*~*~Kim's Blog About Nothing~*~*

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Said by Kim at 7:38 PM

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.......drifting through the building.....I wondered why I kept smelling toast. I just walked by the lounge, and Outpatient Medical Records is having a breakfast potluck for their department. Looks like they have quite a spread.....excuse me while I gnaw on my desk.......................

On another note.....do they think they have a bunch of penguins working here, or what?? It's so FREAKIN' cold in this office, and it's only 8:15 in the morning! It was that way last August when we moved into this building....just because the temperature outside says 110, doesn't mean that we want to sit in a damn icebox ALL FRIGGIN DAY! This past winter, it was so hot in here, we were almost wanting to wear shorts and tank tops to work because it was so stuffy in here.

Just because our temps went over 80 degrees last week, here comes the arctic blasts all day long. No wonder everyone is walking around with their winter sweaters on today!

Said by Kim at 8:02 AM

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The roof is now officially done. While I don't really care for what was selected, it sure looks better than seeing a mossy, grass-growing roof! I would have prefered the reddish-colored clay tiles, but of course that would have cost alot more. The tiles Dad selected look like brown sandpaper.

Here's the BEFORE picture:

And now the AFTER picture:

Now people won't walk by and say, "Look at that tree growing on the roof!" You'd think we're a bunch of Okies judging by looks of the roof before! (No offense to the residents of Oklahoma intended!)

Said by Kim at 5:38 AM

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Tuesday, March 30, 2004

Well, another member of the Def Leppard fan community has a blog! Check out Lpprdlvr's Rants And Raves to see what's shaking in this cool gal's life!

Said by Kim at 5:55 PM

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Yes, it's that time of year again....the invasion of THE PEEPS! You know what I'm talking about....those traditional sickingly sweet marshmallow creatures that invade the stores at this time of year. Only now they come in different shapes, colors, flavors, and they are becoming a year-round thing, instead of just an Easter item.

I've never been much of a fan of Peeps. They taste like a wad of gooey sugar in your mouth, and they are just so disgustingly sweet. But, I saw a package of Orange Cream Peeps Marshmallow Eggs at the Dollar Store one day last week, so I thought I'd give them a try. Nope...they're STILL Peeps. Although they do have some semblance of flavor with the orange cream flavoring. BUT THEY'RE STILL PEEPS!

Why so many people clamor over these little gooey concoctions is a mystery to me. Just give me a good, old fashioned SOLID chocolate easter bunny, and I'm a happy camper.

Said by Kim at 10:03 AM

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......until my brother FINALLY comes home for good from his deployment in Afghanistan! We are all looking forward to the day when we no longer have to deal with international phone delays, and wondering if he's ok. He's been away since July 10th, so it's been a long time! What was supposed to be only a 6 month deployment has turned into nearly a year.

But, when he was home for his 2-week vacation in February, he said he's glad he went because he can now retire with a more pleasant conscience. He did two tours in Vietnam, and when soldiers returned home back then, they were not widely accepted as 'heroes.' When he was flying home this time, he said people were coming up to him, shaking his hand, asking about how things were going over there. So he feels that he's done something good this time, and he hopefully has exorcised some of the leftover demons he carried around from Vietnam.

So when you see a soldier on your travels, please take a moment to thank them for their service. It means SO much to them!

Said by Kim at 7:53 AM

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The roofers left yesterday at about 5....they'll be back again today, and hopefully they'll finish! When I parked my car back in the driveway, I noticed a bag of something laying on the front lawn. Upon further inspection, it appears that someone left a half-eaten bag of 3-alarm Cheetos on the lawn. Given that most of the guys working on the roof appear to be from south of the border originally, I can understand the attraction to the 3-alarm Cheetos. BUT THE LAWN IS NOT A VENDING MACHINE!!!

Mom is so frazzled by all of the commotion, and Dad is.......well, I won't say what I think right now, but maybe this will give you an idea:

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So hopefully all will be peaceful when I come home from work....... sans the Cheetos on the lawn.

Said by Kim at 5:40 AM

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Monday, March 29, 2004

I get an email from my best friend this morning (she's also my 'concert going buddy'), and she said she and the family are heading to Hawaii the next morning after the Van Halen concert. Their flight leaves at 6 am. She said if it was Def Leppard, she'd sleep it off the next day on the plane. So, of course I emailed back and told her to just 'pretend' that it's Lep, and that she can sleep on the flight. So we'll see if I can convince her to go.

Other than that....it was an uneventful weekend. But we were quite upset with the roofers. We expected them to come work on the roof on Saturday, so we waited......and waited.....and waited. Finally, one of the guys stops out in front of the house Saturday at NOON, to hitch up the garbage trailer they left in front of the house on Friday. Dad went out to find out why they didn't come to work, and one of the guys got sick, another has a sickness in the family........so we went all weekend with boards piled up on top of the house, along with a part of the roof over the garage with a partial sunroof, because they didn't finish boarding it up on Friday night.

But as I was leaving for work this morning at 7, they pulled up, so they're working as we speak. But what kind of a way is THAT to do business??? Why not wait until Monday to begin the job?? Mom thinks they did it that way to lock our business in, so we couldn't give the job to another roofing company by Monday. Pretty chicken shit way to run a business if you ask me.

Said by Kim at 7:30 AM

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Saturday, March 27, 2004

I just saw on Van Halen's 2004 Tour Dates, that FRESNO is going to be one of their stops on August 14th!!! I am DEFINITELY going to this one!!! I've seen them three times, and I'm sure as hell not gonna miss this one!!!

For anyone who hasn't experienced Van Halen (or Van Hagar if you must) live, do find a copy of their live VHS (or DVD) "Right Here, Right Now." It was filmed during their 2-night stand here in Fresno back in 1993, and I was at the second show, and it kicked ASS! I pulled my copy out last night after seeing the show date on their site, and watched it again. IMO, Sammy is so much more of a showman/singer than David Lee Roth ever was. Roth is more about seeing how many times he can shake is rear at the crowd. Sammy is just a purely talented performer. I'm SO EXCITED!!!!

Said by Kim at 5:35 PM

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I knew the roofers were going to be working on putting the new roof on our house since I had to call home for something earlier in the day. So when I got home, I knew what to expect, but DAMN! I didn't know they were THAT noisy!

Anyway....this is what our roof looked like just a couple of weeks ago, grass and all:

And this is a work in progress...what it looked like last night when they left:

I'll put up a picture of the finished product when the job is complete.

Said by Kim at 6:03 AM

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Friday, March 26, 2004

I swear....the receptionists in our medical offices are NITWITS!!! Either that, or their managers are incompetent in counseling them on things they are doing wrong! How friggin' hard is it to WRITE YOUR NAME on the clerk report listing your bankcard transactions for the day??? IT'S NOT THAT DIFFICULT TO GRASP THE CONCEPT!

Is it 4 o'clock yet???? *sigh*

Said by Kim at 2:03 PM

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There's a Southern Belle from the Lep community who is now sharing her Mental Meanderings with us all. Do take a peek into her thoughts, y'all!

Said by Kim at 7:25 AM

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It's so hard to watch someone one you love....someone who was once so full of life, so 'on the go' all the time... slowly deteriorate before your eyes.

My mom was once a person who would get up at the crack of dawn, and start working around the house, working until dark most times. This was a person who planted almost our whole yard when we first moved into our house when it was brand new in 1974. She also paid for it with little bouts of skin cancer. Thankfully, it never spread any further, and was taken care of at the time.

This was a person who absolutely loved to travel up to Reno and Tahoe 4 times a year. She thought nothing of walking from our hotel, Circus Circus, down virginia Street to Cal-Neva or Harrahs to play her favorite slots, often times until 1 or 2 in the morning.

This was a person who drove me all over the state of California to my roller skating competitions, often just the two of us because Dad couldn't get off work. We'd strike out at 2 am to be in Bakersfield, or Sacramento by 6 am for my competitions.

But, in 1995 things started to become noticeably different. She wasn't able to walk down Virginia Street as often as she used to when we were in Reno. We started playing mainly in the casino at Circus Circus only, occassionally walking to Silver Legacy, or Eldorado to play. Our last trip to Reno was Christmas, 1997. After that, it was discovered that she had severe arthritis in her right hip, limiting her mobility. It got to a point where she could barely walk down the hall of our house, without having to use the walls as support.

In Sept. 1998, at age 77 she had hip replacement surgery, which did give her some of her mobility back, but she certainly wasn't the same person she once was.

She's had bouts of dizziness for the past 6 months, and she's been losing her balance alot. THANKFULLY, she hasn't fallen. Now, trips to the store, or up to our local Indian casino wear her out.

She stays loyal to our family doctor, who suffered a stroke in 1997. He's not the same man I remember who cared for me as a child. I've given Mom the name of a doctor who was VERY well-liked when he was working at the medical clinic where I work.....he left our HMO to go into private practice, and everyone LOVED him. But, Mom feels this sense of loyalty to our doctor, because most of his patients have left to other doctors since his stroke. His stroke didn't affect his mental capacity, but I still don't think she's getting the right care, no matter how much I love our family doctor. But, what can I do? I can't drag her to a new doctor.....I'd pay hell on earth if I did something like that.

Sometimes, I feel so alone dealing with all of this. My oldest brother lost his wife in October, so he's still dealing with the emotions of that, and of course, my other brother is in Afghanistan until May. My dad....well, I love him dearly, but he isn't much help because if he had his way, he'd sit in his recliner all day and sleep. So, I carry everything around bottled up inside. I do have some close friends who I confide my feelings to (Thanks, B! It means more than you will ever know!). But, sometimes when I write my feelings down, it helps me feel better....so, that's what I'm doing today.

And with that.....time to get ready for work.........

Said by Kim at 5:59 AM

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........and payday...ALWAYS a good day!

Damn, we had a major downpour and wind at about 1 this morning. We have this huge tree in the backyard that always makes it sound like a hurricane is coming through. So, needless to say, I *DEFINITELY* need a Starbucks this morning to wake my ass up.

Said by Kim at 4:35 AM

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Thursday, March 25, 2004

........I ate a Nachos Supreme AND a bean burrito for lunch. Mary and I walked down to Taco Bell for lunch, and I just wasn't satisfied after the Nachos. It must be because "Aunt Flo" is pounding on the door, but the bitch hasn't walked through yet.

Said by Kim at 1:04 PM

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A new blog has been added to my blog links: Rabid Rabbits And Psycho Squirrels. Despite what the title may lead you to believe, it's NOT a blog about rabbits and squirrels, although I'm sure the author, Julie H., has undoubtedly run across her share of squirrels in Central Park in the New York City area where she lives!

And one of my fellow 'Divas', Karrie shares her Box Of Thoughts for all to see, so go see what this Irish Diva has on her mind today!

I used the new hot rollers I got yesterday for the first time this morning. I wanted to throw the damn things through the window! They're the 'kind to your hair'-type rollers with the smooth rollers, but I'm so used to the rollers with the little nubs so my hair will grip (and consequently stay ON the roller when I remove them....HUSH BRUCE!!!! I KNOW, I KNOW!). These new rollers just didn't want to stay in my hair, until I finally got the concept of how to attach the clips securely. Talk about a frazzled morning! But I gotta admit....my hair does look ok (NO....don't even ask, B!!!!)

And with that....I owe I owe, so off to work I go...........

Said by Kim at 7:41 AM

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Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Ok....this is SO me! Because I love dogs, and I just think the pictures above are so damn funny! I may change the background to lighter color, but I'll stick with the black for a couple of days. But I think I've finally found the skin for me. FINALLY!

It was a glorious day today.... we had a cool down from the high 80's down to the mid 70's, and a really nice breeze to accompany the temps. Kind of a 'coast' feel to the air. Some of my co-workers and I went to Red Robin for lunch to celebrate a couple of birthdays....that was alot of fun....good food, but SLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOWWWWW service. But, at least the food was good to make up for it.

And with that....nighty night!

Said by Kim at 7:54 PM

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.....yes, yet ANOTHER blog skin change! Only this time....this skin FITS me like a glove! So be prepared! I found it this morning....I stumbled upon it at blogskins.com while searching for another one I had my eye on. But after seeing this skin.....it's just SO me! Stay tuned....................

Said by Kim at 2:27 PM

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.....my hot rollers went kaput on me this morning.....they were mildly lukewarm. My hair looks like crap (no, I'm not gonna describe it, Bruce....just trust me on this one...it looks like CRAP!) So I stopped by Longs and got a new set. I guess it was time, considering my set was 6 years old.

Here's a funny for the day for the ladies... If you haven't seen this before, just make sure you're not drinking a liquid while reading this...BTW, this didn't happen to me:

"The First Time's Always the Worst"
The first mammogram is the worst. Especially when the machine catches on
fire.

That's what happened to me. The technician, Gail, positioned me exactly
as she wanted me (think a really complicated game of Twister - right hand
on
the blue, left shoulder on the yellow, right breast as far away as humanly
possible from the rest of your body). Then she clamped the machine down
so tight, I think my breast actually turned inside out. I'm pretty sure
Victoria's Secret doesn't have a bra for that.

Suddenly, there was a loud popping noise. I looked down at my right
breast to make sure it hadn't exploded. Nope, it was still flat as a
pancake
and still attached to my body.

"Oh no!" Gail said loudly. These are perhaps, the words you least want
to hear from any health professional. Suddenly, she came flying past me,
her lab coat whipping behind her, on her way out the door. She yelled
over
her shoulder, "The machine's on fire, I'm going to get help!"

OK, I was wrong, 'The machine's on fire,' are the worst words you can
hear from a health professional.

Especially if you're all alone and semi-permanently attached to A MACHINE
and don't know if it's THE MACHINE in question.
I struggled for a few seconds trying to get free, but even Houdini
couldn't have escaped. I decided to go to plan B: yelling at the top of
my lung
(the one that was still working).

I hadn't seen anything on fire, so my panic hadn't quite reached epic
proportions. But then I started to smell smoke coming from behind the
partition.
"This is ridiculous," I thought. I can't die like this. What would
they put in my obituary? Cause of death: breast entrapment?

I may have inhaled some fumes because I started to hallucinate. An
imaginary fireman rushed in with a firehose and a hatchet. "Howdy,
ma'am," he said.

"What's happened here?" he asked, averting his eyes.

"My breasts were too hot for the machine," I quipped, as my imaginary
fireman ran out of the room again. "This is gonna take the Jaws of
Life!"

In reality, Gail returned with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.
She gave me a big smile and released me from the machine. "Sorry!
That's the first time that's ever happened. Why don't you take a
few minutes to relax before we finish up?"

I think that's what she said. I was running across the parking lot in my
backless paper gown at the time. After I'd relaxed for a few years, I
figured I might go back. But I was bringing my own fire extinguisher.

Said by Kim at 7:40 AM

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Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Man, I tell ya....today must have been 'freak show' day. First, the girl begging for change who later turned my friends' change down, then............ when I left work, and pulled out of the parking lot, I see this kid...a guy probably about 20.... walking along in front of one of the car dealerships. This kid is totally dressed in black....the black shirt, baggy black pants, black boots.......

The pants also had those heavy silver chains hanging from them. As I am driving past this kid, I notice that his right hand is reaching around behind him.... grabbing and pulling at his butt, as if he was trying to pull the wedgie out!

Not very discreet about it! I think I must have laughed the whole way home!

Said by Kim at 7:35 PM

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Wow.....I now understand how this saying came about. My co-worker and I walked down the street to Sonic for lunch, and on our way there we ran into a girl, probably late teens/early 20's, dressed really shabbily. She heard us talking as we approached from behind, so she turned around and asked for change. We told her we didn't have any, that we had just enough for our lunch.

We walked on, had our lunch, and on our way back to work, here comes this girl again, coming toward us. My co-worker had some spare change left over from lunch, about 45 cents. She held out her hand and offered it to the girl.....the girl just looked at what she had, and SHOOK HER HEAD NO!! WTF???? You just asked us for spare change not more than 20 minutes ago, now you're refusing spare change being offered???? I came so close to blurting out, "Beggars can't be choosers", but I just shook my head in amazement. I guess the coins weren't big enough for her, since they were only dimes, huh? Unreal...................

Said by Kim at 12:52 PM

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We're having our monthly staff meeting here at work at 8:30 am. This should be a very interesting one....stay tuned. Our Assistant Manager has been giving several people in the office 'attitude' this past week. Several people have called her cell phone - no answer; they have paged her - no answer; they knock on her door when she is here at our office - the door remains closed. When people do finally get her attention, and ask why she didn't return their call, she has given the response, "Well, I'm busy." Oh, and we aren't?????

She seems to be on this 'power trip', and there are rumors that she wants to cut all lunch hours into half hour lunches, and 2 15-minute breaks - one in the AM, one in the PM. That's so NOT going to fly! It boils down to her wanting control over everyone. She's SO frigging anal about EVERYTHING!

You go to her with a simple question, and you get a 20-minute dissertation on who, what, when, where and why. I should carry a yellow penalty flag in my pocket, and pull it out when she gets long-winded and say, "Personal foul - taking too F*CKING LONG to give an answer - 15 yards and loss of down."

Said by Kim at 7:39 AM

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Monday, March 22, 2004

.....EuphoricSlang84 has a journal, so please take a moment to visit his journal!

Said by Kim at 7:55 PM

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Jules had a great post on her blog about Iowa drivers yesterday, and after seeing some incredible stupidity on my California roads, I thought I'd add my $.02:

* What's the deal with waiting until uncoming traffic has almost reached you before you pull out into that traffic??? This had chapped my hide so much in the past year! If you're gonna pull out into traffic....PEDDLE THE DAMN BIKE FASTER!!!!

* Get off the frickin' phone and DRIVE, asshole! I swear, I get behind more people on their cell phones, and their driving goes to complete hell! First they slow down, then speed up, slow back down again.....if it's a guy, I'm wondering if his girlfriend or wife is giving him some good phone sex or something...when it gets to the good part, he slows WAYYYYY down, then speeds back up.

* PAY ATTENTION to the road AHEAD of you....don't be looking off to the side every 2 seconds!

* GET OFF MY ASS!!!! But that's when the fun begins for me, though. If someone is riding my ass, I give my brakes just enough of a tap, and watch in the rear view mirror to see the reaction. It sure gets them off my butt.

* Put your damn makeup on BEFORE you leave the house!!! I've seen women curling their eyelashes while going 60 miles an hour on the freeway. I'd sure hate to see the carnage if they have to throw their brakes on suddenly. A baseball mitt might come in handy in this case, to catch the eyeball that will surely come flying out of her head.

Said by Kim at 7:30 AM

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Sunday, March 21, 2004

Well, I would say this skin fits me a little better....fits my goofy personality more appropriately!

But, don't be suprised if I come up with yet another skin soon. This one is too scrunched up in the middle, with all of the wasted space on the side.

But I'd say this is more "ME" than the leafy thing.

Went to Table Mountain for a few hours..... Dad did good...he hit two "WILD" symbols and a blue 7 on a Red, White And Blue $.25 machine for 1199 coins... at first he thought he just had three blue 7's, but the WILD symbols counted as the Red and White. So that was cool!

Me....I lost some of my winnings from last weekend. I did manage to cash out 52.00 on the "I Dream Of Jeannie" nickel machine. But didn't hit on any other machines.

Said by Kim at 2:58 PM

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Saturday, March 20, 2004

DAMN!!! What is it with the "Thumper" cars?? You know...THOSE cars that you can hear coming from a mile away because they have the bass set on their stereo to 'thump'. UGH!!! And of course they always have to be playing that rap shit.

I thought this trend had died down.... but it's on the rise again here in Fresburg. There must be a ton of new drivers out there.... so they have to challenge other drivers as to who has the best 'thumper.' And it's nothing out of the ordinary to be rattled awake at 2 in the morning by a passing thumper, which in turn rattles the windows! GET YOUR ASS HOME WHERE IT BELONGS!

Said by Kim at 10:20 PM

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I had the notion all week to do some serious housework this weekend. I thought that idea was going to be shot down the drain when Mom said something about grocery shopping today.

While I was changing the sheets on one of the beds, she said something about perhaps going to Table Mountain on Sunday.

So, we decided against going grocery shopping today, since we had visited Costco last weekend, and I got busy with my intended housework. I mopped all of the floors, vacuumed the house, did a load of laundry, and now I'm trying to write out some bills, but my attention span for that a zilch.

It's a gorgeous day outside....mid-80's, sunny. Looks to be a nice day to do some gambling tomorrow!

Said by Kim at 2:10 PM

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......is EXHAUSTING! I haven't found one yet that just jumps out at me and makes me say "OOOOHHHH!!" I've found a few that I do like, but they don't look good when I paste the code into my template section. So..........the search continues.....

I took my WeatherPixie sticker off...since their site seems to be down, more than up. I've added a Wunderground.com weather sticker instead. MUCH more reliable!

Said by Kim at 7:47 AM

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Friday, March 19, 2004

If you thought the "Please Don't Take My Picture" diva was bad enough, yesterday our resident "I Am The Billing Diva" bitch came into our quadrant, and started searching through one of our trash cans. Felix asked if she needed anything, and she just kept digging through the trash. He asked AGAIN if she needed something, and she replied, "I seem to be missing some faxes." She receives faxes for billing requests from Healthcare Recoveries in Kentucky for Third Party Billings. However, the faxes come through on OUR fax machine.....she has a fax machine in her quad....why she hasn't given them her fax number is beyond me.

So she seems to think that we are throwing away her faxes, judging by her actions yesterday. Why in the hell would we throw her faxes away???? A little later, her partner in crime, the other office 'Wah, everyone is against me" diva came into our office and without saying a word started shifting through faxes that were waiting to be picked up. Needless to say, she found nothing. When their faxes come through, we put them in a designated box for pick up.

Here's a thought....GIVE HEALTHCARE RECOVERIES YOUR FRIGGING FAX NUMBER!!!!! Then you won't lose ANY faxes!

And with that rant, I'm still on the hunt for a new skin for my blog....I know what I'll be doing this evening. Happy Friday all!

Said by Kim at 7:35 AM

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Thursday, March 18, 2004

Geez, some people are SOOOOO touchy! I took a bunch of pictures at a baby shower luncheon we had here at work last Friday, and I sent them out to those in attendance. Some were sent to private email accounts on Friday night...and yesterday I sent the pictures to the rest of the attendees through our work email.

WELL, one of the attendees came into my quadrant this morning, and asked if I could remove the two pictures of her from the pictures.....I told her no, not when they've already gone out. She then said, "Well, I'm VERY upset. I don't like those pictures, and I don't like having my picture taken." I tried to tell her they were good pictures, but she was PISSED at me, and walked out again saying, "I'm very upset." Wah wah wah....GET OVER IT!

She came back into my office a few minutes later to get something off the printer, and I told her I was sorry if I upset her, and she didn't say anything. I apologized AGAIN, and she said she just doesn't take good pictures, and doesn't want her picture taken. So, I told her, "Well, I just won't include you in any future pictures." She said thank you.

Sheesh..... it's not like we don't already know what she looks like!

Said by Kim at 9:13 AM

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The more I look at this template, the more it becomes so NOT me....but, I'll hang with it until the weekend when I have time to look for something MORE me.

Didn't get much sleep last night....evidently, one of the neighbors up the street was having a party or something until way late, because the dogs kept barking, and when I opened the window I could hear people laughing in the distance. COME ON, PEOPLE....St. Patricks Day is just another damn day! But people seem to use the day as an excuse to get plastered on green beer:

Hopefully, my buddies back east in the snow won't have to worry about this:

Said by Kim at 5:52 AM

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Wednesday, March 17, 2004

So....I've shed my old 'skin' like a cocoon, and present myself to the world in my new 'skin'! I do like it, but I'm not completely satisfied yet....I'll probably search for another template over the weekend...but for now.......HERE I AM!

Said by Kim at 8:01 PM

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So the whiner Terrell Owens got his way...he stamped his feet, and threatened the NFL with a lawsuit if things didn't go HIS way, and now he is a Philadelphia Eagle. Eagles fans are jumping for joy.............now........... wait until he short-arms a pass from Donovan McNabb, or has a sudden case of the 'dropsies' in a crucial game. Philly fans will be all over his ass, I'm sure. Better keep your helmet on when on the sideline, T.O., if you make a mistake in a big game. You might have some snowballs with your name written all over them (with a Sharpie, of course).

My bet is that TO won't go the whole year without some tirade. If the Eagles lose a game where TO wasn't the 'main man', you can bet your ass he is going to be whining in the locker room about how he didn't see enough balls come his way, and he could have "been the difference." Wah wah wah.... better invest in some Stick-Um, TO. You have a serious case of butterfingers in big games.

We'll be JUST FINE in 49er land!

Said by Kim at 8:03 AM

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.......and I'm going to be rebellious against the 'wearin o'the green'.

I wore my green on Monday, so shoot me. They say that redheads should never wear green or red.... I look good in both colors, so bite me!

I'm still looking for a new 'skin' for my blog.... I'm thinking seriously of buying more storage space on Geocities, where I have my 49er site hosted, and move my blog there....I hate that damn Blogspot ad mucking up a skin!!

Be careful out there if you're drinking green beer!

Said by Kim at 6:06 AM

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Tuesday, March 16, 2004

Once a year in March, drivers here in Fresno have to be extra alert. Now, you might be asking, "Why only once a year?"

Well, someone came up with the 'brilliant' idea (and I use the term 'brilliant' VERY loosely) of sticking a bunch of people, KIDS INCLUDED, on almost every major street corner in the city on this one day in March to hawk "Kid's Day" copies of The Fresno Bee, our local paper. All proceeds on the sales of the Kids Day papers go directly to the Children's Hospital Of Central California.

The idea is a GREAT one, but the method is questionable, especially if you have observed over the years how people selling these papers will think nothing of stepping out into traffic to sell their precious wares. Even KIDS will step out into traffic to sell a paper, often times holding up traffic that has the right of way. The hawkers even get about half pissed if you don't buy a paper.

I'm all for raising money for the hospital....I was a patient in the hospital when I was 9 years old with meningitis. I was there for 2 weeks, and received excellent care. But whoever thought up the idea of selling papers on extremely busy street corners needs to have their head examined.

It's only going to be a matter of time before we hear of someone getting hurt, or worse, because of this most annoying day of the year.

Said by Kim at 7:25 AM

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Monday, March 15, 2004

.......if literally sitting on the edge of your chair is an indication of a particular personality type? I find myself sitting on the edge of my chair during my workday quite often, instead of sitting back completely on the chair seat.

Does this mean that I'm anxious? That I'm impatient? That I'm one of those "Type A" personalities? That' I'm stressed?

Hmmmmmmmmm............

Said by Kim at 1:58 PM

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......but why do we have to put up with the attitudes of some people of different cultures at work? I know that there are discrimination laws that protect the rights of others from different cultures, ethnicities, etc. in the working world. But when those who are PROVEN to be not worth their weight are given preference over those who bust their butt, and LOVE what they are doing is just wrong.

Case in point..... our supervisor hired a 60 year old Laotian male 2 or 3 years ago to be our Deposit Clerk. He was working in the Environmental Services Department of the hospital. He supposedly has an accounting degree from his country, so I think that was the major contributing factor in the selection. HOWEVER, we discovered AFTER he began doing the deposit that he had never handled bankcards, or checks. Only cash counting.

It would take him ALL DAY to finish the deposit, and often into the next day! He made mistake after mistake....I kept track of the mistakes AS INSTRUCTED BY MY MANAGER for the first month....I presented them to her in his second month....her response??? "Well, no one is perfect." WTF???? I would try to coach him about his mistakes, since I was the Deposit Clerk for over 5 years.....he obviously doesn't like taking direction from a woman, because he would cut me off with his patent "yeah yeah yeah....is OK." NO IT'S NOT F**KING OK!!!!! Our Senior Clerk would tell me, "I think you just don't like him." THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!! If he's NOT doing the job right..........

He made MAJOR mistakes....like shorting one of the receptionists $15,000....but nothing happened but a mere tap on the hand.

During this past year, Region made the decision to take away the deposit function from each facility, and have Loomis Fargo do our deposits. Which meant, all of the deposit clerks had to be placed into other jobs in the department, or look outside of the Business Office for positions.

So, this guy was given the duty of entering all of the pharmacy and visit copays from patients who have the Medical Financial Assistance card. Nothing hard to do here....so what did he do with the rest of his work time?? Read the paper, design his daughter's wedding invitations on the computer........and getting paid to do it!

So when time came to extend time on one of the temp employees' position (Vonnie) at the end of the year, our manager told her to count on Dec. 26th being her last day. I said to Vonnie and Barbara (TOWER CONTROL), that it wouldn't surprise me a bit to see this guy get moved into Vonnie's desk. Vonnie assisted Barbara with MFA applications, and she did a DAMN good job....she LOVED helping the people. Now, we have this guy working in Vonnie's place..... he does what he wants to do, doesn't take direction from Barbara, and is SO hard to understand....why he's talking to patients on the phone, I have NO idea. Patients have even called our manager and complained about not understanding him.

So I'm a bitch about it....DEAL WITH IT!!

Said by Kim at 9:31 AM

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After this past weekends' mass murders here, I'm curious as to where others stand on the death penalty?

Me..... I'm all for it. "Eye for an eye." I know that some will say that the ultimate judgement rests with only one, God, but what about the lives that are taken? Do they have a voice now? I liken the death penalty to voices speaking that were silenced before their time. This is their justice.

Those who commit these hideous crimes, and show NO remorse ought to be first in line for the chair. Why should we pay for their life sentences? Why should they be allowed to live?

Think about this....what if someone came in, and snuffed out YOUR family? I know that I would want revenge and justice paid if it were my family.

Said by Kim at 7:41 AM

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*More news on the mass murders that happened here Friday....they appear to have been shot.

*One of my Lep buddies, Michael, shared a revelation with everyone on his blog today.... please take a moment to read his thoughts on his revelation. Michael, regardless - you are a friend, and we are all here for you when you need a sounding board!

*I'm trying to find a new blog skin, so don't be surprised if the look changes during this week. I'm tired of this generic blog look, and as Senff requests in his blog.... I'm feeling creative. LOL

*Had a good time Sunday, visiting one of our local Indian gaming establishments. I walked out with what I went in with, so that's a good thing! But I think we're going to visit another local casino that just opened last year, Chukchansi Gold. We haven't gone yet, because quite frankly, the road leading up to it is very heavily travelled, and it's a two-lane highway. It's located up in the Sierras about 30 minutes from us, and it's 33 miles from Yosemite. But from what we've seen in the TV ads, it looks like a really pretty place....kind of a Tahoe-feel in the casino. So one of these days...........

*Heard from an ex-boyfriend over the weekend by email....shocked the shit outta me....but it was good to hear about how his life is going. Married, now has 3 kids, so I'm happy for him.

Said by Kim at 7:32 AM

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Sunday, March 14, 2004

This thing keeps getting more twisted by the minute: Wesson Possibly Father, Grandfather Of 2 Victims.

Asshole!

Said by Kim at 5:59 AM

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As I've gotten older, my 'patience span' has gotten shorter. In my younger days, I was a VERY patient person... now, I'm like

My patience is especially thin when it comes to reading instructions. I guess I think if I plug it in, the instruction manual will float to my brain by osmosis!

Said by Kim at 5:57 AM

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Saturday, March 13, 2004

This is what happens when you have a 30 year old house, with the old wood shake roof shingles, and some BIG trees in the backyard - we actually have GRASS, and what looks like weeds (NO, not THAT kind of weed) growing on the roof:

Thankfully, Mom and Dad are getting a new roof in the next couple of weeks. Otherwise, it would be a bitch to get a lawn mower up there on the roof!

