Not So Happy Sunday

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

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

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

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

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


.

Not So Happy Sunday

Beginning of 24-hour Meltdown

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


.

Beginning of 24-hour Meltdown

Chocolate Ganache

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

(Fanning myself!)

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

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

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

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

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


.

Chocolate Ganache

Dubious New Beginning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


.

Dubious New Beginning

Big Sticks and Silver Bullets

I was fine until I woke up this morning.

My day was to be filled with activities for our temp's going away. This caused me anxiety and pressure I sought to contain as soon as I began getting ready for work. The matter with my temp has been an ordeal we've been waiting months to solve. Budgets were done recently and her contract was not included in that budget. For her part, she has been in denial even through the warnings from my boss that this time was coming.

When I got to work, my preliminary order of business was to warn off everyone that I was a biatch on wheels and that they should either start sharpening their sticks or just get out the silver bullets. I try to give fair warning when I know my mood is mercurial. Back to the order of today's business...

The first order of business was a meeting with my boss and another manager in the building. It was less troublesome than I thought. A big plus for the morning.

The second order of business was taking my temp out to lunch. Four of us made our way to an upscale sports bar. It was "okay" interspersed with moments of discomfort.

The third order of business was announcing the winner for the premier parking space. That was an unprecedented event as I had to announce a second winner. The first selection forfeited his prize because he had a new handicap tag for his vehicle allowing him to park next to the building. There are some perks to breaking your foot.

The fourth order of business was to round up people for a custom ordered surprise cake for the temp. Imagine my surprise when more than half of the invitees between both buildings had sudden excuses, most legit - some not or were non-responsive. (Yes, my lovelies, the surprise bit was sarcasm.) Bridget and I worked the floor to get more last minute attendees.

The fifth order of business was to track down the gift I ordered for the temp. I ordered online a pretty sterling silver hinged bangle bracelet with etched 18kt gold leaf overlay design. A couple of people chastised me for spending what I did. For me, I felt it was the right thing to do. This person is so desperate for outside validation and attention especially from me. I've been avoiding her because I didn't want to get sucked in her energy and start conversations that I would have to tap dance from. Sigh. It is during these times, my compassionate side prevails and understands that most antics are a call for love. How can I totally turn my back against her?

Not everyone is hopeless, but everyone can be lost and choose not to find themselves or work to find the path to understanding their place and role in the world. Is it on purpose? Perhaps they just don't know how and have never been taught. You and I know how our environment can shape us into what we don't want to necessarily be, but there we are...volunteers on a path we know nothing of as walk on it.

I made someone check the mailbox at work in the afternoon and my gift was there. The temp has to wait until tomorrow to receive it. It has been wrapped with care. The kind of care I took to put the package together is the kind that is reserved for people I truly care about. Everyone deserves a magical present to open...to feel that beat of anticipation as they take away the layers...and finally the delighted elation of taking off the boxtop revealing tissue and a velvet pouch containing shiny jewelry chosen just for them.

Whether any gratitude for the gift is expressed, it is of no importance to me. She has worked in my department for over two years and I have been the constant presence as previous co-workers and managers have moved on. Her hard work cannot be faulted and some measure of gratitude should be expressed to her. I would like for her to have a long lasting reminder she can see and feel -- an outward validation.


.

Big Sticks and Silver Bullets

R&A's Baby Shower

Baking...Wrapping Gifts...Hanging out with my friends. What a great day!

This evening was a small co-ed baby shower for Rebecca and Ant. Their formal frou-frou brunch at a tea shop was earlier in the day. I was surprised they weren't as tired looking when they arrived which was great for the rest of us eager to celebrate with them.

I made decadent Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes for the cupcake tree. After one bite, I remembered why I don't make them often. You could pop them like pills they are so good. I sprinkled little dragees on top for decoration. The only thing that would have been better for me was if I had driven across town to find dark blue liners instead of the pastel ones. I was the only one really concerned about that detail.



Here are the smiling expectant parents. One of their funny gifts was a two-pack brick of Cafe Bustelo coffee (very strong!) for the late nights when Garrett decides he wants his parents not to have sleep.



