Moonfluenced

Black Friday...? There was nothing important enough for me to be out in some of the stores that were open at 4am. Unless they were giving away doorbuster deals for free, there was no way in hell I was shopping at any time today. Besides you all know that I don't care and I really (gasp!) hate Christmas. I usually force myself to have a Christmas list by now and I don't.

Without planning and giving any parties this year, Christmas is just another day on the calendar. I might as well convert to Judaism which I could stomach a lot more these days. Maybe I should...I did make my Christmas card list, but I am not making my artsy Christmas cards. Like I've told you, my heart isn't in many things at the moment. I've learned to shut up and keep my humbugs to myself. Other people do enjoy Christmas!

Having this time off has me slowly going back to my hermit habits. Ha, that's funny. It is too easy to do. I know it is only temporary because the universe is a sadist and wants me out in it. Just when I get comfortable cocooning myself, it will force me to be sociable like a quick rip of a band-aid. A bit dramatic, but spot on the description.

Invited Lisa for a late lunch tomorrow as a response to her myspace note to me. She is still leaving her husband and needs some time away from him and kiddies for an afternoon spell. I think I am firing up my panini maker. I will be going to the grocery store after I check on Kathy's cats again early tomorrow.

Finally got my nails done as much as I talked about them earlier in the week. I didn't get my regular lady. She referred me to this older Vietnamese man who I surmised might be in his 60s. Never can tell age well with us Asians. He reminds me of an aging Casanova for some reason; must be his vibe. Anyhoo, goddamn did he do excellent work! My nails are even more gorgeous than the last guy who did them. It is the guys. Maybe they feel they have to prove more...

I've been wanting to go to the IKEA that just opened in Orlando and was hoping to go with Tawny. I'd been asking her and I thought she had plans to go to Atlanta this weekend. She texted me tonight to go tomorrow morning, but I have already made plans with Lisa. I just want more wooden hangers. The quality is phenomenal for the price. Quite obsessional about them actually. Of course, now I've discovered they have darker stained ones -- that would mean a whole hanger revamp. My OCD kicks in with trying to make sure all my hangers are wooden and match. This full moon is making me go into lunacy. That is the reason, right?
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Moonfluenced

Viewing Van Gogh

With leash and dog in tow a little after 5am, the full moon greeted us with diffused abandon. Our closest natural satellite looked like it had been dry brushed with clouds of cream from side to side.

Seeing this love quote from Van Gogh reminded me of it again during the day:

"The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others."

Viewing his Irises at The Getty Museum in Los Angeles several years ago took my breath away. I was lucky enough to stand in front of it for several minutes without any interruption in my viewing pleasure as if I was its own private audience. My eyes focused on the lone white iris to the left. I got the strong impression it was him sticking his tongue out to the world. The other words or feelings I received were I may be in an asylum, but I can still stand out and I can still paint my essence on canvas. No one can take that away from me. I loved it.

Meanwhile back at the asylum I call my work, I had another round of software testing. I will have to continue it next week thanks to a miscommunication between the project manager and my boss. I was hoping to get it completed this week. Sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Rushed home to take care of my Pretty Boy Dog so I would be ready when Tawny picked me up around 7pm. I was accompanying her on a shopping errand for the Halloween party on Saturday. Two stores with a stop for dinner in between got me home around 11pm. I tried to settle in quickly by attempting to finish this post, but I soon discovered browser errors that would not allow me to log into Blogger.com. I performed all of their recommendations to the same negative results. Disgusted and sleepy I made it under the covers with more positive results.
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Viewing Van Gogh

SILK OF MIDNIGHT

THE DARK SILK OF MIDNIGHT CARESSES
LEAGUES DEEP WITHIN OUR HALO DREAMS.
SLOWLY AND SMOOTHLY SLIDES AGAINST
THE SKIN OF REASON GIVING DOUBT TO TRUTH.

WE AWAIT EVEN THE SLIGHTEST MOON CRESCENT
TO BRAND A WHITE HOT PATH OF UNDERSTANDING
WHY GOD MAKES US MERE MORTALS HUNGER
AND REACH FOR COMFORT IN THE DARK UNKNOWN.

MIDNIGHT IS NUDGED OVER BY THE SUN'S FINGERS,
THE TRUE AND SURE LIGHT OF TRUTH.
NO DREAMS, NO WISHES, NO HOPE CAN HIDE
FROM A BRIGHT STAR UPON THEY ARE ECSTATICALLY MADE.

SILK OF MIDNIGHT

Full Moon Madness

Why is traffic jam a part of my mornings lately? Was there a free giveaway on licenses obtained from Cracker Jack boxes? Sheesh. Spent the first 45 minutes of my day at work trying to find inner peace and taking the nerd test in the previous post.

Fiscal Year End is a monster. There is so much pressure to get everything in you can, but we're soldiering through it well. My part of it is fuzzy. I feel disconnected from the process, but I know I am part of it. I just have to get through this week, I think. Still not feeling all together well. From a Shallowville point of view, I had great hair day.

Noticed a gift placed on my desk after I got back from my department meeting. It was a very nice notebook and pen set with our company logo on it. Not sure who left it there for me as is sometimes the case. Bridget didn't get one so I decided not to make a big deal out of it. Secretly, I was thinking that my magical desk is the coolest!

