updates and things

Today is the 20th anniversary of our parent company being traded in the stock market.  So, it is free coffee & food day again here at work.  I came in to a line of about 50 people in the lobby, waiting for two baristas to make their coffees for them.  It so happens, I am following this fattish, older lady (seriously, she’s even got a female baldness thing going on.) who just got her coffee and scone.  She presses the button to summon the elevator. Then takes a step back. And another. And another? And another! And another! Here I am following suit so she wouldn’t run into me.  It would have been impossible for her not to see me as she was standing in front of semi-reflective glass.  Finally she stops.  This one guy in line sees me throw my hands in the air while mouthing, "What the fuck?"  He calls my name and starts going, "Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Maxie, don’t get run over!"   

How ironic that this company actually has the words health and management in its name and yet a tour of the building would yield a large majority of its occupants not practicing said words? Ok. I’ll stop. I know I am being mean.

One more thing, the Chicago trip has been moved to May 14th.  My schedule has gone awry and I really don’t even want to think about it anymore.

When I was a kid, I did not dream of being a video ho.  Especially not for propaganda use!  Dare I elaborate?  What the hell!  If I’m going to push the envelope, I might as well see how far I can go before getting reprimanded.

I was walking back to work with my one and only sane co-worker today, when a group of trainees stopped me to say jokingly, "Can I get your autograph?" I told them I had no idea what they were talking about.  The leader of the pack said in his southern drawl, "We saw y’all on tv today!  You were the star of the video!" Huh???  Then it dawned on me.  He was talking about the Rah-Rah video the company recorded earlier this year to document their prized Culture of Excellence dogma.  I mustered a fake laugh and said my goodbyes.  For a moment I wondered if I could get away with getting into my car and running them over like bowling pins.  Isn’t that what real celebrities do?  But, I put my gargantuan Michael Kors glasses back on (because we all know I am really a drag queen at heart!) and continued the trek uphill instead. 

This is just great.  I get to be the face those people remember three months from now, when they realize their commission-only job sucks ass and they finally get why insurance agents are not thought of fondly.  Business development, indeed!

Friday night started out great with the chicas and I meeting up at the Bellwether for wine and appes.  We made summer plans.  We shed off the week’s craziness. Potato wrapped shrimp. Then we got told by the owner we were too rowdy.  Umm… I’m only on my second glass of pinot grigio, Sir.  I know for a fact dancing on tables don’t occur until after the Jager shots come out!  Well anyway, we huffed and puffed for our check and left the pretentious watering hole to meet up with the guys for some down home, pulled pork sandwiches.  The evening kinda fizzled out due to long wait times at the bowling alley.

8.11.2007 will be the pRon star (after the shot, not the professionals) reunion weekend.  Parents, do not bring your children to Leavenworth that weekend! I must try to not lose my voice this time around.  Although.. with inner tubing down the river, wine tasting, the Ducks & Drakes, breaking into the hot tub and all the other crazy ideas that Bianca, Shanaynay and the gang can think of lined up.. that might be a challenge.

Saturday was chill.  Slept in. Casino Royale. (Oh, James indeed!) Afternoon nap. Wii at Rupinder’s. Vball. Mexican. 3 Ibuprofens.

Mark and I played tennis, for about three hours yesterday, while the Tsu-man was off to a motor swap. An LS-VTEC upgrade for a friend’s Acura Integra. Meanwhile, Nektario & Nancy were crazy enough to do the Sun Run this year.  So to celebrate, the five of us went to Spiros. "We will eat. We will leave. But we’re not going to pay." Well, that was my Greek lesson of the day, but I’ve forgotten it already.  I’m still stuck at "Yassou!"

Nektario’s fam makes the best Greek food.  No menu needed.  We had the crazy Greek order for us. Kalamaria, Tarama, Tiropita, Spanakopita, Dolmathes, perfectly cooked lamb medallions, Pita with Tzatziki & Hummus.  Creme caramel and Baklava to finish.  I was nursing a food baby past the overtime period of Game 3 of the Canucks versus Stars faceoff.  (Incidentally, them Orca boys better come up with a different strategy besides scraping by with the skin of their teeth!)

