Pondering Office Depot's Expectation Setting

As I mentioned in the earlier post, my Mom and I went to Office Depot in search of laptops. They had quite a few specials we wanted to consider. Well, of course they were all sold out, but what really got me was the fact they had someone up at the front of the store collecting names and phone numbers of those individuals that were interested in getting the $397 HP laptop.

Of course I had to inquire as to what they were doing with the list. And what was I told? "well, we are already sold out, but other stores might have them and we are going to call around to try and get some more."

I about died. Seriously. It really got me that they were taking names. They would not even tell you when or if you would be able to get one. Fortunately I work in retail and consider myself a savvy and educated shopper, but so many people are clueless. They could easily be thinking that because they are on the list they will get one.

I just can't imagine who thought that was a good idea, or who told someone to do that. Go figure.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A Stuft Turkey

Thanksgiving 2008 has now come and gone. I had a really nice time
visiting with Mom & Dad, but it wasn't the same. I mean seriously,
somehow we missed having macaroni and cheese! If only it was that
easy.

My Dad's mom and his brother Rich came to eat with us, and we
certainly had plenty of food. Mom and I did some trial and error sort
of cooking with the cranberry salad and dressing that Grandma Alston
always made. When it was said and done with though, we got it pretty
close to right and I learned more about how to make the dishes along
the way. I almost lost it one time - right before we ate. I asked
Grandma Johnson to bless the food but she wouldn't. Mom ended up doing
it. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it without crying. Somehow I
managed to hold the tears back. Its amazing how the little things
catch you sometimes. Like in orchestra rehearsal last week - the
strings play a rendition of White Christmas that does not have a wind
part, so we just get to sit back and relax. Its a great break for my
chops, but it lets my mind wander and I was having to do a good acting
job of having something in my eye as I wiped away the tears.

With Christmas only 24 days away now I feel apprehensive about the
holiday and what it will be like this year. Uncle Chuck is suppose to
come visit, so I guess that will be something normal about the
holiday. That is generally the one time a year he makes it our
direction.

Mom and I braved the crowds Friday morning. We had our eyes on laptops
at Office Depot, but of course they were all done. Target was next on
the list. We ran into a friend of ours and stood talking for an hour I
think. But, we did get a bit of shopping done. Fitting everything in
the car on the way home was an interesting trick. I think the
highlight of Friday was French toast sticks at Shoney's. Uber tasty.

Saturday was nothing other than a disappointment in general, it was
rainy and the gamecocks lost. They didn't really even show up to the
play at all. Big bummer there. I really thought we should have won
that game. I was also a little sad about having to hit the road back
to Charlotte. Sitting around and playing Guitar Hero with Mom was much
more fun that returning home to an empty apartment and the promise of
the office bright and early on Monday morning (although today it was
raining still so it was a dreary and wet return to the office). That
evening I met up with a friend downtown to have a few drinks and watch
football, then I went on over to Tiki Beach and hung with Matt, Shawn,
and the rest. It was a good time. Too bad I can't say the same for
Sunday.

I woke up around 9:30 - was sort of milling about and then realized I
didn't really feel too well. I knew I had been drinking on an empty
stomach the night before (wasn't hungry considering I was a "stuft
turkey" from an entire weekend of gorging myself at the parent's
house). 7 hours later and at least 5 trips to the restroom my stomach
finally settled down. Oh, the joys of a day spent in the bed and on
the bathroom floor. Even this morning I still feel a little queasy,
but now it is becoming the battle of hunger vs. being ill. I can't
really differentiate the two. Sunday was made even worse by the fact
that A) I was so cruddy feeling I didn't get to watch much of the
packers game, and B) we lost to the Panthers. Again, I really thought
we should have one that game. From what I did catch of the game it
seemed as if the Packers at least showed up to play, which is more
than the cocks did Saturday. We would have won if Delhome wouldn't
have completed a bomb pass down to Steve smith in the 4th quarter.
DeAngelo Williams did put up a big 38.60 on my fantasy team though.
Can't complain about that. This week's match-up (against my dad) is
already wrapped up. I have 153.54 and he has 132.82. I still have
Andre Johnson and Maurice J-D left to play tonight too. Securely in
second place for the playoff I have a bye next week - and then I just
gotta hope my boys keep it up. Scot is going to be 12-0 going into it
and has scores 1890 pts this season while I only have 1796. Just gotta
keep my fingers crossed.

Well, another lunch break wasted. I've been working on eating Wild
Mushroom Bisque. I think it is going to stay down.

So long for now.

