Red is ok!

My sister's surgery went well. She was totally cracking me up as she was pretty high on her Darvocet. She kept saying "I feel good!". Thanks mom for making everyone lunch! It was great to see my parents and brother again, even though I just saw them over the weekend. I always love seeing them though. Heal quickly Red! She is devastated that the doctor told her she couldn't run for 10 days. What's a girl to do?

Today is my friday at work. It's been a good week, but I am ready for a couple of days off-have a fun weekend ahead of me! Tomorrow I get to see my friend Eric for a bit before he goes back to Chicago, that'll be good times.

Happy New Year to everyone! Have fun and be careful!

working late at the crisis line

I'm staying late to help out a co-worker monitor the calls of one of his staff. The unfortunate part is that none of the phones have rung in nearly 40 minutes. The staff are all sitting around talking and laughing. I managed to get a lot of work done, but did not accomplish my goal of monitoring calls. I'm not staying late again. Sorry Stephen. I'm just not that nice.

Crappy weather, good day at work

Dude, this weather sucks! It's cold, rainy, was hailing, it's no kind of fun. It's definitely a stay in bed and take a nap kind of day. I would have loved to have done that, but I didn't. I came to work. And what a fabulous evening it has been. The phones have been quiet, staff actually complained about being bored (definitely a rarity at the crisis line). I got to talk to my friend Karen a bit and catch her up on the latest happenings in my life (nowadays, if you blink you miss it!). Talked to J a bit on email, always a good time, glad he is out having some fun this evening while I slave away at work! :)

Everyone keep my sister in their thoughts/prayers. She is having surgery in the morning. I know everything will be ok, but still, good thoughts never hurt. Also keep my uncle Nick and our good family friend Dan in your thoughts/prayers. Both are having quadruple bi-pass surgery next week. A scary thing, for sure. I almost feel guilty that everything in my life is going so well, I just want to share some of that "goodness" with others. I love you all!

New poll!!!

I added a new poll today. Note the new location-it is now on the side instead of at the bottom. Thanks to all you jackasses that voted for Dave and Busters on the last poll! Love ya!

I got nothin.....

I got nothin to say today. Shocking, I know. I'm a little sleepy, a little overwhelmed with work tasks (although I find time to blog), and a little distracted by a super cute boy. Luckily we are having a quiet night at work allowing me to be able to get some stuff done.

I had a fabulous night with my boy. While he slept, I finished watching that exorcism movie (really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be). Boy, that Geo can snore! He's a champ! Such good times.

My apartment is finally starting to get in order. My tv is still sitting on the floor (anyone stronger than myself want to pick that up for me?), and I have no room for my clothes, but everything else is in it's place and organized. I get the internet tomorrow, which I have been having withdrawals from, can't wait to instant message cute boy!

Well, guess I had something to say after all. Now that my 2 minute break from work is over, must get back to the grind. I've got cases to review and staff to meet with.

One fine lookin' white woman

That is what some dude said to me at the grocery store today. I suppose one should take that as a compliment, so I was like "uh....thanks". I ran into him again later on and he asked me if I would consider hooking up with a black man. I was very happy to be able to reply "Sorry, but I got a man". I got a man? Who the hell says that? Well, it's true, I do. Ol' boy tried once again out in the parking lot and asked me if he could call me. I very politely told him no. Such is my life nowadays.

I finally got a full 8 hours of sleep last night. I slept like a baby, clearly my body' s way of telling me it was exhausted and needed rest. Once up this morning, however, I became way productive. I finally got rid of the empty boxes, organized the living room, even did some laundry and dishes. All I have left to tackle is my bedroom. This is gonna require some creativity as I have waaaaaaay more clothes than my closet has room.

I'm at work now and I really need to be productive here as well. It's been a little busy as folks are calling in expecting their agencies to be open on a Monday, not realizing it is the observed holiday. Payroll is calling my name again today. I have 1 of my 16 employees done. Fantastic. Knowing I will get to see Cute Boy later today will hopefully make the day/night fly by....

WOW is all I have to say

Damn, Cute Boy, you got me. Let me list my reactions: 1. not being able to see straight, 2. crazy butterflies in my stomach, 3. the urge to throw up, 4. happiness, 5. utter shock, 6. the urge to throw up again, 7. the inability to speak, 8. the inability to think, 9. slight panic, 10. the realization that this is real. All I can say is "wow"................I gotta go pretend I can concentrate on work now........

Watch out for giant hawks

OMG, I have to tell this story. Just told it at work and we were all cracking up.

Ok, so my grandpa has a paralyzed cat. Seriously. This cat drags it's back legs around and walks with it's front legs. It is WAY freaky. The cat showed up at grandpa's house one day, and being the great guy that he is, he took it in. It's name? SC. As in Stray Cat. Stay with me people......anyway, so this cat is totally paralyzed and the vet is sure that it was probably run over by a car. A likely theory. Grandpa doesn't agree. No, grandpa believes a giant hawk swooped down, picked up the cat, then dropped it, causing its paralysis. Are you picturing this yet? So, now the cat is living the good life in grandpa's kitchen. It does have issues with, um...bowel movements. Yes, the cat gets weekly enemas by the local vet. Grandpa was going to attempt to make a homemade enema (to save money, don't ya know), thus, I heard my 78 year old grandfather use the word "douche bag" in a sentence. I think I can die happy now. The thing gets around though (back to the cat), walking-wise. Freakishly so....Tim and I were awakened by it this morning. Somehow, that paralyzed cat made it all the way downstairs. I don't want to know how. I got freaked out watching it walk and then almost wet my pants when Tim called it "Lieutenant Dan". SUCH good times......

SOOOOO bored.....

I'm grateful for the quiet night and all, but man am I bored! The only thing getting me through is emailing Cute Boy all night long. Seriously people. It's as predicted-nothing but our frequents calling. I got wished a happy Hanukkah today, not Jewish, but it was cool anyway. I certainly have work to do, trying to work up the energy to do it. My staff are all quiet, they're surfing the internet or reading. Every once in awhile they talk to each other. We've had a grand total of 101 calls today-in a normal day, we will have 350 to 400. I've taken two of them today, did my part! Now must do the supervisor part of my job. Doing timesheets hurt my head. Numbers and what not.......I've got 5 more hours of fun ahead of me...

So, it's Christmas Day and I'm sitting at work.....

Merry Christmas everyone! What's up? Long time no blog. I hate not having the internet at home. That will change on Wednesday. Hope everyone's Christmas was good. I spent mine at the Davidson's house. There were a good 25-30 Davidson's in one room. It was kinda scary. Last night at Uncle Jimmy's house was good times. That damn champagne goes to your head quickly! I like it though! My mom and dad were too good to me-I got so much great stuff. They rock! The best gift ever came from Jeff and Jessica-a Cubs beer coolie and a 2006 Cubs calendar. Thanks for takin one for the team Jeff! :)

I'm hoping for a quiet night at the crisis line. Looking at the numbers, it looks like we've only had about 20 calls since 11am. That is a good sign for a quiet night. I've talked to a couple of frequents already. God love them. They are so lonely, and we are their only family. It's really kinda sad.

Ok, I'm drinking coffee. This can only mean one thing. I'm sleep deprived and I've got work to do. I already feel jittery...put about 10 packets of Splenda in it....gonna be a long night for my staff.......


I've missed you the last couple of days, Cute Boy! Can't wait to see ya again. Hope you are having fun with the kiddo's and I'll see you tomorrow! :)

This is what happens when you aren't paying attention

I think I accidentally took some cold medicine instead of ibuprofen for my headache. I have spent the bulk of this afternoon feeling rather....high and out of it. I have the feeling of being here, but not really being here, if you know what I mean. I'm hoping it passes soon or it's gonna be a long night for all involved. Think caffeine would counteract the effects? How bout sugar? Dude, I am totally whacked out right now. I can tell you one thing-my head doesn't hurt anymore.......

Holiday cheer

What a cheerful place work has been this week! There has been so much laughing and good times. The call volume has been low, allowing staff to relax a bit. Today was the big potluck where everyone in the company brings some really, really fattening food and you pile your plate up and eat until you are sick. I, on the otherhand, continued to remind myself that I have to get into a bridesmaid dress next month that I got fitted for three months ago (I hope to God it fits). Our director baked loaves of bread for all of us on the management team. My direct manager, Chris got me a fabulous gift from Crate and Barrel, Laura loaded me up with chocolate and Stephen got me the best gift ever-Diet Coke and Skittles! They do know me well..... Damn the holidays!

To my mother: EVERYTHING IS FINE, DON'T WORRY, OK? :) Seriously......

I sincerely hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. If you are not, I'll send some of my cheer your way because I am overloaded with it! :)

Wonderful education opportunity

Please note the link to the Sofa King School of Business. Currently, they have an enrollment of 0. The director is one saavy businessman and soon, if you complete the program, you too will be Sofa King cool.

The other thing I learned today

If you go to Human Resources about something, you will probably get your way.

That is, unless the Human Resources person is my mother. In that case, you will probably be told "NFW". Which, to those of you that may not know, stands for "No f***ing way". My mom is the best.

What I learned today

I've learned that, sometimes, the problems you worry about aren't nearly as complicated or bad as some of the things other people have to go through. I suppose I've had a really sheltered, innocent life. I realize that some of the stuff I stress about isn't even important. I also know that I have a pretty great life. No drama, a great family that I am extremely close to, great friends who stand by me no matter what, a great job that I'm pretty damn good at, and a great boy who had a shitty day, but still wants to be with me. I am now in my "I want to take care of you phase". I don't like seeing people I care about have to deal with unnecessary drama. I'm sending you nothing but good thoughts, Cute Boy. And, I'll see you soon.

Panic attacks at Target

Seriously, how many people can they fit in one store? I was at Target on Friday and felt my anxiety rising by the second. People, people everywhere! There was nowhere to turn. I was truly thinking that if I didn't have some breathing room soon I was gonna have a full on panic attack. I like people and all (good thing in my profession), but I do NOT like three billion people in one building together, invading my personal space. I learned two very important lessons that day. One-don't go to any store a week before Christmas, and two-don't even mess with the big ladies in the candy section. You'll only get hurt.

