Finally - A Free Hotel Room!

I have finally lined up my first hotel mystery shop and will be getting reimbursed for a room and breakfast. Woohoo! I have to go to Nashville April 8-9 for meetings. From Nashville, I have to go straight to Atlanta for my little brother's birthday party. It's going to be a busy, busy, busy weekend.

Less Like Cyndi Lauper

The last few days my hair has finally calmed down and has finally stopped trying to match my car. It's now a human, and humane, pigment. Hallelujah!

My Brother's Leaving for the White City

I'm going to Atlanta, and Atlanta's coming to me. The next three weekends are going to be bittersweet. This weekend is my adorable goddaughter's birthday party in Atlanta. I'm going to try to squeeze in time with my adopted younger brother, Younger Matt, and another friend, my ex-fiance', Keith; my little brother may be out of town. Hopefully I'll also be able to watch the Easter egg hunt at Kate's in-law's house; I don't know if I have to come back and work that day yet. Next weekend Younger Matt is coming here. The following weekend I'm going to Atlanta again for my younger brother's birthday party/going-away party. He's leaving for a new start in Chicago, and I'm going to miss him terribly. It's one thing to go from seeing him once every few days to seeing him every month or so. That took some getting used to, but I finally learned to deal with it. It's quite another thing to go from seeing him every month or so to seeing him once or twice a year. I doubt he'll be able to make it down to Atlanta often. It's not like it could be a weekend trip. He is one of the best friends I have ever had and knows me so much better than many people who have known me far longer than him. I'm so honored that he considers me like family. Friends like him don't come along often. I'm going to once again make sure that he realizes how much I appreciate him. It's the least I can do. I better stop since I'm starting to tear up just thinking about it.

The Curious Phone Call with the Texan in the Night-Time the Day after Finishing a Great Book

I talked to a guy from Texas on the dating line last night. We both miss the sky. We both agree that Texas Roadhouse is the lamest, fakest restaurant on the planet. We both agree that seeing one club's regulars line dancing to every song, including rap, is just plain bizarre. I don't recall people back home doing that, but maybe they did. I suppose I would block that out if they had. :) We both bemoan how hard it is to find good Mom-and-Pop Mexican food. We had a lot of fun talking and may meet soon.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon is a gem. It's a fictional glimpse into autism that is very matter-of-fact. I sympathized with the parents' frustrations while coming to an understanding that the child does not realize what he is missing by being unable to experience the full spectrum of normal human emotions. I loved the book's incorporation of difficult math problems; I pondered and tackled them all. The only letdown was the ending. Too abrupt. Too unoriginal. Everything had already been mentioned once. We didn't need a summary of things that had already been said; we needed something new to provide a glimmer of hope. Despite this, I'm going to recommend it to my friend who is an occupational therapist. I believe she will find and appreciate things I never saw. I hope she will state that it does seem to portray autism realistically since that's the opinion I had, but I don't have the wealth of knowledge on the topic and regular contact with autistic people like she does.

I Stood Up To Someone

After resting on Friday and working Saturday and Sunday nights, I was glad that this was the last weekend I'll have without social plans for awhile. While driving home Sunday, I found out that a friend was at a bar with some of his friends. He likes to keep his friends segregated but had allowed a girl he's been seeing lately to tag along. That's so hypocritical. When I said that I was thinking of dropping in, he said they were leaving soon. I was in the area and was already planning on going to the grocery store near the bar on my way home. When I left the grocery store thirty minutes later, I could see his car still sitting in front of the bar. This really pissed me off. I don't what the freaking big deal is. I've met all but one of the long-term friends he was with. And guess what? I met them when I arranged for them to surprise him at a birthday party me and two friends of mine, who, incidentally, I once set up with him, planned. I've been his friend for four and a half years. I dated him for three months and then broke up with him because he was a bitter jerk. His bitterness decreased over the years but has resurfaced in full force again here recently. He can be such a jerk at times. Rarely to me though. I'm just tired of mostly only being an on-the-phone friend whose only role seems to be to listen to him bitch about his ex and tons of other things. I'm tired of his being a hypocrite. And I especially don't like the fact that he lied to me. Let's see if he apologizes. He better, but I doubt he will. When I started to vent, he said, "Why should I feel obligated to invite you?" Our mutual friend said she would chew him out the next time she talked to him. I said that we shouldn't gang up on him. Maybe we should. I'm so sick of his negativity. I know that sounds hypocritical, but I have been nothing but patient and long-suffering for years. I'm tired of his taking my friendship for granted. I'm especially tired of his bitter side's rearing its ugly head more and more for the last few months.

