it's true

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The good news is that working like a fiend has provided me with a healthy paycheck this week.  The bad news is that in fact all work and no play has made me a dull boy.

And even though I have a weekend off work I am unfortunately going to be stuck inside taking care of the start of my life chores.  At least I have Monday to look forward to, and hopefully some pictures to post of my new friends.

With each bad thing that's happened to me lately it's come along with something really great, so maybe this weekend will turn out better than I'm expecting.  Here's hoping.

everybody loves juice

When I went to Jamba Juice today I noticed this promotion they had going which I thought was nice.  I died laughing when I looked inside and saw the one and only business card that had been submitted.

That's for our local sex shop.  You gotta stay in shape if you're going to rock the assless chaps.

perfection

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I wish I could have been there to see this.  

best threads?

This is the outfit I was sent for work.  It looks even better in person.  I'm a little scared to wear it as it's hella expensive.  I won't be gauche and say how much but I will say that outfit alone is about double my rent.  They also sent me an absurdly expensive t-shirt.

I don't necessarily feel like James Bond but I do feel I could be one of the bad guy's henchmen that grapples with James at some point midway through the movie.  Maybe I have a dagger hidden up my sleeve or something?  I don't know, we'll work on those details later.

The point is that I look the part.  I certainly got a lot of compliments today from my coworkers, including my new favorite coworker EDUARD.  He finally started downstairs, it's good to see his smiling face again.  I also got to take my break with Sarah today, so it was definitely a good day for me.

I think my new job is going to work out quite nicely.

for gala

Gala sent me a text saying that they covered Vision of Love on the voice and that I should watch it, which reminded me that I got a bittersweet All I Want for Christmas is You at work the other day.  It was a cover.  Really?

I texted Gala back telling her of my disappointment and she made some comment about how it's not her song so it's not like they have to play her version.

INCORRECT.

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The song's writers were also the producers.

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That being said, they do HAVE to play her version, so Gala, please let me know who I need to contact in H.R. about this.

Otherwise, yes I give props to Trevin for his take on Vision of Love, he certainly out sang Amanda.  Also, like with Kelly Clarkson trying to cover Always Be My Baby, clips like this are good reminders of how amazing Mariah is.  She just makes it seem so effortless.

extra purple

I had to go to work today on my day off for a meeting so obviously I had to treat myself to some tea...and maybe a few other things that I definitely didn't need to spend money on.  I don't know what you call the people who make the tea (I want to say teamasters) but one of the girls always gets SO excited when I come in and order an iced lavender dreams because she can make it extra purple for me.

Today when I came in she was happy to announce that she had finally discovered just how many lavender blossoms to put in to achieve the perfect shade of purple.  I have to say, the purpleness does make it extra delicious.  I have been telling her that I'm going to bring Jonathan in whenever he comes down so she can make one for him and that he will be even more excited about it than she is.

In other news, they sent us our uniforms at work and let me tell you, the sent some fancy stuff.  The blazer alone cost more than my rent.  There's a part of me that's scared to even wear it but I did try it on today and it felt so good to be ensconced in luxury.  I will try and take a picture tomorrow for show and tell.

foreshadowing of things to come

Just as I was getting to work I looked in my rearview mirror and saw what I initially thought was a woman dressed head to toe in a teddy bear outfit.  It turns out she was just wearing a bear hat, but still, it was startling.

I let out a sigh of relief when I turned in to the mall and she continued elsewhere.  That being said, there was no shortage of crazies todays at work.  I'm just thankful that Gala is back so I closed with Noriko instead of all by lonesome.  I feel like I'm finally figuring out things so hopefully this holiday season will go by smoothly, despite how the past few months have been.

We'll see, either way I am looking forward to getting my first commission check next week.  I haven't looked at my sales so I have no idea what to expect but it will include half of October and all of November so it should be pretty decent.  I'm hoping I'll have enough after my bills that I can upgrade my phone.  If not, I'll just blow what's left on this:

source

for poop EMERGENCIES

I spotted this car from across the parking lot and headed over to take a picture.  As I approached it a gentleman at a nearby vehicle asked, "is that your car?!"

While I appreciate that I look like the kind of person who would drive a poop911 car I sadly had to explain that I just wanted to take a picture of it.  This guy ended up telling me that he had a similar business that he started when he was in high school and wanted to know if this guy's company was affiliated.

Who knew there was so much money to be made in poop.

I'm still in a food coma

I'm thankful to have been invited over to spend the day with Heather and her mom, and to be included in this delicious meal.  We each made it through our first plate without incident but by our second helping we were moving a bit slower.  After we had cleaned our plates a second time we were all three just laying on the couch staring vacantly at the Macy's parade on tv.  I had to excuse myself to go home and take a nap, and sleep came immediately upon my head landing on the pillow.

I woke up a little bit ago but am still in a turkey haze.  I'm trying to wake up enough to head over to visit with them some more but I'm scared that I will be lured in by the sweet siren song of leftovers.  I'm afraid I'll never wake up for work tomorrow.

I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE

I told myself I'd resist until they started playing Christmas music at work but all of a sudden tonight I was OVERCOME with the need to hear some Mariah Christmas albums.

So I have added both cds back in to my main playlist and I could not be more pleased with that decision.

In case anybody is thinking of getting me something this year I would like a "Mimi" apron for when I do my baking.  THANKS!

: ( he's so happy

Thank you Kim for sending this to me.

My bottom lip still hasn't uncurled.

how I feel waking up every morning

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I think I am going to cut my hair for my birthday and as the date approaches I have been trying to enjoy and appreciate my locks while I have them.  One of the things I look forward to very much though is sleeping comfortably through the night.  Besides my hair just being everywhere in general I think the detective has figured out that if he walks through it I will wake up from the pain to my scalp.

That being said, it's still fun to wake up in the morning feeling like Quinn with my hair splayed out across my pillow.

THIS IS THE LOOK

No but really, what is the spatula for?

me all the time

I've been having a lot of interactions with jealous haters lately so I'm just trying to do the only thing I know to do in these situations.

ariela's ink

Her only instructions were to avoid taking a picture of his boobs but as Jonathan points out, it kind of looks like it's a picture of her boobs.

I like the placement better on her elbows though.  Why is it that the only tattoos I want are ones I want to steal from other people?!

: (((( indeed

source

Thank you Kim for sending me that article.  Maybe that's what I should do with my life?

haha I'M SAYIN'

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I appreciate him pointing out that Rapunzel's hair was a commitment that shouldn't be scoffed at.  When Brendan and I were talking about what I should be for Halloween I said I wanted to be something that would play to my talents.  He said having long hair is not a talent.  

WRONG.  

I have started taking cold showers for the sake of my hair, if that isn't commitment to a cause I don't know what is.  At least Stephen Colbert gets me.  

times I wish I had tv

I guess this is happening tonight with Lindsay Lohan on Jimmy Falon's show.  I have no idea what's going on but I'm sad I'm missing it.

Thank you Jonathan for sending this to me.

king of the castle

I cleaned my apartment today from top to bottom.  In the process I put everything I could on the couch and the bed.  I returned from cleaning the closet and the bathroom to find this scene in the living room.

He's laying on his scratching pad, which is really more like his bed.  I rarely see him actually scratching his nails on it, he normally just rests there.  He only likes to scratch his nails on things of value, like the carpet, or my face.  Most of the time he is laying on it just like that, snoozing his life away.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he climbed all the way up there just to be on his favorite bed, it's just odd.  But then, nothing he does makes sense.

He's like, "Please don't look at me or touch me".

my brain

Chris sent me this pictures with the message, "I thought of you as soon as I saw these"

I asked him where he found them and he replied, "My gf and I went to the art walk in wynwood and we walked into this white room with these on the wall and I thought, 'this is what Ben's mind must look like'"

You are correct sir.

They bring to mind the fall that I worked at the yoga studio with Laura and one of the teachers gave her a small decorative gourd saying, "I know you have a roommate, I figured you two could enjoy this together".  Laura and I spent many an evening enjoying that gourd, just as it looks like those cats are enjoying those fruits and vegetables.

