Christmas Stories

So Monday was my first day back at work, after only working 1 day between Dec. 23 and Jan. 5.
So naturally, I was blessed with not seeing people for a long time. Well then Monday rolls around, and I'm sad to be in my cubical and not lounging on my couch in my comfy pants, trying to decide what bowl game I want to watch.
Typically if I stay in my cube, headphones on, I can make it all day without saying much more than "Hello" a few times during the day. Well things were going pretty good, till about 2 p.m. when Bittie decides to rear her big ol head into my cube opening and say "Hello" I exchange the same pleasantry back and turn my head back to my computer screen, seemingly absorbed in my work and my music.
But evidently that wasn't enough for her. She started to tell me how she had the greatest time this holiday season and she didn't even spend any time with her family. Great that's awesome, I replied. She asked me about my holiday and I told her it was nice and relaxing. Hoping she'd be on her merry way, but not so much.
She plopped herself down in my chair, I knew then I was doomed, and she started to explain in great detail about what she did during her whole break. (I'm thinking "seriously, don't you have work to do?")
And she keeps rambling on about eating Chinese food, and playing some card game till 4 a.m. and then getting together to play the card game again a few days later becuase it was so much fun the first time. Too bad telling me that wasn't as much fun the first time I heard it too. (Side note, it wasn't very fun to hear about)
So she carried on for a good 30 mins about her activities, and then another 10-15 mins about how she needs another house that she can have that is clean becuase her current house is cluttered with Christmas and her hobbies. She also tells me about her hobby of decorating tiles. What people do with these tiles I have no idea...
Man why do I get stuck with these stories. Nobody else does this to me. If I cared, I'd ask, I don't need the play by play. Maybe I just hate people...or most people. Or maybe just Bittie...ahhhhh but hate is such a nasty word, I don't hate her, just annoyed by her and people, maybe I should just live in a world of my own.
Well I might just get crazy enough, in my mind I will.

UPDATE: Ok...Its 1:33 p.m. on FRIDAY. And I can hear her telling the same story to one of my cubby buddies. He seems to be just as amused as I was. Its been 4 days and she is still talking about that damn card game. Must've been a fun game. Gonna have to find out the rules of this game, maybe me and the Ol Hubby can play, spice up our home life a little bit.

Holy Canoli!

Man I just realized I hadn't posted in a while, and then I felt a little twinge of guilt. Don't worry the feeling passed quickly. Just like my farts...
I guess it's because I've been busy at work, I would not suggest anyone learn Access.
It sucks ass. I've been working on building a database and then going back and entering in data, then exporting said data and formatting it for the past 2 months. Ugh!
I'm almost done, but still a ways to go. Maybe someday I'll get back to not having anything to do at work but surf the web and email my friends. Oh those were the days.
And the holidays are over, next paid vacation day is Memorial Day.
Man that sucks.

Jannie

Sorry but this might not be so great....
One year ago...
She left one year ago today. I didn't tell her good-bye, it might not be something I'll every say.
But she still went, she is gone anyway.
She was young, she was beautiful and she was loved. She's gone and will always be missed.
I have this picture in my head of her final days, she hurt I'm sure, and I think she knew it wasn't good. But I see her laying there, all in white...(I think her hair fell out but that is not how I see her) her brown hair with that distinguished slash of gray, looking worn out...tired... as she did when staying up late talking, attempting to solve the worlds problems in front of a fire on her living room couch.
I see her crooked smile, I know she smiled, it came so easy. Even when she carried so much pain, I know that smile was there. Making assurances, cracking jokes...everything would be alright she'd say.
It wasn't...She didn't know she wouldn't see this Christmas or last, she didn't know she'd seen her last pile of snow, she didn't know she was going to go. But she went.
It sucks for the living. But her, she lived.
She fulfilled so many dreams.
Her husband, her daughter, her home, her horse and her family.
I don't think she could or would've asked for anything more.
Except to live that perfect life she lived....
I love you Aunt Jannie

What is it about Christmas?

I want to know what it is about this time of year that makes people have a massive sweet tooth?
Yesterday at 8 a.m. Queen Bittie comes to my office and informs me that one of the suppliers has brought us bagels.
Then a little later she comes and tells me that there is candy on the table in the mailroom.
Yesterday at 4:32 p.m. the email went out to everyone on our department...
"There are brownies in the Mailroom."
Missed that one by 32 mins. I leave at 4 p.m. and I haven't checked but I'm pretty sure that there are no more brownies left.
Then at 7:45 a.m. this morning....
"Everyone go and get one of the danishes that Steve brought. They are in the Mailroom"
Next week is "Goodie Week." It is what it sounds like. Everyone brings a desert or snack type thing for the department and we will all graze on the stuff till Christmas. Or it goes bad, whichever comes first.
Not only do we have Goodie Week, one day during Goodie Week, we also have a "Feast Day" where we do a covered dish type lunch for everyone.
So next week I have to bring 2 things into work.
If someone takes our office hostage, or there is some sort of disaster evacuation, you'll find me in the mailroom.
Seriously if I can make it out of this office without gaining weight in the next 2 weeks it really will be a Christmas Miracle.
Scuse me while I go and get some chocolate and a danish for breakfast....
What I didn't have my coffee this morning, chocolate has caffine right?

