Good Morning!

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but...

Ow.

There's a scratch starting at the bottom, claw insertion at the bend in my finger, and claw tip reappearance at the secondary puncture wound at the top.

Tiger claws, I tell ya'.

Saturday 9: Stuck on You (2012)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This upbeat song is from a CD called The Bright Side. What is brightening your world this fine Saturday?
Just looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend!

2) Our featured artist Meiko sings, "You are the one I can see having fun with ...". When is the last time you laughed hard? Who were you with?
Yesterday with Crystal... Okay, I just typed out what happened but you had to be there. "I don't think Michael and David really know what to do with... all this." Bwahaha!

3) She also sings, "I must confess when I wear this dress I feel like dancing ...". Does your mood have an impact on what you wear?
No, what I wear is more impacted by weather and the activity at hand. That isn't what the lyric says though. It is what she is wearing that has an impact on her mood. And yes, what I am wearing definitely has an impact on my mood. I love wearing a flowy sundress and feeling springy. Tight jeans and boots make me feel like dancing. Or a leotard and tutu.

4) In this video, she accidentally drops one of her meatballs on the floor. Do you believe in "the five second rule," which states that if food has been on the floor less than five seconds it's still OK to eat? Or, after it hits the floor, is the next stop always the garbage?
Food on the floor isn't affected by time, but rather the food type and floor type. It's all about the statistical probability that something gross has stuck to the food. If it's going to stick, it sticks immediately. Five milliseconds or five minutes on the floor wouldn't change its status.

5) Despite her exotic-sounding name, Meiko was born in Atlanta, home of the Braves. Do you plan on going to the ballpark this season?
Unlikely. I won't typically initiate a plan to attend a baseball game, but of course I'm up for it if someone else invites me to go!

6) Meiko recently posted a photo of herself in DisneyLand posing with Goofy. Who took the most recent photo of you? What were you doing?
Our new COO took a picture of Jen and me a couple of weeks ago. We were in the break room, heating up our lunches.

7) Are you stubborn?
Nah. There are very few things for which I would take a hard stand and refuse to compromise.

8) Let's visit your bathroom: What color is your toothbrush?
pink

9) Which would we find: bar soap or liquid soap? 
liquid

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Hooked

So this afternoon I was playing with my large cat's feet, which is always an audacious move. I know how many tickles I can get in before he chomps me or lashes out with his tiger-size claws. (I know, it's awful of me to do it if he doesn't like it, but those big ol' feet are just so cute!)

Well, I underestimated his grogginess from waking from his nap and he jumped sooner than usual and literally hooked my pinky finger. His giant claw went in, looped under and poked out again before retracting as I pulled away. It felt like a minute-and-a-half in slow motion, even the nausea slowly setting in from the grossness of it all (I am terrible with trauma and blood), but it was probably a millisecond.

I was very lucky that he retracted the claw, because at the rate I pulled my finger away, it would have ripped through. Which is what I thought had happened when the pain hit.

Holy Hell, y'all.

I ran cold water over it for a minute, afraid to look. When I looked, it was bleeding like crazy. After a short time of holding what was probably a disgusting used kitchen towel on it, it stopped. Lauren, the nurse-to-be, left the room to get some first aid supplies while I whined and almost passed out on the sofa, pretty sure I needed stitches.

Nope. Just one bandaid. It's pretty swollen though.

In other news, to my "hookup" at work (not that kind of hookup) who is special-ordering me a full-on five pack of Sharpie colored pens on the downlow, just because I was admiring hers... Happy Administrative Professionals day! You seriously ROCK.

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I Ain't Sayin' She a Gold Digger

Discussion at lunch Thursday, because Mel (married two years last week) suggested we should all marry the second time for money (ahaha!)--

Kyra: ...I don't know what I would do with that much money. Well, other than I would travel. First class!
Me: Oooh. Me too. Or I would just charter planes and skip the hassle at the airport.
Kyra: Yeah! And I might buy a really cool car, like a Tesla.
Me: I'd get a BMW Z4. I definitely wouldn't buy multiple houses though. Too much maintenance.
Kyra: No, and you don't want to leave them empty for months at a time.
Me: So I'd do a lot of traveling... buy a Z4... and probably just invest the rest.
Crystal: Yeeeaaahh. I'd probably pick up a drug habit.

She cracks me up!

I did point out that if one is being so pragmatic as to plan a marriage for money, it should be one's first marriage. You're young. He/She is old. They die soon and leave you their estate. You marry the second time for love and live out your days together with a cool car you rarely drive because you're flitting around the world on a charter plane every other week. Yes?

