Weekend

We are heading to my older sister's house near Mamaroneck, NY this weekend. It is my beautiful niece's third birthday. She is just the most scrumptious little girl I have ever seen. Her party is actually tomorrow in the morning (so that we can all drive back for the Super Bowl). It takes about 2.5 hours to get down there.

Otto wants to go with us.

Otto tends to get very nervous when he sees us pull out that suitcase.

Apprentice

Pretty good show tonight - although next week looks like it is going to be great. The splitting up the teams and the betrayal? I'm not going to miss it.

Some overall thoughts:

Heidi scares me. She is very weird looking - the reviewer on Television without Pity calls her a "hatchet face" which I think is a pretty good description.

I was bothered, again, by the women feeling the need to show off bellys and legs and boobs to try and make more money. Did they think they were working at Hooters? Also, I did not like the aggressive way they tried to get people to drink more shots. And then THEY drank on the job! That was just awful. Granted, they did sell more than the men.

The biggest shock for me was that The Donald (or "DT" as Troy calls him) sent Bowie home! I really thought it was going to be Nick - the big baby. I'm glad Kwame didn't get sent home. But Nick? Nope.

Also, Troy's comment that they are all "disarrayed" - eh? What?

Looking forward to next week.

Life Lesson #2

If you are a woman and you silently fart in a group of people, everyone will always assume it was the man standing next to you.

As a precaution, if it isn't a silent poot, make sure you immediately make a look of disgust and focus it on the man standing closest to you.

Hijinks ensue.

Life Lesson

When you and your man are both in the bathroom getting ready for bed, and he is trying to pee? If you attempt to poke him in the buttocks? He will not be able to continue peeing due to clenching of said buttocks.

Hijinks ensue.

Scorpios don't forget

To my snippy coworker.

You actually expect me to remember your name when I was introduced to 50 people within 5 minutes on Monday? I've been here 2 days at this point. I didn't like your tone: "Well, you were introduced to me on Monday, so..." when I called to ask you where you sit.

This is the first time I've worked in a cubicle labyrinth - so you actually expect me to remember your name AND where you sit? Get over yourself.

On a side note - HR Managers have the best gossip. It is always good to get in tight with HR and with the IT department when you start at a new company.

Snow, etc.

The drive in to work was awful this morning. We left about a 1/2 hour or so late, hoping that the roads would be fairly clear. I have to take the highway now that I work about 25 miles away from our apartment and usually they take care of highways first. And they had plowed, but the snow is a very fine, very slippery consistency. And it seemed like everyone was keeping to the far right lane as that was where the tracks were mostly cleared. But there were some parts that were extremely slippery. While I usually drive about 70 MPH or so on this highway - this morning it was about 45 MPH and I still felt like that was too fast. And people were zooming by me in the other lane. And there were at least 4 cars off the road along the way. A PT Cruiser, a yellow newish Mustang, a Volvo and, I think, some sort of Toyota truck. The Mustang was one of the ones who zoomed by me earlier in my drive. No one looked like they were hurt, luckily.

There were many moments when I was sure I was going to crash or spin out. A very, very slow-moving Volvo pulled into my lane at the last minute and I had to try and pump my breaks to avoid him. Also, once I was off the highway and headed down the road to my new work, there is a point where I have to turn left. The turn lane is in the middle of a decline and I almost slid through the light. Luckily, my little car stopped just in time.

This is a very New England company, still family-owned after more than 50 years. And apparently, they have never closed for weather. Partly because most people live right near work, probably, and partly because these are hardy folk. 25 miles is pretty far for me to drive in those conditions. Oh well, makes life interesting, eh? They had been talking about this storm for days and then last night around 11pm, I was thinking to myself: so when is it going to snow? I really thought we were going to be passed by. And I was a bit disappointed. There are a certain amount of bragging rights when you go through big storms or record cold snaps. My California friends are impressed with the winter and yet they think we are crazy to have moved here.

I'm rambling now. Anyhoo, I'm writing this at work and won't be able to post it until I get home. I made the mistake of visiting my site yesterday from work and I hope they don't see it in the logs (because they watch these things closely). It is a very hard habit to break. My last job was all about slacking off. And now I don't have the internet! I might get something done.

Wednesday

Woke up at 6 this morning to find everything covered in snow. Looks like about 6 inches out there. I still need to check cancellations, etc., but I'm thinking I'm going to head into work a little later today. Give the snowplows some time to do their jobs properly. It is still snowing and they were predicting another 6 inches or so today.

