Monday, November 29, 2004

All I Want For Christmas ...

... is on sale at Target.

At least, it was a few hours ago. Shortly before 5:00 my housemate Phil sent me this link - Marijuana for sale at Target.com. Only $25.25. I sent the link to the queen of Target shoppers, Amanda, so she can vouch for me that the page did exist, but now it's gone. Someone got their hands slapped at Target.com!

Interestingly enough, though, if you search for "marijuana" on the Target.com web site, there are 509 products available (mostly books).

Okay, so you can't buy me some marijuana from Target.com - but you can buy me anything you'd like from my Amazon.com wish list. I threw a few things up there just in case you don't know what to get me for Christmas. Yeah, it's wishful thinking, but hey - I was willing to share that winning lottery ticket with you!

Before I Crash

I don't know what has been keeping me going these last three weeks. I know I'm sleep deprived after that sinus infection that took me two full weeks to kick. Then I get into a little 'spat' with my new housemate and didn't sleep well last Tuesday; followed that by a late night on Wednesday in which we talked about (and resolved) our issues and problems and I didn't go to bed until after midnight. Followed by getting up early on Thanksgiving morning to go over the river and through the woods ...

... no nap on Thanksgiving day, and this following a four hour drive and turkey. No nap on Friday; regular bedtime. Saturday had a four hour drive to return home followed by almost eight hours of quality time with the housemate (he missed me after all) and me not going to bed until 1:30 a.m. or so. Followed by getting up early yesterday and then going back to bed at 9:00 a.m. and sleeping again until 11:30. I did sleep fairly well last night, but woke up with a headache. How's that for a kick in the pants?

I wouldn't say I've been getting a lot done at work today, but I've been trying to chip away at things. I'm rehearsing for my interview on Wednesday in my head. Told my boss about it this morning and he feigned interest until I pointed out that it wasn't a company foundation I was interviewing at - it's a $200 million donor-directed fund. Suddenly he realizes that this is big-time stuff. I know he'll give me a good recommendation, but it was like suddenly he realized "Shit, she may actually be going on to bigger and better things!"

Let's hope so.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Pieces of April

Did you ever see that movie?

I just saw it last night and in some ways it mirrored/reflected my own Thanksgiving angst. I was hoping to get a "better" offer and not have to make the trip 'home' to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I had several other offers, but ultimately not a "better" one and so I went. I'm glad I did.

Phil stayed here by himself and avoided his family completely. I thought I had problems with the holiday until he started telling me his story. Even though he said he wanted to be alone, he did admit that he was glad to see me when I got back yesterday afternoon. We went out to dinner and then saw this movie and then had a few drinks and now - wee bit of a hangover. I wanted to sleep in, but no such luck.

In a way, I can't believe I'm still standing. What with the lack of sleep over the course of the last two weeks as I was fighting that sinus infection, spending 8 hours on the road, eating turkey, not getting in any naps - can you believe I was up until 2:00 a.m. last night? Neither can I.

I definitely should try to get a nap this afternoon - I need to be bright and shiny for my interview on Wednesday!

Thursday, November 25, 2004

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. In just a few short hours I'll be headed over the river and through the woods to celebrate with my family. I had a brief period of insanity where I thought I wanted to stay here and just celebrate with a few close friends, but you know what? I need to be with my family. I'm glad I came to my senses. And I'm thankful for my family. I plan on telling them that.

May you have a happy and peaceful day.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

First Step Out The Door

I have a job interview next week. I'm so excited!

"A" for Effort

Emailed Larry # 2 and told him I was touched by the flowers ... he responded:

Perrrrrrfect...

Now that's what I'm talkin about.

As I am learning more about Kenna's multifaceted personality. I treat it like absorbing the beauty of a gem. Keep my eyes open, pay attention, and enjoy seeing what happens when stimulation is provided.

I hope you realize, for me I find our meeting has been exciting and a fun comfortable adventure. I welcome the friendship, enjoy the conversation, smile with the wonderful reactions, and look forward to finding more pieces of the puzzle.

Have a good one........

Later,

Larry

PS: Pleased that you enjoyed the flowers....Your response encourages me to want to send more.


