I'm going to a PINK Slumber Pah-Tay tonight! I have cupcake makings! Chocolate cupcakes with homemade icing (to be made pink by homemade raspberry jam), The Sex and the City Movie, and Pink Pajamas. I'm very much looking forward to letting off a little steam with the girls. =]

Talked to boss-man this morning again. Sorry if the minutiae of this is driving you crazy, but I feel better when I talk about it and get it off of my chest.... Anyway I told him that the suspense is painful and if they're going to let me go next Tuesday that they need to let me know. He said that they haven't had a chance to talk about the state of things and he can't guarantee I'll be safe next week. He did say that I won't be let go on Tuesday. He also said if it comes down to it, he'd like to have me work for them on a contract basis.

Eric's been so great even though his work has been crazy. I heart him.

And now for something completely different....pugs dressed up like Star Wars Characters.

We were in tears on the couch. Even if you didn't vote for Obama, you have to appreciate the enormity of what has happened. I'm so proud of us for getting beyond the skin issue and voting for the man inside. It was an incredibly close race. Popular vote skirting just a hair on the Democrat side of 50/50.

I can't help but think of the ominous as well. Already there are reports of horribly racist things about this tremendous man. But he had to expect fallout. He has to be wary of his safety. I guess that's the price you pay for being the first black man in the highest office of this great (and slightly racist) land.

Congrats Obama. And congratulations America for, as my mother put it, "getting out of your own way."

But most importantly, I blame you, Obama, for the hangover I'm currently nursing.

Here’s a question for you, Trent… how do you feel about being personally expected to bail out failing Wall St companies who knowingly made really stupid financial decisions?
- Jillian

I’m not mad at Wall Street. They’re playing the game according to the rules they’re given. The problem comes with the people writing the rules. I’m mad at the flavor of “deregulation” in Washington that has created a situation where a select few (the CEOs and the large stockholders) collect the profits while everyone else covers the risk.

Let me be clear: we have socialism in the finance industry right now, except it’s a diseased kind of socialism, where everyone bears the risk but only a select few enjoy the profits.*

The blame for this falls squarely on the people who have been in charge of instruments such as the Treasury Department, the Senate banking committee, and the House financial services committee over the last twelve years or so, excluding perhaps the last few since it would have been impossible to slow the train in just a year or two.

Free market capitalism doesn’t work if the people who make risky moves aren’t saddled with the risk of those moves. That’s what we have now, and that’s a failure.

* Holy Crap, that bolded sentence is so right on it gave me chills.

Sometimes it frustrates me that I don't have enough time in the day.

For instance, I think we'd be healthier if I cooked more things from scratch, but between a 12 hour day (with commute), exercise (3 nights a week from 7-8pm), (still) trying to get the business up and running, and trying to do some creative stuff (crochet, halloween, christmas), I feel like I have to cut corner in the food department.

If I were staying home, I would probably be making jams, bread, granola, baking a whole turkey, slicing it for Eric's sammies, using the rest of the meat in a casserole an using the carcass for a soup. I would probably have a year round garden to cut down on our fresh fruit, veggie, and herb costs. But this sort of stuff takes plain old time. So it comes down to, submit my whole Sunday to food, giving me a 6 day workweek, or doing more work during the weeknights, meaning I sacrifice sleep.

I know people did this... worked from sundown to sunup and then worked some more... and maybe I'm just spoiled with my leisure time... and I think that I'm probably more productive than a lot of people in the combination of things I do in the time I do it in, I just wish I could squeeze a few more hours in so I could still get 8 hours and be a more wholesome cook.

As it stands we have a frozen pizza once a week for dinner. But I always microwave some frozen veggies! Woot!

We're currently listening to THRILLER on Pandora.

But I woke up with "Debra" by Blondie.

Hi!

Dood dood, check it out , hubby and I made a list of Christmas Presents we're buying everyone so we can spread the gifts out over time.

