Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006

Sick Days and Memes


If I might direct your attention to the timestamp at the bottom of the entry, you will see that I have stayed home from work again today. (I know that some folks can update from work, and while I'm not exactly prevented from doing so, the only machine in the lab where I could do this is a common terminal in a fairly high-traffic area, where about ten of us check our email and such. Not exactly ideal conditions for journaling, eh?)

Believe me, me staying home again was for the benefit of everyone, as I feel like there's a dragon sitting on my chest, a condition I'm sure the rest of my coworkers could live happily without. And, furthermore, I keep dropping shit. If there's anything more annoying than being sick, it's when you've dropped your spoon on the kitchen floor about 43 times in a row and all you want to do is make a cup of mint tea, for frack's sake. So, when you work in a place that's all fancy glass and acids and dark splashy liquids and delicate instrumentation, having a Bad Gravity Day is more of a PITA than you might originally imagine. So, I'm staying in close proximity to tissue boxes and teabags.

Besides, if I had gone to work today, I wouldn't have had this exchange with a charming phone solicitor:

Lady On Phone: "Hello! Is this [Mom's name, with the last name badly mangled, a for-sure sign that it's a solicitor]?"

Me, croaking and rasping: "No, she's not here right now. Can I take a message?"

LOP: "Oh, no message. There wouldn't happen to be a spouse at home, would there?"

Me: "Nope."

LOP: "Okay, have a nice day, sir."

Sir? SIR?! I hung up the phone and laughed out loud. Well, as loud as I could with no voice behind it. I've always had a voice in the lower register, (in the alto/tenor range, for those of you musically knowledgeable) and when I'm sick, it's definitly in the Kathleen Turner range. Though, sometimes, it drops right past sultry to 85-year-old 5-pack-a-day smoker. Apparently, today was one of those days. Lucky me.

***

Alright, opting for another meme, since I'm coasting on fumes and I'm going to need another cup of mint tea ASAP. This one swiped from Robyn.


1. What does your cell phone look like?

It’s a generic looking brushed silver deal with a little window on the front that shows the time and the phone number of whoever's calling, when it rings/vibrates.

2. Do you know what time you were born?

6:14pm

3. What do you want more than anything right now?

To not be sick.

4. What do you miss?

Dry weather. It's been raining here on and off for about 2 weeks, and I hate it. Of course, it'll be raining here until about April, but I'm trying not to think about that.

5. Hot Dogs or Hamburgers?

Hamburgers, for sure. I covered my opinion of hot dogs a few entries ago.

6. Do you get scared in the dark?

It depends on where I am, if I'm with anyone, and if I've been reading any creepy books lately or not.

7. The last person to make you cry?

My girlfriend, SC, when she emailed me her big, happy news.

8. Hair/Eye color you prefer on opposite sex?

Black/Blue or Blonde/Hazel.

9. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

A mushroom and black olive pizza from the local pizza joint.

10. Who is the last person who was mad at you?

Probably Kidlet, because I had the audacity to try and change her nasty wet diaper into a comfy dry one. The nerve of me, huh?

11. Do you speak another language?

Not fluently, though I can piece together enough Spanish to have a rudimentary conversation. Our recent intern at work is from Spain, and he said my Spanish was "wonderful!" He's a sweet boy, if somewhat delusional.

12. What was the first gift anyone ever got you?

I don't know if it was the very first gift, but I have a stuffed squirrel named Mister Squirrel that I heard I've had since I was a baby.

13. Would you fall in love with someone knowing they were taken?

I might fall in love with them, because sometimes the heart wants silly or strange things, but I would never, ever act on any feelings I had. Yes, I know that "You can't help who you love!". But you certainly CAN help how you act about it.

14. Best way to tell someone how much they mean to you?

I send a lot of cards. I'm much better with written words than spoken ones.

15. Your Weaknesses?

Heh. Though, you have to remember that what someone perceives as weakness can also be a strength. For example, I'm not "overly sensitive", I'm "acutely perceptive". See? Just like Obi-Wan told Luke, it's all about point-of-view.

