GRRR. I still have a lot of shit to get caught up with at work. I swear, this new controller is acting like I'm supposed to be WORKING the entire time I'm here...FUUUUUcK! So here I am still at work at 7:30, but since I'm grabbing a bite to eat of course I have to waste 12 minutes (and counting) on the internet.

So as I was eating and trying not to work, I did a little blog-hopping. Ya know, there are so many people who start a blog and write one or two posts and then never write again. It's kind of wierd, spooky really to get a little glimpse into someone's life and then bam, that's it. One dude was writing about MTV and ITunes and stuff and then is like, "Well, I just got a call to go bar hopping, gotta shower, later"! That post was made September 24, 2004. It was his first and only post. You think he's still bar hopping?

I kind of like the ones where the person signs off. "Ok, I broke up with Ken, and I'm moving back home, so this is my last post on this blog. Maybe I'll start a new blog some day with a name other than 'Ken + Darlene 4ever!'. Bye!"

I get the whole thing though, I can't tell how many journals I've started over the years prior to blogging that never made it past a couple of entries...for a while I would try to start one every New Year and it didn't really work out. I was pretty prolific back in high school though. Hmmm, maybe one day I'll gather up all my old journals and blog 'em somewhere. That might be embarassing...I should see if I ever recorded the night I lost my virginity.

Ok, ok, it's been about 20 minutes now, I should really get back to work so I can fucking LEAVE!!! One way or another I'll have a little less stress by Monday...

Work was freakin' crazy yesterday. Everybody wanted something from me. I ran out the door at 3 without getting much done other than deflecting people's issues, so I'm gonna have a lot more fun and thrills today. And I've got fucking month-end this week! Ehhhhhhpppp!!!!

We have a new Controller who seems a smart guy but is asking me all kinds of questions since he's not used to how we operate. It's like he wants the accounting department to operate like a REAL accounting department, like in textbooks and stuff. Plus we have some internal auditors in from the corporate office and they're all asking me questions about internal controls and and backups and procedures and shit. AND I'm supposed to be conducting my own safety audit of the mounting department, even though I have no CLUE what exactly they do in the mounting department. Although I'm pretty sure it's not as kinky as it sounds - but just to be safe, I'm not gonna say, "Ok, show me how you do mounting". Anyway, this is due either Friday or Monday...either way, I need to be done prior to Friday because my Friday and Monday will be spent processing all the paperwork I've been putting off all month.

Ok, ok, the company's expanding and we're a part of this multinational corporation so of course we need to make sure all our processes are properly documented and followed and blah blah blah...and I know if I'm proactive and use all this as a learning experience it will help me in my future career path and all that...but c'mon, it's a real hassle for me. First of all, I have enough work to keep me busy, and now I'm not even getting to my normal duties because I'm dealing with this other shit. AND it's really cutting into my goofing off time. I was only online for about an hour at work yesterday! Hell, I shouldn't even be writing this right now, I should be doing work. How fucked up is that? I've only been at work for an hour and I've already probably done half an hour's work. This is SO not fair.

I'd love to write about the porn I watched yesterday, or how Rove should be fired, but NO, I have to get back to WORKING now. Shit!

Fuck, it's Monday already. The weekend was pretty relaxing, we did a lot of swimming with the kids and stuff. Yesterday was mostly spent doing house-type stuff. I mowed the lawn, and Bethany did some work on the bathroom. I was amazed at how much nicer the bathroom looks after some light blue paint and fixtures on the walls. I can't wait until the next time I have to take a dump! :P

I'm so excited to be back at work. I hope the day goes fast...

It's Friday!!! Been a long week. Looking forward to maintaining a nice beer buzz all weekend.

It's good to have the automobiles back in action. Having no cars for a couple of days sucked. Makes you think of all the people who don't have cars in the world. I guess I'm kind of a dick for even complaining about being inconvenienced for a couple of days. WAH!

On the ride in to work this morning I was listening to Patty Griffin's "Making Pies". That song gives me goosebumps. It reminds me a bit of Pearl Jam's "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town", or the Beatles' "Elanor Rigby"...sung from the point of view of an older woman who makes pies at the local lunch counter. Life as passed her by, and she's just maintaining. Sad, but I dunno, a little resilient too. The last lines are "You can cry, or die, or just make pies all day...I'm making pies...". Anyway, a good musical experience on my way to work, although now I'm feeling too refliective for a Friday morning.

