For the past week or so, I've been fairly slow here at work. Bored really. And today - nothing but work, work, work, and more frickin' work. And tomorrow is going to be just as busy.

I know, you wondering what the hell I'm doing here if I have so much work to do. Just checkin' in. Bye.

{in my best whiny voice}

Teacher's Pet, Teacher's Pet!

Watch Brodie, watch Brodie!

Slow and easy, slow and easy!

I feel much better now. And the throb in my heel has ebbed. :)

It's been here a year now of raving/ranting/bitching/moaning/complaining/yelling, etc.

And it's all Goddamn Thomas' fault, so blame him. :)

And I realize now that I should have waited to start this thing until Aug. 1, making it coincide with my real birthday. I'll be 21 this year...for the nth time. :P

She's cranky and whiny. And didn't take a nap this afternoon. And she has to go to work tonight. And she has no A/C in her office now. And she wants to quit her job very badly.

And she agrees with me.

Chas needs comments. I want to post comments on his blog SO BADLY. It really would help with my boredom. :)

I've been pretty damn bored today. And I did actually do WORK today! I know, HOLY SHIT, right? It's just been one of those days that I've had work and been able to post all day. :)

And apparently, Mike's been pretty bored today too!

And it was something that was deserved.

All military bases had their flags at half-staff yesterday, in honor of Mr. Leslie "Bob" Hope.

Today is Goddamn Thomas's blog birthday and tomorrow is mine. You can bet your ass that I will NOT be letting anyone post on my blog. Some of you are just too damn hateful sometimes. ;)

I'm having too much fun posting on Goddamn Thomas' blog today. Go and check it out! :)

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King is *not* your typical Stephen King horror novel. It is an amazing story which make you think and care about the characters. The best quote from this book: "The universe (he said) offers a paradox too great for the finite mind to grasp. As the living brain cannot conceive of a nonliving brain - although it may think it can - the finite mind cannot grasp the infinite."

Okay, just another thing to bitch about here, but dammit, I'm sick and tired of being the only one who cleans the pot in the morning and then makes a fresh one. (to be fair, Christie does make it once or twice a month) I am *not* the only one who drinks it, so why am I the only one who takes care of it? Especially when one of the other big coffee drinkers in the office gets here before I do!

Fuck 'em. I'm going to bring in my extra coffee maker (hell, we have three) and keep it at my own damn desk. All I need now is one of those desk fridges to keep my special coffee in and I'd be golden!

Guess what? I'm cranky this morning! (Have I just been spending too much time with Vivie?) I didn't sleep all that well last night. Strange dreams, thunderstorms, and more strange dreams kept my sleep fitful. But I am looking forward to tonight. The hubby will be working and I'll have a little alone time for a while. :)

My new acroynm. And no, I won't tell you what it means. Guess.

Well, Bob Hope - one of the greatest entertainers EVER - died at the ripe old age of 100. A shame, but not exactly unexpected. My favorites of his movies has always been "The Seven Little Foys" (1955) and "I'll Take Sweden" (1965).

After a kinda shitty Friday at work, I really wasn't looking forward to the evening. Ended up cleaning and shit, not doing what I really wanted to do. Saturday was more of the same, mostly laundry and cleaning. Saturday night, however, was fucking incredible! I won't go into details here ('cause most of ya'll that will be reading this don't need the mental images) but needless to say, I am a hell of a lot happier today than I was. Sunday was a great breakfast, followed by bowling, followed by a trip to Sam's Club, followed by a lovely evening of pizza and two "presidential" movies.

Monday's, by definition, suck and today is no exception. I have a bunch of work I can't do - the system is fucked up currently - and I'll be having clients come in all frickin' week. I am, however, looking forward to dinner this week. The hubby is finally getting the chance to use his grill. After having it for 4 months. :) We'll be having hamburgers, hot dogs, hopefully corn on the cob, and perhaps some kind of "salad" - of the potato or macaroni family. We'll see there.

Shut the fuck up and go the fuck away!

