O.K., I'm actually at work right now, so this has to be a short one, but you know what I love? I love it when you go into the break room at work to get some coffee, and someone at the sink feels they have to rinse out their coffee cup about 68 times, even though you are standing there obviously waiting to use the sink yourself. These same people who have plenty of time for a cup-rinsing marathon then do not have time to make another friggin' pot of coffee after pouring the last bit into their mondo-rinsed cup. It doesn't make it any less annoying that the coffee machine itself, being pretty modern and made for a corporate environment, couldn't be faster or easier to operate if it was run by mind control. You don't have to measure coffee. You don't have to add water. You just dump out the old coffee grounds, open a new packet, and flip a switch. But I guess some people are just too important and busy to spare that extra 15 seconds it would take to accomplish this amazing feat.
O.K., I feel better. Deep breath. Back to work.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
A Typical Monday Night
Aren't a lot of you dying to know how a newly-single, 30-something woman in my situation spends her typical weekday evening? Me too. I don't really know what most women like me do--I only know what I do. Tonight, for example, broke down like this:
5:30: Went to get a haircut
6:30: Got home
6:30 - 7:30: Did some stretches; played with cats; blogged
7:30 - 9:00: Worked on Chapter 5 first pages
9:00 - 10:00: Made dinner--macaroni & cheese, 1 beer, 2 chocolate chip cookies (Hey, I'm allowed to eat like a white-trash bachelor once in a while. For lunch I had a chicken breast and steamed vegetables. O.K., it was chicken cordon bleu.) Ate dinner while watching a poker tournament. Also browsed through a BusinessWeek, looking for stuff for my book. Also played with the cats again. (It was "Catnip Hour.")
10:00 - 10:30: Watched Anthony Bourdain's show ("No Reservations") on the Travel Channel, primarily because I've developed a serious crush on him. (It's also just a good show.)
10:30 - 11:00--i.e., now: Sitting here blogging with cat (Alex) sitting on my lap and purring loudly and rubbing his paw all over my face and neck. (Yes, it does make it awkward to type.)
[Pending] 11:00 - 12:00: Take a bath, with a book and a glass of wine. Go to bed.
So there it is--all very typical of a night in. I imagine that for some people, such a night would be boring and/or lonely, while other people would give anything for the solitude and chance to relax. Everything's relative, right?
Is this why I've been labeled a moral relativist in the past? Hmmm . . . .
5:30: Went to get a haircut
6:30: Got home
6:30 - 7:30: Did some stretches; played with cats; blogged
7:30 - 9:00: Worked on Chapter 5 first pages
9:00 - 10:00: Made dinner--macaroni & cheese, 1 beer, 2 chocolate chip cookies (Hey, I'm allowed to eat like a white-trash bachelor once in a while. For lunch I had a chicken breast and steamed vegetables. O.K., it was chicken cordon bleu.) Ate dinner while watching a poker tournament. Also browsed through a BusinessWeek, looking for stuff for my book. Also played with the cats again. (It was "Catnip Hour.")
10:00 - 10:30: Watched Anthony Bourdain's show ("No Reservations") on the Travel Channel, primarily because I've developed a serious crush on him. (It's also just a good show.)
10:30 - 11:00--i.e., now: Sitting here blogging with cat (Alex) sitting on my lap and purring loudly and rubbing his paw all over my face and neck. (Yes, it does make it awkward to type.)
[Pending] 11:00 - 12:00: Take a bath, with a book and a glass of wine. Go to bed.
So there it is--all very typical of a night in. I imagine that for some people, such a night would be boring and/or lonely, while other people would give anything for the solitude and chance to relax. Everything's relative, right?
Is this why I've been labeled a moral relativist in the past? Hmmm . . . .
GSD
Some of you have been asking whatever happened on my date with Grocery Store Dude. Well, it did turn out to be a date, of sorts. I showed up with every intention of telling him I couldn't stay, but he offered to buy me a beer right away, and I figured one couldn't hurt. (It never does, right? . . . ) Well, three beers and three hours later, I had come to the following conclusion: GSD is even more of a hippie than Hippie Neighbors, if that's possible. (Apparently, I am giving off some subconscious hippie-attraction vibe. I should get that checked out.) Here's why I believe this:
1. He used the following words and phrases, unironically, sometimes multiple times: Goddess, spiritual journey, The Man.
2. He apparently didn't brush his hair before our date.
3. He was obviously stoned for our date.
4. He doesn't own a car, and he talked extensively about how people who own cars "don't SEE things, man."
5. He works as a roofer and a canvasser, all under the table.
6. He took a 4 1/2-month backpacking trip through India last year.
7. He is involved in an ongoing investigation resulting from said trip, in which he got caught at the airport with some sort of large bowie knife in his backpack, which he "forgot" was there. (Although I put "forgot" in quotes, it is quite possible that he did, in fact, forget. I just think the security people had a tough time swallowing that one.) I am unclear on the details of this investigation, but he did mention a court date coming up. They still let him take his trip, however. I don't know, I'm pretty confused about that one.
