Approved!!

Ahh.....resting easy this afternoon upon learning that Elwood passed the test. Not sure what the test really was? Maybe an owner test? I think the email I had to write to the condo board about Elwood was more about are you a good owner rather than is your pet a maniac. I wrote that we were looking forward to meeting all of our new neighbors and would be taking good care of them by making sure Elwood was not an unhappy barking dog. And they bought it so that is all that matters.

In other news I have to share my new cuticle makeover tool that I am in love with. Paula's Choice, a cosmetic line crafted by the Cosmetic Cop is offering this fantastic Cuticle Stick that fits in your purse with no issues....no worries about the cuticle oil spilling all over the shop. I think this stick has traveled about 5,000 miles with me so far this year and its a breeze to apply when flying, driving, sitting at a keyboard or just doing nothing!!!! Her creams are fantastic as well--love the Super Recovery Anti-Oxidant oil. