Thursday, May 25, 2006

Various

Seem to be coming out from the pollen fog. If I didn't have allergies before, I do now.

Gave Trucklet a bath yesterday; she was all clean and pretty. Today, she's already covered in a a yellow film.

Have been pricing new tires for Trucklet too. Just now seeing that many Honda CR-V owners dislike the Bridgestone Dueler tires that come as standard equipment. I've got 42,000 miles on the tires and they probably won't pass inspection in July (let's put it this way - even if they do, it's time for a new set). I'm looking at a set of Michelins that can only be purchased in warehouse stores that are highly rated by Consumer Reports. Or some Yokohamas. We'll see.

Finally set up a dentist appointment. Should cross that off the To-Do List.

Bought two new pairs of pants for the new job. Threw out three old pairs of pants.

Am close to finishing "A Prayer for Owen Meany." Not loving it; not hating it. Just curious to see how it all ends.

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Saturday, May 20, 2006

Hmmm ...

I have no idea why suddenly a bunch of my posts have orange text.

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Various

Got all congested yesterday; took a nap and went to bed early and slept fairly well despite the stuffy nose.

Bunny update - the UBND's girlfriend moved the sun worshiping bunny Thursday evening. It was getting late and rain was moving in, so she picked him up (using gloves) and put him back in the nest. I didn't see him yesterday, but just now when I was out there, I could see a bunny amidst the leaves and grass. So, at least one of them survived.

Went to the gym this morning.

Saw The Da Vinci Code.

Didn't win The Da Vinci Code Quest on Google. Didn't even qualify as a finalist. Bastards.

Trying to hook my laptop back up to wireless network and every time I insert the PCMCI (or whatever the hell it's called) card my system crashes/reboots. I think I just need to buy a new laptop, dammit.

Got my final paycheck today.

I still have the next 10 days off.

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Friday, May 19, 2006

Bunnies!


Unlike today - a dreary, rainy, damp day - yesterday was unexpectedly warm and sunny. I made good use of the break in the weather to get some yard work done.

So I'm out in the yard, raking some leftover leaves in the beds, and as I pull back the rake there's a flurry of activity. I thought it was a mouse or a chipmunk, but then I realized it was a baby bunny! And he was followed by another ... and another ... and another.

They all scurried in different directions and I quickly lost sight of them. Poor things were scared out of their wits. I went to get the camera just in case I spied them again, and luck was on my side. This little guy decided that he wanted to be out in the yard - and so out he hopped. He actually spent quite a bit of time sunning himself (at one point I wondered if he was still breathing) and he was still there when I left.

Yeah, they're kinda cute, but honestly, I'd rather they took up residence in someone else's yard.

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FLOSS 4U

Seen, naturally, in the dentist's office parking lot.

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Cash Cab

I'm so behind the times.

I just saw "Cash Cab" for the first time last night. That's because I'm not a flipper. Men flip, flip, flip through the channels to see what else is on. I look at the TV guide channel, decide what I want to watch, and go to that channel. So it's not often that I watch something I'm not familiar with.

But last night I was with The Man and he flipped to "Cash Cab" and I was hooked. Sure beats "Deal or No Deal."

(Ladies - if you haven't seen it and want to give it a view, check your TV guide for The Discovery Channel's line-up.)

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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

PROZACH

So good I had to give it its own post.

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WLTH MGT

Seen on a Mercedes ... in the Marshall's parking lot.

Draw your own conclusions.

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4 Days and 743 Miles

I may not be working, but I'm certainly not idle!

Took off on a round-the-state tour on Saturday. Visited the family and had lunch with some old friends. Finally made my way back home yesterday. Did some cleaning this morning and made a few phone calls - saved myself almost $100/year on my car insurance. Got my hair cut, did some shopping and had dinner with Susan. A long full day.

Tomorrow - more cleaning, some yard work, and a trip to the gym. In general - plowing through the to-do list. Feels good. Gotta make the most of my free time while I have it - I start my new job on May 30.

w00t.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006

My Personal Effects

Tomorrow is my last day at this job. I'm looking around my work space, trying to determine what personal effects I need to take with me at the end of the day tomorrow.

I already took home the three pairs of shoes (black, brown, blue) that I had under my desk. In the winter, I wear my boots (how sensible of me!) and just switch to one of the pairs of shoes when I arrive. I also already removed the standing file folder rack - it was something I had at home and wasn't really using, and it came in handy here to keep frequently used files in front of me on top of my desk, but I wasn't about to just leave it here.

So, all that remains to be carted home:

* the page-a-day desk calendar
* my mug, spoon and spoon rest
* a small plate that I used as needed to heat up leftovers for lunch
* a small sharp knife - in case I needed to cut an apple or something
* a bag of individual packets of Sweet 'n Low
* a combination salt shaker/pepper mill

That is all. No personal photos. No plants. Nothing that would have indicated that I was getting comfortable here. Because I wasn't.

