Hmmm, hungry - still unemployed.

I saw the "Rainy Day Cavilcade" at the Park yesterday. It rained a bit so they canceled Parade of Dreams and in its place a blaringly bad song and some characters on the Double decker bus.

I don't think I've heard the word "lame" used so much in one place.

I think I had macaroni & cheese, stuffing, and baked apples as my three "vegetable sides."

Now wait a second mister... there are a number of vegetable sides that are actually vegetable: carrots, green beans, okra, pinto beans (assuming legumes are considered vegetables), turnip greens, cold slaw, and technically, all of the potato items: mashed potatoes, steak fries, potato casserole are all vegetables. The "vegetable sides" that aren't vegetables? There are only four, two of which are apples (fried apples and apple sauce), and the others are dumplings and macaroni and cheese. Oh sh*t, I forgot that the have a small salad available as a vegetable side, as well... So, more veggies, unless you're going to dock me for the tomatoes on the salad.

I usually get the macaroni, dumplins, baby carrots or side salad.

So there. Now go eat your vegetables.

I didn't mean to say you couldn't have vegetables just that you could have three vegetable sides without any of them being vegetables (or what would generally be considered a vegetable dish: for most, potatoes are not in that category). That amuses me.

Plus it was five years ago that I ate there.

Nearly impossible!

Try the stuffed otter that GC thrust upon me a couple of years ago!!

Great news Pru!

That was mean. Really really mean. :evil: I love Otter. I love him so much I don't know where he is. I think he's still in my car. Do you know where Pop is?

Yes, ladies and germs, I named the twin stuffed otters Otter and Pop. :p

But they have your daily supply of minerals.

Oh sh*t! J's first leg of his flight got cancelled. Not good.

Great news, Pru!

How much hair can one small cat have!?!?!?





:p

All of it.

I have reached maximum threshold. I shall now begin the shutdown process.

OK, so J's flight was canceled (which I said earlier)... and I just figured out that there are no more outgoing flights for today. He has no cell phone. And he hasn't checked back into the hotel. And I have no idea what's going on. And I'm worried, since I was supposed to make the treacherous rain/snow/ice drive at 11 tonight to pick him up. And there's no one manning the phones at the rinky dink airport he was supposed to fly out of since there aren't any flights coming in until way later this evening, so there's no information. And I'm irritated.

I NEED INFOZ

/spazmatic

So rumor has it that I might be going to Boston on the third...

Say Hello to my (original) hometown for me!

;)

I didn't know the Hitachi Magic Wand could get a the flu.

Thank goodness the longest week ever is over.

that's the secret code word for "out of batteries"

From experience, I'd say about 300 lbs.

Want to kidnap a Corgi for me in nearby Connecticut?
:D

Otter thrust upon her?! Well, see if I hand out any carnivorous, stuffed mammalians to anyone in the near future!
:D

Thrusting otter. Sounds so naughty.
:D

Hehehe... I do loves the otter. :D

Too late, too late.
Eat the dang thing for all I care.

:D
I'm just kidding.


Oh, and the Rainy Day Cavalcade is lame.

If I had my druthers, I'd sit around in my pajamas all day long.

"Thrusting Otter" would be a good band name.

My son was in a band called Warp Speed Jesus. They had a website but I don't think the band ever managed to be in the same room with instruments to practice. Details, details. But they had a cool name and a website.

We didn't even get to assigning who manhandled which instrument, but we were going to be the Buffulumps. We also developed a promotional cookie recipe. And posted it on telephone poles. And then got bored and went to see a stage production of "American Buffalo". That was a bizarre summer.

Billy Joel concert was awesome.

They sang Highway to Hell!

So, working an overnight release when I was already fighting a cold that caused me to drive 450 miles yesterday when I only meant to do 200 really kind of sucks

450 vs 200?

That's lots of driving for one day.

450 vs 200?

That's a really big mistake!

Now that I've had a little bit of sleep. Story is that there is a big production release this weekend and I have to work it, but I have VPN so I don't physically have to be in the office.

So, I think, what I'd like to do is go down to Cambria, spend some time watching and photographing the elephant seals at Point Piedras, get a hotel room with high speed internet and do my work from there.

But we get down there, the weather is miserable and my cold seems to be getting worse and we're just not feeling the magic and I just want to come home. So we did. But I don't want to just drive back the exact route I'd just driven down so I take an alternate that was longer than I'd expected.

Hope you feel better soon Alex, wherever you may be today.

So.... I have now seen all five Best Picture nominees... in one day.

And, as if my life needed to be more challenging right now, the ice I've been standing on has begun to crack.

I think I'll go write a screenplay. Seems the thing to do, somehow. :/

Oh, I'm not all that sick. Just sick enough that wandering around Cambria and then sitting in a hotel room all night didn't sound at all enjoyable.

I can recommend a really good Ethopian place.

And don't forget to go to the North End. Giacamo's Restaurtant and also Regina's Pizzeria.

I want to go just to go to Regina's again.

There are things to be said for a good night of sleep. I took delivery of my new bed on Friday and have slept like a baby ever since. Once never quite knows how much bad sleeping affects one until you are actually sleeping on a comfortable bed. I heartily recommend SpringAir!:D

The bar exam starts tomorrow. Cross your fingers and beseech the pink pixie in the sky that I never need go through this bit of hazing again.

Good luck.

I still like my futon. I unfortunately left the mattress heater on high almost all night and woke up roasted to perfection :rolleyes:


Pru, good thoughts to you on your bar exam :snap:

Sending prayers and good thoughts for and to you Pru!

You'll do fabulous! Top of the Class!:snap:

Good Luck!

Crossing my fingers and my knitting needles for you.

Break a leg, Pru.
You'll do fine!
:)

Good luck Pru!!!


In other news, I decided it was time i finally updates my resume. Is going back into my chosen field really worth this pita?

Yes.


Why does the fax machine not ring until you walk away from it?

Since no one will hire me, you should do as I do and retire! :cool: I highly recomend it.

that sort of depends. what was your chosen field?

Good luck Pru!

I feel very wired right now, which is wierd because I haven't had much caffiene today. The only thing I can think of is that I slept a lot yesterday and I took a Claratin D this morning. The weekend dust storm did some serious damage to my sinuses.

for another stupid question:
Why is it thay you hair never bothers you until after you make an appointment to get it cut?




I may get my computer back tonight. Maybe. The first motherboard/cpu, sold in a set, were not compatable with each other. The new ones should be here today. I miss my 'puter.

Marketing.

If I didn't work 50 hours a week at my "part time job" I'd think I was already semi-retired.

BTW... We saw the ad with your picture in the District. (Or was it the Grunion?) :cool:

Yeah. I'm everywhere now. People recognize me on the street. :rolleyes: (It was the probably one of the Gazettes - although it's everywhere).

Was that Thurston you were holding?

Yeah, uh, how's that working out for ya?

Its all about Fast Food and the empty light on the gas gadge. Once my savings depleats I might think about purchasing a shoping cart. I already have the waredrobe. ;)

Yeah, I'm in the same boat, Borneo. I've been out of work for nearly 10 months.

I'm actually starting to think about founding a support group for people who have been unemployed for an extended period of time. Heh. It's better than jumping off a cliff!

I am stuck in the limbo of not knowing when/if I will make the move from temp to perm employee. From all the feed back I will be perm, but it should have happened around Feburary 13th. Base on past experience, I am getting a bit paranoid.

I believe that already exists. It's called "World of Warcraft."

Yeah, and in it you can even jump off cliffs if you want though.

Though I am surprised how many of the elite raiders in the game actually somehow manage to also be employed.

I can't afford it. Alas.

There's also Second Life. It's free (unless you want to own land or buy stuff). :evil:

(ETA: Any LoTer who signs up can come crash at my SL place!)

Im having enough trouble just handling the game of "First Life"...not sure I could handle a 2nd

Yeah. I'm certainly failing at the real thing!

Temp agencies guys! Temp agencies!

Money while you find your real job.

I am registered with FIFTEEN temp agencies! I keep a spreadsheet and call everyone once a week and everything.

I'm at the end of the line.

And with that, I move my pity party to the Vent thread.

I got a written guest compliment today- and it arrived on stationery from Dick Cheney's office!

