Scary Spooky

Hello Ghouls! Everything has been frighteningly exhausting. Work actually. We are swamped with work and new policies & procedures bottlenecking our once streamlined process. As easily as words come to me for posting, I haven't been able to stitch together complete sentences by the time I wind down at night...

I was chastised today for not dressing up for Halloween at work. My motivation for dressing up silly was nowhere to be found; besides, my lunch date would not have appreciated it. He enjoyed me as Sparkling Sprinkles not Spooky Sprinkles. Poor thing received a text message from me with my meal order and apologies for being later while I was stuck in my boss' office. He already accomodated me by working in a late lunch. Someone was long-winded on a conference call that ran over an hour. Grrr..

Pictures were not a priority today unlike last year, but here are a few for you to enjoy:

Condiment Twins: Michelle (Ketchup) & Sharon (Mustard)


Nun on the Run Amy -- This actually scared me when I came around the corner and saw her. Probably a childhood flashback haunting me.


No one recognized a Redneck Bridget. I stood in line for 20 minutes last night getting these teeth for her at the party store.


Is this the official Korean/Asian pose? Kim thought so.


Okay... During a conference call with my new North American mothership, I took two pictures of Bridget. The first one with her eyes open and another with her eyes closed which is the shot I really wanted so I could get a picture of her false eyelashes. I was showing her the closed thumbnail on my cell phone and when I selected it to be full screen, her open eyes shot came through. Talk about freakin' spooky! I swear it is not a hoax. Look at the date, file name and file size on both files. They are the same:



...and that's how Halloween should be: Scary Spooky!


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Scary Spooky

McCain Paper Dolls

Sprinkles and Tawny text this evening....

SPRINKLES: I saw McCain paper dolls at the bookstore. Ew!

TAWNY: Why would anyone want McCain paper dolls?

SPRINKLES: Redneck voodoo.

Damn - I almost wet myself laughing. Politics ARE funny.



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McCain Paper Dolls

Working on the Weekend

A trip to Shallowville had me skipping my four-mile morning walk with Kristey. It was justified. I had a hair appointment this morning. My dark brown roots were no longer complimenting the nice fiery red strands. I know. It was dire.

Our normally fun appointment was more sedate. Michelle was on antibiotics and her mouth was swollen from surgery. Thankfully, she was able to cut, color and style. I had places to go.

First stop after was at a McDonald's drive-thru for a late lunch to be eaten at work. Yes, I went in since I was already half way there and I brought my laptop. There were more cars around the building and the parking garage than I expected.

I set up camp at my desk by starting my laptop, spreading out my lunch and engaging the fan to be on and oscillate. The building turns the air down during the weekends. Thank God for my very nice tower fan so I wouldn't feel suffocated with no air moving.

Why was I at work? Well...no real reason, but to get some work done. I had some interruptions. Kristey called me and we chatted for a bit. Sharon returned my call. She invited me to a nice restaurant bar by the water later in the evening after she and her visiting buddy had dinner. I told her I would let her know by 8:30pm.

The funniest part about being at work on a Saturday was scaring the cleaning crew. They accessed my area of the building and was greeted with the lights on and Amy Winehouse blasting from my cube. They do not expect anyone to be there on the weekends. Two of them came over to specifically say hello and to let me know they were on my floor.

The best part for me was blaring CDs of Robin Thicke, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Brian Setzer Orchestra (swing) and a some middle eastern mixes while I worked.

I left work around 6:30pm and ended up catching up with Kathy on my cell on the way home. We made plans for the middle of the week. By the time I picked up dinner and got settled at home, I didn't want to drive back about 23 miles to meet up so late. I have to watch out for my night blindness when I am tired. One or two drinks at the bar after staring at my computer screen for several hours definitely puts me in the realm of fatigue. I made a quick call and my apologies to Sharon.

My body knows when the weekend is here. For some reason it signals to sleep early and to sleep in late. What the hell is that about? That quirky Circadian Rhythm was dancing the slower rumba when it should be jumping to the samba. Sigh.


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Working on the Weekend

While the Cat's Away...

The mice were certainly at play today with the cats away. Our boss was off and a part of the Asian Mafia's boss was off, too. Just lovely...

Even as a single gal, I have a "Honey Do List". The hard part is finding "A Honey" to do them when you don't have one. How does THREE sound? Sharon's husband is coming down next month to spend Thanksgiving week with her. (Long story short: They live in separate states due to his stint in the military and being redeployed in Afghanistan every other six months.) A couple of his buddies are coming down to visit as well.

I mentioned to Sharon my desire to hang a new curved curtain shower rod, but I would need help -- namely a drill. I had been telling her of my other thing to install airplane cables across the back wall of my bedroom so I can free form hang sari fabric or use tab clips to hang other fabric. This contraption requires two people for efficiency and accuracy. Sharon solved my dilemma by volunteering her husband and friends as I am off that week, too. What a great idea! I told her that I would serve them their favorite beer and make them a home cooked meal.

