I am a pocket full of four-leaf clovers...

Slothy
I am feeling so lazy that I took this entry from my e-mail to Chris...we were talking about lunch. He went to Red Robin. I hate that place, with a passion. I stayed in...

"...Dude, I didn't really feel like going out for lunch so i just went downstairs and thought I'd just read my book, eat some cup o'noodles and maybe a burger from the vending machine. Got the soup, heated it up, and put it on the table. Went back to the machine and saw they had double cheeseburgers, so I was like hell yeah...it was 1.75 so I put in my 2 bucks and the lil piece 'o crap got stuck in there! So I tried to shake the machine but it was too heavy...so I put in ANOTHER 1.75(At this point, I really wanted that burger) and my burger, PLUS another burger came down...so what did I do? I ate BOTH double cheese burgers and my soup...freakin pig I am man...I swear...Well, I thought I might as well indulge in some simple pleasures since I broke Atkins this past weekend, starting again manana...no breaking for one whole month dangit! But yeah, that's MY lunch story...he he he... You know I think I'm just gonna put this exact same thing in my blog because I don't feel like writing all this over again..."

More to come later...still feelin lazy...

"Fear is not an option, it is a gift from the enemy."

I am a ant in an antfarm...

Dang, I never noticed that the lights above my area were out since I first started. Today, they changed everyone's lights that were out with new ones. So now, we're all blind and laughing, telling each other than we can't sleep anymore at our desks, cuz it't too bright. Muah ha ha, little do THEY know...

good times
Ahhhh, another weekend passed and it's back to the mundane workweek. The thing that sucks about a good times weekend is that you don't want to go back to work...I mean I think that's the general mentality after EVERY weekend, but I think it is more so on a weekend where some sort of trip or event is involved. So that's how I feel right now. I'm in a place where I don't wanna be, not because I hate it, but just because I wanna stay home and relax a little more. Okay okay...so the weekend...

Friday, we went to the Angel game vs. Texas. Naturally, because of work and traffic, we arrived at the game late, about the 3rd inning and they were already down 3-0. But luckily, we got to see the Angels roar back and win the game. There was even a crazy fireworks show after, which we watched from the parking lot. After grabbin a quick bite(actually, I'm not so sure about quick)...we finally headed up to Cic's folks' place in Santa Maria...we arrived at about 3 or 3:30 in the morning...and of course we were tired. We slept in til about 10, and during breakfast, her family had already started to arrive. So we went back upstairs and got ready cuz we were gonna go to costco and buy some food and stuff for the party. And of course, I had to run into an almost nightmare of an episode where the toilet got clogged...compliments of yours truly. Luckily my engineering thought process and just plain old luck came in and saved the day. I was pacing around in the bathroom for a while though, freaking out(there was no plunger), just imagining how horribly embarassing it would have been had it not been fixed before I got out. So we partied w/ Cic and her family to celebrate her dad's b-day. Her family was very nice to us and we seem to have gotten along well with them, we even smoked(which shall hence forth be referred to as "Going to Santa Barbara") w/ her dad outside on the patio...ha ha ha, which, according to Juanito, was one of the highlights of the party. So we pretty much ate breakfast, lunch, AND dinner @ Cic's family party. We even played Hold'em for a few hours where I finally let Jevon take all my chips, cuz I was bored...ha ha ha. After that, we headed down to Santa Barbara to partay at some club on State street. It was pretty fun there...just drinkin, dancin, and hanging out...almost saw a catfight and Jon got hammered...good times. Before heading to the hotel, we grabbed yet another bite at Carrows where we ate and were singing all these random songs, disney animations taking a huge part in them... We got back to the hotel, Jevon fell asleep and Chris was back up to his old antics of playing jokes on people while they sleep...I hate that...ha h aha, they got me 2x this weekend already...they put sushi on my head, recorded me snoring..and put shaving cream on me too...damn, I need my own room when we all hang out from now on. We slept, woke up, got ready, watched football, checked out, ate lunch at this placed called Cafe Buenos Aires(mm mm good), and then watched Cic shop away for Michelle's b-day. I got some cool stuff too...some brown slippers, a work shirt, and a jacket....yay! We got into LA to go to the Stinking Rose for Michelle's b-day dinner...and ate...yet AGAIN. Finally got home...overslept and now...here I am...whew...

When I was thinking about all the stuff I'd blog about the trip on during the ride home, I was so excited...now I'm just tired and wanna get it out as fast as possible...

+'s and -'s
+mini roadtrips
+celebrations
+laughting about everything
+"Going to Santa Barbara"
+playing jokes on people asleep
+quoting Zoolander
+being in the mood to fight and knowing your friends are right there with you, he he he

-being the one people play jokes on when they're asleep
-nicknames
-foot in mouth disease
-hanging out w/ Chris, Jon and Jevon in an outdoor mall...(ask them, they'll know why)
-having to go back to work

"They'll be looking for us, but they won't be looking for....not us..."

I am Inigo Montoya's right hand minus 2...

TGIF
I love Fridays, especially when the work day is going by fast. And after work today, I get to go to the Angels game(I wore a red shirt, just for the occasion) and then me and Chris and the gang are headed towards Santa Maria/Santa Barbara for a weekend of celebration, party, and whatevers... I can't wait. And look at that...I feel like i JUST got here and it's already lunch time...SWEET!

My hand hurts right now. And typing is a little difficult because the two bandaids on it are keeping it pretty straight, so it's hard to type in P's and semi-colons and all other keys associated w/ the right pinky finger. Well I guess I should 'splain why my finger hurts so bad in the first place. I had a glass of wine when I was chillin w/ V last night and when I was washing my glass, I guess I pressed the sponge too hard(don't know my own strength, he he he) and the sponge, along w/ my hand broke right through the glass. I hate thin crystal, it breaks so easily...apparently this is not the first time this has happened to me. But this time, I got stabbed by the broken glass when my hand went through...in two spots. Right above my palm where the pinky is joined to your hand, and one a few inches above, along the pinky finger. It was bleeding all over his sink, pretty nasty since I hate the sight of blood in the first place. It's not too big of a cut, but it hurts like a mofo. I was really paranoid at one point that there might still be glass stuck inside and sucked on it for a while. I think there is no glass in there and i cleaned it w/ alcohol this morning before reapplying the bandaids...sucks...

