CafeChatNoir

Pisces Horoscope Overview
Every word you utter will carry weight and take on a life of its own. You may not realize it, especially if you’re angry. Now that you know, think for a few seconds before you open your mouth.

Yeah, thinking, thinking, still going to open my mouth. :) described me the other day as a “self-healer” - ie, oftentimes when something bothers me, I will stop and decide if it is really of any real consequence in the grand scheme of things. More often than not, it isn’t, so I just let it go. (Which probably isn’t the best idea as it tacitly encourages reprehensible behaviour, but that’s another post.)

Not today.

Society at large, it’s time to get your heads out of your asses and realize what you do and say and don’t do and don’t say AFFECTS OTHER PEOPLE. So, stop and THINK about that at times, OK?

And freaky stapler girl here at the office is getting married. That did wonders for my mood, too.

Boy howdy, the nasties are out in force today.

With one notable exception - asked a client what version they were on…
“We’re on 4, and I just love it.”
“Really?”
“YES! It’s a really great piece of software.”
THAT made me smile.

The rest have been completely awful.

It’s a good week to be me. Two short days this week. I remembered to take the trash out today. I didn’t get in any wrecks on the way home despite the THREE idiots that ran red lights around me.

I get the wonderous Eve L’Dog for the weekend while is in Raleigh!!

And that photo reminds me that I am seriously overdo for a haircut.

Courtesy groovy segue:

Tech Support w/the Angry Squirrel

Over 11 hours of sleep. Sweet. groovysegue, if I could bottle some and send it over to you, I would. :)

Eye appt at 9:30 to prove my eyes haven’t fallen out and they can sell me the rest of my lenses, then to work for a short day. The person that normally does 11-8 offered to switch shifts with me today when she saw I was coming in late, but I declined. Once was enough, thankyouverymuch.

Realized I get *another* late day this week as I am on beeper for the weekend, so I don’t have to be there til 11 on Friday either. Yay me. :-D

Hmm, what are the chances that if I go to bed now, I’ll sleep through the night rather than waking up in 2 hours?

We shall see…

That considering doing ANY type of home improvement that requires a power saw is a bad idea. Right??

When you’re having an “I despise my house” kind of day, firing up a game of the Sims and bulldozing the entire neighborhood is quite soothing.

Just, argh, ack, OMG in general. I got the stuff done I needed to get done, but at the moment, I have had it up to HERE with this place.

Was thinking about the floors and such and got a much better idea. Rent apartment, move over the things I give a damn about (2 carloads, TOPS), give away the rest of it, hand house keys to half a dozen contractors with the instructions of “fix it”, sell house, be done with the whole mess.

Not in a happy place this morning. My shoulder hurts like hell, don’t know if it is from the desk or the bed or if my body has just decided to do a full on revolt. (I’m going with option #3 as age has been poking more at me lately.)

Played ball w/the dog - he’s getting better at it. He’ll chase it and get it and sorta bring it back - he’d much rather you chase him about than drop the ball, but he is getting better. When he does drop it, he’ll leave it when you tell him to, and then you can throw it again. He’s just isn’t real clear on the whole concept of “it has to be dropped before it can be thrown again.”

If you try to take one of his toys away from him (really, all you have to do is stick your arm out towards him), he makes the funniest noise and starts bouncing around, tail wagging, all kinds of excited that it’s a game. I’d classify the noise as a growl, except it’s about 3 octaves too high, and there’s no actual aggression associated with it. Sure, on the one hand, if he’d just drop it, we could toss it to him again, but in his mind, it’s just as much fun to bounce around with it, because either way, you’re playing with him, woohoo!, and he’s just too dang happy with that. When you’re outside playing ball and he comes running back with the ball, he’ll start to run by you, and all you have to do is lean towards him as he goes by and it becomes, *run*run*bounce*bounce*funny noise*bounce*bounce*. At least he knows and obeys “leave it”, and “drop it” is coming along, if a bit slowly. He does have a few more training classes in his future. He’s still such a puppy in so many ways, but he’s learning and getting better.

