about the party.

Between work and NSI and the surprise party and the other projects and work crap, I've been a bit occupied. and those occasions when I have had some sitdown time I've pretty much been swearing off the computer.

However I'm back at NSI right now, killing some time between training sessions and thought I would go back like the old days and f*ck off a little. With a ridiculously overpriced coffee in hand. Aaaah, this is life.

So let's see. I forget where we left off.

I was planning a surprise party for OHN (that's Old, Hot Neighbor now) and that happened this weekend. It was an awesome adventure, and I got to see some parts of Baltimore I had not yet experienced. Now I can say I've done that, and my parents are both pissed and worried and reiterating that they don't understand why I have to live in dangerous parts away from my family, which really just adds to the fun.

Part I of the party was a 10yr old style Roller Rink birthday boy-pa-looza. I got some recommendations which helpfully included things like "the name is skate something" and "it's near this hotel" so I asked the google for some help and the google took in my input and spat out some names. I called a couple of numbers, found one that sounded fun and plans were afoot- well at least they were once the dude on the phone worked through his issue with the fact that the birthday boy for whom I was planning the party was 40, but that only took a few minutes and some reassurances from yours truly. I had planned to go scout the locale- because that can be important in Baltimore-, but never got around to it because of the amount of work I was doing and the fact that HN and I are temporarily sort of sharing my car. And because I'm lazy. I could have done it, but didn't. So anyway, when the big day came, I packed him into the car to meet up with the family and off we went. We went south, we went west. Then we went more west. In Baltimore. Hot Neighbor began to wonder if his birthday surprise was going to be a cameo in an episode of The Wire (oh how I wish I had thought of that sooner!) I began to worry a little about how his family would react, but then I remembered how HN is always saying what a shame it is that so much of what we do is all white people and how he doesn't feel like we really ever get authentic Baltimore experience mixed in, and how he wishes for less homogeny in our activities, and I was comforted. and I reminded him of this. And in the glow of the blue flashing police lights, he agreed and looked very handsome. So in we went. The rink was awesome, but it was LOUD. so loud that a few of our group (the very young and very old) left immediately because they couldn't deal with the noise. It was that loud. Those of us who stayed had a blast for 3 hours, even though we were very conspicuously not from that area. It worked out, it made it easier to find people in our party when needed.

When that adjourned we headed back to his sister's house for Part II of the party which was just dinner and cake. That part went ok, but I confess I don't remember too much of it because I was exhausted from cooking and baking all day (I made 5 lbs of ethiopian beef, 3 lbs of ethiopian lentils and the cake) so I mostly sat in the corner watching my handiwork execute and mumbling about how I'm always the hostess.

Sunday was basically a giant nap for me, punctuated with breaks of eating. HN took the dog out to run and she sliced her foot open so there was a little surgery, but no pictures yet. I'm due to check the wound today, I'll try to report back on that.

Otherwise I have nothing to report. Some work shit,but nothing terribly interesting. I'll try to be back later with something topical and some pictures. I'd consider an artist's rendition of the skating, but it would likely be way un-PC. and not in the cool way.

where the hell have you been?

i've been all over, but mostly working. how droll...

it's almost over. today in theory should be a day where my NSI time lasts no longer than 7 hours, and i for one cannot wait. then it's down to NC tomorrow for some dog and pony show with our investors where we all have to act very enthusiastic and give them confidence so they will in return give us money. it's cool, the enthusiasm shouldn't be hard to fake. NSI aside, or even included, i'm digging the J-O-B these days. the enthusiasm will be genuine, as this meeting is buying me 3 days out of baltimore and that means no NSI. can i get an AMEN!?

anyhoo, i have lots to tell. the surprise party is over and done and we all survived our tour of the combat zone (you'll understand soon, promise) i'm trying to find pics but i was so busy baking and shaking that i didn't bring my camera to the party or the dinner. so i'm basically relying on the kindness of strangers, but they're not picture people. but i swear i had the party.

keep an eye out, big changes are coming. big, bloggable changes. it's going to be awesome!

yes, becky. Your cats are weird...

i am hiding and you can not see me!

oh. you can see me. hmm.

i am just chilling. why?

