Jamilyn's Journal - April 2005


	Date: April 30, 2005 Time: 10:54am Subject: Saturday Six * * * * * The "Saturday Six" come to us courtesy of Patrick, one of the AOL Editor's Top Picks. Play along if you want. Put your own answers into the Comments section. Here are this week's questions: 1. What do you tend to focus on the most? A. The past. B. The present. C. The future as you think it will be. D. The future as you are afraid it will be. 2. Name three famous people (living or dead) whose blogs you would like to be able to read. Well, I'd like to read a funny blog - maybe David Letterman's - and a President's blog - but since I don't like the current one, I'll stick with Hillary Clinton ;o) - and Ben Franklin's. 3. How long have you lived in your current residence? How much longer do you intend to live in the same place? One year and 5 months. One year and 7 months. 4. Take the pointless quiz: What color is your heart? Red! 5. How many of AOL's journalers have you met in person? How many have you spoken with by telephone? ZERO...and again ZERO 6. RAPID FIRE Question #2: Who or what is the most annoying: a) Politician - duh - George W Bush b) Late Night Talk Show Host - that british guy who's on after Letterman c) Color - how can you be annoyed by a color? I'm annoyed by camouflage worn outside of the woods though. d) Habit - complaining e) Female Celebrity - Anna Nicole Smith f) Male Celebrity - Rush Limbaugh g) Television Show - Larry King Live h) Commercial - The one on the radio for some roofing company called Avalar. i) Fashion Statement - rip-offs of the LIVESTRONG bracelet in every color (and cause) you can think of! j) Word - but... jlm, 4.30.05, 11:14am \| Date: April 29, 2005 Time: 10:11pm Subject: BIG deals * * * * * I love to watch the world around me when the media decides that something is a big deal. Last fall, Desperate Housewives became a mega-hit, and ever since that occurrence every time Teri Hatcher gets an eyelash out of place or Eva Longoria changes beaus it's "news." Of course, it's time for May sweeps in TV land, and therefore we look to prime time "news" magazines to give us in-depth investigative reports on public safety (sanitation in meat packing plants, anyone?), dirty politicians, and American Idol. Yep...ABC's Primetime Live is devoting a special hour to this "explosive" topic (May 4, 10pm if you want to watch). I, watercooler whore that I am, will have to watch...because if I don't I'll have no idea what everyone is talking about the next day at work! Another BIG deal right now, and for the past twenty-something years, is Star Wars. With the final installment of the geek-fest (I love it too...so I'm allowed to say that) premiering in less than 3 weeks, Star Wars Mania is everywhere -- on TV in commercials for products like m&m's, on Scott's box of Raisin Bran Crunch (even "regular" people love the movie!), in the movie theaters, and even in the TV Guide. This confuses me a bit...considering the current "mania" is centered around a movie that will likely not make it onto the small screen before the current issue is off the newsstand. By the way, according to the quiz I linked to above, Scott is a Jedi Master and I'm a Jedi Guardian. Beware the media you consume: you and your world are shaped by what you see. I'm pretty sure that ABCnews could have turned their investigative reporters loose on something other than a reality competition show (what's next? Maybe "Showdog Moms & Dads: after the camera crews left" or "Survivor Exposed: they all survived.") As for Star Wars, I don't begrudge the hype. My generation has grown up in the theaters watching those films, and this is the missing link. But please don't try to convince me that the excitement about a movie is actual news. It's just a lot of fun hype...with lightsabers! jlm, 4.29.05, 10:34pm \| Date: April 29, 2005 Time: 10:32am Subject: Magic * * * * * I learned a new trick. Prepare yourself to be amazed and click here. So yeah - I finally figured out how to assign each entry on the page its own "go to" identity so that I can link to an individual entry. So far I've done December '04 and set up May. Eventually I'll turn the Archives page into a whole calendar set-up - click on the date you want and you're there! That's a lot of effort though, so it'll take a while. Away from geekdom, work yesterday was pretty rough. I got yelled at by a British man because the first hour of their stay at the resort was bad. Boo hoo. Not my fault. If I had $1 for every time I heard the phrase, "for the money I'm paying..." I'd have a nice little supplemental income. The TOPS meeting today I predict is going to be a two-hour waste of time. Beth has a class and won't be there to keep us on task...and there are members of our group who run off on tangents. yak yak yak. And they want to take a field trip today, which I think would be a colossal waste of time. We need to study and run over facts, not check out the new candy store! But I'll try to not start off with the same negativity I brought in yesterday. That's not going to help anything! jlm, 4.29.05, 10:45am \| Date: April 28, 2005 Time: 12:33pm Subject: April * * * * * I'm rather surprised that April has gone by as fast as it has. I spent this morning putting together my May page. It's boring, but every month can't be crazy and colorful. It's lots of blues. I like blue. I'm finally going to reunite with my car tonight. That's pretty exciting. She needs gas, so I'll have to stop on my way home to fill 'er up. I have TOPS tomorrow, and then the rest of the week is pretty open so far. Let's see how long that lasts! Constantine was voted off of Idol last night. I'm not surprised. The final 6 can be broken into three categories: the clean-cut white kids (Carrie and Anthony), the "urban" choices (Scott and Vonzell), and the rockers (Bo and Constantine). In the next two weeks, one out of each of the remaining categories will be voted off. Scott and I both think that the final three will be Carrie, Bo, and Vonzell. After that - it's anybody's guess. And now, it's time to get ready to start my work week. jlm, 4.28.05, 12:42pm \| Date: April 27, 2005 Time: 8:24pm Subject: Weekend Wrap-Up * * * * * Well, this weekend was unique. It's not every week you go out in the rain with bronchitis, or spend a few hours in Awkwardville, or find out your friend raises chickens. Let me explain. Yesterday's plan was hang out at Downtown Disney with Scott until it was time to go to the movies with Jaclyn, and then we were all going to go to MGM to see Fantasmic!. Well, we did get through steps A and B without incident. Scott had a sundae and I had a rootbeer float at Ghirardelli, and then we met up with Jaclyn and wandered aimlessly through the Marketplace, dodging raindrops the whole time. mmm...warm caramel sundae... Then we girls went to see A Lot Like Love (JJJj out of JJJJJ) while Scott hung out around the Virgin Megastore. And then we set out for MGM. It was sprinkling on and off, so we took our chances that Fantasmic would still run. We got there and the wait was short for Rock n Rollercoaster, so Scott held our purses and we got on the ride. (and for about 3 minutes, my sinuses were clear!) And then we went up to the