Tour de Meers Ride

Happy Memorial Day!

I've started the weekend celebration by riding 57 hellacious miles on a cycling ride. Surprisingly enough, my bike butt didn't hurt. It was outdone by the 100mph wind, intense 92 degree heat and 41% humidity plus the elevation since we were riding in the ONLY mountains in Okie Land. Tour de Meers should be renamed Ride from Hell.

We set out to ride the 67 miles (the longest route) and about 15 miles into the ride, we rethought that idea... and decided we'd do the 57 miles instead.


Our last 15 took us by the Wind Farm. Here's two of our fellow cyclists pedaling by.


Our 3rd and final rest stop where we scored another banana and ice cold water served with love from our generous host! This guy met us at our bikes with water and filled our water bottles for us. Thank God he did... because the last 15 miles were horrid and hot and for the last 6 or 7 miles we were running out of water and fuel.


At the next stop, 30 miles into the heat, we were doing ok but a little bit of a forced smile for the camera. This stop was out of water and we had to ration our water to the next stop... at 45 miles!


At the first 15 mile stop, we grabbed a banana and O.J. and were still all smiles!

I forgot that you have to upload pictures backwards, but I'm not going to redo them, so sorry for going in reverse! lol

Afterward we finished the ride and made it back to the car... two guys in our group who have ridden for years, told us that it was the worst ride they'd been on (conditions) and if they could have hitched a ride about 30 miles into it, they would have! So we did good. Awesome really!

Puter Parts

I've been in the IT world for many moons and my current job is nothing close to being IT related. Other than we use a PC to work. That's kind of how i wanted it. I was really getting tired of the hassle. Did you know the average IT person changes jobs after being in the field for approximately 7 years... because they experience burnout!? Yep. Its true... I read it somewhere.

Anyways, at my new job... my experience is getting the best of me. Its driving me crazy that the office manager insists on moving the 'guts' from point A to point B. I say "you mean the CPU?" Her: "the guts". UGH!

Then she asks me if I need a UBS plug thing. Me: "you mean USB?" Her: "yeah, that thingy". UGH

We change "the guts" and all the "stuff" that goes with it to different locations and holy cow... the one I connected works... the one they connected "isnt working". The PC, I mean "the guts", is working. There is power. But the internet won't come up. hhhmmmm

They ask "Kerry, is yours working?"
Me: Of course!
Them: This one isn't working. Can you... do you know what's wrong?
One guess what it was. I looked behind "the guts" and sure enough no network cable. I plugged it in and told her to try again.

I healed it!

It's really killing me to watch all this go on. I have worked with the smartest of the smartest guys and this hurts!

OH OH OH! AND she also had to put a shortcut on my desktop so I could get to a document and enter some data. She asked me if I could do it and then just did it for me! UGH! I don't particularly want it on my desktop PLUS if I did... I can do it!

Another girl in my office came from Dell and she handles it alot better than me! Somehow she has the capability to ignore. I tend to lean towards... telling them where to stick it :)

Time Of Our Life

Work and end of school commitments have kept me super busy and I havent had time to blog! *big tears*. I have so much to share... and zero time to share it.

I wrote a $1 million dollar umbrella policy today. Yeah for me!

Baby Z grabs at my sonic cup and loves her sippy cup! She's growing so fast.

Only 5 more weeks til we're headed to Alaska and Canada. I need a vacation...

PLUS I'm in training for a 500 mile cycling ride! How exciting!

More later I hope... but off to work the End Of School Bash!

Cat-astrophe

The renovation in my area is done and as of last Thursday I’m back in my old digs replete with a fresh coat of paint, spiffy new lighting and much needed contemporary office furniture which has been repositioned to make the area more airy and spacious. While this has helped tremendously in that respect and I’ve received very positive comments, my vulnerable back is now viewable from the oversized windows looking out toward the library not to mention the nosy peek those exiting can take at my screen. It’s also easily seen by anyone sauntering down our IT hallway. Privacy? What’s that? Blogging is going to be even more difficult than usual. :(

I recovered from my wisdom tooth extraction nicely, but not before suffering from an extended outbreak of canker sores. Then I caught a cold. And let’s not even discuss all the horrendous bad weather all of Okieville has been dealing with lately. Yeah, it’s been a lovely May so far.

