you say pants i say trousers

Today was my first day at my new jobby job, and I am worn out! I was somewhat stressed about the new beginning, mostly b/c I am not a person who takes change very well (understatement of the year), and this definitely was a huge change for me.

I'm in training all this week, and it starts promptly at 8:00 a.m....which...i was worried about b/c i have a somewhat difficult time getting up early. ok, well actually it's nearly impossible. BUT, I was up at 6:15a.m., and out the door by 7:25a.m., and on campus feeling like the new kid on the block by 7:40a.m. Not too shabby! This put my first set of fears to rest, those about being able to make it to work by 8am since i cant leave home until 7:30 & wasnt sure about the commute. i'm still a little uneasy about the timing once i start my actual job, since i have to park where i'm parking now but the actual campus is about 10 min up the street & i will have to ride the shuttle. Too bad I cant find someone to drive me to work & pick me up instead of me having to worry about all this parking business...any volunteers? Where is Jeeves when you need him? :)

The other thing I was apprehensive about was making new friends at the new place. i know that i'm ok with meeting new people, but i'm still working on getting out of my shell & being more outgoing when i'm in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable setting (like meeting new ppl). BUT, my training class is so diverse, and filled with so many smart, sharp, outgoing people, it is easier. There's like 40 people in my class, and almost half are from the United Kingdom. I have to say, this has upped the interest level of the class quite a bit! I love talking to people from other countries, learning about how life is there for them. I also especially love talking to people from the UK or Australia, mainly b/c they speak english, but their slang or the meanings of words is just a little different, enough to make it kindof funny. For example...

At the end of the day our trainer was going over the dress code, what was acceptable, what was not. He had a powerpoint slide up with pictures of different men & women, each in a different outfit demonstrating what was ok & what wasn't. As he went through the different pictures, "these pants are ok, except no belt. those pants are not ok because they are denim. khaki pants are ok, flannel pants are not." After each sentence, you'd hear this giggling coming from the front row of the classroom...and he'd pause & smile at the woman, and continue. Finally he stopped & said to the class "she's laughing because in the UK these are called trousers, not pants." This woman behind me piped up & said (spelled as she pronounced it, in this THICK british accent) "nao, weah laifin becoose pahnts en thee you kay ah cnsided thee saim as oonderoos hea een thee you ess. " So every time he said pants, khaki, flannel, with a belt, without a belt, with cargo pockets, they thought he was calling them underwear! LOL!! Can you imagine?? Flannel underwear, with a belt, & cargo pockets??

It still makes me laugh... :) They must think us americans are a crazy lot.

And i have a suspicion im going to pick up a british accent by the end of the week. :)

Cheers! :)

6 weird habits

David tagged me for this...so here i go:

Six weird qualities or habits I have:

1. I sleep with one foot out of the bedcovers.

2. I need 6 different alarms to wake me up in the morning.

3. When I eat a meal I eat one thing at a time--for example: all of my salad, then all of my potatoes, then all of my jello, then the hamburger, etc. I dont generally mix & match bites of all the courses.

4. I can't go to sleep unless i have zero energy left.

5. I have a strange aversion to voicemail at work, I can't bring myself to check it more than once a week.

6. I love collecting hats & scarves, but usually am too chicken to wear them in public.

7. I am not a morning person, except when when i get up to go for a run, then i'm sunshine & rainbows. :)

I tag:

Brad (see right),

Leslie (myspace),

Danica (myspace),

Amber (see right)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So...this week is kindof a strange one. It is my last week at my current job, and most of my daily work has been given to other people already so i can concentrate on research issues & tidying up my desk before i leave. It's kindof sad...I really like the people i work with (mostly), and since this was my first job out of college i'm kindof scared to move on...fear of the unknown, you know? I am excited though, in spite of that, because the new job is in a field I have wanted to work in since going away to college.

When i graduated from high school I wanted to be an accountant, and so that was my major starting out in college. Well, my school's accounting program was somewhat difficult, and on top of that i may have partied it up a little more than i should've (shocker, I know...), so my gpa didnt allow me to continue studying for that. So, i took the next best thing, finance, and that's what i got my degree in. Well, i still would like to go for accounting, and have been weighing going back to school for my masters degree in accountancy. About the time i would have decided to take the GRE and seriously start applying to schools, I landed this new job. It was a complete surprise to me that I was hired actually, the company I will be looking for kindof has a reputation for being hard to get on with, and so i figured it would just be good interviewing experience...and then...poof! A job offer! In accounting!! I'm stoked...i'll be working in a department that is just starting to get off the ground, so it's a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor of an area with room for upward mobility. Plus it's in the field i originally wanted to work in, doing GAAP accounting (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, for those that dont know the lingo) rather than mutual fund accounting, which is what i would have been doing had i stayed where i currently am. Not that i would have minded, but in the job market, GAAP accounting is so much more marketable than mutual fund accounting...and i've always been one to want job security. nothing scares me more than the prospect of being unemployed (ok, well there's a few things, but not many)...so my goal has always been to be in a field where there is always demand. I think I'm accomplishing that with this career move....plus i'll be doing something that i love, and have wanted to do for awhile.

Still, i will really really miss my friends at my current job....we're having a big happy hour this friday at a local bar to mark my last day...i will try to get pictures & post them, or at least, the ones that arent too incriminating... :)

last easter & misc

In answer to a couple of questions about what happened last Easter...here's the story:

We had brunch at mom & dad's as is becoming the tradition...and along with brunch we had mimosas, which is also becoming the tradition. Well, mom mixed up the mimosas, and i had a few while helping cook the meal...and then had one or two while eating the meal...and maybe one while cleaning up after the meal...(man! i sound like a lush!!) So while we're cleaning up, i asked mom what she wanted me to do with the leftover pancakes. She handed me a plastic bag & said to put them in there. After putting them in there, i asked her, so what now? She said "just throw them in the freezer." Well, my brother had just opened the freezer door to get something out, so i took that as an opportunity to...well...throw the pancakes into the freezer. From across the room. Almost hitting him in the head in the process. :) To me at the time it was no different then someone saying 'can you pass me a roll' at dinner & having an uncle toss it across the table (this has happened btw)...but judging from the laughter & looks of shock on my mom & brother's faces, perhaps i had had one too many mimosas. It's not my fault they were so good!! I spent that afternoon sleeping it off, and woke up with a hangover...just in time for easter dinner at my grandmas. nice! :)

this year was a little different...i did have a couple of mimosas while helping out with cooking brunch...but with the memory of last year fresh in my mind, i kept myself in check. I did get to take a 3hr nap, but it was because i had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to mass, not because i was sleeping off a morning bender. :)

in other news....
Today after work i went for a run around the downtown airport with my friend danica...i thought for sure she would just smoke me during the run...she just got done training for a 1/2 marathon, and is one of those speedy, skinny, gazelle-like runners...but i was able to keep up!! We kept close to a 10min/mile pace, and i was even able to keep up with her during the last speedy kick at the end. :) :) We did 3.6 miles, and are planning a 5mi run on wednesday. it feels good to be back running again...i feel like i'm dusting off the cobwebs!

