omphaloskepsist’s Neighborhood

Loathe:

• Driving home at 11p thinking little more than, "OMG, I'm soooo hungry!!" (I usually only eat at 1p)

• Having "dinner" (soup) at 11:30p
  

• Waking up with heartburn (side effect of soup at 11:30p). Also: Going to bed with heartburn (doesn't happen often but kicked in while I was typing this

• The inflatable skiing black Santa lawn decoration appears to be gone; replaced by an inflatable skiing penquin Santa before I got a pic

• Not catching myself before screaming from knee pain induced by the elevator settling onto my requested floor (man, that's some serious hyper sensitivity! other than that moment, I'm mostly doing okay.)

• Earliest appt I could get at the DMV, for my handicap placard, is Jan 12 (even that took 4 phone calls and 15 minutes of holding but the girl who answered was really super nice)

• My house is a disaster area. Funny how that can happen so fast. It was okay for 3 weeks without cleaning but in the last 1.5 weeks, it's gone to hell.

• Ants - just enough for me to know they're invading but not enough for me to figure out what they're after, nor their main route into the house.

• The song I heard on KCRW this morn that is a total rip off of Adam & the Ants, Kings of the Wild Frontier. The lyrics are different but it uses the EXACT drum lines from that song. But no one gave any credit to A&tAs and, instead, acted like it was some great new song. PAH!!
  

• Headaches

• Not gonna make it to the chiro in the morn which leaves, I think, only Fri or Sat morning this week.

• DeStressing after realizing I'm so burnt out at work that I have to stop pushing myself so hard (for the last 2 weeks, I've been getting 12 to 15 hours of work done during every 8 hours I've been in the office)

• Skipping meetings because (1) I no longer care how they turn out and (2) I refuse to be baited into more fights with the s/w guy. I finally snapped at him last week, for expecting me to do his job, and simultaneously lost so much respect for him that I try not to even look at, let alone speak with, him.
  

• I did NOT ask that same s/w guy (who's at least as old as me), "Ya gonna cry about it, crybaby?!" (He was having such a little fit about something that didn't even involve me (but he was still trying to get me to fight it with him) that it really did seem like he was going to cry. I don't know where the bully in me came from - that's new and I'm glad I didn't let it out.) Instead, I just kept saying, "It's not my document, I haven't even read it; go talk to the person who wrote it!"
  

• Some mornings, I wake up with all 4 cats in bed with me and none of them are fighting (Boo still REALLY hates Skritches)
  

• I recognized the Art Theater (a Long Beach landmark) in the SeroquelXR ads. I was 99% certain I was right but tonight I caught the address on the ticket booth, looked up the addy for the Art, and confirmed its the same. If you've seen the ads, the space on the left is a coffeshop and on the right is a wine bar.
  

• The SeroquelXR ads perfectly describe how I've been feeling (INVISIBLE). I don't plan to take the drug but it's nice to be reminded that I'm not alone.

• Royal Crown Review is the opening act for the Brian Setzer Xmas show this weekend (If you read about Brian going to ER on Mon night, I just found an update that it was only dehydration/vertigo/altitude sickness. He's okay now.)
  

• My boss got a big kick out of the cat calendar (paintings by Art & Tea) that I gave her

• There is a HUGE box (delivered by FedEx) in my backyard. Dunno if it's the automatic cat litter box (from Amazon) or my clothes (from Old Navy) cause it was too large for me to bother with at 11:30pm.
  

• 3 floater holidays next year

• Garfunkel and Oates were on Leno last night (singing a new song about annual holiday newsletters), were really good, and were a big hit with the audience

• I got a TON done at the office today - way more than I expected and only 2 hours of OT (which were an accident because I was "in the zone")
  

• Since I'm no longer worried about how much I accomplish at the office, I don't feel a need to be awake/alert all the time, so I figure I can go back on Cymbalta whenever I want. That should, hopefully, mellow me out mentally/emotionally (which I REALLY need it; even I know I've been a total and complete BITCH for the last month), and provide daily pain management.
  

