Wii, Madamemoiselle!

My morning flew by with a lot of busy things while trying to keep Bridget from blowing a gasket. Another person in accounts payable was testing her patience today. We all take turns with that department.

Was able to have a pleasant lunch with Tawny today. Everyone else had plans thank God so I could have a decent conversation with her before I left at 1:45pm for an off site vendor visit.

My department met at one of our vendor's new office and warehouse for a QBR (quarterly business review). They were proud to showcase their new facility and super efficient warehousing system in a dog and pony show complete with a tour conducted by an executive and goodie bags filled with product and brochures we could take back to the office.

My previous company only dreamed of having their new warehouse implementation go as smoothly as this vendor's did in mere months. My previous company is still trying to sort out the multi-million dollar mess after a few years. Maybe I should refer them.

We were finished by 4pm which was great on the whole. Bridget and my boss had to drive extra and go through Trampa Friday rush hour traffic in the rain. The rain was so bad that three people were struck by lightning I found out later. Two by the beach and one where my aunt and uncle live. I was just miles near the site as I drove home. We suffer typical summer Trampa weather which is a horrible dose of rain and lightning for about an hour and then bright scorching sunshine the next. Bi-polar weather.

Cabal was happy to see me home early and to comfort him through the storm still raging on my side of the city. Fed him and later took him out when the sun shone before backtracking near the same area I just came from to go to Kathy and Jamie's house. Jeff, Tawnyia, Ant and Becca showed up, too. We ordered pizza in and later played Bowling on Nintendo Wii. What a blast! It was better than playing a board game and more physical, too. Gaming disguised as exercise. A rather devious concept if you ask me.

Kathy served some white cherries (or Rainier cherries) which were so sweet. I love love love them!



Kathy opened an interesting large bottle of Belgian beer flavored with raspberries that someone from work gave her. It tasted more like flavored wine mixed with club soda. I only had a shot size serving to taste though since I drove myself.



Here's Jamie instructing us on how to create our Mii's or our identities which we can use for all the games. Jamie is 5-foot, 5-inches and their ginormous 67-inch TV almost dwarfed him...as most things...or children. HA!




Went home late, but early enough to get some sleep. Potentially having a big day of activities tomorrow. I know my morning is booked from 4:30am until two hours after high noon. A big cup of java is in my future.

Wii, Madamemoiselle!

A Free Dollar

Didn't sleep well thanks to a few disturbing dreams during the night. Might have been the effects of Chinese food. My body was not used to all the oil. Took out Cabal before 4am and went back to sleep. Eventually woke up with a headache. What a great souvenir from the night.

Swallowed another pill of ibuprofen at work. The one from home didn't do the trick. Felt like I had a hangover, but didn't have a drop of alcohol the previous evening...

I would not have expected a guy from Ohio to reject a random act of kindness and that's what the little bugger did. He was a sales representative from our company and he was at the vending machine trying to buy some bottled sodas. He had a fiver he needed to break, but was not sure the machine would take it. He only had two singles and needed another one to buy enough for all the people he had offered a drink to in his meeting.

Being nice, I tried to give him a dollar for free. He wouldn't take it unless I told him my name and find out where I sat. I iterated he didn't have to pay me back at all. Mr. Ohio was determined. He then found me much later after lunch in my boss' office and gave me back my dollar. My boss razzed me about side jobs for a dollar. I don't even wanna know, he teased. If I did, it certainly wouldn't be for a buck that's for sure! (wink)

Ate some leftover Chinese at lunch with my chopsticks. There is something just magical about chopsticks. I keep a supply at my desk at work and a package at home. It makes meals more delicious somehow and makes dining more fun.

Kathy's boyfriend Jamie interviewed at our company today. His nickname from me is Rosemary's Baby or RMB. If he gets hired on, our Circle of Evil will be complete.

One of our old friends brought him around and I almost didn't recognize him in this get-up. He briefly showed me his iPhone. It was geeky sexy ! I suffered all afternoon from iPhone envy. I'll play with it more tomorrow and try out the new Wii gaming system at his house. Kathy is having a few of us over.


By the end of the day, I received additional responsibilities as a result of my boss leaving which was okay and will keep me busier plus provide some variety. That's the spirit, old gal.

Received a map for our off site vendor warehouse visit tomorrow afternoon. The site is closer to my home so I will be able to take care of Cabal before going to Kathy and Jamie's house tomorrow. Missing most of rush hour traffic through downtown Trampa will be wonderful!

Gave Tawny a ride home but we detoured for a Mexican dinner at Vallarta's. Too bad I was driving. I could have used a few cervezas to...uh...cleanse the palate, mind you. The past couple of days have made everything taste weird. That's my story.