Apparently, I really impressed somebody on his staff, and they took the time out to write a nice little note to my management. To be honest, I don't even remember the situation they described (it wasn't anything really special; they said they were first time visitors, I gave them a couple pointers)- that could be dozens of different guests each day.

Well done!

Of course friends of Cheney's are happy if you just don't shoot them. :D

You made me snarf ice water!! :D

Good lord, Matt- move, quick, before he invites you to go hunting!

(Wtg, btw).

And if you ever go to dinner with Dick Cheney, Matt, don't ask for the pepper.
:D

I think you can just be proud for being part of an undisclosed location

breaking news...

I'm going to sea world orlando for a press conference thursday morning...

we're getting something new... I hope its a new bench ;)

maybe a bird too ;)

It's a B&M Flying Coaster- oughtta look purty near Kraken

shame on you for taking away the suspense that only a few people didnt know...

$5 scream scape has info way too fast... before i even can phone it in..

and it wont be "near" kraken... its closer to the front than back of park really if i remember the dirt area.

I know, it's not really NEAR Kraken, but it'll look good, especially since they just repainted Kraken.

I don't read Screamscape, don't need to ;)

Received some papers in teh mail, finally opened them. I guess it is time to call my lawyer and finish this mess.

My panic attacks have been increasing in frequency and duration. I can't sleep unless I have chemical help.

*sigh*

MG, do call the lawyer and finish the mess. Then you will start breathing and sleeping easier.

{{HUGS}}

Isnt that Something?? But they dont have much time between the office, or school and raid. But yeah... thats astounding to me. Almost impressive.

I feel you, and yeah, wrap up those ends.

Weird...

I think it's been years since I've had a case of hiccups. This morning I read an article about how hiccups are a gag reflex caused by our body trying to breath through non-existent gills (no really) and now I've got a bad case.

So don't let this happen to you. Do not think about hiccups! You are NOT going to get hiccups today. You are safe from hiccups. Think about anything but hiccups.

This has been a public service announcement.

Good try Conspiracy Boy, but I am not susceptible to your charms.

Hopefully you don't end up beating this guy's record:

Charles Osborne (1894 – May 1, 1991) hiccuped continuously for 68 years (1922-1990).

*hugs* Morrigoon is always telling me that what seems like a nightmare is only for now. It WILL get better!

Is there a reason exactly I should care that Valerie Bertenelli kissed a woman?

No, I don't think there is.

Yes, if you were the other woman

So... Boston, yeah...

Also, it depends on where she was kissing her.

okay... someone else go watch the video on CNN, and let me know.

Once, a girl told me to kiss her where it stinks. So I took her to Chino.

She'd have liked you better if you took her to Norco ;)

What are your coordinates? I just started, and am looking for a good community! :)

so you know. I watched it.

no, theres no reason you should care. doesnt even sound like she did, although Larry did get a little tingly over it I think

So my interview today went well. Please send good vibes my way. I really want-and need- this job.

I wanna go celebrate!

Funny this should come up.

I'm getting a job... and I'm just waiting with bated breath for APB. If APB sucks, which it will no doubt be interesting for at least 6 months and/or until some infrastructure issue drives me batty, then I might end up reactivating my WOW account, since it would give me an insta 70 Mage.

Yeah.

About that work thing...

Sure you don't want to hold out and see how LEGO Universe turns out?

Visual mojo for this one! Good luck!

I just bagged an interview for Friday the 7th, and I have a feeling one will go from the phone interview I had the other day to an in-person interview at some point in the near future. I'm not sure which one I'd want more... pay is about the same, the one that's closer and in a pretty good location is an entry-level position that will expand my career; the one that's further away brings me more experience with writing, and I could probably advance more quickly in the short-term and is also slightly farther away... more interesting subject matter, too.

Anyhow, I mostly just want a job.

And a kitten. J & I were looking at some cuties at the vet's office where we got Markus.

Cute adorable kittehs grow up to be Springer.

I should find some pictures of his "training camp".

Thank you, and Good Luck! I'll keep you all posted, as I'm sure BE will, too. :)
I miss my kitty. :(

Good luck Sohrshah!

Finished day one of the bar exam - check.

Caught up on LoT postings - check.

Okay! Finished my to-do list of important things! Now I can goof off for the rest of the evening!

Hey, whoever unplugged my computer when it was on, and doing it's burn-in- THANKS A FVCKIN' BUNCH!!!

I guess the new hard drive is coming sooner than later.

Thank you! :D

My mom came home and noticed that there must have been a power event in the Valley during the day as her computer was off and clocks were blinking.

No, this was power cable unplugged from the power unit- thankfully, I have another drive to use, but still annoying.

It was probably the f**king cats...

I feel weird. Like in a fog, slow, almost nauseated, but not. I was like this for the last two evenings, and in spite of forcing myself to stay in bed this morning, I still feel that way.

Perhaps I've discovered a new sort of tired?

In other news, I have high hopes for the job I interviews for yesterday, and it looks like the best opportunity I've had so far may offer me an interview on Friday. Thank you for your good vibes - I think they're working!

Hey, maybe I'm not tired, maybe this is just the tingle of good vibes!

:D

More vibes for you sohrshah! :snap:

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ARE HERE!

Uh-oh!

But have you seen them? They changed them again! The samoas don't look right, I was bummed:(

Where do I find them?

The bakeries out here merged. There were two bakeries before. One made Samoas and one made "caramel delights". Now that the bakeries here are one company, all we get are caramel delights. Check your box and see what they are really called. I heard that Saomas and Carmel Delights are slightly different.

Well my co-workers kids were selling them. You should probably hunt down booth sales outside the grocery stores.

Mmm.... some Thin Mints would set me up well just about now. Of course, dirty pool bringing up girl scout cookies when I'm already starving (where IS my Gelato Cafe guy, anyway?)

Most wonderful time of the year? Not if you are a Girl Scout Leader! :rolleyes:

I have 312 boxes in my entryway and have to work our second cookie booth in less than a week on Saturday.

I'm resigned to the fact that I'll be doing this the rest of my adult life since I have 3 girls...but between Pre-Sales, Cookie Distribution, Cookie Delivery, and Cookie Booths - it ends up being a ton of work.

If you are looking for cookie booths...they run for the next 3 weeks, but they may be harder to find as the sales period goes on. Many troops end up giving up their booths if they sell out in the early booths. You have to purchase your cookies in cases (12 boxes a case) and you can't turn in your left-over cookies once the booths are done, so you can be stuck with stock if you aren't careful.

Out of curiosity, how much are your Girl Scout cookies in California?

swanie

sohrshah: Stater Bros often gets a table, but you could also try the fancy Ralphs on Trabuco and Alicia.

Gawd, I'm dying for some Thin Mints now! Last couple years I was able to order cookies, so I got like 7 boxes (Alex likes them even more than I do!)

And you know, kids... with Thin Mints comes Thin Mint Dryer's in the stores! Just sayin'...

Oh god, not girl scout cookie season RIGHT when I've made a decision to get back into my 4-day a week gym routine! I have 11 weeks to lose 5 pounds for the cruise!!

I want to say I paid $6 but I can't remember. Maddy's friend N was selling them, which reminds me I haven't actually gotten any cookies yet.

In San Diego they also have something called "Operatin Thin Mint". You can purchase cookies that are then sent to the troops. Helps out the girl scout, they still get their cut for the cookies, and they go to the troops. Plus then I'm not tempted to eat more than my one box allotment for the year.

$4 a box. Do you have samoas or caramel delights?

Remember, the sooner you fall behind the more time you will have to catch up.

Ours are only $4.00 a box and more importantly...we have Samoas. :D We also added the Lemon Chalet Cremes this year which have been selling nicely.

We have taken donations for the troops for the past 3 years too. We ship ours through "Packages from Home". Last year alone, our troop was able to ship over 100 boxes overseas. PFH loves using our cookies as "filler" since they can only ship completely filled boxes.

I know I complain ALOT about doing the cookies sales every year, but it does offer our troop so many possibilities. They saved their cookie money for 2 years and did a sleepover at Sea World. Coming from AZ, that was a really big deal. They saved their money last year so we could afford another weekend away this year. You all would be amazed at home much it all adds up to. :D There is one troop that has saved their money for years and are planning on going to Europe when they are old enough. I'm not sure where our girls are wanting to go, but they have talked about doing a DL weekend or a spa weekend here in AZ.

