Tuesday, November 26

I feel so dirty.
In case OP's stories of medical discomfort and strangeness weren't enough for you, I just got back from the girl doctor. Now, as Machine will loudly and repeatedly attest, I am a girl, and have been for some time, so this was not a new experience for me. However, with the new job comes new insurance, and I had to give up the doctor I liked a lot to go to someone new. I picked the only female girl-doctor covered by the craptastic OBG insurance plan. And here's how it went: wham. bam. bye. Not even a thank you. Not even a please come again. Would you like fries with that? No. I don't feel like I should get better care from a burger-flipper than from a (highly) paid professional who is looking at my bits.
Also, I have a bitch of a cold that is kicking my ass. She suggested I take some sudafed. Gee.... thanks! Ya think??
I think she was mad at me because she lives next door to a woman who was just fired from B'Gosh. Like I did it. Like even if I did that should in any way come into play while I'm in the stirrups. I think not.
So that's my rant for today. I want my old doctor back. waaaa.
Hooray that the week is half over. Hooray for turkey. Hooray for my new coat which I haven't taken off yet because it is always so freaking cold in here.

Sunday, November 24

Now, I'm sure she didn't know my embarassing weakness for Destiny's Child when she sent me this link, but New Steph has even more funny up her sleeve. Check this out. I'm personally partial to the euphonium, but that's possibly the band geek in me. And, by the way, Shannon from back home played the euph for band, and hers was named (obviously) Barry Manilow.
It's late. I should play some blocks and go to bed.

Saturday, November 23

Welcome New Steph ie Optimus Prime ie OP to our special little corner of the uberweb.
That's all I got. It's early. Well - it is, to me.

Friday, November 22

So, some time ago UPB told me that I should blog about my dreams, because they're so entertaining. Of course, since then I haven't had any that I remember, that I would also publish on the web. Tell Mother and disgust Plinko, sure, but not publish. Until today. This morning I vividly remembered my dream from last night because it was just that strange.
I was dreaming that I was having a nightmare. That's right, dreaming of dreaming. And in my dweam-within-a-dweam, I was being attacked by big nasty brown moths. The kind that it makes sense to be afraid of, trust me. And I was screaming and screaming, hoping that someone would wake me up. And then I did wake up and I was at what was suppose to be my dad's house, except for the 40' ceiling over my bed (remember: still dreaming at this point), and I was no longer being attacked by moths, but instead there were 3 bats and (obviously) a hedgehog on the ceiling, waiting to dive-bomb me. Which they did. Except the hedgehog, he scampered down the wall to attack me. I thwarted the bats by hiding under the covers, and managed to catch the hedgehog in some kind of box. I brought him downstairs into my dad's kitchen where he promptly escaped so that Oscar could chase him. I tried, in vane, to explain to my dog that he didn't want to catch the hedgehog because hedgehogs are pokey. When puppy eventually caught the hedgehog, they just stared at each other nose to nose while Oscar pawed at the pokey thing. That part was really cute, actually. And I think that's about when I woke up. Or, at least, I hope I did. I would hate for this to be a dream, too.
Now aren't you all glad I shared? Isn't that better than hearing more about how I'm so busy at work, yet take time off, only to make myself more busy? That's what I thought.
Oh - and sorry, Reverend, about the moth thing. All moths (and butterflies) are terribly frightening. Really. Not just the ones in my dreams that are as big as my hands. Of course they are.

