Random Thoughts

I think I'm poor.
No, I know I'm poor. How do I know this?

I've been eating Cup O'Noodles or Top Ramen noodles for lunch for three weeks. Four for a $1! But I'm kinda sick of noodles now. I'd like some fresh vegetables, please.

**********

And I think I'm morphing into a mom. How do I know this?
I can't remember when I painted my nails last. Just can't seem to find the time to either.

So Jamie and I have manicure appointments tomorrow evening. Gift cards are a beautiful thing.

**********

I haven't shaved my legs in over a week either, but I thought that might be too much information.

I did, however, "schedule" a bath for this evening, so we can remedy that. And yes, I shower every day. Just so you know....

**********

The Christmas cards are almost ready. The address and return address labels are typed; we just need to sign them and stuff them and stamp them.

There's another sign that my free time has dwindled. No homemade cards this year. Oh, you still get a picture, but we bought these beautiful Papyrus cards and just did up some Word labels. Much quicker.

**********

I bought my plane ticket to Texas for the big retirement move.

Did I not tell you about the big retirement move?

My parents have sold their house, so I'm driving with them from Texas to West Virginia, up to Pisswilly Ranch. This trip was originally supposed to be next summer, but once the house sold, mom and dad said there ain't no way they're waiting. So, we're shippin out on December 29th. I shit you not.

The ranch has already gotten about 8 inches of snow. Should make for a fun drive.

And, of course, there will be a stop in Louisiana for a little gamblin'. Cause that's whatcha do when yer retired.

**********

Work is work. Not too bad. Except for the whole getting-up-at-6:00am thing. Well, 6:15am. Sometimes 6:30am. Cause Rae-rae ain't so good at early.

And apparently, just typing about West Virginia makes me twang like a country bumpkin.

Yeehaw.

**********

Okay. Lunch is over.
It was nice chatting with you. Do be sure to stop back by.

Crazy Busy. Can't Form A Thought. Feeling Guilty For Not Posting.

Turkey day good. Bird still frozen. Almost five hours in oven. No one got sick. Lots o'wine. Shaun came! Called mom and dad. Both in rare form. Raunchy jokes abound. TBBE still loves me.

Black Friday. Minimal shopping. Couldn't find JoAnne's. Must have closed. Didn't get stocking hangers. Dammit. We survived Home Depot. Got a trash can.

Decorating that afternoon. Pretty tree. Lots of memories. Some sad. But good. Feelin' the spirit.

That night, girlie sleepover. K's friend. Watched Sixteen Candles. Donger need food! In bed early.

Saturday. Uh....

Wait. Gimme a minute.....

Slept in. I think. Pancakes for everyone. Twilight plans dashed. Dinner instead. Kyle at Kiss Cafe. Sleepovers for both kids. Partying it up, kidless style.

Sunday. Really slept in. Lunch. Wrapping presents. Twilight with Trish and Dan. Oh gawd. At least Edward is pretty. Goulash for dinner. Mom would be proud. Sunday night cartoons with the kids. Bed.

Today.
Ack.
I see wine in my near future.......

Who Is This Sergio Ross Guy....

And how on earth can he sell his boots for $1199?!
And who on earth (aside from actors and politicians) can actually afford to pay $1199 for boots these days?!





I like boots, but my limit is $100.
Most of the time.

Unless they're really, really spiffy.

They Have Them In Black!

[whimper]

Damn my sudden desire to be debt free and responsible! Where is my credit card now?!

I may need to find something to sell......
Or start pimpin' TBBE out to support my habit.

Gobble Gobble

It’s that time once again. Where we cook too much food, drink too much wine and watch football. I love Turkey Day.

And I know you must get sick of me reminiscing, but I can’t help but think back to where I was a year ago.

I don’t need to go into the whole my-life-is-so-much-happier-now ramble. You know all that.

Oh, but I sense that tonight, I will be right back on track with the Pre-Turkey Day Freakin’ Out. We have four people coming over tomorrow for dinner so I need to vacuum (the actual highlight of the night!) and clean the bathroom and we have to put the leaf in the dining table and Kayleigh wants to make Irish soda bread and my jeans stink so I should probably do some laundry and I promised Tyler I would help him finish cleaning his room and Kayleigh’s clothes are all clean now but she’s completely out of room in her dresser drawers so we need to organize those so she can put her clothes away and I need to get in her closet and clean that out and help her organize it because right now there’s all this wasted yet useful space and then there’s our closet and my boots are just everywhere and where are we going to put all of the towels because right now half of them are piled up on the floor beside the bed because they won’t fit in the cabinet where the towels are so I should really get Todd to help me sort through them so we can put everything away and I bet the kids’ bathroom needs cleaned because what if someone needs to pee and the half bath upstairs is occupied?

Um…

Where was I?

Oh, right.
I need to vacuum tonight.

That is all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

An Example of the Hilarity

While laying in bed at 6:30am this morning, with a very, very full bladder, after the alarm has gone off three times.

Todd: (thinking he's motivating me to get out of bed) Don't make me touch you inappropriately.
Me: I will pee on you, I swear to gawd.
Todd: (laugh) Like a mouse, when you hold it.
Me: Wha...?
Todd: Mice. They pee on you when you pick them up...
Me: Why are you holding mice? That's disgusting.
Todd: Some people juggle geese....

Even better, when I first typed this, I typed "sheep" instead of "geese".

Todd read it over my shoulder and said, "I said geese. Not sheep. Baaaaa."

I almost spit out my bagel.

Mushy Post - Don't Get Used To It

Every now and then, I look at TBBE and I see him through the eyes of that woman who went to his house on her lunch break, to merely audition for him. I remember him opening the door and I was staring at his chest. I had to crane my neck to look at his face. He was huge.

Then my attention was replaced by a dog. A dog that was very anxious to get to me. Todd had him by the collar and was pulling him back as I was coming in. I couldn’t take my eyes off the dog.

(Did I mention I was attacked by a dog when I was 14? A 100 pound chow. He got my arm and my leg in two spots. I have nice scars to show for it. So, needless to say, I’m a bit leery around dogs when they’re coming at me. Even if it’s just to sniff my crotch.)

Todd was holding the dog back and he asked, very casually, “You’re okay with dogs, right?” And I said, very bluntly, “No.” He was surprised. No one really says no.

The he remembers sending Wiley to his kennel, but I remember Wiley licking my feet (and me trying to outwardly cringe) while I was playing.

But the very clear memory we both have is nervousness and trying hard to form complete sentences. I remember Todd getting me a glass of water and then going back to the family room, but I thought he was just going to get a guitar so I was waiting in the front room until I heard him holler, “You can come back here.” I remember my voice shaking and my hands sweating when I was playing, and that I skipped two verses in my own song because I just wanted it to be over. I remember him playing and singing “Goodnight My Love”, with his eyes closed. I remember telling him that my friend gave me a hard time about answering a Craigslist ad by saying “Ahhh, you’re gonna meet your next boyfriend!” because I met my last boyfriend through a Stranger ad.

And I remember that when I was leaving and grabbing my coat and my purse and all the swag he had given me, he leaned down and gave me a hug. I had to stand on my tiptoes to hug him back.

When I got back to work, Nichole emailed me and asked how it went. I replied with, “Good. He's cute. Really cute. Really tall. Hugged me goodbye. Might be a problem. I can't stop grinning.”

I looked at Todd last night as we were leaving QFC after our weekly grocery shopping trip, and had that brief, fleeting thought of “How did I get here?” I just wanted to play music again. I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. I wasn’t looking for a family. I just wanted to play music.

And now I live with this man, and his kids. His daughter tells me she loves me when we say goodnight and his son asks me for permission to go to a friend’s house.

“And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?” – Talking Heads

Oh, but I’m so glad I’m here. And this past weekend just calmed all of my fears and took away any doubts I ever had. Todd and I laughed until my back and my throat hurt and I couldn’t seem to take my hand off of his arm. And there was no over thinking things. There were no heavy discussions. We just had fun.

