That's a rhetorical question, but get a load of these milk jug supporters.
Thanks to my lovely co-worker Justin for sending this along. Good thing we don't have any Internet Police around the office! Or any HR staff!
That's a rhetorical question, but get a load of these milk jug supporters.
Thanks to my lovely co-worker Justin for sending this along. Good thing we don't have any Internet Police around the office! Or any HR staff!
For one day, I'll refrain from nagging you about getting your exercise. That is a gift in itself, isn't it?
Have a great year and 'we'll see you when we see you'.
Love,
Amy
Elvis earned another point toward his Scorpion Badge tonight.
In Elvis'/guest bathroom, with a litter box scoop
Team Elvis: 5
Scorpion Invaders: 0
Jay wanted a picture, so here you go. Enjoy!
For the easily freaked – don't worry. This particular scorpion looks like this, but is now flatter and floating somewhere in the Tempe Sanitary Sewer System. He knew something was up so it took awhile to get a good shot as he ran in and out of view. He didn't have any place to go so I knew I wasn't losing any good chances for a clean shot. Scorpion Sniper Assassin, that's me.
I am getting a little disturbed by the recent frequency. I've never kept track before, but this seems like a lot all of a sudden. Time to ramp up defensive manuevers.
When was the last time you drove out of town?
My usual route to work was shut down today due to an accident on the freeway. So this morning I drove out of Tempe, through Scottsdale and into Phoenix.
Does that count? I took the scenic route, after all.
I stopped by REI on the way home to buy the cool shoes I saw on their website. Yay! They were there and in stock! Nice brown leather lace-ups, very Euro looking and ready to hit some cobblestone streets.
But what was this? Green suede shoes? My heart lept.
I tried on both pairs. I walked around in both pairs. I stared at the pairs. I couldn't bear to choose one pair.
All attempts at rhyming aside, I just couldn't decide. After spending a seeming eternity struggling over the decision, I decided to not decide. Or to decide for both. I figured I needed more casual out and about shoes when the weather turns cold/chilly/under 75 degrees. I only have two other pairs of closed-toe non-sneaker casual shoes – brown and black leather in the exact same style. I guess I had a hard time deciding then, too (about six years ago). They aren't good for long walks, hence my shopping trip.
I blew my shoe budget for the next two years. I can't believe I actually bought something – ANYTHING – that wasn't on clearance. I better go on my trip soon or won't have any money left to spend while I'm there.
Good thing George W. is sending me a big chunk of change any day now. It's more fun to ignore the national debt when you have shoes the color of money. 😛
I think I did everything I needed to last week, which really came down to finishing my leadership application. Done and turned in. Whew. One monkey off my back.
Now I'm getting down to crunch time with work and with trip preparation. I'm set with clothes after a trip to Target. My current wardrobe is woefully inadequate for casual out and about clothes. It's 90% suits/work outfits and heels, 7% workout gear and 3% other stuff. It's also hard packing for anything other than really hot or really cold. So I'm going in lots of layers and now just need a good pair of city strolling shoes that don't scream "AMERICAN TOURIST".
So here goes my list for the week:
1. Confirm cat-watchers
2. Alert credit/bank cards to my itinerary. It would suck to have my cards shut down while away. This is something I highly recommend anyone doing if you are going to be traveling. Although I didn't have a problem buying tequila in Tijuana one morning and wine in the San Diego vicinity that same afternoon. Hmm. Maybe they recognize a pattern with me.
3. Buy baby shower gifts. Should have done this during my Target trip. Duh
4. Hold on mail and newspapers.
5. Read up on travel books, decide if I need to buy a book for Vienna/Poland. I have my Prague and Budapest guidebooks already.
6. Check out exchange rate info and create cheat sheets for each country. These are vital to international shoppers/hagglers like my mother and me.
7. Go to REI and buy shoes.
I know there's a lot more I need to do, but I feel like I'm ahead of the game by getting the clothes part done and out of the way. Despite having my helper provide Feline Assistance, of course.
1- Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2- People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post the rules.
3- At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4- Don't forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they've been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.
BrownA tagged me and a few others have already done this, so I'm going to try and be creative. But I think everyone knows most everything about me that I'm willing to share, so I'm not sure how interesting this is going to be. Also, after reading everyone else's posts, I may not be terribly original. Here goes.
1. I tried out for College Jeopardy my sophomore year. Mom had sent in my name and I was chosen to attend the first round of tests. GrandpaH bought us plane tickets to fly from Lansing to Dayton, OH, for the tryouts, but we were going to be fogged in so Mom and I drove many frantic hours to get there in time. I sat at the same table as a gal from Oklahoma and I really hoped she made it, since it was a lot farther for her than it was for me. We all sat around banquet tables with our pencils and scoresheets, a piece of paper with 100 numbered blank lines. Alex Trebeck looked down on us from TV screens and reverse of the show, he asked 100 questions for which we wrote down the answers. I didn't make the cut but I have no regrets. Other than that was the weekend Michigan State won both the Big 10 championship in basketball and the CCHA championship in hockey. I would have been at both final games as a band member. Dammit. But the tourney games were pretty fun, so that makes up for it.