Things I did not know

Well this isn't a list of things that I did not know previously to today. But there is one thing that I did not know until just now.
Thingamajig is a word.
I know, surprising. But I typed it in to an email and my Outlook did not target it as a misspelled word, leading me to believe that it is actually a word.
This pleases me greatly because for someone having an English/Communications/Journalism college degree I don't speak as well as one should. I say such things as "you guys" (which is better than saying ya'll, which I hate btw {btw means by the way, by the way}).
"Hows come?" is another one that I get made fun of for. And I tend to screw up the whole "i" before "e" except after "c" and before "v"? I'm not sure how it goes actually. I just use spell check when the situation with the i and e arises.
But one other cool thing I didn't know until a few weeks ago...while in a word doc as in Microsoft word...hold down the "ALT" key while pushing a series of numbers on your keypad. For instance hold down ALT and type in 145. There are a ton of them, try it out. I guarantee it'll keep you occupied for at least 5 mins. I don't know how far back that little trick goes but I have MSOffice 2003.
Back to this whole thingamajig thing...
I'm begining to wonder if all the words that I make up will soon become actual words. For instance whatserface, or whatshisface, or also a variation of the two, whatserbuckets name, or whatshisbuckets name.
Will all carbonated drinks become pops?
Is the world slowly developing into sheeple followers of me?
This would work out quite well with my plan to become the dominant world leader, everyone will speak Nettiespeak or Philspeak, Flaire is very excited to become the Secretary of Production of Squeaky Toys. Man this could be so awesome.
In the meantime, I'll keep a lookout for more of Nettiespeak becoming part of mainline society.
Oh I know what would work...I need to get on that show with Paris Hilton...My New BFF or something, and start throwing out the mespeak.
Oh yes, muwahahahahahahahah (evil laugh)

Writers Block

So as memeber of livejournal everyday they have this "Writers Block" thing, I guess to help you out if you can't think of anything else to write about and I thought today's was interesting. Well that and I don't have any new poop stories to talk about.
So todays writers block mentioned Kurt Vonnegat's titles, like Slaughterhouse 5, and how great the titles are, so if I were to write a book about my life what would the title be?
Well after not thinking about it for very long I came up with this..."5 Blocks From Gas n' Shop" Mostly becuase much of my childhood had to do with the house in town, which is where I mostly grew up. "5 Blocks from Gas 'n Shop"...and miles from everywhere else.
It really defines my childhood. And it also speaks to where I came from, which has made me who I am today.
When we moved to town, I remember hating it. I loved living on a farm. I loved having room to run around, most of my friends and family lived on farms, and they had and got to do things that we couldn't do anymore.
Of course I grew accustomed to it and found things to do in town that we couldn't do in the country, and one of those things was scrounging up enough change to go down to Gas n Shop to buy a pop.
Gas 'n Shop was the place we hung out at after games, after practice, after conditioning. On Sundays, after mass, we made a run for a pop and a box of Hot Tomales. Its where we met up at when going somewhere else. It was the only place to get a Swiss Roll or a Honey Bun. It was the only place to order a pizza from (cept for Thursday when the Pizza Hut Truck was in town).
I remember renting movies and a VCR from there, back before we ever had one.
And though its not called Gas 'n Shop anymore, I think its a Casey's or something, I still call it Gas 'n Shop and every time I'm home its hard not to make a stop in there. Its hard not to when its the only gig in town.

Cookies are num num!

I got a wild hair up my ass yesterday and decided to make some cookies. I don't think I've made any since last Christmas.
And I even have one of those super sweet mixers, Kitchenaid...those things are tight. But I digress...but those things are awesome.
So I made the ol staple chocalate chip cookies and boy did I make a lot. I have like 30 or more cookies at my house right now. I'm freezing some.
Nothing better than bringing out some homemade cookies and not have to do the work to enjoy them, like 3 months later. (I'd actually be surprised if they made it that long, but we'll see.)
I normally don't switch things up very much, but this time I used a mixture of chocolate chips and white chocolate chips (both left over from Christmas last year as well) and was pleasantly surprised.
The Hubby isn't much of a fan of chocolate so I made a few batches with just white chocolate then the rest I mixed it all up. The white chocalate doesn't melt as well and regular chocolate chips but still they turned out darn tasty if I do say so myself.
So now I'm prepared to gain about 10lbs. from eating too many cookies. Oh but it'll be worth it.