Hairy Beast

Fluffy:  Can I shave off all the hair on my legs?

Mom:  No.   You're only nine.  You can shave your legs when you starting shaving your armpits.

Flufy:  Gross...

Happy Halloween

I never made a Halloween costume for Fluffy.  One year I sewed a cape for Scooter so he could be a bat.  Another year, in an attempt to save money, I sewed him a Harry Potter cloak that ended up costing more than a store-bought one.  I have to admit, though, it was a very nice cloak made of expensive, satiny fabric, and it had a secret pocket to hold his wand.  Anyway, that was the last costume I sewed.

However, this year, Fluffy and her friend Kristen announced that they were going as salt and pepper shakers.  I definitely wouldn't find those costumes at Party City.  So I bought sparkly flannel in black and white, and each mom sewed her daughter's outfit.  They wore aluminum foil "caps" on their heads.

Fluffy was salt.  She looked really different from the pepper.  She had a giant "S" on her front, and people would go, "S...Super...?"

Botox

I got something in the mail today.  It looked like an invitation and it was hand-addressed to me.  The printed return address said it was from Temecula.  I don't know anyone in Temecula, but I do know someone in Lake Elsinore, and I thought, "A wedding invitation?"

I opened it, and it was an invitation to a seminar on "the latest innovations in cosmetic surgery."

So now I'm in THAT demographic.

Sports Unlimited

On Friday night, Scooter had soccer practice, and Fluffy had soccer AND basketball practice.

We were at Scooter's soccer game at 8:15 on Saturday morning, helping set up the field as we had the first game of the day.  I learned something - where to put the flags.

The game was kind of slow.  With no score and the end of the first half approaching, I said (to myself but not too softly), "Please score a goal before we have to leave for Scooter's B-ball game."  Our team made two goals, one right after the other, and RJ's Big Brother said, "See, they scored for you!"  Then we left for Scooter's 11:00 basketball game in Anaheim.

The boys won their game!  Then it was back home for Fluffy's 3:00 soccer game.  Wah!  They lost their first game of the season!  But there was no time to dwell on it, because it was back down to Anaheim for 6:00 games for both Fluffy and Scooter.  Fluffy's team lost, but miracle of miracles, Scooter's team won again!  That meant they would play on Sunday for FIRST PLACE!

Half of Fluffy's team went to dinner at the Alcatraz Brewing Co. in The Block at Orange.  I had a delicioso steak salad.

Sunday morning we were up early again for Fluffy's 9:00 game in Anaheim.  They lost again!  No time to dwell on that loss either as Scooter had a game at another gym.   Wah!  They lost, but they took second place and got special T-shirts.

Monday morning we woke up and couldn't believe we actually had a weekend.  Yawn!

Final tally for the weekend:

Fluffy:  VFW tournament - 3 losses; AYSO - 1 loss

Scooter:  VFW tournament - 2 wins, 1 loss, 2nd place; AYSO - 1 win

Tri-Lamb Material 65 % Nerd, 21% Geek, 60% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Dork, earning you the coveted title of: Tri-Lamb Material. The classic, "80's" nerd, you are what most people think of when they think "nerd," largely due to 80's movies like Revenge of the Nerds and TV shows like Head of the Class. You're exceptionally bright and smart, and partly because of that have never quite fit in with your peers or social groups. Perhaps you've realized, or will someday, that it is possible to retain all of the things that you like about being brilliant and still make peace with the social cliques around you. Or maybe you won't--it's really not necessary. As the brothers of Lambda Lambda Lambda discovered, you're fine just the way you are and can take pride in that. I mean, who wants to be like Ogre, right!? Congratulations! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Professional Wrestling Love & Sexuality America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 59% on nerdiness You scored higher than 37% on geekosity You scored higher than 95% on dork points

Mr. Darcy
I just discovered I have the same birthdate as Colin Firth.  Wow, he's old.

I Don't Understand

The kids in Fluffy's class wrote "I am..." poems that the teacher posted on the wall.  She gives them a prompt like "I am...,"  "I feel...," "I believe...," and they fill in the blanks.  Some of the kids had very deep, mature thoughts:

I understand...

...that I can't have everything I want.

