This may only be funny to me since I see a different side of the IT world compared to most (no, I’m not an IT geek, just around a lot of them) but I thought I’d share.

This clip is from “The IT Crowd,” a British comedy which aired in 2006, produced by the same guys who produced The (British) Office.

To set the scene, one of the IT guys convinced his boss that they set up a voice activated system for the his computer.

(Side Note: For your Netflixers/Blockbuster Online folks, you may want to add this show to your list. It’s surprisingly funny.)

(Double Side Note: I have seen someone pick up their computer mouse and wave it around in the air to try to get it to work. No joke.)

… That you’re in dire need of a vacation!

1. At least three times a week you are too caught up in your work to realize that you should have eaten lunch, you know, three hours ago.

2. You wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason and feel compelled to check your Blackberry so that the inbox can be “clean,” when you start the work day.

3. At least once a month you can’t fall asleep because you are too busy making a to-do list for the next business day.

4. For the simple fact that you haven’t had a completely disconnected vacation from work in over three years. One of the downsides to working for the family business, I suppose.

5. You’ve flipped off the computer or the telephone on more than one occasion in the last month out of stress and frustration.

6. Your idea of taking a break during the day is checking to make sure the office is straightened up and leaving notes for the cleaning crew.

7. The only “funny” stories you have to tell are about that one time your co-worker spilled coffee on himself. Until you realize that it’s not funny and it happened four months ago.

8. Everyone at the office knows to ask you if they need something done. Sure, a sign that they trust you and you’re good at what you do but also proves that maybe you’re a tad too reliable.

9. Your hands are permanently in the poised-to-type position even on a Friday afternoon.

10. To get through all your work projects you listen to Pandora, quietly of course so as to not disturb your colleagues, which means you’ve used your 40 allotted hours within the first five days of the month.

I’m sure this is going to anger some of my readers but this girl? I love the Yankees.

That’s right. I said it.

I love the Yankees.

Why, you ask? It’s not just about Derek Jeter. It’s not just about Yankee Stadium. It’s because the Yankees were the very first baseball team I saw play baseball. I couldn’t have been more than three years old but I vivdly remember sitting on my dad’s knee, in the nosebleeds, watching the game and asking for a ballpark hot dog.

Once a Yankee fan, always a Yankee fan.

Go ahead, hate me for it, but I’m true to my team (and the StL Cardinals, too!).

This weekend I’m heading to Florida for a few days for my cousin’s wedding. True, I haven’t actually talked to this cousin face-to-face or on the phone, well, in 15 years or so, but his mom is a loyal reader of this blog (Hi Aunt Sandy!) and one of my favorite people so off Darling and I go for a few days of family, fun and sun. A mini family reunion of sorts.

It’s also a rarity that I’m not somehow involved in this wedding in a way other than attending since I’m pretty much a perma-bridesmaid. Or if not a bridesmaid I tend to be the executive bride’s helper as was the case with the last few weddings Irish & I attended.

I thought that just for fun I’d take you through the last few weddings I’ve been in.

My college roommate’s wedding, circa 2005 (worst tan line known to man…):

My childhood friend’s wedding, circa 2007, in St. Thomas (most beautiful setting ever):

My (other) college roommate’s wedding, circa New Year’s Eve 2007 (complete with chipmunk cheeks):

My best friend from high school’s wedding, April 2008 (I’m on the far left, in case you couldn’t tell):

and most recently, my best college friend’s wedding in September 2008* (probably my favorite dress out of all of them and I have seven dresses total as we had two dresses for the one above!):

(I was in my cousin’s wedding in 2000 but that was pre-digital camera and I can’t readily find a photo to post so you’ll have to do without.)

If you know of anyone who needs a professional bridesmaid feel free to pass my name along. It’s been a whole year since I’ve been in a wedding and I’m actually itching to be in one which is rather shocking!

On any given day at my office, it’s not ucnommon for us to have a ridiculous amount of clients in the office. This week: 50 every day which pretty much means I’m running around like a chicken with her head cut off. (Side note: Where did that phrase come from? So terrible sounding but I suppose it conveys the image of me perfectly at the moment.)

A few clients walked past my desk on their way back from lunch, all male, likely in their late 30s/early 40s.

Male 1: I grew up with four sisters. I now have three daughters. I’m pretty good with ponytails.
Male 2: Really? I have one little girl and I’m still struggling with the ponytail.
Male 3: It’s just something you have to get in there and do. Though I’m not very good at it.
Male 1: After the ponytail comes the braid. My girls say I do a pretty good braid.
Male 2: Dude, that’s brave.
Male 3: That’s really brave. I’m afraid of the braid.  

How adorable is that conversation?

I can honestly say I’m not sure how often my dad attempted to help me with ponytails or braids as a kid, or perhaps more appropriately how often I let him? (I was quite the momma’s-girl.)

Have you heard anything unusual (cute, funny, weird, scary, odd) at the office lately?

Current Book(s):
Work in Progress: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami; 
Finished: Dead as a Doornail, Charlain Harris
(I’m in a bit of a reading slump still! I blame work.)

Current Music:
Bon Jovi
Journey
Pretty much anything from the 80s

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:
Homemade chocolate chip & oatmeal cookies

Current Colors:
Purple

Current Obsessions:
Rediscovering my Domestic Diva
Raking leaves; odd, I know but the green of the grass is much prettier than the dead, brown leaves all over the lawn

Current Drink:
Water
Peppermint Tea

Current Songs:
I honestly can’t think of a single song right now that’s my favorie or that I’m listening to over and over again. Unusual for me!

Current Movie:
The Last Kiss
Casablanca

Current TV Show:
Color Splash, HGTV
Dawson’s Creek (I’m rewatching them because, well, I feel like it)

Current Wish-List:
Less pain and suffering amongst my friends; there’s been too much of it lately

Current Needs:
Clarity

Current Triumph(s):
Well it hasn’t happened yet but I’m taking a whole week off of work this month and will be disconnecting my work email from Blackberry. First time in three years I’ve done NO work on a vacation so if I can pull it off, it will be huge for me.

Current Bane(s) of my Existence:
I signed up for NaBloPoMo but no idea if I’ll make it
House Hunters on HGTV because the demographic of people on that show bothers me. First homes that cost $350,000? Seriously? And don’t get me started on House Hunters International; I wish I could have a second home in Italy!

Current Goal(s):
Three more pounds to go to reach my weight loss goal
Pull off NaBloPoMo this month so I can improve my writing

Current Indulgence:
Target shopping trips
Afternoon naps on the weekends

Current Blessing:
Each day is a blessing. I know, corny, but lately, it’s so very true.  

Current Slang or Saying:
I’ve been dropping the F-Bomb a lot as of late. Terrible, I know.

Current (Fav) Outfit:
Comfort is what I’m going for lately, at work, at home, at the gym

Current Excitement:
Trip to Florida this month for my cousin’s wedding
Thanksgiving & lots of family time

Current Mood:
Contemplative

What was the highlight of your October?

(First of all, I’ve been scouring the darn interwebs for an embeddable version of this video and I just can’t find it, so you’ll have to click through. Really. You should.)

I think I mentioned that last weekend I watched the Saturday Night Live Halloween Special which was maybe 90 minutes of absolute hilarity considering most of the skits were pre-1998 meaning they were really flippin’ funny.

One of my favorites? The LandShark. You can view it here. (Sorry, couldn’t find an embeddable one!) I don’t know why but it cracks me up every time.

************************

I have no idea why I remember this but one year my best friend and I decided to audition for the school talent show by doing a dance/lip synching routine to The Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Actually, I have no idea why we thought that was a good idea. (Confession: I’ve never seen the entire film, either.)

Could you picture me doing any of this?

I don’t think we actually made it to the audition once our parents realized what we had chosen to do. Ah, to be young and innocent!

**************

So it’s Halloween tomorrow which means I have to be on my guard because, um, well I’m terrified of people in masks. It’s amazing to me how a mask can transform someone you know and love into a scary, freaky specimen of a person that you suddenly don’t recognize. The maintenance man at our building scares me every year (yes, every year, even though I know it’s him) by creeping up to my desk in one of his freaky masks. Uncool.

