Oh Happy Day!

*Update* I totally forgot to pass this award along to the fabulous Kirstren over at Lady Kirstren. How could I forget her?!?! She's my cousin, a new blogger and just all around AWESOME!

Today, I despite everything at work crumbling around me (and that I'm being stubborn and ignoring the sweltering heat. I refuse to put in my A/C until at least May 1) - I choose to be happy. And here is why...

The awesome Tiney gave me an award today! She totally made my day!! Thank you, Tiney! There are rules that go with it, and while I will post the rules below... be forewarned, I opt not to follow them. Heeheehee

Rules are as follows:

• Accept the award
• Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
• Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.
• Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.
  

Not all of these folks are "new" to me.

My first awardee is Jill at Jill's Believe It or Not. Tiney, I cheated and stole your sister! Jill is hysterically funny, I read her blog religiously and will occasionally go back and look at old posts for their puppy pictures.

Next is Sara at Unwrap Life. She is most definitely not new to me; in fact this is the second award I'm giving her. She writes AWESOME posts!

I just discovered Hallie at Wonderful World of Weiners when she decided to follow my blog. See folks?!?! I pay attention! She is cute, and I can't wait to see what she and her dachshund do next.

We also have the super cute JLC at French Kiss. What can I say? She's adorable and I envy the her enthusiasm in all she does!

Then there is Kaitlin at Life of a Busy Wife. She truly is one busy wife and just her adorable Puggle alone keeps me coming back for more!

Jane at Moonflowers, Mojitos and Me is new to me. I already enjoy what she has to say and bet it keeps getting better.

D.A.R at Just Another Day in Paradise is amazing. She seems to get handle everything thrown at her - school, running, her dogs and her hubby's deployment with such ease.

Kathryn at Ritch in Love is very cool. Not only is she an amazing flight attendant - she's going to get published in Redbook this month!

Lastly, I have Casey at The Ever-Changing Life of a Military Wife. She was the very first person to give me an award and she definitely deserves this award. Feel better, missy! A whole lot of us are living vicariously through your travel pictures. :-)

I think I'm a pillow snob! I've come across purse snobs, shoe snobs, car snobs... but I think I might be the first pillow snob. A few years ago I was doing a little shopping in Home Goods (FREAKING LOVE THAT STORE!) and decided to upgrade my standard feather pillows for king sized down pillows (What?!?! If you're going upgrade - upgrade). Since that initial purchase, I've upgraded ALL my pillows (all six of them; my pillow addition to be discussed on a later post...maybe). My last hold out of old pillows met the trash can yesterday - and because I'm so picky, I've hit 2 Home Goods, 1 Marshalls and 2 TJ Maxx stores (they are all owned by the same company) in the past week to find my coveted pillow. Today after work, I claimed VICTORY! I have my king sized down pillow with gusseted sides from Hotel Collection and I can sleep happy. :-)

Another happy revelation of the day is a little silly... Grey's Anatomy has partnered with theknot.com and created a wedding web page for Derek Shepherd & Meredith Grey. It is so cute; you have to check it out!

Tuesdays at the Table - Italian Meatloaf

I've skipped a few weeks, but I promise to do better about sharing my recipes. That's right - it's time for Andrea's Tuesdays at the Table!!

Italian Meatloaf

• 1 lb. Hamburger
• 5-6 slices of provolone cheese
• 1/4 lb. of sliced pepperoni
• 1 egg
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce
• A pinch each: salt, pepper, oregano, basil
• Spaghetti sauce to cover

Begin by making a traditional meatloaf - combining hamburger, egg, bread crumbs, salt, pepper. Add in Worcestershire sauce as well as oregano and basil. Get a length of aluminum foil or plastic wrap and spread meatloaf mixture in an even layer - roughly a rectangle the length of your loaf pan. Once spread, put down the layer of cheese followed by your pepperoni. Then roll the meatloaf into a pinwheel or like you would sushi, make sure you do not roll the aluminum foil or plastic wrap into the meatloaf.

