sunday Sunday SUNDAY!!!

Sorry, I felt the need to emulate a bad monster truck rally commercial.

OH MY GOOD HOLY LORD!!! I love this place! Even though it's gross and rainy and muggy, it's still beautiful! Everything is so green, and yet the people I spoke with today were complaining that things were yellowing because of the lack of recent rain. #1. Glad I could bring the rain with me; now if I could only get rid of it. #2. Yellowing? Things are all totally green with maybe a tinge of yellow at the edges. Whatever.

Everyone here seems to ride their bikes to get around. Yes, there are cars on the roads, but there are bikes everywhere. I may have to get mine primed for the journey. And needless to say, it would be beneficial for me to ride a bit more of the bike.

I mapquested the location and directions to St. Luke's before I left this morning. It said to allow 10 minutes; it was approximately 4 miles from my hotel. Since the serice started at 10am, I left the hotel at 9:25--just in case. I'm glad I did. I drove around for ~20 minutes on all sorts of one-way streets looking for a place to park. When I followed a sign for "walkway to parking lot" it took me to a private lot belonging to the hospital across the street. I finally gave up at 10:01 and parked in the circle drive right by the front door hoping it was legal parking. It was, but I was worried the behemoth I was driving was blocking too much space. Oh well, it worked out for the best.

Then I got out of the car. If this isn't a sign, I don't know what is. As I'm walking up to the door, I hear the organ and voices singing Austria: "Glorious things of Thee are spoken...." Yep, the tune of the Sewanee hymn. And it was glorious. The congregation was actually singing without the choir leading them--and not too shabbily either! I sat close to the door by the back behind a couple (who I found out during the passing of the peace was church shopping) who looked as lost as I was. It was a Rite II service, so I actually had to use the prayer book to get the words right. It was so Sewanee-like though. And the church is so pretty! And the chapel--yowza, is it ever gorgeous! It's all wooded inside with panels of Honduran mahagony! Hopefully I can post some pictures soon.

After church, I went to lunch with the music director, his wife, and a few choiristers. They took me to some place they frequent after choir. It was soooooooooooooooooo good!!! I had a pasta dish with sauted lobster and mushrooms in a fan-freaking-tastic marsala sauce. *to die for!!!* And considering it was lobster, it was el cheapo! Then the music man and his wife drove me around some of the local lighthouse parks including Buglight Park. What a name! It was beautiful even with the fog rolling in over the harbor. Yes, I took pictures of that, too.

After lunch (good lord, this is getting to be a long post--I'll abbreviate), I came back to the hotel and waited for the realtor. He came and got me about 3:45 and took me on an hour and a half tour of Portland, South Portland, and Cape Elizabeth. I hate to repeat myself, but everything is so beautiful. The realtor was really helpful, nice, and just all around swell. When he dropped me off a little after 5:15, I took it upon myself to go to the LL Bean store up in Freeport. It was such a quick trip. Everything is so close! And yes, H-Bomb, I got you a tee shirt. Then I just drove around until almost 8:30, all the while taking pictures until it got too dark. Then I picked up dinner and came back to the hotel.

Now I've got about 11 hours until I meet my first interview. Time to freak out and get nervous! Think happy thoughts people!!!

I made it to Maine!

Yep, I'm here. The farthest East I've been in over 15 years (in the US of course). Why oh why did the rain follow me?!?!?

As soon as we started to come down out of the clouds, I could see the rain. I could also see numerous wooded islands, beautiful houses with docks at the water, sailboats on the water, and a beautiful steeple over the tops of the businesses in Portland.

And THANK THE LORD ALMIGHTY I finally feel like eating again. In fact, I can't wait to ditch this fantastic hotel and find a place to grab some dinner. Then again, room service wouldn't be too bad. I'll be out all day tomorrow. I bet another night of relaxing wouldn't be a bad idea. I did already hit the complimentary happy hour in the lobby (tonic water, no gin, and lots of celery).

I will post more as things happen.

apologies all around

I would like to apologize to all my friends who I've irked in the past week or so. It seems like I'm being extra cantankerous of late. I think I may have come up with a reason why. Well, not a reason or excuse but a kinda subconscious sorta thinking. Maybe I'm trying to piss people off so they won't mind so much when I leave. The more I think about it, the better Maine looks. Not necessarily for my personal life but for my career. Maybe I have it in my head that I will be moving in the next couple of months. I know that I've been extra bitchy with Richie, but I don't think he can really tell the difference. And poor H-bomb! I really need to keep my thoughts and feelings out of her personal life. She is an adult capable of making her own decisions. Then anyone who was playing board games with me yesterday--I had to consciously try to make myself not be so bloody competitive.

So if I have said or done anything to ruffle your feathers in the past week or so, I am truly sorry. If I haven't said or done anything to offend you, give it time. I'm sure I will. ;-)

when will I learn?

Ugh.

Every time. I feel all drained so I hit the Starschmucks before work (Foamy would not be proud). I get the uber big and scrumptious venti mocha. At least I quit getting it with extra espresso shots. I'm thinking maybe I should just go down to the tall (aka: small), because every bloody time I get the venti (aka: large) I get a humongous headache. I blame it on too much caffeine in too short a time. I mean, it's not like I sip this thing; I slam it.
Again, I say ugh.

today's 'scope

"You are starting to feel much more confident about your position in life right now. It is time to build on this confidence to create a stronger air of authority around yourself. The good news is that this will not be very difficult, since all the people around you are eager to see you get the respect and responsibilities you so richly deserve. Ask for the cooperation you need today, and you will get it -- even when it comes to matters of the heart."

Hmmmmm, I wonder....

weather

The difference in the weather I left in Texas this morning and what I found up here in Wisconsin is amazing. I left this sticky, damp, hot mess of low pressure nastiness this morning. Now I'm in the middle of mid-60s, pleasant, beautifulness. I hope I can take this home with me.

And now for the traveling musings:

I drove through Harvard, IL which is the home of Milk Days, a celebration of the dairy goodness known throughout the world as moo juice. I even had my picture taken by the cow statue.

I passed through another town that was home of the Corn Festival of Illinois (or was it Wisconsin by that point?). Too funny!

The one person I met at the airport before I left had a boarding ticket 2 numbers off of mine, had my first name, and her husband is in a local band and looking for a female vocalist. Okay, when I say band, I mean they play at weddings and festivals and the like and play all the oldies (KLUV stuff). She got my number and wants to see me soon at her place for a rehearsal! Of all the things....

I met a woman tonight who sounds either like she came straight from Fargo or belongs on Prairie Home Companion.

One of the guys I met says that everyone has such a nasal voice because they are always cold. Does that make sense to you? After that, the group of Wisconsineers-Wisconsinites-Wisconsonions all decided I sounded British. Whatev! All because I pronounce the "con" of Wisconsin with an "aw" sound instead of an "ah" sound. I love going different places!

And of course I had my picture taken next to the "Welcome to Wisconsin" sign. I felt like I had dork written all over me, but I didn't care in the slightest!

Okay, it's getting late. Well, not really, but I'm super freaking tired after leaving my house 959 miles and 15.5 hours ago. It's bed time for the naughty mouse. Later gators.

random musings

I saw a car this morning on the way to work with a license plate that said "covert." Um, not so covert when you announce it.

Why did my doctor give me a new blood pressure RX with the same side effect as the withdrawal from drug he just took me off of? Total uber dizziness abounds, and that's not fun when looking through the microscope.

Basic boring rice noodles with frozen veggies can taste sooooooooooooo good when you've worked for the last 6.5 hours with no break.

My new supervisor told me I don't work fast enough so I need to quit talking while I work. The national head of my department said I was working too fast. Who do we believe: the man with no parasite experince or the woman with LOADS of it? (and "loads" was not intended to be a pun on the amount of crap I work with)

The barometer is inching more and more toward Maine today....

I can't believe I was lucky enough to have a friend offer me a ticket to the Police concert next week. Love me some T$!

Oh, and I found out why the cats have not been using the litterbox for the past few days. Turns out, they hate the best litter in the entire world. Now I gotta go buy some of that cheap dusty crap for them. The things I do for them with no thanks.

phew, what a weekend!

The whirlwind started Thursday night. I had the handbell rehearsal from hell before I headed over the H & B's for the barbeque.

Friday was early work, stoopid doctor's appt (yes, the blood pressure is officially high), rushed to the wedding rehearsal, and then had a scrumptious feast at the rehearsal dinner. Of course there was the requisite "sex book" buying session at Barnes and Noble for the happy couple to take on the honeymoon. It was HI-LAR-EE-YUS!

Saturday morning was way too early to try to look nice, and the rain ruined my hair before I even got to the church. Meh! Rehearsed the bells again, had the wedding (with my uber fantastic solo--thank you very much), and went to the reception. SWANK-A-LILCIOUS!!! I've not been to a reception that was so planned for carnivores in my life. (and those who know me know I love meat) When I finally left the swanky party, I got home for a quick nap (okay, 3 hours might not be quick in some books...), and went back to hell in fluorescent lighting (the lab). It wasn't too bad--I was able to leave by 1:30am! I think that's a record.

Sunday I slept until about 10am (which considering I didn't go to sleep until a little after 4am wasn't nearly enough), got up, got clean, and went to church. It was nice to not have to vest or sing. Then there was lunch and shopping with ma madre. Mmmmmmm, Mexican food. Then it was time to head to Denton with Rico Suave for dinner with friends. Once again, serious yumminess! The drive home was less than swell as he and I were both exhausted.

And now it's Monday. There's your update, friends!

Portland, here I come!

