Hello, goodbye, and where to find me...

2011-MAY-03

As in all things—I usually have to wait until things are funny before I am able to write about them.  Some things are funny right away (example: it took me 3 times to try to fix the wording of that sentence—pretty funny right away).  Other things…(example: my divorce) will probably never be funny.  So please, if you are looking for “juicy gossip-y this is why I filed for divorce” information – it will not be here.  It doesn’t mean I am not thinking about it; I just refuse to elaborate on something so personal in such a public setting.  Fair enough?  Okay…onwards we go.

I have moved my blog.  The most current information will be available at:
http://votemeoff.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there.

Ugh.

So, I've seen it happen in movies. At my last employer I remember being in a meeting and finding out my beloved office manager had been laid off. That sucked.
But today has been different. Today a bunch of people are being laid off. Like the kind of lay offs I've seen in movies. You have a security escort and 5 minutes to pack your things.
And the very mood of this place hurts me. My close sarcastic coworker tells me I emote too much, feel too much. I glare at him until he admits to being a robot.
I am emotive, I am very in tune with my feelings. That empathy is my strength...and my weakness.
Please let me make it through today. And yes, I mean emotionally. I've been told I'm not in danger...but really, who knows?

Way too much

Hey folks! Long time no chatty; things at work have been intense. We have a serious 1 step forward 2 steps back situation.

In other news I am now (apparently) an animal hoarder. I now have a whopping 3 dogs and I even have some cats. Sadly, Greebo has moved on. I cannot swear he has died because people have told me they've seen him; however I have not seen him in a Very long time. I find not thinking about it to be the solution there. In addition to three dogs I have a "guest dog". Guest dog's name is Freckles and he is the only dog around here bringing home income. I get "dog support" from my landlords. ~shrugs~ I think he is the best dog ever...but he was a little much for them. He's a snuggler, and lord knows I love a snuggly dog.
Life (my big girl) was found to have a thyroid problem and is now doing So much better on meds. I now share 2 of the same medications as my dog...specifically levothyroxine and meloxicam. Some people look like there dogs, some people develop the same medical problems (I guess...).
I'm losing weight. Primarily because I am now following a "food is stupid and I don't have time for eating let alone cooking and cleanup so screw it" diet. It is working out surprisingly well for me.
Tax season is 'acomin. Needless to say I'm petrified. All squirmy in my belly if I think about it to much. Everywhere I turn people are talking about taxes. Well, I'm gonna owe. And, uh...well yeah.

Oooookay. Time to talk about puppies or something. ;)

Love ya'll.
-H.

so i looked in the rearview mirror...

Yesterday i looked into my rearview mirror on my to court and thought, "holy shit! I have compound hair!"
This led me to stop and think the following: 1. im watching way too much "big love" lately (for those of you who do not watch HBO shows big love is about a polygamous dude and his 3 crazy wives. Anyway, when the storyline of that show goes to "the compound" i'm always amazed at he height of the women's bangs.) 2. this is not a good look for me. 3. I Really need to look in the mirror and/or brush my hair in the morning.
So, if you are a bit more focused on the "why is heather going to court" part of that last (we shall loosely call a) paragraph, do not fret! I was on my way to fight some traffic tickets which i successfully did as it was a cop no-show.
Work has been unpleasant of late. Lots of problems, both in the equipment, the processes, and worst of all (for me) is the politics. i do not like political shit, trying to scrabble and crawl over one another to make yourself look better. ugh. hate it. so work, not gonna talk about work except to say i have learned more about industrial hygiene in an oil refinery than i ever thought possible. and im still learning...
the court thing, well i went to fight some traffic tickets.

hope this finds everyone well!

so much to say....

hey folks! so, hi...i know i have not written much lately but hoooo-boy is there a lot going on. I'm trying to figure out where in the story to start....
well, tonight George had his first big bone. Who is George you ask? George is a big wiggly stupid dog that I love....even if he is a pain in the butt.

Happy 2 Years!

Today, January 2, 2011 is my 2 year anniversary on this island...
I have no new insights, no new wisdom. Life here, as everywhere, is all about small details of the everyday. It is a daily struggle to balance sarcasm with wonder and practicality with joyfullness.
May everyone find their happy!
Love,
-H.

happy new year!

