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Friday, June 27, 2003
Feh. Yeah, it was one of those days. Except for the monumental coolness of the Supreme Court decision, it largely sucked. (Well, at least sucking is legal now...) On Wednesday we had one of those "Why are we screwing up?" office meetings, and one of the issues was the personal Internet use policy. Some of us (um, yeah, me...) had been using it too much, and the new policy was "before work, after work, and at lunch." Well, yesterday I was not exactly abiding by that, and I got a personal e-mail about it from my manager. I apologized, of course, and reminded him that I have ADD, and asked if I could have a mid-afternoon e-mail break. It's a loooooooooooong stretch between 11:30 and 4:30 (or 5, or 5:15, as is increasingly usual), and I absolutely depend on having a snack, taking some Ritalin, and e-mailing J. around 2:30 or 3. This apparently required a conference with my boss, and I was finally granted a 15-minute break, and I had to say when it was going to be. So I did, and I've been good so far today. But I felt pretty crappy. I really hate being in trouble, and I'm constantly worried about being fired (I guess it's not likely, but I worry), and there was a "discussion" about this last year. And I was getting the feeling that the point of addressing the question in the meeting with the whole office was specifically directed at me. Anyway. I was very good for the rest of the day. We finally, after two and a half years, got an air conditioner in my part of the office. Except it rattles like crazy. I guess that's preferable to blazing heat, but still, it doesn't improve the atmosphere, or my mood, any. So I finally got home, and finally got around to reading Harry Potter #5 (I actually got it on Wednesday, but about five pages in realized I needed to reread #4.) And it's good, but it's not very cheerful. I immersed myself in it for hours, during which, in the back of my mind, I felt worse and worse about work. It got to the point that, when J. opened the bedroom door, I screamed and jumped and dropped the book. And then burst into tears. And, feeling stupid, told him how bad (and stupid) I was feeling about work. And how hard it is for me not to be able to use the Internet; as previously mentioned, I have ADD, and I just can't concentrate on one thing for hours at a time. Wound up staying up till 1:30 or so, the third night in a row I've been up past midnight. Had really wretched dreams (including one where I had to walk to work and somehow went blind and got there and was in my bathrobe and couldn't use a computer and fell asleep on my desk [the dream ended just as I was getting fired], and another where I was trying to get the police to arrest a serial killer but they wouldn't and I had to show them the body of the latest victim). So I woke up this morning, exhausted, wanting to do anything but go to work. Cried into my coffee, feeling stupid again. Got here, was very good about the Internet thing, and I guess I'm doing okay on my probation. Still feeling bad about it, though. We have a cleaning lady, for the first time since I started working here, and it's nice to have clean floors and desks; but she used a very noxious and smelly chemical, and it gave me a headache. And fresh air isn't an attractive option, since it's fucking hot and humid out there. Okay, sorry for going on and on about my not-all-that-dreadful misery. I could have worse problems, obviously. But I feel like crap and I'm tired and I'm sick of everything and I suppose I should talk to my psychiatrist about upping my antidepressants... [ at 12:44 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Thursday, June 26, 2003 Yeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaw! The Supreme Court struck down the Texas sodomy law. I cannot begin to express how terrifically happy this makes me. It's the best news I've heard from the federal government since...um, since...um, I'll get back to you on that one. If I weren't at work, I'd be popping the champagne. Update: I e-mailed J. about it; his response: "Well, fuckin' A!" So to speak... [ at 11:46 AM • by Abby • permalink • ] One of those days Yes, it's gonna be one of those days. I was up late again last night, and had to wake up early this morning, because workmen were supposed to come and change our kitchen window so we could get an air conditioner installed downstairs. (We have them in the bedroom and the office, but not the rest of the house.) And obviously I didn't want to be in bed naked when they showed up. Except, after I'd already awoken at a hideously early hour, they called to say they weren't coming. Maybe Tuesday. Till then, I guess we'll just live upstairs. Due to being incredibly tired, I forgot to take my morning medications, I left my cell phone on the kitchen table, and, when I got to work, I realized I'd also forgotten to put on deodorant. Which would be slightly less of a big deal if I wasn't wearing a sleeveless tank top. Also it's 86° at 9 a.m. and the humidity is 69%. It's like walking into the shower in a gym locker room. And not a clean shower, either; this is South Philly air