Looking Forward To A Long Weekend Nap

It's funny how people see me and treat me, since I'm really just a simple boring person.

-Finbar McBride from the movie "The Station Agent"

Oh yeah. It's Friday! (listen to that fanfare)

Did I write anything? No.

Have I thought about writing? Yeah.

Do I know what I'm doing? Not really.

Do you know what I'm doing? Probably not.

Would I rather be napping? Hell yeah.

Will I stop with the questions? Sure. For now.

Currently on my lunch break. Doodling about on this blog trying to think of something that I could blog about.

Tuesday when I got into work, it was kind of poopy. Wes H opened and got to the office at 7am. I was next at 9am. He took his break shortly after I got in, and it was then that the feces hit the oscillating cooling device... HARD.

A customer we have in Canada ordered from a restaurant that they love, but their order was different (due to, we found out later on, the bread that the restaurant had ordered). We have a live chat service where people can chat instead of call or email, etc, to ask questions or whatever. From this one customer... HOLY CRAP! Usually on the live chat, I get at the most three at a time, and usually it's one I'm finishing, one that's midway done, and one that just logged in. Yesterday I had almost ten. And then there was the phone... and... EGADS!!! So when Wes got back, I filled him in on what was going on, and we took care of it together... sort of. (I told him that since I had collected the information and had to deal with all that crap ALONE that he could call the restaurant while I called the driver company for the redelivery.

It was essentially a cluster, and neither of us were happy at all.

But then later that day I received a call that made me smile and giggle.

An elderly woman called in to ask questions about our service. Essentially we pick up food with restaurants we're contracted with and deliver them to the people that ordered it. I work in the customer service department. I gave her the low down on how everything worked, and she in turn decided that she and her husband were going to sign up with us. They said originally if they had planned to order for food, they would just have someone place the order for them (I guess they don't have a computer or they do and are just not too savvy at navigating about the interwebs). When I told them I could take their order over the phone, they were very happy with that... well, I should say the woman was happy with that since I was mainly talking to her. Shirley and her husband Herman were old and lived together in an apartment and don't get around as well as they used to so if they could get food delivered to them, that would be swell.

I took down her information to sign her up for an account. The first thing that made me giggle was how she spelled certain things out for me and some she didn't. For example, when she gave me her name, she would say her name and then spell it. Like if her name was Jane Doe, she would say, "Jane. That's J as in jump. A as in apple. N as in Nancy, E as in Egg."

Totally random, but why when some people spell names out like that do they use other names? What if someone didn't know how to spell 'Nancy'?

Onwards...

So she continued to her last name but stopped at the first letter. Like "Last name Doe. That's D as in Doe." And that was it. I wondered 1) why ddi she stop spelling her name out for me (which was actually much longer than my example though I knew how to spell it anyway), and 2) why give me her last name as an example of the first letter?

Then when she was giving me her address information, she felt the need to spell out the street she lived on... which was POST... I had it already typed out before I heard her pronounce the T and just waited as she spelled it out for me.

When I got to the email portion, she said in a cute little whisper, "My husband doesn't like to give it out." I told her I would try to sign them up without it although it's good to have just in case. After I filled everything in, it told me I was missing information (email and password stuff). I created a password for them since they're always going to call in to place an order, so I told her...

Me: Shirley, looks like I need an email address.
Shirley: You do? Okay. Let me go get Herman. [holds phone away from her face] HERMAN! [comes back to the phone] I'm going to tell him to give you his email, but don't try to talk to him. He won't be able to hear you. [holds phone away again] HERMAN! [from away from the phone] HERMAN!
Herman; [in the distance] WHAT?!
Shirley: The lady needs your email number.
Herman: EH?!
Shirley: The lady needs your email number.
Herman: She needs my email?
Shirley: Yes.
Herman: [mumbling to himself]
Shirley: Just give her your email number.
Herman: [eventually gets on the phone] Hello?!
Me: Hello.
Herman: She says you need my email.
Me: Yes.
Herman: Okay. Let me go to my office. It's in there. [shuffles off to office with phone] I'm still here. I'm just old and slow.
Me: [stifling a laugh] Okay.
Herman: [gets to office] Okay. You ready?
Me: I'm ready. 
Herman: [gives me email address] You get that?
Me: [repeats email] Yes, Herman, I got it.
Herman: Okay. Thank you. Bye bye. [hangs up]

At this point, I let loose my giggles before I called back, but I got a busy signal. A few minutes later, the phone rang, I answered, and after I said the name of the company, my name, and 'How can I help you?", I hear Shirley say next, "He did hang up," and sigh. She made cute little comments like "That's my Herman," etc, and then we finished setting up her account. She gave me her credit card information, and I sent her out a catalog.

The entire experience, although longer than it should have lasted, was adorable and entertaining and definitely brightened my mood.