Cover in spaghetti sauce and bake at 350 for an hour.

My family seems to enjoy eating this with garlic bread and roasted potatoes. YUM!

Twitter and People Watching

I have two topics on my mind today gang...

1. Twitter - Do I really need it? I don't have a Twitter account yet, and I sometimes feel like I'm missing out on the little updates from my bloggy friends. At the same time, I feel like I'm not interesting enough that you all would want to be double exposed to me. So, tell me... do I need it? What made you take the leap? Besides following your real life friends and bloggy friends, are you following any celebrities?

2. People watching - LOVE it! I was at the airport over the weekend, and to me, that is the pen-ultimate place to people watch.

I got to see some interesting stuff. One poor overtired mother put her infant (in car seat) on the conveyor belt while trying to get her suitcase off and deal with her toddler. If I could have gotten there fast enough, I would have grabbed the poor baby! Do you believe that NO ONE tried to get the baby off the conveyor belt?!?!

An Army MD on leave from Iraq and I had a quick, but nice conversation. When other people were STARING at her (which I find just plain rude!) , I just knew I had to go up and at least say hi. She spent the last 5 days getting home and was a little upset that her husband and child weren't at the airport waiting for her. I felt so bad, but gave her my heartfelt thanks.

Lastly, when in the world did the mullet come back and WHO ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN???? I saw at least a half dozen guys sporting a mullet. Ewwwww. And with that, I leave you with the song that popped in my head as soon as I saw my first mullet of the day....

I Got "Lei'd" For Community Service Day

Bet that got your attention, huh?!?! Heeheehee :-)

As much as my job sucks sometimes, there are days that I am so proud of the company that I work for. Today is one of those days.

My company takes community service very seriously - offering to pay us while we do community service; earning points for each hour you complete (redeemable for company swag) and hosts one large community service activity and 2-3 smaller activities each year.

This year our beneficiary is the Department of Veteran's Affairs Medical Centers. As a company, we are making over 3 THOUSAND no tie fleece blankets and assembling the same number of goodie bags to distribute to hospitalized veterans. Coming from a military family; having JC and other friends/family currently deployed - I was moved to the point of tears this morning.

(Image from ThriftyFun.com)

At work they call me Martha Stewart, so I was one of the "leaders" of this craft project. Our HR Director likes to make the leaders easily identifiable to all participants each year. (As a side note - you'd think that adults would know that scissors = sharp! Nope, tons of people cut themselves) Last year was tops hats; this year was leis. So, first thing this morning I got lei'd. Let me tell you - those suckers look flimsy, but hold in the heat around your neck!!

(Image from Orientaltrading.com)

Next week a group of us are going to our local VAMC (Veteran's Affairs Medical Center) to distribute these blankets and care packages. I can't wait!

I Have The Attention Span of a Gnat...

I'm a natural insomniac... but this whole ear infection/sinus infection thing has me losing even more sleep. I am sooo tired! Hence, the attention span of a gnat.

Did everyone partake in 50 cent iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts today? I did! Twice! On the way to work (plus I bought an iced latte) and then again in the afternoon (bless my sweet co-worker for making a Dunkies run in the pouring rain). YUMMY!!

(Image from DunkinDonuts.com)

I am so proud to have seen so many people wearing orange for sweet, sweet little Stellan today. He's here in Boston, and I hope that MckMama got to look out the hospital window and see the people supporting her.

Tonight I relaxed with the puppies and watched DWTS and then The Unusuals. I don't think I have ever seen a celebrity THAT excited to leave DWTS as Lawrence Taylor was. Great shout-out to his golfing buddies to meet him at 9:30 to tee off though... *snicker, snicker* I love quirky shows (Fringe, Rescue Me, In Plain Sight) and kudos to ABC for The Unusuals. Amber Tamblyn is great and the show is a new favorite. :-)

I'm the resident "music guru" for most of my friends and family. I have a totally random iPod... everything from The Muppets (go ahead and laugh!) to Frank Sinatra to Rachel Yamagata to Cake to well...you name it, I probably have it! For a while I've really liked Ray LaMontagne and I have one of his songs STUCK in my head. So I'm going to share and hope it gets stuck in your head too!

