A month, really?

I am such a slacker when it comes to this blog. I don't know why. I wish I could just type everyday about something. But I can't. Facebook consumes too much of my time. That and trying to beat Becky on who can get the furthest on a Webkinz game (yes, I know how old I am).

So let's pick up where we left off. Kam started first grade in August. She loves it. I have to admit, I was a little worried when we started to get her back into the swing of "homework" before school started, but she has seemed to pick right back up where she left off. They have their first spelling quiz on Friday and I am fairly sure she will get a 100% on it.

Work has been work. I officially started my new position this past Saturday (Monday actually was the first working day but Saturday started the week for Payroll). So far, no different. However, today really tested my patience. This lady in my unit (mind you, there are 6 of us and one of us is on Short Term - and it's not me unfortunately) told me (in the politest way possible, for real) that I had mistakenly changed something and it caused a problem in Finance and Billing. So of course, I am worried sick about it all day long until I start really trying to find out what I did when. Turns out.....wasn't me. IT WAS HER!!! The nerve of her!!!!! So I just had to keep my distance from her for the remainder of the day. ARGH!

I get to see Joe and Tim in just 9 short days. I can't wait just to kick back and relax with them. I really need a break from reality (and I know they do too).

I managed to finish the hall (painting only...no floor - still looking for funding ideas for that portion of the project). Kitchen....not so much. I still need another coat of paint in spots. It's tolerable right now. Erik removed the center part of the carpet, so it looks a little weird right now. Oh well....I can live with it.

Kam started soccer last Saturday. It is the cutest thing ever. Her team is called the Cobras. They have a half hour practice every Saturday followed by a half hour game until November then take a break until the Spring. Her first game.....she scored a goal!!! I barely got it on tape but I did just enough to get the idea she kicked and scored. This week I will be better at filming, I swear. And I still cringe when people say I am a Soccer Mom...puhlease.

Until next time, here is Kam in her soccer gear. Notice the pink and black Adidas shoes. I so want a pair for myself.

I'm here

Long time no see...err type....err read. Whatever!

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately and I can finally talk about some of the happenings.

I had an interview last week for the same unit I am in, just a higher grade level, and yes, more money. I wasn't going to bid on it but my friend said that I better. She was right. I found out today that I got the job. It hasn't been officially announced yet - my supervisor - or soon to be ex-supervisor (she's leaving the unit...tomorrow is her last day) needs to talk to one other guy in the unit about why he didn't get the job. She told me that the time that I put in as a TSS in my old claims processing unit is what gave me the edge. That fucking job finally paid off. That job was the bain of my existence. I hated work, hated the people, hated everything about the job except for lunch time....and that was only because I didn't have to hang out with anyone from the unit. So yay me! **pats self on back**

My friend Becky and I were talking about how we should have taken before and after pictures of our weight loss - this topic came up because our old Sales Rep from above mentioned awful unit was telling the Group Administrators (also of said Awful Group) how wonderful Becky and I look and how much weight we lost. So we were on a mission to find some old pictures. I found a ton of me.....and let's just say....BLECH. I don't know how Erik stayed with me. He must love me because EEEE GODS!!! At any rate, Becky made an email and sent it off to the Group Administrators....along with half of the old unit, all of the unit I just left and a few others....including the lead girl at the Fitness Center. Turns out, Lauren (girl at the fitness center) is looking for people to come and speak about their success stories from the Fitness Center at their Birthday Celebration. Guess who will be speaking? Yep - me and Becky. So I guess I have her to thank....although Lauren has already informed me that it will entail them showing the pictures. EEEKKK! I don't know why this makes me so leary...I mean, I walked around the Earth looking like that, it's not like it was some big giant secret I was overweight or anything. So I have decided, that to help get over this, I will post them here. Not that more then about 5 people read this thing, but at least the idea of the "possibility" of millions of people being able to look at it will make me feel a tiny bit better....so here goes

Before:





After:



To date, I have lost 70 pounds. That is equivalent to an 11 year old that I know. Holy smokes.

Anyway, Kam turns the big 6 Saturday and she will not let anyone forget about it. This weekend is going to be filled with cake and presents.....All.Weekend.Long. Saturday starts the festivities with Hannah Montana....$30 for a kids cake is a little excessive but 1). I am getting it from Bethel Bakery...deeeeelicious. and 2). She's worth every penny. Here's her cake (minus the Leanna bullshit of course)



Pretty nice, huh? I mean, as far as Hannah Montana cakes go.

So that's Saturday. Sunday is High School Musical. I have no idea what the cake looks like for this party as Erik's cousin is in charge of this one. All I know is that the cake will not be as delicious as the Hannah Montana one.....

On Monday it's off to Idlewild...where, thanks to Debby, I am scared out of my mind that me or someone in my family is going to get bitten by a spider and/or tick. I made sure I stopped at Rite Aid today and picked up the heavy duty Off Spray with 100% DEET just to be sure. More to follow on that excursion some time next week/month/year....depending on when I get around to it.

So that's about it, in a nutshell. I have to get Kam ready to go sleep over Big Grammo's house tonight as they are driving bright and early tomorrow morning to pick up Ruthie.

It's been an expensive weekend...

Yeah so payday was Friday and I think I have successfully spent all of my money. Thank the good lord above that Erik gets paid tomorrow. Here is what I have spent some serious cash on in the past 4 days:

Friday:
Parking, lunch, dinner and drinks (not that this should count or anything but it just enhances it)

Saturday:
Wii Fit, Guitar Hero Aerosmith for PS3, Guitar to play GHA, small bag of groceries to make Weight Watcher Oreo Cheesecakes for Erik's birthday ($20!!! Are you serious? Splenda is some expensive shit)

Sunday:
4 tickets to The Dark Knight, Large ass popcorn for 2, 2 even larger ass soda's.

