Happy Halloween!

What a crappy day in St. Louis! It's cold and rainy. Hope the poor kids get their trick or treating in! I, on the otherhand, have to go to work. We are supposed to be dressing up. I'm still lacking energy from not sleeping Sat night, not really feelin it anymore. Maybe I'll wear orange-that'll be fine. I totally slept like 12 hours last night and still feel like it's not enough. I cannot even tell you the last time I was asleep before midnight. I was last nite tho!

I am soooooooo glad that my sis is ok (she knows what I'm talking about). I see things like that, and the fact that baby Nicholas is doing ok, and I know that the power of prayer works! Now if we could just hear about mom.....

Well, here's to a good week. Tomorrow is a very important day in my friend Eric's life. Eric-if you are reading this, I want you to know how very proud I am of you. You are stronger than you'll ever know! I love ya and miss you tons! :)

I'm too old for this....

Yes, Halloween is my favorite time of the year to go out. Nothing like being in the CWE w/all the freaks! I love it! Last night was no exception. Us gals were lookin HOT! Val, that blond wig you gave me did the trick-I was totally lookin like Jan Brady. That thing was itchy tho....and WTF? Me drinking cosmos? Who do I think I am, Sarah Jessica Parker? What a night.....Thanks to my girls Val and Rob for looking out for me last night, doing some screenings to make sure that any potential suitors were acceptable.....we found one! My theory, however, is that guys that are seemingly nice, and dare I say, normal have got to be hiding something...I can't trust it.....it was the blond wig that was attractin' em....sure as hell wasn't that Doors t-shirt! As usual, Jimmy looked freakin scary as hell! We missed our girls Ern and Carrie-it wasn't the same w/out the five of us! :(

I am soooooooo freakin tired today! Lack of sleep will do that to ya! It didn't help that I had to be in to work at noon and it was freakin crazy for the first 3 hours....thank God it calmed down later. I was NOT in the mood for crazy.....

Is is true? Is Heidi back in the States? Call me! Let's get together soon! :)

Ivory Tiger ROCKS!

Mark your calendars people! Ivory Tiger is opening for Warrant on Saturday, November 19. It is a MUST SEE. It's been a while since we've had an Ivory Tiger outing. I can't wait! Who's with me?

Why do I have "Mr Roboto" in my head?

Such random things float through my head sometimes....ok, all the time. "Mr Roboto" is in my head tho and I don't know why....

Ok, so the Blues totally suck. Canada, I got nothin. I can't even talk smack a little bit. It's really taking the fun out of it for me...they are currently 2-5-2. The only good thing they got goin on is that hot goalie (hot as in good looking, not hot as in good), Patrick LaLime. I will take two of him, please. To go.

So, tonight we went to this awesome bar with a tin can theme. Every beer sold there came in a tin can. Of course, all the girls stuck to Bud Light (except for my sister who decided drinking Nat Light all night would be a good idea), while the boys decided to get creative. I saw Schlitz, Old Style, Amstel, Corona, lots of Foster's and some Colt 45. Nice. My sister drank hers with a straw. She also started lip syncing "Black" by Pearl Jam with one of the dinner knives. We had to take it away from her for everyone's safety... It really was a cool place. We got to watch the Blues game ("got to" really is misleading. It was more like we had no choice because that's what was on). Hey Canada-we had a Canadian with us! She's from Toronto though and loves her Leafs! Apparently she hates Patrick LaLime because he used to be Ottawa's goalie-I didn't know there was such a fierce rivalry between Toronto and Ottawa...those Canadians mean business! I told her that if I had to pick a Canadian team, I'd have to go with Vancouver (no, not because my beloved Canada lives there),because I have a mad crush on Markus Naslund...Canada, remember driving me by their arena so I could get a picture of him? I'm a dork.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with all my aunts (and a couple of the girl cousins too). We started this a couple of months back. It's really fun. I love hanging with the fam. I miss out on so much working nights and Sundays, they are kind enough to schedule our luncheons on Saturdays so I can go. I wish my mom and sister were gonna be there, but instead Red and Jon will be in Salem w/mom and dad. At least they get to see Stubby the Wonderdog and Hank the Not-So-Smartdog. I'm jealous...can't wait to go home for Thanksgiving.

Well, I have 7 hours left of being on call and then am free from this phone for another 6 weeks. It's funny that just because you carry the oncall phone people think you will automatically know the answer to whatever they ask. Don't they know I'm making this up as I go along????

Check out my new mini poll..

Stop it you pervs, there really is a mini poll.....located at the bottom of my blog...Thanks Stephen for introducing me to bravenet...now I have found all kinds of crap to add to the blog. Don't ask why my background has been changed to black...it has to do with me being an idiot and not knowing how to do links, then trying on my own and screwing it up. I finally have it all right (I think) and will not mess with it again....

Oh, yea, I forgot to comment on the World Series....SO glad Houston lost (sorry to their like, 20-30 fans). And I'm really happy for the city of Chicago. God knows the Cubs were never gonna give that city a title, so I'm glad the White Sox did...Now, call me delusional, but the White Sox winning gives me renewed hope. They ended a, what, 88 year old skid? The Red Sox last year ended their curse....so, maybe, just maybe, there is hope for my Cubs???? I know, I know....they are historically the crappiest team in baseball, but I, and the rest of the Cubs faithful, will never give up hope. And I am waiting patiently for April-the Cubs will be on year 98 without winning the World Series...

