Starbucks, Baseball, and Fridays

As I was driving to work on the NJ Turnpike this morning, I thought I would stop at one of the rest stations and get a coffee at Starbucks. Normally, I don't drink coffee, but it's the end of the week, I'm beat and I could barely get my pantyhose on this morning - that's how tired I am. Anyway, I digress. When I parked my car, I noticed a group of younger folks standing outside their car. They were in pajamas pants and sweatshirts and obviously on some sort of road trip. Once inside and in line at Starbucks, one of the girls in that group got in line behind me. As I was paying, she ordered her coffee and paid for it. Upon receiving her change, she tried to tip the cashier a dollar. The cashier explained that they aren't allowed to receive tips. The girl, in her best Margaret Cho voice, exclaimed, "OH MY GAWD, I feel like such a Jew when I don't tip." Silence from the cashier. Everyone looked down, clearly embarrassed. She proceeded to say, "It's just that I love your coffee. It's the best. And I feel like such a Jew when I don't tip." She walked away, sipping her coffee, completely oblivious to what had just happened.

Classic.

As I was leaving, I glanced over at her car and noticed the plates were from Massachusetts. Thank God - I didn't want to claim her as a fellow New Jersey-an.

Last night was my hubby's fantasy baseball draft. Yes, I've said it before: He's a geek. But anyway, he is out of town for work (finally returning tomorrow!!), so that meant that I had to log on and try to make his draft picks. With the phone in one ear and my hands on the keyboard, I attempted to make him proud with my baseball savvy. But low and behold, the draft wasn't working. It was 11:30 p.m. and the draft wasn't working. Suddenly, our love turned a little sour.

Hubby: What does the screen look like? Does it have a countdown to the draft?
Me: No, it just has a list of everyone's team name. And all your friends are sending messages on a message screen.
Hubby: So there's no countdown on the screen?
Me: What did I just say to you?
Hubby: What about drop down menus? Are there any on the screen?
Me: There are no drop down menus. I am clicking everywhere I can, and there are no drop down menus. There is also no countdown on the screen.
Hubby: Are you sure there isn't a countdown to the draft on the screen???
Me (clearly irritated at this point): I *told* you already, there is no countdown on the screen.
Hubby: Lemme call you back; I'm calling the Monkey Boy (his friend).

A few minutes later, the phone rings...

Me: Hello?
Hubby: Are you sure there isn't a countdown to the draft on the screen?
Me: Hmmmm, I would say NO NO NO and ummm, NO. Nothing has changed in the last three minutes.
Hubby: I guess Yahoo Sports screwed it all up.
Me: Well, what do you want me to do?
Hubby: Don't worry about it. I'll fix it tomorrow when I stop by the library (of course, I won't read your blog, but I'll change the ENTIRE baseball league). Unless, of course, you want to cancel out the entire league, form another one, create a new password, email everyone with the new password, set the draft to live pick instead of autopilot, find another time to hold the draft, and email everyone again with the time.
Me: Hmmmm, no. I really don't want to do that.
Hubby: Ok, fine, I'll do it as soon as I get home on Saturday.

All this for a *fantasy* baseball league. It's not like he's getting paid a huge baseball player's salary or anything. This league takes up so much time, it's ridiculous. Do you know how many games a pro team plays a season? 162. 162!!! And that's only one team.

But I despite this, I do love him. Even though he is a geek. And I have missed him the last few weeks while he's been gone.

And it's finally Friday! I've waited all week for today and it's here!! It's really supposed to be nice this weekend, weatherwise, so maybe I'll go walking in the park or make the hubby take me to a nice outdoors restaurant. I'll even drink a frozen margarita!

100 Things About Annie

1. I just celebrated my 31st birthday in early March.
2. I got married at the ripe old age of 30.
3. I have no children.
4. I plan to have at least one.
5. My parents named me after my paternal grandmother.
6. I'm told it was because of a guilt trip on my grandmother's part.
7. But my mom got the last laugh - she gave me the Americanized version of the name.
8. I never met my grandmother. Or the other one, for that matter.
9. I am a first generation American.
10. My father is a first generation Cuban.
11. I have always hoped my child(ren) would be a first generation "something else."
12. I don't think that will happen, since my husband is extremely patriotic.
13. I was born and grew up in Northern New Jersey, home of toxic waste and birthplace of Frank Sinatra.
14. I was in kindergarten when Reagan was shot; my class sent him a card and a jar of jelly beans.
15. I didn't learn to speak English until I was five years old.
16. I still speak Spanish to my parents.
17. I do it for three reasons - out of respect for them, because their English is still very poor, and because I want to make sure I never forget it.
18. My mother used to take my sister and I to a park along the Hudson River so she could talk pictures of us with the NYC view in the background.
19. It was in New Jerey that my parents introduced me to Tom Jones and their Live in Las Vegas record.
20. I also used to listen to records by Olivia Newton-John, Gloria Gaynor, The Bee Gees, Christopher Cross, Barry Manilow and Donna Summer.
21. When I was a young teenager, my parents decided to move to Miami.
22. I went to high school in Miami. Specifically, Kendall.
23. I didn't have a date to my senior prom.
24. I graduated 8th in my class of over 1000 students.
25. I was a nerd. But a cool one at that.
26. My favorite subject in high school was physics.
27. I was (and still am) pretty good at math.
28. I was accepted to all the colleges I applied to and was offered scholarships to more than half of those.
29. I ultimately enrolled at the University of Florida - home of the Gators!
30. It was while I was a student there that I discovered who I really am.
31. I also discovered my best friend, Little Owen's Mama - we also went to high school together, but didn't really know eachother.
32. When I was a freshman in college, I didn't own a computer. I used to type my papers on my old Brother typewriter.
33. I changed my major five times (I think it was five, it might have been six!)
34. When I graduated, I didn't have a job, so I went to graduate school at Florida International University.
35. Coincidentally, I got a job right after my first semester started, so I wound up working full time throughout graduate school.
36. When I graduated with my Master's degree, I took a job at a children's hospital managing volunteers.
37. I worked there for a year, then moved back to New jersey for a job in NYC.
38. My second week at that job, I met my husband.
39. We didn't work in the same office, just at the same company.
40. I didn't think meeting him would amount to much more than a lunch or two.
41. According to him, I played "hard to want" for a few years before I realized I was in love with him.
42. I was engaged to him three years later. I thought he was going to break up with me when he proposed.
43. I was working in NYC on September 11th. It was a petrifying experience.
44. I later took a job at a hospital in one of New Jersey's inner-cities.
45. I learned a lot about my field of work while working there; I had very good mentors.
46. I no longer work there - my last day was more than a month ago.
47. I like working. I would be bored if I was home all day.
48. My parents always told me that I needed to make my own living and not depend on a man.
49. I suspect they didn't think I would ever get married. :)
50. I love my husband. I adore my husband. I even like my husband.
51. I am trying to teach my husband Spanish vocabulary - so far, he knows telefono, la cocina, pollo, el bano, la casa, langosta, and huevos.
52. I have a nephew by marriage who is three years older than I am; he has two kids, which makes them my great-nephews.
53. I have five godchildren and only one of them is a girl.
54. I am a Catholic by birth, but rarely attend Mass. I consider myself more spiritual than I am religious.
55. However, I got married in the Catholic church so I could baptize my child(ren).
56. I think what the church makes you do these days to get married, baptize children, etc. is a bunch of crock.
57. I believe in God.
58. I have friends of all ages, all walks of life, all over the world.
59. My first concert was Duran Duran.
60. The last concert I attended was Tom Jones in Las Vegas.
61. I have a strange crush on Tom Jones.
62. My husband reintroduced me to hiim a few years ago.
63. At my first concert Tom Jones concert, I threw a pair of panties on the stage.
64. I own my home (well, me and the bank!).
65. I can see the lights of the Empire State Building from my bedroom window.
66. I've never broken a bone in my body.
67. When I was seven, I had my tonsils removed.
68. I had the chicken pox, too, passed them on to my sister; they nearly killed her.
69. Over the years, I've developed long-lasting friendships with three girls, now turned women (and one a mother). One of them I have known since I was five years old.
70. Two of these girls are Indians.
71. The other one is Cuban, but doesn't appear to be.
72. I have ten cousins from my mother's side of the family and three from my father's side.
73. I am not particularly close to any of my cousins.
74. My sister died when I was 19 - she was 3 days away from her 22nd birthday.
75. She was born with cerebral palsy.
76. My parents had the option of suing the doctor who delivered her, but didn't.
77. I'm glad they didn't. I think we all would have been very different (and not in a good way) had that happened.
78. I used to bit my nails when I was a little girl. It was (is) a terrible habit.
79. Now, I pick around my cuticles. It's a nervous habit and even more disgusting than biting my nails. I'm trying to quit.
80. I admire my parents for coming to this country and attaining the "American Dream". They are my heroes.
81. I have been told that I dispense my laughter with ease.
82. Once, an ex-boss told me she hated me because I laughed easily and got along well with people.
83. I chew lots of gum.
84. I brush my teeth at least three times a day.
85. I don't mind housework, but I really hate vacuuming and mopping.
86. I spend a lot of time cleaning up after my husband.
87. I love the smell of clean towels after they come out of the dryer.
88. I fold clothes with care and precision. The shirts in my dresser drawers look like clothes displayed at the Gap.
89. I own many pairs of shoes.
90. I wear a size 6.5 in shoes; sometimes a 6 and other times a 7. It depends on the style.
91. I am a Pisces.
92. I am a big fan of mechanical pencils and Sharpie markers. I rarely use anything else to write things down.
93. I live with my Palm pilot at my side. It literally has my entire life in it.
94. I have an aunt that cuts, styles, and sometimes colors my hair for free.
95. When I met my husband, I had blond highlights in my hair.
96. I don't like the way makeup feels on my face. I do, however, wear minimal makeup for work.
97. I moisturize twice a day.
98. I rarely tan and almost always burn, even when it's overcast.
99. The first time I flew in an airplane, I was 2 years old and on my way to Miami for a vacation.
100. According to my parents, I misbehaved on the plane the entire trip and peed on the purse of the woman sitting in front of me.

My Other Man

Check it out: Click here and here and here!

Congratulations, Sir Tom!

Today's Outfit

I just received this from my "source." Can I say one thing about the crazy bad dresser ex-co-worker? She's an absolute retard.

A polyestery-looking double-breasted jacket in a very fine black and white print; v-neck with no shirt underneath. Paired with a shiny shantung light silver pencil skirt. Under this, very heavy black tights with black suede sling back shoes with at least a 5-inch heel. The shoes are off right now while she meets with the boss because her feet her. And the dreaded blue scrunchy is back! Why 60 degrees, tights and suede; 20 degrees, linen?

Top 250 Movies

Take this list of the top 250 movies from the IMDB and bold the movies you have seen.

The Godfather (1972)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Shichinin no samurai (1954)
Schindler's List (1993)
Casablanca (1942)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Star Wars (1977)
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Rear Window (1954)
Cidade de Deus (2002)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Memento (2000)
Psycho (1960)
Goodfellas (1990)
C'era una volta il West (1968)
North by Northwest (1959)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Fight Club (1999)
American Beauty (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
Vertigo (1958)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Paths of Glory (1957)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Untergang, Der (2004)
Se7en (1995)
The Pianist (2002)
Chinatown (1974)
Léon (1994)
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
American History X (1998)
The Third Man (1949)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Boot, Das (1981)
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Rashômon (1950)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Sin City (2005)
Alien (1979)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
M (1931)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Modern Times (1936)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Metropolis (1927)
All About Eve (1950)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Raging Bull (1980)
The Shining (1980)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Vita è bella, La (1997)
Aliens (1986)
The Great Escape (1963)
The Incredibles (2004)
Rebecca (1940)
Amadeus (1984)
Touch of Evil (1958)
The Sting (1973)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Crash (2004)
On the Waterfront (1954)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Jaws (1975)
City Lights (1931)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
The Apartment (1960)
Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Braveheart (1995)
Ran (1985)
Batman Begins (2005)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Donnie Darko (2001)
Blade Runner (1982)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Fargo (1996)
Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Mononoke-hime (1997)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Notorious (1946)
High Noon (1952)
The Big Sleep (1946)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Wo hu cang long (2000)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Annie Hall (1977)
Oldboy (2003)
Yojimbo (1961)
Salaire de la peur, Le (1953)
The Princess Bride (1987)
Ladri di biciclette (1948)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Unforgiven (1992)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Life of Brian (1979)
Back to the Future (1985)
The Green Mile (1999)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
The General (1927)
The Killing (1956)
The Graduate (1967)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Amores perros (2000)
Lola rennt (1998)
Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
Platoon (1986)
The African Queen (1951)
Duck Soup (1933)
Before Sunset (2004)
Gladiator (2000)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Ying xiong (2002)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Glory (1989)
Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Smultronstället (1957)
Patton (1970)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
Gandhi (1982)
Finding Neverland (2004)
The Gold Rush (1925)
The Conversation (1974)
Die Hard (1988)
Diaboliques, Les (1955)
A Christmas Story (1983)
Stand by Me (1986)
Harvey (1950)
Brief Encounter (1945)
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
Mystic River (2003)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
8½ (1963)
Kumonosu jô (1957)
Shrek (2001)
Big Fish (2003)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Spartacus (1960)
Magnolia (1999)
Belle et la bête, La (1946)
Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das (1920)
The Hustler (1961)
Toy Story (1995)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Trainspotting (1996)
Hable con ella (2002)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Manhattan (1979)
The Straight Story (1999)
Stalag 17 (1953)
The Exorcist (1973)
Cinderella Man (2005)
Ed Wood (1994)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Festen (1998)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Sling Blade (1996)
Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
Battaglia di Algeri, La (1966)
The Terminator (1984)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Out of the Past (1947)
King Kong (1933)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Snatch. (2000)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Brazil (1985)
Heat (1995)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
The Searchers (1956)
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Sleuth (1972)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Almost Famous (2000)
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Sideways (2004)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
The Insider (1999)
Ikiru (1952)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Scarface (1983)
Charade (1963)
No Man's Land (2001)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Frankenstein (1931)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)
V for Vendetta (2005)
All the President's Men (1976)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
The Thing (1982)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Planet of the Apes (1968)
À bout de souffle (1960)
Grande illusion, La (1937)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Rain Man (1988)
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Central do Brasil (1998)

