TGIF and TGICIS

Today was my first day back to work since our CA-vacay.

Ugh. Rough. Nothing like starting off the morning with a 7:45 a.m. doctor appointment to jolt you from Left Coast to East Coast time, eh?! But I needed to see the doctor so I am not really bitching. Actually, the whole reason was pretty phucking funny, but it's way too personal to post here, even for me.

I had monitored my work e-mails while I was away, so nothing too earth-shattering there to greet me. My boss was out the entire day, which I didn't know ahead of time, but hey it was nice to have fewer interruptions. I had told everyone I would actually be MIA until next Monday, which is a good strategy I think -- it lets me sneak back into the office and catch up without the million phone calls.

Dr. J & I had a double-date this evening with Eddie & Diane. They were treating us to dinner and a Pirate Game, which included fireworks. Hey, we're in!

I got home from work about 20 minutes earlier than Dr. J, and grabbed the day's mail.

And there it was.

The letter we have been sweating and fretting over for so long. A piece of paper we have put lots of time, money, blood (literally), sweat, and tears (mine) into receiving -- or maybe "achieving" is a more accurate description.

A single sheet of paper.

The irony later hit me that earlier this year I saw two lines and began to cry hard with big tears of joy.

This time, I saw two boxes checked and I cried. And it surprised me that I cried just as hard, and with just as much joy.

We received our Form I-171H, which means our I-600A was finally approved by CIS!!!

It's hard to explain to people just what that means.

But to us, it means the world is not flat after all. And our ship is going to sail, instead of remaining docked.

It means tonight, there is hope.

FIELD REPORT -- Wednesday

Our last full day in Kal-ee-forn-yah. We were sad. We have such a love/hate relationship with our former place of residence.

We love the food, the wine, the amazing scenery, the never-ending amount of things to do, see, and tackle. And my job, gawd, we BOTH loved my old job there!

But we hated (and still loathe) the cost of living, the traffic, shitty schools, mass amount of illegal aliens, crooked politicians, and Liberals.

We met up with Dr. J's old boss and still-mentor for lunch. Damn him, Dr. Watson kept tempting us! About 4 times he asked when we were moving back, and continuously reminded Dr. J that should we move back, he "has a job waiting" (with Dr. Watson). Don't get me wrong, I adore Dr. Watson -- he is a former Army Ranger, a true flirt (I love a flirt!), and shaped my husband in so many valuable ways. I guess it's good to know that we have options, if we choose to move back someday. Hey, it's always good to be wanted!

We had a thoroughly yummy lunch in downtown Mountain View at Cascal. Cuban food, yum! I so miss this about Mountain View -- Castro Street (main drag) continuously has THEE BEST food offerings ever. EVER!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, we then had to waste the next several hours trying to get an emergency prescription filled. Grrrr. California pharmacies are toooooo busy. Maybe this was a fortunate frustration, after all? It jolted us back into reality.

We loaded up on food and wine at Trader Joe's, where I got hit on by a very tall and oh-so-helpful Tarder Joe's employee, and then headed back to Adrian's for our last night of debauchery. And oh, did we ROCK it there!

Perhaps more significantly, I succeeded in getting Adrian HOOKED on Kirsten's and mine favorite reality show, "America's Next Top Model"!!!

And to end our trip, we learned that Noah had left for us a very special present to give to our lil' guy Nate (and Noah's BIGGEST FAN) -- an SFPD hat. Gawd, Noah is both a bad-ass AND a rock star!!!!!!!

Lines of the Day:

* Ms. J -- "Adrian, the show features skinny, insecure women who think they are fat. You'll love it!"

* Adrian -- "Okay, I am now hooked on this show!"

THURSDAY Line of the Day:

* Noah -- "I have to go to San Quentin."

FIELD REPORT -- Tuesday

Today we split up a bit. Dr. J set off to Woodland (near Sacramento) to visit with his former schoolmate, Christian. Christian and his wife have their own chiroratic office, Premier Chiropractic, which Dr. J got to tour and trade stories about. I adore Christian. He has always been a very good friend to Dr. J, and he's just an all-around cool guy.

