I'm alive!!!

And I'm sick of French Fries...

At the last minute, I was sent back to Colorado. So in 3 days I have worked 41 hours. Mostly at night. Mostly sitting around. Today I performed a test that has 2 cycles. One step of each cycle is 7200 seconds (that's 2 hours for that one step X 2 and there were 41 steps). We (coworker) and I were like, wow.

So, right now, I'm in the hotel. Wide awake. I go back tomorrow to work, and the next day and the next. I get Friday off so that I can fly home and go on vacation and celebrate 5 years of marriage with D. I'm so excited. Too bad right now I don't know what day it is.

I really have nothing to talk about. My brain is all over the place.

Oh and did I mention, I have no cell phone access while testing, or limited internet? And I can't bring in a book.

OK, now I'm just really all over the place.

And I'm surprised how many of you don't like Macy's. I have always liked it...I really like their warehouse (as a manufacturing engineer, it is an awesome 1 million ft^2). I just don't like some of the people there, but when have you all known me to like people? And in the fat women's section it has always boggled my mind how big women are supposed to shop when the racks are so smushed together. But at least the clothes have some style which is more than I can say for the plus-sized department at Kohl's, which also has the close rack issue. Plus D told me (although she doesn't wear plus sized clothes) that the style at Kohl's reminds him of his mother, and I really don't want to put on clothes and have him see his mom. I'll stick to being his wife.

Ok, that was all over the place.

I tried a new brewery.... Walnut. Food was good, beer was good. But I like the atmosphere at Boulder Brewery better.

And I have a Ford F150 as a rental car. I have hit a drive thru with it, and it took me 3 tries to get through a turn in the parking deck today. It is too big. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the big scratch on the side of the truck from the drive thru. Who puts a pointed brick wall on a corner between the order thingy and the pay window? See if Arby's gets my business again!

What should have been a happy day at Macy's...

I stopped at Macy's yesterday on my way home. I need some jeans since I have gone from 4 to 2 pair (2 are too big). So I walked in and completely got disoriented, like I do everytime I'm there.

I remember clothes for fat chicks are on the second floor. I went up the escalator. And I got off, and none of the signs pointed to clothing for fat chicks. So I look at the directory. It says they are on the first floor. Immediately I think that this sign is wrong since it has been wrong since the day they opened, but my head said, follow the sign. So I went back downstairs and walked the entire women's department to not find clothes for fat chicks.

So I asked some twit.
Me: Where is your Women's department?
Twit: The Misses department is over there.
Me: I don't wear Misses. I needed 18-24.
Twit: The Misses department is over there.
Me: (staring with mouth agape at her stupidity)
Me: Again, Fat clothes, where are they?
Twit: We must not sell those.

By now, I want to hit this twit. So I walked away, and went to another twit.
Me: Where is your Women's department?
Twit: The Misses department is over there.
Me: (Staring in disbelief)...Fat clothes, where are they?
Twit: What does the sign say?
Me: The first floor
Twit: Then they are on the first floor.

OMFG! Did Macy's make people take "how dumb am I" tests?

So now, I'm completely exasperated, but it is now a mission to find the Fucking Fat Chicks Department! So upstairs I went. I found a lady in pots and pans, and asked her where Fat Chicks Clothing was. She busted out laughing, and then said, "The women's department, that I believe you are looking for, would be next to the men's sportswear. Our sign is wrong and I'm so sorry you couldn't find it." She then pointed to where the men's sportswear was and told me how to get there.

So I finally get there and find a pair of Michael Kors Jeans which are the only jeans that seem to have a bit of style and aren't "mom" jeans. Unfortunately they are $110, and I can't afford that. So I look at the bathing suits. I think a tent would look better than these fabric monstrosities they call fat chick bathing suits.

So back downstairs to the Misses Department. They have 18 and 20 sizes there for the bathing suits. I find one I like, but am so mad at Macy's that I decide I'm not going to buy anthing there, so I leave.

I did take a picture in the dressing room to send to D. He was the one to point out that I was in an 18 and not a 18W, or in the Fat Chicks Department. I was so exasperated with Macy's I completely didn't realize.

So all night I looked at bathing suits online. I am going to Dick's to see if they have the one I like. Even if they don't have my size, I can get a feel for how it will look.

The world through my eyes

I haven't been running since I got home. Why? Because the above picture is better than the way I see without glasses. And I can't run with them...they fog up. Now why I haven't ridden the bike...because MIL bought me an electronic Sudoku game that I am addicted to and I can't seem to make myself do both at the same time. (Excuse # 6439234654)

I lost 4+ pounds on Viv's Challenge. I'm very happy with that considering I ate at least 21 meals out (business trip).

I went to the eye doctor. He thinks that when one of my co-worker's kids had pink eye & my eye mysteriously became goopy soon thereafter is when all the crap began with my eye. Since it has happened twice since then, well he was at a loss, but he said both eyes are inflamed and have no scratches on them. He gave me eye drops/ eye antibiotics. Yay for my insurance that didn't cover any of the visit or the drugs. $526.39 yesterday!!!! I love the insurance that I pay for!!!