8. His name is Spring.
O.K., so obviously, I will not be dating this person. He was interesting to talk to for a few hours, though. He was very intrigued about my stint in Africa--no surprise there--so we talked mostly about travel and other cultures and the way the U.S. is perceived in the world, etc. So all in all, I enjoyed myself and met an interesting new person, albeit one I will probably never see again. Or maybe I will, but in a platonic way only. In the end, we split the tab and said goodnight, and when he asked if he could see me again, I kind of talked around the issue . . . I'm really busy, I'm not really ready to date again, etc. Which, in retrospect, kind of sounds like a blow-off, doesn't it? We'll see how it's perceived in hippie-speak.
1. He used the following words and phrases, unironically, sometimes multiple times: Goddess, spiritual journey, The Man.
2. He apparently didn't brush his hair before our date.
3. He was obviously stoned for our date.
4. He doesn't own a car, and he talked extensively about how people who own cars "don't SEE things, man."
5. He works as a roofer and a canvasser, all under the table.
6. He took a 4 1/2-month backpacking trip through India last year.
7. He is involved in an ongoing investigation resulting from said trip, in which he got caught at the airport with some sort of large bowie knife in his backpack, which he "forgot" was there. (Although I put "forgot" in quotes, it is quite possible that he did, in fact, forget. I just think the security people had a tough time swallowing that one.) I am unclear on the details of this investigation, but he did mention a court date coming up. They still let him take his trip, however. I don't know, I'm pretty confused about that one.
8. His name is Spring.
O.K., so obviously, I will not be dating this person. He was interesting to talk to for a few hours, though. He was very intrigued about my stint in Africa--no surprise there--so we talked mostly about travel and other cultures and the way the U.S. is perceived in the world, etc. So all in all, I enjoyed myself and met an interesting new person, albeit one I will probably never see again. Or maybe I will, but in a platonic way only. In the end, we split the tab and said goodnight, and when he asked if he could see me again, I kind of talked around the issue . . . I'm really busy, I'm not really ready to date again, etc. Which, in retrospect, kind of sounds like a blow-off, doesn't it? We'll see how it's perceived in hippie-speak.
Hippie Baby Name
Well, Hippie Baby has arrived, and I finally met him last night. And learned his full name. And that name is:
Paulo Joaquin Sequoia Hawkeye S__________.
I couldn't make that up, people.
I can't remember exactly what Hippie Dad's last name is, but it's something very Anglo-generic sounding, not quite "Smith," but close. And both Hippie Parents are very Anglo themselves, in case you were wondering. One thing's for sure--in case you all thought I was exagerrating the neighbors' hippie status, that name should convince you that I was not. That, and the cloth diapers I spied hanging from a laundry line out back yesterday.
On the plus side, the kid is cute, and I haven't heard a peep out of him yet. Either he's not a crier, or the walls are thicker than I thought. I'll take either one.
Paulo Joaquin Sequoia Hawkeye S__________.
I couldn't make that up, people.
I can't remember exactly what Hippie Dad's last name is, but it's something very Anglo-generic sounding, not quite "Smith," but close. And both Hippie Parents are very Anglo themselves, in case you were wondering. One thing's for sure--in case you all thought I was exagerrating the neighbors' hippie status, that name should convince you that I was not. That, and the cloth diapers I spied hanging from a laundry line out back yesterday.
On the plus side, the kid is cute, and I haven't heard a peep out of him yet. Either he's not a crier, or the walls are thicker than I thought. I'll take either one.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
This 'n' That
1. Quit Yer Bitchin Sorry about the lame, whiny post yesterday. I just had to vent. A lot of other people at work are in my same position, or will be soon, and I should just learn to handle it better. I'm going to try shorter posts here and there when I can and not think about them so much--just blog with the flow, so to speak. Like now.
2. Hippie Baby on the Way For those of you who have been following the saga of when my hippie neighbors will have their baby, I think today's the day (or yesterday was the day). They weren't home when I got home from work yesterday, and they're still not home. Soon, the soundproof qualities of the cement wall separating our apartments will be tested, I believe. Also to be tested: the patience, resolve, and sanity of the hippie neighbors, who are planning on using cloth diapers even though they lack a washer and dryer.