Sharon, Bridget, Michelle and I walked to the big mall and had humorous lunch at the upscale sports bar. We decided we wanted something special and we wanted to be waited on instead a self-serve meal elsewhere in the mall. After lunch, we stopped at Godiva Chocolatier on the way for a few decadent truffles before scurrying back across the large parking lot to our building. It had been raining off and on all day.

Remember when I was having issues with my new laptop? Those little computer gremlins were at it again or have been the last two weeks. I asked someone in the other building if we could swap out the shell. (For those not in the know, "shell" in this instance means everything except the hard drive.) A nice sized Godiva chocolate candy was offered as an incentive. Ha!

I ended up leaving early and going to the other building where my shell was swapped out and spent almost two hours talking to someone I hadn't really talked to in two years. There is a rare breed of men I can easily be myself without having the pressure of being scintillating in some sort of way. This guy who helped me out is one of them. We've always had an easy camaraderie. Sharing similar life and work angst was gratifying. Face it -- outwardly bemoaning your state of affairs by yourself and to yourself just sounds loony, now doesn't it?


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While the Cat's Away...

Little Measly Article

It made me cry into the shower this morning. One little measly article* in my Oprah magazine. The words moved me so much I shared the story with Bridget when I arrived at work. It made her cry, too.

Here it goes...A very successful writer and award-winning record producer wrote about her old college English literature professor who had a profound impact on her life, a man who made her fall in love with poetry and the written word. It was because of him that she visited Ireland and to make her first stop Yeats' house. Two decades later she met the professor again. He was in a wheel chair accompanied by an aide. She approached him and expressed to him his influence on her. He didn't respond. In her desperation, she wanted to give back so she decided to send him music she produced with famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The aide was kind enough to share his address which she found out was two blocks from her own home.

The writer was ready to take her leave but turned around and recited a verse in his ear. It was the first words from Yeats' Sailing to Byzantium she learned from her once passionate professor:

THAT is no country for old men. The young

In one another's arms, birds in the trees-

Those dying generations - at their song,

The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,

Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long

Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

Caught in that sensual music all neglect

Monuments of unageing intellect.

She cried hard on her way home. The music was eventually sent and she learned not too long after that he passed.

It wasn't her professor's dying that I found sad per se, but the moment when she attempted to express his passionate stamp on her life at a time when he may not have fully appreciated it. A chord within me was struck hard. And then the resonance blossomed further when she whispered back the passion she learned from him, hoping against hope that just maybe the words would reach him inside somehow. That was what made the tears fall and mingle with the spray of water during my morning shower. His passion for 19th century poetry had flowed to her and God knows to how many more impressionable minds to galvanize them to do God knows how great or small and fulfilling adventures in their lives...

My drive into work was comforted thanks to sips of my hot berry-flavored fruit tea on the way. The rest of the day was a struggle for some reason. Bridget and I rejoiced that our boss had left early today. He reminded us that he was off tomorrow, too. Really, he's been stressed and we gals need a break from him.

Still early in the evening (said AGOL the Insomniac). I think I'll read a chunk of pages from two books I am reading. Sleep tight, my lovelies. xxoo




*Oprah Magazine, October 2008: To Sir, with Love by Laraine Perri, pp:239-241.
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Little Measly Article

Reminiscing

My mind and body were wide awake at 4am. I had walked Cabal and was filling up the kettle with filtered water from my Brita pitcher. I thought about my friend Rob who got me into the habit of using Brita earlier in the year. As I kept pouring, it made me then think of being a little girl in the Philippines.

I don't think about such a thing much these days, but we had to get potable water from the American airbase -- just outside actually. A big hard near opaque white plastic jug with a brass faucet would be filled then brought back to our house almost everyday. One of my mother's male cousins lived with us and it was his task to get the water. It was an interesting thing...I haven't thought about that in a long time.

Later in the day, I told Rob about it and he laughed. I asked him why and he said, "Just my subtle impact." I shook my head. He always enjoys these stories especially the ones he has somehow a hand in making me remember. Brat.

Lunch was lively with all the members of the Asian (Lunch) Mafia. Kim had cooked a big batch of fried rice the night before to share with us. Good thing because Bridget was about to brave the cafe downstairs since she didn't bring anything. It was flavorful with a hint of spice. The whole thing also had small dices of Spam. It's an Asian thing. Go ask anyone in Hawaii; that state is the largest consumer of Spam per capita. We were so loud that we had to close the door. Man are we funny together!

I worked an extra 40 minutes this evening. Aargh. I didn't listen to myself which would have kept me from starting a project. The week is just beginning and I am already tired...My hairdresser returned my call from Friday. We set an appointment for Saturday which got me thinking when I would have my nails done. I'd have to work it in that day somehow. Speaking of...

