A WTF Kinda Day

Today has been exactly that -- a WTF kinda day. Everything and everyone's timing was just totally off in my world today.

It started out fine. Since I worked on Friday, I was going to work a 1/2 day today, meet up with the trainer, and then meet T for lunch and/or possibly a movie. I was up at 4:30am to get to work early enough to squeeze in a much as I could and be able to leave by noon, since my training appointment was at 1pm.

Unfortunately, by 9am, the day was going downhill and gaining speed, starting with people in and out of my office, I need this, I need that type of stuff. It's payday. Two new employees were starting today, that I was told about at the last minute before the holiday last week. The fun just never stops in my world!

Sure, sure, it's part of being in admin, but I felt like I was getting absolutely nothing accomplished (as usual, but probably more than normal), plus I wasn't feeling well (currently having a really really bad...visit from Aunt Flo, if you catch my drift.).

About an hour before I was scheduled to leave, a fellow manager comes into my office with a complaint about SuperGirl and a task that she does for him every month. Apparently there are issues with her accuracy, but there are also historical issues between the two of them. They don't get along, and rather than taking the high road as a manager, he's a total prick to her. I've worked with her over time and she has learned to rise above the situation, and she is nothing but respectful towards him, I've seen and heard it on many occassions. Plus, there hasn't been an incident between them in over a year, so I would think as far as she's concerned, everything is okay.

Sure, the complaint is probably legitimate. SuperGirl gets messy when she's busy or has too much on her plate. Another thing we're working on. But it's that smirk he had on his face while he was talking about her. I wanted to slap it clean off of his face and tell him to f**k off. He's such an ass. You'd think a man twice her age would be a little more mature about working with someone as young and green as she is. He looks at her and treats her as a punk, completely disrespectful towards her. I've told him repeatedly to cut her some slack and teach her, help her, but I think it's a matter of he doesn't really give a crap about her and would rather see her fail than succeed, know what I mean?

Then the trainer texts me that he has to cancel. One hour before our appointment. And for some reason, feeling as crappy as I was, I was really looking forward to training today. So that was just the icing on my already rotting cake.

Then T calls me right after to talk about the afternoon plan. We couldn't make a decision about what to do or where to go, and typically, that's okay with me. I'm great for making it up as we go along when it comes to plans with just about anyone, but the timing was just off today. I was teetering on the edge and just thinking about everything that had occurred in the last four hours sent me right over. I didn't want to sound any more terse than I already did, so I told him, "I'll call you when I get home" and I ended up leaving the office at 12:30. I got home, threw up (yay!), sat on the couch, covered myself with a blanket and cried for an hour. Then I fell asleep.

I ended up cancelling on T - I was in no shape or mood to be around anyone. I felt terrible about cancelling, but it was the best thing to do. He was so sweet and understanding, and I am forever grateful that he has such a tender and understanding heart and soul. I'm so blessed to have him in my life.

I feel better now. Not 100%, but better. I think I'm going to fire up the teakettle and make some tea. My brain is coming down from an otherwise horrible day. It's amazing how a short chain of events can lead to a minor meltdown. Haven't had one of those in a while...

Thanks for reading. :-)

I Swear To God I Didn't Do It

Right.

But look at how old my baby is getting! He has so much gray/white around his mouth. I remember a time when he looked like this:


And I was just two months into my 30's.

Man, we're old. :)

Adam Lambert & Cage The Elephant

I think I'm falling for this little queen. This is a kick ass work out song. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9wAFmfhpmU

And here's another one. Cage the Elephant. The whiny, "I don't care" tone in this guy's voice is pretty cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t99bpilCKw

Plus he kind of looks like Bruce McCulloch from The Kids In The Hall!! LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR5negCF024 Do the terrier dance...let's not! :)

I love KITH. They rock!

Breaking Tradition, Part Deux

As I mentioned in the previous post, we were breaking tradition this year and not cooking a regular Thanksgiving meal. We decided to order from Maggiano's, and it was the best thing that we could have done, particularly because it kept the PRM from overdoing it and being in bed for two days because of it. Family meals are an EVENT for her, regardless if it's a holiday or not.

In addition, it was way cheaper to go this route. We typically spend about $300 on everything that goes into prepping a T-day dinner. Our meal from Maggiano's cost about $190, which after we applied three gift cards, the balance due divided by 4 came out to about $25 a piece.

AWESOME, HUH? :)

Sis and I picked up the food around 3pm and we sat down to dinner around 4pm, which NEVER happens at our house. The PRM tried to pull out her platters and whatnot, but we said no. I bought Chinet dinner plates and salad bowls. The only dishes we dirtied were silverware and drinking glasses.

That's it! Sweet!

The PRM fell into food coma immediately after dinner, and TMM had to walk her over to the sofa while Sis and I did the clean up. We were done in no time. How cool is that?

We were all in 100% agreement that this will be a regular thing. Next up is Puerto Rican cuisine for x-mas. The PRM visits this little Cuban/PR restaurant in the 'hood and she has become friends with the owner. We are having:

Pernil - a deliciously seasoned roast pork
Pasteles - Puerto Rican tamales (lol)
Tostones con Mojo de Ajo - Fried plantains with garlic sauce (DROOL!!)
Arroz con Gandules - Rice with pigeon peas

BTW, this is a kick ass website for puerto rican recipes!!

And probably a few other things, we'll see.

I loved that my PRM didn't spend two days in bed because of all of the planning and doing. She's actually at the movies with her friends today! :) As much as we try to help her, it's never perfect unless she does it her way. I'm glad she gave in and let us do this...now and in the future.

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. XMAS is four weeks away! EEEEEEEK! :) lol

I Survived

Ok, so T is a huge sci fi fan, specifically (I'm rhyming here, for fear of a google search) of Dr. Lou (get it?).  The annual convention was in town this weekend, and he's been playing with the sci fi geeks since Friday.  Yikes.  lol

But hey, it's his thing, and I'm not going to discourage anyone from pursuing their interests. 

Sounds like I'm full of shit, huh?  lol

Anyway, a few weeks ago, he invited me to the Saturday night events, which include a costume contest, audience participation game, then a viewing of an ep of Dr. Lou a la MST3K.  I really didn't want to go,  but at the start of the weekend, I decided to go.  I was still a little reluctant to go, but he takes an interest in my interests, and I feel that I should do the same.  It's only fair.

And guess what?   It wasn't that bad. 

When I arrived, he met me out in front (the event was being held at a hotel in the burbs) and his friend A was holding seats for us inside.  We walked inside and man, it was CROWDED.  It was nerds as far as the eye could see!  And in costume.  Visual overload!  Visual overload!  Abort!  Abort!

I did my best to hold it together as we made our way to our seats.  We were seated up front, and I was all, shit, they're gonna pick us out of the crowd for something.  I wasn't liking this so far.

Our seats were about seven rows back, which wasn't bad, but we were smack in the middle, which meant this chub had to climb over people to get to her seat.  Great.  Coat and purse in hand, I said, "excuse me, thank you", all the while trying to make sure I didn't bump my ass into someone's face or hit them with my purse.  I hate this kind of stuff.  Seems small, but when you're a big girl, it makes a difference.

We were finally seated and I could feel myself flushed.  I mean really flushed.  T made a comment about it and probably made it worse.  I don't know why I got that way!  Probably just having to crawl over all of those people and being at an event that I had no interest in - the whole unknown thing, you know?  I don't like surprises.

Plus, T kept saying, "See?  We're normal.", and comments along those lines, which everyone around us I'm sure could totally hear.  Gimme a break.  I don't say that at the craft store so zip it, buddy.

His friend A is not a fan boy like T is, so we chatted about all kinds of things until the events started.

And by the way, T was not in costume.  I was a little worried about that.  He did have a Dr. Lou scarf (the doc wears one in the series, or at least a few of the seasons), which wasn't too bad, as many others did as well.  Whew.  I had a feeling my brain would explode if he were in costume.  Maybe he held back because of me, who knows.  lol

First, the costume contest, which was call a "masquerade contest".  Costume contest, nerds.  But to be honest, the contest was pretty neat.  A lot of thought and planning went into the details and you could really tell.  Some were of course cheesy, and I think they even knew it.  lol

Then came the "Match Game", made up of celebrities, local through the club or whatever their group is called, and then what I thought may have been two actors from the show.  Two audience members participated as well.  It was all, "The Dr. said (blank) to Mary who was sitting there in her (blank)", you get the picture.   It was actually pretty funny, especially the english guy who kept asking, "This is a family show, right?", as he pondered his responses.

After that, they announced the winners of the costume contest, and those who put the most time and effort into their costumes won certificates and I felt they were well deserved.  After the contest came the viewing of an old episode of Dr. Lou, with self proclaimed "huge geeks" or fan boys providing the commentary.  The episode was so. freaking. boring.  Seriously.  And the filming style was so. freaking. cheesy.  Seriously.  But the commentary made it worth watching. 

Only problem was that I was EXHAUSTED from an hour in Zumba class, then an hour at Cardinal Fitness doing even more cardio and some weight training.  I felt great right afterward, but at about 4pm, my body shut down.  I tried to nap, but I was overtired, I think, and I went to this event feeling the same way.  Once the lights went down, I got cozy, and REALLY sleepy.  Oh man, I couldn't stop yawning.  What was an hour felt like three.  My goodness.

After the show, T made a decision that it was time to send me home (yay, T!), and he and A were going to head out as well.  We said our goodnights and off we went.  I made it home in no time and drifted off to sleep.  Ahhh.

All in all, the entire event was completely over my head and I hated that, but I decided to say WTF and just enjoy it as best I could, and I did.

T was really happy that I came to the event.  His eyes were sparkling went I first saw him outside of the hotel and he looked so sweet.  :-)

But it doesn't mean I'm going again next year...  lol  :) 

The Catalyst

This week, I announced to my staff that we will be attending a team building event on a Saturday, coming up in mid January.  Now that NewGirl is working with us and things are going well, I decided to hold this event not only as a way for the team to get to know each other, but as a way to motivate and promote out of the box thinking.

All of the gang embraced the idea and were looking forward to it, of course with the exception of The Task Master.  No sooner I made the announcement, he sent me an email informing me that his weekends are typically booked, but usually with things that "come up".  In other words, he had no real plans for that date, but if something better came up, he wouldn't be able to attend.

Hmm.  Didn't realize he called the shots.

Anyway, I made the event mandatory and explained to him that he really didn't have a choice, and then a while later he stopped in my office to apologize.  He thought this was another one of our admin outings, where we go to a restaurant and over drinks and dinner, blow off steam and gossip. 

Not so, my friend.  I also told him that as a manager, I was a bit disappointed by the reaction.  Of anyone on the team, I expected him to be a bit more enthusiastic about the event.  Sure it was a jab, but it was certainly true.

Much later I found out from SuperGirl that he was making quite a stink over this event.  She told me that she knocked some sense into him saying that out 365 days, this is the one semi inconvenient day that I was asking them to give up and seriously, it wasn't going to kill them.  She also said, "This could be a good thing for the team, and you're already writing it off before you bothered to find anything out."

I love that girl.  :-)  I'm so proud of her, and not just for saying all of that to him.

While SuperGirl was in my office, she inquired about team building events and what goes into them.  I was able to draw on some experience from a few years ago, when the management team went up to a resort in Wisconsin along with a moderator (3rd party) to learn about ourselves and our team members.

One activity in particular really stands out in my mind.  There were about 8 of us, including the moderator.  We were asked to discuss a significant point in our lives.  We started at one end of the table, and I noticed that everyone brought up a similar topic, the divorce of their parents, and how painful it was for them, and what they did to cope and move on.  Some haven't moved on.  Some still held resentment for Mom or Dad leaving, and it was sad to hear about that.  I didn't experience divorce (well, I almost did at age 5, but I had no idea what was going on between my P's), so I couldn't relate.

Then it was my turn.  I hate public speaking, I was a bit nervous, but I was amongst friends, so I opened up my door and let them into my world for a minute.  And don't think that the floodgates didn't open up.  Actually, a few people cried, including my boss!  Whoa!

