2 more weeks of loafing

So that interview I posted about? I got the job. I start the 9th. I'm super nervous and excited and worried. I hope I'll like it. I have a pro & con list that's like a mile long and full of silly little things, but I am going to push a head and accept that I am rejoining the full time work world.

No more reading comic books in the afternoon. Or having a Gilmore Girls a thon. Or going to the movies while everyone is at work. No more long lunches with my folks or breakfasts alone at the diner with a good book. No more staying up till midnight. No more Wii bowling at noon.

Buy YAY! To the return of a weekly paycheck.

And it has prompted Mr. Pants and I to think about buying our first home. So double YAY!

Today we saw Shrek the Third. It stunk. It was by far the worst of the Shrek movies, and not worth the $19.50 it cost for the 2 of us to go the theater. Plus I got KitKats instead of Sour Patch Kids and regretted it immediately as the movie started. It's not a movie without SPK.

So I have 2 weeks to do whatever my little heart desires. I am trying to put together a list, but so far eating junk food and watching DVDs seems to be at the top. And sleeping till noon. Perhaps I'll go to the shore on Tuesday.... or maybe I'll burn off my last unemployment check at the Track!

Is $25 too much to spend on 16 peanut butter cups?

Somehow I don't think so.

I NEED these. NEED. If you spot them anywhere, drop me a line... I'm hearing will be shipping around July 7th and I'd rather not buy 16 of them.

Jack this

So, last Thursday I noticed that the pallet jack was missing at work.

I wandered out to reception and asked Dana if she'd seen it. She said no and then got up to help me look. (Pictured above is the jack). She asked me if Boss #1 could have taken in with him in his mini van.
Perhaps it was upstairs?
Maybe it was in the coat closet?

I felt like I was on an episode of Sesame Street. Where would a pallet jack fit? I kept explaining it's size and she kept looking in smaller and smaller places.

When I called Boss #1 and left him a message that the jack was missing, I never thought Friday would turn out like it did.

I showed up at 7:30 to find Boss there and furious. He yelled at me for a good ten minutes about the cost of the jack, how it could have gotten lost and how I was to call the trucking company and demand that they bring it back. If they told me they didn't have it, they were fucking LYING and I should accuse them of such.

Uh-huh.

I called the trucking company and they found the driver for me. The driver said boss #2 was there when he picked up (I was not) and told him to use the jack, but to leave it outside, which he did. I report this to Boss #1 whose new plan is for me to go door to door in the business park and ask if anyone has seen the jack.

I walked out and hid in the bushes and smoked for an half an hour. Returned and said no one had it.

I've decided to talk about them as much as possible in hopes I'll get dooced.

I HATE this job.

But this time I'm nervous

So I have an interview tomorrow. Again. Or another one. But this is for a REAL job, with a REAL company, not some weird back-asswards freakazoid suck-a-polozza like my current job. I can not get over how shitty my current job turned out to be. This weekend Violet & I were on the boards in OC and we saw a kid wearing a tee shirt from my current employer and Violet wanted me to run over and scream "Stupid Fucktards is a Sweatshop". Which it actually is, as I am not allowed to have air conditioning in the back room. If I get hot I can use a fan or open the receiving door. Which I did the last time and a bird flew in. When I explained that I have an irrational fear of birds, I was told to "suck it up and get back in there". Whatever, douches. There's a reason this position has turned over 3 times this year - and it's soon to be 4!

So today I came home and got out one of my suits to wear tomorrow. I can not get over how excited I am to wear a suit again. One of my requirements was that I wanted to be able to dress down. After 3 months of dressing like a kid going to camp (for example today I wore overall shorts, sneaks & had my hair in pigtails) I long for my heels, my skirts, my dress slacks. Hell, I'm even going to wear panty hose tomorrow (if I have any).

And this job has a title! And it's not Slave Girl. Woo-hoo! Of course I am probably counting my chickens way before they've hatched, but if this doesn't pan out, I'm going to start temping.

I took the sweatshop job, and turned down all of my other interviews because I thought I had found the job that would at least get me through the summer. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I would be sweating to the oldies in a warehouse all summer. Perhaps I should have thought things out better. Now I am kicking myself for turning down job offers. Maybe I would have like working with Foster kids, or selling mystery shop services to Companies.

Oh well, wish me luck!

15 years after High School

15 years ago this week I graduated from high school.

And I was certain Super Ex and I would work out things and get married.

And I debated moving downtown but instead went to college.

14 years ago I met Super Ex for breakfast and he proposed we move to Vegas.

Instead I rented an apartment with 2 girls I don't talk to at all anymore.

