beenie

Does anyone else's cat do this?

There's a window right by the computer, with a large tree just outside it. There are birds hopping around in the branches of said tree.

Snowball is doing this teeth-chattering thing, making little squeaky noises and violently thrashing his tail about. It's cracking me up. It's happened before, but I had yet to see it to this degree. He's totally gitching out!

One of my mom's cats does the same thing, so I shouldn't be surprised, but this is freakin' hilarious!

I don't wanna work...

...I just want to stay home and clean.

Huh??

I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I left work at 9:30 and came home. For the next 6 hours, I alternated between making the kitchen sparkling clean and watching TV. I didn't even turn the computer on until about 3:30. (!!!!!!) I'll be making roasted chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.

AND IT WAS NICE. Can I be a housewife? Just for a few months? Just until I recover from the stress that is my job?

I've been feeling "not very well" for a few weeks now, and I wonder how much of it has to do with my job - a coworker has been on anxiety medication since he'd been with the company for about 8 months, a mark I will hit in 5 days. I saw an article on MSN about avoiding burnout, in which 13 early warning signs are given. And I'll be damned if Every. Single. One. isn't true for me, to some degree:

1. Chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down
2. Anger at those making demands
3. Self-criticism for putting up with the demands
4. Cynicism, negativity, and irritability
5. A sense of being besieged
6. Exploding easily at seemingly inconsequential things
7. Frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
8. Weight loss or gain
9. Sleeplessness and depression
10. Shortness of breath
11. Suspiciousness
12. Feelings of helplessness
13. Increased degree of risk taking

And the thing is, I love the industry. But the people are driving me nuts. Thank heaven I like the one I deal with the most.

Another one?!

I Googled another guy I went to college with and found that he's done well for himself as well (unlike the previous one, I had a HUGE crush on this one for a couple of years). Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# Minor is my absolute favorite composition for piano, and every once in a while, he'd come play it for me. Such a nice guy, too. Congrats, Marty!

I feel so inadequate.

I spoke too soon...

Otheriwse entitled: When it rains, it pours.

Otherwise entitled: the results of the oil change were too good to be true.

My "Service Engine Soon" light is on again. Shit.

I'm hoping this is only because I've had the car for 90,000 miles and have never had a tune-up. PLEASE let it just be a tune-up.

Yet another random quiz

You are the Narrator (otherwise known as 'Jack')!!


Which Fight Club Character Are You?
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There goes the savings...

Or more appropriately, the savings that was to accumulate in accordance with the new budget.

Did the taxes tonight. We owe the feds more than I originally thought. Our state refund is less than I originally thought. The previously manageable difference between the two is now unmanageable. There is a possibility we'll have to do a payment plan, which unfortunately does not preclude us from having to pay interest and fees on what we're not able to come up with by April 15th, AND comes with a $43 fee.

Or maybe we can just scale back some of the spending money (joint and individual) we've budgeted for ourselves and actually have a go at saving it up ourselves. This is my preferred method of going about it, and most likely what I'd do if I were on my own. However, I am not the only person in my relationship - further discussion is necessary.

Hmmm...

As a customer, would you rather overhear an employee saying something they probably shouldn't say about a store procedure, or would you rather hear the manager call him on the carpet about the comment right in front of you?

While I was getting my oil changed, one of the guys at the quickie lube was explaining to another guy why he was doing something a certain way on the car next to me. Something about "well, I want to be absolutely sure, because I don't want the fluid to burst out of the hose like it did on that Bronco."

The manager-type person, who was the one working on my car, told him that he needed to watch his mouth. The guy explained why he said what he did, to which the manager-type guy replied "well, I don't think customers would feel too comfortable hearing you say that."

Sorry, as a customer, I was a lot more uncomfortable hearing the guy get spoken to about it in front of me. As a manager, I would NEVER address any kind of performance or behavioral issue with my employee in front of a customer. It's just bad form.

I'm so sorry, Victoria

On the way to work, I noticed that Victoria's "Service Engine Soon" light was on. I went grocery shopping last night and it wasn't on then, so this was a surprise.

I'd been meaning to get an oil change for a while - I was almost 1000 miles overdue if you use the 3000 mark as the "drop dead" point (I went 5000 or 6000 miles between changes when I worked 55 highway miles away, but now that I have a 1.5-mile round trip, none of it over 30 MPH, 3000 miles between changes it is). I figured hoped against hope that I just needed an oil change. Victoria shuddered her way to the quickie-lube, with me shaking in my boots within. We canNOT afford any car crap right now.

The dipstick was DRY. Apparently, with my fixation on the 3000 mark, I forgot about the 3-month mark. Y'know, 3 months or 3000 miles, whichever comes first? Well, now that I have a miniscule commute, the 4000 miles I'd driven since my last oil change took 6 MONTHS to do. That's right, kids - I hadn't had an oil change since the end of July.

I had them do an oil system cleaner - they drain the oil, dump the cleaner in and have you run your car for a few minutes. When I started the car, the light was gone!! :D They finished the oil change, I went back to work and the car drove SO. MUCH. BETTER. My poor Victoria was just thirsty.

Thank heaven for small (relatively cheap) fixes.

Ummmm, okay.

You are a Go-Go Girl! Yay you!


What kind of Sixties Person are you?
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Musical Oops

I got an email letting me know I'd been tagged, and not knowing it was a blog thing rather than just an email thing, sent it along to two people who don't have blogs. Yeah, I'm a dork. Sorry ladies!!

1. Song that sounds like happy feels
Stay by The Dave Matthews Band

2. Earliest Memory
Listening to the oldies station

3. Last CD You Bought
I haven't bought one in a loooooong time, but Bryan got me a John Mayer CD for Christmas.

4. Reminds You of School
'Round Here by The Counting Crows

5. Total Music Files on Your PC
If it's not a thousand, it's probably close.

6. Song for Listening to Repeatedly When Depressed
Dance music

7. Song That Sounds British But Isn't
Hmmmmm...

8. Song You Love, Band You Hate
Several country songs at the moment.

9. A Favorite Song From the Past That Took Ages to Track Down
They're all hard for me to track down because I never remember the names of the singers or the titles of the songs.

10. Bought the Album for One Good Song
Gerardo (Rico Suave) and Whitesnake (Here I Go Again) come to mind

11. Worst Song to Get Stuck in Your Head
Briiiing Meeeeeee Twwwo pina coladas, one for each haaannnddd

12. Best Song to Dump a Beer on Someone's Head To, Then Storm Out of the Bar
I'll think of one sooner or later

13. Who Should do This Next
Kim
Spyros