I Think Of You Often

There are many days where I think of taking the time to sit down and write a blog post and I don't know why I don't just do it.  Maybe I need something dramatic going on in my life or feeling like I'm on the edge of disaster to get me back to this place.  I cannot even say for sure if that is what has lead me back here today.  Regardless, I'm back...

Not much has changed in my life.  Work is still crazy.  My son is still moody.  I'm still fighting the battle of the bulge and am losing.  My man is still where he has been the last several years.  We remain as always hopeful and pray that this year is our year.  We shall see...soon.  We are set to see the board some time next week and it could be weeks before we find out our fate.  I guess at that time we just have to rely on faith.  I don't know what else we could rely on.

In an attempt to treat myself last Friday I left work early and took myself to see "Magic Mike."  It was a good movie.  Better than I anticipated.  Of course I could have used lots more scenes of Channing Tatum stripping, but who couldn't use that!!

At this very moment my house is dead silent...as my son obliterates other gamers on Call of Duty.  Just another Tuesday night in my world.

Happy Frickin' Monday Y'all

Today was day #1 where all of our staff was in the same area, together.  It wound up being a horrible day.  From start to finish.  It started bad when I realized that the munchkin failed to turn in his homework on Friday.  Blah!!

I was running late, which is my MO lately.  I had to get gas, which like cost $650 to fill up.  Not really, but close enough...  I finally got to work, but had to fight with a parking space.  Why can't people park straight?  Is it that difficult?

I spent the morning printing to a printer that has since disappeared since 4pm Friday afternoon.  Who does that?  Who removes a printer that you've just told us all to sign up and print too?!?  I was so angry, because now I have print-outs floating out there in the black-hole of our network of printers.  Aaarrrgggg...  It just felt like everything I did or touched today went to crap.

I spent the afternoon taking the dep of a Plaintiff who was beyond buzzed!  I think he kept falling asleep in between my questions and his answers.  It took everything for me not to bust out laughing.

The day finished up with my nephew being admitted to the hospital for a bad infection (ears) and dehydration.

...Happy Frickin' Monday Y'all...

A Screeching Halt

All of my cooking, motivation...everything came to a screeching halt last week.

First the munchkin wound up with strep throat and then late last week I wound up with a little nasty cold.  To say I'm behind the 8-ball now is an understatement.  I was suppose to write a case eval statement today, but that didn't happen.  Instead I took a wonderful 2 hour nap!

Of course I'll "pay" for my weekend all week, but that has not been enough to get me motivated to do anything tonight.  Honestly, I'm just bidding my time to get back in the bed.

How was your weekend?

It Is A Party Weekend!

This weekend was scheduled to be quite the party weekend.  Friday night was Chica's birthday party at a local bar & bowling ally.  I was so honored to be invited and put it in my calendar.  Last night was our 1st Quarter Team Party at the Big Guy (a/k/a the boss)'s house.

I had hoped that this weekend would be so eventful, especially since it is a 3 day holiday weekend.  This always leads me to develop some big plans of all the things I'm going to do and accomplish!  This list usually ends up much longer than time allows to accomplish.

But...Thursday night I could barely keep my eyes open while driving home during the start of a little snow storm from seeing my guy.  I'm sure the fact that I had been up since 3:30am had something to do with that.  Combine that continued tiredness and the fact that the snow storm was still going when the munchkin and I arrived home after Karate Friday night I opted out of attending Chica's Bar Birthday Party.  I felt bad, but by Friday night I'm exhausted y'all!!

Our team party was set to start at 3:00pm Saturday afternoon.  Of course I was an hour and a half late.  Opps!  As usual, I did not want to go, but had a great time once I was there and stayed over 2 hours longer than I had planned.  Yes, every time these plans and events come up I'm all like "I'm not doing this; this is the last one; etc." but in the end I am usually glad I have attended.

It may have been the alcohol I consumed at the party, but while it was still snowing (yes, the same little snow storm that had been going since Thursday night!) I saw a Kroger's and decided to do 98% of my grocery shopping at 10:30pm on my way home from the team party!  I do not know whether it was the hauling of the cases of Diet Coke or vegetables, but by the time I had everything hauled in my lower back was killing me...I blame this on the alcohol too.

After the necessaries were put in the refrigerator, I watched a little TV and then hauled myself to bed early this morning just so I could wake up 5 hours later unable to go back to sleep, which seems to be a pattern here of late, but that is a story for another post!