Freaky Friday

I don't really know what that means, but it is the friday of Halloween weekend. I love it! Halloween is my favorite time of the year. The day when you can be a total freak and its ok! I really wish all my girls were gonna be together this year, but poor Carrie is still stuck in Mexico (or as we are now referring to it-"Mexi-hell, Hellexico") and poor Erin has to go home to Iowa and participate in putting the family dog to sleep. Ern, I know how you feel. I was crushed when our beloved Spaz passed away in February. Thank God at least Blossom will be at peace. Poor Spaz was hit by the trash truck....

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Christi. She is the big 3-0 today. Good Lord. I remember meeting her our freshman year of college-just 18 years old. Babies. Has it really been 12 years? Christi and I have laughed together, cried together and drank lots of alcohol together. I remember when we took her to Dent County and let her ride on a real tractor and she thought those little green things on the ground were apples (they were actually walnuts), she also got to see her first skinned deer hanging in Stormy's dads garage. I remember going out with her to buy liquor for the boys because she and I were the only ones who were 21. I remember walking through the streets of New Orleans on spring break, completely wasted, singing, and having the best time of our lives. I also remember Christi acting completely selfless and driving me to St. Louis when my grandmother was dying (because I didn't have a car at the time), she then drove back to Warrensburg (a 4 hour drive) and back to St. Louis that next weekend to take me back. That is a great friend. And though since then she and I have had some ups and downs, we are back to "ups" and I love her dearly. So, happy 30th girl, give me hope that I can live through it when its my turn in Feb!

Stephen-I jacked up my links again. I think I have them back tho. How do you add more than 3? I'm an idiot. I appreciate your help.....

Bart says....

Bart says you are very sweet Heidi, however, it is apparently not in the budget to fly you back here. He is, however, still trying to figure out a way to have you take calls while on Grand Cayman. Also, Amy says "Hi Beautiful". We told old John and Heidi stories tonight (it was a really slow night), nothing but good stories, I promise!

Stephen helped me put links on my blog. I am completely retarded when it comes to these things. I appreciate your help Stephen!

Today was a fabulous day at work. It was nice and quiet, everyone was in a good mood, the clients weren't too crazy! Well, a little crazy, but not too crazy. Today is my friday, thank God! It's Halloween weekend! Yea!!!!!!!!!

Well, still have 45 minutes left of work, guess I better finish my notes....

Happy Birthday Red and Jon!!!

I just want to wish a very happy 27th birthday to my sister and future brother-in-law! Isn't it freaky that they have the exact same birthday, even the same year? It was fate! I hope you guys have a wonderful day, I can't wait for your special birthday happy hour!


For the record, today at work sucked so bad we moved past cranky to laughing hysterically for no reason because we didn't know what else to do. Everything that could go wrong, did. You just have to laugh. I would have killed to have Heidi and John there....seriously. Thank God tomorrow is my friday although I am still oncall until 8am on saturday.

I really don't have much else to say. My brain is fried. My head hurts. All I wanna do is go to sleep, so, I think I will. Good night.

Whatta Day

Whew! What a crazy night at the crisis line! I managed to get out only 45 minutes late, that's pretty good. Thank God I have the ability to multitask and do literally five different things at the same time-I couldn't do my job without this skill. The real challenge is doing it with a smile on your face! Today was not bad-I was almost fueled by the craziness. It was like I worked harder, and gained energy from it, never once feeling overwhelmed. Of course, theres always tomorrow....

Hey Heidi and John-funny story for ya. Today Bart and I were mid conversation about something (I have already blocked out what it was) and out of nowhere he goes "hey, have you talked to Heidi and John lately?". I was like "where did that come from?". But I gave him the latest info: surviving hurricanes, iguanas, med school and your crack infested neighborhood. Did I cover it all? Email the poor guy, will ya? I think he was needing some love today, he seemed a bit out of it.... :)

My dear, dear ex Mike advise me my blog has too many words for him to read it. I'm not sure how to dumb it down, and really think he should have the patience to read it since he is a teacher and all....Mike, I cannot even begin to imagine why we didn't work out... :)

So, I am grateful that all my friends are safe from the hurricane. I am sending quiet prayers out for my mom and sister-they know why-I don't want to advertise it. I know everything will be alright though.

Elizabeth-we must reconnect! Sorry our call was so short! I blame you and your 300 kids... :) (you know I love you!).

Thats all. I'm out. I'm oncall for work the rest of the week and pray I don't get a middle of the night call. Being awakened by "the mexican hat dance" ring tone is not at all pleasant. Trust me.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

My friend Carrie and family are also featured in the St. Louis paper today. Why is it that they can't get a flight out of there but the media has easy access to them? Is that somehow messed up? They are not sure now when they are going to get to go home-they were thinking Thursday, but the airports are now saying next week. I know stir craziness is kicking in for them, I wish there was something I could do to help them. If you wanna see the newspaper article, you cango to www.stltoday.com, their story is on the main page.

Thank God we are in Missouri where all we have to fear is tornadoes and earthquakes.....

Ever experience a hurricane???

This is an excerpt of an email from my friend Carrie, who survived Wilma while vacationing in Mexico:

