Kingfisher Cove

I Want One, Tooooooo!

OK, what's up with this?  Two of my friends (count 'em -- TWO) are having hysterectomies in February.  I'm so damned jealous that I think I'm going to have a hissy fit.  Right here, right now! 

I'm not entirely sure what it takes.  One friend was told (by her doctor) that she has a "big ol' blob" in there. 

The other friend was told (by her doctor) that she has "a big ol' bag of marbles" in there.

Can't they find something lurking/rattling/rolling around in my "in there"?  Of course I don't mean anything life-threatening, just -- something that doesn't belong?  "My God, you've got radishes growing in there!"  I'd be OK with that.

There was a time not too long ago, that I wouldn't have felt this way.  I fondly thought of my uterus as "Nate's home for nine months", and the idea of it being yanked out was rather sad.  Now? 

Yank it!

I am sooooooo done with that bitch, Auntie Flo.  She drains me!  She turns me into a ravaging, venom-spewing, well, BITCH.  (Must be in the genes, har har).

Whenever I've made specific complaints to my doctor, I get this:  "Oh, well you know, it's common for your age, it's not out of the ordinary, blah blah blah."  I'm surprised I didn't get a fond pat on the head.  So what that means is I'm supposed to put up with this crap?  Haven't I paid my dues?  (And how do you know I don't have a blob or a bag of marbles in there?)

OK, so one of these friends has been kind enough to give me her OB-GYN's name and I'm getting a referral and we'll just SEE if within the next couple of months or so I, too, will be able to enjoy some significant time off from work and be at the beck and call of my child and my husband who will have to pamper me, such as handing me the TV remote that's beyond my reach because the weenie dogs are cuddling up to my nether-regions like furry hot water bottles and they refuse to budge. 

First H*ars*tine Visit for 2005

Got up at a decent hour this morning and headed down to JDub's folks' where we'd temporarily kept the red boat stored.  We enjoyed a nummy breakfast with them (potato pancakes!), then JDub hooked the boat up to the Durango and we headed to H*ars*tine to store it there.  I hadn't been there since October!  It felt good to be back!  For a January day, it wasn't too bad -- around 50 deg.  Dry at least (we did hit a misty drizzle on the way, but it never affected us while we were there). 

JDub got the boat all situated -- here he was (ahem) checking the battery (which is dead) and I just HAD to get this shot!  (heh heh).  The boat now has a blue cover over it, that was kind of a pain because it's a little too big and JDub was trying to prevent rain from eventually pooling so he had to stick some firewood and stuff inside to try to "tent" it.

Then we headed down to the beach!  Woohoo!  The tide was out so we had a lot of beach to roam around and search for agates.  The lighting was bad for agate-hunting though (no sun!), but I did manage to find 2-1/2.  (One is quite small so I'll call it half an agate).  I believe I simply got lucky.  It's interesting how the beach changes over the months.  We have a lot of driftwood near the bank and it was totally rearranged, requiring us to maneuver over and around it.  It's not "pretty" driftwood.  In fact?  It's all butt-ugly, which is why I've never taken any pictures of that area!  Our plan is to have a HUGE beach fire at some point and burn it all, which will probably be quite a challenge, timing it with tides, and hoping it dries out enough to actually burn.  It'll be one helluva smokey fire, I'll bet.  We'll also have to time it before the summer burn-ban season.

We've been in touch with an architect, and we're all set to get some things rolling -- not so much with having a house designed quite yet, but to have them act as our advocate so we can (hopefully) get a variance to build a little closer to the water than what the laws allow and lock that in somehow.  Then -- we can start planning and working toward that.  Maybe even build the garage (where we would want it to be in relation to where the house will go), and use part of that as sort of a "cabin" for a while.  It'll be a long process, I'm sure!  We're expecting to probably tent it again this summer.  That's actually pretty fun, but it DOES require decent and dry weather!  Can't count on that around here.

On our way home, we stopped at our favorite bar & grill and had steamer clams!  Yum!  And their prices increased!  Damn!  Good day, though.  Felt good to get some fresh air.

Productive Day, Once I Woke Up

I woke to JDub gently wiggling my foot, which was under the covers, and I opened my eyes and saw him standing at the foot of the bed.  At first I thought he'd brought Starbucks (which he always does on weekend mornings -- what a great way to wake up!)  I was planning on going to Curves this morning, though, and I knew that if I cozied up to a Starbucks I'd have too much time to talk myself out of going!  But I didn't see a Starbucks cup in his hand.  I said, "Huh?"  And he said, "Just thought you might want to get up." 

