Payday Friday is the best day in the world

Today is a short day for me so I can only manage a short post. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

Last night we went to the Moosehead for wings and Moose fries. They were way better than normal because they are the last ones I’ll be having for a very long while. Starting Tuesday I will be an avid gym rat and I’ll be back on Weight Watchers. Yes.. I do this every year and every year it works… until I think I know what I’m doing, fall off the wagon and manage to gain all the weight back before the end of the year. I had a slight excuse this year what with the job and schedule change, but still. So my mom and I are in a competition of sorts. We’re not going to actually go weigh in at Weight Watchers, we’re going to throw $5 in the pot every week and whoever loses the most in a month, wins the money. Money is one hell of a motivator (especially for me) and the fact that none of my clothes fit and I have to wear a bridesmaid dress at the end of June. And oh yeah.. I can’t go to Ireland all fat and such!!! So, my early morning trips to the gym will be starting up again and Tre has agreed to write up some sort of gym routine for me, as apparently cardio isn’t enough. I admit, it does make me feel better and armed with my new Ipod I won’t have to listen to the heavy smoker hack away on the treadmill next to me. For some reason he hasn’t realized that quitting smoking might cause him not to sound like death warmed over the second he gets on a cardio machine! Poor J. is going to suffer though. He’s used to us going out to eat pretty often and it’s gonna be about… hmm.. one night a week! Oh well, maybe this will help us out with that whole “let’s cook more” thing we tried to start about a month ago.

Looks like tomorrow night I’ll be going to dinner with J., his brother and sister in law. They are going to Florida for 10 days and we’re pretty much watching their house and dogs. After the last time, I will make sure none of my stuff is on the floor, as the dog ate my flip flop and I had to drive home with only one shoe. NOT fun.. or easy at 3:00 in the morning. Well, J. is really watching them, I think they just assume I’m along for the ride, which I certainly will be as their house is large and gorgeous. Plus, it’s closer to work. I’ll have to find out if they have wireless internet at their house… maybe I’ll get some good use out of my laptop that week. I can cart it around now that I got a cute bag to carry it in!

Finally, Bravo will start airing one of HBO’s most famous and tawdry series, Taxicab Confessions. I don’t know about you, but I have always loved this show and can only imagine how much Bravo will screw it up. I mean, there is swearing galore on that show and I’d hate to see it turn into what the USA Network did to the movie Friday when they aired it. Terrible! I know what “fuck” looks like when it’s said, so why bother making it into “fool” or something else that no one would ever say? Guess we’ll have to see if it’s a train wreck or not. What’s next? Hookers at the Point? God, I love Bravo…

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope everyone has a good time and best of luck in 2007. Watch out, I’ve decided it’s going to be my year!!

Kryptonite

That is one of my new nicknames.. Let me explain:

For some time now my friend Brian has been telling me that (to my ex Jason, the knocker upper) "my pussy is like kryptonite." I know it's kind of disgusting, but I have always loved that word. My friend Amy and I used to think of different ways to say it to make it sound more politically correct, but it never really took off. Anyway, yes, he's a clever one that Brian. In a strange twist, last Friday night at bowling Jason said something to me and referred to me as being like kryptonite to him. I have yet to figure out if this is a compliment or not. I'm assuming it's a compliment in that he basically loses all sorts of self control when he's around me, mainly manifested in a verbal diarrhea of compliments (some I don't mind hearing, others I wish were not said in public but still, not bad to hear), but that's just my take on it. Jason and Brian have not conferred so it was pretty funny that they both called me that. I think it has a nice ring to it, regardless of the meaning. It's way better than my rugby nickname....

Oh yeah.. last night me, Tre and our friend Kate (fiancee of the aforementioned Brian) went to the Albany River Rats game. We missed the first period because I was stuck at work until 7:30, but it didn't seem like Tre or Kate minded drinking some beer at Broadway Joe's while waiting for me. We sat in the First Niagara box, which is always nice. All the free soda and water you want and your own bathroom. We decided next we'll have to get tickets in there for a Siena game because I think the atmosphere will be a lot better. You never can tell what kind of people will be in there with you (there are about 15 seats in the box) and last night we had three couples, none of whom were very talkative or friendly. Luckily, just in front of the bathroom there is a row of three seats so we amused ourselves and had a pretty fun "girl's night out."

Enjoy your Thursday night. If you miss The Office, tonight they're replaying "The Convention" where Michael and Dwight meet up with Jim at an out of town convention. As usual, hilarity ensues. Have a great Thursday and if you're lucky, tomorrow is payday Friday (or is that just me?) Have a good one!

PS - Note to MTV Dude: LOVE Twentyfour Seven, against my better judgment. Still think Cipes is an annoying, crunchy (and as I learned last night, self-centered) hippie. But he will not stop me from watching the show and hoping he gets another break. Hell, he and "the people" might get more gigs with Chris's impending trip to rehab. I admit, I was saddened with his lack of reaction and immediate cry for help and the fact that no one followed him to find out what the deal was. Oh well, boys are different and I won't pretend to understand.

Ipod: How do I love thee?

Let me count the ways....

1. I am now listening to the Thong Song by Sisqo. "Dumps like a truck" - pure poetry.
2. The song before that was "My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada" from Avenue Q.
3. As if it couldn't get better - the next song is "The Heart of Rock and Roll" by Huey Lewis and the News.

Talk about diversity. I have a feeling that my Ipod playlists are an MTV VJ's worst nightmare.. or closeted wet dream. Either one.

“I did not realize that you read recreationally”

This is an exact quote of what my friend Eryn emailed me today, when I mentioned using my mall gift card to get books. We met each other in college, played rugby together and have been friends ever since. I think we've emailed each other at work every day for at least the last three years and we have been friends for about 10 years. Just yesterday she found out that I like hockey. I guess our worlds didn’t really revolve around reading anything but textbooks, what with the drinking and casual sex that run like a river throughout college and rugby, but yeah, I like to read! As a matter of fact, when I was a child I had this book called “Milton The Early Riser.” It was my favorite book, so much so that I memorized it (I’ve always had a really good memory for such things that will never really impact my life unless I were on Rock and Roll Jeopardy, like license plate numbers, movie quotes and song lyrics). When people would come over, I would “read” it to them, because not only did I memorize the words, but where to turn the pages. Clever kid, I was. Anyway, my mother used to push me outside in the summer to play with the neighborhood kids, even though I’d rather be inside reading the latest edition of “The Baby-Sitters Club.” Every few months I order five or six books from Amazon.com to get me through, as I try to read during my lunch hour. So, I was mentioning that to Eryn, and that was her response. In her intense shock, I had to tell her my favorite authors, although I really don’t have one. I read everything I can of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs, as I harbor a love for memoirs and humor writing. However, the book that may be the best I’ve ever read is “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend. Hell, I might even reread it, as it’s been a very long time since I’ve done so. I find the book is almost always better than the movie and being an author has to be the best job in the world: You’re rarely recognizable but you make some pretty good loot doing it. It’s too bad that “Henry the Pig” children’s book I wrote in my youth never took off. I'm only 30... there's still time. Maybe the world is ready for my rugby tell-all.... I guarantee Eryn's name will come up... ;)

I'll take American History for $1000, Alex

Last night I went to see The Good Shepherd with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. I enjoyed it, but I think I need to see it again. First of all, I’ve never been so aware of how much of my American history I do not know. That’s slightly disconcerting. Second, the movie jumped back and forth through time, making it hard for me to tell which character was which. Once again, it was almost 3 hours long but I never felt like it. The plot was pretty good. I love Angelina Jolie as an actress, but I don’t think this was her best role. She came across as this forceful young woman when her character first came on screen so it was a tad unbelievable to see her look perpetually tear stained for the rest of the movie. Not that she wasn’t good, because she was. I guess I just wanted more. J. and I were fighting over the sequence of events in the movie and he was probably right because he’s a lot more observant than I am, which is why I’d like to see it again, so I can pay attention to the timeline and fill in my missing pieces. The theater was really packed! I guess everyone and their mother has the week off and this was the latest “early” movie playing. I can remember when movies were at 7:05 and 9:40. It was a constant. Last week I couldn’t go to see The Holiday with my friend Lynn because it started at 6:20. Ok.. I was sick too, but I could have never made it to a show that early.

Tonight I’m meeting my sister and our friend Kate at the Knickerbocker/Pepsi/Times Union Arena for a River Rats hockey game. We have tickets in the First Niagara box which is always better than sitting in the cheap seats. They’re further up but it’s all the soda and water you can drink for free and the seats are cushier with a private bathroom. I still have a closing tomorrow but we’re in pretty good shape and it looks like no one will have to stay tonight, which is a relief. I had said I could stay until about 7 but it seems we won’t have to. Or at least I won’t have to as they hate to charge out paralegal time, which REALLY works out (note the sarcasm) since I’m the one that gets penalized if I don’t have my minimum of billable hours. Whatever… as long as I’m out of here I’m a happy camper.

Gerald Ford and James Brown, all in one week. Who saw that one coming?

If you have busy Thursday nights

like me, then you probably have yet to see "Ugly Betty." I already DVR Earl and The Office during that time so it gets pushed to the wayside. Anyway, ABC Family is airing a 12 hour Ugly Betty marathon on New Year's Eve, beginning at 9 am with the first episode. So, get up early or set your DVR if you want to catch up on one of TV's hottest phenomenoms of the season. I mean, who doesn't need a little "ugly" in their life? (ok.. well maybe some more than others)

I love my new Ipod

Not because it’s new, red and shiny, but because I can finally listen to the songs I want to.. all day long. Ever since my last Ipod shit the bed I’ve been listening to XM Radio online. It’s great and all, but I don’t like every song and I can’t fast forward. I’ve decided to start my afternoon by listening to the soundtrack of Rent, as I’ve been unable to for a few months now. I’m thinking it’ll get me through this incredibly gloomy afternoon. I thought we were supposed to have more hours of sunlight not, well… none.