Meanwhile, Adrian and I had set off to San Francisco in her "gay Miata" to meet up with Kirsten for my inaugural lunch at Rubio's. YUM! Now I understand why they ate there so many times while they worked together. Mmmmmm!

After lunch, we left Kirsten to go visit the Louis Vuitton store, so that Adrian could pre-shop for her anniversary gift. I made sure to not touch anything, lest LV-itis rub off on me and suck me in like it has Adrian and Kirsten. That task completed, we then went to some other high-end home decor store which Adrian adores. Man, did I ever feel like the country bumpkin in there, lol! Geez, I get excited about something from IKEA -- whoa, this was WAY out of my league (forever), hee-hee! But God Bless Her, Adrian has a beautiful home, and is amazing when it comes to putting just the right touches in furnishing a house. Really, she has a talent (no matter how much we may faux-mock her interests)!

We then walked up to Chinatown which, despite the years we lived in the Bay Area, I never actually visited before. I picked up a few trinkets for myself, and a bunch of postcards (gee, what a surprise -- not). The last story we stopped in, and I still have no idea why THAT store as opposed to the hundreds of others, happened to have a small section of children's books. And that's when I saw it . . . I almost cried when I saw it, it just felt like Fate or something?! If Kirsten had been there I probably WOULD have cried (but Adrian is not one for too much emotion so I kept it in). Still, even Adrian knew this was a spooky coincidence and insisted that I just HAD to buy it. So I did. The first thing I ever bought for our "Ping-Ping" was a book for Dr. J and I to read to her someday. I also bought one other book while I was there, because I remember reading it and enjoying it as a child myself.

I was soooo excited to show these books to Dr. J when we met up later that night. I could have bought them at any children's bookstore. But it just seemed fitting that I bought them in Chinatown. And it even seemed fitting that I bought them with "Aunt Adrian."

Lines of the Day:


* Ms. J -- "If you had to live in San Francisco, what neighborhood would you choose?" / Adrian -- "I just wouldn't."

* Adrian -- "You are too pretty. I wasn't talking to you (Dr. J), I was talking to the dogs."

FIELD REPORT -- Monday

Today was Napa Day!

But wait, first we must run Adrian's errands, like we are suddenly her assistants?! So after the post office and bank we set off for Napa. We lunch at Mustard's (yum), then head over to ZD. Decent enough for Adrian to purchase a good red, but not enough for Dr. J & I to make the financial leap.

Then we headed to Frog's Leap, a favorite of Adrian's. Well, it used to be, at least. Adrian did NOT like the decor of the tasting room (it was like Lands End meets Restoration Hardware). She hated the greenish color on the walls (I thought it looked like field moss, but WTF do I know?!) I think 99.9% of people would have found the relaxed, classy atmosphere of their tasting room charming, but not our ManHands. She hated it, and thus any chance of her enjoying their wine was promptyly ruined. Fair enough.

We headed off to Duckhorn. Ahhhhh! As soon as we walked in, Adrian KNEW it was gonna be good. The ambience was right for her, and this she relaxed. Thus, WE could relax, cause Ms. Home Decor Princess was happy. We settled in to try five wines, two of which we all liked very much. Then I saw one on the retail menu that was not part of the tasting menu. Sooooo, even though I was on vacation, I channeled my lobbyist charm, pushed up my cleavage, and asked the one male employee with reddish hair if I could "please just try a little taste of the Decoy?!" (cue me with big eyes, voice dripping with faux innocence yet laced with flirtation, and a slight toss of my own red hair).

It worked. C'mon . . . you KNEW it was gonna work. That is, after all, what I do.

So we tried the Decoy. Ahhhhh! Perfection! All three of us were sated! I wanted to run into the fields, drink a whole bottle of this wine, and just be silly. Mmmmmm.

All three of us now happily buzzed, Adrian decides we need dessert at Auberge du Soleil. It's a very high-brow kind of place, with gorgeous views. We choose several desserts and load up on ice water before we drive to Concord to meet Kirsten!!!!

