A couple more perspectives ...

There's the finish ....

After a crazy weekend, life returns to normal...

Yeah so this past weekend was sort of non-stop for me.

Thursday early afternoon I flew to Manchester, NH and then drove down to the Boston suburbs for my friend's bridal shower. It was a nice event. I was a little late cause I didn't know about the shower before I booked my airfare and then my plane was like an hour late. Kind of crazy driving down there - I really had no idea where I was going. But I made it. Watched her open gifts, had some food, hung out a bit, and then pretty much just back to my room for the evening. I really knew no one else there except for her family and they were busy for the evening. So headed down to the hotel bar for a cocktail and a salad, watched TV and pretty much called it a night.

More of the same Friday. The wedding wasn't until 5pm so I hung around the hotel, went to breakfast and lunch and pretty much just watched TV all day. Caught the shuttle to the wedding around 4:30. It was a super nice wedding. It was in like an open-sided barn so it sort of had that outdoor wedding scene to it. The background was beautiful with green rolling hills. Unfortunately it was raining so they had to pull the plastic down around the barn but it was OK. It was a very nice ceremony. Then on to the cocktail hour which was in the same location ... talked to one of my sorority sisters and her husband for the most part and drank a bunch of wine. Then on to dinner which was in the other room. It was a super nice dinner - great food, drinks, nice cake. My friend's husband is from Denmark so during a lot of the wedding and reception they had added a lot of interesting customs from his country. One thing was that during the reception part it wasn't really a lot of dancing and partying. We pretty much stayed seated for the majority of the evening and many many people got up and spoke and gave toasts. We had to stand for each toast and say like rah, rah, rah or something like that. Know the tradition of clanging your glass so the bride and groom will kiss? Well, they do the same thing but the bride and groom have to stand up on their chairs and kiss. Then if the guests stomp their feet, the bride and groom have to go under the table and kiss. Another one was if the bride or groom leaves the room.... so say if the groom left the room all of the men at the reception had to come up and give the bride a kiss. It was kind of funny. I'm trying to think if there was really anything else. That was pretty much most of it. So... I consumed a good amount of wine. Thankfully that was all I was drinking so I was pretty loopy by the time the event was over. Thankfully there was a shuttle back to the hotel. I pretty much immediately passed out when I got back. LOL!

Kind of some background drama going on at home though which creeped its way into my weekend away. So... remember psycho boy? The guy that my friend was dating who was basically stalking her? Yeah well, so his phone calls have never really stopped but he typically does not leave a message anymore. So evidentally he has a new girlfriend. The thing that creeps me out about this is that we all know this girl as she used to live in the area and was friends with "the group" including him. They have known eachother for at least 10 or more years. And now they're hooking up? Whatever... This girl has some serious issues too so the mean part of me says that maybe since they have decided that they won't end up with anyone, they might as well end up with eachother. I mean... ewwwwww..... I can't picture doing something with some guy I have known and supposedly have been friends with for 10 years and had no prior history. It just creeps me out for some reason - I don't know why. So I got on the horn to his ex to tell her the story and she's happy for the reason that she's hoping that if he has someone he will once and for all stop calling her. Yeah ... but so far, that hasn't happened. So we're planning something... I think he's due a little bit of hell over this for having a "girlfriend" and continuing to harrass his ex. Something is gonna happen.

Anyway, morning after the wedding ... hung over in that icky stomach sort of way. I hate that ... its worse than a headache. Drove back to Manchester and caught my flight to Baltimore where I had a layover of a little over an hour and then caught a plane to Indianapolis. I was flying in there cause the next day was the Indy 500 and no since in me going back to Chicago. So hung at my parents' friends' place as is normal for our Indy 500 weekend. It was kind of low key this year. Pretty much just visited and ate a bunch of food. It wasn't wild at all. I'm not even sure that I finished one beer. Took a quick walk over to Georgetown Road to observe the crazies but didn't walk the whole thing. Last year it was super wild and borderline dangerous (its getting back to the old days over there) so we really weren't up for dealing with all of that.

Sunday was the race which absolutely rocked! One of the best races ... if not the best ... that I have ever seen!!!!!