Most everyone I know is not working today, or this week for that matter. When I say everyone, I mean the people who always keep me entertained during the work week, so my Yahoo inbox has been pretty anorexic today. The only emails I’ve been getting have to do with after Christmas sales and savings. Incidentally, I am finally feeling better! I can almost breathe out of my nose again, which is a big plus. I was pretty sure I had fallen victim to a sinus infection on Saturday, but it may have run its course thanks to the onslaught of Nyquil overdosing I subjected it to. No one wants to hang out with the sick kid on Christmas.

I made the wrong career choice

because I don’t have this whole week off… There is so not a point in working this week. No one wants to do anything but get to their next day off and I am one of those people.

Christmas was pretty good. We went to my parent’s house on Christmas Eve where we chatted and I drank too many cosmos… and beer.. J. came to pick Tre and I up which was pretty nice of him. He had made an appearance earlier in the evening but he had some things he had to do later on. Anyway, he got me Season 2 of The Office (yay) and Seasons 1 and 2 of Dawson’s Creek… I already have them. I think this might be the only time he hasn’t listened to me! So, now we have to take them back and get seasons 3 and 4 instead. The other gift he gave me (which is way better than any of the others) was shaving off his goatee!!! It had grown to epic proportions (as you can see in the pictures from the last post) and while I tried not to complain about it, it was kind of irritating. So now he looks like a 12 year old boy but at least there’s no more facial hair!!! His family thinks I made him do it which, if anyone knows him, knows that no one can MAKE him do anything! I think they just wanted an excuse to make fun of him on Christmas. His brother and sister-in-law got me some stuff from Bath and Body Works and once again, I felt like a delinquent because I didn’t get them anything. I’m sending a very lovely Thank You note today though.

Anyway, woke up Christmas morning to my sister yelling that Santa came (to my parent’s house) and that we needed to get over there. This was 8:30. We’re like 6 year olds.. it’s almost pathetic. She got me a mouse for my laptop and a docking station/player for my Ipod. I just need to figure out how to work it and I’ll be golden. We made the trek over to my parent’s house, presents in tow and Dad made breakfast like always. I got a really nice piece of luggage (Ireland, here I come), my Ipod Nano (it’s so cute and tiny), lots of clothes, a nice new coat, a few books and CD’s (Huey Lewis and the News - Live at 25 and Carrie Underwood) and a few books: A financial book by Suze Orman, a “memoir” by Jancee Dunn - a writer for Rolling Stone, Cooking for Dummies and The Basic Guide to Cooking: How Long Do You Cook a Three Minute Egg. I think my family is trying to tell me something. I managed to pack all (well, most) of my gifts into one HUGE bag and head home to update my new Ipod. I basically spent the rest of the afternoon doing that until it was time to shower and head back over to Mom and Dad’s. So, the whole family is there, exchanging gifts, drinking and eating. I think everyone was stuffed to the gills with food. My cousins were sitting around talking about not having anywhere to drink later that night so I took one for the team and said they could come over, but I had to work the next day so they’d have to take it easy. Well, having my three cousins over turned into them, and three extra guys, none of whom made any attempt to be quiet. I almost overdosed on Nyquil trying to sleep but it was to no avail. Around 11 I told them to turn the music down and I got about 45 minutes worth of sleep before they woke me up again. I let that one slide. Then, around 12:30 I woke up to an incredibly stupid and heated argument over a beer pong game and (after waiting as long as I possibly could to have a meltdown) I screamed down the stairs “it’s a fucking game, shut the fuck up.” Silence. Then it was drunk people trying to talk quietly. That’s always fun.. and oh yeah.. there’s a heating vent in my floor that goes right downstairs so any conversation they had, I heard it, most likely unbeknownst to them. I did hear a conversation about someone eating Baked Lay’s and all I could think was “I have baked lay’s in my cabinet.” Not anymore.. When I went downstairs this morning (amidst the bodies and beer chaos) I looked to find my chips were gone, as was most of my water and I’m pretty sure some of my bologna. I slammed every cabinet door and the door out of the house and considered just blasting music this morning to prove my point as to how rude and inconsiderate everyone was. Now, I know I said it was ok, but considering everyone knew I had to work today, they could have been a little bit more thoughtful of the situation. As the night wore on they got a little more ballsy, because the music kept gradually getting turned up and I was up again from about 1:15 until 2:30. Then, all I wanted this morning was a McGriddle, as this time next week I will be on Operation Slimdown and will have already been to the gym. Could I get one? No… I waited in the drive through line at McDonald’s (at the ordering station) for 2 minutes and no one said a word. So I went across the street to BK and got a Croissant sandwich, but it just wasn’t the same. Then, I almost choked on a hash brown. I mean, is today going to be a slow one or what?

I should attempt to do some work, as long as it does not involve me staying late this week. I had two shitty closings so I think it’ll be my partner in crime’s turn this week (even though she’s not here today). I have plans for tomorrow night and I told her that last week so she kind of agreed to take the reins from me on this one which means it’ll probably be a piece of cake and she’ll be done with it by noon on Thursday. That’s how it’s been going lately! Hope you’re recovering from Christmas and I’ll try to update more later.

River Bottom Nightmare Band

I'm FINALLY watching Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas. I thought it was only right to watch it on Christmas Eve. Actually, J. bought my VCR back Friday night but he also bought Nyquil with him... so I passed out before I could subject him to the agony of watching it with me. Yesterday was too busy. We had friends over, mainly because our friend Toine was home for the holidays with his wife Kelly (NOTE: his name is Anthony, not Toine. We had french class together and I've called him Toine ever since - he takes it pretty well). Anyway, it was as good excuse as any to get people together so our friends from high school came over and we had a little get together. It looked like everyone had fun and it was good to see everyone, albeit for too short a time! Here's a pictures of the kids: (something's in the water - EVERYONE is having a baby!) That's Kylie, Brady and Lindsey.
Not much else to report... But here are some long awaited pictures from the Holiday Bar Crawl: The first one is a group shot at our first bar, The Half Moon.
This it Fish, Tre and Ronnie at Stray (I think)

This final picture is of me and the elusive J. (Happy now Toine?)

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday and I'll catch you up on how good Santa was to me as soon as I can.

I'm a Christmas delinquent

Today was our final day of Secret Santa at work. If I didn't tell you, the first four days of the week we could get our person a gift worth $1 and on Friday a gift of up to $10. I stuck to the $1 and $10 limits, but apparently very few people do. So, I kind of looked like the cheap ass. I mean, I got my guy what he wanted (movie ticket and dark chocolate) but it looked cheesy comparatively speaking. Let's add on that I barely wrapped what I gave him through the week, even stooping to using a second hand Christmas bag. I'm sorry! I was sick and exhausted! I did what I could do. Anyway, I come in to work today and everyone is showering me with gifts. Some are little, but still. I didn't get anyone anything, not even a card. Apparently I didn't get the "we exchange Christmas gifts" memo. Oh well.. I'll make up for it next year I guess.

I'm also a delinquent because it's three days before Christmas and I have yet to watch Emmett Otter's Jug-band Christmas. If you are around the age of 30 I can almost guarantee you saw it on HBO every single Christmas. Anyway, I find it to be a classic and I only have it on VHS and J. has custody of my VCR. So, I think he'll either have to bring my VCR back or borrow his brother's DVD copy because it just isn't Christmas without a jugband! Sure, you can see the strings sometimes and nothing makes me laugh more than watching the puppets walk across the ice, but it's a great program and I'm still in shock and awe that they don't play it every single year. It's a must-see.

I got this "Christmas card" from the Baltimore Orioles this year and I thought it was cute enough to post (I hope they don't mind). Don't know if I'll have another chance to post today but if I don't, I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that Santa brings you all you could ask for and more! Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!

It's the first day of winter and....

I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult. The cold that’s plagued me since late last week has now moved into my throat and chest. I have gunk just sitting there and it won’t go up or down. I really don’t care which way it goes, I just wish it would allow me to breathe! I can’t sleep as the gunk won’t allow me to and even when I do, it wakes me up because.. well.. I can’t breathe. So, I’m skipping dance for the second week in a row to go home and get SOMETHING at the store to medicate myself. I’ve been told Vicks Vaporub, Mucinex and Robitussin with Expectorant. I’ll probably go with the Robitussin as my friend said it tastes good and puts you to sleep.. two things I like in my medicine!

Yesterday I was able to get out of work right on time, which was a nice change, all things considered. I got home just in time to have some tacos with Tre and then I caught up on my DVR’d stuff - 2 episodes of Big Day and the hour long Christmas episode of The Office. I laughed my ass off! Three times during this episode Steve Carell and Ed Helms did what my sister calls “pound - explode” which is when they tap fists and then explode their fingers. We’ve been doing it for a couple years and I had to stop and rewind it so she could see it. Yep.. the pound explode has infiltrated Hollywood. Anyway, it was a hysterical episode and I can’t wait to find out the aftermath when the new episodes air on January 4th. If you’re jonesing for some more of The Office, click here for deleted scenes from the episodes that have aired. You can understand why some are deleted, but others are pretty damn funny! Oh yeah.. I watched Zoolander all the way through for the first time ever on Comedy Central this week. I think it's like an Anchorman where it gets funnier every time I watch it. Anyway, hence the photo. I feel like I've been a big slacker when it comes to posting photos so please take this as an olive branch of sorts.

