CafeChatNoir

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I love my dentist.  Even if I do have to go back in three weeks.  The polishing part of the cleaning is basically a sandblasting w/saltwater.  Much improved over the old methods.  (I assume he did the same thing the last time I was there, but he did a root canal at the same time, so I was so drugged up I don’t remember a damn thing.)

Got the income taxes in the mail.  Be interesting to see if they take them or if there is going to be more paperwork down the line for them to accept them - signed ‘em with the administrator title, that really should be adequate I would think.  We shall see.

Hey, , you’re pretty garden savvy - is there any reason I can’t throw down a layer of mulch this fall?  (Or sooner?)  Figure now that I know what is and isn’t weeds, I can at least cover up the weeds as much as possible. :)

Been having lots of dreams about my parents the past couple weeks.  Nothing even remotely upsetting at all, just there, hanging out, just like old times.  Weird, but cool all the same.  (Though I did find myself muttering at the ceiling one night “You’d damn well better not be coming to get me, I’ve got things to do!”)

Snoopy has claimed one of the family room chairs, it’s now his chosen spot in the evening while we watch TV.  Mox was rather unsure of this at first, but I repeatedly assured him it’s OK.  And the dog who hardly ever barked sure has found his voice since the cats moved in.  The cats just went into their evening must have treats song and dance, and he joined in with all kinds of strange sounds…

My very sweet, overprotective coworker down in Central Va wants me to get pepper spray for working the 11-8 shift in the office.  Not sure that’s the best idea given my somewhat clumsy nature at times, I’d be more concerned that I’d end up hitting myself in the face with it.

Weather looks to be cooling down a bit the rest of the week, so the outdoor exercise for me and the dog will be resuming now that spontaneous combustion is slightly less likely.

Given that it’s well past time for bed for me to be even remotely coherent in the office tomorrow, I should go do something about that.

I wish I wasn’t so good at procrastinating.  I’m really damn near a professional at it.

I need to be doing an income tax return right now.  It’s basically 99% done.  I need to just gather up all the pieces of paper again, double check them against the return, print it, sign it, and get it in the post.  When I filed for the extension, August 15th was so far away.

It’s crazy hot again out there again today.  Think I had best hit the rowing machine in the basement for exercise rather than going out and dropping over from the heat.  Would kind of defeat the purpose of exercising to be found face down on the sidewalk, don’t you think?

One week of back on 8-5, then I am on the new shift permanently starting the 22nd.  11-8 Monday through Thursdays, 9-6 on Fridays, unless I have the beeper, then it’s 11-6.  Hopefully the adjustment period will be short.

Going to the dentist tomorrow.  Ick.  Hoping that there will be no followup required.  Wouldn’t that be grand?

Talked to Grandma this morning, she’s got her plane tickets for Christmas, and will be coming in at National (less likely to lose her there) on the 11th of December.  Unless I get stuck w/the beeper the first week of January, looks like I will have no beeper weekends while she’s here.

’s earlier post made me think about the fact that I have not been to the range in ages.  Really should do that sometime soon.

’s recent posts about bike bliss have been so fun to read.  About 5 years ago, everyone was taking bets on which I’d end up with first - the motorcycle or the tattoo.  (As it turns out, neither.)  I’m wondering if I’m not heading off that direction yet again.

OK, off to finish the tax return.

The wedding was lovely, the bride was stunning, the groom was his usual goofy self, and the reception was the most entertaining I have ever been to.  :)  Lisa** is a smiley gal to start with, but you couldn’t get the grin off her face with a Mac truck today.  I even have a few photos of my brother all spiffed up.  No photos of the few times he was dancing, as I swore I wouldn’t take any, and I kept my word.

Tev broke out into the Iccy Shuffle during the first dance, then broke into the Dad & Daughter dance, and proceeded to dance with Dad.

Sat at the “guests of the wedding party” table, as  was in the wedding party in some capacity, but I couldn’t quite tell you what, as all the guys apparently kept changing duties, decision making being done via rock-paper-scissors.

