the good ones

I just got called "little one" by a guy at work! How adorable is that?! This man is one of my favorite people here, and trust me, the good ones are few and far between. He is short, with a bum leg, and he walks with a cane. He's got a perfectly round face, short grey hair and glasses, and he wears suspenders. He is like the grandpa of our room, everyone loves him. He has a tendency to narrate what he's doing while he works, and sometimes says the funniest things, that I find myself laughing silently in my cubicle, having just overheard something ridiculous. 'Cause the thing is, he talks really loud. He used to sit just down the row and around the corner from me, and I could hear him on the phone all the time from there. But now he sits right around the corner, so we share a part of one wall. He stopped by my cube 5 minutes ago and said, "Did you see that, little one? I forgot I moved, and went to my old cubicle!" So sweet.

Another person I have found particularly endearing lately is this guy on a TV show that I'm embarrassed to admit I've been watching. I couldn't care less who wins, but I got sucked in one lazy Saturday, and now I think I've watched every episode. The show? Shear Genius. It's awful, really, but it's the perfect thing to put on the TV while I go about my business on the weekends. It's a competition show following the formula of Project Runway, Top Chef, etc. only this one is about cutting hair. I laughed when I saw the ads, but here I am, watching it. Oh well. Anyway, the guy who would be the equivalent of Tim Gunn on PR, is named Rene something-or-other, and he's a cutie pie. He's gorgeous, for one (though a bit femme), and his typical greeting is "Hi-Hi!" His answer to Gunn's "Make it work," is "Shake it." Only with his accent, it sounds more like "Sheggit." I find it very endearing, and I have no idea why. :)

no appropriate title comes to mind

Feeling better about stuff today. I've been pretty busy the last couple days, so maybe that has something to do with it. I think I get in trouble when I have nothing to do and am left to my own devices ... though sometimes that's my favorite way to be. Go figure.

Monday I had a doctor's appointment, and we're going to continue lowering my Prednisone dose since I've been doing so well with the Enbrel. Yay me! So hopefully I'll be back to my normal-faced self very soon! I should be completely off it in 6-9 weeks, depending on how I do my taper - I've been given a bit of flexibility since I know my body better than any doctor ever could. Plus, I'm putting myself on a diet, and I MIGHT even start EXERCISING!! OMG, what is the world coming to??!! And in a fit of self-improvement energy, I bought some moisturizer with a touch of self-tanner in it so I don't look like a glass of skim milk this summer (complete with slight bluishness). My goal is to look smokin' hot by my 10 year HS reunion, whenever that decides to be. Don't exactly know why I want to look good for those people, but it never hurts to put your best foot forward. And any motivation is better than none at all, right? RIGHT?

After the appointment I took an unplanned trip to Trader Joe's since I was passing by, and I bought a basket full of yummy treats - mostly healthy, too! For some reason, this shopping made me feel incredibly happy. I'd been hankering for some TJ's goodies.

Yesterday I had to work for 10 hours (long story), so afterwards, instead of fighting the nasty rush-hour traffic, I went to IKEA and browsed for a while (bought some new sheets, and a pot for a plant I want to transplant). Got a couple ideas for some things I might buy for the apartment, but I didn't want to make any major purchases until I did a bit of comparison shopping and visualizing things in the actual space. I recently purchased some items online, one of which has been delivered and is sitting happily in its spot in my living room - a shoji screen! This is serving the dual purpose of dividing the space into a living room and dining area, while also hiding the ugly cords and wires behind the desk that my TV/DVD etc. are on. I also ordered a rug for the living room that is being delivered on Friday. I'm TOTALLY excited to see how that will look in the room, and even more excited to get rid of the abomination (hesitate to even call it a rug) that is in there now. So now my goals are thus: 1) find a trunk/chest for my bedroom - I'm having storage issues and need a place for purses, belts and other accessories, but also want something that will be attractive and not look all "storage-y" (read: nothing plastic). I'm currently looking at one online (here's the link - I like the nutmeg. Opinions?), and I saw one at IKEA that costs considerably less, but has a more rugged look that I'm not sure if I like as much. Oh look, here's a link to that one, too! These were also neat (they had a larger size at the store that doesn't seem to be online), but I 'd definitely need two and I'm not sure they're ideal. 2) I need some lamps for the living room. I saw this and this at IKEA, but I swear everyone and their brother owns these lamps, and do I want to be a follower? I think not. The only benefit is I'd be able to get these shades, which match the old rug I don't have anymore and LOVED. 'Course I could get the shades with any lamp, really, couldn't I? 3) I need a microwave cart. I think I've firmly decided on the one at Target, so I just have to go pick one up ... unless something better comes along between now and whenever I get my butt over there to buy it. I guess that's not so firm, is it? 4) I'd also like to get a baker's rack for the kitchen, but I have a dilemma here too. I really like this one, but it's a bit expensive, and the wood won't really match the microwave cart (not that that's incredibly important, but I don't want it to look ridiculous sitting next to something so obviously mismatched). This one is a better price, it matches better, and the style is slowly growing on me, but it's out of stock and who knows when it will be back in. This one - same deal. My other option is the one from Target that will match for sure, but I don't particularly care for, looks-wise. Which is also something that everybody and their brother owns. Hey, I just noticed ALL THREE of the other racks on the Target site! Hmmmm ...

