On being thankful...

It's easy this time of year for me to slide into depression. Whether it is actual Seasonal Affective Disorder, missing my friends and family or just your regular case of depression, it's easy for me to dwell on things. With this Thanksgiving, I was reminded of a few things that helps me pull my head of my ass.

Giving Thanks...

• I am thankful for a nice, warm place to live and sleep in
• I am thankful for my health
• I am thankful for friends who take me in and let me share Thanksgiving with their family
• I am thankful for employment
• I am thankful for being able to buy whatever food I want, whenever I want. The Vermont Food Bank is drastically low this year. Lots of that has to do with government assistance not being what it has been in the past. Food prices are high across the nation, so the government which usually buys overstock isn't. I got my company to do a food drive again this year. However, it seems that there are only a small handful of us donating when the company has 120 employees. I don't get that. I want to yell at the people and say "Can't you bring in ONE can of greenbeans or fruit? Instead of buying that $4 cup of coffee, how about spending it on 8-10 cans of food?
• I am thankful I have money to spend on eating out and movies
• I am thankful for my family and friends
• I am thankful for being able to live in a country where I can say George Bush sucks and not be thrown in jail (well, for now)
• I am thankful that I can go to church if I want
• I am thankful I can read and write
• I am thankful for my computer
• I am thankful for my cat, Tabby
• I am thankful I can hear and see
  

Sure, my life isn't what I thought it would be by now, but I have so much to be grateful for, the list above is only a little of what I have to be thankful for. I really need to work on the positive. It's so easy to be negative. There's a woman I hang out with from time to time who has got to be one of the most negative people I have met. She is smart and funny and a few years older than I am. Those are some of main reasons I hang out with her. However, her negativity is getting on my nerves. She has problems with men, her family, her job etc. (Who doesn't?) I don't think I can hang out with her very much anymore. It's too much for me, especially when I am dealing with my own depression. I know some of you reading this blog know who she is, or know people like her. I have suggested she get professional help, but she's not game to do that. I have told her that both of us need to work on being more positive at work, and though she agrees, she has so much anger and frustration it still comes out during work. When I got written up right after my vacation, my anger was one of the only things on the list that I agreed I needed to really work on. I don't hate my job (most of the time). If I did, I would quit. Maybe that's what she needs to do. Sigh. It's frustrating.

How are YOUR gas prices?

Check out this site to see what gas prices are looking like in your area or anywhere in the USA. It's pretty cool.

If you know a cat...

This is a really funny clip from YouTube.

Another excuse, New building issues, and Toilet Nightmares...

Yeah. I still haven't posted any new updates about my trip. That is my goal for the weekend to do a little catch up. That's my plan, and I *hope* I stick to it. Work has been busy and when I get home at night, I don't want to be on a computer. (There. That's my excuse.)

We moved into a new building. Picture Costco or Home Depot but with pods and cubicles. Well, they aren't really cubicles. They are more like space dividers. The acoustics are dreadful. I can hear Scott who sits three feet from me, but not Carrie who sits 15. But I can hear in muffled tones, people 30 + feet away. There is still construction going on and as a result, dust. Ick. My allergies are in flames. But the comfort is I am not alone. One of the sort of neato things here is that since we are a green-friendly building, there is water conservation in the bathrooms. There is an up for smaller deposits and down (flush) for larger ones. However, some people still don't really understand that. I am going to start blogging about TOILET NIGHTMARES. Of course, these toilets aren't the worst I have seen and been near, but there is a basic hygiene that some people don't seem to follow when it comes to the bathroom.

That is what is going on for now. I have a cold and feel like crap. I went home an hour early yesterday (oooh! what a slacker! an hour!) and I might do the same today. My Client Aimless has a couple of sites to launch and they are having a slight meltdown over some minor issue. Sigh. The life of a working stiff.

Happy Birthday Roald Dahl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROALD DAHL!

To find out about Roald Dahl, click on the image above or check out what the wikipedia has to say: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl

Author of James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and many, many other great books!

Easter Europe 2007 - The beginning

At the end of last year, my brother asked me if I would like to go with him and some of his students to Eastern Europe - for FREE. How could I turn that down? The only thing I would be responsible for would be lunches and souvenirs. How sweet is that? So... months passed. I turned in my vacation request and before I knew it, it was July and time for me to go!

Preparation and Flight in the USA

I usually overpack, so this time I was pretty good about packing only what was necessary. I managed to pack most of my suitecase before 1am on the morning of my trip. I even caught a few hours of sleep. As I wasn't leaving until the early afternoon, I was able to hitch a ride to WW with Carrie and then she took me to the airport. I arrived at the airport in excellent time, checked in and iTuned out until it was time to board. We flew on a US Air flight to Chicago. I had about three hours to kill, so I freshened up and grabbed some food, found my flight and waited. The next part of the journey was the longest.

Lufthansa - Airline service at it's best!

I switched carriers in Chicago and was on a Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany. When I borded the plane, I hoped my seat didn't have any people next to me, that way I could stretch out and maybe get some sleep. I sat down on the aisle seat in the middle row. A man sat on the far end of my middle row. I was relieved as passengers loaded and nobody sat between us. I even said a prayer asking God that if he was going to put somebody next to me, please be it a small bodied person. Then it happened. Two attendents came over and asked the man to move up so a really large man and his tiny wife could sit in my row. The large man needed a seat and a half so his tiny wife sat next to me. Though she smelled heavily of musky perfume, I thought it was so much better than if it had been body oder. This flight was about 12 hours long, so there were a few dumb movies and lots of good food. The flight attenants brought around snacks and dinner. The dinner was cordon bleu with veggies and rolls. They poured wine and we dined like kings and queens. After they cleared the dinner, they came around again with brandy or Bailey's. Who am I to pass on that?

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After that, there were moments of intermittent sleep followed by iTunes and reading. I was super tired, but couldn't really go into a pleasant, deep slumber. I got up a couple of times for a bathroom break and stretching my legs.

When we got to Frankfurt, I checked into customs, which took no time at all. I waited about two hours before boarding the next plane (also on Lufthansa) to Berlin.

Clean, chic - Frankfurt airport

One thing that struck me as very interesting was that though there is generally no smoking throughout the airport in Frankfurt and Berlin, there were these smoking sections that people were huddled around. Even in the wee hours of the morning, people were lighting up.

After waiting for a bit in Frankfurt, I boarded a much smaller plane to Berlin. This one had a 2-4-2 combination. I was again in the aisle of one of the 2 seater sections and had a neighbor from Russia who slept during the 1.5 hour flight.

All in all, this was going really well. Sure the flight was super long and I lost a whole day by traveling. But I was about to embark on a great adventure and see things I had only seen in movies, tv and books. Plus I was going to see my brother again, meet new people and see my dad who I hadn't seen since last fall.

When I arrived in Berlin, it took about 15 minutes for me to get my bags. I walked out and was met by Maggie, our tour guide. I recognized her from a photo my brother had sent out to our group. She was a petite brunette with a warm, friendly face and a huge smile. She is Polish and speaks three languages - Polish, German and English. She was so welcoming, I felt right at home.

No more g-store

Sad, but true. I quit the g-store because my job at Company X is stressful and I need to focus my energies on making it better. I turned in my two weeks' notice at the g-store, which is the only proper thing to do. What did they do? They cut me a week early. I suppose I should be thankful, but I thought it was a little rude of them considering how under staffed they are. Oh well. I will pick it up again if/when things calm down at Company X.

I had a great experience working at the g-store and it has prompted me to write a screenplay. Deffinately worth the time I spent there!

Bad blogger, bad....

Sadly, I have practically fallen off the face of the blogging. That is in part because I don't have internet connection at home. Also, I have been in client-project hell, then I was also out of the country for a few weeks.

I have also recently had some trouble at work and felt that I needed to restrict my blog to friendly folk. I might lift the restricted access ban, but for now, I feel it is in my best interest to hve it. Of course, I am writing this at work now and probably have some kind of tracker on my computer documenting my every click. It will be better once I get my DSL at home, which I am hoping happens in the next few weeks....

So much to blog about.... work, Europe, movies, reading, life. I promise I will resume writing soon. Thanks for your patronage and keep on checking in!

Simpsons movie premiere in Vermont?

