Various

1) I Knew It!

New guy started December 18, and since no one else stepped up, I invited him out to lunch on his first day. He asked how long I thought you had to stay in a job before you left. I predicted he wouldn't last six months. He only lasted two weeks (actually, eight days since we had Christmas and the day after as a holiday).

2) I really need a new tagline.

3) Score One For the Little Guy

Last fall I flew Independence Air to Las Vegas for my sister's wedding. I had originally booked the ticket, but then saw there was a big price reduction, so I rebooked and even after paying $25 rebooking fee, saved $95. Then Independence Air filed for bancruptcy. Just got a notice in the mail - there is a chance that I may actually get that $95 credit! I filled out the paperwork; we'll see.

4) Not Bad If I Do Say So Myself

I'm very pleased with myself for moving some money around in one of my retirement funds. It's grown 5% in the last quarter, and that's without any additional contributions. Granted, the market has been hot, but I think that my moving the funds around had something to do with it as well. And I have a meeting with a financial counselor coming up in January to address another account.

Still, I doubt I'll be retiring any time soon.

5) What A Crock!

I asked for, and received, a new crock pot for Christmas. The old one was too small. The new one? It's the difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes. If you have any to-die-for crock pot recipes, send them my way 'cause I'm a working girl and I ain't got time to slave over a hot stove.


File This Under: Various

From My Cousin Lew

I don't forward those email chain letters. But I am going to reprint one here. Merry Christmas to all.

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me.

I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me.

"No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked.

I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.

As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was A bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car."

Then, she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat.

I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. A little tag fell out of the coat and Grandma tucked it in her Bible. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what
Grandma said they were ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.
I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care...and may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

Another Communication Has Been Received

A Communication Has Been Received

File This Under: Friends

But I Don't Want To Change!

I see Blogger is trying to force it's "new and improved" version on me.

I don't want it.

I'm comfortable with tweaking code. I don't want you to dumb it down for me because, honestly, I find the "easier to use" template harder to use. They may have forced the new version on me for the new blog I just set up, but I'll be damned if they'll make me use it here.

SpamAlot

In the past 30 days, my gmail account accumulated 2,142 pieces of spam.

What Was I Thinking?

Put on a long skirt this morning and thought, "Hmm ... this is so long I don't need to wear panty hose; I'll just wear knee highs."

Totally forgot about the slit in the back of the skirt, so now when I'm walking down the hall I'm wondering if people can see my knee highs and fleshly knees.

Yeah, I came home to put panty hose on.

Ex Marks The Spot

I bumped into my Ex last night. Or rather, he bumped into me.

I was shopping at BJ's and he came up behind me and said "Well, hello there." I know he was trying to be friendly, and since I hadn't seen him he could have completely avoided me if he'd wanted to. It was the most awkward conversation I've ever had.

We started with the "what's new?" thing and he got a little testy and replied "Come on, I know you know the answer to that." Yes, he sold the marital homestead and bought a new house with his current girlfriend. And he assumed I knew because the guy that bought the house was working with a friend of mine who is a real estate agent. That's not how I knew, but anyway ... the point was that he didn't tell me. And so I didn't tell him when I got a new job. And of course he knew about the new job even though I hadn't told him. We live in a small town, folks.

So it was a struggle to get a conversation going - and then he just didn't seem to know how to let it drop. There would be a pause and he would just look at me, like he was willing me to tell him more. I didn't want to give up anything. My life is my life and I don't need or want to share it with him anymore. I'm sure he walked away from the encounter thinking I was angry and hostile. Maybe I was, but not for the reasons he thought. He just sapped my energy which was already low at that point in the day.

Frankly, I just don't care anymore.

It's Always Something

Thought I'd finally get iTunes up and running. Phil asked me to download a song for him, so I did. Then I realized that I didn't have the iPod to computer cable with me, so I can't upload to the iPod. And I can't download the 4,000+ songs from the iPod to the laptop. And then when I tried to copy the song from the laptop to my flash drive, it says the flash drive is full.

It's always something.

The Bright Side

What a nice, sunny day! Granted, it's only about 40 degrees outside, but the sun is shining and there are just a few fluffy white clouds in the sky. Not like the deluge we had on Friday. It was so strange to have thunder and lightning in December. Two years ago, we had snow.

So it was a busy first week back from vacation. I had something after work almost every night this week. Made the time go by quickly. And now it seems like time is flying by as it always does in December. Never enough time to shop, decorate, do Christmas cards and visit with friends. I did some shopping after work on Friday, and started decorating yesterday. Today, I focus on the photo Christmas card. This year, perhaps one of me and The Man. It's the best shot we have from vacation. He hates having his picture taken, but he agreed that if I were to get photo cards, this is the photo I should use.

I didn't take nearly as many photos on this vacation as I did last year. And now, looking at some of those photos it's clear that I definitely need to start exercising again. Of course, I've been saying that for six months. It's time to stop talking and start doing.

Yada, Yada, Yada

I'm totally shocked by this news.

Not.

Go Ahead ... Make My Day

I was in a pretty good mood, I thought. I was freshly showered and ready to start easing my way back into real life. I went outside, where it was an unseasonably warm 55 degrees or so, and off Trucklet and I went.

First stop, McDonald's at Exit 15. I was just craving a Quarter Pounder with cheese meal. So, I stop and go inside. There is a rather long line (because you know they are serving all the asshats in the drive-thru lane before they wait on you) but I joined the queue and patiently waited my turn.

I finally got to the counter and placed my order and as I was waiting, I heard the gentleman next to me mutter under his breath "Do you think you can go any slower?" I turned and looked at him and he nodded his head toward the extremely overweight teenager that was filling our orders. "Look at how slow she's moving. I'm getting fed up with this place. It hasn't been the same since the new owners took over."

I smiled sympathetically and said "Yes, service isn't what it used to be. I just came back from vacation and I was really disappointed in the service I received."

"I used to come here three times a week," he said, "but now ..." his voice trailed off. The slow moving teenager finally made it back to the counter with his tray and he rushed off to join his wife. I stood there, waiting on my order. I had fries and a drink cup, but the Quarter Pounder was nowhere in sight. I could tell they were simply backed up, so I stepped away from the counter and filled my drink.

I was trying to be patient, thinking that at least I was going to get a fresh burger and not something that had been sitting there for 20 minutes. The counter was virtually clear at this point, but there was a line of people running parallel to the counter, waiting for the next clerk to call them up.

A woman came directly in front of the line, and stood at the counter. I noticed the man behind her give a look, because it appeared that she was cutting the line. She looked at me and I lifted my eyebrows and said (in what I thought was a non-accusatory and non-threatening way) "I think there's a line."

She looked at me again, and said "I just want a fork" and then three beats later "Is that okay with you?"

I don't think I said anything, but then she was at me again, something like what's your problem or what's it to you? I said "You didn't see the look behind you."

"If he's got a problem, he'll say something."

