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Gonna give this another shot.  I have no excuse what-so-ever, other than just not thinking about blogging anymore.  So here’s a brief summary of what I’ve been up to.

I’m working as a stage hand of sorts with a local Burlesque troupe: The Lollie Bombs.  I’ve also been asked to help out with several other shows for other Burlesque performances not necessarily related to the Lollies.  I enjoy it.  It’s fun, I get a little attention, but don’t have responsibilities of the performers.  Low stress, maximum fun, and occasionally I get paid enough to pay for my drinks for the evening.  Plus, this weekend I got recognized while out to dinner.  My little taste of local fame - whoo!

I’m managing and playing on a co-ed recreational softball team.  We don’t when much, but we have fun.  Though it is significantly more fun when we do win.  So far in the past 2 seasons we’ve won 2 games outright.  With one forfeit.  This season we were undefeated for one week - but we made up for it this week when we lost two consecutive games to the run-rule.

I also have a few two many other crafty type projects going on.  Some started, some planned, and several mid-process and put away for entirely too long:

• Shadow box of great-grandmothers items: completed twice, but the items aren’t staying up as they should - have to give it another go soon - it’s been a year, since I tried to fix it.
• Victorian-era inspired skirt and coat: started, have all the material, and the skirt cut and pinned.  Been about six-months since I worked on it.  Have no excuse.
• 1940s/50s inspired housedress for Christmas in July/August Very Beaver Christmas themed party - have pattern - otherwise have not started
• Clown Costume: piecing together some parts of other costumes I have together, and a few items purchases (plus learned how to make puff balls out of yarn).  Mostly done have to hem the skirt and add border to it.  I hate hemming.  Bust be completed before the 27th.
• Knitting: I’m learning - I’ve spent about 2 weeks on a wrap that is only about 6 inches long.  Time consuming yet relaxing.
• Wine-cork board: Been putting of for years.  Have plenty of corks - finally got a frame to attach the corks to.  Started last night.  Bought more glue today.  Hope to finish before the end of the week.

That’s all for now.  I may or may not post again soon.

Today I tried Wendy’s new boneless buffalo wings.
I have to say they’re not too bad. Chili’s boneless wings are by far my fave. After those I like Applebees’.
I can safely say Wendy’s come in a solid third. They’re a little on the sweet side, and not nearly as spicy hot as either Chili’s or Applebee’s.
They are way better than the sad offering of Pizza Hut/Wing Street.
I’ve has wing stop boneless wings and I have to say they need to stick to the bone-in recipe.

So if I ever have a boneless wing craving and not enough time to sit down and eat, I’ll try them again.

I’m really bad at this.
If internet wasn’t so restrictive here I’d be better.
I’m hoping to get my own laptop for school soon.
Then I can get a broadband card and surf on my own at work.

I really hate walmart. There is no Target near where I work (nor a Walgreens for that matter). The only nearby store is walmart. So I am forced to go there to run errands during lunch more often than I can stand. Today I had to return something. Here’s how it went:
I pull into the cluster fuck of a parking lot
*I hate walmart*
The store is oozing ghetto
*I hate walmart*
I see someone I work with who I don’t recognize at first because he’s not in uniform…I’m ghetto’d out myself in running pants, ribbed tank and flipflops
*I hate walmart*
I head towards the customer service area and I can’t see any sort of order - people standing around everywhere
*I hate walmart*
So I stand behind a woman standing behind a red line…she takes her return item to the next open register, turns out it’s an exchange so she’s off to find her exchanged item - then evidently I’m up next. OK - I’m confused, quick service at a walmart customer service desk. I begin to worry. The lady at the register asks what I’m returning - I had her the receipt and item (still with tag and on hanger). I reach for the CC on which I purchased it, she tells me it’s not necessary and quite pleasantly explains how their return process works. She’s too friendly. Paranoia is starting to kick in.
*I hate walmart*
Well this isn’t so bad, I think to myself. Now I need to go find a 3-pack of my favorite gum to buy so I can get some cash back while I’m here. I wander around a bit….wander some more…Where is the goddamn candy/gum aisle!?!?!? They’re moving stuff around, the pharmacy area is gone, there’s bicycles next to baskets and salad dressing next to bubbles. There is no candy/gum aisle in site.
*I hate walmart*
I do notice that the cosmetics aisle is completely locked up - you cannot buy cosmetics at this walmart without finding someone who works there.
*I hate walmart*
Not that I was buying cosmetics. So I give up, and move on to the “impulse buy” aisles near the check out stand to find a single pack of my gum. No sign of the flavor of gum I’m looking for - I grab some mentos gum instead.
*I hate walmart*
Then I check one more aisle. OOOOH! They now have my fave gum flavor in nifty little plastic cup containers, just like the icebreakers raspberry ice gum that tastes good but lasts 10 seconds. I pick up one of those too. Uh oh - I’m feeling a tinge of joy in a walmart store.
*I hate walmart*
Time to find a register. Stupid long lines everywhere on this end - but I’d seen short lines on the other end, so I trek the 1/2 mile to the other end of the line of registers. Lines are just as long there.
*I hate walmart*
I find a line slightly less long than the other - then find the pepsi fridge, and grab one since I’ll need a a drink where I’m going. The lady cashier greets me in a friendly manner and swiftly rings up my items…more confusion. So instead of getting a 3 pack of my fave gum for $3 to get cash back, I spend $6 on fave gum, mentos gum, and a pepsi. And the employees I interact with are not unpleasant. Stupid walmart messing with my head.
*I hate walmart*