Let’s see if I can catch up on a little bit of gossip: In what can only be called the most ridiculous “feud” of the year, Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell have resorted to name calling and mud slinging, all because the Donald gave Miss USA Tara Connor a second chance with her title. She only has four months left and will probably spend the majority of that in rehab but hey, she’s no Vanessa Williams! Anyway, the girl is only 20 (JUST turned 21) and considering she was a guest judge on Project Runway, well… I’m willing to forgive some childhood mistakes. I just don’t know why these two are wasting their airtime and money fighting over something so ridiculous.

Evangeline Lilly’s rented house in Hawaii burnt down yesterday morning. Luckily, no one was hurt but the house is considered a “total loss.” Sean “Puffy” Combs and his lady-friend Kim Porter welcomed twin girls into the world yesterday morning also. The twins were five pounds a piece and arrived within minutes of each other. All the more reason for me (if god forbid I spawn) to have twins. I want to get that done and over with as quickly as possible… and probably only once! Finally, the cast of Grey’s Anatomy have been named Entertainers of the Year by Entertainment Weekly. I can’t WAIT to get that issue!!!

Anyway, I’ve been a touch of a slacker when it comes to work today, so I need to make up for lost time. Happy Winter to all and to all a good night!!!

Work is the root of all evil

I was here till 10:15 last night, then back in again at 8. It is now after 6 and I'm still here... there is ALMOST an end in sight, or perhaps that's just wishful thinking. All I've eaten is half a ham and cheese sandwich and some peanut m&m's. I'm hungry, my feet hurt and I want to go home.

If you're ever offered a job (ANY JOB) in the world of bond financing, say no and run away as fast as you can. It really gets in the way of your blogging.

Hopefully my spirits (and my schedule) will change with the hump day.

Hell hath no fury like karma....

I didn’t realize I hadn’t posted since Wednesday. As I may have mentioned, December is our busy month at work and it has not disappointed. Ok, well, it disappointed me because God knows I hate being here any longer than necessary…. like tonight. But I’ll get back to that.

In response to the title of this post, I took a “sick day” on Friday to finish up my Christmas shopping and just get some general things done that I knew I wouldn’t have time to do before Christmas. I did get everything done, but later in the afternoon I started to get all sniffly. At 7 pm we kicked off the (soon to be annual) holiday bar crawl. Everyone had a great time (pictures to be posted when I feel better and get a hot second), except me as I was blowing my nose the whole time. NOT fun… I woke up the next day with a terrible headache (not beer induced) and spent most of the day in bed, willing myself to collapse into a Nyquil induced coma. I got up because I had to make appearances at three parties that evening. The first was a surprise “graduation” party for my friend’s daughter. She made it through her program at Sylvan Learning Center with flying colors and her grades have improved so it was a good a time as any to celebrate. It was a lot of fun… a few hundred too many kids for my taste, but it was nice to have the old bowling alley gang back together again. After that my sister and I stopped at a party at our friend Brian and Kate’s. Tre and I are in their wedding in June and I felt bad that I only stayed for under an hour, but I could tell the Dayquil was wearing off and I still needed to stop at J.’s brother’s house for their holiday party and meet a million people. I was sooooo in the mood for that. So, I stopped for a hot cocoa to warm myself and my spirits and took my chapped nose into the party. His brother’s house is beautiful and I would have had a better time had J. spent more than a half hour of the hour and a half I was there, with me. Granted, he was drunk like I knew he would be so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and ended up talking to his friend’s wife. She said I looked familiar and it’s because she used to date one of my good friends back in the day. Small f’n world huh? She and her husband also used to live across the hall from another friend of mine. Anyway, I was peeved, but too tired and cranky to fight about it. He apologized profusely (and still is) so I just left around 11 and was snuggled in bed in time for Saturday Night Live. I love when Justin Timberlake hosts.. he’s pretty funny. I think “dick in a box” will be a holiday classic (if you didn’t see it, I’m sure you can check out YouTube for the clip).

So, that was basically my weekend as the only reason I left bed yesterday was to head to my parent’s house for a roast beef dinner. What can I say? Mashed potatoes will almost always get me out of bed! And, that leads us to now. I’m sitting at work, praying to God I’m not here till 11:00 tonight. We have a closing tomorrow and things seem kind of in order… but things are never what they seem. I didn’t take a lunch today and I’m not even hungry… another not good sign. I really hope I look pathetic enough that they take pity on me and send me home at a reasonable hour. Now that Heroes isn’t new until January I can fall asleep early and not feel like I’m missing something! What I’m trying to say is, I apologize for the lack of posting and I’ll do better, I promise.

One week till Christmas!!! (and a day off… yay).. Tomorrow looks to be busy but hopefully Wednesday I'll be back with the rumors, gossip (and maybe even truths) that you seem to enjoy!

I think I'm too tired to hump

I was here till 9 pm last night, then woke up at 2 am... and was awake until 4. J.'s alarm went off from 5 - 5:40 (again, awake) and my alarm went off at 6:40. I've been on my feet running around since 8 am and the people attending the closing will not leave! I do NOT want to stay late tonight... I need a night off... and I really need to not be at work anymore because really all I'm doing is eating peanut butter M&M's like they're candy.. OH wait.. they are candy, but you get my drift. Anyway, my feet hurt and that blurs my thinking.

Peter Boyle died last night. I was never a fan of Everybody Loves Raymond (apparently I was in the minority for that one) but he seemed like a relatively cool guy. I have yet to see Young Frankenstein (it's in my Netflix queue) but since that's his claim to fame maybe I'll put it up a tad further on the list.

I should get back in there and pray to God everyone's left. Have a great night and I'll be in better spirts tomorrow, I promise!

Too much work makes me a cranky girl

It’s insanely busy at work so I’m trying to give you as much as I can in the limited time I do have. I was here till 7 pm last night and it looks to be an even later one tonight so if anyone wants to bring me dinner.. feel free.. Anyway, here’s what’s going on in my world:

The O’s signed free agent OF Jay Payton, formerly of the Oakland A’s. He’s a good hitter, and a good outfielder and could be exactly what we need to fill that void. No matter what, he’s better than what we’ve got and that, my friends, is a step in the right direction.

NYC was a blast on Saturday. The train ride down was a little crowded, but it was a great day. We walked from Grand Central to FAO Schwartz and wandered around there for a little while. Then we took the subway down to Canal Street. It was my first time on the NYC Subway (I’ve taken the “T” in Boston plenty of times) and it was not as scary and dirty as it’s made out to be. I will definitely take it the next time I’m in town! Anyway, the girls bought some “hot” purses on Canal Street and we had a kick ass late lunch in Little Italy. It was very festive and there were TONS of people out and about. Next stop was for cannolis (I got a black and white cookie instead - Thanks Tre) and then we ventured back to the subway to make it to Rockefeller Center, as some of my friends had never seen the tree and skating rink. THAT was a madhouse, but it was really pretty. The tree actually came from a tree farm in Clermont, not far from where we live so we were all kind of intrigued by the tree. Everyone was pretty beat so it was time to catch the train back to Poughkeepsie. It was a great time and hopefully we’ll go again when the weather is a little more conducive to being outside!

Sunday I wrote out my Christmas cards (well, most of them) and watched The Big Lebowski.. FINALLY! I can’t say I didn’t like it… I just don’t think I was paying enough attention. My friend Tara came by with her son Brady in the middle of it, so I think I was just too distracted for the whole thing. But (to appease Sandra) I LOVED “the dude.” The movie was pretty interesting.. I mean, look at where a case of mistaken identity and revenge can get you! And hey.. there was bowling in it. I am such a fan of Steve Buscemi and it cracked me up that no matter how much he tried to be involved, John Goodman would never let him. The scenes between those three were always comical. So… on second thought, I did like it… just think I need to watch it again.

I also saw the Denzel Washington movie “Déjà vu” on Sunday night. I thought it was a really good movie, even if the premise isn’t necessarily completely viable. The trailer doesn’t really give a good indication of what the movie is about so I suggest seeing it to form your own opinion. I mean.. it’s Denzel! Yet another movie where I didn’t realize how much time had gone by. Always a plus.

Completely unintentionally, I caught the series premiere of this new show on MTV called “Twentyfourseven.” It’s basically Entourage, but with more guys. I had no intentions of watching it, but got sucked in. The group of guys include a record producer, club promoter, lead singers of bands, and other such Hollywood types. Anyway, there is a set of brothers.. one seems to be a promoter of some sort, the other lead singer of a band called The Prom Kings. Brother One has brother two set up to play at his club opening and two days prior, brother two goes home to (I think) Arkansas for a visit… and never shows up for the gig.. forcing the brother to put their other buddy’s band on in his place.. (the guy who fronts the band is called Cipes and he’s the most irritating, crunchy guy you’ll ever meet - yet I remember his name and am calling the main characters Brother One and Brother Two.. go figure). Brother one then gets a phone call from Brother Two… from jail in Arkansas.. now THAT’S good TV! Entourage is on hiatus and MTV will probably play it 14 times a day so you might as well check it out.