I'm thinking, whoa! Back off, bitch. But by then I've allowed her to zap my serenity and I can't help saying "Have a nice day" as she walks by with her fork. And then it was on. Neither one of us wanted to let the other one have the last word. She snapped something about "have a nice day yourself" to me and I said "you need it" and she came back around and said "what did you say?" and I repeated myself and then said "goodbye" and I can tell she was just waiting for me to turn around but I didn't.

What was that all about? Here I am, just trying to promote good manners in the world by pointing out that there was a line. No, I didn't realize that she was just asking for a fork, and as soon as she said so, I'm sure whatever hostility that may have been in my voice was gone. No, of course I didn't mind if all she needed was a fork. But that was all she had to say, she didn't need to follow it up with "Is that okay with you?"

I continued on my way and slowly but surely I regained my composure. I stopped at the bank, picked up a few things at BJ's and then went to the grocery store. At least I have bread and milk in the fridge once again. On to the next chore - laundry.

Home Sweet Home

It's 1:09 and I still haven't changed out of my pj's. Susan says I am on vacation until 8:00 tomorrow morning, though, so it's okay.

Yes, I'm back! It only took 16 hours to get home yesterday. I should have just taken matters into my own hands before I even left on vacation. I mean, really, there were earlier flights out of Miami. And did we really have to wait 4 hours in Atlanta? No, but those were the reservations we had, and since our luggage was already scheduled to be on another plane, we couldn't change our plans. Don't get me started on the whole Transportation Security Administration thing.

Everything is just as I left it at the old homestead. Which normally would be a good thing, but I was told that there would be some work done on the house while I was gone, and it wasn't, so there's a wasted opportunity. And the new refrigerator still hasn't produced any ice cubes, so I'm going to have to get the appliance store people out here, again.

But, I got away with The Man and we had a good time despite many obstacles, so we'll just leave it at that.

How did you like my guest bloggers? Three cheers for Sally, Scooterdeb, Ed, JP and John. And Sue, too. She tried but ran into some Technorati difficulties.

Having them keep things flowing while I was gone was the good news. Now, here's even better news. Their guest blogging privileges have not expired! I'm leaving the blog open to them so they can visit any time they like. I like to shake things up every now and then. It really was great to have a different perspective here, so feel free to come back any time you want.

And now, I think a shower is in order. And then maybe some food. Anyone have any leftover turkey they want to share?

Half-naked lady reading book.

This should earn "Fear Not" some interesting hits.



(Taken at the Minneapolis Public Library.)

Happy day after

Happy Black Friday.

My husband and I, despite our "we're not going anywhere near those shopping crazies, no oh no" vows, ended up at the local Ames-replacement general-store-place, where we bought an artificial Christmas tree and a footstool shaped like a stuffed bear. The tree was our goal -- we're going to do the whole "we got married and now we celebrate holidays like a real family" thing, starting with Christmas. Thus, tree. The bear, on the other hand, was an expensive and silly impulse buy, but since Drew has spent all evening alternately taunting the cats with it and carrying it around and making it growl at me, while he laughs like a kid, I'd say it was a good impulse.

Considering that we had steak and yams for Thanksgiving dinner (the big production was postponed due to flu), we did at least celebrate half of the Thanksgiving tradition... the shopping half!

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's to a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you get to spend it with someone you love.

One of Kenna's guest bloggers
John Strain

Jokes About Wigs (For Obvious Reasons)

First of all, let me say I've already encountered two problems with this guest blogging gig. The first is this "title" business. Then there's the technorati tag section. And THEN, there's the whole problem of content. Oh, wait... so that would be three. Yes, there are at least three problems I'm having. I think there may be more.

1) Title - If I had titles on my own blog, I think they'd be entirely unrelated to the actual content of the post.
2) Technorati tag - Seriously, WTF? Am I the last person to use these things? I'm not sure I even know how to adjust the HTML, so I'm going to leave it. I hope there's a lot of people searching for "tag".
3) Content - If I had content on my own blog, I think it would be a lot of out-of-context random statements.
Salty) It's a long bike ride.

True Colors

Howdy! This is Ed from Whine & Cheese, your latest pinch-hitter while Kenna is on vacation from Fear Not.

This is only my second ever guest blogger experience. That first time, I blogged about how I got to know that blog and blogger... so I'll just stick with what works! (Or, on second thought, maybe it didn't... since that was my first and last time I did it!)

Anyhow, I've been blogging for over three years. Kenna was one of the my earliest blogroll additions. Truthfully, it's been so long I can't even remember who found who. Since my blog is a heavy dose of pop culture and particularly television, I wouldn't be surprised it it was the reality show Survivor that brought us together.

But, pretty much from the get-go I knew I liked Kenna.

Now, I know this is a bit silly. We have never met in-person, so I don't propose that I know her... any personal blog, mine included, is just one's intentionally or subconsciously version of one's self. But, if you've been blogging as long as we have, the truth eventually oozes out.

I have only met one blogger in person. It has worked out just fine and I am thankful for me now "real world" friend. But, time and again, I have stumbled across a "normal" blogger... perhaps a future real-worlder... only to have my initial impressions shattered merely by just hanging around for a while.

For example, a "shall remain nameless" blogger who has a big circle of real-life friends and is undeniably adored by the blogosphere... but alas can not find love. Well, perhaps future suitors have checked out his blog... incessantly whiny and miserable, closed-minded (though purporting to be just the opposite), and painfully insecure. Heck, I can even play armchair psychologist and realize 87% of his posts are just aimed at getting positive reinforcement via a gaggle of loyal commenters.

This "truth" discovery has happened over and over... I am surprised I have anyone left on my blogroll (at this point, I should add the aforementioned "example" blogger is not on mine)!

But Kenna has bucked the trend... though she may disagree... for me, she been the rare instance of a blogger who has remained pretty darn sane (a least in my book) over the years!

Again, we have never met... but if geography allowed, I could see us meeting up with her for drinks... or even attending one of her parties. I don't know if that'll ever happen, but it's just nice to think that it could... in this often strange 'lil cyber-haystack, it's nice to have stumbled across a friend-worthy needle.

And their stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

I was going to post this at my own blog, but thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be fun to agitate Kenna's readers into early holiday panic?" Because with Thanksgiving creeping up on us, we simply can't be bombarded TOO SOON with Christmas music, lights and other detritus, can we?!

I submitted a brief story and the following picture to my local newspaper after they requested reader "stocking stories." So here it is:

My husband and I married in 1990, combining our meager Christmas decorations. Among those was my standard-issue red felt stocking, my name glitter-glued along the top. But my husband's stocking ... well, it was something else! It was a huge - stretched over time to two-feet long - , knitted stocking with a green, yarn-fringed tree, lots of beads, jingle bells, trinkets and faded foam pieces sewed onto it. It was frayed with yarn pieces sticking out everywhere. Beads and trinkets had fallen off over the years and it was horribly stained. Compared to the generic red stockings my family had used, my husband's stocking was just so huge and overwhelmingly gaudy. And filthy! I wanted to chuck it.

But my husband's maternal grandmother, Grandma Doris, had knit the stocking for him when he was a baby. He'd had it all his life. I reluctantly accepted the fact we'd be hanging that stretched-out knit monstrosity every Christmas. As our first Christmas together neared, I received a package from Grandma Doris. In it was another stocking knit in sparkling white and crisp, brilliant colors with clean, bright beads and trinkets sewed onto it. My name was knit into the green band at the top. I'd never had a stocking like this before. Suddenly it didn't seem so gaudy at all. It was so special, handmade with me in mind by someone who welcomed me to her family.

Many years passed before we started our own family. By the time our daughter was born, Grandma Doris's mind faltered as she'd developed Alzheimer's. Sadly, she was unable to knit a stocking for our daughter.

Last year my mother-in-law gave me all of Grandma Doris's stocking patterns, instructions and the graphed designs she'd created for all the stockings she'd knitted over the years. Included with these was the list of friends and family who had received her hand-knit stockings. There were 78 people! No two stockings were alike.

Grandma Doris is no longer with us but her stockings live on in dozens of households. I feel very lucky to have the original knitting patterns.

(The following photo shows my husband's old stocking, my stocking, the knitting patterns, instructions, graphs and the list of stocking recipients.)

(Can you find the stocking labeled "Dick?")

Coming Attractions

I'm going away for a while.

Just a quick vacation with The Man. But I won't have internet access and I won't be able to post. But Fear Not, my friends. I've lined up an all-star group of fellow bloggers to guest post while I'm gone. I'll let them introduce themselves when they stop by. They have no rules, no regulations - they are going to post whatever they please, whenever they please.

I can't wait to read it when I get back!

SpamAlot

In the past 30 days, my gmail account accumulated 2,307 pieces of spam.

Curses!

Here I was, feeling like things weren't so bad. Sure, I haven't been exercising and I know that I've lost the tone I had a year ago. But I hadn't really gained a significant amount of weight, so when I finally get serious about getting fit again, it shouldn't be too hard to get back on track.

Except Susan (who, by the way, has been having far too much fun in my home when I'm not here) has informed me that my scales are off by at least 7 pounds.

Curses on you, Susan! I was quite happy living under the assumption that I didn't have much weight to lose. Thanks, as always, for telling me like it is.

Not.

Reaching Out

I just got home from work about 20 minutes ago. No, I did not work overtime; I just met a friend (if I didn't consider her a friend before, I do now) who wanted to talk about job opportunities. This is an acquaintace of mine through my woman's group, someone whom I've never gotten to know on a personal level. All that changed over a cappucino (for her) and a raspberry liqueur infused hot chocolate (for me).

Her request was simple enough - could she pick my brain about one of my former employers? Having gone through (and still in the process of going through) a job transition myself, I was happy to take the time. As it turns out, we have a lot in common and we ended up talking about work, health, family - you name it.

I actually left our meeting feeling energized and uplifted. I needed to reach out to someone, to stretch myself beyond the bounds of my everyday life. I complain about not having enough time to do things, but that isn't true. I've been drawing into my shell, and it's time I poked my head out. There are a lot of wonderful opportunities out there. I need to focus on the positive and stop dwelling on the negative.

Anyway, it was a nice change of pace for me. And now, I am going to curl up under the blanket and watch last night's episode of "Earl" and "The Office" while eating my leftover shrimp scampi shu shu.

Random

The refrigerator did NOT get delivered today. I sat at my freakin' desk all day, working, and the delivery folks never called. I ate my lunch (actually, just leftovers from yesterday) at my desk, waiting for that call, for crying out loud.

I have a crink in my neck/shoulders that is killing me.

Online access to my new employer's retirement account bites the big one. You can only transfer percentages between funds, and, it seems, only 100% of a given account. What if I want to transfer 55% of Fund A and distribute it 15% to Fund B and 20% each to Fund C and Fund D? Can't do it!

Was browsing my Amazon store and one of the featured products (I forget under which category) was a 15 count package of Bounty. Why would anyone buy that many rolls of paper towels online? Sure, I'll go to the wholesale store - BJs, CostCo, Sam's Club, what have you - but why would you order that online and pay shipping to have it delivered? Unless of course you are smarter than I am and you are buying so much that you get free shipping in which case it's pure genius because then you don't have to even go out - it gets delivered to your door! But still.

Just tried checking a few little used email accounts and - surprise! They have been deactivated. Whoops. I'll bet that's why I didn't get a NaNoWriMo reminder - I registered under one of those seldom used accounts.

I haven't done anything with my Flickr account in eons.

It's been even longer since I listened to my iPod. Longer still since I purchased a new song from iTunes. Come to think of it - where is my iPod?

Rich is sound asleep and snoring.

I have a surprise for you. I'm not ready to reveal the details just yet, but I will in 10 days. Two of you (you know who you are) already know about my plans; the rest of you will have to wait.

SK8 RCR

Seen on the Audi in front of me as I was driving home today.

Surprise!

Britney Spears files for divorce - what a shocker!

Okay, who had 761 days in the office pool?

Out of Touch

I'm having a lazy sit in front of the computer and play day. I have become so disorganized and out of touch since my laptop crapped out on me last fall. I just opened my Palm files for the first time in since, I don't know when. Old addresses out of date, contacts and Christmas gifts not noted ... it's a mess. I've been limping along for about a year now, it's probably time for me to just get a new laptop.

I was also updating my Amazon store; probably should spend more time on that to upgrade and promote it as well. You know, the holidays are coming up, so if you want to do some gift giving, do it from my site! You get the convenience of shopping online and having the item delivered directly (to you or to the recipient) and I make a few cents on the transaction. What's not to love about that?

Just returned a phone call to my friend Mary. She is the reinforcement I referred to in my earlier post. Thank goodness she was able to drop everything at work and come to my rescue at work. I don't have any family in the area, and I don't know my co-workers well enough yet to feel comfortable calling on them (and even if I did know them better, I'm not sure I'd every be comfortable calling a co-worker in that instance) so it was such a relief to have someone to help me out like that. I owe her big-time.

The Teriyaki Pork Roast is smelling fantastic; time to start prepping the potatos and onions. I love cooking a big Sunday meal in the crock pot.

Passages

I'm still standing.

I had not one, but two kidney stones. I passed the first one and the second one, well, it's hanging out there somewhere. Maybe it will attack, maybe it won't. Either way, I've got a boatload of Hydrocodone (and a refill!) if it does.

I've heard kidney stones are painful, and I can tell you it's true. It felt like my entire insides were being twisted and squeezed. I had managed to drive myself home from work (only a mile - with the window down and the door barely latched in case I needed to suddenly retch) and to the doctor's office, but when the doctor said I had to go yet another mile down the road for the CAT scan, I called in the reinforcements. Of course, by that time they'd given me a shot for the pain, so perhaps I could have made it, but you know what? I felt better having someone with me.

I'm not sure when I passed the stone, but it was fairly quickly after I'd gone to the doctor. I picked up the prescription and took just one painkiller, expecting to wake up and take another one in the middle of the night. It never happened. I slept well and felt fine the next morning, so off to work I went.

I'm just glad this happened now instead of two weeks from now when I am on vacation!

Self Diagnosis

I'll know later this afternoon after I return from the doctor's office, but for now I'm betting it's a kidney stone. I've heard they are painful, and let me tell you - it's true. All tied in with the new high blood pressure medication, I'm guessing. Not drinking enough water. Trying to drink some now to get a head start on the flushing process, but I just threw up the first 15 oz or so that I drank.

Yup. I'm a sick puppy.

Say It Isn't So!

Word on the street is that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe are calling it splits. I'm really sorry to hear that because they seemed so grounded and committed to their family.

If You Say So

Vanity plates I spotted during my travels over the past week or so:

WAKYWIFE

KEW TPIE

EXC CHEF

IAMNINA

WAS NYSP

One way to avoid traffic tickets.

"I Got Them At Marshall's for $19.99!"

That's what her shoes screamed at me as she leaned into the doorway of the office. She's known for wearing outfits that look like ... that I wouldn't be caught dead in, especially at work. Today it was a little black jacket and skirt - cute enough except the skirt was WAY too short. She accented things with a red leather croc type bag and the shoes - four inch high shiny red vinyl stiletto pumps. With the Marshall's price tag still stuck to the bottom of the shoe. I kid you not.

The Call of The Wild

Every year I play this game with myself to see how long I can go before I turn on the heat. This year, it was Saturday, October 14 - five days earlier than last year. And then I went outside and raked a huge pile of leaves even though there are still many trees where the leaves have not yet completely turned, much less fallen. And today, as I was walking home, the sound of geese flying south filled the air.

I hate fall.

And oh, yeah - the fridge is totally on the fritz again.

SpamAlot

In the past 30 days, my gmail account accumulated 1,701 pieces of spam. And that's what got filtered out! If I'd had to go through those and delete them, I would have killed the account. Just not worth the hassle when you can easily get a new email address.

KICKNMOM

Because SOCCRMOM was already taken.

Three Strikes

I can't win.

Was determined to start on a project this evening. All I wanted to do was install some old software on this PC. CD drive not working.

Wanted to create a birthday card for a friend. Grabbed the printer from the basement and hooked it up. Power supply not working.

Add to this the fact that AudioBlogger will soon cease to exist, and I've got three strikes against me.

Not a very cheery and/or uplifting 1,000th post, now is it?

10,368 Miles Away

I love checking my site stats to see who has visited and how they got here. Just a few minutes ago, I saw that my latest visitor was from Alice Springs, Northern Territory, AUSTRALIA. That's 10,368 miles away.

It's a small world after all.

Take last night, for example. I had a cocktail party and once again I tried to mix things up. I invited new co-workers, neighbors and friends. It's interesting to see if/how the different worlds collide. So I was surprised to see Rich's friend Ed immediately walk up to my boss's husband and say hello. Turns out they used to hang out together in the same dart league. And then later, I saw my yoga friend Lisa chatting with my friend Cindy and they grabbed me to ask Jill's last name, and I remembered that Cindy was friends with Jill who used to also be in our yoga class. And it was fun to see Jim and Jane arrive at the same time - I didn't know they knew each other and neither one of them knew that the other knew me!

All in all, another great party. There was a steady stream of people all night long - the first guests arrived right after work at 5:00, a second round of folks who don't work in town came between 6:00-6:30, it was almost 8:00 by the time Susan and Julie arrived and then things were a blur until 9:30 when things started breaking up but it wasn't over yet - Amy arrived just before 10:00. Everyone else said their goodbyes and then it was just the two of us, chatting until almost 11:30.

We talked a lot about relationships and community and identity and I realized that I am still struggling with that last piece - identity. Who am I? I'm not what I do, yet it's hard for me to define myself outside of the context of my job. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Do I need to be anything? How can I find a job that I love and still make a living at it? Questions that were fine to toss out when I'd been drinking for the last five hours ... a little too weighty for me this morning.

Back to cleaning up the porch ...

... The Ice Cube Maker Is Broken

So that's why the ice cube trays made the sudden appearance.

RLST8BKR

In case you're in the market.

I Know

See, I tried being subtle, but apparently that didn't work.

I just want you to know that I know.

I know that you've been visiting my blog.

I know when you visit, how long you stay, and whether you are at home or at work.

I know how you get here and where you go when you leave.

I just wanted you to know that I know.

File This Under: The Office

It Just Keeps Getting Better

Me: "I'm going to run out to A. C. Moore before my meeting."

Rich: "I love that store."

Me: "A. C. Moore?"

Rich: "Yeah, the crafts store, right? I love that place."

Can you believe it? A man who knows what A. C. Moore is and who isn't afraid to shop there. Stay back, ladies, because he's mine - all mine!

Things Change

Despite the forecast, the sun was out. The clouds were whisking their way across the sky, but Rich and I thought maybe it would be a nice day after all. Five minutes later, it was pouring. And five minutes after that, sun again.

It's going to be one of those days.

I have been sleeping very well since my procedure on Wednesday. I started the blood pressure medication (at half dose) and so far no side effects. We'll see what happens when I go full power starting tomorrow. Since it is a diuretic, I may be going to the bathroom more frequently. But since I have to get up from my desk and walk there and back, I'll be getting more exercise. Bonus! In all seriousness, I do need to get more exercise. And I have no reason for not doing so, only excuses.

I was chatting with Julie and Susan Friday night. You should have heard us. A bunch of 40-something women talking about sleep patterns and hot flashes and night sweats and I realized that I was becoming one of those women. You know the kind - the ones who are going through menopause and all you hear about are the hot flashes and the night sweats etc. Now, I'm not going through menopause - not yet. But I remember about 10 years ago when I first joined my women's group and there was this one woman who talked about perimenopause all the time.

It may have already begun.

Sick Day

I really thought I would be able to go to work after my doctor's appointment this morning. Turns out things were a bit more complicated than I realized.

The good news is that ultimately I underwent a different procedure and I think we'll get some conclusive results on this last round of tests. The bad news is that my blood pressure was through the roof. They wouldn't allow me to leave until they had secured an appointment with my primary care physician. Starting tomorrow, I will be on blood pressure medication.

I am officially old.

I didn't want to have to be on medication, but I've been screwing around with the blood pressure for two years now, and while it seemed to have come back down, it's up again and I certainly haven't done anything (like exercise) to bring it down. Maybe the meds are just what I need.

All I know is that I took one of those stupid "Real Age" tests the other day, and after saying that yes, I did have high blood pressure, my real age suddenly jumped several years. If going on the medication will keep me around a few years longer, then so be it.

But just to make myself feel better about the whole thing, I came home and booked another cruise.

Wide Awake

Getting old sucks.

Ever since I moved back into the house, I've had problems sleeping. Ignoring the obvious fact that Rich is not by my side, I can't figure it out. Why did I wake up at 4:00 a.m.? And why was I not able to simply close my eyes and go back to sleep? It's not like I laid there staring at the clock. I closed my eyes. I inhaled and exhaled deeply. I was calm and relaxed. Sleep, she just did not come.