Tawny wasn't in again today which was worrying, but I was able to IM with her some during the day. Maybe she will be back at work tomorrow...BTW, Tawny, thanks for taking part in the Nerd Test and in my late afternoon freakishness. I don't care what they say about you. Feel better.

Advised my new boss I was leaving early about five minutes before I left. He didn't mind. I had to hurry home to beat traffic, take care of my Pretty Boy Dog and meet Kim/Kristey/Myrna at the Chinese restaurant near me. It was a great time with the girlies. Satisfied my craving for Mu Shu Pork and hot jasmine tea.

Found out that Kristey can't make it to The Saturday Four, but Kim and I are still on so that is good for the AGOL. Myrna doesn't want to sweat that early let alone get up that early. The ladies praised my new hair color. Good thing because I love it. I picked the color based on how the sample looked in the sunlight. Hot cha-cha.

It wasn't that much of a wacky Full Moon Day, thank goddess. Besides morning traffic and the regular work madness, I suffered some e-mail madness all day. Most of it annoyed me since they came from another department, one floored me and the rest made me smile. I like receiving smiley e-mails. It cracks the controlled veneer hardening from the wackiness at work.

Full Moon Madness

Red Moon Setting

Startled this morning by the lunar eclipse when I walked my dog. It evoked such a visceral response akin to the first time I saw this moon scene from Time Machine.

Before midnight the moon was in its glory and this morning after 5am it was just a bright smile line with a red shadow cast against the rest of its face. Once I remembered it was the eclipse, I stared at the rare occurrence in wonder. Will the heavens ever give up its full secrets to us mere humans? Are we worthy of its vastness? We are all made of the same stuff as stars. Maybe in the next millennium...

Felt really aged today as I readied for work, but when I looked in the mirror to check, all I saw was a very young looking 36-year old having good face and hair day. Must be my state of mind. It just turned 114.

Roped by my interim boss first thing to take his place in a conference call. Thank God it wasn't as painful as anticipated...The one thing that wasn't anticipated was an IT manager coming to me whining about something he should have been able to solve. I gave him three different viable solutions right off the top of my head. Not one, not two, but three! Manager-0, Lowly Emp-3

Am I being too flat? Where is that famous AGOL fizz? Everyone (strangers included) were mysteriously being extra nice to me today. I tried to flash my Chiclets a lot especially to the president of my North American division. Still trying to get that Smile Ambassador gig he doesn't know I have created for myself. So far I have him making a point to say hello to me while everyone else is asking Who's that guy? I think he gets a kick out of me saying I am groovy. Maybe I need to step up my teeth whitening regimen which could take me to the next level of making my mouth a natural light source. Something to ponder certainly.

Red Moon Setting

Dreamtrap

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

W.B. Yeats

I wish the near full moon Cabal and I walked under at 4:43am would have revealed what my dreams are to be. I no longer know them or recognize them. The ripple in the once clear water illuminated by the moon has distorted the images into a grotesque comedy, leaving me with muddied colors.

I've asked for Clarity, but what I get is Uncertainty. More than is necessary, I think.

Dreamtrap

Moonsmile

My days in paradise are so much fun I don't know if I can stand anymore of it...Well, this part of Florida used to be paradise until humans decided to build and inhabit this area in the name of progress. Progress. Now that is a nice word especially if I could apply it to work (aka paradies).

Users worked my nerve a little, but that is part of my deal with the devil, The Man. I am but a cog in his fine toothed wheel. Round and round we go...

I texted Yummy with a naughty message which he is used to getting just not in the middle of a work day. He got me back good, too. Spice is always nice!

OMG - I got caught dancing at the lunch table (not on!) by my boss as he passed by the wall of windows overlooking the break room (akin to fishbowl effect). My regular lunchroom buddies were there and I decided to torment them again with my new ring tones so I asked Jeff to text me. The designated text song came on and Michelle and I shook our heads and moved our bodies when it played. Yeah, my boss, passed by...stared in shock...and proceeded to laugh his ass off.

Yup...professionalism at its best. You can take the AGOL out of the disco lounge, but you can't take the disco lounge out of the AGOL. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I am dressed very professionally (requisite pearls and flower pin, etc.) and to see me spazzing out being silly is just so contradictory to the image. I did get to relive the humiliation in my staff meeting. My boss often thanks me in an Elvis tone so I am not that embarrassed. That's my story and I am sticking with it.

I didn't realize I had become a trainer for our accounting application. The latter part of my afternoon was spent walking someone through a process. It is not easy and too many variables to populate. My Patience Hat came on let's just say...

For the first time in a while, I left work early and was home and had Cabal taken care of by 7pm. It was nice to just decompress and surf the net for stupid info. No real destination, just emptying my mind of the day. It was heavenly.

My temp has been working her butt off so I decided to go out again after 9:30pm to the grocery store and buy her a thank you card and the last six pieces of petit fours. The dainty cakes were placed in a clear plastic clam shell tray. I will find the coordinating French wire ribbon in the morning to dress the tray up...She did freak me out today. I complimented her on looking really nice and she said she was trying to look like me. Good grief -- not another "mini-me wannabe".

The best part of today was seeing the moon's nice smile line bright against the dark sky on my way to and from the store. The moon's curvy smile hinted at a secret. It apparently knows something I don't yet.

Moonsmile