There's no denying it: Thanksgiving is my favorite day. It's my favorite meal. I like it so much, I do it twice (Thanksgiving 2 is in March).
Just a few short days from now, I will be getting up, taking a shower, opening the first of many bottles of wine, and starting the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (extended versions). People should start showing up at around noon. I have a 24 lb, free range, organic turkey named Ted defrosting in my fridge right now. I have plans for stuffings, veggies, and crazy-rich gravy. I have plans for a frenzy of work and then delightful sloth.
Here are some things that I'm thankful for, in case you're interested:
1. My family. They may drive me completely nuts sometimes, but they are the only ones who I know will love me no matter what I do, forever. My grandfather passed away this weekend, and it made me think about a lot. Despite the fact that we weren't close at all, he was my last living grandparent and I didn't realize that the permanence of it would be so jarring. (side note: I'm fine, my family is fine. Thanks.)
2. My friends. I can't think of enough good things to say about you guys. Perhaps it will suffice to say that without you, life would be way more about surviving than living.
3. Food. see especially Thanksgiving.
4. The cats. My cats have the most personality of any cats I've ever met. Many people have indicated that they're not cat people, but that my cats are the exception. They are pretty much the best snugglers ever, and they make me laugh every day.
5. There's a lot more, but it's small stuff, and I'm in a big-picture kind of mood.
I hope everyone has a lovely, food and family/friends-filled Thanksgiving. Gobble!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Workplace restroom
I am a private person (she writes on her easy-to-access blog...). No really. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I am a very controlled person. I may give a lot of information about myself, but make no mistake, I am carefully doling out only the information I want you to have. So, it offends me greatly to be mostly-un-pantsed in the same vicinity as strangers. Is there no greater indignity? When did we as a (fairly) civilized society decide that it is OK to eliminate right next to strange people? Or worse, your boss? Or worse than that, the person in accounting you don't like?! For real, people, I hate this situation with a fiery passion that burns hotter than... than... than the really hot cheese on pizza that completely burns all of the taste buds right off of your tongue. Ugh.
So, here, from worst to first, are my preferences for work bathroom situations:
1. I am in one stall. Someone is in the other stall, trying to have a conversation with me. There is a line of other women. Aaaaahhhhhhhh! I would run away but I can't!
2. I come in to use the bathroom, someone is in the other stall - but I don't see that person because she finishes while I'm still in the stall and she's even done washing her hands before I get out of the stall so we at least preserve our anonymity.
3. The multi-stalled bathroom is mine. No one enters while I'm in there. I even have time to check my teeth, hair, and how my butt looks. And maybe do some awesome Charlie's Angels-ish high-kicks. (If you know me, you will know how much I love doing this.)
4. The company bends to my will and installs a bathroom adjacent to my office. One stall only. Mine. No water or soap all over the counter. No extraneous hairs. :) A girl can dream.
OK. Please feel free to call me a total weirdo now. But I feel much better now that I've gotten this off my chest.
So, here, from worst to first, are my preferences for work bathroom situations:
1. I am in one stall. Someone is in the other stall, trying to have a conversation with me. There is a line of other women. Aaaaahhhhhhhh! I would run away but I can't!
2. I come in to use the bathroom, someone is in the other stall - but I don't see that person because she finishes while I'm still in the stall and she's even done washing her hands before I get out of the stall so we at least preserve our anonymity.
3. The multi-stalled bathroom is mine. No one enters while I'm in there. I even have time to check my teeth, hair, and how my butt looks. And maybe do some awesome Charlie's Angels-ish high-kicks. (If you know me, you will know how much I love doing this.)
4. The company bends to my will and installs a bathroom adjacent to my office. One stall only. Mine. No water or soap all over the counter. No extraneous hairs. :) A girl can dream.
OK. Please feel free to call me a total weirdo now. But I feel much better now that I've gotten this off my chest.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Pi.
For my job, I have to sign my name as approval in order for invoices to be processed/paid. So that I can follow a procedure that I assume is GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), I write "ok to pay", sign my name, and indicate the date. Today, I signed off on a million invoices, so I was getting a little (very) sloppy, and when I wrote "11/17/08", the "17" was smooshed and looked like the sign for pi.
Fantastic.
Q: What day is it?
A: November pi, 2008.
Fantastic.
Q: What day is it?
A: November pi, 2008.
