The Weekend Before Thanksgiving

After a couple of weekends of much needed couch potatoing, this was the prep weekend. Hubby was up and out of the house at 6:30AM Saturday for his lodge meeting and I decided to just get up and move along with him. The Saturday activities were a study in ADHD housekeeping. Each task led me to another...a lot got done, but in a strange order.



Sunday? Well Sunday was all about the kitchen.


Step 1. Some stirring broadway music on the CD Player.




Step 2. Sort out the old recipe box.




Hint: In my (I mean Hubby's) kitchen, the recipes with the most wear and the smeared writing are always the best.






Step 3. Gather ingredients. (Yes that is a purple wall in my kitchen - I LOVE IT)







You can tell it's Thanksgiving when you see these ingredients in the pantry.

Step 4. Mix, simmer, bake your ass off.

For some of my favorite holiday recipes...see last year's post.

Romantic Response

Mrs. G recently wrote about Romance and asked her readers to tell her what was the most romantic thing anyone ever said to them.

My Hubby has said a lot of romantic things to me. Like Mr. G is credited with in Mrs. G's post, he often says things like "You look hot" at the most unbelievable times - when I haven't showered in 48 hours, when I'm in sweat pants and a torn shirt, when my hair is sticking out in different directions - and not in a cute funky way...in a bad funky way.

But I distinctly remember one particular moment when I was blown away by what he said...I wonder if he remembers the moment as well as I do.

It was January 16, 1991. Seriously. I remember the date. You see it was the day before George H. Bush's Gulf War began. We were at a restaurant not far from our apartment in Wappingers Falls NY. We were with friends. I don't have any idea what prompted it, but at one moment I noticed Hubby looking at me and then he spoke.

"You take my breath away."

My friend Christina let out an audible sigh and "awwwww". I honestly think she seriously considered punching her boyfriend and asking him why he never said things like that to her.

I'm pretty sure I blushed. I'm pretty sure I was speechless. I'm definitely sure that for one brief moment, I believed that I could take someone's breath away. But more importantly, from that moment forward,I've known without a doubt that I met and married the perfect man for me. Despite all my craziness, my bitchiness, my bad funky hair and ugly sweat pants, he meant every word. For him, I was the one that could took his breath away.

So, Mrs. G., that is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me. Not bad, eh?

Former Campfire Girl Reveals All

That's a much more sensational title than the content you'll find here. I have no stories of horrors or scandals, not even a good campfire ghost story, all I have are a few memories that have been brought out by reading Chelle and Stephanie's blogs and their recent camping experiences.

Here are a few of my camping highlights:

1. Making a "Sit-Upon". In the olden days, we didn't have those collapsible mesh/nylon chairs that are easy to carry in a slingback...so we made our own devices for sitting around a campfire on cold hard or damp dirt. We canvassed our local carpet stores and asked for discontinued carpet samples a couple of those wrapped in a clear plastic sheet and connected with (what else, the wonder device..) duct tape and you have an official Campfire Girl "Sit-Upon" and if you're lucky...a patch for your uniform.
   
2. Hobo Pie Makers. Sometime after my campfire girl adventures, my family began their own camping experience. It began with my Uncle Ron and Aunt Marge and their family, and we tagged along. One of the highlights (besides sharing a tent with my crazy cousin Suzie) was making hobo pies on the campfire. The pie-maker was a hinged iron square with a long handle that you could load up with bread slathered in tomatoe, cheese and pepperoni (hobo pizza), or filled with apple pie filling (hobo apple pie, obviously), or some other concoction. They beat s'mores any day.
   
3. Permanent Site. After sharing tent space with my cousin, and renting a trailer her or there, my parents invested in their own trailer. Strangely enough, while you think of a trailer as a mobile vacation home...so you can go to many places...we found ourselves parked at a "permanent site" at a local campground not long after we purchased our own trailer. We got a nice little spot, right on the stream, under some shade trees, with some nice wooded privacy, and only steps away from my Aunt and Uncle who had taken their own site.
   
4. Summer Fun. While parked at this site, I discovered the joys of house on wheels air conditioning (putting your folding lawn chair in the stream and sitting in it), mosquito repellant (watching the bats fly en masse in an eating frenzy), girl-fishing (squeamish about worms? no sweat, roll cheese into a ball, stick it on a hook, toss in water, CATCH FISH!), and imaginative entertainment (radio mystery shows at night, stories around the campfire, walks in the woods, hourly visits to the camp store to eat old fashioned candy, bike rides through corn fields, and - unique to our campground - leaping and playing on a trampoline that was suspended over a pit to make it even to ground level and covered by a shelter).
   
5. First Love? I also met my first boyfriend while camping. Ah, sweet love in the summertime. He had the same first name as my husband (but there the resemblance ends) and hung out with the "cool kids" on the back porch of the main building. His nickname was "Feet" because his feet were so large. Now don't go there - I was only 13 for god's sake. He was also 6'5" and a star basketball player. We only "went out" for a few weeks - I was too young, we lived too far apart when we weren't at the campground, but he was a nice boy and it's nice to remember those first blushing moments of love. Learning to kiss in the shadows. Flirting on the basketball court. Sitting in a group and feeling for the first time the security of a partner's arm across your shoulder.
   
6. Sailing in Your Motor Home. Our next trailer was more mobile...it was a motor home and we took it on a couple of trips from NY to FL. On one trip - that Chelle joined us on - we drove from NY to FL and I think she and I slept 90% of the time in the full beds in the back, while my folks drove. We were laying there at one point when I heard my Mom let out an exclamation and I realized that the awning attached to the side of the motor home had come loose from its clamps and had launched into the air like a sail ... an interesting effect when you are traveling at high speeds on I-95.
   
7. Young Life. Sometime in high school, Young Life became a part of my world. I can't even tell you exactly what it was...except it was a thing my friends and I joined to meet other people. There was a lot of singing, some camping, and then there was prayer. But I either tuned out or took off when the praying started...Not. My. Thing. My greatest memory from Young Life? Some cute guys...some cuter counsellors...and camping with my friends.
   
8. A Cabin in the Woods. Shortly before I graduated from high school, my folks decided to make camp more permanent - and bought a sweet little one bedroom with loft cabin. It was adorable - with a screened in porch with a swing, a tiny little kitchen, a comfortable living room with pot-belly stove, and twin beds in an open loft up above. The only drawback of no running water...yes...that's right...we had an outhouse!! Like most 2nd homes though - it eventually became a chore to manage and most weekends were spent caring for the property rather than enjoying a getaway.
   
