Nutty freaky weather

This morning on my way to work the weather was so freaky. The sky was green-gray. The sun was out. The wind was whipping around so hard. There were so many mini-tornadoes throwing dirt, leaves and tree limbs around. It was raining at my house (raining side-ways). Then when I got downtown (4 miles away) it was snowing and raining (both side-ways and straight-down). Saw several street lights out. I had to hold onto my steering wheel with both hands to keep in on the road. It was nuts.

Now, the sun is out. No wind. No rain. No snow. It's 50 degrees. The saying goes that if you don't like the weather around here, wait 15 minutes, it will change. Whoever coined that phrase should be proud...it's 100% true today.

Pantala Naga Pampa

Enough people have asked me what the name of my blog means that I feel it's time for an explanation. Pantala Naga Pampa is a four-line song by the Dave Matthews Band on the "Before These Crowded Streets" album.

Come and relax now.
Put your troubles down.
No need to bear the weight of your worries.
You let them all fall away.

I have heard two translations to this phrase. First, the phrase is Gambian for "Welcome to our (my) home." It is also translated into "I have a python in my pants" in Indian. The first translation is more appropriate for my blog. However, who doesn't want a python in their pants? Ha.

As far as why Dave named this classic song as he did, the story goes that there was an Indian chef who cooked for the band during the recording of "Crash", who would shout out "pantala naga pampa" for reasons that were not entirely clear to anyone. This apparently cracked Dave up, who would shout it out back to the chef. When the instrumental piece appeared on "Before These Crowded Streets" as the first track, the song needed a name for the CD's track listing. Dave, who may (or may not) have then known what the phrase meant, thought that it would be funny to title the track "Pantala Naga Pampa." And so he did. And so did I.

Doggie Talk

I was just laughing my ass off at this guy who knelt down to pet this gorgeous golden retriever. The guy was talking to the poochie in this ridiculous "doggie talk" of sorts. (Insert Here; the deep voice of someone that is talking like they have a bunch of peanut butter on their tongue and is only educated to the 1st grade level) "Oh you big-boy-you, you-wuv-da-rubs, you wuv it, you give-good-kisses-you-gud-big-boy, you wuuuuv-da-rubs, you good boy, you gud boy, you gud boy." I swear, just hearing him talk like that made me feel dirty.... dirty in a bad way.... like I need 10 showers to get that kind of dirt off. Gross. I am sooo laughing my ass off.

Back in the saddle again

I have been off of work for 4 days and I am so not ready to head back tomorrow. I have been sicker than a dog for days and today was the worst. Sweating. Cold. Cough. Cough. Sniffle. Cough. And have gone through nearly a full box of tissues. Ewh. Back to work tomorrow. Back in the saddle again.

Christmas was wonderful. Saturday night we all went to my Grandma A's house for dinner and a small gift exchange. For the most part I only see my aunt and uncle on Christmas eve every year. It was nice to see them. Christmas morning I went to my parent's house for breakfast and our gift exchange. My sis and bro weren't there. My brother was at work. And my sis was with Danny at his family's house. My parent's really spoiled us again this year. I love that. Christmas night was back at my parent's house to celebrate with my mom's side of the family. I am making an amendment to my previous post about Holiday No-No's.... my Grandma C. can wear a holiday sweater too. She looked adorable in her bright red holiday sweater. Susie came to our Christmas dinner... I was so happy.

My sister was sporting a new piece of jewelry. She got engaged 2 weeks ago...and just told us last night. She felt that she didn't want to call with that kind of news. My parents tell me that she is getting married June 24th in Hawaii. FUN. My parents are gonna pay for my bro and I to go to the wedding. Even better.

New Year's Eve is this Saturday. I am having a few friends over for fondue and board games. I think NYE is amateur's night...and I would rather put something hot and sharp in my eye than go out on that night... unless I can sleep where I am going. Getting a cab is a nightmare on NYE. Should be a fun night at casa Emily.

Better take some medicine and get some sleep.

Huey

I have heard through the grapevine that the guy who has an office next door to me is really good friends with Huey Lewis. I remember thinking... "good friends huh? wonder HOW good of friends?" I just heard him on the phone with him making plans to come to New York and see his concert the first weekend in January. From the sound of the conversation, they are definitely good friends. It was pretty cool. I know Huey is not a huge A-list star, but still famous. When ever I think of Huey Lewis, I always picture him in that movie with Gwyneth Paltrow about karaoke called Duets.

Little Shop of Horrors

Well gang, welcome to the shortest day of the year. Every day after today.... will start being longer and longer....until summer! YAY! Hip hip hoorah!

So as you know I finally filed a formal complaint on the guy who lives above me. Last night I was eating my dinner before heading back out to meet Paul, Selena and Jason to see the stage version of "Little Shop of Horrors" and I hear the douche bag above me come home. I believe he must have gotten the letter from the management company on my complaint because he starts jumping up and down pounding on the floor (my ceiling) yelling "you fucking bitch, you fucking bitch, you fucking bitch." Sweet. I finished my grilled cheese and tomato soup and hopped in the car to head downtown.

Paul, Selena and I are standing in front of the theatre waiting on Jason when I hear this female voice say, "Oh hey guys!" I turn around to see...(insert drum roll here)... the douche bag that lives above me is standing right next to me with this girl. HUH? YUP! There he is. Sweet. The douche is friends with this bizzo receptionist from Paul and Selena's work. I can't believe it. Just can't believe it. Soooo.... something that would happen to me. *Laughin'* So the douche hugs me and is being all nice. And his bitch of a friend looks at me, rolls her eyes, and says, "Oh, you're that girl huh? Oh nevermind." Sheesh. And of course, their seats were right in front of us.

"Little Shop of Horrors" was amazing. I usually hate musicals but this was entertaining and I laughed. I had no idea that it was a spoof on corporate America until I saw it as an adult. "Don't feed the plant." I love it when things have a great story line...with an intelligent undertone. Great show.

Quote of the day

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."

Holiday No-No's

As Christmas is fast approaching... several Holiday No No's come to mind. Friends... this is just my observation... I hope I don't offend.

1. Dogs in Costumes:
This year in particular I have gotten many holiday cards from folks (friends and clients) that include a picture of their dog with a Santa hat or reindeer antlers strapped to their heads. Although some may think it's cute.... I look into the eyes of this poor soul and see torture. Look at the faces of these doggies. Do they really look happy? Uh. No. They look embarrassed to me. And they should be. Ha. They look like an idiot. Hee hee.

2. Children and Santa Claus:
Why are parents obsessed with taking an annual picture of their poor child in ill-fitting holiday clothes sitting on Santa's lap? I know - I know...I don't have kids yet....and I may feel different when I do. However, right now....I think it's ridiculous to mail out pictures of your kids with red eyes from screaming bloody murder on some stranger's lap. My mom took me EVERY year to see Santa. Every year, I screamed. NONE of the pictures over the years have a happy Emily in them. I look horrified and really pissed off. Why then.. did every year I have to go back to see a man that scared the crap out of me? How about taking a cute picture of me sitting next to a snow man? Or a nice pile of Christmas presents? Or the Christmas tree? Someone remind me of this post when I have kids.

3. Christmas Sweaters:
Unless you are a 4 year old little girl or Bill Cosby (he has a get-out-of-jail-free card on this one) please don't wear Christmas sweaters. No one looks good in red and green - take my word for it. If you absolutely MUST wear something "in the spirit" of the holidays...then pick either red or green...not both. And for pete's sake, if you own a Christmas sweater that has lights or glitter on it. Burn it. Please. Just burn it. I guarantee you - it looks very bad on.

Just a few friendly reminders for the holidays. Ho no ho no ho! Fa la la la de la la la!

Spoon full of sugar

I have always believed in a "spoon full of sugar" treatment to tough situations. Yes, sometimes I spit the sugar in someone's face... but still....there WAS sugar involved. Ha. Generally, I try and handle situations by asking nicely first. Treat others as you wish to be treated. OK. The guy who lives above me is a nice guy. However, he blares his stereo. So loud that I can't concentrate on what I am watching on tv or whatever I am doing in my house. I have had guests over who just can't believe that I put up with that horrible rudeness. I had a couple who lives on his floor knock on my door to settle a bet between them.... that someone actually DOES live below that noise pollution. I have gone up and talked to him several times. I have called him a ton of times asking nicely that he turn it down. I have stopped him in the hallway and told him thank you - because I have noticed that he is trying to play his annoying techno music at a fairly reasonable level. Once, he stopped me once in the hallway and asked me if I had heard the new Depeche Mode cd. And I told him yes, (with a smile on my face) I hear it everyday through the ceiling. We both laughed. But I have had it. I asked him TWICE today to turn down his music. Did he? NO. I am done being nice. I am done trying to use the "spoon full of sugar" treatment. I called our management company and finally placed a formal complaint. No more sugar and I hope he chokes on the spoon. Ha.

................ah............... he just turned the stereo off..............I can actually hear my fingers hit the keyboard................bliss.

The week is over - whew!

I have had the busiest work week. From preparing for a huge all day presentation on Tuesday. To the office holiday party I had to plan...then recover from.... I am looking forward to this weekend.

Tonight, I plan to make candles, wrap Christmas presents and watch movies. Heaven.

Tomorrow night is Cherill and Scot's annual Christmas party. It's always a blast from the past. Seeing the old faces from high school is always a riot. I enjoy seeing a few of the guys from high school that I thought were the BEST thing since sliced bread....and think to myself... thank GOD I never married you. Mean? Yes. But 100% true. Thank God for unanswered prayers. The party will be so fun...and I will be brining my famous Queso Dip. Yum.

Sunday night is "Roomie Christmas." This tradition started like 10 years ago when Emily S. and I were first roomies. We would make dinner and exchange gifts....well...and usually drink our weight in wine. Then when I moved out of the house....and Erin D. moved in... we continued the tradition. Now, we all 3 live in different houses and we still do Roomie Christmas. Erin is making dinner. Em and I will bring some wine. We don't exchange gifts anymore... no need....the best gift you can get is spending time with your friends.

