March 31, 2005

Return from Blogcation

I'd like to point out that my nearly week long Blogcation has been noted by absolutely NO ONE. Thanks, I'm so feeling the love. And now that Doug has decided to take an undefined Blogcation for reasons unknown, I'm feeling especially unloved, and particularly neglected.

All this Blogcation time really hasn't been all that thrilling except for the arrival of SPRING! Yeah, that time of year when the temp gets above freezing during the day and we all start to dream of the beach. That same dream will be shattered in a few weeks when the early wave of snow birds arrive. Damn.

My biggest moment of supreme embarrassment came late Friday night. Mike asked to use my bathroom, which really isn't fit for habitation. He's lucky that I had a few drinks in me, or I wouldn't have let him in the bathroom, never mind the house. Has this moment of extreme embarrassment spurned me to change my ways? Nope, if anything the room is worse now then just a few days ago. And while Jesse claims the room feels cozy, I know that's just Virgo speak for trashy pig stye. I think I need a combination "Clean Sweep" and "In a Fix" to help me out. I doubt that as one single girl I could monopolize TLC programming so much. But damn that guy Justin on "In a Fix" is a hottie (as well as a hot head). How did this paragraph end up here?

School is eating away at my brain, but what else is new. I have two big tests next week, which I will have to study for, or not graduate. How's that for fun? On the upside, I've completed all my writing assignments for HRM 205, and was lucky enough to earn an invite to a Fenway Park tour, though the details haven't been worked out yet, so I may have to decline.

Diez is feeling that spring fever thing but will soon be able to chase squirrels all day. Until that time, I am here only to serve as his doorman. In, out, in, out. Then I get fed up and leave him out.

Work is a job and a paycheck. Enough said (or all that I've been advised to disclose).

Life on the family front has been quiet. The Southern Snowbird Watch Commander called Sunday to say the temp was 90 and that I was welcome to visit in June. Actually anyone could stop in a see him then, so if you need a place to crash, let me know and I'll pass on his email address to you. As for Jenn, Jeff, & Sean it still looks like I'll get my birthday present in the form of a visit. How sweet it is.

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March 26, 2005

Loan Details

#####7-00 Used Vehicle Loan

Balance: $0.00
Payment Amount: $0.00
Payment Due Date: 12/31/9999

Original Loan Balance: $9,200.00
Origination Date: 02/15/2001
Term(months): 60
Interest Rate: 8.250%

Today's Payoff Amount: $0.00
14-Day Payoff Date: 04/09/2005
14-Day Payoff Amount: $0.00

Do you still think someone will be around in the year 9999 to close this thing out one and for all?

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March 25, 2005

A little 'woo-hoo'

I hit Laim Maguires tonight with Mike. Since it was Good Friday, I had fish (baked Scrod, which was so good) and Mike has salad and tato skins. Danny Quinn started sometime after 9, but we left before his set was over (departed at 10:30) because the place was as hot as an oven and we had been seated next to the pho gas fireplace that was pumping out mega heat. I also had two Smirnoffs with my meal and was feeling really good as we sped through the S curves on Old Barnstable Rd. It was my first time passing on that road too. Lucky no cops were around.

Now to bed!

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Announcement!

I JUST paid off my car.

Let the auto repair bill avalanche begin.

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March 24, 2005

I'm armed with a number 2 pencil

I'm having a terrible time with my ACC 222 class. Mentally, knowledgewise, I'm a whole chapter behind. I'm ok with that. What I'm not ok with is the new assignment, the entire chapter 20 in a book twice the size of the large print bible, is due for the next class. Why am I not ok with this? Do you think we cracked the book for this chapter? Do you think the instructor mentioned any tips or tricks? Do you think highlights were noted?

NO!

After spending over two hours going over the last chapters homework, and taking some stupid college survey (which I'll mention later), going over the homework due took up the entire class. In fact, after the last problem, the instructor said, "ok, see you next week". WTF!?!?!

So I spoke up. This has gone on long enough. I cannot teach myself accounting. I cannot translate the textbook into understandable and useful thoughts. I want instruction and I want it during my paid class time. I will not be able to complete the assignment for next week, and I refuse to lean heavily on the answer book CD purchased off the internet. I want to be taught.

The instructor said he'd take it under advisement for the next week.

Now about that survey....

I don't like surveys. There is always some underlying, secretive goal. The standard teacher reviews are just popularity contests. The survey we had last night was about services at the college, how much we used and liked them, and some personal questions about how we pay for school. I was dissatisfied with everything, especially the financial aide office for not calling me back after almost a week. I gave my dad a masters degree and my mom a high school diploma. I said my college was bankrolled by my part-time hooker gig, and that I take advantage of the child care facilities every time I need to visit the day spa. And of course my grade point average is an A, because I'm not shy about paying off my instructors. Why do I like to screw with these surveys? Simple, I can. And if they question my answers, even though it is 'anonymous', I know that my fingerprints are on file with the government due to my Navy stint and could probably be easily traced back to the survey I just handled for thirty minutes of bubble filling fun.

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March 23, 2005

Cool thing about being in Daytona...