Ch-Ch-Changes...

The weekend before last consisted of another do-nothing Friday night, a work-both-jobs Saturday, and another do-nothing Sunday. So bland. But last week things became interesting. I had a huge deadline on Monday that resulted in my working late on Saturday and Monday. Not only was there the incident with the guy; I also had to stand around for forty-five minutes in the freezing cold on Friday to wait for busses that were delayed by car wrecks. I looked like a lunatic standing there shivering and cussing nonstop. I caught this woman looking over at me from her heated car with concern and pity. I wanted to scream. But I knew that it was all going to change very quickly. And it did.
Around noon on Saturday - hours before I was expecting them - Michelle & David called and said they were bringing the car over. I got my new baby. The cutest baby I have ever had. I'm in love. First things first I took them home and filled out paperwork with them. I went to drop off my moody cell phone to be fixed. Then I loaded up the car for some future errands. Another nice thing about the car - it has a trunk. Hatchbacks are great for moving furniture, but it was so annoying to not have any private niche in the car. Now I have a trunk! Woohoo - it's the small things, I know. I'm like a kid in a candy store - I have a keychain remote control, power locks and windows, a car alarm, a sunroof, a functional radio station display with digital clock, and cruise control. My God, I've died and gone to car heaven. I absolutely love driving this car!
Sunday I ran some errands and got my hair cut and colored. Reddish brown. I'm trying to get used to it. If only it were a believable, human-looking pigment. I may just have to do what I never do. Go in and demand it be fixed. I want a natural-looking color. This red is for aliens I swear.
Monday night I called Chaunda and let her know I was in her neck of the woods. Dropped by a new bookstore that is the reincarnation of a now-closed bookstore I once worked at. Six of the people I worked with there either own, manage, or work at this new place. It's another adorable Cheers-of-the-bookstore-world. Tuesday night I went to comedy and then hung out at Beth's place for the first time. She has a cute house with two hyper dogs that would put any toddler with a sugar high to shame. There is no feeling quite like having a dog's tongue up your nose. I made up a song for the nose-digger to the tune of Barry Manilow's Copacabana, I was singing, "My name is Toby, the rat terrior. The cutest rat terrier on the planet." I started calling the little guys Ren and Stimpy. Though they both needed to be sedated, Toby is really stoic and dignified. Bear...well, Bear is just so ugly that he's cute.
Last night I went to a meeting and then watched an edited version of The Corporation that focused on the environment. My stomach was literally in knots. To think I didn't even see the entire film. I learned so many new things about RHGB's debilitating effects on cows, corporate patenting of genes, greedy traders' disregard of the tragedy of 9/11, conflicts over privatization of water supplies, and corporate complicity with Nazi Germany (I already knew about IBM but didn't know about Coke and some others). One of the main premises of the film is that if one were to evaluate corporations as if they were individuals, many would be diagnosed as psychopaths. Understandably so. It was nice to have a hero though. One CEO is trying to make his corporation sustainable by 2020. That's definitely a noble goal, one that I hope he can accomplish.
All in all, it's been a great few days!

