Numb is the new deep...

I don't know why I started to think about this today. But now that I'm on this track, I can't get off. Years ago, in NY, I used to work for this gay dude. He was fabulously flamboyant. He wore large, gaudy Dolce & Gabana belt buckles and flawless fake tans and loud flashy suits. I can remember when he first started working there. It took us all about an hour to figure out that he was gay. It took us all about a day to fall in love with him. He was obnoxious and spontaneous. He loved to jump on top of the conference table and start wiggling his bum and showing off his Justin-Timberlake-Bringing-Sexyback shoes. He was one of those bosses who would hug anyone around the shoulder. He was a force of nature. I know that sounds a bit cliched, but everyone wanted to be around him. To bask in the lunacy of his very existence. He shook the company up, and changed all our lives forever. Even Leo.

My gay co-worker, Leo, was always a bit skeptical of our boss, Bobby. Bobby had a synthetic aura. He was super perky every morning. A cheerleader who delighted in dubbing all his workers with odd nicknames (he called one blonde gal, Betty). Leo shied away from all the spontaneous attention, and fun and games. In fact, Leo set out to deliberately cause ripples with our boss. There were very public displays of power when Leo and Bobby would butt heads. But eventually it sorta came to an end when Leo was assaulted by his lover at work. The lover followed Leo on the elevator at work. And not wanting to deal with him Leo phoned Bobby for backup. And Bobby delivered, shielding Leo with his body and pushing the lover away as soon as the duo stepped off the elevator. I had the misfortune of serving as receptionist, so the whole thing played out in front of me. I liked Leo's lover, but I was forced to call the police by a shouting Bobby. I felt so bad. But the situation was clearly a do-as-you're-told one.

Funny how the whole thing ended between us all. Bobby was fired a few months after he started. He moved to Florida with his boyfriend... with the FBI on his heels (as the story goes). He created a lot of corruption at our office and did a ton of damage. And then he left us all holding the bag. I'm not sure how it worked out and I realized that I don't want to know. As unusual as his management style was, he taught each of us something. I think I've been able to hold on to my personal Bobby lesson: Attitude is everything.

Give a little bit, Give it all..

It took lots of internal debating. Lots of arguing the pros and cons with myself, before I decided to give out Christmas cards at work. You see, I'm a loner at work. I don't associate with the all-female crew in my department. I learned a long time ago (and the hard way) that the only thing worse than women working so closely together is women working so closely together when you're having gossip worthy issues. I'm not the most interesting person in the place... but I happen to be the only one in an interracial, May-September marriage who moved here from NYC. My family seems to be moving toward a massive nuclear meltdown and as it is my boss has seen a bit of that (horrible incident between mom and her idiotic boyfriend that ended at the hospital).

Anyway, I decided to cut the situation in half. I can either shun my co-workers this year again and remain on the office's communal shit list. Or I can poke my nose out from under this crushing rock and be the cheerful, holiday loving, Christmas-card-giver-out that they never knew I could be. I decided to try Kmart for some super cheap but cute cards. And I found some. At a reasonable price. I bought them and have since started filling them out with big letters and corny Christmas sketches. *sighs* Now, ya can't say I didn't try.

She effing hates me! lalalalaaaa...

Okay, so I blog here pretty often about my arch-kitty nemesis, Serena. Since the day we got her, Serena and I have been marginally tolerant of each other: I loved to roll balls around the house and give her treats and she would rub against my leg on occasion because she knew that I opened the canned cat food each morning.

But since our little family has expanded and we've gotten another cat, I've gained perspective on Serena and her behavior. Not every cat has an uptight, goddess-queen attitude. Minette has been one of the sweetest cats I've ever met. She managed to completely change my initial thoughts and feelings about cats.

Anyway, as I've grown closer to Minette, Serena and I have become farther and farther away from calling a truce. I can't even move too fast when I'm in the same room as Serena. Otherwise she scurries off like Pepe Le'Pew leaping after his impossible love interest. Maybe it's my fault that S and I don't have a good relationship. I loved to pick her up often when she first arrived. And I was often the one to discipline her (Sonny was very easy going about catching her on the counter, munching on a sandwich... I would grab the squirt bottle immediately). So, I think it's all built up, the animosity between us, so that I can't even pretend to pick her up with out getting hissed at. Frankly, I'm very tired of it. Who wouldn't be? I'm going to have to get the ball rolling so that Serena can get adopted. She needs a few particular things: a household with NO kids, NO other cats and a very patient MALE owner. I've been playing with the idea of posting some pics of her on Craigslist, but damn it all if she doesn't frown in every single shot!

*Sighs* life will be easier when we move, if there's only ONE cat to get acclimated to new surroundings... don't you think?

