The office

It's been awhile since I've commented on the office. Since I've had some time off, I've decided to drop in and see how things are going. It is 9:15a.m. and the joint is jumpin'!

There was a line out the door a few minutes ago. Lots of people off from work today and walking in wearing their exercise/running attire.

I really meant to go running this morning but I think I had one too many glasses of wine last night at a b'day party. You see...

On Monday I ran into someone that I had not seen or talked to in awhile. Brian D. is one of those people that I can't remember how or when we met and our paths always cross at weird points. And we always pick up where we last left off. So I ran into him at Texas Art Supply on Monday and he invited me over last night for his b'day party.

I figured I'd have a cocktail and leave. Well, 2 hours later I was saying good-bye to all of my new best friends (for the evening). It was a fun evening. The guests were his neighbors (and me) and that is one fun neighborhood! Hence, I slept in a bit later today than I had planned.

Check for another change tomorrow to the blog.

Coincidence

Yesterday I ran into someone that I had not seen in awhile. When he saw me he had an odd look on his face and he said, "I was JUST thinking about you and was wondering how you were doing."

I said, "I guess that might fall into the category of Be Careful What You Wish For Because You Might Just Get It!"

Then this morning something even more odd occurred.

I was sitting at the office reading the paper. I had JUST finished reading an article and someone who is quasi-high profile was quoted several times in the article. JUST as I set down the paper he walked in. Honestly. Within 2 seconds.

Now here's the rest of the story.

This is the person who bailed out of a job interview with me (the position reported to him and one other person) and someone else got the job and I know that if he had participated in the interview he would have been thoroughly impressed but it didn't happen.

I sat there with the paper open to the article and sure enough he walked past me, paused and went and found a copy of the paper on another table. Then he sits down next to me and starts to read it.

This is all happening in a matter of minutes and I debated about turning to him and saying, "Hello ______. We've never met but we had the opportunity a month ago when I showed up for a job interview and you left the office before I got there. We also had the opportunity to work together but I guess that isn't going to happen. Would you please remove the lid off of your tall Pike so that I can spit in your coffee?"

I chose not to talk to him. I figured he was probably going to have a bad day anyway and get slammed with some angry emails when he got to the office based upon the contents of the article in the newspaper.

And yes, I should build a bridge and get over it.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 6.2

This is an enhanced version of T 'n T for Sunday November 25, 2007.

Pay It Forward

On Tuesday night, when I left for Reef and then Cyclone Anaya's, I took my little notebook with me because it had some phone numbers in there that I might need. In that notebook were notes from various meetings as well as all of my physical activities and a grocery list. You get the picture.

So I get to Ft. Worth and I can't find the notebook that I thought was in The Cal Mobile. And of course one of the phone numbers that I needed while I was in Ft. Worth was in there! UGH.

I get back to Houston and look all over The Cal Mobile again. No sign of it. I look in some bags from Target (from Tuesday); not there. UGH! Yesterday I even said a prayer to St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost causes.

So this morning I get a phone call from Elaine. Elaine was one of the ladies who worked at Tropical Depression #46. I haven't talked to Elaine in about a month so I'm thinking, "How nice to hear from her."

Sidebar: If you live in Houston and if you ever need dependable help at a party, hire Elaine.

So Elaine starts to ask me if I've lost a notebook and I tell her that I'm going nuts trying to find it. She got a phone call from a guy named Tony who found her phone number in there and note about September 15 (which happened to be the day of Tropical Depression #46). He called her on Wednesday but until today she couldn't remember where she was on on September 15 and then it clicked.

So after a nice chat with Elaine (BTW...she is also looking for a job. She has experience with medical records and she also has cared for people who are home bound.) I call Tony. I introduce myself and mention Elaine's name and then it clicks with him who I am.

He said he was on his way to work on Wednesday and saw a notebook in the street on Brazos. He thought it might be important so he went back around and picked it up.

I'm going to get it from him in a few days.

So, a gold star to Tony and a gold star to Elaine. It is a nice reminder that there are some good people in this world. And I hope that one day, someone does them a big favor too.

I've commented on here about paying it forward. And it goes with that saying that I will misquote and I can't remember who said it, "The good that you do is the good that you will receive in return."

Grande Sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte non-fat with no whip and with an extra pump and an extra shot

That's my new other favorite drink at the office these days.