So, it's Christmas week at the crisis line. This could go one of two ways. It could either be way freakin busy or so slow you are actually wanting the phones to ring. Today, thus far, it has been the first option. The good news is that I have a ton of staff here tonight, so maybe Stephen and I can get some work done!

I am very guarded about what I write about Cute Boy here. Truthfully, it is because if I start talking about him too much, I will start rambling (I know you're shocked by this) and will never be able to shut up about him. I am turning into such a sap in my old age. It's a good thing though.

What a weekend

They say sleep deprivation is good for the soul. Ok, "they" don't really say that, but it sounded good. So, I'm back at work for another fun filled week but can't help but to reflect on my weekend.

It started out with my birthday lunch with grandpa. We went to this little local place in Florissant. He got on to me for not eating all my food (the "I'm full" excuse didn't work on him!). We then went back to his house and hung out for a few hours. Spending time with him made me realize how lucky I am to have him. I loved hearing his stories about how he and my grandma met (even though I've heard them a million times!). I love my grandpa and think he's the greatest guy in the world (besides my daddy and my brother!). I also got to spend time with his paralyzed cat. Uh.....yea. This thing drags itself around (her back legs are paralyzed-grandpas theory is that she was picked up by a giant hawk then dropped.....what????). She is very sweet though, if not a little freaky......Thursday night was our Book Club Christmas celebration. We trekked on out to Valmeyer. Such a good time! Shannon is a fabulous hostess! I can't wait for the First Annual Book Club Hoosier Beauty Pageant! :)

Friday, Friday, Friday......what can I say about Friday? I went out with Cute Boy. Words can't even describe. A great time was had by all (at least I'm pretty sure he had a great time, either that, or he's just telling me what I want to hear!). Cute Boy is gonna be the death of me. Seriously. I'm gonna have to leave it at that, can't let too many details out! That's between the two of us..... :) I was also quite entertained by my intoxicated relatives. Aunt Mary and Aunt Diane-I'll go drinking with you ladies anytime! Yee haw!

Saturday was a good day too. I was quite tired, having arrived home at 5:30am (I told you I had a good time Friday!). We had Girls Nite In at my sisters house. After a Red Bull I was fully awake. We had various mixed drinks-my favorite was the mojito-yummy! We also had bloody mary's and chocolate martinis (my downfall, they taste like chocolate milk. Before you know it, you've had five and you are falling off your chair....). We watched some fun girlie movies. I made it to 1am before I had to go to sleep. I only got a couple of wake up calls from Chloe.

Here's to another fun work week. Happy Holidays.

Damn you, Paruch!!!!

Now that I know it's you that's voting for Dave and Busters, I just have one thing to say....STOP IT!!!!!! You are just plain evil! :) Heidi, can't you do something about him? Geez, and to think I actually missed you..... :)


This has been my last melodramatic outburst for the day. I promise.

At your request.....

Did you doubt I would blog what you told me to blog, Cute Boy? :)

Hey everyone, apparently I am a Pretty Lil' Hick/Freak with Angel Eyes. Who knew? Certainly not me. Just wanted to let you know the nicknames I have acquired in the last 3 or 4 days. Not bad, huh? Cute Boy thinks I can't keep up with him...but he would be wrong! :)

Only 8 more hours of work this week then my three day weekend begins. Yahoo! I'm gonna be really busy, but thats ok! I'm gonna have to get up fairly early tomorrow to make the trek to Florissant (seriously, it's like a day trip). Can't wait to see Grandpa. I also can't wait to see the Book Club girls! We always have so much fun together. People-are we carpooling or what? What time are we leaving? I have no idea......

Well, I am actually having to take calls at work right now as all the phone counselors are in a training to learn how to...........knit? What? Guess I gotta go pretend I'm compassionate and that I care about our callers....just kidding, I do care (most of the time). Happy Wednesday to all!

WTF?

I'm having a WTF day. If you have to ask what that stands for, I'm not telling you! All day long, receiving strange crisis line calls (stranger than usual), getting asked lots of questions and not being not real sure of the answer (I absolutely hate not knowing the answer when at work. I realize I can't possibly know everything, but I'm a supervisor, so I need to be able to at least pretend I know the answer!). The best was a frequent caller who called in impersonating a police officer. It's like "dude, we know your voice, you call everyday. You are not Officer So and So". God I love the mentally ill! The good part of the day was meeting with some of my staff and hearing that they are happy with their jobs and happy with me as their supervisor. I think I needed to hear that today. I started to feel my stress level rise, and felt myself getting cranky-which I truly try to avoid. I caught it tho, took some deep breaths (thanks to someone's advice) and I was ok. I must also note, I am really happy to have JP back! We've missed you! Nice goatee dude! :)

A three hour long phone call?

Who knew a phone call could last three hours and seem like five minutes....talking to J is good times. And, yes, I'm gonna call him J and Cute Boy just because he doesn't like it! :) It's been a good last couple of days, although I find myself quite distracted....can't let this boy (man, whatever!) make me lose my focus (not even sure what I'm supposed to be focusing on, but I'm sure it's something).

Only one more day of work this week, yippee. I confirmed my date with Grandpa today. He was a little worked up, very concerned about the timing of things. I assurred him my arrival at his house at 11:30am would ensure us plenty of time to eat and gamble at Harrah's. Damn you Red for backing out on me! Remember last year when we lost grandpa in the crowd? There were, um, older folks EVERYWHERE! Thank God Grandpa had his teal Members Only jacket on, or we may never have found him!

So, I've had the realization that I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I see a lack of sleep in my future. I'm ok with it though. You can sleep when you're dead, right? Anyone wanna go Christmas shopping for me? Everyone's getting gift cards-I can't be expected to think of a meaningful, thoughtful gift for everyone. My brain doesn't have that much space left......

Unpacking sucks. I look at all my crap still in boxes and, truthfully, I want to cry. Or just throw it all outside. If anyone has access to the Majic Unpacking Fairy, let me know would ya?

I'm in charge

So, I'm the only supervisor at work tonight. I LOVE being in charge! Can you tell I'm working really hard, considering I'm writing on my blog? If my boss Chris is reading this-I promise I'm working! Just taking like a two minute break! :)

So, been flirting with J. It's good times. A little freaky how much alike we are. I am having a great time chatting with him. I gave him this blog address, so I have to tone down the obnoxious so I don't scare him away! :) I am sooooo looking forward to Friday. We are doing dinner then going to see Uncle Jimmy's other band, Southbound 55. I think Aunt Mary and Uncle Ron are going to the show too. Good times will be had by all!

Thursday I am taking Grandpa out to lunch for his birthday. 78 years old-hard to believe. Grandpa is the greatest guy on Earth! I love him dearly. I must love him because I am enduring spending my Thursday afternoon at Harrah's-a place I truly hate. We are doing lunch then playing the slots. Now, I play the slots and last about, oh..10 minutes. Not grandpa. We will be there at least 3-4 hours. Better bring a good book.

I think Friday I'd better go Christmas shopping, especially considering that I haven't even started yet...and it's already the 12th...quick math-I have 12 days left...I always dread it though because I hate the mall (almost as much as I hate Harrah's and Dave and Busters). The things I endure for the people I love!

I really should sleep more than four hours a night.

Ugh, being at work is kicking my butt today. I got home at 4:00am and was up by 8:00am. Why, you may ask? Well, not sure why I was up so early but I do know why I got home so late (early? whatever!). It was Ivory Tiger night in Granite City, IL. GOOD TIMES! Wow. Here is how my day went, sorry this may be more rambling than usual, I'm kinda delirious right now.

The day started at around 8:30am. Moving day! Robert arrived at the condo nice and early and we (and by "we" I mean Jon and Robert) began loading up my crap. Chloe had to be crated as her special kind of help was not wanted. Long story short on the big move-we finally got done around 6pm, I forgot the apartment keys at one point, I nearly had a breakdown (stress will do that to you), also forgot the key to the back door, the entertainment center did not fit up the stairs and the side of it fell off, it now looks quite fantastic sitting in the living room with pieces missing and nails sticking out. I don't care.

My girl Karen came over around 7:30 and helped me put my bed together-thank God, because I don't think I would have been able to do it myself at 4am. We then went to Denise's fund raiser event at some bar in Soulard. There, we watched a drag show/lip sync contest. It was freakin hilarious. That is, until I got, um...felt up by a drag queen. Good thing I don't embarrass easily....

We then proceeded to Granite City to see Ivory Tiger. SUCH good times. Eddie's totally reminds me of the bar in Salem. I felt right at home. So, speaking of not getting embarrassed easily, I got a public shout out from the band-I requested they play "Girl Don't Go Away Mad" by Motley Crue, which they did, Uncle Jimmy said "this ones for my neice Kerri"-the entire bar looks at me. Then Geo the bassist says "she's our neice too". Again, the whole bar looked at me....even that did not embarrass me. What did? Talking to a cute boy (what up, J?), that's what. I suddenly became retarded and couldn't carry on a conversation. I'm an idiot. Seriously. Anyway, after a few beers I was able to talk to him somewhat, I was so balsy, in fact, that I believe I told him "I still think you're hot". What? Who says crap like that?? Good times.

Seriously, my life is gonna make a great book someday. I may be the only person who reads it, but I'm sure I'll be entertained.

If anyone wants to come over and help me unpack, just let me know.....

Friends in low places

Leave it to my dear, darling friend Canada to remind me of the Golden Clipboard. I didn't really believe it-it was all Christi!!!!!!! Let me tell you the story (Canada, not sure I remember it clearly, you may have to clarify).

Canada someone managed to convince Christi (not me, I swear) that George Brett (of Royal's fame, don't you know) had once won the Golden Clipboard award. Now, of course there is no such thing, but Christi also thought those little green things on the ground were apples, when they were, in fact, walnuts. God love her.

Canada-do you remember all the horrible things you used to do our stuffed animals? Once, I found my stuffed frog named Herman hanging from a rope in Canada's room. Another time, he put my stuffed dolphin in a plastic bad and tried to flush him down the toilet. He did some other vile things, I just can't remember them right now........Canada, you're lucky you're cute mister, or I may have had to kill ya!

