How do you say "Turn that annoying crap down before I shove those gangsta rap CDs someplace that's more South End than West Side" in Spanish? Is there a direct translation?
Some guy at work today had his boom box going full blast in the upper section, subjecting everyone within earshot to the most obnoxious noise ever, made worse by the fact that it was all rapped in Spanish. And he started it at 8:00 in the morning. This is NOT my most forgiving time of day, okay? I had to go back and forth through the noise pollution several times during the morning. I'll state for the record that I'm usually tolerant of most kinds of music, including some rap, dance, techno, and even *gasp* Top 40 Pop if that's all that's on. But this stuff could have been used to torture enemy camps. Birds fell off their perches, snakes went into convulsions, and the poor humans hit up the Tylenol by the fistful to combat the instant headaches. Mr. Loud Radio and another guy were the only ones working consistently in that section, however, and past attempts to get the contract crews to turn their music down were usually unsuccessful. (Also, they seem to work a lot better when they can play their radios, and since they often get subjected to Casey Kasum we figured it was only fair to let them have their day to play whatever they liked.)
At one point there was an actual song playing (okay, it was Wild Cherry's "Funky Music" but compared to the other stuff it sounded like Tchaikovsky to me) and I did a little goofy happy dance. Mr. Loud Radio saw me. He came over, looking sheepish, and turned off the radio, explaining "Es mi hermano, he like," shrugging and pointing to his brother off in the distance. And then: "Okay, I play for you." And he put in more gangsta rap, this time in English, apparently just for me. Oh yay.
Here's the really sad part... it got stuck in my head. *Sob*
I've been playing 80s one-hit wonders since I got home to try to get those lyrics (are they called lyrics?) out of my mind... I'm about to take drastic measures. I have Neil Diamond at the ready... Wish me luck.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
The Real Sting Forum Update
4/24 UPDATE: TRS Forum is back online! Our Webmaster found nothing wrong with the site itself. HOWEVER there is still a bug in Internet Explorer attached to the site URL somehow. Netscape, Firefox, AOL etc. users have not had any problems, it's just IE. If any member is still getting the pop-ups and attempted download, I recommend using a different browser to access TRS Forum. I use Firefox and rarely have any spyware/adware issues at all.Thanks again for your patience, hope to see you all on the forum!
Hello friends and guests,
The Real Sting Forum* will be offline until we can eliminate a virus that a hacker has attached to the site. If you go to the forum URL and are prompted to download anything, DO NOT do so! You may need to close your browser to get rid of the script pop-ups; if your screen freezes, bring up your task manager (ctrl/alt/del) then cancel running the forum and Internet Explorer.**
Also, a fraudulent email was sent to several members through TRS, with a brief message and a link. This link is the same virus attached to the forum. Please do not click any links in emails sent from TRS until further notice. For utmost caution, just don't open any emails at all that claim to be from TRS until we can eliminate the virus and get our forum going again. (The downloader/link will have the name "traffmoney.biz" in the text.)
I will post any updates here until the site is back to normal. I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience while our forum is restored.
I'd like to know how many of you received the email and/or got the download notification when you visited the forum. Please email me at
cjupiter @ gmail. com (eliminate spaces) and tell me what happened and what internet browser you are using.
*The main site is working fine as far as I know. I didn't get any virus warnings when accessing it, only the forum.
**FireFox and NetScape users do not seem to have a problem opening the site; I believe the virus runs through Internet Explorer.
Thanks again,
~CJ
TRS Admin
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Critter Clips!
GVOD had some good videos up today. The two that captured my attention were, as usual, animal clips. (My favorite of all time was the silly cat one, which I believe was a montage taped off America's Funniest Videos, but according to GVOD's webmaster the clip is no longer on Google. Drat! I watched that one over and over... if anyone has it hosted elsewhere, please send me a link!) The embeddable player code is still not working, so the links take you to the videos on GVOD.
The first highlights the incredible intelligence and trainability of (at least one) of our canine companions. Royal Lipizzaners move over... this dog dances to Grease!
