Good Day

Today is going to be a good day - I just know it! The morning is starting out great so far --

- Hubby's out of town, so I had to both get myself and my son up and out of the house early so I could drop him off at day-care before heading to work. Mission Accomplished! It was actually much easier than I expected - he actually woke up early on his own so I didn't have to battle with a comatose rugrat.

- I weighed myself this morning. I've lost another 2 lbs, so I'm finally back down to my lowest weight (I'd gained 10 lbs back since April...). So I'm wearing my now loose jeans to work and a shirt I haven't worn in a year. Yay me!

So yeah... if the day keeps up with this morning, it's going to be a good day!

THURSDAY 13 - Insulting Nicknames for my cat

Now that I'm back to blogging regularly, I'm rejoining the ranks of THURSDAY 13 - woohoo!

Today's list is 13 insulting nicknames hubby and I have come up with for my cat. Let me explain - we have 3 cats: Shelby, Lily, and Willow. Willow is the youngest at 9, and though she's equally both of our cat, she favors me. Shelby and Lily are both 13 and were both mine before hubby & I got together. Within 2 hours of meeting hubby, Lily was smitten and no longer my cat but his. Shelby was a different story. She's always been a little 'off kilter' let's say. I say 'special' but most others would say 'psychotic'. The vet says it's because 1) she's a tortoise shell calico and they're always a little batty in the brain, and 2) she was an orphan kitty (I got her at 3 weeks) and never had a mother to teach her what's 'too rough' of behavior. Either way, she's always been a bit vicious and always hated everyone but me. She adores me - sleeps on my pillow at night, snuggles with me on the couch, is my shadow wherever I go in the house, comes when I whistle, and is always licking & grooming me.

One of the biggest past times in our house is making up goofy nicknames for the cats. I know I know, we're total dorks for it, but what can I say - it's fun! We have nicknames for all 3 of them, but Shelby I think has the most - and the most insulting. I swear, she was a beer guzzling, belching, obnoxious guy in a past life. It totally fits her personality. Either that or a dog LOL. She drools constantly - I mean big spit globbers, like a large dog, she fetches bottle caps & other little toys, she growls and even barks sometimes, and she's the messiest eater.

Anyway... enough background story - here's my list of nicknames:

1. Slobberface

2. Slobberific

3. Slobbericious
4. Grumpelstilskin

5. Grumplefugly
6. Snufalufu-butt (as in Sesame Street’s Snufalufacus)
7. O Cranky One
8. Pet Cemetery (thanks Chris)
9. El Gato de Diablo (thanks Taylor)
10. The Dog
11. Stink-a-saurus
12. Stink-zilla
13. Grumble-butt

Notice the pissed off expression...

This one she's trying to look vicious and mean, but she's actually yawning...

Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home

I have to thank my mother-in-law for this. She's the one who noticed & pointed it out to me...

So... my mother-in-law was looking up the details about Barbara's funeral last week when the buttons on the funeral home's website caught her eye. I have to say, I didn't pay any attention to them. Apparently, neither have the management for the funeral home because they're clearly not appropriate for the site. Check it out: http://www.funeralplan.com/samhoustonmemorialfuneralhome/

1. What's up with all of the butterflies? They're all over the place! What, do they think that'll distract people from the fact that it's a FUNERAL HOME?

2. Obits/Guestbook -- what does a woman & a little girls have to do with obituaries?

3. Virtual Tour - (1) Who the hell wants a virtual tour of a funeral home??? I don't think that would really be needed here. and (2) BUMPER BOATS??? WTF??

4. Pre-Planning - Yes I understand tons of people pre-plan their funerals. It's a very smart thing to do to make sure everything is taken care of in the manner you'd like. but again I just have to say WTF?? What is up with the camping picture? I haven't heard of this being a common camping outing for the whole family. "Guess what kids?? This weekened we're going camping down at the funeral home! and at night, we'll roast marshmallows & weenies in a leftover wooden casket!! Yay!!!"

5. Community Events - this isn't so much a complaint about the picture but rather a question about what kind of community events are going to be advertised on the funeral home website? and who is going to that website for their calendar planning information?? Funeral homes are something we all need at one time or another for ourselves or friends/family. But I don't think anyone ever looks forward to dealing with them. It's never a happy occasion.

Does anyone know the management for Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home? If so, you may want to mention to them that they should reconsider the clip art on their website. I don't know -- maybe lilies or other flowers, doves, books, even people embracing. Just about anything will be better than camping and bumper boats!

(P.S. Thanks Jan!!)

Rain & My Glass Office

So... As always, I'm again the chick behind the big marble desk, the receptionist in the lobby. Up here all alone in my receptionist bubble as I call it. This time it's a little different. Instead of being in a cave as it usually seems, I'm in a glass conservatory almost. Let me explain - usually the reception area is of course just inside the office doors, and facing or close to the elevator lobby. Almost always it's an area with no windows - I'd have to go to a manager's office to look out a window. My last job I could see the reflection of a window bouncing off of a metallic wall and could at least tell whether it was sunny or overcast out. I'd gotten very good at determining if it was raining by the details in the reflection. Several years ago I worked in an office in downtown Houston - that time I parked in an underground garage, took interior elevators to my windowless office, plus I ate in the tunnels underground. I could literally go all day without seeing the sunlight. That was a little odd...

So anyway, this is a totally new experience for me. I can actually see outside! Not only can I see outside, but I'm basically in a glass conservatory - AND it has an industrial looking metal ceiling. It's really nice normally, but OMG I just found out it's freaking loud in a rainstorm!! Ever been in a house or on a porch with a tin roof?? Well that's what I'm getting now, and it's echoing all over the place. I can barely hear the phone! But - beggars can't be choosers, and I'll gladly take the noise any day if it means I get the windows. Check it out... isn't it nice????

my desk

view from my desk

front door / another view from my desk

ceiling and last view from my desk

Text Conversation with Hubby

I just had to pass this along... it's a breakdown of a short texting conversation I had with hubby...

ME: Wow. Ever see executives get into a brawl? I'm about to! I have a front row seat to a major argument.

HUBBY: Once at (ABC Company) two of the high risk traders got into it. Major entertainment.

ME: Wow - two battling suits! The only thing that would make it better would be if they were midgets!

HUBBY: You really do have issues... and a good grasp of what's funny...

ME: Why thank you!

Chick Fil-A

Why on earth is Chick Fil-A so popular? Do they salt the waffle fries with cocaine or something? I admit, I'm a Chick Fil-A fan myself, but I just don't get it. Why is the restaurant ALWAYS swarming with people - every location, all the time? The drive-thru line is what truly baffles me. Every time I go to ANY location (there are 4 close by) there are a minimum of 12 - 15 cars in the drive-thru. That's what I don't get. Today at lunch there were about 20 in the drive thru line - it wrapped around the building, through the parking lot, and into Target's parking lot. I've seen the line at another location wrap around the building, through the parking lot, and spill out onto the freeway feeder, backing up traffic on the road. THAT's what I don't understand. There's no way you could get me to wait in a drive-thru lane that long. It's JUST FOOD. That line has to be 20 minutes long at least! And yes - it's always mass chaos inside too with kids running all over the place, moms chasing toddlers or feeding infants, lines to order and lines to pick up food - but it always seems like an organized chaos. They have so many registers open, there are never more than 2 people in front of me. Plus, they crank out the food so fast, they have your order on the counter pretty much by the time you hand over your cash. If there was a line or wait inside as long as in the drive-thru, I could guarantee you they'd not get any of MY money.

Anyway... I just don't get it. I've never seen crowds like that at any of the other 1,001 fast food restaurants around. Okay - maybe once at Krispie Kreme when they just opened their Houston location, but that was just initial mass hysteria. The lines totally died down after the first couple of weeks. But - name any of the burger or chicken places, none of them have swarms of people like Chick Fil-A. Weird...

I guess it might be one of the great mysteries of life that we'll never learn the answer to... though I think it might have something to do with suburban church-going folk and soccer moms... hmm...

QUESTION

Can anyone help me? I have a just curious question... Why is it that the american flag is backwards on the patch on soldiers' uniforms? I've always wondered about that. Hubby says that there are two flags, one on each arm - one's correct and one's backwards. There has to be significance for that -- does anyone know?