P.S. Don't forget STEAMROLLER. My sister still talks about that....

moving in the snow

I'm not sure how fun moving in the snow is gonna be...unfortuntely we have no choice but to find out. I took more things over today, trying to get as much of the little stuff into my Crapalier as I can. I stocked the kitchen with goodies for my "movers", plenty of soda, water and snacks for everyone. I am so excited to be back to living by myself. Not that I haven't loved living with my sister (and Jon!), but it is time. I can't wait to decorate the place with my own, um....unique style!

Today, I threw up my lunch. Oh yea, this is a good story...Chloe decided it would be fun to both crap and pee in the basement-AGAIN! Well, someone had to clean the shit up. I was that someone. I went down, pooper scooper in hand, and stood over the pile of dog crap. I was holding my nose, thinking that as long as I didn't have to smell it, I would be ok. Wrong. The dog crap smeared all over the floor and, well, I lost it. Thank God I had a Schnucks shopping bag with me because I had to throw up in it. At least now I have room for dinner.......

Woo hoo! Weezer scored a Grammy nomination!

About damn time the general public realized what a great band Weezer is! They have been nominated for Best Rock Song for "Beverly Hills" (in my opinion the worst song on the CD, but still a good song, and clearly a commercial hit). I'm sure Rivers is out meditating right now and probably could care less that they were nominated, but I still think its awesome! They are up against Foo Fighters, U2, Coldplay and.....Bruce Springsteen? Did he have an album out? Isn't he like 107 years old? The Foo Fighters song "Best of You" was certainly fabulous and will be some stiff competition, and everyone who thinks they are cool loves Coldplay (for the life of me, I cannot figure out why). U2 is a perrenial favorite just because, they too, are nearly 107 years old and never seem to go away. I don't know if the super rock nerds Weezer will pull it off, but they surely have my vote! RWA!

Chloe likes snow......a lot.

Ok, so,I awoke to a couple of inches of snow today (guess Kansas City wasn't making it up after all-so sorry I doubted the Community Mental Health Center that closed at like 3:30 and sent us their phone lines yesterday). My first thought? This will be interesting, taking Chloe out to go potty in the snow. Chloe has never seen snow. We estimate she was born around April, so, this should be fun. So, I got all bundled up first and got Chloe's leash on her. As soon as I opened the front door, she stopped and stared. What is that stuff on the ground? Once she put her paws on the ground, she was hooked, like a crack whore in a crack house. We walked to her usual potty place on the side of the condo, I typically will let her leash go because she likes to trot around there and pick up sticks and dig in the dirt, I figured, no biggie. Wrong. As soon as I dropped her leash, she took off like a bullet. She ran huge circles around the yard, stopping at times to stick her nose in the snow. I would call her and she would bullet straight towards me, then dart off at the last minute. I do believe she loved the snow. She even wiped out a couple of times. In fact, it was hard for me to get her to go back in the house (she also ran down the street and put her little paw prints in people's yards-sorry neighbors). Once inside, I tried to dry off her little paws, but she kept a'runnin. So much so, in fact, that she did a header into the dining room wall. It really was her own fault, if she'd only let me dry her paws....now she's mad at me because I took a tube of lip gloss away from her. That's the third tube she's gotten to. She is now downstairs sulking. Better go make sure she hasn't "punished" me any further......Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Huge thanks to all who are helping me move

I wanna give a public shout out to all the wonderful people who are helping me move this weekend. I truly appreciate the help and hope I can return the favor sometime. Thanks to my wonderful future brother-in-law Jon for planning the "logistics" (I am so glad he's a "planner"!) and to my sister who may be a bit sad that day (as will I, its the end of an era. The Davidson Sisters rule!), thanks for putting up with me all this time! Huge thanks to the Stockmann's-Maggie and Matt-they are both coming out to help on Saturday. Hopefully this move will be a quick one! I can't wait to have people over! Give me time to organize and I will be the hostess with the mostest....back in the day when I lived by myself (1998-2002), I used to host some fabulous parties and drinking gatherings. I miss that. I love to entertain (I know some of you are surprised by that). Sister, Chloe can come and see her Aunt Kerri any time she wants to. We'll go to the park across the street, she'll love it.

Thanks again to everyone. I have some good people in my life. I'll try to not ever forget that!

P.S. I made the text blue on purpose because I know Stephen loves it so much. Stephen-can you read it??????

The Cubs land Juan Pierre!

It's about time one of their deals went through! And they only had to lose Sergio Mitre and some other dudes? Sounds like a good deal to me! Now they can unload Corey Patterson.....any takers? Pierre takes care of both the center fielder problem as well as the leadoff man problem. Not saying this will ensure the Cubs will win or anything, but it's gotta help! Now, who they gonna get for right field......Only 3.5 more months till baseball season!

Nine hour work days

I was like a panicked mother hen tonight. Our overnight person was 20 minutes late, very unlike her. She hadn't called in to say she'd be late, so by 11:20 I was a bit concerned. I didn't at all care that I would have to stay until she arrived. I was worried that something happened to her. That got the rest of the ladies worked up. I thought either something has happened or she has the night off and there has been some schedule confusion. I then began to prepare myself for the possibility of working the overnight shift, thus completing a 16 hour shift. I first tried to call her on her cell and had to leave a msg. She finally called back a short time later, apparently my call had awakened her. She apparently wasn't feeling well earlier in the day so she took some Benadryl and proceeded to sleep nearly 12 hours and had overslept. I was just so relieved that she was alive that I didn't care what time she made it in. She ended up only being an hour late, so I only had to stay an extra hour. I figured I had nothing to lose since I am on call anyway, so I stayed and got some more work done.

Now I'm hoping and praying for no calls tonight given last nights wake up call and Chloe waking me at 8:00am. If they do call though, its fine. It's my job. And its only for a week. I'll get a blessed six week reprieve before I have to be on call again....

Vegas and the VFW hall are neck and neck

I think perhaps we have landed ourselves a band for the big birthday celebration. You CMSU alums know them well. Yes, thats right, Spooge has a gig at Kerri's 30th Birthday Celebration! They sure are moving up in the world, aren't they? The only thing that could make it better would be to have Buffalo Road along as well. That's probably not a good idea though, considering I wouldn't be able to control myself around their drummer Dave. Oh, I loved him so back in the day. Memories.......I'm thinking the VFW hall is going to be a more viable option than Vegas. Expenses play a factor in this decision. While both options offer the tacky factor that I appreciate, I think the VFW is more my speed. I am envisioning a keg, Spooge playing me some Weezer covers, and my infamous mixed CD's playing in between sets. We get some subs or order pizza and we got ourselves a GOOD TIME!!!! I'm inviting everyone I know. It's gonna rule. Mark February 11, 2006 down on your calendars now. DO IT!!!!

sleep deprivation could kill a man (or woman)

Ugh. Today is gonna be a six-pack of Diet Coke/big bag of Skittles day. I was blessed with a call from work at 2:30 this morning. Normally, this is fine with me. I am a very light sleeper and most nights I am still awake at 2:30 anyway. Not last night-I think I fell asleep sometime between 1:45-2:30. For some reason, I was out like a light. Totally in deep sleep, something brought me back to near consciousness. I soon figured out that it was my work cell ringing (when did I change the ring tone?), I quickly sat up (after orienting myself to where the phone was) and answered it in my most professional voice. Aisha, the CIC who called me asks "did I wake you up?". My reply? "Oh yea". I vaguely remember the question presented to me, I'm hoping I told her the right thing to do, guess I'll find that out when I get to work this afternoon. Once that was over the challenge of falling back asleep was presented to me. I'm not one of those people that can just go back to sleep. No, I laid there for about an hour before drifting off to la-la land (keep up-it's now 3:30am). Life is good (although this sleep was not nearly as deep and I tossed and turned a lot) until 8:00am. This is when Chloe decided it is time for her to start barking and whining from the basement. Now, most days she doesn't wake me until at least 10:00am. I thought we had an understood agreement on this. Apparently I was wrong. You know how irrational you can get when sleep deprived? Well, I dragged my sleepy ass downstairs, unchained Chloe, brought her upstairs to my room and tried to go back to sleep. Miss Chloe wanted to play, however, and I soon burst into tears, saying "I just want some f***ing sleep"....I told you I was irrational. Apparently my taking her outside at midnight to poop wasn't good enough for her. Chloe did manage to calm herself and laid down in the floor allowing me a bit more sleep (when she wasn't jumping on my bed and licking me).

It's 11:15am and I am just about done with my first Diet Coke. Good thing I have reinforcements in the fridge. Too bad my big bag of Skittles is at work.

P.S. Chloe is now sleeping peacefully in the hallway. I'm gonna go bark in her ear.

Fat day

Ever have one of those days? I have been having one of those days since Thanksgiving. I can't seem to shake it. My pants still fit, doesn't change my perception however. Can I just wear sweatpants to work and be done with it? Seriously.

A week of being on call

Ick. I am on call for work this week, beginning today and going through next Monday morning at 8am. I was lucky enough to find someone to cover Saturday for me so I don't have to cancel my plans-our VP of Operations agreed to switch Saturdays with me. Thanks Al! I really don't mind being on call and getting calls at 3:00 in the morning. The only issue I have with on call week is the anxiety associated with waiting for the phone to ring. I don't sleep well because I am afraid I will miss a call, and I always have that worry that they are gonna call me about something and I won't know what to do. That part hasn't happened yet (knock on wood), still it is a lot of pressure to be the one person that staff expects to be able to answer anything and everything. I'm amazed they let me be on call for this at all (well let is the wrong word, it's really not so much an option). All I can hope is that I don't screw things up too badly.

So, I was thinking I may need to start Christmas shopping. I usually wait till about the week before Christmas. I shop better under pressure. I'll do it once I'm moved and settled. Moving is stressful enough, no need to compound that with going to the mall.

Is it April yet?