This diaper cake I made faked out a few guests who thought it was a real cake. It almost didn't survive the car ride over. In case you want to make your own, here is the pattern I followed. In lieu of the booze, I put in a bottle of Pedialyte for the baby and put teething rings on the cake instead of stuffed animals. I would have loved to have made this Hawaiian version, but it was too girly.



Let me make this next pic clear: I DID NOT DO THIS! As pervy as I am it was not my doing that the sprinkles on the table ended up in compromising positions. AND NO I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED THAT I DIDN'T THINK OF IT FIRST. Mostly.



Kathy and Jamie put on a great party; there were about a dozen of us being crazy. Jamie was a good cookie by fulfilling my wish of cooking the bratwursts in beer and onion Jacuzzi. He put those babies in the slower cooker for several hours before grilling them. Hot damn they were tasty! Kathy drank a lot of wine and was still in one piece before I left. She came up with the best guess of what the first baby's word would be: mothertrucker. That is the exact word Ant says all the time.

For this original circle of friends (at least the last 10 years), this is the first baby among us. It makes me proud to say that I am very excited and in no way feeling bitter or sad. They are truly deserving and their baby boy will have one of the best set of parents a baby could have. How many days until their due date in November?


.

R&A's Baby Shower

Hectic and Random

Hectic doesn't make for a zen day, does it? I found myself at 5am thinking about my boss' kid's school project. Why? I volunteered to burn his kid's video project from his video camera to a CD. He was bringing it to the office today which meant I had to bring a blank CD or DVD disc. I packed both. Bridget confirmed his concern at getting it done as soon as I walked in. It was completed a bit later.


My boss took us out to lunch and at the last minute, I dragged Sharon with us. Four of us found ourselves walking from our building across a couple of parking lots to the mall entrance. The Coconut Curry Chicken three of us had was too sweet. It has never been sweet. My thinking was that whomever prepped it got it too spicy and tried to mask the mistake with brown sugar instead of adding more coconut milk. This addition not only changed the taste but the once bright curry color to a drab yellow.


After conferring with the girls, I mentioned it to the waitress who brought the chef/manager and I asked if they had changed the recipe. To my surprise, he was a bit taken aback and defensive. He immediately proclaimed that he created it seven years ago. My reply was that I had been eating there for a few years. The chef went back to the kitchen to investigate only to return a few moments later a bit embarrassed. He had tasted it, agreed with me and then jokingly said that the other chef will be dealt with later plus that it would not taste like that tomorrow. All I could do was mentally roll my eyes. I didn't feel him to be deeply sincere. We scurried back to work soon after finishing. Whatever joy I've had for this restaurant quickly evaporated.


That's the thing...I've been mentally tallying and cross out things, people and food places that no longer give me joy. Perhaps this is the shake-up I really need. God knows there are already changes shaping up at work with my temp leaving at the end of the month. That's a long story I will bore you with next week as it happens.


One thing I have added to my plate is being part of a morale committee for our finance department in my building. I attended my first meeting this week and I received the strong impression that most of the members were happy with the status quo. Oh - boooooorrrrriiiinnnggg! Thank goddess I had met with one of my friends who is in it and together we came up with a plan of attack. Okay, I wrote ideas while she giggled ghoulishly. The meeting was going at a certain pace until I broke it by suggesting new ideas. Compared to previous months, next month's big activity will be quite lively. Can finance be lively? We'll see. It was my turn to send out the e-mail announcement for a separate monthly contest giving away the use of a reserved premier parking spot. Not too many glossed over that e-mail on Tuesday. Ha!

I haven't blogged properly in so long, I feel rusty...Random thoughts keep vying for attention. Please forgive me for jumping around. I'll write more as I get back into it. All I know right now is that I am relieved tomorrow is Friday.


.

Hectic and Random

Hello...

Missed you more than you missed me. The time away from you feels like a forced abstinence of some sort. I won't go back and recreate the time lost so please don't expect it.

I have been riding the undulating waves of emotion from happiness to depression and back both at work and in my personal life. Sometimes when you don't give yourself space to process things and to listen to that quiet space, the Universe forces you to take time and reflect. Time out.

This is not a post post, but more of a Hi there. Hope you've been okay.

Still smiling,
agol
.

Hello...

