Invent this

So, there Michele and I were, sweating our asses off this morning on the treadmill when we had what we thought was the greatest idea ever. Wouldn't it be cool, we thought, if there were fans ON the treadmill to keep you cool? Thinking of the possibilities and the millions we were about to make, we came up with an action plan. First thing we needed to do was come up with a financial backer. Since we asked Dr. Beach to fund our last venture (liposuction), we figured we'd ask him to be our silent partner....with a 20/40/40 split of the profits (he being the 20...we thought that was more than generous). So, we marched into his office to tell him about our great idea, sure he was gonna be willing to back us when he pulled up THIS on his computer: Seems "our' great idea, has already been thought of by someone else...who knew???? Dejected, we realized that millions of dollars were NOT gonna fall into our laps, but never fear, we are working on new (and hopefully original) ideas as we speak........DT, I thought it was gonna be my ticket to Sugar Mama status, but to no avail. I still have like 9 days to make that happen.......

Yet another weekend is over and yet another Monday is upon us

For a Monday, today isn't so bad. Except our database decided to crash, so, with nothing to do, I'm blogging (I mean, just sitting here and looking pretty only gets me so far). Let's recap the weekend, shall we?

Friday night, I went to happy hour with Tanya and Allison. I was excited about our choice of locations because it's a sports bar and I was fairly certain they'd be airing the Cubs game (along with, of course, the Cardinals game). The bar didn't disappoint....but the Cubs did. Down 5-3, it was looking fairly grim. Cards fans were laughing because they were winning, I couldn't take the public harassment, so I went home (ok really it's because we were tired but whatever). So, I get home only to discover that the Cubbies had taken the lead in the 9th.....AWESOME! They ended up winning which, along with getting to chat with my Canadian, totally made my night!

Saturday was an un-fun day as my parents were in town to attend Mitch's memorial service. I seriously felt like hurling, those kind of things just make me so anxious. Anyway, it was very sad but ended up being ok. It was a reunion of nearly everyone my parents hung out with back in the day. And by "back in the day", I mean the early '70's. I think my dad was horrified by some of the stories they were telling, especially when he was the subject matter. I assured him that at 32, I was neither naive nor shocked by their revelations and that I still think he is the awesomest daddy ever! :) After the long afternoon spent at the funeral home, mom and dad and I went out to dinner (minus Grandpa who informed us he couldn't join us because he had a date...what the????) and then spent the rest of the evening watching baseball.

Sunday, I went to church with the fam then worked at the crisis line for five hours (that's when we got bored and invented the office Olympics-by the way, Jasmine has suggested Stapling be added as an event....). After that it was fun stuff like grocery shopping, laundry and getting to talk to both my sis and my Canadian on the phone-good day for me, getting to talk to two of my favorite people! ;)

And now, it's Monday. Yet another person has resigned, which is job security for the rest of us. Is that wrong to think of it that way?

Hi Jazzy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From one strong black woman to another....... :)

Happy Birthday Amy Henson!!!!

Today is my girl Amy's 27th birthday (ok, so she's not REALLY 27, but it sounded good). Have a GREAT day Aim! I'll miss you terribly this week while you're on vacation! :)

The office Olympics

My crisis line co-workers and I have come up with a new sport-the office Olympics. All of us have been inspired by the 2008 games in Beijing and thought that there should be a competition involving the things we do on a daily basis. For instance, if there was the Sarcasm Olympics, I would totally medal. Probably multiple times. I mean, DUH.

So, some events in the office Olympics could include:

1. Typing (both individual and relay)
2. Post-It Note writing (Chad thinks he has this one in the bag)
3. Internet Surfing (an event I've medaled in twice before)
4. Gossiping
5. Facebook profiling
6. Supervisor Harassment
7. Bitching
8. Multi-tasking
9. Phone dialing
10. Transferring calls (relay event) (Tanya currently holds the crisis line record, she's going for the World Record on Tuesday)
11. Paperclip Chain Making
12. Finding One-Eared and Two-Eared headsets
13. Who can ignore the TTY the longest????
14. Who is the most database retarded?


