Meet Big Daddy

My new co-worker rocks! For more than a year my group at work was short staffed and we've finally gotten someone who is a perfect fit. He's got tons of experience, is totally competent, funny as heck and as the ultimate sign of approval, even got anointed with one of Ms. Patricia's nicknames. Henceforth, Rick is... Big Daddy! (In case you're wondering, my nickname is Little Momma.) To top it off, BD has a larger Tagalog vocabulary than I do - and he's Mexican! Him and Mildred are having so much fun conversing in Tagalog and taunting me with my inability to join in.

Things are going alright at work for now, but hopefully it will get even better next week. The first real attempt at leaving helljob starts next Tuesday with an interview I managed to score. I hate interviews. Never felt comfortable being in the hot seat. I'm trying to be optimistic but they're looking for someone with ~10 years experience! I'm thinking "Did they not look at the year I graduated college?". But the HR rep said they liked my resume despite the lack of experience. I guess that's a good thing but still I'm worried about what their expectations are... At the very least this will be good interview practice for when something more appropriate comes up. Weird side note: I have to take three written tests before I do my interview rounds. Not sure how I feel about that.

Ok, enough overthinking. Just had to get all the anxiety out of my system.

This Can't Be Good

Espresso Fettuccine. Found at good 'ole Unimart.
I almost wanted to buy it just to see what it would taste like.
Almost.
But I did find that my Tom Yum noodles now come in an oh so convenient microwavable bowl. And tikoy balls look awfully similar to fish balls for pancit. The dad was fooled and unknowingly bought the tikoy balls. I didn't want them to go to waste so I tried to eat them. Ugh - I couldn't make it through one. I might as well have eaten moth balls.

Bewitched, Body and Soul

After doing some after-Thanksgiving shopping, my family decided to make it a girls movie day and we headed out to watch Pride and Prejudice . Well, not exactly. We really intended to see either Rent or Walk the Line, but when we arrived we found that we had just missed both movies by ten minutes and one was full anyways. By default P and P won out but I’m glad we saw it. Chick flick indeed! Ah, the British. Those accents, the buttoned up propriety. Conversation becomes an art form because one’s real intentions lie in what is not said rather than what is plainly stated and that makes for some clever mind games. I’m more of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez follower rather than a Jane Austen fan, but the traditional romantic in me *swooned* and I felt all warm and fuzzy once the movie was done. Afterwards snowcovered sidewalks and light flakes met us as we exited the theater. I pulled my coat closer around me, looked up at the flakes falling from the sky and I couldn’t help but smile.

Tomorrow...fun’s over. Hittin’ the road to Oshkosh and Greencastle.
Everyone’s going back. :(

My Contribution For Thanksgiving

Hopefully it will look something like the above. With Martha Stewart's guidance, I am confident the baking magic will come back to me.
Recipe here.

In other Thanksgiving related matters, I'm most likely going to pass on the Black Friday specials but checking out http://www.bfads.net may not be a bad idea if you are willing to brave the crowds.

I Was Always a Quirky One

I used to love doing that on our chairs in the living room. Even back then I had a thing for the color red and I always felt extra sassy with my red tights on. Hehe, yeah had too much fun going through old family pics today...I'm determined to dig up some more of my favorites from the oldies vault soon. However the pics from ages 10-15 will be mercifully absent in an attempt to forget the "awkward" years. I can't believe my mother let me out of the house looking the way I did. Thank God I grew into my teeth. :)

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In years past, Thanksgiving didn't rank too high on my list of favorite holidays. Turkey, the usual family parties, all of it seemed so routine and un-special. But this year I've changed my ways. With my family now all over the place, it's become such a rare thing to have us all together, much less for four straight days. So this weekend is gonna be extra nice for me with everyone coming back into Chicago. I spent a long while looking at old pictures in the family album tonite and I have to say, I miss my crazy mixed up family.

Three Things

3 Things That Made Me Happy This Weekend
-Harry Potter. It was that good.
-Hacker Pschorr Beer and Papa John's Jalapeno and Sausage pizza for 3 meals. Sounds kinda gross but I had a mad craving for it.
-Staying in Sunday afternoon and relaxing with a cup of cinnamon coffee
I brewed while watching food and travel shows.

3 Things That Irked Me
-93.9 playing Christmas music nonstop when it's not even Thanksgiving yet.
-Yahoo Music and Shop Etc. who keep sending me invoices for things I NEVER RECEIVED. Best quote from Shop Etc. "Please send payment immediately to ensure no interruption in magazine delivery" Well, there's nothing to interrupt because I haven't received a damn issue and I don't want to either.
-Flickr pervs who add every girl possible to their contact list so that when these unsuspecting girls check out the perv's page it's him fuggin'
nekkid. Yuck.

3 Things I Have Procrastinated On For Too Long that I Finally Did
-Summing up the yearlong tab M and I have been racking up.
-Tackling the 4 inch thick pile of reports I had to finish for work.
-Doing research on Chicago area grad schools.