A Hershey's Resolution

Today was a long day, and I was surprised to see an envelope from Hershey's when I checked the mail on my way in the door.

In a way - I'm pleasantly surprised that they took the time to respond to my complaint. On the other hand - it seems that a hair through the middle of a Reese's cup (or egg in this case) should be worth more than $9.00 in Hershey bucks. Maybe I just have unfair expectations.... Either way, it'll keep my candy jar in the office full for a month!

No clue what I'm talking about? Click here and then here...

Boston Marathon...and Other Stuff

Today was race day - the 113th annual running of the Boston Marathon. It's a great day in our state. There were over 26k runners this year; simply amazing!

Not only was it race day, it is also a state holiday and the start of school vacation. That means a super speedy commute to work... UNTIL I got to the off ramp. Then I found all the people that were missing from the roads before.

On the plus side - it's great to see all these people going to support the runners and to see the Red Sox game (BTW... a 12 to 1 win over the Baltimore Orioles. GO SOX!!!!). My office is also in a great location to see said marathon.

The down side - that my office is in a prime location meant lots of loiterers, a hard time getting into our parking garage, and too much traffic (both foot and vehicular) to make my daily Starbucks run.

All in all, a great day to be around Boston!

In other news...

• YAY to Ellie!! Her hubby is one of JC's close friends and has made it home for leave from Afghanistan. I adore both of them, and am simply thrilled that he's home (even if I don't get to see him).
• Tonight I'm taking in DWTS. Maybe I'll even do a post on it later tonight or tomorrow. I'd love to hear what you think of this season.
• If anybody has tips on how to deal with a hardcore sinus headache, PLEASE tell me. After a week of constant pain, I broke down and went to a Minute Clinic (my doc is on vacation). Turns out I have a sinus infection and ear infection. Good news is that it's viral; bad news is that it means no meds & it can possibly last another 7-10 days.

And The Winners Are....

Can I get a drum roll? No?!?! OK... Beckett, if you run back and forth in the tile hallway, it sounds close. Darn, he's napping.

Without further ado (As I know I slacked by a day already! Sorry!!) the winners are:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
24
5
34
Timestamp: 2009-04-19 20:56:17 UTC

Doesn't tell ya much, huh? OK, OK.
Our grand prize winner is.... Christina.
Our second and third place winners are.... Tiney & Kate.

Woofs of applause for everyone that entered. Thank you all for the awesome comments, for reading my blog, and for following; I can't wait to do this all again. For those of you that don't regularly read me... don't wander far, I'll be holding another giveaway in July for my birthday. :-)

Christina, Tiney & Kate, please email me (allthelittlestuff@gmail.com) so I can get your giveaway booty on the way.

Social Science... Or a Night With The Girls

Last night was a girls' night. Oh, how I love them; I don't think I've laughed that hard in a LONG time!! We went to a hibachi restaurant, and then wandered into their bar/lounge. There aren't any long stories... so I'm bullet- pointing the night.

• When you walk into the restaurant and are greeted with "are you here for speed dating?" - it's almost guaranteed to be a interesting night.
• Hibachi is soooo fun! What a show! It was my first time at a hibachi restaurant, and I definitely want to go back.
• Following the onion volcano...please make sure you have your eyebrows. :-)
• Hurray for my ability to use chopsticks. No fork for me, thanks! (I know, I know... not a particularly marketable skill; but a skill nonetheless.)
• Definitely let the group accountant play with the food bill!
• Singing "Happy Birthday" is definitely made better with a gong. (Molly, if you see this - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)
• Dear guy who circled our group half the night and was thisclose to Sara tripping you to make you stop... either A. introduce yourself B. molest one of us & get it over with C. go away!
• YAY for free shots and mango chapstick!!
• To the band - I'm sorry. "Jam Nuts" isn't a good name. Not only does your band name incite a cringe in most people - it hurt to hear some of your music. Maybe if the volume wasn't turned up to 11, it might have been more pleasurable.

That was my night...and I can't wait to do it again. Kirstren has some amazing friends and I feel honored that she continues to let me borrow them! :-)

You Gotta Love A Giveaway!

April seems to be bringing out the best in terms of giveaways!! There are a whole bunch going on right now...

• The fabulous Kaitlin is celebrating the new look of her blog by giving away a blog make-over. Go visit her...or better, yet - DON'T! That'll increase the chance that I might win!
• Go on over and visit Mommatudes. She hasn't posted her giveaway yet...but it's in the works. In fact - it's gonna be a "momganza"!
• Tiney is freaking HYSTERICAL! In honor of her 200th (Can you imagine?!?! The prospect of 100 seems so far away!) post, she has a mystery giveaway. She isn't giving hints....but I betcha it's awesome!
• And we can't forget my giveaway. That I got more than 5 comments astounds me! There's still time (deadline is Friday @ 10 EST) to enter if you didn't already. :-)

Potty Etiquette

Forgive me, but I need to have a little potty discussion. As I've covered before - I work in a "unique" office.

Today I walked into the ladies room and saw someone "kick-start" the toilet. She didn't close the door to the stall, so I saw this whole thing... She walked into the stall, put her foot on the toilet handle and flushed three times in rapid succession. THEN she closed the door. It looked more like a rogue karate move than anything else.

I'm a klutz... so I know that if I tried that - I'd fall either in the toilet or flat on my back. Plus, I'd think that the toilet handle should be cleaner than the floor. Right?!?!

Another potty "oddity" has come to my attention as well. It seems that there are a few people that are standing on the toilet seat instead of sitting! That just can't be safe!!

Am I missing the latest and greatest in potty etiquette? If so, EDUCATE me people!

As a follow-up to this post - let me tell you that I'm working on it. I'd love to show you pictures, but subtlety is the key. I don't want to get any one's faces and still need to figure out how to turn off the shutter sound on my BlackBerry.

Did Someone Say "Outlet Shopping"?!?!

Today has been a pretty cool day. Despite the rain (and SNOW! Seriously - WTF?!), I'm so glad that I went outlet shopping with Kirstren and her little man today.

It's the little things in life that make me happy. Spending time with people that I really like and getting to shop definitely qualify. :-)

Today's goal was to get Kirstren ready for her trip to Aruba in a few weeks (lucky girl!) and she found some awesome stuff. I have to say that I didn't do so bad myself.

The quality on these pics isn't the best....I took the easy way out and used my BlackBerry instead of my digital camera.

Two pairs of shoes for under $50 bucks - SCORE! A pair of black espadrilles and a pair of giraffe print peep toes.














And my (and I bet Kirstren's too) favorite purchase of the day - our pink Coach wristlets! She noticed the pink wristlet first, and was a good cousin and let me copy her. Marked down from $89 to $31.20! Plus, this has sentimental value too (I'm such a softie). I got to be there for Kirstren's first Coach purchase! Heeheehee.




What have you been up to this weekend? I hope the Easter Bunny is good to you. :-)

Hershey's Responds

Thank you all for your suggestion to contact Hershey's and share my hairy experience. I don't like to complain...but they really should know about this stuff.

Anywho....

I got a response from Hershey's Consumer Relations department this afternoon.

Thank you for contacting us about REESE'S peanut butter egg. I am sorry to learn of your experience and apologize for the concern this has caused you.Our manufacturing facilities have a comprehensive quality assurance program in place which is taken very seriously. All manufacturing employees and plant visitors are required to wear hair nets and beard nets at all times. This program, as well as a variety of other techniques, helps ensure that our consumers receive a quality product.The information you provided is very helpful. It has been reported to our Quality Assurance Department for review with the manufacturing area.We apologize for the problem you experienced with our product. You will receive reimbursement by postal mail in 2-4 weeks. We appreciate your loyalty as a consumer.