Two weeks ago my nail lady suggested a new nail product: acrylic mixed with different colors of micro glitter. I agreed to one on my ring finger, but got talked into both ring fingers while keeping the rest a French manicure. I chose a diamond or silver color. It was a challenge to explain to her how tacky these things were on all nails and how inappropriate they were for a corporate setting.

The following pic is of my nails on my right hand. It is difficult to get a good pic with the lighting and my double-jointed fingers making awkward poses. Notice the pumpkin soup tureen in the background? That is what I have displayed on my kitchen table for autumn at the moment. Large pillar candles on equally large candle columns flank it. Back to AGOL's nails:


Lookee...Shiny...Sparkly...


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Reminiscing

TAMPA BAY RAYS - WORLD SERIES

THE TAMPA BAY RAYS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES !!!!!

WOO HOO!!!

From "worst" to "world series" and for the first time for this 11-year franchise history, they have the Magic Touch -- dance with me to this killer song:

Robin Thicke's "Magic" from his new album "Something Else"


XXOOXOXO
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TAMPA BAY RAYS - WORLD SERIES

Feta is Quiche

The morning walk with my Pretty Boy Dog required more than the T-shirt I wore over my jeans. When did the temperature drop? Obviously, I missed the news the evening prior. I shuffled along while Cabal marked almost a dozen spots around the complex. He has long fur and had no worries.

Remember I told you I bought a big block of feta cheese? I had a craving for tiropita and spanakopita. Lacking the phyllo dough to make these feta/spinach dishes, I decided to omit it and make a crustless quiche or frittata. It tasted more like a quiche.

Look at my new onion holder for the refrigerator. I had to have it when I saw it at the grocery store. It can hold a very large onion.

I sauteed a quarter of a large onion and then mixed it in the half a cup of spinach, two eggs and enough crumbled feta cheese to have a thick lumpy mixture. (Apologies on the impromptu recipe. I hardly measure and I was cutting the block of feta a little at a time.) I buttered the shallow pie plate before spreading the feta mixture on top. It baked in the oven at 350-degrees for 15 minutes and then I set the oven on broil so I could get those attractive spots on top of the pie and to finish cooking it.



This pie was quite flavorful and probably many calories less than a traditional quiche. The feta mix could be used with additional spinach in a pie using phyllo next time when I want to get my Greek on.

I shopped in the late afternoon for non-food items. Almost a dozen plastic bags were filled with not-so-fun stuff like paper towels, toilet tissue, trash bags, etc. My treasure of the day was a set of four $5 compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) which emit enough light for 40Watts but only use 9Watts. These were more special because they had to be shaped like globes for the vanity mirror in the bathroom. Talk about bright white light! I love love love them!

Tawny stopped by late this evening to give me what appears to be (at first) a big box of red Christmas ornaments from IKEA. She was quick to let me know that they were not. :::AGOL stunned face::: They were actually Valentine's ornaments! Not really, my lovelies. This set had ornaments shaped like hearts. She and Jeff saw the display as soon as they walked into IKEA and had to get it for me. I guess I will wait to hang my "Valentine's ornaments".


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Feta is Quiche

Now Dining with a Flying Saucer

Friday could not have come fast enough. Bridget was off, my boss was exhausted and I was too cheery for my own good despite my workload...

Two of the Asian Mafia and I walked to lunch. We ate bad Asian food from the food court. One of us (not me!) was desperate for rice. I tortured the girls with two stops: 1) Origins for a bottle of Ginger Essence perfume and 2) Sephora for more BareMineral make-up and TooFaced's Lash Injection mascara. Hellooooooooo Shallowville!

It was my plan to get off early, but my boss stayed later and then left me with a small assignment. It was to provide my SVP with an update on something which I couldn't do half-assed and required careful verbiage. I still made good time going home to take care of Cabal.

There was a goldenrod-colored hang tag on my apartment door. That signaled that maintenance had come in. Hmmm..No permission from me, I thought. Upon closer inspection of the notes scribbled, the maintenance lady who Cabal likes had replaced my old canister light in the dining room with what appears to be a flying saucer. Holy cow! It is rather impressive in the tiny space. This was my upgrade choice when I renewed my lease last month.

AGOL's flying saucer:


The good and bad thing about the new chandelier? It brightens the area significantly. While lovely, I can see I need to take a vacuum to the hanging dust bunnies on the ceiling. Yikes.

Two days ago I had told Filipino Sharon that I would see her and Korean Kim at the bowling alley where they compete in a league. The bowling alley is located in Clearwater, near my old house which is now an hour's drive across the bay. Let's just say the variety of crowd milling about this place provided good people watching.

Kim brought warm sake in a thermos which threw me for a loop. I had to buy the requisite greasy bowling alley food to soak it up. Our group ended up in the bar attached to the alley where we danced, sang out loud with the music, drank a little and laughed. We left at 11:30pm and I arrived home 15 minutes sooner thanks to no traffic. Too bad I couldn't get my new flying saucer to take me home.