Today, the wonderful Jess F picked me up to take me to my chiropractor appointment. As we drove off from my house, a co-worker of mine texted me to ask if I was coming in today. I said I was though not until 10am, and I was on my way to the chiropractor. She was running late and was supposed to open this morning at 7am (and had no car). I gave her Addie F's number (who was coming in at 9am) and suggested a way she could get Marla A's number. After my appointment, Jess took me to work. I got here around 8:30am, but as I neared the door, I thought, "Is anyone here?" Walking through dispatch, I saw customer service was empty, so I clocked in to help out until others showed up. I called Caroline and left her a message. Addie came in at 9am and Caroline made it in shortly after that. When Wes showed up, I let him know what happened this morning, and he said that I could leave around 5:30pm if I wanted although our boss would most likely approve the OT if I wanted to stay until my original time of 7pm. As tempting as OT is, I'm tired so I think I'll just head home and pass out.

Trying to figure out car situations for the weekend. I have a "going away" party to attend for Novim S as well as trying to fit in actual car shopping since I received my (property damage) settlement check in the mail yesterday. I have a car for the month of April to use until I actually get a car, but it's a matter of finding a reliable, dependable car before the end of the month is the thing. Also not sure if I'm getting any money back from my taxes due to the major frak up from last year. I'm sure the amount that I sent in will be frakked this year either the amount owed from last year deducted from this year's refund or (worst case scenario) I get nothing at all.

Woo hoo! Fun! (<===sarcasm)

Stupid cough still hasn't gone away, but (I think) it's getting better. The right side of my chest is a little achey when I cough too hard, and I'm almost out of Robitussin DM. It's gone from dry to wet to dry again... so I think it's going to go away for good soon. (Damn you sinuses. Why do you have to be so dificult?)

My mom is sending me a package. It's already been confirmed many times that my mother is terrible at keeping a secret. Granted the pic that my brother made of me and my niece - a photoshopped pic of me and my niece, both of us at Christmas when we were two years old (I think) - but my mom was also (in front of me) asking my brother, "Did you do the thing with the thing?" You know... that kind of obvious sly talk? When I finally opened the envelope and saw the pic, I was so touched I started to cry a little, and my mom said, "See! You like it, huh?" and all kinds of happy that her idea was so awesome. In any case, my mom now is keen on sending me little packages. She sent one a couple weeks ago with some gloves I let her borrow and left at her place as well as a couple blouses and some spending cash. (Gotta love parents and their care packages.) In any case, she called twice while I was at work Wednesday and left messages both times (which is odd for her since she doesn't like leaving messages). She sounded really excited each message even saying she was "really excited" because she was sending me something. So then I called her back when I got off work and was walking to the lightrail. Then she called me yesterday on my day off and kept trying to hint at what she got me. (She eventually told me.)

I'm cool with my mom getting me clothes now since back in the day she would buy me things that were not my tastes... more hers... or what she would like to see me in regardless if it actually looked good on me or not. It took MANY YEARS for my mother to start buying me clothes that were actually close to my taste or things that I liked.

Now she's doing it with slightly pricey things.

Let me start off by saying I'm not a name brand person at all. I'm all about buying the generic or shopping at thrift stores or wearing off brands that you would find at the likes of Kmart, WalMart, Kohl's or even Montgomery Ward or Mervyn's back in the day. My mother, on the other hand, LOVES name brands. She will always show off her purse to me (again, in that obvious sly way) and point out that it's Liz Claiborne or whatever. Me? I'm picky about my purses. I don't need them to be too big - they just need to be big enough to fit my wallet, keys, gum, compact, lip balm, a pen or two and maybe a notebook and/or a paperback book. I don't like velcro or magnets. I have certain issues with the length of a strap of a shoulder bag.

Yeah. I'm picky. Also I'm a tomboy and not into collecting a billion purses, shoes, etc.

I would spend FOREVER going through purses at Target or wherever looking for something that fit my needs and didn't annoy the frak out of me. But those were reasonably inexpensive but also died quicker than i would like leaving me to go hunting all over again. So I thought maybe if I invested a little more moola into a better made bag, I would have it longer and not have to buy replacement bags so often. I had gone to the COACH store in the mall and looked at various bags and found a couple that I thought were cute, but only one that I liked and fit my personal aesthetic specs. Then I went to the COACH OUTLET STORE and couldn't find anything there that I truly liked.

And I made the mistake of mentioning my COACH browsing to my mother. I think all she heard was COACH and thought "My daughter wants a COACH bag. YAY!" So she bought me one. It's nice, but not the one I had been looking at in the store. Also it doesn't sit upright when I set it down. She'd said that if we found one that I liked, that we'd get it, and she'd take the other one.

So she's sending me another purse... and some other stuff. I told her that although I love the gesture, I'm really picky with my purses so I wish she wouldn't buy them for me without me or consulting me first. Blouses are one thing since my mom finds greats sales, etc, so that's nothing. It's easy to take it someplace and exchange it or whatever. But a purse? A COACH purse? Yeah. I'd rather get it right the first time. So she said that she still had the receipt if I wanted to return it so we'll see. She sent it for delivery today so it should be there when I get home today.

