1. Why do you think western medicine sucks so bad? From the insurance companies to mis-diagnosis to being shifted from doctor to doctor until they figure out what's wrong with you? Do you think it might be worse in the US than in other countries? Why/why not?
In this country, I think medicine sucks because there are too few doctors and too many people who need them. There is too much red tape and *entirely* too much money involved when it comes to insurance companies. We're one of the richest countries on this planet, yet we can't get affordable healthcare to our citizens. I don't know if 'western medicine' is worse in other countries than it is here. But when I see reports of people going overseas for surgery because it's 1/3 of the price than it is here, I start to wonder. I suppose we shouldn't bitch because compared to other countries, health care here is far superior, but I guess I figure for such a prosperous nation, we should be treating our citizens better.

2. For those of us not growing up in Beaver's house, why do we fear we're going to turn into our parents? How do we not do that?
I think we see the messes and fuck-ups our parents made and we say to ourselves, "Good *God*, I don't ever want to do that/behave that way/etc". However, I think it takes twice as much effort *not* to be that way because of our fear. It's a vicious situation. My greatest fear is becoming how my mother deals with conflict, confentation, and how she treats others. Lately, because of stress, I find myself doing some of those same things and I just want to break down and cry when I see the comparison. And, it's hard because all I kinda have to go on is what I grew up with. It's a constant day-to-day struggle sometimes.

3. Why do you think we as a civilization can't seem to get along with one another?
I suppose the logical explanation is because of hierarchy. It doesn't matter who you are or what you are, there's always hierarchy. Some species don't question it. I think as humans, we do. This causes things to come to fruition like the 'Bigger Dick Foreign Policy'. Country A thinks Country B is not half as cool as they are. Country B starts becoming a prick about things. Country A hits them. And so on and so on. And maybe at the end of the day, it's just the 'survival of the fittest' theory at work. Humans haven't been on this planet very long in comparison to other species, so I have no idea how things will work out. Either we'll survive, or we won't. But I guess it won't be a dull existance. After all, if we (as nations and countries) weren't out killing each other over money, color of skin, and religion, we'd be bored! *rolls eyes*

I had a good rest of the weekend. Sunday, Josh and I got up and went to the Giants game with Kenny and Jake. We got home around 6 and I ate some food and took a cat nap and then went with M to see some awsomely bad punk band in Oakland. Bad punk was had, and pinball was played. After that, we went to Kitty's to have a drink and see Stefi and ran into Jake (again) and Danny. Jake was on the prowl and Danny was drunk, so it was amusing! I was home and asleep around midnight.

I keep waking up at 9am lately. It's annoying. I think a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond is in order for some heavy drapes. Damn sunlite! I woke up at 9a yesterday and read my news, took a shower, and craped around until I went to Schreck's around 1:30p for the Planners bbq. Much partying was going on. I took BART and caught a cab home and was home around 11:30p. I crapped around for about half an hour and then went to bed. However, Josh and I had an argument yesterday that was never solved, and he was up half the night, so I didn't sleep well at all.

So, Josh doesn't feel well today, and neither do I, so I wonder if he gave me whatever or something. I have an allergist appointment this morning that I can't miss, but I may go home early today. We'll see.

Anyway, stuff to do.

My body hates me. Really. Been having yucky troubles this week. And I was/am hormonal. Oh fun! Not! And my digestive/whatever troubles seem to get worse with hormones going out of control. It just gets more interestingly...well..irritating, now doesn't it? I go to the allergist on Tuesday, and then the dermatologist on the 7th. Yesterday, I threw a fit that got me a tube of real lidocane cream and some vicodin (cause...well, why not?! :P). The vicodin I can do without, but the cream helps. Stupid body. Can I get a trade-in please?

Last night and today, I was pretty useless for the most part. I did my chores and went to the laundrymat this morning, but I've spent the last evening and most of today sitting watching tv and movies, crocheting, petting kitties, and anything else that requires no brain power. Today, I watched 'The Ron Clark Story', this week's Studio 60 (yay, new episodes until it ends at the end of June!), and 'For A Few Dollars More'. That movie was twisted. The other movies were all equally bad and long, but this one seemed to be just a bit more twisted. I'll probly go to bed soon. I gotta go and be in public tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we're going to a Giants game in SF. That should be cool. I haven't been to any games yet this year! I don't really care for listening to it on the radio or watching it on tv, but live baseball is fun to me. So, that should be cool. I don't think anything is going on tomorrow evening, so I'll assume I'll be doing a whole lot of nothing, which is fine with me!

Monday, I'm sleeping, and then in the afternoon, there's a Planners bbq at Schreck's house. Like I said earlier, Tuesday brings what I'm going to assume what will be a tedious allergist visit to determine if I need food allergy testing. The rest of the week I think is quiet.

Anyway, that's it for me. I've used far too much brain power trying to write this entry today :P

1. What do you think of all-time high gas prices? Do you think it's really due to supply & demand, or more towards Big Oil making money as a direct result of what is going on in the Middle East in general? Why/why not?
I think it's goddamn ridiculous, but there's nothing *I* can do about it. We've had supply and demand issues for years and prices go up and down. But it's not due to supply & demand so much as it is how much the oil companies want to charge us for it. Deciding factors of course are war and the fact that the place where we get most of our oil is hostile territory. Not only that, but if you could buy oil for a buck a gallon and charge 4 just to make a heafty profit, you would too! I know people who work for big oil companies. They make a shitton of money. So, everything depends on everything else of course, but in the end, a very simple lesson has been learned: if you scare the shit out of people into paying what you want for your product and you make a whole heap of money from it, why change your methods? Ah, capitalism.