The past 5 days have been nothing short of a living hell. We are just so glad to be OK. We really, really want to get home... but feel so fortunate to be here to write you...So, Thursday, we were evacuated at 10 as I had written, though at that point... no one knew how SLOW Wilma was actually moving. They postponed our evacuation to noon. And then 2. And then 4. And then finally placed us into a ballroom, the 'safest area of the resort', at 9. Accommodations at that point were fairly comfortable. In a large ballroom with close to 600 others. Though plenty of water, food, and blankets. As the winds picked up, we started to grow more concerned as there was water streaming down the walls, huge crashes and booms against the building exterior, and the doors were starting to give to the gusts, despite the plywood and sandbags.The eye started to enter Playa Del Carmen, sometime in the morning, around 8AM. I can't explain to ANYONE the noise and chaos that a level 5 hurricane produces, though can assure you that I would not even wish this experience on my worst enemy. All was fine until there was a huge gust of wind and an enormous noise. We looked up to see DAYLIGHT IN THE BALLROOM. The hurricane PEELED BACK the ceiling of our shelter. Our only saving grace was that the eye had situated over us, so the air was pretty still and the rain had stopped. Though one more gust of wind lifted the ceiling like a parachute catching air. Bad. We were all scared. Really, Steve and I thought that was it. Thank god, all remained virtually calm... as they systematically removed us from the room. We then were placed into a restaurant until the eye passed, though they got us out with the kids before the gusts commenced again. Every time the wind blew, the doors shook and appeared to be in the danger of giving way. We were quickly moved into a concrete food pantry storage with all of the other families with children, where we remained for the next 2 days.We slept on concrete floors with no belongings other than a little bag where we had rationed food and water. There were approximately 60 people in our small space. It was very wet, dirty, and hot. Taking all into account, however, conditions were as good as they could have been. We had plenty of food and water...There was a lot of standing water and sewage back up, but the resort tried it's hardest to keep us clean and calm.It took FOREVER for this stupid thing to pass. It felt like the rain and wind would NEVER pass. Though we made it. We were finally let out of the shelter yesterday morning,. The resort is trashed. Glass everywhere. Roof shingles. Roofs and large debris. Palms uprooted. The palapas are stripped. Several of the rooms had been blown to bits. That being said, the resort fared better than we had though. Fortunately, this part of PDC has HUGE beach fronts... so we are MUCH better off than the folks in Cancun, despite the hurricane had dropped to a 3 when it finally hit them. We wish we knew how it really hit. The resort next to us went virtually untouched, while the one next to it is GONE, flattened.We are now in a room. All of our things survived, though FILTHY, At this point, we could really care less. We have clean linens, water, food, and beds to sleep on. No electricity, but we do have water (freezing) to stay clean. Parker has been repeating over and over 'I miss Mrs. Rovin and my class'. The boys really need normalcy. They made several friends within the shelter and Parker journaled and drew pictures the whole way through. Though his reoccurring picture was of him standing in front of our house with a HUGE smile on his face. We are all ready to get home and put this behind us. His biggest fear... he will miss Halloween. Their innocence has been refreshing.

My friends in Mexico...

are safe, thank God! They were able to call the States today. Now their only obstacle is getting out of the country. I think we are going out Saturday night for Halloween, can't wait to hear Carrie's stories (no one can tell a story like she can!).

So, the book A Million Little Pieces is a good book, not quite the life altering/fabulous book that it has been portrayed to be, but nonetheless, good. There is something about it that makes you keep turning the pages. Maybe because it is not divided up into chapters....I'm going to recommend it to my team at work tho. It definitely puts you into the mind of a substance abuser-folks we deal with every day. Perhaps it will make us a little more understanding....

Dude....

I am too old to be going out and getting home at 2am...seriously. Although I had a ton of fun last night (the band doing Weezer covers MADE MY DAY!!!!), I am tired today. A night of dancing and being crazy isn't what it used to be. Why are my ears still ringing? The best part was Karen and I walking around telling everyone I was her boss (get it? It was funny, out drinking, being crazy w/THE BOSS). It's just ironic that one of my friends just happens to be on my team at work, thats all. Karen's friends were great, pretty drunk,but great. And who was that boy diggin on me? I'm pretty sure I will never hear from him again, but it was nice to be complimented and having my ass slapped (what the hell?). And Mark actually knows who Ivory Tiger are b/c he works as a bouncer at one of the places they play-he says they rock! We didn't get to go to the Haunted House as planned. As we pulled up, we noticed the huge "SOLD OUT" sign...what? Sold out? So, instead of cutting the night short, we went back to Main Street St. Charles and hit a couple more bars. Now, of course I was not super liquored up-I am oncall for work all weekend!!! But, a good time was had by all. And did I mention I had my ass grabbed?

Car and dog shopping

Oh how I want a new car! I cruised down the new car highway (also known as Manchester Road) seeking pricing info and perhaps a brochure. When I drove onto that Mazda lot, the Mazda3 before me, I saw my future car. My impulsive side wanted to test drive it and bring it home today. My practical side, however, told me to just get some info and come back in the spring. My practical side won. The thought of having a car payment again pains me. And even the thought of giving up the Crapalier pains me. She may have some problems (uh, lets see...the CD player is broken, the trunk won't open, someone gave me a major door ding, the steering wheel is fading, the gas cover thingy broke off, oh yea, and the air conditioning doesn't work), but she and I have been through some good times. Affectionately known as Hot Mama, she has given me 119,000 miles thus far and counting. She really is pretty reliable (although I'm pretty sure she needs new rear breaks-they're not supposed to make noise are they?) and gets me to where I need to go. It'll be a sad day when Hot Mama is retired. An even sadder day when I have a $300 car payment again.....

I also looked at dogs today. I shouldn't do this because they all tear at my heartstrings and I want to take them all home! Once I have my own place again, I will get one. I fell in love with a little gray schnauser today named Jasper. He's older, 6-8 yrs, but was sweet as can be. Some of the other dogs were a little spastic but way cute. Again, my impulsive side said "go ahead, take him home". My practical side said "I don't think Red and Jon would appreciate me bringing a dog home". Again, my practical side won. I figure w/the hours I work and limited space, a small dog, maybe a little older, would work for me. I need one willing to stay inside all day and sleep. Surely I can find one of those. I know whatever dog I get will be spoiled rotten!

I went and got the book that the world is talking about-A Million Little Pieces. I have heard nothing but rave reviews for it-from Oprah to co-workers. Many have said it's the best book they have ever read. I'm intrigued, so.....I'll let ya know what I think of it!