happy monday everyone...hope your week is off to a good start. :)

xoxo

Easter Weekend

~sigh~
this is me being relaxed & contented...mark the calendar, this doesnt happen very often!! I'm in the middle of a super-long weekend, and enjoying it immensely. It's been a long time since i've blogged, sorry bout that...i'll try to be better, i promise...

I had thursday off from work, so i spent the day cooking for the cooking exchange this weekend & then joined some friends over at Jason's for a bbq and some bocci ball. If you havent played this game you should...it was lots of fun! (i'm sure the margaritas i was drinking while we played helped with that...)

Friday we had the day off from work, so I got up early & drove back to StL to be with the familia for Easter weekend. Mom & i spent the day shopping...I start a new job on the 24th (woot!) and with the unusually warm weather recently i have learned that my current summer wardrobe is out of date, insufficient, and mostly doesnt fit...so...off to the mall to find new clothes! :) I found a TON of stuff at NY & Co...That store is like Target to me...i walk in, and almost always come out with stuff i know i dont need but absolutely cant live without, and always am like $80 lighter. After this shopping trip my bank account is quite a bit lighter than $80 now, but we wont discuss that....anywho, we spent the day shopping, and then came home where mom made some yummy seafood stir-fry for dinner. After that & a glass of wine, i was done for the night! It was only like 8:30 & i was sooo ready for bed...i managed to make it until like 10:30, but it was tough.

Today I woke up thinking 'man, i really would like to go for a run...' It's been soooo long since i've felt like i wanted to run...it felt good to actually want to get out there instead of my guilt at being out of shape that was motivating me to go. I put on my running clothes & walked outside to find mom working in the garden, looking at me like i've lost my mind. Usually it's her that is dragging me out for a run, and its never me getting up early on my own to do that, she has to wake me up. :) So, after she quit looking at me like i was an alien, we went for a run (which felt GREAT, btw), came home showered, and then went to the spa to get manicures & pedicures. Such is the life!! We were there for almost 3 hours!!! I also got my eyebrows done, which i recommend, but only if you know what to expect. It was the first time i've ever had them professionally done, and yeow!! it really kinda stings! But only for a second. Its worth it to not look like tarzan's jane anymore. :)

After we got back from getting our nails done, my friend sarah, who is a massage therapist, came over to give me & mom each a massage. again, i could totally get used to this!! i totally need to have that done more often...she said my neck & back were just a wreck, filled with stress knots & spots of tension. Probably will take a few more appointments before i totally get it all worked out, but i feel like a million bucks already. I told her that i'd like to keep a standing appointment for every time i come home...

We had my dad's side of the family's easter dinner tonite, & it was good to see everyone! We're home now though, getting ready to dye easter eggs & put the easter baskets together. Mom informed me that we're going to 8:00 mass tomorrow...that's right everyone...8 AM mass...dang that's early!! BUT, i will get to wear a new easter dress, and some WAY cute new easter shoes...so that's enough to get me out of bed...i think... :) Plus everyone's coming over for easter brunch afterwards, which will be fun to hang out with the kiddos! Although...after my behavior at last year's brunch, i think mom may be cutting me off after 1 mimosa...

Well, I hope you are all having as good a weekend as I am here...easter blessings to all!!

xoxo

daylight savings time & other random stuff

March 26? That was the last time I posted? It doesnt see m like it was that long ago...oh wait..it really only was like a week...guess time flies when you're having fun. :)

Hmm...so what's new to report....this blog would be forever long if i wrote everything down, so i'm just gonna keep it short & simple.

I posted previously (i think) about a birdfeeder i had put up...well, it seems to be the avian social hot spot of the neighborhood! When i got home from work today, there were about 5 birds on and around it! I've identified at least 3 of them to be house wrens...the rest i think are wrens as well, but i havent had a chance to get out the bird book & see for sure. The coolest thing about this birdfeeder is that it is hanging just outside of my kitchen window...so when the birds are feeding, i get to be just feet away from them and see their social & feeding habits. It's so neat! I was so excited about it, I decided to get a 2nd bird feeder, this one for finches. I am not sure if there are any finches in the area, but it's been hanging since saturday and i havent noticed any....BUT, i did notice a pidgeon in the parking lot when i pulled up! I was worried about pidgeons when i put up the feeders...but the lady in the store said that they are too heavy & not nimble enough to eat at the feeders i have & so that should discourage them. I certainly hope she's right!

The only other thing i really have to write about is how much i'm liking this daylight savings time thing...i dislike anything having to do with losing sleep, but it seems like there's just so much more time in the day now that it doesnt get dark until like 8:00. Now i'm all anxious to get out and enjoy the outdoors! Running...camping...concerts...picnics...grilling out...these are my very favorite things to do...and i can't wait to get on with it!

Oh yeah...Dave Matthews Band is coming to KC in may...and tickets go on sale this saturday!! woohoo!! (thank goodness it coincides with a payday...) Anyone up for going??

Weekend O Fun

It was such a fun weekend! Friday was happy hour...which of course turned into happy evening and then happy night! :) We started at Tanners where we got to hear this cool band that had Janis Joplin singing & Mr. T playing the drums. Not kidding! I'll have to come up with some pictures for you... The lady who was singing for the band looked JUST like Janis Joplin...down to the bare feet and bell bottom legging pants and hippie shirt and long hair. JUST like her. She also did a pretty good job of singing "Me & Bobby McGee." Mr. T was just rockin out on the drums...giving his best "I pity the fool!" look to the audience as he played. Later that evening we moved on to the Majestic Steak House for some drinks & jazz music. This place has been around KC foreeeeever, and apparently has really good steak. Since we only had drinks, i will have to make a return trip to experience the steak....the music was fabulous though, i'd go back even if they didnt have a reputation for good food.