And it was wonderful.

Okay, back to your normal, cranky, sarcastic blog about boots.

Somethin' Just Ain't Right With That Boot....

WTF?




I am dying to know who would actually wear this.
Contact me. Please.


Yes, I'm working.
Why?

Raechelle, The Cat

www.icanhascheezburger.com

'Tis The Season

Oooh, ahhhhh.....

Wake Me When It's Friday

From: Cuteoverload.com

(Late) Weekend Update

TBBE and I were a bit busy yesterday, so our apologies for not posting. I see he has just posted his weekend update, so here's my contribution.

Friday evening, Todd, Kayleigh and I went to see Bullshot Crummond. I hit my functioning limit at about 9:00pm. Home. Bed.

Saturday....uh. I'm actually having a brain fart and cannot remember what we did Saturday.

Umm. Hang on.

Oh! Pictures!
Todd's friend Ron came over and took family photos. Cause the holidays are coming and even Todd's arms aren't long enough to do a family self portrait. As much as we'd love to.

Todd put a couple of photos up on his post.

I think I was difficult. Give me a few glasses of wine and you can't keep me away from a camera. But at noon, functioning only on three cups of coffee, I don't know what to do. I fidget. I roll my eyes. I'm annoyed. Some of the photos turned out okay, though.

That afternoon, we just tinkered around the house. Unpacked some stuff, walked down to Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Very low key.

Saturday night, I attended my friend Nichole's bachelorette party. As bachelorette parties go, it was very tame. Nichole warned me that there were to be no strippers, no phallic desserts, and no naughty gifts. I may have adhered to two out of three requests. How do you go to a bachelorette party without buy the bride some lickable massage oil or edible panties? Come on!

My gift, however, was not the worst, so Nichole is still my friend.

I excused myself early because after her ninth(?) jello shot, Nichole decided to move the party down to the hotel bar. Go Nichole! However, I knew that if I went down to the bar, I would end up crashing in the hotel room. So I announced that I need to leave, siting that I was now a mother and needed to set a proper example for my children.

The group of 15 women then laughed at me. Loudly.
Hmph.

I was home by 10:00pm.

And Sunday was just blah.

Todd had gone to coffee with Ron, Kayleigh had slept over at a friends' house, Tyler is 14 and sleeps until noon, so Rae-rae didn't wake up until 10:00am.

RIGHT ON.

But it made me very unmotivated all day. Oh, I was muy productive. I was just very slow going about it.

I treated myself to a glass of wine and a hot soakie after dinner, and read some of the new Stephen King book that TBBE bought me. It's no Twilight, but it's good.

And to start the week of right, Todd and I had a lovely dinner last night at Etta’s, since they’re participating in Dine Around Seattle. Three courses for $30. And the restaurants that participate are normally way too expensive to eat at otherwise. Wednesday evening, Jamie and I will be having dinner at The Georgian. She tells me I have to wear my pearls. It’s that swanky.

Hopefully, I will be feeling better by then. The pork tenderloin (oh, when will I learn?), mixed with throbbing ovaries and a tight back, made for a very rough night. So this morning, I’m just worn out. I would very much like to be curled up in a ball right now.

Sigh.

This is going to make for a long day....

**********

And in my defense, regarding a certain clothes rod that could not take the weight of all my very fabulous clothes - no one ever gave me a weight limit on a clothes rod. I've hung clothes on a clothes rod for years and not one has ever collapsed on me.

In hindsight, maybe putting jeans, fleece and sweaters on the same short rod was a bad idea. Lesson learned. My apologies to Todd's wall.

Sleepy Haiku

Thank gawd it’s Friday
Just need to sleep in one day
So very tired

Rethinking this plan
7:30 too early
I am out by two

Close my eyes quickly
Turns into really long blink
Where did the time go?

Would a latte help?
Maybe a coca cola?
How about some speed?

One hour to go
Then hopefully a quick nap
Before we head out

Theater tonight
We are so very cultured
Bravo! Yes, bravo!

Okay, mind hurts now
No! Do not look at the clock!
Must stay distracted

Sigh…..

The First Hurdle

My new drive to work takes about 30 minutes. That's with normal 7:30 to 8:00am traffic. Throw rain or an accident in there, well, it's just a mess.

Which is what happened yesterday. There was a wreck in the Battery Street tunnel, which backed up Aurora (my normal route) for miles. So I took I-5, which really wasn't much better. It took me an hour to get to work.

So, last night I invested in a big thermos and I programmed the coffee maker to start perkin' at 6:40am. I got up at 6:15am, showered and beautified, made some coffee and was out the door by 7:00.

Total commute time: 23 minutes.
And now I get to leave at 4:00pm.

I figure, I have a new home, a new neighborhood, a new family. Why not a new work schedule?

We'll see how long I can keep this up. I may have to rethink my strategy when my head hits the desk at 3:00pm.

Is This Your Foot?

There is an eerie mystery up here in the Pacific Northwest. Very Stephen King-esque.

Single feet, all in running shoes, are being found in the water. They’re popping up in rivers and in the sound. Since August of 2007, seven athletic shoes (different brands) containing a human foot have washed ashore. It seems that most of them are right feet. There’s no foul play suggested – it looks like the feet have become “disarticulated” through natural decomposition.

Questions that are being asked:
Is this the work of serial killer who targets runners?

Are these the missing bodies from a 2005 plane wreck near Quadra Island in British Columbia?

Are these victims of suicide, as two of the feet have proven to be a match and once belonged to a depressed man who disappeared in 2007?

It’s very interesting.
Where are these feet coming from?

Check your loved ones.....

Random Thoughts

Happy Veteran's Day!

I have to work today. Half of the campus isn't working today, but half of the campus is. And we're a little cranky about it. Maybe it's just me.

**********

My first official evening at the DowningMarsh household was lovely. TBBE had dinner ready when I got home and the kids fought to clean up afterwards. Wonder how long this whole impress-the-new-family-member will last.

How about years? Can we say years?

**********

Remember all of that stress and exhaustion I wasn't feeling during the move? Yeah, that's all caught up to me now.

We went to bed at 9:30 last night (after dozing on the couch for half an hour) and when the alarm went off this morning, I was just mad. I remember waking up a few times last night, so apparently I didn't get that solid nine hours of sleep.

And you know how Rae-rae likes her sleep.

So, I'm dragging a bit today. It doesn't help that the kids had the day off, which meant Todd could sleep in a little, too. Maybe they'll feel guilty for having such a relaxing day and they'll pamper me with wine and love and chocolate when I get home.

Ha.

**********

Just got an email at work that we are participating in a country wide hospital disaster drill in the next week or two.

The name of the drill?

PANDEMONIUM.

From Merriem-Webster.com:

Main Entry: Pan·de·mo·ni·um
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin, from Greek pan- + daimōn evil spirit — more at demon.

Date: 1667
1: the capital of Hell in Milton's Paradise Lost

2: the infernal regions : hell

3: a wild uproar : tumult

How the hell are we supposed to be calm during a drill called PANDEMONIUM?

**********

My gawd, is it 4:30 yet?

**********

I scheduled a haircut for tomorrow. I feel frizzy. I'm thinking layers. Lots and lots of layers. Might go a smidge shorter, too. My hair is so long right now that when I sit back against my chair and then turn my head, my hair gets caught. It bugs me.

**********

I am treating myself to a soda pop today.

Letting the belching commence!

**********

Okay. I think my lunch is up. I should go.

I will leave you with this moving photo. In honor of our veterans and heroes.

West Seattlite

As TBBE wrote, the move was absolutely painless. Yes, it was hard to leave Ballard, but not as hard as I thought it would be. Guess I was more ready for the transition than I thought. Dare I say, I was excited? Raff did comment on how cute my apartment was, and I immediately stopped him. "Don't even say it. It's hard enough to leave it. Just tell me what a dump it is." My apartment was good to me and got me through a rough time. But now, things aren't rough anymore. It's time to move on. Start a new chapter. A better chapter.