From the Southern Snowbird Watch Commander:

Going outside at 10pm and seeing lightning in the distance: Free
Having it start to rain 10 minutes later: Free

Your roommate 20 miles away on a motorcycle: Priceless.

They are some things money can't buy. Like me going out at 3am to pick him up :)

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March 22, 2005

Run, Zippy, Run!

No sign of wayward pet on doggie death row
March 20, 2005

MIDDLEBORO, Mass. -- Zippy the pit bull is on the run. At least, that's according to animal control officers who must find the dog and its owner, Austin Zipp, after a judge ordered the animal destroyed on Friday after months of legal wrangling, dog-nappings, and other intrigue, The Enterprise of Brockton reported.

"Zipp has again skipped town," said Timothy Houlihan, the animal control officer in Sandwich where Zippy and Zipp last lived. "We will find that dog if it takes several years. We won't give up and we'll bring Zipp to justice."

On May 4, Zippy attacked Middleboro Animal Control Officer William Wyatt as he was writing out a leash law citation. Wyatt had spotted Zippy and another dog running loose outside Zipp's used car dealership, and was bitten as he was writing the ticket.

Both dogs were taken to the shelter and quarantined. Three weeks later, selectmen approved Wyatt's recommendation that the dog be destroyed. Zipp appealed, claiming the dog would never bite anyone.

Before Zip's fate could be sorted out in court, thieves broke into the pound and stole Zippy -- twice. Zippy turned up after both times, the first time on a doorstep and the second time injured and chained to a tree.

When the appeal was heard in September, Wareham District Court Judge H. Gregory Williams spared the dog on the condition that Zippy leave Middleboro, always be leashed and take obedience classes.

But in October, Zipp was called back to court after he failed to prove that the dog had been in obedience school. Then, in November, Zippy bit a 70-year-old woman walking at a Sandwich beach parking lot. Judge Williams ordered the dog to be put down on Friday.

But Zippy hasn't been spotted since the beach attack.

"I hope to God the dog is either surrendered or turned in before it hurts someone else," Wyatt said.

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Don't crash your motorcycle

Trooper suspended for remark during 911 call

LISBON, Conn. (AP) - A state trooper was suspended for 15 days without pay after he was recorded on a 911 tape saying "too bad" to a caller seeking help for a man injured in a motorcycle accident.

State police said the dismissive answer by Trooper Robert Peasley did not affect the response time to the accident involving Justin Sawyer, 21, who died of a severe head injury a week after the crash last August. Peasley was suspended on Monday.

Russell Shepard, a friend of Sawyer's, called 911, which was routed to the state police barracks in Montville. When he reported the accident, Peasley said, "Yeah ... too bad," and hung up, according to a tape obtained by WTNH-TV.

Shepard said he was shocked, believing he reached a wrong number.

Another friend made a second call. "Yeah," the officer responded. "Help will get there. Shouldn't be playing games."

A third emergency call was answered by a different dispatcher, who asked about Sawyer's condition and advised those nearby to not touch him.

"I am absolutely outraged every time I hear that 'too bad' and then click," said Sawyer's father, Jim Sawyer. "I only know that I would have felt a whole lot more comfortable if I had heard people responding on the end of that 911 call with some heart and caring."

State police said the comments by Peasley, an 18-year-veteran, were unprofessional, and the agency apologized if "our actions added to the family's pain."

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Wild things!

But first... my kicks!

I so get it now, the difference between cross trainers and running kicks. I wore the Xtrainers last night for the Diez walk. The kicks were stiff, heavy, and not comfy to run in. This morning I wore the running kicks and it was a huge difference. They are lighter, more flexible, and much more comfy to run in. I'm starting to wonder what activities Xtrainers are designed for if not running.

So now to the wild things:

Last night, driving home, a fox crossed the road right in front of me. It was lucky that I was driving slow and had seen it coming across the field at the corner of Putnam Road (I can't think of the name of the field, but it's conservation like land). On the evening Diez walk, we spotted Turkey taking a walk down the road. It didn't seem to care that Diez was running towards him. Just kept walking leisurely. Now all I need to do is spot some coyotes or something.

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March 21, 2005

My kingdom for a three-hole punch!

(Actually, I have one)

I seem to find, that on average, each time I think I'll do something kewl with my blog, I find something else not quite right. For example, working on the subscription plugin yesterday, I discovered that the comments on the archive pages weren't working. It counted them, but you couldn't add or view. I spent a few minutes fixing that problem, though I've probably created a new one I'll find out about a few months down the road.

Funny part is, I sat down at my computer to write my homework. See how far that went...

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Alarm clock blues

All last week I celebrated spring break not by visiting some south of the boarder drunk fest, but by shutting off my alarm. I spent a week waking naturally with the sun. I felt far more rested all week then I have in months. Today, unfortunately, I return to the grind of a routine. The alarm clock is again waking me, wishing I could have just five more minutes. My night class will once again delay my bedtime, and cause Diez to have a mid week hissy fit.

I did my best to fulfill the 'break' part of spring break. I didn't crack a text book, I didn't make any notes. I wish I could say I relaxed.

Instead I worked all week. Not something I truly enjoyed. While getting a paycheck is all well and good, I don't think I'm a nine to five kind of girl. More like a ten to two, but there's no way to make a living doing that.