On a good note, my prescription hasn't changed so I can keep my coke bottle glasses.

So I haven't been exercising, but after eating 21 meals out straight, I put a moratorium on restaurants and we have been eating in. We have had 2 new recipes this week, so far with 3 more on the horizon. At least I can control my food.

So for planned or eaten today...
Clif Bar (Brownie Flavor)
Water
Diet Coke
Dry-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce
Applesauce
Pork Chops with Hoisin-Molasses Barbecue Sauce
Wasabi Green Beans
Rice

Altitude, Schmaltitude...

I got into CO on Sunday night. I drove to the office on Monday morning. The first thing they did was tell me about altitude and to drink plenty of water if I run, and walk when I needed to. Whatever, I thought.

Tuesday morning, I got up at 5AM to go for a run. First, I was confused...it was 5AM and it was light out! Wow! OK, so I did my 5 minute walking warm-up. Then I started running. I may have gotten 50 yards, or .5 miles. Not sure which. That's because I'm pretty sure I left my lungs in the hotel room, and was more contemplating what bike path I could lay down and die on. Obviously, I started walking. I walked 2+ miles. Towards the end I was getting out of breath. I got back to the hotel, hopped in the car, and went to 7-11 and bought a HUGE water. Then I went to work.

Things weird about CO. Everyone bikes to work. Helmets aren't required. Bike paths are everywhere but you can bike on the highways (I'm not near an interstate). I have nearly taken out 5 bikers. Most bikers follow the laws, and use hand signals. It is pretty cool.
Today was CO Ride your Bike to Work Day. I had to go to a new site. I couldn't find the big plant with a HUGE sign. My manager was wondering about me. I'm pretty sure all the bikers were making me distracted, as I have to make sure I don't hit any of them (I'm driving a Durango, which is much bigger than a Cherokee. I think Durangos changed and became bigger. I'm driving a tank).

And work you ask. Lots of regulations. I MUST take a shower every day. I know you all were worried about that. I have to report if I have sunburn. I have to stay home if I'm taking care of a sick aunt or a sick child. I have to remember my lint brush because I have dog hair on my shirt and that is a BIG no-no. It's really interesting. The people I'm training with are pretty cool. On the young side, but really nice, and we all have our different strengths. Our manager is nice...I think we are his first "students." He kind of assumes we know things, until we slow him down. But it is fun. He is totally hands on, so after reading 4 hours of SOPs, we get to go into the lab. Tomorrow we have to be there by 545 AM so that we can see some part of a test being performed. Except for the time, it is exciting.

Today we took contractor training, and Internet on premise is a big no as are cell phones, and a zillion other things. So I only go on the internet to look at wiki and mapquest and delta.com (I don't have a seat to return home yet). Mapquest, because I have no sense of direction, and wiki, because I have no clue about things like John Perry bolts (or something like that).

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to work out. My goal was twice this week.

Oh and I went to the Boulder Brewery. Good beer. I didn't like the Hazed and Infused, but they replaced it for free with a Mojo. My favorite was the Porter on nitro. I liked the buffalo burger, I liked the green chili. The chicken sammy, eh.

OK, watching SVU, so I'm going to go.

Drugs are bad, mmmkay!

Do you remember Nancy's "Just Say No" Campaign?

So V was in town this weekend. We were supposed to go to Happy Hour with B and M, but like always, something came up… V’s flight was late and she got someone kicked off the plane. Like I said, always something…

So we were all ready to go to Happy Hour, and called B to tell her we were on our way (only 2 hours late), and she said, just to stay where we were, and not fight traffic to get up there. Fine by us, so we piled into the car, and went to see my favorite bartender Clay. A lot of beers later Clay called us a cab.

Saturday, we talked to B and M. (V flew down to see REM with them…I don’t like REM so I wasn’t going). B said she would come down at 4 (I live a mile away from the amphitheater) and meet up with us. M is having “life happen” right now, so she didn’t know what she was doing. I asked her if her head was spinning ala my Exorcist picture. She said just about. So she was going to try to make it to see us at 5 but she was bailing on the concert. No worries.

So V, D and I went to lunch at smoked meat. Then we went and picked up the car from the night before. Then we went home, dropped off the car, and went to Estoria. And had some beers. B called us and found the place (B is complete opposite of me, she loves the suburbs, and the city is eh too her.) So I was excited she was coming out to see “My city.”

So we are sitting on the patio of Estoria. A guy walks up to the patio and not very loudly says, “Someone call 911. My girlfriend is having a seizure.” Everyone on the patio stares at him, kind of in disbelief. Again he says it. But very non-chalantly, but points to where he is talking. OK, 3 people call 911. Within 2 minutes a fire truck pulls up, and the bartender goes out to the car with water and orange juice.

Coomer (the bartender) comes back, and we ask if everything is ok and is there something we can or need to do. He rolls his eyes and says that this seizure isn’t a natural phenomenon and goes back inside.