Dump Trucks

I have a thing against dump trucks. As my sister and I were driving down the highway today and some debris fell from the dump truck in front of us, nicking my sister's windshield, I thought "you know, I really don't like those dump trucks". They seem to be everywhere you don't want them to be. They are always spewing crap on your windshield, they're slow and big, and just plain in your way. A couple of years ago, my sister and I were on our way to my friend Sharon's house to pick up a TV I was buying from her, we got off of hwy 70 onto Zumbehl, make a left, stop at the light, and all of a sudden we are rear-ended by a dump truck. Now, luckily, we were in my sisters Jeep Liberty. Had we been in my Crapalier, I may not have been able to type this rant that I am on right now. Though our seatbelts were on, I went slamming into the dashboard, and we hit the car in front of us (that was towing a trailer of some sort). The back end of the Jeep was smashed, as was the guy's trailer. The dump truck driver? On duty, and I swear intoxicated. He even said "man, I'm gonna get in trouble at work". My sister was like "good, you deserve it". After a motorcycle cop took our report, the crisis was over. This story just proves my theory, however. Dump trucks are evil and should be banned from America's highways. Thank You.

Haunted Houses

Why do I put myself through this torture every year? Haunted Houses always seem fun at the time, but once I am there, I am scared to death! The worst experience was two years ago, a huge group of us got one of those package deals where you get to go to two haunted houses for one price. The first one was fine, pretty standard. The second one, however, was just plain wrong. It was a 3-D haunted CLOWN house!! My worst nightmare come true before my very eyes....anyone who knows me knows I absolutely hate clowns. They are agents of satan. I'm sure of it. Seriously, there is no need to have your face all painted up like that! What are they hiding? And don't even get me started on the balloon animals.....So, on Saturday night, we will be going to a new haunted house, its at the old Noah's Ark hotel in St. Chuck. Can't wait. I can't even drink beforehand to calm my nerves b/c I am on call for work all weekend....I can see it now "Uh, hold on a minute, I'd help you with your case, but I just wet my pants, I'll call ya back". Any credibility I might have would go out the window.
I am very excited to be going shopping w/my sister. We have barely seen each other in two weeks (even tho we live together!). I have to get up earlier than I would like, but its worth it to get to spend some time w/her.

Here's the lesson I learned this week. No matter how shitty things get, I always have the power to be the bigger person. Once you learn to let things roll off your back, you're bound to be much happier.

World Series

I am truly sorry the Cards didn't make it. Mainly because I hate the Astros, but also because now St. Louis has nothing going on until April (do you REALLY think the Blues or Rams are gonna do anything?). While I would typically stay true to the NL, in this case I am going to have to defect. I will be cheering for the White Sox. It's been what, 80 some odd years since they've won? Almost as bad as my Cubs. If both the Sox teams can end their curse, maybe my Cubs can as well (wishful thinking?).

So, good luck White Sox. I'm hoping the northsiders of Chicago will be cheering for you. Down w/the Astros!!!!!


P.S. Hey Canada-the Blues have won one in a row. Beat that sucka!!!!!

Hurricane Wilma update...

Thus far, Heidi and John are ok (last I heard anyway from their blog), although Wilma did hit there(maybe it'll wash away some of the iguanas???). Must keep prayers going and add my friend Carrie, her husband Steve and their two boys, Parker and Reed. They are in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and Wilma is supposed to hit there tomorrow. They are holed up in their hotel room, no flights going out to get them back to St. Louis. Wilma is currently a category 5 which I believe is the highest and most powerful a hurricane can be. I just hope and pray that everyone is safe.

God has listened-St. Louis is getting an H&M...

it's the greatest store on Earth. And it opens Friday. Anyone ever been to one? Until now, the closest one was in Chicago. It is a fabulous place to get cute, trendy clothes that are WAY inexpensive. I went once and got a pair of flipflops, a matching bag and a pair of capri pants and spent under $20. I can live w/those kind of prices....So, be there, Friday, The Galleria, my sister and I will be first in line.....

I'm wondering how going to haunted houses Saturday night and being on call for work is gonna work out...what if I am called just as a big scary clown is chasing me? What if I've just wet my pants or had a heart attack? How am I supposed to give my co-workers sound advice after that? I should have thought about that before I switched oncall weekends, huh???? Well, here's to NOT wetting my pants and/or having a heart attack and/or NOT being chased by a clown.

This is why Pujols will be MVP

That dude is amazing! And hot. Last night was just fabulous. Everyone knows I'm not the biggest Cards fan in the world, but even I was caught up in the excitement of that 9th inning home run to take the game from those nasty Astros. Cards fans faith has been renewed! It's back to Busch now, baby! Now, hopefully, my friend Cheryl doesn't have to have a breakdown just quite yet.

Little side note, I was home in Salem a couple of weeks ago with my sister and we were going through old pictures for the customary slide show for her wedding. I begged her not to display my mullet years (4th grade, 1985), but I don't think she listened. Anyway, I was going through one drawer where our mom had saved various clothing items-our dresses from our first day of kindergarten, the outfits we came home from the hospital in, things like that. Now I'm getting to the point of this story.....tucked in the back I discovered this little red t-shirt (3/4 length red sleeves) from the 1982 World Series-yep, the last time the Cards won. I believe it was our grandma who got my sister and I those t-shirts-you may have seen them, they replicated them last year (she also got us autographed pictures of Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee!). Anyway, it brought back all kinds of memories (mind you, I was 6 in 1982) from that series. I remember mom and dad letting us stay up late to watch the games (my sister was 4). I remember how exciting it was even if I didn't understand what was going on. I remember my massive crush on Keith Hernandez (I always was a sucker for first basemen) and my sister's crush on Tommy Herr (ah, those golden curls...). I remember thinking Ozzie Smith was the greatest guy alive because not only was he an awesome shortstop, but he also did flips! I remember Bruce Sutter pitching, and Darrell Porter behind the plate. I remember thinking the baseball Cardinals and the football Cardinals were the same team b/c they both had guys w/the last name of Smith.

