until next week

Well I finished the week from hell, and even stayed at work today until 4:30, when everyone else had left between 2:30 and 3!!! I should have known that, despite my best efforts, my year-end goals would end up being beginning-of-next-year goals... There goes that extra-bonus bonus. Oh, and I like using hyphens.

For those of you that are interested (and yes, I am fully aware of the paltry size of my audience), I am still sick, and quite possible developing the annual Sinus Infection. I have, however, procured all necessary preventative medicines, so with some luck I will be 100% when I embark on my New Mexico road trip in a mere 3 days!

Poor Matilda, unbeknownst to her, has been signed up for a week with A's parents and their huge, long-haired Fat Cat that is at least twice her size. Last time she had a playdate at their house, she attempted to swipe FC from 2 steps up. He got back at her by eating all of her food.

For now, it's time to relax before a weekend of baking cookies, watching tubas play Christmas music, exchanging carefully chosen gifts, and schmoozing with the boyfriend's extended family. Immediately after that I am headed westward, towards Route 66! Have a fantabulous and safe week, everyone!

three ball circus

For all the griping I do about our cat, I have to give credit where it is due: Matilda is one smart feline. She knows which owner will let her rub her dander all over the couch and which one will yell at her for drinking out of the Christmas tree stand. She is aggravating, yes, but also highly intelligent, often displaying an admirable amount of, shall we say, chutzpah.

Her newest trick? Playing fetch. She has 3 mini soccer balls, any of which can be lost at a given moment. As of late, she has taken to dribbling her green soccer ball around until it lands at your feet and you pick it up and throw it. This game has so far lasted a maximum of perhaps 10 minutes. But with training and no small amount of patience, I might be able to take this show on the road!

sick day productivity

I woke up today feeling like ass, and headed to work anyway, due to the fact that I had 3 meetings today that simply could not be missed. Stupid me should have called my gracious coworker in the wee hours instead, knowing that he would reschedule the meetings if necessary. So I stayed at work for a total of about 45 minutes - a new personal record!

So I spent the day catching up on sleep, wrapping presents, reading some work material for a case study, checking work email and writing Christmas cards. All in all, a pretty productive day, considering that my body aches everywhere, I have a headache and this morning I thought I was going to hurl all over my keyboard...

more on eating

Reasons why going to work is hazardous to my health:

• free donuts at any given moment
• free breakfasts on Friday, usually involving donuts
• oversized tin of butter cookies within 3 feet of pod quadrant
• honey-roasted peanuts within arm's reach
• lightly salted nuts, also within arm's reach
• tantalizing Twix in vending machine
• free pizza from oh-so-generous great grandboss
• coworkers taking requests for what kind of cookies and candied nuts to bring in on Monday
• leftover cookies from Fabulous Holiday Party, left on counter at work & intended for consumption by coworkers, not self
  
• fresh baked muffins in each morning, only a 2 minute walk away
• Starbucks drinks, made on campus in deli car
• persuasive coworkers who like happy hours
• platters of cookies and soft drinks at each marketing town hall meeting
• Swiss Miss hot chocolate and cider packets in break room

My weakness for all of the above items spells disaster, the results of which I can now OFFICIALLY SEE in the strange new folds of my abdominal region.

All this, and yet I hope the holiday season never ends...

out on the town

I left work early today to go to the gym. Yay for leaving early, boo for running into your grandboss and great grandboss on the way out the door! I don't feel all that bad, however. I have recently been working straight through lunch, so it really doesn't seem like a big deal if an 8-5 job suddenly becomes an 8-4. Of course, it doesn't hurt that my boss is out of the country for the rest of the year...

So the reason I went to the gym is not because I have miraculously discovered a passion for exercise. Far from it, actually. I am using physical exertion as a form of self-discipline after my gluttony-fest this past weekend. Sometime this afternoon I was reminded of informal dinner plans I had made at my Fabulous Holiday Party. I decided that working out would probably balance out the additional caloric intake of a dinner out with friends. At least I like to think that's the case.

Of course, there was never a question of whether or not I would eat out with my peeps. How could I pass up an opportunity for social drinking?!

the verdict is in

Our Fabulous Holiday Party was a resounding success! The mistletoe wasn't utilized nearly as much as the hostesses would have liked.... But the eggnog was fantastic, the champagne punch was devine, and, once the alcohol was burned off of it, the mulled wine wasn't bad either. Our fears that we wouldn't have enough food went unfounded, as our refrigerator is just about bursting at the seams from all the delectable leftovers! We should really throw parties more often. It makes us look a heck of a lot more popular than I thought we were...

Now onto project #2 - roadtrip to Roswell, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque! I will be using up the remainder of my 4 vacation days to travel through the alluring Southwest. The only thing making me nervous is the fact that just today I unknowingly made Hotwire reservations at what was described by a one-time patron here. For more, read on.

Good thing my man will be accompanying me...

ego booster

I have recently begun to think about where I want to go within my company. It kind of goes with the "year-end review" territory. The circumstances of my thoughts are actually quite positive. I am fairly confident that I have done well this year, but it is just simply my time to move on. I'm in the early winter of my stint in eBusiness, so to speak.

So it was quite the coincidence today, when, in the middle of running some inane, hellishly laborious query, a former coworker, SS, paid me a visit. He now works in a different Marketing group, but still makes the occasional trip to the first floor. SS had come to let me know about a position being added to his group. I was both surprised and immensely pleased to hear that I was among the top of his candidate list! So what if I still don't have a clear idea of what the job would entail? It is always a great thing when a coworker voices his confidence in you to others.

Details on this late-breaking story to follow. Time to update the resumé...

ho ho ho

a glimpse into the North Pole, Blockbuster style...

what the?

So what happened to my post about Brazilian meat and lots of $$$?? Odd.

6 skirts and two loaves later...

Immediately after work today, I embarked on a marathon of productivity. You see, tomorrow is my day to provide the Friday breakfast for my group. I just so happened to have 4 overly-ripe bananas sitting on my counter - enough for two loaves of banana bread at a most opportune time! After picking up the remaining ingredients but before the baking frenzy, some holiday party shopping was in order.

The problem: I had a top, but nothing to cover the nether regions. Now I'm sure some would argue that it isn't a problem at all... But I would hate to embarass my gracious host in front of his entire company, especially when history has shown that he can usually do it all by himself! So 1 hour, $500 in credit card charges, 6 skirts purchased, and 5 skirts returned later, I arrived back at home, happy that I had found the perfect black, flowy, satiny skirt to complement my oh-so-festive top. Go me!

I'm hoping my baking efforts taste as perfect as my fashion victory. Last time I made banana bread, either I was salt shaker happy or the recipe was just wrong, because the finished product tasted like a banana-flavored salt lick.

'tis the season

My roommate and I are having a holiday party! Our apartment shall smell of such holiday Yankee Candle fragrances as mistletoe, evergreen, and gingerbread. A feast for the eyes and appetite will delight the masses, including a REAL Christmas tree, mistletoe, a potluck spread of goodies, fantastic company and tinsel galore. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the social lubrication will consist of mulled wine, eggnog, cider and an *almost* fully stocked bar. All are invited, just say the word!

My only prayer is that the huge turnout will send our demoness cat into hidden submission for the night.