Saturday I slept in till like noon, had lunch with Beau & then went over to grill out at Jason's with some of my co-workers before we headed out for a night of bowling at the neighborhood Rock n Bowl event. It was stellar!! Black lights, neon bowling balls & bowling shoes, beer, good music...what a night! Jeremy got almost all strikes in the 2 1/2 games we bowled, impressive! Much better than my skills, my high score of the evening was 107. Look out world! :) After that we all headed back to Jason's for an old-school house party...Jason had a bunch of Busch Light he needed to get rid of, and everyone was happy to help out. I think it was like 4am-ish when i got home...so the rockstar within still lives! :) Good thing, the pub crawl is not far off...

Sunday (today) I slept until like 2pm. MAN i'm a bum...
I did get something accomplished though. I went grocery shopping, and this time actually remembered to take the grocery bags my cousin sarah made for me a month or two back. It felt so good to tell the checker no thank you when she asked "paper or plastic", i said, oh-I brought my own bags thank you! :) If i were her i'd be thinking "silly tree huggin hippie..." :) It felt good to do my tiny little part to keep waste down. I think there should be an incentive at the grocery store--bring your own bags, get coupons for discounts or cash back. I bet more people would do it...Anywho, I also am trying to make the switch to organic...all organic is not affordable right now so i am slowly easing into it...plus i'm not sure of what all i'm buying right now (the brand names are all new to me) so i'm easing into it. So that was also exciting, to see most of what i purchased was healthy & good for me. So after that exciting trip to the store, I went to Home Depot & got some new planters, soil & flower seeds. I repotted the plants in my apartment (must be doing something right...they're all still alive & ready for an upgrade in housing) and planted seeds in the small planters left over. I also tried my hand at pruning a runaway ivy plant, so we'll see how that all turns out as well. Finally, a bunch of us got together at Jeremy's for dinner & to watch some tv...he made this incredible red sauce with pasta...it had shrimp & lobster in it--YUM!! We also had an assortment of good wine, a couple of shiraz's (i dont know what the plural of that word is) and a red wine from South Africa that was pretty good. it was a good weekend, start to finish.

what day is it again?

Today is Wednesday. I know that may sound like old news to you, but to me it feels like i've gotten into Doc Brown's time machine and fast forwarded a day....I had monday off from work, so i'm a day behind. not that I'm complaining--that just means friday comes a whole day earlier!! :) DEFINITELY not complaining about that.

Not much to report right now...life's been pretty calm...well, you know, other than the paul bunyan/mcgyver incident on sunday. :) So here's some mid-week randomness for ya...

The weather forecasters predicted gobs & gobs of snow for the kc area for monday, but we didnt get much other than occasional sleet, a buncha rain, and some cold weather. Is spring here YET??

I bought a birdfeeder a couple of weeks ago, while my mom was in town. There's this really cool bird shop down in Shawnee which specializes in all things birds (except those things having to do with owning birds as pets i think...it's not a pet store or anything...). They have bird feeders, bird seed, bird baths, and all kinds of other neat things in there. They also have a very knowledgeable lady working there, who just knows EVERYTHING about birds, their habits, habitats, everything. So anyways, my mom has quite a few birdfeeders & houses around the homestead, and they have attracted the prettiest yellow finches, cardinals, bluebirds, and the like. After seeing that, i wondered if i could bring a little of that kind of nature to my doorstep...but wasnt sure if those birds would take to concrete city life. So i asked the lady in the store if she had any good ideas & she recommended a cute little red birdfeeder. She also showed me some seed i could fill it with that would attract pretty birds while not leaving a huge mess of shells all over the place. So the feeder is up, ready to go....but no birds. :( I'm hoping that once things warm up that will change....as long as the birds i attract are not crows or pidgeons. we'll see.

i've heard a rumor that daylight savings time is almost here...like 18 days away or something. Could it be true?? it always seems that once daylight savings time is here, summer is just around the corner. man oh man...i can't wait!! oh wait...maybe i can...just give me a month or two to get my butt back out on the road & lose some of these pounds before swimsuit weather!!!!

McGyver & Paul Bunyan

Last weekend I went to StL to visit the familia, and on my way back to kc Sunday, i locked my keys in the car while at a gas station outside of Columbia. While getting out of the car i was indecided about whether to wait in the car or out while filling the gas tank. My usual practice is to grab my keys & wallet, lock the door & once the gas tank is full just head inside & pay....but this time it was very cold outside, and i didnt feel like putting my coat on....so in between steps 4 & 5 of my normal gas station routine (1.keys, 2. wallet, 3. open door, 4. lock it, 5. get out, 6. close door, 7. fill tank, 8.pay for it, 9. leave) i decided i was getting back in the car while i waited for it to fill up. i threw my keys on the seat, got out, and started to do all the normal fill your tank up routine things...in the middle of this i realized i was letting all the heat out of the car & closed the door.

guess what? the door was locked.

guess what else? the keys were still on the seat.

D'OH!!

The girl behind the counter of course didnt have a hanger but said i was welcome to see if i could find anything around the store that might work. Who am I? McGyver? Seriously, I do not have the skills to do anything other than maybe take apart the newspaper stand to use the wire. I doubted she would let me do that, but just as i was getting ready to ask anyway, a state trooper walked in the door. Of course, they dont carry lockout kits anymore...so he called dispatch & had them call me a locksmith. I spose it couldve been worse...maybe stuck at a self-serve gas station with nobody in sight. I wouldve had to use some chuck norris moves to break into my car!!

So the locksmith, aka Paul Bunyan man, (he looked like he was wearing this getup) shows up to get me into the car. He seriously looked like paul bunyan, minus babe the blue ox....huge bushy beard, crazy hair, flannel coat, big boots...for real! Anyways, we walk out to my car & he gets a phone call for someone else needing to be let in their car. So he's talking on the phone, trying to write my info down, trying to write this person's info down, and one-handedly use a slim-jim to unlock my car....and i'm standing in like 10 degree wind chill about to lose the battle against hypothermia. It's not like i couldve said much...i am after all the schmuck who locked her keys in her car...who am i to tell him how things need to be done? Still....i was FREEZING and here's this man all toasty & warm behind his massively huge beard & flannel coat chatting on the phone. After about 10 to 15 min of this the lumberjack, er, i mean, locksmith, finally let me in to my car. $35 poorer, i got back on the road & continued the journey back to kc...

