Two Hundred and Two

It slid right by me that I've now made 200 posts on this blog. And I still have some readers!

It was a weird day. My body went to work but my mind was elsewhere most of the day. I had an errand to run after work but had to work through a panic attack to get that done. Well, maybe it was more of an ANXIETY attack than a real, live panic attack (although I have had those...) I could hardly believe it when I went to Target to get 2 things and walked out of Target with just the two things I went in there to get. Oh... I picked up a bunch of things that I thought about getting and then talked myself down, put them back on the shelf and continued on.

I decided to go out to dinner tonight and went and had Chinese. It was ok, but very weird to be out without Mr. POSSLQ there to talk to. My fortune cookie said "A small lucky package is on its way to you soon". Not that I live my life by the cookie. But, it's nice to dream, right?

I got home pretty late and had a long list of things I wanted to get done. I accomplished very little on the list. But, I can sleep in on Wednesday morning, so I am not stressing to much about what I have left to do (we'll leave PANIC for tomorrow night, shall we?)

It's way past a reasonable time for bed. I need get headed in that direction... I'll leave you with another Weedy "emo kitty" poem...

They don't know what they're going to do
About something called the Piggy Flu
If they go out they'll catch it and die
Then who will feed my "brother" and I?
The answer really is right there
If he never leaves the pettins chair
Never stops my gentle kneading
From his eyes he won't start bleeding
There will be no nasty cough
No one will come to carry him off
He can pet me all day long
Make That Woman move along
Out the door to catch our dinner
She can be the house's breadwinner
My love and I will cuddle all day
He'll pet me until my toes splay
It'll be a garden of Earthly Delight
(At least until SHE comes home at night)
But I'll just nap til morning light
By his side all through the night
Then we'll sit in cat zen bliss
If he picks me up I won't even hiss
I'll purr in his ear as he pets my fur
And treat him to a gentle murr
So let the piggy flu come here
I'll curl up and keep him near
Breathing softly in his ear
Perfection

It's good to have a talented little emo cat around!

Emo Kitty Poetry comes to my blog...

Weedy, the black cat, really loves Mr. POSSLQ. She's QUITE distraught that he isn't around...
Weedy has decided to share an emo kitty poem through me... Enjoy!

He's not in his chair,
He's not in his bed,
He's not anywhere
That I can stomple his head...
Where did he go?
Will he come back?
Is he off fighting
The war in Iraq?
I know this is her fault
That woman so vile
She tries to pet me
Once in a while...
Why doesn't she know
That The Guy is mine?
If SHE goes away
I surely won't pine...
The swingy wall mocks me
The cupboards have locks
I can't even find
A pair of his socks!
She sent him away...
Away without me
How could something so awful
Ever come to be?
I spend my time napping
Feeling so sad
I glare at HER coldly
And tell her she's bad!
I want My Guy back
I want him back now!
And if I don't get him
I'll incessantly MEOW!
That will make her go running
To go get My Guy
Bring him back for some kneading
With a purr and a sigh...
The pettins chair's empty
His bed cold and blank
I know for a fact
I have HER to thank...
For driving him off
She's not furry like me
No fuzzy soft belly
I'll flop so you see!
I hope he comes home
I'm filled with woe
And if he's not back soon
On her pillow I'll "go"!

Hmmm... I hope Mr. POSSLQ comes home soon. Something tells me I'd better Saran Wrap my pillow, too!

Sulking Felines

It's no secret that the Kitties who live in The Little House on The Hill love Mr. POSSLQ. I, on the other hand, am more "hired help" to them... They tolerate my presence because I feed them and keep their kitty boxes poopsmithed. But when it comes to a good snuggle, they shun me in favor of Mr. POSSLQ.

So, since he left, every time I come in the door, they come running, see it's only me and skulk off. I'm not joking. They are not pleased that he isn't home and want seem to want know what I did to make him go away. And really wish he'd come back and send me away!

I was in bed this morning and Weedy came into the bedroom, jumped on the bed, stompled over me and proceeded to do what I can only conjecture was giving me a good cussing out. She meowed at me in various angry tones for about 2 minutes, kneading on me quite angrily until she "flumped" down on me and glowered.

I've barely seen Willow... I think he's been snuggled up on Mr. POSSLQ's clothes in the closet.

It's all just very weird. It's not the being alone part that bothers me... it's more that I am used to having someone around (as are the kitties) and it just feels like something is missing.

There may be some Weedy poetry here soon. She's been mumbling all day...!

F-Word Friday

Hello Internetz and welcome to yet another F-Word Friday. Sometimes, there is not an adequate "real" word for what you want to say... so today's honorary F-Word is Fuxxors. Used in a sentence "Today everything was just fuxxors beyond belief!"

Got to bed after midnight last night. Not good when today was scheduled to begin at the crack of insanity known as 4AM. Mr. POSSLQ did what he needed to do... I did the bare minimum and then drove him to the airport shuttle and then motored on in to work. I was at work ungodly early which at least meant that I got a good parking spot!

Mr. POSSLQ's first of three flights wasn't too bad. But when he got to his first stopover, he found his departure was to be delayed. It ended up delayed to the point that he didn't make the connection for the last leg of the trip. THAT took TWO rebookings and the finally landed at his destination at nearly friggin' midnight only to find out that the car rental was fuxxors. After finally nailing down his rental car (at more than double the anticipated price), he went off in search of food.

My day was spent getting frustrated at work. We've had some issues lately and every time I send out an email, everyone has to tell me I'm wrong. Even when I say "BigBoss says X", my co-workers feel the need to tell me that he couldn't possibly have said that. Even if I FORWARD an email from him, somehow I am the person who is "wrong". Fine. Whatever. I put in my 8 hours (which puts me at 44+ hours for the week) and will need to get up at the crack of insanity tomorrow morning to bring in breakfast stuff for the people who are required to work this weekend. As much as I would love to come home after that and go back to bed, I have a full day planned for tomorrow.

This week has held frustration, grief and tears. It has harboured worry, anxiety and drama. I am hoping that, on Sunday, there can finally be some peace.

Zero Hour... 9AM...

As I write this, Mr. POSSLQ is on a shuttle to the airport. It's the crack of insanity in the morning. I've been awake since about 4AM. At the moment I'm feeling "ok" but know that as the day drags on, I will begin to drag. Was up late last night getting all of the packing done (because Mr. POSSLQ had to work late, which meant we got home late...)

I have a bunch of stuff on my agenda for the weekend and a mile long "to do" list. I know when I get home tonight, the kitties will be less than happy because they really love Mr. POSSLQ and he won't be there. (There may be some "emo kitty poetry" here in the next few days as Weedy laments the absence of Mr. POSSLQ) .

I'm not sure what Mr. POSSLQ's online availability will be as there will not be internetz where he is staying (Mom hasn't got Wifi... heck, she hasn't graduated from dial-up yet!) so connectivity will be related to when he can get out to a hotspot which means I might be online during daytime hours so I can chat him up but will, otherwise, be focusing on projects and getting the things that need to get done, done. The last few days have also shown me that I really need to get things alot more organized.