I hope I like it.

In other news, Jimbo agreed to go car shopping with me this weekend. There's a plan for shopping and looking at a few cars at least on Sunday and then go to their place for nom noms and GAME OF THRONES!!!

Okay, I've babbled on long enough. My plan for when I get home is to just pass the frak out, but who knows. Maybe I'll write something.

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

PS... Have an awesome Easter/Bunny/Sunday/GameOfThronesSeasonThreeStartsDay. And if you want, you can send me an Easter basket filled with Peeps, Cadbury Eggs and other assorted goodies. (*sigh* How I miss getting Easter baskets. And they never seem to have any turtle ones. *pout*)

Still Not Well But Getting There...

I'm not feeling very well.

-Governor Odious (after being stabbed) in the movie "The Fall"

I feel like crap.

Yesterday I worked at 1:30pm, and I had this sinus... pressure... neck... whatever thing. It started on the left side of my head and my nose and then just frakkin spread like wildfire. By the end of the night, I felt like I was going to vomit. (Yeah, it was one of those pains.) I stopped by the store to grab some stuff that I'd need for this morning, and by the time I got out of the store, I was searching for a place to privately yak.

Cuz the last thing you want is to be making horrendous death noises where everyone can hear and see you.

I pulled over in a neighborhood near the store and found a nice shady place to pull over and get some air. After a while, I felt better to drive. I just flushed my face with cold A/C (courtesy of Kathy W lending me her car again while she's out of town for the weekend). I almost hurled in the bushes after I parked at home. Then I made my way down the hall to my room, changed into my jammies, set my alarm and passed the frak out!

Woke up this morning feeling better (<=== notice the italics). I made it to the office and things started to get a little... icky. I used my brand new nose sniffer (aka nasal decongestant spray), and it made me feel a little better. I made myself a bagel with some peanut butter type spread I recently bought that is yummy. Before lunch, I was wavering between okay to my head aching.

In other news (aka no real writing been done), I've been tooling around with an idea but just have had no time to really play with it. I've either been working, driving, running errands or sleeping off death crap and hoping not to hurl. (I hate puking. I really do.)

Aside from being sick at work last night, I got my hair straightened Saturday night, and a few people have seen it so far and have nothing but nice things to say. Today one of my coworkers - Caroline P - was playing with my hair, trying to style it, etc, but the clip that I had wasn't staying. But the style looked cute, so thumbs up for that. Now it's just up in a pseudo French twist - at least that's what it looks like to me.

I got my taxes done so that's something. They got frakked up last year so I'm assuming none of my small return is coming back to me this year, but we'll see. I e-filed so we'll see what happens.

I paid some bills... so self-high-five for being an adult.

Oh yes. Cough from hell won't go back to whence it came. The thing that irks me the most is that it's not constant. I've had coughs where throughout the day I'm clearing my throat or coughing a bit, but I'm fine for long periods of time during the day and then BAM! coughing fit that leaves people to dial 9-1-... and then just wait to see if I'm gonna die. I bought some cough syrup where I take a 2-teaspoon shot every four or so hours. It tastes like ick, but I pray that it's helping. I think it is anyway.

Watched some Hulu last night as well... so that was relaxing to have while I worked. The new desk computers have three monitors as opposed to the original two so that's cool. I finished stuffing the remaining checks in envelopes, updated some emails and reports, drank lots of water, peed a lot...

Yeah. Typical day/night at the office?

I'm kind of tired right now... though I think it's the icky poo feeling from last night draining me.

Currently on my lunch hour. I have about 20min. Gonna take some more cough medicine (just in case) when I clock back in... and perhaps sneak in some writing when I get back. It's a little chill at the moment which I'm happy about so that's cool beans.

Okay, I think this post is done for the moment. Can I haz a nap now?

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Rain, Trains, and Aches & Pains

Sometimes I get that not-so-fresh feeling.

-Vickie from the movie "Reality Bites"

I got to walk in the rain yesterday. It was nice.

It was a little grey in the sky yesterday, and it made me happy. By the time I got out of work, it had started to drizzle. From the office, I walked past my lightrail stop to drop my settlement payment paperwork at one of the businesses dropboxes nearby. As I continued to walk, the rain got a little harder though it never turned into a torrential downpour or anything. When I eventually made it to the lightrail, I scanned my card and then sat waiting for the next train to come. I snacked on my leftover curry from lunch and managed to finish that off as the train pulled up.

It was so yummy. I think I'll order it again sometime. It was just the right kind of spicy for me.

On the way home, there was some issue with our train, and it couldn't go any further. I had my earbuds in so I didn't really hear what the frak was going on. We were about a third of the way done with our route when we all had to get up and get on the train in front of us.

