Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

All I want to say is that I'm groggy beyond belief and I'm trying desperately to salvage the day and get at least some little annoying stuff done. I've been incredibly lazy the past few days and I feel the need to atone...but I'm TOO SLEEPY to atone...

We went to Green-Wood Cemetary on Sunday and I've got some AWESOME spooky pictures I mean to post soon...other than that the only little bit o' news to report is that I got a raise and isn't that LOVELY and much needed...thanks to the Boss on that one :-)

Trick or Treat! I'll be home watching spooky spooky tv stuff like Ghost Hunters...Floating Head, if you are home, don't be scared by me sending you text messages for comfort and reassurance while we are both watching it!!

Belated Birthday Celebration!

My boss and co-worker just bought me lunch, gave me a super cute card and six awesome red velvet cupcakes complete with candles and a serenade...very sweet of you guys!!! And I just found out that another dude will be joining us soon, in the form of a web developer - thank god! We need more testosterone around here! It's funny because at one point, most of the co-workers I was dealing with were women and now - I guess because I deal more directly with IT now - I sometimes feel like the lone girl in the room, esp. after Magpie's departure...aw well, it's less hormonely challenging, if you know what I mean...too many girls in one small area is sometimes a really awful (read: MOODY) thing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...

You smell like a zoo...you look like a monkey...and you smell like one too!!!

Today is Mama J's birthday...yes, "Bubbles" or "Toni" as she likes to call herself was born on this date back in 19-- and aren't we all happy she's our Juicy-Grandma-Mommy? The answer is YES!!! She's an amazing lady - the most unselfish, most giving and caring person ever and I love her beyond words - I hope your day is happy happy joyce joy! Your gift is being picked up in an hour and fed-exed to you today so expect to have a good breakfast or snack tomorrow!!

Snapalope Nightmare!

My mother laughed at me last week because I told her one of the top 10 fears is the Fear of Clowns and she gave me her patented "oh Nikki!" and then I said well look at Ronald McDonald, those commercials where he's sitting on the bench in the park with the little kid? He looks like he's a pedophile. And she just laughed - she claims to understand why I'm freaked out by the Burger King commercials, with that weird masked King Man - at the window, in bed with that man - because that guy is just plain creepy. But Ronald McDonald? Well I just don't like clowns, let's leave it at that.

So now I'll give her something else to think I'm crazy about. I don't like those Slim Jim Snapalope commercials. I've had two nightmares about that THING. The first one, it was tiny and iridescent and I screamed for my dad to kill it and everytime he stepped on it to smush it, it rebounded bigger and bigger until it was the size of a small horse and was running after me!

The second one was last night and it was all brown and it was in my bedroom in the house I grew up in and it kept on hiding behind the furniture so I couldn't see where it was and again, I screamed for my dad to come and kill it and he kept on saying "oh it's no big deal, we're moving in a couple of weeks so if we don't find it you don't have to sleep in here much longer" and I begged him to find it and kill it - but we couldn't find it!! So I woke up with a bit of scream at 5 this morning, convinced that that stupid thing was running around my bedroom... DAMN YOU SLIM JIM!!!

Senior Database Analyst

That's me. Everyone always asks me what I do. This is my job description according to some IT/HRIT website:

The Database Analyst’s role is to direct, evaluate, review, and manage database resources and services across the organization while ensuring high levels of data quality. This individual is also responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing database policies and procedures to ensure the integrity and availability of databases and their accompanying software. Where required, the Database Analyst will design, install, monitor, maintain, and performance tune production databases.

Now you get it! That's...what I do..(no, not make change, a la the Change Bank!)

Inside Mervyn Joke #2

Hula hoop!

Hula hoop!

Hula hoop hula hoop hula hoop!






Hula hoop!