Kitty Khronicles: Week 3/4

Week 3 brought the introduction of the laser pointer. He also started
running "laps" if you will. Every cat I have had has loved laser
pointers, and Sebastian is no different. He gets going up and down the
hall at lightening pace. Separate from the laser pointer though - he
has taken to staring in the laundry room and running the u-shaped
pattern that is the apartment. As he makes the turn through the dining
room he sort of roars/hollers/or something. I must say, it is quite
amusing. He keeps himself very well entertained most of the time. I
love watching him prance around the apartment carrying a toy mouse by
the tail.

I feel a little bad sometimes, because from an everyday perspective I
find myself only telling stories about he attacks me, or jumps up in
my lap while I am drinking a bottle of juice and then it shoots out of
the bottle and gets all over the place. But, really - he is a very
good cat.

In general I can say that Sebastian is doing well, and he survived the
three hour car ride to Florence and back for Thanksgiving. In fact, he
was no trouble at all. He went right into the carrier and slept
peacefully the entire way. Did not make a single peep. :-) While in
Florence he quickly made himself at home and was thoroughly intrigued
by the wire cat toy that my parents have. I think my grandma got it
back when I was in middle school or something and we have had it ever
since. It is nothing more than a wire about 2.5 feet long that has
cardboard rolls at either end and then it is threaded with 5 - 7 more
rolls that move up and down the wire. The tension of the wire really
makes it seem like a bug flying around or something. He loved when we
would hold it and play with it, but he also was perfectly content
playing by himself.

Ahh, and speaking of playing - he played guitar hero with mom too. She
was sitting in the recliner and he kept jumping up and putting his
paws on the guitar, sometimes even working the whammy bar for her - it
was quite amusing.

I was a little worried about how he would adjust to coming back home
after the 4 days in Florence - but it was a breeze. He went right to
the turbo scratcher and then hollered for some food. Sunday was an
interesting day though. I woke up and had some sort of stomach bug
that had me hugging the porcelain throne most of the day. He was
actually quite sweet and just laid on the bed most of the time, not
bothering me. I guess it was about 6:30 when I finally got to the
point I was going to eat something. Coke and saltines seemed like it
was the best bet. Since the crackers were in a plastic sleeve he
wanted to play because of the sound it made - but we got over that
after one swat on the fanny. Then he just kept wanting to sit on my
chest - which made it difficult to eat and drink. I had just put a
cracker in my mouth when he hopped up on my chest again. In mid-chew
and holding the crackers with my lips, trying to tell him to get down,
and then taking both hands to move him - the little bugger stole the
cracker right out of my mouth. I couldn't believe it. Once he got hold
of it there was no me moving him cause he darted away and I heard him
snacking on it down under the bed. Completely blew my mind with that
one. Little thief.

This week I am going to start working on making Christmas cards. That
should be very interesting considering it involved stamping, etc. I
have a feeling he is going to end up with silver ink on him somewhere.
This weekend I am looking forward to how he will react to the
Christmas tree. Should be interesting to say the least. Or, he could
surprise me - who knows.

Snooty Wafflehump

My mom brightened my day with this forward earlier. Her Subject line
was "Boobie Potty-Shorts" The idea was that you followed the
instructions and then sent back to the person that sent it to you and
forwarded to your entire address book with your new "name" as the
subject line. I prefer blogging. Feel free to comment back with your
new name.

As I understand, this is an excerpt from a children's book, Captain
Underpants And the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants, by Dave Pilkey,
in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...

So:-

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your New first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your surname to determine the first half
of your new last name:

a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdl e

3. Use the third letter of your surname to determine the second half
of your new last name:

a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

And remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day; adults
laugh an average of 4 times a day.

Its Only Tuesday

But I should rejoice because I guess that means tomorrow is like
Thursday, and at least I am fortunate enough to be able to say that.
However, considering I am in a "Its Only Tuesday" sort of mood, the
idea of being here until 6:00 today is less than comforting.

The day has been so long I seriously just had someone ask me, "So,
what did you do last night?" And after I responded they went, "Oh
yeah, you told me this morning." The day has been that long.

I attribute the excessive lengthiness of the day to one of my most
favorite 5-syllable words...

T R A C E A B I L I T Y

Isn't it beautiful?

I shall take solace in a wine tasting and dinner plans with the guys
from our Agency. They are in town for what I imagine will be one of
the last times. It will be nice to visit and converse with them. I
have had the pleasure to talk with Sean several times, but rarely
Eric.

