it's the most wonderful time of the year...

This morning...

Rrring.
"Hello?"
"Hi! It's Dr. Lee's office. We would like to schedule your next dental appointment. How does this date/time work for you?"

This afternoon...

Rrring.
"Hello?"
"Hi! It's Dr. SoAndSo's office. We would like to schedule a PAP and physical. And, now that you're 40, we should schedule a mammogram as well. How does this date/time work for you?"

Well, that's just mean!

and though we've come to the end of the road...

Today is day 30 of NaBlahBlah! Can you believe I blogged every day?! Neither can I. But I did. Ha!

It's fascinating to belong to a community. I mean, people visited my blog and read it. Maybe even some read more than one of my entries. I find it fascinating. I visited TONS of sites and read TONS of blogs. Come to the realization that I'm not a very good writer. Pshaw. I enjoy it. That's important (to me, anyway).

Big Thanks to those sites I visited using the Randomizer!

Maybe more things will happen in December...you'll have to come back to see...

Reese
x

talk, talk, talk about yourself again

Got this from Sarah ~ thanks!

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments...what do you get?

1. Produce: avocado
2. Bakery: baguette
3. Meat: carne asada
4. Frozen: Fudgesickles
5. Dairy: Brie

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?

3 items?! I'd need 3 bags...sigh...

1. dark denim jeans
2. black sweater
3. Black dress

If I was to listen in on your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?

1. Seriously?!
2. WTF?!
3. We actually *hired* that person?
4. You're welcome.
5. That's my job.

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?

1. eating breakfast
2. having my mocha at work
3. laughing

We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?

1. Reading blogs
2. reading one of the 3 books by my bed
3. sleeping
4. journaling
5. watching TV or DVD

We are going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?

1. Giraffes
2. Lions
3. Seals or Sea lions

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?

1. Oprah
2. Ellen
3. The Price is Right
4. Daily Show or Bill Maher

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?

1. Cookies & Cream
2. Butter Pecan
3. Mocha Almond Fudge

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?

1. cell phone
2. Blister Block
3. Origins Carmel Candy lip gloss
4. make-up bag (aka - plastic baggy)
5. digital camera

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?

1. Wine bar owner
2. clothing/shoe designer
3. party planner extraordinaire
4. photographer for Rolling Stone magazine

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?

1. Do NOT get a perm. Repeat - do not get a perm!
2. Stand up straight. Everyone would love to be as tall as you.
3. You chose good friends.
4. Don't buy the espadrilles! You'll have to walk home and you'll be sad. But you'll have a great story to tell your friends later! And they'll never let you forget it. :)

Girl of 100 Lists - songs I hate

'Hate' is pretty strong. So, let's call it the Top 5 Songs That Make Me Cringe and/or Change the Station:

5) Who Let the Dogs Out ~ ugh. Who let the crappy song onto the airwaves is more like it!

4) I Wanna Be Sedated ~ that's exactly what I want to be when this song comes on. At the taping of 'The Singing Bee' this was one of the songs. SO glad I didn't get it! 20 20 20 4 hours to go oh oh :::shiver:::

3) 500 Miles ~ I would walk 500 miles just to get away from this song.

2) Dream Weaver ~ this song creeps me out for some strange reason...I can trace it back to one of those K-Tel albums I got in junior high school that I listened to incessantly. I think the beginning of the song is what does it to me...

1) We Built This City ~ no words can describe...

What songs make you cringe?

gonna put it in the want ads

I've been enjoying the joys and pains of online personals ads for a while. I'll sign up with one for a 3-month period, take a break, and then sign up with another. I tried e-harmony earlier this year. In theory, pretty good – match people by personality. Great! Yeah, not so great. Why? Apparently, my personality only matched men 5'11" and under. :::in the best Seinfeld impression I can muster::: Not that there's anything wrong with that. I've dated shorter-than-me men. My preference now is close-to or taller-than-me men. I didn't like not having the choice to choose the height of potential matches. I didn't renew that subscription.

I rejoined match.com a month ago. For me, the self-description portion is tough. One of the questions is ‘What is your body type?’ The options are: slender, athletic, fit, curvy, big and beautiful or full-figured. I selected ‘curvy’ – that one, in my opinion, best suits me. No one told me that in personal-ad speak, curvy is code for big boobs and small everything else. At least Yahoo personals gives the ‘a few extra pounds’ option.

If you're a guy and you do the match.com thing, please read this next bit carefully. PLEASE...I implore you...I beg you...PLEASE read my damn profile *before* you send the email! My screen name is winegirl; one of my favorite places is Temecula Valley wine country; I love a good red wine, especially TV Red from Baily Winery (sensing a theme?). All this is written in my profile.

Along comes an email from "OnlyGdMn4U" - I'm looking for a nurturing, caring, curvy woman who loves to cook and spend quiet nights at home. I don't smoke or do drugs and never touch alcohol. STOP! :::screech::: Did you miss the part where I mention wine? Did you blink while reading my screen name? *Delete*

Let's move on to "skicamptennisdad" in New Jersey. :::rolling eyes::: His email started off on a nice note: I saw your pic and had to tell you how beautiful you are! I love big tall women and you're perfect! If I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, could you come up behind me and pick me up off the ground? That would be awesome! :::screech::: Huh? Does this guy think that's a compliment? Am I to be flattered?

How about MrJB – the last paragraph of his profile requests that if he sent you an email, please be courteous enough to respond, let him know you’re not interested. OK. Cool. Since we match 98%, I sent MrJB an email. That was November 15th.

This afternoon I received an email asking what size shoe I wear. *Sigh* When I send emails, I try to be creative...I actually read the profile and pick out something to comment on. The Land o'Personals isn't always like this. I've met some great men. And actually feel there may be some hope when I send an email and the guy is kind enough to write back to tell me he doesn't think we match. And who says Angelenos are all self-absorbed? (OK, it was me. I said it. I'll amend to say a lot of Angelenos are self-absorbed).

It's tough dating in Los Angeles. I've said it before ~ I live in a city of dwarfs and trolls who want to date Cinderella. And I'm not her. That pedestal is way too high. Even for a tall girl.

Girl of 100 Lists - favorite beauty items

As a fashionista, there are certain things I can't live without. I will now share them with you:

1 ~ Blister Block: keeps those sensitive spots on my feet from getting blisters! I slide into my shoes and boots much more comfortably.

2 - Hollywood Tape: this is the shit! Little strips of tape to keep your wrap dress wrapped, the gaping holes closed and it's a great quick-fix on a fallen hem.

3 - Dr. Feelgood by Benefit: I wear this product under my make-up. It smooths the fine lines, absorbs oil and gives the skin a great texture & look.

4 - lip balm: I prefer Burt's Bees lip balm - keeps my lip moist and isn't Carmex.

5 - Spanx: invest in Spanx! Totally worth it! Smooth lines under clingy fabrics, sucks in the wobbly bits and is so comfortable to wear! I wore faux spanx under a jersey knit dress and was MORTIFIED when I saw the seams were visible under the clingy dress. :::gasp:::

another English Beat post

Night 2 of the English Beat at the Belly Up in San Diego last night was spectacular! We actually sat at the bar tables for this show. But once the guys came on, I could NOT stay seated. It was interesting to be off the dance floor, more observer than participant. Good decision on my part.

Here's my Saturday night show Top Ten:

10) The girl outside, trying to get tickets (the show was sold out)...she overheard a conversation between three guys - one of whom was named Dave. She sidled up to him, all batty eyelashes, twirly voice and whatnot: "Ohhhh, Dave! Hiiiii! I saw you here in July. You were great! You're one of my favorite bands!" The guy, stopped her: "Wait. You think I'm Dave Wakeling? Ha! I'm not Dave. Have you ever seen him?" She stammered. I laughed.

9) Some guy outside saying "The English Beat haven't played any shows since 1984!" Really? Huh. Interesting.

8) How the heck can people SIT DOWN while the band is playing?! I couldn't do it.

7) Being at a table gave me an appreciation of all the intricacies of the EB show - interactions, comments, actions, reactions. It was great to see the *whole* show.

6) Dave stopped singing to stop a fight that was brewing on the dance floor. It took a while for him to start up again.
5) It only took 2 songs for girls to jump up on stage. These girls were pretty aggressive with the band - grabbing, spanking, some girl even pinched Dave's nipples. Ever the professional.

4) Antony (no 'H') killed it, once again, on 'Rough Rider.' Damn!

3) 'Tears of a Clown' and 'I'll Take You There' and 'Ranking Full Stop' and 'Mirror in the Bathroom' - all totally stand out for me. The band was so tight and the energy was so palpable, you couldn't help but smile and dance!

2) Wayne, Rick, Rhythmm, Antony (no 'H') and Scot.

1) Dave.

Dave invited Scot & I backstage. What a great night of fun, flirting and laughing! I *still* have a huge smile on my face... :)

The English Beat - again!

It's another blog about another English Beat show. You probably won't read much more after this - and it's okay! I totally understand. I mean, this is, what? The 9th EB post this year? Yeah, something like that. So :::sniffle::: I will totally understand :::sob::: if you stop reading :::gasp::: right now.

I love the Belly Up in Solana Beach. I really do! It's a huge venue, with a huge open floor (or seating if you prefer) and a great sound system - well, not counting last night. Whatever. I've been to two previous EB shows at the Belly Up and the energy is always incredible.

