Friend of the Week

at work we have this thing called Friend of the Week - someone is the friend, they answer a bunch of get to know you questions and then pick where they are going for lunch and others come. I am this week's friend. The guy running it sent questions and I answered them. I think they are pretty funny.
1. So, how are you?
Overcaffeinated. All lights and colors are leaving little trails on my retinas.
2. So you are leaving for the OR application next week…what does that app have on our app?!
All the excitement of contact creation, but without any of that bothersome guarantor/coverage stuff to worry my pretty little head about. And the challenge of working with the people in the surgery department. Registration directors have nothing on surgery directors for sheer obstinacy.
3. What are you going to miss the most about our app?
Well, of course you. And Ken, and how he and I aren’t ever in the office at the same time. And Kristin, but she and I get to continue together with Premier.
4. What are you going to miss the most about TDS?
Hehe. I can’t answer this with a straight face.
5. Who is winning the Super Bowl?
After the Packer loss I felt like my soul was dented. I tried to pop it out with beer, but it didn’t work. I have now focused all of my energies on the new NASCAR season (COT is going to be even more important this season!). This is Jeff Gordon’s year, not that Jimmie Johnson winning makes me sad. One of my dogs is a diehard Jimmie fan.
6. Who is dreamier… Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?
Peyton Manning sort of looks like this dodgy guy that I once had living in my house, Big Head. He was a bit of a burden (funny stories there), so Tom. If he is good enough for Giselle, I guess he is good enough for me. – but, I would have to tell him that if we were going out on a date, not to wear all of the superbowl rings all at once (Patriots will win this year), it is tacky.
Also, don’t you think the question should be Eli Manning, since he is the one in the Superbowl? He is cute!
7. It’s Thursday, you don’t have to work today or tomorrow. Or Monday. Where are you?
I would get a head start on my trip to the Kank (it really is where I am going this weekend!). Kankakee, Illinois (named the worst city to live in the late 90s) is where my first job out of college was. I was a chemist at a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. My friend Todd still lives there and a large group of people are going with me to tear up the Kank (think shady city, and us tooling around in a party bus on Sat night…. Silly).
8. It’s now Tuesday after your mini vacation…how do you feel?
Rearing to go. (I don’t know how to spell Raring, Rearing,?) my 630am customer call is a delight on Tuesdays.
9. (Buddy the Elf) What’s your favorite primary color?
(Shannon the Gnome) Orange.
10. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? No lie, 5 typos trying to type that out, you try it!
A woodchuck would chuck all the woood that a woodchuck could chuck if a cwood chuck could chuck wood.
I left my typos in. not too shabby.
11. A train from New York leaves the station heading east at 80 mph. Another train leaves San Fransisco heading west at 90 mph. When and where do they meet? Do you want to be on these trains?
They meet in Young America, MN –my favorite city in demos (got it from Amanda) b/c the zip code is 55555. Never fails to get some excitement going in the crowd.



You may have noticed that the train question was a trick, but I justify as the government has been secretly developing trains that can fly so they fly around the entire world and still meet in MN.
Also, the guy called me out on Orange not being a primary color. I think that is sort of crap.

I am worried that no one will show up for lunch. or just the annoying guy on our team. sigh.

also, I wore the racy little red shoes to work today to get them ready for this weekend. problem is, they do look too racy with jeans... and I am walking a little weird in them. - I feel stupid.

explanation - 30 for 30

I made my new little counter over there on the right, but I never explained.
There are some things you need to know about my life...
1) I dislike my birthday. Don't ask why, I don't really know. I wasn't abused on the day, no one I know has died on the day, but I just get sad. I don't mind getting older, I think it has to do with the expectations on your birthday. you are supposed to be happy. and pleased to be the center of attention. oddly enough, it is the one day of the year I don't like to be the center of attention.
2) I turn 30 in 2008. sometime in 2008. I am not telling you the date.
3) I once yelled at my mother for calling me on my birthday and wishing me happy birthday. everyone who knows the actual date is expressly forbidden to acknowledge it in any way.
4) Many others that I hang out with have gone on group trips to a destination for their 30th b-day. Like Loud went to San Fran, Gerald is going to Amsterdam.
5) 2008 is sort of a bad year to schedule a trip though... there are a squazillion weddings, many destination weddings and there are so many tickets to be bought and vacation days gobbled up.
6) every idea I had for my birthday seemed to small for the wonderfulness that is me.

