HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!

'Tis the Mardi Gras Season. One last hurrah before the quiet and reflection of the Lenten Season, which begins the day after, Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday is not the only day of Mardi Gras, as many people believe. (Mardi Gras literally means 'Fat Tuesday.') It's the final day of the celebration, which usually starts the week before with parades and balls and King Cakes. People see it as a big party, which it is, but it's existence really stems from The Church. The season on Lent in the church calendar is the 40 days leading up to Easter and the crucifixion of Christ. Christians are supposed to spend this time reflecting and fasting, thus the tradition of 'giving something up for Lent.' I sure we all have either done this ourselves or know someone who has. Joel gave up Dr. Pepper one year for Lent. Those of you who know him know the gravity of that sacrifice. I have a college friend who gave up whiskey for Lent our Senior year, so on Good Friday we went out and got drunk on Johnny Walker to celebrate Lent being over. Not exactly the point of the sacrifice, is it? And, you can be sure that he celebrated Mardi Gras the same way....drinking all the whiskey he could get his hands on before not being able to have any for 40 days.

I didn't start this post with the intent of chastising you all for partying it up on Fat Tuesday and using it as an excuse to get drunk on a school night. I just wanted to bring up the background of it and maybe get a few of you thinking. Regardless of how you feel about The Church and it's traditions, I challenge you all to spend the month of March reflecting on your own life and the direction it is heading. I know I will be.

But be sure to live it up today! :)

Difficult Co-worker

I left my old job because of several reasons, one of which was not getting along with the people I worked with on a daily basis. Which was a new thing for me, as I tend to get along with everyone and go out of my way to be nice to people. My new job is 180 degrees different from that, everyone in my department is great. I get along with the other women, which is a pleasant change, and people are just generally more laid back and not as click-ish and snobby as my last job.

However.

The pond scum that occupies the cube next to me is getting to me. We started out on the wrong foot because the week I started, my headphones came unplugged from my computer and, unbeknownst to myself, I was blaring Lyle Lovett across the entire office. He came to my cube, said my music was too loud and that he could hear it over his headphones, and would I turn it down. I apologized profusely, said I had no idea, and it would never happen again, etc. Nothing from him. He didn't even crack a smile and accept my apology. Since then, we have coolly avoided each other. The sight of him makes me cringe. Partly because of the white socks with black pants and black shoes he wears EVERY DAY, but mainly because he is just an unpleasant person. Very holier-than-though. Luckily, he is not in my department. He somehow managed to be transplanted to the middle of the Civil Department when there were more people in this office in his department. Now he's the only one, he probably ran them all off. I was warned about him by others in my department, and he's only managed to prove them right. Anyway, I digress. I had a little smile to myself on Wednesday when one of the drafters in my department came over to yell at him for deleting her drawing from the plotter multiple times. His reason....he had a submittal. OK, we all have submittals, it's an engineering office, that's what we do. But office protocol says you email everyone saying you'll be tying up the plotter for X amount of time. Nothing from him, of course. The rest of us might as well not be here. She got both his and our department managers involved, and he really got it! He left for vacation yesterday, so said drafter and I were discussing her little bout with him and what a pain in the ass he is. THEN she told me that she caught him LAUGHING at me the day my Grandadder died and I could not keep from crying. LAUGHING at my tears and mourning! Can you believe that? He has moved up to my No. 1 Asshole position. He can't actually be human, I don't know anyone that is that callous. I'm so livid I don't know what to do. So, I'm venting by blogging. And, when he gets back next week, I may just play my music without headphones.

Registry Rant

Why do people feel weird about registries? I'm from a part of the world where you register for everything, including the kitchen sink, so I just don't understand this mentality. It's like people don't want you to feel like you have to buy things for them. Um, you put me on a list for a party FOR YOU, so I HAVE to show up with a gift. I don't understand soon-to-be-married couples who don't register for much. I mean, the people you invite are going to buy you something. They are obligated. So give them a hint so you save on trips to return things you didn't want! I understand if people don't really need anything, just register for a few things or for cash or something. But baby stuff, that's a different story. There is all this 'stuff' you need that you DON'T already have when you have a baby. The problem is, the market is flush with so many different things, it's hard to pick which one. And, how are those of us without children supposed to know about bottles and nipples and baby clippers and Boppies and things like that? I am lucky to have several friends with new babies, so I've just asked them, but seriously. Just register for stuff. It's a win-win situation....you get stuff you picked out that you don't have to waste time trying to return after-the-fact, and I don't have to spend all this time trying to figure out what to buy you. I just look up the list, make my decision, and it conveniently gets checked off as 'bought' so you don't get duplicates. Easy.

