I'm currently sitting at "work" on Christmas Eve. It was generally decided that there was no point in calling anyone today. So no one has done any work what-so-ever. I have surfed the Internet until I could surf no more, finished a magazine and now moved onto a book (and writing this). My co-worker literally has her head down sleeping.
Horrible Helen on the other hand is chattering away to a new victim. She is giving a blow-by-blow account of a trip to Greece. This woman must be able to remember events in such great detail because she recounts them as often as she can. It's really not a bad strategy for remembering things in your life. But she is so damn loud. And it will never end.
She is recounting all the men who hit on her. I'm not sure how much I believe this...
Yesterday we had more people in the apartment than we ever had before (the record prior was about 5 total). I think we reached out maximum last night at 9.
We also had to attempt the mall yesterday to use a coupon that was on the verge of expiration. Good god I hate shopping on the holidays. I quickly remembered that this mob I was trying to walk in, was exactly why I do my shopping in late November and early December. I could feel panicky feelings as I tried to elbow my way to a cash register. Presents are so not worth the hassle of a mall on Dec 23rd.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Winter Break: sorta
Christmas is almost here. At work I actually received a couple gifts from co-workers who make a lot more than me working for the state. Of course others gave out gifts and excluded the lowly temps who have only been here a month or so.
Horrible Helen has latched onto me (more accurately my car) and now doesn't even bother to ask for rides home. I guess she figures the one day she asked counted for all the following. So she is becoming a little more bearable, mostly due to the fact that I can tune her out easily (a skill mastered growing up with a hyper-verbal younger brother). The woman is now repeating all the stories she told Tyler in the first week to the rest of us.
I will be returning to the Mitten State the day after Christmas. I'm glad to be making the trip home. I just wish I could afford to stay a bit longer. There is no way I can see all the friends that I'd like to. Basically if you read this and want to see me while I'm in Michigan call me for the 26th or 30th. But quality time with family and Bailey is most important.
Horrible Helen has latched onto me (more accurately my car) and now doesn't even bother to ask for rides home. I guess she figures the one day she asked counted for all the following. So she is becoming a little more bearable, mostly due to the fact that I can tune her out easily (a skill mastered growing up with a hyper-verbal younger brother). The woman is now repeating all the stories she told Tyler in the first week to the rest of us.
I will be returning to the Mitten State the day after Christmas. I'm glad to be making the trip home. I just wish I could afford to stay a bit longer. There is no way I can see all the friends that I'd like to. Basically if you read this and want to see me while I'm in Michigan call me for the 26th or 30th. But quality time with family and Bailey is most important.
Monday, December 17, 2007
ghetto-fab
Well I knew it was going to happen eventually. The first day we started at work Helen told us she lived very close by. I simply stated I lived "close", knowing that Helen and I lived only a block or so apart. But sadly I was discovered on Friday and the inevitable occurred...she asked for a ride. I'm sure that this will now continue for the rest of the winter. I now feel guilty about not offering her a ride earlier, except I don't really, I hate talking to her. Ugh.....
She has been showing us what she is bidding for on E-bay. Most of it is clothes she wants for a cruise she will be going on with her family. It is a rule that they wear as many "sparly" items as possible to the "nice" meals on the ship. On viewing pictures of the blouses,skirts and dresses, in my head all I was hearing was the movie Mean Girls, "That is the ugliest f-ing (insert Helen's purchases here) I've ever seen!"
At "ghetto" Price Chopper (much like "ghetto" Meijer, but maybe not as "ghetto") I saw a man fall to the ground unconscious not two feet in front of me. His head knocked loudly on the tile and I saw all of my first aid training flash before my eyes. I got out a good "Call 911!", before the man woke up and stumbled, half falling, out of the store. I was really frightening and I hope I never witness anything like that again. He truly fell straight back like a broom falling to the floor. When I got home I saw an ambulance slowly driving down the road. I'm pretty sure they were looking for a man unconscious in a snow bank.
We had the first two big snow falls this week. They came within a couple days of each other and consumed all media attention. There was a lot of snow, but at GV we got snowfall like that many times each winter. It really didn't phase me too much, and I was hoping for snow before Christmas. I was also hoping that the plowing here was up to snuff, with further worry about the plowing of our parking lot. The side street we live on was 'ok' at best and our lot did get a few decent plows. So that's going for us this winter. A nice neighbor even came over to help me scrap my car and shovel a bit behind my car. Nothing like holiday spirit. The holiday spirit often moves me to wave people into traffic, this is how I build up life-long karma.
