Friday, February 27, 2009

this week in ck land

sunday i got up at 4am (y'all KNOW how much i LOVE mornings) for my 7am flight to san antonio. the only other time i've been there was about 20 years ago when i was in college and two of my high school friends and i met there and stayed w/ our other high school friend who lived there. it was the first time i ever saw a fuddruckers (and was naively appalled by the name--yeah, me, who loves to say the word fuck now). we visited the river walk and the alamo. yawn. i was under impressed w/ it.

ditto and i were travelling there for work, first attending a mini-conference and then hosting our own. driving to the airport that morning there was no traffic on the highway and i realized that driving 60mph seems sort of fast when you're the only car on the road.

sunday-tuesday went ok (the mini-conf.) and the resort we stayed at was lovely. it was beside fiesta texas, which of course was closed until tomorrow. i intended on blogging while out of town but obviously that didn't happen. even though i got back to my room most nights by 9pm i was so wiped out i ended up going to sleep by 10:30 or 11.

******
tuesday kicked off my conference. normally i'm a nervous wreck over my conference but this year i wasn't as keyed up. i don't know if it's because of the attitude i have about work now or the fact that i felt very confident about the agenda/speakers i'd lined up. the queen of evil descended upon us tuesday though, and she causes stress wherever she goes. i think the thing that bothers me the most about her is that she is condescending and loathe to give a compliment, even when it is warranted. i had an epiphany while i was there, one i think i've had about her before. she is very much like my dad. even though i cannot stand her and don't understand why she's so mean i strive to impress her. wednesday was a full day of speakers/panels and about midday, when i had a feeling that things were going well and the attendees were happy and the speakers were good, i made the mistake of asking her what she thought. "it's fine," she said begrudgingly. at that moment i thought, yep, she's my dad. you could get straight a's, be the model kid, whatever, and the only positive reinforcement was given begrudgingly. and even though i know that's the way they both are, for some reason it hurts me not to impress them or to be accepted by them. but, this year at least i knew what to expect so it didn't bother me as much as it could have. it's odd but when people i know tell me i did a good job or compliment me i assume they're telling me that because they're my friend/family/are obligated but i still want that validation from people i know i'll never get it from. weird.

*******
while i was out of town the girl got strep (the hubs took her to the doc and she's on meds and back in school) and my gma (80 yrs old) got double pneumonia and is in the hospital. i got home around 7 last night and went to see her. she doesn't look well at all. she's incredibly weak; she goes in and out of being lucid and not. last night she argued w/ me that she was 89; she said when you're in politics and running for office you have to lie about your age. then she said they wouldn't let her in the senate because her eye sight was so bad. i'm headed back up to the hospital today; wondering if she'll ever come home.

*******
i've spent a lot (and i mean 24/7 a lot) of time w/ ditto these last three weeks and though she still frustrates me at times, i've started to feel sorry for her. i still can't stand the fact that whatever you say she has to top it--if your kid is sick, hers is twice as sick; if you worked late, she worked 5 hours later than you, etc. she brings a lot of her problems on herself, but even w/ that i feel sorry for her. from the one sided phone conversations i hear, her husband (who's about 10 yrs younger than her) is a total ass. i don't think he's decided what he's going to be when he grows up. her kid also got sick while we were gone and her husband said she could take him to the doc when she got back in town, even though the job he has is not a 9-5 and he in fact isn't really working right now. nice. so she's got the stress of work plus no safety net when she comes home. i don't know how many times this week she told me i was lucky i had such a good husband : ) don't i know it.

*******
speaking of the hubs---all the tests he had last week came back ok, however he's still feeling bad and the lab work shows an elevated white blood cell count which could mean infection. i've left a msg this morning w/ his cardiologist because she hasn't indicated what the next step is. yes, good that those tests were clear, but obviously SOMETHING is wrong and we need to get to the bottom of it.

*******
also while i was away, the little kitty jasper decided he has a bread fetish. the first night i talked to the hubs he said jasper got up on the counter and pushed a loaf of bread off, opened it and shredded the bread. then the hubs put it in the bread box. jasper opened the bread box and shredded another loaf. the hubs put a loaf in one of the upper cabinets. jasper got in the upper cabinet and shredded another loaf. wtf??? we might have to start keeping it in the fridge.

******
my dear friend trish called me a few times while i was away and even though i missed the calls because of work and just got the voice mails, they made me smile. trish has been there for me and the hubs so very many times. even before we knew her well she helped us out when the hubs' mom was sick. she's a constant, good friend and it meant a lot that she called me this week, knowing that i was stressed about the hubs and my conference.

