During the holiday weeks, generally the highways and roads are pretty clear of cars, as many people take vacations during this time. Not me. At least not until Christmas. So, I'm driving into work today and in the left lane is a red Caravan. Driving 55 miles an hour on a 65 mile and hour HWY. So as I get closer, the van starts tapping its brakes, letting me know that I'm coming to close and too fast. Okaaaay....wellllll then PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE ASSHOLE. So I'm riding his/her ass as she continues to drive 10 miles UNDER the speed limit, in the PASSING LANE and this person is waving his/her hand to me, telling me to pass on the right. Sorry ass, I'm going to stay in this lane and push your stupid van over. Ok, well, that didn't work so well, so as soon as I saw my chance, I moved to the right, glared at the OLD STUPID lady driving the red van. She looks at me and puts her hands up in the air as if to say "what!? stop riding my ass" and I mouth the words slowly as I'm driving directly next to her "LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING BITCH " I highly doubt she knew what I was saying, but me being an asshole, got right in front of her and slammed on my brakes. Yeah, yeah, I know, road rage is bad blah, blah, blah and I might get shot - whatever. Get the fuck out of my way. I hate idiot drivers. I hate people who don't know the left lane is for passing and the right lane is for idiots to drive 10-20 miles UNDER THE GODDAMN SPEED LIMIT. Yes, I'm bitter. I deal with this shit EVERY DAY. Get off the roads if you can't drive. UGH.
Anyways, now that that's done and over with - Nick is coming into town today. Steve and I stayed up late to clean the entire house because we were supposed to do it over the weekend, but we were both too tired to. So, up we stayed to finish cleaning the house before guests arrived.
We also found out that Steve not only has ONE herniated disk, but TWO. That's right. L4 and L5 (lower back) so we have to go see a neurosurgeon and see what to do next. I'm guessing surgery after the first of the year, as the other treatments are just that - treatments for the symptoms...not actually treating the problem. So we'll see what comes of the meeting with the surgeon.
Dad is home from Australia and also had surgery on the back of his neck. He had this really large lypoma tumor growing for quite some time and never really noticed it. So it got so large that finally, he realized that "something's just not right" so two days after getting home from the land down under, he was put under and this tumor was taken out. I went to my parents' for dinner, saw my pathetic, miserable dad doped up on Vicodins, trying to watch TV. Jogl, my sister's boyfriend/fiance (whatever) is also in town. It was nice to finally meet him, he seems like such a nice, normal guy. I hope it works out between him and my sister. He'll be around for Thanksgiving, so that will be fun, having more people this year (family vs random friends). I feel bad for Steve's parents, as it's the first real year without Grandpa Teenie....so we invited them to my parents' house, but with Sue's disability, it's hard for them to go places that aren't wheelchair accessible. So they are staying home, we'll go visit after we eat...and bring them plates of food.
What I LOVE about Thanksgiving with my parents is that my mom cooks EVERYTHING. I mean, traditional turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing and sweet potatoes and everything PLUS all the awesome Chinese food too. There's ALWAYS so much to eat! I love it!
So, I'm suffering through today and tomorrow, then I'll have a nice small break for 4 days. I'm trying to get some Christmas shopping in during this weekend, but who knows. I got Steve two things...I better get going on all the other stuff! I always tell myself that I'll start early and not have to fight at the stores, or to get stuff online etc....but I always end up waiting till the last minute.
Anyways - my blogs are always so damn random, just my thoughts as they go through my mind....yes, I'm always all over the place. Get used to it.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
R-day
Today is R-day at work. This is because we billed out $1,000,000 this month. Highest billing in the history of Roberts. Congrats to us!! I walked in this morning to find an orange and purple bag sitting on my desk with a little pot of flowers. The bag contains two wine glasses, a stainless steel water bottle and a note of thanks.
