Closing Out 2020, Almost

 The end of 2020 is almost here.  I feel terrible saying this but I think I will miss it.  I had a friend die, I had a friend that was seriously ill and countless others with diagnosed COVID as well as many friends that are now jobless.  And yet I have the nerve to say that I might miss it?

It's tough really...  

I loved working from home for so many reasons:

• School drop off and pick-ups
• More time with my kiddo
• More meals cooked at home
• More walks in the neighborhood
• More time reading
• More time enjoying things with my family
• No awful commute to/from the office with panic setting in that I'll be late for work or home
• Flexible hours

I know that so many are suffering and it's terrible of me to want to hang on to the happy thoughts I have of my new arrangement.  To be fair, I have terrifying and stressful thoughts too: of getting covid, my loved ones getting covid (some of those potentially unwell enough to not make it through), losing my job, that's to name just a few...

I know I'm not alone...I know so many others in my situation feel the same or similar.

Anyway, I read a book by Josie Silver in which the main character starts the story discussing the moments you let slip by because you don't know they are moments until it's too late.  One of her prime examples is the last time you hold your small child and then they're too big to be held.  I think about that often and I don't want those moments to pass (inevitable many just have to pass simply because you don't know they are moments).  I feel worried about going back to the office and losing some of those moments.  The last time I help my child with spelling, or the last time I wave to another parent in the parking lot...being in the office means I might gain moments with some colleagues, but I will miss so many others.  That alone, almost more than the others hurts me the most.  

So yes, that's why I say silly things like I will miss 2020.  But alas, I try to find the positive so I can fake it until I make it...and I look forward to sitting in my mom's house watching TV, or walking next to a friend without a mask on, sitting at the dinner table with friends and family.  Find the positives Steph.

Christmas 2020

I'm feeling rather blue this Christmas. I get this way every year, but this year is especially hard.  Every year I feel as though things will never be the same, and this year I feel smothered by that feeling.

Keep chugging along I suppose...

Christmastime 2020

 Christmastime this year feels way harder than other years.  Maybe not as bad as the year my brother died.  Perhaps not as bad as the year my dad died, but thankfully, it's far enough in history for me to not remember.  Anyway, it feels hard this year.  It feels lonely.  It feels disjointed.  It feels forced.  I don't normally have this issue but this year....this weird year...I'm pushing myself into this season in ways I didn't have to before.

I realize part of it has to do with working-from-home, being more isolated than I might otherwise.  It has to do with anxiety about unknowns (how will the future go, will I still have a job, do I have to go back to the office, will my loved ones prevail against the ominous COVID...).  It has to do with over-spending.  It has to do with over-eating and not exercising enough.  It has to do with no closure (seeing people daily to not seeing them at all).  It has to do with my general mental health always waning.

But alas, time ticks on and so must we...

So, here's to some positives:

• I don't have to drive to the office every day and I get to work from home.  
• My kiddo is doing well, learning in person, and so far, staying safe.
• I am so fortunate to still have a job, and an interesting one at it (not always in love with it, but intrigued).
• I have been walking and talking with/to friends each week...something I had not been doing until COVID Quarantine.

Here's to hopefully getting words down more often.

Until then,

Steph

Sun, Is That You?

I'm feeling better than I have been feeling for a little while, both physically and mentally.  The physical part is no doubt related to just eating better and more regular exercise (and my whopping 40lb shrugs I did yesterday in Fitness class, hoorah).  The mental part is probably related in a good part to that as well but I'm also allowing sunshine to claim a role.  It's nice to peek outside of the fog (I say that both figuratively and literally).

I haven't let myself listen to sad music, or the music that makes me feel sad (because sometimes they are not one in the same) and I am always surprised at the role that music can play in one's mood.  The kiddo and I were talking this morning about music and we thought it would be fun if everyone danced and sang as just a regular part of life...as if we were all in a musical...you may guess that our morning routine has become a scene from our very own musical.  If it's not entertaining, it's at least motivating, and some how keeps us both perked up for the morning and that certainly has a small part in my good mood as well.