Moral of the story, never call Paul Bunyan to unlock your car unless you have time to spare and it's warmer than 30 degrees. Or, just make sure your keys are in your hand before you close the door to the car.

new version of an old song

As you can tell from the subject on this entry, I am in a very creative mood this evening. :) Today was a very busy day...around 4:00 or so I started to feel very tired, and realized that it was b/c i had been basically holding my breath since like 10:30. I just felt mentally drained, like i could go to bed at 5:00 and sleep straight through till tomorrow. (Funny thing is...we all know I probably could do that...) It was SUCH a busy day & it looks like the remainder of the week will be more of the same. Still...nothing majorly bad happened so it wasnt exactly a bad day. I mean, it's not like i tried to break another fingernail or anything. :)

Tonight I talked to my brother Tony on the phone. Yesterday was his birthday (#25...dang he's old!) and I had called his house around 7pm or so to wish him a happy birthday & see how his day went. Unfortunately all I got was his answering machine, so I decided to sing him The Birthday Song...i'm not the performing type, but it's my brother & I knew it would make him smile so i was willing to do it. As kids we'd sing "happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey & smell like one too!" This time, I was about 1/2 way through the second line (of the nice, oldfashioned version, sans monkey & zoo lyrics) when i decided to revert to our childhood version. Except I got confused & mixed it all up. The message ended up being: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you live in a monkey and smell....um...yeah, like a zoo...hehe...yeah, happy birthday tony! I hope you got a laugh out of this...apparently i dont know the lyrics to the birthday song. love ya! call me..."

Nice, huh? :)

So anyways, when I talked to him on the phone tonight, I apologized for not calling earlier in the day, but said that I hope I made up for it with comic relief. He said it was all good, that mom & dad didnt call at all...he talked to dad earlier in the evening, but nothing was said. Ouch! I told tony that he shouldnt have let dad off so easily...maybe ending the conversation with something like, "Hey, isnt there something else you wanted to tell me? No? Nothing at all? Nothing about something that maybe happened 25 years ago? No? You sure? Ok then...talk to you later!" I guess that means we're getting old....I know that as you get older, birthdays dont tend to be the big deal they were when we were little. I know the world gradually stops caring that yes, you made it another year, at least until you hit something like 90. HOWEVER....shouldnt your parents of all people be celebrating this? I mean, after 25 years being a parent should be part of their identity, shouldn't it? It's not exactly something easily forgotten...i mean, actually being there when he was born...I know it pales in comparison to when his older sister was born (wink, wink), but we'd like to think it was at least vaguely memorable.... ;) Anywho...Happy birthday little brother! :) ~hugs!~

the weekend in review

I am just tuckered out!! This was a busy weekend, but lots of fun!

The main event of the weekend was a visit from my mom, she arrived on friday afternoon and left today just after lunch. I am constantly amazed at the amount of energy & get-up-and-go she has! I'm half her age and just feel like a slug in comparison...isnt energy supposed to be inversely related to age? Still, I think a lot of the reason we were so busy this weekend was that we had so much to do, and only the weekend to do it.

The highlights:
Friday night we met up with some of my co-workers & friends for a happy hour, Saturday we got up and ran the St. Pat's 4mi run, then went to Snake Saturday & had a couple of beers, then went shopping & then came home & watched csi till like 1am (i think it took me 0.2 seconds to fall asleep after that day!). Today we were up by 8 and at breakfast by 8:30, did some scrapbooking, then some more shopping before mom left at 1ish, and i continued to shop & run errands until like 4:30 or 5 (i think...i was so tired it could have been closer to 6..who knows...).

I think it's noteworthy to mention that while we were so busy this weekend, I think my coordination took a vacation (more so than usual). It wouldnt be noteworthy except that there were several times when i seriously just missed a major injury. It started on Friday...on our way into the bar I was trying to fix the latch on my purse when my finger slipped, catching my thumbnail and almost taking it off of my finger. oooowww!!!....that smarted quite a bit!! (understatement of the century...I blanked out for a minute, but am sure I said some very unladylike things when that happened.) The nail is broken about halfway down into the quick, and about halfway across. holy moly...it hurt in that stub your toe kindof way. I caught my breath, saw stars, and the world stopped moving for just a second...then my whole body just hurt in sympathy. For the rest of the weekend that injury just haunted me! You would not believe how important your thumbs are to your daily life until you cant use one of them. I tried to wrap a band-aid around it to keep it in place, but being the klutz i am i just keep banging it on things, causing at least 3 of the mind-numbing pain episodes a day. This contributed to the continuing coordination vacation, because if it happens while say, driving a car as you're getting on the highway, the results could be disastrous (it did happen, but i managed to keep it together & not wreck mom's car).

Aside from that, i also have tried to trip & fall on my face several times, most of them occurring right after running the St. Pats race on saturday. On the way back to the car I tripped over something...ok, well, nothing....While I was laughing about it with mom I almost broke my ankle by cracking it against this piece of metal that was sticking about 4 or 5 in out of the ground (I think a streetsign had been sawed or broken off & the stub left there) and narrowly missed falling on my face again! Almost immediately (like 5 or 6 feet down the street) I tripped over something else b/c i wasnt looking where i was going, but turning around trying to figure out what I had tripped over (and trying to keep mom from hyperventilating b/c she was laughing so hard at me). It's a vicious cycle. Really, if running is this hazardous to my health, it's a wonder i crossed the finish line of any of my marathons without hurting myself or someone else!