Phlegm

I have turned into one of those chronic throat-clearers. It drives me crazy when other people do it, so you can imagine how thrilled I am that I'm the one that's doing it! My allergies have turned into a bad congestion phlegm problem. It's gotten so bad that I am having trouble speaking. And that's why I keep clearing my throat. Those of you who know me know I am a big talker, so the fact that it hurts to speak is not very fun. At least I have tomorrow off to recuperate.

I Almost Forgot

We missed the massive snow storm (Bubba was very disappointed, as was I), but my friend Kerrin's husband took this picture in Riverside Park, at the Soliders and Sailors Monument. It's right at 91st St. and you are looking up Riverside Drive. NYC is beautiful during and immediately following a big snow storm, but once they start clearing the roads it turns into an ugly mess.

Friday Thoughts

We're back, arrived Wednesday night. The service for my Grandadder was very nice, more of a memorial to a very full and active life. The church was packed, and I told Bubba that now he knows where I get my penchant for knowing so many people and calling them 'friend.' I got it from him.

While in the lovely Panhandle my lovely allergies flared up, thanks mainly to the freaky weather (which is normal and what I grew up with, but not what I'm used to now) and the wind blowing about 40 mph for 2 days. Kicks up the pollen and grasses and things and my body doesn't like it. That's why I will never live in that part of the world again. Anywho, I'm trying to get myself back to normal healthwise. The weather here is crazy, too, it's about to get freakin' cold.

And, I came back to a mess at work. My project manager is a nice man, but he can't manage for shit. It's frustrating. At least my deadline got pushed back to next Friday, so I don't have to work ALL weekend, just tomorrow. Lovely. I want to tell him 'your poor planning is not my emergency.' But it doesn't work that way

Ah well, better get to it. Thank y'all for the kind words and condolences. It's great to have friends!

There Are No Words

My grandfather died today.

I got out of my trial early, so I went back to work this afternoon, as I have a lot to do. My dad called about noon (11 am his time) to tell me that Grandadder had a heart attack this morning and was being taken to Amarillo. He was stable, and my dad sounded fine, he was on his way to the hospital. He called me back around 2:30 to tell me Grandadder didn't make it. My Grandadder, my favorite grandparent, is gone. And I didn't get to say good-bye. That's what makes it so hard for me. I mean, he's 91, he lived a good, very fulfilling life. He died quickly, he wasn't sick or in pain, so that's a blessing. But I didn't get to tell him how much he meant to me. He raised me. He was a civil engineer, too. He loved to hear me sing. He loved to watch me play basketball in high school. He taught me how to fish when I was little, and he made the best homemade vanilla ice cream I have ever had. I had the rare opportunity (these days) to have a grandparent that lived down the road and I got to see him all the time. I cherish those days, and am so glad I got the opportunity to know a wonderful man.

So here's to O.V. Johnson, man among men. He put himself through college, served his country in WWII in the South Pacific, raised 4 boys, worked as a civil engineer for 30+ years, started his own business, saw grandchildren and great-grandchildren born, and spent the last few months bowling every day and bragging about it. He was an incredible man.

I will miss him.

Jury Duty

Well, I had my very first jury summons yesterday. I made it down to Chinatown to the State Supreme Court (no not the one from Law and Order) and was even a little early so I stopped in Starbucks for a coffee. It was in a Chinese pagoda type thing. Just the first experience of the day. I was going to the criminal court, so it was bound to be a day full of surprises.