I hooked up with Scot around 7:45 p.m. We ended up talking with a couple behind us and a couple in front of us - really nice and funny people. The club was clearing out the last of the previous show's stragglers, so we didn't get in until well after the 8 o'clock door. We all pile in...and just sorta hang until the music started. Scot & I sat with Serena and Chris - the couple in line in front of us. What a hoot! She was so animated and talkative, then she got a few beverages in her. Damn! She was non-stop! Serena was asking us, in the round-about way girls do, if Scot & I were a couple. I told her we weren't and she couldn't believe it. Too funny, the expression on her face. Scot, the trooper that he is, brushed it off and laughed at how girls do that sort of thing (matchmaking or whatever).

Gadfly, opening band. Three piece group. Stand-up bass ROCKS! Played way too long. Like, 5 songs too long. Good music. Too long, especially when you're there to see the English Beat. Well, that's why I was there...whatever.

OK. The Beat time! I staked my claim, as usual. But, some huge dude - like 6'6" stood right in front of me. The nerve. There was no getting around him, so I just stood there. The guy next to me kept hugging me for some reason. Guess he's a 12 year-old girl too. ;)

Out come the boys, launching into a new song, which I love but forgot the name. Damn. Oh well, they sound good with the new keyboards and Antony (no 'H') taking over the toasting duties. When I saw them a couple of weeks ago, Antony (no 'H') was still a bit weak on the songs. Not last night. He was ON it! I love the crowd participation stuff ("When I say ENGLISH, you say BEAT"), but after two hours of it, I must admit, I'm a little done. The best part of having Antony (no 'H') was during "Doors of Your Heart" - stick 'im in da living room and turn out da lights EH bet ya wouldn't know if he was black or white BOY! Damn - I only hear that toasting on the record. What a GREAT addition to the band! And when they played "Rough Rider?" Damn! Antony (no 'H') fucking killed it!
Standout number 1 - Dave singing "End of the Party." Damn. He was so intense and emotional and I just wanted to hug him. I love that song on track. But, live? It's a whole other thing. They haven't played it live in a while. Too bad. But am so very glad they did last night.

Standout number 2 - "I'll Take You There." Damn. That is one funky groovy song! And, Wayne on bass? Killed it. KILLED IT. I told W he should have a solo on that song. It's one of the many songs that the band just pull it together, sounding so tight, having fun and just kill it!

Oh. I am so over the girls jumping on stage to dance. OVER IT. They hit the mic, talk into the mic while Dave is singing, flash and whatever else. Yeah, I'm done with that.

I'm looking forward to going back tonight. Are you ready? Said are you ready to go? Hell yeah!

11/23

Today is my sister's birthday. This is a collection of my favorite memories...

* my favorite story is when my sister "lost" me in Sears. I was a toddler, my sister in charge of me while my parents shopped for whatever they shopped for. Somehow, according to my sister, I 'wandered' off. Truth be told, I think she tried to ditch me. She was looking at clothes when my parents approached, asking where I was. There was panic, the salespeople were stationed in front of the doors, everybody else walked the aisles in search of me. Much to my sister's chagrin, I was found in the greeting cards section, sitting on the floor, cards set-up around me, telling stories to the animals on the cards. I cried when the manager took me away. My sister cried, too. For a different reason.

* my sister taught me how to cha cha in the middle of the department store, The Broadway, at the Tyler Mall.

* when someone is getting on our nerves, we refer to said person by name followed by "Bless his/her heart" - that way we know a goooood story is coming!

* when shopping for music, my sister has to sing each song on whatever CD she picks up, usually followed by 'ooh that's my jam'

My sister is the keeper of my secrets, an amazing mother, a humanitarian with a beautiful heart and one of my most favorite people in the world.

They say you can't pick your family. I say, I would pick her every time.

Happy Birthday, Rome!

Mmmemories...

Ever since my Grams died, Thanksgiving has never been the same for me.

Each year, the family would converge on the San Pedro house for Thanksgiving - all the aunts, uncles and cousins in my grandparents' tiny house. My Grams would be up at the crack o'dawn baking pies from scratch. Uh huh, scratch. The amazing thing? She'd bake pies for all of her neighbors, the nuns at the church next door, co-workers and her own family dinner. She was Marie Callendar (only much better)!

The spread was the usual Thanksgiving fare, along with family favorites: rice, long rice, chicken adobo, poi. And, the pies. Oh, the pies! Pumpkin, pumpkin pecan, apple, sweet potato for my Dad, and lemon meringue for me (she actually would make 2 - one with and one without meringue). I felt sorry for first-time visitors who brought pies. No one would touch 'em. No one could touch Grams' pies! (Side bar: at her funeral, one of her long-time friends mentioned something about missing her pies. The entire congregation groaned as one.)

The first Thanksgiving after she died, I went to Las Vegas to spend time with my former college roommate and her family. It was a great weekend! But the subsequent Thanksgivings were really nothing of note. Until my sister started hosting her in-laws.