3 Additions to the Bookshelf
-PostSecret : Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren.
-Found: The Best Lost, Tossed, and Forgotten Items from Around the World by Davy Rothbart.
-Photobooth by Babbette Hines.

And Finally 3 Things I'm Looking Forward To
-The sis coming home.
-A three day work week.
-This year finally having Thanksgiving with just the family at home.

Feelin cozy...

National Geographic...of course!

Last weekend I picked up National Geographic's 100 Best Pictures: Collector's Edition Volume 1. On the cover is that well recognized picture of the young Afghan girl with the piercing green eyes. To this day that image still compels me in a way that leaves me feeling slightly...uncomfortable... Hard to describe but it's all in the eyes, that vulnerable defiance.

As a kid, I would spend a large portion of my library time in grade school going through old issues of National Geographic. Page after delicious page was a story played out in lush imagery. In one issue I could travel the globe from my desk and I promised myself that when I grew up I was going to see these things with my own eyes. NG played a huge part in giving me the travel and photography bug and now that I am older I've started my own globetrekking. If I could have one ounce of the creativity their staff writers and photogs possess... Being one of those lucky individuals is still my dream job. :)

See what I'm talking about and pick up the issue and also check out NG's Photography page. Photo news, galleries, wallpapers, gear help and of course images you won't soon forget.

Cross Your Fingers

I was in line at Popeyes today to pick up chicken for my dad when the guy after me in line says "I'll take the Managers Special but can you cook it twice for me?"
The heck? Never heard of that one. Perhaps it's not oily enough fried only one time. :/
---
Time to make some changes. Well, it's been time for a while now as everyone and their momma knows. Mich and Kev will be happy to hear that the job search has earnestly begun. Finally hit the wall this week. It's going to take a long while to land another job but at least it's a start. Like I told her, jobhunting sucks but working at S*** L** sucks even more. I will gladly give up my 40% discount on Coach handbags if I could have a happy workplace. Also on the to-do list: checking out schools. Another degree? That option doesn't sound so out of reach anymore. Hehe wish me luck - maybe one of these days I'll figure out what to do with my life...
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Countdown to Pepito's return: 7 LONG days. :(

A Few of My Favorite Things...

-Faced with a munchie dilemma at work, I made my way to the cafeteria vending machine. Cheetos or chips, hmmmm. Then I spot this:


Blair's Death Rain XXX Hot Habanero Kettle Cooked Potato Chips.
MY GOD THESE CHIPS ARE HOT. I love hot foods but from the first chip my upper lip in was a sweat. Definitely beats Kruncher's Jalapeno Chips in the heat race.

-Hersch, author of one of my fave blogs, All Things Chill gives the heads up on the $10 Holiday Sale going on at Threadless. Yay cool (and CHEAP)
t-shirts! Make your picks soon before they sell out. Me likes this design, Release by Dan Gilbert:



- And I picked this up over the weekend:


Bobbi Brown's limited edition Tube Tints. Makes a sweet little Christmas present for any girlie in your life. These shades work on anyone and don't worry guys, you can just pick them up and check out, no confrontations with make-up ladies at the cosmetics counter. :)

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(Not-so) hellish work update. Sooo if I talked you over the weekend, you'll remember how I shot up out of my sleep Saturday after remembering that I totally forgot to send a mucho importante package for work. Almost ruined the weekend because I was so damn worried about what the boss would say. Even the soju enhanced karaoke fest for The Wongers and Kaizen's birthday couldn't make me forget I dropped the ball on this one. I was bracing myself for verbal ass kicking today but...she actually took it quite well. *Phew.* Crisis averted...for now at least.

I Don't Want To Go To Work Tomorrow

I'm baaaaack! Woot-woot!

And...I'm pretty wiped out right now so this will be a quick one. Dang that two hour time difference - I got used to going to bed at 5am and waking up at noon Chicago time. California was AWESOME. Just had to say all of you going soon will have great weather and I'm sure great times. :)
More "stuff" to follow.

Away Message

Off to San Francisco for a few days. It'll be nice to get a way for a while and catch up with an old friend. Probably will not have much computer time soooo things will be even quieter around here and flickrland for a bit. The pic below was taken with my first ever digi-cam when I visited San Fran a few years back, a 1.x mp Cybershot. Hehe now-a-days you can get cell phones with better photo resolution.

See ya laters! I'm out.

"keeping up the fight"

And that's what online magazine Revol does so well. My choice for this week's photo/imagery pit-stop is chock full of all sorts of creative eye candy guaranteed to keep you waiting anxiously for the next issue. This joint venture by brother-sister team Dante and Debbie Carlos (Debbie resides in Chicago) currently has six issues up for your perusal in which you'll find amazing illustrations, graphics, photos and other visual goodies. You gotta check it out - VERY good stuff in there.

Boo!

Too many caramel apples consumed today...

and 100 Grands...

and Snickers...

and Peanut M&M's...

"Fun Size" my ass...I can hardly type this 'cause my hands are shaking so hard. Parents are in for a surprise when their children really do transform into demons with all the sugar that's going to be consumed.