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Now Dining with a Flying Saucer

Scavenger Hunt

Today was a big event day in the Finance Department. The {Insert My Company's Name} Morale Promotion Team was hosting a Digital Scavenger Hunt your AGOL sold them on last month during their meeting. I also entertained the idea of scrapping the monthly birthday cake for an ice cream social. The group was not believing in the first idea, but allowed me to take it to fruition anyway. We were also honoring the Employee of the Quarter. Yes, it's all excitement in the Finance World. Step back, folks -- your heart may not be able to take such excitement. Really.

Okay...I am going to indulge in bragging about the resounding success of the Digital Scavenger Hunt. This Asian Goddess has succeeded in gathering 12 volunteers to lose their marbles while running around the office like rat through maze. Can you believe they were all happy to do it? They didn't mind ending up perspiring and breathless either. There was a prize of a deluxe lunch with their team.

The once tomb-like halls were interrupted for 20 minutes by three groups of four teams stampeding around armed with one digital camera and an evil list of 23 items devised by your AGOL. Not only did they have to learn to work as a team, but they had to show how much knowledge they had of our office. Well..two groups collided near the mail room and all three groups were almost halted by the building's security in the building lobby downstairs.

My favorite item was: #5 - Find Jesus (actual person, Spanish pronunciation) in the café downstairs and take picture. Why? Because I forgot to let Jesus know that he was on the list. He was ambushed by my peeps in the cafe. I knew he would be a good sport as he is always attention seeking.

The EOTQ was announced after my own announcement of the scavenger hunt winners and then we topped our bowls of ice cream with chocolate, maraschino cherries, nuts and candy sprinkles. Below is a pic of my bowl. I guess I didn't eat the second half fast enough. I helped clean up the conference room and by the time I remembered, I had ice cream soup.



The lesson in all this? Don't underestimate an AGOL's crazy idea -- you just might have more fun and some ice cream. That's enough excitement for today...


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Scavenger Hunt

British Invasion? Nah, Just Jeff

Tawny texted me on my way to work asking of I could make it to lunch today with our group. We were meeting British Jeff. You may recall he and his two boys moved back to England last year. Thinking about the lunch I painstakingly packed then gently riding in my back seat, I texted back yes.

A very tired Bridget and boss greeted me when I saw them. I almost felt guilty for feeling cheery and alert. I informed them of my lunch plans so they'd know to expect me gone for an hour and a half.

I was first to arrive at the upscale sports bar. Almost a dozen of us were seated together when our orders were taken. It was great to see British Jeff. I've missed his scoundrel ways though he sometimes reminds me via instant messaging. His native Liverpool has him now. This particular visit was prompted by his former wife and mother-in-law's desire to see the grandsons. While the boys visited their mom, he's running amok with his old mates here.

A soft nudge to Tawny at the table made her lean towards me. In a soft voice, I asked her who invited all the old guys at our table. She laughed. I've known a number of the people at the table anywhere from 8-10 years, most in their 40s now. A drinking past has positively preserved British Jeff in his late 40s. LOL

British Jeff reminding us why we love him!



My afternoon was further swept away by a vendor call that lasted well over an hour. I rushed to do some solid work while minding the clock. My self-appraisal was due today. By the time I finished, I came to the conclusion that it was the worst appraisal I have given myself in over 10 years. Whatever. I wasn't prepared to really highlight my more glorious moments because this demand to have them done by HR was quick and I've been busy. It was completed a little before 7:30pm.

At home I tried to stay up for the presidential debate but they were too boring. McCain was projecting himself as a desperate and irate geezer while Obama was too cool a cucumber. I fell asleep and woke up after they were shaking hands at the end. Stayed up a bit more and went to bed.


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British Invasion? Nah, Just Jeff

Repeating Myself

During my mental break this afternoon, I reread an e-mail I sent to my division and realized my proofreading had not been perfect. I had written "moral" not "morale". Darn that missing "e".

Following that I reread my blog...Yikes! I've been repeating myself. Jeezus. I've been repeating myself. Jeezus.

HA!

Okay, it wasn't the repeating of stories just certain phrases. Once again proofreading was not my strongest point. I've been mentally exhausted from my day job. While demanding, it does make the day go by quickly. Then again, the stress from the aggressive demands have taken its toll on your AGOL.

The quirkiest part about the whole thing is that I have been cheerier than usual. I said as much to Bridget who characterizes me as a happy person. Little does she know the mental acrobatics I go through in more darker emotions. It does please me to have her see me as happy. I try very hard to make things light and fun at work since the others seem to get bogged down in minutiae and forget to laugh. This is difficult to write, but I save my worrying and less than pleasant emotions away from work. Some might call it a touch of depression.