The first year she hosted, there were about 75 people. This year, she hosted 30 of us. And the spread was the shit! Turkey, prime rib, ham, hot links, greens, potato salad, mac and cheese (ohh yeah!), corn bread, stuffing and tamales (I know!). All of the desserts were home-made - lemon cake, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, German chocolate cake, apple pie, peach cobbler. Good grief! Carb coma.

My sister, niece and I talked about our favorite Grams' memories...made my heart smile. No, it'll never be the same. But, it's close.

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Thanksgiving is always the 'reflective' time of the season. The events of the past few weeks definitely had me being reflective and grateful. I heard the Alanis song "Thank U" this morning. And found the lyrics apropos.

thank you disillusionment

thank you frailty

thank you consequence

thank you providence

thank you disillusionment

thank you nothingness

thank you clarity

thank you thank you silence

I am ever grateful for having a loving family.
I am truly grateful for having a loving heart. When it aches, I'm reminded just how capable I am of feeling incredible love.
I am ridiculously grateful for my friends. Especially to the ones who are no longer. They have given me a deeper, truer appreciation of and bond with those who are.
Grateful...to myspace which brought me new music, new friends, new connections,
re-connections and expanded my business.
Grateful...for tracks.
Grateful...for a group of intelligent, professional and likeable co-workers.
Grateful...for all of you!

Clowns to the left of me...Take 2

Actual conversation at McDonald's last night ~

Me: Double hamburger, no pickles please.
He: Double cheeseburger, no pickles?
Me: No, double hamburger, no pickles.
He: We don't have a double hamburger. We only have a double cheeseburger.
Me: silence
He: So you want a double cheeseburger, no pickles?
Me: No. I would like a double cheeseburger, no cheese, no pickles.
He: :::sounding incredulous::: You want a double cheeseburger with no cheese?
Me: :::sounding exasperated::: No. I want to go home.

Greeblemonkey called me out!

Greeblemonkey called me out. Not by name but by inclusion. Uh-huh, thanks. Thanks a lot. This is what happens when I go read other peoples' blogs...

Name six guilty pleasures no one would suspect you of having:
1. I love love love the kids' TV shows The Teletubbies and Thomas the Train & Friends. I usually wake up early Sunday mornings to watch, then go back to sleep.
2. Just like Greeblemonkey, I pick my teeth with business cards or little Post-It notes.
3. When I'm feeling crappy about myself, I watch the videos of the two pageants I was in.
4. I cut my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into four triangles, just like my Mom used to do when I was six.
5. I keep crayons and coloring books in my nightstand.
6. I love love love the movie High School Musical.

Name six guilty pleasures you wish you had the courage to indulge:
1. audition for a theater play
2. take a hip-hop dance class
3. become a sommelier
4. A tattoo. Really.
5. doing PR full-time.
6. getting a pair of designer shoes

Name six pleasures you once considered guilty but have now either abandoned or made peace with:
1. Eating ice cream. So what. (thanks, Greeblemonkey)
2. Shopping - impulse purchases, in particular. So what. (speak on it, Greeblemonkey)
3. Seeing the English Beat live. Nine times since April, with two more this weekend then New Year's eve. So what. (all hail, Greeblemonkey)
4. Sleeping away some of my weekends. So what. (Greeblemonkey rocks)
5. myspace - always updating, changing this or that, looking for new bands. But, so what. (Greeblemonkey rules!)
6. Reading gossip mags - US Weekly, InTouch, People. I gotta know what's going on in this town! So what. (Greeblemonkey, that says it all)

My innermost thoughts and feelings. Out there for a stranger to read!

done too much of both types of w(h)ining

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality. You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex. You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular. Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!). Deep down you are: Dependable and modest Your partying style: Understated and polite Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

What Kind of Wine Are You?

So interesting...I'm not a huge Chardonnay fan. I've had some excellent California Chardonnays - buttery, smooth, great with chicken. I've also enjoyed classic Chardonnays - fruity, great with spicy food.

My wine fascination started in college when I dated Robb, a wine rep for a SoCal based company. He talked about wines he'd tasted, pointing out good ones on menus. When Robb and I stopped, so did the wine. I picked it up again a few years ago, going wine tasting with Gayle, Anne and Tom down in Temecula. One day, 20 wineries, 3-4 wines at each stop. Wooo, yeah! I really developed a taste for big, bold reds - pinots, zinfandels, meritages. Those would be the wines stocked in my rack.

Have any wine recommendations? What are your favorites?

Girl of 100 Lists ~ movies

My list of the 5 movies I can (and do) watch over and over and over...

1) Rear Window - how gorgeous is Grace Kelly in this movie?! SO! And when Raymond Burr turns to look directly into the camera? :::shiver:::

2) Xanadu - can't say I truly watch this movie over and over as much as I forward to all the 'good parts' and watch those over and over. Yep, cheesy movie. The musical numbers are so fantastic! Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly! "Whenever you're away from me..." God, I love that movie.