A Free Dollar

Not Exactly Sure

Tried to not to borrow trouble by thinking negative. Not sure it worked, but I made it through the day even though our department meeting worked my nerve. The lines are blurred between our division and our North American division. There's a story that I am not quite savvy on either so won't go into it.

Worked much later to get 80 line items changed on a document which was joyful I am sure, but I just couldn't find the joy. Called my Chinese takeout joint while driving on the way home and picked up a variety of small orders off the menu. Dinner tonight was covered and lunches for the next couple days, too, until I can go to the grocery store this weekend.

Fell asleep from Chinese food coma until my cousin Angie called on her way home from work. She hasn't been having a good time of it either at work thanks to an IT project. Going to sleep relatively early (for me). Hope tomorrow is more reassuring. I am in desperate need of humor.

Not Exactly Sure

Dropping Like Flies

Everything seemed as it should be this morning. Received a few reassurances to such from the universe through little things. So why is it I am topsy-turvy after my boss informs our department of his resignation and giving of two week's notice this morning?

He just became my boss officially on January 1st. No one can blame him with all the changes going on in our company. He has a family of four to think of beyond us. When he told us his news, I felt like as if he had announced that he decided to start drinking flavored coffee. The other two were stunned, but I was cool as a cucumber outside, but felt a distant rumbling of Kiluea inside. I said my congratulations and well wishes and made him feel really good about his decision. He's a good man and he's been great to us.

The news spread like wildfire. Had to explain who would be our interim manager after my boss leaves. The secretary to the former CEO who resigned on Friday caught me in the ladies lounge and mentioned that she heard my boss was leaving. I replied that I at least had proper notice whereas she didn't. We talked about the North American Executive taking over his duties for the time being and hoped he would hire someone with his same friendly disposition compared to the late CEO's vapidness.

As the day wore on, I became worn, too. Why can't I be one of those lucky people whose lives never change? They have constancy in their job which engenders a feeling of security. On the other hand, it bids the question What the heck are THEY doing wrong that nothing changes? With me, every six months at work something changes. It has been that way for several years now. Sometimes the whole thing gets old. I would love for this part of my life to be more stable while I am busy working on fun personal projects...

Finally mailed Angie's digital camera back to her in Los Angeles during my lunch and paid a small fortune in postage. She was generous enough to let me borrow it for my UK trip and now she needs it this weekend. I have my own camera now and not have to use hers. Thanks, Angelita!

Posting this early so I can hibernate this evening or pretend to be one of those Victorian women who suffers from the vapors easily and rests on the sofa. I know it is a stretch. I can see outside that I have a storm to drive through to get home.

There is something to look forward to tomorrow. I received my special group invitation to get pictures taken for our new badges. The HR lady had the grace to give us ladies a day notice. Good thing because my hair is too long to do the no-coif look so tomorrow hairspray is my best friend again. That's something good, right? Ugh. Plain delusional or just pathetic?

Dropping Like Flies

Major Mundane Monday

Bought a breakfast croissant with egg and cheese this morning from our building's cafe. Jesus, the Latin guy behind the counter, greeted me with his usual mischievous smile then quickly frowned and asked me what I did to my hair. Okaaayyyy...wasn't expecting that at all.

I had parted my hair in the middle like a good Asian and left it alone without coiffing the top, but I curled the angled cut in the front towards me. I informed Jesus as much and he said he liked it and so did several other people in the office I soon found out. Blame Yummy for the change. He liked it yesterday and I thought I would go with it. Bangs are too long though, but those can be trimmed on Saturday when I get my hair done.

Tawny left for a Dr.'s appointment to see about the migraine she's had most of the weekend. The doc gave her meds that knocked out for three hours. She has been running herself ragged lately.

Received a drive-by IM from Yummy checking on me. He and his homeys roll like that (or boneys with his corpse monologues). He is a thug poet who's wit it, y'all!

Rush hour brought dark as Hades rain clouds. Luckily, I had over an hour before I headed out for the evening. It was still raining, but not as scary. I don't mind because I love the rain and storms. The rain gives me an excuse to have baking days. Sigh. Can almost smell vanilla.

The drive home was made more enjoyable thanks to a song like Europa by Gato Barbieri playing on the jazz station. Calm and relaxing. It was followed by Careless Whisper by George Michael, but I ignored it. I used to love that song, too.

Succumbed to a guilty pleasure tonight. I watched Victoria Beckam's (Posh Spice) reality show Coming to America. It chronicled Posh's three weeks alone in Los Angeles to get things settled before her super soccer star husband David and their sons come from Spain to live. It was amusing, but the hour was not enough. It skipped around too much especially around her using her favorite adjective major. Everything was major. In retrospect, she does look like a blow-up doll. Huh. Never thought of it until she demonstrated it for us. Now that was major!