...life isn't always fair.

...things will never be the same again. (written by a girl whose father died suddenly earlier this year)

And what does Fluffy write?  "I understand...English."

Aim Low, Less Disappointment

At the BTS meeting, MF (conceited, arrogant MF) asked everyone to introduce themselves and tell one place they wanted to visit.  People threw out all kinds of countries.  Rocky said he wants to go to the moon.

Me?  I don't care much for going abroad.  I want to see our own country first.  So far I've been to Hawaii (born there), California (live here), Washington, Nevada, Utah, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, New York, New Jersey & Louisiana.  And Washington, D.C.  Also, if stopovers count, where my feet never actually touched the ground but my plane did, there's Arizona, Colorado and Texas.

The extent of my foreign travel is going barely over the borders to Vancouver (Canada), and Tijuana and Cabo (Mexico).  I can go only where they speak English (Louisiana and New York/Jersey are exceptions).

Libel vs. Slander
It's no wonder I can't find a copywriting job.  Looking back I've been rather inconsistent; is it Pen Maker or Penmaker?  Actually, it's Penhell.

My Civic Duty

Today was the dreaded jury duty day.  I got the original summons ages ago, but it was for downtown so I had it moved to Torrance.  Guido didn't like the new date they gave me (he has to control EVERYTHING, even things that have nothing to do with him), so I moved it to September.  He didn't like that date either, but I refused to move it again. 

I sat in that room ALL DAY LONG (except for a two-hour lunch with VW).  At 3:30 "LeRol" called everyone together and I thought, "Oh no, they're going to send us to a courtroom NOW?"  But instead, he released us.  Definitely better than being sent to a courtroom!

Toot Toot
Fluffy got a new flute and is going to take band this year!  She's very excited to do something that is totally hers and not just an extension of Scooter's (Guido's) activities.  And finally, hopefully, someone in this pathetic family will have a chance to expand her/his horizons beyond sports.

If It Looks Too Good to be True...

Is it my computer or this program?  For the last few months, I haven't been able to update my blog.  I'd log in, write entries and post them, but then nothing would be there on the actual blog.  Then all of a sudden, on August 27th, my little blurb popped up.  So I've got a few months' worth of stuff to update.  Stay tuned...

Washington, D.C.

We were pretty wiped out from yesterday and we're still on California time.  Our hotel is pretty old.  In fact, it's a historic landmark or something.  The room is small, but I guess you could call it cozy.  It's got a weird room off to the side; it's pretty big, but it has just a table and two chairs.  I guess you can use it as an office, but it doesn't have a real desk and there's a lot of empty floor space.  We're using that room to lay out our suitcases and dump miscellaneous junk.

Guido got up really early to go down to the Washington Monument to get tickets for us.  The rest of us got ready so we could leave when he came back.  The weather has cooled off substantially from yesterday.  In fact, we need to take umbrellas with us for the rest of the trip (residual effects of a storm are making their way toward us).

Our hotel is up the hill from the Dupont Circle subway station.  The subway is going to be our main mode of transportation on this trip.  I actually love public transportation and try to use it in every city I visit, so I am very excited.

Okay, so there's a loooooooong escalator down into the sub station.  It's scary.  Escalator etiquette applies here.  You stand to the right so people can pass you on the left.  I need to hold on tight to the railing, because I feel like I am going to fall forward.  I don't know how people can walk down this thing with a briefcase in one hand, coffee in the other, talk on a cell phone, and NOT tip over into the abyss below.

Our first stop is the Bureau of Engraving & Printing - that's where they print MONEY!  But first we make a stop at the Holocaust Museum.  It's a pretty intense experience, so we are doing just the children's portion.  I think our kids can relate to it a little bit, because we have talked about how Japanese-Americans were sent to camps during WWII.  Of course, most people would think that was nothing compared to the Holocaust.

The BEP is interesting.  Printing money is a very complicated process.  Did you know that paper currency is actually more like cloth than paper?  That's how it can hold up to changing hands so much.  The BEP also prints postage stamps.  The printing area stinks - all that green ink.  It brings back memories of those summers I worked at the print shop.