So now get out of my way, I'm gonna need all the dunkaccinos I can get my hands on today.

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March 20, 2005

New feature!

I've added a subscription service to the blog. If you want an email each time a new entry is posted, sign up using the link to the left.

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March 19, 2005

Sorry, no pics

I got new kicks!!

I can't say enough good things about the Reebok outlet in Yarmouth (on 28, next to the SwillHill club). I got there around 6pm and thought for sure it would be closed. Surprise! Open until 8pm on Saturday nights. The young sales person greeted me, offered any help. I politely declined and headed off to check out the selection. I picked out a pair for 'running' and then the young sales girl said I could leave them on the counter while I kept looking around. I again politely declined, but promised to take advantage of the BOGO 1/2 off sale. I picked out two sports tops and then a pair of kicks for 'cross training'. I didn't break a Benjamin, but came darn close. I can't complain, everything, with the exception of the first pair of kicks (have to do the BO part of BOGO) were on sale, and even they were cheap at $40.

Now my problem is that with clean kicks, I don't want to wear them and get them dirty. So counter productive!

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March 18, 2005

Who messed with my lunch?

I had a meeting with Wendy today. She's a slammin' cook, but today she was in an experimental mood. I'm not one for experimental food.

She decided to try and slip some cheese on my spicy chicken sandwich. I'm not sure if her right hand knew what her left hand was doing because I ended up with two slices of cheese. Top and bottom. I guess the only good thing was that either the spicy chicken wasn't really hot, or the cheese was really cold. Either way, it was simple enough to scrap off. What wasn't so simple to work around was the bacon bits in my Ceaser side salad. Are bacon bits kosher? They were gross, in case you were wondering.

What did Wendy whip up that made the meeting worth it? Frosty!

After my meeting, I had to return to the office. While passing by the Staples on Barnstable Road, a cop jumped off the sidewalk and into traffic! (It was a motorcycle cop, and had a helmet, but that's no excuse for playing in traffic!) He pointed to the red minivan that was behind me. This minivan had been making an illegal left out of the Staples (you can left turn in, but can't left turn out), backing up traffic beyond the KFC lights. I'm kind of glad they got pick on for this obviously stupid driving moment. But in the interest of being fair, I'd thought I'd help them with some excuses:

• The sand (from all the snow this winter) covered the arrows painted on the street
• My car only turns left (which can't work, but just go along with it)
• you must have my shinny, new, red, clean, Dodge caravan confused with someone else
• I was escaping from a knife wielding robber!
• I don't know how to drive around a rotary
• Does that little blue helmet really protect your head?
• I didn't see you there, or all the cars I was holding up
• I know what I did was wrong, but if you hadn't stopped to eat Thai food, I wouldn't have gotten caught
• I made that same turn yesterday
• So?

I'm sure that there are many more, and much better ones too. If you think of some good ones, share them with the class.

Now I think I'll spend a few minutes typing to you about my new use for my iRiver. I was doing little pcasts (and I should get back to that), but the other day I flashed the drive. I now have the UMS version of software on the player, which makes it look like a removable drive when connected to the computer. Loading up music and managing disk space is much easier now. No need for that goofy music manager software. With the iRiver locked and loaded, I purchased about $10 worth of parts from Radio Shack (they asked if I needed a job because I did such a good job helping myself). I picked up a small 1/8" stereo splitter. It's meant to split headphones, but I use it in reverse. I have two input devices to one input jack. I also picked up a one foot stereo male to male wire. What the heck is all this about? I now have a little tale (one end of the male to male) peaking out from underneath my LCD monitor at work. The splitter is connected to the built in speakers allowing me to listen to the iRiver while also hearing the stupid Windoze prompts that tell me I'm trying to go too far to the left in my spreadsheets. This also saves me from burning my MP3's to cds, or loading music onto the hard drives at work. I also picked up some AA rechargeable batteries. Radio Shack Rocks!

Now for some rated R material...

I realized today that my bra size is all wrong. My problem is two fold: 1) I hate to try on bras. I think a bra purchased should be free and clean of all other peoples dead skin cells and deodorant (or lack of) stains. To keep this true, I don't try on bras. 2) I don't have a man with big hands in my life. I don't have a man period, but that's besides the point (actually, it's the WHOLE point). See, if I had a man, with big hands, he could grab my boobs, get a grasp of their true size unfettered by a incorrectly sized bra, then go shopping for me. He could take his hands, with that accurate measurement of my boob size, to Victorias and say 'they're this big' and get me a correct size bra. Gosh, if I'm looking for a guy to do this for me, could it be why I don't have a guy to begin with?

End of R rated material.

I'm going to buy some new sneakers. This is huge. I'm not typing about cheap PayLess kicks, I'm typing about real kicks, with arch support and everything! But they have to be Reeboks, and they can't be Nikes. My current kicks were purchased in 2000 and it shows. They have been relegated to dog walking, but Diez has decided he wants to do some jogging, something these current kicks wouldn't survive. Thus my declaration that I will be buying new kicks. Now if there is any big handed guy that would like to offer some shopping assistance... call me!

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March 17, 2005

Enabled

This blog's commenting system is now TypeKey enabled.

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March 16, 2005

Look!

Guess what showed up at the farm this afternoon?

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March 15, 2005

Oh

I went to Old Navy today. Damn Spring clothes!

Posted by Rebecca at 08:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

My computer is having a heartattack

OK, finally, the pics from the IWPA event are up. Once you see these big dogs pulling, you'll realize just how small Diez is.

Also, I found free software that was less intense retouching the pics. When I was using Adobe Photoshop, the retouching tripled the file size. Using PhotoPlus, retouching only doubled, sometimes less. Adobe made the pics too big to upload, but the error message told me something different, so it was pretty crazy trying to figure out what was wrong.

On the home front, I've received a sneak peek at my birthday present. My sister and nephew Sean are coming to visit. I'm also taking vacation time from work for their visit. That will be a cool present, getting to see the little guy walk. Maybe he can take Diez out for the morning stroll...

Also, the greenhouse is fired up for another spring growing season. No, don't question the calendar. It's all thanks to the modern world of propane heaters. I will take pics once all the seedlings are transplanted to pots and baskets. Spring really needs to come soon!

Posted by Rebecca at 07:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 14, 2005

Good doobie me

I've figured out my picture problem. I even took the time to document the problem and the fix. I posted it up on the Gallery forums (like you were wondering...) just in case someone else runs into the problem, fluky that it is.

Now that I know my problem and it's fix, I'm going to get ready for bed. That's right, I'm not going to stay up late, suffering, to satisfy your curiosity. You'll just have to wait!

Posted by Rebecca at 08:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Here, take it!

I want to post pics from the RI pet show's IWPA event, but there is a technical problem:

All the dark pics that I lightened using PhotoShop are not uploading to Gallery.

I'll keep you posted.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 13, 2005

me, asleep on the couch

Feeling much better. Thanks for asking.

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March 12, 2005

(Almost) Live from Daytona!

Daytona Bike Week pics are here

Shout out to James for sharing!

Posted by Rebecca at 10:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Watch your fingers!

I just filed my taxes, and thought I'd share some tips with you:

• When using the Tax Freedom Alliance links, be sure to use IE as your browser. This also applies if you are using the Turbo Tax discount link on the Navy Federal (and I imagine any other banks) website. If you use FireFox, it doesn't register you as coming from the discount site link. Welcome to full price land
  
• If you Telefile with the state, listen to the boring guy very closely. If you are like me, get into a rhythm, you'll screw up towards the end. Turns out the system keeps your 'mistake' key presses in memory. Hit 0 before you should, or when it's not a choice, and it will use that same 0 later. This actually dominoes so when you think your entering a 1, it's actually a 2 from a previous answer. I had actually hit the 0 three questions back, and somehow got thrown into some viscous loop. I had to call back and start from scratch.
  
• You can telefile without the pin number!! Check the MA DOR website and have a copy of your last year return on hand when you dial in
  
• Try not to use a cell phone. If you must, use the hands free set so you can punch keys and listen at the same time
  
• print, save, repeat

I'm sure it will be a while before I get my refunds, but I'll take some suggestions as to how my $200 can be used to stimulate the economy.

Posted by Rebecca at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Live from Daytona

Southern Snowbird Watch Commander just called:

"Just wanted to let you know I'm at the speedway..."

All I have to say is one thing: TAKE PICTURES!!!

Posted by Rebecca at 09:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 11, 2005

NStar Kudos

NStar has been in the news a lot lately. Between killing pets (intentional or not), leaving people in the dark for days after the blizzard, and being just plain... well... public utility like, I must now heap on a praise. Granted it won't come even close to counter balancing the negative, but it's a step.

Today, the hot water meter (it's a separate meter for the electric hot water tank) croaked. Strangely enough, a house full of people didn't notice a lack of hot water until Jesse wanted to take a shower. Being the ungrateful tenant that I am, I let my folks know there was no hot water by turning on their kitchen sink and letting it run and run. And run. Dad gets miffed that I did this, and huffed off to the basement (where I assume the said meter lives). The verdict is there are little pieces of something on the inside of the sealed meter and the switch is in the off position.

Great. I guess Drew will have to live with a fuzzy Jesse until she finds hot water.

Or so we thought!

Now this all occurs between about 6:30pm and 7pm on a Friday night. Mom calls NStar, since it's their meter. Guess what happens at 8pm!!

There is a knock at the front door. (It should be noted Jesse has already attempted a cold shower, failed, and left for her 'hot' date with fuzzy legs.)

It's NStar to the HOT WATER RESCUE! Now I don't know about you, but I really didn't expect to be able to comfortably bathe this weekend. Thanks to NStar, I only had to live without hot water for about an hour, and it was an hour I spent eating a piece of chocolate cake and swigging half a Smirnoff, so it's not like I was feeling deprived.

So again, thank you NStar for doing a prompt and much appreciated job. Now can we talk about the dogs?

Posted by Rebecca at 10:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

About yesterday

I forgot to mention:

Yesterday, after work, I stopped by Trader Joe's. There is something about this store that makes me want to scream "Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridge..." the entire time I'm there. Yuppies, and yuppie wanna bes crowding the place, trying to look more preppy then the next Izod wearing fool.