Major Mundane Monday

I See Yummy People

Had the best morning since April 21st. Yummy and I, through the magic of webcam and Internet technology, were able to see each other in a live web feed. He hooked up his own webcam which is exactly like mine. There were several rebooting of our machines, more on his side. Between text messaging on our cell phones, instant messaging and readjusting skype settings, I think we now have our own Goldilocks settings that work for us without crashing our machines.

It was daylight his time and dark morning my time. There was a bit more of a delay it seemed, but the experience was Pure Heaven. Apparently, Yummy was suffering from a bit of a hangover and hadn't shaved yet, but he looked like his nickname, just yummy. I could go on and gush more, but I think he would kill me. Yummy asked me if I had make-up on at 5am. He was indeed correct. Didn't want his first live video to be startling even though he's seen me in person looking like a member of Total Hagdom.

We both were able to see each other's homes by panning our cameras around manually. Cabal got camera shy despite the fact that he is usually vying for my attention when I am talking to Yummy. He stayed long enough for Yummy to see him while I petted him. For us to see each other doing a simple thing like sipping tea was like a gift from the gods...

Decided against taking my goddaughter and her siblings to Harry Potter today and will wait until next Sunday for the crowd to die down a bit. I am all about maximizing my movie going experience for the enjoyment of the film.

Saw Yummy again in the evening, but the technical difficulties forced us back to regular skypee. I think I need to wear headphones next time to take out the extra audio echo which made me wait to respond. Difficulties or no, it was worth it. I simply had the best day!

I See Yummy People

Walk and Chew Gum

Played skypee with Yummy first thing this morning. We had some fun googling each other's city and following hybrid maps (satellite photos with regular street map labels) of where we live. I found out this week online via BBC that Brighton has been properly done on Google Maps. They showed a picture of the Palace Pier from a certain vantage point looking like a pendant dangling from the shoreline necklace in the English sea.

Getting to the part where I showed him which parking spot I usually occupy took a bit. We'd have to work on our giving directions and listening skills before we ever took a serious hiking trip together. It was a great exercise in communication. Knowing me, we'd have a handheld GPS unit with us. Why stress out?...Yummy said the nicest thing to me before we hung up, See you tomorrow. I can't wait! (AGOL smiling secretly.)

Two of my girlies, Kimmee and Kristey, joined me this morning in The Saturday Four. I just made that up. Tawny couldn't make it thanks to nasty and painful blisters she developed while walking with new sandals this week. The gals and I were able to shave off 15 minutes from our time which meant we walked four miles in one hour 15 minutes (18.75 mins./mi.). Yeah, baby!

I felt tremendous triumph that the heat and humidity didn't kill us too much. Stopped for a minute a few times so I could properly drink my water instead of trying to maneuver the water bottle while walking and chewing gum. Too afraid to choke on the gum. We hustled along the shared path while trying not to get run over by the Lance Armstrong wannabes on their bicycles.

In the afternoon, I picked up Tawny earlier than agreed upon to drop off something to her husband in the art studio downtown and then attended a Pampered Chef cooking show at Lisa's house. The consultant did not work my nerve as they usually do. She was very upbeat and funny as she quickly demonstrated the products while preparing two dishes for us to eat later. We saw Jill there, too, with her mom and daughter. It was a very entertaining afternoon for the ladies.

I've been reading more of The Essence of Style by Joan DeJean which is her account of attributing the culture of high luxury living to the French, more specifically Louis XIV. Just this morning on public television, I was reminded that the neckties were initially invented in Croatia, but it was the French who elevated it to new heights of fashion. The French seem to take almost hedonistic pleasure in food and fashion. Certainly no one can fault them for their joie de vivre.

Walk and Chew Gum

Ice Cream Social

One of the first things that greeted me was the announcement of our CEO's resignation which was short and to the point. My thinking is that it was not an option for him and more of a saving of face. We had another announcement earlier in the week of a high-level executive leaving, but she was staying on until her replacement was trained. Of course, a new unflattering article in Forbes magazine about his questionable activities from a previous company made the decision moot, I guess. No wonder he said nothing to me as he skulked down the stairs yesterday.

Despite the corporate announcement, my department had a great time talking in the morning. We were genuinely filled with mirth. I came to the conclusion that I could really be friends with my boss and Bridget. It gave me warm fuzzies inside. I regaled them with descriptions of the ghoulish anticipation and greed people in our building exhibit when there is an ice cream social because we were having one this afternoon. People act like freakos when there is something given away for free. Why is that?