Funeral Yesterday - Barbara Jean Shumate

Went to a funeral yesterday... family friend died in a car accident Friday before last (June 13th). I was friendly with Barbara but not too close. I've known her basically all my life, but she's always been like the distant cousin everyone has -- we see each other at family functions but that's it. Either way, whether we were close or not, it was a big shock to all of us that we lost her last week - she was only 49. The funeral was not at all what I expected. Usually with our family we just have a small gathering of close friends and family. I swear it seemed like the whole city of Huntsville Texas showed up to say goodbye to Barbara Jean. It was standing room only, with people crowded in the back. I'd known that she'd worked as an instructor for TDCJ (Texas Dept of Criminal Justice) Academy since about forever, but I didn't realize what a military/police type of organization it was. They gave Sgt Barbara Shumate a full honor funeral - it was so touching. We walked through the honor guard lined up at the entrance to the funeral home; they presented the flags at the beginning, gave a gun salute and played taps at the end. There wasn't a dry eye in the place when they played taps. They also gave Barbara's children a Texas flag and the shot gun shells from the salute (I didn't know they did that). Plus, looking over the crowd at the funeral, it was a sea of grey - there were so many TDJC employees in uniforms there. Several people joked about "who's watching the prisoners?" because it seemed like every prison employee was crowded into the funeral home. And you could tell that they all adored Barbara. I swear, I've never seen so many grown men cry in my life. And we're talking big burly muscular prison guards - manly men! And each one was upset and crying over the loss of a little 5 foot nuthin of a woman (as one man said). I keep thinking about what one guy said about hugging her -- he's six foot something, and he said she only came to about his chest height when she hugged him, but he said when he closed his eyes, he knew that he was hugging a giant. Wow. Yeah, they all loved her - we all loved her. and we'll certainly miss her. Goodbye Barbara Jean...

Vietnamese food delights

I've been on a major Vietnamese noodle soup and spring roll kick lately. I ate tons of noodle soup in May when I was having a hard time eating solids. Vietnamese chicken noodle soup is perfect for that, I can eat a few noodles and then just drink the broth.

Hubby turned me on to Vietnamese food about 4 or 5 years ago. You really have to be adventurous to randomly try Vietnamese food I think. More than once my chicken noodle soup has contained skin & other mystery parts. I told Hubby last time that it's a good thing I'm from the country, I'm used to people using the skin & fat etc to flavor the broth. Plus when you order beef, several selections list "soft tendon" or "tripe". Hubby gets something that's good, but looks way too much like menudo for my tastes.

Anyways... I was perusing the stack of take out menus at my new office and spotted a card for Pho' Be' Vietnamese Noodle House. Cool! I'm always on the look out for a new Vietnamese place. So I headed that way on my first day, and I've been back 3 or 4 times since. I have a feeling I'm going to become a frequent customer - I recently looked up the calorie content of spring rolls and they're only about 160 calories. That's 320 for a full meal - sure beats the hell out of McDonalds! Plus, this place has the best spring rolls in this area I think. They are super super fresh and they're made with grilled chicken instead of pork. Most places I've been to make spring rolls with shrimp and thinly sliced pork - this place uses grilled chicken which gives it a lot more flavor I think.

Oh and the other plus about Vietnamese restaurants is I get to have my favorite iced coffee - cafe' sua da. They bring you a high ball glass filled about halfway with condensed milk, and on top of that is a filter cup with coffee dripping into the glass below. With that they bring you a tall glass full of ice. Once all of the coffee drips through you stir/mix the coffee & condensed milk and then pour it over the ice. Yum!

I'm somewhat of a novelty to the waiters I think. They don't know what to make of me. When they come to take my order, I normally order iced coffee "cafe sua da" said just like that, with both English and Vietnamese. The waiters in the last three restaurants have chuckled at me when I've said it. Just to make sure, I asked the waiter in the second restaurant if I was pronouncing it right. He laughed again and yes I was right. I think they just don't expect the blonde soccer mom to be ordering cafe sua da and spring rolls without looking at the menu.

Wow - all this talk about spring rolls and coffee really has me craving it now. I'm heading out to my soon to be regular table at Pho' Be'...

Fashion emergency - self conscious

I'm having a total girl moment this morning. I'm wearing one of my new dresses and I'm SO self conscious about myself in it. I keep freaking out and really would love to go change. There's nothing wrong with it, it fits correctly, it's just clingy. I asked 2 strangers at Lane Bryant when I bought it, and my mother & hubby after I got home. They all agree it looks nice. I'm just still not used to wearing form fitting outfits, I've been wearing nothing but big boxy stuff for the past 3 years. Ugh...

New Mary Janes

I just HAD to show off my new black mary janes. Are they the cutest?! They really work well with my tattoo too...

