Off again...

So for those of you who don't know, I moved to Evansville IN this past weekend. Good times, and extremely hot! New addy... if you need it, let me know, but the cell phone number is still the same. I did see the cutest thing the other day. A mama duck and her 6 ducklings were crossing Evansville's largest road. I'm happy to report that they made it across safely! If you want to come down to visit, you're more than welcome to, but be advised, I don't actually get my belongings from the moving company until Aug 1. Also, I won't have any cable or internet until then I think, but the library has been a great resource for me thus far.

Airport Drama

As I was sitting in Terminal 3 of CVG today, I felt a little hungry so I decided to go over to the BBC (Bluegrass Brewing Company), which I do not recommend. First, I stand outside the door next to the sign I thought said "Please wait to be seated." Several times one of the waitresses just kinda stared at me. I was thinking to myself, "Aren't you at least going to greet me and tell me that someone will be with me shortly?" But no. Finally, after standing there for about 10 minutes without anyone talking to me, I look at the sign again and it actually read, "Please seat yourself." So, I can't read, but that doesn't mean that as one of the waitresses passed me, they couldn't politely say, "You can seat yourself, ma'm." So I asked said waitress if I could just sit anywhere, thinking to myself, please show me where your section is so I know where not to sit. So I pick a table and sit down. My waitress wasn't much better. She let my water run out 3 times, waited 20 minutes after I was finished (and reading a book) to bring me my check, I watched her eat waffle fries that had fallen off of someone's plate and on to the counter, and she kept calling me "hun". So, if you ever find yourself in Terminal 3 at CVG, just go to McDonalds.

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms. Either you love 'em or you hate 'em. I'm in the first category. I love to sit and watch the rain coming down, hear the thunder and catch the occasional lightning bolt flash across the sky. I think they are great. I heart thunderstorms!

The main reason why I did not become an ME

People often ask me why I became a chemical engineer. I give them the generic, "I was good at math and science and I liked chemistry in high school." But no one has ever asked me why I chose chemical over mechanical, and electrical. I think the following story sums it up nicely.

A few months ago my shredder stopped working. I started to pry the plastic cover off of it. I'm not sure what I was going to do once it was off though. I thought I would see a bad connection or something and fix it with my invisible sodering iron. At any rate, I couldn't get the cover off, so I gave up and just went out and bought a new one. I told Andy that he could have the broken one because he's way better at the whole mechanical thing. He's not that great at remembering to take things that are hidden in my closet, so needless to say, it's still here.

This morning I went to use my new shredder, and it wouldn't work. I tried a different outlet, and it still wouldn't work. So I took it off of it's little waste bin to see if there was anything stuck in the little shredder teeth. It was then that I noticed something. There is a little switch along the side which fit into a slide on the side of the waste bin. Kinda like the switch on a washing machine. I made sure the shredder was squarely on the waste bin, crossed my fingers, and turned it on. And wouldn't ya know.. it worked.

So I got the old on out of the closet, and did the same thing, and now it works. A little "cosmetic" damage, but still running well.

I should learn how to trouble shoot better. :)

Backbrace

As I was flipping through channels, I paused on Maury to see something I could not believe. There was a woman on with 65MM breasts. Now, it's no secret (even though I've tried to keep it one) that I am not a flat-chested girl, but 65MM!!! Each one of her breasts were the size of a basket ball! And she wasn't a big lady... she looked like she actually had a pretty small frame over all, but it's hard to see past all that boob! I just kept thinking to myself, How is she standing up straight???