I just want to thank that shirt for bringing back such great memories. Even though I took a turn to the dark side in the late '80's and haven't looked back, my childhood Cards memories live on. I hope St. Louis gets to see another run at the championship b/c God knows we won't be seeing much from the Rams (1-4) and the Blues (I think also 1-4). Go Cards!

Praying for my friends in Grand Cayman

Just sending out a prayer to my friends John and Heidi who are currently living on Grand Cayman Island. They are currently under a hurricane watch with Hurricane Wilma possibly heading their way. Who names these things anyway? I pray that Wilma changes her course and that John and Heidi will both will be safe from harm. I plan on keeping an eye on the news. Be safe guys! We'll be praying for you!

Is this the end for the Cardinals?

Say it ain't so. Those damn Astros in the World Series? NOOOOOOO! I truly hope the Cardinals win this series. I don't know what I'll do once I start experiencing Albert Pujols and Mark Mulder withdrawals....I may need detox. Know of any good treatment centers?

If you haven't seen Breaking Bonaduce on VH1, you MUST see it. It's about Danny Bonaduce and his wild adventures. He is freakin crazy! For real Bipolar w/a lovely substance abuse problem. It's a trainwreck-its also must see TV.

FYI to those of you working in social services-tomorrow is the full moon. You know the crazies like to come out when that happens....I may need to have a drink after I come home from the crisis line tomorrow night....

One wild and crazy Saturday night!

Oh yea, home by 10:00pm on a Saturday night....damn, I'm getting old! I went to my co-worker JuJuane's wedding today. It was beautiful and she was a beautiful bride, although I'm pretty sure her dress weighed about 100 lbs. And the eyelashes Tia helped put on were fabulous! Didn't know anyone but my fellow co-workers, Laura (and her husband Jason), Tia, Aisha and Sue and JuJuane of course. There were like 10 bridesmaids, I'm pretty sure I don't even like 10 people enough to want them to be my bridesmaids....all in all, it was a very nice wedding. The wedding coordinator about fell off her chair when I told her I went to the Ludacris and 50 Cent concert this summer. Hey! This white girl knows whats up, ok? I'm totally down....or not.

Where did the weekend go? Already I have to go back to work tomorrow. Ick. At least it's team meeting day...you know where we sit around, talk about work issues for about 2 minutes and then shoot the shit for the next 30....I'm a REAL tough supervisor! My team is the only team that has a mascot though...its a Justin Timberlake bobblehead w/a local realtors face taped to it (don't ask...) wearing a Cardinals hat...I make people carry it in to the board room for our meetings. I know, I need help......at least I have fun! Team Sunday RULES!

Here's to a good week. As my old drunk-ass neighbor used to say "Happy October to ya".

I didn't do a damn thing today...

and it was awesome! I've got the condo to myself this weekend as Red and Jon are in Indiana visiting Jon's grandma. I got up early (well, for me early is 10am) and went to my aunt's house to water her plants as promised while she gets to travel Europe (I'm not at all bitter about that). After that I decided to go apartment hunting. I'm thinking I'm going to move next month if everything works out (financially speaking, of course). I drove by some great places today-I'm looking in the city-no more suburbia for me!!! Now all I gotta do is make some calls and go see some places.
I did go up to Castlewood Park just before sunset to take some pictures. There is a scenic overlook there that is just awesome. You have to hike up a rather steep hill (great for the calves), but up top you have a beautiful view of the river and trees. Unfortunately, most of the trees are still pretty green, not too much color yet. Hopefully in a week or so...
The evening thus far has been a nice, hot bubble bath and reading People magazine. I even treated myself to some ice cream which is a rarity nowadays. And has anyone watched that Amy Grant show "Three Wishes"? I've seen it twice and have bawled like a baby each time. I'm such a sucker for these hard luck stories!
This may sound like a pretty sad Friday night for a single gal. But for me, its perfect.

Sometimes work sucks

today would be one of those times. Maybe its just the after effects of being sick all week, I don't know, but today everyone was annoying me. No one was safe from me. I even took it out on Stephen who I adore-Stephen I'm sorry I was cranky!!!! I really don't like feeling that uncontrolable cranky feeling. Luckily, nowadays, I don't get it too often. I can usually fake it. Not today. Every caller was bugging the crap out of me-what the hell is wrong with everyone in Michigan anyway? It was way busy too which I'm sure didn't help. Thank God for good co-workers. The night ended ok-perhaps it was because I had the realization that I am now off for two days. Enough time to regroup, refocus, and be ready for a new week. I'll be fine on Sunday.

I plan to do some hiking and picture taking tomorrow. The leaves are starting to change a bit, gonna go be at one with nature. This will help me relax and get back my sense of calm. Good times. Saturday is my co-worker JuJuane's wedding. Weddings are always good times no matter what. And weddings with Laura Coleman are even better!!! Now if I could just figure out what I'm going to wear....

The Cardinals lost to the Astros today. I'm sure my dad is saying right now "I told you so. The Cardinals aren't going anywhere. Houston has the best pitching, they're gonna win it all". To his credit, dad has been going with the Astros since before the season started. We have a bet going. I may lose. I hate it when he's right (which is often).