3) Billy Elliot - great soundtrack...the dance sequence by Billy to "A Town Called Malice" is fantastic...and Julie Walters is brilliant!

4) The Shawshank Redemption - Morgan Freeman should be the voice-over/storyteller for every single movie. He's phenomenal! Can't say enough great things about this movie...

5) That Thing You Do - 2 words: Steve. Zahn.

watching the detectives...

My 'aching' blog has made a big splash! The 2 people referred to in the post have read, re-read and read it again. Then, they've told their friends about it. And it's been read and re-read more than 60 times. Damn, I'm good!

It's a blog. It's my feelings and it's out there for the world to see. I get it.

I don't get how they read it and call all the friends to read it, yet NOT call ME to discuss it? That's crap.

No more energy.

Hey! Ho! Let's go!

Mall 'Santas' in Australia have been instructed to say "Ha Ha Ha!" when greeting visitors this holiday season.

Why the change? Because some women might be offended by "Ho Ho Ho!"

:::blink:::

everybody hurts sometimes...

I'm hurting today. I am just aching. And I hate it.

It's been a little over six weeks since the email and the responses it elicited. The responses were followed by follow-up responses, damage-control responses, "let's clear the air" responses, "this doesn't apply to you" responses, private responses, terse "need space" responses and, finally, no responses.

Logically, I know they are not the type of friends I want nor need. Still, my heart is aching. Aching. I'm sad and angry and hurt at being thrown away. I need answers to make sense of it all. These will never come, so making sense never will either.

What angers me and saddens me the most? My friendship - ME! - isn't enough. Logically, that's bullshit. My "therapist" (who works for beer) said "Our expectations of friendship is so low...we all accept each other as we are, so the idea (your idea) that you are not meeting that threshold is ridiculous" I have great friends, GREAT FRIENDS, who do not treat me the way I'm being treated by these other so-called friends. Great friends who allow me to be the person I am, be the friend I can be. It's completely inconsistent. I will not allow others to validate MY value as a person, a friend.

Logically, I know this has nothing to do with me. Emotionally, that concept is foreign; it seems all of it has to do with me.

I've needed to get this out for six weeks. With no opportunity to sit and discuss with the people involved, all of these emotions have bubbled under my surface. I'm letting them out.

I'm letting them go.

Why I'm already sick of Christmas

It's November 14th:

• I've seen houses and apartments with Christmas lights up
• Christmas music has permeated the airwaves (I don't mind listening to 'Christmas in Hollis' or the Christmas song from Love Actually)
• a lady in my office wore a Christmas sweater today
• houses have Christmas lights up
• houses have Christmas lights up!

I don't think I'm gonna make it through the holidays...

WTF is WRONG with people?!

(although I originally posted this blog in September 2007 on my myspace blog, the same thing happened today.)

This is a rant. Consider yourself warned.

I hate public restrooms. Seriously. Truth be told, I loathe them. Absolutely abhor public restrooms.

On my recent trip to PhilaPA, Aly & I hit the King of Prussia mall - it's like, the second biggest mall on the East coast or something. Walked in to the ladies room to the first empty stall. Well, no wonder it was empty: a) not flushed and b) no toilet paper. Why no tp? Because the toilet paper holder had been ripped out of the dividing wall and was hanging by wires leaving a huge hole, through which the lady in the next stall could be seen! UGH! WTF?!

On the same trip, in the PHX airport: the empty stall I chose didn't have the lever to slide the lock into place, of course. Thank you to the nice lady for holding the door for me. Very junior high, huh?

Today, at work. *sigh* Seriously - what is WRONG with people?! There are two bathrooms on my floor, equidistance from my office. As I am equal opportunity, I use both. This morning, I went to the one in the lobby, only to find toilet seat liners left on the toilets in TWO of the FOUR stalls! WTF?! Ten minutes ago, I walked to the one down the hall to the right. I open the door to the stall to find an inordinate amount of tp floating thisclose to the brim of the toilet! WTF?! WHAT is wrong with people?! How difficult is it to ensure the liner gets flushed with everything else?! PUSH IT IN! Flush more than once if you have to! These women use this bathroom every day. Every. Single. Day. Ugh!

OH OH OH! Ohhh ho ho: Paper towels. Good fucking grief! Put 'em in the trash can!! The trash cans are waist-high ~ you'd think it easy to drop the towels in there. But, nooooo! Seriously, is it so incredibly inconvenient to toss the towels in there? (all of a sudden, Richard Libertini from the movie "All of Me" flashed in my head: "Back in bowl. Back in bowl.")

Anyway, it's ridiculous. Seriously. I just don't get it.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right - here I am...

Best HR Question of the Day:
"How often do I have to turn in my monthly work record?"