He asked you Wha? Wha? WHAT?

This past weekend my parents hosted an Open House for the entire family. Both sides. Which is a huge deal because when we do family things it's either with one side of the family or the other....never both. My aunt (my mom's sis) commented that she hadn't seen my cousin Chris (Dad's side) since he was a teenager. Chris has been married twice (and divorced twice) and has a 3 year old...so that will give you some perspective on how long it's been. My sister and her new boyfriend were gonna be in town from Laramie...so my mom decided to gather up the family. The food was amazing and it was so great to chat up my grandparents...they are feisty folks...and they crack me up. It was great to see my sister and her new boyfriend, Danny, seemed like a nice guy. He had a long sleeved sweater on...and I could see that both of his forearms are covered in tattoos.

So after everyone left..my mom, dad, brother and I were sitting around talking and half watching "Harry Potter". And my dad says, "So do you think Natalie is really into this new guy?" And I say, "No more than the other ones she always brings around."  And my dad says, "Well, I think he's really into her." And I say, "Yea, I bet he is." And then my dad says, "Well he asked your mom and I for our permission to MARRY Natalie." As the little conversation bubble is still hanging out of my dad's mouth...suddenly....I am sitting there with my mouth open....and a wave of heat flushes my face. "He asked you...wha? wha? WHAT? What did you say to him? They have only dated for like 5 months. She's barely 24 years old!!!" My dad shrugged and said, "I told him that if he was my daughter's choice, then he was my choice." Then... silence. We all sat there and thought about the upcoming engagement and wedding.

Chinese people don't eat in Chinese Restaurants

I went to lunch with Katie today at the Imperial Chinese restaurant and she cracked me up so hard when she said, "Ya know what? You never see Chinese people eating at a Chinese restaurant, why is that?" As we both scanned the room.... and looked back at each other... we cracked up. She was right... in this huge restaurant... not one Chinese or Asian looking person. Not one. She said that she noticed this a long time ago...and always looks at the people in the restaurant and her theory has never been proven wrong. Weird.

We pondered a couple points:
1. Is the food served in Chinese Restaurants in America.... totally different from the Chinese food served in China? Therefore, not appealing or insulting to the Chinese?
2. Or do they eat so much of that kind of food...that when they go out to eat... they don't want to eat the same stuff they eat for every meal at home?

One thing is for sure...I will always check out the folks in every Chinese restaurant... just to see if Katie's theory is always right.

She cracks me up.

Remembering John Lennon

Today is the 25th Anniversary of the death of John Lennon.

I vividly remember when I found out about his murder. I was 8 years old. I was staying the night at my friend Cami McDonald's house. We were downstairs in the basement and we were supposed to be sleeping. RIIIIGHT! We were up watching TV with this huge blanket covering the TV so her mom couldn't see the light from the screen. I don't remember what we were watching on TV....but the screen suddenly went black... we giggled.... then in white letters scrolling across the screen told us that John Lennon, former member of The Beatles was fatally shot in front of his New York City home. Reports confirm that Lennon is indeed dead. The police had already made an arrest. We sat there in silence. Shocked. And although we knew that we were taking a chance by telling Cami's mom that we were still up watching TV.... we knew that she would be more disappointed if we didn't come tell her about Lennon's death. She's a huge Beatles fan. So we crept upstairs. She was sleeping on the couch...the TV was still on. We gently tapped her... woke her... and told her. We sat up together the rest of the night flipping through the 4 TV stations that they had.... watching any piece of news on John Lennon's death we could find. I will never forget that. Weird that it's been 25 years.

Ah... the woods are full of 'em

So that hot hip party on Friday that I told you about...the one advertised to me as a Champagne and Wine tasting thing with tons of food and a live dee jay spinning music..... was NO WHERE close to that. The party was held in a new-build place with no furniture. So it was standing room only. The bottles of wine and champagne were just sitting on this "bar" nothing was chilled. The drinks were served in red plastic cups.... and you know how I feel about those. Ha. OK...on to the food. I was told there would be both hot and cold appetizers that would go with the wine or champagne from that region. Eh....no. I saw a couple half-eaten bags of pretzels, a cold tin of artichoke dip... without any bread or chips to eat it with...and a can of salsa...and no, it wasn't Pace....somebody, get a rope. Ha. Regardless of all of this false advertising I had a great time. I chatted with this gorgeous guy named Brandon all night, laughed, and really enjoyed being my flirty self. Good times. It was good for the soul.

I spent all day on Sunday putting up my Christmas stuff. I went and bought a REAL tree...and carefully decorated it while watching the Broncos game. I love pulling each preciously wrapped ornament out and reading the date and who I got it from. My Christmas spirit is alive and kicking. I sat in my livingroom with a cup of tea last night.... all the lights off... except for my Christmas tree....and relaxed. Heaven.

Now, you are probably wondering why I haven't posted on Framer John. I have no idea what happened...but he just stopped calling or asking me out. Poof. No fight. No apparent reason. I am sad. I was really enjoying getting to know him. He is a great guy. I am not angry with him....I don't hate him. I miss him. *Shrug* As my friend Ashley just told me when she asked me when I would see him next and I told her what was going (or not going) on, "Ah Em, the woods are full of 'em, keep looking."

Where are you Christmas spirit?

I love Christmas... I always have. I love love love Christmas lights. I particularly love white ones. Someday when I have a house with a yard again, I am going to hang white lights all over the place. In fact, when I lived in the basement at the Gaylord house, I used to leave them up year round hanging around each basement window. I stopped doing that when someone said to me "if you leave them up all year, they aren't special at Christmas time." Good point...I took them down. I have so much Christmas stuff. Tons. And when it's all set up it looks so cool. I have a full-trees-worth of ornaments. All different. All gifts or something I made as a kid. I used to put my Christmas stuff out so early... that some people found it annoying/funny....another Emily quirk that the people who know and love me appreciate....or tolerate. However, for some reason, this year, I am in a Christmas funk. No desire to pull the stuff out. Maybe I should invite some friends over for wine and Christmas music to help me. I think it's the thought of doing it alone. It's more fun with others. I dunno. Whatever, I decide, it's time to slap the Grinch in me....and start dreaming of a white Christmas.

I am officially old

I did something today that made me think, Emily - you are a crotchety old lady.

I made plans with a group of friends weeks ago to go to this Wine and Champagne Around the World party tonight. It's a fundraiser for some non-profit and it's being held in a mansion in Wash Park. Each room has a different drink and snack from a different part of the world. Sounds fun right? When we made plans weeks ago my friends said they would pick me up at 5 pm from my office and we would head over to the party. Well I just found out this morning that the hostess changed the start time to 8:30 pm. What? OK. It's a FRIDAY. After a long week of work, I am usually on the couch in my jammies by at least 9:30 pm. I get TIRED. I have just spent the last 3 hours sitting here trying to decide if I am gonna go. I decided to go to the party, I don't want to flake out on my friends. But damn... 8:30 pm? I guess the real question of the day is.... when did I get so old that I have to think about if I wanna go out past 10 pm on a weekend night? And the fact that the delicious thought of sitting on my couch is more appealing that a super hip party. I am officially old. Ha.

Pass the milk, he's coo coo for Cocoa Puffs

You've seen American Pie right? Remember "Oz" the sweet and sensitive hottie character played by Chris Klein who fell in love with Mena Suvari? Sure you do. OK. Chris Klein dated Katie Holmes for 5 years until earlier this year they broke up and minutes later she was impregnated and brainwashed by Tom Cruise. After I heard that she pretty much left Chris Klein and jumped in the arms of Tom Cruise, I thought, Katie...you are nuts to leave Chris Klein for Tom Cruise! Oz is hot! And Tom is twice your age and a nut-case. But after reading CK's interview in Elle....you will see that Katie LOVES the crazies. Ol' CK is just as crazy as Tom Cruise. Sheesh. This interview will make you shake your head. Pass the milk, he's coo coo for Cocoa Puffs (too).

ELLE: If you could play only one album to woo women, what would it be?

CHRIS KLEIN: I’ve been lucky enough that I don’t need music for that.

ELLE: Is there a dish that you prepare to impress women?

CK: I don’t need food to impress, man. It’s a flash of a smile and a nice conversation. And at the end of the day, she’s cooking the food.

CK: I grew into myself fairly late. The first girl I was ever with, you know, kissing and getting blow jobs, I was a freshman in high school and she was a senior. And she was hot too, by the way.

ELLE: Is there anything you don’t want women to learn about you?

CK: Nothing. I don’t have many secrets. At the same time, I stay very closed off until a woman deserves to know me completely.

ELLE: Isn’t it tough for a woman to figure you out if you won’t talk?

CK: Hey, man, I’m not here to hold hands and babysit. She’s got to come to the table with something.

ELLE: Any weaknesses in relationships? Let’s pretend we’re dating. What do you say to get rid of me?

CK: You and I are definitely not dating. Role-playing is fun and all, but you’re a dude and I’m an alpha heterosexual.

ELLE: You’re an actor, for God’s sake! Pretend.

CK: How hot are you?

ELLE: I’m a solid 7.5.

CK: I only date 8 to 10s.

ELLE: What’s the worst thing a woman has ever said to you?

CK: “You’re an asshole.”

ELLE: Are you cool with it if a woman you like gains a few pounds?

CK: I’m not tolerant of that at all. When a woman isn’t feeling good about herself and you combine that with her period, eventually she’ll ask you if you like her body. You have to say no.

ELLE: Don’t you think they’re just looking for you to say, “You look beautiful to me, honey”?

CK: If they do, it’s placating. I don’t placate.

Ok...there was more...but you get the idea.

Do you hate YOUR job?

Everyone does it. Everyone thinks from one time or another.... "I hate my job today." It's normal. You may never say that again after what I am about to share.

It's so windy today that I was nearly knocked off my heels walking to my car. Just a few hours ago in downtown, the building next door my office, the window washers on a huge high rise were tossed like rag dolls in the air. They were stuck on the scaffolding being thrown repeatedly up against the building, smashing windows and nearly breaking the scaffolding in half. Watch THIS. It's not a funny thing... however, watch the GED-hopefuls at the end of the video. They are entertaining. For the record, firefighters were able to get the two window washers down safely.

