Tasty

Antipasto salad with smoked buffalo mozzarella, spinach, roast peppers, artichoke heart, and prosciutto with white truffle oil and Roast Duck Tacos with Red Cabbage Remoulade Sauce, and of course Cantillion Raspberry Lambic.

Tonight BF and I celebrated all the good things that are happening.

I’m on a food high.

I hope I’m able to roll my over-filled belly out of bed tomorrow morning for my first full day at work.

Perhaps a Tagmet?

The Urine Test

As part of the application process for my new job, I was required to go for a pre-employment drug screening. It’s kind of intrusive and in principle, I disapprove, but when it comes down to it, I just go ahead and do it with out voicing complaint.

So, yesterday, after the offer was made, I figured I would just go directly over to the occupational medicine clinic and get it over with. I kind of had to pee and since it was so close, what the heck. No appointment necessary! How convenient.

Well, for starters, I (of course) had to wait about 45 minutes before being called, so by the time my name was called, my bladder was about to burst.

Then, there was the ambiance in the waiting room. My, my, what an assortment of characters! I found myself sitting amongst a group of truckers and laborers who were there for various reasons. Imagine 6 or so, Beavis and Butthead clones in their 30’s.

Worker 1: Man, I think I got a fuckin’ hernia, or somethin’. It feels like one-na my nuts exploded.

Worker 2: He,he,he. When I hadda’ hernia, it felt like I had three nuts. He,he,he.

Workers 1 – 6: He, he, he, he.

Worker 3: Piss tests are stupid, man.

Workers 1 – 6: He, he, he, he.

Etc.

I considered changing seats, but looked about the room at my alternatives. There was a middle-aged, overweight salesman-looking type, who’s collar was too tight and was red in the face and kind of breathing a little too heavily. I didn’t want to sit too close to that one. I might have to give him CPR. No thanks!

Then there was a 20-something woman, her toddler and her friend, who obviously failed a previous drug screening and was angry about having to do it again. This was all abundantly clear from her confrontation with the receptionist upon her arrival. No, I thought. I was better off with the hernia gang and chose to stay put. I’m not a precious little Bay Area snow flake who’s never heard the F*-word before.

Then, my name was called. Things went from bad to worse instantly. Some surly, nurse’s assistant handed me the cup and told me to fill it to the designated line and pointed to the room. The room was filthy! The dirty toilet seat was up and there was mud and urine all over the floor. Aaagh! I ended up peeing in my pumps, on my skirt and on the floor, and quite frankly I don’t give a damn! I wasn’t getting one inch closer to that toilet. I handed the woman the dripping container and went home and cleaned up thoroughly.

My point is NOT to make fun of blue collar East Coasters, but simply to air my grievances about this particular occupational medicine facility.

Disgusting.

What Makes You Sick

I just had to post this in response to Leila's Where do Germs Go? post.

I'm SOMEBODY now!

I have my own cubicle! Yes indeed I do! And it’s a beautiful cubicle at that. I got a job! It’s an administrative/clerical position with only a very, distant connection to what I used to do…but it’s a real, honest-to-goodness, full-time job with a well-know retail outfit (where I can no longer afford to shop, BTW).

Hourly pay and benefits (health after 60 days) sound so good right now, I can hardly begin to express. I’ve been hemorrhaging $$ for the last 6 months! It will be nice to have a little bit coming in. Also, hopefully, it will get my mind off myself for part of the day at least and hopefully help get me out of my lethargic, unemployed stupor.

I’m actually kind of happy about the hourly pay thing. I get to come in at 8am and go home at 5pm! Otherwise, I’ll be paid…gulp…overtime! This was unheard of as a salaried worker in the nonprofit sector. You were EXPECTED to work all kind of crazy, ungodly hours and when came in an hour late in the morning because you at a meeting until 10pm the night before, everybody would give you the hairy eyeball.

I don’t know if this will be a forever thing for me. I just know that right now it seems like a really good fit. I might actually be able to continue blogging! Woo! Hoo! Dare to aspire!

We have two bottles of champagne in the cellar that we brought from CA. One of them is going to get opened tonight. The other is saved for the day BF finds full-time employment (consulting doesn’t count!).

Lust for Life

God Bless Iggy Pop! Stage diving at 60!

Defying the odds and risk factors. Just think risk factors and Iggy Pop. Imagine the possibilities. This is someone who is indeed “lucky to be alive.” Iggy’s certainly got a lust for life.

When I read this article in the morning, my first thought was “Oh, too bad I wasn’t back in the Bay Area. I could have seen Iggy Pop at the Warfield!”

Then after consideration, I realized, I would NEVER go see Iggy Pop at the Warfield!

This man has been known to SPIT on audience members.

I am way too much of a pussy to go see Iggy Pop. I admit I am just NOT that cool. Frankly, I was NEVER that cool. Oz Fest? No problem! I know how to stay out of the mosh pit…but NOT Iggy Pop! I can probably imagine many of the unwholesome things that have paid a visit to Iggy Pop’s mouth, and can definitively say that I wouldn’t want the guy spitting on me.

Stage diving at 60 is indeed inspirational, though!

I thought celebrating my 40th birthday in Vegas and seeing Blue Man Group was just the cat’s ass. I guess I am really an old fart.

Anyway…It blows me away that “Lust for Life” has become the anthem for family-friendly cruises.

Happy Birthday Iggy!

The Heck With Green Tea

Study finds Fruity Cocktails Count as Health Food.

Who would have ever guessed that adding rum, vodka, tequila and other spirits boosts the antioxidant nutrients in strawberries and blackberries.

A Good Evening

Oh what a beautiful day! It was up around 70 degrees F. today. I went around and picked up all the branches that were broken during last Sunday’s heavy, wet snowstorm. A lot of branches broke.

Finally, the bulbs are budding! It’s really fun this Spring, because I have no idea what was planted out there and each new green thing is a surprise. It looks like mostly pink and purple hyacinths, and chives. We have wonderful, fresh chives popping up all over the place.

This evening after dinner I went out and really hacked back on the dead wisteria that is covering an arbor that once held a grape vine. I got about 1/3 of it clipped back. This was really fun since the evening was so lovely. The sky was deep blue, blue, blue and the new moon and Venus were plainly in view as I cut. I could hear the sound of a train off in the distance and the air smelled fecund. It’s moments like that, that make my insides go all warm and squishy and make it seem all worth it.