Thisclose to the Best HR Question of the Day:
"Do veterans get Veteran's Day off?"

up at 7 on a Sunday morning? Heck yeah!

I love Nordstrom.

Nordstrom has a Fashion Rewards program for its frequent shoppers. Each of the four levels affords you different perks. My VP is level 4 - the highest. At level 4, one of the perks is a private shopping event. Today was ours.

Nordstrom opened its doors at 8 a.m., allowing us two full hours of closed-store shopping. :::squeal::: Mary, the manager of the Savvy department, let us in and gave us the lowdown:

• A private suite of dressing rooms with a small breakfast buffet table
• Racks of clothing and accessories for each of us (sizes, preferences, etc previously sent to Mary via email questionnaire)
• A private lounge - chaise, leather covered chairs, couch, ottoman, closets, TV
• Gorgeous breakfast buffet - bagels, cream cheese, lox, caviar, danish, croissants, huge fruit platter, fruit/granola/yogurt parfaits, seafood frittata, pumpkin cinnamon crepes, coffee with Bailey's, mimosas.

Heaven, right? Uhh...yeah! I love Nordstrom.

The 10 of us scatter to various departments in Nordstrom, but Mary asked that I come with her. She took me to the rack with my name on it. Hanging there were ten items Mary thought I would wear well - 2 leather jackets, 3 shiny holiday tops, a few tunics, 2 pairs of pants. She done good! I picked out 3 things to try, then headed up to the Encore department.

Encore is the plus-size section of Nordstrom. This store has one of the best collections of clothing and it was nice to shop it all alone. I'm browsing, picking up an item here and there to try on. Behind me, a woman asked "Did you find your favorite fragrance downstairs?" As she's asking, she's also straightening the racks I've browsed through. On the first floor, there was a separate 'Fragrance Festival' event going on. The guests were supposed to stay on the first floor, apparently. I told her that I was here for a different event. "Mary?" "Yes. Mary." Boy did her attitude change! She took me to each rack in the department, pulling tops and dresses and things. This personal shopper thing is the way to go, lemme tell ya. I love Nordstrom. I ended up with 30 different things to try on. I ended up with nothing. Either the tops were too short, too boxy, too matronly or something that I would not reach for more than once, if that.

Completely discouraged, I went to the lounge to eat. Mary came in about 15 minutes later - "This will cheer you up!" She grabbed a box out of the closet - red box and card, with a bow tied around it. "The box is our chocolate holiday truffles. And the card is for you to enjoy your favorite spa treatment on us. Just book your appointment today." Huh? NFW! The card listed 3 types of facials, 2 different massages, 3 manicure treatments and 3 pedicure treatments. We could choose one, compliments of Nordstrom and Nordstrom Spa! I love Nordstrom. Yes, Mary, that certainly cheered me up. She asked if I was done for the day. With clothing, yes. "I'm going downstairs - lip gloss always fits!" She walked me down to Phillip, manager of make-up and fragrance. Dude totally took care of me! He found his favorite color specialist and I played with make-up for 30 minutes. All shopping hope was not lost - 2 lip glosses and 1 eye shadow are now in my possession.

It was an incredible shopping experience. And an exhausting one at that. But OH SO FUN! I may not reach level 4, but it's good to know people who do :)

I love Nordstrom.

Four? Score!

Day 10 of NaBlahBlah and I'm tapped out. I thought Day 19 or 27 would have me resorting to memes. Ha!


Four jobs I’ve had:
Tree planter at Christmas tree farm
Sign Language Interpreter
Sign Language teacher
HR Goddess

Four movies I can watch over and over:
Xanadu
Rear Window
Billy Elliot
The Goonies

Four places I've lived:
Riverside CA
Valley Village CA
a townhouse
an apartment

Four TV shows I love:
The Brady Bunch
The Bachelor
Pushing Daisies
The Facts of Life

Four places I've vacationed:
Hawaii
Puerto Vallarta
various ports on a West Coast cruise
Philadelphia

Four of my favorite dishes:
Tis the Season pancakes at The Griddle, West Hollywood CA
JVC burrito - spicy, meatless - at Burrito Express, Pasadena CA
provolone cheesesteak with onions at Geno's, Philadelphia PA
Burgundy braised short ribs at 3660 on the Rise, Honolulu HI

Four sites I visit daily:
myspace.com
Go Fug Yourself
Dave Wakeling & the English Beat
Yahoo!

Four places I would rather be right now:
Hawaii
napping in a hammock
Nordstrom
being held by someone who loves me

I know I'm supposed to tag four people...instead, I'll just hope 4 people do it!

Girl of 100 Lists ~ words

Five of my favorite words:

1 ~ Voluntold - a gal in my work group said this is why she joined us

2 ~ delicious - it's fun to say!

