I'll move there just to vote for it!

Bush's Name Could Grace Sewage Plant
San Francisco GOP Raises Stink, Plans To Fight Move

SAN FRANCISCO -- A San Francisco-based group is offering a plan to name a sewage treatment plant after President George W. Bush.
The Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco wants to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
The commission calls it a tribute to the outgoing chief executive and the "mess" he'll leave behind.
Supporters are hoping to put the issue on the November ballot. They said they've turned in more than 10,000 signatures to San Francisco election officials.
Opponents think the plan reeks. The city's Republican Party chairman has promised a fight if the measure makes the ballot.
A call to White House press officials was not returned.

TMI Tuesday

Ahhhhh... the Seven Deadly Sins... Seems I've been here before when I first started blogging!

Let's see what this special edition of TMI Tuesday brings....

1. LUST: Besides your current Significant Other who do you lust for or have you lusted for?
Right now I'm in one of those spots where work is all I see and the pressure of keeping afloat are more present than usual. Therefore, I'm feeling rather apathetic and unsexy I guess so there is no one else I'm lusting for. However, Lust doesn't just go toward another person, it can be for things (get your mind out of that filthy gutter!) I mean I can Lust for some of the other deadly sins... that makes it doubly bad, right?

2. GLUTTONY: What food brings out your inner glutton?
CHOC-O-LATE! I honestly cannot pass it up. Well, I can, and do, but if it's right in front of me continuously I'll find any excuse or way to justify having it.

3. GREED: What are you greedy for?
Moo-lah. Sadly, not entirely for greed and riches reasons. I just want to catch up and be done. (and yes... start the whole vicious cycle over again :) )

4. SLOTH: What is your plan for an ideal day of sloth?
8 or 9 movies, my good sleeping couch and Bojono's on speed dial....

5. WRATH: Describe a time that you let out a can of whoop ass on someone.
I think I have a lot of patience when it comes to most things, but there are a few certain instances where it hits me just right and I have a fuse about 2.5mm long and BLAM! I'm off and spouting. Usually after I react, aka, let out a can of whoops ass, I feel vindicated for about 4 minutes, then feel stupid for having done it and apologize if I'm able.

6. ENVY: Who or what do you envy? Why?
People who have enough money to not worry. I don't mean filthy rich either, but those who don't worry about paying bills or where to go on their next vacation. I know money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure as hell can put a nice down payment on it!

7. PRIDE: Have you ever had to swallow your pride? What are you proud of?
I do believe in owning my mistakes. Sometimes it's hard, but I believe you're the far better person to man up and admit you did the wrong thing and fix it than to fly off at the hands busily pointing the finger of blame in other directions. Swallowing your pride is hard, but I'm proud that I can when I have to and proud of the results of my fixing the mistake I made and learning from it.

OW! My old _______ injury!

Several weeks ago I was running for my training and something odd happened in my foot. Not sure how I did it or what it was, but it wasn't like any injury I'd had and it doesn't quite seem to define itself like regular muscular/skeletal, etc injuries.

While the docs sort out what it is and what to do, I'm effectively out of running and training and have to drop out of Marathon Training. No Amsterdam for me.... dammit....

well, not where I'm going to run a marathon anyway.

So those of you who contributed, thank you so much. Your funds still go toward a great cause. I'll also not hit you up for funds next year when I come back to do this again!

Now I've got to get back to work. All that sloughing off last week is smacking me in the head today in retaliation.

Thursday Thirteen

So I was blog surfing and found a fun little Thursday Meme were the theme is 13... the rest is up to me.

Since it's the day before a holiday and I'm just counting down time until I can leave the office, my theme today for my first Thursday 13 will be

13 things I've done to avoid doing real work today:

1- Read through all my usual blogs and their comments, and then looked through the blogs of some of their commenters
2- Prolonged our pot luck lunch by pouring on the comedic side of me. The more folks laugh, the less they want to get back to their desk.
3- Did some online banking
4- Played around on the Disney/Pixar WALL-E website
5- Found a WALL-E ringtone.
6- Finalized details for a trip I'm taking to San Diego in a couple of weeks.
7- Looked through iTunes Store to see if there's anything worth renting/buying in the movies/TV section
8- plotted out my next few weeks and how I'm going to balance work/life schedule with the new gym schedule (oh yes... ) while not screwing up my foot further.
9- Sat in my office chair looking out my floor to ceiling window watching the wind whip through the big tree outside. (it's like watching fish or a fireplace - mesmerising)
10- Imagined living back in California
11- Plotted out my long weekend so I can enjoy the weather, sleep late, and possibly get the bathroom and kitchen cleaned.
12- Walked to the bathroom outside of our office suite 13 times
13 - Stared off into space!

Project Alphabet

It's Thursday before July 4. We get out of work early today. I have plenty to do to keep me busy, but you know what today feels like... not so productive. I found this little ABC game over at SueBob's and thought I'd do it for fun and to hopefully get the distraction out of the way.

Happy 4th everyone!

The ABCs of Me

Accent: A mish-mash. Folks here in Chicago say it’s southern. Folks back home in SC say it’s flat. (well, compared to theirs its flat)

Breakfast or no breakfast: Breakfast is a must. Not a Thanksgiving meal sized breakfast, but a juice and a pastry ain’t gonna cut it. There’s a necessary reason for it for me, but regardless, it’s the most important meal of the day!

