A New Season...

And so it begins...I've seen a few ads for the lastest round of "The Apprentice," and I'm pretty jazzed to see if contestants don't win, they have to sleep outside. It's gonna rain on their heads!! It's like Survivor now...I'm just hoping they don't have to eat ridiculously disgusting things...or show Richard Hatch run around LA sans garments! It will be interesting to see the show without Carolyn...but I think Ivanka will fill the gap. I did notice my former fake husband Bill appear in a few promos...so even though he ripped my heart to shreds...it will be nice to see him from time to time. It looks like Ivanka will be taking over "blog" duties this time around...so we'll see if Bill repeats last years blog as the show happens.

So really, the only thing more exciting than the current cat fight between Rosie and The Trump is the inception of "The App-REESE-tice," fantasy game round 2! I've set up my team, but I'll need to investigate further before I make my official picks. I got killed last year in the final days...but no matter...it's a new day! So please, if you are interested, join up...and enjoy!

It is officially here:)

This is the first Christmas Eve in a long time that my mother is actually in the "hizzouse." Church has come and gone tonight, it was a lovely Mass...albeit hot as a sauna. It was amazing, celebrating Christmas Mass while having a shvitz. After mass, Bob and Peggy and I took a "beach cruise" and saw many Christmas light displays, including the famous Nubble Light House. Now we are preparing dinner and having a few cocktails before the obligatory viewing of "A Christmas Story." I've also promised Mary I'd watch "It's a Wonderful Life," which is fitting right now. The only thing really missing is my sister Elizabeth and my brother in law, Wes. I hope they are having a wonderful first Christmas together as husband and wife!

I am looking forward to so much this Christmas, spending time with my family obviously tops the list. To all of my friends, that I won't be sharing this holiday with, I wish you a very blessed Christmas.

To you and yours, Merry Christmas!

I got tagged....

Fun. So, thanks again Drewbie!

Apparently the rule of getting "tagged" is that I have to post 5 things that you may not know about me. I read the task over and over, and still don't know how Drewbie came up with his...but I give him kudos for being so bold and forthcoming with his revelations. It is sort of weird seeing as, when I do blog, I tend to share things quite easily...but thinking of something you DON'T know about me...that might be kind of difficult. Even if I don't blog about it...I have a big mouth, so chances are some of you may know some of the following. Oh, and PS...I have to tag 5 other bloggers...so says the rules...so be prepared to blame this guy.

1. I spell things out in my head sometimes...it's like a weird form of OCD. You'll be talking and I'll just pick a word and start spelling it, then I'll make a game out of it and spell the next word I hear as soon as I finish the last one. In high school I used to actually write the words out with my finger...like in the air. It would be one thing if I wrote them down on paper, like note taking...but that would be just silly.

2. I have to have a cap on my pen. I cannot write with pens that have lost the cap. Well, I can...but I don't have to like it.

3. I am what some call a "product whoore." I will spend an insane amount of money on shampoo, lotions, make-up etc. because the bottle looks pretty. My bathroom is full of "rejected items" that I will not use because I actually prefer the stuff I can buy at Target. No lie, I have 9 bottles of shampoo and conditioner in my tub right now...I can't even get into what is in the closet.

4. When I was in junior high school, I was over my friend's house and we found some her old family photos. We decided to play a "trick" on her mom and wrote a letter and burned the edges and said we found it with one of the pictures of a baby she wouldn't recognize. She called the Historical Society and they thought it was an actual document and displayed it until they got a professional to look at it...who obviously deemed it as fake. We accused the neighbor's kids of playing a mean practical joke and totally got away with it. Whoopsie!

5. I did not learn to ride my bike until I was 12 years old. It was on my 12th birthday as a matter of fact. Exactly one week later, I skidded out on my bike and broke the growth plate in my left knee. I still have a small scar from where the knee was skinned...oh yeah, and one of my legs is a teeny bit longer than the other. Yikes.

I know, I should probably call Dr. Phil for a complete evaluation...but I've never claimed to be completely sane...so I think I'll be ok for now.

Those who are being tagged now (and have fun!) are Maggie, Julie, Nancy, Lauren and Katie. No complaining...just enjoy the moment.

Post Office Catastrophe...

Almost! You know when you just have to tell the tale...the story that you just can't make up? Here comes one...

Yesterday I got to the post office EARLY...it was like I was trying to score tickets to see the Red Sox or something. At any rate, I secured my spot first thing...about 20 minutes before the place opened. All I needed was a few books of stamps for my Christmas cards, which is why I refused the past few days to wait in the insane lines that had formed. I planned out what I decided would be my last visit to the post office very carefully. I did not prepare for the encounter I made when I walked through the smudgy glass door though. Again, I can't make this up.

So as I enter the lobby of the post office, there is a petite woman standing near one of the stamp vending machines. So I meet her eye, and politely say "Good Morning." She says "I have to go to the bathroom so bad!" WHAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAT? She proceeds to say...I don't think I'm gonna make it!" Then she starts groaning. This is not good! Not good. I'm just staring at her blankly...I have no idea how to proceed...and I have no idea if I'm laughing out loud or just in my head. I did feel bad for her-but her bluntness was the comedy here! She asked me to bring her envelopes to the "out of town" box. I grabbed them for fear that she'd flood the joint any second. She thanked me and said (I can't even believe this still): "Oooooh! I'm going to have to hold my crotch all the way to the car!" Now, I'm thinking..."hey, I did you the favor of bringing your envelopes to the mail slot...and THAT is where I draw the line!" So, she puts her hand "there" and with her legs crossed, gallops to her car. I called "Good luck, and Merry Christmas!" To which she exclaimed, as she bolted out of sight: "It will be if I don't piss myself!!"

A lovely Holiday story:)

A Christmas Miracle in Blogland...

TWO days in a row! Can you even stand it??

First, I have to address some news that broke my heart this morning. I got an email of sympathy this morning from Allison and Drewbie about the engagement of Bill Rancic to the E! News chick over the weekend. Ho hum. I can't let it get me down...I think I'd already declared a new husband in "Jim Halpert," the fictional character from The Office. I can't even keep all my men straight-so how can I expect you to!! Anyhoo...I'm thinking that rather than falling for the reality stars, or athletes, or even the men who play the characters in movies and television shows...I'm better off just falling for the fictional boys. Yes, I fully realize that I will probably end up in a padded room, adorning a white coat that buckles my arms to my back...but at least I can recognize that now. We can prepare the room, ensuring no sharp objects cross my path...and line up brilliant psychotherapists ahead of time. The crazy is not coming people...it's pretty much already here:)

So after reading an article on the romantic engagement of the two...I eagerly went about my day to take my mind off of the nonsense. Because for some reason I was up at the butt crack of dawn...I watched "The Devil Wears Prada," which I had Netflixed for the weekend. I was less thrilled with the movie than I was with the book. I was hoping Meryl Streep would make me like it more, she was nominated last week for a Golden Globe for the part. It was just "eh." For the rest of the day I watched Christmas movies and baked cookies for Santa and all that good stuff. It was actually very productive...I made the "token" tollhouse cookies, some triple chocolate mint cookies, a low-fat knock-off version of pecan sandies (yeah, that were eventually dipped in chocolate...oopsie.), sugar cookies and gingerbread. I'm cookied out...which is awesome because then I don't want to eat them! I got to watch A Christmas Story...again! AND Home Alone...and A Charlie Brown Christmas...and part of The Grinch...and now we're watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I love TV right now!

So, back to work tomorrow...I'd rather not...but I have to pay the cable bill somehow:) Have a happy week everyone:)

Another post??

CRAZY!! But true! I'm either really bored, or really adamant about re-connecting with my blogland buddies!

I just want to make a few announcements:

a) I've re-vamped the Trivia game. And by "re-vamped" I mean, I finally changed the topic and actually participated in the game for the first time in months! So get your game on!

2) I finally signed up for pay-per post...something my friend Drew has been trying to get me to do for a while. All I had to read was "I made $400" and I signed up...so get ready for more posts that make little sense to even write about on the "We're in a fight." But you should be ready for that-because what do I write about that ever really makes sense?? I will be stealing his idea to post those in a particular color so you can differentiate between my self important musings and the ads...but I haven't chosen a color scheme yet...so you'll have to wait for that announcement later!

d) I watched A Christmas Story last night. Wow, that's great! (That's an obscure quote from the movie...I had to stick it in!) Usually I wait for Christmas Eve and watch the marathon on TNT...but I couldn't turn the channel when I saw it was on! So, after the movie, I'm thinking...what is little Ralphie up to these days? I haven't seen him since his stint as a shoplifter on Punky Brewster YEARS ago (yeah, I can't remember the shirt I wore yesterday...but I remember guest appearances on 80's sitcoms. I can't explain it, it's a gift.).
So, I check one of my favorite websites... www.imdb.com (internet movie database...see the link on the sidebar). Now, before I go any further, just know that I do know what happened with "Flick." It was on E True Hollywood Story a few years ago...and it's ruined the movie "The Toy" for me. At any rate, little Ralphie (Peter Billingsly) is a producer of several well known MAINSTREAM films, and has even appeared in some of them without credit. He's very good friends with Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau...and has appeared in ELF and The Break-up. Who knew?

He's the elf with the stellar pom pom jacket checking in on Buddy's "etch a sketch" production. Good for him...

I don't know that it warranted a point on my "announcements," but I did feel that it should be a trivial trivia fact shared with the masses. Tis the season:)

Kitty Kong

Nala's got a new favorite spot...in my mother's Christmas Village set up on the window.

Look at this lummox! She's actually batted away the people so she has a comfortable little nook to lay in the snow.

She likes to bat at the trees...and that's an elf crushed under her arm. We find skaters from the pond exiled under the tree every day. But hey, as long as SHE'S comfortable!

Hell Week '06

It's over. Finally! It couldn't have started worse either. LAST Friday morning, I woke up with a scratchy throat...by the time I got to work I had that nasty congested chest feeling. Great. I'm headed into one of the busiest weeks of work and I'm starting a cold. Awesome. I worked through the day, and went to drop Diego at the dealership for his 10,000 mile service and an oil change. Oh yeah, I've owned him since August and I'm over 10,000 miles. Love my commute. At any rate, it was FREEZING. My parents picked me up, and by the time we got home I had a full blown cough. So pretty! I felt a lot better on Saturday after a good night of sleep. Tylenol PM for colds is my new favorite treat! So Sunday, I decided to do a little shopping for the impending holiday. I was also going to see "The Holiday" with Peggy. We missed the first show and ended up riding around and doing more shopping until the next one that started at 4. By 3 I was completely wiped out...I actually took a power nap in the car!!! SO sad! I was totally the person I would make fun of...a definite low point!

Meanwhile, the rest of the week started off well enough. It's our book buy back week at school. The beginning of the week started off pretty heavy...but still slow. By Wednesday we were way behind our numbers for last week...which is never good news. My assistant manager ended up having to schedule an emergency root canal for yesterday...so that left me a vital person short in the store. Luckily I got someone to work from another store and had a good staff of students working for the day...because we got SLAMMED! I couldn't believe it! I literally almost ran out of money. Remember the scene from "It's a Wonderful Life," when there's a run on the bank and everyone storms the Bailey Savings and Loan for their money. And at the end of the day all they have left is "2 dollars (mama dollar and papa dollar!!)?" THAT'S what yesterday felt like! It all worked out though, by the end of the day we completely surpassed last years numbers for all of November and December combined...which makes me very happy! I know it's boring for all of you to read about - and you don't have to - seriously:) I only got yelled at once by a student...who really just would not listen. One of those jerk type kids that just wants to make a big deal out of nothing in an attempt to intimidate me. I don't know the psychology behind that. If you are an asshole in a situation, do you really think the person you are arguing with is going to eventually back down? The thing was that he just wanted his way and he thought yelling and calling me names was going to make me change my mind. Sorry pal, I'm my mother's daughter...so you lose. :)

So the end of yesterday was the end of a week from hell...and I couldn't be happier that it's over. I still have a little bit of a cough, but I think I'll have to just suck it up and go to the doctor for it because it's turned into more of a wheeze...ha...just call me "wheezie Reesie."

I'd also like to wish my buddy Maggie a very speedy recovery...albeit over a week late in blog land!!! Poor Maggie was in a car accident a little over a week ago. Thank God, she wasn't seriously injured...but she was in a lot of pain. I talked to her on the phone the other night, and she was in "true Maggie form," which makes me more grateful than anyone could ever know!

Now, I have some Christmas preparations to make, so I must away...

Happy week before Christmas!!

Bye bye bye...

It doesn't look good for Trot right now. The Red Sox have declined arbitration on his contract, along with Kapler, Mirabelli, and Loretta. Under the new free agency rules, Nixon could return to the team...but we'll just have to wait and see what Theo does. Oh Bother.

For enquiring minds, I will not be changing my license plate...it will remain as an homage to Trot. Though I hope that it will be because he's active on the roster...and not yet another cherished retired member of the Sox.