Talking w/ Debbie at my table, she asked if I danced - heck yeah, but I never can find a dance partner.  She says that she is sure that Nick would dance if I asked…  HAHAHA!  Not doing that to Nick (though he’s a nice guy and would probably agree) or to my brother, cause I *do* know little bro would catch shit for it.  I mentioned it to him, and he confirmed, not allowed!  Well, later a bunch of us are on the dance floor, Josh is on the dance floor, but not dancing, so I poke him about joining in.  So he does, more with me than the general “us” bouncing about on the dance floor, and apparently within seconds, my brother is catching crap from his friends along the lines of “Josh is going to nail your sister.”, LOL.  I did not get in trouble w/him for this, as he said, “Well, I did only specifically ban Nick.” 

I also became near permanently attached to a small child who had to be on methamphetamines - my god, what a insanely high energy little one, who wanted to dance to EVERY SINGLE DANCE, and loved getting picked up and spun around.  Weight training and cardio today?  Check.  Finally, she latched on to the bride, much easier to find in a crowd with the big white dress.

Just a really great wedding and reception, and I think they’re gonna make it for the long haul.

And despite a two hour dead-to-the-world nap upon getting home, I’m still beat, so I’m going to bed.

**
Lisa = bride
Tev = groom
Debbie = Mark’s wife
Mark = groomsman
Josh = groomsman/friend of
Nick = groomsman/friend of

1. What foods did you eat growing up that you later found out were regional items? (specific brands or recipes that you thought everyone could buy or make)

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is Ham, Beans & Cornbread.

2. Ham or turkey at Christmas and Easter? Or was there some other main course not typical for your area or religion?

Easter is morning brunch, Christmas has been all over the map over the years, ham, turkey, standing rib roast, and some other things I’m sure I’m not remembering.

3. What was your favorite meal served at your elementary school?

School lunches pretty much sucked at all the schools I went to, except at the high school overseas that had no cafeteria, so I went to Baskin-Robbins for lunch many a day.

4. What family recipes have been handed down to you, and have you tweaked any of them a little bit to make them more yours?

Meatloaf, mine’s the best in the family.

5. Are there foods/recipes you wouldn’t eat as a child that you now regularly enjoy?

Veggies. :)

For keeping the beeper quiet this evening.  Insane day.  Absolutely fucking insane.  Three and a half of us working the queue today.  We had enough of a lull at one point I was able to work one of my pre-existing calls.  Second calls simply did not happen.  About 5:30 we got to the point of no unanswered calls (we close at 6 on Fridays), and had it been a “normal” day, I’d have been doing second calls or working my existing stuff.  However, at that point, I simply could not function anymore, so I pretty much spent the last half hour just existing and trying not to drool on the keyboard.

When other folks have left, we haven’t felt it too badly, because most of them had gone into uninspired performance mode due to burnout/disgruntledness for some time anyway.  But I’ve definitely felt Shane’s loss, cause he knew EVERYTHING that was project related, and I mean all of it.  I’m trying to fill his shoes as best I can, but it’s not easy following someone like that.  With Tasha going, that’s gonna hurt us VERY badly, being one of our top closers, and being an absolute wealth of knowledge.  I am extremely grateful that both of them are still at the company, so I can still ping them for assistance when I get really stuck.

Tasha is going to be on another month, then part time the next month, then on to QC, so it’s not like she’s just going to drop out of sight immediately, and one of our newbies should be done w/boot camp here pretty soon and so she’ll be on the queue, and looks like we’ll be picking up a consultant that doesn’t want to do consulting anymore.  She’s going to need some training, but she’ll at least have some of the basics down.  But wow, the pressure is going to be on, big time. 

I have directions to the church, the reception, and my brothers hideout, so I should be able to get between any of the three places in Fredericksburg tomorrow.  Just need to get to bed so I can be up and presentable, cause the presentable thing just doesn’t happen on it’s own unfortunately.  I did realize this evening that I managed to completely forget about the wedding gift.  Completely.  Fortunately, the couple in question will find this funny instead of awful.  (I had been leaning towards an Amex Gift Card so they could fill in whatever blanks they have, I could probably do that before the wedding.)  Depending on which of my brother’s college buddies are there tomorrow, I may only end up knowing the bride, groom & my brother…  (Yes, I’ll be at the pathetic & dateless table.)

I’m on Starbucks #2 and still not really all here yet this morning…

Have directions to the wedding, need to find out where little bro is going to be staying if I end up there ungodly early so I’m not sitting around a church waiting for lightning to strike.  Google says it’s 50 minutes, but they don’t know I-95 on a Saturday.  I’ll be giving myself a good two hours.  Am also taking my camera to get a pic of my little brother in a tux. 