Hiccup

Been having issues with my laptop. Updating will resume shortly.

Meawhile...

"Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul."
-- St. Augustine


.

Hiccup

Weak Week

Tuesday was a repeat of yesterday. For some reason being inside my building is making me tired. Maybe it is my cube. Do I need to re-feng shui my area? Hm. I will have to mull on that when I am not so tired.

The overall feeling I sense when I am at work is that I am in it, but I am not quite connected. It is as if I am watching events through the haze of a prophylactic barrier. The irony is that I am more engaged at work than ever. Perhaps the real reason for this type of protected connection, I think, is that I am holding myself at a distance from other people's drama. Does that make sense?

Sigh...

Kathy called me in the evening to let me know she's back from Wisconsin. She came back with her treasures of 25 lbs of apples and 20 lbs of cheese. Sounds like the makings for some kind of tart or a canceling effects of fiber and constipation. Good God my words are frightening this evening. I will definitely shelve this entry until I've had time to mull on it an extra day. Meanwhile, what is up with Hurricane Ike?


.

Weak Week

Sunday Sloth

Sarah Sprinkles says (10:00 PM):
u there?
Tawny says (10:00 PM):
yep for a few more mins
Tawny says (10:00 PM):
whatcha doing
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
updating bloggie
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
trying to wind down...
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
but how do you wind down from...
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
being a sloth all day?
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
lmao
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:01 PM):
how are you?
Tawny says (10:02 PM):
sloth like also

<<...discussed weekend details...>>

Sarah Sprinkles says (10:05 PM):
today...sarah sloth
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:05 PM):
took a few long naps
Tawny says (10:05 PM):
i like sloth
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:05 PM):
lmfao
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:06 PM):
i was so slothlike that when trish called me about drama, she said that i sounded like i was asleep
Sarah Sprinkles says (10:06 PM):
when i answered the phone
Tawny says (10:06 PM):
lol


.

Sunday Sloth

Filipino Babysitting

Today I was babysitting Sharon. Yes, she is older than me by two years. Don't get so technical. Ha! Sharon is like a Filipino sister to me (other than Angie). She lived in the Philippines until high school was over. When I mention certain things, she knows exactly what I am referring to and that comforts me somehow.

Picked up Sharon at the Cadillac dealership where her vehicle was scheduled for maintenance and a window tint. I drove us to Cracker Barrel near my place so she could have her lunch of Chicken and Rice and I could finally have breakfast at 11:30am. We were so famished and struggled to contain our shoveling of food into our mouths.

Sharon began her marathon training today; the six miles she ran earlier this morning resulted in her body craving real food. Me? I had been saving my appetite for the big dig, if you will. We shopped around in the country store after. I pressed everything that would animate and make noise while she went behind me to shut them off or hold the ones that were falling off their perch on the shelf until their animation cycle ended. Yes, I am a brat.

We watched Something New with Simon Baker at my place. She hadn't seen it before and we both love Simon Baker. I stopped it at a logical point so we could pick up her car and then return to my place to resume the movie. What I like about re-watching movies you haven't seen in a while is that you get to be surprised again.

We ordered Chinese and picked it up. We ate while we watched the riveting film Closer with Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts...Ten minutes after she left for home, I found her still at the gasoline station filling up her car; she had gotten sidetracked talking to her husband first. We laughed as she saw me pulling up to the next pump. Silly girls.

PS Today was my cousin Angie's birthday. I left her a rather loud squawking rendition of Happy Birthday on her cellphone while I drove home from dropping Sharon off at the dealership.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANGELITA!!


.

Filipino Babysitting

Sprightly

Friday is the only work day where it is legally okay to be sprightly. I am sure I read that somewhere. All I know was that I spent most of the day in a good mood energized with boundless energy.

One of our vendors took my boss and me to my favorite restaurant Maggiano's for lunch. We were able to slide into a prime parking spot and not wait for a table. That's where normal ended. For the first time in a little over 15 years I have been going to this restaurant (starting in Chicago), the table setting was less than pleasant. My napkin looked like it had been previously enjoyed and a couple of the bread plates had crumbs on them. What the hell?!