It is great for them to learn how to set goals and how to manage money. I just wish I didn't have to deal with it every year ;)

swanie

yup. Im currently on the hook for $80 worth of cookies that I'll never see.
I even resisted the PB sammich cookies this year.

*pats himself on the back*

I think we got those too, but they're called "Lemonades" (lemon iced shortbread with a lemon slice pattern?).

Last year there was a different lemon one. They were low calorie and they were pretty tasty. I was bummed to see they were gone, but they replaced them with a cinnamon flavored low-cal cookie that's also good, so I'm happy.

No no no we don't. We used to get the Chalet ones in Michigan and I've missed them since moving out here. They were like rectangular oreos but with lemon filling; the wafer cookies had a pattern that looked like a chalet.

:mad:

A note to the quack that was just arguing with Neil Cavuto on Fox News that there should be a national boycott on Girl Scout cookies...

The price of cookies is regional. The regional council determines the money distribution that comes from the sales. Not every troop gets just $0.45 a box. Our payout here in AZ is higher than that.

Apparently, Girl Scout cookies are the root of all evil in the world today.

Thankfully Cavuto cut her off.

Sheesh!

What possible argument did she have for making such an idiotic statement?

I dont know where KatieSue bought her cookies.. but in this end of San Diego they were $4 a box, and we had Samoas.

Those low-fat lemon from last year are gone, tahnkfully replaced by something with flavor. The Lemon Chalet Cremes.
I for one am glad to be rid of the powdered sugar.

Now, if you want my opinions...
the Operation Thin mint reciepts were a brilliant idea.
And if you REALLY want to make me happy, make the trefoils like they were when I was a kid. With the sugar sprinkles on top.

I'm giving up Girl Scout Cookies for Lent.

When is that again?

I liked the powdery lemon ones. :(

just as well I didnt buy any for actual consumption

don't you love when you do something and something you don't want happens...

chickfila offers free chicken biscuits on Fridays... during lent.

at least the sea world media event is tomorrow with free lunch. :)

i might not even need to report... but have fun ;)

Maybe they were $4 - can't remember (or maybe Madz hosed me for the $2).

The quack's name was Meme Roth and she was with the National Action Against Obesity. Her big gripe with GSA is that if you are a "civic organization" you shouldn't be allowed to sell junk food. By nature, you should be serving the public and if you are a Girl Scout you are perpetuating the obesity problem in America. She has a problem with Girl Scouts' selling practices since they create a measure of importance by only selling 2 months out of the year. Also, she says the cookie labeling is deceptive and the girls are an "unpaid labor force."

No troop is forced to sell cookies and there are no quotas. Now mind you, GSA makes it very attractive to sell cookies and fall product, but no one holds a gun to our heads to do so. We make .75 cents a box for every box sold, and since I have a troop of 12 girls, we easily make $1500 a cookie season. That pays for camp and trips that these girls will remember for a lifetime. If anything, GSA shows the girls how efficiently an organization can be run. We have 3 beautiful camps in our council that are supported by cookie sales and they run a ton of outreach programs. Our girls spend the entire first quarter of their school year doing encampment and service projects. It blows my mind that someone could attack such an awesome organization. :rolleyes:

But, you gotta love Neil...he actually called her a food police Nazi and asked her if she expected scouts to stand on the corner selling carrot sticks :D

Those were the Lemon Coolers. We haven't had them for 2 years here in AZ. I'm just glad we have the new Lemon Chalet Cremes. They remind me of the lemon ones we had when I was a kid.

We saved our money and sold "GirlScoutaSaurus" shirts to fund our cruise to Mexico.

I hate people like this. This isn't a damn nanny state. They want their product to sell well so they can raise a lot of money for the scouts. This is done by selling something people WANT to buy, that they can't get anywhere else. And she should shut the hell up about the 2 months thing, because if Thin Mints were available year round, there'd be a lot more of them consumed than when you buy yourself a couple boxes and have to ration your cookies out.

I hereby officially coin a new term: actividiots. Because it's quicker than saying idiots who try to be activists.

noted and quoted.

Websters should be in touch soon ;)

How about a drug and prostitution ring?

I don't buy girl scout cookies except directly from parents at work. I'm not going to endorse parent that pimp out their children by standing them in front of grocery stores doing nothing but looking cute in exchange for money.

And when I do feel the need for a thin mint while exiting Safeway and cave to temptation, as I hand them my $4 I say to them "I'm surprised they let you little whores wear such long skirts! Repent, and accept Lord Jesus as your savior!" Tough love, it works.

But how is it already cookie season, have they gone year round? There was a troop of girl scouts outside our local Safeway within the last four months (I can be sure because that is when it became my local Safeway).

I heart Alex

Did they have actual boxes of cookies, or were they just taking orders?

Actual boxes.

I feel bad for the Cub Scouts out there selling popcorn. It is somehow ok to buy candy from girls because they're just so cute but Dad will beat me up if that's the reason I'm buying popcorn. But they're not whores, they're gigolos, and that is a respectable profession.

Campfire girls are better anyway.

nudge, nudge, wink, wink

I heart Alex too!

That's all you had to say! She is such a quack. Don't get me wrong, I don't exactly stand on the side of fat-acceptance (well, fat-respect, DEFINITELY, but it doesn't mean I should not take responsibility for improving my health) but everything she says is absurd. One particular interview she gave was condemning the very-average-weight Jordan Sparks, calling her many ugly things and implying she should not win American Idol because of her "weight problem."

Also, Alex, you are cracking me up so regularly lately.

She was attacking ALL Civil groups that use food as a fundraiser...schools, Boy Scouts, Church Groups, the Knights of Columbus, etc. No group should be allowed to sell anything slightly unhealthy and gain from it.

I know she knows her boycotts would never work, so she's doing this just for the publicity. She must get her jollies by seeing herself on TV.

Oh and Alex...I'll be pimping my 2 girls in front of our Safeway this weekend. With any luck, they'll make about $135 for 3 hours of work. Business, baby. :D

I was in the Boy Scouts, but I was kicked out for eating a Brownie.

We got some good news last night...

Looks like we're getting a puppy!



We'll be getting one of the 2 girls! They are only 8 days old, and the 2 girls are on the outside. The boy is in the middle.

Our deposit went out today, so barring a "temperament" issue...we should have a new addition this spring!

Aww.... PUPPIES!

Kevy, by eat a Brownie, did you mean a 6 year old girl dressed in orange and brown, or a "magical" chocolate confection? :P

Knowing Kevy, the answer is probably "yes".

Off to WDW. XO.

Awwwwwww. Pooopiepuppies!

I have a vendor with a Tom Cruise (but the last name is spelled like Penelope's) and a Jerry Garcia (except it is a female and the first name is spelled like the Halliwell of Spice Girls fame).




BTW: I am being a little cryptic so that their names do not show up in a Google search.

...so the Thin Mints are moist when bought ?

Couldn't you just bake them rather than buying a purpose-built cookie dryer?

(Aussies don't get these things...)

I think Morri missed an E in there...

Somebody freeze a box of each flavor to bring to Japan!

If anyone needs Samoas...I can bring them out with me when I come out for MA. :D

swanie

I wonder if Dick Cheney is gonna come shoot me in the face.

Dryer's is a brand of ice cream. They make girl scout cookie ice cream. It's delish!

I think they will thaw by then time they reach Japan ;)

But I won't be at MA! Can you ship?

DrEyer's is a brand of ice cream.

:)

Tori's favorite ice cream in the whole world: Dreyer's chocolate.

I'm sure I can find a way to get some to you. ;)

YAY!

He's not going to shoot you in the face. He's going to pepper you slightly and make you have a heart episode.
:rolleyes::D

That sounds even more terrifying.

You'll end up apologizing to him for it, also.

only if you mention a B&M coaster that may or may not be talked about tomorrow... i have a feeling its something good and bad...

that or a trap ;)

BTW, the B&M coaster thing was just a joke- there's a big company wide announcement being made, I'll leave it at that. :)

why does EVERYONE but me know what they are announcing...

I cannot find anything in the employee bulletin i do not get every week...

