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!

Where's My Puzzle?

So much for Google's Da Vinci Code Quest.  I've been checking back all morning and they still haven't loaded today's puzzle.  Don't they know that I need ways to waste time here at work?

So Cool It's Scary

I followed this link to The DaVinci Code Quest on Google.  It's an interesting concept - they have crafted a series of puzzles that you need to solve in the days leading up to the movie premiere of The DaVinci Code.  I solved the first one and expected to have to go to a page where I would register etc but instead - Google did it for me.  They knew my gmail user name, and presented me with a screen asking if I wanted to add the puzzle quest to my personalized home page.  I said yes, and there it was - a nice little block on the side of my Google homepage showing my progress to date.

 

I was totally impressed with the whole thing.  And scared shitless.

 

I'm giving Google so much access to my movements and habits.  I'm using Gmail and while I know that they can't possibly have enough resources (much less the inclination) to truly monitor and read my email (among other things), just the very idea that they could, if they wanted to, scares the shit out of me.

 

But I'm playing my own little game - I tweaked the code on the link above.  I'm just curious to see how closely they are monitoring from whence their traffic comes ... and if it ever finds its way back to me, some way, some how.

Susan Speaks

I got a message from Susan that I just have to share with you:
==========================================================

Have you heard about this? This guy was on Good Morning America today.

http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/

I wonder if I can trade a Cadbury crème egg for a decent man....

==========================================================
Not if I see the egg first, Susan, not if I see the egg first ...

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

A Year In Review

Oh, the places I've been in the last year!

A year ago I was counting down the days until I could leave my job. I spent a week in Charleston with my mother, and the following weekend I took a quick day trip to Boston for my first ever blog meet with John Strain.

I was bold and adventurous on the eve of my 40th birthday, and I vowed that the celebration would last all year. And so it has ... last June I flew to New Orleans with a guy I'd just met ... in August it was San Diego where I did Blog Meet # 2 with Maria (if you're reading this, drop me a note!) and then just a few days later I found myself in the Baja Cantina enjoying dinner with Brian and Deb. Kenna does three Blog Dates in as many days!

Susan and I went to Montreal at the end of August ... I spent the weekend in the Hamptons with The Man ... the next thing I knew I was flying to Vegas for my sister's wedding and then - the QM2 for twelve wonderful days.

Oh, how I lived in 2005!

Things slowed down there for a while, but I think that I'm ultimately going to end my 40th birthday on a high note. I just came back from Boston where once again I wished John Strain well - by the time he reads this he will have completed the Boston Marathon. I'm still in awe of anyone who runs a marathon. This year I extended the trip, spent the night and was able to conduct Blog Meet # 5 - with Nita.

I just knew that she would be a kick, and she didn't disappoint. It felt like we'd known each other for years and we were quickly offering up way too much information, but hey - my 40th year is almost over and I've got to live it to the fullest. No time to waste with niceties. I have the most adorable photo of the two of us (thanks for snapping it Susan) which I would love to post (I have Nita's permission), but I'm still having computer issues here at home and no matter how many times I restart, the damn computer just doesn't recognize the camera. Tomorrow, I promise, when I go work I'll download the photo and post it.

And Nita? Girlfriend, you are so invited to my next party.

Stupid News

Time for another edition of stupid news ... actually, I've heard this before and I'm not surprised:

 

Licking your Toilet Seat is Healthier than Typing on your Keyboard

Note To Self

Do you really think that by constantly checking your email it will magically cause a new message to appear?  Just focus on the job at hand, put in your time at the office and go home with a clear conscience.  The email will be there when you check later.  I promise.

Not So Fast ...

I got my bank statement today, and for a few moments, I was proud of myself. According to the statement, I earned $200 more than I spent last month. Cool.

Then I realized that my $972 tax refund was in there, and so I still spent $700 more than I brought in last month.

How. In. God's. Name. Is. That. Possible?

I've curbed my spending, I swear!

Actually, upon closer review, I think that I am just about even for the month. My landlord didn't cash my March rent until March 30 and then they also cashed my April rent on April 6, so there are two rent checks reflected in one month's statement.

Whew. I'm even again. Barely.

I Want My $2.00 !!

What movie was that? Where there was this demonic paperboy who was riding his bike and chasing the main character (John Cusack?) screaming "I want my two dollars!"?