So here's the story.

When I was 26 years old, my family was going through some major drama.  Grandma (mom's mom) was staying with us, and she as you know comes with about 40 tons of baggage everywhere she goes.  At the same time, my great aunt (she was the woman that helped raise my mother and then later, me and my sis) was dying from terminal cancer at a nursing home. 

Grandma and my aunt were like oil and water (my aunt's brother was my grandma's ex husband, the PRM's father) and in healthier times, they fought like alley cats, without the scratching.  For the longest time, Grandma did not believe the PRM that my aunt was sick and dying and every day she gave my mother so much grief about spending so much time with my aunt at the nursing home.  After several weeks, this certainly took quite the toll on the PRM, and while juggling a full time job, a family, tending to my aunt and life in general, the poor woman snapped.  Who could blame her?

Now comes the significant part.  :-)

It was a Saturday afternoon.  I was working part time at a real estate agency, answering their phones on the weekends.  My dad calls, saying, "Your mother had a panic attack and is in the hospital.  She's at St. Joe's, can you meet me here?"  I told him I was on my way.  I called the office manager, explained the situation and she told me she'd find me a sub and told me to take off.

When I arrived at the hospital, I ran into the ER and was told the Puerto Rican Mamasita was already up in the CCU, up on the 8th or 9th floor.  I hopped on the elevator, I remember being winded, jittery and wondering what a panic attack felt like.  Cardiac care?  That has to do with your heart.  Did she have a heart attack?  Is she going to be okay?

Ding.  The elevator doors opened right into the waiting room, and there was my Mexican MacGuyver, white as a ghost, sitting all alone.  Oh my god.  I don't think I've ever seen my dad so vulnerable in my life.  He was always THE MAN.  The provider.  The father.  The husband.  You rely on him, he doesn't rely on you.  He is the proudest man I've ever met.

"Dad, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
"How's mom?  What's going on?"
"I don't know, they say she's sleeping and they won't let me see her.  I'm waiting for the doctor to come out and talk to me."

After a few minutes of small talk, the doctor came out.  He said she had a panic attack that they originally felt was a mild heart attack, but after running a few tests ruled out the heart attack.  They wanted to keep her for a few days for observation and to run some tests.  I spoke on behalf of my speechless father.

"Can we see her?"
"Yes, but we've given her a sedative and she's sleeping.  Please don't wake her.  We can have the nurses call you once she's awake, but you can go in and see her."
"We'll go in for a few minutes, but I'd still like for the nurses to call me immediately, as soon as she's awake."

We walked into the room and she was sleeping quietly.  She had machines all around her and she was hooked up to each in some way.  I remember gasping quietly and TMM exhaling loudly.  After about the longest minute of my life, I spoke up.

"Dad, she's okay.  Let's go get a cup of coffee and then we'll come back, she'll be awake by then."
"No, I have to stay in case she wakes up."
"Dad, she's under sedation, it could be hours.  When was the last time you ate?"
"I haven't eaten all day."

It was 2pm.

"Let's go.  We'll come back.  I promise."

As we left the CCU I gave the nurse monitoring the PRM my cell phone number and off we went.  As we exited the hospital, TMM said, "the cafeteria's open, let's go there".  It was painfully obvious he did not want to leave the hospital.

We walked into the cafeteria and it was closing for the day.  All that was left was cold pizza, nachos and coffee.  The woman behind the counter was nice enough to warm everything up for us, then we grabbed a table and ate in silence.

"Dad, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.  I'm just worried."
"I know, I'm worried too."
"And I hate to say this, but your Grandmother is on a one way ticket back to New York as soon as I get home."
"Dad, please don't do anything yet.  I know there's a lot going on, but sending Grandma home now would be stressful for mom.  Let's work with mom once she gets home to alleviate some of the stress."
"You don't understand, Diana.  No one, and I mean NO ONE fucks with my family.  Between your grandmother, your aunt, your mother's side of the family, her job and everything else, it's no wonder your mother is here.  And when someone fucks with my family, I have a problem with it."
"I know."
"And you have to know this (tears welled up in his eyes)...the only things that matter to me in this ENTIRE world are your mother, your sister and you.  That's it.  My job could go to hell, my house could catch on fire, but as long as my wife and children and safe and happy, then I'm happy."
"Daddy, please don't cry." (I started to cry)
"I'm sorry, Diana, but I want you to understand why I'm so upset."