In pseudo celebrity news, Elliot Yamin (of American Idol fame) was gifted a new $50,000 smile from a dentist in California. If you can remember, the boy could sing like nobody’s business, but his teeth were… well.. snaggly to say the least. Anyway, he looks fabulous now and rumor is that his new veneers might help him sing better, although I’m not sure how (and as if he needs help). Nicole Ritchie was popped for DUI in the early morning hours of December 11th, going the wrong way on the freeway. Apparently she was totally out of it and admitted to smoking pot and taking a vicodin. Should she be doing any sort of drugs (prescription or otherwise) after the whole heroin addiction thing? I mean… come on! Her mug shot was certainly no Nick Nolte, but she’s definitely looked better! Then again, it’s a mug shot.. who hasn’t looked better?

Things are insanely slow right now, which will irritate me since it won’t get busy till… 5 or so. I have a feeling I won’t get out of here anytime before 10.. I already asked J. to leave the door open for me so I could just crash when I get home. At least the firm pays for dinner, so they tell me. Anyway, I’ll try to update more later if I can and I apologize for the lack of pictures. If not, remember.. tomorrow is hump day. Act accordingly.

Nothing is sexier than helping others...

Nope... I was wrong... Nothing wrong with a little eye candy on a Friday, don't you agree? Honestly, the first picture is from Brian Roberts at the 28th Annual Oriole Holiday Party at the ESPN Zone. Every year the O's pick children from a disadvantaged area of Baltimore to participate and some of the Birds show up to waiter and play with the kids. Looks like everyone had a good time and I'm digging the chin scruff on my boy. Nothing like letting loose in the offseason! I tried to post a link, but it never worked so if you get a chance... go to YouTube.com and search for videos containing Earl Weaver. Click on the first one, just named Earl Weaver. I'm surprised they didn't send me home from work for laughing so hard and almost peeing my pants!

TGIF, am I right? It seems like it took forever to get here! Anyway, today is the day our office manager went over my review with me. In all honesty, it didn't go so bad. The attorneys said what I thought they were going to say, and I was happy to hear that the office manager was pissed about the comments on my drafting abilities. I told her about the issues I was having and that I was so frustrated that I did go looking for other jobs. I feel like I was able to say my peace and have it come out just the way I wanted it to. She also told me that a litigation attorney asked if they could hire another paralegal. There really isn't enough work to warrant that, so they asked if I might be interested in taking on some other billable hours. I'm much more comfortable with litigation work so I jumped (literally) at the opportunity. So, perhaps some day down the road (if/when they hire another litigation attorney) I'll be able to leave the boring world of bond behind for litigation. I would very much enjoy that. To top it all off, we have Bombers Burrito Bar for staff lunch today. It was my idea, but I never really thought they'd take it into consideration! So.. today was almost pleasantly surprising. Now if only I could bowl well tonight and make some money.. THAT would be even better!

Headed to NYC for the day tomorrow. Looks like it's not going to be as bitter cold as today (it's awful out, isn't it?) so that's a plus. The rest of my weekend will probably be spent writing out Christmas cards and watching movies. Lots of movies opened up this weekend but the only one I'm interested in is The Holiday. I have no desire to see Apocalypto or Blood Diamond (even with my new non-hatred of DiCaprio).

Because I was so torn on whether or not to get J. tickets to Evil Dead: The Musical for Christmas, I tried to play it sly. Last night I told him a friend of mine had gone to see it and his response was "that's awesome." Great, right? Not really... I don't know if that means that's awesome that your friend saw it and I would like to do the same or if it means anything that has to do with Evil Dead is cool. I might kill him before Christmas, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. So, yeah.. still up in the air. If anyone has any advice, I will certainly take it into consideration.

On a final "how did this happen" note: The song "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry was nominated for a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy. I don't know if you've heard that song, but I'm curious to see who on the Grammy nominating committee came up with that one. I LOVE the song, don't get me wrong.... but I'm pretty sure a band whose nominated song includes the lyrics "I dream, i'm doing you all night, scratches all down my back will keep me right on" (and that was the tame part) will probably NOT grace the Grammy stage. Just a thought.. but wouldn't that be awesome!? I mean.. the Pussycat Dolls got nominated for a Grammy.. Seriously now.. what has happened to the world?

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend. If I think of anyone else, you'll be the first I tell...

When a gynecologist appointment is the high point,

you can tell you’ve had a bad day! Actually, my day wasn’t that bad, but I really wanted to use that title in my blog at some point. This post is for the ladies as it will include mentions of girlie parts and things men either don’t or don’t want to know. Consider yourself warned.

Yesterday my gynecologist’s office called me to reschedule my annual appointment. Now, annual appointments are hard to come by, so much so that you make the one for next year at this year’s appointment. So, the scheduler says to me “Dr. Joyce can’t be here for your appointment on Friday (which I thought was next Friday so thank goodness she called). She doesn’t have anything open until April. My response: “that really isn’t sufficient.” So then she asks if I’m ok with having a nurse practitioner do my exam. Let’s put it this way, I really don’t care who does it as long as it gets done and they send me out the door with a new prescription! So, I said yes but the next appointment was January 4th, which would have screwed with the prescription I so desperately need. The next thing out of her mouth is “Ok… how about tomorrow at 11:30 with Dr. Joyce.” Why in the name of God was making an appointment so hard if there was one the following day for you to give me? Whatever, I got an appointment and prepared myself adequately.

So, I head over there this morning and am there in plenty of time for my 11:30 appointment. They take me in to weigh me and take a urine sample (I drank water all morning to prepare. I hate getting there and not being able to go). I then sit in the waiting room for about 10 minutes with nothing to read but Parents, Conception and some other magazine. Somehow I find a Biking Magazine (which is ironic, as I hate riding a bike) and settled in with that until they called me into the room. They bring me into the room and tell me to take everything off and give me that very flattering gown and a gown like blanket to throw over my legs. That takes all of a minute to do. I then sit in the room, practically naked, and read an issue of Details Magazine… the WHOLE issue. Granted, I read fast, but what I’m saying is that I was in the room for a good 15 minutes before anyone came in. I won’t go into detail over the exam but am I the only one that lies to their gyno? I mean.. little white lies, like when she says “condoms?” you say yes, because you do use them, but maybe not every time and she didn’t ask if you use them every time now did she? She gets done with the exam and realizes she forgot to take a culture (which I call “the infidelity culture” as she likes to do it when you tell her you just started dating someone or just got out of a bad relationship) and has to basically start all over again. She found humor in it by telling me I got two exams for the price of one and everything looked just as it did the first time. She then follows it up with a rectal (which I’ve been told is not something every doctor does.. apparently just mine - again, lucky me), leaving me uncomfortable, used and kinda slick if you know what I mean! I’m handed the wipe and two tissues and considering the doctor and nurse are both women, I can’t believe they think that will be enough. Anyway, I clean up, get out and make my next appointment…. December 31st of next year. Happy New Year to me!!!!

Yeah… I apologize for the detail in the gyno rant, but I warned you it would happen. As you can see, not much is going on in this neck of the woods. It’s dance night and if it’s anything like last week, I’ll be leaving early. My teacher’s daughter had a baby so she wasn’t there and there was a substitute in her place. The substitute was this really nice girl, who looked like she was about 12. She knew WAY more than me and was trying to teach us new things. I’m 30 and not headed to Broadway anytime soon. I don’t really need to learn new things.. I just want to dance! So, I feel bad because I was kind of a bitch but she kept making us do turns (I almost threw up) and go one by one across the floor. I’m sorry, I’m so way past that phase of my life and I had a horrible headache and I just wasn’t in the mood. Tonight better be different, let’s put it that way. Granted, I probably won’t do anything, but it certainly doesn’t make me want to go back and that is so not the relationship with dance I have! Anyway, looking forward to heading to Sue’s and sitting in front of the fire until we have to hit the road. Then I’ll head to J’s as I won’t see him all weekend since I’m headed to NYC on Saturday for the day with the girls. Plus, I can get to his house in time to see Grey’s Anatomy, although I think it’s repeat tonight. Guess someone will be in bed early and maybe I can get to work early so I can get out early. Do you see a trend?

Ooh.. I almost forgot! Caridee (my pick) won America’s Next Top Model by overtaking Melrose (and stepping on her dress) in the final runway walk which consisted of the girls being “ghost brides” and walking through a cave. I have yet to see the episode but if I have more to say, you know I will! Frank got booted from Top Chef last night and I have yet to watch that either. From the looks of it, his dish was really the most deserving and he knew it. But the bottom three were Cliff, Sam and Frank. I guess they had to make breakfast for a group and didn’t have ovens.. Frank’s quiche REALLY needed an oven.. Again, once I watch it, I’ll update you on my thoughts. I was unable to watch my shows last night because J. forced me to go out to dinner and watch Hot Shots, as I’ve never seen it. I don’t know.. spoof movies kind of irritate me. I can see why they’re funny but maybe that’s just not my sense of humor. Granted, I liked Spaceballs, but Hot Shots didn’t really do it for me. J. (as usual) fell asleep the minute the movie came on so I didn’t feel bad about taking quick cat naps through it… Anyway, hope you had a good one and revel in the fact that tomorrow is Friday!

Great News

It seems those Brian Roberts trade rumors were just that... rumors (Thank GOD). As management says:

(From Orioles.com) Baltimore has already moved on from a couple plans of their own, most notably one that involved a huge trade with Atlanta. In a potential deal first reported by The Baltimore Sun, the O's were expected to send second baseman Brian Roberts and pitching prospect Hayden Penn to the Braves for Marcus Giles and Adam LaRoche. (If that were the case, Toine would so have to find me a job selling Braves tickets and spruce up that guest room)That deal allegedly came close to completion but fell through and is thought to be beyond resuscitation. Neither Flanagan nor Duquette denied that report on Tuesday, but they acknowledged the difficulty of trying to keep things secret at the Winter Meetings. And more to the point, they talked about how rumors can affect their players.