A late afternoon riddle

What's little and silver and goes fucking SPROING when dropped?


yes, it's the external hard drive with all my data for the week on it!

All was not lost though. I was able to retrieve my data off of it one last time, and even to put it mostly back together. However, the sweet switchblade action piece ended up somewhere under a server rack, so now it's just lame with it's desperate looking USB nub hanging out full time.

How crude.

interesting.

1 computer.
2 image archives.
(1 of which is old, 1 of which I am building)

Low disk space. Solution? Delete images.

Care to guess which archive I deleted out of ?


ha. More coffee please.

GOOD MORNING BALTIMORE!!!

so, I don't know if I've mentioned it or not but lately I've been going with 1/2 decaf and 1/2 regular coffee. meh. Well today, I ran out of that mix and had a 5am meeting with the UK team so I decided it was time to bring out the big guns. I don't know what they do in Portland but the coffee there was DIESEL. So naturally I got like 3 bags, and today was the occasion to break into the first one.

Oh. My. God. Who turned on the lights??

I feel a little bit like this dude, only he carries a tune better.



cutting back on caffeine has got to be the dumbest idea I've ever had.

I'm so psyched I'm puking rainbows!

hmm. Why do I refuse to write lately? I've been crazy tired, and super busy; a combination that pretty much adds up to miserable D-bag. Ever since I came back from OR it's been pretty much a whirlwind with work. We're getting a bunch of new people, which is great because we need the help, but the crap part is it's basically my job to train them all. So while I know that eventually, having these new people will result in half of my workload migrating over to them, right now they about double it, because I have to do the work, while showing and explaining to them how to do the work. This is slow work.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel though.

Partially because that-time-of-the-month is almost over (definitely at least to the point where I don't need to be doubled up begging HN for aleve), and thanks to the wonders of modern pharmacology (and Jebus perhaps?) it should be better in the months to come. Yes, I am giving up on my quest to be a chem free kid. I just don't have two weeks a month to spare in terms of brain power, coping ability and loss of mobility due to pain. Something was just not right, so I moseyed over to the doc who gave my innards a vicious squeeze and determined there was nothing going on in there that some pills couldn't fix. So Yazhoo, and off we go. I don't know about this PMDD biz-nazz, but I will take the pill and hope for the best. 24 real pills and 4 sugars? This is going to be like vacation from now on! I'm also due to see an endocrinologist in 1 month to see what else might be shaking loose inside, but I am actually already feeling a bit better. I'm a sucker for the placebo effect though, so it could be that. Either way I'll take it.

I also went running last night. Like Forrest Gump "I was RUN-NING" running. I haven't had much time lately, because work has gone straight past bad joke to just atrocious and by the time I was done every night I just didn't have it in me. But last night I decided I was going for it, so I didn't even turn on my computer when returning from NSI. I just put on my shoes and went for it. It was a pretty good time, not quite as easy as I'm hoping it gets sometime soon (esp since I somehow got suckered into a 5K race in April) but I was determined to get my endorphins so I kept at it. I squeezed those glands (or whatever endorphins come from) like a lemon baby! and came home feeling like a million bucks. Again, potential placebo effect at play here, but I really can feel the moment when I get the second wind (ok, really it's the first wind) so I think it might be the real deal.

Cap it off with a beer, and some chile cheese fries down the street and you have a night! Or at least I did, because I was so tired from just being tired, and plus running that I passed out at about 9pm.

I think that's about it. I've cut back to half caff coffee in the mornings, and this seriously impedes the wit. I really only did it so I could have 2 cups though. I'm really needing to hang on to that second hot cup to get myself together these days, and didn't think it wise in my current VERY STRESSED VERY ANGRY frame of mind to be doubling the stimulant intake.

Sigh. This is what growing old means I guess. Thinking about things like caffeine and glands.

sick dude.