9. Train Tracks and Tents. When Hubby and I were in our 20's we were asked by some friends to join them in a camping weekend. It has been about 10 years since I had shared a tent with other campfire girls or my cousin, but what the hell... Unfortunately we picked a holiday weekend to make it happen and had no reservations...we drove by/through 3 campgrounds before we found one with an opening. By now it was well past sundown and we had to pick our site and assemble our tents in the dark with only some lanterns and car headlights to help us out. We woke up the next morning and our friends were dumbfounded we had slept through the night. It seems in selecting our site in the dark, we had failed to notice the train tracks that went right past the edge of the site and a freight train going through in the middle of the night had scared them to death and shaken the tents like an earthquake. Hubby and I heard nothing.
   
10. Moving Up to Motels. Hubby and I moved on (up?) to motels and enjoyed some weekends in the Thousand Islands. On one particular weekend we were enjoying the king size bed and view from our hotel room on the water (you know...enjoying...) when we were startled by a loud ship's horn. The DOUBLE-DECKER tourist boat was docking outside our window. Um... I hope they enjoyed the view IN our window as much as we had been enjoying the view OUT.

I doubt if I will ever be a camper again, but I don't think I would trade those memories for anything.

HTML Envy

I hate my blog.

Well...to clarify...I hate the look of my blog.

I've been trying to work with the sad sad templates blogger provides, but I'm not feeling it.

I'm going to be stalking the blogosphere to steal HTML code from sites I like.

Watch out fellow bloggers, I'm coming for you.

Things You Don't Expect (Want) to Hear at Work

Worker Bee #1 during Ethics Meeting today: "What is this meeting about?"

Worker Bee #2: "Ethics and stuff"

Worker Bee #1: "Ooohh....we must have done something bad if they're training us on this."

----

Me: (helping co-worker roll up large display banners) "Tighter! Weren't you a girl scout or campfire girl or something? Don't you know how to roll up your sleeping bag really small?"

Her: "I WAS a Girl Scout, but when they got to the part where they said - sleep outside and camping - I said NUH UH...that ain't me. Where do I join the scouts with the Holiday Inns?"

----

Boss Lady: "blah blah blah, work work, blah blah....JUDY! What is that you just ate?...

Judy: "A raisinette, why?"

Boss Lady: "Are you sure it was a raisinette or was it a dropping??!?!?!?"

Judy: "I know a raisinette when I see one."

Boss Lady: {laughing uncontrollably} "Ooookaaaay"

----

Amybow: "Judy?"

Judy: "hmmm??"

Amybow: "Judy what is that on the seat of your pants? A lifesaver?"

Judy: (twisting around awkwardly) "Um...I don't know...well I'll be damned...it IS a lifesaver...how did THAT get there."

Me (to myself): "Please please don't let her eat it."

----


Lord Love A Duck.

Couch Potato

This is me this weekend. A couch. A blanket. A book. And don't forget the remote control and the dvr. It was glorious. I highly recommend one of these at least every 60-90 days.

Lest you think I am a total slug, I did wander outside a couple of times. I did do five loads of laundry. I did cook my husband dinner on Saturday and also offered to on Sunday, but he wasn't hungry. And I did make my bed, shower, and dress both days.

As for anything else more strenuous - not in my plan.

Beautiful.

post-script:
When I was searching in Google images for a couch potato picture, I was amused to find hundreds of photos of overweight and slovenly men sprawled on couches and lounge chairs, usually with a snack balancing on their belly and a beer in their hand. But not a woman in sight.

When I added "female" or "woman" to the search what I seemed to find were the anti-couch potato photos. You know - women jogging, on treadmills, doing marathons, doing sit-ups...etc.

Initially I was bent. I mean, come on, equal opportunity - women can be couch potatoes too! But then I realized, there is a correlation here that women may BE couch potatoes on occasion, but they are smarter than men and are never caught on camera in such a position.

How did I finally find a woman on couch photo, you ask? Well, I added the word "shopping" and voila! results. Apparently, women can shop in preparation of being a couch potato, but then when caught on camera using their cute and fuzzy new lounging blanket, their hair will be coiffed, the room will be clean, the couch will be plumped, and they will be reading War and Peace.

Cha-Ching

We have two cars with 130,000 miles on them. One we really feel we need to retire, the other, we (and our mechanic) feel has life left in it yet. But of course!! just as Hubby and I have been slowly putting money away for our new car purchase, the car we were GOING TO KEEP crapped out.

Last weekend, out of nowhere, a bunch of lights on the dash began to blink in distress. Long and short is: $2700 transmission repair needed. But if we get it done, the car should last another 80-100k miles. After $2700....it had better!

ugh. ugh. ugh.

We were just starting to see the light at end of the tunnel with upcoming holiday bonus time, tax refund time, and our credit cards all back to a zero balance. And - hello! - Christmas shopping time is upon us.

Donations can be made out to WENDERINA'S SUCKY TRANSMISSION SUCKY TIMING SUCKY WORLD CHARITY and sent to P.O. Box 7825 (a.k.a. S.U.C.K.) in Sucktown U.S.A.

Art at the Met

As I mentioned, I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in Manhattan. Even though I live only a 45 minute (express!) train ride from Manhattan, I rarely take the time to take advantage of this. So when friends and family visit, it is often tops on their list to see some of the NYC sites.

After spending about 15 hours in Manhattan with Chelle on a Friday, I realized she was eager to return for a 2nd day. I was dubious my aching feet and legs were up for it - but I couldn't complain as she was sporting a huge blister on the bottom of her foot and she was game. So in we went - with the specific purpose of hitting the Met.

As a designer by trade, Chelle is of course drawn to museums. I, in contrast, have no artistic capability, but I admire art is most forms like a hungry man eyes a juicy hamburger. I wish so much to be a part of that world at times, but if you don't have natural talent you must have an incredible drive and discipline to learn and maximize any talent you do possess - and neither seem to work for me...at least not right now. Hubby has an amazing talent and I have no doubt some day we will enjoy retirement that includes partial ownership in an artist co-op or the like where he can paint and photograph all day and kibbitz with fellow artisans all night. That's my idea of heaven, to just being amongst all of that talent.

Of course if you've been to the Met you know you can spend a week there and not absorb the entire place. So we focused on a few key exhibits - my favorite is always the painting galleries, but there was a special exhibit that we went to first that truly caught my imagination and was totally worth the train ticket, the blister aggravation, and the walk in the wind and rain.

Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints

"Rhythms of Modern Life is the first major exhibition in the United States to examine the impact of Futurism and Cubism on British modernist printmaking from the beginning of World War I to the beginning of World War II...The exhibition features prime examples of graphic work that celebrate the vitality and dynamism of modern life..."

Here are some of my favorites:

If you have the opportunity to see the exhibit in person I highly recommend it! And if you don't, find your own local art connection. No one should go too long without a visit to a gallery or museum. It is healing to the soul and inspiring to the imagination.

Grace in Defeat and in Victory

I know everyone and anyone is talking about this today...and I hate to be repetitive...but here goes.

I have to say that I was surprised at how quickly everything played out last night. The first news reports were all about the states that were "too close to call"....of course they didn't play up the fact that they were too close to call because the polls had been closed all of two minutes.

Watching all of it unfold, I was both mesmerized and annoyed. Mesmerized by the movement, the power, the grass roots, and the enthusiasm of the people - the everyday people - who were voting and then celebrating as if we were a brand new democracy. Annoyed by listening to the media coverage that just could not capture the essence of this event and instead kept interrupting and detracting from it.

Regardless however, the evening completed on a high note. Watching Senator McCain speak so gracefully and graciously in defeat, and his call for unity and support despite our differences to solve the critical issues we face as a nation, I was reminded of what a great man he is. The fact that he subverted that with his pursuit of power was in fact, his undoing. Compromising his values, his independence, and allowing his campaign to use scare tactics to try and capture this election was unworthy of the great patriot and public servant he has always been. This country was founded on the great debate. If we think that all of the men who formed our union did so with gracious smiles and unanimous decisions we are deluding ourselves. There was tremendous debate, significant arm-twisting and powerplays, and no small amount of railroading. But in the end, what they created is still ONE of the greatest governments and nations in the world.

Following Senator McCain's speech was our next president, Barack Obama. I love typing that. President Barack Obama. His speech was incredible, as always. He continues to inspire me every time. But it was not overly celebretory; there was no rubbing it in, it was all about inclusiveness and a shared vision and purpose. He recognized that many people did not vote for him, but he promised to still listen to them and to represent their interests to the best of his ability.

It has been said that a person running for president is consumed with the ideas of what they can accomplish, but once elected, is equally as consumed by what cannot be achieved.

I hope that President-elect Obama finds that his ability to inspire overcomes this. And while he inherits a broken and suffering nation, if he can mobilize and lead the people, rather than belittle and exclude them, he has the power to achieve and accomplish great things.

I have long been a fan of that idealistic White House created in the West Wing. In fact, I may just dig up my old vhs tapes and watch a few of my favorite episodes, and just hope that some semblance of that fiction is part of the Obama administration reality.

And in keeping with the West Wing and its ongoing theme of patriotism, service, and leadership, I hope and believe that President-elect Obama will create an environment where people seriously stop and say, "I serve at the pleasure of the president."

Today. Now. DO IT!!!!

You did it already?

I'm proud to know you.

A New Citizen Speaks

This is well worth the 8:45,but if you are impatient, at least watch the last minute.

Does This Count As Equal Time?

No? Damn. I knew I should have gone for the Tina Fey Sarah Palin impression.

I Interrupt the VOTE VOTE VOTE Theme...

...to bring you this important message.

Our friend Cathy got married. Last night. On All Hallow's Eve. And it was simply lovely. She was simply stunning. Their happiness was palpable.

At 42, she is walking down the aisle for the first time, taking the plunge, believing in the fairy tale.

We were so happy to be there to witness it!

We even texted and sent photos to friends who couldn't be there as the bride watched!

And she repaid us with a rousing rendition of our college theme song - Meatloaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. A cautionary tale for marriage to be sure, but sung at the top of our lungs all in fun.

"I've got to know right now! Do you love me? Will you love me forever? Do you need me? Will you never leave me? Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life, will you take me away, will you make me your wife? I gotta know right now! Before we go any further, do you love me? Will you love me forever??"

It is with humble appreciation that I watch this woman - fully-formed, independent, and successful, join her life to another fully-formed, independent, and proud soul, knowing that they must learn to share, to compromise, to serve one another first before themselves, and to grow together. I can't imagine the amount of change they will need the fortitude to commit to, but I'm sure Cathy has the willpower and the smarts, and most importantly the heart, to do it.

Best wishes Cathy and Mike on your new life together.

And just in case the willpower to cooperate and compromise breaks down, we all chipped in to get you a fine wine membership - two great bottles each month for the first year - which will help to grease the gears. Take it from three old married couples (one couple not pictured as they were home trick or treating!) it could help...and couldn't hurt.

We love you.

My Vote for Hope

Vote for your Hope.

I Sense a Theme

Countdown 4 days.

A Nightmare on My Street

A friend sent this to me to ensure I was just scared enough to go vote. There was never any doubt - I'll be there!

For Chelle on her 42nd Birthday

Once upon a time, Wenderina shared a homeroom with Chelle and became BFFs (before there even was such an acronym)...

They were inseparable really. In fact, the idea that Chelle's parents might send her to Catholic school for high school reduced both of them to tears (and created a small earthquake at Wenderina's home when her mom read a note between Chelle and Wenderina and thought that the word Mooney - the name of the school - was Money - and wondered what mischief these two thirteen year olds were up to!)

Wenderina thought she was SO COOL at 13 (not) and was amazed that Chelle was interested in being her friend.


The Catholic school crisis averted, together Chelle and Wenderina navigated the dangerous waters of public high school, experiencing embarrassing moments, minor flirtations, a few devastating crushes, sweet sixteen birthdays, some camping trips and vacations, Young Life (what we think of as a pre-internet social network), Pat Benatar!!!, Journey!!!!, proms, first loves, and - oh yeah - a few classes here or there.




Not the least of their friendship was Wenderina's admiration in Chelle's ability to look like Gene Simmons - complete with natural widow's peak and earily long lizard-like tongue.

Wenderina and Chelle spent many hours rocking to Pat Benatar, Journey, REO Speedwagon, and other great 80's bands. They agreed there was nothing better than "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" sung at top volume into hairbrush/microphones.

They worked together as editors on the Senior Class yearbook. Which makes looking back on those yellowed pages filled with meaningless notes from friends about "friends 4-ever" etc. that much funnier and more nostalgic.


"Who ARE these people???", they both proclaim..."Why don't we remember them???"

The last year of high school was different for these two fast friends. Chelle had fallen in love - real love - and Wenderina was unattached. Chelle fell in love with her BLIND DATE to the Junior Prom. Wenderina thought that was unbelievable.