Anyone want to bet that I get a 50 cent coupon in the mail?!?! I guess I'll let you know in...um... 2-4 weeks. All I really wanted was for them to agree that what happened was gross but it would have been cool if they had sent me a gift basket to make up for it! :-)

Mistaken Identity

Ever go shopping, to the airport, even work - and come back and think your car is missing? Or gone to someone else's car thinking it's yours?

That happened to me earlier this week... kind of. I was on the other end of the missing car spectrum. When I came out of CVS someone was standing next to my car desperately clicking the unlock button on their key fob. Of course, I don't want to take out my keys and unlock the door while this is going on. There's too much potential for this man to think that he actually unlocked the door.

Instead, I walked up to him and pointed out that this is my car. He didn't seem convinced.... Our conversation following his declaration that my car just had to be his went a little like this:

Me: I'm sorry you think that this is your car. You own a tan SUV too?
Him: My SUV is gray; this is a gray SUV.
Me: Sorry, sir... this is a tan SUV. Anway - does your car have leather seat?
Him: Yep.
Me: Ok. How about a 3rd row?
Him: Yeah, I got that too.
Me: (Internal sigh) Did you leave a pink BlackBerry in your center console?
Him: Um, it might be my wife's.
Me: Do you have an Army decal on your car?
Him: I don't think so.
Me: What's your license plate number?
Him: XXXXXX (no clue what he actually said)
Me: Ok sir. This is in fact my car. I'd suggest you move back two rows and get in yours now!

Ugh!!

Did you see yesterday's post with my first giveaway? If not, click here and enter!

Giveaway For the Pupperoos...

It's my very first giveaway!! I'm so excited! Bear with me through this long post. It's worth the wait.

One of the blogs I follow - who's your dachshund is currently having a donation drive to help their selected rescue facilities (from Nova Scotia to South Africa and points in between). I love my dogs and can't imagine life without them. Not to be punny... but animal advocacy is my pet project.

Given the tough economic times, animal surrenders are up and so many facilities don't have a "no kill" policy. It makes my heart cry.

While I didn't get my dogs from shelters; I admire people who rescue dogs. I've already joked with you that I'm no longer allowed in Florida by a family decree because I come back from there with dogs. I now share with you how I came be be Meadow, and then Beckett's mom.

In April 2004 I went to Tampa to visit my Grandma. We did all the usual stuff - beach, movies, getting shown off to her friends, trips to the mall. The second to last day - I walked into a pet store (YES, I KNOW... pet stores are BAD!). I saw this tiny little thing behind the glass, just cowering. I didn't need a dog! I had Peach Blossom, my 12 year old and Carmella Bay, my year old Cocker Spaniels waiting at home. Why would I want a tiny little dachshund anyway? But I saw her...and just knew she was mine. Meadow Breeze had been in that pet store for under an hour when I got her.

Fast forward about two years. This time my mom (who is a teacher) decides that she'd like to go with me on the trip to visit Grandma. Same story... beach, sun, sand, movies, relaxing. I had put Peach to sleep only months before and was missing my two fuzz balls at home. We popped into the same pet store (And YES, I have learned my lesson) and in under a minute my mom had found my new "baby". Again... I didn't need to add to my canine family. Further more, I hadn't had a boy dog in my house since I was seven years old. But there he was. Instantly, he was mine. You just can't ignore that feeling. Beckett Scout became my little boy.

Feel free to make fun of the fact that apparently I'm a hippie (WHO KNEW?!?!) and gave my "kids" some less than conventional dog names. Here comes the good part. READY????

In honor of my dogs, I'm having my first give away! There are three prizes.

The grand prize:

1. A dog bone frame to show off your little (or big) cutie.
2. "So Dog Gone Much To Do" notepad.
3. Vanilla Breeze canine shampoo and conditioner.
4. Vanilla Breeze pet wipes.
5. Booda spearmint rope toy.
6. Dual sized brush.
7. Bone shaped dog cookies.
8. Apple & Yogurt dog cookies.
9. Ducky squeak toy.

