So here I am once again, dressed up, as I alway dress up, every year, in the same ren faire outfit I always wear for Halloween, sitting at my desk in front of the computer. Why? 'Cause it's just about required for this department. Oh, I'd probably never actually get reprimanded for it in anything near an official capacity. (They did that once, and I didn't take it very well. I'm sure it's been noted in my file.) But I would get subtly censured, as I have in the past for "non-participation" and the like. Well, what they see as subtle anyway.
...whatevers...
In any case, I have another headache today, and sadly I forgot the wonderous box of headache medicines at home in my other bag. The bag I left at home today. Because of the costume. Oh well. I'm wearing the hat to try to compress my head a little, in an attempt to control the feeling of pressure and thus ignore the headache. But it's not working. Dammit.
Maybe it'll work if I pull the hat down over my eyes. Or at least my left eye. That might work. Yeah. But then, I won't be able to see the screen as I type. Hmm, that presents something of a quandry. I shall have to ponder that, as I sit in the artificial darkness that is the inside of my foofy hat with feathers.
At least, until lunch times. That's one thing to look forward to, I guess - free lunch.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Looking at cars...
My car is showing its age. I've had the little car for well nigh 10 years now, and it's really getting long in the tooth. Last month the power window control burned out, and I had to replace it - the part cost like $250 bucks... *winces* Now, the front breaks went bad, and it's going to need some work. Not sure how much it's going to cost me yet, but the initial estimate was $150.
*sighs*
For some time now, I've been working on acquiring a new ride, and put the old workhorse to pasture. Rather than go the "used car" route, I'm thinking of experiencing for myself the thrill of that new car smell as I drag my tired butt out the door and haul ass to get to work before the wondrous tardy fairy bestows the hot-pink-tardy-slip-memo-of-woe upon my inbox. (joy)
For a long time I was considering the Prius, Toyota's hybrid. Despite the higher price tag, I figured the gas mileage advantages and environmentally friendly profile far outweighed mere monetary concerns. That is, of course, until I found out about the truth - the gas mileage isn't anywhere NEAR as efficient as initially believed, the special hybrid battery needs to be replaced every 3 - 5 years (and costs an arm and a leg), and it doesn't come in a pretty blue color. (Yes, the lack of true blueage was what really killed it for me. Okay not really - it was the $30k price tag without any gas mileage benefits that REALLY killed it for me.)
Thus heartily disappointed, I turned away from the mythical Prius to a more practical solution - the Corolla. On Toyota's site, I played around with the different options and stuff that I'd want, and the MSRP came out to be about $19k. Which is still about $10k less than the Prius I had formerly been looking at.
And the Corolla comes in blue. A real blue.
So now all I have to do is finish saving up enough for a down payment. And make sure I have the means to make the monthly car payments that will be necessary. Which, of course, is even more motivation to beat that overly-cheerful tardy fairy every morning to the wonderful-happyland-place. (yay...)
Ah well...things could always be worse. I could be at work! (...oh wait, I am... -_-; )
*sighs*
For some time now, I've been working on acquiring a new ride, and put the old workhorse to pasture. Rather than go the "used car" route, I'm thinking of experiencing for myself the thrill of that new car smell as I drag my tired butt out the door and haul ass to get to work before the wondrous tardy fairy bestows the hot-pink-tardy-slip-memo-of-woe upon my inbox. (joy)
For a long time I was considering the Prius, Toyota's hybrid. Despite the higher price tag, I figured the gas mileage advantages and environmentally friendly profile far outweighed mere monetary concerns. That is, of course, until I found out about the truth - the gas mileage isn't anywhere NEAR as efficient as initially believed, the special hybrid battery needs to be replaced every 3 - 5 years (and costs an arm and a leg), and it doesn't come in a pretty blue color. (Yes, the lack of true blueage was what really killed it for me. Okay not really - it was the $30k price tag without any gas mileage benefits that REALLY killed it for me.)
Thus heartily disappointed, I turned away from the mythical Prius to a more practical solution - the Corolla. On Toyota's site, I played around with the different options and stuff that I'd want, and the MSRP came out to be about $19k. Which is still about $10k less than the Prius I had formerly been looking at.
And the Corolla comes in blue. A real blue.
So now all I have to do is finish saving up enough for a down payment. And make sure I have the means to make the monthly car payments that will be necessary. Which, of course, is even more motivation to beat that overly-cheerful tardy fairy every morning to the wonderful-happyland-place. (yay...)
Ah well...things could always be worse. I could be at work! (...oh wait, I am... -_-; )
Friday, October 01, 2004
Ever Wonder...
Ever wonder how things would be affected by your absence? Not as in, if you had never been born, but as in if you were gone from people's lives?
