Long time no beep

Ran into an old friend the other day.

On Sunday I went down to Big Jimmy's with a group of friends for the Packer game. Each year we try to make it down there for one game of the season... that is plenty. We had a dozen or so people on Sunday.

About half way through the game this guy walks in. He looked familiar, but it took me a few minutes to place him. I told Sara to look outside and see if there was a dump truck parked on the street. She comes back in laughing hysterically... it was Dumper Dan! My old buddy that I went out with last May.

Not to judge, because I'm no fashion princess myself, but I was not impressed by his attire. He had the worst jeans on ever. The pockets were real small so it made his ass look awful. And I think he had some sort of camo jacket on. Now his hat, that's another story. He was wearing a homemade green and gold jester-type hat that was made out of that fleece you can buy in the fabric section of Walmart. He looked ridiculous, Packer backer or not. A few minutes later he goes out to "his truck" and brings in a bag of these hats and starts selling them! What a flippin loser.

Of course I had to share my dump truck story with the select few that weren't aware. Most of the guys got a real kick out of it, while the women felt my pain.

I'm not sure if he recognized me or not. The place is quite small and how many short adults are there out there with braces? I avoided him like the plague and managed to get through the day without any eye contact. Because really, what's there to say??

That's a wrap

I'm hoping you all had a rockin Christmas. Me - it came and went as usual and I'm happy to pack up the holiday decorations this weekend. My kids were over-the-top ecstatic with the few gifts they received and I was just happy to see their faces light up like they did. I've never seen them so content. They were truly grateful for what they received and that means a lot to me.

Couple holiday highlights here:

Our Wii. How fricken cool is that?? We plugged that baby in right away, played for hours and ran to Target this morn to get another game. All three of us are addicted. The novelty may wear off eventually, but it'll take a while.

The raw beef and onions. Kudos to the dude that ever thought of throwing that combo together on a slab of rye bread.

Lack of tension. The family gatherings were smaller in nature, but everything ran smoothly. It's as if everyone took some sort of happy pill this week.

40 degrees and raining. I'm OK with that. Thank God for giving me a break in the shoveling. Although I need the exercise, I'd rather choose what kind I get and when I feel like participating in it.

Sleep now that it's over. No more reasons for the girls to get excited and lose sleep or wake at 5:00a. We can all relax and enjoy 2009... in bed...

To all my wonderful friends that stop by to check in on my "exciting" life - here's to a new year. 2008 didn't suck, but I think it could get better. I wish a little bit of sunshine into all of your lives for 2009.

Perkless

I got a phone call I wasn't expecting last night. An HR rep from a local company. He pulled my resume out from a job that I applied for back in September. A different position opened up and they thought I may be a good fit. I was a bit surprised that they actually called and asked me to apply. Certainly they must have enough people to choose from these days with all the unemployment out there. But, heck yeah, I'll look into the opportunity.

Sort of funny (but not really) this phone call came at a time of frustration. They handed out Christmas cards at work today... and they were empty. All years past we had received a small bonus, but this time there was a big thank you in green marker. I told the payroll gal that has to hand these out that they should have just saved the money and not bought the cards. Really, who cares? She said they didn't buy them, but found leftovers in the back closet. Now it really seems heartfelt.

I know times are tough and companies are struggling to get by, but they have to show some sort of appreciation to their employees. They skipped raises in June, canceled the summer picnic and Christmas party and now the holiday bonus. What's left? Management said they'd reevaluate raises in January, well that's a few days away. I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I know that I'm lucky to still have an income right now, but all I ask is some sort of incentive to keep us around. Show us that you give a shit whether we're here or not.

Guess I'll just have to go home and blow snow this aft. That's BOUND to make me feel better.

You're in my space

It feels GOOD to be at work today. Really. After getting stuck on Friday and being locked inside with the girls all day yesterday, this is heaven. They even said they were happy to get out this morn. A little too much togetherness, yes indeed. If this keeps up all winter, there may only be two of us left standing by April. I'm not sure who will take out who, it's anyone's guess. All three of us have the potential to lose our cool and go postal.

Like living in paradise

What a fantastic day! It's just beautiful outside, isn't it??

Winner winner chicken dinner

Let's talk about something happy.