I waited for the elevator doors to open when it suddenly hit me how tomorrow was going to suck already. My self-appraisal is due to tomorrow as well my day cut short thanks to a vendor web training in the afternoon. The boss is still stinging from a remark made by a high level exec which has galvanized him into a mission to contradict and gather evidence against her hasty allegation on how he conducts a portion of his job. The rest of us get to listen as he progresses with his mission. Sigh.

Kathy called me back this evening. I was able to share with her some things that had bothered me during the day relating to my career and going back to school. Without a second income in my household, it is difficult to figure out how I would do it. My company offers tuition reimbursement which is great, but coming up with cash upfront for a more private school providing expensive and convenient online classes can be hard to swallow. The next thing might be a certification. That is less time and costs thousands of dollars less...She had other news -- her boyfriend found a job in Northern Florida where the IT jobs are plentiful (compared to Tampa). Kathy would quit her job here and find one there, too. Their timeline to be moved in and both gainfully employed is January. I am very happy for her; they both get what they want.

Speaking of getting what they want...My doggie wants to go outside. We will continue our moon bath from this morning. I haven't seen the moon this bright in months. I think I'll go tell the Man on the Moon what I want...without repeating myself.


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Repeating Myself

Two Parter

I jumped at the chance to start walking again with Kristey this morning. We were surrounded by a heavy humidity at 7:30am and the blue sky stayed hidden over the low hung dingy gray clouds. There were plenty of cyclists ready to run us over during our walk which caused us to exercise (no pun intended) more caution.

We were chatting away by Kristey's vehicle at the end of our four mile jaunt in the woods when I realized my bladder needed emptying. I was too squeamish to use the park restroom. A mini trip to McDonald's was my suggestion. Within minutes we were sitting in McDonald's comfortably and chatted for another hour or so. There were so many things to catch up on from a long absence from one another. Kristey is always good about sending me e-mails on my yahoo account, but lately, e-mailing her back has been difficult. I've resorted to leaving her voicemails and sometimes I do get to chat with her 30 minutes at a time on my drive home...

I lallygagged a bit when I got home before took my second shower of the day. The timing of the universe never ceases to amaze me. Tawny called me right after. She was inviting me to ride with her and shop at BJ's Warehouse near us. It is like a Costco and a Sam's Club. Costco is still number one in my book. You can't beat the atmosphere, price and selection. The only negative side is that there are only two in town and are quite apart from each other. It is always worth the drive in my book!

Tawny picked me up in an hour and we proceeded to check everything out in the store while sharing in piling up items in the large cart. How I've missed shopping with Tawny! We have extremely similar veins of humor and they were raging while we were in the store. I was talked into buying a 2.5 pound block of feta cheese. Yes, it is my fave and I love it that much. A good portion will be for snacks during the week to accompany the large package of grapes I picked up. The rest may be mixed in with some chicken and spinach or some salads. Better yet -- eaten plain unless I still have some red wine vinegar to sprinkle on each bite.

I spent some time during the evening marveling at my day spent with two people I haven't seen in a while and who are very close to me. They missed me as much as I missed them.


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Two Parter

Recap

It would seem all I've been doing the past couple of months is play catch up. I want to update, but my new workload doesn't allow me a clear enough mind in the evening to post. Let me do my best to recap.

On Tuesday I had lunch with Jill at Thai Terrace which is equidistant to both of our work. The last couple of times we had tried to get together, she or I have had to cancel. I enjoyed seeing her again. We now have a commitment to have lunch once a month; the first Tuesday of every month is now blocked in our calendars.

On Wednesday I brought slow-cooked bratwursts to work. My large crockpot was filled with 15 links of Johnsonville bratwursts which were pierced with a fork to allow the Beer Jacuzzi mixture of three large cans of Wisconsin beer, a fair sized onion sliced and two cloves of garlic pressed plus one stick of butter to permeate it. That was at 10pm. These babies were cooked outside on high for two hours before turning it down low to simmer and marry while I slept...I brought the crock inside at 4:30am and then proceeded back to sleep for an hour. Eventually the brats were broiled in the oven for a little browning and set to cool enough to sit in fridge at work and to reheat for the gang at lunch. No, I did not forget to bring the Beer Jacuzzi liquid -- those onion pieces were gold! I brought some potato rolls while the rest of the Asian mafia brought veggies and rice. Our lunch fed 9 people. I bought petit fours and mini cannolis for a sweet treat. This is why you do not go to the grocery store hungry as I did on Tuesday: Unnecessary crap ends up in your cart.

Tawny added me on twitter and I returned the favor. On hers she is following Barack Obama. I clicked to follow him, too. Well now the auto response was to follow me. Barack is following your AGOL. Not personally of course, just on twitter.

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Today began with Bridget at my desk so I could train her on the online queue she now has to manage for software pre-approvals. The queue used to only have about four items -- it has now grown to a dozen which requires extensive baby sitting. I had four online queues to manage so giving her that one made sense so I could concentrate on the three.

