I've been asked a couple times by new readers (in real life, through email, etc) why I blog. Why do I write this daily journal of thoughts, feelings and experiences for the whole world to see? I guess with this new layout it's as good a time as any to talk about it.

I've had a website for a while now, my first one was up on the web in 1994, with some help from Mike when we were in college. It was a pretty simple site, with a couple graphics and mostly scans of pictures and links to my favorite pages. The site stayed more or less the same for the years after that - new pictures added, dry spells in updating because I just didn't have the time and didn't feel like anyone was looking at it anyway.

Then in 2002, Mike asked me if I'd ever heard of blogging. Which I hadn't. I let the idea simmer for a while, and checked around some other sites and found it pretty interesting. I had always tried in the past to keep a diary or journal, but would always lose interest or forget to do it.

But as I've said many times before, my memory is pretty flaky. I don't remember half the things I do, and only remember when people remind me. Other than that, I'm living in the world of 'Memento' - each day as a new day. Well, not as drastic as that, but you know what I mean. (yanowhatimean? hardee har har) So I thought that this whole blog thing might be fun, at least for a little while until I get bored of it, like I usually do with things (or forget about it).

So I started up my blog. In the beginning, the entries were pretty silly, I admit. But at the time, I thought I was the only one reading it. It was really just a way for me to look back and remember the things I had done, or to let my family who didn't live in Chicago know what was going on.

Then, I realized there were people out there reading it. Not a lot, but some. I found in kinda weird that people would be interested in my pretty mundane life. But that's the thing about blogs - your life could be the most boring thing ever, but it's how you TALK about your life that keeps people interested, that, and you post regularly.

Knowing that people were reading gave me the little push to keep updating, to keep writing. I'm a stat whore, so I check out my stats every now and then to see how many people are coming to the site. Over the years I think I have a nice little community that comes to check out my daily antics. I've said more than once that I've been blessed to have so many readers care so much and offer support during tough times. And yeah, I admit, after a while I started writing to entertain others. But the main reason I've been keeping up with this is to remember. There have been so many times I've searched for something in the archives, or I've taken a look at the monthly archives and thought, "Oh yeah! I totally forgot I did that!"

I've also used this blog as therapy, to help me vent and filter through my emotions and thoughts. Of course, I don't always write about everything I'm going through, or vent about all the things that bother me. I've learned that there are lurkers out there, some I know, some I don't know. Writing about work is a tricky situation - I used to do it, but I've heard of people who've gotten in trouble for writing about work, so I keep away from that. Well, kinda. But my one of the things that I keep in mind when I blog is that you never know who's reading, so only put the things out there that you're OK with the whole world seeing. You won't believe some of the email's I've gotten from people I've just mentioned casually in a post!

So yeah, to answer Luis' question that he posted, "why are you doing this?" Many reasons. But mostly to help me remember the things I've done, the things that make me laugh, the things that make me cry, the things that I want to share. And to maybe, just maybe, provide a wee bit of entertainment for anyone who passes by...

Got the itch to redesign again. I've had this one on the backburner for a while. Thought I'd change it up a bit and try something a little different. Apologies to you 800x600 people...it may be a little funky for ya...

Enjoy this one while it lasts - the Halloween edition is coming in several weeks! Truthfully, I feel so-so about this design, which is why I'm only going to have it up for about 2 weeks. I'm looking for halloween layout suggestions. Anyone???

Go to Starbucks! They're giving away a little bag of coffee and a small book of poems.

Well at least at mine they are. Hopefully at yours they are, too.

But it's a pretty good excuse to go, eh?

So I was really into the game yesterday when I was cooking dinner. I was a bit distracted, but I was trying really hard to make dinner without messing anything up. (Which would be a major achievement for me) So I was juggling several things - spaghetti sauce, and spaghetti on the stove, baked chicken in the oven and freshly baked garlic bread. So I was trying to move things around and watching baseball at the same time. And I picked up the tray with garlic bread in the hand that DIDN'T have the oven mitt on it.

It took me a second or two to register why I was feeling a searing pain in my fingers. Then I realized that happened and screamed like a banshee. Dave, on the couch watching the game, shot up and asked what was wrong. I told him I burned my hand and he asked how bad it was. It actually wasn't too bad, so he told me to immerse it in cool, but not cold water.

Unfortunately, we had just moved in, so we haven't stocked our medicine cabinet so we had no ointment of any kind so I had to work through the pain. If I took my hand out of the water, I would get a searing, burning pain in my fingers (just my fingers and thumb). The pain subsided after an hour or so, and the area then switched from a small burning hypersensitivity to numbness. I've got the tray marking seared into my fingers which makes for interesting blisters.

So yeah.

Ouch.

Luckily, although my typing was impeded last night, I am once again able to work normally and type. No need for anyone to panic. :-P

So with my one hand and my one eye, I should be able to park in handicapped space now, right?

Watching the Cubs game right now...top of the 9th, with the Cubs whoopin' the Cincinatti Reds 12-5. And guess who's back after being sent into minor league obscurity???

Kyle Farnsworth!! Yes! Super hottie Farnsie who walks everyone and their mama yet is still a hottie in my book is back on the team! I don't know if he's been back before this but I know he's been gone for a while. Anywhere, he's having a good run now, even IF we are winning by 7. Looking pretty confident and lean there, and with a lot less hair. Which looks GREAT on him.

Luckily Dave had fallen asleep while watching so he didn't see me drooling. Everytime Dusty puts him in the game Dave groans. Which I would, too, because he didn't do too well. Except for that one time he got into that awesome fight. But hopefully he does a lot better now that he's back.

This whole wild card race is so stressing! And the Cubs aren't helping by not doing so great in their last couple games - they had such a nice, comfy lead in the wild card! But today's game hopefully put the fear of the Cubs in the hearts of the Reds. We really need to win these games.

Lets go Cubbies, lets go!!

Farnsie!!!!

Last Friday we had our X-Systems unofficial reunion, which was a blast.

A couple weeks before that, we had been telling our newest coworker Sam (not the other Sam...this is a new Sam) about all the crazy antics and stories of days gone by. He didn't really believe them, since things have tamed down a bit since he's been here, and most of the people who had starred in the stories of craziness have since left the company. We also told tales of meeting every friday at the local bar to hang out and play pool, which we hadn't done in a very long time. So we decided to go and plan a Friday night when we'd get the old gang together and have it be like old times.

We called and emailed a lot of people, most said yes, which was awesome. On Friday, about 75% of the people who said yes came (and you people that didn't who are reading this SUCK! Maybe if we forgive you we'll invite you to the next one - but then you have to buy me nachoes with chihuahua cheese.) It actually started out pretty slow, with about five of us, all from the office, and we were thinking we didn't have to reserve as many tables as we did. But by around 6:30 everyone started pouring in and we had a nice little party going on.

It was nice to see old faces again, and I didn't realize how much I missed all of these people. I was talking with someone who had left when the company 'downsized' after we were bought, and she had said that the hardest thing for her wasn't the fact that she no longer had a job, it was that she had grown so close to the people that she had worked with it was like losing a family. Even the people who had left on their own to go to other jobs said the same thing - like in other companies doesn't have the closeness that we had at X-Systems. Not the daily chats, the impromptu singing, the non-shock at having a random crack or prostitution reference, parties in the kitchen, and just knowing that you can easily hang out with these people outside of work. I guess other companies just don't have such things...

We all had a great time. Talking, gossiping, laughing, drinking, catching up with life, taking pictures, taking group shots, placing bets that certain people who said they would show would show up - and what time, etc. There were times that I just sat there to soak it all in. It just felt nice. Like a family reunion, where you'd grown up together but you hadn't seen each other in so long. Of course, it wasn't exactly the same because everyone wasn't there, but it was close. This is something that we'll definitely do again, so that the people who missed out can get a chance to reminisce again, too.

So here's a couple pics for you to check out, and I realize that this is the first time that you all have seen me with my funky new glasses! Enjoy!

A Toast to Old Friends

A pretty fun test...

The Simpsons Personality Test

I'm Marge!

Two people I know are doing some very noteworthy things for charity, so if you've got a couple bucks to help these ladies reach their goals, it would be much appreciated!

First up is Linda, who is trying to raise money to join the LanceArmstrong Foundation's Tour of Hope ride in Washington D.C. You know everyone and their mother has gotta lotta love for Lance and his amazing yellow bracelets (which will be an interesting post by me in the future). Anyway, you can donate and find out more about the tour here:

Linda's Tour of Hope Donation Page!

Amanda is next up, and she's a terrific artist. Definitely check our her site! She's raising money for the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk. You should donate to reward the effort I spent in spelling that. Anyway, she had offered up to do sketches in exchange for donations, which I think is a terrific idea! Click on this to check out the Psylocke that she did for me.

I loved it so much I colored it:

So if you want to donate, click here for Amanda's donation page!

If you'd like a sketch on exchange for a donation, go ahead and contact her through her personal site and she'll get back to you...

Thanks!!

I am the worst friend ever. I rarely keep in touch and I get wrapped up in my own drama I sometimes forget to check in on friends who may need me.

I got an email from my old roommate from college, Nikki. Her mother had been sick for a while, and passed away last week. I couldn't have gone to the funeral if I wanted to (it was earlier today), but there was nothing more I wanted than to be there for her.

When I read her email, I sat in shock for a bit. It's one thing to go through the death of your mother yourself, but to know that someone else has to go through that ordeal, it's unbearable. I wish I could just take the pain away. I wish I had spent some time with her, so she could talk and vent, or prepare her for what might happen, but we just never got our schedules together.

So I'm thinking about Nikki right now, and sending thoughts her way. Because the next year will be probably the hardest of her life...it was for me. She's one of the strongest women I know, so I know she'll make it through, and there's a lot of people around her who care about her.

If you'd like to send her family a card or a message, email me at kwannon at gmail dot com and I'll send you her address.

So I'm now in Richmond, which has a GREAT looking modern airport. I should really take a picture of it. *note to self*

As you know, I travel all over the place, exposing me to all walks of life, all different facets of American culture, different kinds of communities. As much as I complain about it, it's pretty nice, too.

Usually when I travel, I get a rental car. And the first thing I do after adjusting the seat and mirrors is set my radio stations. Most cities have a so-so collection of radio stations.

But Richmond surprised me. It has to have the best selection of radio stations I've seen. I actually filled up all 12 presets with stations. There were several AWESOME hip-hop stations, so good I was groovin' in my seat and ready to hit the town for a night of dancing. And these stations didn't play the songs that I've heard a million times in Chicago. They had stuff I've never heard before, but it was GOOD. I would never have guessed that Richmond had such great stations! One station had this hip hop mix that made me actually want to stay in the car after I got to the hotel. There were also a nice selection of alternative and oldies stations, and a really great all-dance station. I really miss the one we had in Chicago. Energy 92.7 or something like that.

So anyway, my hotel was about 25 miles from the airport. I made it in good time, because I wanted to catch the Smallville premiere tonight. I got to the hotel with about half an hour to spare on the show. So I got into my room, turned on the TV, and guess what happened. NO WB in the hotel room!!!! ARGH! So yeah, no Smallville for me. Hopefully Fata or Mel were able to tape it for me.

So I'm here right now, watching the season premiere for Law and Order. Don't know if I like Dennis Farina as the new cop. No one can beat Jerry Orbach! And Joe Fontana is just a stupid name for a cop.

No offense to any cops named Joe Fontana that are reading this!

Back on my traveling schedule, and today I go for two days to Richmond, VA. Anyone out there? Does anyone know if sweet tea goes up that North?

I really hope I don't miss the season premiere of Smallville. And I'm wondering if it's on at the same time as Law and Order.

Why does Wednesday have to be such a busy TV night?!?!?!

This is probably one of the best websites ever, just for helping decrease my folding time by half!

I'm a folding monster now!

How to Fold a Shirt

The hospital my dad is at is VERY different from the one my mom was at. He's in a hospital that's only about 5 blocks from where I work, so it's easy for me to go and visit. It looks more like a fancy library or a museum. It doesn't feel sterile, sickly or white at all. Doesn't feel like I'm a hospital most of the time.

I went there after work yesterday, and I have to admit, since being in the hospital so much last year, they kind of weird me out right now. A rush of memories came over me when I walked through the halls, passing by all the machines, hospital rooms and waiting areas. I was a bit on edge, and seeing my father after surgery didn't help any. I just kept on thinking of my mother.

Today I visited my dad during lunch, bringing him some contraband pie and gyros. Unfortunately, he's being pretty particular about maintaining his diet, so he declined. His room is pretty nice, he has it to himself and it's pretty spacious, with a view of downtown and Lake Michigan. There's a bench in there that converts to a bed and is pretty comfy to take naps on. The nurses are super nice and really attentive. He said that the food there is really tasty, too, and he gets a great selection of cable channels. There's a Starbucks downstairs as well as a whole mess of other things. Pretty nice!

He's in good spirits, which is great.

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone!

No, I haven't been on vacation in a LONG time.

But I have finally gotten my "Vacations" photo gallery all prettied up, finally. So go ahead and check it out. Still to come in that gallery - more Disney pics (when I get my scanner hooked up) and pics from the cruise last May.

And yes...someday I'll get my photography gallery up!

I can't believe I forgot to write about this yesterday...I think this quote by Dave says it all...

"Sunday, September 19th, 2004, the best day ever. The Bears beat the Packers in Green Bay."

Definitely a day to tell the grandkids about. Seriously, do you know how long this city has been waiting for this day?!?!?

Lovie Smith, I lovie lovie lovie you!

Chicago Bears' Lance Briggs (55) and Alex Brown dunk Bears coach Lovie Smith
after the Bears' defeated the Green Bay Packers 21-10
in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004.
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Today is my dad's birthday. I don't think it's a day he's looking forward to, in light of all that's happened in the last year.

If you could keep my dad in your thoughts, that would be great. He's going to have surgery today....yes, on his birthday. Life has been full of challenges lately, not only for me, but for the rest of my family.

But I'm happy to know that he had one bright spot in his weekend to lift his spirits up a bit.

Let me go back a little. I think it isn't surprising to say that my father has had the best year since his last birthday. Not only has he had to endure going on with his life without my mom, but there have been so many other challenges. I think a lot of it has to do with criticism on *how* he's living his life, and who he's been including in it. What many people don't understand is that my father was never the social one, never one to call just to say hello or talk about problems or world issues. We're kind of similar like that. My mother would always bring him along, being the social butterfly herself. My mother's love was out there, plain to see, to be shared by everyone she touched. My father's love is much quieter, only seen in special moments. So growing up, I never really saw him close to any particular people. I don't know why that would change now that my mother's gone. But people seem to expect it to.

So it's been tough. Tough to miss someone SO much and tough to hear that people are talking about you and saying you aren't mourning the right way, or that you're not doing things that are respecting your wife's memory, or that you aren't sharing your feelings like you should. Which is complete BS.

When your spouse is in the hospital, dying, and you're spending every waking moment there, every night there, at her bedside. Holding her hand, talking to her, comforting her, even when sometimes she's so far gone she doesn't even know where she is anymore, THEN you can criticize. Because if that isn't love, I don't know what is.

But I digress.

Anyway, I think my dad felt really alone there for awhile. Especially with his upcoming surgery.

So my mother's best friends, who have always cared about my father, and who had promised my mother that they would take care of her family after she was gone, did something so simple, yet so powerful, that it made my father remember that he wasn't alone. They had a surprise party. It was a small gathering, just a few people, but it was enough to render my dad speechless. To bring tears to his eyes and the realization that people care about him, that my mother's love lives on in the people she touched. I gave him a hug and whispered to him, "See Daddy, you ARE loved!" because I think that's something that he had been questioning for so long.

So my father goes into surgery today, a little nervous, a little sad, but with that glimmer of light inside him that you get when you know that there are people out there that are wishing you well, that love you and want only the best for you.

Happy Birthday, Daddy.

This one was a bit interesting...

1. How long have you been online? Not today, but in total, how long have you had your computer?
If we're talking about total computers, ever, before the internet, I'd have to say 1985. 19 years? On the internet, since 1993.