Janie went to Oneida yesterday. At 4:00p I hear someone come in the back door. It was her. She walks in, hands me a $100 bill and tells me to do something fun with it. She won a few hundred dollars and wanted to share the wealth. How nice is that?? She wouldn't say how much, but just that it was under $1000. Good for her, and us.

As much as I'd like to spend it all wrapped up in fun, it only took a few hours to find a home for that money. My tax bill just came and I owe $140 more than the mortgage company sent me. Drats.

Kudos to Janie for being in such a grand holiday spirit.

It's all white

I feel as if there's this white elephant in the room and we shouldn't talk about it. Because I'd really rather not... but here goes. Winter sucks.

I don't want to be that person that bitches all winter. I really dislike chronic complainers. As much as I'm trying to bite my tongue, it's hard!

So, I had every intention of going to work today. The kids were all packed up in the car a little after 9:00a and I was going to drop them off by a friend so I could get a few hours in. I figured I would plow through the driveway and deal with snow removal later. What a joke that was. We got stuck at the end of the drive, barely able to get out of the car because my driveway is so narrow and the banks are higher than the car doors. We do get out, but it took me over 1.5 hours to clean the drive and get my car out. I was a little frustrated.

As much as I try to wrap my arms around it, I have a hard time understanding what it is that people like about all this.

And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee all the way home

Well, I made it through the day without spilling or breaking anything. I did smack myself in the eye this morning with the blow dryer and it hurt like hell, but my eye didn't turn purple.

Oh, did I tell you about my near frost bite last night??

I got home a little after 5:00p and had to finish shoveling a section of my drive right in front of the garage. Instead of changing coats, gloves, etc. I just grabbed the shovel when I jumped out of the car. I figured it would take me about 15 minutes. All I had on my hands were those light, stretchy, knit gloves. Very little protection, but I wasn't planning on spending the night sleeping in the backyard, right?

After five minutes my hands were starting to numb. It was getting so bad that I actually grabbed the snow blower and thought I could quickly blow the last section to make this task go faster. When I finished I grabbed my purse, PC and six pack of Mike's out of the car. I could barely carry anything; my hands were starting to hurt.

I got inside, threw everything on the counter and started rubbing my hands. They hurt so bad that it was almost like knives were getting jabbed at them. I turned on a little space heater and tried warming my hands that way, but they throbbed even more as the heat hit them. Then I started getting nauseous and thought I was going to throw up. I sat on the bathroom floor when I started to get dizzy and turned the heater off because the prickling sensation from the heat wasn't helping any. After a few minutes my hands still hurt, but I was able to stand again. I wrapped up in a blanket on the couch and laid there in the dark, afraid to close my eyes for fear of spinning. It was awful! I dozed off and eventually woke about 20 minutes later. I had my hands back.

I can't believe this happened to me from 15 minutes of shoveling. Granted, it was about 10 degrees, but still. You see stories about people that get lost in the mountains for days and they lose fingers and toes. The pain they go through must be absolutely excruciating. What a horrible experience.

I sure learned something. Even though I was right outside my back door and able to warm up, I chose to quickly get the task done. My body is NOT built for the elements and I need to take the time to dress appropriately. Damn.

Where's your head at?

This morning I asked the girls about the mohawk boys. They think the green one is actually better because it's shorter and less ridiculous. Ali said the spiked boy wears it down sometimes, but then it really looks stupid. I can imagine. How very Boy George.

Something I thought of this morning... how does the kid wear a hat?? Surely I would think that takes precedence over looking "cool" when it's below zero outside. I just can't get past this.

I pity the fool

Jules had her holiday concert today. In between kindergarten acts I managed to move up to the front. When they brought all the 2nd grade classes out she ended up standing right in front of me. It was sweet.

I was a little surprised to see that two boys in her class had mohawks. Are you kidding me?? One had a shorter mohawk that was Kermit green. The other, and I still shake my head at this, had one spiked all the way from his forehead to the back of his neck. Why would any parent do this? It must've taken quite a bit of time to do the kid's hair this morn. It was a perfect spike. Besides, didn't mohawks go out in the 80s along with parachute pants??

I'm all for being a free spirit and expressing who you are. That's fine and dandy. I do draw the line when it comes to children. I know from experience that if you give them a little too much independence at a young age it can come back and bite you in the ass when they reach high school. I plan to maintain control of my children's appearance as long as I can.