On an up note, the supplies for a project (actually a cluster of related projects) have all arrived. So, I am right on schedule for that (ahead of schedule even).

More later.

Life (and Death) march on...

No TMI Thursday post today because I think that there has been enough TMI going on here this week. And besides, there's some serious "stuff" happening at the moment.

Earlier in the week, Mr. POSSLQ had gotten an email from his Mom with the news that his Grandpa was in hospice care & not expected to make it much longer. He came home last night to another e-mail from Mom saying that Grandpa had passed.

In a flurry of activity, a plane trip was arranged, a car was rented, a budget was ripped asunder with wild abandon (I'm not complaining about that... this is something that simply needed to be done. Life happens and you have to have priorities). When the dust settled, Mr. POSSLQ was booked on a flight out East on Friday and I will have a few days of surly cats to deal with. I have plenty of things to do to pass the time while he's visiting with family. But it'll be sortve weird not having him around. And, as I said, the cats will be quite surly (because they cuddle with him all the time and I am sure Weedy will be absolutely disgusted that "The Pettins Chair" (Mr. POSSLQ's desk chair) will be empty.

This is one of those times when it strikes me how odd our relationship is. I've never met his family (and likely never will). He's never met my family (again, small likelihood that he will). The normal things that would bring a family together (a marriage, for instance) just don't apply to our situation (by mutual decision). I worry that if something happens to him on his trip, no one will know to call me, though. Not that I think anything will happen... it's just one of those things that drifts through my mind because I am prone to think about all of the "what-ifs" of situations.

I'm not afraid of the the time alone. I know I can take care of myself and the critters. I will need to remember to water the tomatoes. The lawn has just been mowed so it won't need to be done again before he returns (a damn good thing cuz I haven't a clue how to work the lawnmower!) As I said earlier, I have PLENTY I can be doing to fill the time. I will fill in for his shifts as DJ in Second Life. The house needs some cleaning. There is gardening to be done and the usual weekly chores. I'm sure it will be fine. Weird, but fine.

Time to get going to work. The "normal" stuff still needs to be done. That won't stop. Goodbye to Grandpa and Safe Travels to Mr. POSSLQ!

A difficult (but necessary) post

One of the other blogs I write has a disclaimer on the front page. I didn't do that here, because I didn't think I was going to write anything that would be provocative/piss people off. As is often the case, I was wrong.

This post is likely going to cost me readers. But I need to say this, so try to at least read the post before you extract me from your reader and leave me a comment that flames me to a crisp.

I do worry from time to time about things I say here offending someone who I know reads this blog. There are people who come to read that I don't know and who never comment and I don't know if they read something here and never come back or if they find something intriguing and just lurk, reading my posts. I'm pretty sure that there is at least one fairly regular reader who it kindve scares me that they read this.

I am fully aware that potential (and perhaps past) employers may read this. I am pretty sure things I've written here have made a professional relationship I'd hoped to save a nearly impossible endeavor. But when you start censoring yourself, you run out of things to write. Or at least you run out of things that anyone wants to read.

If I got paid for this, if this blog were my JOB, I'd certainly write it very differently. I may keep other blogs, under another name, where I write things that I would NEVER write here because I have things to say and don't want to make people uncomfortable.

Please realize, I've never written anything here (or on Twitter, for that matter) that was meant to hurt someone. It ties my stomach in knots to see people who are unhappy with either my post or another reader's comments. Even though I moderate comments, I do publish all of them (at least I have, to date).

The bottom line for me is summed up in the following XKCD comic. I'm sorry if it (or I) offend you.

For easier reading, click here.

I have some choices. I can stop blogging. I can nuke this blog and start writing somewhere else under a pseudonym. I can write completely unoffensive fluff (that NO ONE will read). But I think part of the above comic says it best.... "...I do know one thing: The solution doesn't involve watering down my every little idea and creative impulse for the sake of someday easing my fit into a mold. It doesn't involve tempering my life to better fit someone's expectations. It doesn't involve constantly holding back for fear of shaking things up..." Whether I do it here or elsewhere, I'm going to keep blogging. And if I let people in on where I move to, I'm just going to eventually end up in a situation where I'm going to say something that pisses people off again.

Many of you have commented that I must work with the biggest bunch of chucklefucks in the state I live in. I honestly think, though, that the problem isn't everyone I work with. Think about it... I have just HORRENDOUS things happen in every work situation I'm in. And just as the common denominator in three failed marriages is me, I think the bottom line is that I'm obviously incapable of sustaining personal or professional relationships. There is something about ME that irritates people, that aggravates them, that pisses them off. My insistence on being myself, when the thing that is truly valued is conformity, makes me highly undesirable. I am the petunia in the onion patch...

So, now I have to decide whether to dig in and stay or call it a day and find new soil.

Do you have the time to listen to me wine...?

Yes, the title of this post is spelled correctly. In spite of my having had a couple of glasses of Penfold's Rawson's Retreat Shiraz/Cabernet... described thusly:

Medium crimson red. Aromas of red currant and summer pudding fruits with a lift of varietal cabernet, and appealing spicy shiraz. Youthful and lively fruit flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and loganberry follow from the nose. A medium bodied wine with a sweet-fruited mid-palate and great balance.

I shall endeavor, at some point to find out what a loganberry smells like... In any case, it's a delightful wine with a "peppery" taste to it (pepper- the spice, not pepper - the vegetable). I have to admit I picked this particular wine this evening due to it having a twist cap vs. a cork.

Penfold's is an Australian winery. I'd heard from an Aussie that they make good wine and so when we found some at the local liquor store (the folks that host the wine tasting) we picked some up.

I am also super excited because the first batch of stuff for my upcoming project showed up today and it's every bit as wonderful as I had hoped!

I am still looking forward to the Garnacha de Fuego we picked up... described thusly:

On the nose, this wine shows ripe black fruits: black raspberry and prune, with a touch of eucalyptus, pepper, and a smidgeon of earth. The palate offers a silky smooth texture, warm black raspberry, black cherry, and plum, with a touch of spice – maybe vanilla? Acidity and tannins are medium, appropriate for food but not so high that they’re overbearing when this wine is drunk by itself. Drink it with burgers, skirt steaks, cheese, tacos.

I am thinking it will, perhaps, go well with Sunday Dinner (unless we find something else at the tasting...)

In any case, this isn't going to be an especially long post because I've had wine and concentration is not real easy at this point for me. I think being tired when you have wine just makes the wine have a more soporific effect. Add to that the fact that I had a light lunch and thusly not alot in my stomach when I ingested the wine and you have all the makings of a rather short blog post.



P.S. - to the person who I know doesn't read my blog but might, on occasion, have this blog read to them, whom I may or may not have referred to as Mr. Wine Snob in/on a certain social networking platform, I promise I didn't mean it as an insult. I honestly hope that one day we will again get to share some wine and when that day arrives, I promise to not look like Eliza Dolittle again!