2. Do you have many online friends? Have you ever met any in person or spoken to them over the phone?
Do I have many online friends? Are there many grains of sand in the ocean? Yes. Met in person? Yes...and meeting more and more as the years go on. Spoken to them over the phone? Yes again. Love my long distance plan!

3. What are your favorite things to do while online?
Chat, waste time updating this page, go to message boards, check out other people's blogs, see what drama is afoot, read news, find the latest free porn sites, haha, just kidding about that one...um, yeah...so, uh...where was I?

4. List your favorite websites.
There's a couple million links over on the right side you can check out. They would all love to get hits from you. Not physical ones, silly, internet hits!

5. Do you know HTML, Javascripts? Do you create your own webpages and graphics? Do you have any websites?
Yes. Yes. Yes - many, actually, some you don't even know about. Some I don't even know about. Because someone's stealing my bandwidth by using my graphics, but I have no idea WHO.

6. What do you hate about the internet? What annoys you most about it?
It's easy to spread lies and mis-information. It's easy to disguise yourself and pretend to be someone else, or multiple people. it's easy to get other people's personal information. And it's easy to get viruses, too.

As I did with the Grammy Awards (was it the Grammy's? I don't remember), I'll do my blow by blow coverage for you as I watch it with my family...

7:03 - The intro with the Swan spoof was pretty good, especially at the end when Shandling looked into the mirror after recovering from surgery, all black and blue, and said, "I'm beautiful!"

7:11 - In a epilogue to the finale of Sex and the City, Chris Noth asks Sarah to marry him. She either didn't see it coming, or had some weird comedic timing , but her 'No' answer just felt a little uncomfortable and...creepy.

Nice to see David Hyde Pierce win. Then again, glad the show is over so OTHER people can win now.

7:14 - Does Heather Locklear have a deal with the devil to keep her looking as beautiful, fit, and smokin' hot as she did when I was 8 years old?

7:23 - Cynthia Nixon wins. Once again, I'm glad the show is over so there could be 4 more slots in that category.

7:27 - Is it me, or has everyone who's gotten an award so far gotten the orchestra send off? How long do these people have? 10 seconds? Geez!

7:30 - The "Best Writing Comedy Series" shorts were really cute, especially the guy who was writing the things that the women next to him were saying in the park. And if I ever said anything in the past about how Teri Hatcher was starting to look old, wrinkly and dusty, I take it back - right now, she's looking GREAT! Plastic Surgery at it's best!

7:38 - Drea De Matteo wins best supporting actress in a drama! And 5 more people will be watching 'Joey' this week.

7:50 - You know that that the director runs a pretty tight ship when he wins an award, and he cues the music to cut him off, and STILL keeps on talking!

8:05 - That 'skiff boat people against George Washington' thing was funny. Not hilarious. But pretty funny.

8:10 - Elaine Stritch should get an Emmy Award for her acceptance speech. Everyone should be as funny and fiesty as she was. Though I only wish that they DID drag her body off the stage.

8:15 - Nice to see the Athens US Olympians in the audience. The look much better in normal clothes, without those cheesy wreaths on their heads.

8:28 - My weird 'outside/bbq' odor had won over my need to see the show, so I missed a bit while I took a shower. Anyway, just saw John Stewart win. He's a funny guy. But I adore Conan O'Brien, so it sucks that he didn't win. Poop!

8:34 - Every time I hear someone make a homosexual reference in an acceptance speech, thanking their partner or having to do with gay rights, I think, 'Bravo!' Because the more we hear about it, the more I hope people will accept that being gay and being in love ISN'T a bad thing...So to the dude who won for writing Angels in America, I hope you someday get the chance to have him make an honest man of you.

8:50 - Aww....This is just about the coolest thing I've seen on TV lately. The show picked and blindfolded 2 regular people and brought them on stage. Their reactions were AWESOME. The girl just looked out in the crowd, and found Jennifer Aniston and said, 'People say I look like you!' And Jennifer just laughed. And the guy gazed into the audience and said, all teary eyed, 'I am a fan of each and every one of you out there.' Aww...Cue the Kleenex!

9:12 - Please, for the love of God, stop letting Allison Janney win! But I think it was really sweet of her to let her co-nominees come up on stage. And how funny that they both had the same colored dress! Mariska Hargitay looks GREAT outside of those stuffy cop clothes she wears on Law and Order SVU.

9:24 - Nice to see Sarah Jessica Parker to get her award. What a nice speech, including just about everyone in the world. Check another name off of the 'Not gonna win an Emmy for this show next year' list. Too bad Jennifer Aniston didn't win it.

9:27 - Conan O' Brien. There's nothing more for me to say, other than he still OWNS that stage.

9:28 - I think the whole world was hoping that John Ritter would win Best Comedy Actor, but come on, you know who would win this one. And of course, you know what I'm thinking...next year, it's a whole new ball game in this category. But how much do you bet that Matt LeBlanc won't be there?

9:32 - In memoriam - aka - OMG, They Died? Notable names, Captain Kangaroo, Paul Winfield, Jack Paar, Elmer Bernstein (composer), Ronald Reagan, Julia Child, Isabel Sanford, Ray Charles, Mary-Ellis Bunim (Real World Producer), Marlon Brando, Art Carney, and Tony Randall...Is it just me, or are they missing John Ritter? Or did he get his own special presentation while I was in the shower?

9:43 - I told Dave that Meryl Streep won, and that she wins everything that she's nominated for. He then started singing 'Over Rated! Over Rated!' And then she mentioned something about people saying she was overrated. Coincidence? I think not! She was talking to Dave through the airwaves! Creepy, man!

Um, ok, sorry, the show was so boring and uneventful that I didn't pay attention to it.

Next year, I swear, my play by play will be a LOT more interesting, since everyone who's winning this year (and who have won for the last couple gazillion years) will be gone.

As you know, fellow Chicago blogger and incredible soul Aaron passed away a couple weeks ago. There's been such an amazing outpouring on the net for him and his family, that it's even featured in the Sun Times, which ironically is the competition for the Tribune, which had featured The Uppity Negro as a top blog several years ago.

It's amazing and heartwarming the impact he has made on so many lives...

Fans flood Internet with grief at blogger's death - by Lucio Guerrero

"Uppity-negro.com was one of the first blogs I ever read, and probably the very first 'Black blog' I discovered, back when I was still wondering if there were any," wrote John Randolph on his blog, hiphopmusic.com. "Aaron was a pioneer in this corner of blogville that we inhabit, arguably paved the way for this site."

"He represented his views and principles with a passion and a wry humor that we could all strive to emulate. . . . I hope he knew how respected and valued he was by this community that he helped to build, and how many lives he touched with his words."

His voice paved the way for a lot of people to talk about issues, debate about things going on the in the world, and for people not to be afraid to voice their opinions.

Uppity-negro was a place where minority bloggers could turn for support, knowing that Hawkins would link their pages to his to assure more readers, giving everyone someone to read them.

Yeah, I was proud that I was blessed enough to be linked to Aaron's site. because that is the mark that I'm a cool blogger!

As soon as word hit the Net, memorials sprang up. Within days there were dozens of memorials dedicated to Hawkins.

"Aaron was Chicago to me," wrote Carol Logie. "We left for the Twin Cities in '99, and I was so terribly homesick. Then I heard Aaron's voice on an NPR commentary, and it made me so happy to have that quintessential bit of Chicago in my ears. That unmistakable voice, now stilled. I can't believe it. I am profoundly sad at the news of his passing."

Rest in peace, Aaron. Know that you are remembered, and missed.

Well, in the last couple months, especially the last couple weeks, I've lost a lot of coworkers. Some I didn't know that well. Some I was close to. Some I almost felt were like family and I was really sad to see them go. We were hanging out with a new coworker at lunch and telling him the sordid tales of the happenings of life at X-Systems in the past. It got me missing all of my old coworkers. I've been planning on doing this for a while, but finally I've got some time to do it and write out my thoughts and feelings for each of them (the ones I remember, anyway). Some left on their own, some left because of downsizing...Work just isn't the same without them, and I miss them a lot...

