Subtle Glow

Try changing the clocks on the day before you travel to a different time zone.  Then work with another group who is typically three hours ahead of you, but now is only one hour difference, except they use military time.  Add on a whole continent of people who haven’t even changed their clocks yet but are somewhere between 7 and 9 hours different.

Please don’t ask me what time it is.

Also. Arizona, I just don’t get you.

It’s been so long…  one might think I no longer exist in the virtual world.

It’s been so long…  one might be surprised to learn I’m have a more virtual existence than ever.

A few weeks ago, my friend sucked me in to Second Life.  A few after that, my brother brought home and installed World of Warcraft.  Shortly following both of those events - I can’t even tell you what happened because I don’t know.  I was online in some form or another, basically pretending to be someone else.

Two things that happened outside of the virtual realm:

1. I got a big fat bonus coupled with a pending big fat raise
2. I promptly bought a big fat new laptop to accommodate my new graphic-intense hobbies.

So how have YOU been?  To be honest I had to Mark All Read in my google reader, because there was no way I could get through 7 kajillion new entries since the last time I pulled my head out of some kind of online game in order to read something. Did you know there’s like a campaign or something going on… I guess we’re electing a new president (finally, but really only because the same dude can’t get away with “winning” another election AGAIN).  But first there’s some heated race over who even gets to run.

Meanwhile I’m starting another project at work, and my first trip is Monday.  I will be traveling to the frozen tundra, and I live in Southern California.  I have *nothing* to pack and it seems pointless to procure items worth packing because again: I live in Southern California.  Also since I booked this trip things have changed a little and I probably won’t make more than just this one trip. Following a week there, I’ll be going to the complete opposite side of the country (North to South), straight from the frozen tundra.

Honestly. I feel like taking my heaviest coat and my toiletries and just buying what I need when I get there.

Please.  Please let me come home on Friday to find that there is no barren holiday decorations still hanging about.  I’m tempted to call home this instant to make sure of it, but would that be wise?

I’m going to trust that there won’t be a trace of it.  I don’t have to follow up on *everything* do I?  No.  That would be nagging and annoying.  I don’t want to do either of those.

So.  Let us hope.

;)

Do you ever get the sense that you are so far removed from a situation that it lends the most elegant clarity of what the entire approach *should* have been, from the time of design  - that you start to think that surely you must be missing some vital information, somewhere?  Information that the founders must have encountered and kicked around solutions befitting long before you were even seasoned enough to think of having visibility into such a thing?  Do you ever want to rip out everything that’s ever been done and start over because the longer you stand in the eye of the storm, the more clearly you can see the swirling chaos and the inevitable demise of all that once surrounded and thrived on that once ripened land?

I know.  You have no idea of the specifics to which I refer.

It’s ok.  It was rhetorical.  I just had to get that out there.  I don’t want to say why but if I could it would make more sense.

Also.  How can alcohol make some things so clear and simple to express and others so cloudy and difficult?

The mind ponders wonders wanders…

Did you have a nice holiday?  We did.  Santa came to our house and was good to all of us.  My mom and my grandmother were here for dinner, which was very nice.  Dinner turned out lovely, and unlike last year at Thanksgiving, wasn’t long cold and later re-warmed since traffic had everyone held up for much longer than we expected.
Having my mom and my grandmother both her at the same time was comical.  Every time someone said, “Mom” the three of us turned to answer, “Which one?”  tee hee.

I think I spent yesterday in a food coma.  Which would be all well and good except I have one day left to get ready for tomorrow.  Laundry.  Packing (oh, crap, I haven’t even started to think about what to pack).  Removing the holiday decorations and packing those away.  My brother offered to take on that task, so at least I know if I can’t get to that one I can leave it for him.  I also need to color my hair (already in process!) and removed all the chipped polish from my fingers and toes.  If I can manage it, I need to run out to the store.
Oh, and I didn’t actually take vacation today, so at some point or another I need to take a peek at what’s going on at the office.

Fuck - I need to pay bills and do my banking.  I keep forgetting.
Time to hit the shower…  rinse this color out and get on with the day.  Thankfully I’ve already had my coffee!

It has been a fabulous holiday.

Despite the absence of my mom’s husband, who was “not feeling well” enough to make it for dinner. Despite the minor trip we took dumpster diving for the overlooked Webkinz super-secret code you can only get from the tag on the damn stuffed animal (how am I the only one to know this??), which was later found in the trash in the kitchen (what’s more awesome than a trip to the dumpster? An unnecessary trip, of course!).

Despite all of that… it’s been one of the best holidays in a long time. I’m going to try to convince my brother to drive us to see a showing of The Golden Compass, so I can start reading the book Santa brought me tomorrow (I always prefer to see the movies first, since the book will ruin a good movie every time). Otherwise we’ll catch the movie tomorrow some time.

Hope everyone is having a safe and fabulous holiday as well.

PS - I’m way too stuffed to eat another bite.  Except maybe a little bit of that cherry dessert…  mmm.

To my dear friends and family: Fear Not.

You were not removed from my holiday card list this year.  I seem to have given up on trying to maintain any semblance of the ability to put a stamped envelope into an actual mailbox.  So much so that I didn’t even bother to buy holiday cards this year, and truth be told I doubt I will buy some after this season is over for next year.  So much so that I recently changed purses and found an old book of 37-cent stamps and was delighted for about three seconds before the realization hit me that I have no idea how much a single stamp is supposed to cost anymore.

To my dear friends and family, and to everyone else for that matter: Happiest of Holidays to you and yours.  I made you a delicious pie.

You know The Eye, from Lord of the Rings? All fiery and twitchy and red?

What IS it with my eyes? Last time I think it was allergies, but this time it’s only one eye. While it’s not fully on gross-out pink eye (it’s just the PINK part of pink eye, not that other gross part - let’s not speak of it, ok?) I still hate that there’s something going on with anything to do with my eye.

In the meantime I’m washing my hands so often they are going to be dry and scaly soon. I refuse to cook - just in case! Which normally wouldn’t be a problem but then I’m supposed to make the entire dinner in two days.

I’m hoping some of this:

Some of this:

and some of this:

will have me good as new soon.

(Oh - P.S. tell me how nice my freshly waxed brows are looking, would ya? k, thx)

How cool is this?  My company is sponsoring a CPR/First Aid certification class for interested employees.  For free!
At this time tomorrow, I will be taking part in that class.  By the end of the day tomorrow, I’ll be all certified and hopefully even a little bit prepared if at some point something should happen and I will need to use the training.

Waking at 3:30AM in pain and in need of Advil or Motrin or *something* is not awesome.

Waking at 3:30AM and limping to the medicine cabinet in search of relief, is one thing.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the bottle of Aleve is another.

Finding that someone put the fucking EMPTY BOTTLE BACK IN THE CABINET is just plain unacceptable.

Someone is lucky I didn’t brain him with the empty bottle.  I’m just saying.