This Place Is A Dump

Last night I found it disturbing that so many students left trash in the auditorium. Doesn't anyone around here have any regard for aesthetics? There is trash everywhere in this town. No one regularly cleans the roads. There's no campaign like "Don't Mess with Texas." I’ve never found this city to be attractive but after having walked down so many of its roads and spending so much time staring down so many others, I am repulsed. The dirth of sidewalks and lack of cleaning crews stand out more than ever.
Orlando's fiscal irresponsibility, dirth of sidewalks, numerous non-mowed areas, and widespread placement of ghetto and high-class neighborhoods side-by-side were inexplicable and disturbing. I mean what other city blows up a perfectly good city hall and sells the movie rights to the implosion so they can build the only skyscraper city hall in America? I remember all of the fanfare around the implosion - it was all over the news. Live coverage for hours. Orlando has issues. But this city has just as many.
I've always thought this city was rather ugly. I hate to say it, but I was trying to figure out if I've ever seen a city this large be this dirty. No, I haven't. New York City definitely had some trashy areas, but this city is trashy throughout. This is by far the ugliest large city I have ever lived in. And it's also the ugliest city I've ever seen. I hate to say that. I really do.

Update on humble frat boy...

The humble frat boy boxed (i.e. contacted) me. Said that if I was interested in younger guys that he was interested in me. My friend and I think we should toy with him. It was really funny that he said, "You used a lot of big words in your ad." I listened to my ad again to see what he meant. No, I didn't use big words. I used common words. There's only one word that some morons might not know. With all of his ums I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know it. The word is "articulate."

BOLO

I called the police Wednesday night when I got home. They chastised me for walking after dark (like I had a choice) and issued a Be-On-The-Lookout-For (BOLO) for a guy who gave me the creeps.

While carrying my groceries home, this car approached me going the opposite direction. The teenage guy stopped his car and asked, "Do you want a ride, baby?" I said, "No, thanks." He drove forward and replied, "You can suck my dick."

He was at the intersection with the main road looking back at me when I stopped to consider my options: whether to continue down the soon-to-be very deserted and dark-but-safe-for-walking road or to turn around and go down the busy, no-shoulder, very-messy-and-unsafe-for-walking road. I chose to turn around. He backed up his car until he was beside me once again. Luckily, by then I was very close to the main road. I got down to it quickly and walked along the main road against traffic. I kept on the lookout for him and thankfully didn't see him again.

Soon I'll Be Running An Escort Service

What I've been telling my friends the last couple of days: "Who needs a boyfriend when you can have an Escort?"

Yeah! Younger Matt told me about the possibility of getting the car Sunday night and then everything was set in motion Monday night. I'll be driving an Escort soon. It has a sunroof. Wow, I've never had one of them before. This is going to be great! Heck, the junkyard resident didn't even have air conditioning the last couple of years. And its radio display panel didn't work. At least I have a new skill. I can find radio stations the OCD way. Start with one station and press a button a million times to find another one.

I'm getting the car through musical cars. Younger Matt is selling his car to Michelle, and Michelle is selling her car to me.

Today I Didn't Kill A Coworker

Ok, so you have the receptionist call me to ask me if I'm done with something that you never even asked me to do? I have a phone too you know. I called and left you a voicemail asking you what to do with the stuff when I got it awhile back, and you never called back. Now you want it ASAP? Well tough. My God, do you think the world revolves around you or something? That me and the receptionist are your personal slaves? I think not. I think I have an operation to run here, and you don't come first. You're just one of many people I serve.
I find it so funny that your name is so perfect for you. You act like you've been inspired by it. Afterall, it is part of a word that's akin to diva. You're definitely a diva. That's for damn sure. You can walk around and get ready for work and then walk from your car to the building but you can't walk down the sidewalk to atend a meeting. Well, boohoo. I wish you could have seen the looks on one of the attendee's faces when I told all of them why you weren't coming. That was a hoot! And funny how you called me to pass on that message, but you never return phone calls and didn't call me earlier to tell me the stuff you needed to have done. I have news for you. Treating everyone like serfs does not make you a queen.