Random Encounters and Copy Machine Talk

So I moved back to my old office about two weeks ago.  However this time I am on the complete opposite side of the building from where I used to sit, so I don't know many people over here.  I was walking down the aisle the first full day I was here and ran into someone I graduated high school with and probably hadn't seen since grad night 19 (oh my I am old) years ago .... small world I tell ya! 

Last week I was waiting at the copy machine returns to print and another employee approaches.

Him: "Waiting for some stuff to print?"
Me: "Yes" - duh why else would I be here dumb a**
Him: "So dark brown hair there and dirty-blonde here" (looking from my employee badge to my current hair color)
Me: "Yes ... it's called a good stylist" - what the heck ...

Seriously what guy notices the difference between your hair color on your employee badge and the hair color on your head??  Especially someone who doesn't even know you?

Resolution for An Annoying Co-Worker

Remember when I posted about a co-worker who clips his nails at work all the time?  I would link to the post, but I can't find it.  Anyway my other co-worker, The Kingston Queen, and I have been debating how to handle the situation - leaving a note on his desk, approaching him, etc.  While I was in Atlanta at a tax conference earlier this week I mentioned my dilemma to some friends.  One friend suggested we superglue the clippers together.  So today I brought in superglue and attempted to glue them together.  Unfortunately there is only a small portion of the metal that completely closes together on nail clippers, so the glue wasn't adhering.  Luckily for The Kingston Queen and me, we have several other cool co-workers who are bothered by this lack of etiquette and one suggested we glue the clippers to the inside of the guy's desk drawer.  I love people with great ideas!  So we glued them to the inside of his drawer where he keeps them.  Stay tuned - I will be sure to let you know how it turns out.  Right now I have to scrape superglue off of my hands ....

QUOTABLE QUOTES

I read so many blogs that have all of these inspirational quotes or Bible verses and I always think - wow I wish I knew those by memory and could put them on my blog.  Yes I know it wouldn't take much effort, with the internet and the Bible APP on my phone (thanks Mr. ESPN - maybe that's a hint I need to read it more), but life gets in the way.  So instead I decided I am going to try and remember to write down quotes I hear at work and home and post them.  My favorite quote from work this week (which I posted on FB):

• "I can't fix STUPID!" - Love it!

Some others I heard at work this week:

• "I am a MOG, part man part dog.  I am my own best friend."
• "It doesn't matter what she wears he will find something to say about it.  She's got curves, it's kind of hard to hide them."
• "Sorry I have cerebral flatulence today."
• "You can work with the people in Bangledoor." (really they are in Bangladore, India - not Bangledoor)
• "We make sh** fly!" (The company I work for makes avionics, wheels, brakes, etc. for aircraft - we are on most commercial flights and yes one of our slogans is We Make It Fly)

Let's see what next week brings ... maybe Chatty and Bia will supply me with some material!

Back to Life ....

Back to Reality, Back to the Here and Now (you can thank me for having this song stuck in your head all day) ... I am back in the desert after a long - long - did I mention long - cold week in NJ or as I refer to it as Tax He**!  It was that good people - not!  11 hour days of tax with people who like to hear themselves talk! This resulted in breaks and lunch being delayed and shortened almost every single day (not good for a girl like me who enjoys eating).  As if that wasn't enough we had two group dinners too!  Ahh it was like the gift that just kept giving!

After two weekends in a row being cut short due to travel ... I was in bed by 8:15 p.m. last night.  Pretty romantic for Valentine's Day!  In my defense I picked up Pei Wei for dinner and brought Mr. ESPN beer back from NJ (his favorite) and thanks to the Kingston Queen for packing some of his beer in her suitcase too!


Mr. ESPN survived last week and didn't need to call in back up support, although I think he was just as excited to see me as the girls were - or maybe it was because he knew I had beer in my suitcase!  Whatever it was he was happy!  Funny comment from Chatty at the airport.

Chatty: "Mom I learned how to shoot tonight!"
Me (dazed and confused): "You learned how to what tonight?"
Chatty: "I learned how to shoot!"
Me: "Umm what?"
Chatty: "I learned how to shoot a goal at soccer tonight!"
Me (relieved): "Oh that's great!"

Note to self remind Chatty using the term shoot at an airport isn't the best idea in the world.

Happy Birthday to my Granny yesterday!  The girls and I called her last night and both sang their own rendition of Happy Birthday to her.  It was cute!

OK - is it Friday yet???

Thoughtless Thursday

Not much going on around here (hence the reason I haven't posted all week) - just the usual chaos that is our life. 