Onward to meet "Chrissie," the other Charlie's Angel in our merry trio! OHMIGAWD! I am in "wuv" with my Kirsten! GORGEOUS TWINS!!!!!!!!!! (I am talking about her kids, Meg & Simon, now -- get your minds out of the gutter -- leave that dirty ol' man stuff to Dr. J!). And she is soooo pretty! Her hair is terrific! Adrian had us sit in a row and got Dr. J to take photos of our hair -- the contrast of red, blonde, and dark brown next to each other was "fantabulous" (Lisa, I am using "your word" again, darling!). Great idea, ManHands!!! The only thing missing was Jesse -- whom Kirsten, Dr. J and I have yet to meet.


Lines of the Day:

* Adrian -- "Oh, it's so pretty here. It's like a 24-degree view!"

* Adrian -- "Phuckingtastic!"

* Adrian -- "Excuse me, is there a cake-age fee here?"

* Friend of Drunk Guy -- "Sober up, dude!"

* Drunk Guy -- "I'm sober enough to know that I need to get out of this place. I am a selfish bastard. But phuck it, I am not as selfish as this bastard!

* Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- "There are no gays in Iran. That is a phenomen unique to the United States."

FIELD REPORT -- Sunday

After dragging ourselves out of bed and packing up, we had brunch in the hotel. The Bride and Groom paid for everyone to have brunch on them, which was a classy and welcome send off. It also gave everybody a chance to say goodbye. For me, it was rather sad to say goodbye to Dr. J's godparents, Arlene & Joey (I wanted to cry!!!)

We finally had a few very special moments of bonding with Nicole and Mike, which I will always treasure. I know I have work conference in San Diego in a few years, so I will most definitely be looking forward to seeing them then (as well as Jesse, hee hee).

Nicole remains an amazing source of strength and support to Dr. J & I -- as a couple and as individuals. I have often said I wish Nicole and I weren't related through my husband -- she's that terrific kind of gal you want to confess all of your deep dark twisted stuff to (like Lori!), and get into all sorts of Bad Girl tourble with!

We also finally got to "see" why Nicole and Mike fit together -- sometimes couples are not so obvious on first glance (gawd knows Dr. J & I are not!) But now we know.

It was sad to leave everyone and drive up to the Bay Area, but we were excited to reunite with Adrian again, and were looking forward to our Napa expedition the following day, as well as meeting Kirsten on Monday night.

Line of the Day:


* Nicole -- "So I understand that Wes called every woman at my wedding reception a cunt. Except for your wife. He LOVED her!"

FIELD REPORT -- Saturday

Today was Wedding Day! But not until 5:30 p.m.

We drove around a bit in Morro Bay and finally wind up having brunch at Dorn's. Decent food, large portions, enough to sustain us until dinner.

Still having time to kill we went to downtown San Luis Obispo (which we love), and wandered into "Taste," which is (surprise, surprise), an ultra-modern and hip wine-tasting room that features 72 wines from San Luis Obispo County wines. It was sooooo cool! While there was a semi-knowledgeable woman working there (more on her later), you essentially purchase a debit card and then insert it into various slots and place your glass underneath a bottle to sample a particular wine. The wines are kept in climate controlled cases, according to varietal. It was really neat. After trying a half-dozen, we decided to buy a bottle for the bride and groom, as well as a full glass for both Dr. J & I.

Back at the hotel, I took a quick dip in our private hot tub, thanks to Dr. J's careful asistance. I say "careful assistance" because since I did not know ahead of time that our private tub would be on our patio, I neglected to pack a swimsuit. Oh heck, I don't even OWN a swimsuit. So Dr. J helped me slide into the hot water semi-shielded so I could relax pre-wedding, which I followed up with a nap while he showered.

Nicole and Lt. Commander Mike's wedding was held on the terrace of the hotel, overlooking the ocean. It was very simple, and very lovely. Mike had on his Navy tux, which of course I loved. The wedding guests featured lots of Navy types (including both of the groom's parents, a Commander dad and Chief Petty Officer mom), which had me all high! Nicole's best friend Meredith got "ordained" in order to marry them. During the ceremony, she revealed something about the Happy Couple that shocked just about everybody -- they had met on eHarmony.com!!! WHAT?! Everybody had just assumed Nicole had picked Mike up at some Navy bar in San Diego?!?! What a scream this revelation was!!!

The reception was nice, and the booze was flowing, which is always nice. There were a number of strange comments being tossed my way by one of the groom's Navy buddies, Wes, but thank gawd Dr. J and I have a shared borderline-disgusting sense of humor, and could laugh then and now about the whole thing.

Nicole beamed the whole night, which was the most important thing of all.

Lines of the Day:

* Ms. J -- "You know why this guy likes making pies? 'Cause his wife's face looks like ass."

* Ms. J -- (directed to Dr. J) "That chick pouring wine was your type. If you'd have been cleaned up you could have closed that deal." / Dr. J -- "I know. She gave me a better pour than you." (Note: I took photo of our glasses to illustrate this point).

* Uncle Joey -- "I never really liked the Romans. I mean rhones.


* Wes -- "I really like your wife. I wanna get with her."

FIELD REPORT -- Friday

We sleep off part of our hangover (bad Adrian, BAD Adrian), and set off for Morro Bay. But today Dr. J did the driving. About 15 minutes into 4 hour trip it's clear that we are having car trouble. I call Hertz and they (to their credit) lickety split direct us to a place in Palo Alto to exchange the car. So we do, and since there is a counter full of cute Asian women working there, for once Dr. is thrilled to have car problems, hee hee!

Well, since we are only a few miles away, we roll into Clarke's for some take-out lunch. Clarke's . . . ahhhh! Oh how we MISSED you, Clarke's!!!!

Then we drove onward to Morro Bay for the wedding. Uneventful, pleasant ride, in our newly exchanged semi-blinged vehicle.

Slight problem with check-in at the Inn at Morro Bay when they first assigned us a room WITHOUT a hot tub. Excuse me, I paid for a hot tub room. More importantly, I need a hot tub room.

Finally, we get one. And I am licking my lips at the thought of getting into it -- yippee!!!

So after a hot shower we meet up with Dr. J's godparents for dinner, Arlene and Joey. These people are true New Yahkers . . . gawd, I could ON AND ON about how freakin' AMAZING these people are!!! I just love and admire and respect them more than words can say. I could dedicate an entire blog to them, and it wouldn't be enough. They are fun, spirited, incandescent spirits -- and I am amazingly blessed to have them as my husband's godparents. Really. After a fantastic dinner & conversation at Hoppe's, we return to the hotel for a good night's sleep and . . . yeah, well, we get a good night's sleep, hee hee!

Lines of the Day:

* Ms. J -- "I could understand if someone decided to forgo sex for a Clarke's burger and fries."

* Dr. J -- "Did you feel that shaking?"

* Kirsten -- (via e-mail) "So in the middle of the night I wake up to Hiroshi trying to hump me. I start to turn toward him and he says 'Shhhh, go back to sleep. I got this one.' So I do. And I wake up in the morning to a clump of Kleenex stuck to my crotch. Nice of him to clean up afterwards."

FIELD REPORT -- Thursday

Yes, we are in Thee Land of Fruits & Nuts & Flakes -- a.k.a. Kal-ee-forn-yah!

Our first flight out sucked, due to some hick dad from West Virginia (first clue) sitting directly behind me being unable to deal with his 2 year old daughter's meltdown for the final 30 minutes of the flight. Dude, kids ears usually hurt during takeoffs and landings which is why it helps to give them a bottle during this time! Kee-rist, at least he could have distracted the little monster by giving her a toy or something?! But nope, and instead I was treated to blood-curdling screams and CONSTANT kicking of my seat.

By the time we landed in Chicago at 7:00 .am. we KNEW why people drink heavily during airport layovers. It was VERY tempting, let me tell you.