Don't ask

One of the engineers comes into my office yesterday aft, sits down and says, "Why is your right ear so purple??"

Because I almost ripped it out of my head.

Just shoot me now

The IT area at work has two offices and a server room that are all enclosed. Blair and I each have an office and the server room houses, of course, our servers, plus all network wiring, computer inventory and parts, etc. It's a big room full of crap. We also have a toaster oven and nuker in there so we don't have to walk through the production area each time we want to heat up our lunch. (We are on the opposite side of the building from the rest of civilization.) We even baked cookies in there once; it was fantastic.

Today I was all pumped to have lunch. I made a big batch of chili this weekend and it was probably the best batch I've ever made. Good stuff. I had the last bowl sitting on my desk and decided to warm it up a little after noon. I walk into the server room, get about two feet, and the bowl slips out of my hands. Chili everywhere!! It was on the wall, all over a few PCs and a monitor, certainly all over the floor. And worst of all, the sleeves of my sweater! Damn it.

I just stood there swearing, not sure what to do next. You know how it sort of happens slow-mo and you can't really stop it from happening, but you watch it as if maybe you could have done something??

I was pissed. I grabbed a garbage can, roll of paper towel and started cleaning. By then Blair had come in. He seemed more upset that I had wasted a good bowl of chili than anything.

I did a half-assed job wiping the chili up. It was almost worse than cleaning up after a vomiting child. Yuck. Then I had to clean up the garbage can and throw the arms of my sweater under a faucet.

I get back to my office, heave a deep sigh, and decide that it's better to take my sweater off. The sleeves are hanging down to my knees like I have monkey arms and it's not exactly working for me. I have a T on underneath, so I'll just crank my little heater until it's time to go. I put my glasses on my desk and pull the sweater over my head. The fucking thing gets caught on my right earring and I practically rip my ear in half. I have a mirror on the wall, so I'm trying to unhook the sweater from the earring (it's a little dangly) but you know how it is to do something like that when looking in a mirror? It's all backwards, so whichever direction I pull it really should be the opposite. Not an easy task.

Finally, I lay the soggy sweater on a table and sit down to have my orange. I'm starving. As I'm chewing, a bunch of orange juice runs out of my mouth and down onto the front of my Tshirt. WTF?

The P word

Last night I gave Alison the book about girls growing up. It gives details of the changes their bodies go through and talks about good hygiene, etc. She took a quick look at the table of contents and whispers, "It talks about puberty." I told her to read it over, if not a few times, and then come talk to me when she was ready to discuss it.

So, she has it on the couch as we're watching the Survivor finale. Julia asked what the book was about and I told her she could read it in a few years... don't worry about it. Alison went through the first few sections, pointing out things that she thought I should know, because apparently I've been doing some of these things wrong for 40 years? Surprisingly enough she didn't skip right to the puberty section. Even though it piqued her interest, she started in the beginning with hair, eyes and teeth. Now me, I would have gone right to the back of the book first thing.

I'm on vacation today. Just because. It's the last day I'm able to take vacation before the New Year, so I thought I'd give myself a 3-day weekend. I still have a few days left to roll over into next year. And I always have a list of things to do around here, so the idea of putzing all day sounded quite appealing.

This morn I told the girls they didn't have to make their beds because I'd be changing all the sheets today. After I took them to school and had breakfast I went up to Ali's room. There, lying on her bed, was a note that said, " I heart you!" I thought I was going to cry. She's just the sweetest, most caring little kid. I don't know what I did to deserve her.

Around the watercooler

There was a little happy hour after work last night. I thought about stopping for one or two, but then remembered that I had an online presentation for a class at 6:00p. Just as well... the last thing I need to be doing on a Wed eve is drinking.

Our new HR rep (the previous owner's daughter) sent out an email that this function was not company sponsored, so basically bring your own wallet. Right after that an email came from the CEO (the previous owner's son) stating that he planned on buying drinks for anyone that made an appearance. Guess he showed his sister. He is very much his father's son when it comes to a party.

