a look back on '07

here's a taste of what happened in my life and around the world this year, whether you care or not ;)

1. year o' moving: i moved out of my apartment and into the basement of my fine (and generous) friend karen...only to move out 6 months later and back in with my parents.

2. travelling wo-man: i spent much of my spring and early summer on planes, in cars, in hotel rooms, and staying with friends. a zeta reunion in oxford; trip to boston to see amy, the red sox, and a whole bunch of people who work for catalogs; virginia for some focus groups; indy for some boozing with my bestest friends...i always thought i would like to travel all the time, but now i'm not so sure...

3. VT: the event that shocked and dismayed the country, with a cold and tragic flashback to school shootings of the past.

4. ball and chain: on june 21, i got engaged to my future-hubby, 'hubby'. by this time next year, i'll be mrs. husband. then i'll be able to say, "this is my husband, matt husband" (my mom gets a real kick out of that)

5. weddingpalooza: attended some, participated in a few, and started planning my own. the statment "everyone is getting married" became the catchphrase of the year.

6. baby kate: shannon and abe had their first baby, a girl! she's freaking adorable and we love her. kathleen elizabeth.

7. kid #2: toph and sharon announced their pregnancy with their second child, in the same month that baby kate was born and i got engaged. we like to keep things interesting around here. then, at christmas, they told us it's a boy. yay!

8. home on the range: matt and i (mostly just matt...) bought a house! new to home-owning, this was a real experience that i'm not interested in participating in again soon. the house is awesome, and i can't wait to move in.

9. 90 years: my aunt ruthie turned 90. she lives in florida and travelled up to stl for a big party. i could only hope to be in her health at 90 -- she delivers meals on wheels to the "old people", as she calls them.

10. strike out: writers go on strike across the country. say goodbye to television shows that have scripts, and hello to a million reality series. luckily, american idol doesn't require the talent of writers to continue on.

happy 08 to all - hope it's a good one. see you next year.

follow up to the holiday party...

just wanted to let everyone know - the holiday party WAS as miserable as expected. people lined up to eat dollar roll sandwiches and brownies, we drank pepsi out of styrofoam cups...we even played musical chairs. well, i didn't play - but a representative of every part of the company played. the director of IT won, but the CEO came in a close second. no prizes for winners, just glory.

so after leaving work 45 minutes late, i ventured to my mom and dads in west county, only to realize that west county drivers are by far the worst drivers in the midwest. i hope they all quit their jobs when hwy 40 shuts down, so that i never have to deal with them again.

happy 6 days till christmas...

holiday par-tay

nothing says christmas/hanukkah/kwanzaa/atheist holiday of choice like the notorious company holiday party. my previous job - they certainly knew how to throw a party. in my first year, we had an all-inclusive 8-midnight party at a local restaurant/bar. employees were hammered, drinks were spilled, bosses were dancing on tables - it was spectacular.

so the next year, i think they realized that was a bit over the top, and out of budget, so we had an afternoon bowling party. the whole company left work at noon and hit the lanes. beers, buffet style food, bowling tournament, stale stench of cigarettes - what more could you ask for? it was a great time. (also, it was my last day of work at that company, so it was superb)

well, now that i'm with my new company for the first holiday party experience, i had high hopes of something super cool - like karaoke at chili's. i was greatly disappointed the day i received this email:

Hi!
You are invited to our Holiday Party! We will have
appetizers, desserts, soda and water.
We will also have a raffle to give away 3 Gift Baskets!
When: Tuesday, 12/18/07
Where: 2nd Floor of our building, in the open area outside of the
administration offices
Time: 4pm-6pm
*You do not need to RSVP
**You will be given your raffle tickets at the party
Thanks and hope to see you there!

so not only does this holiday party not involve drinks, it happens from 4pm - 6pm, when our business closes 5pm. Merry Christmas! Feel free to stay at work an hour late!

and to make it worse, the location ("the open area outside of the admin offices") is actually the open area right f-ing next to my desk. i couldn't even skip it if i wanted to. sons of bitches.

so in about an hour and a half, i'll be enjoying a tasty dessert accompanied by a bottle of water, all on the company's dime. grrrrrreat.

and if your holiday party doesn't suck as much as mine, i don't want to hear about it.

i hate the dentist and why i'm buying all xmas presents online

so today, i had to go to the dentist for a filling. my first filling since i was about 10, i was actually quite nervous. they assured me it was no problem and that i could return to work after the hour-long appointment. this was true - i did return to work, but they failed to mention to me that when i returned to work i would be talking like a goober that got punched in the mouth. not only that, the dentist went a little crazy with the lidocaine shot and i swallowed a mouthful. if you ever wondered, that WILL make you throw up.

so needless to say, this hasn't been the most fun monday. but the weekend on the other hand was a good time - i moved out of my basement dwelling on pembroke (tear) and in with my parents. this is the 5th time i've moved in three years - only to be moving again in june 08 after i am an old married woman.

and the decision to move home with my parents? it has it's ups and downs. the down is that they live in west b.f. about 30 minutes from everything. the up is that i will have homecooked dinner and packed lunches for the next 6 months. or if anyone is interested in a bonfire party, i've got the hookup.

so the other interesting event that happened this weekend occurred at the galleria, aka hell in december. i should know better than to step foot in a mall at this time of year, but i couldn't help myself, as i needed to use a discount card to victorias secret that i received in the mail before it expired (and i needed new underpants as well).

so i walk into vs, and am first off shocked by all of the very young girls in there picking out some extremely scandalous undergarments. some of these girls looked 12 - sick.

i pick out my 5 for $25 underwears, and one extra for the "free pair" that my card offers. i get in line to pay, and the cashier informs me that the "free pair" that i have picked out has to be a certain kind, which i did not know. there are people in line behind me, but i rush over to pick out a pair that will be free while they wait (i'm that girl).

as i rush back to the line with a pair of green and white polka dotted granny underpants, i realize that the people directly behind me in line are my co-workers (a guy and a girl - who before this i did not realize that they even knew each other). i casually say hello, as though a) they did not just have to wait for me to pick out underwear b) didn't just see the granny panties i picked out and c) aren't half as uncomfortable as i am at this moment.

i feel my face getting red, the cashier tells me how much my total is - then i can't find my credit card. the girl co-worker is telling me some story about her stepmom and i am not paying attention at all, like the flake that i have turned into, trying to find the stupid credit card. i manage to find it, pay, sign the receipt and pretend like i have something really important to go to and can't stay and chat.

i haven't been that embarrassed since i threw up on myself at six flags when i was 12. i rode mo-mo the monster three times in a row - what do you expect?