I'll admit it! im boring. I went out to a delicious dinner last night around 7pm, stopped at the grocery store, came home and watched some tv before conking out a litte bit after midnight. It was peaceful, relaxed, and gosh darnit pretty good.
this morning i woke up and took a walk with some friends down to the beach. they brought their 2 dogs and my 2+foster came along as well.
foster dog, i should tell you all about foster dog. His name is Goofus George. Almost 2 months ago my mother, sister, and I went to the animal shelter. I caught a glimpse of 2 emaciated tall black dogs and asked my friend who works there what was their deal. She told me they were pure bred coonhounds who were owned by a police officer and that the shelter wasin court trying to get him in trouble for abuse of the dogs. They had been tied in a field and pretty much left to die. Every single bone was articulated through the skin and she told me that they were both heartworm positive. I looked my friend dead in the face and said i would care for one of them. I knew i couldnt afford nor have the space for both, but I could help one...
time went by and both dogs rebounded back into health, gaining 20 to 30 pounds each and still remained underweight. the court case completed and the police officer was told he could have the dogs back (!!??) as long as he provided receipts for dog food. He never came to pick them up. I picked up this sweet boy last thursday. He is a challenge, and goofy, but most of all he is sweet. We are learning everything for the first time incuding what its like to be fed all you can eat, what its like to sleep on soft things, what a leash is, the list goes on.
I don't really have the time, the money, or the space for this boy...but I couldnt just let him wait in a cage to be put down after spending all his short life before that starved and unloved. It is bad enough I could only take the one. But, every little bit of good I can do hopefully inspires other little bits of good. Love you all!

how to clean out a refrigerator (aka ADD is fun!)

Step 1. work all day and while driving home wonder what you should cook for dinner.
Step 2. get home - get overwhelmed by various animals demanding attention, food, more attention, more food, even more attention.
Step 3. drag footstool to fridge, prop it open and clean out the bottom shelf. Oh the disturbing bottom shelf! Containers of goop, jars of glop, something that may have at one point a vegetable (not sure though). Throughout all of it I found random beer bottles.
Step 4. clean out bottom shelf.
Step 5. get distracted by shiny objects, do other stuff, wander back to refrigerator.
Step 6. remove 2 cats from refrigerator.
Step 7. reclean bottom shelf.
Step 8. close refrigerator, give up, and go to bed early.
the end....

well.....hello there!!

Hello everyone! first off Happy Holidays-please take time to enjoy this time of celebration for many cultures, celebrate the time of winter darkness coming to an end and light coming to us all.
and no that the touchy feely portion of my post is over please let me tell you how awesome it is to enjoy a beautiful sunny day on Christmas...be jealous people.
I should also throw in a token apology, because wowsa have i been busy. As you probably know I work at an oil refinery, it is a huge amazing beast of an oil refinery with some unique challenges. I often jokingly refer to my job as working in the wild west of industrial hygiene - i face problems here that no longer exist in the states. Lately however i have been doing documentation and field work quantification. I have a gift of being able to do this after spending years doing this in Chicago. Its a gift and a curse....so my 15 hour days have been "fun". I just wish I could teach this skill, but alas it appears not so much. ~sigh~
So, my deepst apologies for not posting and not even attempting to "do" the holidays. I bought no gifts, sent not a single card. In fact i didnt even hang lights until December 24th at 9pm. I hung the lights in the window and got a big fun holiday rush.
I hope everyone has a great holiday and enjoys all the lights in your lives whether it be people, pets, or kmart LEDs - or if you are lucky like me - all 3!
Happy holidays everyone - I love you all!
-Heather

shower friend...

Tonight i reached down into the shower drain to clean out the "you washed a dog on monday and didn't clean out the drain"-sized clump of hair and a spider the size of a quarter jumped out. I think i startled him as much as he did me. To quote i said, "aaaaaaaaaaah! You are NOT small!" I hopped out of the shower and went to find a disposable cup. Once i procured my red party cup i went back to the shower to coax the furry bugger into it and take him outside. Spider said, "no."
so, to solve the problem i left the red party cup on the spider while i showered and let him loose when i was done.
thus is my story of my new shower friend, goodnight folks!