At least I’m only on til 6, then just the beeper, which will go on vibrate during the ceremony tomorrow, and if the damn thing goes off and for some unknown reason I can’t fix it over the phone, I’ll have my laptop and can sneak to the hotel and hijack the wireless if needed.  So, I’ve got that under control.  (Still can’t believe I didn’t make the connection between the wedding this weekend and the damn beeper.)  I swear, at 3 it really may get dumped in the punchbowl.

It’s already hotter than hell out there today - I’ve already declared it a no pants day, and no walks for the dog, he’ll burst into flames halfway around the block.  He doesn’t understand this, and I’ve tried to explain it to him, but it just isn’t working.

OK, time to go be fabulous at my job.

I am only now getting myself to bed.  Finished up the queue around 8:15, went out and got something to wear for Saturday’s wedding, came back, sat down and worked some seriously fucked up calls.  I am just finishing that up now.  I don’t mind, you gotta do what you gotta do, but oh THANK GOD I do not have to be in the office at 8 AM tomorrow.  And you can bet your sweet ass it’s going on my timesheet.

Oh yes, there WILL be Starbucks for me tomorrow.

Clif Bar Commercial - Training for Open Water Swim for Triathlons

Pretty hilarious, needs QuickTime, safe for work

Dear God, Karma, Fates, whoever happens to be in charge…

I am very, very tired.  You’ve kinda trashed nearly every aspect of my life.  Family gone, relationships gone, friends leaving, work upheavals.

I am doing the best I can.  I’m trying to keep what faith I’ve got left.  Please, throw me a bone here, OK? 

Have you NOT noticed I have kept with my training program since coming back?  Does that not count for giving me a touch of slack elsewhere?? 

I could deal with a few good things happening, that’s all.

http://my.horoscope.com/gethoroscope.asp?day=10&month=8&year=2005&sign=12

It’s time to pull out all the stops and put your time and effort into something you really believe in. Your hard work will pay off financially if you refuse to give up. Focus on the here and now, not the past.

I like this one. :)

On the home front when I switch shifts.  See, it’s 10:30 right now, and on an office day, I’d be on my way into the office.  At this point this morning, all I’ve accomplished is getting dressed and having coffee.  Sort of defeats the purpose of having morning hours available if I don’t use them.  So, another item to add to the list of “things I need to work on”…  Damn, that’s getting to be a long assed list.

Have a wedding to go to on Saturday, need to find a dress to wear for it…  Dress shop down the street is open til 9, may hit that after work tonight, or tomorrow morning, since I have to be up and about to go snag the beeper for the weekend anyway.

OK, time for work.  Tomorrow morning will be more productive. :)

I’ve lost my mind and I volunteered to take the 11-8 shift permanently.  My TC’ing will shift to full weeks/every other week for ease of coordinating critter care when I am in the office.  It is a suckass shift to try and do every 5 or 6 weeks, cause you only really get into the rhythm of it by about Thursday…  I think I could easily get used to it after a couple weeks.  And it’s not like I ever have that much going on in the evenings anyway that I’d be missing out on, and when Grandma is here, I’ll just cook dinner in the mornings and little bro can be in charge of reheating. :)

The pluses just outweigh the negatives by so much.
Pros:
– Can walk the dog during daylight
– Will have daylight for outside exercise, and will probably be joining the rec center (5 mins away) when the pool opens back up in Nov (remodeling going on), and would be able to go swim before work, but after the usual “pre-work” crush.
– Can schedule appts in the mornings, easier to be late for this shift than leave early.
– It is usually DEAD by 8 PM, hence, I will get out on time much more than I have been on the 8 to 5.
– Much lighter traffic when I do have to be in the office.

Cons:
– Have to get someone to cover the shift when I leave early and/or need days off.  This shouldn’t be difficult, as one coworker already said she would cover me no problem.  (She was dreading getting stuck w/the shift permanently, and is thrilled that someone is taking it.)
– No last minute weeknight stuff unless it starts late, but again, never have done much of that anyway.

So, yeah, I’ll be one of those people I see lingering in Starbucks, I guess. :)

It will take some adjusting to get into the habit of getting everything done *before* work, but I know I can’t be any worse at it than I am trying to get things done after work, that’s for sure.  So, this should be kicking off the week of 8/22 or thereabouts.  I think it will work out well.

