I've Got the Whole World in My Bag

Oh my, three posts today and not even two o'clock. Ah well, not much else I can do at the moment. The systems are shut down, the clients notified, the email turned off. As I mentioned in a previous post, I intended to go out on my lunch break and treat myself to a few things I won't have as convenient access to once my office and home become the same place. I just got back and as I unpacked my bag, realized that: 1. I bought only food. This makes sense - stuff you can pretty much get anywhere, but food is special to the place it comes from, excepting McDonalds and the like. 2. I did a pretty good "world tour" of food. I have:

• A fresh hot gyro from the middle eastern grocery - that's lunch. (Most stores here have hot food as well.)
• The hot and spicy noodle soup I love from the chinese grocery. It's sooo good and clears the sinuses. I bought several bowls in a couple different flavors to put away for later; the woman at the checkout looked at them and smiled "Anh - you like the spicy, hunh? Me too."
• Dark chocolate covered whole strawberries, from the french chocolate store. I'll eat one here, one there -they'll last awhile.
• Pepperoni roll from the bread bakery. It's got an italian name, but really, it's just the absolute best place to buy bread. That's going to be tomorrow's lunch.
• An apple mele and a raspberry mele from the italian pastry shop. One will go with lunch after this fantastic gyro, one for tomorrow.

If I had more time and more money, I could've eaten lunch at the vietnamese/thai/chinese place that has decent food but seriously lousy service. I stopped in the well-known seafood store, which also has exotic and game meats; I did ponder the goat, - I guess I didn't realize people ate them, just milked them - but my father-in-law, the intrepid hunter, is bringing us home some venison, so why buy meat? Not that I'd've bought the goat anyway. How does one even cook that? I'm fairly sure my Betty Crocker cookbook will be of no help.

Oh - the gyro is delicious, almost gone. I think I'll have the rasberry mele, and maybe, just maybe one little strawberry . . . .

And Now For Something Completely Different

Even in the cartoon world, red-heads are the hottest of the hotties. Oh yeah. We rock. Top 10 Hottest Animated Disney Women And perhaps this guy has a little too much time on his hands . ..

But For Today . . .

Tomorrow I'll probably cry some, probably revel some. My "usual" First Day of No Job has traditionally been a nacho cheese and movie filled day, usually including an extra-long, extra-hot bubble bath with a good book. There has generally been a little self-pity and a lot of indulging in layabout activity. Since I have an active one-year-old, that's probably not as much of an option this time. Also, this is the first time it's been so personal. I've never been in the situation where I spent years building something out of nothing, only to have it torn down and destroyed by selfish or short-sighted decisions. When I came here, there was an idea - now there is something. Tomorrow, there will be nothing. Today, one by one, we will be shutting off the systems we've put together. Tim, my last remaining full-time coworker was here on the first day this company existed, and is here on the last. I started about 5 months into it, when the idea was a little more fleshed out. I spent my entire first week here trying to figure out what exactly they'd hired me to do. Tomorrow I will still probably shed a few tears. I'll probably ignore the million things I could do around the house. I'll probably watch more TV than is good for the baby and make myself nachos for lunch, after starting him on a healthier option. I'll probably sigh that sigh you only can muster when you realize that you really don't have to be anywhere. But for today, forgive me if I get a little reflective. For today, I'll probably cry several times, even though Tim said, correctly, that any tears for this company should have been shed a long time ago. For today, I'll go to the places around here that I like to shop, and buy a few inexpensive treats to enjoy tomorrow, which I won't be out here to get often. For today, I'll play my music loud enough to annoy the mean people next door. For today, I'll enjoy Tim's camaraderie and our, uh, witty (to us only) banter. For today, I'll still be here, still be employed, still do my job, still love this company and all it's meant to me. Then starting tomorrow, I promise to post cheerier things.

On Passwords

Everything you do online requires a password - checking your email, going on eBay, shopping on Amazon, and all those dumb little online clubs you join for whatever reason. It's a lot of passwords. I've had a few conversations with people about this, and there's a wide range of theories. My favorite is the "oh it doesn't matter, if you want to hack me you can", which I heard from a woman who told me that for everything she does, from online banking to the Pepsi club, she uses her dog's name as her password. Even her work stuff, in the semi-high security area. It's all "Fido" or whatever. I admire her blind faith in everything working out okay. On the other extreme, my friend and former coworker uses what appears to be almost a random string of numbers and letters, varied slightly for each thing, that he somehow keeps in his head. Example - we're in the car, he's driving and the directions are on his laptop. "Turn it on," he says, "and my password is RVA214HL3K." I am not exaggerating. Impressed, I asked how he could remember it. He said something about how it's easy, because it's his first and middle initial and then his father's middle initial, the month and day he graduated high school . . . and so on. Secure, I suppose, but insane. I am more on the paranoid side of normal. I change most of my "important" passwords every month or two. None of them are just a word, such as "password". Most often I take two seemingly unrelated words and put them together, or a word and a number that people would not normally associate with each other, but have some meaning to me. For example, a long time ago, my password for my email was my nephew's middle name and the date I found out he was going to be born (which even I no longer remember) so the password was like "john0405" which wouldn't mean a darn thing to anyone but me. For all the online clubs and whatnot, all the things that even if you had my password wouldn't cost me a dime or steal my identity, I have another password. It's a simple 8-letter word, and for the ones that require a digit, I add "1". So, if you figure out my password for Kraft Kitchens, you can also access my Wall Street Journal online free membership. I don't care. But it's not even close to my eBay, Amazon and various email accounts which change without notice anyway. I'm curious - am I more paranoid than I think? Or not as security minded as my friends? Don't tell me your passwords, tell me how you come up with/remember them.