So, after a flat two hour move, and a big ol' lunch, I stood in the bedroom, looking around. And I felt the twinges of option paralysis. What to do first?

Lay down. That’s what. What’s the point in rushing?

I got my clothes put away (see: tossed into drawers) and some of the bathroom unpacked. Then it was time to gussy up and head out to Jamie’s cocktail party. Which was a blessing in disguise. That just meant I couldn’t overdo it and work until the wee hours of the morning.

I bartended for the first time ever. A pretty easy first time gig. The options were wine or champagne. Jamie likes to keep it simple. Todd stuck with me, while occasionally making a food run so we could nibble in between serving. It was a lovely evening. Jamie throws a beautiful party.

After the party, home and straight to bed. Busy, busy day.

I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked to have been on Sunday, but again, being forced to stop to go see Jason Mraz was a blessing. And it was a great show. Well, it was after I told the guy next to me that he had dog crap on his shoe and wouldn’t be able to focus on the music unless something was done immediately. My gawd, the stench. He ended up going to the restroom and cleaning up. And he thanked me profusely.

After the concert, home and straight to bed. Another busy day.

Tonight, I will get my computer and desk set up and maybe work on the bathroom some more.

And I’m very much looking forward to having dinner with my family.

Tough Birds

See?! See why I hate 'em?!

Signing Off

Not permanently, silly.
Just for the weekend.

It's time to pack my computer. I've procrastinated and procrastinated, but there's nothing left to do. I have to unplug it.

This hurts me.

My kitchen is packed, except for the fridge. But I've already cleaned it out. The cabinets and drawers are bare. The magnetic knife rack has been removed.

The couch was picked up at 11:00am. So tonight I'm on the floor. That's okay. Tomorrow night I'll be in a big fluffy bed with a big fluffy guy.

Jamie came and took apart the big bookshelf. She'll pick it up tomorrow. I took a trunk load of stuff to Goodwill, and have yet another pile starting in the corner. The shower curtain is down, but I think I want to take one last soakie before I go to bed. Wonder if I can find a candle easily?

The curtains in the bedroom are down and I took the top piece off the dresser to make it lighter. We'll move it to West Seattle, where it will go to one of Todd's friends. It will have a good home. She said she'd take the curtains and the lampshades too, but I'm willing to rent a storage unit if that's what it takes to store them until I can have a spare room to boudoir-up.

So now I sit here, with my glass of champagne, looking at my naked apartment and I can't help but think back to where I was a year ago.

It was just about this time last year when my life imploded and I blew a fuse. I was sent home from work because I couldn't do anything but cry. I started taking the pretty pink pills, I stopped eating and my ass created a very prominent dent in my couch. Not a good time in Raechelle-land.

My goodness, look what a year can bring.

The emotions! Oy!
It's exhausting.

Well.
Here we go.

Cheers!

We Now Return You To Your Regularly Scheduled Life

I’m wearing a blue sweater today. This is big news.
I don’t wear blue tops. Especially with blue jeans. Too much blue. Blah.

Aside from my wardrobe, not too much to report. I’m still trying to get back on track from Tuesday night. Little too much wine, not enough sleep. Kim came over last night and I laid down on the couch, thinking, I’ll just take a little nap until she gets here.

I was awakened by my door buzzer and it completely freaked me out. You know when you’re in a deep nap and then you’re yanked out of it suddenly? Your vision is blurred and you can’t think straight and you’re just disoriented. I didn’t really come out of it until we were walking back from dinner and then I just got nauseous.

I tried to be productive when I got home (got a blog post up!) but ended up going to bed…er…couch at 9:30. And I was asleep within minutes.

Then my alarm went off today and let me tell you, I was none too happy. Laid and listened to the radio until 7:15, then finally decided I should maybe get up.

On the bright side, I get to sleep in tomorrow as I took the day off. One last day to finish up the packing and enjoy my little place. Hopefully Esther and K. won’t be home. My little place isn’t enjoyable at all when they’re there.

And then, I ship out at 10:00am on Saturday. Headed for the big city of West Seattle. I was informed today, by a life long West Seattleite, that they’ve tried to secede from Seattle three times. So, it is kind of like moving to a new city. But then, Ballard is kind of like it’s own city, too. Well, they were their own city until Seattle cut their water off and said “Join us or suffer.”

Sigh.
Anywho, I babble.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled lives now.

Look How Far We've Come

In my packing this evening, I found my copy of The Stranger from 11/11/04, when a lot of us were beaten down and feeling hopeless.


And within that paper was the electoral map from the Bush/Kerry race.



Look at all that red. Wow.
Here's the electoral map from this year's election.


So pretty. Much more balanced.

And, once again, we love The Stranger. They have nailed the sentiment on the head, once again.

(Warning - Big, bad word. Not at all suitable for work.)

Yes We Can

And boy howdy, did we.

Thank you, Ohio and Florida.

Carrie, I won't be needing that room. I'm proud to be an American today.

Because we finally made the right choice.

The Big Day

I don't think I get this excited at Christmas. I can't help but click over to CNN every three minutes, even though there is absolutely nothing to report yet.

But even through the excitement, part of me feels a slight sense of dread. I think tomorrow is going to be a rough day, regardless of who wins.

If McCain wins, well, how are we supposed to go on? I have until January 20th to get my passport. If Obama wins, there might be some people who are upset. And the people who would get upset by such a thing are pretty darn passionate, on so many levels.

I just hope it's quick and painless. I want a concession speech by the end of the day tomorrow. None of this dragging it out for days, recounts or threats of lawsuits. Just give up and accept defeat like a big boy, McCain.

Oops.
Did I say that out loud?

BOO!

Just a quick post to direct you to photos of our Halloween party. TBBE will have a more in depth post for you.

Todd and I agree - the party was a success! There was much eating, drinking and schmoozing, and the vampire costumes were a big hit.

Sunday was spent in jammies, watching football, sleeping and eating pizza rolls. A perfect day in my book.

Now we begin election week. I sense that tomorrow and Wednesday are going to be quite unproductive at work……

Happy Halloween!

Please enjoy this Obama pumpkin of hope and optimism.

Photo by Tony Delgrosso

And! Ballard has made the New York Times today. We're that cool.

I may be living in West Seattle next weekend, but for one more week, I'm a Ballard Gal.

Represent!

Undecided? Really?

My friend Dan's most recent post turns our attention to Margaret & Helen's blog. And boy howdy, Margaret is on fire about this election.

I choose not to blog too much about politics and my opinions. I think you know my opinions. And I think you know who I'll be voting for. But if I were to blog about politics, I wouldn't be able to do it as well as Margaret. She's blunt, honest and doesn't give a shit if you agree with her or not.

Her current post speaks directly to that person who is still undecided about who they'll vote for.

Undecided. Really?

Well, if that's the case, or if you're just curious, check out Margaret's blog.
She's quite persuasive.

Insight To My Future?

Best search term EVER to find my blog:

raechelle pornstar

Nice. Very nice.
One other Google search of interest:

I get headaches at the smell of cookies

Poor thing. That sucks.

By far though, the Google image search for homecoming mums is still the number one search driving traffic to my blog. A close second is a search on the word “hyperosmia”.

Gotta love Sitemeter.

Red Hair

Dee asks for a photo, so she gets a photo.

It's not bright red. Deep, burgundy red. I'd like to get it done professionally and just have it flamin' red. Ah, one day.....

For the record, I don't like my nose.

Weekend Update

TBBE does a great job of laying out the actions of the weekend, which makes it so much easier (and quicker) for me to simply throw in my little random thoughts and tidbits. Because, as I may or may not have mentioned, my new job is surrounded by people who actually adhere to the 30 minute lunch rule (so we're only at work 8.5 hours a day, as opposed to 9) which doesn't leave me a whole lotta time to blog because my blogging includes 20 minutes of self editing.

And I just used up 10 minutes on that paragraph (while eating my salad). Ack.

So!