Now the thing I didn't really think about until we were almost to the second-third of the route was that some of the routes over lap and run parallel with each other and then break off. The route I take runs together with another route that splits apart someplace downtown. I had happened to look at one of the maps posted above the doors of the train and noticed we were nearing the split, and I just knew that my luck put me on a train that wasn't heading to my neighborhood. Sure enough the next stop veered us left when my route would have taken us right. I got off at that stop and followed the lightrail tracks until I got to the next stop for my route.

I stood there on the platform swaying from side to side just wanting to get home. I was SO tired. I just wanted to pass the frak out.

I walked through the little downtown area of my city (which is only about several blocks long), bought myself some donuts on the way, and then went home. I watched a little Hulu and thought about writing some, but after the last episode I watched, I put the minibook away, shut the lights, curled up with my cat and passed the frak out.

My "idea" was still in my head as well as scenes I'd conjured of my fanfic where I play the new character I created. (I don't know if anyone else does this - probably not - but I usually don't write down most of my fanfic ideas. Even though I don't really write anything down, I have the story in my head so I can play out any scene I want. Usually the scenes play themselves as if to say write me, please but I'm weird about fanfic. Lately with the LEVERAGE fanfic, I've been replaying some somewhat serious, intense scenes. It's like my mind is working out how best to go about it... like numerous rough drafts before the final copy. I'll do this with my own work as well, but usually I write those ideas down.)

In any case, enough of that babble.

In other news, my neck is frakked.

X-rays came back, and there is definite bad crap going on with my neck. My chiro doc is going to start giving me exercises to do this Friday... so he'll adjust everything else EXCEPT my neck and we'll go from there. That makes me sad really since I feel better after he adjust my neck, and I usually don't feel icky until the next day or so. Yeah, this exercise thing is most likely a long-term fix, but it just makes me think of the song lyric "we gotta long way to go and a short time to get there" but for me, I want to be better now, but it just seems to be taking forever.

So I'll have neck and ankle exercises. Woo hoo. I'm (sarcastically) excited. If the exercise results are anything like the ones for my ankle, I know what to expect.

And I don't know if it's actually there or not, but I feel a divet in my shin.

You know when you feel something odd on one side of your body so you check out the same spot on the other side and if it's there, you feel relieved like "Okay, that's supposed to be there." I have that athletic tape still on my leg in that tic-tac-toe pattern, and in the middle square is the brusied part of my leg, and at one point... it seems to be concave. I think it's just me being weird with all the other aches and pains I feel. Hopefully all of this will blow over, and I will be "me" again... whoever that is cuz I think I've forgotten.

Just finished my iced Vietnamese coffee. Hopefully - if it does at all - the caffeine will kick in soon. I like to think that if I just believe - like with faeries in Peter Pan - they'll work and wake me up.

So far? Hasn't worked. *Dammit!*

Okay, lunch hour almost up so I should really get going to posting this. I assume by now you know that I haven't written anything new else I would have posted it earlier. Hopefully maybe something new will happen by the end of the week? *eyes calendar* Beginning of next?

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Dreaming of Writing...

So, now that we've determined that I belong here, let's talk about you.

-Lorna from the movie "Running on Empty"

So today's post brings you no story blog updates.

Instead it brings you ME... on my lunch hour... having absolutely NO IDEA what to write about.

Hmmm, something writing-related.

Ah! Well, I figured out a part of my LEVERAGE fanfic that I'll never write. LOL! Yeah. That's how I roll. I think of storylines for stuff I'll never (most likely) write. Cuz I don't have enough to do in my day.

The part that I figured out was this big baddie reveal and how long it would take to deal with that situation and how. In show terms, it would be plotted out in three episodes. In real time? Who knows. For some reason, I keep thinking of it in terms of episodes since that's how I'm used to getting my LEVERAGE fix.

In other news, I have been toying around with an old idea but with a new twist... well, not so much a new twist, but since the accident, I've been thinking of trying to write a story from the first person narrative like Jim Butcher a la Dresden Files or Laurell K. Hamilton a la Anita Blake. I've always stayed away from first person (present) for whatever reason, but I'm venturing out of my comfort zone... sort of.

I'm merely trying stuff out. If it looks good to me, feel right, I'll post some stuff or whatever. If it doesn't, I'll most likely complain here about my epic writing fail. Ha!

Man, I'm tired.

Jess F had a St Patty's Day get together at her place yesterday. I came by and helped out a little before the official festivities were to start. I cut melon (as well as my fingertips a little bit), and then I went out to get three bags of ice and a lemon. The friends were fab. The food was yum. I even got Kevin Z to commit to a deadline for my "Narnia" story. He's always told me that he'd come home with the want or intention to write, but then he'd be so tired... so the only real writing he did was blogging. But then he took up this challenge to blog everyday, and I saw him last night and asked him about it thinking if he can blog everyday...

Yeah, you get the idea.