Coolest Dog Vid
The second one is one of those things where you go "Oh man, it's 10 minutes long... I don't have time for that." Then you think "Well, I really want to see some funny cats, so I'll just watch the first 30 seconds or so." Four minutes later you're thinking "I should stop now, but these are pretty cool." And then "Dang, it's over?!?" It really sucks you in. It's a bunch of goofy and awesome cat photos. Can't go wrong there, so if you're a cat lover in need of a laugh set aside 10 minutes for this. It's cute!
Bring on the Catness
The first highlights the incredible intelligence and trainability of (at least one) of our canine companions. Royal Lipizzaners move over... this dog dances to Grease!
Coolest Dog Vid
The second one is one of those things where you go "Oh man, it's 10 minutes long... I don't have time for that." Then you think "Well, I really want to see some funny cats, so I'll just watch the first 30 seconds or so." Four minutes later you're thinking "I should stop now, but these are pretty cool." And then "Dang, it's over?!?" It really sucks you in. It's a bunch of goofy and awesome cat photos. Can't go wrong there, so if you're a cat lover in need of a laugh set aside 10 minutes for this. It's cute!
Bring on the Catness
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
It Has Begun...
At work today, in our plant, the spring season officially started.
Now, our actual spring season began back in February, with potting and organizing and growing a few things at a time. Then as potting continued and the houses filled up, it became busier for us growers, esp. those of us who have small crews. Shipping began last month in some other areas; last week it reached us. But today was the first actual day of total disorganized chaotic nonsense shipping in our plant. The crew pulling from my section was slow all day, and they weren't done by 3:30 when they were supposed to leave. As a result, more people were called down to help at 4:00. I was unable to do my part until the plants were loaded and labeled, so I couldn't finish my job until they did theirs, resulting in me clocking out almost an hour later. The stickering and tagging process was haphazard at best, with missed pots everywhere and nobody having any idea who had the stickers or the care tags most of the time. This could have been avoided had the crew worked faster earlier and had people designated to do certain tasks. By the end of the day I was stickering pots just to help get them done so we could all go home.
And growers still aren't allowed to have overtime. Meaning anyone like myself who worked late has to leave early or come in late sometime before this week's pay period ends to negate the extra time worked. This really messes with our grower schedule.
On top of the crazy day, I found out that one of our best crew members is leaving us for an office job within the company. She's going to work with Availability and was offered a full-time position and a wage increase. I don't suppose I blame her, but the job itself sucks. I stay far, far away from the office politics but she's going to be right in the middle of it. I hope she does well; I know she wanted the core-employee status from the day she was hired. What I don't understand is why management approached one of our best growers when we're in such short supply already. Her husband is a grower in a different section that's often short-handed and I'm sure he's wondering the same thing.
Her transfer leaves me as the only female on a five-man crew. Blah. It really bites to be a female in charge of a bunch of guys. And my boss is male, and so is his boss... At least with S. around the scales were somewhat balanced. (Insert joke here: how many men does it take to do the job of one woman? Heh heh.) I'm going to miss working with her terribly... this is the second one we've lost to the office but S. is by far my favorite. My guys are going to be awfully mopey tomorrow when they find out. Ms. Hattie's leaving us? *Shock*
Side note: One of our section growers is having a particularly rough spring again. She was muttering to herself on the way out and looking frazzled, so I told her (in jest) to go home and have a Valium cocktail and she'd be fine. That got a laugh and a retort that she was going to make it a double... I hope she has enough to share, cause today is just the beginning.
Now, our actual spring season began back in February, with potting and organizing and growing a few things at a time. Then as potting continued and the houses filled up, it became busier for us growers, esp. those of us who have small crews. Shipping began last month in some other areas; last week it reached us. But today was the first actual day of total disorganized chaotic nonsense shipping in our plant. The crew pulling from my section was slow all day, and they weren't done by 3:30 when they were supposed to leave. As a result, more people were called down to help at 4:00. I was unable to do my part until the plants were loaded and labeled, so I couldn't finish my job until they did theirs, resulting in me clocking out almost an hour later. The stickering and tagging process was haphazard at best, with missed pots everywhere and nobody having any idea who had the stickers or the care tags most of the time. This could have been avoided had the crew worked faster earlier and had people designated to do certain tasks. By the end of the day I was stickering pots just to help get them done so we could all go home.