It was 11:00 a.m.!!!

I NEVER sleep that late.  And normally I'll wake up several times and fall back to sleep -- and I'm always aware when he gets up and hops in the shower -- usually around 7:30 or so.  I never woke up once.  And I realize now that for the first time in a really long time, my back hadn't woken me up!  I've been waking up with back pain a lot, and for whatever reason, it wasn't there today. 

And so I slept.  Boy did I!

So I leaped out of bed, threw on my workout clothes and was at Curves by 11:16, how about that?  I'm sure I still had a sleep crease or two lining my face.  And sleep hair, but so what?

After my shower, me and my beloved VW Bug headed to Grease Monkey for an oil change.  (Me and everybody else in the whole wide world).  I was there for an hour & a half!  Good thing I had my book with me.  I was tickled that a young woman worked on my car.  I'd peek around the corner and watch her at work now and then, and she was fast and knowledgeable and energetic and seemed to have a lot more on the ball than some of the other greasemonkeys there.  When I was paying, she came in to give me my keys and she said, "Cute car!"  When I climbed in, there was a long-stemmed carnation laying across my dash!  Hmm.  Wonder if the guy-customers got those, too?

Then it was off to Long Drugs to pick up a ton of stuff we were out of.  [I sure preferred it when it was Drug Emporium.  Long Drugs is not only significantly more expensive, but they have much fewer drug-type items to choose from.  But lots of food items.  I may have to compare Long's to Walgreens or Rite Aid and see if they might be a better bet now].

Nate went shopping today, too.  Mr. Fancy Pants got paid yesterday, so he and his buddy went to a discount clothing store and he bought some jeans and couple of nice shirts and a tie!  "You never know when I might need one."  (True).  So he was trying on his clothes and he couldn't remember how to tie the tie!  He hasn't worn one since 8th grade band, and although JDub taught him then, Nate would keep his tie partially tied for the next performance so he wouldn't have to fumble with it.  So... he forgot how.  I printed off some instructions I'd Googled and he retreated to his bedroom to practice.  When he came in to show me, I insisted on taking some pictures.  I couldn't get over how grown up he looked!  He put on the leather jacket that my folks got him for Christmas, and the outfit was complete.  Pretty cute little studly fellow, don't you think?  (Oh, he'd kill me if he saw that I'd written that!)  Oh well, that's what being a parent is all about -- subjecting yourself to bodily harm as a result of causing infinite humiliation.

Oh, did I mention that he also bought himself some boxers?

If It Doesn't Snow, We Can Always Go Boating

The dogs now have their (red) life jackets and since there's no snow around anywhere, I'm certainly hankering to go for a boat ride in our new (red) boat.  The dogs don't appear in the picture to be all that thrilled about their jackets, but actually they were more OK with them than I expected they would be. I figured their little paws would start pumping air the moment JDub lifted them up, but they were quite relaxed, overall.  (While I was trying to keep the camera steady from laughing my lips off!)  I think it's cool that they have those handles so if it's "weenie overboard" we can fish them out of the drink.  (You can do this either by hand, or by hook!)

Peanut even decided to take a nap in her jacket. Doesn't she look all Nike and Olympian?  She'd be darned stylin' parading around an arena during Opening Ceremonies, dontcha think?

And then Bailey was especially OK with hers when she discovered she could still have a belly-rub with it on.  (Note: I definitely recommend female dogs so that you can give them belly rubs without feeling like you're a pervert).

Bush Demonstrates How Social Security Personal Accounts Will Work

"C'mon, c'mon...seven!"

I just had to snag this from Ricky and share it!  Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

Shoppin'! (My Bad)

To help heal the wounds of one lousy-ass week month, I've been doing the Bad Thing: 

Online shopping. 

Oh, but it's so much fun!  And it's so.... rewarding!  And it really does perk me up!  And it's not like I'm ordering myself a laptop computer or a Maserati or anything.  This is stuff I covet need!  Honest.  AND, I've also been doing some birthday shopping for my niece who will be 5 in February.  I swear it's just as fun to buy for her as it is for myself.  Plus I can do it totally guilt-free.  Heh heh.

