Down the Rabbit Hole with the Semi-Evil Squirrel

just dive into this emptiness and hold your breath on the way down*

0837 hrs:
More and more lately, I find that I do not enjoy the company of my cow-orkers. There was a brief period of a few months where I actually liked to have lunch in the lunchroom with them and chat. I think those days may be over. They've been too sarcastic and negative for my tastes these last couple of weeks. I can easily spend my lunch break at my desk surfing the 'net or reading a book. My reaction is, in part, immature. Lately when I say something to the cow-orkers, I'm either met with sarcasm or with complete silence, yet whenever anyone else comments to the office in general, a whole conversation follows. Fine by me - I'll just plug in and shut up from now on. I have no problems tuning all of them out, but it still irks me...

1107 hrs:
Feeling a bit cheerier now. I've had my coffee and I got to see (and talk to - eek!) my office crush, Mr. M just now. *swoons* He's just too much sometimes. I wonder if other women think he is as hot as I do?

I've been listening to NEWS and Deserts Chan all morning and it has also helped to put me in a better mood. Despite my best efforts (and coffee's best efforts), I am still just not a morning person and think I will always be a bit cranky and touchy in the morning.

1340 hrs:
Ah, so. *weary sigh* I am so ready for this day to be over. I just want to go home, veg for a bit, go lap swimming and then crash out for the night. If I could, I would just lay my head down on my desk and nap right here and now.

I've been getting a lot done today because of my ability to tune out my cow-orkers and all of their talky-talky-ness (which, of course, would cease if I tried to join in the conversation) and focus on the crap that's been sitting on my desk that I either haven't had the time to deal with lately or found ways to avoid. Came across a list of issues, but in the top, left-hand corner I had written (in pencil) "public flatulence" and "nose pickers". I laughed out loud when I read those. Not so long ago, I had a topic idea for a blog entry, but apparently never got around to it. Of course, the brilliance of the moment has passed and I can't remember how exactly I was going to thoughtfully ponder the issue of public flatulence or contemplate the question, "What ever happened to the nose-pickers we knew in middle and high school? The people who were ridiculed relentlessly for picking their nose in class - where are they now? And...do they still pick their nose in public? Inquiring minds want to know!"

Sorry, got off on a tangent there.

ANYwho - Ate lunch at my desk and manned the phones while the cow-orkers all went out to a long lunch at a restaurant. Isn't it nice that they invited me along? *dripping with sarcasm* I wouldn't've gone anyway, but as one of them always says, "It's still nice to be invited to the party even if you're not going." *le sigh* All that means, of course, that I had a nice quiet lunch and got to read a little bit more about developing film at home. I got a new camera in the mail last night that I won on eBay. She's a beauty! I'm not sure what I'm going to name her yet, but she sure is somethin'! If I remember, tonight I'll post pictures of the new addition to my camera family along with some specs. XD

1551 hrs:
I all of a sudden got very happy because it really hit me that tomorrow is Friday! Yay! *does happy dance* It'll be awesome - I can tell....

Guess that is about it for today. Best to post this and get ready to leave for the day.

*HIM - The Fortress of Tears from their Love Metal album (*loves on album*)

Labels: boy stuff, cow-orkers, photography, work, work bitch

waiting in the right shoes*

0747 hrs:
If I could use one phrase to sum up what I think this day is going to be like, I would say, "Uh oh..."

It's never a good sign when it takes 5 minutes to log on to the network and near that to log on to the email server. Anything having to do with anything that is networked or is not completely stored and run on or from your PC is super slow. *sigh*

I am trying the breakfast/health/protein shake that I wrote about yesterday. I must say...it is completely n-a-s-t-y. It practically makes me gag thinking about it. Here's the recipe if you're masochistic enough for it:

~~~

Breakfast Protein Shake

1 c. fresh or frozen fruit
1/4 - 1/2 c. coconut milk (from a can, look for the unsweetened stuff, otherwise, it's loaded with sugars)
1 scoop (1 T) pure whey protein powder (again, none of the sweetened or flavored stuff)
1 c. plain whole milk yogurt

Combine ingredients in blender and mix until desired consistency.