(Hey, no hitting. Yes, I know it's a little morbid. No, this ain't no preliminary bye-bye note or anything stupid. No worries. Just my imagination working through a little bout of depression, tryin not ta be wallowin in th' self-pity overmuch, an' all that. I'm okay. Really. I mean it. No hitting. *shakes finger in a stern manner*)
I was thinking about that the other day. Here are my thoughts on that
At work, I think for the most part nothing will change for them. It'll be just like when people leave for a better job (or a "better place," as we sometimes affectionately call it). Some stuff would be difficult to find, and it would be my fault. And anything that went wrong with any of the projects I was involved in would be instantly blamed on me.
A few people would be kinda sad. Some would be sad on a personal level, while others would just be sad because I wasn't there for them to make do things. Or try to make miserable. And some wouldn't even notice I was gone...
"Hey, I haven't seen her around the office for a few weeks, is she on vacation or something…?"
"Umm…dude, she's gone."
"Wow, really? That's cool. So, like, where's she working now?"
"…"
For my friends (some of whom may be yelling at me as I type), I'd like to think they'd be a bit more affected on a personal level. At least, once they were to find out. Sadly, I'm not the best at keeping in touch with folks, and weeks or even months can go by sometimes without me talking to them.
(Hence, one of the reasons for this blog. You folks reading out there? I hope so. Sometimes I worry that my lack of contact might make you folks think I don't care about ya's or something, which isn't the case - I'm just a little lazy, and need some prodding from time to time. Sometimes the prodding should be done with a 2 x 4 to the noggin. Yes I can be extremely dense sometimes. I'm sowwy I'm such a horrible friend. Here, have a 2 x 4. I'll go put on a cap with a big, red bull's eye on it. Okay, this aside is done now.)
My family would be the most severely affected. The cat especially - he doesn't even like it when I come home late. Me not coming home at all, ever - that might be too traumatic for the little furball to handle. He might need kitty therapy or something. And that can be costly.
(Hey, no hitting. Yes, I know it's a little morbid. No, this ain't no preliminary bye-bye note or anything stupid. No worries. Just my imagination working through a little bout of depression, tryin not ta be wallowin in th' self-pity overmuch, an' all that. I'm okay. Really. I mean it. No hitting. *shakes finger in a stern manner*)
I was thinking about that the other day. Here are my thoughts on that
At work, I think for the most part nothing will change for them. It'll be just like when people leave for a better job (or a "better place," as we sometimes affectionately call it). Some stuff would be difficult to find, and it would be my fault. And anything that went wrong with any of the projects I was involved in would be instantly blamed on me.
A few people would be kinda sad. Some would be sad on a personal level, while others would just be sad because I wasn't there for them to make do things. Or try to make miserable. And some wouldn't even notice I was gone...
"Hey, I haven't seen her around the office for a few weeks, is she on vacation or something…?"
"Umm…dude, she's gone."
"Wow, really? That's cool. So, like, where's she working now?"
"…"
For my friends (some of whom may be yelling at me as I type), I'd like to think they'd be a bit more affected on a personal level. At least, once they were to find out. Sadly, I'm not the best at keeping in touch with folks, and weeks or even months can go by sometimes without me talking to them.
(Hence, one of the reasons for this blog. You folks reading out there? I hope so. Sometimes I worry that my lack of contact might make you folks think I don't care about ya's or something, which isn't the case - I'm just a little lazy, and need some prodding from time to time. Sometimes the prodding should be done with a 2 x 4 to the noggin. Yes I can be extremely dense sometimes. I'm sowwy I'm such a horrible friend. Here, have a 2 x 4. I'll go put on a cap with a big, red bull's eye on it. Okay, this aside is done now.)
My family would be the most severely affected. The cat especially - he doesn't even like it when I come home late. Me not coming home at all, ever - that might be too traumatic for the little furball to handle. He might need kitty therapy or something. And that can be costly.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Why?
Why?
Why, in an office building with no elevator to the second floor, and no conceivable way for someone in a wheelchair to get upstairs, is there a handicapped stall in the women's restroom?
Why, in a world of supposedly grown-up adults, do people run around gleefully doing petty, childish, hurtful things to each other?
Why are there mean people in the world, anyway?
Why can't people understand that everything they do in life has an effect on those around them, whether it's taking a co-worker for granted or not flushing the toilet?
Why don't people wash their hands after using the toilet? (That always grosses me out, that they don't...eeww...)
Why can't someone come up with a self-cleaning catbox?
Oh wait...someone did do that last one. Nevermind. ^^;
Why, in an office building with no elevator to the second floor, and no conceivable way for someone in a wheelchair to get upstairs, is there a handicapped stall in the women's restroom?
Why, in a world of supposedly grown-up adults, do people run around gleefully doing petty, childish, hurtful things to each other?
Why are there mean people in the world, anyway?