And growers still aren't allowed to have overtime. Meaning anyone like myself who worked late has to leave early or come in late sometime before this week's pay period ends to negate the extra time worked. This really messes with our grower schedule.
On top of the crazy day, I found out that one of our best crew members is leaving us for an office job within the company. She's going to work with Availability and was offered a full-time position and a wage increase. I don't suppose I blame her, but the job itself sucks. I stay far, far away from the office politics but she's going to be right in the middle of it. I hope she does well; I know she wanted the core-employee status from the day she was hired. What I don't understand is why management approached one of our best growers when we're in such short supply already. Her husband is a grower in a different section that's often short-handed and I'm sure he's wondering the same thing.
Her transfer leaves me as the only female on a five-man crew. Blah. It really bites to be a female in charge of a bunch of guys. And my boss is male, and so is his boss... At least with S. around the scales were somewhat balanced. (Insert joke here: how many men does it take to do the job of one woman? Heh heh.) I'm going to miss working with her terribly... this is the second one we've lost to the office but S. is by far my favorite. My guys are going to be awfully mopey tomorrow when they find out. Ms. Hattie's leaving us? *Shock*
Side note: One of our section growers is having a particularly rough spring again. She was muttering to herself on the way out and looking frazzled, so I told her (in jest) to go home and have a Valium cocktail and she'd be fine. That got a laugh and a retort that she was going to make it a double... I hope she has enough to share, cause today is just the beginning.
Monday, April 10, 2006
75 Years of Golden Goodness
It's Twinkie time! The Twinkie is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. I honored this milestone by eating one for breakfast.
Twinkie History, from the Hostess website (www.twinkies.com):
The Hostess brand got its start in Indianapolis in 1925. Continental Baking Company purchased a bakery called Taggart that was selling popular new bread called Wonder (maybe you've heard of it). Continental began selling Wonder Bread as its national bread brand but needed a line of cakes to sell alongside. Hostess cake was born, including the chocolate cup cake which is still popular today.
Continental hit the sponge cake gold mine in 1930 when Jimmy Dewar invented Twinkies. Seeing a need for an inexpensive product during the depression, Dewar made use of shortcake pans that were only used during the strawberry season. Dewar's idea was to inject the shortcake with a banana crème filling to make them a year-round treat and sell them two for a nickel. Dewar's quest for a catchy name ended on his way to St. Louis to present his sweet invention. Driving down the highway he passed a billboard advertising Twinkle Toe shoes, and from this the Twinkies name evolved.
The Twinkies' popularity skyrocketed and it soon became Hostess' best-selling snack cake. During World War II a banana ration caused Continental to switch to the vanilla crème center that is loved today. Twinkies have become an American icon and nearly half a billion are made each year.
Side Notes:
~There is a promotional tie-in with the release of the movie Kong on DVD. For a limited time, banana Twinkies are available again. And they're pretty good, too!
~There's also a Twinkie cookbook. I was watching a morning entertainment show where the hosts sampled some of the recipes and all I could think was "Why mess with perfection?" Having said that, I will admit to eating an occasional fried Twinkie at the fair but that's it. Okay, who am I kidding... I bought a fried Twinkie KIT so I could make them at home. Now go away before the sugar kicks in and I hurt you. I'll claim the Twinkie Defense.
~And finally, the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project. Been around a decade but just as amusing now as it ever was. (I did an "Environmental Longevity Test" on a Twinkie once, by leaving it in my locker at work for about 8 months. Through three seasons of alternating heat and cold the Twinkie remained mostly unchanged, though the package did get some tiny, sticky droplets on the inside. It still tasted good when I
They Went That-a-way
Didn't go to Reading after all. Some friends called and asked if we wanted to go north instead, to hit Best Buy and dinner at Old Country Buffet, so we picked them up and made a day of it.
As we were leaving Best Buy, my friend H. said "Hey, let's stop in Bed, Bath & Beyond for a sec." I thought the guys would mutter and roll their eyes while the women oohed and aahed over linens, but we went with a promise that we'd only spend fifteen minutes in there.