After the race drove immediately back to Chicago. I usually go home for the rest of the weekend after the race but didn't this year and that was fine cause I was home all weekend the weekend before for my mom's retirement party. Traffic wasn't too bad.

And then pretty much vegged out the rest of the weekend which was nice.

I don't know if all of this drinking and eating caught up with me or whatever but the last two days I haven't felt well and its all been stomach issues - ick. I'm doing better now but not 100%. Hopefully I will improve cause I really need to get back to working out so I can drop the few pounds that I probably put on this past weekend. Ha ha!

Well thats about it for now ... Just here at work hoping for a slow call shift this PM. We shall see.

Later!!

Indy 500

Best Indy 500 I have ever had the privilege of witnessing this past weekend and I think I can say that being that I've been there for 22 of them!

Here is a great wrap-up of the race!

Mario is #2??

Completely disagree...

Ohhh... puuuuleeeze!!!!

Did they have to make Earnhardt #3 because he was #3?

Why am I watching this show??

So... #1 or #2 has to be Richard Petty... but who is the other one??

WRONG!!!

#4???????????????????

BULLS%$# !!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it gonna be Dale Earnhardt? I won't agree with that either....

I'm sorry but...

Jeff Gordon is NOT the #8 driver of all time!

Blogging from home...

So yeah... doing something I don't normally do here today cause *shock* I actually FORGOT to blog today at work. It wasn't like I was busy or whatever... just completely forgot.

Anyway, its been a so-so kind of day, week, etc. but not too bad. Just kind of crazy with a bunch of stuff I've got going on... hopefully that will finally slow down tomorrow and I can breathe and relax and chill and all of that good stuff.

A drink might be good right now. Too bad I don't have anything here at home. Well, at least nothing good anyway. Tomorrow and Friday and Saturday and Sunday AND Monday there will be alcohol consumed for sure!!!

Watching this thing on ESPN Classic right now about the top 20 race car drivers of all time. If A.J. Foyt isn't in the top 3, I'm gonna blow a gasket.

I hear former Senator and VP candidate Lloyd Bentsen died today...

And in honor of that ... a classic moment in American history. I may have only been in 8th grade when this happened but I was watching and it was damn memorable!

BROKAW: And if you cite the experience that you had in Congress, surely you must have some plan in mind about what you would do if it fell to you to become President of the United States, as it has to so many Vice Presidents just in the last 25 years or so.

QUAYLE: Let me try to answer the question one more time. I think this is the fourth time that I've had this question.

BROKAW: The third time.

QUAYLE: Three times that I've had this question - and I will try to answer it again for you, as clearly as I can, because the question you are asking is what kind of qualifications does Dan Quayle have to be president, what kind of qualifications do I have and what would I do in this kind of a situation. And what would I do in this situation? I would make sure that the people in the cabinet and the people that are advisors to the president are called in, and I would talk to them, and I will work with them. And I will know them on a firsthand basis, because as vice president I will sit on the National Security Council. And I will know them on a firsthand basis, because I'm going to be coordinating the drug effort. I will know them on a firsthand basis because Vice President George Bush is going to recreate the Space Council, and I will be in charge of that. I will have day-to-day activities with all the people in government. And then, if that unfortunate situation happens - if that situation, which would be very tragic, happens, I will be prepared to carry out the responsibilities of the presidency of the United States of America. And I will be prepared to do that. I will be prepared not only because of my service in the Congress, but because of my ability to communicate and to lead. It is not just age; it's accomplishments, it's experience. I have far more experience than many others that sought the office of vice president of this country. I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency. I will be prepared to deal with the people in the Bush administration, if that unfortunate event would ever occur.

WOODRUFF: Senator Bentsen.

BENTSEN: Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy. (Prolonged shouts and applause) What has to be done in a situation like that is to call in the -

WOODRUFF: Please, please, once again you are only taking time away from your own candidate.

QUAYLE: That was really uncalled for, Senator. (Shouts and applause)

BENTSEN: You are the one that was making the comparison, Senator - and I'm one who knew him well. And frankly I think you are so far apart in the objectives you choose for your country that I did not think the comparison was well-taken.

And don't you forget it!!

LOL!!

Things MAY be getting better but...

