Holiday Craziness

Hola Amigos,

It was an interesting Christmas weekend for me. I ended up doing much more volunteering than I ever intended to do. I showed up for my 3 hour adoption center shift at noon on Sunday. Parking stunk, but the adoption center (which is in a mall) was relatively slow, thankfully, because we're on a slower wing (we're essentially all their is in the section we're in). So, it wasn't all that bad. We had the usual number of buttheads who think that regardless of our policies THEY actually know what's best for the animals in our care. Then there are the folks who try and convince us that declawing a cat is the absolute BEST thing you can do for them. We usually have a couple of those a day (do not get me started on declawing, it gets my Irish up). Through a series of conversations I realized that no one was on deck to relieve me at 3:00. My entire plan for the weekend and Christmas started to crumble before my eyes at the thought that I'd have to cover the 3:00 to 6:00 shift. I almost cried. Those 3 hours were precious. So I called my friend Therese, who as it turns out, had forgotten that she was supposed to cover that shift anyway. As luck would have it she hadn't planned anything so she came in. However, the person who was supposed to volunteer with her bagged on us (thanks a million and merry effing Christmas you fricking tool) and it's next to impossible for a person to staff the center alone, so I stayed with her (she's my best friend and she needed me). The nice thing is she took it easy on me, let me leave for a little while to shop and get something to eat, and in general it wasn't a horrible 3 hours. Though honestly I'd rather not spend more of my time with John Q. Public than is absolutely necessary. There's a REASON I got out of retail, people.

Then, I was scheduled to cover gift wrapping at Borders on Monday (Christmas eve) from 2:30 to 5:00 (they supply the paper, we get to keep any tips we get for wrapping, and Christmas eve is usually pretty lucrative). So over the course of 2 days I volunteered for about 9+ hours (all things considered) and I still had to do all my normal Christmas preparations. I have to admit I enjoy the wrapping, though. I like the act of wrapping gifts, and people tend to be so sweet on Christmas eve, honestly. Sweet and generous. And another good thing was that Therese came to volunteer with me (as sort of a return favor for helping her out the day before). I was supposed to be alone that whole time! She was late, but I was glad to have her!

After that I had to high tail it over to my mother's. What a feast we had. My sister in law brought colossal shrimp with her own home made shrimp sauce, and home made baklava. My other sister in law made sushi (that was superb and as pretty as I've ever seen in a restaurant). My sister Stephanie made our Aunt Beulah's jello (I'm not normally a fan but this is SO delicious) and ham spread, mom made turkey spread, we had home made candies and cookies, and it was just so much fun. My nephew was showered with gifts (he's only 4...we can't help ourselves) and I got some really great stuff (including the Simpsons movie and a USB power adaptor for my iPod, which I really needed). It was good to see my brothers and my sisters in law too, just a fun time. Then yesterday my mom and sis and I went to see Sweeney Todd (it was great). Our normal tradition is to then go to our favorite Indian restaurant, but we had SO much food left over that we decided to eat at my mom's. And we played cards.

It was a very busy holiday, but fun.

Hey, by the way, what kind of credit card makes their due dates on Christmas??? I had 2 credit cards due on Christmas day. WTF?

staff photo

Oh lordy, we had a staff photo taken today. There were several people out, or not in yet and a couple folks who just didn't want their picture taken but most of us succumbed to that good old fashioned guilt trip and went to the reference area, oh, sorry, the "research and outreach area" and stood for the photo. I dread seeing it.

Someone made a large copy of the last one and it's been in our staff lounge for 3 years. Strangely, it's never been defaced... You'd think someone would have drawn a mustache on somebody or blacked out a few teeth. But no, there it sits in all its seriousness.

I was going to try and bow out of this one (I detest having my picture taken, plus I'm still resentful of the staff photo we had taken 3 years ago; I mean come ON, 2 staff photos in 3 years??? I could handle every 10 years, even every 5...) but when the voice came over the loudspeaker that we were to meet for the photo I just felt obligated to go.

The funny thing about the last one is that you can tell by the look on my face that I'm PISSED. Or anyone who knows me can. Sure, I'm smiling, but it's a very sarcastic, crooked, WTF are you looking at? kind of smile. Makes me laugh whenever I see it. And there were several other people who had the exact same smile (nobody I know wanted their pic taken!).

I did have fun with it though, and was able to do some photoshop type stuff. So then we had Barry Manilow, and Rod Stewart in the front row, and scattered throughout were Arnold Schwarzenegger, George w. bush, mick jagger, brian wilson, others. I'll try very hard to outdo myself.