So, how am I going to celebrate my 30th b-day?

I am going to shotgun 30 beers in 2008. You are welcome to join me if you like on one or as many as you can stomach. If you join me for at least one, then you have helped me celebrate!

We already got started. Future posts will catch you up with pictures and all.

I am a crack addict

I am a crack addict. except that my crack is terribly expensive furnishings for my home. and the dealer that keeps me hooked is Horchow/Nieman Marcus. Based on Whitney Houston's famous Diane Sawyer interview, the correct analogy should be that I am a cocaine addict, as crack is for poor people per Whitney. (side note: What is up with Whitney Houston these days? she went into rehab, did she ever come out?)

You will remember that I bought my bed from Horchow. They seem to have taken that as proof that I am a great candidate for future sales. This sort of thing is common, it happens with all catalog sales, you buy a coat from L.L. Bean and all of a sudden you are getting 700 outdoorsey paradise catalogs.

However, Horchow has taken it a bit far. They sent two catalogs yesterday, and consistently at least 1 per week.

Most of them are different, some overlap of merchandise, but different covers and different pictures/layouts.

I cry a little each time I see all of these things that I love and don't want to spend all of my money on. I want to do other things, responsible things, with my money... but oh, it is so hard!

for instance, this blue velvet couch! look how deep, how beautiful it is. I don't even have a good place for it, and dog hair would attach to it like a magnet, and Finn drool would ruin it forever! but I don't care. I want to curl up on this couch and never, ever leave. I would devote the entire spare bedroom to this couch if I bought it. Of course I wouldn't let anyone sleep on it. but I would let them sleep on a blow up mattress placed on the floor next to it.

I love this couch.

then, why, oh why!!!! damn gods! is it 3000.00?

sigh.

Shoes headed my way

To keep you up to date - I have the following shoes headed my way - note that there are two pairs of the former #7 because there were two manufacturers with shoes that looked nearly identical and the shipping both ways is free, might as well find a pair that are comfortable and fit well. the last shoe comes in a luxurious red lamb suede, but I can't keep anything suede in good condition, certainly not on my feet!

I see how the open toe red ones are a bit too racy for work (and I can now clearly see that the red patent pumps from my previous post would make me look like an overweight Marilyn Monroe wanna-be), but I need to be a little racy. I am boring in my all black work outfits.

Random Quotation of my day

I was passing two men in a hallway at work.

Man 1: Hey, how are you doing now?
Man 2: Surviving, which is better than before.



uh, dude, that means you died before. dumbass.

lab partners. when you realize that you aren't the good one, so you must be the dumb one.

I read Jobonga's post about lab partners and started to write this really long comment. Then I realized that this is funny enough for my own blog. Why waste it as a sad note at the bottom of her blog, it deserves it's own post. So, here you go:

My degree is in biology (with religious studies and chemistry minors), so I had lots of group projects and lab partners.
I like to think that I was the good lab partner, but I just realized that there are only like two bad ones that I can remember, but there were several groups were I think I was the loser. one funny story - my freshman year in college I was in a group for my intro to bio for bio majors (read 75 pre-med big fish in their little hometown pond freshmen) class. I kept sleeping through their daily meetings (note, we didn't need daily meetings, these people were uptight!). this was when I realized that my most productive time of day is NOT 4pm to 4am and that I love naps. My famous three hour nap was perfected during college. When the presentation day came I turned on the charm and my portion was fun, engaging and energetic. My archnemesis, Theresa Dup--- (privacy), the instigator of the daily meeting overkill, was stilted and boring. I presented after her and the professor immediately sat up and smiled about four times during my portion.
Theresa and I spent the remainder of our college years together in the biology dept (only 6 majors so lots of time together). and the entire time I was comparing myself to her. I coined the phrase: my archnemesis Theresa Dup--- and my senior year even revealed to Theresa that I called her that.
There are many more stories about my archnemesis Theresa Dup---. next time you see me, let me know you want to hear that one.

Virtual shoe shopping - sexy shoes still appropriate for work

Here is what I need: help picking some sexy, wearable and yet work appropriate shoes. The shoes should be pictured under black work slacks or perhaps going out jeans.
What do you think of the options from Zappos below. Vote for your favorites