We continued talking.  Crying.  Talking.  We hugged and "I love you's" were exchanged, which never ever happened before.  It was probably THE BEST conversation I've ever had with my father.  I got to see his vulnerable side and it was amazing. 

See, growing up, I had no relationship with my father.  He worked constantly.  Constantly.  For as long as I could remember, my mother was both my mother and my father through the formative years.  Dad was the disciplinarian.  She was his weapon against us, which looking back I realize why she did it, but at the same time, it was probably what created the wedge between my dad and us kids.

Oh yeah, and the fact that he used to make fun of me, but that's another story.

It was a beautiful moment.  Seeing the sensitive side of my father gave me the opportunity to see his human side.  He was a man.  My father.  And now, my freind.

We got the call from the nurses and raced back up to see the PRM.  She was awake, a little out of it, but she was okay.  My sister showed up later and we sent TMM home to rest, because he wanted to come back first thing in the morning.

I told my sister about The Cafeteria Experience and she was truly amazed.  Everything changed that day.  For the better.  I have no regrets about the past.  I treasure the relationship I have with TMM now, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

I love you, Dad.  You don't know how proud I am to be your daughter.  :)

Tube Snake Boogie

Ever hear of that song?  It's by ZZ Top, off of the album, El Loco.  I heard it in the car this morning and it reminded me of a funny memory.

 

The song came out in the 70's o 80's, I can't remember.  We listened to a lot of classic rock at my house growing up, and I liked the song.  I had no idea about the lyrics, I just liked the music.  It had a catchy beat and I could dance to it.  I gave it a 95.  (Old Dance Fever reference for those of you who remember the show!)

 

Sounds innocent enough, no?

 

Well - back in 1990, I was 19 (yeah, that makes me 38 in 2009 if you're doing the math), working at my first job, which was as a receptionist at a payphone company.  I was the youngest one there, and as naive as they come.  Looking back, it cracks me up at how clueless I was. 

 

Not that I'm clued in these days.  I'm still pretty stupid.  I just hide it a lot better.  :-)

 

Anyway, back to the story.  The phone techs were all in their 20's - young, studly, I think I had a crush on every one of them.  Blue collar guys who were quick with their wit and innuendos.  You definitely did not want to go toe to toe with them!

 

One day, I'm sitting up in the front office, minding my own business.  The guys used to like to congregate in the reception area, because it was the cleanest room in the office and I always had candy on my desk.  All of a sudden, "Tube Snake Boogie" comes on the radio and I said, "OMIGOD I love this song!"

 

Crickets.  Lots of them.  And then they all turned around and looked at me, and I'm all "what?"

 

"So Diana, do you like the tube snake boogie?"

"huh?"

 

They all laughed and walked away.  I of course ran straight home and asked my sister what a tube snake was.  She said:

 

"A tube snake is a penis.  Seriously, you didn't know that?  Jeez."

OH.  MY.  GOD.  I almost died right there in front of her.  I went back to work the next day and never said anything about it, the guys never said anything, and I changed the radio station to the top 40 station in order to keep from hearing that song again!!  LOL

 

Lo and behold...here are the lyrics:

 

I got a girl she lives cross town,
She's the one that really gets down.
When she boogie,
She do the tube snake boogie.
Well now boogie little baby,
Boogie woogie all night long.

I got a girl she lives on the block,
She kinda funky with her pink and black socks.
She likes to boogie,
She do the tube snake boogie.
Well now boogie woogie baby,
Boogie woogie all night long.

I got a girl, she lives on the hill.
She won't do it but her sister will,
When she boogie,
She do the tube snake boogie.
Well now boogie little baby,
Boogie woogie all night long.
Blow your top blow your top blow your top.