So I just check my Google AdSense stats for like, the first time since I signed up four months ago. I've earned $1.98. Only $98.02 to go until they send me my first check.

There were a couple big days in there - back in December when I linked to an mp3 of "Dominick the Christmas Donkey" and just last month when I spouted off about a New York Times article. Guess I'll have to spout off some more!

Took off early today and am feeling relaxed, despite having had to undergo some medical tests (no worries), finding myself unexpectedly babysitting a sick child and doing some yard work. I'm patiently awaiting the end of the week when I hope to receive a phone call with a job offer. Please, please, please keep sending positive energy my way.

If I get this job, I'll tell you a (not so) funny story about a woman who met an untimely death and who may, ultimately, be responsible for my getting this new job. We'll see.

I Burned The Cake

Well, the cake is burned to a crisp, but I don't think it's my fault. I think there is something wrong with the oven. I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but when you are cooking in the kitchen you don't notice the build-up of smoke - at least, not until the damn smoke detector starts going off.

And then, because it's hard wired in the house, every damn smoke detector is going off and I'm running around waving at the smoke and finally I just ripped the suckers right out of the ceiling.

Still don't know what I'm going to do about the burnt cake.

Prepping for the Party

Yesterday was The Man's birthday and tonight I'm throwing him a party. He's so excited - like a little kid. It's been a long time since anyone had a party for him and he's just so tickled to think that someone cared enough to do it. He's so cute!

I've debated telling you this but ... I have an interview on Monday. Don't know where it will go, but it's one step closer to walking out the door. My job isn't horrible - it's just not the right job for me. Please send me some good karma because I really want to make a change.

Okay - I've wasted enough time. I still need to make the scallops wrapped in bacon, marinate the shrimp, bake two cakes, make the bed, shower and get dressed and blow up a gazillion balloons - because it's not a party without balloons.

Pictures? Maybe!

Play Together. Learn Together. Grow Together.

At least I think I heard that was the tagline for Sesame Beginnings, a new video series aimed at six month old infants.

 

The series has sparked some controversy, and deservedly so.  I don't have kids and I'm not an expert.  But here's the thing - if you do have kids, you shouldn't use the television as a baby sitter.  No one knows for sure, but I suspect that those who claim watching too much television and playing too many video games contributes to ADHD may be right.

 

(Here's where I start sounding like an old fuddy-duddy ...)

 

Kids today are just too over-stimulated.  Whatever happened to sitting down on the floor and playing with your kids?  To reading them a book?  To talking to them over dinner?  To teaching them a few basic tenets in life like "do unto others as you would have done unto you" and "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?" 

 

What really irks me?  The "Learn Together" part of that tagline.  Like we need to teach the adults along with infants. 

 

Sad that it just may be true.

Word of the Day

Can you believe it?

 

Word of the Day for Wednesday April 5, 2006

 

cum: with; along with; combined with.

Going Global

So I just checked my site stats for the first time in a long time.  SiteMeter now shows where your visitors are coming from, and I've had clicks from around the world - Saudi Arabia, India, Netherlands, Argentina, Denmark, Portugal, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Estonia, Uzbekistan, New Zealand, Norway, France, Brazil and 8 Unknown countries.

 

Wow.

 

Hope y'all found what you were looking for.  If not, check back next week.  I'm cleaning house and I may be having a garage sale.

Oh, The Things You Can Find ...

... on craigslist.

A Communication Has Been Received

Ripped From The Archives

It's amazing what "sticks" in cyberspace.

 

I started this blog two years ago.  It's just a bunch of random as they hit me thoughts.  I have no real purpose here. I'm just a girl, an ordinary girl who occasionally says what's on her mind.

 

So two years ago I poked fun at an unnamed family in an unnamed state.  And to this day, I get traffic from folks looking for information on that family.  I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess.  But what really tickles me is two years later people actually click through to this blog and leave me little hate notes.  Like this one:

 

"I was very insulted when my friend told me about a site that critisized my name. My fathers name is not [bleep] and Ive been on this planet for 25 years and what does it matter if there is people named [bleep] or [bleep] or [bleep] or anything for that matter. I have recieved more compliments about my name than insults. At least my parents were not only honoring my grandmothers name but also was creative in doing so. At least they are not commited to maintaining the same names as all other generations. Dare need I say the names that are being used redundently because the lack of creativeness there of. For the one who posted about naming there child [bleep], I hope this name haunts you and sticks with you for the rest of your boring life.
[bleep] | 03.27.06 - 11:10 pm"

 

[Names removed to protect the guilty and to keep me from getting even more traffic related to that silly name.]