The latest (that was just shouted across the office) is that with several huge windows broken, there is a vacuum affect happening and the stuff inside the building is being sucked out the broken windows into the streets. Can you imagine sitting at your desk on the 33rd floor to see some huge ass scaffolding crashing into the huge window and then having everything in your office sucked out onto the streets below?

Even on it's worst day, my job will never suck that bad (pun totally intended).

Tailgating

On Thanksgiving Day my dear friend Kathy called me to see if I wanted the pair of extra tickets they had to the CU vs. Nebraska football game for the next day. Hell yes I did. Plus the tickets included passes to a hospitality suite. Nice. The day would start early and include a full day of tailgating and hospitality suites. Fun.

We get up there early to the tailgating lot fully equipped with our lawn chairs, a case of beer and a cooler full of food. The lot was a sea of Black and Gold jerseys and a few Red sweatshirts here and there. Ted and Kathy’s friends are so nice and fun…and can be rowdy…good….my kind of folks. I survey the crowd…and think… oh yes… there will be tears today… there WILL be tears. Seems that every time I am around that group one of the girls cries one of those kinds of cries that includes some wailing. We get set up and I sit down to have beer number one and do some people watching. The biggest thing I noticed is the difference in tailgating by age group.

The College Kids:
Didn’t have a parking spot in the lot. All walked around with red plastic cups full of cheap beer. And the slutty college girls would find a group of 30-something men and act interested to eat and drink for free. One group of slutty college girls came up to our 30-something men and indeed ate and drank for free. This one girl had on this skirt so short that everyone could see her ass and the back of her legs was covered in cellulite. Gross. Also let’s not forget that it was 30 degrees out. They still got fed and drank for free…and as they walked away our 30-something boys high-fived each other… “Yea, that one was hot.” Us girls rolled our eyes… because we all used to pull that same trick as college girls (minus the short skirt and cellulite legs of course). Boys are sure gullible.

The 20-somethings:
Had a keg of Keystone Light, red plastic cups and a few bags of chips.

The 30-somethings:
Many many coolers full of cheap beer in a can. The wives and girlfriends brought food – chips, dips, burgers, hotdogs and ding dongs.

The 40-plus-somethings:
There was a group of 40 plus tailgaters right across from us. I kept looking longingly at their party. They had a full bar. Absolut Vodka, Kettle One, Scotch, Margaritas, Champagne, Bloody Marys and bottle beer. They had fancy appetizers, cheese and crackers, fruit, finger sandwiches, grilled chicken and brats. They had matching glasses and silver. They had a CU football 10’x10’ tent and a portable picnic table. Divine.

The day was a blast even though my high school softball team could have beaten CU that day. It was pitiful. And lucky for us we had seats around a group of very very drunk Nebraska fans with no class. Cheer for your team….that’s cool. Clap when they do something great. But don’t stand up in a sea of CU fans and grab your crotch and yell “CU can suck my dick.” Yikes. The guy behind us was the worst of the worst. Do these dummies NOT realize that they are VISITORS in our stadium? These Nebraska fans were acting like a bunch of idiots…and I kinda hope someone threw a beer on them.

And I was not disappointed. There were tears. Oh yes, there were tears. One of the wives threw a hissy fit and punched her husband about 20 times in the middle of the lot. I don’t know who had done what to make her mad… but she was pissed off. It was actually more sad than entertaining. And a reminder of the lesson that it is ok to fight with the one you love…but do it at home…not in public…never call names…and never ever hit.

All in all…a great day… the weather was great… and I was with my dear friends.

Sleep Deprivation

I have not slept well since the Day Light Savings change last month. I feel exhausted by 7 pm because it feels like it's really 11 pm. I go to bed early in hopes of falling asleep early.... no such luck. Once I finally get to sleep...I have been waking up at 4:40 am and starring at the clock until nearly 6 am. I can't bring myself to get up at 4:40 am... so I try to sleep. A friend of mine said that there might be someone in my building who is getting up at that time and I am hearing them and being woken up. She may be right. Sleep deprivation is a torture technique in some situations....and I feel like I am being tortured. I am really looking forward to this long weekend to catch up on some sleep.

My office closed at 10 am. I am still here working...and blogging...because I am taking a 1 pm yoga class. Can't miss my class...even though I am exhausted.

Perspective and Patience

My brother said to me last night that he finally understands why I was so pissed that he freaked out on Garrett at my birthday party. He has been dating this new girl from his church...and he really likes her. He met her brother the other night...and said it was very important to him to have her bro like him. I said "Oh yea? Now do you see WHY I was so pissed that you freaked on Garrett?" And he said "Yea, that's why I called... I get it now." I guess it just took a little perspective to have him see my side. Humpf.

Patience. Patience and I have never been friends. And when she knocks on my door demanding that I pay attention to her.... I slam the door in her face. I don't have patience. I know it's a virtue and all...and I am virtuous enough. John has been so busy with work because of the holidays, that I haven't seen him as much as I would want. He leaves tomorrow for Thanksgiving with his family...and will be gone until Monday afternoon. I may or may not get to hang out with him tonight because he has so much work to get done. Humpf again. So I have decided that I have to do something I have never done, be patient. Hello Patience...my name is Emily. I don't think we will be BFF but would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?

Things every single person has to learn!

I have lived alone for over 3 years now (and for the record, LOVE living alone) and I have realized that there are several things that you have to learn or accept if you live alone.

1. How to put lotion on the middle of your back.
2. How to grocery shop for one (without having 90% of the food spoil).
3. How to cook good meals for one....without too many left overs (who wants to eat the same shit for 5 meals in a row?)
4. How to zip up or zip down a cocktail dress.
5. Most anything around the house.... fixing, installing or cleaning.
6. When and how to shampoo your carpet.

Well... I could go on and on... the fact of the matter is that I have this horrible dry skin in the middle of my back...and it NEEDS lotion everyday. Ha. I need to find a way to get lotion there... I have resorted to squirting it down there and leaving it. I dunno what else to do.

Tupperware party of my generation

Last night I went to a "Passion Party". Basically it's a Tupperware party....that sells sex toys instead of food containers. Or as I found it fun to call it a "Fuckerware Party". I consider myself a girl who will try most anything once. And my curiosity got the best of me on this one...so I just HAD to go. When I arrived there was a gorgeous spread of wine, cheese, humus, crackers and bread on the kitchen table. And a intimidating spread of sex toys on the dining room table. I love to watch human behavior and see if my actions can make others react. Every woman who walked into the party nervously glanced at the dining room table giggled and walked directly to the kitchen table and poured a big glass of wine. Every once in a while, each girl would glance at the dining room table.... then quickly look away. Once everyone was crowded around the kitchen table, I walked over to the dining room table alone and picked up the biggest dildo on the table and looked at it and put it back down. Then proceeded to pick up each vibrator and turn it on... then off... and would set it back down. Then one by one... the girls started gravitating towards the dining room table. One girl poked the big dildo and laughed. It was hysterical. After everyone's second glass of wine, the party really got started. What a great time. I was so shocked at how many different sex toys there are out there. I am not a prude, but whoa. There are sprays to make things hot then cold then numb then tinglely. Lotions to make a penis hard for 5-30 minutes longer. Lotions that turn into powder to control sweating. Edible everything. Vibrators for him. Vibrators for her. Vibrators for him AND her at the same time. The host would explain the toy and then pass it around the room. She said to put the vibrator up to your nose, as it is a really sensitive place. Watching these woman put vibrator after vibrator up to their nose and laugh was funny. Then after the 3rd glass of wine they started shouting and asking for the name of the one in their hand. "Uh... that is the Blue Dolphin." "Who has the Silver Bullet?" Hilarious.

The worst video game in the world

My drive to and from work each day is like my own personal video game. Everyday without exception. If you were a kid with an Atari video game system growing up... it's much like the game "Frogger"....and I am the wee frog just trying to get to the other side without getting squished. Today's drive into work was particularly nutty. I left the back gate of my building into the alley to have to wait for this lazy garbage truck guy who was on his cell phone yelling at someone (an obvious personal call) and his big green truck was blocking my way out. I tried to be patient, but after 5 minutes I started honking and he called me a bitch. My first "bitch" of the day. Only to pull onto the main street to find that some tree trimming company has one of the 2 lanes blocked off...and I am stuck behind this huge van or bus full of kids. I am sitting there and the kid in the back of the short-bus gets my attention. He is making faces at me and lifting his shirt and rubbing his belly like a stripper. Man, 12 year old boys are annoying. I try everything in my power to not give him the attention he is craving.... so I play with my radio. I finally get a chance to pull out and the guy who was waiting for me to pull out decided that I was taking too long (as I simply just checked my rear view mirror - for SAFETY reasons) he honks and me...yes... you guessed it... he called me a bitch. Bitch #2. It's not even 9 am. On with my commute. I enjoy about 7 minutes of bliss, no name calling and green lights. I get onto 18th and out from between two parked cars in the middle of the road a heavy set blind man complete with a white walking stick walks out into the middle of traffic in front of me. I have to slam my breaks, squeal my tires to avoid killing him. Yup. He called me a bitch too. Bitch #3. I am on a roll. Although I did laugh to myself because he's blind.... how does he KNOW I am a woman? Maybe he said "son of a bitch". I dunno. But I could definitely read the word "bitch" on his lips. So am on my way again...and I am thinking.... in my 11 minute drive to work, I have been called a bitch 3 times. It's a new record. I continue on my way avoiding the bicycle couriers weaving in and out of traffic. The out-of-town driver from Florida who is squinting, leaning forward trying to read the streets signs.... all the while swerving. AND my personal favorite...the driver who pulls into the other lane to make a turn to the opposite direction. Ek! It snowed today so the roads are wet and will freeze soon. Sweet. Black ice. Thank God for car insurance.

Still counting....

I have been a bad blogger...my last post was 5 days ago.