Remember the kitten we adopted from "K" because, bad mother that she is, she ‘didn’t want her anymore’ and dumped her off on us? Well less than three weeks ago, Miss Cami went into heat and we made immediate arrangements for her to be "tutored." Between tests for leukemia and the actual surgery, we shelled out $116. Pre-surgery, they removed her flea collar so the day after she got home I replaced it with an adorable red one sporting a jingly bell. In a massive fit of historical irony, our newly spayed four-legged daughter is MIA. Yep, vanished without a trace. Unbelievable! We have not discovered any flattened black catcakes on the road and she never strayed far from the house so the most logical conclusion is she hopped in the bed of the pickup, fell asleep, and was accidentally taken for a ride Tuesday when TBC went to check on "S"’s dog. We can only assume she got out of the truck and wandered off unbeknownst to TBC and is now calling another location home. Still, you never know. She is one tough little cookie and hopefully will show back up when we least expect it.

Oh Happy Day

Happy Mothers Day!

We are going to a wedding. So, I guess all mothers in this family get skipped over today and will have to celebrate another day.

In the Saddle Again

I truly have Bikers Butt. Saddle Ass. Bruised Bike Butt Bone. Whatever you call it... I have it!

We rode 33 miles today in the flipping wind. For most of our trip "there" the wind was against us. We fought it uphill and downhill. When you go downhill you try to get as much speed as you can to push you up the next hill but today we couldn't get much speed built up because even on the "down" we were fighting the wind. So, the "ups" were HELL. One hill I almost climbed off my bike and walked it up.

We managed to increase our average speed... even with fighting the elements! Yeah!

I read online how to take care of your Saddle Ass. Put like Dr Scholls corn cushions on your Biker Butt the next time you ride, and it will help take pressure off that bone.

LMAO! Yeah, right.

The Wheels go round and round

We rode 27.8 miles yesterday! We could have gone alot farther, but I had to pee like no other... so we came back to the JEEP. I feel bikebutt coming on but we're still hitting the pavement this afternoon. Although cycling is alot of work... especially those darn UP hills, it makes you feel so good and in the end its a fantastic accomplishment! The burn is awesome! Your muscles in your legs and butt ache, but it's a good ache!

The Wheels on the Bike

Cycling Update: I'm not riding today.

Yesterday my sis and I set out to go riding and our goal was 24 miles and to do it quickly so we'd still make Happy Hour at Sonic (my new rule is happy hour diet cokes only because they charge way to much for a drink there - when I can go to my local 7-11 and get a huge gallon for 99 cents or something). When we pulled up to the lake we saw that you could surf on those waves. Waves mean wind and LOTS of it! Determined, we geared up and headed out. OMG! At times you had to put 100% of your body weight to one side or another to keep yourself upright. If you didn't, the wind would knock the bike out from underneath you and you'd be out flat on the pavement.

We pushed along and about 1/2 way through we decided we're not doing 24 miles! lol We did finish with about 12 and 1/2. Not too bad considering the elements. Later in the evening, we found out the the boys in the bike club didn't go riding yesterday because of the wind. There were 40mph wind gusts and it was too much for them!

HA! The girls made it! We rode and the boys didn't. hahahahah

Money In Your Pocket

This afternoon I was listening to the guy on the radio bitch about gas prices and food prices and how he made some beans this weekend (because its cheap) and it cost him $20. That's not cheap.

So... it made me think and I googled some info. A few ways to cut your grocery bill!

Stop eating out -- This one is a no-brainer and doesn't really need an explanation.

Don't buy frozen meals -- Do you realize you are paying $300 a pound for that tiny bit of veggies on the side?

