One more reason to screw around.

What were they thinking giving me Yahoo chat at work?? Like I'm gonna get anything done now...actually we got new computers so I'm probably going to spend the rest of 2005 (by which I mean this afternoon and tomorrow) resetting all of my important (celeb gossip) stuff. And I got Mozilla, so now I can go back and look at whatever you all were telling me to look at with Firefox! So anyway, feel free to friend me or whatever you do on IM. Holla!

Yoink!

I had to steal this completely hilarious idea from Julienne and Krissy.

Google image search for Bev & Tim:

Here we are as kids, can you believe we're still together 25 years later?!



This was at Tim's retirement dinner. I was so proud of him!


We had some WILD times in the summer of '82!


These are our Christmas pictures, what do you think?


We loved our trip the Netherlands, but it was freezing!


And just to avoid confusion, here is the real thing:

It IS Comcastic!

Woo hoo, I am about to be the proud owner of my very own DVR! No more begging my mom and Tim to record things for me, no more trying to watch my shows around the insanity of my parents' house, no more missing out on the dirty shows because I can't record them myself...ah this is almost the life! I am already making my list and checking it twice, so far I've got:

Veronica Mars
Gilmore Girls
Lost
Alias
Martha Stewart's new talk show
Talk Sex with Sue
Antiques Roadshow
History Detectives

Any suggestions from the peanut gallery?

Not to mention all of the great stuff on Comcast on Demand, there are some really good free movies, karaoke, and porn, available day or night with just the click of your clicker! And hey, a tip from me to you: Comcast has special deals that they can give you if you mention a cable alternative (we have our own company in A-town, but I bet you could use the Dish, etc for leverage). I had to ask the customer service lady about three times before I got her to admit that they had a special package (luckily Tim got it recently so I knew it was available), and it is a great deal (150+ digital channels and DVR for about $40), so it pays to be persistent!

And I wanted to say I'm really sorry if it sounds like I am bragging, I am just going through a particularly lucky phase, WOO HOO! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see plenty of complaining and angst in this space in the future, ha ha.

Merry Christmas to ME!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap you guys, I just got an almost 10% raise!

Apparently, the UC system conducted a salary review and found that there were some major discrepancies among classifications, and also in comparison to the open market, SHOCKING, I know. They had some money left over from what Arnie allocated in the state budget, and so about 700 people on campus got surprise raises. This is amazing, and just what I need for the holidays and my move. I feel great about it, even though it really has nothing to do with me personally being recognized, and it came from the head office so it isn't even like my department did anything for me. But now at least my salary is no longer embarrassing for a 27 year old. Of course that doesn't take into account my shiny new Masters degree, but we'll take care of that when I get a new job. Which I am TOTALLY gonna start looking for in January!

I know it is kind of tacky to talk money with friends, but I am just totally stunned and had to tell someone! I won't see anything until my January paycheck, so drinks are on me in 2006!

Drink offer is limited to one (1) drink per person. Expires March 30, 2006. Cannot be combined with other offers. Void where prohibited.

Like my friend Ice Cube always says...

Today was a good day. Well yesterday was actually but we are going to pretend that that is when I was writing this entry...

After six meetings about BAGELS** I decided I really needed a mental health day or I was going to start screaming in the hallway and probably wouldn't be able to stop until someone shoved one of said bagels into my mouth (after completing the requisition forms in triplicate of course). So I called in with only a slightly fictional migraine and had Thursday all to myself, yay! I celebrated by spending hundreds of dollars on new tires and then went on to spend another big chunk at Target, almost all of which was for other people. Then I wanted some presents for myself so I went to the library (I was out in Walnut Creek) and loaded up on their 50 cent paperbacks. Let me clarify, those are books that cost 50 cents, not books by 50 Cent--which are apparently coming soon to a bookstore near you. So for $12 I got enough reading material to last me probably two years since I don't seem to have time to read anymore anyway. But when the time does come, oh will I have books!

The best part of the day was going back to my favorite hairstylist, Azar at Grateful Head in WC. I had been lazy for the past several months and was just going to a place downstairs from work for cuts, but the lady really got off track last time and I was pretty unhappy. But I knew Azar would be able to fix it, and fix it she did! And I got bangs to boot! So it was an exciting hair day...generally I'm pretty much just coexisting with my hair, so it was nice to have something fun and new. BANGS people! Times they are a-changin'!

I finished up my Walnut Creek day with dinner at Pyramid with Shel, which was super as always; we always have such good talks. Then wrapped up the night with a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks and some quality time on the couch with Tim. That man has me watching ridiculous reality TV and enjoying it, it must be love, ha ha.

So that's what I've got. It is always so nice to have a break during the week when it feels that much more restful because you know all the suckers are stuck at work. I really hope that Lotto jackpot comes in soon so I can realize my career goal of being a lady who lunches...

**I am planning the Welcome Breakfast for when my office moves to downtown Berkeley next month and like everything else here, they manage to take the smallest detail and turn it into a nightmare of meetings, approval chains five people long, incomprehensible forms, and last minute changes that require us to start the cycle over ad naseum...

Apartment--check PLUS!

YAY! I officially have a new apartment. I got to choose between three units last night (and that was just on the first floor, I didn't even ask what was available upstairs) and it was HARD! But after looking at each apartment multiple times, and thoroughly amusing the apartment lady and Tim by being such a geek, I finally went with the apartment that has a slightly smaller living room and bedroom (due to a random hallway), but a bonus closet and a nice view of the pool area. I can't wait to pick up my keys when I sign the lease. I can't move anything in until the 20th but the manager said I can come hang out, measure, commune with my space (no joke, she said that) anytime. Does anyone know about that blessing your new space crap? Is it crap? Well I feel pretty blessed already (but not by the lord or anything), WOO HOOOOOO!

For those of you keeping score at home, my new address is:



Phone will stay the same, and keep that number handy because you will need to call me to get let into the new place. They can't hook my cell phone up to the call box because it is not a local number. Don't they know that area codes are irrelevant!??

Seriously?

Could someone do some research on these and get back to me?

The Stella Awards are named after 81-year old Stella Liebeck, who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's for millions. This years runners up are:

Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas won $14,500 after being bitten on the arse by his neighbour's beagle.
Mr Williams was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun at the time.

Amber Carson was paid $113,500 by a Philadelphia restaurant after she broke her back from slipping on a soft drink...which she had just thrown at her boyfriend.

Kara Walton of Delaware sued a nightclub and won $12,000 after falling from a bathroom window and knocking out her two front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak through the window in the ladies room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge.

But the winner is: Mrs. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma who purchased a brand new 32-foot Winnebago. On her first trip, she drove on the freeway, set the cruise control at 70 mph and went out back to make a sandwich. She crashed. Then sued for the manual not advising her not to do this. The jury awarded her $1,750,000 plus a new motor home. The company then changed their manuals on the basis of this suit.

Thanks!