Since then I have been on date #6 with John and have #7 tonight. Date #6 was a fundraiser dinner for the CF Foundation hosted by local professional sports teams. I hemorrhaged a ton of money on silent auction items, had a wonderful meal (can you say FILET?), and a great time with my new man. Our date tonight is dinner and drinks at my favorite ma and pop pizza joint. He's a great dater. He takes me to fun places and we always laugh and get along so well. We'll see what happens. I am still keeping track of the number of dates. Wonder if I will stop? My friend Renee told me that she kept a date journal of the first 18 months of her current relationship. I guess I am kinda doing the same thing.

I saw on tv last night that Oprah is airing a show (as I type) on women and their bras. They say that most women are not wearing the right bra size. Years ago Emily P told me the exact same stat. I promptly went to a department store and had myself professionally measured. Sure enough...I was wearing the wrong size. And even after I KNEW that I was several sizes bigger, I had a hard time getting away from wanting to buy the size I wore in college. I also had a hard time not wanting to buy all of my bras from Vickies. But...I since don't want my boobs to look like two socks with rocks in the bottom... I conceded and started buying more supportive... and well... less sexy bras. I know that someday after I have kids... the rock scenario may/will be inevitable...but for now...I want my girls to point north. Today (in honor of my date with Hot John) I have on one of my last surviving sexy bras...and I have spent the day tucking 'em back in and tugging at the bra...which by the way is NOT sexy. Six of one and one half dozen of another I guess. He better notice.

Insanity

I have been thinking about a ton of stuff recently....and the one thing that seems to stick out of all of my thoughts.... is a quote by Benjamin Franklin who said that "the definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results." How true is that? If we keep our behavior and life the same...and keep doing the same thing to only be disappointed by the same outcome... that is truly insane.

So listen to this....

So listen to this. There is this truck outside of our offices that has this loud ass alarm system that goes off ALL the freaking time. It is so annoying. He has a sign on the wall behind his truck that says where he works.…So being the pot-stirrer that I am, I called his ass and told him (in a nice way at first) that his alarm is disrupting our meetings and to see if he knows that it goes off a TON throughout the day. He was a total DICK.…So then the gloves came off. I told him that if doesn't do something to lessen the sensitivity of his alarm I would start calling the police. Then he started screaming at me saying "And where do you work Emily?" I laughed at him. It was funny. But I do have to admit, my heart is still beating out of my chest. Although, I think any guy who drives a truck that big and that souped up with an alarm that annoying must have a tiny weenie. Ha. After we got off the phone he set off his alarm about 5 times. Dick. My luck would be that someone will vandalize or steal his car...and I will now be a suspect. Ha. Maybe I shouldn't joke about that.

Date #5

John and I went on date #5 last night. I wonder when I will stop counting or keeping track of which date it is? Anyway. We went to the Avalanche game. He has connections and can get free tickets once in a while. So after work I headed to his house so we could jump on the lightrail by his house and head downtown.

As we were walking in, he is telling me about a trip to Boston he took with this really annoying guy. He was complaining that his friend never wanted to go out and eat the great food that Boston has to offer. And I say, "Yea, like cheesesteaks. Ahem...uhm... well.... well I guess Cheesesteaks are more of a Philly thing...but still." And he looks at me funny. And tells me that I "kinda lobbed that one up for him" (to hit out of the park). Ha. Yea, I guess I did.... an example of my spacey blonde side. Ha.

Our seats were amazing. We were sitting in the Avalanche's friends and family section of seating. John noticed a woman and her kid come in and sit next to us. He told me that he bets that they are the wife and kid of Pierre Turgeon and that he has scored 499 goals and might get 500 tonight. Scoring 500 career goals is a huge deal because only 30-something players have ever done that before in the history of the NHL. Anyway, Turgeon DID score his 500th goal and John high-fived Turgeon's wife and we got to see his daughter call on the cell phone and say "daddy just scored his 500th goal." It was a small slice of sports history and I won't ever forget it.

Sharon vs. Madonna

A classic, picture Sharon and her British accent saying this...

Sharon Osbourne is on a highly entertaining anti-Madonna tear. Last month it was, "She is so full of shit. She's into Kaballah one minute, she's a Catholic the next. She'll be a Hindu soon, no doubt." Now Mrs. Osbourne ranted to a British tabloid, "One day you’re in f***ing gun gear, then you’re in horsing gear, then you dress like a f***ing dyke, then you dress like a hooker, then you’re in a flowery dress reading kids’ poetry looking like a f***ing librarian—then you’re back looking like an old hooker again.” Finally, regarding the children's book Madonna wrote, Sharon says that she can "stick it up her [sugar bun]". - Source MSNBC

I am so laughing my ass off. I wonder what she really said instead of "sugar bun". I bet it was good.

T.O. got the T.K.O.

I am fairly tolerant of the actions of football players on other teams (teams other than the Broncos) .... all except for Terrell Owens, Wide Receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a loud mouth - there is no doubt about that. Honestly - I can usually deal with a loud mouth athlete... especially if their performance backs up their shit-talking. The shit-talking usually makes me laugh. T.O. is an amazing receiver...there's no doubt about that either. But T.O. talks shit about his own TEAM all over the media and in the locker room. He punched out a former team mate last week. And repeatedly verbally abuses the team's quarterback. No way. This guy is a thug...and I don't want to see his face on the TV anymore. Just announced today that Terrell Owens has been cut from the Eagles. Good job Coach Reid. There is no room for that kind of unsportsman like crap in the NFL. No room at any level... all the way down to little league. There are too many thugs in sports...and I commend Coach Reid for taking a stand against that kind of behavior. Even if they may not win another game this season.

I also think that it is fantastic that the NBA is not allowing any "bling" on the sidelines by players not suiting up for that night's game. GOOD! The players were beginning to look like one big tangled chuck of gross gold jewelry...not professional athletes. The players (even when sitting on the bench) make more than I do in 6 months, so they can wear a suit and look like a professional...not some punk ass kid from the streets.

Gala or gala? Potato or potato?

Since my last post I have been on 2 more dates with Framer John. He is a great guy and I am officially interested. His kisses make my knees weak. This is the part that scares the hell out of me. The part when I feel like I am starting to try and open my heart to someone... and to trust someone with my heart. He told me that he still hangs out with his ex-girlfriend (most recent long term relationship). I had a Ryan flash-back...I know...I know... he is not Ryan.

On Saturday night I went to a gala for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I asked Erin how gala was pronounced. Is it gay-la or gal-la? We agreed that we had heard both pronunciations and should just call it a fundraiser. Ha. Anyway...the fundraiser was lovely. I wore the pink dress I bought for Cherill's wedding. It was perfect. I had to laugh about half way thru the dinner... I realized that I am soooo not a society chick.... and I am happy about that. I remember when I was younger thinking that I would like to someday be a local celeb society chick. Not anymore. Most of the women there were rich (ok, I would like to be rich...but not this other stuff), botox-filled, sequined to the max, gold jewelry wearing, snotty...and drunk (on one glass of champagne). I don't fit in... and I don't wanna. I do volunteer PR work for the Komen foundation and was invited by a board member because of my love for the entertainment... my favorite... Jim Brickman. He played for an hour and I was mezmerized. It was dreamy. I actually wished that John was there so we could laugh at the dumb ladies and enjoy the romantic music together.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

Last night 51% of the voting public legalized the possession of pot in the Mile High City. Anyone over the age of 21 can have under an ounce of pot - legally. Here's the thing. The Federal and State laws still prohibit possession. I don't really understand what exactly was passed. Does anyone out there? I was really really shocked to see it pass. I voted yes but still shocked. I guess half the people in Denver think... smoke 'em if ya got 'em.

As I was watching the election coverage the cameras went from victory party to victory party. There were people in suits, politicians glad-handing the issues, cocktails, balloons and merriment. When they went to the victory party for the pot issue, there was only one person in the background. Some 18 year old boy who looked like he had Cheeto stained fingers, who was jumping in and out of the screen, laughing, putting up the HORNS with his fingers (rock on dude) and was whacked out on something... probably pot. I laughed my ass off. And everytime the media outlets would mention the pot issue...they would flash a picture of a huge ass pot plant and some burner taking a huge hit off of a bong. I would laugh, grunt and point at the tv everytime.

Blue Moon

As I am sitting at my desk free-basing chips and chocolate all leftover from the Halloween Potluck...it occurred to my WHY I am such a snacker right now. And in particular why I am eating chocolate. I don't have a sweet tooth at all. As a kid my Halloween candy used to rot in my room. Sign me up for bread and cheese by the fist full...but not sweets. Once in a blue moon around that "time of the month" I want chocolate. Ah... light dawns on pumpkin head. Ding! I get it now....as I am licking the caramel off of my thumb.

Speaking of light. Once a blue moon at a particular time of year, the sun is in the right part of the sky to reflect off the building across the street and BLIND me sitting at my desk. There is really nothing I can do but wait it out. It only lasts for about 6 minutes and 15 seconds. Taping paper on the window to block the sun? Nice try. Nothing works. Thank God, this blue moon only comes around once a year...and only a few minutes... each day... for a few days.

Scream for your team

Against my better judgment, I agreed to get dressed up for Halloween and head downtown to bar hop with Denver's finest.... drunk 21 year olds. The original plan was to go to this house party hosted by a friend of Cherill's...but that plan changed and I found myself with a sick need to put on my 20's Flapper costume and go dancing. So the cab drops us off at 20th and Market. Look to the left - Lodo's. Look to the right - BackFat 41 (aka Market 41). I suggest Lodo's only because they have $2 drinks. We walk in and there are at least 300.....maybe 400 Philadelphia Eagles fans. It is wall-to-wall green jerseys, east-coast loud mouths, and belly laughing. Being the cute girls we are, we were approached by several of the Jolly Green Giants....er... Eagles. One particularly boisterous guy comes up to us and says, "so what are you supposed to be dressed as doll?" And in the wittiest tone I could muster, I say, "a Broncos fan." Oh my. Wrong answer. The crowd got even rowdier. He starts pointing at us saying "get a load of this, this girl just told me she is a Broncos fan." And of course I had to poke the Bear....er Eagle... some more and make some comments about their team. My knowledge of football often makes guys gasp. Same thing here. I think I knew more about the game and their team than they did. We decided our time was better spent away from the drunkenness (and for fear that my sharp tongue and love for our home team boys will get us in trouble)... we left...and made our way across the street to BackFat 41 and danced until dawn.