2. Do you have a prediction for the outcome of the Iraq War? What is it? Why? If you don't have a prediction, why not?
Well, it's already kinda going like Vietnam did, why not finish it out like that war wrapped up? I mean, we *are* good at repeating our mistakes, right? We'll continue to loose more soldiers until we reach the 20-30k mark or so (that seems to be people's breaking point) and things will finally get to the point where we end our part of the war. Hopefully this time, we don't treat our soldiers like shit for being told what to do by our government. Iraq will sink further into civil war. Once half the country is dead and people finally get tired of killing each other, I would suspect they will break into 3 states and go about their lives. Someone will get rich in the end, and things will go back to normal for the most part. Next crisis!

3. Do you think that music has suffered at the hands of technology? How so/how not?
Yes, I do. Music today certainly isn't what it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. Some of it has gotten 'better', a lot has gotten 'worse'. Of course, it's all relative, but that's only my opinion of the situation. While I love good, raw but clean (sounding) music that really shows off the musician's talent, a little playing with things is fun from time to time. Case in point: I'm not a big fan of people like Metallica (since 1993) who come out with these way way *way* over-produced piece of works. Sure they're 'polished', but as Henry Rollins said once, "you can have too much of a diabolically shitty thing". Why do I want to listen to something that's perfect that *shouldn't* be perfect? Music is not a perfect art form. This is why there is so much bad shit out there. But that's also the beauty of it, because there's so much *good* stuff out there too. You just have to look hard for it. I'm all for ProTools, just don't over-do it, folks. Us anal music listeners can tell when you do. Like, APC's 'Emotive' was *terrible* in that respect. Either MJK's voice was just fuct during the recording, or they ProTools the shit out of it for a certain sound, but you could tell it was overdone. I could ramble for days about this subject, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying. There's a time and place for everything. At the end of the day tho, just give me some good fashioned rock and roll without bells and whistles. *That's* the stuff I like.

I had a pretty good night! I came home and did my chores and downloaded new music to put on my iPo. Around 7:45p, M showed up and we went to sushi. It was yuuuuums as usual. With sake to boot, we were feelin fiiiine!

I went to bed around 10:30p and slept *really* well last night. Yay for sound sleep!

I have about 10 hours worth of work to do today, so no more screwing around!

I had a pretty good weekend overall! Friday night, I don't think we did much. Saturday, Josh went to a LAN party at work, and I stayed home and cleaned and putzed around. Saturday night, Hickory and Taylor came over and we hung out and shot the shit until I went to bed at midnight. I was trying new sleep meds and wanted to get a lot of sleep.

I woke up at 9:45a yesterday and made some hot chocolate (body doesn't like the acidity of tea or coffee these days) and then Josh got up a little while later. We needed to go to Costco, so we got that done in about half hour. We are thrifty shoppers! After that, we met Hickory at T-Rex's (where Taylor works) and had brunch. It was pretty nummy. I had oysters! I also had a bloody mary and a cran & vodka. It was then decided that I wanted to stay inebriated all afternoon, so I did! :P. I put away the Cotsco stuff and had vodka & Vitamin Water martinis. Well, 2 or 3 of them anyway, which was enough! A friend of mine thought I was crazy to drink that, but they're good! Josh also thru in some simple syrup to make them sweet. I also had the forethought to have a bottle of water handy, and took some B-Vitamins so I wouldn't get drunk *or* have a hangover today....and I don't have either! Yay me!

I took my new sleep meds at the wrong time last night, and it came to bite me in the ass, resulting in a pretty shitty night's sleep. Oh well, I'll sleep better tonight!

My new admin started work today, and it seems to be working out so far, so yay! Anyway, I am still digging thru piles on my desk, so I better get to it.

1. Name one thing you received as a gift on your last birthday.
My daddy took me to the wax museum in San Francisco. That was a fun day!

2. What would be the "perfect" birthday gift?
I think any time anyone remembers to recognize you, that's perfection.

3. Do you look forward to birthdays?
Yes and no. I like the extra attention for a day, but getting old sux!

4. On your birthday, do you treat yourself to something special each year?
Usually. Last year I took the day off work and spent it with my dad.

5. Do you bother keeping up with your horoscope on a regular basis?
Not usually. I'm lazy, and I see astrology as nothing more than another form of religion.

6. What zodiac sign are you, and do you think you fit the description for that sign?
I'm a Sagittarius. And I am *very very very* much a Sagittarius.

Sure, he's a 'Guesswork in a Lab coat', but I think I've finally found a doctor I like who tries to figure out the underlying cause of things and more importantly, knows how to talk to me. To start the process of trying to figure out what is going on, there are after-hours phone calls, lab tests, and specialists involved. Not fun, but ya do what you can do to get on the road to figuring things out.

I've seen my doctor a handful of times now, so he kinda knows what my personality is like. I answered the phone when it rang last night and he replied with, "Hi, this is a telemarketer". Hehe. See? The guy gets me! We had a chat about what was going on with me. Judging from the things I've been eating lately and the after-affects I am experiencing, I believe I may have some minor (hopefully not major!) food allergies. So, he gave me a referral to go see an allergist to get tested. He also gave me paperwork to go get my potassium levels checked again. It has been suggested to me that since I drink so much water everyday (usually around 96oz), the constant flushing of my body could cause the deficiency. So, I'll *try* to cut out 16-32oz of water out, and drink some gatorade. We also agreed to change my sleep medicine. I can't guarantee that's helping my problems any, but it doesn't hurt to try something else to see if the Seroquel was not helping my skin problems. So, I went and picked up the lab slip, the referal, and samples of Lunesta today.

So now, we're just on a 'get a bunch o tests done and see a bunch o doctors to try and figure out what is going on' regiment. At this rate, I expect to see no results until at least July, but at least I've gotten the ball rolling.

Anyway, the doc is cool. And he knows what he's talking about. And he has a sense of humor! I think I'll keep him around for a bit!

I've been grumpy all week, but it wasn't until today that I realized why. So, leave the grumpy PMS lady alone and just ignore her opinionated posts and she'll be better next week :P

Thanks :)

Do we really need to sugar-coat things when answering the telephone?