So the dead cat count is up to 4 now. This is the first since Toby has entered the fold. Not sure that it was Luna who killed the cat, but she sure guarded it like it was. Didn’t even really want Phlome disposing of it. Though I wouldn’t put it past her claiming Barley’s kill - can’t imagine Barley would care too much. Anyway - so Toby witnessed the art of the kill. Yesterday he proved himself. Brought us a dead baby bird. I’m a little proud of him. Less than 6 months old, and already mastering his hunting skills.

So starting this week I am officially administrator for two new online applications at work.
These are applications I’ve been either working on or hoping for pretty much since I started here.
I feel like I will finally be a productive employee - a real value-add as they say.
But the real bonus is that I think I’ll really enjoy what I’m doing.

I’m actually looking forward to working - even if it means overtime.
Fortunately my boss is really cool about ensuring I take comp time for any over time I work

So in short I may have to work my ass off here but it will be worth it.

I try not to talk too much about work for fear of the dreaded “dooce” but I can be vague enough here and still get my story across.  Some genralities you may need to know about where I work.  The physical layout is large - probably 12 - 16 square miles.  There’s a lot of construction.  Safety and security are big issues here.  Almost all of our construction is contracted out.  It’s in Texas…stereotypes prevail.

Last week we were undergoing a secruity review.  So we had representatives of Homeland Security onsite.  Sometime Thursday afternoon a co-worker was talking with one of our employees who works with the construction crew.  All of a sudden they looked around and no one was around.  All the construction contractors had vanished like so much ice on a Texas summer sidewalk.  Then a little murmur came across the nextel phone…”INS is here!”

The construction crews scrambled.  I later heard stories of people hiding in ditches and leaping over under and through our fences.  I heard of one guy who gashed his arm pretty well trying to get over a fence. 

Evidently one of the Homeland Security reps works for the US Border Patrol.  When he came through security he was announced as “Joe from Border Patrol” and a few of the construction crew personel heard it, spread the word, and they all went flying.  He was also in full Border Patrol uniform…didn’t help the matter.

Take it as you will…but sometimes seeing stereotypes in actions is just amusing.

Am I better off lowering my standards in
hopes of actually attaining them or should I
keep aiming high hoping that I’ll better myself.

I can’t seem to keep up with the blogging. I have
No good reason.

Good news on the work front - finally getting the
LMS approved. Just have to work out some details.
Phlomes blog is a far better update of things going on.

Other news : we have a new puppy, Toby.
I’ve registered and been accepted to UTA.
I start on my BS in biology August 24th.

Phlome reminded me today that I haven’t yet logged this week. This is my first official blog post from my blackberry.

I got my weekly allergy shots last night. New nurse the old nurse is moving on to bigger and better things.
Everything was fine until about an hour after my shots. I got home and my nose was all runny like I’d just eaten one of
Phlome’s armadillo eggs. Then I started coughing…both kept getting worse until I decided to look up possible symptoms of
Systemic Allergic Reactions. Yup coughing and shortness of breath are both symptoms
So I called the doc. She asked if I could come back into the office, but when she learned how far away I was, she recommended
I take a Benadryl and call back in 15mins. The benadryl helped. It also made me sleepy. I fell asleep about 8 las night.

So yeah last night was fun. And my allergist now thinks I may have mild asthma.

I’m not generally too much of a grammar nazi, but sometimes stuff just jumps out at you. (Though you are best warned not to bring up peanuts around me or to accidentally refer to a chimpanzee as a monkey).

I was reading this article on slate. On the second page towards the top is a sentence that I couldn’t read past:

“There is something inherently radical about hip-hop, period,a genre in which the historically voiceless command the microphone and, from the repurposed DJ equipment of hip-hop’s South Bronx infancy to the artist-owned labels of today, the means of production.”

My own emphasis added there. See there, the author uses the word period as if to emphasize the inherent radicalness of hip-hop. Ok, if you’re going to type the word period in your sentence for emphasis - USE A FRIGGIN PERIOD!!!!