I’ve still got to get back over to my place today to tend to the cats and finish up the rest of the housework that needs to be done. It’s not much by any means, but it’s enough that it’s annoying me to no end this morning that it even needs to be done. But, it’s gotta get done, and if not this afternoon, then tonight before bed, which I’d really rather not do. I mean REALLY now, I live alone and rarely cook for real anymore, and spend 90% of my time in only 3 rooms of the house - there shouldn’t be anything TO be done…

I know that if I show just a LITTLE BIT of discipline & restraint when I get over to my place, and I simply dive right into what needs to be done as soon as I get there, it will take no time at all. I know this. The problem lies in the sad fact that if I sit down at the computer to check my email or anything like that, my sorry butt will be glued there for at least a couple hours.

Then back over here to get the pup his dinner. Mom gets home this evening, I just have no idea when.

Perhaps another cup of coffee is in order before I attempt anything at all today.

Poor little guy just isn’t getting me at my best this weekend to say the least. I feel like total crap, my mood has slowly spiraled into downright foul, and I’d really be better off if I was at home with my stuff and my cats and my surroundings.

Don’t get me wrong, whenever Mom goes out of town, I stay over here with the dog - been doing it for all three dogs along the line. Cheaper for her and easier on the dog than boarding them somewhere. Normally it’s no biggie, and me & the hound have a good time. I think it’s just that I don’t feel good at all and it’s worse when you’re not home, you know? Not that the cats are particularly good at looking after me, but…

Ah well, tomorrow is another day.

The squirrels are actively taunting him. They’re getting up in the trees above him and making all kinds of noise so he knows they’re there, and then they basically point and laugh and throw acorns at him.

Didn’t get quite as much done today as I would have liked, but still a respectable amount, especially considering that my sinuses decided to go completely haywire on me this afternoon. But, not a whole lot left to do tomorrow, so I’m pleased.

I also need to thank my two darling cats for helping me make a very important decision. After dealing with cat gak yet again, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is time to just bite the bullet and go for solid flooring rather than carpets in this place.

OK, time to feed the cats & head back to tend to the dog. I feel bad I had to come over here for such a chunk of the day, but fortunately, he’s quite the forgiving little fellow.

A good night’s sleep can make such a difference. I’m still not feeling great, but WAY better than when this crap hit me Wednesday night.

A fun discovery last evening - my Mom still has all our books from when we were kids. I sat down and read Laura Ingalls “Little House in the Big Woods” again from cover to cover for the umpteenth time. Still love it, and makes me wish I had a little one I could read it to.

Many little things to get done today, no one thing of exceptional consequence, but if I can get them all done, I’ll be feeling quite good by the time the evening rolls around.

sagamore is tackling one of the grand joys of homeownership this weekend - painting. Given my positively horrid experience with interior painting, I am grateful I am not a major player in this endeavour and that is a fantastic person who actually LIKES painting. I have offered up a third set of hands if needed should it start looking like they have more walls than time. So, the more I can get done today, the more time I can have to help out if necessary.

I do applaud him for learning from my painting mistakes and taking the time to toss up a coat of primer first.

I will admit his foray into painting and such has gotten me thinking about doing things to my place, too - scary thought, indeed.

So, let’s see, what’s on tap in this exciting gal’s world today?? A trip to Target for some spot cleaner for the carpet and a couple laundry baskets. (Mine seem to keep disappearing, I have no idea how or when…) Feed the cats their breakfast. (A bit late, they will not be happy, but such is life sometimes.) Take care of the various spots on the carpet that need tending to. Pick up anything and everything in preparation for the cleaning people to come in on Monday. Empty the dishwasher. Laundry.