My annoying, overly-used phrases and the blame that goes with them:
1. Yo. This one is mostly at work. I have no one to blame for this. Usually I answer the phone in a professional tone with my name. But, if I KNOW who's calling, and they're cool, I say "Yo". Unless my brother calls. Then I answer the phone with a gruff and aggressive "Megatron!" (to which he replies: "Prime!")
2. Dude. I blame J all the way for this. My usage can be traced back to my move to the Boston area and clearly originated with her. I have been struggling with this for two years and I hope that '09 sees its end. The thing is, it's a filler word, and my fear is that I will replace it with something worse. Erg!
3. Erg/Erm. It's a cat noise and I'm blaming A. She started it with her work pals, then told me about it, and I was quite charmed by the open-to-interpretation-ness of the noise-instead-of-word thing that I have embraced it. I mostly use it when I have a mixed-emotion reaction, or as a sympathetic sound in conjunction with head-petting. Sometimes I use it when I just don't want to speak.
4. True Story. I think this came from watching a lot of tv as a child. I haven't regularly watched tv in a couple of years, but I imagine that there are still plenty of "true story" type shows of the same variety that captured my attention then. Now I say it (way too often) when I want to convey agreement or support.
5. Dig. Do you dig it? I dig it. Am I trying to be a throwback to another era of vocabulary? I don't know. But I say this an awful lot.
On a different note, have you ever thought of winter storms (which are on their way, have no doubt) as violent and personal (as in, "they're out to get me!") and of snowflakes as little throwing stars with sharp edges? No? Really? Um, no. Me neither.
2. Dude. I blame J all the way for this. My usage can be traced back to my move to the Boston area and clearly originated with her. I have been struggling with this for two years and I hope that '09 sees its end. The thing is, it's a filler word, and my fear is that I will replace it with something worse. Erg!
3. Erg/Erm. It's a cat noise and I'm blaming A. She started it with her work pals, then told me about it, and I was quite charmed by the open-to-interpretation-ness of the noise-instead-of-word thing that I have embraced it. I mostly use it when I have a mixed-emotion reaction, or as a sympathetic sound in conjunction with head-petting. Sometimes I use it when I just don't want to speak.
4. True Story. I think this came from watching a lot of tv as a child. I haven't regularly watched tv in a couple of years, but I imagine that there are still plenty of "true story" type shows of the same variety that captured my attention then. Now I say it (way too often) when I want to convey agreement or support.
5. Dig. Do you dig it? I dig it. Am I trying to be a throwback to another era of vocabulary? I don't know. But I say this an awful lot.
On a different note, have you ever thought of winter storms (which are on their way, have no doubt) as violent and personal (as in, "they're out to get me!") and of snowflakes as little throwing stars with sharp edges? No? Really? Um, no. Me neither.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Political Ants
I have ants in my pants. Not real ones, proverbial ones. Political ones.
I got up at the regular time and stopped by the Vote-A-Rama before work, which only took 20 minutes. I admit that I was confused when they gave me the legal-sized sheet of paper on which to fill in my preferred dots. I somehow expected the Presidential candidate portion of the ballot to be giant. It feels momentous, no? I mean, don't the candidates for President (for crying out loud) deserve a different font, or boldface, or maybe their own whole side of the page??
In any case, I made my choices and checked my answers (because I sometimes fear that I have retardedly chosen the exact opposite thing that I mean to. Also, I have wicked OCD - on the way to the airport, I check my bag about 10 times for my passport, even though it was there the last time I checked, I still need to check again. Erg.).
So, later tonight, after rehearsal, I will make my way to J's house for champagne (it's not just for New Year's anymore, kids!) and the viewing of political tv. I am hopeful. Hope. Full. Full of it.
EXCITING!
I got up at the regular time and stopped by the Vote-A-Rama before work, which only took 20 minutes. I admit that I was confused when they gave me the legal-sized sheet of paper on which to fill in my preferred dots. I somehow expected the Presidential candidate portion of the ballot to be giant. It feels momentous, no? I mean, don't the candidates for President (for crying out loud) deserve a different font, or boldface, or maybe their own whole side of the page??
In any case, I made my choices and checked my answers (because I sometimes fear that I have retardedly chosen the exact opposite thing that I mean to. Also, I have wicked OCD - on the way to the airport, I check my bag about 10 times for my passport, even though it was there the last time I checked, I still need to check again. Erg.).
So, later tonight, after rehearsal, I will make my way to J's house for champagne (it's not just for New Year's anymore, kids!) and the viewing of political tv. I am hopeful. Hope. Full. Full of it.
EXCITING!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)