• Yesterday we had a high of 42 degrees with 20 mph winds.  Needless to say soccer practice was COLD for us here in the desert!  Speaking of which, one kid shows up in shorts, t-shirt and thin little hoodie!  For pete's sake - can't her parents figure out how to dress her warmly - a little common sense people! 
• Another note from soccer - I was so cold I took my scarf and wrapped it around my head and then my neck.  I looked like someone from the Middle East ... my friend was cracking up (it was quite the site)!  You do what you gotta do right?
• I have to go to NJ for work on Sunday ... nice right?  Lovely, snowy, cold NJ in February!  And I won't be able to thaw out until Friday when I return to the desert (yes I know some of you live in cold places but I am from FL and have only lived in FL and AZ ... my body isn't programmed for extended bouts of cold weather).
• My kids were up and dressed by 5:45 am this morning.  The early rising gene did NOT come from me!
• Karma will bite you in the a**.  In the middle of the night Chatty came in complaining she had a nightmare.  I told her she was fine and go back to bed.  Then I fell back asleep and had a nightmare!  Note to self - next time Chatty has a nightmare at least offer to tuck her back in bed.
• I took my first Zumba class on Monday night with my friend L.  It was fun and funny!  I mean really funny when I looked at myself in the mirror during class!
• I asked Mr. ESPN if he wanted me to make any food for he and the girls to eat next week while I am gone.  Chatty answers and says "Brownies", I say "OK, what else?"  Chatty says "Cookies!"  She's my kind of girl!
• Bia has no concept of time.  Last night I told her I was leaving on a plane on Sunday and two minutes later she says, you leave tomorrow? (mmm ... depends on how you and Chatty behave)
• I don't think I took any pictures during the month of January.  Note to self - take some!
• Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday ... I am bailing out early so I can get some provisions for my adventure to the blustery northeast!

It's Only Wednesday???

This has been such a long week and it is only Wednesday.  As much as I love a few moments/days away from my kids - this is a little too long.  I flew in on Sunday and don't fly home until Friday night. Not my kind of fun.  Eating takeout in your hotel room gets old (especially when your pants seem to feel tighter by the day even though you have been to the gym twice since you have been here).  To top it off we worked until 8:30 last night - insane!  Not to mention it is super hot and humid here which equals Brown Eyed Girls Mom With an Afro!  I feel like Monica on Friends when they went to Hawaii (I think I referenced this last time I went to a super humid climate - it's a recurring issue for me) - it isn't quite that bad but it isn't good!  I get spoiled living in the desert. 

Last night when I talked to the girls Bia said she wanted to go back to the airport.  I don't think she understood that I got on a plane after they dropped me off at the airport - she thought I was still there - bless her heart!  I told her she could come back to the airport Friday and I would be there.  And poor Chatty - she's a mama's girl most of the time and told me when I left that she wished Daddy was leaving and not me ... last night she had a meltdown, in fact all three seemed to be having one when I spoke to them on the phone.  Hopefully today is going better for all of them.  I think Mr. ESPN was looking forward to going to work today!  Over half way through ....

Crappy Call and Better Things

All morning I kept thinking I need to post something and had nothing ... until I got the crappy call from a crappy customer!  I am PO'd and a little ready to cry - all at the same time.  So excuse this rant of a post.  This guy railed on me for 10 minutes and proceeded to tell me our tax process is flawed that we HAVE to refund him the sales tax we collected from his company for the past few years and that no statute of limitations exists between a customer and a vendor.  While this probably make zero sense to anyone reading this (except the Kingston Queen) let me just say this man is an idiot and he is wrong and I am MAD!  Ugh - I hate that some people (especially a lot of arrogant men who work in TAX) think they know everything and can be so rude and demoralizing.  It is one of the reasons why I left my old job! 

On to better things ... my kids are super funny.  Bia has been celebrating Valentine's (Balentine as she calls it) Day all week ... I think she thinks it is everyday now since we still have candy.  Chatty told her Nana and Poppa on the phone last night she loved them so much she wished they could never die - cute and a little morbid all at the same time!  Chatty loves watching the Olympics but if you ask her what her favorite sport is in the games she says "swimming and soccer" - she hasn't figured out the difference between the summer and winter games - what do you expect she was born in the desert!  And super good news a former co-worker had twin boys early this morning - Devin (7lbs 11 oz) and Keegan (7lbs 15oz) - that's a lot of baby to deliver in one morning!  So happy for them.

Here's to a better afternoon .... and no more crappy calls!

Long Week

The last two days have been less than exciting at work. I had to sit through all day meetings on delivery model and sourcing transformation and the potential tax implications (yes I know - WTH is that?) with 8 guys and me! Yes I am a tax person (nerd) but this was totally out of my area of expertise (yes there are various tax specialties and this isn't mine). I was basically there to observe (and hopefully gain some knowledge to move into other tax specialties) which means it is very hard to pay attention and stay awake when the conversation is that riveting! I didn't bring my laptop to the meeting yesterday and even with the large diet coke I had, I was feeling the need to nod off ... so much so that one of the managers teased me about it later. Today I took my laptop to the meeting so I could actually get some work done and focus a little more. Thanks goodness I get to work from home tomorrow (because I have to take my car in and I am volunteering in Chatty's class tomorrow). Hopefully it won't be as dramatic as the Kindergarten Barfing (aka Holiday) Party from December! Ugh - now I have to get motivated to go to the gym!