I announced to my table that I wanted to be the whiny bitch to deal with the waiter. They both agreed. After miming to the waiter to come around the table next to me, I explained to him that my napkin was crinkled and looked like it was previously enjoyed and told him about crumbs on the plates. He took the first few off the stack on the side of the table and I corrected him to take the whole thing. The waiter was apologetic and came back to take our order.

Luckily the food was still delicious until dessert. My boss and I decided to share a piece of chocolate cake. When it arrived to our table, this big wedge of chocolate monstrosity had a garish red wood-handled knife sticking out from it. WTF? The waiter saw my expression and quickly said he didn't put it in there. I told him that the kitchen should never do that as a presentation. It looks aggressive and unappetizing. Large beads of condensation had formed on the chocolate ganache enrobing the slice which told me that had been out of the refrigerator for more minutes than when we ordered. Sigh. It didn't taste as good as I remembered. I hope this experience was an anomaly...

A spreadsheet claimed my afternoon. The better portion was my responsibility to research thanks to a morning meeting. At some point a little after 5pm, my boss urged me to go home. I declined as I wanted to finish this project. There is a bigger project that deserves all of my attention next week. I left at 6pm and my energy was finally depleted though I still managed a few things in the evening. There was still enough energy to make myself a homemade meal, do a few loads of laundry in the evening including the slipcovers on my furniture and wash floors and clean some of the base boards. Is that sick or what?


.

Sprightly

Resurfacing

My eyes were open before my alarm went off at 3:50am. How does that happen? Well, how ever it happens my butt was up and walking Cabal 10 minutes later in the dark. Barely awake, I struggled to focus my eyes and properly gaze at my twinkling long distance neighbors. The stars were still there even though I haven't seen them in a long time.

I arrived at work before any of my team. My nerves were frazzled from driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic but I was able to park in a spot very close to the elevators on the fourth floor. Less than an hour later, we were all making it towards the other building thanks to my boss' driving. He blamed me for having a meeting so early especially since the time I scheduled is around the time I normally arrive.

Let me share something with you...Lately, I felt more alive and engaged at work. I don't know what it is. Bridget even agreed with me when I asked her about it. I was more assertive and voluntary with ownership of things like "Okay, I'll do this and follow it up with that" kind of thing. The go-getter style I am known for has slowly resurfaced. My job is not my passion; however, it pays bills and makes expensive haircuts and hair color possible. I need to respect that privilege by being more present.

There was a pull from several people wanting my attention today. Not sure what kind of extra magnetism I was emitting, but it was familiar. Most people are very comfortable with me from the moment they meet me. Strangers are apt to touch my arm or pat me on the back while others more familiar with me like to play with my long hair or come up and hug me. It is the damnedest thing. Today, for whatever reason, a few dinners with other people that have been canceled for whatever reason have now been rescheduled on my calendar.

The traffic going home was brutal. Some really cool upbeat music calmed my nerves some along with my impromptu call to Kathy while she is on her Wisconsin vacation with her boyfriend. She is a fish out of water there when it come to cuisine. Meat is king in Wisconsin thanks to the dairy empires. You may recall that Kathy is my favorite vegetarian. Still, she makes it work with cheese and vegetables including the apples she just picked.

Dinner was a simple spinach omelet. It was quick and healthy...As I've been updating you, I've been watching Gordon Ramsay revisiting Kitchen Nightmares. So far most of the disaster kitchens he's helped have improved at least 30% a year later. He's a hard ass but he's good. I am not necessarily interested in opening my own restaurant one day even though I get urgings often. It is my evil queen Martha Stewart I would like to emulate a bit. If not, I've always had an itch to open a whole shopping plaza with shops of an exotic flavor. The plans and ideas are within my PC sitting in my Creative Room. The day will come for these children of my mind to be truly born. Meanwhile, I need to starting thinking of heading for bed. My boss was inspired to schedule and equally early meeting tomorrow -- on a Friday for crissakes! Sacrilege. (Wink)


.

Resurfacing

Concise Assessment

A few days into the new month and my first day back inside the office since I left it on Thursday. That could almost be the brief yet concise assessment of the day. Oh, you might be interested in nuances I suppose.

