Two Words

I asked a fellow coworker-slash-blogger to inform someone in Production to make sure they completed a particular process today. We have a physical inventory on Monday. To make sure the count isn't impacted (aka "screwed up") next week, the process really need to get completed ASAP. My coworker wrote up a good quick note.. except for the last two words:

"Please go ahead and process the depot repairs today, so that it won’t affect the physical inventory as much."

Huh? "...as much"???

I laughed out loud 'cause, in my mind, I said, "Actually, that would affect physical inventory... A LOT." That's the funny for the day. Two words can impact the meaning of a sentence.

Business to Business

I just got back from a "business to business" luncheon. An instructor I had last quarter invited me. She read an email I sent to all the accounting students regarding an upcoming club meeting. She thought it would be a fun event to attend since I was an active accounting club member and being featured in the College of Business' next newsletter. But, man, I had a horrible time. I really felt like I was being judged in a not so good way. These CWU alumni should have been ashamed of themselves and the way they made me feel. I went from feeling so honored to have been invited to wanting to crawl under a rock.

It wasn't ALL that bad. I met the dean of the school - he was breifly nice (he was on the go). The guest speaker was the CEO of Safeco - she was plenty articulate. And the CWU External Relations Officer who (thank gawd) sat next to me right before lunch served? She made me feel like she actually cared. But the rest of my table? They were lame alumni who cared only about bragging to each other. UGH! So lame. I mean, c'mon... don't you think you'd want to be a role model for a student who's sitting at your table? Or what? Did I belong at the student's table where the lowly were supposed to sit?

I shouldn't be so irritated at them 'cause I'm sure they weren't aware of their ignoring ways. I guess I always try to be considerate of people around me who many not be comfortable in a particular social setting. They completely overlooked me and this other lady at our table. But she was clear across on the other side. Wish I had been next to her. We could have been miserable together.

I'm very glad I was able to listen to Safeco's CEO. I could only dream of ever being at her level. One day at a time... before I take over the world! Mwooo hah hah hah hah hah..........

Amazon

Remember when you could only buy books from Amazon.com? And all the shipping orginated from Seattle? Now, you have to wait days for deliveries from anywhere in the country. And, to think, you can buy absolutely anything from there. Yes, even spam. Or even pepperoni sticks. That's just pathetic...

Idol on Fox

Watching American Idol results show. There's this guy with dreads who performed Tuesday night who was surprisingly REALLY good. But the first thing I thought after watching him was, "Man, does the show test the contestants for drugs?" I'm told his name is Jason Castro. This dude seems like he might be high maybe, I dunno... ALL the time. Honestly, he may have just been nervous and shocked at the positive remarks from the judges. But here's advice for all you kids watching this stoner: Say no to drugs.

...

Funny how Randy, Paula, and Ryan make fun of Simon on American Idol. Cuz you know what? I really could care less for anyone EXCEPT Simon. Ryan's an arrogant ass, Paula's addicted to pain meds, and I tire of Randy. Simon's the only one who makes sense and isn't workin it for the cameras. The should stop bashin on him when they themselves aren't likeable. Jerks.

...

Man, girls cryin on American Idol results show. Ugh. Gross. Must the camera's show their snotty faces? The cute little filipino's lookin horrible when she cries. Pan to someone else...QUICKLY!

Three Days to Relax

I had a really fun, relaxing three-day weekend. It was a supposed to be a weekend full of studying and preparing for quizzes and exams. But, instead, I:

-- Watched Club Cruz Control at The Moore - Daniel Cruz, local choreographer, put on an hour and a half show full of great hip-hop choreography. Those young hip-hoppers were great.
-- Played some b-ball Saturday morning - 2.5 hours of intense and fun basketball action. I actually played well. Yes, it happens once every two years.
-- Raked the leaves/twigs from the front yard - it's February and I was doing some fall raking. That is the definition of procrastination.
-- Cleaned the bathtub - Ummm... gross. This time I wore gloves. I'm not really into using my bare hands anymore. I'm starting to be more responsible. Fear of the impact of chemicals on my health.
-- Watched the NBA All-Star slam dunk contest - Dwight Howard as Superman was cool. This year's competition was on par with Vince Carter's performance a few year's back.
-- Watched "Away From Her" - Featuring Julie Christie, one of the favorites in this year's Oscar Best Actress category. 'Twas such a sad story of growing old with someone you love and watching a disease (Alzheimer's in this case) impact the relationship.
-- Welcomed home my future mother-in-law (FMIL) - She's back from the Philippines. She's such a sweetie! Took forever to find a place to eat breakfast. Our local Charlestown cafe was closed temporarily due to a fire. So sad. Hope the fire was minor. All the breakfast places were packed in West Seattle 'cause of the closure. So we ended up at iHop in Capitol Hill. I drank lots of water.
-- Watched "Atonement" - Fourth movie to watch out of the Best Picture nominees. It was okay. Had an emotional end which didn't affect me too much emotionally. Good story with some funny moments. I thought the sequence of events was clever.
-- Saw the Gladiators finale - Not as into it as much as I was at the start of the season. Still makes me feel like doing an obstacle course.
-- Watched Michael Clayton at the West Seattle Admiral Theater - Last of the Best Picture nominees to watch. The movie made my head hurt. I never know how important it is to keep track of the little details. In this case, not too important. Great ending to me. I gasped during the movie. Out loud. I think I embarrassed my misses. Then I started laughing. And couldn't stop laughing. Awkward church laughter since there wasn't many people there.
-- Had dinner at FMIL's - Her son and his wife initiated the dinner. MMMMmmmm... great food. Steak was yummy. And the Pancit Bicol? Great noodle dish! I tried to overload my plate on the first helping to defeat the technicality of no second helpings. I didn't grab enough. Wish I coulda had more of her great cooking! Oh, so good!
-- Completed my take-home quiz for accounting - That bad boy took me longer than I thought. Feel very proud of my work!