I found out that they very carefully monitor our web use at my new company. So it looks like I won't be able to do any surfing while I'm there. At least not at this point. Also no AIM or other programs like that are allowed. I'm so used to visiting all my favorite sites during the day - sometimes twice to check for new news. And now I'm going to have to wait until I get home. Bummer. I'm going through withdrawal already.

Training

Yesterday was a good day. I participated in the sales training meetings - and heard lots of words like "orifice" and "butt weld". I successfully suppressed my giggles. Everyone seems pretty laid back and, um, quite a bit older than me. And, being a New England company, most of the talk was about the snow storm that is headed our way tonight. And about the Patriots playing in the Super Bowl. Which naturally led to conversations about the Red Sox.

I've been handed the organization of a big, upcoming, trade show in Chicago. A lot of deadlines are approaching this week and I need to get a handle on what has been finished and what hasn't. I also get to go to the trade show. Very exciting! Finally working for a real company again.

A bunch of us also went out to dinner last night at a really nice place. I hadn't been there before. I had the duck. Very yummy! The restaurant gave all the ladies white roses when we left.

More later.

New Beginnings

Well, today is the first day of the new job. I have to be there an hour earlier than I'm used to. So I'm up and it is still dark out. A bit disconcerting. The good news is that it should be a pretty cool day. All the sales reps are in town for training for the next two days - which means lunch is on the house! My new boss is also taking us out to dinner tonight after work.

I have to say, though, it hasn't really sunk in yet. I've been in such a funk about my previous position. I hated it so much but couldn't find anything else. So I had been going through the motions of getting up, driving myself to work, sitting there bored all day and then driving home. I feel like I'm still in that holding pattern because I have no idea what to expect today. Hopefully I'll snap out of it today.

On a tangent - I watched the Golden Globes last night. No huge surprises for me - other than Nicole Kidman's dress. Very strange outfit - what was with the yellow headband? Also interesting that neither Bill Murray or Sophia Coppola mentioned Scarlet in their acceptance speeches. Other random thoughts: the outfits I loved - Uma Thurman's, Sarah Jessica Parker's and Gwen Stefani's (although her hair was like a big, white bullet). I liked Bill Murray's acceptance speech. Meryl Streep looks and talks so much like my hubby's mom. Mary Louise Parker thanking her newborn son for her boobs. The Office winning best comedy and best actor - that was great. Ricky Gervais is so funny. I like the Golden Globes because the booze and food make everyone seem much more relaxed. Who, exactly, are the Hollywood Foreign Press?

Okay, off to get myself ready for work. Have a great day!

Spellbound

LOVED this movie! We were both rooting for either Angela or Ashley. Neither of whom won, but still. Loved the suspense. Lots of talking about how the parents were raising their kids, etc. Crazy Harry and the facial expressions. Neil - being pressured by his dad to the nth degree. April's mom's dog alternating between either licking her leg obsessively, or just lying sprawled out on the ground. The movie brought up the subject of my hubby's dream last night. He was writing his math homework so fast that the pad of paper caught on fire. Hee. I love that image.

Photos

Had a quiet time at my parents' house today. My dad slept most of the time - due in part, I'm sure, to the morphine. He looked a bit worse for wear - white beard growing, not wanting to get out of robe and pjs. I completely understand. I took some photos of their cats, view, etc. My dad is a veterinarian, so we grew up with lots of cats and dogs. And he is a sucker for a cute kitty. They currently have 3 cats and 2 dogs:

Ziggy. He is a ginormous cat. I think he weighs about 20 pounds. And has no fat - just solid muscle. He was a rescue from my grandparents' farm. For some reason, the male farm cats grew very big. He used to have a little cow bell around his neck because he killed so many birds. But now he is only allowed outside for a short time each night. His kill ratio has gone down accordingly.

Mimi. Actual name "Jaguar". A rescue from my dad's clinic when my younger sister and I were still living at home. My mom came home from the clinic and said they had a surprise for us. We thought it was a new car. Nope, a little black kitten. My mom did not like the name Jaguar and took to calling her Mimi. She is the sweetest kitty. Loves pets. Has a little warble of a meow. She loves to perch on the top of the couch and head butt my mom for pets.

Bo Jangles. Not sure where this name came from. Another rescue from my dad's clinic. Beautiful kitty - everyone thinks he is a female cat. A bit dumb. My dad calls him the "Down's kitty". A bit skittish. Tiny.