I cannot figure it out at all... not only that, why did i get an invite before anyone else i know?

cuz

Just cuz

I just visited his SL crash pad: tres swanky!!! :snap: :cheers:

And we could have such fun building the virtual LoT commune there...just sayin' :D

The largest Dreyers plan in the world is in Bakersfield. Their complex is huge, and it keeps expanding. The whole thing is state of the art. I am hoping to get a tour of it one of these days. They are the reason that my place of work was built. A few weeks back we got to raid some of their product. I came home with a case of Drumsticks, Dove Bars, Twix & Snickers icecream bars, Fruit bars, and some other novelty ice cream. The Boy keeps bugging me for more, even though we haven't gone through it all yet.

So Z and I went to the Dollar store last night and as I was walking up I glanced in the book bin and what did I find but Disney War for $1! Woohoo, you've got to love a bargain. I don't remember what this one's supposed to be about but for a buck it's worth a look.

Last night I received dead vegetation from the last person in the world I'd have expected to get it from :) Just had to share.

It was totally the boost I needed last night, too.

Muammar Gaddafi?

Castro?

He even picked the color!

Many thanks for all the good vibes and mojos.

I just got the phone call: I GOT THE JOB!

I am no longer a secretary. I'm now a Project Manager at a company which has a Star Wars themed conference room.

Unbelievably happy sigh.

Now it's time to PAAARTAY!:cheers:

Dumb & Dumber seem to have set their date, which is why I got the paperwork from the attorney. They really are stupid. I mean, they didn't need to be married to pop out the first kid. Don't they understand that she will lose her widow's social security benefits??? I am so laughing at them right now!

They are truly stupid and deserve the misery they are bringing upon themselves. I think I am really, honestly, getting over the pain I have allowed them to cause me during the past 18 months. Good Riddance to bad rubbish!!!

Congrats G!

And MG,

You've grown so much. The strength in your posts shines through. WTG!

Yay Sohrshah!

MG: Duuuude, knowing that, I bet you couldn't sign them fast enough :D

Congratulations are in order all around!

S- Congrats on the new job! That must be an interesting conference room, do they get any work done in there or just play?!

MG- They truly deserve each other and you TRULY deserve so much better and more! Let them ruin their own lives as you and the boy thrive and grow way beyond them and their garbage.

Congrats on the new job, G!
:) :snap:

Yay G congrats!!! See, I knew you could do it.

:cheers: all around!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Conga-rats Sohrshah!!!

OMG, that is the best graphic since the beating-a-dead-horse animation!

Me likey the dancing rats!!!!!

Thanks everyone! :)

And Good for you, too, MG!

I concur, the Conga-rats are great!

I am home.

My brain hurts.

I have no deadlines or things I should be studying and it feels really odd.

I have the urge to search out LLM programs.

I should probably take a nap instead.

^^ Go to bed!! I'm sitting here at work, having to sue yet ANOTHER person, and it's getting so tiring ;) gwahahaha

I just ate lunch at Dennys. I had an omelete with ham, BACON, cheese and Cheese sauce. The side was seasoned Fries with ranch dressing for dipping and two pancakes. All was washed down with an Ice Tea.

The blood flow has slowed down a bit. I'm almost glad I didn't get the extra butter on the pancakes...

Nickolas keeps trying to tell me that he can't eat grilled cheese sandwiches unless they have bacon in them. He is the next generation of Swankieness.

Whoo-hoo!!! Awesomeness!

Can't say I blame him! And WTG about not letting d&d cause you more pain!

Ok so today at work one of the companies that provides legal filing service like, completely COMPLETELY f'd up. We were calling them throughout the day for status on something super important, and they kept lying to us... We told them we needed status before 4:00, they got the documents at 9am and said no problem, it would only take a few hours, etc. etc.

Finally I was able to get status on the court filing and they didn't get it filed correctly, they were supposed to call this office with a small correction and didn't, so it all got delayed due to them not communicating, until 4:45pm.... which means I had to reprint the entire thing, re-sort/reprint an entire project, to get it up to freeking LANCASTER tomorrow.... because they can't do their job.

OK, so short story longer, I screamed at the guy in charge at the service. SCREAMED. I don't usually raise my voice or anything, but I absolutely screamed at him, called him completely incompetent, how I wasn't paying the bill, screaming screaming screaming and then hung up.

It felt good at the time, but now I feel like turd. I was thinking about calling him back tomorrow and apologizing for my unprofessional behaviour (without saying what they did was no big deal, because it is a big deal), but what do you think? Sleep on it and see how guilty I feel tomorrow? We are looking for another service, but we need to use that company (of which that person is just a regular employee) for the time being.

Yuk.
You know, sometimes ya just gotta scream. It gets you heard and it relieves stress for the screamer.
The screamy wheel gets the grease.
Sorry your day is yucky.

Ugh. Sorry you had such a sucky day Cherny.

I've been there - lit into someone for not doing their job and then felt bad about it. I don't know what to tell you about apologizing though. Hopefully tomorrow goes smoothly for ya!

I had a fun day at work today- My sales numbers have never been better, but I got a negative coaching because I haven't been using the Decision Tree system- a system that in theory would be great, if it didn't lag about 15-20 seconds behind every transaction. The manager even said "It's not that we think you're not upselling, but you have to use the decision tree".
I will use the decision tree, and I will continue to tell every guest that asks what's taking so long, exactly what's taking so long, and exactly who they need to see at Guest Relations so we can get back to the job of providing great guest service.

Welll... for every step forward I am hit 3 steps back. My position was eliminated today. That was why I didn't go to a perm employee 2 weeks ago. *sigh*

Back to the temp services I go!

The funny thing is, because I felt it coming I am not nearly as upset as I should be.

Bummer MG. Perhaps they have an open position that you can apply for through traditional ways. Or at the very least update the ol resume and submit it to their HR dept. They already know you rock!

Clearly my brain hasn't shut off yet because it automatically attempted to assess your Rules of Professional Conduct and Code of Professionalism violations. If you could retell that story and work in sleeping with the client and then accepting a settlement offer without their knowledge or consent and depositing the settlement in your personal checking account and paying your rent from it that would make the task easier. :p

Cherny, the guy I work with has a great technique for following up a particularly harsh dressing down: send an email to the person saying how good it was to talk to them on the phone about getting the situation resolved and how you are looking forward to the positive outcome that will undoubtedly result as a consequence of the conversation. Never even allude to the fact that you lost your temper. When all is said and done, you've let off steam, put the fear of God into an incompetent, and left a tidy email trail.

(I did it yesterday)

My $0.02 which only applies on Friday if you are still not sure:

MG I'm so sorry! *hugs*

BTD, the company only hires through temp services. The only other position would be a shipping clerk, and I have seen how they are treated. Also, for that position you have to speak Spanish.

The temp service I went through for them is really, really upset by this sudden move. I don't think it was as sudden as they were lead to believe. One of the grils only works on 1 account and it is a biggy. That account will cease to exist after today. She will be getting my accounts. She is a perm employee, so she has senority. I just feel bad for my customers.

As for me, the resume is being updated. I have proven to myself, over the last year, that I can survive anything, and I will surely survive this.

Decision Tree? Negative coaching? Ugh.




Hells yeah!

I hope the temp service you worked through will come through for you with a better opportunity.

Fingers crossed for you MG.

Heh the only problem with that is that they COULDN'T get it resolved, which meant I had to scramble to get an extra project copied, signed and out the door within 20 minutes so that another attorney could file the thing that THEY were supposed to file up 70 miles to Lancaster this morning. By the time they were able to get back to me, there were NO more options about getting it resolved through them - the filing window had already closed (45 minutes prior). This was after multiple assurances, which turned out to be baldfaced lies.

I'm going to talk to my boss today about getting a new company for this service, we've been thinking about it anyway since they keep doing these big-time screw ups.

Hahah except of course that I wasn't dealing with courts or clients, and I didn't do anything dishonest, untrustworthy, fraudulent, etc. Getting angry at someone isn't against the rules. And no, I don't want to sleep with the person on the other end of the phone, he didn't even sound cute and he didn't sound like he'd want to hire me ;) lmao

Kevy, I'm debating whether to say it or not, but that IS what I'd do... they clearly screwed up and deserved to be yelled at. It's more for my sake (i.e. to keep my side of the street clean) than for their benefit. We'll see. I have lots of stuff today before I'm even back at the office :)

test...