So I originally said he could just make it like a birthday present for me since my birthday is November (and he's always asking for extensions - "next month, I'll have it done next month" - that kind of thing. But then he said that March was kind of frakked for him so perhaps he could get it done in April. Surprised at this offer, he then quickly added, "I'll take your November deadline, but if I get it done earlier than that..."

And we left it there.

At the moment, I'm finding it very hard to stay awake. Well, I'm just groggy. I really don't want to fall asleep on the lightrail. REALLY don't. I've done the head-bobbing thing where you try to fight the sleep, but I feel that I've nodded off a few times but only for a few minutes. I've done that jerk my head move wondering if I had fallen asleep and then realized that I must have since I felt a little more rested than I did before. (I did that once in junior high during last period science. We were separated into tables, and I sat at one in the middle of the room, my back to the counter. We were going to watch a movie, and it really didn't hold my interest. I remember folding my arms on my books that were on the table in front of me, resting my chin on my arms, the lights went out, the movie started... and then my head jerked up a bit, eyes popping open, and I saw the lights turn on. I asked the chic across from me at my table if I had fallen asleep. She said yes. I asked for how long. She said for about 15-20min. On the one hand, I felt bad for falling asleep in class. On the other hand? I felt SO much better for getting that little bit of rest.

It's the little things... or little naps, rather.

I had a car for the weekend. It was nice. The lovely Kathy W lent me her car since she would be out of town for the weekend. Today is her birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY!!!), and she has the day off today. I drove in, and she picked it up after her and Steve got back in from out of town.

Yup. It was nice to have a car for a bit.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out where the frak a FedEx box is so I can drop off my settlement paperwork. It would be fantastic if there was one somewhere close to the lightrail stations. I think there might be, but I'd have to overshoot the lightrail station to get to it and then head back. I'm hoping it's not too far... that is, if I'm right. Currently looking on the frakkin FedEx site to see if they have a map of dropboxes... though it's not proving helpful.

WOO HOO!!! Found a box... near my house... not too out of the way. SUCCESS!!!

Okay, I think I'll sign off on this post since I feel a stream of babble about to form in my noggin which will eventually course through my veins into my fingertips and boom! - out onto this blog.

Some would say Too Late.

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

This Took Two Days... ish...

Clementine: This is it, Joel. It's going to be gone soon.

Joel: I know.

Clementine: What do we do?

Joel: Enjoy it.

-from the movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"

I am SOOO frakkin tired. All I want to do is curl up in a little ball and die... well, I mean, SLEEP, but you know what I mean.

I'm currently at work sitting at the other MAC station typing on the smaller keyboard (which is simply smaller due to the lack of the 10-key, but that's neither here nor there). I just snatched two Sugar Free Red Bulls from the back and am chugging on one hoping it'll do something for my energy level.

I also just popped some popcorn to snack on while I work. (Damn you PMS!)

My food intake for the day so far has been a cheese danish, some bagel wrapped hotdog, a baked pork bun AND a baked chicken bun.

Hello carbs! Nice to meet ya!

The coffee pot in the breakroom had enough juice left over to make one cup of jo'... so that was a little more coffee after my little illy cappuccino can. Kathy W stopped by at the end of her shift to chat for a bit before she took her food and left for the day. Her and Steve C are heading down to SoCal for St Patty's Day, and she asked if it would work if she picked me up from work so I could take the car for the weekend since she won't be needing it. And since we work at the same place, she'll just come by on Monday when they get back (it's also her birthday that day) and gnab the car.

My friends are great. *grins*

[time lapse]

So here I sit at work... on Saturday... having had no time to finish this post Friday since I went back to Kathy W's for cocktails, chit-chat and a movie. We watched "Extremely Loud & Terribly Close". I had wanted to see it for a while and never got to see it in theatres. Kathy had rented it from the library (among other titles) and with a toss of a coin... that was the movie we watched.

I had EVERY intention of finishing the post when I got home - which I THINK was before midnight - and I would be following the friend logic of it's not tomorrow until the sun comes up. But by the time I got home, I was completely exhausted... WAY too tired to create thoughts much less make them cohesive and entertaining (if I am at all EVER). In any case, I resolved to finish this up at work today since I'd be by myself in my department.

I had hoped to get more out, but the way work usually goes, I'm lucky to get one post in during my lunch hour.

Ahhh, I almost forgot. Speaking of writing, I should update this post with TWO - YES... count them TWO! - story blog posts. They're not much, but I'm working on it, slowly and surely chiseling away at the rock of crap that is blocking me from my writing passion and mojo.

• Kearie at part nineteen with A Simple Training Exercise
• Enyo is at part twenty-four

Yay! Two bulletpoints. Maybe next time I post, it'll be three. Oh the simple pleasures in life. Huzzah to me! *self high-five*

It's been a while since I worked on a Saturday. I've become the Sunday closer. Even Addie F (coworker and opener for today) was surprised to see me. There are certain things I do Sunday nights aside from the general day work stuff, but I didn't have to do any of that today. It was kind of nice.

