The Great Food Debates

This Post, Called the Great Food Debate, was Inspired By Kate Hopkins, The Accidental Hedonist.

Coke or Pepsi? Neither. Gimme a Dublin Dr. Pepper made with Real Cane Sugar.

Thick crust or thin for your Pizza? Thin Crust or Nothing.

Rare or Well Done for you steak? Medium Rare please. Only a hamburger is acceptable cooked more than Medium. Anything else is BURNT.

Hot Dogs or Hamburgers? Hamburgers, Hot Dogs give me Migraines… darn nitrates.

Ketchup or Mustard on your hot dog? Don’t eat Hot Dogs.. but I am a firm believer that Ketchup should never touch Bread of any kind, regardless of accompanying meats.

Cake or Pie? Neither, Warm Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies Right Out Of The Oven.

Brownies with a fine, glossy crust, or soft cake brownies? Soft cake brownies are not brownies. They are just wanna be cake missing it’s icing.

Nuts in the brownies? Yes, Pecans or Walnuts

Vanilla or Chocolate ice cream? Neither… Ice Cream needs some umph. Give me some Sea Salt Caramel or Nuts Or Something.

Blue cheese or ranch dressing with your Buffalo wings? Blue Cheese is the only correct answer for this.

Soup or Salad? Both? But only if the place is smart enough to serve Spinach or Field Greens and not that Iceburg Crap.

Butter on your Popcorn? Only if it’s real butter. That crap they use at movie theaters is not butter and is best used in 4-cylinder engine AMEN!

Pork or Beef barbecue? Pork for just eating, but Beef if you are using it as a topping to a Texas Tater.

Coffee or tea? Milk Tea Lattes with Bubbles

Beer from a can or a bottle? The only beer I will drink, Lindeman’s Peche, doesn’t come in cans.

Oreos or Hydrox? Not sure I remember what Hydrox tasted like since they were discontinued decades ago.

Little Debbie or Hostess? Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Bacon or Sausage? I’m going to say Sausage..since you see it more at non-breakfast times.

Eggs Scrambled or Fried? Neither, Nada, None, Nope, Not Gonna Do It. I only force myself to eat eggs once a year… or if I’m getting sick. EEWW.

The Curse The Titanic Placed On American Politics

With the election brewing, and some of my favorite bloggers coming back with their thoughts on the entire political scene, I decided that it was time for me to throw my hat back into the ring.  I’ve had the bug to start blogging again for a while now, but hadn’t given in until I received this link today over GoogleTalk.

Wal-Mart Moms? Voting for McCain? 

This threw me full force on to a soap box that I didn’t see a way off of without creating a post.  So, my friends… With this link, I am back.  

I will NEVER understand why those among us, who struggle financially more than others… still tend to vote for the Republicans.

   I was thinking of a way to explain my position to a friend, because I just want her to explain her position to me.  I’m never going to change her mind, I just want to understand.

Let’s think, for a moment, back to the movie… Titanic.  The ship had already hit the iceberg and they were beginning to load the life boats.  Rose’s mom asked if the boats would be filled according to class.  This is when I usually scream some expletive followed by the word Republican.  Republican… a party who’s entire purpose is to keep those classes defined and miles apart.  All the while, the babies… that they are so intent on being born… are drowning down in steerage with the rest of the “classless.”

I will never understand why those people…. who, along with me… would be down in steerage… continually vote for people who’s only goal is to keep them down there with the cold icy waters.

Indian Springs Park

Again this year, the March of Dimes is holding their Walk to raise money for research to help end premature births and the treatment and care of those babies who are born early.  One of my best friends, Barbara and her husband Richard have been directly involved with March of Dimes as their son Connor was born three months early.

Connor Allen
Date of Birth: April 18, 2006
2 pounds 11.2 ounces
15 inches long

Not long before Connor was allowed to go home from the hospital.

Last year, Connor’s family was the ambassador family for Navarro County at the Walk.  They were featured in their hometown magazine.  The article about all they have been thru is included in THIS post.

This past Friday, Connor turned 2 years old. And look how cute and big he is.

Again this year, I will be traveling home to Waco to walk with this wonderful family to help money for this great cause.   Click HERE to see some pictures from last years March of Dimes Walk at Bledsoe-Miller Park, Waco, Texas in Waco.

Sarcasma

I Am Twilight

When Is It OK to Tell Off Your Fortune Cookie?

NOW!

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

No matter what situations life throws at you…no matter how long and treacherous your journey may seem…
 
Remember, there is a light at the end of tunnel.
 
Scroll down, you’re going to laugh!

First 5-OT in Big XII History

Final Score:

Baylor           116
Texas A&M 110

Confused, Or Just A Sugar High

Anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?  I found this while reading an article on PopSugar about Tom Brady walking around in a walking boot on his right foot.

New Babysitter

Ever since Nana died, Peep has been staying with my parents on the weekends.  They set up my old bedroom with a new bedroom suit, a rocker and a TV for him to enjoy. 

My dogs, Zack and Zane, have really taken to Peep.  They watch him very carefully… they even follow him to the bathroom and sit outside the door waiting for him.  They let us know the time he fell.

My mom took this picture on Saturday.  Apparently Peep fell asleep watching TV in his room.  And Zack was sitting right there making sure everything was ok.

Aren’t they cute?

THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR MOTHER, YOUR SISTER OR YOUR DAUGHTER…

The strangest thing happened to me at lunch today. I was sitting at a local outdoor cafe having lunch by myself and two men came and sat down at my table… I gave them the evil eye, but they just casually stayed at my table and wouldn’t leave me alone. I shined up my ring on my married finger, then placed my hand on the table and I hinted to them that I was married and that I was not interested in them.

Luckily for me they got the hint and left, but thankfully the whole thing was captured on the Cafe’s camera. I’m sending you this picture as a warning… just in case they try and pick you up too.

Honestly, some men think they are God’s gift to women!

Then I fell out of bed and woke up!!!

FireSide Pies

*Below is a copy of the review I wrote on Yelp.com for Fireside Pies*

Well, Jen has already beat me to the punch on this review… but I will blame that on the fact that I was 20 minutes late to work because I couldn’t get out of my chocolate pizza sangria coma, oops I mean heated waterbed.

I know Jen knocked off the 5th star because of the wait.  Seriously, it was ridiculous on a Wednesday night to wait 67 minutes for pizza.  Damn Campers.  Finish off that one last sip of wine and the get heck on the road.  

I am going to knock of the 5th star for something much less trivial.  I promised you all that I had said this in the past and that I would say it again… so here it is.  WHERE ARE THE DAMN SUGAR CADDIES?   Ok, I really am not going to knock off an entire star for a sugar caddie because it took our waitress not even 1/2 a nano second to bring me one.  But I will knock off a star… for the reason that the sugar caddy only had Sugar in the Raw and Splenda.  WTF?  I don’t smoke, so I need to get my carcinogens some where.  I want my pink stuff.  Sweet n Low is where it is at baby.

The four cheese bread was good, but I think it was because we were starving.  I also needed something to soak up the alcohol in my empty stomach from my White Peach Sangria.  I had a couple of sips of Jen’s Red Sangria and it was delicious (and I don’t even like red wine).  But I my drank my Sangria to the point of making slurping noises trying to get every last drop.  