Visible mojo for the new sig line!

That is about the only reason I recommend it.

I HATE pop quizzes. I didn't have time to study.

Well, my lunch date had to postpone, so I went out for a bit.

I came home with a pair of "production mice". (Two cute live baby female mice.) I'm calling them "production mice" because their little cage is portable and is sitting on my desk to give me some cuteness while I edit. And, it also gives them a needed "purpose". ;)

Ken's gonna kill me.

Now, I just gotta think of names. One is black with a white stripe, and the other is beige.

meeses!

It's my fault.......

But I'll kill you (as critter babysitter here), before Ken gets to you....I'm on my way.......

Just kidding of course...but the thought crossed my mind.

I intend on taking them with us on our shoots for our independent video series. :D

They even have their own little television (it's a plastic hide box made for small critters).

Bit of trivia - Walt used to keep a mouse on his desk back in Kansas City. Granted, it was a wild mouse, but it would sit on his desk for hours, and he'd share pieces of bread with it.

Our dragons love baby mice.

I'm sure our dragons would too. :p

Besides, these already have their fur. :p

They don't mind the fur. Though that means they are getting to a size that may be too big for the dragons.

These babies can outrun the dragons. :p

Our latest addition
 

After drooling over them for ages, we splurged recently and acquired a pair of Panther Chameleons. The boy is Karma and the girl is Dogma (with thanks to DP for the "Karma Chameleon" name idea).

While his colors will get MUCH more vivid when he grows up, here is an initial pic of Karma:

I don't know: I've seen your dragons move pretty quick. At least one of them would be able to capture.

And stop sticking your tongue out at me.

Wow! Beautiful already.

Nice pets, Kevy! :snap:

DP...do you realize that you have 14 critters living in your household now....????

You have beaten me out by 2...

boo boo

Heh - so now that we've been through the bar together we're all best friends. Even Ms. Bitchcakes who wouldn't give me exams and wears too-small jeans is now all "you have to come to my party! I'll drop you an email!" Heh. This amuses me!

Thing is - I'll probably go. Life's too short to hold grudges. At least against people like that who are relatively harmless.

Then again, I might just be buzzed right now.

Drinking just a bit...or other?

Make that about 114, if you count the worms we feed to the reptiles. ;)

That means you need two more cats.... stat!

I'm trying to think of cute names for the new girls. So far, I have come up with:

Luma & Chroma (video terms - one means black and white, and the other is color)

Elphaba & Galinda (might be too perfect, considering they are roommates, one is blonde/tan, and the cage is emerald in color...)

urg. well, there goes my high for the evening. Went on a little "where are they now" google-ing and discovered that and ex-boyfriend died two years ago from liver failure. And was HIV+. We dated more than a decade ago, but now I'm slightly freaked out. Plus I can't believe he's dead. Weird.

We just had a minor earthquake. Scared the crap out of me. It was a sharp jolt, followed by a tiny bit or rocking.

My goodness, it's been a few days since I actually read anything on here. I log in with the intent to read, but nothing happens of it. I skimmed, because frankly I know I missed a lot.

So, congrats to those requiring congrats, and bummer to those requiring sympathy. I wish I could have been around to read it all more thoroughly. I feel so out of touch now.

We've had internet and phone issues now for a couple of days, so I just haven't been on as much. Comcast guy is coming out tomorrow morning, then I need to decide what to do with the phone's modem (we use Vonage) at some point, since it seems to be having its own issues, which may or may not have anything to do with the cable (since when the cable is intermittently working, the phone modem... doesn't).

Ugh.

And we have company coming out from California on Monday. We thought we had another week, but apparently she's rolling through now-ish. Still so much to clear out of the office, box-wise, and we need to buy a bed... or something. Our couch has a bad 'spot' on the left, making it awful to sleep on, so we'd rather not force her out there. Since the extra bed was already in our plans, we're just going to go ahead and get one now. Grr...

Happiness is: making my DL priority seating arrangements and knowing that in a few weeks I'll be leaving all this behind for a few days of carefree playtime.

Sadness: A 4th grader's Mom (from Wofette's school) passed away last week, can't imagine losing a Mother at that young of age. I didn't know her that well, just from Girl Scouts a couple of years back, but it's still hard to imagine her gone.

I discovered that if you open a tin of condensed milk, pour it into a bowl, microwave it on 50% power for 8 mins or so, you get a kick-ass Dulce De Leche

Sticky goodness to be sure.

Lashbear, Master of Mircowaving.

Why oh why do I have to feel so awful today? I feel like being bitchy right now. It's probably because I'm waiting for the cable guy to show up for a problem that's 'intermittent' and is working correctly at the moment. Perhaps it's because I scheduled him so damn early. Ugh.

Yesterday was one of the longest days I've had in a long while. Long story, but getting the bed was a pain in the ass, and now I have to go buy a sheet set, etc. Last minute company sucks.

Wah! Wah! Wah!

You're feeling cranky because you know that, even though the cable guy is scheduled this morning, he's not going to show up until the middle of the month.;)

(Feel better!)

Well, the story got more aggrivating. I chilled out, did some work, and realized that it was taking far too long considering I should have been one of the earliest calls of the day. I checked my voicemail, remotely, and sure enough, they'd called twice (though I told them that since my cable had been having issues, I didn't have a working phone, since we use Vonage)... and since I didn't pick up, they canceled my appointment.

I called back immediately, and they said that they'd dispatch one today. Which means Thursday, I figured. I'd be fine with Thursday, but since I will have company over, and a new bed to dress up, and supplies to get, I just didn't have time for the waiting game. Talked with the new rep on the phone and decided to tough it out, and when it got too late, call them to reschedule.

But, didn't need to. Tech guy showed up about 10 minutes after I got off the phone with the rep; maybe even less time than that. He was puzzled at first, but realized that we had a sh*tty signal. Cleaned it up, Internet working faster than ever, phone router and wireless router are accepting the signal...

I'm happy, and I'm glad I waited. Since the Vonage router was acting up, my impatient side wanted to get on the phone with Vonage to head off how much time that process would take. I'm glad I waited for Comcast so that I could work on the Vonage issue in good faith.

And, the cable guy got a kick out of Markus. Markus now wants to be a cable technician. But only if he gets a kick-a$$ toolbelt with dangly things.

I hate the santa ana winds.

I have to share the latest puppy pic...



They're 2 weeks old now. We're not sure which of the 2 girls will be ours, but I'll be happy to have either one. :)

I seriously can't wait :D

I read this as "getting it in bed was a pain in the ass, and now I have to go buy a sheet set" which has a whole different meaning...

Ah, the devil winds. I hate 'em too.

I'm sure you said this at one point, but refresh my memory,
what breed of pups are these?

They are American Eskimo puppies. They are also known as Japanese Spitz. We lost our first fur baby (she was also an Eskie) last summer at the age of 12. This is what Kristi looked like when she was an adult...



The breed almost looks like a miniature Samoyed. They are usually about knee height and weigh roughly 25 pounds.

Our girls have never had a new puppy so they are beyond excited too :D

Ive known a few folks that lean to that particular breed. surprisingly intelligent (almost startling at times) and all Ive ever seen have hearts of gold.

great choice.

My M-I-L has an American Eskimo. Wonderful dog. The only not-so-great thing about her is that she sheds like crazy. We were having a garage sale a couple of years ago, and we decided to brush her (the dog, not my mother-in-law). White fluff was flying everywhere all afternoon. It looked like a Christmas pageant had exploded...

I'm so loving my little mice. They do everything side-by-side. They're now both sitting on top of the food dish and eating together. :)

Mice over rats? that just seems wrong somehow. ;)

Well, so does cheddar cheese over hot apple pie, but it works.

I agree that mice are superior to rats. Rats were too big for my snake.

I have found mice to be more cute, and rats to be more trainable and personable. It's like compairing cats and dogs. They each have their own niche.

Our Kristi was scary smart. True story...

She always seemed to know when I was pregnant. As soon as I would sit down on the couch, she would drape herself over my belly like she was trying to hatch me. I'm guessing she could feel the babies move. She insisted on doing this as soon as I would start showing.