Did you know that blackberry bushes leave little infected welts on your skin when they poke you? Yeah, I didn't either, or I would have worn gloves when we were cleaning up the bushes next to the carport. Man, my hands hurt today. I've got four major owies. I've been pouring hydrogen peroxide on them, but that's not helping the pain. See why I avoid manual labor? I get hurt. I never get hurt when I'm sitting on the couch watching football. Never.

Unless I pull something while screaming at the TV.

Speaking of which, holy crap, we finally won a game! We beat the 49ers. Which, come on, they were 2 and 5. But hey, we won. Yippee.

Update: 17 minutes left in my lunch. Pardon any typos from here on out.

I got my beautician on last night. I colored Kayleigh's hair bright strawberry so now those blue eyes and freckles stand out even more. I was going to wait to do my hair (dark red) until Thursday, since it's a temporary color and I wanted it bright for Halloween, but I was jealous that K got transformed so I ended up doing my hair, too. I feel like a hottie.

And then I ordered fishnets with built in garters from Amazon this morning, so now I'm just feelin' naughty. My semi-respectable costume (albeit, still slightly trashy) is slowly morphing into Great Big Whore. And I don't care. It will make for good pictures when I'm 75 and looking back at photos and pining for my youth.

And in other news, my calendar is clear this week, as I must start packing. Must. Well, maybe there's a walk in there. And maybe dinner with Jamie. But that's it! I mean it.

**********
Best Quote of the Weekend:

Kayleigh (grabbing a pair of 3 inch black, shiny stilettos at DSW, with a big smile on her face):

"These will definitely make you look like a slut. Try them on!"

Alone and Productive

So, I finally finished the infamous magazine project. Whew!

Jamie gave me an expanding pocket filer Monday when we went to dinner. She asked if I needed it for anything (HA! Of course I do!) and that's when it hit me. I should put the pages that I rip out from magazines in these pockets (organized by beauty, fashion, household tips, decorating, holiday decorating, etc...... you get the idea...) rather than in the sheet protectors in the three ring binder. Easier access, easier to actually put them in the filer and the thingy zips up all nice and pretty!

In a mere three hours this evening I finished up the project. And it was just what I needed. Some alone time, in my sweats, on the couch, doing something for me. I haven't been doing a lot of that lately, have I? Yes, I'm enjoying the organizing and cleaning at Todd's and yes, that's for me so that I can get my stuff in there, but it's not really mine. This magazine project, regardless of how small and inconsequential this is, it's something I've been wanting do for two years.

And it's done.

Now what can I obsess over?

An Iron Is An Iron Is An Iron

So, here's a funny little story for you, as I begin to clean out my hall closet.

(Yes, still having dinner with Jamie. Just not until 7:30pm.)

When I moved out on my own for the first time, my Other Mother Mary bought me an iron. I think it was Mary. Anyway, this was a good iron. I don't iron much, but dammit, I had a good iron now.

I brought it with me when I moved to Seattle. I kept it when I lived with my roommate because he was a dude and didn't own an iron. I kept it when I lived with Mike (yet another mistake from hell) even though he had an iron. It was fortuitous. We broke up a month after signing a year's lease.

Then came the back-n-forth living situation with Steve. Still kept my iron. He had an iron, but since we lived together for a few months, then apart for a few months, then back together for a few months, I just kept the iron. It was almost a security blanket at this point.

After five years of living together, that iron found a home in the bottom drawer of the spare dresser in the office. I said something to my mom about it one day, how I really should get rid of it because we don't need two irons. But for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to put it in the Goodwill pile. Mom called me a weirdo.

"It's an iron. You can buy another one if you ever need one. Just get rid of it!"

But the iron stayed in it's place in the bottom drawer.

Then Steve and I broke up. Ha, Mother! I don't have a bed, a couch or an apartment, but by gawd, I HAVE AN IRON!! VICTORY IS MINE!!

Let's skip ahead.

Two weeks ago, I was looking for an iron at Todd's. I couldn't find one. I finally asked him if he had one, he said yes he had one, and went off to fetch it.

Then he came back and said he was misinformed.

He did not, in fact, have an iron.

[pause]

Get it?

I have an iron! I shouldn't have had an iron, but I do! And Todd doesn't!

See how everything in the universe just falls into place? It's craziness!



No, I haven't been drinking.
Why?

Autumn Has Arrived

If I were in Texas right now, I'd be running for the closet in the middle of the house. Holy crap, that cloud looks bad.

But I'm in Seattle, and I've been here long enough to know that this is merely the First Creepy Storm of the Season. I knew it was coming, yet it still puts me in awe.

If you could see further west, over the water, you'd see that it's just solid black now and pouring the rain. But just a few minutes ago, you could see the sunset over the mountains and the sky was pink.

I love living here.

One October day, a few years ago, Steve and I sat out on our balcony, facing west, and literally watched the first storm of the season move in over the span of two hours. We started out in shorts and t-shirts because it was warm and sunny, but then the wind started so we each threw on a fleece. You could smell the air change and feel the weight of the storm. The clouds got thicker, the lightning started up and we could hear thunder rumbling over the water. The temperature dropped about ten degrees, so we grabbed blankets and curled back up in the lawn chairs. But we sat out there until the rain drove back us inside.

It was beautiful.

And now, it's autumn again. The storm tells me so.

At Last....The Boudoir

I know you all have been waiting on the edge of your seat for the boudoir to be finished. Alas, it was not meant to be as I have a mere three weeks left here and should probably begin to think about packing.

But I thought I would give you a couple of pictures of how far we came.

You'll have to just imagine the bed. The plan to sell it came about rather quickly and I didn't have a chance to take photos before it went bye-bye.

(photo taken pre-bed-go-bye-bye)

Notice the damask pattern on the inside of the lampshade. Which matches the curtains perfectly.

Sigh.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to be going to Todd's and decorating his bedroom with him. We've already looked at bedding we like that will incorporate what we both want and I absolutely LOVE that all of his furniture matches. I never got that far. But I'll just save my curtains and lampshades so that when we have an extra bedroom one day, it will be the Damask Room.

And since I never took any updated photos of my living room and dining room, once I actually got settled, here ya go.

And as a bonus, here are my Halloween decorations. These are from the same woman who made the Santa and reindeer.

Weekend Update In Random Thoughts Form

Shaun finally made it to a movie night Friday night and met my Other Friends, Trish and Dan. Worlds collide. And I was reminded of this exchange from Seinfeld. Elaine has invited George’s girlfriend, Susan, to join the group for something and George is freaking out to Jerry.

GEORGE: Ah you have no idea of the magnitude of this thing. If she is allowed to infiltrate this world, then George Costanza as you know him, ceases to exist! You see, right now, I have Relationship George, but there is also Independent George That's the George you know, the George you grew up with -- Movie George, Coffee shop George, Liar George, Bawdy George.

JERRY: I love that George.

GEORGE: Me, too! And he's dying Jerry! If Relationship George walks through this door, he will KILL Independent George! A George, divided against itself, cannot stand!

**********

I sold my bed. It's official now - I have to move. McP is off to San Diego and, as luck would have it, needed a new bed. Whew. I was dreading listing it on craigslist and only getting a third of what I paid for it.

Looks like I'll be on the couch for a few weeks. Unless I can get rid of that, too. It's a sleeper sofa! And it's free! Unless you want the red pillows with it. Those puppies weren't cheap.

I'm also selling the brand new dresser that I assembled ALL BY MYSELF. The determination and sweat I put into that baby is worth at lease $150, don't you think?

**********

Ruby got her 15,000 mile check up Saturday. She drove away with a clean bill of health. Except for the rear brakes. Apparently, we're at 30%. And apparently rear brakes cost around $200. Ha. I laugh at rear brakes. I have brakes on the front, right? I should be fine.

*********

Saturday night, we went to see Night of the Living Dead at the Seattle Children's Theater. Odd, you say? Yes. It was. But it was also very funny.