The tomato sauce on the pizza, and the dip for the cheese bread was good.  I’m actually not that big on tomato sauce and usually order my pizzas without it… but hey… when in Rome.

I want to go back to Fireside and try the Pepperoni pizza with the truffle oil or the Peta Pizza with the goat cheese and olives.  I loved Jen’s side of our pizza with the spicy sausage and ricotta.  I liked my meatball pizza, don’t get me wrong.  It was delicious.  I just liked Jen’s better.

I have one slice left of meatball and roasted onion pizza left for dinner tonight.  I had to save room for the dessert.

Oh

My

God!

That brownie.  Pure chocolate melty goodness.  That sort of sinfulness should be illegal.  I have a feeling my eyes rolled back into my head a few times.  As an ex-boyfriend said one time after I took the first bite of the first Chocolate Oblivion Torte (now my signature cake) that I ever made… “I don’t like you eating desserts that do to you in one bite that I haven’t been able to do in two years.”  Yeah, this brownie was that good.  It was served with a cherry dipping sauce… which I avoided like the plague because I didn’t think breaking out in Hives amongst a very preppy-SMU crowd would be my idea of fun.

The cheesecake, oh my, I could write an entire review on this cheesecake.  Forget Cheesecake Factory folks, Fireside Pies is where it is at.  This cheesecake was soft and fluffy… and you could tell that it was actually baked in house… not some unnaturally smooth and perfectly shaped slice of commerically made goo.  

I normally don’t like fruit in my cheesecake… especially when the fruit turns the cheese cake some abnormal shade of liquid-baby-amoxicilin pink.  But not this slice.  It had a very thin and delicate layer of blackberry thru the middle.  Not too sweet, but a perfect addition.

Anyway…. I am definitely going back to Fireside.  Maybe dinner at 4pm instead of 7?

Results Of SuperWoman Attempt

See that bruise? On the middle finger?  Yeah.  That’s what happens when you attempt to be SuperWoman and carry five FULL two drawer metal file cabinets inside from your outside (patio) storage closet.

OUCH.

Well?

When The Heater In Your Office

Hasn’t worked for two days… going to the little girls room feels a little like this.

Yeah, after freezing all week last week they finally called a technician out to check on the heater on Monday. He showed up Tuesday morning about 10am and told us that the 11 of us who work here are very lucky that none of were showing the signs of being effected by carbon monoxide.

WONDERFUL!

Anyway, they turned off the heater and it has been freezing ever since. We’ve been taking 90-120 minute lunch “hours” because its just too darn cold. Today its in the low 70s outside. It’s in the low 60s in my office and we are all shivering. Occasionally, I walk out side to defrost… but then that effort is completely in vain as soon as I have to go to the bathroom.

Why Trampolines Are Dangerous

The State Fair of Gluttony

(In the interest of time, this is a slightly modified repost from my Yelp! account. Yelp! is my new addiction website which allows users to post reviews on restaurants, doctors, retail establishments, etc.)

My 3rd year in Dallas and I finally made it to the State Fair of Gluttony not once but twice… and my parents are on their way here as I type for their first time in ages to the Fair.

The first time we went, with two friends (Hi Jenn C & Crys) it was HOT and the sun was shining and I had forgotten my sunglasses.  Expense part… that first day I was on a budget and was watching those coupons disappear left and right.  My office went as a group to the fair on Tuesday.  It was overcast & cool.  Most of the day, I wished I had worn long sleeves.  And the coupons were flowing straight from the company’s AMEX card so I was more liberal on how I spent them.  And the coupons that were left over will be used when my parents come up for a visit this weekend.

After strolling thru the Auto Show with my “Car-ie” co-workers… (yeah.. that’s people who like cars… since they feel the need to call me a “Foodie”).  Finally made it out to Fletchers for Corn Dogs.  My first visit to the fair yielded in a plain corn dog so this time I opted for the jalapeno cheese corn dog.  I will say it right here… if eating edible DOGs (corn or hot) makes you a “true American”… then go ahead & deport me.  I’ve tried… I just can’t do it.  Something about a rolled up piece of bologna with stitches on the end covered in non-sweet cornbread & that yellow mustard junk… BLECH!

Quickly had to find something to get that taste in my mouth and opted for the Cajun Black-eyed Peas.  They were delicious but I wished they were a tad bit spicier - (aka - they are too hot for normal folks to begin with).  I also shared an order of Onion Strings with one or two co-workers.  The Onion Strings definitely fall under the category of “Big Enough to Share.”  So find a friend to order these with or you will end up passing over nearly half a sheet of coupons.

We paid the extra $1 to walk thru the Baseball as America exhibit in the Science Building and I really enjoyed that… a lot of neat Baseball items on display from as far back as the late 1800s.  After the baseball exhibit, we were joined by our missing co-worker and then entered the food pavilion.  In here we sampled the Fried Green Tomatoes, the Deep Fried Banana Pudding and the Bananas Foster.  

The Bananas Foster was great considering that it was served in a 4oz plastic sundae cup… instead of Flambé tableside with white table cloths.  The Fried Green Tomatoes had a light and flaky batter that did not overpower the flavor of the tomato… and I loved the single piece of Fried Pickle that found its way into our bowl.  But, again … in my mind… the Fried Banana Pudding stole the show… after two visits and this is still my favorite example of Texas Fried Gluttony.

Walking thru the Midway, frustrated that we couldn’t use our coupons to play games… 6 coupons on a small bag of warm & fresh Salt Water Taffy, we found the 2nd best item on my list - Deep Fried Spicy Black Olive Bites. We even bought a second round of these delicious balls of goodness.  Salsa, Cheese & Sliced Black Olives, balled up and fried… and of course, served with the requisite side of Ranch Dressing.

After reveling in Black Olive goodness we decided to go watch the Top Flight K9 Dog Show.  I expected more as I was shocked when they said the show was over, because there were 3 more dogs within plain view that were never brought out of their carriers.  Also annoying was inadequate the PA system was in the arena… we had no idea what the dog trainer was saying.

Then we headed towards the Wine Tasting Booth, where a few of us partook in a 1 ounce pour of a potent potable.  I have never been much of a wine person but I went to the Texas Wines counter and tried a sample of the Llano Blush.  I actually liked it.  Um, actually… I guzzled it.  And then, we immediately stumbled upon the booth that was selling the ooey goodness of Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly & Banana sandwiches.  What a delicious bite of goo, and yes I mean bite - shared between 8 of us.  I know people eat PB &Js and I know Elvis followers mix their bananas with peanut butter… but I thought I was the only person who put sliced bananas on a PB&J.  And Deep Fried.  YUM!

A couple of co-workers indulged in the Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough after I told them it was NOT worth the calories.  Gosh, some day they will learn to listen.  I didn’t even waste a bite because I knew it was not worth it and I realized the corn place was just two stands down.  Fresh Lemonade & Corn on the Cob doused in Cayenne Pepper & Butter … oh my gravy.

The corn was just about the death of me, but the group just had to go get some more Fried Olives.  I think I had two of them before I cut myself off for the day.  Walking back to the car was miserable… and I had 3 days to recover before my parents drive to Dallas to go to the fair today.