"When I played, I hated to see my name in the papers with trades. It's very upsetting to people's families," Flanagan said. "And we get a little upset when our players' names get out there. They're mentioned when these deals aren't down the road. We've probably talked about 25 different scenarios -- at the minimum -- of things."

"It's not an exaggeration," added Duquette. "Almost every one of our players has been talked about by other teams. That's what we do at this time of year. We talk about trades. We're at a point where we're going to explore everything. Unfortunately, that particular one gets out, and I'm not sure it's going anywhere.

What? You're "not sure" it's going anywhere?! It better not be, as Roberts seems to be a pretty big bargaining chip when it comes to getting outfielder Luis Gonzalez to Baltimore. Roberts has spent some time talking up the recent trades and the city and there is a valid interest there even though Gonzalez seems to want to stay in the NL. That's about all the action we've had at the Winter Meetings.

Apparently Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are splitsville.. for real this time? I guess we'll have to wait and see if that's confirmed. So far it's just speculation, but I'll take it.

Last night I cooked... well.. kind of. I made Four Cheese Chicken Helper. It was actually quite good and J. and I ate the whole thing! Granted, he eats like a horse so that's not a big deal but even I had seconds. Guess I better get more helpers and see how they work.. Baby steps people.. I'm not going to be joining Top Chef anytime soon!

Speaking of which, a new episode of Top Chef is on tonight after a one week hiatus so I'm curious to see how that turns out. Also on tonight is the finale of America's Next Top Model where Melrose, Eugena and Caridee will battle it out for No. 1. I don't know.. I can't believe Eugena got this far and Melrose is just f'n crazy so.... my vote will go for Caridee but I have a sinking feeling Melrose will win, unless Nigel can finally convey to the judges that she looks too old to be America's Next Top Model. Guess we'll find out tonight!

If you're looking for a new show to get into, may I suggest "Big Day?" It's a cute show starring Marla Sokoloff of "The Practice" as a bride on her wedding day. There are tons of mishaps and it goes through 24-style with relatively real time occurrences. The second episode was on last night and they're only on 10:15 am so it's got quite a ways to go since I'm pretty sure the wedding itself isn't until 6:00 pm. Here's a pretty good description from ABC.com:

Each season, the show 24 tackles one very, very bad day in the life of a special agent in charge of national security. This fall ABC will also present one very, very bad day in someone's life... a young couple's wedding day in the beautiful backyard of a family home. And while no one is defusing a nuclear bomb - they're arguing about when the salad is going to be served - the stakes (as anyone who has been through a wedding knows) are just as high.

Big Day tells the stories you don't see on the wedding video -- the father who sits his daughter down on the morning of her big day and tells her he really doesn't think she should marry this guy; the bitter bridesmaid older sister who sleeps with the best man and accidentally drinks his contact lenses, which he left in a glass of water on the nightstand, blinding him for the rest of the proceedings; the groomsman who's secretly in love with the groom; the tightly wound mother of the bride who intimidates the nervous wedding planner into changing the salad (the bride's choice, Caesar, is just so tacky!).

The interaction between the bridemaid sister and the best man are priceless. She was "helping" him get ready for the manly football game and outfitted him in a tight t-shirt with DIVA splashed on it in rhinestones, not to mention sweatpants (of the juicy couture variety) with TRAMPY on the ass. It's entertaining and I think there are aspects of it that everyone can relate to, married or not. (Thanks for the pic ABC.com)

Just about time for lunch so I'm gonna get a move on. I'll try to come up with more later, I promise! Happy Hump Day!!!!

Christmas Party Pictures

Me, Petra and Lacey


Me and my hot date, Lacey By God, there will be dancing!

Busy, busy day

Sorry to disappoint, but today has been a day filled with work (I know, I hate those too.) I forgot to post pics on the blog last night so I'll try to remember to do that tonight. In the meantime..

Heroes... hot damn, I love that show and don't know how I'll make it until January 22 for new episodes!! Last night was the fall finale and it did deliver. One of the heroes fell and that was Eden, who had the power of persuasion. She was in teh room with Sylar trying to convince him to kill himself, but he grabbed the gun and turned it on her. I'm pretty sure she shot herself so he wouldn't be able to get her power, but you can't be sure from the way the scene was shot (which I'm sure is the point). Anyway, the heroes are starting to converge and answer questions, but new ones pop up, which might be why this show is the best show of the season... at least to me. Try to catch up on it over the short hiatus. I promise you won't be sorry!

A little tidbit for my Office fans....

If you get bored and have a picture of yourself just chilling on your computer, try this...

And on to baseball... Rob is reporting that there's talks in the winter meetings about letting another team steal away my precious B-Rob.... Ok.. I know I'd still have Markakis, but this is unacceptable and I won't stand for it. I don't think it'll really happen, but I don't like thinking that it could. The boy bleeds orange.. don't let him go!! What's really sad is that the person that wants him to stay in Baltimore is none other than the evil owner, Peter Angelos. I hate to agree, but I do. I can't lose my boy. Finally, i found this article on Yahoo regarding Cal and his induction into the Hall of Fame. However, it has more to do with his silence regarding McGwire's use of 'roids rather than his efforts and accolades. I knew this was going to happen and I'm pretty pissed that it's really going to taint the practically inevitable induction of Gwynn and Ripken. I mean.. if he does get in on the first try it kind of makes all the steroid issues a moot point. Do I think it'll happen? No... but I don't want my man to go in during a "controversial" year. Let Ripken and Gwynn have their day in the sun like they deserve.. resting on the laurels they created.

Reason No. 5,379 why I don't cook...

J. and I have been trying to save money… Ok, I’m trying to save money and he’s basically humoring my efforts. So, I tried to be a good girlfriend on Saturday morning and make breakfast instead of going out. That and I was a little strapped for time so this would be quicker. Breakfast is about the only meal I have a shot at NOT screwing up with my limited abilities. So, I was pretty proud of myself. I made scrambled eggs with cheese and fried my first package of bacon. The bacon was done before the eggs so we nibbled on that a bit, both commenting on the strange taste. I thought maybe we’d gotten some sort of flavored bacon or something, but since I was out of my cooking element, I let it go. After eating breakfast I had to get my hair cut so J. and I both left the house at the same time to start our day. When I got back from the hairdresser’s my sister asked me what the expiration date was on the bacon. She insisted that she told me to look at it before I started cooking it but I never heard her say that. Anyway, she said she had just thrown out a package that had the date of October 16th on it, forcing me to hunt through the garbage to find the package I had used…. with an expiration date of October 14th. Neither J. nor I showed any evidence of food poisoning, but I admit, I was kind of concerned! Guess that whole expiration date thing won’t kill you…. yet!

I got my grocery shopping done Friday night (before the big bacon incident) and subsequently passed out. For once, I was the early sleeper on date night! Ha ha… Saturday night was my Christmas party for work and I was surprised to find that I had an absolute blast! I danced the night away in my $24.00 dress and adorable shoes. J. picked me up just in time to stop me from becoming a drunken idiot so the night was relatively perfect. Food was good, drinks were better (thanks to David at the Glen Sanders for those kick ass Amaretto and Diet Cokes) and I passed out in J.’s bed just after midnight. In doing so, I was able to get up the next morning and take a trip to the outlets in Lee, Mass. with my mom. Got a lot of stuff (for myself, from Santa) for Christmas and even came up with a few ideas for gifts. Speaking of which… I have to take J.’s present back because he already has a digital camera with a printer. I knew he had a camera (which, to quote myself, is “Flinstonian”) but I had no idea about the printer. He insists he’s told me that and then used that as an excuse to point out that I don’t listen, which is not entirely true cause the boy talks A LOT! Sometimes you have to tune out! So now I have to come up with something else and all I can think of is getting him tickets to see Evil Dead: The Musical off Broadway. I think he’d really like it, but he said he’d kill me if I spent more than $100 on him for Christmas. The tickets are $71 each, not to mention getting into the city, eating.. and the like. My options are pretty limited at this point but I think I still have a few more days to make a decision! I was just so happy to be done with my Christmas shopping and now I have more to do. Anyway, after getting back from the outlets I was feeling pretty motivated so I did laundry and cleaned the entire house. I don’t know, there’s just something about a clean house that makes me happy.

Trying to motivate myself to go to the gym tonight (it’s really not working out - no pun intended) because I want to go to Target and get my Christmas cards. I also got some information on job opportunities with the State that I’d like to peruse when I get home and as we all know, tonight is the Fall Finale of Heroes. It’s such a can’t miss! Speaking of which, I’ll try my best to get a picture or two from the office Christmas party onto the blog tonight. I don’t recall taking that many, but I’ll see what I can do.

Congratulations

go out to my sister who was named the Coach of the Year for Section II, Class A last night at their banquet for Girl's Soccer. Congratulations to Tre and all the Ichabod Crane players who made the all-star team! Does that mean it's finally OK to get all geared up for the softball season?

Just call it forgetful Friday

When I was buying the adorable shoes I mentioned earlier, I was at DSW, which is right next to the escalators at the mall. As I walked out there was a mother with her child on the down escalator and he sat down on one of the steps and I couldn't help but bust out laughing.. All I could think of was Jason Lee in Mallrats. Let's just say he has some strict ideas when it comes to parenting and escalator respect:

Brodie: Listen, not a year goes by, not a year, that I don't hear about some escalator accident involving some bastard kid which could have easily been avoided had some parent - I don't care which one - but some parent conditioned him to fear and respect that escalator.