16. Ever done a prank call?

Yeah, it was stupid, and not really worth repeating. It was also about 43 thousand years ago.

17. If you could get plastic surgery, what would it be?

I'd take the money that I could get the plastic surgery with and do something else with it. And it's not that I think I'm physically perfect, because I'm so not -- I just can't imagine a universe where I would *voluntarily* go in and have someone cut me up. If it's medically necessary, okay. But just to be better looking? No, thanks.

18. What do you get complimented about the most?

My kid. I swear, she has a charisma that's about a 30 on the D & D scale (which normally only goes to 18, for you non-gamer folk). Old people, especially, get caught in her tractor beam rather easily and they'll go out of their way to come by my shopping cart and say hello. Of course, it helps that she's well behaved, smiles at them, and says 'thank you' to their compliments.

19. What do you want for your birthday?

Damn, that's coming up again, isn't it? I'll have to think about it.

20. How many kids do you want?

I'm flexible. The one I have is good. More would be good, to a point. I'm just glad and thankful for the one I've got right now.

21. Do you wish on stars?

Of course!

22. Which finger/s is/are your favorite?

Hm. Not something I commonly consider, though without my thumbs (which will be considered fingers for the duration of this question, shuddup.) I'd have an awfully hard time picking stuff up.

23. When did you last cry?

Last night.

24. What is your most embarrassing CD on the shelf?

None of my music embarrasses me. I have every tape, record and CD I have for a reason. But, you're more than welcome to get embarrassed, if you like. I have a Nelson tape in my car, wanna listen?

25. If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself?

I hope so.

26. Have you ever told a secret you swore never to tell?

I think there were a couple of times, but only if the situation was dire. Pretty much, if you tell me not to tell someone, I won't.

27. Do looks matter? In a general sense?

Generally, yes, but only in a "Is he clean, kepmt, and wearing recently laundered clothing?" way.

28. How do you release your anger?

Venting, writing, singing loudly, throwing things. I've punched a wall or two, but I try not to do that. It hurts.

29. Do you trust people too easily?

Jury's out on this one. Try again later.

30. Favorite toy as a child?

What age range are we talking, here? I liked blocks for a while. I liked Barbies for a while. I liked my Atari 2600 for awhile.

31. Where were you 6 hours ago?

Just waking up, and getting ready to scramble Kidlet up an egg. One awesome thing about having a cold? I can't smell. Fixing eggs is a lot nicer when I don't have to smell the damn things.

32. Who will be your next kiss?

Kidlet, I imagine.

33. Anything pink within 10 feet of you?

A pad of hot pink sticky notes. Kidlet's slippers, which are rose and pale pink. A pink washcloth. A pink plastic toddler spoon.

34. What are you wearing right now?

A lightweight seafoam green v-neck sweater with dark green flowers on it, blue jeans a size too big, white socks, purple slippers.

35. Last sporting event you watched?

Uh, whatever NFL game was on Sunday night... who was that? Chicago and St. Louis, I think.

36. What is/was your favorite class?

High school? I liked them all, pretty much, except PE. Even history wasn't too bad. Oh, and I hated Geometry, even though I love math. In college, I had a lot of favorites, too. Some of my comp. lit./english classes, some of my chemistry classes, and then some oddball ones like differential equations, history and philosophy of science, and dinosaurs.

37. How old are your parents?

59 (Mom) and 61 (Dad).

38. Do you miss anyone?

There's a ton of people I miss, every day.

39. Were you an honor roll student in school?

Yep. Pretty much from kindergarten through high school.

40. What do you know about the future?

That it's unknowable.

41. Do you have a tan?

No, and I don't want one. That's the express lane to skin cancer, with my pigmentation/family history.

42. How old do you want to be when you have kids?

I was 33 when I had Kidlet.

43. Last time you got stopped or pulled over by an officer?

It was when I was driving back to California from Houston, in 1997. SC, er, I mean *Louise*, and I got pulled over twice on that trip. No tickets either time!

44. How do you like your drinks?

What kind? I like my coffee hot, my beer cold and my diet Coke on ice.

45. Are you someone’s best friend?

Yes.


saturncat at 2:32 p.m.

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