Well dammit, that didn't make me feel any better. It's just one of those days. What I really need to do tonight (instead of laundry, dishes, mopping, kitty litter, vacuuming, etc.) is a nice hot bubble bath, with candles lit all around, and soft, soothing music coming from the stereo. Afterwards, a nice hot oil massage by a hot muscle man who knows how to gently knead my stress away.

HA! Knowing that isn't going to happen (does anyone *know* any hot muscle men around here that *aren't* gay?), it looks to be a very dull evening. I'm just hoping the weekend turns out to be better. More Sims and hopefully find the cable I need to connect my old CPU to the new CPU so I don't lose all the shit I want to save! And hope that it doesn't cost too much since there is another week before payday!

Oh, and the birthday thing. I'm going to send an email out to Joe and Viv to see where they would like to go that Saturday night. After dinner, we'll go to somebody's house and get liquored up! :)

Darrell has sent along his pics and I have uploaded them into my online photo album. I'm in the process of naming them and putting little comments in for your amusement. :)

Food and Loathing by Betsy Lerner ended up being very good, even better than I had anticipated. There were certain things that I really could identify with, especially the self-esteem issues and their connection with food. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who have ever had a weight problem. It took a lot of guts to write this book as openly as Ms. Lerner did.

My computer is arriving today. YEAH!!! Now if Viv will just get her butt to the house so she can sign for the damn thing!!!

{For those of you who are unaware, (and you can blame Mike for my addiction to the Sims) I have created a neighborhood with our little "gang" in it. What follows is a small summary of the happenings thus far. There will be periodic updates! :)~ }

The Players (and occupations): Michael (the Hacker), Todd (the Politician), Chas (the Scholar), Joe (the Businessman), Bob (the Entertainer), Tom (the Slacker), Darrell (the Extremist), Tony (the Musician), Jenn (the Doctor), Steve (currently unemployed), Jeff (the Paranormal Expert) and Tracy (the Journalist) (and yeah, they aren't part of the gang but they are my best friends)

Summary: Each one of the gang started out with their own little home (except Jeff & Tracy who live together and who moved in after Todd decided to shack up with Mike). Some homes are more tastefully decorated than others. Darrell's charming  home scared the hell out of the papergirl, so she just kinda wandered around - breathing hard and not delivering the paper (I think it really was just a computer glitch - but his house is  kinda creepy looking).

Mike charmed Todd and the two of them now share the gawdy house (Sorry guys, I'll get rid of all the animal print later, I promise!). Todd has made friends with just about everyone in the neighborhood (and been flirting with a few of them!), which has propelled him up to State Assemblyman. Of course his obvious flirting has made Mike want to slap more than a few of them. Bob seems to have insulted the heck out of Chas and they are not on speaking terms. Steve has no friends and has not bothered to find a job yet. He is the last one to move into the neighborhood (because he was so goddamn picky about his house!). Poor Joe can't seem to make friends either, except with Tom (no comments from the peanut gallery). Tony seems to be the pickiest about who he is friends with. He doesn't care for Jenn much or Chas, but is in love with Todd and Bob. Maybe he just likes the sisters? :)

Well, they are sending him home tomorrow for a few days. They are still trying to build up his immune system and platelet count before they do the spleen removal surgery (which will probably be next week sometime if all goes well). still unsure of whether or not I'll go up there. There are a multitude of problems associated with doing that, so I'm still going to plan a birthday celebration for the 2nd anyway. Well, at least a celebration for me and Joe. Looks like Viv may not be able to join us, so we'll have to do something seperate for her.

Okay, I'm being a little political today. But a big question comes to mind with this article on North Korea: What are we so afraid of? And why does it seem that Bush is trying his best to make certain that the rest of the "neighborhood" WILL alienate North Korea if they continue on? And why is it that WE - as Americans - feel that no one else is entitled to have the same weapons that we ourselves have more than enough of???

I - along with many Americans - believed that we were after Saddam Hussein. Not to kill his family. And what's more, they are reporting this before they even have factual evidence. Sigh. The American media at work folks.

And Dubya is wishy-washy about it. Bomb your local U.S. Embassy! That will send U.S. Marines rushing in!