Goober. The most wonderful dog in the world. Another rescue from my dad's clinic. She is a terrier/chihuahua mix. The most loving, loyal doggie. My dad taught her to sneeze for food. She loves cheese more than anything. She is now almost completely blind and a bit deaf. My dad has her on "doggie Prozac" (not sure what this is) and she still hops about like a puppy when we come to visit.

Weeble. Goober's daughter. My parents inexplicably bred Goober to a miniature poodle. Goober had 4 puppies and my parents kept the dumbest one. Love Weeble, but she is not the sharpest stick in the bunch. She has a dirty sock/underwear fetish. When we all come to visit, we tend to find that she has dragged our socks and underwear out to her chair by the window. She also likes to sit on feet. And lick you a LOT. When she runs, her ears look like wings.

My mom has recently purchased little booties for the dogs to wear outside. Especially when the temperature drops below 15 degrees. They LOVE them. They are little fleece booties with leather bottoms and Velcro to hold them on their legs.

They also have little fleece blankets and reflective jackets for wind and car protection.

Here are two views from the sunroom of my parents' house. They live at the end of a dead end road and own about 90 acres of forest beyond the house. It was too frickin' cold today to walk up to the pond and take pictures. I'll have to do that another day.

There was a crazy nuthatch that was clinging to the outside of the sunroom. He kept flying into the window until I tapped on the glass and he finally flew away.

We went to the mall after leaving the house and bought some new shoes. Aaron got a pair of a sort of sneaker hiking boot.

Weekend

Do you know what is better than day-old pizza? Day-old veggie fried rice.

We are heading up to my parents' house this morning to check in on my dad while my mom goes to a friend's memorial service. My dad had back surgery last week and he's still not feeling all that great. They had to keep him in the hospital for a couple days longer than planned because he wasn't eating. He's allergic to Demerol so they have him on frickin' morphine! Crazy.

I'm going to bring my camera up there with me to get some pictures of their house, etc. And I'm also going to be bringing papier mache supplies with me so that I can start on my latest project.

We watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico last night. Pretty good. It's been a while since I've seen El Mariachi and Desperado. Johnny Depp was good, Antonio Banderas was steamy, Salma Hayek was gorgeous.

Also watched X2. We enjoyed it. I liked it better than the first one in many ways. My hubby thinks Magneto has the best powers. Not sure if I agree. I really liked the Nightcrawler character. The special effects were excellent.

We will be watching Spellbound and L'homme du train tonight once we get back from my parents' house.

More later.

Last Day!

And getting close to the final hour. Things I've done to erase my digital existence:

- Cleared out the cache on both IE and Mozilla browsers
- Deleted the history on both
- Deleted all bookmarks
- Deleted all cookies
- Gone through personal files on computer and either deleted them or emailed them to myself at home and then deleted them
- Deleted all personal email to and from myself
- Removed AIM from system

I hope that is everything.

Boss is in an interview at the moment. The candidate seems really nice. She was trying to get me to tell her why I'm leaving. I was appropriately vague. Boss is just now getting nervous about handling things on his own. Serves him right. Is it wrong to hope that things go terribly wrong once I leave?

Starsky and Hutch

I don't know about you - but I'm excited to see this. It looks like it has the potential to be really funny.

Photos

Some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Me*. With my new helmet head. I love the cut, just not so happy with the way she styles it. Ignore the double chin, please.

Otto and Aaron sitting on a chair

Tabitha's beauty shot

Otto's beauty shot

Me, after 2 or 3 whiskey and ginger ales. I did not flip this photo to match my reflection. And I've pulled my hair back with bobby pins because it was annoying me. I did, however, Photoshop out the big zit on my chin. I love Photoshop.

*confession: I flipped the photo so that it looks like what I see in the mirror. It disturbs me that people see me the opposite of what I appear to myself. Almost every time I see a picture of myself, I think - "but that's not how I part my hair!" And if my monitor at home weren't so crappy, I would have Photoshopped the wrinkles and double chin off the photo. Just so you know.

Hair, etc.

I'm going to get my hair cut tonight. I've been trying to grow it out again and it is in that awkward stage where I can't pull it back into a ponytail when it bugs me. I rely, instead, on lots of bobbypins. I've been avoiding the hair salon because I want to let it get as long as I can before the split ends start, but it is now time to even out the bottom edges. The hair along my neck seems to grow faster than the hair on the top of my head. So I get these weird stragglies along my neckline. And some of you are saying "blah, blah, blah" to this, I'm sure. Well, screw you. Maybe I'll post a picture if it turns out okay. I left my very favorite hair stylist in California* and am giving my current stylist the benefit of the doubt. I don't really like how she styles my hair - but I like the way she cuts it. Maybe she just has to get used to my style. Which is very low maintenance vs. her hairspray, gel, blowdry.

