Thursday, October 30

Relieved


I've been in deep, deep work mode lately. To give you any idea of how hard I've been working, I didn't leave the office until 9:00 pm last night then was back this morning at 7:30 am. I'm not normally a workaholic but I had to do well at this week's meeting. We do quarterly financial reviews to track our business. It's a long, painful process full of conference calls, spreadsheets, 18' rulers and stress. The past 2 weeks have been spent gathering info to explain any and all anomalies in our numbers. We just didn't have a clear idea of those anomalies until yesterday at around 11:00 am. Did I mention that we had to present it all this morning? Yeah, that's why I've been MIA lately.

My group was the first to present because my boss ROCKS and wanted us to get it over with. I'm so happy she volunteered us for the 9:15 time slot. We all did very well and I think made our boss proud. She's a really good coach and kept us on track.

So, what did I miss in the past couple of weeks? I hear there was a World Series. I think this is the first I've missed in decades. I know we don't yet have a new President yet. I think some new movies have come out that I'd like to see. I know I'm taking this Monday and Tuesday off and that I'll be voting and that I plan to get a pedicure tomorrow. I'm so happy.

What else? Any news you'd like to share? Lemme know!

Sunday, October 19

Shut-in Central


It's official. I've hit the wall. I can not stand one more political message. I am so sick of the constant barrage of political statements coming my way. They're in my email inbox, they're on the lawns of the homes I pass every day, and let's not forget the hysterical, lie-filled, non-stop ads on tv. I've had it! It's even pushed me to take desperate measures. After my incredibly busy week, I decided to be as much of a shut-in as possible this weekend. I don't often get the chance to be a shut-in but I managed to do so yesterday. It was great. After only one day at home, and not leaving the house once, I found myself enjoying the creepy comforts of QVC. While the QVC hosts are disturbingly chipper, and their fans are disturbingly inbred, they at least avoid politics so it's become a haven for me.

I'm now watching Paula Deen flirt with the gayest man on earth. I'm sure the AARPers out there just adore him so it's probably best they don't know about his sexual leanings. Then there's this chick who just LOVES herself. She spends more time looking at herself in the monitor than showing product. The shut-ins seem to like her too.

Here are a few of the things I was actually interested in from my weekend with QVC:
Bakeware ($43.92 for 11 pieces?! Are you kidding?)
Silicone Baking Boards (Cool!)
Philosophy - A Few Good Men ($35 for 3 lbs of Philosophy 3-in-1?! OMG!!! Too bad those scents don't do much for me.)

No wonder this country is in such terrible debt. We can sit on our butts, remote in hand, and charge, charge, charge to buy a bunch of crap we don't need. I've managed to resist but if I was home all day, all the time, I'm sure those sunshiney hosts would wear me down. I can resist over-priced, ugly, Joan Rivers jewelry (and, btw, what the hell is this?!) but Philosophy bath products? That's another story. That's my personal danger zone. It's a good thing I have to go back to work tomorrow.

Saturday, October 18

In the Spirit


With Halloween on it's way I figured I'd let you in on one of my favorite spooky sites.

Where is this eerie corner of the web? Over on a site called Hours Of Darkness. It's a site that features hauntingly beautiful photography of deserted buildings and areas. Architecture and photography are two of my favorite things so this site makes me swoon. I'm particularly fond of the Modern Ruins link in the Galleries section. Check it out.

I mean honestly, is there anything creepier than an abandoned psychiatric hospital? And check out that deserted theme park. I bet that place made for some favorite childhood memories but look at it now. I look at that Methodist Church and it breaks my heart. What a beautiful building. Some of these places beg to be refurbished while others reek of past horrors and deserve to be left to fall into ruins.

Be warned though, this site can really suck you in. I hope you enjoy the trip as much as I always do.

Thursday, October 16

Worked over!


I work for a big company, a really big company. I happen to work in our North American office but we have offices across the globe. Once a year they gather the management teams from all over the world and throw us together for a week. The week begins with regional meetings but soon shifts to meetings that pull us all in a room together to share best practices and get to know each other. Since last Sunday night we've mostly been in a ball room with lots of tables watching presentations, setting goals and calming fears about the economy.