I just wanted hot sauce.

Hold the tofu, non-preservative sealed meats, and especially keep the enviromentally friendly produced paper towels. Stop trying to feign saving the world when you put my groceries in a plastic bag. I know you hate me cuz I didn't pick up the fresh made sushi. Stick it, buddy, and give me a paper bag while you're at it!

After TJ's, I swept through the Tree. They have all the Easter spring stuff. There is still snow on the ground, so Easter spring stuff is out. For now.

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Puffy eyes are leaking

Just when I thought this cold would be winding down, it has ramped up it's assault on my face. My puffy eyes are all teary, my nose is stuffy, and my voice is all off as a result of post nasal drippings. Prior to today, I've only blown my nose a few times, but feeling pressure in my sinuses. Today it's been an all out Puffs lovefest. Could it be a result of my choice of chocolate milk instead of OJ? Could it be my non-pill taking over the last few days? Could it just be getting worse?

I totally blame it on the fact that I don't get paid sick time, and thus don't get to bag in as needed.

I.O.N....

Yesterday's Pothole Attack resulted in me getting a new tire. I'm completely bummed out about it. I now have an even more unmatched set of wheels then before. The newest tire looks so out of place due to it's lack of salt grime. I should have asked the shop guys to roll it around in a snow bank before mounting it on my car. The new tire is also some no-name brand. Funniest part of the shop visit was the guy telling me how sorry he was that he had to replace the tire, versus just patching the flat. Like he had a choice! There was a nice bite in the side wall, with a little flap. The leak wasn't bad if the tire was just sitting there, but as soon as weight was applied, the little flap opened up and the air came whistling out. Cute, but not practical for driving on.

So, until it snows again, if you see a silver & salt colored Saturn with one clean tire and a big green M&M in the back window, please wave. If you have time, flag me down and I'll give you an autograph. It's the least I can do for my loyal blog fans.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 10, 2005

Attacked by a pothole

After class last night, I drove down Oak St and was attacked by a pothole. I though it sounded rather extreme and the car that was following me actually stopped. I continues up Oak and as I was crossing the highway I noticed the steering pulling to one side. Never a good sign. Silly me went through the four way stop and as I proceeded down the hill, I could hear the flap, flap, flap of the tire getting worse. I pulled over onto Great Hill Rd and turned on the flashers.

It sucked.

I pull out the AAA card and call the number. Your call is important to us... Apparently not really Ten minutes and I still wasn't convinced about how much they love me, so I called home and inquired about a jack. Lucky for me, dad was available to bring it over and put on the donut. I called AAA back, just in case things went bad. I eventually felt that I may have been slightly important, but that all ended when they estimated 90 minutes for service.

Now before you all go criticizing me: I know how to change a tire! I am just not physically strong enough to looses lugnuts and find that little scissor jack to be the biggest waste of steel. I've taught big strong guys how to change their tires, step by step, but was never able to loosen the damn lugnuts. And yes, I have a big lugnut wrench in my trunk, but it's really for self defense.

Back to my story.

Dad showed up and swapped out the tire in no time. He had to show up because I hadn't been able to open my trunk. It was frozen shut. I swear I had loosened it, but dad was able to open it. I unscrewed the donut from the trunk while he removed the flat. I then held the flash light. Yes, I am pretty well prepared, with the exception of a floor jack. Heck, I even have 'fix-a-flat', but it was too cold out to use..

I was back on the road and home just after 10pm. Driving on a donut isn't fun. And to let you know, I did call AAA back to cancel my request. I guess they are only useful if you don't have anyone to call. But a 90 minute wait would have had me arriving home around midnight. I don't feel very important when I look at it that way.

All this proves just one thing, I always need to have a strong, not necessarily smart, guy in my life. Just strong enough to change a flat that is. And if he doesn't know how, I'll tell him. So now I'm taking applications. If you are a strong single man (don't have to be big and bulky, just unattached), submit your name and email address. Heck, I don't even need pictures! And if you've changed any flat tires lately, let me know that too.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:36 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

March 09, 2005

Still sneezy after all these days

I'm still suffering, though it's been 24 hours without a pill. Now I'm feeling more then crappy but it's A) too late to take a dayquil and B) too early to take a niquil.

So I suffer.

While in my suffering two things have happened:
1) the school screwed me on my GI Bill, certifying me for three classes instead of just two. The woman in the financial aid office didn't get what a challenge was, and couldn't grasp the concept. The result is I'm buring up a whole class worth of benefits for an hour and a half worth of work. Great.
2) the guy who emailed me about a job, requesting a copy of my resume, sent me the following last night: "Have you had any relevant experience with Accounts Payable? Quickbooks? I will give you a call tomorrow morning to discuss." I took this as he would call me and expect the answer to his questions. I've heard nothing; no phone call or email. I suspect he finally read my resume and realized the answers to his questions were there all along. They answer is no and yes, in that order.

I'm jazzed because next week is spring break. There is just one pesky problem, actually two. 1) I have no plane tickets to some place warm and exciting and 2) there is still snow on the ground with a high temp of 25° for today. Some spring break this will be.