Saturday 9: Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1950)

1) Which do you prefer: colored hard-boiled eggs, chocolate marshmallow eggs, or plastic eggs with coins inside?
Colored hard-boiled eggs. I'm not a fan of chocolate covered marshmallow and chocolate coins invariably suck.

2) What's your favorite color of Peeps (yellow, purple, or pink)?
I don't eat Peeps. *shudder* Melissa did just tell me about this cool game called Peep Wars. You stick a toothpick in two Peeps as their "swords," then put them in the microwave. Then the one who pricks the other first (while they are expanding with the heat) wins. This is a great use for Peeps.

3) All this talk of sweets is making Sam hungry. What's for lunch?
We grabbed some Whataburger.

4) This song was introduced by country singer Gene Autry and it's still a favorite. Please share some of the lyrics. (And you're on your own; Sam didn't include a link to the song this week.)
...Hippity hoppity Easter's on its way!

5) Gene Autry was so popular that a town in Oklahoma named itself for him. Have you ever been to Oklahoma?
We visited Jeff's college friend Steve when Steve lived in Tulsa years ago. We drive through Oklahoma when we go to Missouri to visit Jeff's relatives.

6) In addition to singing, Mr. Autry made 93 cowboy movies. What's the last movie you saw?
Rented- About Time (very good, from the director of the indescribably wonderful Love, Actually)
Theater- Cheap Thrills (also very good in a completely different way than About Time)

7) He and his horse Champion also had a TV show. Can you name another famous horse?
Mr. Ed, who is way before my time, a testament to his popularity. Or to the lack of famous horses.

8) Gene Autry also recorded "Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer," and it was, of course, wildly popular, too. Who is your favorite recording artist?
If I have to pick a single recording artist as an all-time fave, I've got to go with Elvis Presley, although iTunes would indicate Kelly Clarkson as my favorite. :)

9) Back to the holiday celebration at hand -- Easter is considered the season of rebirth. What leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated?
happy music, a shower with my favorite soap, a breath of fresh air after being indoors for hours

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Candy on the Beach, There's Nothing Better

I posted Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" on Facebook today for Throwback Thursday. My high school friends and I played this song at the beach as part of our beach mix tape one year, so it takes me right back there.



Then Lauren got it stuck in her head and was singing it on the way to dinner tonight. I told her that this is the original version of the newer version she knows. I said that when I was young, my mom was constantly telling me the songs I liked were remakes of old songs from her generation. It's always sort of disappointing, I think, to find out something you like is a copy of something old. (Although, sometimes the old version is better. But don't tell your mom until years later when you're an adult and can admit it without any hint of snark.)

Me: My mom would say, "Oh! Frank Sinatra sang that in 1956!"
Lauren (singing in Sinatra style): I waaaant caaaaaandyyy. Scoobity bee bop zee-bop...

LMAO. *wipes tears*

Lauren was curious how many other recently popular songs are remakes of 80s tunes, so she Googled it.

And as it turns out...

the original "I Want Candy" was performed by The Strangeloves in 1965.



Scoobity bee bop zee-bop.

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Weekend Update

I wish I had something super interesting to write about this morning, but unless you want to hear about my studies, that's about all I've been doing lately! I'm the data management lead on five studies at the moment, in the following therapeutic areas: wound healing, oncology, endocrinology and obstetrics. The trivia of the week is that I've come full circle on the endocrinology studies, because they have plasma cortisol labs, and I was a laboratory technician at UTMB one summer when I was 18, performing radioimmunoassay (RIA) for plasma cortisol in the endocrinology lab. (RIA is a process in which a hormone is "labeled" with radioactive iodine... Yeah, that can be a chat for sometime when we've all been drinking too much.)

Speaking of drinking, the ladies of DM had a blast at Chuy's yesterday! We're totally having their new blackberry margs again as soon as possible. And Crystal will not be driving Jennifer's "giant-ass" car again anytime soon ever. We'll just call a cab.

Friday Five: No Theme

1. What field trips, one from elementary school and one from high school, do you remember most fondly?
Elementary school- Houston Rodeo
High school- we went to the Houston Zoo once. Superfun!

2. How does your handwriting today differ from your handwriting in high school?
It was far neater in high school, when other people were always reading it (passing notes, writing papers...) and I wanted it to be supercute. Now that only I read my writing, it's a hodgepodge mix of styles and is usually decorated with some random doodling.