Wednesday we stopped all business meetings and focused on team building. They broke us out into 13 groups so we could put on a talent show to be judged by upper management. I completely lucked out, thanks to my HR guy (thank you Rod!!), and was placed in the African Drumming group. Some other people got, among other talents, rhythmic dancing, cheerleading, magic, comedy, hip hop dancing and everyone's favorite, dog training. Dog training sounds like a lot of fun but, let's be clear, dogs are completely unpredictable and quickly become a pain. Also, dogs have trouble understanding foreign accents which, of course, is a problem with an international group. But back to my drumming! I've found my new love. We learned a few basic beats then put them together and a strange thing happened, we sort of fell into a trance. I learned that beating a drum with your bare hands is a great way to relieve stress but it's also hypnotic. It's like meditation. I took to it very quickly. We then learned some dance steps to go with the drumming. I was doing fine until we were told to jump in the air and spin all the way around. I held up my hand, walked out of the dancing circle and said "I'm out!".

I had a blast during our performance and wailed on my drum. We sounded great! Later, on my way to the restroom, I was stopped three separate times and told I looked like a natural up there. The acrobatic instructor told me I "looked like a pro up there" because I looked so comfortable and was watching for queues from our instructor, who was AWESOME by the way.

After the performance my hands were killing me. We had been warned that bruising was common and that we might be a little sore. To help recover, I sat and clutched the pitcher of ice water sitting on our table to help ease the pain. It certainly felt good and I think it helped with swelling. My fellow drummers had swollen hands the next day but mine were doing ok. They were still sore the following day but I'm happy to report that we came in second place out of the 13 talent groups. We were beat by the Bollywood dancing team. Lame! As I walked off stage with my prize I stopped by the judges table and said "We were robbed!". Today one of those judges admitted, on stage, that the African Drummers had in fact been "hosed".

Right after the talent show I was in the hotel bar with some new friends from the UK office. They introduced me to their big, big boss. He, unfortunately, had a long strong handshake. He grasped my hand and I immediately yelled "OOOOOOOOUCH!" He sort of jumped back and apologized realizing I had been a drummer. I just shrugged and said "Well, you'll never forget me now."

Two days later my hands feel better but I still can't twist tops off soda and water bottles. I quickly learned that if I wordlessly set an unopened beverage in front of a friend they'd open it for me.

Last night we had an awards dinner in a famous theme park. I was faced with an interesting dilemma. I typically don't drink at work events or dinners or anywhere co-workers gather. No matter how well I know them I find drinking with co-workers can get ugly and regretful. Last night, however, I had the opportunity to get a little buzz while in a famously family oriented park that does not serve alcohol. Last night I was faced with an open bar and fast passes to some super fun rides. Well, what's a girl to do? Well, this girl had three cocktails. By the time my big, big boss was striding towards the stage to accept the Country of the Year award it took every ounce of self control I had to not run up there with her, waggle my tongue and hold up two victory signs with my fingers and yell "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". The thought made me giggle wildly. I confessed my urge to friends who wished I'd done it. I later told the big, big boss what I'd almost done and she said I should have followed through with it. Oh well. It's probably best. My reputation of being a non-drinker would have been destroyed and reversed to party girl in an instant had I lost it.

I'm now home and extremely sleepy. We did a lot of sitting but I'm somehow exhausted. You know how tired you are after a long flight? You think to yourself what's my problem? I've been sitting for hours, why am I so tired? Well, that's how I feel right now. I just need some sunshine and fresh air and a lot of sleep. Here's to a great weekend.

Saturday, October 11

Uh oh

I stumbled upon a real time waster online this evening. I'm a sucker for nostalgia so I FREAKED when I was led to this, from my childhood:


Am I the only one who remembers this game? I'm sure it would be considered completely politically incorrect these days. I guess all of those witches happily spooking from room to room might upset some folks, but I used to love it. Do you remember the "whammy" ball that you dropped through the chimney? Such fun!