Of course I'd like it to be April so my sister's wedding would be here, but also I want it to be April because of baseball season. I miss it. The Blues are the worst team in hockey (literally) and the Rams are nearly the worst team in the NFL (in my opinion, another loss today-way to go boys!). I want baseball. Now. My Cubs missed out on Rafael Furcal-we didn't want you anyway you DWI/AA/money hungry SOB (such anger!)! The Cubs are looking at Juan Pierre. I am confident their GM is gonna spend some money and get someone good. Or it will be another pitiful season. But thats just another day in the life of a Cubs fan.

Ok, it's 1:47am, Monday morning. Guess I should think about going to bed. Must finish uploading some more CD's first. I'm up to over 850 now. I didn't realize I knew so many songs, but I'd say I know all the words to at least 700 of them. My life is sad, isn't it?

I love my new apartment!

No, I haven't officially moved yet, but I got the keys yesterday and began taking what I could fit into the Crapalier over. I even hung Christmas lights. I'm a dork, I know. I am just so excited! I think we officially have three studly/strong men to move heavy stuff now. My friend Maggie's darling hubby Matt offered his services along with Jon (did I mention you are the BEST future brother-in-law in all the world?) and Robert (I think, come on Robert...you'll be my favorite best man of my future brother-in-law ever, huh???). Hopefully it will be quick and painless. I'm afraid getting the washer and dryer down into the basement is gonna be a pain in the ass. Sorry in advance, boys! Did I mention the apartment is totally cute?

I must go finish packing. No wait, I'm gonna burn some CD's first. I'm on Jon's computer going through over 10, 000 songs (courtesy of Robert) and burning everything I don't already have. It's good times. Later dudes.

I'm a sap

My sister and I saw Rent tonight, cried like babies. It is just so good and you get caught up in the story. The music is fantastic, and Taye Diggs is hot. What more could you ask for? If you dig musicals, you must go see it. I LOVED IT!!!!!!

Cleaning up dog poop...

is not fun. Nor is packing. I forgot how much moving sucks. Yes, I am excited about my new apartment, but wish I could snap my fingers and everything would move itself.

Chloe decided it would be fun to poop in the basement today. Fun for her, not so much for me. I let the basement air out first before tackling the excretement with the pooper scooper. I also didn't want to touch it when it was so, um.....fresh. She's an a-hole.

All that talk about dog crap has made me hungry. I'm off to eat lunch now. And pack. And pack some more. And then pack some more. Then I'm gonna buy a shower curtain.

664 and counting....

I have 664 songs downloaded/uploaded on my computer. I am currently uploading my hundreds of CD's onto my computer in anticipation of receiving an iPod for my birthday (just two very short months away-ugh!). I am too cheap to purchase a $300 toy for myself, but will graciously accept it as a gift. This uploading job has been weeks in the making. You see, my computer runs mind numbingly slow, so to upload one, 10-song CD takes about 30 minutes. I have about 200 CD's. You do the math. Currently, the Pure Country soundtrack is being uploaded. Full of George Strait tunes from when he played "Dusty", a character, that, oddly enough, was much like George himself in real life.

Big plans this weekend! Not really. My main task will be to begin packing for next weekends big move. Packing my room shouldn't be that painful. What I dread is opening up my storage unit. I remember back in July, filling that thing up with most of my crap, by the end, we were just kinda throwing things in there. I'm afraid to see what it looks like now. I think my sis and I are going to see "Rent" tomorrow night and go to dinner. Saturday, I will be travelling to Valmeyer, IL for the Annual Shelley Family Christmas Party. A good time will be had by all. My friend Shannon's dear husband Bruce does all the cooking (and it's fab-u-lous!), the fridge is stocked with tasty adult beverages. Last year we played board games and just had a great time. I can't wait! Let me know if you want to carpool.

Next weekend, aside from moving, is another Ivory Tiger weekend. This time, we are following the band to Granite City, IL. I know what you're thinking, and YES, I am going over there to see cute boys (or just a cute boy). I also very much look forward to a night w/my peeps Karen and Mark and Amy and Shannon. Anyone else that would like to make the trek over to Illinois is more than welcome to come with. We are thinking a stop at Fast Eddie's may be in order. Get us all nice and ready to tackle Granite City. Good times. Illinois can't handle this.

A reason to be......a Yankees fan?

Never thought I'd say the above, but mlb. com reports that super hottie Kyle Farnsworth is going to the Yankees. He is a former Cubbie. Some of my best baseball memories involve Mr. Farnsworth. Several times each season I would get to yell "Dammit Farnsworth" at the TV because, inevitably, he would come into the game and blow any lead the Cubs may have had. You could bet on it. And, inevitably, he would throw some sort of temper tantrum and, say, kick a fan (not a human fan, the kind that blows air) and injure himself enough to get put on the DL. Those were some good times. I'm sure he'll look hot in pinstripes, between him and A-Rod, perhaps I may take in a Yankees game....or two.

Dave and Busters......really?

Ok people, if I must go to Dave and Busters, then so be it. Actually, I really don't care where we go as long as all my peeps are with me......and are willing to buy me beer.....and let me be the center of attention. Amen.

New poll-muy importante

It is imperative that you vote on the new poll question. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Hair prescription

I wrote the below entry in response to my cousin Mike's wife Kim, and her agonizing detail of being harrassed by the "makeup experts" at the Clinique counter. All women have experienced this before, the pressure to purchase all of the recommended products, because, if you don't, your skin/hair will shrivel up and fall off. All details of the event are true, some names have been changed to protect anonymity.

Kim,

I have a similar story, only this one involves the hair salon. I was actually written a HAIR PRESCRIPTION. This sounds pretty serious. A summary of my hair needs is as follows: I need hair tonic as my foundation, a silicone based straightening agent, a thickening spray, grooming creme, sumotech wax (which, by the way costs $21 for a little tiny pot of it), a Chi straightener ($130 on sale)and Loreal Professional Absolute Repair shampoo and conditioner. I had no idea my hair was in such danger by using Suave products and the $30 straightener by Conair. I am so glad that "Marissa" was tending to my hair needs. We need more Marissa's around. The world would be a much better place if we would all just follow the recommendations of our hair stylists and/or make up experts. So, go ahead, spend $500 on your head/face/hands/whatever. Do it for your fellow man (or woman). A wise man once said "tis better to spend all your money on beauty products rather than rent". I don't remember the wise man's name, but I'm sure he knew what he was talking about....

Kerri

Happy Birthday Nenonen!

Happy birthday Carrie! Hope you have a fabulous day! Man, does everyone I know have a birthday in November? It seems like it. Anyway girl, lets go out and celebrate. Name the time and the place.

I had a really weird dream last night. I dreamed that I had hit my pinkie finger on something and thought it was broken, so my family took me to some medical clinic, where I was led to the back room, for some reason I was barefoot and I noticed that there was blood on the floor and I was walking in it. Anyway, I got some young doctor who was not from our country who told me my finger wasn't broken and gave me a prescription for "the pain". He gave me a script for Lorazepam, better known as Ativan (a fantastic and easily addictive anti-anxiety med) and instructed me to only take half a pill at a time, the pills were chewable like a Flintstones vitamin. So, we get ready to leave this clinic and for some reason now Amy's girlfriend Shannon is with me and notices I have a cough. She gets all freaked out and just knows this means I have walking pnemonia (this and the broken finger are the link). So the nurse comes out, says I have to come back in but can't come back till 6pm. So, I get upset because apparently I have Book Club at 6pm and for some odd reason, book club is at my parents house in Salem (and you though Valmeyer was a long drive!). The dream ends with me dropping off some Christmas decorations for the book club girls and then I wake up, and my finger hurts.....

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's 55th birthday. Happy birthday daddy! I know he had looked forward to this monumental birthday because it is his magic retirement age. One month from now, my father will officially be retired. Those 30+ years working for the feds will finally pay off. Although, I think he may be busier in retirement. He will be working full time at his farm and taking on a part time job pimping out his tree knowledge skills. He will also be overseeing the building of their new home. He ordered the plans for the new house and it is beautiful. Good to see I will have a nice inheritance.... :)

Life is short, live each day as if it were your last

Seriously, the title says it all. I just finished re-watching the Channel 4 news story on my friend Krista's sister-in-law Laura. For those of you that do not know the story, Laura was involved in a serious car accident in July. She has been in a coma ever since with a pretty severe head injury. She is in what they call a "waking coma", her eyes are open, she responds to minor stimuli, but remains in a comatose state. The news story told the story of her relationship with her new husband and showed footage of her wedding. My sisters fiance and his friends went to high school with Laura where she was the homecoming queen. Laura was/is a very beautiful girl. She was one of those people you'd love to hate because she was beautiful, had great job, great husband, great house, but was also one of the nicest people you would ever meet. What happened to her could happen to anyone. Watching the story (with tears streaming down my face) made me think about that. Life IS short. It puts things in perspective real quick. If you'd like to see her progress or know her whole story, you can go to www.lauralaughlin.com for more information.

In other news, today, thus far, has been a good day with Chloe. She has been very sweet, although she still seems to think she is a lap dog. I'm pretty sure 40+ pound dogs are not "lap dogs". We'll see how sweet she is when I try to get her in the basement today before I leave for work. Yesterday she refused to go in, would stop at the door and as soon as I got near her she would run upstairs. I finally just had to crate her.

I want to thank everyone for their offers of assistance for my big move. I think I am going to borrow Uncle Ron's truck (I may have to have one of the boys drive it), that'll save a lot of money. Jon-I hope you and the boys know how much I appreciate your help! And sister-don't be sad, we may actually see each other more now that we won't be living together! You won't be able to get rid of me. Who else is gonna be able to keep you calm in the coming months before your wedding? As the MOH, its my job! Anyone got any Valium????? :)

Well, must go make myself presentable-have to go to work in an hour and a half.

Back to work=good times

Ah yes, I missed the crisis line so. Ten days away is a lot. I was greeted to four calls waiting and our bell going off as I came in. Welcome back! It was a pretty busy day all around but should be expected since it was the monday after a holiday. Yesterday was my 5 year anniversary at my job. They just can't get rid of me. I want my desk clock.