Thursday, November 21

Yep - vacation is a good thing. Even if it means having so much work waiting for me that I'll end up with so much to do that I'll have to go in over the weekend. You see, I needed to sleep in, because last night we went to a really good concert :) And I'm not so dumb as to make the mistake of going to work the day after a concert twice. The Dismemberment Plan was a good time. We skipped the opening bands to make time for Africa Hut *sigh*, so it was a happy, happy night. The waiter at AH was a bit (or a lot) creepy, but he had my back on the Akara purchase. And he seemed ill-equipted to process my check. But he let us leave eventually. We then trekked to the SOUTH side to the "historic" Majesca (sp?) theatre. Even the band was impressed people ventured into that neighborhood to see them, but it wasn't really bad, actually. It wasn't like when you make the mistake of taking 41 instead of 45. It was just fine. And really, if thugs were going to descend on anyone, it would have been this crowd. (no offense to all those in attendance, but, let's be honest - we were far from menacing)
The lead singer of the band was giving off a super Jonathon-y vibe, so I was really glad when he wasn't killed half way through the show. The band also seemed to be experiencing some technical difficulties, but they put on a good show nonetheless. They even incorporated an homage to Annie, launching into the most interesting version of "Tomorrow" I think I've ever heard. By far. The drummer reminded me of Chet from Kicking and Screaming. It was probably the hair, somehow. Also there was a Rhythm Chicken. Dressed as a rabbit, obviously. He opened the show with a drum solo in a little alcove off-stage, and reappeared pogo-ing during a song when the band invited the audience to join them to dance on stage. Take down a memo: if you've never, in your life, danced before, don't choose on-stage at a concert to start. The rest of us can tell. Sorry, but it's true. Not that it didn't add to the entertainment value, but really, the song is good enough that it could have stood on it's own. Aw Gladys, get a life! :)

Tuesday, November 19

Woo-hoo! Not going to work at all! Ok - that was yesterday. And I was sick as a puppy who is sick. I slept until 11, woke up, slothed my way the computer, ate PopTarts (which, thankfully, stayed in my stomach for the correct amount of time before moving, as they should, through the rest of my body), went back to sleep, ate hot 'n sour soup, watched some tv including some football, and went back to bed. And slept peacefully until 7ish. Evidently, I was tired.
Maybe it was the festivities of Friday night, or the shopping on Saturday, or the driving to and from Kohler to visit my dad and the stink-machine dog, but I was down for the count yesterday.
And today I get to make up for it by having an incredibly huge amount of work to do. Huge. Gi-normous. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, not even a friendly train to take me from the misery of the ever-growing piles on my desk. Just darkness, and forts made out of paperwork.
I'm very much looking forward to the concert on Wednesday, having Thursday off, and then repeating this crazy rant about how I have too much work on Friday. Stayed tuned, friends.... the fun is just beginning.

Saturday, November 16

Woo! Going to work hung-over. I am so cool. Woo!

Thursday, November 14

So -
I've spent my evening catching up on old diesel sweeties, and found a present for UPB - i.e. Big Gulp. :)

Woo-hoo! Overtime, baby!
Also - if you're looking to increase traffic to your site, my advice is to make up words. People LOVE the word Japany. Just in case you were wondering.
I am now fully orienstatutionalized. It was ok. I got a bag (though I'm jealous because apparently last year's bags were bowling-bag shaped, and mine is just a normal too-cheep-to-buy-a-real-briefcase kinda bag, though it's ok). I met the mucky-mucks. I saw the store and realized the full potential of my employee discounts (that's right, you're all getting bibs for Christmas). I enjoyed how much the head of IT enjoyed the fact that they have a robot. It was very endearing. I met someone who, like me, loves the Exploding Dog. And my co-worker managed to get through an entire day without making me look like an ass. That I know of.
Then, one of my meetings that was scheduled for tomorrow was moved up to this afternoon. Surprise!! And it was ok, too. I'd say 60% of the things I've been working on for fall to this point have been dropped. We added a new maker we've never worked with before, but seems to do a pretty good job. I think they're in Sri Lanka, so the translating could get interesting. My boss's boss fawned over my Mah Jong bracelet (rightly so), and I was at work until 6 trying to catch up on e-mails. I got all of them opened, many of them responded to, and plenty deleted. It was, in fact, a pretty good day. I'm dead tired and still strangely in a really good mood. Yay me!
Part of it might be due to the fact that I'm planning on visiting my puppy this weekend, and shopping with my sis at a fabulous (so I'm told) outlet mall. If it has a B'Gosh, it isn't as big as the one here, because the one here is a "Super Store" (very fancy!), but that's ok. I found out today that, though it isn't currently planned, the outlet here will probably end up carrying the women's clothes next fall. So far I've seen one thing that isn't butt-ugly, but it may be a little early to judge. I hope I don't get in too much trouble for saying that. I was told yesterday in the orientating that it's important to keep things we work on "confidential". Luckily, I don't believe anyone actually reads this site (and certainly not a post of this length).
Anywho - back to the weekend. Dining and the P tomorrow, shopping Saturday, and a quick road-trip for football fans to Kohler to watch the game with my dad and make him make brats for us. I should probably call him and tell him about that. And of course to see my puppy, who I'm guessing won't be around to see the summer, so I should get in lots of puppy time before that. Yep, that's about it.
Next week I'm planning on taking a day of vacation. It's very exciting. After the last going-to-work-after-a-concert fiasco, I figured I'd skip that little bit of agony and just take off. I'm really looking forward to it. The concert and the day off, as a matter of fact.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love my space heater? Just checking.

Wednesday, November 13

I am so oriented. And I'm a genius. All in all, a good day's work for me. Plus, I got a free bag. And I got chewed on by multiple critters at the pet store after work. My dearly departed dwarf hamster Bumpa must have been one in a million. When I got him, the people at the pet store refused to even pick him up to put him in the little paper carry-home box, because they are known, as a breed, to be vicious. I thought they were out of their minds. Bumpa was very very sweet. As sweet as an animal with the brain the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil (if he was lucky) could be. He was so sweet, my puppy wouldn't even eat him, because he could tell just how nice of a hamster he was.
Now I know that he was indeed a very special hamster, because I tried to pet 4 different hamsters - 2 albino females, 2 regular-colored, (though lighter than Bumpa) males - and nearly came away with bloody stumps instead of fingers. Evil, mean little critters. And the chinchilla they had was no better. He wanted to eat me. I think this is because they keep him on the floor of the pet room (which chins don't like, they prefer to be up high) - and that room is full-up of stupid loud squawking birds. I guess I'd be crabby, too. In fact, I get a little crabby and afraid just being in there. Birds are bad. You may have noted that my husband feels the same way. Definitely on the same page there. Birds=bad pets.
And now I get to go eat. Mmm... beef.
See 'ya at the P later, maybe.

Tuesday, November 12

Loper - as of right now you have 4 hours to submit a new design to Blogger. Just an fyi.
And for everyone else, a word to the wise: don't stay out at the bar, watching the pinching-booby kind of love, until midnight and then work a 9 1/2 hour day. Just a hint from me to you.
Tomorrow and Thursday I get to spend part of my day in new employee orientation. It should be a thrill a minute. We even get a tour of the store. Yeah. This means that instead of the 8 hours a day (ok... technically 7 1/2) I usually get to do 10 hours of work, I'll get 4. I'm thinking I'll be working a little late (again). Woe is me. I am woe. Woe and I are the same thing. But you can all rest assured that the resulting paycheck will factor favorably in the whole Christmas/birthday thing we have looming upon us. Think bright and shiny. You lucky, magnificant bastards.

Tuesday, November 5

Home again, home again, jiggity jig. Two days down - the week is nearly half over. I had a pop-quiz when I got back to work after lunch today - what prototypes are coming in when? Quick! You only have 300 styles, surely you know this off the top of your head! As it turns out, 4+ years of college really can come in handy. Who knew how important it would be to be able to pull things out of your ass once you got into the 'real world'? They don't teach you that part in business school, nosiree.
After work I scored some tasty tasties (thanks, Max) and then voted. Yep.
That's right. I'm a citizen.
It's so disappointing the Democratic party can't throw up a single candidate for so many of those local seats. Not that I want to be coroner, but come on! Clerk of Courts? I could do that. And Petri was unopposed?? Is he so intimidating as a candidate? How can that possibly be? And here ends my little rant. Now to anxiously await election results. Or not.
I believe that tomorrow UPB and I will be dining at home, then heading to the P. Which means that we won't be there beginning at 4:30, and thus probably won't be suffering from severe nerve-damaging bench-ass by the time the rest of you slobs actually show up. So we'll get to spend some quality time together. Just like a real family. At the bar. Yay!

Monday, November 4

Whaaaah! My back hurts this morning. Too much laundry yesterday.
And today, back to the grindstone. It will be a busy work at week, as IP says. :) I hope I hold up. Tonight is the game - hooray!! Go Pack! And meatloaf, for those who are Packer fans. (See, there are perks!)
I'm looking forward to someone posting photos from this weekend. I didn't take nearly enough pictures. And I have no idea when I'll actually use up my film, so it will be awhile if all y'all are waiting on me.
And now I should get my shite together and get to work. Wish me luck.