Every year our building throws a catered ice cream social in the summer and a catered lunch at Christmas as a thank you to all the tenants . All the tenants get to rub elbows among each other. What is amazing is that we have three main elevators for six floors and they all have a five minute wait and are jam-packed with people during this time. The employees mill around and queue up like ants for the goodie buffet. Bridget and I contemplated repelling with rope from the inner balcony down to the goodies a la Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

After eating our serving of vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream, chocolate and sprinkles (nonpareils) plus mini squares of brownies and cookies, we all suffered an afternoon slump from the initial sugar high. Talk about food coma!

Thought about Yummy and worried about him and his recent migraines. Mentioned as much to Tawny and Bridget even though he reassured me he was feeling better today. I don't think men, in general, get how we women worry, but they do seem to care when we don't. No chance of that here; too much of a worry wart. Sigh.

Researched invoices in the afternoon and brainstormed for Project AGOL when it struck me. I continued the brainstorming in the evening by storyboarding videos I will be producing with my new webcam, digital camera, toothpicks, school glue and glitter. Working with a shoestring budget of no film crew, no set and no proper filming equipment. Filipino ingenuity dictates that we can build the Empire State Building out of toothpicks so this should be cake. I enjoy a challenge.

Ice Cream Social

Rain Brings Potluck

Bit of a switcharoo in weather today. It rained in the morning instead of the afternoon. Boy that felt just marvy! A girl who rode with me in the garage elevator commented in disgust on the humidity, "Great! My trousers are sticking to me. It's not worth putting on make-up this morning". My swift reply? "I don't know about that." AGOL Rule #2: It is always worth putting make-up on if not to finish dressing properly.

Work kept me steadily busy all day in between conversations with Bridget. She is so funny with her non-sugarcoated views on things and right now her live-in boyfriend is in the dog house. He asked her to get an outside activity as in a hobby of sorts. She chose roller derby and she practices two nights a week and some Saturday mornings. Now he's jealous of the time she spends at her new activity. Jeez.

While Tawny was in Iowa visiting her parents, she used a portion of the time to scan childhood pictures. Today she showed me the results in a PowerPoint presentation. Here's one of her with her famous curls. All her mom had to do was twist the hair, no curlers!



Tried calling Myrna on the way home to see if she wanted to have dinner with me. Her phone was busy. It turned out that she was trying to call me to ask the same thing. We met later across the road for a country-style dinner and some laughs using overexaggerated stories as we caught up on things.

I walked in the door ready to make up my time away from Cabal when my cousin Angie called. She was making her way home around Los Angeles.

In our relationship, it is usually me who comes up with odd and surprising tidbits. Unprepared, she sprung this question on me, "Did you know you can buy a scope that lets you see inside your own ear?" A whhaaaaat? The more she explained, this time bringing the Japanese into it, the deeper in laughter I sunk. Then she started to laugh because I was laughing.

Through her research, she found out that in Japan, they have salons where people can get their ears cleaned with an earspoon. What kind of wax build-up do these peeps get? This is what amazed my silly cousin: earscope tv. The page includes a youtube video demo of this Japanese tool for in-home use so you don't have to go to the salon. The best part is you can use it in your other orifices...or someone else's!

Rain Brings Potluck

A Wednesday Welcomed

At 4:30am, Cabal didn't want to go outside. Humidity was so high, poor doggie thought it was raining. Just kidding. It was actually me who didn't want to go outside because I was afraid of frizzing my hair, but then in my sleepy stupor I remembered, I hadn't done my hair yet. Doh.

Received an offline note at home from Yummy that he did receive my cards. Yep, my mail was not a priority during the Royal Post's strike. They just don't know the AGOL exists yet. Good news for the Royal Post, they are on the Temporary AGOL Wrath Reprieve List. Grrr.

Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) was on the news this morning. May I say (on behalf of my cousin's twin daughters - ha!) that he is just a charming cutie. He was full of energy, very funny and a cool kid. I hope his star continues to rise and he doesn't end up a jaded jerk too soon. Printed the movie schedule for Sunday just in case I take the girlies to see his new movie this weekend.

With hair shellacked for maximum hold, I drove almost singing to work. The dew point was so high in Trampa that a rainbow could be seen against the blue sky as pictured below from the highway. Don't be alarmed, the traffic in the opposite direction stopped when they saw me taking blind shots from my car.



Had the strangest IM conversation with Tawny this morning. She was up very early from interstate driving yesterday. She said there was no rest for the wicked. I asked her what she was doing the rest of week since they were home early from vacation. Didn't hear from her.