Monday, I want a divorce! (TMI Thursday is EARLY this week!)

I am not generally a fan of Monday to begin with. Today, though, has been worse than usual (and, as I am writing at least part of this post from work, I honestly expect things will get worse before they get better).

To begin with... I woke up this morning with gut wrenching stomach cramps. This was after laying awake for almost 2 hours last night worrying about a number of things that I cannot change/fix. And I went to bed about 2 hours later than I should have to begin with.

Finally got my shit together (literally and figuratively) and got in to work. Again this morning the AC wasn't on and it was hotter than Hades in the office. This with it being in the high 80's outside with what feels like 100% humidity.

84°F -->RealFeel® 101°F

So, I whipped off an email to the facilities guy and got to work doing follow-up on other things. A half hour later, a cow-irker whips off an email TO THE ENTIRE OFFICE complaining about the heat. My boss responded by ripping me a new one about not taking care of the situation. I politely email the cow-irker and tell him if he has facilities issues, please address them with me and not in a public email. His response was pretty much "F-you, I'll say whatever I want, however I want to whomever I want".

This was followed by the other manager level person coming to my office and complaining about the heat at which point I, being the consummate professional that I am, burst into tears. Oh yeah, kids, I'm all sorts of Klassy.

After trying to recover from THAT, I went off to the restroom. When I returned I found out that if your office door closes behind you, it locks. So, I had to go to security and get someone to come and let me into my office.

As I was standing in the hall, a guy who works in the building comes by and says "how's it goin'?". I chuckled and said "locked myself out of my office" and he stops, scowls and says "Like I fuckin' care about your problems, Lady" and then stomps off in a huff. Oh, what a BANNER day this has been. By this point, I honestly just wanted to call it a day and go home. But.... I don't have any vacation or sick time (being but a lowly contractor). I'm watching the clock today and will bolt out of here at the first opportunity.

But, apparently, not before humiliating myself a little bit more... As the day has progressed, I've gotten a headache that has gotten progressively worse. Found out that I managed to piss someone else off (I'm on a fuckin' roll today), which started the sobbing in my office all over again. By this point headache + emotional upset = OMFG! I HAVE TO PUKE! RIGHT NOW! So, I sprinted to the ladies room and managed to disgust the three women who had been in there (fortunately all ensconsed in stalls so they didn't actually see who it was who came in and horked as if she'd been on a bender all weekend, which I hadn't).

I'm sure I look absolutely terriffic right now... crying most of the day+ horking+ headache (I AM thankful I didn't get any of the vile stuff I spewed on myself. Though I think I would have stood at the sink and just washed my clothes right there... couldn't be any more humiliating than the day I've already had). Oh yeah, kids, I'm all sorts of Klassy.

If it could get worse, I just don't want to know.

F-Word Friday

Hello Internetz... and welcome to another F-Word Friday. Today's F-Word is FOOD. Probably really appropriate as it is 8:15 and Mr. POSSLQ is allegedly coming home soon and bringing dinner. If he hadn't told me to "go to lunch, dammit" today, I'd probably be hungrily stalking one of our critters (I kid) but, as it was, I went out to lunch today. (Because I had a vehicle and COULD go out for lunch today! Yay!)

Since it is rare for me to have the opportunity to go anywhere I want for lunch, I went to straight to the belly of the fast food Beast... Toxic Hell... I haven't been there in about 5 years. The food is cheap and edible and seems (so far) to not be wreaking havoc on my digestive system. I wouldn't eat it every day, though. Anyhoo, as I sat in the parking lot at work (because, I admit it, I was embarrassed to walk in with Toxic Hell) I got to thinking about foods that I think of when I think of certain words (What? doesn't everyone have words that relate to food? That aren't the actual names of a food?... Ok, I'm a freak....)

Anyhoo... I believe that the Nachos I had today (I will not use their trademarked name) embody the word "regret"...

I mean, look at that.... Does that not just SCREAM "regret"? I mean, what drives a person to eat this stuff? Certainly not love of good food. But I ate most of them and so far am not paying the price but I still look at them and see regret...

So...I got to thinking what other words and foods relate... How about "desire"?

Yep, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries are a good "desire" food... They are romantic and delicious and very desirable.

Then we have "desperate"...

Because, face it, if you're eating these, you're probably pretty intoxicated or really damn hungry (for the record, I happen to like them... even when I'm not intoxicated... like I said... FREAK!)

Ok, now... how about "romantic" (or, depending on the situation "horny and I'd damn well better get some after this dinner!")

Cuz, if there is surf n' turf, there had better be some sweet lovin afterwards, right? *giggle

And last (for this post anyways) we have "comfort"...

Yep, that's a big platter of pasta. Maybe it's "comfort" to me because I'm Italian, I dunno... But I look at that and imagine how delicious it will taste and just feel like "home".

So, do you have words that are represented well by food? I may well do some follow-up posts when I come up with more personal correlations!

Happy Friday, Internetz and have a Stellar Weekend!

TMI Thursday - It's in the bag

***Alright, folks, you know the rules. Join us all in humiliating the crap out of yourself every Thursday by sharing some completely tasteless, wholly unclassy, "how many readers can I estrange THIS week??" TMI story about your life. Or hell, about someone else's!

Just link back to the hub with this link, so your readers can read ALLLLLLL the TMI glory, and I'll make sure to link to you.***

A rather mild TMI Thursday this week but I've been meaning to write about this for a while...

First, my annoyance for this week... which is sortve TMI, too. The Very Big Company Complex where I work is having a conference or training this week. This is annoying because they are giving them all the good parking spaces and serving them yummy smelling food and... the worst part... there are a lot more women using the restroom.

Why is this a problem? Please recall my little issue with "stage fright" and also, what kind of chucklefuck pisses all over the toilet seat and doesn't even TRY to clean it up? Well, let me tell you, it's the bunch of chucklefucks who are at this conference/training. Plus, they used up all the freakin' feminine supplies in the restroom so I had to roll my own today. Nice.

Anyhoo... in the nicer, more private restroom upstairs in my building (which I know about because I'd worked in that building before and let me tell you, I know where ALL the restrooms are!) there are these neat little "Personal Disposal Bags"...


Which is really neato. But, it reminds me of the Anal Retentive Chef from Saturday Night Live who wrapped trash in foil, then baggied it up, then put it in a paper bag folded over and taped. And it's not something they have in EVERY restroom in the building, either. I don't know what makes the upstairs bathroom uber leet (maybe there's someone with OCD and it is provided as some kind of ADA accommodation?!) The ones in our restroom, though, are NOT scented.

"Roll your own" has sortve become a theme for me this week. I went out to lunch with the 3 other people who deemed it necessary to show up in the office yesterday, all male... I get to the restaurant, go use the restroom and accidentally caught the string and couldn't just stuff it back into place, didn't have backup in my purse (I know, inexcusable) so had to roll my own and hope to GOD that it didn't slide out of place at the restaurant. I think I'd have died of embarrassment. It all worked out, I got back to the office and made everything right again but it was a close call that I don't care to repeat.