Why can't people understand that everything they do in life has an effect on those around them, whether it's taking a co-worker for granted or not flushing the toilet?
Why don't people wash their hands after using the toilet? (That always grosses me out, that they don't...eeww...)
Why can't someone come up with a self-cleaning catbox?
Oh wait...someone did do that last one. Nevermind. ^^;
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Belated post - VACATION
This entry SHOULD have been posted a week ago, but I admit to being too lazy to write it.
The vacation was fun. Fun (almost) beyond words to describe. Despite a little lack of sleep, compliments of the two in-house comedians who kept us all up all night with a very bad case of the giggles... or maybe because of it? I dunno, my memories are a bit hazy at this time. Probably has something to do with the lack of sleep I was suffering from at the time... wait, did I mention that already?
Really though, it was a blast to hang out with the group again. Only been a week, and I miss 'em all already. Even though I chat with them quite often online, it's not the same as just hanging out and just letting the craziness overtake us all. Of course, that level of craziness on a regular basis might just make us all... well, I guess it's too late for some of us. Me, for instance.
It's a shame that we all live in different states, and can only meet up maybe once a year or so. (Although, I think I can hear someone, somewhere, right now, telling me I should move to Oregon... then again, maybe it's just my overactive imagination...? :P )
Went to a lot of stuff at the con, and got the chance to learn some valuable things from a lot of familiar names. Tracy and Laura Hickman, Michael Stackpole, Robert Asprin, Jody Lynn Nye. Even got to see Anne McCaffery, Margaret Weiss, and Larry Elmore.
Also saw a ton of people in costume for the entire weekend. I swear I've never seen so many stormtroopers in my LIFE. There were also a bunch of jedi, several Starfleet peoples, a couple klingons, pirates, a few superheroes, general ren faire folks, two VERY impressive predators, a Halo troup, a strange creature made up of soft colored plastic balls, and one guy I swear just stepped out of the screen from a certain recent pirate movie. How these people could have been so dedicated as to wear these costumes for 3 days straight... talk about dedication.
And, of course, bought some stuff as well. Including a cute little furry stuffed animal - Tito, from the Nausicaa manga. (Yes yes, I know, it's not really alive, and therefore is not gazing down at me. But it's still cute. Hey, I'm female, I'm allowed the occasional fit of girlish silliness over cute stuffed animals. Don't laugh, or I'll have to send my dragon to scorch you. :P )
It was a total blast. I haven't had so much fun in a long time. Then again, it's always fun to hang out with people as crazy as I am. Crazy, but in a good way. Well, they are at least. Me? I dunno... anyways, I must go - little Tito decrees it... ^_^
The vacation was fun. Fun (almost) beyond words to describe. Despite a little lack of sleep, compliments of the two in-house comedians who kept us all up all night with a very bad case of the giggles... or maybe because of it? I dunno, my memories are a bit hazy at this time. Probably has something to do with the lack of sleep I was suffering from at the time... wait, did I mention that already?
Really though, it was a blast to hang out with the group again. Only been a week, and I miss 'em all already. Even though I chat with them quite often online, it's not the same as just hanging out and just letting the craziness overtake us all. Of course, that level of craziness on a regular basis might just make us all... well, I guess it's too late for some of us. Me, for instance.
It's a shame that we all live in different states, and can only meet up maybe once a year or so. (Although, I think I can hear someone, somewhere, right now, telling me I should move to Oregon... then again, maybe it's just my overactive imagination...? :P )
Went to a lot of stuff at the con, and got the chance to learn some valuable things from a lot of familiar names. Tracy and Laura Hickman, Michael Stackpole, Robert Asprin, Jody Lynn Nye. Even got to see Anne McCaffery, Margaret Weiss, and Larry Elmore.
Also saw a ton of people in costume for the entire weekend. I swear I've never seen so many stormtroopers in my LIFE. There were also a bunch of jedi, several Starfleet peoples, a couple klingons, pirates, a few superheroes, general ren faire folks, two VERY impressive predators, a Halo troup, a strange creature made up of soft colored plastic balls, and one guy I swear just stepped out of the screen from a certain recent pirate movie. How these people could have been so dedicated as to wear these costumes for 3 days straight... talk about dedication.
And, of course, bought some stuff as well. Including a cute little furry stuffed animal - Tito, from the Nausicaa manga. (Yes yes, I know, it's not really alive, and therefore is not gazing down at me. But it's still cute. Hey, I'm female, I'm allowed the occasional fit of girlish silliness over cute stuffed animals. Don't laugh, or I'll have to send my dragon to scorch you. :P )
It was a total blast. I haven't had so much fun in a long time. Then again, it's always fun to hang out with people as crazy as I am. Crazy, but in a good way. Well, they are at least. Me? I dunno... anyways, I must go - little Tito decrees it... ^_^