Yes, folks, you read it right. I'm headed up to Portland in a few weeks. Granted, this is just a visit to see the lab and have the official interviews that are necesssary for the possible job opportunity. I'm uber excited! In fact, I have already checked with weather.com, and it's not supposed to be warmer that 76 degrees in the next ten days. Hmmm, I think it's supposed to be like 94 today here. What's even better is that I asked if they would fly me up on Saturday instead of Sunday so I could have all day Sunday to see the town. The answer: "absolutely!" And they are hooking me up with a rental car. Wow, I don't think I could be much more excited!

it's the bachelor(ette) life for me

You know it's bad when you have to go to Target to buy new underwear because you haven't done laundry in three weeks. That's right folks--three weeks! I feel like a bachelor. You always hear about how they only use paper plates and plastic-ware so they don't have to do dishes. Along those lines, they only get take out so they don't have to cook. If they don't want to do laundry, they go buy more underwear and undershirts and such. Yes, I know this is all stereotypical stuff, but stereotypes have their basis in reality. Heck, the last guy I dated was the stereotype! I've turned into a bachelor. Ugh!

Of course, if you know me, you know I tout buying new under things at least every six months. Given where I last worked, I never leave the house in anything that I would be embarassed to see sprawled out in a court of law. With that in mind, I proceeded to spend $60 on underwear. Damn. How can I do these things? I did, however, find some new stuff that I am thrilled with! And JCC, you'll be happy to know that the low-rise hipsters are perfectomundo! You gotta get some!

Ahhhh. I love me some Target.

12 items or fewer

What a crazy excursion I made to the Half Foods Market yesterday evening. I'd worked for 9.5 hours (but, really folks, that long during daylight hours is a cakewalk compared to overnight) and had dinner with AA first (mmmmm, chop suey a go go!). When I walked into the place, I was so full that looking at the food started to make me feel ill. Then I partake of the mini-cart (ergo, I can't buy too much--which ended up not being a problem) and begin to shop. I had to make this pasta salad thing for pot-luck lunch at work today, but nothing sounded good. I wandered around the produce section for, I kid you not, 20 minutes picking things up and putting them back. Finally I called my mother (the culinary genius and delightful woman) and drove her nuts. Me: What would be good in this? Mom: (lists a ton of things) Me: Nah, that doesn't sound good. What kind of pasta should I use? Mom: Fusilli. Me: I hate fusilli! (I then proceed to tell her why.) Bless her heart, I thought she was gonna come through the phone and strangle me. I sure would've! Once I finally picked out all my stuff and hit the check out lane, it was finally time to get out of that horrible food filled place. (note to readers: best time to go shopping--straight after stuffing your face with chop suey) I wandered out into the parking lot, saw a cute little terrier in a car and mentally applauded the owner for leaving the a/c on for the dog. Then I started thinking about the emissions and greenhouse gases and got all combobulated. When I looked up, I couldn't find my car to save my life. I started to freak out a little (I so vividly remember the time I saw my car drive away without me in it). Anyone want to guess where it was? Ya, right in front of me. Wow, not a good night for the naughty mouse!

the good, the bad, and the heartbreaking

Wow. I can't believe the last two weeks. Feels more like two months. It's now June 3rd (barely), so that means I haven't posted anything in almost exactly the time life has gotten bizarro. Let's see, shall I list the events in chronological order or group them according to good v. bad? I'll go in order:

1. I find out from my supervisor that I am switching to day shift at the start of the next pay period (tomorrow now). Hallelujah!
2. I find out the H-bomb's health is crappier than expected. Besides her almost constant pain, she now has even more stuff to deal with. How can you walk if your foot is numb? Hmmmm.... If anyone can handle it though, she can. She amazes me. I wish I had half of her fortitude and temerity!
3. I get the damning phone call telling me one of my dearest friends has been diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. I later learn it has invaded her liver and lymph system. Damn, fuck, and shit.
4. Literally within the hour of hearing the aforementioned heartbreaking news, I get an email from the main dude in Maine saying to go to the listed link and apply for the position he created for me. I couldn't even deal with it that night.
5. YAY!!! Giggles got a job at one of the best private schools in the area. I'm thrilled for her and the good news!
6. After seven months of breaking my back trying to fulfill my duties as section leader in my choir while working the bloody night shift, I get axed from the upcoming England trip. I was supposed to leave in less than two months. Goes to show you what fourteen years of dedication and loyalty gets you. A heaping pile of nothing.
7. And finally, I get another email from Maine. This one is from some VP's assistant asking me when in June looks good for me to get up there to visit the lab, have the official interview, and meet the team. Good Lord, at this point, I don't know what to do about that job opportunity.

That's it in a nutshell.

I'm heartbroken about the fact that I may be losing a fan-freaking-tastic friend sooner than planned (I mean, truth be told, everyone is terminal). This friend has been there through thick, thin, and thicker. I can even remember the times she was troubled and would call me uber late at night for consolation and advice. I could never repay her for all she's done for me. A person can't dream of a better person to have on her side in this crazy world. I'll talk to her soon, but I have to get her advice about the plan of my life at this point. I think I know what she'll say, but I still have to ask. OMG, and the way she is so composed! I mean to say, "ya, I'm terminal so let's eat more ice cream" and mean it. For someone who professes no belief in God (or any god for that matter), she is the most Christian person I've come across in a long time. I can't imagine life without her. I thank God for bringing her into my life. Now I pray daily that He won't take her away just yet.

How can I follow that? Ya, I don't think I can. If you want any more details about the crap above, let me know and I'll set to updating. I promise to type before another two weeks passes. Thank goodness for Cafe Brazil and their free wifi and kick ass omelets (wish they were free)!

tonight tonight

I made it through my first ever dinner theater. Luckily I only had one solo and one duet. I don't think I could've handled much more with the piddly amount of sleep I got today. I was so antsy: What am I going to wear? What if I forget the words? What if people laugh at me? What if I trip and fall on my face? What if? What if??? As a matter of fact, the duet was the best we'd ever done it. KC rocks my socks off! I did miss one note in the solo (was thinking about the last page instead of the first), but I'm sure no one could tell because JH covered so beautifully. Always pay your accompanist well. They are soooooooo worth it. Everyone else was great, too. I even got a little paperwork for the lab done during other acts! I wish we hadn't cut the program short though. I really wanted to hear one of the other acts (a duet from Wicked). Ah well, such is life.

Well, the Atlas is now finished. "Analyzer completing test cycle." Time to hit the microscope for another night of urine fun!

yippee skippee!

Okay, I don't remember if I actually blogged or just talked to people about my last doctor visit. She told me to lose weight and get the blood pressure down or no more HRT. It's been approximately one month. I'm down 7 pounds and the BP is at a happy 122/80. YAY!!! Oh, and this was after the huge Mother's Day dinner and a large burger and fries lunch the day before the weighing. Tee-hee!

For those who want to know about the freaky-ass dreams, I decided not to post anything detailed about them. Very violent, gory, evil and bloody. I blame the Chinese food and Law and Order right before bed. Simply put, a mother put the idea into her kids' heads that they should all murder each other in variously disgusting ways. I was on the investigating team. It was icky.

I got an email from Portland today. The main dude is getting together with HR later this week to get the ball rolling on "my" position. He said he'll keep me posted. Let's have another YAY!!!

All in all, a good beginning to the week. Of course, now I'm back at work doing 2 benches. *grumblemumblesnort*

nuevo blogo per request

Yes, life continues to evade me. I still work hellacious hours. I have no/very minimal social life. I must get a new job. The boss called me last night to "chat" about working situations. Not the evil (pinky at corner of mouth) supervisor, but the big boss. Of course, I've seen in the past his tendency to blow hot air. I'll believe it when I see it. Still waiting to hear about Portland. It'll be awhile yet.

I've got this dinner theater thing to do this weekend. That means I've got to get on iTunes and download that danged song I've got to learn. Really helps to hear someone else sing it when you can't have the score in front of you 24/7. I hope I don't blow it. I've also got to learn the lieder I'm singing. At least I get to use music for that one. Stupid Schubert and his German language. So hard sometimes (like when I'm uber tod mude).

Getting ready to get picked up for lunch. Then I can finish laundry and sleep. Ohh, beautiful sleep. Please let this coming time of sleep be dream free. If I get time to blog later, I'll fill you in on the craziness that has been the dream life of the naughty mouse. No more spicy chinese food before sleep!!!

some nerve!

Today was not the best day in the life of the naughty mouse. It wasn't the worst either, by far. Let me fill you in on some of the yummy details.

1) First off, I worked a lovely 10.5 hours last night. Ugh! I thought it was supposed to be over, but it seems that since the boss is away ... someone has to pull up the slack. Someone = naughty mouse.
2) Anyway, as I was leaving the lab, I called the garage. See, I'd taken the baby car in Monday to FINALLY have the speedometer thingamajiggy fixed. Well, it wasn't fixed yesterday, but they swore it'd be ready this morning. No biggie. So when I called, the nice as pie lady answered, put me on hold, then came back to tell me that it was going to be a little longer because they had to order a part. "What part?" I ask. The driver's side inner door handle. Um, why? Well, when Jose (I kid you not, really his name, not trying to be racist or anything) was bringing my baby around to the front to get it outta the way, the door handle fell off in his hand. They broke my car!!! Enough said. Since that took longer than expected, I hardly got any sleep today. When they called to say it was ready, I asked how late they were open. I'd planned on getting it tomorrow so I could sleep. Well, when my phone rang at 4pm and I heard thunder and rain, I figured I'd rather drive my own car than the hoopdy-mobile I was loaned (that's for later). I drag my ass outta bed, go get my car, and go back home (to the tune of about $430 lighter in the wallet). That killed a whopping almost hour and a half. How? Who the poo knows.
3) It was time for choir! Yippee-skippee. I'd called the choir junior to see if I could skip for some rejuvenating sleep. Ya, I should've not bothered. "Oh, well, we need you here." Pshaw. I did get there about an hour late though. I'll take the extra sleep for $400 please Alex!
4) After the hellaciousness (?) that was choir--stupid hard contemporary music--my darling friend KC and I went out for dinner. I was in serious need of a burger after the whopping 4 hours sleep I got. Nourishment before parasites! When I was finally able to pry myself away from the table and get the gumption to go to the lab, I had trouble getting my car out of the parking lot. Why, you ask? Because some numbnuts were hanging around some jacked up crazy truck. The guys had these shirts with "special enforcement bureau" on the back. Whatever. Never-you-mind that these guys were scrawny toothpicky men. I could've broken them over my knee with little effort. They had parked all crookwards, and they wouldn't move from the back end of the truck (meaning the 4 people stood around not getting out of my, a paying customer's, way). They just watched me try to back out trying desperately not to hit them. Arrgh! I was finally able to get the scrawniest dude's eye and wave him off like a shoo fly. Only then was I able to back out and around the crazy corner. Grrr! Some people have some nerve!

