Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Oh God ... The Prisoners

Have been watching CNN all day. It's unbelieveable. And just now, I saw footage of prisoners that were evacuated from the jail. They are sitting on a ramp with armed guards standing nearby. People have no where to go ... no food ... no water. It's a nightmare.

A blogger I occasionally read (because he is a graduate of the college where I once worked and once upon a time I agreed to beta test some software for him) is Matt Fotter. He lives in the greater New Orleans area and he evacuated to Memphis. He has no idea when or how he'll be able to go home.

One piece of good news - John Strain was able to record an audio post. He is fine, his family is fine, and his house is still standing with only some minor damage from a downed tree in the yard.

Friday, August 26, 2005

And We're Off!

Headed to the Hamptons for the weekend. Will let you know if I spot any celebrities, but chances aren't good since I'll be hanging at a private residence and won't be strolling downtown or any of the late night haunts.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Don't Touch That Dial

There's a change in the air. The nights are cooler and the humidity that hovered for days on end seems to have disappeared. I had to adjust Trucklet's thermostat as I was driving home tonight - I needed heat on my feet. Summer is winding down. Heavy sigh.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Old Friends

Yup, procrastinating again. I really should (I hate that word and the way it makes me feel) be writing up a follow-up note to that potential event sponsor I spoke to yesterday, but I thought I'd weigh in here first.

My old friend Jim called me last night and we met for a drink. We were supposed to have seen each other at an event last Thursday, but things got hectic for him at work and he couldn't get away.

Jim is a good guy, but quite frankly, I think he's an alcoholic. He always drank - a lot. He was such a high functioning alcoholic that when I last saw him about a year ago, I didn't even realize he was drunk at the time. He's cut way back on his drinking in the last year, however, and I think he knows he has a problem. "Yeah, I'm not drinking as much. And I realized that when I do drink, I drink to oblivion." Glad he's cleaned up his act.

I have another set of old friends that I'm preparing to see this weekend. My old college chums. Most of them got married around the same time I did, with the exception of Scott who is (finally!) engaged to be married in January. It's going to be a little strange seeing them all again because they all still married and have two or three kids. It's hard to think of them as responsible adults - these are the people I partied with, the people who lived with me on the third floor, the people who I will always remember as being 19.

I only see them every 4 or 5 years or so, so I'm going to have to squeeze a whole lot of catching up into the weekend. And I guess that starts with doing what needs to be done today. Later.

Monday, August 22, 2005

I Feel Fat

And is it any wonder? I've been sitting on my ass all month! First I was gone on the trip, and of course I used that as an excuse not to exercise - "I'm on vacation!" But I've been back from vacation for a week now, and the eating hasn't stopped. Of course, how could I turn down this Bishoku Moirawasa?

And going to Montreal with Susan didn't help, because with Susan, it's all about the food. She thinks that chocolate is a food group (see below). Of course, she also is extremely disciplined, so she can stop eating. Not me - we bought that box of Godiva chocolates and I could not rest until it was gone. "I could make it last a week," Susan bragged.

Oh yeah? Good for you. Give me that nouget crunch and I'll be happy.

Seriously, we had a nice getaway weekend. That is, until we tried to cross the border back into the good old U.S. of A. Those border patrol people could sure use a few lessons in organzation and crowd control. The lanes were poorly marked, and they had five lanes merging into three and then expanding back out into five again and the lanes curved and you couldn't see what the fuck was going on until it was too late and you were stuck in the goddam middle lane and folks on both sides of you were trying to jockey back and forth and it was just about enough to make you burst a vessle.

But I didn't. Of course, after that, I asked Susan to drive. We got home around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. Well, I was home (sort of) but Susan still had another hour's drive to get back to her place. And today I'm just procrastinating, once again.

As evidenced by this post.

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Susan Speaks

Hey, everybody. Today's entry comes from me. I don't where the hell Kenna is. She's probably out prancing naked in the fountain in front of our hotel asking passersby to take her picture. What hotel, you ask? Kenna won a weekend for two to Montreal from our local radio station. She originally invited a fella to join her, but he bailed. (You know who you are if you're reading this. Silly boy.) So here we are in Montreal. Today we wandered through Chinatown and Old Montreal, had some great food, and did a little shoppping. I'm sure Kenna will have more to report to you in another entry, whenever she gets back from her latest adventure. Au revoir!

Thursday, August 18, 2005

There's Gotta Be A Word For It

What do you call it when you're attracted to and repelled by something at the same time? Because for some strange reason I feel that way about Scott Grimes.

I keep hearing his song "Livin' On The Run" on the radio, and this is after his cover of "Sunset Blvd." I find myself singing along and liking the song, but at the same time I'm thinking, "Scott Grimes? Scott Grimes?"

I really detest his character on "e.r." (yes, I know - it's the character I detest) but at the same time, I remember him being a character on "Party of Five" which was one of my favorite television shows. My Ex used to make fun of me for watching it, but I thought it was a good show.

So I have a love-hate relationship with Scott Grimes. Do I or don't I download the song? I am anxiously awaiting your response - and the ensuing debate about my musical tastes.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Susan Said I Should ...

... post this photo:

As I've mentioned, we're taking a cruise at the end of the year, and I am constantly searching for formal wear. I wanted a white dress, and I found this one at Macy's in Spokane. Only $40! Martha and I had a little fun going out and posing around her neighborhood, and we thought this might be a good shot.

Hey, if it's not fun, why bother?

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Good Night, Seattle!

