Autopilot

Have you ever been driving to work and then not remember how you got there? I realized this morning as I was driving to work I couldn't even remember, if the light I just passed through had actually been green. I mean it must have been right?

Anyways I was wondering, if we kept track how much time during our lives we actually spend in our lives on Autopilot - would it outweigh the time that we sleep? I would imagine that it is quite a lot. It's scary to think that for a chunk of our lifetimes we aren't even aware what we are doing when we are awake!

I believe I may be on Autopilot a lot especially at work.

All Hail Breakfast!

For some people breakfast is cereal and milk, or bacon and eggs, or pancakes, or even dare I venture into the realm of college breakfast known as leftover cold pizza. Last night I made quiche, so I can have quiche for breakfast or lunch this week. But then I also ate it for dinner. It caught me as a strange thing that one meal could be all three meals of the day so easily.

Then I also thought of all the times when I have had cereal for dinner or made an omelet for dinner, when the husband was on travel. It makes me think that there are no such thing as breakfast foods, since we eat them at any time so often.

Reasons why breakfast is so great:

• Cheap
  
• Fast
  
• Easy to make
  
• Can satisfy a sweet tooth
  
• Can tame a savory craving
  

Competing priorities

I find myself looking forward to going out this evening to knitting Tuesday at the local Starbucks. However, I now have a dilemma. The husband who has been on travel for work this past week arrived home ten hours earlier than I had anticipated. So now I must choose either knitting with friends or being with the husband.

I guess I could always knit with the husband. Or I could just tie the husband up with the yarn - umm maybe I should stop writing now . . .

Merry Belated Christmas!

I finally finished the kitty's Christmas present! I know only a tiny bit late . . . but I ran out of yarn so I had a valid reason. It felt like the project would never end. I believe I used about 12 skeins of Valley Yarn's Sugarloaf Merino/ Acrylic Microfibre color #29012. I still have to measure it but I would estimate is being about 33 inches x 28 inches. It is almost large enough to be a lap blanket!

I was so happy that I rewarded myself by playing with new sock yarn. It really doesn't take to much to make me happy.

The Best Birthday Present!

I am so excited! I have been absolutely beside myself when I found out that James Blunt is going to be in playing San Francisco on his tour in April! But then I was completely bummed to find out that the tickets had completely sold out!

I vary rarely ever go to concerts - in fact the last concert I paid to see was I think Phil Collins back in the beginning of the 90's - go ahead and laugh. Plus I never really get into a band or a singer overly much and I don't even usually buy whole CD's or albums even on iTunes . . . until recently when I got into James Blunt.

I have been totally enthralled with the whole album, I have it on my iPod, I have purchased the iPod videos (even though I don't have a video iPod - I watch on the computer). I even have James Blunt as my background picture on my computer. I am like a crazed 13 year old.

When I searched out tickets from the scalpers on eBay the good tickets were going for about $300 for 2 tickets! Needless to say - that is a little pricey for a ticket that originally cost $25! What a rip off!

Last night though I found an auction on eBay for 2 tickets for $130 - I have been so excited to tell the husband today but then got shot down when I asked if he thought we could do it. Oh well.

Then 5 minutes later through husband calls me back and tells me to get the tickets for my birthday present! I am so stunned! Is he not the most fabulous husband in the whole world! I told him it will be such a great date that I can absolutely guarantee he gets lucky! What a great birthday! I can't wait!

YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL (James Blunt)

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More for less

Well today I had my yearly evaluation. It all went well except my boss was pissed that I had strep throat earlier this year and missed some work becasue of being sick. He also said that he is concerned about my ability to be "even-handed" with the staff HR issues becasue I am friends with several staff members in my personal time out of the office.

All this is total bull since that's why we have sick time and vacation time - I even offered to take time unpaid. Plus his concern about me being "even-handed" was with a staff member who left more than 6-months ago - if he had issues with me he should have voiced them then and not wait till now. However I would argue that I am fair with everyone. Last year he told me that I had to say no more often. So this year I did that and he feels that people don't like that so he feels I am not being as fair. I wish he would decide what he actually wants! Be personable but don't be friends with anyone - Say no but I guess do it universally so no one feels slighted?

On top of all this he wants me to "take more of a leadership role" and do additional financial reporting workwith foundations. So he is adding job duties but then turning around and not giving me a raise for the ton of extra work this involves.

Isn't that just like "the man" - always wanting more for less!

Rubberbands

Do you think my boss would mind if I spent the rest of the day making a rubberband ball? Technically I feel it is work related. Since we are an environmental organization we save and reuse everything from paperclips to rubberbands.

Each day I get a new set of rubberbands fom our mail carrier. It is suffice to say that I now have ammased a drawer full of rubberbands. Since we are a small org and need to save on storage space - it only makes sense to make a ball out of the mail rubberbands. Thus the reason for this being a work activity. Plus If I really stretch my reasoning I could argue that the activity could help to relieve repetative stress typing injuries but that one is on thin ice.

Also I just plain don't want to work today anymore.

Memories are expensive

I have been watching an eBay auction listing for a blanket that is exactly like my "Blankie" from when I was a kid. It had some satin edging issues but I figured I could ship it off to The Sister to help me out with her spiffy new sewing machine.