What I’m most pleased about in my tasks I have ahead of me for the day is the ones that relate to getting things in order for the cleaning folks. Though it’s been a full month since they have been around, I would say that I am no worse off than I have been when they were coming around every two weeks. Perhaps even a bit better, as the other day I cleared off the dining room table that is such a magnet for junk, and I did a big kitchen pickup just the other day. It’s silly how pleased with myself I am, but there you go. Oh, how I wish I could be a natural born neat freak like , but I am heading that direction. Slowly, but getting there. I do see myself getting to the point one day that I will say, “I can do better than the cleaning service” and drop it altogether. A long ways off, mind you, but I can see it.

Well, places to go, things to do, stuff to pick up off the floor. Have a lovely weekend.

OK, for the SECOND time I have gotten a demand (not a request) from a particular account manager to call back a client for no other reason than I was the last person to leave a message for said client. Call was not assigned to me, and the account managers KNOW they are supposed to go to one of the two managers for situations like this, not harass the support folks. I reported her ass to my boss, because this needs to stop. (My boss agreed.) Both times she has pulled this crap, I was within spitting distance of getting to leave, and this time around, I was ALREADY on the phone with the client when I get her email!

Tired as hell, happy it’s Friday, got Quizo’s on the way home. Cats have been fed & loved on & apologized to for the temporary abandonment. Dog has been fed and played with and told that Quizo’s isn’t puppy food and is sitting at my feet.

A few errands to run tomorrow, a trip over to my place to get some things taken care of that need to be taken care of, and most importantly, sleep. Lots of sleep.

1. If the words “it’s fixed itself” come out of your mouth, then we should NOT be having this conversation.

2. While I applaud you for working on a disaster recovery plan, the fact that I had to tell you *three* times that support will not be able to help you in the event of any disaster of any kind if you do not have access to your database tells me that you don’t quite get it. And again, NO we do not provide backup storage. Now go away.

So, yes, I’m at work. Nor much more than a warm body today, but it’s better than no body at all.

Spent part of the night fighting for bedspace with the dog. Mind you, it’s a king sized bed, the dog is 25 pounds, so space should NOT be an issue. And yet, he kept trying to push me off the side…

I think I am going to spend the vast majority of my weekend sleeping.

New update page definitely *not* optimized for whatever settings my Mom has on her computer here… But, hey, access is access and I’ll take what I can get. :)

Firmly ensconsed over at Mom’s watching the Moxley dog til Sunday. She’s off at Atlantic Beach (I think? Somewhere in NC) for the weekend with some friends from work.

Discovered this evening that Mox has apparently never seen knitting and/or skeins of yarn before. Quite cautious of the entire scenario, LOL.

I’m thinking my crud must be allergies of some sort. Given that it happens every year like clockwork, about a week after the temps start to drop, I’m betting it’s something that blooms or goes out of bloom or something that sends my head, throat and sinuses into a full on revolt, which in turn just makes me feel like total crap all over.

Spent most of today just sleeping. Did get a few things taken care of about the house that needed to get done, so I don’t have to worry about them later.

Despite all today’s sleep, still really tired - not a late night ahead, that’s for sure.

I bailed on work today. I’ve got my annual fall crud, and I know from experience that the best thing is to a) take the decongestants that make me too loopy to work and b) sleep.

Figure if I hit it hard right now, I can nip it in the bud. Last year I tried using the drugs that are “work friendly” and generally felt like shit, so I’m not gonna do a repeat of that. Figure I can get it under control today, use the crappy “work friendly” stuff tomorrow and slog through the day and then go back to the loopy stuff for the weekend. (Gotta go in tomorrow, we’ll be down 1 person and the other 8-5 person won’t be in til 11.)

It’s not all bad, especially since this also gives me a chance to get a couple things done about the house before I head over to Mom’s to take care of the dog for the weekend, which is good, since I’ll be a bit pressed for time here with being over there.