Okay, so he's not the wordsmith that I am, and he's laying it on a bit thick, but I'll give it an "A" for effort. He'd probably die if he knew I was repeating his message verbatim in this public forum ...

He Sent Me Flowers!

Okay, so last Thursday I went to another Chamber mixer and ran into Larry #
2. We didn't get much of a chance to flirt, but he told me that he'd really
like to get to know me better, and why didn't I send him some email? Well,
that's easy enough. So we've been exchanging messages and have tentative
plans to meet for drinks tonight. And at the end of the message, Larry # 2
attached a beautiful photo - how cool is that?

He Sent Me Flowers!

Monday, November 22, 2004

Hope Floats

this is an audio post - click to play

My Mission Statement

Spent most of the day Thursday in workshops which were, for the most part, a complete waste of time. The afternoon session in particular.

This so-called expert came in and gave us a packet of material, including a page titled "Importance of the ... Mission Statement." Basically he was saying that folks in my line of work need to have a mission statement.

"...the appeal of a ... mission statement will help focus on ... It is a declaration on how past ... have helped the organization to achieve today's ... excellence, and provides greater strength ... blah, blah, blah."

My office/department so does not need a fucking mission statement. Any more than we need annual events to bring together all the members of our '... society.' Person A could give a crap about rubbing elbows with Person B, thank you very much.

And then he pulls out a chart that is a piece of paper that has been divided into four quadrants with labels typed (yes, typed - it's obvious he pulled this out of a file from 1978) at the end of each axis and starts telling us how we have to read people and react according to their social style. I freakin' lost it.

But as I'm sitting here today, once again blogging On Company Time, I begin to wonder ... do I need a mission statement? Something to guide my thoughts, actions and deeds? Perhaps I need to chart my path, and having a mission statement is the way to go.

Or maybe I'm just delirious.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

I'm Still Standing

As promised, I have not let this ailment kick my ass.

I think I had some sort of sinus infection. It's not gone yet, but last night I had - gasp! - a full eight hours of sleep. God Bless my new housemate and his prescription allergy meds.

The shopping trip on Friday was a resounding success. A full fifteen hour day when you include the 4 hours spent in the car driving to and from. We all got some great bargains and managed to cross a few things off our Christmas/Hannukah lists too. And then I followed that up with girls night out yesterday. Eight of us, three pitchers of margaritas and daiquiris, four appetizers and three desserts. Now that's a good time!

Will be spending a lot of time around the house today. My housemate's munchkin is with us for the weekend, and I'm going to let her help decorate. Of course, I won't actually get any ornaments out - I'm too picky about where those go to let a seven year old decide, but she can certainly put the branches in the artificial tree and maybe even rig up a few lights. Maybe I'll even squeeze in a nap.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

Can't Buy Me Love

But I can buy me some MegaMillions lottery tickets. The jackpot is now $149 million - that's 149 million dollars!

Faithful readers, you know what to do - show me the love.

The Old Gray Cat Is Dead

My mom emailed me last night and the subject line was the name of one of their cats. Immediately I knew that something had happened. She said that he was dead in the bedroom doorway when she got home yesterday afternoon. He'd been fine when she left in the morning, but in retrospect said that the last three nights he'd been insistent on getting as close to her as he could, like he knew something was wrong and was trying to tell her. I guess it was just his time - and he really wasn't that old, maybe 10.

My parents had their family when they were very young, so they became empty nesters in their mid-late 40s and now their pets are their world. Every time you turn around, there is a cat or a dog begging for a treat. Poor cat probably had clogged arteries from all the cat treats they gave him. Not that I'm blaming my parents for his death. He had a good life - my youngest brother rescued him off the street when he was a kitten, and the life my parents gave him was certainly better than the life he would have led as a stray. He always had a bit of the street in him - only allowing you to touch him for just so long and then - rrrawwhrr! He would tell you when he'd had enough. But he had a soft side too and sometimes he would crawl into your lap or burrow between your legs late at night. When that happened, you just let him be and enjoyed the purring and heavy warm weight against your body.

Mom and Dad buried him in the back yard along with the old St. Bernard and two other cats who met their demise in the last decade or so. They keep the ashes of their Australian Shepard in the knick-knack cabinet. Every now and then my Mom still cries and carries on about what a good dog he was.