Koo koo, koo koo
I've been reading blogs about dreams lately, well just V's, but still... Anyway, I had the most bizarre dream last night...and I know I usually have bizarre dreams as it is(i.e. dreaming I was a cartoon, things like that.). Anyway, in this dream, I'm playing some GI Joe game on playstation and it forced me to pick a character, so I picked Snake Eyes...my favorite. The person I was playing, one of my friends whose identity was not revealed to me til later, picked Storm Shadow. We then picked 3 weapons, I picked a machine gun, shotgun and grenades. I don't remember all the weapons Storm Shadow picked, but I remember a machine gun was one of them. Next thing I know, we're in this store, and our objective is to blow up as much of it as we can, so I start shooting away with my machine gun....as was Storm Shadow, who will hence forth be referred to as SS cuz I'm tired of typing the name out all the time. Anyway, so I can hear SS's machine gun wailing away, apparently SS had more mags than I did. So I switched to my shotgun and was shooting all the milk gallon bottles and stuff. All the while, the clerk was asleep, I remember seeing him, he was a middle-aged, kind of thick white dude, with a moustache and glasses. He was wearing one of those green apron-like things. But he wakes up and we freak out and run out the door. This is when I realize that SS was Vivian...she goes, "I'll get the getaway car and you fend him off." So she takes off and the dude starts to approach me. I don't wanna kill him so I set off a warning shot, and he pulls out this big ass hand gun and starts trying to shoot me. I try to tell him that I don't wanna kill him but it's no use. So we have this big epic gun battle...it was crazy, I remember both of us running down opposite ends of the aisle shooting as we saw each other accross each one...I was jumping up and down, ducking, doing that cool flip/rollover thing...I was an action hero man, it was tight. Anyway, so Viv gets there and I make for the door, and we drive away, the dude, is trying to run after us, yelling at us to slow down so he could see our License plate...and that was it. Then all of the sudden I'm in this house, on the second floor, but the house is so unsteady, the second floor is rocking...I don't know why though. Then Viv goes, "Good game! I think you won." WTF?

Atkins and I have developed a love/hate relationship....More hate than love I think though:

Love:
-The quick results
-The cleaning out of the system(I've been taking good doo-doos lately)
-I'll reach my target weight of 150 in no time
-I cook more, cuz I can only eat omelettes and stuff like that

Hate:
-Can't eat rice
-Can't eat candy(we just got a huge box of chocolate covered raisins) or other snacks here at work
-Can't partake in Breakfast fridays, cuz it's alwasy donuts and croissants or some sort of pastry...
-Can't eat rice
-It's expensive buying those bars
-Can't eat rice

Appreciations
-Fast workdays
-Fridays
-Sporting events
-Cool people
-bandaids
-that good sore feeling from a workout or exercise

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
-Albus Dumbledore

I am the drawing board...

starting over
I broke last night and had me some waffles @ Roscoe's(So did Cic...so I'm not alone)...dangit, there goes three tortuous days of non-carb eating...and I gotta start over. Tommy said I might as well start over cuz I should be working out while on it too. That's hard though considering that I'm gonna be in SB this weekend...so maybe Monday, I'll start hitting the gym. Oh well, here we go again...at least I'm gonna play some ball w/ the coworkers...

And it's so funny how one picks the most opportune times to forego certain things.

Like today for example, we just got a load of grapes from the Delano relatives when they came down for London's b-day. Since we have SOOO many and could not give all the boxes(we had over 12 cases I think) away to people, I decided to bring them into work. This is the third time I've brought them in and people keep saying how great they are. So this morning, I put them down on the table in the kitchen and opened them up, took one and put it in my mouth... It was not until 2 seconds later that i had realized what I was doing...I WAS EATING FRUIT!!!! Fruit isn't allowed as part of diet until after 2 weeks..and I JUST started over...dangit again. I spit it out in the trash immediately, but I think I had already swallowed some of the nutrients from the single grape...but that doesn't count as breakage, cuz I realized it and tried to stop it...so I'm not starting over AGAIN...today is still day 1!!!!

So now, exhibit B...we just HAPPEN to get a whole crapload of ice cream, popsicles, fudgesickles, etc and I can't have any. Mind you, I don't really eat ice cream anyway, but it would be nice to have had some, just cuz there WAS some. They asked me what I wanted and I asked if anything was sugar-free and they all laughed, and proceeded to tease me w/ their ice creams as they ate them infront of me. So I just ate some jerky...that's allowed, rigth? It better be...

So back to Roscoes...eating and hanging out with friends is a pastime I will never take for granted, it is so good to get together once in a while just to catch up, get a few laughs and tease the hell out of each other.

I am getting old...I realized that I missed the debate last night and I was kind of sad...and apparently, listening to KFWB also makes you old...we'll see exactly how old I feel when I play basketball today w/ the other old guys, he he he.

Appreciations
-Cell phones
-"Knowing" your friends so that they don't have to explain things to you about them
-"Allowances"
-McDonald's Grilled chicken bacon salad with ceasar dressing

"What if nothing exists and we're all in somebody's dream? Or what's worse, what if only that fat guy in the third row exists?"
-Woody Allen

I am a uncharged battery...

dum dee dum
Day three of Atkins and I am beginning to feel a little weak. I think I will try out going to the gym(maybe) and see how my endurance is affected...but I am starting to feel a difference. I am aiming for about a month on this sucker and we'll see how the results turn out... I mean, salads are pretty good, AND healthy, but I don't know how much more I can take and it's been less than half a week so far....ha ha ha. I don't know HOW you did this Joe...you're a guy and you love rice and stuff like that...and Roscoe's is gonna be quite a beyotch ce soir....krikey! Guess I just nixed going to the gym....

It's been a pretty okay day, I haven't checked the internet much today and I actually got a lot of work done...I guess they ARE right in that the internet can be a distraction if used "excessively." But here I am, still about 2 hours left to go in my workday and blogging...well, actually this goes on wordpad first, and THEN I transfer it to my blogsite(so that I'm not actually on the net, only for the minute it takes me to post it up...genius...I know, no need to remind me, he he he).

I dissed the "bowling crew" again here at work...they asked me to go on Friday, but I'm going to the Angel game and then heading out w/ Cic and the gang to SB/Santa Maria for the weekend. So they threatened to delete me off the bowling roster, ha ha ha, those guys are so funny. I promised them I'd go next time, same w/ the "poker crew." Tomorrow is "basketball crew," ha ha ha, so many crews here, I feel like I'm in MOB again, HA!

Appreciations
-Having someone to eat lunch with
-exercise
-The Mediterranean salad @ Subway(Thanks Cic!)
-spontaneous outtings

"Last night I dreamed I ate a ten-pound marshmallow, and when I woke up the pillow was gone."

This isn't a first...but being the last one out of the office is an eerie feeling...

one of the gang
I was recently asked to play poker w/ my manager and some other people. It's a pretty cool feeling when you are realized as an equal and not a subordinate, but then again maybe they just want to take my money, he he he. But yeah, they asked me if I knew how to play, and naturally, having the love for gambling that I do, I of course knew how to play. They play for pretty low stakes, $1-2 so that's cool, and they were even thinking of taking me to a local casino with them....I might just have to accept this invitation, "...so long as I don't go making a name fore myself as a..", you finish the rest... he he he. Anyway, I think I shall leave a little earlier than at first expected...MAYBE...but if I plan on EVER getting out, I better stop blogging and get back to my project...

I am a deflated moonbounce...

Good Times
So last night, after the last person left the house, I sat in the driveway, on one of the chairs that I had forgotten to bring into the garage, and smoked a cigarette. It was really cool(weatherwise) outside(mind you it was about 11 or 12, I'm not really sure anymore), the balloons that were tied to the fence were just kindof inflated now, they hovered more than they did float now...swaying softly with the wind. There were some that had lost almost all of their "pep" and were drooping on the ground. Some scattered trash not picked up by the party crew...such a drastic change from the events just several hours prior.