Would someone please cross their fingers for me that I regain my coordination by the time i go to work tomorrow? I'd cross my own but I'd probably hurt myself. :)

TGIF! (almost)

I just had about the best laugh i've had in a loooong time--the make your stomach hurt, stop I can't take any more it's too funny, tears of joy kind of laugh--reading this entry to a blog listed on my cousins bloglist. Holy moly...hilarious!!I'm glad nobody was around when I read it b/c they wouldve thought i had lost it. A girl laughing hysterically at a computer screen only conjures up thoughts that maybe she belongs in a straight jacket. :)

So anyways...
Tonite I had dinner at Il Centro with a friend of mine...it's been awhile since we've sat & talked, and I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We used to work together, but now she works for a different company and so we dont see each other as often as we used to (which was daily)...i'm proud to say we've done pretty good about keeping in touch. The food & wine were fabulous, and the conversation even better--dinner ended up lasting around 2 1/2 hours! She is one of the few people in my life i feel comfortable leaning on, and i for her, so when we get together it's like all this stuff we have been holding on to comes out. All the big & little things that go with life's ups & downs, all this stuff that we're unable to share with very many people, we finally are able to tell someone who understands! So it makes sense that it's not just dinner, but an event. :)

After we finished eating, we parted ways & I met up with some friends from work for a drink before heading home. They had been watching the ISU/OSU game, and been hitting the beers with their great big ISU pitchers since 5pm...i am sure you can imagine the state they were in when i found them at almost 10pm! Let's just say it was amusing at the least!

so, it's like midnight now...there's a big weekend planned so i better get some rest.

Nite all!
xoxo

plunk, plunk...not quite Mozart...

"plunk, plunk"...what does this remind you of? perhaps dropping a stone into a pool of water, or flipping a penny into a fountain at the mall...orrrr.....katie playing the piano on an out-of-tune instrument? I believe the answer to the above is C, playing the piano.

I absolutely love to play the piano...it truly soothes the soul. I took lessons as a kid from a lady named Cindy Dameron...in my little-kid eyes, she was the most beautiful lady ever (she also taught my ballet & tap classes)...and had a way of teaching piano that made me want to do my absolute best, I still remember the pride of seeing those "A++" marks next to the titles of compositions i studied. When i stopped taking lessons, she was just starting to teach me how to play by ear. Fast forward a bit...to when i was in grade & high school. My piano playing improved, but I have always been shy of playing to an audience. I was always in awe of how brave my cousin Sarah was when she'd play the organ for church...in front of all those people!! what if she messed up?? (which she never seemed to...such talent!) i am not that brave girl...i preferred and was waaay more comfortable playing for just myself. My parents kept our piano in a spare bedroom in the back of the house, which suited me just fine. When i was feeling moody, misunderstood, or just wanted to be alone for a bit, i'd head back there & shut myself in with the piano. I probably sounded awful, but there was something very soothing about concentrating on learning to play the sheet music of my favorite songs ("Nadia's Theme", "Bridge Over Troubled Water"), or losing myself in the comfortableness of the songs i knew almost by heart ("Moonlight Sonata," "Fur Elise").

When in college I was delighted to discover the practice rooms hidden away in the music division's halls...little rooms each with their own beautifully tuned piano! It wasn't something i did often, but I did manage to find a couple of times when i had some free time to go and lose myself for awhile (and probably infuriate some poor music major by taking their practice time!!). When I started working at the lodge I was pleased to note that there was a piano in the great room...so I have taken to playing when there's nobody around (which is a very rare thing!). And have rediscovered what a stress reliever it really is...my repertoire is only like 4 songs, and i dont even really play those well...but i guess i need to start somewhere.

Until recently i was somewhat oblivious to how out of key the piano is...probably b/c i was so out of practice that the lack of skill masked any problems the piano may have had. However...as my skill comes back (dont be fooled, i still stink up the place...), so does my awareness of how much a "C" really sounds more like an Aflat or a watery, wavery G. I wonder how expensive it is to get a piano tuned....

miscellany

Today was a pretty good day...being friday and all. I managed to be somewhat productive in between sneezes & blowing my nose. :)

A bunch of my girlfriends from work got together tonite for a girls nite out...we had dinner at BD's Mongolian BBQ and it was delicious!! In case you haven't heard of this place, let me introduce you! They have a buffet of all these ingredients for you to choose from--none of which are cooked. So you pick the meat/seafood/veggies/etc you'd like in your dish, then add noodles (or not if you prefer to eat the concoction with tortillas or rice), then grab a recipe card & add all the sauces/spices/etc to cook your meal in. After finishing your selection you take your bowl to the grill, which is this flat, round griddle which is about 4-5 feet in diameter. The guys throw the contents of your bowl on the griddle, cook it up, and Bam! (imagine Emeril here) you've got a great meal. or not. guess it depends on your selections. Anywho, i havent yet had a bad dish there...it's been yummy every time! This time I put together rice noodles, shrimp, scallops, salmon, imitation crab, julienned carrots, mushrooms & pineapple with teriyaki sauce. MAN that was good stuff! Aside from the fabulous meal, we had a good time just joking around & cutting up...I am a lucky girl to work with such great women. We're such a diverse group, but have such a good time together, which i think contributes to us working well together.

In something completely unrelated to my post so far (hence the title), I found this test while reading some blogs, and it yielded the below results. I thought it was pretty interesting, and pretty close considering that there were only 2 questions to answer. Crazy! Here are the results...Take the test & let me know what you get!

The Asserter
Your Enneagram type is EIGHT.
"I must be strong"

Asserters are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.
How to Get Along with Me:

• Stand up for yourself... and me.
• Be confident, strong, and direct.
• Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.
• Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.
• Give me space to be alone.
• Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.
• I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.
• When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.
  

What I Like About Being a Eight:

• Being independent and self-reliant
• Being able to take charge and meet challenges head on
• Being courageous, straightforward, and honest
• Getting all the enjoyment I can out of life
• Supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me
• Upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Eight:

• Overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to
• Being restless and impatient with others' incompetence
• Sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it
• Never forgetting injuries or injustices
• Putting too much pressure on myself
• Getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Eights as Children Often:

• are independent
• have an inner strength and a fighting spirit
• are sometimes loners
• seize control so they won't be controlled
• figure out others' weaknesses
• attack verbally or physically when provoked
• take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Eights as Parents:

• are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted
• are sometimes overprotective
• can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Spring has sprung!

So...spring has sprung! Know how i know it? Itchy watery eyes, sneezes, runny nose, earache, sinus headache....i sound like a sudafed commercial! Once i get hopped up on zyrtech though, that all should be history...and then i can get on with enjoying the spring weather. Tonite i took my first dose of the new year, so it should get better soon. For those of you suffering from allergies check out the National Allergy Board website. You can sign up for email notifications when the mold, tree pollen, grass/weed counts are anything but zero (my settings are for emails only on moderate & severe days)...pretty much anytime i see an email from them in my inbox i know i need to take action to keep from getting sick. Guess i forgot to check my email this time around huh?