At the time Wenderina was jealous, but looking back, what else would be expected of a first love?

When the college years came, they were convinced nothing could keep them apart. But, alas, those years broke the habit of daily contact, which started the inevitable breach.

Chelle married right after college - that first love became her only love - and moved to Florida. Wenderina was engaged herself, and married one year later and settled in New York. They even selected the same song for their first dance as married women - Taylor Dane's I'll Always Love You. But, the distance took its toll, and the everyday friendship became christmas cards and rare phone calls.

A few years ago, Chelle and her hubby were in New York City for a short vacation and Wenderina took the train in to spend the day hanging out. It was a chance for them to re-connect and amazingly, they picked up right where they left off - no awkward silences, no difficult moments - just easygoing hanging out buddies all over again.

But still...the connection was fragile and didn't really penetrate the miles.

Last year, Chelle suffered a loss no one should have to deal with - the loss of her younger sister in a tragic accident. But, as happens in the worst situations, something good may have come from it. Chelle and Wenderina found the bond again. Finally, the friendship grew out of the christmas card club. Separated by many miles and many state borders, they are slowly finding their way back to a time when neither goes a day without thought of the other.

This October, Chelle celebrates her 42nd birthday and to mark the occasion, the two enjoyed a weekend of bliss and blisters walking many a city block in NYC. Together again, they chatted and giggled and sighed and smiled and compared wrinkles and gray hairs that were never there before.

"Where did that line in the middle of our foreheads come from, anyway?"

They found their friendship again while the NY Public Library, the International Center for Photography, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockafeller Center, 5th Avenue, Time Square, the Pig & Whistle, NY Penn Station, the #6 train, Starbucks, NY Pizza joints, Grand Central Station, and Broadway all served as backdrop.

Little did Chelle and Wenderina picture they would journey from the suburbs of Upstate NY to hanging out on the streets of Manhattan.

Wenderina personally has trouble remembering many of the details of high school. Chelle does a good job filling in the blanks, with a few gaps herself. But all in all, what matters most, is they both remember that they couldn't have survived it without the other.

Love you Chelle - through thick (a.k.a. thunder) thighs and thin, through loves and losses, through home life and work strife, and everything in between.

You are the best.

Have a wonderful 42nd year!

Apparently, I'm a Jackie

I took one of those personality quizzes. There was only two questions, so take from it what you will. It's kind of like reading your horoscope - which is so all encompassing it captures the majority of any person of any sign. But...it was an interesting lunchtime game.

You are a Jackie. "I do everything the right way."

Jackies are realistic, conscientious, and principled. They strive to live up to their high ideals.

How to Get Along with Me

* Take your share of the responsibility so I don't end up with all the work.

* Acknowledge my achievements.

* I'm hard on myself. Reassure me that I'm fine the way I am. (TOO TRUE!)

* Tell me that you value my advice.

* Be fair and considerate, as I am.

* Apologize if you have been unthoughtful. It will help me to forgive.

* Gently encourage me to lighten up and to laugh at myself when I get uptight, but hear my worries first. (AMEN!)

What I Like About Being a Jackie

* Being self-disciplined and able to accomplish a great deal

* Working hard to make the world a better place

* Having high standards and ethics; not compromising myself

* Being reasonable, responsible, and dedicated in everything I do

* Being able to put facts together, coming to good understandings, and figuring out wise solutions

* Being the best I can be and bringing out the best in other people

What's Hard About Being a Jackie

* Being disappointed with myself or others when my expectations are not met (TOO TRUE!)

* Feeling burdened by too much responsibility

* Thinking that what I do is never good enough (TOO TRUE!)

* Not being appreciated for what I do for people

* Being upset because others aren't trying as hard as I am

* Obsessing about what I did or what I should do (TOO TRUE!)

* Being tense, anxious, and taking things too seriously (Hello - have you seen the title of my blog?!)

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Word of the Day

dis·in·gen·u·ous /dis-in-jen-yoo-uhs/ adjective: lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere

Her comments were rather disingenuous.

Me.

Today.

Ugh.

1-2-3 My Name is Sarah Palin...

Can I get a What-What from the Senior Section?

P.S. on Tunafish & Tissues

Thanks to Juicy Judy...I've managed to come down with a humdinger of a cold, which put a small damper on our weekend with Lula...but I've been zincing and vitamin c-ing and nyquiling, and dayquiling, and I see the end of the tunnel already.

But this just reinforces my feelings about those boundaries...damn cubicles...and now here I am at meet and greet central - a conference with 20,000 attendees. Germs for everyone.

You Get What You Pay For...Chicago Edition

DISCLAIMER: This is a totally boring post, but I'm just getting out a little aggravation about budget travel...read at your own risk...

Hello from the Windy City. I'm looking out of my hotel room right now at the grand majesty of Lake Michigan. I can see a portion of it between other buildings and construction sites, and past a major highway.

I grew up on a Great Lake (Ontario) so I'm used to lake being too big to be able to see the other side. When I moved downstate to Rockland County, their lakes were pretty, but they were what we called ponds. Seriously, Long Pond was bigger than the lakes in my new hometown.

Anyway - now that you have the context that I'm traveling, let me tell you about rental car agencies here. When you find a rate on expedia that is HALF all other going rates, be suspicious. And if you've never heard of the agency before, be even more suspicious. But in today's economy, we're all trying to save a little dough, right? So when I saw most agencies wanted $200 for a weekend car rental and one wanted only $73.75...I jumped on it.

To be fair, the car was fine - clean, well maintained, low mileage, hyundai. Finding the car was another matter. We stood on the sidewalk outside the airport for 20 minutes and watched the rental car shuttles go by, Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Hertz, Enterprise, National, then Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Hertz, Enterprise, National again...then Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Hertz..."Excuse Me...," I finally asked, "is this where Advantage picks up as well?"

"Well...yes...eventually...but you may have to flag him down."

Um. Ok.

Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Hertz.....

I get on the phone and get Advantage Rentals on the line..."oh yeah, look for the Fast Trak blue and yellow shuttle, that's ours." (how the hell was I supposed to know that??)

Finally we spot the blue and yellow shuttle barrelling by and not even dreaming of looking for a stranded rental client on the sidewalk. We wave madly and the cop feels sorry enough for us to stop traffic and allow us to get on the shuttle in an illegal loading zone.

Once on, we meet other customers who had been waiting for over an hour...so I guess 25-30 minutes wasn't so bad.