Don't buy pre-cut meats -- Doing the cutting yourself will save you about $1 per pound or $223 per year for the average family of four.

Compare supermarkets --

Buy generic -- Generic and store-brand products are often processed at the same plants as name brand products, but they are much cheaper because they aren't advertised.

Buy day-old bread -- The bread at the day-old bakery is almost as good as the bread in the supermarket, yet it is half the price of fresh.

Buy in season -- There are times when the supermarket is practically giving away fruits and vegetables and other times when they cost a fortune.

Use more nonfat dry milk -- Nonfat dry milk is cheaper than regular milk.

Pick your own fruits and vegetables -- Find out if there is a food co-op in your area at www.localharvest.org and pick your own fruits and vegetables, which can be purchased at a fraction of what you pay at the supermarket.

Don't eat meat every night -- Fixing vegetarian casseroles and such several times a week can save the typical family of four about $3.00 per meal or $15.00 per week or about $800 a year.

Brown bag it at work -- This is one of the easiest ways to save money, as brown bagging it is about one-third the cost of eating lunch at an inexpensive restaurant.

Don't buy what you don't really need -- There are many products we buy because we love them, but don't really need them. Good examples are soft drinks, sugary snacks and other sweets. Giving them up will improve your health, reduce your medical and dental-related expenses and fatten your wallet.

Avoid vending machines and bring your own snacks/drinks to work: You pay significantly less for the candy bars and soda pop you buy at the grocery store than from a vending machine.

Use coupons -- Coupons can save you money, but too many people buy products they don't really need or use just because they have a coupon. Good coupon websites: CoolSavings.com -- Coupons.com -- StartSampling.com.

Leave the kids at home -- Caving in to pressure from crying children begging for certain cereals, snacks and toys adds, on average $6 to $20 to the weekly grocery bill. Leave them at home and buy only what your family needs.

Helpfully Yours

For those not in the loop and living in a hole, today is Administrative Professionals Day and so far I've received a pretty green candle and holder from my secret pal, an adorable pink lounging outfit from my boss, a funny singing card from the IT gang, and a gorgeous bouquet of pink carnations from my dearest work bud, "L". I love it! Last year I bought a similar loungy outfit in turquoise and even packed it for the Jamaica trip this past February. No word yet on if or when we’ll be having our annual staff luncheon but with all the events currently going on, I’m sure it won’t be until May at the earliest.

On the other hand, Cowgirl didn’t last even a year with our crazy IT department as she heads out the door for greener pastures after this Friday. (No, I didn’t run her off, I swear.) She will be settling in the neighboring state of Arkanslaw and hopes to sell homemade wagon wheels to the Amish. She even brought one of her ‘creations’ to work today to show to fellow employees. I don’t make these things up. Honest. Ever the professional, she has a new food joint’s menu tacked up to her door. Wtf? Are they paying her for this free promotion? This seems out of line but I do admit that some hungry techs and I were salivating reading the list of offerings. IT will be hosting a small going away party for her in the lounge Friday and boss is providing the refreshments including cake. Guess the least I can do is scrounge up a Buh Bye card.

Also in the news, our six-month old adopted wild child, Cami, is getting ‘tutored’ today. This surgery was scheduled just in the nick of time as she went into heat yesterday with kitty grrl hormones making their presence known as they took over her adolescent body. She’s been suffering a case of funky eyes and the vet suspected leukemia but it came back negative. After plunking down the bucks for shots and neutering, what usually happens next is they run out in the road and become kitty pancakes.