Imagine my surprise when the witch conjured herself up at my desk minutes later. Oh my gosh! I didn't know she was coming back to work today! She swore up and down that she told me. I think I would've recalled how long I was to suffer lunches with intellectual pygmies (description borrowed from Yummy). Lunch was fun again. Hooray.

The rest of the workday zoomed by nicely while the evening was relaxing with television and loud laughs thanks to Last Comic Standing. It was a good day for AGOL.

A Wednesday Welcomed

Tuesday Twang

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~Mark Twain

Wondering if Mark Twain would still feel the same if he had to sift through the 21st Century BS. I have a great feeling that none of it would phase him. It would make him that much more determined to throw off the bowlines. After all, he was born in the Show Me* State, Missouri, where they don't believe it unless they see it.

On an odd note, Twain had a link to the Philippines in which he wrote Incident in the Philippines. His words were a part of his group's campaign in the opposition of the U.S. annexation of the Philippines. How's that for six-degrees to history?

Meanwhile, Yummy received another funny video e-mail from me. Instead of an alien, he received a cheery theme that starts out with me sporting a demented British accent. Poor bloke probably cringed as I cringe when he says things with an American accent. I don't mind showing my goofy side -- actually, I thought it was a rather cute clip. He needs an example of what not to do when you get a new webcam. Ha!

Updated with original video sent to Yummy thanks to new blogger gizmo. I should be embarrassed to post this, but I don't mind because it was real and there is beauty in truth:



Truth be told, my proficiency in creating the content and working with the technology are holding promises and possibilities for Project AGOL. I must set a deadline for myself to get those mini vids recorded and up on youtube rather sooner than later...

Worked steadily throughout the day and the mood at work was much improved as well. Maybe it was my mood now that I think about it.

Tawny couldn't stay away from e-mailing work peeps via her crackberry phone while they drove down the Southern States. She and her husband should be home late tonight. I believe she mentioned that by the time they get home from two weeks of vacation on the road, they will have driven through 18 States and racked up 8,400 miles. How many oil changes did that include?

Talked to Kristey on the way home. For some reason trying to write her during work hours is challenging. I was glad I caught up with her. She might meet us gals for walking on Saturday morning, but no promises. Keeping my fingers crossed. That would make four of us braving the heat and humidity.

Brought my lunch today and didn't eat all of it so I found myself craving some Southern fried chicken for dinner. The same fried chicken I denied myself on the 4th of July. I caved in and was satisfied. Will have to drink a vat full of water to counteract the sodium. Uh, make that two vats for the other serving I will be having for lunch tomorrow. Good lawd.

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*Show Me slogan wasn't coined and popularized until the last 13 years of Mark Twain's life.

Tuesday Twang

Depressed Mail

The first thing I heard this morning at work was my boss getting to work and realizing that he forgot his laptop at home. That was probably at least another hour round trip. I knew then it would be hellish Monday.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. That was the problem. Poking my eyes at a steady beat with my mouse would've been more interesting, I'm sure. My mind was restless all day looking for new stimuli. Boredom can't be good.

It's Tawny's fault. She is still on vacation. She tortured me through the day with her progress across the States. They stopped in Hershey, Pennsylvania and she had the nerve to tell me that being in chocolate town was her idea of yummy. What do you think she was trying to say?

I found the update on Royal Mail in the UK. Yummy told me about this strike on Saturday when I asked why it was taking so long for him to get my card. He explained how Royal Mail's monopoly on the mail had been deregulated and now they have to cut the workers wages to keep from going under. It all just sucks Margaret Thatcher stamps.

They are messing with my mail to Yummy, darn it. It's almost like getting mail in Chicago or dare I say it -- getting mail at Tawny's house! If you only knew how many pieces of mail I have sent and then been Returned to Sender or just plain lost. She just lives across town! Yes, a Tawny retaliation is expected.

Not so surprising, the CDC has confirmed that antidepressants are the number prescribed drugs in the U.S. How come still the sour puss on my fellow Americans? Wrong dosage? All I need is chocolate and ice cream. Quick fixes and I don't need a prescription. The side effects are weighty but can be manageable.

Spent the evening on a cheerful project. The techniques can also be used on Project AGOL which makes me very pleased. I can't wait to employ them again on a more public project. Time got away from me I was having too much fun to eat dinner. Ate a small bowl of cereal just moments before this update.

Depressed Mail

Sedation by Heat

Spent part of the day reading pages of online content. Had this insatiable thirst to fill my mind with information. I get that way sometimes. I figure that if I consume enough information, I can use it to problem solve or to generate ideas. Right now I am brainstorming for Project AGOL.

