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.