In other news...
Last night I babysat my goddaughter Emma...what a sweetiepie! I know she missed her mama (most especially at bedtime), but all in all she was a good sport about Sarah's night out without her. After Sarah left for dinner I built Em a little house out of the kitchen chairs & a sheet, and we invited Paco & Jose (their dogs) inside to chill with us...I have to say, the grin on her face after i pretended to knock on the door & when she giggled when I asked if i could come into her house gave me warm fuzzies! :) After we got done playing in the house we colored...then we went to her room & played musical instruments...and then she made me food with her little kitchen set...I was only there for about 3 hours, but you would be amazed at the amount of things we accomplished in that time! :) The night ended with us watching the kite movie (Mary Poppins) and then emma falling asleep & me reading a book. I know I enjoyed hanging out with the kiddo...hopefully she enjoyed the time as well.

well i'm off to bed...the allergy meds are starting to kick in and i am sleeeeepppyyyyyy.....
nite all...

Yay!

Did you know that today it got up to 75 degrees? SEVENTY FIVE!!! woohoo!! And tomorrow it's supposed to be 78! This is me doing the happy dance! :) Maaan I can't wait for spring to finally get here.

Hmm...so the news....
This last weekend I went home for Mardi Gras. It was a crazy good time! My friend Chris & I were up by 7:30a.m. to put on face paint & get ready for the day. Pretty much all mardi gras is about is indulging in excess & all the bad stuff for you, a reason to misbehave, a chance to get it all out of your system before the 40 solemn days of lent beginning on Ash Wednesday. For those of us at St.Louis' Mardi Gras it meant drinking as many hurricanes (basically fruit punch & rum) as you could get, along with collecting as many beads as you could. For the record, I did that the good-girl way, by standing behind the silly girls who flashed the revelers & krewes on the floats & catching the beads thrown their way. Seriously...those men are so predictable...

Anyway, besides the crazy bosom-flashing, it was a fabulous time! We stayed out of trouble, but still managed to outlast every one of our friends except for Amber. She's the Queen of the rockstars, so it's a given that we couldnt compete anyways. :)

Sunday we had a party for my neice Lily, who turned one, and then surprised my brother who will be 25 early next month. It was good to see the family, and lily was just about the cutest thing ever with the pink & white cake icing all over her face. What a doll! I'd like to post a picture of her, but blogger is being pokey. So...that will be for another day.

Tomorrow i'm spending the evening with my goddaughter emma, am definitely looking forward to that. I found out that she's coming down with chickenpox though...poor baby...so i guess we will see.

A List

I haven't blogged in a bit...and since i'm tired & not really up for much of a post I decided to post something that didnt require much thought. :) Enjoy...
(p.s...it's kindof a long list...just warning ya...)