She has been showing us what she is bidding for on E-bay. Most of it is clothes she wants for a cruise she will be going on with her family. It is a rule that they wear as many "sparly" items as possible to the "nice" meals on the ship. On viewing pictures of the blouses,skirts and dresses, in my head all I was hearing was the movie Mean Girls, "That is the ugliest f-ing (insert Helen's purchases here) I've ever seen!"
At "ghetto" Price Chopper (much like "ghetto" Meijer, but maybe not as "ghetto") I saw a man fall to the ground unconscious not two feet in front of me. His head knocked loudly on the tile and I saw all of my first aid training flash before my eyes. I got out a good "Call 911!", before the man woke up and stumbled, half falling, out of the store. I was really frightening and I hope I never witness anything like that again. He truly fell straight back like a broom falling to the floor. When I got home I saw an ambulance slowly driving down the road. I'm pretty sure they were looking for a man unconscious in a snow bank.
We had the first two big snow falls this week. They came within a couple days of each other and consumed all media attention. There was a lot of snow, but at GV we got snowfall like that many times each winter. It really didn't phase me too much, and I was hoping for snow before Christmas. I was also hoping that the plowing here was up to snuff, with further worry about the plowing of our parking lot. The side street we live on was 'ok' at best and our lot did get a few decent plows. So that's going for us this winter. A nice neighbor even came over to help me scrap my car and shovel a bit behind my car. Nothing like holiday spirit. The holiday spirit often moves me to wave people into traffic, this is how I build up life-long karma.
Monday, December 10, 2007
MTV had no comment
I forgot to mention one of Horrible Helen's funniest qualities...she doesn't like to be called Helen (or horrible). Vienna is her professional name and what she prefers above all other. One guy in the office calls her that but no one else bothers with such silliness.
I've been pretty bored at work which leads to lots stealth internet usage (including this blog writing). Here are some of the interesting nuggets I've found recently:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/photogalleries/wip-week58/index.html
Look! Tiny frogs! I like to check National Geographic to see if I missed any new animal updates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?em&ex=1196917200&en=317598468b2847ed&ei=5087%0A
An article about Heather, my favorite America's Next Top Model...model. She was really weird, also really great in pictures, of course this meant she had to go. Tyra always reasons this out in some manner of crazy talk.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/state.php?state=MI
And finally stats about Michigan! The mitten state strikes again! Or not with #1 unemployment...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20165361,00.html
And finally, a Lauren Conrad interview. I really can't think of anything better. She offers up this insight into her exciting life on TV, "I mean, it's not lying to anyone, it's telling what really happened, but it's just the way they film reality shows." Good one Lauren, good one.
I've been pretty bored at work which leads to lots stealth internet usage (including this blog writing). Here are some of the interesting nuggets I've found recently:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/12/photogalleries/wip-week58/index.html
Look! Tiny frogs! I like to check National Geographic to see if I missed any new animal updates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/health/04well.html?em&ex=1196917200&en=317598468b2847ed&ei=5087%0A
An article about Heather, my favorite America's Next Top Model...model. She was really weird, also really great in pictures, of course this meant she had to go. Tyra always reasons this out in some manner of crazy talk.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2008/state.php?state=MI
And finally stats about Michigan! The mitten state strikes again! Or not with #1 unemployment...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20165361,00.html
And finally, a Lauren Conrad interview. I really can't think of anything better. She offers up this insight into her exciting life on TV, "I mean, it's not lying to anyone, it's telling what really happened, but it's just the way they film reality shows." Good one Lauren, good one.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Don't gimme no pop, no pop
Let me start out by saying I really miss the family dog Bailey. I think I miss the dog more than I miss my brother. Bailey is a great dog. One of the first things I will do when I get home is talk him for a sweet walk. I know I was the only one that gave him the exercise he deserved. On a side note I would find myself making conversation with Bailey on said walks, perhaps it's not so bad they ended...
Sooo I wrote a post or so ago about what I would be doing at my job and the other temp that I detest. Well from now on we'll just call her Horrible Helen. That's what she is - horrible. She is a very tall, huge woman with a long blondish ponytail down to her butt that doesn't look like it's ever met a brush. It also has about two inches of grey roots. Her outfits are also destestable: tennis shoes, jeans or black corduroys, and often a yellow shirt with gold sparkly sweater (why not, they match so well). I'm just thanking god that she is laying off the heaps of green eye shadow she choose for our first day.