• aussieBum (fun attitude, sexy undies, soft ultra-touchable undies, and SUPER sexy models). Their constant facebook updates (usually with pictures) make me happy while I'm at work. NOTE TO ALL GUYS: Seriously... buy a pair! Your partner (female or male) will thank you!!
  

• I'm thinking of buying this Pearls Before Swine coffee mug (can't quit commit to it yet cause s/h seems disproportionately high... so the $15 mug ends up being $23, which is too much to spend on a mug). Those of you playing along at home may recognize the cartoon as one of the pieces artwork currently hanging on my office wall.
  

It was someone here on Vox who turned me on to aussieBum a couple years ago (with the advert for the Flaunt line) - and what a nice deed that was as my mantoy looked particularly delish in those products.

Returning the favor:

OPI "Hello Santa" (red with gold flake).

I let Tammy pick the color and design (I was hoping she'd intuit that I thought a string of lights would be fun). The stars on the top of the trees are rhinestones.

OPI "Hello Santa" with christmas trees

I was going to get semi-perm lashes too but they had a last hour rush so I said I'd return during the week so they could make more money now.

Then I drove across the street to PetSmart for a HUGE bag of prescription cat food (looks like 50lbs of dog food) - cause now Boo has "the poopies" too (which she's leaving everywhere except the litter boxes) and that usually happens when she's off her scrip food. I think she's fat intolerant, like me - and I've been feeding them foods that are high in fat (some natural one and another that's "hairball remedy").

I also bought kitty probiotics, to see if that helps Boo and/or Skritches (since I'm back on the human ones) and a crinkle sack - which I intended for Skritches (she likes noisy toys) but it freaked her out. I'm sure that will change, and it will become her favorite toy ever, around 3am.

After taking advantage of "would you like help to your car?" (why, yes I did. thank you!), I headed over to It's a Grind for a pound of coffee for the office and my freebie peppermint mocha. But apparently no one else has used the coupon cause the girls didn't know what the hell to do and I had to point out where it had the instructions printed on it. Then they tried to give me a cup, for regular coffee, and I was all, "nonononononono... free peppermint mocha!", which the chick made excessively scalding hot. On the drive home I realized I'd, again, forgotten to say DECAF... sounds like a xanax night (if I want to sleep).

Then I to headed to Ralph's (supermarket) for peppermint mocha flavored coffeemate (which is now a year-round flavor - as I learned from being a facebook fan... of CREAMER). One huge bottle for the office (because my coworker couldn't find it at her store) and another for home. Then I checked the bread clearance shelf and found sliced croustinis for cheap so I bought 2 bags. And soup. And cheese balls (why not?!). Then got home and discovered I don't care for the bacon cheese (didn't think I would - but they were out of the port one) as I nuked a huge bowl of "loaded baked potato" soup. The soup was super YUM but fresh pho is cheaper (and healthier).

If it weren't so freakin cold out (or if I weren't so sensitive to it), I'd probably head out for drinks at Puka Bar. But I'm already in my PJs so I that's off. I'll finish the laundry instead (finish washing & drying it - I'm still just dumping it all on the floor when I bring it inside).

I'm expecting another hell week at work. Even though the s/w team's manager has declared the project deadline "unattainable", my boss hasn't done so, so we'll be working like dogs till she does - or till someone decides that what we've done is what will be released, the end (or till someone quits or we all rebel - which is seeming more & more likely, the more we're being pushed).

I found out that the Hollywood Pinup Girls are performing their Sexy Christmas burlesque show again, at a new venue (KingKing, where I got towed earlier this year), this week. I really want to go but don't see any way that I can get off work. I think that's Wed night. There was also something I wanted to do on Tues but, again, mandatory OT won't allow me to get there in time.

The Brian Setzer Christmas Extravaganza is on Saturday. I found out that Royal Crown Review is going to be one of the openers. Can't wait. I LOVED that show (2 years ago) and I'm in the pit this time (MUST bring crutches; wish I'd remembered to get a handicap parking pass but I keep forgetting to make an appt), and I love RCR, so it should be a great night.

I have a hair appt on Sun night but I'm kinda hoping she gives my appt to someone else (I already told her she could, being so close to Xmas) cause I don't feel like dropping another $200 on my hair, I don't care how grey it is.