This morning I took a test in HRM, tonight I get back a test from ACC. I hope my cold induced stupor keeps me from screeming at my anticipated low grade.

I'm off for cough drops!

Posted by Rebecca at 05:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 08, 2005

Wash your hands!

Who ever sneezed on me, or used dirty hands on the door, or just BREATHED their germy air everywhere, you owe me $1.79 +tax for my Halls cough drops. And if this keeps up, you'll owe me money for tissues, dayquil, niquil, and Lysol. If I end up missing work, you're in really big trouble, because I'll be suing you for that too. Next time just stay home!

I.O.N....

This weekend I'm planning on hitting the RI Pet Show. The whole reason to check out this show is that the IWPA is having an event both days at 10am. Could you see Diez pulling a cart? Then maybe I could get his pic up as a Scooter Dog! True, he's already pretty famous, but why stop now!

I have room in the car (Diez isn't coming) if you'd like to tag along.

Posted by Rebecca at 05:49 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cold, day 2

Pass the tissues.

I drugged myself last night, but I don't think it worked well. I would wake up hot, throw off the blankets, then wake up cold and snuggle back under the blankets. This went on all night. Along with tossing & turning, slow dripping nose, and general fuzziness.

Gotta love those cold pills.

This morning I've been holding off on taking my first dose of the day. Do I want to be fuzzy all day? Do I want to have out of body experiences all day? Oh sure! Just after my nose stops running and the pain in my sinuses goes away.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 07, 2005

down to draining

With my post nasal thing going, I've got my head tilted back to keep my nose from running forward. The question becomes, where does all that snot go?

The afternoon cold pills are wearing off. While I look forward to taking the night time cold pills, they'll have to wait another hour or so. I'm going to work on some homework, then knock myself out.

Gosh, how I hate colds.

Since I have a feeling tomorrow I'll be down for the count, I was sure to finish "must-do's" at work today. If I can't make it tomorrow, no one will have to cover for me, except answering the phones. As it was, I probably shouldn't have been at work today. Remember, those daytime cold pills say not to operate heavy machinery and we all know I'm not exactly lite machinery. So I shouldn't operate me, or on me, or just plain operate. I should be nonoperational due to my cold pills. That seems crazy, if you think long and hard about it, since taking the cold pills is suppose to help you operate, or be operated on, or something like that.

I better do my homework before it's too late to operate or nonoperate.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

tingly

I feel tingly all over. Like I've been given a sedative to knock me out for serious dental work. I could fall out right now....

Posted by Rebecca at 03:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

*** Warning! ***

I have a cold.

Posted by Rebecca at 08:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 06, 2005

Ta-da!

I'd like to state for the record that I washed dishes.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:19 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

March 05, 2005

Road Trip!

In my never ending quest to cure my cabin fever, I took a drastic measure of seeking professional help. The prescription? A road trip. Since Mike was heading to CT for a firewood run, I was able to tag along shotgun.

The trip over the canal wasn't all that thrilling. I mean, I've been to Wareham over the last few months. I think what really makes a trip away from home feel big is crossing the Braga Bridge in Fall River. Heck, it's a bridge so big there is mention of it on a sign back in Fairhaven. I'm also pretty scared of crossing the Braga, mostly due to the one time I was stuck in traffic and could feel it moving. I wouldn't recommend the bridge for a Sunday stroll since there is no sidewalk.

Crossing the state line into RI is marked by two signs. One is a plain green highway sign, the other is a colorful blue sign. We didn't make any stops in RI, but the view of the skyline was perfect. Did I mention the clear blue sky? Oh my, ideal weather for road tripping.

What was especially cool about driving through RI is putting a face to all those traffic reports I hear on the country radio station (which is RI based). I've now seen the six ten connector. I've now driven through parts of the Foster Glocester school district. I already knew the Thurbers Ave curve because that's in the direction of the airport, and is also a highway feature that scares me.

Following rte 6 over the CT RI border I noticed parks. Not swingset parks, but boating and hiking parks. And each of these parks have a place for cars to stop. In MA you'll see signs on the side of the road for parks and conservation land, but hardly any place to stop and enjoy them. We made one stop at the Windham airport with abuts the Willimantic reservoir and park area. Hunting is allowed, so if you don't have your orange on, you may want to just walk out on the levy. It's also a good spot for small plane watching, so bring a fast zoom lens.

We passed through some rolling hills before arriving at our destination. We were somewhere near Gilead, though I could be wrong. (It's not like I was taking notes!) At our destination (Mike's Mom's house) we drove the truck, in 4 wheel drive, up over the snow covered lawn and down a hill into the back yard. Just as Mike mentions hey, we're not slipping the truck slides about two feet to the side. Yes, downhill, and I look out my passenger window contemplating some important things: when the truck land on it side, what will fall on me? How long will 911 take to get here? Where is my cell phone? Who will tell them where I am? Of course my sense of adventure long left me as Mike proceeded to turn the truck around on the slippery snow covered hill in what amounted to about 20 K turns, each more scary then the last. Turns out there was only about two inches of partially melted snow, but the moss and grass underneath it didn't give any traction.

After we loaded the firewood into the truck, I decided to keep my life in my own hands and not ride in the truck as Mike took it back up the hill. It looked much less scary from the outside. Could be that the butterflies in my tummy weren't sloshing around as I climbed on foot up the hill.