...It was sunny and hot, the balloons were whipping around with the breeze, as if trying to break free of their shackes at the fence. Kids were running around, dressed up as superheroes in various costumes, jumping in a moonbounce, yelling and screaming, playing with balloons, hitting a pinata and just having the time of their lives. The older generation, sitting outside, underneath the canopy and the tarp...trying to stay cool and eating food, conversing w/ other family members and friends, playing some Mah Jong and elsewhere Pusoy Dos(sp, I know). The middle generation, inside, watching football, also dressed up in various costumes, laughing, watching football, taking pictures with digital cameras, and just enjoying the atmosphere...three generations, all there for the same reason...to celebrate.

he he he, I was REALLY bored...I felt like trying my hand at descriptive writing...

London's party was REALLY fun. I cannot post the pics from the party yet, because I have to transfer all the 35mm pics to CD when we develop them. So wait on that, people were dressed up in costumes, not everyone(you know who you are...you suck! he he he) though, but there were some pretty cool ones(Spiderman and superman), and some...not-so-much(you know who YOU are, ha ha ha). I have to admit though, it tired the crap out of me...but of course I am party to blame for all that. I didn't go to sleep the previous night til about 5AM and woke up at about 7:30ish to get started to prepare for the party. I was a little tired throughout the entire day and it pretty much peaked when the sun went down, I was totally exhausted, but I had to "keep on keepin on." It was a lot of fun though, I even got to jump in the moonbounce for a little bit. I gorged myself on Diniguan, lumpia, rice, pancit, and all of the above before I started my first official day of Atkins(so all you atkins experts and newbies, I'm in yo' pool! So any advice would be a great help..joe and cic) But it was indeed a grand ol' time and I can't wait til we celebrate her 4th b-day! So thanks to all those who came and a special thank you to all those who helped out...even if not by choice... =/

With all that said, I was really tired by the time I laid down on my bed, I fell asleep almost instantly, and didn't get up until 8:35AM...and for those at unawares, I was at this point, running quite late...I try to wake up @ 7:30 usually at the latest...so I came in late to work this morning, but only 15 minutes...I am quite efficient under pressure, he he he.

So I guess it's back to work now that I've killed what, like 25 min writing this thing? ha ha ha...I love the internet.

Appreciations
-moonbounces, "they're like a 3rd parent
-food, esp. filipino food
-Sundays
-football
-family and friends
-sticking w/ the theme of the party
-celebrations

"Thank you uncle Jay, you are the best uncle Jay in the world!"
-London, 3yrs Old, Los Angeles, CA...after uncle Jay put on her justice league video

Reimbursement checks rock! They're like rebates in the mail you completely forgot about. Fridays rock! Weekend, here I come...

weightwatchers
In light of recent events(i.e I currently weigh about 157 give or take 2 lbs), I have decided to attempt the ever-so-popular Atkins diet, commencing Monday. I kind of tried it last night at dinner and realized that, despite the opinions of some people, it will be rather difficult for me. There are freakin carbs in EVERYTHING!!! So I ordered steak, but I could not have steak sauce with it. So sauces are pretty much not allowed with this diet...sucks. But here's the dinger...you can't have KETCHUP!!! If you don't know about my love affair with ketchup, then apparently you have a long way to go before you can say you know me. NO KETCHUP??!?!?! Maaaaaan.....dieting sucks...

I think the rice was spoiled in my lunch...yet I ate it anyway. Hey, it was Beef Sinigang...mmmmmmm....I love that stuff. And how I'm gonna be able to eat stuff like that and adobo w/ no rice, I have absolutely NO clue. But hey, no pain no gain I guess. So I already had to go to the bathroom to "relieve" myself. I seriously need to start bringing in matches w/ me wherever I go...just for "those" times. Always be prepared, my pappy told me. Have not been hit w/ the after lunch sleepy disease...not yet anyway. But my stomach ache will probaby dominate any feel to be drowsy... Hopefully the Korean BBQ will cure my stomach ache.

I am a whited-out mistake...

Okay, ammendment to the last blog. A few people reminded me about the acronyms that DID include the "of"(Thanks Jon and Francia), and I'm sure there are more but I care not to really think about them at this moment...but thank you guys...keep those gears 'a turnin.

TGIF
Tis the last day of the work week, well for most of us(Sorry Ai, mom, and everyone else who doesn't have our schedule), and I am a happy camper. Paychecks just came in, and for "breakfast Friday," we had some sandwiches...yogurt, and best of all...Hostess cupcakes and TWINKIES!!! I love twinkies... This is turning out to be a good friday indeed. There are a lot of things I have to attend to for the weekend, but I'm actually looking forward to it. Food, good times, old friends, and moonbounces...heck yeah.

"Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances."

Daily thought of the day
I can't remember if I only thought this before or if I actually blogged about it...I hate my absentmindedness.

Why is "of" never included in acronyms. USA...United States of America...the of is not included...but some people say, the US of A... SAE...Society of Automotive Engineers...again, same thing. I actually amended this blog because at first I thought that there were acronyms that DID have "of" as part of it, but I can't seem to think of one. Dangit, memory is the first thing to go...

Substitutions
I forgoed(forwent? I have absolutely no idea) food during lunch and opted for a nap. I took my car out of the lot and drove to a nearby park, found some shade, set the alarm on my cell phone, kicked up some oldie tunes, and napped my little heart away. I remember at my old job in Irvine, I used to just nap in the parking structure cuz it was cooler in there. But I felt pretty good when I got up, hoping that the nap would kill my after lunch sleepiness I always seem to have a bout with at work. But duh, I only get sleepy cuz I EAT. Maybe next time I'll reform this nap thing and eat for 1/2 hr and then nap for 1/2 hour, and not nap for the entire duration. But it's pretty cool...aside from being a little hungry, I'm locked, cocked, and ready to rock. I have a training session in about 10 minutes, so we'll see if the nap did it's job. But I don't think the skipping on food thing will go very well with my body. I'm kinda snackin...I ate two pieces of my World's Finest Chocolate bar, but don't wanna eat too much chocolate, and had some pretzels. Sheesh, I better get some good dinner tonight before bible study!

I am an uneaten chocolate bar :(

A trip down memory lane
I went shopping at Smart and Final last night for London's party. Right as we were about to get in, some kids asked me if I wanted to buy some chocolate. I looked at them and asked them:

Me: "What school do you go to?"
Them: "St. Augustine."
Me: "Oh really? I went to St. Augustine"
Them: "How old are you?"
Me: "25"
Them: "Gosh, you're old."
Me: "Ha! Yeah I am, I'll take two please. Good luck"
Them: "THANKS!"

Jos ended up buying two also...supporting our old school...who would've thunk it? ha ha ha...man, we're old.