Okay, perhaps that is a bit harsh, but it seems to have worked, right? The question now is, are we going to be helping Liberia in their problems? And if we do, when will Bush begin to use this to divert our attention from our own problems here at home?

Well, they have moved my Dad to Brigham and Women's Hospital. I take comfort in that, as it is one the best hospitals in the country. They are also a teaching hospital for Harvard (which kinda makes me nervous). They are giving him a blood transfusion and trying to build his immune system up. Apparently, the radiation treatments were not going as well as he led me to believe. If he stays in the hospital much longer, I may have to take a trip. Not that I can really afford to, but - well hell - this is my father. And they are still talking about removing his spleen. So, there we have it. Sigh.

I did get the chance last night to talk to my father before everyone came over. He sounded better than the last time I talked to him and he seems to be breathing better. They are still talking about moving him to the cancer hospital in Boston for his spleen removal. Possibly Monday or a week from Monday. Depends on their bed space. While talking with him last night, he informed me that he had spoken to my brother Jimmy (I like this one. My other brother, Jeff, is an asshole and extremely self-centered - similar to his wife, the bimbette Joni - but I *do* love him. He is my brother  after all). It's not enough that Dad has his health to worry about, but he is also very concerned with what is happening to Jimmy and his family. Let me explain.

My brother Jimmy and his wife, Jeanne, and their three kids, Laura, Brian, and Sarah (18,13,9 respectively) all live in Ocala, Florida. They have just built the house of their dreams. Jimmy makes a good living as a mechanic (heavy duty equipment) and Jeanne is an RN. Anyway, Jeanne is also in the hospital, having a kidney removed. Which means, they are down to one income and Jimmy has to take care of everything at home. My niece Laura, old enough to have a job and car, is acting like the spoiled brat that most 18 year olds are, and not only *not* helping out around the house, but EXPECTING Jimmy to pay her car insurance, cell bill and give her money whenever she wants it - after blowing her own income on videos and other trivial stuff. Nevermind that she is thinking about moving in with her boyfriend instead of preparing for college (shit, can't let myself get started on that tirade).

So, Dad is trying to give Jimmy some very helpful (and I have to say useful) advice on how to go about handling the situation. I can't believe that Jimmy let it get as bad as it is, however, in his defense, Jeanne (and her parents - who have always lived next door to them, and still do - building their own home next to theirs. Shit, another tirade I could go on.) let all three kids get away with everything, so he is a lone voice in the storm. And the advice my father is giving him is very good. I remember the way Dad treated us when we hit 18 (and he *did* treat us all the same). He and Mom also instilled in us a sense of responsibility. I just can't believe that Jimmy didn't look back a little and take a page from our parents. But, this also the same brother that has had up to 5 DUI's, been busted for pot, was hooked on coke for a while, and has been very lucky that his wife has stuck around and that may be part of the reason he's been kinda lax.

Now, before anyone gives me shit, I *do* remember exactly what I was like at 18. I was spoiled too (and I mean SPOILED - being the only daughter AND an only granddaughter!), but after graduating high school, I got a job, got married, and paid my own bills. I never asked - nor expected - my parents to pay for anything. Except in dire emergencies, but there were only 2 of those that I can ever remember over the past 15 years. I *so* want to call Laura and try (emphasis on TRY) to give some very useful advice before she spends the next few years hating her father. I should know. I've been in that position when Dad tried to assert authority over me at that age. A very long story there that I won't go into right now.

The question now is: Do I call Jimmy and talk to him about Laura? Well, I'm calling him anyway, just to give him some support and find out how Jeanne is doing. But I wonder if I should even mention to him that I know pretty much where she is coming from and perhaps give him a little perspective on the situation. Or at least affirm the advice that Dad gave him.

Sigh...I'll make up my mind by the time I get home...maybe. :)

We got home last night kinda late (maybe 10:30p) and after crawling into bed, noticed the flashing light on the phone, indicating that there was a message. I grabbed the phone, curious as to who called when most people I know have my cell and call it when there is no answer at the house. Anyway, when I picked up the phone, I checked the caller ID first. The last call listed was at 9:45pm, from my mother. Now, my mother does *not* call anyone after 8:30pm and usually is fast asleep by 9:30p. Needless to say, I looked at the caller ID and was worried. I knew *something* was wrong. And I was right (which normally pleases me, but not this time).