So I walk in this morn and the Lead Production guy looks like complete ass. He's pitch white with his hoodie up. I hesitate to say anything in fear of insulting him. But, come on... he must know what he looks like. He starts talking about last night. Apparently he closed the bar with the CEO and VP of Operations (my boss). And the LP guy was just in the back of the building, throwing up. Very nice.

So then the VP of Engineering walks by and calls those guys all a bunch of F#ckers. Guess they had a 7:30 mtg this morn and the CEO and VP of O still hadn't shown up yet. Huh.

The CEO ended up paying for pizzas and all drinks from 5:00p to bar close. And the people in this company are all over that. They drink like a school of fish.

Quite the crew I work with, huh? I'm not excluding myself from the group, because I definitely have a good time once in a while... especially when there's open bar. Free drinks always taste better. But on a Wednesday? My week would be shot.

Last ditch effort

Some crazy geriatric practically ran me off the road today. I guess I saw it coming, but still decided to enter at my own risk.

I was tailing her on the way to the ortho. She was hugging the center line like it was her last lemon bar. I knew if I didn't pass that I'd be stuck behind her for a good portion of the drive and I was already pushing getting to my appt. on time. She might have been going 25 in a 35.

The road was narrow, but I went for it anyway. So, I'm just about next to her. The road is quite snow covered and slick yet. She starts pulling to the left, crossing the center line, which leaves me about a foot until I hit the ditch. I laid on the horn in case she didn't see me (because chances seemed pretty good) and saw her mouth, "Watch where you're going." Excuse me?? I'm the one trying to pass your Buick in a legal passing zone as you run me off the road.

I stepped on it and pulled to the right in safety. Blew that old bag right out of the water. This is why there should be mandatory DMV testing after the age of 60.

Nuff said

All I'm going to say is: "Be careful what you wish for."

Bring it on

This is the first time in years that I've wanted the snow to continue ALL NIGHT LONG. I want a massive snow day. I brought work home and am prepared to keep my pjs on tomorrow. Cross fingers.

Can you believe this? Me? I must've slipped on the ice and cracked my head.

All in the family

So today I had lunch with Alison and the X's girlfriend's daughter. She sat next to me and Ali because she probably thinks I'm pretty cool. Smart kid. Plus kids never find any of the divorce/who's dating who thing to be awkward. They're buddies with everyone. Both GF's daughters wave at me and chat when we see each other.

When I left the school I got to thinking just how damn good the X has had it. His current GF and I are both pretty good catches. I mean, overall we're both good people that have our crap together. We're social, fun and great moms to boot. I don't know how he lucked out not just once, but twice in his life. Especially since he doesn't exactly bring a whole lot to the table himself.

And the GF and I get along. We probably talk more socially than any other women in this situation do. We've known each other growing up, which helps, but we also seem to be similar in personality. And we're obviously both grown up enough to make this a decent situation for all involved. Life's just too short to add any more drama that isn't necessary.

Someone asked me this weekend about the X's current situation and whether he remarried. I stated that I would be 100% OK with the idea if he did. He's happier when he's in a relationship and his time with our girls seems to be of better quality. I'd rather he married someone I liked since his second wife will have an influence on my children. It's all good.

Remember that time...

Had my annual Xmas party with the ladies on Saturday eve. There are a dozen of us, 11 made it. While most of us sipped drinks in moderation, there were a select few that overindulged a bit. One of the more comical highlights of the eve was Karri insisting on calling this guy, Roy, that we went to HS with. Roy's locker was next to mine. He wasn't involved in sports, clubs, nothing. I can't really say what he did with himself those four years. The only thing he's known for is making out with his brainy, slightly unattractive GF. They would be all over each other, making it difficult for me to get into my locker at times. Roy and Trisha... ah, the memories.

So, somehow he came up in conversation, probably because Anne kissed him in grade school. Ew. Karri was adamant about calling the guy. She wanted to Google him, even called a male friend of ours that probably hasn't talked to Roy in 20 years, hoping he had Roy's number. What she planned on saying to him, who the heck knows. It's Karri.

The last time I saw anything of Roy was at our 15 yr reunion. People submitted photos for a book that was put together. I think I still have it somewhere. He was standing all cool with a leather jacket over his shoulder. The photo was very Glamour Shots and probably the most talked about that eve.