Anyway, I keep chugging along and emotionally I know that I'm on a roller coaster and the lows will come with the highs but I'll deal with them when the cart gets there.  I continue to miss my brother, continue to panic at the overwhelming aftermath of his death, continue to worry about my mom and other family members, and I continue to keep myself busy with family, work, teaching, sewing, etc. and it helps.  I'm enjoying this semester's students.  They are good people, ask great questions, and make me laugh.

Why am I even writing this post?  What you can't see is that for this one post I am publishing, is about 10 posts I chose not to publish because they are angry and sad posts written over the course of the past 6 weeks.  And while each one represents, pretty accurately, how I've been feeling about myself and people in general, it's not the message I want to send out in the world.  My last published posts here were all either sad, or me complaining about this or that.  My past few years have been peppered with deaths, chaos, and messy things...but for the bulk of the time, they've been decent and I never write posts that say, "life is decent" and I thought I should.  ESPECIALLY after looking at my 10 unpublished posts...

So, life is decent, even with the peppering of bad stuff that's usually followed up by lots of grief and stress, life is still decent.  So go out and lift some weights, or run/bike a few laps, listen to delightful music, take care of your shit, and do good things.  Sometimes it's foggy, and sometimes it's not.

No One Gets Me Quite Like Me

No one quite gets me, like me. I've always said that I write for my own self. I often reread what I wrote to laugh at myself, to see how I've digressed, or perhaps improved. I also have a much more personal blog [I know, more personal than this?] that no one really reads; I very randomly read it to see how I've changed, to refocus my mind in a healthier manner. I think it's necessary that we do that every now and again. We have to do things for us. If we don't take care of ourselves first, how are we to ever help anyone else?

Anyway, I got started on all of this because I read Greg Kot's Wilco Learning How to Die. It was a great book and biography about Wilco and Jeff Tweedy. While it's ancient in terms of Wilco having concluded around 2002; the thoughts of Jeff Tweedy would still ring true. One of his particular quotes made me think of how important we all are to ourselves.

"That's the beauty of music" he says. "Because when it feels right, it does feel like you invented it-because you did. You invented if for yourself"

We should all be able to take a moment to forget what anyone else will think of what we write, draw, sing, or cook. If we make ourselves happy, the others will soon follow. We can't control the world, but we can control what decisions we make.

Anyway, I wasn't going any place in particular with this other than to say I really enjoyed the book. I also really enjoy rereading what I write because no one gets me like I do [my jokes are dry, but damn, I love 'em]. No matter who comes and goes in our lives, they each served a purpose while there that we should be grateful for that rather than resentful. Also, it's way too easy to get wrapped up in things greater than ourselves, but we shouldn't. We are all that matters. If we take care of us, the rest does follow.

Now, off of my public service announcement with a quick update that I'm moving on to the new Chet the Jet book. Also, I thought it was time to make you think...

You get only three clues...What Am I?

• I am a fiber tip pen.
• My ink is translucent.
• I was invented in Japan in 1962.

Year In Review - Part I

I only have a few days left of this year and since this year has sucked so royally, next year, the big 2010, will be grand. One can only hope.

As today is my Friday, I'm feeling pretty good. I thought that I'd get started on my year in review. To say I don't know where to start would be completely cliche, but true. It's not that I did so much that I can't even begin; rather, I just don't remember. Lucky for me (and you), I wrote a blog this year!

Instead of recapping all that has happened in the year, I'll simply start with the topic of "Downtime- What I Did to Recharge". Wonder where I got this great [modified] idea? Well, check out this fellow here!

I Blogged at stephysite and hoklife!

There are the obvious things to make myself physically "unwind" and these consist of Nyquil and diphenhydramine. A lot of Effexor helps too!

I've spent some time this year "getting in shape" which translates to "tearing up my knees". I ran a couple of 5k's and tried to regularly stick to jogging that allows me to think alone while physically exhausting myself. The best benefit is the endorphin high.