I tried to stay away from the fringes of drama from other people's lives. For example, my boss' three-year old refrigerator died yesterday after a fresh trip to the grocery store ($300) and he replaced it the same day for $2500 on a new one because his wife refused to live one day without one. The plainer one was not in stock, but the more expensive one was available. And there they went...Bridget had a cold which meant that she was not in a tolerable mood...Other people were just freakish while I tried to maintain my stillness amidst the frazzled energy.

This post is early as I have to be at work very much earlier than normal in the morning -- I scheduled a meeting early in the other building. It would be a good idea to be present. Ha!

My mind is jammed with information from today and I am trying to wind down. The adage to sleep on it may come into play here. The information is not really important or relevant to me; however, the fact that I have more or less isolated myself the past several days kept me from absorbing other people's energies, nervous energies. Let's hope tomorrow provides a better post. Maybe I'll find something more fun for you to enjoy. Sweetest dreams.


.

Concise Assessment

Delivered by Eva

How have you been, my lovelies? To update, Myrna picked me up at home on Friday to take me to the mechanic where I picked up my vehicle they had for two days. The prognosis: there was nothing wrong. Hmm. Then why did my stomach drop when I started my car when I left the restaurant? Whatever. My free starter has a warranty. I have a receipt for it...

Vinegar was my friend this morning. I used a dilution of warm water and vinegar to clean my linoleum floors. Damn if that didn't do a great job! Here I had been using commercial cleaners to a modicum of satisfaction. All I had to do was use a kitchen ingredient and warm water to get glowing results. Cleaned the baseboards by hand while I was at it. I recalled how the two Polish ladies my stepmother hired to clean her house would use the same vinegar dilution on the kitchen tile. Yes, the house smells like vinegar, but only for several hours.

In the middle of cleaning, I stopped to create my Twitter account. If you look on the right hand margin of my blog, right below the parasol picture, you will notice some notifications. You won't see these if you have me on an RSS feed. To see some quick updates or thoughts, you will have to go to my page and check. I didn't add this to my other online presence. What I love is that I can send a message from my mobile cell phone. It is that easy to update if I don't go online. I've been a bit reticent about creating a Twitter account, but recently read an article about someone writing a book with it -- 140 characters at a time which is the max on Twitter entries. That is not my goal; this application is something new for Sarah Sprinkles.

Between McCain announcing his running mate and the crazy hurricanes spinning from South Africa, I need some new news. (Side question: Does McCain think I should vote for his choice just because she has a vagina? --rolling my eyes--) I need something fun and not necessarily earth shattering. I have a little one. Let me tell you about that as I recount my evening at Vietnamese Michelle's house tonight.

Michelle from the Asian lunch mafia at work invited me to a party at her home about two miles from my own cousin's house in South Tampa. It was easy to find if the SUVs packed like sardines in the front lawn were not a big hint. I almost died laughing when I saw over two dozen pairs of slippers before the front door. My sneakers would have to come off when I came in which they did.

My entrance was one of those moments where I instantly knew I was different. All the guests inside were full Vietnamese. Here comes amazon AGOL at 5'8" making her way quickly to the kitchen where her friend was cooking. Everyone was extremely friendly and spoke English when they were around me. Michelle's husband made me a plate of appetizers right before I was invited to the table after being handed a bowl of Vietnamese style noodles. (There was a lot of food at this party!) As I was handed chopsticks, I was asked if I could eat fish sauce by the lady next to me. Yes, of course was my reply. I knew what they were thinking: This white chick is eating our food.

Michelle was soon bragging on my knowledge of Asian food while I interspersed tidbits about my own Asian culture. I could almost feel them breathe a sigh of relief. Besides her husband, I knew one other gentleman whose wife I knew, too. She wasn't present because she just had her breasts augmented and was in recovery at home. The other guests were looking at me searching for that Filipino side in my made up face. In no time, I was like part of the family and the attention was back on Michelle who apparently doesn't cook often. They said that I had to come to more dinners so they would get better food. Ha! About four sets of friends take turns cooking each Sunday.