It Has Been A Long, Long Time~~Some Things Change, Some Things Stay The Same

I know it has been a while...a little over 3 months, but I thought I would try to make my way back. I had hoped that I would start blogging again on New Year's Day, but that didn't happen...opps!  A lot has been going on over here in my world.  So many things change and yet so many things remain the same!

There have been lots of changes with my family in the last couple of months...some for the good, some for the not so good.  Such is life...  More on that another day.

Work has gotten crazy.  I now have 370 files.  Yes, you read that correct....370 files.  50 of those are litigation files, 20 of them are what we call "subrogation" files but 7 of those I have filed suit on, and the remaining 30 I'm monitoring other attorneys and their work and serving as the "client".  To say that I am busy is an understatement!!

Being that busy at work has lead to severe stress, which has lead to tears on more than one occasion.  This may or may not have happened a few times in my office without witnesses, once with a witness, and once in my boss's office.  I know this isn't suppose to happen, but what is a girl to do when with less than 6 months into her practice she is given 370 files.  Seriously?!  I know...don't be such a girl.  Whatever!!

I'm trying my best to handle the work stress.  Some days are better than others...

So what's new in your life in the last 3+ months?!

The 10th Month Of The Year~~Welcome?!

Hello October!! I cannot believe it is already the 10th month of this year. It is sort of mind blowing, if you ask me! The summer went by so fast and here we are starting the last quarter of 2011...

I have conflicted feelings welcoming October... It is my birthday month and I love that fact, but I hate the idea of being just days away from that half way point to my 40's. Since I'm eager to get to November 7th when my co-worker returns from her maternity leave so she can take her files back. Of course she came to the office Thursday to wish her retiring secretary well and I announced to our team that upon her return to the office I would be getting knocked up as pay back and to get a full 12 weeks off. LOL But the idea that time is going so fast makes me sad that October is already here.

Regardless, I can't change the calendar and I guess I'll welcome October the best way I can. Which reminds me...I need to go and change our calendars! Opps!!

Hello?? Anybody Out There???

It has been quite some time since I've blogged, obviously. I've been so busy I feel like I barely have time to breathe, let alone do anything like draft a blog entry, write out bills, communicate with anyone, or do anything else I should be doing.

For the last 4 weeks I've been handling my own case load, which grows every single day, along with a co-worker's case load while she is off on maternity leave. The most suckiest thing about working someone else's files is not knowing anything about the damn case. And it isn't like I have the time to review her 107 files along with my 60+ files. Seriously people, what to expect of someone who has only been practicing 3 months?!? But I keep plugging along...what else can I do?!

Needless to say I've been exhausted over the last month or so and it probably doesn't help that I got knocked down with one heck of a sinus infection, which I believe I still have. This afternoon I made a deal with my boss just so I could leave early...I agreed to handle 2 of the new files assigned to our team if only I could leave right then. It seemed like a great deal at the time. Yes, I probably could have left then regardless, but this way I didn't have to hear shit about it! I considered it a win for me!

I won't say I plan to be blogging on a regular basis again, because that doesn't seem to work out for me, but if anybody is still out there reading this...please know I'm alive and think of blogging all the time...I just need more time to get to it.

We Will Call Him Bubba

While I was off studying for the bar at the beginning of the year my office hired a friend of mine from law school who graduated a semester before me and passed the bar last year. I was a little shocked because he did not seem the type of guy who would want to work where I worked. He is a nice guy, but never came off as a hard worker while we were in law school. When the two of us realized that he was going to be working there he was much more excited about the prospect of us working together.

Bubba started mid-March and started off on the wrong foot from day one. Of course for the first 3.5 months he worked there I was still a paralegal there, but now we are equals as attorneys and are even assigned to the same team.

Our office is always under the watchful eyes of our General Counsel and the powers that be in our company, but in the last 2 months we have been under the gun thanks to some bad press, so to speak. I've always been cautious about how I perform in my job, because I know how the politics work there and now that I'm an attorney there with the extra attention the office has received I'm even more aware of what I need to do and have became even more neurotic about my files.

As anyone knows, especially anyone who works in the legal field, defaults are huge and pretty damn scary. So the fact that Bubba has received about 5 in the last 4 months is just mind blowing to me! And the more things he misses or blows makes me even more on edge. So needless to say when I didn't go to lunch with him, other members of our team and others from the office yesterday because I had too much work to do sounded like a smart decision to me, because I had no desire to bring work home to do this weekend.