*I should clarify this. I moved from California to Massachusetts about a year ago.

Also, with the new job on Monday, a fresh cut is important. However, the real reason I need to get it cut is because we are going to my older sister's house next weekend for my (gorgeous) niece's birthday. And my sister is a fancy New Yorker*. And she has lots of fancy New York friends. A girl needs to look her best, you know?

*She would laugh if she heard me call her this. She is 6 years older and she has always intimidated me. Not that I let her know that, of course.

In other news, the countdown to the last day is on. Tomorrow is "see ya later, sucker!" day! What a long couple of weeks. Since I'm not going to get my sales bonus for this month and for the last quarter (because I didn't get things in writing... my stupid fault), I'm doing as little as possible. Which means I've been very, very bored. I can only read so much, play so many games and watch so many online movies before I start to fall asleep.

I talked to my new company yesterday - a real HR Manager(!) - they have my cubicle and computer all ready for me. Can you believe I lived in California during the internet boom and I never had a cubicle? She also said that January and February are casual months - jeans are okay, even. Not that I'm going to wear jeans on my first few days, mind you. But I still think that is pretty cool. So, next week I will most likely be writing after or before work. Need to scope things out there before I start spending all my time on the web.

Apprentice

What was with Katrina and the pointing and yelling? She was bordering on hysterical. And Ereka with the head scarf again? And the tube tops and tank tops! And Jessie with the little girl's blouse? Not appropriate business attire! And Donald making a comment about Sam's shortness? Very humorous. And psychotic Sam's stare at the end of the show? Eek! That guy is most likely to come back with a shotgun. Heidi's eyebrows? Scary.

With the women's overall disorganization and lack of teamwork, I can't believe they keep winning. There is so much conflict and lack of communication. They are giving women a bad name. Maybe women just can't work together in large groups. Or they picked women with hysteria tendencies to come on the show.

It will be interesting to see what happens now that Sam is gone.

Writer's Block

I tried bribery, guilt trips, angry comments and the cold shoulder. But you know what got my hubby to finally write his frickin' honors program paper that is due tomorrow? The Bogarting of the boobies.

Movie

The movie that George W. Bush doesn't want you to see. Illustrates what just a small portion of the Pentagon's budget of $40 Billion could go towards instead.

State of the Union

What Bush left unsaid in the State of the Union address last night.

Get Your War On

About the Mars program. (via chemaccino via bryan)

"If that happens, Joe Lieberman will be sitting on the front row wearing a googly-antenna headband and wraparound sunglasses, holding a sparkler."

America's Next Top Model

(Yes, I watched this instead of the State of the Union address. I will read the speech tomorrow. It's not like Bush wrote it, anyway. And I can't listen to the man talk. I'm sure I'm not the only one who watched catty, anorexic women yell at each other instead of listening to Bush.)

I'm not going to get critical of the women's looks. I think they are going to get enough of that on this show. I just think that they need to remember that they chose to be on this show. I understand that it will be great for one of them to get a big modeling contract. Yeah for that person. But is the humiliation and criticism worth it? And if it is, why are they always complaining? Why don't they do a model search of just men? Now that I would watch. Men getting critiqued only on their looks.

Crocodile Hunter

Not for the faint of heart. Play "Croc Hunter...Feed Um Babies!"

Interviews

So, the ad has been placed, the resumes are coming in and the interviews start tomorrow. Cue passive aggressive comments from boss: "These people seem really over-qualified. I don't want to bring someone in who is only using this as a stopping point until something better comes along." Uh, yeah, that was pointed at me. Maybe if he paid more and scratched his balls less, I would have stayed longer. Nope, probably not. There was also the yelling, swearing, rude comments to clients and the yellow toenails that extended beyond the end of his Birkenstocks. I can only put up with long toenails and ball scratching for so long.

And even though the ad says "No Phone Calls" - people are calling. "Um, can you tell me, um, about the job? In the paper? What, um, what kind of, dur, company is this?" To which I answered: "Listen - I'm sure the ad says to email your resume. And since this is the first I've heard of it - I think it is for MY JOB." Unfortunately, my comment went right over his head. But I still giggled about it.

It will be fun to see what some of these people look like.

