This One Goes To Eleven

I am on a romantic getaway in Cincinnati (to ride roller coasters at King's Island) and celebrate my eleven year wedding anniversary, which is today.

Today, I am married 11 years.

It's my Spinal Tap anniversary.

This one goes to eleven.

Does the Cover Match the Book?

I had a co-worker confess to me last week, that upon meeting me a little over a year ago, she had judged me based on my appearance. She felt that just by looking at me, she could tell that I wasn't smart enough to "make it" in my job at this company. She admitted that over the past year, I had proved her wrong and she even apologized to me, but I thought that it was an interesting confession.

How often do we judge people by appearances? What if she would have been the person who was doing the hiring? Would I have been given the chance to prove myself? People always say that it's what is on the inside that counts. However, people DO judge the book by the cover and we're all guilty of it.

As you look in the mirror tomorrow morning, ask yourself, "What does the reflection tell people you are...and do you agree?"

I Miss It.

Life is nuts. No. Let me correct myself. Work is nuts. I am working 10 hour days (sometimes more) and barely have time to eat lunch or go to the bathroom.

The scary part is that I really enjoy what I do and like and respect my coworkers enough not to really be bothered by the fact that we are all so busy we can barely breathe. I was recently told by one of my co-workers that the girl who had my job before me would have gone off the deep end about now if she was still at this job. (She had apparently been known to burst into tears over the stress in the past.) Some days, it feels like we are trying to save lives or save the world instead of just trying to create and distribute art in a timely manner. Some days it feels like an emergency room and that someone will surely die if I don't get this CD of images shipped overnight to California for a 10:30 am delivery. People will surely die. That is the only sane reason for this urgency.

I know that this craziness is part of the cycle of things at this job and that hopefully, eventually, life will return to normal and I will again be able to run errands at lunch or grab a bite to eat with a friend.

In the meantime, I miss blogging. The fact is, when I get home, I am usually so tired and drained, that the last thing I want to do is sit in front of the computer. I miss telling you about the quirky things in my day. I miss telling you the crazy things that go on in my life. I miss telling you about my triumphs and my screw ups. So, dearest blog, please forgive me for neglecting you and don't take it personally. I will try to do better.

P.S. One of my co-workers slapped a fake bumper sticker (actually a magnet) on another co-worker's car. It said "I Love Crack Whores". He drove his car home and back to work the next day before discovering it. Sometimes, I think the more stressful work is, the crazier these people get. Note to self...check bumper of car before going to work tomorrow...

Vegas, Baby!

Going to Vegas is never the same experience twice. Here's just a few of things that we had the opportunity to enjoy this time around:

- A fabulous meal at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, in Caesar's Palace.

- A private tour of "The Boneyard" section of the Neon Museum. This was truly one of the highlights of the trip for me. The vintage signs were so beautiful, strange and somehow a little sad. I was captivated.

- The Police Reunion Tour at the MGM Grand! What an amazing show. I walked away feeling like they played every song I wanted to hear. Sing it with me.....ROOOOOOOOOOOXANNE!

- A spontaneous wedding. I got married. Again. To the same guy. Almost 11 years later. At 3:30 in the morning. At A Little White Wedding Chapel. Somehow it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. We drove until we found the first wedding chapel that was open and renewed our vows. It was surprisingly sweet and serious for a Las Vegas wedding and I got a little caught up in emotion of it all, somewhere between laughter, tears and the slight intoxication of too many Lemon Drops.

- The Beatles Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE....again. Yes, I saw it a second time. It was worth every penny. It is beautiful, brilliant and unforgettable.

Those were the bigger highlights.

The smaller highlights (although equally important) went something like this:

- Eating twice at In N Out Burger

- Seeing the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign

- Staying out till dawn

- Having a cold beer (openly) while standing out on the sidewalk on Las Vegas Boulevard.

- Visiting the World's Largest Souvenir Store (again) and picking out gifts.

- Collecting as many free, cheesy, tacky Vegas items as I could for a co-worker.

- Lounging in the cool water at the Luxor pool in the 100+ degree heat.

- 1.99 margaritas at The Frontier immediately after looking into the windows of Manolo Blahnik at The Wynn.

- Sipping a giant, strange, smoking drink at the Star Trek themed bar in the Hilton.

- Watching the drunk girls walking to and from the clubs at night, carrying their shoes.

- Laughing and exploring Fremont Street and the old section of Vegas.

- Making lots of great memories with friends.

Overheard

Conversation Overheard on My Way To Target

Setting - Target parking lot, Franklin, Tennessee. Middle aged, Southern woman is on cell phone. Woman is speaking with strong Southern drawl.


Woman - "Well, I thought her Mama gave her money."

Pause.

Woman - "Well, my gosh, how much did they cost?!"

Pause.

Woman - "Bless her heart! Those are some expensive titties!"


The End.

Vegas Prep Work

One week from today, I am getting to escape to Vegas again with a group of friends. I've been doing a lot of preparation for my trip and it has recently occurred to me just how much stuff a woman has to do to prepare for a trip. Guys don't really have this kind of list:

- Get a pedicure
- Get nails done
- Bleach upper lip
- Make sure brows are properly tweezed
- Get spray-on tan
- Figure out the best purse (or purses?) for trip
- Match appropriate bras to tops (i.e. make sure you aren't packing a leopard print bra to go under a white top).
- Decide which wrap/flip flops goes best with swimsuit.
- Purchase travel size beauty products.
- Purchase fun, mindless, paperback book for the flight
- Shoes?!? Which shoes?
- Do I have enough eyeliner?

It's a lot to worry about in a week, but I know it will be worth it when I am on that flight, napping in between chapters of my book, listening to The Beatles and The Police on my iPod, sipping my Bloody Mary and dreaming of a big win at the penny slots.

Vegas, here we come....again!

Friday Feast - 6/1/07

Appetizer

Name something you think is “the best.”

Pedicures, dark chocolate, silver jewelry, vacations, sunsets and being in love.

Soup

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 highest), how stressed are you today?

Maybe a 3? Work has been insanely busy, but I don't really feel a lot of stress because of it. Just enough stress to keep things exciting!

Salad

What kind of cleanser do you use to wash your face?

Clean and Clear Astringent at night and Clean and Clear Cooling Toner in the morning after my shower.

Main Course

Tonight is a blue moon! What is something that you believe only happens “once in a blue moon.”

Winning the lottery.

Dessert

When was the last time it rained where you live?

I honestly don't know. It's been a few weeks now, but I've been enjoying the sunshine so much, that I have trouble complaining about the lack of rain.