This and That

Not too much to share right now but always have the compulsion to blog something!

I think I have found a book club (YEAH!). I found it on Craigslist, and it is a group of 30 somethings including both men and women. I have never been in a book club with men and am looking forward to the different view points. We have our first meeting on Sunday and are meeting at a coffee shop. We are all supposed to come with ideas for the first book, any suggestions? I will let you know how it goes!

I can't stand to work in a place where there is no laughter, so I am always trying to find ways to keep the mood light at work. I have been wanting to learn Spanish for a long time now and since the majority of my co-workers, speak Spanish, I have made it a point to pick up as much as I can. For the past week I have taken my Spanish dictionary and phrase book to work and look up phrases to use throughout the day. Needless to say, my co-workers find this very amusing and apparently my "Spanish" is very "American". I keep telling them, one day they will be talking about me behind my back in Spanish and I will know EXACTLY what they are saying!

I am still having trouble with hives. This began a few weeks before I left for Vegas and at the time I chalked it up to stress. Well I am not under any real stress right now and I am still breaking out in hives everyday. I really believe that it is food related at this point and my food allergies as a kid have possibly resurfaced. I went to the Dr. last week to get some allergy tests done and I went thinking they were going to do the scratch test on my back. Instead he took 6 vials of blood and told me I was done. Maybe technology has advanced or I got a crappy test. Either way, I am hoping to find out tomorrow just what is going on. Then I will have to wean myself off of Benadryl.

That is about it for now, I know real exciting! I am hoping my social life starts to pick up a little more. There is a therapist at work that has invited me out with her and her friends and she seems really cool so I am hoping that will help!

Pharmaceuticals

I have said it before and I will say it forever, pharmaceutical companies are pure EVIL! That being said, they are also necessary. Pharmaceutical companies will wine and dine you like crazy (see previous post) to get you to try out their medications on people.

Since I started working in Vegas I have really seen the effects of this. We are constantly getting gifts, treats, and almost every Friday we get free lunch brought to us. I am not talking sandwiches here, I am talking lasagna, breadsticks, and salads! While this is cause for joy around the office, it completely sickens me, and I choose not to partake in such events.

Here are some photos of things that were just on MY desk when I arrived:

Paper Clip Holder

Calendar

Post It Notes

Pens are the most popular gift!

There are also cups for everyones enjoyment as well as the clock on the wall, courtesy of Zoloft, the universal antidepressant!

What really cracked me up though was this:

Oh thank goodness you put that warning on there, because I was POSITIVE I was getting a popcorn bag chock full of medication!

So there you have it, selling drugs at it's finest!

A Visit

I had my first visitor this weekend! Yeah! Celeste came out for a few days and we had a really good time. Of course because it is Vegas, we had to go explore the strip (which took us an HOUR to drive down, one way!). We went out to Coyote Ugly which was pretty fun, rode "The Insanity" ride at the stratosphere, ate some good food at Margaritaville, and walked the strip a little bit. Here are some pictures documenting our time.....


Here is Celeste trying out to be a Coyote

Here we are pretending to be in New York, saluting in front of the statue of liberty. Unfortunately we could not fit all of her into the picture.

And lastly, Elvis let me take a picture with him. I didn't realize his hand was so close to my butt at the time. Naughty Elvis! (He told me he will be making an appearance in Paris Hiltons new show on E, so look for him!)

We also bought a CD from a rapper trying to get his name out in the community, gave a homeless man change, got lost 3 or 4 times (I am still learning!), almost hit a man fleeing from security in my car, and decided every girl we saw in a short dress was a prostitute. Aw, Vegas! Love you Celeste!

The Mask

If you remember my previous post on my Mexican mask, I talked about how it may be possessed due to the white powder that comes out of it. Well something happened the other day that has me convinced.

When I moved into the new apartment, the mask was one of the first things I hung up on the wall next to my other Mexican mask and the paintings that Amy did. It was hung up the way it is always hung up and it happily sat there for a couple weeks. The other day I was getting ready for work (around 6:30am) and I walk out of the bathroom into the living. As I am gathering my things the mask flies off of the wall and lands face up on the ground. No reason for this whatsoever. It is hung by a cord which was still intact and the nail still sitting nicely in the wall.









This is the wall it was on. Look at where the flash reflected the light. Looks kind of strange.

I will admit it creeped me out a little bit. My theory is that it doesn't like hanging on that wall. So I hung it back it up in the same spot to see if it will happen again. I love this stuff!

Enough on that though. I have really been missing book club since I left and I have tried to find one here without luck. I went to Barnes and Noble but it seems all of theirs are online. I am not sure what I am going to do, but I am in desperate need for some stimulating, intellectual conversation!

Lastly, if you have tried calling or texting me and I have not responded, it is because of my crappy new phone. Apparently it is hit or miss and it may tell me you called and it may not. So feel free to try again! Good times!

It doesn't take much

This weekend has been a little boring for me because I have not been able to get out much. Partially because I don't know anyone, partially because of money, and partially because my car is not registered and I don't want to get pulled over. Needless to say, I got some stuff done around the house, and was able to do some posts here.

I decided to make a new cushion for my patio chair. I got this chair at a yard sale about 5 years ago and it has the cushion that originally came on it.
According to Steph, this cushion is "funktified" so I got out my sewing machine and material and Wah-Lah...... Very comfy!
I did some laundry, hung up some stuff on the walls, cleaned and vacuumed, and tried to put my room together a little more (I don't have much stuff!)
I made an upside down pineapple cake and then realized this was a huge mistake because I tend to eat when I am bored. I decided I could balance out the calories, if the ONLY thing I ate was the cake and nothing else. Healthy, isn't it?

I did finally go and get my "smog check". I passed, and the guy who did it (I think he was smoking weed when I pulled up because he hurried and and lit some incense) told me I was beautiful. I tipped him $5. It doesn't take much.

Happy 4th!

I just wanted to say Happy 4th of July and that I am so thankful to live where I live and have the things that I have. I try to be grateful everyday for how fortunate I am and I try hard not to take things for granted.

*Vegas fact-Honking your horn is a vital part of the driving process. One must honk their horn even if traffic is backed up and there is no where to go. If you want to avoid being honked at, you must ALWAYS be speeding. This includes residential areas, parking lots, and school zones.

*Vegas fact-You do not have to be a dirty person or live in a slum to have roaches. They are everywhere. If you can't handle this, you need to move far away from Vegas. Roaches are constantly sprayed for which keeps the population down significantly and you typically don't have to worry about them. Roaches like to come INSIDE the apartment to die. (the following image is graphic, please proceed with caution)
*Vegas fact-If you live in Vegas and you like to where flip-flops, you will have to deal with dirty black feet. I do not know why this is, just deal with it.

*Vegas fact-The water that comes out of the tap does not get cold, ever. Nor does it get hot, ever. It is lukewarm, always. It does not taste very good either. The ice tastes the same way. Deal with it.

*Vegas fact-Basic Cable is almost $60. Car insurance is over $100 a month and that is not full coverage. My super-size economy jar of Kosher Dill pickles is $4.50 instead of $2.50.

• Ross dress for Less has much cuter clothes here, but Target does not.
  
• No one knew what a Hostess Raspberry Zinger was. I bought everyone in the office one. They loved it.
  
• A crime report for the area is delivered to the mailbox on a weekly basis.
• We hit a 116 yesterday and I will deny ever saying this, but it was too hot!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!!!