Atlanta’s Finest pulls up. The guy who wanted us to call 911 takes off.

The firemen go after him and he comes back. Bartender goes back out to the scene (all the patrons are watching from the porch). Unbeknownst to us, there is an ambulance on the other side of the building. As the fireman leave, we thank them for their fast response time. They said too bad it was for this twit.

A few minutes later the ambulance pulls around with the driver of the car in the back, and the cop leaves…No the cops drives around and sits in front of the car. Then a tow truck comes, and tows the car away. And the cop leaves.

Coomer tells us that there was a bag the size of his fist full of blow in the car, and then they also found heroin.
Meanwhile B jokingly goes, “See this just doesn’t happen where I live.” We all laugh, because frankly we’ve never seen it either. About 5 minutes later, the 911 guy shuffles in and goes inside. According to Coomer, he tells Coomer he is having a really bad day, and can he get a drink. Coomer throws him out. Some words ensue, with Coomer telling him to go snort a few more rails, and just leave (I’m saying this way more politely). So we are still on the porch, and the guy comes back and searched the dumpsters, like he lost something. We tell Coomer the guy is back. He has to call 911. They come out again, and he files a report. By now he is shaking.

All the drama dies down, but for the rest of the night , “a fist of cocaine…” is in the conversation. By now D, V and I have had quite a few beers, and B and V decide to skip the concert. They give their tickets to Coomer, but he can’t get off (he has to work a double shift), so some girl at the bar got free tickets. Coomer buys us a round of shots, and D, V and I do them, and I do B’s. I don’t know what time we decided to go, but B gives us a ride home (she has long since stopped drinking the 2 beers she had).

Today I’m off to Colorado.

And if you are wondering about my running, I did it once this week, and a huge walk (900 calories for the walk). My Achilles is very tender so I’m trying to assess what damage I can do to it. I’m taking my shoes with me to Colorado, but I don’t know what I’m going to be doing.

And a neighborhood mourns...

A little girl was killed today. She was going to summer school. She got off the MARTA bus waving good-bye to her mother, and saying, "I love you, Mama." As she crossed the street , a tow-truck who was in too much of a hurry (and aren't we all, these days), crossed the double line and passed the bus, hitting the little girl. She died at the scene in front of the elementary school.

Thankfully the tow-truck driver realized he hit something and came back. He is now being charged.

Our neighborhood is stunned. I have never met this little girl, and my heart is breaking. Right now the principal of an elementary school is having to deal with not only the children of the school, but a neighborhood in mourning who are so lost. Right now, there is a mother who will never see her little girl graduate, get married or anything else.

And all because someone was in a hurry.

My heart breaks and my tears flow.

Tag! You're It!

Tagging is one way that bloggers connect with each other and each other's blogs. JMO tagged me.

So, here are the rules of tagging:

Just copy the following onto your post. The rules of the game are posted at the start of your blog post. In this case, I'm asking you to post AT LEAST 10 random facts about yourself. Each player lists the AT LEAST 10 random facts on their own blog. At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names. Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they've been tagged and to look at your blog for details. When they've answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you. Got that?

So, about those AT LEAST 10 random facts.

TAG if you haven't been yet...

1. When I have to pee, I usually wait until the last possible second to go. It seems too much of a chore to get up and walk down the hall and do it. When I get older, I definitely will have some issues with this, I'm betting.

2. I got kicked out of my high school's Amnesty International Chapter, because when I was supposed to write a letter to some leader of some country to release people for handing out propaganda against the leader, I asked the adviser if what they had done was against the law. Then I asked why if they knew they broke the law, then why did I have to write to free them. They knew the repercussions of their actions. The adviser said I was missing the point. I think the adviser didn't like someone questioning him.

3. As I have lost weight, my chest has gone from a C to a DD. My husband thinks it is great. I think it is a PITA, since I think breasts just get in the way. (Can you tell I'm childless?)

4. I don't like things on my feet (blankets, shoes, socks, etc.)

5. The Baltimore Aquarium's Shark Tank scares the crap out of me. I have to run through it because I'm afraid of the tank bursting open and having them eat me. This sounds far-fetched but the tank did do that in Australia or New Zealand.

6. I have an irrational fear of walking down the street and having someone come up in a car and hit me on the back of the neck with a lacrosse stick, rendering me para- or quadriplegic.

7. I'm totally passive-aggressive. I won't get mad at you for owing me $200, telling the world my life secrets, or breaking my lawn-mower and not replacing it. But be 5 minutes late for lunch and not call, and I'll never speak to you again.

8. I hate call waiting. I don't have it. On my cell, I do, but don't know how to use it. I think it is rude. I hang up when someone opts to take the other call over talking to me.

9. I don't understand the "I forgive but I don't forget" phrase. In my mind, if you don't forget, then you never really forgave.

10. I don't laugh during movies. It annoys me when someone tells me I should find something funny and be laughing. I find the humor in movies and I think things are funny. But I don't laugh. Occasionally I will guffaw though.