~~~

The idea that anyone would use the word "desired" in any relation to this recipe is unbelievable. The main thing about the shake that bothers me is the coconut milk. I like coconut milk in curries, but I think that might be it.

I will give the shake another try tomorrow and reduce the amount of coconut milk and up the amount of fruit. I think I only added 1/2 c. of fruit (1 orange), so maybe that's part of it. Hopefully tomorrow's report will be better. Until then, I am determined to drink at least half of this morning's shake because I don't have anything else for breakfast and I am SO hungry. Plus, it'll build character, right? *gulps in dread*

0904 hrs:
All systems are still really slow. In fact, right now, I'm trying to sign on to one of the main applications I use and it has been over 10 minutes since I typed my log in. People are getting talky-talky because it takes so long to do even the smallest tasks. I think I might clean my desk soon, just to take up some time. Considering I've gotten 1 (one) thing done this morning and I've been here for 1 1/2 hours, I'd say time is really starting to drag now. Well, at least when the problem is fixed, I will have lots of work to do and the rest of the day will fly by.

Been drinking the shake of doom little by little. Every mouthful is about 1/8 cup. After mixing, the shake turns out to be about 2 1/4 cups. I'm down to 1/2 cup left. I'd say I'm more M than Koyama at this point, Nailz - and you know what that means. *meaningful look* I just can't bring myself to get rid of the rest of the shake for a couple of reasons: 1) it IS really good for me, 2) my stomach, for the first time in quite a while, feels soothed. And...Oh heck, there's a third reason too (which some may have guessed already): 3) I hate wasting food - especially if it was expensive.

1019 hrs:
All systems are still mostly down. I'm not quite sure how I've gotten to this time without doing much. I guess the times that I space out waiting for the systems to move is longer than I realize. I eventually got sick of waiting for the one system to log me in. After 54 minutes of logging in, I shut the application down and decided to wait a while before trying to get back in. Cleaning my desk is going to be my next time-consumer.

I am very tired today, so spacing out is pretty easy for me (ok - well, it is normally pretty easy for me anyway). I slept like crap last night. Lately, my sleep has not been of a very good quality and the quantity (except for Saturday) has also been small. Last night was not only a restless night, but also had a period of time where I woke up and then couldn't fall back to sleep for a while. The wind was really strong last night and this morning and my window was rattling in its jamb throughout the night. Tonight I'm not messing around, I'm going to take a sleeping pill and put in ear plugs. There's nothing worse than having a crap night of trying to sleep and then not getting the chance to recoup it. Both Nailz and I have been having a hard time of getting enough sleep lately.

1542 hrs:
The systems have been back up and running since around noon. Rock on. I got everything I need to done. Some days I am the butt of office jokes. Today was one such day. At some point, one gets sick of being the object of interest. Today was one such day. I might also add that although most people in the office were chatty ALL day, somehow I get singled out in the afternoon for participating in a 15 minutes office-wide "discussion". Kind of hits me the wrong way. Already wishing it were Friday. I have two things that I wish I could explore more here, but it would take up too much time and room, so maybe I'll get to them some other day when I can't think of anything else to yell into the void.

*The Devlins - Waiting

Labels: cow-orkers, food, getting fit, recipe, work, yelling into the void

waiting through your whole life*

1034 hrs:
While one of the programs I work in is being slow, thought I would start today's post. My cow-orkers are driving me nuts today and I am crabby. It seems inevitable because not only do I have drill this coming weekend, but I am apparently suffering from acute moodiness due to PMS. Days like this, I just want to crawl under the desk and not come out until it's time to go home.

Biggest arrow pointing to PMS? I feel teary because a couple of the systems that I work in are running super slow and I feel like I can't get anything done. I can't decide whether crying over the slow-running systems is better than putting my fist through the computer screen. *laughs at self*

Another big arrow? I felt irritable during Yoga last night. YOGA! The thing that is supposed to be all peaceful, actually irritated me a bit.