******
that's my week in a nutshell. i'm glad to be home. glad to be back in the bed, sleeping beside the hubs. glad to cuddle my kids. glad to watch little jasper curled up here beside me right now making his funny kitty noises. i'll be around soon to read all of the blogs i've missed.

Friday, February 20, 2009

sex, drugs and rocknroll



wordly wise

i was surprised by the responses to my use of goat rodeo--i assumed this was a common phrase, but apparently not. that got me to thinking about other phrases/words i like and i thought i'd share them w/ you. some of them i stole from *sherry, who needs to write her own urban dictionary ; )

*asshat

jit aka cum (apparently the hubs made up jit because when i asked friends about it they'd never heard of jit; jism, yes, cum, yes, but not jit)

*douche canoe (this one has made it out of blog land and i have introduced several people to this word)

*cunt punching

*twat waffle (the hubs and the bro thought these were hysterical)

goat rodeo aka circle jerk and cluster fuck--i use these terms a lot as they apply to the work environment

up to my ass in alligators aka putting out fires--the hubs uses this a lot as it applies to his job

thrown under the bus (when someone betrays your or stabs you in the back) also use this term a lot for work

what are your fave unusual words/phrases?

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

almost lost time and other stuff

it is almost time for lost. this makes me happy : )

thank you sweet people who've asked about the hubs. we saw his cardiologist today and had some tests done. (he had a stent or is it stint? put in about 6 yrs ago) he's wearing a 24 hr monitor, took a stress test and blood work, etc. so, we'll see what's next. we really like his cardiologist, she's very good. one of my IRL besties trish hooked us up w/ her (they're friends). just one of the many things i'm grateful to trish for (she also introduced me to van morrison) and has always been there for me when i needed her. she was one of the 10 laid off in our office a few weeks ago. i miss her terribly, even though it seems like over the last year i hadn't really been able to spend a lot of time w/ her at work.

while we were waiting for the hubs to be called back for his blood work i saw the biggest look of surprise cross his face. i turned to look but missed seeing the guy walking down the hall peeing on himself. nice. he was carrying a specimen cup, perhaps they didn't properly explain what he was to do w/ it?

work today was the biggest fucking goat rodeo i have ever been part of. yesterday we had a half day meeting to discuss and plan for this big mtg we're having tomorrow. each segment of our business has to give a powerpoint presentation. yesterday (nothing like waiting until the last minute) it was decided what format we should all follow; what info we should all provide, etc. ok, no problem. i finished my part of our presentation, ditto was working on her part today and then i was going to do the final polish. at THREE this afternoon they decided we needed to have another meeting about the mtg tomorrow and look at every one's presentation. omfuckinggod. somewhere between yesterday's mtg and this afternoon's mtg changes were made in what information we should have in our presentation and oddly enough this was not communicated to ditto and me. hmmm. i'm seeing a trend here. so i worked late, finished it up and am just ready to get this over with.

i came home to the hubs (looking like a borg w/ his monitor on) he he making shrimp alfredo and we had a yummy dinner.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

a sign i am such a dork

time life commercial---romantic classics of the 70s. omg, i want to fucking buy this thing! tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree; baby baby don't get hooked on me; (complete liner notes!) southern nights; angie baby (helen reddy rocks); 5 easy payments of $29.99 each; my eyes adored you (but wait! a free bonus cd--have i told you lately that i love you; stuck on you; that's a total of 10 cds, 156 hits (lady, kenny rogers). holy crap, if i order in the next 17 minutes i'll get free shipping and handling. don't go breaking my heart; Kiki dee is ugly; you don't have to be a star baby; reunited (peaches & herb--i was in middle school dudes); love will keep us together; baby, i love you to want me (lobo); afternoon delight (elementary school at the skate rink in wv w/ my teenage aunt); lonely people (america); it's the right time of the night; ohhhhhhhhhhh---david soul (the blond from starsky & hutch) just when i needed you most; three times a lady; you and me against the world; you needed me; annie's song (we sang that at summer camp when i was in 3rd grade); you're so vain; time passages. ok, only the 70s could give you a name like englebert humperdink! delta dawn--i played that one on the juke box when my grandma took me to the vfw. i ate peanut butter cups, sat at the bar and pumped the juke box full of quarters : )

sigh---officially a dork now.

sweet niblets

first, i have to apologize for that stupid title. if you have people under 12 living in your house you might realize that hannah montana says sweet niblets; and, while we don't watch much hannah these days (thank jeebus; though billy ray's hair looks soooo much better now) and i mostly can't stand that show, that phrase is stuck in my head. don't worry, i don't actually say it out loud. as if.