Heavy sigh. Sucks getting old.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Fighting Back

I'm not going to let this cold kick my ass.

Actually got more than two hours of uninterrupted sleep last night (I know, no sympathy from Nita and other new mothers) and wonder of wonders - am breathing through both nostrils at the moment. I actually brought my lunch to work today and I logged back in to FitDay.com. I need to lose some weight by February 11 so I can fit into a dress that I purchased almost three years ago and have never worn. And what better time to start than when your appetite is suppressed and your taste buds subdued?

Based on this morning's weight and my guess that I need to lose 11 pounds to get to where I need to be, I think it's doable. My target date is 12 weeks and three days away, so I need to lose just under one pound per week. Totally manageable, right? Even with the holidays coming up. I just need to eat less and exercise more.

Yeah, wish me luck.

Monday, November 15, 2004

Someone Else's Therapy

The corner deli was crowded today, so when my cheese quesadilla came up, I still didn't have a place to sit. There were two women sitting (lingering) at a table for four in the front window, so I asked if I could perch on one of the empty seats. "I'm not rushing you, I'd just like to sit in one of these empty chairs," I said.

They took me at my word and continued to linger and chat. I now know all about their teenaged/20something children and their emotional problems. Lady # 1 apparently lost her husband about 5 years ago, and her two sons have dealt with it in very different ways. One stayed with his father and held his hand until he drew his last breath. The other said his goodbyes and went out with his cousins. Not right or wrong, just different. But the older one now seems to still have lingering issues with Dad's death. Mom has offered to pay for therapy (whatever his insurance won't cover) but he never seems to find the time for it.

Lady # 2 talked about her daughter. Always an over achiever (like her Mom) she seemed to be doing so well when she went off to college. But it all came crashing down the second semester of her sophomore year. She joined a Jewish sorority and so many of the other girls were just "so" and even though her daughter was always pretty and popular, she felt the need to be even more "so." And it culminated over the course of four days. Each day a more disturbing phone call from college. By the third day Mom and Dad had set up a counseling appointment for their daughter, but before the day finished out, they looked at each other and knew that one of them had to go there. She took a medical leave and seemed, on the surface, to be dealing well - getting a part-time job, signing up for summer school. Still, she wasn't dealing with whatever issues were bothering her.

These women were talking like being in therapy was simply a natural course of events in their lives. Maybe it is. Maybe it should be. I like Scooterdeb's version of therapy better - "at least you listen for free and you don't interrupt."

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Friday, November 12, 2004

Living Dangerously

I just trashed 25 items from my desktop. Without even looking at them. For me, that's living on the edge.

This Just In ...

... found this tidbit via an educational listserv I belong to:

The Toledo Blade reports that the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (where later today they are having an event called Hanasouki for their Japanese students) is offering a course on the popular TV show American Idol.

This validates my theory that watching AI is not a waste of time after all.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Special Note To ...

... Amanda, Brian and anyone else who has been feeling under the weather lately:

I think I caught your cold.

It was weird - I could feel my head start filling up after lunch yesterday. Pressure behind my eyes. I took a handful of (okay, three) ibuprofen and went to my dinner meeting anyway. Was dragging by the time I got home and when I talked to my friend Mary on the phone, I could hear that my voice was starting to get scratchy. I thought that maybe I could squeak out a decent night's sleep, but no go.

Fell asleep around 10:30 ish but was awake at 11:45. I know I must have gotten some sleep, but it felt like I was just laying here with my eyes closed for most of the night. Somewhere around 2:30 I remembered that I might have some Tussin in the medicine cabinet and took the last dose (which supposedly expired about a year and a half ago) of that. Specifically remember looking at the clock at 3:43 ... saw 5:10 ...finally got up around 5:45 and put the kettle on.

Figured I'd soothe my dry scratchy throat (from breathing through my mouth) and just get up. I have the day off today, so I'm going to do some work around the house this morning and pull out my outdoor garlands and get them up while the weather is good. I can always take a nap this afternoon. At least, I hope I can.