ampitheater. And then the skies opened up. Oh well...so much for Fantasmic! So we went and got turkey legs for them and a hotdog for me and sat huddled around a table under a big umbrella staying dry and watching the tourons pour out of the ampitheater and down Sunset Blvd getting soaked. And then we had to go. And we too got completely soaked! Oh well...it was still a fun couple of hours! Unflattering pictures, but given the circumstances you'll just have to trust me that they aren't usually this shiny...or prehistoric! Today we woke up early and met up with Herb and Chris and Cathi and went out to the woods in the middle of nowhere to help move Herb out of his home. And wouldn't you know it...Laura was there for over an hour after we got there. Awkward, party of six... Cathi and I were pretty much there to look cute. They were mostly concerned with moving big things, and we really weren't much help. But we did spend plenty of time marveling at the 4 turtles and 6 chickens that live outside the house. And apparently now I'm buying Scott turtles for his birthday. We really did try to keep things light, and under the circumstances I'd say we did really well. Do it, Cathi! One good swing... Who knew that Chris was hiding more than just a bald head under his ball cap?!? After we finished moving things, Scott and I and Chris and Cathi went to Smokey Bones for lunch. And then Scott and I went on to Shirley's house and watched digital cable until she got home from work. We saw AJ Maclean from the Backstreet Boys on a Nick game show called Guts...from long before he was a boy band member. That was pretty funny. And then we went to Panera with Shirley for dinner. And then we came home. Idol is on soon...and after Idol I'm going to bed. I'm so freakin' exhausted! I'll feel so much better once the mucus is all expelled from my lungs! jlm, 4.27.05, 8:45pm \| Date: April 26, 2005 Time: 12:04pm Subject: I'm Back (Mostly) * * * * * I hate being sick. I hate breathing through my mouth (Listerine strip, anyone?). I hate waking up in the middle of the night because a lava-flow of snot has escaped the confines of my nose and is running down my face. I hate coughing. I hate coughing up giant globs of nastiness (thanks again for the second-hand smoke, mom). I hate being all doped up on medication and having the world expect me to function normally. I HATE BEING SICK! Yesterday I was uber-productive. I dragged Jaclyn to this class called "Creativity and Teamwork through Improvisation." I'm not sure how much I actually learned, but I had fun. Then we went to Earl of Sandwich and Ghirardelli for lunch (my appetite, drastically reduced by my illness, only allowed me to eat 1/2 sandwich and less than 10 bites from my sundae), hit Goofy's Candy Co. (I think Scott and I are going back there today), the Art of Disney, and then went all the way to Epcot to hit the Art of Disney store there to look for a figurine that Jaclyn wants. And then I went to work. I was so worn out I had to have Scott pick me up...no way driving would have been a good idea. So Frances is still in the parking lot behind work. She's safe there. Probably safer there than here! So it's my weekend. Rest...relaxation...not so much. Today's day-o-fun includes a movie with Jaclyn, and then Fantasmic. Scott's going to hook up with us for that. And then tomorrow we're getting up at the butt-crack of dawn (ok, like 9:30) to go down to Lakeland to help Herb move from his matrimonial hut to his own hut. That oughta be a laugh-riot. And then to Shirley's for dinner. And then: sleep. I'm off to spend 10 minutes of my weekend relaxing. jlm, 4.26.05, 10:51am \| Date: April 23, 2005 Time: 10:22am Subject: Saturday Six...on a Saturday! * * * * * The "Saturday Six" come to us courtesy of Patrick, one of the AOL Editor's Top Picks, who now has a non-AOL journal. Play along if you want. Put your own answers into the Comments section. Here are this week's questions: 1. Skipping it - nothing to do with me! 2. How many journals do you visit regularly in an average week...or...if you use a blog aggregator service like "Bloglines," how many journals do you have in your subscription lists? Umm...Jaime, Matthew, Justin (although he never updates it!), Patrick, and Rosie. I guess that's 5. Plus I just rediscovered Janette yesterday. I had lost her address. 3. Back in July, I asked which of the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, envy, gluttony, anger, greed, sloth, and lust,) you were most guilty of. Now, it's time to pat yourselves on the back and figure out which one you are the least guilty of. That's a hard one. Really hard. Definitely not sloth or lust or gluttony or anger (if you had my job, you'd hate people too!). I think of those remaining, it would be greed. 4. Recent reports indicate that some pharmacists are refusing to sell their customers the controversial "morning-after pill" when the customer prevents their prescription. Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to sell a medication for which a customer presents a valid prescription based on their own religious beliefs? No. Absolutely not! But I've already ranted about that enough back on 4/7. 5. Take this personality test: What type of personality does it say you are? Then go back to this page, click the link that matches your results. Read the description: how accurate do you think it is about you? Apparently I'm ESFJ, which means I am: slightly expressed extrovert moderately expressed sensing personality distinctively expressed feeling personality moderately expressed judging personality And from the second link, I learned that other ESFJ's include Bill Clinton, Terry Bradshaw, Nancy Kerrigan, Mary Tyler Moore, Rabbit (Winnie the Pooh), and Monica (Friends). As for the veracity of the test, I guess it's accurate. I liked my percentages though - 1% extroverted, 25% sensing, 62% feeling, 33% judging. I think I'm more extroverted than that...but I answered "no" to every question that involved a large group. That might explain it! 6. You've received an unexpected windfall of $50,000. What home improvement would you spend it on? Oh that's too easy - that would be the purchase of a house! But if I had to pick an actual improvement, I'd totally put in hardwood floors and have my cats de-clawed (if you knew my cats, you'd know why that would be considered a home improvement!). jlm, 4.23.05, 10:51am \| Date: April 22, 2005 Time: 11:33am Subject: Earth Day * * * * * It's Earth Day. I have to be at work early today (Friday...TOPS) and I have 27 minutes to get out the door. And I really don't have much to say. Except... *Happy Birthday, Shirleymom!