I hate people

There's this guy at work who doesn't do anything. Literally, doesn't do anything. He's a union hourly worker who comes in at 4:30am even though he's not supposed to be there until 6:00am. Now, he gets paid for these extra 2 hours even though none of the other employees are paid before their shift starts. Why do you ask... because he imputs the electronic time cards. If that strikes you as wrong, it's because it is. And you may be saying to yourself, "What does he do for that extra hour and a half?" Simple. He sleeps. He sleeps from 4:30am until 6:00am and then again from about 9:00am until 11:00am, and then again from 3:00am to 4:00am. During the rest of the time, he's sitting outside smoking or playing slots on the computer and bitching about something. So why do they keep him around? I'm not sure. There are a few tasks that only he does, but that doesn't mean he should. He does the shift paper work which the supervisor should be doing, he does another report which the accountant should be doing, and he does the electronic time cards, again, something the supervisors should be doing. Why is he still around? That's because he's been there for 44 years and he's supposed to know everything. Truth is, he doesn't know jack shit. And I'm not saying that I know everything, but I do know that the only things he says is stuff that other people have said to him. Basically he's an overpaid parrot. How overpaid? $100,000/yr overpaid. I really wonder about this company sometimes

Hotels

So recently I've been staying in a lot of hotels. And I have to wonder... does anyone actually depend on the shampoo (and sometimes conditioner) that the hotel provides? I know that I usually just stick them in my bag, as a bonus, but I never actually use them. When I go on a trip, I make sure I bring my own. Maybe it's a girl thing. The idea that you are dedicated to one particular type of hair care products and you (and your hair) would feel extremely bad if you were to have a one-night stand with the sample-sized hotel version. Would hotels be better off leaving these items at the front desk and supplied on an "as-needed" biases? Or would then the customers feel cheated if they didn't have the 0.0005 oz of clean waiting in a small basket with the facial bar and a wash cloth?

Traveling

So I haven't blogged in forever. I think it's due to the fact that I haven't slept in my own bed more than 5 times in the past 31 days. But I have to admit, traveling is interesting. Like yesterday, I had a flight attendant that spoke about 3 words per minute. Talk about annoying. Or like my flights to and from Philly that were delayed 4 hours... each. Damn weather. I do have one recommendation for everyone out there. When they ask for volunteers to take a later flight, do it, but not right way. I signed up to take a later flight and ended up on my original flight... but in first class. Hot Damn. Everyone should send me some love!

Luggage

I will be going on a very long trip soon (2 weeks!) and I thought it necessary to buy a piece of luggage that would be able to hold everything I'll need while I'm on my little adventure. I hit my local TJMaxx for the largest piece they had. It's a 30" Samsonite with a built-in suiter, and a hangie thing for my toiletries. Today I was looking at it, just the size and features and whatnot, and then I thought to myself. "Hey, I bet I could fit in that." So what did I do... you guessed it, I laid down in the fetal position inside my new suitcase and pulled the top over it. I'm not sure how well I fit because no one was around to zip it up. My conclusion is that if it's big enough to hold me, then it's big enough to hold my stuff for 2 weeks.

Moving Hassles

So way back when... July of 2004, I moved to Minneapolis... no news here. When they moved me, the damaged 2 items very dear to my heart... a jewerly box Andrew gave me, and the dresser my dad made me. After a run-around with the moving company, especially with the dresser that they wanted to just fill-in, I was finally able to get them to agree to just send me a check and I would take care of the damages. The estimator said that I was due $140. When the check came, it was just over $74, with the damaged goods each costing about $37. So I called them and they told me that even though my statement didn't say it, it was actually $140 minus my outstanding balance. Outstanding balance?!? I explained to them that I didn't pay for my move, which was also in their records. The lady admitted that they were wrong and had me send the check back. So I got a new check today. Amount = $74
Pissed, I called them back, and got a new customer service rep. She gave me the same run-around story.
Finally, I asked her, "In front of you, do you have the name of the persons who paid for the move?"
"Yes... Something materials corperation"
"Exactly. Not me. Any outstanding balance needs to be addressed to the company that moved me. I was moved by GAF Materials Corperation through Lytle's Transfer. The only part I played in the move was to show the movers what to pack when they came to pick-up and where to put it when they delivered."
So now from what I understand, I have 2 checks coming, one that's already in the mail from one mistake that they made, and another, from this. We'll see what happens.

Geese

Our friends from the north have come to visit once again. Canadian geese have started to infiltrate all of Minnesota. I think we need those MinuteMen from the Mexican border. Anway, I thought I would share a couple of geese stories.