Now I'd better hope the take-home final for Finance isn't a tough one. It'll be posted at 4pm today and due by midnight tomorrow. I'm scurred...

Fun with IM

Me: wow... i'm perusing my "Recently Added" list in Windows Media Player... didn't realize you gave us Feist.
Me: I had to search my sent items to see who shared it.
Me: "Feist- Love her, because her name is Leslie, and she sings real good. (nice southern grammer)"
Coworker: Yeah, I love her
Coworker: have you seen her new video?
Me: Too bad she's a sellout... j/k.
Me: really, i joke.
Coworker: ha why is she a sell out?
Coworker: cause you can buy her ring tones?
Me: nah... 'cause she's the new mac commercial song.
Me: that skinny laptop.
Me: 1234.
Coworker: ahh I would sell out for a mac anyday...
Me: a few weeks ago, she was in a category called "Sellouts"... hear the song, name the product their song appears in.
Me: we missed that one.
Me: if I had only paid attention to my music!
Coworker: ha
Coworker: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcgfdtkcIW0
Me: FRIGGIN EH!
Me: GET OUTTA HERE!!!!
Me: I don't watch videos anymore... and I just saw this one this morning while ironing.
Coworker: haha
Me: NEVER turn on the TV in that room but I just happened to turn it and saw this!!!!
Me: That is friggin hilarious!
Coworker: no way
Me: I love this song... didn't wait around to see who it was.
Coworker: shuut up
Me: you shut up!
Coworker: no you
Me: okay.

Hair

I've been growin out my hair and I'm not sure this is the right direction for me at this point in my bigger side of life. I think I look like Matthew Perry. The "not-so-flattering-overweight-chandler-with-longer-hair-on-friends" Matthew Perry. That was the time when he was in drug rehab and probably didn't know what else to do with his time but eat. Yeah, I feel like that. 'Cause I'm getting fatter and the hair probably isn't helping.

There are times when I like my hair. Especially when I get compliments from a few people. But there aren't too many of those. It's probably 'cause my hair changes styles throughout the day. I mean, c'mon, why does it look one way when I leave the house, all excellent and whatnot. But then when I go to the restroom, do my thing, then head to the vanity, I'm like, "Whoah, bangs, why are you down like that? I made you go swooshy to the side. Now you're going directly downward on my forehead like grass trying to make it to my brows." Blasted bangs! Maybe I need to hair spray them down. But that would make the strands stiff. Heh heh heh. I said, "Stiff..."

Time for lunch.

Corrected

I went back and edited a blog entry from last month. I was told it made no sense. I agree. This is what the ending said previously:

GS: I thought you were off today.

RC: I thought YOU were off today.

It's been corrected now. Thank goodness for proofers!

Subway

Just got done eating my six-inch-turkey-sub-with-cheddar-and-honey-mustard-and-all-the-veggies-except-onions-or-jalapenos. Blah. Eating healthy again is gonna take a lot of getting used to.

Unsacrificing Sacrifices

I'm not doing too well on the Lent sacrifices.

1. I forgot the exception to the "no caffeinated beverages" sacrifice. Popcorn-and-cherry-coke-at-movies overrides this one. It's tradition! Luckily, I have so many other opportunities not to drink coffee or coke. This one isn't a complete bust.

2. I can't help but talk to other cars/drivers. It's so natural for me. Like breathing. I see a situation, I want to comment on it. It's like the play-by-play announcers for basketball or football games. I'm just calling it as I see it. But that's the whole point of me giving this up - 'cause I truly feel my blood pressure rises each time I get irked. Note to self: Stop being so road rageous.

3. I've stopped with the double-helpings for now. But I'm going to have to make dining at all-you-can-eat places an exception. We had lunch with friends at Maggiano's - an Italian restaurant in Bellevue with bottomless servings. When you pay lots of money for food, you have to get the most bang for your buck. And I did a lot of banging! Ummm... I mean that in regards to food.

Now that I think of it, I guess this hasn't been all so bad...