While I was talking to Bubba before he left for lunch I mentioned that if not for the munchkin I would probably be a workaholic. So needless to say I was shocked when Bubba told me I needed to not be so uptight about work and inquired if I had any hobbies!! Um, dude...maybe you need to get more uptight about work!

Maybe I shouldn't have been offended by his comment and question, but I was! Maybe I'm going about this whole being a new attorney thing wrong, but where we practice it is a small legal community and since I don't plan on being at my office forever I want a strong reputation out there.

And by the way Bubba, I do have a hobby, along with a kid, and a home to run.

Guess It Really Is Time To Become A Real Grown Up!

Three weeks ago tomorrow I started my first job as an attorney. Yes, even three weeks later, I'm still lost, confused, and scared to death. There really is a difference between playing attorney with your law school work and really being the one fully responsible for a real person's suit.

Of course my job is not in the area I long to work in, criminal defense, but it is still the defense side and it is a job. As we all know these days that is a big deal! Some day I will make that transition to the criminal area, but for now I'm getting my feet wet in the civil arena.

I guess this means that it is finally time I grow up and become a real adult. I'm not sure I'm ready for this part. You would think being 34 and a mom to a wonderful, although sometimes challenging, 9 year old munchkin that I would have already accomplished this, but I haven't. It feels totally different! Maybe it is also because now that I don't have the excuse of classes and homework I'm having to step up at home again too.

Both the munchkin and I are working through our adjustment period as I take a stronger lead at home (can you say "iron fist baby" because my son thinks that is how I rule!) and I adjust to being a real attorney. Some days are better than others. But we survive them all...together. So as long as I don't make any huge mistakes with the kid or get a default or blow that all famous statue of limitations we will make it as I work on this whole being a real grown up thing!

Of course it all scares the shit out of me every day!

Not Going As Planned, But I'm Taking It One Day At A Time

Since I haven't posted in over a week you can probably guess by now that my week did not go as planned last week. I actually made it through last Monday a little better than I thought I would... I didn't bum a smoke off from anyone, which is a huge surprise. I didn't stop and by any smokes or anything. I felt good about it all as I went to bed last Monday and prepared for the week ahead. Then Tuesday morning happened and life went to hell very quickly...

Last Tuesday morning I got up, got ready for work and in my final preparations of doing my hair I dropped a sheet of bobby pins, bent down to pick them up and then proceeded to brush my teeth. That is when I realized that I couldn't stand up straight. I had messed up my back, big time. Regardless I went to work. With the help of my aunt I got myself in the car with ice packs behind my back. Let me tell ya, going to work was not one of my brighter ideas.

Once I was at work I knew I was in trouble. I couldn't stand up, I couldn't walk. I couldn't move my legs without physically picking them up and moving them. I was in a bad way... Finally I left at 2pm and headed to the doctor who then sent me to the hospital for x-rays of my spine. By the time I got home after being twisted like a pretzel for my x-rays I wasn't sure if I could get out of the car and into the house. Going up my steps put me in more pain and by the time I was in the house I was sick to my stomach and in tears.

I spent the next several days in the bed, taking pain pills and muscle relaxers. I think by Saturday I was able to sit up for a few hours at a time and of course I had the family cookout planned for Sunday. Plus I needed to be ready to return to work today!

Sunday went off without a hitch. Or should I say not too big of a hitch...just a tornado warning at the end, which cleared everyone out of here in a jiffy! LOL Even though Monday was the actual holiday all I managed to accomplish was feeling sick as a dog and sore as could be. I still tried to take a moment to reflect and give thanks to those men and women who gave their lives for my freedom and I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!!

I returned to work today and requested...er...demanded that my doctor order PT for me, because I remain in pain. Hopefully the pain disappears very soon. One good thing about being in bed for almost a week...you remain smoke free, so tonight is night #8 of being smoke free. As for the rest...I'm just taking it one day at a time.

We All Deal With Stress Differently

It has definitely been one hell of a long week and it is almost over.