Doodling has become a new "stress reliever" at work. I suppose it started one night after talking to @ironstef about zentangle. I recently purchased a lovely handmade [out of used books] journal to store my doodles. The lovely journal was made by @thefancylamb

Reading is always high on my list of things to do. It serves so many purposes (keeps the mind fresh with ideas and knowledge, kills the time on the bus, lulls me to sleep, tells me amazing stories, gives me things to talk about, and relaxes me). This year I've read more than most years because I've used public transit about 75%-85% of the year; which happens to be where I do most of my reading. Here is a small list of what I read in 2009:

• A Dirty Job
• Fool
• Blood Sucking Fiends
• You Suck
• The Twilight Series
• Let the Right One In
• Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible
• Broken

Want some words? Here ya go...
jump the couch: A defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end. Inspired by Tom Cruise's behavior on Oprah.
Chrismukkah: the holiday mixture for Hanukkah and Christmas.

Worried Over-Protective Friend?

..thunk-thunk..thunk-thunk..thunk-thunk...that's the sound of my plaid chucks as they slap the concrete walkways of the empty office. They seem louder than normal, probably because it's so quiet, but also perhaps because I walk with a heavy thud when I'm depressed. I shouldn't be depressed, after all I ran a lot this weekend. Yesterday I did my first 5k, today I ran 2 miles. This entire weekend I've eaten more chocolate than I ever should have thought about consuming for an entire month [but really that is a depressing thought]. I even got some shopping done for clothes that fit a bit better!

But, alas, I am depressed. I've worked most of the weekend on a building that I am starting to hate [cantilevers are the bane of my existence]. I'd love to talk more about it, but due to some confidentiality contracts, I can't tell you anything about it.

I'm also really worried about my friend Shane. I haven't heard from him in some time. I don't expect to hear from him; I won't really ever hear from him until he needs something from me. It's sort of how it works, user (him), usee (me)...I'm sure some of you can relate to at least being one or the other, dragged along in some hopeless charade. That is despite the point; my point is that normally he at least checks his e-mail and responds with some insignificant arrogant remark; often he at least posts some video of some song to entertain himself; or perhaps at least signs in to myspace. I haven't seen him around anywhere. That worries me, I hope he is okay and perhaps just busy! I fear he could be in the hospital, which is not unheard of for him. I fear worse that he could be [gulp] dead. I know, I know, I know..."stop being a mom", stop thinking the worst", "gosh, can't a guy just get some air", "let go"....but when I'm having nightmares about it, I think you should understand it's a bit harder to just stop worrying than you think it is for me.

You've been there right, worrying? A lump in your throat, the constant inability to focus on a task, the chest aches...

I'm being silly right? Tell me I'm being a silly over-protective friend!

ANYWAY, back to anything else to talk about...I'm back at the office, to work in the dark, in the heat, and alone [the best way to be]. I have a mental list of things to hammer out before I leave tonight [that is a great visual, me, my hammer in hand, beating things to total uselessness, if you could only see my awful smirk].

I've got to get to it, so perhaps I will write more later, but until then, here is a word for the weekend's end...

reefy: Cool or awesome. Often preceded by "so" and used by surfers.

Dragged Along Terrified

Cartoon Steph

I am super bitchy today, I almost feel as though the wind has been knocked out of me, as if I’ve been shoved to the floor and kicked around a bit. I want to talk about most of it so you’ll have to bear with me and endure a long and possibly boring blog. I will alternate the goods and bads.

I’ll start with bad…yesterday a coworker who shall remain nameless got some really bad news. I refuse to mention specifics of the news [I don’t gossip here] because it’s horrible and I can’t even imagine the sorrow. All you need to know is that when you hear your coworker that upset; you should realize how important people are.

A good thing, also relating to a coworker, is that Justin, my blog crush, recommended some bands I might like. One of these bands, Billy Talent, is coming to St. Louis in October. He sent the recommendation based on the fact that they play shows with a band I like Alexisonfire. Nice suggestion Justin, I thank you sincerely!

A crappy thing is that I glooped mustard all over my shirt at work, then proceeded to open my soda to have it explode all over my desk and pants. This of course is all part of the day where nothing seems to work. I can’t get my building model to behave how I would expect; it won’t mesh right for a finite element analysis, among other crappy ass things!

A good thing…for those of you that think I am too prepared [looking at you Christine], I managed to dig up another decent shirt to wear at work that is mustard-less and cola-less.

Now, I'm tired of crappy ass stuff so I am going to ignore how crabby and pissed off I am. I am going to ignore my rant on media. I am going to ignore my rant on people who think they are better than me. I am going to ignore my rant on people who ignore me. Instead I am going to show you a cartoonized version of myself that I think is adorable. It is a work in progress by Mike C. Should you feel compelled to make your very own cartoon version of me, please do so. I am very amused by the thought!