* jlm, 4.22.05, 11:36am \| Date: April 20, 2005 Time: 9:47pm Subject: Anwar * * * * * They voted Anwar off of Idol tonight. Yes, my two favorites, two weeks in a row. If Carrie goes next week I'll be officially heart-broken. I loved Anwar because he was a music teacher. I think music teachers are great. Except for Mrs. D at MMS. She was too political. Half of Show Choir when I was in 8th grade was made of the kids of school board members or teachers. I'm still recovering from my messed-up night. I ended up going to sleep again around 7:30 this morning and waking up at 11 when Scott's alarm went off. I still feel lousy, but at this point I think I'm more tired than anything else. And Scott's sick. So we've basically switched around between the man chair, the sofa, and bed not doing anything but lounge. I'm hoping that I'll wake up tomorrow morning and everything will be back to normal. Really hoping. Really really hoping. jlm, 4.20.05, 9:55pm \| Date: April 20, 2005 Time: 6:43am Subject: Happy Birthdays (belated) * * * * * Yesterday, I mentioned Dave's birthday cake, but didn't say happy birthday. Oops! I also remembered about 10 minutes ago that April 19 is also Steve Young's birthday. Hopefully I'll remember in a half hour when I'm done putting this entry together to e-mail him and say hi. Steve was a good friend through high school, and one of the few I kept in touch with through college and after. So Happy Birthday guys!! Last night at Dave's was a blast. There were only 6 of us (due to the unexplained absence of Dave & Lisa Debolt) until Chris got off work at 11. And despite the fact that I went drink-for-drink with the birthday boy (he kept saying, "it's my birthday" and guilt-tripping me into not letting him drink alone), I won both rounds of Texas Hold 'Em for a total of $00.00. Oh well...it's probably best that we don't play for money. We had tons of food, including my mac n cheese, baked ziti, italian sausage, Dave&Herb's bbq meatballs, "veggie pizza" appetizers, brownies, and birthday cake (burp!). Food, poker, drinks. Could life be any sweeter? Of course! There could be pictures!!!! Chris and Cathi: such an interesting relationship dynamic! Scott Cathi and Dave: serious about poker (this picture really shows off Scott's kitchen stadium battle scar) Jamie and Dave: drinking buddies...probably for the only time! And now the progression from buzzed to stupid... Is it any wonder that this is my favorite shirt? As you may have noticed, it isn't yet 7am. I've been up since 4:30. I went to sleep at 3. I'm not dizzy...never was. I don't feel drunk. I had a lot to drink...over 6 hours...so I don't think I was being irresponsible. But I don't feel so good. I'm still a little nauseous. I'm not tired though. I really think the 7 cups of Coke had just as negative effect on me as the Captain Morgan in the bottom of each one. I think the last time I had this much to drink was 3 years ago. I threw up that night. And it think it will probably be 3 years (or more) before I drink this much again. mea culpa...mea culpa...just make the tummy ache go away! jlm, 4.20.05, 7:03am \| Date: April 19, 2005 Time: 1:42pm Subject: Habemus Papam * * * * * I learned today that the Pope gets to pick his Papal name. How fun is that? I decided that if I were Pope, I would be Pope Biotch, and my Papal robes would be jewel-encrusted. The Pope Mobile would be a stretch Hummer with those spinning hubcaps. And instead of people calling me "your eminence" or "your holiness" they would say "yo' biotch!" Scott has decreed that he would be Pope BillyBob. His Pope Mobile would be a monster truck with a dog in the back wearing its own Pope hat...which by the way would be a trucker hat with a cross on the front instead of "john deere." The Pope Truck would have a gun rack in the back to carry the giant cross. And his Papal Vestments would be camouflage. In all seriousness, I think that the new Pope looks mean. He has angry eyes. And I totally wouldn't let that man kiss my baby. He's 78 though, so maybe the next one will be happy and nice. We probably won't have too long to wait. In other news, everything is rolling for Dave's party tonight. Scott and I went to Publix to buy a cake and some more cheese. I have to say I am so proud of the way this cake turned out. And it's from Publix, so I know it'll taste even better than it looks! jlm, 4.19.05, 1:54pm \| Date: April 18, 2005 Time: 11:13am Subject: Nextel * * * * * Attention Nextel Users: your direct-connect can be used without the speaker. And if you must use the speaker, please be considerate of those three stories above you who may still be asleep and turn down the volume!!!!! Anyone want to guess how I woke up this morning? Damn the maintenance guys!! It's all good though - now I'm awake to cook lunch for my man. We're having tomato soup with tortellini and grilled cheese sammiches. This weekend is going to be rough. Scott is working a double today, so he's going to be asleep all day tomorrow. And I'm going to have to do some quiet laundry. Of course, there's no such thing as quiet laundry. But I'm going to have to do half so that he can do the other half on Weds. night when I've got my OT shift. Plus tomorrow I have to make mac n cheese for Dave's party and go to Publix to pick up a cake. It's gonna be great! That's it for now. I'm off to prepare a gourmet feast for my man. :o) jlm, 4.18.05, 11:21am \| Date: April 17, 2005 Time: 12:28pm Subject: Saturday Six * * * * * The "Saturday Six" come to us courtesy of Patrick, one of the AOL Editor's Top Picks. Play along if you want. Put your own answers into the Comments section. Here are this week's questions: 1. I'm skipping because it's a follow-up to last week's question that doesn't apply to my life! 2. When you signed on to AOL today, how many new E-mails were in your Inbox? How many were in your Spam Folder? 1 in my in-box (and it was an AOL journal alert...so sad!) and 5 in the spam folder. 3. If there was one childhood friend from your youth that you could meet today to find out what happened to them, who would it be and why? Probably Lynne Buchanan. She was my best friend for most of our childhood. Her e-mail is on the CHS alumni site, so I guess there's nothing keeping me from getting in touch...except maybe some retarted fear of rejection. 4. How much weight would you like to gain or lose? Whose body would you most like your own to resemble? Oh jeez...like 80 pounds. I don't want to be a supermodel or anything...maybe just one of those Olympic softball chicks - they ain't skinny, but they're still hot! 5. What is the last CD or cassette you listened to in your car? A Chorus Line...although I wish the answer could be Phantom. I miss my CDs!!! 6. RAPID FIRE QUESTION #1: "The last time." When is the last time you: a. ...Lied to someone you care about? I lied to Scott this morning about not farting. I try not to lie about real things. b. ...Were tempted to reveal a secret that no one else knows? I don't think I have any major secrets. That goes along with lying. c. ...Payed a bill online? Yesterday. Power bill. $87.36. d. ...Saw a movie trailer that made you want to see the movie it advertised? Last week when we went to see "Guess Who?" the BeWitched trailer! e. ...Took an aspirin or pain reliever? Probably last week some time. f. ...Hung up on someone? April 10 when they evacuated our building at work. That lady was rude anyway. g. ...Turned down an invitation to a party? umm...well...I got an invite to Thetis's wedding next month that I had to turn down. I guess that would be it. h. ...Filled your car's gas tank? 75 miles...so about 3 or 4 days ago I guess. i. ...Had an unexpected knock on your door? It's been a couple months. That no soliciation rule comes in handy sometimes! j. ...Ate a meal that left you absolutely