Underworld

Very stylish, good-looking movie. Entertaining enough for a Monday night. I think they spent too much time making everything look good, rather than working on the story. There were moments of "here we are going to show off our computer graphic talents" - showing what was happening inside the vampire and werewolf when changes were happening. Glad I didn't spend the money to see this in the theater. But, overall, not awful. If this had come out before "The Matrix", I would have been impressed.

Poor Puppy

Aw, this just makes me sad. How do you explain this to the dog?

Margaret Cho

Appalling. Hate mail sent to Margaret Cho after Drudge printed part of the transcript from her Moveon.org show. It is turning my stomach. How can people be so full of hate?

Movies

We went to see Cold Mountain yesterday in the theater. I had read the book and was prepared to not like the movie. I'm generally disappointed when they make movies of books I really liked. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone did a great job in the movie. Jude Law was amazing, Renee Zellweger was very good as Ruby, Nicole was great. I laughed, I cried.

We also rented Morvern Callar, Pirates of the Caribbean and Underworld. Morvern Callar was good, although a bit dark and depressing. Samantha Morton was haunting.

Pirates was very enjoyable. Johnny Depp was excellent at Captain Jack. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

We will be watching Underworld tomorrow night.

In other news, I made a double batch of peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies. Sending them out in the mail in the morning. Some are being sent as get well packages, others as "thank you" gifts for my former coworkers who gave me such great references.

This will be my last week at my current place of employment. Such a weight off my shoulders that I won't have to deal with the mess much longer.

Kitties

Some kitty photos for your viewing pleasure.

Otto's favorite place for a nap

My boys eating breakfast

Otto snoozing

Miss Tabitha

Tabs attacking feather thingy

Tabs capturing feather thingy

{Sorry if the photos seem dark. Our monitor at home is on its last legs and I have no idea what the photos will look like on a normal screen.}

Weekend

Well, I'm not feeling so hot at the moment. I drank way too much whiskey last night as you can see from "Ode to my Titties" entry below. Hee. Ah well. We did remember to toast Bryan's birthday. Whiskey makes me blustery and loud and angry. My poor hubby.

Anyhoo, we are heading to the mall to get craft supplies, camera supplies, etc. once I feel a little less shaky. Any hangover cure ideas you have would be most helpful.

Ode to my titties

oh, you are so pert
you never fail to help me get my way
when the hubby is pontificating about some math thing or another
just by bouncing up and down
without the constraint of a bra

UPDATE: Edited due to lack of whiskey in system.

Freezing my titties off

I know you are all probably sick of hearing about the cold. However, I'm just going to keep talking about it. I'm sitting in my soon-to-be-former office with my coat and scarf on! The building is an old Victorian building and it has single pane windows!!! Now, maybe that is okay when you are in a warmer climate, but that is just not acceptable here. I tried wearing my gloves, but it was too hard to type.

In other news, my boss is at a conference all day in Boston. So I'm sitting here, reading my book and surfing the web and trying not to shiver uncontrollably. I'm so glad I'm leaving this dump. I bet the new place has actual coffee and a microwave and even a kitchen. And toilets from which you don't get frostbite.

Friday Fun

Lite Brite! Fun for the whole family! (thanks to lunañina)

Apprentice

Still love this show.

Some thoughts:

At the very beginning of the show, was Kristi perching on top of a table? Why do they keep interviewing her? Is she the eventual winner?

Jason: cute little accent - where is he from again? I wanted him to slap Sam. Or pour a glass of water on Sam when he frickin' FELL ASLEEP.

Ereka (is she from Utah with that name?) and Omarossa (sp?) fighting. As annoying as their bickering is - I have a feeling that the producers don't want either of them to leave the show yet. And, please, the phrase "calling the kettle black" has nothing to do with race. It is like saying: "look in the mirror".

Also, are the producers purposely keeping psycho Sam on the show? I think so.

Still love it. I get a vicarious thrill over these arrogant narcissists.

So Cold

Wow, I've never seen anything like it. All the schools in the area are already calling in their cancellations for tomorrow.

And the warning from the National Weather Service:
"NORTHERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL EXPERIENCE INCREASING NORTHWEST WINDS TONIGHT...WITH SPEEDS REACHING 20 TO 25 MPH. THIS WILL COMBINE WITH TEMPERATURES OF 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO TO CREATE DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES OF 30 TO 45 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

THESE WINDS CHILL VALUES WILL MAKE IT DANGEROUS TO BE OUTSIDE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS. EXPOSED SKIN MAY FREEZE IN AS LITTLE AS 10 MINUTES. "

And yet there are still idiots walking around without hats or jackets.