I still haven’t had the opportunity to try the Fried Guacamole… but TODAY … I’m skipping the corn dog!  Go ahead and deport me!

SweetTwo

This morning, my co-worker asked me to help her with her phone.  K said that something happened while she was talking on it Wednesday night and it somehow set itself to a permanent backwards mute.  No matter if someone called her or she called someone, they could hear her… but she couldn’t hear anyone.

I txt messaged my aunt & cousin as they have the same model phone to see if they knew about an option I couldn’t find to fix it.  My aunt called and told her that my cousin had had the same issue and to call the 1-800 # and get them to send K a replacement.

Of course, Customer Service isn’t just going to send you a new phone… they have to try to help you fix it first.  I only heard one side of the first part of the conversation… but it was obvious that K was getting frustrated and the agent wasn’t making themselves easily understood.

Then she told K to press the little round button and slide off the cover & pull out the battery.  K couldn’t get the cover off.  She told me exactly what the agent said and I couldn’t get the cover off either.  Another person finally got the cover off of K’s phone… the agent had told us to take off the wrong damn end of the cover.

Finally, K asked her… “have you ever even seen a phone like this?” hehe.

So… finally they said they would mail K a replacement phone.  To be sure someone was here to receive the delivery, K tried to give the agent our work address….

#### Street, SUITE 2  BigPCity, TX 75###

And by this time I was standing at K’s desk listening to the entire conversation… and I swear on all that is holy…. the agent said….

“is Sweet Two… one word?”

Mediocre - Another reason why I’m sick of this world we live in.

My mom called to check on Peep about 11am yesterday and he didn’t answer. Then my aunt called about 2 and said she finally got him on the phone and he was so weak he could barely talk.

My aunt called my dad and my dad got Peep back in bed while my aunt called my mom & the doctor’s office. They have been trying to find Peep a new doctor because they PCP guy they have been going to for years is, an !@#$(&$%^#@. The !@#$(&$%^#@ didn’t have an open appointment, so they asked if they could see his partner – the one he saw a few months ago. !@#$(&$%^#@ said, NO! You can’t see him. Then after a little fussing he said ok.

So, by this time… my mom had driven to the house and they got Peep dressed and drove him to the !@#$(&$%^#@’s office to see the partner. Once they got there… the !@#$(&$%^#@ had changed his mind again and said NO! You can’t see him. He can either have an appointment with me, or you can take him to the ER.

This is when my mother said… “Fine, that is exactly what we will do. We will take him to the ER. And this is the exact reason why you will never see us again you !@#$(&$%^#@.”

When they arrived at the ER, they said Peep had pneumonia. He had a fever of 102 and was too weak to walk. They gave him an IV and some other meds. And then…. The ID10Ts sent the nearly 86 yr old newly widowed pneumonia stricken weak man HOME! What the heck?

While in his bedroom last night, Peep fell, and being the stubborn old man that he is… wouldn’t let my strapping young 17 year old cousin or my aunt or my mom help him up. It took him 20 minutes to crawl back up to his bed. He has had two attacks since they got home of not being able to breathe.

So… why do I hate the world we live in? INSURANCE! That’s why. My grandfather will be 86 years old in December. The only prescription drug he takes on a regular basis is Allegra for his allergies. He has paid for health insurance for the past 60+ years. He has supplemental insurance on top of Medicare. But because he is on Medicare… my mom & aunt are having one heck of a time finding a new doctor to take him to. These money hungry good for nothing doctors won’t take new Medicare patients because it lessens the amount of money they get. They don’t even wait to ask if they have supplemental insurance to pay for the rest of it or not. They hear Medicare and that is the end of the story. This is the only reason they have been taking Peep, and Nana too, to Dr. !@#$(&$%^#@ for the past umpteen years… because of insurance.

God said, we will be judged by the way we treat the least among us. That AntiChrist who lives in the WhiteHouse recently just vetoed a bill that would pay for health insurance for kids. Over the past 7 years, multiple strides have been made to make health care for senior citizens worse… under the disguise of “improvement.” How, am I supposed to sit idly by while Peep gets shoddy medical care because of his age? He could pay for all of his medical bills outright if he needed to… but oh no… doctors won’t let you do that. You are just supposed to sit there and get substandard treatment because you are old and fixing to die anyway?

Days like this… Sure makes me wish God would come get us. If life is a test, then death is graduation and my Nana passed her finals with Flying Colors. I’m ready for my graduation day!

Bereavement Leave

2:39 pm, Friday, Saturday 7th, 2007 was the phone call I had dreaded most of my life.  It was my mother telling me that they were taking Nana to the hospital in an ambulance.  She was having a heart attack.

I left work and drove home.  I threw everything I could grab into a laundry bag and a suitcase and I hurried up only to sit, on I75 South for over an hour just to get to I35.  Then there was a wreck in Hillsboro.  I talked to friends most of the way to Waco… trying not to think about what was happening.  I had talked to my dad about 515 and he sounded like they were going to be putting Nana in an ICU room and it was going to be ok.  I was completely blindsided when I walked into her Emergency Room to see her eyes closed and my mom & aunt crying over her.  She was gone.  I missed her, by less than five minutes.  I missed her and it breaks my heart to know that I was probably in the probably in the parking lot and walking into the building when she died.

My mom, aunt, dad and I sat in her emergency room and cried for a good 2 hours, waiting for the funeral home to come get her.  We cried so hard.  I had no clue how I was going to survive the rest of my life without her.  And then we realized, that we had to go home and tell Peep that she was gone.

The next morning, I woke up to my mother typing away on the keyboard in the room next to mine, writing her obituary.  We had an appointment at the funeral home at 10am, but it was quickly pushed back to 1pm.  We were at the funeral home until nealry 9pm that evening.

It was at this meeting that somehow I assumed the role of communications director.  I made more phone calls than I have made in my entire life within a span of 3 days.  I called everyone I could think of.  I called all of my mom’s high school friends.  I called family members who were out of town.  I called family friends.  I called people I have never met before, and people who I was raised around.  It was during this time that I realize how lucky I am to have been raised around all of my mom’s friends and that it wasn’t weird for me to pick up the phone and call people she went to high school with.  I called the preacher.  I called and asked 6 wonderful men to be palbearers.

Then, we realized that we didn’t like any of the programs the funeral home had to offer to be passed out during the service.  So, I spent most of Monday morning designing one with a big ole HEART on the front of it.  My Nana, she drew hearts on anything that would sit still.  She was the Bible definition of Love and she spent her 88 years making sure you knew that you were special.  We also realized that one of Nana’s close friends and the best florist in Waco was out of town until Sunday night.  This made our decision on having the funeral on Monday or Tuesday easy… because we couldn’t have the funeral without Harry.

Sunday was filled with more errands, more phone calls, more things to do.  And then it was time… our time as a family to go say goodbye.  She was beautiful.  She didn’t look a day over 60 and yet she was nearly 88 and a half.  Her hands looked younger than my dads.  Her skin was flawless.