tonight the girl had an orchestra performance at school and i must say i heard much improvement from their first performance earlier this year. i was so proud. my girl rocks.

however tonight, the boy got out the electric guitar and was practicing on one side of the room and the girl was practicing the viola on the other side and i really thought i was going to lose my mind for a split second. whatareyagonnado though because they do need to practice.

oddly enough, despite what is a solidly craptastic work week i am mostly unstressed. our big meeting thursday is a pointless effort in futility. we're spinning our wheels to justify our jobs to a corporate suit that couldn't care less. i almost feel like laughing at the stress levels in our office because it's like everyone is walking around like it's the end of the world. i just don't care any more. and? the corporate suit is ALL about the internet. forget print media, everything should be on the web. well, yes, some stuff, but depending on your industry this just isn't the case. and now we are twittering for god's sake, for work. i could just hurl. and they are considering making us set up face libre pages. omg. like i need that right?

*********
non sequitor--so i mentioned in the last post that i hate movie remakes, though hotch did mention some that were good---freaky friday (i heart the jamie lee curtis version) and parent trap (love me some dennis quaid). but generally, i hate remakes. and? i hate useless sequels. grease 2? omg, that was so fucking lame i would crawl in a hole if i were michelle pfeiffer. you can't make grease 2! what were they thinking. i think there should be a limit on how many sequels something can have. like rocky. or rambo. or friday the 13th.

Monday, February 16, 2009

remember me?

i think this is perhaps the longest i've gone w/out posting in a long time. sorry about that. this month is simply crazy.

i got home from my business trip thursday night and worked friday. we have a big meeting coming up this thursday and you could cut the stress in our office w/ a knife. next sunday i leave for another business trip, gone again until the following thursday. in the meantime the hubs is out of town tonight, the only time he could be away based on my schedule and everything else going on. the girl has a concert at school (orchestra) tomorrow night; hubs has an appt. w/ his cardiologist wed. morning, my big mtg is thursday (he has a day long mtg that day as well) and friday is the boy's lego club night. it makes me tired to even think about the rest of this month. i'm trying to visualize the light at the end of the tunnel and thinking that things will calm down after next week.

friday night the girl was asking for this frito pie stuff my mom makes, which nobody else likes. so she called my mom and asked if she could make it for her. my mom just about peed her pants w/ excitement and delight. so we went over there saturday (yes, valentine's day) for dinner.

can we talk about valentine's day? i do not hate the day, but i always feel like it's such a competition, such a manipulated holiday. i love the hubs every day. we've been (mostly together) for 25 years (married for nearly 17 of those) and i can honestly say i love him now more than ever. we have spent a lot of valentine's days together. i have a picture somewhere of the first dozen roses and big candy heart he gave me. this valentine's day we spent low key, mainly because of how crazy the rest of our month has been and will be.

we took the kids to the book store and the kids and i picked out books. one of the ones i got will be the subject of a coming post. it's a collection of 6 word memoirs from various famous and obscure authors. think about that for a minute. your life summed up in 6 words. it's pretty interesting. anyway, the four of us hung out, ran here and there and just spent the day together. and it was good. it was good to be home. it was good to be with them.

today i was off for president's day. i know, it's a pretty lame excuse for a day off, but i'm not complaining. i think this is the only place i've ever worked that got president's day off. the hubs left for his work trip, the kids were in school.

i was a slug today. oh, don't get me wrong, i got a lot done. i have been doing laundry since 8 am. (ok, i did go back to bed for a couple of hours after the girl got on the bus and i took the boy to school) i have fluffed and folded all day. i still have some left to do. i also changed the kitty litter and cleaned both bathrooms. and---i watched a marathon of the real housewives of orange county. i know--guilty stupid embarrassing. also? i didn't shower and wore my pajamas for all but an hour of the day. that show though? omg, it's like watching a fucking train wreck. the greed, the phoniness, the silicon, the shallowness, the disrespect it's unbelievable; and yet i folded an ass load of laundry in front of that tv today witnessing all of it.

one more thing--wtf is up w/ people remaking movies? really? we NEEDED a remake of friday the 13th? not only is that the lamest thing i've ever heard of, but i can't believe someone actually got the financial backing to do it. and? they've also remade escape to witch mountain (or something about witch mountain). really? the rock is going to take tony and tia to their space ship? i used to love that freaking disney movie and i was sooo jealous of those kids. anyway, where's the creativity in remaking something? where's the originality? i think that's just lame.