Before I go I want to send a quick thanks to Ironstef and Mike C. for dinner and a wonderful discussion of Skank Ham. I want to thank Becky for allowing us to come hang out in the pub (there really are few options in GC). I want to thank those people on Twitter to which I randomly/seldomly communicate; you all always seem to have a way to make me laugh or smile (though you probably don't know it you certainly deserve a thanks). You would be surprised how a quick step away from work and into some silly video, or even some smart article/blog can really just wake me up, clear my head, and get me back on course. If there is ever a way I could help you, I certainly hope you'd ask!

Word...
cubular: Anything that is "cool" in a "business-geek" office context; often used ironically. This is a term derived from "cubicle" and the surf-slang "tubular".

I'd Like Upper Decker for $1011, Alex

WOW, stressful day that has thus far included the following (please note it's only noon as I write this):

-A legal issue I tried to help a friend with (can't discuss because if I did, there would be an e-trail)
-A meeting where we (the structural engineers) had to piss a bunch of people off, maybe not so much pissed off, but we made them very unhappy!
-Poor Meeting Notes:

-FedEx pissed me off, yet again!
-I snapped at a coworker!
-I had an argument about "just because you do it that way doesn't mean the way I do it is wrong"!
-More coordination issues between the architectural and structural modeling in my project.
-The highlight though, a $1011 mobile phone bill! It's being taken care of, and no, I don't owe that much. But fuck, try waking up and starting your day with that!

It's a good thing that I have the following fun things to talk about:

-I made up a new word... Brittanyized: to not wear panties while wearing a skirt.
-I have become a lifer with AT&T thanks to my favorite new customer service agent Carlos Fuentes. I still need to pen a letter to confirm his awesomeness with AT&T!
-I have re-established that I can be useful to people with legal quandaries, despite my callous nature!
-I'm drinking new types of tea today, fun!
-I found out what an "upper-decker" is...
-Best story I've heard in a while and it goes like this...

Two renters, Eric and Dave go home one night. They arrive to find that someone has changed the locks. How odd they think. They call the homeowner who has no idea what they are talking about. They call anyone they can think of that would play a mean joke on them, but to no avail. During this time they find out that someone has also now cleaned the back yard. It's a curious thought, who comes over to change your locks and clean your back yard? Want to know the rest? Tune in tomorrow!

Words...
quarter to eight: A BMW 745i Sedan.
overflow mode: Used to describe the actions of a short-tempered female who always seems to be angry. Related to mensturation and PMS.

Twitter Tea

So today is going fairly well! I rode my bike into work (rather to the bus stop); I've been getting loads done; my mania is a bit less severe today; and the best part of my day so far . . . I got to join in for Twitter Tea!

So for those of you that are unaware, I am on Twitter. It's a sort of micro-blogging/status feed that a whole lot of people are doing. I have an acquaintance on Twitter that (seems to me randomly) has Twitter Tea Time! Those involved talk to each other with hash tags and @replies [both twitter things]. We post pictures of us and our tea. It's a real great time. My favorite tweet to me was this one from @FrankieP: @stephysite I'm horrified at how you have to make your #TwitterTea

My favorite pic is this one! Must be some GREAT tea Allan!


Yea, so thanks to the following people for allowing me to join in today! Can't wait to join in again! @FrankieP @jamesgallagher @DaveJ @eolai @AllanCavanagh @CormacMoylan

A quick happy birthday to Skweak!

Word...
cash and prizes: Your junk, privates, twig and berries.

Tad Stressful

So today was a tad stressful for me, some details I will spare you. The whole idea of today though, was that I had loads to do, no real time to get it done, as well as waiting for a call, missing that call, but then catching that call later to get not great news, but much better than expected. Now, I need to get going, but I have a tip for you, a word for you, and positive note!

To reduce anxiety, keep a journal to vent. At the end of every entry, write something positive!

My positive note is that someone [Amanda] got me socks. I needed that! Thanks! Socks are one of those little things that get me by. Like music. Ah, Rancid.