The second and third place winners will each win a year subscription to Bark magazine. The deadline for this give away is Friday, April 17th @ 10 PM EST.

Wanna win? You get one entry for leaving me a comment, a second entry for following me, and a third entry if you use the widget to the right and donate. (I can't track donations, so I'm going to trust you) Remember, a dachshund site is hosting this... but ALL dogs at the selected sites will benefit!

Dear Hersheys...

Dear Hershey's-
I love your candy! Chocolate kisses; those cute little miniatures; the classic Hershey bar. My favorite candy of yours is by far Reese's Peanut Butter cups. I love them suckers! Make them cute little shapes for holidays... even better! It's like a moth to a flame.

I've had the privilege of visiting Hershey, PA too. You've got great kitschy street lamps topped with faux Hershey kisses. Love 'em. Soooo cute! The ride through your factory smells awesome (naturally!), and the gift shop at the end was a thing of marketing genius. I appreciate the stellar roller coasters in your theme park. So much fun; well worth a road trip for those with kids.

However, after all these kudos... I have to tell you that I'm a little less than happy right now. Know those Peanut Butter Cups I mentioned above? Yeah... I broke open a nice egg shaped one today on the way home from a long day of work. What do I find?!?! HAIR!!!!

That's right. Hair. Running through my candy. ALL the way through the candy.

I know we're in a recession. But... I think that you can still afford hair nets. Please tell me that you can afford hair nets for my sanity; but mostly because I don't want to forgo your candy for the rest of my natural life.

Cuz right now, I'm a little grossed out...

What the Duck?!

While I will occasionally complain about my home town... really, I love it. I love that we are such a faithful sports city, the quirks of technically having two city halls, having both Southie and South Boston, the history, the beauty, the quirks - and begrudgingly, I even like the weather most of the time. Heck - I even appreciate the Mayor, Thomas "Mumbles" Menino!

One of my favorite parts of the city is the statue(s) of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings from "Make Way for Ducklings". It's a classic book. It was one of those books that I made my mom read me over and over again as a little kid, and it was the highlight of many a childhood field trip to see these cute little ducklings!

With that said - I was utterly peeved today to find out that "Pack" - the seventh of eight ducklings was stolen over the weekend!! He was snapped from the ground at his little webbed feet. This isn't the first time that a duckling has been stolen. In fact, this is the 6th stolen duck in just over twenty years.

Part of my frustration is because of sentimentality. It makes me sad that poor Mrs. Mallard is missing one of her flock. The other part is sheer anger- WHY WOULD YOU STEAL PART OF A BOSTON LANDMARK?!?! You have to know that a missing duckling is something that everyone would notice; that people are going to be looking for it; that the police will prosecute you for this theft.

I just want poor Pack back...soon!

Sweet Caroline

It's opening day at Fenway! HURRAY! As an avid baseball fan, I'm so excited... even if I do have to work instead of go to the game.

As my tribute, I give you the history of why Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline is played at our games. As well as a super-de-duper youtube video of our awesome fans singing.



GO SOX!!! It's going to be an awesome season... I just know it!

Cole needs...

I saw A Sassy Engineer do this, and decided to join in. :-) It looks kinda fun, and my brain is fried so I don't have anything profound to say today.

You type your name into Google followed by the word "needs" and post the top ten hits.

So, without further ado - Cole needs...

1. A kidney. (Nope, I'm keeping mine...thanks!)
2. To start repaying Fabio Capello. (Um, who?)
3. A second set of book. (I'm down with that. Bring 'em on!)
4. To trash a hotel room. (Yeah, I don't think so...)
5. To wake-up. (Ugh, I'll get my second wind sooner or later.)
6. To lay off the botox. (I've never had botox. I PROMISE.)
7. To adapt. (Sure, I'll buy that one.)
8. Crutches. (I am a klutz, but I've managed to stay upright so far today.)
9. A husband. (Amen to that one!)
10. To work her magic (I'm not sure what's so magical about me... but ok!)