ok, one more one more thing--so i'm wondering if the hubs and i are the only ones who do this (no, not have sex before going to work in the morning, of course we do that, doesn't everyone? ok, to be fair, that doesn't happen often.) i mean fantasize about winning the lottery? we have always done this, it's not a recent thing. we've always talked about what we'd do with the money, the house we'd build (in great detail) the places we'd buy houses, etc. he works in the convenience story business and says you would not believe how much lottery ticket sales have increased lately. but our talk about what we'd do w/ the money is a long standing thing, we've always done it. depending on the circumstances we'd give money to family members. we discuss this over and over as well. sometimes we'd just give money to my bro/sil; sometimes to others. the hubs asked me this the other day, who would we give money to. between us we have five siblings. of those i only really like my brother, as in i'd be friends w/ him even if we weren't related. however, this time when the hubs asked i said i'd give 100k to each of our sibs. (cos hello, our lottery is up to like 92 mil). what would you do if you won that kind of money? the hubs is funny about the lottery though. of course i know we'll never win (there's a quote that says something like lotteries are just a tax on stupid people) but i know someone has to win. anyway, the hubs won't buy a ticket until it gets to a certain amount, like maybe 50-60 million. like 30-40 wouldn't be nice? i don't know. i don't get that logic.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

aural exposure

i'm always intrigued by people's choices in music, art, movies, books, etc. i like learning what people enjoy, what moves them, what speaks to them. so, i thought i'd share with you some of the songs on my mp3 player, though probably not all of them cos dude that's a long list.

everything i do i do for you--bryan adams (this is a song the hubs and i wanted played at our wedding, but it didn't happen, so it was played at our reception instead)
1234---feist (i first heard snippets of this on an apple commercial and had to google it and fell in love w/ it. i love her voice)
99luftballons--nena (this is the german version. this was a hugely popular song when the hubs and i were dating in germany. i actually have the cd now and most of the songs are in german, which i don't understand. the english title of this song is 99 red balloons even though the german is 99 air balloons.)
phil collins--omg, i have like a kabillion phil collins songs on this thing. i was a huge phil fan in high school, and apparently still am. against all odds (i'd listen to this whenever the hubs and i would break up);
ain't no sunshine when she's gone--bill withers
all out of love--air supply. shut up. i know they're cheesy but whatareyagonna do. i had their freakin' 8 track tape.
always something there to remind me--naked eyes
and it stoned me--van morrison (his voice is amazing)
angie--the rolling stones
astral weeks--van
at last--etta james (and yes, i hearted this song before the inauguration dances; in fact, i hate that they used that song because now that will be what i think of for awhile when i hear it)
back to you--john mayer
beast of burden--the rolling stones
beth--kiss. oy vey i had a tiny peter criss crush for a week or so back in the day. meow.
big girls don't cry--fergie. despite the fact that she peed her pants on stage once i like her voice.
blister in the sun--violent femmes (there was this "alternative" bar called gumby's in college, they played the "alternative" music. it was cool. everyone smelled like either clove cigarettes or weed in there)
bohemian rhapsody--queen (cos it's just a must)
breathe--faith hill (also makes me think of the hubs)
brick--ben folds (for some reason this song always makes me think of my sister)
broken arrow--rod stewart. need i say more?
brother love's travelling salvation show--neil diamond. neil can kick it big time on this one.
brown eyed girl--van. this one makes me think of the girl (she has brown eyes) and that some day someone might sing this to her.
can't stop loving you--phil collins
caravan--van morrison. omg, i love this song on 50 million levels. one of which is because it has a west wing (my favorite show of all times) tie in. one of josh's girlfriends was blasting this song in an episode and dancing around to it.
church of the poison mind--culture club
clumsy--fergie
cocaine--eric clapton
collide--howie day
come dancing--the kinks
comfortable--john mayer
comfortably numb--pink floyd (from college when i frequently got comfortably numb)
crash into me--dave matthews band. (can we say SeXY?)
crazy love--van morrison (reminds me of the hubs)
crush--dave matthews band--another sexy song
daddy's pearl--rick springfield (i have too many awful rick springfield songs on here too; rick takes me back to middle school when i loved him as dr. noah drake on genho)
dance with me--orleans
do i move you--nina simone (ok, i learned about nina simone from a movie--the one w/ gabriel byrne and that girl they were training to be a killer? she listened to nina simone all the time)
do you remember--phil collins
don't let him steal your heart away--phil collins
don't lose my number--phil collins
don't talk to strangers--rick springfield
don't you forget about me--simple minds. hello breakfast club all time awesome movie and i loved judd nelson.
drops of jupiter--train (this song is sooo about me)
forever young--rod stewart
friday i'm in love--the cure (from my alternative stage in college)
hand me down--matchbox twenty
hard habit to break--chicago (chicago songs are high school hubs dating songs; every song MEANT something)
hard to say i'm sorry--chicago
harder to breathe--maroon 5
have i told you lately that i love you--rod
have you ever really loved a woman--bryan adams
he thinks he'll keep her--mary chapin carpenter
holiday--madonna
hollaback girl--gwen stefani
how much i feel--ambrosia
i am i said--neil diamond
i don't want to miss a thing--aerosmith
i told you so--randy travis
i want a lover--pet shop boys
i want you to want me--cheap trick
i'll melt with you--modern english
i'll tumble 4 ya--culture club
i'm about to come alive--train
i'm on fire--bruce springsteen
in your eyes--peter gabriel
into the mystic--van morrison omg, best song
it's a sin--pet shop boys
jessie's girl--rick springfield
just got paid--johnny kemp
just the way you are--billy joel
kiss on my list--hall & oates
l'enfante--vangelis (i discoverd vangelis on a trip to visit my aunt & uncle when i was in college. they lived near new hope, pa. it's a very artsy town with amazing shops and this cd was playing in one of them)
lady marmalade--labelle
let it whip--dazz band
let's get it on--marvin gaye
let's stay together--al green (i love this song)
like a virgin--madonna (no child of the 80s can not like this song.)
lola--the kinks
losing my religion--r.e.m.
lost in love--air supply
lost in you--rod
love comes quickly--pet shop boys
love touch--rod
lump--presidents of the united states
MAGGIE MAY---rod
making love out of nothing at all--air supply
meet virginia--train
monday monday--the mamas & the papas
moondance--van morrison
my heart can't tell you no---rod
my stupid mouth--john mayer
no one is to blame--howard jones
oh sheila--ready for the world (again, dating music w/ the hubs in high school)
one more night--phil collins
one week--barenaked ladies
overkill--men at work (i was a HUGE maw fan in middle school. HUgE)
passion--rod stewart
people just love to play with words--men at work
personal jesus--depeche mode
piece of my heart--janis joplin
please forgive me--bryan adams
same old lang syne--dan fogelberg
sara smile--hall & oates
save a prayer--duran duran
save tonight--eagle-eye cherry
secret garden--bruce springsteen
sex and candy--march playground
sexual healing--marvin gaye (all time fave)
she will be loved--maroon 5
she's a beauty--the tubes
she's always a woman to me---billy joel
she's got a way about her--billy joel
she's on fire--train
shine--collective soul
should i stay or should i go--the clash
so what--pink
someone like you--van morrison
someone to watch over me--etta james
something about you--level42
still the one--orleans (so reminds me of the hubs)
summer of 69--bryan adams
sunday morning--maroon 5
super freak--rick james
sweet caroline--neil diamond
sweet emotion--aerosmith
sweet home alabama--lynyrd skynyrd
sympahty for the devil--the rolling stones
take me home--phil colllins
teach your children--crosby, stills and nash
tempted--squeeze
the boys of summer--don henley
the end of the innocence--don henley
the first cut is the deepest--rod
the flame--cheap trick
the last worthless evening--don henley
the rain--oran "juice" jones
the tao of love--vangelis
the way we were--barbra streisand
this love--maroon 5
this must be love--phil collins
time after time--cyndi lauper (another hubs song)
true colors--cyndi lauper
trust in me--etta james
turn turn turn--the byrds
two divided by zero--pet shop boys
upsdie down--jack johnson
upstairs in my house--men at work
violence--pet shop boys
waiting on a friend--the rolling stones
walk on the wild side--lou reed
wasted on the way--crosby, stills and nash
what you need--inxs
when a man loves a woman--percy sledge
when i was your man--rod stewart
wish you were here--pink floyd
wonderful tonight--eric clapton (the hubs and i danced to this on a pier in myrtle beach on our honeymoon)
word up--cameo
wrapped around your finger--the police
yeah--usher
yellow--coldplay
you're in my heart--rod stewart (ultimate song)
you're the inspiration (another song the hubs and i wanted played at our wedding)--chicago
young turks--rod
your love--the outfield
your wildest dreams--the moody blues

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

lame from vegas part 2

i'm going to out myself a little here. some of you are wondering what it is exactly i'm doing here in vegas. i work for a trade publication and there is a big furniture market going on in vegas this week. this is where furniture manufacturers show off their goods and furniture retailers come to buy the things you'll find in stores in 6-12 months.