Oh, and the hoopdy-mobile. Not that there is anything wrong with older model American cars.... However, I was driving this late 80s burgundy Buick that sounded like a lawnmower. It also felt like driving a marshmallow down the road. I think it must've needed new struts or something. When I hit the accelerator, the fuel gauge would go up; when I hit the break, it would go down. Who knows how much gas was really in that tank. When I was sitting in a drive through (mmmm, super large iced tea!) and put the car in neutral, the engine started heating up fast. When I put it back in drive it was fine. What the poo??? When I was on the highway, I couldn't hear the radio--not because of the road noise, but because of the "lack of muffler" sound.

Okay, I'm tired of typing now. There is much more to say, but I'm not gonna.

Oh except for this: if you make brownies, be sure you add the eggs. If you don't, they still taste fine, but the texture is rotten. Probably because with no binder, you are frying the chocolate mixture in all that oil. Ugh! Don't ask how I know.

I was right! I was right!

Everybody listen up! You must go see Hot Fuzz! Okay, granted it's no Shaun of the Dead, but it's still filled with ridiculous moments of hilarity. When I left the theater after Shaun of the Dead, my stomach was aching from laughing so hard. Not so after Hot Fuzz, but I did laugh out loud numerous times. Maybe it's just because the new movie isn't quite as out there as the original. I'd definitely see it again though. They make so many references to old bad cop type movies (for example Bad Boys II and Point Break--neither of which I've seen), and then they act out the references in different ways. Too funny. I do think I may have to rent the aforementioned movies though.

Anyway, to the point I was right about.

Okay, so I'm watching this movie with a small group of friends (sans the H-bomb because she broke her toe (!) at a crazy hour of the morning). Anyway, after the main character moves to this village of Stanford, I notice something familiar. Granted I've been to England numerous times, and most of these little small towns look alike, but there was something eerie about this town. And it wasn't because of all the "accidents." It was like a serious case of deja vu all over again. Finally at one point in the movie it hit me. This was filmed in Wells. The square with the fountain--the post office and village court building with square columns--the National Trust store right next to the passageway that leads to the cathedral. It was Wells!!! I turned to the person on each side of me and was like "That's Wells! I've been there before!" Poor guys; I made them stay with me until the very end of the credits to prove it to them (and myself). Who cares about the gaffers. Great, they had caterers. Enough with the boom operators!!! Gimme the location dammit! The very last line of type before the itsy bitty print that no one in their right eyes can read read "Filmed in Wells, Somerset." Yay! I was right! Too bad no one took me up on that "lots of money" bet I was trying to make.

I love being right.

bollocks

Who else is tired of stupid people still acting like they are of high school maturity when they should be waaaaaaaaaaay past it? Why can't some people ever grow up? Blargh!

On an interesting note, from today's horrorscope:
Motivation can come in many forms. For some people, it comes when they realize that they've become too much of a doormat -- and things have got to change as soon as possible. For others, it comes when they see that a goal is so close that they only have to reach out and grab it! No mater what motivates you today, you need to recognize that where you go from here is totally within your control. You can make things happen.

I think I'm the doormat.

tee-hee!

And I quote:

"The hiring manager ... will be contacting you within the next few days to schedule a time for the two of you to talk .... I’ll be in touch again after you have had a chance to speak."

Me worried? Nah!

antsy

Why am I so antsy about the possibility of a job that might happen in no less than 4 months time?

Everytime I go to sleep or have nothing else on my mind, I think about so many things! I still haven't told my father. I'd have to get rid of a lot of furniture, clothes, and stuff. I'd have to pack up a 1300 sqft house and move into a maybe 700 sqft apartment. It's almost 2000 miles from the only home I've ever known. What about the cats? What about my parents? Would I have to get a new car/vehicle that has 4 wheel drive for the winters? What if they don't like me? What are the allergies like up there? Could I make new friends? Would I be able to keep in touch with the old ones? Arrggghhhh!!!

And yet, I still can't wait to go.

post interview

Oh, so much to say, but too brain dead to remember it all. I will do my best....

The interview went fairly well considering. Considering what? Well, I guess I didn't think it was gonna be an honest to goodness "interview," but with the stuff she was asking me, it so totally was. I got to explain for the umpteenth time why I left (had to leave) my last real job. Ugh. I swear, no matter how I actually say it, it sounds like I'm some sorta paranoid psycho loser freak. I swear I'm not! It's just those darned voices.... Still, I don't think I scared her off. She called when I was about a mile from home, so when I got my driveway, I just sat there in the car probably looking like a stalker at my own house while we talked. She was having the worst time with all sorts of tuberculin hacking. The first time I was on hold, I got out of the car and moved some fallen branches out to the curb. The second time I was on hold, I pulled a few weeds. Finally I suggested (at about the same time she mentioned) that she should take a couple of minutes, get a drink, and call me back. She did, and she did. All in all, it went well. I got an email from her saying that she would be in contact with me in a few days to let me know the "next steps." Yes, that was a quotation. Her words. Sounds positive to me.

Other random musings in the world of the naughty mouse:

1) I got stuck in this hideous traffic the other day while going to Sprinkles to get cupcakes for my mother and bestest friend. Funny thing, the car that was broken down causing the backup was a cute little 2 seater Mercedes with a license plate that translated "Oh to be me." Hahahahahaha! Guess she didn't plan on being the broken down car that morning!

2) Why is it that things that taste oh-so-good can smell oh-so-awful? By this I'm referring to blue cheese. I had some really tasty Stilton the other morning in a salad before bed (remember kids--this is my dinner; ergo, usually no breakfast food in the a.m.). I was just a tad revolted by the smell. Then I licked the fork with which I was scraping it into little chunks for the aforementioned salad--sublime yumminess.

3) Why oh why did my ob-gyn feel the need to use the words "purulent discharge" during my examination??? She wasn't referring to me or any part of me, but I still found this word exchange highly disturbing. Definitely NOT what you want to hear with your feet in the stirrups. Granted, is there anything you do want to hear then?

Okay kiddos. Brain dead time has taken over my body. I must retire to the den to snooze on the couch between laundry loads. A bientot!

update

Well, I found out that Southwest gets to within 93 miles of Portland (or there abouts) by flying into Manchester, New Hampshire. Also, I didn't realize Boston was sooooooooooo close!

Here is the funny part of the update. When I got to work Friday night, before I could even get my lab coat on, the eeee-vil supervisor called me into his office. I felt like I was going to see the principal or something. Anyway, turns out HR called him to ask him about me and tell him about the aforementioned interview. Oops. I was very good at playing the blonde and telling him that no, in fact I had not applied for another job. This is in fact true. I have not applied for anything--we've just been talking and planning for a possible change in the not too distant future. Ergo, I felt no need to tell him about it. Sometimes I really can tweak things just right.

As for last night--Stars win!!!! Game seven, here we come! I ended up calling in sick last night because of it all. I had hockey fever. However, I am dutifully at work today doing what I should have done last night. All in all, it works out fine. It's quite nice actually: empty lab, classical music playing on the computer, no one using the centrifuge and making my wet mount slides shake under the microscope. I should try to get them to let me do this more often!

Well, the timer is about to go off. Gotta go check my giardia elisa.

TTFN!

INTERVIEW!!!

Well, there you have it. The subject line says it all. I have an interview. Tee-hee!!!

As it so happens, I have to wait until next Wednesday morning (at 8:30am--thank you very much) before I can talk to the woman. Okay, here's the part most of you don't know. The job is very far away. I'd have to move approximately 1864 miles (that's just from city center to city center according to google maps). It would be a super big promotion for me. I can't decide how I feel about it yet. I really want the job, but it's far away from everything I know: my family, my friends, the only home I've ever known. On the other hand, it's far away from everything I know! Everything new! Not to mention a much prettier state with a coast 40 miles from the possible new home, mountains 100 miles away, and lots of old friends who moved away close(r) again. I wouldn't leave until August (because of that free England choir trip this summer), but I'd be moving from 100+ temperatures to the 80s, four seasons, and beautiful fall colors. I guess I should see how close Southwest flies to Portland....

the Tuesday after

Well, it's hard to post something funny the day after the Virginia Tech massacre. I have a friend here in town that is the local alumni president. She's been barraged with calls from the press asking things about what classes she took and what it was like when she was there. At this point, who cares about what classes she took so many years ago. That won't bring the kids back to their parents. It's all just so sucky. So as I sit here on my "lunch" break eating my leftover pasta, I send all my thoughts and prayers to the victims, their families, and their friends. May God be with you in this tragic time.

Now, all seriousness aside. I will share some good news in my small corner of the world. My bestest friend FINALLY got a new car. She won't have to drive around in the cold with no heat, in the heat with no a/c, and through the ghetto and barrio holding the door closed. It's almost a miracle that this finally happened. And I am thrilled to say she got a Honda. *angels singing* Her past 2-3 modes of transportation have been less than reliable. Because of her scary but necessary job, I'm glad she won't have to be worried about breaking down in aforementioned ghettos.

If you are lucky enough to live anywhere near one of the venues for the Body Worlds exhibit (and you're not the eensiest bit squeemish), you've gotta go see this thing! Especially if you are a smoker. You won't be by the time you leave. It's wicked cool. Being a biologist by study, I knew most of what I saw before I went in, but being able to see it in true form at so close a viewing was amazing. I recommend it to everyone.

One closing serious thought: does anyone else wonder why it seems that the US is the only place that seems to have these mass tragedies? You never hear of some angry person walking into a school/university/fast food franchise/etc in Spain, India, or Australia and killing so many people. Something to think about.

I almost forgot

Happy Friday the 13th!