My back hurt during the first part of my day. I kind of walked about the office like there was a pole not stuck up my ass but up my tailbone and halfway up my spine.

Yeah. Not cool.

But eventually it subsided... THANK GAWD!

Right now, my shin is throbbing so I have my left leg elevated on the empty trash can (the janitors have come and gone) at the cube I'm at with Olivia K's (office manager) cool gel pack on it. I've taken some ibuprofen as well so hopefully the little throbbing that is not extremely painful though a little more than just annoying will dissipate soon.

I've been working on one of the Macs set up in our department since we're testing out computers that will (hopefully soon) replace the old ones that I have no idea how old they are or what kind of maintenance has been done to them (if any) but seem to be slowly dying... or at least are being one by one possessed by some Loki-tech demon. The Macs (of which now there are two) are generally faster... but then again, they ARE newer... but the updates to the system we use have occasionally been a little on the annoying side.

Like tonight? Tabs and links I used to click to get to a specific window have now been altered and don't do what they used to do. Among other things, I've had to adapt (which is fine), but in the end I got somewhat used to it although a good chunk of the time, I wanted to punch the shit out of the computer for just looking at me funny.

Hopefully it'll start coming together better soon - SOONER rather than later (or when HELL freezes over).

Tomorrow is St Patty's Day. I'm headed over to Jess F's home and will be happily getting my drink and merriment on with her and our other friends. Woo hoo! (Now if I could just find my green Guinness t-shirt, I would be happier.)

Okay, I think it's time to sign off on this bad boy. Work is starting to pick up, and I feel myself starting to grow a little weary.

Plus, this gel pak has lost its cool factor. (Back to the freezer for you, heathen!)

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

It's Wednesday, Isn't It?

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

-Maya Angelou

Just got out of a department work meeting and now I'm snacking on popcorn chicken and an iced Vietnamese coffee.

Ahhh, the life. (<=== sarcasm)

Work pays for snacks during the meeting, and I got myself a Sugar Free Red Bull and a slice of tiramasu. (Saving that stuff for later.)

How are all my lovelies doing today?

Me? I'm tired as FRAK!

So I've been insomnia's bitch for a while now. No new news there. To give you an idea of my energy levels as of late, add onto that the extra hour tagged on to my usual to and from work routine, heave on a dollop of pedestrian travel, a sprinkle of doctors appointments, and a scoop of fatigue from powerloss... and you've got a blended cocktail of comatoseness to infinity and beyond.

In other words... I'm FRAKKIN TIRED!!!

Yesterday when I got to Jess F's after my chiro appointment, I had set my writing bag down out of the way and sat down on the floor next to it, leaning my back against the wall. Then I grabbed one of the throw pillows from the couch, and proceeded to curl up for a nap. For some reason, I kept thinking that I needed to stay awake. My appointment was at 8am which took about 15-20min... then we took surface streets back to Jess's place, and her online meeting didn't start until 10am. We had bullshitted for a bit before I realized that it was barely 9am. I zoned out around the time her meeting started. Then I came to a little later, and she was making lunch and making coffee. Then she ended up passing out on the couch while I passed out with a blanket on the floor. When I came to again, she was puttering about the house, playing music off her laptop, and sorting through boxes, etc.

I don't remember if I zonked out again, but I do remember whether I did or not, I made myself get up and walk around a bit. I also had some curry chicken yummy stuff that she made. Also had some juice as well as some coffee. I logged on to the minibook for a bit meaning to write, but I ended up surfing YouTube.

On the way home, we stopped off at Walgreens so I could recharge my Clipper Card as well as get some snacks for a late night dinner as well as some feminine supplies. Then I got home, snacked, watched a little Hulu, then passed out.

I really wish there was a way that I could shut my brain off. I hate when I'm completely exhausted but for some reason something is keeping me awake. I remember some dude at a 7-Eleven a couple years back cashed me out when I was buying an energy drink for the following day, and he had to comment that the reason I had trouble sleeping was that I couldn't shut my mind off. Now in essence, I'm always thinking about something whether it's writing or a movie or the people I come in contact with or my niece or what I want for dinner... you get the gist. My mind is always - for all intents and purposes - ON. He said, "You're thinking of something." Now the thing is, at the time when I'm exhausted, all that comes to mind - the FOREFRONT of my mind - is that I want to go to sleep. But when I can't, I wonder why... and then eventually pass out. If I'm thinking of something, I am COMPLETELY unaware of it. I remember telling him that and asking him how to figure out what I'm thinking about, and he just gave me that "Mmmm hmmm" look with raised brows, big eyes, and funky mouth with lips pressed together. Reminded me of that BECAUSE I SAID SO line of thinking parents sometimes give. That's not an answer. It's also not helpful.