Happy Halloween to all you ghouls and goblins. Boo!

I HATE that it is dark at 5:20 pm. Boo again!

Potluck Potpourri

We had a potluck at work today in celebration of Halloween. There was such a great spread of good, non-healthy grub. I brought my famous (or infamous) Queso Dip and Pigs in a Blanket (Weenies for Halloweeeenie). I was sooo looking forward to it... then when the party started.... I wasn't hungry anymore. What is up with that? I am always up for some good junk food.

I had to laugh... about 10 minutes ago the guys came through for round two of food.

My stomach still hurts.

Goodness..... I just saw someone go in for round 3.

Out in a field cutting lines with some ho's

Our sister station is off the air. It has been since early this morning....and will be for another couple days. The station's transmitting lines that are out in a field up north were cut by a power hoe. And the ironic thing is that it was done by Qwest. We are owned by the same parent company. Sweet. Good work. The station's internet stream is still working... so the dee jays are doing their shows for the 50 people listening on line. The mood is kinda somber around here.... as we all are picturing $$$ signs burning up.... no revenue for commercials when you are off the air. So to liven things up... we changed the story of how the station fell off the air. Instead of saying... Qwest cut our line with a power hoe out in a field. The new story is....Qwest was out in a field cutting lines with some ho's. One guy kinda laughed... victory.

Email idiots

There is this guy on my Home Owners Association Board of Directors with me who is an email idiot. I sent an email out this morning to my entire HOA board about how fantastic the new carpet in the building looks and Gene (who by the way is in his late 30's early 40's and SHOULD know how to email) hits reply to just me...and addresses the board with a comment on the carpet and includes a question for another gal on the board. I write him back and tell him that he needs to either click "Reply All" on his original email or forward his email to Christel directly. He freaking sends the same email to me and himself again....so basically he hit reply all on the email I sent him. DUH! I had to laugh...and then I forwarded the email to Christel...and copied Gene. How is it that a guy who has taken the time to get an email address and checks his email often.... doesn't understand how to actually send an email? It's not like he's trying to do something "tough" like an attachment (hope you can smell the burning sarcasm). I am cranky today. I will probably read this another day and think... damn Emily... have some patience. But stupid people annoy me.

Testimony

So after knowing this was coming for several years, I testified (finally) this morning in the Hal M. Lawsuit. It was an Arbitration - so don't picture a court room with media chomping at the bit to get a story, cameras, several bailiffs, security guards, a jury and a judge. No. Picture a fancy conference room with about 12 corporate suits from the defense, Hal, his two lawyers (in casual outfits), a voice recorder and a white haired professor looking man with a long horsey face and a sweet smile at the head of the table. The white haired man is the arbitrator. He looked like he should be teaching History 101 in a lecture hall, not officiating an arbitration. They call me in. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife. I sit down and Hal's lawyer starts asking me questions. Sweaty palms. Sweaty palms. Sit up straight. Is my neck all splotchy because I am nervous? Focus on the questions. Am I suppose to look at other people while I am talking? That is something I would do in a regular meeting... make eye contact with everyone in the room. I decide no. Puke is starting to sneak up my throat. This is all very intimidating. Keep it together Em. As Hal's lawyer is asking me questions, the defense lawyers are shuffling papers, whispering, passing notes, taking notes with notebooks protecting their coveted words. I had a flash back to grade school when kids used to put their peachy notebooks up to block their work. Now it was the defense lawyer's turn to ask me questions. She was sweet as pie UNTIL she started firing questions. Using terms like "And I quote". Her right eyebrow was frozen in the raised position. I think I must have looked calm as a cucumber....because I sensed she wasn't getting what she wanted from me....and she was frustrated. I told the truth. And the truth is.... I am glad this is over.

XISNE1

My friend who is a fantastic tennis player had XISNE1 on her license plates. For the riddle-impaired... it says Tennis Anyone.

I was thinking today that relationships are much like a good tennis match. The players take turns taking shots or chances. They go back and forth. The ball is in their court half of the time. They sacrifice their body for the good of the game. The grass is sometimes greener on the other side. The spectators watch the game looking from player to player... left to right....right to left....back to player to player... often with their mouths hanging open in amazement. Some people prefer to play in Doubles...which only means there are too many people involved. The most common match is Singles. There's sweating. Cussing. Celebration. Disappointment. And most likely than not, there's a racket. The scoring or points system is unclear and confusing to 99% of the public. Plus the scoring system throws around the word LOVE. I can never remember if the goal is to get LOVE....or get away from it. When you score LOVE... do you win? Soooo.... I must ask, Tennis Anyone?

Old men chasing teenagers - puke!

I just got an email from a 35 year old guy on match. com who says he is interested in dating women who are 18-35. What? You are in your mid-30's and would date an 18 year old? Sick. You're a dirty old man who combs the high schools for a date. Ewh. I don't think I can delete his profile fast enough.

Money sucks!

I was standing in my kitchen re-filling my coffee cup this morning at 8 am and I get a call on my land line. I look at the caller ID... a 800 #. I don't know why I picked up the call...but I did. I never pick up 800# calls. It was my credit card fraud department telling me that my card is being swiped at several places all over the United States. Someone has created several copy cards with the same number and black strip on the back. Whoa. They were alerted when 2 charges tried to go thru at the same time...in 2 different states. In the category of.... something GOOD has to come of this...I had maxed my credit card out in late August. I was mad at myself for letting it get out of control...but thank God I had done that because several charges had been declined... because it's maxed out. Whew. A few snuck thru... but still... whew! I also paid for the Security Plus Coverage on my card, which seemed like a stupid thing to do at the time....but the $24.99 I pay a year has paid it's self back 25 fold. I am not responsible for the fraudulent charges because of this extra coverage. Whew again. So needlesstosay.... I am cranky as hell today. I decide to go thru and really really balance my checking account to make sure that no one has hacked into that too. Come to find out that my mom sat on 3 months of my payments to her.... over $1,100 and decided to cash those checks ALL LAST NIGHT. I had been watching my balance knowing that she is very good about cashing my checks....and I was mentally subtracting that money like it was gone. SOOOO.... I will be in the hole in my checking account. Good times. Money sucks. And I suck at managing it. This is all my fault...which sucks even more.

Marlon Brando

I keep a picture of a young Marlon Brando up in my office to (jokingly) remind myself that.... no matter HOW hot, HOW rich, HOW famous, HOW successful a man is at one time in his life.... he can end up fat, ugly, unpopular and poor (like Marlon did). So he better be a hell-of-a-man to you so that if everything else goes away... he is still worth keeping around. My friend said the other day at lunch... "I had to figure out how I wanted to be loved." I can't stop thinking about her statement. How do I want to be loved? Besides just LOVED WELL....that is obvious. How do I want to be told or shown that I am loved? Do we ever know?

UH NO!

Erin's 30th B-day party was fun. I had a great time. Delish grub...and fantastic company. Today is her actual birthday. It seems weird to me to have friends still having 30th b-day parties...when mine seems 10 years ago.

Date #2 with Framer John was great. I met him at his friend Tim's house for beers, Broncos and dinner. John made corned beef and cabbage. This Irish girls fav. His friends are all super cool.... an older crowd...but nice to be around. We were standing in the kitchen and John layed a big kiss (peck) on me. I thought my heart was gonna jump out of my chest. I was telling myself... breathe.... don't let your face turn bright red.... breathe...... dammit... breathe.... smile. Whew. I think I like this one.

Jiles the "Uh Yea" spinning instructor was in rare form today. He was trying to get us to say "Mary had a little lamb and her fleece was white as snow" out loud to test our aerobic breathing capability. UH NO! No one did it...not one person. We are in the middle of the gym with head phones on.... no one wants to be seen saying some nursery rhyme out loud for no apparent reason. Then, Jiles jumped off of his bike and ran around giving everyone High Fives. I think he saw us rolling our eyes at him... because he proceeded to kick our asses in class. I guess he got the last laugh or the last "Uh yea" huh?

Calls and Close Calls

My date with Framer John went well. He's is a nice guy. His pictures on the website were old... so he looks different now than he did in the pictures. He instant messaged me the next morning and asked me out for this Sunday. We are going to his buddy's house to watch the Broncos game. He said that the boys cook...and the girls just chat. Should be interesting.

I got some great news that made my DAY. My dear friend Susie is coming to Thanksgiving at my aunt Judy's house. She IS part of my family, my heart and my soul... so she belongs at all holidays. I am so happy. Skip skip skipping down the street.

Garrett the "Hot Hockey Player" called me yesterday and left a message. Of course he did. What do guys have? Some sort of 6th sense? That when I am over them.... they call? I didn't call him back. Does that mean I like John?

My grandparents Cheever got in a car accident last night. Everyone is ok. A girl ran a stop sign and side swiped them on the driver side, inches behind where my grandpa was sitting. Everyone is ok. The car is messed up...drivable...but must be fixed. My grandparents were very shook up.... who wouldn't be? They were going to meet my parents to see a movie. My mom and dad came to the scene of the accident, and my dad drove their car home. They have complained to my parents for years now that they don't need the cell phone that my parents MAKE them carry (that my parents pay for). They used their handy-dandy cell phone to call the police and then my parents. I can just hear my grandpa now, "Oh young-un, I used that phone for the first time, and it wasn't half bad I tell ya. I guess I better tell your mom, that rugrat, that she has been right this whole time about those dag-gum cell phones." I can just picture his sweet face and goofy smile. Then I bet he would make a comment about how he is just plain sweet and lovable..... which he is.... from the top of his bald head (another grandpa saying) to the bottom of his feet. My grandparents aren't the only ones who are shook up. I am too. Too close for my comfort.