The Countdown Continues

Time marches on, and today as I am facing three days of employment yet, we are sorting, packing and writing descriptions for eBay. How did people get rid of all this stuff in days before the internet? Would we have had a company yard sale? I guess an auction house would come in and take the big stuff, but what of the box of network cables, the electric pencil sharpener, the fancy-schmancy paper-towel holder I've always hated? How did we do anything before the internet? Where did we get complete song lyrics to go with that one line stuck in our head? Get directions to someone's house? Find out who that guy was from the show last night that I just KNOW I've seen somewhere before? Now, we no longer need to learn or remember anything - just look it up. Does it make us smarter to have access to all this information right at our fingertips? Or dumber because we no longer need to keep it in our head? It's the same argument that was made about the calculator for decades. Kids learning to use calculators won't learn math. Maybe more truth to that than we realized. But, if you're looking for a good two-color, 4.1 lines per minute adding machine - well, there'll be one on eBay soon.

So Much To Say

I've had so many posts that I've partially written in my head that haven't made it to the blog, especially lately. Days off, days where I'm working but not at my computer, it makes it less likely that I'll "jot" down what's on my mind. Here's a few things I've been thinking about: 1. It's almost PW's birthday, or I missed it. She's turning (or just turned) 30. It's a milestone, and I'm a poor friend for not even knowing the date. I'm pretty sure she'll forgive me, though I might need to make or purchase her some food that includes melty cheese. Happy Birthday, PW. Sorry. 2. I got two great pairs of jeans from Amazon of all places. They are called Lee One True Fit and not only do they fit perfectly right out of the bag, they are super-comfy and they were only $15 each, even though they came new with tag for $45, and because I got two pairs, no shipping. I'm a happy jean-wearing girl. 3. I'd've bought more jeans from Amazon, but a very nice lady from FreeCycle (people giving away stuff they don't want anymore. Think the Pennysaver but with giving instead of buying), gave me two big bags of clothes including several more pairs of perfectly broken in jeans and sweatpants so yay! 4. My boss decided that he didn't feel like letting the clients know they'd be SOL soon, so he "let" me do it. Also, he apparently didn't want to tell me that I got to do it, so he had someone else tell me. No comment. 5. When I am thinking about someone in particular, it seems like every TV show I watch has a character with that name on it, just a minor, one episode kinda person. 6. Most soundtracks are boring, but Scrubs has a really good one. Happy Monday, ya'll.

Movie Reviews at Circle of Friends

Hi Folks, Don't forget our Circle of Friends Reviews, where you can both read others' reviews and even post some of your own. I just posted a couple reviews of DVDs out now. I promised to review Clerks II, however, I remembered that EDW had reviewed already here. I pretty much agree with her assessment. The Husband and I though it was hilarious, and completely wrong and offensive. It's the kind of funny where you are wiping aware tears of laughter while also saying "That is just soooo wrong." Kevin Smith is clearly a genius, but also one sick pup. In the good way. If you know what I mean.

Kevin Smith Owes Me Breakfast

This Tuesday, Clerks II will be released on DVDs. Because the Husband watches the pre-leased movies as part of his job, we got to see it last night. We'd meant to see it in the theatres, but never made it. It was great, hilarious. I'll review it later and post a link, but it reminded me of this post, which I'd meant to write awhile go. I like Kevin Smith, but in what is considered blasphemous by the "serious" Kevin Smith fans, Clerks is not my favorite. It's probably my least favorite of the View Askew movies. At the time of this even, I'd only see it, Mallrats and Chasing Amy once each. That's only important because it's part of how I was tricked . . . I was a young, idealist morning drive DJ on a radio station no one listened to. My shift started at 6 am Monday through Saturday. The McDonalds along the way opened at 6, so even though I could smell the delicious sausage cooking, I could never partake. My breakfasts were cold bagged meals I'd packed the night before. Very sad. Then, one afternoon, driving home, I noticed work being done on the long-closed and abandoned building that had been a Burger King. Only minutes from my building, I hoped for a fast food restaurant with breakfast. Several days later, it became clear that my dreams would come true, the building quickly took the shape and appearance of family-friendly grease palace. The next day a sign went up in the window announcing a breakfast special! It clearly wasn't open yet, but yay! I excitedly told the Husband about it at dinner that night. "If it's a chain, it's ones I've never heard of. Moo-something - Mooby's!" The Husband looked at me, as though I'd told a joke. "Mooby's?" "Yes" "That's not a real restaurant. It's a set for that Kevin Smith movie." That's right. Kevin Smith filmed parts of Dogma in Pittsburgh, and had used the building for the shots of Mooby's. I was crushed!! Mooby's never opened, of course, I never got my Egg-a-Mooby Muffin Meal, and the not-open Mooby's with the enticing sign mocked me every morning on my way in. So, Kevin Smith, you owe me breakfast. You crushed my spirit and sent me on the downward spiral of cynicism that has made me the hard, cold, bitter woman I am today. Next time you're in the area, you should take me out. And to make up, I'd like a nice sit-down breakfast, possibly with mimosas. If you aren't Kevin Smith, be sure you tell anyone you know who might know him, so that I get my breakfast and can start loving life again. Oh, and Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back may be the funniest movie ever.