I have no idea how this one will turn out. I don't think I'll look surly like last time, which is sort of too bad. At least I'm wearing a different shirt.

This thing in Jersey...

Personally I'm glad that New Jersey abolished the death penalty. I'm also glad that I live in a state where it's been outlawed.

I oppose the death penalty. Believe me, there's guilt involved in that, when I think of some of the horrific crimes that have been committed. So it's not always easy for me to admit that's how I feel.

There are many reasons. Here are a few. It's been proven it doesn't work as a deterrent. It's unfairly meted out (the per capita numbers of death penalty sentences handed to white-on-white crime, black-on-black crime, white-on-black crime and black-on-white are disparate, which should not be). People with more money are less likely to be sentenced to death because they can afford better counsel. Innocent people can be put to death (this month alone there were 2 death sentences dropped because the people were proven innocent). I do not like the idea of government sanctioned executions and it costs the taxpayers lots and lots of money.

I do understand and sympathize with the plight of people who are left in the wake of a violent crime. My beliefs do not mean I don't think justice should be served. But there is just too much wrong with the death penalty for me to think that it's right.

I had a friend once who told me "You'd feel differently if you had children." ?? I've thought about that and thought about that, and I've never been able to make sense of it. So, because I haven't been a parent I'm seeing things wrong? So, does everyone with children think the death penalty is a good thing? Is my capacity to love, to forgive, to feel, challenged by the fact that I'm not a mother? I have to tell you, that really hurt.

Maybe if I lost someone to a violent crime I'd feel differently. I can't even imagine the pain of the victims' families. I know that there are cruel, heartless people out in the world and there are plenty of people that the world would be a better place without. But I don't think it's my place or my state's place to decide when and how they should leave this earth. The system needs fixing, folks, that's a huge part of the problem. Maybe if someone could tell me with a clear conscience that no one on death row is innocent, maybe I'd have more confidence. When our government is deciding whether a person lives or dies, there is no margin of error.

What I do know for sure is that 2 people in our nation were going to be executed, EXECUTED, this month alone for crimes they didn't commit. I wonder how many others among the 3,000+ (not quite sure of that number) inmates on death row are innocent?

In case you're wondering, I'm also pro-choice. Sometimes people wonder that. That may be a dichotomy, but somehow I feel it's a few ticks less hypocritical than folks who are pro-death penalty and anti-choice. I can 'splain that in a subsequent post. For now just call me crazy.

I figure, this is a blog, and I haven't really written anything contentious before, so this is my stab at it.

Hola Amigos,

I must admit that I'm sort of into Christmas this year. I've decorated at home, I've done almost all my shopping, I've sent Christmas cards, I'm listening to Christmas music (on MY terms thank you very much). Yep, I'm excited about Christmas!

I heard on the radio the other day some interviews with people sharing their traumatic ways of learning that Santa wasn't real. It made me think, and I realized that I don't have a recollection of ever thinking that Santa was real. Just snippets here and there, but in my life Santa never was. See, I'm the youngest of 5, so I had 4 older siblings to spoil the surprise for me. Plus I was blessed with brutally honest parents. So when my brothers and sister began to mock me about Santa I asked my dad if there really was a Santa Claus (I must have been 4 or 5). He simply told me the truth. See, that's just how my dad was. He didn't do it to be mean or spoil anything. He did what he always did. His kid asked him a question and he told her the truth. And me, being the kind of kid I was, I just integrated that fact into my psyche and all was OK. I think he probably did the right thing. I would have found out eventually. And maybe I would have been disappointed at being strung along. Who knows. All I know is he said I handled it like a trooper.

Seriously, I still got the presents, you know??

I did come up with a killer gift for my hairdresser. My sister and I always go in together and get something for him, and if I do say so myself it's usually something FABULOUS. He has impeccable taste, you see. I spend more time picking out something for him than I do for some of my family members. But I've known him for over 20 years, we're dear friends, and it's a way of saying thank you for a year's worth of stunning haircuts. So this year we're going with a bottle of absinthe! I couldn't be more excited! Such a romantic drink with such an interesting past. And the fact that it's only recently become legal adds to the allure. I can hardly wait! And I'm quite proud of myself because I thought of it. :) And it fits. David is a Francophile, he'd be all over this what with it's French influences.

Not that I'd ever drink the stuff myself. No way. It's anise flavored. Blech.