I'm such a loser. I haven't even a quarter of these. I'd better get moving with my movie watching.

Issues

I woke up this morning feeling really serene and calm. But in the time between leaving my house and arriving at work, I have developed some issues. Here goes:

• Red Nail Polish - why is it that it chips so quickly? I *just* polished my nails on Sunday with a beautiful red color - Honeymoon Red - and the claim by Sally Hansen is that it's a NO CHIP POLISH. What's up with the chipping them? Does no chip mean that I'm not supposed to do dishes or wash my hair? Because if that's the case, I'll polish and not wash my hair. Then I'll be all funky and no one will want to speak to me. Normally, I go for a pale pink color, but I wanted to welcome the week in a bold fashion. I don't know how glamourous people do it. Oh yeah, they have personal manicurists that polish their nails daily if need be.
• Scarlett Johanson - yeah, she's pretty, but why does FHM have to name her the most beautiful woman alive? Pu-lease... I saw In Good Company (it was a long flight and I have nothing better to do), and she's extremely manly in the movie. What gives? Aren't there better looking women on this planet?
• Hot Dogs - as I walking to my office building this morning, I caught the smell of today's lunch. I'm not a big hot dog fan - yes, I'll have one at a baaseball game or at a picnic - but not everyday. Anyway, the smell drifted in my path and now all I can think about is eating a hot dog. Ugh.
• Sun Glare - basically, it stinks. I'm all for a sunny spring and warm weather, but when I can't see the car in front of me due to sun glare - even though I put the sun visor down and am wearing sunglasses - there's a problem. Plus, what's with the sun glare and the lack of leaves on the trees? I mean, not even a little leaf. Nothing. I need spring and I need it now!

On the bright side, I got my XM Radio up and running in the new office. First songs - Babe by Styx, followed by Emotion by Samantha Sang (with back up by the loveable Bee Gees). OMG - now it's Jack Wagner singing All I Need. Ok, well, yeah, maybe I'm a little bit of a geek. I just love all these cheesey love songs. Love them!

Comparison

These are pictures of my mom and I at the same stage in our lives. We are both 31, just married, and posing for our husbands. For my mom, it's a time in her life when it was just about her and my dad. She is young, with no worries; the hardships of life and children are years ahead of her. Of all the photos that I have of my mother, this is by far, my favorite. There's something about it - something about her, that makes me want to be just like her. In my picture, I too, am young, no worries, the hardships of my life are years ahead of me (although being the drama queen that I am, I could argue that the hardships of my life are right now), and right now, it's just the hubby and me - no kids. While there are many pictures of me that I like, this is also among my favorites. There's a certain youthfulness in my smile. Perhaps for both my mom and I, it's our husbands that make us smile that way.

Friday - Finally!