3 ~ celebutard - Paris and Nicole

4 ~ incredibly - especially fun alliterationally: incredibly insulting, incredibly idiotic

5 ~ please - not said very often, but when it is, makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside

What are your five favorite words?

bad knee out, good knee in

Mom has to have knee replacement surgery. *Sigh* Even though the doc gave her a cortisone shot 2 weeks ago, the pain has returned.

Mom, bless her heart, tries to keep 'bad' things from me - when she fell, I didn't find out until 3 days later; when Dad was rushed to the hospital, I was called six hours later as he was leaving the hospital. She calls it not wanting me to worry. In fact, she'll usually start the phone conversations that way: "Now, don't worry..." Oh, okay. Or, my favorite, is Mom will call my sister who will relay the message to me. Oh, yeah. That's a good one. It's the method used today to let me know about the surgery.

Sigh.

Girl of 100 Lists ~ music

Below are 5 songs I could (and do!) listen to over and over and over...

1) Roll With the Changes by REO Speedwagon - this song makes me feel good all over. It reminds me of San Franciso...I was driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in a convertible Mazda Miata, top down, sun sparkling, wind blowing, this song blasting "so if you're tired of the same old story, oh baby, turn some pages." It was one of those moments that was perfect. And one I'll never forget. Even if I was just driving - "got to keep on rolling..."

2) Sweet Someone by Don Ho - my Mom always played Don Ho when she would iron clothes. (Yeah, I don't know) I would be splayed on the living room floor, imagining Don Ho playing right there in front of me. My Dad would come in, grab Mom and the 2 of them would dance and sway, singing to each other (I'm swaying as I type!). It was such a loving moment, but all I could say was "STOP IT! YUCK!" This song also reminds me of my Uncle Robert, who looks and sounds like Don Ho! "Sweet Someone...whoever you may be..."

3) So What'cha Want by the Beastie Boys - I totally dig this song! It's funky and it's groovy. "I'm the illest mother f'er from here to Gardena" is the greatest line ever.

4) Ain't Nobody by Chaka Khan - the best cha-cha song ever! My sister taught me how to cha-cha to this song...it was on the in-store radio of the Broadway years ago and we danced in the aisles. How can you listen to this song and not move & groove? "First you put your arms around me...then you put your charms around me..." Damn, girl. Sing it!

5) The Message by Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five - damn. "Don't push me cuz I'm close to the edge, I'm tryin not to lose my head...it's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from goin under..." Damn.

driving...me crazy!

I hate most Southern California drivers.

Message to you:

• You're cheating if you have a kid in your car and you're driving in the carpool lane. I think carpool lanes should be for 2 or more licensed drivers. You're not helping anyone with your kid in the car, zipping through the diamond lanes; it doesn't lighten traffic.
• Put your make-up on at home or at the office. NOT on the 170 freeway - which is stop and go, at best. (If it's lipstick or gloss, okay - you don't need to see your lips to do that)
• Hang up the phone.
• When you're making a right turn, you really do not need to make a complete stop. Nope. Not necessary at all. Oh, while we're on the subject of right turns, it's okay to pull close to the curb when making a turn - it really is! When you stop in the middle of the lane, then make the turn, the people behind you *cough*ME*cough* get a little perturbed.
• The turn signals - or 'indicators' - do just that: indicate you'd like to come over into my lane. It's not a signal telling me I must to slow/stop and let you over. Hang up the damn phone.
• Turn signals - use them. Please!
• Hang up the damn phone!
• If you can't make it through the traffic to make a left turn, please don't pull out, stopping traffic while you wait for the other side to clear. That's annoying.
• And, please don't honk honk honnnnnnnnnnnnk when I'm stopped at a crosswalk. Just because you can't see the people crossing, doesn't mean they aren't there.

All of these things happened this morning while on my way to work. I only live 7 miles from my office.

Think I'll hire a car & driver...

What do we want...when do we want it

At 12:01 a.m., the Writers Guild of America began their strike.
At 9:00 a.m., the Writers Guild of America began their strike in front of my workplace.

Of course, I had to cross.
Of course, I'm conflicted. I know some of the people down there. It's 1 o'clock - they're doing the 'changing of the guard'. A lot of red shirts out there.

*Sigh* For self-preservation purposes, I'm not saying anything else.

trip out on this, if you will

Yesterday at lunch, A asked if either Chickens or I had ever had our cards read. We both had. Discussion followed and the 3 of us end up at the Psychic Eye on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. There was only one appointment, so A took it (at our insistence, of course). Chickens & I vowed to come back at some point...

Later that evening, Chickens and I end up at Harmoniez apartment for a low-key hang with the girls. Turns out, Harmoniez reads tarot. Uhh...hellooo! She grabs her cards and her book. Chickens goes first. The placement of her cards was so interesting - if cards are rightside up, they mean one thing; upside down and it's a completely different meaning. Also, where her cards fell in the lineup was interesting.