Aside from taking my Pretty Boy Dog out a few times, I made it to my nail salon later in the afternoon where it was quiet thanks to the killer heat outside. The heat reflecting on the pavement is just unbearable. I forgot to park in the shade again so I was a roasting AGOL. The manager was trying to upsell me on more services, but I was having none of it. Didn't feel like being pampered today. My mind was too active for any kind of relaxation.

Talked to Yummy for almost an hour soon after my girly ritual. He was all yawny which made him a Yawny Yummy! Okay, bad joke, stop groaning. Entertainment was slim pickins today. I wanted to yawn, too, from being in the heat. It just takes the vinegar out of you.

I like that Yummy is man enough to cry at movies. He was watching The Color Purple. I cry at TV advertisements, but then again I cry when I am having a bad hair day...more like whine, actually. Poor thing has been bracing himself for an ugly two months of working full-time with balls to the wall. (Pardon the rather if not appropriate graphic description.) You'll have to get the lowdown on his blog.

Chatted with Angie earlier today. There was a situation yesterday right before I got home that didn't make me too proud of myself as far as showing a touch of human kindness. She said that I would know for the next time.

I mentioned it to Yummy, too, and he said that there was probably something that was stopping me for a good reason and that otherwise, I would have done what I wanted to do. All these words from both made me feel better about it. I guess you can't always help everyone no matter what your morals dictate. A higher power protects us from harm when our own overgenerous nature wants to take over...

Read this interesting bit on Table Card Readers. America is slow on the uptake sometimes. I saw this in action while I was visiting Yummy. It is an efficient way of paying your restaurant bill and doesn't make you wait for ages before your server returns. On to more reading!

Sedation by Heat

Call of the Mall

With a bowl of Cheerios in hand, I talked with Yummy at the usual 5am mine/10am his time. He was experiencing a rather remarkable phenomenon called full sunshine. It's funny to think of it while I live in the Sunshine State.

Two hours later, I scurried like a bunny to meet Kimmee for our walk. We walked for four miles in the same amount of time as last except for that we walked in high dew point in 82-degree heat. It was oppressive. I drank one bottled water right before the walk and finished the two I took with me. My clothes were drenched. The heat and humidity really kicked our butt today. At least we finished without dying or having to be picked up by the park ranger.

Sweaty and red-faced, I turned up my car's air conditioning and rushed home for a shower and a change for my lunch with Jill at the Cheesecake Factory. We were in tropical cocktail heaven just before noon. I ordered my usual Baja Chicken Tacos and she had the Luau Salad, followed by us splitting a slice of Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. We walked for a couple of hours around the mall to try burning some calories when we weren't ooh'ing and aah'ing over goodies like clothes, make-up and furniture.

It was four o'clock when we parted ways in the parking lot. We had a great time catching up and laughing. I was grateful for a two-hour nap when I got home. Only had three hours sleep the night before. Watched a melange of British sitcoms on public television such as Are You Being Served?, Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By, The Vicar of Dibley, Fawlty Towers and Dr. Who before bed. A full day of laughing -- my favorite!

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This falls under the heading of WTF?: A Lulu of a Loo. I am not saying anything, I just saying.

Call of the Mall

Just a Touch

Getting to be Groundhog Day again. It was Sunday, right? Ugh. A bit of a rude awakening when I realized it wasn't. Maybe I should have taken the last two days off just to avoid the confusion. My co-worker Bridget had the same problem. She forgot to set her alarm clock because she thought it was the weekend. Racing around trying to get she and her son ready proved quite a feat this morning. Luckily, tomorrow IS the weekend.

Jill was supposed to meet me for lunch, but her revised schedule didn't permit it so we agreed to have lunch tomorrow instead. I was looking forward to going to the Cheesecake Factory for some Baja Chicken Tacos. Had to settle for something else from the cafe downstairs. Ooh, gourmet! :::gag::: Still enjoyed the hour though with Lisa laughing at ourselves.

My boss encouraged me to go home early again today, but I didn't leave too early. I'd rather miss the traffic. Went to the store for sundry items and Cabal's treats. Dare I go home without my beast's treats? Try saying that a few times...

As an AGOL, it takes me a bit to get ready in the morning. I have this unnatural obsession with making sure my hair and make-up are perfect. I've been wearing make-up since I was 12 so you can imagine how attentive I am to every detail. My stint as a make-up artist was a natural move. I subscribed to Cosmopolitan magazine (when it was still good) at 15. It was when Cindy Crawford, Paulina Porizkova and Christy Turlington made multiple covers. Back then I didn't understand the practice of airbrushing or retouching.

