Sunday Race

I didn't mean for today to be another race against my meds, but I had no choice. Today was Kathy's last day at my place before she went back to her 2.5 hour drive up to Jacksonville. Her boyfriend Jamie was leaving on vacation the same afternoon and had to be home for their pets. I wanted to maximize my time with her.

Kathy kept joking about my energy. While I let her sleep in later than I did, I was moving around my apartment in stealth mode. None of my doors squeak in my apartment thanks to some special household lubricant called WD-40. Squeaky doors are bad feng shui -- means that energy is stuck in that areas of your life.

I made us a big breakfast and she expressed her desire to go to the Asian store later to buy some Asian veggies which I happily agreed on. We spent about an hour meandering about busy Asians getting their groceries before picking up sandwich orders for us and Tawny/Jeff for lunch. Jeff wasn't able to make it because he was still doing some pesky work for my company on his computer. This poor guy worked all weekend!

When lunch was over, Kathy cleaned the inside and outside of my sliding glass panel doors. I was more concerned about the dirty green pollen that had accumulated this spring on the outside. She also cleaned the front of my entrance door. All this to improve my feng shui. I do live feng shui as much as I can. It can't hurt, right? It just helps me focus on my intentions for my life with the universe... Tawny went home during the cleaning of the doors to take her husband his sandwich. Kathy would make a brief stop to their place to say goodbye to Jeff since he didn't make it.

My day wasn't over yet when Kathy left after 1pm. I did four loads of laundry, filled up the dishwasher, straightened the kitchen and took out trash as well as update my blog. As the afternoon wore on, my after care meds really kicked in. The mental fog began to surround my vision while my body seemed confused at the disconnect. I only have one more day to take the meds tomorrow. I dare not skimp on them just to avoid the discomfort. Sigh.

I spoke to Angie at night to let her know of my chemo day and other weekend adventures. She in turn told me of her adventures of hosting her mother/my aunt when she arrived back from her weeks long trip from the Philippines. Apparently, my aunt had an ear infection and a small cough, but they still had a great visit. I, myself, won't be able to see her until next Saturday; I need to make sure she is not coughing some crazy viral thing from the Philippines. It is a chance I can't take with my immune system.

So my lovelies...overall this was a great chemo weekend!

Kisses,
Sarah Sprinkles
xo

Sunday Race

Reassessment

Just when I finally feel like being in the swing of things at work, I get to feel unwell again thanks to my chemo this coming Friday. I have more of the same cycle reoccurring in the next couple of months. My mind just has to be trained to withstand the mental and physical toll.

In between the "spaces" that is work and chemotherapy are blank spaces ready to be filled in with either meeting with friends and family or resting. You would think that with all my outings, I wouldn't have time to think on things...to reassess. I guess I am one of the lucky ones because I can find the time.

A magazine article and a youtube video within days of each other said a person without goals is someone without direction or is just getting in the car and spinning their wheels. Each day is supposed to have a goal or goals...

This Sunday I completed a treasure map. Nothing with pirates, but a visual representation of how I would like my life to be or my goals using a giant poster board, magazine cutouts of words and images, pictures of myself, glue and colored markers. This is the second one I've done that I can recall. The other was done about 17 years ago. I designed it using the principles of feng shui by placing images as they pertain to the bagua map and made sure I completed it while the New Moon was in the sign of Aries. This sign is the first sign in the zodiac and this is one of the better times to put your intention to the universe. You may call it bollocks but it works for me.

During my lunch yesterday I completed a little thing "how to find your passion" questionnaire from an advertising mogul:

1) What did you love as a kid?

I loved making things. I liked being recognized or being in front of people. I wasn't afraid of doing dance choreography and when I was 12 I was able to do a show for my school's Spring Fling concert. I loved designing. I still love designing as well as writing to express myself.

2) What was your best day and what were you doing? What did that involve?