Example:
"Thank you for calling Company ABC, how may I direct your call?"
'Joe Shmoe, please'
"It would be my pleasure to connect you"

Your pleasure? Am I honestly supposed to sit here and think that a: You're happy to answer the phone in the first place and b: Transfering a call gives you *pleasure*?

I know what they mean (being nice is....nice!), but it just seems like a stupid greeting to me :P

So, I'm working on a mixed CD for a friend of mine and I dug out Belly's 'Star' this evening. Man, I haven't heard this album in *ages*. Talk about memories.

A quote I saw on my high school band website today: "Band Prepares You for Life" - Richard L. Saucedo

Kind of it does, you hypocritical prick! If you mean discipline and work ethic, sure. Totally. If you mean by a moto of "Do as I say, not as I do", then you're correct there also.

The guy is this total moody (but musical genius) hard-ass who convinces his students to think of him as a role model. A 2nd parent, as it were. Then he starts sleeping with one of the girls in the color guard, who he eventually marries about a decade later.

Yes folks, what a stand-up citizen this guy is!

And yes, all these years later, I am *still* bitter....not as much, but still a little.

BTW, I *still* want to know wtf the "L" stands for.

So, an anonymous call was made to Animal Control yesterday about the incident that happened on Saturday. I don't want the dog gone (cause taking someone's child away sucks), but I feel that some authority needs to know about this in case Puppy gets out of his yard and attacks another animal or golly forbid, a human. I'd feel like total shit and would be a bad citizen if someone else got hurt and I hadn't warned anyone.

This may end up pissing Puppy's owners off, but I really don't care at this point. I'm not saying I'm demanding that the dog be put to sleep or anything rash like that, I just want someone else besides me to know what happened. It's my civic duty and all that.

So, I'm still kinda recovering from the move and loosing G. Yesterday, I was exhausted all day. I got home and ran Domo and compromised with myself to make dinner, but that was about all I did. I watched the news and 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and was asleep by 9:15p. I feel better today, but am still a little bit tired.

Josh is having dinner with a friend tonight, and so I'm thinking another movie and early to bed sounds like a good idea. I don't think I have any plans this weekend either. I've just decided to be mellow and lay low for a little while. I don't really have any plans until Memorial Day weekend. I think I'm going to a Giants game on 5/27, and then there's a Planners bbq on the 28th.

Sometimes it's a good thing to lay low.

1. What do you think of this whole Opie and Anthony getting suspended thing? Do you think XM went too far? Why/why not?
I'm wondering what happened to freedom of speech in this country. We've sat and let the government tell us for years what is 'wrong' and what is 'correct' on the public air waves. Then comes satellite radio, where you pay for radio. As a reward, there are no commercials (except for promos), and theoretically, there's a reprieve from The Man. But, these satellite radio companies are private, and they *can* ultimately say what can and can't be done on their stations. However, suspending someone for being too outrageous without warning first I think is kind of stupid. I don't care if people's panties are still in a wad over the Imus thing, or if XM feels they have to be careful because they're trying to team up with Sirius to be a monopoly, you need to be clear with your employees about what they can/can't or should/shouldn't do. To be fair, I had never heard of these two guys. Growing up with Bob & Tom in Indianapolis, I have been forever scared by morning shows. I can't stomach anything at all that reminds me of that garbage (in my opinion, of course). I have no sense of humor for that kind of thing. I hated it 20 years ago, and I hate it today. But that doesn't mean that other people hate it. And *that* is the beautiful thing about having so much freedom in this country. If I don't want to listen to it, I don't have to. I turn the radio *off*. More importantly, people like Bob & Tom, Opie & Anthony, and Howard Stern are *paid to be offensive*. That's their shtick! If XM doesn't want them to make fun of a certain topic, they have that right, but they need to put it in their contract or something. Just suspending them because they got a call from Darth Cheney or one of his friends doesn't justify them being hypocrites about this. So yeah, I think XM is being too touchy about this. I think they should make clear what their expectations are before they go off the deep-end next time.

2. What do you think about people calling for Alberto Gonzales' resignation over the whole firing of U.S. attorneys thing? Do you think it's just more stupid crap that's going on politically, or does it signify something else? How so/how not?
I think it's a 'same shit different day' scenario. The media *always* has to have something to blow out of proportion. This is no different than any other stupid-assed story that comes out of Washington. Sex scandals, drugs, money, wars....it's the same shit dressed up differently, and I make no time for that kind of stuff. So, I don't really care if Gonzales resigns. One less asshole in Washington, I say.

3. What do you think about Tony Blair stepping down as Prime Minister? Does it matter to you? Do you think he got pushed out, or is it just coincidence? Does it matter?
After being in power for 10 years, it was probly ideal for him to step down. Not because he did anything really wrong per se, but more because 10 years is a long time to be in power. However, he got burned by the whole Iraq war thing, and it just pissed people off enough to want him out of power. Did he get screwed? Yeah, a little, but that's the price you pay for being in politics.

Towards the end of my stay at our old apartment, I realized I never really slept very well there. I could go to other people's houses and sleep more soundly (which normally doesn't happen because I usually don't sleep well if I'm not in my own bed) than in our place.

We spent our first night in our new place on Friday night and I slept pretty well. Even with the crap that happened on Saturday, I slept pretty well that night also. I've spent 5 nights in our new place now and I think I've slept better in 5 days than I did during our 10 month stay at the old place. I think it had bad juju or something. It also didn't help that I slept next to the sliding next door with the cat door in it, so I'd hear it when anyone went in or out.

I haven't even needed my sleeping medicine so far, that's how well I've been sleeping. So, yay for good sleep! I think I'll try and make it a point sometime this week to go to bed a little earlier than normal just to get some extra sleep.

Aside from the whole dog thing, I think moving into our new place was a very good idea. The neighbors are nice, it's safe, I don't have to worry about drug addicts in the building or my stuff getting stolen.