I did find out today that I'm not the only one feeling the stress at work, because after this morning's seminar and having lunch alone (Dani had to cancel due to work...boo-hiss!) I went to the office and within being there a half an hour I received an email from one of the other paralegals expressing that she was so stressed that she went downstairs to buy chocolate and almost busted out in tears in the elevator. Within minutes after getting that email the other paralegal barged into my office and started hitting her head up against a file, literally. Gosh and I thought I was stressed. I guess I can count my blessings because I'm not on the verge of tears or beating myself with a file, yet. Of course I could shank a few people so maybe I express my stress in a much different manner and would rather someone else feel my frustration rather than myself...

Just A Few Things To Toss Out There

Things are crazy at work right now for several reasons. But thanks to some of that craziness I had a very yummy lunch today and hopefully I will have an even better lunch tomorrow with Dani! Of course the location of where I was this afternoon and the same place I will be tomorrow, which yields me these yummy & fun lunches is a pain to get to and from. The expressway I would usually take is closed. So instead of my usual 45 minute commute on the expressway is much closer to an hour and a half on a side street...

The drive wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't raining, again. I've had it with this weather. It has rained so much that even on the days it doesn't rain there are puddles of water every where you go. The munchkin's soccer games and practice keeps getting canceled because the fields are too wet and too dangerous to be on. Why is it mother nature can't get it right? Spread the rain out to areas that need it instead of keeping it in the same place?!? Is it really that hard? Seriously?

Now with a killer headache, a crabby munchkin, and a bit of an upset stomach I'm calling it a night...

Not Much Has Changed

Just because I've been sworn in not much has changed in my life. For instance, I had 3 things I wanted to accomplish this weekend and as it comes to a close I must report that I did not get any of it done.

It was quite a whirl-wind of a weekend. After Friday night ended and Saturday came about my weekend became all about the munchkin. First we went to karate and then originally we had soccer practice scheduled; however, the coach had to cancel due to a family illness. Instead we ran errands the majority of the afternoon. This included the grocery store, the pharmacy, the dry cleaners, the bank, the gas station, and even the doctor's office for my allergy shot. Then today it was a trip to the roller rink so the munchkin could burn off some energy!

Now it is time for bed as the munchkin's spring break ends and he returns to school tomorrow and I return to work as a sworn in attorney still working as a paralegal!

I'm hopeful that this week is a very productive week...

It Is Official

Today has been an exciting day!! First I woke up really early this morning to catch some of The Royal Wedding. Did you watch? I thought it was beautiful and romantic and definitely at the level of a storybook fairy tail. I just adore both Duke & Duchess William & Kate! Even though I was up before the crack of dawn I was still a little late to work. Opps. I place the blame on the Royal Family. Ha!

For the first time this week I actually got a little work done today, but 20 minutes before I was scheduled to leave the big boss man came by and told me to leave so I could get ready for my swearing in. He didn't have to tell me twice. I closed up shop, called my boss and told her that her boss' boss told me I could go, and hit the road.

I got home and discovered my son was in a horrible mood and considered canceling my ceremony, but luckily he shaped up by the time we entered the courtroom. And within minutes with only one slip up I was officially sworn into the State Bar!! I was so nervous and very happy that it was finally done! So now it is official...I'm a real attorney! And through it all I was reminded of how great a life I really do have! I'm surrounded by the most loving and wonderful friends and families and am so grateful for each and everyone of them even if they do drive me crazy from time to time.

After the ceremony I definitely had a few drinks and by the time I got back in the car and looked in the mirror I realized that my eye makeup was practically half-way down my face. This is usually a sign that I've had a few drinks. Apparently the alcohol makes my mascara and eyeliner runny!! Now I'm home, exhausted and doing laundry. How quickly everything goes back to normal.

Where Is The Time Going Now?!?

Wow! I don't know if I've ever went so long without blogging. My bad. My apologies too! Hopefully it won't be so long between posts in the future...

The last two weeks have been crazy busy and last week and this week I've been sick. Again. I'm trying to do extra things with the munchkin while all of us get a new schedule established. It is definitely difficult thus far and we haven't really hit our stride yet, but each day gets better. Now if I could just work trips to the gym, healthy eating, and some extra hours into the day life would be grand!!

I have to confess that I really thought I would have all of this time on my hands once school and studying was done, but that hasn't been the case. Between work, home, cubscouts, munchkin's school activities/homework, karate, my man, and family I'm finding that I have less time now then when I was going to school. What's up with that?! How does everyone else seem to get it all done?

Experiencing A Fog Delay

I know you have heard this before, because I know I've said it many times here. I need to get my life together.

