You're so Vain, You Probably Think this LJ is About You

So, I came into this weekend BUMMED because I was going to miss Mumford & Sons AGAIN (missed out on tickets in Austin and next week in Houston) but then all this great shit started piling up (on Friday the 13th, go figure!).

First, in the huge scary sponsor meeting I was recognized by three different groups for all the awesome things I have been doing on the project. My boss wasn't there to hear it, but her boss was and she teased me about it so I know she will report back all the praise I received. This is way better than getting yelled at, which is the norm in these meetings.

Then, on the way home, the Kid called and told me that he had just been unofficially offered a job in El Paso. Woo! Finally, after 10 years in Yuma, he is moving halfway back home. I mean, it sucks that they are no longer going to be close to San Diego, but now that they have the bb Gabs, they don't really road trip that much. And they will be only 8 hours away (a mere hour and a half flight) which is totally effin' awesome. End of an era, though. Having him in Yuma was the last tenuous link I had to the West Coast. Oh, well. Gotta pour one out for my time in Cali. LOL...

And, finally, this morning I went to Old Navy because they had 50% off one item and I am constantly in need of new jeans. Well, I realized while trying some on that I had gone down another size. I didn't trust the one smaller pair I had, so I ran out and got a few more samples to make sure the jeans I had were not stretched or sized incorrectly (verify initial test results!). But I really was in a smaller size, so hooray!

I fully expect, after all this good luck, that my house/car/bowels will explode.

Let me explain, no wait...there is too much. Let me sum up:

- First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! Hope yours was as good as ours. Except for someone not getting beer in a timely fashion to my mother (whom I love more than life itself, but I cannot tell a lie...she really needs to have a few drinks if she is going to be in the kitchen), all went smoothly and there was much joy and laughter.

- Work-wise, soon after I made my promise to post more often, I was forced nominated to take over a huge project that my co-worker was in the process of fucking up. I was told that I was the new project manager 20 minutes before my first big meeting. So, you can imagine how that is going. Basically, I have no idea how to do any of this and have been working crazy overtime to try and get shit done. Thanksgiving was the first day I had off since September (unless you count the day I called in violently sick...which I DON'T). But on the up side, they haven't fired me yet so...go me!

- The week I was violently sick was of course the time when Eddie Vedder and Glen Hansard rescheduled their concert here. I dragged my sad carcass to the theater and sucked down approximately a hundred lozenges so I wouldn't hack up a lung during the performances. And even though I felt like shit, I enjoyed the HELL out of that evening. Glen was in excellent form, even though his set was short and his strings kept breaking. Eddie EFFING Vedder sang for 2.5 hours, including two long-ass encores. He was fantastic and the whole thing was basically three hours of two gifted musicians and their guitars. Totally awesome and worth every penny even though my seat was kind of crap. Excellent, excellent, excellent.

- And finally, JP and I came out swinging in regards to Black Friday. I splurged and bought an iPad. He got a 3D monitor so we could try it out. Also picked up a GPS and a basic blu-ray player. We got some movies, some clothes, and I even bought some Christmas gifts for other people (one for you aaaaand three for me).

And that about wraps things up for now. Good night my dear friends. Catch you on the flip side...

Work continues to be ridiculously busy. I don't mind, but it does seem kind of pointless - in a company of this size, hundreds of projects get kicked off, only a few are ever completed 100%, and of those, even fewer have serious benefit. Seems like a lot of wasted time to me, but what the Hell do I know?

So, instead of blathering on and on about that twaddle, I give you: DREAM VACATIONS! Yes, I have many places I wish to visit and only a handful of them are financially possible right now (and let's face it, the grand ones are only happening if I win the lottery). So let's start with a biggie. Bora Bora!!! I would love to stay in one of those huts right on the water, with the glass floors and the stairways that sink into the clear blue water...

OMG, CRAMPS. Lady bits blow.

In other news, I am feeling a compulsive desire to update even though I have nothing to report, except...well...see above.

Anyone else feel like the work week should really end on Wednesday afternoon? Holy Hell, this has been a super-long week. Work is nuts...I had no idea people could attend seven meetings in one day and stay sane. OH WAIT. They can't!

Allow me to express my feelings in picture form:

I am suddenly listening to nothing but upbeat pop. Oh noes! LOL...

We saw Tin Tin this weekend and it was excellent! It was a movie I was COMPLETELY ambivalent about, but JP talked me into seeing it and I'm so glad he did! It was funny and touching and just a great adventure story. A real throwback. It's nice to see Speilberg still has the chops.

I have class tomorrow - a ridiculous entry-level software class that I am taking SOLELY for the purpose of being there to provide guidance and answers to my older, senior-level analyst. Pathetic. The day the online applications no longer make sense to me is the day I retire. Oh, well. I guess the class couldn't hurt. Technically, I have no official training - I am self-taught on most of the software we use (unless you count the time I spent Googling various answers as class time).

