to her she fell off!  Poor thing was so embarrassed and I think a little mad at me for not catching her but thank goodness she wasn't hurt!

4.  I tried the new "shellac" (or "UV") nail polish that is supposed to last a minimum of two weeks without chipping or cracking.  Between each coat you put your hand under a UV light to set it.  I first heard about it from my stylist who had had it on for two weeks when I saw her and it still looked great.  She said she usually can't keep polish on for more than a day because she's always working with her hands so I decided I would give it a try.  It's a little more expensive than a normal manicure but I think it's definitely worth it.  Mine is still holding up very well and I've already received a compliment and I convinced that person to try it!

5.  I finished The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned, which are books 2 and 3 of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.  The books are so good!  Like my friend Sue said, they are not scary at all.  Rice's writing is so sensuous and captivating and I'm completely devouring her books.  I also appreciate how there is so much history contained within.  I can't wait to start book 4! 

Between now and when I can borrow book 4, I am going to read Crucial Conversation:  Tools for talking when stakes are high.  I attended an overview at work regarding this book and was very interested by what I learned.  A crucial conversation is a discussion between two or more people where stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.  These conversations - when handled poorly or ignored - can result in less than desirable results.  The teachings and tools of Crucial Conversations assist in working through those difficult conversations.  I'm excited to learn more and think this could be very helpful for my professional and personal life.