That's right, folks. Lil' ol' Vermont town of Springfield is the official premiere spot for "The Simpsons Movie." It makes me proud to live in this state.

Smattering of pictures

Okay. I have been really lame and not posted pictures from CA or several events this year. So here are a few. More to come when I actually have time.

CA - Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D with

Alex, Tiffany, Melissa, (me), Doug and Steve K.

CA - Why I want to be there right now... Pacific Ocean, Ventura.

Fast Forward to March...a party at Stephanie's. Things happen at parties like...

Taking pictures of each other...

Getting down with the Mario Dance Party...

"Hey Let's paint toenails!" becomes...

"Let's draw on people!" which becomes...

It was a blast of fun. It's been months since we have broken out the Mario Dance Party. I am looking forward to more fun this summer. But maybe no more drawing on people. Though it was really funny.

Aimless - oh how the the world turns....

So after feeling rather shmucky, I ended up baking cookies for DG and gave him a note of thanks and appology. I think it's all better and I won't do that ever again to him. Lesson learned.

Yesterday (Happy July 4th today, by the way) I had a big shocker. In the morning, I spoke with Rep C and we went over some issues. He and I felt that we needed to talk to his boss about Rep J's lack of support. An HOUR later, I get an email saying Rep C was terminated!! OMIGAWD.

• What happend?
• Does this mean I now have to work all the time with Rep J?
• Am I going to be removed from the project?

I soon spoke with Rep C (and Rep J)'s boss, S said that Rep C was let go because he just didn't meet the expectations of this project. (I found that to be a little bit pathetic, but said nothing.) Then I got a call from Rep J. He pretty much said the same thing then started bossing me around and telling me what I need to do to make them happy.

Later that day... Rep C calls me to thank me for the good work I did on his project. He had a different version of what happened. He said that S and Rep J are childhood friends and when Rep C told Rep J he was insane, Rep J lost it. Called S to get Rep C fired. In any event, Rep C is gone and there is a new guy, Mini Rep J. What's with these people getting lackies that have the same name? My first two conversations with Mini Rep J went well, though Rep J was on the second call and was rude, obnoxious and had all kinds of things to say.

What a fun time I am going to have now!

Aimless venting

Client Aimless is a growing pain in the ass. Rep J (the bad cop) hates email, so he calls me with alarmist issues. Rep C (the good cop) is stuck in the middle with needing to take care of his company's objectives and not being an ass.

We decided at the end of last week that the outstanding issues should be fixed by the end of today (Monday.) There were a few issues that I had tasked out to various parties. When I came in on Sunday, I found a few more. With 14-19 sites to launch using new technology, there is bound to be some issues. I also had a gigantic list of about 320 domains that needed some zones created, but it needed more detail in order to task it out to Domain Guy. Today really sucked. I told Domain Guy that I would have his stuff by 2:30. Here's a long summary of my afternoon and chat with DG.

3 - 4pm - I finalize the list and assign it to DG
4:00 - DG reports there is no way to get it done in an hour. I said if he can't stay later do the main ones and we can see if somebody else can do it. (in the meantime, I chatted his boss to let him know that I sent in a task waaaay late. Boss chats me back that DG will do it anyhow.) He said he would see how far he can get. I tell him to let me know by 5 how he is.
5-5:30 - I am talking with Rep J about his "issues"
5:40-5:45 - Client Aimless (Rep C) tells me that because Rep J found "issues", they won't launch today. [WHAT THE HELL?]
5:46 - I check on DG. His response: it's still f$%&ing going [Can you sense a little irritation?]
5:49 - I told him they weren't launching and he should just go. He feels it's too late.
5:50 - 5:57 - me: I am sorry about this. I know how bad it is to throw things so late in the day.
DG: 320 domains, come on.. i honestly cannot believe you had me stay to do this when they're not even launching today...
5:57 me: I JUST found that out. I didn't think they would suddenly change their minds... I am pissed at them, and you can/are rightfully pissed at me too
5:58 DG: you hit that one right on the head

In 10 more minutes he was finished and logged off. I can only think of two things to do... 1. Appologize with a gift card or something and 2. Never do it again. I KNOW I am not the only person who has done this, granted I am probably the only person who gave him so many domains to do. That's no excuse, and I realize that. I still fee like a shmuck and am really pissed that Rep J put the kabash on the whole damn thing because he overreacted to some "issues" he found with the sites. Totally overreacted.

The darker side of me is also a little annoyed that DG nor his boss said "nope. we ain't doing yer shit because you couldn't give it to us sooner."(which is totally the case.) Yeah, I did crap on him, which wasn't cool. I have had people complain to me about other co-workers doing the same thing and how much it sucks. I don't try to be one of those "crap-on-you" people, which is one reason I work 15 hours a day on big projects like this. Nobody said "No," so I let it ride, becoming "that" person.

I appreciate that he got it done before he left. But I think it will be a long time before he stops being pissed at me.

Client Aimless - beginning to suck the life outta me...

Client Aimless... They are completely a mini-version of last year's Client Flintstone. I am sure I said this before. They aren't nearly as demanding as Rep N, but they have lots of things going on and spread out the information in pieces.

Getting the information I need in pieces is hurting my ADD brain. Besides that, I am beginning to get vacation on the brain. I have vacation in a week and a day and I just want all the projects out and done. I don't think Client Aimless will ever be done. Besides the 22 sites I am working on now, I will have 30 coming soon.

Idiot teachers

I have many friends in the teaching profession. But every so often, a school will get one winner of a teacher. A priceless jewel. I don't know if this is real or not, but it is pretty funny.

Would you ever...

Okay, I have so much to blog about but don't really have time right now. I still want to post pics from LAST FALL when I went to CA. I have oodles to tell about the month of May and June. I went to Austin, I had a surprise bday party. Jasime and Aladdin broke up. So much to say. However, there is something on my mind at the moment. One of those "would you ever..." moments....

If you were in a bathroom (public or at a home not your own) and you saw an early pregnancy test kit in the trash can, would you check it to see the results? Even if you didn't know the woman who left it?

I have to confess, I did check. Before you gross out, I didn't touch the stick with my hand. That's gross. I was at the g-store and there was a kit in the trash (most likely stolen). The stick said NO BABY. Good for them?

Austin report coming soon and g-store finding...

I was in Austin all last week and will have pictures and stories to report, but don't have time today to do it.

I also wanted to let you readers know that I had a little bet with one of the g-store guys about whether or not he could find my blog. Sure enough, he did. From his perspective I have some of the facts wrong on the happenings there. I would add editorial notes if he lets me know where the errors are. However, this blog is from my point of view so if things are a little misconstrued, do I really need to worry about it? I do try to be cautious when naming people so as to not incriminate them or me (too much.)

They have also cut my hours at the g-store which makes me sad. Less fodder for my stories. Sad. Very sad.

Friday night movies, the weekend and getting sick...

So, last Friday night was Pirate of the Caribbean with a bunch of people. I really enjoyed the movie. There wasn't nearly enough Johnny Depp in there for me, but I was glad to see what I did of him. There were some really funny parts. There was one moment which harkended back to memories of the ride at Disneyland when the screen went black. I think I was one of the only people in the audience who laughed out loud. I think for a three-parter, it was overall a good trilogy, unlike so many others.

Saturday I started about doing some errands. Everything was going splendidly when I made the decision to go get an oil change at Jiffy Lube. While I was there, I made the mistake of getting my coolant adjusted/flushed. After I paid I got into my car and noticed the coolant light was on. I told the guy and he told me to bring it back around and he would refill it. I did. He did. I then drove around for about 20 more minutes making a couple of errand stops before I noticed the temperature gague was moving beyond HOT (past the red zone). The heater was producing no heat. I turned around and went back to Jiffy Lube. They assessed and couldn't find anything wrong. I called a tow truck and the guy said he thought it was my water pump. Of course, towing the car (thanks AAA) was free. But being that my car trouble fell on a three day weekend, the shop wouldn't be open until Tuesday. I had a nice walk home. The weather was great and it was nice to see people out and about.

Later that night, Amanda called me to come and meet up with her at Auggie's Island Grille. Dan and Amanda's b-friend Scott (ME) was there. We had a great time talking and was later joined briefly by Scott (VT). It was so nice that Amanda thought to call me! I had a nice walk to downtown, which made me appreciate where I lived even more than normal. It's a nice stroll to downtown B-town. I am looking forward to walking to work more. I digress.... Onto the rest of the weekend....