Did I mention how loud this house was? Children of varying ages were like ants around the house. They played nice though. One captured my attention. Eva is Michelle's just under two-year old daughter. She was toddling in the kitchen. I looked down and she looked up at me. Out of their own volition, my arms came out in front of me and hers reflected mine. I couldn't believe it -- I just broke my vow to not hold a baby until I had my own. Eva immediately put her head down on my shoulder. OMG -- how cute!! The other guests noticed this and let me know I could take one or two kids on my way out later.

Yeah...I had a new friend the rest of the evening. Her mom was very surprised that she took to me so easily. Michelle teased me that perhaps she liked my big chest and that's why she was comfortable. Ten minutes before I left, Eva and I were playing a silly game. She was mesmerized by me and kept hovering her hands over my face and hair. Every time she touched my outfit and necklace, she kept saying "beautiful" in Vietnamese. I repeated the word quickly after she did which sent her into gales of laughter. When I would pretend to ignore her, she would bring her face and body around to my face and scream the word. I said ooh in really high voice and that sent her laughing too. Michelle urged me to take her home to see how far I could get out the door with her. I was halfway to my car when Eva realized something was amiss and began to say Mommy. Michelle opened the door and received her daughter.

My drive home was a reflection of my evening. I felt none of the painful pangs of not having my own family. I was not jealous, bitter or sad even when one of the gentlemen who was curious enough to ask why I didn't have any. To say I was stunned to hear this question coming from a man was an understatement. I didn't know how to answer. I asked Tab later in an IM how I should respond without sounding like a dork. After answering some of his own questions, he came up with I guess I really haven't found the right man to father my children yet. I can live with that as an answer for me to say in the future because it is true.

All I could remember before bed was that a trusting angel reminded me that everything was okay and I am still a complete person. There is nothing like a child responding to you in a laughter so free and so pure that it must have come from the greatest love well that is God.


.

Delivered by Eva

Word Clouds

I love words. I love illustrated words or words in illustrations, how ever you want to look at it. As a very young AGOL*, I used to draw my name or words and make designs around them. My other Filipino school mates would draw their names and surround them with concentric clouds, color them and then cutout. The best part was when they would write a little note on the back of the little cutout like, "Hello Sarah. Here is a little remembrance of me. Your Friend, ---".

My Blog as of today:


My Favorite Song: The Look of Love


By the way, listen to Sergio Mendes' version of my favorite song.

Create your own Word Cloud.


*To be honest, I still do...all the time!


.

Word Clouds

Garage Party at Harley-Davidson

My carpool ride picked me up at the mechanic's just as I was finishing my conversation a little after 7am. A few people were shocked to see me in before 8am. My routine was interrupted but I managed my energy with breakfast at 5:15am, snack at 8am and a Korean lunch with the Asian mafia at 11:30am. Anthony was wandering in our building and went with us.

The afternoon was spent putting out fires and wrapping up last minute things before taking some time off. Sharon gave me a ride home but before that we went to the Harley-Davidson showroom in Tampa where we had signed up for a Garage Party for women only. Bridget followed us.

When we arrived at this sprawling showroom of American symbolism, we were greeted by several people and were handed our name tags, a logo pen and a very nice booklet/Adventure Manual to carry during our introduction and overview of Harley-Davidson Motorcycle brand.

Harley-Davidson has been extremely busy revamping and expanding their brand to appeal to women. Below is a picture of one of the many belt buckles deemed girly (but tough!). Nothing like a little bling with your mean skull emblem.




What could announce female better than the color pink as seen in this baseball cap? You should have seen the rest of the apparel and accessories -- some pink, but definitely with a feminine flavor and design.



We were separated into four teams of five ladies. There were four stations: Apparel, Customization, Bike Mount/Dismount & Learning How to Pick Up a Motorcycle (when it falls on its side), and Introduction to the Five Families of Motorcycles offered under the Harley-Davidson name. Touching and mounting the bikes were strongly encouraged. I tried out two and participated in practicing what they were teaching. (Not sure why I don't have pics of the bikes??)

We took a break where they offered us refreshments and sandwich wraps. After all, we were there after work and during dinner time. For a total event participation of two hours, we left with a logo bag containing the goodies below: Informational and promotional pamphlets, logo items including an emery board for nails, a magnet, mardi gras beads and bumper stickers. Oh -- we all left with an individual picture of ourselves on a Harley-Davidson as well as a little personalized certificate of completion!