First is Amy. She actually left the company when I was still in California. Before she came, I was the only girl in my part of the office. It was nice to have another chick around to talk to and balance out the huge quantity of testostetone that was in my area. Now, it's just back to me and the guys, and I'm just not as close to the other women in the office. Amy was the same age as me, we were interested in the same things, she wasn't a bitchy drama queen (well, most of the time, anyway! :-P) and she's such a great person to hang around with. She has a huge heart and I really hope that one day she realizes how fantastic and beautiful she truly is!

Sammy also left before I came back from Chicago. There were some coworkers I saw as older brother types, others that I felt were like younger siblings. In a weird way, Sammy was kinda my twin. We were the same age and had such a great time being just silly and stupid with one another, and we had formed this weird, wonderful bond. He'd tell me all his fantastic and scandalous stories, which always made me laugh. And there's no one that uses the word "prostitute" as skillfully as he does.

Bryan is probably my oldest friend at the company. He started several months after me, and after a couple years, left the company, then came back a year or so later. I'll miss hearing him sing for no reason, his stories about various bathroom adventures, watching him dance when he was drunk, and just hearing him say, "Duuuuuuuuuuuude!". He's just the coolest guy! We've had many a good drinking moments together, and he still owes me a couple rides to the south side.

Orlando, also known as "Earl" is my huggable guy. I remember once I deemed it "Hug Earl Day" and got all the chicas in the office (and some of the dudes, too) to give him a hug. He was my watch dog. He always took care of me, always made sure I was OK when I was drunk, made sure to come and pick me up if I didn't feel like driving, and I could always make him laugh. But don't count on him to be on time! The day he left work was one of the saddest days at work I remember.

Jerry left the company a couple weeks ago, and I never got to say goodbye. To say that he's one of the coolest, funnest people I know is an understatement. I owe this guy thousands of dollars in jack n cokes for the ones that he never let me pay for. He was always up to go out and have fun, and he was my partner in crime when we played pool. We rocked the house when we played pool! Most of my favorite drunken after work memories involve Jerry! The quality of my in-office porn emails will definitely suffer now.

I'm starting to see a trend here with the drinking and all!

Tim was my sweetheart. Probably my favorite gay salesman from the northwest side ever! But really, he was awesome, and he always made me feel good about myself, and he was fun to just hang around with. Always had a great time at the parties at his house (even the one that I worked as a bartender at) and I'll never forget the trip we had in New York together when we went to a bar and he fell on top of me. Classic!

Fatima is, well, my sister, so I *think* I'll see her again. But I'll miss bugging her at work, our lunches together, walking to the comic book store, singing songs so only she could hear them...

Paul was my father at work. Sure, he didn't like me in the beginning because all I did was surf the net (what?!? No one told me what I had to do, so I had to do SOMETHING with my time!) but in time, we created this great relationship. He was stern with me when he had to be, but most of the time, he was really great to talk to.

Loretta was my girl! We never had deep talks or talked on the phone or anything like that, but when I was around her, I always had a good time. She has such an aura about her, and she's tough as nails, too. If she doesn't like something, you'll hear about it! To me, she was the heart of the company. It's a shame we don't have her anymore.

Abie was my pool playing nemesis. I once lost a bet with him and had to do 20 pushups in the middle of a bar. But was the coolest cat ever to step foot in X-Systems. He has such a great outlook on life and is an incredible artist.

Tina was always fun. Especially when Rina came out to play. But I also miss her at work, because frankly, she made my life a lot easier by doing a lot of the things that I have to do now. She is the awesomest rock chick ever, and because of her, I'm short track junkie, because I wouldn't have had the adventures I had if she hadn't been with me at the start.

Syed and me went to college together, and we know the same people, but we had never met stil he started working at X-Systems. I felt bad that he worked on the *other*, more married side of the office, but I'd always have great conversations with him when I'd venture out that way. Now that I know we know the same people, I'm sure we'll see each other again.

Moises was everyone's little brother, and although he had some whacked out views on some things (like that weird love for Usher and Shaq) he was a good guy, and a hard worker. Making the rest of us work harder so we didn't seem like slackers. He called me a couple times when I was in California to hang out. Sorry for not calling back, dude, you'll learn that I rarely return phone calls. Or emails. I'm lazy!

So yeah, I'm sure I've missed other people, but these are the people who have really stuck out in my mind. Work just isn't the same without them. A lot of these people made this place seem like home, and we were like family and had so many fun, stupid memories together.

So if any of you are reading this (and I KNOW you are!) we're meeting at the Hub next Friday night for some reminiscing and fun. Hope to see you guys there!

Here's a couple pics...I'd have more, but my scanner is still packed in a box somewhere...that, and some of the pictures were never meant to see the light of the internet!

With all the stresses and crazy things going on in my life right now, there's one thing that I can expend all my energy on - my aquarium.

As I had stated before, my new house came with an aquarium, which I had NO idea to take care of. However, after doing some web searches, buying a couple books, and observation at pet stores I've learned how to properly care for my tank.

Now, it's become a slight obsession. I go to the pet store about 3-4 times a week - just to go and look at the other fish (all of which are MUCH smaller than mine), see what aquarium products are out there, to try and figure out what aquarium products I have (it's how I figured out that I have an undergravel filter), what kind of foods my fish will enjoy (I want to give my kids a lot of variety) and to play with the puppies there. I love puppies. Why couldn't they have left a puppy????

But I admit, I'm really started to fall in love with these little guys. I've learned how to not make them hide behind the plants when I come by (they don't like sudden movements), and that they love eating in the afternoon, rather than in the morning. They'll actually come up to the front of the tank and stare me down, as if saying, "Hey Christine...it's time to feed us! What the hell are you waiting for!?!"

I've done several water changes over the last weekends, thanks to the help of my assistants - Fatima, Claudine and Dave. As I got used to it, I was less grossed out by the thought of contaminating myself with the decayed fish crap and decayed food that I was pulling up through my siphon (and also getting all over my arms). I was on a mission to clean that damn tank, and lower those stupid nitrates. As well as get rid of the brown gunky algae that was growing on the tank decorations. I swear, I stress over this tank more than I stress over work.

I've messed up one side of my filter because I didn't notice that I dropped a tube down the tank and since the tank is in a weird place in the basement, I can't reach it. I'm waiting for my dad to build me a custom ladder so I can get in and clean the other side of the tank.

But good thing is, my fish seem happy, more colorful and a lot more lively and playful.

This weekend - I change the filter. Wish me luck.

For now, here's the pics of my fish that I promised!

Anyone up for a chat tonight? I'll be doing some work on my computer (and turning on that webcam finally) and was wondering if anyone wanted to get together for a chat.

If you want an invite, IM me at missyano on AIM.

See ya there!

So X-Inc (my new company) sent out letters to all clients of X-Systems (my old company) telling them about the buyout and all that jazz. I think clients are slowly coming to the realization of what's going on. I've gotten several emails from clients, concerned about what was going on, what the future will be, and if I'm even still at the company. I've talked to a couple of people and reassured them that the sky is not falling and the world will be OK, we're still supporting the old product.

A few of my clients, who I'm pretty close to, have been pretty sweet about this, asking me how I've been doing, if everything is ok, if I needed to talk. It's nice to know that they care, and that they're thinking of me.

The other day, I was doing some consulting from the office, and I had reserved a room for me to work in. But we've had a lot of X-Inc people come into the office for meetings, so unfortunately, their need for a room took precedence.

So, for better lack of a conference room to use, I was told that the president's old office was available.

Ohh.....did I have fun in there!

First of all, the office is great - it's got full windows on two sides. I sat down and did my work, and at times, pretended to be the president. When people came into the room, I barked orders at them and pounded my mouse, and asked them really hard questions that they couldn't answer. It was kinda fun.

Though it kinda weirded me out that he had my home phone # in California AND my current cell phone number on his speed dial. I should have known he didn't dial my number on his own!

Anyway, life is still pretty much the same here...still doing what I did before, just a couple different processes. We're still in the same office, still have the same hours, not too many changes...and any other changes I've had have been pretty good...

More tomorrow!