I shouldn't have worried about the guys. My husband was dragging ME around to show me things, and H's fiance began making mental lists of the accessories he wants to put in his (future) pool room. He also got sidetracked by pepper grinders while my hubby was showing me the benefits of a magnetic spice rack. H. and I eventually made our way to the towels... the Great Wall of Towels, that is... and we determined that we each need at least three bathrooms and a cabana to get all the styles we liked. My honey flipped out over a small-scale replica of an old gas pump, the kind with the clear fuel canister, complete with functioning pump nozzle, for dispensing adult beverages (or Italian soda syrup, or whatever). He loved it.
As usual, we didn't buy anything, but I did get some ideas for how to redo our bathroom. And I have a sneaking suspicion that magnetic spice cans are in my future. Hubby *really* liked those.
As we were leaving Best Buy, my friend H. said "Hey, let's stop in Bed, Bath & Beyond for a sec." I thought the guys would mutter and roll their eyes while the women oohed and aahed over linens, but we went with a promise that we'd only spend fifteen minutes in there.
I shouldn't have worried about the guys. My husband was dragging ME around to show me things, and H's fiance began making mental lists of the accessories he wants to put in his (future) pool room. He also got sidetracked by pepper grinders while my hubby was showing me the benefits of a magnetic spice rack. H. and I eventually made our way to the towels... the Great Wall of Towels, that is... and we determined that we each need at least three bathrooms and a cabana to get all the styles we liked. My honey flipped out over a small-scale replica of an old gas pump, the kind with the clear fuel canister, complete with functioning pump nozzle, for dispensing adult beverages (or Italian soda syrup, or whatever). He loved it.
As usual, we didn't buy anything, but I did get some ideas for how to redo our bathroom. And I have a sneaking suspicion that magnetic spice cans are in my future. Hubby *really* liked those.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Reading about Reading
My husband just asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to ride down to Reading today. I thought about it.
Hmm... Reading has one of the best Chinese buffet/hibachi restaurants I've been to. The VF Factory Outlet Mall is there near the old railroad yard, and while I'm not much of an outlet shopper, this one happens to contain Reading China and Glass, my favorite kitchen store. I wander around in awe until the hubby reminds me of the closeout toy store downstairs, and off we go. We have to pass the gelato place en route, always a temptation! Then there's the bookstore, a must-stop. And finally the tool store... we save that for last because my husband will stay in there until they close, telling me all about bench grinders and jigsaws and whether he needs a cordless drill with more voltage and look honey there's the one I like right there! And it comes with a circular saw, sander, and flashlight! OOOOoooo! (He's so funny, as bad as me in the kitchen store. We never buy anything either... we just have a blast looking.)
Of course... Hubby didn't actually mention it, as it needs no reminder... on the way to Reading just *happens* to be the Mecca of the Outdoors... Cabela's. I think they have huge fine-tuned magnets hidden along the highway that gradually pull pickup trucks right off the road into the parking lot. And subliminal messages on the radio saying "You need... an Abu Garcia baitcast reel... a tabletop laser boresighter... a box of .30-06 rounds... come to Cabelllllaaaaaassssss..." If that isn't enough, one can see the sign glowing for miles along the highway. (Before we went there the first time, I asked a redneck co-worker for directions. He said "Head down 61 until the clouds part, the sky lights up and you hear angels singing. You can't miss it." LOL!)
The place is beyond huge: 250,000 sq. ft! They have an aquarium where you will always, without fail, find some guy wearing a NASCAR hat, flannel shirt, and boots, staring at a big fish and licking his lips while muttering "that's some nice filets right there." When we're there, that man will be my husband, so go up and say hi. He'll be carrying a new black jitterbug and a spool of Stren.
Hmm... Reading has one of the best Chinese buffet/hibachi restaurants I've been to. The VF Factory Outlet Mall is there near the old railroad yard, and while I'm not much of an outlet shopper, this one happens to contain Reading China and Glass, my favorite kitchen store. I wander around in awe until the hubby reminds me of the closeout toy store downstairs, and off we go. We have to pass the gelato place en route, always a temptation! Then there's the bookstore, a must-stop. And finally the tool store... we save that for last because my husband will stay in there until they close, telling me all about bench grinders and jigsaws and whether he needs a cordless drill with more voltage and look honey there's the one I like right there! And it comes with a circular saw, sander, and flashlight! OOOOoooo! (He's so funny, as bad as me in the kitchen store. We never buy anything either... we just have a blast looking.)