And yes, I'm blushing even today, 20 years later.  :-(

 

And if you have to ask, the answer is YES.  I'm human, you know.  LOL

Breaking Tradition

So we're breaking tradition and there will be no turkey for Thanksgiving.  WHOA!  lol

 

We (the fam) talked about going out and the Mexican MacGuyver is such a pest about going out.  He hates public parking, he hates crowds, he hates waiting for tables, he hates loud venues.

 

JESUS.  Now I know where I get it from.  lol

 

Anywho - we're doing carryout from Maggiano's.  Everyone likes Maggiano's, especially my P's, and I'm all about making them happy.  I also don't want The Puerto Rican Mamasita kicking her own ass in the kitchen as she normally does, and then again in house cleaning because in her book, if ain't coated in bleach, it ain't clean.  Seriously.

 

The menu choices are shaping up to look like this:

 

Appetizer:  Mussels & Parmesan Garlic Bread
Salad:  Chopped Salad (sans chicken)

Pastas:  Lobster Ravioli & Rigatoni D
Entrees:  Salmon w Lemon & Herb, Chicken Piccata

Sides: Asparagus, Broccoli & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

 

Yeah, sounds like a lot, but who cares.  Trust me, their food at our house does not go to waste.   Even Lucky Dog will get some grub.  Probably the chicken and veggies.  And maybe some garlic bread.  :)

 

Shall I set a place for you at the table?  :)

Feelin' So Much Better...

Thank god.  I can't even describe the kind of pain I was feeling yesterday.  I remember waking up from a dead sleep and I couldn't move my head.  Any slight movement felt like someone was trying to rip out my neck and shoulder muscles.  I sat in the living room at 2am gasping and crying because the pain was so intense it was knocking the wind out of me.

It's amazing how we take our bodies for granted.  I remember throwing out my back about 10 years ago and being miserable for about a week.  Sitting on a toilet was a huge effort.   Thank god my PRM was close by, she took care of me until I could get around by myself.  Yes, the pain was so bad that she fed me and wiped my tears as I pathetically cried and she assured me not to be embarrassed and that everything was going to be okay.

She's a good woman, I tell ya.

I'm super glad I am feeling better.  A shout out to my endodontist for prescribing me the 800mg of Motrin that helped me finally sleep last night.  I had a few left from my root canal and am extremely grateful!  :)

P-A-I-N

Holy shit on a shingle, I have a pinched nerve in my neck and/or shoulder. I can't figure out where exactly the source of the pain is, because both my left side of my neck and my left shoulder are in a tremendous amount of pain. I've been up since 2am because any slight movement involving my head, neck or shoulders sends excruciating shoooting pains into those spots.

Being up at 2am against your will is not fun. There is nothing on television, but I noticed that Half Pint from Little House on the Prairie (Melissa Gilbert) is hawking shampoo.

I also watched two back to back eps of Cops this morning at about 3am. People in remote areas (well, pretty much anywhere, to be perfectly honest) are amazingly stupid, but I'm sure you already knew that.

I stayed home today to do some office work and get a bit of rest, and while making coffee I felt for some reason that my toaster oven needed to be cleaned.

WTF.

It went something like this: scrub, ow, scrub, ow, scrub, wipe down, ow, scrub, OW MOTHERF**CKER!

What is WRONG with me?

But god bless my little PRM. A while back she gave me this funky little heating/cooling pad that's full of buckwheat shells that you can either heat it in the microwave or freeze it. It looks like a big neck pillow that's really pliable and it smells kinda weird, yet comforting when it's warm. My heating pad wasn't helping because it's long and flat, and the area that I need heat is kinda scoopy, kinda curvy (neck, shoulder) and I couldn't get it to cooperate. I heated up the buckwheat (o-tay! lol) "pillow" and draped it over my shoulder, nuzzling it next to my neck.

AAAAAHHHHHH. Relief!

I'm tempted to take some Vicodin, but I don't know. The pain is bad, but not bad enough to warrant prescription drugs. We'll see, I guess.

For now, dark chocolate and a cup of coffee are making me feel a lot better. :)