I suppose it also doesn't help that I am tired again today. Even though I haven't been getting very much sleep, the quality of sleep hasn't been very good either. I toss and turn a lot and wake up frequently to my mind racing. I think tonight will be a sleeping pill night. I can't remember if I have any though, so might have to stop by and get some from Walgreens on the way home from work. Wouldn't want to be out and then have another night of tossing and turning.

I still have the headache that started yesterday (another irritating factor). It gets stronger here and there, but is ever-present.

I need to take my car to a repair shop today. I'm hoping they don't tell me the estimate of what the bill is going to be until tomorrow or the next day - I'm sure I would cry today hearing large numbers, or even cry out of relief if the repairs were not that expensive (which is kind of doubtful when it comes to repairing the electrical system).

Bah. Maybe should stop blogging now. Mood is going from bad to worse really quickly. *le sigh*

1120 hrs:
Ok, so one last bitch before I quit venting for the day. I received the email below from one of my cow-orkers who is always forwarding crap to everyone in the office (well, except to the boss that is):

HOW TO LOCK YOUR CAR

HOW TO LOCK YOUR CAR Snopes approved.
I locked my car --- as I walked away I heard my car door unlock I went back and locked my car
again three times. I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store.

When I looked straight at them they did not unlock my car again. How to lock your car
safely: While traveling my son stopped at a roadside park. He came out to his car less than 4-5 minutes later and found someone had gotten into his car, and stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator briefcase.....you name it ... Called the police and
since there were no signs of his car being broken into- the police told him that there is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors on your car using your key-chain locking device. They sit a distance away and watch for
their next victim. They know you are going inside of the store, restaurant, or bathroom and have a few minutes to steal and run. The police officer said ...to be sure to manually lock
your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car, that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim it will not be you. When you hit the lock button on your
car upon exiting...it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock on your key chain- it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be stolen, something totally new to us...and real ... Be aware of this and please pass this note on..look how many times we all lock our doors with our keys...just to be sure we remembered to lock them....and bingo someone have our code...and whatever was in the car...can be gone. Be safe, be healthy everyone.

OK - First off - just because it says "Snopes approved" does not make it true, in fact I would be even more suspicious. If you had actually taken a moment to check here, you would have seen that Snopes DOES NOT approve. You would've also found out that this email is irrelevant for any car that is newer than the mid-1990s. Thanks a lot office spammer - go shove it and your false, alarmist emails. I'm sick of that crap coming to my work address.

Also - links for my personal reference:
Ektagraphic film search results
REAL news about fraud

1624 hrs:
ETA: The office spammer sent out a correction email about the car locking email. But she only did that after one of my cow-orkers said aloud, "I wonder if this key fob thing is true?" Which prompted a true check into Snopes. *rolls eyes*

Alas - look at the time. Time for me to go home. I still have a headache. I can't wait to take something stronger than Ibuprofen when I get home. D:

Labels: cow-orkers, grumpy, link blogging, PMS

make way for the lemon parade*

0825 hrs:
My stomach hates me. I'm convinced that it endeavors to never let me drink coffee again. *sad sigh*

1032 hrs:
Have triumphed over my stomach. I am just now finishing the last of a FULL thermos of coffee. Huzzah!

In other news, I've been meaning to write about the techniques I have been employing to try to reverse my crush on Mr. M. One such technique is to imagine that he has habits or preferences that are an absolute turn-off to me in a man. I've been imagining that he is such a sports fanatic that he would rather spend time with his "bros" watching the game than with his girlfriend (if he has/were to have one). Huge turn-off. Also, imagining him to think Adam Sandler movies are the best ever made. Also big turn-off and one up with which I would not put. *putting on airs* The only dangerous made-up characteristic I have to stay away from is imagining that he only likes tall, thin blondes who dress nice all the time. This idea could give me a complex (as I am so much the opposite of all those), so I'm trying to imagine that he may not think me the ugliest woman on Earth, but that I am also not necessarily his type - I'll never know because my crush on him will cease to exist soon.