Mwaa-hah-hah

yes, I suck

Sorry for the serious lack in posting (postage?). Luckily for the mighty "Stubby Fingers" (yes, someone used to call me that), there isn't much to report. I'll see if I can fill in the blanks of the past 2 weeks.

First of all, there was Holy Week. Well, let's just say that Holy Week made this one weak. Between rehearsal Monday and Thursday, concerts Tuesday and Friday, and services Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and of course Easter Sunday (when I had to be at church at 6:30am!) all while working the stupid night shift, I didn't think I'd ever recover. Still haven't to some point. It was great singing for RAH again though. Forgot how musical that little bugger could be. I also really enjoyed singing with some of the old pals who've since left the church for one reason or another. Ah, memories!

The job is still a chore. At least I know I do my job well. Heck, part of it I'm the only one at night that can do it. Of course, that may be why I work so many 6-day weeks. I know, think about the overtime. I've since realized that the overtime reaches a point where Uncle Sam takes a larger percentage so it doesn't really matter. Also, I'd much rather have a little free time to clean my farking house (aka: the pit).

Took Cornelius to the vet ... um, some time in the last 2 weeks. His heart and blood pressure are doing great! I will continue to call him Benazepril Man for quite some time it seems. (go here for info: http://druginfosite.com/a692011.html) In fact, his murmur seems to have lessened a touch. I'll still have to fork over some fundage for an EKG at some point, but at least I don't need to start with the sonogram like I thought we would. Poor baby kitten!

Still no news on the "relationship" front, but I figure that will be the case until I quit working the crazy ass night shift. Heck, I don't have the time or energy to try to meet anyone anyway.

I'm super psyched because I'm going to the Stars game this Sunday night. Go Stars! Of course, I'm not psyched about the day. Let's see: leave work at ~3-4am, go home and nap, go to church and sing forever and a day (3 service day), kill an hour or so with Ang before we go to the AAC, and then watch the game. I can't decide if I hope for the quadruple overtime like last night or not. It'd be uber fun, but I don't know if either of us can stay awake that long!

Well, that's a start. I hope all is going well with everyone I know. I miss you all (especially my movie night people and trivia gang). Someday I will see you guys again. Heck, there are some people I haven't seen or spoken to other than email since New Year's Eve. Gosh, what a loser.

Nope, not a loser--just in the wrong time schedule from the rest of the CIVILIZED world.

derision, anguish, and throes of tribulation

I love words.

The title basically sums up my work life lately. But it's okay. I'll come out on top. Heck, it's Lent. Things are supposed to be tough right now, right? I will prevail.

Guess I should go home and get showered for church. I hate going straight from work. I'd really like to get some sleep before I have to sing a French mass. *shakes head in wonderment of the ways of the world*

A bientot and Godspeed.

not for the squeemish

Okay, since I mentioned the bacontarian website in my prior post, I had to go see what was new since the last time I visited. OMG!!! Check this out.

http://warehouse.carlh.com/article_108/

Maybe it's the biologist in me, but I found it totally cool!

on my night off...

So I finally get a night off from work and what do I do? I spend an hour and 15 minutes driving to a Requiem rehearsal for a choir other than my own. A friend who directs at a church waaaaaay far north asked if I could help them out. Of course it was such a boost to my ego I had to say yes. It always feels good to be honored and flattered! It was kinda fun. The first part of the rehearsal was all of their Holy Week and Easter stuff. I used that time to practice my sightsinging. Dang! I'm better than I thought. Either that or the music was really easy. Afterward, a small group of us (the people I actually knew from up there in the Wild North) went to dinner. It was super yummy! I had a shrimp and fettuccine dish with a white wine sauce (no cream!) and a small ceasar salad. That filled me up quite sufficiently, but since it was my night off, I knew I'd be up for quite a while. I got a piece of lemon chess pie to take home. Normally, I would make yummy comments, but there was something really wrong with this pie. It tasted like it had been cooked with bacon. Yes, bacon. Now I'm all for a good slab of applewood smoked uncured bacon every once in a while, but I'm not too fond of it with my pie. (an aside: if you like bacon, go to www.bacontarian.com for fun) I can't wait for the place to open so I can call and complain. It was seriously icky!

But before I could eat said crappy-ass pie, I had to drive home. You hear about the weather that's been hounding the midsection of the country this week? Well, last night it hit home. It wasn't bad except for the bloody wind. I kept thinking I was hydroplaning, but my tires are brand new. I figured it was the wind when the road shifted direction. I was supposed to stop by my mother's for a dermatological consultation, but I just wanted to go home after spending so much time being jittery and on edge as my car got blown all over the wet roads (along with the other cars getting blown around). Yes, I was too freaky to drive the extra 1.5 miles. Much better today though. Now I just have to deal with it again tonight on my drive to work. Yay.

OMG!

How is it possible to psyche myself out so much over one silly little phone call? Maybe when it's calling to the complete other side of the continent to inquire about a job, I just get a little nervous. Eeek! Now I have to wait for the return call. Wish me luck!

grr...boo...hiss

I have a new nemesis. I thought it was my friend, but I was mistaken. It is Claritin-D. I've taken plain ole Claritin in the past and had no problems. Haha! Obviously when you put the "D" after it, it changes everything. Last night I actually bonked the bridge of my nose not once but twice into the oculars of the microscope (the thingies that stick out that you look through). This will not dissuade me from taking said Clatitin in the future; however, I will not take it while at work. Makes for a very bad night. All I wanted to do was sleep. Now, at 10:45am the next day, I'm so freaking wired because of my caffeine consumption. Maybe I'll stop and get lunch/breakfast/whatever on the way home. At least I don't have to be back here for 7 hours. Woo-hoo!

has it really been a week?

Whoa, time flies. Not that I've been having fun, mind you. I've just been uber busy. I shall try to be brief with witty amusements and updates.

Hypoplastic Frontal Sinuses

Yes, this is a new thing to me, too. I went to il doctore a couple of days ago because I was being Pre-emptive Strike Girl. I was worried I was getting a sinus infection, and with the new and exciting thing called health insurance *angels singing* I decided I didn't have time to be sick. Well, what I didn't have time for was sitting around the bloody office for almost 3 hours. Dude sent me to the downstairs lab for an x-ray of my sinuses. WTF? Guess he wanted to see if my head really was empty or not. No infection (supposedly from what you can tell from a stupid x-ray--but I do feel better--nothing like a good old decongestant, but I digress), but he comes in the room and says "You have hypoplastic frontal sinuses." Uh-huh. And to me that means...? I told him my watch was made of plastic, but I wasn't so sure about my sinuses. He snickered. He then went on to describe how my frontal sinuses are smaller than normal and can lead to chronic infection, blah, blah, blah, rubarb. Whatever. It was my maxillaries that were sore--not my frontals. Screw that hypothesis Dr. Man!

Blood Pressure + Coffee = Bad Combination

So while I was there, Dr. Man said he wanted to put me on blood pressure medication. I said no. Just like that, too. "No." I'm turning into my mother. I hate medication, and if there is another way to remedy the situation, I'd like to try that first. Anywho, I told him that I'd use ma madre's cool little contraption to measure my blood pressure at home and prove to him it wasn't high. HAHAHAHA!!! What made me think that taking my blood pressure after a record setting night at the lab, a Starbucks venti drip, and two doughnuts would be a good idea? Oh ya, lack of sleep. Ya, it was 160/110. It's never been that high even at the ob/gyn (and every woman knows that's when your bp is at its highest). I'll try again later. Stupid body.

Randomness Abounds

Fava beans. Yes, I said fava beans. They are haunting me, taunting me, keeping watch over my shoulder. Really! They are in the calendar here in Mother's office. For some reason they are making me nervous. Maybe it's the big old coffee I just finished.

Thomas is turning into a serious lard-butt. How can you get a cat to diet when he has to eat "super special and expensive" food? You don't. I try to exercise him by teasing him with one of his toys. When he gets tired, he just lays on the floor and bats at it. What a goon.

If anyone out there has an extra car, let me know. The H-bomb is having some serious bad carma again. We gotta get her a cheap, let me rephrase, inexpensive yet reliable new ride.

Why is it that I really crave meat on Fridays in Lent? Is God punishing me for being an omnivore? Guess I'll go eat some salad.

Have a great Friday!

*rassafrassinmotherof...*

Ever had one of those days? My work life is turning into a continuous "one of those." Take last night for example. I was rockin' and rollin' and thought I'd get out pretty close to on time for the first time in a looooooong time. No such luck. As it happened, there was a blackout in this area. We think it was a whole section of the grid because we looked out the windows and all was dark as pitch save the lights of passing cars. It's hard to look through a microscope when there is no light. A flashlight just won't cut it. I also realized how much I really depend on the fume hood in here. I set up my giardia samples in the dark (with the help of the flashlight), and WHOA did they stink up the place. I couldn't wait to close all the tubes and hurl them back into the storage room fridge. When the power finally came back on (about 45 minutes later), I'd just gotten comfortable with a book and my ipod. I got back up, started reading slides, and the power went off again. Noooooooooooooo! It was only out about 5 minutes this time, but the idea that it might go out again was everpresent. No wonder. It did. It only flashed in and out a couple of times, but it was nerve wracking nevertheless. Everytime it went out, the whole lab could hear me yell out "Noooooooooooooooooo!" Anyway, it did finally come back on and stay that way. Needless to say, I did not leave early. I left no where near on time. Another 3 days, another 30.25 hours.

As an aside, the 30 hours of overtime was soooooo not worth it paycheck wise. I swear the gubmint took most of it. At least my shift diff counted in the overtime calculations. In the future, I'd rather just have the time off. Comp time anyone???

Proof

I now have proof that you should always look at least presentable when you leave your house, even if it is to run to Sonic or your mother's or the bathroom.

I left my place to run by ma madre's to see if I'd heard from one particular person who I think I royally pissed off (so completely unintentionally, I'm just a big idiot sometimes). I wasn't even a full block from my house when I passed an old friend I hadn't seen in ages riding her bike with a friend through my neighborhood looking at houses. It was a shock for both of us. She had a reason to be icky--she'd been riding her bike over an hour. I'm just lazy and hadn't showered yet because I hadn't planned on seeing anyone. So there I am, on the side of the road, blocking a lane of traffic (side street--no biggie) meeting her new "friend" while wearing athletic shorts, a Carter Bloodcare shirt laden with cat hair, no bra, and my hair all whacked out from not even being brushed yet today. I'm sooooooooo embarrassed. I hope she does move close to me so I can see the new friend and make a better impression by looking at least acceptable.

And no, I haven't heard from the possibly ex-friend yet.

catch up time

Okay, this has the potential to be long, but I'll try not to be long winded (long-fingered if typing?). It's catch up on the naughty mouse time!!! I have no idea where I left off in the life (guess I should've looked at my own blog first) so things may be repeated and/or out of chronological order.

1) I was wrong. True love is NOT the Krispy Kreme whole wheat doughnut. True love (or "t'wooo wahve" for Princess Bride fans) is an iPod. I no longer have to listen to the "pingy pingy" music while at work. YIPEE!!! My mother is the greatest mother ever! Or she just felt sorry for me and was tired of my constant bitching about Gujarati-ville where I work. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

2) If you want an update on my working situation, just know that I accumulated 33 hours of overtime last pay period. Ergo, little time to blog.

3) The "Latino Laundromat" saga continues. I remembered today why I only go to the laundromat by my house once a year or so. It's because it's a farking freak show filled with unruly children and incessant funny looks from other customers (hey, what's that white girl doing here?). I mean, really. How hard is it to keep your child from running at full speed through the business screaming its head off? How am I supposed to read and comprehend with that going on? Ya, I'm not. Then once the kids settled down (prolly got beaten with an empty Ariel jug), the teenagers came in. Since when did a laundry place become a teen hangout? With my stuff in the last few minutes of its drying cycle, some kids started with the "You wanna fight? You wanna fight me, punk?" Arrgh! Then there was the couple of guys just standing by the door chatting. One said to the other "when you gonna swing by my crib, homie?" OMG! Do people really speak like that??? When it ran out of time in the dryer, my stuff was not completely dry. What did I do, you ask? Loaded it back into the laundry basket and brought it here, to my mother's house. I still saved a ton of time on the process, but I had to get outta that place before my IQ fell another 10 points. No more lavanderia for me until I happily forget this incident.

4) Because of work being so crazy and the time change this past weekend (March Forward!), I found the best way to not sleep too long and miss a service or just be late to choir. How? I call it staying awake. Haha! Yes, in the last few nights at work, we've set new records for samples received in the O&P department (aka: my dept). Friday night, I woke up at 9:30pm to go to work. Saturday I got home and was able to sleep for 3.5 hours before I had to go back to work. Since there was the time change and I had to be at church by 8:30am Sunday morning, I just stayed awake. I didn't even leave work until 6:30am, so I had just enough time to drive home, get showered, go to *bucks for mega caffeine injection, and make it to church on time. Because of that, people in the choir got to see what I was like sleep deprived and hyped up on caffeine. If I do say so myself, it was rather hilarious. I'll take comments on this one!

5) Just in from the weird dreams department: the strangeness continues. So recently I've been back in contact with someone I worked with many moons ago. Happiness!!! Anywho, I don't know if it is the recent reforged contact or just random memory time, but I had a super scary dream about someone else I used to work with. See, we worked in a research lab and the main dude in our room (mind you, not the smartest or the best, just the most senior) was a guy named Yuri. Tall, broad Russian who sounded like the count from Sesame Street when he spoke (one chocolate chip cookie, two chocolate chip cookie--haw...haw...haw). Well, I had this dream that he was trying to kill me. It was uber realistic. In the beginning, he was just beating the snot outta me, but then he was following me everywhere and trying to find where I was hiding so he could off me. WTF? The next day, strange scary dreams continued. Once I woke myself up screaming because I thought someone was coming after me to kill me (see a theme here?). After I calmed down and got back to sleep, I woke myself up yelling "get out" because I thought there was someone in my house.

I'm happy to report that since then, the sleep deprivation has proved well enough for me to sleep dream free. Just give it time.... I'm sure the crumbling teeth will make an encore appearance.

6) Did I forget anything? Probably, but I'm ready for a nap, and the dryer just dinged. Yay! Clean clothes in a place where if a sock falls on the floor, I'm not gonna want to burn it.

and there it went

Glad I got to post about how things at work were better.

Now it's back to 11 hours nights and 5 hours of sleep. Work work work. Wrko? Sorry I've been extremely lax in getting in touch with you folks. Things are sooooooo uber busy. Hmmm, that transfer idea is looking better and better.

Okay, gotta eat my soup so I can go back into hell with fluorescent lighting.

squeaky wheel gets the grease

Those of you that know me well know that I despise causing trouble or causing any sort of confrontation (especially in work situations). Well, this past Saturday, I did just that. I'd finally had my fill of 10-11 hour workdays. Besides being overworked and under-slept, it was also my birthday week (always a bad time for me), and I was hormonal. Taking all that into account, it was no wonder I almost blew a gasket at 4am Sunday when I was just finishing up at work. I'd been all ready and geared up to talk with my immediate supervisor about what we could do about the schedule, but he left before I could get with him. Arrgh! When I had fumed internally for a couple of hours and then cursed about the lab (I was alone so no one heard any of it) for a while, I sat at the computer and wrote out an email to the boss. It was very nice and polite (which I really wasn't feeling) but got my point across: I'm tired, I can't keep working at this pace, please fix it. Well, let me tell you what happened. When I got to work Monday night, I had a reply from the big boss-man saying how sorry he was that we are so short staffed, and it was never his intent to work me so hard. He also said what a valuable employee I am and how he will do whatever he can to try to remedy the situation asap. On top of that, the schedule had been changed, and I am no longer working so much stuff. YAY!

Lesson learned: the adage is true--the squeaky wheel indeed does get the grease.

is it true love???

I think I may have met my one and only true love yesterday morning on my way home from the lab. Krispy Kreme whole wheat glazed doughnuts. **singing of angels** They may be the most amazing thing that has passed my lips in over a decade. Since the first time I ventured into the realm of Krispy Kreme when I lived in Tennessee, nothing has been so mouth wateringly delighful. I'm sure they are still as unhealthy as the original, but they are made with whole wheat. Besides giving it the nutty flavor of wheat, I feel like I'm doing something good for myself. Whole wheat = fiber and nutrients. Isn't that what my doctor wants me to eat more of? Heaven, I'm in heaven!

Random work notes:
1) I can tell you that pine trees are pollenating all over the state of Texas due to the amount of pine tree pollen I've seen in the poo at work. Looks like a little face looking back at me. Kinda cute for something found in feces.
2) I may have missed my calling. I think I should have been a marriage or relationship counselor. There was a big "to do" at work last night, and all I wanted to do was go over and sit the two participants down and show them how they were walking all over each other. Neither was even listening to what the other was saying. Gah! Move over Dr. Phil! I'll beat you at the common sense game.

Okay, hope you all enjoyed that. I'm gonna go have another doughnut. Love is a beautiful thing!

OMG!!! that hurt!

Today was my first foray into the world of leg waxing. Ouch! I knew it would hurt, but I actually believed a friend of mine who said it wasn't that bad. I've had my brows done tons of times (okay, really like less than 10, but still) and it was never like this. The waxer lady (Zina--soooo nice!) even commented on how sparce my hair actually is, but she said it would hurt despite that. Supposedly, the fairer the skin, the more pain. Her comment about my skin: "it's so milky white--this will hurt." Thanks. Then she mentions something about a bikini wax...! Not only no, but you know the rest. My reply was "baby steps, Zina, baby steps!" Always good to keep the person ripping your hair out by the root in a good humor. She said I'll get used to it, and that "it's the price of beauty." Actually, the price of beauty was $40. The pain was an extra bonus.

slooooooooooow night

Sittin' at work. Maverick game on the tv. Bored. When will the fun start?

The past 2 nights at work have been rather insane. Not only are we short a couple of people, one girl is on vacation, and one guy is out due to some family thing. That's 4 people short. Ergo, the last 2 nights, my first 2 back from illness, I've done the job of 2.5 people. Three benches. Thursday night I worked from 10pm until 9am, and last night I worked from 11pm until 10am today. I got to go home for a whopping 6.5 hours before I had to leave and come back to work. Needless to say, I was a little later than I intended. Luckily, I only have to manage 1.5 benches tonight. JOY!!! So far though, all the shipments are running late. So I thought I'd catch up on some blogging.

Oh my holy Lord! You will never believe what I saw yesterday morning on the way home from work. You know how you always see beaters broken down on the side of the highway? Well, yesterday, you will never believe what I saw sitting on the side of the road. Oh, what's that you say? A Lamborghini? You saw it, too? C'mon people! You think someone with that kind of money can afford to have a car in working order. I mean, it only cost (approximately) $180K.

zxakbvjb!!!

Okay, that's my title of the day. It represents the fact that while I am well on the road to recovery, I'm SICK TO DEATH of sneezing out chunks of yellow goo! Now that that's been said....

I finally go back to work tonight. I'm a little afraid--after being ill and sleeping about 19/7 (instead of 24/7), being around the sun, and not forcing myself to stay up late at night, my body has re-regulated itself to being awake during the day. Stupid sun and and natural biological and diurnal forces! Gah! That and yesterday was taxing. After a fantabulous lunch with Mother and a long afternoon siesta, I officially got up at 3:45pm. I had a hair appointment (yay short hair!!!) and then Ash Wednesday service and choir rehearsal. I was home by 9:45pm. That's a whopping 6 hours I was out and about. I was absolutely wasted. I tried to stay up late, but could only manage as late as 11pm. I said good night to Gene Rayburn and the Match Game 74 cast before the end of their show and was zonked until 8:30 this morning. So ya, tonight's gonna be interesting.