So... that's what I've got for TMI Thursday this week. Nothing too big or embarrassing. Except, maybe, if you're a guy who doesn't like to think about female bodily functions.

Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Frozen Tundra Heats Up

The Frozen Tundra is not a subtle place. It is a place of extremes. Bitter cold in the winter (9 months of the year, roughly) and hot, humid and "damp" the other part of the year. We have moved now into the hot, humid and "damp" part of the year. Rain, Tornado Watches & Warnings and all that lovely stuff. Still, I'd rather deal with the discomfort that hot & humid brings than the bone chilling that the bitter cold brings.

In garden news... We have an itty bitty tomato growing! And lots of flowers on the plants! Yay!

I had an idea of what I was going to post tonight while I was at work today, but darn if I can remember now what it was. It was brilliant, whatever it was. (You'll have to trust me on this)

I guess I'll go with my rule breaking form last week and do the Sunday Stealing Meme on Wednesday!

1. What thing is nearest to you ? My laptop

2. What is your ringtone ? I have a few for special people, the default is one that came with the phone.

3. What was the last message in your inbox ? Probably a "Hulloo Zeeba Neighba!" scam email

4. Who is your best friend ? I'm actually working on being my own best friend right now. I know that sounds incredibly self-centered, but I tend to get caught up in who I am to other people so it's important I get a little better acquainted with myself.

5. What is the brand of your TV ? I haven't owned a TV in over 3 years.

6. What schools did you attend? Shattuck - St. Mary's (which is a co-ed college prep HS) and 1 year at the U of M

7. Do you own a MP4 ? No

8. What song are you listening to now ? Not listening to any music

9. Did you kiss anybody in the past 2 days ? Yes

10. Have you ever kissed someone you met in the blogosphere? Someone I met ONLINE, yes. But not from the blogosphere.

11. What would you want to be called if you weren't your current name ? I like the name Alura Delorean.

12. Would you be happy if you had everything ? Yes and no... Actually, I don't think you can ever have EVERYTHING. But to not have to struggle so hard would be nice.

13. Are you always thinking of someone special? I'm not obsessive in that way.

14. Tell us of your most desperate dream? I'd love to be able to be debt free. I'd settle for being able to qualify for a consolidation loan with enough extra to be able to move.

15. When did you last laugh till you cried? I think Willow did something one night that made me at least laugh til my stomach hurt.

16. If you had a crush, would you tell them you love him/her now ? No. I'm sortve "over" romance.

17. If you could be anywhere in the world now, where would you want to be ? My own home somewhere warm. (Somewhere that has a nice climate year-round, meaning NOT THE FROZEN TUNDRA!)

18. When was your heart last broken? Last Friday when I came home to find Greg the Bunny had passed away.

19. Whose birthday(s) is/are coming up? Crissy the QOFE, Ben's Newf... those are the 2 I remember right off

20. How many email accounts do you have? At least a dozen


I have an idea for TMI Thursday, too. But I need to get a picture so we will see if it actually ends up happening this week.

A peek into the past & project pending...

I don't know what made me think of Gypsy (not her real name) today. I haven't talked to her in about 3 and a half years. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that we just had a difference of opinion and each said our peace and then sortve moved on. But, Gypsy had been a good friend and I figured I'd see if she was doing all right. Turns out the email I had for her was still valid and we did a little back and forth emailing today.

I enjoy reconnecting with people but there is always a bit of fear... fear that they will not like the direction my life has taken in the past few (or even several) years. But I keep reconnecting because I find that there have been more positive interactions to come of it than negative.

I also made some of the first steps toward working on a new project today. There are quite a few things that need to be done to bring it to fruition, but I am gathering together the materials that I need and then I can move forward on getting it done. If it proves successful, it could be the start of something really cool and I am looking forward to seeing it all fall into place. I don't expect it will be easy, but I am excited about it.

Tomorrow is my least favorite day at work. Tomorrow, I will work on reconciling the purchasing card transactions. It's a pain in the ass and I dislike it alot but it must be done. (Very similar to cleaning the litter box... which also must be done, because tomorrow is trash day).

More on the project as it becomes viable.

Helpful Cat (and helping folks...)

We jokingly call our cat, Willow, "Helpful Cat"... He seems to always be wherever we are, doing something that is UNhelpful but he's just so darn CUTE doing it that you can't help but laugh. For instance... if I am dealing with laundry, he's RIGHT THERE to pounce on the laundry basket to make sure the laundry doesn't get unruly. Or he'll pounce Mr. POSSLQ's bed to make sure the bed doesn't attack him whilst he sleeps.

The other day I was doing some yoga (3 legged dog, if you're familiar), Helpful Cat came along, flopped on my yoga mat and then grabbed my hand and started licking it. This does NOT help concentration, let me tell you. But he's just so darn CUTE.

So, that's what we deal with here at the Little House on the Hill. Our own brand of insanity in feline form.

Now on to the "helping folks" portion of the post. The charming Very Bad Cat has some goodies up on ebay - go check them out. I know that for most (all?) of us, the belts are tight and we are pinching pennies, but if you can get something cool and help someone out at the same time, all the better, right?

Also... I've been meaning to do this for a while. If you shop on Amazon.com please give this a thought... If you shop at Amazon.com, you can let them throw a few dollars to my friend, Beep...
if you use a special link to make your purchases, a small percentage of your purchase goes to help with her medical expenses.
The link is http://images.spinics.net/ambeep/xxxxxxxx,
where you replace xxxxxxxx with the ASIN or ISBN of the item (that Amazon displays, for each item they sell).
Please note that this link goes NOWHERE until there is a valid ASIN or ISBN in place of the xxxxxxxx.
This is done at NO cost to you as the purchaser.
Thank you for letting Amazon help her out !!!!

Now, I can hear you all thinking "Why should we care?" And my answer to that is this: Most of us are actually pretty fortunate, if you think about it. We have homes, jobs, reasonably good health... but I think that many of us are a paycheck or two away from doom. Some because they are young, fresh out of college or in their early 20's and working on getting established, some have been fuxxored by the economy and have been de-jobbed and unemployment is a bandaid holding back a flood, some have chronic (or acute) health issues... But if you have the means to lend a hand when you have your necessities covered, there is a better chance that when you need help (and I think EVERYONE has a point at which they need SOME sort of help... not financial all the time but sometimes you just need to know SOMEONE cares),that someone will be there for you. And I like to think that the blogosphere is like family... sure, sometimes they make you crazy but most of the time they're funny, helpful, loyal and kind.

Helpful Cat is guarding the bedroom door now. In case....ummm, I dunno... but since I haven't been ambushed by maurauding hordes of anything, I am confident he's doing his job! Thanks, Helpful Cat!

Sunday Coffeehouse Post

Yes, we actually managed to get out to the coffeehouse this week to get in some lappie time. Yes, this means we are huge geeks. It also means that Mr. POSSLQ is not on call (I made him turn his phone off on Friday, just in case they got the bright idea to call him and try to make him work... seriously, it's getting out of hand...)