Then, as I'm rummaging through the bag, I get my email up and running and there's a note from the CEO explaining what R-day is, what it means etc. Which is then followed by this:
Continental Breakfast Buffet -- 9:00 - 9:30
Breakfast Pizzas and Juice 3rd Floor Conference Room
Soothing Strings -- 9:00- 12:00
A violinist and cellist from the Eastman School of Music will be playing light classical music every 30 minutes on various floors
Professional Massages -- 9:00 AM- 4:30 PM
Enjoy a relaxing professional upper body, shoulder and neck massage on the 1st floor. Scheduled in 15 minute intervals. Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Manicures -- 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Salon-trained manicurists for the ladies and gents will be located on the 2nd Floor. If you’ve never had a professional manicure, here’s your chance to indulge yourself. Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Psychic -- Sessions run from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM in the Chill room on 2nd floor
Mohan The Magnificent will introduce you to this mysterious world. He will see things that you might not and maybe get a message for you. Always wanted to know what your clients were really thinking? Figure 15 minutes for this – Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Sandwiches for Lunch -- 12 Noon to 1 PM
Stop in the R-space for a sandwich. Plus salads, sodas and cookies- but don’t eat too much, we’ll have plenty of food later.
Wine Tasting -- 3 PM to 5:00 PM in the 3rd floor Conference Room
Noel from Fox Run will be showing off some of their many wine. You will be given two wine glasses to keep that have been imprinted for our special day. Light piano by Sully in the lobby.
Fitness Consultation – Group Session from 12:30 – 1:00 PM in the R Space; 15 minute individual consultations beginning at 1 pm on 2
John from Downtown Fitness will give you a half hour introduction on exercise & nutrition 101. Schedule a 15 minute personal consultation with him to get more personalized advice.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres!
Join us at Pane Vino on Water St. for cocktails, martinis and pops—we will have a grand assortment of foods. Piano by Knuckles. Valet parking is available and we have already paid the tip.
Really? Wow. This is going to be a fun day.
Then, as I'm rummaging through the bag, I get my email up and running and there's a note from the CEO explaining what R-day is, what it means etc. Which is then followed by this:
Continental Breakfast Buffet -- 9:00 - 9:30
Breakfast Pizzas and Juice 3rd Floor Conference Room
Soothing Strings -- 9:00- 12:00
A violinist and cellist from the Eastman School of Music will be playing light classical music every 30 minutes on various floors
Professional Massages -- 9:00 AM- 4:30 PM
Enjoy a relaxing professional upper body, shoulder and neck massage on the 1st floor. Scheduled in 15 minute intervals. Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Manicures -- 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Salon-trained manicurists for the ladies and gents will be located on the 2nd Floor. If you’ve never had a professional manicure, here’s your chance to indulge yourself. Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Psychic -- Sessions run from 10:30 AM – 4:30 PM in the Chill room on 2nd floor
Mohan The Magnificent will introduce you to this mysterious world. He will see things that you might not and maybe get a message for you. Always wanted to know what your clients were really thinking? Figure 15 minutes for this – Sign-up early with Carrie at the front desk
Sandwiches for Lunch -- 12 Noon to 1 PM
Stop in the R-space for a sandwich. Plus salads, sodas and cookies- but don’t eat too much, we’ll have plenty of food later.
Wine Tasting -- 3 PM to 5:00 PM in the 3rd floor Conference Room
Noel from Fox Run will be showing off some of their many wine. You will be given two wine glasses to keep that have been imprinted for our special day. Light piano by Sully in the lobby.
Fitness Consultation – Group Session from 12:30 – 1:00 PM in the R Space; 15 minute individual consultations beginning at 1 pm on 2
John from Downtown Fitness will give you a half hour introduction on exercise & nutrition 101. Schedule a 15 minute personal consultation with him to get more personalized advice.
Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres!
Join us at Pane Vino on Water St. for cocktails, martinis and pops—we will have a grand assortment of foods. Piano by Knuckles. Valet parking is available and we have already paid the tip.
Really? Wow. This is going to be a fun day.
Friday, November 14, 2008
update update who wants an update?
