Randomness

Started my day by getting stuck behind a giant truck that said "Lubrication Specialists"... and that's all I have to say about that.

Plea for Help

Talk It Up! - a new application on kodak.com (where I work in case ANY strangers read my blog, though that's VERY unlikely) that I worked on, just went live. It lets you add speech balloons to your pictures. Here's one of my cat Punky:



So please help me (and my Kodak friends) get a bigger bonus... I need the money for an organ transplant (I'd like to transplant the organ of my body from Rochester to California for a short period of time). Please join kodak.com, try Talk It Up!, and it would also be a big help if you would click on the Birdcam, then click on the ALL VIEWS link and just leave that up on your screen (or move it off screen if you really don't want to see it). =)

Starving

The other day at lunch, Jenny pointed at my yogurt and granola and said (in a very accusing but concerned tone), "Is that all you're going to eat for lunch?! Do you know that if you don't get enough calories, it's very bad for you... " etc. etc. etc. I said, "don't you worry about me, I'm going to have dinner at my Mom's tonight and I'm sure I will eat enough calories for 2 days." Sure enough, got to Mom's and had the following:

- 3 pieces of italian bread w/butter (would've eaten more but it had sesame seeds on the crust)
- tuna noodle casserole
- a piece of cube steak
- a tall, cool glass of Coca-cola
- a frosted jelly donut
- a few of grandma's cookies

Yep, I'd say at least 2K, and that doesn't include the hand full of Whoppers I ate 5 minutes after I got back from lunch with yogurt remnants still on my tongue.

Nope, I don't think anyone will ever have to worry that I'm not getting enough calories!

Adding to Guster

Oh, as I get time, I will add to my Day of Guster.

Day of Caring

Did the United Way Day of Caring (a.k.a. Day of Busting A**) yesterday with Abby, Jenny, Sarah, Matt, Ken and others. We did mostly hauling trash and raking up leaves and trash. Basically did more work in one day that I did all year on my own house. It was actually very fun (thanks to the great teamwork) and very fulfilling. The house we helped clean is that much closer to being a counseling center and the area around the church looks great.

I took a long, hot shower when I got home and washed and shampood twice. Last night I had a dream that my overalls were covered with crustacean-like bugs (wasn't it bad enough I was wearing overalls?!!). I had to scrape them off with a spatula like thing, Eeewwwwweeeeee. Let it be noted, however, that in my dream I did not freak out and start tearing off my clothes, like I would have done if my clothes were, in reality, covered with bugs.

Back to not caring...

Seventh Heaven

I'm still floating on air from yesterday's fun-filled activities. I woke up and almost immediately won the opportunity to go to WBER to have meet and have lunch with Guster - my favorite band. Holy crap, could this day get ANY better? So I grab Abby, we ditch the First Annual Kodak.com Chili Cookoff, I leave my crock pot of chili in Jenny's hands, and we head to wber. We meet the band, I give them brownies and Grandma's homemade pizzelles in an attempt to suckup and maybe, just maybe, have them remember me if, for nothing else, my ability to bake a mean batch of Betty Crocker brownies. Joey called me a psycho fan and made Adam very weary of eating my brownies... but he finally gave in and munched one and gave me the thumbs-up.

Basically we (the fans) spent most of the time standing or sitting around, eating pizza, listening to Guster give their interview. Two and a half hours later, the interview finally ended and Guster came and spent about 20 minutes with us. Ryan drew me a picture of my Grandma making cookies... very cool, even though he didn't get the shoes quite right. They were all so nice and personable. I showed Brian the mc3 and the 4800 because, after reading in his road diary that their digital camera is old and decrepid, I thought I'd try to get Kodak to donate one to the cause. It's not quite worked out yet because of course Kodak wants some sort of link or something, but I took the opportunity to show off the cameras - and especially the opportunity to get my picture taken with them =) Here are some pics:


Me and Brian... as it was being taken Brian said, "best friends" (sure, he says that during every fan photo).


Ryan drawing the picture of my Grandma


Adam using the mc3 to take a video. Download the video.

MMMMMMM

I overheard Jo order her wedding cake and I am drooling. This is what I heard, "blah blah blah white chocolate mousse filling blah blah blah rasperry cream filling blah blah blah ganche, blah blah blah french vanilla buttercream frosting"... that sent me over the edge. MMmmmmmmmm.

When she hung up I found out that she was calling to set up a cake tasting. How's this for a racket... you call up bakeries and tell them that you're considering buying your wedding cake from them and want to taste the goods before you commit! Aha, I'm genius!! One small problem... Chuck would never go for doing this with me for two reasons... 1) he's on a diet and 2) he's too damn moral. So I'm putting out a personal ad... "MWF seeks man for cake tasting relationship. No physical relationship, only cake." Then again, Jenny is such a dessert fanatic, perhaps we could pose as a "modern couple" and do some cake tasting =).

