Striving For Mediocrity

Ramblings of a thirtysomething sometimes bitter single girl living in Southern California with her gay cat and crazy neighbors. Doing her damnedest to find one good man that won't drive her completely nuts.

Friday, July 29, 2005

Who the fuck is Alice?


If you aren't watching "Being Bobby Brown," then I don't think we can be friends.

Seriously. Stop what you're doing and turn on Bravo. Or better yet, you can come to my house and watch ALL the episodes because they will live forever on my tivo. These people are INSANE, and it's fantastic. As the loverly Dixie pointed out, all they do is eat, smoke, and bitch.

They also sing. Everything. Everywhere. And dance. I was joking about this to Kay, and she said, "Well,they're singers." Well, I do accounting all day, and I don't start doing 10-key wherever I go, or spontaneously just start reconciling peoples's bank accounts. Like I said. INSANE.

Last night, they were at a restaurant, and Whitney told the waiter she wanted an appetizer. "Do you have the gorgonzahh? The gorgonzahh cheese and pears?" I am guessing she was talking about gorgonzola. After her delicious gorgonzahh and pears, she announced to Bobby, the waiter, her friend on the cell phone, and the cameras, and anyone else that would listen, that she was going to take a big shit, and that she was going to be on the toilet all night.

God bless them. I never ever ever ever thought I'd say this, but thank god for reality tv.


Interpol tickets are going on sale tomorrow, and I am sad that none of my suck-ass friends know who Interpol even are.

I am beginning to think if it's not Toby Keith or Kelly Clarkson, they're clueless.

That's kind of scary.


Last night, in my dreams (one of which was HOT HOT HOT), I dreamed about this song I used to hear at the Irish bar we used to hang out all the time, that I haven't heard in years. I can't remember the name (I think it might be "Who the fuck is Alice"), but the chorus says "I don't know where she's leaving, or where she's going to go. I guess she's got her reasons but I just don't want to know. But I'll never get used to not living next door to Alice. Alice, who the fuck is Alice?" Anyhoo, it's about a transvestite, or a transsexual, I think. And last night I dreamed the entire song. It was tres bizarre.

I don't even know what the point of telling that was.


Thank god it's Friday.


Last night, I was talking on the phone to a lovely, lovely man (I didn't even try to burn my house down this time!), and we were talking about travel.

I have a paralyzing fear of flying.

Like, bad.

But, before I die, I have to see two places: Italy, and England. Those are the only two places I really really really want to go.

I need to get over my fear and just do it. It's not as bad as it used to be, though. I used to have panic attacks when I drove by the airport.

Now's the part where you all say, "Wow, she is fucking nuts."

I know it's completely irrational, and I'm more likely to die in my car, but my car's only a foot off the ground.

Not 35,000 feet.

The last time I was in a plane, was a few years ago, coming back from Vegas (the fact that the flight is just under an hour was a huge selling point - not to mention the extreme drunkenness).

I was sitting in my seat, with my head between my legs focusing on my breathing so as not to DIE (ok, not really. The fact is, I was so drunk I could have been sitting next to a clown *shudder* and I probably wouldn't have noticed), when Kay started poking my shoulder relentlessly.

Finally, I asked her what the hell she was poking me for, and she told me to walk to the bathroom, and to look at the seats on the left.

So I did.

HOLY.SHIT.

Rick Springfield was sitting in a seat on the same plane I was.

Now, laugh if you must (even though it breaks my heart to know that you would mock Rick), but you have NO idea the lovestruck fool I was for this man as a young girl. I'm not the only one, either.

I had posters all over my walls, watched General Hospital every day, and named all my stuffed animals Rick.

He was the first concert I ever went to (and god bless my Dad, because he couldn't stand it, and he still went), and I still have the t-shirt in a box somewhere, along with my Madonna Virgin Tour t-shirt. And the 49840 Depeche Mode tour shirts I have.

When I saw him sitting there, still super cute and dreamy, I almost turned into one of those idiot teenage girls that can't breathe because they're losing their fucking minds at the sight of the Backstreet Boys. I got all dopey, and just sort of stared, and probably drooled a little, too.

He saw me, and I felt completely stupid, but I couldn't help it.

I mean, come on. It's Rick Springfield.

HELLO.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Trailer Park tales.

So, RDC wants to hear more white trashy stories about my family. Oh, dear. I do believe I could go on for days about them. But, I will offer up this little installment in the saga that is my family. Deb, the second cousin that died, has one sister, C, and two brothers, T and LJ.

LJ married a woman about 25 years ago, and they started popping out kids. Their first son dropped out of school around 14, and was in trouble all the time. He was suspected of sexual assault (yeah, I know), but was never convicted. About two years later, he was thrown in jail for stealing a car and beating some guy nearly to death. He was sharing a cell with a guy of about 35, who was convicted of murdering a little boy in a park. Deb, who was writing to JJ, started corresponding with the cell mate and ended up marrying him.

Apparently, that pesky little "child-killer" thing didn't seem to bother her.

JJ has two younger brothers, and one younger sister. One of his younger brothers, K, was arrested over and over and over before he was even 18, for assault, vandalism, theft, and a bunch of other shit. Almost all his crimes were committed against minorities, because he's a raging skinhead. Nice, right? His younger sister, J, got knocked up at fourteen, and had a baby that had its lungs almost on the outside of its body (I can't remember the exact name for it, or all the details, but that's the jist of it), so she left in the middle of the night because she didn't want to take care of the baby.

It's a good thing hospitals never ask for any pertinent information when you check in to have a child. Because then they might catch you when you try to abandon your baby. It was an ordeal, and LJ and his wife ended up taking the poor sickly little baby (who sadly, did not live - although I don't think that kid necessarily lost out on much of a life, I hate to say), while their teenage daughter ran the streets doing whatever - and whomever - she chose.

Ok. That's all you're getting for tonight. Maybe next time I'll tell you about my thug/cousin who stabbed someone and then ran him over with a car. Or my uncle who married his dead brother's wife, becoming his neice and nephew's stepfather, and then knocking up the wife, giving birth to their half-sister/cousin.

I hope that made sense.

The only comfort I get from this is that the really bad people are second and third cousins, and my immediate family, while they might be uneducated and tasteless, are still good people.


It seems that Celestia and her friend Butterface (the co-tosser) are in the midst of a little tiff, because Celestia asked me not to put her through when she calls. And, as fun as it is for me to keep putting her in the voice mail every time, the last few times she's called she was a total bitch to me, and, well, Homey don't play that. So I sent Celestia an email telling her that she needs to settle her fight, because dealing with her ugly, bitchy friends is not in my job description.

Thinking that she was going to get me in trouble, she went to HR Boss and told her that I was making demands on whose calls I would take or not, and that I need to mind my own business. HR Boss promptly explained to her that since personal calls are frowned upon (not really, but she just said that to be a bitch to Celestia), asking me to handle them special was outside of my job duties, and in effect, distracting me from taking calls relating to the business of our office.

Guess what happened?

Come on, you know what she did.

That's right. She cried.

At least it's never dull with her around.



Lots of pictures to load. Sorry.

I stole this from Dixie. Look up the following on Google image search:

The age you will be on your next birthday:

The place you live:

That's also the church where RAM was baptized, which is another fun story of when trashy people reproduce.

Your favorite color:

When I was a little girl, I wanted my name to be Violet, because it was the color of my favorite crayon. Well, that and 'Purple' wouldn't be a very good name.

The place you want to get married:

Probably the only way I'd consider getting married is in Vegas, with at least one Elvis impersonator present.

Your first love:

Dude. Don't you fuckers even try to say something bad about Rick Springfield. I will stab anyone who dares speak ill of him.

Your favorite fruit or vegetable:

Mmmmm...

Your favorite animal:

I love these dogs because they always look like they're smiling.

The last name of your favorite actor or actress:

Creepy.

The name of a pet:

Your favorite song:

This painting is called "When a man loves a woman."

A bad habit of yours:

As if that's a surprise to anyone.

Your middle name:

I'm not even sure what my comment is for this one.


Well, the Hot Mailman (who may or may not think I'm a giant whore) is all moved in, and he's already getting on my nerves.

He's been banging on the wall (and not in the good way, either) til almost midnight for the last three nights.

If nothing's slamming against the wall in my apartment, it shouldn't be in any other one, either.

Dammit.

Now where's that chocolate...

Monday, July 25, 2005

He's a long gone daddy-o.

Unlike most women, I don't care about chocolate. I don't hate it, but I never crave it, and I have no problem walking by it and not wanting to eat it. Now, if there's a big plate of cheese sitting out, that's a WHOLE other story.

Mmmm...cheese.

But, in the last week or two, I have been like a fiend with the chocolate. I want it ALL THE TIME. I actually left my office to go buy a stupid candy bar. I never ever do that. Ever.

Then when I was walking back to the office, eating that Kit Kat bar like it was a, um... candy bar, I realized that I've been like a chocolate crack whore.

Perhaps the fact that I laid down the "no more casual sex" law, and since then, Jason has been harassing me to come over non-stop, not to mention the online romance I am embroiled in, stirring my loins like crazy, has had something to do with my need to consume chocolate like it's going out of style. I always heard that for women chocolate is the same as sex, but I never paid any attention to it.
After eating that Kit Kat bar, and being without sex, I can say I think it's true.

However, unless I want to gain back the many pounds I've lost in the last eight months, I better get my shit together and find a man so I can stop with all the chocolate. I could call Jason any time I wanted to get some, but that's no fun anymore.

Dammit.


Sunday, I had to go out to see my [real] Dad's side of the family, which is never good. I mean, they're my family, and I love them, but they are the picture of white trash. Poor, uneducated, producing children out of wedlock at an alarming rate, and nearly none of them living on their own and supporting themselves. Or their out of wedlock children.

They live in a part of Southern California that is revered for its white trashiness. It's the meth capital of California, and pretty much everyone outside of that area makes fun of it. And, it never fails, that ANY time I go out there, at least one truck-driving stranger will verbally assault me for having a Jeff Gordon sticker on my car (hey, I never said I wasn't white trash, too).
This particular day, it was a woman (which is a first), who yelled out the passenger seat of a Ford truck that "Gordon's a suck-ass queer!" When the truck got ahead of me, she had a 45 sticker on her truck. Which, if you know nascar, know that Kyle Petty is about the shittiest driver EVER, and only races because his dad's Richard Petty.

Ok. Enough of my dork/trashy nascar rant.

My [real] Dad and I have a strained relationship. We don't talk unless I go out there to visit. I know that it's not because of any feelings of anymosity, that's just how he is. He's like that with everyone, so I don't take it personally (anymore).

Unfortunately, his vocabulary is stuck in the 60's, when he was a surfer.

When I walked in the house and he saw me (he hasn't seen me for almost a year), he walked up and said, "Hey, babe! You look bitchen!"

"Thanks, Dad."

"Hey, come and check out this boss new stereo I got!"

He also likes to drink. Sometimes, a lot. So, after a few beers, he gets his guitar out, and starts playing it (which he's really very good at). He's partial to Beach Boys and Rolling Stones songs. This time, it was "Brown Sugar." My Dad eitehr goes ALL Mick, or ALL Keith. Meaning, he'll take his shirt off and do the Mick Jagger cock-of-the-walk dance, or he'll take the guitar, let his ciagarette dangle from his lips and play his ass off.

Well, he was Mick this time, and in the midst of his drunken dancing, he backed into a shelf and knocked it, and himself over.

Like father, like daughter. At least I know I come by my stupid clumsiness honestly.

I also had to go to a memorial for a second cousin who died about three weeks ago, who I was not close to, for the most part. Deb was a mess. Most of her teeth were gone, she was morbidly obese, her health was a shambles, not to mention (and here's the part where you all can't believe my family is really like this) the fact that she was married to a convicted child-murderer, who she met because he was her nephew's cell mate. Yeah. Enjoy.

I wish I could say that was the most embarrassing fact about my family, but it's not.

Not by a long shot.


Today, co-worker Chris and I were talking about Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France again, and Celestia was sitting at her desk, listening, but not saying anything. We were commenting about his winning streak, and Celestia jumped up, with a look of "Eureka!" on her face, and beaming with pride, said "Ommigod! They should call it the Tour de Lance!"

She really thought she was the first person to come up with this. She was so proud of herself for making a joke.

God bless that crazy bitch.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Mark your calendars.

Damn. I don't know how people who work with html all the time handle it, because doing this template was a pain in my ass. Of course, the fact that I'm pretty illiterate in these matters probably has something to do with the time and frustration.

A few weeks ago, I was looking at a web site of Japanese art that my lovely friend Scott turned me on to, and I saw a lot of really beautiful pictures, and wanted to use one in my template. I just had to figure out how.

I didn't even have to ask Loopy to do it for me this time. Holy crap, I'm proud of myself.


Did anyone see "The Family Guy" last week? When Chris got pulled into the A-ha video, I just about pissed myself I was laughing so hard. And my 20 year-old sister, Jackie, didn't understand why it was funny. I felt old.

Speaking of feeling old, I have realized that I've officially turned into my parents with current music (most of it, anyway).

Since those dickholes at MTV never play videos, anymore, it seems, I searched my guide and found a time during the day when they do. I set my tivo to record them. What a let-down. In three hours that I recorded, they literally only showed about ten different videos, and the only good ones were The Bravery, Gorillaz and Gwen Stefani (who is so damned gorgeous in her new video I couldn't take my eyes off of her). Everything else was some dopey blinged-out rappers, singing about a) what they wear, b) what they drive, and, c) what they drink. And they're surrounded by girls in bikinis doing some spastic ass-shaking dance that I don't understand. And don't find sexy.

But maybe that's just me.

The other videos were some angsty 20 year-olds whose band names escape me, but the lead singer in one looked like he didn't know if he wanted to be Billy Corgan, Marilyn Manson, or Siouxsie Sioux. And they all sound the same.

Almost the whole time, I just shook my head, confounded at the state of music. Just like my Dad used to do when I was blasting The Smiths and Depeche Mode when I was in high school, and I thought he was so old and out of it for not understanding how totally awesome (yeah, I just said totally awesome) these bands were to me (and still are).

Luckily, there are bands like Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs that remind me that not all of the new music sucks ass.


My weekend was pretty boring. I hung out with Kay and DMX's to barbeque, drink, and talk some crap. Mostly about how we hate our new friend Briton's bitch of a girlfriend, and how we are devising a plan to edge her out of the picture.

Yeah, we're nice.

DMX and I also remembered that it's almost time to celebrate the holiday that we made up.

About four years ago, he called me one Sunday around eleven in the morning.

"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Nothing. Why?"
"Well, Kay's out here planting some flowers and shit, and I'm going to start drinking beers. Come over and drink some."
"Ok."

What ended up happening was DMX and I drinking about a thousand beers, after which we decided that we would make the first Sunday in August a holiday (called Dandria Day), and we would throw a party, and mostly just drink our asses off, and take the Monday off of work. Which, I suppose we could just do any Sunday anyway, but we decided to make it an annual event, cause we're cool like that.

Or total dorks, depending on how you look at it.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Dear Diary

Dear Diaryland,

So, my first birthday here at Diaryland is upon me, and I am getting my emails reminding me every five seconds that my super gold is about to expire.

Your customer service blows. I realize that we’re not paying a fortune for comments, banners, and image hosting, but I should at least get what I pay for. I haven’t been able to run ONE SINGLE BANNER – not that I have any fucking clue how to create them, given my computer/hmtl illiteracy, but still. I have attempted to contact you via email (ha ha ha ha) every single day, and have gotten no response. Why must you tease me with things like, “Just email us with ‘super gold member’ in the subject so we can make you a priority”, when you have no intention of EVER getting back to me? WHY?

Most of the time you never email me when someone leaves a note or a comment, forcing me to click my own diary like a needy attention whore every ten minutes.

Should I stay or should I go? This indecision’s killing me.

Well, not really. I just wanted to quote The Clash.

I like Diaryland. I have many excellent friends here. Don’t make me go somewhere else.

Let’s stay together for the kids,
Andria


Dear Amazon,

You tease me with pre-orders, then take them away. You tell me you’ve ordered the book for me anyway, and then tell me that never happened.

All I wanted to do was read the fucking Harry Potter book like all the other nerds, and now you’re going to force me to actually go out in PUBLIC and buy it at a store.

Was it something I said? Does the fact that I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on books through your site mean nothing? Where did the love go?

I’ve never even looked at barnesandnoble.com, and this is how you treat me.

Hmmph,
Andria


Dear Bank of America,

Fuck you and your online bill pay.

That’s all.

Kiss my ass,
Andria


Dear Co-workers,

Why do you have to shit at work? Can’t you do that at home, like civilized people? We work in a small office, and your explosive bowel movements permeate the air and make me gag. And, spraying the entire can of air freshener? DOESN’T HELP.

It’s just not right.

Eat less fiber and drink less coffee before work,
Andria


Dear single men who have jobs, don’t play games, tell the truth, and don’t still live with their parents,

I’m pretty damned tired of being single.

Call me,
Andria


Dear smoke alarm,

Why do you go off every morning when I take a shower, yet, when I nearly burn my house down by forgetting about the turkey burger I started cooking, you say nothing?

Do you want me to die? Have I not been good to you, checking your batteries, and replacing them regularly, to ensure optimal performance? You should feel special, because only my vibrators get that kind of treatment.

Love always,
Andria


Dear Hurricane Emily,

Fuck you.

Thanks you to, you sweaty, nasty whore, it’s hot and humid here. I live in Southern California. We’re not equipped to deal with humidity, and most days, we can’t even deal with temperatures over 75 degrees.

Go back to where you came from,
Andria

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The big fat Greek wedding has been CANCELLED.

The last few days have been wacky.