Filled to the brim, the shuttle lumbers into a dark parking lot with "Avi-Star" signs. I spot a tiny blue placard for Advantage rentals in the corner. We head into the building passing a bunch of lounging strange looking young men, under a blinking (think Joe Vs. Volcano) fluorescent lights, and up to the line at to the counter where two very nice but fairly slow people are handing out keys to cars...fast forward 45 minutes and we finally have our vehicle.

Returning the car wasn't much better - and once again the shuttle bus was the big sticking point. After taking about 35 minutes to return the car (which consists of handing in keys and having them check gas guage and mileage - should take about 3 minutes flat) we then walked out of the dingy little shack to see the shuttle pulling away...

We had to wait another 15 minutes for the next shuttle bus to arrive and although we had been left in the dust, this next driver seemed determined to wait for every possible person who was just pulling in to get checked out and get on the bus. Hubby and I were plenty early for our connection, so we weren't too bad off, but I thought the woman in the Chanel knockoff sunglasses was going to have a full out hissy fit at one point while her husband made snide remarks about this aggravation not being worth th $100 they saved not going with Avis. (He took the words out of my mouth.) While we waited, we dug out $2 for a tip for the driver for hauling our suitcases...but by the time we left a new driver had taken his place.

After the driver missed the United stop off (until screaming bus passengers made him pull over) we diligently reminded him of our Continental stop. Hubby, who is always quieter in his complaints, mumbled as we disembarked, "I'm keeping my 2 dollars."

I left Hubby at airport for him to fly on home, while I stayed on in Chicago for my conference. My taxi to the hotel cost $40 but the door to door service was totally worth it. Of course, the company is paying for this part, so it is easier to let the dollars flow.

I'm now ensconced in my room with a view, chomping on pretzel and diet pepsi from the Mini-bar - yeah - that should run me another $20...but you get what you pay for, right?

Tunafish and Tissues

My cubicle neighbor has an issue with boundaries.

By that I mean, she has none - I have many.

At a lunch meeting yesterday, she managed somehow to drop tunafish down the front of her shirt and into her bra. She announced at the table, "Oh shit - I just dropped tunafish in my bra." and then proceeded to try and extract it there at the table. She shook her shirt out, she reached into under the collar, she reached up from the waist, she pulled at the bra, etc. Finally, she left the table and headed to the ladies room.

Today she arrived with a full blown cold and she has been blowing her nose like a trumpet all day and sneezing really juicy sneezes all over her space. She has a pile of tissues on her desk that looks like it needs a ritual burning to rid us of the germs. She picked up the phone to call someone and then sneezed and blew her nose in the middle of leaving a voice mail. Really! She said, "Hi X, this is Judy (sneeze, blow) I'm calling to tell you I'll bring cake (blow) to the meeting tonight."

This same woman has a phone that looks like toxic waste, an ant problem that looks like an ant farm on her carpet, and enough crumbs in her keyboard to build a whole new baked good.

There are days I really really really wish I had walls and a door. That foam/fabric wall is just not enough boundary for me.

#@$#*&#!!! Traffic

One of my earliest posts on this blog was about road rage. Today had to be one of the all time blood pressure raising, road raging days of my commuting life. It took me nearly 3 hours to get to work this morning. AND I didn't have my cell phone with me. So here I was, stuck in never ending traffic, no way to reach anyone, knowing there were several deadlines waiting on my desk.

I tried CDs - I removed all my favorites from the car when I was loading up my laptop itunes.

I tried Book on CD - all I had were CDs I'd already finished.

I tried the radio - no good - annoying AM DJs, and highly stressful financial reports.

I tried watching the other people - that just made me more frustrated as all of THEM were on their phones!

In the end, there was nothing I could do. For TEN MILES. I went about 5 miles/hour. But it was more like 7 miles per hour. STOP. 5 miles per hour. STOP. 3 miles per hour. STOP.

ARGHHHH!

And for the last hour at work, I've had 3 phone calls from friends telling me how backed up the highway is going home.

Given the state of Wall Street and its fallen heroes, think I can pick up a helicopter on the cheap?

Dizzy Gillespie No More

I'm happy to report that my dizzy husband is not so dizzy anymore. At least, no more than usual. In as strange and mysterious of a way as it entered, the Vertigo exited. Within the space of one hour, he was complaining of pain and rushing in his ear and was so frustrated that he was still suffering (this was now Monday night and he'd been out of commission and stuck in the house since Friday AM) and then boom...he suddenly was fine.

Really, boom.

Just that quick.

So he stayed home one more day to be sure, but within an hour after I left he was already out driving and running errands and pushing limits to see how things went.

They went fine.

He was fine.

He is fine.



And can I just say, it's damn fine to have him back.

Too funny not to share

I am NOT a fan of email chain letters, forwards, or other spam of this type. However, I got one yesterday that is too good not to share. Hope everyone can read this flow diagram of Sarah Palin's debate strategy.

Round and Round it Goes

So this morning I awoke to find hubby slumped and seated at side of the bed.

"Something wrong Babe?"

"Yeah, I can't stand up."

"WHAT???"

"I can't stand up. Every time I do I feel like I'm gonna fall over - I'm so dizzy and nauseous."

"OK, lay back down. What can I do? Should we go to the Doctor?"

(laying down) "mmmmmmm"

"Babe?"

"mmmmm"..."Get me my laptop and blackberry - I need to check into work and cancel some stuff."

(10 minutes later - all work notices done)

"Babe?"

"mmmmm"

"I'm gonna take a shower...ok?"

"mmmmmm"

(10 minutes later)

"Babe?"

"mmmmm"

"I want to take you to the Doctor or ER - you pick"

"mmm"..."I just want to lay here"..."you can take me tonight if I don't feel better"

"Um, no, we should go now."

"mumble mumble mumble" (I believe I heard bitch in there somewhere)

"What would you do if it were me?"

"grumble grumble - I would do what YOU want to do. I ALWAYS do what YOU want to do."

pause

"So I guess we're going huh?"

"Yes."

End result.
Diagnosis: Peripheral vertigo from fluid in the ear.
Treatment: travel sickness meds and antihistamines
Direction: NO DRIVING. STAY STILL.
Followup: See a neurologist and they will recommend exercises.
Current Status: Patient is drugged and dozing on couch while I rock out on i-tunes and work on the computer.

Sidenote: Patient is happy to have A's Mom's favorite companion - Maggie Dog - visiting and sleeping at his feet (I think this is winning him over to getting another pet). Nothing like the comfort of a sweet and fuzzy animal when you don't feel well.