3. What let’s-pretend game did you most enjoy when you were a child?
Pretending I was a singer, usually on Broadway, but I would also rock a stadium Abba concert in my bedroom or perform a French lounge show a la Mireille Mathieu.

4. If you had to take the name of any one-named celebrity, whose would work best?
Diddy

5. A brain, a princess, an athlete, a basket case, and a criminal: Which of these roles will you take, and which friends fill the rest?
Brain- me
Claire: Academic clubs aren't the same as other kinds of clubs.
Bender: Ah... but to dorks like him, they are. What do you guys do in your club?
Brian: Well, in physics we... we talk about physics... properties of physics...
Bender: So it's sorta social. Demented and sad, but social.

Princess-  Kimberly. She always has her ducks in a row and has always been more mature and sophisticated than the others in our group of friends.
Bender: You're right. It's wrong to destroy literature. It's such fun to read. And... (examines title)... Moe-Lay really pumps my nads.
Claire: Moliere.

Athlete- Mel. She's really into fitness. She's got the FitBit going at all times.
Brian: You wear tights?
Andrew: No, I don't wear tights. I wear the required uniform.
Brian: Tights.
Andrew: Shut up!

Basket Case- Crystal, not literally of course. She sits silently and observes when everyone else starts carrying on about something. Then we all have to ask what she's thinking. The ongoing tradition is that she bursts out with a random laugh during discussions.
Allison (after being silent all morning): HA!

Criminal-  Laura, also not literally, although there was that one time with the traffic tickets... Ha! She's the rebellious one.
Mr. Vernon: My office is right across that hall. Any monkey business is ill-advised. Any questions?
Bender: Yeah, I have a question. Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?

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Sunday Stealing on Tuesday Evening

I'm sitting on my comfy, cozy back porch chair with my MacBook Air, my feet up on the coffee table, writing a little somethin' in the ol' blog, the sun setting behind me... and all I can see is fingerprints and my own reflection in the screen. Beautiful day though! Just GORGEOUS. Last night we were having thunderstorms and ice pellets and stuff. Gotta love Texas weather.

Jeff and I went to Willow City Loop (north of Fredericksburg) on Saturday. Some of the best wildflowers in the Hill Country- usually. This year there are about zero flowers there. ZEE-ro. There are some nice ones along the highway on the long-ass drive way there. It's still one of the most beautiful areas in central Texas, with stunning views around every turn of the road.

Jeff heard the blooms are all near Brenham. I heard there are a lot near Smithville, which is much closer to Austin. So we will probably head to one or the other this weekend with Scott-n-Julie.


Sunday Stealing: The For Old Times' Sake Meme

When was the last time you swam in a pool?
last fall in Kathy's pool

Do you like to party? 
if by party you mean get fall-down drunk or high... nah

Describe the shirt you're wearing? 
black and white patterned tank top

What is one feature film that you don't like? 
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Would people describe you as happy?
they do!

Sleep with or without clothes on? 
either way, usually with minimal clothing

Does it bother you if people swear around you? 
Not after working where I work. LOL.

Do you prefer Wednesdays or Thursdays? 
Wednesdays. I work from home on Wednesdays!

Like to travel? 
love it

Think you're attractive? 
sure

Are or were you a good student? 
yes :)

Are you currently happy? 
at the moment, yes

Colored or black-and-white photo? 
colored

Do you consider yourself the life of the party?
I can be anything from the life of the party to a complete wallflower, depending on who is there.

Do you drink? 
yes

Do you make fun of people? 
No. I occasionally make disparaging comments about people who piss me off, but I don't "make fun" of anyone in a mocking way.

Do you think dreams eventually come true? 
If they are meant to be.  :)

Favorite fictional character? 
Dr. Doug Ross

Go to the movies or rent? 
Either!

Have you ever moved? 
No, I just sit here in this chair and blog.

Have you ever stolen anything? 
KathyK (another KK) and I took mail out of mailboxes once when I was a kid. We just read the letters. I felt so guilty I told my parents, who made me take the mail back and apologize.

How's the weather right now? 
Ha! Amazing!

Last time you cut your hair? 
Several months ago. I'm getting it cut tomorrow morning.

Last person you talked to on the phone? 
Jeff

Last time you showered? 
last night

Loud or soft music? 
loud

McDonalds or Burger King? 
McDonalds

Night or day? 
day

Number of pillows? 
1

Piano or guitar? 
piano

Current longing?
food. I had a teensy lunch and worked late and still haven't eaten.

Current disappointment?
that the cold weather keeps coming back

Current annoyance? 
Barking dogs. I'm trying to type here!!