Please let me know if you'd like to enter any of the events.

Sincerely,

The Office Olympics Coordinator

How did Aramis Ramirez get a hip contusion....and how can I help?

Yes, I'm being a dirty pervert, it's true. Here's hopin' our sexy lil 3rd baseman heals quickly...if he needs any help with that hip bruise, I'm his gal! ;) A quote from Rami-"I couldn't breathe down there," Ramirez said. "I thought it was real serious, because I couldn't breathe, but I'm good now." Ah, again, my offer of assistance is still on the table.....
Um, was Theodore Roosevelt Lilly about to get in a fight last night? Sure, he almost hit some dude (name not important...it's really because I can't remember it) with the ball and it kinda pissed the dude off-I mean the dude started to charge the mound and Ted "I'm a Closet Bad-Ass" Lilly is like "bring it fool, cuz I will CUT YOU". I have never been more attracted to him...... :)

Speaking of hot, did anyone see Michael Phelps in the 200 meter freestyle last night? It wasn't even close people! The other guys should have just sat on the side of the pool and let Phelps go. Yet another world record, yet another gold (that's six now!). The boy is amazing.

So, the Cubbies swept the Braves, that makes them all hot (even that Hank White with his tats and mullet). They're playing the Marlins this weekend....the Fish have always had the Cubs number for some reason, so it will be interesting to see how this weekend plays out. Suddenly, I'm craving seafood.......

Happy 30th Birthday Maggie!

Happy 30th birthday to my friend Maggie today (man, my friends are YOUNG!). I hope you have a GREAT day Maggie! Don't know if I'll be able to join the birthday dinner tonight since I have to work, but I'll be there in spirit for sure! If not, I'll see ya next week at book club!

Let's play two.....everyday!

I don't know if anyone knows this, but I, Kerri M. Davidson, am in love with the Chicago Cubs. The whole team. I can't even pick just one to love because there's a different hero every day (although Rami will always be my fave). How bout that double header sweep of the Atlanta "We're not the team we were in the '90's" Braves? Yowza. Not only did the Cubs win both games, but they KILLED the Braves, showing no mercy along the way. Yes, Soriano was showboating a bit (did anyone see John Kruk GO OFF on him on Baseball Tonight? Johnny Boy, calm down, you're gonna give yourself a heart attack!), but he apologized to Sweet Lou and the team, so all is good in the hood.

This team is now TWENTY SIX games over .500. I can't even fathom that, really. Apparently it's the first time since 1984 that that's happened, and I don't remember 1984, so it doesn't count. :) Is it wrong that one of the reasons I want the Cubbies to do so well is to be able to prove all the naysayers wrong? And to win my $100 from my little brother? Is it?

Rest in peace Mitch....we're sure gonna miss you

Ugh, I am so profoundly sad today. Our good family friend, Mitch Stauffer, passed away today after a long, hard battle with cancer. I think it is still sinking in that he's gone. He'd only been home from the hospital a week. Wow. I just can't help but to think of his poor wife, Bonny and their son, Billy. I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose your husband or your father. It's hard enough losing a friend-someone you've known your entire life. Someone your dad has known since they were punk kids growing up on the streets of Hazelwood, Mo. :) It's just tough. This is the part of life that really sucks, ya know?

I think the thing I'll miss the most about Mitch is the light he brought into a room. The man could tell himself some stories! Sure, most of them were a bit exaggerated, but they were always funny (and almost always involved some detail about my dad beating someone up when they were kids....). :) Mitch loved to laugh, loved to entertain and God did he love to go fishing! He was just a great, great guy, with a big heart and he is going to be missed by so many people.

Having just gone to a wake last night, I must now prepare myself for yet another round. I'm calling an end to all this sadness after this one, ya got it? I've had my fill. Hit my quota. Thanks. My family will be in town to attend the memorial this weekend and to pay our last final respects to a man who I know is watching down on us all tonight. I'm really gonna miss him and am just so thankful I got to see him a couple of times recently. I will forever hold on to those memories.

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

Happy 17th birthday to my baby cousin Chelsea today! Have a good one girl. Your old lady cousin loves ya. I'll see you soon!

Grandpa's driving.....A Survivor's Tale

The whole purpose of me driving to Grandpa's house yesterday was so that I could drive us to this wake we had to go to in South County, NOT for him to insist on driving. The man is a maniac on wheels. The trip started out ok, we went and picked up Uncle Jimmy and immediately they argued about the best route to take to get to the highway (these are the same two that have the Reggie Jackson argument-the fam knows what I'm talking about). I just sat in the back seat shaking my head and muttering under my breath a lot (Uncle Jimmy could hear me and would laugh, Grandpa had no clue, and really, I wanted him to concentrate on the road). I swear to God it took us an hour and a half to get to South County (from NoCoMo it is seriously a day trip...especially with rush hour traffic). At one point he got on the topic of actuaries (DT, I swear I have no idea how that happened!) and how those in the actuarial world are probably pretty pissed at him (his words, not mine) because he's outlived their life expectations. This is when I informed him that he was probably gonna outlive most of us, so that would REALLY piss off the actuaries......Grandpa is a hot mess, people. The wake was as expected-sad, but it was good to see Rich and I know he appreciated us being there (and he has always been entertained by Grandpa, so I'm sure his presence was a real treat for him). After we paid our respects and spent some time catching up with Rich, Grandpa decided he needed dinner. Now you should know something about my Grandpa-when he decides he's hungry, he has to eat RIGHT THEN (right Aunt Jan???). :) So we stopped to eat at none other than....Denny's (because, where else besides Bob Evans does an 80 year old man like to eat?). Eating dinner with my Grandpa in public is always a challenge-he's a bit feisty and speaks his mind. I immediately felt bad for our waitress, when she brought him his coffee, he insisted that she send it back because it was too full ("well, I don't have room for my creamer"). He was dead serious and sent the poor girl to dump some of it out (I made eye contact with her, silently apologizing for this crazy old man's behavior. Then again, she works at Denny's so I'm sure she's used to crazy old people). After dinner, we finally headed back to North County, Grandpa discussed several topics (I'm pretty sure he brought up actuaries again) and at one point, Uncle Jimmy pointed out that there was a chair in the road-not in our lane, thank God, but in the lane next to us. Well Gramps totally didn't even see it, but started turning around to look at it as we passed it....and yes, was NOT watching the road. In that moment I was pretty convinced we were spending our last night on Earth.......Good news, we made it home alive and well and then I headed on into the city..........

When I arrived home (and mind you, it is now 9:30pm), I saw that my building and several of the surrounding buildings were all dark. Strange, I thought. So, I stumble inside (you try climbing the stairs in total darkness) and quickly get that the power is out. Totally for reasons unknown since there were no storms (and typically, even when we do have storms, my part of the street never loses power). I called AmerenUE who only confirmed what I already knew to be true. My only option at that point was to go to bed. So, I tried, but YOU try lying there when it's hot and stuffy and DEAD SILENT. I couldn't do it. So I was totally still awake when my fan kicked on at around 2:30am, power restored, thank God. What a hot mess.

So, today I'm quite sleep deprived, but still managed to drag my butt out of bed and come to work early so I could work out with Amy. Working out is SO much easier when you have someone else doing it with you. We powered through the Forest Trail on the treadmill this morning-HOLLA! We're pretty much bad ass.

Weekend recap

A house we spotted in Illinois on the way to Fast Eddie's. We called it the "lego house". Ain't it pertty?

Ugh, it's Monday again. I'm bound and determined to make it a good day, but with a wake to go to after work, the odds of it being a "good" day are slim. Let's recap the weekend first.

Friday was a totally non-eventful day (just how I like 'em). Saturday, I entered the day with grandiose ideas of all the things I was gonna get accomplished that morning....yea, didn't do any of them, but I DID go drink beer with Mike and Bruce at Fast Eddie's and a good time was had by all. Here's me and Mike....aren't we cute? He's my favorite.How many pictures of this can one girl have???

Ok, so Mike kept telling this dude (also named Mike) that 1. I have fake boobs and 2. that I'm really a man. I'm not sure why Michael was doing those things, but sure glad HE thought it was funny.....Mike and his friend Kristin. Mike, did you ever confess your hair affair to her?

me and Mikey again.Mike and Bruce-"the girls".me and Bruce. Precious, huh?

The Cards/Cubs game was, of course, on at the bar. What a bad day I picked to watch my Cubbies in public. In a VERY uncharacteristic game, Carlos Zambrano was AWFUL (although that home run he hit was hot....too bad he gave up FOUR) and the Cubs lost 12-3. Yikes. I had nothing when people started harassing me at the bar. Nothing. Anywho. So once I returned home, my friend Renee called me. With threats of cutting herself if she didn't get out of the house, I knew I had to act fast, so we went out to dinner. OMG, Red Robin is SOOOOOO good. I heart it. Well, except for all the screaming kids. That's the worst part about that place.

Sunday, I went to church with Grandpa (who was wearing the cutest little polka dot tie!). We stayed after to meet the new pastor (that's now three female pastors to one male-GIRL POWER!). Grandpa (who typically isn't real fond of the female pastors) decided he likes the new pastor because she's ex-military. And because she outranks him. :) I'll be seeing Grandpa again today as we will be attending a wake for my "uncle" Rich's mom. She passed away on Saturday morning. I hate, hate, HATE wakes/funerals (does anyone like them, really?), but want to be there to support Rich who has lost so much in his life. Life isn't fair, and sometimes it downright sucks, but hopefully today he will feel that support. Quite honestly, I don't want Grandpa driving, hence why I suggested we go together (the man was doing 50mph down New Florissant Road yesterday! I couldn't keep up with him as I followed him back to his house!). Please keep the Eckert family in your thoughts/prayers. Thanks.

7 up, bitches!

Tony LaRussa needs a haircut. And an attitude adjustment. I don't know what all went down with him and Jimmy Baseball, but suffice it to day, TLR is an arse. Did you see his little interview during the game? The idiot twins, Joe Morgan and Jon Miller, tried to get him to compliment Jimmy's fan-tab-u-lous catch to rob Chris "I'm getting ready to go back on the DL" Carpenter of a base hit. LaRussa's response? "It was a great hit by Chris". Ummm....maybe, but you just can't admit that Jimmy Gold Glove still gots it, can ya? Sore loser. Ok, so I've previously confessed my crush on Lou Piniella. I believe tonight I actually sent Erin a text (because we like to text during the games) that said something to the effect of "Lou Piniella's a sexy bitch". Which prompts me to ask....which old guy manager is hotter? Lou Piniella, Tony LaRussa or Ned Yost? You decide.

How bout the Cubbies defense tonight? Yowza! Every single player just looked so damn good tonight! And that Ryan Dempster....could he have possibly been any better? Did you see his interview? He sounded so.......adorably Canadian (and everyone knows I'm a sucker for dudes with a Canadian accent!). Tonight was a great win, and totally negates the 12-3 loss yesterday (hope you enjoyed that one Cards fans cuz guess what, the weekend is over and you're still SEVEN GAMES BACK-whew, the longer the season goes on, the bitchier I get!). I was almost able to get over the fact that Joe Morgan and Jon Miller are arguably the worst announcers in the history of baseball (I mean seriously, hang it up already boys. Collectively you're like 175 years old....).

The Cubbies have an off day tomorrow, so I will be lost and aimless without a Cubs game to obsess over. Good thing I have a worthy replacement....and that is............watching Michael Phelps swim. God help me but he is a beautiful boy and I am not ashamed to admit I am having impure thoughts......... ;) Suddenly I have the words to "I'm Proud To Be An American" in my head.....I really wasn't so much into the Olympics and was starting feel like maybe I was a Nazi because of it, but Michael Phelps has changed my mind. Hell, I even sat through some gymnastics something or other earlier today and even caught some fencing last night (I don't even know what fencing is, but the US of A apparently took all three medals...not too shabby!).