I had my turkey, and ate it too :)

So, I'm usually cringing and hoping to avoid a massive, brain consuming migrane when it comes to dinner with the in-laws. Maybe it's not always so horribly horrific, but I'm usually acutely aware when we're hugging and saying our goodbyes that a) someone was pretty damn close to throwing something at the fiery old patriarch (Sonny's paw) and b) almost no one has excused themselves to go "blow up the bathroom". With as much food as Sonny's Maw makes it's just a given that each member of the party will be blowing up their own bathrooms.

Anyway, yesterday we ate Thanksgiving dinner with them. It was a lot more fun than we were expecting. I felt a pang of... jealousy? no. no. that's not the word. I guess I felt a drop of sadness that Sonny and I had to pass the torch of the "token newlyweds" down to Sonny's nephew and his new bride. It was a fun year but, you know, it's got to end sometime :)

My personal favorite from yesterday's moments? Getting to take home a slice of pumpkin pie. Yummy :P

2-1= 1 I found out today, in a mass email, that a friend of mine called it quits with her bf. It was a brief email, written with wit and a courageous tone. I haven't responded to this email, yet. Partly because I'm useless when it comes to saying things that make people feel better when bad stuff happens. Aside from the "there, there" thing, I'm not that great at it. But I think, given the chance to hang-out with them (maybe with a little alcohol, junk food and television in the mix) I find that I'm much more of an "ear and shoulder to cry on" type of personality. So, I think I might send her a broken-heart care package, or something like that. Chocolate, a chick flick and something funny.... not sure what. But this is just my first reaction... my first thought process.

I found out today, in a mass email, that a friend of mine called it quits with her bf. It was a brief email, written with wit and a courageous tone. I haven't responded to this email, yet. Partly because I'm useless when it comes to saying things that make people feel better when bad stuff happens. Aside from the "there, there" thing, I'm not that great at it. But I think, given the chance to hang-out with them (maybe with a little alcohol, junk food and television in the mix) I find that I'm much more of an "ear and shoulder to cry on" type of personality. So, I think I might send her a broken-heart care package, or something like that. Chocolate, a chick flick and something funny.... not sure what. But this is just my first reaction... my first thought process.

TomKat united... ?

I was very surprised to read this weekend on msn that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have tied the knot. I guess this shouldn't surprise me. A matrimonial commitment made in Hollywood isn't like the ones we know. Marriages out there last as long as a the average orgasm.

So why the hell am I blogging about it? Well, a few reasons. I'm running the National Novel Writing Month gauntlet and I need a breather. Odd that I should click through the gossip files for a "break" but, whatever. There are some girlie indulgences that I must... um... indulge in :)

Also, I was yay (*) close to betting money that they wouldn't get married. I've got to say that now that they did, I'm still not convinced of their "love". It's not my place to judge them. But I know that love makes you relax. It sands down the sharp edges of your personality and makes you a bit more easy going. Tom had the exact opposite reaction. He went on the hyperdefense and it seems every little thing they do as a family is only a response to tabloid pestering and prodding. Weird.

And, I was kind of hoping Katie would get away. Homegirl is just not incredibly happy with this guy. It's so obvious. She's famous. So is her husband. She has more money than I'll ever dream of (in the change tray of her CAR). She just gave birth to a cute baby who looks like her. She's been engaged for about a year. What more could she want? And yet, she always looks like someone who's straining an expression of contentment. Not someone who is genuinely happy. Just my opinion *shrugs*

Eye dios mio!

I've been to the eye doctor two days in a row. Not pleasant. Both times I've had my pupils dilated and machines poking at my cornea. Before yesterday I'd never had the dilating drops. Today, I can safely say I've had enough eye anesthesia and dilating drops to last me the next 24 years of my life. Unpleasantness. It's just really hard to see, and I'm still (after over 9 hours after the appointment) very sensitive to light.

I think we're going to have some Mexican food tonight, relax on the sofa and drink a couple cocktails. We usually watch t.v. and I hope today's eye-gouging fest won't prevent me from enjoying "The Adventures of Superman" (Sonny's on a George Reeves kick... It's actually very entertaining, and cute to see him remembering...) It's going to be a good nite I think :)

Took the Stars from the sky and put 'em in your eyes

I'm a huge fan of "The Office" starring Steve Carrell, Jenna Fisher and John Krasinski (don't razz me if I misspelled any names). Like most viewers, I was immediately sucked in by the Roy-Pam-Jim love triangle. The more I watched, the deeper we got in to "Jam" prospects and the dumping of Roy. Well, we discover at the beginning of season 3 that we are closer than ever. Still, it's taking forever to get where we're going. I suppose it doesn't really matter. As long as I get to oogle Jim at his new workplace.

Here's the Thursday. *raises wine glass*