Saturday, February 28, 2009

maybe i should write a novel

Sitting at work again. Just waiting for something to happen. I had to come in around 8 to admit someone from the ER and then I saw a consult up on the floor that had been left for me. Since then, nada. Drank a diet coke. Played with facebook on my crackberry. Talked with my mom about the Chiefs lucking into Matt Cassel. Commented on my little sister's blog. Drank another diet coke. 7 am is very, very far away.

Friday, February 27, 2009

significant other color

pm blogging sustenance: my second latte of the day (won't be the last)
pm blogging soundtrack: the soothing sounds of NCIS (freaking in LOVE with this show)

Starting another string of nights tonight so currently in the process of caffeinating myself. Working on getting to that magic place just prior to the onset of palpitations.

Had to run into work today for a lunch meeting with someone interviewing for a spot in our group. I hadn't met her before but this was actually her second interview with us. I was asked by some of my partners to give her my perspective on the group as someone who came from another hospitalist experience. What they wanted was pretty clear. They wanted me to detail my previous hell and do a compare and contrast that had our situation smelling suspiciously of roses. I didn't, in theory, have a problem with that. I really do think that we've got it pretty good. The difficulty? I couldn't gather much enthusiasm for a backwards look. I really truly have moved on. Plus, remember? I gave up negativity for Lent:)

After lunch I ran a few errands and then rewarded myself with a combo manicure/pedicure. Figured that having pretty fingers and toes would make the weekend a little more fun. Or at least a little more tolerable. Ok, ok. Wanted to have a least one bright spot before the tedium of nights began. Went with an entirely new color spectrum and not really feeling it. I'll probably get used to it just in time for my next polish change. Such is life.

Been looking for love in all the wrong places lately. And, no. That doesn't mean that the eHarmony thing was a real effort - I feel like people let their imaginations run with that one! Just means that I've been conscious of putting myself out there. Except I have no idea where there is. Seriously. I get that Mr Right isn't likely to show up at my door. Or appear magically on my couch. But he doesn't seem anymore likely to be where I happen to find myself either. Hmm. This may be a predicament that neither OPI polish colors nor fortune cookie wisdom can handle. Might actually have to put some thought into this one.

addiction sucks

coffee. i need coffee.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

damn

So. Yesterday I spent almost the whole day on my couch. Had a killer headache that was immune to my normal cure all - ridiculous quantities of caffeine and renal-failure-inducing amounts of ibuprofen. Sleep was also allusive. Thus: the couch, my TV, and a fair dose of self-pity.

Do you know how many eHarmony commercials are shown on average each hour? Ok, well I don't either but it seems like a lot. They draw you in with their happy, hip couples. And then they seduce you with their talk of free personality profiles.

Most everyone who really knows me knows that there is no possible way that I could ever delve into the online dating world. Not because it's not a legitimate way of meeting people. But because I don't have anywhere near the patience level required to participate. Nowhere near. But a profile of my personality? For free? I transferred myself with dramatic cautiousness from couch to computer and signed on up.

Yeah, I'm still a little shocked too.

I just wanted to see what kind of conclusion could be made about me from answering a few questions. And if buying into their marketing ploy was my first mistake, then the "few questions" assumption was my second. It was exhausting. And the best thing to come of it was that I was finally able to take a nap.

I woke up from that nap refreshed and without headache.

Noticed almost right away that my crackberry was blinking it's potentially seizure-inducing red light at me to indicate that emails had arrived. And arrived. And arrived. And arrived.

I am being stalked by eHarmony.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

oh-so-fat tuesday

am blogging sustenance: Starbucks Organic Shade Grown Mexico Blend Coffee, whole wheat Ritz Crackers, Athenos Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Publix fat-free grade A milk, and Double Stuff Oreos (yes, really. it IS fat tuesday ya know.)

am blogging soundtrack: a harmonizing blend of the whine from my sister's laptop and the whine from my sister's dog

It's my last day in Florida and Sarah's away at work. My flight doesn't leave Orlando until 7 tonight so I find myself faced with something I haven't seen in much abundance as of late: time.

Slept in until 730 - yea me! - and have spent the morning thus far in a stupor on the couch with my favorite canine. Realized that despite SJ's beautiful account of our Peace River experience, we've left quite a few descriptive holes in our weekend coverage. So, here goes.

The following is brought to you, at least in part, by our friends at Nabisco (see above am blogging sustenance).

Left Dallas early Saturday morning - thanks for the airport drop off Jules! My plane was filled to overflowing with two distinct populations of people: young families headed to the wonders of Disney and real estate professionals headed to a convention of other real estate professionals. It was without a doubt the loudest, most obnoxious flight I've ever experienced. At the very first opportunity I hid behind my iPod and prayed for the oblivion of sleep.

Had to rent a car to get from Orlando to Lake Placid and sister Sarah. There is actually quite a bit I could say about that particular adventure but I've decided to give up negativity for Lent and want to get a little jump start. So I'll just summarize by saying that the next time you find yourself in need of a rental car company, I would recommend that you ignore any recommendations for Advantage Rental Car. That's it. That's all you get.