On that note, there was a piece of paper stuffed in my old door the other day when I went to get the few remaining items out of the old place. It said that they finally recognized that it was indeed someone in the building, they had evidence, and that they were finally working with the Oakland PD to do something about it. About fucking time! But they lost at least 2 tenants before they did something about it. So I guess the question is, how much money *do* you have to loose before you start giving a shit about your tenants? Assholes. I'm *so* glad we're out of there. Josh did the remaining things he needed to do, turned in the keys, and then all we're doing is waiting for the deposit back. I'm so not going to miss that place or that neighborhood.

Last night, I was Complete Ms.GrumpyPants. It was not a great evening. I kept snapping at Josh for no reason and being a right jerk. I did laundry, but decided that doing laundry in the building is just too expensive. $2 to wash and $2 to dry? Are you kidding me? I can go to the laundry mat with a book and spend less cash. So, that's what I'll probly end up doing. If more than one load of laundry needs to be done, it's just more economical that way. And, there's 2 laundry mat's within walking distance. I had corn spaghetti (which is actually better than it sounds) for dinner, and watched The West Wing, because it is comfort TV to me.

I've decided that besides cleaning out the litter box and running Domo, I am not doing *any* cleaning tonight! I am, however, going to start working on a mixed CD of mp3s that I'm making for my friend Bear. I just haven't had any desire to sit at the puter and do any work, but I only have 2 weeks to get this done, tweaked, and sent out, so I gotta get movin on it. I also need to reload my iPo at some point.

It's looking to be a fairly mellow day around here. Bosslady fell down her stairs (ouch!!!), so aside from a doctor's office visit, she's not going anywhere today. I hope she feels better soon! A bruised body sux.

I can say for sure that this weekend sucked donkey balls, as you can see from my previous entry.

The move Friday went pretty well. It was costly, but having movers to help us made *all* the difference. Of course, I was totally unpacked by Saturday afternoon :P

G's ordeal happened around 4:10p, and we were minus one child and home by 5p. Josh had had his tickets to see the One Man Star Wars for a couple of months, and I didn't want him to miss it, so I encouraged him to go without me. I just didn't feel like going out in public. He ended up going with his sister and brother-in-law. I didn't feel like going out in public, but I really didn't want to spend the evening by myself either, so Whit & Steph came over (Again, thank you *so* much for doing that for me!!!) and made me a yummy dinner of cauliflower, zuchinni, shrooms, and yellow curry over white rice. They stayed until about 9, and then Schreck kept me company for the next hour and a half or so. When I got home, Josh was home, so I wasn't alone at all that night.

We got up and putzed around yesterday til about 11:30a, when I picked up Jan (my sister's boyfriend) up from BART. Him and his sister are in towne for a few days. Josh and I took him down to Cato's for lunch. After that, we dropped him off at his friend's house down the street, then made our way to Walnut Creek to see his mommy and sister for Mother's Day. After that, we had to make a stop at Target for a few things, then spent the rest of the evening at home. I accidently passed out on Josh last night (oops :P), and aside from z0rg being annoying this morning, slept okay. I've spent 3 nights in the new place so far and sleep a *ton* better than I did in the other place. It's nicer, safer, and the sliding glass door isn't right next to my bed which makes *all* the difference.

Our new place is *huge*. There's room for all of our stuff with room left over. And there's so much space on the walls, we have to start framing stuff and putting it up so it looks like someone lives there. Aside from the whole G thing (it's not like I have to worry anymore since no one will be going outside like they used to), I like it so far! I think we're going to do well there.

I've been putting off this entry all weekend....

Gracila was attacked by the dog next door on Saturday, and we ended up having to put her to sleep.

I went to the new apartment on Friday morning to take a shower before we started moving. I came in to see only Squeeek with a look on his face like, "See me? I'm being good....I just want you to know that, Mommy...I loooooove youuuuu...". Uh oh. I had left the sliding glass door open about 3 inches, but had the screen door closed all the way, and locked. G and z0rg decided that staying inside was not an option and pushed the screen until it seperated from the frame, and got out. I didn't see z0rg at all that day, but had seen G in the next door neighbor's yard. They have this huge yard. I wasn't too concerned because she knew how to get back home, and she's such a damn freak that she'll bolt if you look at her wrong. That night, I finally tracked down z0rg, but G wouldn't come in. I met the neighbors next door, who warned me that their dog was vicious hunter-wise, and if he got ahold of a cat, that would be it. I told them I understood, but wasn't worried about them, but would keep them around.

I woke up Saturday morning to find G underneath the bed sleeping. She stayed there until about 3:30p. She went outside, and I didn't think much of it. It's a 15ft drop to the yard next door, and didn't think she'd be dumb enough to trap herself in the yard again. But, she did. About 40 minutes later, I hear the dog barking his head off. I walked out just in time to see a nasty scene fold out in front of my eyes. I won't go into detail, but it was pretty gruesome. I knew G was in some serious trouble. The dog's owner's saw it too and got him to drop her, but it was pretty much too late. I went and retrieved her, and Josh drove us to the pet hospital. She was struggling to breathe, and the mom instinct in me knew we'd have to put her down. 10 minutes later (the doctor was very quick, which I totally appreciated), she showed us the x-rays which showed there was no hope for her. So, they gave her a sedative, then let her go peacefully.

That whole thing cost like $400. The dog's owners were pissed, but not at me I don't think. I mean logically, it's just nature. And they *did* warn me. And I honestly didn't think she'd go back down there. So, it wasn't anyone's fault, it just was. The only thing that I wonder is: If they've got such a vicious dog, how do they sleep at night without thinking the dog might take someone's face off while they're sleeping?

So, unfortunatly, z0rg and Squeeek are now indoor kitties. I can probly let Squeeek out supervised since he's old now and won't go far, but z0rg is far too feral to trust him any further than I can see him. But, the boys are doing fairly well so far. z0rg started meowing at 4:45am this morning, so I shut the bedroom door and he pretty much got the hint. When the alarm went off and I opened the door to go to my bathroom, both of the boys were at the door and z0rg had a look on his face like, "sorrrryyyyy". *shakes head*. So, there'll be some adjustment getting them used to being in all the time, and I wish we didn't have to do keep them in, but we do. I can't trust that dog even one iota, cats are going to be cats, and nature is nature.