Word...
break your crayons: An expression used when something makes you very upset or sad, or ruins your whole day.

Stack of Words

Feeling manic ... imagine that, me feeling manic. I blogged a bit last night at stephysite-life.blogspot.com [Must have login, e-mail me if you want to read]. I will probably blog a bit more there today, just to get it all out. Well, not ALL, but what I feel safe getting out.

I'm going to keep this rather short and give you the stack of words waiting to be shared. Until next time...

baby love: The opposite of platonic love between a man and a woman in which the two, in or out of a marital relationship, love each other in such a way that they both would consent to and enjoy conceiving a child together.

In Use: Oh, April and I? No no, sure I love her, but we don't have baby love.

on the B: Wack, lame, or otherwise secondary to something that is better. Refers to the B-side of a music single, which is not as good as the A-side.

In Use: Ghostbusters was hot, while Ghostbusters II was totally on the B.

cropdust: To fart, then drag the smell around with you, or fart while walking. One who does this is called a "cropduster".

celebreviate: The act of combining two celebrities' names because they are dating, married, etc.

dime piece: A girl who is bangin', hot, beautiful, a perfect ten.

banana basket: Underwear, as they are used to store a man's banana.

On your six: Directly behind you. From the military designation of location where 12:00 is directly in front of you, 3:00 is to your right, 9:00 is to your left, etc.

pwn:

1. An intentional misspelling of the word "own", with a similar meaning; to dominate an opponent. Especially used in online games.

2. To be great or ingenious.

The Surreal Week Is Finally Over

Friday night I had the pleasure of spending my evening with my good friend Mike. He made me dinner (tomato sauce with pasta and garlic bread per my request); and then we watched TV (some cooking shows, drinky crow, others). I also finally got to pick up my birthday present from him which is a certificate to a demo cooking show at Kitchen Conservatory.

I thank him dearly because he really went out of his way for me, and he had to deal with me in a mood he probably had not anticipated. So thanks.

Saturday night I had the pleasure of celebrating two very belated birthdays (Sharline and Eva) and one less belated birthday (James). It was hot outside, but fun none the less. I hope everyone, especially Sharline, enjoyed the evening!

Later that evening I spent some time online talking to James and going over some social media stuff, which was fun! So thanks for that James!

Sunday I had the pleasure of hanging out with Eva going to the Loop, eating at the Noodle Co., shopping around odd stores, buying a crazy CD and picking up some random gifts. We also went to Whole Foods for the first time, and that store is A-MA-ZING! I loved it!

So here it is, Sunday night, and I'm just happy the last week is over. Deaths: Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Sky Saxon, Bob Bogle, Billy Mays, beloved pooch Queens, and my Zune. I had my first real concussion (caused by my own stupidity). I purchased maps for the TomTom, UK and Ireland, so that I may geocach and find my way around! I sewed patches on my travel bag.

I see that my friend Shane has gone to Donegal for trip, I hope he has fun. Perhaps one day, when I can get around to it, we'll get to talk. I'll be sure to keep him in my prayers/thoughts.

I should head to bed now, so I'll speak/write again tomorrow. Here's to not texting when we shouldn't!

I would love to have this: Drinky Crow

No Sleep

No sleep. At least 12 hours of work ahead of me. New Rancid is wonderful. Sims 3 is now out, the geek in me is jumping outta my skin!

Word of the day-
coming in hot: Having to use the restroom in a dire manner as you arrive at your destination; to head straight for the bathroom after getting out of the car.

Did You Remember Your Towel?

This weekend, and in general some things I found interesting . . .

1. Yesterday, Monday May 25 was Memorial Day for the US, a Bank Holiday for the UK, and Towel Day for everyone. What's that all about you ask? Read Hitchhiker's Guide and you'll know all about the need for a towel. You could also check out the following website: http://www.towelday.org/! For those of you that are unaware, some Irish fellow is commisioned to write the next installment of the Guide. I'm holding him to extremely high standards! (How does one pronounce that name, Eoin? (Owen??)an be assured I will read it and let you know my opinions!

2. LoopLoop Video, Sorry I'm Late. Watch all the way to the end to see how they made this short film. For those of us not artistically savvy, it's really cool. For those of you that may be artistically savvy, perhaps you already know how cool it is; but neat to watch anyway hopefully?