I also seem to be stupid hungry today. I think it started with me
getting a late start this morning (alarm didn't go off), thus I did
not really have breakfast. Just a glass of juice and a piece of toast
with apple butter. I have spoiled myself with protein in the morning.
It really does make a difference. I also missed out on coffee. My
sesame chicken lean cuisine lunch was less than filling and since then
I have probably eaten 10 peppermints, a 100 cal pack of reeces snacks,
and a 100 cal pack of lays crackers. I want cheese and meat. I am
hungry.

Food - Bleh.

But, my M&P traceability matrix is to the BSD level - I need to finish
it. I can knock it out today, but I am being lazy...and this has only
managed to occupy 5 minutes.

Tick tock, Tick tock.

Kitty Khronicles: Week 2

King Sebastian had a pretty average week. The new comforter I got has
proven to of great interest to him though. He likes to randomly attack
it. I think it has to do with the sound it makes. (His eyes happen to
match the bedspread too - which is neat.) The new cotton is sort of
crunchy - I guess that is how to explain it. He also he likes to be
under the covers, which is really annoying - more often than not he is
kicked out of the room when it is time to go to bed.

The big find for the week was a laser pointer. I got it last night. I
was sort of annoyed with all of his playfulness and needed a way to
tire him out. Man - he goes, and goes, and goes...like a little
energizer kitty.

I also got a spray bottle to start deterring some behaviors. I don't
know how well it is going to work though. When I squirt him he stops
what he is doing, but just long enough to look around and see what the
deal is. Then he goes back to it. I am not sure he dislikes water so
much. Time will tell.

He really is a sweet cat though. More often than not he just wants to
be next to me, and is very good at napping on the sofa. If only we can
get bedtime straightened out..

A "Meh" Sort of Day

OK - the Coldplay concert Tuesday rocked (more will come on that
later). Problem was that I got caught up doing some stuff for work +
felt like total crap that day so I got down there later than I wanted
to. In fact, I stopped and took a nap at a rest area for about an hour
because I felt so crummy. The show got over around 10:30, so I was on
the road heading home by 11:30 and including one 15 min stop to get
fuel and late night munchies, I made it to my bed at around 2:30. Poor
kitty though, he was very excited for me to be home, but I immediately
locked him out of the bedroom so I could go to sleep.

Yesterday at work was miserable, yet productive. I felt like poo and
was exhausted but managed to make a ton of progress on my BSD. That
included reading all 122 pages of it from front to back in order to
really identify all the open questions. I am down to 5 that need to be
addressed and then we should be ready to submit. The goal is to do
that tomorrow.

After work I was itching to get some sleep and not super hungry, but
guessed I would be later. I opted to roll into the restaurant to visit
for a few and grab some takeout. Got home about 6:30 and slept a
little over an hour but was not hungry. So, I played a bit of guitar
hero and watched some episodes of CSI and Mythbusters, made myself
drink a cup of broth and eat some crackers then I went to bed at 10.
At 5:$5 I turned the alarm off to get up, but then it was suddenly
7am. Eek. Made it to work at 7:30 though.

Honestly, 6pm cannot get here soon enough cause I want to go straight
home and go to sleep again. I didn't really recognize myself in the
mirror this morning. I look terrible. For lunch I went and had miso
soup and sushi with a friend from work - it was good to visit - we had
not seen each other in several weeks. I think the soup might have made
me feel a little better, so that's good.

Suppose to have a big weekend going on - I need to get to feeling
better so I can live it up.

The Value of Being a Good Person

I am struggling with issues of character and personality. I believe I'm the sort of person that has a good level of integrity, uses good judgment, and tries to do what is right. I also take initiative, tend to serve well in leadership roles, and can execute well working alone or as part of a team. All these things make me a good employee and business person. These qualities make up a good portion of who I am and tend to make up a significant portion of my personality. When you blend all of that with the fact that I also consider myself to be a caring person that doesn't like to hurt peoples feelings, and the fact that once I make my mind up about something I am fully committed and give myself wholly to it...you end up with a person that is terribly process oriented, analytical, is very vulnerable to emotions, but wears a mask that pretends to make everything OK. I often rationalize why things might hurt me or why things can't be the way I want them to be. I might be too smart for my own good.

In most situations I would say that all of these qualities are something that people would look for in a relationship - but I am beginning to learn that might not be the case.

Your Complaint: Too independent. Has the ability to take initiative and make things happen. I think: Don't I have to be able to take care of myself before I can take care of a relationship or any needs you may have?
My assumption: You are used to needy girls and guess you are not man enough to step up and face a challenge.