So, Amy wants to set me up with her girlfriends brother. Amy claims he is good looking "for a boy". That gives me such hope. Why is it that everyone has someone they want to set you up with but you never end up meeting that person? "Oh, so and so's brother/friend/cousin/co-worker/dance partner would be perfect for you, I'll set you up". But does it ever happen? No. At least not in my world. So, I'll believe it when I see it.

I talked to my new landlord today. Yep, I got the apartment and go pick up the keys on Saturday. He seems like a really cool guy. Now I just have to find someone to help me move and pick a day to do it. I'd also really like to find someone with a truck so I don't have to rent a u-haul. U-haul costs a lot of money. I'm sure Jon and Red will be glad to have the place to themselves and not have the sister/sister-in-law living with them anymore. I know I'd be tired of me if I were them. I will miss living with them because it really has been a good experience, however, it is time for me to be on my own. And besides, I absolutely love this apartment. It's great and I can't wait to decorate it and make it my own. I miss my stuff!

Back to the STL

I'm back. Isn't that great? I have to go to work in just over an hour. Let the fun begin.

Red has decorated the condo for Christmas. It looks great. She is a little mini Val. Speaking of, as soon as everyone left mom and dad's yesterday, mom cleaned the entire house. That woman just can't sit still! I definitely did not inherit that trait from her!

Tomorrow is my daddy's birthday. I'll call home tomorrow and I'm sure the first thing he will say is "I'm retiring 30 days from today...". Gotta love his predictability.

Chloe is sitting here burping. I have never heard a dog burp before. It's weird. What are you feeding her, Jon?

Well, guess I better unpack and get ready to go back out into the real world. Vacation has been fun. Must do it again sometime.

I don't like being in the "tornado watch" area

Storms they are a' brewin'. We have been under a tornado watch for the last few hours. I don't like it. Everyone who knows me knows I hate tornadoes. I am glued to the TV screen currently (all the while watching Grey's Anatomy). The dogs are clawing at the door to be let in. They are too stupid to figure out that they will continue to get wet if they stay on the deck. They have the garage available to them. We are not letting wet dogs in the house.

Back to work tomorrow. I guess I'm ready to come back. It will be quite the adjustment, it's been awhile. I also must detox and not eat any more crap until Christmas. Back to eating green for me!

Playing poker with grandpa

What a night. I finally learned how to play poker (at least I think I was playing poker) tonight. Imagine playing poker with your grandfather. Good times. It was me, dad, grandpa and my cousin Rachel (who I am pretty sure hustled us) and for a bit, Tim. We just played with the spare change from Tim's room since we were too cheap to play with our own money. I now know how to play 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw and Texas Hold 'Em. I got confused at times, but kept my cheat sheet handy (grandpa wrote down what a royal flush was, a straight flush, a full house, etc.). I'll probably forget how to play come tomorrow, but it was still way fun.

We also had our bonfire. We gathered out in the woods and dad lit stuff on fire. It was cool. We burned some hot dogs, dropped some in the leaves (the dogs loved that) and burned the crap out of some marshmallows. Then grandpa told some bad jokes and it started raining. Kira (my cousins 3 year old) then pronounced that we needed to go inside because we didn't have umbrellas. She's a pretty smart kid. She also told me I was being mean and that I was in big, big trouble because 1. I wouldn't let her eat cookies before dinner and 2. I wouldn't let her have a glass plate (never did figure out why she wanted that). That child is lucky she's cute.....

Happy Birthday Uncle Jimmy!

Today is Uncle Jimmy's birthday (aka Ivory Tiger uncle). Hope you have a great one unc!

The Thanksgiving weekend is coming to a close. I'm exhausted. Between the 12 people and four dogs that were at my parents house, this holiday was a crazy one. Apparently the country dogs don't really like the city dogs and vice versa. There were some tense moments at times. Chloe the big giant sheppard/collie mix got along well with Sophia the maltipoo. We went down to the pond to do some fishing since today was so nice outside. Of course, I didn't touch any fish. Rachel and Grandpa did the fishing (with the occasional assistance from Kira). I baked dad's special birthday cookies for his birthday on this coming Tuesday. Dad is going to be 55-this is notable because 55 is the majic age in which he can retire and he is going to do so at the end of the year (I've heard the story about a thousand times this weekend).

Although crazy and tiring, visiting with the family is always good. I haven't slept much since Tuesday (especially last night when Chloe decided to jump in the bed around 4:00am and start biting me). I am looking forward to going home, although going back to work will be quite an adjustment since I haven't been there in 10 days!

Tonight, on the last night in Salem, we are having a poker tournament. Nothing like playing poker with your dad and grandpa. We tried playing yesterday but Red and I had no idea what we were doing (I am sooooo confused). Today, grandpa taught me all the suites so I am ready to go! Bring on some Texas Hold 'Em! We are also having a bonfire outside and roasting marshmallows. Isn't that precious? Tim suggested family bowling, so maybe we will do that too....its a busy night in Salem, Mo y'all!

Happy birthday Clint!

Happy Birthday to my darling little cousin Clint. He is the big 2-5 today. Geez. Where does the time go? Maybe when he's here tomorrow we will pull out the pictures of me, him and my sister in the bathtub together. Now, don't be sick people! He was a baby, my sister was like 2 and I was 4. It was perfectly appropriate!

He and his daughter will be here tomorrow along w/the rest of his fam (minus Ben) and good ol' Grandpa! Can't wait! Not to mention that Red and Jon will be here. Clint-just because you are a big tough Marine doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!!!!! :)

The tides have changed

Hank got a taste of the good life tonight. He was allowed inside the house. He doesn't usually get to come in like Stubby does because he is big and, well, dumb (I call him Forrest Gump) and his one bullet wound still has not healed. Tonight, we felt sorry for him as he watched us playing Yahtzee-he stood at the deck door and cried. He didn't quite know what to do once he came inside. He tried going in the living room (a big no-no with the white carpet), dad was convinced he was looking for a place to pee. He couldn't quite figure out how he was supposed to act once inside, so he was banished to the outside again. We later let him back in, he trotted off down the hall to my parents bedroom and his 70+ pound self climbed up on my parents bed (it took quite the effort to get his fat ass up there). Stubby didn't like this at all, as she was kicking back on dad's side of the bed. She barked at Hank who just stared at us. He then laid in mom's lap. His head is bigger than hers. Tim and I then tried to lure both of them into the basement, we figured they could do the least damage there. Hank gave us a big "hell no" about going down those stairs-he was scared to death! (he was also scared of the TV when it was on and his own reflection in the window). Anyway, we finally got them both downstairs where they are currently napping on Tim's old ALF sleeping bag....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Time for me to get sappy for a bit. I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy and safe Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is celebrating with family and friends. I find it odd that people only focus on what they are thankful for on this day. Shouldn't we be doing that everyday? I try to thank God every day for what He has given me. I really can't complain too much about my life. Sure, I'm still single (and almost 30), but what I do have is so much better. I have a wonderful family and am blessed to be able to see them on a fairly regular basis. I so many wonderful friends I can't even count them. I have a good job, great co-workers and even have a great soon-to-be brother-in-law. Life is good. I hope you all take the time to remind yourself of the good things in your life. Thank God every day that He has given you another day on this Earth with your friends and family. Even though several of my friends are far away, I love them dearly, and know that if we hung out today, it would be as if we see each other all the time, the months and years in between mean nothing. I am thankful for my mom and dad-they are a constant source of support to me. I am thankful for my sister-she is my best friend and the greatest sister a girl could have. I am grateful for my brother-he and I are so much alike, he's a great kid and I love him dearly. I am grateful for my grandpa-he is the best grandpa in the world and I am thankful for every day I get to spend with him. I am grateful for my many aunts, uncles and cousins-they are the greatest and I look forward to our get-togethers. And last, but not least, I am thankful for my many friends. I have found so many great people that I couldn't possibly name you all, but I hope you know who you are, let's get together sometime and have a beer.....or go see Ivory Tiger!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

"Get dressed Ker, we're going outside and hanging Christmas lights"

This quote came courtesy of my dad when he came home from work today. I just kinda looked at him-me? doing manual labor? what kid of his did he think he was talking to? Where is his son when he needs him?

So, I put my jacket on (I was already dressed) and outside we went (Tim conveniently announced his lunch hour was over and sped off in his car). Dad advised me someone was going to have to get on the roof of the house (I volunteered him) and the other person would need to climb the ladder (I got that duty). Once dad was on the roof, I climbed up, handed him the lights, and continued to "supervise" from the ground. Hey-I was multi-tasking! I was able to hold the lights, pet the dogs, and talk to my sister on my cell. That takes talent. It was quite entertaining watching dad try to figure out how to connect all the strands of lights as well as making sure the little red bows were straight. The end result was beautiful clear lights all along the front of the house and the porch, which brings the question-who is gonna see it? My parents live in the woods at the end of a private drive. The only people that will see the lights are....us. I then suggested to dad that we hang a huge wreath atop the porch. He liked the idea, but did one better-he suggested we make one. So, tomorrow we are going to go out in the woods and gather some cedar branches along with some wire and some ribbon, and we will make our own wreath. Must be where I get my creative streak....

Coming home creates a plethora of blog material.

weight loss sabotage

The holidays are evil. Let me put that out there. I have successfully maintained my weight loss since around April. This may change after this week. I recently scanned my mothers kitchen. On top of the typical Thanksgiving feast, we will also be having chicken wings (no, Jon, you cannot have ALL of them), two pumpkin pies, a pumpkin/cream cheese cake, an Almond Joy cake (I will be hiding that one in my room...), a chocolate fudge pie, various dips, chips, sauces; cresent rolls wrapped in cheese and bacon, and so many more things I can't even keep track of. Ugh, my pants are getting tight as we speak. When I finally come back to work next week, no one will recognize me. No-must keep my focus. I will repeat this mantra "you will not eat like a pig, you have to fit into the bridesmaid dress you ordered that will be arriving in January, you must say no". Repeat.

Does everyone like the quiz I sent?

Has everyone checked their email? It's quiz time again! Stormy started this one, I swear. It's good, clean fun. My sister responded and noted she is a government worker and it's the day before a holiday, therefore, it is totally PC that she is checking her personal email on company time. I couldn't agree more.....she also publicly admitted that she cheats at Clue. Admitting it is the first step sister dear!