On the return trip we made a stop in North Windham (right near the airport and reservoir) for Ruby Tuesdays. I need to tell you a little back story here: some time ago I had visited the Ruby Tuesday's in Dartmouth Mall, also with Mike, and we had received the worst service ever. 45 minutes for a meal, and no drink refills. So here we were at another Ruby's hoping for better luck. We were both very happy. Nice waitress, good food, and the pickles on my chicken didn't taste as funny as it sounded. And in my usual style, I ate cheap.

Back in the truck and still driving was Mike. I should have offered to drive, but since it's been so long since I've driven a standard I don't think the clutch would have survived. Passing quickly through RI and glad not to be stuck in the local mall traffic, we merged onto 195 to see the traffic inbound to the city all backed up. Good thing we traveled as early as we did.

Passing through into MA and lunch was taking it's toll on us. While I probably couldn't have fallen right asleep, the highway hypnosis along with (finally!) running out of things to talk about was making me sleepy. We decided a stop was in order.

Wareham, gateway to Cape Cod, is the perfect shopping destination for people on a budget. Cheep gas, cheep food, Walmart, flea markets and all day play mini-golf. We stopped at the bread store to pick up treats. It was Entenmanns, 3 for $5 so of course I picked up three: apple puffs, cheese danish and honey buns. Back into the truck and homeward bound.

We pulled back into Mashpee around 3:30pm. Nothing had changed. I gave the honey buns to my parents as thanks for spoiling Diez all day (they let him chase the cats), and then went out for a walk. As for curing my cabin fever, I have to say this treatment was a good start. Of course, more treatments are in order!

Posted by Rebecca at 06:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Today's Globe - grab a hanky

This dog's life
By Elissa Ely | March 5, 2005

HERE IS a love story.

We had a dog, just a dog. We loved him beyond tender phrases. When he died, our grief spread everywhere. Over time, it became gentler and more specific. We missed the smell of fur between his toes, the gentlemen's paw extended to friend and foe, his sighs of joy in sleep.

Two, three, four years passed. Specific memories faded, though not the sound of his sighs.

Another dog came our way. She was a retired show dog -- a piece of beautiful ceramics -- but past her prime, and no longer circuit quality. She had been owned many times. This might have left anyone full of doubt and suspicion. Instead, it left her a perfect lady: gracious, but without passion. Nothing stirred her well-bred waters. There was nothing personal in her. The tail wagged calmly and democratically for anyone. She followed us on leash without question, dutiful but disinterested. She never barked. She had been carefully but not intimately treated, and she coped with change by serene detachment.

We wondered how we could love a dog so subtly damaged, so empty, so without inward spark.

We took her home. She needed spaying immediately; an unfortunate but necessary beginning. Because she was older, the procedure was not minor. When we picked her up after the operation, she staggered and vomited, but followed us docilely. She did not really know who we were. She went where she was told. That was her nature.

The recovery was long; she had no particular reason to hurry toward health. The first night home, we slept on the floor next to her. She was confused and in pain, upended, but compliant. She accepted our care with dignity. She had always been well-cared for.

Slowly she regained strength and mobility. By then, we had grown to admire her uncomplaining nature. We loved this porcelain dog.

The affair, one-sided at first, began. We leaned down to gaze in her eyes and held hands with her paws. We made her name into a song. We praised her for a thousand silly things. We brought her everywhere.

She began to see that this was not a professional relationship -- it was personal. Signs of recognition were subtle at first: the democratic tail started to thump harder when we were around; the eyes lit up when she saw us; the perfectly formed head found its way under armpits at inconvenient moments; the well-maintained teeth -- which we had not noticed previously -- rinned. Then she was following us wherever we went, whether we meant to bring her or not. Her attachment was a force of nature. She was filling up and catching on fire.

With fullness also came its opposite. She moped in our absence. Her look was mournful -- though she never lodged formal complaint -- when we left in the morning. One night when we came home, she made a sound; a deep, primitive noise, straight from solar plexus. It was a groan of joy. It was the stuff of life.

Very recently the lump on her flank was biopsied. We had always known it was a fat pad. It was a tumor. Days later, she was in surgery for the second time. On the phone afterwards, the vet said the incision line was over a foot long.

We were waiting in the reception area to pick her up, almost a year to the day since the last time we waited to take her home. We had the bottles of antibiotics and pain pills, the suture care hand-out, follow-up appointments. The technician warned us that she looked like a mess, and that she would be dazed from the anesthesia. Before he disappeared behind a closed door to retrieve her, he added that she had been a perfect lady.

After a minute, she staggered through the door on leash. Her left side was raw, zipped shut with stitches. Rubber drains poked out of the flank. She shook her head to clear it. Then she lifted her nose and sniffed twice. With all the passion and fire you could ask for, she barreled unevenly across the room, straight to us.