Wow

Senator Ted Kennedy's speech to the Center for American Progress.
"America, Iraq and Presidential Leadership"

Cute Cake Idea

I love this idea! Make your wedding cake a blank canvas for your guests to decorate. And the couple had the cake made at the local deli here.

The Cunning Linguist

The hubs and I were discussing languages yesterday. In particular, it is sad that between the two of us, we are only fluent in one language. I did spend a year in Denmark and still know a bit of Danish. And he knows a bit of Spanish from high school and I know a bit of French. And now he knows a bit of German from college. Pathetic. In Denmark, kids were taught Danish, English, French, German and Spanish from an early age. And they are much more prepared for being part of a world community. Of course, Denmark is a tiny country and is surrounded by European countries.

Anyway, that was a tangent from my original thought. When someone asked me what kind of superhero trait I would want to have if I could have anything - I would be torn between invisibility and superstrength. Now I'm thinking that I would want to be able to understand every language. Including animals. Man, just once I'd like to know what Otto is saying when he's meowing at the top of his lungs in the bathroom at 2 in the morning.

Is your Boss a Psychopath?

"Millions of harassed workers could have their worst fears confirmed about their bosses thanks to a new test to weed out the 'corporate psycho'."

Skin

I have had bad skin for most of my twenties and thirties. Acne, scarring, etc. And not just the occasional zit, either. Full-fledged breakouts. It has left me with noticeable scarring and discolorations on my skin. I tried everything. I read every article I could find on the subject. And I've found one routine that is doing wonders for me. This is the first time I have not had a breakout during my period. And that is really saying something.

Now that the acne seems to be under control, I can start looking into options to reduce the scarring. Before I got married I was doing microdermabrasion treatments every other week for about 4 months. They really made a significant improvement in my skin tone and texture. However, that was when I was making a lot more money and I can't afford to do that at the moment.

Anyway, if you are interested, I have listed the products I have been using.

****
Here is what I have been using:

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (the gentle skin cleanser was too mild). I also use their Moisturizing Lotion all over.

On the advice of Paula Begoun, once a week I add about a quarter-sized pile of baking soda to the cleanser as an exfoliant. My skin is radiant afterwards.

I use Paula's 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid Solution twice a day, right after cleansing. I also alternate between her Blemish Fighting Solution and her Skin Lightening Lotion. I use the lightening lotion before I go to bed - not during the day.

And my favorite product of the bunch is my Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunblock in SPF 45. I use this every day as my moisturizer under my makeup. It doesn't matter if I'm staying inside or going out. I already see the difference between my skin and my friends' skin who don't use sunblock daily. I'm still amazed with all the documentation and research that is out there that people don't use sunblock daily. Some of my friends still lay out on the beach in SPF 4! Incredible.

I also use Neutrogena Healthy Skin liquid makeup in classic porcelain. Good coverage and it doesn't make me break out.

I highly recommend Paula's website for advice on skincare. She does monthly reviews of new products that are on the market and gives you the straight scoop on their ingredients.

Annie

My Cat Annie (via barefootgeek)

I love "Halloween" and "Bilingual".

Brr!

From the National Weather Service:

"AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND USHER IN THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON
WITH DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS.

THESE WIND CHILL VALUES WILL CAUSE FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED
FLESH WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES."

You may wonder why I keep posting the weather reports. I think it is partly to remind myself how cold it is here. Once summer gets here, I tend to forget how bad the winter was. Also, I come from a long line of farmers and it is in my genes to be concerned with the weather. I was a bit bored with the weather in California. Not that it wasn't great, but nothing happened. There's an old saying here: "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."

So far, so good

Well, all my worry over the weekend was so far for naught. My boss has been very civil today and has really not bothered me at all. Am I surprised? Yes, I am. I was all set to play avoidance today and he has basically left me alone in my office to surf the web and play the occasional game of computer pinball. Which is a typical day for me at this job. And now that the pressure to make sales is off - I can really just sit here and do lots of nothing. I am no slacker, please don't get that impression. It's just that I hate cold calling people who have no need for our services. And I'm certain he is not giving me my 4th quarter sales bonus because I'm leaving. So no more sales.