Well, on this very special day, good ol' Val (aka mom) has me.....BAKING. Uh, baking? Does she know me? Not only that, but she has me baking FOUR pies/cakes. What? I'm afraid I'm gonna get dad's yearly accusation of "you ruined Thanksgiving". Usually, this accusation is directed at Red in some sort of way (she gets to ruin every holiday in one way or another-long running family joke!). This year, I may really ruin it if those pumpkin pies don't turn out right. I'm feeling the pressure....I haven't entered the kitchen yet. I must finish watching All My Children first. Priorities, people. Priorities.

Hope the Ivory Tiger show tonight is a great one! Half the family will be there. Tim and I will be here in Salem, we'll have a beer in honor of the band!

The lucky Jew game

Please don't take offense to the title-my family is part Jewish, I would never make fun of them on purpose. That being said, every year my family and I do play what has affectionately been titled "The Lucky Jew Game". The rest of you may know this game by it's other, more common name-Yahtzee.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, we inevitable have a family game night (last year it was poker and my sister and I learned just how bad we are at that game), and at some point we end up playing Yahtzee. One year, we were all gathered around the dining room table set for some fine family fun. My mom was on a roll that particular game. She was rolling double Yahtzees, if she needed a straight, she rolled one, if she needed "6's", she rolled that. Well, after her 2nd Yahtzee in a row, my dad yells "you lucky Jew". And my mom says (sarcastically, of course), "oh yea, my people were really lucky". We laughed and laughed, especially because dad continued to say it (he would also roll the dice and say "come on, papa needs a new pair of shoes"). Ever since then, the game has been known as the Lucky Jew game. Guess you had to be there.

This year, we will be incorporating both Go Fish and The 80's game. They are new to our game repetoir, joining Yahtzee and Uno. Speaking of Uno, that can be one vicious game! Every year my little cousin Rachel has won just about every time. Last weekend, I boldly said to her "you're going down in the Uno tournament this year Battocletti". She was like "uh yea, right. I'm gonna win". Sadly, I know it's true. That 12 year old will take the Uno crown again this year.

I will have to post the results of game night. It's gonna be some stiff competition. I can't wait. BRING IT ON PEOPLE!!!!

There's no place like home

Here I am, in the big town of Salem. It's good to be home. I had lunch with my mom at the new Taco Bell/KFC, it was good times. As I pulled into my parents driveway, I was greeted at my car door by Stubby and Hank. They were quite excited to see a human and began jumping on me before I could even get out of the car. Their little paws were wet, which leads me to believe they had been playing in the pond earlier. Anyway, Stubby is now sprawled out on dad's chair, laying her head on the pillow like she's a person. Poor Hank, he's just outside laying in the yard. He did talk to me though, in his "dog talk". I'm sure he doesn't understand why he doesn't get to come in the house but Princess Stubby does.

Mom already has the Christmas tree up with wrapped presents underneath. Man, that woman works fast! The house is decorated throughout, the porch is even decorated! Tonight we will have one, of what I am sure will be many, trips to Wal-Mart. It's very exciting.

I wish I was going to the Ivory Tiger show at Humphrey's tomorrow night. I know the Batto clan is gonna be there, not to mention Cute Boy. Aunt Mary-if you see a cute boy, short hair, lots of tattoos, usually hangs backstage or with the band-tell him I said HI! I am a shameless, shameless flirt. Oh well, I will catch them on the flipside. I'm thinking of becoming an Eddie's groupie.....

I found an apartment!!!

I am so excited! I saw an apartment yesterday that I just fell in love with. I'm mailing my deposit today. It's in the area I wanted and there is a park with a lake right across the street. It is second floor, makes me feel a bit safer. When you walk in the door, you walk up a curved stair case to the living room. The living room has a huge window overlooking the park, and a huge walk in closet to the side. The kitchen is nicer than the other kitchens I have seen, the cabinets are even updated. There are four huge closets, plenty of room for my crap. The landlords are a nice older couple who do things simply: if we like you, you move it. If you pay your rent, you stay. If you don't, we kick you out. I like it!

Are dogs supposed to eat Jolly Ranchers?

Well, Chloe did. Grape. She seemed to like it. I'll admit, she is grating on my nerves today. Woke me up around 3am and got me out of bed nearly two hours before I usually do. I'M ON VACATION DAMMIT!!!!! When I freed her from the basement today, I noticed she had tried to chew off her leash. Don't know why her leash was still on her (I'm guessing she was grating on Red and Jon's nerves too), but there are definite chew marks on it now. I tried to get the Jolly Rancher away from her, but she resisted. She laid in the floor and crunched it up, wrapper and all. She is a monster.

My ears are still ringing...

SUCH good times last night! Ivory Tiger rules! And, I believe it was the general consensus of all I talked to that they were better than Warrant! That's right, I said it! The new lead singer of Warrant is......scary. I WANT JANI LANE!!!!! What a fun evening. Ivory Tiger did their set first, complete with their very own groupies! My friend Carrie's husband told me he wanted to marry Ivory Tiger (He was pretty drunk when he said that, but I think he may have been serious....). By the time Warrant came on, I could no longer hear anything.

I saw Jon Bounds there! He is a good ol' Salem High School alum. His brother Benji was there too and his wife-they are in a band here in St. Louis too-Slapdragon, I believe they are called. Anyway, Jon looked hot, too bad he's married......I had my chance in high school! I remember what finally drove me to break up with him was his obsession with Def Leppard...oh, the irony.

Karen, how was going to work at 8am? You were cracking me up last night girl! I had so much fun with you. And thank your darling husband for trying so hard to hook me up! :) We had so much fun just dancing and singing. Uncle Jimmy was rockin the guitar. The band was totally in a groove last night. IVORY TIGER ROCKS!

The best part was before the show. Us girls went in together and got Robyn a Warrant/Cherry Pie t-shirt for her birthday. Then after the show.....we got the band to autograph it. It was the coolest thing ever! I'm still laughing thinking about it....

The people-watching at Stratford Inn/Ballroom is unlike any other. My friends and I were definitely the hottest chicks there. Unless you count the lady wearing flame pasties......I did have to tell one dude with a mullet and a do-rag tied around his head to not touch me. I was feeling my head because I was running a fever prior to the show (like that was gonna stop me from going!) and do-rag guy decided he would feel my head too...uh, no buddy, I don't dig strangers touching me. Especially strangers with mullets....

Uncle Jimmy!!! Uncle Jimmy!!!

That's what the crowd will be chanting a little bit later tonight (at least my crowd will be). Tonight is the night! Ivory Tiger and Warrant, baby! I've got my Bud Light cans chillin' in the fridge as we speak. The show doesn't even start till 9:00, so I have approximately nine hours to kill.....

Thus far, my vacation has consisted of shopping....and getting my hair done. I got the best hair cut ever. It's quite sassy, which given it's on my head, seems pretty appropriate. I love it. Going to do some more errands today. Can't spend all my money though, between getting new brakes and possibly paying a deposit on an apartment, money is a bit tight right now. Not to mention Christmas is right around the corner....

Jon, Red and I have survived (barely) the week without sleep, thanks to Miss Chloe. All three of us seem to be fighting some sort of cold-like thing which happens when you haven't slept and your immune system is compromised (right Red? I pay attention to your Miss Health Department lectures!). All three of us still love Chloe thought and are spoiling her rotten with toys. She LOVES stuffed animals. She ignores the rest of her toys and carries around her stuffed ones all over the house. She is quite funny. Last night she jumped on my sisters lap, even though she is not allowed on the furniture. Red and I laughed as she tried to get down-her front paws were on the ground, but her rear ones were still on Red's lap. We laughed till we cried. It was good times.....

The countdown is on...

Two days until the big concert! The excitement is mounting! I can't wait! Big hair, hoosiers and beer in a can-whats not to like?

Saw an apartment today. It was totally retro and I loved it! I filled out the application, so we will see if they want me. I'm hoping my boss will give me a good character reference (remember how I bring you Diet Coke almost every day Chris??????).

Chloe and I have been hanging out all day. She loves her stuffed rabbit (at least I think its a rabbit). She carried it upstairs and brought it to me while I was typing. She is quite content as long as one of her human's is within eyesight. She went poopy for me today which was quite exciting. The pooper scooper they got is quite a contraption. I'm not sure if I was working it right, but the poop got cleaned up and disposed of properly.

I must go now. I have to "cook" something for Book Club. I am making green bean casserole, and it does go in the oven, so technically, I AM cooking....

Free at last...

It may sound like I don't like my job, but that is not the case. I actually really like it (most of the time). However, I am about to be off for 10 days, and who doesn't like time off? I'm not doing anything exciting, just hanging out and hopefully relaxing a bit. I have my Book Club tomorrow, getting my roots covered/hair cut on Friday, the big Ivory Tiger/Warrant concert is Saturday; I'll probably go to church and see Grandpa on Sunday, maybe Monday I'll go shopping and Tuesday I will be leaving for Salem where I will stay until the following Sunday. Sounds good to me.
Hopefully some time in there I will go see some apartments and start to get an ETA of when I'll be back out on my own! I have enjoyed living with Red and Jon, but haven't lived by myself in 3 1/2 years. I miss it. I actually never got lonely-I really crave the independence and freedom living by yourself brings. Red and I have already discussed the fact that we will have to have at least monthly Sister Shopping Saturday's. It's imperative. Maybe I'll dog-sit Chloe every now and again (ONLY if she stops that whining bit!). Things will be good.
Red informed me we have a ship date for our bridesmaid dresses-January. Perfect timing! What if we gain weight over the holidays like so many people do? What then? Can they take out the dress a few inches? Must watch my fruitcake intake carefully between now and then....

Happy Birthday Deven!

Today is my friend Deven's birthday. Happy Birthday D (or as he was briefly known-D Mac). Deven lives in Jeff City with his lovely wife Mandy. I miss him tons, actually haven't seen him since their wedding a year and a half ago. Deven is from my college group of friends, its funny that we don't see each other often (even those of us that live in St. Louis), but we are all still great friends, and if we got together today, it would be like we see each other all the time. I love those people!