First, the Greek Festival. I was going to back out altogether, but I already told my co-worker I’d come by for a while, so I forced Kay to go with me, so that she could use RAM as an out when it got ugly. But I know that bitch wanted to go watch me squirm when all those Greek mothers started selling me on their sons. Some friend she is.

I’d do exactly the same thing, by the way.

When I got to the church, I got bombarded by two women trying to talk me into joining the Greek Orthodox church (what? A pasty, red-head with freckles can’t be Greek? I resemble that assumption). I politely tried to get out of it, but those Greeks are persistent, man. So I took some “literature” and told them I’d get back to them.

Yeah, that should happen.

When I got out to the festival, I spotted Sylvia at a table with about five other women, and as soon as she saw me, they all stopped talking and stared at me. I walked up and said hi, and Sylvia introduced me to her friends, and they all had names like “This is Vivian, whose son is 35 and a banker. Never married,” or, “Barbara, 37, divorced lawyer with no kids. Very handsome.” I was SO uncomfortable, I couldn’t stand it.

Vivian started selling me on her son, Nick. She was telling me how smart, and sweet he was, and how he was never married, and just needed a nice girl to settle down with. Then she mentioned that he still lived at home with her and her husband, and that was enough for me to be out, but then she whipped out the pictures, and I have one word: UNI-BROW. I know, I know. He’s Greek. It doesn’t matter. I don’t care where your family’s from, you can still tame that shit and separate the two eyebrows.

No thanks.

We talked, and ate for a while, while Sylvia regaled them with my silly office tales, making them all laugh, and convincing them all what a charming, and sweet girl I am.

HA!

The worst (or best, if you’re AN INSENSITIVE ASSHOLE like my friend) part of the day was when one of the women, Sophia, actually waved her son over to come and meet me. I am not good in these situations. I hate having any attention on myself in front of strangers.

Her son, David came over, and she introduced me to him. I could tell by the similar look of discomfort that his mom spent a lot of time trying to find a wife for her son. She was talking him up to me, telling me that he was very successful, and very healthy (?), and didn’t drink heavily or smoke. Uh… ok.

Then she looked at him, grabbed my waist and said “Look, David. Just look at these birthing hips!” Kay’s scream of uncontrollable laughter at that statement did not go unnoticed. I could feel my face burning with embarrassment, and all I wanted to do was get out of there.

But, God bless Kay. She jumped in and saved me. “Birthing hips? Everyone knows Andria’s never having kids! She HATES children!!”

Sophia moved on to the next desperate looking single woman with wide hips.

Crisis averted. On that note, I said my goodbyes and got the hell out of there.


Saturday night, embroiled in one of the hottest phone conversations EVER, I nearly burned my house down (which is funny, given the person I was talking to almost burned his own house down the week before) because I forgot about a turkey burger I started cooking before the conversation got… racy. When I got off the phone, I smelled smoke, so I ran into the kitchen, full of smoke, and saw the little black charred turkey burger on the stove.

Note to self: No more cooking when there’s a possibility of phone sex.


Sunday, Kay’s husband DMX tried to kill me. Really.

We were watching some auto racing and the Tour De France. And while we’re talking about the TDF - seriously. What the FUCK is up with the lunatics on the side of the road at this race? They’re all insane. They’re screaming, and yelling, throwing water at the cyclists, touching them, standing in the middle of the street – they’re crazy. Although, one did get run over by a motorcycle when he wouldn’t move, so that was fun to see. What was I talking about? Oh – DMX trying to kill me. We were watching nascar (shutup. I know I’m white trash), and he made some crack about Jeff Gordon (again, SHUTUP), so I elbowed him and told him to fuck off. Then he elbowed me back, which led to some WWE-style fighting on the living room floor (Kay has often referred to DMX and I as her second and third children, because we do this ALL THE TIME), when I pulled out the big guns – something I am confident can get me out of any situation – I grabbed his arm, and in the inside near his armpit, where the skin is thin, I pinched the shit out of him. When I let go, he grabbed my throat and pretended to strangle me, only he wasn’t pretending. Ten minutes later, he had a huge black bruise where I got him. I still have marks on my neck

Good times.


Shit. I was going to tell how Roseanne flipped off Chris and I in the car yesterday, but I rambled on about other shit, so I’ll have to tell it tomorrow.

And how Celestia fell down the stairs at work.

And how I got into an argument with my crazy neighbor about wasting water, and she decided squirting me with the hose would shut me up.

It’s good to be me.


Monday, July 18, 2005

Amazon.com: "Pre-order? Hahahahaha... silly fool!"


Yesterday, my co-worker Chris asked me to take him up to Mr. Big Shot's house to help him program the new stereo (why is the receptionist doing this?) system presets, and to ooh and ahh at all the fancy new shit, since they weren't home. Celestia, who doesn't have the gift of pre-set station programming that I do (and seriously, it's no gift. Those idiots don't realize how easy it is), was pissy and jealous that I might be imposing on another prime ass-kissing opportunity for her.

We were about five minutes from MBS' house when I passed the shiny black Mercedes in front of me that was going about four miles an hour. Immediately, the car jerked over into the lane next to me, and then sped up in front of me.

"You just pissed off Roseanne."
"Huh?"
"ROSEANNE. You know? Roseanne Barr, or Arnold, or whoever she is now."

I'll explain: Roseanne (my white trash hero) lived a few doors down from MBS, up until she sold the house she was living in and moved. I thought she moved off the hill and back closer to Los Angeles, but maybe she didn't. MBS and Roseanne don't like each other too much. Remember the dog that shit on Celestia's passenger seat a few weeks ago? Well, Chris (who used to live up at MBS' place when he was his driver full time) was walking him, and he almost ate one of her little yippee dogs. She went over to his house screaming about his dog, he called her trash, she called him a little cocksucker. So, not a lot of love there.

"How do you know that's her car?"
"I know the plates. I used to see that car every day, you know."

So, being as tacky as I am, I got up next to her car, but the windows were BLACK. When we were sitting at a light waiting to go, right before she took off, she rolled down her window, smiled, and flipped me off.


One of my many pet peeves is when I see people watering their grass in the middle of the day when it's hot. I am no tree-hugging environmentalist, however, it's a waste of water. And it's just stupid. So, whenever I see someone I know doing it, I yell at them.

Sunday, my crazy neighbor Ann, who thinks she has some knack for gardening, but really, she doesn't, was out in front of our apartments dicking around like she usually does on the weekend. I heard the sprinklers come on, then the water come on, and I saw her starting to water the plants. I was talking on the phone to Kay at the time, so I walked out, with the phone still in my hand, and calmly said, "Ann, you really should water later in the evening when it's cool. You'll use a lot less water and it won't dry as quickly." Given how much I really dislike this woman, I think I was pretty diplomatic about it.

"I'm watering now."
"But you're wasting water, Ann. It's stupid to water right now. We have to pay for the water, and you would use LESS if you do it around eight instead of two in the afternoon. It just makes sense."

She started talking, but she was mumbling, like she was talking to herself. I asked her what she said, and she did it again. Kay was still on the phone, listening and laughing. Mostly because I had this same fight with her. I don't know when I appointed myself the water usage hall monitor, but I did.

Then Ann started screaming something about taking the trash out on Mondays, and my loud music, and how I never say hello to her, and how rude I am all the time. Then I yelled back that she was a lunatic, and that I don't talk to her because she's strange, and talks to plants and names her cats both Ann. I started something else, but she pointed the hose right at me and squirted me with it. Then she told me to leave her alone.

So I did.

Screw it. Let her use all the fucking water for all I care. Wack job. When I told my Dad (the LANDLORD), he didn't care. Why should he? He doesn't have to pay the water bill. Fucker.


Monday, Celestia was wearing these shoes that had about a four inch heel on them. She never used to wear heels to work, but all of a sudden, she's in them nearly every day. They were bugging the shit out of me, because they were mules, and every time she went down the stairs, the shoes made a noise you could hear in the whole building. Well, she started off down the stairs, and I heard one clack, two, three, four, five, and then none.

I walked out and looked over the railing, and she was at the bottom, laid out. But she was laughing, so I figured it was safe for me to laugh at with her, too.

She may be the only other person as clumsy, or even clumsier, than me.


So, I am pretty pissed (yeah, amazon.com, I'm looking at you). I pre-ordered that damn Harry Potter book like a good nerd about four months ago. I was giddy with excitement, thinking it was going to be waiting on my desk at work (I have everything delivered to the office. I don't trust my ghetto neighbors not to steal my shit), but it wasn't.

So, I thought it might come Tuesday.

No.

So, today, I contacted them, and they said they "never received" anything from me.

Damn you, amazon.com.

DAMN YOU.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Recovery Saga


Since Danjerus Kurves asked me to elaborate about my horrific surgical recovery, I'll
tell the story. This might get a little graphic. You've been warned.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, I was ecstatic. I felt good (though a bit sore), I was in a good mood, and was excited to start my recovery. I was staying at my parents' house. I felt fine most of the time, but getting up and sitting down (pretty much ANY bending activity) was a challenge, and it took me a while to do it.

When I laid down to go to bed that first night, I also realized that laying down flat was not an option. That was painful. So I slept in the recliner in the family room, which sucked, because my parents get up to get ready for work (their bedroom is right over the family room) around 4:30. But, after they left, I had the whole quiet house to myself. To sleep. Without any nurses coming in every hour to draw blood, take my temperature, take my blood pressure, give me medication, or look at my incision. The first day was heaven. I think I slept 18 hours that first day back home.

The way the recovery would go, ideally, was, about four days after your discharge, you visit the surgeon, and they remove a few stitches and/or staples. They take a few at a time over the first three or four visits in the three weeks after surgery.

Three days after I got home, I noticed the front of my pants were wet. My incision was draining. Something not completely abnormal, but still something that had to be monitored. So, I had to put towels underneath my binder (a garment that held the abdomen together and kept everything tight) to soak up the fluid that was draining. It got progressively worse over the next week. I developed an infection, and the antibiotics I had to take killed my apetite, and made me feel sick all the time (a fun side note for all you gals out there: EVERY SINGLE TIME I take antibiotics, I get a yeast infection. Good times).

The doctor said as long as the color and smell of the discharge from the incision didn't change, I would be alright. Well, it changed. Big time. I had another infection, and part of my incision had to opened back up, and had to be cleaned out and packed with gauze twice a day. After laughing in the surgeon's face for a half hour when he suggested that I might do it, he made arrangements for a nurse to come to my Mom's house twice a day and do it. While I could look at my incision stapled up, there was no way I wanted to look inside of it. NO FUCKING THANK YOU. That's what medical professionals are for.

I was still taking anti-biotics for the infections I had. I also developed the worst case of constipation EVER, and was hands down the worst pain I think I've ever felt in all of my life. It was so bad in fact, that my parents' neighbors two doors down knew when I had to go to the bathroom. No matter how many of my precious little pain pills I popped, it did nothing for that pain. My doctor gave me something for it, and when it finally did kick in (and boy, did it ever), it was all good again.

When I went back for my next appointment with my surgeon, he looked at my incision, and decided that more of it had to be opened back up. The only part of my incision that didn't have to be re-opened was about two inches on the bottom. Everything else was opened back up, and it was NOT a small wound. He also told me that he was re-admitting me to the hospital, because my incision was so fucked up it needed to be watched 24 hours a day. He also told me that it was not healing on its own properly, and that I would need a wound vac installed to speed it up. This made me completely hysterical. Kay was with me at all of my appointments, and if it wasn't for her being there, I probably would have punched my doctor in the face, because I was so frustrated at what had happened up to this point. I was crying, hysterically, and had to call my Mom and tell her to bring my shit back to the hospital, that I was being admitted immediately. For me, having to go back to the hospital meant that my surgery was not working, and that I had gone through all this for nothing, and was just one more item on the list of proof that nothing goes right for me.

Every bit of wind was taken out of my sails at this point. I felt completely miserable. And alone. I went to my surgeon's support group meetings for two months before my surgery, and I asked about two dozen people how their recoveries went, and every one of them said it went as expected. And here I was, UNexpected.

As my Mom likes to say, I don't do anything half-assed. When something goes wrong for me, it goes ALL THE WAY wrong.

The only plus to going back to the hospital? I was back on the 5th floor, and the lovely and hot Nolan was the first face I saw. He said he saw my chart, but he thought it was a mistake. I said I just couldn't stay away from him, so I found an excuse to come back (see, DK, you can still call me a hoar). I had to go have a bunch of tests done the first night. I found out I had a staph infection. Yay.

I didn't know what the wound vac was, or how it worked, but when the doctor said "installed" I was very nervous. How it works is, it constantly sucks fluid out of the wound, keeping it free from fluid build-up, and making the wound heal much faster than without it.

When Nolan and another nurse came in to hook it up, I couldn't watch. I did NOT want to see my whole incision open. I wasn't too hot on the idea of seeing my insides. I watched him open a package that contained a black sponge, about the size of a dinner plate. He cut it into a few pieces, and started putting the pieces inside my wound. He opened another big sponge, cut it, and put it inside. Then, a big sheet of air-tight super sticky tape was placed over my entire stomach, to make sure no air got into the incision. Two small holes were cut into the tape (technically, it's called drape) over the sponges (which had to fill my entire incision), and a small tube was stuck over the holes, that was connected to a machine. The first time the machine is turned on is very uncomfortable (like extreme nausea), because it sucks ALL the air out of the sponges, so that there's no air in the wound at all. Ouch. I hated that part.

I didn't realize the sponges had to be changed every day. Removing the drape really hurt. But, what was worse, was there was a nerve that was cut during my surgery, and every time someone even breathed by it, it sent the most horrid, stabbing, blinding pain through my entire body. I dreaded midnight, because I knew it was around that time that the nurse was going to change the sponges.

When I was discharged from the hospital, I was taking four different anti-biotics to keep infection away, and was given a portable wound vac that I could have at home. I also had a picc line in my arm (a small tube in an artery in my arm that goes to my chest), because I had to take IV protein for ten hours a day. The home health nurses had to come out every day to change the sponges, so my Mom's spare bedroom looked like a doctor's office. There were medical supplies EVERYWHERE.

The worst part of the portable vac: Every time it sucked fluid out (which was about every two minutes), it sounded like a fart. My family thought it was hilarious. I didn't.

Going anywhere with that thing was embarrassing. It was small-ish, and in a black carrrying case, and I stuffed as much of the tubing down the leg of my pants as I could, so it could almost pass for a purse. But everytime it sucked, people stared at me with disgust. Kay thought it was hilarious. Again, I didn't.

The IV protein and the anti-biotics I was taking made me feel sick all the time. I couldn't eat anything, because if I did, I felt like I was going to throw up. And, with all that was wrong with me, and the fact my stomach was, in effect, OPEN, I was afraid of what throwing up would do to me. My parents blew off my family Thanksgiving (which has never been done), and my Mom made a small chicken and some other things for dinner so that I wouldn't feel bad for having to miss Thanksgiving. I could only take a couple of bites of chicken, then I wanted to puke. It sucked.

And, what's even better, I had a yeast infection. All the fucking time. Woo.

I still had the massive nerve pain every time the nurse came. My favorite home health nurse, Alice, advised me to take more pain pills. I wasn't sure what I should be doing. "Do you feel a buzz after you take it, like after you've had a few drinks?" She asked.

"No. I don't feel anything."

"Hun, if you don't feel anything, you're not taking enough. Take two next time. If two doesn't help, take three."

God bless Alice. Thanks to that handy bit of advice, the visits become much less painful. The down side to that is, that pain killers wipe me out. I am useless for the rest of the day after I take any kind of pain meds. I am in and out of sleep for the whole day, and my head feels like it weighs about a thousand pounds. I don't know how people can take them recreationally. I would be in a coma.

At this point, I had been out of work for 2 months. I was scheduled to be out for six weeks. All I wanted to do was go back to my own apartment. I missed my stuff. And my cats. I wanted to go back to work. I hated being home all day, with nothing to do. But I couldn't go back to work with the wound vac, because it's not exactly professional to be sitting at the front desk with a machine that sounds like you're farting every other minute.

My wound was progressing as expected (finally, something going "as expected"... it was A LOT smaller then when I got re-admitted), and my sponges were being changed every third day instead of every day. I also got to have my picc line taken out, and I was REALLY happy about that. Since I could lay flat for about six hours with no problems, I took the opportunity to go back to my place and finally sleep in my own bed again.

I felt like such a dork for doing it, but I totally cried when I saw my cat Ike. I have had him since he was four weeks old, and he has slept in my bed with me every night. We were never apart for that long (jesus, am I really talking like this about my CAT?!). Seeing his cranky, furry little face (ok, truthfully, there is NOTHING little about this cat) after all that time made me break down. I felt even worse when Jesus Freak, whose bathroom is right next to my bedroom, said she could hear Ike crying every night while I was gone.

I was happy to be back in my own apartment, driving myself in my own car, and not having to depend on someone else to help me. But, I still hated being stuck at home, with this dumb fart machine. All I wanted to do was get back to work, and start using my brain again.

The next time I went to my doctor, I begged to go back to work. The only way I could go back to work was to either wear the wound vac, OR, I could take the vac off and let the rest of my wound (by this time, it was about four inches long, and two inches deep - which is a massive improvement over the 12 inches that were opened back up, and was deep enough to fit the nurses two hands inside) heal by itself. It also meant that given my work schedule, I was going to have to take care of packing the wound myself.

Up until this point, I had not looked at my incision. I wanted no part of it. And that's why I couldn't handle the thought of taking care of it myself. But, when the two nurse practicioners were praising my wound's progress, and it's "beefy bloody" tissue, and "good granulation," I bit the bullet and looked down. And, it didn't gross me out. In fact, I stared at it for about five minutes. I decided that if I could stare at it and not puke everywhere, I could handle packing it with gauze myself.