So, being without a car, I had cut short my plans and errands for the weekend. I had planned on working (catching up before vacation and Sunday at the gstore.) With Stephanie having guests in town and Carrie and Heidi living 10-15 miles away, I didn't feel like I could call them to ask for a ride to the g-store. However, new friend Jen, was available. I bought her lunch and she took me to work AND picked me up! After that, we went to a co-worker's house in St. Albans for a little bbq and games. While several people were trashed or rapidly intoxicated, Jen and I didn't drink. It was entertaining watching one of my co-workers putting the moves on Pierre who was also pretty drunk and trying to make the moves on several of us. Then SHE got pissed because she felt he was giving her mixed signals and decided the drinking wasn't working for her. (Why is he flirting with me one second and everybody else the next? Why did he move seats - to across the way? I thought we were flirting and getting along so well.) Jen drove me home and I think I was asleep by 2am.

Monday - I woke up feeling icky. Throat and head were stuffed up and achy. Maybe it was the rain, damp air and smoking from last night. Maybe it was being overworked and finally running out of steam. Either way, I was sick. Great considering I was leaving for Austin in the morning. I didn't do much during the day other than rejecting two Memorial Day parties. I HAD to go to the office. I went in in the late afternoon (nice, slow walk) and worked until about 8:30pm. I didn't get enough done, but I was glad I made the time.

I was up until 12:am trying to get things prepared for my trip. (Austin details coming soon.)

Why I love movies...

Happy 30th Anniversary, Star Wars! It was movies like this that inspired me to get into film. And guys like this that made me want to date bad boys. I remember when the first Star Wars movie came out I was in 4th grade. I saw it 14-16 times that summer. It was the most amazing movie I had ever seen.



Though there aren't any sub-titles on Greedo's lines, this is how the scene REALLY was before Georgie decided to change Han Solo's personality. I love HS. Sigh. He's so dreamy and violent!

I would also like to throw out some shout outs to my peeps in LA, especially the ones crazy enough to go participate in the Star Wars party this weekend. A little bit of me wishes I was there

Chick things...

...so if you are uncomfortable reading about chick things, come back another time.


I just really have one thing to say. I would like to take an opportunity to say that cramps suck. I would like to be in bed with a heating pad but I can't because I have work to do. Damn these cramps.

Here's a on-the-spot poem:

CRAMPS

Punching
Sloshing
Beating my body like you drill into cement
BAM!
BAM!

Kicking
Pounding
My body buckles under the pressure
POW!
POW!

Drifting
Gliding
The torture passes I am free
KABOOM!

(I know. It's quite brilliant. You are probably sitting back astounded at the depth and intelligence in that poem.)

Client Aimless = Mini-Client Flintstone

By now I should just realize that when it is May at Company X, I will undoubtedly get a big ass client that will cause me to go insane. Client Aimless is that. Why? Allow me to list a couple of reasons.

1. They are a huge-ass client that is and will (if we do well with this) give us big business. That means they are paying $ and have the attitude that because they are paying bucko bucks they can get whatever they want.

2. The package (like Client Flintstone) was either sold with promises of things we would do for them that we really can't or aren't client ready or the client blew things out of proportion from what they 'thought' they were getting and now we are rushing to get things done in an unrealistic amount of time.

3. We have new tools that aren't fully functional that not only I am using but the client uses too. I haven't even worked with the tool before. I can't show the client how to use it because I don't know how to use it. Plus there are problems with it and I can't do certain things because either I don't have the right access or because that part of the tool isn't functional yet. I think it makes us look bad when things don't work right and they client and I are scratching our heads trying to figure out how to make it work.

4. I can't handle multi-tasking. Just because I have a touch of ADD and shift subjects doesn't mean I can handle multi-tasking.

5. I have other clients

In any event, here is a client I am working 12 hours a day with and am pulling out my hair to get things done. I can't delegate because nobody else has time either. Several of us have huge projects. I am probably blowing the whole thing out of proportion. This project isn't nearly as bad as Client Flintstone of 2006 was. There is a huge amount of work the client and I have to do to make it work. It will get done. And the client has been pretty reasonable so far. I told them at the beginning of the project that I would disappoint them. I would let them down. I would fail them. We had a good laugh and I think that got us off on a good foot.

Big news - Company X is moving!!

It has been officially made public that Company X is moving office space. Not just moving, but moving across the street to what will be a swanky, environmentally friendly building. Ranging from soy-based paints to lots of natural lighting and maybe solar or wind power, it will be one of the most eco-friendly buildings in Vermont. In addition to that, we are going to have a cafe with organic food (no soda), a gym, tennis court, showers, ping pong tables and one-on-one basketball court. It's all about health and wellness.

I have already challenged the Big Enchilada to a doubles match. No, I don't play tennis and have already told him that I know he will cream us, but it will be fun. I am also working him on getting a lap pool. He thinks it's a good idea. Now if we can just get him to add that into the budget....

It's great getting speedy service...

I had a problem yesterday with my latest group Client Aimless and a specific site that wasn't working with our tools. It was near the end of the day and I was getting frustrated. I had already bugged it but I have a really short timeline on getting this project done and wanted immediate fixes. So I went upstairs and found Jai. Jai is one of the heads of our technology team. He's a super busy guy, but he took the time to address and fix my issue. I really appreciated that. I hate throwing last minute things at people especially when I believe that for most people "your emergency is not necessarily my priority" and he could have told me to wait until today to address it. Our tools may not always work well here at Company X, but there are certainly some good people here.

(Also he's a new reader to my blog and I haven't ever written about him. ha ha)

BREAKING NEWS: Aladdin and Jasmine NO MORE

This just in...

There I was, sitting in the break room of the g-store minding my own business. PL is sitting with JL discussing the latest in g-store news.

PL: You know why Jasmine never showed up to work?
JL: Yeah, because she called me at 2am because she was afraid to come into work.
Me: Afraid? Why?
JL: Because she and Aladdin broke up.
Me: WHAT? No Way!
JL: Yup.
PL: Yeah, she was emailing me that she was looking for something else. Something new. She wants more in the relationship and Aladdin wouldn't let her hang out with her friends and let her go out. He wanted her all to himself.
JL: She called me to say that she was afraid of how Aladdin would be at work since they had just broken up, so she didn't call into work. Just ditched.

Ah, to be in high school again. How sweet it is. Though it is sad that the Aladding and Jasmine saga is probably over, she is a wild one and makes her way around the store so I am sure there will be other stories of Jasmine. I wonder if any of it had to do with me telling Jasmine that I thought her b-friend looked really cool with the eye liner? ha ha ha

I am about to embark on a write a script in a month task and feel that the g-store is the perfect subject.

It's 3am - you can't sleep. BAKE COOKIES!

I had some caffeine when I went to dinner at Elissa's last night. We had a delightful dinner and chat. I even caught some of the Red Sox game.





Then I went home, watched a little TV and was in bed by 11:30ish.





Then I stayed awake. I got up and wrote for a little bit and tried sleeping again, to no avail. So I decided to do something.

If you can't sleep, bake cookies!

Thank you, IRS

In 2004, I was a 1099-er and forgot to take money out for my new job with Company X. As a result, I screwed myself with the IRS. It took them a year and a half to catch up with me. After months of going back and forth on how much I owed, I got the final bill. Only $1378!! Yipppee!!

Thanks to my 2006 tax return, I only have to pay the IRS about $800 now. They took the rest.

Thank you IRS!

He's just not into you...

I was watching an episode of "Sex in the City" where the ladies are out to dinner discussing a recent date Miranda had. The date dropped her off at the doorstep with an excuse of having something to do early the next morning. Miranda's friends gave her words of encouragement, but Carrie's date told her "He's just not into you." Sure it was blunt and it may not be true in every situation, but it was a good tv show moment.

He's just not into you.


Ain't that the truth. Sigh.

Songs that remind me of way back when...

Recently, I was listening to a song by The Carpenters. If you have no idea who they are, check them out here. Anyhow, the song was "Close To You". It reminded me of a time when I was in high school and I was a girl who was very easily infatuated and sort of "stalked" guys. You know what I am talking about - you find out their class schedule, where they live, what they like to do for fun. Who do they hang out with? How can you be in the area without them really seeing you, but seeing you at the same time?