Of course... Hubby didn't actually mention it, as it needs no reminder... on the way to Reading just *happens* to be the Mecca of the Outdoors... Cabela's. I think they have huge fine-tuned magnets hidden along the highway that gradually pull pickup trucks right off the road into the parking lot. And subliminal messages on the radio saying "You need... an Abu Garcia baitcast reel... a tabletop laser boresighter... a box of .30-06 rounds... come to Cabelllllaaaaaassssss..." If that isn't enough, one can see the sign glowing for miles along the highway. (Before we went there the first time, I asked a redneck co-worker for directions. He said "Head down 61 until the clouds part, the sky lights up and you hear angels singing. You can't miss it." LOL!)
The place is beyond huge: 250,000 sq. ft! They have an aquarium where you will always, without fail, find some guy wearing a NASCAR hat, flannel shirt, and boots, staring at a big fish and licking his lips while muttering "that's some nice filets right there." When we're there, that man will be my husband, so go up and say hi. He'll be carrying a new black jitterbug and a spool of Stren.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
But should I get pink or blue camo?
A very happy birthday to my smart little nephew, who turned 7 this week! He wants to be a donut maker or a scientist when he grows up. Or a video game maker. I think he could make a game about scientists creating new donuts. He's a real wonder sometimes.
And happy birthday to my beautiful niece, 11 next week! Already! I still think she got the horse fever from me and there ain't a thing wrong with that. She's gone farther with her riding than I ever did. You go girl! Do what you love best!
Also... by the end of the year I'll have a brand-new birthday to announce... stay tuned.
Camouflage onesies rock. That is all.
And happy birthday to my beautiful niece, 11 next week! Already! I still think she got the horse fever from me and there ain't a thing wrong with that. She's gone farther with her riding than I ever did. You go girl! Do what you love best!
Also... by the end of the year I'll have a brand-new birthday to announce... stay tuned.
Camouflage onesies rock. That is all.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
It's WHAT?
Yesterday the sun was out, and I ran all over work watering wilted plants. Was supposed to get a little bit of rain last night or this morning, then sunshine again.
Well...
When I looked out my window at 7 AM, I thought I was hallucinating. There was 3 inches of snow out there. I was late for work because I hadn't planned on having to clean snow off my truck.
I didn't get to play in it, though; sun came out around 10 and by noon most of the white stuff was gone. And I ended up running all over watering wilted plants again. Hubby had to drive to Philadelphia and he's just now coming in... got to go!
Well...
When I looked out my window at 7 AM, I thought I was hallucinating. There was 3 inches of snow out there. I was late for work because I hadn't planned on having to clean snow off my truck.
I didn't get to play in it, though; sun came out around 10 and by noon most of the white stuff was gone. And I ended up running all over watering wilted plants again. Hubby had to drive to Philadelphia and he's just now coming in... got to go!
But I'm Much Better Now
There's something a lot of people don't know about me. I was once in the closet. And I came out of the closet, and went back in it, and came out, etc etc ad nauseaum. Only my closest friends at the time knew. I mean, I kept it under wraps... pretty embarrassing to admit I was ever in it, or to be seen coming out. I couldn't win either way.
That closet was small and narrow. Not a whole lot of room in there. It was close and stifling, but the real world was right outside the door, hence my bouncing back and forth a lot. I really wanted to join that outside world but it was pretty scary. Sometimes strangers would make rude comments, flirt aggressively, invite me to questionable parties, try to take advantage of me... but on the other hand, it was exciting and usually fun, at least for someone new to the scene. A whole 'nother world was outside that closet and all I had to do was step out.
Or in my case, crawl out... you see, the closet was in a garage converted into a studio apartment. A small studio. There was a single-unit stove/fridge/cupboard that couldn't have been more than 2 feet wide, a teeny bathroom and upright shower, and enough room left over for a fold-out couch and a TV set and a little table. The only door was a single sliding-glass one that caught on the frame a lot. And there was a closet.
There were three of us attempting to cohabit in this space. Repeat: three adult-sized human persons living in a glorified single-car garage. Two of them (male persons) slept on the couch; in order to fold it out, they had to put the table up and rearrange whatever items were in the way, which was anything larger than a deck of cards. When I arrived I was invited to share the couch with the two guys. But my eye was on that closet... All our clothes hung on the rack and I made my space in the three feet below the clothes. Added an alarm clock, bedding, and a book light and presto! I was the only one there who had my own room!