Thank god, I got to get rid of the fart machine, AND I got to go back to work. Three fucking months later.

About a month after I got back to work, I noticed I was hungry. ALL THE TIME. Even if I ate till I was full, an hour later I felt like I hadn't eaten all day. I immediately panicked, and flipped out, thinking that somehow I had managed to stretch my stomach back out, and make my surgery completely useless. The next time I went to my doctor, she had me lay flat on the table and raise myself up using my stomach muscles. When I did, she noticed something. So she told me to put my hands on my upper abdomen and raise myself up again. When I did, I felt it harden up and distend. A hernea. A big one.

The hernea is normal for people who have my surgery. But, it usually doesn't come this soon, and not as big as the one I have. It also makes everything loose in my stomach, and pretty much nothing stays in my stomach for long, which is why I felt hungry all the damn time. Usually, the hernea becomes uncomfortable around 18-24 months after the first surgery, and the doctor does a hernea repair surgery (he also removes excess stomach skin and does a tummy tuck). Luckily, if it happens 24 months later, you'll have lost pretty much most of your goal weight, so you can maximize the tummy tuck. I am really hoping this fucking thing doesn't start bothering me anytime soon. If it does, it's going to get ugly around here.

Wow. That was really fucking long. If you're still reading this, you deserve some sort of reward. I also tell this story to anyone who thinks I've taken the "easy way out" of losing weight. Nothing about this adventure was easy. Or painless.

But I don't regret any of it.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Surgery flashback.


This morning, cleaning out my bedroom closet, I found a bag that I had with me at the hospital in November when I had my surgery. It was still full of the crap I stuffed in it while I was in the hospital.

Looking through the bag, I found a bunch of stuff I forgot about. There was some clothes, a ton of magazines, my Carmex, a beautiful journal that my friend Jen got me for my birthday, and a stack of "get well" cards I had received, as well as a ton of medical tape I swiped (I blame the drugs. I have no idea what I would need all that tape for), and about 20 cans of protein drinks. Yeah, they should be real tasty after sitting in a bag in the back of my closet for eight months. Yum.

I started flipping through the cards, and I must have been really doped up, because I didn't remember getting most of them.

I looked in the journal, and there were only a few entries, all from my first hospital stay.

11/4/04

The night before. I am all alone now in my hospital room, waiting like crazy for this fucking castor oil to start working. And... it's not. Which means I have to drink ANOTHER bottle of this vile shit tonight. I am beginning to realize the full gravity of what it is that I am doing. I can't even describe how major this is. This next week is going to be really hard for me. I am excited. I am scared. I am nervous. I am antsy. I am fucking hungry.

11/5/04

Post-op.

Fucking sore.

11/6/04

I saw my incision for the first time today. It looks gross. Kind of like hamburger meat. It's long. Like eighteen inches. That should make for a nice scar. My nurse Nolan is hot. I almost got to get my NG tube out today, but I can't. I had to drink that fucking barium again today.

Drugs are good.

I am sore. I can't sleep for more than an hour at a time, and half the time when I'm awake, I don't what I am doing or saying or watching or hearing. Like now. All the nurses aides are Phillipino. I wonder why.

Fuck. Here comes that whore from PT. Time to walk.

11/7/04

I think I love Nolan. I want to marry him. And have his little half-Japanese babies. They would be Japanese, with red hair and freckles. What a sight that would be.
My Grandma is driving me crazy. I wish people would stop calling me all the time. I wish I could sleep for eight straight hours without someone coming in here all the time. I hate hospital television. I hate Kelly Ripa. I don't know how anyone can watch that show. I wish people would stop calling.

I get my foley out today. Thank god. I'm tired of peeing in a bag. All I want is some fucking water and I can't have any until this NG tube comes out. I get one spoonful of ice chips per hour. I miss Diet Coke.

11/8/04

Fuck yeah. No more tube in my nose. My doctor makes his rounds at three in the morning. He does surgeries at 7:30 a.m. I am glad I found out his schedule AFTER he opened me and cut up my insides. If I knew he slept two hours before he operated on me I would have flipped out.

I wish people would stop calling me every five minutes. DB brought a giant wooden rooster to my room. He brought me cock. Ha. I'm so funny. My friends are whacked. I hate most of the nurses here. Mostly because they're not all super hot and nice like Nolan. I love Nolan. Plus he gives me extra drugs when I ask for them. Like a few minutes ago he just juiced up my central line and I feel pretty good right now. I'm sick of this Norah Jones cd. I've listened to it ten times today, just so no one would talk to me if they saw me with headphones on.

Drugs are good.

11/9/04

Dr. Klein told me today that if I don't get gassy and take a shit soon, I am in trouble. It also means I have to take a suppository. NO THANK YOU.

Dear God: Please make poop shoot out of my ass. Thanks. Love, Andria.

11/11/04

Suppositories suck.

Klein took my JP drains out today. That was a weird thing, watching someone pull two two-foot tubes out of my body. But I am glad they're out now. They also took out my epidural. Awww. Bye-bye joy buzzer.

11/12/05

Since I didn't need suppositories yesterday, I get to go home today. Thank god. I want to take Nolan home with me. I'll miss my hot nurse. I have to give myself shots every day. I haven't done that in a while. I also got a big bottle of dilaudid. Weeeee!!!!!!!

I thought this week was going to be really hard and painful. But it wasn't. I had drugs, yeah, but it wasn't bad. I got myself dressed today and tied my own shoes, so I think I'm doing pretty good considering my entire abdomen is cut in half. Not really looking forward to staying at Mom's house.

The funny thing is, that week at the hospital would be the EASIEST time of my post-op experience. Because the three months that followed were a FUCKING NIGHTMARE.


The Greek Festival was a fiasco. I'll get into it next time.

Friday, July 15, 2005

Blah. Update. Blah.


Two entries in one day? You lucky bastards.

I also posted a non-funny entry (incredibly serious, actually) here.

I have nothing to do at work, and I am bored as hell. And for that, you all must pay.

Today, in talking with Sylvia about the big Greek Festival, she told me she’s already told her friends that she’s bringing a “pretty young single girl,” and for their sons to be prepared. Oy.

I am already trying to think of ways to back out of this. I don’t handle these sort of situations well. Not.at.all.

I am already fidgety and nervous just thinking about it.

Oh, how I loathe the set-up.


We have free lunch on Fridays at My Company. Since I am the lowliest employee in the office, I have to coordinate them. When I sent out the email that we were having Chicago For Ribs, Chris sent me an email back that said “Do you think you can go to South Central and get REAL ribs? They are so tasty. Although very risky.”

I don’t know why, but that was the funniest fucking thing in the world to me this morning when I read it. I almost shot vanilla latte out my nose.

I guess it’s not so funny now.


Jesus Christ, am I bored. I hate having nothing to do.


So, I saw today that Cameron Diaz is saying that she is “very proud” of the naked pictures she took when she was modeling before she was a star.

So proud that she never wanted anyone to see them. EVER.

Given what we know about how smarmy people are, if you ever intend to have a life in the public eye, why would you ever pose for those types of pictures?

What would I do without stupid celebrities?

And, speaking of celebrities, I saw that my dreamy Zach Braff broke up with that twit Mandy Moore.

THANK GOD.

I couldn’t live with the idea of my dream boyfriend (well, one of them, anyway) being with her.

Instead he should be with someone more like… ME.

Call me, Zach.

There’s a Colin Farrell sex tape. Please forward all copies to andria24@gmail.com. Right.Now.


I’M BORED.

Fuck. It’s only 12:47.

Save me.


My big fat Greek wedding?


One of my co-workers, Sylvia, has talked me into going with her to the Greek Festival at her church this weekend. She is convinced that all I need, is to find a nice Greek boy to relieve me of my bitter singlehood. I tried to tell her that the last nice Greek boy I was supposed to go out with stood me up (and thank god he did, because after he stood me up, I saw pictures of him posing with his BOWLING BALL). She says that he could not possibly have been a full Greek, and that I should spit on him and give him the evil eye.

I just want to eat some spanokapita and orzo salad. I don't want to find the man of my dreams.

Ok, I do, but I am not counting on finding him at the Greek Orthodox church.

Besides, I've got my mind on other things in other places.


And, speaking of men, I (along with some other chicks here) decided a few weeks ago that casual-no-strings-attached-sex doesn't work for me anymore. It got pretty old.

Goddamn maturity.

And wouldn't you know, since I've decided this, that fucker Jason has called me to come over EVERY DAMNED DAY. But I resisted. And it wasn't easy, either.

Damn him.

And, since I've come to this decision, I have no earthly idea when the next time a man will be naked in my house and let me do dirty things to him. These entries may get even more bitter and cranky than they already are.

You've been warned.


I saw this in another diary as the meme-of-the-week, and decided to steal some of the questions. It was interesting to think back on these times.

Ten years ago - In 1995, I was working for the YMCA doing childcare. A job that would end up being my favorite job, but the pay (and the shitheads I worked with) was so lousy I couldn't afford to stay there if I wanted to live on my own, and I can't handle roommates. So I left that job, and became a nanny for kids that were in the Y program with me, making more than twice as much as I did there, and working half as much. It was a nice set-up for a while. I started hanging out at the Irish bar that I would spend the bulk of my 20's in, loud, drunk, and screaming things like, "Fuck off, you stupid cow!" and "In America, we say 'aluminum' NOT aluminium'!" I also heard the phrase "Watch out, Andria's been on the piss all day" more times than I care to admit. I also sang way too much of the song "Who the fuck is Alice?" (I think that's the title, anyway) at that bar. I was also with X, pretty deliriously happy and in love, thinking (as all girls do) that it would last forever. Ha! It ended abruptly and extremely bitterly (for me) three years later.

Five years ago - I had just started working at My Company, thanks to Celestia getting me in (the one thing I am thankful for). I had moved out of my old apartment (which, oddly, was in the middle of the building, and had no windows that looked outside. They only looked out into the hallway, or into the other center apartment across from mine), which was on the second floor of a building with the biggest goddamned flight of stairs I've ever seen. I left that apartment because I was "advised" by the policemen that worked in the substation across the street from my apartment that moving would be best. The bitch that owned the dollhouse store beneath my apartment bitched at me about parking on the street, taking parking away from the hordes of dollhouse shoppers. One day, pissed to see my car there, again, she put red paint all over my blue car. I flew off the handle, ran into her store screaming and yelling, calling her a bitch, and a vindictive cunt, and all the other fantastic four letter words I could think of. Since I had no proof of anything, and her business wasn't going anywhere, I moved. Thank god. That stupid fucking store is still there, and I have pondered many times giving Mr. Big Shot's junkie son twenty bucks to go vandalize it. But, dammit, I am an adult now.

That, and I'm too cheap to give him the twenty bucks.

One year ago - Wow. One year ago, I had my first consultation with my surgeon, and began the arduous process of getting approval from my insurance company, as well as undergoing EVERY medical test imagineable to make sure I could withstand the procedure. It was a depressing day, because I had to step on the scale to get a starting weight, and when I saw that number, I literally cried. I never, ever imagined that I would let myself get that heavy. I was seeing The Hot Egyptian somewhat seriously, though I knew it would never go anywhere because his daddy would cut him off if he brought home anyone but an Egyptian girl. He's hot, but he's a pussy. I can't handle a grown man being controlled by his parents. I also started this diary almost exactly one year ago, not having any idea that people would actually read it. And what's even better, it's people that don't suck, aren't 14, and aren't morons.

One week ago - Well, anyone that reads this diary knows what I was doing a week ago.


TGIF, kids. Enjoy your weekend.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Burning down the house.


I warned you all that with my newfound obsession with the color pink, I might get a shiny new pink template for this diary. I searched for cool templates, but couldn't find anything I really liked, so I just added color to this one.

Html is going to drive me fucking batty. I don't know how you people in the know do it.


See the peninsula in the left corner of that picture? It decided to try and burn down today. And, Chris, co-worker/friend and I missed the inferno by about ten minutes.

Which is good, because the ONLY thing that scares me more than clowns is fire. But it's bad, because I missed all those lovely hot firemen. Damn.

Mr. Big Shot lives up on that hill, along with a bunch of other rich motherfuckers. It really is beautiful up there, and the homes are nice, without being overly ostentatious. Well, unfortunately, I don't know how long that will last since Donald "money doesn't equal class" Trump bought the country club up there and turned into Trump National Blah Blah Kiss My Rich Ass Blah.

Chris had to take something to the house, and since Mr. Big Shot was out of town for the day, asked if I wanted to come up and see all the renovations he'd had done since the last time I was there. When we were pulling out of the community he lives in, I saw smoke, but not a lot of it. So we looked at it, and gawked for a second, but then we had to get back to the office.

In about five minutes, the hill was pretty much covered in black smoke. It was crazy. And fucking scary. Me no likey the fire.

The best part of these situations, though, is the dopey newscasters that have to improvise. If they can't read it off of a tele-prompter, they have no fucking clue what to do with themselves.

At one point, acres and acres and acres were on fire, while more acres were charred and black, and the bobble-head newscaster says "Well, I'm not a professional firefighter or anything, but I'd say this is a pretty big fire."

Then the other moron said, "It's going to take quite a bit of water to get this out."

DUH.


It's late, and I wasted too much time dicking around trying to find a decent looking template, so this is all you're getting today. You lucked out.

BUT, I must add a final happy birthday to my girl DanjerusKurves.

Happy Birthday, you HOAR!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

It's raining men.


Did you know that when you lose a lot of weight, even your feet get smaller? Because I didn't.

I noticed a while ago that my shoes felt looser, and in the last few weeks, I think I've gone down almost a whole size. Being the cheap motherfucker that I am, I haven't bought any new shoes.

Today, walking down the hall at work, my shoe flew right off my foot (and because I walk really quickly, it went pretty fast and far), and right into Mr. Big Shot's office (which is at the end of the hall). At first I laughed, but then I got scared, and just kind of froze in the hallway. He was on the phone, and I could hear him talking, and as soon as he saw the shoe fly in, he stopped talking and just yelled out, "What the hell?!? What the hell is this shit?!"

I walked in, laughing nervously, and apologized profusely. At first, he didn't see the humor in the situation. In fact, I probably would have pissed myself if he would have started yelling at me (he's small, but oh, so loud and Napoleonic). But after I explained, he laughed and was cool about it. He must have thought it was funny enough to pass along, because when Trophy Wife called in for the 593428th time today, she laughed and said he had told her about it.


I want to shoot whatever asshole came up with annoying dancing old bald guy ad campaign for Magic Mountain.

Those commercials make me want to gauge my eyes and ears out.

Someone, please. STOP THE MADNESS.


I was reading in one of my trashy Hollywood magazines (you know, the REAL newspapers) this article where Tawny Kitaen and her 12 year-old daughter Wynter (she also has a daughter named Raine. Come on. Why the fuck can't stars [if you can call Tawny Kitaen a star] name their kids normal names? On the grand scale of celeb names, Wynter's not so bad, but still.) were commenting on young actresses and their bodies (and people wonder why they are all walking eating disorders). There was a picture of some girls I can't remember, and then a picture of Lindsay "someone please give me a Double Double with cheese" Lohan, and Kitaen said "this is definitely the best she's EVER looked."

Ugh. That comment totally disgusted me. As long as stupid people keep telling these dopey actresses that seeing every bone in your body is hot, they're going to keep starving themselves. And all those little girls that run out to her crappy movies like little gum-chewing robots are going to do the same thing, so they can look just like her.

PS - Lindsay, the blonde hair looks like shit. I'm just saying.

Do you know women's clothes actually come in 00 now? That's DOUBLE ZERO. How can you double nothing?

I think I am more disgusted that someone that looks like this is commenting on how others look.


One of my favorite co-workers, Fajita, had a little baby girl early this morning (ok, he didn't actually have her, his girlfriend did. But you know what I mean). They named her Ella, and given my propensity to hate everyone that gives their babies the trendy name o' the week, it was hard to bite my tongue when he first told me on the phone. But I really like him, so I won't hold it against him.

At least it wasn't fucking Lola.


So, theotherchad said in his last entry that he was looking for a new band name. I helpfully suggested "It's Raining Men," because that is an awesomely manly and macho sounding band name.

Strangely enough, I don't think he's going to use it.

What.Ever.Chad.

How about The Hanging Chads? The Dangling Participles? Cow Puke? Come on, these are gold, I tell you. GOLD.

Monday, July 11, 2005

I gotta pee like a racehorse.


Andria: Hey, Jesus Freak. It's Andria, your old neighbor.
Jesus Freak: Oh, hey, Andria.
Andria: So, how's it going? How was the move?
Jesus Freak: Oh, you know, moving. But I am just glad it's over now.
Andria: Yeah, I don't blame you there!! I hate moving! You know what I did right before I left my last apartment?
Jesus Freak: What?
Andria: I told the landlord what a goddamn whore his daughter was. That was so awesome.
Jesus Freak: ...Uh... ok.
Andria: Did you think I wouldn't find out? Whose GODDAMN business is it what OR WHO I do?
Jesus Freak: What? I didn't... I don't... I have to go.
Andria: Fuck you. If you can spread shit about me TO MY PARENTS, you can listen for a minute. You know, for almost five years, I lived next door to you and never said one thing to you about how much of a religious fucking freak I think you are. You know why? Because I don't think I'm any better than you.

Even though, secretly, I clearly do.

Jesus Freak: Look, I didn't mean anything -
Andria: Wrong.
Jesus Freak: Huh?
Andria: Bullshit you didn't mean anything by it. You obviously wanted to make me look bad in front of my parents. So, I just wanted to say fuck you, fuck all your GODDAMN religious bullshit and judgement, and that I hope one day someone fucks with you like this.
Jesus Freak: Blah blah repent blah blah the lord blah blah judgement day blah blah.