This past Sunday I attended the dreaded Premier jewelry party and altogether dropped almost $100 bucks on glittery ornamentation I had no intention of purchasing. Damn those shiny, flashy irresistible earbobs! (One can tell I’ve been reading Scarlett O’Hara again). Normally wild horses cannot drag me to these pressure parties but my preshus niece pulled the begging puppy dog eyes and I knew I’d capitulate for her. The small crowd consisted of mostly female relatives and no less than three had their arm twisted to book future parties that I will no doubt be invited to. *slaps forehead* Will this vicious, never-ending cycle ever run out of steam?! Two are pooling time and resources by going in together for their bash but I will fortunately be out of town on vacation on the day chosen. Oh darn! The other isn’t until September and who knows what previous engagement may run interference and give me a much need break. ;)

Occifer I Promise I'm Innocent!

OMG! HAHAH

I sat down to check my emails this morning and I got a sweet little message from a friend who is still at Chaos College.

"I was going thru old pics for Dr K retirement party and I found these. LOL"

LOL is right! I'd totally forgotten that while I was there I had been "arrested" and spent time in the pokey!




OMG! HAHAH

I got disciplined before I was hauled off.

It was all in fun *giggle*. The students were raising money by having people arrested and someone had to bail us out. It was Drug Awareness week or SADD or something of that nature. Gosh those were fun times!

Green Giant

Baby Z is enjoying her green beans! We spent a week on greens... now we're trying carrots and so far, so good. She likes them best when C feeds them to her though. lol

She's also sportin a new high chair at the dinner table. We broke down and bought her a new 7 position reclining high chair. The thing might as well have heated leather seats. She loves to sit with us and if we're eating... you bet your sweet bippy you better have something for her to eat!

Nothing For Today

UGH. F'n Blogger. I've tried all afternoon to get some pictures uploaded and it keeps erroring out!

I hate the "try again later" comment.

*pissed off pouting action*

Lost & Found

I walked in the lounge first thing this morning to wash out my coffee mug and lo and behold, guess what was sitting on the counter next to the sink holding out its widdle cuppy hands for me? Mmm, yeah. And the odd thing is it wasn't there before and it was washed! My my! Sure wish drinking utensils could talk and I'd love to know where my little wanderer has been this past week. The stories this one might tell me. Methinks I smell a rat.

Cubed

Now that the ole IT gang is bunched up together in our temp quarters, we are discovering the undeniable joys of cubiclicity. This is a pleasure I have never experienced in all my years as a working gal and I’m so channeling Dilbert and Office Space. We’ve already initiated our new cubicleness by sending paper airplanes flying and now that GFR is back from Vegas I fully expect to feel spitballs raining down upon my unsuspecting back. I can lock eyeballs with no less than two of my colleagues with just a slight tilt of my head. We are already overhearing personal conversations and detecting minor quirks and pesky flaws we were blissfully unaware of in our former autonomous state. More that likely these quirky peccadilloes will become major bones of contention by the time we make our graceful exit. Right now I am staring at ten huge printer boxes slated for shipment to a far site and stacked in front of me for lack of storage while they do double duty as a tricky obstacle course. Oh, and the fruit flies that were bothering us before have managed to track us down and return to pestering the living daylights out of us. Some things never change.

What Will His Friends Say?

Cate Blanchett named her new baby... Ignatius.

Why? What kind of name is that? I thought that was something we only heard of in the movies... bad movies.

If I Only Had a Brain

It’s official. I have lost my befuddled, confused mind. The last two weeks have been crazy busy here at work and yesterday the IT dept made the big move (about 30 ft) across the hall to a temporary sanctuary while our area gets its facelift. This former conference room has morphed over the years from its original purpose to an ITV classroom, back to a conference room, then chopped up and vastly shrunk to make room for offices on the other side and now into alternate cubicle offices for those in transition. (That was one long sentence.) So yesterday was our turn to shuffle and I have misplaced a few things that I normally can get my hands on immediately. At any rate, my credenza is now behind me and this is where I’ve always set my coffee mug and water glass. Now I know it was a chaotic madhouse yesterday and I was quite distracted but I was indeed drinking out of that glass all yesterday afternoon and am absolutely positive it never budged. Surely it wasn’t swiped by some nefarious personage masquerading as a benign colleague? And if they were going to filch a mug, why couldn’t they at least have picked the cheap Dollar General coffee mug that I bought here in town for a whopping dollar? "S" suggested maybe my secret pal took it and they are going to give it back to me as a present because they are cheap. Or possibly they borrowed it temporarily with plans of returning it filled with candy. That’s putting a positive spin on things but I’m not so optimistic.