Football

I am not a football watcher. Neither is my hubby. That said, if it gets down to the playoffs and the Patriots are in the running - I'm watching. Also, (and I know this is sacrilege) if Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers are in the running - I'm watching. And I've got all of it this year! Excellent. I love watching the manly men run around in very tight, shiny pants. And smack each other on the butt. And there are great words like "tight end" and "wide receiver". Excellent. You can not tell me that this is not a game for women, too. Lots of ass. In tight pants. Works for me. Yeah, and I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Right.

And, I hate it when they do the play where the guy runs into the crowd of defensive players. Just frickin' throw the ball down the line! You will always get stopped if you do the run into the crowd! I hate that. It frustrates me every time. And my hubby tries to explain why it is a valid play - but, you know what?, it sucks. Stop doing it.

UPDATE: Oh, man, the Packers just lost. Bummer. Another year until I get to watch Brett play. Oh well. I guess that's just as well. I need to focus my energy on the Pats.

Yum

Damn, I bake a great veggie lasagna.

Weekend

The hubby is off for most of the day playing with his Warhammer 40K miniatures. No comments on this from you. He is a talented painter and he enjoys himself. Me, I get to stay home, lounge in my pajamas all day, eat yummy cheeses and crackers the hubs bought for me last night and maybe even have a glass of wine before noon.

I also need to clean the kitchen. I attempted to eat pomegranate seeds last night without making a mess and now our kitchen looks like the scene of an axe murder. I love pomegranates, but have yet to figure out a way to get the seeds out without making a mess.

I also need to vacuum up all the pine needles left from the removal of the tree. And hopefully their removal will mean the end of my hives.

I also plan to continue reading "The General in his Labyrinth" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

It is so frickin' cold outside right now that I doubt I'm going to venture out until the hubs returns with the car tonight.

Bad Day

I gave my boss my two weeks notice today. I was offered a position as a Marketing Specialist at a company near here. It was awful. He is known for yelling and outbursts and yet he was really quiet. And very obviously pissed. Or maybe very hurt. Something like that. This is a much better opportunity for me at a very solid company so I'm not sure why I'm feeling guilty. I almost had a heart attack in the bathroom before I went into his office; my heart was trying to beat itself out of my chest. I tried to wait until the very end of the day so that, in case he totally freaked out, I could leave. Awful. And a relief at this point. There are only two of us at this company - something that should have been a red flag for me when I took it. And obviously no HR department to deflect the raging rants. So I was very panicked heading into his office. I think the silence was worse.

The Apprentice

I've been looking forward to watching this show. And during the beginning - the thoughts that were running through my head:

- Why do they keep showing the women's legs?

- Donald Trump has the most outrageous comb-forward-fold-back hairstyle ever and, standing in front of a frickin' HELICOPTER, the hair isn't moving an inch!!! Maybe it's fiberglass.

- Sam is bugging me already. Big head. Napolean complex?

- Bowie. All gums, too sweaty.

- [woman's name I can't think of right now] - she's the project manager. I could project manager the shit out of her. All I'm saying. However, I could not ever be on this show because I would ask Donald: what the hell is up with your hair?

Commercial break. Maybe the commercial is for Office Deport or maybe it is for Staples. But the pink highlighter on the guy's face? Makes me giggle every time.

Anyhoo - the women won. They need to stop talking about how "rich" Trump's apartment is. Get over it. His girlfriend seems nice.

In the boardroom with the men. Love how they all sold Sam out. Love how Trump made them all come down to the boardroom with their frickin' luggage. How demeaning. Love how he sent Troy, David and Sam out to talk.

I'm addicted. Let's see how next week goes.

The H2 is a piece of shit

Frickin' hilarious. I don't know from trucks - but it looks like he broke his axle.
(via the fabulous barefootgeek)

Bubble Wrap!

What a clever idea! (via dirty feet and lily white intentions)

Weather Update

Update from the National Weather Service website:

UNUSUALLY FRIGID AIR...EVEN FOR MID WINTER...WILL CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD NEW ENGLAND TODAY AND FRIDAY.

THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES AND A BRISK NORTHWEST WIND TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY...WILL YIELD WIND CHILL VALUES OF AROUND MINUS 20 FOR SEVERAL HOURS LATER TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.

My boogers? They are frozen.

It is so frickin' cold out there today. Temperature is about 15 degress - but the windchill factor makes it actually about 0. As I was trudging up the hill into town to get my daily taco fix, scarf pulled up over my nose and cheeks, sunglasses all fogged up, I saw an old man walking ahead of me in shorts! Shorts, people! And a very thin jacket. What the hell was he thinking? I'm always amazed by the idiotic college students walking around in flip flops in cold weather, but usually the older generation is much more weather-savvy.