Gewn stefanie at magnus

I just got an email from a client who is requesting free tickets to the Gwen Stefani concert at Magness Arena...and the client spelled it - Gewn stefanie at magnus. (That is a direct cut and paste). If you are not smart enough to know HOW to spell her name and/or the venue the concert is being held at....or.... you are too lazy to google it....then "NO soup for you... one year". And the horribly sad part is she sent that email to nearly every radio rep in town...dumb ass.

Uncle Paul

I went to lunch with a gal in my office. We walked down to Noodles. As we were sitting there enjoying our rich and cheesey lunches... I looked up at a commotion in the middle of the dining room. There are 4 rather large people shuffling around trying to get settled in a busy restaurant. They are not being loud or inconsiderate, but nearly everyone is staring at them. You see, they are all mentally challenged and look different than some people. Each of them had at least one, dirty, stuffed animal that is being gingerly sat in a chair of their own. I smile. The leader of the group is my Uncle Paul... my dad's younger brother. He is assigning seats to everyone including their stuffed pals. Once they all sit down I walk over to hug my Uncle. He is very happy and introduces me to all of his friends, "yup, she's my niece, my brother George's daughter." He is beaming....and so am I. Ahhhh. It makes me happy to see that he has friends like anyone else...and they like to go grab a bite too. I normally only see him in family situations. As I leave the restaurant I think to myself.... man... my dad would be pissed that he's carrying around a stuffed Pooh bear in public. I don't think I will tell him that part of the story.

Sometimes it's better to not know

My friend and co-worker just emailed me a website that you can look up registered sex-offenders in your (or any) neighborhood. I just looked up my address and there is a convicted rapist that lives next door to me. His place faces my place... so he can see into my place. I am freaking out. It might have been better to just have kept my head up... always be smart and aware of my surroundings...but not to know that everytime I look out my livingroom window.... I can see his place. Blah. I just spent too much time putting all of my loved one's addresses in the search engine. It's smart to be informed. But this single girl might not sleep tonight.

Date

I have a date with a new guy... John. He is the one who I posted about sending me an email this weekend. We are meeting for drinks tomorrow at this Irish Pub that I adore on South Broadway. I actually have butterflies over this one.

Spin this!

I am sitting at my desk still cracking up at the guy who taught my spinning class today over lunch.

First... for those of you who haven't heard of spinning.... it's not weaving and spinning fabric.....like one of the older engineers in my office (with a southern accent) thought. He said "Eh, yea, my wife takes spinning." As my mouth fell open. He' s like 100 years old...and his WIFE takes spinning???? Anyway...he meant weaving and spinning. Ah no - not even close to the same thing. My kind of spinning is a workout. It's a choreographed cycling class to music.... and it will kick your ass.

Anyway. So back to my original point. The very cool gal who normally teaches the Monday class is out of town for a month.... so there has been several different teachers recently. The guy who taught the class today was someone I haven't ever seen there before. He was kinda skinny, had the marks on his nose where his glasses were minutes before, he wore cycling shorts, cycling shoes and a cycling shirt.... and.... yelled out "UH YEA!" at the top of his lungs every few seconds. It made me feel dirty. It was hard to control my laughter. And every so often he would wink at me. Ewh. The icing on the cake was that towards the end of class he starting talking about himself in the 3rd person AND his name is Jiles. Ewh again. "UH YEA!"

Weekend

The weekend is almost over and oddly... I am looking forward to going back to work. Maybe I am simply rested and looking forward to a new day.

My weekend.....was wonderful. Friday night I went to dinner and drinks with Erin and Emily S. We went to a new place (new to me) that I have officially named my favorite pizza place. It's a ma and pop pizza joint over at 22nd and Kearney. The food was great...and the conversation even better. It's good to hang with the girls. Saturday I went and got a massage. Heaven. Then on Saturday night... Bob, Briana and I went and saw Elizabethtown. It was very well done... a wee slow...but I enjoyed it...and especially enjoyed the movie theatre popcorn. Sunday (today) I went to the aquarium store and bought 3 new fish and 2 new water frogs... plus some new tank plants. My tank looks fantastic. I keep intentionally walking into my living room to gaze into the tank. My little frogs have placed stake in their new hiding places. This afternoon I watched and paced through an exciting Broncos win. And now... I am doing laundry. Clean sheets....ahhh.

I got an email from an interesting new guy from match.com. He said the nicest things in the email. I wrote him back. We'll see huh?

Cowgirl UP!

After quite a long break from match.com.... I have posted my profile again. My last break was prompted after I realized that I HATE dating this way. I believe match.com dating suffers from a "kid in the candy store" syndrome. There are sooo many people to choose from... one bad move... and "you're fired." The guys (and I even started doing it) just fall off the face of the earth. For example, I would be talking to a nice guy who I find attractive, we go on a couple dates, little touchy-feely...then POOF.... he vanishes. My personality prefers someone to tell me to - eat shit - than to just ignore me. It's a closure for me...and I don't have to think "damn, did I forget to call him and he's thinking I don't like HIM?" Regardless. I am back in the saddle again....giddy up.

Video i*Pod

The announcement today (that I teased yesterday) wasn't what I thought. It was that Apple is introducing a new i*Pod that users can download their favorite ABC/Disney content and watch the shows $1.99-$2.99 an episode, commercial free. Just in time for Christmas huh?

Nothing like a cup of Subpoena first thing in the morning

This morning our receptionist walked back to my office and told me that I have a visitor in the lobby. I told her that I don't have any appointments and to find out who it is.

She says "It's a guy with a subpoena for you." Nice.

I get up and walk out to talk to him and he says, "Did you know this was coming?"

And I said, "that depends, who is asking me to appear?"

And he says, "Hal Moore."

And I said, "Figures."

And he says, quite loud in our little offices, "You've been served." Sweet.

I called my dad to see if I need to hire an attorney. My dad told me a few months back that I should never appear in a court for any reason without suitable legal representation. Anyone who chooses to represent themselves...has a fool for a client. Great. Fun times. I am just giving a statement, I haven't been named in the case. Still. When I met with the defense lawyers several months back.... they had EVERY email I had sent during the 3 years that Hal worked with us that mentioned his name. Word to the wise, don't forget, every email and document you send out on a company computer CAN be recovered, and can be used against you in a court of law. Ha.

Apple I*Pod

Apple has teased a big announcement for tomorrow. My gut says they are announcing a new I*Pod product that may hurt the radio industry. The new product would allow the user to program in a search for specific news/podcasts updates and new content that would be automatically dropped in between songs on their I*Pod. So basically allowing the average person to program the EXACT radio station they want to hear. Now, how many people will take the time to do all this work? I'm not sure. But my eyebrow is officially raised.

My lunch rocks

I went to dinner with my mom last night. It was sooo fun. Now that we are adults we get along so well. It's funny... once a year... my mom calls me to go to dinner... just the two of us. My dad and bro go hunting on this super expensive guided trip and my mom feels that she needs to even the playing field and take me to an expensive dinner. Honestly, I don't care if my parents spend money on my bro...but it makes her feel better... so I go... hell... free is my favorite kind of food. I picked Elway's restaurant. I have always wanted to check that place out. Much to my surprise the decor was elegant and tasteful and there wasn't ONE picture or statue of John Elway to be found. The food was amazing. I had a filet and asparagus...and am enjoying the left overs today. Several people have stopped by to see where the delish smell is coming from.... ahhh...lunch envy. It's the small things.

The Ex-boyfriend Parade

In recent weeks I have heard from or seen 4 of my ex-boyfriends. Blah. Lucky me. I have already posted about Robert and Lance.

Ryan. I was at lunch with my friends at work and as we were walking back to the office... Ryan walked right in front of us. I don't know if he saw me. My heart jumped out of my chest. Maybe someday I will post our breakup story...but for now I will save you from the carnage. When I saw him, I pointed at him and said "that is the guy who broke my heart." It came out of my mouth before the brain-to-mouth filter could work. I hadn't seen or heard from Ryan in over 3 years...and last weekend Cherill brought his name up out of the blue... she jinxed me. Ha.

Kurt. I dated him for a summer before our senior year in high school. When Robert called me he told me that he and Kurt keep in touch and that he would love to hear from me. I called him and we made plans to meet up at a party last night. He didn't make it. He was too tired after work. Who knows what will happen there...but at the very least I would like to see him to catch up with an old friend. He always made me laugh.

Hey Tom, childbirth is a scream!

So if you have been under a rock and haven't heard that TomKat is breeding, well, they are. Great. Another idiot in the world. I just read that Scientologists believe in something called "silent birthing". The mother is not allowed to scream during childbirth. AND they don't believe in any drugs to ease the pain. I haven't had kids yet, but Bill Cosby once said that his wife described childbirth as it was much like pulling one's lower lip up over one's head. Come here Tom... let me just try that lip thing on you.... and see if you don't scream like a little girl....and ask for a pain killer.

Pet Peeves

I have a ton of pet peeves... here are today's goodies.

One of my part-timers applied for and interviewed for a full time gig at another radio company that will remain nameless. Although I will say the company starts with an I and rhymes with blafinity. And he didn't get the job. He never got a phone call saying he didn't get it. I heard thru the grape vine who got the job and had to do the Marketing Director's dirty work and call my employee and let him down gently. Nice. As a manager I always call my interviewed candidates and let them know they didn't get the job....it's a respect thing. *Shaking my head in disgust*

Halloween party? Anyone?

I am really hoping someone (who lives kinda close to me) will have a dress up Halloween party. I would do it... but my 720 square foot condo is not the place. Any takers?

Mrs. Bronson

I just got a phone call from an older woman who told me her name is Mrs. Bronson. Not Mrs. Jane Bronson.... not Jane Bronson....simply Mrs. Bronson. I have many married friends and none of them go by only their husband's last name. Must be generational, and I suspect geographical too. Or maybe she was a teacher back in the day. Regardless I found it interesting.