So, RIP, G....may your next life be longer than this one.

1. Which web browser do you prefer?
Firefox.

2. Are you a PC user or MAC user?
I'm a PC user, tho the more bullshit that happens PC-wise, the more I think about buying a Mac...if they weren't so fsking expensive, that is.

3. Will your next computer purchase happen within the next year (do you think)?
That's the plan. My current machine is 4 years old.

4. Will you purchase your next computer at a local store or via the internet?
I'll probly buy the parts and put it together. It's cheaper and easier that way.

5. Have you had any experience with Windows Vista?
No, and I don't want to either.

6. What are your feelings about this new operating system (if any)?
I can't give an educated opinion about it since I haven't used it, but I haven't heard any positive things about it, really. You can't run certain software, playing games can be tricky, and I am an advanced user to the point that I don't need my software babysitting me and every move I make.

(This was found on a DC Craigslist Best-of section. Having to sift thru 125 resumes lately, I can totally relate with almost all of this!)

Ways to not write a resume.
Date: 2007-03-09, 2:39PM EST

Don't be offended if you see yourself in here, but please do get some professional help. There are people who will do this for you, and you clearly need their assistance.

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Cover letters are not optional, people. No, I didn't ask for one. You know why? Because they're the default. At the very least, write a paragraph in your e-mail to me so I can see that you aren't a monkey accidentally forwarding your owner's resume.

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Objectives are stupid.
Clearly, your objective is to land the job, or else you wouldn't be applying. But if you have listened to the idiots who've written books about its necessity (notice they work for themselves, and haven't been hired anywhere in a while), at least keep it short, sweet, and related to the actual job for which you're applying as opposed to the generic tripe that has come through my desk the past four hours. Such as:

"Objective: To obtain a secretarial/receptionist position where I can utilize my skills in customer service while demonstrating a customer first attitude yet utilizing my wide variety of administrative skills by pushing and advancing the office entirely by giving organization and any assistance as needed all still while gaining any and all available knowledge within the office environment"

First of all, the position isn't for that of a receptionist or secretary; read the posting. You're already down two points. Second of all, if you're going to throw buzzwords like "utilize" about willy-nilly, at least don't do it twice in the same sentence. Next, make sense. "...by pushing and advancing the office entirely by giving organization and any assistance as needed..."? Seriously? Is that supposed to make sense or be in English? Lastly, utilize the comma. I'd rather you overuse this little friend of ours than underuse him, especially if you're going to make a huge-ass paragraph only one sentence.

"Objective: To work my hardest to achieve goals in the near future."

*insert buzzer sound here* I'm not even reading the rest of that resume.

"Objective: To obtain full-time or part-time permanent employment with a stable business."

Very tailored to our company. I hear McDonald's is hiring, too.

"Objective: To obtain a position in a company that will best utilize my skills in data analysis and information technology, as well as expand my knowledge of National Disclosure Policy; a position that challenges my abilities and allows for opportunities to grow with the company."

Points for the correct use of a semicolon, but if I don't even know what a national disclosure policy is, then my company isn't going to be able to help you expand your knowledge of it. Also, we're not an IT company, nor are you applying for an IT position, so tailor that down for me, will you? Stick it in the skills section. (More on those moronic lists shortly.)

"Objective: To gain the proper skills and knowledge to run a professional business."

Do we look like an MBA program? And if you want to run a business, why are you applying for part time assistant positions? How about applying to be an assistant manager somewhere?

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I don't care if you were king of the chess team.
How often does it need to be said that if you've gone to college, I don't want to know about your high school? Especially if it was over ten years ago, folks.

"2001-2003 B.A., Strayer University". This may just be me, but even at a pay-for-your-degree school, how do you achieve a B.A. in just two years? And what is it supposedly in? There's no field of study listed.

"Xxxxxx University, Bachelor of Science, Sports Management. GPA: 3.12." A B.S. in Sports Management (snicker) and you still only had a 3.12 GPA? You're taking phys ed for college credit. The least you can do is get more As than Bs.

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That pesky attention to detail.
When I specify that I need someone with attention to detail, that means lots of misspellings and non-words like "a maculate list" are not going to gain you any points. An immaculate list, perhaps?

"...your posting on Craigslist.com." It's actually craigslist.org.

"During this time I am searching for employment within a company that can help me earn hours and experience within a school setting and to also help build my administrative skills further. I am currently seeking salary in the range of 25k-35k and 40 hours a week." We specified $10-15 for 20 hours a week. Oh, and we're not a school. Kthxbye.

"Period [of employment] 9/15/04 - 3/28/06. Reason for Leaving: Other Job opportunity" Yet, that job opportunity isn't listed on his resume. Hmm.

"In response to your advertised position, Advertising Rep, please find attached a copy of my resume." While I appreciate the effort that went into changing his subject line to "Memeber Asssistant," you first gotta spell things correctly and then follow that all the way through, buddy. Also, titling your resume as "August 2006" isn't getting me all warm and fuzzy, either. I'm glad you've been unable to update your resume for eight months.

"[Singular Company Name]s" and "Members Care" from the same person. Shes likes addings the Ss, nos?

"I am a Professional who leverages 10+ years of Executive assistance..." You'd think she'd know when to capitalize and not capitalize words, then.

"Trained employees to use OPTIX software in order to gather data on in coming and perspective students." Are perspective students like philosophy students? And since when is "incoming" two words?

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If you're claiming a skill, actually have it.
For instance, when your skillset includes "filing/editing" but is followed by "Photo Shop" improperly spaced, that means you're not very good at the first one, and you probably don't use the second often enough to know how to spell it. Therefore, you're probably an exaggerator, meaning I can't trust anything else on your resume. Bye-bye.