**********

Sunday was spent gathering Halloween costumes for the post Halloween party, and I am SO EXCITED! I will say nothing except the pointy-toe stiletto heeled boots are part of the costume. ROWR!

You'll just have to wait for pictures.

**********

The reality that I am moving in in a mere three weeks hit home yesterday, so we have cleared our calendar for this coming weekend. We need to prep for the party on November 1, then the move the following weekend. Believe it or not, there is still cleaning to do, which includes some dump runs and organizational purchases.

Yeah, I said it. Dump runs. And I'm not going to re-word it.
It makes me chuckle.

Anyway, we got things to do.

In the meantime, however, I have a jam packed scheduled this week. Dinner with Jamie this evening (drinks beforehand with Cyn were cancelled. Whew.) Bob Schneider at the Triple Door tomorrow night. A Gilda's Club panel, in which I am supportive arm candy, on Wednesday. Walking and (hopefully) dinner with Shaun on Thursday. Then we're back to Friday, movies and oh, what's that? A five month anniversary.

**********

Don't even mention the Seahawks game to me. Just don't.

Damn Flu Shot

Flu shot time
They say it's voluntary
But they lie
Free shots from 8:00 - 10:00am
Get a piece of candy!
I have candy in my cube, thankyouverymuch
Suck it up
Be a big girl
1...2...3...
Prick
No big deal
Would just like to have the choice

Three hours later
Ooooowwwwwww
Arm is sore
Feeling tired
Want my jammies

Damn flu shot

Kitty Yoga

When you're stressed and ready to kill someone, follow the Kitty Yoga......

(more animals)

No Book To Read, But At Least I Have Doritos

I finished "Breaking Dawn" last night. Fan-freakin'-tastic. Can't wait for the movie!

But now I have nothing to read at lunch. So I blog.

And I eat Doritos. Because I can.

As long as I don't look at the list of ingredients, they're quite tasty. But the paragraph long list of words I can't pronounce totally kills the joy. So, I dump them out on a plate and throw the bag away. Clever, aren't I?

I'm also eating a sandwich from the little deli downstairs. Not bad, but it has mustard on it. I don't like mustard. Not a big mayo fan either. But this is "stone ground" mustard, so it has a bit of a smokey flavor. Better than yellow mustard. Yuck.

There's swiss cheese on my sandwich, too. Man, I love cheese.

Sigh.

You've missed me, haven't you?

Little Ol' Update

While my new job is fantastic, it really cuts into my blogging time. And when I get home from the fantastic job, I'm too busy doing administrative stuff/taking out the garbage/cleaning/reading/sleeping to write a post. And weekends are out because rarely do I even have time to check my email from Todd's. There's cleaning to do!

So I thought I'd just take some time this evening to update you.

First, my new desk. It's no green closet, but it's mine. And it's homey.

And it's blurry, I see now. Crap.

See those windows up there? They're frosted, but that's about the only daylight I really see, if I don't leave the building. I asked my buddy why they were frosted. He said those windows are at ground level (the building backs up against a hill) and they overlook a parking lot. Where homeless people hang out. And those homeless people were peering in at my co-workers all day. So the windows got frosted.

And my name plate. Pardon my horrible handwriting.

Speaking of work, the first "con" has appeared. No more individual, unisex bathrooms. My old department had a typical ladies room, but it also had four unisex bathrooms. Nice and private. Now I'm running into co-workers on my pee breaks and am forced to make small talk. Really not my idea of a good time.

Other than that, the new job is great. My co-workers are fabulous (even though I don't like making small talk with them in the bathroom) and my boss is a complete delight. It's nice to not dread going to work in the morning. Oh, I still dread getting up. And I'm sure it irks Todd when I'm whining at 6:30 in the morning that I HATE getting up early and it's too cold and it's too dark and just give me five more minutes!

But once I'm up, it's all good.

Not much else to update you on.

Oh, I had a letter taped to my front door when I got home today, notifying me that the apartment management company had received my Notice to Vacate and would begin showing my apartment so could I please be sure to tidy up.

[pause]

Um....do you even know me? My place is pretty "tidy" on any given day, but now that I'm really just sleeping here four nights a week, there's even less to clean up. I did wipe down the stovetop because the months of dust that has accumulated on it looked icky. Hard work, I tell ya.

Okay, that's about all I have to update you on. Now I'm off to soak. I have three chapters left in "Breaking Dawn" and we're down to big battle. I'm going to need bubbles for this.

We're Gonna Need More Rope

I said to Jamie months ago that I loved my apartment so much that I was going to need something bad to happen that will make me want to leave it. And Jamie, being the optimist she is, said, “How about needing something good to happen to make you WANT to leave it?”

That’s why I love her.

So, while yes, there are good things happening that make me WANT to move in with Todd, a bad thing has happened to make me want to leave my apartment.

Potato, potahto.

Last night, I discovered that I have a new downstairs neighbor. That’s what I get for not being home for the last 10 weekends. It was the recent loud music that made me suspicious. Suzanne, my former downstairs neighbor, was very quiet. Hermit-like. So, Monday, when I heard the thudding music, I just thought Suzanne was feeling a bit perkier than normal. That’s cool. Even heard some booming male voices. You go, girl!

But then there was loud music Tuesday night. Until about 11pm. Suzanne told me, when I introduced myself to her last year, that she went to bed early and got up early. Huh. Maybe she changed jobs.

But then. Music again last night. Many booming voices last night. Maybe Suzanne has turned her apartment into a brothel. Maybe she now has male clients. I’m all for small businesses, so good luck to you, Suzanne. Just turn the music down a little. That beat doesn’t really sound like bellyrubbin’ music, anyway. Too fast.

At 11:30pm though, it occurred to me that this was a new pattern. And I haven’t been home much lately, so if Suzanne had moved out, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. So I put my jammies on and went to the mailboxes.

Sure enough. No more Suzanne. Now it’s K. Somethingerother. Kevin? Kasey? Who knows. I do know that he likes rap music. And he doesn’t go to bed very early.

So, now we’ve got Esther, her heavy feet and her drum upstairs and K., his buddies and his rap music downstairs. Sigh.

You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?

The Universe is hanging up more red, velvet rope.
“This way, please…..that’s it….right this way.…”

But you know what? I’m one up on her.
I turned in my Notice to Vacate letter today.

I'm moving in with Todd on November 8th.

My Dove Promise

Yes, I'm eating chocolate. A lot of chocolate.
And know what my Dove "Promise" said?

Kick a bad habit today.

Um. Like eating a lot of chocolate? Is that the bad habit to which you are referring?

Well, screw you, Mr. Dove.

Because chocolate is the only thing keeping me happy today. Dark chocolate. Milk chocolate. Chocolate with peanuts.

So there.

Sigh.

I want a cookie.

Horoscope

From Yahoo:
Don't have expectations that are too high, today. You need to slow down, anyway.

Your emotional state is a bit off right now, but that doesn't mean you're in a bad place. If you can just reconnect with what's real, you should be able to settle some old scores and move on with your life.

I don't think I need to elaborate. Same shit, different day.

I do think it's funny that I was talking to Jamie just last night at dinner about being happy, but still.....homesick. For something. Not sure what. So yes, my "emotional state" is "a bit off" right now.

I also cancelled a few plans for the week. That's part of the emotional stress. Too much going on, not feeling like I have any downtime to just be. The 16 year old in me is pouting, but she'll get over it. I'll make her read "Breaking Dawn" tomorrow and Thursday night. She'll like that.

Port Townsend - She Said

The weather, and other maddening factors, are threatening to dampen my mushy weekend high, thus sucking the humor and life out of this here blog post.

But I will persevere! Despite PeopleSoft and it's infuriating glitches and personality disorders. Despite getting absolutely drenched on my walk to my car after work (even with my very expensive rain coat on). Despite the thudding music I'm hearing from my downstairs neighbor right now.

TBBE summed up the weekend pretty well, even in his grrr state. The poor baby is in pain, he's aggravated, but still funny as hell. What a guy.

What can I add?

(Todd, fainting. On the fainting couch.)