Things are still going pretty crazy here at work. Having let go our 3rd team member, I've picked up a lot of slack, but it's not all bad. Now that I'm leading these projects, I do them how I want to do them, versus cleaning up someone else's mess. It's ok though, I'm sure they are close to filling the position.
Steve's back: the doctor is taking is sweet ass time calling us back. We call, no answer, we leave messages, no call back. I'm telling Steve to be the most annoying patient alive, because clearly, even if you have a herniated disk, can't feel your left leg, can't bend down to put your own damn socks on, it STILL doesn't mean you might need an MRI. "The insurance company might not approve of this" the doctor says (when he called MY phone and not Steve's, but wouldn't discuss the matter with me). So we wait. Steve is in less pain, but is still in pain. He's still working because hell, we need him to. BUT, we need the MRI to determine whether or not he should be working. I was hoping it'd happen today. But no. No call back from the doctor. Great.
In other news (I know this blog is typically very random) my poor sister didn't pass her road test. She didn't pass her first time around 15 years ago either. This time, my mom told me that she was too nervous and overly cautious. That's gotta suck. Plus, her boyfriend/fiance person is coming to visit and unfortunately, they will need my mom or dad to drive them around for the 3 weeks he's spending here. Eesh. Glad I'm not them. I guess she just needs to drive as much as she can before her next test.
Ugly sweater party tomorrow - I'm excited. I have an ugly sweater that my mom had in her closet (surprise, surprise, my mom is known for having weird articles of clothing she's purchased from some Asian country - Taiwan, Thailand, or China). In some places, this sweater just might be trendy. I'm actually not sure if it's ugly enough for this party. It's a fitted sweater, with an Asian woman's face on the front and this sweater is sprinkled with sparkles and sequins. Her lips and fingernails are also shiney. So tomorrow, Steve and I have plans to head over to the VOA or Goodwill to find him an ugly sweater. If I find an uglier one, you better bet I'm spending the $4.99 to get it! We just didn't have the time this week and with Steve working all week with his back....I can't blame him for taking 12 vicodins and valiums as soon as he gets home. (Ok, he didn't take that many).
So glad it's Friday. So glad the day is half over. So glad Steve and I are going to stuff large amounts of Dinosaur BBQ into our bodies for dinner tonight. Thanks Kitty - for that $50 gift card. Considering the fact that you wanted your employees to fund their own holiday party (which was to take place in the showroom during work hours). Never mind the fact that the service department for Ford won the top 10 award multiple times in a row and that your Subaru dealership is the #1 in the nation. Nevermind all that. So thanks for the generous gift - it's about fucking time.
Steve's back: the doctor is taking is sweet ass time calling us back. We call, no answer, we leave messages, no call back. I'm telling Steve to be the most annoying patient alive, because clearly, even if you have a herniated disk, can't feel your left leg, can't bend down to put your own damn socks on, it STILL doesn't mean you might need an MRI. "The insurance company might not approve of this" the doctor says (when he called MY phone and not Steve's, but wouldn't discuss the matter with me). So we wait. Steve is in less pain, but is still in pain. He's still working because hell, we need him to. BUT, we need the MRI to determine whether or not he should be working. I was hoping it'd happen today. But no. No call back from the doctor. Great.
In other news (I know this blog is typically very random) my poor sister didn't pass her road test. She didn't pass her first time around 15 years ago either. This time, my mom told me that she was too nervous and overly cautious. That's gotta suck. Plus, her boyfriend/fiance person is coming to visit and unfortunately, they will need my mom or dad to drive them around for the 3 weeks he's spending here. Eesh. Glad I'm not them. I guess she just needs to drive as much as she can before her next test.