It is actually much better if you don't do sugar-free and if you do whole milk and whipped cream.

Anywho. This morning I'm at the office at my big desk reading the paper, just minding my own business and a lady walks up to the table and lets out a scream of glee. Scared the sh_t outta me. Wait it gets better.

It's not me that she is happy to see. It is someone behind me. OK. That's cool BUT she throws her purse down on the other chair at my desk, puts her coffee down RIGHT in front of me, and lays down some sort of a plastic bag on MY NEWSPAPER and walks off!

Never acknowledges that I'm sitting there. She doesn't ask if she can lay claim to my big desk. She just does it.

Eventually she comes back to gather her belongings which I have rearranged, except for the purse, and still doesn't acknowledge me.

If it hadn't have been for the phone call from Elaine which happened after this incident at the office, I'd probably still be seething over it.

Oh. So on my way out of the office, I accidentally kicked her table. LOL I swear it was an accident!

Nanook Of The North

What are the chances of me hearing that name twice within less of 24 hours? LOL

So yesterday while I was working on cards, Unzipped comes on. I've seen this frockumentary umpteen times. I could watch it another umpteen times. Every time I watch it I still get excited when Isaac shows his collection.

In the movie he refers to Nanook Of The North for his inspiration. OK. So that was yesterday afternoon.
This morning as I'm leaving LeFittes I run into Cruise Director Tom. (Haven't seen him in awhile and he always makes me laugh because he usually has some good gossip about something.) We comment about the cold to the bone wet weather and he looks at the sweater I'm wearing and says, "You're all bundled up like Nanook Of The North." Go figure.

I've never watched the movie so I guess now it is time to do so.

Post-Thanksgiving/Holiday Party

So this afternoon I made my way up the road to the annual party given by Scott & Micheal and Steven & Grant. Can't remember why but last year I didn't attend.

A fun time was had by all. Many familiar faces and as always some new faces. Great conversation and many laughs. Embellishments to events and stories at the drop of a hat. For instance, I am now adding Hapsburg (EDIT: the correct spelling is Habsburg) to my name. Sort of a long story so just use your imagination.

I could have stayed another hour chatting and drinking but I left to go to the 500p Mass at St. Anne's because I thought it was the first Sunday of Advent only to find out it was the Feast of Christ The King which is the last Sunday of the year.

So I'm home now. The Calvinator has been walked and we're waiting for The Amazing Race!

World AIDS Day Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

International Beefcake

Remember when French President Nicolas Sarkozy went Whitney Houston on the paparazzi because they were taking pictures of him on his vacation? Well…the latest is that he was shirtless and he didn’t want his poignees d’amour showing up in print…and they did.

Sarkozy showing his love handles.

However, in the most recent publication of the photos the poignees d’amour have disappeared. Paris-Match said it retouched the photos because “the position of the boat exaggerated this protuberance…In lightening the shadows, the correction was exaggerated.”

So what is it with Heads of State doing the whole beefcake thing? First Sarkozy and then Putin? W…if you’re reading this…keep your shirt on, OK?

Putin showing his pecs while fishing.

And speaking of poignees d’amour, I’m not helping my cause any. Yesterday at the office, there was a new item in the snack machine: Triple Berry Cobbler Muffins. Prior to going to the office, I did a 4 mile run at Memorial Park so I figure I already had a credit balance on my calorie intake for the day. However, despite the pressure from Chris to purchase a muffin I only ordered my Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Latte, got my newspaper and sat on the terrace. It’s funny. I was sitting outside and I could hear those muffins calling my name.

I went back inside and ordered one (remember I have a credit balance on calorie intake) and I must tell you that is one helluva muffin! So much so, that this morning I ordered another one. I figure I need to eat up today because I’ll do six or seven miles of running tomorrow morning and you can’t run on an empty tank. (Do you understand my logic?)

Plus, I know I burned more calories yesterday walking The Calvinator AND I went to LeFittes and did weights. And just in case you’re wondering, here’s the breakdown on the Triple Berry Cobbler Muffin: 420 calories; 160 calories from fat; total fat 18g; saturated fat 8g; trans fat 0g; cholesterol 70mg; sodium 310mg; total carbohydrates 60g; dietary fiber 2g; sugar 31g; protein 6g; Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 15%; Calcium 4%; Iron 10%.

