My Rantings and Other Non-Sensical Thoughts: 09/01/2003

Maybe stupid people had it right all this time. If you're stupid you don't have to worry about things like war, terrorism, money, etc. All you have to do is wander around in your own world, oblivious to everything. That sounds like a stress-free life for me. I wish I was stupid.

Wow, it's been awhile! So I went home for my Aunt's thing. The funeral was over before I got there, which was fine with me. I got lost in Reading about 4 times. So, that afternoon I drove 2 hours to Harrisburg. A neighbor of my mom's came over & while they were talking I went upstairs to lay down for a few minutes. Well, I ended up sleeping from 7:30pm till about 7:30am! I was tired. :)

Sunday after I woke up, my mom & I drove about 1 1/2 hrs to my Aunt & Uncle's near West Chester, PA for brunch. It was nice. My grandparents were there & my Aunt Patty came over.

Sunday afternoon we drove back to Harrisburg & I went over to my brother's house. It's pretty nice, but it's in the Ghetto. They're the only white people in the neighborhood! We went to Dinner & then I went to my friend, Mel's house. I only intended to stay till around 10, but I was there till around Midnight.

Monday I got up at like 10 and drove back to West Chester (to my grandparent's house) and had lunch with them. I got a few pictures of me when I was little which will of course be posted as soon as I decide to scan them with my slow-ass scanner.

This past Thursday I went to Advanced Access 2000 training - I didn't know what the hell the guy was talking about. He was a programmer, if that tells you anything. I learned how to write a macro. Of course, I couldn't tell you how to do it & I couldn't do it on my own, but I can copy a macro out of my book like a bitch. :)

I'm getting 5 new people on my team at work, so that's exciting. I'll end up with like 16 people which is a lot to manage, but I know I'll be ok.

Anyway, as always, nothing exciting. I'm seriously slacking on my 100 entries a day into the Live Contest. Over the last 7 days I've only called like 3 times. :(

I'm at Dave's right now & we're listening to my CD from the Dallas show, so that's making me want to call. :)

Go Ruth, Go Ruth!!!!

Ruth Riley, who led Notre Dame to its first NCAA women's basketball championship in 2001, added some more hardware to her ever-growing trophy case on Tuesday night, scoring a career-high 27 points to help lift the Detroit Shock to an 83-78 win over the Los Angeles Sparks in the deciding Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. Riley was named the WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game during the league's Championship Series

greg sucks

40 minutes after my last post & I'm still calling....I swear I've entered 75 times by now. The contest ends 11/1. I hope I don't have to keep calling until then - that would suck!

Today would have been my dad's 61st birthday. Happy Birthday, daddy!

I found out last night that not only is Live on VH1 at 7 CT tonight, but there is a new contest that will allow you to go on tour with them for 3 shows! I've already entered about 10 times & I'm going to keep entering. I would *die* if I won this:

Sony Ericsson is teaming up with AT&T Wireless to make someone famous. Consumers can either send a text message to T616 or call 866-DIAL-LIVE (866-342-5548) to enter to win the grand prize of a trip for two to tour with the band, Live for three concerts. The trip includes roundtrip coach airfare, backstage passes for the winner and a guest, a three-night hotel stay and $500 in cash.

The winner will also be able to chronicle their adventure by using their Sony Ericsson T616--camera phone with voice recorder--taking the place of notepad and pen, tape recorder and microphone. The All Access Contest information will lead into commercial breaks of "Experience Presented by Sony Ericsson" and give the grand prize winner an opportunity to interview the band and backstage access.

"All Access gives fans of live music the coolest job ever. The winner and a guest will get to travel with the band and hang out backstage," added Morris.

So I got the cremation papers this morning that I need to sign & fax back to the funeral home. One of my reps (who got it off the fax machine for me (Thanks, Emily!)) told me not to read it because it's morbid, but of course I didn't listen.

It was pretty gross, actually. Something about there will be bone chips left & by signing I give them the ok to pulverize those & include in the Urn. Something else about I understand that due to the cremation chamber, there is the likelihood that other people's ashes will be mixed in with my loved ones.

Gross stuff. But does it really matter? I mean Jeanne is in a better place now -- with my dad and could probably give a rat's ass what happens down here as long as Laurie is taken care of (which she will be - my mom's looking at assisted living places for her).

I spent a large portion of my weekend obsessing about how old I'll be when I die. Will I be 31? 42? 50? 70? I know there's no way to know, but if I die within the next year, there's so much I haven't done that I'd like to do. Sheesh. I wish I was rich so I could do some fabulous things instead of working for a living. (Don't we all, right?).

I hear Celexa calling my name to stop my obsessions. :)

My mom called me this afternoon on my way to Dave's to watch the Notre Dame game. My Aunt Jeanne died this morning. Since my mom isn't a blood relative, the funeral home wouldn't let her sign the paper to do the cremation, so the funeral home has to fax me the paper which I have to sign & notarize. Then my brothers have to each sign & notarize as well. I guess that's to keep the funeral home from getting in trouble if one of us comes back & says that's not what we wanted. It's what my aunt Jeanne wanted, so I'll sign it. I'm glad the HR person at work is a notary so now I don't have to search for a notary.

Now I'm even more glad I'm going home next weekend. I mean, I wish I could have at least seen her one more time before she died & chances are the funeral will happen before I go home, but now I can see aunt Laurie (her "roommate") and make sure she's ok. And my mom. This was my dad's only sister, so she was the last living link to my dad. I'm not sure if my mom thought of her like that or not, but I'm sure the thought has crossed her mind quite a few times.

My team is so awesome! They just had a surprise lunch for me at work. Pizza, wings & cake. They also got me a gift certificate to the movies so I can go see Once Upon a Time in Mexico tomorrow, Clinique Happy (see the 3/15 post which they read and figured that's what I'd like). Patty & Dave got me earrings & a necklace. I have such great friends and employees.

P.S. - Tony did a really nice thing for me on his blog. Go check it out. I really miss he & Clay. I hope I can take a roadtrip again soon to see them. Gonna be hard with only 2 weeks vacation a year, but I'll try my darndest!

It's my birthday. :) My desk was really decorated nicely when I came in today. They had turned everything hanging in my cube upside down, except my LiVE poster since they know better than to touch that :) Started my rainy day off with listening to a bootleg of Lakini's Juice from last Thursday night - that song always wakes me up. Now I'm too tired to do anything. It's still raining. We got between 2 & 4 inches of rain yesterday with more coming today, although it just seems like drizzle today.

It's very sad that Johnny Cash died, but I think even more sad that John Ritter died! I'm sure his wife is in shock. Poor guy. I've been reading TIME Magazine lately so I'm sure I'll have a stupid political rant tonight or tomorrow. :)

Two thousand one, nine eleven Five-thousand plus arrive in heaven.
As they pass through the gate, Thousands more appear in wait
A bearded man with stovepipe hat Steps forward saying, "Let's sit, let's chat."
They settle down in seats of clouds. A man named Martin shouts out proud,
"I have a dream!" and once he did. The Newcomer said, "Your dream still lives."
Groups of soldiers in blue and gray Others in khaki, and green. They say,
"We're from Bull Run, Yorktown, the Maine." The Newcomer said, "You died not in vain." From a man on sticks, one could hear, "The only thing we have is fear."
The Newcomer said, "We know the rest, Trust us sir, we've passed that test."
"Courage doesn't hide in caves You can't bury freedom in a grave."
The Newcomers had heard this voice before. A distinct Yankees twang from Hyannisport shores.
A silence fell within the mist Somehow the Newcomer knew that this Meant time had come for her to say What was in the hearts of the five-thousand plus that day.
"Back on Earth, we wrote reports, Watched our children play in sports.
Worked our gardens, sang our songs. Went to church and clipped coupons.
We smiled, we laughed, we cried, we fought. Unlike you, great we're not."
The tall man in the stovepipe hat Stood and said, "Don't talk like that!
Look at your country, look and see. You died for freedom, just like me."
Then, before them all appeared a scene Of rubbled streets and twisted beams.
Death, destruction, smoke and dust And people working just 'cause they must.
Hauling ash, lifting stones, Knee deep in hell, but not alone.
"Look! Blackman, Whiteman, Brownman, Yellowman. Side by side helping their fellow man!"
So said Martin, as he watched the scene. "Even from nightmares, can be born a dream." Down below three firemen raised The colors high into ashen haze.
The soldiers above had seen it before On Iwo Jima back in '44.
The man on sticks studied everything closely Then shared his perceptions on what he saw mostly.
"I see pain, I see tears, I see sorrow - but I don't see fear.
You left behind husbands and wives, Daughters and sons, and so many lives Are suffering now because of this wrong.
But look very closely. You're not really gone.
All of those people, even those who've never met you, All of their lives, they'll never forget you.
Don't you see what has happened? Don't you see what you've done?
You've brought them together, together as one." With that, the man in the stovepipe hat said,
"Take my hand," and from there he led Five-thousand plus heroes,
Newcomers to heaven On this day, two thousand one, nine eleven.
************************************************************

I decided that I need to go home to see my Aunt Jeanne. While she just found out the cancer is back, and may have a day, a week, or 6 months to live, I feel like I need to go to see her. My mom said she probably won't even know I'm there. I responded with *I'll* know I'm there. So I'm off to PA next Saturday at 7am. I got a RT flight for $175 which is an awesome price & I can rent a car for $45 ($65 with taxes) for my entire trip, so that's cool.

Oh yeah, since I'm greedy I created an Amazon Wish List for my birthday. There are only 5 things on it & most can be found used for under $8! :) Happy 31st to me on Friday!

I wrote this really long post (I think I was on the 5th paragraph) and then my computer locked up. Stupid Windows ME.
Anyway, I'll try to remember what I said:

1. My Aunt Jeanne now has cancer & they are not expecting her to live much longer. They won't do radiation because it's almost in the same spot as the last time she had radiation (not sure what that has to do with anything). They've stopped the Nutritional IV and basically are just waiting for her to pass away at this point. When I called Tom's cellphone & left him a message, I was fine until the "They're waiting for her to die" part. That's when I started crying. While I was crying, I kept saying "I'm ok". God love him, he called me back a few minutes later & I confirmed that I was ok. It was just hard actually saying the words. It made it more real.

2. Hmmm. I don't remember the 2nd topic. I do believe that I spent 5 paragraphs on my Aunt Jeanne.

Anyway, please pray for her - that it comes fast & as painless as possible (the morphine drips are ongoing so this should help).

All is right with the world again. I heard from Evan this morning and he is ok & still likes me :)
I was worried that I was being slighted, but that must just be my hormonal paranoia coming out again.

So, I've been a little 'off' the last few hours. I can't explain why. Maybe it's because I found out what bar Live went to after the show & realized all I had to do was wait around & I probably could have gone. Maybe not. Did I want to go? Did I want to see them as human beings & not keep them on a pedestal? I can't answer that - I'm torn. Then I think - I'm going to be 31 years old on Friday. How fucking childish to even worry about shit like this. Is that what I'm bummed about or is it something more? Am I just tired of my life? My Marriage? Me?

My Message board & chatroom are back. For no one but me to use since that's how it turns out. The links are under the Diversions section on the left. I've realized that I'm going through bunny withdrawal. I haven't talked to Evan in a long, long time. Ev -- you need to get on AIM so we can chat. I miss you!

Back to my hum-drum life. Today I did pretty much nothing. I did go see SWAT. It was a great movie. Perhaps one of the best movies I've seen this year. I can't decide if that's because it was about police stuff (which I like) or because I got to watch Colin Farrell for 2 hours. I'm leaning towards Colin. :) I noticed that he has a beauty mark on his left cheek just like Ed does. Is that the mark of a beautiful man? I'm beginning to think so. Oh yeah, this link is for Emily. It's to the Video of Counting Crows & Live singing The Dolphin's Cry. Hope you enjoy it. Please right-click and save as. :)

Oh my God! Last night was *so* fabulous!!! There were only about 300 people there. I was in the 3rd "row" (since it was just people standing around) with a perfect view of the stage. I can't even remember the setlist, but most of you don't care since you won't know the majority of the songs anyway :) The guitarist, Chad Taylor, pointed at me 3 times during the show --- that was the highlight of the night. Ed looked super sexy. I've even converted Patty - she's now an Ed groupie too! I got a guitar pick :) I'm going to watch the webcast which I heard is supposed to be up tomorrow. *sigh* I'm so contented now. The only thing I hate about going to see them is that now I want to see them again & again & again.

Since ya'll aren't lucky enough to see Live tonight :) You can watch the webcast here. Check it out - I promise it will be good.

Yes, another new design. I think I'll stick with this one for awhile because I like it. :) Today was a pain in the buttocks! Patty still hadn't heard back from T-Mobile on how to pick up her tickets, so we called them. We were on the phone with a rep named Debbie for about an hour. She tried so hard to help us, but she didn't know what to do. She was told the contest was open to T-Mobile customers only (not true) and that people entered using their T-Mobile phones (sort of true, but they had a webpage too). In the end she told me that she was going to email their promo support address. I told her I wished her luck because I'd emailed them 3 times over the past week and a half & hadn't heard anything back at all. She also suggested I call the Venue. I was so in awe of the amount of help she tried to give us that I spoke to her "senior rep" Justin to tell him how wonderful she is.

In the meantime, I call the Gypsy Tea Room - no answer. It was 12:30 & they don't open until 4:30, so no wonder.

Next I called a T-Mobile store & asked to speak to whoever was manning the booth at the Gypsy Tea Room tomorrow night. I figured they'd have a booth since they're sponsoring it. I talked to some Tameka girl who gave me their merchandiser, Stacey's, cell phone number. I left her a message.

Last but not least I found a number for RealTIME Media in Wynnewood, PA who is administering the contest according to the ominous "Official Rules" and left a voicemail on their general voicemail thing.

Low and Behold, an hour later, Patty gets her confirmation (ie - here's how to pick up tickets) email! Woo Hoo! I know that was because Debbie emailed the promo people. (Damn them for only ever replying to an employee).

So now I'm happy as can be because we're definitely going.

The rest of the day passes as stressful as usual. Around 6:40 I check my MindSpring email. I was shocked to find *I* got an email saying that I'd won tickets to the Live Concert!!! It said I had to reply by 7pm CT today. Of course I replied. WOW. Now we have 4 tickets. Then I check my celllphone & see that I have a message. It's Jennifer from RealTIME Media. She said that she sees they sent me an email that I won this morning (it was sent at 11:30am) and that she didn't show a reply for me,so I need to send that in & I'll get the confirmation on how to pick up tickets tomorrow morning. So I called her back & left her a message thanking her for calling me since I didn't expect to get a response and that I had just emailed my acceptance and will wait for the email tomorrow.

On the one hand I'm very impressed by the fact that this Jennifer chick even called me back. They could have easily "lost" my voicemail. On the other hand I'm super pissed that this wasn't handled properly to begin with. But it all boils down to this:

4 of us are going to see my BABIES tomorrow night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO - freakin - HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surprise!!!!!!!!! I told you I felt a design change coming on....It's a big shock from the usually sedate green, isn't it? Not sure if this design will stick or not, but since it's almost midnight I decided to just go with it for now.

To say I sucked at updating in August is to say the least! I spent 1/2 the month trying to get Blogspot to FTP to my own webpage so that I could provide updates during the day which is easier than waiting until I get home. That was a big, fat, failure. Stupid blogger. After writing that I decided to try one more time & I got it to work!!! YAY! So now I can update during the day if anything newsworthy comes along. I only updated twice last month (Well, 4 times actually, go to my August Archive to find the 2 posts Blogger didn't want you to know about!).

Speaking of newsworthy - if you've already read my post from 8/19 (one of the secret ones), you'll be shocked to know.....(if you haven't read it, go read it now or you'll have no idea what the hell I'm talking about)....I didn't win the contest. HOWEVER, my friend Patty did! So she & I are going to downtown Dallas this Thursday night to see Live! I'm super, super excited. I can't wait!

My husband is being a jackass right now. I'm not sure why since he won't tell me, but it may have a "little" to do with the fact that he's hung over. He didn't do anything all day, while I on the other hand went grocery shopping, did the dishes, and did laundry. More than I usually do on a weekend, that's for sure.

Oh yeah, one more bit of news. I quit smoking again. I haven't smoked since Friday night at 7:15. Anyone who knows me (Tony) knows that if I've made it 3 days & it's not because I'm deathly ill, then it's because I've quit. Now let's see if I can get past the year & a half mark this time!

P.S. - My Birthday is on September 12. Only 11 more shopping days to go! lol. J/k. You can send me an email birthday card though!

My Rantings and Other Non-Sensical Thoughts

Monday, September 29, 2003

Friday, September 26, 2003

Thursday, September 18, 2003

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Monday, September 15, 2003

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Friday, September 12, 2003

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Tuesday, September 09, 2003

Sunday, September 07, 2003

Saturday, September 06, 2003

Friday, September 05, 2003

Thursday, September 04, 2003

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

Monday, September 01, 2003

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