My group had lunch with our old director. You may recall he was let go in July. He is living it up. May I say how much more enjoyable lunch was today thanks to the temp being absent. There was no tension, no having to mind our p's and q's during the conversation. The food was yum, too.

Part of the afternoon was spent going over my queues with Bridget so she could keep an eye on them while I take an extra day off tomorrow. My basic advise to her was to not bother unless anyone was screaming which is a good advise as any. Ha!

I ended up staying staying until 7:30pm to finish up things. My eyes were so fatigued that looking at the screens was making me nauseous and dizzy. I love having dual monitors; however, sometimes switching your gaze quickly from one to the next for hours can be sickening. Conceding defeat, I drove home to take care of Cabal, make a hasty dinner and get back online for a last minute work e-mail. It was for a fun morale boosting event I am partially facilitating next week. My new work duties has taken precedence over fun work stuff. It should have gone out earlier in the week. That's the way it goes.


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Recap

A Jewish Order

My guess is that the universe was trying to make up for my dismal weekend by infusing me with a dose of humor today. The music on the radio during the drive in was uplifting and upbeat. My ride in a crowded elevator from the garage was filled with laughter thanks to my naughty comments which one of the ladies playfully chided me. This particular lady has known me for a couple of years and shares with me a kindred gypsy soul.

I walked inside my floor feeling like Elvis wearing a jumpsuit while rocking a concert in Hawaii. No, I was not wearing a jumpsuit, but I had the vibe, I'm sure. My vibe also had no time for "Hound Dogs". Ha!

My groovy vibe was still in high gear when I went to get coffee from the break room. The gypsy lady from the elevator came in and teased that we had the same schedule. I told her about the three-part television series on PBS regarding the plight of Jews in America. My friend is Jewish and we often have a discussion on Judaism. I was talking to her about Jewish humor and the emergence of it in American culture in the 1950s and shared with her the jokes from Sid Caesar's television show. Before I left her completely in hysterics, I said something to her I've never voiced. I asked her to find me a good Jewish boy and I realized I was serious and told her as much. She said okay and then I reminded her I was turning 38 in January. Then we don't have much time, she joked. What a scream! She's right -- the blooms is wearing on the Asian flower. If she is successful, I will be in shiksa heaven and my Jewish man will have to get used to eating rice with his brisket or gifelte.

Lunch with the Asian Mafia was filled with (sexual) naughty talk. The Korean was regaling us with stories on her friends discussing sex toys and their impotent or sexually lazy husbands. Sharon and I listened with a resignation to laughing. The Vietnamese was missing in action while the Honorary Asian (Bridget) was busy doing her schoolwork at her desk. Well, they missed out on being told that we are going to be more sexually randy in our 40s while the men get more tired or have less interest. Yeah...I don't need to be amped up anymore than I am. Maybe I need to swing the pendulum age back to younger men and not keep my sights on the older men I've been favoring ever since I could remember. Older men do have their advantages...and yes disadvantages. The former far outweighing the latter for me though...For now.

Busy is my first name at work now. I can't believe how tired my eyes get by 4pm. If I don't look away from the screens, I feel nauseous. My eyes will have to get used to the new workload. My hands are also hoping for no carpal tunnel symptoms. I type so fast now that I get impatient with the network while I am quickly clicking and typing between software applications.

Angie called me in the evening. She asked me more about the rest of the weekend; I didn't know that I left her hanging on the blog entry from Saturday. I was very happy to report that Cabal and I were chillin' again in the crib.


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A Jewish Order

Not So Happy Sunday

Today was a not so Happy Sunday. I awoke around 7am to walk the dog and make a trip to the donut shop for their famous coffee and a breakfast sandwich. My ability to heat food or boil water was still not fixed and my apartment temperature had climbed to almost 80 degrees.

The maintenance guy knocked on my door at 8am. What happened to the 9am time he told me? Just as well, I was wearing the same thing from yesterday and I was not pleased being warm and feeling like a hostage in my own home. Lucky for him the sky was grey and no additional heat was present. Its good buddy humidity was in full force though.

By 9am, my apartment had three maintenance men milling in and out until a little after 1pm. During that time the apartment lights kept going on and off thanks to their scientific bumblings. Oh yeah, there was one incident where one of them hit a live wire causing a loud popping sound and sparks to fly. From my perch on the sofa, I asked them if I needed to retrieve the fire extinguisher then I asked if anyone had any eyebrows left. Me, attempting humor in my state of not-so-happy.

Tawny was kind enough to offer her home for cooling and a shower, but I declined. She arrived soon to my door to check on me and Cabal plus a chat while the men were wandering around. I just wanted the whole ordeal over with. There would need to be some energy cleaning after.

I took that long-awaited shower and was able to do four loads of laundry out of five. My dishwasher was turned on and my vacuum implemented. There is still some work to do, but I was satisfied. Still...no trips to the grocery store. At this point, I was scraping at the bottom of the barrel for food that wouldn't be too weird to go together. I was able to get more laughs watching The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad. These adult cartoons were purely demented and as cool as my apartment. Sixty-nine degrees.