Nana had told us that she didn’t want anyone but family to see her… she wanted the casket closed, but apparently we don’t mind very well.  We decided that she looked so amazing that it would be wrong and selfish to not let everyone who loved her to have a chance to see her and say goodbye.  At the visitation, Peep sat on a couch near the casket… my aunt, uncle, Jace, Jantzen and Jace’s new girlfriend, Haley (which we love and apparently didn’t run off) were at the front of the line.  My mom and dad stood at the front of the garden room where there were so many flowers it blew us away.  My cousin Kara and I worked the front of the line that led down the hall towards the front of the building.  Over and Over I was told how much I looked like my Nana.  I think I hugged all 200 people who came for the visitation Monday night. 

I have tried for a few weeks to comprehend just how much work Harry had to get done in one day to have all of those flowers ready by 6pm for the visitation.  I have tried, but I just have to tell myself that is one thing I will never be able to realize, other than he did it out of shear love for Nana.  After the visitation, we went home and put candles in the pumpkin pie that a neighbor brought over for us.  It was Haley’s birthday and she spent it with us.  What a sweetie.

Tuesday was the funeral.  About 9am, I realized that the only pair of black shoes that I had grabbed that blurr of a Friday afternoon were 3 inches tall and would sink straight down into the mud at the cemetery.  I called my one of my “sisters”  (the flower girls in my parents wedding, the older sisters I never had) who lives 3 miles from me and she went to my place to pick up a spare pair of shoes to wear to the service.

September 11th, now has an entirely different meaning to me.  It truly is the Day My World Stood Still.  The preacher, Dr. C,  had foot surgery the morning of the service.  The doc said that the pain medication would last until about 2pm and he told them they better make it stronger because he had a funeral to attend at 2pm.  The singer, put goosebumps on my arms when he sang “How Great Thou Art”… and I sat there and saw all the people who were crying… all walks of life, all ages, all socio-economic status, everyone my Nana had touched.

She used to tell us that no one needed to come to the cemetery because it was too far and they were all too old to drive out there.  As we were in the procession, my mom looked in her rear view mirror and there were cars following us as far as the eye could see.  My mom asked Peep, “what do we do? she said they couldn’t come to the cemetery, but they are following us?”

My “sister” taped the services for us and brought the DVD over one night last week.  Watching the last part of the sermon at the cemetery, the sun settled right behind the grave and glistened off a car window.  The glistening reflected back on the DVD as a huge Star of David right over the casket.  What a beautiful reminder that Nana was in Heaven and no longer hurting.

We spent most of Wednesday just spending time together as a family.    Thursday we went back to the cemetery and scattered all of the amazingly beautiful flower arrangements and sprays over all of the other graves in the cemetery.  We left flowers for my maternal great grandparents that I never got to meet, great aunts, aunts, uncles and even people we didn’t know.

Friday was my dad’s birthday.  As a family we all went out to eat and took Peep with us.  I can’t remember the last time my grandfather joined us for a meal on the town.  Saturday, I got my hair cut & colored and then I had to drive back to Dallas and face the next day, next week, next month, the rest of my life without Nana.

I dont know how else to close this post but to leave you with the Poem, that we found in Nana’s Bible.  She had written on the top of it “My Creed.”  So many people told me I look like my Nana.  Now I just have to try to live to be like her in every other way.  So, Nana… are were my hero, you were my biggest cheerleader.  I hope someday I will be able to say I lived by this creed as well as you did.

Memory

Forget the kindness that you do
As soon as you have done it

Forget the praise that falls on you
The moment you have won it.

Forget the slander that you hear.
Before you can repeat it;

Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer,
Wherever you may meet it.

Remember every kindness done
To you, whate’er its measure;

Remember praise by others won,
And pass it on with pleasure.

Remember every promise made,
And keep it to the letter;

Remember those who lend you aid,
And be a grateful debtor.

Remember all the happiness
That comes your way in living,

Forget each worry and distress,
Be hopeful and forgiving.

Remember good, remember truth,
Remember heaven’s above you,

And you will find through age and youth
True joy and hearts to love you!

-Unknown

Yes, I’m Alive

I haven’t posted anything of any substance since the week of my birthday… about 7 weeks ago.  7 Weeks ago was when my life started falling apart… again.

Well, first I posted about how AT&T disconnected my phone & internet for 5 days between August 14th and August 18th.  Yeah, when I called and told them I was moving to Bear Creek, the idiot put the wrong date in the system.  When I called to tell them I wasn’t moving anymore, they were like… sorry it’s already moving… two weeks before it was ever supposed to move.

I thought on the 18th that things were settled… I had a temp job to start on Monday and my phone and internet were back on.  Apparently I was wrong.  As my dad always says, “that’s what I get for thinking.”  The incompetent jerks at AT&T only heard the part of the conversation that they were cutting off my service on the wrong day… August 13th instead of August 31st.  They never heard the part where I said… “I lost my job, I’m not moving, don’t do anything to my service.”

I left town on August 31st for Labor Day weekend… but that’s a post that will be coming.  When I arrived home, I realized my internet had been off since Friday afternoon.  After 10 different phone calls, 3 different supervisors… and even filing an executive complaint… My internet and phone were turned back on… 13 days later! Yes you heard me.  September 12th was when my service was finally turned back on.  September 12th, I was still in Waco with my family after Nana’s funeral… and when I got home on September 17th… I walk into my apartment to a dead computer.

My power supply had bit the dust.  Dead.  So… I would like to blame the fact that I just haven’t been blogging on the fact that I had no phone or internet and/or working computer between August 13th - August 18th and August 31st - September 18th.  That’s probably not the real reason, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

So.  I’m alive.  I have a stable job.  And I have internet.  Hopefully that means I can say… I’m Back!

State Fair of Texas 2007 FUG

Ok.  Last Saturday I went to the State Fair of Texas with Jenn & Crys.  We were walking around at the end of the day and all of a suddent I was like… FUG FUG FUG. 

I posed with Crys so that Jenn could take this perfect shot for your viewing pleasure.

First of all… Lady, you are 50+ years old… the mesh shirt and black bra just dont cut it anymore at your age.  Second, those pants totally do not meld with the entire idea of your outfit, not to mention that they are only about 4 years out of style.

Honey, for the sake of all the kids & Big Tex… think through this one better next time, mkay?

The Best Nana In The World

I lost my Nana today. She had been hurting for quite some time. They think she had a heart attack yesterday and then two more today.

My parents called me about 230pm and I left work, packed my bags & drove as fast as I could to Waco. I got there less than 5 minutes too late.

I don’t know how I’m going to do this.

Nana, come back! I need you.

Southernmost Orifice Dwellers

Ok.. now we are getting somewhere with these orifice dwellers at AT&T.

Why oh why, do i have to explain other people’s jobs to them?

The idiot who moved my service from the 14th (where it never should have been in the first place) to the 31st… never bothered to tell the DSL department to move it. My internet WAS cut off on the 15th, just like I have been trying to explain to them for 3 days.

I can’t stand companies that are so big that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing… and we all know what the guys use the right hand for don’t we girls? It’s usually screwing something up.

So my DSL was cut off on the 14th, which I’ve been saying for 3 days now. And I finally found someone who sees that they were just blowing purple smoke up my rearend.