Ahhh... dangit... I just realized that I forgot to buy a kitty Santa hat for Skritches. I realized that she'll probably let me get away with putting one on her - at least long enough to get a photo. And what kind of fanatic feline femme would I be if I didn't dress up at least one of my cats at the holidays?!?

Who the hell is knocking on my door now? Oh... it's Mitchell (just knocked & called my name). No doubt looking for money. Last night he was tapping on my windows (I happened to be in my bedroom, naked, at the time). When the hell did people decide tapping on windows was acceptable? I didn't get the memo and I DON'T agree with the idea!! Anyhoo, I'm not answering. I hear a plastic bag being moved around. If he's leaving shit at my house again, he'll find it all missing tomorrow. NOT ACCEPTABLE!!

Real rain, like other states get. Not like our usual sprinkles. A downpour this morning caused some flooding into my garage, from both the east & west. But I'm prepared for that - have stuff moved away from the car door side and up on crates on the other side.

I missed my fairly expensive, prepaid, cooking demo/class this morning. I had insomnia last night: Didn't fall alseep till around 3:30, then back awake (for no apparent reason) at 5:15, up again with the cats at 6:50. I was supposed to get up to get ready for the class at 7. I tried pushing it to 7:30 but I was grumpy and in pain and, after a LOT of debate, finally decided to cut my losses, take a xanax, and go back to bed. I woke up after 1p (the class was 9a-noon).

No LA Tamale Fest either. But I already figured that was gonna be kinda lame, and totally lame so if it rained (which it has). So no loss there. Maybe I'll swing by a mexican restaurant and order a bunch of tamales for Christmas.

I started doing laundry (how did I accumulate so much?!?), crushed up a huge box that I'd intentionally left out to get wet (cause it was too big for the recycling bin and the cardboard was too strong to bend), found a big black widow spider and her egg sack (eegads!!), let all the kitties play outside, then spent 10 min getting Skritches out from under the house when it started raining again. I got her, and the rest of the kitties, inside just seconds before another big downpour.

I'm currently debating what to do with this day (or what's left of it - it's currently 3pm). The Daisy Lane Parade is in 2 hours - I don't think I'll be there. I could get a mani/pedi, it's been a month since I've had one and they're open till 7 (and across the street from PetSmart - so I could pick up cat food too). I could do some house cleaning (since my service last showed 4.5 weeks ago and I really need to vacuum; washing dishes would be good too). I could go back to sleep and see if my back unkinks (that sounds appealing). I could pet he kitty that's currently rolling around my feet (done).

I need to get food. I had an egg & a bagel yesterday and, so far, nothing today. The total edible products in my house are really old frozen girlscout cookies, misc chocolate, and a can of yams. No, no and no. I was watching the end of moonstruck and REALLY wanted to go to Angelo & Vinci's for dinner but it's a long drive just for Italian food (but what good Italian food it is!! And you can't beat the insane decor). I'm pretty sure I'll end up having either mexican or pho.

I ordered some clothes online... slacks and a sweater (both on clearance) and a reversible coat (black/leopard), which was on sale. I really need new work clothes - esp if my waist is gonna keep expanding (I don't eat much anymore, and I'm eating a lot healthier, but I'm getting basically zero exercise). Especially pants - I barely own any work slacks, 1/2 (or more) of those no longer fit, and the few that fit are OLD. I should check to see if I put any "big" pants in my unsorted pile intended for charity. If so, I'll need to pull them back out.

Last Sat night (or was it Friday?), I had my buzz on and ordered a bunch of sale items from Old Navy. I can't wait to see what the hell I got. For sport, I refuse to go back and look at my order. All I know is that it was a lot of stuff for a really low price - about $5 per item. I'm sure most will go back (or to charity).