The breed itself used to be popular circus dogs. They are terribly smart and very agile. If you remember the little white dogs with the clown collars that could walk tightropes...those were Eskies.

When Kristi would shed it was like it was snowing. :D But, on the bright side, she'd shed completely in a matter of days. It never took her weeks like it did my old Golden Retriever.

The meeses are small enough to fit on my office desk, hence why I call them "production mice". ;)

I've loved many rats before though. The only problem is that mice are a bit more skittish and take a little longer to train. These girls still squeak and run from my hand. Although, they love me when I offer them treats. Me thinks I'm already being played... :rolleyes:

I'm under the cloud of a malaise I can't quite put my finger on today. There's nothing extraordinarily wrong, but even contented and relaxed I feel like I'm under a cloud somehow. I got news about a client that kind of put a damper on my morning, but not enough to justify being blue all day. Weird. Annoying.

Maybe I'm just stressed?

its called spring fever.

I get it bad. it's usually cured by going out and breaking the winter indoor cycle with some time in the springtime sun doing something (or someone) you enjoy

That's what's weird though... I've been out in the sun. I had lunch outdoors and everything.

Thats because it doesnt work for all of us.
Personally, I think its a guy thing. I dont know how to break the cycle, I just know their way doenst work for me.

I have found that, as long as they are small enough, the dragons don't have a preference one way or the other.

Ponine... I found something that worked. Someone in the office gave me the rest of their M&Ms. Man, there's nothing like chocolate for shaking off a cloud.

Oh now see?? That I didnt try yet.

but its not just 'get out in the sun' but to get out in the sun and do something that breaks the chain of normal

dunno...maybe it is a guy thing. I just always see it as taking a hard left out of the winter rut

My hard-left is going to happen in less than a month.:D

Jack, you going to be around for a meet? It's ridiculous that we haven't met up irl yet, mister!

I've met Jack. I'm not sure you should be in such a hurry to meet him.

So traveling to Boston, I noticed that snow covers much of the country (or at least that part falling under my flight path) and am reminded that it is still winter. I also noticed that I've been playing with google earth too much and found it frustrating that I couldn't zoom in my view.

Meanwhile checking in I had to ask the desk clerk to repeat himself at least 3 or 4 times. I think I should have taken GC with me to act as my interpreter. On the other hand I had no problem at all understanding my Kenyan cabbie.

I feel terrible today... I have been coughing randomly and really bad headaches...

I hate flu season! Strange how it waits to hit me with a mild case right near the end.... always does that.

Hope everyone is having more fun than me.

Lol- coming from you, KB- that means a .......well, not a hell of a lot. ;)

(j/k- you know we love you!)

Hi all. I'm back. It has been... an unusual few days.

We went to WDW to enjoy (and say goodbye to) my brother and his adorable kids before they move to Milan, Italy this week. This was fun until Saturday afternoon when I came down with pretty nasty food poisoning. Sick all through Sunday so we had to miss our scheduled flight. And in the midst of that bleah, we get word from my parents that my grandmother is passing; her brain is no longer sending the appropriate signals (swallow, breathe) so they say it will be a matter of days. Anyway, finally got another flight on Monday night, but on the taxi drive home, our driver got in an accident. We're OK - no injuries - and we were close enough to home that we walked the rest of the way.

Someone bring back some neutral karma, OK?

Yipes H! I'll send you the calm, no-drama vibes from here!

Sheesh! LSPE, you and Tom take care, k?

Glad you are okay, sorry about your Gran and jealous you will now have a spot to flop in Milan........

Sending neutral karma for you both!

OMG, H! I'm glad that you are both at least not hurt and feeling better, but that wasn't the roller coaster you had in mind when going to WDW.

LSPE- that sounds like quite the harrowing journey. I'm glad you were able to see your brother off, I'm sure it was important to you. It sounds like the rest of the mess was no fun though. At least you were close enough to home to walk but that doesn't sound like a great way to end your adventure either though.
I'm glad you're home safe and I'm sending you calming neutral vibes!

yeah, gotta make that happen.

Wow, LSPE, sounds like some crazy stuff was going on. I hope that you at least get a moment to breathe in between all the insanity, and neutral vibes are headed your way.

In other, completely unrelated news, J's ex-roomie from Cali is out. She's moving across the country and is bringing her cats to her mom's place. I didn't know which of the cats would have the hardest time, but it seems to be Markus. Her cats are set up in the spare room and seem fairly comfy, so all is at least well on their front. Markus is very bitter. He was angry at first, but it seems to be a fairly well defined bitter coming from him. I don't think he'll poo or pee anywhere, he's just scared and threatened, probably more so since there are two new older cats in the house.

Her cats names are Pirate and Scarface, and they seem happy to see me...

LSPE - I'll share some of our good vibes with you.

I swear, I think a lot of us on here need to get together and just beat the crap out of stress with those foam bats or something.

I suggest buying cheap pillows at a thrift store and attacking them with a butcher knife. It works wonders.

Looks like it is my turn to be sick. Got this nasty cough.

I may leave work early today: like 5:00 (that's early for me).

Pillows?

Humm, yeah I guess you could use pillows. However I'm not sure that would have quite the same therapeutic effect.

im so trusted... from friday through next friday... im in charge of the radio station since my boss will be on vaca for spring break...

I'm thinking of reprogramming it ;)

Yeah! The all Hanna Montana station! You know the time is ripe for that.

Many years ago, when a local station was going to change format (it was 103.1, but I don't remember which version of the station it was) and they removed all of the jocks, the last jock in the studio put the first couple of seconds of "Wannabe" of the Spice Girls on a loop then jammed the lock to the studio. I don't recall how long it took to fix the problem, but it was damned funny.

we only have one song... the remix to her hit single that clear channel plays ;)

just came in today.

Oh No! I had that 3 times, no fun! Get well soon!

Hope GusGus makes you some good soup for when you will feel like eating it. :coffee:

Postcards from the Edge
 

Hey Flippyshark, thanks for the way cool PC from Japan! Glad you enjoyed the chocolate! ;)

It's tacked up on my board here at work for inspiration for the 2009 Tokyo Swanking!

I got a new toy yesterday- a Blackberry Pearl 8130. Now I can check out the LoT at work! (Once I figure the damn thing out, that is).

It's shiny.

Hey, good news: by the time I read this, it was tomorrow. So your misery should be over!

Yay for BB Pearl! I love mine!

LoT is cumbersome on it - LoT isn't super mobile-friendly.

Just to be a bit defensive....vBulletin isn't super mobile-friendly, it's not just the lot.

That's true. It's cumbersome on my Q as well.

So, I read this article about how shelters have a harder time getting their darker-haired doggies adopted: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23472518/?GT1=43001

how truly odd. never something that would occur to me, but yeah, next shelter dog I snag will be black, just to try and break the cycle.


those doggie eyes will haunt me the rest of the day, no doubt

I've heard about the cat thing, and figured as much was true for the dogs. It's really an interesting phenomenon, one that I didn't try to play into when picking out Markus (who we chose part for personality, part for getting him into a good home after spending over a year in shelters). I personally love black animals, and have had mostly positive experiences with their personalities, though I can see how they're easier to walk past. I like the local Humane Society. The 'prices' for the black dogs and cats are generally lower, and they have certain months where they put a special on harder to adopt cats and dogs, correlating it with some fact of the month. I think it's pretty cool, anyway.

Sad truth about those poor animals, indeed.

Black cats are usually difficult to adopt out as well.

Totally. I didn't mean to imply it was just LoT.

Our shelters run specials on black cats. I have a couple of them and think they are wonderful. I really don't think their color makes a difference but all my black cats are the most lovable and loyal of the bunch. Of course their not the brightest of the bunch either but I love them anyway;)

I'm a freak- but can't say why.

Sigh- secret freak.

Great... I now have Rick James stuck in my head, 'She's a secret freak, she's secret freaky...yow."

An expression of intelligence differences based on color? Now you'll never get to be the president of Harvard.