Update: from the National Weather Service website:

BLUSTERY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO USHER IN BITTERLY COLD AIR. THIS WILL CREATE BELOW ZERO WIND CHILL VALUES TONIGHT CONTINUING INTO MUCH OF THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW FREEZING INTO THE WEEKEND. WIND CHILL VALUES COULD BE COLD AS 10 TO 20 BELOW ZERO AT TIMES.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTSIDE...BE ALERT TO THESE BITTERLY COLD CONDITIONS...DRESS IN LAYERS AND STAY PROTECTED FROM THE WIND AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. ALSO...REMEMBER TO CHECK ON THE ELDERLY.

Maybe I should have asked him if he was okay?

Celebrity Poker

The hubs and I have been watching Celebrity Poker on Bravo. A couple of observations: Carrie Fisher is SO my hubby's mom. Exactly the same mannerisms and everything. Scott Stapp needed to lose and get off my television, already. Uck, I can't look at that guy. Sarah Silverman is so gorgeous. I wish I had her hair. And she cracks me up. David Cross is very, very funny. Ron Livingston and Sarah Silverman definitely seemed to have something going on. It could only be my imagination, though. I've watched the other games, but it's been too long to remember the details. Other than I'm glad Ben Affleck lost.

I have to say, watching the game makes me feel that I'd be good at poker. At least the Texas Hold'em game they are playing. I could totally bluff my hubby out of some big bucks. Too bad we are living on my paycheck at the moment. So I'd be bluffing him out of some of my big bucks. Ah well, at least I'd be winning.

Sick Day Planner

How to plan your sick days around the 2004 holidays. (via morning news)

Recap

The weekend was excellent. It is great to have a family in which we are all such good friends. My other friends are surprised that Christmas or New Year's takes a whole long weekend to celebrate - but there is so much fun to be had! Lots of card playing - spades, hearts, Oh Hell! and pitch. We played Cranium and substituted the questions/answers with ones having to do with my younger sister. It was a surprise for her upcoming birthday. Lots of great food. 4 dozen cookies and a crazy chocolate torte were finished off in addition to much M&M's and Rolos and Hershey's Kisses. Can you tell my siblings are chocolate fiends? The fish house for my brother was a hit as was the cat stuffed toy I made for my niece.

In other news, I'm still breaking out in hives. I'm thinking I might be allergic to pine trees. Is that possible? Benadryl helps, but it knocks me out. We will be disposing of our Christmas tree as soon as the freezing rain stops. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

In answer to Styro's comment - "doing wood" is not as fun as she thinks. It involves stacking, throwing, chopping and throwing and stacking of piles and piles of wood for the two woodstoves. Luckily, I can cook. Which means I get to stay inside, in the nice warm kitchen, and prepare lunches and dinner for everyone instead of being outside. And wear the new chef's jacket my fantabulous sister-in-law had made for me for Christmas. It even has my elfcakes logo sewn on the front! She is so much cooler than your sister-in-law.

And, in closing, I got some of the best presents. Very generous Amazon.com gift certificates from my mom with which I'm hoping to buy a fancy digital camera. A long, red squall parka (rated to negative 20 degrees) with a hood. Warm gloves, a Lila Downs CD and various other goodies. And I got to giggle uncontrollably for 3 days. What more can a girl ask for?

Ugh

Last night was lots of fun. Great food, lots of alcohol (white russians and Jack & gingers for me), a crazed game of Oh Hell! Stupidly, I wore my high-heeled black boots. I really thought that we weren't going to walk the 8 blocks into town to watch this little town's version of a New Year's ball drop. But of course, fueled by alcohol and more alcohol, we all walked into town. My feet are frickin' killing me now. The balls of my feet in particular. It got so bad that I took them off on the way home and walked in my socks. The freezing pavement actually helped soothe my feet a bit. It was just further evidence of why my family thinks I'm "special" (or "touched" as my brother-in-law would say) - why do I always make bad judgement calls like that? I even thought to myself before we headed over there that I should put a pair of sneakers in the car. But no.

Anyway, we are heading back over there for breakfast and then heading up into the mountains for the rest of the weekend. I expect there to be more great food, laughter, board games (including Apples to Apples - the new one my hubby's most wonderful sister got us for Christmas), more alcohol, presents and probably we'll be roped into doing wood. My mom can never NOT take advantage of all the kids at home - she must throw in some hard labor for good measure.