I bought some new black sneakers, Kangaroos (because I have an awesome purple pair that I love - cute, fit well, supportive, and I I like that they're not bulky - they look narrow on my feet) from Zappos and they arrived in about a min and 1/2. My first instinct was to return them cause they weren't nearly as cute as my other pair and I hate white soles on black shoes. But I was desperate for some supportive sneakers so I kept them and wore them yesterday. Unlike my other pair, the arch support in this pair is in the wrong place for my feet (I can't wear Nike or Reebok for the same reason) and I felt like I was walking with my feet tilted inward. Since I tend to walk on the outsides of my feet (according to their wear patterns), this probably means I was actually walking properly - but it felt strange. I'm gonna shop for another pair of shoes. There's a Sketchers outlet 2 blocks from me so I should probably start there... but no more cute shoes. I need cute and supportive shoes - for my knees. I'd like to get a pair of those ones that exercise your legs & butt but I think they look like shoes for the handicapped... with those big ole "safety" looking soles.

I used my Amazon GC to buy an automatic cat litter box. Lots of mixed reviews online (love it, hate it, and everything in between) so I don't know what to expect. Not too much, I guess. My boss said she had one (doesn't remember the brand) but didn't like it and gave it away. The one I bought was more than 1/2 off, and cost me very little out of pocket (thanks to the GC), so I figured I'd give it a try. I HATE cleaning the cat box - which doesn't exactly work out well when you own 4 cats, and one of them (the smallest, btw) poops like an elephant.

I guess I'll go take a shower and decide what I want to do - mani/pedi or go back to bed. I don't think there is anything on my calendar for tomorrow, and I think the rain is supposed to stop by morning, so I can pretend I'll be more productive then (though we all know that I won't). Work stress is killing me - if I'm not at the office, I'm so burned out from having been at the office that I'm a zombie (more so than usual).

He's on Leno right now. When did he join the ranks of "bad facelifts"??
He looks like Cloris Leachman.
seriously.
It's sad.

Do not hire people if their business card does not include a physical address.

Housekeeper has stood me up again. I have NO desire to talk about it. Went to throw the final check (which would have been a 2-visit check if he'd bothered to show up and pick it up today) in the mail and discovered I have no mailing address for him.

Since he only ever calls while I'm at work, when it's convenient to him, I think I'll return the favor and call around 1am.

Mine features art by Cat and Art&Tea (and a local photographer, Stephan Pastis, and whoever draws Happy Bunny) plus a little felt bison from MotleyMutton.

My desktop, let me show you it

Loathe:

• Level of daily work stress
• DAILY work status meetings, through the end of the year
• The office cafeteria has been out of the main course before 1p for 2 days in a row (they're supposed to be stocked till 2p)
  
• It's sooo cold!!
• My home has zero insulation
• The heater is far from my bedroom (so I'm mostly heating the attic crawlspace, then the hall and the living room)
  
• Skritches has insanely odorific poop - drastically out of proportion for her size (in proportion with an elephant)
• Skriches just proved the above statement
• I keep forgetting to put the feather bed on my bed
• Reading erotica when I have no mojo (it all seems lame)
  

• I kicked ass at work so I'm home early enough to post Things on Tuesday
• Making fun of what I anticipate will be totally lame holiday "gifts" for all employees tomorrow (even the group coordinating the event used quotation marks!). Bonus if it's something lame with a company logo which can't be removed! But maybe they'll surprise us and it will actually be nice. Who knows?
• AussieBum (and remembering how C looked in their products)
  
• Resisting the urge to drink every single night of the week (the urge is every night, the resistance is not)
• I remembered to get a depo booster shot today (after my Physical Therapy)
  
• Leno is featuring the winner of The Biggest Loser (so I get to see who won), Danny. He lost 239lbs in 7 months (from over 400 to below 200). Lord, he looks 30 years younger!!
• My heated mattress pad (in this cold, I'd be awake & shivering all night without it. Even on full blast, it took me 2 hours to warm up last night)
• I finally faxed in paperwork to have my FlexBenefits reinstated so I can spend the last $46 before the end of the year
• I'm pretty sure I'll conk out early tonight
• I already turned on the heated mattress pad so the bed should be toasty warm when I get in... wish I think is gonna be right now.
  

Though I guess it was silly to think I'd be able to fall asleep 1 hr after getting home. After a totally shitty work day (9 hrs) and hell commute (1 hr / pouring rain / single car spinout just 3 cars ahead of me). And a totally daily dietary intake of: A turkey panini, scoop of pasta salad, yogurt parfait, bottle of Dr. Pepper and 1/2 cup of coffee. At the very min, I need to be hydrating better.