Said by Kim at 8:27 PM

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Well, my city has made the national news with this HORRIFIC/bizarre crime that happened yesterday. This psycho 57-year old man seems to think he is God, and there is speculation that there may be some sort of cult ritual might have happened in the discovery of 9 bodies in a Fresno home.... 7 CHILDREN!!! There were caskets found in the home, and the bodies were all found stacked together in a room in the house. There's a picture of the monster accused of the murders being led away by Fresno police.

What the hell is this world coming to??

Said by Kim at 7:57 AM

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Friday, March 12, 2004

Today was a good day....we had a baby shower luncheon for one of the girls in the office...that was alot of fun!

I got to leave work an hour early today as part of my being "Employee Of The Month", so when I left at 3, I went over to Penneys and got 4 new tops...like I really need more clothes! But I said that I deserved some new tops, so there ya go!

Other than that....have a good weekend!

Said by Kim at 5:55 PM

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..........and we all found some extra $$$$ in our paychecks!

We received a 2.3% bonus because of our performance last year....so, woohoo!!!

But, of course, this had to be the check that union dues are taken out!

Ah, well....any extra moola is a good thing!

LOVE these smilies, Steph!!! Saw them on your blog, and I couldn't resist!

And with that....a little advice to the moms out there....don't leave your kids Home Alone!

Said by Kim at 5:09 AM

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Thursday, March 11, 2004

Just took this picture of one of our babies, Jack...with his pom-pom ball....he LOVES that thing! Who would have thought that a dog would love a crocheted pom-pom ball??!!

Said by Kim at 8:17 PM

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I don't know about anyone else, but the one thing that absolutely drives me insane about the internet is this 'internet shorthand' that is so popular.

You know what I'm talking about....seeing emails, posts on message boards, etc. filled with words (if you want to call them words) like:
U - shorthand for YOU
R - shorthand for ARE
2 - shorthand for TO
NE1 - shorthand for ANYONE
Y? - shorthand for WHY
2B - shorthand for TO BE

...and so on. Are we a society that has become so lazy that we can't stretch our fingers for the two or three extra letters?? To me, if someone can't take the extra second to hit the other keys and spell the word out, they probably aren't someone I care to know.

I thought this was predominately a teen thing.... since so many cell phones have text messaging capability, I can understand the use of the shorthand....but I'm utterly AMAZED at some of the emails I receive from people (and especially surprising...from MEN my age, and OLDER) who fill their emails with this shorthand. JUST SPELL THE FRICKIN' WORD OUT!!! I don't want to spend my time trying to decipher what the hell you're saying with this shorthand!

Said by Kim at 5:56 AM

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Wednesday, March 10, 2004

I'm PISSED! I was browsing around to find some good action shots of Joe Montana and Steve Young, so my friend Logan can design a new header for the main page of my 49ers website, since Jeff Garcia, Garrison Hearst and Terrell The Terrible are all history.

While browsing for Steve photos, I happened upon this page: Gitte's Steve Young Page. Look at the first picture on this particular page.....now, look at MY Training Camp Pictures. See the third row, middle picture?? THAT'S MY FRIGGIN' PICTURE SHE LIFTED!! Which is why my pictures are all now right-click protected. Click on the picture to open that picture in another window....now right click and see what the message says!

You'd better believe I left a 'nice' little note on her guestbook to either remove my picture, or give credit as the photographer! The nerve!!

Said by Kim at 7:46 PM

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Tuesday, March 09, 2004

As I was getting ready for work this morning, listening to my favorite morning show on the radio, one of the guys started talking about something that had really gotten under his skin over the past few days.

He said he had to run some errands over the weekend, visiting a grocery story, a pet food store, etc., and one thing he noticed that got rather irritating to him was the fact that almost all of the clerks he encountered always said, "Hi, How Are You?" He said after about the 6th time hearing that phrase, it started to piss him off. His reasoning was that the clerks don't really give a shit about how YOU are, that they are more or less programed by management to ask how you are.

Does it bother anyone else when you are asked over and over again, "Hi, How Are you?" Sometimes, I really want to say, "I'm doing lousy.....and how are you?" Are clerks just genuinely being nice when they ask how you are? Or are they actually instructed by management to ask how each customer is? For me personally, I really don't care about indulging in trivial small talk with someone who is ringing up my stuff....PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING!

So....really....how are you??

Said by Kim at 7:51 PM

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2 blogs were added to my links....from our very own Vampyre of the Lep world, Lady Strange, and from Traci! Please take a moment to visit their blogs:

Vampyre Tangent
Traci's Tirades

Said by Kim at 11:45 AM

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I'm feeling ALOT better today...THANK YOU to all of my good friends who offered their words of wisdom....LOVE YOU ALL!!!

I think I'll treat myself to the new Tesla CD today....the day has arrived! Now if only it were a new Lep CD..........

We received an email from my cousin Nick, who is visiting his dad (my Uncle Art) in Arizona. Perhaps you remember my mention of Art a couple of weeks ago and his battle with pancreatic cancer. Nick said his dad is doing as well as can be expected, but he's lost alot of weight....but he's not in any pain. Nick asked his dad what the doctors estimate as to how much time he has left. He was given an estimate of several weeks, to several months. Nick feels that the latter holds true at this point. Art is trying to get all of his affairs in order from what Nick says.

