Testing to see if this will work. If it does, then I can update behind a firewall.
CA
Hey, so check it out. The sibling has apparently landed in SD. Hopefully all went well with his trip thru the east. I know he stopped somewhere but I was too sleepy to pay attention last night while it was all being explained to me. I think he's in the states for two weeks. Need to check on that.
Tomorrow I'm off to visit the apartment in Long Island City I was supposed to see on Friday night. There was a posting on an internal classifieds site from someone working in Fixed Income. Who knows? It's cheap rent and three stops into Queens. I'm hoping there's a chance since the woman 1) is employed 2) has been employed with said company for a bit and 3) works normal hours. This way I wouldn't be awakened, by, let's say, refriderator lights;) Sigh. (I did tell you about the apartment share I went to look at last week right?) Anyhoo, I stayed late in NYC Friday as she was supposed to show me the apartment around 9. I told her I still had to treck back to Long Island, etc. etc. and that if anything was going to change to please please call as soon as she knew. She called. At nine. How considerate. However, since I'm a buyer in a seller's market what can I complain about?
I just put together a set of shelves from my days on the upper east side. So sad. I miss having my own space, but enjoy the luxury of copious amounts of space here. Plus, this upcoming week shouldn't be as bad on my sleeping habits. I'm coming in tomorrow afternoon to see the apartment, and to stay with Alison. (Thank you! Shhh! Location not to be devulged under any circumstances.) Tuesday is 29 on 29. (Birthday for my kooky friend who has scandalously lost 15 pounds in three weeks. Damn her.) ...And Thursday is my Broadway night with killer seats from Trisha, She Who Rocks. (Thank You Thank You!!!) That only leaves Tuesday and Thursday with insane waking hours. That's right, I'll be en route to the train station no later than 5 am. Ouch.
Alright.
testing 1,2,3
If this works then I'll be able to post from behind a firewall. Blogger has email posting functionality I never knew about. (I think) The only annoying aspect of using email to post is the auto signature that is added c/o Yah00. If I try and go back and edit emailed posts weird things happen and it disappears. Hmph.
Hey Rainy Day
I made it through my first week and I have to say, I really enjoyed it.
Aside from my modem crapping out at home, things went really well. After snoozing for a few hours on the couch I'm ready for the world. I was so tired.
Today the cable dude came at 10. Dear me he was handsome. Waking at 6.30 to clean a path to my computer I was not antcipating such a cutie coming to my doorstep, so my dress consisted of humongous sweats and a fleece. Well, and slippers too. 'He' because I was momentarily shocked and forgot to ask his name. Brb. But the computer is up and running (finally) and now we're considering wireless networking for the folks. (Doubtful since the male genes in this family are still using Windows 95. Yes, that's what I said. Funny considering I use XP in the office - which I might add- I would like to run on this computer. Hmmm ... which of you out there is itching to loan me a disc? Or should I just shell out the bucks?)
Anyhoo. I'm alive, but I was busy at work. That, and I have no access to my personal email accounts. Nor can I post to this site. Kind of stinky, but what can you do?
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Per Newday:
Clockwise from top left: Spc. Lucas White uses a piece of a pastry to try to lure a baby bird out of harm’s way beneath the soldiers’ Heavy Equipment Transport vehicle; bird in hand, White completes a gentle and successful rescue; the bird goes further under cover; Pvt. Patrick Kelly goes bird-hunting under a Heavy Equipment Transport vehicle.
(Newsday Photos/Dionne Searcey)
That almost makes the near accident we had in Patchogue earlier this week seem silly.
The dude in front of us suddenly slammed on the brakes and stopped. (We had been cruising around 30 mph.) Thank my uninsured butt I was paying attention, as were the folks behind us. Phew! Why did we all stop? To let two regal looking birds cross the street.
'itchy
I am considered a wise b'tch.
The B'tch Test
Homeland Security
Duh. Braindead. I sat down to mock the logic of some master marketing plan and just forgot.
My family has been scratching their heads trying to figure out why I was deemed sufficiently important to recieve a Preparing Makes Sense: Get Ready Now brochure. (of the ready.gov variety)
Am I the only person who got one? My neighbors laughed, then asked to see it.
erm.
$62
The cost of a weekly to/from Zone Ten (Ronkonkoma) and Zone One (Penn).
May 1 the cost will be $82.
A monthly will jump from $200 to $252.
ugh.