The interesting thing, is they are still saying there is a repair issue with my main line, and that a technician was scheduled to come out today. If you were to call my home phone, it would ring and ring… but I would never hear it.

And, because the fact that DSL piggybacks on the same line as my phone, even though this helpful tech girl sees what really happened, and has turned my DSL back on, it still isn’t working and I have to wait for the other department to recover from their case of Cranial Rectal Inversion.

Hopefully, by the time I get back from dinner tonight… I will have service restored.

What just infuriates me even more is that if I had not called and called today… my phone would have been restored today, but my DSL would have still been off.

My new empty apartment in Euless has had my internet access for 2 days. And I can just see that I will be raising Cain & Able & David Koresh next month to make them fix my bill and make them take off the transfer fees.

Oh the joy.

The Big 20+13 Week

What a week this has been. Last Wednesday I had my 30-day review at work. It was glowing. I had 4s & 5s on everything. Tuesday morning I walked into work and was told to pack my desk up. That I wasn’t capable of working the hours that were demanded by the position.

17 days before I was supposed to move to Bear Creek to get closer to work, I was let go from the only reason I was moving. So here I go again on my own.

I left work, came home for about an hour, and then returned to North Dallas to pick up a friend and go attend the funeral of one of my Weight Watcher’s Angel’s husbands.

After the funeral, WW meeting, and dinner at Abacus.. I came home to try to figure out what the heck to do. The only reason I was moving to the 817 was for work… so I have decided to stay right where I am. After I find another job, I might move into a 2bedroom apt in my same complex when one becomes available on the 1st floor.

By Wednesday morning, I had a temp job lined up for this coming Monday… and resumes going out all over the place courtesy of my WW Angels. And then, another blow.

When I set up my utilities to move, I specifically told them to move it on 8/31. I called AT&T on Monday, just to get my new phone number and they tell me that my service was set up to move “tomorrow.” UM NO! After arguing that issue I was finally like, I don’t care what your computer says, it’s wrong… change it to 8/31. Of course this was before Tuesday happened.

So… I get home from an interview at a new temp agency on Wednesday and I was informed that my “thestolenolive” yahoo IM wasn’t working. Hmm, weird. I had a feeling deep in the bottom of my gut what was going on. I called AT&T and they tell me that, my services were in the process of being moved and that’s why it wasn’t working. UM, I told y’all not to move it until 8/31.

The “customer service” (HA!) representative then canceled the move order all together and said that my IM would be working by the time I got home… I was out running errands while talking with these dorks. Anyway I got home about 4pm and not only was my IM not working, I had lost all connection to the internet & my landline phone was disconnected. So, here goes another phone call.

Just like the typical crappy utility monopolies such as Comcast and Time Warner, AT&T pulls in other departments to cover the asses of the department that fucked up. So… they begin to tell me that the order was canceled… that they didn’t disconnect me & that there was a physical problem with my outside line and that it would be Saturday before it was fixed. WTF…it worked 2 hours ago.

So… I had no phone and no internet the rest of the night Wednesday night. Sure as hell makes it easy to job hunt with no connection to the outside world besides a cell phone. Thursday I spent about an hour and a half in the front office of my apartment complex using their “business center.” I use the term business center very loosely as there is no Microsoft Office products on the computers… Internet only. One of the resumes that one of my WW Angels sent out brought a return phone call yesterday and I had to fill out a technology interview questionnaire. I didn’t know how I was going to get it done.

But, another one of my Angels came thru and told me to meet her in Plano and that she would let me borrow her laptop and wireless air card till I saw her again. We are going out to eat tonight for my birthday and I am hoping and praying my service will be back on tomorrow… I’m on hold with AT&T right now to get their story.

But, with the use of her laptop, I stayed up till about 4am this morning finishing the questionnaire and submitted it. It’s for a 4 month contract-to-hire position that pays more than I was making at my position that I left earlier in the week. And that job paid more than I had made in the past 5 years! Cross your fingers.

Today, I have been celebrating my birthday by being an utter bum! I haven’t gotten out of my pajamas yet. I’ve been reading blogs & myspace & facebook and the Weight Watchers community boards, and emails. I’ve watched everything on my TIVO and two movies. At some point between now and 8pm I have to actually move and get cleaned up and ready to go out to dinner.

I know that last month, Cheeky celebrated an entire month for her birthday… but if this is how well my birthday week goes… I wouldn’t survive an entire month.

They Finally Made Me A TShirt

That says what my grandfather has been saying my entire life, only to be validated with my Chiari Diagnosis.

God Is So Good

After starting a new diet I altered my drive to work to avoid passing my favorite bakery. I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and as I approached, there in the window were a host of goodies.

I felt this was no accident, so I prayed … “Lord, it’s up to you, if you want me to have any of those delicious goodies, create a parking place for me directly in front of the bakery.”

And sure enough, on the eighth time around the block, there it was! God is so Good!”

After about 6 weeks of a nasty plateau on my weight loss journey… I finally seem to have found the downward slope again. I stalled out at 25 pounds in June and hadn’t really been able to do much since then. But, hold your horses, I finally hit the 30 pound mark yesterday.

Yep, only 55 more to go.

And what did I do to celebrate?

I went with my friends Crys & Jenn out to dinner for KRLD’s Annual Restaurant Week. Restaurant Week is when over a 100 different 5 star restaurants offer a signature 3-course dinner prepared especially for Restaurant Week diners. This 3 course meal is only $35 per person! $7 from each dinner benefits the North Texas Food Bank or Lena Pope Home.

Crys and I had been talking about going to eat at Abacus ever since we found out that Cheftestant, Tre, on Season 3 of my favorite reality show, Top Chef on BravoTV, was the Chef de Cuisine.

So, at 9:30 last night, we had reservations at Abacus.

I had the Seared Diver Sea Scallop with Chilled Asparagus Soupand Preserved Meyer Lemon Olive Oil for my Small Plate, a Raspberry Limeade Sprizter for Intermezzo and Wood Grilled Pork Tenderloin on English Pea Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Rosemary Port Sauce for my Big Plate.

It was all wonderful. Jenn ordered an extra side of Black Truffle Risotto and it was to die for. It was totally worthy of a “When Harry Met Sally restaurant scene.”

Then came dessert and we ordered the Dulce de Leche Banana Bread Pudding Myers Rum Sabayon, the Chocolate Brownie Pecan Tart Espresso Caramel, Mascarpone Cream and the Madagascar Vanilla Crème Fraiche Parfait Chilled Strawberry Champagne Soup and passed our plates around the table.

I splurged and had a small glass of Ceretto Moscato d’Asti, Piedmont, 2006 which was absolutely divine. I sure slept good last night and although I had had a particularly trying day, I am going to credit my good night’s sleep to the Moscato. That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.

After dinner the Chef de Cuisine himself, Tre, walked around the dining room and talked to all of the guests. As I shook his hand, I dorkily told him that he was on my Tivo every Wednesday night.

So, if you are in need of a amazing dinner to just soothe the frustrations of your day away, or to celebrate… check out Abacus! And go out to eat for Restaurant Week.

