F#@k you very much

Ah Facebook has been a wonderful resource for catching up with friends from my past. It has also provided me with wonderful insight into the lives and political leanings of people I have lost touch with. I do not think that Fb is the place for political discussions among Fb friends. I ignore my Fb friends who have way different beliefs than I do. You think I shouldn't have a right to choose? You think Obama is the devil? I am fairly tolerant so long as you keep those comments off of my Fb page. They can be on yours all day long. I am mature enough to not write "YOU ARE A F*#$ING IDIOT" on your wall or below your unreasonable posts. So you should not be surprised or offended that I will delete such comments from my page should you post them. While we have very little in common other than a vague feeling of nostalgia, I remain disappointed that you would then "unfriend" me after all of the BS I saw you post before, during and after the election simply because I deleted your snotty comment. So f@#k you.

Theme Songs

Theme songs are important. I try to think of a theme song for each era of my life. At various points my theme songs have included "Crash" by the Primitives; "Six Feet Under" by No Doubt, "Dear God" by XTC, "Candy" by Iggy Pop. Well, you get the picture. Right now my theme song is "Hell Yes" by Alkaline Trio.
My animals also have theme songs. Cixous usually has the Scooby Doo theme song as her own. Right now it is "Radar Love". She is wearing an E-collar and it is hilarious. Every time I see her, the song goes right through my head. Austin's theme song had been Chumbawumba's "Tub Thumping" but I think it is now something by the Dave Mathews Band. He is a total frat boy. Kurzweil does not yet have a theme song. I think he might be MGMT sort of guy. But I am not certain. Still trying to figure him out.
When I hear certain songs, I will forever associate them with my animals. Sometimes they now make me cry since I miss them so much.

Shhh... Cube Life

Alright. I understand that cube life is not easy. I work in an office, but I still hear things. I have been told that cube life is not easy. That said, there are some ground rules that should be in place to make it all easier. I am talking about common courtesy. This is something that you should have picked up by now. (Like flushing the toilet when you are done - 2nd floor ladies, I am talking to you!). Apparently, common courtesy is becoming uncommon. So, let me re-introduce it to you. You should try to be respectful of people (and programmers) who are working in your vicinity. Some people are not as social as you are and are trying to actually get some work done. So, keep the guffaws and good times to a minimum - when possible. I think you should be able to enjoy your work environment, simply don't let your side of the cube resemble Grand Central Station or a successful comedy club. If you are one of the people (or programmers) that is trying to work amidst the social chaos of your cube neighbors, I wish you good luck. Your anti-social ways have gotten you far - as far as the social butterfly next door. I recommend that you chill out. Yes, your work product will no doubt be recognized. but if you yell, "Shut the f--k up!" at your cube neighbor..... well, that will be remembered more. Don't be that guy. Invest in some ear-buds. Listen to some white noise or actual music while you delve into your little php world. If the noise is deafening and you are about to lose your shit - you have a deadline and 500 lines of SAS to get through - simply ask your neighbor nicely to be quiet. Make it about you and not him or her. You are the one whose mind cannot process multiple things simultaneously after all. A suggestion would be,"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but I am trying to meet a deadline and my mind cannot process code amidst your banter. Would you mind taking this conversation elsewhere?" See, isn't that easy?

Half Way to the Half Way Point

My battle for me has been going on for over a year now. When I started this journey I weighed 185. I ballooned up to 195 when I started exercising (because I am lucky like that). Now I am at 177. With my height, I need to be 156 in order to not be overweight according the BMI. I want to be 147. I think that would be ideal and it would take me to the other side of the scale. I would have a BMI of 23.4 which would still put me on the fat end of normal. However, I know that at 147, I will be able to wear a size 6 without issue. At 130, I am a size 0. Of course according to the BMI, I am not underweight until I cross the 115 threshold. What size is smaller than 0? Coffin sized? I have wonderfully heavy bones.
We are having a yard sale this coming weekend. I was going through what used to be my fat clothes (the size 8s) and was amazed at how fricking small I used to be and should be. I am saving a bottle of champagne for when I hit 160. Then when I hit my ideal weight, I am going to need a trip to the beach in my bikini. At this rate, it should take two more years. I can do it!!!!

Slippery Slope

I see this too often. I have even done it myself. I am talking about becoming so focused on the negative that you wind up crippling yourself. This is especially dangerous in the workplace. We all know them... you get fed up with existing injustices (e.g., He isn't working as hard as I am, yet he gets paid twice as much). The toxicity of the situation gets to you. Then you become the problem. You start slacking off or complaining so much that the change in behavior is what is noticed. The simple fact of the matter is that life is not fair. Get over it. No work or life situation is perfect. Sure it ticks me off that there are people cashing in a bigger paycheck than I am who should in fact be fired for gross stupidity. But if getting rid of them were an easy fix - they would be gone. There is always something else going on. So my advice to you is to be a good team player even when you are teamed with retards (no offense to the mentally retarded who may very well be good team players and smarter than the co-workers alluded to). You cannot control other people and the situations in which you find yourself. You can only control you. So stop letting the toxicity of "them" or the "situation" get to you. Never let them see you sweat translates to never let them see you acting out. You can only hurt yourself. People notice changes in behavior and want to put a stop to them immediately so as not to have a situation later on that cannot be expeditiously addressed. People can ignore what they have had to ignore for years.

Pardon?

So I go to pick up Calisto from the vet this morning and return her grumpiness home. We've decided that she has endured enough poking and prodding and she should be able to enjoy her weekend. Monday she will go to our vet. Her blood work shows that she is in poor shape. There is definitely some heart disease. The ER vet suggested that she see a cardiologist. I don't think she understands our relationship with our animals. My 11 yr old cat is not going to a cardiologist. As much as I love my animals, a cardiologist? Really? I am not spending thousands of dollars to give her another couple of years. Apparently this qualifies me for service on the fictitious "death panels." Calisto, much as I love her, is a grumpy old lady cat. Sure she could have a few more years being a grumpy old lady - but why? She's had a fine run. I say, "go out on a high note." No one should want to malinger. When she starts crapping on herself then it is time to be put down. She is a cat.... an old, grumpy cat. While she loves to complain (very vocally) about the injustices being inflicted on her by society - she does not enjoy having something real to complain about. Neither do I. That's not to say that we wouldn't pay for a life saving surgery or for pet therapy - since we've done that many times. It is that we remain cognizant of the ROI. Right now it is just about keeping Calisto comfortable. Our vet is really wonderful and will have a solid prognosis for her quality of life and options. But it will wait till Monday. We have to celebrate a grumpy but lovable old man's 85th birthday this weekend.

Oh, come on!

This is getting ridiculous. Another late night due to a medical emergency. This time its Calisto the cat. She was wobbling and laying in the middle of the floor much like our Popo did before he died of renal failure. So we brought her to the emergency vet clinic. Of course this is a $400 trip at the end of a month when the checking account reads $140. They wanted $1200 to diagnose what is actually wrong with her. Credit cards are about maxed out thanks to the unfettered lifestyle to which we've long been accustomed but never been able to afford. I am trying to stay positive. I have a limping dog that I was going to spend $400 on next month for her vet visit. Looks like she will continue to limp along. And so will we.
In the meantime this week has brought two broken blackjacks, two late nights involving ER visits, one funeral, two sick pets, and I am pretty sure my boobs are now getting smaller. So I bought a lottery ticket and I am going to burn some sage to clear out the bad mojo. On the upside, everything else is going really well.