Merry Christmas!

I spent Christmas, as usual, at my parents’ house, in New Mexico. My brother is nearby, so he and family were there, as usual. For the first time, however, my sister was able to make it out during Christmas. She brought her kids, but not her husband. My flight west had a layover in O’Hare, so I was delayed two hours, and got to Mom and Dad’s at midnight. A number of people were already asleep. I visited with Dad for a bit, then headed off to bed. In the morning, the bathroom was occupied when I woke up, so I left my bedroom door open and waited. When the bathroom door opened, a strange woman walked out and said, “Hi, I’m Dee.” She was a friend of my sister’s, who wanted to visit that area, so tagged along. After much drama (my sister had specifically told her that if she came along, she had to leave us to our family holiday, and not interfere), Dee left for the airport in a huff early early on Christmas morning. She declared she would never speak to my sister again; my sister was OK with that. You can imagine my confusion, however, at the concept of my sister bringing a woman along with her for Christmas. It would have made for a humorous scene, had I brought a male friend along with me! As it was, the topic never came up, so my sister is still uninformed.

Also as is standard, my mother had food covering every surface of the house, and I spent most of my time awake eating. And chocolate, pies, cookies, and junk food were heavily accounted for! As it is, I now weigh 171 again. Five days for Christmas, and I’ve gained back all three pounds that I spent three months losing. As I mentioned earlier, at this rate, it is going to take a really long time to get those 10 pounds off.

Everyone made out well enough in terms of loot. My gift from my sister is always uninspired, so I did not feel guilty that she was less than exuberant about what I got her. My nieces and nephews were thrilled, and that’s the important demographic.

One more point

I forgot to mention the other day that I am now down to 168 lb. Oddly enough, I met up with Ronny, and Brad and Cris, and Ronny asked if I've lost weight. He said I look "too skinny". I've managed to lose a grand Three Pounds since the break-up (yea, it's going that slowly), and he thinks I am too skinny. Another three pounds and I'll be down to where I was when I first met him.

And, I have another job interview scheduled. Call me Audrey Hepburn, 'cuz if I got the job, and ate my morning meal at work, it would totally be Breakfast at Tiffany's! That's right! I (may) end up in the New Product Development group at Tiffany and Company. Wouldn't THAT be cool!

Fun with Nietzsche

Here's a fun little web site to check out:

www.losanjealous.com/nfc

Saint G

I had a job interview this afternoon at Saint-Gobain performance plastics. It was the first time I'd interviewed for a job while I was still working, so it felt a little wierd to ditch early and go to an interview while technically still being paid to be at the first job. They think I had a car-service appointment. I said my check-engine light was intermittently coming on. Vague health complaints for cars are just as good as ones for people.
The interview seemed to go exceptionally well. From what the plant manager said after I was done talking, it sounded like I hit all his targets right on. He wanted a cultural fit. I knew that everybody is always looking for the 'fit' when you are interviewing, so I had chosen my responses to keep everything upbeat and positive. (He asked what I dislike about my current job, but I refrained from bad-mouthing anyone!)
They want to make the hire very quickly, so I should be hearing back from the HR lady pretty soon, I guess. If they want me to come in for Round Two, I imagine I'll have to pretend to fall ill to get the time off for that one.

Meanwhile, no new showings, no word from the agent. Lowering the price (again) has done nothing to stir up activity (again). There were lots of internet hits, but no showings... So, it's shaping up to another couple years in Worcester. But at least it would be happier!

Kissing anyway

Well, I came out and asked the new Brazilian on Sunday if he was top or bottom. I had a feeling it would be bad news (as I mentioned in the last post, I didn't see it working out). I was right. I need a top. He's not. Very much not, apparently. Sigh...

So, Monday I called - no answer. He finally called back on Wednesday. We agreed to be friends. I suggested we could also make out more, just for fun! He is hot, and a great kisser - why pass that up because of a little old long-term compatability issue?? He seemed to be OK with that idea, so it looks as though I have a Friend With Benefits! And when he brought up wanting to go to Brazil, I said I'd love to go along, and he thought that was fabulous! Who knows, my "Hawaii in 2007" plan may have to morph into "Carnivale in 2007" and "Hawaii in 2008"! Fair trade, I think!

Meanwhile, the realtor is getting starry-eyed about selling my condo again. And Saint-Gobain called to schedule an interview! They are 3 miles up the road from here, so I have the local advantage on this one. If I got a new job, that would eliminate the job-from-hell issues, so I could stick around a 'little' longer. And if I'm at a HUGE French multi-national, the transfer possibilities would be great for when I do leave. That would mean pulling the listing and refinancing my mortgage.

I should add that I haven't had too many in-person interviews in my life, but nearly every time I do get to the face-to-face point, they offer me a position. I'm not sure I want to stay in the cold and snow, but if that job opportunity came along, I would need to take it!

Still the 169

I meant to post this item earlier, but was derailed by a corrupt broadband provider (see post below).

I weighed myself on Monday at work, and was 169! I know that is the same as the previous report, but it was immediately following Thanksgiving weekend. And I did NOT diet over the weekend. Between pizza, cheeseburgers, three Italian restuarants, and more pumpkin cheesecake than I should have, there was ample opportunity to gain weight. So, the fact that I made it out with no change is actually a good thing!!

That date went well, too. He is an excellent kisser, and we could make out for hours... Seeing as how this is almost a week later, though, I should also add that I don't think it's going to work out. Which is a shame, because he is hot, is a great kisser, and is evidently smitten with me. Such is life, I guess.

Delay

I have been off-line for a few days, thanks to our pals at Charter High-Speed.

When I first signed up, they installed all the stuff, and left a little white modem box. Very soon after, I had connectivity issues. They insisted the modem was fine. I called back a few weeks later with more problems, and again insisted the modem was fine.

This week I had no internet again, so I called their customer service. They accessed the modem through the line, and discovered that the modem was malfunctioned. So, they told me to take it to the local office and swap it for a new one. After waiting in line behind the trailer trash who wait until they have $200 bill with late fees accumulated, I get to the agent, and she informs me that the modem is WELL beyond the warranty period, and she can't swap it out. Turns out the free install package includes a free crap modem that you 'own' from that point on. So, they brushed me off while it was new, so they wouldn't have to pay for a real one. Now that the warranty is "WELL" over, they are more than happy to sell me another (better) one.

If you ever have issues with your cable modem, make sure to get it swapped out RIGHT AWAY. If you wait, they will be glad to tell you it's a piece of junk once you are then required to pay them more for a decent replacement.