Help. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.

Me Ex Girlfriend Lisa

My ex-girlfriend Lisa Bobbay never wanted to send out shared Christmas cards with me. But then she got married to Michelle (the nerdy looking one) and now they not only send out cards together, but they even have the same last name. I try not to be bitter at Christmas time but this one is especially hard for me. Also, looks like Lisa got a lip job.

Just kidding.
I've never seen these lesbos before in my life.

Merry Christmas all!

Not mine.

Cube Chronicles: Sightings

Present time: 8:36 a.m.
Arrival time: 8:07 a.m.
Xmas sweater sightings: 3
People sightings: 4
Ratio of Xmas sweater to people: 1 sweater to 1.3 persons
State of Affairs: Sad

For Bella

Snuggie

Forget charity. I want this for Christmas.

https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next?videoID=ai195&bufferTime=5
(edited by Chad for sanities sake!)

Cube Chronicles: 4 Corners

My cube is situated on a square, much the same as New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah. Today, my two lady neighbors have on the dreaded Xmas sweaters from hell.
I am resisting the urge to snap pictures from over the top of our cubes. You get the dift though...

Stinky

On my way home from the Marta tonight, I passed a stray/lost dog. Unfortunately, stray dogs are common in Atlanta. It was clear, however, that this dog was in more trouble that most stray dogs running the streets. He was walking slowly, running into the curb, and acting very confused. My heart strings had been pulled.

When I got out of the car and approached him I quickly learned that Stinky (you can only image why I named him that) was blind and could barely hear. My heart strings about snapped. I called Chad and asked him to bring a blanket. I made sure Stinky didn't get hit by a car, which wasn't easy. Being blind and not hearing well, he just wander aimlessly, and seemed to prefer walking on the street to the leaves on the side of the street. He was a little guy (maybe 8 pounds) but I didn't want to pick him up because he was a mess, and very very stinky (gurl, I had a cute shirt on!). So I stood in front of him when cars came to make sure they went around him. I'm sure I looked crazy (but cute in my non-stinky shirt).

We took him back to the house, blocked him off on the deck, and gave him food and water. He chowed down. I called Lucas' friend, Jen, because I knew she had rescued and fostered dogs. She asked me not to call Fulton county animal control because she felt Stinky would be immediately euthanize, given that he is blind and somewhat deaf. She agreed to foster him and find him a home. All she asked was that I give him a bath and drive him to her house. You gotta love lesbians.

I tried to give him a bath but couldn't do it. He was such a mess and the smell was horrible. Horrible! I was gagging and almost threw up. It was bad. Thankfully, Chad stepped in. He's good with gross. I've never seen such dirty water. His fur was so matted and tangled that Chad had to cut chunks off with scissors just to bathe him.

In addition to the smell, it was emotionally hard. The poor little dude was shivering in the tub. He was scared and confused. Chad had tears in his eyes as he washed him. However, once we got him out of the tub and dried him off, he got a burst of happy energy, like dogs do after a bath. It made us laugh and smile, which we desperately needed to do at that point.

Later, we both had emotionally charged "people suck" meltdowns.

Hot Tub History on North Campus

Tilt your head to the right (sorry, I am dumb), and watch history being made on Blake Ave. on the day after Thanksgiving!


And 9 hours later....some very happy fellas!


Enjoy you two! You deserve it!

Cube Chronicles: Soap Opera

OK Folks, you asked for it. The return of the Cube Chronicles. If I get fired, I hope you'll give me housing and feed me. Enjoy and know that this is all true. Nothing has been altered except the names of the Soap Ladies (of course, they would insist on anonymity). This is a long post, but worth reading because it is so freaking unbelievable.