Friday Feast

One would think I'd still be full from Thanksgiving, but here's the Feast: Feast One Hundred & Nineteen Appetizer Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself? Gracious Heavens, no. That's what AAA and men are for. Soup Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button? Innie, and it's cute as the dickens, if I do say so myself. Of course, pretty much all of me is. . . Salad Name a new paint color and describe it. Eddie's Eye Color. Is it black? Is it brown? It's dark and shiny and somehow full of light even though it's so dark. Main Course What is your favorite holiday tradition? Probably Christmas Eve service at our church. It ends with the lights out and everyone singing Silent Night by candlelight. Dessert If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why? Hmm, I'd have to say that I'm crunchy on the outside but with a soft warm center.

For This, I Give Thanks

Well, another Thanksgiving come and gone, more turkeys mercilessly devoured, potatoes mashed and pumpkins pied. Isn't easy to forget that the holiday isn't about gorging ourselves and laying around for a day or so, but one of giving thanks to the deity of your choice or to simply recall how lucky or blessed we are? I don't want to get preachy or boast about who gives thanks and how, but here's my thought: The things I am most thankful for, are the things that I feel compelled to give back, give to others. I am grateful for having (more than) enough food, and so I made a turkey for the church near us that delivers Thanksgiving dinners to shut-ins or serves it to anyone who shows up. I am thankful that when I was a teenager, people cared enough about me to volunteer their time, so I teach Sunday School and do activities with our teens. I am most thankful for the love of my family and friends, and so I love others. The list of things I am thankful for is longer than you want to read, and it would probably read similar to yours, if you're honest with yourself. Most of us have healthy bodies, warm homes, a way to provide for ourselves, and so many luxuries that we forget what necessities are. God bless you this holiday. I am thankful that people sometimes read this blog, too. PS - one more thing - often, around these holidays we remember those we've lost. While we are sad that they are not with us, let us give thanks that they graced our lives for the time they did.

Saying Goodbye

Of all the things I believed in, I just want to get it over with. I'm basically alone in the office today. An email from a coworker asked me to start going through things. Figure out which laptops actually still work. Put all the "like" things together for when the consolidators come. Easy, mindless, physical work. It's so much harder than I expected. This place has been so much to me and I did believe in it, I really did. Even when I was briefly laid off, I knew I was coming back. And I did. Now, I know I'm not. This is it, a few more days in this office and it's actually over. Tears form behind my eyes, but I do not cry - counting the days that pass me by. I threw out several packs of demo CDs, each for a new product, our company going in a new, exciting direction. Holding the pristine discs still in their sleeves, I could feel the hope and excitement we'd made them with. We're going to need several of these, everyone in this market is going to want to see this. Now, they rest together in a garbage can, never watched, never sent, never even slid out of their plastic homes. Throwing that hope away, that's what I felt. I've been searching deep down in my soul. I've been saying how I can't wait until this is over, until we're finally free of this company, but part of my soul knows that's a lie. Leaving my last job (company sold, all employees fired) I embarrassed myself by crying very publicly. I swore I'd not get that attached to any other job, but who was I kidding? I poured myself into this job. I've laughed, cried, bled, slept, learned, fought, and loved here. It's how I do everything and it's how I worked here. Leaving, even now, when it's become more welcome than it otherwise might have been, it will tear a hole in me. Again. And I'll cry, again. Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old. Mistakes that brought us here, were repeated over and over again. Promises made and broken, intentionally or not. Bad choices. Selfish decisions. Short-sighted plans or no plans at all. We've been in a downward spiral and each time we went around the loop, those of us not steering, but along for the ride, heard the same song. Feels like I'm starting all over again; the last three years were just pretend. It's actually 5. Five years, one month, three weeks. And I'm back where I was, saying goodbye to the job I've loved the most. It hurts to want everything at the same time. I want to be home with Eddie. I want to stay here and make this work. I want to be important, powerful and clever, respected in the business arena. I want to run away from this corporate mindset and never look back. I want to be a decision maker, but never responsible. I want to be rich with money I earned, but I want to go home and be a mommy and never leave my baby's side. I don't want to see the bare wall where my "office personalizations" are now. I don't want to see the door with our name scraped off. I don't want to say goodbye to people I know will drift out of my life. but I don't want to be here. And I say, Goodbye to you. Goodbye to everything I thought I knew. You were the one I loved, the one thing that I tried to hold onto. No, this company isn't "everything" I thought I knew, but it's been a huge part of me for 5 years. I do love it and did try to hold on, really. I did my best. I can leave here knowing that I did everything I possibly could to make it work, but most of it was out of my hands. Bad timing and bad choices killed this place, and it hurts my heart. I have to go put more cables into boxes. Pack up books. Sort out power cords. And finish saying goodbye.