Just call me chauffeur
...because that's all I've been doing the past two days. As a sidenote, why does everyone on earth wait until Good Friday to go shopping? The parking lots have been full to the point where we've been parking at the extreme end of them.
'We' apparently need the following:
- twine for the unruly prickly bushes out back
- additional storage boxes for our photography collection
(which apparently multiplies faster than rabbits everytime I check)
- a very specific shade of [what I'll just call] beige thread
- wood decking stuff
- tile for the newly assembled wine rack (don't ask)
- groceries
- fleece fabric
I say
need because we visited Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, a handful of dollar stores, the Sunrise stripmall*, Target, etc. repeatedly. No, not just once. Not twice. When I walk into these stores I tell myself I'm just visiting my friends. I can tell you in all seriousness the general floor layout of these stores without skipping a beat. The aforementioned list are items we've looked at - but - not purchased. Can't explain why either. Very indecisive familia. Items we
have actually purchased recently include:
- capri pants (two pairs for ME! amazing sale at a teeny store which surprisingly carries capri lengths for people my size)
- lotto tickets (gotta go with Mega Millions AND Lotto)
- study books
- winter hats/scarves/mittens (super duper sale at KMart)
- other stuff the other female of the house picked up (I dunno anymore - it's a blur)
- and groceries
Yes. Groceries make both lists since we go there
every d a y. My god. Please. No more.
Oh, and we went to the library. They yet again allowed me to extend three sewing books (which I should really just buy on my own).
Tonight I finally assembled the extra bookshelf for the upstairs room. I immediately loaded it with the piles of readin gmaterial that were blocking quick access through my room. Paper is heavy. I would like to pick up a few magazine organizers tomorrow. (Shet ep. Keep any comparisons to the rest of the shopping addicted clan to yourself thank you very much.)_
OH!
I nearly forgot about my killer connection with coupons. Mock I shall no more. I am a believer after saving
$9. Yes. My bill should have totalled in the twenty range - but nine bucks came off before taxes because of coupons. A combo of the clippy annoying kind that clutter weekend newspapers and the thicker cardboard inserts in magazines. Is that crazy or what? (We went to CVS. Add that store to the list before I forget.)
* Anyone else giggle at the thought of stripmalls? When I was little. Ahem, younger, I kept looking around for the tinted windows they used to have next to the bowling alley. (Now I know it was a bar. At the time I assumed black windows meant naughty dirty things.) This contemplation of word choice arose right around the time I discovered driving on the parkway and parking in the driveway. eh. whatever.
Riiiight
Baruch, Hunter, and BMCC (for those of you who weren't already familiar with this acronoym: Borough of Manhattan Community College) have classes. My schedule is going to suck. M, T, W, Th roughy 5.20- 8pm. Or later. Depends on the school.
I am so confused
I want to take a math class in manhattan this summer without spending a small fortune. How hard can that be?
(Sidenote: Calculus for the Blind blows my mind.)
I figured out the system for Long Island based courses a few weeks ago. I think I must be tired and my brain is fried. Or I'm not searching course catalogs correctly. Aside from high-school AP courses, there should be a basic calc class I can sign up for, right? That's not in Brooklyn?
Today sucked
I went specifically into Manhattan to look at an apartment only to have the woman cancel at the last minute. Mind you, she only cancelled when reminded by my confirmation phone call - all of twenty minutes ahead of our planned meeting time. Grrrrr. Too annoying.
However, I did prance about the greenwich with 'my' high-faluting(?) regal dog. Ha. I walked Ophelia. More like dragged the pooch around further than she was interested in. It's always good to tire a dog out. *eyeroll* Craziness with 80 someodd degree weather. Taking the train back during peak hours (is the pushing really necessary to board the train?) I tried to ignore the PDiddy wanna-bees. Yes, I could hear you. And although I appreciate the compliments regarding my eyes I was reading my book thank you very much.
Come May 1 the $9.50 one-way peak ticket will be $12.25. Or if you purchase a monthly it'll be $252 (up from $200). Yowzer.
I'm scheduled to start working in mid-town Monday. Fingers crossed all goes well, and that I can settle into a semi-schedule for the summer. I went out and re-purchased a gmat book this evening. $37 bucks before the sweet discount my Dad hooked me up with. I've given up on ever seeing the LA based book but decided to try Kaplan's take on it instead of Princeton. (Although the present book roommate has promised to mail it. Sometime this century.)