1. EVER BEEN GIVEN A RING?
Yes.
2. LONGEST RELATIONSHIP?
2 years
3. LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED:
some yarn from my grandma (yay!)
4. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DROPPED YOUR CELL?
oh my...waaaay too many times.
5. WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WORKED OUT?
hmm...probably 2 weeks ago i think. i have fallen off the running wagon as of late...
6. THING(S) YOU SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON?
eating out, gas to drive back n forth to the StL, paying off credit cards (a hex on all you credit card companies, btw...evil, v. evil...)
7. LAST FOOD YOU ATE?
DQ ice cream cake & burnt sugar cake my grandma made...mmm... (my bro's & neice's bday)
8. FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?
smile
9. ONE FAVORITE SONG:
"Get Lifted" by John Legend
10. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?
downtown kc
11. HIGH SCHOOL YOU ATTENDED:
st. dominic hs in o'fallon mo
12. CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER
Sprint
13. FAVORITE MALL STORE(S):
ny & co, bath & body works, illuminations
14. LONGEST JOB HELD:
4 1/6 years (my current job)
15. DO YOU OWN A PAIR OF DICE?
nope
16. DO YOU PRANK CALL PEOPLE?
um...no...caller id ended that kind of fun a long time ago...
17. LAST WEDDING ATTENDED?
hmm...i dont remember...it was that long ago.
18. FIRST FRIEND YOU'D CALL IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY?
amber
19. LAST TIME YOU ATTENDED CHURCH:
several weeks ago...
20. FAVORITE FAST FOOD RESTAURANT:
steak n shake
21. BIGGEST LIE YOU HAVE HEARD?
man, it's hard to pick just one, i've heard a lot of good ones.
23. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO EAT WITH FRIENDS?
OTB or Buca di Beppo
24. CAN YOU COOK?
Yep
25. WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE?
Saturn SL1
26. BEST KISSER?
Yeah right, like i'm answering this question. No way...kissing & telling is not allowed...
27. LAST TIME YOU CRIED
the Monday before last.
28. MOST DISLIKED FOOD:
slimy spinach....the cooked stringy slimy kind...eeeew...
29. THING YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
tolerant & kind
30. THING YOU DISLIKE MOST ABOUT YOURSELF:
impatient & often speak before thinking.
32. LONGEST SHIFT YOU HAVE WORKED AT A JOB?
not sure...probably 12ish hours...i've worked 2 jobs at a time for a long time, so if you count working both jobs in one day I could say 19 hours probably.
33. FAVORITE MOVIE?
it's very hard to pick just one....right now the favorite would be Crash...that movie TOTALLY made me think, very good social documentary-type movie.
34. CAN YOU SING?
I like to think so...i enjoy singing, but that is not to say i have any kind of talent in that area...
35. LAST CONCERT ATTENDED?
Jack Johnson this last summer. STELLAR. that man is a god.
36. LAST KISS?
see question 26
37. LAST MOVIE RENTED:
if you count netflix...i get 3 at a time so: Terms of Endearment, The Way We Were, and Disc 4 of season 2 of Smallville.
38. YOU NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT?
keys, cellphone, purse.
39. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?
Italy was pretty stellar...
40. DO YOU LIKE CHINESE FOOD?
Yes! yumm...
41. HOW BIG IS YOUR BED?
It is a queen size waterbed (the kind with the tubes of water in it...)
42. IS YOUR ROOM CLEAN?
it's cluttered but it is not dirty.
43. LAPTOP OR DESKTOP COMPUTER?
desktop...i have no computer of my own so i am forced to resort to my works' desktops.
44. FAVORITE COMEDIAN?
drew carey i think.
45. DO YOU SMOKE?
Not usually, but when i'm drinking it's hard to be strong...so the answer is yes and no.
46. SLEEP WITH OR WITHOUT CLOTHES ON?
With. usually a tank top & some pyjama pants.
47. WHO SLEEPS WITH YOU EVERY NIGHT?
nobody...i have the bed allllll to myself.
48. DO LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS WORK?
depends on the person & the effort willing to be made.
49. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE?
lol...yeah, i dunno. fortunately it's never been for anything more serious than speeding.
50. PANCAKES OR FRENCH TOAST?
french toast. with fruit on it (fresh strawberries, kiwi & bananas please).
51. DO YOU LIKE COFFEE?
didnt used to at all, but now i am a fan of good coffee (by this i mean not the cheap nasty bitter stuff) if it has milk & sugar in it.
52. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS?
scrambled with garlic & cheese & mushrooms. YUM!
53. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ASTROLOGY?
somewhat...i think most of it is circumstantial though.
54. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
ma mere...to let her know i made it home safely.
55. LAST PERSON ON YOUR MISSED CALL LIST?
Brad..sorry man, i was at my brother's bday party.
56. WHAT WAS THE LAST TEXT MESSAGE YOU RECIEVED?
from Jeremy, lamenting that he didnt get to unpack much from his weekend move to a new apartment b/c he was partying too much. :)
57. MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING?
hmm...depends on what you're ordering.
58. NUMBER OF PILLOWS?
five.
59. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING RIGHT NOW?
the whirring of the fan on the computer. ahh...sweet white noise... :)
60. PICK A LYRIC, ANY LYRIC OR SONG?
"Unforgettable" by Natalie & Nat King Cole (heard it on the drive back to kc & it's stuck in my head now)
61. WHAT KIND OF JELLY DO YOU LIKE ON YOUR PB & J SANDWICH?
either Strawberry Preserves made by grandma ruth (i know...that's not really a jelly...) or grape jelly made by grandma alice. storebought-apricot preserves (again i know...this isnt a jelly either...)
62. CAN YOU PLAY POOL?
yes i am physically able...do i play well? maybe when playing against a blind man when we're allowed to play slop rules.
63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM?
Yes.
64. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
chocolate chocolate chocolate.
65. DO YOU LIKE MAPS?
I love them. I can't tell you how many times my big fat kc metro map book got me unlost. Never leave home without a map.
66. TELL ME A RANDOM FACT ABOUT YOURSELF?
When I sleep at night i have to have at least one foot sticking out of the covers. i dont know why...
68. EVER ATTEND A THEME PARTY?
yes! there were many in college...sadly there are not enough of them these days...at least, enough of them where the theme isnt to just drink & avoid getting hit on by creepy guys.
69. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
the first month or so of every season, actually. once things get extreme I'm ready for the next season.
70. LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED AT SOMETHING STUPID?
very early this morning when buscher & i were watching the family guy. lmao! i love stewie.
71. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP THIS MORNING ?
i think around 10ish...
72. BEST THING ABOUT WINTER?
not having to shave my legs every day b/c i am wearing pants all the time.
73. LAST TIME A COP GAVE YOU A TICKET?
awhile ago...
75. NAME OF YOUR FIRST PET?
Pepper I believe...i dont remember him. the first pet i do remember was Duchess, a cocker spaniel. straight out of Lady & the Tramp!
76. DO YOU THINK PIRATES ARE COOL OR OVERRATED?
definitely cool. especially if that pirate is johnny depp. grr tiger! :)
77. WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS WEEKEND?
not sure...i think maybe working...if not, then sleeping a lot & maybe going out in the evenings.
79. WHAT IS THE THIRD LETTER OF YOUR NAME?
T
80. HOW OLD ARE YOUR PETS?
I dont have any pets now, other than my plants. I venture to say they are approx 1 1/2 years old...but knowing me they will die an early death. :81. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BACKPACK?
hehe...my backpack...i guess everyone does have one...mine is dark green.
82. ARE YOU SICK?
potentially...i have a scratchy throat, but i am not sure if that is b/c i'm getting sick or if it's b/c i was dumb & smoked this weekend.
83. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
not currently. 2001 was the last time i was in school. oy...the years are flying by at warp speed it seems..
84. IS THE BATHROOM DOOR OPEN?
right now? when are we talking about here?
85. ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP?
No.
86. ARE YOU WATCHING MTV?
hehe...no...not since college. i dont have cable now, and from what i've heard the mtv shows are getting dumber & dumber...so i guess i'm not missing much?
87. ARE YOU SMILING?
no, but the potential is there.
88. DO YOU HAVE ON EYELINER?
No.
90. ARE YOU BLONDE?
no.
91. DO YOU HAVE A MYSPACE?
yes but i use it only to read my friends' blogs...
92. ARE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL?
um. no.
93. DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND?
no...good men are hard to find these days.
94. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NAME?
Josephine, Henry
95. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHING SUIT?
pink, green & white.
96. DOES YOUR SCHOOL START IN AUGUST?
what? no...i'm not even in school...dumb question...
97. DID YOU GO ON VACATION LAST MONTH?
No. i wish though.
98. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A CRUISE?
nope.
99. DO YOU HAVE A SISTER?
Not by blood...i have have a couple of girlfriends who are like sisters to me though.
100. ARE YOU UPSTAIRS?
from the basement, yes.
101. 4 TAGGEES?
Cousin Sarah, Cousin David, Leslie & Amber (see right for links to all but David & Leslie...sorry guys, still updating the blogsite).

Chuck Norris...be afraid, be very afraid...

So you know how we're having that chili contest? Our 'marketing department' has been very creative in coming up with an effective ad campaign for our team. Check out this poster...we are using this one and others (with the wording changed just a bit) to show our competitors that we are tough and mean business, just like Chuck Norris.


Although...putting a "silent rage" poster with a chili cookoff contest does give one pause...this chili is not for the weak!!