So up I got. Isn't that what they recommend? To just get up and do something? Fine. I've still got the dishes from Sunday that need to be done, especially if I'm going to be cooking dinner for Rich tonight. And videos that need to be collected and returned to the library. And rebate forms that need to be filled out and mailed in.

I am so going to need a nap by 2:00 p.m.

****************************************
Was going through my greeting card box the other day and was reminded that September is National Potato Month. In case you want to make note of it.
****************************************

Did I tell you about the UBND? He is now simply the BND. Yes, believe it or not, he got a job! Mostly for the benefits - you know, health insurance. Again, sucks getting old.

****************************************
I don't know whether I'll do it or not, but it seems that change is in the air. I'm thinking of going back to my roots - whatever they might be. How would I look with Hot Cocoa colored hair? Yes, blondes have more fun but I'm just tired of having to color my hair every month. I'm thinking of doing a darker rinse in, one that's supposed to be temporary/wash out, but which will be permanent if applied on top of my totalled stripped and bleached blonde hair.

Of course, if I don't like it, I can always go back to being blonde. I'll let you know ...
****************************************

Visitor # 30,000

Join me in sending a shout out to the folks down under:

And You Need Ice Cube Trays Because...?

So I'm moving back into my house, and one of the things I have to do is run around the house putting things back where they belong. It never ceases to amaze me how haphazard people can be in the kitchen.

When you arrived, weren't all the pots and pans stacked neatly in the cupboard? Was it not obvious that pots and baking dishes go in the pull-out drawers and storage containers, be they glass or plastic, go in the lazy susan? Then why in hell are there pieces of Tupperware (using the term generically much like Xerox) in the pull-out drawers? And what possessed you to put the 10" frying pan on top of the 6" sauce pan? AAARRRGGHH!

But here's the most perplexing thing. The freezer has an automatic ice cube maker. So why are there ice cube trays on top of the fridge?

File This Under: WTF?

URHOOKED

Seen on a tow truck.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

About Last Night

I went to an awesome concert - John Mayer AND Sheryl Crow. Sent two different audio posts but they appear to be lost in space. I'm sure they'll magically appear after I post this instead.


File This Under: Fun Times

All I Wanna Do

"... is have a little fun before I die."

Waiting On The World to Change

"Me and all my friends
We're all misunderstood"

Recipe for Relief

The drugs are working.

Daily phone calls before the Aricept® and Zoloft®? As many as twenty.
Daily phone calls since Aricept® and Zoloft®? Tonight, just one.

I'm writing this on my laptop. Screen still busted, so hooked up to external monitor. Discovered that the PCMCIA slot also seems to be kaput, so really no sense whatsoever trying to fix the screen. If I can't use the slot to go wireless, it's just not worth it. Plus I'm realizing that the laptop has an annoying habit of cursor jumping. I'll be typing along and suddenly the cursor is four lines behind and in the middle of a sentence. I'm not touching the touchpad, I swear.

I re-downloaded iTunes last night. I'm just going to use the laptop for music and photo files. At this point, I don't have a back-up of the 4,000+ songs on the iPod, so I need to download everything from the iPod to the laptop. Since I just got home, a project for another day. But it's in the works.

Slowly but surely. Steady wins the race. Insert your own trite expression here.

Had a whopper of a headache yesterday and today. It started yesterday, and I left work early (as much so I could get to the grocery store as anything, but my head was really pounding). I'd taken well over 2,000 mg of ibuprofen throughout the course of the day, so I finally concluded that I'd missed the cut-off and I had me a full blown migraine. Came home and took the Imitrex. Rich stroked my hair and soothed my brow for a full hour while I waited for relief. I love this man!

Woke up at 4:00 a.m. with a piercing, stabbing pain in my temple. Took 1,200 mg of ibuprofen and went to work. Followed it with 600 mg more at 8:00 a.m. Can't remember if I took more at noon or not, but by early afternoon I started feeling better. Really could have used a quiet night at home, but I had a volunteer board meeting at 6:30 and since I was feeling better, I went.

Rich is fishing again, so I don't expect him until 10:00 or later. And yes, folks, he really is fishing. I mocked and made fun of them last week, but they were indeed fishing. And probably drinking and smoking too, but that's okay. I am totally cool with his having a night out with the boys. My girl's night out is coming up next week. Stay tuned for stories, and, if you're lucky, photos!

File This Under: Various

SpamAlot

In the past 30 days, my gmail account accumulated 1,033 pieces of spam. I'll have to check it every now and then to see how high it goes. For now, this is my personal best.

File This Under: Crap

On This Day In History

Okay, so I'm a few days late in reliving this moment. I can't believe it's been a year already.

File This Under: Flashback

Misfiring Synapse

Or is that synapses? Either way, mine seem to be malfunctioning. I know that I have had bursts of brilliant thoughts that I wanted to record here, but by the time I get to my keyboard ... nothing.

Chalk it up to being over 40. It's true - everything starts to go.

I'm sitting here in my underwear; Rich is across the room on his computer playing with the sound system for his guitar. No sun today; it's overcast and - hey, is that rain? Yes, it is raining. So the little hike we were trying to plan probably won't happen now. Who knows - I could end up spending all day inside just playing on the computer, organizing my files, printing out new recipes.

Maybe not such a bad day after all.

I hate to say it, but not saying it won't make it not true, so here goes.

The leaves are starting to change. This is the point where I should save as draft, get my camera, take a picture, come back and download, and then upload for you to see:



Bits of yellow on the beech trees, and I think there is some orange/red on the maple - check out the upper right corner of the photo. Summer is almost over.

Some people really like fall, but I'm not one of them. I don't hate it, but it's not my favorite season. I'm more of a spring/summer kind of girl.

So, while I'm at it, here are a few other photos of my temporary summer home:



In the mean time, my brother called. He and his wife are up visiting her brother and sister-in-law (who live about a half hour south of me) and so now I have something to do on this rainy Saturday - we're going to meet them for lunch.

Maybe when I get back I'll spend more time updating my photos and/or organizing my iTunes - two projects I said I was going to work on while staying with Rich and neither one have I attempted.

File This Under: Catching Up

From A to Z

Yesterday was a good day. Rich took his dad to the doctor and now he is covered from A (Aricept®) to Z (Zoloft®).

Sweet.

File This Under: Family Fun

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I am home alone.

Rich is out on the river "fishing" with a couple of his friends. I say "fishing" because I doubt any of them has a pole in the water. It's just their chance to get out on the water without the wives. It's okay - it gave me time to do a few things around here.

Like hang up his pants.
And fill the ice cube trays.
And clean the shower.
And make a cucumber salad.
And water the plants.
And talk to his dad on the phone (not too bad - four calls in the last two hours).

But it's all good. I'm really enjoying the cohabitation. It's going to be difficult to move back into my little house in September, because I really enjoy being here with Rich at the end of the day. The other night he told me that I made the house feel like a home.

All together now - "Aw! That's so sweet!"

File This Under: Love

Where's The Camera?