The narcissistic side of me...ok one side

I go to the dentist religiously. I make the next appointment the day I am at the dentist....every 6 months baby. I would go every month if my insurance let me. I have never had braces or a cavity and I am positive this is why I like going. Much to my chagrin, my old dentist that I went to for about 7 years wasn't on my new insurance. After many phone calls asking my old dentist to take my new insurance and many NOs.... I had to find a new one. Boo. My old dentist used to bring in all of the other dentists in the office and show them my teeth as his "star patient". The narcissistic side of me loved it. I actually privately thought that he took credit for my good teeth.... but it's genes... my dad has perfect teeth. Anyway....my new dentist, although nice and gentle.... doesn't give me the same parade reception. Guess I will need to find another way to feed that side of me.... shouldn't be that hard. Ha.

Fire, fire alarms & break-throughs

Vegas was.... awesome. I am exhausted which means I took advantage of the debauchery that is VEGAS. A few stories...and the rest have to "stay in Vegas".

Story #1: Several gals are getting ready for the wedding in my hotel room (I provided bloody marys) and a few gals stepped outside of the room into the hall way to smoke a cigarette. Now... you can smoke everywhere in Vegas so who would have thought this was a problem??? Hum. Well the FIRE ALARMS start going off and over the loud speaker "Attention, attention, there is a suspected fire on the 7th floor, the police are investigating." CRAP. All of these tired red-eyed people are pouring out of their rooms into the hallway...as the group of us girls book it down the hall to the wedding. Once we got in the elevator... we erupted with laughter.

Story #2: Cherill's husband sadly learned a lesson that I learned years ago. As we grow and mature, your true group of friends dwindle. You have your core group of real friends now. You know the ones I am talking about...the friends you would walk thru FIRE for. Scot had several friends flake out on him for his wedding and the boys night out...and it was heart breaking for him.

Story #3: Ashlee Simpson was having her 21st birthday party at "Pure" - the dance club in Caesar's Palace. Briana and Gina wanted to go. After some investigation, we found out that the wait in line to get in may be around 2 hours and there was a $25 cover charge. I don't wait in lines.... I don't wait in lines to see C-list celebs.... and I don't pay $25 to get into a club and pay $10 a drink. I just don't. So I went (alone) to the casino next door to our hotel called O'Sheas. I played (and won) at blackjack for 6.5 hours. As I was walking to the casino alone I had this rush of exhilaration "I am alone in Vegas, I am quite self-sufficient." Some might call it stupid...I call it a break-through.

Apparently the champagne was tough to open. 

Vegas Wedding (Left to right, Tim, Dennis, Scot, Cherill & me)

CIC

My dear friend Susie reminded me to watch the Series Premier of "Commander in Chief" this past Wednesday starring Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland. Whoa. What a fantastic show. Geena Davis gave off this awesome spark and energy that made me believe that she IS the right choice as the first female President of the United States (in made up tv land...not in real life). I think this may be my new fav. The hard part was that I had to miss "My Name is Earl" to watch CIC. I may have to get TiVo. YES...there are still people in the world who don't have TiVo.... stop it.... stop laughing....and didn't your mom tell you that it's not nice to stare?

Monkey bars or Monkey business?

I was out for drinks with friends last night, and I was talking about how excited I am to go to Vegas this weekend for Cherill's wedding. There will be so many people from my childhood there. Many of them I haven't seen since junior high or high school. I was talking about my first "boyfriend" Cory (I mentioned him in my "Mr. G" post) and how he and his wife will be there. I haven't seen him since I was 15. Anyway. I said that I remember that I really liked him because he was the BEST guy on the playground on the monkey bars. That boy could swing and spin and put on quite a show on those monkey bars. Christine laughed and said, "man, if we all just picked our current boyfriends or husbands based on how good they are on the monkey bars, wouldn't we all be better off?" Sheesh... she's got a point. Dating is full of monkey business...and wouldn't it be much easier to line them up on the playground and hold try outs on the monkey bars?

Close call at the mall

I went shopping for new dress to wear this weekend at Cherill and Scot's VEGAS wedding. I tried on nearly every dress in the entire department store. I had thoroughly scoured through all of the "little black dresses"....and nada. I am the Maid of Honor, and Cherill told me to find a dress that I like, that she wasn't going to make me buy some dress for her wedding that I will never wear again. That is all of the direction I got. So after what felt like an eternity of trying on dress after dress, I am sitting down on the floor in the dressing room. Frustrated that I haven't found something that will work. Then I hear a knock on the door to my dressing room. A eager and a wee bit annoying voice seems to be directed my way, "Are you in there?" And I say, "are you talking to me?" She says yes and tells me that she wants me to look at the dress she is wearing and wants me to tell her honestly if I think the dress will work for a morning wedding the next day. Crap. What if it's hideous? Will I have the guts to tell a stranger that she has bad taste? Hell, yes I do. So I open the door to find a petite little gal... who is sweet as pie. She tells me that the wedding is at 11 am... and outside... and wanted to know if the white with black dress that she picked out would work. It would. She has good taste... and I told her so and off she went. After she left, it occurred to me that I was only looking at black dresses for a wedding, next to a gorgeous pool, outside, in Vegas, in the morning.... and I will be standing next to the bride. I can't wear BLACK. Sheesh. Thank GOD that pushy girl wanted my opinion. As a sidenote, when I opened the door to talk to her I had on the ugliest dress ever.... that didn't flatter me at all.... which I didn't realize until AFTER I shut the door. Anyway. I picked out a fantastic pink silk dress.... that will look beautiful. Whew.

Birdie

I was talking to someone who will remain nameless...but will she never read this blog... so I am gonna rip on her. Ha. She was talking about how she and her ex husband were trying to reconcile, so they were in the car together, talking things out. And he reached over and grabbed her crotch. So you can imagine at this point of the story, that I am sitting there with eyes as big as saucers and my mouth is just beginning to fall open. Then she looks at me with these eyes of a victim and cries in a whinny voice "He choked my birdie, MY birdie, he CHOKED my little birdie." HUH? So at this point my mouth is wide open and starting to getting dry from having it open so long. And my eyebrows are furrowed so that I have a crinkle in between my eyes. Birdie? She calls it her birdie...and OUT LOUD. Oh my. All I could say was "Damn, you just said birdie."

Fall

I love Fall. I love the way the air smells. I love that it's 75 degrees in the day... and almost cold at night. One of the most beautiful neighborhood drives is the one down University near Wash Park... the huge trees as they change color and hover over the street. Pretty. I love sweaters and jeans. I love love love Halloween. Erin was talking about her Halloween plans and it made me start to get excited for this time of year. Halloween was always a big deal around my house when we were growing up. My mom is very crafty and she would always sew us kids a new costume... whatever we wanted. The night of Halloween she would always make chili, corn bread and hot chocolate. Mom would answer the door and give out candy to Trick or Treaters...and my dad would take us out Trick or Treating. One year when I was about 8, I wanted to go Trick or Treating with my friends alone just around our small neighborhood. Back then, we knew every family in every house. In fact I can still drive the neighborhood and point to the house and say the family name. Anyway, I went out with my friends, and my dad, who was 31 at the time, followed close behind, but never let me see him. A group of high school bullies from another neighborhood came over and pushed me down and took my candy. I ran home crying. My dad saw it happen and "went and taught those boys a lesson about picking on little girls, especially HIS little girl" (awwwwhhhh) as he told me at a later date many years later. He came back home and handed me my candy in silence, as I sat on my mom's lap and cried. He had a few bumps and scraps on him (there were a lot of boys)....but he looked like my Knight In Shining Armor.

"Jimmy's under the boards. Jimmy's in the open. Jimmy makes the shot."

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George are talking to Jimmy who keeps referring to himself in the 3rd person? "OH yeah.......Jimmy played pretty good." Anyway. It just occurred to me that I keep talking about all of these Emilys in my life... and it must sound like I am Jimmy. I'm not. I have 3 close friends all named Emily. And one of the Emilys has the same middle name as me. Power to my E girls.

Phhhhlease!

I just got done watching the premier of "The Apprentice" Martha Stewart style. She starts the show off with a brief overview of her climb to fame from the basement of her house to the penthouse of business. There's a shot of her waltzing through the Creative Department of her magazine "Living". She is smiling and waving to everyone from the mail room schmuck to Executive Directors. Acting like this is an everyday occurrence and she actually likes the people who work for her. Here is where the "Phhhhlease!" comes in. Years ago my friend Emily P planned and executed a high-powered event where Martha Stewart was the Key Note Speaker. As part of her job, she was the handler for Miss Martha. She described Martha's behavior as pushy. (Em, if you read this and I am not telling the story completely right... tell me... I will post a correction.) Anyway, Em told us that the rental car that was arranged to pick Martha up was unacceptable to her and at the wee hours of the morning, when all car rental companies are closed, Martha demanded a different car. And another story of note was that Em gave some left over doughnuts to some of Matha's staff and Martha didn't want them to get "her" extra doughnuts and threw a fit. Regardless, the impression she left on Em and the other people behind the scenes was that she is tough, mean, often barked instructions to her staff while talking through her teeth, and certainly was not the sweet motherly type she tries to portray in public. So when I saw her acting like a sweetie pie... I laughed out loud and hooted at the TV. But in her defense, her time in YALE (Martha calls it Yale, not jail, because she "always wanted to go to Yale") may have softened the old villain and made her a nicer person. Maybe. I am not buying it. The teaser for next week's episode showed Martha saying "Women in business don't cry, my dear." Ah yes, that is the gal I know you are. You go girl. No one likes a faker.