Strapped for time

so I'm going to try to give you some little tidbits today....

The divorce between Ahmet Zappa and Selma Blair has been made official. YAY! Another baldie back on the market...

Brady Anderson is investing in an ABA basketball team, the Hollywood Fame, that is being spearheaded by Nick Lachey. (Thanks Toine!)

The O's have signed two RHP: Chad Bradford from the Mets, to a three year deal, and Scott Williamson (spent 2006 with the Cubs and Padres) to a one year deal. Apparently they were turned on by the signing of Baez and this could give us the relatively strong bullpen we've been lacking. Well.. stronger. Then again, it couldn't get much worse than last year. Speaking of last year, the O's also signed free agent Kevin Millar, at least according to him. The O's have yet to make a formal statement. I don't know.. he's certainly not the best player in the world, but I like his attitude and the way he brings a clubhouse together.

What else? Oh yeah.. I bought cute shoes at the mall today (where I also just happened to run into my ex, Jason - my life is WAY too full of strange occurrences, don't you think?) for tomorrow night's Christmas party. I'll try to take pictures but open bar is only from 6 - 7:30 so I'll do what I can. J.'s not going, but he's my DD (Lacey is my hot date... I wonder if she'll put out!?). What more could a girl ask for? One more hour left till the end of the day and I'm ending it in a meeting so I better skedaddle! Have a great weekend and Happy December! Don't forget to start your advent calendars today!!!

The great state of New York

I’m on the internet (for work purposes) trying to find a map of New York State that has all the counties outlined and listed. Yes… that is what they pay me the big bucks for… or at least that’s what they tell me! Tomorrow we’re actually getting our “holiday gift.” I used to get a pretty decent one (tax free) at my old job but apparently that’s not how it works in the corporate world. Kind of like last week, beggars can’t be choosers so at least it’ll take care of either my car payment or my trip to NYC next Saturday. That pretty much works for me.

Thank God tomorrow is payday because I need to go grocery shopping like you wouldn’t believe. This is my list so far: eggs, cheese, English muffins, soda, granola bars, chips/100 calorie packs, wraps, shredded cheese, yogurt, meat (chicken/turkey), dish detergent, milk, toothpaste, paper towels, laundry detergent, sides (rice, etc.), pantyhose, knee-hi’s, meals, Canadian bacon, pizza, pasta and butter. You probably didn’t really need all that information but I think what a person has in their shopping cart says a lot about them. For example: my list says that I can’t cook worth a damn, but I’m sure as hell gonna try. I really do need to. It does save money and that (and actually working out at the gym more than once a week) is more than likely going to be my New Year’s resolution… Then again, I’m starting it before New Year’s so I guess it’s not really a resolution. I decided to do balance transfers of all my credit cards to one so I only have one payment to make and hopefully I can make it a good sized payment. Then my goal is to NOT use my credit cards unless it’s really necessary. Unfortunately, cute new shoes aren’t a necessary evil (after January 1). If I can’t afford I, I don’t need it. I guess it’s this whole turning 30 and growing up thing.

I got J. his Christmas present last night (and no, not the t-shirts I alluded to yesterday although how f’n funny would those be?). I got him a Kodak digital camera and photo printer bundle. I saw it online for less money, but I figured by the time I paid shipping and handling I might as well just get it here so if he doesn’t like it, he can take it back. I told him to at least pretend he likes it, although he’s not really good at that! I’m sure he’ll like it, it’s just a matter of whether he’ll get a lot of use out of it. That’s all I’m worried about. But that means my Christmas shopping is basically done. My sister and I split my mom’s gift but then my sister decided to get her something extra, so now I feel like I need to also. She’s a pain in my ass (my sister, that is). So I’m kinda done… if I can find something worth getting, I’ll get it. If not, she’ll have to deal with the lovely gift we got her!

The work day is almost over and I’ll be on my way to Sue’s house before dancing. Gotta love it.. Pete will cook me dinner and Sue and I get to have girl time… and a beer before dance class. One night I showed up there reeking of weed and beer.. (the boys were smoking at the house - pot does nothing for me) There’s seven of us total.. they’re probably just happy we show up! Anyway, I managed to get a post in today.. yay me! Tomorrow is payday Friday… life is good. Have a great night.. Don’t forget to watch The Office, and if you want some cheap thrills and to irritate your friends, go to this site (Thanks Toine).

Finally - Britney kept her legs closed for about 12 hours and Eva Longoria got engaged to San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker.. Guess they got through that "rough patch" ok! Congrats!

The search is over

I have found J.'s Christmas presents (ok, CJ found them, but it's not like he's going to buy them so I can take full responsibility):

Underwear

I'm not sure who decided it was smart for Hollywood "It" Girls to NOT wear underpants under slutty dresses, but I beg to differ. I do not want to see your (to quote Miranda Bailey) "va-jay-jay." If you want the world to see your snatch, go into porn and make a little money off it. I have this thing where I don't really like male strippers because I don't want to see their junk. I like that little aura of mystery, not knowing what's underneath their boxer briefs. Keep your hoo-ha covered until you find the new Mr. Spears/Hilton/Lohan, etc. Why bother buying the cow when they can get the milk on the internet?

Hump Day

I have not been as good at keeping up on the O's acquisitions, so I will direct you to Rob, who wrote a pretty good blog about it just this morning. Thanks for the help! So.. it looks like the bullpen is shaping up nicely. Left field... someone please sign a GOOD left fielder (had to throw the "good" in there because... well... sometimes the O's get confused).

I've had work to do today. Yay me. Granted one of those tasks is to find a map of New York State that has all the counties listed on it. Yep.. I went BACK to college for this. Because of my lack of motivation, I'm heading out early to go shopping with my mother. I figured it's better to leave early than not show up at all, am I right? I have a "doctor's appointment." This way, if and when I do get sick (as the flu is going around) it won't look quite as sketchy. Oh yes.. I thought this through like you wouldn't believe.

Shit.. I forgot I was posting.. lol.. Not because I was working.. just answering emails. So I'm a slacker, sue me. Over the weekend J. and I decided we were going to cook more, and eat out less. Ok.. well, he's going to cook more and I'm going to watch and try to absorb by osmosis. So, last night I made some potato soup (before you get excited, it was from a mix) and he made lemon pepper chicken. I admit, I didn't realize it would be so easy and taste so good, so I guess the next time I go to the store I should buy some chicken because we have plenty of spices to use on it, thanks to Tre. We didn't do much else but watch the Charlie Brown Christmas Special and Law & Order. Sometimes it's pathetic how boring we are. But it's the middle of the week so I don't know what you expect!

I should finish some stuff up before I leave for the day but I hope you all have a wonderful hump day and tomorrow we'll be closer to the end of the week... YAY!

Things you ought to know

1. Clerks II comes out today on DVD.. Run, don't walk to the store if you're a fan of Kevin Smith and his flicks, as I am. If you waited for it to come out on DVD before you saw it, rent it ASAP or Netflix it. It's pretty damn funny and you'll finally know what I mean when I say "pillowpants."

2. The Orioles seem to be signing a whole flock of relief pitchers (at least that's what the rumor mills say). That's nice, but give me a real good starting pitcher in the mix too and then we'll talk.

3. Heroes is the best show of the season. If you haven't seen it yet, the Sci Fi Channel is running a marathon of the shows and you NEED to watch it. Last night's episode was great! It showed what happened six months ago when the heroes were just starting to realize their powers. It answered some questions and set us up for the "fall finale" next week in which "a hero will fall." A gun was shown, but it didn't say if they would die... just fall. I love television advertising.

Question for my minions

I love the word minions. Is it sad that the first place I remember hearing it is on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer?" Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows anything regarding the civil service exam in the State of New York. I know nothing of it, but when I was online looking for state jobs last night (because wow! Do they make decent money for not doing much and I hear the benes and retirement are fabulous) it seemed passing the civil service test was a requirement, if not THE requirement. So.. if anyone has any information, let me know.

Great news - Bravo has renewed Kathy Griffin's "My Life on the D-List" for a season containing six hour long episodes. God, I love her! I'm sure it'll be an entertaining season considering she's single again. Bravo has promised more with her, her assistant Jessica (who apparently had a recent dabbling in lesbianism, according to the comedy show I went to a few months back) and her insanely (but not purposefully) hysterical parents. I'm anxiously looking forward to that and my other guilty pleasure "The Real Housewives of Orange County." Have I mentioned how much I love Bravo? I mean seriously.. they will put anything on TV and I adore them for it!

In slightly sad news, Hilary Duff and Joel (or Benji.. whichever) Madden broke up recently. I always found their relationship slightly skeevy with the 8 year age difference, but it seemed to work. What can I say? Even at my advanced age I hold a soft spot in my heart for Hilary. I mean, it's not like my friend Lynn and I spent a saturday afternoon watching "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" or anything like that..... Not at the advanced age of 27 or so... No, that would never happen!

Even though it was designed by Jeffrey

I need this shirt:

In Birthday News

Today is the day that Urkel was born. Jaleel White turns 30 today. Did anyone ever really think Urkel would hit the big 3-0? I thought he'd be 13 forever!

In other news, Pam Anderson and Kid Rock EACH filed for divorce this morning... citing irreconcilable differences (the biggest cop out California law has to offer) and different dates of separation. Guess GQ should take back calling them the "Newlyweds of the Year." 4 weddings and not even four months of marital bliss? Yet another white trash couple I really thought would make it.