Victory!

If you hadn't heard, the Fox network planned to air a two-part "special" (and I use that term loosely) featuring OJ Simpson discussing how he "might" have murdered the mother of his children and an innocent bystander "if" he did it. of course, he swears on a stack that he didn't. The show was being released in conjunction with a book on the same subject. I wrote my horrified response here. Thanks to the outrage of the American public, who seem to have finally found at least one clear moral fiber, Fox announced yesterday that they will not be airing this travesty. I like to think my previous blog did the trick, especially the part where I tell them to be ashamed of themselves. Shame's not a big thing in our country, we seem to have misplaced it, but more on that some other day. Now, the show was taped and edited, the books have been published, so I assume it's only a matter of time until the tape is "leaked" to YouTube or something similar and the books are stolen, lost, and sold on eBay. I'm sort of okay with that because there is some justice in his "not really a confession" getting out to the general public without him being compensated for it. Currently, it is my understanding that some investigation is going on into the so-called third party corporation which received what would have been OJ's pay but claims it didn't get to him. We'll see. Thanks for finally standing up, America, and saying NO! to something just because it's wrong. Good for you, Fox, for coming around for once, and admitting that TV can go too far, and then not doing it.

Hey Parents!

Whoever said the TV is not a babysitter lied. Let me tell you - it's a great one. You can plop a kid right down in front of it and they forget they were crying, sit quietly and you can do stuff uninterrupted! A parenting magazine I recently had two articles within a few pages, one was about how to not feel guilty about putting your kids in day care for the majority of their waking hours. The other was about how guilty you should feel if you allow your under-two year old to watch ANY television at all. So, don't feel bad about not seeing your kid all day, but if you let him watch a Baby Einstein - SHAME!!! FOR SHAME!!! You have ruined him forever! I wonder if I left him in day care and THEY let him watch TV, should I feel guilty for that? Sigh.

Didja Know, Part 2

I started this post a few days ago, hoping to get to 92 interesting facts about yours truly. I posted the first 50 here, and here come the rest. 51. After I eat spaghetti, I have a plate of "clean" noodles. 52. I love to eat breakfast sausage links cold the next day. 53. I would play card games or board games all night long if you want. 54. I took five years of German in school, and by German 5 actually read two novels in German. Of course, now, I can't even remember how to say "give me that weinerschnitzel". 55. I waited in one of the lines for Phantom Menace tickets, and didn't get any. 56. My dog has several shirts, sweaters, a set of PJs and a Halloween costume. 57. I write with my right hand, but mini-golf left handed. 58. Once I fell asleep at work. 59. If I suddenly became wealthy, I'd get several more kids and dogs. 60. I've seen Beauty and the Beast on stage 5 times. 61. I told my next door neighbor the truth about Santa when we were in first grade, and she called me a liar and ran home crying. Her parents told her she was right, I was a liar. Several years later, she apologized. Her parents never did. 62. I can relate most situations to a Simpsons episode. 63. I've read every book in the Xanth and Pern series. 64. I asked a boy out once and when he turned me down and laughed at me, I vowed never to do it again, and I never did. 65. I went to Las Vegas to see a movie premiere with other fans I met on a fan site and some of us were in costume. And I'd do it again. 66. I can watch the same movie over and over or read the same book over and over and laugh and cry in the same places. 67. I sleep with my head totally under the covers and sometimes under the pillows, too. 68. When I was born, I had three living great-grandparents. All four of my grandparents are still alive. 69. I hate ketchup, mustard and mayo. 70. I enjoy doing the Electric Slide, even though that makes me a giant dork. 71. I have all three seasons of Invader Zim on DVD. 72. I love to wear baseball caps, but think I look silly in them. 73. I have never told anyone that I hate them. 74. I learned to cook and do most things with one hand so I could read while doing them. 75. I have put shingles on a roof, attached vinyl siding to a house, installed dry-walling and built a railing. 76. I have a hard time with left and right. 77. Car trips always make me fall asleep, when I'm not driving, of course. 78. I've taught pre-school sunday school and jr. high sunday school. 79. I hate overhead lighting. Flourescent lights give me headaches. 80. Movie and theatre audiences are annoying me to the point of being confrontational. 81. If I'm awakened in the middle of the night, I wake up angry. 82. I watch People's Court and Judge Judy every week day. 83. I had two dinners tonight. 84. I've eaten escargot, shark, fox, squab, squid, and all your basic game meats, and I'd probably try insects in certain situations. 85. I've been mad at the Husband for things he did in my dream the night before. 86. I have four email accounts that I check at least once every few days. I have another one I check maybe once a month. 87. I get cockier when I'm insecure. 88. I dated the Husband for two years and a half years before he proposed, we were engaged a year and half. 89. I started kindergarten at age 4 and could read. 90. I broke my big toe twice, but no other bones. 91. I can ice skate and roller skate. 92. This is the last Didja Know for awhile. I'm out of stuff about me :D

Friday Feast

I can't believe I forgot to do this yesterday! Welcome back, Friday Feast! Feast One Hundred & Eighteen Appetizer Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets? I'm not sure, but if there is and it comes here - it will NOT be friendly. They will: 1. Want slaves -or- 2. Want our resources - or- 3. Want us as food -or- 4. Two or more of the above. Soup What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did? Ugh, I hate to admit this, but I bad talked a friend to make myself feel cool and to be funny. Not recently and I'll never say who, but I still feel bad about it. Salad Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school? Probably Mrs. MacAleer, the GATE teacher. She really encouraged my creativity. Main Course If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why? Probably with someone starring in a musical. I'd get to live my dream of starring on stage (and being awesome at it) plus get the whole applause and ovation moment. Dessert What is your favorite dish to prepare? Probably either my crock-pot mac and cheese, which is easy and always gets raves, or my chicken caccitore which my husband loves.