Second flight to San Jose was less eventful. Had a really nice college-aged girl sitting next to me, who slept most of flight. Dr. J & I amused each other most of the way by passing back and forth a book we are reading. We had to try and contain ourselves because we'd read a few sentences and start laughing our assess off about what this guy wrote. I want to SHOUT the author's name out, but since this wll likely become a Christmas present for a few key people I will keep it on the down low for now.

So we get to CA and head to the rental car place, which is apperently now Sikh Central. My, I had forgotten about them -- usually you encounter them working in banks. Hmmm.

We then headed for our first post-flight stop, which we had been DREAMING of for the past 18 months . . . yep, Amici's!!!! We settled in with our absolutely favorite superthin-crust, New Yahk-style pepperoni pizza and a couple glasses of Coppola red zin . . . Ahhhhhh. It's nice when things are as good as you remember them. It's even better when they exceed it. And Amici's certainly did. We were giddy and excited and relaxed and glad we had decided to come back to Mountain View, the town where we lived our West Coast Adventure.

But then it was time to meet up with ManHands, I mean Adrian (really, I shouldn't start off by insulting the hostess, hee hee!)

She still had a bit more work to do, so we strolled around Palo Alto and did A LOT of reminiscing about some really good times we had, what we missed, and what we didn't (hullo, hippies!)

With Adrian done with work, we followed her home to just north of Half Moon Bay and settled in for what I can best describe as a Frat Party revisited. In fact, this blog entry, while appearing as if I wrote it on Thursday, actually had to be finished on Friday morning, due to the excessive drinking and partying and general debauchery that transpired. God bless Adrian and Noah.

I am forever gonna be a big fan of great quotes, and thus I think the night is best captured through my sharing with all of you the awesome sentences I actually took the time to log into my Treo as they occurred (thank gawd it's the Silicon Valley and NOBODY thinks whipping out your Treo while drinking is anything but normal).

So here ya go, the best of the best -- so far . . .

Lines of the Day:

* Dr. J: "Gilles? Your French boss is named Gilles? Tell him his new name is GARY!"

* Adrian: "Gilles/Gary said to call you both 'Arrogant Americans'."

* Ms. J: "Adrian, there's no easy way to put this . . . I need to go have sex NOW."

* Noah: "Hon, I am going to be a little late. I am walking into a meth lab."

* Ms. J: (texting from the bed) "Kirsten, I wonder if Adrian knows which of her decorative guest bedroom throw pillows is best for elevating the hips post-coital?"

* Adrian: (examining a bottle of Costa Rican whiskey) "I don't understand the writing on this bottle, because it's not American." / Ms. J: "I think you mean English."

* Noah: "I'm calling you again because I am on my way to a shooting."

* Ms. J: "You're all phucking lightweights! Somebody do another shot with me?"

* Noah: "Why is Dr. J wearing a women's cowboy hat?"

* Ms. J: "Coach and Jonah won't stop sniffing my crotch. It's like they know?!"

* Dr. J: "Oh, they know. The dogs know."


We're setting off for Pismo Beach in a few minutes . . . Yee-Haw!

Cheers from here :o)

Full Circle Isn't Enough, Try a Damn Coil

I had the most insane day yesterday. Really.

Some folks have days that begin one way and then do a full 180 degree turn. Not me. And certainly not my Tuesday. Mine didn't even come back around and form a full circle. Instead it reminded me of a coil, making ring after ring after ring, but never quite connecting. Which was the trajectory of my mental state yesterday, too.

Day started off okay, with me semi-fresh faced and looking forward to a mildly productive morning. Then shit with gawddamn Homeland Security had me feeling so amazingly helpless and frustrated that I was in tears. Okay, it was more than tears. I had to close my doors and do the whimper thing, I admit it.

My sweet boss -- just before I shut the door to my office, but clearly "on the verge" so to say -- happened to peak his head into my office, took one look at my face and said softly "Are you okay?" I started to nod but then then slowly shook my head back and forth. He then whispered "You know where to find me if you need to talk" and exited. Clearly, the man is the father of two daughters and KNOWS when to leave a girl alone.