After exploring the lovely room, we had a fantastic dinner at the Fountain Cafe.

You know how I am about eating out. Yes, it's about the food, but it's 95% atmosphere. I'll admit I had a slight panic attack when we walked in. The restaurant was extremely "cozy". Rae-rae don't do cozy too well. Makes me claustrophobic. But this place was lovely. The wine I had was lovely. The corner little window table was lovely. And having a fantastic man gaze at me from across the table with those blue eyes was just......lovely. Sigh. We're our own Nora Ephron movie.

Anywho, dinner was good.

And then there was private, adult time that I am not at liberty to blog about.

Side note: I thought the bed was just the perfect size.....for me.

Saturday was a typical blustery autumn day. Complete with a parade. We had a simple, little breakfast, I bought hats, then we headed back to the room for some ain't-got-nothin-to-do-but-cuddle-and-snooze time.

Then out for more food. And some posing in my new red leather jacket.

(Rock.Star.)

After dinner, back to the room for more adult time.

Like telling each other jokes and laughing our heads off. Yes, we're mushy, but we also crack each other up, so sometimes it just comes down to who can get the loudest snort. Good times, I tell ya. Good times.

Sunday morning, we had another lovely, chick flick breakfast at Sweet Laurette & Cyndee's Cafe. Yummy poo! I had the Frenchman's Toast. French toast with an entire baguette, powdered sugar and fresh berries. I normally don't go for syrupy breakfasts but I thought it was a fine weekend to go all out and treat myself. Ooh boy.

And it was on the way back to the car that we learned the Seahawks were down 6 to 27. In the top of the 3rd quarter. Suddenly, the vacation was over. Crap.

Now, we're back to real life. And autumn. And rain. Cow pissin' on a flat rock rain. And darkish. At 6:15pm. And cold. Turned the heat on. Brr.

I'll have to dig out my little pumkin candle holders that I bought last year. That'll warm the place up.

The New Job

Holy crap, life is good!

First, FREE COFFEE. Yes, Radiology had a little coffee pot in the kitchen, but rarely would anyone really make coffee and it was strong, bad coffee. Purchasing had a nifty commerical type coffee maker. No more $1.31 cup of coffee per day. Now if I can just keep (good) milk in the fridge, that'll save me $400 a year!

Second, not one person came into my cube and asked me where someone was today. It was heaven. It's so quiet, but not lifeless quiet. A lot of people have their earbuds in, since we're in cubes, so I can take mine tomorrow and rock out.

I spent most of the day training with one of the other buyers. After five or so reqs, I could process them without looking at my instructions. There's the possibility for some glitches, but they're pretty easy to resolve. It's repetitive work and I love it. I've used this particular system for the past three years, so I'm starting ahead of the curve. It feels good.

And I was less tired when I got home today than I've been in a year. Yes, it was a bit tiring meeting all the new people, remembering how to get to the kitchen and maneuvering through the internet without my Google toolbar, but just being able to focus on one, maybe two tasks at hand instead of 20 is a fantastic feeling. They also want me to do a database clean up project. Entering info, making sure it's consistent, being thorough. Sounds like a dream job to me.

I left alittle after 5 and stopped by the store on my way home to pick up a rearview mirror for my monitor (it's nice to be able to see people coming up behind you) and Clorox wipes. My new desk is filthy. The Swiffer just isn't good enough. I also grabbed some tortellini for dinner along with a bottle of wine. I am looking forward to a hot bath, a glass of wine and "Breaking Dawn", the fourth of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

A side topic: I am ADDICTED to these books. Trish told me about them and loaned me "Twilight" in August. The movie is coming out in November and she said I needed to read the book before we went to see it. I flew though the book and begged her for the next two. I had to wait FIVE WHOLE DAYS to get the fourth one. I'm already half way through it.

As much as I love having a book this good to read, I'm already dreading finishing it. What am I going to read next? It's very rare that I find a book I can get so engrossed in. I'll take any suggestions you have.

Okay, off to do some household admin stuff, then on to the soakie.

Ah....what a nice evening.

Bladder Update

All is well in my urinary tract and things are back to normal.

Thanks so much for your concern.
I think you guys really like me.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

We're Movin' On Up

To Pur-cha-sing
To a de-lux cu-ube
On the third floor......

I had my last day in Radiology today. My last day as an admin assistant, information booth and Keeper of the Bosses. Speaking of the bosses, they surprised me. They ordered a very rich chocolate cake (with dark chocolate flowers) and even gave me a Habitude gift card (take note, present givers. You can never go wrong with a Habitude gift card. Never.)

I busy as all get out until 3:30pm, but then I started packing up and people started stopping in to say goodbye and well, it was surprisingly sad. I even got a little choked when I hugged my boss goodbye. I think it's familiarity that I'll miss the most. I'm a girl who loves routine. My route to work, stumble up the stairs to the 2nd floor, drop off my purse, log on, wash my coffee mug while I'm logging on, go get coffee, sit and read emails. I can do it in my sleep. I may have to actually think tomorrow. Huh.

I sent out an email last week, to a select group of people that I work with on a regular basis, giving them a heads up that I was leaving. My boss hadn't done that yet and I didn't want these people to be surprised when they emailed me on Oct 1 to schedule a meeting.

The replies I got back were so heartwarming. Some of these people I've never met face to face. And it's their comments that tell me I was doing a good job, even if some people couldn't see it or appreciate it.

Allow me to share........

**********

Thanks so much for your good cheer and hard work over the past years! We have appreciated your help so much and please stay in touch.

Your new career path sounds exciting and they are lucky to have you.

Editor's Note: Good cheer and hard work? I had them all fooled! Fooled! [insert evil laugh]

**********

It's been fun working with you, and best of luck with the new job. Maybe we can get a coffee sometime if you're ever at the hospital.

Editor's Note: He's always wanted me.

**********

Wow - Congratulations!! What is she going to do!!!

You will be missed in Medical Imaging!!!!

I hope, however, that I will be able to work with you in your new role!

Thank you so much for ALL of your help over the last few years!

All the Best,

Editor's Note: Our GE rep is apparently very excited! that I'm leaving. He's a nice guy.

**********

Congrats on the new job! I will miss seeing ya around radiology. I was going to complain that you did not come over and be my admin, but this new job sounds even better!

Editor's Note: Being his admin would have been fun, but there would have been chemistry involved. He's in Nuclear Medicine.

**********

Although I haven’t worked with you closely I feel like losing a close acquaintance. I wish you much success and job satisfaction in your new career pursuit.

Editor's Note: Big ol' teddy bear from New York. Steve and I ran into him and his wife at house concert a long time ago. Random.

**********

Raechelle—though we’ve never met I want to tell you I have appreciated your help and professionalism when working with your clinic. I wish you the very best as you pursue the new opportunity. Thank you for keeping us updated.

**********

They will soon understand how big of a role you played and how much you actually did...as we both know...you should have been more than just a admin 1.

Editor's Note: Everyone got it except my boss. Huh.

**********

Raechelle,
Many thanks. I know I've made this clear, but you are really exceptional at what you do, and you will be sorely missed. Still, I hope your new position is all you want it to be.

**********

Fine! But you are still drinking with us sometime!

Editor's Note: We admins love to get our happy hour on. I had to cancel on her last Thursday. Infection and all.

**********

And finally, the best present of them all (next to the glass jar of chocolate). Alcohol.

Feel the love, baby. Feel the love.

Onslaught of Estrogen

And I didn't scream or hurt ANYONE!

Saturday morning began with laying in bed until 9:30am. Because we could. Once up and put together, Kayleigh's friend Stormy showed up, ready to party. As much as a 11 year old can. Full of energy and dimples and 20 questions.

We headed down to Pike Place Market to browse and have lunch.

(Stormy & Kayleigh, with new shiny frog bean bag thingies)

(Look at us smolder!)

After Pike Place, back to the house to prepare for the par-tay. We made a trip to QFC for cake (Oreo), ice cream (vanilla), punch makings (non-alcoholic.......crap) and fruit to accompany the now infamous dutch babies.