3. I went to the bookstore twice this weekend. It should be no surprise to you that I left both times with books. What did I buy? Dog On It; Bloodsucking Fiends; Broken; Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bible; Fool; 101 Things To Do With Ramen Noodles. I finished Lovely Bones and am mostly through Dog On It!

4. This week, one of my favorite comic strips, Brevity, is mixing it up.



So what is Your favorite comic?

5. My broken window was repaired on Friday; Grace was 4 on Saturday, party that morning, then we had a mellow night at Eva's; I went for a bike ride on Sunday on a winding path that was really neat (in Glen Carbon); I washed a load of towels on Monday for Towel Day, so yes, that does mean I had Monday off of work; I don't know that I ever updated anyone on any of my cool birthday presents; I watched Eagle Eye yesterday, good film, I've been waiting for the government to contact me; surprisingly enough I am in a good mood today that I can't explain (nothing great happenend, nothing bad happened, didn't sleep bad, didn't sleep great; it's very odd, I'm sure it will dwindle as the day moves along).

Words-
shank:

1. A homemade knife.
2. To stab someone with a homemade knife.

muscle queen: A gay man who pumps iron every waking moment in order to be as physically appealing to other men as possible.

totty:

1. An attractive or sexy person. Usually refers to a women, but sometimes used for men.
2. To be unsteady on one's feet, usually as a result of intoxication.

I Am A Jeenyus!

Some days I wake up and feel like crap, other days I wake up and feel like worse crap. So, you can imagine my surprise when yesterday I went to bed feeling like a genius and woke up feeling like Ein-freaking-stein! This is mostly because I wrote (with some studying) a php page for my website that allows me to upload photos to various directories on my website with password protection.

I know that there are those of you that just know this stuff like your first language, but this is my hobby. Websites are something I do for fun, therefore I don't know this stuff as well as I know math or English. I was very proud of myself. I'm sure you can understand!

Also this morning, I had to come up with a configuration for a truss. To give you a bit of a background, I am working on a project where we are hanging about 9 stories on each end of a building. Similar to a cantilever, but actually hung from above. (Read this article)! To do this, we are using trusses. For these trusses, we need to have another truss to tie the ends together. Simple, right? Well I had to come up with the configuration for this truss. I had an idea in my head. Turns out, Andrew had the same idea in his head. It's nice to get confirmation on things! Andrew really is a genius, so I feel good right now.

I totally rock!

On a side note, for those of you who continue to bitch about the words I use (fake or real), I suggest you go out and purchase a dictionary. A lot of my words may not be there (I make things up). A lot of my words will be there (all real baby). Try it sometime, I think you'll find I am less of a freak than you first thought! Actually no, you'll find I make up most of my words! :D

It . . . is a Thing

Ever work on a “thing” that you felt was the bane of your existence? The thought of the It slays you? Maybe It is a project, or a person, or a task, or a situation? Whatever It is, I’m glad if you can relate (for my sanity, not for your inconvenience). There may be nothing more annoying than some thing you thought was gone that has managed to wake Itself up and crawl back into your life. It lurks in the corner waiting for you to walk by so he can jump out and scare the living Bejesus out of you. It is crafty and powerful enough to hold you down and suck the life right out of your mouth (like a cat). I’m supposed to be grateful for It, or so I think, but I can’t be anything beyond peeved!

Pull From Another Blog

So today is one of those days already. I woke up at 4:30ish, tossed and turned for an hour until my alarm went off, then tossed and turned for another 45 minutes. When I finally got out of bed, the irritation just settled right into it's cozy little spot in my mind.

Why am I irritated and annoyed? I don't know. If you could do me a favor and pop into my noggin and have a little chat with my brain; please ask that question!