That Is All

I Totally Stole This… But I Don’t Remember Doing It

I totally feel this way today. I felt this way yesterday. I think I have felt this way for at least the past two years. Yep. Two Years. Two Years ago today, I had my first of 9 MRIs that I had in 2005. Two Years Ago next Thursday, the first time I had ever heard the word Chiari, came slamming down on my world.

There went my dream of finishing culinary school. There went my closet of clothes that were already starting to get a little tight from all the wonderful food I was cooking in school, which were replaced with sizes 2 & 3 sizes bigger (thanks to 19 prescription drugs). There went my sanity and a more than a handful of friends.

I stole this poster from another Chiari sufferer. I read her posts, but a lot of times my network is so down I don’t know how to respond intelligently as she already said what I was thinking.

My arrant brain tail, and the subsequent topsy turvy world I lived thru made my life completely different from what I had invisioned when I moved to Dallas.

Things are finally starting to settle down. I finally found a job I enjoy that pays enough that I can breathe. I have been having a blast with my Weight Watchers Buddies, who are so much more than that… they are a support system. I’m starting to fit into that old closet full of clothes I wore during culinary school and before. I’ve got 10 corrugated boxes filled and will be filling quite a few more this weekend in preparation for my move in 21 days. Live in general is getting easier.

Unfortunately, my mind is still on the server & I’m connected thru a 9600 modem on most days and a 28800 modem on the good days.

I’m totally ready for something in my life to bump me up to at least DSL.

Attention Target Shoppers

I am looking for this bedspread set. It is sold at Target. It’s called the “Gypsy,” which is only appropriate with how much I seem to move around.

Only the curtain and the dust ruffle are currently available online. If you happen to head to the Big Red Dot… please keep an eye out for this. I need the sheets, etc. in Full Size. If you are not near a store I can easily get to… I will send you money to buy it and mail it to me.

If you can not find this set… but find one equally as pretty & unconventional (and not necessarily at Target)… take a picture of it for me. I particularly like the purples, greens & yellows in this picture.

My new 2nd bedroom in my new apartment that I am moving into in 26 days will thank you!

The Silencing Of The Loudest Man On TV

“Good Golf, Good Tennis, Or Whatever Makes You Happy… Marvin Zindler Eyewitness News”

SLI-I-IME in the Ice Machine.

Today a Houston Legend, Marvin Zindler Passed Away Leaving Houston Touched By His Life and Never To Be The Same.

Marvin Zindler was “The irasible, flamboyant 85-year-old television personality remembered as the kind-hearted, grandfatherly figure in white wig and blue shades who delivered the weekly “rat and roach reports” based on health department restaurant inspections. After his ideosyncratic signoff, his most famous catch phrase comes from the frequent health inspector findings of (all together now) “SLI-I-IME in the ice machine.”

Marvin was hired by KTRK ABC Channel 13 in Houston in 1973, only weeks before my parents moved to the city that I call “HOME.” Before I was born in August of 1974, he had already broken his biggest story, about the La Grange Chicken Ranch. A story that went on to become a Hollywood Movie by the name of “The Greatest Little Whorehouse In Texas

I never watched another news channel, although as I child my mom said I would run screaming from the room when he came on TV because I guess his blue shades scared me. Maybe that is why he says he was fired from his first TV job because he was “too ugly.” He had more plastic surgery than Michael Jackson.

He was an institution in Houston. His grandkids went to the private school that I attended, although they were all quite a bit younger than me. I remember when he would come eat lunch with his granddaughter, it was like the biggest celebrity just walked thru the door.

Diagnosed just this month with his second bout with pancreatic cancer, which had spread to his liver, he continued to work, from his hospital bed. His last broadcast was yesterday. He died today at the age of 85, just 2 weeks shy of his 86th birthday.

RIP Marvin!

The Birthday Present That Couldn’t Wait

Yesterday I got an email from my mother. It was a link to my birthday present. She had to make sure I was going to be off that day since my new job requires me to be on call one weekend a month.

Yep! Three tickets to go see Paula Deen Live at Dallas’ Fair Park Music Hall on Saturday, August 25th. It’s the weekend after my birthday and I can not wait. It’s going to be so much fun. Especially since my crazy mother keeps having dreams that I’m supposed to marry Paula Deen’s youngest son.

Hmm, wonder if he will be there too?

The Bear

A very wealthy lawyer vacationed for several weeks each year at his summer home in the backwoods of Maine. Each summer, he would invite friends to come to visit him.

One summer he invited a lawyer from Czechoslovakia to visit him. The friend, eager to see how a wealthy American vacationed, gratefully agreed. They had a wonderful vacation, and spent a great deal of time exploring the woods and enjoying the natural setting.

One morning, as the lawyer and his Czechoslovakian friend were walking through the woods, they were approached by two huge bears — a male and a female. The lawyer noticed them in time to run for cover. His friend, however, was not so lucky. The male bear reached him and swallowed him whole.

Seeing this, the lawyer ran to his Mercedes and sped for the nearest town to get the local sheriff. The sheriff grabbed a high-powered rifle and they raced back to the berry patch. Luckily, the bears were still there.

“He’s in THAT one!” cried the lawyer, pointing at the bear that had consumed his friend. “Quick — shoot it. Maybe we can still save my friend!”

The sheriff looked at the bears, leveled his gun, took careful aim, and shot the female. His aim was true, and the female bear collapsed to the ground. The startled male fled into the woods.

“Why did you do that?” demanded the lawyer, “I said he was in the other bear!”

“Exactly,” replied the sheriff. “Would YOU believe a lawyer who told you that the Czech was in the male?”

Mosquitoes Anyone?

Quick! Before you scroll down to the picture below, put on your sun glasses… the glare will blind you.

See, told ya!

Yes, my friends… those are the back my pigment challenged legs. Although at the current moment they actually have more color than they usually do. Unfortunately, that color is RED. See all those dots? All 26 of those dots? Yep… every single last one of those is a mosquito bite. And those are only the ones on the back of my legs below my knees.

There are more on my arms, hands, neck, and the other 3/4ths of my legs not shown by that picture (ie, back of my legs above the knee and front all the way down). I think I have counted at least 20 more of them on the rest of my body.

Saturday I went over to a co-worker’s house for a birthday cookout. I got there about noon and I think the party ended a little after 9pm. We didn’t feel the mosquitoes biting us, but both of us were basically eaten alive.

Note To Self - Hey NitWit… Don’t wear a dress or skirt or capris to work the rest of the week until you no longer look like a leper. People were probably either calling to report a domestic violence case or FUG’n you all day today.

Tears in Confidential

About 4pm I received a very sad phone call. It made me cry.

Confidential to my friend… Honey, I am so incredibly sorry you are having to go thru this. I’ve been there and it isn’t easy. You are in my thoughts and prayers and if you need anything at all, please let me know. I’ll do anything I can.

I Had Lunch With Your Mom Because That’s How I Roll!

I totally stole this from Bad Sheep, because that’s how I roll.

Work the 3 tables below, then: type out the sentence you end up with in the subject line of a blog post and copy this text. Also, link back to the blog you read it on. DON’T LEAVE ME HANGING ALONE!