 

Okay, so I poked fun at a name - mostly because of my own ignorance in the proper pronunciation - which I admitted in a subsequent post! - but be that as it may.   Why do people take things so personally?  You'd think I stood outside this woman's house and yelled profanities for hours on end.  Honestly, I guess I should be flattered that my opinion meant so much to someone else.  But still.  Get a life.

 

It's like the stupid eBay forums that I have to peruse as part of my job.  Talk about lowest common denominator.  People are downright mean and petty.  Have they never heard of the old saying "If you can't say something nice, then don't say something at all?"  I posted a question about how to get a buyer's phone number, and while one person responded and actually pointed me in the right direction, two others chose to berate me for even asking the question.  They didn't know my need/motivation for asking the question - and they didn't need to know.  I have an honest question.  If you can give me an honest answer, great.  If not, keep your mouth shut.

 

There.  I've vented.

Mixing It Up

You all know I'm a Survivor fan.  And I've been known to watch American Idol too.  In fact, I've been watching this season pretty regularly, and I have a few thoughts.

 

I think they should mix it up.  Instead of voting for the person you want to keep in the competition, vote for the person you want to send home, the way they do on Survivor.

 

It would solve several problems.  First, at this stage of the game, there may be several competitors who you want to keep around for another week.  Who has time to spend calling in for multiple contestants?  It's bad enough that folks can (and do) sit there and hit redial over and over and over and over again.

 

If you're voting for the person you want to send home, it's one call.  Several if you really want to see him/her go and you have the patience to sit there and redial (hell, I fell asleep before the show was over last night so I didn't vote at all - guess that speaks volumes about how important I really think this is, but I'm going to continue making my point anyway).

 

The folks over at Vote For The Worst operate on this principle in reverse.  They are using the current voting system to keep the worst contestant around, thereby helping to make a mockery of the process (and yes, many would argue that the entire process deserves to be mocked!).  And in many respects, they are right.  This isn't a talent show - it's a reality show.  It's good TV to keep bad contestants around for awhile.  If they didn't, we wouldn't have anything to debate at the water cooler.

 

Anyway.  Since I fell asleep last night, I can't venture a guess as to who will go home tonight.  But I'm amazed and impressed with those who can and do predict these things.  And here's a connection that I'm not sure anyone has made.  You know how everyone refers to Kevin Covais as "Chicken Little?"  And how Vote for the Worst is campaigning to keep him in the competition?  It may be having a bigger impact than anyone realized.

 

Have you seen the sales figures for the "Chicken Little" DVD?

Internet Makes Me Happy

After suffering for far too long, I finally arranged for a service call for my internet connection. I'm happy to report that I have a new modem, a new connection, and blazing fast speed that I haven't had since I don't know when.

Me Happy.

And in other news - The Man may have fixed my laptop! There were all sorts of problems with it, but the primary one was that the screen was, in fact, dead. Being the resourceful guy that he is, he has ordered a new backlight for me and will install it when it arrives. Not that it's easy - Dell doesn't want you to know that you can fix a burnt-out backlight. They want to sell you a whole new screen. But if this works the way we think it will, we will have repaired the screen with a $25 part.

Sweet.

Collecting As A Hobby

First of all, I have been a collector.  I am still a collector.

 

But it just struck me that as a hobby, collecting is sad.  I'm updating this damn catalog, and one of the items I just checked was a collection of car-related videos.  Yes, somewhere out there, people are spending good money to collect videos (or DVDs or CDs or what have you).

 

Now, your average every day collector is just fine.  I have all of John Grisham's books in hard cover.  I've read them, I've enjoyed them, and I intend to keep them.  Not a big deal.  I probably don't even qualify as a collector.

 

But what about the die-hard collector? The person who thinks it is vitally important to have every one of those Precious Moments figurines?  Who collects the limited edition Disney prints?  Who really thinks that that complete collection of Hess trucks is really going to be worth something some day?

 

I don't know.  It just struck me as sad ... that someone's life could be so empty that they fill it with collectibles.

Me Likes ...

... today's Word of the Day.

A Tale of Three Computers

My computer woes continue.