I remember the days when WE used to sell these bars. "World's Finest Chocolate. These milk chocolate bars w/ almonds in them. If you sold 4 boxes(there were 36 bars to a box) then you got to go to disneyland. If you sold 5, you got to go to this big spin thing, PLUS the Disneyland trip. Jos and I attended that school for 8 years, so naturally, we didn't go EVERY year. The first years couple years, we just sold our required two...and watched everyone else go on the trip. One year, mom felt really bad and just paid for the 4 boxes and tried to sell them at work even after the fact(and remember it was me AND jos, so one couldn't go to disneyland w/o the other, so she actually bought 8 boxes). But after that, we almost always were able to sell 4 boxes easily, I guess the years of experience really helped out. One year, I sold 8 boxes I think, and I won a BMX bike in the spin thingy, it was cool. Sadly, the bike got stolen out of the garage by someone in our neighborhood. But yeah, chocolate and Disneyland...those were the days...

Thursday...I like thursdays for some reason...but I can't wait for Friday...

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

Quickies
Why must they put so much damn tape on DVD's? It takes me forever to open one...

I just got my check from The County of Los Angeles for jury duty...2 days of work...and I received a whopping $18.06. Woohoo...somebody sign me up again!!! it was soooooooo worth it!

Bills suck...especially ones you can't pay for online...get with it PEOPLE!!!

I am an unconnected wire...

Today
I went on yet another test drive today...this time with Frank. I don't know if I've mentioned Frank before, but he's the white dude that's married to a Filipino girl and can speak better tagalog than Liz(his wife) AND me combined. It was cool driving around w/ him though, he's a crazy driver, not scary, just crazy...one of those people that'll multi-task while driving...which btw, is not one of my faves(ahem). We had lunch w/ Liz at this nice lil Szechwan(sp?) place near work. Those two have lunch together every day, it's crazy...EVERY day. I got to see his house too...he bought a house in the planning stages and rebuilt it pretty much from teh ground up...so naturally I asked him about how to go about it and he said he'd be happy to help me(cuz that's eventually what I wanna do..but a little bit later). His house is really nice, even has a dope ass stereo surround sound system in his living room and we chilled and watched the Eages "Hell Freezes Over" live in concert DVD for a bit...hell yeah, Eagles....dope. But that was my day pretty much...nothin really to write home about...but yet I write anyway.

I can't believe it's only Wednesday...2 more days though at least...and yet another party-filled weekend. I have a b-day party to go to on Friday, baby shower on Sat early afternoon, and then another party, or rather b-day party...festival-style later on...then on Sunday, is the big day, London's 3rd b-day...it's gonna be a superhero b-day party and I have yet to finalize my costume...you'll just have to see who I am if you go on Sunday...or if I post pics from the party on Monday.

Appreciations
-getting back to normal
-homecomings
-meeting new people
-Witty comments
-people who think you have a great work ethic(HA!)
-bringing a sweater to work(brrrr)

"Life's truest happiness is found in friendships we make along the way."

I am an exposed blunder...

It sucks when you embarass yourself, I do it all the time, but one never gets used to it, I guess....

The wonder that is people
People never cease to amaze me, good or bad:

I try to remain generally optimistic about people, and I still am usually, but I have come to the dismaying conclusion that there are a lot of haters in the world..there just are. It's a sad fact to fact, but there are indeed people out there who just refuse to see the goodness in others. I mean, yeah, it could easily be turned around and say that some people are completely blind and cannot see that some people are not as good as they seem, but that's another topic...and I'm not talking about that right now. But it's really unfortunate that some people will never get to know others because of things that they've "heard" or just plain old assumptions. In addition to that, there is just a general environment out there that people don't want to see others happier than they are. I really don't know where this is going(probably nowhere, as usual), but it just really bugs me. I think people like to pass judgment on other people far too often. Personally, I don't think it's ANYONE's place to judge other people. So easy to point out what's wrong w/ other people and put them down...and most of us don't even realize we're doing it..that's even sadder. Haters...and I am too, cuz I hate those people...

And of course, just as one comes to the conclusion that the world is not a good place, God hands you a surprise and makes you think otherwise. I went to the gas station this morning and as I handed in my cash, the guy behind the counter(Kim) asked me how pop was doing. Naturally, I was taken aback by him asking, and I told him he was fine. He pressed on and asked if he was getting better and I told him, yes, he is getting better and he said, well he hopes to see him soon. People still care, there is genuine concern and sincerity stilll out there...I like those people...they restore my faith in humanity.

Appreciations
-Pho(mmmmmmmmmmmmm)
-Late night coffee(decaf...hey it's a weekday)
-Pretzels w/ m&m's(don't knock it til you've tried it)

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."
-Margaret Lee Runbeck

(if I knew how to make the font all big like the cool bloggers do, I would...)I AM STILL AT WORK!!!
Freakin crap...I'm still at work...I'm the only one left in my department writing up this damn report. Hopefully, I can get out of here in the next hour...HOPEFULLY...at least there's no one online(not that I can really go on anyway) and I've already read blogs, so not many distractions to hold me back. Man, I wanna go home and nap but tough nuggies...ahhhhh, the realities of the working world...somebody shoot me...right here, yeah, that's it....shoot...

*disclaimer* I know most people have worse workdays than I do and longer hours(Cecilax and Cicelax) but I'm sick and I just really wanna get out of here already...

I am a cough drop to the rescue...

Virus Update
(ha ha ha, another catchy title) I'm not feeling as nasty as I was yesterday, actually, I tihnk I'm on the road to recovery. There are still remnants of the cough, I'm still phlegmy(sp?), and the head still hurts somewhat, but I'm still alive...and that's a good thing.

I can feel it in the air
The weather is slowly slowly changing. It is getting cooler, the sun stays hidden longer...(sorry Cic)...and summer is coming to an end. I actually had to wear a sweater on my way to work this morning, it was that much cooler. And it seems that I'm not the only one...I've seen at least 4 people today wearing jackets/sweaters/etc. Ahhhhh, goodbye long sunny days, hello long dark cold nights...and welcome WINTER...cuz that means, SNOWTIME baby! i LOVE it!

Must-see TV
No being someone who, over the past 5 or 6 months or so, has rarely even watched TV, it's rare for me to see something that I would tel lmy friends to watch. Well, friends, you are in luck. If you haven't checked out The Wade Robinson Project Yet, you gotta. Wade Robinson is that dancer dude, he's done stuff for NSYNC, Brittany I think, a bunch of people, basically he was a dance prodigy ever since he was about 4, when he could do michael jackson's routines so easily. I'm not totally sure what the show's about because me and B were only flipping through the channels during commercials of NFL tonight and other various football highlight programs. But basically, this guy is recruiting dancers...or it's kind of like American Idol, just for dancers I guess would be the easiest way to describe it. The reason I'm so amped about this show is because, yes, I like dance and stuff, but that's not it. It's because it's freakin hilarious. ALL kinds of people are tryin out, and last night, there was this white dude, wearing khaki's and a polo(yes you heard me correctly) for a dance contest. The commentators described him perfectly as "a black woman trapped inside a white guy's body." HA HA HA...we were so embarassed for the dude, I was all, "CHANGE the CHANNEL!!!" Ha ha ha...hilarious, I'm not sure if it's only on Sundays or what...but it was a good laugh.