If anybody is thinking of getting me something for Christmas/my birthday...

veterans day

My tells a handfull of stories about his time in Vietnam, one of my favorites is about how he would play Aretha Franklin's record for the guys in his unit.  I think about this whenever I hear her voice.

Thank you to my father, my grandfather, and my grandmother for their service.  And to everyone else who has fought for our country.

little havana

We took this pic at the beginning of the night, when we were still fresh face and optimistic about the evening.  Heather had picked me up at work and took me down to Miami to see our friend George play at a club.  I had sent Heather a link to the promotional flyer assuming that she would do a little research but apparently she didn't.  When the GPS informed us that we had arrived at our destination Heather was a little wary of the neighborhood we came to find out was "little Havana".  I, on the other hand, felt right at home having come from the mean streets of Spanish Harlem.

I guess I should have given Heather more credit for sensing that it wasn't the most secure of places though as when we finally found the venue we entered to this scene:

Arriving late we had expected the club to be hoppin' and poppin' already.  The reality was that they had gotten robbed earlier in the day and were no longer having a party as they had no sound equipment left.    The man behind the bar, who was apparently the owner, did not have a happy face about the situation.

It wasn't until we left the club that we noticed what had been parked on the street out front the whole time:

Decidedly not as dramatic as the show.  Just an old van with two sassy lady cops dusting for fingerprints.

After I alerted the girls who were planning on meeting us that there would be no show I logged on to facebook to find this message from George:

Don't come out. Show cancelled. Spot got robbed. Srry for inconvenience. Crazy.

I like that he writes like an old timey telegraph.

It wasn't an inconvenience really, as Heather and I were able to turn in in to an adventure.  We hadn't been out together in a long time anyways so it was nice to spend a Friday night together.  We ended up at this really cool bar having the drink of the locals:

So we had a good night, though I still haven't heard George do the covers of the songs I requested, I know the day will come someday.  Oooh, that's another great song he should do!  I'll suggest it to him when I see him next.

I heard it's snowing in NYC

It actually got cold here last night too so I had to take advantage of my day off/the weather while I could.  So don't be too jealous, I'm going to be spending the next several days inside working hard for the money.  But just know that my sunroof will be open on the way there and back.

the trickster has finally been tricked

Meghan:  just took a personality test online as part of a job application.  favorite question?  "Are you tricky?"

 Sent at 9:43 AM on Wednesday

 me:  hahahaha

I wonder what answer they want

 Meghan:  i know!  wouldn't the trickiest answer be "no"?

 me:  I've often been described as tricky (mostly by Eliza and her mom) but I've never felt particularly tricky

 Meghan:  maybe the unconscious trickster is trickiest of all

 me:  so what did you put?

 Meghan:  i put "no," but now regret it

 me:  haha

 Meghan:  especially as this is an application for.....MY FATHER'S RESTAURANT

 me:  HAHAHAHAHA

 Meghan:  i have FULLY regressed to my highschool self.  the transformation is complete.

cleavage for Obama

What a day!  And I still have to wait up to see the results.

I woke up this morning at 6:00 (before my alarm even went off) so I could vote with Heather before work.  It was definitely an interesting crowd at our local mall.  I think I can speak for both of us when I say our favorite was the old man directly behind us who tried to cut us in line pretty consistently for the entire hour and a half we waited.  Although a close second was the two little girls who became friends in line while their mothers were waiting.  At one point I overheard one of them say to the other, "my mom is voting for Barack Obama, who is your mom voting for?"

At least we had some camaraderie amidst the sea of sour old faces painted on our fellow voters, clutching their "who to vote for if you're conservative" flyers they had no doubt received at their local Elk's club meeting.  But nonetheless I'm glad I did my part and voted.  I only saw a few other people at work today sporting stickers like mine, but a lot of people assured me they voted early.  I commented on one older lady's sticker and she said, "Oh I actually voted last week but my husband voted today and when he came home I stole it from him.  I said, 'you're not leaving the house today and I am so I'm taking this with me'".  Haha I loved her.  UNlike Noriko who stole her mom's "I voted" sticker because she was too ashamed to admit she forgot to register.  For shame.  At least we all know who to blame if Romney gets elected.  I don't even want to type it and possibly conjure it in to existence.