Why girls should love sports

Ladies-its all about the hot men. Seriously. If its not for the love of the game, its about the hot men. The best place to scout hotties is, of course, baseball. I mean, the tight uniform says it all. Let's run down the list: Mark Mulder-H-O-T hot, Albert Pujols-my friend Melinda says his thighs are a work of art. Andy Pettitte-now I hate the Astros, don't get me wrong, but Mr. Pettitte is one nice piece of.......also on my list of hotties are Derek Lee, Kyle Farnsworth, Alex Gonzalez (the one on the Devil Rays), and Scott Rolen's ass. There are plenty more, trust me. Now, we'll move on to hockey. The Blues new goalie, Patrick LaLime is yummmmmy. I'll take two. He's my current new fave. So even though the Blues are horrible, I will continue to watch.
So, girls, get a big group together and go to the games! So you're not looking for the perfect double play, and you don't care about a penalty shot-at least you are there!

Mark Mulder is HOT!!!

That's really all I have to say. He is one fine looking man! Now that I know he lives in Arizona during the offseason, I will DEFINITELY be planning a trip back out west....too bad the Cards don't have their spring training out there! Mark-if you wanna become a Cub, just show up in Mesa around March or so! He is beautiful.......

Back in the land of the living

Day 6 of being sick and I am finally feeling better! That trip to my doctor was worth it, as he gave me the diagnosis I was thinking-I have a sinus infection. Not uncommon for me this time of year. Have you ever had one? They just kick your butt. The main symptom is pure exhaustion, your entire body doesn't want to move. This, coupled with a stuffy nose, sore throat (and a rather raspy voice-sexy, huh?) makes for a long week. Now I have my Z-Pack and some Zyrtec D (I told my doc I didn't want something too sedating-this was the best he could do). I stayed home from work yesterday (as I should have done the previous two days but didn't) and SLEPT. I mean slept-all afternoon, wake for a couple of hours, fall asleep again around 6, my sister brought me some soup (isn't she great?), manage to stay awake for the Blues game (they finally won!), get drowsy again around 9, finally sleep for the rest of the night around 11:30, don't wake up until 11 today! And now I'm back! That's all I needed folks! At least I can move today...I think perhaps I am motivated by the fact that the leaves are finally starting to turn outside. As my dad said, this is one of the latest falls he can remember. There is a maple tree outside my window that is turning a beautiful shade of red. This makes me happy and motivated to feel better so I can do some hiking and picture taking this weekend. Z-Pack-do your job!!!!

I hate being sick

Since Friday, I have felt like I was hit by a Mack truck. Being sick is no fun. Especially when you have no time to properly rest as life duties such as work call your name. The sinus and congestion pressure is so bad it feels like someone is pushing on my face and sitting on my chest (maybe they are and I'm just totally out of it). And now that my stuffy nose is draining, well, trust me, its gross......Although I am not calling in sick (truly out of a sense of duty-all the other supervisors are off today) today, I need to as my body is telling me I need to sleep, and take some more Nyquil...that stuff is a godsend! I did break down and agreed to go see my doctor. I'm guessing I have a sinus infection, which is fairly common for me this time of year, but I'll let my doctor make that call tomorrow morning. Till then, I will continue to dope myself up with Motrin Cold and Sinus during the day and Cherry Nyquil at night.....good times.

Stubby the Wonderdog, Part 2

Last night, Stubby discovered her own reflection in the mirror. It didn't go well. She managed to sucker us into letting her in the house (its the country-dogs live outside!), she ran straight for my parents bed as per usual (she really likes pillows), and was laying at the foot of the bed, being a good girl, no big thang, that is, until she stood up. Once she saw herself in the mirror, she started barking and growling-she clearly did not know it was her. My mom, brother and I could do nothing but laugh b/c it was hilarious! She wouldn't stop growling.....just when we thought she was kinda bright, she proved that perhaps she isn't so much. Meanwhile, Hank was outside barking his head off b/c he was stuck outside by himself....seriously, they are the funniest animals I have ever encountered!

Stubby The Wonderdog and other adventures...

My parents have the craziest dogs! There's Stubby, a little, furry, wienerdog/collie-looking dog and Hank-a big, giant, part Newfoundland/part something else dog with the biggest head I have ever seen. The two of them are like Mutt and Jeff. Stubby hops when she runs to you, like a rabbit-it is freakin' hilarious. When Hank looks at you, he stares, and it is clear that there ain't much going on in that head of his....Hank is the one who was shot this summer-yes, for real shot, with a gun. It was a horrible day, we thought he was going to die as he was covered in blood, but Hank made it through. He had two bullet holes in him that had to heal, but other than that, he is fine. My mother has spoiled both of them by feeding them doggie cookies after dinner. They don't have the recommended amount of 3, oh no.....they have more like 10 each! I took pictures of them this weekend just because they are so funny! My parents have a bench on their front porch that we like to sit on and just relax. Little Stubby likes to jump up there with you and sit in your lap. Apparently Hank was jealous of this (Hank weighs a good 70 lbs, mind you), and today decided he was going to sit on the bench too...so, he climbed his fat self up, my mom and I had to get up as he took up the whole bench-then he just sat there and stared at us. He stares a lot. Not a smart dog by any means. They also talk. It's true. Hank has this really deep voice and will respond when you talk to him, it really sounds like he is saying "woof". Stubby talks too, and they like to out talk each other. I just thought I'd share some of their adventures. They are hilarious.