Spent some time examining the before and after pictures of the links on this page: Digital Retouching. I was morbidly fascinated by each shot. My gosh! No wonder why we have a distorted view of women. They are not real either. They are a digital best of themselves! Trust me...I invite you to check them all out. It is incredible. If there are holes in your hairstyle, unwanted hair, blemishes, etc., it can be taken out. Your body can be shrunk and stretched to appeal to the target audience.

Perusing the pages almost made me sick. Here I have been spending hundred of hours over the years emulating the glamorous look of the magazines and may I say that I do fairly well. (Check out my AGOL pic on this page. That was taken by me in my bathroom using a cellphone camera.) All I've really needed was a digital retouch artist. How come no one told me this sooner?

Gone so far as modifying my behavior to not rub or touch my eyes and even eating in such a manner where most of my lipstick stays on after a meal. I've been accused of having my lips tattooed. I just cut everything up...even sandwiches and chicken wings.

My hair? Don't get me started. Every strand is accounted for and sprayed or styled in place. Do you take a mirror and look at the back of your hair and make sure it looks decent from the back? I do. Ah, yes, Yummy knows all about this and respects me enough to let me be freakish. He's the only one allowed to mess up my hair, but even he's a little afraid. Tawny's hubby Jeff equates my getting ready time to Japanese tea ceremony. Maybe just a touch.

I know this sounds very extreme and over the top. And it is. It is a craft and I am committed to it. A little madness keeps me going or was that a little mascara? Ha!

Just a Touch

Indian Spices

The day after a holiday in the middle of the week just sucks. Plain and simple. In my mind, I was thinking it was the weekend or another Monday. It took a few minutes to reorient my internal timeline. Um, how is that accomplished exactly?

Resolved issues and organized things at work. Snoresville. I am afraid that if I have too much fun at work, they'll start charging me for admission. The entertainment factor is low at the moment so there is no chance of that happening. Better chance of me getting my acrylic nails taken off. Now that's funny...

CNN.com had this disturbing article on Indian Hindu widows and how they are ostracized by their families and forced to live like pariahs for the rest of their days. Most make the traditional pilgrimage to the holy city of Vrindavan. They cannot remarry and are considered financial burdens and not worth anything. Their heads are shorn bald, forced to wear white, live without dignity by begging and living in the streets, essentially waiting to die. What kind of society still subscribes to such a barbaric tradition while progressing with bullet speed towards technology?

Kathy and I had already planned last week to eat at The Taj tonight for some Indian fare. There were a few bites of my Matak Paneer where I thought of those wives who helped create the exotic taste of the dish I was enjoying. Did they end up making the journey to Vrindavan? I'd like to think not. I said a silent thank you for the women who help shape the meal I was eating. Women whose ingenuity in mixing the spices resulted in the complex and exciting taste of India.

Indian Spices

Yankee Doodle AGOL

Happy Fourth of July!

Woke up normal time thanks to Cabal and sent Yummy his surprise. I told him he would receive it via e-mail at 10am his time. My e-mail contained a video of me I made using my new webcam. Get your mind outta the gutter. There is only room for mine.

Anyhoo, with this brand, they have avatars that you can calibrate to your face so that it can mimic your facial expressions as you speak and other cool accessories to superimpose on your face. I chose a green alien with a planet in the background and then giggled my way through the rest of the recording with other visual effects. It was quite hilarious. Yummy enjoyed it and we discussed it more during our IM chat in the afternoon. I told him my plan of using it for Project AGOL. We'll see how it goes.

Updated with the original video thanks to new blogger feature:



Received some holiday text wishes from Tawny and Kathy which always cracks me up. I used to be big on celebrating the 4th of July. Sometimes I would go to two events in one day. Now, well, now it is in the middle of the week which is awkward and I can't leave Cabal to watch fireworks. The blasts going off around the neighborhood bother him too much.

Thinking about Independence Day makes me think of my own citizenship. In April 1984, I became a US citizen. I didn't understand the whole thing when I took my oath at 12 years of age, but I have learned to respect the privilege...

Today also makes me remember celebrating the Bicentennial (1976!) in the Philippines. I remember being with my mom on the Air Force Base watching the fireworks display while sitting in the bleachers of a football field. Looking up in the black sky, pyrotechnic chrysanthemums exploded in the air one by one. I would imagine them as gifts raining down from the sky. I can even recall the commemorative white t-shirt with American emblems on it.

Spent the evening watching TV and comforting Cabal during the fireworks in the neighborhood. He really doesn't like hearing the explosions. Poor pup. Wherever I went he was a step behind me. Oh man! I just remembered I have an American flag bandanna for him. He would've been so cute with it around his neck! Sigh. Guess we'll have to settle for him being naturally cute. He's got enough cute to go around.