I think it all started when I was in high school, driving home from a Halloween party and a masked/face painted dude showed up out of NOWHERE and jumped onto my car and just stared at me. My friend and I screamed and just stared at the guy. He disappeared just as quickly as he showed up. My nerves were rattled for a few hours!

Here’s hoping that the kids who come to the house don’t scare me!

Do you have a Halloween fear/phobia or conversely are you the type of person who enjoys scaring the crap out of the rest of us?

It’s raining. It’s pouring. I wish I was snoring. This means I’m going to participate in Ten on Thursday which I found courtesy of the lovely Lisa D and evidently it was started by Chelsea.

1. What are you going to be for Halloween?

A girl from the TV Show Laugh-in, a la Goldie Hawn. Sort of and only because I already have the costume with pink go-go boots hanging in my closet.

2. Have you ever been on television?
I was in high school when I protested for Free Speech. I was in the Journalism program at my high school and one of our papers was published with some fairly controversial topics on the cover (forgive me but I can’t remember what it was). The principal pulled the paper immediately and so we all rallied outside the school with signs, posters and picketed our high school for infringing on our right to free speech. We were basically told that when we are on school grounds we didn’t have the right to free speech and that just added fuel to the fire. TV crews came out and so I was on the news as part of the protesting group.

3. Do you have a toilet paper preference?
I don’t like the scratchy kind if that’s what you mean. But other than that, no, I don’t really care if it’s up, down or sideways so long as it’s there when I need it.

4. When you’re pregnant, will you find out the sex of the baby? (Or if you’ve already had babies, did you find out the sex?) Why or why not?
Hmmmm. I am inclined to say yes because I’m an over-planner so how could I have a baby and not know the sex of the baby? That gives me hives just thinking about it.

5. What are three items that every kitchen must have?

The fixings to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, an Ove Glove and ample room to spread out and create.

6. Do you enjoy Christmas shopping?
Yes! It’s one of my favorite things to do. I’m already starting to plot and plan what I’m going to get for everyone. I love wrapping presents, I love giving presents and I love the joy that surrounds my house during the holidays.

7. What is your go-to recipe? (The thing you cook more than anything else because it’s easy and mindless.) Please share the recipe.
It’s what Irish calls spicy chicken & big rice. Basically I season a few chicken breasts with some spicy spices and bake until done. In the meantime, I make big rice (aka risotto) which is simply risotto, 3 cups of chicken/vegetable broth, parmesan cheese and parsley to taste. I always serve with a side of broccoli. It’s pretty delicious.

8. Do you sleep on your back, belly, or side?
I fall asleep on my side but wind up on my belly by the morning. I am a frantic sleeper in that I move A LOT, thrash and kick. I’m told it has something to do with when I was in the womb and managed to entangle myself with the darn umbilical cord around my neck & knee resulting in me nearly killing myself. Fun, huh?

9. How do you feel about Tom Cruise?
Ick. I used to have a crush on him when I was in middle school. Top Gun was the soundtrack to our sleepovers. And then it was Jerry Maguire. And Cocktail. But now? He kind of freaks me out.

10. What books are in your “books to read” stack?
How much time do you have? (Sorry I don’t have complete titles/authors. I’m not in front of my bookshelves.)
Sookie Stackhouse Book # 6
Two Jane Green Books (Dune Road & Second Chances)
Vampirates (go ahead, laugh)
Kingdom Keepers
Ellen Burstyn’s Memoirs
An Anita Shreve Book
My Japanese Challenge book, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
Persuasion, Jane Austen
The Bridges of Madison County
Catching Fire
…. and many, many more.

Your turn! Answer in the comments or post this on your own to all, some or none if you like.

I’m not afraid of a lot of things. As a matter of fact the list includes: heights (namely in terms of flying in planes), roads with no sides (as in there is no guard rail), being alone when I’m old and horses, which I mentioned in yesterday’s post.