Chapter Three, Now Available

Hi loyal readers. My online short(?) story continues - chapter three is now up here. The beginning, up to this point is here. Thanks!

On OJ

If you haven't heard, OJ Simpson has a two-part TV special airing soon on Fox, called "If I Did It, Here's How It Happened", to help promote his book "If I Did It" coming out next month. I find this to be the most despicable, horrifying thing I've heard in years. Even now, a decade after infamous and embarrassing trial, I can still hear Ron Goldman's sister's sobs as the verdict came down, allowing this monster to go on with his life after destroying countless others. Murder isn't a crime limited to the victims, it causes years of grief and pain for the victims' loved ones. A court decided he was responsible for the death of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson and awarded the family a monetary amount, not that money can heal their pain, but because the man should be punished in some way, and still they've never seen a cent. You may have heard that Simpson had to sell his belongings, and he did - to pay his legal bills. The Goldman and Brown families now must hear that he has a book and TV special, STILL CLAIMING he didn't do, but "guessing" how it would have happened if he did? It's sick, it's cruel, it's heart-wrenching. I can't even imagine the anguish they this new repulsive development is causing these people who lost their daughter, sister, mother, friend, brother, son. OJ - I doubt you read this blog, but if you do - Maybe you have even convinced yourself that you didn't do it. Let's even say you didn't. Exploiting this situations is murdering these people over again, spitting on the graves of at least one person you must have loved at one time and to put yourself in the public eye, jokingly or not, talking about this heart-breaking situation is repugnant. If you are innocent of this, shut up and never, ever speak publicly of this again. Ever. If you're guilty, do the families a favor. Come clean. Sincerely (if you can) offer your apologies, useless as they might be now. Do whatever you can to get them the money, and for crying out loud, ACT SORRY. You'll end up paying for this one way or another, in this life or the next. OJ supporters - OJ is not the poster boy for the wrongly accused. I've heard people say "If he was guilty, that's just justice for all the black men falsely accused." No, it isn't - one guilty man going free does not atone for an innocent man convicted, it just doubles the injustice. OJ isn't a poor black kid with no hope and no resources who was racially profiled! He's a RICH, famous athlete and actor who had everything he could have wanted. The LAPD had nothing to gain by framing him, and everything to lose if that would have happened. Go here for information about how ridiculous the idea of a police set-up is. Goldman and Brown families - I still cry for you, I still pray for you. I can't imagine how much the circus around the hardest thing in your life multiplied your agony. Nothing will bring your loved ones back, but please know that we don't believe him and we are as horrified by this as you are. Fox Network - You should be ashamed.

Hockey Night in Pittsburgh

Last night the Husband and I went to the Pens game, my gift to him for our tenth anniversary. I had forgotten how much I really love hockey, at least Penguins hockey. I'm one of those people who follows the home team, knows the basic rules and recognizes the big national names, but doesn't really know anything about any of the other teams (other than what I hear on ESPN in passing). I'd kind of pulled away from hockey, the strike was annoying and the possibility that the team might leave making me wary of getting too attached. But as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt the old familiar excitement. Inside my head, I start to think "hockey-hockey-hockey" and eventually it actually pops out of my mouth. "Hockey-hockey-hockey!!" I love everything about going to games. I love stadium/arena food, (the wonderful aroma of the cinnamon-roasted almonds he loves, caused the Husband to exclaim "I can smell my nuts!" before realizing that sounded wrong) I love the crowds and cheering with everyone. I love little kids with a look of wonder and I even love the corny organ music that plays when the puck stops. I had a footlong and a bacardi raz. I shouted my helpful advice "The puck is RIGHT THERE!! See! Where I'm pointing!", "That way!!! Go that way!!" and of course, "HIT HIM! Now hit him AGAIN!" The guy next to me was very obsessed with the breakaway. He said, several times about each team, "Their breakaway is terrible." There was a great group in front of us with matching hats and cow bells. The action keeps my attention (I'm talking to YOU, golf and baseball). The wave went around a few times. I jumped up and cheered, laughed at the trash talking from the people around us, booed the Filth-a-delphia Flyers. I loved it. Here's a bad picture of me with the hot dog and drink, taken on my cell because I forgot the actual camera. The Pens won, yay!

Didja Know?