Oh Friday, I've waited all week for you. I can't wait until tomorrow, when I can sleep in and take naps all day long. :)

Here's a treat - an ex-co-worker of mine sent me yesterday's clothing update. The outfit sounds priceless!

We have a baggy pair of linen pants, tapered at the ankle with one hem unraveled at the back. The pants' color are what crayola calls "burnt siena." These are topped with the ubiquitous wife-beater "shell" in off-white; and topping this, a men's cotton pullover sweater with zippered "v" (cast off by her son as too ratty to wear anymore) in a light olive green. Poking out from the cropped pant is a primarily gray with an off-white pinstripe sock (tying in the wife-beater, I guess), and a high-heeled tan alligator skin pump (nice with the socks!) The hair is pulled back with a lime green coated Goody rubber band. No makeup or jewelry today. The brown-green-grey-tan combo suggests color blindness, or perhaps, the Jolly Green Giant or Robin Hood.

I think I should wear my pajamas to work one day. I mean, that couldn't be worse than crazy bad dresser ex-co-worker, could it?

This morning, I stopped at the cafeteria at work for a bagel. I wound up making a sandwich with canadian bacon (yes, I know it's Lent and I shouldn't eat me on Fridays, but I'll explain it to God later). When I went to pay for it, there was no cashier to be seen. So I wrapped it up in a napkin and brought it back to my office. Is it stealing? Should I go back on Monday and try to pay for it?

Commuting

I don't have a big problem with commuting. I don't really mind it as long as I'm not stuck in traffic for a long time. My new commute is 45 minutes, which isn't bad, since I am driving against traffic both in the morning and at night. I don't normally pay attention to the people that are in my surroundings as I drive, but this morning, I saw a woman in her car. She was dressed in a suit and her face was all made up. Her hair, long and straight, was nicely combed and neat. However, she was wearing one single curler on her bangs. It was one of those hollow, big plastic curlers. It reminded me of the ones my mother wears. Anyway, I was kind of horrified at seeing her - I mean, she didn't even have tinted windows or anything. When the light changed to green, she took off, leaving me to see her Pennsylvania tags. I wonder what part of Pennsylvania she was from.

Four on Wednesday

Four jobs I’ve had in my life
· Papergirl – yes, I delivered newspapers when I was a kid
· Cashier – at my dad’s bakery
· Waitress – at Johnny Rockets when I was a senior in high school
· Resident Assistant – in college, for three years, I was the “enforcer” of dormitory life

Four movies I can watch over and over
· Ocean’s Eleven – it’s like candy, but in a movie
· A Christmas Story – “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”
· When Harry Met Sally – it’s so sappy, I cry during the same scene everytime
· The Godfather (all parts) – they are incredible movies

Four places I have lived
· North Bergen, New Jersey
· Gainesville, Florida
· Miami, Florida
· Harrison, New Jersey

Four TV shows I love to watch
· The Sopranos
· Grey’s Anatomy
· Lost
· Rescue Me – when is it coming back on the air, darnit?

Four places I have been on vacation
· Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii
· Buenos Aires, Argentina
· Las Vegas, Nevada
· Europe – all over, 13 countries in 6 weeks – England, France, Switzerland, Greece, Italy, Spain and so on…

Four of my favorite dishes
· Skirt steak with white rice
· Roasted chicken with carrots, onions and celery
· Surf and turf
· Chicken pot pie

Four places I would rather be right now
· At home, in my bed
· Anywhere with friends, laughing and eating chocolate
· Where ever my hubby is
· On a plane, traveling to someplace I’ve never been

Happy Spring!

Morning all! I'm back. Well, maybe not back, back, but I'm definitely feeling like myself again. Thank God, cause feeling so blue and stressed was doing nothing for my complxion (although that might be PMS working its charm). Anyhoo, it's the first day of spring, and while it's 30 degrees here, the sun is shining brightly through the windows of my office. I have Tom Jones blaring through the mini-speaker on my Palm and I'm jamming as I work.

Did anyone catch last night's episode of the Sopranos? Lemme just say something about that show: the characters are terrible, hateful people, but the acting is just... amazing. Last night, I watch Carmela freaking out and she is really a great actress. Her character is, like all the others, awful, but man, the acting. She's so convincing.