The downside was that if I got up before the bed was put away for the day (and it often wasn't) I'd have to climb over a roommate or two to get to the bathroom or the door. I banged my shins/knees/toes countless times on the frame. Woe to the person who left his shoes on the floor the night before, as he would have to wedge himself under the saggy bed to find them. I left mine (white-and-turquoise L.A. Gear hightops with smiley-face laces) outside on the patio until somebody stole them. After I got new ones they went in the closet with me along with everything else I owned at the time. I could no longer stretch my legs out all the way but my stuff was safe.
That wee bit of space was home to some wild goings-on. Ever seen one of those deals where some college kid tries to see how many of his buddies will fit in a VW Bug? That was the apartment on a party night. Someone would bring some tunes, someone else showed up with a bottle, and before we knew it there'd be a dozen people crammed in there. On a few occasions wherever a person fell, they stayed for the night, so in the morning I'd open my closet door to see a pile of bodies all askew on the floor and the (unopened) couch. I don't remember most of their names, if I ever knew.
Other times I'd be trying to sleep, but one of my roomies was a Nintendo freak, the type of guy who will play the same game overandoverandover for hours on end until he beat the game or the rental place sent him nasty letters. At that time it was Tiny Toon Adventures. He refused to turn down the volume, too, saying he liked the theme music and couldn't play without it. (Side note: his addiction cost him his job.) My other roommate had a job and was gone most of the time, but when he was there his jealous, spoiled, foulmouthed witch of a girlfriend would come by sometimes to scream at him. Or the other guy, if her BF wasn't around, because he wasn't around. They got married eventually and now they're divorced. Didn't see THAT coming!
I finally had to move. My share of the rent went up to a whopping $80, Roomie 2's girlfriend hated me (I think she hated everyone though), and Tiny Toons was driving me Looney Tooney. I said goodbye to my closet, came out of it for the last time and left for new adventures in apartment-sharing... and those are more than I want to think about right now.
Dang, I miss those shoes.
That closet was small and narrow. Not a whole lot of room in there. It was close and stifling, but the real world was right outside the door, hence my bouncing back and forth a lot. I really wanted to join that outside world but it was pretty scary. Sometimes strangers would make rude comments, flirt aggressively, invite me to questionable parties, try to take advantage of me... but on the other hand, it was exciting and usually fun, at least for someone new to the scene. A whole 'nother world was outside that closet and all I had to do was step out.
Or in my case, crawl out... you see, the closet was in a garage converted into a studio apartment. A small studio. There was a single-unit stove/fridge/cupboard that couldn't have been more than 2 feet wide, a teeny bathroom and upright shower, and enough room left over for a fold-out couch and a TV set and a little table. The only door was a single sliding-glass one that caught on the frame a lot. And there was a closet.
There were three of us attempting to cohabit in this space. Repeat: three adult-sized human persons living in a glorified single-car garage. Two of them (male persons) slept on the couch; in order to fold it out, they had to put the table up and rearrange whatever items were in the way, which was anything larger than a deck of cards. When I arrived I was invited to share the couch with the two guys. But my eye was on that closet... All our clothes hung on the rack and I made my space in the three feet below the clothes. Added an alarm clock, bedding, and a book light and presto! I was the only one there who had my own room!
The downside was that if I got up before the bed was put away for the day (and it often wasn't) I'd have to climb over a roommate or two to get to the bathroom or the door. I banged my shins/knees/toes countless times on the frame. Woe to the person who left his shoes on the floor the night before, as he would have to wedge himself under the saggy bed to find them. I left mine (white-and-turquoise L.A. Gear hightops with smiley-face laces) outside on the patio until somebody stole them. After I got new ones they went in the closet with me along with everything else I owned at the time. I could no longer stretch my legs out all the way but my stuff was safe.
That wee bit of space was home to some wild goings-on. Ever seen one of those deals where some college kid tries to see how many of his buddies will fit in a VW Bug? That was the apartment on a party night. Someone would bring some tunes, someone else showed up with a bottle, and before we knew it there'd be a dozen people crammed in there. On a few occasions wherever a person fell, they stayed for the night, so in the morning I'd open my closet door to see a pile of bodies all askew on the floor and the (unopened) couch. I don't remember most of their names, if I ever knew.