I went back to work this past week and it was brutal. The place is in turmoil, which is actually pretty normal. Everyone is angry and since I've been unexplainably irritable and pissy since the bar I really fit in. I received some unexpected news that it appears that work has apparently filled all of the recently vacant attorney spots and none have been reserved for me. It felt like I was caught in a horrible practical joke. I would recommend anyone coming off the stress we all just faced not to return to work the Monday following the bar to work a full week. Go back Wednesday for a short week. Trust me. You will thank me for this advice one day.

Sunday night I tweeted that I was going to attempt to quit smoking Monday. I have not succeeded in this goal, but I've certainly cut down loads, which is a huge thing for me. I may have been more successful if I was just dealing with my return to work this week, but that was not the case. Wednesday night I learned that a dear old friend of mine passed this week, which has been a huge emotional stressor in my life. In addition to this loss, Thursday my fears were confirmed that my work had screwed me by hiring 4 new attorneys without holding one back two months to wait for my bar results. We've actually had 5 attorneys either leave or are in the midst of leaving the end of March, so I had a glimmer of hope when originally it was known that they hired 3 new attorneys but Thursday we were informed they had hired 4 and that all positions were filled. Maybe they are holding one back and not letting anyone know, including me, but there is also a chance that they are not filling that last vacancy. Needless to say this has not helped my anger problem that I've had for over a week now and it has not helped my apparent post-bar blues. Nor has it helped me quit smoking this week...

Add to this rolling ball of crap I like to call my life the fact that mother nature arrived on time this month. Go figure. So not only am I having uncontrollable bouts of anger and depression add a basket full of emotions with a side of flowing tears and it has just been a ball over here.

This all leads to the fact that I have to get my life together. So regardless if I passed or failed the bar, I can't just keep going through each day in this continued fog state with an emotional laden basket full of anger, depression, and tears. In order to do this I need to take baby steps. My initial baby steps are: doing laundry, picking up the house, going grocery shopping for healthy choices, and taking the munchkin to the movies.

This Would Be Why I'm Eating Chips & Dips Tonight...

So last night as I was going to bed I realized that my toilet has sprung a leak. This after I listened to my washer make a weird noise all day. Just great!!

Of course this would happen! I haven't worked or gotten a paycheck in over a month. Due to my wonderful work screwing me on not being able to take out my 401K and the IRS making it impossible to file my taxes until mid-February, even if I had my W-2's which I of course I don't~thanks again work!~, I'm totally living...er mooching off my aunt!! I've taken her last 2 checks from her, she's paid my two credit card bills and likely will pay my cellphone/internet bill, and all I have left in my checking account is $150.

Now I get to call two different repair people tomorrow and try to mooch off my other aunt and uncle. FML!

Consider it done: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Just getting started: 17, 18

Needs attention: 10, 11

Flabbergasted

I am flabbergasted. I'm just in complete and total shock still... This post will certify that I am a judgmental bitch, but I've always known this so here goes...

Scenario #1) My bro & his family...

After seeing my guy tonight and finishing my Christmas shopping I picked up today's mail. In it was our Christmas card from the bro's family. I opened it up and was shocked when I saw wedding pictures from their fake wedding back in June. WTF?!?

Um...hello?! Let it go already. First of all you've been sending Christmas cards out for 3 years as a married couple, have been legally married for over a year and your fake wedding was over 6 months ago. Can you say tacky?!?

Scenario #2) My friend Faye...

I've spoken of her before and some of the situations that I've witnessed from her. A little over a week ago she BBM'd me to tell me how her car was repo'd and how she had closed her door to her boyfriend because he had cussed at her 5 y.o. daughter while screaming at her. So when she told me tonight that she was going to the boyfriend's dad's house for Christmas day while her two kids spent it with her ex-in-laws I assumed that their dad was going to be in town for the day. Needless to say I was flabbergasted when she revealed that she didn't know whether her ex-husband (the kids' dad) was going to be in town or not. Double--WTF?!?

Um...hello, again?!? You are letting your kids go to their grandparents for Christmas day without you?! And possibly without their dad too? Any other day of the year...okay. But Christmas Day?!? WTF?

All I could think when she told me this was all of the parents who cannot spend the day with their kids either due to a custody arrangement/agreement or for some other reason...always not by choice...and who would do anything to spend Christmas Day with their kids. And here she is choosing to go be with the boyfriend who she was ready to be totally done with 8 days ago instead of her kids.