2. I know how to say 'one beer, please' in Czech after only hearing it once. From my super hot Czech ski instructor. When I was on a ski vacation with Asshole Ex-Boyfriend and his family in Snowmass, CO. As is the wont of a controlling/manipulative lover, jealousy is never far away. After his mother and sister helped me tease him with how hot my ski instructor was (AEB said I wasn't good enough a skier to ski with him), he decided he needed to go with me to my starting point one morning and czech (ha) this guy out for himself. We stood there for awhile until AEB needed to ski down to meet his controlling/manipulative father (apple didn't fall far from THAT tree). As soon as he left, in skied Dalibar. Dalibar Sosna. Sigh. Oh – and 'Devno pivo, proseem!'
3. Random women come up to me and comment on my perfect skin. Then they lean in for a close inspection. This is quite unsettling, even though it's a compliment that I don't believe I deserve. I have freckles and my own share of zits – usually smack dab between my eyes. Anyway, now I think I'm getting neurotic about my complexion where before I never gave it much thought. (Don't hate me, Cranky!)
4. I suck at doing laundry. I can't get stains out of anything to save my life. I'm scared of using bleach in fear of ruining everything I own. Both my mother and grandmother have degrees in home economics and I am a homemaker failure.
5. Don't tell him, but when then-hubby and I were offered stray-kitten Elvis, I didn't want a cat. Of course, I loved him immediately and now don't even want to think about not having him around.
6. I had three near-death/dismemberment experiences on the farm that I don't even remember. 1 – swinging on a steel gate that broke off, banging head on concrete and only needing stitches on my chin. 2. getting caught in the main barn's gutter cleaner chain and close to getting ripped through the exterior opening before being noticed (I was a quiet child, believe it or not, and didn't want to yell and draw attention to myself). 3. playing with my toy tractor in the main barn doorway, sitting on the ledge next to the furnace fan used to cool off the barn. Luckily, Dad saw me lean over just as my hair was starting to go into the fan and unplugged it just before I went in.
7. I started riding rodeo when I was in my 20's just because. I hung up my spurs in 2004 when I finally won for team calf roping. Calf roping was the hardest and scariest thing I've ever tried to do.
8. I stopped taking naps around the age of two. Mom said it was too much trouble to get me to nap in the afternoon because the boys were crawling all over us when she was rocking me and I was quite alert. Probably a survival tactic on my part. She said I was never grumpy without it, so she never bothered making me take one. Poor MomH, Steve and Ray would have been four and two when I arrived. So she had her hands full. To this day I can't nap unless I'm sick or sleep deprived. Naps make me groggy and ill otherwise. I also lie there and think about all the other things I should be doing.
I think a lot of other people have already done this, but I'd like to see what Farfaraway, Leeeeeanda, Aubrey and the Captain have to say for themselves.
Team Elvis: 4
Scorpion Invaders: 0
#3 – In the kitchen, with a vegetable peeler (Friday night)
#4 – In the study, with a hockey puck. (Saturday night)
Yeah, I wasn't creative for #4, which was a repeat of #2. I went in the den and noticed a strange spot on the carpet and when I turned on the light, yep, a scorpion.
When you live with the threat of scorpions, you have every stain or discoloration of your carpet memorized. This is important when your carpet color isn't too unlike the color of your avowed foe. You also learn to visually assess your floors whenever you are walking about. Awareness is key to extreme pain avoidance.
In both weekend kills, Elvis' scorpion warning system wasn't a factor. But for next time – teh most awesome Mariser(tm) made this fantastic banner.
THANKS! You're the best!!!
I really thought yesterday was Friday. I thought Wednesday was Friday, too, but was delusional. But here we are.
I dropped off my leadership institute application this morning. On my way over, I realized I forgot to include the $30 application fee and my checkbook was at home. Crap. Oh well, I'll just give them cash.
Outside the office door was a box for the applications. They wanted people to not go in and bother the staff. Fair enough, but I went in anyway. No one was working the desk so I decided to carefully unseal my envelope and stick in the cash. Then I walked down the hall to another office to ask if I could borrow some tape.
Taped up and cash payment, the envelope went into the box. Since no one was watching I flipped through the other early drop offs and while I didn't recognize any names, they were all nice and neat with printed labels. Mine was handwritten.
Fuck. Way to be professional, Ames.
My co-workers think it won't make a difference, "but you can stew about it all day if that makes you feel better."
I think I shall.
Haiku Road is one of my favorite local bands, playing coffee shops and other venues.
EDIT – I had a link to their Mad X-Mas song but it made my computer wonky so I deleted it. It's from the Bad X-Mas pageant, a raunchy and politically incorrect celebration of skits, music and spoken word. If interested, it's on the bottom of their 'music' page on the website.
Best Meatballs Ever
Marinating in breakroom
Slow-cooking delight
Will any be left
When I leave for the party?
Hungry co-workers!