Last night around 3am the said persons who did not have to work yesterday or today, as I mentioned, decided to throw a random drunken prank which I didn't find all that funny. It was really sort of nothing but they thought it was freaking hilarious. Kind of one of those things that made me roll my eyes and go back to sleep. Whatever... It was very very random.

Health-wise I seem to be doing better. Work is OK even if it has been sort of nutty here this morning. That is likely to continue for the next hour or so. I have several things I need to work on this afternoon. I hope it goes well.

Ummm... I wonder if I will ever be able to go out thru the week again. Maybe tonight? Maybe not. A lot going on and a lot of stuff upcoming that I need to work on. So we shall see.

Have some errands I need to run today - bank, grocery and stuff. Other than that, no real thrilling plans.

Love it!

Quote of the Day...

"Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine." - Fran Lebowitz

More blahness...

1) Some medication I am on is making me feel sick
2) Our support database is down so I have no way of looking up users and assigning them case numbers. I guess we'll just have to wing it which sucks.
3) I'm super anxious to get out of here. Some people have today off and I don't and I wish I was with them!!

Thats it for now. May be back with more later!

Yeah... I'd cry too!!

Crappy day...

It is rainy and it is cold! I mean it probably isn't actually cold but it feels cold and its definitely gray outside. Blah... One of those days where its raining so much that an umbrella doesn't make a bit of a difference. I'm going to go home and go tan and lay there and pretend like I'm out on a beach or something. I have been tanning lately - I have never done it before in my life and sadly, its sort of growing on me. I'm real pale so I only go 10 minutes at a time and it didn't seem like it was making a difference but all of a sudden in the last week or so its really sort of started popping out on me.

Other than that, not really sure what else is up for tonight. I really do need to do laundy but not sure if I'll do it at my place or the laundry mat. There is only one washer/dryer in the apartment basement and sometimes it makes it difficult to get a chance to use it. The laundrymat is right down the street but its such a pain to drag all of my stuff around like that. I guess we'll see. Better to do it tonight than Friday night I suppose.

The weekend is going to be somewhat eventful but I'm not sure if it may depend on the weather or not. We shall see.

Anyway, thats about all for now. Sorry for yet another boring post!!

Speaking of what we were talking about yesterday

Hmmm... most of my ex-boyfriends did sort of have an evil look about them...


CHICAGO - Women looking for a long-term relationship like men who like children — and they can tell which guys might be interested in becoming fathers just by looking at their faces. Those are among the findings of a study of college students published Wednesday in a British scientific journal.

"This study suggests that women are picking up on facial cues that are perhaps related to paternal qualities," said James Roney, a University of California at Santa Barbara psychologist and lead author of the study. "The more they perceived the men as liking kids, the more likely they could see having a longer-term relationship."

Experts said evolution has apparently programmed women to recognize men who might be interested in propagating the species by raising a family.

The study wasn't all bad news for men not interested in settling down. It found that women can look at men's faces and figure out which of them have the highest testosterone levels. Those men — rated the most masculine by the women — turn out to be just the kind of guys they would want for a fling.

"Women make very good use of any information they get from a man's face," said co-author Dario Maestripieri, an associate professor of comparative human development at the University of Chicago. "Depending on what they want and where they are in their lives, they use this information differently."

In the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers looked at a group of 39 men, ages 18 to 33, at the University of Chicago. Each man was shown 10 pairs of photographs and silhouettes, one of an adult and the other of an infant, and asked to rate their preferences. Meanwhile, their saliva was tested to determine testosterone levels.

Photographs of the men's faces were then shown to 29 women, ages 18 to 20, at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The women were asked to rate the men on four qualities: "likes children," "masculine," "physically attractive" and "kind." Then they were asked to rate how attractive they found each man for short-term and long-term romance.

The study found women did well at rating men on their interest in babies, and those they rated masculine generally had higher testosterone levels than the others.

For example, the men who indicated they liked children the most were rated as above average in liking children by 20 of the 29 women. The men who showed no interest in children were correctly rated as below average in that category by 19 of the women.

The higher the women rated the men for masculinity, the higher they were rated as potential short-term romantic partners. The higher they rated men for their interest in children, the higher they were rated for long-term romance.

