"We should be out there turning treats."

My weekend went entirely too quickly. I'm sure the same could be said for yours. It was a good one, though. I had fun. And thankfully, the mess that happens here over the weekend doesn't affect me - at least, until I walk in on Mondays. Apparently there was a fire in the hall, and more drama than you can shake a drunken freshman at. Business as usual in on campus living. Today I got to transcribe a document over the phone. I had to hold a cell phone with my left hand while typing (badly) with my right. Ugh. I already can't wait for Friday.

But Halloween is tomorrow, which officially marks the beginning of the always much anticipated Holiday Season. I can't believe it's almost November. Up next - Los Dios de las Muertes (November 2nd). Papier mache skeltons for everybody! Seriously, where does the time go, people??

So - Happy Samhain from the good freaks at Homestar Runner!

And, speaking of time - it's time to let myself eat cake.

The forecast calls for "bad craziness"

What's new this week? Well, there's some weirdness going down work-front wise. That's for sure. Someone's on track to be out of a job. I'm a little confused how the decision to get rid of their position came about, but my loyalties feel a little divided right now. On the one hand, I do understand the logic of how the person in that job before did double what this current one does, and if they're never in the office, what exactly are they doing. I get that. Totally. But on the other hand, the motivation behind it is a little self-serving, and the managers don't have the slightest clue what they're getting themselves into. Par for the course, eh? This isn't the only shady deal on the table, either. There are knowing looks and closed-door meetings all over the place. I thought this new boss would put an end to most of that. Look how wrong I was.

We had dinner with the Millers this week, and I head out to M's house in a couple of hours. I didn't get a single thing done today. Unproductive, yes, but it felt nice. The weather is beautiful right now. We have plans to go to the pumpkin festival tomorrow with my mom and my sister, so I hope it will stay like this through next week, at least for Halloween night.

Sometimes you eat the bear. Sometimes the bear eats you.

I heard this week that my old boss decided to try and tarnish my workplace reputation before he left, telling the uber-boss that I was one of his employees to "keep an eye on". Do I really cause trouble everywhere I go and am just not aware of it? All I know is that as long as I am allowed to do my job I don't care what they do - or what they think. Just leave me alone. Keep your power struggles and posturing away from the perimeter of my desk, or risk injury to your person.

Mister, don't touch my banana

My co-workers birthday was Saturday. It was news to me. Apparently she tried dropping hints to her supervisor (who does not celebrate his own birthday - for personal reasons). Today when I got in, my other co-worker (who we'll call Bill) bought her a muffin and made her a card. We all felt kind of bad that we didn't get to acknowledge her birthday properly (well, everyone but me, but we all know I'm kind of callous...). When the supervisor got in she mentioned it to him, and his response was "Well, you should have told me about it. And anyway, it's something that's important to you, not to me. You'll get over it." That floored me. No "Hey, wow, sorry, I want to make that up to you" or anything. Then later, they had a conversation about something and I heard him say "Some people have that time of the week". Say what! I really don't understand their relationship - both professional and personal. But I would've laid into him for that one. It's just inappropriate.

Makes me grateful for my friends. They love me and always celebrate my birthday, even when I don't want to.

Let my people go, biatch!

And also...Single man seeking shark for companionship, fun times, possible LTR. Must have bigger boat. No land sharks, please.

Please be careful, this will be boring

There's nothing like multiple police cruisers pulling up to your neighbor's house on an early Saturday afternoon to bring out the looky-loos to peer out their windows. We're still not sure what that was all about, but at one point the police cars totaled at least six, and a forensics van came and went a short while after. Judging by the numerous odd characters that have come and gone from that place since our neighbor moved in there, I can't say we greeted the scene today with any bit of surprise. I'm pretty sure that the slutty teenage wannabe gangsta that's been calling the place home for the past few months was involved in whatever prompted the police presence on our street. I saw her outside later this evening, so apparently one of her possibly drug-dealing a-hole boyfriends didn't rough her up - again. This time, anyway. But there's always tomorrow. UPDATE - La Femme Lolita and poseur were kicked out of the neighbor's house for bringing the drama (and dealing drugs - surprise!). The skank alert is now at level yellow. Crisis averted...

Dinner with the in-laws tonight. Too much religious talk! Too much self-righteousness. Enough. And please stop speaking derogatively in loud voices about Jewish people in the middle of a crowded restaurant. I do find it offensive. So forget about Hannukah gifts from me this year...
Aside from that, it was a pleasant night.

Tonight's SNL = Still. Not. Laughing. Needs more cow bell. Or at least more Walken, for sure..."What... again?!"