And NO COMMENTS from the peanut gallery about the term "mary jane" - that means you Rex! :-)

P.S. Holy crap - I didn't realize I was that pale! No, I am not wearing white tights -- those are my legs! LOL

Miss Observant

So... I'd been in the gargantuan parking lot at the new office 4 times on Tuesday (in the morning, out to lunch and back, and going home at 5pm) and three times Wednesday... on my 8th trip through the lot (heading to the car to go home Wednesday evening), I was walking and talking with my coworker when she asked me if I'd noticed how the other cars were parked. Umm... no?? I hadn't paid any attention the other cars. She pointed out that all of the other cars were backed in (nose out). Huh?? So I looked around - they were!! ALL of them! Wow - I'm so clueless sometimes. Not once did I notice that out of about 300-400 cars, MINE was the ONLY one parked nose in. My coworker said she was surprised security hadn't said anything to me. Apparently it's required by law. Since we have a plant on site, OSHA requires every car to be parked nose out in case there's an emergency causing everyone to evacuate. The theory is that there won't be as much confusion and congestion in the parking lots, and everyone will be able to leave quickly and smoothly.

Okay, I just want to point out - I learned to drive in Louisiana where the driving test to get my license was 4 right turns at stop signs and pulling into a parking spot (nose in I might add). I don't do well in reverse. I tend to hit things. This is going to be interesting. Either I'm going to get a crash course on backing in to parking places correctly, or my insurance company is going to stay busy with my claims. I wonder if they'll set up a 1-800 number just for my claims. 1-800-wendyhitme or http://www.wendyhitme.com/

Work clothes again

I know I mentioned something about my new work clothes a few posts ago, but I just have to say it again. I really couldn't have cared less what I wore to my old job. As long as it wasn't a monster truck tshirt, capris, and flip flops, I was doing better than my boss. Now I'm back to professional career woman looks - suits, dresses, etc - and I save the capri pants for Fridays.

Did I mention I bought several dresses for work? It's weird for me, I know. Seriously, I remember wearing a dress Easter 2003 and to my friend's college graduation in 2003 or 2004. That's it, that's the last time. Plus, neither time did I wear hose. I got all dolled up Tuesday fro my first day on the job. I wore a new skirt and blouse, hose, and heels - whoa! I'm turning a corner in my wardrobe. Gone are the comfortable slacks, sensible but ugly shoes, and boxy shirts. In are figure showing dresses, hose, and heels. And even when I'm wearing my slacks, I have on a feminine blouse & shoes. I have to say, I feel prettier in these clothes - and I'm getting noticed! I have to walk through the cafeteria to get to the lady's room, and I've spotted a few of the plant workers/industrial guys glancing my way! Yesterday I wore a dress that was cut a little lower than I remembered causing my to show a bit more cleavage than I'd have liked. Everyone got a free show, but oh well - nothing I could do about it. I even got a compliment from one of the ladies!

But I have to admit my feet are seriously suffering and feeling the pain of looking good. The black heels I wore on Tuesday were no big deal. I wore them to work and then karate practice in the evening with no problems. But my brown heels are killing me! They're 3 1/2 inches high which isn't normally TOO bad, but is a killer when you're hoofing all over everywhere! Plus, I was a complete dumb ass on Wednesday and forgot to bring a pair of tennis shoes to wear to and from the car, which of course is parked in BFE - 10 miles from the building. I whined to my mom last night about my feet - she told me to clean up the bottoms of the feels and return them. Why on Earth would I do that? They may be little pain inducing torture devices, but they look good! I'm thinking about buying the same pair in black! My grandmother taught me that you sometimes have to suffer to look good. She gave me a pair of espadrille heels once that were a half size too small and hurt like hell, but I wore them! and I did look good!

THAT woman in traffic

I've become "that woman" in traffic. With my new job starting at 7:30am, I'm crunched for time in the mornings. I get up at 5:30am to try to leave at 6:30am to be in The Woodlands by 7:30am. So I've started doing my make-up in the car on the way - thus making me "that woman" in traffic. "That woman" with her rear view mirror angled to show her reflection, weaving and driving by braille.

I do have two rules I always abide by:

1. I don't put on make-up while driving on the freeway.

2. I don't curl my eyelashes, put on mascara or eyeliner while the car is moving.

I mean I do have to draw the line somewhere - for safety's sake of course!

Oh and FYI in case this scares you - I drive a 2000 gold Chevy Malibu, and I'm on the road in Spring and The Woodlands 6:30am - 7:30am Monday through Friday. So... If you see me weaving your way, get out of mine!

New Job etc Part 2

I started the last post Tuesday afternoon at the office thinking I'd finish it that evening at home. I did not anticipate my body completely shutting down the minute I walked through the door. I could barely move my arms much less think and type a blog entry. Here it is, 3 days later and I'm just now getting around to writing more...

