When will I learn?

Sleep is not the enemy. Now I'm getting a much later start to the day than I had wanted, darn it. And, shockingly, sitting here isn't actually getting any of my long list of to-do's accomplished. So, I'll leave you with a joke from an e-mail I got yesterday from S:
Two fish were talking in their tank. One said to the other, "You man the guns. I'll drive".
The End.

Christmas, Christmas time is here!

So... since most of you have already heard about the strange goings-on in Kohler this Thanksgiving holiday, I'll skip to my Christmas list.
Unfortunately, I really don't need anything. I know, I suck. There are a few things I want, though, and some of them would even fit in the price range we've agreed on. I will try to censor my list to include mostly those things:
this would be nice, or something similar (this one is cool cuz it includes the plates & stuff)
these are always a good choice
these are not
I could always use things to keep me warm, indoors or out, except probably I don't need or have room for any more throws, blankets, or the like, but would make an exception for a penguin down (not made from penguins, but rather featuring cute penguins as the design) throw that they have at the Target, but not on the website
I would be remiss if I didn't include this - just in case whomever drew my name also had the good fortune to win the lottery
it currently appears that this may not be a bad idea for me to have, but probably wouldn't make a great gift
other things I like/love/collect: pens, penguins, sanrio whathaveyou, chopsticks (Collector's gallery used to have some cool ones, they may still), office/school supplies, watches (oh, the list I could make...check out the ring watches at Fossil from Phillip Starck and also the Halloween Swatches - so fun! not in the price range, but fun!)
I would like a CD by that gal who's song I said I liked at the bar tonight (for this I'd need Machine to remember who that was exactly), or a CD with that song on it I like so much from the night with too much wine -- "smoking famously" should jog Plinko's memory enough to help someone out with that one if necessary.
And gee... anything. I've been very good about not buying myself lots of things I see that I want, so it should be easy to shop for me. I'm now sufficiently spent that I should be able to sleep when I go to bed, so I'm going to give that a try.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I think when it's a struggle to put together a wish list for Christmas, you know you have too many blessings to count.

miles hoor

So... I was going to post about how I was all excited cuz I finally saw the price of my ticket to Asia and woo! frequent flyer miles, but then I did the math (or rather, looked at the chart) and it seems I will need about 4 more trips to Asia before I begin to qualify for any kind of free tickets, and that's the 'saver' rate, and continental U.S. only. Honestly... one would get 1000 miles for a round-trip flight from Appleton to Chicago, but only 5500 to Asia. Does that make sense? I'm stumped.
Therefore, I will instead post about my absolutely fantastic journey to OfficeMax tonight, where I found everything I wanted (including the littlest mouse EVER) and had a $10 off card and two rebates totally $10 minus postage. I win. I also purchased a purple refill for "my pen, my pen!" for when the black runs out. It was a good shopping day.
Tomorrow the boss's boss is back in the office. I'm terrified that that will mean no worky worky for me, as she likes to suck up time, moreso if we're all busy. Which I am. Which is why I haven't posted in nearly a week. Such a slacker I am! I just have lots and lots to do to get prepared for this trip. I feel like I should make a list or something. On the bright side, my passport complete with visa showed up today with my plane tickets, so it's looking like it's a go for China. Seems that the girl who's driving us there (that's right... driving to China... sounds strange, doesn't it?) is named Angel. We've never corresponded, so this should be interesting. The woman who we normally work with can't join us because WalMart called a 1-hour meeting in Shanghai that day and she has to be there (some many hours away from where we'll be). You can't say no to WalMart, you know.
In other good news, the woman we're meeting with Saturday morning is very anxious to be able to take us shopping, so we're meeting her for breakfast to get the nasty business stuff out of the way asap so we can hit the shops before we have to leave for the airport. I should seriously bring an empty bag with me to fill with all the goodies I'm sure I'll find.
I've been saying, "I'm starting to get freaked out" about this whole trip thing for the last few weeks. It's now official -- there is no more starting, I am full-on freaked. Excited, scared, anxious, excited, repeat. It's the first time I'll be doing face-to-face negotiations, so that's a big thing, work-wise. My boss will be there for every minute of it, which is at once unnerving and comforting. (Did I mention our reviews are due about 2 weeks after we get back?) I've been told that there's little to drink except tea and wine, so I expect I'll be hung-over at least half the time, and suffering from insomnia the other half. Always a good combination. I'm thrilled and apprehensive about the whole food thing. I know that we'll be going to an Italian place for dinner at least once. It's called Sabatini's. It's famous or something. Other than that... I'm sure I'll be well-fed, don't get me wrong, I just have this feeling that I'm going to be jonesing for Mario's by day 3 and I will be s.o.l.
I think with that I'll take my freaking off-line and watch the last half of Queer Eye to take my mind off it all.

Snaps!

To DerK for putting me in my place. I figured I'd probably be stepping on some toes and apologize. I'm sure I wouldn't feel the same way if I was still working at my former former job where I would have been pleased as punch to have had a blog to blog, just to fill my days with something other than the endless search for a different job. And, actually, I don't really feel all that opinionated about it today. For some reason the whole idea of whining for being fired for not working led to a longer rant than I had intended, and the disheartening notion that really the only people who read most people's blogs are people one already knows. I rarely, if ever, go searching for random blogs, because I assume that if I don't know you already, you are probably stupid. Therefore, having a blog isn't really all that important (no matter where you post from). But I have one anyway. And enjoy it quite a bit. But it probably isn't worth getting fired over. Wait - make that definitely. That, actually, was my point. I just circled around it a couple times (and now a couple more).

oh yeah

Also, there was a major shake up at work today. Someone fairly incompetent lost her job, and was replaced with a nasty blow-hard who hopefully will be able to do the job better, even if it means dealing with one of the least-friendly people I've ever met. We'll see how that goes. I was told that on leaving, the fired person was heard to have said, "This is just the beginning, you know..." leading those who heard her to believe that it was part of down-sizing, and not due to her sucking. I'm torn. On one hand, there may have been a few too many people now due to some restructuring. On the other, usually when someone is down-sized, they get some kind of notice (though I didn't, now that I think about it) or at least companies tend to not do it one person at a time, but rather in one fell swoop. Today it was just her. For whatever that's worth. One thing you can say about where I work: there's never nothing to talk about.

who knew they had sammichs?

We enjoyed tasty sammichs at BW3 tonight, and then went to American (still on the hunt for the perfect couch) and was met with...get this... genuinely friendly service. I know. I, too, was surprised. We found something we liked, picked out colors we liked, and the guy was no-pressure all the way. He even walked away for a bit when it looked like we (UPB and I) might disagree on something, to give us time to talk it out. Of course, we didn't actually disagree, so it was a little funny, but still very nice. So much so that I didn't even bother to ask if my 'in' was working, who gave us a discount the last time we shopped there (which turned into a small disaster, come to think of it).
We learned that if we special-order a couch, it's ours, even if it doesn't fit in the house. Therefore, if our measurements turn out to be faulty, we may have a lovely purple sofa for someone needy out there.
Which isn't to say that we actually ordered something. We still have a bit more shopping to do (all the way up in Green Bay!) before we make up our collective mind, but we do have a good option, barring any insurmountable architectural stumbling blocks.
And now I suppose I should call it a night and get reacquainted with my ice pack.

so productive

I was just about to brag about how I had an amazingly productive evening (working at the bar will do that, for me at least) and then blogger had a fun little post about blogging from work and I thought... just for a second... that possibly people may have things a little backwards. I don't, usually, blog from work. Some days I probably have the time, or could take the time, but it just seems... well, a little unethical. No more so than checking my home e-mail, looking for directions to a restaurant, or talking for extended periods of time about parenting tactics, which I do plenty of, but... I don't really have to be sneaky about it. It appears, though I didn't follow the link, that there is a whole website set up for you to be able to blog without it looking like you are blogging. It seems to me that if you have to do that, you probably should hold off on your incredibly important post until you get home. "but I don't have a computer at home" I can just hear someone out there whining. Well - fuck you. You shouldn't have a blog, either, then. To have a blog at all is grossly overestimating your value to society, doubly so if you feel you need to post your personal rants (which is what the majority of people do) from work.
Now... as I've said, I'm pretty sure I've posted from work. And I know friends who only seem to post from work, despite living much of the rest of their lives in front of computers at other places, for example their homes. Most of these people don't work for giant or even medium sized corporations who'd just as soon toss you on your ear than listen to the no doubt insightful things you have to say about your work place and coworkers, and thus feel possibly justifiably safe in posting during the 9 to 5.
I have no idea why the whole thing bothers me so, except to say that it sounds (again, I didn't follow the link) like the blogger news article was inspired by someone losing their job because of posting at work. In my opinion, this person must have been an idiot. Despite claims of an economic turn-around, jobs are hard to come by, people who want jobs are not. If you are Slacky McSlackerson, possibly blogging from work was just the excuse that your bosses were looking for to dump your sorry ass.
No doubt this rant will end when something totally incredible happens in my day and I have no choice but to post it 10 minutes before I could legitimately leave from work, and I'll have to eat my words. Till then... I should get some sleep.

Bed is good

That's what I learned this weekend. Or rather, my bed is good. Unless I'm too excited to sleep.
Friday night I left the bar at a very reasonable hour to go to bed and prepare myself for much shopping. Truth be told, I was hurting from the chiropractor like nobody's business, and I wanted to lie down with my beloved ice pack. Ok... that's a lie. I hate the ice pack. But anywho... the plan was to get lots of wonderful sleep. This was not to be.
So I started out the shopping excursion on less than a full tank, let's say. And while Plinko hates big citites, I generally do not. I generally like them quite a bit. In small doses. The lack of parking in the cool neighborhood was a bit annoying, but before we went to Chicago we stopped at Bayshore in Milwaukee and I fell in love again with a shop where my aunt bought me my once favorite dress (and the unhealthy affection for velvet began), so I was already enjoying the day. Then we made it to downtown chi-town and it wasn't too long before I was beginning to feel...smothered. Too many people, not enough sleep, not enough stuff I wanted to buy. Crummy weather. Expensive parking. Back hurting. We called it quits and headed to the burbs. More traffic delays (I still don't understand why it needs to move so slow... it's not like there are stop lights or anything). Finally - the hotel. Bed. But first - dinner...somewhere...anywhere... where are all these people coming from?? How can every restaurant look like they're having their grand opening? Don't you people have homes? I know there's a grocery store here - hell, I've even been to it - why don't you get some tasty Raman noodles and make yourselves a nice home-cooked meal? Sorry... ranting. Anyway, we found somewhere to eat. The 30 minute wait was actually 60, but they had a nice enough bar and brewed their own beer, so it was ok. Dinner was quite tasty, though I was too tired to be very hungry, as it turns out. Back to the hotel, so now I can sleep, right? Wrong. Stupid loud fridge in the room, strange glow coming from the back of the tv... ugh. No sleep for me. But... it was ok. More shopping the next day. Woodfield in all it's glory, opening only an hour after we expected it to. But again, I had serious issues finding gifts for anyone (except my husband, who I wasn't actually suppose to buy gifts for this year). So, all I can say is: thank God for ebay and for an upcoming trip to Asia... between the two I should actually be able to get some real shopping done (fingers crossed).
Nonetheless (despite my whining here) it was a fun trip. And I do like cities. And next year I think we'll have to plan our little excursion slightly differently (and maybe I'll have a new car and won't be broken myself and I'll be able to drive).
And today: a vacation day. And more shopping. Today hubby and I are on a mission to find (insert trumpet noises here) a new couch. One with arms and springs and everything. That isn't butt-ugly. I know it won't be easy, but wish us luck. Here's hoping the shopping fairy will feel I've put my time in and grace us with something wonderful in a very short amount of time.

whole lotta milka

Ok, actually no milka. And not much of anything else, either. Which is to say, I feel boring tonight. Especially when compared to my friend S, who I received 2 e-mails from today, detailing her escapades in Ethiopia. Well, not escapades so much as... trials, tribulations... let's just say that at this point I'm very glad that she has all of her toes and internal organs.
Now is the time when I ice my back and go to bed. good times, good times

Liberace gay

Looking forward to what I expect will be a new episode of Queer Eye in about 1/2 an hour. My internet is not behaving, and I don't seem to be able to log onto Messenger, which makes me sad. Also, I'm having a bit of trouble sending out a lovely e-mail to my fam with suggestions for baby names cuz my uncle and his wife are expecting their 2nd child. It's very exciting. It would be better if the darn e-mail would just hurry up and send.
Work has been a bear, as they say. I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, and I'm supposed to be getting my shite together quickly so I will have little to discuss on the trip (that's the ideal plan). It wouldn't be so bad, but stuff that I thought I was done with keeps coming back to haunt me, through no fault of my own. That's hardly fair.
CB brought the baby into work today. The baby was, as I may have mentioned, cute. Sleeping and a little boring, since he's only 2 weeks old, but cute. She, on the other hand, has gone and dyed her hair again. We assume with Kool-Aid. A red/pink variety of some sort. My guess: Gross-berry melon. Or possibly Ugli Froot. A nice bonus, which I didn't actually pick up on, was that her hands were stained the same evil pinky-red. Our boss's boss commented that it was "an adventurous color". I guess that was her polite way of saying "horrific". When pressed, CB (never a truer name was given) was vague on the details of day care. I'm hoping that she doesn't actually have any set up, and is just waiting out the three months leave to give her notice. That would be neat.
I don't have a lot else to say. I'm looking forward to seeing the doctor Thursday morning and getting all fixed up. That's about it.

tipsy

What's better than blogging drunk? I can't think of anything. I'm tempted to leave all of my typos un-edited, for your enjoyment, but I think it would be a little disparaging, and I have my reputation as a writer to uphold.
Plus, it would be nearly unintelligible, trust me.
I wanted to log into my work account tonight -- thus leaving further evidence of my somewhat enebriated (sp?) state for all to behold, but it doesn't seem to be letting me. We've been undergoing some major changes on the work end of computing, maybe that's the issue, or, I just can't type. One or the other. Trust me when I say that I don't believe for a minute that it isn't entirely my fault, as my typing skills are severely compromised currently.
Before everyone got to the par-tay this evening we were listening to some fabulous tunes that I have to thank my Plinko for introducing me to. One of my favorite songs ever. EVER. In the whole world. In my whole life.
I'm trying desperately to sober up (stupid wine) before I go to bed tonight, so I don't feel tomorrow like I did today. And no drink to blame for today, just a late, late night. I'm older than I ever was, and now I'm even older.
I feel like everyone has heard my stories a hundred times. Like I'm a grandma and everyone is humoring me because I'm going to die soon. I suppose that not everyone has heard the sunday school story before (about my mom). But I only have so many stories about my stinky dog to share. I'm sorry if I'm a bore.
I wish I had more stories about my mom, or better stories about the kids I grew up with, or something. It really wasn't as boring as I'm sure it must sound. I'm drunk and nostalgic, so you'll have to forgive me. I had wonderful friends. Honestly. People who believed in the power of melodrama. And before that, one geek that I would love to get in touch with now, to thank him for everything he showed me (including pixelated porn, when I was too young to appreciate it). Life is so strange. Putting all those little pieces together to show you what happened to make you who you are today... unless you're someone shallow or stupid, it has to boggle the mind. Playing piano during your mom's funeral, understanding the power of escapism that a laser disc player can provide, wanting, but not really wanting, to know where your missing friend has run off to... life builds into us strengths that we don't know until they're tapped by someone else who needs us. And I feel like I have needed the strengths of all of my friends (with or without their knowledge) along the way. I am so like my dad - terribly emotional and sentimental when filled with the booze! (that isn't an insult!)
Blah blah blah blah blah... I'm sure you're all sick of this by now. If you're reading this, you know I love you, I value you incomparably. The people I know now, the relationships I have, are unlike anything I could have imagined would be possible when running around playing kick-the-can, but believe me when I say I know that those experiences around my block, around the playground, at the pool and growing up where I did how I did prepared me to value the people I know now. I tell my stupid growing up stories again and again because I wish that all of you, you Bad Guys, were there the whole time. I wish you could see it all with my eyes. I wish you knew the aura of mistery and intrigue that surrounded the fancy fancy stuff that grew up and took over the places that used to be my stomping grounds. There was a sadness that nearly everyone I loved had and dealt with... we were the rejects and the strange kids and we needed each other more that people should, and I wish I had had you all there then. Of course, if I had, I'd probably be sewing my seventh Ren Faire costume by now, or being paid to play some video game I haven't heard of, or be some other uber geek in some field that now I only have limited interest in.
Rambling rambling... my point (no there isn't one, if you were checking) is that despite our (sometimes vastly) different backrounds, we Bad Guys are together because we love each other, and I need you all, and booze brings out the sentiments that I truly feel every day. Despite the fact that none of you were the ones that I spent trespasing on American Club grounds with, I want you to share in that with me. I want you all to be right where I was when those formative memories occurred. Just like I want to be busted with Mrs Jones for smoking during crossing guard duty, or in the hallway of WLA when the prick got tossed down the stairs, or in the yard when the forking happened (ok, that's always going to seem weird to me)... It seems like I've known you all for my whole life, so you should know about Vicky's dog Starbutt, or watching Purple Rain a million times in Nikki's basement, or crossing the very dangerous tressel, or vegging out in front of the tv at the Youth Center with Ray. We should all be able to laugh about it together, because you were always there. It's very Scully and Mulder, really. Lives we've lived together a hundred times. Always in roles that place us where we need to be to find each other when we need to. Always together. Always the Bad Guys.

Bzzzz

I am a busy bee. Hockey, tv, party, hockey, movies. Such is my week. Throw in big work meetings, people freaking out about said meetings, interesting shake-ups, and general whining about my stupid brokiness, and you are completely up to speed.
Despite, or possibly because of, going to Asia soon, I can not get motivated at work. I don't know why. I was relieved today when we were able to talk about the shake-up, insurance, and weights of paper for a good portion of the work day, so I wouldn't have to do too much of my job. This is not a good sign. Quick! Someone! Give me a kick in the dupa. No, wait, don't... that would hurt. I think I'll blame my recent lack of productivity on the non-ergonomic work space and the uncomfortable position I'm forced to sit in all day. Yeah... that's the ticket! Now if I could only find some cost-free solution. Maybe I'll bring my exercisey ball to work to sit on and see one of my co-workers explode. Nah.

wha wha what?

Imagine my confusion when I opened a piece of junk mail mysteriously titled "Seminary" (I was thinking... I don't want to go to seminary, do I?) and it turned out to be a solicitation for prescription drugs, delivered right to my home, with a phone number in Tennessee. Very odd.
So... the gay bishop was installed today in the Episcopalian church. I'm a bit torn on the subject. Being the uber-liberal that I am, some of you may be confused by this. Of course, I am also probably one of the few people you know (if you're reading this) that visits Jesus on a semi-regular basis. Not as regularly as some, sure, but you know, we're still tight. Anyway, here's the deal. If the church is not going to reverse its position on the whole homosexuality is a sin thing, then having an openly sexually active gay man in a position of power in the church is probably more than a little off. The Episcopalian church has priests, and these priests have the option of taking a vow of celibacy. This may be the way to go if you are a gay man or woman and want to devote your life to serving the Lord. Cuz see, everyone sins, and everyone knows it, but kind of the point of being a Christian of any denomonation is that you try not to, and that you're kinda sorry when you do. If being gay is a sin, then acting on it certainly is, and not being sorry about it and "choosing" it as a lifestyle is most definitely bad. So, having a gay bishop, with a male 'life partner' let's say, is more than a little inconsistent. However (and if I had the power to change doctrine, this would be the way to go), if homosexuality is not a sin, then yay! Gays can marry, have legitimate (legally and otherwise) life-long relationships, and be priests or bishops or whathaveyou. Priests get run out of town for having non-marital relations, and technically any gay relationship would have to be non-marital, so... until the church has the *gumption* to rewrite doctrine, they are currently ok-ing a different policy for gays than for straights. A different, and really, if you're the church (which, ok, you're not) more sinful policy, if you're going to start weighing these things out. Speck in your eye, log in mine, if you will.
Also in today's headlines, the Senate approved the Iraqi spending package. All of 6 Senators voted (5 to 1 was the split). If you're doing the math, that means that 94 of our most elite legislators didn't have the cahones to show up for the vote. What's worse is I don't believe that Feingold voted, and I'm a little disappointed. Maybe I'll write him a letter to say so. If he can stand up for what he believes is right against his own party, he sure as hell should be able to stand up against the big Dub. Or stand up for.... at this point I don't even know what I think about the package. What I do know is that if it were my job to appropriate funds, I'd have an opinion on it, and would feel compelled to voice it, as I think it will turn out to be pretty important.
That may be it for the spewing of political and social insight for tonight.
Oh, and my back hurts like hell.

Slacky McSlackerson

I'm the suck. I should've posted about 5 times since Tuesday, cuz I'm sure stuff was going on, but I haven't. And now I have no recollection of what that stuff would be.
I carved a pumpkin, which I think turned out pretty cool. I made brownies from scratch, which also turned out remarkably well. I had a meeting with the big boss, also good, considering. I posed for a number of photos, which is remarkable, and even sent one to my pal in Singapore so she'll know which one is me when I show up at her office. I found out about a stationary store that's just down the road from the hotel I'll be staying at there. I dressed up for Halloween and had a nice time at the bar chatting with my friend from work and her husband and I'm going to try to con her into making my costume next year cuz his was so cool. And today I got new shoes and decided that I need to go on the TLC program "Clean Sweep". I have to say, that show made me feel much, much better about the state of my house, and a even little bit motivated to make it a little less crazy cluttered.
So - that's the low-down. Also, I'm not quite coming to terms with the fact that it's November. I managed to lose a month or two in there somewhere. Strange. On the upside... on to Christmas!! Yay Christmas!!