Then I saw this bad boy:

When was the last time you saw him hanging around? Oh, and how many of these did your family burn through during the 80's?:

This was, and remains, a big deal for me and my Mom:

It came out the year I was born and we listened to it year after year until it finally wore out. It was lost to me for several decades until I came across it in the Castro District in my early 20s. A lovely music store owner heard me squeal from across the store when I spotted it in his Castro shop. He insisted on playing it and I promptly burst into tears when I heard the first few bars. My then boyfriend was dumbstruck but that sweet queenly man ran out from behind the counter and put his arm around me as I sobbed that my Mom used to dance me around the living room to that song when I was a baby. He tried to give it to me but I wouldn't take it. I didn't think I'd ever be able to listen to it again and therefore refused. Years later I gave it a try again and was able to hear it without sobbing but it will always choke me up.

So, where did I find all of these gems from my childhood? On this fun site. (Beware! You'll be there a while.)

I also found this:

This is the sewing machine my Mom got in school and used all through my childhood. It's apparently a favorite among sewing fans but I love it for the scent. This machine has a smell that literally sweeps me back to the 70's every time I catch a whiff. I think it's the oil used to keep it in working order. I don't know, I just know that I love it. My Mom once threatened to get the smell cleaned out of it and I protested wildly. I will love that smell until I die. In fact, I'd like to be cremated and buried in the sewing machine case that's seeped in that scent. What do you say KB? Your Mom's got one too. Should we be buried near each other in matching Singer Featherweight machine boxes? I'm in if you are.

Friday, October 10

Ha!

I'm glad this was commented on. I was wondering what the hell was going on. Now I know.

This also really makes me laugh.

And Shandon, this is for you because, as of last night, you had not seen it. Tina Fey's last comment really killed me.

And Norman? Since I gave something to Shandon, here's a little something for you. Enjoy!





Wednesday, October 8

My thoughts exactlly!


I'd be blogging more, but all I do is work these days. Today I worked from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm and am nowhere near being caught up. Hopefully I'll be able to blog a bit more some time soon. In the mean time, here is another great clip from The Daily Show.

Sunday, October 5

OMG! You're such a good debater!

The McCain camp can deny it all they want, but this is exactly how last week's debate went down:

Here is a link if the chart is too small to read.

That being said, I must admit the woman wore a kick-ass suit to the debate. That thing was tailored like no other. A friend and I were discussing the suit on Friday and decided it was ridiculous for her to play the "I'm SO middle America" card when she was wearing, what must have been, a $4,000 suit. Yves St. Laurent perchance? Hmm.

Be Glad


It's been a good weekend. Yesterday I saw The Duchess with Heidi. We liked it, but agree that those Spencer women get the shaft every time.

Today, was a nice relaxing day. So relaxing that I decided to make a meatloaf with mashed potatoes. This meal is considered brother repellent because my brother would rather die than eat it. This fact always makes me smile to myself. I haven't made dinner in a long time. Maybe the cool weather helped but I felt like getting in the kitchen for a bit. I even remembered to turn on my iPod's Showtunes playlist. Showtunes make the best tunes to cook to because, they are the most fun to sing-a-long to.

Several weeks ago my Mom decided to make her old standby, Tuna Casserole. We used to eat Tune Casserole ALL the time in the seventies. My brother hated it eve more than meatloaf. When Mom told him she recently made Tuna Casserole for Dad, my brother groaned. We later heard that he told his nine year old son about Tune Casserole with a brief description "Grandma would mix mac and cheese with tuna and mushrooms." "BLECHHH!" my nephew replied. Later mom told my nephew that she also added peas to the dish. Thsi new development was enough to make the kid swoon and fall to the ground in disgust. Tuna Casserole is apparently not served at his house.

Besides cooking, I relaxed today by catching most of Silence of the Lambs on cable. I'd forgotten how good that movie is. I suppose you have to be in the mood for it so it's been years since I've seen it. Following SOTL I watched enough of The Shining to see that disturbing man-in-bear-suit-kneeling-at-the-bed scene. So many images in that movie are disturbing and that one is right up there with the freaky twins in the hall. *shudder* I then watched The Brave One. It all got to be a bit much for a Sunday afternoon so I decided to switch gears. I'm now washing the bummer of those movies off by watching Cheaper by the Dozen, Pollyanna and Annie back-to-back on TCM while getting a little work done. I also plan to do more of that dreadful online traffic school. The work part of my plan sort of stinks but the rest should be a good time. Weeeeeeeee!

Saturday, October 4

Hates the bill... loves the bill!


Needs a bit of build up but the last 5 seconds make it SO worth it.

Enjoy!