Kate

I do not want to go to work. Weekends are too damned short. Especially when we have two soccer games instead of the usual one, and Meredith insists we MUST go to the mall to find shoes to go with the outfit she wants to wear Monday (then doesn't actually wear). Grr.

I've decided that I like Richard less and less as time goes on and must now work up the energy/courage to break things off. At least I can honestly say I am busy next weekend. James has asked me to go to the movies on Saturday. Richard spends Sundays with his daughter, so I don't have to worry about that day.

Meredith's game next weekend is at 9:00 Sunday in bloody Maryland. Since she has to be there at 8:15, I'll be leaving home shortly after 6:00 to get her there in time. Bah.

Gripe gripe gripety gripe.

I've also decided that I need to exercise. I decided that before, but I'm planning to actually do it this time. I'm tired of my knees and feet hurting. I'm tired of being this fat. A little pudge is ok, but I'm not pudgy. I'm fat. I need to lose about 100 lbs. in total, but my first goal is to get back down to a weight that starts with a 1. The fact that Mer's not-quite-an-uncle Steve's mom died this weekend from illness related to her obesity probably has something to do with this re-determination.

There are two kitchens on the third floor of my office building. The small one is closest to my office, but I usually take the longer walk over to the big kitchen. There are several reasons for this. I'll list some of them.

1) The big kitchen has better coffee. I can make faux-Starbucks Mochaccinos and other yummy drinks.
2) Whenever there is leftover food from meetings it's placed in the big kitchen for anyone to have.
3) Periodically the kitchen fairy provides sweets and treats from our 'sunshine fund' in the big kitchen.
4) The refrigerators in the big kitchen have those magnetic words for poetry making (or general fun phraseology).
5) Someone on that side of the building has a garden and puts fresh veggies out in the big kitchen for people to take home with them.

But honestly, the biggest reason I go over to the big kitchen is that the people who sit on that side of the building, the technical guys and gals, are hilarious. They are always putting some silly thing up on the gigantic whiteboard just outside the kitchen, or up on the refrigerator.

For example, this week someone wrote that this is Elvis' death week. He died 30 years ago today, apparently. This prompted a few follow-on comments.

- Wow. I'm old. I remember that.
- Wow. I'm young. I wasn't born yet.
- Who's Elvis?

Also on the whiteboard is a list of words and phrases that have been determined 'overused' in our office, and that will henceforth be banned. (This is funnier if you work here, obviously, because you know the references being made.) Things like:

- Didn't you get the memo?
- Anything (a particular manager) says.
- Think outside the box.
- Any word containing 'izzle'. Shizzle, fazizzle, etc...
- aiight
- Oh. *pause* My. *pause* Gawd.
- Whatever. (with fingers forming a 'W')

On the refrigerator is a sign that says:

"Please do not put sodas interns in the freezer. They will explode and make a mess."

And my personal favorite:
The picture of two Simpsons characters next to pictures of two of our technical guys who look like, are dressed like, and pose just like them.

So far today I've laughed and had a mimosa, written fic, done the meme below, and chatted with co-workers. There may have been a little work sprinkled in there somewhere, but it's been precious little.

I need a nap. So very sleepy.

Fanfiction
Do you read or write fanfiction?	Yes, both.
When did you first start reading/writing fanfiction?	Around March of 2005
What was your first fandom?	Harry Potter
First ship?	I've been a D/G shipper pretty much from the get go.
What website do you use most?	Livejournal for blogging, FIA for ficcing
What do you think of Fanfiction.net?	It's a bit like TJ Max. You can find good stuff there, but you have to sort through a lot of crap to find it.
What fandoms have you written in?	Just one.
Pairings?	Mostly I write D/G, but I've also written J/L, a H/G (cringe), and I have a N/P and a Z/Daph in progress.
Any fandoms you would like to write in?	I haven't really considered writing outside of HPverse.
Do reviews affect how you write in any way?	Not really.
Do you use a beta?	Usually. It depends what I'm writing. I don't bother with a beta for drabbles and things like that.
What ratings do you read/write?	All of them.
What warnings have you used on your fiction/read?	Sexual content, character death, violence, and probably one or two that I'm overlooking.
Do you have any squicks?	Incest and slash aren't high on my 'to read' list. Super freaky kink isn't a favorite either.
Do you Role-play online? If so, what?	I have once. I played Lucius - badly.
Have you ever stolen something from another person's work?	No.
Favorite fandom to write/read?	HP, specifically D/G.
Favorite pairing?	Draco and Ginny, haven't you been reading my answers?
Favorite writer/writers?	Goodness, this could take all day. Lady Rhiyana, Mynuet, Anise, Rainpuddle, and on and on.
How long should a chapter be?	I tend to write very short chapters, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.
Do you write/read drabbles?	Yes.
Any fandoms you avoid?	I only really read HP.
Pairings you avoid?	D/Hr (except for my one guilty pleasure fic - 'The Painted Past' by Adelaide E)
Warnings you avoid?	See squicks.
Do the number of reviews tell how good a story is?	Not at all. Especially on ff.net.
What do you think of Mary Sues?	I try to avoid them, but it can be difficult.
Have you ever flamed someone?	No. I'm of the 'If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all' variety.
Have you ever been flamed?	Not really.
That's it, aren't you glad?	Oh yes, very.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

Quick update:

- Still packing and wondering how the hell I'll get this done by the weekend.
- Have not reserved box truck yet because business (busy-ness? Too tired to look it up.)) makes me forgetful. Really, really need to do that tomorrow.
- Need to re-screen the window in the living room. Where do you get that done?
- Still working feverishly at the office, though hopefully that will slow down in the last few days of the week. Stupid auditors have decided to look over one of my programs. Not worried, just annoyed.
- Really, truly am very close to turning my exchange fic in. Please don't let Jess hunt me down, Jessica!
- Am very tired. Resemble raccoon due to dark circles under eyes.
- Had a few days that were relatively allergy free. Today isn't one of them.
- My brother Chris comes to town tomorrow. Don't know for how long, so am unsure whether I'll see him.
- Mailed packages to Emmie, Delaney, and Steph today. Be on the lookout.
- Have to find time to drop about 12 large bags/boxes off at Salvation Army.
- Myn - Found one of the pillowcases missing from the linens I gave you. Will send in my next round of mail.
- Need to get more boxes. Stat.
- Purchased a really nice sofa and matching chair for $775 at the Belfort clearance sale. Woo! Only bad things: Am very afraid cats will make quick work of the fabric as it's much more tempting than my current leather furniture for scratching. Sofa and chair are off-white. Need to look into slipcovers before pet hair and food stains make them permanently ugly.
- Also bought Mer a new dresser at the clearance sale. We got her current one at a yard sale a few years ago, and it's about had it.
- Ordered HP#7 now that I know where I'll be living in July.

June birthdays: Lys, Cyn, Delaney, my brother Chris, James, Mer, Manny, my niece Victoria. Tell me if I've left you off the list in error, and please don't be offended. My brain is fried at the moment. Emmie can attest that I will send you birthday goodies within two months of your actual day of celebration. *giggles a little madly*

Whew! That wasn't as quick an update as I had intended.

I miss you guys! I'll be back eventually, I promise! However, I'm going to bed now.

I've been at work for *looks at clock* about thirteen hours now. I'm going home.

I'm not sure if this was the worst day ever, but it was a solid runner-up.

So, I've accomplished virtually nothing today beyond freezing up my iPod *cries* and going to lunch with some girls from the office. Lunch was yummy and fun, though. I had cheese ravioli.

Meredith just called me. We were discussing driving arrangements for the trip to Florida next Friday.

Me: You and I will probably take my car, and Richard and James will probably take the car I just brought home.

Mer, indignant that someone else would be driving *her* car: When is James getting his car fixed?

Me: When we have the money.

Mer: You guys just bought a new TV!

Me, confused: We didn't buy a TV.

Mer: Then what is that TV sitting on the floor in the living room? It's got a built-in DVD and VHS player.

Me: I brought that home from Grandma Brown's. Wait... When were you home?

Mer: When I came to pick up new clothes.

Now, is it odd that what irritated me about this conversation was not the selfishness about the car, nor the attempt at chastising me for my money management, but the fact that someone drove Meredith 40 minutes each way to pick up fresh clothes rather than just doing laundry?

I think I'm going to apply for a job in St. Petersburg. I don't know that they'll hire me because they want someone who is proficient in Earned Value and I have very little EV experience, but the job's been open since January so they might decide it's worth it to train me. I'm really absurdly nervous about this, even though I probably won't get the job. It would mean moving out of VA. I've never lived more than 40 miles from the hospital in which I was born. Random things keep popping into my head like "I'll have to find a new dentist! I like my dentist." and "Why did I ever choose a screen name that indicates my location? It's just stupid to be 'KateinVA' if you live in FL." Then, of course, I tell myself that I'm 34 years old and I should really get a grip.

*sigh*

My name is Kate, and I am afraid of change.

( The One Where Kate is a Whiny Beyotch )

Nizlopi is soothing. One day I'm going to track down Luke & John and hug them.

I've been a whiney, emo mess the last two days. I'd suspect PMS, except I haven't had period in probably five or six months, and I have no reason to think I'll have one anytime soon. Meh. Anyway, that's why I've not been on AIM much. I haven't really wanted to subject anyone to me in my present state of mind. Bitter would be an appropriate adjective to describe me at the mo'. Mean might be another good one, although it's not really intentional. I'm a mass of simmering rage, jealousy, self-doubt, and self-pity and it's really starting to become annoying.

In addition to the personal issues that are responsible for my emo-ness, yesterday I realized I had made a significant error on a piece of work I'd done for one of the division managers. I owned up to it straight away, but the DM was sufficiently irritated that he called my boss. Fortunately, Jeff is really laid back and the error itself was a very simple one, it just happened to have a big effect. So, I'm not worried about fallout from the mistake, it just irritates me when I do something stupid. Especially when it's high-profile.

Anyway, enough of that.

I called Lys today and got a hold of her. She was in Venice for Carnival. I'm glad I got to talk to her, although she was, of course, very busy with the goings-on so it was not perhaps the ideal moment to speak to her for the first time. It made me happy, though. I miss her.

Today I watched 'Snakes on a Plane'. I had no interest in this movie while it was in the theatre, but I'd heard some good things so I decided to check it out. I laughed my butt off. I don't think that's the reaction the producers were going for, but it was hilarious. The premise is ridiculous, really, and Juliana Marg-howeveryouspellherlastname did the worst bit of acting I've ever seen from her. I was rolling, though. Parts of it reminded me so much of 80s horror flicks, with the gratuitous boob shots and sex humor. Someone I've seen around LJ has a great Snakes on a Plane/Harry Potter icon. I must seek it out and steal it (with permission, of course).

Emmie, I mailed out your CD today. I'm sorry we didn't get to talk last night, but I was really out of sorts and wouldn't have been any fun. We'll catch up soon, though, okay?

I'm not sure if I mentioned it on here or not, but about two weeks ago my grandmother had a stroke. It wasn't a major one, but she's been in the hospital and then in a nursing home for rehab ever since. My mom is flying down to St. Pete on Wednesday to help get things ready for when she goes home again, and I'll be driving down in a little less than two weeks. More details on that as things get firmed up, but I plan to at least one stop on the way down to visit with a friend, possibly more if I'm passing through other folks' areas at a time convenient for lunch or chit chat.

- I am working on the one-sentence fics. Really. You guys gave me hard ones this time! (And Lady R's prompt is Just. Plain. Evil.)

- I woke up to two inches of snow this morning. It gave me an excuse to be late to work. (Like I really need an excuse.)

- I miss FIA. I hope Lyndsie is finished soon, but I won't bug her about it because I know she is working as quickly as she can.

- I have been a TOTAL slacker today. I just stood in Susan's office chatting for the last 30 minutes or so. We were discussing infidelity, and it's awfulness. Cheating spouses suck, and should be subjected to torture. Real torture, not the wussy not-really-torture stuff people whine about at Guantanamo Bay. Fortunately, that has never been one of the problems in my marriage.

- I have just finished a chocolate muffin with chocolate chips inside. And I still have rice pudding in the fridge. Moo.

- I need to call the IRS. Blergh.

- I'm using my penis icon in honor of Lys, who has just been to see David.

That's all for now.

Today is the day that my entire office moves from one building into another. We were supposed to be able to work until 2:00, which most of us really needed in order to get our work even remotely close to done. However, at about 11:15 word came down that we needed to expedite our absence from the building. i.e. Get out now or very, very soon. Now would be preferable. So, after ensuring that everything in my office was packed up and labeled, and helping to ensure that the common areas of our suite were completely packed, I left. That was probably around noon. So, hurrah for a short day, but boo because we are required to make up our time. So, yeah, mega boo for that. It seems to me that if I don't have an office to work in, and the server is down for the move, I should be able to just charge to overhead for the time I HAVE to miss. Unfortunately, the higher-ups don't think that way. Bunch of boo-boo heads.

Yes, I just said boo-boo heads.

On my way home I stopped and got lunch, then went to Borders and spent too much money. I got one book for Meredith and seven for me. That seemed fair. Two of my books were free, so woot for that.

Now I am home, trying to convince myself to ignore the lure of the internet, my new books, and Sims 2, and instead work on writing fic. What a novel idea. Can I pull it off? Time will tell, but so far (seeing as I'm on LJ) it's not looking good.

I've exchanged LJ and facebook comments with Lys, which is about as close as I can get to chatting with her for the time being. She has mailed me a letter. These things make me happy.

Note to Gina: I miss you, dear. I hope things are okay, and that you come back soon! How am I supposed to hold Crazy Bitch meetings without my co-founder?

Oh! I was talking with Meredith last night about what made her decide to break up with the boy I didn't like. Apparently this BF told Meredith that he wanted to have a baby with her - now. Mer was very much like, "WTF, dude? You're nuts!" As was I. Hopefully the saga of the freakishly stupid boyfriend is now over.

I wonder if there are any Cheez-Its left...