LGH was my true stalker-lust for my junior and senior years in high school. Though I did stalk-like another, he was in college during those years which didn't afford me much stalking time. Anyhow the song goes on about how the world is entranced with the person that is the center of the singer's affections. Stars, birds, moondust and other chicks stalking the love interest. Nice. That's pretty much what it was about for me too. LGH did have blond hair and blue eyes. My friends knew I had a major crush on him, though I think I denied it many times. I even went as far as to toilet paper his house to show my affection.

Ah, those were the days. Maybe that's what I should do now? All I need is somebody to lust.

Nothing but the negatives

Glum, tired, whiney, depressed, angry, annoyed, frustrated, apathetic, sad, discontented, gloomy, selfish, bitter, moaning, pathetic, bothered, irritated, irrational, stressed, achy, void, vacant, repressed, unimpressed.

blech. blah. boo. hmpf.

gray, charcoal, brown, black

dark clouds. sleet. snow. blizzard. ice. mud.

war. death. taxes.

$7 lunch? Reasons why I need to change my diet...

From left to right top row: Minute Maid Cran-Apple-Rasberry juice (25% juice, 60g sugar), lemon bar

From left to right middle row: chocolate-peanut butter thingy, chocolate-maple sugar roundette

From left to right bottom row: Dublin Irish cheddar, Cabot Cheddar, roll

Um... uh... not exactly healthy, eh? Not a single veggie and even the "fruit" is questionable. And for this I paid $7? Holy mother of mercy.

Touch Test... 1, maybe 2?

Yesterday was really low on the Touch Test meter. I remember touching HB's arm at lunch. There might have been another touch here or there in my department, but that was it. I expect more tonight at the g-store.

So far today, I am at zero with touches.

Aladdin and Jasmine - no more evil eyes?

When I worked at the g-store Tuesday night, I had a chat with Checkout Supervisor Sally. I asked CSS how things went down with Jasmine. I had heard she had a talkin' to. I will paraphrase the conversation she had with Jasmine.

CSS: About the other night... Do you think you did anything wrong?
Jasmine: No, but MHS shouldn't have sent me home.
CSS: So, you don't think taking a 55 minute break was wrong?
Jasmine: No.
CSS: Would you have done that when I was working?
Jasmine: Of course not.
CSS: So why did you do it when MHS was in charge? She did what she had to do. What do you think the consequence should be for your action?
Jasmine: Uh, I could do carts? [Ed note: "carts" refers to getting shopping carts in the parking lot, which is a normal task required of employees.]
CSS: Are you serious? That is something you should be doing anyhow. I could tell you to do that right now. Even cleaning the bathroom is part of your normal job.

So, CSS told me that I shouldn't have any problems from Jasmine or Aladdin for that matter. I mentioned his "evil glances" and she said to let her know if it was happening again. ha ha ha ha

What not to say when somebody has been ill...

A co-worker who was out sick a couple of days just had an odd conversation with another co-worker. I thought it was worthy to blog.

Friend: wow, ODDBALL* is such a sweet girl
Friend: i just ran into her in the bathroom and she was like "whoa, are you ok?"
Friend: to which i replied, "yes, i've just been sick, i'm not quite myself yet"
Friend: and she goes "oh. ok. .... did you just throw up?"
Friend: me: "uh, no."
Friend: her: "oh, cause you look like you just threw up."
Friend: me internally: "wow, thanks bitch, that was a great way to tell me i look like shit!" me externally: "nope."
Me: ohmigawd
Me: what the hell?
Me: I need to see this for myself
*ODDBALL - changed to protect her identity

NOTE: Friend looked fine. A little tired, but fine. What kind of person says "...you look like you just threw up?"

Touch Test Day 4 - and the G-Store - more with Aladdin and Jasmine

Touch Test: Day 4 unveiled itself with 0 in the morning (I left Megan's and went home for a nap.) By the end of the shift at the g-store, there were 3 hugs/back pats (Caity, Jen's b-friend) and several customer-passing bags, reciepts kind of thing. That is hard to guage without a clicker. Maybe I should get a counter to see if that really ups the stakes. I would have to say the touching was less than 10.

As for the g-store drama.... I checked with one of the supervisors about Jasmine's behavior problem from last week. She reported that Jasmine was sternly talked to and written up. This is not good for Jasmine. But hopefully it will teach her to be more timely. I am not looking to get her fired, but I can't take her bad behavior anymore. Talking to her hasn't done any good in the past, but maybe being written up will. As for Aladdin, he's a piece of work. During my shift, I would get the evil glances. When I approached the breakroom, Aladdin and Jasmine were in there. She saw me and said something to Aladding. He whipped his head around to sneer at me. I made a point of avoiding them while I was in there. I didn't need to worry too much, because they left soon after I arrived. When I went to sit down, I was facing the store floor. I glanced around as I began to sit down. I could see Jasmine and Aladdin walking down the stairs and go over to the elevator area to steal a kiss (they do this all the time.) He saw me ( I swear I was just glancing around and not stalking them) and grabbed her hand. Just before they disappeared behind a row, he glanced up to see if I was watching. Of course I was! After his dramatic flare of whisking her away!

I don't know if they are working to night, but it should be interesting....

Touch Test Day 3 - Star Wars party and WW

Before I mention the Touch Test, here's pretty much my Saturday story.
I went to WW in the morning and weighed in. It wasn't good. So what did I do next?

I went to Megan's house where she was having a Star Wars weekend and ate.
And ate.
And ate.
But before all of the eating of food I didn't need to eat.... When I arrived, they were watching the Clone Wars cartoon series. There was a friend of Megan's and her brothers and nephew and niece. Eventually my friends from Company X showed up, but they weren't very interested in watching the movies. They opted for playing games and puzzles. I continued my eating binge and watched Episodes 3-6. Thankfully Megan is from the same purist school I am as far as Episodes 4-6 go. We watched the originals. Not the enhanced versions. It was nice. I stayed the night, though didn't get much sleep between the house sounds and hard floor. (I am such a princess that way.) I left before breakfast and went to the g-store.

Touch Test: Day 3
The morning slid by with no physical contact from anybody. When I got to Megan's the test was deffinately in full force. Huggers and kids. Touch happens. I hadn't seen Amanda in ages, so there were about 4-6 touch moments from her alone. There were a few others. I think from DK 2 (hello and goodbye). We had a visit from Darth Vader and Boba Fett, and Ember (the niece) needed me to hold her hand 2x. In a rough estimate, I would say there were about 15 touches, with a third of them being hugs.

Jasime and Aladdin - Drama at the g-store

I arrived at the g-store about 10 minutes to 7pm. When I got into the breakroom, I saw Jasmine and Aladdinon their way there as well. Once they got inside, I took a glance at the clock on the wall and on my phone. It was 6:53. I clocked in and got downstairs at 7pm. I checked the schedule to see when Jasmine was due back. It said 7pm. Now, I don't care if people take a 20 minute break. It always takes a couple of minutes to get to the breakroom and back, especially if you have to buy snacks. Even with Jasmine, who is notoriously late, I have no problems with a 20 minute break. But she's been talked to before. She knew she had to relieve somebody so they could take their break. One of the clerks asked me if she should be paged. I said, "No. She knows when she is suppose to be back. Let's see what she does." After about 15 minutes, I could see her at the end of the store talking to her mother who works in another department. Jasime could see me watching her. I did nothing. I figured Jasmine would eventually come back. And she did. 40 minutes after her break had been over!

While Jasmine was gabbing with Aladdin and her mom, I asked the PM if I could send Jasmine home for being late. The PM fully supported my decision. So, when Jasmine came back, I pulled her aside to talk to her. I said, "Jasmine, I am really bothered by something. You are 40 minutes late from your break. Because of this, I need you to clock out and go home." She looked at me with almost a vacant expression and said,"Oh. Okay." Jasmine promptly turned around and clocked out.