Then, it was my turn. Some stuff rang true (money, family) and some stuff, honestly, I just didn't get. One card and its placement was something about having no control of a situation (the crap with M&M). When I pulled the 7 random cards, I had 2 Kings and 2 seven's (a great pai gow poker hand, btw) which indicate a strong male influence in my life and work life. Hmm...

At some point in conversation, it comes to light that Harmoniez has a Psychic Circle board. We've done the cards, had some wine, so WTH?! Let's do it! She gives us instructions, does the ritual and we go to it.

Wow.

I've *never* done this before. I've never even seen a ouija board! This had me totally scared. But inside, I felt safe and open to it.

We each put our fingers on the thingy. And it moves. I am totally thinking H is moving it! She starts asking questions...and asks if any one would like to speak to us. That thing zoomed to 'yes'. It starts spelling out Chickens' name. Damn. As it started to slow down, H asked if any spirit guides wanted to talk to anyone else. It spelled my name. :::shiver:::

I was able to speak to 3 of my spirit guides, one of whom is a child and another who is also a spirit guide to my Mom. I didn't know what kind of questions to ask...which, as it turns out was okay because my strongest SG of the evening spelled out things for me! Incredible, I'm telling you. Things that have been on my mind were spelled out without me asking: work, love, M&M situation, PR. 2 of my 3 SGs spoke of love and PR. But the strongest message was re: M&M - NO MORE ENERGY. I didn't even ask.

I left Harmoniez with my head spinning, a lightness in my heart and feeling better than I have in weeks. At least I know I'm moving in the right direction with things.

I'm not gonna go get all crystalled out or whatever! But, what I saw and felt was amazing.

my dam is breaking

"Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid." ~ Dostoyevsky

Really? Not even a thank you for the birthday card? No acknowledgement at all? Hmm. Talk about speaking volumes...

What kind of friend does that? What kind of person does that? I am so fucking sick of all this bullshit. Put your big boy/big girl undies on and deal with it! YOU brought it on. Didn't expect people to get mad, did you? Then damage control didn't quite work out how you thought it would. So, you tuck your tails, duck and run?!

I am so tired and angry and hurt and sad. And it's coming out in other ways instead of through a discussion. By the time I am through all the emotions I will really be finished.

I'm saddened you chose to cut and run from the person who's been there any and every time. You will not find another friend like me. And I hope I don't find another friend like you.

NaBloPoMo

It's NaBloPoMo!

Huh?

Yeah. My thoughts exactly. Until I read about it. It's National Blog Posting Month! Post a blog per day for the month of November. That's it? Yep, that's it!

Thanks to Lys for dragging...er...'suggesting' I check it out.

If I could see George Clooney everyday, that'd cover my month of posts...

OK, Kids, that's two!

**sigh**

Lunch with my team at the comm today - it *is* Turkey Thursday, after all. While stuffing stuffing in my mouth, everything stopped. It became very quiet. Everything blurred and faded except for one thing, one person.

I mumbled "Uhmg ih Jur Oony."
"What did you say?"
I repeated, in my best whisper-loud-enough-for-only-the-table-to hear, "OH. MY. GAWD. IT'S. GEORGE. CLOONEY."

He looked soooooooo handsome. He needs to eat some mashed potatoes or a burger or something. But, damn.

Apparently, he was holding hands with some girl the others were calling his 'girlfriend'. Yeah. Whatever. I am so not trying to hear that.

Oh, saw the guy from 'Chuck' too. Cute, but he's no George Clooney.

:::swoon:::

Vegas, baby!

I was in Vegas last week for my cousin's wedding. It was great to do the family thing! I miss being around my cousins - a fun, silly group of people I actually enjoy being around.

However, they didn't make my Vegas Top Ten:

10) Otto the Taxi Driver hitting on me.

9) Room 1021 at Imperial Palace.

8) Jim from Wisco and Mike from Savannah G-A ~ my Pai Gow partners each and every time I went to the casino. Seriously. Morning, noon, night.

7) Curly haired Canadian guy conversation: "There's a La Nina that's causing fires." Uhh..."No, the arsonists are causing the fires." "No, really, it's the La Nina that's starting the California fires." Really? "The arsonists are starting the fires. The dry weather is keeping it burning." He went on aboot La Nina for 10 more minutes. I thought Mike was gonna strangle him...

6) The Dealertainers! No Michael Jackson, but Elvis, Gwen, Barbra and Shakira. Ai yi yi.

5) Having the pit boss lady standing at our table because the dealer sucked ~ didn't split her cards properly, wasn't paying out when she should, ugh!

4) 3 straight flushes in a row! Seriously! Jim & Mike were happy - they had 'envy' bets.

3) Tripling my money over the course of three days

2) Taking $100 of my winnings and splurging at Sephora :)

and, my Number One Vegas Moment...

1) Paying $1 per night - yep, three dollars! - for my hotel room :)