While I don't have any stories from the new job, I do have a wardrobe update from the ex-crazy bad dresser co-worker. It's a few days old, but it's still damn good: Today, she's wearing a multi-layered look -- a white wife beater, topped by a short fuzzy offwhite cardigan, toped by a brown pinstriped pantsuit. The jacket is very long and has criss-crosses across the back. Big news today -- she is wearing -- I'm not making this up -- actual trouser socks! Off white with a diamond pattern. The accessories are interesting today -- the trouser socks are tucked into flat, contoured rubber bottomed brown shoes, that greatly resemble snow boots. And of course, no outfit would be complete without the Christmas scrunchy!

Thank God for cool ex-co-workers!

Viva Las Vegas!

So I'm finally getting around to posting about my birthday trip to Vegas. It was a blast. I turned 31 upon my arrival home, but sending out 30 in Vegas was great. Even the hubby enjoyed himself and he doesn't even gamble.

Here's me and the hubby right before seeing Sir Tom. The security chick made us put the camera away, but not before we took our self-portraits! Notice the birthday bling around my neck? Yeah, hubby! You're the best!

Here are some pics of the new Wynn Hotel (where we lost) and the outside of the Paris Hotel (where we won!). Both places are beautiful. I would have posted a picture of the Bellagio (where we lost), but frankly, I forgot to take one!

While the hubby is really great, he's also a little bit of a geek. He DEMANDED we go to the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton (where we came out even). GEEK!

Here's my self portrait after I lost my shirt at the New York New York. The green lights in the background are of the MGM Hotel (where we also lost and then the next day, won!). Yes, I closed my eyes on purpose. It was supposed to look like I was sad or something.

I had to take a picture of the bathroom in our hotel room at the Aladdin (where we won!). It was cool! I used the tub for a bubble bath one morning, but it didn't last long before I had to run down to the casino!

Like I mentioned in previous posts, the Vegas trip was a lot of fun. The birthday celebrations were great and definitely memorable. Thanks to all you nice folks for wishing me well in my 31st year (which so far, is pretty good, minus the stress of the new job). I got lots of phone calls, emails, cards, flowers, and presents from all over. I guess that means I'm semi-loved.

One last photo of the adoring couple (awwww!)...

Happy Birthday, Tanya!

I didn't forget, I just forgot to post it. Happy birthday, my dear amiga. I hope it's a wonderful year, full of laughter and cupcakes! Love ya!

Finally!

Ok, it's Wednesday, so I am posting a little bit about me...

Would you rather be:

01) Someone who would prefer to shop at a flea market or someone who would prefer to shop at garage sales? Hmmm, I think I would prefer to shop at a flea market. At least at the flea market, the items haven't been necessarily used.
02) A person who will swear in front of the opposite sex or a person who will always try to refrain from swearing in front of the opposite sex? As a proper young lady, I shouldn't swear at all, but in front my hubby, I find it is easy to be open and free.
03) A quiet giggler if you can contain it or an out loud laugher because you don't want to contain it? An out loud laugher, for sure. That's what I'm all about.
04) Chips with spices on them from the factory or plain chips with a yummy dip? Chips with spices on them. Like Old Bay seasoning chips - who makes those again?
05) A fan of older martial arts films or a fan of newer martial arts films? Neither. I don't really like movies with martial arts.
06) An agent of change or an agent of calm? Well, I would be an agent of change in a boring situation and an agent of calm in a crazy one!
07) One who gets their hair cut at regular, predictable intervals or one who gets their hair cut when they or someone else finally notices that it's too long? Predictable intervals. I hate split ends!
08) Wishing you could see the ruins of ancient Greece or wishing you could see the Great Pyramid of Egypt? Since I've already seen the ruins in Greece, I'll go with Egypt.


I have to send a shout out to those nice folks who have been calling me, emailing me, and posting comments on my blog encouraging me to trek forward with this new job. THANKS!! Even my dad called and told me to hang in there, cause the first week of a new job is always stressful. He even asked if I needed any money while I waited for my first paycheck. Very cute, I thought, but hasn't he realized that I'm not in college anymore and I don't live paycheck to paycheck? Once a dad, always a dad, I guess!

Absent

Yes, I know, I've been bad. I haven't posted in days and even worse, I haven't posted my Vegas stories or pictures. I will try! I promise. They are supposed to come and fix my high speed this weekend, and then I'll sit down, upload the pics from my camera and write my stuff.