MAN, can I ramble!!

Anyhoo, yeah, I've completely lost the point of this post. Um, I guess I'm just saying that I've been busy. Or something. Tonight I'm going out with some gal pals (I hate that phrase, I can't believe I just used it!!!) for some much-needed socialization, so I'm happy about that. And tomorrow is Thursday and I have Friday off! Woo hoo!!

OH! About the dude with the problem and the cats (he'd still have a problem even without the "cat problem"), I've come to the realization that in addition to his lack of a conscience, he's a person who I'd do best to avoid if I don't want an argument. My professional opinion (if I was in the psychology profession, that is) is that he has some deep-seated need to prove himself, and is therefore very argumentative, challenges and/or disagrees with damn near everything I say, and lives in a fantasy world where anything that he has not personally experienced cannot possibly be true. Case in point: I was sharing some experiences a while back about when I was sick as a kid and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Obviously, this was a harrowing experience for me, as it would be for anyone, and I was talking about the different emotions I went through during this time. At every turn, his response was, "Why did you fee like that? I'd think you'd feel more this way. I wouldn't have let that get to me. Why did that bother you? I would have been more like this." Well, excuse me, but until you've been a 12-year-old girl who has an unnamed disease giving her pain and swelling in her neck and weighs 76 pounds because she is unable to eat due to the nausea, and has no idea what's causing it or whether or not it's going to kill her, you have no right to tell me how I should and should not feel. But that's just one of my issues with this guy. I'd just rather I never had to see him again.

Okay, that's enough. I think I should do some work now, no?

close encounters with the criminal kind

A coworker of mine is always amazed by the fact that I've met a few famous people. It's not a big deal - the people I've met are not THAT famous, and I haven't even met all that many. But on the occasion that I tell a story at work that involves someone I know or have met who has enjoyed a bit of celebrity, he's always so impressed! Apparently, he has not met one famous person in his life, nor does he know anyone who has (except me). So when I found out about what happened to this guy, who I had met once at a concert a few years back, I just had to tell him. The guy is the singer in a band from Chicago who I had all but forgotten about. When I was driving to my parents house the other day, one of their songs came on the radio and I was like, "Hey, I haven't heard these guys in a while. And didn't I meet the singer that one time at HOB?" When the song ended, the DJ came on and said, "Well, who would have thought THAT guy was capable of murder?" What??!! Murder? You mean, I shook hands with a murderer? Weird. Well, it turns out it was self-defense, according to this article, so I guess I feel a little better about that. At least, I feel better for him anyway. But still. Weird. Maybe this will teach my coworker that NOT ALL encounters with famous people are enviable.

now I want pizza

I love my CVS pharmacist. Seriously, I do. He is a shining example of what a pharmacist (or any person working behind any counter anywhere, really) should be. He has consistently been very polite and friendly, and he is knowledgeable about just about everything I ask him. The most recent, and best example of his awesomeness, happened just yesterday. I went in to get a prescription refilled, and also picked up a couple other items. However, I could not find the alcohol pads I was in search of, so I asked the girl behind the pharmacy counter where they might be. She gave me some stock answer of "They should be in First Aid," to which I replied, "I looked there, but only found bottles of alcohol." She had absolutely no response to this. BUT, my favorite pharmacist happened to be in the vicinity, and overheard our conversation, so he asked another employee to grab a box of alcohol pads from the locked cabinet (silly me, not to look there), and hand them to me. Not to mention, he specified the less expensive CVS brand. AND he called me by my first name. SO GREAT!! I went in there a couple times before that and he wasn't there and I was so afraid he didn't work there anymore, but then yesterday I was relieved to find him once again toiling away behind the counter. I think even after I move I will still go to this CVS just 'cause of this guy.

Oh, and ALSO? So totally excited about the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie for the dumbest reason ever. The movie itself could suck ass, but I would go see it anyway for sentimental reasons. My little brother and I used to watch the cartoon religiously, and we had the second live-action movie on video, and I think we may have watched it to the point of wearing it out. The best part was Vanilla Ice singing "Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!" (I don't know if that's the name of the song, but them's the words.)

Turtle Power!!!!

because blue is bouncy, and things stick to ugly people

I submit for your enjoyment ...