I’ve had three bad experiences with horses and as far as I’m concerned, that’s three bad experiences too many. It all started in sixth grade, at a friend’s birthday party which included a trail ride for all of us. Sounds fun, right? WRONG. I managed to get one of the only horses in the group that didn’t want to listen to the commands. So rather than enjoying a nice, relaxing trail ride with my friends, my horse took off into the woods after the one in front of us did. My best friend and I were stuck on these horses, screaming, limbs and leaves smacking our faces, terrified out of our minds. I don’t even remember how in the world we were rescued.

Fast forward about six years and this time I’m at Sixth Grade Camp as a Counselor a school district-wide week where we went to a local YMCA camp which is a pretty fun week except for the horseback riding event that all students and counselors must do. And guess what!? They give me the bad seed horse again. Doesn’t listen to commands. Doesn’t respond to the reins. Either stands there and doesn’t move or takes off into a run. So once again, I’m running wildly through the woods (though fortunately on the trail for a change) much to the enjoyment of my charges. This time I at least didn’t get any scrapes or cuts from the woods.

You’d think I’ve learned by now, but alas, not so much. I was a camp counselor twice because it really is a rewarding experience and so I had to ride the darn horses again. And would you believe they gave me the same horse the second time? Yup, they did. Same thing, only this time the horse was a tad more wild and decided to stand up only two legs while I’m on him and I really thought I’d fall off him and break my back.

So now you know the story of Nora & the horses. And why standing in a stall with a large horse (a Quarterhorse to be exact) was such a feat for me on Sunday. His name was Scott and he was quite interested in his hay + water combo he had going on so he paid little attention to me. That and I was very careful to move slowly, quietly and always stay within his eye sight. I confess, I even enjoyed it for a few moments. (Most of the stalls were empty as the horses were in pasture while we were there, but only females on Sundays it seems.)

I moved onto another stall where there’s a 25 year-old pony named Vera. The sign on her stall says she’s afraid of people and recovering from a bad broken leg of some sort so I approached her cautiously. Much to my surprise, she warmed up to me and even let me pet her. I instantly fell in love with her, for whatever reason and kind of hope she’s there when I go back. (Though really, it would be better for her if she’s adopted. Anyone need a pony? She’s only $100! She’s beauitful, too.)

I guess the next step for me would be to ride a horse but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Baby steps are just fine with me!

Tell me, do you have any animal phobias? If not, what are you most afraid of/do you wish you could overcome it?

This weekend was…

… driving 102 miles to see my brother and partake in the Homecoming festivities.

… walking all over campus and my college town realizing that it looks nothing like when I went there yet somehow still the same

… realizing that I’m NOT young anymore. In bed by midnight on a Friday after two beers? Yes please, and thank you.

… laughing at the wave of bad cologne that hit me when I walked into one of my favorite college bars.

… laughing even harder when there were a few guys I know who are still there. In the same bar. At the same table. Looking exactly the same.

… a reunion with one of my nearest and dearest BFFs, her husband and her parents.

… eating fried food with reckless abandon and being thankful that we walked a total of at least 3 miles in less than 24 hours.

… cheap beer and food, one of the many benefits of being in a college town.

… feeling giddy when I was carded over and over and over again.

… reflecting on my life and resolving to figure out a few things that have been nagging at me.

… taking the first step towards figuring out the issues and instantly feeling better.

… watching Saturday Night Live Halloween specials with my parents.

… waking up at 6:30 am on a Sunday to pretend to be a ranch hand.

… having doubts about being a ranch hand after a 55 minute drive out into the country.

… mucking stalls for four hours. Four hours.

… conquering my fear of horses as I was alone in a stall with a giant horse for 30 minutes while I cleaned up his poop. I lived to tell about it.

… laughing with Darling as we were the only ones who followed the rule to wear our volunteer shirts.

… laughing with Darling four hours after we were done mucking stalls because we were both so tired and sore.

… deciding that we will go back for more ranch hand-ing in the hopes that we can do something other than muck stalls for four hours.

…  spending a tad too much money at Michael’s on Christmas Card supplies, a few little gifties and prints for the bathroom rennovation I’m working on.

… slurping delicious taco soup with warm bread for dinner.

… falling asleep on the couch at 8pm due to sheer exhaustion.

… memories, laughter until my sides hurt, new experiences and adventures, hope and love.