Finally Furniture

On Sunday the 8th we finally trekked up to Ikea in Canada and bought an entertainment center. A week later, on Saturday, we finally got it assembled (or should I say Chuck finally did). Tuesday I finally took a picture. Today I finally downloaded the picture and sized it... so here's a picture, finally. If you want more details about the other little odds and ends, you can look at furnitureExplained.jpg.



(wow, Blogger is like lightning tonight!)

Sadness

I found out this week that my girlfriend Noel's Dad dropped dead on Friday. He literally was fine one minute, playing golf with his son and son-in-law... on the 13th hole (irony?)... and the next suddenly fell over dead. He was only 53. Noel said he had come home from work early on Thursday and played with her kids all day. At least her last memories of him will be happy ones, not a consolation at this point though.

She called me for support, knowing that I had lost my Dad and, in some way, looking for answers about how she should feel. I wanted to tell her that it gets easier, but I don't think I totally believe that. In some ways it's easier, 10 years later... in some it's more difficult. I, of course, didn't really have answers for her because everyone deals with grief in their own way, but I think she was relieved to have someone who could relate on some level.

Easter Weekend

I had a v.g. Easter weekend, hubby got the new entertainment center put together, looks fab. My nephew Nick helped, he also brought his PlayStation 2 over and Chuck and Nick were playing the PS2 NBA Basketball game. Chuck opted to be the Utah Jazz, his fave team, and we were commenting on how much the PS2 players looked like the real thing... then out came John Stockton. Chuck was visibly upset and in all seriousness said, "that's doesn't look like John Stockton. It looks like someone who's been badly burned and reconstructed!" Nick and I about fell over laughing!

The real John Stockton:
I'm still trying to find a pic of his PS2 badly-burned-and-reconstructed-alter-ego.

(oh, we also watched Almost Famous on DVD through the PS2 game... v.cool)


Made Easter dinner for 10 people, quite a feat! I even made a Pumpkin Layer Cheesecake (which I got raves for) and decorated Sugar Cookies (which looked adorable... bunnies, lambs, tulips...) at the insistence of my Little Gram. She makes me cookies EVERY week, so how could I refuse her?


Speaking of my Little Gram, I think I've mentioned before that she has very funny shoes for her very deformed feet. We call her Gepetto and she does a little dance for us. She had to have her shoes specially made. I'm pretty sure they are wider than they are long. You really have to see them in action to get the full impact, but here's a picture of my Little Gram's funky shoes:



Baaa haaaaa haaaaa (sorry Grammy).

Ikea Envy

Jenny said she is having Ikea envy because I got to go on a shopping spree there. She wants to come over and help assemble and arrange. I say, "What time is good for you? I will clear my schedule!" Two days have gone by and we've only yet assembled the end tables, which consisted of screwing four legs into a top, no tools needed. The other stuff is a different story. I think Saturday will be The Day of Assemblage. Unfortunately Jenny will be in Pennsylvania, derrr.

Digital Rochester

Abby and I went to Tonic tonight for Digital Rochester. While I enjoyed the free pizza (4 pieces!), Abby was scoping for hot guys, which was about as successful as looking for Britany Spears at a convent. Andy was also there, checkin out the ladies. Again, other than the hoochie with her gigantic breasts boosted up to put her cleavage in everyone's face, there wasn't much to look at. The moral of the story: don't scope for hotties at a computer geek event. Thursday looks to be much more promising for them, we're going out after work.

Naked States

Jenny had a word for wierd coincidences, can't remember what it is, but one happened to me yesterday. Joel sends out this picture that looks like rolling sand... look closer... it's many many naked people. Supposedly from a Phish concert but I think it might actually be the one from Woodstock (that an 18 year old boy invited me to go to... how sweet). Last night, I'm flipping the channels and come across the documentary, Naked States: America Undercover. It's all about this photographer Spencer Tunick who travelled across the country taking pictures with naked people in them in each state. I actually see them taking the exact Phish/Woodstock picture that Joel sent not 12 hours earlier! Amazing!

Waterworld

I'm really trying to be good about drinking enough water - hoping it will magically make the dimples on my thighs go away. No miracles so far, but I do have to pee every 20 minutes or so. So I'm going to start blogging each pee with a simple "p".

p

Had a v.g. weekend. Saw "Bridget Jones Diary". Very funny. Colin Firth is a doll. Went with hubby, Abby, Jenny, Aaron, and Matt. Jenny tried to yell at the screen. I bet she thinks they have microphones that feed directly back to a crack team of digital editing experts who will change the outcome based on audience reaction... They MUST do that, right?