The afternoon is devoted to visiting one landmark after another.  First stop is the Washington Monument.  Those tickets Guido got us this morning are our passports to the very top of the monument.  Wow!  The view is awesome.  We're looking at all the places we'll be visiting on this trip.  On the elevator ride down, our guide stops periodically to show us stones that were sent by various states.  Each state has contributed a stone to the monument.  There are also stones provided by various organizations and even some other countries.

We walk to the Lincoln Memorial.  It reminds me of Fluffy's 100th day of school when she "made" a Lincoln Memorial out of 100 pennies.

We also make a quick tour of the WWII memorial, WWI memorial, and the Korean War memorial.  I am looking for the Viet Nam memorial, but Guido says it's near the Capitol (wrong!  It turns out we walked right past it, but I was so disoriented and I didn't have my map, I had no clue where we or anything else was).

The last stop is the Jefferson Memorial.  Guido thought we were taking the short way, but it turned out to be the long way.  The upside is that we got to walk underneath the cherry blossom trees.

Dinner is at McCormick & Schmicks on K Street.  BTW, some of these street names are sounding very familiar.  Unfortunately, I still remember parts of The Exorcist which I read in the 8th grade.  Too scary.

It's raining and it's pretty late by the time we get back to the hotel.  It's a long walk back up that hill.

LAX-ATL-DCA

The Bunnies are spending a week in Washington, D.C.  Originally, Guido wanted to go to Disney World.  Since we take a major trip only once every five years or so, I couldn't see wasting it on a flashier version of Disneyland.  Who knows, this could be our last big family vacation.  Ever.  (No job, remember?)

I can't even remember what time our flight was, but we had to get up real early.  Since we couldn't take liquids on the plane, I guzzled water like crazy before we boarded, but still my hands and lips shriveled (I get dehydrated very easily and quickly) and I can't even count the number of times I had to use the bathroom during the first leg.  They don't feed you much on the plane these days.  We scarfed down some food in the Atlanta airport, and boarded for the second leg that took us to D.C.

We arrived late in the day and went straight to dinner after we dumped our luggage at the hotel.  I couldn't believe how hot it was.  It was about 8:00 and over 90 degrees.  I was beginning to dread the coming days when we would be mostly walking from one attraction to the next.

Dinner was pretty good.  I had a misto salad that was absolutely THE BEST salad I ever had:  field greens with prosciutto, smoked salmon and buffalo mozarella, drizzled with a sweet, tangy vinaigrette.  Yum!  Fluffy and I shared tortellini.  Scooter had lobster ravioli in a lobster bisque.

It was basically a day of sitting on our asses and eating.

What's Going On with My Blog?
Why can't I update my blog?

End of an Era

It was my last day of work at Pen Maker (most recently known as Penhell).  I was dreading it, because it was the same day as our BTS 2007 meeting, and I didn't want to deal with all those salespeople asking what I'm doing, where I'm going, etc.  I don't like goodbyes.

It actually worked out better than I expected.  Everyone was so busy sucking up to the new marketing people that they pretty much ignored us ex-Marketiers.

Compared to other companies I worked for, it wasn't the biggest (Bank of America), the most professional (Mattel), the most innovative (Epson & DirecTV), and it definitely didn't have the best benefits (Continental Airlines), but the work was the most enjoyable and rewarding.  I LOVED writing about pens.  Weird, I know.

Anyway, after the meeting, I went back to the office, got my moolah, and split.

Inferno

I was next door at the luggage company interviewing for a job.  It's a pretty funky environment.  The owner is Korean, and he has Buddhas and potted plants all over the place. 

Anyway, all of a sudden his employees came running through the halls screaming, "Fire," and heading for the side door.  I ran out of the building with them and we all gathered in the parking lot trying to see where the fire was.  The luggage company was fine, but the building next door was on fire!  The west side of the Pen Maker building, the side facing the parking lot and the luggage company, had flames shooting off the roof.  A bunch of factory workers were throwing little buckets of water at the fire.  Joe (the Japanese one) was on the shoulders of another little Asian guy, and people were passing buckets of water to him douse the fire on the roof.  It was obvious the little buckets were useless.  It was really freaky.

Was my subconscious trying to say something or what, with a dream like that!