Definite thumbs downs
Do not ever go to the Shakey's Pizza on Reseda in Northridge...me and Joel went there for lunch today during our test drive and they barely had ANYTHING!?!?! And to top it all off, NO MOJO'S!!!! WTF?!?!?! Sooooooo not worth it. At least if they had the fried chicken and mojos I wouldn't have complained, cuz their mojo potatoes are the ish...I would NOT recommend this place to a friend...what a freakin Shakey's lunch buffet tease...

I heard some dude talking on the radio on Star earlier today...he was talking about some Italian festival benefit thing where it costs $100 to get in. "You pay $100 dollars, and all the food is free." Ummm, let's think about this for a second, you PAY $100 and ALL the food is FREE?!?!?! Hmmm, I may be reaching here, but if you PAY for something, whatever comes after is NOT free...I repeat, NOT free...

Appreciations
-my dodger beanie
-knowing what your doing
-having a washing machine at home

"A man who wants nothing is invincible."

I am a gestated cold and also Y-O-...

under the weather
I feel like crap. Actually I feel worse than crap...I feel like crap's crap. My head is throbbing as if it had its own damn pulse, any sudden movement, or loud sound makes it feel like a vice is being tightened around my temples, I am congested, I'm sweating...and it's not even hot, and I keep coughing. I still haven't taken much medicine, except for dayquil when I went out the other day and to stay awake and stuff, but no expectorate or anything...just suppressants, and cough drops. At least my nose isn't running anymore...but boy oh boy do I hate being sick like this. Yes, I know, I'm being a baby and whining, but it doesn't happen too often, and I've probably been going about getting better the wrong way. I've been going out, staying up late, waking up early...now for a maladie that needs lots of rest, that sure isn't it. I had plans to go to Interfaith this evening, but I think I'm gonna nap on that for a bit...I only have another 1:10 to decide so I'm already leaning towards a "nay." I'll just have to e-mail or call Father Pat I guess. So I've resorted to sitting in my room, checking up on baseball and football(dodgers won and florida lost, hell yeah....lions got punked, dammit :<), and watching some "Two Towers." I got to talk to my relatives from Canada, always good to hear from them, even though I haven't seen them since I was like 5. Man, it even hurts like hell when I just clear my throat. I really wouldn't be complaning all that much if I my head didn't hurt so bad...it's one of those MAJOR major headaches...I guess the best way to describe it would be a cross between a migraine and a really really bad hangover.

I saw "Once Upon a Time in Mexico " with Dorothee and the boys in the early afternoon yesterday, after running errands w/ mom really early(See what I mean, I am taking NO rest). Nothing like "gratuitous violence"(V) every now and then. Salma is still hot as hell, Eva is pretty damn hot, Johnny continues to impress me, and Antonio is still a very bad mofo. Not a top-ten, but there are a good number of reasons to go see it. After that, we rolled back to V's place and had some of his awesome Arroz con Pollo and some shrimp and some wine. Naturally, it knocked me out completely, and I fell asleep(finally, a little rest) for about 2 1/2 hours. Thank goodness Chris didn't have his mischief crew with him(you know who you are). They went to the bakery and came back and I was STILL asleep. Later on that evening went to the Funkanometry party at 311...it's always good to see old faces and get some drinks(probably not a very good idea), smoke a few cigs, and get my groove on. We stayed out til about 2, dropped Chris off @ his apt and headed home...finally slept around 3 something and woke up close to 12(ahhhh, rest). So since I'm most likely not gonna go out to Interfaith, I hope to get even more rest..and maybe even a little laundry. Just gotta finish making dinner and I can close my eyes for a little while.

Wait a second, for some reason, I feel a little bit better, I need to go to Interfaith and I want to see Father Pat. London is awake now, so we're going. I'll just come back early and get my rest...

Appreciations
-phone calls from loved ones
-Costco(btw it was pretty funny watching Uncle Lem eat everything he could sample[he had a million pcs of sushi])
-LOTR "The Two Towers"
-Halls cough drops

"Never let your thoughts idle, speak from your heart and speak whenever given the opportunity"

(written @ 2:30PM)
on the road again...
I'm trying out bloggin while on the road. Pretty damn crazy...the laptop is well...on my lap and we're rollin down the 405 northbound at a cool 70mph. Pretty funny...not something I'd like to get used to though...

John Ritter and Johny Cash passed away last night. I loved those guys...Johnny Cash, that guy has just been around forever...his music I've never fully appreciated until the past 2 years or so and that one redo he did of that NIN nais song, "Hurt," just dope. And John Ritter? That guy is younger than pop and he passed away so suddenly...just one of those hard hitting reminders that show you how you just never know. Sieze people seize... But I swear, that guy was my idol back in the day...livin w/ two chicks? There HAD to be stuff goin on there, cuz he only PRETENDED he was gay...man, what a freakin stud. Man...well, RIP Johnny Cash and John Ritter...

"Wisdom comes with experience, not with age..."

Pass the Pledge, please...
It is disgusting how filthy the workplace can be, I even read it from an article once...that work is often dirtier than the home. Because the cleanup crew usually doesn't clean your exact workspace, they just pick up the trash around it and stuff...so naturally, one's workstation is extremely dusty. Of all the freakin office supplies here, we don't have any pledge or dust-type cleanser. So being the genius that I am, I decided to wipe my whole desk with a few tissues...I cleared out most of the large dustbunnies, but it seems as though I've launched the teeny tiny dust into the air and I'm sneezing like a dwarf...and it seems that the dust has decided to visit everyone else too...yikes. I'm gonna bring in my pledge from home tomorrow...this is just plain old gross...

mmmmmm
On a rare occasion, I did not bring lunch to work today, so i treated myself to eating at Mitsuwa, this Japanese marketplace pretty close by, at this one spot called Curry Club. Dang, that place is hella good. HELLA good. I'm kinda glad I didn't bring lunch today now, the last time I went to that place was when a friend, who shall remain nameless, but her name rhymes with Sicily(HA HA HA, I've so been wanting to use that, but I can never find a good one to use it for, so there it is...I still think it's funny) was working out in Torrance and we had lunch together. Damn that place is good...nothing like eating curry, reading my book and watching big fat guys try to push each other outside of a circle on TV. I can't wait til I go again in a few months(I rarely do not bring lunch). Which brings me to another thought, am I one of the only people that actually brings lunch with them to work all the time? Of my friends I mean, not the whole working world...I know some people like Joe...sometimes Chris, can go home for lunch cuz they live hella close...but what about the rest? Does everyone buy lunch all th time? I guess I'm just kariput like that...I don't wanna spend money on lunch, hee he hee. But Curry Club...mmmm....

I almost forgot...a moment of silence...

May we never forget our loved ones, past and present...

I am a mini-sniffle...

No birthday today...well at least, not one that I know of...