This is a picture of the Triple Berry Cobbler Muffin and Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla Non-fat Latte on my desk at the office.

And speaking of Heads of State (well sort of), Danny in the SFO was rubbing elbows the other night with Gavin Newsom. OK…Gavin could take his shirt off and no one would probably raise a ruckus.

Gavin & Danny (photo: Bill Wilson)

The Sky Is Falling

So the first part of today did not go as planned. Here was the plan:

1. Get up early and do a 5 mile run

2. Shower and clean up

3. Take The Calvinator to doggy daycare

4. Go to the office and read the newspaper

5. Head west on I-10 to suburbia to check out a store for my paper supply

6. Meander back inside the loop (ITL) and have lunch

Here's how it played out:

At 3:57A CDT, I was awakened by loud claps of thunder, lightning and rain. I wasn't sure how long the storm was going to last but I knew it was going to prevent me from getting out to the park by 500A. I guess at some point I turned off the alarm.

I got out of bed around 530A or so and it had stopped raining. Anthony Yanez at your education station informed me that the tropical disturbance is now Tropical Storm Erin. Erin will make landfall on Thursday between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Galveston-Houston will be getting rain and storms. This morning was just a preview.

OK. Not to sound like Chicken Little but Tropical Storm Dean will probably make its way into the Gulf and not dog leg and go north. This storm will probably be a hurricane in a few days. UGH.

Satellite image from this morning. TS Erin is on the left and TS Dean is on the right (east of the Lesser Antilles.)

We went for our walk and while we were walking I started the debate in my head about running today. So I decided to take The Calvinator to doggy daycare and then go running.

OY! It was a 3 mile three sweater run. The park was wet (duh!) and the sun was peaking through so the temp was rising along with the humidity level. It honestly felt like I was wearing three sweaters and pallet of bricks.

I cleaned up and went to the office. By now I'm thinking that the traffic in suburbia should be OK so I did a quick read of the newspaper and headed west.

On my way to the store, I saw a mega-Garden Ridge so I stopped in and boy did I get thrown for a loop! The first thing that greeted me was rows and rows of Christmas trees and decorations. I'm sorry but mind isn't even thinking about Labor Day and I see Christmas trees. It honestly started to make me dizzy. So I left. On the way out I did see Halloween decorations.
To make myself feel better I went to Panera. I was still a bit overwhelmed by the Christmas trees so I ordered a Frozen Green Tea (with whipped cream)...Largo. I figured Largo went with Large Asso. Just put the whipped cream on both of my thighs. I took two Asiago bagels with me for future meals.




I made it to Archivers. The entire time I was on this trek I kept humming Suburbia by Pet Shop Boys. I'm not being critical but I will say that I didn't fit in with most of the people in 281 that I saw today. As Sugar Land Stuart has repeatedly told me, I'm too urban. (I take that as a compliment.)

At this point I wasn't sure what traffic was going to be like heading back ITL. I really wanted to go to Kohls 'cause I've never been to one but I didn't want to chance the traffic with all of the construction on I-10.

Made it back ITL and got to St. Anne's in time for the 12:00P Mass. The church was full which really surprised me. For the non-Catholic readers, today is a Holy Day of Obligation. This means we are obliged to attend Mass and celebrate The Feast of the Assumption.

from Catholic Encyclopedia:
This feast has a double object: (1) the happy departure of Mary from this life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin.

Other than some web surfing, I don't have much else planned for the day. I was at LeFittes yesterday to do weights so I won't be going there this evening.

The Office

Things have been a bit quiet at the office so I thought I would give you an update about a couple of things that have happened.

I'm not sure what they put in the Kool-Aid at the office but it makes people want to come back and stay. Surfer Dude/former volleyball player, The Judge, Loud Lady and her man, the cops, the conservative white man group...they're all still there Sunday - Saturday. However, we have a new cult member...uh I mean a new employee at the office. His name is Mr. Porsche.