Recently EDW posted a list of interesting facts about herself. Because I have nothing better to say today, and because, hey, I'm a fascinating person with many facets, I decided to do the same. Call me an idea-stealer, but a good idea's a good idea. 1. I love wearing PJs and I wear them almost every moment I am at home. 2. I rarely eat breakfast foods for breakfast. Some of my favorite things to have for breakfast are hot dogs, chicken noodle soup and hot pretzels (not together). 3. I have a large birthmark on my left shin - people seeing it for the first time often say "What did you do to your leg???" 4. I hated my curly hair as a kid, but now I love it and wouldn't straighten it if I could. 5. My brother is three-and-a-half years younger than me, but in my head, he's still just barely out of high school. 6. I've had jobs as: a nursery supervisor, a McDonald's "crew worker", an Avon lady, a pizza shop working, textbook and test reader for the blind, dishwasher, telemarketer substitute (never got called in), youth director, radio talent/producer, promotions director, insurance office receptionist, and a variety of positions at the software company, and this list doesn't even include the stuff I did while temping. 7. I love salt. I can eat it plain. 8. I hate shopping and the mall, though I don't mind shopping online. 9. I wear contacts from the time I get up until just before I go to bed. 10. Hot baths and hot tea cure most of my ailments. 11. I'm lactose intolerant. 12. I can't STAND to not know stuff. 13. I'm even more of a grammar nerd/snob than I let on, but I have trouble with the lay/lie/lying/laying one. 14. Shiny objects distract me. 15. I am a hugely social creature who loves to be out with friends, but as much as I love it, I love my time at home alone, too. 16. I love TV and TiVo and I'm not ashamed to admit it. 17. I frequently narrate my life in my head, just like on Scrubs. 18. I've been friends with M for more than 20 years. 19. I drink way more Diet Coke than I should, but I don't plan to stop. 20. I can stop drinking when I'm tipsy, but when I'm drunk, I won't stop on my own. 21. I've smoked about 6 cigarettes total my entire life, the first two were "trying it" in high school/college. The others were at parties when I was drinking and suddenly decided I needed one. 22. I considered being a lawyer, but decided Law School was more work than I wanted to do. 23. I once drew a smiley face on my butt with instant tanner, pretty much just to see if I could. 24. I like granola mixed in my yogurt, but don't like either one separately. 25. When I worked at the insurance place, I ate a grilled cheese and ham sandwich almost every single day for lunch. 26. I can't stand touching salt/pepper shakers or other condiments in restaurants. 27. I'm self-conscious about my teeth because I wore braces for 4 years and had really crooked teeth before that. 28. My hands and feet are always cold. 29. I want to get micro-mini braids but think I'd probably look ridiculous. 30. Sometimes I am shocked that I am not famous by now. 31. I think my feet and Eddie's are adorable, but everyone else's are gross. 32. I've had long nails since I was in 6th grade and was allowed to start growing them. 33. I learn best by doing. 34. I'm a huge flirt, I'm good at it and I love it. 35. I am fiercely competitive. 36. Growing up, I had an almost phobic fear of balloons (the latex kind, not the mylars). I worked hard to get over it,but they still make me a little nervous. 37. I've met Mr. Rogers, Weird Al and John Tesh. 38. I had 14 teeth pulled, total - they were baby teeth and the roots never dissolved. 39. I love a good pun. 40. I've been to both coasts, the farthest south and north you can be in the 48 contiguous states. 41. I played the flute from 4th-12th grades, also played the piccolo, the trumpet and the bells for a year or so. 42. I love boots and I'd buy about every pair I see if I could afford it. 43. I sing in the shower, very loudly. 44. I pick up accents if I talk to someone with one too long. 45. My first boyfriend dumped me over the phone, and then asked for one of my friend's phone numbers so he could ask her out. I gave it to him. 46. I won $500 at a church fair once. 47. Forty-seven is my favorite number. 48. At age 4 I decided my name was Cynthia and refused to answer to Jami. My parents were afraid I'd start kindergarten not answering to my own name. 49. I don't like salty and sweet together, like chocolate covered pretzels. 50. I wanted to get to 92, but I didn't post anything yesterday, so I'll post this now.

Jami Takes the Lead

The Husband has a fantasy hockey league he's run for several years. This season, apparently by accident, he sent me the email invitation to join. See, I love watching hockey, but my knowledge is, well, limited. I love the Penguins and generally know those guys and of course, I know the "big names" but I couldn't even tell you what position most of them play. For these reasons, I'd planned to leave the fantasy hockey to those who, well, know something about it. Then, the guy who wins every year (yes, every year) suggested I get a team. He mentioned that for the draft, you can just let the system pick for you, and I thought "Well, what the heck." Seems I got first pick, and according to those who know, got a pretty good team. I named my team "The Random Acts of Hockey" My strategy is this - play the people who have games that day, if I have to choose between two, pick the one with the better record, and if I have to get someone new (two of my guys are on injured reserve), I chose a player based on: 1. Position I need 2. Points he's had so far 3. If he's on a team I don't have too many of already 4. If his name amuses me I've been hovering in the second and third area (frequently kicking the Husband's patootie), until this morning when I logged on to discover - I'M IN FIRST!! WHooooo- hoooo!! Yes, yes, I know I should be a gracious winner, but let's face it, the chances of me staying in this position long are fairly slim, so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. Go, Random Acts, Go!!