Have a great birthday Deven!

Having a dog is hard work

Sure, they're cute, but having a dog in the house is harder than I thought. Chloe is lucky I already love her, because last night, thoughts of killing her went through my head. Ok, not serious homicidal ideation, but imagine her WHINING all night long. And I mean ALL NIGHT. Around 1:00am, I finally couldn't take it anymore and went down to see what the fuss was about. Now, I know the whining is just attention seeking behavior, still, I wanted to make sure she didn't have to "go potty" or something. As soon as I opened the door, she shot out like a bullet. She ran two flights of stairs to the upstairs and started clawing on Jon's bedroom door. She LOVES him! I HATE him, because he was able to sleep through all that (I am so jealous-I wish I was a deep sleeper!). My sister and I, however, heard every whine (I even heard barking), all night long. I just talked to my sister. We're both pretty sleepy, probably cranky, and litle miss Chloe? She is passed out on the floor next to me as I write. She's perfectly content as long as one of her humans is around. I took her outside for a walk this morning hoping to use up some of that energy. She likes to chase leaves and stands at full attention when she sees another human outside. I won't even get into the excited "dribble" of pee I found on the kitchen floor today. Again, she's lucky she's cute......

Where is Stephen when you need him?

To put it bluntly, tonight was the NIGHT FROM HELL at work. At last count we had called the cops six times....this may not sound like a lot considering it's the crisis line, but trust me, it is. My faith in the St. Louis City PD continues to dwindle. They just don't impress me at all.

I have a pounding headache, have eaten nothing but a few bits of South Beach Diet cereal, and am all the more glad that tomorrow is my last day for 10 days. Today was one of those days where you just have to throw up your hands, a day where you either laugh or cry (or do both, whatever).

At the end of the day, I know we have done all we can do to help people. We cannot control the other agencies we come in contact with, cannot make them do what we think they should be doing to ensure safety. As long as I can leave work knowing we did all that we could, I feel ok about it...I am hopeful that tomorrow will be a better day. Plus Stephen will be in.....

Pujols is MVP!!!

All is right with the world. Albert Pujols has been named NL MVP. Congrats to him! My boy Derek Lee finished 3rd-not too shabby! Congrats to him as well!

Fellow Missourians, be careful out there! The weather is crazy today! My car was swerving all over the highway and I swear when I was getting gas the wind picked me up. There were rumors up here that tornadoes had touched down in Southern Mo; we feared our parents were dead. I just talked to my mom, she is alive and well and working her butt off at the bank. Those newspeople overreact!

Happy Birthday JP!

Just want to wish John a very happy birthday today! I know it is hard being away from your family and friends, but hang in there, you will be home soon! We are taking good care of Heidi for you, we're working her like a dog! :)

Take care, have a great birthday, we'll see you next month!

Out of the blue....

I got a call from an old friend tonight who I haven't talked to in a year and a half. We'll call this friend C. C and I worked together about 6 years ago and became fast friends. Truthfully, I had a major crush on C and would make excuses to go by his office (why the hell else would I need to go to the accountants office 6x a day?). I think C was diggin me too, so we had this flirtation thing going on. Fast forward to me leaving that job-we began hanging out outside of work periodically, I was finally honest about my feelings and C admitted the same...we sorta dated a bit, then didn't talk for a while, I don't know who stopped taking to whom-this has been our pattern...then a couple of years ago C calls and tells me he moved to NYC...a couple of months after that, C was back in St. Louis, we started hanging out, he pursued me, we dated for a bit, that is, until I freaked out-and this time, it was me that stopped calling....fast forward again to today. Today was the first time I have heard from C since then. I truly never expected to hear from him again as the way things ended last time were not good-I broke his heart, he was pretty pissed at me, and rightfully so-I was always the one pursuing him, now he was pursuing me and I rejected him. Tonight, talking to C was just like we had talked yesterday-we have such great rapport, laughing, joking, conversation was never a problem. We make awesome friends, I just don't think we were meant to date. Anyway, he suggested we "get together" sometime for drinks, I'm hoping some old patterns do not repeat themselves....he is really cute tho.....

Trivia Night=Good Times!

Man, trivia night was awesome! There were 24 tables of approximately 10 people each. The theme-80's and 90's. Got it in the bag, right? I was happy with our table-a good variety of ages (roughly late 20's to late 30's). I figured we had a good shot. After all, I have been faithfully watching I Love The 80's 3D and listening to Y98's 80's flashbacks every weekend.

We dubbed our team "Team Ninja Pony", as Shannon was gracious enough to bring us Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and My Little Pony stickers. We got extra points for dressing up 80's style. I sported the fake pearls, tons of bracelets, and collared shirt (with the collar up, duh!). Karen sported the sideways ponytail, ripped t-shirt (Flashdance-style) complete with wrist and head bands. Shannon sported the big hair (complete with "wings"), blue eyeshadow, tight rolled jeans and her cheerleading jacket. Our table was decorated with a Rainbow Bright doll, a Smurf poster, and a Pound Puppy (this and the dressing up scored us 8 extra points!).

Some of the categories were tough, I ain't gonna lie. "National Sports"? What? And "Books that became movies". Uh, right......We totally rocked on "Family Sitcoms" (I knew my late nights of watching Roseanne, Who's the Boss and The Cosby Show would come in handy someday! And I totally knew who sang the Dukes of Hazzard theme song!), "Childhood Cereals" (the cereal was in a baggie, you had to name it-we got 10 out of 10. I know my Fruity Pebbles, ok???), "Children's Television"-yes, I knew that Alanis Morrisette was on Nickelodeon's "You Can't Do That On Television"! (remember Red?). I nearly pulled off the answer to the question "What was He Man's real name?"....I knew it was Prince something....Grayskull? No, that was the castle....the answer was Prince Adam! SOOO close. Also-can YOU name all 4 of the Ninja Turtles? Donatello, Leonardo, Rafael and Michealangelo! Woo hoo! We also rocked on "Name That Tune" (hell yea, I know myself some Faith No More and Hootie and the Blowfish!) and we got 10 out of 10 on "Game Shows" (take that, Chuck Woolery.... "hey Richard Dawson, get back behind your podium where you belong"-what movie was that from?). "CD covers" sucked-do YOU know what the cover of U2's "Zooropa" CD looks like? Me either. I did, however get Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" correct.

There were prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and last. We knew the table next to us was gonna be last-it was full of old people who got 0 out of 10 on Name That Tune ( I really wasn't expecting them to recognize "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground). They were good sports about it though! My team finished a very respectable 7th out of 24. Not too shabby! I knew all my useless knowledge would come in handy some day.......

New poll

Check out the new poll!

I'm an aunt!!!

No, my sister is not knocked up. She and Jon adopted a dog today. I went with them-it was just supposed to be a nice little trip to the APA to see all the poor doggies (all three of us had been entertaining the idea of getting one), however, as soon as Red saw Chloe, she was in love. Chloe is a 7 month old German Shepard/Collie mix. She is brown and black and totally adorable....and she LOVES Jon! She will definitely be a daddy's girl. My niece will be spoiled by her Auntie Kerri, thats for sure. She didn't get to come home with us because she needs to be, um, "altered". She will be ready to come home on Monday. We realized they were gonna need tons of dog supplies, so off to Target and PetsMart we went. Chloe will be well taken care of, that's for sure. I'm studying up on how to crate train right now.....

Goodwill

My sister and I decided today that we needed to, um...dress the part at next weekends Ivory Tiger show, so we headed down to our local Goodwill in search of rock and roll t-shirts (the tighter the better). We didn't exactly find what we were looking for, but we did laugh a lot. What we DID find may be even better than we thought-I pulled out the Hilary Duff 2004 Tour t-shirt and my sister pulled out N-Sync...we laughed and laughed and laughed. Especially when we found a Tim McGraw t-shirt for Jon....I don't think he wants to wear it.....I am off to other area Goodwill's tomorrow in search of better material, after all, they were only $2 a piece!

The worst team in hockey is....

Our very own St. Louis Blues! Coming into today at 2-10-3, they are sitting in the basement of the Central. Man, Tim and I were just joking about them only getting 15 points this season...now, it's not so funny. Canada, enter any insult you'd like here: _________________. This isn't cute like it is when the Cubs lose. They are not doing much to win their fans back, that's for sure. Is it too late to become a fan of the Oil (as in the Edmonton Oilers)? How bout the Hartford Whalers? Oh wait........

Isn't Moose Jaw your Salem?

Surely Canada has a "Salem-esque" town....how bout Moose Jaw? I've never been there, but it can't be too exciting there....And yes, sadly the Tower Inn is no more. No, wait, that's not entirely true. Actually about 4-5 floors of the great Tower still stand. It's gutted of course, and is quite an eye sore standing right at the 4-way stop. Rumor has it, it will be turned into office space as well as apartments. This rumor has been swirling for nearly 2 years, so we shall see. It's quite white trash looking right now....

Who's ready for Trivia Night? Such good times! It's a night where people get to fully realize they don't know jack....a real self-esteem booster. Especially since my darling friend Shannon has already reminded me and a couple of other friends that we are a part of Team Short-bus. NOT a compliment....of course there is a story behind that. A couple of years ago, we had a slumber party at my friend Krista's house (yes, adults can still have slumber parties!) and we played the board game Cranium. We divided into teams, and lets' just say, my team didn't do so hot (example-Krista had to sing a song and we had to say who the artist was. She began to belt out "What A Wonderful World" and Maggie yells out "Neil Armstrong!". Well, actually its LOUIE Armstrong, Neil being the astronaut, of course, thus Team Short-bus was born.) We have never lived it down.....

It's my last night of work this week...hope its a good one....then only 4 more working days till vacation (can you tell I'm excited?)

One week til vacation!