So what if it's the offseason?

• Harold Baines (1)• Albert Belle (2)• Dante Bichette (1)• Bert Blyleven (10)• Bobby Bonilla (1)• Scott Brosius (1)• Jay Buhner (1)• Ken Caminiti (1)• Jose Canseco (1)• Dave Concepcion (14)• Eric Davis (1)• Andre Dawson (6)• Tony Fernandez (1)• Steve Garvey (15)• Rich Gossage (8)• Tony Gwynn (1)• Orel Hershiser (2)• Tommy John (13)• Wally Joyner (1)• Don Mattingly (7)• Mark McGwire (1)• Jack Morris (8)• Dale Murphy (9)• Paul O'Neill (1)• Dave Parker (11)• Jim Rice (13)• Cal Ripken (1)• Bret Saberhagen (1)• Lee Smith (5)• Alan Trammell (6)• Devon White (1)• Bobby Witt (1)

The above listed men are all the nominees for the 2007 induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. No matter what I will be there with bells on because I can’t imagine Cal not getting in on his first try! LOTS of first-timers that might have had a shot, had they not come in the same year as Cal and Tony Gwynn. You have to feel bad for the guys whose names have been on the ballot for quite some time and I would love for this to be the year Don Mattingly gets some love…. but I don’t see it happening. Sorry Donny Baseball.. maybe next year! And Paul O’Neill can sit his whiny ass down too.. this is so NOT your year. I’d say I was sorry to the Yankee fans but I’m not. I mean, how often is an event like this going to happen to an Orioles fan!? No offense, but I’m not going to hold my hand on my ass waiting for Harold Baines to get into the hall, know what I’m saying? We don’t have much coming up so I will start living this now and let it get me through all of 2007! That said, there are a couple of former O’s on the list, but only one that really matters and that is my man Cal.

Speaking of baseball, it seems the O’s have come to terms (pending a physical) with Danys Baez on a three year deal worth 19 million dollars. Baez is a 29 year old reliever who spent last season with the Braves and Dodgers. He did pretty well with Tampa Bay in 2005, earning a spot on the All Star team, so maybe all he needs is the AL East to thrive. God, let’s hope so! Baez is pretty easy on the eyes too.. Hell, if we can't have a good team we can at least have a good looking team, right!? Perhaps that'll be my new venture - a Baltimore Orioles calendar.. topless of course.

If you find a way to put me out of my misery

I'll be your best friend!!!! Yes, it's that first day back at work after a long weekend which always sucks, but in my case, it's super sucking! I'm bored to tears and literally making up work. I've thought about it a lot over the weekend and I think I'm going to actively look for a new job. I don't want to because I feel like a bit of a failure leaving under a year, but I'm really sick of being this miserable. The only time I'm in a good mood is when I'm not here and that's not too often! So, if anyone knows of any great paying paralegal jobs, let me know! lol.. I think it's a pretty dead time for people to be looking for jobs, but this time last year is when I started and just look where it got me! (ok, bad example).

So yeah.. it's "Cyber Monday." OOOOOOhhhh.. scary! I might have decided what I'm getting for J. for Christmas (finally). He hasn't been really good at telling me what he wants and I kind of don't want him to because I'd like there to be a slight element of surprise. Anyway, he has a digital camera but it's bulky and there's no memory card. I guess the pictures just stay on the camera until you get rid of them. Weird, but whatever. So, I found a Kodak digital camera with a docking station that's also a photo printer, which would work out really well considering he doesn't have his own computer. I'm going to give it about another week or so of thinking before I order it... ya know, see if he alludes to something or gives me hints on anything else. I feel bad because I'm not being really good at handing out the hints either. I asked my parents for a new Ipod and other than that, I don't really need anything. I need clothes, but I can't ask him to buy me clothes and a gift certificate is kind of impersonal when it comes to that kind of thing. I did ask him for a hot personal trainer but he didn't seem too gung ho over that idea. I told my sister that if he asks he should get me something I like, that I can't afford.. like a pedicure or massage or something. I'd get a pedicure every god damn week if I could afford to! We'll see how he does. My sister might have something up her sleeve, ya never know. If not, I'm sure whatever he does will be fine. I mean.. who doesn't like getting presents!?

Not much else to report on this end.. I was digging the whole Britney comeback but ever since she's hooked up with Paris Hilton she's hooched herself to the brink. I really think that bitch needs an intervention! Get that girl on the A & E channel, STAT!

Speaking of stat, I watched Thursday's "SUPER-SIZED" episode of Grey's Anatomy the other day. Right now, Christina and Burke are splits-ville and I'm curious to see where their relationship (and Burke's career) are going. And am I the only one that thinks George is being a bit of a douche bag? I mean.. it's very stressful what he's going through but that's when you might want to think about letting bygones be bygones (cause you WERE on a break when she banged McSteamy) and let people take care of you and make sure you're ok. One last thing.. did you not die when Callie almost beat the shit out of Meredith!? Granted, Callie was wrong and ended up not doing it, but I love that she never apologized for it and she would have snapped Meredith like a twig. She's my favorite new addition to the show. Ooh.. one more thing.. how soon do you think it'll be before Karev gets Addison into the sack? She was making all sorts of googly eyes at him. Hell, she might as well bang him too, as she's banged every other hot white guy on the staff.. Hee hee.. I said staff. Ok.. I'm done thinking about hot doctors and juvenile plays on words. Time for lunch.. have a good rest of your afternoon!

We lost him

Carlos Lee went to the Houston Astros. Guess we're starting over again at the Winter Meetings. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise but if I know my O's, it's probably one hell of a setback!

Thanksgiving went really well. It was really loud, and full of competitions (darts, ping-pong and pool) but it was fun. Food was good, that's for sure. My Aunt Colleen (my great-aunt really) asked if J. was Amish, thanks to his too large for his face goatee. It did lighten the mood a bit. That and the fact that everyone in the family has taken to calling him Curtis, instead of his real name. At least this way they won't slip and call him Jason!

The day after Thanksgiving I did nothing but watch an America's Next Top Model marathon of Season one and went to bowling. I bowled pretty well and won some money but decided to stay home that night to avoid spending any of it. Instead, I cleared out the DVR so all that's left are back episodes of Heroes for Tre to watch.

Saturday I had lunch with my friend Crystal from college and her 6 week old son, Ben. He's an absolute cutie and was very good. He barely made a peep the whole time we were at lunch. It was niced to catch up with her and we decided that YES, we are going to Ireland. Now I just need to get the time off from work, which could be interesting considering it's a school break and I know they don't want to give it to me. At least it gives me motivation to stay at this job.. just long enough to take my trip! Am I really actively looking for something else? No... but if an opportunity comes along I won't pooh-pooh it like I did the last one. Anyway, I spent the night catching up on my Netflix watching.. FINALLY! I watched "The Upside of Anger" which was pretty good. It was the first thing I taped when I got my Tivo set up earlier this year, but I never got to watch it. After that I watched Failure to Launch with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey. It wasn't great, but it was a slightly entertaining way to spend an hour and a half. To round out my night I watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. I had never seen it and I have to admit, it was pretty funny. Actually, I find it even funnier now that I know Neil Patrick Harris is gay.

Jason (the knocker upper) made me a copy of the new Chris Daughtry cd. I"m a little upset that I never heard anything about it coming out. I mean, you would think there'd be a little more publicity reagarding its release but there wasn't. I will more than likely still buy the CD (eventually) because I sure do want to see the cover art!!! But anyway, it's actually a pretty good disc. Granted, I'd listen to (and watch) that man sing the phone book so maybe I'm not hte best judge.

I hate to disappoint, but I really didn't take that many pictures from the party or Thanksgiving so I'm afraid there isn't much to show. However, the party was a success and we had a great time. Beer pong was played and lots of alcohol was consumed: Both benchmarks of a great party!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and try not to remember that tomorrow is the start of another work week.

Finalist?

It looks like the O's are still in the running when it comes to acquiring Carlos Lee. Lee would really anchor the outfield and the O's could start him in left, Corey Patterson in center and my boy, Nick Markakis in right. That would certainly be more of a power hitting outfield than we've seen in the past few years for sure! Seems the O's are still in the hunt and are having productive talks with Lee's agent. It seems they're willing to give him a 5-6 year contract while other teams are looking at 3. Let's hope for the best (and that the Phillies and Astro's give up)!

Not what I expected...

Our big “office excursion” was a trip downstairs to 677 Prime for lunch. I was pretty excited because I’ve never been there and I heard their steak is to die for. As I’m thinking about what I’m going to order (we have yet to get a menu), the waiter puts down a bowl of cranberry sauce. Yep… we went to a steakhouse to get a turkey dinner…. the day before Thanksgiving. It was a great meal and beggars can’t be choosers, but wouldn’t you think you’d want something OTHER THAN turkey on the day before Thanksgiving? We did each get an assorted bag of Lindt Truffles though.. THAT was a nice surprise.

Now I’m getting harassed by the entire office because the HB has a distribution going out today and apparently, I could be one of the people that has to stay. FUCK THAT. Seriously… first of all, no one is going to look at this distribution until Monday so why rush everyone around and force them to stay late in order to get it out? Secondly, I already did what I have to do and the way I feel about it is that if no one brings me any work before 3:00, why should I have to ask around to see if I need to stay? If you didn’t need me in the last hour and a half, why would you need me after that? I really can’t wait to crack open that vodka bottle tonight. For a short week it’s sure been full of a pile of shit.