Anywho - glad today is Friday. Actually, that may be the biggest understatement of the month. I am so glad it is Friday that it feels suspiciously like a huge relief. The thought of sleeping in tomorrow and spending most of this weekend just bumming around the apato sounds wonderful!! I think my cat will like it too, as he has been especially needy and cuddly lately.

1305 hrs:
I would like to talk very seriously for a moment about Mr. M. I find it difficult to put in to words why exactly he appeals to me so much. (Despite my best efforts, I find that my interest in him grows daily...) While he is definitely attractive (all the ladies in the office agree - even the lesbians!), I think I have subconsciously made him into the representative of what I feel that I will never have - all those traits in a man that will always be just out of reach for me. The kind of man other women get to have, but not me. And I know this and feel it very deeply and it feels a lot like emptiness.

It's no secret that I attract what I term "weirdos". Now that I think about it, it is probably because I, myself, could be termed a "weirdo"; someone who doesn't really fit anywhere. But what I want is someone who is closer to the middle "normal" than I am.

Well, I guess that is that, eh?

1552 hrs:
Almost time to leave. I feel like singing 'hallelujah!' and surprisingly, now I feel like having a drink to celebrate the end of the week. An hour or two ago, I learned that the cow-orker whose work I am covering while on medical leave is not coming back until mid-February. I was so hoping she would be back this coming week. Dreading next week as it already looks to be h3ll. *braces for the worst* So if I don't blog much next week, you'll know why. :\

Also, cow-orkers and boss-lady played a joke on me today. They told me that my paycheck hadn't come in the mail like usual and so they were looking into what might've happened to it. I was pretty calm about it because I thought maybe it had accidentally been sent to a different location and that I would get it on Monday and if not then, I could always ask for a reprint of it. The cow-orkers were disappointed that I didn't freak out on them about it. The joke ended around 3;15pm when boss-lady gave me my paycheck. I said, "Huh." and they were even more surprised that I wasn't at all upset with them. I feel like saying, "Well, why overreact to something that would (without a doubt) be fixed sooner or later?"

Guess that is it for today. Hope all have a wonderful weekend. Me - I'm going to drink some spiked hot-cocoa and stay in all weekend. Yay!

Playlist:
misc. Japanese Pop
Album: Tonic - Lemon Parade*

ETA: Added a link to my artsy-fartsy photobucket site in the links section. It's kind of like a choose your own adventure because you have to choose which category of pictures you want to see in order to get to the album. All albums are listed on the left side of the page.

Labels: boy stuff, cow-orkers, playlists, stomach problems, weekend plans, work

you sweet talk like a cop and you know it*

1012 hrs:
Bah. Today has been alright so far, except for the huge whitehead I have on my forehead and just now noticed. This means I have been talking to my cow-orkers this entire time without knowing there was something gross looking on my face. *defeated sigh* Thankfully, it is winter and I wear a stocking cap to and from work most days. I've put the stocking cap on and am trying my best to act like I didn't put it on just to hide the zit. I guess I should've known that zits were going to be a part of my future - my dad still gets zits and he's over 60. *extremely defeated sigh*

In other news, I have had NO COFFEE today. In case you missed it: NO COFFEE today. *cries* I wasn't able to finish the coffee from yesterday because my stomach had a fit when I had just half of it, so today and tomorrow I will not be drinking coffee to see if that helps. My stomach has just not been the same since Sunday morning. If it doesn't feel better by this weekend, I'm considering going to the doctor to see if anything is up. Something just doesn't feel right.