Your Complaint: You're a good person. Very sweet. So genuine. You deserve better than me.
I think: Don't you think I am competent enough to make my own decisions about whats good for me and what is not?
My assumption: You think you are going to hurt me (and you are probably right, but I am willing to take the risk), and /or you are afraid of commitment.

Your Complaint: You turn everything into a business transaction.
I think: That's the way my brain is wired. I play it all out in my head a million times and play devil's advocate and ultimately come to some kind of conclusion before even uttering a word to you.
My assumption: It is a flaw. In some way this probably hinders my communication skills. I am sure there is a way to combat this - but I don't much know what it is.

Your Complaint: I use my intellect/skills/connections to get to people.
I think: I have to bring something to the table and while I do not intentionally use those things to "make a person like me," it is something I am guilty of.
My assumption: The person thinking this is slightly jealous they are not benefiting from whatever it was I was doing for them. Also - other people probably think the same thing when viewing situations from an external point of view.

Your Complaint: (while unsaid) I am not "hot" enough.
I think: Well, dammit - thats why I have these other qualities.
My assumption: Women can never be everything a guy wants them to be, and in this case my guess is that he is too shallow for me if that is what he is focusing on.

I've been married. I've been in a relatively serious relationship since then. I've gone on dates with 20 some-odd guys since the relationship ended, and while in terms of calendar time I don't know if it is quite yet appropriate to settle into another relationship I know that I am starting to look for that. It isn't so much that I want a serious relationship, but just some consistency. I don't want to rush dating and get married in a year. I have plenty of time.

A flaw: I am pretty much nice to most guys and I am really bad at communicating the fact that I might not want to "date" them and fear I create false expectations in some cases.

I'm not perfect, no one is - but I am just sort of confused by today's man. What is the value of me being a well-rounded diverse individual that has good intentions, is committed and genuine? I guess what matters is that I get to feel good about it myself, and I get to write a somewhat conceded blog post about how I kick ass and no guy seems to want to appreciate it. Now I am just hoping this doesn't come across as desperate of some sort of personal ad. That certainly is not what was intended.

I simply imagine that there are other girls out there that have a similar problem and I guess this is a line to say - hey lady - you're not alone.

So Boooo Boys. Boooo on you for not appreciating us when we would probably be one of the best damn catches you could get.

We're winners. Don't miss your chance.

New Toys

So, in the past few posts I made reference to the new toys that I picked up over the weekend. I know it seems a bit excessive, but Circuit City had 24mths same as cash.

- Nikon D60 w/ 2 lenses: I've seriously been wanting this camera for 3 years now, and I finally broke down and got it.



- Media Center PC w/ TV Tuner Card: John built me a PC but it was a little quirky so we decided it would be better for me to buy a box and then just upgrade the components that didn't meet my needs. Well, in the store they had an open box that did everything I needed. Now, if I can only manage to get all the right cables hooked up. For some reason the digital audio out is not what I expected and I don't know
how to get the stereo hooked up. Everything else seems to work great.

- Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock - I beat half the game last night. I love it. Seriously. Fun.



- Guitar Hero: World Tour - the full band set was not in stock, but I figured the game would be enough w/ 2 guitars - maybe the rest will come at Christmas. (wink wink, nudge nudge)



- Mario Kart: Haven't played yet, but I hear it is awesome.


- Wii Fit - I need to get my butt in shape, maybe this will help motivate me.


Needless to say I have plenty to keep me busy. It just stinks I can't take my new camera to the Coldplay show. It would snap some awesome pics.

Back to the grind

Ahhh...what a weekend. It ended up being an outrageous one and I loved nearly every minute of it.

Thursday there was a happy hour/going away party for Danielle - a very important part of the team at work. She will be greatly missed. I only hope that the program does not suffer to much now that she is gone. Cleveland and Denver also played on Thursday night, so Emily (from work) and I went over to Crave to watch the game. I knew some of my buddies would be up there and Brady Quinn was starting (he is super hot). It was also trivia night. Our team ended up being "We Heart Brady Quinn" and we probably would have won if it wasn't for a few botched questions, but having Emily there really helped out. She knew lots of random stuff and filled in gaps that Dave and I would have definitely had that week. We ended up getting 2nd place. Unfortunately Cleveland also came in second place that night. My guess is that they lost because the offensive line was distracted by the hotness of Brady Quinn. :-) Matt and Shawn + all sort of other people from that crowd showed up, and at some point Dave and I decided it would be a good idea to go to Paradise Club with James T - bad idea. We did a shot of Ouzo while there - even worse idea. Speaking of shot though, I did discover Surfer on Acid though. That was tasty and discovered pre-Paradise Club. Dave and I ditched Travis there even though Kevin and Sal showed up to join us and rode back to the restaurant so Dave could head home. Well, of course Brett was sitting outside on the phone so we chatted with him and he convinced us to go over to On the Rocks for one last evening drink.