Other times I'd be trying to sleep, but one of my roomies was a Nintendo freak, the type of guy who will play the same game overandoverandover for hours on end until he beat the game or the rental place sent him nasty letters. At that time it was Tiny Toon Adventures. He refused to turn down the volume, too, saying he liked the theme music and couldn't play without it. (Side note: his addiction cost him his job.) My other roommate had a job and was gone most of the time, but when he was there his jealous, spoiled, foulmouthed witch of a girlfriend would come by sometimes to scream at him. Or the other guy, if her BF wasn't around, because he wasn't around. They got married eventually and now they're divorced. Didn't see THAT coming!
I finally had to move. My share of the rent went up to a whopping $80, Roomie 2's girlfriend hated me (I think she hated everyone though), and Tiny Toons was driving me Looney Tooney. I said goodbye to my closet, came out of it for the last time and left for new adventures in apartment-sharing... and those are more than I want to think about right now.
Dang, I miss those shoes.
Where were you?
Today, at 1:02 PM, the time and date read as follows:
01:02:03 04/05/06
It won't happen again in your lifetime!
01:02:03 04/05/06
It won't happen again in your lifetime!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
I QUIT.
That's it. I'm done. I'm pulling the plug on the computer, calling my boss to play him a Johnny Paycheck song*, throwing some clothes in a bag and I'm gone. Outta here. Removing myself from this part of society for a while, going underground even.
I need a reality vacation. Look out California! Brudda, I'm coming to see you. Hope you don't mind if I crash on the floor, or under the table like I did last time, if the couch is currently occupied. I miss being who I was, when everything took care of itself in that laid-back, we'll worry-about-it-after-siesta kinda way. I miss my purple hair and my combat boots and midnight picnics and lying on the roof. And I miss my friends... even Fraggle.
My darling husband will be fine. He wore cologne for someone else today, when he'll hardly ever wear any for me. And when I asked him about it, he said he was flirting with a co-worker... a MALE co-worker. Just lovely. I wondered why he was always buying stuff for the guy and taking him snacks and treats. And why the guy's in his 40s and isn't married and would never accept an invitation to come over for dinner. Un-freaking-believable. I guess being in a truck with someone 8-10 hours a day brings you closer. I never thought it would be THAT close. Ew ew ew!
So that's it. Tuesday morning I'm gone. I have some things to square away Monday, otherwise I'd be on my way tonight. Anyone in between here and there who wants to play host to a slightly jaded, currently bitter woman in need of a distraction, gimme a buzz. I'm talking to you, B in D/FW and J in NM!
*"Take This Job and Shove It"
I need a reality vacation. Look out California! Brudda, I'm coming to see you. Hope you don't mind if I crash on the floor, or under the table like I did last time, if the couch is currently occupied. I miss being who I was, when everything took care of itself in that laid-back, we'll worry-about-it-after-siesta kinda way. I miss my purple hair and my combat boots and midnight picnics and lying on the roof. And I miss my friends... even Fraggle.
My darling husband will be fine. He wore cologne for someone else today, when he'll hardly ever wear any for me. And when I asked him about it, he said he was flirting with a co-worker... a MALE co-worker. Just lovely. I wondered why he was always buying stuff for the guy and taking him snacks and treats. And why the guy's in his 40s and isn't married and would never accept an invitation to come over for dinner. Un-freaking-believable. I guess being in a truck with someone 8-10 hours a day brings you closer. I never thought it would be THAT close. Ew ew ew!
So that's it. Tuesday morning I'm gone. I have some things to square away Monday, otherwise I'd be on my way tonight. Anyone in between here and there who wants to play host to a slightly jaded, currently bitter woman in need of a distraction, gimme a buzz. I'm talking to you, B in D/FW and J in NM!
*"Take This Job and Shove It"
Master Artisan at work!
What a beautiful, perfect day He made!