We had such an awesome day. Went to the top of the Space Needle, rode the monorail, strolled through Pike Street Market, wandered through the aquarium and had an amazing lunch and dinner. Here's what we had at Anthony's Pier 66 last night:



Seattle was warm but not hot or humid. Not a cloud in the sky. And completely colorful:

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Scenes from Spokane

I really enjoyed spending a few days in Spokane WA. In addition to introducing me to The Derailer, Martha introduced me to the bears around town (but is it art?):



On Friday we took a little side trip to Idaho. I looked down and saw this for r:



And if my sister can't decide where or how to get married, she can always just go to The Hitching Post in Coeur d'Alene:

Friday, August 12, 2005

If It's Saturday ...

... I must be in Seattle.

What a long trip it's been! As you heard in the audiopost, the train ride from LA to Spokane had a few twists and turns. We were dumped off the train in Klamath Falls OR when they realized that the train was already 3 1/2 hours behind schedule and there was no way we would make our Portland connection. So we prepared for seven hours on the bus. And it was all going swimmingly until we blew a tire just outside of Biggs, OR. It just so happens that I took a few photos at the crossroads where we stopped before the tire blew:



It wasn't all bad - the driver immediately called for repairs and put "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" into the video system. As luck would have it, the train out of Portland was late as well (surprise, surprise) and we did make the connection in Pasco WA around 10:00 p.m. Finally arrived at 1:00 a.m. on Weds.

Enjoyed the last two days in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Have really enjoyed reconnecting with my friend Martha - she introduced me to something called The Derailer - I think it's slang for train wreck, because with seven shots of alcohol, it's bound to knock you on your ass:



Just got back from a nice seafood dinner and we're skimming through all of the pamphlets and brochures trying to decide what we're going to do tomorrow. More stories and photos later; have a good weekend, all.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Baja Cantina



Grilled steak tostada with sour cream and guacamole; one Corona.

“You’re So Cute!”

Uttered to me yesterday by an elderly man in a wheelchair as I strolled through Horton Plaza. It wasn’t the first time an older man in a wheelchair had struck up a conversation with me when I was in San Diego. The day before an amputee chatted with me while I waited for the # 7 bus.

Maybe I can become a pin-up girl for New Mobility or Sports 'N Spokes.

I’m on the train now. No internet access but I’m preparing this post for when I disembark. Here are a few parting shots:

Friday, August 05, 2005

Eh - Fuck It

I was trying to keep to the whole "Unemployment: Day Whatever" theme like I did when I took my unused vacation days back in May and June but you know what? Fuck it.

This is so not about being unemployed.

That is not my focus right now. Right now I am relaxing and just enjoying life. And that's okay. (Bold and italicized to underscore the point to myself.) At some point, probably soon, I will be focused on my employment status, and maybe then I'll pick up the mantra, but for now, I just don't care.

The internal alarm clock had me up at 6:30 again. Looks cloudy and overcast out there today, so I'll need to be especially careful when I go outside - I know that it's days like these that can fry my lily white skin. Which is not so lily white since I've been going to the tanning booth since April, but still.

Okay - off in search of breakfast. More later.

Meeting Maria

this is an audio post - click to play

Kenna and Maria

P.S. In honor of our meeting (and in part because it was already long overdue) I am pleased to announce that Maria has been promoted. She is now A Perfect Fit!

Thursday, August 04, 2005

NEAR-THREATEDED

So I spent my day at the San Diego Zoo and all I could do was obsess about this typo:

Career Opportunity

Unemployment: Day Twenty-Four

As expected, I'm getting an early start on the day. Despite the time stamp of this post (my laptop is still on east coast time) it is 6:24 a.m. I've been up for almost an hour already. I tried to stay awake as long as possible last night so I could adjust to the time change, but I think it will take me another day or two.

Or maybe tonight will do the trick. I'm sure I'll be out late with my special visitor. More on that later.

Today's agenda ... to the zoo. Sit by the pool. Read. Contemplate life.

I've thought more about the recruiter who called me yesterday. I returned his call and all went well until he asked me how much I was making in my previous job. I said "I'm not supposed to tell you that!" and he was completely flabbergasted. I've always been told, never tell a prospective employer what you were making in a previous position. If you do, you give them leverage. If you were making $10/hour and they were thinking of paying $20/hour, suddenly they realize that they can offer you $12/hour and they'll save money and you'll be happy you got a 20% increase.

So I wouldn't tell him and he seemed very confused about it all. Finally he mentioned a range and I told him that I certainly would fit into that range - the high end of the range. Of course, I was previously making the low end of the range. But he doesn't need to know that. And if he did know that, then when and if an offer was made, you can better believe it would be the low end of the range. Employers want to pay you as little as they can - not what you are worth.

And it got me thinking even more. You know what? I don't want the fucking job in the first place. I don't want to be a fund raiser any more. You couldn't pay me enough to keep doing what I've been doing for the past 20 years. I'm sick and tired of it and I'm not going to do it any more. It's time for a change.

And with that - time to change into my clothes and go out and greet the day.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Unemployment: Day Twenty-Three

Hello from the west coast! I made my escape and not a moment too soon - while I was en route a recruiter called me wanting to talk about a fund raising job. NOOOOOO!!!

Actually, I will take the meeting upon my return. Even if nothing comes of it, the recruiter may have other jobs that might be a better fit.

Okay - I am in the land of sunshine and palm trees. I cannot stay in this hotel room any longer. Out I go - more later.

THIS JUST IN: In honor of my visit, Bai Yun gave birth to a new cub last night. Of course there is no chance of seeing the latest addition to the panda family, but I'm headed to the zoo tomorrow nonetheless. (Yes, in case you haven't figured it out, I'm in San Diego. And the surprises won't stop here - stay tuned; tomorrow I will entertain a special visitor!)

8:46 p.m. The views from the pool deck ...

Hotel Solamar - Bar PoolHotel Solamar - Pool DeckPETCO Park