OK.  For me, besides ordering a few items of clothing to clog up my limited-spaced closet even further, I had fun at Garden Botanika. I achingly miss their brick & mortar stores, which used to be abundant all around the Pacific Northwest malls (not sure about elsewhere), but they were hurt from the competition of Bath and Body Works and so they closed up all their mall shops.  But they kept an online store, which I have to say is somewhat disappointing.  They discontinued or strictly limited many of their lines, introduced new lines that are unfamiliar (plus you can't "smell" them over the computer), and changed all their packaging (which is also unfamiliar).  But I discovered that my very favorite products, previously called "Spa", are now called "Immerse" and it's the same fragrance and at least some of the same stuff I love, including their body wash.  So I bought some.  (This ain't your Costco Kirkland brand price-wise, however.  Ugh!)  Oh, but the fragrance is wonderful.  I'd missed it terribly and I'm so excited to have some more (it arrived today!).  JDub likes this fragrance because I wore it when we met.  That was when this fragrance was also available as a cologne instead of just body wash or lotion. But at least I can smell really really good while I'm taking my shower.

So I bought my niece some books.  I'm definitely the "book aunt".  Not sure if she's jazzed about that or not, but I'm a strong believer in books, and books she will get -- throughout her life!  Reading has always been such a joy for me, and a great escape, and it's a pleasure I hope to bestow upon her. 

A couple-three years ago, I gave her an adorable jacket and matching purse made out of fleece (I believe it was fleece -- very furry) in the design of a lady bug.  She loved it, and I'm pretty sure she's outgrown it by now, but I still hear how much she loved her ladybug coat.  (Later I found a matching pillow and she still enjoys that).  So when I was perusing items to get for her, I ran across this and figured it was a must-have.  It's a lady-bug farm!  I remember having an ant farm when I was little, and it fascinated the hell out of me.  Apparently you get the larvae and watch them evolve into ladybugs, and you nurture them in this little habitat for a while and then you can set them free in your yard.  From the reviews I read on Amazon, they stick around and since they tend to be a slightly different color than the ones you normally see (around here), you can keep track of the ones you nurtured.  Get those science juices flowing early so Harvard can eat crow.

I also bought myself some cosmetics and underwear -- things that you probably don't want to see a picture of!  I had fun!  I haven't had fun in a long time, so I deserved it!  :o)

D'OH!!

CNN had an interesting poll question today:

"Would you be willing to sacrifice your own life to create a democracy in Iraq?"

The last time I looked, 90% said No and 10% said Yes.  Dontcha have to wonder about those 10%?  They would actually sacrifice their lives for this?  Really?  So 10% of the population are idiots?  I guess I knew that.

It haunts me every day how many soldiers Bush has killed since he's the most "powerful" of those 10%.  In fact, he probably voted a whole bunch of times at the CNN site to bring that number up to 10%!  (I can just visualize this:  "Hey, Condi, show me how to go to that site again, you know, where I can play that democracy domination game."  SNL could have fun with this).

Me?  I think I'll stick to this idiotic non-life-sacrificing pastime:

Heh Heh

Well, maybe there is a wee bit of justice in the world now and then. Apparently, behind the scenes, Mr. Head Honcho and Madam Micrmnger (the stars villains of yesterday's post) had it out with each other.  The result?  Didn't have to redo 90% of the submittal.  Only about 40%, so I guess you'd call that a compromise, although I honestly consider it quite a victory because as you know, Madam doesn't like to back down.  She was definitely not a happy camper about not getting her way.  Oh, to have been a fly on the wall for that knock-down-drag-out!  Tee hee.

So today was definitely better.  At least until the next power struggle.  Which I'm sure will be soon enough.

Other than that, a rather blah day.  Foggy.  There's no snow in fog, though.  The count-down is on for President's Day week (VACATION!!), and regardless if we go on a snowmobiling trip or not, I'm soooooo looking forward to it! 

I Hate My Job

And so this morning I sat at the 1,000 ft. long conference table (Oh! Excuse me! The 1,000-foot-long conference table) with Mr. Head Honcho of this proposal-from-hell, and my boss, Madam Micrmngr (from hell), to review the still-in-progress (but close to being completed) proposal-from-hell that Madam had snatched out of my hands taken home with her over the weekend to “take a peek at”.