My father has been hospitalized, again (He is hospitalized *every* time he gets a cold because it turns into pneumonia within a day). Apparently, this time he has a blood clot in his lung. They are doing some kind of test right now to locate it, but they haven't said exactly what they are going to do once they find it. And they are talking about removing his spleen. And they (the docs at the hospital) aren't very forthcoming with information. For those who don't know about my father's medical history, let me give you a small run down. He has the following: High blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, and leukemia (for which he has been getting radiation treatments lately Also, he had a triple by-pass a couple of years ago). And those are the only things I *know* about. (He takes more pills than you do, Mike, but I doubt that's any comfort, considering he's over 20 years older than you.) One of the kitchen cabinets has a shelf and a half devoted to all the medications he is currently on. It always makes me wonder if they are over medicating him, but the fact that he actually takes his pills is enough to keep my mouth shut. (He's one of those that doesn't like doctors very much and likes to avoid them. Hmm...wonder if that's where I get my aversion to the medical profession?)

Anyway, I don't mean to depress any one with all of my "wonderful" news today. Sorry. We'll watch something perky tonight at dinner! :)

For those who have not talked to either Tony or Darrell this week, Darrell has come down with pneumonia. He is on antibiotics and will probably go back to the doc again on Friday. They will not be at dinner tonight. Knowing the health problems that he has, I expressed some concern to Tony last night on the phone. I am *terribly* worried about him and what seems to be an increase in his problems of late. (Of course, no one is more concern than Tony, trust.) I have to wonder if part of the increase in contracting one thing or another (mono, pneumonia, etc.) are related to his diminished immune system. (yeah, I'm sure they are.) And if so, have they changed his meds? Is he even on them anymore? I just wish there was something that I could do to help him. Yeah, I know there really isn't - well, except a little magic. :) And I also worry that he will end up losing his job due to his health problems. I hope not, for both their sakes...

For those of you who are coming to dinner tonight, be forewarned. Someone will be showing off his new truck. To everyone. Whether you want to see it or not. Please humour him. :)

Went to the Toyota dealership last night and test drove the Tacoma and the Tundra. The Tacoma is very nice, but had bucket seats (this matters and unfortunately for some of you, I will share why in a sec), not that smooth of a ride and a bit sluggish. The Tundra was very smooth, quiet, split bench seat and great pick up.

*For those of you with delicate senses, skip the next paragraph*

Believe it or not, the style of the front seat played an important role in determining which truck we ended up with. Why, you may ask? Because we like to have FUN in our vehicles. The hubby likes getting blow jobs as he drives, and it has been impossible - well, not impossible but extremely  uncomfortable - to do so in the Metro and the Saturn. So it was important for us to find a truck that had a bench seat to make this a little easier for me. And him too, since he does like to play with me while I drive. I really, REALLY miss the van we had. ;D

So yes, we got the Tundra. It has everything in it that he wanted and is the color he wanted - a beautiful deep blue - so he is on the hook for the next drag show.

On an unrelated note, I also was able to purchase a new CPU for the house. YEAH! My current CPU is slooooooooooow as hell - takes about 20 minutes just to start up - and last week it decided to stop recognizing that there was a disk in the floppy drive. No, it wasn't the disk - my computer is just on it's last leg. So, hopefully, by this time next week, I will be very, VERY happy! :)

What rating is your journal?
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Work is really interrupting my time. I have some things I'm trying to do, and work just keeps getting in my way. One of these days, damn it, one of these days. Anyway, I've been getting a little adventure together and it looks to be shaping up quite nicely. Interested parties need to let me know if they are up for it and when. I have very little requirements for making characters and Todd, dear, I'd like to borrow that book we used at Shel's last game. I want to flesh out Zoey a little and a few other characters as well. :)

Rosalyn. your Calvin's babysitter! your the only
thing that Calvin fears. You are a hard worker
and never let things get in your way when your
studying.