part of my job is to visit showrooms, find out what the new products are, take pictures, write about the new products, find out what's going on in the industry (for my specific category) and then write about it for our magazine.

ditto is one of my co-workers and i nicknamed her that because she copies everything one of our other co-workers, lollipop, does. if lolli gets her hair cut, ditto gets the same hair cut. she tries to dress like ditto, drink the drinks ditto drinks, etc. and, ditto is one of these people who talks incessantly about herself, her life, etc. and she doesn't know when to stop. i have spent a great deal of time w/ her since sunday and i am about to go bat shit crazy. she is the type of person who acts like she's listening to what you say but she's really just waiting for you to take a breath so she can talk. she goes off on tangents and repeats her stories, over and over again.

back to the trade show. one of the things shows try to do is provide entertainment for attendees in an effort to keep them at the show. if you were reading me over the summer you'll know that this particular show made my year because their guest entertainment was.....rod stewart. for those who've been reading awhile and for those who know me in person, i love rod and have since i was in college. so, his being here this summer was AWESOME. they did not score a big name this go round. last night was the neil diamond and tina turner impersonators. tonight was 80's night. and, while i heart me to death some 80s music (did i tell you i've met and interviewed and had my picture taken w/ rick springfield??? yes, it's true) this band was butchering everything from a flock of seagulls to madonna. however, i did snap some pictures for you. there was someone who looked liked slash from gnr, a devo guy, a woman who i'm guessing was supposed to be kate from the b52s, i think one was dressed as madonna (from the 80s, not madge) or if not she was a hooker.





i get to come home thursday, for a week, then it is off to san antonio for my annual conference.

lame from las vegas

i got to the hotel around 11:30 sunday night. i think this may be the only hotel in vegas that does not have either revolving or automatic doors so opening the door and wheeling your luggage in is a bitch. finally got to my room and was ready to crash.

when i travel i don't really like to sit beside people i know from work, unless of course they are my friends. this time around i sat beside ditto (remember her?) for both legs of the flight. she talks to hear herself talk. finally, w/ three hours left in the flight i put on my headphones and closed my eyes. i don't listen to my mp3 player much but it makes me laugh to think of how much fun you'd make of me to know what songs are on there : ) maybe i'll post that later this week for your mocking enjoyment.

yesterday i walked around the trade show all day with ditto. ugh. it is nice to reconnect with people from my industry that i see a few times a year, but in general it is very tiring. basically i go from showroom to showroom, talking business, learning about the new product and taking pictures and then at some point (last night in my room and this morning before i head over to the show) i write stories about it. glamorous i know.

i was back in my room and ordered room service by about 7:30 last night. i will try to take some pictures of something interesting if i see anything other than the trade show and other than my hotel. here's the lame part--i know most people take advantage of being in a place like vegas, and my first few times out here i did too. my favorite thing to do is visit the fountain at the bellagio, but none of my buddies are here and i'm not likely to go out traipsing around by myself at night.

i'll see what goodies i can find to write about though. i did see a neil diamond and tina turner impersonator perform at the trade show yesterday. at first i really thought it was neil diamond, he sounded exactly like him, but he was at least 10 yrs younger. certainly not rod stewart, like they had this summer, but it was something.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

waaaaaaaaaaa!

that's me, sobbing like a baby. i leave for the airport in about 15 minutes for my stupid work trip to stupid las vegas. i'm home alone right now because the hubs just left to take the girl (and the boy) to the girl's confirmation class at church. she just started it last week and apparently, despite my heathen ways, my children are interested in religion.

although i never like traveling for work, this time, for so many reasons, i am really torn up about it. it does not help matters that mother nature decided to play a cruel trick and come visit me this morning. yeah for the first day of your period, traveling, on a plane, across the fucking country. nice.

we just watched forest gump with the girl and i bawled like a baby. damn jenny.

also, though he never wants me putting it out there, it's my blog and it's on my mind. the hubs hasn't been feeling well lately and honestly it's scaring the shit out of me. he has lots of health issues. in a perfect world i'd tell my bosses to go fuck themselves and i wouldn't go on this trip.

sniff, sniff, cry cry.

i'm going to miss my family and i don't want to go.

i will try to blog from sin city.
oxoxox

Saturday, February 7, 2009

hair, movies juniors and puddin'

******
at what age do women have to cut their hair? i mean when is it no longer ok for women to have long hair? you rarely see women over the age of about 50 w/ long hair or, if they do have long hair they keep it in a bun and if they don't they look like hippies. my hair is a little past my shoulders and i'm (only) 40. let me know when i'm supposed to cut it unkay?