Tomorrow it's going to be cold and poopey outside so I'll hopefully finish assembling the wine rack I started the other night. If sufficiently motivated I'll whip out the bookcase. I have expansion plans for the big room upstairs but the owner doesn't know it quite yet. Hee. Alright. I've been miss sleepy lately. Not sure if it's related to the reduction in carbs or what, but I am making a point to take a multi-vitamin going forward. I'm SO tired. And i've only lost five pounds. Not that you can tell. Feh. Eh. Nite.
Sometimes it just takes guts
A sentence I just read in Snapshots from hell: the making of an mba. Out of print but still v. funny.
Do I ever feel as though everyone else is moving on with their lives?
Heck yes. I stop. Think about. Frown a bit.
But when I turn to Bravo and see someone who's nearly died trying to piece the most minute of activities together, I remember that everything is relative.
- I appreciate how much opportunity we have - here - to voice our opinion. In public.
- The endless places I can visit at will. (Cash not withstanding:)
- The pudge that annoys me whenever I try clothing on. Come on, let's face it, I'm not exactly ever going to be in the position of starving am I? My stomach will only be concave due to effort I put forth. And goddamn it, our free market has provided a sufficient number of experts to resolve the matter for me. (Why should I take any responsibility? That's right - because Oprah and Dr. Phil are here to fix it. But I think I need Tivo first.)
- The addiction my mother has to Claritin. OTC drugs are not exclusively for the use of the extremely wealthy. (Just elective surgery, deductibles, oh, and, insurance.)
- Not having enough closet space. Ok, so a phenomena encountered first as a freshman, and later as a novice to NYC. Being underwhelmed by my choice of clothing will not kill me. Cold and warmth only become uncomfortable when I choose poorly in the morning, forgetting to tune in to the ever present Weather Channel or leaving an umbrella on a subway. And as you know, I have more than one pair of shoes.
- There are at least 6 shampoo products in my shower.
The sun was shining today and I have to say Spring makes everything brighter. Even if the complete moron at our local discount store treated my mere indifferently. They don't know how difficult and persistent I can be when irked. (Although not a witness: crowded store, obstacle, sprawled mom. Jerk of a wanna be manager. Phone call to HQ. And tomorrow we begin to accept any and all contributions to medical expenses. Hell yes. And then some. I am so annoyed about it my face bunches up when i talk about it. Thankfully the fall was fairly self contained, and only bruising is evident. Oh, that the women in my family are tougher than nails and have apparently digested sufficient amounts of calcium to prevent breakage.)
I need a pedicure.
I want a facial.
I can't wait to go swimming.
The tulips are growing.
And I really need a trim.
So what if I'm a late bloomer? I'm methodical, fairly amusing, and I have utter faith that my circle of connections in life exist for a reason. Knowing how completely short i can be I feel like some of you forget that it's ok for each of us to differ. (Ha ha. Go ahead and laugh at my unintended height pun.) If we were all the same we'd probably be accountants. Alright perhaps not something so dire. But conversation might not be as interesting - would it?
And yes, I talk in code half the time here. I don't
like trust the open nature of a blog. But if you know me, we meet up once in a while and catch up. If you don't know me - well - um - check out the soap channel. And I have to ask Trisha for the god awful string of soap titles that made me groan the other day. Thank goodness for laughter.
Alright. Bed calling. Busy day of enjoying the sunshine planned for tomorrow...along with weeding, but if I was watching the Martha videos correctly my entire project should be completed in 30 minutes - not forgetting the minimum 5 breaks for commercials. Um, naps. Ok now I'm dreaming.
F*ckers
After waiting around half the morning, now they want me to start next week... "as long as it's ok with me"
Like I have a choice.
Whatever. But I did let them know I had specifically decided to not attend an event in Boston this evening as today was 'day one'. And my lovely phone cohort agreed that guilt was in order, and that he would let my future boss know.
Men.
So I'm off to enjoy the springlike weather today. We're going shopping!
(Ok, for mundane things like chlorine for the pool. But it's the act of shopping that makes me feel semi-important. So what if the rest of the family is ever so eager to pawn off their errands upon me. Makes me happy.)
Before I forget
I have to come back post re: poetry readings, girly girl sleep overs, open ended drug testing, goya, sargent, zubaran, st andrews and fat/skinny cats.
addendum: that's not happening b/c I screwed something up and I can't figure out why. actually, part of it is my fault, the other is someone who confused long island with new york city. hallo.
I hate Sundays sometimes
Particularly when the weather is finally nice and I essentially wasted all of it inside.