For all you haters out there, it is now 8/10 and the Cubbies show no signs of stopping. Now, I know the old saying, that Cubs stands for "completely useless by September" (my darling little brother even owns a shirt reminding me of it), but I'm telling you, there is something magical about this year. Sure, the odds of them finding some way to break my heart are high, I mean they are after all, the Cubs, but for the time being let this delusional little Cubs fan have her dreams ok? Thanks.

Hank White, will you marry me?

I love myself some Henry Blanco, AKA Hank White! The Cubbies beat the Cardinals 3-2 in 11 innings today. HOLLA! I totally don't get intentionally walking Fukudome to LOAD THE BASES WITH NO OUTS, but whatever Tony LaRussa...I'll take it! Hank White showed you why you don't mess with a man with tats and a mullet! Jimmy Baseball, I want to be your next baby mama (he already has like two or three, what's one more?)-two homers against your former team today...mama like! I'm so excited I could hurl.

To quote Steve Goodman-Go Cubs Go!

106.5 The Arch

I can't stop listening to this radio station, it's kinda like crack, and I don't know why. My friend Carrie calls it the "schizophrenic station" because the mix of music is unlike any radion station I've ever listened to...I'm talking Boston one minute and Paula Abdul the next. I've heard more Foreigner songs than I ever thought possible (and thanks to one DJT, I actually knew that it was Foreigner, I have officially been schooled in what is and is not cool, apparently). A couple of weeks ago when I heard "Rosanna" by Toto, I had it in my head for nearly a week. I've heard Milli Vanilli, John Mellencamp (back when he was still "Cougar"), LOTS of Phil Collins (with and without Genesis), I've heard "Jive Talkin" several times (is that the Bee Gees?), more ACDC than I care to mention (I swear they play "Highway to Hell" at least once a day) and a fine assortment of 80's and 90's favorites, among them Young MC's "Bust a Move" and Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which, incidentally, is now the song on my MySpace page. Holla!

Ok people, let's focus. It is a Cardinals and Cubs weekend y'all. This is VERY IMPORTANT, got it? Michael-no whining about me talking about the Cubs on my blog.....I am so excited I could scream (and I might if the Cubs lose). The game is at 1:20 today, meaning I will have to "watch" it at work (ah, the beauty of the internet), I plan to space my work around the game, because as I told DT this morning, a girl has to have her priorities in place. I am so in love with the Cubs, it's almost scary and bordering on psychotic. :)

Other than the Series of the Century, not much else going on this weekend. I think I've decided to treat myself to a pedicure (hey it's pay week and, let's face it, my feet are lookin' ROUGH). Nothing like having some sweet little Vietnamese lady scrub all the rough skin off your feet all the while chattering in Vietnamese about your nasty toes to her cohorts. You know they totally talk about us. It's cool though, as long as my feet look pretty in the end. I actually have a hard time with pedicures because I HATE people touching my feet. They are very ticklish and it drives me absolutely crazy to have people touch them (and NOT in a good way). Still worth it to have nice lookin' toes. :)

I am not working at all this weekend (thank God). Mikey has invited me to a possible outing to Fast Eddies, a place I ALWAYS love, so that may be in the cards. Otherwise, I'm just gonna watch some baseball, pray to the baseball gods and watch some more baseball. Peace.

10 and 2 baby, 10 and 2

Mike says I drive like an old grandma. He may be right. There I was, minding my own business this morning driving to work (going just slightly over the speed limit) when I see this silver Honda FLY past me. Oh, I knew it was Michael alright. When we got to work (at the same time mind you, guess all that speeding and driving like a mad man really paid off, huh Mikey?), I reminded him that the speed limit is 55 mph-this is when he accused me of driving like an old granny. Whatever.

So, for the first time in a long, long time, I have absolutely nothing to do this weekend....and I couldn't be happier about it. Priority #1-the Cubs are playing the Cardinals this weekend at Wrigley. Nothing makes me happier than a good Cards/Cubs series.....especially on the Cubbies home turf. Mama like. So, anything I do plan on doing this weekend will center around the game times. It's August, the pennant race is on, and on 8/7/08, my Cubbies have a 5 game lead in the NL Central. LOVE IT!