My plan after work is to run to the mall and try to exchange a dress I bought about a month ago. I got this really pretty lace cocktail dress, mainly because it was on sale for $24 when originally it was $69.00. Well, it was a size 14 and didn’t exactly fit, but I got it anyway (you know, the old “I’ll lose weight and fit into it deal”). Well, when I went to bring back the three dresses I ordered that didn’t fit, I found a size 16 in the same dress. So, I’m going back to see if it’s still there and hopefully (without a receipt) they’ll allow me to exchange it. I do have the tags still on the dress and I have my Macy’s credit card statement so I hope that’s enough. If not, I guess I’ll spend some time looking at dresses at Macy’s instead of exchanging one.

That’s all I’ve got. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll catch ya up over the weekend. All hail Tryptophan!!!!!

Puppet Up!

Last night I was perusing the channels after 11 pm (a rarity for me) and I came upon TBS. Normally they don't have too much on, but there were puppets, so I stopped. Come to find out, it was the premiere of Jim Henson's "Puppet Up" an uncensored improvisational comedy show with puppets. I wasn't able to stay awake to see all of it, but what I did see was pretty funny. I'm a big fan of the musical "Avenue Q," and this is in the same vein. Definitely stop and watch it if you catch it on TV. Right now I think the only channel it's on is TBS, but I'm not sure when it airs. If all else fails, check back next Monday at 11 and see what you find!

Have I mentioned that I hate my job?

Monday was another busy day at work. I had been given an assignment on Friday but I was too busy doing the other one, that I kind of forgot what the one for Monday was. So, I emailed the heinous bitch to ask her to refresh my memory. She then emailed me to ask me to come to her office. That is NEVER a good sign, especially not on a Monday. So, I sit down and she tells me what I’m supposed to do (again, drafting documents) and then busts out the documents I drafted on Friday. She basically tells me that I suck at drafting documents. Um… thanks? Did I really need to come down here to have you tell me that? Anyway, she goes on to say that it’s probably because I’m not given enough of an opportunity to do so and that maybe I need more training. More training? How about SOME training.. that would be fabulous! So yeah… I JUST got back from having the same chat AGAIN.. To which I again stated that I’d never had training and apparently everyone thinks everyone else is training me. I mean, seriously! Some semblance of communication would be great. I spent the afternoon on hold with the Department of State and when I finally got through to a person, I swear she hacked up her entire lung while we were on the phone. I transferred her to my paralegal cohort because I couldn’t take it anymore. She was supposed to call me back and never did until this afternoon. So, the morning was spent talking to her direct supervisor who got me what I needed. He is my new best friend.

Because my day was very “Monday,” I decided to skip the gym in favor of getting some stuff done at home. I actually picked up some of J.’s laundry on my way home. His washer/dryer are pretty slow and he’s been working a lot so I’m pretty sure he’s on his last pair of boxers. Therefore, I told him I’d do some of his laundry for him. I got two pretty good sized loads done so he should be happy. Anyway, when I got home I made some mac and cheese, unloaded the dishwasher and opened my mail. I ended up getting my sister’s Christmas present in the mail, along with the three dresses I’d ordered from Macy’s for my upcoming Christmas party. I subsequently took all three dresses back to Macy’s today. I don’t think the people in my office need to see that much of my boobs. After I got everything done I settled in on the love seat and put in Secretary, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. Interesting movie. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I thought it showed the dynamic of such a relationship in a different way and both are insanely good actors. I think I like Maggie Gyllenhaal. I should see more movies she’s in. Anyway, it was worth seeing and if you’re into S & M, this is definitely the film for you! I was going to watch the movie straight through and watch Heroes later, but I had to find out if they Save the Cheerleader (and Save the World - they did... so far)! God, I love that show. It confuses the hell out of me sometimes, but that’s what intrigues me. Next week they’ll go back six months in time so we can see why some things have happened the way they have.

For my Project Runway pals, Tim Gunn is not yet signed on for season four of the insanely popular show. Considering he is one of the key reasons the show is so popular, I’m sure that’s just an oversight. It seems they can’t start shooting at Parsons until the semester is over because Tim is too busy and there’s really not that much room for the contestants in the school. If Tim is not involved I will watch, but I won’t like it. The boys at Project Rungay are now going through the first season of the show, which I didn’t start watching until I got sucked into a marathon near the end. I really need to get the first season. I wonder if I can Netflix that. I never thought of that! Time to do some research!!!

Tomorrow I’ll only be in for a half dayish. We have an “excursion” to go on from noon until two and then we get to leave at 3. Apparently we are supposed to do something in the summer as an office, but it didn’t happen. They’re not telling us what we’re doing but we can’t dress casual. That ruins it for me. I LOVE wearing jeans to work! Anyway, God knows we’re eating somewhere cause we NEVER go without eating around this place, but other than that, I have no idea. After I leave I have to make a cake for our friend, whose birthday is on Wednesday. Tre and I are having people over Wednesday night as we’ve realized we’ve hit that threshold where we’re too old to go out and have a great time on the night before Thanksgiving. I remember I was all psyched to go out last year and it was kind of uneventful. I’m going out and seeing kids I taught bowling to in the Pee Wee Leagues and that’s insanely disconcerting. I’d just as soon stay in with my friends. Hell, now I can play darts and pool at home so why leave!?

Oh yeah.. J. is coming to Thanksgiving dinner. That could be interesting. I don’t know what I’ve said about him, but he’s pretty blunt and says exactly what he thinks. My Aunt Colleen (my grandmother's sister) will be at dinner and I’m curious to see how that dynamic works. She's a handful. I’m pretty sure my mom doesn’t like him so I only hope he’s on his best behavior. Not that my mother has said she doesn’t like him, nor has he done anything to get her not to like him, but it’s a mother thing. My ex moved back into town (engineer, great guy, good money maker) right around the time J. and I got together and I think she thought we’d rekindle our relationship and all would be well. Unfortunately, I don’t have those feelings for him anymore (call me bitter, but not asking me to move down south with him put a bad taste in my mouth). We’re still friends, but that’s it. In all honesty, I haven’t seen him since he got back here, which means I haven’t seen him in a little over four years. Crazy, huh? Anyway, that’s the story and I just hope everything goes smoothly and J. doesn’t make another “bowling isn’t a sport” comment in front of my family. Baby steps.

Hopefully I’ll be able to post tomorrow, but if not, have a great Thanksgiving and I should have some pictures and stories to post over the weekend.

I know I've been neglectful, but

things have been a little busy so I’ll try to give quick snippets of my weekend (and what’s going on in the world - like you care):

Friday - BUSY day at work. I spent the entire day drafting documents (this will come back to haunt me) and got done right at 5:30, giving me barely enough time to go home, eat and change for bowling. I actually bowled really well for the first time this year, breaking the 600 barrier that I’ve always had a mental block about. This was the only week where no money was involved so apparently I just have a complex about bowling for cash. Anyway, after that I went to the grocery store (yep, I’m a loser) and came home having no intentions of doing anything but catching up on my Netflix (as I’ve been talking about for WEEKS). Change in plans… I went to J.’s to drink with him and his buddy. Instead we drank, watched The Omen and J. passed out 10 minutes into the movie. It wasn’t a bad flick.. I think I only snuck in a nap right at the very end!

Saturday - Got up early to make macaroni and cheese for my friend’s mother’s 60th birthday party. It was an insanely busy day but the party was a good time. One of her friends got her a ZingaGram, which everyone found funny but the birthday girl! lol.. It was Sadie the Bag Lady and I admit, I was taken aback when she first walked through the door, but it was pretty entertaining and a good way to end the party. Really didn’t do anything that night. J. came over and we went to dinner. When we came home my sister, Danny and Joey decided it was time to play darts so we shot a couple of games (I won one) and then they went to see Saw III. Their initial idea was The Santa Clause III, but Danny wasn’t having it. So, J. and I watched Dateline. Well, I watched Dateline… he passed out (are you seeing a trend?). Earlier, Dateline had done another “To Catch A Predator” segment, which we all watched in awe. After that they had a special on a hostage situation from 2003 at Case Western Reserve University. I found it pretty interesting. I have this fascination with the hostage crisis at the Munich Olympics so I always find these types of situations really intriguing.

Sunday - I went to the craft fair at Hudson Valley Community College. Craft fairs are NOT my thing. I don’t have that “country” taste at all, but my mom offered me free lunch and a trip to Target so I figured I’d suck it up and go. I didn’t have a terrible time, as I’d expected. I mean, the crafts didn’t interest me, but I could have spent all day sampling the dips. They were GREAT! My mom actually bought me two bags of potato soup (which is my favorite). I got one but then found another that was 10 times better, so she got me both. That’s what moms are for! Anyway, when we got home it was time to put up the Christmas decorations. Normally my sister is a staunch, day after Thanksgiving kind of gal. But, we’re having people over for the holiday and prior so she wanted everything done so people could see them. The lights aren’t up yet, but the tree and all the other decorations are. The house actually looks quite nice. It’s pretty festive! Anyway, that night J. came over and bought three movies: Nacho Libre, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and The Boondock Saints. I picked the shortest one because I was kind of tired, and that was Nacho Libre. Run, don’t walk, away from this movie! I LOVE Jack Black but this movie was terrible! J. fell asleep and when it was over could not believe that I thought it was that bad. It was kind of like a car accident - you just couldn’t turn away from it.

Well, that was the weekend - I’m pretty bored here today so unless I get swamped, more to come later.