One of the first emails regarding soap collection from December 2007:

To the 105 women who share the 6th Floor Restroom:
It's time again to collect for restroom supplies for the 6th floor women's restroom. The collection envelope will be on the OHDAP door all week. Last month we collected $37.00; which didn't carry us through the entire month as we ran out of soap around the 3rd week of the month. If everyone would try to donate at least .50 cents it will allow us to provide hand soap for the entire month. Thanks to everyone who was so generous last month.
Soap lady #1


My environmentally conscious reply:
12/7/2007
HI Soap Lady #1,

I appreciate all the work you all are doing to keep the restroom in a fresher state, and I have one suggestion for you. With thoughts of the environment and waste in mind, would you consider buying liquid soap in bulk and refilling the plastic containers? The soap refills would probably be cheaper than always buying individual bottles. I am not sure you can get refills for the brands you are buying right now, but I know you can get bags of refills at Target with their Method line (they have nice scents like lavender, etc.) If you consider that idea and want help with the refilling, I would be happy to take on that role.

Anyway, that’s my two cents.
Have a good day and thanks again for organizing this effort,
Julie
(After Note: I got no response back and have been given the cold shoulder by these lovely ladies ever since)


The Soap Collection Saga Begins Again (on November 4, 2008 mind you, the date of one of the most important elections in history) :
Hello everyone it is that time again, to collect money or soap for the 6th floor women’s restroom; the envelope will be taped to the OHDAP door near the elevators and the soap box will be at the entrance of the door. Thanks to everyone who contributes. So far we have only collected $9.00 and no soap at all; just a friendly reminder we are only collecting until Friday.


Reply from XXXX:
Since everyone is sharing their sentiments on the bathroom soaps, I’d like to share mine.
Firstly, I’d like to personally Thank Soap Lady #1 and Soap Lady #2 for even TRYING to make our bathroom experience a pleasant one. For I’ve gone in there to many times and had to just turn around in disgust for the odor, or just the plain uncleanliness of the place. Soiled toilet seats, paper towels on the floor, sanitary napkins behind the toilet seats, and often wonder if WOMEN are using this bathroom. Because women are mostly more clean then men.

Now, I’m not trying to offend anyone, BUT if you don’t want to contribute, then don’t. If you don’t want to use the products, don’t. If you don’t want to use the bathroom on this floor period, then don’t. BUT, I’d like to go in there and NOT have to hold my breath or search out another bathroom.

Once again, for those of us who appreciate your efforts, THANK YOU Soap Lady #2 and Soap Lady # 1!!




Reply from Soap Lady #2
Soap Lady # 1 and I initially thought of the idea to supply the women’s bathroom with hand soap and other items, simply because of the daily condition of the 6th floor bathroom. There were many a day that one or both of us walked in to the bathroom only to have to turn right around and seek out another one on a different floor. The odor was appalling. Women leave their tampons on the back of the toilet seats, urinate on the toilet seat as well as the surrounding floor area and leave it for the next person to clean up. When we tried adding a few baskets of potpourri to the bathroom, we found them on the floor, potpourri scattered. I refuse to have to hold my breath to use the bathroom!! At last count, there were 105 women on the 6th floor……that’s a lot of women using one bathroom. Just do your part to help keep it in a sanitary condition. Have some respect.

I thank Soap Lady # 1 for taking the time and energy to collect for the bathroom soaps, drive to the store to buy the soap (many times using her own money to be able to buy the amount of soaps that we need for the month) and carry 30 - 40 bottles of soap and renuzits to ODH once a month. The only goal in mind here was to make the 6th floor women’s bathroom a little more presentable and fresh.

So, to those of you who do not wish to participate in the soap collection…….don’t. Don’t use the soft soap, don’t give any money, don’t use the 6th floor bathroom and most of all, don’t thank Soap Lady #1 for trying to make your work day a more pleasant one!
NOTE THE AVON CATOLOGUES IN THE STALL.

Response from XXX:
Good morning everyone,
I think it is important to say that those of us who were satisfied just to use the soap provided by ODH were in no way implying that we don’t appreciate the efforts of others to make things nice. At least I can say that in my own behalf, and feel certain that others agree. If there is a need regarding that bathroom, perhaps we should take it up with whomever is the appropriate person or persons in the building & deal with it at the dept. level instead of trying to solve it among ourselves. No one need feel unappreciated as I’m sure that was not the intent.