Ahhhh Premier Week

I love it when the TV networks unveil their Fall line-up. I get out my cart and start shopping for my new fav shows. I enjoyed NBC's new show "Surface" the other night. It had me on the edge of my seat and I didn't want to leave the room the entire episode. Now that is hard to do. "Lost" lost me after about 5 episodes, it was the same show week after week. And since "Surface" is the same Action/Thriller genre.... it might have the same fate as "Lost". I missed week 1 of "The Biggest Loser" but didn't this week. I love this show. I often find myself tearing up watching them win and struggle all in the same hour. I can (hell, most women can) relate to their challenges with body image and weight. The big winner so far is "My Name is Earl". Hilarious. So funny. "And I pulled out my good boob!" If you didn't see the show this doesn't make sense to you. I have made a mental note to use this phrase out loud in VEGAS in 2 weeks. Anyway. I usually don't like too much blue collar comedy and stupid people annoy me. However, this show is so well-written and I really liked the characters. In fact so much that I wanted to hug each of them and invite them in for a beer. Besides, I think that if the lead, Jason Lee, was not dressed as a bum, he would be HOT - white - HOT. I am really looking forward to catching "Inconceivable", although, if babies are dying...this won't be my kind of show. We will see. The WB2 has moved the re-runs of "Friends" back an hour and now is running "Sex and The City" at 10 pm. I have seen and can quote every episode of "Friends" so having SATC in that time slot is refreshing to me. SATC is a smutty, dirty and sexy show, so the episodes have to be edited for content. I counted about 9 minutes of advertising in the 30 minute show last night. I am not sure how I will feel about my fav show SATC being chopped up to be a G-Rated show. It's called "Sex and The City" for pete's sake.

Vast Array of Nakedness

I joined a new gym about a year ago. The station paid for our gym memberships...so I thought, hell, I will go there instead of Ballys. Free is my favorite kind of membership. So since the gym is across the street from the studios, started working out at lunch for the first time in my life. Let me tell you something about corporate woman who work out at lunch. They have NO problem walking around & holding conversations with strangers at the gym... while completely NAKED. NONE. They will be naked and strike up a conversation, then bend over and put lotion on their legs. STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT. And the lack of personal space is horrifying. It's disgusting.... and still shocks me everytime I am at the gym. And.... I must wayyy over share here.... but these naked women are the ones who have stopped or never started doing the maintenance down-under. So they have these gi-normous bushes that make me gag. I think these woman are probably the same ones who wear their socks and tennis shoes with their dresses to walk to lunch. I would rather bleed into my new hot heels than wear tennis shoes with my outfit. Yea, I am pretty sure they are the same kind of woman.

Secret

Today I saw this woman walking...more like prancing down the street. She was in her mid-40's with black tightly permed short hair. She was swinging her arms and shaking her money maker so much that I thought to myself.... what does she know that I don't know? What is her secret? Why is she so damn happy? HUM.

Much Ado About Nothing...much

I have lots on my mind, but nothing that is substantial enough for a complete post. So I will babble.

The Wheel of Fortune auditions were fun however uneventful. Mom and I showed up at 10:30 am waited in line, filled out an application then never got called on stage in the random drawing. Apparently all applications will be included in another random drawing to fill slots in the 2nd round of auditions.

That night was Polly and Rosa's birthday party... Emily K out did herself on the decorations. She cut out hundreds of paper birds and hung them from the ceiling with fishing line. Amazing.

I got home and looked in my big fish tank in the living room to see a small, pink, frog shaped jumpsuit floating from a plastic plant... Apparently my frog shed his skin. Gross.

Now tonight, I am sitting in my room, drinking tea, watching the Emmy awards. I am always eternally entertained by famous people when they aren't scripted. Alan Alda was nominated (holy crap... I just heard a gun shot outside my window... I am freaking out... anyway) for an award... and when he lost, they cut to him and he was jutting his chin out in disapproval and was tearing up his acceptance speech. I am still laughing. OH MY... William Shatner is just about to sing the theme song from Star Trek... trekkies everywhere are touching themselves inappropriately right now. Gross.

And lastly, to wrap up this post, I am dreading having to go shopping for a new dress for Cherill's wedding in Vegas. I hate to shop.

Auditions

For weeks I have been thinking about going to the Wheel of Fortune auditions here in town this weekend. When my friend Becca told me that she and John are going, I starting thinking more seriously about it. Then, last night, I got a voicemail from my dad saying that several months ago he registered me, my mom, my bro and himself for the auditions when they came to town. And he heard back from the WOF folks via email...but the email was only addressed to ME. It said that they wanted me to come to the auditions this weekend. Sealed the deal for me. Who knows, it might have been a mass email that just happened to have my name on it. Regardless, I am SO there. If I show up tomorrow, and it's a zoo... I am OUT...but I have to at least try. Yes Pat, I would like to solve the puzzle, Emily Wins Big at Wheel . Nice. (ok ok, I am a dork)

Maria

I just got an email from my college room mate/team mate Maria. She doesn't email often, she calls, so when I saw her address in my in-box, I smiled from ear to ear and opened up the note from her as quickly as my right clicking finger would click. There are only a few people in my life who "get" me and appreciate my quirks. Maria is one of them and I love her for it. We could sit in a vacant room for days and entertain each other with dumb games and stories. In college, we actually made up a game called "Womanly Woman" where we would say, "Womanly woman?" and the other person would say "Yes?" and then the first person would say "Drink 12" and you would have to take that many sips of your beverage. The most important part is the person who had to drink must always say "thank you." It's so stupid that I am laughing as I type. Her husband Brian actually got into the madness and will play that game with us too. Except we call him "Manly, Man." Ha! It's so dumb, but so funny (at least to us). Anyway, Maria and I have always kept in touch. And even if we hadn't spoken in months, we can always pick up where we left off and laugh and cry and laugh some more. She's a wonderful Wife, Mother, Christian, Teacher, Coach, and most importantly... Friend. Sometimes I miss her so much I can feel myself get choked up... especially after a visit. I go through withdrawal because I miss her so much.

When it rains it pours

It's raining out right now.... pouring actually. I love the rain.... but only when I can stay inside and watch the storm in a nice, warm & cozy place. Besides the actual rain, the saying When It Rains It Pours works for this part as well. Yesterday morning, I was thinking about my ex-boyfriend Lance (this all before I heard from Robert). We keep in touch via email. He lives in LA. We dated for a year and 1/2 long distance. His acting career took off and he moved to LA from Atlanta. We got so serious that I interviewed for, and got a job at a LA radio station and was ready to move. The break up part is too long and I don't want to tell the story right now. Anyway, I sent him an email to catch up. I heard back from him. He said that my timing is amazing. He is in St. Louis on business and is going to be driving back to LA on Friday, and wanted to stop in Denver for a night and would like to see me. Two ex's in one day...and both from LA. When It Rains It Pours. Who knows if that is a good thing.

There's just something about first loves

Last night around 11 pm I was laying in bed half awake, half asleep, and the phone rang. My land line, not my cell. I jump out of bed and run to the phone. Late night calls always make my heart stop. On the other end I hear a familiar voice yell "LOU!" I know right away that it's my high school sweetheart, Robert. My nickname in high school was Emma Lou, and Rob was the only one I allowed to call me Lou. I am in shock to hear from him and start saying, "Rob, is everything ok? Why did you call? Are you ok?" And he kept reassuring me that he just wanted to see how I was doing. Robert lives in LA now with his lovely wife and 2 boys. He is happy. Just wanted to check-in I guess. We talked about old times. Laughed. Caught up on the current things going on in our lives. It was nice. Odd. But nice. As we are getting ready to get off the phone I say, "Rob, why did you call, really?" And he said, "Ah Lou, there's just something about first loves, I needed to know you are ok." Hum. Well, I am ok, in fact, I am great.

Responsibility

Bush: 'I take responsibility'
Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:36 PM BST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush took responsibility on Tuesday for any failures in the federal response to Hurricane Katrina and acknowledged the storm exposed serious deficiencies at all levels of government four years after the September 11 attacks.
"To the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush told a White House news conference at which he openly questioned U.S. preparedness for another storm or a "severe attack." Bush's rare admission of "serious problems in our response capability" came as the White House stepped up efforts to repair his public standing. Bush will address the nation at 9 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT) on Thursday from hard-hit Louisiana, his fourth visit to the disaster zone since Katrina struck. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush would use Thursday's address to "talk to the American people about the recovery and the way forward on the longer-term rebuilding." The president's approval ratings have hit new lows, partly due to fierce criticism of the slow response to the August 29 hurricane, which killed hundreds and displaced 1 million people in the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
Fifty-four percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the response, but 57 percent say state and local officials should bear responsibility for the problems, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC poll.

Got my fix!

I think I have officially gotten my Dave Matthews fix for at least a short while. After seeing them in ABQ a few weeks ago, I got to see them at the infamous Red Rocks on Sunday night with Cherill, Scot and Kristie. The tickets were as great as I thought they were gonna be. The show was amazing. Dave played my favorite song "Lover Lay Down", which was a huge treat. I love the energy at a Dave show, everyone is walking around with this shit-eating grin on their faces. I danced and danced and cheered and cheered and whistled and had a fan-freaking-tastic time. I came into work today and Ashley says, "Yea, so my friend walked into The Hotel Monaco yesterday for a lunch meeting, and Dave Matthews was sitting at the bar. She sat down next to him and had a drink with him. She said he is super cool." I hope that if I ever saw him somewhere that I would have the guts to talk to him. I think I would. Yea, I know I would. I want to ask him who Grace is. He talks about Grace in a lot of his songs. Is Grace a person? Or is he referring to his own gracefulness? Who knows. I met Celine Dion once backstage in the early 90's. She was struggling speaking English (her native language is French). And I (at that time) spoke nearly fluent French...and I froze up.... and didn't speak French to her or translate for her. Still shaking my fists in the air on that lost opportunity. Now I can't remember a lick of French... well... except the bad words. I remember those.

The fish that didn't get away

This past weekend was my family's annual camping trip. I must use the word "camping" loosely. My parents rent a house with bedroom for each of us, digital cable, showers, a kitchen, the whole sha-bang. So it's not really camping, it's staying in a sweet ass house in the middle of no where. Anyway, we went to Steamboat Springs this year. We fished a TON! I love to fish. It's therapeutic for me. The people who own the house we stayed in have a private pond that they stock. So on Friday, we went over there to fish. I caught 2 nice sized fish. For the record, we are a catch and release family. Then we fished all day on Saturday and in the morning on Sunday before we left (I had to take off early to get back in town in time for the Dave Matthews Band concert at Red Rocks). About 3 minutes before we were gonna leave, I caught the biggest fish of my life. It was between 18-20 inches long and at least 3 lbs. It looked like an alligator thrashing around in the water. So fun to catch...and even fun to watch him swim away after I let him go. I wished I had my camera.