Crispyfive posted the link to the Mia, so check it out if you haven't seen it. Crispyfive RULES!

http://miahamm.org/ThankYouMia.rm

Even though we've got a new place, there are a few minor things that need to be cleaned, like some dirt stains on the wall. I picked up the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, because it looked really cool in the commercials.

Its this white sponge looking like thing that you run under water, squeeze, then rub on your walls to get out dirt, crayon, grease, etc. I was a little skeptical, but it actually does work. Unfortunately, I've been too busy to really clean with it.

So Claudine, my sister, was over the other day...and we had a conversation:

Claud: Hey, is that a Magic Eraser?
Me: Yeah.
Claud: Cool! Does it work?
Me: Yeah, but I haven't had much time to play with it.
Claud: Oh, that's too bad.
Me: Hey, you wanna try it?
Claud: (excited) Yeah! Can I?
Me: Sure, go ahead!
Claud: How do I use it?
Me: Just run it under water, squeeze it, then rub it on the wall.
Claud: It doesn't stain or anything?
Me: Nope! Go ahead and try it out in the hallway upstairs, the wall is pretty dirty up there.
Claud: Awesome! *grabs Magic Eraser and runs upstairs to clean my walls*

Thank you, Mr. Clean, for making it so easy for me to clean my walls - by having somebody else do it!

Have you ever heard about this book? "Who Moved My Cheese" is basically a parable about how we accept change. There's a good way, and there's a bad way. The bad way is not to accept the change, to keep on doing whatever it was that made you successful before, not matter what the situation presently is, even if you get less than favorable (or no) results. It's a pretty good book, and after reading it I can see how I can fit it into so many aspects of my life that have seen change over the last year - the passing of my mother, moving back and forth from California to Chicago, getting married, moving into a new house, getting eye surgery, etc. All of these life changes force me to make a decision - stay the same way I was before, or move with the change and adapt to my new situation. As much as I change the layout of this page, I'm not really one that's great with change. But to succeed in this world, I must.

How did I get this little gem?

Well, companies usually recommend it to employees when big changes happen - new managers, new partners, and if y ou haven't guessed it through the little hints I've dropped in the last couple weeks - when the company gets sold.

So yeah. X-Systems is now a wholely owned subsidiary of X-Inc. I now work for a new company.

There are a lot of changes going on, and I'll probably go over a lot of those aspects in more detail later. But I gotta tell you, the whole thing went down when so many things were going on in my life - the surgery, buying the house, my crazy month of travel. I wasn't even there for most of the company meetings, so half the time I was getting updated over the phone or through email. I felt a little lost and out of place, and a little left out - like the girl who couldn't go to the party and only hears about it from her friends afterwards.

My professional life right now is a big seesaw right now. There are some good things, and there are some concerns. There really aren't too many bad things - other than the fact that a couple beloved coworkers were downsized - or whatever you would call it when a new company takes over and just can't fit all the new people. Unfortunately, my sister was one of them, but she seems to be handling it pretty well, sleeping til 11 each morning and playing videogames all day.

But with work, I guess I'm just trying to find my place in this new company. Other people had a place that they fit into right away. Me, I'm a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a little bit of that other thing. The job role that I had in the old company is handled by several people in the new company. So where do I fit in? Where are my strengths? Did my seven years of experience at X-Systems prepare me for a chance such as this? Have I been working here so long that I'm stuck in my old ways? Stuck with bad habits? Can I still learn and flourish in an environment that is new to me?

Only time will tell. But as I stated earlier, I have to adapt. The old way doesn't work anymore, so I have to try out new ways, explore new horizons, create new goals, learn new things.

Luckily, this new company that I work for has such a different feel to it. It's so positive, so upbeat - I don't know if I can get used to it. With all the uncertainty that I feel, I also feel a lot of hope - hope that things that I've wanted to change for so long will really change. Hope that I can work in an environment where I feel that all my hard work will be rewarded, that I will learn new things that will make me a better, more organized worker, and that I'll feel a little more certainty when I go out to a client site (if that's even what I'm doing). This is a whole different ballgame!

The people at the new company have been more than nice and welcoming - they're really good people, and they really care about us, which feels pretty good. The company is a much larger company (about 5 times as big as my old company) but when I went to Columbus for orientation, it had a familar feel.

So lately I've been through a spectrum of feelings - uncertainty, anger, fear, sadness, excitement, wonder, hope, content, relief...

Life will be more than a little interesting for the next couple months, believe me!

The radio stations here have been speculating as to what Oprah's big secret is for today's show - from having a superstar guest speaker, to announcing her retirement, to announcing that she was running for political office. Today, it was revealed what that big secret is, and as always, she's surprised us and her in-studio audience.

Oprah Winfrey Gives Cars to Audience

CHICAGO (AP) -- Talk show host Oprah Winfrey celebrated the premiere of her 19th season Monday by surprising each of her 276 audience members with a new car.

"We're calling this our wildest dream season, because this year on the Oprah show, no dream is too wild, no surprise too impossible to pull off," Winfrey said.

Making sure the audience was kept in suspense, Winfrey opened the show by calling 11 audience members onto the stage. She gave each of them a car - a Pontiac G6.

She then had gift boxes distributed to the rest of the audience and said one of the boxes contained keys to a twelfth car. But when the audience members opened the boxes, each had a set of keys.

"Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car! Everybody gets a car!" Winfrey yelled as she jumped up and down on the stage.

The audience members screamed, cried and hugged each other - then followed Winfrey out to the parking lot of her Harpo Studios to see their Pontiacs, all decorated with giant red bows.

One woman stepped up onto the frame of a driver's side door, put her head on the roof and hugged the vehicle.

Winfrey said the audience members were chosen because their friends or family had written to the show about their need for a new car. One woman's young son said she drove a car that "looks like she got into a gunfight"; another couple had almost 400,000 miles on their two vehicles.

In other segments on the show, Winfrey surprised a 20-year-old girl who had spent years in foster care and homeless shelters with a four-year college scholarship, a makeover and $10,000 in clothes. And a family with eight foster children who were going to be kicked out of the house they were renting were given $130,000 to buy and repair the home.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show," which debuted in 1986, is syndicated to 212 domestic markets and 109 countries.

Say what you will, but you know if she ever runs for president, she's got it in the palm of her hand.

You know, I always wondered what happens to someone's blog if they should pass away - Would people know? Would it be necessary for someone to go onto their site and break the news? Would word spread on its own?

There's a difference between wondering something and knowing.

Because now I know. And it's one of those times where I wish I didn't.

You may have seen me mention Aaron's blog before, otherwise known as The Uppity Negro. He passed away last week, and to tell the truth, I didn't really think it would affect me as I thought it would.

I actually heard it through several sources - first, from a mutual friend that we shared. Then, I had read a post on his blog, written by his sister. I cannot even imagine how hard it must have been for her to write that. Then, I got several emails from people telling me about it. Just knowing that I got it all these different ways shows what an impact Aaron made on people.

Though I've never met Aaron in person (or at least I don't remember meeting him) we know mutual people. Since we shared the same passion for so many of the same things - blogging, Xena, Buffy, and comic books, we had gotten along pretty well, sending an email to the other every once in a while discussing breaking news in any of a number of topics.

Although I never commented much on his site, I went there often, and his passion for all the things he wrote about was amazing. He has so many interests and he wrote with such an intensity, it made me want to become more involved with the world, to do more. I marveled at how fantastic this unique soul was that had so much life in his writing. That, and how he was able to write so much and get all his links and research to back his thoughts.

With him gone, I feel a hole in the world. One less passionate person in the world who really made a difference, whose voice people heard and listened to - whether he knew it or not. It's incredible to go to his site right now and see the outpouring of support, all the people sharing memories of him, saying how much they respected and admired him, how much they'll miss him, although most had never met him in person. He touched so many people, I only hope that he at least got a glimpse of the impact that his life had on others.

To Aaron's family, I cannot even fathom what you are going through. Even having a loss in my life, I realize now that saying, "I know what you're going through" really means nothing. Because even though I've lost someone, there is no way I know what you are experiencing. The best I can say is that my prayers are for you, I'm sending positive thoughts, and to be strong.

So to Aaron, I'll miss you. I'll miss your writing. I'll miss random emails about what's going on with the X-Men. The world is a little less controversial, a little more boring, and has one less uppity negro.