I'm paranoid so I kept rechecking my returns for this year. Then I went back to 1999 and had a boat load of fun catching up. Thank goodness for downloadable software. However, I woke up apparently one minute too late this morning which caused me to miss the 9.14am train out to LI. What time did I make it to Penn?
9.15.
That sucked.
So I waited an hour to head east. And then was sucked into the time continuum of a male dominant "here, you help me do this" family member. *So* annoying. Not because I was pressed for time today, but that it happens ANY time he's doing what could be a solo activity. Sweet bejeesus that drives me nuts. And when he does ask for "just five minutes" it always turns into a half hour. Or more. Or - another favorite of mine - he'll pop into your space and periodically yell questions at you. (This is something he also enjoys doing while you're trying to read. Hallo. Obviously engaged here, see?)
Fooey. But alright.
I'm sleepy and I still have things to do.
Today I started eating Fat
With a capital F. Motivated by a determined friend on the Atkin's diet I thought I'd give it a go. Testing...
So far the rum truffle recipe has proved harmful. Well, let's just say the sweetner component didn't kick in sufficiently to balance the unsweetened chocoloate heavy cream mixture.
Ugh.
My family has cultivated a nasty habit of mine - eating chocolate. Sweets. Me. Bad.
Hence the uber need to pinch a few pounds. (That, and bathing suit is around the corner from snow.) Hopefully future recipe concoctions will taste better.
Great
tomorrow I pee in a cup.
What next on my sunny horizon?
hey, i want
the job of bert's friday test job I (not to be confused with the third or wednesday's test job) OR cool template
ho hum.
but wait, I almost missed: spider man
Waah, the weekend is over.
And we're getting SNOW tomorrow? It's April!
Bah humbug. I want another day like today. And I've decided I enjoy assembling furniture from Ikea. Not only do I have a knack for making the same mistakes over and over, I find humor in it. Late Saturday I tackled this six drawer beast that's been lurking in our family's possession for well over a year.
I purchased a full length mirror priced at $59 - out comes a box that looks about the right size. After nearly dying of a hernia transporting the item we open the box to find an unassembled chest of drawers. Not exactly the dressing assistance I was looking for but my mother claimed it as 'hers'. I was a bit confused since I was the one laying out the cash and still didn't have a mirror to show for it, but alas, we drove allllllll the way back to NJ the next day and purchased a mirror. The beast of box stayed with us because it was worth $265. Real wood vs. pressed laminate. Oh, the joy.
Two days ago I decide," Fine. I'll put it together." (Now that you've asked me literally three hundred times. And mind you, it had nothing to do with the continual reminders.)
I tip toe towards the menacing pile of wood and start separating screws, bolts, etc. Soothing, but a bit alarming since there's a gizillion little bags chock full of hardware. I'm thinking, "Alright, alright. Let's see what the handy dandy instructions say to start with."
Nothing.
Because we didn't have the directions. Nor did Ikea since they stopped making the style. Armed with a supposedly similar reprints from the store I began comparing hardware. More than half of it was different. Ok doke. Screw the paperwork. Figured it out. And the damn thing is almost done. I say almost b/c we made additional support legs to prevent sagging in the middle from the excessive weight I anticipate will be crammed in.
That made me tired. But not nearly as tired as looking high and low for copies of my transcripts. I just saw them a few days ago but there no where to be found now that I need them. Argh.
Fuel Economy
Alright, so i'm traveling the world right now...except I'm using my poky computer. I can't wait from the books I ordered (new I might add) from the library to arrive, so I'm studying ahead of time. 
Obviously I need a social life, but considering where I am this is the best option. (*Add one beer.)
Anyhoo - I'm bouncing between Colombia and Diego Garcia I wish 'my' car's tank of gas would last as long as the B-52s.
Dude, so I'm reading about Diego Garcia (the teeny island my brother is stationed at) and was surprised to read the following:
The fact that Diego Garcia is more than 3,000 miles south of Iraq, and a shade closer to Afghanistan, does not pose the logistical problem one might expect. According to the U.S. Air Force, B-52s have an "unrefueled combat range in excess of 8,800 miles." (During the Gulf War, B-52s took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, launched cruise missiles on Iraq, and returned to Barksdale 35 hours later—the longest non-stop combat mission in the history of the B-52.)
Could you hold your bladder that long?
