Insomnimusing: Allons-y!

I have no idea what this damn Pineapple Express movie is, but I wish they'd stop playing the trailer every five minutes on TV. I'm always looking the other direction, and then I hear that song..... Paper Planes..... Immediately my brain is filled with images ... A DJ booth and dancing Canadians.... And a smile that was just for me, once upon a time... Mmmmiiiiiinnnnneeeee....... Damn it. It's a conspiracy, everywhere I look. And again, there's another reminder... It's not fair. Seriously - how long does this last? I've got a work meeting tomorrow. I'll be working at a different office, so I hope I remember in the morning to drive to another city. I got a message (surprise!) yesterday from G. He always seems to contact me when he's having girl issues. Once he even messaged me to say, "I have a date Saturday. What should we do?" It gives me flashbacks to elementary school. All of the boys were "friends" with me, and they always came to...

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She's nosey, or she's paranoid, or she's untrusting, or she's just a fucking bitch trying to rub my face in it. Whatever it is, the vacuous silicone bitch needs to back the fuck off. I've had enough of it. Why the fuck does she need to check up on MY life at least three times a week? WHAT THE FUCK?!?! Didn't she take enough of it already?

I went ahead and got new digs for Freckles today. I figure, she's going to need it, so there's no point in putting it off. But we just bought the Kritter Keeper for her two days ago. What to do? Enter Herman and Lily (as in Munster). Herman's a black moor, and Lily is a calico moor. (No idea of their actual sexes, btw - but does it matter with goldfish?) I swear - that's as far as the menagerie is going. One cat, one frog and two fish. (I couldn't get a decent picture of the fish to post...sorry...I'm sure you're all broken up about it.) I've got another meeting next week, but one of the editors has promised to bring pie, so that's a plus. :) Pooh got a job today. He has his orientation at McDonald's next week. That means I'm going to have to talk to the boss - again. I knew I should have pushed back my re-entry to the office until school started.

Well, I did some research on our new pal Freckles. It turns out, she's not the African dwarf frog we thought we were getting. She's an African clawed frog. Which means she's going to grow to at least five inches, and she could live for 25 years! Some impulse buy! She's happy in her one gallon Kritter Keeper now, but we'll have to invest in a bona fide aquarium to keep up with her. And judging by the fact that she was already bigger by far than any of her siblings....... oh boy... In my research I found that one person reported owning a female who grew to 10 inches and lived 32 years! I looked up the salmonella risk that Roxie mentioned in her comment for my previous post. For children over the age of 5 with healthy immune systems and adequate precautions, such as careful handwashing and thorough cleaning of the area used to change the water - the risk is minimal. Also, the African clawed frog, unlike other frogs, actually produces an antibiotic on its skin, so it...

Since our little backyard froggie fled the kiddie pool, we've been feeling an absence in the family. So today included a trip to the pet shop for our very own house froggie. We encountered Freckles as I was strolling along the wall of aquariums and felt something squishy under my foot. At that instant, Gin said, "Mom, you just stepped on a frog." I looked down, and sure enough, she was right. We thought for a moment it was dead, then it began to wriggle around. A shop worker quickly scooped her up and popped her back into the tank. I told her that we were, in fact, there to get a frog. After fishing around in the tank, she managed to scoop up the feistiest and fattest frog in the tank for us - the very same one I'd just stepped on, by chance. So here's our big, fat Freckles (Munch chose the name): I start back in the office tomorrow. It inspired me to write this week's column on telecommuting. It might raise an eyebrow or two at the office, but it's a perf...

I spent the day to day at the county fair with Book, Gin and Munch. We all had a much better time than the girls and I'd had there on Tuesday. We had to start out with the company picnic, which was mediocre, to rate it generously. But I've been doing this long enough to know that it's always mediocre at best. From there we went straight on to the "good" rides that we hadn't been able to ride Tuesday because of the flood of teenagers that arrives each evening of the fair. (Individually, teenagers are fine. Pooh and his friends are great. But put them into a group situation without adult supervision, and they're idiots. But anyway....) The first ride was one of those big (well, this one was not so big, really) pirate ship rides that swings to and fro - or I suppose that's fore and aft. Munch was eager to go on it, because she's trying to prove herself worthy of an amusement park trip. Well, we were seconds into the ride before she freaked. The ride o...

Well, my boss "negotiated" three days a week in the office for me - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - starting next week. I guess it's a good thing I've got this weekend off, at least. I don't think I'll be staying with this long. With all the work I've given this company for completely inadequate pay, they've got to go and make it harder for me (and even less lucrative). It's hardly worth all my effort, but I don't know how to half-ass my way through a job. I guess that means I'd better find a place that appreciates me. Munch had a taste for sushi tonight - and once she mentioned it, so did I. I considered taking the girls down to the sushi place, but I decided to save myself a little cash and make it myself. I managed to find a decent salmon fillet - a serious challenge around here - and some crab, so we had ourselves a sushi feast at a fraction of the cost of going to the restaurant. And the girls LOVED it! Me too, in fact. :) My favorite d...

I not much in the mood for writing tonight. I don't feel like much of anything. I'm a little melancholy today. I'm glad the week is nearly over - and I don't have to work this weekend. I've been awfully tired today. I took an unintended nap early this evening. I feel like another. One that lasts about six months.