After the coffeehouse, we will head over to the PetSmart and then to SuperTarget to do the grocery shopping and then home for a flurry of activity. Weekends really ought to be at least 3 days long, because it seems that there is just never a day to "do nothing". I worry about Mr. POSSLQ's burnout level. If I am not mistaken he worked for 5 weeks without a break. And even if you don't actually have to go out on a call on an on-call day, you can't PLAN anything because you have to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

Operation 1000 days (999, now, I think) is progressing well. I haven't gotten as much done as I would like, but I am making progress and I am happy with the progress I'm making.

We stopped by the local petstore yesterday (as opposed to the chain store - PetSmart or PetCo) to pick up some new substrate for Pitr the Tortoise. They had an itty bitty bunny there who was SOOO cute. But Mr. POSSLQ had lectured me before we even ventured out yesterday that there would be no new critters coming home with us. I asked if I could get a varmint and he put the kibosh on that, as well. I believe the lil Bun was an Angora or an Angora mix which means it would have needed daily brushing. Still, it was young enough it could have been properly socialized and might have even LIKED sitting in a lap being brushed. But, we probably don't need another critter right now. I still have to clean out Greg's cage and we will probably break it down and store it. It's really hard looking at it all empty like it is at the moment.

So, this afternoon will be cleaning up the corner of the house that was occupied by Greg, changing Pitr's substrate and maybe taking him out for a romp in the yard, doing laundry and some other tasks.... including preparing strawberries for tonight's strawberry shortcake dessert!

Mr. POSSLQ and I have also been talking about another possible project that we will discuss more and probably go ahead with. If all goes as planned, I may add video editing to my list of mad skillz!

Have a Stellar Sunday, Internetz!

Sauced Saturday

4:44 on a Saturday may seem a tad early to be many sheets to the wind... and yet, here I am. Let's look at how I got here...

Saturdays that Mr. POSSLQ doesn't work (isn't on call) we go to the local liquor store's wine tasting. The thing is, I hadn't eaten before today's foray so dumped several wine samples into an empty stomach. Nice.

We then proceeded to go out for dinner. It was Happy Hour. I didn't realize that meant 2 for 1 when I ordered the special of the day which was a delicious Mango drink and then the waitress brought TWO of them. OH HOLY CRAP!

But, we were celebrating four months of being smoke free for Mr. POSSLQ, 1000 days til "the big birthday" (by which time I have a list of things that WILL be accomplished) and drank a toast to the dear departed Greg.

So.... I ate way too much, had way too much alcohol and now think I will languish in the tub for a while (read: get into the tub and fall asleep) Yes, there will be water in the tub. No, there is no danger of me drowning.

F-Word Friday

I'd been trying all day to come up with a good F-Word for F-Word Friday. I wish very much one hadn't been thrust upon me. Today's F-Word is Funeral.

Greg, our bunny, had been a little listless the past couple days. He didn't seem ill, per se, just less active than usual. But I remember during shedding season last year he was a tad lethargic and we worried about him and then he was fine. Not so much this time. Came home tonight and he was deceased.

A little history..... I am not quite sure how I came to want a rabbit. But one day I was perusing Freecycle and there was a rabbit listed. We went and picked him up and he was in a horrible cage (not the type bunnies are supposed to have). He was actually the pet of the neighbors to the people we got him from, he'd been living in their garage for a few days, his owners had decided they didn't want him anymore and went on vacation, leaving him with the neighbor (I think the story was they wanted to get rid of him while they were on vacation so the kids wouldn't fuss about it... how completely reprehensible!). After checking to be sure we were not planning on having "Spot" (that was the name he came with) for dinner, we loaded him up. Stopped at the PetSmart on the way home and got the supplies we would need (because in spite of having advertised him as coming with all necessary accoutrements, he needed new EVERYTHING). We came home, put together his new home and thus began our life with Greg the Bunny (6/6/07).

I'd like to believe he had 2 good years with us. He had never been socialized so wasn't too fond of petting but he did like to climb all over Mr.POSSLQ when we let him out of his cage and he had a crush on our cat, Willow. He wasn't too keen on being handled, so we didn't often get to trimming his claws. But he was cute and oh so soft and I'll miss him terribly.

So, tonight, after work, in the rain, we had a funeral for Greg, the Bunny. He will be missed.

See you at the Rainbow Bridge, Bunzle!

Breakin' the Rules

The following meme is a "Sunday Stealing" meme. But since I was all wound up and serious yesterday, I thought I'd be a little less serious today...

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Monkey's Meme

1. Name one person who made you smile today: Alfred of Alfred.TV - watched his YouTube Video... laughed my ballz off.

2. What were you doing at 8am this morning? I was showering. And washing my hair. With my really nice smelling new shampoo. Then I conditioned with my really nice smelling new conditioner.

3. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Watching the latest Foamy video

4. What is your favorite candy bar? Pearsons used to make a 7-Up candy bar (thus named because it had 7 sections, each with a different filling). I am also really fond of the Cadbury Peppermint (oozy green mint filling) candybar which I haven't seen in at least a decade and a half.

5. Have you ever been to a strip club? Yes. And professional wrestling was on the TV screens. I was really quite impressed with the strippers who could hang on the poles using only their ankles.

6. What was the last thing you had to drink? Blood Orange Soda

7. What was the last thing you ate? Salad

8. The last sporting event you watched? Does watching Alfred swim in the ocean count as a sporting event? If not... probably... professional wrestling (it is TOO a sport, dammit!)

9. Do you go to church every Sunday? Hahahahahahahahaha*wheeze* Hahahahahahahahaha (which translates to... NO!)

10. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? Really depends on the mood I am in. I really like Chinese food and I really like pizza...

11. What are you doing tomorrow? Going to work. Again.

12. What do you think of when you hear Australia? Cherry Ripe Candy Bars (which I desperately want to try. I've heard they are DELICIOUS!

13. Biggest annoyance right now? Not having time to do what I WANT to do because of the things I HAVE to do.

14. Last song listened to? Watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog last night.

15. Do you have a maid service clean your house? Hahahahahahahahaha*wheeze* Hahahahahahahahaha (which translates to... NO!)

16. Are you jealous of anyone? If I took the time to write that list, I'd never get anything else done.

17. Is anyone jealous of you? Hahahahahahahahaha*wheeze*Hahahahahahahahaha (which translates to... NO!)

18. What do you usually do during the day? Weekdays = Work Weekends = all the stuff that got put off because of what I do on weekdays.

19. Do you hate anyone that you know right now? I think I can say that I really HATE only one person, the list of people I really, really, really don't like is a tich longer.

20. Are you thinking about someone right now? Actually, I am concerned for Very Bad Cat. So, I think that counts as a "yes" answer.

I don't think that there is a clean dish in the house. I know that there are no clean forks. Yeah, it's been one of THOSE weeks. On an up note, Mr. POSSLQ is FINALLY not "on call" for work (for a paltry few days, then it's back to being "on call" for the rest of the freakin' month...)