The more I think about it, if Tasha does go over to QC, I may volunteer to take the 11-8 shift permanently.  I’ve always thought that if you could get used to it, it wouldn’t be bad, and the reason I had not done it before was because I didn’t want to abandon her on the 8-5 shift.  But I’d need to talk it over w/ cause he’d have to pick up some of the critter duties when I don’t TC.  Have to think on that one some more, but having the mornings available to get stuff done, as well as much lighter traffic when I have to be in the office sure would be a plus.  Could also walk the dog during daylight in the winter - HUGE plus.  Just a matter of getting used to it, and only doing it once every 4 to 6 weeks just doesn’t give you that chance.

We skipped walking last night cause it was raining…  It’s raining again today…  If it’s done by the time I get off work, it will at least still be light enough that we can go.  Thing is, we do need the rain, it’s been a while, so I can’t complain too much.

Glad to hear the Discovery got down in one piece, even if it was in CA instead of FL - but damn, if I were an astronaut, that’s kind of a haul to have to go to pick up your car.

(Just heard back from , he says go for it on the shift change.)

So, we shall see how things shake out.

Good to know that yoga still works on me.  I am alllllllllllllllllllllllll tired and happy.   Bedtime!

If she does go to QC, and I do think that she will, I may just volunteer to take the 11-8 shift permanently.  I know it’s not bad once you get used to it, no one else wants it, and I’d actually be less likely to get stuck an hour or two past quitting time like I do now…

I could TC every other week, so the weeks I have to be in the office,  could do the critter feedings, and even that would only be Mon-Thurs cause that shift ends at 6 on Fridays, and even if he couldn’t, they would be OK with eating later cause I could give them a snack or something before I leave the house.

Just mainly random thoughts on it, the reason I didn’t volunteer for 11-8 before now was because T & I were perfect on the 8-5 together and I didn’t want to abandon her on it.  Guess we’ll just see how it all shakes out.  Bah.

Gonna go fire up the yoga DVD’s and go to bed.

This actually *is* my zodiac sign…

You are a Pisces, the kindest sign of the zodiac.
You are sympathetic, sensitive, impressionable,
compassionate, forgiving, imaginative, a
dreamer, romantic, tolerant, and funny. Of all
the animals in the world you are most like two
fish, you swim in the watery depths of feeling
and knowledge. And about those TWO fish, you
have two choices in how to live your life

1) you can try to swim upstream(which is the harder
way but life is full of challenges, plus the
rewards are much sweeter)

or 2) you can just “float” along the
bottom of the river(which is when you take the
EASY way, which has more, can i say, BORING!
results.

-your colors are pale green and turquoise, the color
and light of the sea in which you dwell

-your metal is platinum

-your precious stone is aquamarine(imagine that,
aqua AND marine)

-your day of the week is friday [Author's note -- HELLS YES!!]

-the part of the body that you rule is you feet,
weird isn’t is,i mean, seeing as your a FISH!!

-your element is, wait for it____, WATER *me:wow
didn’t see that one coming

-the planet that you are ruled by is neptune, named
after the greek god Posiden(AKA neptune).
Posiden is the god of all things water.

-your true love comes form a cancer, taurus, virgo,
or your own pisces

What is Your TRUE Astrology Sign? (for guys and girls with incredibly detailed answers and incredible pictures+READ MEMO PLEASE)
brought to you by Quizilla

Monday AND the suckass 11-8 shift.  It just doesn’t get any better than this…  I’m doing my usual slogging through when I have this shift, it’s like walking through mud, and I’ve just stopped trying to fight it and accept the fact that today, my productivity is going to just suck.  Probably shouldn’t have picked today to try to back off the caffeine…

I would kill for a nap right about now, but I’ve only got 10 minutes left of my lunch and if I even attempted to get a very quick nap in, I know I wouldn’t wake back up.

Oh how Mondays do suck in so many varied ways…

I only drink before noon at Christmas, Easter and a few select horseraces.  I have a client that is making me want to change that rule very badly.