Gotta get active and start the party! I know once again, I'll be getting
nothing done at work today...they should just pay me to stay home on Fridays.

That's it, I'm going to buy a horse and buggy.

On my way home from work on Monday, my car went ape shit on me. I heard some crazy stuff happening under the hood, and next thing I knew I lost my power steering and brakes. Luckily, I'm driving a '95 Geo Prism, so I don't need much power for braking and steering. But I figured that probably meant I lost the cooling fan too, which it did. I kept that baby on the road ALMOST all the way home until the temp indicator started getting crazy. I pulled over for about 10 minutes and then got it off the parkway and into a parking lot near my house. I got a ride home and then after waiting a couple of hours it was sufficiently cooled down to get over to my mechanic. Turns out I lost the accessory drive belt (which is what I thought happened).

So yesterday we were without vehicles, but it's all good today. And although I was pretty bummed at the time, I'm glad that Bethany wasn't driving the car when this happened. And we had both autos fixed by this morning for under $1000. So I guess I'll wait on going Amish for another year.

Last night I watched Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. It was pretty hokey, but that's kind of the point, and it was very pretty to watch, especially when Mzzz Jolie made an appearance. I wasn't quite in the mood for it though, I shoulda stuck with cyberporn last night. Maybe that's where I'll go tonight. Although I also have to catch the latest rerun of Lost since I was so busy watching another disappointing season of Smallville that I missed out on it earlier in the season. I'm just hoping I can catch the entire first season in reruns this summer. Ehp! I'm a Lost loser.

I had a good day Saturday. The kids woke me up to give me the birthday cards they had made, and I got the new Nine Inch Nails CD from Bethany. I did a little shopping in the morning and then we headed out to Steve's for the BBQ at about 2:30. There was a big turnout - I'd say at least 125 people, maybe more (I wasn't counting or anything). I had a few brews, but I actually ended up getting involved playing volleyball for about 3 hours so I didn't get too drunk or anything. There was a DJ spinning records (actually a pretty nice mix of old & new music), and as the sun started setting people started getting into the karaoke. The kids were actually kind of bummed when we left at 9:30 'cause they wanted to stay and sing.

Yesterday involved mostly hanging out, doing housework, and grocery shopping. I bought some new jeans at Target, but they're actually too big for me. I like roomy jeans, but I don't want to look like a street punk or anything. So I guess I have to go with a 34 waist instead of a 36, at least for Levi's.

We also picked up the new Harry Potter book. I'll probably start reading it tonight - Bethany is already halfway through it. She's a reading FREAK!

Two for the Ides!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY!!!!

Since tomorrow is the big BBQ, I pray to the god((dess(e))s) that the day is sunny, not too hot, full of fun people, that the food is tasty, and that the beer is good to me.

And if I can NOT be totally hung over on Sunday, so much the better.

So I FINALLY watched Fight Club...what, it only came out like 7 years ago or something, right? My first feeling was that I was rather disappointed in it, and that might not be wrong, but then I've been thinking it over all day so maybe it was effective on some level.

*****WARNING : Spoilers follow. If you wait years and years to watch movies but still don't want to hear about the plot twists, read no further!****

I was really peeved by the revelation that Tyler was actually Edward Norton's character (Jack?). It kind of wrecked the end of the movie for me. I was willing to suspend disbelief enough to accept that these guys could all pound the shit out of each other and just need a couple of band aids the next day, I was willing to buy that somehow Tyler rigged IKEA boy's apartment to explode a week before they actually met, and I'll allow that maybe that many dudes can actually meet up for this secret club without attracting the attention of the authorities. But the whole "they're the same guy" thing didn't jibe for me. I mean, how does this office drone guy learn all this shit about high explosives and soap making and crap? Was his alternate personality busy learning this stuff while he was sleeping? Obviously it's a fantasy, so maybe I'm getting too caught up in storyline. I didn't find there to be much message under the ultraviolence either. I guess maybe I just don't really "get" satire. Sure, there's a lot of "issue raising" - the modern male's confusing perceptions of masculinity, a yearning to resolve one's problems through primal physical conflict, commercialism vs. self-reliance. But the issues don't really get answered, and the whole film just kind of blew up at the end - literally. I liked some of the cinematography, and the pace of the film was good (although it was a little long). I just don't think the end of the film met the expectations set by the first hour. I think it failed for me on many levels, although it did succeed in making me try to grasp some deeper meaning from the underneath all the glossy, bloody facade.