stuffed? Yesterday at Stinky Shoe with Scott and Herb. jlm, 4.17.05, 9:50am \| Date: April 16, 2005 Time: 10:56am Subject: New (Old) Furniture * * * * * Well, I learned and re-learned some things this morning: 1. Recliners are heavy 2. Cats resist change 3. Scott loves that vacuum 4. No man's life is complete without a recliner. Scott tries out his new "man chair." He's already saving money for a holster to hold the remote! Milo explores his new surroundings, and Kilo stakes claim to his chair of choice. Of course, I'm a little disappointed that my freshly-cleaned living room now has to be re-cleaned...and that our as-yet-unclean kitchen is in these pictures. Oh well...at least now you know what the rest of the apartment looked like last month! jlm, 4.16.05, 11:03am \| Date: April 15, 2005 Time: 10:37pm Subject: Angry Eyes * * * * * I packed your angry eyes...just in case! I had a rough day. I'm so sick of being blamed for all the troubles of the world. And I spent most of the day with my brows furrowed. I'm having uber-PMS. And I'm disappointed that my eyes don't look angrier than they do!Tomorrow is another day...with new (old) chairs! g'night jlm, 4.15.05, 11:10pm \| Date: April 15, 2005 Time: 10:43am Subject: Happy Meal * * * * * Apparently there's a reason I love McDonald's Happy Meals as much as I do: we were born in the same year! According to this article from cnn.com, the Happy Meal was born in '79. This totally explains why they had all the coolest toys when I was little - like the plastic boats that the food came in the year we lived on Longshore Ave. They were two parts (obviously, cuz otherwise the cheeseburger would be stuck in there!) and they came with stickers to decorate. Ahh...the good ol' days... Anyway, McDonald's turns 50 this week. And in order to stay current, they are adding WiFi to their restaurants (for free? Disney charges 10 bucks a day for theirs!), and making some sort of Pay Pass like they have at the gas station. Now not to be judgemental, but if you eat at McDonald's enough that you need a paypass to speed up the process, you might want to consider other options. ...like Wendy's!! Speaking of Wendy's, the one on our way home now has its brick facade. Soon there will be windows, and a kitchen, and a sign...and then I will be able to indulge in a jr. bacon cheeseburger whenever I want!!!! jlm, 4.15.05, 10:50am \| Date: April 15, 2005 Time: 12:09am Subject: 'Fro Girl * * * * * Last night Nadia, a.k.a. Fro Girl, was voted off of Idol. I'm bummed, since she was one of my two favorites going in. Really, I still love her spunk (and her hair!), but I'm not really surprised that she's gone. Her song choices were a little off the beaten path. It was so sad to watch - while they were showing her goodbye video, they had a video of her watching on the split screen. She was wiping tears off her eyes, and then she was wiping her tears with a piece of fabric. Ryan Seacrest actually took his tie off and gave it to her. I think even Scott got a little misty-eyed. Anwar is still going strong, and I'm replacing Nadia with Carrie. jlm, 4.15.05, 12:13am \| Date: April 13, 2005 Time: 7:38pm Subject: Excessive(?) Vacuuming * * * * * Scott really likes that vacuum. I lost count of the number of times he went over the same spot at 8. He did the living room, the dining room, the hallway, the bedroom, the living room, the dining room, the living room...and cleaned out the filters/dirt cup like three times! While Scott was vacuuming (did I mention he did the blinds too?), I was cleaning up little piles of papers, filing our tax returns, pulling files off of my old computer so that I could throw it away, and comforting the cats, who immensely dislike Scott's new toy. I wish I had gotten a picture of Kilo hiding behind a broom in the corner of the kitchen! Taxes hit a snag - I got all the way through H&R Block (which we used for free last year) and they were going to make me pay $29.95. Screw that! So I went on the IRS website and got to free-file using TurboTax, which was much faster, more user-friendly, and didn't cost me thirty bucks! At least it's done -- with $63 deferred to next year's taxes -- two days early. Laundry load #4 is in the dryer. We really only had three loads - what's in there now is the beginning of a long-term project: dirty clothes we found when we cleaned the bedroom. There's 3 or 4 loads still taking up space in the bedroom closet. For dinner, we collaborated. I wish I had taken a picture. Scott pan-fried some tilapia filets (on sale 4 for $4 from wal mart), and microwave-baked potatoes, and I made broccoli and a pan of cheese sauce (ok...I was looking for an excuse to use the new pan...I admit it!). It was so delicious...and healthier than most of the things we eat. And I tossed the leftover cheese sauce and broccoli in with some shells that we had in the fridge and now we have shells-n-cheese packed up for lunch tomorrow! This week, I have a TOPS meeting to look forward to, a visit (with furniture!) from Mom and Dot Ann, and Scott has a double-shift. Next weekend, with Dave's party on Tuesday, we'll only have one day to do house things. On the agenda: de-clutter the kitchen and bathroom, as well as the computer desk. I'm off to romp around all this clean, clear floor space!! jlm, 4.13.05, 7:50pm \| Date: April 13, 2005 Time: 11:01am Subject: Weekend Day 2 * * * * * Well, I guess we haven't yet gotten too much done on the list. But we're doing well. The cake topper is a lost cause. But I came up with a creative solution...as long as I can get Beth to go along with it and help me out. Laundry is in progress. In fact, I can now hear that the dryer has stopped. The mess is still there. I did the online form for Dr. Ponytail to have a scheduler call me (because if I called, I'd still be on hold) but haven't spoken to anyone yet. Instead of Stinky Shoe, we went to CiCi's. Much cheaper...and still no fortune cookie. Still haven't done the taxes. In my defense though, the taxes are literally done. I just have to click SUBMIT. That's right after the laundry comes out of the dryer. We bought a vacuum cleaner yesterday. That was pretty exciting. And we bought me a saucier. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I'll be trying it out next Tuesday when I'm making mac n cheese for Dave's party. And now, some pictures from yesterday's adventure: We saw the Outback blimp flying over Disney. Don't ask why it was there - we're not sure. You can now buy your very own Captain Jack doll. Oh I love him so! He also comes in a smiling variety. This is a picture of me taking a picture of our new vacuum in the back seat on its way home. And now, laundry, taxes, and cleaning. Scott has already tried out the new vacuum. I love a man who's excited about cleaning!! jlm, 4.13.05, 11:20am \| Date: April 12, 2005 Time: 11:03am Subject: "colorstrology" * * * * * I stumbled upon this site the other day, and found it strangely accurate about myself - probably because it said nice things about me. To use Colorstrology, just go and click on your month. After you've clicked on the month, there's a little calendar with no numbers at the top. Click on your day. And you will be told your color and a little bit about yourself. About me: my color is rose tan. I am mentally active, a communicator, and imaginative. OK, I agree with those. And Scott is coral gold. He is loyal, tenacious, and a humanitarian. Humanitarian? I guess that's why he volunteers to much...oh wait...well, two outta three ain't bad. Meatloaf says so! I'm very very happy that I don't have to go to work today. Frankly, I'm over dealing with these morons. I gave some dude last night a $59 credit because he was stupid. Help me out - it's been a while since I had a telephone on a traditional phone system. But back in the day when I had a land line, I knew that if you dialed a 1 before the area code and number, it was a long distance call. Is it still like that? These people and their #&$ dial-up connections! You're on vacation...leave your work at home!!!!! So on the agenda for today: find a cake-topper for Dave's birthday cake, since none of the Publix cake designs will work for my evil purposes laundry clean up the mess I made when I cleaned last week schedule the every-4-month appointment for June with Dr. Ponytail Stinky Shoe (Scott's contribution to the list) taxes jlm, 4.12.05, 11:18pm* \| Date: April 11, 2005 Time: 11:35am Subject: Highs...and Low-Blows * * * * * We're going to divide my day yesterday into good things and bad things. There wasn't really too much inbetween, and I don't want to poison the good things. Good Things Lunch with Jaclyn. It's always fun to take a co-worker out of the work environment and see what happens. She's really cool. And the more I talk about her, the more Scott thinks she and Dave are perfect for eachother. More on that at a later date. As we were leaving lunch, I saw a car with two window stickers. One said "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU...ALWAYS" and the other said "JOIN THE DARK SIDE." That was funny enough until I caught the license plate: . I whipped out my camera and not only did Jaclyn not laugh at me, she pulled out her camera phone and took the same picture!! Work was mostly good. Jaclyn and I ended up with our lunch breaks at the same time, so we ate and then did two laps around the parking lot. And then I did another lap by myself on my last break. Scott stopped and bought me a Happy Meal on our way home last night. He got one too. I ended up with a Buzz and a Woody (lol...that sounds so perverted!) toy to put on the desk. Bad Things (which all happened within an hour of eachother) There were two new people sitting two seats down from me, and I overheard one telling the other one that if she needed security at one hotel that she should contact that hotel's security directly. WRONG! So I looked over and said, "actually, if you need security for anything, just call that first number." And I got a death-stare from both of them at once. "Well, I used to work there. I know what I'm talking about." Sorry...next time I won't try to help you. On the aforementioned last break, I tried to call Scott on his work line while I was walking. When I couldn't get through, I figured I'd call his cell and leave a message (because I didn't call him during lunch). Well, he picked up the phone and I could tell he was stressed. But I called his work line back in 30 seconds like he told me to. All hell was breaking out over there, and it sounded like the people in his area were revolting against him. Turns out he was having a night like I was having! And then there was Mr. H. Mr. H was transferred to me by someone else because he was sick of berrating the first person and asked for the front desk. The other person warned me that he was hostile and swearing. I should have "lost" the call before it started...but I'm the Guest Whisperer. I can make anything better. not quite. This man has apparently been trying to call collect to Australia for the past 4 days. He has spoken to the AT&T operator, who also couldn't connect. I explained to him that if the phone company couldn't put through the call, I certainly couldn't. He goes on to say that he is going to call the "Orlando Times" in the morning and tell them about the inept people and the horrible service here. So I baited him - what else has happened? After all, the phone company is not employed by us! Apparently he tried to send a fax to Australia (for $8) and no one at the front desk was able to get the fax to go through. So he complained about how we were willing to take his money, but then couldn't send the fax. "They didn't give your $8 back?" "sure they did...but I wanted the fax sent. and $8 is way too much to pay for a fax." And then he realized that he wasn't going to get me to lose my cool. So here's how the conversation ended: A-Hole: How much do they pay you? Me: Sir, I'm not going to divulge that information to you. A-Hole: It must be peanuts because you are totally brainless. You aren't worth more than that. Goodbye. click I wonder about foreign cultures. I haven't been exposed to too many Australians. Maybe in their culture you won't get anything unless you threaten to go to the press or insult people. Maybe this guy was just a colossal prick. I don't know. But after my run-in with him, I was shaking. How dare anyone call me stupid? I don't know if anyone in my entire life has called me stupid and meant it. Although I guess he was really the stupid one. After all, he suggested that my company should buy our own international phone lines so that he could call home. And he said he has spent 40 minutes a night trying the impossible...even after AT&T told him he couldn't do it. Well, he checked out this morning, so I know I won't have to deal with him again. Hopefully he'll get home and his wife will kick him out of the house for not calling the entire time he was here and he'll have to move into a tiny apartment filled with truckers with BO and back hair that clogs up the bathtub drain. Hopefully today will go more smoothly. After all, it's FRIDAY!!! jlm, 4.11.05, 12:22pm \| Date: April 10, 2005 Time: 12:28am Subject: Saturday Six * * * * * The "Saturday Six" come to us courtesy of Patrick, one of the AOL Editor's Top Picks. Play along if you want. Put your own answers into the Comments section. Here are this week's questions: 1. Where did you buy the last fast food you ate? Wendy's - junior bacon cheeseburger and a broccoli-cheese baked potato. 2. What was the last movie you watched in a theater? "Guess Who" - scroll down to 4/5 for the review. 3. When you walk into a room, what do you think people notice first about you? What do you wish they'd notice first about you? This is not nearly as conceited as it sounds, but I own a room when I walk into it. I rarely sneak in without being noticed. I have a big presence...probably because I'm tall and "big boned." I kinda like that. But since I'm wishing, I'll wish that they would love my sense of style...and my amazing shoes! 4. You win a special lottery but you aren't allowed to keep any of the money. Instead, it must go to a single charitable organization. Which would you choose and why? Umm...maybe the United Way, since they help so many other charities and non-profits. Or some organization that brings puppies to hospitals and nursing homes to make people happy. :o) 5. What was the subject of the most recent E-mail you forwarded? Fish Story - about a giant catfish that tried to swallow a basketball. So funny! 