Ugly sweater party tomorrow - I'm excited. I have an ugly sweater that my mom had in her closet (surprise, surprise, my mom is known for having weird articles of clothing she's purchased from some Asian country - Taiwan, Thailand, or China). In some places, this sweater just might be trendy. I'm actually not sure if it's ugly enough for this party. It's a fitted sweater, with an Asian woman's face on the front and this sweater is sprinkled with sparkles and sequins. Her lips and fingernails are also shiney. So tomorrow, Steve and I have plans to head over to the VOA or Goodwill to find him an ugly sweater. If I find an uglier one, you better bet I'm spending the $4.99 to get it! We just didn't have the time this week and with Steve working all week with his back....I can't blame him for taking 12 vicodins and valiums as soon as he gets home. (Ok, he didn't take that many).
So glad it's Friday. So glad the day is half over. So glad Steve and I are going to stuff large amounts of Dinosaur BBQ into our bodies for dinner tonight. Thanks Kitty - for that $50 gift card. Considering the fact that you wanted your employees to fund their own holiday party (which was to take place in the showroom during work hours). Never mind the fact that the service department for Ford won the top 10 award multiple times in a row and that your Subaru dealership is the #1 in the nation. Nevermind all that. So thanks for the generous gift - it's about fucking time.
Monday, November 10, 2008
back from MN and Steve's herniated disk
I was traveling last week for work - I left Thursday evening and arrived late that night. Grabbed a bite to eat with some coworkers and went to bed. Got up super early to meet up with our clients at 7:45 (CST) so it was my normal time of 8:45 EST. Had a loooonnnngggg meeting with a bunch of clients, but it all went pretty smoothly. I guess when you're expecting the absolute worst, but things are uneventful...then it turns out to be good. No finger waving, no slapping around, no insults being thrown our direction. All in all. Pretty good. The one hiccup is that our 3rd team account member has been let go. For various reasons, she just never grasped the concept of working on the agency side. It was no surprise to her or anyone else for that matter. Now I have to work with my supervisor to cover her stuff until a new person is hired. From what I was told, we're close to hiring someone.
I got back late Friday night - around 11:30...I was tired, hungry, and ready for bed. I get home to find Steve laid out on the floor. He found out earlier in the day that the back problems he's been having are due to a herniated disk. Great. He'll need surgery and a one month recovery. Even better. The doctor said he may not need surgery, but c'mon, with his type of work, it's better to solve the problem now, than suffer through it each year. So, we're going to see what happens for the next month or so and then decide when surgery will be.
We stayed in almost all weekend - Steve was not feeling up to doing much, since he was on quite the cocktail of drugs. Valium, Vicodin and steroids. We watched Get Smart and vegged on the couch (well, he stayed on the floor). Sunday Steve felt good enough to run some errands with me. I had to get a money order to pay off my stupid speeding ticket - it's been 2 weeks since I had court, so I had better get my money to them before they suspend my license. Then, we headed over to the mall - we are desperately looking for a new mattress and I had seen that Macy's was having a sale...well, we didn't find any mattresses. So then we stopped over at JCPenny's to find some ugly sweaters for the ugly sweater party this weekend. Those bitches cost like $50! No way we're spending that much on ugly sweaters. Off to the VOA sometime this week after work.
This morning I went to pick up dad to bring him to the airport at 6:30am. Woke up at 5:45. Great. Then, to top things off and to make my day even LONGER, I have to go pick up mom at 6:50pm from the airport. Dad's on his way to Sydney, Australia and mom is on her way home from NYC. I can't wait until my sister gets her license.
I got back late Friday night - around 11:30...I was tired, hungry, and ready for bed. I get home to find Steve laid out on the floor. He found out earlier in the day that the back problems he's been having are due to a herniated disk. Great. He'll need surgery and a one month recovery. Even better. The doctor said he may not need surgery, but c'mon, with his type of work, it's better to solve the problem now, than suffer through it each year. So, we're going to see what happens for the next month or so and then decide when surgery will be.