we're talking about. Oh well; the office is reasonably cool, and I'm almost done the project I'm working on, which will provide some degree of satisfaction. (And I won't have to work on a medical book again for a while, which is a very good thing indeed.) Okay, work now. Coffee now, too. [ at 9:14 AM • by Abby • permalink • ] Wednesday, June 25, 2003 Q&A Q: It's late in the afternoon, I've been working my tail off since my all-too-brief lunch break, I've just finished a file with 259 items to bookmark and link, and I just want to take a few minutes off and update my blog. What time is it? A: Time for my entire site to go down. Okay, that was an easy one. Q: It's the end of a long workday, it's over 90° and about 40% humidity, and I'm heading home on a non–air-conditioned bus. What time is it? A: Time for the bus to break down. Just far enough from home that I didn't want to get off and walk (did I mention the heat? and I was wearing five-inch heels, besides), so I sat and the bus sat and fifteen minutes later finally started moving again. And now I'm home and I'm too hot and tired to write anything else at the moment. Maybe later. I'll be somewhere air-conditioned with a cold cocktail if anybody needs me. [ at 5:51 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Yawn, again It's Wednesday, my third-favorite day of the week. My favorite is Saturday, because I can sleep in and stay up late and drink as much as I want to without worrying about going to work with a hangover. My second-favorite is Friday, because it's the day before Saturday, and I can stay up late. And then there's Wednesday. It's the middle of the week—Humpday, or, as J. refers to it, Yom Dingus—and once you get through it, it's downhill to the weekend. And the Onion comes out, and I usually get TV Guide, and it's trash day. Today, however, is stinking hot. The forecast is a high of 98°. Yuck. Three of my least favorite words: Excessive Heat Warning. This morning, J. said "I know it's summer when taking a shower makes me sweat." Also this morning: after staying up way too late, we were both very tired this morning, and spent more time than usual lying around in bed before getting up to get ready for the day. Finally, J. said "We must make progress." I said, "Okay, I'll invent the wheel, and you discover fire." (J.: "Hey, I got the hot one.") Last night, J. added some information to my decorative parasite idea. He said ticks can feed for several days, so your parasite jewelry would definitely last through a night of clubbing. However, ticks will wander around quite a bit before settling on a place to dig in, so it would be difficult to get your parasite where you wanted it. (No, I'm not really serious about this idea, but I like to be thorough in my sarcasm.) Oh my God, am I tired. I stayed up last night to watch Liz Phair on the Tonight Show; I'll post about that/her later. Now, work. Really. Work. I'll keep my eyes open and everything. [ at 10:13 AM • by Abby • permalink • ] Yawn I am way too old to be up this late. [ at 1:23 AM • by Abby • permalink • ] Tuesday, June 24, 2003 The next level of body modification Piercings, tattoos, even tongue-splitting—from this moment on, it's all passé. I have personally selected the next body-modification craze: decorative parasites. It started, as so many of my workday thoughts do, with the medical book I'm working on. For "Tick paralysis," the recommended therapy was "Remove tick." To which I thought, Well, duh. But then I thought, Well, what if they didn't? Well, that would be gross. Yeah, but is it any grosser than those whacked-out piercings? And an idea was born. Yes, get yourself some ticks and paint them interesting colors. Put little decals on their backs. Carefully arrange them in patterns. Apply tropical leeches in strategic locations. Of course, the various critters will fall off when they're done feeding, and eventually die, but you can carry around a little critter-sack so you always have more on hand. (A nice bottle of Evian would be perfect for leeches.) Come on...you know you wanna. This idea is copyright © ® TM etc. 2003 Zhaba Productions, and I fully expect the profits to start rolling in as soon as I bring out my line of color-coordinated vermin. My tentative name for my new business: Bite Me. If it works out, I can develop a home decorating line featuring costumed cockroaches. Slogan: "If you're gonna have pests, they might as well be dressed." Where's a venture capitalist when you need one? [ at 4:20 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] The Paint Game Here's a more-than-usually-difficult on-line quiz: The Paint Game. It shows you several colors, and you try to guess which one is "Moroccan Velvet" or "Labrador Sands" or "Fragrant Cloud" or what-have-you. (I got 3 out of 10 on my first try, and two of those involved water, so it was easy to tell they'd have some degree of blue.) A special shout-out to Sixth World on this one. [ at 3:21 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Fashion police If you are for some reason planning to attend Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, you should check out the Female Dress Code, which