Things are going really well at work. It's still a shock to my system to be back in the professional world, but I'm adjusting much more quickly than I thought I would. Kind of like riding a bike, you never forget completely. But it's still night and day to what I've been doing for the last few years. I went from a small office of 25 with almost no on-site visitors and few calls to a company with about 800 employees and a constant flow of visitors all day. For the past 4 years I've been doing just about everything to keep myself busy - email, surf the web, read tons of books & magazines, and IM constantly all day. Now I'm bombarded with so many calls & visitors, I barely have time to check email once much less IM. So THIS is what it's like to work for a living - oh yeah, I think I remember now!

Back to the rat race

I started my new (contract) job this morning. Wow I didn't think it'd be this big of an adjustment going back to the professional/corporate world. Hubby was right - I'd gotten really lazy about working recently. I'd been at the same company for almost 4 years, and laid back barely describes that place.


Clothing wise -- I was always one of the more put together, nicer dressers at my last office - but even my wardrobe had recently taken a swing towards casual. I'd gotten really lazy and mainly wore slacks and golf shirts. I figured if the guys in the office could get away with it, so could I. I spent most of last week and the weekend buying dresses, suits, heels, hose, and a Spanx or two. And whoa, was I out of my comfort zone this morning as I dressed. I've got it all on - a dress, hose, heels, jewelry, and even a slip!


Of course I have to look put together, I'm the receptionist - or Front Desk Coordinator as we're now called. I have the skills of an executive assistant and could easily do those positions, but I don't know, I just like being the girl behind the giant marble desk. I've been doing this same position for over 10 years now. I like having the contact with all of the people coming and going. You can really perk up someone's day with just a smile and a "good morning" or "have a good evening". People think the receptionists are the bottom of the totem pole, and sometimes we are, but what you don't realize is that we're the ones who know everything that's going on in the company. We see who's coming and going, who's meeting whom, and who's calling. Up here in my little receptionist bubble (as I call it), I can see into all of the company groups and orgs without having to get wrapped up in them.


Well - It's the end of day one... and I made it! I have to admit I panicked a time or two today, but that's normal on a first day I think. Compared to my office of all of 25 people, this place is freaking huge! It's the corporate headquarters for a division of a Fortune 500 drilling, oil & gas company. What's wild is that even though it's the corporate headquarters, there's also a plant on site -- so in addition to managers and executives in their business dress, there are tons of guys in Dickie overalls and protective glasses walking through.

To be continued...

Speaking of hair...

Speaking of cutting hair... I cut my arm yesterday while trimming the hair on my forearm. I think I should mention that I was driving down Louetta when it happened...

While driving home yesterday, I realized that even though the hair on my arms was very blonde, it was also SERIOUSLY long. So while stopped at a stoplight, I whipped out the scissors and proceeded to snip at it. Okay, really now - sometimes I'm so blonde and du-umb I scare myself. As if snipping at my arm hair in the car wasn't bad enough, common sense says PUT THE SCISSORS DOWN when the light turns green. But nooooo, not me! Just a couple of minutes and a little tap on the brakes later and I cut myself. Great...

That bitch took my hair!

So... the company I'm going to work for requires all of its employees to pass both a urine and hair alcohol and drug test... No problem - or so I thought... All I know about hair follicle testing is what I've seen on CSI - where all they need is one hair with the follicle attached. Umm - not in the real world. The lady sectioned off part of my hair on the top of my head and took scissors to me. WHAT??? She cut a small patch out - about the width of a pencil. "Whoa, how much hair are you cutting?!" She said, "I'm not done." WHAT!?!?!?! She sectioned off and cut about three or four more sections. I couldn't believe it. Of course she took a little bit here and a little bit there, so I didn't have a gaping hole/missing chunk of hair, but still. I can feel the little snags of fuzz at my scalp where she cut the pieces out. As soon as she stopped, I thought "why didn't I ask if she could cut it from the underside of my hair by my neck?" Of course it was too late then. While she was cutting, I was just frozen in place. I kept thinking, "that's got to be the last bit right? RIGHT????" I'm still freaking out about it... I can't wait to see what my stylist says at my hair appointment next week. Probably ask me if it was the result of big night of drinking.

I got a job! A temp job!

Woohoo, I got a job! A temp job of course though... I start Tuesday on an assignment in The Woodlands that should last 4 - 6 months. I'm so excited! I know, I know. I'm a dork to get excited over a job, but I've been in such a slump for so long this is a welcome change.

Eskimo Hut

Eskimo Hut is a convenience store/beverage barn down the road from my house. They've had this sign out front for weeks now. Umm... three WHAT for a dollar on Tuesdays? I've been tempted to go give them a dollar and ask for three back...