My best days at school were when I was leading, creating and being recognized for it. My best days outside of school are always when I spent time of either my family or friends laughing, sharing a meal and telling stories.

3) Who are you jealous of?

David Bowie (he's just cool), Martha Stewart (for her drive and perfectionism), Madonna (for her maverick style in her reinventions), Angelina Jolie (this biatch is just hot and she can pilot a helicopter!) and Richard Branson (he puts the sexy in entrepreneur and he's fearless).

4) What would you do even if you weren't being paid?

I would come up with ideas for things all day and I would make stuff from concept to marketing. Of course, I enjoy helping people and making them feel special.

5) What would your script read if you were its author, no holds barred?

Script? I was thinking more like dust jacket on a book. Wickedly Blessed: Author and Innovator Sarah Sprinkles' inspirational journey to spread love, joy and beauty into the world.

Now we know I am not in my chosen career or bliss. I am thankful it allows me to live and pay bills. Before the alien extraction I was somewhat content to keep going and toss around my hopes, wishes and dreams. Months after the extraction and now chemotherapy, I am not so content. I want the second half of my life to be spent doing things I have always wanted to explore and be. There are so many things on my bucket list. I hope I get to do them all. My enthusiasm is only tempered by my immediate health concerns. My mind is miles ahead. Then my body will just have to do its best to catch up.

Love,
Sprinkles xxoo

Reassessment

Feng Shui Cake

Feng Shui Cake? Well...I added the pretty drink parasols for "wind" and I piped a shell border that looks like waves for "water". I brought this in today for our Chopstick Chow Down* or Asian themed potluck. I also cooked a Filipino noodle dish. Should be good eats -- I will give you a full report later.


(Taken with my camera phone.)


*I couldn't help myself. They asked me to send the invite and I decided to come up with a name for the lunch. Why be boring? Other people have that covered.
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Feng Shui Cake

Sunday's Word is Piperene

Made a 6:10am coffee run after walking Cabal. The coffee would not be consumed right away and would have to be reheated a couple of hours later when I woke up again. I stayed up late and wasn't ready to be happy on Sunday...

Watched my favorite TV preacher televised/taped from Texas. This was followed by the CBS Morning Show's tribute to food and Thanksgiving where I learned that the chemical piperene is what gives black pepper [berry] its spiciness. I knew that capsaicin came from chilli peppers, but didn't think it was different from the pepper berry. Learning new things is always great fun.

Ate a light lunch before getting ready for a bit of shopping. What was on the stereo while I swirled, tapped and buffed on my make-up? The Style Council Hits/Compilation CD. Cabal watched me take mini breaks by dancing around him. He tilted his head as if wondering what the hell got into his mama and if treats for him were involved.

Spent $200 at Wal-Mart. I know -- WTF? Boring things like toilet paper, paper towels, new energy efficient bulbs, teeth whitening, toothpaste, soap, laundry detergent, feminine stuff, etc. were on my shopping list. My hairdresser recommended me to not wash my hair everyday, but that doesn't give me good hair days so I bought a flat iron to try out on no washing days. It's difficult when you shower each day, often times twice a day. There are hazards living in Shallowville. Also bought the 20th Anniversary edition Princess Bride DVD & Book Set and Will Smith's Hitch. I didn't realize I had a theme until I was transferring bags from the cart to the car. The universe has a demented sense of humor.

Received a rather interesting e-mail from a lady in Southern Florida. Image searches for asian goddess/goddess/love goddess, et al yield my blog picture and where it is located -- in this case my blog. The lady e-mailed me this question: hey hun love you name.. I was wondering what do you do for a living?? I chuckled at first and then died of laughter after I clicked on the website as part of her signature. It was for an in-home party business for...adult novelty. (You know my girlies are having a field day with this information.)