 

I've been limping along with my laptop since November.  Screen is shot, and I can only boot in VGA mode.  Not ideal.  And whatever mucked it up (some sort of software conflict, I think, because it all came to a head after I re-installed some printer drivers) is slowly strangling it to death.  The system moves so slowly.  I tried to reformat and reinstall, but the computer, which thinks it is smarter than me, won't let me overwrite with an older operating system (I've updated along the way).

 

Heavy sigh.  So when my brother came to visit a few weeks ago, I asked him to bring a spare.  He brought a big old Gateway computer and monitor for me.  I don't even know what the system specs are on it.  He installed my version of Office XP and left it.  I bought TurboTax on Friday and tried to install on my laptop.  It wouldn't work in VGA mode, so I turned to the trusty backup.

 

Initially, I couldn't get the CD drive to work, so I couldn't load on the Gateway either.  Time to recall my trusty Mac.  I had given it to Susan, who used it for awhile, and then it was passed on to her father, who used it for even a shorter while, and it was sitting in a basement, so I thought - if nothing else, I can use it to load TurboTax and maybe surf the net.

 

So I set up the Mac in the back bedroom where the cable modem is located (it doesn't have a wireless card).  Man, it's been a long time since I used a Mac!  I quickly discovered why it was no longer being used.  System 8.6 was great when I bought the computer, and it still worked when I retired it in 2001, but it just doesn't cut it in 2005.  I couldn't even upgrade it if I wanted to.  And I had 64 meg of RAM on it. 

 

Yeah, so that's pretty much dead in the water.

 

Back to the old Gateway.  Lugged that upstairs too, and was finally able to load TurboTax (if my brother was able to get Office XP on there, then the CD drive did work - I just needed to fiddle with it a bit.)  But when I tried connecting it to the internet, I still had problems connecting.  I can get an IP address, but it takes forever for a page to load, and more often than not?  Page not found.  When I know damn well it's there.  I've got problems with my cable modem too - but I already knew that.  Need to schedule a service call.

 

So guess what I'm doing with my tax refund?  Yup, a new laptop.  I'm actually thinking about leasing one.  It makes sense - why pay to own something that's obsolete in 3 years?  Why not lease one (for same amount) and trade it in for a new model when I'm done?  I think it's possible - I've heard about some lease deals through Lenova, a Chinese company that is taking over production of IBM laptops.  We'll see.

 

In the meantime - blogging will take place On Company Time because that's the only reliable internet connection I have.

Good Things

Went home last night, spent half an hour on the treadmill, read some Harry Potter, and watched Survivor with Mary.  Got a decent night's sleep (didn't wake up until 5:52 a.m.) and today the sun is out.  It's definitely a better day today than it was yesterday.

 

Was reading a story about a woman who won $17,700 on Wheel of Fortune, but didn't win the grand prize of a Mini Cooper.  And there was a link in the story so I went on over and applied to be a contestant.  Said I was interested in "Best Friends" week - Susan, are you ready for another adventure?  Because I know Wheel of Fortune is going to call.  Remember that piece of the story line in " White Men Can't Jump"?  Rosie Perez's character was convinced that Jeopardy was going to call - and they did!

 

Anyway, I'm sure Susan and I can do a better job solving the puzzle on Wheel of Fortune than Sally and Dan did on Survivor last night.  Astronaut my ass.  He deserved to be voted off the island.

 

Just traded a few messages with my sister-in-law.  We have a little friendly wager going.  We're going to see who can exercise more in the next two weeks.  We were both complaining about feeling crappy and not having any energy.  So, we agreed to have this little competition.  She suggested that our goal be to lose five pounds in the next two weeks.  I know it's possible, but for me that is going to mean really working out! 

 

We'll shall see.

I Must Be Feeling Better ...

... I just succumbed to a chocolate craving.

Concentration

Not sure why, but I can't seem to concentrate.  So, I'll dump the clutter in my brain here and try to move on.

 

The last couple of weeks have been rough for me.  Not totally satisfied with my job.  Not getting enough sleep.  Not getting enough exercise.  Generally weepy.  Nothing is right and everything is wrong.  Cried all over Susan's shoulder last weekend.  Hoping that was the bottom and I'm starting to pull myself up out of the crater.  We'll see.

 

For whatever reasons, I just haven't felt like detailing things here.