The dog, while an absolute joy, is a lousy exercise partner.  There is no such thing as “continuous” walking with him - it’s stop & sniff & walk & stop & sniff…  This is another reason aside from the heat that he gets dropped off after one lap. :)

Next Saturday I am going to be at a wedding that starts at 1 PM.  It just occurred to me today that I am on beeper until 3 PM next Saturday…  Hell, I’ll just put it on vibrate for the ceremony and pray it doesn’t go off at all…  And at 3 PM, I may just drop it in the punchbowl.

Got a fair amount accomplished in the basement today w/, though the dog decided to test my considerations of his being “an absolute joy” by attempting to undo it…  Fortunately, I caught him in the midst of it and was able to get it cleaned up immediately.  Coulda strangled the little mutt for a few minutes there, though…

A pic of our first kitty, Patches:

I am officially calling bullshit on this story - Cat’s have no sweet tooth - we’re this truly the case, Snoopy would not have just happily devoured a couple fruit loops, and trust me, those are definitely sweet.

Now that I’ve gotten some sleep, I can tell of my adventures in animal rescue transport. :)

This was for Molly, a Persian going from New Britain, CT to Jacksonville, FL, because she wasn’t getting on well in her foster home and would be going back to her old owner/foster in FL.  Well, there was a Springfield to Fredericksburg leg, and, HEY! I know where both those places are, so I signed up.  Even said I could get as far as the Emporia, VA leg, cause it’s really not a bad drive.  Schedules are drawn up, emails sent out, they still need someone to get from Emporia to Rocky Mt, NC.  Heck, I’d already said I’d go to Emporia, what’s another hour?  So, Springfield to Rocky Mt it is.  And now there is a second cat, Robbie, a Maine Coon going to Raleigh to be picked up by Maine Coon rescue there.

The original pickup was to be at 3:30, I get a call at 3:15, the leg ahead of me has only just gotten the kitties - bad traffic up north it seems, so she’ll call when she gets closer by.  We end up meeting up around 4:15 and I am back on the road with them about 4:30.  I’m thinking we can make up some of the lost time since we’re skipping three hand offs, and I can take the bypass around Richmond.  An excellent theory, undone by 2 thunderstorms that we drove through.

I managed to get the names backwards, and called them both by the wrong name the entire trip.  They were also VERY quiet - something I am NOT used to with cats in the car.  And about an hour into it, I realize that the reason Robbie is so quiet and sleeping so much is that he’s got some sort of upper respiratory thing going on…this worries me, as I really, REALLY don’t want to have a cat up and die on me on my first transport, so the poor guy was harassed by me most of the trip.  “You OK back there?!  You’re alive, right?  Still breathing?”  I’d get an eye opened at me and a look of death of “CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT I AM TRYING TO SLEEP HERE?!”  I gave him a bit off my chicken sandwich, and he scarfed it down, so he had a decent appetite, so that made me feel better.  His goodbye to me was a very large, sloppy sneeze through the crate as we took him out of the car.  Molly just stared at me very suspiciously the entire trip.

I sang to them, told them my life story and I am thinking generally annoyed them through most of the trip.

We roll into Red Oak, just north of Rocky Mount, right around 8:30 and manage to completely miss the turn to the hotel where the meetup is - you pull off the highway and there is a sign for the hotel next to an abandoned gas station - if you turn there, then the hotel is back down that road.  But you can’t really see the hotel from that spot on the road, just a sign and nothing…  Fortunately, coming back the other way on that road you CAN see the hotel. :)  My pickup called me just after I had turned around going back the other way and let me know that yes, you really do turn at the abandoned gas station.

Got them dropped off, hit the gas station to fill up the tank and headed home.

I have just gotten a note from the lady that picked up Robbie - says he’s not sneezing or anything today, so it sounds like it was just the stress of travel.  (Or my car is very dusty, very likely as well.)

Two kitties on their way to forever homes. A good way to spend an afternoon. But damn, I’m tired and it’s bedtime for this gal.

Got call from the transport leg ahead, they’re running behind, so she’s just gonna call me when she gets nearby rather than trying to pick a time that would probably not be accurate anyway. Have mini cooler with sodas, water & a couple sandwiches, I am ready for a road trip. :)

I really would have expected a higher percentage off this…

I am 16% White Trash.

I, my friend, have class. I am so not white trash. . I am more than likely Democrat, and my place is neat, and there is a good chance I may never drink wine from a box.

Take the
White Trash Test
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