VP Beat Down

We gathered last night in our living room, me, hubby, my sister Jude, her hubby, and her youngest son (28) to watch the VP debate. I don't remember this ever being an event for us before. In fact, I remember skipping to a cable movie channel in the past to avoid the coverage. But this year it seemed so important, so relevant, the VP is not an empty position anymore. Especially with the current VP showing every day how influential that position can be.

Mrs. G's post capture the easy way to mock the Governor of Alaska so well, I won't attempt to top it. So instead, I'll talk about the top 3 moments I groaned and covered my face.

Moment 1: When Governor Palin entered and while shaking Senator Bidon's hand asked, with the microphone clearly picking up her "charming" twang, "Mind if I call ya Joe?" She asked that purely so she could use that hackneyed "Say it ain't so Joe" later on.

Crazy bitch.

Moment 2: When Governor Palin actually acknowledged she wouldn't answer questions the way that the moderator or her opponent would like. Really? And I thought this was a debate? Aren't the rules of the debate to, like, um, debate the issue posed? My mistake.

Crazy bitch.

Moment 3: The last 3 times she talked...which made no sense (like a wind up doll winding down). It was like she was skipping words: "Maverick...American People...middle class...god bless...patriot..maverick...maverick...maverick."

Crazy bitch.

To be truthful - I think she's kind of funny, kind of pretty, kind of entertaining.

To be truthful - the idea of her holding high executive office scares the be-jesus out of me.

To be truthful - I might very well have to move to Canada if she is our VP.

Maverick my ass.

The Next Great Depression?

Normally I live my life with the understanding that the media loves a good drama and to take everything they offer with a grain of salt. But the economic news the last couple of weeks has been truly alarming. (See my blog title...like I need more things to worry about!)

What happens to a family who works very hard, ties up their assets in things like a house and property and retirement investment accounts, if the bottom of everything they trust falls out?

Maybe this...(I apologize for the embedded ad, but the news item was powerful)

Dieting Sucks

There is Nothing Like A Dame

Went into NYC this weekend with family and saw South Pacific. Even though we sat in the last row of the Loge, the Vivian Beaumont Theater has great views from every seat, so it was still great.

I do have many many many issues with ticket brokers nowadays who have the gall to charge $230/ticket on a ticket with a face value of $75. Talk about economic stress! Don't you think making 100% profit (charging $150) would be enough? Believe me, if there was any other way to get 6 tickets to this Tony-award winning show, I'd be on it. But when people are traveling in to see it, you have to get them in advance.

Anyway, there IS nothing like a dame...especially when there are a bunch of good-looking, funny, talented sailors singing about her on stage.

And this guy? Matthew Morrison? He is Hot, Hot, Hot. I didn't even mind when his voice broke on a high note. It is cold season after all....

Bali Hai....will call you...where the sky meets the sea....

And there is no doubt in my mind that the right leading man won the Tony...Paulo Szot was wonderful from start to finish. I've been singing "Some Enchanted Evening" since we left the theatre 4 days ago.

Officer, I Saw the Whole Thing

Yesterday at about 7:45AM I was standing in my bedroom and heard the strangest noise - it was like a long twanging rubber band. The sound went on and on and got more and more ominous and I realized it was coming from the wires attached to my house from the pole across the street. I looked out the window and saw some brainiac in a yellow moving truck had caught the wires on the top of the truck and was still driving, pulling two poles into a leaning position and straining the wires attached to my house!

I yelled out the window - but there was no way he could hear me over the truck engine and just when I thought the truck might be flung backward like Wiley Coyote launching off a cliff, the wires finally let go and the truck kept right on trucking!

Even though my lights remained on, I ran downstairs and grabbed my phone book to report the incident to the utility company and after finally getting through all the steps you need to go through to get to a real person and report this, I noticed a police car had pulled up across the street. I walked out and realized there were wires down everywhere. The wires had not juts come unhooked, they had been pulled until they snapped!

After taking my name and number the police officer told me that it was actually the phone wires that had been pulled down (I figured since they weren't sparking everywhere) and asked if I would be able to identfy the yellow truck if I saw it again. Yeah, that wasn't likely. It was a yellow moving truck - there have to be hundreds of them.

When I came home from work, there were 7 trucks with flashing lights still outside my house working on the mess - and still there when I went to bed - and still there when I woke up at 3AM.

I don't have an elegant end or morale to this story - feel free to suggest one - I just thought it was an amazing thing to see this idiot destroy the local phone operations without a second glance.

Fly on the Wall

Everyone always wants to be a fly on the wall to hear what exactly is said when they are not actually in the room. Obviously our mere presence can change the chemistry of the event and what happens...and then if you are like me and always have to say something...it changes even more.

Today, I got my first chance ever to be a fly on the wall. My team (as I've mentioned before - they are a high maintenance bunch) meets almost weekly with a local group and a dial-in for off-site team members to discuss workload, tips/tricks, problem-solving, etc. I silently joined the conference call without announcing myself because I felt the need to better understand their team dynamics when I'm not in the room.

It was a most interesting exercise. I counted my name being mentioned 16 times. Luckily I never had to feel guilty about listening in because it was always in relation to someone consulting me for direction on an idea or a project. There were so many times, however, that the conversation seemed to be spinning out of control and I know if I was actually participating in the call and not sneaking around I would have jumped in and made a decision, stopped a non-productive conversation, or countered an opinion. Hearing how some of them reacted to one another was also interesting. I could see where there were evident personality conflicts as when one person was speaking, one other person consistently took an opposing view - and after a while it felt like purposeless arguing. Disinterest was also evident with the silence of some team members that became embarrassing moments when they were asked to respond to a question and were completely lost - or had put the call on hold/mute and had not mentioned they were dropping off for a moment. Another strange occurrence was noting that two team members who sit next to one another do not join the call together from a conference room, but choose to dial in separately. Very odd.

So now, my followup begins. I will use a skill taught to me by one of my very first bosses - she instructed me to "Play dumb blonde and call Joe pretending you don't know all about the stuff I've told you and see what you can find out." So I'm sending emails to different team members with suggestions, tweaks, project assignments etc. to see if I can mold some things secretly.

I won't do this often - it did feel like spying - but I may join the meetings more and stay silent to see how that goes over. They tend to defer to me when I'm on the call and I want them to think and act for themselves with minor corrections from me.

If only I could play fly on the wall more often in life - it would definitely be an enlightening experience.