A few days ago she told me lots and lots (joy!) about a novel she is writing. When she started all she had was an opening line, "We always kept Aunt Bernice in the shed". Sound good to you? Yup me neither, the story follows a big family going to the dentist and back. Many people are dead, but still hanging out and talking. There are lots of cool animals talking too! It was one of those conversations that you keep trying to get out of and Horrible Helen sucks you back in.
There is truly not enough work for us to do. The situation seems to be that they budgeted for us temps, so work or no work, we stay. The crappy thing is I feel really weird about reading a book or anything. The boss lady would be pissed. I spend a lot of time thinking of lists I can make and generally day dreaming.
I did not yet mention that this office I am in, is housed in a NY Mental Health Patient Facility. This means lots of cool things: 1) I get an ID badge to wear that differentiates me from patients (we all look the same I guess).
2) To go between the building and the parking ramp I swipe the badge to enter a tube/portal thing that opens on one side, closes and lets me out the other. Seriously the thing is about 2.5 feet wide some people don't fit.
3) We get security training and they give us an important key. The keys let us out the fire exits which are locked. You see the patients can't get out and we aren't supposed to let them out if there is a fire. I guess they don't want loonys running around free.
4) Over the loud speaker once and a while (record is three times in one day so far!) we hear a "Code Grey". This means some sort of problem is occurring with a patient and security is needed. I always pause for a moment to imagine what could be happening to warrant a "Code Gery". The possibilities are almost endless.
5) We have a deck to sit outside when the weather is nice. THE DECK HAS PRISON BARS! The bars go all the way overhead in a cage like fashion.
I've been educating people at work (and by people I mean my desk buddy Alex and the other guy Peter) on all things Michigan. They now know about:
-Pop, oh the shame of saying it here!
-Pointing to your hand for locational purposes
-the term yooper
-that Flint is no fun
-there is a Troy in Michigan too!
Sooo I wrote a post or so ago about what I would be doing at my job and the other temp that I detest. Well from now on we'll just call her Horrible Helen. That's what she is - horrible. She is a very tall, huge woman with a long blondish ponytail down to her butt that doesn't look like it's ever met a brush. It also has about two inches of grey roots. Her outfits are also destestable: tennis shoes, jeans or black corduroys, and often a yellow shirt with gold sparkly sweater (why not, they match so well). I'm just thanking god that she is laying off the heaps of green eye shadow she choose for our first day.
A few days ago she told me lots and lots (joy!) about a novel she is writing. When she started all she had was an opening line, "We always kept Aunt Bernice in the shed". Sound good to you? Yup me neither, the story follows a big family going to the dentist and back. Many people are dead, but still hanging out and talking. There are lots of cool animals talking too! It was one of those conversations that you keep trying to get out of and Horrible Helen sucks you back in.
There is truly not enough work for us to do. The situation seems to be that they budgeted for us temps, so work or no work, we stay. The crappy thing is I feel really weird about reading a book or anything. The boss lady would be pissed. I spend a lot of time thinking of lists I can make and generally day dreaming.
I did not yet mention that this office I am in, is housed in a NY Mental Health Patient Facility. This means lots of cool things: 1) I get an ID badge to wear that differentiates me from patients (we all look the same I guess).
2) To go between the building and the parking ramp I swipe the badge to enter a tube/portal thing that opens on one side, closes and lets me out the other. Seriously the thing is about 2.5 feet wide some people don't fit.
3) We get security training and they give us an important key. The keys let us out the fire exits which are locked. You see the patients can't get out and we aren't supposed to let them out if there is a fire. I guess they don't want loonys running around free.
4) Over the loud speaker once and a while (record is three times in one day so far!) we hear a "Code Grey". This means some sort of problem is occurring with a patient and security is needed. I always pause for a moment to imagine what could be happening to warrant a "Code Gery". The possibilities are almost endless.
5) We have a deck to sit outside when the weather is nice. THE DECK HAS PRISON BARS! The bars go all the way overhead in a cage like fashion.
I've been educating people at work (and by people I mean my desk buddy Alex and the other guy Peter) on all things Michigan. They now know about:
-Pop, oh the shame of saying it here!
-Pointing to your hand for locational purposes
-the term yooper
-that Flint is no fun
-there is a Troy in Michigan too!
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