So I pull myself together and make it to my lunchtime appointment. I did so by employing my occasional technique of pretending I am Scarlet O'Hara when she says "Well, I'll think about that tomorrow" -- which is my way of shelving the shit, at least temporarily. (I call it a Scarlet O'Hara moment, but author Elizabeth Marquardt calls it the survivor technique of being a "chameleon" -- whatever, I am happy to just not be labeled "crazy" most days).

The lunch appointment went well. Actually, I take that back. It went REALLY well. So, that improved my mood greatly. Which lasted for the next couple of hours, thankfully.

Then I went to my rescheduled manicure appointment with Melissa. Damn, she should be allowed to bill my health insurance, I swear. And that goes for my hairstylist, Shannen, too. So Melissa does my nails, we each knock back a drink, and trade personal gossip and wild moments. So mellowed out, I then head off to an adoption lecture that Dr. J and I had signed up for.

Only I noticed I had missed a call from my boss while Melissa and I were having our giggly therapy moment.

So I called Boss Man, and find out that at the following day's BoD meeting (which I already knew would include a discussion about budget-tightening) one of the talking points would include cutting MY TRAVEL BUDGET! Worse yet, some BoD members thought that I should NOT go to Vegas for our big national conference, as a cost-cutting measure.

ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!?!

Cue the coil as I wrap right back around reality, and the happy, warm post-lunch-sliding-right-into-manicure buzz suddenly evaporates and the morning stress is right smack back! WTF?!

Oh no, people, I am SO going to Vegas. Don't even phucking mess with me on this one. Don't.

So now I am wound up tighter than . . . well, let's just say tight. And now I have to go to a lecture I so don't want to be at, and spend several hours mulling over the pending BoD meeting, and trying NOT to think about how much I hate having to be at this lecture because it's just a reminder of the fact that we are here after, well, you know.

I burst into tears in the parking lot from the compounding stress. I take out the stress by flipping out on Dr. J. Then I spend the next hour apologizing and feeling like a bitch, only barely listening to the lecture. Thank goodness Dr. J made fun of the oh-so-earnest and obvious Vegan couple sitting near us, as it got me to loosen up a bit, and I started to relax.

THEN the big ol' medical emergency happened. Some guy got up and walked behind my chair and out of the corner of my eye I saw him walk into the hallway and RIGHT INTO THE WALL, full speed ahead! Really. He just absolutely crashed into it, and then hit the floor, POW. I screamed for my husband, who jumped up and raced out to the dude, and yelled to a nearby security guard to call 911. Okay, so I had this mini "moment" if you will, where all of the other adoptive couples kept whispering to me "Is your husband a doctor?" and I was trying to nod solemnly, but inside was beaming for my man, who had taken control of the situation. And I knew I would be a little less resentful when I made out his next student loan payment.

Like I said, my day wasn't quite full circle, but a big ass coil . . . with my emotions going round and round, in constant motion but without a clear direction.

Oh, and by the way, this morning as I was trying to comprehend yet ADDITIONAL bullshit from Homeland Security (this is beyond yesterday's crap), I deftly took my Boss and the BoD President aside, separately of course (hullo, divide and conquer!), pre-BoD meeting and let them know my well-reasoned opinion on matters regarding my travel & expenses budget. When it came time for the budget discussion portion of the meeting, I (along with other staff) were excused from the meeting.

And 35 minutes later . . . I got the verdict:

VEGAS, BABY!!!!!!!!!!

Baby, I'm Ready to Roll

I made my Vegas flight reservations this morning.

Okay, so it's a work trip, and it's two months away, but I am strangely excited about going. A few days away in the Land of Outrageousness is always interesting, and I expect nothing less from this trip!

I have only been to Vegas one other time, back in 2002, while moving back from Kal-ee-forn-yah. Stayed there for 4 days, and enjoyed it! What's funny is that I spent maybe a whopping $10 on the slots -- I don't believe in throwing money away (I want SOME sort of return if I am going to do that). But thee people-watching? Oh my, FANTABULOUS (see Hamster, I worked "your word" into this entry!)