Hijo De Puta. I’ve got Frozen Toe Syndrome! I should have known better than to wear my silver jacquard silk, 4-inch open toe slides, with the rhinestone buckles today. It’s another wet and windy Friday in the Pacific Northwest, folks! You’d think after six years, I’d know how to dress for the climate.  It’s not that I don’t.  I just refuse to! The wool socks and northface jacket crowd will not be adding my name to their list of victims, oh no.

My preferred woe du jour are sunburns and an empty drink glass.  It is 82F in Salvador da Bahia today.  I wonder if they need auditors there?  I’m even willing to take a paycut in exchange for a beachfront cabin, 4 hour workdays and an on call personal masseur. 

For the record, I don’t think I’m the type of person who does well with taking a break from things. This is the second week without league vball, dance or anything other than Law & Order reruns lined up for my evenings.  Blech. The Queen of Afternoon Naps is officially couch-weary and in need of stimulation.  I think I have to admit it. I am bored. So if y’all have any groundbreaking things to do indoors, hit me up.  Oh, why does it have to be so rainy and cold here? 

When: 4/23/07 - 4/27/07

Where: Downtown, where else?

Who: Boardroom Lisa, Judie Pie, Kasia and the old XDP Crew!

The Veep’s admin, or Dracula’s Bride as I like to call her (since her makeup is so flawlessly…goth), has outdone herself this time around.  She got me hotel reservations at a posh hotel on Wacker Drive! So.. here’s what I had in mind:

Revisit old haunts with the XDP crew.  Have fab tacos al pastor at the Mexican cantina off of Harlem and Roosevelt. See Centennial Park.  Shop Michigan. A wine tasting or two!  And by special request from the Tsu-man, hit up Giordano’s. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Now if the weather will just cooperate. Damn April snow storms in the midwest.

Ahay, Judie Pie, ngaa subong ka pa imo nagpuli sa Pilipinas, man? Bay-i lang, mabalik pa ko liwat sa July, a.

I got a surprise visit from Nektario and Markdon on Monday.  Their third musketteer, The Tsu-man, had just made plans to go to the Vancouver Auto Show so he couldn’t make the joyride south.  The boys wanted mp3 players and sugar.  Two new things I learned that day:

• The true meaning of Greek Style.  A conversation with these two is never dull!
• Applying portion control to Mexican does not make it a good pre-game meal.

IHOV update: Monday night cemented my decision not to go back to church ball.  Rupinder and I got stuck in the All-Samoa team and were promptly ignored on the court.  Even GrandPapa Freaking Smurf got sets before we did! (Needless to say, I defected to Mother Russia’s team after that game.)

Also, SassyChicklet got taken down by Big Boi of the ‘Fro Duo on yet another one of his failed attempts at landing a hit properly.  (Oddly enough, the other one looks just like Andre 3000.  I am going to start calling them Outkast from now on.) He didn’t even apologize, help her up or ask if she was ok. Rude!

This week’s epiphany:  I am indeed a clotheshorse.  I devoted two evenings to folding, hanging and organizing the four loads of clothes from the last two weeks alone.  I guess it’s not good that I picked up two new pairs of jeans when the RodentPrincess and I went jean shopping.  Ay!

The Hag gave another great demonstration of her ineptness and it has now become a one-liner around the building.  "There are unusual icons on your desktop."  I’m too disgusted at her stupidity to tell the story.

Today is the first day this year that the temps have gone above 70. To celebrate, I dusted off my hot pink Bebe ankle strap stilettos. (What? New jeans need hot shoes!)  And since I’m craving a strawberry fruit ice bar, I might just give in to it when I go for a walk this afternoon.  Ummm…Yeah… portion control is out the window this weekend.  I just know Eddie Baby is cooking up a storm for Easter Dinner.  I am powerless to resist.

Oakridge Centre is my new favorite mall! It’s not as far as downtown Van and no crazy drivers like Richmond Centre or Metrotown.  It’s got Benetton, Aritzia, Coach, Bebe, LuluLemon, BCBG, Lacoste and M.A.C.

Incidentally, I’m all about bubble gum pink lips these days.  (Lustreglass lip gloss in Morning Glory and Cremestick liner in Softwood.)   But a grown up bubble gum pink.  I can’t very well come into work looking like a drag queen holding on to the last vestiges of Melanie Griffith’s youth.