And then moved to the Mountains to ski with 3 guys I don't talk to anymore.

Then went back to Super Ex agreeing to move to Vegas.

13 years ago I bailed on the day of the move.

And didn't talk to Super Ex for 9 years

So I changed my major.

And took a job with Staples. A job I would have until this past February.

12 years ago I transferred schools.

And changed my major again.

And drank a lot.

And made a lot of bad choices for the next two years.

Mostly because I was sad about my Dad's cancer.

And Super Ex.

10 years ago Mr. Pants & I ran into each other at a bar.

And went out on a date.

And fell in love.

I finished going to school - 8 credits short of my degree.

9 years ago Mr. Pants presented me with a gorgeous diamond.

I said "yes".

We moved in here.

And adopted Al & Bean.

8 years ago we got married.

7 years ago we almost got divorced.

Instead we adopted Boo.

6 years ago we went to Mexico.

5 years ago my mom started to get sick.

4 years ago I debated moving to Florida.

Instead I stayed.

3 years ago I spent most of my time on the internet trading old O&A bits.

2 years ago I again debated running away from my life.

But I stayed.

Last year I laughed more than I thought possible.

Was happier than I though I could ever be.

Today I am no where near where I thought I'd be 15 years ago (Dead). I am not married to the man I thought I'd be (even though I love him more than I tell him and he's the best guy ever). I'm fatter than I've ever been. Less healthy than I should be. Older, grayer and wrinklier than you should be at 33. My parents are old. And sick. My brothers and I aren't as close as we should be. I've weeded out the drama queens, the drunkards and sponges from my life, to a core group of friends I love. I don't worry as much about money and career stuff.

I'm older.

But happier.

And luckier.

And well loved.

This isn't the life I would have picked for me. It's mediocre, suburban, and boring. But I love it.

Picture Pages

Al likes to go out and lay in the (neighbor's) garden:
While Boo watches from inside:


And Bean looks annoyed:

If you believe in freedom of speech

I doubt I have any readers here that aren't related to me or former roommates...but if you aren't a member of my family or someone who has seen me in my underpants, welcome!

I don't want to get into a political debate here. I don't really give a shit what political party you are or aren't and why you hate or love about the current government. But I need to discuss something that is very near and dear to my heart right now.

Freedom of Speech.

I'm sure every single reader here heard what happened to Don Imus. Imus (who had a fucking comedy show!) was fired for calling the Rutger's Female Basketball Team "Nappy Headed Hos". Was it funny? Not really. Racist? Yes. Imus is an old out of touch fool. Did he deserve to be fired for it. NO.

JV and Elvis (a radio duo heard on Free FM in NYC) were "suspended indefinitely " from the station for making a prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant. Again, not really funny, and kinda racist, but did not deserve the firing they received.

On May 9th, the Opie and Anthony show heard on XM SATELLITE RADIO broadcast comments made by a homeless man that included the rape of Condoleeza Rice. XM is an uncensored pay service, and the Opie and Anthony show is broadcast with warnings that it is an EXTREME LANGUAGE channel and the radio display notes that the channel is "XL". This morning Opie and Anthony apologized for the comments made. As of right now they have not been fired from Free FM or XM, but that could change at any moment.

In all three cases I do not support the statements made by these shows. They are crude, tasteless comments. BUT... this is a freedom of speech issue, and as an American I support freedom of speech. If special interest groups continue to dictate what can be played on radio, they will eventually come after other talk shows like Hannity or Rush, Or Colmes or whatever local talk show you like. Then they'll start going after music. We've already seen this with the fallout from Imus' firing, as Rev. Sharpton made comments that Rap & Hip Hop should be monitored and held to some kind of standards. Then it'll be TV, and if the fallout from the Opie and Anthony debacle is any indication, not even HBO would be safe. Then it's the Internet and maybe YOUR blog or favorite site.

I know it may seem that I'm being alarmist here, but if you believe in free speech I urge you to join:

People Against Censorship

And if you can make it, please come to the rally tomorrow in Union Square NYC tomorrow at Noon.

DEMONSTRATION TO FIGHT CENSORSHIP, THIS SATURDAY IN NYC

Please Join us this Saturday, 12 NOON in UNION SQUARE, NYC This Saturday May 12, 2007 we will be demonstrating against censorship, against special interest groups who attempt to censor, and to support free speech on commercial radio, Imus, and JV & Elvis. 12 NOON IN UNION SQUARE 14th and Broadway Please bring signs if you can. THIS DEMONSTRATION IS VITALLY IMPORTANT! PLEASE TAKE TWO HOURS OUT OF YOUR LIFE TO SUPPORT SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IN.