"Telephone Skills". What does that mean, that you can operate one? Good job. So can a three year old. If you mean one of those multi-line, complicated telephone *systems*, then yes, that is something to put on your resume -- if you were applying to be a receptionist in a busy office. You're not.

"Office Procedures". What the hell does that mean? How is that a skill?

When your resume looks like two boring run-on paragraphs and a list, all of which is centered on the page in the most rudimentary fashion, don't list "graphic design" as one of your skills. Please spare me.

"Treat people with respect." Shouldn't that be a given? Also, why is that your third most-important skillset? Did you have to work very hard at it?

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Stop throwing in complete bullshit just to make it sound fancy.
The following is a list of why you should never throw words together if you don't know what they mean (the long-winded objective from above could also be put in this category).

"My ability to learn quickly is a key essential."
"My numerous areas of expertise and professional work related skills are highly superior in many office related skills."
"Being so detailed and goal oriented provides me with the ability to have outstanding organizational skills which enthusiastically allows me to succeed well within all goals set."
"My background and my education are the met qualifications in this job description."
"Enclosed you will find my resume for your viewing and review purposes."
"Assisted to directorate of Member Services..."
"I am a very talented part-time college student..." (Do I want to know what you're talents are? Because this sounds like the start of a different sort of CL ad, the kind that end with "looking for a sugar daddy to help me pay for books.")
"Enabling to multi-task with different projects in an amount of time."
"Assisted to Customers needs and questions."
"Having customers leave with a wonderful experience and quality insurance." (And no, he wasn't selling insurance, either.)
"I am multi-tasked, organizer, knowledgeable of computers, fast skill learner, prompt, warm and friendly woman." (Hubbinawha?)
"I saw your posting on Craig's List and was interested in the position if it is currently available." (No, we filled it within two hours of posting it. What kind of stupid question is that?)
"I was responsible for scheduling performers from around the country to perform at my bi-monthly coffeehouses."

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Other miscellaneous details

"(301) xxx-xxxx (Phone)" Really? That's a phone number? I'd never have guessed.

There is absolutely no reason that someone who graduated high school less than four years ago needs a three page resume. None. I graduated seven years ago and worked in two completely different fields, and mine's still under a page.

"2001 - 2001", then later "2006 - 2006", no months listed. Man, those were some great eras.

If you're currently a teacher, there is no need to mention your two-month stint at a concession stand six years ago. Promise. And for the same person, if you put that you were a 2nd grade teacher from September 2006 until February 2007, that makes me think you got fired, because February was last month. We're in March now. Either you were fired, which is not going to bode well, or you didn't read over the resume carefully before sending it to me, which means you lack the needed attention to detail. See above.

A friend had the unprofessional e-mail address issue with the "get high with me @" guy a couple months ago. Today's is a l33t-speak "sky's the limit," but spelled "skiis," which took me three minutes to figure out wasn't some reference to cocaine. And compared to these other asses, she's actually got one of the better resumes, so it's a shame her e-mail address shows she's a moron.

If you are claiming the management of operations for a home office as a previous position, you need to a) add a cover letter, and b) explain in your cover letter why you want to now work part-time for little money at a low-level job.

"Very hard working even when no one is."
Just because your previous job had lots of slackers doesn't mean that we are, so cut out the holier-than-thou attitude, 'kay?

Do you hate my eyes? Because why else would you put your resume in 8pt. font? The blocks of unbroken texts are not helping you, either. You know what? I'm tossing this one already, and I'm only three lines into it.

Name and describe 3 things on your mind lately. Is there any particular reason why you're thinking about a particular thing?

1. Moving. I'm moving tomorrow! I have been stressing out about it hardcore for about a week now, so I'll be glad when it's over. I've got a million little lists in my head of things to do. Now I just gotta do them. But, the movers will arrive tomorrow morning and I'll be unpacking by tomorrow afternoon. Things *will* work out, and I will get drunk afterwards :P

3. Work. Work's been insane, doing 2 full time jobs. Things are finally starting to straighten out, so come next week, I can start mellowing out about that.

Well, it's hump day! For me, it means 2 more work days until I move on Friday. I haven't been excited (as you have read lately) at *all* about moving, but things are finally coming along nicely. Josh finally got most of his room packed yesterday, and I got most of the kitchen packed. I ran out of bubble wrap, so I'll go to Longs and get a big-assed thing of it tomorrow. All I need to pack in the kitchen now is a handful of glasses and the dishes.

Tomorrow is Demolition Day. The rest of the living room gets packed up. All of the electronics in the house get taken down/apart/packed. I'll get up early on Friday and pack up the bathroom and bedding and all that jazz. I think the movers are supposed to show up at 8:30a. I think I'm going to move the plants, the fish, and the kids tomorrow. I can do that while Josh is taking apart the electronics. Anyway, I've got faith that things will go fairly smoothly, so I will try and stop stressing out so much.

I think tonight is Break Night. I'm going off to hang out with a friend of mine, and I'm going to encourage Josh not to do anything either. I'm quite teh sleepy today. I took an extra melatonin last night, and I think it was a little much. Got that morning sleep hangover thing going. But, I'll wake up eventually!

Anyway, not much else to say today. It should be a fairly lax day all around, and I am grateful for that. And I anticipate that the evening will be equally lax and relaxing.

I haven't *outwardly* freaked out because I'm so stressed out about my health and moving, but I keep having these damn panic attacks. Thankfully, they seem to happen when I'm alone so no one has to deal with it, but sheesh. I am trying *awfully* hard to tell myself there's no real need to get stressed, but my subconscience says, "Ha ha, fuck you!". It sucks. And even tho there's only 2.5 (counting the rest of today) days until Friday, I keep wondering if I can keep it together until then. Here's hoping.

On the medical front, I talked with my doc last evening and he thinks I may have a system-wide fungal infection (oh fun), so I'm supposed to take this high-powered stuff once a week for 3 weeks and hopefully that'll knock out whatever keeps festering itself in my body. He also said my potassium levels are low, so he's putting me on suplements for 2 weeks and then he'll send me to the vampires again. I've done some shallow looking and can't really find a reason why I would have a deficiency, or what could be causing it. On another front however, I have a hunch that I may be having adverse reactions to my sleep medicine. I took it last night for the first time in like a week (and the last week *has* been better body-wise) last night and woke up today with symptoms like I've been having for awhile now. I'm gonna not take it for a week, try it again, and if I experience the same symptoms, I'll know that was a problem also. There's other stuff my doc can put me on for that, so I'm not too worried. I just hate having to worry about my damn health. I went thru this last year (only it was 10x worse), and I really don't want to have to do it again. Hopefully it's just minor stuff I have to tweak.

So...it's pretty meh over here.

I did get over to U-Haul today and got boxes and tape. I need to go to Target this afternoon to get my perscriptions, and I have a few things to get there like bath mats, trashcans, shower hooks, and a few other little things. I'll do that sometime after lunch.

I just need to get thru the next 2 days. *trudge*

On the work front, I think we found someone to be our admin, so that's good. On the moving front, I'm so completely stressed out that I don't want to do *anything*. It took 2 Xanax to make me stop freaking out this morning. It's bad.

Saturday, Josh and I filled up both our cars and took 2 trips over to the new place. It was all of my storage stuff, which consisted of 10 tubs and 5 clear containers. Thank goodness there's plenty of storage space! There were also a handful of boxes that came over to the new place as well. After that, I spent the rest of my afternoon/evening out of my head. I needed a break. I had a nice time. It was a great day, the weather was nice, and I enjoyed just hanging out with Josh.

Yesterday, I decided I was taking the day off and not doing a goddamn thing...which I didn't. Josh spent most of the day packing up his room while I sat on my ass and watched Dr.No and Rebel Without A Cause. I think I also forgot to mention that the other night, I finally watched A Fist Full of Dollars, which was amusing. Josh made chicken and noodles for dinner, and then we watched a Planet Earth episode. I watched my crap show after that, and then went to bed.

I was supposed to go get some more boxes from U-Haul today, but I forgot my damn ATM card at home, something I *never* do. I always put it back after I use it, but guess I forgot yesterday. No matter, I'll just do laundry tonight instead. I'm going from 5 washers to 3, so I'll wash the cat bedding, my regular laundry, and probly a few other things. I think I'll also try to watch Get Shorty. It's a Netflix movie that's been sitting next to my TV for awhile now, so I should watch it so I can get it out of the house before I move.

Tomorrow, I'll go to U-Haul and get boxes, tape, and bubble wrap and start packing up the kitchen...something that I've been putting off. I've got a lot of stuff that I can't pack until Thursday, but at that point, it'll just be throwing stuff in boxes and sorting it out later. I'm *trying* (but failing misreably) not to be stressed out about this move. I mean...all I have to do is pack and unpack! The movers will do the rest! I'll probly move the cats (or, at least z0rg and G) Thursday....if I can grab z0rg, that is. If I can't, moving him might be a slight pain in the ass. I might have to work with his 2nd family to get him. I'm not too worried about it tho. I'm also gonna try and move Bob (my betta) and my plants beforehand. The only other thing I need to do before Thursday is to call my live-in manager and ask her for a different parking space. There's a full-size pickup truck that parks next to my designated spot, and I can't fit my car in the spot next to him. Especially with not having any depth perception. I fucking hate full-sized SUVs and trucks! I mean seriously, it's fucking ridiculous when you can't fit a compact car next to them. *shakes head*. So, hopefully I can get a different spot.

Even tho it's Monday, I swear (this time) I'm almost caught up with all my work! I have one more project to do, but that's nothing more than uploading a few files and pressing the send button. It's about time too, cause even tho I like my job, doing 2 full time jobs *sucks*, and I need help.

Onward...

I totally forgot about this until I read an article about the whole Maze offramp collapse thing...

Last night, I was driving home late and I traveled down 80 to where it connects to 580. I saw these really bright lights, then looked over, and they were shining at the section of the offramp where the freeway collapsed. I think a "holy fuck!" came out of my mouth. Seeing something like that close-up *is* cool, if not a little wierd and scary. Scary cause you think, "Man, what would happen If I was up there and the freeway collapsed underneath me...I'd be dead...hey wait a sec, htf did that driver survive?!"

That was just the icing on the cake of a good night. I love crazy stuff like that.

I tried really hard not to get stressed out about all the things going on in my life right now, but the stress finally got to me and this week I cracked right down the middle. There are 3 major things that are causing me stress right now.

The first is that I'm back to doing 2 full time jobs again until I can find someone to be my admin, which is prooving harder this time around. There's just a lot to do and I don't always know how to divide up my time so I can get everything done. No one's putting extra pressure on me or anything, I do it to myself. But, I'm almost caught up again, so that's good!

Then there's the moving thing. It doesn't matter how organized you are or how much money you have to throw at it, moving is *always* stressful. I'll be glad when next week is over!

The last thing is that I'm having problems with my damn health again. Getting old fucking sux. I think there are/were 2 seperate issues. I was having major skin problems on my backside (which as been overly sensitive since the whole MRSA thing), but I think I mostly narrowed it down to that there was something in the laundry detergent that I was using that was making things so bad. I have since switched to baby detergent, and I can finally sit without being in pain! Yay! The other thing is that I've lost almost 15lbs in a month in a half. This is *not* a good thing. Sure, I've been under a lot of stress this year, and I suppose it could finally be taking a toll on my body, but that much in a month and a half? I feel like I'm beginning to look like a stick at 150. 160 is good. I'm 5'11! I don't need to be 150lbs! My body's been really acidic lately too, which is never a good thing. I've been doing the whole vitamin C/cranberry extract/extra probiotics/apple cider vinegar thing, but I'm *still* acidic. I finally went to the doctor on Wednesday and they're running a handful of tests to see what they can find. I hope they figure it out soon. I may freak if I hit 140.