This weekend I went out to shoot some photos Saturday morning. This doesn't seem all that unusual - except that it was -11 degrees Fahrenheit with a -26 degrees windchill and 6:30am. >__< (Side note: NO, I'm not crazy. The crazy people are the ones I saw cross-country skiing, playing Frisbee golf and going for their daily run!) I brewed myself some coffee, put on flannel-lined jeans and my winter gear and found where the crows nest at night in downtown Minneapolis. I'm lucky - it was in an area where there were empty parking lots and plenty of sky. I took pictures of the crows in the trees. Then I decided to go on a photo spree, so I made a pit stop at home, filled up my coffee mug and headed back out. I drove to a nearby cemetery and took a few pictures of the graves in the snow. This particular cemetery is hilly and has plenty of trees, so it is generally beautiful anyway. After that decided that some pictures of craggy-looking trees with their bare branches would look cool, so went on a drive to find some of those and ended up taking pictures of cathedrals and churches on Summit Avenue. Had a couple of exposures left on the roll, so decided maybe Como Park would have a couple of shots worth of things. Turns out that the Como Conservatory was having their annual orchid show. Thought, "Why not?" and paid the $5 to take color macro photos of the amazing orchids on display. By the time I headed home it was almost 1pm and I'd used up 4 rolls of film (2 color, 2 black & white). So I took the color film in to West yesterday to have developed. I'm pretty excited to see the results today after work. Maybe I'll even upload a few here for y'all to see if they are decent. 1226 hrs:
*swoons*

Dear kindly Mr. M,

Please refrain from coming within 5 meters of my person. It is too much of a strain on my delicate disposition to be so close to such an attracti--but that's beside the point. Actually, that is the point. I get too flustered in close proximity to you. Best to stay well away. Caution is advised...

(Wishing I Was) Yours,
Clare

1501 hrs:
SO - I'm attempting not to think about Mr. M for fear of being completely distracted the rest of the day (which is admittedly almost over now) and getting nothing done but daydreaming. I can't believe it is only 3pm! I feel like I'm being a little cheated. I'm hungry again already! I don't understand why this is considering I (think I) ate a pretty good-sized lunch. Maybe all that overheating earlier (see above secret note) burned up all the calories I consumed.

Can't think of much else to say. This is a lot longer than usual (or is it??), so guess I'll stop it here. Ciao for now!

*Spoon - The Way We Get By

Labels: coffee, cow-orkers, photography, secret letters, work

it goes on*

0942 hrs:
So it is finally Monday, eh? I never thought I would be so relieved to be at work on a Monday morning. This weekend felt like it lasted forever and I feel more tired now than going into it. Nailz kept apologizing for the trouble (the car issue was the one flogging us), but none of it was within her control - so she really is blameless. Sometimes life just beats you up like that. To be dramatic: this weekend was like some sort of sick, sadistic monster that sucked us both in and we were lucky to escape into Monday with life and limb. I can't remember ever being through such a vicious weekend. I am positive Nailz feels glad to have it over as well.

Tomorrow, I have the day off of work to watch the Inauguration and go out to take some winter photos. I am pretty excited for the day off and for the events of the day. It will be nice to sit and do only what I want to for a day. I don't even have chores to do (well, except for laundry) as I did manage to do most of them Sunday evening. I have a few things that I'll be imbibing during the Inauguration, so that will be nice too. I'm planning on getting up around 6:30am to go out and get pictures of the sunrise. Winter sunrises are AMAZING, so I'm hoping tomorrow morning doesn't disappoint. Much coffee will be made and consumed tomorrow. Maybe a nap after the Inauguration will be in order since I haven't napped in the afternoon for a few weeks.

Well, best get to the Grocery and Target Titan awards. I didn't do much shopping this weekend and my lists were very limited, but here goes anyway:

This weekend's Target Titan title goes to....*drum roll*...the leather and wool gloves that were on clearance for $8.98!

Let's give them a hand! *laughs at own bad pun*

I put those in the pockets of my fancy goat coat *laughs at typo too* to wear this coming weekend to the theater. Yay!

Ahem....Now on to the Grocery Titan for this weekend. The title goes to the 3 lbs of lean ground beef weighing in at $10.79.

Isn't it amazing how much meat costs? Dang! Well, I'm trying to cut down on how much meat I consume (since I seem to consume quite a bit), so hopefully that will last me a month or so. :D

The title really could've gone to the 1 pound of mixed, raw nuts that I bought. The total for a smidgen over a pound was over $8! That sure beats the $3.60/lb that the meat cost.