A First (Play) Date

Am I a big dork? I think we all know the answer to that question. If not, read a few more posts .. .. Anyway, this Saturday I have my first playdate. Yes, I guess technically it's Eddie's first playdate, but I get to go. I haven't been on a first date of any kind in, whew- fourteen(!!) years. We joined a group for families with kids from Guatemala, and it turns out a family with a couple boys, one just a few months younger than Eddie, lives really near by. Saturday we are going to meet at a local play place. I'm thrilled! I don't have a ton of Mommy-Friends and none with a boy Eddie's age. When dating meant, well, you know DATING, I loved first dates. I loved getting to know someone, the careful flirting (don't want to act too cold, don't want to come on too strong). I love the newness of it all and the picturing, wondering where it will go. Usually, by the end of a first date, I knew if there was a chance or not. And a first kiss. I've already done a post on that (here), and see the movie 50 First Dates for further info. This date, obviously is different, or at least, for a different purpose, but I feel the same anticipation: Will they like us? What should I wear? What should Eddie wear? How friendly should I be? Don't want to come off like a lunatic (so, let's hope they don't read this post), but don't want to seem snobby. Should I invite them to lunch after? What if I don't like them? Oh - the thrill of it all!! Don't worry, I don't plan to kiss anyone.

I Love My Dreams

I'm the kind of deep sleeper that incorporates outside noises into my dreams, so I don't have to wake up. Like, last night, when Eddie started to cry in the middle of the night. I couldn't go pick up him, since I was in the middle of repairing our car's transmission, and was up to my elbows in parts and grease. I was hoping the Husband would go get him soon, so that I could clean up and go to the market to trade our extra wheat for the part I needed to finish the car. Even more amusing, at the same time, the Husband was actually trying to get out of bed to get the baby, but had awoken to discover one arm and leg still sleeping, making it difficult to accomplish the task. Poor Eddie, wailing away while his daddy fights his own body and his mom ignores them both . . . .

Join My Crusade

Hello dear friends, I'd like to ask you a favor. It's just something little, but isn't that how everything starts? As you almost have to know by now, Tom Cruise and his baby-mama Katie Holmes will be making it all legal sometime soon. It's actually been headline news on the CNN webpage, as well as reported on probably every other type of news imaginable. For the life of me, I really can't understand how this is "news". So, for sake of my sanity and my little crusade to end this sort of gossip being consider headline-worthy "breaking news", I am asking you to not support the media attention of this event. Don't click on the links, don't tune into the specials, don't buy the magazine. Please. I am sure, if you really NEED to know, someone will be glad to tell you all about it at the office, in line at the grocery store or at your local place of worship. But for this one time, will you join me in making the statement "Who cares??" Thank you.

A Slightly Gross Post

Let me apologize in advance for the topic of this post, but I can't be the only person in the world this happens to. Now and then, when I go into the ladies' room here at work, there is an odor. You know what I mean, someone else has clearly had something that did not agree with them and the scent lingered. But, when you have to go, you have to go, so I hold my breath and go as quickly as I can. It seems when this happens, someone else inevitably enters the ladies' room while I'm washing my hands. So then I have a dilemma - I mean, I want them to know that I certainly didn't produce that smell, but really, what do you say without sounding like a lunatic? There's just no nice way to say "That wasn't me, I swear!" which of course would make them assume that it WAS you because why else would you be so eager to disclaim it? Sigh.

Chapter Two, Part 3, now up

Hi, my humblest apologies for allowing over a month between posts. I promise not to let that happen again. The combination of things occuring in October really dropped the story in my priority list, but it's back in motion. Chapter Two, Part Three is now available here. At the top of that post are all the previous chapters/parts if you need a refresher.

Voting, Political Ads and the Other Jamis

I voted this morning. Got up a little earlier to make sure I had time, it's that important to me. Call me a big nerd if you like (won't be the first time), but the truth is, I feel like voting really is important - it's a responsibility that I take seriously and believe it or not, I've voted in every election since I was 17 and 1/2. My birthday feel between the primary and election in a presidential election year and I found out that there is an exception for people in that category, so yes, I voted LEGALLY before I was 18. I'm not going to go into issues and who I voted for (I didn't pull either "full party ticket" lever, but those who know me can probably guess who I voted for in most of the races). The new electronic touch-screen ballot things are cool, with the exception that the senior citizen woman in front of me couldn't figure it out and the absence of the Big Red Button that makes the whirring noise and the curtain fly open. The woman in front of me had an election official helping her, trying to not look at how she voted, but still make sure she'd done what she intended. "Do you see the check next to the candidate you want to vote for?" "I touched his name and it changed color." "Good, and there's a check mark?" "I didn't check anyone, I just touched it. .. " Which was followed by about two solid minutes of "Well, I just don't know. I mean, I did what you said, but I just don't know. I don't know if it counted. I hope it did. I just don't know . . .." I miss the big red button. My mom used to let me push that after she voted, it's a joy Eddie will never know in this high-tech world. Sigh. Mostly, the best part of the election is that the commercials, phone calls, flyers, emails and yard signs will hopefully go away for a while. I hate negative ads, and frankly, I hate commercials of all kinds, but the political ones are the worst. Blah. Jerks. "My opponent kills and eats puppies for sport." "Did you know that my opponent wants to sneak into your house at night and club you to death in your sleep? It's true!" Now, onto the stuff that will blow your mind. Apparently, contrary to what you might have thought (or hoped), I'm not the only Jami. This Jami left a comment on my previous blog after realizing that we are both named Jami, live in Pittsburgh, have a toddler and a dog that is part dachshund. We're going to start a club, so if you know any other ones, send them our way. Then, in this post I mention that if you Google "Jami Atwood" (who is not me) that you find my blog. Well, Jami Atwood Googled herself,and found me and commented, which is just one of those weird things. So, because someone else googled her and found me, I found that if you google her you find me, so I mention it, so when she googled herself, she found me. Make sense? And it's only Tuesday.