Pick the month you were born:
January——-I kicked
February—–I loved
March——–I karate chopped
April———-I licked
May———- I jumped on
June———- I smelled
July———–I did the Macarena With
August——-I had lunch with
September—I danced with
October——I sang to
November—-I yelled at
December—-I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1——-a birdbath
2——-a monster
3——-a phone
4——-a fork
5——-a snowman
6——-a gangster
7——-my cell phone
8——-my dog
9——-my best friends’ boyfriend
10——-my neighbor
11—- —my science teacher
12——-a banana
13——-a fireman
14——-a stuffed animal
15——-a goat
16——-a pickle
17——-your mom
18—- —a spoon
19——- a smurf
20——-a baseball bat
21——-a ninja
22——-Chuck Norris
23——-a noodle
24——-a squirrel
25——-a football player
26——-my sister
27——-my brother
28——-an iPod
29——-a surfer
30——-a llama
31——-A homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White———because I’m cool like that
Black———because that’s how I roll.
Pink———-because I’m NOT crazy.
Red———–because the voices told me to
Blue———-because I’m sexy and I do what I want.
Green———because I think I need some serious help.
Purple——–because I’m AWESOME!
Gray———-because Big Bird said to and he’s my leader.
Yellow——–because someone offered me 1 ,000,000 dollars
Orange ——-because my family thinks I’m stupid anyway.
Brown ——–because I can.
Other———because I’m a Ninja !
None———-because I can’t control myself.

Now type out the sentence you made and put in your subject line and copy the text of this post.

Don’t forget to link back to the person that tagged you!

59 Days And I’m Moving

It’s Official.

I turned in my 60 day move-out notice yesterday. I will be leaving the mall-crazy suburbs that I have shared with the DallasKs, MommyMe & FootballWidow on August 31st. I’m cashing in the posh life of the northern Dallas burbs for the more laid back BearCreek burbs of the MidCities.

For the past 2 months, I’ve been commuting from the burbs to the Galleria. Sitting in traffic for an hour every morning is just not my idea of fun. And, now that I am an official full-time employee of said new job, I realize that when they pack up our offices and move us over to the “Silicon Valley of North Texas” that the time sitting in my car each morning would only get worse. So, I’m going to beat them to the punch and move closer to our final destination. My new place is only 10.3 miles from where the rumor is our new office is going to be. BINGO! I also have a co-worker who lives 4 miles from my new apartment and we will be able to car pool and save money on gasoline & wear and tear on our cars & be a little bit more green.

I started my new job on Monday. It was a long week. It was a frustrating week as I have no clue what I’m doing and the person training me isn’t what I would call “training material” He is totally nice enough, just can’t seem to understand that you can’t show me and explain what to do at step 435,498 when I’m still on step 2.

I’m also dealing with a weather induced depression. I have had SAD for years, where I am just miserable from about October - March when the sun takes a siesta and everything is drab and dreary. But, this year… the rain didn’t stop in March… It’s July and no end in sight. We haven’t had Summer yet. I am still ready for hot sunny 100 degree days just so I can finally kick this SAD to the curb. RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

Anyway, a Weight Watchers Taco Bake is in the oven, an entire cut up watermelon is the refrigerator getting good and cold, and there are boxes in my dining room ready for me to fill them up.

Anyone wanna come help me pack?

It’s June 27th, 1912

For those of us who not only remember Somewhere in Time, but who count it as one of the greatest movies ever made, today was the turning point that made this movie the timeless lovestory that it was. This movie also produced what I believe is one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever recorded.

I am a member of the The International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts and today I received an email about the Annual Somewhere in Time weekend at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. This weekend is when enthusiasts converge on that breathtakingly beautiful hotel for a weekend of love and nostalgia for our favorite movie that the critics have so conveniently ignored for the past 27 years since it was made in 1980. I truly believe it was “The Most Romantic Love Story Ever Filmed”

For only the 2nd time in 17 years, Jane Seymour is actually going to be in attendance during this weekend. I would love more than anything to go to SIT Weekend but after 4 months of unemployment, I dont think I can come up with the $1200 for the weekend, not including airfare. Maybe someday I can go on an SIT weekend before Jane Seymour dies… I breaks my heart that Christopher Reeve will never be there again.

But, if we learned anything from Somewhere in Time, Chris & Dana have joined hands in heaven.

Instant Karma

Hello. This Is A Call Regarding Cancer

Since 12:00 noon today, I have received no less than 40 phone calls. This is more phone calls I have had to answer in 3 hours than I have had since I started working here May 9th.

Every phone call was the same thing. It was a recording. A Man’s voice. Speaking Slowly and Succinctly.

“Hello. This Is A Call Regarding Cancer and the 7 signs you should be able to recognize.”

Then it gives you the option to press 1 to hear those signs, or to press 9 and be removed from their call list.

Um, yeah.. I have pressed 9 every time. They are still calling. I’m going to pull my hair out.

By the time I start my new position on Monday, I will be bald if this dork on the recording doesn’t stop calling me.

ONEDERLAND!

I finally hit Onderland officially. I went to WI this morning and was down 2.2 pounds which was enought to finally say goodbye to any # that started with a 2–.

Off to take my Saturday afternoon nap.

Offer Letter

I was just told that they are going to make me an offer for the Data Telemetry position I interviewed for yesterday. The offer letter is being prepared and should be delivered on Monday.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Brain Dump

Yes, I know… I haven’t posted a real post in forever.  The truth is, I just haven’t been feeling it.  I haven’t been feeling anything actually.  OR, maybe I’m feeling to much and have retreated to my couch. Things get scary when I retreat to the couch as the thoughts that go thru my brain are not always fun and are 99% of the time not positive or happy.
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I’ve had a couple of posts in “draft” for months that I just haven’t finished. One told the story about my leaving work and I decided I didn’t like where the post was going so I just left it there and never finished it. There are so many ways I could cause some legal problems for my previous employer, especially since I documented it all either thru non-descript posts using made up names, or via the History files that are created when you send an instant message exclaiming “Oh My God”. With supervisors calling me stupid within ear shot, to office mates spending 5 + hours a day on the phone talking to their hubby about what they wanted to do to them when they got home. And the huge number of hours I was not paid for illegally because they docked me for 30 minutes for lunch every day regardless if I ever even had time to heat up my Smart Ones. But I decided to just drop all of it and leave it in the past.

My life is so much better since I left that place, even if it means shelling out over $340 a month for Cobra. If you remember last year… I got bronchitis 3 times between February and June. Stress & Depression & overall hatred of your work environment can physically make a person sick.

I had 22 days of unemployment, which was pretty much appropriate for the 22 MONTHS of HELL I worked thru at LiquorDistributors. Then I had a great long term temp position that I had hoped would have turned into a fulltime permanent job. But, the last week of April I was told they hired someone else and I was off to a few other temp jobs.
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For the next three weeks I worked at a three different temp places and had 2 days off.  The last place I started at on May 9th, I’m still there. I’ve been temping in the Office Administrator position and after the 2nd day they have been openly discussing hiring me full time. I think the biggest issue is the conversion fee from the Temp Agency that has to be paid which I totally understand. If I stay a temp until August 9th, that fee is waived.

Another issue is that they are fully aware that they have to be very diligent in coming up with projects to keep me busy while I wait for the phone to ring, or find a way to merge the Office Administrator position with another open position to keep me busy during the day. Helping out in the training department or the accounting department or even the IT department are possibilities.