Need to go pop in some laundry before it's time for bed. Trying to think what dinner is tomorrow. Hopefully something we don't need clean dishes for...

As Good As It Gets?

The following is important to the rest of the post, so bear with me for including movie dialogue in a blog post:

Melvin Udall: I've got a really great compliment for you, and it's true.
Carol Connelly: I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.
Melvin Udall: Don't be pessimistic, it's not your style. Okay, here I go: Clearly, a mistake. I've got this, what - ailment? My doctor, a shrink that I used to go to all the time, he says that in fifty or sixty percent of the cases, a pill really helps. I *hate* pills, very dangerous thing, pills. Hate. I'm using the word "hate" here, about pills. Hate. My compliment is, that night when you came over and told me that you would never... well, you were there, you know what you said. Well, my compliment to you is, the next morning, I started taking the pills.
Carol Connelly: I don't quite get how that's a compliment for me.
Melvin Udall: You make me want to be a better man.
Carol Connelly: ...That's maybe the best compliment of my life.
(From the movie As Good As It Gets)

We all have bad days. Some days are worse than others. On top of the not wonderful workday I had today, I ran an errand. While on that errand I was very subtly insulted by someone whose opinion I value a great deal. That would normally sting a little but on top of the fact that I've been feeling really awful lately about my looks (this started back in November and has slowly and steadily gotten worse). I've been working on it very hard lately but honestly, it's probably going to take weeks and possibly months to see any measurable change (if it, in fact, happens at all). I know, I know, I shouldn't need validation from anyone. I should love myself blah, blah, blah. Well, honestly, there comes a time, sometimes when you NEED a compliment. And there are none on the horizon for me (NO, I AM NOT ASKING THE BLOGOSPHERE FOR COMPLIMENTS, THAT ISN'T THE POINT OF THIS POST!)

The point I am trying to make is that sometimes we need something and it isn't polite to ask for or it is less valid if received after asking. I try to be sensitive when reading posts from others and knowing when people are just saying something to get it out of their heads and when they are saying something because they want/need some validation. Periodically, I'll read something and take it one way and comment and find out that the way I interpreted it wasn't how it was meant (case in point, someone who had previously posted some very depressed posts tweeted "I should have done this a long time ago" and I was worried that was an indication that the person had perhaps decided to do something drastic. As it turned out, a couple of things had happened and the situation had much improved and the Tweet was actually a positive thing. I kindve felt like a dumbass for thinking the worst but her return message indicated that she was touched that I had checked in).

I realize this whole post probably makes me come off as a huge attention whore. Which wasn't the goal. I just wanted to put in people's minds that sometimes a little compliment or taking the time to check in can make all the difference in the world. It doesn't have to be big. Be kind to your fellow humans. Be kind to the fuzzy critters who love you when it seems no one else does or can. And take a second to think about how what you say is going to be received. I know the subtle insult tonight wasn't meant to hurt me and I should man up and not let it bother me. But I've been feeling torn down for months now and it ended up being a trigger...

I promise to try to not post angsty crap here tomorrow! Nighty Night, Blogosphere.

What did I expect? It's a friggin' Monday...

It was raining when I got up this morning. I drove to the store for the weekly shopping trip to keep the breakroom stocked. In the parking lot, when I was getting ready to put my stuff in the truck, some asshat pulls halfway into the spot next to me and then sits there GLARING at me... Listen, bitch, you can't fuckin' miss me... I am not a petite flower, you cannot say you didn't see me. She finally gave up and backed up into a space across the row. Then she got out of her minivan and I overheard her trumpeting into her cell phone about "fatass rude bitches" and I couldn't help myself and shouted "glad you got a look in the mirror lady". She stopped (don't forget, it is fuckin' raining, her troweled-on makeup was streaming down her face at this point) and glared at me some more. I stepped away from my vehicle (I was just gonna put my cart away) and shescreamed "I'll call the fuckin' cops if you take one more step towards me..." as she RAN for the store. Holy Histrionics, Batman!

Ok, so then I pull into the parking lot at work and it starts to rain HARDER. I get out, load up my trusty cart and head into the office. By the time I get to the door, I am soaked. Lovely. Nothing like sitting in soggy undergarments all day (think wet bathing suit).

I had my weekly meeting with Bossman. He asks about the status report (what I believed until today was a fluff thing that I remember about 75% of the time, mainly because we rehash the whole week in the meeting so the report is redundant) and I said I hadn't gotten it done and he says, with a chuckle, "Guess I can't approve your timecard, then" and we went on with our meeting. I didn't really think about it again until late afternoon when I realized that he hadn't approved my timecard. Apparently, what I thought was a sortve fluff report is now actually MANDATORY for me to get paid. Guess what... approved timecards are due by noon on Monday. I didn't have an approved timecard submitted. Guess who isn't getting paid for an entire week's work? Yeah... to say I am unamused is an understatement.

Spent most of the day working on setting up a wiki page at work. It sucks mightily. I hate the way it looks. It's boring. It needs a lot of work and honestly, I cannot make The Frozen Tundra sound slike an exciting, attractive place to live. Which is what my boss wants the wiki to do. Yes, folks, there's a large, smelly fail whale rotting on my work wiki.

The above fiascos put me in a completely rotten state of mind. I left work, walked out to the parking lot, got in the truck. There was a huge black truck parked a couple rows behind me. There was a guy sitting in the truck. I didn't think twice about that because.. big company, big parking lot, lots of guys work there... But when I started up my truck, the lights on the other truck came on. I made my way out of the parking lot and eased onto the highway. The other truck was about a car length behind me and he was on his cell phone... as I pulled onto the highway, I see fucktard cut two people off as he comes whipping across two lanes to follow me onto the highway. He's still on his cell. I merge onto the highway and drive toward home. He is, again, a car length behind me and over a lane. I come to my exit and pull into the exit lane. Suddenly, fucktard is AGAIN cutting across lanes and cutting people off and we get to the light and he's tapping his fingers on his steering wheel and agitatedly talking on the phone. I drive across the intersection towards home (at this point if you go forward as I did, you can either head up the frontage road or go back onto the highway). Fucktard charges RIGHT UP BEHIND ME and then whips off onto the freeway (again cutting someone off). I don't know what his major malfunction was, but it didn't improve my mood.

Got a TXT as I was getting in from Mr. POSSLQ asking if I could start dinner. No problem. Did a couple things. Mr. POSSLQ came home, we had dinner and watched an Alfred.TV stealthcast and I laughed my (theoretical) ballz off.

And my new personal heroine is Maxie... Her video totally rocks... and I'll share it with you here:


Thanks, Maxie! You totally made my day!

No Excuses

I'm sure everyone has stories of projects started that are left unfinished, resolutions made and not kept, dreams pursued but never QUITE reached.

I have a few issues with things. Getting started is one of them. I usually find myself looking at every little nuance and trying to anticipate every little thing that could go wrong and try to plan for it which... doesn't get things done.