I have to give many thanks to everyone that wished me a happy birthday yesterday. I owe Crystal many many thanks for not only baking me cupcakes for work (a tradition I started with the structures group); but she was also the only person to give me a gift on my birthday as well! The gift thing isn't so much what I am concerned about, I didn't ask for anything. I just thought she deserves some credit for that! My mom dropped by in the evening and brought me a low-fat cheesecake and strawberries. Chris took me to dinner. Eva is of course throwing me a birthday party (like I've been saying, if you want to come and didn't get an invite, e-mail me). Shane was the first person to wish me a happy birthday on my actual birthday. The Sutter siblings sang to me. Christine and Grace both got me birthday cards that are sitting on top of my locker at work. Mike dedicated a song to me! Skweak sent me a cut out sheep party doll on myspace. I heard from all sorts of other people too!!! So thank you to everyone, it made yesterday nice, and it made turning 30 tolerable! And, yes, I know, I know, I know . . . 30 is nothing, no big deal. BUT, it's like saying good-bye to my youth. I need time to adjust.

I really wanted to have something fun to write about today, just anything more interesting that me, but I just don't have any good stories. SO, I'm going to pull from another blog, in fact two blogs.

HOK Life's John G. wrote about awards, to which he points out Contractor's Awards. Funny Funny Stuff!


Bifsniff's Frank (a fellow I suspect likes creepy things) added a clip of an old black and white cartoon that is wildly different than any hippie-fied Diego saving whales cartoon we see today!






Word of the day-

high beams: When a woman's nipples can be obviously seen through her clothing. The larger the protrusion, the brighter the beams. [E. N.: I'm embarrassed by even listing this word today]

Staying Sexy with Laughter

... ha ha ha ... give me a moment to control my laughter! Wow, I haven't laughed this much in ages. I know I know, you need an explanation ...

So for starters, let me say that you should check out the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Now if you are Amanda, maybe you won't like it. It does however have Jason Mewes in the film. It's disturbing, [in fact hours since I've watched it and I'm still just as disturbed]. It's a good laugh though, or so I thought. NOT for children, in fact, it's barely suitable for adults!

What else is making me laugh today? I'm sure you could have guessed, but blogs! My beloved blogs!

Typically I step into the office, hit that button that makes my computer wake up, and then spend my beginning moments of work hoping for hysterical blogs. I didn't even get that far before I started laughing! It started well before I even got to the office! You see, this started while I was getting ready for work.

Ha, before we go with THAT thought, let me say NO, I wasn't laughing at myself in the mirror because of how hideous I looked when I woke up; let's just nip that joke in the bud!

Where was I, oh right, getting ready for work. I dressed nice (as nice as I can dress [cowboy boots]). I even put on makeup. Not just the makeup that covers my Pale Expressionless Face, but real makeup! During this time, Chris asked me if my blog buddy from Toronto was going to be in town. This made me laugh. It's a good thought, I rarely, and I mean rarely put effort into my appearance! Ask anyone I know; I care that I look presentable, clean, and unhippie-like; but as for makeup, I tend to find it a wasteful use of product and time! So I can see where one might come to the conclusion that I was trying to impress someone. And I don't try to impress just anyone, so yet another good conclusion drawn to my blog buddy from Toronto! Good conclusions! Funny though. Funny.

So I was finally ready, hit the trail we call Interstate 55 and trolleyed into work. I walk in, hit that button, prepare for blogs. I was not disappointed!

The first couple of blogs I read were not funny, entertaining, or anything really. They just are what they are, blogs I read. But then I got to the second of Janet's blogs. I was to say the least, intrigued. I read, became confused, started clicking links, became more confused, reread the blog, made sense of everything, and then reclicked links. Laughter ensued! Riotous good time I tell you! I encourage you to do the same. It's a great blog about a shitty hotel with great advertising. You have to check out the advertising agency as well. Open the link several times and notice how the website changes every time. EVERY TIME! I like these people!

Then I noticed there appears to be a book associated with this hotel/hostel/place. I think I need it! Thanks Janet, you are awesome!

I moved onto the HOK Life blog. Today's blog post that I read was from Mike P. He wrote about sustainability, a big topic with HOK. He always writes very well and always has the greatest titles to links. Just when you think a title might mean one thing, it ends up meaning something else. And really, can anyone deny a link titled Stay Sexy? I know I couldn't! I would encourage you to check out the article, then find out how to stay sexy baby!

You might be wondering why the last blog I talked about was funny. Well, in my head, Stay Sexy might have meant few clothes required for "Lightening One's Load". Ha, my mind, it's always in the gutter!

So, now, are you still wondering why I put makeup on and curled my hair? Photos today for work. That's all!