Several years ago, my friend Sandy wanted me to host one of these adult novelty parties because it wouldn't be weird coming from you and people would be more comfortable at your place. Huh? My place is very comfortable thanks to feng shui and my taste in decor, but it is not a sex den. Shaddap Angie. I am very open about the subject of sex and very little on the subject matter is taboo if it ever comes up for discussion. Poor lady is going to be disappointed that I don't have my own pay-per-peep business or my own phone sex hotline. Just a buyer in a tech company. Nothing exciting.

:::AGOL dusting off body glitter from her hands:::
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Sunday's Word is Piperene

Bella Come Un Fiore

A trip to the home improvement store this afternoon cheered me up immensely and yielded beauties for my enclosed porch. My once green thumb had turned to black the last couple of years and now I mean to redeem myself. My few surviving plants deserve their life no thanks to me.

Here is the new lot I chose this afternoon which is a mix of flowering plants with a colorful croton and two areca palms. Unfortunately, I couldn't choose plants with round leaves according to my feng shui bagua (map). It's okay to laugh if you don't believe in it. I bet you have your toilet lid* open all the time, huh? Thought so. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.



Gerbera daisy, you're so passionate.


You give me sunshine, Golden Trumpet.


Viva Mexican Heather! You will be the easiest to care.


Croton, your colors are rich as Croesus.


Never met you before today. I forgot your name already.


Made one more stop to pick up a few foodstuffs one of them being a package of hotdog buns. Imagine my horror when I saw the torn empty package on my living room floor with no crumby evidence left while I brought in the last of my new plants. Cabal was skulking around the coffee table with guilty eyes that were trying to avoid my surprised ones. I made it worse by exclaiming his name. I petted his head much later as a forgiveness and gave him only half his dinner while I made mine.

My new plants will have to repotted very soon. I'll have get out my empty containers from the storage closet before I buy new ones and more new plants. I can't wait to get my hands in the soil. It is a very cathartic and grounding experience.

..................
*AGOL Tip: In feng shui, whomever leaves the toilet lid up when not in use also lets their good chi (energy) or good wealth escape through flushing. Keep more luck in your life by keeping the toilet seat down when you're not on it.

Bella Come Un Fiore

Something in the Air

Big topic of the day was The Rain! We live in a tropical state and rain does fall here, people. Duh!

It slowly dawned on me that I am about to be busier without Bridget in the office starting tomorrow to the following week. That ought to be fun. Not. She's leaving me all alone to deal with the temp! Might have to get Tawny involved to deflect energy vampire.

A rare bout of cabin fever struck me around 2-ish. IM'ed Tawny to walk around the building to get some fresh outside air. Under the covered walkway, we were safe from the gentle rain falling. I can't believe I was begging for air this afternoon. Haven't felt like climbing walls in a long time. I couldn't breathe for some reason and needed the space. Very odd...

One of the nicest IT guys I know, Vic, helped me out by working my helpdesk ticket quickly. He provided me with a DVD of the personal folder from my boss' computer which has e-mails with large contract file attachments. He also downloaded it on my Inbox for easier access.

My desk area is rather crowded not only with my fun AGOL-y desk stuff but with files and a large network printer. Inspired by Vic's presence, I expressed my need to re-feng shui my desk. He knows me and just laughs. Before I knew it, he was rearranging my area by moving my printer and all the cords from one end to the other. When he was finished, I felt like I could breathe again. Called Tawny to come over and check it out just to make sure I wasn't being too nutty. The new more open configuration was a hit!

On the way out this evening, I ended up in the same elevator as my SVP who chatted away to me. I provided short, but encouraging answers all the way to the garage. I have never formally met her. She'll have to figure it out later. I have issues with executives not getting to know their people.

Spent a quiet evening like the rain still softly falling outside. Can't wait for the busy day tomorrow so I can zoom to the weekend.

Something in the Air

Feng Shui Hint

That overdue grout job my apartment complex was supposed have completed could no longer be ignored thanks to a few of the tiles buckling and falling in the middle of my shower. This was hard to not to notice. An emergency call to fix it had to be made today.