1124 hrs:
I might leave after lunch today. I'm not sure I can make it through the rest of the day with these people. Normally, it is like water off of duck's back when my cow-orkers criticize my work, but after this weekend, I'm just not sure I can take it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I can't, because as I write this, tears are welling up in my eyes. I feel like just giving up and leaving and it's over something completely stupid - which makes me even more likely to bust out crying. (It's always the stupid things, ne?)

I'll tell you what made it come on:
Today, we are having a potluck. Even though the rest of the corporate world has today off, our managers decided to schedule mandatory training today and then on top of that, do a potluck. SO - I signed up to bring mashed potatoes. Well, that is quite hard to make in advance and keep warm and even so, I don't have a crock pot big enough for as many potatoes as I would need to bring. SO - I looked up a crock pot recipe and one of my cow-orkers said she would bring in her big crock pot. Long story short: I added too much water and when I asked another cow-orker for help she just started bombarding me with "well, why didn't you do this? Or why didn't you do that? Why didn't you make them this weekend and then just bring them in to heat them up?" And so on and so forth. I felt like yelling at the top of my lungs that instead of focusing on what an idiot I am and all of the things I should have done (but didn't), why doesn't she try to help me. I must have made a face when I turned to walk away because the cow-orker who brought in the crock pot for me to use came and has been helping me out. Isn't that nice of her? I feel like hitting the other one in the face with something really heavy and blunt, but hey....I'm sure that urge will pass....Maybe.

*Spoon - The Minor Tough

Labels: bad day, cow-orkers, grocery titans, target titans, weekend sum up, work

i'm not proud to need a hand, but i just don't understand at all*

1006 hrs:
*looks pointedly at time* I will get back to this next time, but for now - I must write about an epiphany that I've had.

It is hard to express. It feels like I should write the whole stream of consciousness that led to this realization. It's been niggling in the back of my mind for so long - just out of reach - until now. Like most humans, I like to feel needed - not used or taken for granted. If someone needs my help, I don't mind. In fact, it even gives me a certain amount of pleasure to help someone I love who is in need - even if it means a sacrifice on my part. BUT - if I feel obligated to do something that is not a need for someone and end up doing it when they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves, that's when I get irked. Also, if someone I love needs help with something, but doesn't want my help or input, it is frustrating because I want to help them and feel a bit hurt, too.

Does that make sense?

Also, this morning I realized something else. I realized that although I pride myself on being an "independent" adult and perfectly capable of taking care of myself, there are times when one needs another. As much as I sometimes like to think of myself as completely self-sufficient and needing no one else, it is simply not true. There are some things that are beyond my control (I know - stunning isn't it??).

I think that logically, I've always known these things, but never emotionally realized them. I wonder if this will change my attitude a little bit from here on out when interacting with those all around me who have always "been there" for me, and maybe always just taken for granted.

1402 hrs:
Ah so. A brief re-cap of this morning's events: Nailz's car wouldn't start, so we tried to jump start it - no luck, so I drove Nailz to work and will be picking her up after work. I'm hoping that it was just too cold for it to start. I'm sure Nailz hopes this is the case as well. A cow-orker of mine gave me some ideas of things to try though, so hopefully we can try some of them tonight or this weekend. It might just be easiest to "car-pool" tomorrow morning and then work on her car this weekend, as it is predicted to be 32 degrees on Sunday. (Like Nailz said, I'll believe it when I feel it!)

1609 hrs:
Pop Quiz:

Q: What's better than free food?

A: Free catered food.

Working late tonight to make up for this morning, but better get going. The last 45 minutes are going to fly by...

Labels: cow-orkers, highly-caffeinated, weather, work

it was a cold night, and the snow lay 'round*

0822 hrs:
Brrr! It is cold this morning! I don't usually mind the cold, as long as I can warm up once I am inside, but it is cold in the office too. I feel like I can't thaw out completely.

