Happy Birthday Heidi!

My pal Heidi is turning 30. This is/was a milestone birthday for us all but it is especially monumental for her. She recently made her first cross-country move, which has brought a lot of changes, challenges and new experiences - like not having to pump her own gas! She's a smart, sassy, strong chick who has got it goin' on. Wish her well as she enters a new era...the 30s.

Please send her birthday greetings - even if you do not know her - by posting a comment here. She will enjoy the surprise and won't you take pleasure in brightening someone's day? DO IT.

You do not want to make The Gingers angry.

-P

Kyle: We... came to learn the facts about people with red hair, light skin and freckles.

Ginger Kids’ Father: [nervously] Ohhh, gingers, yes. Our cute little red-haired rascals.

Stan: I'm sorry, but I don't understand. You both have dark hair and brown eyes.

Father: Yes, we've learned that the ginger gene is recessive in both our families' DNA. Actually, the odds of us having a red-haired freckled child were only one in four. And still it happened. Three times. What are the odds? [breaks down and sobs into his hands]

Ginger Kids’ Mother: A lot of people carry the ginger gene and don't know. [her husband stops sobbing and raises his head] If your spouse is also a carrier, then your children can turn out like... them. [they both look at the kids, who smile and grin]

Father: Each one of them's a blessing.

Mother: Oh yes, each one of them's a blessing.

Father: Huh Blesse-blessing full of love

Three Ginger Kids: [grinning] Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Kyle: But it's... it's not true they... have no souls. [somber music plays]

Father: No... no, I'm sure they do.

Go Cubs! Go Padres! Go Mascots!

Last night: the Cubs beat the Padres in some ninth-inning excitement. The Padres pitcher, Chris Young did an excellent job retiring the first 12 batters, striking out 10...oh, who cares?!?!?! I got my picture taken with the two Petco mascots!!! It was glorious!!

My friend and I were hanging out (okay, eating brats and drinking beer) near the very large "family area" of Petco Park: open lawn-seating area with a kids-size baseball park where they can run the bases...oh who cares?!?! I got my picture taken with the two Petco mascots!! The kitty is blue & sassy and the doggie is red & sassy. I am a bit disappointed in myself that I didn't think of this earlier: the mascots hang out where the highest concentration of kids are. Voila!

I suspect The Friar was attending to the upgraded, fancy areas, hobnobbing with the corporate fat-cats who pay premium for their baseball entertainment. Or, he was just getting his tonsure tidied up. Either way, he's still very high on my list. The list of mascots with whom I need to get my picture taken. Oh yeah, goals.

-P

Joe Reardon: "He walked 18. "

Larry: "New league record! "

Joe Reardon: "Struck out 18."

Larry: "Another new league record! In addition he hit the sportswriter, the public address announcer, the bull mascot twice..."

- Bull Durham

My Niece Zoe

My niece Zoe - The Artist. She was one of a small group of elementary students selected to have her painting matted, framed and put on public display in her hometown. My six year old niece had her first (and hopefully not last) art opening! Props to Zoe! The theme was fish. Enjoy.

-P

"Not every working girl dreams of clawing her way to the corner office. Instead, many of us fantasize about fleeing cubicle life for good. Despite our parents’ best intentions to steer us toward more traditional careers (podiatrist, anyone?), we long to start our own sweater-knitting empire, frolic in the land of freelancing, or help those in need halfway around the world. Nevertheless, we non-traditionalists do have our bills to pay. So we do what any sensible woman would do: We get a day job. Which is precisely when those lofty aspirations can begin to atrophy." - Michelle Goodman - The Anti 9-to-5 Guide - Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube

Probationary Periods - Contractual Agreements - Expiration Dates

This blog has been quiet. This does not necessarily reflect inactivity in my life, more like my inability to express the current situations and my reactions IN WORDS. Due to the fact that one of my favorite responses is “whatever” (usually prefaced with a sigh) and my tendency to condense stories with “yadda yadda yadda” or, of course "blah blah blah" – this does not reflect good self expression or promote prolific blogging. Consider my hand slapped.

59 days ago I was called into my then-supervisor’s office at 4pm and told that:
1) I was doing a good job
2) I was a pleasure to work with
3) As of 8am the next morning I would be placed into a different position, in a different area, working with brand new people and that would be that
4) Oh, and I wouldn’t get much training for this new position due to the fact that I would be switching positions with an individual who had official grievances and a restraining order filed against one of my future co-workers (!!!)
5) Plus, my probationary period would be extended another 60 days

At this point, I was two weeks shy of my six-month probationary period ending and had zero say in the matter. I was staying in the same classified position (I love me some University bureaucracy) and at the same pay grade, so I couldn’t complain on that topic. Turns out, I couldn’t complain on any topic to the powers that be. Work life, sucked. Fortunately, my personal life did not. My friends were especially supportive at this point; listening to me vent, whine and generally feel sorry for myself as I felt my life was kinda-sorta turned upside down just as I was getting settled after the quick, cross-country, everything-seemingly-brand-new-and-out-of-sorts move. {sigh}

Incredibly long story short, I have adapted well in my new position. On the plus side, I have my own office with big windows and a view. The hours are somewhat flexible. The people I work with are reasonable, moderately interesting and most importantly, I have yet to feel physically threatened – so yay for me. I am still not sure what the future holds for me, employment-wise but for now things are, you know yadda yadda yadda….whatever.

Foolishly, I signed an 18 month agreement with the DISH Network last November, during the MLB offseason, when I moved in my rustic cottage. What does this mean? It means I cannot watch San Diego Padres games at home. The games are televised only through the local cable provider, Cox. I signed up for a sports package addition but quickly got rid of it when I realized 90% of the games are blocked for my “area” via the satellite transmission. Grrrrr. So, it is May 16th and I have yet to watch one Padres game (not counting the last few innings I blurrily viewed at the British pub down the street post bar-crawl one night). Needless to say, this lack of access is quite frustrating. What kind of local baseball fan am I?

I am the kind of fan who goes to baseball games in person! Which I will be doing tonight and next week. I am very excited! Reds v Padres tonight. Cubs next week. I am also looking forward to the evening, due to the fact that I will be attending said game with a date: a handsome, funny, recently-met male. He’s this, he’s that. Yadda yadda yadda. Blah blah blah. I could ramble on but won’t. Why? He has an in-San Diego expiration date of July 2007 before he moves to….wait for it….The Middle East. {sigh} Whatever…

-P
*

"Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark, they shoot bees at you?" - Homer from the Simpsons