I'm sorry...I don't get it. I spend hours in agony over the hours and days I have to sacrifice with my son to work, go to school, and now to study for the bar. I question whether I'm making good choices when it comes to my son, but I would never give the next two days up with my munchkin for anything. I sure as hell wouldn't have voluntarily done it to spend time with a penis who yelled the "f" word at my child eight days prior....

So yes...I am a judgmental bitch. I think my bro & s.i.l. are tacky beyond words and I think my friend is making parenting decisions that qualify as bad mothering....... Don't get me wrong. I am not perfect and I make bad choices all the time, but seriously people!! WTF?!?

Consider it done: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 25, 31, 33, 36, 40

Just getting started: 2, 12, 13, 18, 19, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 37, 38, 41, 42

Needs attention: 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 35, 39

This Wasn't Suppose To Go Down Like This

I would like to assure everyone that I am still alive.

I've accomplished nothing in the last 7 days other than finishing my externship, finishing work, starting my leave of absence, and being sick. It all started Monday night after dinner with my friends. On my way home I couldn't stop coughing. I had hoped that it was just my sinuses and my lack of my allergy pill, but I knew. Each mile I drove home, getting closer to home, I knew... And I knew it wasn't going to be pretty either...

This week of all weeks was not the time to get sick. The only other time that it could have been a worse week to get sick is the week I take The Bar. So I guess now is better than then. Even with my horribly nasty head cold I had to push through and show up every single day so I could finish my externship and finish my time at work before my leave started today. So I spent this week going in as needed, working late, coming home, eating chicken noodle soup, taking a shot of nyquil and sleeping. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less...

If you thought I had a lot to do last week, you would probably cry (like I want to) if you saw the pile of stuff and the long list I have that needs to be accomplished this week...especially when I was hoping to just have the necessary things to do, live & study! Opps...

My Friday To-Do List:

1. Start studying for the bar

2. Set up my study schedule/calendar

3. Drop off my final time sheet at my Externship

4. Pick up my book of 9's & 10's at school

5. Write out my shopping list

6. Go shopping

7. Plan Christmas Eve & Christmas Dinner

8. Pick up the house

9. Go & see my guy

10. Do laundry

11. Write my Externship paper

12. Write out my bills

13. Balance my checkbook

14. Drop off my dry cleaning

15. Pick up my dry cleaning

16. Get my allergy shot

17. File my papers

18. Go through my papers that have piled up for a few weeks now

19. Write my guy

20. Update my December budget

21. Write my "bitch" letter about some issues at my guy's facility

22. Work on my guy's next PB hearing letter

23. Write a follow-up letter about my guy's classes

24. Make some calls on my guy's behalf

25. Pick up the munchkin's pictures

26. Workout

27. Finish cleaning out our drawers and closets

28. Catch up on my emails

29. Catch up on my blog reading

30. Catch up on my TIVO backlog

31. Get my car looked at for the squealing sound it is making

32. Finish my thank you notes

33. Finish Christmas shopping

34. Write out our Christmas cards

35. Update my calendar

36. Get over my cold with some serious sleep

37. Get re-motivated

38. Get re-focused for next week

39. Re-commit to my healthy living

40. Plan out my week

41. Get organized

42. Definitely get my shit together!!

The Annual Work Christmas Bash

It is that time again folks! Time for our annual Christmas or Holiday Party at work. The last few years I've been able to get out of it, because it always fell during finals; however, this year was different. Not only did I have no finals happening this year around today, I also had an added incentive to attend...the party is in the restaurant in our building and work paid for us to park in the building. Who am I to turn down free parking that costs $17.50?! So yes, I paid my $10 to attend the party, eat munchies, and get free parking inside!!

I may call this a bash, but folks it is anything but a bash... It is actually pretty boring. Tonight sort of sucked since the place didn't have the ingredients to make my tootsie roll. Who doesn't have kahlua at a bar?!? Seriously people! The food was okay. Nothing great, nothing horrible. The room was choppy. The people were stuffy. You know...the usual affair. I had planned on leaving much earlier than I did. I apparently have a need to be one of the last people to leave. It must be my need for inter-office gossip...

Consider it done: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 40

Just getting started: 5, 10, 11, 12, 15, 20, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39

Needs attention: 6, 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 38