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