I'm so lucky
I actually leave a little earlier for work than usual...and what do you know...just my luck...BAM...traffic. And I mean TRAFFIC. I was at a dead stop for a few minutes and then I was at a crawl for the next 15. What is usually about a 20-25 min drive ended up being 45 freakin minutes. But thank heavens I have an awesome senior manager. I called in to tell him what was going on and he was all, "Please don't rush." He got into a pretty bad dinger a few weeks ago and really stresses us to be cautious when out on the road and that we should "never rush." When I got in, he asked if I was okay and told me he was glad I got in safely...what a cool guy.

So I'm having trouble finding a moonbounce thingy for London's party...so far, the smallest one available is 15' x 15' and the only spot where there is that much room would lead to the moonbounce completely blocking the driveway all the way up to the porch steps. So basically, people would have to go THROUGH the moonbounce to get to the party...but that would be pretty funny.

One's friends can never cease to surprise you. Today, I was on my way to work and on the phone and my friend was telling me how I always seem to understand things and I thought...wow. To me, that was some compliment. I mean, I don't really believe it to be true most of the time, but that's the way that she saw it...and I was glad that I help make her feel understood.

Appreciations
-unintentional compliments
-pictures(they speak loads)
-sincerity
-cool bosses

"It is not white hair that engenders wisdom."
-Menander

A funny thing happened on my way to the bathroom
Ha ha ha, for some reason I really like that title...anyway, so I was on my way to the little engineer's room a few minutes ago and Erwin, one our project leads flags me down and invites me to have a piece of Leche Flan(dang it was freakin good). I sat down for a minute to chat and we were talking about how we hate when you heat up something too long in the microwave(cuz ours are pretty strong here...1300 Watts) and then you have to wait for it to cool down again. It defeats the whole purpose of the microwave..which is supposed to be quick..where you can eat it right out of the microwave...I mean, you can wait a little, but not THAT long. And then, I asked him if he was JUST eating lunch(he was taking out other food besides the flan) and he said that he was gonna be here for a while so this was his dinner. My God, I cannot imagine having to bring lunch AND dinner to work, cuz you know you'll be there that long. WHEW! I hope I never have to go through that. Somebody knock on wood....please....

I'm your friend, Brushee brushee
I've noticed that there are a handful of people who brush their teeth at work. I see them in there when I go for my post-luncheon bathroom break. And I saw June walking down the hall w/ toothpaste and a toothbrush in her hand. My, how health-conscious is that? I'm thinkin about doin it myself one of these days...I wonder if any of my friends do that.

I am a missing daily subscription...

First of all, yet another b-day....HAPPY B-DAY KAY-DOG!!!!! Welcome to the world of 24-dom....someone sent her 2 dozen...DONUTS...HA HA HA, that's classic. ..

Superbowl, here I come
I heard a thing on the news this morning about the "Lingerie Bowl" to be played during half-time of this year's Superbowl. Women in lingerie and heels playing football. I know that this is kinda totally objectifying women, but hey, no one forced them to do it, and HELL YEAH I'm gonna watch it. I'm sorry, but lingerie is sexy, heels(worn by women)..sexy, hot girls playing football...sexy, hot girls playing football in lingerie, OMG. That's all I gotta say about that...

Tipping is not a city in China
I heard this commercial about tipping today...not tipping as tipping servers, it's actually about some bank that has a tip bank, where you can add tips and ideas in so that they can serve you better...I don't know, it was actually pretty stupid. Anyway, she goes on to complain about this tip jar they have on the coffee counter when she gets coffee(they relate this to that bank somehow) but doesn't feel the need to tip, cuz the coffee people are just filling her cup and that there isn't really a "service" that merits tipping. Which got me to think...about restaurant service and tipping. Do I tip because it's customary? or because I really appreciated the service I was given? And then I remembered that one scene in Reservoir Dogs where Mr. Pink thinks that tipping is "for the birds," because their waitress didn't do anything out of the ordinary for them. So if someone gave you standard service, i.e. took your order and brought you your food, did they merit a tip? Aren't they just doing their job? That's what they're PAID to do, right?...serve...that's why they're called SERVERS. I mean, I already know what my answer is, but I'm just thinking here. And when a server DOES make the extra effort to please the customer, should it not be the EMPLOYER that rewards them for a job well done? I mean, that's just the way the world works...the servers' employers pay them less, telling them they've gotta earn their extra dough from US, the customer by helping us to enjoy our dietary experience to the fullest. So they kinda just throw em to the sharks and let them fend for themselves. Which kinda sucks. It's just crazy, I mean, I always tip...unless the server was a complete snatch, and even then, I feel bad about not tipping...and tip extra if I felt like I was treated extra nice. I mean, there could be NO servers and we would have to do everything ourselves(God forbid), but that would defeat the purpose of eating out...and therefore my tip is kind of a thanksgiving for servers everywhere....he he he, another thought which pretty much went nowhere...

holes
So these two dudes were talking this morning about a stereo installation, we'll call them dude 1 and dude 2...1 and 2 for short:

(after already talking about stereos for about 30sec)
1: So I tried to put it in the hole, but it won't fit.
2: Oh, sometimes, it gets tight like that, you gotta kindof ease it in...find a lubricant so you can put it in easier.
1: I don't think that's gonna work, I was looking at the hole from another angle and it looks kinda weird
2: Trust me, you'll be able to put it in, I've seen all different kinds of holes and there's never been one I couldn't fill.

HA HA HA HA HA HA...sheesh

Appreciations for the day
-nieces who say, "Have a nice day, Don't work too hard" when you're leaving for work
-chex mix...mmmmmmm
-The Dodgers, Detroit Lions, and pretty soon...LAKERS baby
-people who let you in when you need to merge
-green lights all the way

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."
-Immanuel Kant

oh NO you di'nt!!!
I JUST noticed today when i went outside to update my nav...someone freakin HIT my car!!! Not bad or anything, but there is white paint and scratches on the front, and it's at least noticeable. Either someone hit it when it was parked or when someone else was driving, they hit something. Man, that irritates me...not that I love my car(I mean I DO love it, it gets me places, but i'm not obsessed with it) soooooooo much that any lil scratch or dent will drive me to go postal on people, but DUDE, @ least TELL me about it! Leave a frreakin note on my car if I wasn't there...GRRRRR man....I am officially PISSED. It reminds me of that one scene in Pulp Fiction where Vincent and that one drug dealer guy(his name escapes me at the moment) were talking about when some dude keyed his ride. "I would've given anything to see that d***less piece of sh** key it. It would've been worth him keying it, just for me to see it..." something like that...but oh man, that's how I feel right now...

on a lighter note: check out the New $20 Bill He he he, fashion money...I thought that would make me feel better, but it did not...

BTW- where the heck are everyone's posts?

I am a freshly ironed shirt...