The pathology will return soon: it will be the end of medical trouble, or the beginning. Cancer does not make choices for man or beast based on merit. But personally (and everything that matters comes down to the personal), we believe that she is too full of love now for death to have an early grip. She craves exactly what she has finally found. Why is this unrealistic? Love has brought her to life, and love will keep her alive.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 04, 2005

Trying to find a cure

In trying to cure my cabin fever, I thought a quick check of some online stores for snow shoes may prove a good idea. I was proved wrong. Did you know snow shoes are expensive? I've never spent that much money on a single pair of regular shoes (work boots, casual, sneaks, etc), so why would I spend around $200 for snow shoes that require regular boots and snow? They claim to be all high tech. They claim to be light weight. They claim I'll be able to walk on snow. I think they should offer financing.

Since that idea proved to be busted, I did my morning routine backwards. Instead of showering last before departing, I did it after eating, which I did first instead of second. Oh, wait, I'm confusing you. Here is my normal order: walk Diez, eat muffins, shower. This morning: eat muffins, shower, walk Diez. Turns out that just by switching things up I was able to enjoy the walk in the cold (17°!) sunshine. Any chance to feel sunshine on the face should be taken.

Not that this winter hasn't been depressing enough, but this morning I got on the scale. It screamed in pain, I cried in defeat.

Of course this was before I flashed the neighborhood.

This morning, after the shower but before the walk, Diez had convinced Jesse he had to go out and get some squirrels. He forgot that he would also need to ask to come in. Jesse didn't wait around, and I don't blame her, so Diez had to ask to come in once he was done with the squirrels. All this asking was pretty loud, so I stuck my head out the bathroom window to see what he wanted. I hadn't dressed yet. I had on a bra, but beyond that, well, everyone could have seen what the scale was screaming about. Next time, Diez might just have to wait a little longer.

Posted by Rebecca at 07:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 02, 2005

same ol' routine

This morning, on my commute from school to work, I stopped at Dunkins. Usually I stop at a drive through Dunkins at the corner of North St and High School Rd Ext. This morning I zipped through a drive through Dunkins on the corner of rte 132 and Bearses Way. I've been there before and have had no problems.

Until today.

First off, the drive through lane wasn't plowed. It was something like driving through a moguls course. At one point I actually slid sideways, almost into the building. That must be why they have those cement pillars.

The picture of the apple pie teased me, so of course I ordered one to go with my Dunkaccino. I checked out and darted off to work. As I sat at my desk, ready to indulge in mid morning snack, I open the bag to find an upside-down apple pie, no little wrapper, no wax paper handling stuff, not even napkins. Just a lone, naked, upside-down apple pie. And since the apple pie is oval shape, it wasn't sitting well in the bag, and had spilled it gooey apple guts onto the bottom of the bag.

What a disappointment so early in the day. I'm not even sure who to complain to. I guess if I ever do find out, I'll be able to quote the exact time of day since I used my Dunkins rechargeable card. Do you think I can request a few apple pie in my complaint?

Posted by Rebecca at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 01, 2005

Following the herd

Everyone else is talking about the weather, so I will follow along and do the same.

Snow. Do I have to say much more? Another bunches of inches on top of the other bunches of inches. I must say, this would have been the winter to purchase a plow. Gosh, why didn't I think of that back in December?

Today, again, I was the winner of the shovel. That means my obsession with being on time for anything and everything found me the first one at work, the only one to arrive even close to on time, and the one that ended up having to shovel the front walkway, the side walkway, the steps, the other steps, and under the heating exhaust. I refused, after a half hour of slush hauling, to clear a path to the street. It was only about a foot of slush left, granted 8" deep, but my back refused to do any more hauling. I also didn't shovel out the side door and deck because I don't use that entry way. I always think to myself, just be late, but then the thought of loosing money in my paycheck reminds me why I shouldn't be late. Damn money.

I guess the funniest snow story today would have been the drive into work. I had been lazy in not removing the snow from the roof of my car, but figured it wasn't going anywhere. I get to the intersection in Centerville, catching the red light, and stop. Stopping, being downhill, and having the heat on for the last 20 minutes caused all the snow on the roof of my car to slide onto my windshield. Other then a tiny hole to see up to the sky, and to see the light turn green, I couldn't see where I was going. Fortunately, a few swooshes of the wipers (without blowing the motors out) was all it took to see clearly again. I always get mad at other people that don't clean off their car roofs, I guess this was bound to come back and bite me in the ass. Somehow it made me giggle.

While not exactly weather related, I'd like to wish every one a happy Baba Marta day! It's the Bulgarian celebration of the start of spring. Obviously they have better weather in Bulgaria then they do on Cape Cod. Maybe that's where I should look into spending next winter...

Posted by Rebecca at 06:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Hey, adjust that machine!

I picked up a frozen Freschetta pizza this weekend and cooked it up Sunday. It was a four cheese, rising crust model. Using my Pizazz! to cook it, the final product appeared decent enough. I usually choose DiGiorno, but a sale price will always win me over to the dark side.

So the Freschetta pizza tasted ok, but the sauce distribution was all wrong. I eat and eat, and end up with a crust that's two inches wide. So if the pizza is 10" in diameter, and four of those are unsauced crust, that leaves just 6" of proper pizza. As for the crusts, which were unacceptably larger then industry average, Diezel enjoyed them very much.

At least someone was happy with Freschetta.

Posted by Rebecca at 06:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack