Where to start???

Ok, so ZarahZou's last day was Tuesday I am very sad about that. Who is going to check my e-mail? There is no way that NG (NewGuy) or Dumbly or Mumbly are getting access to my e-mail. I am not leaving them my passwords. ZarahZou is the only one I have ever trusted with my passwords. (Except for the fact that they are written on post-it notes stuck to my computer screen).

I almost quit yesterday when I discovered that Mr.Neville forwarded the story that Zarah and I wrote for our company newsletter over to the mumbly one to review. The article was not rocket science and was pretty straight-forward and standard. Why did he not trust us enough to write the article? If it was a technical article then maybe I could understand why it needed to be reviewed. But it wasn't technical or scientific. It just listed what needs to be included in a submission. That was the last article I write for the stupid newsletter. I am not even going to get into the fact that they made some changes involving lots of "you's" and slash marks//////. Plus Mr. Neville came to discuss with me today because I didn't show up for our 10:00 meeting. Want to know why I wasn't there? Because the meeting was at 10:30.

I did inform Mr. Neville that I was not going to participate in the Iowa tracking spreadsheet. I tried to explain how I was uncomfortable with the idea and how I believe that it will only escalate the problems and create more tension between me and Iowegians if we TATTLE to their sales manager. I suggested that instead I will just quit requesting credits without a reason, and send the rep a note telling them they need to provide the justifications before I go back to the market. I then proposed a scenario to him that involved him doing something wrong and instead of me asking him to do it differently, I just went to Mark and told Mark to deal with it. Wouldn't Neville appreciate it if I first gave him a fair chance to correct the problem. He was dumbfounded for a minute, but then he agreed that perhaps I was right. Perhaps??? We ended our meeting with me trying to explain football and downs and scoring. It was a long meeting. He also admitted to being a fair-weather Twins fan. I guess the weather isn't fair enough yet, because he wasn't aware that they are in a heated race for the wild card. Watching baseball is the American way. I suppose next week he'll tell me he doesn't eat apple pie.

One more day of work then I get a four-day weekend. I would be more excited about having Tuesday off, but mr. mumbles is on vacation, so that leaves Dumbledork in charge as the sole CAR, unless you count NG. Now I realize that NewGuy thinks he could run the place, but he has been sending some of his faxes to our fax machine instead of to the markets. Instead of telling him he's dumb, I have just been resending them to the correct place. What is going to happen when it's just dumbles and NG? Other than the conversation about how both of them are way to smart to be doing a job that they CHOSE to do.

First day of high school for my dear daughter. High school! I can hardly believe it. I feel so old. At least we are finally almost done with the shopping part. Just one more pair of jeans.

I am going to go for a quick walk before I come home and make dinner. Just once around the path, which is just over 20 minutes. Hopefully ZickyZou will come home early enough to walk with me again. But he has been getting home at 8:30-9:00.

Ok, off to the path.....

Home alone....

I just dropped MissZalyssa and her friends off at a party. I need to go back and pick them up at 8:30. ZickyZou is not yet home from work. I am home all alone and it is so nice and quiet. Quite different from work where I have to listen to Dumbledork and the new guy talk about the war (WW1, I think) and who they knew from the Battle of Gettysburg or something. Dumbledork is the smartest person in the world. He knows someone who invented the world. It was his son-in-law who used to work at a bank. When I first met him I listened to him because he is about 90 years old and he talks with authori-tye and sounds like he knows what he's talking about. In reality, he's sort of a dum-bass.

I'm still doing research on whether or not the silica gel I inhaled through my nose is going to kill me. I am writing this entry to be used in case of my demise- there was no warning on the package about inhaling it and I did not know it would kill me. I assumed that when it said "DO NOT EAT" it meant I should snort it. So, please call that one lawyer who advertises on tv. I can't remember his name, but I used to work at an answering service and we answered his phones and I talked to his son. He was nice. Or maybe call the Mesothelioma lawyer. Call someone, and sue the silica gel makers. Or just dial LAW-YERS.

What am I going to wear to work tomorrow? I want to wear my new flip-flops, but with what? I just won a lot of capri pants (4 pairs) from ebay. It would be nice if they could same-day deliver them so I'd have them tonight. I guess I could wear jeans since I still have 2 casual day stickers left.

Anyone want to go to the Vikings game with me? My only friends are my new flip-flops, my blog, and my fake Kate Spade handbag. And none of them need a ticket to get into the game.

Ok, I am going to go take a shower. I have to pick MissZalyssa up at 9:00 and then take her friends home......

Toosday!

I don't have to work tomorrow, but I still have to get up at 6:00. Oh, well. after I send MissZalyssa off on the bus, I can go back to bed. Or I can shower and clean my house. We are going shopping after she gets home to finish off the school clothes shopping. She needs at least one more pair of jeans.

ZickyZou just asked me if I wanted to go to a movie on saturday night. Finally, a social life! The vikings game on Friday, a movie on Saturday. I sent Josie an e-mail to see if she wanted to go to the game with me, but I haven't heard back from her and it's been 2 hours. Obviously she did not get memo that my e-mails must be replied to within 5 minutes. Oh, well.

Next Toosday we are having a "last lunch" for ZarahZou at the Chinese Buffet. That should be fun. Plus it's cheap. All-u-can eat egg rolls! yum.

ok, off to start cleaning my kitchen....

A new paranoia

Well, thanks to ZarahZou, I have a new obsession. That would be staring at floors to make sure that my house isn't sinking. I am constantly looking at the walls/floors/cupboards to make sure that everything is where it should be. This is all because ZarahZou's house broke and was sinking. They (being the builders) have since drilled holes in her floor and pumped a muddy-cementy mixture in order to raise the foundation back to where it should be. If you would like to see pictures, go to http://whycantihave15minutes.blogspot.com/ and scroll down. Her house is only one year old, and the layout is similar to mine. So now I am scared my house is going to fall apart. Especially since my bathtub faucet is leaking. While I know the odds of such a thing are low, I didn't have enough to worry about (teenage daughter, crappy job, mortgage, debt) that I decided I should be concerned about my house's foundation.

My brother got a job at Target. The oil change place he worked at went out of business, so he needed a new job. DISCOUNT! Once he actually starts, I'll have to find out the discount policies. I know that they are non-transferable, but maybe he could do my Christmas shopping for me.

The dear MissZalyssa popped her airbed. So we were going to buy her a new mattress, but instead we decided to de-mold the one that is in our garage. Then she will get the waterbed she always wanted. The mold isn't too bad, and we should be able to just use a sponge and bleach and clean it. And then let it dry before we take it upstairs. And we'll need to be very careful with the water when we are filling it so it doesn't get moldy again.

We had "Stuff in a pan" made with Chorizo for breakfast. Yummy!

Ok, off to finish watching the Connecticut-Washington WNBA game......

WIRE HANGERS!!!

I have just finished switching my clothing over to "Huggable Hangers". These are the slickest, most awesome invention ever. They take up so much less room, and clothes don't slip off of them. Except I only bought 150, and I need about that many more to complete the conversion. I switched all of ZickyZou's clothing over to my old plastic hangers. His clothes were on WIRE HANGERS!!! So now I have 3 stupid bags of wire hangers. What do I do with them?

On a happier note, I discovered some wonderful clothing in his closet that will be perfect for me to wear in the fall. Fun sweaters and long-sleeve t-shirts that will fit perfectly except for being a little too big. Since we are practically married, they are practically mine, right? Plus, I am certain he would want me to wear them. And he probably doesn't even know he has them. He has some super-cute Abercrombie sweaters that will be perfect with khaki pants. I can't wait for cooler weather.

If you need something to do, go to www.letssaythanks.com and send a postcard to a soldier to thank them for serving. You can't choose who it goes to, but I would guess that any soldier that gets a thank you card will appreciate it. And it only takes about 15 seconds.

I went to Target to get toilet paper, contact solution, and milk. It cost $65. Yikes! At least we'll have toilet paper for two weeks.

I've got to finish our bedroom before ZickyZou gets home from work. I am giving him two or three of my dresser drawers and am moving my unmentionables into the cutest little Joy Mangano canvas dresser that I got in one of my Huggable Hangers kits. That will eliminate the need for him to continue living out of a laundry basket. We just don't seem to have enough room for my clothes. So, that's where I'm off to.....

Thank you, ZarahZou

ZarahZou brought in bag of clothes for me to give to MissZalyssa. MissZalyssa was very happy and says THANK YOU! She very much loved them all.

On Monday, ZarahZou will be training her replacement. Hopefully he will have plenty of qualities/traits/characteristics in common with the people at work that I adore so much. Hopefully his cell phone will chirp loudly throughout the day and he will answer it and stand up and talk so loud that I am unable to continue working. I also hope he mumbles when he speaks. It would be great if he didn't know the alphabet, and if he took 18 pages worth of notes on how to use the pop machine. Oh, and I hope that Zarah reminds him that it is ultra-polite to say goodbye to his voice mail.

I will not destroy the uh, integrity of my blog by listing legitimate complaints about my job. What would be the fun in that? I am still working on leaving it at the door, but sometimes I leave work so cranky that it just kind of spills over into my personal life. That's not fair.

I invited my sister to read my blog. If you are reading it, Hi, ZerylZou. The only people that even look at it are ZarahZou and Miss Zalyssa. I tried to let ZickyZou read it, but he took it all too literally. It's like a journal/sounding board/place to just write.

I could clean my house, take a nap, or go to the store to get milk. Which should I do? Probably the milk, huh? If I go get it, we've got it. okey....................

Anybody need a job?

I'd like to hire someone to come to my house every day and fill up my water bottles and make coffee. If they could also decide what I am wearing the next day (and it fits me), I'll throw in a bonus. I can't pay much, but anyone that accepts the break bucks currency is eligible. And if they could pick up the misc. socks that end up sitting on my counters or behind the couch, well I'd double their pay. I could really use a personal assistant. I wish I was rich.

ok, off to do laundry....

Holy lots of mail!

So, I get home from work to discover that MissZalyssa has gotten the mail. Highly unusual, but whatever. She also, unknowingly, got some of the neighbors mail since it was mixed in with ours. When you take out the neighbors 2 pieces, the total was: Zennie Zou = 12 piece, ZickyZou = 1, Current resident = 1, Our friends at 12345 = 2. That's a lot of mail for one day. And most of it was good, only 1 bill! Assorted catalogs, my 2 Walgreens rebate gift cards, my new Wells Fargo check card, and best of all the book I just ordered from half.com called "I Hate Other People's Kids" by Adrianne Frost. I can't wait to start reading it.

I told ZarahZou I would look for the remaining Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. I am certain that they are in my bookshelf, but they might be in the second layer since I was limited to only one bookshelf. In my next house in my next life, I am going to have a huge library. I love books. I just wish that I read slower and that I retained what I read for more than one second. Immediately following a book, I could probably tell you the story word for word. Two minutes later, it's all gone. Although I do still have most of the "Divorce Express" memorized. Rearrange the letters in the word parents and you get entraps. That's how I'm feeling now, trapped with nowhere to go...." Pretty cool and useless, huh? It actually could be "trapped with no place to go", but it's been 10 years since I read the book, plus who cares?

MissZalyssa is at tutoring. I need to leave in 15 minutes to pick her up. But, if I left now, I could sit in the car and read my new book. When I get home, I am going to throw the scalloped potatoes in the oven, and then dig through my book shelf. Yeah, I think I'll leave now. I really can't wait to find out why Adrianne hates other people's kids.

Yum, mayonnaise and jello....

For the family picnic tomorrow, I decided to make two different recipes. One is a tuna salad made with red and green peppers instead of peas. MissZalyssa doesn't like peas, so she suggested peppers instead. The salad turned out EXCELLENT!! The second dish is a lime jello salad that is made with cream cheese and mayo. Weird! But I tried it and it is actually okay. And it gave me a chance to use the most excellent stand mixer that ZarahZou gave me. I got to use it for a whole 7 minutes because I had to beat the cream cheese for 5 and then add a tablespoon of mayo and beat for 2 more. I like it! it makes me feel like a professional chef, as every professional chef makes lime jello salad.

Tonight for dinner I am going all out and making steaks, baked potatoes and a salad. ZickyZou is at work now, but he should be home in a couple of hours or so. Then I shall start cooking. Last night we were trying to have a romantic night together with Champaign , but we were both rather giggly and couldn't stop saying "Gazpacho". It was silly, and we did have a good night, just not romantic, more fun. I guess we could have the rest of the Champaign with dinner tonight.

My cell phone battery is about to die, but the dear MissZalyssa took my charger to her dad's. Whatever am I going to without a phone? I guess I could go throw it on the car charger. But who would call me anyway? The only people that have the number are MissZalyssa, my parents, ZarahZou, and the Star Tribune. They keep calling and offering me deals on the paper. Their current offer was (I get Wed-Sun right now) all 7 days for 75 cents less than I am paying now. Why are they giving away the paper? Oh, well. I accepted because ZickyZou really likes reading the paper.

Ok, off to wash my face and change my clothes and drool over the steak in the fridge. If I set it on the counter right now, it will be just warm enough to serve for dinner. We both like it rare, but warm.

Four teenagers?

My living room is full of teenagers. 4 to be exact. Does anyone have nay idea how many that is. Besides 4, I mean. It's lots. A house-full.

Tomorrow I don't have to be to work until noon. Or 11:15, whichever comes first. Then I won't get home until midnight or 7:30. That is going to be a long day. At least I should FINALLY be able to get that one file off my desk. Red Moose Ocean (name changed) will finally be completely resolved and I can move on to the bigger problems on my desk. My goal is to get close to be caught up. Is that even possible?

Zarah-Zou put in her vacation request. It sure would be nice if the people in charge would let us lowly employees know how they plan to deal with her absence since it really, really will affect us. But, then, why would they want to keep us informed??? Is it still a secret that in 2 weeks she won't be back into the office as an employee EVER?

Ok, off to make dinner.....

I'm baaaack....

In case anyone missed me. I am back from a long, long, long road trip. And my back hurts, and my feet hurt, and my head hurts from slamming into the sides of a ride called "The Iron Wolf". My gas budget was over-estimated by about $40! That's like having free money!

I spent a lot of time looking for a unique, fun souvenir to bring back to ZarahZou. I was very tempted to bring her back one of the urinalalisys cups from our hotel, but I wouldn't want to be caught stealing. The "drinking glasses" in our room had these white plastic covers that made them very much resemble something you pee into to take a drug test. It probably goes without saying that we bought bottles of water to drink. I wonder how she would have enjoyed one of those glasses full of lemonade???

I doubt that many people care, but I had fun. It was nice to get away, and not have to work. Not that there's anything wrong with work, but it's nice to have days off. As soon as I got back, I had to go to the grocery store. We are having steak tonight since I have money left over from the gas budget. It was really nice seeing Josie, I don't think I have seen here in like almost year, even though we e-mail nearly every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

ZarahZou is maybe going to put in her "vacation request" tomorrow. I am anxious to see how those in charge deal with her asking for the next 7 million days off. I wonder if they will try to talk her out of it? Offer her more money? Well, if she decides to forego her vacation, I will pay her a dollar a week, not even in break bucks.

Ok, I am going to be the parent and make my child dinner. I have been feeding her McDonalds and pizza for the last few days, so tonight she is getting steak and salad. Later....

We're off to see the Wizard....

Well, not the Wizard exactly, but we are off to Wisconsin. In just an hour an a half I will be in a car with two teenage girls for what will probably feel like 17 hours, but in reality will be only 5. That's okay, though, because we are going to have fun. (I hope)

I had a dream last night about going to a softball game to play. I found a new way to get to the field. Everyone wanted to hear the directions. I would not share. Am I going through softball withdrawal?

My sister called me to have my 3 year old nephew explain what echoes are. He obviously got some of the genius genes from me.

I should probably go and put in my contacts and wash my face and maybe put on real clothes. Or I could continue to spend quality time with my computer. Which one???

I like Walgreens!!

I do like Walgreens. But I have never considered becoming a Walgreens groupie. My latest drive past the Anoka Walgreens has me rethinking that. I spent a good 3 or 4 minutes wondering why they felt they needed to be so self-promoting. The sign in front of their store says "WE HAVE FANS!!" I really did think to myself "Do they think they're the Twins or something". Then I finally realized that the purpose of their sign is that they are selling items that blow/circulate air. I always catch on to things, sometimes it just takes me a few days.

I have to clean my house today. I am going to leave it sparkling for ZickyZou just to see what it's like when I get home. I would hope it is just as sparkly.

I am reading a book called "Lifes Little Emergencies" by the supermodel Emme. She's a plus size supermodel, and the "self-help" book is really big on being happy no matter who/what size you are. She has made lots of good points so far, and it is actually pretty interesting. Except she named her daughter Toby. Toby strikes me more as a name for a puppy and not a little girl. But what do I know?

I have so much to do today. Sweep, mop, toilets, laundry. It seems to multiply. Later....

Only me!!!

In case anyone in the world cares, I was inventorying my make-up/facial/misc beauty products to see what I could sell on ebay once I start my own business, and I reached into a plastic container that contained a stupid disposable razor, and I shaved half my fingernail off. FYI- don't try this. It hurts. A lot.

On a happier note, I found 4 sealed Serious Skin Care products that I can sell as a set for probably $10-12 or more. Plus the $10-15 I will get for my Philosophy samples. Plus the $10-12 each that I am hoping to make from the two Pure Grace lotions I am selling, plus I have a pair of Aeropostale jeans and a t-shirt with the tags still on that I bought for less than $15 for the outfit, I can probably sell that for $25, and I have decided to let go of my only pair of expensive designer jeans. My Sevens are going on ebay. Since they have been worn three or four times, I will probably only get $30 for them. But I must pass them on to someone who can appreciate them and love them. I am going to be a hundredaire!!!

In the back recesses of my closet I found a pair of too-tight khaki ankle pants and an over-sized messy shirt. This is what I am wearing tomorrow. I just need to find my stupid black sandal's.

The Twins are up 7-1. They are so fun to watch. And it's almost time for Football Season to start. And shortly after that (my favorite) college basketball. Is it sad that little things like sports seasons bring me true joy?

My dad called to tell me that the family reunion in Becker is on August 13th. What should I bring? They said to bring whatever we brought last year, but the only thing I can remember bringing is my sister-in-law, and since her and my brother are separated, I doubt she'd want to go. Plus, I wouldn't really want her there. But what did I bring food-wise? What can I bring that is original? I got an e-vite to a jewelry party for that day. Food and bloody mary's. I was going to ask ZarahZou if she wanted to go (free food and alcohol on a Sunday afternoon? who wouldn't want to go-plus it's at the Champlin legion) But then my dad called about the reunion, and I know that that is where I should be instead of a jewelry party. I wonder how much my mom's family would appreciate bloody mary's? And why can't I remember what I brought last year? Danyelle (s-i-l) brought fruit, so I know I didn't do that. And I would have wanted to bring something better than what she brought, so what was it?? And I know that I concocted whatever my parents brought, so..... And ZickyZou can go this year. He had to work last year, so he missed it. This year he has no excuse.

Ok, I am going to go and make Zicky's lunch for tomorrow. and I need to start thinking about packing.......

Where's the weed at??

I have been exposed to a completely new class of music thanks to my lovely daughter. There's a song with the lyrics "Where's the weed at? Where's the weed at? Somebody's got to know where the mother-effen weed's at". I am very impressed with the brilliant lyrical content. Over and over wondering where the weed's at. I guess this song is better than the "Hey, you're a crazy b-t-h but you f--- so good I'm on top of it When I dream I' doing you all night....". That's BuckCherry if you are interested in purchasing the cd. If I did not have a teenage daughter, I would never even imagine that songs like these existed. My type of music is much, much tamer. And no swearing. I don't censor her music, but I am certainly wondering if I should rethink that decision.

I went to Turnstyle (consignment shop) and left with a cute pair of Ann Taylor pants, a pair of capris that I thought would fit but don't, a practically new cute! sweater, and a check for over $82. My three items were less than $8, and I had them subtracted from my consigning account before I got a check. AWESOME! Except I am now paying the music conissewer (intentional misspell) $15 to clean my car. I told her that she needs to clean for an hour. Then I have to go and clean the seats with carpet shampoo stuff because Emily (who we just nicknamed "sippy cup" spilled orange pop all over the back seat. Thanks, Emily!

Ok, off to do the carpet cleaner....

My blog plays music!!

A special thanks to MissZalyssa for making my blog play music without my permission or approval. Since she is so computer-literate and was allegedly trying to be thoughtful, I graciously agreed to keep Rage Against the Machine, etal playing on my blog.

Wenzday

It's Wednesday. Wed-nes-day. I do know how to spell it, but Wenzday is more phonetically correct. I ordered pizza for dinner since I just don't feel very well. (Thanks ZarahZou!) Papa Johns had a killer deal- three large one toppings for $21. What a deal!

I think that I would really be much happier if I could not feel snot running down the back of my throat. But, who knows?

I hung up 2 of my shelves. I put one over the mantle and one in the laundry room area. It looks cheap and tacky compared to the quality of the mantle, but it seems fitting since I may be just a little bit tacky and cheap.

Speaking of tacky and cheap, I am really considering going the way of stretchy pants and t-shirts as my new work uniform. The dress code is supposed to be "Professional" and according to the definition of professional dress code that I learned in college, there is maybe one or two employees total that fit the definition. I am not one of them. The parts of my wardrobe I choose to wear are more along the lines of a dressy-business-casual. Very few employees fit that definition either. Since I really want to fit in, I am going to change over to business-sloppy or even sloppy-sloppy. Stretchy pants and t-shirts would be so much easier to maintain. And so much more comfortable. And if that is acceptable, I'm in. Since we are talking about long-time employees, I am assuming that I can follow their lead. ZarahZou- are you in? Think of how much easier it would be.

And since I am getting all cranky about the way people at work dress, it is evident that I need a nap. And tomorrow I am wearing elastic waist pants and a loose big shirt with a t-shirt under it.