Response from XYX:
I would agree with XXX. You cannot please everyone and just because a two people disagree on an action doesn’t imply any level of disrespect. It is what it is – and that is a choice.

I use the ODH provided soap and that is my choice. I use my own lotion and when the bathroom is terrible I go somewhere else.

I wish that some would be more responsible while using the public bathroom, but I realize that everyone wasn’t raised to do the right thing or to behave like a lady (have respect for themselves and others).

In closing, please remove my name from your distribution list and thank you for your thoughtfulness.


Response from Me (again, remember this was all happening on November 4th):
Soap Lady #1 and Soap Lady # 2,

You can take my name off the list too. Not because I don’t appreciate your efforts, but because all of these emails make me feel like I am in high school. This is more drama concerning our restroom than I care to hear about.

Thank you for everything you do and thank you for removing my name from the list.
Julie

What I really wanted to say was: “You freaks, try worrying about something more important that hand soap. How about collecting money for the homeless or a domestic violence shelter? JESUS.”

gingerbread house pics

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32892000@N02/

That's what I'm saying . . .

Kernal Dirty Pants!

What's he doing with his other hand?

Well, it's true!

Happy birthday, old girl. You pulled me through more than a few sad moments. Cheers!

(Not work friendly . . .the way we're supposed to enjoy Bette.)

Thanksgiving 08

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32892000@N02/sets/72157610460922983/

To Our Friends

Wanda says . . .

CHOCOLATE NEWS

"Chocolate News", my favorite new show on Comedy Central, Wednesday @ 10:30pm. Smart and silly. A cross between The Daily Show & Dave Chappell. This shi*t is for real funny, but soooo NOT work safe!
Giggle please....................

Welcome to my Home... with a twist

You must listen. Thanks be to Lucas. Ca-caw!

Can it be? Yes it can, but be, it cannot!

I've been in denial, but alas, it is finally time to face the truth. Summer is long gone. Good bye warm weather hello frost bite! Fall is upon us and Winter is just around the next bend. I just hate it. I miss those sunny, warm summer days. This really isn't so bad though, when I reflect on the last few weeks of Autumn in Columbus.

First, fall always means Halloween, and we sure had what I can only describe as an *interesting* Halloween this year. I think the best way to sum it up would be "pockets." Pockets, we learned, are essential in any Halloween costume. While we made quite an impact as a collective group of 80's fitness instructors, we neglected to consider how our costumes would accommodate essential items such as keys, ids, credit cards, chapstick, and cash. They in fact, did not accommodate these items. I lost my keys, and other beloved friends lost ids and cards and cash. Nonetheless, good times were had.

squat. release. squat. release.

(this really is all my hair. some serious teasing and aqua net goes a long way)

oh yeah. oh my. oh boy.who doesn't love red velour and rainbow bright purple jackets?

boom box and short shorts. double trouble.

if we can do it, you can too.

Second, I have tremendously enjoyed all the changing colors on the trees and bushes. I still freak out a little each year when this happens. This is something I never experienced growing up in Hawaii, and I find it remarkable year after year. Kirby has been enjoying the leaves too.


Finally, and BEST of all, and as Aaron's new sign in the back of his car window says, "YES WE DID!" We each took part in electing Barack Obama the 44th President of the U.S. EXCITING and life changing and historic and wonderful and glorious and a gazillion other adjectives like that. A few of us went to an Obama rally on the Sunday before election day, with approximately 60-80 thousand other Ohio folks. What stood out to me the most, aside from hearing (and sort of seeing) Obama, was the tremendous diversity in the crowd. I just couldn't believe how many different types of people were all there, scrunched up together, to show our support for Obama. It was definitely a powerful moment for me.





So kiddos, the truth is, Fall really hasn't been so bad after all (except for losing those darn keys).