When I did call, there was some twitty girl on the phone and the conversation went like this:

AGOL: Hello. This is Sarah Sprinkles from Apartment 666 (just kidding!) and I want to schedule for someone to come in tomorrow and fix the tile that has fallen from my shower walls.
Twitty Girl: We can't guarantee someone to come. It is on a first come, first served basis.
AGOL: I don't think you heard me. Tiles from my bathroom shower have fallen. There is now a moisture problem. I need to know if someone can come because I will have to take the day off to be there.
Twitty Girl: Is there a number that we may reach you?
AGOL: Yes, 1-800-UR-Dumb

I called around 4pm to confirm that the maintenance ticket had been entered. This time a nice man answered the phone and confirmed that he had entered the ticket himself. Hmpf!

In my freakishness, I decided to think about what the universe was telling me by way of this event. You will always have to deal with dumbasses? Nope. You shoulda had the smackdown with the complex for missing your grouting your appointment? Nah. Okay...something more useful then. Feng Shui.

My bathroom falls in the Fame section of my bagua. Believe me, I have enough feng shui cures to not let my reputation go to the toilet. The tiles falling seemed to coincide with my creating a new account with youtube for Project AGOL. Perhaps my fame is breaking through? I'd like to think so.

It's not that I want to be famous. I just have some ideas for shows that I think would be a lot of fun to do. Yes, the successful salary it would bring would be nice, too. With these shows, I would have the opportunity to meet really interesting people and share some of their stories. I would rather celebrate the common folk because their stories are real and not some distorted view of reality. I am not particularly impressed by the likes of Britney, Paris or Lindsay. Their stories are on an endless replay loop. Yawn.

Work was busy for me as the buyer for today. Bridget's son was sick at daycare and had to leave early to pick him up. Tawny was chained to more conference calls. (I wonder if she is starting to suffer from cauliflower ear. Don't ask.) Went to the airport to mail some stuff across the pond and I didn't have to wait in line! Back at work to find Tawny's call paused for lunch. I happily sat down and ate my lunch with her and some of the gals.

Spent the evening working on more ideas for Project AGOL. It is amazing what you can do yourself with a few simple tools. Technology rocks!

Feng Shui Hint

Drawing Board

Amazed at how you can be at work less than an hour and have a few people work your nerve already. A nice cup of hot tea afterwards help get me back on even keel.

Work is work with reports and GL coding. Heard some grumblings yesterday about my group being moved from Building 1 to Building 2 of 3. It is essentially the same building and maybe a quarter mile down the road. Our whole finance department being in the same building will be a better environment. We don't have to bicker in separate buildings. Nipping things in the bud will be much quicker.

I had an impromptu mini presentation for my boss that involved me drawing diagrams on the white board...Ooh, pretty marker colors! Sometimes people need a picture. I realized recently that he is a visual learner and does better with seeing text and relational arrows. Ooh, more pretty marker colors!

IMed with Yummy this afternoon. He was in a good mood especially after making sure his laptop was still working and he was able to complete a phase of one of his projects. Yay for Yummy!

I caved in on my craving for a proper taco at dinner. Now I must drink lots of water for the sodium and eat Tums for the grease that flavored the filling. Wish me luck that I don't feel ill overnight...

On a spontaneous move, I called my dad and stepmother. Dad had been busy building walls around the garden area, filling it with dirt and tamping it down, and mulching around. They have some land so it has been quite the "Honey-Do" project. It is no chore for him for he loves the outdoors. My stepmother has been helping him and recovering remarkably well from having her right leg in a cast. She fell several weeks ago from a misstep in the garage.

Kept reminding myself that it is a three-day weekend with observance of Memorial Day on Monday. I am very much looking forward to spring cleaning and re-feng shuing my apartment. I can barely get to my drafting table in my spare room not to mention other art and crafts supplies. The clutter must go so that I may have a cleaner space to think. My creativity needs a jumpstart like a Model T needing a hand crank.