shows you modest and immodest clothing, using mannequins. (They seem to have something against knees. Are women's knees really an erogenous zone?) There is also a much, much shorter illustration of the Male Dress Code, featuring the following mysterious phrase: "Turtleneck sweater properly worn." What's the improper way of wearing a turtleneck? Now, I realize they are a private university, and they can require any dress code they want, and obviously thong bikinis would be distracting during church services; still, a dress code slide show is a little bit over the top. [ at 12:48 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Title of the day Noticed this morning that J. has a klezmer CD with the title "Rhythm and Jews." [ at 10:36 AM • by Abby • permalink • ] Monday, June 23, 2003 On TV, or not The bad people at Comedy Central moved the Daily Show again, from 7:30 to 7. Which is fine, since that means I get to see it half an hour earlier, but I wish they'd advise TV Guide of these things, because today I missed most of the show. Humph. (This is probably pathetic, but the Daily Show is often the high point of my day. It's certainly one of the few things I look forward to during the work week. [The others being the "Headlines" section on the Tonight Show on Monday, The Onion coming out on Wednesday, and TV Guide arriving, usually also on Wednesday. Oh, and the trash gets picked up Wednesday, so it's safe to open the fridge again. Yeah, okay, I'm pathetic.]) (And also I have a kind of a thing for Jon Stewart, but don't tell anyone.) [ at 9:26 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Bugs Well, just one bug. (Technically a beetle.) So J. and I are sitting on the futon last night drinking red wine, trying to relax and enjoy the few remaining hours of the weekend, when I feel something tickling my collarbone. I think it might be a strand of hair, glance down, and see a bug. On me. So, true to form, I scream, jump, and spill wine all over myself and the futon, and get some on the carpet for good measure. J. also jumps, since I sound like I've just been bitten by a snapping turtle, and says "What?" I yell "Bug bug bug!" He advances the opinion that I didn't need to freak out that much. I say, "But it was on me." He heads upstairs for the hydrogen peroxide, I head to the kitchen for the paper towels, and we do our best to get everything cleaned up. During the cleaning process, I find the bug, and show it to him. He is unimpressed by its size and ferocity. (Apparently it's a dermestid, a carpet beetle, and entirely innocuous as long as you're not made of wool.) So, okay, yeah, I wasted a glass of wine and stained the futon and significantly elevated my heart rate and generally ruined our peaceful evening because of a small harmless bug. But did I mention that it was on me? I don't know when my insect phobia got to its present level; I certainly have extreme reactions to them, and could conceivably do myself harm while panicking over them. (If, for example, the wine glass had broken and I'd cut myself on it.) But it's not like I'm living in the tropics, or even Florida, and I'm not going to go on Fear Factor any time soon. So I guess I'll just live with it. (Incidentally, the hydrogen peroxide did get almost the entire wine stain off of the futon. But it also left an off-white mark of its own, so now, instead of looking like we spilled wine on the futon, it looks like we copiously sweated on it. I think it's time to reverse the mattress.) [ at 9:11 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Medical information of the day In the book I'm working on, under "Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic dehydration": Signs and Symptoms: Elevated blood glucose level; glycosuria; osmotic diuresis; metabolic imbalances; lethargy; coma; death.Y'know, if you're using death as a diagnostic symptom, I think you're waiting a bit too long. [ at 4:49 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] Another Monday Haven't had time to post till now. By the time I finished catching up on other people's blogs my lunch break was over and I didn't have time to write. It's another of those "work like crazy" days, too. At least I'm not dealing with any really disgusting parts of the medical book today. (Not yet, anyway.) I just got an e-mail from Amazon.com informing me that my copy of Harry Potter #5 has shipped. Woo-hoo! (I didn't preorder in time to have it shipped on the day of publication. Yes, now it actually matters how pre you preorder things.) I got the 5-9 day free shipping option. It struck me as odd that when I used that option, I still got my packages in only a few days. Then it occurred to me that, duh, the shipping center is in Newark, Delaware, all of 35 miles away. (I say "duh" because my brother worked there a few years ago.) So I don't need to use the expensive second-day delivery option anymore. Another woo-hoo. Jeez, is my afternoon break over already? Nearly so. More posting tonight, I guess. (There's a story about a beetle and a red wine stain that I want to record.) [ at 3:07 PM • by Abby • permalink • ] |
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