So I waited until there was 2 minutes left and I bid an absurd amount $200.01 figuring it would never go that high. Who else could have my same exact memory and be so very adamant about replacing it? Well with seconds left the bidding got heated and against my better jusgement I upped my bid to - [holding my breath] over $250. Keep in mind this is someone else's slightly rattie looking "Blankie".

I ended up losing the auction - the blanket went for $257.20!
Here is the auction

I guess memories aren't as unique as some may believe. There actually was another 30 something year old who wanted that blanket as much as me. Well I guess I didn't want it enough, since I lost by only $5.

EBay is great for purchasing back your memories but it sure can be expensive! My advise is to keep your childhood stuff nice you can keep your memories intact and not have to buy them back later.

For the record I do have my original Blankie but he is fragile and probably wouldn't survive a machine washing very well anymore.

Ahh . . memories . . .

I'm a user . . . Anyone up for an intervention?

I guess the first step is supposed to be admitting you have a problem. So ok I admit it I am a user. My drug of choice - food. Today it is McDonald's.

Reasons why food is a great drug

• It is legal
  
• It can be cheap
  
• It is a socially acceptable fix
  
• Necessary to live so you HAVE to do it
  
• Readily available everywhere
  
• Many varities, tastes, and textures
  
• It fills you up both your stomach and the psychological hole
  
• Adds to the negative feelings you had before eating - so you don't have to waste time and money being happy
  

Ok so maybe I am not quite ready for an intervention. After all I am not yet stalking Ronald McDonald, the little red headed Wendy's girl, or the freaky Burger King man, who I am convinced needs his own intervention the perv peeper that he is. I may occasionally hide out in the White Castle but since we don't have those around here I guess I can't make my home there. I also don't case the Ronald McDonald House anymore ever since I found out that it wasn't food related and actually had a great mission. I later went to my nearest Mickey-D's and had a "Giving Meal" so I could contribute to the Ronald McDonald House.

So do I need help? Maybe mental help. But since I already had that, I guess I will have to keep working on my own.

PS: I am going to go enjoy my McDonald's sundae now - I don't think anyone can argue against hot fudge, so I won't even try.

Still Burning

SF Chronicle: SF BART passengers evacuated after fire

San Francisco BART FIRE: I had to evacuate a train!

So at I was on a BART train this morning at about 9:15 AM (Bay Area Rapid Transit) on my way to work. It was a 9 or 10 car train and I was in the second car. I was almost to my destination, Embarcadero station, when the train had to stop in the tunnel because of a fire on the tracks ahead of our train.

The lights went out and the train operator said he was going to leave the train to try to extinguish the fire on the tracks. I guess he couldn't extinguish it because he then walked through the train to get to the back car. He said we were going to turn back and go to the last station, Montgomery. I then called my boss on my cell to tell him I would be late and I gave a quick call the the husband to let him know I was ok for the moment. The next thing I know some panicky crazy person did not follow the emergency directions and pried the doors of the car they were in open.

By this time - people from the first car evacuated onto our second car. The smoke was starting to fill the first two cars of the train. Because the doors were pried open on one of the cars farther back we all had to evacuate the train because once the doors are pried open the train won't move.

In single file we all walked to the back of the train through all 9 or so cars, which is now the front of the train. I had to jump onto a 3 foot wide platform from the doors and hold onto a rusty dirty pipe because the tracks and third rail were about 5-8 feet below the ledge that we had to walk on.

So single file in a pitch black smoky tunnel holding onto a grimy pipe I walked back to Montgomery station. No one told us where to go once we got into Montgomery station.

No one asked if we were ok or anything. I walked up a few sets of stairs and finally made it to the street level. By this time fire fighters are now rushing past me going into the station. The police blocked off all the streets in a 4 block radius around from Montgomery Station to Embarcadero Station.

I was absolutely filthy from the grime and smoke and I am still finding dirty patches. But I did get to work by about 10am.

Now I actually have to work - I just want to go home now. Don't you think that would be ok?

San Jose Mercury News Article on the BART Fire

Olympic Fever Lives On!

Apparently Olympics fever is not limited to our planet!

The plant of Hoth, made famous in George Lucas' Star Wars: V Empire Strikes Back, is currently lobbying the IOC to host the 2014 winter games!

2014 Winter Olympics on Hoth

I hope NBC's travel budget can get them to Hoth and back!

Am I a nerd or what?!

Desk dancin'

So today I am at work listening to a block of The Strokes and Nirvana on KNDD Seattle. [I listen to an the KNDD Seattle Alternative Seattle radio stream via the web since my local station changed format to Latin Love Songs "La Romantica" but that is a rant for another blog.]

So anyways - I am really getting into it and typing away. Then I notice that I find myself desk dancing. Not like crazily swiveling around in my chair. I do have a little restraint. There may have been some slight head nodding, foot tapping, and shoulder action going on but nothing insane or anything.

Everyone does this right? You type a little faster and you do some little desk dancin' moves . . . maybe it's just me and I am a little crazy. But I figure this type of craziness is allowed at work since I am crazy enough to work here.