Just One of Those Days - or "It's Monday, Of Course"

I don't want to go into details at the moment, but today is not going well. Oh, it started out all normal and innocuous, but things are going down hill rapidly. Do you think that bad things cluster, as it seems, so that when one thing goes wrong, the others follow or is that when we have one bad things happen, we're in a bad mood and then the other things that happen are cast in a less favorable light, or we are unable to see the silver lining? For today, I'm thinking the first but then, I'm in the middle of a bad day. I think the worst part of a bad day is when you want to blow off steam, and the person you try that with is more concerned with convincing you their day is worse. I do want to hear about your day, honest, but before you start competing with me, how about just listening (REALLY listening), commiserating and telling me that it's going to be okay? Then I promise, I'll do the same for you. Are the things bringing me down now going to last forever? Of course not, and I know that. But for now, I need to be upset. Once I've gotten it all out, we'll figure out the next step then.

Some Random Photos

Subtitle - Jami Plays With the Camera My camera has settings I didn't know about, which I found after PW mentioned hers did. So here is the Husband, in sepia. Usually, he's a more colorful fellow. This is our dog, Joxer. He's half daschund and half chihuahua, or what we call a dash-chichi. He got to be the guinea pig for our black and white feature. These are the two bouquets of roses the Husband got me for our 10 year anniversary. I love roses, they smell so good and are so soft besides being so beautiful. When I got home from work on our anniversary, the red ones were in the living room and the peach ones were on my night-stand. He's the best, isn't he? This is Eddie, sleeping sideways in his crib. This totally cracks me up because he does this all the time, and last night when his legs were sticking all the way out, I slid him back into his crib, and without even waking up, he sidled his way back and sideways until his legs were out again. Sometimes he'll even have his hands coming out the other side! This is just me playing around with the camera. I'm actually giggling in the photo because I was trying to see myself in the LCD viewscreen, and realized I must look like a total dork.

Not Dead Yet . . .

Here I am, three days past the expected end of our company, and I'm still at my desk, doing what ridiculously little work is left for me, while this company (new motto: "The Cockroaches of the Business World - you can't kill us") marches on in the bog of uncertainty. I'd made peace with it ending. I was all prepared for some time on unemployment, some recuperating from this mess and spending quality time with the baby. Instead, I'm here in Purgatory - the company is dying, but won't die. Our CEO, bless his optimistic (read: desperate) heart is still chasing a few butterflies he's convinced will save us all. Now he's claiming our "worst case scenario" is the end of THIS month. It's a tough situation to be in. While I do love my job and my company, it's hard to enjoy it after a year of "This is the end - nope, wait, we're good. Now, THIS is the end. .. Oops, no, not just yet." I've mourned the company, but it's not dead yet. I want it to thrive, to succeed, but we can't do that, either, just this tiring limp to one more payroll of survival. If I were to just leave, that would kill the company, and I can't do that. So I'm stuck, slogging on, afraid to hope the CEO's right, disappointed if he's not.

Overheard on Halloween

While handing out candy, I heard the following conversation between 2-year-old Joey, his dad and our neighbor: Neighbor: How old are you now, Joey? Joey's dad: Tell her you're two. Joey: Thank you! Joey's Dad (holding up two fingers): No, honey, you're two. Joey (emphatically): Thank you! (he holds up two fingers) Joey's Dad(sighs): He's two. Joey (nodding): Welcome!

Rain, Candy and the Bee

Eddie discovered the joys of trick-or-treating last night, much to his delight. Yes, it was pouring down rain and we were both soaked by the time we slogged home, but we both enjoyed it. It only took him two houses to "get" that if he knocked on a door, a person would give him a treat that he could put in his bag. These are three things he loves (banging on doors, being given stuff, putting stuff inside other stuff) so any activity that involves all three is like 1-year-old heaven! Later, he discovered the shiny wrapped objects he received contained "nums!" and floated over the moon in a sugar-induced haze. After our decidedly brief outing, he enjoyed helping us hand out our treats to the few kids brave enough to ignore the rain and run from house to house. I should mention that our street has a "high" side and "low" side, and that the high side houses have an average of 23 steps to reach the door (I counted, as we were going up). A few of the people were nice enough to sit at the bottom of their steps, but that definitely ended our treating early. Of course, the Husband and I will have to eat the candy with peanut butter or nuts in it, as Eddie isn't allowed to have those yet. It's going to be hard work, but you have to protect your child at all costs. I'm going to protect him from a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup now.