I can't imagine being in their spot.....knowing you have a 'death sentence' hanging over your head. But, then again, it gives you time to get everything in order, and it gives your loved ones time to say their goodbyes. Not as much of a shock as losing someone suddenly, as we lost my sister in a car accident in 1961.

What would you rather be faced with..... a slow, debilitating death.... or a sudden unexpected death? Hard choice.... with the slow death, you at least have a chance to get your affairs in order, but you also receive a certain amount of 'pity' from those who don't really know you....with sudden death, you don't have the pity but you also leave behind friends and family who may not know how you were handling your finances and your life, basically.

I guess I never really gave my own mortality a thought...............

Said by Kim at 6:04 AM

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Monday, March 08, 2004

Damn....you never realize just how much walking, and exercise you were really getting, until you move from the place to a new office. We moved offsite from the hospital last August to our current location, which is about 2 or 3 miles south of the hospital. We moved into a location that was once a Ross Dress For Less. So it's a single story building. Which means not much walking involved.

When we were at the hospital, we were on the 4th floor....I took the stairs all the way up each morning. It was a rare occassion to use the elevator in the morning. Plus, I was down on the second floor several times a day for various reasons. So.......quite a bit of walking, and excerise involved.

I went out with Mary for a second go-round of walking today...HOLY CRAP am I sore this evening! I don't think we walked as far as we did last Thursday (1.6 miles), but DAMN!!!

But I want to keep at it (well, maybe not tomorrow....depends on how sore I am tomorrow), because I need to get back in shape. I just sit in front of the computer all day now, so we're going to make a point of walking some at lunch.

Where are those Cabana Boys when you need them the most for that massage??!!

Said by Kim at 7:52 PM

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I just came back from a lunchtime walk with my co-worker, Mary. Holy crap it's warm! The temperature sign at one of the multitude of car dealerships along our walk said 81 degrees...and I believe it! But it felt good to get up and move, instead of sitting on our asses at lunch.

Tomorrow we're going to walk down to Tower Records...I want to pick up the new Tesla CD tomorrow!

And THANK YOU to those who offered words of encouragement after my babble this morning....Jules, Kimterp, Patricia...it helped tremendously!

Said by Kim at 1:13 PM

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Sometimes, I wonder what my purpose for existing really is.

Did God choose me to be the 'faithful child' of the family? To be the one to stay here at home, to be with my aging parents until their final day? Is that the reason why He has not placed "The One' he has chosen for me in my path yet?

My dad wants nothing more than for me to be happy.... when I made the decision a few years ago to fly back to New Jersey to visit my then-boyfriend, he didn't agree with my decision, but he said I had to do what I felt I had to do. I knew that if I didn't make this trip, I would go through life wondering 'what if.' Had I not made the trip, I know my relationship with my boyfriend would start to crumble, because of the distance. I had to see for myself if this was what I really wanted. In the end, the relationship ended anyway, so I can live with it because I went and saw for myself. It still hurt like hell when it started falling apart, but at least my mind was satisfied....no 'what if'.

HOWEVER, my mom was a COMPLETELY different story.....we had HORRIBLE arguments about my decision to go. It was so bad that she didn't even talk to me for a couple of weeks. I attribute all of her 'over protectiveness' to losing my older sister in a auto accident back in 1961. I was 2 at the time, my sister was 21. So, she was faced with the fear of something happening to me during my trip. And she didn't like the guy, so that added fuel to the fire.

Since then, my mom has loosened the noose somewhat, because I have made a couple of solo trips up to Oakland to visit another 'boyfriend' I had at the time, and went with my best friend and her hubby to the Bay Area to see Def Leppard, and each time I came back in one piece.

But Mom always seems to find something wrong with anyone I start dating.....then once they are out of the picture, she'll ALWAYS say either of the following phrases if the guy's name is mentioned later down the road:
"You know, he wasn't so bad."
"I really DID like him."

WTF????? Well, it's a little late for that now! I think maybe she sees that she will be losing her 'little girl', so she starts pointing out bad points about every guy.... only to say "He wasn't so bad" months later.

My mom is a very stubborn, strong-willed, independent person. Her health has declined in the past few years, and she has needed me like she never has before.... but at the same time, it makes her angry because she does need me. It's a sign of her decreased independence. Something she is a symbol of - independence.

What's the point of all of this babbling? Just feeling kind of sorry for myself, I guess. I'm going to be 45 this July, and life is passing me by. *sigh*

And with that incoherent babble, time to get ready for work............

Said by Kim at 5:58 AM

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Sunday, March 07, 2004

It was a sunny, warm day.... 72 or 73 degrees, and we're supposed to flirt with the 80-degree mark by mid-week! Which means the beastly 100+ degree temps of summer aren't too far behind. Bleh!

I took a couple more pictures of the blossoms on the trees around our house:

Hope everyone had a good weekend....just winding down this Sunday afternoon/evening. Back to work tormorrow.

I guess I'm going to see The Eagles on May 30th at the
Save Mart Center here in Fresno. Only about a mile from my house....makes it SO much nicer to go to concerts than going downtown! My best friend Kathy emailed me this morning about going with her and her hubby to the concert. I'm not an Eagles fan, but I figured what the hell. It's Memorial Day Weekend, I'm on vacation all that week, so I may as well go.

Said by Kim at 3:13 PM

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