Tell me; what do you need?

Notes from Beckett - Meadow Bites

Hi Gang! Little 'ole me again. Momma says that she won't rat out her little girl (aka Meadow), but I can if I want to.

A few days ago, Momma got bitten! Meadow and Carmella like to play - ROUGH. Momma says it's partly them playing and partly them jockeying for dominance. I kinda tune out when she starts blathering about being the "alpha" dog. I'm a little boy! I know nothing of mere dogs!!

Well, after about 10 minutes of their rough play, Momma decided that enough was enough. She went to separate the girls just as their playing turned into a little hissy fit. Those stubborn girls don't like to back down - especially Meadow (even if she is only 8 pounds in comparison to Carmella's 22)- and Meadow went to pull Carmella's ear.

The problem is, she got Momma's thumb instead. Two tiny toothmarks on the bottom and a bruise on her nail bed. Poor Momma cried! It was more out of shock than anything else... but when she cried, I just had to try and make her feel better. So what did I do? I climbed in her lap and cried/howled too. Momma says that I cry like GIRL!! But it made her laugh.
:-)

I'm such a good boy! I hear rumors that Momma is making homemade doggie cookies this weekend and I get to be her taste-tester!

P.S. Meadow says she really, really sorry.

Making The World Smell Better...

... One person at a time!

I go through hand/body lotion like nobody I know. The thing is - (as much as I LOVE lotion) it's usually not me that makes the lotion disappear so fast. I seem to be going through one of those big Bath & Body Works bottles every 2-3 weeks, and most of it is used by my co-workers.

While people are waiting to talk to me (another post on that at a later date!) they either moisturize or raid my candy jar... or both.

Is it bad that they guys are making requests for lotion that smells less girly? And anybody got any ideas on how to sneak lotion onto my expense report? Just kidding...kinda. :-)

Another post later today...

Ch-ch-changes

Hallelujah, it's the first day of the new fiscal year!! That's my bright point of the day... I SURVIVED FINDING ALL THAT FREAKING MONEY last week. And I did it without an I.V. of coffee or vodka. :-)

I don't know what it's like where you work (yes, right now I AM jealous of SAHM's!), but the first day of the fiscal year here is "OH SH!T" day. We've made it through the hailstorm of closing things up for the year end - but we now need to A. Start ALL over again & B. There's a 50/50 shot that the Senior Leadership Team thinks it's time to "liven things up".

Yes folks, that means it's likely that at some point today a major department (if we're lucky) or corporate subsidiary (if we're REALLY, REALLY unlucky) is going to go through a re-organization. Last year it happened to my department and we are just now starting to really work the way we want to. I'm praying that means that the game of corporate bingo will slide right past us and call out the numbers for someone else's group.

Oh, you ask how many re-organizations have happened since I got here almost five a half years ago (Gasp! Time flies....)?!?! In my department - 4. In my corporate subsidiary - 11 ( I kid you not).

I was a good girl and stocked up on chocolate on the way in to work. Chances are - someones going to need it; and I want to be ready.

In the meantime, I'm distributing the unofficial rules to re-orgs to the new kids on my staff:
1. Don't make eye contact with HR.
2. If you get called to a conference room unexpectedly; grab the stuff off your desk that you want. (or it WILL get picked over by the office scavengers before someone comes by to pack up your desk)
3. Look busy. Today is not the day to eat lunch in the office - if someone sees you at your desk, you better be working.
4. If someone on the senior leadership team starts walking towards you - PICK UP THE PHONE. I don't care if you call 411; being busy means that you aren't going to get asked to help hunt down the poor people that are getting layed off (Did I mention that lay-offs typically accompany re-organizations around here? Yep... fun, fun, fun. Grr!).
5. Don't expect to get anything actually accomplished today. We're lucky if we don't have a fire drill in the middle of our all employee meeting!

Cross your fingers ladies...and if you hear whimpering, it's probably me.