Oh yeah, and there's a WHOLE lotta Ho-yay (although maybe not since it's the same guy).

Man, I am NOT having a good automobile week. The van is out of commission until we can get it repaired. The truck we borrowed yesterday to do some errands died on me in the middle of traffic. Turns out it needs a new alternator. I hope my Geo makes it through the week.

So, it's been a stressful week, but I'm soooo looking forward to Saturday. Not only is it my birthday, but it's also the day of Steve's Big-Ass BBQ. It's gonna be tough staying veggie that day, but I think I can handle it. OR, who knows, maybe I'll break down for one day and have a piece of steak or something. It's my birthday after all! I just hope it doesn't rain all day.

Note to self : On days when it's raining like a mofo, don't order Chinese food and expect the delivery person to be at your place of business in 20 minutes. Especially if you're ordering with 10 other people. It's gonna take a friggin' hour, and you're going to be hungry and cranky. The food will be lukewarm, and everyone will argue about how much tip to leave the poor guy who is probably delivering to every other jackass, afraid-of-a-little-rain office in a 10-mile radius. Next time, suck it up, go out in the rain, and get some Subway or Taco Bell or something. It's cheaper and sooo much more satisfying.

Crap! The van needs some major repairs and it's gonna cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500. We need a new timing belt, water pump, and a few other hoo-hahs. That bites, but at least we have the money to pay for it at the moment. Thank the goddess that we didn't break down on our trip to VA.

Got caught in a porn vortex last night...I looked at one site and all of a sudden I was sucked in. I don't know why I can't get back to more serious stuff once I glimpse a couple naughty pics. I see a few nekkid chicks and suddenly I have to keep clickin' around for more. Those folks that design those websites are geniuses. That's got to be the explanation.

And once you get caught in the porn vortex, there's only one way to escape...

Um, not much to report. The dreary day outside coupled with some bad dreams and the whole situation in London has me in a mini-funk. But it's Friday dammit, so I think I'll be alright.

No weekend plans as of yet. I think there's supposed to be a big grand opening party at the bar around the corner (even though they've been operating off and on since February), and I'd like to show my face there if possible. And of course I need to mow the lawn.

Mike's wedding was beautiful. The ceremony was great, the priest was actually a great public speaker, and after the ceremony I spent most of the rest of the day with a slight buzz...from the champagne in the limo, to the scotch in the limo, to the liquor and beer at the reception, I was having a good time. The MWC D-Match crew was in effect at the reception, and there was much dancing and fun had by all. And SOMEONE in the group had some engagement news of their own! We had a very fun time. I was so happy to be a part of Mike and Jen's big day. Ehhhp!

This past weekend was ok, a little slow but that was fine with me. We had a graduation party to go to on Saturday and then a 4th of July party on Monday. I got the lawn mowed (it really needed it) and did a little poking around in the garden. Also, we found a snake in the yard, a smallish (maybe 2 feet long?) garter snake. The kids and I watched it slithering around for a while. Pretty cool.

I went on a solo shopping trip on Monday, looking for a birthday present for Dad. I couldn't find the John Pizzarelli CD he wanted at Best Buy or the mall record store - guess maybe he's an obscure artist? Mall CDs are way too expensive. It kind of pissed me off, even though I didn't buy anything. I also stopped in at Hot Topic...figured since I was shopping ON MY OWN with no kids, I may as well poke around a little. So, I was reminded about why I really don't like Hot Topic. It's so poseurish and annoyingly trendy while trying to seem anti-trendy. Or something. I mean, you just can't have a friggin' national clothing chain that is counter-culture. It just doesn't work. And what pisses me off even more is that it's the only place I know of within 20 miles that sells body jewelry and Nirvana t-shirts and purple hair dye. Long Island is so NOT cutting edge. Ehp. Anyway, I did enjoy ogling the Amazonian goth salesgirl, and I also learned that Robert Smith sings on the latest Blink 182 album. So there's that.

Yesterday I took some naked pictures of myself. Ok, a little wierd but I was alone in the house for a full hour and I felt like getting crazy. It was either that or clean the kitchen. Anyway, I was really inspired to start working out a little more. Not like I'm totally nasty or anything, but I don't think I'm looking that good. I wanna look good next time I take nude pictures of myself, dammit! Actually I think it might be a good way to keep track of my progress. And you know, maybe I can eventually realize my dream of appearing in Playgirl. :P