Met Sarah in a town outside of her new home and we did something that we do very, very well. We shopped. Both of our wardrobes have suffered from the distance her move to FL necessitated. We used to share back and forth quite a bit when we were both residing in Texas. So we supplemented with a few unique items a piece and then duplicated a couple of staples. And we did it all, of course, for a bargain:)

When we finally made it to Sarah's house I was super impressed with the home she had made for herself. But I was also a little intimidated. I felt like I was the younger sibling, come to spend spring break with her big sis. She's all grown up with a big girl kitchen, spare bedroom, office, and back yard. She even has a garage! Her place is easily double the size of my apartment and I am seriously green with envy right now. Or, actually. Huh. Maybe I'm green with my attempt at breakfast. Note to self: hummus and Oreos don't really gel that well together.

Saturday night my little sister made me dinner and we did it up true Haller style. Will post picture when I get home that will tell the story much better than I could ever hope to:)

*added 2/25/09*

Bud Light, Heinz Tomato Ketchup, hot dogs on the grill, and a little 24 hour slaw. How could anyone possibly desire more? :)



For Sunday highlights see previous post.

Yesterday we met up for lunch with some family friends from the 'Burg. I'm not sure about Sarah Jo, but I haven't seen the Matthews' in years. Their daughter used to babysit us when we were little and we thought she was just about the coolest person ever! In direct opposition to the chick who watched us the two summers before her. That woman hated me. Not joking, not exaggerating. She hated me and I thought she was a direct descendant from Satan. Again, not joking. I'm positively serious:) Anyway, they happened to be vacationing in Florida and gave Sarah a call. A really, really good time! I didn't even mind when Mr Matthews asked Sarah and I how come we hadn't found any "boys" yet. There was some mention of what good "catches" we were. I know Gayle! Big sigh, I know.

The rest of the day was spent exploring some great used book stores and antique shops. A little money exchanged hands that afternoon as well:) And last night found 2/3 of the Sisters Haller giving bums a good name. Pajama pants, cheesy dance movie, and some really excellent frozen pizza.

All layed out above, it might not sound like much to you. But it was the nearly perfect weekend reunion for 2 Missouri girls who are more than sisters. They're friends. Not completely perfect because of the missing third. But perfection is sometimes kinda boring. Now, perseverance? Persistence? Way more fun. And by definition, repetitive. A repeat reunion attempt that included K? That's a sequel I could get behind:)

messed up skin, very sore muscles

Sarah's turn.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

peace on the river

The Haller Sister Reunion Tour is underway! SJ and I decided that we'd do some dual-blogging to keep things fun. We took some great pictures last night for the inaugural post but unfortunately we can't get her Vaio to read our memory stick. I feel completely responsible because I gave her this piece of crap when I upgraded my laptop:) I'll probably just add in the pics when I get back to Texas . . .

We'll play catch-up later but for now, we're off: Peace River here we come!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

i need a vacation

It's been a weird couple of days.

Earlier this afternoon I felt that I deserved a treat. Luckily, last week a package arrived for me from the big MO. This package contained pretty much the cutest Valentine's Day cards a niece-doting aunt could ask for as well as - here's the lucky part - two boxes of cookies. Not just any cookies. Girl Scout cookies. The boxes went straight into the freezer and I managed to forget about them until today. So, a treat. A few - ok, 9 - thin mints later and I was a happy girl. While still chewing the last cookie I felt a sneeze coming on. You know that sneeze. The kind of sneeze that will not be waylayed. The kind of sneeze that spells trouble. That sneeze that says "Hey, couldn't care less that you've got tasty thin mint mush in your mouth. Here I come." I don't have to tell you what comes next, do I? Picture clear? Good. But that's not the weird part. Because that happens to everybody, right? (Please tell me that happens to everybody!) The weird part: Two hours later, while getting dressed for tonight's kickball game, I found some residual thin mint in my left eyebrow. And I actually felt sad as I washed it away in the sink. Thinking, what a waste. Told ya. Weird.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

fun with fondue


Combined our fifth cooking challenge with a birthday party for Gigi on Sunday. Very successful. Very messy. Very exhausting.

Monday, February 9, 2009

i think i see some silver peaking through somewhere

Wasn't having a good day today. Hoping it's just the typical Monday beat down and not an indicator of a hellish week to come. There was one bright star: stopped by the little Baylor cafe to get a mid-morning pick-me-up latte. There was a very long line - so not helping the day. But when I got up to the cashier they plopped down my preferred caffeine vessel with a smile. I didn't even have to say a word. Nice, huh?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

happy birthday gigi!



So, maybe you can't say you spent your 28th birthday somewhere exotic. Maybe Dave Matthews isn't going to sing to you. And maybe it won't be as exciting to have your own birthday party as it was to crash someone elses. But, I'm pretty sure I can get you to reenact the above drunken serenade. Wanna bet?:)


Sunday, February 1, 2009

super, super

Took it easy this week in regards to cooking experiment number 4. Had to work, was really tired, blah, blah, blah. So decided to concentrate instead on the actual presentation of the food. Was invited to a Super Bowl party in my neighborhood (thanks Alicia and Paul!) and this cheese ball was Autumn's and my contribution:

Pretty cheesy, huh? :)