You know, I'm sure there are cameras in the building, I just don't know where they are. My access is limited to certain areas, and I gotta wonder - is there a camera on every locked door? I've looked around and I don't see them. But I know they must be there somewhere.

And I'm sure if they wanted to they could run files of every time I swipe my key card. They know what time I enter and what time I leave.

We're having a department meeting with the executive vice president later this week. Can't wait to see how that goes. And plans are already underway for the holiday party. You don't even want to know how much it's going to cost. But since I do know how much it will cost, you can bet that I'll be there!

I was really busy today. I reorganized the resume file and created an index. Yeah, that's about the extent of my accomplishments for the day. But I didn't misplace any confidential documents, so that's a good thing!

Made sure I went out for lunch (even though I had my lunch with me) and I ran into my friend Lorrie at the park. When I came back I had a message from Phil wondering if I wanted to meet him for lunch. Maybe Friday or Monday.

File This Under: The Office

Distracted

Today didn't start out so great. We didn't sleep well last night, so I was still a little groggy when Rich jumped out of bed to answer the phone at 7:30 a.m. I did get myself to the laundromat by 9:15 and less than two hours later I returned home with five loads of clean laundry.

Cleaned out the refrigerator, and then I signed onto the computer and got distracted. Caught up on some blog reading, and while reading Meaghan's blog I was reminded that I haven't checked my site stats in a while. Probably a good thing. But then I checked and I saw a referral from my college. Now, I don't think I've ever used the name here, and I am writing under a pseudonym, so maybe it was just coincidence. But no - whoever it is came via bloglines, so they must have meant to come here. Whoever you are, hello!

I get a lot of hits from Google searches. Folks don't stay very long, but the last few weeks GNC and Clinique Bonus Time have been popular items. By the way - Bon Ton for the Clinique Bonus, ladies (assuming there is a Bon Ton near you - do you live in upstate New York?)

Well, I still have to finish putting away the laundry and make the bed. Then it's off to a friend's house for an afternoon party/barbeque. Later!

File This Under: Various

Summer Nights

Family Fun

Despite showing my face in photos, and tempting your ears with an occasional audio post (I really should do another one soon), I've pretty much left a lot of personal details out of this blog. Even using a pseudonym, I feel naked and exposed.

Well, got ready for some pornographic material. I'm about to start divulging personal information.

Sort of.

Had a good time at the family reunion. It was largely a bust - just one aunt (and spouse), two uncles (and spouses), one grandmother and two distant cousins showed up. But my sister and brothers were there with their respective spouses, and there were four kids under the age of ten running around, so I got to play lots of catch with velcro mitts and balls. The bocce balls made an appearance but as soon as we saw them being used as weapons instead of toys (my cousin is going to grow up to be an ax murderer, we're almost certain) we put them away.

Stopped and saw my friend Michelle on the way to the reunion and on the way back as well. I won't go into details there, because that's her personal information, but suffice it to say that she is dealing with monumental work and family issues and somehow, she's still standing. I marvel at her. I'd be a freakin' basket case if I had her problems.

And now I'm back and since I'm living with Rich for the rest of the summer, his problems are now my problems. Do you know anything about dementia and Alzheimer's? Do you know how to deal with a parent who is delusional? Who calls you twenty times (I kid you not) in one day? Who can't remember that he's already called you? Or that you stopped by to check on him just a half hour ago?

Welcome to Rich's world.

I don't know how to help him. I've asked and he tells me that there is nothing I can do. I just listen. That's all I can do. I'm tempted to start a different blog charting and detailing all the symptoms - the repeated calls, the foul language (so disconcerting to hear an elderly man repeatedly use the word "fuck"), the outlandish stories and questions. But I don't think I can. Because he's not my father and it's just not my place.

And that's all I have to say about that.

File This Under: Family Fun

Untitled

It's too hot and I'm too tired to come up with a clever title.

Busting my butt at work. Don't think they're going to fire my ass - if they were they would have already done so. Keeping my eye on the potential saboteur, and being ever vigilant. Going to family reunion this weekend. That will wipe me out physically and emotionally - hopefully in a good way.

The cohabitation is going great. Rich really loves having me around. Really, truly, he does. That's a nice feeling.

File This Under: Blah

WASAABY

Seen, appropriately enough, on a Saab.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

I'm Still Standing

Despite a fairly sleepless night, I'm still standing.

My pass key worked when I got to the office. I made it through the day. Even managed to have a heart to heart with the woman I replaced, and she told me to watch my back. She would not be at all surprised if someone - a specific someone - was trying to sabotage me. Good to know.

I'm fairly certain I didn't misplace those papers, but there's no way in hell I'm going to point my finger at anyone. I'm just going to be ever vigilant and alert.
No one messes with Kenna Fearing and lives to talk about it!

File This Under: The Office

Fond Farewell

Special note to Brian: It was my favorite cut-up poem. Fare thee well.

File This Under: Goodbye

Pulling Out My Hair

So I have this new job with a financial firm. From day one it was stressed to me that things were confidential. I get it. But who hasn't gotten up from her desk to go to the ladies room? Must I clean my desk and lock my computer every time I leave the chair?

Maybe so.

I lost track of some confidential papers today. I was working on them, along with other things, and I was also drafting a memo to accompany said confidential papers. Got to the point where I wanted to put the memo with the papers and ... where the fsck are the papers?!?

I looked everywhere. I thought about just printing out a new set, but I did the right thing and reported to my boss that the papers had gone missing. We searched everywhere and the papers did not turn up. I retraced my steps and wracked my brain to no avail.

This is, literally, something that I could lose my job over. I'm safe for now, but the office is still on alert. It's bad enough that I might have simply misplaced these papers, but if someone picked them up off my desk and took them, then that's cause for real concern.

Needless to say, stomach churning, head pounding. And yet I'm expected to show up tomorrow morning and put in a long full day. Naturally this happened on the eve of a big event - nearly fifty clients are coming into town tomorrow.

Oy. I'll keep you posted, but since I'm no longer blogging On Company Time, and I'll be working my ass off for the next two days, let's all just assume that no news is good news.

File This Under: The Office

He's The Best!

I temporarily moved in with Rich, and he came ahead with the first load, including my computer. By the time I got here, he had set up a desk, hooked up my computer, and neatly arranged all my papers. I love this man!

File This Under: Love

PILL MAN

I think it's a pretty safe bet - he's a pharmacist.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

There's One In Every Crowd

The weather freak. At my last job before the last job, it was The One Who Is Engaged. At this new job, it's The Young Man.

Yes, it's been hot. How hot you ask? Why, The Young Man will tell you! Even though the air temperature is 82 degrees, with the humidity it feels like it's 95 degrees!

Thank you for the update.

In other office news ... there is no news. It's generally a good place to work and the people are intelligent and friendly and no one bothers me and I get my work done and am rewarded with a paycheck on the 15th and 30th of every month.

C'est tout.

File This Under: The Office

Living in the Twilight Zone

It was a late night last night. I didn't get home until 12:30 and when I came upstairs to go to bed, the heat hit me like a furnace. I grabbed my favorite pillows off the bed and went right back downstairs to the master suite to sleep.

