Reunion at Disney

Why did I ever agree to get my hair done at 9am? The salon was on the other side of town about 25 miles. I was miraculously 10 minutes early for Tania (tah-neeyah) who was surprised to see me. I have a lot of hair to darken which takes time. The warm red I have enjoyed was starting to annoy me and the cover-up of the old blonde hair at the bottom third was looking tired. It was time for a change to darken my tresses. I also felt that I needed to be taken more seriously. There is something about darker hair that exudes a perception of a higher IQ. (Don't argue with me - you know your AGOL is correct.)

My new hair color looks like a dark wine (almost black) indoors, but when the sun hits it I feel like a Japanese anime character. The sun illuminates the color into a brilliant wine. Dig it! It is a perfect foil for my geisha white skin - not to mention to goes well with my new wine lipgloss. Helloooooooooooooooooo Shallowville! After the hair came the trip to the nail salon. More Shallowville.

Truth be told, I could have waited for both appointments but I was meeting my old friend Trish from San Francisco in Orlando where she and her boyfriend were staying at a Disney resort to spend time with his family for a few days. It has been about 12 years since I have seen Trish in person and I wanted to put my best foot forward. She did the same thing the past few days, too.

The bad part was that their flight came in at 7:35pm at Orlando International. By the time they settle in it would be about 9pm. She made dinner reservations at 9:30pm. I tried to prepare for the lateness in things by taking an hour nap in the afternoon to make my drive easier. You may recall I suffer from night blindness which increases when I am tired.

Did I tell you I also had to drive to the other side of Tampa for a Korean dinner at Kim's for 5:30pm? I made it on time and ate some homemade delicacies including seasoned sesame leaves which was a pleasant surprise. My excuses were made to the dinner party a little after 7pm. I still had to stop at the store to get Trisha some much needed underwear her boyfriend forgot to pack. She called me while I was at the salon earlier in the day for the favor. I also bought a 4-pack of Starbuck's doubleshot espresso and drank one on the way to Orlando. Damn my car really zooms at 80mph or was that the caffeine?

Trish's boyfriend met me in the lobby and led us back to their room where a teary-eyed Trish greeted me. It would seem that time stopped on our faces since the last time we saw each other. Funny how our faces haven't really aged. The moment was surreal.

We honored our dinner reservations with a decadent meal. My Korean feast was still settling in my stomach so I had a small appetizer to go with the extra large margarita I was drinking. We had planned on me staying over, but it didn't work out. Several texts to Tawny back and forth had her worried about my late drive home. I was thankful she took my doggie out twice and asked her to leave my key under the mat. My drive home began after midnight and got home safely thanks to a long conversation on the way home with Angie in LA and another can of doubleshot espresso.

I have mixed feelings about my reunion with Trish. While our faces have not aged, our personalities have and trying to reconnect in a matter of a few hours was not enough to re-establish things. Still we made do and she very much wants me to visit her in San Francisco. We'll see. I was safely home at 2am.

Coffee injections should be invented, legalized and sold commercially. Just saying.
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Reunion at Disney

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

Making Sweeter Things

I could have written about yesterday but it would have been full of Z's. My body spent the day recovering from weekday insomnia and the activities from yesterday. Sleep was a good thing. Maybe too good. I didn't get to sleep until 2:30am this morning. It was Memorial Day and I had the day off!

Today was activity day. My main objectives were getting my nails done and baking goodies for my boss' return to work tomorrow to show him how much we missed him. Hey...Sometimes being an AGOL is a rough gig with visits to Shallowville and Domesticville...

I thought my salon would be busy at the time of the afternoon I went, but I was able to be seated right away. My next stop was to pick up some candy melts for the Chocolate Cookie Truffles and Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles. Three ingredients each on the truffles -- you can't beat that for something tasty and super easy to make! There is an online blogger named Bakerella who has been featured on my evil queen Martha Stewart's show for her goodies including these truffles. I didn't take a picture of mine because I forgot (I know!). By the time I made almost 100 balls and placed them completed and cooled into mini baking cups, I was worn out.

Baked some cupcakes; the decoration on top wasn't what I had planned on but the shop I went to ran out of the colors I wanted for the chocolate melts. Settled for different colored sprinkles I already had at home. I barely piped these chocolate flowers on top. Not my best but it did the trick. It was colorful and that's all that mattered to me. My frosting was whipped in my mixer for almost 20 minutes for a light and fluffy texture. It is a bakery recipe that doesn't taste too sweet and is super smooth, but still carries a wonderful flavor.



A quick call to Tawny had me running samples of the truffles over for she and Jeff to try. They were a hit! Tawny reminded her husband why she needs her food processor (for the cookies) so she can make some of these truffles, too.

Gosh, I love to bake and decorate...and cook. I need a kitchen worthy of my love of cooking. Too bad the ones getting them are the ones that can barely cook/bake. Meanwhile, the rest of us who can cook/bake have to momentarily suffer through postage stamp kitchens with hardly any counter space. Yes, we artists must suffer for our art. Sigh.
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Making Sweeter Things

Sprinkles Day

It felt great -- great to have a day I could claim as my own...

I dropped my handbag and planner in Michelle's salon before going to the boba smoothie shop to get our favorite flavors. The owner was flirting with me. I wasn't sure at first and I can be aloof to such things, but he kept at it. This is going to sound bad but I am not generally attracted to other Asians. He was cute and had a muscular build, but I had no desire to play "sticky rice" as my cousin in LA has described to me.

Two hours later, I felt more like myself after having my roots retouched and general shaping of my hair through Michelle's expertise. Hello, Shallowville! We had some good laughs. It was made bittersweet by Michelle's recounting of the new man she was dating. He seemed her dream come true, a spectrum opposite from her ex-husband. Little details of his whereabouts don't seem to add up lately and she suspects him of dating another woman while dating her. Gosh, I hope she's wrong or she will never trust another man again. I think he forgets that she is wicked smart and can add timetables, too. Here's a hint gentlemen: Over explaining yourself can be a sure sign of guilt.