Drawing Board

Around Town

First order of business today was getting my hair colored and trimmed. I needed to feel more like AGOL again. When I arrived at the salon, the energy had changed considerably. The furniture had moved and she was offering more services. Some kind of good feng shui occurred here and I was very pleased. My hairdresser Michelle was in fine spirits, too!

Michelle just went through a much needed divorce; found out later today from Kristey that she was trying to get back with him. I don't get smart women sometimes. Her aunt had stopped down and administered a 10-day treatment of acupuncture -- a treatment I had been begging Michelle to get since allopathic medicine hadn't helped her get better. A lot of it was her negative emotions manifesting in her body.

My hair had been nicely touched up and Michelle cutting it when I received a surprise call from His Royal Yummy. I feel like an idiot during these surprise calls because I get all googly and marshmallowy. What a sap! I usually walk around with brass ones. I instantly turn into mush with Yummy. We were making a skype date today. I had afternoon plans and he had evening plans so were trying to sort it out. We agreed on 6pm AGOLtime/11pm Yummytime.

I was a bit unnerved for it seemed the salon had quieted down and began listening to my end of the conversation. Even worse, I got all teary-eyed after the call and I looked at Michelle and said to her, "He's so nice to me." She replied, "But you're nice to him." To which I iterated, "Yes, I am always nice, but he's so nice to me." She knew what I meant. It is difficult to find a man who is genuinely nice and who treats you nice, too. I was on a marshmallow cloud the rest of the afternoon.

From the salon I had to rush home and freshen up for my lunch date with the girlies at this tiki bar by the beach about 35 miles from my apartment. It was a quick drive on the weekend and most of it was highway driving. I met Kristey, her neighbor Traci and Myrna, who will be staying with Cabal for week one while I am with Yummy.

Tawnyia had been text messaging me while I made my way around this beach bar. She also reminded me that her husband wanted me to sing his birthday song to him. I called Jeff on his cell and sang Maligayang Bati in the car just before I entered the bar. He was happy that I continued this tradition that has been going on for years. Other people have requested the same tradition of having their birthday song sung in Tagalog...

When did it turn so hot? The sun was reflecting horribly from the pavement and the gulf waters just several yards away from us. We sat under an umbrella outside enjoying some breeze, but it was still warm. Even the margarita drink didn't cool me off so I switched to cola.

The girls were subdued maybe because of the heat. We talked about my upcoming UK trip with Kristey grilling me on what the emergency number was for 911 there. I must be the only one not worried. Usually I am freakish about these things, but they've taken over. It's not like I am going to Mexico or Morocco. I still love them for caring though.

My timing home was sooner than anticipated so I texted Yummy to let him know I was home since he wasn't online yet. He called me from the pub he and his friends were in. I was treated to another talk with lively Anton and this time with Anton's wife, Anna, too. I enjoyed the way she spoke, very English-y. Yummy teased me that I should start hearing different English people speak now so I would get used to it. Hmmm.

We talked for a short bit later right before Jeff and Tawnyia picked me up to go their studio space downstairs at the art (old cigar) factory in downtown Trampa . There was an art show and live performance art going on upstairs which we investigated and only became mildly interested in before returning to our own fun. Here are some pics I took tonight.


(Jeff & Tawnyia's Studio Name. Dig it.)


(Art happens here! Loved playing with paint tonight. Second room behind for kilns, equipment and supplies.)


(Very pretty. Tawnyia made this tonight. It was a custom order for a gal at work.)

Didn't get home until 12:30am. I wasn't feeling tired until I started sending these images from cell phone to my e-mail address for uploading on my bloggie. It was a good day spent.

Around Town

Yippeee!!

An e-mail blipped on the bottom of my screen that caused me instant joy. My boss had e-mailed me to say that our new hire would start tomorrow instead of Monday. This was great news indeed!