Monday:
Rails and hooks for the Great Kitchen Redo '08, magnetic knife rack for GKR '08, carpet for the Great Hallway Redo '08(started this bad boy project in the early parts of this year), lunch for 3 starving people at Quaker Steak (OMG - they have the best new flavor for wings - Dusted Salt and Vinegar - tastes like Chicken Salt N Vinegar potato chips), and oh yeah - An Apple iPhone for moi!!!!! I have to wait 10 to 21 days for the Direct Fulfillment to happen. I am too excited about this! So excited I came home and took a nap. It was lovely!

Kam and Erik are playing on the Wii fit right now as I sit on my flat duff typing this. That too is lovely.

More proof that Tuesdays SUCK BIG ONES

I played hooky yesterday. Yeah I know. EXTRA long weekend for me. BONUS!
But what I came back to....not so much. You should SEE what happened to good old workplace. Let's just say floors 11 through 16 of a 20 floor building are pretty much gone. Water. Everywhere. Ceiling tiles. Now floor tiles. The place is a mess. The ladies restrooms on 13 (where I work...and spare me the unlucky bullshit...I already know as this was the floor I used to work on) they are unuseable. You have to go up one floor (via elevator - because the place I work...really really wants their employees to be healthy, but refuses to open the stair wells for fear we will start smoking pot or shooting heroin in the stairwells) to use the restroom...which now, is being used by every female on 14, 13 and 15 and I'm pretty sure 12, 11 and 16. GROOOOOSSSSS!! I will try to take some pics tomorrow to see if I can capture the "Boy In The Bubble"ness that is going on. Anyone ever see OUtbreak? Yah, that's what I feel like.

Konversations with Kam

Kam: I know what's after 8:50.
Me: Oh yeah?
Kam: Yeah 9 o'clock is the new 10.
Me: 9 o'clock is the new 10?
Kam: staaaaaaaaaaahp iiiiiit.
Me (all confused about WTF just happened for me to get yelled at).

I'm still wondering...is that like pink is the new black? 30 is the new 20?

In here...it's always Monday

I swear...Tuesdays anymore are my Mondays. I absolutely hate them!

For example, here is a look at how my day went today (**NOTE: Keep in mind, it is Tuesday, not Monday, but when you are done, you will surely be thinking, Wait up...is it Monday?**)

1. Apparently, I forget how to dress myself. I was dressed a total of 4 hours BEFORE I realized the zipper was down on my capri's.

2. Yesterday (a.k.a. The Real Monday) ~ I was feeling a bit froggy and decided to work this beast of a Provision Build at work. (Don't ask what it is - it's better that you NOT know). Guess who is still working it today? Yeah - me. Guess who will still be working it tomorrow? Yeah - me. Although I have already set my mind to finishing it by 7 am. I will, gosh darn it.

3. As if totally draining all brain power at work wasn't enough, I am in the middle of what I am dubbing "The Great Kitchen Re-do '08" - could possibly extend into "The Great Kitchen Re-do '09" if you have met me and my "home improvement" projects. The cabinets are done and now it is on to priming the walls which are this hideous 70's type material. So that should take about 2 or 3 coats of Kilz BEFORE I can even THINK about painting. Good news on the painting front - I only have to paint from 3 feet and above as I am putting bead board up. Too bad for the next owner (unless of course you are the next owner, then please know those walls are painted Teepee Brown all of the way down to the floor). Anyway ~ I digress ~ I went to pick up the pantry that had to be put together. Managed to do that all by myself AND the first time at that! Then I moved onto removing the range hood. Seemed like a good idea. Not sure WHY I thought the light and fan magically worked on their own. Wadda ya know? They are connected to some power supply. So here I am all by myself holding up this heavy, dirty range hood trying to screw it back in. 3 of the 4 screws are back in...no idea where that 4th one went. Don't really care at this point either. And oh yes, all of this AFTER a shower. Smart Les, real smart.

4. My laptop has decided it no longer wants to pick up my wireless network and I have no idea how to fix it. I have disconnected, reconnected, diagnosed the "problem" (even though I still don't know what the "problem" is), unplugged the modem et al. Still no clue. So now I sit in the smelly ManCave basement (I knew there was a reason why I don't come down here)....not too happy.

5. Kam is running around the house singing something about being at the circus and she will be freezing by the time I am finished with this. We will just see about this.

Following is a list of positives about today:
1. Tomorrow is Wednesday and is the last day I have to go to work until Monday. The end.

Wii

I have to pat myself on the back for this one. The best purchase we have made in the past month was definitely the Wii. It is fun. I highly recommend it. Go get one (if you can - I know it took 2 PA residents and 1 CA resident to track one down on a Sunday night here in Pittsburgh).

Kam - she is a lover of all things video games. For sure our child. Everyday since we bought the thing, she asks, Can we play the Wii? To which the answer is usually yes, but after 30 days of Wii ownership, it gets a tad on the old side to hear the same question everyday.

Just to give you an idea of what its like to watch Kam play the Wii...imagine if you will...Elaine Bennis' dancing from Seinfeld meets Bruce Lee. The girl already has the metabolism of a gnat, and I can guarantee she burns anywhere from 1500 to 2000 calories playing in one half hour alone.


I will take a video sometime and upload it to here.