Six more working days and I am then off for a week and a half! How exciting! Not that I'm doing anything exciting, the prospect of doing nothing is exciting to me....I will be spending a lot of time in Salem with the fam (Canada, I'll tell the big Conoco you said hi!) during Thanksgiving week. I so look forward to that. Thanksgiving is always a good time at the Davidson household. From dad burying the turkey carcas in the woods (long story), to Jon breaking his ankle during the Annual Men's Football Game in the front yard, Thanksgiving is never boring. I love it, helping mom prepare some of the food the night before, putting up the Christmas decorations (a tradition), spending time w/mom and dad and Timbo, as well as the cousins and aunts/uncles that come down to visit, it's always fun. And I do have Book Club with my friends and Ivory Tiger/Warrant next week to look forward to as well.....

This Saturday is Trivia Night. I pose a question to you all-If you study for Trivia Night, is that cheating? I've received mixed answers to this one. Krista found a fab web site that has 80's trivia on it (our Trivia Night theme is the 80's and 90's). Most people in my age group remember the tail end of the 80's, so I figure a little studying isn't such a bad thing. Come on, you think we're the only group studying? Trivia Night is ultra competitive! It's every man for himself! One of the subjects is album covers, so, as soon as I see that close up of a man's ass with the American flag in the background, I will be able to yell out "Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA", and my team will be soooo proud......

Dating-a strange phenomenon

Dating is a weird, weird thing to me. Even if you are not a game player, there is still game playing going on. Trying to figure each other out, trying to decide "do I really like this person?" or "do I only want certain things from this person?" (fill in the blanks there). Sometimes, I feel too old for this, dating is hard work, but I realize, if I ever plan on getting married, well, I kinda got to date first (not that marriage is an absolute for me, and I really think I'd be fine without it). I'm in the midst of the dating game right now. As I told my girls-we are currently at the pivotal point-either this guy likes me for me or he is only after one thing. The ball is in his court now-if he calls, I'll know he likes me as a person, if he doesn't...well, I'll know what he was after all along. I am ok with it either way. Life is too short to worry about such things. Besides, there's always those creepy, leering old dudes at Gitto's.....Everyone knows I'm saving myself for Canada anyway! :)

RENT?

Anyone interested in going to see RENT with me when it comes to theatres? If you have never seen it before, you should. I was lucky enough to get to see the play on Broadway in NYC a couple of years ago. I fell in love with it. The best part was the little old couple in front of us leaving at the intermission-I think they were offended by it (ok, so there are a lot of references to sex, drugs, AIDS, and "alternative lifestyles"). I also got to see it again in St. Louis when the show came through. Now its a movie. Even if you don't like the premise, you must see it anyway-HELLO??? Taye Diggs is in it!!!! I believe it opens the week of Thanksgiving. Did you know that Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye) was the original "Angel" in the play? I soooo can't wait to see the movie!

I wonder what my team thinks of me....

I supervise a team of 16 at work. I often wonder what they think of me as their supervisor. Half of them I am friends with outside of work (as we were friends long before I became their supervisor). Today one of them told me I needed some Ritalin...ok, so I can be a bit hyperactive at times...I really want to try to make work fun. The crisis line can be the most stressful place on Earth (as you can probably imagine), so, I try to lighten the mood, crack some jokes, tell my staff about my latest adventures, stuff like that. My guess is that they are thinking a combination of "what the hell is wrong with her?" and "why do I have to be on her team?". Well, Team Sunday rules! We have a very tight, close-nit little group. We had to band together when Heidi and John left as they were both very integral parts of the team. Everyone just kinda takes care of each other-I like that. My team really makes me enjoy my job. That, and the nights I work with Stephen. We are very immature, but boy do we laugh a lot! Laughter makes the world go round. That, and creepy, leering, bar guys....

Karaoke-a study in human behavior

What an interesting phenomenon karaoke is. Seemingly mild-mannered people all of a sudden become Diana Ross, or Garth Brooks, or the chick that sings "I Will Survive". It's the chance for the truly talentless to shine. Everyone around them is drunk, so no one cares. My favorite karaoke experience took place in some random bar in Columbia, MO and it involved my dear friend Canada. Now, Canada was/is a big Police fan so, he decided to sing "Roxanne". If anyone knows the song, you know that Sting hits some pretty high notes. Well, Canada being Canada, he, uh...hit the notes too. It was so horrible that everyone in the bar was cheering for the horribleness. It was awesome. That, and we signed Deven up to sing a New Kids on the Block song.....Last nights karaoke experience was an interesting one. Shannon was cracking me up with her signature dance moves, all of us were singing into our beer bottles and we even got up to belt out "YMCA" and helped Denise with "I Will Survive". Then....there were the random dudes hitting on me. Ever since I dropped 20 pounds.....I have been hit on more this year that in the rest of my life total. I really shouldn't complain, but I also don't know what to do with it. I get all embarrassed. This one dude last night was at least 45-he wanted to dance and I was like "uh, we're getting ready to leave". That wasn't a total lie....we left about 20 minutes later....There was some other dude that kept dancing behind me, the look on my face was pure horror, Sarah was cracking up at me...oh yea, and there was another old dude-you know the type-stands in the corner, leering, is probably an alcoholic and is hoping, maybe, just maybe, tonight will be the night that some young thing will talk to him....He asked me my name and tried to grab my hand...Not so much dude. The song "My Humps" started going thru my head, you know the line "don't pull on my hand boy, you ain't my man boy". I really just wanted a night to be with some of my girls and hang, ya know? I wasn't out man-hunting. But if I ever am, I know where to go...

HEIDI-your dude was there!!! You know, the old guy with the toupee? The one who called you a "witch"? His name is Mikey, I found out. He didn't sing the witch song, but he sang plenty of other Frank Sinatra-esque songs. Reminded me of that night when he sang to you and you were like "uh, I need a shot". I ran to the bar and took care of you.....

Nature

Sometimes the beauty of Missouri escapes me. Today, I decided to recapture it and I took advantage of the beautiful scenery we have right here in our backyards. I drove around a local park today, taking pictures and just pulling my car over and listening to...NOTHING. The quiet of the woods, the leaves falling. There are still some beautiful leaves out-yellows, oranges and bright reds. They won't be around much longer as winter will settle in soon. And did I mention the elk and buffalo? Oh yea...right up to your car. They were amazing, truly. Just hanging out, eating grass, tearing the bark off trees. There were babies and an adult elk with big freakin antlers. He must have been the leader of the pack. I wonder if they were thinking "what the hell are you looking at?" as all the humans drove by in their cars, snapping pictures of these animals in their natural habitat. A sign to the right stated "bison mating season. proceed with caution". I was thinking in my head that I really hoped I didn't have to actually witness bison mating, so I did what the sign said and I proceeded with caution. Buffalo are cool. They are so huge. One was sticking it's tongue out. I'm sure that was a big "F you" to the humans....

Crying 2

Uh yea......cried at the mall today when they began playing "Lady In Red". The fam knows what I'm talking about.....

Crying

I never was the kind of gal that cried. Hallmark commercials didn't get me, funerals didn't touch me. I cried privately at times, but even that was a rarity and usually when I was really pissed off about something. Nowadays, however, I cry at anything. Now, I'm not talkin the "I'm depressed and can't go on" crying. No, I'm talking "I can't get through 3 minutes of Three Wishes without the tears flowin" crying. I can't watch A Baby Story, A Wedding Story, or even Ryne Sandberg's(formerly of the Cubs) retirement celebration at Wrigley without crying. I've even been known to cry at All My Children, reading greeting cards, and reading emails from various people. Yes, its official, I am a SAP.

What got me today? See page C3 of the West County Suburban Journal. That's right, my sister's engagement announcement is in there. Now, I've seen the picture before (very good, by the way, Red and Jon look fantastic!) and knew the announcement was coming, but still, as soon as I saw it there and read the words, I cried. I was even crying after reading the OTHER PEOPLE'S announcements-I DON'T EVEN KNOW THEM!!! If I'm this bad now, how in the HELL am I gonna get through the wedding? People-start gathering your water-proof mascara now!!!! I am gonna be one big, bubbling idiot. Sister-I'm sorry in advance. You know us Davidsons are NOT pretty cry-ers!!!

Do you have YOUR Warrant/Ivory Tiger ticket yet?

Get to ordering people! It was $17.25 with tax. I'm receiving word from lots of folks that they are going. I can't wait. Did I mention that Ivory Tiger will be playing again later that night? It's double your Ivory Tiger fun! By the way, you can catch Ivory Tiger on a lot of Wednesday nights at Humphreys (the SLU bar)...hey, I could be your promo gal, guys! Do I get a free "I love Ivory Tiger" t-shirt????

Well, I'm off to do what any other self-respecting gal would do on her day off...I'm going shopping. Bye!

WTF?

What kind of world do we live in where someone can make homicidal threats to kill people and the local police elect to not do anything about it? It amazes me that this can happen, but does not surprise me. At the end of the day, all I can do is have the knowledge that I did everything in my power to ensure safety. The above referenced situation still bothers me, I hate cases without resolution, I will have to work through this. What an ending to an otherwise good week.

Welcome to my blog Shauna! You voyeur, you! :) You must register and join the fun. Such a cathartic experience. I realize no one really cares what I think. But if any small bit of my rambling entertains others, then by all means....read on! It makes me feel better to have an outlet.

HEIDI'S BACK!!!! I am so happy! I can't wait to work with ya again, but also hope we can get together outside of work, you know, especially since I'm not your "supervisor" anymore! :)

My work week is over, let the weekend begin. Another weekend with the place to myself as Red and Jon are heading to Perryville for a wedding-have fun! I swear to God I am going to clean my room!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's really happening

The invitations for my sisters wedding came in this week. This has made the wedding all the more real to me. It's really happening! And soon! Less than 5 months now! The realization that my baby sister is going to be a married woman soon hit me hard. Wow. The fact that she is marrying a great guy helps. She found the perfect person for her. All I ever wanted for my sister was someone who would adore her-she found it. Jon will be a great husband, father, brother-in-law, friend. If you think I'm sappy now, just wait until that maid of honor speech! Robert can do funny, I'll do sappy! I truly cannot wait for her big day. It's going to be beautiful, she will be beautiful. Let's just pray for no rain (which is always a crapshoot in April).....Davidson/Baumgart Wedding 2006 is gonna kick ass (watch those Baumgartner women-they know how to party!!!)!!!