It all started very innocently. He'd come in on an erratic basis but he wouldn't stay. Then he started staying. Then he started coming in on a regular basis and staying. He has now progressed to not only being there Monday-Friday but now he also works on the weekends. I just love it when we get a new employee! Yes, we still have some temporary employees and of course the ones who just run in and out but it is always nice when we get a full-time employee. I even let him use my desk one day. :-)

So this morning was a bit odd. After I did a 3 mile run with RunnerOne, I went directly to the office. Normally I shower and clean up because I always want to look good when I am at the office. Plus they keep it so cold in there it can be quite uncomfortable when you're wet, not to mention the shrinkage. So today, I decided to just go to the office even though I didn't look my best and figured I would sit outside.

I walked in and was thrown for a loop. Neighbor Ryan was there. I only see him in front of his house or inside my television talking about the news. He didn't recognize me either 'cause I didn't have The Calvinator by my side.

So I get my Iced Grande Sugar-free Vanilla non-fat Latte and newspaper and sit outside by the door.

A new group of people showed up and I couldn't help but stare at one of them. OK...here it is around 740A on a Monday and one of them is wearing a tiara. It got me to thinking, "Is there a start time for wearing your tiara?"

I have a baseball cap with a Martini glass that on the back is embroidered with: It's 5:00 p.m. somewhere. Maybe that's what she was thinking?

In other news:

She said, "No. No. No!"

Perez Hilton is reporting that Amy Winehouse is not in rehab.

Amy Winehouse is talking about the scary drug overdose that landed her in an London emergency room this past week.

The singer, who refuses to go to rehab, spoke exclusively to the New Of The World.
Says Wino:

“It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. It was just crazy—one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I don’t know how to explain what happened. I don’t really know myself. I can’t remember what I looked like. I couldn't recognise myself. It was terrifying—I was terrified. I was so out of control. It just happened. It shocked me. I’m sorry—I just don’t know what got into me. I never want to feel that way again.I’ve scared myself this time. I was all over the place. I know things have got to change. I have to sort myself out. I’m fine. I’ll be back at work on Monday. I’m fine, honest.”

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 1.0

When I last spoke of the weather, I said that it was going to rain on Monday and Tuesday. Well it rained somewhere in Houston but not on me.

Guess I shouldn't have been feeling so cocky 'cause I got my due about 230A or so this morning.

OMG! The house was shaking and it was lit up in that electric blue-white light that only comes with lightning.

At one time, Jim and I lived much closer to Memorial Park. We were always getting hit by heavy storms. I'm not as close to the park but close enough and now I'm closer to the bayou. I'm beginning to think Mother Nature is upset that so much development is going on in NoRO and she is making us pay the price.

Without me even calling him, Calvin jumped on the bed with me to ride out the storm. I kept thinking we would lose power; we didn't. However, later on in the morning I would discover that the the office had lost power.

Because the rain continued for awhile, I had to delay Calvin's morning walk. I debated about going for a run. Ended up going and sure enough Yoga Boi was there. I will say that there is something very refreshing about running in a light rain when it is about 79 degrees.

After I dropped off Calvin at doggy daycare, I went to the office and that is when I realized I
would be a displaced worker. I went to one of the other locations and discovered that some of my office mates were there.

What are those birds? Lemmings? That's what I feel like some days.

So, I'm going to try and change my attitude about this weather. After all, on my way to the park this morning I did see a rainbow. What better way to start your day?

So rather than b!tch about the rain, I'll sing a ditty about the rain. I think I'll start with Viola Willis's dance version of Stormy Weather.

On a completely different thought, in my search for a substitute for The Spin Doctor, I went to a different spin class last night. I thought DIT was tough...Connie was much tougher than DIT.

Neighbor Nina (NN) had told me about her. Connie had been on vacation and came back with a vengeance. Last night my calves were twitching and my fingers were cramping so I loaded up on Gatorade and bananas.

Don't forget...tomorrow is June 21 which is the first day of Summer and the longest day of the year!

UPDATE: The Office

Readers of Str8 Up With A Twist will recall that I wrote about la revolucion that occurred at the office the other day.

Here's the latest...

On Thursday, I walked in and nothing had changed. The Judge (he really is a judge), who was the most calm of all us, shared my disappointment when nothing had changed. Well, they put three tables in a row and all the chairs faced the same way. Sitting there, we looked like we were being punished.

This morning, things had sorta been switched up. Some of the ideas were quasi-implemented. The Judge and I just looked at each other and shook our heads.

The real test will come on Saturday morning. The weekend peasants will determine if the new layout helps with the flow.

Viva la revolucion!