Inside Mervyn Joke #1

When you commented "It's Santori time!" on my post earlier, I meant to comment:

"TOO DRUNK TO CARE!!" and then of course you'd picture a weird drunk medieval type clown or jester raising a goblet high! In fact, I meant to do that to you several times while you were here, but I forgot...so many jokes to make, so little time kind of thing...someday, we'll just meet up with a laptop and internet service and go over the Engrish site together and giggle...that's my dream...

Dispatches from The On The Wagon World

I feel much better, let me tell you. According to Chucky - "The Da" - I've been drunk for over a week, so what do I expect? Doc says to stay drunk, so that's what I did. I did have a glass of white wine on Saturday night whilst having Greek food - yummy swordfish and lemon potatoes in Astoria - but that was it - I think I just lucked out that Quick Draw wasn't quite up to par! But the bloating, the acidy stomach, the icky unhealthy feeling I get whenever I go on a drinking spree, is gone - but hey, I had FUN! And rightfully so, this IS birth month. I get to be happy as pie and do what makes me smile. And so I have. Birthday Shield activated in the form of a wine bottle. The Boss has been out for a almost two weeks ill and has returned and he lamented that he missed my birthday and apologized and vowed to do something this week - and I said "not to worry - I've done enough celebrating"! Good for you! was his reply and yes - GOOD FOR ME! Now it's back to work.

Sunday, I spent the whole day and evening with the Stanley family, who might soon be moving upstate - which I was going to be unhappy about but I don't see them much as it is and at least now I will have a retreat, somewhere when I'm feeling burnt out, I can go and visit them for the weekend and get away from the city. And I spent a lot of time playing with Mr. James who kept on calling me "My Nikki" which melted my heart.

Now, to matters at hand. The Master Plan. I spent last week feeling ugly and weary and not up to the challenge - self esteem and confidence have a lot to do with my MP. But. I believe the chess board has been reset, crucial moves are being made (or about to be made - this morning: SO CLOSE - I'm a dork, but I can't help it) and so what I need is a collective gush of POSITIVE VIBES sent my way. This is your assignment and believe me, I'll give you all full credit should my idea come to fruition. Call it my version of a novena or a mass being said in support of me and my project. So for the next week, I'm calling on all of you dear readers to send those vibes and GIVE ME A BOOST!

Woo! I just felt one. Thanks already!!!

SADNESS!!!

Yes, they lost. But they fought the good fight, and that's why I love them...the game was awesome to watch, that 6th inning catch by Endy Chavez - amazing - and I thank them for giving me (and all of their fans) such a great year. They are all guys of character, were as gracious in their loss as they've been in their victories (the same cannot be said I've heard to those Cardinal thugs), but my guys have heart, they gave 110%, and all we can do is hope next year takes them to the next step...I can't believe I have to wait until April to watch games every night!!! BOO HOO!!!

But we had an awesome time watching it over at the Chia Pet's pad, we ate sushi and drank A LOT of wine and I insisted "I'm not drunk" but hell if I was - Floating Head escorted me into a cab and homeward bound - it was all a little fuzzy so I asked her today "did you take advantage of me?" ha ha!! I don't how I got into work today, but I did...

and that's all I have to say...I don't FEEL WELL (er, hungover?). As of today, I'm on the wagon. I've had WAY too much to drink these past few weeks - I know, it's birth month - but my liver needs a rest and it's just not good practice to imbibe so much...so Quick Draw, I can't see you ever again (ha ha...you know I'm hanging out with her tomorrow, so we'll see where that goes).

Happy weekend!

MY BOYS ARE AMAZING!!

How would you like to be a 25 year old rookie pitching this game?? Where does he get the nerve and the poise? But John Maine did it, and he was amazing and now, we all have fingers crossed for tonight...I wish I could be there and if they do go to the World Series, I hope the Ticket Master can get tickets...last Friday was sooooo much fun, despite the loss - we got a little drunk I must say (darn that smuggled whiskey!) and I lost my voice from screaming and yelling so much, but it was really exciting to be there and cheering and I'd gladly pay a lot of money to do it again!