Barb's Burblings

I hate it when people

I hate it when people call me up at work and immediately launch into questions about a specific project. I just got a phone call from someone wondering about the status of a particular contract for one book. And it was immediate, like, “Hi, this is Blah blah, have you gotten the Giles contract in yet?” (Note: There is an author whose last name is Giles (his first is not Rupert, though), but he is British and working on like 5 books, which is nice. Mmm, British accent.) I understand that people are going along and trying to get through their own to-do list, but whenever I call someone up for a random thing like that, I always give them a little bit of time to figure it out. I mean, I’m tracking contracts for 13 books. Figure that, on average, we’re talking around 10–15 contracts per book. Some of them I can call up off the top of my head. Most, I can’t. Argh. And in addition to needing to know about that one contract, apparently there are more contracts coming my way from her. Whee! I can’t wait until they hire my replacement, because this is the crap the Editorial Assistant deals with. And yes, I’m cranky because I’m here on a Friday. But the egg and cheese bagel this morning helped.

Current song in my head:
“The Living Years” by Mike & the Mechanics

Heather Mills gave birth on

Heather Mills gave birth on Tuesday to the fourth of Sir Paul McCartney’s kids: Beatrice Milly.

My office was too quiet,

My office was too quiet, so I thought I’d pop in a CD. I flipped through my at-work CDs and was like, “I’m bored with all of this.” So I went to my Launch.com station. Then I decided to listen to the 80’s channel. It’s so evil. Every song comes on, I go, “Oh my God, I LOVE this song!” and get excited. I’m having far too much fun with this.

Ooh, “The Look” by Roxette! Excellent!

Huh. I was hoping

Huh. I was hoping it’d be more evil.

Last week I started with

Last week I started with a new student and the session…didn’t go very well. So I really wasn’t looking forward to meeting with her again last night, but I think it went really well. So that’s happy. But I start with yet another student tonight…

It’s so evil. The clock

It’s so evil. The clock on my phone at work hasn’t been switched to relfect the end of Daylight Savings Time, so right now, it claims that it’s 4:15. That’s just evil, because my watch and my computer both say that it’s 3:15. Can I just go with what my phone says?

I was only out of

I was only out of the office for three days, but it feels like it’s been much longer. It was wonderful getting to just hang out and relax and play with my sister’s dog. The concert was fantastic, and now I have to get The Essential Simon & Garfunkel. We were kind of sitting behind the stage—parallel, really—but they were quite good about turning around and performing to those of us in the cheap seats.

I have a pile of work to do, and some of it is stuff I really don’t want to deal with (mostly because it means correcting a stupid mistake I made). Two tutoring sessions, and probably training after that. I’m just not motivated. Per usual. It’s sad, really. Not that the pouring rain is helping.

But I think I need to check out the fitness center at my apartment complex. I need to do something. I mean, I already have a fairly busy schedule, but I’d like to get back on track with that stuff. There’s also a Curves not too far away, but I shouldn’t spend the money.

I want to pay off my credit card bills so I can buy a new car. Kathy and I test drove hybrids—the Civic and the Prius. The Prius was all shiny with lots of gadgets. The Civic was very much like a Civic, but both were pretty darn cool.

Current song in my head:
“Open Arms” by Journey

My throat hurts and my

My throat hurts and my neck hurts, but I’m in a good mood. I’ve been productive today, even though I’ve gotten a number of calls from people I’m working with. I’m happy because these people actually have decent questions, not stupid ones, and I’m helping them to get their work done. Which helps me down the line. Whee! Also, I’m going to Ohio on Wednesday, so it’s a two day week for me. And there’s no bad there. Plus, tomorrow night I see the new Sondheim show at the Kennedy Center. Wednesday is Simon and Garfunkel, then on Thursday and Friday I get to hang around my sister’s house, read, and play with her cat and dog. It’s all good.

I saw Intolerable Cruelty this weekend and enjoyed it (more than Brent did). George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones were both very pretty, and I found it fairly humorous. And it had good music in it. Plus they showed the trailer for Love Actually, which made me happy.

Okay, I have a boatload of work to do in the 9½ hours of work I have left this week. Better get back to it.

Current song in my head:
“I’ll Follow the Sun” by the Beatles

Colin Firth’s female friends told

Colin Firth’s female friends told him not to take the role of Mr. Darcy, as Darcy is supposed to be sexy. Silly friends.

Mmmm, Colin Firth.

I’m all happy because Colin

I’m all happy because Colin has been all cuddly today (except when the napkin basket attacked him and he spent an hour hiding from it under my bed) and he’s sat on my lap a bunch. Awww.

Also because we finally got the DSL in the apartment up and running. Hallelujah, a fast connection! Carrie set it all up and did a fantastic job. Brent and I just sat there and played Munchkin.

I’m a bit tired today.

I’m a bit tired today. I stayed up last night watching the Yankees-Red Sox game. And it was so worth it. The game was fantastic; both teams played excellently. And, as a born and bred Yankees fan, I was thrilled with the outcome. Particularly how they kept cutting from shots of the Yankees celebrating to shots of Pedro. Heh.