My nephew is the one I still need to buy for, and I sort of planned it that way. He's 4. How much fun is it to shop for a 4 year old!!!! I can hardly wait! He's such a good little kid, so sweet, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to have a little one around for Christmas! I haven't even begun to put together what I'm getting him, but I'm a very doting Auntie. I'd give him whatever he wants, I'm such a sucker. At Thanksgiving I asked him what he wanted. He puzzled for a minute and said "I don't know. Maybe clothes?" Which I'm actually MORE excited about because I love buying kids clothes!

So this week we are having our department Christmas party Wednesday and the library Christmas party Thursday and I'm supposed to bring something for both. That's a bit tiresome, frankly, but I'll do it because I said I would. Oh, and the University party party (do we see a pattern here of increasingly important parties?) is Friday, plus the annual after-university party at my friend John's house.

Then there's the party at my sister's house that I wasn't invited to. No, that's not a joke. She really didn't invite me. So that one doesn't really count. But it's still out there. It's going to be a busy, crazy week.

But I'm in the spirit, you know? Somehow it's all OK.

Just hang up and pee

Hola Amigos,

This post has been brewing for a while, but something finally made me snap my cap. I work at a university, and probably like every university these days, every student has a cell phone that they use CONSTANTLY. You'll see them between classes calling their friends. "Whatcha doing? I just got out of class. Now I'm going to lunch. Where are you?" It's as if the 5 minute walk from classroom to dorm room (and not many of our dorms are much further away than that) is so unbearable that they have to call their little friends to pass the time.

Anyway, I needed to use the restroom and the staff one was occupado so I used the public one. I was finished and in the process of washing my hands (I was in the handicapped stall so I had my own sink) when I heard someone enter, talking. No big deal. Then I realized she was talking ON THE PHONE. In a restroom. And was her conversation anything earth shattering or important that would warrant actually taking a phone with you when you had to answer the call of nature? No, of course not. It boiled down to "That test was hard but I studied" etc. Then she proceeded to go into the stall and USE THE TOILET while talking on the phone. I made a swift exit, thankful that I'd finished my business before she came in there.

I've heard this happens, cell phone conversations in public restrooms while on the toilet, but I've never actually been witness to it, and I must say I'm disgusted. If any of my three readers have done this, please know that I disapprove. I won't pass judgment, and don't take it personally of course, but I think it's pretty gross. And Miss Manners had a few choice words about it herself not long ago, so I'm not alone.

I use public restrooms because I have to, but I never actually liked the idea of someone else having to hear my bodily functions. But it's a necessary evil, isn't it. But now they've brought their friends with them? And how unsanitary is this that you drop your pants and do your business with a phone in your hand? And being at home is one thing, but...in public? Can't I pee in peace when I'm at work?

I'm no prude, but I can probably remember each instance where I've used the bathroom while on the phone and ALL of them occurred at home, I assure you. And probably 99% of those instances were when I was talking to my sister, and she's my sister for pete's sake, we burp and fart around each other regularly. But talking to someone one the phone while crapping just seems rude to the person you're talking to, frankly.

Why couldn't she just shut up for 5 minutes and pee? It's just like the inane conversations I'm subjected to if I'm unlucky enough to be stuck outside when classes change. Conversations between 2 students after class may actually be stimulating, interesting. But calling a friend just to flap your gums and kill time is torturous!

I never dreamed I'd reach the age where I'd say "When I was going here..." but you know, you have to understand, I went to school here and got a job here within months of graduating. It's in my blood. I love this place. But something (or many things?) has happened in the recent past, maybe 5 years, that make me tired.

Just let me say i:. When I was going here and you got out of class, you went to your other class. Or you went home. Or you went to a bar (this was back when the drinking age was 18 and my alma mater had the most bars per capita of any university in the states, and that's a documented fact, not hyperbole). Or you got something to eat. Whatever. And if you were alone you were alone, so what.

Just come here some time when classes are changing and you'll see (and hear) what I'm talking about. In the end I'm not surprised that someone talks on the phone while peeing really, I'm just annoyed.

Directly after I left the restroom I ran into a coworker and mentioned it to him and he told me that the same thing happens in the men's room, but that what's worse is people eating there.

Eating???

LOVE this song

I love Fugazi (in case you haven't figured that out). I put my iPod on shuffle today and Margin Walker came on first (my iPod knows me very well) and it's almost impossible for me to sit still while it plays. There's a youtube clip to the right of them performing this song (what a great find! Never thought to search them there but there are clips all over the place; the quality on this one is really good, and you get to see plenty of my man Guy, the guy in the orange shirt singing). This is such a talented band, and their live shows are (were, sadly...) amazing.

I miss you guys!!!

