Today is "Cranky Coworkers' Day" - I'm just trying to figure out if I'm going to be that cranky coworker today.

On another note, I've become increasinly disgusted by fast food restaurants, particularly McDonald's & Burger King. I'm not sure why exactly I feel this way - maybe it's their lackluster customer service or the fact that the majority of the food that they serve has a million calories in it - whatever the reason, I've been avoiding it all costs. This morning I found the following story, which solidifies my standing:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/10/26/cowboys.rat.salad.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

There's no way in hell, I'm going to step into another McDonald's for a LONG TIME!

Holiday Decorations

I'm pretty excited about decorating our house for the holidays this year, especially considering the fact that we moved in here this past Spring and and last Christmas we were in the apartment and really didn't decorate much - so this will be out first Christmas in our new house - and I really hope to make the best of it & go all out with decorations.

I was actually planning on decorating a bit for Halloween - maybe put up a few strands of Halloween lights, maybe put a few halloween decorations around the house & the yard - something subtle, but still noticeable - BUT, there just hasn't been enough time and with Halloween right around the corner, I highly doubt it will happen - but I do plan on decorating next year.

Don't worry though - I'm not going to do anything like this:















Or this:

Today we had a luncheon at Dutch's Daughter, a great restaurant here in Frederick, that has the best Crab Cakes & Crab Cake Imperial in the world - so guess what I ordered??

That's right a crab cake!

My lunch today = delightful!!

A sure sign that winter is on its way

I know that the weather has turned in many parts of the country, including here in Central Maryland. One true indicator for me, and one I really don't look forward to, is the strong scent of moth balls coming from a corridor down the hall from my office.



Don't people realize that "moth ball scent" is not a pleasant scent? Why the hell can't they use cedar chips or something more pleasing to the nose?

Ok, so maybe this doesn't go with my grand scheme...

I'm currently hoping to lose 15 pounds by the end of the year, at which time I'll rewards myself with some badly needed new clothes. I haven't formally started a diet or an exercise program, but I am trying to eat better & I'm hoping to start walking around the neighborhood a few times a week, starting this week. Maybe, just maybe, I'll join up with a local gym. I know I definitely need to do something, as I can't deal with this excess weight much longer.

Anyway for the past week or so, most mornings I'll eat a container of Yogurt & a fruit cup, and have a bottled water for my breakfast - as I know that the Blueberry Muffin & Ice Tea that I'd rather have would only pack on the calories & pounds. But there are some mornings that I just can't resist the fresh pastries that await me in the cafe at work, such as the chocolate croissant that was calling my name this morning, which looked very similar to this:


I wouldn't have been so tempted if I the person in front of me in line at the cafe hadn't bought one - it looked so fresh & smelled so good. So rather than resist the temptation & sulk around the rest of the day, wishing I had eaten the delicacy, I caved in...

And you know what? It was damn good...

Good for Madonna

Personally I think it's wonderful that Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie have taken the steps to adopt a child from Malawi.

Malawi, as you may know, is a small, very impoverished country in the Southeast of Africa. This country, which is the size of Pennsylvania has faced a terrible food shortage - with more than 4 million people without adequate food supplies. The average age of a Malawian is 37 years due to AIDS/HIV, Malnutrition, & Malaria. My feeling on celebrity adoption is this - as long as their intent is sincere - I'm all for it! And I really feel that Madonna's intent her is sincere. She is saving the life of a child, and providing him with a life away from poverty - so what's the deal? Why all the fuss??

Happy Monday

This weekend, went by pretty quickly, although I spent the majority of it in bed, recovering from bronchitis. I did make it out to the grocery store a few times and also to Home Depot to buy some Mums and some bulbs to plant (which are going to have to wait until next week). Saturday night, CJ had a high school soccer game (they tied) and then we visited with some friends for a while.

Yesterday was devoted mainly to resting & studying for an upcoming test in my management class, and then last night Frank, Tabi and I watched the movie "White Noise" - boy did that movie scare the crap out of us! None of us wanted to go outside to walk the dog & none of us wanted to get up & turn the DVD player off. Yesterday also marked the 3 year anniversary of my dad's death - I was going to go visit his grave, but decided that instead of going up there and thinking about the day he died (and the days after) that I would sort through some more of his pictures and reflect on the memories I have of him. His 75th birthday would be later this week, and I'll visit his grave then.

Monday means back to work for me - usually I dread Mondays - but for some reason, I'm actually looking forward to returning back to work. (I'm sure that I'll regret that later)

Sooo - today is "National Boss Day" - hmmmm... I don't think I'll be celebrating!

Ranting about illness(es)

Rant 1: Why is it that every time that I get a cold, that within a few days - everyone else claims to have caught it from me? I cover my mouth & nose when I sneeze, I'm obsessive about washing my hands & I'm always using hand sanitizer - of course, I know, that doesn't mean that they didn't get it from me, but still - there plenty of other germs floating around out there!

Rant 2: Why is it that I can cough like crazy, practically hacking up a lung, barely able to breathe and no one - I mean no one - bothers to do anythine more than say "Gee that doesn't sound good" ? You would think that just maybe, someone might pop their head up out of their cube to make sure I'm ok, and to make sure I didn't hack up my left lung - but noooooooooooooo...not here....

Rant 3: Why is it that when I get sick, Frank acts like I'm either "faking it" or that I got sick because I'm not "in shape"? And why the hell can't he get up out of bed in the middle of the night & get me cough medicine? Absolutely no sympathy whatsoever from him! But yet - when he's sick - it's a big huge deal - surely he's sicker than anyone else - and being the nice, kind, loving wife I am - I take care of him. I bring him cough syrup and cold medicine. I make chicken noodle soup & hot tea for him.

