Floating Home

First Snow

Yahoo weather called it a "wintry mix" which is such bullshit. It's 21 degrees out and it's snowing. There's maybe half an inch so it's not too bad but it's supposed to snow or rain the rest of the week. I guess our happy little warm weather respite is over.

My cubemate Nadia is going to Aruba next week. Lucky biatch.

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I've been doing some posting on Surviving the Workday (look for the pictures of Spider's butt) but nothing really else has been happening lately. The reorg has sort of come to a screeching halt in that no one knows what's going on and they keep framing it as "we're giving people time to absorb the news." Meanwhile, they don't get that it's the suspense that's killing us.

I also finally told my boss a few weeks ago during my review that I would not be happy if my position turned into a mostly client facing role. Since that's the position I've been stuck in with the reorg, he was a bit taken aback. Now, since then he has helped me get out of at least one trip to the City to visit a client (we're doing a phone thing instead, something I am way more comfortable with, since I get lost very easily and as a consequence get actual panic attacks about going anyplace new... a little something few people know about me... also I do much better in non face-to-face things.)

I do love my boss. I surely will miss him. He's not super perceptive and can be very abrasive, but once you tell him what you enjoy and do not enjoy, he will have your back all the way. He will make sure to put you where you will excel. I'm hoping I can maybe transfer into his group or go into the QC side of things eventually.

Ooo! Ooo! Also, we've been having problems with the cafeteria at work. First off it is a candidate for Gordon Ramsay intervention (mmmmm... and he could take off his shirt...) The food sucks. Also there was a little roach infestation not too long ago. And before that, there was the fat chick with the crop tops and the belly fat hanging out.

Anyway, they are Putting Together a Committee to study the problem and make recommendations and I'm going to join. So that's pretty exciting. I'm going to have the inside scoop on a new vendor, and maybe I can convince them that having a world class cafeteria would be a selling point. Hell, we're a market research firm, I'm sure we've got some stats on that.

Pre-Holiday Burnout

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. I'm suffering from a sort of pre-holiday burnout among other things.

First, I got a cold from Hell that I'm now thinking was a flu. In fact, I saw an article somewhere about a new superflu that's killing people. I'm pretty sure that's what rampaged through this household. No joke, I was SICK for two weeks, then recovering for two weeks. Meanwhile, Jon caught it too and he's still hacking and coughing on occasion.

Then, my department started going through a re-org. Read more about it here.

And finally, Trevor is here for Thanksgiving and so the time-suckage of multiple family dinners has started. Everyone will be here this year except Chris and Sophie Luckily, everyone is leaving on Friday for some reason, and so I feel a guilty pleasure over not having to give up my four day weekend.

Unfortunately, the kids in the family have struck upon this brilliant idea of, well, we don't know each other very well anymore, so let's give each other things that WE like in order to share our tastes and interests. Um, thanks, but I'd rather have something I want. Especially since Chris actually did this two years ago and I still haven't unwrapped the tedious foreign films that are taking up space on my shelf. If you don't know me well anymore, why don't you talk to me and get to know me? Otherwise, I'm giving you all Tori Amos CD's for Christmas. Aren't you thrilled?

Ha ha, Mr Phelps

The "gay hawks" are ignoring you!

HOLY SHIT

My favoritest hypocritical assholes in the whole entire universe are picketing a Tori Amos concert: http://www.westborobaptistchurch.com/schedule.html

So, God hates fags, and apparently, He hates Tori Amos as well. He has suuuuuuuuch bad taste.

Twelve

Twelve.

Eleven, dear God, eleven

Spider has pretty much broken all records on bird consumption this year. At least he wasn't hungry for dinner. So there's that savings.

I could deal with it so much more if he didn't always leave the feet. Shudder.

Ack, ack, ack

Read Steph's reporting on the fire that almost burned their home to a crisp here. (two posts so far) I really was not expecting this sort of news when I woke up this morning.

Also, I'm very glad we don't live in SoCal anymore (or NorCal, for that matter.) Though, apparently this is a hurricaine year.

Step A Does NOT Necessarily Lead to Step B

  We have a leak in our roof that's been around since we moved in and we haven't fixed it since eventually, we plan to build upwards and that will fix the problem. Friday night, there was a REALLY heavy rainstorm so some new leaks sprung up:

Actually, the white bowl on the far left is cat water. The grayish area next to it is a pitcher that was pressed into use.

However, this is merely annoying, and not a prelude to us sinking. But it looks like this guy at the next marina over should have set out a few bowls on his yacht:

Note that this is low tide. Normally, all we can see is the mast. Full disclosure, since I know hubby will grumble, this yacht actually sank about a week ago in another storm. I'm compressing time, see, for dramatic effect.

And, a few other pictures I took today:

If you squint really hard, you will see the huge school of itty bitty fishies lurking just beneath the surface. This school must have been about 20 feet in diameter. I was watching them out the bathroom window as I was checking the hose Jon was using to pump out the sewage water from the bilge.

Yes. Again.

Sigh. Spider almost fell out the bathroom window, which has no screen and is right over the water. I think he was hungry.

The boat behind us in the next marina over was a MESS about a year ago. I took this picture of it:

It's the one with the round portals and the planks stacked on the roof. Just look at it now:

And let me tell you, it's gorgeous inside. The guy bought it for under $20k and it's probably worth at least $65k now. One bedroom, full kitchen and bath and living area. He completely gutted it and redid the floorplan. We saw it about six months ago when it was halfway done and even from that, it was really nice.

And, because you can never have enough kitty pictures, here is Spider, the Birdie Killing Spawn of Satan:

Eight

Spider is now up to eight birds. Eight DEAD birds.

Must. Bell. Evil. Demon. Cat.

I'm an important person now!

I've just become a guest blogger/contributor to one of my favorite websites, Surviving the Workday. Come to find that writing about spiritual issues is a hell of a lot more controversial than I thought. I mean, it's not like I'm advocating a jihad or protesting at military funerals a la Fred Phelps.

But it's nice to stretch my, whatevers, my writing muscles a bit and actually think and stuff. I'm one of those mouthy, inconsiderate sorts so writing with empathy and compassion is a new one for me. Should be fun.