Funny thing about singing when you are tired beyond belief: sometimes you sound pretty damn good. We were rehearsing this Brahms piece (super schlocky but beautiful), and I was rocking out. Where in the world did that good, deep, German vibrato come from? Not "woblatto" people--the pitch was still there. I call it "lack of stress on the chords." It's happened before when singing for people who don't intimidate me or when I'm so comfortable with a piece I'm the opposite of worried/stressed. (Don't ask me to come up with anymore $5 words for this blog. I've been sick) Wonder if I can sound like that again Sunday morning. I'm gonna go with no. Especially since in a later piece the conductor told us (read: me) to drop the vibrato for a good renaissance sound. It was actually hard to do! Go fig.

Ya, I could babble for hours, but I've got things to do. Have a good day, homeeez!

strep be damned!

Actually, I am thrilled that this current defiling of my pharynx is not strep. Unfortuantely, that means I just have to wait it out patiently. Bah! What about me is patient??? I've been working on that one for years.

One good thing about being ill, I got to stay in bed and watch Heroes last night. *sings a little heavenly tune* I knew Simone was gonna be the one offed. She was like the only non-evil female character (other than the cheerleader who doesn't really count because she's still in highschool--ergo, she hasn't developed her evilness to its fruition yet). Good show good show. It's like legal crack. If you talk about it in public, no one is gonna be looking at you sideways saying "oh my gracious, that poor girl is watching Heroes--we've got to get her to church before Satan fully takes over her life!"

Another thing about being sick yesterday of all days: President's Day and TNT. That means Law and Order marathon baby!!! AND there was a King of the Hill marathon on FX. Yes, I did sleep a lot yesterday, but I never had trouble finding something to entertain my sick head when I was awake. Okay, that sounds bad. Sick head as in I was sick, not like I'm sick in the head or a sicky.

Ya, I think I'm still not officially well. Must get more sleep....

what day is it?

Why am I still awake? Is it Wednesday or Thursday? Maybe Friday? This whole working thing is outta control. I actually just sent my best friend a text asking why I was still awake. Funny, but she wouldn't know any better than me. I'm doing laundry at Mother's. I guess in some vain attempt to validate the sunlight, I'm trying to keep my eyes open.

About the insane working thing: when I clocked out this morning, I had 30.5 hours. That's for 3 days people. I've already worked almost an extra day. Put that on top of getting home after the sun has risen, it then being really really hard to get to sleep, and you've got one exhausted naughty mouse on your hands.

Add to that, I have to be at church at 6:30 (I think) for handbells. Yes, I know; I quit handbells. Hahahahahaaaaaaa! I'd given it up for the ex because he wanted to spend more time with me. Well, since there is no more "us" I was talked back into re-joining to help them out. Again. Yes, I'm an idiot sometimes. At least I'm needed. Feels good to be needed.

11 hours + poll

That's how long I worked last night. I think I'm too old for this. So what am I doing now? Ya, not sleeping! I'm killing time while I wait for lunch with Mother. I'm at the favorite Starschmucks drinking a hazelnut steamer (no caffeine!). I figure I'll be home by about 12pm, and I'll have a little less than 6 hours to sleep before I have to get up and cleaned up for church. Sometimes I'm not smart. How sad is it that I'd rather have lunch with my mama than sleep? I didn't see her for 4 days while I was out of town. Such a mama's girl! I guess that's what happens when you grow up and realize your mother is actually a cool person to hang out with. (And no, I'm not sucking up because I know she sometimes reads this.)

So here is my poll for the masses: do I get back on that damned horse? Do I risk trying to date again? At least this time I know not to aim for the fixer-uppers. If they need work at this point in life, it's something I can't fix! :-)

six year old love

There is nothing better for an ailing heart/mind/soul than spending the day with a six year old. I'm down in good ole Fred'burg this weekend for a little visit. Unfortunately, K&D opened their new restaurant last week. No, really that's a fantastically fortunate thing for them, it just turned me into a glorified babysitter today. Am I complaining? HELL NO!!!

I got to sleep late today (which was good since I was up until 3am--still early to sleep for me), then I went to the new restaurant. Hung out there with the kiddo and her 'rents until service started. I asked the Banana what she wanted to do for the day, and we decided to go see a movie in Kerrville. Can you believe you have to drive 40 minutes just to find a movie that's not rated R or PG-13? That's farking ricockulous! Anywho, I took her to see Night at the Museum since I'd already seen it and knew that it was "age appropriate." She LOVED it, and it was still good for me the 2nd time around. After that we went to the local Chinese buffet. (Aside for those that actually know me: yes, I know, I went to a buffet. The biologist went to a food establishment that lets the hoi polloi handle tongs and other utensils whilst sneezing and coughing abound around food in barely adequately warmed metal containers. Supposedly they go there every time they go to Kerrville, so I succumbed to the pressure. If chefs are willing to eat there, I can at least risk it once.) We came back home, watched some Veggie Tales, I read her some stories, and I put her to sleep. All in all and almost perfect day.

"Almost perfect" you ask? Well, as we were heading out of town, my check engine light came on, the light around my D4 was lit and flashing, and the spedometer quit working. Great. On the way back to FB, the spedometer started working again, but I'll have to get it checked as soon as I get home I think. Arrgh! The horrorscope said things were gonna get better. Stupid lying overly generalized astrological mumbo jumbo. Bah!

I can only dream

from yahoo horrorscopes for today:

"It's not easy dealing with radical transformation, but you can take heart: The major upheaval has almost passed. Stay calm and be conscious of your inner life. Soon you'll emerge from this with a solid sense of serenity. "

please please please please let it be true

to kill a mockingbird

Is it really illegal to kill the state bird? Let me tell you why I ask. There is some insane mockingbird that has taken up residence in the crepe myrtle by my driveway. That in itself is not a problem. The problem is that he has decided to use said tree to "song mark" his territory. As soon as the sun starts to peek through the leaves of the overhead trees, he starts singing. At first you're like "oh, isn't that pretty." After an hour or so of loud raucousness, all I wanna do is get some sleep, and his infernal boisterous squawk is keeping me awake. Bastard of a bird! Ergo the question, is it illegal to kill a mockingbird? If I do away with it, can it be considered justifiable homicide? Darned thing is driving me batty! Or should I say birdy.... Hmmmmm.

dream weaver

Okay, this was from a couple of nights ago, but it was so weird I just had to share it with y'all. Granted at this point it's mostly just a garbled bunch of images, but it's still freaky as poo.

Imagine: a fitful sleep, tossing and turning, cramping abdomen and hamstrings. Images of a barren Dune-like landscape, red desert sand, slate grey sky. Fighter jets flying overhead in formation--some obviously enemies, some friendly. I can see the sneers on some of the enemy faces. Now I'm an observer of Asian men sadistically slicing and dicing young girls as they sexually abuse them. There are men who want to speak to a monk who can grant their macabre fantasies via imagination so no actual devastation of human flesh must occur. They will pay any price. The rooms are a dark reddish brown wood (stained cedar?), floor, ceiling, walls--all around wood. Very little lighting is present. The monk (dressed like the Dalai lama's monks) sits on the dark wooden floor in the corner of a room, but the floor underneath him has been hollowed away to the ground below. He cannot reach his deepest meditation unless his body touches the dusty grey earth. If he can't meditate, the sick men cannot fulfill their sexually perverse fantasies. No matter how I try, I cannot save the girls. They cry to me, reach out to me, but I am helplessly paralyzed.

Then I wake up to the sound of a buzz saw next door. Figure that one out folks.

it's February already?!?

Sorry for the lack of posting of late. Really haven't been in the mood to think of amusements for the masses. I thought of something funny the other day, but I've already forgotten it. Drat. Let's all wish the H-Bomb a speedy recovery so she can accompany me to F'burg this weekend. Let's also hope that I can quit with the coughing and sneezing and painfulness living in my head and throat so I can drive her down there.

I REALLY need the vacation.

It feels so good...

...to be needed.

Would you believe that I am glad I came to work tonight? I was all cranky because of a sore throat and icky stomach (blame that one on the venti Starschmucks beverage before work) and didn't want to come in at all. I'm also still sore at Molasses boy for quitting on me (Thursday is his last day). Anywho, my work load was very light tonight so I was offering my help to whomever needed it. As it happens, I was desperately needed on the CBC instrument. I've never really worked it before, but how hard can it be? I figured it out, made slides as necessary, and generally kicked ass and took names. One of the sub-bosses was sooooo grateful and nice and sweet and thankful (you get my drift), and it made me feel nice and warm and squishy inside. Yay for being needed!

wtf?

So I'm sitting here at Cafe Brazil killing time before I meet my mother before lunch. Didja know that Cafe Brazil has free wifi? Unlike Starschmucks, they don't make me pay to enjoy my computer. Woo-hoo! Anyway, after the hot chocolate and coffee, I had to make a visit to the little girls room. When I got in there, there was this mop bucket on the floor. No, that in itself is not funny. What is funny is that on the side of the bucket was a label that read "Bucket." Are you kidding? Who cannot tell that a bucket sitting on the floor of a bathroom with cleaning supplies in it is a bucket? I just don't understand. Kinda made me laugh while I peed.

I can't believe how busy this place is so early in the morning. I'm used to coming here late at night or for Sunday lunch. It's a hopping joint on a Tuesday morning. Guess people need their caffeine and breakfast fix. And they do make a good breakfast. Always a good hangout after getting new tires, too. Dang! Three new tires at almost $300. Gotta love the free wifi after that! You kids have a good day now.

Ascarids Abound!

or invasion of the worms...

If you are easily grossed out, do not read this post (this is especially for you, Mother).

For the last two nights up here at work, I've been getting samples in my specimens. Meaning: I'm looking for parasite ova in fecal specimens, and I'm finding the adult worms. Last night I saw my first ever adult hookworm. Not too bad. About an inch long, pink, and dead. Tonight, however, is a different story. I got this one sample that was loaded with roundworms. These things are easily five inches long, all intertwined together in the middle of the specimen, and GROSS!!! It was next to impossible to get a small sample without getting my stick tangled on a worm. Damn vile ascarids! Reminds me of the days of Dr. Stewart's parasitology class. Wish he were still around; he'd love this. He'd have me send you here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascaris) for more info. I'm guessing all my visitors were female strictly due to the size. Ugh! Really glad I didn't meet my friends for spaghetti dinner before work.

proof...