Just woke up a few minutes ago and thought, "Ugh. It's only 7:00. I wish I could have slept later, but oh well. Might as well get up and do a few things before heading out to do my errands and mow the lawn." And then I came back upstairs (where, mercifully, it had cooled off to 78 degrees) to check my email and I went "Huh?"

The clock on the computer says it's an hour later than I thought. Since I haven't been using the downstairs suite, I never bothered to change the clocks for daylight savings time! So I actually got an extra hour of sleep, but now I'm feeling rushed to get out, run my errands, mow the lawn, get packed and hit the road by noon.

Oh yeah - did I mention? Road trip!


File This Under: Things That Make You Go Hmm

I Tought I Heard a Puddy Tat!

Well, the kitty cat is gone but her memory lingers on.

I could have sworn I heard her meow just a few minute ago. The house feels a little empty without her. But she's back where she belongs, safe and sound with Susan.

Had a little mis-adventure with Trucklet yesterday (you'll want to read this one, Jenica). Turns out I left my sun roof open on Tuesday. It poured overnight on Wednesday. Yesterday, I had a whole lotta water in my car.

So I'm driving to work, all distracted, (and increasingly wet even though I threw a beach towel on the seat) and the next thing I know, I'm bumping the car in front of me at an intersection. Not just any car. The local emergency rescue vehicle. No damage, no injuries, but the local cops had to be called just the same since it was a city vehicle. I gots me a ticket for following too closely. Joy.

And then, when I got home yesterday, I get this bill from my mammogram - last year - and for some unknown reason they reimbursed my insurance company $93 and now want $35 out of me. For a procedure that was done a year ago. Makes no sense.

Can't worry about it now. I've got a full day at The Office and then it's off to a friend's house for a open swim and cocktails.

File This Under: Catching Up

BACINTYM

You'll never believe where I saw this vanity plate ... on a DeLorean! Better yet, I just happened to have my camera with me.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

Feline Pleasures

I'd forgotten what it was like to live with a cat.

Do you know where this cat sleeps? Wherever the hell she wants! I've found her on the bed in the back room, on the sofa on the porch, in the closet, in the window, on the kitchen table - even in the bathroom sink! She totally rules the roost.

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, she jumped up on the bathroom countertop and there she stayed. When I was married and had a cat, he used to do that - just hang out with me in the bathroom while I dried my hair and put on my make-up. When I was done, I'd say, "Come on, let's go get something to eat!" and he'd hop off and race me down the stairs. Now I remember what I was missing.

But the litter box (and little pieces of litter all over the house because it sticks between her toes) and the waking me up at 5:00 in the morning? That I don't miss.

File This Under: Things That Make You Go Hmm

Be Nice To Me ...

... I gave blood today.

File This Under: On This Day In History

Hazy, Hot and Humid

Is it July already? It's been sticky the last few days, and the rain just keeps coming. There's been quite a bit of flooding, and the route I take to visit my family was a total washout:

I'm cat sitting for Susan while she's away on vacation without me. I know - can you believe she went on vacation without me? Don't worry, it's okay - she's with a very special man. Of course poor Rich is allergic to the cat, so he won't be hanging around here much for the next week or so. I'll just have to spend time at his house. Three weeks from today I'll be moving in for the summer, so I suppose I should get used to it.

Things are going well at work; I can't tell you how happy I am to be walking to work again. I think I only filled Trucklet up three times in the last month, so I'm definitely saving money in gas. That's about it. It's boring, but I'm happy. It's a good thing.

File This Under: Catching Up

The Ladies of the Lake

Is it true that all good things must come to an end?

Susan and I went out last night in search of The Boys in an attempt to consummate our annual unofficial gathering. Somehow, we missed them. We were in the right place. They had been there earlier, but they'd already gone. We circled the lake a few times, stopping in at various watering holes to try to find them, but it was no use.

We ended up having dinner, coming home and declaring that maybe the time had come to retire Ladies Day. The end of an era. The fact that we were both excited that it meant that we could get to bed by 10:00 probably means that the time had come.

So, it's time for a new phase in life. It should also be noted that today is the one year anniversary of the day Rich purposefully came into my life. Yes, time for a new phase.


File This Under: On This Day In History

A Blog By Any Other Name

You can call it a blog, a web log, but it's a journal.

And just like my real-life hard copy journals, I've noticed that the happier and more content I am, the less I pour into my journal. For me, writing is therapeutic. When something is bothering me, I write it down and work it out. So in hard times, lots of notes and scribbles. In happier days, not so much.

The decline of entries in this blog is a good thing. It means I'm happy and focused on other things. Oh, I'm not leaving you - this isn't one of those "my blog has run its course/outlived its usefulness/my cover's been blown" postings.

I'm just saying.

File This Under: Introspection

Flashback

In honor of Father's Day, here's a flashback to last July.

File This Under: Flashback

Bubblegum Pop

Poor Britney Spears. She just wants to be treated like a human being. With respect.

Here's a hint, Brit - you get respect by giving respect. Next time you do an interview, spit out your bubblegum first, hum?

File This Under: Pop Culture

An Invitation

It was an interesting mix at work today. Busier than all get out in the morning, setting up meetings. We have Outlook, and everyone uses it as their calendar, but ... when setting up meetings with top execs, apparently the preferred method is to call the assistant, have her check the calendar while you hold, and then go from there. So I did that for five different meetings. And before I knew it, it was noon.

A little slow in the afternoon, but then things picked up speed and I ended up being one of the last ones out of the office. I am making friends and influencing people all over the place. Great emphasis is placed on referring to everyone as an "associate." I got a lunch invitation from a fellow associate today. At first I thought, "why would I want to go to lunch with this person, she's 'only' an assistant, and I'm a senior assistant?" and then I pulled my nose out of the air. Uh, hello - maybe because she's worked here longer than you? And she could tell you things and help you get ahead? I can't go into this job with an attitude.

So, to make up for it, I did what any good senior assistant would do. I swallowed my pride and stopped in the bakery on my way home to order a pie for a fellow associate's birthday on Thursday. After all, that's my job.

File This Under: On Company Time

Vanity Plates

I've seen a bunch of them lately ... let's see what I can rememeber:

VANGOE

Appropriately enough, on a van.

TWAZNTME

I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy.

CALLCHAD

On a red Mercedes convertible. And parked right behind that -

ITSLISA

On a blue BMW.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

Reflections

Since I can't post On Company Time I need to make use of the computer On My Time. The sink full of dirty dishes will just have to wait.

I had couple of conversations earlier this evening that have made me reflective ... does anyone remember Phil? I had many things to say about him two years ago, and lately - not so much. It's hard to believe that two years ago I thought of him as the love of my life (seriously, did I really say that? I guess I did.)

Phil called me with news this evening. Not only did he officially move in with the girlfriend, they went and bought a house together. When I immediately called and told Susan, she laughed out loud, as I knew she would. We agreed that it was a stupid thing for him to do, and then Susan asked if I was over him. Oh yes, I'm over him.