Lent

If I put it down in writing, then that means I'm completely committing to giving it up this Lent. So what is "it"? It is:

1. Caffeinated beverages. No coke, no pepsi, no coffee, no nothing. No caffeine.
2. Road rage. The traffic situation is out of my control. Therefore, why bother getting all irritated by it. Nothing will change no matter what I say. This means I need to stop talking to other drivers. 'Cause you know what? They can't hear me. I haven't been very successful on this sacrifice - but I'm working on it.
3. Double helpings. I love me some seconds. Since Wednesday, I've been good about just keeping my meals to one portion. Sure, they're one BIG portion - but at least I'm eating less than I normally do.

I'm normally good at giving up things for Lent. These sacrifices should be good for my mental and physical health.

Uncle?

My uncle just got hired as a temp at my job. Just kidding - that's just how I feel. I'm so used to working with people closer to my age that it's strange to have someone who's so much older. The guy's got to be at least sixty years old. But I'm not going to discriminate. I hope he can handle the job. I think he's probably Filipino. But, man, dude's up there in age. Why don't they just hire the friend I recommended? She's got plenty of personality and intelligence - just not experienced. This would have been a perfect job for her. Instead, Uncle William's on board. Seriously, I hope he works out for us.

I Can See Right Through You

Why do people think they can get away with things by being "charasmatic" or "cute"? At my age, I'm so over it. It's horrible how I let people think they've won me over based on their cuteseyness. Truth is - I'm just being nice. Once they've crossed the line, I explode and I don't put up with it.

Two people in my life treat me this way. They're people I haven't known that long. They're so naive - so young. One did jack crap for a school presentation. The other just wastes my time in talking to me about things and doesn't listen. I'm tired of their schtick. I don't need it. I really am getting annoyed for no good reason. Time to exhale and ignore. Exhale and ignore.

My Hands Hurt

Eric was so damn happy when the NY Giants scored their winning touchdown versus the New England Patriots with only thirty-ish seconds left in this year's Superbowl. He was jumping up and down like crazy in his apartment, screaming at the top of his lungs. All I could think was, "Man, I wonder what your neighbors are thinking?" Eric went completely ballistic.

I invited myself over to Eric's place since none of my other friends were hosting a Superbowl party. I forgot that Eric was rooting for the Giants. How could I have forgotten? He's a fan of every professional New York sports team. Yeah, the guy from Montana. I don't know how that logic works.

I went into the game wanting to see the Patriots win - that way, I could say that I've seen an undefeated NFL team in my lifetime. All the old folgies ever talk about is the undefeated Dolphins team from the 70's. I was hoping that, in twenty years, I would be able to talk about the Patriots the same way the oldies talk about the 'fins.

But as the game progressed, I started hoping the Giants would upset the Patriots. Forget my allegience to Tom Brady - the guy who carried my fantasy football team throughout the past NFL season. I found myself rooting for the underdog Giants. I felt like the Russians in Rocky IV. At the start of the movie's final fight, the Russian fans were rooting for their Drago. But, in the end, they ended up cheering for the underdog Balboa. The New York Giants were Rocky and I was a Russian.

I couldn't believe it when New York took a 10-7 lead. Of course, I was hardly suprised when the Patriots regained the lead, 10-14, after the touchdown toss to Randy Moss. What was that celebration of his? Some sort of swimming stroke? Who was he taunting in the crowd?

Eric was on the edge of his seat for the remaining two and a half minutes of the game. The best play of the game was during that final drive for the Giants. Peyton's-little-brother-quarterback broke free of a sure sack and found an open receiver who made the most spectacular catch at the Patriot's 25-yard line. This guy, David Tyree, caught the ball way above his head and there was NO WAY he was gonna pull it down. There were thirteen guys surrounding him, contorting his body, yet he was still able to secure the ball. That was the key play in a drive which paved the way to the winning TD!

That's when Eric started celebrating like crazy! Sure, the Patriots had 35 seconds to comeback (which they were unable to do) - but it didn't matter to Eric. He knew the game was over. I was very happy for him and felt his victory deserved a high five. Actually, scratch that... I wanted to give him a high ten. I gave Eric the signal that, yes, we could celebrate the touchdown with the ceremonial meeting of the hands. The dude went crazy. He gave me three high tens in a row. And they were very hard slaps! And that's why my hands hurt on Superbowl Sunday.

Still Workin It

Today ended up being a bad day. I was very proud of the fact that I woke up around 5am and got so many things done. But around 4:30pm, we discovered some data corruption in our software. Our I.T. people weren't gone for the day so it was a coordinated effort to hunt the right folks down to repair the damage which had been done. Who knows how it happened? All I know is that it wasn't until 7:30pm that everything got fixed. Three hours are gone forever... forever... forever... f o r e v e r . . .

I'm going to try to work on a project for my government accounting class. I've spent an hour since the fix just surfing the web and try to shake off the slacks. I can now move foward. My fiancee and her younger sis are watching Stars on Ice. I missed having dinner with them 'cause of this whole fiasco. Pooh.

Uh, oh. My coworker's talking about something gone wrong with another process. It's 9pm? Good grief.