6. Without looking, which of the previous five questions would you most expect to have been asked in the very first episode of the "Saturday Six?" After you answer, if you go back to the first edition, don't reveal the answer here. #3. I have no idea. jlm, 4.10.05, 12:21am \| Date: April 10, 2005 Time: 12:11am Subject: Gag! * * * * * So...today was eventful. There was a crew in who were supposed to be super-cleaning all of our hard floors this afternoon (break room, bathrooms, hallway). They got literally 6 feet into the breakroom and had to stop because people in our area were being overcome by the fumes. Yes, it was stinky. No, it wasn't a major disaster. Apparently though, when you call 911 and say you need an ambulance for 6 people because of cleaning fumes, people get nervous. They actually evacuated our building. I even got to hang up on a rude caller. We spent 15ish minutes outside. The EMTs showed up with their environmental geiger counter, said it was safe, and sent us back inside. Meanwhile, my husband, concerned over the radio tone-out for multiple illnesses at my work location, has someone else in the room call my manager to make sure I was ok! Beth came by like three more times to tell me how cute she thinks it is that he worries about me. I just couldn't believe he didn't wait for me to call him (which I did as I was walking out the door)! No one went to the hospital. A bunch of people saw a "get out of work free" card and took off. And the rest of us went back in and enjoyed the pleasant buzz of airborne toxins while the room aired out. My throat hurts, but it's hard to separate that from any other day. I guess I'm ok. I guess now our floor will never be cleaned! If you'd like to see what Scott does for 8 hours a day, click here. It's a stupid game...and a wee bit sadistic. My high score is 1,905, which I achieved in about 10 minutes of play. Scott had 8 hours and didn't come within 500 of that. Anyway, I'm going to go to bed now. I'm going to get lunch with Jaclyn at the All Star Cafe tomorrow before work (50% off baby!). And then time permitting, we're going to check out the price list at the Saratoga Spa. mmm...paraffin... jlm, 4.10.05, 12:21am \| Date: April 9, 2005 Time: 11:00am Subject: Time Management Wrap-Up * * * * * Here's what I learned: Ask yourself the following question: What can I do today that won't pay off for 5...or 40 years? (exercise? go back to college? save money?) The most important step in accomplishing a giant, impossible-looking task is the first one. I'm ahead of 90% of the population because not only do I have a calendar, but I also keep a pencil in said calendar. Oh yeah - I'm an over-achiever! I also need to schedule appointments (which is apparently just as important as actually showing up!) for a physical, an eye exam, a visit to the dentist, and the car doctor (I think that's first...the brake light is on again). And I need to start walking during my 15-minute breaks instead of sitting in the breakroom and eating. Besides, I can eat a pack of fruit snacks or an apple or a granola bar while I walk. I'd say that's not a bad amount of information to get out of a free class. Plus, I picked up a kick-@$$ pen! Of course, I hear Soarin' was incredible and I'm sorry I missed it. And then I had to work until midnight. But I think overall yesterday was a good day. A little birdie even brought me Earl of Sandwich and a huge rice krispy square for dinner. yum! I'm signing up for a bunch of new classes. They don't cost anything, and therefore have no value in the real world, but I think it's good to get out there and learn something new once in a while. I tried to convince Beth to pay me to go to a class called "Improving Your Memory Through Imagination" because it would help with TOPS, but she didn't go for it. I would've taken it on my own time, but it's 2-4pm on a day when I work. No luck. There's another one called "Creativity and Teamwork Through Improvisation" that's supposed to be really fun, and involves lots of class participation. I convinced Jaclyn that it would be fun to wake up early and go to that one. Now I just have to wait until Monday morning to call class sign-up and get us put on the list. Beth said she'd take that one with us if she doesn't have some silly management class already on her schedule. (if she had taken Lee's time management class, she would have had her calendar on her!) Looking forward...apparently it keeps you from standing still. jlm, 4.09.05, 11:12am \| Date: April 8, 2005 Time: 10:24am Subject: Time Management * * * * * So...there's this time management class that's taught by one of our executives. It is offered once a month and I've been meaning to sign up for it for ages. I finally got around to signing up for the February class a week before. It was full. So was the one in March. But April was wide open. I said, "sign me up!" And then we had a schedule bid. The class is on a Friday from 12:30-3pm, which was fine when I signed up for it because I started work at 4:30. But now I start at 2:30. So right after the bid, I went and asked my manager if she could change my shift time for that day so I could go to the class. She said, "no problem!" And then there was TOPS. Our weekly TOPS meetings are on Fridays from 1-3. Last week was our first meeting. This week, the team is going over to Epcot to ride Soarin' and go see Turtle Talk with Crush. On the clock. Meanwhile, I'll be sitting in a classroom learning how to manage my time...maybe how to not get myself double-scheduled! Whilst on the subject of time management, I'd like to take a moment to talk about my day planner. I love my day planner. Although I'm really not busy enough to write things in every day (and hopefully things will never be quiet enough that I have an entire empty week), it's nice to be able to look at a week and see how many days I have something interesting planned. Or that something interesting is going on that day. For example: Flower & Garden starts on April 15. Dave Doll's birthday is the 19th. Beth's family is coming for a visit starting on April 29. Phantom comes out on DVD on May 3. TOPS is on May 25, and the Idol finale is that night. (now that's a full day!) Yes, all of those things are in the book. jlm, 4.08.05, 10:34am \| Date: April 7, 2005 Time: 11:41am Subject: Avocado * * * * * Yesterday, I wrote this entire entry about how pissed off I was to find that pharmacists have the right to refuse to fill prescriptions on "moral grounds." Apparently they are the only profession left that has the right to refuse service. Strange that such a luxury would be granted to a branch of the medical profession...but what do I know? Apparently I wasn't really meant to write the entry because the computer froze right when I hit the "save" button and I lost it. The rest of yesterday was rather painful. Scott and I got some guacamole when we went shopping two days ago and we cracked into it while breaking from cleaning out the junk corner next to the computer. Well, it was really really good. We ended up between the two of us eating all of the guacamole and a whole bag of tostitos. And