Aladdin finds out and is furious with me. He finds the PM and yells at her to fire me. FIRE ME? ARE YOU KIDDING? Here's a rough interpretation of what happened:
Aladdin: You've got to do something about MHS.
PM: What are you talking about?
Aladdin: You've got to fire her.
PM: Fire her? For what?
Aladding: Because she sent Jasmine home. You have more authority than she does. Fire her.
PM: No. I am not going to fire her.
Aladding: But she can't do that!
PM: Yes she can. Every department runs differently. She came to me about it, and I fully support her decision.
Aladdin: But can't you tell Jasime to just clock back in and work in my department?
PM: No. She doesn't work when she is here, and I can't and won't do that.
(Aladdin storms away, but returns shortly.)
Aladdin: I am going to tell HR on her. She can't do that.
PM: It won't do you any good.
(Aladding huffs off in anger, only to return again.)
Aladdin: I know what MHS's problem is. She's jealous.
PM: Excuse me?
Aladdin: She's jealous because she doesn't have anybody to hug or cuddle during her breaks.

(ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?)

Touch Test - Day One - Part 2; Day 2 the noon report

I started to forget about the Touch Test at the g-store. However, I would say I probably had about 10-12 "touch" moments between passing change to customers, taking their discount cards, and a pat on the shoulder or arm here and there. No hugs. Just brief touch moments. Stay tuned for more.

As of this posting, I touched KS 2-3 times on the shoulder or arm. I have to say he's an easy target as he sits right next to me. That's it though. Nothing else

Touch Test - Day 1

Have you ever noticed how often you touch or are touched by people? The passing of change to a waiter, the fingers touch. Patting a friend on the back. Hugging your mom/dad/friend. I read a study ages ago in a Glamour-esque magazine that conducted a test with a few women around the world. They reported for a week how often they interacted (touched or were touched). The results as far as I remember, was that the Japanese woman was touched the least, whereas the woman from Mexico was touched the most. The Americans were divided by their ethnic backgrounds - the Italian-American got lots of hugs and touches, but the English-American didn't.

So, here's my test. Yesterday I touched people. No return touches. KS = 3x (poking at him 2x, slap 1x). RF = 1x (he doesn't like the hugging thing, so I poked him in the arm.)

I think I will do this for a week to see how often it happens. If you are a co-worker reading this, don't try to upset the test. If you are not normally touchy with me, don't start now. :-) I am just curious to see what happens.

Best Beer Town - in the world. Burlington near top!

This just in... Burlington, Vermont is deemed one of the best beer towns in the WORLD. Wait until you read the cities it beat out. I can't believe it. OMIGAWD.

I am a hamster...

...running on a wheel of stupidity and forgetfulness.

Why?

Because I want to help Company X be a better company, but I feel they don't want to listen to my ideas and suggestions. I like to contribute my ideas. But I keep getting shut down. However, it works if customers complain about the same thing I complained about before they finally listen. I am an idiot. I forget that I have been through this time and time and TIME before with Company X, yet I keep offering up my suggestions only to have them dusted under the carpet. Why do I keep doing that? It's not that I am a masochist. I DO want Company X to succeed. I want it to be the best X of it's kind out there.

Sigh. It just gets really frustrating. And that I keep on doing it over and over again is lame.

I am a hamster on a wheel of stupidity and forgetfulness.

Things that go bump in the night...

I have trouble sleeping. There are several reasons why.

1. I stay up too late
2. I sleep on a matress on the floor, which isn't the most comfortable
3. My cat Sammy, the bulemic, keeps me up or gets me up
4. Dust
5. Sounds on the street (snow plows, neighbors, birds)
6. Health (my weight, nasal passages, allergies etc.)

With that said, I toss and turn throughout the night. I will wake up, turn over, sleep. I will wake up, be thirsty, get a drink (by the bed) and sleep. Cat jumps on me, I wake up, push cat off, sleep. Sometimes I talk in my sleep. But last night, I woke up at 5am hearing a building door slam shut. In my haze, I thought it was my landlord either opening the door or coming in (I am upstairs from them and we have a connecting door.) I opened my eyes and said something like, "I'll be right there. Hold on a second!" I had the full intension of getting out of bed to open the door for them, or whoever it was. But I promptly fell back asleep. Freakin' weird. I heard about people on some medication who sleep drive. That would be me, I know it.

April showers bring what - SNOW, did you say?

It's April. It's suppose to bring showers of RAIN, not SNOW. What the heck? Being the flatliner or whatever they call those of us from out of state, I thought that maybe we were over the snow.

Nope. Still snowing. This is what I woke up to. Sure, it's mostly slush now, but it is deffinately snowing. Has been almost all day.

Please come soon Mr. Sunshine. I need you. We need you. Stephanie told me that her dad remembers an entire year where it snowed every month. If that happens, I am moving immediately.

How I love Target

Saturday, I drove about 2 hours to Target in New York. Vermont is the only state besides ALASKA and HAWAII that doesn't have a Target store. What kind of backwards place is this to not have a freakin' TARGET? They have Evil Walmart here, but not a TARGET?

Anyhow, back to my story. I picked up Stephanie and we had a delightful drive down Vermont, across to New York and down a bit just before Saratoga Springs. There was a nice sized mall, where the lovely Target lives. We walked through it to get to the food court. There, before us, was an Arby's (yet ANOTHER company not in Vermont) where I endulged my senses with a Beef 'n' Chedder. It was so delicious. We walked around the mall for a bit before reaching our destination.

Why drive over an hour and a half to a store that has merchandise similar to a Walmart or Kmart? Because it is SIMILAR but NOT the same. Target has much better prices and quality than either of those places. Plus it is a little bit of home for me. I spent about $150, which was about what I expected to spend. I managed to get some necessary things and some treats. I also got a baby present for my friend Sarah's new son, Logan. That was a good score. We had a great drive back. Stephanie and I have very compatible tastes in music and her Ipod was a nice treat.

Oh, how I love Target. Sigh.

A few nice things from last week...

In seeing how gloomy I get, I thought for the moment, I would remember a few nice things from last week.

1. My department not only reached our monthy goal, but exceeded it by over $20k!
2. My clients who I thought would be PO because I billed them though they weren't launched didn't get PO'd.
3. I saw a few good movies
4. I went to a Tupperware-like party hosted by one of my G-store peeps, Sofia. It was nice to get out and about. Afterwards, I went to dinner with Jenny and Caity from the G-store. We had a really good time. I am hoping to go out with them again.
5. My cat, Sammy the Bulemic, only barfed once this week
6. The sun shone brightly 2x this week
7. DPW (Double Punch Wednesdays) was good
8. I had a nice venting session or two with co-workers
9. I did my dishes
10. I played Mario games with Stephanie and ate Chinese food

A few random things mixin' it up...

1. Aladdin from the g-store has taken to wearing eye liner and really tight pants. His inspirations? Green Day's Billie Joe and Glam Rock. PLEASE!
2. I have cramps.
3. This is going to be a long week
4. Anna Nicole Smith's accidental OD was not accidental. Come on people, she was depressed. Had been taking these meds for weeks, if not months. She KNEW what the damn dosage was. Accidental? My ass!
5. It's going to be a long week.
6. Yesterday was a really lovely sunny day and our bowling team won.

You can't take it with you...

A friend of mine recently had to go to Ireland to help her mom go through her recently departed aunt's house. Here's an excerpt of her letter.

"Mom and I went to Dublin to clean out my aunt's house-- f@#$%* unbelievable!! she never threw ANYTHING away, i found her braids from when she was 13, I found an unopened package mailed from Belfast to the family's house in the country in 1931!!! oh my god! hundreds of wet naps, hundreds of keys, old wigs, you name it. i took some pictures, but it just cannot capture the place, the slime, the dust, the depression. it was kind of like an intense and lengthy bhuddist retreat, in terms of deep insights gained about possessions, quality of life, etc. yikes!!..."

Though she hasn't said what was in the package, this is a good reminder that you can't take it with you. Other people have to clean up your crap. I wrote ages ago about another friend's aunt Gloria and a similar mess. I need to remind myself of these women and the amount of waste they left for others to deal with.

Time for MHS to get to some much needed spring cleaning!

Long day, homeless or crazy guy in the bathroom

Here are two things not related.

1. I have worked today at Company X for 13 hours. I had sworn I wouldn't ever do that again after Client Flintstone. So I lied. There is so much work to do and my little ADD brain is having a hard time with it. I would ask for help, but don't know exactly what help to ask for. Most of my clients are launching next week and I have to bust a move on getting their sites done. One of them I found out today, needs some big work. That's why I am still in the office. At least tomorrow I have the g-store and will have to leave by 6:30. But I feel I should come in at 7am to get things moving. We will see how wired I am when I get home. Tomorrow morning may not happen as planned.