On other fronts, I started the job yesterday. It's good, but so overwhelming. I spent over 12 hours in the office yesterday and I still didn't make a dent in all the stuff I have to go through. I'm back this morning, less than 12 hours later. So, yes, I broke the 12 hour rule. That's really terrible. I hope I don't make it a habit.

The weather up here is ridiculous. Last Friday, it was nearly 70 degrees. The weekend was great too. Yesterday, it was in the 60s. This morning, it's in the upper 50s and it's expected to go into the 30s by lunchtime. What's that all about?

Anyway, back to work. Readers, please wish me good thoughts on this new job. I hope I don't collapse from exhaustion this early in the game.

Go Annie, it's Your Birthday!

Yeah, I'm 31 today! And I've been wanting to post all day, but my high speed connection is down, down, down! Which totally sucks. Totally. But I think I'll work on my post offline, dial in, and add it to my blog. It just might not be tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Or Friday. I'll work on it. And yes, I'll write about my Vegas trip, my surprise bday gift from the hubby, and my night with Mr. Jones (twice in one month!).

Unemployed, Day 3

It's Wednesday, so that means it's "getting to know you" day. I've got a small list of favorites today. Feel free to answer for yourself in the comments section.

My Favorites...

1. Pet - Growing up, I didn't have a pet, except for some fish and a couple of birds. I don't really like animals, and my father really didn't like them, so we never had the common household dog or cat. Once, when I was about 7, someone gave my dad a dog - his name was Lobo, and my dad thought the dog would protect the house. He didn't. As a matter of fact, Lobo just got really sad. So after a week, he went back to his owners. We never talked about him again.

2. Car - My first car was a 1990 Toyota Corolla. It was this cute little thing - it had a hatchback and was royal blue. I took really good care of the car and remember driving to South Beach and Coconut Grove while skipping school. I had to get rid of it a few years later because it leaked oil. But that car reminds me of "emergence" as a teen.

3. Birthday - I usually have really good birthdays. The most memorable: When I turned 22, I travelled from Florida to Tennessee, which made the day 25 hours long (due to the time change). I thought that was pretty cool. For my 30th birthday, I went to Vegas with my girlfriends and saw Tom Jones for the first time. It was great because we had front row seats and this put us in a position where we could throw our panties at him. While my friends didn't throw, I did. And it was liberating! Okay, it wasn't liberating, but for someone who can be conservative, it was very liberating for me.

4. Teacher - Lisa Kasenow. She was my high school physics teacher for two years (yes, I was a geek and took Honors Physics, followed by AP Physics). Ms. Kasenow had a way of teaching her class that made you feel like you were in college. This, of course, was good, because it prepared us for college. She would give these random pop quizzes that counted for half of your grade. And they were just one question quizzes. And she spoke to you like you were a real person, not like she was babysitting us. The last I heard, Ms. Kasenow was still teaching science to high school kids.

5. Vacation - While I have travelled to Europe and done the whole backpacking bit, I have to say that my favorite vacation was when I went to Hawaii last summer. I admit, this was my honeymoon, but I think it would have been fanastic despite it being a honeymoon. There is something about the Hawaiian Islands that makes them different from the Caribbean Islands. The air smells delicious, the flowers are beautiful, the water is an ideal temperature. I really enjoyed Waikiki; we spent 4 days there after our island hopping excursion, and it was very relaxing. Even the hubby enjoyed Hawaii and he hates all things with sun, sand, and beach (which is why he's Mr. Gringo Extraordinaire).

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Today is Ash Wednesday. For those Catholics who observe, it signifies the start of Lent. Now, I'm not an extremely religious person so my understanding and explanation might be a little off. I consider myself more spiritual and rarely go to Mass. But my spirituality is another post. Basically, today starts 40 days of sacrifices, which means that most people "give something up" until Easter. Across the board, Catholics observe the "no meat on Friday" rule until Good Friday. Now, this means no meat on Friday. Only on Fridays. A few weeks ago, crazy bad dresser co-worker (who claims to be a devout Catholic) tried to explain to everyone that for the entire 40 days you couldn't have meat. When cool co-worker #1 (who's Jewish) asked why, she replied, "Because it's Lent. And Lent is Lent." The woman is just nuts. Certifiable, in my opinion. Rhetorical question: how do you answer a question with a non-answer?

I won't be around for the next few days - we are going to Vegas for six days of "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" fun. When I get back, I'll be a year older. And I will most certainly update on our trip, hopefully with pictures!