*Yawn* What a sad state of affairs...

I love me some kerfuffle

Oh man. Coming home from dinner tonight there was some kind of altercation happening between a taxi driver and a couple of our redneck neighbors. In the middle of the street. That's some good Friday night entertainment right there. We ran into a bunch of people we know at the restaurant - my husband's parents and grandparents, one of his co-workers, and one of my co-workers (the one that calls me "sport"), who was having dinner with his wife. Then we got seated in the booth behind them. So there was no venting about work over dinner, which made my husband a happy man indeed. There was this rather large family having dinner at the table next to us. By large, I don't mean there were a lot of them. Bear in mind that this restaurant has their "bottomless seafood" thing going on, so it's like all you can eat. And these people could eat. In the end the mom was still eating while her two kids and her husband just kind of sat there watching. They were eating when we arrived, and she had a full plate in front of her when we were leaving - an hour and a half later. Some days I feel like a beached elephant seal, but at least I have the self-control and common sense to not try to consume my own weight in cheesy biscuits and seafood pasta.

We should all move to France, they have legislated 35 hour work weeks. Zut alors!
As a result, next weeks work motto will be:

Oh, and just because this totally grosses M out - our office flies are full of punch.
I am the death bringer, smoosher of bugs...There can be only one!

But, to appease her and get back in her good graces, here's the video to go along with Marilyn Manson's re-do of This Is Halloween from the 3-D re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas in select theaters:

A large shed. Filled with useless tools.

Riddle me this: How does one work from home when none of the business systems used by your employer are accessable from home? What would one call it, then? I know! Time off. Period. Meanwhile, your frindly neighborhood angst-filled office-ninja assassin faces the questionable task of solving all of the worlds problems - which she is certainly not being paid to do - while her own work goes neglected. Ah, well. Business as usual. I just don't wanna hear complaints that there isn't enough support coming from the drone ranks, okay? I give so much support, I'm like a freaking crutch. And one of these days I'm going to get yanked right out from under you.

Aw hell, they've got Air Fest going on next door. I hear the jets doing their low fly-overs this morning. I wish I had the time to go out and watch...

BSG tonight. The storyline this season is fantastic so far. As is Lost. Next week is going to be tense, if the promo is any indication.

*Note to self: STOP reading reviews of eps with spoilers before you watch what you have recorded.

Now, back to work with me. But not until after I go down to the lobby of doom and ponder the wheel of death to see about getting a cold bottle of fat and calorie laden Starbucks frappucino goodness.

Making an ass of you. And umption.

This morning I was treated to a sanctimonious lecture from someone working in another office. It started off as a nice little conversation about our children, but when I mentioned that my son wasn't too keen on the idea of trick-or-treating this year and said part of it was because he didn't seem to want to go up to the neighbor's houses and knock she jumped to all kinds of assumptions. She looked at me and said "Well, then I guess you should take him for walks so he can get to know his neighbors." Well, she doesn't know if we do that or not, now does she? And it just went on from there. But when it got to the point where she was telling me that next year when my son is five I will have to introduce the idea of Christmas as a "season of giving, and not receiving" and how she expects that I'll be taking him to volunteer at homeless shelters and soup kitchens I kind of checked out, mentally. And when she mentioned putting up a stocking for Jesus, I had to resist the urge to laugh ("Here's the stocking for our Zombie Lord and Savior, sweetie!"). The whole conversation on her end was so holier-than thou, it took everything in my power not to yell "Heifer - you don't KNOW me. Step off!" I was nice, though. Just smiled and nodded. Just remember people, no matter how well intentioned, your values are not always my values.

Building a henge, are we?

So, according to some new archaeological evidence the area around Stonehenge might really have been more of an ancient deed restricted community than a celestial calendar or some sort of shrine for those darn pagan Druids.

Einsteinian physics ruled by Frankenstein logic.

Hey now - Who has nuclear capability? CNN breaks it down for you. I don't see how Israel can be suspected of having a nuclear weapons program, and not face the same UN sanctions as Iran and North Korea. I was aware of the Big Five, but to see a list of nations that have the capability to produce a functional nuclear device in a short span of time due to their existing programs and technology - that's an eye opener (Canada, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Taiwan, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania). At least they're all ostensibly advocates of and committed to being "non-nuclear weapons states". Too bad that can't be said for all. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Kim Jong Il.



The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe.
~Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), Telegram, 24 May 1946

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
~Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Updates...