Sunday went to IKEA, the shopping version of Nirvana. Got many things which will hopefully be assembled and up before the Christmas. Spent FOUR hours there! Could have spent more. Had swedish meatballs. Drove back in 80 degree weather... a fabulous day... UNTIL... revenge of the swedish meatballs ~10pm. Boking felt imminent for over an hour, then subsided, thanks to Tums. Reminder to self: though they taste good going down, DO NOT EAT the swedish meatballs next time!

Here's what we got (pics to come later):
- a Bonde entertainment center in Birch
- two birch end tables
- two night-stand-dressers in Beech (we're going back to get the matching wardrobe sometime soon)
- a funky floor lamp with a paper shade
- a cool cd holder to be mounted on the wall that looks like a checkmark
- various organizational aids (baskets, boxes, etc.)
- two aluminum planters (but could be used to hold magazines and such)
- two chrome things to mount on the wall that you hang hooks off of - then hang stuff on the hooks + hooks
- towels for hubby's golf-club-making hobby
- wicker coasters
- 3 2-packs of colored frames, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 green
- 2 sets of art cards to go in said colored frames
- 1 pack of 4x6 clip frames (ie, glass held together with four little metal clips)
- 1 pack of 5x7 clip frames (same as above)

I know the new stuff will help me to become an organized person, thus a neat person, thus a happy person, thus a NYS Lotto Jackpot winning person.

Yikes, just found this site, www.respectthepussy.com - "it's not what you think"...

I'm not sure if I'm disgusted or amused. At least the pictures are really cute.
ok, must sleep now...

OK, we DID get a TV with Picture in Picture (which I wanted so I could see both Survivor and Friends - though hubby thinks it's to be used as Golf in Picture so he can watch golf every possible waking moment of his life), but alas, can't figure out how to make it work with digital cable. This is ridiculous. When the heck is all this crap gonna go wireless and figure itself out? If we can put a man on the moon, can't we make electronics easy to use? I want to exercise my brain with more important and/or interesting things, like rating mullets.

I went to pick up my dry cleaning yesterday. I had four pair of pants, two sweaters and a skirt, all in shades of either gray or black. I don't experiement with color too often, I like the classic neutral tones, "safe style". So imagine my shock and horror when the clerk guy grabs a gaggle of hangers holding what I can only explain as a bunch of sweaters that were probably even considered hideous back in 1977 when they were IN style. Heavy knits with bright colors (one had that lovely turquoise, orange, yellow and pink combination thing going). I could only mutter with great disgust, "uh, those are the WRONG sweaters." The clerk guy says something to the effect of "are you sure" - as if he could totally picture me in one of these alert-the-fashion-police-we-have-a-live-one-here garments. Ugh, the indignity of it all.

Uh Oh

Uh oh, it's quarter after midnight and I'm not tired. Wound up from watching Sopranos and Queer as Folk. Damn daylight savings... am going to be all poofy-eyed and icky looking tomorrow.

Spent all weekend watching our new tv - 32 inches of pure entertainment heaven. (Hello, my name is Tina and I'm a tv addict). Almost got the 36" but when it didn't fit in the truck, thought it might be too big in the house. It throws you off when you're at the store looking at them in the context of 40' ceilings and vast expanses of aisles. They get you to think, "oh yeah, the Sopranos will look mighty fine on that 63" tv" and you get it home and you're so close it sends you into epileptic seizures.

Also seemed to be a weekend of Julia Roberts movies. As I was flicking around yesterday, saw that Stepmom was on. Hadn't seen it, got sucked in, cried so hard I had to rinse off my contacts. Then, finally, rented Erin Brockovich. Must admit, I didn't really want to see it until I realized she swore like a trucker in it. Must be the Italian in me. It was good, more tears though. Then Notting Hill was on today. Julia's forhead veins were really flaring in that one.

Well, I'm going to go douse my pillow with my Origins Sweet Dreams spray that's supposed to help me sleep. It smells EXACTLY like Fruit Loops - yum - I'm surprised I don't dream that I'm swimming in a vat of Fruit Loops. Hey, wait, do they spell it like that or are they Froot Loops? Well, either way, must sleep now.