You are lucky if you live in Wyoming

Because in Wyoming, your vote "weighs" more. Check out this map, which shows each state re-sized in proportion to the relative influence of the individual voters who live there. The numbers indicate the total delegates to the Electoral College from each state, and how many eligible voters a single delegate from each state represents.


Here is a link to the source and explanation behind the map: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/opinion/02cowan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It is possible, under the current system, that someone could be elected president with just 16% of the popular vote!!!!!! I don't know about you, but I find this outrageous.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We have a decorating contest every year at work. This year we decided out theme would be a 50"s diner. We won our building contest last year for scariest (graveyard theme) and now this year! We are now in the corporate wide finals. While they are no Gay Zombies, I am lucky to work with such crafty and creative people. If you look at the table we are all leaning on, you will notice my kitchen table from 180 E Blake there.

Also, as you can see, I used my Tyra/Top Model coaching and urged everyone to pop a hip in the photo and to "smile with their eyes, ladies!"

A Watched Pot

NEVER FRICKIN' BOILS!!! Does anyone out there besides me, instead of waiting for the water to start boiling before I put in my spaghetti, decides that the water looks hot enough already and just throws the dried noodles in? I do. I hate waiting.

Aaron's pre-show warm up caught on tape...

SNL can sure crack me up

We pee scarlet and gray!

Check out the Jbros playing a tailgate at The Little Bar. Actually, I love some of the photos with North Campus as the backdrop--the wires, the street signs, the brick apartment building. This would be a great place to shoot (sans corn hole, of course).

Lots of pics . . . check out the photo set here.

{brought to you by pretty things hurt}

Another SCARY f*ucked up Bush policy

Check out this op-ed by Hillary posted in the NYT today about a proposed Bush policy that would allow any healthcare provider (assistant, nurse, doctor, etc.) that receives federal funding to refuse to give any kind of care they don't agree with. This goes way beyond the current policy that says a doctor can refuse to give an abortion if they don't want to. Anyone could withold services for any reason (if they just object for any reason). This is SCARY!!!! The language is so vague. When will this crap of implementing policies driven by ideology of the narrow right end????? I don't know how much more of this I can take.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/opinion/19clinton.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Big Ass Table

We just got one of these at my work. Super sweet. And then I saw this video. Freaking hysterical.

Ohbama Shirts

Hey crew, Lisa and I designed a shirt for the election this year. Check us out!

Good Times.

Thanks to all for a fabulous birthday celebration last night. We missed you folks in Atlanta and Chicago.

My favorite memory of the night are the prom pic re-enactments.









Click HERE for more evidence of the good times had.

My Nephews

Evan
Those frog rain boots have been passed around in my family for years.

Ethan and I

Ethan is mischievous, a bit grumpy, and stubborn. I love it. My family likes to say he's a lot like me when I was a kid, but that can't be right.

Ethan

Garrett

Garrett is Chad's (secret) favorite. This picture explains one of the reasons why.