So, my plant/house sitting gig at Auntie C's is almost up. It's been a good gig. I've gotten used to the big screen TV and 20 minute commute to work...auntie, can I live with you???? ;) I must confess that something kinda sorta happened this morning.....so, I was standing there, putting on my makeup when the, um, shower curtain just sorta fell....to the ground. Now, don't worry auntie, I fully intend to try to fix it....it was no fault of my own, I swear.....I'm sure it has something to do with moisture, and temperature and my bad luck that follows me where ever I go......(I'll never be invited back, will I?). :)

Mike asked me to buy him a Crystal Gayle t-shirt. Should I be scared?

Has anyone seen my biscuit???

Ok, so here are some pics from the weekend. Now that I've found my camera, Your Local Photographer is back in business baby! I had so much fun with my peeps Saturday night. I may never eat biscuits again. :)
Um, why are we blue? This is Carrie and I...super cute picture. This was when we were still sober...... :)
and now not so sober....what is going on here? I think the music was a little too loud for the girls......
Carrie and I again......
Val, Boogie and myself.....

me and Sam out on the dance floor shakin' it!
No comment........
Carrie and Ashley succumb to the power of Boogie's massage.....by the way Boog, my neck still hurts...what did you do to me???
Val and Carrie...too cute....
group shot...from left to right: Shawn, Val, Jeff, me, John and Ashley
HA HA HA! We called this guy "the homeless guy". His dancing was AWESOME. I heart him.
Carrie and Big Bastard

More sad stuff.....UGH!

Why is so much ickiness happening lately? Please keep my friend Michele in your thoughts/prayers. Her brother, sports announcer Skip Caray (and, yes, son of the late Harry Caray), passed away yesterday at the age of 68. So sad. I love Michele, I'm sure she'd appreciate the well wishes.

I'm too old for this

Going to bed at 4:00am and having to be at work by 10:00am is NOT a good combo, FYI. Yikes. I'm hating life right about now. Do you feel sorry for me? I went out with my girls last night, we went and saw the band we saw at Mardi Gras this year, Trixie Delight (ah, the memories.....).....at Ameristar (yes, the casino)....wow. Fun times were definitely had by all, I'll upload some pix later today, if I can get my fine motor skills to start working again......there was lots of dancing, and singing and laughing. Good times.

I hear the Cubs won yesterday....I was scrapbooking at Krista's and periodically logging onto the internet to check the score (a girl has to have her priorities in place). Got LOTS of scrapbooking done yesterday, I'm caught up with this year's events (impressive I know). My next project is gonna be to tackle some old college pictures...that should be a fun trip down memory lane.

I just decided I'm done typing. Bye.

So many sad things

I'm afraid today's post is about things much bigger than my obsession with the Chicago Cubs. Today's post takes on a sad tone (sorry for that, but a blog is kinda like a journal right? You write about what's going on, how you feel, etc, right?).

Anyway, so much bad news today I don't even know where to start or how to process it. The thought of so much bad happening to people I love is almost overwhelming. I find myself almost feeling guilty for being happy (for the most part) in my life. I have nothing really to complain about. Nothing like what these folks are going through.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the following people:

-my "uncle" Rich: his mom is in the hospital and is not expected to make it much longer. I realize that with having older parents there is always the potential for this to happen, but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I mean, his dad just died a year or so ago, and he has faced so many losses in his life already.

-our good family friend Mitch and his family: I've written about Mitch before-he is the one who has had two surgeries to have brain tumors removed since March of this year. The news today is not good-the tumor is back and the doctors say there is nothing else they can do for him. He is being sent home from the hospital on Monday and will have hospice set up to ensure his comfort in his final days. This is a devastating blow to his wife Bonny and their only child, Billy. People I've known and loved my entire life. It's just not fair. I know there is a purpose and a reason for everything, but I'm having a hard time seeing the purpose or reason for these things right now.

-my boss Karen, whose best friend's husband was found dead this morning. She got the call on her way to work. What in the HELL is going on today? I can't take any more bad news this weekend. We've hit the limit. No more. Got it?

P.S. To all my family and friends........I LOVE YOU all.