The power of a small town

My hometown amazed me tonight. The town put together a benefit to support the Cahill family-this is my dear, dear friend Elizabeth's family-her mom, Mrs. Cahill, has cancer and is in the midst of chemo in Columbia. This woman has been through a lot-she gave birth to FOURTEEN children, for God's sake! Tonight, I saw my hometown (that I know I like to joke about) act selflessly. I saw people donating money they don't have-there was an auction, and someone actually paid $150 for a pie! I think some cupcakes went for $100. It was great. All the money goes towards Mrs. Cahill's treatment and to support the family. I pray she is able to fight the cancer and be able to return home. Elizabeth-your mom and your entire family are in my prayers. And, by the way, Lizzard-I MISS YOU!

Why I love Canadians

1. They have great accents, plus many speak French, which is way hot! (all I can remember is je suis fatigue and je suis mal la tete)
2. They seem to be a fun loving people (yes, I am generalizing here), at least all the ones I've met are.
3. They are so cute because they honestly think Molson is good beer.
4. Watching Hockey Night In Canada on CBC is practically a religion-if you don't, the Mounties may come and get you.
5. They have hot older brothers and tolerate their friends harrassing them about this.
6. Their identities can remain "anonymous", yet people know who they are.
7. They are great tour guides-I recommend going to the suspension bridge in Vancouver, unless of course, you value your life. Then it's best you just stay on the ground.
8. They have a sense of humor when their ignorant friends arrive at the airport to pick them up holding signs that read "Welcome to our country!". They also let you call them "Canadian Bacon" without taking offense.
9. They help keep you awake when you are driving from Alabama to Missouri doing an all-nighter. Sure, delirium may set in, but you still have a good time...
and last but not least,
10. They have the ability to make me laugh even if via the internet nowadays, AND, even though you may go years without seeing them, you know that you will be friends forever, no matter what and that the Canadian in YOUR life will forever be one of your favorite people. I miss my favorite Canadian, even if he is a Red Wings fan. I miss his hot brother too.

Sincerely,
Yankee Doodle

this job of mine....

What nuttiness that goes on at the crisis line! I suppose, of course, that this should be expected, given this is a refuge for the mentally ill, but still, tonight was especially nutty. From the lady who thinks there are demons working at Wal-Mart (which may or may not be true) to the lady who thinks George Clooney is the devil and is stalking her, it is never boring at my job. We have really great folks working here all of which have a health sense of humor. It truly is not that we are making fun of our callers, rather, our jobs are quite stressful and a little humor to relieve stress is healthy. We need it in order to stay sane ourselves. The line between sanity and insanity is a very thin one. At the end of the day, however, I truly love my job. My team of 16 that I supervise is fantastic, a great bunch of people. My fellow supervisors are wonderful as well (I'm really just saying that because I know Stephen will read this). I think I am finally settling into the supervisor role. It's taken me 6 months, but I think I am starting to get the hang of things. This could be my own delusional perception, I don't know.

Dear "Random Person",

Oh, I know your identity all right, but I will not out you at this time.....As for your comment that the Blues suck and Detroit rules...well, the Blues suck part is absolutely correct, I'm not so sure about this geriatric version of the Red Wings.....I wasn't mad b/c the Blues lost yesterday, I was mad b/c the Blues lost to the Wings. I hate it when Random Person is right.....

Hey, Random Person-I was thinking about you the other day. The combination of Weezer, the Foo Fighters and hockey remind me of the times when we blasted the stereo in your dorm room (usually was Weezer's "Pinkerton" and Foo's "The Colour and the Shape") and had hockey fights in the hallway, both w/our jerseys on-I challenge you to a rematch fool!!!!

I don't want to talk too much smack as I don't want the Canadian Mounties to ride down and get me......I'll leave you with this: "Oh Canada, our home and native land. True patriot love, in all thy son's command....."

P.S. Random Person, I think your "Random Brother" is way hot....not as hot as you, of course, but still way hot! :)

Rockin' The Bitches Since 1994

I want that Weezer T-Shirt-"rockin the bitches since 1994". LOVE IT! Well, let me just say that last nights Weezer and Foo Fighters show was the greatest thing ever!!! They rocked hard core! That Dave Grohl can scream! Weezer was awesome-Rivers didn't wear his "Buddy Holly" glasses tho, and I'm pretty sure I saw a bald spot, but he was still adorable in his jeans and long sleeve shirt (even tho it was like 107 degrees in the Assembly Hall!). They only did one Pinkerton song ("El Scorcho", and Rivers got craaaazy! He even slammed down the mike stand-it was the most animated I've ever seen the guy be), the rest were a good mix of the other 4 albums, most, of course, from the new album. Rivers at one point said "We're so excited to be here that we even learned a Foo Fighters song", and then they played "Big Me". It was awesome! Rivers even played the drums while Pat (the drummer) sang and then began playing that one Blur song-you know-the one that goes "Woo Hoo"???Rivers also did a killer acoustic version of "Island in the Sun". I knew every word to every song they played-what can I say? I love them!!! The best was the very end when tons of confetti was shot into the air-all of which had little Weezer "W's" all over them...of course I snagged some-gotta have it for the scrapbook! No wait, the real best part was when they re-introduced the giant lit up "W" on the stage-this is their trademark and they hadn't been using it on their sets, but it was back last night! I managed to get a way cool picture of it w/the camera on my phone-it is now my wallpaper! The Foo Fighters were great too. I am intrigued by that Dave Grohl. There's just something sexy about a guy who can rock hard and is funny too! I'm pretty sure he was drunk last night tho-he even chugged a beer on stage and encouraged people to give each other hickies....he said "if you ever jump in the sack with Dr. G, you never know where the hickies will end up"....nice. They did all their standard songs-the singles. Dave Grohl cussed a lot, at one time dedicating their very first song (can't remember the title, but its something about fingernails...) to all the "old mother f***ers out there". It was fab.
Champaign is a pretty cool town. I loved the downtown area w/all its cafes, shopping and bars. I recommend visiting. Wish we could have stayed longer.
We got back into St. Louis today in time to watch the first Blues game after a years absence. It was a huge let down, since they lost 5-1 to the freaking Red Wings, but it was still great to have hockey back. I said they were gonna have to earn back my loyalty, but after 5 minutes of tonight's game, I was definitely back! We watched the baseball playoffs tonight too. I was happy to see the Yankees lose. The Cardinals are on tomorrow at 3:00, they are up by a game. Good luck!
Well, thats all for now. More rambling later!