3. Dilemna So, some of you know about Grocery Store Dude, who asked for my number at Giant Eagle last week. (To be clear, he was a fellow shopper--he doesn't work at the grocery store. Not that there's anything wrong with that.) He called on Monday night, and we made plans to meet for a drink tonight. The problem is, I don't want to go. I knew I didn't want to go as soon as I hung up the phone with him, for a variety of reasons, and then I also remembered that I have a hair appointment after work as well. (Really! I do!) I tried to call him twice last night, using the number that was on my cell phone from when he called me--and it just rang and rang, no answer, no voice mail, nothing. What do I do? I have three options, basically--stand him up, show up and tell him I can't stay, or show up and stay and end the evening as quickly and politely as possible, then head home to try to get in an hour's work before "Lost." What to do??
I know, I know, I can't just stand him up--that's unbelievably rude. But isn't it rude to have a stupid frickin phone number that doesn't allow people to actually reach you??? Maybe I can pull off Option 2 gracefully. I don't know--I'm pretty out of practice with this stuff. Stay tuned--I will post results of the date dilemna and hippie baby arrival later tonight.
2. Hippie Baby on the Way For those of you who have been following the saga of when my hippie neighbors will have their baby, I think today's the day (or yesterday was the day). They weren't home when I got home from work yesterday, and they're still not home. Soon, the soundproof qualities of the cement wall separating our apartments will be tested, I believe. Also to be tested: the patience, resolve, and sanity of the hippie neighbors, who are planning on using cloth diapers even though they lack a washer and dryer.
3. Dilemna So, some of you know about Grocery Store Dude, who asked for my number at Giant Eagle last week. (To be clear, he was a fellow shopper--he doesn't work at the grocery store. Not that there's anything wrong with that.) He called on Monday night, and we made plans to meet for a drink tonight. The problem is, I don't want to go. I knew I didn't want to go as soon as I hung up the phone with him, for a variety of reasons, and then I also remembered that I have a hair appointment after work as well. (Really! I do!) I tried to call him twice last night, using the number that was on my cell phone from when he called me--and it just rang and rang, no answer, no voice mail, nothing. What do I do? I have three options, basically--stand him up, show up and tell him I can't stay, or show up and stay and end the evening as quickly and politely as possible, then head home to try to get in an hour's work before "Lost." What to do??
I know, I know, I can't just stand him up--that's unbelievably rude. But isn't it rude to have a stupid frickin phone number that doesn't allow people to actually reach you??? Maybe I can pull off Option 2 gracefully. I don't know--I'm pretty out of practice with this stuff. Stay tuned--I will post results of the date dilemna and hippie baby arrival later tonight.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
In Over My Head
This is probably not going to be the most pleasant of posts.
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, I haven't been blogging much recently. Of course, this isn't the first time I've been negligent. In my previous lapses, I've always blamed it on 1) laziness, or 2) not having enough time alone in which to really sit down and write. Ever since the Major Life Event (which I'm just going to start referring to as the divorce--it's not like it's a big secret or anything), I can't claim a lack of time alone. That's one thing I have plenty of. (I don't mean to sound like I'm whining about it--it's mostly by choice.) Unfortunately, all of this wonderful time alone has dovetailed with my project at work ratcheting up to a mind-numbing level of my time and attention required. To give you an idea of what the week's been like so far:
Saturday: worked 3 hours at home
Sunday night: worked 5 hours at home
Monday: worked from 8:30 to 6:00 in the office and then from 7:00 to 10:00 at home (for a total of 12 1/2 hours)
Today: worked from 8:30 to 5:00 in the office and will put in another 3 to 4 hours tonight (that's another 12 hours or so.)
You get the idea. The thing is, I could work like this every day and not get caught up. I will never be caught up--it's just not physically possible. I'm burned out already, and we've just started production. And I can't really talk to anyone about it. People just tell me, "Oh, you shouldn't work so much. Don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world if you're not right on schedule. It's not world peace. It will get done."
Well, no, it won't get done. Not unless I do it.
In the past week, I've started four blog posts that I haven't been able to finish. I just can't turn off the work stuff. Even now, I'm trying to get all of this out, just bitch about it for a while, and I'm thinking I should really be working on Chapter 4 first pages instead of trying to blog. I just can't do it.
O.K., I'm going to stop whining now. And get to work. Just wanted to let everyone know why the blog has sat so forlorn and neglected. And it may stay that way for a while.
As I'm sure many of you have noticed, I haven't been blogging much recently. Of course, this isn't the first time I've been negligent. In my previous lapses, I've always blamed it on 1) laziness, or 2) not having enough time alone in which to really sit down and write. Ever since the Major Life Event (which I'm just going to start referring to as the divorce--it's not like it's a big secret or anything), I can't claim a lack of time alone. That's one thing I have plenty of. (I don't mean to sound like I'm whining about it--it's mostly by choice.) Unfortunately, all of this wonderful time alone has dovetailed with my project at work ratcheting up to a mind-numbing level of my time and attention required. To give you an idea of what the week's been like so far:
Saturday: worked 3 hours at home
Sunday night: worked 5 hours at home
Monday: worked from 8:30 to 6:00 in the office and then from 7:00 to 10:00 at home (for a total of 12 1/2 hours)
Today: worked from 8:30 to 5:00 in the office and will put in another 3 to 4 hours tonight (that's another 12 hours or so.)