We stayed in almost all weekend - Steve was not feeling up to doing much, since he was on quite the cocktail of drugs. Valium, Vicodin and steroids. We watched Get Smart and vegged on the couch (well, he stayed on the floor). Sunday Steve felt good enough to run some errands with me. I had to get a money order to pay off my stupid speeding ticket - it's been 2 weeks since I had court, so I had better get my money to them before they suspend my license. Then, we headed over to the mall - we are desperately looking for a new mattress and I had seen that Macy's was having a sale...well, we didn't find any mattresses. So then we stopped over at JCPenny's to find some ugly sweaters for the ugly sweater party this weekend. Those bitches cost like $50! No way we're spending that much on ugly sweaters. Off to the VOA sometime this week after work.
This morning I went to pick up dad to bring him to the airport at 6:30am. Woke up at 5:45. Great. Then, to top things off and to make my day even LONGER, I have to go pick up mom at 6:50pm from the airport. Dad's on his way to Sydney, Australia and mom is on her way home from NYC. I can't wait until my sister gets her license.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
he won!
Go Obama go! I'm pleased to say that I went to go vote last night after work and then came home to watch election coverage until 11pm when we found out that Mr. Obama won! Hooray! Time for change...
Now that I've done my duty to celebrate Obama's big historical win...on to some really sad news.
My friend Heather has a little weiner dog Tessa. I've met Tessa quite a few times and everyone knows of my love of weiner dogs. Especially mini ones. She's one of the cutest dogs I've ever seen. Ever. Heather just found out that poor Tessa is sick with cancer. An incurable kind. Pure devastation. I don't even know what to say to her. I can't even imagine what she's going through. Tessa doesn't act sick, or look sick, but her lymph nodes prove otherwise. I ready her blogs and cry. I drive by her house and cry...I don't know what to say to her...I don't think there IS anything to say, other than I'm sorry. She'll never see her 3rd birthday. Her prognosis: 1-3 months. Unbearable.
I think about Hudson and Shelby and I think about what I would do if this ever happened to them. Shelby is getting up there in age - over 5 years old with bad hips. I worry about her well being and I don't like to think about what we'll do when the time comes. She'll be on pain meds in the coming years...luckily so far she's doing great only on supplements, but you can tell when she walks/runs that her hips won't last long.
When Snowball passed...it was one of the hardest decisions ever. Physically he seemed ok. Mentally, he wasn't there anymore. He was blind, deaf, and had signs of dementia. It wasn't fair for him to continue living...it wasn't a life anymore...he was existing. But he was 17. He had lived a long, healthy, full life.
Tessa is full of life still and acts completely healthy. I just hope she continues to be this way until the end.
Heather - I'm so sorry you're going through this. If you need anything, anything at all...please let me know.
Now that I've done my duty to celebrate Obama's big historical win...on to some really sad news.
My friend Heather has a little weiner dog Tessa. I've met Tessa quite a few times and everyone knows of my love of weiner dogs. Especially mini ones. She's one of the cutest dogs I've ever seen. Ever. Heather just found out that poor Tessa is sick with cancer. An incurable kind. Pure devastation. I don't even know what to say to her. I can't even imagine what she's going through. Tessa doesn't act sick, or look sick, but her lymph nodes prove otherwise. I ready her blogs and cry. I drive by her house and cry...I don't know what to say to her...I don't think there IS anything to say, other than I'm sorry. She'll never see her 3rd birthday. Her prognosis: 1-3 months. Unbearable.
I think about Hudson and Shelby and I think about what I would do if this ever happened to them. Shelby is getting up there in age - over 5 years old with bad hips. I worry about her well being and I don't like to think about what we'll do when the time comes. She'll be on pain meds in the coming years...luckily so far she's doing great only on supplements, but you can tell when she walks/runs that her hips won't last long.
When Snowball passed...it was one of the hardest decisions ever. Physically he seemed ok. Mentally, he wasn't there anymore. He was blind, deaf, and had signs of dementia. It wasn't fair for him to continue living...it wasn't a life anymore...he was existing. But he was 17. He had lived a long, healthy, full life.
Tessa is full of life still and acts completely healthy. I just hope she continues to be this way until the end.
Heather - I'm so sorry you're going through this. If you need anything, anything at all...please let me know.
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