All of my black cats have been more skittish than the others. I have a few clients who have lovable black cats, but not many. Now, my Orange Boys are the lovers and most orange boys I've met tend to be complete love bugs. As a result, I tent to classify black cats as generally more stealthy and unsocial and the orange boys and the most friendly. I even recommended a client get an orange boy because he wanted a lovable cat. He got what he wanted in Butterfinger. Now, I need to steal him.:D

I have 3 black cats. Two are sisters and are very standoffish and shy, tending to spend time in closets and hidey-holes around the house and only come out when the daycare kids have gone home (and who can blame them??). The third one, Sambo, was a store cat at a local pet store. He's totally social and wants to love everyone. Unfortunately he's huge and not necessarily welcome on your lap. You swear he's leaving bruises as he walks across you. He also likes to lay on any papers, including the kids' homework, making for some rather interesting conversations.

Every black cat I ever had was cool and dignified, which I love. One cat, Yogi, was the neighborhood badass. He actually beat up an English Sheepdog that was notorious for killing kitties, and that dog never came near our home again.

Having nothing to do with anything above
 

I was just reminded of this gem:

We have a couple black cats in the neighborhood, but they mostly slink around. The local badass is actually a grey cat with white paws. I call him Obnoxious Cat. His real name is "Kitty". Seriously. This cat lives with an Eskimo (the dog I call "Window Dog"), so he fears no doggy. Even Barnum backs down from this cat because he just sits there staring and refuses to be intimidated by any damn dog (especially one who, like Barnum, is smaller than he is)

You were listening to KLOS this afternoon, weren't you?

There have been 3631 new posts since my last visit.

If there is something that's a "must read," will someone please let me know?

Where you bean, MF?

Aww darn, so much for that aspiration in life. Oh wait, you mean they have cats of many colors at Harvard, cool! Can I send my kittie to Harvard too?

Okay, but it's girl kitties only in Gym class- no boy kitties allowed. I'm uncertain about the head-covering requirements, though.;)

All of the "Sooo....." thread- just in case you forgot anything.

(And welcome back!)

I try to catch the Five O'Clock Funnies every day if I can.

You know, here and there. There's this thing called "real life"...

The sad thing is that, I've been posting on message boards for so long now that I consider it a part of "real life".

Your message boardiness spills over into your real life (and vice-versa). That's not the case where I am.

Only because one of the spills doesn't post. (The other one does, though.)


BTW, I need to send Mr. Nonexistent a PM about a vintage postcard folder from Tarpon Springs that came with a lot of folders I bought.

Oooo! Oooo! Oooo! Not only do I get to visit DL again in April, but I get to introduce one of my bestest friends in the universe to one of my favorite places in the universe. Yay! We can go all law geeky in the park! Wheee! I can't wait to take her gothness on her first mansion ride! Is it April yet? huh? huh? huh?

Oooh, someone who's never been to DL? That is SO fun! We went with my son and his GF in December, and she'd not been since she was a child (she's 27) and, it was such fun to watch DL through her eyes!!!

I am going to DL again in April too. Cannot wait!

So, I'm still in Boston - and getting ready to go to bed when I hear a loud bonging tone which made me worried that I had accidentally set off the smoke detector (with what I don't know - stray effervessence from my Pellegrino?). Becoming somewhat more sensitive, I wonder if it's my alarm when some fembot voice descends from the ceiling to tell me "An emergency has been reported in this building" - K - What does that mean?

Whatever it is, I figured I should put my pants back on. The bonging and voice repeated it's cryptic message adn so I looked outside my window to see police and the reflection of emergency vehicles. I don't smell smoke - but having just recently seen "No Country for Old Men" my mind goes to psychokiller with a bad haircut killing randon hotel patrons. I decide to lock my door, and stay out of the line of site of its hardware.

Time passes. No all clear. But eventually the police and emergecy vehicles vanish.

False Alarm? Did the angriest vendor get into a fight in the hotel lounge? or chock on a cocktail olive? I may never know.

Now I just want chocolate - but I'm not going to eat the 10 dollar Toblerone in the mini-bar.

Bastards

taking over the station for about a week starting tomorrow...

she found out about the format change and said no to Hawk Radio 3.5, all your classic disney hits all the time:

My blood pressure is up. I am doing my "homework."


In other news I might possibly have a job interview tomorrow. The place is across the street from my most recent job, so again I would have a 5 minute commute.

I really want a drink. I won't drink at home, especially when I am alone. I have to wait until Saturday at the wedding.

The wedding is at a gold course in Pomona. Boy will be hanging with my sister (they are taking him to Calico Saturday). Since I get yelled at by 3 upset kids, I can't pick him up too early on Sunday, so I am going to kill some time at DLR.

I need to sleep. I am a bit wired. I think I need to get off the 'puter, take some BP meds and read for a bit. Maybe even take a Hollywog and Smurf out. There is nothing more soothing than petting an animal to sleep. Holly sleeps on my tummy, Smurf usually ends up on my leg. The others are too hyper to be out at night.

OOOH!!! Too bad I'm not taking a typing test right now....

Good Night!!!

Wow, 9 hours between Sooo posts? What, are we sleeping at night all of a sudden? ;)

its the impending time change. it messes with everyone.
personally I cant wait to have evening daylight for a few late outside projects.

Me. too, Jack- although I mostly would just like to leave work during daylight hours.

I used to like the evening daylight. Until I started to have a commute that's entirely northbound. Now it means I get the setting sun glaring at the side of my head every single day after work.

I drive opposite the sun, but directly enough that I get the sun in all my mirrors at certain times of the year.

Had that happen in my hotel when I was in New York last month. Got to have that "only-in-New York" experience of walking down a tall building while firefighters walk up it.

In my case, someone had lit a trash fire in an elevator or laundry chute or something like that.

Went to an interview this morning and it went very well. The people are great and the position is practically perfect for me.

*crossing fingers*

sending positive energy your way. GL blueerica

I hate that.....:(

In 'blah' news:

Got an emailed response after waiting to hear back after a phone interview with a different company other than the one I mentioned above. They went with someone else. She seemed overly concerned about the commute and how it would affect my commitment to the job - I sort of sensed she was worried about it in the interview, and it was one of the only negatives from what I could tell. Oh well.

Edited to clarify: She never actually stated so much in writing, just over the phone seemed very concerned about the drive. Stating it in writing would be an HR booboo on her part. She forgets that pretty much all the really good marketing jobs are going to be in SLC.

After this interview, there was a part of me hoping to just ignore the fact that I'd applied at the other company. I hope I land this job, because it'd be really cool. You know, to work and stuff, so I can have money to visit you guys, and stuff.

Sorry to hear it BE

In other news, I bought some pretty little snapdragons for that bare spot in my front yard. They're orangey-pink with yellow centers. 6-pack of them was 2 bucks at Walmart. I almost bought an additional thing of red ones, so I could balance out the color, but I held off on that.

My existing red ones on the side with the rosemary bush are spectacular, they look lush year round, even when not flowering, and grow like crazy. So I have high hopes for these new ones. I love a lush yard overflowing with flowers and leaves (you could say I'm much more "English garden" than "French Garden"), and since the snaps stick around, I may just fill it with them over time.

haven't checked in for awhile and this happens to be the first post i find...and you really really brightened my day.

thanks for being you!:snap:

Umm... you're welcome? :)

I am still stoked about my awesome interview with the other company. It's closer, the job sounds fantastic, the potential co-workers are agreeable, it's a couple blocks from the capitol building, and just a block from Temple Square, so it's gorgeous, and... yeah... the job sounds fantastic.

So, I'm not so out of shape over the email rejection.

And I wish I could grow a garden here... *sniff* Hopefully soon!

a tip. call them and thank them for the interview and tell them how you feel. do the "even if Im not chosen for this particular position, please keep me in mind for any other openings you may have as it feels like a place I'd really like to work" thing. do your own follow up.

being and coming across as proactive and positive can really seal the deal.

fingers crossed for ya

mmmm. Fresh strawberries are amazing.

My brain is full. can I be excused?

Things I've learned staying at my Mothers -

Milk is good up to 6 weeks past the expiration date.

Don't attach your headboard to the frame it's easier to make.

Shred any article of mail that has your name and address (anything junk mail flyers - anything).

Even if there's only one small piece of brocolli left - don't throw it out instead save it in one of the 10,000 empty margarine containers in the fridge.

If a side by side fridge won't fit in the space you need to put it, just tilit it kitty corner so it takes up half the kitchen.