She went on for a few minutes with her preaching, and I don't remember all of it. Just key words.

Andria: Hey, Jesus Freak. Isn't it a sin to live with your boyfriend and engage in lots of loud, pre-marital sex? Sometimes with your front door open, where your unsuspecting neighbor who is bringing over a piece of your mail that she had by mistake might hear?

*click*


Today was a shitty day at work.

LITERALLY.

Around eleven this morning, I got an email asking me to call a plumber, because the toilet downstairs was making gurgling noises, and then it just filled with water when they tried to flush it.

So I called my favorite gay plumber, Butch to come and save the day.

Soccer Mom, who's sort of like the "facility manager", went down to investigate the damage and see what was going on. While she was down there, one of the downstairs people came up to use our bathroom, and as soon as he flushed, the toilet downstairs exploded, sending little brown logs all over the bathroom (why don't people shit at home?!).

And it kept flooding, and more shit kept coming up. I laughed, because it was funny, and all those suckers downstairs not only had no bathroom to use, but they had to deal with the crappy smell.

I laughed until Butch came up and told me to tell everyone that no one was allowed to use any water in the entire building. Dammit. That meant we had no toilet to use, either. And the very second he said "no water," I immediately had to pee. Bad.

I started thinking of all the businesses on our block, and where there was a public bathroom I could start directing all the people in the office who were going to go batshit crazy once they realized they couldn't sit on the toilet in our office and read The Wall Street Journal for an hour.

I told Celestia to get the phones, and that I was out on a search to find a place to pee. I held it as long as I could, but I was starting to do the pee-pee dance, so I figured I better take care of it. I was hoping to go the the mexican food place next door, but I remembered they're closed on Mondays. I went to the dry-cleaners, who I have a tumultuous relationship with (meaning I hate them with a fiery passion, and they laugh at how mad I get at their stupid business), and they basicall told me to fuck off. I went to Starbucks, and their bathroom was being fixed, and told me the only available one was "for employees only." Nevermind I go in there almost every fucking day spending my money, and they know me. Goddamn them.

At this point, I felt like my bladder was going to pop. I went to the Coffee Bean, across the street from Starbucks, and the bathroom there smelled like something dead came out of someone's ass and made me gag. I couldn't go there, either.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. All I wanted to do was urinate, goddammit.

My last effort was at an office building across the street, where we used to occupy some space (the same building the prick whose car got repo'd a few weeks ago works). I knew exactly where the ladies room was, so as soon as I got off the elevator, I headed right for it. Unfortunately, I ran into the asshole building owner JP, who hates me and all my other co-workers (mostly ex-co-worker Crackhead, who tormented that man on a daily basis).

"What are you doing here?" He stood in front of me, blocking my path to the promised land, aka the bathroom.

"Uh... I have to pick up some loan docs at the Keller Williams office."

Pee. Pee. Pee. Pee. Pee. Pee. Pee. Pee.

"For who? For Mr. Big Shot?"

"Uh, yeah. For Mr. Big Shot. I have to get them RIGHT NOW!"

"I don't think so."

At this point, my thighs were clenched so tightly together that I couldn't walk straight. They're sore right now, six hours later, if that gives any indication.

"Ok. Look, JP. Our toilets are backed up, and we can't use them. I have gone to Starbucks, The Coffee Bean, the Dry Cleaners, Casa Pulidio, and the hair salon. I just want to use the bathroom. Then I'll be gone forever. I promise. Please! You have no idea."

"No."

"What?!"

"No. Those bathrooms are for tenants of THIS building only. Find another one."

"Alright. Either you be the nicest person ever and let me use the bathroom, or seriously, I will piss on your carpet. It's your decision. And, FYI, I got about 20 seconds, and then I can't be held responsible for what happens."

"Fine. Don't tell anyone I let you over here. I don't want all of THOSE people over here backing up MY toilets."

Before he even finished, I practically knocked him down to get by him and to the bathroom.

I am not joking when I say I had a little orgasm when I finally got to go.

Good times.


I saw a few minutes of "Rock Star: INXS" tonight. Oh, how sad it all is.

It was so cheesy. It was like "American Idol" with electric guitars.

They just tried too hard to be rockers, when they seemed more like rock lounge singers.

If I didn't think Michael Hutchense was busy doing freaky kinky things with Paula Yates in the afterlife, I'd say he was probably rolling over in his grave.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Postal workers suck. Even the hot ones.


I was so looking forward to charming the pants off of my hot new neighbor, in spite of my lack of religious convictions, but that's not going to happen.

You know why? Because The Hot Mailman is an asshole.

Let me explain.

When Jesus Freak moved in, about six years ago, she was dating THM. They broke up, but still remained friends. Jesus Freak, apparently fond of gossip, told THM that I am a big old whore.

Now, I will admit to having a dirty mind and thinking about sex 24 hours a day. But, that does not a whore make. But whatever. Even if I was a giant whore, they need to mind their own business, instead of asking my Dad if it bothers him knowing that his "daughter is so promiscuous." My Dad doesn't want to know anything about my sex life anymore than I want him knowing about it. He and I have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about such things.

Guess who's not getting a "welcome to the neighborhood" blowjob now?

What really burns me about it is that I'm NOT promiscuous. In the time we were neighbors, Jesus Freak saw a grand total of about five different men. That's five men in almost five years.

I really do dislike the judgemental religious freaks. Seems pretty hypocritical to me.

Whatever.


I am totally in love with this dog.

I had to watch RAM on Saturday for Kay, and she was dog-sitting our friend DB's St. Bernard, Delilah, while he and his lady, The Good Girl went to Catalina for the weekend. I CAN NOT resist dogs. As dumb as I am around adults, I turn into a big mushy pile of retardedness around dogs.

She is the dumbest, sweetest dog ever.

I decided RAM and I should take the dogs for a walk. We leashed up the dogs, and got about halfway down the block when RAM stopped walking, looked up at me, exhausted, and said, "TT, it's SO hot. Can we walk Delilah and Jessie later? I feel like I am going to die if I take on more step. Really. I'll die." I love the theatrical behavior in little kids. It was... maybe 85 degrees out, and you'd think we were in the middle of the desert the way this kid was panting for breath. So we took the dogs home, filled up his pool, and we all got in. RAM, me, and the dogs. If I didn't think my camera would have been destroyed, I would have taken a picture of that. Because it was pretty damn funny to see a grown woman, a five year-old and two dogs sitting in a little blow-up pool.


I didn't go see the Batman movie like I wanted to. Instead, I stayed home and watched a movie I have gotten from Netflix four seperate times and never watched. It's called "City of God," and if you want to see a depressing movie about drug-dealing, stealing, and murder, along with small children carrying guns around and killing people, it's a great movie. It's sad, though. NOT a feel good movie. But a good movie, nonetheless. What's most disturbing about the film is that it's based on a true story.

I also watched "Anchorman" for the first time on Saturday. Hot damn, I love me some Will Farrell. And it has a Tom Jones song in it. AWESOME.


So, you know how in the past I have said that I like to annoy my hispanic, mariachi blasting neighbors crazy with my cheesy music? In the past, I have pissed them off with Abba, Tom Jones, The Monkees, and Neil Diamond. And while they think it sucks, and have requested that I not play it, I have found music that actually drives them into the house (instead of standing outside for six hours drinking Budweiser and yelling in Spanish at the top of their lungs).

YESSS.

They hate Yeah Yeah Yeahs. They can't get with the loud guitars and Karen O's awesome screeching voice when I play it. So, because of that, I will never stop playing it.

God bless "Fever to Tell."

Friday, July 08, 2005

Dear Christian Bale: Please be my boyfriend. Yours truly, Andria


I didn't watch any of the Live 8 concerts. I hate to be a poopie pants, but I really just don't give a shit. I especially don't like a bunch of egomaniacal millionaires and/or billionaires telling me to give money that I don't have to help crazy third-world countries that are likely never going to improve, no matter how much money we send them.

When Bono sends me ten grand to pay the hospital bills that my insurance company is dumping on me (and that's only the bills I have SO FAR), then maybe I'll feel a little more sympathetic.

Now I'm cranky.


I went over to Kay and DMX's for dinner to celebrate DMX's birthday. She made this casserole that comes from my southern Grandma that is chicken-y cheesy goodness. She also invited DMX's best friend, Briton, his brother DB, and Barney and Angela.

Have I mentioned what a goddamned idiot Barney is? He is a giant child. He pouts, acts stupid, and doesn't like any food that doesn't look familiar. He and Angela came over to my place for dinner once, and I made spaghetti with turkey (I don't like to eat red meat very often), and he refused to eat it because it was turkey, and not beef. He sat there, the entire time we ate, with his arms folded and a scowl on his face the whole night.