Have a tentative dinner date planned with the UBND tonight, so maybe I'll get around to giving you the second installment in that story. Sorry, Barrie, but I'm going to hold off on audio posts for the next day or so - unless I determine that the cold is making my voice even sexier than usual. Right now I just sound like a stuffed up sick girl.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

When It Rains, It Pours

What kind of man-attracting pheromone did I bathe in?

This just in from a colleague who lives in another city but who will be moving to my town in January:

"I plan to commute for about six months; staying at the Inn or wherever "old dogs" can "bed down" for four or five nights per week. My boss suggested I get an apartment or room."

Of course it's hard for any of you to judge without knowing the back story, but I strongly suspect that this is a thinly disguised proposition. He refers to himself as an old dog because he's a few years older than me (12 or 15) and "bed down" ? - oh yeah, he wants me, bad.

Too bad I just rented my spare room ... of course, the master suite does have a king sized bed (really, two twins pushed together) and two bathrooms. Hmmmmm ....

Life Lessons

It's been too long since I picked on the one who is engaged.

Our heroine (?) still has not learned her lesson with respect to appropriate foot gear. Today she is wearing sling back sandles (closed toed, thank goodness) with no hose. Yes, barefoot in them there shoes. Uh, hello - it's freakin' November, honey. Twenty-six degrees when I got up this morning. Cold enough to force me to dig out the winter jacket, the gloves and the ear muffs.

Put on some goddam socks and shoes for crying out loud.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Snow Sky

We had an absolutely beautiful, glorious weekend. Today there is a snow sky above. The wind has picked up and there is a sharp chill in the air. It's a gloomy and depressing feeling.

But the good news is that I am applying for a job for which I think I am perfectly suited. It would mean a longer commute (hell, anything would be longer than the 10 minute walk I now have) but a 20 minute drive is bearable. A lot of things have been going my way lately, and I'm hoping this does too.

Think good thoughts for me.

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Fascinating

Interesting search for which I am the only result:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=blogger+sex+with+%22computer+repair%22+female+coworker

It Figures

Woke up around 6:30, decided I was too sore to go to the gym, rolled over and went back to sleep for half an hour or so. Got up at 7:00 thinking I could get the Sunday paper and relax with a cup of cocoa.

The paper still isn't here. Grrr ....

What an event filled week it's been. Had my new housemate move in on Tuesday, and was on pins and needles for the next few days. I've known him for three years and we are great friends, but when you've been alone in a house for this long, it freaks you out knowing that there's someone else in the house. He's being very quiet and considerate, but I still was nervous and jumpy.

And to make matters worse? He has his 7 year old daughter this weekend. And his parents came to visit. Enough to make your blood pressure spike. Interestingly enough, I'm calmer now. His daughter is totally at ease with the entire situation. She loves 'her' bedroom and she's having a great time exploring my little house. And it helped having his parents here yesterday - they were able to help both Phil and his daughter. I went to lunch with them, and I think everyone is more comfortable knowing that there are no axe murderers among us.

Got my hair cut and colored Friday night and then had dinner with the girls. Went to the gym yesterday morning and then spent a few hours doing yardwork while Phil and his family were out to breakfast and such. I'm ready for winter - I lifted my gladiola bulbs and planted the new plants from Burpee. Mowed the lawn one final time and drained the gas. Got the snow shovel out and put the garden hoses away.

Today - well, I thought I was going to read the Sunday paper and relax this morning, but now maybe I'll work on a few resumes. Or answer that email from yet another one of the single men I met a week ago Thursday (my friend Jeanne told me her friend Nancy said he was interested; the only reason I didn't hear from him sooner was he was out of town all week). I need to take care of a bunch of paperwork.

And I need to call my Mom. She doesn't know about my new housemate yet.

Friday, November 05, 2004

A Little Ray Of Sunshine

I really should try to be more optimistic about life ... it certainly helps when you get this kind of a reply from a guy you met at the Chamber mixer last Thursday:

Sorry it took so long for me to reply, I was out of town on company business this week and just returned last night. It was also nice meeting you, you definitely seem like a lot of fun. I will look forward to your next martini party, and in the meantime will give you a call sometime to share some martinis at Luna's. I have a friend that visits frequently from Conn., and if you can round up a friend, we'll see if we can hook up (so to speak). Talk to you soon ...

