General Updates & Stress

So I've been "hella-busy" sort of overall to the extent that I'm not meeting my quotas. Those that have known me for a while know about my "36 Hour Rule". Anyway, It's been too long, despite traveling and I'll try to make up for lost time here.

Disneyland- couldn't find the camera. Has this place always been a white-trash Mecca? I don't really remember it all that well in the past. We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel, and I'm a sucker for all the Arts and Crafts style design and Mission Style furniture. Nice enough place, but I have no idea why the Monorail goes through it, but doesn't stop in it. What really amazed me about the trip were the number of people who have that kind of money to spend. I mean seriously, the hotel room was like $575 a night, and it seemed pretty full. Nothing in the park is reasonably priced, and it all has Disney shit all over it to boot. The eateries are pricey too- one joint had $40 entrees. Sorry, I'm not eating at a $40 entree place next to the guy in the Mickey ears and the see-through t-shirt with hot rods on it. People there are throwing down some serious cash, and they all seem to fit the "Ugly American" model. Noisy, careless and vulgar (and not vulgar in a good way). So, I went in not expecting much, and that's what I got. It was interesting to see how polluted southern California is these days. I have no idea why in the hell anyone would want to live there. Schmoopie was coughing a lot there. I had brown boogers.



Traveling to and fro was interesting. On the way there, we apparently flew with Bette Midler (well, not "with" her... She was in 1st class and we were in baggage class). The TSA dipshits have to get up my butt every time because I travel with a CPAP machine, and you know- you could throw it at someone and hurt them. On the way back I saw Kareen Abdul-Jabbar at the John Wayne Airport and he wasn't looking too happy. I don't think I was staring (I'm kind of neurotic about not staring at people, and tend to take it too far, and avoid eye contact), but I did make eye contact with him and he had that defeated look in his eye that airports can give, and I smiled at him, and he mustered a smile back. Hopefully he got where he wanted to go. Then the TSA folks were up my butt again, and we're joking with me, and I said "I thought we weren't supposed to joke around with you all anymore" and they gave me the "Whatever" look. In the end, it was Schmoopie who threw me under the bus by sneaking a 4 oz. sunscreen in my bag, when the limit is 3.5 oz. She must me sick of me and looking to get me sent up the river. Maybe I could get conjugal visits...



We all were exposed to some seriously sick people too- my mother and a friend of hers apparently have ebola or some damned thing. The friend has violent stomach action and pneumonia, and mom has inflamed kidneys and the stomach thing. Knock wood none of us come down with that shit.

So for all of this I took a couple of vacation days. What a damned double edged sword that became. I returned to work two+ days behind schedule and have been in "perma-scramble" mode ever since. What's more, I just completed some big assed deal that required some follow up attention (Exchange 2007 rollout, for the nerds in teh crowd), and apparently made it look too easy, as no one sees it as much of an accomplishment. So, cleaning up loose ends there, and trying to catch up is enough, but no- throw more in the mix. While I was away we hired a new Veep. He needs things that we don't have, like a computer and phone, and I'm way far away being nearly cavity searched by mouth-breathers with an airport badge. And how much advanced notice was I given to procure said items? None. (In the voice of Bullwinkle) "Hey Rocky, watch my pull a lappy out of my ass!" All of this has led to sleep deprivation, and that has consequences all its own.



So today I have a meeting with the boss, where I try to explain that I have not made progress on most of my outstanding tasks, and he seemed surprised and asked why. Two days off and two more of fire drills didn't seem to register. I don't think he has a clear window on my world right now. And his wife called me for help because her laptop at home was not connecting to her home wireless network. *sigh*

Oh, and $512 dollars later in dog boarding, the dogs got sick. Oh, and my mother bought Z. a figurine from the movie "Cars" of the tow truck that plays quotes from Larry The Cable Guy. Oh. Dear. Fucking. Lord. I'm having those thoughts about emigrating again. Need to remember to get passports for the family.