Just a little sympathy here - ok...

Modesty on the job

Maybe I'm just a bit too modest when it comes time to boasting about my accomplishments on the job, or maybe it's more that I'm too shy and don't like the attention when someone makes a big fuss over me - regardless, it sure would be nice if every once in a while, when I do something totally awesome on the job, if my boss would just say "hey Thanks!" How hard would that be?

I thought I really busted my ass a few weeks ago at an event we were hosting at work - I worked overtime just about every night, came in over the weekend for 2 weekends straight and thought I kicked ass at my job. But did my boss ever thank me? NO! Instead - she's received awards & certificates, gone out to lunch with her bosses to thank her for "her good job" during the event. The thing that ticks me off is that she barely even showed up at the event - it was my coworker and I that were there 8+ hours a day, busting our butts, but we can't even get a thanks! Grrr...sorry for the vent, but she really annoys the living crap out of me!

Okay - I feel better now.

What a victory!

CJ's high school JV soccer team had a game last night against a local team that we all knew would give us pretty tough competition. CJ's been struggling a bit all season & seemed to have lost some of the intensity & motivation that he had previously had. Anyway, I had just sent the varsity coach an email yesterday afternoon to see if he wouldn't mind taking CJ inside & talking to him a bit - my thinking is that a little pep talk from a coach (and a former college player) would be alot more credible than coming from his dad or I, and of course the coach said "sure - no problem.."

The game got started right on time - the weather has finally turned here so we were bundled up pretty good. Rain was supposed to come into the area late last night & so we all had our fingers crossed that it would hold off until after the end of the game. Our team played extremely well the first half dominating the entire time - CJ never went in, instead he sat on the bench looking bummed out & cold (until finally he put his sweatshirt on). Right before the end of the half - one of the players on CJ's team scored, putting us ahead 1-0. The second half started, still no CJ on the field. Our players continued to play strong & about midway through the second half CJ started warming up with a big smile on his face. And suddenly the rain started pouring down. We all pulled out our umbrellas & continued to cheer the boys on in what we hoped would be another victory. CJ was barely on the field a minute, when we noticed it - it was like a light bulb had gone off & everything had clicked for him again. He was on fire! With 10 minutes left in the game a team mate passed him the ball & he sprinted past a defender & hightailed it into the box. The goalie dove out but CJ popped it right into the goal! (putting the score at 2-0) What a glorious moment! We all stood up & cheered and one of the defenders lifted CJ up high up into the air. He was beaming....

Unfortunately, our team got overly confident and let up alot. The other team rallied & scored twice with 5 minutes left in the game. Despire our team's best efforts, they couldn't manage to put another goal in the net, the game ended tied 2-2.

Although a tie, is not nearly as good as a win, CJ's team is still undefeated for the season. And depite the fact that we did not win, CJ's goal was a very important moment for him. It was a victory of sorts. He finally found the spark and the intensity that he once had & laid it all out last night on the field. He gave it 150% & didn't let up - not for one second, even when the rest of the team did. Even after the other team tied the score up, CJ continued to yell to his team mates "Come on - don't let up, let's keep going...we can do it!!"

Like the old saying goes, "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game". It's being a true athlete - and putting your entire heart & soul into the game that makes you a champion & that's exactly what CJ did last night.

Lost - New Season

Ok - I admit it (and my family will attest to this) - I'm not a big "Lost" fan. I watched almost the enitre first season, but sometime in the beginning of last season, I lost interest so to speak. Last night was the start of the new season of Lost, and although I didn't watch very much of it - I do have the following observations/questions:

1. Who the hell are the "Others" and what exactly do they want? It was really creepy when they first showed the "Others" attending a book club in someone's else house in a seeminly normal neighborhood, and then a few minutes later, they showed that the neighborhood was actually carved out in the middle of the jungle presumably on or near the island where the plane crashed.
2. I'm scared shitless of Henry Gale! I mean really - he is so incredibly weird & creepy and he totally gave me the heebie-jeebies when he told Kate "she was not going to have a pleasant 2 weeks." If I had been her, I would have majorly "had an accident". Actually, I should give props to the actor who portrays Henry Gale as he really is doing a great job, but it really makes me wonder if this actor is just as creepy as the character he's portraying - I mean look at the guy:

Is he creepy or what? I'd rather have an affair with my GI doctor (who's also pretty creepy) then spend one minute alone with "Henry Gale". So guess what I wont' be doing next Wendesay night? Watching Lost!

What Happened To The Weekend?

So how did it suddenly become Monday, when it didn't feel like there was much of a weekend at all? Maybe it's because I worked a bit on Saturday, but still. I was majorly annoyed when I woke up this morning & realized it was Monday. Maybe it's not so bad after all - since my boss is out of the office today.

This afternoon I took little Freddie, who is the cutest kitten in the world by the way & not a bit spoiled, (refer to the picture below) to the vet's office as he's been throwing up & having diarrhea over the past few days. What really got me was when he barfed up a roundworm yesterday! GEEZ - I'd rather stab myself in the thumb then see that again. Anyway - so the vet put him on a bunch of medicine & gave him some fluids since he was a tad dehydrated.


Freddie's very proud of the fact that he finally was able to perch himself on the railing.

Hopefully he'll be feeling a bit better in a few days - because I REALLY do not want to take another trip to that vet's office. All of the front desk people & some of the technicians were really bitchy and irritable today. What's up with that? I know - maybe they've seen a lot of sad things - abused animals & what not - but still - don't be mean to me - I happen to care about my animals alot! At least the vet today was super nice!

Here's a picture of Pinky, who always looks slightly annoyed:




And last, but not least, here's a picture of our crazy dog Margo, just for the hell of it...