Another bit of morning good news was that the rented satellite phones I had called on yesterday afternoon for three executives came. They wanted some accessibility while they attended a sales conference in the US Virgin Islands. Michelle and I hand-delivered them by 11am. These things weighed almost 13 ounces each. We teased that these could also be used as a weapon; it was like carrying brick. Compared to my pink Motorola Razr, these phones looked like old school phones from the 80s.

Almost forgot about the swivel antennae that looked suspiciously phallic. Even our high level exec was taken aback when he swiveled the antennae around to the proper position. He laughed, but resisted the urge to comment since we were not in an HR-free zone...

My two-day temp was loved by all. She was so efficient, friendly and just cute as in a little sister kind of way. The ladies she sat by tried to find her a permanent position within our company. She liked us, too, and thought we were so easy going and fun. She even gave me a quick hug goodbye after I thanked her for her hard work. Hope we really do see her again -- she needs to enjoy more of the hot chocolate in our break rooms!

I get to play musical cubicles on Friday. My new home will be on the other side of the building. We are short on real estate at the moment and no one is giving up their empty seats for fear of losing the headcount they are trying to fill.

The new hire needs to sit next to me so off we go to the other side where it is quieter. Little do they know that "Love" is about to explode in their area. Have they seen my current cube? I must take a picture for you once I am set back up. It is not as bad as you might think. The down side of changing locale is that I will be away from my buddies, but we have IM. Our printer will be housed at my desk, too. This is going to take some feng shui cures. Hmmm...

I was able to go home on time which cheered me considerably and hoped Yummy would be on IM since he hadn't logged in while I was at work. He was on by the time I finished taking care of Cabal. That man is always surprising me. I wasn't expecting to skype briefly, but it was great to hear his voice before he said beddy byes. It was way past his bedtime; he just wanted to say hello.

He is infinitely beautiful like the flowers he sent me last Wednesday which are still in full bloom. I had removed several stems that had given up their beauty. Now the stargazer buds are rioting amid the carnation, asters, roses and snapdragons to show their inner treasures, smiling at me as bold as can be!

Yippeee!!

Be Very Quiet - It's Monday

Several people were out sick today including my department colleague and even Tawnyia. Both apparently suffered from migraines. Must be the weather which has turned into a chill. It never actually gets cold in Trampa, but sometimes you can say it is thanks to the humidity.

Very busy today, but I didn't have a lot of distractions so the day sped by quickly, thank God. I thought I would feel overwhelmed, but not having my colleague there eased my energy levels. She just has a way of affecting my mojo even with the feng shui cures I have in place. I can only imagine how it would feel without them! Let's not.

Very surprising thing today...One of the guys I run into in the lunchroom handed me a poem to read. He wrote it for his wife for Valentine's Day. He is a regional manager at work and in jest, we give each other a hard time. The poem was entitled, "Sand and Sea" which was really pretty. I even sent it to Yummy since he lives by the water. He came by my desk later and knew that I practiced feng shui by all the placement of objects. It just goes to show you just don't know your neighbors all the time. I liked being pleasantly surprised.

IM'ed with Yummy later who was in rare form. Trapezoid? Ha! His wit is so quick that I even have to put my game face on sometimes. Rare that that happens with men. That's one of the many reasons we get along so well and keeps me coming back for more of his brand of yummyness. I am supremely blessed to have such a caliber of man in my life and I take none of it for granted. He is a nice warm blanket when the world gets a little cold. I think I will enjoy that thought now while I quietly sip some hot tea.

Be Very Quiet - It's Monday

Maltesers & Modigliani

This could very well be the longest week of note. Wednesday is supposed to be "hump day" or the midweek celebration to the weekend. I was buried in contract renewals and invoice research thanks my company's split from the mother ship. A new company owns us now and we are still sifting through dozens of contracts. Could it be any more dullsville? I'd rather get a thorough physical from a doctor who has poor depth perception.