Fortunately for me (unfortunately for Kayleigh) only two of her four guests showed up (two had cancelled earlier this week). I guess the Universe thought five girls might be a little too much at this point in my parent-ness. Thank you, Universe. I owe ya a cookie.

The girls played for a bit, we ordered pizza, Todd was banished to the bedroom with a beer and a paintbrush, we started to watch a movie, the bulb burned out in the projector, we had to call on Todd to hook up the back up projector, we had cake and ice cream, we opened presents, we finished watching the movie, the girls bedded down and I retreated to the big people's room. To snuggle with the cute dad.

(In the midst of wishing.....)

(Present: venus flytrap)

At midnight we heard a few thuds and screams, so mean ol' dad had to go upstairs and put the kibosh on the fun. Poo. Apparently Kayleigh fell asleep first - the girls drew on her face. Lots of colors. Very pretty. Didn't get a picture. Sorry.

At 8am, I heard the pitter patter of little feet. Time to get up. Todd walked down to Westwood Village for his Sunday coffee date, and I headed upstairs make breakfast.

The dutch babies were edible, but not very pretty. Again, I forgot to take a picture. I'm really suckin' here, aren't I? Sorry. Anywho, I made a batch of 12 muffin dutch babies. The tops completely deflated, much like a souffle, but the girls took that opportunity to fill the crater with syrup or jam or powdered sugar or all three.

And no, I wasn't thinking ahead.

At 10:30, I was watching the front door, willing Todd to get back from coffee with his friend. I was walking that fine line of telling the girls to PLEASE JUST PICK UP THE MARKERS RIGHT NOW and just saying, Screw it, it's easier to do it myself. (I didn't pick up the markers. I win.)

Todd got home from coffee, I kissed him hello, and updated him on the morning. Then I, maybe a bit too quickly, changed clothes and took off to meet Kim for a walk. Tag! You're it!

To sum up:
I have more patience than I thought I did.
I know how to talk with 11 year olds.
11 year olds think I'm funny. It's oddly validating.
I have even more respect for Todd now. There is NO FREAKIN' WAY I could handle two kids by myself. Where's the relief? Where is that partner who is supposed to be home at 11am so I can get the hell out of here? Where are the hugs when you're ready to snap?

Props to you, baby.
Props.To.You.

And now, we are holed up in the boudoir, watching TV (I know, I know) and winding down from an eventful weekend. The room is painted, but the furniture is still "askew" so we'll take pictures once everything is back in place.

Tomorrow is my second to last day in my position, so I think a few of us will be heading down to Chandler's after work for a beverage or three. Since I'm the one who facilitates the going away potlucks, I don't believe there will a potluck in my honor......since I have not facilitated one.

Sigh.

Okay. 'Night 'night.

And, hey, GO 'SKINS!! GOOD JOB!!

Is It Hot In Here? Cause I Am BACON!

From the Seattle Times:

ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are so hot you sizzle like bacon in a hot skillet. If you push determinedly to make your mark you will succeed. A significant other will be unable to resist your numerous charms later this evening.

This is very funny to me because I feel oh so far from charming right now. My hair is in a frizzy ponytail, I have my big pink cable knit sweater on to hide that fantastic PMS bloat, I'm rubbing my back as I sit here in my chair, squinting at the computer screen because my head hurts SO FREAKIN' BAD.

Yeah. I'm hawt.

*sizzle*

Can't touch this.
Probably don't really want to, either.

General Me Update

I've worked more in the past week than I have in the past year. The reality of "oh my gawd, I'm not going to be here to do this, this and this" has me freaking out a little. And the fact that my boss hasn't hired anyone yet, so I won't be able to verbally pass off this vast wealth of knowledge, makes me feel like I have to write down everything I know and do.

I'd rather just train someone.

Adding to the pain (no pun intended) is a bladder/almost-to-my-kidneys infection. I've been "uncomfortable" for about a week, but I've always been prone to these because I don't drink enough water but I drink a shit load of coffee and wine. So, my kidneys and I have this love/hate relationship. We've never been close.

We were very close, however, in September of 1999 when I ended up in the emergency room at UW because I thought my appendix had exploded. Turned out it was just a kidney infection, but boy howdy, I'd never known pain like that before.

Luckily, I am not in that kind of pain right now. Just a little poke in my mid-back. I broke down and went to the doctor yesterday after downing bottle after bottle of cranberry juice for the past six days, to no avail. He praised me for my diluted urine (woohoo!) but said it was time for antibiotics.

So, I got the pills goin' on (which make me smell sulfur constantly) and I'm still downing cranberry juice (and a little coffee....gotta get my caffeine on....) and I'm using this ailment to refuse any heavy lifting or crawling on the floor (which is actually 7% of my job).

I'm hoping the pills do their job before Saturday because that's Kayleigh's birthday slumber party. Six 10 and 11 year old girls. All at once. All night. We bought party favors, we're decorating cupcakes and I'm making dutch babies on Sunday morning.

You thought the California vacation was a test? You might want to check on me Sunday. See if I'm still all there. I had planned on spiking my juice box with some wine, but that doesn't seem like such a good idea right now.

Pray for me.

Oh! Whadya know? I gotta pee.
Again.

Oh, It's All The Rage

So, the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin is all the blog rage. But I learned last night when talking about it with Butch, some people still haven't seen it. Oh, you must!

It's been ages since I've watched SNL. I miss it alittle. Every now and then they have some really funny stuff. Tina Fey (Sarah) and Amy Pohler (Hillary) are dead on. I love watching Amy's face when she slips into complete hysteria, while Tina is completely clueless.

Fantastic.

And to cleanse your pallet of politics, here's a skit close to MY heart.

Cubicle Fight.

Because I will be losing my office next week, and moving into a (GASP) cube!
I think they already have one designated for me, though. I don't think I'll have to fight for it.

Football. And Then Some.

Well, we FINALLY won a football game! As TBBE said in his blog, apparently we can't wear our Seahawks gear anymore. It seems to jinx the team. Or maybe we need new gear. Maybe I need a sweatshirt without holes in the sleeve from when I accidentally got bleach on it but didn't know until hours later when I was taking it off and my finger slipped through the brand new hole.

What?

Speaking of jinxed, how else do you explain the fact that we JUST SIGNED Koren Robinson, a wide receiver and former Seahawk, but he was inactive this week because of an injury? What kind of injury, you ask?

A knee injury.

Just like Sean Locklear, Deion Branch, and Mo Morris. Maybe someone should take a look at their brand new practice facility. Could be bad grass. Could be a curse. I'm just sayin'....

In any event, we beat the Rams (0-3) We're still in 3rd place in our division, but at least we won a game. Whew.

In addition to an exciting game of football on Sunday, we cleaned the shit out of Todd's dining room and family room. And afterwards, it occurred to me that I didn't take before and after photos. Sigh. But I'll remember when we make our second pass at his office.

It's the funniest thing, every time we clean a room, half of the stuff ends up in the office. If you remember, dear reader, we just cleaned the office a month ago. You would never know it now. So, it all comes full circle. We still have some boxes and bins out in the carport that I'm just itchin' to plow through, but I think the office may have to be sooner rather than later.

Other than that, I think we're out of piles!
What am I going to do now?!

Ooh, that top cabinet of the pantry is a mess. I think it needs a good organizin'.......

Horoscope

From the Houston Chronicle:

ARIES (March 21-April 19). The decision is yours and yours alone -- for a limited time only. If you decide not to make it, it will be made for you. Either way, you're taken care of, so be happy and worry-free.

Whee! Worry free!
Happy Friday!

The Universe Speaks To Me In Many Ways

Today, it's through chocolate.

I'm treating myself to a Dove Dark Chocolate square, stolen from my boss' closet.

(Ha. Treating myself. These things are my vitamins. One a day keeps me good.)