For those few sweet souls who read my blog: I update and change old posts from time to time. My little way of altering the past and fucking with the time space continuum. It's fun. You should try it sometime. Or, just check out some of my old posts. Oh, and Bill -- I will post more in-depth updates of my mundane existance when I get the time. Until then: Peace!

'Tis the season to be spooky

Oh happy, joyous Friday the 13th!
I'm getting all geared up for Halloween this year. We'll probably be staying home and handing out candy to all of the little ghouls and goblins. My son doesn't seem all that interested in trick-or-treat, so I'll probably have him sit on the porch with me. Maybe he'll want to do it next year. We are planning on going to the Hunsader Pumpkin Festival. Anyone want to join us? And Jack Skellington and The Nightmare Before Christmas returns to theaters (in 3-D) on October 20th to celebrate the film's 13th anniversary.

(image borrowed without permission from the 10/21/05 edition of The Decatur Daily online)

The cure for what ails ye

What I need: A deep breath, three Xanax, two Librium and two Hershey bars. But, I'll settle for a dose of The Office tonight and a bowl of ice cream. A balm to soothe my rubbed-raw soul. Sangria would have been nice, too. *Schmee*

There's an interesting article on NewScientist.com about how much better our planet would be with no people. So, we were all taken in the rapture in this scenario? "But, St. Peter, I left the oven on!!"

Life. Or something like it.

Kitty came home from the vet yesterday, sans claws. The dog's reaction was kind of like "What the...I thought we got rid of that thing!". Her reign of destruction in this house has come to an end. She seems more mellow, somehow. Wanting to sleep in my bed and be petted constantly. But, I can see how she may start meowing more now. She used to scratch at things before as a way of getting my attention - she can't do that anymore, so, hence, the tiny little meow. On the personal savings front, my IRA is plugging away at a nice little clip. I had a positive change in the investment value in this statement period, so that's always nice. I can't wait until I actually start funneling money back into that account. I'm like a squirrel in my dealings with money (but not the evil raging zombie undead kind of squirrel, just as a point of clarification). My credit card expires at the end of this month, so the company very kindly thought to send me a new one. And to increase my spending limit (haha - as I like to call it "potential debt thresh-hold"). Keeping up with the Joneses has never been easier!(c)

Todays motto was: Procrastinators unite!...............Tomorrow!

Further name calling, further reduction of street cred

I just love talking in circles. This is getting me nowhere. I just want a clear delineation of the lines of responsibility, please. And I do have the right to question why. And I will.

To diverge away from my work-related ramblings for a moment, I would just like to say that the news coming out of the Korean peninsula today worries me. The world's leaders (even in China and Russia) have denounced the tests, and sanctions will no doubt be proposed - the president of South Korea went so far as to say "What North Korea has done is breaking the trust of the international society. Our government will take care of this in a fast and a very clear and cut way."

Soooo...it seems this may have been either an elaborate put-on in order to totally pawn the leaders of the free (and maybe not-so-free) world...OR their bomb test went all hinky and it didn't detonate properly (less than half a kiloton versus the four kiloton it was meant to be).

Verbal smack-down is Monday's main event

I had an amazingly full weekend, starting on Friday. Going to the mini-metropolis of Under Construction Forever's campus wasn't bad - it was good to get away from the office, even if it was just for a day (except, now I need a bumper sticker that says "I brake for perpetual construction on I-4"). I found the topic of students' internet use and how it effects university policies quite interesting. Coming from one of the first generations to have home computers with internet access (back in the stone-age of dial up connections as your *gasp* ONLY choice), I don't have the same mind-set as the typical older administrator that MySpace and Facebook are tools of the devil. Yes, they are creating a social vacuum where students are creating and nurturing more on-line social connections at the detriment of the development of interpersonal skills - but in the same respect, professors using podcasts and more correspondance and web-only courses being offered by those same administrators don't exactly help that situation. And yes, there is a level of accountability in what is posted in the public domain. But, if children were raised with more values and common sense these days, would it be as much of an issue? Is it even really an issue at all? Social networking sites are not the harbinger of the societal appocalypse. They're what chat rooms were in the 90's. And our culture didn't implode upon itself because of chatrooms, now did it?

The walk on Saturday was fun, if a bit longer than I'd expected (and I was surprised to run into people I knew, but the chance to just sit in Starbucks and chill on the way back was nice). I had a good time going out to a nice, fancy dinner and then hanging out with my husband's friends later that night and watching them play video games. Smoke and all. It was like old times.

On the way back from ORL, just outside of Lakeland, is a sign for "Downtown Orlampa". No - it's not a retirement village for Oompaloompas. It's a sign of the future!