We got more snow last night. While driving in it sucks, I otherwise think it is very pretty. On the drive to work this morning, the landscape was so beautiful! The 3/4 waning moon was bright and clear and everything was that pre-dawn cornflower blue with the dark, bare branches of the trees being silhouetted against the pale sky. How could that not take your breath away with its beauty? *is itching to get out and take photos*

Of course, I can't make a peep here at work about the beauty of it all or I risk being beheaded. *sad sigh* I know that others don't enjoy winter as much as me, but I wish I knew someone who thought the same as me about Minnesota winters.

0930 hrs:
My cow-orkers are bitchy today. Everyone is tuning everyone else out. I am fine with that. I can easily not talk to my cow-orkers all day. Since there is no one to talk to today without fear of getting bitched at, I played around a little bit with the newest update to our email system. Turns out I can instant message myself. It is sad that I found this amusing, but even so, I still had a good 20-line IM session with myself. *le sigh*

0941 hrs:
I love my new Starbucks travel mug (from my niece for Christmas). The only thing is that sometimes it makes me sad. You can see how much coffee is left in your mug. I always despair when I see that my coffee allowance for the day is almost gone. (The coffee allowance is really for the best, don't you think? *is already highly-caffeinated*)

1601 hrs:
Gah! I'm late on leaving work. Got totally absorbed in a data entry project. Oh well, a couple extra minutes won't hurt (I don't think). This is all a rough draft that I'll have to clean up this evening - so if you're into polished entries, check back later tonight.


Ciao for now!

P.S. This is how I feel most days at work. :|

PLAYLIST:
*The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (x a billion)
Ajikan - Surf Bangaku Kamakura

Labels: beautiful minnesota, cow-orkers, dilbert, highly-caffeinated, playlists

does it always look so gray before the fall?

0824 hrs:
We have a coffee ninja in our office. I'm sure most people would hear "coffee ninja" and think of that mysterious someone who drinks all the coffee, but no one knows who it is. This is not the case with our office. In our office, the coffee ninja is the person who makes a full pot of the weakest coffee imaginable. A cow-orker and I have been trying to catch this coffee ninja in action. No luck. We were struck again this morning by their weak coffee attack. The only defense against these kinds of attacks is to get to the break room before the coffee ninja has the opportunity to get there.

I'm sipping on a cup of said weak coffee. If it weren't for my creamer, I'm pretty sure I'd be able to see to the bottom of my cup. I might actually have to pour it down the drain. My god - I long for strong coffee!

0957 hrs:
Having a really hard time this morning staying awake. I blame the coffee ninja for the slow start to the day. Because the coffee ninja struck, but no one wanted to be rude enough to pour out the coffee-water, we walked to the gas station across the street and got coffee there. Everyone in this area must be jonesing for coffee too, because 3 out of 5 coffee machines were completely out. The only coffee left was the regular roast - the medium and dark were empty. I think I might have died a bit inside.

I used some of the flavorings and creamer that the gas station provides free of charge. Because I'm attempting to be mindful of what I consume, I used the sugar-free syrup. Here's my newly-formed opinion: BLECH!! It is horrible! The after taste is the worst!! From now on, I will only put real sugar and high-fructose-corn-syrup-based sweeteners in my coffee. Just say no to aspertame (or whatever that chemical crap is)!

Another part of my sleepiness stems from the fact that I went to bed around midnight. I didn't go to bed until then because earlier in the evening, I had been attacked by a nap and succumbed to it until after 8pm. It didn't help that Murphy was so warm and snuggly.

I just got approval to take the 20th off. I'm using the "floating" holiday we get for Martin Luther King Jr Day so that I can watch the inauguration events. I've never watched a Presidential Inauguration before and this one (even if it is boring) will be historic. I've gotta see it. It will be my first day off in 2009 besides New Year's Day. How exciting! I'm sure I'll be doing a little bit of celebratory imbibing as well. :D

1529 hrs:
Well, just about to post this. I gabbed a lot today on here. This is surprising considering how much of the day was spent in a blur just trying to keep my eyes open. Also surprising is that I actually got quite a bit done and started on a couple of back-log issues.