Once I've gotten started, I have a problem with other things coming along and getting in the way. This is especially true with any kind of self improvement. I can really pay a lot of attention to things like multi-step skincare regimens or laying my clothes out the night before so I don't have to rush in the morning but after 2 to 4 days, my ADOS kicks in (ADOS is an Alfred term which stands for Attention Deficit OOOOH SHINY! which I think fits me well). I am occasionally able to stick with something for a week, maybe two, but then it always seems that *bing*bing*bing* things come up that make sticking to something difficult and once I've lost the momentum I find that getting back to the routine is somewhat more difficult than it was to get started originally. Maybe because it's now I know how much time something takes (*cough* putting makeup on EVERY DAMN MORNING *cough*) and I have a difficult time justifying taking the time.

So, I started on one component of the 1000+ day countdown yesterday. And was dead set on doing it again today. And so I arranged my tasks for the day to include it. And *bing*bing*bing* things came up that kept throwing the timeframe off. I had dinner to make. I had cupcakes to frost. The laundry needs to get done. The poopsmithing is VERY overdue. And none of these things are things I feel I can pass off to Mr. POSSLQ (the poopsmithing is RIGHT OUT and I cooked dinner tonight because he's on call for work and no, I didn't HAVE to make the cupcakes but I have been saying for weeks I should make them...)

But, I am happy to report that I did get it done. I made the time. I still REALLY need to change the kitty box (I am afraid poopin' on my pillow is imminent) and then I have to get the laundry from the washer into the dryer and then I think I can FINALLY go to bed.

My house is a mess. It was not the most productive weekend ever. I'm trying not to be, but am completely ticked off that a freelance client who keeps telling me that they have money for me can never seem to meet up and won't mail it & says they have been unsuccessful at Paypalling it still hasn't gotten me any money and the people I owe money to aren't impressed with my collections woes.

Ok, folks... Off to shovel shit! Have a stellar week!

Mixed Day

I was planning on doing the grocery shopping today, but it has been raining and bleh out all day and I just couldn't motivate myself out the door. I did, however, get things done, so it wasn't a total wash. Speaking of wash, I suppose I could have done the laundry today. And I might yet start it. But there are other things that I want to get done today and this whole learning to prioritize thing is still a bit of a challenge for me, so we shall see what actually ends up getting done.

What I did get done today, I feel pretty good about. And it has given me the motivation to keep going on my Master Plan (I have actually added a countdown timer on my sidebar... I believe we are 1007 days out at this point). So, then, next Saturday will be 1000 days.

I've also written two multiple paragraph things here today and erased them. I find myself second-guessing whether people would be offended by what I write. I am having some interesting things going on with people in my life (Not Mr. POSSLQ or my Dad) and I'm not sure how to express them in a way that will not be inflammatory. I'll continue to think on it, though and see if I can come up with something.

Speaking of Mr. POSSLQ... things are afoot where he works and it looks like the next couple of months are gonna suck some serious ass . He's on call this weekend (again) so no coffeehouse tomorrow. Sigh. And no wine. In the meantime, Helpful Cat (aka Willow) has been very helpful with the laundry (he pounces it and makes sure it is fully subdued before it gets put away) and apparently is a very diligent alarm clock for Mr. POSSLQ. I suspect it IS rather difficult to ignore cat ass in one's face on a long-term basis. Ad having ones feet pounced repeatedly is usually a wake up call, too. Wonder if I might talk Mr. POSSLQ into doing a burrito run for breakfast tomorrow... Hmmmm.... Even if not, I heard a rumour that the Andes Mint Cooler is back at Caribou! Will have to see if the rumour is true!

Have a great Saturday Night, blogosphere!

F-Word Friday

Hello again Internetz... and welcome to another F-Word Friday. Today's F-Word is Fucktard... and then a little blast from MsDarkstar's Past.

Today I got a call from Local Cable Company. Local Cable Company had been perusing their records and noted that I am only a subscriber to their fine (*cough*) internet service and not their cable TV service. So, Fucktard the Salesweasel was tasked with selling me cable service. There is one fatal flaw to this (ooooh! more F-words!) and that is that I have not owned a Television in 3+ years. Actually, I guess it's safe to say that it's pretty much 3 years to the day since I parted company with my television set, now that I have consulted my calendar. So, I inform Fuckard the Salesweasel that I haven't got a television set and thusly do not have need of his cable service. He ripostes with "so....you just have a set with and antennae, then?" No, I patiently explain, there is not a TV in the house. No magic boob tube for MsDarkstar. "But... but EVERYONE has a TV" he wheedles. I inform him that this simply is not a truism and that I, indeed, do not have a television. This stumps him for a moment. Then he decides to try to sell me landline phone service. I inform him I haven't owned a landline phone in 3 years, either. I do cop to having cellular service and Fucktard suggests that I can drop my cell in favor of landline service. I inform him that it would be inadequate as I primarily use my cell for TXT messaging and fielding stupid sales calls. He continues with "well, maybe we can set you up with an all-inclusive package, then...cable, landline phone and internet" No, my dear Fucktard, you cannot set me up with services I will never use. No! Bad Fucktard! No biscuit! At this point I inform him that my boss has wisps of smoke coming from his ears and that I must go back to feigning productivity but hope that he has a stellar weekend and hang up the phone.

And that would be the end of the story... except....

Around 20 years ago, I was living in a room in a house. I shared the kitchen and bathroom but had my own little hidey hole and had a phone and answering machine (old school, with a cassette tape, yo!) I kept getting calls from the local cable company. (This was also back in the day when Caller ID wasn't a widely offered/used service). One day, I picked up the phone instead of letting it go to the machine and got overjoyed Cable Salesweasel on the phone. Cable Salesweasel let me know he'd been trying to reach me for weeks so we could get me all set up with cable service. I informed him that due to an unfortunate sudden and nasty dissolution of my marital relationship, I was sans a television set at that juncture. Cable Salesweasel displayed the VERY SAME dismay that Fucktard the Saleweasel displayed and said "so, you're telling me that you have an ANSWERING MACHINE but no Television?" to which I blithely replied "why, yes... I have to have a way to get my calls because I'm always over at my friend's houses watching their TVs!". Cable Salesweasel was flabbergasted and, as I recall, hastily terminated his call.

And so, in spite of a span of two decades and huge advances in technology, I am still taking the very same calls and, ironically, still not rockin' a TV set (and don't miss it) TV was never my "drug of choice", I guess.

Have a stellar weekend, Internetz. I believe there may be cuppycakes this weekend. We'll see how busy things end up being.

No TMI... No Guts... No Glory....

I didn't really have any TMI I could think of to post this week, so I'll take the week off of TMI Thursday and maybe come up with something next week.