It's just really incredible the places I've been these last two years. Not geographically, but emotionally. I spent quite a bit of time mooning over Phil. Then I moved some of it to my other blog. Then Phil became my housemate. Then he started dating this other woman. Then, not so much about Phil. It was just an infatuation. A long, drawn-out infatuation, but an infatuation nonetheless.

I'd like to think that I've gotten my shit together, straightened up my act, that I'm on the straight and narrow - that I know what the hell I'm doing with my life - but even though I'm in a MUCH better place than I was two years ago, I still don't know where I'm headed.

The big difference? I'm okay with that. Life's too short - I'm just going to take it one day at a time and enjoy it. It doesn't get much better than that.


File This Under: On This Day In History

Rain, Rain - Go Away!

The morning weatherman just said that it has rained 24 out of the last 30 days. Ugh.

I had brownies for dinner last night.

That is all for now.

File This Under: Blah

Catching Up

I may have to change the name of this blog.

Going forward, I will not be blogging On Company Time. I won't even be checking my email on company time. All external mail sites are blocked. All email sent via the company system will be monitored.

That takes the fun out of everything.

But it makes for an incredibly productive worker. Think about how much Company Time I wasted previously. Hell, that's probably part of the reason my contract wasn't renewed - I was a slacker. But ultimately, it was a good thing. I didn't want to work there in the first place, so I'm glad they let me go.

The new job? I can't tell you how happy I am. It shows - I ran into my friend Amy when I was getting lunch, and she immediately said "I can see how much happier you are; this new job is a good thing for you." Oh yes, it's a good thing.

So, if I'm not blogging On Company Time, what on earth will I write about? I'll probably be able to share some tidbits with you, but I'm afraid I'll have to keep the really juicy stuff to myself. Because I signed all sorts of confidentiality agreements, and financial disclosures and etc and so on. I could tell you. But then I'd have to kill you.

Of course, I can always mock myself. It only took me five hours to figure out that the reason my fax wasn't going through to the compliance office was because I needed to dial a "1" before the area code. Duh.

But I did manage to clean up the management report and I put the chart in a table so that it was evenly spaced and easier to read. So I got that going for me. Tomorrow it's back to my roots - stuffing a 700 piece mailing by hand because the personalized letter absolutely, positively needs to match up with the mailing label. I'm ready!

File This Under: On Company Time

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.

File This Under: Various

Hmmm ...

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

File This Under: Things That Make You Go Hmm

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.

File This Under: Various

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.

File This Under: Yardwork

FLOSS 4U

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

File This Under: Vanity Plates

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.)

File This Under: Pop Culture

PROZACH

So good I had to give it its own post.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

WLTH MGT

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

Draw your own conclusions.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

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.

File This Under: Catching Up

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!

File This Under: Blogging On Company Time

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.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

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.

File This Under: Summer Vacation

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 ...


File This Under: Typo of the Day

EZ4U2SAY

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

File This Under: Vanity Plates

Stupid News

This one was too good to pass up:

King Tut's Penis Rediscovered

File This Under: Stupid News

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.

File This Under: Headaches

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.

File This Under: Da Vinci Code Quest

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.

File This Under: Finances

ANDS AUF

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

File This Under: Vanity Plates

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.

File This Under: Blue Coat

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].

File This Under: Headaches

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.

File This Under: Headaches

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!

File This Under: Blogging On Company Time

Varied and Sundry

[Post originally started April 25]

That describes the contents of my to-do list. None of these items have specific deadlines, they are just things that I need to do. Some items are more pressing than others (how can I bake without an oven?) so let's hope that I get around to those sooner rather than later.

• get estimate on repairing oven thermostat (or cost of new purchase)
  
• close out ETrade accounts
  
• enter Trucklet's service records online
  
• schedule dentist appointment
  
• submit to drug test for new job
  
• visit apartment complex; see if they have short term rentals available
  
• split perennials
  
• go to the gym!
  
• check out other gym specials; decide whether to keep membership, change gyms, or just give up on gyms altogether
  
• research tires for Trucklet; order online and have installed at local shop rather than going through dealer at next service?
  
• once I change jobs, transfer retirement accounts and investment account as needed
  
  
  

File This Under: To-Do List

What A Cop Out!

So I hear that People's "100 Most Beautiful People" issue hits newsstands Friday.

 

In the past they've only listed the 50 Most Beautiful People, but this year the list swelled to 100.  Sort of.  Apparently, all 26 spokesmodels from the NBC game show "Deal or No Deal" are listed.  That, I think, is a major cop out.

 

Do they each have their own page?  Do we learn anything about them other than their name?  This is just a cheap, lazy way to say they've listed 100 people.  Or should we say celebrities and sports stars - because there are tons of beautiful people in the world who will never grace the pages of People magazine.

AUGPLC2B

This particular vanity plate reflects a local sentiment - if you know where I live, then you'll figure it out and it will make sense to you.

I'll let you know come August.

File This Under: Vanity Plates

You Are Not Alone

I just found out today that a friend of mine is going through the same job turmoil I went through - his contract was not renewed. I'm not sure how long he has known, but I dropped him a note to update him on my recent good job news, and he shared with me that he was moving on as of June 30. I read between the lines, and he subsequently confided that was the case.

I don't know the details, and I'm not going to ask. If he chooses to share with me, we can commiserate. It wasn't an easy thing, but I was determined to make the best of it, and ultimately, I did. I'm not saying there weren't rough spots, but I think I'm going to come out of this a better person.

File This Under: Work Lessons

Tag - You're It!

Just trying out the tagging feature ... it's not a part of blogger but supposedly you can tag via Technorati just by adding a bit of code to your post.

Tag

Tackling My Piles

My plan for this weekend was yardwork, but Mother Nature has other plans. It's been especially dry, so I shouldn't complain about rain. I managed to get a good start on leaf removal last night and I dug up a few stray bleeding hearts. There are six bags and two cans of leaves at the curb - I've done enough.

So, instead I'm going to start tackling my piles. I have them everywhere. I need to find a final resting place for my stuff. Let's just hope I can resist the urge to skim/read those newspaper articles - after all, I saved them for a reason, didn't I? And do you think I can consolidate those two boxes of high school memorabilia into one?

Who knows what I'll do with the carefully preserved wedding gown that yellowed anyway. Is there someone out there who wants to buy it for the yards of satin and whatever lace trim is still salvageable? Or should I just wear it to my next party? Wait - nix that. The dress fit me in 1991 - now, probably not so much.

So Quiet ...

... I can hear my Diet Pepsi fizz as the carbonated bubbles make their way to the top of the can.

And what's with AdSense? Serving up a single Honda ad on the top of my page - how is that relevant to anything I've said in the last 24 hours? Granted, Trucklet is of Honda lineage, but I haven't mentioned her in ages. (By the way - 40,000 mile service on Saturday. And once I start my new job, once again she'll be sitting quietly in the driveway most of the time.)

Wasting time here ... trying to write a press release and just not inspired. Drafting/laying out the catalog isn't working for me either. It is a beautiful, glorious spring day and I just want to be outside!