Anyway, I walk in this morning and it has vanished into thin air. Poof! So I’m frantically scratching my head as to where it possibly could have gone. I checked the obvious places but to no avail. After wandering back to our old area in search of this special OBX glass I discover to my horror three Fedex envelopes from last Thursday that were processed but never picked up for distribution! OMG!! How did I blank out and drop the ball so badly on this one??? I can’t remember what happened yesterday let alone what occurred a solid week ago. And they were tests to far sites meant to be taken this past Tuesday. Yikes! I’m very surprised the instructor hadn’t called me demanding to know their whereabouts but she hasn’t so I’ve bitten the bullet and left a VM to discuss making amends. I’d say the day can only get better but we’re expecting severe storms this afternoon so I cannot envision that happening. In conclusion, has anyone seen my brain?

Bicycle Built for Speed

I got a new road bike for my birthday and yesterday I broke it in. First of all, let me explain that a bike used for racing and those huge, mammoth bike rides are not like the bikes we ride as kids nor are they the bike you run up to Wal-mart and get for a little ride around the neighborhood. They are specifically for your height and inseam and they are designed so that you have to reach as faaaaar as your little arms will go to get to the brakes and gear shifts! Not only that, but they expect you to wear shoes with cleats to lock in your feet!

What the heck is that all about!?

My first attempt to get on the bike was just that. An attempt. I failed to get my leg thrown over the thing because the seat was too high. Got that adjusted and then I have to attempt to get a foot on the pedal, and locked in, and take off. Easier said than done. When you're standing on the ground, your seat comes to just right above your butt crack so it's not like you can just sit down and take off. Nope. You have to get one foot on and stand up to get on your seat (gotta get rolling too or you will fall and keep in mind your foot is locked in and if you start to fall you have to not forget to snap your shoe out of the pedal to catch yourself) and throw the other foot into locked position. Start pedaling!

I walked my bike to a safe area to get started. You know, the area on the bottom of the hill, past the poles (so I wont hit them), where hopefully no one can see me try to take a ride. Monday's at 6pm are busy on the trails! I managed to take off and with only a little struggle on the second cleat, I was off and riding!

I rode 12 miles on my first day with no accidents. I didn't wreck or run over anyone or get run over. I did a little off-roading by accident, but nothing major. I managed to maintain control of the vehicle at all times!

Today, I rode another 12 miles in horrid wind... and my butt bone hurts like no other! It was sore from yesterday, but today its major sore. Is there a treatment for that? Bike Butt!

A Little R & R

I don't specifically adore Rachel Ray, but I don't dislike her either. She is a cute girl that has this raspy voice like she just left a smokey bar (all night long). But have you noticed how fluffy her arms are? She's not fat by any means... but her arms are huge!

Most girls gain weight in their arse. I think her yummy dishes go straight to her arms!

You Make Me Sick

For the past few months, I've sat at my computer desk with my back to the District Manager's office and I hear every little conversation that takes place. Whether I like it or not. I've grown more and more irritated with his immaturity and lack of direction and irresponsibility.

He is constantly picking up the phone and calling someone to see if they want to go get drunk. He calls other DM's or agents and calls them dirty names and then giggles. Today, he called someone and told them about an agent (female obviously) that made X amount of sales and won an award and "damn she had this low cut blouse on that made her, well they, it was low cut and blah blah" *cleared his throat*... was probably sportin' a woody just talking about it.

He's a grandpa for God's sakes. Plus we're supposed to be professional and who knows who's listening!?!? There might be a place and time for that kind of thing but not all the time. And its all the time with him. I grow more and more tired of it.