We all got into the room and got settled about 9, and the clerk-guy in charge of all of the prospective jurors started giving instructions for about an hour. He was hilarious! Cracking jokes and being a smart-ass, it was a welcome reprieve from reading my book and waiting. It's a lot of waiting. I got called to the first jury selection of the day at about 10:45, so I headed downstairs to a very ugly courtroom with 60 or so of my peers also wishing they were somewhere else. I was in that freezing room ALL DAY! They got through one round of selection and only kept 4 people, so we were told to be back after lunch (which was an hour and a half so I got some shopping in!) and we'd start the whole process over again. We had two more rounds, and I was the LAST person called to the jury box. And I was a replacement for a girl who had an issue with the case because a family member had been convicted of a similar charge. Sucks! And, of course, I was selected. But her's was nothing, you should HEAR some of the personal information people volunteer about themselves. And how stupid people really are! But, I digress. I go today to sit on a jury for the first time in my life, and it happens to be in Manhattan! I'm actually a little excited, it's a cool experience. And, I don't have to be there until 10 AM! Luckily it should be a short case and I won't be gone that long. Because my boss is freaking out. We had a deadline on Feb. 20th, and his poor managing has pushed us WAY back with all of the things we have to do before then. So, me missing multiple days of work is not ok in his eyes. I actually have to work this weekend to get some things done. Irritating. Your pool planning is NOT my emergency!

So, that's my story. I can't talk about the case right now, but I'll post again after the whole ordeal is over. In other news, it's going to snow this weekend! Yay!

Disappointment

I am rather sad that I have been posting so regularly of late, and no on has commented! I don't crave your attention, but someone, ANYONE, just let me know you're out there! Does no one read my blog anymore? I feel totally alone out here in cyberspace. :(

Irony Personified

Does anyone else find it terribly ironic that the Muslim community is totally reinforcing the caricature of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban with all of the riots and peaceful 'protests' that have ended up being violent? Yeah, it's rather childish and shocking, but it's a cartoon. I mean, if Christians got all up in arms about the 'art' over the years depicting Jesus, the Bible, God, and any of the other figures in the Bible in a demeaning way, we'd have been panned for it! Mohammed was a peaceful prophet, and yet the people that follow him have managed to earn the reputation for themselves as violent. And the leaders of the Muslim faith never manage to denounce the actions of the few that grab headlines and influence the populous opinion. Why is that? Do they WANT to be depicted that way? Do they feel like any exposure for their religion is good? (I'd beg to differ on that one, think back to Waco and the Branch Dividians.) Is it more like the press isn't interested in what they have to say and only focus on the extremists? It may be a combination of all.

Regardless, all political cartoons usually poke fun at some sort of underlying truth, whether you agree with it or not. In my mind, the events of the past few days in retaliation of one person's opinion just help reinforce the fact that lately terrorism and the Muslim faith go hand in hand.

Aren't Germanic Languages Funny?

Check this out, from our friends at Grope for Luna. I think it's hilarious, and wonder why their tourism isn't just booming!

All In A Day's Commute

These are a few excerpts from my new favorite blog, Overheard in NY. And these people want to make $60K a year and not pay for medical insurance, AND still have a full pension! Crazy, yes, but you gotta admit it keeps you laughing.

Conductor: "Attention ladies and gentlemem on the platform. Yes, this is a C train. If you are waiting on the F train you have gots to get on this train, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Just get on this train and we'll discuss it as we roll."

-So, would you get on the train or wait for the next one? I might just throw caution to the wind and let the C take me wherever it will. But only if we discuss it while we roll, I hate sitting in the station waiting for the doors to close!

Conductor: "Local, local, local. This is the local R train. It looks like the R, smells like the R, and runs like the R."

-Yeah, that's why I don't like the R. It Rarely comes and it Reeks.

Overheard In NY

I found this blog today while searching for something else, and it is cracking me up! Very interesting, and something that can only happen in a place where your personal space is invaded on an almost daily basis. Like New York. I mean, the things you hear on the subway....

And people wonder why I don't have an IPod yet. I'd miss overhearing all the good stuff!

Do You Remember When?

Courtesy of Pigs.Let's see what you people come up with.

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, (even if we don't speak often or don't really know each other) please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want - good or bad - BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. When you're finished, post this little paragraph on your blog and be surprised (or mortified) about what people DON'T ACTUALLY remember about you!