My day started out with the usual work, then I had to take lunch and get ready to head into the office for my meeting with my boss. I had a stroke of genius (or it felt like it at that particular moment), and I found the perfect pants to pair with my new Mario Bologna shoes so that they could make their public debut. (I looked positively smashing, btw...hehe) So I headed out to the car, and what do I see? Flat tire. Great. I sent Pooh over to the store to grab a can of Fix-A-Flat to get me on my way. I was only about five minutes late for my meeting, so it was no big deal. My boss was more interested in the potential story angle of the roadwork causing me two flat tires (I got one a few weeks ago, too) - and whatever other damage it's been doing to the other residents of my little hamlet. That's the news business for ya. As expected, my boss said that his boss wants me in the office but is willing to compromise. My boss will be presenting a plan to have me in the office twice a...

Woohoo! I'm on Wikipedia! Well, I've been on for a while as a reference on one of the foreign-language pages (I don't recall which language), but now, I'm in English! The listing has two references, and the vast majority of the entry refers to an article I wrote. Too cool! Funny thing is, the entry just popped up a couple of weeks ago, and I wrote the article six years or so ago, I think. So the wiki is already outdated - or at least, woefully incomplete. I am smiling a lot more lately. I'm liking this feeling. Or I should say, I'm likin' it. This is good. Yeah. I think it is. I've got a meeting with the boss tomorrow. No idea what it's going to be about. I think it's just him and me. Hope so. My guess is that he's talked to the group publisher, and they've got a proposal regarding my work arrangement. If they'd leave well enough alone, they'd save the company money, but if they offer me a raise, well.... we'll have to wait an...

Well, it looks like I'll be taking my trip to Chicago after all. My dear friend is coming from England to America to see me, and as there's nothing HERE (and I desperately need a vacation anyway), we'll be enjoying the amenities in the Windy City. I'm very much looking forward to it. We're hoping for early September. Fingers crossed it all comes together without too much difficulty. I had so much work this weekend that it's almost felt as though I've done nothing else. I'm going to sleep tonight and think happy thoughts and look toward my upcoming adventure.

I promised to revisit this topic - because Part 1, way back in March, inspired searches for a Part 2 - so here it is. Just so you know, though, I never intended a Part 2, and it was never meant to be a list. It was just an ordinary entry, and when I titled it Secret Pleasures, the words "Part 1" immediately popped into my head for some reason. Oh well, here is a Part 2 anyway. :) * Mad Men on AMC (watch online here!!) - That's not really a secret, though, and I mentioned it in Part 1 anyway. I've been loving it from the beginning, and I'm so glad the mainstream is picking up on it. This show is incredible! The first season has been nominated for 16 Emmy Awards!!! * dancing to the song "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls. Actually, I've got a few other songs I love to dance to, including "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige, "Smooth" by Santana fea. Rob Thomas (that man's voice just DOES things to me....no idea why....Rob, not Carlos,...

I had my meeting with the bosses today. It went pretty well. As expected, somebody's suggesting that I should work from the office five days a week. I presented my case, and it was positively received. I told them honestly that I could not afford to add the expense of gasoline and full-time childcare at my current pay rate (which has not increased in five years despite four promotions and five job expansions in that time). I work seven days a week, virtually 24 hours a day, and I have been more responsive, efficient and effective than the three people who held the position before me - and they were all in the office full-time. My boss asked me to write up the same argument that I had given him in an e-mail so that he could present my case to the group publisher. He also mentioned a raise. I think we'll be able to some kind of arrangement. At the very least, I'm almost certain we'll be able to push back a shift to more office time until school starts again. In the mean t...

How cruel this life that offers up a taste of its sweetness only to rend it away once the craving for it has insinuated itself irrevocably upon the tip of the tongue. Well, I think it's time to accept yet another shift in the sands of my life. But I'm not going to fight it. I'm just going along with it. I did what I could to go off in another direction, but it appears that it is simply not to be. And here, I have been presented with an entirely different option - at precisely the right time - so why not? Why shouldn't I go along with it and see what happens? There's nothing to stop me. I can't think of any reason I shouldn't. Except that it's soooo hard for me to let go of that ... other direction. I'm being cryptic. I know. I get unexpected visitors here sometimes, and it always seems to be at the worst time. I have to learn to get past that. I know that, too. This is the place that I shouldn't have to censor myself, and I've already once co...

I missed posting yesterday, and it's funny, because yesterday would have been one of those days just begging for an outlet. It was one of those days when every radio station seems to be involved in a massive conspiracy against you. Ok - I only listen to two stations around here because everything else is country music...but come on! Bob Marley on one and Bob Dylan on the other?!?! If anyone ever needed some mind-blowing, driving techno music, it was me yesterday. But after a relentless gauntlet of memories keeping me in a bona fide funk all day, I was yet again rescued by a dear friend. My mind was in a scramble, but all the chaos went away. And I got to see the sun rise in England. Hehe. Well, the next best thing, I suppose. I took a step toward my ... um ... short-term goal, today. Now, I just have to wait and see. I'm wavering between cautiously optimistic and downright defeatist. But at least I took the step. I won't have to say, "what if...?" *** Rest in peac...