Celebrate good times, COME ON!
Today is my best friend's birthday, she's old...but as she puts it, it's "only her 1st anniversary of her 25th birthday..." I think I'm gonna use that...except I'm gonna use my 21st...so come January, it'll be the 5 anniversary of my 21st b-day, how clever I am... But anyway, I'm losing focus here, HAPPY B-DAY JANELLE!!!!! I called her on my way into work this morning, and we had a really good, brief, but good, conversation. I think for the first time in many many moons, neither of us was bitching about anything, about the job, about no job, about life, about where things were going...we were both happy and things were going good...for BOTH of us...which was an extremely pleasant surprise, and to me, a sign of very good times ahead. So we tried to plan out when she would be free for dinner, she's still quite a busy girl, but she's free from the 21st on for a week and a half, so I guess I gotta make the best of what I got...at least that gives me that much longer to find a good b-day present.

I forgot my water bottle again...dangit. So I've resorted to walking to the water cooler about every 10 minutes to refill my lil coffee cup...I foresee this as being a pain come the end of the day. Man, with my water bottle, I have all the water I wanna drink within my grasp, but alas... At least it would keep me awake(walking all the time), but I'm not really sleepy, so there goes that.

Turns out that one isn't so sleepy when one actually gets some sleep, he he he.

Taco Tuesday tonight....hell yeah.

"Love thy neighbour as yourself, but choose your neighbourhood."
-Louise Beal

mah roots
I am amazed at how parents, well at least MY parents, can so easily get to "that one big fat flashing red button that says 'do not push.'" But they can man, and for goodness sakes I swear...there is just this built-in misunderstanding process that's ingrained in our relationship. My family is SO peculiar man, it's no wonder why I'm like the way I am. So I've taken a good look at the qualities my family has...I've noticed, from the resident uncle and pop that that side of the family is quite prideful...not to the point of arrogance, but they like to let one know certain things about our family...for example, my uncle said that if he mentioned to most methodists that, "Pastor Ortiz was his grandfather(which means I'm related too), then they will know me." Pop used to ALWAYS tell me(back in the day) when he would always sing and everyone knew he could. Tempers come from pop's side, but so does this crazy unending patience(weird, I know), while impatience and paranoia come from mom's. I don't think all of those were passed on to me and jos but there are hints of some...jos is totally paranoid, to the point where it's an obsession. She is also one of the more impatient peopel I know...if you put her on hold cuz you have another call..she'll hang up. I am paranoid to a certain degree, and I can explode if the conditions are right. We have our breakdowns and arguments, misgivings, and petty misunderstandings, just as other families, but I could never imagine me not being there for them...so family...were you ever to read this...I love you guys.
*This entry was stemmed from an argument that arose btwn me and a family member today...while AT work!

no one is here in my dept today, a few are on vacation 2 on a business trip, and 3 left early...hmmmmmmmmmm...would they notice? HMMMMMM.....

I am an ear-to-ear smile...

there's no place like home...
I really don't feel like being at work today, only because I'd rather be asleep...I'm kinda sore from working out yesterday, although I didn't even really do that much in the first place. But yeah, I'd rather be curled up on a bed, just wasting the day away...I should take a page out of Joemama's book, and just be a complete sloth for a weekend.

the first shot fired...
Dude, it sucks that I fall asleep amongst my friends...friends who like to play jokes on people who fall asleep. And it's even worse cuz when I'm really tired, I'm out like a rock...a ROCK. So of course after dinner, Chris, Cic and Jon decided to mess w/ me after I fall asleep. I don't really want to go into detail(well, cuz I don't really know any of them) but basically, there was shaving cream on my hand, tickling my face and shaving cream on my face...they all had a good hard laugh out of it, but little do they realize that they have begun a war. Cuz I don't get mad, I get EVEN...MUAH HA HA HA

I am pretty damn tired, but I feel good. A little sore, but good. It's that feeling when the blood is totally coursing through your veins, I feel very alive. Thank goodness for workout out and feeling good. One of those days when you just feel like skipping or something.

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."

HEADACHES BITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I am four cups of coffee...

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO...I think I'm a real live-wire right now....WOOOOHOOOOOOO! He he he...

And thus, I have decided to write, write, and write....

"...say hi to the fishies for me"
So I said hi to the fishies today, with my lil London. And it was the best day... look for yourself ...anyway, here's what's funny about taking a child to the aquarium. I was totally excited about taking her and wanting to show her all of the fish and the sharks and jellyfish, and stuff like that. But all she wanted to see was the sharks. We looked at jellyfish, and she said, "Can we go look at the sharks now?" So we go. We go look at the crabs and other shellfish and she says, "Can we go look at the sharks now?" So we go again. Sea Otters...."Can we go see the sharks now?" Again, we go. After going into the touch-pool(which I thought was THE coolest), "I need to go pee-pee." There's a change, so I take her to the bathroom(she's potty-training btw)...and after, "Can we go see the sharks now?" So after about 3 1/2 hours, I was pretty "sharked" out. She took a picture w/ the shark dude, I bought her one from the gift shop, and we headed home...and as you can see, she was quite pooped at the end of the day. I even knocked out myself for a few hours when we finally got back...but what an awesome awesome day.

re-united
I got to see a few old friends today...Freida, from the Bay Area and lil Kaye, who just got back from Japan(doing JET) earlier last month. It was soo good to see them and just chat and catch up for awhile. Our meeting didn't last too long, cuz I didn't get to meet up with them til late cuz mom and pop took so long to get back from Rincon...but at least I got to see them and catch up a little... I can't believe it's been so long since I had seen either of them...I mean, I saw lil Kaye when she was down here for a while a few months ago, but Freida...man, it had been years. We haven't really talked much since she moved back up...a phone call every now and then, accompanied by some good-lengthed IM conversations, we've just kinda ll been doing our own thangs. But I think it's very reassuring to know that even when friends who were once-close have kind of all set off on their own adventures and everyone's leading kindof separate lives, that you can still come together and talk like "the good 'ol days."

as promised...
Comedy in the courtroom
So I was officially dismissed from the case I was assigned to on Friday, woohoo. It's too funny how in the main juror assembly room, there's hundreds of people in there, and you can bet that 4 out of 5 people really really don't wanna be there. During our orientation video thingy, I was looking at the puzzle pieces on the table I was chillin at, and I suddenly burst into laughter. The two people in front of me kind of glance at me curiously and ask me what was so funny...so I show them what I had seen and they started laughing too...on the back of one of the puzzle pieces, someone wrote the words, "Please kill me." HA HA HA HA HA too funny. So I get called to a case and we spend two days going through jury selection. Amazing to see how people try to squirm their way out of this...some methods worked, while others did not...at the cost of OUR torture. I swear I wanted to smack a few of these people. It's like, HELLO, you don't have to go into a whole life-story of why you're not able to judge the case without bias, just keep it short and sweet...so we can get out of here. I lucked out..I was one of the last people to get called into the juror's box, but was quickly let go...don't know why exactly, but I heard that they don't really keep engineers on juries sometimes. I did make a few friends though...we had lunch together on my last day there...2 of us got released and the other 2 got stuck in "the box." Which sucks, cuz we didn't even get to exchange information... It was quite an experience...and at least I'm clear for another 12 months.