Oscar-Wan Kanobi

Perfect

(my posts wont always be this long..sorry..lol)
Esequiel and I leave for Texas in 9 days to pick up my second son, Eddie. The two boys were foster brothers in the same home for 3 years and after much soul searching, I just cant find a reason not to do this. I just can't. When you adopt a child they ask you to make whats called a "life book" for the child that you send to him/her before they meet you. Its basically a scrap book that you make filed with photos of their new family, siblings, pets, their new school, their room..ect..It gives the kids something tangible to look at when they try to wrap their minds around what awaits them. I made one for Esequiel before i met him and he still treasures it.
We started Eddies book, and the gravity of what I am doing hit me. Esequiel was SO excited to help me with the project. Interestingly, though, once we started he was filled with anxiety. We finsihed the first page and I had written a little note for Eddie welcoming him to our family. Esequiel started to cry and said that he couldnt wait for him to get here..whew...The day i took Esequiel out of Texas his heart was broken that Eddie couldnt come to. He thought he'd never see him again, and knowing that Eddie is now going to be his leagl brother forever has brought up so many emotions for the little guy that he just doesnt know what to do with them all, and neither do I.
Having two boys is what Ive always wanted and I am so happy that I am doing this , I just never realized how huge this is for Esequiel and what it means to him. I tucked him tonight, and as I sat there stroking his hair I told him how there will come a day when he wont want me in his room, much less tucking him in..and I love him so much that it hurts..I never really knew what that felt like before all this..I thought I did, but I didn't. I wish that I could just freeze time and let him stay 11 for a few more years and that he'd always want me to read him Harry Potter as he falls asleep...but he won't always need that from me.I hate the fact that I don't always know what to do or what to say. All my friends tell me that I'm doing a great job, and I am gratefull for that, but it is so hard with virtually no family support, but I am doing the best that I can. It's funny...people tell me all the time how lucky these two boys are and go on and on about what a admirable person I must be. I think thats funny because if there is anyone who is lucky it's me..to have Esequiel in my life and all that I he gives me everyday just by being his perfectly flawed self. It takes my breath away.he makes me laugh so hard I wanna cry and loves me so much that I often do...I know our lives will never be perfect but having Scott as my partner and Esequiel and Eddie as my sons...well; it's the closest that I could ever hope to get.

Donny

Cheese in the rain

What the blog?!

IMG_9754
Originally uploaded by Circeson

Hey kids... I was wondering if'n anyone out there would want to share with us their favorite blogs/ daily readings? What sites to you check on a regular basis, especially when you ain't got nothing to do or you're avoiding what you should be doing:

Mine are:
Gizmodo
Lifehacker
and Towleroad

New Member

Hi gang! Well it looks as though I have been added to this blog that I have heard so much about :) Very very cool . I love what you guys have contributed and I hope to be able to offer some head scratching material soon.
Till then, I have some children I have to remove today..ugh ( Iwork in child welfare)

If I Could Lift 230 lbs.

Olympic weightlifters hoisting the 230 pound bar.


















What I would look like if I could do it.

Fan Club

Not surprisingly, DJ Tickles had a fan club before he dropped the first beat.
Lucky boy.

PS For the squinty-eyed, the shirts read 'DJ Tickles'

Update:

It's me going solo this week.
Sneak peeks include: Bell X1, Bon Iver and Melissa (California).

Back Bay Station

my favorite picture from boston.

Scott's Knee

Scott!! We are sending you very, very good vibes for your big day tomorrow. And lots of love. Just be glad you didn't bust yours up on the Price is Right like this Scott did. Yikes!

National Geographic Green Guide

http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/

Great Combo . . .

DJ School

So 'Fresh at Liquid' is becoming a little bit of a DJ school.

Last night we had DJ Curious spinning hot tunes by the likes of Ben Harper, Nina Simone, The Brazilian Girls, etc.

Check her out:



Next week it's another mystery DJ, followed by this winner on August 6th.



Don't miss it...it's sure to be SIZZLIN'
PS I am going to start calling myself DJ Teach!

In memory of Katie

If you have not heard this yet, I am sorry to be the bearer of such sad news. Katie Reider, an amazing singer and extremely generous member of our community, died yesterday morning after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Please keep her partner, Karen, and their two little boys, Aidan and Koen, in your thoughts.

You can read more about Katie's battle, and see a beautiful video at: www.500kin365.org

Much love to all of you.
Take care of the ones you love.

Lucy has Pride!

IMG_9549
Originally uploaded by Circeson

Well, she's a little ashamed, but not because of her sexual orientation (which is mostly directed at my leg... don't judge!) Atlanta had it's pride this past weekend, and G, Wendy and I went a watching to parade... Of course it rained the entire time, but the parade and pride went on. Not much different than Columbus, really. Lot's more things thrown out and shoved into our hands. I imagine that aliens digging through our layers of trash will find annual bands of cheap, plastic beads, can cozies, lube samples, feathers and panty hose. All with rainbow themes.