Chore I don’t care for: Cleaning the bathroom. Ugh! Oddly, it’s not because I don’t want to clean the place in your house that gets dirtiest, it’s just that my bathroom is SMALL. There’s no easy or comfortable way for ME (big as I am) to do it and do it well. If you know me, you know I get aggravated in situations like this so I have to make sure no one is around when I clean the bathroom and I don’t want to talk on the phone during or right after.... I’ll be one pissy whiner (no pun intended)

Dog or Cat: Neither directly, but if I could have one, I’d prefer a dog. Not that I dislike cats, but I’m allergic. I know some folks live with them and say their allergies go away.. I think it’s just that your sinuses finally block up to the point they don’t bother you... but it’s just a time bomb waiting to go off. I lived with a cat for a while when I was in college. Never lost my allergy, but that place was “cat clean” top to bottom every week.

Essential Electronics: Laptop. iPod especially when there’s a new season of Dexter or The Tudors to download!

Favorite Cologne: I have a very strong sense of smell to the point that many colognes and perfumes will give me a headache especially if it’s spice or musk. The scents I can handle are light and fresh smelling. My own favorite that I’ve worn for eons (that is on the very rare instance that I wear it) is Cool Water by Davidoff.

Gold or Silver: Silver, no doubt. Some folks look good in gold. I don’t. Like cologne, I rarely wear jewelry in the first place. If I’m jewelry-ish about anything I’m kind of a watch whore. I don’t own a lot, but if I had money, I’d be buying them often.

Handbag I carry most often: Well... I wouldn’t call it a handbag... but my backpack is rarely out of my reach.

Insomnia: If I get up during the night to go to the bathroom I have to work hard to keep my mind from thinking too much. If it gets started, I’m awake the rest of the night. God forbid I wake up and the clock says 3:15am....

Job Title: Conference Manager for an association

Kids: None that have come forward to claim my wealth.... (Like either of those are possible)

Living Arrangements: Me and my minuscule bathroom in a nice corner condo that overlooks a park.

Most Admirable Trait: I’m a good human

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: I, was an ANGEL! (with medium sized devil horns) My sibs could probably tell more, but the one I can remember was that I had a love/hate thing for ketchup sandwiches. I’d make them, eat half, then hide the rest somewhere (under the bed, in the closet, etc.)

Overnight hospital stays: Growing up I think I had enough to cover myself and the sibs without their having to stay over. Asthma, broken arm, eye surgery.

Phobias: Falling. Not afraid of heights, but I’m afraid of falling. Before I left SC friends and I would do our little ‘adventure tourism’ weekend trips and they kept talking about sky diving. They knew they’d have to forcibly get me out of a perfectly good plane.

Quote: “Equality is a powerful word. Either you have it completely, or you remain unequal”

Reason to smile: SueBob said “I smile like a goon all the time.” I don’t usually like to copy other people’s answers on these things, but this one I had to keep because it’s the same for me. I’m very easy to smile and have held tightly to humor and laughter my entire life. What makes me smile easiest? Recognizing a loved one’s voice or seeing that they’re calling. OR when I see someone walking a dog toward me. Funny thing though, I’ve had people react to me like I’m trying to pick them up or something. One day I’m going to get the cajones to say “Don’t flatter yourself, I’m smiling at your dog”

Siblings: (in age order) Sister, brother, sister-in-law. There’s also a faux-sister who I’ve known since high school and we’ve claimed to be siblings on trips so people wouldn’t think we were dating. This extended family was a running joke for years, but came to be true when I was asked to give away her younger sister at her wedding. Which I did!

Time I wake up: Dawn’s crack. 5 – 5:30am

Unusual Talent or Skill: For some reason the good Lord made me take to learning sign language like a duck to water.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Rutabaga. I remember growing up my mom loved them and made them once in a while. I could smell that stuff before I even stepped into my driveway walking home from school.

Worst Habit: Sucking air through my teeth.

X-rays: Yes. So many I may glow in the dark.

Yummy Stuff: Since sweets are the obvious thing here for me, I’ll say Pesto. Pesto can go with ANYTHING!

Zoo Animal I Like Most: Giraffes. All animals are cool, but I kind of liked them most. A friend from college moved to Columbia, SC (poor thing) and his first apartment was across the highway from Riverbanks Zoo. First time I stayed over I was rudely awaken by the howler monkeys. Loud bitches.

My new little Hero

I broke my movie fast last night and saw Disney-Pixar's WALL-E.

I won't give away any of the pertinent story points, but go see it. Disney has made an art of making films for kids that put a fair amount of adult humor in it (and by adult I don't mean dirty, but we'll be able to laugh at some things that are for us, and not for kids)

If you're a movie crier and start to tear up when things tug at your heart strings, take some tissue. He's a hoot, he's a charmer, and you'll love him.

Here's a hint though, the story isn't over when the credits begin to roll. Stick around, the story unfolds a little more.

Just a dip will do.....

So I've been in Chicago for 8 years which means essentially out of the South for nearly a decade. Imagine my surprise when I was taken back to redneckville this morning on the bus to work.

A guy gets on the bus and as he's walking toward the back of the bus where I'm sitting I think "Wow, he must have gotten smacked in the face! Look at that fat lip!" Then I saw him pull the empty plastic Pepsi bottle from his pocket, put it to his mouth and spit brown.

For those of you who weren't as fortunate as I was to grow up with the rednecks... this is what's called dipping. And it's about as gross as gross can be. When I was a teenager I tried it just to see what it was like. Sadly, my neighbor Greg who had been dipping a while already used Copenhagen which I guess is a stronger taste and I got dizzy from the impact. Imagine super duper mint overwhelming you.

But the fact that they're just putting the cancer against their lips isn't the worst part. Yes, I know, the cancer will hit their lips and the doctor will have to graft skin from their backside to repair the damage and then every time they lick their lips they'll be kissing their own ass. However, the gross part is that it's (perceived) socially acceptable spitting. And what's worse... spitting is bad enough, but they're putting it in a bottle to carry around with them and I can see it sloshing around.

It's gross.
You may think it's cool
but this is how you look to the rest of the world