Made a quick stop at one of my clothing stores. I bought more workout gear on clearance. Four workout pants, two matching windbreaker jackets, one tee shirt and a pair of trouser socks came to a whopping $44. My casual pants usually begin at $55 at this store. These were past the end of the season items from last fall. The store was in full swing for late spring and early summer. Yoga style pants that were $45 were on sale for $4.99. I was super thrilled enough to call Angie in LA to brag about my deals.

My next stop was to get my nails done and check off another box on my Shallowville list. The old man from a few months ago was my nail tech today. He was talkative. I asked him what he had done when he lived in Vietnam. He said he had been an electrical engineer and a lieutenant. Age had been his enemy so he switched to doing nails when he got too old as he said. It was an easy profession to get into coming into the States. We also discussed the Vietnamese restaurant I have been frequenting which he approved and was able to make some other recommendations around the city.

The afternoon dissolved and I found myself hustling to get home so Cabal could be walked, fed and played with before I jumped in the shower. Tawny was having a party tonight with our friends. A couple who used to live here were visiting and staying with them a couple of days. It got loud as the libations were consumed. I had the best time. The only portion that bothered me was the push from the couple visiting for me to consider Dan as a dating option. He's a decent guy, Sarah. Why aren't you guys dating? I never disputed that he was a decent guy and quite frankly, he is a wonderful catch for a single girl.

There must be a rift in the space-time continuum somewhere for this subject to be coming up lately. Have they ever considered that he may not like me? It was as if it was my doing we were not together. Maybe I don't want to be with him either after all the BS in between the 10 years we've known each other. Just because we get along and seem to have this special rapport, doesn't mean we're dating material to each other. Of course, seeing us demonstrate this rapport tonight didn't help. Any dates we've had have been stilted with him not saying a whole lot back. He clammed up. As much as I love to talk, I can't keep the conversation up the whole time; I need feedback. I know our close friends mean well and only want to see us happily enjoying the same kind of happiness they have. Still, I was able to leave the party with a comforting feeling from an evening with great friends topping a day with Sprinkles-filled activities.
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Sprinkles Day

Bits of Everything

Ever have that feeling that you're all dressed up and no place to go? Those are most days for me. Today though my lunch plans asked for a rain check because his own work made it impossible to get away. Trudged downstairs with Bridget to get an okay tasting lunch from the cafe and ate at my desk.

Just to catch you up: I am waiting for my new benefits plan to kick in which should be soon before making an appointment for a full health check-up. There is a portion of my health which may need attention, but I am hoping it is just my paranoia stirring up unwarranted concern. On a better note, my symptoms from last month have gone and I am feeling very well. I am relieved to not have to go to the E/R. It is a ghastly place to be in. Hospitals to me are not for recovery...or a speedy one. The lower vibration surrounding the area making it more challenging.

And here are pics of my cube as of today; this is what it looks like so far. (I always wanna see how people work and where so I thought I'd share.) I am missing some color or pictures on the walls behind my monitors. The building just replaced the panel to the left; it was only a half a panel making my cube area more visible. My boss misses it terribly because he has to walk around. He doesn't understand my feng shui and that is perfectly alright.





Reposting this one. It would be the same pic looking to the left of the cube entrance.



Message from Shallowville: Discontinued Lipstick site (or Three Custom Color Specialists) will be where I will be sending my most favorite color to be replicated. This is the first site I have found that will recreate your favorite discontinued lipstick among other cosmetics. I will let you know how they do. I just can't believe my luck!

Promised Bridget I would bring my workout gear tomorrow. She wants us to "sweat to the hotties". Did I mention the fine men in my new building? Holy pinnacle of pulchritude, AGOL! No, I don't mind dressing down for a workout for that reason. Hee.
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Bits of Everything

Not That Innaressin'

My back-up hair dryer stopped working. Normally, this would be an ACM (AGOL Crisis Moment), but not this morning. (Hello Shallowville!) I had already washed my hair last evening and let it air dry. A little bit of curling and a lot of hairspray made me a candidate for the 1970s Show Charlie's Angels. I'd like to say it stayed that way all day, but with this humidity and my hair being thick, it didn't. Received compliments on it all day though. Lisa teased me that I must have had a lot of time this morning. If she only knew it took five minutes.

It was the first day back to school in my county so I left early trying to anticipate the extra traffic and unexpectedly got to work earlier. Quite enjoyed the drive in the cleaner car. Arrived before Bridget.

Poor girl shared her boyfriend blues today. I didn't mention this yesterday, but San Francisco Trish was having them, too. Sent her a text message with encouragement just before her lunchtime. I say throw the lot of them into a cage so they can be poked at with crude sticks or be made to watch chick flicks and have endless discussions on the pros and cons of waxing vs. shaving.

Work was both slow and fast. I am just glad the day was over so I could shop for a new hair dryer under Tawny's careful eye. I gave her a ride to British Jeff's house where she and her husband are still staying while it is still on the market. I asked her if she could come with me to purchase the new hairdryer before taking her.

Haven't had proper time to research, but I knew the features I wanted BESIDES DRYING (for you smarty pants). I can get very particular if you hadn't guessed already. Ended up with something in the middle, not too simple - not to complicated or bulky.

Not much to rave about really. I laughed watching sitcoms for two hours tonight and online earlier I found out what a Ghillie Suit is. I always thought it fell under the heading of camouflage. Maybe I can make one with copy paper, staples, paperclips, clear tape and various orphan computer parts for work tomorrow and see it if works inside.

Not That Innaressin'