Anyways, thanks to my voting this morning I was able to stay at work for my full shift today, which turned in to staying an hour and a half later.  A half hour before I was going to leave I got a mother daughter combo (my favorite) who were still trying things on when it was time for me to clock out.  I decided to wait it out to make sure they got everything they needed.  BIG mistake, HUGE.  The mom ended up wanting to pay with a check, which of course didn't go through.  The register wanted me to call for authorization and nobody knew how to do it.  All of my managers were either in a meeting or on break so I ended up being stuck running around like a chicken with its head cut off for a good hour. The daughter finally ended up paying for it herself, even though it was her birthday present.  And to top it off, because I was elsewhere trying to track down a manager, she ended up leaving without one of her dresses because they didn't realize I had put it in a garment bag and not in with her other things.  DIOS MIO.

But I'm finally home, eating my leftovers from yesterday, and venting to you all.  Once I feel like myself I will decide if I want to watch the election results online or head out to a bar to watch it with others.  I don't know if it's a good idea to be at a bar if it turns out that Romney gets elected though.  I may just drink myself to oblivion.

Let's all hope that doesn't happen.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

so wrong but it feels so right

Between Gala and my sister I'm sure somebody is going to throw paint on me but I can't help it.  I've decided this is what I am going to get myself for christmas.

Let me know when NYC is up and running so I can come visit.  I need a legit excuse to actually wear this, otherwise I am going to be pairing it with a t-shirt and jeans all winter so I don't overheat.  Because you know I'll be wearing it on the daily.

Jon said it looks like the lower half of my face is horribly disfigured and I have to cover it when I go in public.  ADDED BONUS.

I need this

source

This would make writing blog posts so much easier!

I don't really see why this is a Regretsy pick though.  It's really more genius than anything else.

It's almost that time

Bloomingdale's has had christmas decorations up for almost a month already but they still haven't started playing the music.  I know it's going to happen soon and I can't wait, because it means they will finally start playing some Mariah.

I pointed this out to Gala today and she was not amused.  Hopefully she will come around when the time comes.  I mean really, who can resist that song?  NOBODY.

Maybe with the changing of the clocks tonight will come the changing of the music at the mall.  I will be going to sleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.  And by sugarplums I of course mean Mariah.

I forgot about her

As informed as I try to be about what's going on in my world I am always astounded by how long the list of Presidential nominees is on the ballot.  I got my practice ballot in the mail the other day and I was looking at the names thinking, "wow, I've never heard of any of these people".

Until I got to the third from the bottom and I cracked up.  I will say, I did hear about her campaign, and I do recognize that name.  I will also resist the urge to vote for her to instead, have my vote hopefully count in the sunshine state.  Though articles like this add to my suspicions that my vote isn't as important in Florida as I hope it would be.

Still, I'm going through the motions, hopefully it won't be for naught.  

rabbit rabbit rabbit

The most unsettling part of realizing it is November was turning over the calendar page and feeling the end so close.  I've been looking forward to the next two months though, as I am set to make some serious commission at work.  The shoppers do not kid around at this mall.

Skylar and I both have to open this morning so neither of us did anything fun for Halloween.  He did come up to Ft. Lauderdale to have lunch with me though, and I even coerced him in to playing a game of pool.  UNfortunately he won too.

I told him to write our names on the chalkboard and he goes, "our real names or our fake names?!" which such earnestness in his voice.  I asked him what my fake name was and he said Goldielocks, which I approve of.  When I asked him what his fake name was he replied without hesitation, "Taylor".  I asked him if that's the name he gives at Starbucks when he doesn't want to deal with his real name and he goes, "no, I just like that name".

So I guess I will cling to the fact that I didn't technically lose to Skylar, I lost to Taylor.  He was a fierce competitor.  Perhaps I will stop by his store this morning and bring him a congratulatory tea.

I will not be taking any fashion cues from this month's Barbie though.

So much brown.  It's like sexy evening wear UPS delivery person.  No bueno.