Yes, I do love people-watching! It rivals my love of t.v. And since I am told that the t.v. offerings in Vegas hotel rooms purposely suck (to lure you to the casinos downtstairs -- boo!), I guess people-watching will be one of my top hobbies while there.

I will be staying at Treasure Island. WHY? (I know, hardly the hotel that matches my personality -- hey, trust me, if they had a Hotel Helix in Vegas I'd stay there -- wait, WHY don't they have a Hotel Helix there?!)

Anyhoo, back to the "why" . . . it's a three-fold reason: (1) it's on the list of hotels for the conference I will be attending and across the street from the hotel the sessions will be held in; (2) NOBODY else from my organization is planning on staying there (please, leave me ALONE when I go back to my room -- do NOT call my room or cell once I have hit the sheets, thank you!); and (3) it's supposed to have some of the best beds in Vegas.

Yeah, yeah, I know, "it's Vegas -- why do you care about the beds?!" GUESS WHAT -- I DO CARE!!! I need comfort, I need style, I need some place to replenish, refresh, and escape at the end of a chaotic conference day. And I have learned the hard way that a sturdy bed and comfy mattress can make or break the experience.

So stay tuned for my review of the Trasure Island experience. Hmmm, the Hotel Helix had leopard print bathrobes in each guest room . . . I wonder if Treasure Island will have some pirate wench getup hanging in the closet? Yeah, right. I think that might be better left to mental fantasy, eh?!

09/11

People's memories are scarily short. Sometimes today I felt like I was one of only a handful of people who remembered that 3,000 people were phucking SLAUGHTERED on American soil on this day, a short six years ago.

Thank God I have a family and a few close friends who remain as angry and pissed off as I am, to this very day. And will be forever.


http://attacked911.tripod.com/

Five Things

* Five Things I Despise:

• Conspiracy Theories/Theorists
• Whiners
• People Who Pretend to Support our Troops
• Bad decisions
• Indecisiveness

* Five Things I Adore:

• Nate
• A lengthy, deep-tissue massage
• Fall TV debuts
• Lisa's rants
• Dr. J surprising me, in subtle ways

* Five Things I Need:

• Hope
• Pick-Me-Ups
• Big, enveloping hugs from behind
• To go away for Christmas this year
• An approved I-171H
  

* Five Things I Want:

• To be a trophy wife
• To lose just 10 more pounds
• To have a kick ass Chinese New Year party -- and really mean it
• Disposable income (so I could get, whenever I want: massage, facial, pedicure, new undies, and a steady supply of pretty lil' dresses)
• A ginormous gift card to H&M
  

* Five Things I Have:

• Friends who climb into the trenches with me


• A husband who lets me cry and still thinks I am strong


• A Dad who would kill for me


• A Mom who will still do my laundry if I need her to


• A cool job
  

* Five Things I Like About My Personality:

• Tenacity


• Good with money


• Possessing the ability to intimidate other women, when I want or need to


• A wicked sense of humor


• Lack of a "filter"
  

* Five Things I Like About My Body:

• My Hair
  

• That I Don't Have Back Fat


• My Calves


• That I know how to "plate the entree," so to say


• Being curvy

* Five Things I Need To Change:

• My bedtime

• My level of frustration

• Gyms

• The PA LCB

• Resetting my "motivation clock" to a time earlier in the day

* Five Things I Miss (serious answer):

• Being able to walk to the Y


• Seeing Hot Mary and Shannon at "High School" each workday
  


• Worrying about little things instead of big ones


• Proximity to decent vineyards
  


• All of the delicious and varied food offerings in Kal-ee-forn-yah
  

* Five Things I Miss (semi-smart ass answer):

• Star Jones being fat


• The pantyhose Casual Corner sold (they went out of business, dammit)


• John Henson hosting "Talk Soup"


• Wendy Bell's blog


• Eating whatever I want, whenever I want
  

* Five People I Miss:

• My Poppy


• Glady


• Johnny Carson


• Ronald Reagan


• Winston Churchill

* Five Things I Pray For:

• Strength & Courage (they go together, I think)


• Happier times, to begin to soften the painful ones that remain ever-present


• The ability to enjoy "the moment"


• Stillness


• My Husband

You Wanna Be On Top?