Three Hours at the Salon

I started with this

I brought in this picture

I ended with this

I'm pretty happy.

Laws of Economics

With all this turmoil on Wall Street right now, I was remembering an editorial I cut out of the Wall Street Journal in June -

Vanishing Act: The Law of Household Economics
For every financial windfall, and equal, unexpected cost;
Tax Rebate = Appliance Repair
by Karen Blumenthal

"...Just as we prepare to get ahead, some undbudgeted expense explodes in front of us and we have to deal with it. The Law of Household Economics isn't so much about rotten luck as it is about the endless challenge of keeping our financial house in order. Staying on top of the budget, keeping the credit cards in check, and building those savings adn retirement accounts takes real discipline and hard work. Windfalls won't get us there. Instead we have to sweat the spending details, worry about investment returns and, in times like these, cut back or even scrimp....I clearly remember our last rebate. We had high hopes for our expected $500. But a week before it arrived, the air conditioning went out. The bill to repair it? $500."

I can't help thinking this same law of economics is coming home to Wall Street.
And those financial wizards never saw it coming.

A Must See?

I was flipping through a magazine recently and stopped on the movie synoposis page - I'm always looking for a good recommendation. This one stopped me in my tracks.

Army of Darkness: A time-warped supermarket worker fights in medieval England with a chainsaw and a '73 oldsmobile.

And...you ever wonder what happened to Bridget Fonda? Yup. She was in this film.

Hmmmmm.

Comment Conversations

I've discovered that I'm a faithful reader, and I'm a pretty good commenter (that's probably not a word, but you know what I mean), but I'm definitely no good at the comment conversations that take place on many blogs.

I was recently over at Deadpan and let me tell you, that Wanda and her faithful friends are truly committed to conversation. I just don't have the stamina.

When I first started commenting I would check the box to receive follow-up comments, but my inbox was inundated with stuff I really couldn't care less about reading or responding to, so I stopped that practice.

Then, I started trying to respond to my own commenters, but it never picked up any speed, so I quit that too.

So now, essentially, I am out there on my blog and others saying what I want to say, but not entertaining any kind of two-way conversations. Sometimes I even comment on a random blog I stumble upon that I can never locate again. That's what I call a drive-by commenting.

I know it's a little limiting in building a relationship with my blogger friends - so forgive me my shortcomings. In the meantime, I do read all your comments, so if you want a response - be sure to say that...or email me at wenderina at gmail dot com.

In fact, if you are a lurker, de-lurk now and tell me what you think, ask me a question, or just say hey. I could use some comment-love.

Progress

So, I was reading my goals in this post, and thought I'd give myself a progress report. I think this may also have been brought on by the slightly nostalgic and often disheartening review of my high school yearbook this weekend and all of my high school report cards (yes, I still have them, don't ask me why.)

1. Get to work earlier and leave earlier. Not too bad here, I'm proud to say. I've not been great about getting in a lot earlier, but my late nights have radically decreased. They seemed to spike again just recently, but that was the post vacation deadline-induced workload and I think it is settling down again. I'd like to claim this as a new habit...but I'll wait until a little more time has gone by.
   
   GRADE: B+
   
   
2. Eat better. This was a really slow starter...I kept putting it off and I am a huge stress eater and work has been a bit stressful, so the vending machine was my best friend. That being said, the last two weeks have been diet central at home and Hubby and I are on track for a good Autumn season of weight loss (fingers crossed). At the very least, we are eating much healthier, including oatmeal breakfasts, light lunches, and light dinners. And sugar free jello and jello pudding are our favorite treats to get us through the long evenings without snacks.
   
   GRADE: C (but potential for improvement)
   
   
3. Swim every night. I did really well with this for about 2.5 weeks, but I haven't been in the pool now since the 1st week of August We had a short cold spell and I used it as an excuse to break the habit...maybe next year.
   
   GRADE: C-
   
   
4. Be more efficient with time. So-So here. I find what I have been doing is prioritizing, but sometimes procrastinating too. I've been better at work, and probably worse at home. All those Honey-Do projects are just hanging out there. The good news is, no home improvements means less money spent - and that is a goal too!
   
   GRADE: B-
   
   
5. Make time for friends. I've definitely done that - going for dinners/movies with friends, a spa weekend, our vacation, some BBQs and other gatherings. Although I don't feel as guilty as I used to if a week goes by without some interaction with friends. I've noticed that if I don't instigate it, it usually doesn't happen, so I guess everyone is busy. My friends are very important to me though, so I'll keep on top of this.
   
   GRADE: A
   
   
6. Enjoy minor victories. I think my mind has been ready to accept the smaller victories, but I don't think I've paid much attention to working toward any. At least not on the home front. School is back in session now though, work is crazy, but the Fall/Winter always brings a greater focus on those indoor projects and chores, so this could be coming.
   
   GRADE: I (incomplete)

Yup. This pretty much sums up my high school grades too. Kind of all over the place. Those areas I prioritized or had some selfish interest in went well...those others...not so well.

In the coming months, I'm going to stay focused on these (except exchange the swimming item for walking or some other form of exercise). One thing I've learned the hard way is too many goals just sets you up for disappointment. Keep it simple stupid.

Equality for Women

Throughout my career in the white male dominated industry of engineering, I've pooh poohed the claims of my female colleagues that we are not taken seriously, that we are 2nd class citizens, that our opinions are not considered. After 18 years at this company, where I was given the opportunity to grow from an administrative assistant to a group manager, I was not willing to say I would have gotten farther faster as a man. I've had 6 promotions in those 18 years and I feel my hard work has been recognized and rewarded...well most of the time.


Maybe I don't have the same driving and unrealized ambitions of my female colleagues. Or maybe I'm just deluded.


When Hillary was making her push for the highest office in U.S. politics, I watched with interest, and I was fascinated with the idea of a female president and also by the fact that here we are in 2008, and that idea is still "new and different". There have been female rulers in so many countries for so many centuries that it is astounding that the U.S. - so often thought of as a leader in innovation and forward thinking - can still be so backward on this point.


I remember when I was on the editorial team for my high school yearbook and we were putting together the Year in Review page for 1983-1984, we recognized the achievement of Sally Ride. Next to her photo was a quote, "It's too bad that society isn't to the point yet where the country could just send up a woman astronaut and nobody would think twice about it." Amen Sally.


So now, that we see the Republican's answer to capturing those people who want to see the glass ceiling finally shattering, I just want to remind all of you women out there who are so interested in furthering the cause of equality for women that you might forget this one key fact.