The best part of this holiday party every year are the stories. Never fails. When you have a large group of women that have known each other since childhood, there are plenty of classic moments to share. Everything from grade school to our first boyfriends to drunken bar adventures in our 20s. Jill breaking her arm at Anne's wedding, me smacking my face into a dresser and getting a black eye because I just peed my mini-skirt and was trying to change, the Liebiden rock that we named after two guys that were very under-endowed, Sara and Big-wave Dave... the list goes on. And the laughs are endless.

Wild times

You know what I like to do? When the snow and slush starts building up and you get those big chunks that hang behind the tires of your car... I like to kick those off.

I won't do it unless I have my boots on, and I won't do it in my own driveway. I usually wait until I'm at the grocery or work or something.

Fun stuff.

Snowbound

I've decided to postpone any vacations this winter due to the economy and my desire to downsize life and build on that nest egg. It's a bummer, because I can see me already. Mid February I'll be sitting at the dining table, surrounded by dark, because it's 4:30pm and sunlight is no longer an option. I'll break out into a crying jag because the snow is up to my waist and I'm tired of being cold and feeling trapped. This happened to me last year and that's when I started planning a trip to Jamaica for the three of us. I wanted to go right in the heart of winter 2009 as a "fuck this" type of vacation. Little did I know that the economy was going to take the dive that it did.

BTW, did you hear that they officially announced we are in a recession? I'm so glad they did, because I really had no clue.

Anyway, it doesn't look like we'll be flying anywhere this winter. The girls will be disappointed, but I'll try to come up with something to make the season more bearable for us all. Yesterday my boss asked if I'd be around at the end of the week because he wanted to plan a meeting. I replied that I'd be around until April... and then drew a heavy sigh.

You're so pretty, oh so pretty...

I couldn't resist. Because I found this on a guy's blog, and not only did it make me smile, but I can hear Lisa laughing out loud. The blogger's comment is below the pic.

Oh God, this is such a dick softener.

Time to go bye-bye

Does anyone really care that it's Britney's 27th birthday? I sure don't. We've been hearing about it for days, and frankly, I liked her better when she was all wacked on crack. She was more her true self and less annoying. Now we have to listen to how she's making such a comeback with that repetitive "Womanizer" noise. I just want to peel my skin off every time I hear that song. It would make the tune less painful.

So, on Yahoo! they listed her 27 biggest moments. I didn't read them, because I could care less, but I sure hope they include the following:

• Losing custody of children
• Showing va-ga-ga to the world
• Shaving head
• Making ass of oneself on awards show
• Being worst-dressed ever
• Realizing there isn't any talent

Just to name a few. Yeah, Brit. Have another one.

'Cause I'm just a girl

I wasn't going to admit this to anyone, but what the hell. I already told Scott and got the exact reaction I expected.

When I was shopping last weekend I saw the $8 jackets they were advertising at Walmart. They had all kinds of fun colors. They're not the thickest coats for being outside in the snow, but more of a late fallish kind of coat, or one that I'd wear to work or go bumming if I planned on spending most of my day inside.

These were Girls' coats, sizes ranging from 4-16. I tried on the XL (14-16) and it fit real nice! Actually a lot better than most of my Women's SM ones do. For once I don't have to roll up the sleeves. So I bought it. I've purchased Girls' large shoes already and some tops. WTH? If they fit, run with it. They're usually cheaper, too.

The best part of this jacket is the big square tag inside the back that says, "This Belongs To:". I can put my name in there in case I ever lose it on the playground. Ha! Rock on with that.

OK, I'm ready

Well, it wasn't a bad Thanksgiving weekend. Ate some turkey, did a little ridiculous 5am shopping the next day and decorated the tree. The girls were thrilled to get some holiday decorations up and I was just happy that they loved it. You know me, I could take or leave the whole season, but I deal with it. After recently watching The Family Stone for the second time, I have to keep reminding myself that those big, fun families where the parents actually enjoy having everyone in the house aren't always reality. (The over-the-top fun loving Breiters excluded.)

To keep up with the spirit that everyone throws upon us, I completed my xmas shopping this weekend and wrapped all the gifts. I even bought new St. Nick stockings for the girls with their initials on them. Go KB.

And now I sit and wait for the parties to start. Glasses of holiday cheer to all.

Did I mention that I was up uber early this morn to blow snow? Love this season.