I'm Ready for August

Yes, I'm ready for August and I know that's blasphemy because it means more summer passing by but I'm ready for the ISU summer program to be done.   We've had major issues with getting approval for our t-shirts.   It is ridiculous to not have the t-shirts at this point of the program.   Some rules changed with use of the phrase 'Iowa State University' as well as the use of ISU colors.   Factor in the issue that the director of marketing has been traveling and not checking approvals and appeals.   When I called the office last week and to check on progress they were irritated I was calling but they were sitting on a decision for two weeks.  I also found issues with our accounting, primarily the amount paid for benefits for my employees.    Someone had coded some employees incorrectly in our system and they weren't listed as current students.   It makes a huge difference with the amount of benefits they receive...sigh.   I'm not sure who made the error because it's someone above me on the totem pole.   I am hoping for answers early this week as well as t-shirts being ready.

I wasn't 100% satisfied with the trip to Dubuque last weekend.   It could have been worse, and it could have been better.   I just don't feel equipped to deal with Dan's kids.   I am still toeing the line between what I can and cannot do with his kids.   I almost did lose my temper when on vacation but it didn't happen.   I'm just uneasy about things if we ever decide to progress and move in together.  I feel bad for Dan right now because he found out his ex had a man move in (unemployed) so he feels she's using his child support to support an adult.   I admit that passed through my mind too as that's another person eating food, using water, using electricity, etc.

I finished my Memoirs of a Geisha book and it was quite good.   I'm glad I randomly pulled it off my bookshelf and gave it a go.  I decided to try The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo one last time and I did progress further into the book.   I got past some of the more boring parts and now I'm into the main mystery.   I understand why the beginning is structured so blah-like as they need to set up three different story lines.   I'm just happy to finally get into the series as I've held off from seeing the movie.

It was nice to have LeAnn visit yesterday.   We went to the farmer's market in Des Moines (first time this year).   I was happy to get some cucumbers.   Yes, they have already been eaten.   We got some kohlrabi for Gavin too.   My ability to cut up kohlrabi sucks though as I cut myself trying to peel it and slice it for him.   I'm sure we'll go at least one more time this summer.   I was happy to see one Corgi too.   It was nice to play some tennis too.   I'm not happy with how sunburned I am despite wearing sunscreen.  

Movie-wise, we haven't watched much of our Netflix.   The following movies are from the past weeks:

"Focus"--it features Will Smith.   He's a con man.  He trains someone to help him (female) but ends up parting ways with her.    They find each other again in the future and it messes up another con he's working on.    It was decent.

"The Pianist"--it features Adrian Brody.   I'm actually shocked I haven't seen this movie before as it's similar to "Schindler's List".   It follows a man and his family.    He's a musician (hence the title of the movie).   It's a true story too so they tried to follow the man's story closely when making the movie.   Tough to watch, just like "Schindler's List".  It will likely be added to my Christmas list as it's a movie I'd like to own.    I told Gavin it solidified the fact we need to take a trip to Europe at some point and learn more about the war and Holocaust.

"The Reader"--features Kate Winslet.   A young woman seduces a younger boy/man but then suddenly disappears and suddenly ends the relationship.    He finds her years later when he's in law school as she's on trial for war crimes in WWII due to her involvement with the Nazi party.   She was a guard for a concentration camp.   The movie shows how they reconnect after her sentence.    I do want to read the book too.

"The Edge of Tomorrow"---features Tom Cruise.  It's a futuristic movie about an alien invasion.  I'm not usually a Tom Cruise fan but he did OK in this movie.   Due to exposure to a certain kind of alien, Tom Cruise cannot die but when is killed, he restarts his life again at the same spot.   After redoing the same time frame over and over again, he does figure out how the aliens can be beaten so he works toward that goal.   He finds someone else that has experienced the same non-dying issue too and she helps him.  

I guess that's enough of a update for now!