These women?

ARE. NOT. EQUAL.

I felt I needed to point that out, because I fear that there are actually women out there willing to cast their vote ONLY for the gender of the person on the ticket. Now that being said - if you read up on the Republican VP candidate's positions and career history and feel that you are in agreement, vote away. But please, please, please, do not throw away the woman's hard won right to vote merely to make a point about the equality of women. Because, after all, isn't true equality about the right person for the right job, not the person that most looks like me? Isn't that what started all the problems in the first place? And isn't that still the problem when people are hesitating to vote for a black man purely due to the color of his skin rather than the platform he represents?


I'm with Sally Ride. I hope someday NONE of this makes news. Maybe then we can spend more time learning about qualfications than worrying about gender, race, and other characteristics that give no indication about whether the person in question can do the job.


I hope I live to really see Equal rights for all.

Subversives in the Classroom

So I think my professor this semester is a bit of a subversive. His longest term at any job has been 4 years in a 30-year career, and he said he has left EVERY job because of an issue with the "jerk I had to work for".

He left one job shortly before the holiday season. He cackled with glee as he told us the story of the "tool I used to work for" receiving a grabbag gift that holiday season - it was a box of dead ants. He thought it was hilarious that his former co-workers called him minutes after it happened to find out if he was behind it.

His response?

"No, but I sure wish I had thought of it."

Is it me? Or is this a slightly inappropriate story to tell his grad students?

And speaking of being a GRAD student. He is going to spend next weekend helping us work on our resumes and cover letters. Ok - if we don't know how to do that yet, we should be in remedial programs. But then again, since he's left jobs every couple of years - he's probably very focused on how to do this.

His other cackle with glee story was about how much he enjoys LYING to his current boss about having a medical appointment and "five minutes later being in another guy's office getting his next job."

I think it is maybe a karmic retribution that he has been suffering from a massive case of Shingles - that attacked (not his stomach or back like most people) his eye, forehead and scalp.

I think he now looks a little like the ghoul that he is.

Idiots...God Save Me From Them

Author's Note:
I know these entries are always a lot more entertaining to my colleagues who live this job with me every day than the general blogosphere. So please forgive my indulgence as I get snarky over our work place.

Author's Note #2:
Have you noticed that everyone seems to be putting a great premium on their own time, and a low value on everyone else's? Have you also noticed in tight economies that the problem is never with our own budget and how we handle money, but the OTHER department that has the issue?

Example #1: Data Management
Ok, Garbage In = Garbage Out, right? But no one ever wants to take ownership of the garbage. I took some of my own precious time to clean up some client records this week. While doing that I sent a note to the Client Managers (who are supposed to manage this data) giving them an update on the records and asking that they check those clients I had not reviewed for potential updates.

Responses?

Idiot #1: "If I had a marketing assistant I could get this done"
{note - I am a marketing manager and I don't have a marketing assistant].
{note 2 - he proceeded to email me 10 more times with complaints - if he had just done the data cleanup instead it would be complete}

Idiot #2: "Why do I have to keep updating these?"
{note - you are kidding right? One returned mail item I got on this genius' client organization was that the person we addressed the mail to had DIED in 2.0.0.4!!!!!}

Idiot #3: "How do I know which clients are mine?"
{note - OMG...These guys get paid HOW much more than me?}

Idiot #4: "I spend 4 days of my week out of the office - how am I supposed to manage this?"
{note - I don't know, somehow when I travel I manage it.}

Is it any wonder that when another of the client managers actually picked up the phone to call me and beg forgiveness and ask me to yet again walk him through the process I found this to be the best response of the week? In fact, he then passed a message of "how to" and "please do" to his team to work on their updates as well. My hero.

Example #2: Do It Your Damn Self
My boss, as webmaster, receives all of the general responses from our website. She passed on a request from a client for a publication. Turns out the publication will need to be purchased. The manager who was identified as the right point of contact then asked my boss, a Sr. Manager, to please purchase the publication, mail it to him, and he would hand deliver to client.

Hello?

Is it me?

He could have ordered it directly...or at the very least asked his very own administrative assistant...but his time is obviously more valuable than my boss'.

Example #3: We Four Mice in A Communication Maze
I was amazed to find that Idiot #1 from above - who has no time to manage his data and needs an assistant - took the time to email three different individuals with unique messages about the SAME ISSUE and ask all of them to solve it. What is this? Competitive problem solving? It's a good thing they all looked at the issue and each independently recognized it was my responsibility (the only person he DIDN'T email) to fix. I took all of their forwarded emails and bit my tongue while I responded to Idiot #1 with a reassuring message that I had it under control. I even deleted the line that said, "In the future, one email request for resolution to an issue like this would be sufficient and might even provide you with some valuable time to take care of your data management problems."

Example #4: Flood Control
I return to school this weekend...first time back after a glorious summer off. And we're expecting the remnants of one of these tropical storms...what are we on now, Hannah? So the Dean sends an email, "Severe flooding of roads is predicted for our area, but we are still holding classes. In the event of a power outage, you can get a flashlight from the Campus Safety office."

Seriously?

Lady, forgive me, but if there is severe flooding and a power outage I am NOT coming to class. You can penalize me by lowering my grade, but I'm ok with that.

Example #4: Short Attention Span Theater
Our department - in the face of budget cuts and threats of ANOTHER reorganization - was recently called upon yet again to "Defend Our Existence" at a meeting. After the higher ranking players finished shoving us Pawns around the board for a while, they concluded that they wanted some reports on our utilization and assignments, to see where we are actually spending our time and money. The report, with cross-references and details, was created with some considerable effort by our resident data guru and distributed to the people who participated in the meeting.

The response?

"What are we trying to report and why?"

Are you kidding me? Why do we even bother to be responsive to these idiots?

In Summary:
Look guys, I know I am PMS-ing today, and maybe I should hang up a warning sign, but give me a break, okay? My admittedly normally short fuse is down to about a millimeter in length and I am just not up to taking a deep breath and counting to 10.

I saw a t-shirt the other day, and I think I may buy it and frame it for my office. It said, "Put on Your Big Girl Panties and Deal With It!" I haven't decided yet if that is a message to the general public at XYZ company or if it is a reminder to me that I sometimes need to just suck it up.

After all, Hubby has it much worse than me. He and his lodge brothers are hosting a pig roast this weekend. And did I mention that Tropical Storm Hannah has some interesting plans for them? Nothing like spending 24-36 hours in the rain roasting a pig.

Cape Cod 2008