 

It's raining and every now and then I hear the jets overhead - apparently the landing patterns change in inclement weather and the planes fly over my office.  It's supposed to be a great early spring weekend coming up, so I'm looking forward to that.  Not quite ready to go out and dig in the yard, but I will definitely be out and about.  Even though it's been warmer than usual (fifth warmest winter on record, I heard) it's been a long, hard winter for me.

 

Here's looking ahead to spring ...

Interesting ... Very Interesting

An interesting article appears in the Technology section of today's New York Times titled "Wal-Mart Enlists Bloggers in Its Public Relations Campaign." I've linked to it, but I know that the link will soon be pay per view only, so I'll have to summarize it for you (which, coincidentally enough, is a good part of what the article is about).

Essentially, Wal-Mart is now using bloggers in its PR efforts. They've identified bloggers who seem to be sympathetic to the company's policies, and they are feeding them exclusive news and information which the bloggers are then regurgitating on their blogs. It raises a lot of questions - are there standards for citing sources? Is it required? Is it optional? What rules apply in the blogosphere?

The folks at Instapundit say that if you reprint something, you should say where it came from.

Glenn Reynolds, the founder of Instapundit.com, one of the oldest blogs on the Web, said that even in the blogosphere, which is renowned for its lack of rules, a basic tenet applies: "If I reprint something, I say where it came from. A blog is about your voice, it seems to me, not somebody else's."

(lifted from the aforementioned New York Times article; further quotes from that article are in this font/color)

Mona Williams, a Wal-Mart company spokeswoman, was also quoted in the Times article saying:

"As more and more Americans go to the Internet to get information from varied, credible, trusted sources, Wal-Mart is committed to participating in that online conversation."

So blogs are now considered credible, trusted sources.

I'm not a journalist, but I do consider myself to be a good writer, and as such, I believe that sources should be cited. Something Mrs. Smith taught me in my senior composition class back in high school. So it was particularly troubling to see this later in the article:

"John McAdams, a political science professor at Marquette University who runs the Marquette Warrior blog, recently posted three links about union activity in the same order as he received them from Mr. Manson. Mr. McAdams acknowledged that he worked from Wal-Mart's links and that he did not disclose his contact with Mr. Manson.

"I usually do not reveal where I get a tip or a lead on a story," he said, adding that journalists often do not disclose where they get ideas for stories either."

Oh, so now bloggers are journalists. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Regurgitating information without attribution is not acceptable. If it were, do you think Wal-Mart would have distributed this advisory:

"Wal-Mart has warned bloggers against lifting text from the e-mail it sends them. After apparently noticing the practice, Mr. Manson asked them to "resist the urge," because "I'd be sick if someone ripped you because they noticed a couple of bloggers with nearly identical posts."

Wal-Mart. The company that cares.

I don't have a particular stand on the Wal-Mart/Good or Wal-Mart/Evil issue. I'm just intrigued by the whole information explosion and my inability to know which way is up.

P.S. Here are some of the related links that ran with the story in case you are interested - why will I not be surprised if great chunks of the original Times article are copied and pasted here (with or without attribution)?

Iowavoice.com
Crazy Politico's Rantings
Humaneventsonline.com
Marquette Warrior
Walmartwatch.com
Wakeupwalmart.com

DEADHEAD

Spotted on a Lexus as I was driving down the highway this morning.

 

That's just wrong.

Oops! Did I Do That?

I doubt it, but there is a chance that I may have caused the server crashes last week.

 

See, I work in this open cube farm, and I can't play the radio.  It is so deadly quiet in here, and most of the time I don't even get a "bless you" when I sneeze.  Really friendly place I work in.  So I've been tuning in to my local radio station via the web.  Yesterday, as I was leaving, one of the owners was at the other end of the room doing some scanning and playing his iPod via a docking station.  I joked with him about keeping it down (he's always coming in and saying "you guys need a radio!") and my boss, who couldn't see that the docking station was in use, calls out "You're not streaming from the web, are you?  Because you know that takes up a lot of bandwidth and causes server crashes."

 

Um, it does?  Needless to say, I've been sans radio this morning.

A Swing And A Miss

I sent out several resumes over the weekend, and I called to follow up on one of them today.  It was an older posting (Jan 17) so I wasn't too surprised to hear that it had already been filled.  They said they would keep my resume on file.  I hope so.