Rant

I'm pissy today, which doesn't happen too often. I'm one of those chronically-sunshiny-happy-everythings-coming-up-roses type people on the outside (though not always on the inside), hopefully not to the point of annoying, but just to the point where people can rely on me to be the one smiling. Today I feel like the dont-come-near-me-or-i'll-rip-your-face-off type people. So I need to rant. Here are things that
tick me off:

- when someone stops the microwave before it finishes and doesn't hit clear - so it's continually flashing in *pause* mode
- when someone tailgates me even though I'm already speeding
- when the bank in the building I work in (that I frequent monthly) gets robbed
- when the lot I park in has more and more vagrants showing up bugging people for money (if one approaches me today, they might endure the wrath of a women gone mad!)
- when I realize just how UNDERPAID I am compared to the MEN in my group who do the same damn thing (but are much more annoying to work with than me)
- when I realize that I didn't follow my dream of working with dolphins (not that it's too late, but that's another issue)
- when it's almost April and it's still &*%$%@@ frozen outside
- when my clothes are too tight and I feel like a cow
- when my husband is almost skinnier than me and has no problem passing up a Krispy Kreme
- when I realize the emphasis on and promotion of unattainable beauty standards in this country, then feel like an even bigger cow
- when I realize I feel like a cow even though alot of women would probably love to have my shape (though I'm sure they'd pass on the dimples - and I'm not talkin ones on my face!)
- when I realize that I will never be rich enough to buy whatever I want or go wherever I want, whenever I want (ie, hop on a plane to visit friends or hop on a plane to be with my brother as he endures back surgery or hop on a plane to Australia to try to find the set of Survivor, etc.)
- when I find myself being really shallow and wining about wanting to be rich, especially knowing alot of people would probably love to have the income I do (like the vagrants waiting for me in the parking lot)
- when my house is a mess and I can't blame anyone but myself
- when I'm craving italian bread toasted and I ate it all yesterday

OK, I'm sure I can think of more, but that's enough for now. I have to head out to my car and hope I don't get mugged in the parking lot, then go spend money I feel guilty about spending, then try to clean up my messy house.

I hope tomorrow is better!

Ramblings

I REALLY have to start keeping up, my weekly rants must be painfully boring. Quick and dirty:

- final bellydancing class last week, new one starts tomorrow night, we recruited Abby - woohoo! Our instructor asked if we'd want to perform as a group - YIKES!

- went and saw Dolphins at the Planetarium. Haven't been to the Planetarium since I was 8, not even for the midnight laser light rock show - shame on me. Then hung at The Spot with Chuck, Matt, Jenny and Aaron. I am still amazed that BOTH Aaron AND Jenny have almost killed an elderly person by standing on the tube to their oxygen tank. It's destiny I tell you! They're meant to be together.

- went to Jenny's Oscar party and proceeded to eat like I'd been stranded on a desert island for days, I tell you, days. It was all so damn yummy! I told Jenny she should go into business making "Jenny Crack Corn". My brother ALMOST got me into the Instyle Oscar Party through a connected friend of his in LA, alas, not to be. In actuality, I was quite relieved, I would have felt like the poor but chubby little match girl next to all the hollywood hotshots. Though with J-Lo walking around all nipples, I don't think anyone else got any notice anyway. Oooh, I also won at Jenny's party for most winners-that-I-don't-necessarily-think-will-win-but-I-want-them-to-win that actually won. I got 52 Terrific and Forgotten Movies, I've only seen the cheesy ones so far. Jenny wrapped it with a bow made out of a negative film strip - her creativity is astounding, I'm in awe.

- dreamt that my teeth were falling out at work and that I almost passed out in the bathroom after looking at my teeth. Not sure what that means but it doesn't sound good. I also dreamt that my Stepmom had shampoo and conditioner dispensers in her shower that must have been big enough to hold 3 gallons each. Not sure where that one came from, odd...

Other than all that, I'm FREEZING and if it doesn't warm up soon, I'm going to curl up and die.

Bahama Breeze

While in Orlando, I went to a pretty awesome restaurant called Bahama Breeze. It was like a cross between Empire Brewery, Jamba Juice, and a fancy T.G.I.F. Caribbean food (obviously). They had a huge deck, great drinks (I had an a href="http://www.bahamabreeze.com/drinks.html "> Ultimate Pina Colada ... yummiest drink I ever had!), great food, and a great atmosphere. When they told us they were opening one in Rochester, I nearly fell off my chair. Why would someone open a tropical themed restaurant who's appeal is a big outdoor deck in Rochester where it's frozen more than half the year? Then again, Rochester is a pretty big restaurant town and Krispy Kreme certainly showed that Rochestarians will drop some serious dough for doughnuts. So it's logical that the market can support it. So I thought... if it's really true, it MUST be getting built in Henrietta. Sure enough, as Chuck and I turned from Hylan on to Jefferson, there it was. A mostly built building that had the distinct shape like the one in Orlando and a large deck. Woo hoo!! Now if only someone will have faith that Rochester could support at least a couple Jamba Juices...

So back to B.B.... the best part about it, I can tell you, will be the drinks. They have a drink called a Bahamarita that looks like a gigantic slushie. I wanted to try one, but didn't want to be a lushie =) I WILL be there for the grand opening and WILL be sampling a Bahamarita or two. Anyone care to join me?