I want to write. But I'm too tired. So sleep becomes a priority. I wish I could MATRIX my brain to my iPhone or something so when I wake up, I could see what the story stuff I had been wanting to jot down.

When will it get better?

*head... desk... collapse*

Chicken gone.

Coffee almost gone.

Lunch hour almost up.

I'm off at 6pm, but then I will be walking to the lightrail station and work on trying not to pass out during the trip home.

Calgon... take me away (with your pocketful of sunshine).  <=== a joke just for me

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

Insomnia, Thy Illusive Sleep...

With insomnia, nothing's real. Everything's far away. Everything's a copy of a copy of a copy.

-Narrator from the movie "Fight Club"

I WROTE ANOTHER THING!!!

• Noemi is at part twenty-two

And now THAT'S out of the way...

I feel like crap, and I miss my car.

Me: (said like Marlon Brando in Streetcar Named Desire) LIBBY!!!

So all the days I worked last week, I worked at 9am which meant instead of my usual two-hour prep time (grooming and commute), I had to add an extra hour since I'm taking public transportation. Plus side, I don't have to drive or deal with traffic AND I found a route where I don't have to transfer. Not-so-plus side... I have to walk to the lightrail (which isn't really too far away though when you're tired, it feels very 40 Days/40 Nights if you know what I mean), wait for the lightrail, manage to stay awake on the lightrail (the combo of listening to audiobooks and playing Temple Run seems to work), then eventually when I reach my stop walk to the office. At the end of the day, I do the same thing... only in reverse.

Later, rinse, repeat... mother frakkers.

Yesterday was my first evening shift since the start of my pedestrian lifestyle. The lightrail seemed to be running less frequently and by the time I got on the next train, I knew I was going to be late. When I was a few stops away, I texted my lead that was at the office (on weekends, we usually have one morning and one evening person) to let her know where I was at and my ETA to the office (And my guesstimate was right! Huzzah to me!)

Work got a little congested toward the end of the night, and I got out of here (yeah, I'm at the office now, on my lunch) at 10pm. I sent out my emails, shut off all the lights, locked up the building, set the alarm, and headed for the lightrail.

Which reminds me... I'm going to have to recharge my Clipper Card.

I made it home around midnight... ish. Changed into jammies and sluggishly muddled about until I was unwound enough to pass out... only to wake up around 6am to restart the whole process.

On the way to work this morning, I stopped off at the gas station I pass on the way to the lightrail station and bought me two cans of AMP and a Peanut Butter Power Bar. I chugged one can, ate the power bar after, then drank some water before I made it to my stop.

I've been ordering food through work for the past week or so. It seems the money that I would normally spend on gas I am now spending on lunch. I have no real options when it comes to getting food if it's not on my way to or from either lightrail location. Sure, there's the downtown strip between the lightrail and home (of which I've noshed on a taco salad at El Guapo's and then got some dinner at Subway a couple times), but there's no little coffee cart or anyplace truly accessible to me and my two little feetsies.

I suppose I could check out the lunch trucks that come by. They all look so interesting and tasty. I think I've seen more than a handful around the business lots. Usually I bring snacks or eat the bagels and donuts provided every Monday... or I would grab something quick and easy (and as healthy as I could do) on the way home.

Maybe .

Tomorrow is one of my day's off. Jess F will be taking me to my chiro appointment and then back to her house. I will be bringing a lot of things to keep me entertained (reading, writing, etc) while she does her work stuff and her meeting stuff.

And that is my exciting life for the moment.

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

And Then There Was This...

If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding.

-Thomas Schell from the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Hear ye! Hear ye! Look at this shit!

• Lost and Found is at part twenty-two

Yes my lovelies... I wrote something.

Other than that, nothing much has happened in my life. I've piddled about in my notebook for a while working on something for BGL, but that's all that's gone on along the writing front.

In other news, I'm trying not to fret over my frakkin car issues. I'm still waiting for my title courtesy of the DMV. I've been 'window-shopping' for a car, but it's pretty pointless at this point since I have NO IDEA when I'm supposed to be getting my money. And then talking with friends last night, it's like, "No two ways about it... you're fucked!" One guy was trying to tell me about having a buyer, and people were using terms that were just going WAY over my head... also at the time I was tired, hungry and suffering from a major headache/migraine. Fact of the matter is, I'm not too mechanically inclined so aside from knowing simple stuff, I'm afraid that I'm going to get screwed over when I eventually do buy a car.

My mom wants me to come to Fresno to shop for a car, but I keep telling her I don't have my money yet, and also that it's not realistic for me to trek all the way out there to get a car since I rarely have two days off in a row. She was even willing to buy me a train ticket to get out there which is a nice gesture... but still.

This whole "car accident" thing has been rather draining on me. Returning the rental didn't help my mood any. I have wonderful friends that have helped me out (kudos to June B and Jess F and a skosh to Nate C). I just want this all to be over already. I want to have a car again. I want to be able to not feel so stranded and dependent on people.