Friday I slept a good portion of the morning and then got up and Dave and I dropped my car off for an oil change and then headed to the new Lowe's store downtown as planned. "Linner" at Big Daddy's Burger Bar consisted of tots w/ pimento cheese, sliders, sweet potato fries, and a burger with habanero jack, avocado, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion. It would have been better with bacon, but heck - we needed to be responsible and conserve calories somewhere. We also decided to pop into the evil orange box down there - because it is a special format store. I have to say it was really cool. Lots of neat stuff was in there and it didn't feel like a home improvement store at all. That afternoon/evening I napped (SO stuffed from lunch). I had sort of just gotten up and messing around on the computer and trying to contemplate plans for the evening with Shawn called. I was tentatively planning to go to Gallway Hooker and see Phil & Mike play, but he let me know there was a Billy Sims show at Quaker Steak & Lube over in Concord and that the guitar he was playing was on the verge of breaking. So, I kindly met up with Ziggy Pockets at Smokin' Cuns and grabbed a backup before heading over to join them in Concord. The show was a good time, and it was the second time that weekend I had someone tell me - wow, its good to see you outside of Crave. Guess I have sort of only been going there lately. Brandon and Ziggy were doing a show at Smokin' Guns that night so Shawn and I headed out a little early hoping to catch the end of it - but we were too late.

Saturday I went shopping at Concord Mills. The only Circuit City around here is over there and I had decided to go ahead and get the comforter set I have been eying at Linens and Things, and I knew that the one here was out of stock already. I had to get a king size and was worried since I would not be able to return it, but it really looks great. I just have to get the wrinkles out of it. They were out of some of the accessory pillows, but I got those ordered this evening and should have them in 6 - 10 days. I stopped into Crave when I got back to Huntersville and the entire Ledfurd crowd was in there gettin' down so I figured heck why not...and joined in. We ended up going to Sushi at the Lake aka. Hibachi Heaven (which I think should really be Hibachi Hangover because that's where they all go after partying all night) and then out to the ranch before piling in the van to go to Greensboro for the Cold Ford show. Everyone was going cause his song, "Waffle House" features Sunny Ledfurd. It was a really good time. We rocked out playing tunes in the van all the way up there and I slept most of the way back. It was a late night and really good to go out with everyone. While I have hung around at the lake with all of them some - it was the first time I have really gone out with everyone and I think I held my own pretty well.

Today has been a pretty low key one. I got all my new toys out and played with most of them and have spent the evening messing around in iTunes, playing Guitar Hero, and hoping I will soon get tired and be ready to go to bed. I slept too much today and now don't want to go to sleep. But, I need to get there because tomorrow is back to the grind and 5:30 am will arrive early. Its going to be a busy week.

We finalized scope on stage 3 marketing & promotions and now that I have a target to work towards life is MUCH easier. There are only a few things I need to get finalized. The target is to have the BSD ready to submit on Friday. It should be doable if I can get some decisions from people pretty quickly. It will be a little touch because I will be out Tuesday and part of Wednesday. I thought it was just going to be two half days (so I can go to ATL for the Coldplay concert), but it turns out I have a doctor's appt. on Tuesday morning. I didn't think I saw the knee guy until Nov. 18th - but Friday I got a call reminding me of the appt. on the 11th. So - I guess I will just head to ATL after that as opposed to waiting until 1:00 to hit the road. No point in going into the office for 2 hrs. I am going to stay with Tara in ATL that night. I really can't wait until the concert. It is going to rock! I am also interested to know what the knee guy is going to say. At least it has not swollen again since I had the fluid pulled off of it the second time. I don't know if it is because of the steroid she shot in there, or the anti-inflammatory Rx she gave me.

Friday night Ledfurd and the Piedmont Boys are doing a show out in Greensboro so we are going to party down up there that night. One of my friends from work is actually going to go. She is friends with B-Stikks girlfriend Paula. We are also trying to convince Danielle to come up for the show - but I don't know how much she would really like it. They are a rough crowd. Saturday there is a Billy Sims show at Smokin' Guns - so there won't be much rest for the weary.

I must go to bed now (even though I am not really tired). The alarm goes off in 4.5 hours.