PLAYLIST:
stuff from my iTunes (on CD)
Album: Counting Crows - Hard Candy

Labels: coffee, cow-orkers, office ninjas, playlists, work

what do i care how much it may storm? i've got my murphy to keep me warm

0914 hrs:
Have been tuning out my cow-orkers all morning. They have been especially chatty this week. While I sometimes enjoy joining in, most times I just turn up my music. Because I have the noise-canceling ear buds, turning up my music is particularly effective. This pleases me.

What doesn't please me is being super-sleepy for the 3rd day in a row. I'll admit that I went to bed too late last night. And I took a sleeping pill again to stay asleep until my alarm went off. To me, there is nothing more annoying than waking up before your alarm goes off. D=

I have decided there are "rules" to driving in Minnesota in the winter. Here are the 2 I've been reminded of since it first snowed and dipped below zero:

1) Before getting in line for a drive-thru, it is a good idea to check if your window will be able to roll down first. This is important because if it is unable to be rolled down, you end up having to open your door a lot and yell your order. If the window is frozen, it's easiest just to park and run inside.

2) The rules of behavior when dealing with wild animals in close quarters can be applied to driving on slick winter roads: no sudden movements and you should be fine. Now you have to worry about the other idiots on the road!

1157 hrs:
This morning I woke up thinking it was Thursday. What a disappointment to realize it is only Wednesday! It feels as though this week has been extra long. I'm sure this is the result of not having this past weekend off. Is it just me or has Christmas really snuck up on us? I still have 1 gift to get this weekend. I thought I was done Christmas shopping, but I had forgotten one thing for one person. *sigh* So I will be in the crowds this weekend...Can you feel my enthusiasm??

I AM looking forward to wrapping all of the Christmas gifts this weekend, though. I really actually enjoy the wrapping more than anything. Plus, I have a TON of new wrapping paper and supplies, so I'm pretty excited to use up the old and get to the new (because that's my rule...)!

1235 hrs:
Just about to post this. Was going to write something, but my mind has decided to forget it. Must not have been that important...

I think this afternoon calls for Christmas classics!! XD

PLAYLIST:
NEWS - Color
Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Collection
Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song album
Bing Crosby - The Christmas Collection

Labels: christmas, cow-orkers, mn winter driving rules, playlists, sleepy, work

you're just an empty cage girl if you kill the bird

1127 hrs:
Apparently, I got distracted by something the first time I was going to write, because all the was written at first was "0954 hrs:". Well, I promise not to get distracted this time. This morning I had something that I wanted to post about, but now those thoughts have been wiped away by annoyance at my cow-orkers (yes - I'm doing that on purpose because it is so much more fitting).

I had Friday of last week off because of the Dir en grey concert on Thursday night. The weekend seemed to be nice and long and I feel like I got quite a bit done. I would normally list all the things I got done because I would like to brag. (It's the Slytherin in me that wants to be a git.) BUT - I don't really have the time to think of it all and in all reality the list would probably be really boring for you to read. I'll post it on LJ, where no one really reads what I write anyway. :D

Today is going ok. My cow-orkers are ultra annoying today, but that is about it. It made me smile this morning when I thought that this week is only a 3-day work week for me. Last week was only a 3-day work week for me as well. *pauses to appreciate* I really like not being at work every day. What would life be like to work only 35 hours a week or less?? I bet it would be super-awesome! <----that's 10x more awesome than regular awesome

1351 hrs:
This work day is going super-slow... <---that's 10x slower than regular slow

Also, what was once a bright and not-completely-cold day has turned into a gloomy and gray day. *sigh* I've gotten a good amount of work done today, yet not. It's strange. It's because the work is easy that it feels like you've done a lot, but when you think about it, you haven't really accomplished anything worth bragging about.

My boss has been reclusive today. She has only come out of her office a couple of times. I don't mind. I really wish I could do something that feels more productive. Maybe it is the prospect of a 4-day weekend that makes it feel like time is crawling by...

1557 hrs:
Almost forgot to post this. Not that that would have been a tragedy or anything. >__<

PLAYLIST:
NEWS - select songs from Color
Weezer - Deluxe
Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel

Labels: cow-orkers, playlists, work