Which Calvin and Hobbes character r u?
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You should have sex with BUGS BUNNY!
A
classic cartoon character, Bugs could please
you with his wit and suave personality he seems
to take on when dealing with females he's
interested in.
Who better to have sex with
than a rabbit? (as the rabbit vibrator will
testify)
Only way it would be better was if
he was a jackrabbit.


(completed ) Which cartoon character should you have sex with?
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You have an entrancing kiss~ the kind that leaves
your partner bedazzled and maybe even feeling
he/she is dreaming. Quite effective; the kiss
that never lessens and always blows your
partner away like the first time.


What kind of kiss are you?
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You're Soroity Slut Barbie! You're easy and you're
really cheesy! Have fun with the entire
football team.


If You Were A Barbie, Which Messed Up Version Would You Be?
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First about the weekend. The show on Friday went fairly smoothly. And we did raise a bit of money (at least it was something) and the best part of the show was Rick. Who knew he could move like that? I can't wait to get the pics up for everyone to see. It will  amuse. Saturday was the movies with Mike. LoEG was pretty bad from my perspective. There was just so much more that they could have done with it. Still, not the worse Sean Connery movie I've ever seen. That's a tie between "The Avengers" and "Cuba". Both of them are pretty fuckin' bad. The rest of the night was uneventful. Cuddling on the couch and watching some DVDs.

Sunday saw us at the bowling alley, with the hubby subbing for the first time. After bowling, the hubby and I did a little truck shopping. We were approved for the loan through Navy Fed, which is the only reason why he's getting the new truck. We looked at the Dodge Dakota (mid-size), Chevy S-10 (small), Chevy Silverado (full-size), Toyota Tacoma (mid-size), and the Toyota Tundra (full-size). After comparing all the options and prices, we came to a few conclusions. Chevy's cost too much for the little that you get with the S-10, and the Silverado is just plain expensive. The Dakota was reasonably priced, but seemed a little too much once you add all the options that the hubby is insisting on. Both the Tacoma and the Tundra are nice trucks. They come with mostly the same options, only the Tundra is a little bigger. And the price on the Tundra is about what we were looking to spend. (Plus, you can always get a better deal when you tell the salespeople that you are paying for the vehicle with a check.) So, as soon as we get the paperwork from Navy Fed, we'll be heading down to the Toyota dealership.

On a side note with the truck purchase: The hubby has stated that if he gets the truck he wants - with all the options he wants - and Ms. Tony does his make-up, he will do the next drag show. Yeah, I'll be getting that in writing! And there *WILL* be loads and loads of pics of it when it happens. Trust.

What Finding Nemo Character are You?
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This comes from talking politics this morning with Goddamn Thomas and George (the only black straight man in our company). Can I just point out that I am just waiting  for the fall of the Bush empire? Speaking on the "War on Iraq", a couple of definitive questions come to mind. Why are we still there? What was the rush on going to war in the first place? Why didn't our intelligence agency's INVESTIGATE the documents that led us to war BEFORE wasting the lives of our American soldiers? My opinion? The Bush empire ran to war because the war with Afghanastan was coming to an end (and they are never really going to find Bin Laden, nor try to) and they needed to divert the public's attention away from the failing economy. What better than to fight another "tried and true enemy" like Hussein, touting that he and his army have "weapons of mass destruction" and making it seem that they are getting ready to use them. So far in their investigation, they have not come across one single weapon. Hmmm...makes you wonder why. Could it be that is was all just a smoke screen? And if, as some claim, that the Iraqi people wanted us to help them gain their freedom, then why the hesitation over going into Liberia and helping them settle their problems when they are literally begging  for our help?

Here's hoping that the empire falls in '04 and Dean can rise to the challenge.

Yeah, glad it's friday, but it is going to be one hell of a loooong day. The show is tonight, but it doesn't start until 11 or so. Too bad I can't take a nap first. There's too much set up to do and shit. I'll be happy when it's all over. And I really do hope everything goes off without a hitch. We'll see.