Now, Mr. Head Honcho is a relatively fair-minded fellow (most of the time) and he and I had been comparing notes very regularly along the way, and I had spent many, many, MANY hours making absolute certain that I was addressing exactly what he wanted addressed, in the exact manner in which he wanted them addressed, to the point where I would even ask him during our meetings when he was being very quiet and studious over a particular element: “So, Mr. Head Honcho, what exactly are you thinking?” Because, you see, I obviously couldn’t presume to read his mind, but I felt it was necessary and important to be clear about where his mind was going so that I didn’t make any wrong-ass presumptions. (I actually think he appreciated that). He has been really good about providing much of the technical information, and I’ve been very diligent about editing down long-winded and passive-verb-heavy diatribe that Madam had provided, like this:

Madam’s Version: As such, the work was accomplished in a timely manner by qualified individuals as employed with XXX Company, and was regarded in a highly satisfactory manner by the client.

My Version: XXX Company’s highly skilled team members successfully completed the work on time and within budget, exceeding the client’s expectations.

OK? Get the picture? (However, multiply the length of the diatribe by at least 30, and the volume of diatribe by 20 and that equals a gazillion hours of tedium, as you can imagine).

So, back to that 1,000 ft. long, I mean 1,000-foot-long conference table. Madam opens up the hellacious proposal-in-progress that she “took a peek at” over the weekend, and I almost gasped out loud because there was BLOOD splashed everywhere! She quickly thumbed through the 100 pages and there was blood on every single page! Tons of it! Splashed! All over! Somebody had been gutted over the weekend!!

Yup, I was gutted all right. With red ink. She ripped apart every single word, every single sentence, every single acronym, the order of the entire document, the content of the entire document, the dashes, the semi-colons, the f$%@ing PERIODS. She questioned Mr. Head Honcho’s choices, and accused me of not challenging those choices. (Huh?) Lots of: “I wouldn’t have done it this way.” Loosely translated to: “What were you thinking, you idiots?” While I might have been shocked into silence (as well as fear of what might bluster forth from my lips), Mr. Head Honcho was having none of it.

Mr. Head Honcho: “I am absolutely stunned, Madam Bitch! Why would you spend so much time and energy on aspects of this proposal that are petty and ridiculous? Who gives a s&$t if it’s “individuals” or “team members”? What on earth do you think you’re accomplishing? Word processing hasn’t even had a chance to proof it yet – is that your job now? You’ve taken that over, too? What is your point here? I am absolutely disgusted! This is by far the best [of this type] of proposal we have done to date, and you rip it to pieces like this?”

But Madam Micrmngr thrives on this kind of “interaction”. Her body language was like she was almost sexually charged with her power. With a smirk, her response was this:

“Well, Mr. Head Honcho, I guess I just have extremely high standards.”

Gag me.

Unfortunately, that pretty much took the steam out of Mr. Head Honcho. Here I was quietly thrilled by his laying into her like he did, but then he sat back and never uttered another word. Madam took this as having made her point, having won the battle and the entire war, and so she continued to rip and ream. And then, when she had apparently climaxed, she said to me, “Tonny, consider this a learning experience.”

Oh yes, indeed.

Apparently, I have to abide by her wishes and redo 90% of the submittal – to her “standards”. At the same time that I’m racing toward yet another deadline on another submittal that I have barely begun. Not only am I furious with her, but I’m extremely frustrated and discouraged with how Mr. Head Honcho just sat back and allowed her to have her way. No support after all.

My job totally and absolutely sucks.  I totally and absolutely hate it.  And if I get "Dooced" for blogging this, so be it.

Well, Crap!

I just wrote a post, hit "save", and Typepad died and buh-bye post.  Ooooh, I hate when that happens!

Truth is, it was a boring post.  It's been kind of a boring day, although I do feel quite rested (considering it's now bedtime).  Yup, before I know it, I'll be driving to work, YET AGAIN.  And it promises to be another rough week.  I really think I should be paid overtime for the dreams I've been having.  Angry naval officers (the proposal-from-hell is for the Navy) coming after me.  What's up with that?

So sad about Johnny Carson!  I totally ached when he retired 12 years ago, and I've missed him terribly.  He was the best.  He was the master of "timing" as well as "the deadpan look", wasn't he?  God, he could make me laugh so hard that I'd either cry or pee my pants (or both). None of the current late-night hosts hold a candle to Johnny.  He was one-of-a-kind.