2. So my co-worker Scott and I walk out towards the bathroom. He opens the door of the men's bathroom because there is a sickening sweet smell in there he wants me to help identify. He opens the door and.... there he is.... a man slumped on the floor of the men's stall. He was sraggly, with a beard. About 40ish (hard to tell) with raggedy clothes and a plastic bag. Scott went over to him and he didn't move. He asked him repeatedly if he needed help. Finally some mumblings. The man moved a little. I got Mark to go help Scott. A couple of minutes later, the man is stumbling in the hallway like a drunk person. He was continuing to mumble and had a huge knot on his head (probably from the fall). He said he was really tired and something about a couple of drinks. I offered a ride (taxi) or to call somebody. He declined. Said he was okay and would manage to get down the stairs. He slipped and fell a few times. Then Mark came back to tell us he called somebody (the police.) As Mark and Scott walked the man downstairs he said something about having an epileptic fit. He didn't smell of alcohol, but was really wobbly. When the ambulance and police came, he said to Mark that they knew him. They said they did and took him away. To where, I don't know. It was high drama. Strange thing though, he had a bicycle with him that he had ridden to our office building. Go figure. Maybe our bathrooms are really nice? A couple of the guys said they had seen him around here before.

Milli Vanilli

This morning I was listening to the radio on my drive to work. They played the really lame song, "Blame it on the Rain" recorded by the very defunct, Milli Vanilli. That got me thinking to the whole defuncting of Milli Vanilli. Wow. That was something. I remember when the whole big, bad thing went down. I wasn't ever a fan of their music but I was shocked to find out that they were only front men and that lots of people in the recording industry knew about it. It was amazing to me that it was a secret for years.

It was a really dumb song, but the scandal around the band made me think that I needed to blog about it this morning. I still have so much to blog about. I can't believe I went to California four months ago and never blogged about it. Work is really crazy now and when I get home, I veg in front of the tv or read. No blogging. I miss you, blog of mine.

Two unrelated issues - Swimming and VAGINA

Issue 1: I went to the gym this morning and swam for the first time in MONTHS. It was awesome. Why I am such an idiot who forgets how much I like to swim, I don't know. The only thing I can say is that Evil Kdar got her ass kicked this morning by Sporty Girl.

Issue 2. VAGINA, VAGINA, VAGINA
Story: Girls suspended for reciting from the play, The Vagina Monologues. WHAT? WHAT DID YOU SAY? That's right. They said the word "vagina". OMIGAWD. Call the police! Put those rebels in juvenile hall! They will probably grow up to be prostitutes anyhow. What godless parents those poor, wayward children must have.

Here are my thoughts. The principal said they were told not to say it. I am not into censoring, but if the teacher/principal felt the word was inappropriate, why allow them to read from it at all? And if they were allowed to read from it, as indicated in the article, it's called THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES. It's about what? Oh? You say women and... possibly... VAGINAS? I am glad the author of the play is participating with dialogue between the members of this stupid drama.

40 - the obsession

I will turn 40 in May. I have never been the kind of girl who is afraid to share my age. You are how old you are. However, with the upcoming monumental marker of 40, I have been obsessing on it.

The kids at the g-store are all young enough to be my kids, whether I would be a teenage ma or not. Out of the 104ish employees at Company X, only 1 is the same age as I am, and 11 are older than I am. I just find that interesting.

Did I mention I was obsessed with turning 40? I think about it every day. I know I can't go back or change anything. It's not the number that bothers me. I think it's filled with various levels of expectations not reached.

40

The weekend is over, trudging through the mire

Friday night didn't meet my expectations, not that I can tell you what they were exactly. I think there wasn't enough drinking and merriment for me. Mario was okay. Not as rip-roaring fun as he's been in the past. We did manage to paint Kyle's nails which I felt was a great accomplishment. Then Saturday, I spent the whole day nursing a headache from the one small glass of Reisling. No, it couldn't have been the additional shot of absinthe nor the two large glasses of whatever-the-hell Stephanie makes (a cherry bomb?) I know Reisling gives me a headache, yet I drank it. On top of the sleeping, when I did finally get around to moving, I showered and headed to the theater to see if I could get a ticket for "300" where some of my co-workers were. I got there 50 minutes before the movie and it was sold out.

SOLD OUT!

SOLD OUT? In VERMONT? FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! I was really pissy. What a waste of a drive. Stupid movie. (Though I will probably see it by my self this week.)

Sunday was the g-store and bowling. I was late by an hour to the g-store because I completely forgot about the time change. They didn't seem to mind though, which was good. It was also pretty damn hectic and we lost at bowling, though Lauren made a swell Dave substitute. I think she will lower his average enough between this weekened and next so that when he comes back (he's out of town for two weeks) we will blow the socks off the competition! ha! We ARE in 3rd place, which is much better than last year.

This week is going to be a long one. Work is super busy and I have my review tomorrow. Two years here and this is my first review. I am looking forward to it, but who knows what kinds of jewels will be uncovered within it.

I don't seem a little negative today, do I?

Burlington, the city with the mostest

Burlington has done it, folks! We are the Eco-Friendliest city! How about that?

It's FRIDAY!! Yippee!!!

Today is Friday. It is payday. It is party day. I am thrilled. I don't have to work at the g-store tonight, which I am so happy about. Last night it was so quiet. Though I was staffed with fairly-new newbies, it worked out nicely. We got all of the chores done ontime or early. We didn't have a rush at the end. In fact, during the last 10 minutes of the store time, I don't think we had anybody. I was going to start up basket-bowling, it was that quiet. But the time got away from me and before you know it, it was time to go.

Did I mention how happy I am it is Friday? I am going to Stephanie's house this evening for a night with Mario. Mario is hot. He is a little short for me, but wow can he dance!

Here's a picture of Mario. Don't you wish he was yours?

Sticks and stones and high schoolers

Last night I was at the g-store. Apparently, I am a bitch. Aladdin gave me daggers-will-kill-you glances whereas Jasmine was her bubbly self. Already word has circulated about "the incident" with Aladdin and Jasmine. Aladdin told one chick that he hates Jane and Jean (who also witnessed the incident) and me. AND - we are all bitches and he will NEVER speak to us again! Hmpf!

Ah - to be back in high school. I think I would punch his lights out.

Guy Love from Scrubs

For your viewing pleasure. If you haven't seen this... WATCH IT NOW!

G-store drama - Sex and romance

Two stories about life at the g-store. The identites have been changed to protect the people involved and me from any legal action. (ha ha ha?)

Story the First: Sex and teens
Ophelia is a troubled teen. She's going to turn 18 this year. She is out about being a lesbian. And she was abused at some point early in her life. Her mother kicked her out recently for being gay. So what does she do? Turns around and has sex with Oscar and make out sessions with other guys. Though both Ophelia and Oscar say they won't do it again, I think she's out of control. It's more than teens just having sex. And at least, according to Oscar, they practiced safe sex. I feel sorry for Ophelia that she feels she needs to act out in this way. Whether she is gay because she was born that way or because she was abused, she really needs help. Though I don't know the circumstances of her home life, I think if her mother kicked her out for being gay, that is really horrible. Makes me want to take her in or yell at her mother for being so stupid.

Story the Second: Romance and teens
Jasmine works with me. Aladdin works in another department. She's 16-17. He's a year or two older. They have been dating for months. Jasime has had what seem to be obsessive crushes on both Ophelia and Oscar but has seemed to settle down with Aladdin. They are always together. It's to the point that if Jasmine has a chance to wander off, she will most likely be in the back of the store having makeout sessions with Aladdin. They have both been talked to repeately about their activities. Still no change. That brings me to my break the other night. I walked into the breakroom and there were Aladdin and Jasmine cosying up. Not appropriate for work. Jane, one of the supervisors, went up to them and physically split them up. When she turned around, they were back together. She went over to them and told them to stop and parted the seas again. Aladdin got so angry with Jane that he walked out of the breakroom. Not before throwing over a chair in a very dramatic scene. Jane went after him and they argued. He even called her a "bitch". (Not very smart to do that, eh?) I went to HR because I felt Jasmine and Aladdin's bad behavior has gone on too long. Afterwards, Jasmine asked me what I thought about what happened. I said, "Here's the lecture. You KNOW you shouldn't do that. You have been talked to before. If you don't stop, you could have lots of trouble. blah, blah, blah." She seemed open to my lecturing, but I think mostly it came out like a Charlie Brown adult voice where you can't understand what they are saying. Sigh. Teens. I am so glad I don't have one.