How does this woman still have a job?
Occasionally in the mornings, I listen to Nine FM on the way to work. I don't particularly care for the music, or the morning "personalities," but considering the mass of crap that passes as morning shows, it's one hundred times better than most of what's out there. Plus, they only have one-minute-long commercial breaks. :) Yeah, who am I kidding? That's really the only reason I listen. But I digress. The morning "personalities" I am confronted with on this station are Steve and Joey. Steve has been an integral part (well, a part anyway) of Chicago radio for quite a long time now, and if you think about it for a minute, you probably know his last name. But Joey. Aaaahh, Joey. She is ... well ... maybe I should cut her a little slack here and say she SOUNDS ... well ... in a word ... dumb. Not counting her I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on laugh, and her lack of intelligent responses to the things her cohost says, here is a list of the best (meaning worst) Joey-isms I have heard in the past two weeks or so:
1) "You're ugly, I'm blue, everything you say bounces off of me and sticks to you." Actually, Joey, it goes, "I'm rubber, you're ..." Oh, nevermind.
2) In a news story about Oprah, referring to her not once, but twice, as Madonna.
3) In the news story about John Kerry's botched Bush "joke," referring to him not once, but twice as John McCain.
4) In a story about a corrupt clergyman (which was just this morning, actually), quoting him as saying he was "sexually immortal." Steve made a joke about this one, but I'm not sure that Joey ever caught on to what exactly she had said.
I have come to the conclusion that even I, the word-stumbler-over, no-quick-response-haver that I am, would make a better morning cohost than our Miss Joey. Not that I'm complaining or anything. At the very least, she gives me a laugh (intended or not) every morning. Sexually immortal indeed.

Whatnot
There are two people who I see nearly every day who have the unexplained habit of adding "and whatnot" after almost everything they say. I'm not sure who picked up the habit from who (or is it whom?), but it's one of those little verbal tics, like saying "like" too much, thatreally tends to get on one's nerves! Here's an exaggerated fictional conversation to illustrate.
Person A: What did you do this weekend?
Person B: I went grocery shopping on Saturday because I needed some eggs and bread and whatnot. Then I stopped at the Post Office because I had to mail my bills and whatnot. I came home and ate dinner and whatnot while I watched the news and whatnot on TV.
Person A: Yeah? What about Sunday?
Person B: Sunday I went to visit my Mom and whatnot at her house and whatnot, and we took her dog and whatnot for a walk and whatnot ...
Seriously. Driving me up the wall ... and whatnot.

Why don't you try it too?
I used the word "circuitous" in a sentence today. Go me!

Ministry of Silly Walks

There's a dude I encounter occasionally (who, incidentally, looks like a blonde Dan Aykroyd) who has the funniest walk I've ever seen. He's kinda long in the torso, so his legs seem short, and his feet turn out a little bit, but damn can he get those things going fast! And somehow he doesn't bounce at all while walking, so if you only saw his top half, he'd look like he was gliding (like the nun in Blues Brothers! Another Dan Aykroyd connection!). But the oddest thing is that his enthusiastically swinging arms don't go straight back and forth - one of them sort of crosses in front of his body on the forward swing, and the other veers away from him on the way forward. How this guy manages to walk in a straight line is completely beyond me! But it sure is fun to watch. :)

Break. My. Heart.

I take I-90 to go to and from work, and pretty much every day, on my way home, there is a (I would say a homeless person, but I'm not entirely convinced that the people asking you for money are always homeless, so we'll say ...) beggar on the Addison off-ramp. It's not always the same guy - I've seen a few different guys during the time I've been taking this route - but which ever guy it is, he will usually do the same little routine. When the light has just turned red, he's standing right at the corner with his cup or sign or whatever method he's chosen to use. As soon as cars start to accumulate and come to a stop, he slowly walks down the sidewalk trying to catch eye contact with people so he can ask them for money. He'll get several cars down, and then, when the light turns green again and they start to move through the intersection, he'll turn around, walk back up to the corner and start the whole process again. One guy that spent quite a bit of time working that ramp had one of those hand-written signs. Out of curiosity, I would attempt to take a look at the sign so I could see what it said (if it told of his situation, or promised he wasn't going to use the money on alcohol, or what have you), but the writing was so small and scrawly that I could never make out anything more than "Please Help." If I tried to look harder at the sign, he would inevitably see me looking his direction and use it as an opportunity to come straight up to my car and ask me for money. Now don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against charity, but I don't like to give money to random people on the street because you really don't know what their situation is, or what they'll be using the money for. Having said that, it is much easier to simply avoid eye contact than to actually say "no" to a person asking you for money. And this is why I never found out what the rest of the guy's sign said. I still wonder. The last week or so, though, it's been a different guy. This guy is quite a bit younger, and doesn't have a sign, just a paper cup. A couple of days ago, I was sitting on the ramp and I was a bit farther back at the light, so he didn't get all the way up to my car before the light turned green. But as soon as it did turn green, Oh My God. He was on the curb next to the car in front of me and as we passed him by, he actually got down on his knee, holding his paper cup out in front of him and looked me straight in the eye - no avoidance was possible. Never before in my life had it made me so sad to not give money to someone on the street. I realize this was probably his intention all along, but seriously! I felt the pang in the pit of my stomach. Ouch.

And in other heartbreaking news ... yesterday while all the yucky wet stuff was falling from the sky (Storm? Hah!!) and the streets were sloppy and gross, I saw the saddest thing I've ever seen in my life. A single page from a coloring book, all colored in (a little blue and purple doggie), lay abandoned or lost, slightly crumpled, and very soggy on the sidewalk around the corner from my apartment. So sad. Poor doggie.