Thanksgiving Our Way

It's funny, my family lives close around each other and there's only four of us--so we are together all the time. But somehow when Thanksgiving or Christmas comes, there's never a dull moment. And its always a headache for whoever's house we're overtaking. Here's a few of the things that went down this year, at my sister's apartment (she was the chosen one):

--we watched a marathon of Tom & Jerry (even though no one in the family is under 21, haha)

--the fire alarm went off about 4 times (with my daddy waking up wanting to know what the hell we were burning up; nothing was actually on fire)

--the F bomb got dropped hard, several times

--reefer was the topic of conversation while passing around the appetizers (and how it would mellow out the mood)

--my mama told us a story about the animal that is a cross between a raccoon and a weasel (but she doesn't know the name of it and has never seen it; still have no clue of what she was talking about or if its even real)

Wow. I am thankful for a family that keeps things interesting all the time. Next, Christmas at my house. Whoa...

Reasons to Get Hitched

With the wedding of my best friend last month, I am now official the last person I know--or at least associate with--that isn't married or hasn't previously been married (besides my sister, we're two peas in a pod). Sometimes it bothers me to sit around the house alone on a weekend, but other times I wonder what's going through these people's mind. I'm 28, so its understandable that all my friends are married. But my sister is 21 and alot of her friends are married or engaged. Isn't that young...?? I feel WAY behind because of them.

So I sit and think, what makes these girls want to get married so young. I've come to some pretty logical conclusions. Here they are, my reasons to get married:

--So they can have a man to take the trash barrel to end of the driveway and bring it back up (hate doing that, if it was my choice it was stay at the road permanently).

--To help cut the grass (I've been in my house for 2 yrs now. For the first 6 months I thought cutting the grass was great; it made me feel relaxed and at home. Now I'm contemplating pouring concrete over ever inch of grass so as to not get kicked out of the neighborhood for having grass that's knee high.)

--So that when you're sick, you have a companion to pick up your snotty tissues and make you soup. (Riiigh, like that would happen). More probable, so that if you pass the hell out, you will have someone there to call 911.

--So they can have a live in handy man & mechanic (oil changes can get messy, I don't want that under my fingernails).

--Bills. What more is there to say. Two incomes are better than one. ALWAYS.

I heart Vogue

I just finished looking through the latest edition of Vogue Magazine. When I look through it, I feel like I did when I was a kid with the JC Penney Wish Book--remember, the catalogue that came out at Christmas time, with all the new toy? I used to look through and pick out all the cool stuff I wanted.

That's the same way I am with Vogue. I fold pages down and study each ad to try to experience every single detail of the fashion. I don't want to miss anything. I know I can't afford half (well most) of the stuff in there, but its fun to check everything out. Just like when I was younger, I look forward to the massive editions that come out maybe twice a year, and detail all the new collections.

I even try to imagine the lives of the people they profile in the magazine--I picture what their life in the city must be like and the profession they obviously excel in, which allows them to buy $3,000 dresses to pair with Louis Vuitton wedges. What a life it must be...

TGIF

Friday is finally here, and luckily I made it thru the week without spitting on anyone. That's quite a feat.

But it sure it hard to wake up on a Friday morning motivated for work. It makes it even harder when there is a light coat of snow on your car. UGH. It's too early for snow. But, suddenly I caught myself wishing for a snow storm so I wouldn't have to go to work. Haa...

So at lunch, as a reward for making it thru, I went to Best Buy and bought a digital camera. It wasn't my intent, but they just had the cameras set up so nice and inviting-like. Retail therapy has me on cloud nine. Maybe I'll take a picture of myself smiling with my new purple camera. Haha. Nothing like dropping money on yourself unexpectedly to cheer you up.

The Customer Is Always Right

I've been on the phone with the same customer 3 times today, the last conversation lasting about 25 mintues. My head is spinning, I think I've forgotten my own name, and at one point I had to take the scissors out of my own hand so as to not cut the phone cord or harm myself.