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Not So Happy Sunday

Beginning of 24-hour Meltdown

Insomnia was defeated yesterday. I woke up to walk the dog and feed him before coming back to bed and sleeping until almost noon. My chores and trip to the Asian store were completely ignored. It would seem the universe thought I needed rest for the next 24-hour meltdown.

I was making my lunch in the kitchen when some noise outside my bedroom window was loud enough for me to go investigate. There were two men in service trucks working near the electric meters. They looked official enough so I left them alone to go back making my lunch.

Kathy called me back from yesterday. She expressed how angry she was for me at my former temp's behavior during her leave. Well, what's done is done and now it is about new chapters. In the middle of our conversation, I noticed something was amiss. It was very quiet. I was in another room, but had the TV on loud so I could listen. Where was my Spanish chef and his very musical show? The lights were partially on which meant the men did something to the electrical boxes outside. My air conditioning was off, too. I got off the phone to call the apartment complex. They would send someone out to talk to the electrical workers who were now resting in the shade from the heat. This was around 2:30pm.

The trouble with weekends is that the complex is not fully staffed with maintenance workers. I couldn't wait so I walked the dog and went inside the main lobby of the office to give them an update. I noticed the electric company's logo on the side of the trucks. You'd think one of the leasing agents would have gotten up and investigated herself. Uh, not these spring beauties. (Rolling my eyes.) The trucks had already left by the time Cabal and I returned. Upon further investigation of the area they were working in, it would seem they changed all the meters to digital versions.

A young maintenance guy came by and noted the dilemma with my apartment and directed me to call the electric company. I proceeded to tell him that with the age of the building that this had happened to me before, but he insisted for me to call. I did. A truck came out and left. Another call to the complex had me calling the electric company again. I made one last ditch effort to call the complex to see if they could research previous records on my unit to see what the resolution was before. Nope. They don't have such records. WTF?

The electric company called and confirmed that their workers checked the voltage and nothing was wrong. The volley was back to the apartment complex. By this time it was after hours and getting to be dark. I placed an emergency after hours call. The guy who visited me earlier came within 25 minutes. This poor thing tried with all his might to get whatever fixed but he couldn't because he didn't have the part. A portable A/C unit was almost installed, but it required too much power and took some lights out. Jeezus.

I was asked for my signature to say that he did come in for an emergency call. The page wasn't pre-filled; I did it for him so the facts could be noted correctly. Before I signed, I told him in terms he could understand how this whole thing had inconvenienced my weekend. It was delivered in that calm even tone that says I've had enough of this whole bullshit. I was thinking that this problem may have already been solved had he properly done his job almost six hours earlier instead of blaming the electric company. It was hot in apartment and I couldn't cook anything because of the low power. Doing laundry was out of the question, too. Any plans I had previously had to be canceled and now I was going to be inconvenienced more until the next day. I must have made him nervous because he had verbal diarrhea trying to make conversation, mostly about the dog.

Cabal and I were left in a 76-degree apartment. I normally have it at 69/70. To make matters worse my laptop and cell phone batteries were running low and I couldn't recharge them. I drove out to get fast food and to find a resolve not to be whiny to myself the rest of the evening or at least until the guy calls around again at 9am. Ohhh...I hate to whine. See?


A very special thanks to my friend Kathy who was patient and supportive to lend me her ear through today's portion of the ordeal. Thank you for also checking up on me and my doggie.


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Beginning of 24-hour Meltdown

Chocolate Ganache

There is something sexually satisfying about combining heavy cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips and a touch of instant coffee over a double-boiler around 5am. As the ingredients absorb the heat from the boiling water through the metal bowl resting over the metal saucepan, they slowly give up themselves to melt into one another. The gentle force my mini opaque white spatula creates by stirring them together causes a seductive affair where it gives strength to the chocolate to fight being surrounded by the heavy cream. The molten chocolate fortified with the bitter coffee granules overtakes and creates something far more incredible with the warmth of the heavy cream. Chocolate ganache. Creamy rich chocolate lava. Oh, baby!

(Fanning myself!)

Why would I be making such a concoction that early? Well, it was not to spread on someone. Ouch! and an overabundance of chocolate on your partner is not sexy. Maybe licking a bit of their fingers or lips, but not all over. That's my feeling anyway. Do what makes YOU happy though. Anyhoo...The ganache was spooned over the chocolate cupcakes I made last night. Half the batch was given to Rob at lunch and the other half was for a select few at work. These little pleasure pills were not for the feint of heart. Ha!

The week ended with an insistence of busy. Through our help desk system, I now had four queues to work through each day. The main thing was making sure the types of items being requested was correct for the request or more importantly in the budget or in budget review in Finance. My company is a different place; every little thing is carefully scrutinized. An edict from our UK mothership I suppose. No matter. It keeps me busier and more connected with people which I didn't realize I missed until I was knee-deep in research.