Yeah, decided to go ahead and activate the whole title thing. Just for the fun of it. :)

Okay, it's time to get Chas and Jeffy to get comments on their respective blogs. We're all waiting, ya know!!

Finished Skeleton Crew by Stephen King and forgot how much I loved his short stories. "The Mist" and "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" are among my favorites. He has so much talent for one person. I also like the note he puts at the end of the book. I like to read about how he gets his ideas. I'm so jealous. :) I've moved on to The Dark Tower series, one I never really thought I would like or get into, but I'm giving it a go.

I forgot to mention this yesterday. On Tuesday evening, I was traumatized - severely. Permanently scarred. My fragile little mind will never be the same again.

I was mooned. Right in my own living room. I'll never be the same again.

Looks like I'll be dusting off the old books and notebooks full of ideas to torture, maim, and kill people. Talking about D&D and heading back into DMing for a few people here. I got all my accoutrement  out last night and found a few of my old favorite NPC's that I would like to reactivate for my own amusement. (Zoey is coming back again!) I don't know if things will be ready by this Saturday night, but I'm going to try. With the show and getting the jukebox done, shopping and dinner Thurs. night, it'll be close. I'll be sending out a notice to all those who want to get involved. :)

Well, ended up leaving work yesterday at 10:30am, due to the lack of sleep. Viv was at the house, but kept it down while I took a nap. And had a wonderful night, with dinner and the fun conversation. We also have a new signal for you Chas and we'll explain on Thursday. :) Which reminds me, does Joe realize it's his week??

Oh thrill, oh joy. I just *love* my job. Really. Especially days like today when I get to send out closure letters to some of the dumber of my ghetto clients. How hard is it to sign a piece of paper and send it back in the pre-addressed envelope????

Oh, and yeah, I changed my template around.

You got a problem with that??

Here's the deal: I drink coffee, okay? And I need it especially this morning. (Why? See my last post silly.) The hubby was nice enough to brew it up for me. A whole pot all to myself. It should help keep me awake. I like my coffee with some form of creamer (dairy or non-dairy, I don't care) and my Splenda (yeah, there should be some kind of trademark thingy, but I can't remember the code for it at the moment). So what the hell is my problem? I'm out of frickin' creamer...of any kind. Needless to say, my day is not getting any better.

ARRRRGGGHHH!!!

Oh-My-God-Becky! It's about 5:20am and I've been up since 1:00am. Went to bed at 10pm. Not...enough...sleep...not...enough...sleeeeeeep. FUCK! No, not really very happy this morning and I don't expect to be in a very good mood today (be forewarned GT and Viv). I didn't think that I had that much on my mind for it to prevent me from getting back to sleep. I tried, really I did. Tried to clear my mind of everything and well, that didn't work too well. Everytime I got something out of my mind, something else popped up. I really hate how my mind tends to work. Or doesn't work, as the case may be. Sigh. Here's hoping that tonight will be different. Oh, and be on the look out for rambling, incoherent posts today. You know it's going to be one of *those* days.

Ah, the weekend is over and back to work again. I can't wait until October when I get to take a real vacation! Anyway, on to the events of the weekend. Friday was fun, lounging at T&D's place, eating too much, and not watching the pathetic fireworks at the beach. They didn't even last 10 minutes. Pretty sad really. Unfortunately, Chas was unable to join us, but things have been a little more than hectic for him with work, so all is forgiven. :) On an up note, the boys got their gowns (from Tony's closet of course) and they are fabulous! I can't wait until this Friday and see them in all their glory!! Saturday was a so-so day of bowling and then the hubby and I had a nice night, watching some movies and other activities. ;) Sunday was a bowling day of hell for me, didn't hit my average once, and I feel bad for the team I was bowling on. But the conversation was good at brunch and thankfully, the hubby was able to join us at least at the beginning of the day. All in all, the weekend was good. Even got some much neglected laundry done! :)

Now it's on to life in the real world, work. There isn't a whole lot going on really, except for invoicing and other trivial bits. I hate it when it's this slow. Makes me want to look  for things to do and that's not always a good thing. :)

// posted by Jenna @ 9:06 AM