Our original plan of having the Credit Card Paid off by September has been postponed until January due a fender bender that Eric got into that we decided to just settle outside of insurance and the need to get heating oil. But that's okay, we're still well on our way, and then I can move all of that money over to the student loan in February to knock that off. I'm pretty excited. PROGRESS!

PS. My funk is apparently gone. I've got my twinkle and sense of humor back. It's excellent. Leaves me full of mischief. See Icon.

Song

I woke up this morning with the BeeGees "Night Fever" in my head.

I usually wake up with a song in my head. I think I'm going to start sharing.

Politics

Anyone see the debates last night? Overall thoughts?

I personally think that this is a pretty clear Nixon/JFK situation, both in the appearance and vision. I also think the "town hall" style was a poor choice giving the the last speaker an opportunity to piss all over the opponent. Finally, Tom Brokaw was crabby when those boys didn't do what he said. I was waiting for him to pull out a cigarette and a martini and completely ignore the candidates. It was funny.

I feel the need to write this down, and, this seems as good a place as any.

Enter Braindump:

• Finish Halloween Costumes for Eric, Kristie, Self.


• Go Grocery Shopping


• Make our gift list


• Plan our Ferry Game Night (Halloween themed)


• Finish setting up online store for business


• Invitation Designs (tweak 2, finish 2, start 2)


• Start handmade Christmas Gifts


• Buy Bulk Birthday Cards (at least 10)


• Work on Work Halloween Party


• Get several quotes for new work projects.

Snagged from </a></b></a>pnksaph

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

"'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.
'--So long as I get somewhere,' Alice added as an explanation.
'Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the cat, 'if you only walk long enough.'"

Data Mining Techniques by Berry & Linoff

Ha, how bizarre is that?

I'm trying to improve my productivity... It's been difficult lately because I've been pretty distracted, not to mention the projects at work aren't exactly inspiring. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that I should be just as organized and motivated. So, what I'm going to try to do is come up with a plan...a daily plan. I've done parts and pieces of this plan off and on over the last couple of years, but if I get into a habit, maybe I can be more productive in all areas of my life. SO! Here goes:

Morning
• Ferry: Eat Breakfast, Check personal email, blog list, set up goals for ferry ride home
• At Work: Set tasks for day in Outlook, Check Email by10am, have 1-2 tasks completed by lunch.
• Lunch: 30 mins (outside when its nice)
• Early Afternoon: Check Email again, Clear out trouble tickets
• Late Afternoon: Brainstorm, Fun Stuff planning

I read somewhere that email has become more of a hindrance than a help, and I'm starting to believe that. I also read that everyone has a different cycle of productivity and I think this system will work for me.

So, that's it today.

DAMN. I'm *so* their demographic. I laughed, I cried, it was awesome.

Eric bought it for me. It was very sweet. He watched with me too! He said it was much better than he expected.

It was much better than I expected as well. They didn't half-ass it, which I appreciated. Because, let's be honest, they could of done a completely crappy job and they still would have made a MINT on us thirty and forty-something gals who have fallen in love with their characters. But I really felt like they made this movie with a true obligation to their viewers.

And for that, Darren Star, I Salute you.

Okay seriously... I'm so meh, that I can't be bothered to self-medicate via food. I'm care too little to get up to binge.

* take a picture of yourself right now.
* don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
* post that picture with NO editing.
* post these instructions with your picture

If you know me... you know that I start my Halloween Costume in August or September because I do about 4-6 costumes a year (not ALL for me...).

This year, my crew is doing Clue. We've got Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, and me, Mrs. Peacock.

Now I'm trying to pick out shoes to match my outfit... It's a dark blue/green chiffon halter dress (a la Marilyn), covered in peacock feathers and black and white polka-dot trim/jewelry, I plan on wearing fishnets with a seam in the back, a tiny peacock hat with a bird cage, a mustard colored vintage clutch and an iridescent overcoat with an ENORMOUS belt.

Help me pick out some shooooes:

A.

OR

B.
(these match my purse)

OR

C.

OR

D.


What do YOU think?