The cats were stuck inside all day, because of the rain and me not getting home till 10:45p, so it's going to be an early morning - with them crying to go out as soon as the sun is up, if not sooner.

I just had a protein bar and a xanax - hoping the combo will chill my brain out of overdrive; not that I could tell you a single topic its used for obsessive hyperanalysis.

[HUGE WORK RELATED RANT DELETED. Suffice to say I am NOT amused.]

Thank goodness I don't celebrate the holidays (not even giving to charity this year - that's how TOTALLY bah humbug I am!). Thanks to my insane work hours, I couldn't shop for presents if I wanted to. I haven't been in a store in about 2 weeks - so no music/displays to trigger the "holiday spirit". And by the time I get home, everyone's lights are off. Just seems like "whenever" to me.

Not even seeing It's A Wonderful Life changed that. What I ended up noticing was how relevant the movie is to this year - themes of foreclosures, layoffs, closed factories; Mr. Potter = big banks in general; Mr. Potter also = Madoff (when he steals the $8k); old man Gower's son dies from the flu pandemic; etc. I guess I'm Mary Hatch, in the world where George never existed.. where she's an untrusting old maid. Or maybe I'm Ma Bailey at that same time... she looks pretty pissed to have someone ringing her doorbell!!

Anyone else remember SNL's alternate/lost ending to the movie? I think of that all the time.

Moving on....
Physical Therapy at 11a (need to remember to ask for a Depo booster while I'm at the office). Probably followed by a 10 to 12hr work day.$1 says the first 1/2 of that day is spent unproductively waiting for a laser to be free... then the 2nd half will be spent trying to do 10+hrs of work in 5hr or less. Fine when it's my call, and when I think I can do it - but neither of those are currently in play.

In other news....
The kitties are all doing well. Boo has been trying to be friendly but she's too busy growling at everyone to join us. She's still "pooping inappropriately". She might do better if I'd change the litter boxes but I haven't had time (at least not while the temps were warm enough to dump the used litter outdoors).

Moshi, Skritches and Espressa are all currently sleeping on the bed (where I am now). I wish I had a camera in here last night - Skritches was being tooo cute.. curled up & covering her eyes like the light bothered her (she's blind!); then sticking her tongue out while having a dream. We're getting better at reading each others cues... when she wants petting; when I want to give it; etc.

Spoke too soon. Espressa woke up and is currently doing "clacky mouth" (where she smacks her lips REALLY loudly), which means she wants me to pet her.

I might have a kitty, or opossum, or raccoon taking shelter from the rain/cold in my garage... something set off the motion light around 1am tonight. Speaking of which: Haven't heard noises from under the house in over a week. Yay!

More rain is expected Thurs thru Sun. I'm thinking about canceling my Sat plans (9a cooking class in LA), even if it means no refund ($75). And that probably means the Tamale Fest,.. the OUTDOOR tamale fest, which already looks like it's going to suck (rescheduled; not much PR; lack of participants; photos from prior years look pretty sad), will not be the place to be seen either. That night is the Daisy Lane Parade. If it rains, but isn't too cold, I'll still go... ditto for cold but no rain. But combo? Oh hell no, I'll stay home!

Spring plans are starting to pop up and look like they'll conflict and/or simply be too hard to work out with 4 cats. Let alone that I don't know if I can leave the kitties for 3 days (Miss Exotic World convention - early June?), I don't know if I'll be up for pole dancing as soon as April (Jamilla DeVille teaching in Vegas), and now CirqueCon has announced that their 2010 event is 3 Cirque shows in New York, and previewing the newest show at Cirque Headquarters in Montrea, sometime in April/May. I realllly want to go to CirqueCon but that's 4 days, plus travel, and maybe addons. The timing is bad, it will cost a fortune, and I'm back to issues of cat care. I wouldn't worry about any of this so early but some of the CirqueCon special events are going on sale soon and only for a few days... so it's commit or miss out. I hate pressure.

I'm gonna try sleeping again. "If I fall asleep right now, I'll still get 6.5 hours of sleep...." (cats crying to go out, come back in & go back out not included)