Anyway, I’ll soon be up to having 5 tutoring students, which is good, money-wise, but one of them is on Saturday mornings. Ugh. I mean, sure, I’ll be able to come home and sleep afterwards, but still. My retention rate sucks, though; I’ve had 2 students finish their 15 weeks with me (they pay in 15-week cycles), then not continue. Of course, Cheryl seems to get in quite a few people, so hopefully I’ll be able to maintain a decent payroll there.

I’m excited for a weekend stretching out in front of me with absolutely no plans. My mom visited last weekend, which was fantastic, but it’ll be nice not to think about whether she’s up or keeping her entertained or whatever. And, you know, staying in my pajamas well into the day. Mmmm.

Current song in my head:
“Galileo” by the Indigo Girls

Today’s Friday Five 1. Name

Today’s Friday Five

1. Name five things in your refrigerator.
Diet Cherry Coke, American cheese, leftovers (rice, ziti, corn), chicken, and my beloved Brita.

2. Name five things in your freezer.
An old can of frozen daiquiri mix, Boca burgers, a large stack of Healthy Choice/Lean Cuisine meals, a few of those frozen meals that you cook in a skillet—belonging to either Carrie or I (we’re not sure), and frozen soft pretzels.

3. Name five things under your kitchen sink.
Paper towels, garbage bags, brush and dustpan, a bucket, and many cleaning supplies.

4. Name five things around your computer.
Does this mean around the tower, or near my monitor on my desk? Hmm. Well, my filing case and weights near the tower, and near the monitor are a stack of papers to be dealt with, my desk lamp complete with set of state quarters, and my box of index cards with contact information for my friends/family/misc. other people (e.g., doctors).

5. Name five things in your medicine cabinet.
Toothpaste, dental floss, tweezers, Aleve, and various cold remedies.

They’re making a sequel to

They’re making a sequel to 16 Candles. Why? Why would they do such a thing? I don’t need, or want, to know what these characters are up to now that they’re in their early 30s. Ugh. Plus, it isn’t 16 years later. Right now, it’s 19 years later; by the time this thing comes out, it’ll be 20.

And then there’s the update of Can’t Buy Me Love, now called Love Don’t Cost a Thing. *shudder*

It’s funny. Last night I

It’s funny. Last night I wanted nothing more than to stay at home and watch Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (catching the end of The Cutting Edge definitely helped put me in this mood). But no, I had to tutor, so I dragged myself to the center. And you know what? It went really well and I left in a good mood. It’s nice when things work out like that.

I’m once again having one

I’m once again having one of those days where I just want to go home and hide in bed. I wonder if it’s a commentary on my job. Or my life in general. I don’t know. In a lot of ways I’m looking forward to heading to Ohio next week, because on Thursday and Friday I can just sit around and read and watch tv. Play with my sister’s cat and dog. And not think about work. Or tutoring. I just spoke with the mother of one of the girls I tutor, hoping to change the time from 7 to 6, which would get me home in time for The Gilmore Girls. But no. Her daughter is all booked up at 6. I hung up and got overly upset about it. It just annoys me, though, logistically. It means I can go home after work, but only for like an hour. And I get home late. Oh well. Whatever.

It was nice seeing my mom and hanging out with her this weekend. I had a blast introducing my friends to the world of Munchkin. Ghosts of the Abyss is really quite good. And the National Archives is neat, particularly now that it’s all shiny and such from being renovated. I look forward to getting DSL after finally giving up the quest of getting an ISP through the rental office. And I’m happy that I’m only tutoring once this week.

I’m leaving now. The thought of trying to proofreading a complex table at the moment makes me want to cry.

Current song in my head:
“Rainy Days and Mondays” by the Carpenters

The fountain in the courtyard

The fountain in the courtyard across from my office has been turned off all summer. The fountain was empty and it was kind of sad. Now that it’s October, they decided to fill the fountain up and get it running. Huh?

My mom is visiting this weekend, which should be nice. It’s odd having her across the country; it’s strange not getting to see her. But anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing her.

My life otherwise is plugging along well. Somewhat quietly, but right now I’m happy with that.

Current song in my head:
“Jenny From the Block” by Jennifer Lopez

Today’s Friday Five 1. What

Today’s Friday Five

1. What vehicle do you drive?
A green 1995 Mazda 626 named Chuck.

2. How long have you had it?
I got it June of 1998. I had Chuck for the summer, then spent 4 months abroad.

3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle?
Probably the sunroof. I love that thing.

4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle?
Right now, the fact that it’s falling apart and I had to sink $2000 into it to get it home from Ohio. More specifically, I’ll go with the fact that it rattles when I’m accelerating.

5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now?
Maybe a Mini Cooper or a Honda hybrid. Or both! Whee!

Yesterday I completed my move

Yesterday I completed my move into my office. Which sounds odd. “My office.” I’m currently sitting in it, and it’s odd that it’s mine. It’s been rearranged enough since the previous occupant left that it doesn’t remind me of her. I need to put stuff up on the walls and decorate. But I still find it strange to say “my office.” But then, for the longest time I also had problems saying “my cubicle.” So I don’t know. The next step, of course, is an office with a window.

Current song in my head:
“Elevation” by U2