The features that research has suggested denote high testosterone levels include a prominent jaw and a heavy beard.

The findings came as no surprise to those in the business of studying human behavior — and love.

"What this study illustrates is that there are genetic programs that increase survival of the species because there are hormones in women that are cuing their reactions to the hormones of the men," said Dr. Daniel Alkon, scientific director of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Morgantown, W.Va., and Washington.

Or as Kristin Kelly, a spokeswoman for the online dating service Match.com, put it: "They call it `love at first sight' for a reason. They don't say `love at first sentence,' `love at first word.'"

It is unclear just what about the men's faces tipped the women off about their interest in children. While Maestripieri guessed it might have something to do with "a more rounded face, a gentler face," Roney said the answer might be found in the expressions on the men's faces.

He explained that after the study was completed, five graduate students were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 whether the men looked angry or happy. Though the men were instructed to have a neutral look on their faces when photographed, some apparently looked happier than others.
"It seemed that the men who picked more infants in that test had a happier or more content look on their face," he said.

Today...

One of my "I'm never having kids, just going to be the cool uncle" guy friends and his wife had a baby. Hmmm... Do you think people mean that when they say it? Do most end up coming around on that after maybe a few years of marriage? Or, do perhaps accidents just happen? ; )

Awesome!!

Drawing a blank...

Still without a topic! Errr...

Anyway, Cinco de Mayo today. Not sure if I'll go out or not.

Kentucky Derby tomorrow - whoo-hoo! Will go somewhere and make some bets. Last year I won $100 on a $2 bet. You've gotta love that!

Need to get back on my diet and back to working out. Our little outing last weekend really threw me off and I'm still off. I just need to get my head back into the game I think.

Thats about all I can think of right now. May be back with more later!

How much do I not want to take calls on my call shift right now??

More...

I just haven't had a very good week in general. My mind is spinning again and I hate that. I don't know why I'm like this. I've just been so shaky this week and I don't like it. Now my stomach sort of hurts. I don't know, perhaps I'm coming down with something.

Anyway, just thought I'd stop by and say hello. I may be back with more later. Trying to put off work. I'm just so annoyed with work lately! : (

Time to play catch up!

Yeah so I didn't really have a chance to write yesterday so to get caught up today...

Friday night out with my friend and her boyfriend. It was a good time, ate a bunch of fattening food, drank a bunch of margaritas. And then out for karaoke afterwards where more alcohol was consumed. Like I said, good time, but not without its annoyances. She was running like a half hour late and I forgot my cell phone (I have a habit of doing this) so had to wait and wait for them to show up. She was having some kind of family drama or whatever. But anyway, by the time she even showed up, I was pretty well liquored up. Oh well... what can you do?

Saturday didn't do much of anything. I mean, really... I think all I did was sit around, watch TV and surf the web. The weather wasn't good anyway so its not like it mattered.

Sunday was the awesome Faith and Tim concert!! It rocked! How awesome are they?! I tried to get some pictures with the camera phone but they just didn't turn out. I couldn't believe real cameras were allowed in - seemed like everyone had one! Wish I did!!

Yesterday was kind of an interesting day in Chicago in that we had that immigrant rally. Actually, it was very interesting. I went outside and watched a good portion of it. They marched by Sears and I would say the march to the park alone took over two hours. I can't believe how many people there were. I took a bunch of pictures with a disposable camera I just happened to have in my bag and took some video on my cell phone. We were warned by the train service what a nightmare the commute home was expected to be with all of these extra people but it really was not. I got permission to leave an hour early and then went and sat on my train a half hour early so I would have a seat. It probably wasn't necessary but I guess its best to plan ahead.

My work schedule is sort of screwed up this week and I'm not liking it. I had to be here by 7am today which meant - because of the wacky train schedule - I had to be on the train at 6:09am this morning. I was so not a happy camper. I have not had this schedule in a long time. And I have more oddities the rest of the week. I think it might be time to have a little chat with my boss about this. I didn't sign up for this - certain other people did - but sometimes I feel like they stick me with it because I usually don't complain. Time to speak up I guess.

Thats about all for now. I may be back with more later!