You will be missed, my friend.

Just in case you ever wondered where you would fit into the Smurf world....

Here's the Smurf Name Generator

Mine is Odoriferous Smurf. Bastard name generators!

Posting this for no reason, well, maybe for some reasons...if you think this is posted because I'm talking about you, maybe it is, maybe it isn't...maybe it's posted about the *other* side. As you know, I hate taking sides, but I like to dish out my thoughts on things. Or maybe I just posted it because it was sent to me in e-mail by a person who doesn't have a blog (who should have one!)and I thought I'd post it up because I thought it was a pretty good quote...

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt, address at the Sorbonne, Paris, France, April 23, 1910

All in all, I know who I trust in, I know my feelings for others whether good things or bad are said about them, no matter what a fiasco the internet makes of the situation, what dirt or drama either side brings up.

What am I talking about? You don't even want to know!!!

Haven't done a Photo Friday in a while! This week's topic is one that I have many pictures of, so it was hard to choose one...but I did.

Photo Friday: Blossom

Ribbon Flower - Vancouver, BC: May 2002

I have no idea what this flower is really called, but it looks like a ribbon, right?

Today was a pretty exhausting day at work. Most of the time when I'm working (when I'm in the office), I'm either helping tech support, working on client followups from my consulting gigs, or testing stuff out.

Today it was meetings meetings meetings! I actually had to dress up today because we had a presentation to do for a client. I hate dressing up for work! Here was my schedule today:

9 - 9:45am - Conference call to discuss globalization of software for a client. The CIO we were talking with was French. He was talking about the agenda and mentioned that "final shares" would be discussed at the end. I had no idea what he was talking about and had a mini panic. What the hell are final shares? Then later, he mentioned it several times. The last time I actually caught was he was saying. It wasn't "final shares"...it was "financials"!

10 - 12pm - Conference call to discuss installing the latest version of our product at another client site. A one day gig turned into what could be a 3 day gig.

11 - 12;30pm (yes, they overlap) - Group meeting to discuss new partnership. I hate being in a group meeting with slides, viewing it over the internet and being on the phone. My attention span because one of a small, frisky dog. Which means ZERO.

1 - 3pm - Going over to a client site and doing a presentation/Q&A about one of our products. There were several directors here, and it was a tough crowd to play to - especially considering that of the three of us that went, none of us were sales people. This meeting was actually a makeup meeting for one that was missed last week by someone who no longer works for the company and totally SCREWED us over by not telling us that all these deals were going down. Not cool!

4pm - Back to the office, conference call with a client that has been having a lot of problems lately. It's really wearing on me! It's pretty hard when you want to help people with their problems but there are so many you don't know where to start...

So yeah...a pretty busy and exhausting day for me.

And I bid you goodnight!

In today's Chicago Tribune...

$50 ticket is rude awakening for CTA rider Published September 9, 2004

Chicago resident Guarav Bhatia, 25, is a man of science, a chemical engineer working on his second master's degree at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Scientists are logical people. So he's puzzled about what happened to him on the CTA the other day.

"I've got a problem," he told me on Wednesday. "I'm accused of breaking the law."

Did you dare munch a jelly doughnut on a CTA train? I mentioned this because the CTA rents space to doughnut shops, but prohibits the munching of doughnuts by commuters.

"No, I'm accused of sleeping," Bhatia said. "And now I'm going to have to go to court!"

The politicians who market public transportation keep insisting that taking the train is much more relaxing than grinding it out bumper-to-bumper on the expressways. And scientists confirm that sleep is relaxing, too.

But we checked and, indeed, Mr. Bhatia has been charged with sleeping. He has a court date Oct. 1. I promised I'd pay his fine if he fights it and loses, as long as it's not too much money and I get at least two columns out of it.

"I accept," Bhatia said. "I'd fight it anyway. It's not the money. It is against my principles to accept this blame."

You mean you won't accept my money to pay the fine if you lose? I asked this trying to weasel out of my commitment, since he was going to fight it anyway. But he's no fool.

"No, I'll accept yours. I mean that the fine isn't important, whether you pay or I pay. It is the principle of the thing," he said, his voice rising, the sleeper in him awakening to freedom.

"I tell you they're not going to put the blame on me!" he declared.

Bhatia, born in India, came to this country for his post-graduate work in August 2001. He lives at the IIT campus and works at a chemical plant in Bedford Park. He says he has never been in trouble with the law.

"I don't have a car, so every day, from IIT to work, I take the bus and trains, the CTA," he said, adding that he takes two trains and one bus to work.

"My work starts at 8 a.m., so I leave my house at 7. And I usually sleep on the train, you know? A lot of people sleep on the train. I mean, I don't put my feet up or lie down. I just sit there, and I just sometimes fall asleep because there's nothing to do, you know?"

"So the other day, I was coming to Midway and I fell asleep on the train. I was tired. The night before, I was with my parents, who were here to visit. I was showing them around, and it was a bit late, so I was a bit sleepy the next morning."

"As Midway approached, people started getting down, but I didn't realize it. So the police cop came in," he said.

"He doesn't have to shake me up or something. My body is programmed. Every day I take the same train, so my eyes just open up at the same time. He asked me, `Do you know where you are?' I said, `Yeah, this is Midway Airport. I need to go or I'll miss my bus.'"

The police officer decided it would be best if Bhatia missed his bus. The officer started asking questions. Then he asked for Bhatia's identification.

"And then he gave me a ticket for sleeping on the train--a fine for $50, which is ridiculous!" Bhatia said. "What do you mean? You can't sleep on the train? There are so many people sleeping on it every day. I wasn't like homeless people. I was just going to work. I paid my fare. I was just sitting there. How can you give me a ticket? Now I have to go to court for the hearing. If I'm working, I have to take a day off.

"I told my friends, and they all started laughing! How can you give someone a ticket for sleeping on the train?"

Bhatia said the officer was friendly and polite in warning him about criminals. The cop said Bhatia could have had his wallet lifted by a pickpocket as he dozed.

Logically, then, by having saved him from a robbery, the city kindly decided to lift 50 bucks from Bhatia's wallet, legally.

We talked to the CTA about this, and spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler couldn't explain why the cop gave Bhatia the ticket. She said that napping "is one of the advantages to taking public transit instead of driving."

But later, she did find a strange CTA rule "that was written with the intent of protecting customers. It includes activities like passing between rail cars, smoking, indecent exposure," she said.

Sleeping or dozing "where such activity may be hazardous to such persons or others, or where such activity may interfere with the operation of the CTA" is illegal, she said.

Relax on the train, but don't sleep. Purchase a jelly doughnut, but don't eat it. Bhatia, with advanced degrees, is pursuing a doctorate. But when it comes to understanding the Chicago science of bureaucratic logic, the poor guy is still in kindergarten.

jskass@tribune.com

What the hell!?!?! The chance to sleep is one of the luxuries of taking the bus - especially since my commute is about 35-40 minutes. Half the people on the train are sleeping. How is giving someone a ticket beneficial to them? If you're silly enough to take a nap and not protect your wallet, that's your own fault, not the CTA.

Friggin' crazy!!!

I've become a G-Mail inviting whore.

Anyway, this weeks game is this:

Guess what number I'm thinking of - between 1-100.

Closest 3 by midnight tomorrow get a gmail invite.

Gatorade continues to make kick ass commercials. In the best ad of theirs since the 23 vs 45 commercial a couple years back, Gatorade pays special tribute to the woman who made it cool for girls to play sports - Mia Hamm.

Have you seen the commercial? You may not have noticed it. It doesn't have a lot of special effects. There aren't any really cool sports sequences with athletes pouring day-glo liquid on themselves. There aren't bright lights and loud, catchy music. No dance sequences.

It's just a couple people saying thank you to a special woman in their lives. An older couple thanks her for being a great daughter. A young girl says thank you for being a role model, for her, and her dad (and the camera then focuses on Michael Jordan). Billie Jean King thanks her for picking up the torch. Nomar Garciaparra just says, "Thanks Beautiful..."

All for Mia Hamm.

Check out the article here.