Yankee Doodle AGOL

A Quick Day

Rushed around this morning to get ready early so I would have quality time to fiddle with my new laptop accessory before work. Tell you more about that tomorrow. Let's just say it was frustrating but I was laughing a lot. It is being used as a surprise for Yummy.

Tried to make busy today. It is hard to get motivated the day before a holiday. Some people were making it a five-day weekend starting tomorrow. Not me, I am a full-fledged dedicated employee who doesn't believe in that sort. Yeah, you just keep on believing that bit. My boss ordered us to go home early to get a head start on the holiday.

IM'ed with Yummy when I got home. They are having some serious storms over there. Wow! He sent me this link for the storm which has a wicked picture in it. He has one on his blog that he took which is just as wicked. Trampa is just having some rain with occasional thunder and lightning.

Worked again on my Yummy surprise after IM'ing him. This time it was really funny. Yes, you have to wait for me to tell you about it. I know it sucks, but sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles. You think you're getting a big cookie and end up with crumbs. That's AGOL life lesson #1.

A Quick Day

Oodles of Googles

Google can turn anyone into an Attention-Ho and that includes me! For someone who avoids attention, I sure am heading into it. Look what I discovered when I googled Sarah Sprinkles:



The results startled me. I wasn't expecting a picture of my youtube entry. Once I got over the shock, I thought it was really neat. So what does an Attention-Ho do? IM her buddies and ask them to google her. Yup. My friends were good sports and loved it.

Work kept me busy today especially when Bridget was out most of the day and worked from home so she could take care of her son. My boss was occupied as well and didn't demand a lot. It was a good day to be at work. Busy with not a whole lot of demands.

Tawny IM'ed me and told me that she "swirled, tapped and buffed" her mother with the BareMinerals make-up. I haven't heard those words in a while. I love the make-up and have not regretted my switch to it at all.

Most of my evening at home was spent troubleshooting something on my computer that I installed. I read page after page of possible errors and solutions on their online forum and found one plausible answer. It actually worked! Let's see if it sticks. I'll let you know later. Sometimes being geeky pays off. Just ask Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.


Leaving you with a joke I made up this morning as I was making my hot tea:

Q - What did Earl Grey say to Jasmine when he was courting her?
A - Don't be Chai, dear!

Oodles of Googles

This and That

Started my day talking to a hungover Yummy at dark-thirty. Yummy spent Saturday with his best mate Anton for a wet trudge on another dragon walk in the rain. They were trying a different path on one leg of their last trek. While the cat's away, the mice are at play. Anton's wife and their kiddies were out of town. The boys spent the evening doing a pub crawl chasing a rockabilly band.

Rockabilly is not a word I ever expected Yummy to say since he is such a heathen for not liking Elvis Presley. Dude, he is The King! I proudly display an Elvis magnet on my fridge. You're not even allowed to be any kind of Filipino without liking Elvis...

Angie called me back from yesterday. She was at the Hollywood Bowl last night watching an audience participation viewing of The Sound of Music. I've been to two of these here in the downtown Tampa Theatre. The Hollywood Bowl has a summer offering of a variety of events during the summer weekends. Sigh. I wish Tampa had more culture besides redneck. Yes, I know, just because Tampanians know more about Oprah than opera doesn't mean anything.

Shopped around town for a couple of hours. People watching yields a fair amount of knowledge on the public's degeneration. A woman was screeching at her boyfriend in the parking lot and another woman was yelling at her little boy nearby for something stupid. Did I mention I was at Wal-mart? Believe me, it doesn't matter if you're at the nicest one in town.

Talked to Yummy again who got some sea air during his neighborhood walk tonight. Living more northerly in the world (UK) makes for some interesting sunsets. He said that there was still light at 9:20pm. I remember in early May when I was visiting him how light it was at 5am.

Left Dianne a voicemail on her cell for good luck wishes on starting her new job tomorrow and reminding her how cool she is and how everyone will just love her. Can't wait to hear about her first day. She won't be totally among strangers. Two of our former co-workers are employed there, too and that is the reason why you don't tick anyone off professionally. You just never know.

Watched some TV before making it an early night. Matt Lauer from NBC's Today Show was prefacing Princess Diana's remembrance concert at Wembley Stadium, given by her sons tonight, with a reprise of his interview with them. Her favorite band, Duran Duran, was playing and at one time they were also my favorite.

I think Diana would have been proud of her sons. They seemed like regular guys who are very much aware how privileged they are in their upbringing and how normal they are not. It was comforting to me for some reason.

This and That