Favorite new candy: Mint Kit-Kats.
Why did you have to bring this into my life, M?!!
Hmmmm...I could really go for one of those right now...

Ah, Weddings...

Weddings. In some strange way I still can't believe we're old enough to get married. It's probably because the groupies have all known each other since high school so that's how we see each other - the same old kids we were back then. Some peeps we don't see too much of anymore so weddings have become the place to catch up on everything. Time really does fly by so fast. The now Mrs. Bahk was gorgeous in her dress and the now Mrs. Mathew is 7 months along. Crazy! One surprising thing...the music was actually really good. Turns out the dj spins downtown in clubs. I knew once he broke out The Percolator it was over for me. He went all the way back to school dances in the gym with that one. All that was missing was that nifty Tetris mix and I would have been complete. Me and my weakness for 90's music...It was a very good night...

Another Day, Another Concert

This time it was the Black Eyed Peas and Gwen Stefani at the Allstate Arena. Since this week pretty much sucked ass I wasn't as up for this as much as I usually am for concerts. But once I heard the music I got totally pumped! Turned out to be the best way to put an end to the week. The BEP set was too short though - 45 mins! Last time I heard them at HOB they played a nice long set and I was at the front of the stage highfive-ing them all during the concert. It was nice :) Pics, of course, are up at flickr.

Conversation With a Southsider

Me: Hey Iz, what's going on?
Iz (with big cheesy Izzy smile): Sox won you know.

Me: Yes I know.
Iz: The best part is we got it first before those sorry ass cubs.

Me: Yeah I bet they feel salty. But whatever...tomorrow's Friday. I've had a crappy week.
Iz: You know what? It's ok because the Sox won. Don't worry about it - EVERYTHING will be great because the Sox won. It's gonna be good for a whole year because the Sox won. We're the fucking world champions!

Me: Oh yeah? That good huh?
Iz: OH yeah...

Me: I knew this would make you happy.

Venting

Mother-f! So ANGRY today!
Mad, mad, MAD!!!
It's the effing end of the day and I'm still super pissed.

I work insane hours at work...I get yelled at.
I've been doing the work of 2-3 people for the past year...I get yelled at.
Some other department fucks up...I get yelled at.
I bother to think for myself...I get yelled at.

Wtf? So SICK of this.

Mmm, Mmm, Mmm

Pictured here is the Black Bean and Rice Burrito entree along with what might be either Beef Pot Roast with Vegetables, Ham & Shrimp Jumbalaya, Pork Chow Mein or Chicken Tettrazini.

Never seen them before? It's because it's for the military. From the website:"All are fresh and will store a minumum of 5-7 years. No cooking is required and no water needs to be added. These are fresh meals direct from the factory".

Good grief can you imagine what this tastes like? We talked about these meals briefly today at a seminar I had to go to for work. Apparently the Holy Grail of military food developers is making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that will be good for THREE years. Hmmm... :/

Think About It

Photography followers may already be familiar with The Thought Project but if you haven't heard of this site, it's well worth a visit, especially if you like portraiture. Simon Hoegsberg randomly stopped people on the street, asked them to share their thoughts, then snapped their picture.

Interesting concept. Candid insight. And of course, great pics.

Another Weekend Bites the Dust

Busy busy - I can't believe it's almost November! Didn't summer end a second ago? Autumn is firmly in place now and this weekend, me and the groupies took advantage of it.

Friday: Robie House Secrets and Shadows tour. The Robie House is a great example of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and with Halloween coming up they're giving tours at night. Kinda gives the house a spookier feel and you get the usual stories about previous residents. You also get to see the servant's quarters which usually isn't included in the daytime tours and some snacks at the end but the $16 price tag is a little steep in my opinion. After, dinner at Medici's and watching bootleg 40 Year Old Virgin at Rocky's (btw, what was up with the neighbor?). Frickin' hilarious movie made even funnier with the occasional random head bobbing up.

Saturday: Back to the alma mater for some Homecoming fun. U of I vs. Penn State. Dude we got CREAMED. It was god-awful to watch. Not kidding. We left after halftime when the score was 56-3!!! No joke. The final score was a pitiful 6063-10 and I think that last touchdown was a mercy touchdown. Mich and Xin can attest to the radio announcer saying "Even the victors want to finish up and go home already". Ouch.

U of I's so different! So much has changed in 4 years...Digital schedules on the bus stops. Timers at street intersections. Potbelly's, Starbucks, and more chains on Green Street. No Asiana! Revamped bowling area at the Union which now includes a lounge with friggin' DDR. Pool Hall is now a Relaxation Room where students can stop in for massages. What the? And all these new buildings...the list goes on and on...I'm all for progress but I miss Record Town, that poster store on Green St and some of my other old hangouts. Good trip overall though, and I had the much craved for dumpling soup waiting for me at Seven Treasures when we got back.

Sunday: Daylong roadtrip to Greencastle to bring the sister back to school. Blah. So yes, I'm pooped out right now - I think it's time to turn in. Hope y'all had a good weekend!