"Mia has always embodied everything an athlete should be," said Brandi Chastain, who was Hamm's teammate for both Women's World Cup Titles and a member of the Athens' team. "Her combination of outstanding talent, leadership and dedication to excellence has set the bar for all other athletes, and her absence from professional sports will be a significant one. I was honored to be asked to be a part of this commercial and to have a chance to publicly thank Mia for the impact she's had on my life and career."

Sometimes the best things are the ones that aren't flashy and hyped up. Kinda like Mia.

So thank you, Mia Hamm, for a great reason to make a great commercial.

So keep your eye out for it. If anyone's got a link for it, I would be grateful!

1) My Digital Camera
2) My Wedding Pictures
3) My stash of backup CD's from my computer (files, pictures, etc)
4) My wedding ring
5) My comfy Gap track pants (they don't make 'em anymore and I live in those things)
6) My box of pictures from highschool and college
7) Comics. After thinking about this, I just may lock 'em up (the good ones, anyway) in a fireproof box.
8) My sketchbook with art collected of the last 5 years
9) My memory box (has cards, ticket stubs, letters, etc)
10) My wedding dress

Next Week: 10 Favorite Computer Programs/Games

I'm running out of ideas! Got a good 10 on Tuesday? Mail me your suggestions at missyano[at]aol[dot]com.

...to my family is coming.

And no. I'm not pregnant.

But sometime in the future, give or take 2 years, I'm going to have a new brother. In-Law.

Stolen from Dan's site

Yes, Redpac, internationally known for being one of the original 'Countdown to Legality' sites, is going to marry into my family. I also work with him, and take some pride (or blame, if you will :-P) that I was the one that introduced them. Which is weird, when the guy that you're working with is also dating (now engaged) to your sister.

It's been a week, but I wanted her to break the news to her people before letting it out on the internet. But I think a week is enough time for her to proclaim it from the mountaintops!

I'll save you the details, because really, it isn't my story to tell. But I'll tell you how I found out.

Dan had planned a trip to Cedar Point, OH for him and Claudine. Of course, that's what she thought. And it's what I thought too. So I was sitting at lunch with a couple coworkers, and my coworker Tyson had asked me how Claudine was doing. I said that she was doing good, and that she was on vacation with Dan at Cedar Point. Then he said, "Wow, so is Dan going to propose to her there?" I looked at him and said, "Um, no. That's probably not going to happen for a while."

Then my other coworker, Tony, who suddenly got silent and a little nervous looking, said, "Yeah, why would Dan do that at Cedar Point? He's afraid to get married! He's not ready yet! They just went to Cedar Point for a vacation."

You know how to tell when someone is lying or covering something up? When they over-explain something. They come up with excuses or explanations for something even when it hasn't been questioned and it isn't necessary.

So I knew that something was up. I made a couple other comments and let the idea brew in my head for awhile, then finally blurted out, "So Dan is proposing to Claudine this week, huh?" Which brough panic to their eyes. Of course, not Tyson, who had no knowledge of anything and had asked his question innocently. And Tony tried talking around it. And I said, "Tell me the truth! I want to know!"

So they spilled the beans to me. Instead of going to Cedar Point, Dan had bought tickets to Las Vegas, and was going to propose to her there. Somewhere. Somehow. But in Las Vegas.

So yeah. Now they're engaged, and Claudine is as happy as a clam. (are clams really happy? How do we know?) She can stop fretting about being an old maid forever and stop fretting over when Dan was going to propose. I can stop telling her to quit freaking Dan out with talks of wedding invitations and how big their wedding is going to be, because when she does that now, she'll actually be talking about a REAL wedding.

Dan & Claudine (stolen from Melanie)

So congrats to you two crazy kids. Can't wait for Claudine to start calling me with her craziness as she starts planning for the wedding!

The first time I went to Bed Bath and Beyond, I thought to myself, "Man, when I get a house, I'm gonna tear this place UP! My house will have every single thingamajig and doodad in this joint!"

And today, I had my chance.

But it wasn't as fun as I had hoped it would be, considering that we really don't have that much money after buying the bedroom set, living room set, kitchen set and TV. I could only really buy necessities (and yes, I call the $3.99 mini back massager a necessity!) for the house. And we didn't even leave with the things that we had intended to buy - a comforter set for our bedroom, curtains and shower curtains.

This home decorating thing isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Especially since me and Dave have such different tastes. Luckily, I'm pretty open to compromise. At this point, I just want to get stuff in my house. I don't care what it looks like.

OK, I care a little.

Anyway, when I get a chance (maybe tomorrow) I'll take more pics of the place so you can see it with furniture and junk like that.

Haven't cleaned the fish tank yet. Poor guys. Didn't realize that fish tank cleaning (of the 55 gallon kind) is really a two person deal, since the hose doesn't reach all the way to the floor and I need someone to hold the bucket. But I really have to clean it out soon. I can't go on waking up every morning, running downstairs, expecting to see one of the fish floating at the top, dead, with the others staring at me, accusing me with their little fishie eyes, crying, "You did this to him, you bastard! What did he ever do to you!!??!?!"

I'm starting to develop a complex here.

Haven't done this one in a while...

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Reporter:: News
2. Mythology:: Greek
3. Wimbledon:: Tennis
4. Civilization:: Birth
5. Punctuation:: Mark
6. Party Games:: Play
7. Flawless:: Perfect
8. Unprecedented:: New
9. Curry:: Tim
10. Tropical:: Punch

As you may have remember me mentioning when I talked about my new home, we were left with an aquarium downstairs. Four fish - Fugly, Pucker, Lindsay and Frank, who were named by Marlon, Fatima, Marilyn and Claudine. For a while I had no idea what two of them were - they were big, flat silver fish. Later, Dave's cousin Vinnie, who now is my cousin Vinnie (*giggles*) told me they were silver dollars. The other two I thought were goldfish. But after going to the pet store and seeing others fish like it in a tank saying 'Parrot Fish', I'm not too sure anymore. But I went online, and looked up the care of parrot fish, and no, my two fish are NOT parrot fish. After many trips to the Long Beach aquarium, I remembered what parrot fish look like.

I've always loved pets, but have never been great at taking care of them. That's what sisters are for. So now, I've noticed that there's a weird brown growth on some of the artificial plants in the tank. After some online searching, I've discovered that this is brown algae, flourishing because I haven't cleaned out some of the water - something I'm supposed to do every 2 weeks or so. Damn, isn't that what a filter is for? I guess not. I'm pretty clueless with this aquarium stuff.

After a little research (I'm really good at research) I went out and bought some water testing strips to check out the nitrate, nitrite, ph and hard water levels in my tank (there's an all in one strip - isn't that neat?) and I discovered that my poor fishies' nitrate levels are at the max level for nitrates. Which is caused by poor water levels and too much waste. Eew. Conditions which make it like Disneyland for algae.

So today is my day off, my day alone (Dave is on call). I've bought some books, a siphon, gravel cleaner, and some other things which will aid me in my quest to save my fishes' lives. It won't be easy, mind you. The fish tank is built into the wall, so it makes it pretty difficult to maneuver in the secret room behind the tank, which is where I must go to do my dirty work. I'm worried that I might freak out the poor little guys, but you gotta do what you gotta do to save lives!

Wish me luck!

That was the question that I was asked yesterday by someone I work with.

I could have lied and said that I loved it, but really, I don't. So I told the truth, 'As cool as it seems, I'd really rather be at home.'

Of course, this question was asked in the fourth week of a very busy traveling month for me. Not only busy for work, but other aspects of my life. It's been more than a little draining.

But I know that traveling is part of my job. And true, I do enjoy some aspects of it - going to different places (that I never get to see because I'm working during the day) and meeting different kinds of people, working for different companies, trying out different kinds of cuisine (sweet tea in the south!) and getting to visit friends who live in other parts of the country. I know there are people who have never stepped foot on an airplane before, and I'm grateful that I have had chances to explore my country - I can actually say that I've been to 45 of the 50 states AND Puerto Rico.

I realized, however, that I know what my limits are. I'm ok when I travel two weeks in a row, or every other week. But once I get a string of traveling together for more than 2 weeks, especially in different time zones, that makes for a very cranky and bitchy Christine. I don't sleep well, I start hating my job, and I'm just a ball of complaints.