One evening, I was coming home from work, and as I was pulling into my apartment complex, I noticed something very strange. There were about 6 geese on the roof of the building across from mine. I have never in my life seen a goose on a roof. I found it funny.

After a day of shopping, I was returning home. As I was trying to merge on to the freeway, there were 3 geese on the on-ramp. So I slow down and start honking my horn at them. Eventually they waddle to the side and I start to speed-up and go around them. Then one goose, must have been the male, decided to start hissing and charging at my car. Chasing after a person is one thing, but chasing a car? Guys just don't know when they are out muscled.

so sleepie

Tomorrow, I move to night shift at the company. That means I'll be working 6pm to 6am, 5 days a week... good times? In trying to get used to the nocturnal lifestyle, I feel as if I've been hit with a bout of self-inflicted insomnia. I stay awake, staring at the tv, or computer... wanting to go to sleep but knowing that I can't. Wish me luck!

In Memory

May his good works on Earth be rewarded in Heaven.....

Requests filled here!

Loyal fans may want to know, "What happened to the office painting situation?" We painted this week, and it looks good. The color ("Blue Haze") almost looks lavendar in the flouresent lighting. It makes me giggle. Our next step is to do some major purging and organizing as well as putting up things on the walls.... shelves, dry-erase boards, pink canvases with white glitter... all on the agenda. One thought about painting I did want to share:

Sara's way of painting: Wash all the walls, fill in holes, prime over filler, move furniture to the center of the room, "cut in", paint 2 coats

Bossman's way of painting: Prime all of the dirty walls, holes and all, rearrange furniture, paint, fill-in, done

Bossman won.

Island Life

My pet freshman came to visit me this weekend (good times!) and we went out to dinner at the MOA (Mall of America) for dinner. We went to this island themed restaurant. They have good food, and the interior decorating is fun. During dinner, I told him that I wanted to run away to an island, raise island babies, and make grass skirts and coconut bras.... his reply:

"Those would have to be some pretty big coconuts."

NICE! Leave it to him to point out the obvious. :)

And the survey says....

I didn't get all the prep work done in time, so Bossman and I decided on "Blue Haze" Very professional looking. We'll get around to actually painting it one of these days. Probably stay late after work one night and get it done. I still have some spackling and a whole lot of priming to do. He wants to rearrange the room, which is fine, but that's something that he'll have to do... I'm not good with spaces... just ask Audra :)

Survey

So, the bossman has been out of town, but before he left, I brought in pink paint swatches to make him think that I was going to paint the office. He said that he would like the office painted, but not pink, so I took everything off the walls, patched holes and I'll be priming tomorrow... but now for the real question... Do I really paint it pink?

Some traveling stories

Apologies for not posting in a while, but I do have 2 good stories to post. I debated on if I should make 2 posts out of them, but I've decided to let you double dip into my most exciting life.

Let me set the stage for both stories....

Last week I was in New Jersey for supervisor training (yes, one day they may let me supervise... scary, I know) and both of these stories revolve around this trip.

Story #1
On the first night of the training, a small crew of us trainees decided to venture out into the Big Apple (you know, the "First City"). There was much debating on whether or not we should drive into the city, or take some sort of public transportation. Following in the spirit of urbanists, we opted for the bus... Actually, I think it was the fact that it picked us up right outside the hotel and the fact that we weren't actually planning on coming back sober that made the decision for us.
At any rate, we had a fabulous time but had to catch the last bus out of the Port Authority at 1 am. So we leave the last bar at 12:30, walk to the Port Authority, find our gate and sit and wait. Buses come and go, and at 1:02 am, I decide to go read the message board below our gate number. In tiny letters at the very bottom it read,"Buses leaving after 10pm will depart from gate B401 and B402" Good thing we were waiting at B405! So we go down to B401 and B402 with no dice. Then an employee yells to us that we have to leave because they are closing. We tell him our story and he says he can help us out. He then took us on an unofficial behind the scenes tour of the Port Authority. Back staircases, freight elevators, the works, and finally deposited us at the Greyhound station. After much debating, confusion, and sign reading, we left the Port Authority, and hailed a cab.