My boss has been acting strangely ever since we were informed of our rolling up into the North American division. He's also felt my absence in the day-to-day interaction. I am busier now, I reminded him. I gave him a cupcake which he devoured quickly and called me evil. Heck, I was called evil all day for the cupcakes.

Bridget and I met Rob at the sushi joint. He was running late and I ordered for him. While we waited, Bridget was able to try edamame (steamed soy bean pods seasoned with salt) for the first time in her life and love them. I requested a particular waitress who treated us with extra care. She remembered me from a previous visit. Rob gave her a cupcake and she only accepted after she confirmed I made them. She had seen them on the table wrapped in French-wire ribbon next to Rob's place setting. With Rob being very athletic, he was hungrier than usual since he didn't eat a good breakfast. The insufficient caloric intake caused him to shake a little. He solved the issue by wolfing down his sashimi plate, half of my meal and two cupcakes. The sick part is that he'll burn it all off by the next day... Our meal was fantastic, the company incorrigible and Rob surprised us girls by picking up our bills.

Others left early as it was Friday, but I used to my advantage to work quietly and get ahead of Monday. My drive home was spent leaving voicemail catch-ups to my friends and thinking about vanilla. I have had a raging need to bake. It is probably a metaphor for something else. Sigh.


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Chocolate Ganache

Dubious New Beginning

Yesterday was intense. My temp received her gift from me first thing. She accepted it as if expecting she was getting more gifts today. Her comments on how many layers to get to the gift irked me. I think she's the kind who just wants a gift bag to take out one tissue to reveal the package. Ugh. The jewelry stunned her and true to form did not thank me. When I was asked by others how she received it, I told them.

Bridget was able to deflect the temp all day as she came in late announcing the doctor's diagnosis for strep throat. Lucky. My boss had several contact points with her as an all day exit interview if you will. Almost forgot -- she interviewed seriously yesterday for a couple of openings on my floor.

As the day wore on the finality of her situation in my department wore on her too. She actually became more humble and sad. The words thank you did leave her lips and she said it over the cube walls to me minutes before I collected her building ID and laptop. I gave her a hug in my cube right before she left our security doors. You could tell she wanted to stay as she dragged the moment of leaving. She left and I was relieved.

My long-time-no-see-BFF Tawny stopped by to see me and give me some mini pumpkins and a gourd for the fall. We spent some time chatting. Besides last Saturday's baby shower, I have not seen her in WEEKS. We work for the same company (different buildings) and we live in the same apartment complex yet we cannot seem to sync our schedules. A desperate plea via text might have hastened her visit. I was very happy to see her...

Which brings us to today: Today I felt freer at work than ever. No more walking the area around my cube feeling as though the gestapo was on alert to my every move. No more whining complaints of not being included or whatever. Best of all, no more energy black hole waiting to suck my energy. Yes, it was that bad especially the last six months. I jokingly sent my group a video of The Fifth Dimension's The Age of Aquarius song as our new theme song which brought laughs.

Lunch with the Asian mafia was fun. We all brought components to make a meal and to share amongst ourselves. We were full as ticks. One of the managers made the chocolate chip cookies he promised me which was a nice treat at the end of our meal. I told him I was bringing chocolate ganache cupcakes on Friday. Most of that batch is going to Rob who is driving to my side of town to meet Bridget and me for lunch. I told him it would make him bow down and worship me. He's a foodie, too. Although he is smarter than AGOL. He consumes food, but works it off to get to negative calories. Grrr.

In the afternoon, my boss dropped a bomb on us during our staff meeting. It looks like the North American division is going to absorb my little group while we still work the current healthcare division. My boss may have the chance to absorb more employees as a replacement for someone who recently vacated a position. The details are sketchy but we are meeting tomorrow with the new group via conference call. We were reassured that our jobs were still viable during our mini-conference call with my boss' new director. More updates as they happen...

I have absorb more work and will have to intelligently structure my day to meet all the demands. If you were to view all windows open on my machine, it would give you a headache. Fortunately, I've done this before and just need some adjustment. It's all good. I have to think positive on everything even as my carpal tunnel on my left hand acts up. OMG -- I could lightly grip things with it, but I couldn't pull anything the pain was so acute. Ibuprofen is my friend for now.

An odd lesson came to me today. It concerned a person who I envied for a bit. She seemed to glide on everything from looks to work. Well, she's been recently demoted and her house of cards are falling apart so to speak. The structure was impressive and now I know had no substance or real foundation. It just goes to show you that it is fruitless to envy someone's picture perfect life because of what the integrity the foundation might be built upon. It is official now - I have decided I am going to be envious of myself: Damn, my hair was fantastic today! Trust me, it was. I was told several times. Yes, I know you've missed trips to Shallowville. LOL


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Dubious New Beginning