I know she could tell I was getting frustrated--I'm sure it was pretty obvious when I kept saying the same thing over and over....and over and over. I was trying so hard to be nice and professional, but I wanted to reach thru the phone and mush her face into a wall.

The customer is NOT always right--whoever determined that they were must have been independently wealthy with no job.

Things @ Work That Make Me Want to Scream

1. Don't act surprised by things that happen the same way EVERY DAY. Damn. The bosses didn't do anything yesterday, they didn't do the day before--today will be no different. Zip your lip.

2. If you can read, you can do half of the things I do on a daily basis. Don't bring me something that's half done and then when I ask if you did a certain part of it say "I don't have any idea how to do that..." Can you read---simply, can you read? If so, its not hard to figure out.

3. Put the lid on the copy machine down. EVERY TIME I go in the copy room its open and every time I put it down. Time to catch on...

Common sense people.

Bad TV Obsession

I have a confession--some days when there is nothing else on, I turn to GEMS TV (channel 233 on Directv) and just sit there and watch for hours. Its not the jewelry, but instead the theatrics of the girls hosting the channel.

I have a degree in communications, concentrating in electronic news and media performance (sounds good, huh--too bad I'm working in insurance; $30k well spent for that degree. Blehk). So I watch this in amazement.

The girls are always so damn chipper, singing little songs or talking in crazy voices. What the HELL. How much do they get paid--really, because I can sit there and act a fool if that is what is expected of me. I can move my hand back and forth and turn on some fake accents in a hurry. And while I'm sitting, watching, its almost like I just can't turn the channel. I'm wondering what kind of silly crap they are going to say or do next. Its like the whole car accident theory--you don't want to be watching but you can't help but look to see what's going on. Ridiculous.....

Check it out---its so damn lame, yet so intriguing. And I promise, you won't even notice the jewelry half the time.

When the Words Come Out

I am just sitting here wondering about something--should a person feel bad for something they say, if it is exactly how they feel, but it hurts someone else's feelings?

Lately it seems like I have said alot of things that may have caused a little pinch for someone else. Or my words have developed into an argument. But I think I've been holding some of it in for a while, because I didn't want to make someone else mad.

So should I be apologetic if it's exactly what I mean and what I feel? Is it fair that I have to bite my tongue to save someone else from getting vexed? On the other hand it is fair that I'm pissing someone off?

I know alot of it has to do with not what you say but how you say it. However sometimes there's no other way and its just brewed and needs to come out. Then what...? I really don't think there is a happy medium in this case.

Eating Lunch @ My Desk

For the past three days I have brought my lunch to work. With the economy all mucked up, and me being single and living alone and understanding that my chances of hitting the powerball are 1 in 4 million, I figure maybe it will help me save a little extra money...

But I have discovered that my theories about bringing my lunch being a bad idea are true, and here are the two reasons why:

1. Lunch hasn't come yet today, so the outcome is up in the air. However, the first day I brought my lunch I ate it at 11:30 and that was holding out at long as I possibly thought I could. I wanted to kill it at 10:50, but talked myself out of it. Needless to say, by 3 pm that day I was starving. Yesterday I actually made it to 12:30, but had to refrain from gnawing my arm off while waiting for lunchtime. It's like when I bring my lunch, my sandwich whispers to me from the bag. I can't not eat it. Today, I'm trying to make it, but my stomach is empty and I'm getting the hunger grumps. We'll see what happens.

2. The first day I went out for a bit, to run a couple errarnds, just to break up the day. Yesterday though, I stayed in. I sat at my desk, eating my cheese sanwich (just like Bernie Mac said we do) and worked the crossword puzzle. In 30 minutes I was bored and done eating, so went back to work. At 3 pm yesterday the fact that I had been at this desk, in this office with no windows had caught up to me. I WANTED TO SCRATCH MY EYES OUT. I ran out of the office as soon as the day was over! I don't know what sane person can actually sit at their desk ALL..DAY. Not me. It makes me want to punch someone in their throat.

So my thing is, is bringing my lunch to work and saving maybe $30 a week worth my sanity & my eyes. That's really questionable....