I woke up in a Debbie Downer kinda mood. Not sure why.

I passed out on the couch last night watching Kathy Griffin My Life On The D-List. Prolly had to do with the fact that I did a run in the morning and did a spin class in the evening. The class kicked my @ss. It was another substitute teacher and this girl was good.

I didn't feel like going running this morning so I took the Calvinator to doggy daycare a bit early. Which means I got to the office a bit early.

There was a temporary sign on the front door that said "This is exit only." So I had to use the other door. "What the ___?" I thought to myself. So I complied. Being in a Debbie Downer kinda mood I figured "Why fight it?"

I was sitting there minding my own business drinking my coffee and reading the paper when IT happened.

I heard one of my office mates say, "Are you from Starbucks corporate?" My ears perked up.

There were three of THEM! And then the b!tchin' started. The peasants banded together and voiced our displeasure with the new layout of the office. Turns out that the mastermind-with-no-sense-of-layout was standing right there. His face was turning red and I couldn't tell if he was p!ssed or if he was embarrassed.

All I know is that once I opened my mouth it was like diarrhea of the mouth. I couldn't stop. The women were more receptive to my ideas. They liked my feng shui idea. They agreed that the table for people with disabilities was not accessible. And I told them that if they wanted to see how screwed up this really was to come back on Saturday morning when you have people bumping into each other because the flow is messed up.

The guy said he would take all of our comments under consideration and see what he could do. We, the peasants, even offered to move the furniture and fixtures for him. We're peasants...isn't that our job?

I felt much better when I left. LOL

You know it is Summer in Houston when...

I picked up The Calvinator yesterday and he needed to go for a pee & poop. I was wet by the time we finished. Yesterday at 5:15p, the temperature was 89 degrees, relative humidity 50% (which is low for Houston) but it felt like 97 degrees.

This morning at 500A it was 76 degrees and the humidity had to be in the 80% range.

Another sign that it is Summer in Houston: The Astros lost again. Their record: 24-34.

SIDEBAR (DREAM): I had a terrible dream that woke me up at 421A. The first part of the dream I was at a conference for Financial Aid Administrators and Registrars. I was talking to a colleague who introduced me to a new hire.

Get this. The person's job was to watch people and report back her findings. (How hard is that I ask you? And that's exactly what I thought in my dream. Can you imagine having a job where all you do is people watch? Oh...sort of like what I'm doing at the office right now.)

So I go back to the exhibit area to hand out free stuff of some sort and to eat 1/2 a sandwich. Next thing I know I'm standing in the foyer of the hotel which happens to be located across from a Chase Bank location. I'm in the center of the Texas Medical Center and Calvin is with me.

Calvin is rolling on his back and I'm rubbing his stomach and my cell phone rings. It is a business associate who works for Chase in the student loan dept. She wants to talk about a job and then the phone goes dead!

I try calling her back and just as I'm doing that some JERK opens up the door and Calvin goes running out! I start screaming that I'll never find him in the Medical Center and that is when...

I tell myself. This is a dream and I don't like it and I don't have to dream it. (I have the ability to do that sometimes.)

I woke up and my heart was pounding. So I got up and yes...eventually made my way to Memorial Park for a 3 mile run. And yes, Yoga Boi was there.

The Office

Yesterday morning, after running and cleaning up, I went to the office. When I pulled into the parking lot I thought something was odd because there weren't very many cars. I figured that because it was a Monday maybe everyone was running late.

Turns out that the whole center was without power and the office was closed! UGH! I took a deep breath, got my thoughts in order and decided to go to a different office location. Most people would see this as an opportunity to take the day off but I needed to feed my addiction to the office. So yesterday I temporarily officed at another location.

This morning I went to the office and OMG! The furniture had been rearranged! My desk had been moved. The counter where we get our supplies had been moved. And what was most annoying is that the receptionists were getting a kick out of watching people walking in cirlces looking confused while Paul McCartney's new cd played in the background.

The usual suspects were there: the lady with the loud voice that reads the paper out loud to her bf; surfer dude-the contractor who always sits outside of the office; hot cop; the new doc; the guy whose pants are too big; the guy who always wears a blazer no matter what; and many others.

Someone was sitting at my desk so I sat somewhere else. It is going to take some getting used to. Not sure that I like the new floor plan.