While Kay, DMX, Briton and I have had the casserole a ton of times, Barney's never had it. When it was served, he took one look at the pan and walked out of the kitchen. Asshole. Then he went to Del Taco and got about seventeen heart attacks' worth of crappy food.

I hate being around him. I hate that my smart beautiful friend settled for him. I fucking hate that Angela made a joke a million years ago that he had a crush on me (which, unfortunately, I don't think is a joke), so he calls me Muffin now. Everytime he says it my skin crawls. *shudder*


I hope you all watched America's sweethearts on "Being Bobby Brown" tonight. Goddamn, do I love me some Bobby and Whitney.

My favorite part of tonight's episode was when they were having dinner at some restaurant with the gayest kajillionaire on the planet, Prince Jeffrey of Brunei, when Bobby jumps up and announces that he is going to the restroom, and that he needs to take his cigarettes because he is going to need it for the massive shit he is about to unload.

Or the part where Bobby's brother goes up to the Dalai Lama and says, "Mr. Lama. Bobby Brown. You know. Bobby Brown." The fucking Dalai Lama. Like he's going to give him a high five and bust out a verse of "Humpin' Around."

The Dalai Lama looks puzzled, so he tries one more thing. "You know. Whitney Houston's husband." Still, he of course had no clue.

I love the egos involved with these people.

And, I don't know if anyone else noticed, but Whitney has some bizarre pouch-thingy going on with her stomach. It almost looks like she's pregnant.


I hate when I think of hilarious things to write about, and then I forget about them by the time I actually get around to typing this shit out.

Dammit. From now on I am keeping notes.


I may have to cave and go see "Batman Begins" this weekend. Christian Bale is too hot not to go see it.

Although, every time I see him, I think of him talking about Huey Lewis and the News while he's hacking someone into pieces.

I also really want to see "Hustle and Flow," but it doesn't come out for two more weeks.


Hot Mailman is moving in this weekend! Weeeeee!!!!

Too bad he has a thing for chicks that like to hang out at church eight days a week.

Plus, he's a postal worker. They're like Chows. They're cute and fluffy and all that jazz, but there's a good chance they'll turn on you.

Speaking of dogs, Celestia's car still smells. Even though she took it to some industrial cleaning place and asked them to clean her seats.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Does it make me a bad person to get such joy from this situation?

I didn't think so, either.


Am I the only one that notices my comments section is often funnier than my actual entry the comments start out about?

Damn you, funny commentors.

I need a new template. This one is blah.

TGIF, everybody.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

How I made an ass out of myself for the 56498132156th time.


Ouch.

It's 7:40 p.m. and I still feel hungover from yesterday. Goddamn you, alcohol!

Actually, these tasty culprits are to blame (I am, of course, completely blame-free):

Goddamn jello shots. They get me every time. You'd think I would learn by now, but no. And, if I did, how would I entertain you fine people?

Shut up, then.

I got there early and helped Kay and DMX set up for the party, and DMX and I started drinking immediately. He also told me, for the 204564987th time that week that SB and DR, two of his co-workers, were coming. DMX works in television, making about 60k a year for essentially goofing off and watching television for forty hours a week.

I need that job.

The party got started, more people got there, and I was drunk (shocking, I know). I got a call on my cell phone that I went in to the house for about a half hour for, and when I came back, I saw DMX in the garage talking to two guys I didn't know. I knew by how many times he's told me how built SB was, that they were the much hyped co-workers. He called me into the garage to help him re-cap the fabulous "Being Bobby Brown," or "Please somebody save me from my fucking crackhead lunatic wife Whitney" as I like to call it.

I started talking to them, and, well... SB was hot.

You want to take a guess where this is going?

As our conversation went on, my laugh went from "normal adult human" to "idiot-girly giggle" pretty fast. Ugh. I am such a moron around men, I swear. If my hair wasn't in a ponytail, I am quite certain I would have been flipping it.

Those guys were funny as hell, though. If it wasn't for them, I would have been stuck with the hens talking about pregnancy, baby food and pedicures all day. No thank you. Instead, I stood around the barbecue and listened to them make fun of DMX, and tell stories from their work that convinced me it is my destiny to work with these guys. They get to wear shorts and tee shirts every day, talk shit to other people they work with all day, and make a bunch of money for what is not a lot of work.

Again, I need that job.

After I made a complete ass out of myself flirting with SB, it was time for fireworks. After we oooh'd and ahhh'd over the same thing we'd seen a million times before, Kay took the hose and was spraying all the crap into the gutter. She pointed the hose at me and threatened to squirt me, so I ran in the house. I came back out, and went up from behind her and tried to point the hose at her, but instead she got me, we started wrestling, and before we knew it, we were all wet (get your minds out of the gutter, you pervs). Then, in what can only be yet another reason Jesus has it in for me, I totally ate shit right in front of everyone (which shouldn't be surprising, given I am the clumsiest motherfucker on Earth). I was wearing rubber flip-flops, and when they got wet, I slipped right out of them and onto my ass.

So, there I was, on the ground, my shirt soaking wet right in front of the hot guy I was trying to charm the pants off of (literally!) an hour before.

At least my shirt didn't blow up over my head like it did when I ate shit in Vegas.

I know what you're all thinking. It really IS good to be me.

The best part of the whole story is, SB has a girlfriend. DMX, the asshole, failed to mention that to me, because he knew what I would do if I thought he was single.

My friends are the best.


My head still hurts.


In another effort to try and find a normal man, I joined matchdotcom. Mostly because I was chatting (quite hilariously, I might add) with the awesome Miss Pea, and she was doing it, too. When I set up my profile, I had to pick a name. Being that I am completely unoriginal, I tried to get Andria24, since most of my screen names are some variation of that. That name was taken, but they had some suggestions:

Andria231753
1234Andria
Bubbleyiddles

Hmmm. The first two make sense. Where the fuck did they get "bubbleyiddles"?

I've gotten a couple of emails, so we'll see what happens.


Today, I watched RAM for a couple of hours while Kay and DMX went to some work function of hers.

RAM was in the bathroom, and he screamed out, "TT! Come here right now!" Panicking, and thinking his head fell off while he was taking a piss, I ran in the bathroom.

He was standing there, with a shiteating grin on his face, pointing to his boy parts, and said "I have hair down there!"

Wait a minute. When THE HELL did 5 1/2 year-olds start growing pubes? So I looked, and I didn't see anything. "RAM, there's no hair. You don't get that till you're older. When you're a teenager."

"No, TT. Feel it."

"Uh, NO."

I am so glad I don't have kids. I couldn't handle this crap on a regular basis.


My head still hurts.

Seriously. Bubbleyiddles???

Friday, July 01, 2005

Big Mouth strikes again.


"Being Bobby Brown" was on. Finally.

Sweet Jesus, what a beautiful disaster he and that crackhead wife of his are. I don't even know where to start.

I think I've got their wacky relationship figured out. I think he keeps going to jail to get the hell away from Whitney.

Seriously. She is so loaded, half the time you can't understand anything she says. It's pretty fucking bad that Bobby looks like the normal one of the two.

I think he's afraid to leave her, or she'll kill him.

They might be my new favorite couple.


Guess whose big mouth got her in trouble today?

I know. You probably have no idea, right?

Ok. I'll tell you.

It's me.

Today, I went downstairs to drop off some envelopes in the courier box outside the building, and Little Big Shot's TWO Harleys were on the sidewalk right outside the office. I walked in the door, and noticed in his office was ANOTHER one of his motorcycles. So, I looked at N, one of the girls that works in that office, and I said, "Hey, N, you know what this office needs?"

"No. What?"

"A motorcycle." N laughed, and I heard LBS laugh from inside his office, and then he came out.

"What are you doing down here? Is it five yet? Are you off work now?" Since he always tells me my personality and sense of humor will always keep my job there, I always know I can joke with him, because he totally gets it.

"Uh, I had to bring the Transbox down. And then I had to spread my sunshine down here!"

Ha ha ha ha ha - uh oh.

"Well spread it after hours." He was smiling, but I could see he was touchy about something, and I just set it off.

I am curious what will happen tomorrow.


Celestia cried at work today.

Because her car still smells like dog shit, and because Chris, who sits behind her, wouldn't stop clicking his mouse. A few weeks ago, she actually went to CFO Boss and asked him to talk to Chris about not clicking his mouse.

Jesus. What a fucking lunatic. But now that she has her super-cool iPod that I can't stop hearing about, she can shove that in her ears and then she won't hear him working anymore.

Nevermind the entire office has to listen to her weird nasal-snot-sucking-swallowing thing she does all fucking day, which is pretty goddamned disgusting.


My parents, who just got us tickets to The White Stripes, are not the hipsters they'd like to believe themselves to be. Both of them were in my car at different times this week, and both times I was listening to the new CD (which I literally can NOT stop listening to), and both of them said, "What are you listening to?"

"Uh, it's The White Stripes, dummy. The band you just paid $250 for us to go see."

"Oh."

Retards.


Hey, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner got married!

Yeah, I didn't give a shit, either.