Oh, and speaking of things about the house - some product bashing. Palmolive Clean Rinse Dishwasher Detergent - ISN’T. I’ve yet to have a load of dishes I didn’t have to re-rinse at least some of them. I’ve never tossed out an unfinished bottle of detergent til today, but that stuff SUCKS.

Sniffy nose, stopped up ears and a sore throat. Lovely.

Note to self: pick up drugs on the way home tonight.

Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna pass out under the desk now.

Working 11 to 8 kinda sucks. The 11 part is good, but 6-8 tonight about did me in - completely and utterly bored out of my mind. 7-8 I was the only one on, and at 7:30 I did another round of callbacks to our central timezone clients on the off chance *someone* would be around to talk to. (No west coast clients tonight…) I was ready to poke my eyes out.

In an absolute FLASH of brilliance this evening, rather than dicing up the chicken by hand for the chicken salad, I cut it up into some big chunks, popped it into the little food processor and a couple quick bursts later - chopped up chicken!!!! It is a little less “pretty” than dicing by hand, but SO daggone much faster, it’s worth washing out an extra bowl.

Yes, I really DID have to share that.

I should have followed my Onion horoscope last week when it came out:
The confluence of many mystical signs and portents can only foretell that it’s time to give your brother a call.

I got an IM from him this evening that started out “any idea where I can get a gun at this hour?” Given that he’s not really the shooting spree type, this can’t be good.

He’s hit a bit of a rough patch over the past couple days. Saturday - car was rear ended. Minor damage, he’s a bit sore, but OK. Today, they’ve got a SOX audit going on at work, and his boss & the department head are out. Then this evening, the hot water valve went out under the sink in his bathroom. In his words:

[21:34] LittleBro: I was using the sink at the time and suddenly I just hear gushing water
[21:34] Me: that’s never good
[21:34] LittleBro: I open the the cabinet doors and water just shoots out soaking me like a goddamned cartoon

Fortunately, the water wasn’t hot enough to burn him, he just got good & soaked - and at least it happened while he was right there. Can you imagine coming home to a mess like that if it had been going on a few hours?

I had been thinking about sending him a link to ’s post on emergency preparedness, but I’m afraid after the past few days, he’d just curl up in a ball under his desk from fear of things getting worse. Perhaps that can wait a bit…

Nice little burst o’ energy this evening after the nap - cooked up some chicken & made chicken salad, made lunch for tomorrow, did some laundry, and got a TON of crap off the dining room table - it is the magnet for junk mail. (And how did I get on Frederick’s of Hollywood’s mailing list??? Seriously - who signed me up? Fess up!!)

Dog duty later this week & weekend - Mom’s getting to go to the beach! (Last year Hurricane Isabel got in the way of the trip.)

Little bro’s birthday is coming up in just a few weeks, have to figure out what to do for him - something non-disaster related would probably be best…

Boy howdy, whatta Monday. Out 3 days and came back to 65 emails. 3 of which I think were actually addressed to *me*.

Lost a coworker to the consulting group and looks like another is headed for design. While some would flip out over 3 people departing in short order, I really think it is just the normal ebb & flow of any department - support jobs to tend to have high burnout, and this group really isn’t any different. One of our other second line folks mentioned to Tasha that he was afraid I’d bail too - as I said, “Oh HELL no, then I’d have to get a real job.”

I managed to get stuck on the 11-8 shift tomorrow, which shouldn’t be too bad, I am sure I’ll just be all kinds of heebie-jeebied out in that last hour. Still get to sleep in extra in the AM for the eye doc appt, and don’t have to take any vacation time for it now, so it’s all good.

Came home and sat down on the sofa & read through my mail & decided to close my eyes for “just a second” - which turned into two hours. :) Unfortunately, now I seem to have a rather severe case of the hiccups.

Occurs to me that I am going to have to take lunch & dinner for tomorrow. I’d best go tend to that and some other things about the house.

30+ years on this planet and I still don’t have the good sense to go to bed at a reasonable hour on Sunday nights…