And, on the inside of the foil wrapper, there are these cutesy little sayings. A "promise", they call it. Normally, it's something uber nauseating like "Read a book under a tree" or "Find the beauty in your day".

Ack! Shut up and just gimme the friggin' chocolate!

But today, it was different. Today, it said: "Don't think about it so much."

[pause]

Well, okay.

Because I WAS thinking about it a lot. I was picking it apart and wondering, well, what does it mean if I feel THIS way? And, shouldn't I really feel THIS way if it were meant to be? And why don't I feel THIS way when he calls? Shouldn't I maybe feel THIS way if I don't see him for two days?

It's maddening.

I'm so hellbent on making sure this is right. Making sure it is EXACTLY what I think it should be. But you know what? It's not. It is not a cookie cutter, pre-packaged, by-the-book relationship.

It's not a fairy tale.

But it has swept me off my feet and made my head spin. And I think I've been misinterpreting that as a bad thing.

Suddenly, I'm 11 Again

As TBBE mentioned in his blog, I attended Kayleigh's 6th grade open house last night.

And, man alive, school seems confusing these days! I don't know how the kids keep up with everything.

They have a piece of paper that they fill out each day for each 20 minute reading session, that answers questions they're supposed to think about when they read. I think they have to turn that in. Then they have this journal where they keep track of the assignments and the parents are expected to sign off on each page and the teacher looks at those pages every day. And the math book has hardly any pictures! It's all word and stats! And you do the questions on this page, then you flip to this page where you follow up or get the answers or something.

Ack.
My job doesn't seem so bad right now.

At least I wasn't the shortest girl in the hallways. That was nice. I told Todd I wanted to smoke a cigarette or go make out in the bathroom. Something wild. Just cause I could.

I love being an adult.
Well......most of the time.

We Have Electric, Part II

A fantastic update for those of you who don't actually KNOW my mama, and therefore, are not on her email list. But if you're still reading this blog, after all of my Ike updates, you obviously care.

So here:

Hi all,

First of all, thanks to my daughter's blog for keeping you (or most of you) posted about us during Ike. We did survive much better than most. As Bink said, roof will need to be replaced, all fences are down and will need to be replaced, and we both almost had heart attacks sitting here on Sat. night waiting for the roof to go blowing off - but we're okay! Lost all the food in the fridge and freezer, so will hit the grocery store this morning since WE GOT ELECTRICITY AT 2:00 A.M. THIS MORNING!!!! Yea! (So, come on Mary - we have lights and food.) Was able to get some gas in my car last night. Darren (neighbor) came by around 6:00 and had passed a gas station out in the boonies and told us it had just opened and there were no lines, so we hightailed it out there and only had 3 cars in front of us. The other places I had tried had lines at least 1-2 miles long. Can't handle sitting in that for gas.

Will spend the day shopping and cleaning up what we couldn't do without electricity, and head back to work tomorrow. I understand our building is open but has no AC and won't for probably another week or so, so we have been instructed that we are more than welcome to come to work, wearing shorts if we choose! Can you imagine that? I'll bet that's not going to be a very pretty picture!

Okay, I have one short day to get a bunch of stuff done, so must get busy. Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers and will try to get in touch with each of you later. (And more than thanks to my daughter for being such a good blogger! - I love you.) (her blog address is: http://www.mynewlifeouthere.blogspot.com/ for those of you who would like a good laugh occasionally.)

Love,
Annie/Annette/Mom


Mama gives me good props.

A Raechelle Update

I've been so focused on keeping you updated on my parents that I haven't bothered to mention what's going on with me.

I was told my last day at my current job will be September 30. I had planned to take the rest of that week off, then start my new job on October 6, but failed to realize that since it's with the same organization, I would need to use vacation time. Which I'm not willing to do. I'd rather just take it unpaid. Oh well. I'll live. Then I'll have vacation for the day after Turkey Day and a few days around Christmas.

In other news, I'm a little off today. I woke up mad and have had a short fuse all day. I hate it when that happens. Maybe I didn't sleep well, maybe it's because the moon is full, maybe I'm just stressed.

Sigh.

Looking forward to going out with Todd tonight to see Paul Benoit.

Really. I am.
I just can't muster the energy for exclamation points right now.

Still No Electricity

An update from ma & pa:

They still don't have electricity and from what I've read, it could be weeks. I've tried calling the power company but they can't give any information as to how long we're looking at. I texted mom yesterday and asked if I could get them a hotel room for a few nights, but she said no, they wanted to stay at the house. They're afraid of looters.

Their neighbor's family went back home, so mom and dad are using the generator outlets that are now free. They've got the fridge running (cold water and ice!) and the tv on. At least now, they can see some news and get information about their area.

A cold front came in last night, so they've cooled down a little. They've got the windows open and there's a nice breeze. I'm happy about that. The heat scares me more than anything.

Mom left a message this morning and she just sounds exhausted. People have emailed me and asked if they can do anything, but I don't think there's anything anyone can do at this point. Unless you can magically get the power back on. Since they didn't flood, they're not lacking in the basic supplies department. Kroger was open for a few hours on Sunday (as well as the Cracker Barrel) so food isn't too much of an issue. They just need AC.

As always, thanks for the good thoughts.

Sunday Update from Mom

Sorry I didn't post this yesterday. I suck (as do the Seahawks but we don't even need to talk about that).

Mom called. Their power only stayed on for about an hour on Saturday, so they are again suffering in the heat. She said the roof is going to need to be replaced. There's a couple of "gaping holes". They got out and tried to clean up the yard a little, but it was harder work than they anticipated and, as of 5pm Houston time yesterday, mom was sore and tired and dad was drunk. He'd had enough.

They can pop over to their neighbors' occasionally to get some relief from the heat and charge their cell phone batteries, so that's comforting. I've already tried looking up plane tickets to go there, but from what I gather, they're not letting people in until Wednesday. It's times like these it's so hard to be so far away from them.

We Have Electric!

Got another email from mom yesterday afternoon, around 4:30pm my time. They have electricity.

"I am totally amazed that they got it back on so fast. Thank God for AC! We were beginning to not smell so good!

Bad news - dad just went up to the attic and saw daylight in more than 2 places. Got Garrett and William to come over and go up on the roof and put the tarp on it. Dad, Tish, Jessica and I got the one part of the fence back up (the part by the mail boxes), temporarily so people can't look in Darren and Tish's back yard and see the 2 generators. If we hadn't they probably would have disappeared tonight. Poor Darren is at work - can't come home until tomorrow evening - he's been there since Thur. night. Next job - call the insurance company. That should be much fun!

Drove thru the neighborhood and after looking at some places, we can consider ourselves pretty darn lucky.

Okay, gotta go see which of the packages of meat dad wants to grill tonight - probably all of them since everything is already thawed out (ha). Oh well, he'll eat really well the next couple of days . . .

THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE MY LAST HURRICANE, YOU HEAR ME????

Love to all,

Mom"

I guess, all things considered, a new roof isn't such a big deal. They didn't flood, the house still stands and they're okay. It's all good.

Mom Called!

She's trying to call everyone, but for some reason, she can only get through to me. Isn't that sweet?

They made it through fine. Their fence is gone, the tree in the front yard is gone and they lost a few shingles, but otherwise the house is in tact. They don't have power but there's really no flooding. Apparently I10 is underwater though.

Mom said it was horrible. Worse than Alicia. She said the wind just wouldn't stop and even now, she said it's pouring the rain and the sustained winds are around 60 miles an hour. Their neighbors have two generators going, so they had coffee and breakfast this morning. Goober and Miss Squeaky are fine, as well.

There are houses in the neighborhood that have windows out and roofs ripped off, so they're counting themselves lucky.

That's all for now.

Update from Ma & Pa

Mom texted this morning at 8:30am their time with:

"Long night. Can't get out. Will call when I can."

I'm hoping "can't get out" means they can't call out. Not that they're so flooded in they can't get out. Just have to wait and see.

I'll post again when I hear something new.

Thanks to everyone for your good juju.
It is very much appreciated.