then I laid in bed for two hour fighting waves of nausea. All I wanted in the entire world was to NOT throw up (sharp edges on chips...you know?). And I didn't. Now I'm just worried that maybe the guacamole decided to form a whole avocado somewhere in my intestines. So the apartment is still a mess...although the corner where once there were boxes is now empty. It's a shame that the contents of said boxes have spread out around the floor. My new motto: Work in Progress jlm, 4.07.05, 11:48am \| Date: April 5, 2005 Time: 9:32pm Subject: Guess Who * * * * * I'm a good wife. Instead of dragging Scott to see the teeny-bopper ice skating movie, I took him to an Ashton Kutcher movie. At least this one has Bernie Mac instead of Joan Cusack! Anyway, I can't possible review the movie properly because there was a g.d. crying baby in the row right behind us and only once did the mother actually bother getting out of her seat and walking the baby. Well, I say mother, but when we left the theater and got a good look at them, they looked like teenagers. Who knows? Anyway, the movie was pretty good. Touching and funny. I'll give it JJJJ out of JJJJJ...maybe just because it's the first thing I've seen in the theater since The Pacifier. We saw the trailer for Bewitched and I am so going to see that movie! And I decided I need some chick friends to go see chick movies with (while Scott goes shooting deadly weapons with his chick friends). And now I leave you with two pictures of randomness from today's adventure: Darn...and us without our red hats. Now where are we going to eat? Nothing says 'kinky' like hanging handcuffs on the rearview mirror of your minivan! (also, please note the vanity plate!) ps - don't forget to pray for Peter Jennings - the most lovable canadian newsman of all. (who, by the way, became a US citizen in 2003. I just learned that today) jlm, 4.05.05, 9:57pm \| Date: April 4, 2005 Time: 11:49pm Subject: Compromise * * * * * Tonight on break, Scott told me that he wants me to go shootin' with some of our right-wing, NRA-supporting, Republican friends/co-workers. I told him it was ok for him to go alone. He gave me some line about how we should "take part in eachother's interests." So I said I'd go shootin' (strictly as an observer...not to touch any type of weapon) with him next week if he would go see Ice Princess with me this week. I guess I'll have a movie review some time soon! lol And tonight I finally saw some Papal Death Coverage that I enjoyed. The ABC 6:30 news had a musical montage of the Pope's relationship with young people - from star-struck teenagers to babies (even one that pulled off his yamuka). It was nice to see. And I love that classical music. :o) jlm, 4.04.05, 11:53pm \| Date: April 3, 2005 Time: 11:52am Subject: Saturday Six * * * * * The "Saturday Six" come to us courtesy of Patrick, one of last week's AOL Editor's Top Picks. Play along if you want. Put your own answers into the Comments section. Here are this week's questions: 1. What is your favorite fruit? Favorite vegetable? Favorite type of meat? What food causes your diet the most trouble? grapefruit brussels sprouts pork chops enchiladas...but that won't stop me from eating them :o) 2. What food do you think has the most ridiculous-sounding name? couscous 3. If you had to pick one of the following to experience, which extreme adventure would you choose: A) Skydiving B) Mountain Climbing C) Scuba Diving D) Surfing in Hawaii E) Arctic Hiking in Alaska F) African Safari G) White Water Rafting I'd totally pick the African Safari. I will scuba dive some day...but I don't really consider that an "extreme" experience. 4. What skill do you most wish you could suddenly acquire in your sleep this evening? The ability to magically create a college diploma so that I could stop be disregarded for job opportunities on the basis of a piece of paper. 5. How many active prescriptions do you have at the moment. Of those, how many do you take regularly?Zero...and zero 6. You're considering a major change or a big decision awaits you. Are there any special images you ever dream that tend to guide you in one direction or another or that seem to suggest that the option you're considering is the right one? No...but whenever I'm stressed out I have dreams where I'm driving and my brakes stop working. So that's it. Join me next Sunday when I bring you the next Saturday Six! jlm, 4.03.05, 11:34am \| Date: April 3, 2005 Time: 11:26am Subject: Papal Media Circus * * * * * I just saw multiple pictures of the Pope at his viewing. If I had known that there were going to be pictures, I may not have clicked on the article. The article fully described what he was wearing, what the surroundings looked like, and who was there. So who among us wanted to see pictures? I don't want to see any dead person. Death skeeves me out. I figure that maybe there are Catholics in the world who won't be able to make it to the Vatican for the public viewing and maybe need the closure. But can't they just go to catholics.com or something? I saw that most of the networks sent a very prominent reporter to the Vatican this week. Anderson Cooper is there. It was more fun to watch him in Florida getting blown around by a hurricane or two. Why do they need to be there? Will they make it back in time to fly out to California for the end of the MJ trial? This is a very striking example of why I chose to not become a member of the media - the death of the Pope was news. The fact that there was a private viewing for Bishops and dignitaries today is not news. And yet there we are, covering every second. It's just overkill. jlm, 4.03.05, 11:34am \| Date: April 2, 2005 Time: 8:03pm Subject: Catharsis * * * * * I'm emotionally wrecked (which later you will think is a really bad pun, but it's not intentional). This morning I woke up, and Scott made enchiladas for lunch. Well after I got out of the shower I was having wicked stomach pains that made me kind of light-headed, so I called in. Another hour, and Scott starts wigging. He couldn't get through to his mom on her house phone or on her cell. So we took a roadtrip to her new digs...in Lakeland. Scott, being the dutiful concerned son that he is, drove about 80 most of the way down I-4 where the speed limit is 55 and most of that stretch was under construction. I had about 5 sets of sweaty palm prints on my jeans by the time we got there. Shirley, needless to say, is fine. She attempted to hook her computer up to the phone line, which didn't quite work because she has roadrunner, which doesn't have any dial-up access, and never bothered to plug the phone back in. oops! As for the Nextel, it's almost two years old. It apparently turns itself off. Scott's does that too. My el-cheapo phone has never had that problem (knock wood!). We left Shirley's and were on the back roads to I-4 when SQUEAL SMACK we witnessed a wicked little accident. Some woman who declined to follow the simple instructions on the octagonal red sign pulled in front of a giant black pick-up truck who was probably not following the instructions on the rectangular white sign. Both vehicles were pretty wrecked. Scott pulled over, I called 911, and he grabbed a pair of gloves out of