Random people-GO AWAY!!!

Seriously, you random strangers, please stop w/the posting on my blog! Does anyone know how to prevent this? I am a blogging virgin and am unsure about the settings....And Stephen-you are gonna have to re-teach me how to do the linkage thing...then I will be more than happy to have a link to your blog. Perhaps I can help you in your hick-hop advertising, Dr. Bourke.

I suppose it is technically Tuesday now. I get to see Weezer today! Yee haw! I love them as much as I love my Cubs, as much as I love scrapbooking, as much as I love, well, just about anything! I am also looking forward to hanging w/my brother for a couple of days. He's one cool kid. We always have a good time together.

Eric-the beard wasn't all that scary, but I prefer the before version. Grizzly Adams was a scary guy....

My random question/observation of the day: Does anyone else think that Nicolas Cage is creepy? I mean, if I was Meg Ryan in City of Angels, I would have been way freaked out if ol' Nick Cage suddenly appeared in my bed...I think its a combo of his voice, weird hair line and his eyes-he is just way freaky. My sister feels the same way, she may even feel more strongly about it than I do. And now his 20 y/o wife just had his baby? Gross.

Go Cards-you play in about 11 hours-may you kick the crap out of the Padres!

If you're hung over in another country...

does it really even count? This is a question that warrants further discussion. My friends Heidi and John are basking away in Grand Cayman. Ok, not really "basking" so much as it is John working his butt off in med school and Heidi fighting giant killer lizards at every turn.... My guess is that the island beverages are rather potent. Having never left the country myself, I am depending on those two to do some research for me....Heidi, let me know what you come up with. I expect a full report when you come home in December. And to answer the first question, I'm pretty sure it doesn't really count-so drink on!

For you sports enthusiasts, the MLB playoffs begin tomorrow. Now, everyone who knows me knows I am a die-hard Cubs fan. You also know that they played their last game yesterday because they suck hard-core. It is now time for me to switch allegiances (for the playoffs only, mind you) and become a Cardinals fan. Now, I always like them 2nd best next to my Cubs, and fully recognize that they have some of the hottest men in baseball on their team (hello, Mark Mulder!!!!). Given the other teams that made the playoffs, rooting for the Cards is a no brainer. I wish them luck, truly I do. Besides, I absolutely hate the Braves, Astros and the Yankees. I have no thoughts on the Padres whatsoever, and really don't so much care about the American League, so....GO CARDS!!!!!! Melinda, my dear friend in Green Bay, please play the Cardinals Drinking Game w/out me-this game consists of taking a drink everytime the camera shows the asses of Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds or Scott Rolen (who is out and for this game will be replaced by Mark Mulder). It's a great game, if you've never played.

Tomorrow night, Tim and I will be in Champaign, Ill. to see the greatest band on earth, Weezer (and also the Foo Fighters). The Weezer show in July was the best ever, and I totally cannot wait to see them again tomorrow night!!! ROAD TRIP!

For once....

couldn't the Cubs have won today? Huh? I soooo did not want the Astros in the playoffs. All the Cubbies had to do was win one little game, produce a tie between Houston and Philly, and decrease the Astros chances. But no, it wasn't to be. My boys finished the season 4 games under .500 and 4th in the Central-behind even the lowly Brew-Crew. It was a sad, sad year to be a Cubs fan. I actually prefer the years prior to 2003 when you expected the Cubs to be crappy and you didn't care if they only won 60 games. The Cubs of 2003 spoiled us all, and actually ruined the mystique. When they won the division and actually made the playoffs, we had hope. Hey! Maybe this is the year the damn Billy Goat Curse ends. Well, that didn't happen, but it created the thinking that this team is good and should contend every year. It gave us false hope. Perhaps they are on their way to being the consistently crappy Cubs of old. One can only hope. Till then, as every great Cubs fan says-THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR!!!!!

the word that comes to mind is....horrifying

Getting measured for a bridesmaid dress. It may be one of the most horrifying experiences ever. I was doing ok today, they get your 3 basic measurements, then look on a chart to see what your size should be. The final number was two sizes bigger than I wear in normal clothes, but was still single digits, so I was pretty pleased. I was thinking "yea, this dress gig ain't so bad". That was until.............the dress shop called all of us girls mid-lunch (we had headed to Yia-Yia's for some post measurment nourishment) to advise us that they had looked at the wrong sizing chart so they had to redo the sizes using our measurements....and we all got BUMPED UP A SIZE!!!! What little self esteem I did have went completely out the window. And I decided not to finish the bowl of pasta in front of me....I know, I know, its just a number. But it plays tricks w/your mind. It's a girl thing. Or maybe a totally, self-concious, insecure, low self esteem girl thing.

In fun news, my sister and I were cruising down Hwy 141 this morning on our way to the dress shop, when a blue mini van went cruising by us and the woman in the back seat was waving at us. I thought perhaps she was waving b/c my sister was stuck behind this a-hole who was going about 30 in a 45....but, no...we caught up to the mini van, and wouldn't you know it, it was Chris Mayer, my boss! It was too funny, we played highway tag for a bit, Travis was leading the way. Unfortunately for him, my sister has a lead foot, and we soon left the mini van in the dust.....