Fugazi "Margin Walker"

You make yourself so beautiful,
You make yourself so, so beautiful
And now i feel like i'm gonna,
I'm gonna set myself on fire.

I'm gonna set myself up at a window,
This margin walker wants a clear view,
This margin walker wants a clear shot,
and now i'm shooting it right on you.

Untraceable, untranslatable,
I can't explain all i ever wanted to do
Trajectory passing right through me
Threads my needle send it right through you.

You make yourself so visible,
You make yourself so, so visible,
And now i feel like i'm in the tread of
some bastard jealousy.

Up here, above the avenue, up here, where
the things you do,
They lend me a problem with the language,
split my seams and then they drop in a fuse.

Untraceable, untranslatable,
I can't explain all i ever wanted to do
Trajectory passing right through me
Threads my needle send it right through you.

Bad to Better

Hola Amigos,

I was in a foul mood this morning. The worst. First off we got more snow, and the shovelling frankly isn't getting done the way I'd hoped. So there's that. Then I remembered that I was supposed to bring a dessert type thing to work, meaning that I'd have to go to the store beforehand because I forgot to bake. Then both of my birdfeeders were empty (I sort of obsess over that...I love feeding the birds). Then when I was getting birdseed I found the two 'giving tree' presents that I'd bought. Both were not wrapped, and both were due in today. My house is a mess, I had trouble finding anything to wear (I know the people are work with are getting so tired of my handful of outfits), and my knee hurts really bad.

Once I got in and hunkered down at my desk things started looking better. Funny how your mood can change like that.

I don't mean to dwell on it, but this leg thing is really starting to get to me. I really, really hope the doc (who I'm seeing today at 3:20) can give me some answers. I mean, I'm travelling to New York City in just over a month. NYC is not the place to be if you've got a gimpy leg (and you want to actually go somewhere without a cab). How am I supposed to navigate the subways? This has to be better by then, I'll be so sad if it isn't.

Maybe I'll try some swimming at the gym. I haven't been to the gym in weeks, it just hurts too much. And normally I sort of suffer in silence (except where this blog is concerned) but since I'm limping (and there's just no other way for me to walk) everyone notices, and asks, and then I have to tell them.

It's starting to make me feel weird and out of sorts. I'd be lying if I said the pain hasn't affected my mood, because it most certainly has. It's hard to concentrate when you've got pain you can't get away from.

Anyway, I'll stop complaining, I'm just frustrated. I'll be more frustrated if the visit with the doc doesn't go well, but that'll have to wait until another post.

I hope to God he doesn't tell me to do physical therapy. I HATE physical therapy. I had several rounds of therapy after I broke my leg. It was not fun at all. It didn't help that I had a complete a-hole as a therapist. He was unpleasant, and not in a rude, gruff way. Outwardly he was pleasant to people, but he was pompous and silly and spent most of his time talking with the other therapists in the room. I never once got the impression that he cared about me or my case at all. Very annoying. Plus they had a communal radio and he went on and on about how he hated national and local public radio and it was a waste of his tax dollars. First off, he wasn't even saying it to me (he rarely conversed with me) and secondly, what kind of jack off thing is that to say?

Yeah, I hated the guy. Actually, if I had a therapist like him now I'd switch. Back then I wasn't quite as vocal as I am now.

Well, this isn't the best post I've done, is it. I'm mostly just looking forward to going home and kicking back with my 4 legged gang. I'm out.

I'm over it.

Hola Amigos,

Yeah, I'm over it. I can't describe quite how I feel right now, but I'm over my little thing from this morning.

It's embarrassment, really, that's all. I'm not mad, I'm just mortified. You see, I generally try and draw as little attention to myself as possible. If I could go unnoticed (especially while at work) I'm totally alright with that. So this just sort of crapped all over my day, you see. So anyway, so you know, I'm still embarrassed but I'm over it.

I'm actually off tomorrow, thankfully. See, if given my druthers, I'd have just left this morning and come back tomorrow (sans perfume) and pretended like today never happened. I'm really good at that. I find that many things are better treated that way. Like the one time (and I mean it was only one time) my friend John and I argued. It was a bad argument, and we both said things we regretted, and we were both wrong. So after a bit of cooling down, we just picked up where we left off with our normal lives. Nothing was said per se, but we both knew the score. I think we both knew that this wasn't important enough to discuss anymore, so we just let it go. And that was probably a good 18 years ago. I don't even remember what it was about.