So, my new year's resolutions are the same as usual although I have tried to simplify and clarify this time around, being vague and grandiose not having worked for me in the past:

1. Work out every day for 30 minutes, even if it's just doing some vigorous housework (this has been somewhat  impeded because I have managed to injure my back on two separate occasions since Christmas).

2. Refinance the house and change the land line (because AT&T is gouging my eyeballs out). Use the extra money from the refi to finish paying off my credit card.

3. Unless it is a necessity (groceries, gas, etc) or an emergency (car breaking down, running out of clean underwear), I am putting a moratorium on expenditures. I will have an allowance for going out to eat/theater/movies/vacations, but I spend way too much on clothes, jewelry, books, etc. I. Am. Getting. Control. Of. This. Budget. No one, especially in South Texas, needs 20 sweaters and nine pairs of boots (four of which are fur-lined).

So, you can see why I have not started on these resolutions quite yet, what with everyone and their mother having 70% after-holiday sales (I'm not made of stone!). But look out, next this week! I am good to go (as soon as my back stops hurting).

After my fantastic meltdown this weekend, I am feeling a little better. Yes, I am in a minor financial crisis not of my making, yes my job is so stressful that I regularly need afternoon naps/crying jags to get through the week, yes there are things in my life that I am avoiding because I don't have the energy to deal (health, house falling apart, refinancing rigamarole). BUT. I will persevere. A girl can dream.

JP cheered me up this weekend by taking me to see Anonymous, which I enjoyed except ( spoiler! )  Still don't believe the theory, but I love love love period dramas. Rhys Ifans, who knew? Hubba hubba!

Then we went to Half Price Books with our coupons and I bought a bunch of books on English history. Again. My Elizabethan/Shakespeare library, let me show you it.

Saw Nay-Nay tonight, which is always nice. She has agreed to go with me for sushi tomorrow and I am excite! Ten bucks says raw fish will not go anywhere near her mouth. It's okay - she is accompanying me which makes me : )

I would have updated this weekend but I was curled up on the couch, praying for Death's sweet release.

( I dunno...cut because I talk about my girly business... )

The good thing about not wanting to move around much is that I got a fair amount of reading done. I zoomed through Goblet of Fire and am just about through with Order of the Phoenix. This is my third go through the Harry Potter series and I love it as much as I ever did (although I never realized how often Hermione moaned - kinky!).

Work is always work and one minute I am being hailed as awesome and the next, I am being spoken to like the village idiot. I hate that BTW - if you ever really want to piss me off, be as patronizing as possible. You will see my eyeballs boil in their sockets and have the satisfaction of seing Pretentious Mel get her betch on.

I think I am going to have pancakes for dinner. I used to love it when my dad would make us pancakes for dinner...it always felt like we were being bad! LOL.

Texas governor Rick Perry is running for President? Excuse me while I hurl. This man has no right holding public office but unfortunately an overwhelming number of Texans disagree with me. He is like... a less attractive and charming Sarah Palin.

This news coming after a particularly horrible work day is just the shit icing on my crap cake.

So, I came home and ate my feelings:


pan dulce, yum!

I don't really serve it on a serape with a side of maracas...this is just to give you a visual.

Maybe some Mighty Boosh will make me feel better. Although, really, the only thing that would cheer me up right now is a phone call informing me that I have won the lottery and can stop working immediately.

Tomorrow is Friday, Friday, Friday!!!! Working 4 days a week is sweet, but getting up at 5am is BRUTAL. Seriously, that's just not natural! After work nap is now mandatory...

Nay-nay is in town, so hopefully tomorrow night will include dinner and shenanigans!

So, the reason we went hiking the other day (other than to get off our lazy asses) was due to our purchasing a year pass to all Texas state parks. So now I am making a list of all the parks we want to go to. Methinks my 3-day weekends will come in handy this summer! I will become more healthy and hike-errific (but I will not eat granola bars, this I swear).

Seriously - check this out. I'm going to go all "Thoreau on Walden Pond" here, except no pond and also no mother to do my laundry:



Several of the parks have groovy retro or native-style lodgings, which I think is cool. Especially if I don't feel like camping, LOL!

Hmm, I thought I had interesting things to say, but I guess not. Oh, well. What's new with you guys???

Yay, announcement! I am officially a Treasury Analyst for the VP and I start on Monday! Scary! I am totally frightened of my new boss, but hopefully it will all work out.

I went out tonight and had sushi with a friend - it's a great little place, very chic and low key at the same time. I enjoyed just hanging out at a nice restaurant on a Friday night, sampling sashimi and people-watching. The only thing that would have made it better is if I had a giant martini, but I stuck with hot green tea for dinner. Then I came home and drank 3 large diet cokes with vodka. Yay!

Tomorrow is shopping with mom and a hockey game with JP. I feel like I am riding an incredible winning streak right now. I will enjoy it while it lasts.

In American Idol news, I am in serious like with Paul McDonald, the indie and laid-back singer with the beautiful tone to his voice. ♥

( I will end this entry with MOAR poetry because I love it! )