his trunk and ran to help. Yeah - I guess that's why he has a box of gloves in his trunk. Who knew? The lady in the jeep had a nasty wound on her arm, and the guy from the pick-up banged up his leg and got a cut on his face from his glasses. I think he was actually hurt worse, but she was screaming like her legs had been cut off (yes, I do know what that sounds like). Before I even hung up with 911, there was a fire engine on scene. We found out later that they were on the way back from another call. For a few minutes though I was really impressed with their response time. That's better than RCFD! I was really impressed with what I saw of mankind. Scott stopped. The lady who had been in front of the pick-up stopped (off-duty hospital nurse). A bunch of people from inside the little beauty salon came running out in mid hair-cut (as evidenced by the black capes!). And there was a guy out in the middle of the road directing traffic. Anyway, all of the excitement this afternoon melted me a bit. I've had a rough time the last few times I've been on I-4. I'm deathly afraid of driving fast. When I'm driving, I never get close to the car in front of me. And I don't cut people off. Why? Well, the bus accident. Our bus was going probably 70 when it slammed into the bus in front of ours. If I had been awake and sitting up, there's a good chance I would've been thrown right out the windshield. I remember thinking I was blind...and then not really feeling too much better when I realized I couldn't see because there was blood gushing out of my head into my eyes. Our driver screamed and screamed and no one could calm him down. Not that any of us really tried. We were scared. There was exhaust coming in the bus and we thought it was smoke. The only light was from blinking tail lights from other vehicles around us. And then there we were, six buses full of very young adults sitting or milling around on the grass on the side of the highway waiting for help to come. There was a girl holding her teeth. Everyone at least had scratches or bumps or bruises. I actually gave myself elbow strain from pressing napkins from a NYC hotdog cart to my forehead (don't worry...there was a tetanus shot later on). When I finally got walked over to the holding area for the most wounded, I remember looking down and seeing a perfect red sneaker print on the yellow dashes on the roadway. I had safety glass in my hair, rips in my pants, blood spots on my brand-new sneakers, and my navy blue windbreaker was no longer blue in the front. It was the most terrifying night of my life. To this day, I don't know how badly our driver was injured. He kept begging us to just take off his seatbelt because it was cutting into him...but it wasn't the seatbelt - it was the front console of the bus. We always assumed he lost his legs. I don't know if I'll ever be able to sleep in a moving vehicle again. Probably not. Couldn't in a train, couldn't in a plane. And I can barely read a magazine in the car. I'm glad that the people today weren't hurt very badly. I just wish it hadn't happened at all. They sure didn't need the trauma. And I didn't really need to go through all of this catharsis today. And on a completely unrelated note: The Pope was not an American. He did not work for the US government. He was a religious figure. Can someone please explain to me why our flags are flying at half-staff? I'm all about respect - he was a truly great man - but ultimately I think that the President was wrong to order the flags down. jlm, 4.02.05, 8:43pm \| Date: April 1, 2005 Time: 10:45pm Subject: Call Sick, Leave Early, and Retire (part deux) * * * * * Well, Scott called in again tonight. His body clock is so screwed up at this point it's not funny. Apparently I yelled "no" in my sleep at 4am and it woke him up and he didn't get back to sleep until after 8. Oh wait - that is funny! But he's a trooper. I went to work from 12:30 to 4, and then we met up at MK to go watch the Flag Retreat. click on the pic above for my own little scrapbook of the day I was a little sad today at Flag Retreat. Don has worked in Security since before I was born. He has worked on grave shift in the comm center for more than 20 years. And of all the people he came in contact with over the years, only two of his current co-workers (including Scott, who has worked there a month) came to see him off today. I haven't worked there in over a year, and this was important enough to me to leave work early. Those people didn't even want to be bothered to get out of bed. That's unfathomable to me. Maybe I ought to stay where I am until after I get pregnant. My current location throws a heckuva baby shower! But I digress... After Flag, Scott and I made a run to the all-new Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station to try out their Asian Fusion cuisine. We got food for ourselves and Peggy and Susie and then we all shared everything. THAT'S the way to try a new dining establishment. We spent $46...which sounds like a lot...but we got more food than the four of us could possibly eat. The portions are enormous, and the food is better than anything I've ever gotten from quick service in Japan or China at Epcot. And they have ginger creme brulee. mmm...creme brulee... So now we're home, and I think it's going to be an early night. I'm ok with that...it's been a very full day. But before I go, here's some random pictures I took off my camera tonight... \| the best thing about that picture of Milo is the type of cookie he's selling himself as! Yep...that's a mullet. We were on the MK ferryboat with him today. I made Scott trade seats with me so that I could take that picture and look like I was taking Scott's. I'm so stealthy... jlm, 4.01.05, 10:55pm \| Date: April 1, 2005 Time: 12:21am Subject: Call Sick, Leave Early, and Retire * * * * * I had a not-so-rough night tonight. Definitely better than Scott's. He exhausted himself, dehydrated himself, and made himself so sick he had to call in from work. ...and then I showed up at the Comm Center with Don's retirement card. Ed asked me where Scott was. I didn't mention the vomit on the side of 27 because there were people eating. I had fun for the half hour I was over there -- got to say goodbye to Don (I think he liked the Krispy Kreme gift card), talk to Ed (he said he'd take me back...that's a good thing to keep in mind), and see Cynthia and Lindsay and Mike and even Ty. Ty was the area manager of the comm center while I was there. He was also my A.M. in '02. Ed asked Ty if he'd ever met me and I totally came to his rescue. I was like, "Ty was my area manager way back..." and Ty was like "yep...long long ago." You could tell he couldn't tell me from anyone else in that room with a yellow ID. I had a good internal chuckle. And now I'm home. I go in at 12:30 tomorrow for our first TOPS meeting. And then if the weather is nice I'm going to ROS to go watch the flag retreat because Don is going to be the Vet of the Day and I'll be able to take some nice pictures. If the weather is yucky, I'll just stay at work. praying for sun...praying for sun...praying for sun... jlm, 4.01.05, 12:29am \| Omigosh! It's the bottom of the page! OK, hop on the magic carpet and go back!