Oscar Who?
I have this thing about movies. I tend to reject what the masses (and media) say is supposed to be good and usually anything with big name actors. So I purposely miss shows with Jennifer Lopez (which may be a wise decision), Tom Cruise (pre-90s stuff is okay), and all those little clone boys and girls I can't tell apart (Scarlett who? Matthew what?).

Since I have kids, I do have to go to the movies occasionally. I see things like "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Reloaded."

You might have guessed that we don't have cable or a dish.

Needless to say, when the Oscars or Emmies or Grammies or whatever come along, I am clueless.

I saw "The Shawshank Redemption" one Saturday afternoon (when only losers are at home watching network TV). I had thought it was just about a bunch of guys in prison who revolt and kill each other. It was a pretty good movie after all. Did it win anything?

Bend It Like...

We spent our last No Fear outing at a Galaxy game.  All teams that participated in the last tournament were able to buy 2-for-1 tickets.  In addition, the teams got to walk out onto the field before the game.  It was awesome to walk across the field played on by so many pro soccer players.  We touched the grass (and took some home with us).

Scooter was very excited to see Freddy Adu, the young, hot soccer star who currently plays for D.C. United.  And it's always fun to watch Galaxy, especially Cobi Jones.

What a great way to end the soccer season and kick off the summer vacation!

Series Finale
The Marketing department is a strange bunch of people. Unlike the majority of employees who are on a timeclock, we are exempt. I try very hard to be there on time, but if I'm late, it's no big deal, and there are those who stroll in anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes late everyday and don't give a shit. While the rest of the company races to punch out at 12:00 for lunch, the Marketiers tend to take late, long lunches, and until we moved to the new building, we always ate lunch together in our own marketing room. We dressed up as a group for Halloween. We had loud, raucous brainstorming meetings.

On the flip side, some of us put in way more than the expected 7-1/2 hours a day. There is a part of me that is always at work, always thinking of new product ideas, names, slogans, articles. I love my job. On weekends and vacation, even when I call in sick, I'm still mentally at work. Of course, we've all been given notice that we are being replaced by FOM (more on that after the job is officially terminated), so I don't know why I still try so hard.

Anyway, the Exodus has begun. First Michael left us for a design agency. A week later, Jill left us to help start up a new division of a consumer goods company. I'm pretty sure the next one to leave will be HRH Favi.

We took lots of pictures, and exchanged addresses and phone numbers, making promises to get together at least once every other month. Though we all started with the department at different times, this group has been together about four years. The business has been mostly downhill since I started eight years ago, but until recently it still was a great place to work. MF made sure all that changed. At our peak, we had twelve people; now we are down to five. All the best people have left, and a few stragglers remain, yours truly included, to close down the department.

It's like the end of a TV series. We were thrown together like a sitcom ensemble, and we were a very strange cast of characters.

Nerdy, brainy Marc. The most talented person I have ever met. His mom is such a nut job, I'm surprised he turned out to be so normal.

Matt, a former actor and bartender and a total babe, he never really gave up the spotlight, always doing crazy things to get attention.

Mike, always cracking jokes that may or may not be funny, the only person in the entire company who actually reads our Nielsen reports.

Richard was so friendly I thought he was hitting on me. He turned out to be the gayest person I know. I've never seen a grown man run like that.

Janet, a princess from USC. I wonder if she'll ever be happy about anything.

Joe, the Generic guy. He loves green. And Pilipino jokes.

Michael. Soft-spoken, artistic, musical, and a wild streak that pops up when you least expect it. "Well, I wasn't always a Christian."

Sharon knows everything about everyone, and I know nothing about her except she loves farts.

Lori aka Miss Melba Toast, the White Trash Princess. "Lookin' for love in all the wrong places." I think all she wanted was a family, and she's finally found it in Nashville.

Jill, the buffer between us and management. It's amazing she put up with that crap for so long. And vice versa.

HRH Favi, the loudest, most obnoxious person I have ever met. Underneath the tough barrio exterior, she has a huge heart. If she had ever met Janet, she would have eaten her alive!

Scott and I shared an office for five years before I discovered he's gay. Our typical conversations started, "You wanna hear something gross?" If I stay in touch with only one person, it will be him.