I don't know if you can tell from my blogging (probably not) but I am a pretty shy person by nature. My best public speaking has always been pretty spur of the moment, not alot of prep time but just get up there and let it fly... I watch Alfred.TV on Thursday nights now (9PM EST) and Al has folks call in and I just can't get my shit together and do it. I don't know what I'm worried about, it isn't like these people know who I am or anything so it's not like I'm gonna be at work and have someone be all "you were a fucktard on Alfred.TV last night". In any case, no guts, no glory. And I will say I am terribly disappointed in myself about it all. But, the bottom line is, I don't really think anyone who watches Alfred TV really gives a rat's ass about what the chick from The Frozen Tundra has to say. Maybe after I get my damn novel published and am "somebody" it will matter and I will have some meaning. Hell, at this point I can't even get an @reply from Kirstie Alley on Twitter... LOL

But, I can't live my life for what MIGHT happen. I can do the best I can to MAKE things happen. I have plenty just in my little life that gets away from me, doesn't get done or whatever and am working on having a better handle on things. Last night was really good as far as productivity, tonight sucked ass. And there was some "down time" tonight that I really should have used much better. All I can say is that it's a learning process and I'm still trying to get the hang of things which you'd think I'd have done by the age I am now.

There may actually be cupcakes this weekend. I picked up a cake decorator today so it's possible that there will be vegan cupcakes this weekend. I have other things I will be working on. I am sure that Monday will come far too quickly.

All I know is that there are 1009 days left. And I am taking that deadline very seriously. There are things that NEED to be accomplished in that time.

Productivity & Lappiness

So, the whole idea of having a laptop and getting things set up so that I could use the laptop in a room other than the distraction filled livingroom was that I would be able to be more productive if I weren't in an atmosphere that was awash in distractions. This would work better if my bedroom were a little cleaner but I am countering it by not turning the light on in here so all I can really see is the lappie's screen. Problem solved.

After I am done with this blog post, I will turn my attention to getting some REAL writing done. As in, I will actually work on my novel. For the first time in ages. I've actually really been looking forward to it and am starting to get a feel for the lappie's keyboard so I think that this will be a really good thing. I've recently thought up a name for my main character which has sortve caused me to rethink a couple of other things that I have been working on. No big deal, really... just things that are peripheral to the development of the character and the eventual... for lack of a better term, franchise. I want the main character of the book to be an entity who has her own presence in the blogosphere and I don't really want people to know that she's not a real person (I mean, she's me but she's got her own personality as well.... which sortve makes me sound like I have some sort of strange mental disorder, doesn't it?) In any case, there are reasons that I want to write the novel I am writing and not let people know that this largely autobiographical work is mine. I suppose if I hit the bigtime, it'll become apparent, but for now, I have a plan and I'd like to see if I can't make it work as I intend for it to work.

I am still trying to figure out how to best accomplish the writing that needs to be done for The Artist's Way. I am feeling right now that maybe if I start working on the novel again, maybe I can pull the other pieces together a little easier.

I am insanely happy to have a lappie, though, and to have the opportunity to be able to relocate to more productive environments when/if I need to. And I have a feeling, with news I got from Mr. POSSLQ today about some shit going down where he works, that being able to remove myself to "the lair" will be a good thing. I think he is not feeling as positive about my camping out. It's not that I don't like him or his company, it has to do with elements I need in order to be productive. And it's pretty obvious to me that what I've been doing isn't working for getting things done.

Onwards and upwards, Internetz!

Tired Tuesday

I didn't post yesterday. I started to a couple of times but didn't really have anything to say. Or at least nothing was coming out coherent. I'm also not quite sure what's up with me... (let me try to explain here) I am not a woman who is at all interested in babies. I know that makes me some sort of freak of nature because apparently it's some sort of genetical thing that women are baby crazy. Not me, though. When I hear a baby cry I want to flee, not comfort it. And having one of my own didn't change anything. I am likely one of the worst mothers ever (which is why I post almost NOTHING about The Girl... the other reason is I don't want her finding stuff and reading it and it making our relationship even WORSE). But, for some reason, I was stupid happy when I saw yesterday that the QOFE Crissy was going to birth Taco at long last. I TRIED to be all moody and surly yesterday but instead found myself trolling Facebook for updates. WTF, self? In any case, the Crissy's introduced Taco to the world and all is well and I don't expect Crissy will be updating her blog much for the next few months which means I'll have more time on my hands... sigh....

Anyhow... I really, really need to get set up to be able to use the Lappie in the bedroom. There is really no excuse for it not being done already. Productivity has not been my bitch lately. And I need to get shit done.

There was an email to all the folks at the company I work at informing them that the shutdown July 1, 2 & 3 is not "optional", it is "mandatory" and that HR will not grant exceptions. This has my cow-irkers all kefuffled. They, apparently, don't WANT time off. Whatever, freaks. While it is not optimal by an stretch, (because I am a lowly contractor and I don't have vacation time) I am looking forward to the time off because I have shit to get done. And the weekends aren't working so well for that. And there are things in the works that are going to cut into my free time even more (should the freakin' package ever arrive....seriously, it left the FedEx place that's a mere 5 hours away two days ago but isn't here YET!) but it's all for a good cause yet it doesn't negate the fact that THINGS NEED TO GET DONE!

Speaking of things needing to get done, I need to get ready to go to work. Which cuts into my blogging time. Sigh. See ya later, Internetz!

Very Big Bank Strikes Back

I always go in ahead of time and set up my payments online. I have 2 cards that are due the same day. I set both on the same day. Always. So, imagine my surprise when I go in for my weekly check today and.... ONE of them paid as it should have. The other did not and denied having had a payment set and TODAY was the friggin' due date but it's after 3PM EST and so... guess what? Even if I set the payment for today, it won't post until TOMORROW and therefore I am.... LATE! COCKSUCKINGMOTHERFUCKINGTHREEBALLBITCH!!!

When I call the Twatwaffles Customer Service I get told by Malabari Vindaloo that she is very sorry but, yes, sadly, there will be an late fee. Because the cut off time, you see, is 3PM of the Eastern Time and the payment was made after the 3PM of the Eastern Time and so, sadly, there will be an late fee. I query if there is any way to get a payment made that will NOT trigger a late fee but because it is after the 3PM of the Eastern Time, sadly, no, there will be an late fee. I state that I always set my payments ahead of time, that I have two accounts with them that are due the same day and that one of them paid so I know that, indeed, I had gone in and set up the payments. But, alas, Malabari informs me that their system does not to be showing a record of a payment being set before the 3PM of the Eastern Time today so, sadly, there will be an late fee. However, if I call them back on the WEDnezzday (spelled thusly to reflect her pronunciation), the representative of service will work with me proactively to be discounting the late fee if it is possible given the status of my account.

Fabulous.

So, now, every time I schedule a goddamn payment, I have to copy the confirmation information and keep a record of it. So when I call the Twatwaffles Customer Service after some Chucklefuck has stealthily removed record of my scheduled payment, I can impotently reference the reference number provided to me and likely be told that, sadly, I could have made up that number and sadly, there will be an late charge. But at least I will have a record for my own peace of mind and know that I tried to do the right thing and the assraping Very Big Bank Pricks are doing their best to leave a fresh, steaming load upon my credit rating.

***UPDATE*** Amazing... my payment? Still "pending"... the late fee? Already posted!