I suspect neither could the pilots. Oy. My butt hurt more than it should have on my recent trips. Either the excess cushioning that pads my rear is mushing forward and creating saddlebags, or I'm just getting older. I don't recall having my derrier ache from sitting on a plane.
Wait - here's a higher point of view.
Context is everything. And now I remember how close to Asia you are sibling. You're not going to catch SARs are you? -evil eyebrow raise-
When I have more time I'll look at
ted morris' DG links.
Here's an idea - what about a trip to Australia? Hmmm??
WTH: An Education in Women
So here I am researching the history of Colombia tonight, trying to familiarize myself a bit more with history and the connections between the U.S. and the 40 year civil war. Ok, and drugs. (And no, I do not have a connection otherwise I'd be laying on beach somewhere.)
Anyhoo, blah blah blah. Higher education. Cost of travel. I learn how people actually take dental vacations because,"a professional person in Colombia can only charge for his services what an average Colombian national can afford to pay". Sounds like a good deal. Maybe. (My aunt does this. She's uninsured and prefers to fly home two to three times a year to visit the doctor, dentist and dermatologist. And this is a woman who is predisposed to lupas. She reasons the cost of airfare (she has her own home there) is low enough that paying health care insurance in the states is sheer lunacy. Anyway, I digress.
I'm on this innocent looking site when i click on FAQ. Blah blah blah. Skimming...when all of sudden... I realize it's a site designed specifically to match buyers to Colombian women.
Ha! Ok, ok. So the light didn't shine brightly until I saw The Secrets to Romancing Latin Women. It's a 'matrimony agency'. Riiiight. (By the way, by reading the previously mentioned article, "even the most average looking man to attract and establish romantic relationships with beautiful, sexy and passionate Latin women". snicker. Go ahead boys, sign up. But first you have to shell out $24.95 plus S&H.) Thank goodness the site appears to be a dud, because the photo gallery links and the 'request a free cd' are no longer functioning. Can you believe that? (Not that the links aren't working, but that people pay to import a wife?)
Today I finally wrote back to my Vegas connection. I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I was so excited to see a message from her, but still took a week to respond. Hallo. It's not like I was that swamped. I had time but yet waited. For what?
What an employer needs to know
"Will you maintain a neat and professional appearance ?"
Yup. Asked by my second favorite airline ever. The blue folk. *headshake* No. I plan on rolling out of bed and showing up in PJs. They also have the annoying application where you can't upload a resume, and need to enter everything on your resume into their own builder. I hate those.
Aliens
My computer is possessed after the last run-in with the CD burner. I was copying a software disk and bad things happened. And since I'm dealing with a CDR disk I have to finish it before I remove it. (I think). But I don't want to b/c it slows everything else down on my system, which reverts back to the old pain of dial up...when you could literally paint your nails and slowly surf. Until I removed the disk I'm forced to wait nearly ten minutes upon start up while the burner rereads the disk. Annoying.
How cute is it that Jessica Lynch was wondering if the local paper made mention of her?
Not so cute: Jeter's comment on how his injury has affected him.
"You can only wash one side."
Granted, I read that in the Daily News (a freebie I swear!). However, I doubt you'd ever hear a woman utter that phrase. Come on. And as someone recently said to me - Men are swine.
It was one of those days.
Feh.
Eh.
and ugh.
Still up in the air on the financial services firm. And a "promise to have it resolved by day's end" went no where. And just for kicks I left the most pleasant message ever with the entertainment mogul. Smack, smack, smack. What's wrong with you woman? (headshake)
Ho hum. What else? Well, I may buy a car. But then again I may not. We'll see. I say "I" like it's going to be a solo activity. It won't be. As with everything these days, a lot of the future rests on the future. But I'm getting tired of waiting for the future. And going in circles. Harumph.
grrrrrrr
it's not like i ask alot - but i hate it when:
1) i'm not really in the mood to post
2) I do and
3) something goes screwy with the publishing and now my post is nowhere to be seen.
dude.
how irritating.
basically, i whined about nothing spectacular. (the monthly is due to arrive any nanominute which really should blare to anyone i know "heightened alert". hallo crankiness. and midol.) then i moaned about the media mogul's continued silence. (I left an uber chipper message 'checking in'. whatever.) oh, and the financial services dude's promise to have "everything resolved by day's end" was an empty one. yup. i got bumpkis today.
no wait! actually, someone carefully attempted to describe a great 'opportunity' nearby. one which involved a grannie and a trailer. i kid you not. and i'll have to tell you about it in person. that was actually kind of funny.