I was amped from the time I got up this morning. Went in to work with a gung-ho attitude, where absolutely nothing was going to be too much for me to do. And it wasn't! Even though we were still short-staffed, the whole aura of the day was such that I felt we could accomplish a whole crew's work with only two or three, and we did! I love that positive feeling. I even stayed an hour late to finish up so the boss and a co-worker could leave and for once it didn't feel "draggy" like it usually does.
The weather had so much to do with it. It was cool this morning, but I had shorts on by 9 AM. Maybe a bit optimistic on my part, as it was mostly overcast and a chill wind picked up about 9:15, but inside the greenhouses it was nice. The clouds blew over in huge rolling chunks, spitting a bit of rain that always sounds so good on a plastic roof. In between the sun would shine just enough to maintain 55-60 degrees. I couldn't resist stepping outside periodically to enjoy it and look at the sky. This was my absolute favorite kind of spring day. Today, I was just high on life and feeling incredibly blessed. I was inspired and on fire!
At lunch, I scooted down to the Amish market to pick up lunch for myself and a co-worker and while I was there stepped back to my childhood. I bought a Whoopie Pie. Haven't had one since I was a very small child, and I believe due to the resulting sugar-rush chaos my grandmother was forbidden to ever give me another one! A Whoopie Pie is a cake sandwich, kind of. Two three- or four-inch rounds of cake with that cloyingly sweet, thick, lard-and-sugar frosting in between. Absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever... you can feel your teeth corroding as you eat one... why parents let children have these things is beyond me. But I got a pumpkin one today and it was really tasty. Now I don't need another one for the next 20 years or so. (Said Whoopie Pie had nothing to do with above-mentioned inspiration! It just added to the experience.)
I went out around 4 PM to sit down and take a five-minute brain dump... just let my mind wander away from work so I could soak up the atmosphere without interference... best five minutes of the day, right there. Everyone was gone; it was quiet except for the wind blowing across the roofs. I could smell wet grass, saw a kestrel clinging to a power line with his feathers blown up over his head like a fur hat, heard a killdeer screeching as it claimed its new territory, felt the chill of the air in contrast with the sun's rays... and gave a bit of thanks to He who created it all.
I was amped from the time I got up this morning. Went in to work with a gung-ho attitude, where absolutely nothing was going to be too much for me to do. And it wasn't! Even though we were still short-staffed, the whole aura of the day was such that I felt we could accomplish a whole crew's work with only two or three, and we did! I love that positive feeling. I even stayed an hour late to finish up so the boss and a co-worker could leave and for once it didn't feel "draggy" like it usually does.
The weather had so much to do with it. It was cool this morning, but I had shorts on by 9 AM. Maybe a bit optimistic on my part, as it was mostly overcast and a chill wind picked up about 9:15, but inside the greenhouses it was nice. The clouds blew over in huge rolling chunks, spitting a bit of rain that always sounds so good on a plastic roof. In between the sun would shine just enough to maintain 55-60 degrees. I couldn't resist stepping outside periodically to enjoy it and look at the sky. This was my absolute favorite kind of spring day. Today, I was just high on life and feeling incredibly blessed. I was inspired and on fire!
At lunch, I scooted down to the Amish market to pick up lunch for myself and a co-worker and while I was there stepped back to my childhood. I bought a Whoopie Pie. Haven't had one since I was a very small child, and I believe due to the resulting sugar-rush chaos my grandmother was forbidden to ever give me another one! A Whoopie Pie is a cake sandwich, kind of. Two three- or four-inch rounds of cake with that cloyingly sweet, thick, lard-and-sugar frosting in between. Absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever... you can feel your teeth corroding as you eat one... why parents let children have these things is beyond me. But I got a pumpkin one today and it was really tasty. Now I don't need another one for the next 20 years or so. (Said Whoopie Pie had nothing to do with above-mentioned inspiration! It just added to the experience.)
I went out around 4 PM to sit down and take a five-minute brain dump... just let my mind wander away from work so I could soak up the atmosphere without interference... best five minutes of the day, right there. Everyone was gone; it was quiet except for the wind blowing across the roofs. I could smell wet grass, saw a kestrel clinging to a power line with his feathers blown up over his head like a fur hat, heard a killdeer screeching as it claimed its new territory, felt the chill of the air in contrast with the sun's rays... and gave a bit of thanks to He who created it all.
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