I'm outta here!

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I WIRE

I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure Pete (I know his name because he had it written on the ladder atop his Ford F150 pickup) is an electrician.

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Monday, May 08, 2006

Practice Makes Perfect

There is a chance that I will, out of necessity, be co-habitating with The Man for a few weeks this summer. We gave ourselves a little trial run this past weekend, and it worked out well.

Sure, it's not as cozy as my house. Yes, it will mean a 40 minute commute to work. No, my cell phone doesn't work out there. Yes, he does have indoor plumbing but the only working shower is in the basement. No, he doesn't have a working oven either.

But it's quiet and peaceful and if you look just right when you roll over in the morning you can see the deer behind the house, and hear the geese calling to each other as they fly overhead. The futon on the front porch is just right for reading a book, and when you tire of that you can just close your eyes and take a nap. He has the clearest, coolest, best tasting water I've ever had. And I slept through the night.

It's going to be a great summer.

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Friday, May 05, 2006

Today's Typo


Saw this on my Google home page and it gave me a giggle. Since when does a traffic accident immediately send you to rehab? Unless you already had a problem with addition ...


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EZ4U2SAY

The one thing I might miss when I change jobs is the opportunity to see clever license plates on the road.

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Thursday, May 04, 2006

Stupid News

This one was too good to pass up:

King Tut's Penis Rediscovered

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The Fog Has Lifted

It's taken three days, 375mg of Imitrex and an unknown quantity of Tylenol/Codeine (doncha love it when you find a leftover prescription med in your collection, and you don't know why it was prescribed but you know as long as it is a drug, a pain relieving drug, you will take it not caring whether it's an infant sized dose or a horse sized dose?), but the fog has finally lifted. It has been six hours since my last dose and I think I can say that my headache is finally gone.

I haven't had one that bad in a LONG time. I thought the weather had something to do with it, but Dr. Phil assured me that he checked the barometer last night and it hadn't budged. Whatever. I still think it had something to do with the weather, the cycles of the moon, what have you.

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18 for 18

Today's Da Vinci Code Quest puzzle was probably the most complicated and difficult one yet, but I finally figured it out, and I am 18 for 18 on the puzzles. It really gives me something to look forward to when I come back from my lunch break.

Also in the good news department - I passed my background check so it's official - I start my new job on May 30. I still have to get through six more days here, but then I'll have two weeks off (including a holiday weekend) before I start working again.

Life - she is good.

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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

In The Black!

w00t!

Last month I was in the black. I brought in $231 more than I spent.

Oh. Wait a minute. Income tax refund of $972. So I'm actually $741 in the hole.

Sigh. Can't wait for my new job. Or my new credit card.

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ANDS AUF

Saw this one on the way home last night. Cute - but would have been cuter if it wasn't on a minivan.

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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

How Do I Look In My Blue Coat?

Was just skimming through my SiteMeter stats and noticed that someone (or something) viewed 33 pages. Who was so interested in my little blog? Why, the folks at Blue Coat, of course. Turns out Blue Coat is a rating service that is utilized to keep objectionable content from kids. And it also helps employers block known spyware sites and cut down on unrelated web surfing during work hours. It's just one helluva big fancy filter.

And I got caught in it. Ultimately, I think I passed the test, because I saw the same user come back and visit later. But still ... if you think Big Brother isn't watching, think again.

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You Know It's Going To Be A Bad Day ...

... when you wake up with the same damn headache you went to sleep with. Time to take a handful (okay, one) of Imitrex. Although I think I'll go for the 50mg variety since the 25mg one I took last night obviously didn't cut it. [Of course I did note an expiration date of 2003 on the package ... that might have had something to do with it. Or I just have one big motherfucking headache].

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Monday, May 01, 2006

Caffeine and Chocolate ...

... and 1000 mg of extra strength pain reliever and it's still not touching this headache. I think I'll be sleeping through yoga.

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The Chicken or The Egg?

Do I do a bad job because I blog, or do I blog because I'm in a bad job?

I'm trying to focus and do my job, honest, I am. But I keep flipping over to email to see if I have any messages. I know that when I start my new job, I'm not going to be able to send/receive personal email, and I won't be able to do blog posts from work. Well, it's not that I can't, but I don't want to risk any emails or blog posts being read by my employer.

Not that there's anything wrong with what I have to say, but it will be seriously frowned upon to be sending personal email and writing blog posts at work. Imagine - a company that actually expects me to work On Company Time.

But I honestly think I'll be fine with that. Because I'll be doing meaningful work, and I'll be busy all day long. One of the reasons I email and blog so much from work is that I'm under utilized. I'm desperate for interaction, and not getting any here in the office, so I turn to the internet. I've been fighting the urge to email friends all day just to say "hi, how's it going" because I know they are at work and I don't want to be a bad influence.

Okay - got that off my chest. Time to go back to work; only 9 days, 1 hour and 57 minutes to go!

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