******
feb. 2nd was my mom's bday and also my littlest nephew's bday. we went to his bday party today and we took my mom's present as well. my dad actually bought my mom a present, shocker number one, and shocker number two he bought her a dvd player. so, i got her movies for her bday. terms of endearment; roxanne (w/ steve martin, i love that movie); the family stone (i love diane keaton) and fargo. what' s not to love about marge and a wood chipper?

******
the girl has crossed a clothing thresh hold. we bought her shirts from the JUNIORS' section today. omg. though she can still wear sizes in the girls' section she's really beyond the high school musical/hannah montana images stores seem to assume all 12 year old girls want to wear.

******
my sweet litlest niece puddin' (along w/ my bro/sil/gameboy) were at my nephew's bday party today. i wish i could post a pic here because srsly, she's like the cutest baby. she's nearly 10 months now. she's sitting up really well, starting to crawl, etc. i learned, after that time a couple of months ago, not to try to go right up to her as soon as i see her. you have to ease into her, talk to her and let her warm up to you before you hold her or she cries.

*******
i just saw the DUMBEST thing ever. the boy was watching something on disney and one of the disney "stars" was giving a concert. the kids in the audience were holding up their illuminated cell phones....you know, like we used to hold up lighters at concerts. omg. really? cell phones? at first i thought they were taking ics, but no, they weren't, they were swaying their arms back and forth w/ their damn cell phones. i am getting so damn old.

Friday, February 6, 2009

psst.....IT'S FRIDAY

ok, i'm sure you already knew this, but i am so happy for it to be friday. although, looking at the weekend and the week ahead i don't really know why.

tomorrow we'll go to my littlest nephew's bday party (which mean hanging out w/ my sister and her non-talking hubby and seeing all the stuff they just got even though she doesn't have a job and her survival plan is living off of the govt); sunday morning my littlest niece, puddin', is getting baptized (awwwwwwwwwww) and sunday evening i leave for las vegas for work until thursday. blech.

so here's a little bit of the stuff that's been floating around in my head, unblogged.

***********
the hubs and i were having a discussion the other night and to this day i am perplexed as to why a blow job is called a blow job. you don't blow on it. then we tried to think of what you would call it. suck job? no, it's not a straw. lick job, well, there's licking but not exclusively. fellatio (oral stimulus of the penis) is accurate but not just like one of those toss out there words.

***********
i was disturbed by this hbofamily special we watched last night. there were different segments on issues teens/tweens deal w/. one was a boy who's father wasn't in the picture and how he had anger issues and was teased at school; another was of a TWELVE year old who'd contemplated suicide and was now in therapy and on anti-depressants; the third was about a group of 7th-8th graders who got drunk! wtf! 12-13 year olds are getting drunk and thinking of suicide???? people, this scares the shit out of me for my kids. and in these two segments it wasn't like you could even say it was because they parents weren't involved or they weren't supervised because that wasn't the case.

***********
i have a snow post to write for you, cos we got some snow this week and i even took some pictures : ) wednesday morning, despite the fact that there was NOTHING on the ground and it wasn't even wet or anything, school was delayed two hours. wednesday evening by the time we got home there was maybe 2" of good, packable, gloriously beautiful snow covering the grass. it was soooo wonderful. late that night they cancelled school for the next day, even though it had stopped snowing and the roads in our part of town were clear as a bell. i'm guessing that's the extent of what mother nature's going to share with us this year so i'm now officially ready for winter to be over and spring to start.

***********
we got swing vote from redbox last weekend and i must say it was pretty good. i personally like kevin costner (even though water world was....awful? horrible? pointless?) and i think he did a good job in this movie. it's a feel good movie but i don't think it was too sappy. five minutes before it ended i said--they are not going to tell us who wins the election (the whole point of the movie is that by some twist of fate kevin costner's vote will decide who's president, kelsey grammar or dennis hopper) because it wasn't about THAT it was about the journey. i was right : ) he he

we also got eagle eye w/ shia lebeouf (who i still think of as the brother from even stevens--disney channel ref for those of you w/out younger people living in your house) and it was pretty good too. though i've never seen the space odyssey movie w/ hal, i've heard of it and i think they're pretty similar.

*********
i thought i might throw together a little post about some of the hubs' more colorful phrases of late, but seriously, it might have to be rated R. dude has gotten to be such a potty mouth lately. last night he said the economy was hemorrhaging worse than a bloody.....p-word. yes, that one. i can say cunt all day but the other word, not so much.

*********
in emails w/ my bro yesterday i not only called him a douche canoe but also a twat waffle : ) in a friendly, not angry, way.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

happy


i have decided to be happy. the last couple of work weeks really took their toll on me and something inside me clicked. the hubs has always had this mantra, we work to live we don't live to work. he's always told me i am not defined by my job; that i'm more than what i am when i'm there. i have been worrying about losing my job and w/ that thinking that would be the end of me. what could i possibly do besides what i'm doing now (which is pretty much, in one way or another, the same thing i've been doing since i graduated college). maybe everything he's always told me when i get stressed out at work finally sunk in. maybe it's the fact that we've started going back to church. i am not highly religious. i have faith, but religion or at least organized religion eludes me. anyway, maybe that has something to do with it. or maybe it's because earlier this week i couldn't sleep and formed this game plan for something i could do when my job goes away. or maybe it's a combination of all of those.
i've just decided that i don't want to be like so many of the other people in my office who are walking around like deer caught in the headlights, scrambling to implement these knee-jerk, near sighted changes our new big boss has in mind and losing sight of what we're really supposed to be about. i've decided that even though i know i'll get pissed off and frustrated and have rough days, i can't give the queen of evil power over how i feel and let her wicked, viral negative energy bring me down. because she will get what's coming to her; i'm a firm believer in karma and what goes around comes around and she will get hers.
so, i hope to post more and be more up beat and get back to good.

Monday, February 2, 2009

answer the questions please

i got tagged by penny for this fun meme : ) i love getting tagged.

here are the rules:

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag other people.

1) What are the 3 things you would save out of your burning house?
(i'm assuming the kids, hubs and animals are already out) i'd grab the tote bag full of photos i've yet to put in photo albums; the trunk in my closet full of mementos from elementary school thru college; and a renoir print the hubs gave me when we were dating in high school


2) What was the last thing you read/are currently reading?
the last thing i read was that blasted twilight series; i'm currently reading a collection of short stories by stephen king.

3) Do you nap a lot?
hmmm, depends on the meaning of the word a lot : ) i LOVE naps. srsly. i get a nap maybe once every other weekend or so. sometimes i drift off on the couch at night, i guess, technically that's a nap too huh?

4) Who was the last person you hugged?
the boy, the girl, the cats and the hubs (in that order)

5) What is your current obsession/addiction?
LOST. i heart lost. sayid and sawyer are my boyfriends. the hubs and i are watching it for the first time "in season," meaning as it's showing now and not on dvd. it perplexes me, frustrates me, intrigues me and i love it.

6) What is the last thing you said out loud?
are you SERIOUS? you want to get up at 5 am for a free breakfast at denny's?

7) What websites do you always visit when you go online?
icanhascheezburger.com; work stuff; post secret and all those lovely people in my sidebar

8) What was the last item you bought?
clothes for the boy and girl this weekend. they really need to stop growing dammit!


9) What is your most challenging word to say? rural

10) If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
ohhh, tough question. there are sooo many places i'd love to visit or revisit, but having a fully furnished house implies that i would spend more than just a vacation week there....so i'd have to say a house at a beach along the north or south carolina coast

11) Favorite Vacation spot?
we haven't taken a lot of vacations to different places yet, so for now i'd have to say myrtle beach, south carolina

12) Say something to the person who tagged you.
i've only recently started reading your blog penny but i'm intrigued. i've never known anyone who lives in south africa and it makes me smile knowing that the blogging community has connected me w/ such far-flung, cool people : ) and--you have one of the cutest kittens!

13) Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you.
ugh--i do too many things that are bad for me. i guess smoking is the worst.

14) What is your favorite item of clothing?
comfy pajama bottoms--my current faves are flannel w/ dice on them on a red background. tres sexy. lol

15) Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back to over and over, even though your closet is over flowing with a zillion others?!
i'm so not a shoe girl. at all. i like slip on clog type shoes. not very high fashion, but totally comfy. and slippers. love slippers. and flip flops : )

16) Name one thing you can not live with out.
sweet tea

17) What do you envy?
people who are happy and satisfied w/ their jobs

18) If you could only have one 3 course meal for eternity,what would it be?
chips and cheese/salsa dip; a hibachi grilled scallop bento box from u.s. sushi and hot fudge molten chocolate cake

19) if you had some magical crystal ball that would tell you the exact date of your death, would you want to know it?
i don't think so. i think knowing the exact date would paralyze me w/ fear, sadness, dread. i'd like to think if i knew i'd make the most of it but i think i'd be more freaked out, especially if it was sooner rather than later.

now, tag, you're it: just b at mile 17; pseudo and diane