Communication Barrier?
Out of control?
These titles I thought about, but I totally forgot what they pertained to, dangit.

Tornado zone
This subject is now non-existent, cuz I cleaned yesterday...but basically I'd been so busy over the past few weeks that I just let my room go...but now it's clean, so nevermind...

Appreciations of the day
-text messaging
-quality time w/ the lil one
-pacifying silences
-being someone people want to confide in
-driving around at 4 in the morning(so peaceful)
-coffee....WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO

i think the time has come to force some shut eye upon my person...I guess I didn't have that much to write...

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do."
-Freya Madeleine Stark

I am an incomplete thought...

on the go...
I wanted to blog all about the past few days, but I am running short on time...freakin jury duty...they had internet access there, but too bad all the comps are out of order...and I have my laptop, but there's no connections..but here are some thoughts to come(yes, I've thought of titles...hey, I'm sitting in a room all day not really talking to anyone really..of course blog is on my mind):

-Comedy in the courtroom
-Communication Barrier
-Out of control
-Tornado zone

"Sometimes, the mind is just silent.....like this....."

called to serve...
Oh man, I called in for Jury Duty today, and turns out that I'm gonna have to go in tomorrow...I have to be there by 7:45AM. Dangit...that means I need to sleep HELLA early tonight(sigh). It's funny though, cuz they were giving instructions on the phone on the address and how security checks are performed and stuff...and they tell you to wear business casual attire cuz casual attire, i.e. shorts, midrifts(like I would wear one) are not allowed. I wonder then if you DID wear one of the non-allowed clothing types, if they would kick you off of jury duty and excuse you? Hmmmm....but knowing my luck, I'll probably get told off and they'll send me home and make me come back...probably with an escort or something, ha ha ha. But that's the deal...I shall be in jury duty...hip hip hooray...can you feel my joy? Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, I don't wanna do thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.......

Here it is folks, laugh it up...

Daily fact of the day
There are things that are diarrhetic and diuretic. The former is something that purges watery feces, while the latter is something that causes the passing of urine. Both are pretty much pronounced the same, but that is the distinction. Pretty interesting...i thought.

thoughts while I nod off at work
Our temp admin guy(Laura just had a baby earlier this week) is pretty weird...weird and funny. I guess he knows how tired and sleepy I get when I'm running some mundane exercise so he comes over and cracks jokes with me. It's good to be on the goodside with him though, cuz he's the one I gotta go through to set travel arrangements.

It's funny how people at work can completely isolate themselves from one another, and not in a cold-shoulder type of way, just a not-there one. When I was outside during break this morning, I met yet another person, James from corporate planning...he commented how he always sees me down there and asked what department I was in, and I told him eval. And then he goes, "You guys never come down here." And went on to say, "There isn't really much interaction between the upstairs people and downstairs people." Except for when we play basketball on Wednesdays, I'd have to agree. I think I'm the only person from upstairs who eats in the big lunchroom DOWNstairs. I always talk to the people down there, but I guess no one else does. Even upstairs there are just people who completely keep to themselves...like they never really talk to you, even when you try to talk to them, or joke with them, they feel uneasy or something. I don't know, it's just a vibe I get from them...the "work isn't supposed to be any fun" vibe. But people are people and we all wear different glasses I guess... just a shame that there are people who so thoroughly keep themselves unhappy(maybe this is too strong a word...un-cheerful?) when they don't have to be...

I am the bouncing ball...

Day two of on-call Jury Duty...did not have to go in...

Thrown for a loop
Holidays really do a number on you...I am so out of the work-mode right now. It's like that first cigarette after you've quit smoking for a short while, it sucks you right back into the habit. It's already got me thinking to the next holiday, which is not until Thanksgiving I think. But at least that's TWO days off, so that'll be cool. And then with the passing of Turkey day, we turn to my favorite season, winter and Christmas...if I was still working at MSC, I'd have 2 weeks off no matter what(it was unfortunate for us non-exempt employees, cuz no work meant no pay), cuz our office closed during Christmas...man, that would've been bomb. But basically...the holiday spoiled me and now I'm whining about work. I'll get over it soon though...I just have to remember, I'm an adult now...blech.

When I took a break earlier, I had to get some coffee, and I witnessed one of the weirdest things. I pulled off my coffee cup from the stack, and then the next cup began to rise up...it rose up about halfway up the one underneath it before it stopped. It was so cool, it looked like a magic trick or something. So of course, having the analytical mind that I have, I began to try to figure it out...and so far, all I've come up with is that the type of material(styrofoam) kindof creates a magnetic field when rubbed up against one another, like when you rub a balloon on your hair to make it stick to the wall or even to make your hair stand up. It's cool to know about that, cuz one day, I might be in a situation where I could get stuck in the office, trapped by some foreign terrorists or something, and I'd have to MacGuyver my way out and use the magnetic field from the cups to deactivate our security sensors or something, yeah...that would be cool...
(man, I think it's pretty apparent how little I want to work right now.)

On a work note, I received my name plate today...woo hoo, now everyone who walks by my desk will finally know my name...

"With great power comes great responsibility"
-Uncle Ben

I am a shiny new nickel...

Day one of on-call Jury Duty...did not have to go in...

Already? Again?
I was driving this morning and noticed quite a few more vehicles out on the road than I have been seeing in the past few weeks. Then, I noticed the demographics(if such a word can be used in this context) of they drivers and they were like teenagers. Now what would a teenager be doing up at 7 in the morning? And then I saw a whole bunch of school buses and realized...it's school time arleady. Already? Sheesh, didn't summer JUST start? And it's not like we've had a REAL summer, except for all y'all in school and stuff but maaan, it went by so fast. But I welcome the change...going back to school brings on the coming of the change in season, cooler weather, sweaters and hot chocolate and just trying to keep warmer as the temperatures begin to cool down...I can't wait...

Gettin back the groove...
The tough thing about a long weekend, especially if you took advantage of it by staying, is that you don't wanna get back into the groove of things. And it's funny too, cuz we work for like months and months(since the last holiday was memorial day...2 months ago, I think), but one single holiday throws us into this funk of not wanting to go back to work again. It's like opening the floodgates of complacency, one day of not working and we never wanna do it again, ha ha ha.

Anyway, it seems as though things in my life are finally slowing down a bit. Nothing previously planned over the next few weeks, and everything that I WAS perviously engaged in has now passed, and I can just feel the calm in the air. Now it's time to get some things done, such as cleaning my room, doing some more laundry, watch some DVD's, maybe was my car, read, and just chill. Doing something I haven't been able to do a lot lately, like, sitting there and just staring, smiling to one's self thinking, "man, this is just awesome."

Appreciations...
-small intimate occasions
-long weekends
-Taking the scenic route
-having nothing on one's "to do" list
-sleeping in
-R & R
-Labor Day BBQ's with good friends
-good laughs
-puzzle pieces

Not-so-appreciated(mostly pool-related)
-being stupid on the diving board
-falling flat on your back attempting to do a toe-touch-head-in-to-water dive
-being thrown in unexpectedly

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet."
-James Oppenheim