Mom update

Mom was in the hospital for three days. It was suppose to be 11 hours. But after the angeoplasty
on Friday, they thought she should stay overnight for observation. They allowed her to have all of her regular medications, which helped her sleep. Imagine that, sleeping whilst hospitalized! Between high blood pressure a blood transplant and dialysis, she was able to go home Sunday afternoon. She was chipper and sounding great when I talked to her last night which made me feel good.

And, the cardiologist told her with the proceedure they did, she's got at least 5-10 more years on her. Though I know she won't live forever, it's nice to hear that this proceedure will help her be in less pain and have a chance for being here for a few more years. As evil and manipulative as the pharmacutical companies can be, I am grateful for the medications that help my mom have a better quality of life.

Stitch 'n' bitch session

Last night I joined a couple of my co-workers at our first Stitch 'n' Bitch session. There are two parts to the event. Part One - do some kind of crafty thing. I chose crochet. Part Two - freedom to rant and rave. We did more of the latter than the former, but it was good to be with people who shared similar views on issues.

While I was there, I saw my friend Anne and Tim B's friend Justin who had both attended my Oscar party (blog to follow soon). I thought they would have some things in common and it was cool to see them out. We were at my favorite coffee place, Muddy Waters. I found out that they are open until midnight! That is exciting! I will really have a place to write at night! I don't know why I didn't find this out before!!

We will have another Stitch 'n' Bitch session next week, though I have to work at the gstore. Who knows, maybe I will actually finish the project I am crocheting before St. Patrick's Day?

Mom update - out of surgery, in recovery room

I called my dad this morning and Mom is out of her angeoplasty. He said they found a block in a lower artery but not big enough to perform surgery on. I guess that is good. He's having a hard time with it, which is understandable. Mom is in the recovery room for a few more hours and will be spending the night at the hospital for observation. She should be coming home tomorrow.

I had a rough week thinking about her upcoming surgery. I cried a couple of times at work. I know it was exploratory and happens all the time to people. But I think the thing that has been getting to me is the realization that her body is really beginning the signs of shutting down and death is more eminent. I can't do anything about it from Vermont. If I was in CA, I could be there for my dad.

My aunt is coming into town to stay with my folks starting tonight. I know she will be a comfort for my mom. Hopefully it won't be added stress.

Can't we all get along? SURE we can!

Wow. For a heart-warming story, click on the picture above.

(photo courtesy of Associated Press)

Hard to focus, family things...

Just before I went about my business getting ready for my Oscar party (blog posting coming soon), I got a call from my mom. She has been having pain in her chest and arm. Went to the cardioligist last week. Having SURGERY Friday. She said it is exploritory and they are looking for the block in her arteries. She said it was also related to her diabetes. It is frustrating that I can't be there as a support for my parents and brother. Mom said the surgery is a day thing and it is a common proceedure. Sigh. It will be a long week...

Lentish behavior

I am not Catholic. I don't practice Lent. However last night I was talking with my friend Austin Girl about this and that. I decided I will give up soda until May 1. I love soda, but I have a problem drinking enough good liquids and I think soda makes me extra sluggish. I know I gain weight from it too. I also don't want to ever get kidney stones again and no soda will make for a healthier me. I am, however, allowing myself to have soda water.

Here's to me!

Random thought moment...

I realize only one person who reads the following will get this. I was having a moment IMing a co-worker and had the following thought. It is to be read with a thick Irish accent.

"Piper down!"

Valentine's Day Blizzard - what did I do?

We had a wee bit o' snow on Valentine's Day. Schools closed. Our office asked people to go home at noon. I left my car here and Stephanie, Carrie and I went to the movies. It was probably a really stupid and dangerous thing to do, but as Carrie has four-wheel drive, we decided to take a risk. We picked Stephanie and her roomie Megan up at their home and then treked to the theater.

Here's what my car looked like when I got to work on Thursday. My landlord kindly gave me a ride. More pictures to follow....

Read about the storm of "historical proportions" here!

Long stories = tune out

I realize I talk alot. In that, my stories can be long winded and it may take me a bit to get to the point. It is something I am aware of and working on. It really drove the point home when talking to a friend who asked me a question and while giving them the answer, I could see their eyes glass over. By the time I was done, they asked me a question that had already been answered by me moments earlier. ADD? Perhaps. Long winded and not getting to the point? Probably.

Sigh.

January parties

I think January was filled with the most partying I have done since I moved here. It started with New Year's Eve, when I was invited to co-worker David's pad (David pictured on left with Stephanie.) David has a great place in downtown Burlington with a great view of the waterfront where they do the fireworks. He had an excellent spread of food and drink. I went to the party with Stephanie and Amanda. Carrie joined us as well. I think there were about 20 people there, including a bunch of David's friends from outside Company X. One couple came down from Alaska! (Though they were travelling around to different places to meet relatives for the holiday week....) It was nice meeting different people. We also were smart enough to take a taxi to and from my house which saved us from trying to find parking downtown as well as no worries should we drink. Carrie had a little too much to drink and wasn't in any shape to go home, so she stayed at my house.

The next event was the following weekend (I think) was playing games at Stephanie's house with Jesse and Kyle one night and celebrating Scott's birthday the next at a pub called RiRa's - yes, it is Irish. There were around 100 people there to celebrate with Scott. Hard to tell how many as it was a mingling bar scene. But he is a pretty popular dude.


Here is a picture of Scott with just some of the ladies. I also caught Scott's friends Jen and Dan arm-wrestling. Jen kept beating all of the guys. It crushed their egos and was a wonderful sight to see. After hanging out at the bar for a bit, we tried getting into another place to go dancing, but there was a long line. So, we journeyed down the block to a place called JP's where they have a bar and karaoke. I haven't done or been in a karaoke place in years. In LA, there is a place called Dimples where aspiring singers and actors try out songs. I went many times with my actor friends. Here the place was packed, which was to be expected for a Saturday night. There were some pretty crappy acts. Finally Stephanie and I couldn't take it anymore and we left.

Kyle's crazy dancing feet (pictured below) from our evening with Stephanie and Jesse K. Here is also representation of the kind of intense competition that went on with the game playing we did.

Event #3 was at Kate's house. She lives north of Burlington and it can be a sketchy drive for an inexperienced driver like me. Stephanie had Scott drive us up to Kate's house to help celebrate her bday. I had met a few of Kate's friends before. One of them makes really good jello shots. I figured out the key to popping them into my mouth in one shot. It's all in the tongue. I had a few drinks and a BUNCH of jello shots. Jello shots are so easy to get down, it's bad. I think I could have a big problem with them if I were left alone with a tray of them. But I digress.

Pictured - MHS, Scott, Stephanie, Carrie

It was a pretty mellow night. We drank, talked, ate. Some played beer pong, a sporting event I was not familiar with until I moved to Vermont (poor sheltered girl that I am.) I declined to participate in that as I can't stand beer. Scott, who had shaved his head a few weeks earlier was now sporting a bit of a buzz. I liked the way it felt and kept annoying him by petting his head. He said he felt like somebody's pet dog and made me stop. I would probably have kept petting his head if he hadn't stopped me as I felt it was rather soothing. Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking. In any event, we hung around there until about 1am when we journeyed back to Burlington. All in all, it was a pretty good party. Aside from the aforementioned, Justin was another co-worker who showed up. He seemed to have a pretty good time as well. Kate (pictured above with girlfriend Em) was a swell hostess. I look forward to hanging out there again when the weather is warmer. On the way out, I remember looking up at the sky. The stars were so brilliantly lit in the sky, it was a spectacular sight to behold. I think this summer I need to go camping, even if it is just one night somewhere.

As for the last party in January, that involved absinthe. That is a blog entry unto itself....

Academic achievement, Secret Valentines

Two things to note here.