C'mon, you know it's funny! :) I'm laughing out loud just thinking about it...

tv junkie

I think i might be becoming a tv junkie....or maybe not a tv junkie but a desperate housewives/grey's anatomy junkie. Today I worked all day at the lodge and pretty much organized everything around the fact that at 8pm come heck or high water i was watching those two shows. So anything that needed to be done better get done before then...and it was soo worth it! :) I never used to be the girl whose life revolved around tv...in high school when everyone was all about Beverly Hills 90210, i totally snubbed it...in college when it was all about the real world mtv, again i went against the flow...i've even managed to avoid the whole survivor/lost thing...until now!! these two shows, and The Bachelor (monday nites at 8...heehee...) have me HOOKED. oh well...live it up while you can right?

So today having that 8pm deadline really got me going, you should see the list of stuff i accomplished!! I'm proud enough of it i'll put it here:

washed the windows in the foyer
swept, mopped the foyer
vacuumed the rugs in the foyer & the leaves up from the day rm
swept, mopped the dining room, & both kitchens
cleaned 4 bathrooms (ew)
did about 9 loads of laundry, washed & dried & folded
took out trash-2 trips
disinfected & vacuumed the elevator
disinfected the luggage cart
cleaned out the fridge
cleaned out 2 microwaves
wiped down the counters in both kitchens
restocked papertowels & dishwasher detergent in both kitchens
did 2 check-ins & orientations
did 2 check-outs
read some blogs online
finished 2 su doku puzzles
watched desperate housewives & grey's anatomy
checked my email
...and now i'm blogging! man, that is one productive day! no wonder i'm about ready to drop...

My neck continued to hurt today...i'm wondering if it isnt my bed...could that be it? I've heard if your bed is too soft it leads to back & neck problems. I would be so sad if that were the case, i LOVE my bed...it's so soft & cushy! The fitness center at my office offers chair massages to members for like $15, so ive been thinking about trying that to see if it helps. I have a gift certificate my mgr gave me, so it would be free actually, so i think i'm going to schedule one for early this week & see if that helps. Free is always better than dropping a grand i dont have on a new bed.

well, it's 11pm, and true to my previous blog i am going to try & make it to bed, sans tv by 11:30. But i just thought of a glitch...I think Sex In the City is on at 11 every night...thank goodness it's only a half hour show or else i'd be in trouble with my new resolution! :)

I hope everyone's week is off to a good start tomorrow...
Later!

ouch

yeah...hurting a little bit today. My voice is kinda raspy (not b/c i smoked though-yay for being stronger than the habit!) because the bar was so smoky & we had to yell b/c it was so loud. Other than that I was doing ok until about an hour ago...started to get this killer headache & my neck has been feeling like I slept on it wrong or something. My neck hurts alot lately, but i figured it was just stress & put up with it. Well now I can feel the pain radiating down my left shoulder...perhaps it's time to get it looked at?

Am looking forward to a quiet rest of the weekend...I'm working at the lodge tonight through monday a.m., and it's a ghost town around this place. I purchased some more of the dreaded 'no dye lot' yarn to finish off the afghan, so that will be my project of choice for my free time. Also hope to get my laundry done, it is the worst ive seen it yet.

We have monday off from work and I think my cousin sarah & i are gonna spend the day with emma, maybe go to a childrens museum or something fun like that. I wonder if she likes movies...we could go to see curious george! we'll see...no matter what we do though i'm sure it will be fun just because of the good company.

TGIF!!

Today i woke up at 9am. Well, actually 9:05...yikes. Since i'm supposed to be at work by no later than 9:30, i really had to get up & get my behind in gear....made it there by 9:50, after an embarrassing phone call to my boss to apologize for the fact that I was running late. Seriously, she must have been thinking, "How hard could it really be to get here by 9:30?? I mean, the girl lives a 5min walk away. sheesh."

For some reason i have this habit of staying up until i just cant keep my eyes open any more...i dont know why...i remember once thinking (at around 3am) I have sooo much to do, maybe i will just stay up all night & get it done. WHAT??? yeah, that was a crazy thought. but still, this staying up late only makes it harder to get up at a decent hour...and i'm not sure what i'm exactly avoiding by not going to bed at a decent hour. my bed is so comfy, you'd think i'd be jumping at the chance to go back to it the first minute i could. oh well...old habits die hard. i will just make an effort to be in bed & sans tv by 11:30pm. We'll see how that goes.

Tonite we had a happy hour after work...lately the happy hours have been because people are resigning, but this time it was 'just because'. that's the best reason! We all met up around 5:30pm at Fred P Ott's, which was a place none of us had been to before. It was fun, but they closed early, so we relocated to Jillys. Jilly's is somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall bar, and had expensive drinks and apparently were also trying to make money by saving on the expense of heating the place. BRRR!!! i kept my coat & scarf on the whole time we were in there! (all of like 25 minutes). Then, we were on to the Dark Horse Saloon, which was packed with trashy young people. The young part i dont mean in a derogatory way, but the trashy part most definitely. Most of the girls in this bar were wearing tank tops. Dears, its 10 degrees out there. That means Freaking Cold. As in NOT tank top weather. If you're wearing that to catch a guy, you dont want the kind of guy that likes you for having not an ounce of common sense to wear clothes on a cold day. ugh...kids these days... :) lol...do i sound like someones mother? wow...that's scary! :)

Yeah, so we were there like 5 min before we moved on to Harpo's....stayed there long enough to get set up with the cousin from Wichita of a new coworker (she's only worked at my company for a couple of months). Yikes...this is why i despise dating...The dude only talked about himself the whole time i was around him, and during that time had the crudest language i've heard in a long time. i was willing to overlook it until he made a VERY derogatory comment about another girl in the bar to another guy, as if i couldnt hear what he was saying. After that, i had no interest...a guy who doesnt respect me enough to at least act like he respects women in general when he's around me is O-U-T. sheesh. Oh well...at that point i had had a drink or two so I just took it in stride & just talked to someone else for awhile.

After Harpos we moved on to Kelly's Irish Pub...good times! I like that bar & have had a good time every time i'm there. Ran into some other co-workers there, we all chilled over a few beers, and then I shared a cab home with some of my coworker friends. Overall our mini-pub crawl turned out to be a really good night...a much-needed opportunity to blow off steam.

well, i'm off to bed....night all!
xoxo