I came in a bit intimidated, but I left with a better understanding and appreciation of Harley Davidson. The evening was heavily staffed with both sexes but an emphasis on women. These folks put on a first class introduction to Harley Davidson. Everyone was nice, approachable, smiling, friendly and knowledgeable. If you EVER have the opportunity to attend a Garage Party, I strongly encourage it. I learned so much and opened a door to something I feel I could take part in should the inclination grow. Harley-Davidson also offers a 25-hour course on how to ride a motorcycle. This is more robust than the 15 hours required by the State to get your motorcycle's license. Tampa Harley rocks.

Just what you need...An AGOL on two fast wheels.


.

Garage Party at Harley-Davidson

Crazy Sound

Could you stand another entry on my car?! I almost can't for crissakes, but here it is...

My car is now making a whining sound after they had it yesterday. It only makes that sound when I try to start it or right before it engages the engine. Holy cow! We go from no sound to crazy sound. Sigh. I went through my day without calling the mechanics at least not until after 6pm.

I posted my situation on a car repair site including the history of my vehicle especially the last several months if not the last week. A response was dispensed lightening quick. I used the recommendation to call the mechanic. After a calm discussion, I agreed to leave my vehicle for at least two days at the shop. Minutes after that conversation, I secured my rides to and from work as well as deciding whom to call for a Friday night pick-up or Saturday pick-up of my vehicle. Lucky for me, Tawny's husband would be able to pick me up at 7am at the mechanics.

I ate leftover Korean lunch for dinner that Kim made for the Asian mafia. I didn't have to cook which made me less depressed. Was I really depressed? Resigned to just trust in the universe? That's more like it.

Rob IM'd me tonight and asked what he's missed out on since he has been at his new job settling in. I sent the link to my forum post and he agreed with the online expert's response. He also recommended a local mechanic who is honest and does great work which I very much appreciated for next time.

I watched in happy amazement Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention. He's really interesting. Barack Obama came in as a surprise right after to support Biden's speech. His own speech will be at a stadium tomorrow night. Can we really have hope with this man with an unusual sounding name? Senator Ted Kennedy seems to think so and has passed the torch to him.


.

Crazy Sound

452

Taking it easy. No rushing and no expectation other than a good one. That's how I decided to approach getting ready for another trip to the mechanic's garage. They were expecting me and knew they had to come up with a mutually agreeable resolution for both of us.

I was on the phone to Bridget when I arrived at 9am. Without breaking my conversation, I handed the attending manager my keys before situating myself in the waiting room. I spoke to her at length some more until my regular mechanic came in to get more information from me since I last came in. He had not been there on Friday so he was able to see the video I took.

While my car was being dissected, I was working on my laptop and fielding work e-mails. Around 1pm, I began to wonder if I should skip next door and have a nosh. I had almost made my decision when my mechanic came in to let me know he was almost done. Never once did I ask when my vehicle would be finished because I trusted it would be.

I logged into work again and mostly IM'ed with my buddies. My connection wasn't fast enough to work on my regular things. The manager called me around 2pm in the middle of watching Tyra but not before enduring a demented and deplorable specimen of American television known as Jerry Springer. I braced myself for whatever they had to say.

The mechanics replaced my starter which is what I had advanced ordered last Thursday for Friday. An ignition switch was replaced instead of the starter. Because the previous symptoms had resurfaced on Monday morning, I called them and gave them the facts of what had transpired and what would transpire. The bottom line today was the part and labor costs were absorbed by this company to a tune of $452. Yes, it was zero-zip-zilch-nada cost to Sprinkles. I also received an apology from them for having to come back in. I thanked them, too. Please cross your fingers with me and see how the repair holds...

My sugar level was already at an uncomfortable threshold. I couldn't wait to go home and have my late lunch. My morning omelette had worn off. I continued to work a little until 5pm. Watched some TV and ate a lighter dinner. I must have been really exhausted because when I spoke to Kathy, I couldn't recall names and convey my thoughts clearly. Just as well. I will be sipping my jasmine tea all the way to the bottom while I watch Hilary Clinton give her speech this evening. G'night.


.

452