Fortunately, next week is a week off. I'll actually get to go home at night and lounge in front of my TV (which now can get HDTV) and watch....HBO! Yes! After more than a decade of not having it, I once again have HBO. Six Feet Under, here I come!

This just in...

Bill Clinton to Undergo Bypass Surgery

No matter what happened, I think he was still one of our greatest presidents...

You are about to read an epic adventure. A fascinating story spanning hundreds of years (ok fine, a month) full of action, intrigue, romance, espionage and comedy. Maybe not romance. But a lot of intrigue. I think. Nonetheless, it is one woman's journey through life fighting blindness...and where she is today. And trust me, you'll be bored out of your mind. But my flight is delayed so I've got some time to kill.

It all started a little more than a month ago, when my doctor told me that my retina was detached from my eye and instructed me to get surgery on it ASAP. Everything happened pretty fast, as you may remember from last months posts. I was scheduled for surgery the day after they discovered the detachment.

I was all for getting the surgery. Vision is one of my 5 favorite senses. But then I was told of what the recovery would be like - months of double vision, blurriness in the left eye, bleeding, oozing, eye drops, and no contacts for 3 months. Oh, wait ONE moment - no CONTACTS for 3 months? Are you kidding me? Bloody tears I can handle. Double vision, blurriness, yeah, that's fine, but are you saying that I have to go out in public in MY GLASSES?!?!?! NO!!!!!!! *she screams to the sky as the camera pans away*

I hate my glasses. If any of you knew me before 1990, you would know why. I've been wearing glasses since I was in second grade, and my eyes have been gradually getting worse. In fourth grade, the ophthalmologist decided to give me hard contact lenses to prevent my eye from elongating any more. I was, of course, an irresponsible 10 year old and was back on glasses after a year or so. I was pretty much blind without them.

Of course, I tried to get cool glasses. But considering that back then I had as much fashion sense as I have now, they were pretty tacky. The frames were half as big as my face, and I thought it would be COOL to get them tinted purple and pink. Not the frames, mind you. The lenses. And since the glasses were so big and heavy, and there is no bridge on my nose, those things fell down all the time. My nostrils, after a while, got squooshed and misshapen since my glasses were crushing down on them all the time. I was forever pushing them up with my index finger, so much so that when I finally got contacts when I was 16 I was still pushing up my phantom glasses that weren't there for a year or so.

I've mentioned this before, but I was the biggest nerd in grade school and high school. (and I can hear some of you saying "Um, you're a nerd now!" Shut up!) Horrible skin, bad posture, honor classes, huge glasses, bad social skills, all I needed to complete the set was a pocket protector and braces (which came later). But once I got my contacts, a kind of transformation happened. I don't know if it was the contacts or if it was because my skin cleared up or that I learned that smiling with my teeth wasn't a bad thing. But something changed when I was 16. I became......almost cool. Yeah. Almost. Boys started noticing me. I had a social life. I became more outgoing.

And truthfully, I attributed it to getting contacts.

After that, the glasses were kept hidden, only to come out late at night when I would take out my contacts.

The trick worked pretty well for a while.

Then I went to college, where, inevitably people found out my secret. Late night studying/partying sessions at my apartment would make my eyes tired and I'd switch to Clark Kent mode. And of course, some people laughed. But hey, my glasses WERE funny. One good joke was that instead of bottle caps, I had milk gallons (complete with holding a gallon of milk next to their eyes.) It was all in good fun, but it didn't matter, the next morning the contacts were back on.

Truthfully, I can't really remember the last time I went out in public with my glasses on (before surgery). I haven't gotten new glasses since 1997 or so. Yes. 7 years. I'm bad. Bad Christine! Bad! So when I was told that I wouldn't be able to wear contacts for 2-3 months, I kinda panicked. I didn't want to go out in public with my glasses, especially the old wire ones that I had. I look like a dork. They don't fit right. And yes, I'm vain. And there were so many things coming up in the weeks after the surgery - the comic convention, trips for work, parties, etc. I didn't want to revert back to that nerdy girl that I was in high school.

So after I started work after my surgery, I went to go and get new glasses (I was holed up in the house while I recovered, so I didn't give a rats ass who saw me then with my nerdy glasses). If I've got to wear glasses, at least I'll get a pair that looks good and that has been manufactured since the beginning of the millennium. So I went to my local Pearl vision, brought my optometrist's prescription, and had Fatima pick out a pair of glasses for me, since I couldn't see. That, and I leave all major wardrobe decisions to my sisters. They said it would be done within the week - only one week for me to wear super-dork glasses.

Two days later, I was antsy, and called. They said they were just about to call me and tell me my glasses were finished! I ran over to the store (it's a couple buildings away from where I work) and got my new glasses. I put them on and the optometrist passing by said they looked great on me. Truthfully, when I put them on, I got this weird feeling like something wasn't right. Everything looked ok, but something was out of place - something was wrong. Usually when you get new glasses, you get this moment of clarity, thinking to yourself "How did I survive in the world seeing with the bad eyes I had before? The world is so clear and beautiful now!" My thought when I got my glasses was, "Uh...huh?"

I walked out of the store and went back to work, all the while feeling like I was Alice in Wonderland. I could see things, but they seemed distorted, though I couldn't describe how. I sat at my computer and started to work, but somehow my head was starting to hurt and it became hard for me to focus on the screen. I was feeling a little nauseous, too. I switched back to my old glasses, and the world was fine again. Switched to the new ones and it was back through the looking glass. Something was wrong.

Walked back to Pearl and asked them to compare my glasses. They called in the optometrist, who was on the phone outside. He came in, and said, "I'm ready to save some lives, just tell me what I need to do." Which was pretty funny. He compared the glasses, and came back. He was about to tell me what the verdict was when he looked at me and said, "What happened to your eye!?!?" After I told him about the detachment he got really excited and asked me to move my eye around. You know he was this close to dilating the thing and taking a look inside. Anyway, he said that the axis of my new glasses was rotated ninety degrees, which would probably make me a little dizzy and nauseous. There was no way I could wear those glasses. They would have to take them to get redone.

I explained my horrible traveling schedule, and they said they could possible get it by the next week. However, as time went on, they discovered that they needed to get a new prescription from my optometrist, since it was written wrong on the prescription - their little eye doctor secret code of ethics prevents them from overriding someone else's prescription.

Which started a month long battle between me, Pearl and my eye doctor. Everyone was blaming someone else, people had to send my glasses around, people needed an OK to ship the glasses, the glasses had to be shipped to a secret lab in the heart of Antarctica to be cut, blah blah blah.

So yeah. To make a long story short (too late for that. If you made it this far, it's either because this is a really great story or that you have WAY too much time on your hands) I got my new glasses today.

My whole plan about ditching my dorky glasses and getting new ones for my busy month is out the window. The dorky glasses ruled in the month of August.

But yeah, the new glasses look good, I guess, though really different. I'm almost wondering if I prefer the old, dorky glasses. Then again, I dyed my hair burgundy, too, so my hair is a lot darker, too. These new glasses make me look extremely Asian, if there is such a look. You'll have to wait for pictures, though, since I'm out of town and I forgot my USB cable at home. I really didn't have much time to look at myself in the mirror today. Maybe tomorrow.

Went to the eye doctor today for a post op checkup. He said that things are looking great, that the detachment is about 99% healed, though there is still probably some fluid caught in there, which could take several months to clear up. But it's good to know that because I've been seeing flashing lights again, but it's because of the fliud. Whew! Unfortunately, it'll still be about 2 more months til I can wear contacts.

Hmph. Well, we'll see how these cool hip glasses do. Who knows, I might miss the dorky big glasses and bring them back for a comeback tour!

Just when I thought it was safe to sit down and take a break, I'm on a quick trip to Columbus for work!

Ahh...gotta love work! At least it's an easy job. I'll be back tomorrow.

I have another G-Mail invite to give away. This time I'll make you work for it.

Whoever posts the funniest joke by Thursday night gets themselves a brand new GMail accoung!

Make me laugh, clown!