Story #2
After my return flight, as I was passing the ticketing counter, I went to reach for my car keys only to realize that I had left my purse on the plane. My hands were full, so I guess I had just assumed that my purse was with me. So I leave my bag with someone I was driving home, and I went up to the NWA ticketing counter and talked to Pete. I told him, "I left my purse on the plane." He told me to go to the other side of the security check-point and ask someone over there. So I go to the other counter and tell the lady at the first class check-in my story. She told me to talk to the first lady "over there". Well, there were two women working... was the first one the one closest to her or furthest away. I went to the closest one, explained my situation and she calls to a guy behind me for assistance, which, wouldn't you know, is Pete! He replies with, "I told her to come over to you." Lazy bastard. So this lady sends me to the next lady where I tell her, "I left my purse on the plane." The lady says to me, "Well, you can't get through the security check without ID." She said it in an "end of story, you're shit out of luck" sort of way. And I know I can't be the first person to have left my purse on a plane. But, as everyone knows, I don't keep anything where it's supposed to go, and my ID was actually in my pocket. I whipped it out and she didn't know what to say, but then she came back with "You can't go through the security check without a boarding pass." Well DUH! That's the whole reason why I was there in the first place. If I could just walk back through security, I wouldn't be messing with her. She then asked me where I left it on the plane, and I explained to her that I left it under the seat in front of me. "On the floor?" she replied, and when I said "yes" she rolled her eyes at me! And I thought I was supposed to "Store smaller articles under the seat in front of you to leave room for larger items in the overhead compartments" So I finally get a temporary boarding pass, go through security (including stripping down to a hospital robe they gave me), run to the gate, claim my purse and get back to my fellow passenger. What I don't understand is why, when I explained my situation to Pete, that he just didn't call down to the gate, ask one of the gate assistants to get the purse, hop on a golf cart and bring it out. That would have been a lot more customer service friendly

Strange Happenings

So Andrew and I were walking around downtown... on Wabash Ave to be exact and we stopped at The Coffee Grounds for a mocha and some warmth. Just then, out the window, I see Jen Ho and her significant other walking down the street. She comes in and we chit-chat and came to discover that they were on their way to the Sears Tower. That's right... We were not in downtown Terre Haute, but rather Chicago.

For all of those who don't know, Jen is currently residing in Indy.

If you don't find the irony, this story was pointless. But alas, I have something for you too.

Quotes from this weekend:

"You went duck hunting with a potato gun?!?" --Erik to Mike (because I don't think they'd let Mike hunt, especially after he sunk the kayak)

"Yeah, I'm just one of those guys from the 'burbs who's a pussy." --Mike (after a couple of beers and admitting that after the kayak sunk, he was too afraid to swim to shore for fear of the tadpoles in the shallow water)

"There's a lot of good DNA here tonight." --Mike (looking for someone to carry on his superior genes)

Comfort Food

This past weekend, I was hit with a pang of homesickness, so I decided to combat it with some good ol' fashion comfort foods. You know what I'm talking about... Those foods that your mom used to make all the time when you were young and at the time, they didn't seem like anything special, but now, after being out on your own (even if it's just at school and ARA dinner), you would give your pinky toe to come home one night to mom's meatloaf and brussel sprouts. So this weekend, I fired up the crockpot for a nice batch of ham and bean soup. If you're not from the mid-West (specifically Ohio), you may not be familiar with this classic wintertime dish. Traditionally, the bone from the Christmas ham is placed in a crockpot with some water, pinto beans, onions and enough brown sugar to make your teeth rot. It's then cooked initially for 8-10 hours, and after the first serving, it continues to be cooked until you finish it. And a must-have sidedish for this 5-ingredient wonder... cornbread! Crumbled up into the soup to absorb all the liquidie goodness.... hmmm...