That's how I operate. I let things go. Not after obsessing about them for a while of course, as is my nature; but then they're gone and they don't cloud my future. So when I come into work next it's not like I'll be thinking about it. I'm thinking about it because I'm here, that's all.

So, anyway, I'm fine. I washed off the perfume (thankfully we have enough privacy in some of our bathrooms for me to disrobe enough to do that), so all that remains is what's in the shirt I'm wearing and that's not so bad. My coworker has reentered the room and all seems normal.

Now I'm tired though. I want to go home.

Noooo, I'm not embarrassed at all!

Hola amigos,

I just had someone complain about my perfume. To me and then to my boss. So, yeah, I'd like to crawl into a hole and die right about now.

I'm NOT a big perfume person. I don't wear it often, but when I do it's the good stuff. The one I'm wearing right now is Hermes, that's about $70/bottle; my sister gave it to me for Christmas a couple years ago. I've worn it before. The person who complained has complimented me on it before.

I realized she has a sensitivity to the cologne one of our coworkers wears (it's horrible aftershave), but didn't think that applied across the board. Obviously it did, but she didn't mention it at the time (her words). So now here I am like a schmuck sitting and stinking, and she's gone into another room to work for the day.

I offered to go home and wash it off, especially since I live VERY close and we have a department meeting today at we'll all be sitting near each other, but she said she didn't think that was necessary.

I don't fault her, I'm not mad at her, I'm not even saying that I didn't wear too much perfume, maybe I did (and I put on some body lotion too), but it could have been prevented, I never would have worn it at all, if she had just told me in the first place.

I can be very emotional sometimes and cry easily, at some things. I'm just embarrassed is all. Honestly, I'm not mad at her or anything, she's just being honest, and I have to give her credit because a lot of people wouldn't say anyting at all, which is probably worse! But it's embarrassing. And I just really wish she'd been clear about it the first time because I never would have worn it today.

So, there's my embarrassment for the day. I try SO hard not to bother people, I really do. I try. I didn't mean this to happen. I NEVER would have worn it, ever, if I'd thought it would cause any trouble. And I'm sure to her it seems that I've glossed over her issues (i.e., ignored what she'd told me about my other coworker's cologne). I know her quite well, I have no doubt that's what she's thinking. But that was NOT my intention.

How would you like to know you were responsible for driving someone from a room? It's not fun, I guarantee. And to think I only wear perfume like once or twice a month. Yargh. And now all I can think about is that I can smell it myself...and what are other people thinking? And have I done this before? And if you knew the other people in the room, you'd realize why I'm mortified...God, don't even get me started on the other people in the room. That's a whole other level of hell.

Can I just crawl into a hole and die now?

Actually, I'm just going to slink into the bathroom and wash now. Then crawl into a hole.

He Wha????

Would someone PLEASE explain to me how and why Don Imus is back on the air??? Who is listening to this?

I had an MRI this morning. It's rather loud so they gave me the option of listening to the radio via headphones. The technician said "You can listen to anything on the dial from 93.3 on up." So I said, "Oh, that's OK, I never listen beyond 91.7." So she said "What about smooth jazz? That's the most popular."

I'm sure the look on my face was precious. A cross between horror and contempt. Smooth jazz my ass. Smooth crap is more like it. Yeah, I'm a snob when it comes to jazz. I like my jazz nice and dirty. So I told her that I'd rather not listen to that. Then she suggested Christmas music. I'm sure the look on my face was equally precious. A cross between horror, contempt and hatred.

See, I listen to 3 radio stations: 88.9 WYMS (independent), 89.7 WUWM (National Public Radio) and 91.7 WMSE (independent station run out of Milwaukee School of Engineering). I hate "drive time" radio. I hate hearing DJs blather on and laugh hysterically at their own stupid jokes. I hate listening to people calling in. HATE it.

I won't lie, I shuffle up and down the dial occasionally if I get bored in the car, especially since the controls are right there on the steering wheel. But see, the classic rock stations eventually play the same stuff over and over. I've heard it all. I heard it before it was classic. I like some R & B but not much. I can't stand pop. And everything is just loaded with commercials. So in the car I either listen to my top 3 stations or I plug in my iPod.

I'm not being uppity about it either. I don't have a superiority complex or anything regarding radio. But seriously, I would have lost my mind if I'd listened to smooth jazz or Christmas music.

Thankfully the signal from WUWM was nice and strong so I got to listen to that. It didn't matter to me that it was the part of the news I'd already heard at home. It made me much more comfortable. I was happy.

But that doesn't answer my original question, which is, WTF is Don Imus doing with another job????? Who, WHO is listening to him???