And then the whole trying to find a car... thing... *grumble*

I miss Libby.

Monday was my first day doing the public transportation cha-cha. There's a lightrail station near my house that takes me all the way to a lightrail station near my job. This week my shifts have started at 9am, so instead of getting up two hours early (one hour for getting ready which also includes making sure I have bathroom/shower time and dealing with my landlady's little dogs) to commute time (freeways becoming parking lots... so annoying), I get up three hours early so I can make sure I have time to shower, dress, walk to station, and later walk to work.

And then I do it ALL in reverse at the end of the day.

My first public transpo day, I nearly passed out on the lightrail on the way home. The station I go to near my house is one stop away from the end of the route (per the map, anyway). I keep trying to visualoze where that stop is, if I've driven by it before, but I can't - for the life of me - figure out where it's at. Back in my old public transpo days, I've been on the brink of passing out and literally have leapt from the train like Rowan Atkinson from "The Rat Race". (Yeah, I know. I'm magical.)

Tuesday was chiropractor before work day. I had asked Jess F if she could take me to my appointment, then take me to work (since there would be no way to catch the lightrail and get to work on time), and then I'd just get myself home. She had work stuff that was time sensitive so she picked me up, took me to my appointment, got a little gas in her car, and then went to her house where I would take her car to work and then drive it back to her place at the end of my day. (On the way home, my PMS was screaming for pizza, but being lazy, I hit up a Taco Bell for XXL steak nachos... and nearly finished it all.)

I feel fat.

Today it was back to the lightrail. I have a Clipper Card (which is essentially a transportation gift card: you load money onto it, swipe it at stations before hopping on the train, and reload when needed. The other day I thought How am I supposed to reload the card if I can't get to the drugstore?

I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Right now, I'm trying to remain positive. I'm trying to stay happy and reaffirm the fact that this will all sort itself out in the end. (I just hope that end isn't several months from now.)

Ways to put a positive spin on things:

• I'll be doing a lot of walking. It'll be good to stretch out my left leg a little as well as get some excercise. (It's nice to see the "moves" app on my iPhone have more steps walked on it than it usually does.)
• Getting caught up on my reading.
• Alone time with nature. (Sight-seeing, getting out of the house, enjoying the fresh air.)
• Taking into account my insomnia and the extra time I need to make sure I get to the lightrail on time, this should get me a little more tuckered out at the end of the day and perhaps help me get to bed at a reasonable hour.
• Waiting for my title in the mail so I can send off the settlement paperwork and get my check -- leaves me more time to "window shop" for cars.
• I think I'm coming out of my writing rut.
• My friends are awesome at showing off how awesome they are by helping me out with things.
• Getting letters/drawings from my niece in the mail are quite uplifting.
• My HALLS lozenges come with positive affirmations that make me smile.
• I didn't have to walk through a downpour this morning on the way to the train station.
• Tomorrow my lovely Girlfriend Kathy W has offered to come and pick me up from work, take me back to her place for Dusty's World (the first Thursday in a long time that I'm not closing), and then eventually take me home. Yay!
• Been having decent hair days.

Yeah. That seems to be it for now. I'm trying to think positively.

• I will get my title soon. 
• I will send in my paperwork to the insurance people. 
• I will get my check soon thereafter. 
• I will find a reliable used car soon after that and not get vehicularly frakked over.
• I will easily acquire new insurance for my new/used car.
• I will get my taxes done.
• I will have a positive outcome to my taxes issue (big drama, don't ask)
• I will get my iPhone 5 (and give my brother my iPhone 4)

I've realized that due to not being able to go anywhere for lunch, I have to start ordering meals through work... which is fine. I had a salad Monday, nothing Tuesday, had a peaches and cream smoothie waiting for me at work for breakfast this morning, got a Sugar-free Red Bull for my department meeting, and ordered a Subway sandwich and a Vietnamese coffee for lunch.

Feeling pretty okay right now.

Also been working on the Mac at work... we're testing out new computers to see what programs we use work on what new computer since the ones we have are slowly dying. So far it's pretty all right. The best part about using the newer computer is the bigger monitor that they hooked up to it as well as the newer keyboard they hooked up to it, too. (Keyboards and mice are wireless.)

Friday is xrays and appointment at the chiropractor's office.

Sunday I close at work... so that should be interesting... taking the lightrail to work in the afternoon and taking it home at night. (I just heard a voice in my head say I AM BATMAN!)

Vietnamese coffee is tasty. #happymaking (<== yeah, I just hashtagged a blog post, deal with it)

Okay, enough of that. I think this post has gone on long enough. Even though I'm getting some of my writing mojo back, we'll see how my three times a week blog posts go.

Need to clock back in soon.

Later my lovelies.

Have Goodness!
Rae

PS...My mom just left me a message. She says she sending me a package... which will include my gloves I let her borrow during my niece's birthday party and some surprises. (Anyone wanna take guesses what will be in the box?)