...you really can find anything on the internet!

http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=157

the die is cast...

...and DAMN do I feel better about life.

I started thinking to myself: "Self, why would you want to be in a relationship with this particular guy over someone else (or no one at all)?" I came up with the following list.

PROS
he likes me (says he loves me)
we both like Foamy
we both like steak
we both like animated movies
my family seems to like him

CONS
I'm allergic to his cigarettes
he's allergic to my cats
we hate each other's musical tastes
he hates where I live (the part of town)
he doesn't like to eat out adventurously
he drives like an old man (okay, I realize that's really picky)
he's never heard of Buckminster Fuller (again, picky but science is important to me)
he says he wants us to go out but we never really do
he's depressed (I think clinically)
he's only met 2 of my friends (and that was like pulling teeth)
he's a workaholic
I don't think I can trust him
he hates my shoes (but my mother agrees with him there)
his ex-wives

That's just a sampling of the cons but all of the pros I could come up with. Anywho, I feel a lot better about life at the moment. I've been single for a long time, and I'd rather be happy alone than hesitant and unsure with someone. I will still let him have his say, but I don't really expect to be swayed. Time will tell....

doubt

There is still a lot of it. Why won't my mind stop to consider that there is nothing really wrong? Maybe he's not the one for me.

On a completely different note, I found a great little chart that compares giardia, sarcocystis, yeast, and cryptosporidium all on one page. Yay!!! I think I'm gonna splurge on the $11 and buy it to keep by my microscope at work. Yes, I'm a dork. Getting excited about parasites.

shall I reconsider...

Those who know me know that I tend to jump to conclusions quickly before fully understanding the entire situation sometimes. Seems that may have been the case with me and the boy. At this point in time, I think I must give him the benefit of the doubt. He has never done anything to cause me to doubt his feelings for me. I just wish that I was capable of fully trusting someone with my emotions. Heck, sometimes I don't even trust myself. I know the "reasons in my past" that cause this "problem," but it doesn't make it any easier.

So long story very short, he and I are still a couple. Wish me luck.

new favorite song

From The Faint's most recent album:
(I completely understand, but no worries folks. Really, it's a fantabulous song that just happens to coincide with my life at the moment. It's even as good as Southern Belles in London Sing.)

I disappear
I lost control
My body's moving all on it's own
I watch myself walk away
A foreign spirit took my place
An empty stare
its eyes are dull
So my essence
it's riding my pulse
A Burst of black
A Breath of smoke
I disappeared
I lost control
How could I resist
It's all I've wanted
now I guess I've got it
Why it happened
I don't know
Hope this doesn't last forever
I disappear

it just gets better and better

First I find out the boyfriend is (supposedly) cheating on me (there's still a smidge of benefit of the doubt). Then I cry so much my nose gets all bloody. Next, try as I might, I can't sleep without the help of melatonin. I got maybe 3 hours sleep before I went to work last night. Next, I find out the person who does my job in the daytime called in sick. Now instead of working two lab benches, I had to work two lab benches and one of those carried two shifts of work with it. At this point, you've gotta be thinking to yourself, poor girl! Can't she catch a break? The answer to that is no. After I finished the first set of 40 urine samples (how many people can say that and mean it?), the machine broke down. Again. It was only "fixed" on Monday. I wasted a good 30 minutes trying to run general diagnostics and do the usual tune ups, but no! it couldn't be bothered to remedy itself. Now, not only was I doing the work of three people, I had to do it all manually which takes 4x as long. I was only at the lab for 10.5 hours.

Now I'm back at a friend's place dogsitting. Love the dog. She wants to do nothing but play and love on me. What should I be doing? Sleeping. Can I? No way in hell. Ya, I can't wait to go back to work in 8.5 hours. :-( At least we were busy last night. Helps take the mind off the everything. Dare I risk saying it, but what will go wrong tonight?

Maybe I'll hold off on the blogging for a while until things perk up. I hate depressing blogs.

I was right

I need to learn to listen to my instincts. I was right. Every man is a dog. The boy has been cheating on me. Glad I found out. At least I was feeling paranoid for a reason.

I miss Mr. Rogers

Even though he's only been gone a little less than 4 years, I really miss the man and his iconic show. Even as an adult he could make you see that there was still good in the world.

Unlike now. Molasses Man gave his 2 weeks notice today. I told him I was going to chain him to the microscope and, if that didn't work, I was going to have to kill him (metaphorically speaking people). He just laughed. He doesn't give a rat's hind end. He's moving back to sunny California (unless he's going to snowy Malibu) with his girlfriend to teach at a junior college. No wonder he's been so happy lately knowing he was going to leave me in the lurch.

I wonder if that is why my dreams have been so effed up lately--all about death, dying, the apocolypse, crumbling teeth, and snakes. The crumbling teeth thing is a recurring theme. When I wake up I have to feel my teeth to make sure they are really still there. Creepy! I'm sure that is also part of the reason I've not been well rested lately. Stupid dreams.

One more random thing of note: turkey is not a good substitute for chicken in stir fries. I made something last night (the night before?) with turkey since I had some in the fridge. It was okay, but I highly recommend springing for shrimp or something other than turkey. Much too strong of a flavor. It was kinda like Thanksgiving Stir Fry. Weird.

So, if anyone wants to try and make me as happy as Mr. Rogers could, I'll take all the cheeriness I can get! I wonder if there are reruns at a time graveyard-shifters could watch it? At this rate, I'll never make day shift.

*snork*

I think Heather's cure for the common cold gave me one. My throat is all ouchy, I'm all sinus drainy, and I wanna stay in bed for the next 4 days. I love me some Stars hockey games in person, but DAMN! can't they keep it a touch warmer in that stupid AAC?

Ahhh, but it was a sweet game.

On a completely different front, I got chewed out by the boy this morning. Turns out someone doesn't like things left on the windshield of his car. Hells bells, man! How was I supposed to know? Granted, with his line of work, he's got a small reason to be paranoid of stuff like that. I mean, he has been followed into his parking lot at work by a guy with a gun. Needless to say, I will never be doing that again. Guess I need to get his official mailing address. See, when I was listening to the sermon for the 2nd time Sunday morning, I decided to write him a little note. Nothing errant or "unchurchy" in it either. I will not defile the sacred space (another foamy-ism). How else was I supposed to get the letter to him? All is well though. He called me later to apologize for getting a little ranty (not his word). I slept quite well after that!

drat and damnation

New slow as molasses guy is going to quit. There goes my ever getting out of work at a decent time again. Doesn't he realize that I need him to be here, no matter how slowly he works, so I only have one job to do? C'mon, they just started trying to train me on one more thing tonight! I'm not that good/dedicated of a worker! Well, actually I am. Drat. Why do I feel the need to constantly over-achieve and accomplish more than they expect me to? Oh ya, because I'm a 6 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerology for the stupid reason). I didn't plan it that way; I wish I could've been a 3. Anywho, I'm tired, and I think it shows. Gotta go see if my retic is ready.

And thanks to the H-bomb for an AWESOME afternoon!

my Charlie Chaplin moment

With the nasty cold as Dante's hell weather came the wind. The wind has never really caused me much trouble before (except when I still had Zeppo) until yesterday. After church and lunch, KC and I went to the grocery store to help her kill time and because I needed kosher salt. Well, on our way out of the building (without my salt, dagnabit!), the wind caught my cute little black velvet hat I got in the Land of Eng. I had to chase that puppy through the parking lot for about 2 rows. What made it hilarious was that everytime I got close to catching it, the wind would pick up again and carry it a little farther away from me. There was one man walking though the lot while this was happening, and he and KC couldn't quit laughing. A true gentleman would've helped me stop the windnapped hat. It was so cold that once I caught it, I had to put it back on. Eeeew! Now it was all wet and cold. Damn and blast! I think KC will remember that for some time to come.

bored at work--electric debacle

Due to the "inclement" weather in Northern Texas, we are waiting waiting waiting for our shipment from Houston and Austin. They are being driven rather than flown up here. Gah! Houston is still at least an hour away, and who knows where Austin is. Luckily for you, I have time to blog away!

When I left work at 8:30 this morning, I was looking forward to going home to a nice warm bed and getting some desperately needed sleep. Hah on that one. When I got to my house, it seemed a tad chilly. I went straight to the utility room to feed the boys, and when I flipped the light switch nothing happened. Cripes, the power was flickering yesterday, and today is was just plain out. I looked at the temperature thingy I've got by the door, and it was 53 degrees in my house. I like it chilly, but that was a bit much. I then realized that the entire house was not without power. The hallway, bathroom, and tv room had power. Unfortunately, none of those circuits controlled the heater, the water heater, or anything involved with heat. I found my step ladder, crawled in the closet and started futzing with the breakers in the fuse box, but it didn't look like any of them had been tripped. Arrgh! I was getting really cold. I did what any warmish blooded American woman would do--I called my father. I explained the situation, went breaker by breaker through the fuse box with him, went outside (in the cold, cold rain) to look at the meter, and finally he decided I had "dropped a phase." Huh? Then he preceded to give me a mini physics lecture on alternating current. While, surprisingly, it made sense, it wasn't solving my problem. That's when I decided I had to call the power company.

Did you know that Green Mountain Energy does not have anyone you can speak with on the weekends? Ya, I found that out today--Saturday. Luckily, after a lot of looking, I found the number to call for emergency power outages. Of course it sent me to TXU. Anywho, when I got the woman on the phone, my power immediately came back on. It was a miracle! I explained my problem, told her about the dropped phase (which she completely understood), and she said they'd send someone out at some point. About 2 minutes after we got off the phone, the power died again. Arrgh!!! I called back, got someone different, and said I wanted her to magically fix it like the previous woman had. We both laughed at that one. She said that someone would be out by 11:30am to look at my problem. At that point, I bundled up in wool socks, slippers, an extra sweat shirt, and my comforter on the front sofa and tried to sleep. Ya, that didn't happen.