The Voice Of Reason

Once again I'm going to share some of my personal email, this time a few messages exchanged with Susan (as in "Susan Says" in my tagline ...)

From: Kenna
To: Susan
Subject: "He's Just Not That Into You"

And here's why I think it's so ... I dropped hints in a big way and he just glosses over it. But don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining because after all, he is engaging in conversation with me. Just noting that he's not as anxious as I am to keep moving forward in the relationship.

From: Susan
To: Kenna
Subject: Re: "He's Just Not That Into You"

Sounds like he may be at the let¹s-just-be-friends stage. Or he's just so overwhelmed with work that he can't think of anything else. He may not want to make a date and have to break it again for fear of looking like a jerk. You may get a spur-of-the-moment call.

But like you say, at least he's still conversing. He may not be a lost cause.

Damn, she's good. Thank God for friends like Susan.

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Today's Catalog Count

Current (Where Staying in Touch Is Affordable & Fun)
Chadwick's
Williams-Sonoma
Schweitzer Linen (I don't shop here; my landlords do)

Bait and Switch

Exchanged a few emails with Larry ... I gave him some bait but he just switched the subject:

Me: That's me - party queen.

Okay - no one believes me on the introvert thing. I have the paperwork to prove it, but Susan asked when I was last 'diagnosed' and it was 1996 when I was still married. She thinks it skewed my results and I need to take the test again.

I'm actually home right now - have had a 'low grade headache' for the better part of the week, haven't been sleeping well etc. so I just took the afternoon off. Thought I'd grab a nap, but just haven't been able to nod off.

Going out with the girls tomorrow night, but if you're around this weekend and looking for something to do, let me know.

Him: Sorry to hear you are under the weather. I have been feeling real crappy also. I would bail out too this afternoon but unfortunately I need to stick close to this friggin phone.

Gotta love November!!!

Yep, I do think it is time for you to be re-tested!! :o)

Hope you have a restful evening,

Larry

What's For Dinner?

My new housemate has offered to cook dinner.
He says he's a good cook.
Any requests?

Frost On The Pumpkin

Last night we got our first hard frost.

It was 26 degrees when I woke up this morning. It was an interesting walk to work. The leaves have been falling fairly steadily, but last night's frost really brought things down. Some trees had green leaves that just dropped. As I was walking down the street and through the alley on my normal route, I could hear the leaves falling like rain. And there were puddles of leaves at the base of some of the trees. I ran into Ed the maintenance man for the apartment building next to my office, and we walked the last block together. He pointed out the ginko leaves and mentioned that they were green just the other day. Now they are yellow and most of them are on the ground.

Winter is coming soon.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

There's A Strange Man In My House

It's been a long time coming, and I really wasn't sure it would ever really happen, but it did.

I've taken on a housemate.

It's a long story that very few people have been privvy to; it's something that I wanted - and yet feared at the same time; it's exciting and nerve-wracking; it's going to change my life.

My friend Phil, the one I was so upset with for missing my party, has been in a very bad marriage for a very long time. He and his wife have been talking about a separation and divorce for over a year now. Things came to a head over the summer and he was looking to leave - but he didn't have a separation agreement and he couldn't find anything he could afford. I went and looked at a few apartments with him - dumps for $950/month. Plus utilities. And no off-street parking. And no washer/dryer.

I thought about it for a few days and told him "for $950 I could rent you a room, utilities, laundry and off-street parking included." He thought about it for a few days and said he thought that might work. But there was still the issue of the separation agreement.

It's been back and forth and up and down since July. Last week, they signed the separation agreement. Yesterday, Phil brought his bags over and moved in.

Yes, this is definitely going to change my life.

Monday, November 01, 2004

A Strange Affliction?

I thought it a bit odd that Larry used the word 'fabulous' so frequently, and he was always wishing me a great day or weekend or whatever. Now it seems that it wasn't his fault - apparently all men named Larry have this strange affliction.

This from a different Larry who I met last Thursday:

"...

Hopefully, our paths will cross again, soon.

Have a great day,

Larry"

It's gonna be scary trying to keep track of all the different Larrys ...