If you have a perfectly great old deep bathtub have it refinished. And add that gritty sand stuff to the bottom of it so your behind gets a rash trying to take a bath.

No need to build a carport on your spare lot. Use the whole front yard instead. Who doesn't want a view from the living room window of the carport?

Don't use the real butter to make mac & cheese. Cause then there's not enough to make cookies. And if you buy more then there will be some left over, and then what are you going to do with that?

It's way to complicated for me to live here :rolleyes:

My long lost sister!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I wasn't an only child!

So, I had a successful Conference

Good Lord. Were you able to drink all that?!

I can't make my TV work.

whats it doing...or would that be 'not' doing?

It's not turning on. Well, it's on, but no picture. It was working fine last night but I left the remotes on the couch and there were fuzzy things sitting on them. it's recording my stupid model show, so at least I can see it later.

I tried changing the input buttons. I don't remember which input number is the one for the tv.

Did you plug it in?

;)

You need a Harmony.

I know. One of my clients has one and I've been pitching the "necessity" for one. My inability to work television devices - as is apparent tonight - will make my case stronger.

Didn't Lani threaten divorce or something? (Not sure if that would work for me.)

It was a source of tension. Despite all my efforts to remember to always put things back to regular TV, one night I went to a movie alone having left it all in a very unusual configuration and she was stressed about something and just wanted to watch some CSI to relax and the frustration was enough that there was actual hurling of things in the living room (and Lani's not a thrower).

That weekend we happened to be at Fry's and happened to see one so I went along with it but it turns out I love it too. A friend has a really complex set-up (it includes laptops, both TiVo and Comcast DVR, game systems, etc.) and he's programmed that thing to do some pretty cool things.

But for basic setup the programming is pretty easy too. But you'll make Chris do that and he'll just tell you which button to push and how to walk through the help function if pushing that button doesn't work (it still gets out of synch sometimes but the help leads you through step by step asking "is this on," "is this working" etc. until everything is right again).

But still, I try not to think about having paid for a remote 35% of what I paid for the TV.

Well, I will NEVER remember that Input _ is the FIOS TV and Input _ is the DVD and what needs to be set to what and when and yada yada yada. I don't watch the thing enough to care to learn it.

I'm in Singapore airport. It's pretty swanky.

Yes. We know. If you want to watch TV, you need us.

In the spirit of having something good for me for breakfast I bought a different yogurt flavor this morning, Lucerne Pomegranate/Acai. It's nasty, avoid it.:p

Back to Stoneyfield Farms plain yogurt for me.

try the cable box then the tivo box then the vcr box (I still have one :eek: )... all those remotes might turn the tv on.. ;)

We have everything through the VCR then VCR to TV through cables... tv has to be on input 2... VCR on input 1 or channel 3 for satellite... and input 2 for Wii...

seems my dad never gets the right channels on.. then my mom cannot get the wii to turn on...

i'm a genius ;)

Is the thingamajig plugged into the doohickey?

What are you doing in Singapore? I thought you were in France!

Singapore, France. It's all the same.

They have breath mints at the Singapore Airport customs stations. We didn't spend enough time there to note the swankiness.

Are you staying in Singapore or was it just a layover?

Our mothers must be related.

The cool thing is, I am already meeting up with two more potential co-workers on Monday, as well as bringing a few writing samples. After the next meeting (since there was so little time between meetings), I will send the thank you card.

They've already checked out some of my other 'work' and I think that they dig that it's more on the creative side. They're kind of looking for someone who can 'do it all' or at least everything they need help with - which I can totally do.

I'm just so stoked. I figured the job would be good, etc, but it was going down there that sold me on it. I drank the Kool-Aid, as it were. The job is a corporate one, so it's not going to be all fun and games, but Marketing has a lot of 'wiggle room' as it were, and they're looking to freshen things up. Which I found funny since they're a linen/sanitary products supply company. Plus, I appreciate that they know the difference between marketing and sales - most companies out here don't seem to have a grasp on that.

Attention Snowflake:

Go to BiRite Creamery near Delores Park and taste the Lavender Honey ice cream as well as the Salted Caramel ice cream and report back what other scrumptious flavors they have.

It's a dangerous mission, but please have pity on us poor Southern Californians.

What do you guys think about me sending a reply back to the company that rejected me?

I'm sorry, you have a place with Salted Carmel Ice Cream?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Omg... my new addiction is Salted Carmels, and Lavender Sea Salt truffles....

tell me more

What kind of reply?

sure. no point in burning bridges, even if you plan never to cross it again


ya know?

Ooh, I know exactly where this is and it will be in my future since I will be going here to dine very soon and Dolores Park is a mere 2 blocks over. :p

I will also be dining here in the coming weeks, with a name like Weird Fish, how can I not try it?

How exciting, once I try the ice cream and report on the flavors, I can pose in front of a sign that says Mission Accomplished!

*LOL*

Oh- *phew*

Yeah

What happened to France?

So, Euromonkey, how was Regina's?
:)

I can honestly tell you that until many days after that post I have never owned a battery operated "fun" toy.

Sounds like what I'll have to look forward to every time I stay at my parents' house from now on.

My father believes:

• Expiration dates only exist for companies to make more money.
• Things don't rot. They just ripen or age and can be scraped off or filtered and still be edible.

How my mother put up with him for 46 years is beyond me.

Mmmm...it's Shamrock Shake season!

You two should share a cooler at Camp Swank. :p

In other news, I just ate 15 pickled garlic cloves. It's gonna be an aromatic weekend. But, I couldn't resist. They were just too yummy. :blush:

In my house those are "Japanese" traits. I'll ask Lani if something is still fresh enough to eat and she'll say yes. Then I'll pause and remember that I need to ask "Is that Japanese fresh or American fresh."

Silly rabbits... Hitachis are plug-in

Damn you, vile woman! I could have gone halfway through the month without remembering that! :D

Oh... has anyone found any scouts yet? I haven't...

Uh...I have a house full of them. :D We're done with our cookie booths, but if you get in a bind, I might be able to locate a box or two. ;)

swanie

Every grocery store out here has them grabbing you by the ankles anytime you get near a store door.

I'm brushing up my web design skills a bit....

Just for fun I made this page today.

It's a live look at all the bridge webcams for Pricess cruise line....

Totally SFW.

It's better if you use F11 to view it fullscreen.

But then I would not have done my service right ;) I love those things.

I have a strange bump on my foot. Right on top of the knuckle that connects the big toe to the rest of the foot. I suspect my shoes, but I still can't explain WHAT the bump is. Feels solid. Annoying, I hope it goes down again soon. Ah well, weekend is coming up. Different shoes for different job.

Things I don't do everyday - I just got back from the dump.

Aren't you supposed to be working on a treadmill desk?

went twice last week

I love the dump. THE place to abandon the deluge of unneeded 'stuff' in ones life. I always feel better when leaving....although that might just be getting out of the smell zone.

I took a dump. Does that count?

do your pants fit better now? if so, then yes, it counts

It's related. What fun is an over the top project if you don't have a website to go with it?

We go a couple times a month in the summer. It's a regular occurrence for us. What this city needs is a yard waste pickup day.

If it took 8 pounds off, then yes.;) :D

I just sent my request to the BLM for a filming permit for later this month. I hope to hell they aren't going to want fees for two people and a camera.

I wouldn't call taking a dump only a couple of time a month "regular".

let alone needing city waste recycling to handle the overflow

(Lisa you beat me to that by mere moments) :snap:

An associate of mine is an Arbonne consultant, so I am thinking about having a small (5-6 girls) make-over party one night this spring. She does this great thing with actually teaching women how to apply the make-up (rather than applying it to them), and I can even pick a theme/style. One of her specialties is Audrey Hepburn inspired faces, so I am thinking about showing one of Audrey's films, and all the gals just just relax, play with make-up, and grub on girly things like chocolates, strawberries, etc.

Does that sound like it would be fun?

I am just a drug test away from starting a new job. Again, it is through a temp agency, one of the two I have worked with in the past. I don't have to interview, it is mine as long as I pass the drug test. Since I haven't had to worry about taking a drug test in 20 years, I will be employed again on Tuesday!!

Now I can officially enjoy my weekend!!!

We are a classy bunch, aren't we?