The TXU man actually got to my place about 10:15--way ahead of schedule. God bless TXU. He wandered around for a bit and found the problem. Out at the meter, some of the "ancient wirings" (his words) were shot. The insulation was gone, the wires were dry-rotted, and the rain hitting the wires was causing a short. Also, if you looked at it from the just-right angle, you could see smoke coming from the bad wires. Eek! There were even some scorch marks on the house. Guess I'm lucky the place didn't go up in flames at some point previously. He was able to make a temporary fix so I can have power until we have an electrician come out and repair the whole shebang. I repeat, God bless TXU!

At this point, I was able to go to bed and get a whopping 3 hours sleep before I had to get back up to go to a family gathering and then work. Just please don't let me get iced in up here.

the almost perfect date

It's sad, really, when you have to plan a date with your sweetie way in advance just so you can spend time with each other. That's what we did this past Thursday night, and it was almost perfect.

We started off by going to a Stars game. Unfortunately, the Stars didn't show up so we watched the Mighty Ducks play what was obviously some local high school hockey club team. There were a couple of good fights, but the refs seemed to be against the "Stars" in every penalty call. Oh well. As he said, it's not whether the Stars win but the fact that we're together. What a sweetie! There was also talk of whether of not we could catch a puck where we were sitting. I said yes, he said not on your life (we were in the nosebleed section but on the front row). One can only hope, right? Anyway, he went off to get a drink and missed the high school team's only goal and a fantastic boarding by one of the "Stars" to a Duck. Copious amounts of blood and everything! I was starting to get worried that maybe he'd left me there because he was so bored, but he finally returned. He'd gotten a drink for me (the correct choice without even asking, too). After he sat down, I heard this "Wait, what's that?" as I saw something fly though the air. All of a sudden there was a puck at my feet. What the poo? They weren't even playing. The boy bought a puck while he was away and tossed it toward me so I could catch a puck in my nosebleed seat. Is there anything sweeter??? When the debacle of a game finally ended (1-5), we left and went back to his place to watch a movie. I love that I'm in love with a guy who likes animated movies! We watched Madagascar, and he had to endure me telling him the differences between all the different lemurs and little obnoxious facts about them. "The one on the left is a ruffed lemur; that little cute one is a bush baby; did you know that lemur societies are matriarchal?" Poor guy.

The only way the date would've been perfect is if the Stars had come to the game and beaten the Mighty Ducks. I mean, c'mon, how threatening can a team with a name like "Mighty Ducks" really be? None of the scary creatures from horror movies are ever webbed footed avian creatures. Bah!

scariness

When I was driving to work last night, there was this crazy, obviously lit, person driving in front of me. I debated calling 911 since they were weaving all over the 3 lanes of the highway. Once they almost took out the median, and once they almost smashing into a toll booth. Is it really considered an emergency when someone is driving erratically? Should I have called 911? I have to admit, I spent most of the 4 minutes I was close to this other car as safely far away as possible without stopping in the middle of the road. I wish I could explain how scary it was. Made me think of those times you hear on the news about people on the side of the road fixing a tire or whatnot getting taken out by some lunatic.

Gah! I think the weather or time of year is getting to me. I feel like a Garbage song: "I Think I'm Paranoid." At least it's a good song.

catch up time

Good Lord, there are so many things I've wanted to type the past few days, but I haven't had time to sit in front of the computer for longer than 3 minutes in a spell. I'll try to keep it all to a minimum.

Crazy Cat Lady
I love my Cornelius! The other night when I got home from the post Bible study pub crawl, he was so happy to have me home. He just had to be next to me touching me in sort fashion--usually sitting on my leg. Anywho, when I finally gave up the ghost and turned out all the lights for bed (I stayed up til 2:30; I was proud I stayed up that long on a night off), he left me all alone. For a cat who couldn't stand to be awat from me for 2 seconds earlier in the night, it didn't make sense. Lo and behold, about 2 minutes later, the boy jumped back up on the bed. From the foot of the bed he walked all the way up my side til he was standing on the side of my rib cage. I was about to protest when I felt a soft thud on my shoulder. My sweet kitten brought me Duckie! (Duckie is his favorite toy that has been resewn and repaired so many times there is no longer anything left to mend.) C'mon! How bloody cute is that?!?

Crazy Biologist Girl
Yes, I almost wrecked my car today because of a bird. When I was driving home past the lake today, I saw a belted kingfisher (go here for more info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html). I've never seen one inside any city's limits before. I almost freaked! They are totally cool because the female is actually more colorful than the male of the species (that's unusual in case you didn't know). I considered going back to look at it again, but I had to get home to a computer and see if I was gonna purchase...

NHL All Star Game!
...tickets. I got this email from the Stars association thingy about how they were releasing some "leftover" tickets for the All Star game. I would (almost) give my eye teeth to go to that game. However, the least expensive tickets are $130, and there were not 2 seats together anywhere in the AAC for that price. Please! Do they think I'm made of money? Only if they think money is made of skin, fat, and red hair. Pshaw!

I'm sure there is other stuff I wanted to add, but my brain is tired now. After reading 80 urine samples and 42 fecal slides, all I wanna do is sleep (no not "have some fun"--good Lord, I hate Sheryl Crow anyway--stupid hooker broke up Lance and his wife then split after the fun was gone in my humble and probably incorrect opinion).

2nd post in one night shift

I know, quit posting about meanless crap. But that's what I do best!

So here's the senario: it's 1:30am and I'm starving. Normally I eat right before I come into work, but today I wasn't hungry. Bah hah! It caught up with me. Anywho, I work close to a Whataburger and Taco Bell both of which have the 24 hour drive through business. I think, "hmmm, a whatacatch would be good--thanks for the idea Lindy," and I drive on over to the WB. Holy mother of Buddha, the drive through was longer than long--all the way through the parking lot! I'm like, WTF? Think 1:30am with 3-4 large bars and sports bars in the area. Every drunk hoo-hah was out trying to get snacks after getting liquored up. Grrr! I ended up at Taco Hell just because the line was shorter, and I knew they'd be faster.

Now my mouth is on fire--thank you fire sauce. That's all for now.

he lives!

Yes, I finally heard from the elusive boy. With everything going on in his life (working too much, sickness with no health insurance, evil ex giving away his dog, etc), he's just been slightly underwhelmed. He doesn't hate me, nor does he not want to see me anymore. I can FINALLY put my mind at ease.

Now if I can just make it through one more night of work! =)

stream of consciousness musings at 5am

So, I actually finished all my work super early. I'm glad the new guy started working nights (even if he is slow as molasses). I got to concentrate on the important tasks.

Why do vets insist on ordering a direct when there is plenty for a float? Why can't they let me decide on which is a better choice. I am the expert.

When you eat broccoli with dinner, it's a good thing when you work with poop. That way, if you pass gas (God forbid), you can blame the smell on the specimens. Not that I would know this from experience or anything.

Why are girl friends sooooooooo much better than guy friends? I had dinner with 2 friends tonight, and they did everything in their power to cheer my sorry ass up. At one point, the H-bomb looked at me and said "stop it." I'm all like "what?" She said "I know that look. Stop it." What amazing friends I have.

Why is it near impossible to get some people to respond to you in a timely fashion? How hard is it for someone to say, you know I'm busy and can't spend a lot of time talking, but yes, I got your email/phone call/note. Thanks for being an ass! (you know who you are)

In the same vein, how hard is it for someone to say "thank you" when you do them a favor? Better yet, why can't they make 10 minutes for you when they are in town after a long absence? I have tried, and I am done with that one.

Why has the Corn Muffin started to revel in the swirling of flushing toilet water? Sometimes when I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth or washing my face, he'll come in and hang around the toilet until I flush it. Then he jumps up on the rim and splashes a paw in the water. I've raised a freak.

Ya, pms is not a good thing for me. Thanks for putting up with my complaints and musings. Mmmmm, Muse. Love them!

Give this a try...

How well do you know me?

http://www.testriffic.com/friendtest/1490691

what an endorsement

You ever have one of those days when you don't want to cook for yourself? A day when the stress (or PMS, or work, or whatever) is just getting to you and you want comfort food. That was me yesterday. I sent the H-bomb a text (while I was sill at work at 8am) to see if she wanted lunch. Yay, she did! We planned to have me pick her up and go to Pappadeaux for some rockin' dog awesome fried goodness. I got the shrimp po' boy (with extra pickles...mmmmmmmmm) while she was good and got a salad with fried crawfish (okay, so maybe not that good). It was delightful! Then I went home, slept, got up, showered and went to choir. Afterwards, Kaycee and I decided we needed sustinance. After throwing the names of places around that were close to church, she picked...you guessed it...Pappadeaux. Did I complain? Hell no! So for dinner I got the greek salad and crawfish bisque. Then we split the banana pudding. Oh heavenly goodness that abounds in your mouth with bananas and wafers! It was exactly what I needed yesterday.

Now what can I have today to lift my spirits? I'd just be happy to hear from the boy.

happy new year!

It's now 2007. Who ever thought we'd make it this far?

They say that the people you are with at midnight are the ones who you will be with all year. Since I am known as preemptive strike girl, I'd like to whole heartedly thank Heather, Jenny, Wil, Lindy, Elizabeth, and Alex for being here with me this year. It has the potential to be rough for quite a few people I know, but we'll all make it through just fine. If nothing else, we have each other!

And extra thanks to Jenny and Wil for the awesome Nip/Tuck marathon yesterday. I'd never seen it before, and now I can see why people like it. Man, is it twisted! Not very realistic, but if it were, they'd call it Dr. 90210 instead. There's enough reality in life--I wanna watch things that distract me from this reality called life. I may have to add this show to my list of things I watch as often as possible. It won't ever beat House though, but that's because I have a serious sick crush on Hugh Laurie. Mmmmmmm, what a hottie!