One of the professional staff has been getting a brow-beating by their supervisor all morning. I can hear every word. It's awesome!

Foot - meet mouth

This Just In: Brandon Flowers is a nutter. And every time I turn around I see another story about how he can't seem to be able to keep from opening his trap about some thing or another. I mean, just shut up, Brandon. Nobody. Cares. And I implore you - invest in a good razor, for cripes sake!

And just how did they come to be called The Killers, anyway? Here's the answer, maybe - by assaulting random F-list celebrities? From Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Idiota

Today's work motto: Stupid is as stupid does. And some of my co-workers do a whole lotta stupid. If the questions they ask are any indication, anyway. The new HR chief is trying to plan a pumpkin carving contest, as some sort of uber-fun morale booster. Sorry. It takes mor then gutting a squash to raise my spirits. The best method usually involves dollar signs. Showing up in my bank account. I'm thinking that big, sharp cutting implements are not the best thing to give to some of us disgruntleds, anyway. This comes after her very first priority of instituting official "spirit days", on Fridays. Which means we get to wear jeans and company t-shirts. And there was great rejoicing across the land. I wonder if Hawaiian Shirt Day will be next, hmmm??

"Your methods are stupid; your progress has been stupid; your intelligence is stupid!" ~ GIR

The door. Is ajar.

I hate the door being open all day. It's thrown off the temperature regulation in the building and it's freezing in here. Like a meat locker. Except - I am not a piece of meat. I am a human being. Not to mention I am subjected to the noise of the main building and the constant dinging of the elevator. Plus, there are bugs. Of the flying, buzzing variety. EWW. Now I have the least privacy of anyone in this office. Pretty sad when I'm dreaming of a worker-drone cubicle of my very own.

Kitty went in for her spay and declaw this morning. She was very good with her checkup - no clawing or biting, not even a hiss. The vet assisstant called about half an hour ago and said that she had come out of surgery, and was in recovery doing fine. She comes home on Monday afternoon. I can feel secure that my new windows, new carpet and drapes, and furniture, as well as the mattress corners she has done her best to desimate, are safe from her raging claws of destruction. As long as there are no lasting physical or psychological side effects, all should be well. Skyler will be next for a checkup and vaccinations. We're reevaluating whether she should become more of an outside dog, since she's becoming more cranky in her (pending) old-age. She growled at Little D the other day. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I wasn't happy to see it either way.

Upcoming: Conference for work on Friday, and Race for the Cure at the crack of dawn on Saturday. We walk 2 miles to the starting line, walk the 5K (3.11 miles) for the event, then walk 2 miles back to campus for our cars. Brilliant. And my husband said to me last night "you haven't been to the gym this week..." - I wonder why. But it's for a good cause. So NO whining.
UPDATE: My legs hurt like a mother-effer. I am so out of shape.

Boh! My squeedily spooch!

I'm playing hookey today. Shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone. Really, though, I am feeling a little under the weather, mostly due to a lack of sleep. Generally achy with an upset stomach. Like you wanted to know the details of my malady.

This weekend was full of family fun. We went to dinner at Fred Flemings's BBQ on Friday. It was a little over priced for the portions, but not bad. We went t0 Quaker Steak on Saturday night, and then we went bowling. Dev had a great time. We'll probably do that again, but I'd like to see how he reacts to putt-putt golf, next time. And his friend Nicholas turned four, so we went to his birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese's on Sunday. Aside from a nasty tantrum in the beginning (nothing a few well chosen words and a couple minutes in the restroom to calm down doesn't fix - no physical punishment needed), he had a really great time. Is it just me, or was Chuck-E-Cheese cooler when I was a kid? Their Skee-Ball just sucks now - there's this ledge at the end of the ramp that kept making the balls fly up and over to the next lane. I started wondering how many lawsuits had resulted from injuries. And I guess their hand stamping ink washes off with soap and water - when we were leaving and the girl tried to find our stamps to make sure we belonged together mine and the boy's were gone. So much for security measures.

I'm not really looking forward to work this week. I don't know how the task of getting everyone to the conference on Friday became my responsibility, but I'm dreading it. I don't have time to screw around with renting a van, I have way too much to do. Really, if I'm not planning on going in the van, someone else may have to arrange it. There are only five other people planning on going, so it may no even be worth it and they should just carpool as I have suggested. Of course, I'm not necessarily looking forward to driving to Orlando by myself, either, but I'll be better off. It looks pretty simple. I just hope I don't get lost. Which I tend to do. A lot.