The highlights to my day were e-mails from Yummy, an IM conversation with Yummy and a night in at my friend British Jeff's home with friends and his two sons.

Every so often B. Jeff has movie night as his home where we watch a movie his sons would like. We order pizza and the adults drink beer and wine. Tonight we had the unholy crew of Jeff and Tawnyia, Anthony and Rebecca, B. Jeff, his sons and me. We watched a Pixar film called, "Cars" which we mostly enjoyed.

After pizza and halfway through the film, B. Jeff brought out the British chocolates he bought at a Brit store near his home. It was Galaxy and Malteser heaven for all of us. The last time we had these delicious treats was when his very nice mum Joyce brought them last month from Liverpool.

Here are some empty wrappers from what Tawnyia and I shared and no we didn't share the big bottle of Aussie wine in the background. She shared with her husband and I had Mexican beer.

B. Jeff is in the market to sell his home thanks to his recent and well-deserved divorce from his ex-wife. His real estate company helped him out by rearranging his home and bringing in some more homey touches since it was been somewhat of a bachelor pad until his sons recent move in. All this rigmarole to put the house in a better light for buyers.

The real estate ladies miscalculated one thing -- the painting below that hung over the fireplace. Could be this be the least friendly face to greet you when you walk in? Holy hell! Her slits for eyes must glow red when you're not looking not to mention they seem to follow you everywhere you go. Poor artist Modigliani must've been in need of some serious therapy!

We had a howling good time dissecting this choice of art. Medusa could be a rival to this face. The boys, also ghouls, had fun enacting different scenarios of what 'Modigliani' was doing while you slept. They teased me that my phone was now cursed because I took the picture to post on my blog.

B. Jeff and Anthony switched the picture for a friendlier one on the other side of the fireplace facing the swimming pool. The fireplace was installed on a freestanding wall and can be enjoyed from both sides either in the dining room or the living room. I'm thinking the feng shui level in this house is now balanced.

Now I must decide whether to smudge my house with smoke from burning white sage or sprinkle sea salt in the corners to ward of Modigliani's curse. F**k it, I am going to sleep. My powers of evil are way stronger. Ha!

Maltesers & Modigliani

Day-O...Thursday Come and I Wanna Go Home

Harry Belafonte was being channeled in my mind the last two days and my cube farm has been working my nerve! There are only so many feng shui cures I can apply at work before the telltale signs of too many pieces of aluminum foil with reflective side facing the bad juju vibes (co-workers) start to peek from under hanging frames and through file cabinets in my area. My energy is all wonky because of the bad funk shui.

I thought yesterday was today. The day became a whole Maalox moment when I realized that it was only Wednesday. Not pretty at all. Anticipating my afternoon meeting with my new department and actually having it was stressful, too. That meeting was followed by a one-on-one meeting with my new boss to set expectations: His vs. Mine. We concur on everything so it was all good. When I finally got home I crashed to bed early...

The monitor clock taunted me again today. I swear it was doing it on purpose! Mean thing. I should try to change the time, but it will reset itself when it syncs with the network so that is pointless.

My birthday is coming up next week. I can tell by the crows feet that are slowly making their imprints. Laugh lines, my ass. Just kidding -- I barely have any lines. I'm just hoping not to suffer from the Asian Woman Aging Curse. The curse that seemingly endless youth is bestowed upon Asian women..and then one day POW! Short white hair, slower shuffle walking and an overall driftwood look overcomes the poor unsuspecting woman. I am half German so goddess knows what the hell I am going to get. Let's not go there!