Last thing you ate? 
a horrible frozen pasta/chicken thinger for lunch

Last thing you bought? 
sugar cookies for Lauren last night

Pick a lyric, any lyric or a song...
Try to tell you no but my body keeps on telling you yes
Try to tell you "stop," but your lipstick got me so out of breath
I'll be waking up in the morning, probably hating myself
And I'll be waking up, feeling satisfied but guilty as hell

Pick a movie quote...
"It's not a purse. It's a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one."

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You're Working... Building a Mystery

My company had a private murder mystery dinner at a hotel downtown on Friday night. I've always wanted to go to one (various improv groups do public murder mystery dinners around town all the time). It was SO FUN! If your company does a private event, they will customize it for you. The actors were absolutely hilarious and there were all sorts of little "digs" here and there about specific people in the office, as well as some pharma research industry lingo (the dead guy "has clearly experienced an SAE" (serious adverse event)- ha!).

At one point one of our CRA's boyfriends was twerking. At another, our CEO was wearing our IT guy's underwear on his head. Priceless.


Saturday 9: Can't Buy Me Love (1964)
50 years ago this week, The Beatles made history with this song (hear it here). They became the first and only act in history to hold all 5 of the top slots in the Billboard Hot 100.

1) In this song, Beatle Paul offers to buy his girl a diamond ring. Do you wear rings?
I wear my wedding ring and my anniversary ring and occasionally my Aggie ring (because it's a bit loose and I'm afraid I'll lose it).

2) This song was written by boyhood friends John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who went on to become the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. Tell us about your best friend from "the old neighborhood." Do you know where he or she is today?
If we're talking my "girlhood" best friend, that would be Lori. She is from Louisiana and lived next door. She had two younger brothers. She was funny and adventurous and we shared a love of music. We practically lived at Astroworld in summers, where we went to concerts and rode roller coasters and were mini-groupies for the show bands. We maintained our friendship after I moved away in 8th grade and I saw her now and then through college.

We reconnected in the early 2000s, when I found out that she was living a block away from our old houses. Her parents still live in their old house. She is an accountant in Houston. She and I have seen each other a few times in the past several years. She and I went to Astroworld the weekend before it closed permanently in 2005.

3) The Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Beatles first performed to a mass American audience, is now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman. Do you have a favorite late night talk show?
I haven't watched much late night TV since I started working and getting up at 5:30, but I'm a Letterman girl.

4) In 1964, when this song became #1, one of top TV shows was My Favorite Martian. Do you believe in life on other planets?
Yes, I think there is life somewhere on another planet in the big wide universe.

5) In those days, homes had rotary dial phones, often affixed to the wall, with the receiver always tethered by a curly cord. Does your home still have a landline phone?
We do not.

6) 1964 was the year GI Joe first appeared on toy shelves. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood toys.
I had a Simon, which was the 1970s predecessor to Bop It (which I bought in the 90s and still own). It had four colors of lights, which would light up and beep different tones. There were different modes, but the default was to have you match one tone, then two, then three, etc. until you messed up repeating the tones. Superfun!!



I have no idea why anyone would use one hand to play Simon. Two hands are a must.

7) Ringo was the first Beatle to become a grandfather. His granddaughter, Tatia, is now a rock musician. If you were to follow your grandfather into his chosen profession, what would you be doing now?
I would be an officer in the US Army.

8) Paul McCartney admits he enjoys watching MasterChef. What show do you go out of your way to catch?
Shark Tank is our current family favorite to try to catch live together on Friday nights.

9) The paparazzi has often caught Paul pedaling a bike around Martha's Vineyard. What's your favorite form of exercise?
cardio kickboxing

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Don't Drink and Park

I can't find the actual photo online, but there was a very interesting parking lot collision last week across the street from Apple's south campus.

Jeff: ...There is terrorist parking there...
Me: Terrorist parking?
Jeff: Yeah.
Me: For terrorists?
Lauren: Oh. He's saying "terrorist."
Me: Terrorist?
Lauren: No, like a terrace. "Terraced."

Dang Texas accents.

So some guy allegedly enjoyed a few adult beverages while sitting in his car in the parking lot on the higher level. When security asked him to leave, he floored the gas and rammed the pickup truck straight ahead of him, knocking the pickup over the edge of the terrace, onto the car on the next terrace below. Sorta like my rendering here:

Although... more "crunched" and less "boob-like tires."

Wouldn't you love to come out of the office at the end of the day to find your car/truck like this?

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