I think the finding an admin thing and the moving thing should all be solved by the middle of the month, but it's the health thing that's worrying me. I mean really...what now?! But, I'm being proactive and doing what I can do, and that's about all I *can* do.

Wednesday after work, I went to see Lorenzo, my acupuncturist. I dunno what he did, but re-directing traffic in my body released the flood gates. It was really weird. I just sobbed for like 15 minutes until he came back in and asked me if I was okay. I really *was* okay, but I guess the stress just finally oozed out. I was pretty tired, mellow, and ready to cry at any second yesterday, but it's finally subsiding. I had a really nice and relaxing evening and now I'm almost recharged and ready to start the whole moving process thing. That's tomorrow's job. I'm not going to rush myself tho. I'll get out of bed whenever the hell I feel like it, and then when I'm ready to start packing stuff into the car, I'll spend a few hours moving stuff from the old place to the new. And just as a precaution, I'll probly give myself a time limit too, so I don't get in the mindframe of, "Oh my gosh, I have to get all this done *today*!!". I'm a dork and I do that kinda thing to myself. We're still working on finding a moving quote that doesn't suck complete ass, but I'm confident we'll figure something out by next week.

So, that's what's been going on in my life. I'd like to go on record and say that I'm not unhappy, it's just a very busy time right now and since I'm not used to being quite this busy in all aspects of my life at once, it's a little overwhelming! But, all of this, like everything else, will pass!

I'm going to dinner with a bunch of people tonight, and then there's a Sharks game on tomorrow at 11am which I probly *won't* be awake for, but who knows. The series is tied 2-2 now, so it's becoming interesting! No offense, but I could care less about the stupid Warriors. Big woop! I may not be as big of a hockey fan as Josh, Kenny, Ben, Lorraine, Tony, and the rest of that crowd, but I do like to watch it and take a small interest in it!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting a lot of loose ends tied up at work today, so I better get on it!

1. How many times have you moved in the past 5 years? Why/why haven't you?
5. Too many! From the condo I shared with B to the Crazy Lady's house to the place on Plum Drive to Concord to Oakland where I'm at right now to the place I'm moving to next week. Each move has been a step forward, but no matter how you dice it, moving sucks ass.

2. Are you one of those people who thinks moving is therapeutic? (You know, a time to get rid of things you don't need, etc.) Why/why not?
After you move 4 times in 4 years, you've gotten rid of enough stuff to where you really can't get rid of much more before you don't have anything left. This move won't be so bad, but I'm still not looking forward to the stress of it all.

3. Do you prefer to move yourself, or do you hire someone to do it for you? Why/why not?
I've always moved myself (or had friends help me), but this time around, we're getting movers. Basically, moving is already a huge pain without having to move yourself. Josh set aside some extra money so there would be less stress. He's awsome :)

Yesterday was just a crappy Monday. There was more scrambling to do work that didn't get done for a month and a half and then people were just being nuts. I totally wish I could tell both my stories in detail, but one is work related and even tho I didn't error, I suppose it could come to bite me in the ass for whatever reason. Suffice to say, I had a run-in with a lady over email who was being pushy about her resume, which pissed me off. The story I *can* tell is about a sales lady who walked into my office. She goes to hand me a flyer when she says, "I know there's a 'no soliciting' sign on your front desk, but...". To which my reply was, "Yup, it's there all day long. Could you please leave?". She responds by getting shitty with me. "Well, you don't have to be rude about it!". My response was, "Alright, I wasn't trying to be. But there is no soliciting in this building. There's a sign on my front counter and there's a sign on the first floor. Please stop soliciting here, and please leave." Man, she was pissed at me. But who cares? No soliciting means just that, and I'm tired of these people trying to get away with it. But that situation along with the first one pissed me off to the point where I just couldn't think straight anymore yesterday.

I was also being angsty about moving in such a short period. Packing 3/4 of the house up by myself by 5/10? Is that possible? Well, this *is* me we're talking about, so of *course* I can! But that doesn't mean I'm not stressing over it, because I worry about everything. We've been looking for a new place for a couple 3 months now, so since I knew I'd be moving at some point, I've been keeping boxes we get here at work. I took them home last night and packed up my living room. I packed like 5 boxes of DVDs, all the knicknacks, and the stuff on/around my puter desk that I don't need on a daily basis. I also went thru the storage closet and condensed a few things so that I have 2 tubs free in which to put stuff into. Most of my closet is ready to be moved also. My co-worker Kevin is also going to let me borrow a few large boxes that he has (he just moved too). I figure since the boxes are so big, they'll be good for things like bedding, couch pillows, and my clothes in the closet that are hanging. I think the only true bitch will be the kitchen, but I think even that may not be so bad once I get going on it. Having movers will definatly help things.

I also talked to Smooty for like 2.5 hours last night! I hadn't spoken to her since I saw her when I was home at the beginning of March. We had a good talk.

I think getting a start on packing things up yesterday improved my headspace about a lot of things in general (I fucking *hate* moving), and so today I actually feel kinda mellow. My allergies are kicking my ass today and I have no real sudafed because I gave my secret stash to Josh, but I'll live. Ooh, I forgot my boss usually has some in a drawer...r0ck! I like it when things go my way :)

I have cleared my schedule this week. I have absolutly no plans. This will give me a chance to relax a little, as I feel life has been going by a bit fast lately. It'll also give me a chance to pack more stuff. I'm going to hang out with a friend on Thursday, but that'll be relaxing and it won't involve me exerting any energy beyond getting fizzy water out of the fridge :P. I'm going to dinner with Josh, Matt, and Joe on Friday (since he's here from Oohtah), but other than that, I don't think there are any plans this coming weekend either, so that's good. I've been an ubber homebody since last Friday. I'm just tired. Tired tired tired.