I've also been trying to juggle multiple birthday dinner plans to satisfy everyone who wants to see me. Last year, I gave three surprise birthday parties. The first one was for Tawnyia whose birthday is one day before mine. That was wicked fun at my favorite restaurant, Maggiano's -- yes, I worked it in. Everyone loves my restaurant, too! They just may not like Sinatra being piped during the whole experience. (A few cocktails took care of that.) I kind of miss no longer having to deal with the Reservations Nazi who was a cross between Dame Edna and Joan Rivers. Maybe I can campaign to rehire her? (Shuddering)

Better go back and practice some calypso. I have a feeling Harry will be singing again tomorrow. He should just bring the banana boat and my cool group will hop in and sail into the sunset while enjoying some serious rum. Now we're talking!

Day-O...Thursday Come and I Wanna Go Home

Corn Dog & Chips

You know your "AGOL-isms" have been successful when they start to influence your friends' decisions and lifestyles. I have the annual privilege of being invited to a long-time friend's Christmas party last night. Her elegant party always has a lot of hot hors d'oeuvres which require attention whether it is cooking, serving and refilling. It gets to be quite the production so she was looking for ways to make it easier on herself. Her neighbor suggested that she serve more cold selections like potato salad and :::queue dramatic music clip::: "potato chips and dip". She was horrified -- all she could think about was my rule on non-sport event food selections: "NO CHIP & DIP". I laughed so hard! Her husband said that he would greet me at the door with a corn dog and a side of chips. I couldn't breathe when I heard that one.

Here's the herstory. Growing up in the Mother Country we had a lot of get-togethers that involved homemade cooked food, barbecue and for the adults, rum libations. I don't ever recall a bowl of chips disgracing the table. The whole cooking thing is so ingrained in me that I can't think of having a party doing it any other way. It says that you care enough about your guests to cook and serve them especially if you are serving a lot of alcohol. You need something to soak up the Guinness, margaritas and your favorite-tinis!

AGOL Entertaining Observations:

1) No Chips & Dip
(Exceptions: Sporting Events or if you are serving tortilla chips with salsa. If you are serving chips, please make sure you get the sturdier chip so it doesn't get lost in the onion dip thus encouraging double-dippers! EW EW EW)

2) Serve Real Food If You Are Serving Alchohol
(See Rule #1...You want your guests to survive the drive home. Can't cook? Get some pre-made food at the deli. I can't believe I am about to type this...I am feeling faint -- you can even buy frozen pizza, heat it and cut it into small pieces for appetizers. AGOL doesn't really like pizza.)

3) Make sure your bathroom paper products are filled or accessible if you run out.
(Gentlemen, we can't shake ours dry like you can so please be considerate. BTW, don't be shaking too long or we'll start to wonder if we should start charging admission.)

4) Evaluate Before You Arrive at a Party
This is really bad, but the truth hurts sometimes. Have some BMA Cookies if you don't like it. Before I go to a party, I evaluate the situation. Questions you must ask yourself: Is the hostess full caucasian? If yes, Strike One. Is the hostess rail thin? If yes, Strike Two. If the answer is yes to both questions...There is NO FOOD at the damn party so you better eat some PBJ before you leave the house! This is 90% proven true -- I have my own committee.

5) Play Lively Music (or any music for that matter)
Okay, smartypants -- I didn't mean polka (although I can appreciate a good polka, right Tawnyia?). I will be playing some Brian Setzer Orchestra and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy this weekend and some totally rad 80s selections.



This was taken a bit back by my great friend Tawnyia after we went grocery shopping to show everyone that I actually bought a bag of chips. Since the buddhas (I have two!) are only known to exist in my home among my circle of friends, it was hard proof. Then she had the nerve to send it around from her phone. What are friends for?

Gosh, there is so many more other -isms, but they fall into the Feng Shui category, more drilled down Cooking Lessons and AGOL General Topic. Those will be forthcoming at a later date. Right now, I have to still go over my holiday gift list and the food & beverage selections for next weekend. It's also time for a late lunch. Party of One. Today's selection, mademoiselle, will either be a choice of PBJ or eggplant parmigiana with a side of pasta...

I guess I better start boiling water for that pasta. Bon Appetit.

Corn Dog & Chips