You get the idea. The thing is, I could work like this every day and not get caught up. I will never be caught up--it's just not physically possible. I'm burned out already, and we've just started production. And I can't really talk to anyone about it. People just tell me, "Oh, you shouldn't work so much. Don't worry about it. It's not the end of the world if you're not right on schedule. It's not world peace. It will get done."
Well, no, it won't get done. Not unless I do it.
In the past week, I've started four blog posts that I haven't been able to finish. I just can't turn off the work stuff. Even now, I'm trying to get all of this out, just bitch about it for a while, and I'm thinking I should really be working on Chapter 4 first pages instead of trying to blog. I just can't do it.
O.K., I'm going to stop whining now. And get to work. Just wanted to let everyone know why the blog has sat so forlorn and neglected. And it may stay that way for a while.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
My New Crusade
So, the other day on my way to work, I was listening to some insipid morning show on the radio, and they were discussing a variety of news events. The first item concerned some local child-molestation case, and the others, which I can't recall specifically, had something to do with political issues. This particular show, like many other morning radio shows, features a lead guy with one other guy and a woman as sidekicks, and the woman always does the news. (Why are so many shows set up like this? WHY?? That's a topic for another entry.) Anyway, the woman talked (insipidly) about the child-molestation case for a while, and then about one of the political issues (again, insipidly), and then about the other political issue (can you guess my take on her coverage of this one?). And at the end of her brilliant expose, the lead guy spoke up, and the conversation went something like this:
LEAD GUY: You know, with all the problems in my own life, I just can't bring myself to care about this stuff. I just don't have the energy. Well, except for the child molestation--I do care about that.
WOMAN: Well, of course you care about THAT--you have children.
Now, I have a mind like a steel trap. I immediately latched onto that comment and thought, "So, the implication is that if you don't have children, you don't give a shit about child molestation issues. You could care less if children get molested. Why would you? After all, you don't have children, and so you don't care about children."
As one of the Childfree, I take offense to this assumption. And I'll write more about this later. This is my New Crusade. Stay tuned.
LEAD GUY: You know, with all the problems in my own life, I just can't bring myself to care about this stuff. I just don't have the energy. Well, except for the child molestation--I do care about that.
WOMAN: Well, of course you care about THAT--you have children.
Now, I have a mind like a steel trap. I immediately latched onto that comment and thought, "So, the implication is that if you don't have children, you don't give a shit about child molestation issues. You could care less if children get molested. Why would you? After all, you don't have children, and so you don't care about children."
As one of the Childfree, I take offense to this assumption. And I'll write more about this later. This is my New Crusade. Stay tuned.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Blog, Interrupted
I haven't been able to post as often as I'd like lately, mostly due to work. I've actually been doing a lot of work at home at night lately, which leaves me kind of drained on the writing front. Tonight, for example, I would really like to blog about the following topics:
1. The MRI I had yesterday. Interesting experience. No results yet. I could've tried to call my doctor today to get the scoop, but I was too busy at work. (By the way, I've been off the vicodin since Sunday night. No serious pain lately, except for in the morning, when it's still pretty excruciating. My tolerance level for pain is pretty high right now, though, and by lunchtime, it's been pretty much gone, so I'm laying off the painkillers.)
2. My New Crusade. (Aren't you curious? More on this later.)
3. The guy who tried to pick me up at the laundrobar tonight.
4. The slow and irritating death that my computer is going through, and what I'm going to do about it.
Look for posts on these and other utterly fascinating topics soon, but tonight I need to pack for my trip to Wisconsin for Serious Family Time. Stay tuned.
1. The MRI I had yesterday. Interesting experience. No results yet. I could've tried to call my doctor today to get the scoop, but I was too busy at work. (By the way, I've been off the vicodin since Sunday night. No serious pain lately, except for in the morning, when it's still pretty excruciating. My tolerance level for pain is pretty high right now, though, and by lunchtime, it's been pretty much gone, so I'm laying off the painkillers.)
2. My New Crusade. (Aren't you curious? More on this later.)
3. The guy who tried to pick me up at the laundrobar tonight.
4. The slow and irritating death that my computer is going through, and what I'm going to do about it.
Look for posts on these and other utterly fascinating topics soon, but tonight I need to pack for my trip to Wisconsin for Serious Family Time. Stay tuned.
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