 

Will make another follow-up call tomorrow; and I have another query I need to send out.  This is it - I'm finally serious about undertaking a real job search.  In the meantime, I'm starting to make note of time I spend in the office doing work that could be done from home.  I've spent just about the entire day updating specials on the web.  Using Dreamweaver and a web browser.  I do not need to be here to do that.

Lightning Strikes Twice

First I got hit by the Bonnie Raitt song, then I got hit by this quote:

 

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. "
     - Joseph Campbell

 

A few years back, I used to <s>date</s> hang out with a guy, Tom, who would reference Joseph Campbell.  Just saw this quote in the beginning of an article in an old "O" magazine, and it struck me.

 

Yeah, my life hasn't turned out the way I planned it.  Rich, beautiful and successful.  I thought I would be all those things by now, and I'm not.  So maybe I should just let go of that little fantasy and see what's behind Door # 3.

I Don't Want Anything To Change

Every now and then I hear a song that hits me.  This morning it was "I Don't Want Anything To Change" by Bonnie Raitt.

 

Bonnie Raitt-I Don't Want Anything to Change
(Maia Sharp/Liz Rose/Stephanie Chapman)

Sleepless nights aren't so bad
I'm staying up, I'm staying sad
I don't want anything to change
I don't want anything to change
I like it lonely I like it strange
I don't want anything to change

You left a mess you're everywhere
I'd pick it up but I don't dare
I don't want anything to change
I don't want anything to change
There's nothing I would rearrange
I don't want anything to change

I can feel you fading
But until you're gone
I'm taking all the time I can borrow
The getting over is waiting
But I won't move on
And I'm gonna wanna feel the same tomorrow

I know the truth is right outside
But for the moment it's best denied
I don't want anything to change

I can feel you fading
But until you're gone
I'm taking all the time I can borrow
The getting over is waiting
But I won't move on
And I'm gonna wanna feel the same tomorrow

And I don't want anything to do
With what comes after you
I don't want anything to change
I don't want anything to change
I don't want anything to change
 

The List

Here's my to-do list for yesterday:

1) Write cover letter and send with resume to Company A
2) Write cover letter and send with resume to Company B

Here's what I actually did:

1) Finish reading "Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire"
2) Spend an hour and a half perusing blogs, removing things from sidebar
3) Begin working on cover letter/resume for Company B
4) Uncover job posting for Company C
5) Shower and get dressed
6) Return "Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire" to the library
7) Get groceries so I can cook 10 # lasagna today
8) Spend more time on cover/letter resume for Company B
9) Go to bed

Okay, I should give myself credit for getting one thing done - I emailed and faxed my cover letter/resume to Company B earlier this afternoon. I made that 10 # lasagna earlier this morning, and I'm going to take it to The Man's house for dinner later.

One step. One day at a time.

W8TN4SNO

I had no idea so many people had personalized plates.  Must be because I spent the last four years walking six blocks to work - I just wasn't out on the road.  Now that I commute 20 miles each way every day, I see lots of interesting stuff.

 

So, yes, we are waiting for snow.  They are calling for  2-4" tomorrow.  Not a lot, but considering that there is essentially no snow on the ground, enough.  My brother and sister-in-law are coming to visit for the weekend.  I still haven't finished cleaning the back bedroom, but I'll have a few minutes to rush in and throw all my crap into a basket before they arrive.

 

Woke up with a headache again today.  Wondering if it's the weather or the two glasses of wine I had at the Chamber mixer last night.  Or a little bit of both.  No matter - I had the breakfast of champions (1200 mg of ibuprofen) and I'm good to go.  I bet I'll get through 10 or 12 pages of the catalog today.  Did I tell you?  My latest assignment is to take the company's last catalog, go through it and check all the prices against the database.  Can you say MIND NUMBING?

 

Yeah, my mind and my ass will be asleep and tingling by 10:00 a.m.

Ha!

*** SPOILER ALERT *** 

 

If you were planning on watching Olympic coverage tonight, you may not want to read this post.

 

Call me cruel, but I think it's funny that both Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick got beat by Enrico Fabris in the 1,500 meter speed skating event.  There was so much drama swirling about the feud between these two Americans.  Serves them right that neither one of the got the gold medal.  Now if they start whining about 'only' getting silver or bronze, I hope the nearest sane person kicks them in the ass.

 

They are Olympic medalists.  Period.  Shut up and enjoy it.

WHOLVSYA

Question of the day - spotted on a license plate on my way to pick up lunch today.