I was a bit of a bum today. We went to Aunt Lee's for her Labor Day Luncheon (hey, steaks were on the menu, so we would have gone no matter what the holiday theme).

My Uncle Freddie got me loaded up on cheap Chardonnay, the bastard (nobody else drinks in my family, 'cept for Dr. J & I). So by the time we got home around 4-ish, I was experiencing that post-afternoon-of-drinking sleepy feeling, which lead me to crash on the couch for several hours, catching up on the reruns of reality fare.

One of my faves, "America's Next Top Model" was on MTV. Sigh, I do love this show. I admit it. Plus, I have loved Tyra Banks since she first started showing her ta-ta's for Victoria's Secret (another one of my loves, sigh).

Aw hell, I love t.v. in general. It's my #1 vice. And I don't care what anyone else thinks.

Now I don't think everything that Tyra Banks does is all that, but I find the show fun, so I tune in. Plus, my girls and I have found fun ways to incorporate the Tyra terms of "fierce" and "rock it" into our vocabulary. We like to mimic the them song to the show, too, when Tyra looks at the screen and challenges viewers by asking, "You Wanna Be On Top?!" Oh yes, Tyra, we do! We want it all!

Namely, we want the chance to get horizontal with "noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker." Meow!

Kirsten and I even like to cheer each other up by signing off our e-mails with such sage advice as "Oh honey, I know your life sucks right now but don't worry . . . you're still in the runnign to be America's Next Top Model!" (Only a true "ANTM" aficionado would understand!)

The new season of "AMTM" starts September 19th and I can't hardly wait!

All Alone, and Thrilled By It

Normally, I look forward to spending my weekends with Dr. J. Getting to catch up is nice, of course, after a hectic week. But probably more than anything else, I genuinely enjoy his company. Even mundane tasks, we somehow manage to make fun! I swear, two people have never managed to make grocery shopping as much fun as we continually do. It's corny and ridiculous, but we actually never pawn this chore off on the other, because we find grocery shopping akin to a weekend comedy hour (strange, but true, we admit).

So this Saturday, I couldn't get back to sleep after Dr. J went into the office to see a few patients. We set out for errands after he got back in the early-afternoon. We got about 2/3's of the way through when one of his patients called, needing to see Dr. J in a bad way. So I was promptly deposited at home so he could rush to the office to take treat his patient.

I sat there at home, all by myself for several hours . . . and I couldn't stop smiling!

I am so excited for my man -- that he is getting busier, that he is needed (by people other than me -- and by people who PAY for his services, hee hee!), and that word is getting out about how talented he is.

Yep, that's my guy!

Kicking Off the Weekend Right

Labor Day Weekend was FINALLY upon me -- and not a moment too soon. Not to sound too Valley Girl BUT, I was sooooo ready to get things started.

But first, I had to leave work early to deal with this damn security system BS at the house. Ugh. Don't ask -- I don't even want to get started on it. But hey, at least I got have some fresh air blow across my cheek as I continued to work from my computer at home.

After finally finishing an important memo for work, I slipped into one of my favorite dresses and started my Friday evening by meeting a friend for a few drinks. It was a great way to set the mood for a festive weekend. The sweet potato fries also helped, too.

I then sprinted home, changed clothes, and went with Dr. J to the "bonfire" at our friends house. Shannon and Eric have a large yard, and a fire pit out back. Hard to believe, but I have never had a smore before! I would describe it as . . . a bit overrated. In retrospect, I much prefer cinnamon graham crackers to plain ones, so maybe that had something to do with it?!

However, I completely ADORE toasted marshmellows, and could eat them endlessly, so I was most definitely sated that night, hee hee!