i'm told that we are to have a guest blogger later today, ella bella will be sending a shout out from the big city- we look forward to her contribution...

today is going pretty well so far (aside from being damn cold). I woke up and felt good - like i actually got enough sleep for once - got up, showered, walked the dog and was able to ride to work with jen (in order to pick up the other car - but it meant that i got to ride with her ) and i only got to work a little late...i do wish that i had worn a heavier jacket and maybe two pairs of socks, but, oh well. also - today is like monday and wednesday all rolled into one.

this week should be extraordinarily interesting. three day work week and then 1.5 solid family time. First we head to t-ville for some family time with jen's family, stay the night, and hit them up for some more family time in the morning, then drive back hit up one side of my family quickly and then on to turkey dinner at the other side of the family. i expect then we will stumble, fatly, into bed to enjoy the rest of the weekend. jen worked her ass off in the past few weeks and as a reward, she gets to take off work friday and saturday, yay!

so there's this couple in san francisco that is trying raise awareness for an event that they are going to have on the solstice to try and change the world for the better. the event is orgasm for peace....princeton has these receptors that measure changes in the global consciousness by measuring changes in random number generators. supposedly, directed mass meditation/prayer causes changes - they're hoping that a global orgasm event will stimulate (forgive me) the same kind of change...for the better. so if you want to participate, i think it's december 2nd - lay back, relax, and change the world.

the new bond movie - i like it. new bond = good bond. he's much rawer, less civilized, uncut, rough - a welcome change. the story has some....problems, the ending leaves something to be desired and makes you scratch your head - all in all, though, very enjoyable.

happy feet - go see it, you can't help but leave with a smile on your face.

here's another recipe for our friend rachel ray:

1/4 cup olive oil and butter
put in pan
slather catfish with mustard
dip in black pepper (both sides)
fry baby fry
fork. eat. yum.

i've conquered the lack of java/flash! by cleverly installing firefox i have gotten around the ban on flash/java - i can play as many addictinggames.com as i want! or watch videos! or view cool websites that use java/flash and have been closed to me since i started working here - i. am. so. smart.

ella bella from the big city:

I have a confession to make -- I don't actually work in a cubicle. In
fact, I work OUTSIDE a cubicle... In a hallway. That's right -- A
hallway.

I sit near the main color printer and a giant plaster neoclassical
column. There is even some sort of sculptural relief at the top of it,
presumably to look decorative, even though the column itself is a
creme color, and the walls are white (making it look like an
unfortunate accident of architecture). I wonder about painting choices
made in this office. Every other wall is a different shade of
white/creme. I also wonder about the makers of cubicles. What's with
the fake corrugated look?

But more importantly, why is it that the printer behind me makes an
obnoxious buzzing/ringing sound 24/7? I noticed it on my second day
here, and now I can't get the sound out of my head. I might go crazy.

In truth, work isn't that bad. Could be better, could be worse.

Could be better:
- Ringing sound of printer
- Harsh lighting above my head
- The fucking breeze coming out of the giant windows (that some
asshole thought it was a good idea to open)

Could be worse:
- I could actually be in one of the cubicles
- ...That have no lighting at all

Interestingly, my phone shows 1 Old Message, but I have yet to figure
out how to check said message. It's been there for 2.5 weeks now.

Oh, one more thing that "could be worse" --
Yesterday I got to be friends with one of my new coworkers who is
actually my age and isn't afraid to talk about socially taboo
subjects. She mentioned also that she was going to the gynecologist
because of an abnormal pap smear. Well, turns out she has cervical
cancer. Oh, and did I mention her insurance expired yesterday?

Things could be much worse. Much much worse.

In the meantime, though, my fingers are numb and I have 6 more hours
until I get to go home and walk the 1.2 miles from the bus stop to my
house. Sweet. Maybe I can convince my boss I'm actually deathly ill
and need to go home at like, 2. Yes, I will try this...