1. My brother, Mrs. Han Solo's Brother (MHSB) is a teacher in California. He is a really brilliant guy and an awesome teacher. One of the things he does is teach and coach students for the Academic Decathlon at his school. Well - they just made state finals, which is a tremendous event! I am so proud of him and the students! Job well done!!! The event is in March or April. MHSB dedicates so much time to coaching that I am so glad to see it paying off.

2. At Company X, I am in charge of the second annual Secret Valentine exchange. There are 22 people participating this year! I am so excited. And HALF of them are guys!! Though I know who has me, I am thrilled so many people are participating. I am not really into Valentine's Day. I find it is overrated. And why must people only say "I love you. I appreciate you. I care about you." Once a year? Bah humbug. One should say it every day, for crying out loud. Of course, if I had a Valentine, I would probably be one of those demading women who want all kinds of useless crap or chocolate I don't need to eat. Then again, maybe I wouldn't.

Oscars - the nominations

I KNOW I still have to finish the Holiday party story, but with the upcoming Oscars, I felt I needed to say something. I am having a party with another co-worker and have sent out 40 invites, figuring only about a third will show. Even that will be a good turnout.

The Oscar nominations came out a few weeks ago. The show is airing Sunday night, February 25. Here're the top few nominees. For a complete list, go to OSCARS.ORG


Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond” (MHS - this is one of the better acting jobs for Leo as of late. But big winner? I don't know. The jury is out.)
Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (MHS - I don't think this movie even came to VT.)
Peter O’Toole in “Venus” (MHS - This movie hasn't come to VT yet. Sigh.)
Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (MHS - I thought Will did a really good job.)
Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (MHS - I don't like FW and haven't seen the movie yet, but I betcha he will win.)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (MHS - great movie, good performance)
Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” (MHS - this movie came and went. I missed it.)
Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (MHS - good job.)
Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (MHS - Not the Oscar winner in my book, though he won the Golden Globe, which makes him the front runner.)
Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (MHS - not a big role [I know, it IS SUPPORTING] but he was fine.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (MHS - she did a really good job. I think breaking up with Tom was the best thing for her career.)
Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (MHS - Judi - nice and creepy. Good job!)
Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (MHS - I thought Helen did a good job, but didn't feel it was as much of an acting stretch as Judi or even Meryl.)
Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (MHS - Love Meryl, but I hope this goes to Judi.)
Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (MHS - I love Kate too, but see note on Meryl. Plus I missed this movie when it came to VT.)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (MHS - Two words - JENNIFER HUDSON)
Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal” (MHS - Two words - JENNIFER HUDSON)
Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (MHS - Two words - JENNIFER HUDSON, though I loved Abigail's performance and am glad she was nominated.)
Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (MHS - Two words - Oscar winner)
Rinko Kikuchi in “Babel” (MHS - Two words - JENNIFER HUDSON)


Achievement in directing
“Babel” Alejandro González Iñárritu (MHS - Pretty good film. Between the ones I saw, I hope it wins in this category)
“The Departed” Martin Scorsese (MHS - One of Scorcese's better films of recent years.)
“Letters from Iwo Jima” Clint Eastwood (MHS - Pretty good. Like with Scorcese, I think it's one of Clint's better films as of late)
“The Queen” Stephen Frears (MHS - Good film. I liked how they combined the footage from the real event and didn't dwell on the Diana drama. )
“United 93” Paul Greengrass (MHS - Didn't see it. )


Best motion picture of the year
“Babel” (MHS - If the Golden Globes are any indication, this will win. I think it was a good film, but could have been more )
“The Departed” (MHS - Shouldn't win, though it was pretty good.)
“Letters from Iwo Jima” (MHS - Because it is directed by an American, it is in this category. I think it should be in the foreign film category since it is 99.1% entirely spoken in Japanese! Good film.)
“Little Miss Sunshine” (MHS - I think this should win, because it was such a refreshing new kind of breakout film. I know it won't win though.)
“The Queen” (MHS - I don't think this should be in this category. It was a good film, but not GREAT. )

The film that was most overlooked this year in the awards shows was Children of Men. Hopefully they will get SOMETHING at the Oscars, though it is in such few categories.

Stay tuned for the final chapters of the Holiday party, California and upcoming events. I have been so busy with the g-store and partying like the party animal I am that I haven't blogged much.

Holiday party with Company X, Part 3 - the antics

After the super exciting gong show, some people continued with the karaoke. Thank heaven they have day jobs! The Big Enchilada finally opened up the cash bar. That is such a nice thing to do for the employees. And of course more fun was to be had. I knew Scott and Dan would assist with the alcohol consumption of the group, which they did (nicely done boyz!) As for me, DR and I did a couple of shots together. One was for the hellofit, the other was in the memory of Client Flintstone, Rep N and Mini-Rep N. MM, one of the key sales people on the Client Flintstone project and MC joined us. Then MC tells us that he had gone out drinking with Mini-Rep N (the one who quit suddenly) and got her drunk, told her to quit. And she did! ha ha ha! That was so freakin' funny! (That's Kyle on the right with a sign used in one of the fantastic performances.)

Around this time, with a few drinks in me and feeling a little restless (and I am sure a little buzzed) I began throwing ice down peoples' backs. I would walk up casually to somebody and while they were talking to somebody else, I would pop an ice cube down their back. I did get it back a few times. I think the best moment with the ice was when Kyle was talking to one of the Enchiladas (Enchilada 2). I slipped ice down Kyle's back and he nicely and appropriately squirmed. Enchilada 2 held up his hands and shook his head in protest. I said,"Don't worry. I draw the line when it comes to executives. I won't do it." I think he felt left out, so he said I could do it. So I did. He also squirmed, much to my delight. Then I noticed the Big Enchilada was standing near us. I took out a hearty piece of ice and said to Enchilada 2,"Would you do me a favor? Would you put this down the Big Enchilada's shirt? I can't do it." At first Enchilada 2 shook his head and said he wouldn't do that either. Then he thought about it. "Sure, I'll do it." He snuck up behind the Big Enchilada and slipped the ice down his back without notice, well, until B.E. felt it. He squirmed, wriggled and yelled. "Omigawd! There's ice down my ass crack!" he yelled. It was a FREAKIN' HILARIOUS moment! I shook Enchilada 2's hand in appreciation. I said,"I really admire you for doing that. Thank you." We had a good laugh. I tell ya, it was so funny.

There were a couple more antics during the evening. There was a little drunk juggling contest with clementines and limes as the juggling objects. There was arguing with Seth that I was really about to turn 40 (he thought I was lying), which Stephanie suported (Stephanie,"She's really 29 going on 30!" much to my pleasure.) There was also somewhat inappropriate behavior as a result of the alcohol (as if the ice dropping wasn't.) At one point Scott felt the need to touch my boobs. Let me be clear that it wasn't exactly a complete grope of the boobs, more like hand on front of boob thing. Not that that in and of itself is right/wrong, but I digress.... Dan rolled his eyes and walked away in disgust. Then Scott felt that in all fairness I should feel his chest. Insisted, in fact. So, he unbuttons his shirt and grabs my hand, sticking it inside his shirt. At one point I asked him if it was doing anything for him because it wasn't doing anything for me. We were laughing and joking about it and then he went over to tell Stephanie. As he began demonstrating on himself about me touching his chest, Enchilada 2 walked up to us to ask if we wanted to continue the party to Red Square. When he saw Scott with Scott's hand inside his shirt, his eyes got big and he thew up his hands. He stopped talking right in the middle of what he was trying to convey because he was so shocked. He said, "-- or not. Whatever you are doing, I don't want to know about it." BWAHAAHAAHAAHAAHAA! MORE HILARITY!

We journeyed to Red Square where more drinking and now dancing took place. Here's Stephanie getin' down wid DR and Kyle. You go, sistah! There was Rob and his charming wife Amy getin' down wid their bad selves. Even the Big Enchilada was getting down with his wife and the group. (I just can't show that picutre!) We had a great time. It was so much fun! We were there until about 1:30. A that point, Scott was really pooped and needed to get his beauty sleep. Dan had left somewhere before Red Square, so I dropped Scott and Stephanie off and headed home. I think I was up until 3am, unwinding from the evening.

Overall, the party was better than last year. I think I had more fun. Plus, I was able to perform a really pointless art piece. My brother, Mrs. Han Solo's Brother, said it was very DADA-esque. I feel so special!

(From left to right - Kyle, Mrs. Han Solo, Scott Mc., Stephanie, Seth)