For a few years now, if anyone asked me what my dream job would be it would say… working as a trainer for a software company that makes accounting software. Well, guess what! This is a computer software company that provides electronic data processing of accounting documents between huge conglomerates & little bitty mom & pop places that can’t afford their own IT department of sorts. Bingo!
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Well, the HR called last week because there was a position that opened up a week or so ago when an employee quit. He was a Network Monitoring Engineer and after looking at my resume, the HR people & the IT people thought I might be qualified for the position.

At first, I was very scared they had a little more confidence in me than I have in myself. I haven’t worked in a “tecky” position in forevery, haven’t written even a “Hello World” program in Basic in over 5 years… much less network Korn shell scripting. I would hope that it is like riding a bicycle and it would all come back to me but I think I also worry about my brain.

One of the biggest things I see people complain about on my Chiari support group is “brain fog.” Sometimes I can be cooking dinner and can’t remember how many 1/4 cups equal a cup. My mom says I’m just getting old (I think she’s trying to make me feel better)… but at 32 1/2 that argument really doesn’t fly.

I think I’ve lowered my expectations of myself because of my Chiari so much that I’m willing to give up a great job to sit and wait for a phone to ring and an occasional Excel spreadsheet. I emailed an friend who I went to school with (and dated for 2 years) and he tried to talk me off a ledge. Reminding me that I actually had to help him with our homework for our network programming class.

So after being pulled off the ledge, I returned to work the next day and said yes, I would be interested in that position. The head of that department flew in from our California office today and is interviewing me and a few other candidates. My interview is at 5pm. I love the fact that I am not jeopardizing my chances of being hired full time for my current position or any other position by going thru with this interview, because they know they are trying to find a good fit for me.

The position I am interviewing for has its good and bad side. On the good side, it would be good to finally have some strong industry experience using my actual college degree instead of just teaching programming. It would also involve a higher pay scale due to the sheer amount of time on the job. The negatives are that I would be on-call 24-7 which would make it harder for me to finally take the GMAT and start my Masters degree online if I was always at work.
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On another issue, my work is currently located near the Galleria but has turned down the option to renew our lease at the end of October and will be moving between now and then. They have already set in motion the process of finding a place to move to in the Las Colinas area. I have decided that when my lease is up August 31st, I will be moving yet again, this time closer to work. Driving from the MallCrazy Suburbs to the Galleria is bad enough with gasoline at $3.00+/gallon, I wouldn’t want to see how bad it would be driving that much further. One of my co-workers is moving this weekend and bringing her empty boxes to me on Monday so that I can start packing. Anyone want to help me pack & move Labor Day Weekend?
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On the Weight Watchers issue, I have certainly slowed down in the weight loss department. I missed WeighIn last week because I went home for the weekend, but I plan on going this Saturday. I’m currently at 26.8 pounds and am hoping that number will go up to 28 or 29 this week. I should at least officially hit ONEDERLAND this week.

I know it is enough that NONE of my clothes fit anymore and until I stop paying for Cobra, I don’t have the money to replace my wardrobe. I have half a closet full of size 18s (and some 20s) that are huge on me but I can still wear if the pants have belt loops. The other half of my closet is size 14s and 12s that I have brought back from my storage shed.

Apparently while I was wearing size 16… I was going to culinary school and all I had to wear was my chef’s pants and jacket, cause I apparently never bought many size 16s on the way up to those other numbers. If anyone has any need for size 18s please let me know, I’d love to give them to a good home. On the flip size, anyone have any size 16s that don’t fit anymore? I promise to take very good care of them.
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You may have noticed that I finally fixed my blog. I’m not sure why I left it so incredibly ugly for so long other than going back to my “just not feeling it” excuse. I think I can also blame my brain fog on not being able to get my template to do what I wanted it to do. Tuesday night, I decided it was time to fix it and I fixed it and created a 2nd blog on a subdomain for my fellow Weight Watchers. Dirty Martini, as it is called, already has over 25 posts of recipes so feel free to check it out. I have in the back of my mind another blog but I don’t have it finished yet. Over the past few months, as the number of people registered for my Chiari support groups has grown, so has the number of Chiarians in the DFW area. I’m working on starting a blog for my fellow sagging brain tail buddies, as we are not able to voice a lot of things we would like on our support group because the moderators will reject posts with Drs Names, links to non-prescription items of relief etc. I sent a reply today to someone about Biofreeze and was kind enough to actually include the link to their website and they rejected my comment just because of the link. WTF?
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Anyone else notice that everyone is playing reruns on TV now? Even the daily talk shows like Oprah, Ellen & Rachael Ray. Yes… I did quit watching the View after Rosie left. It’s so annoying to go thru my TIVO every evening and see I don’t have anything to watch because it taped nothing but reruns all day. At least last night I had the 1st episode of Season 3 of Top Chef to watch. The one contestant from Dallas, Tre, won the challenge last night. May have to go check out the restaurant he works at here in town.
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Why is it that traffic has gotten WORSE since school let out for the summer instead of better? Totally backwards. Kinda like how the “fast lane” is the slowest lane to be in on I75. The 2nd lane from the left is always faster. Makes no sense whatsoever.
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What is with these flying alien mosquitos? They are big enough to play stunt doubles for characters on the Men In Black series. Somehow I got about 7 bites on my back, just in a spot where I can’t scratch. Probably got them when I was either cleaning out my storage shed back home or going thru boxes in my parent’s garage looking for my old Korn textbooks so I could study up for my interview today.
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Anyway, I think my brain is sufficiently empty now. Hopefully I’ll post something again before November.

Happy Birthday MAMA!

Hope you have a great day! I love you!

Attention Botanists

This picture probably sucks cause I took it with my crappy cell phone camera.

Every Monday we have two huge flower arrangements delivered to our office.  One sits on either side of my desk.  I’m not sure what is different this week, or heck it could just be the fact that it finally decided to stop raining, but I am getting some major headaches.

Anyone recognize any of the particular plants in this arrangement and/or know if they might be good at causing allergies?

Some Notification Would Have Been Nice

To the Maintenance Crew Over TLC (Office Building)

It sure would have been nice to know prior to sitting down in a stall this morning that your crew installed automatic flushers over the weekend.  Two of my co-workers have been surprised by a flush long before the final curtain was pulled.  I actually had to search for and press the manual over-ride button as it didn’t see me jumping up and down waving my arms screaming I’m done, I’m done.

I HATE AUTOMATIC FLUSHERS.

Sometime Online Petitions Need To Work

Attention All!  There is a new online petition out there.  It’s called Fire Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  I know online petitions don’t usually get anywhere at all or do anything… but I believe in this one, and this one needs to work.

This blonde dingbat is nothing but a blind puppet for the Republican pundits and she is coached every morning by the Executive Producers on what to say.  She was even invited to some dumb dinner at the White House and patted on the back by Shrub himself, as if to say… “Well done, good and faithful puppet.”

I think over the past 8 months I have Tivo’d and watched every episode of TheView.  Elizabeth just doesn’t get it.  I have agreed with 99% of Rosie & Joy&#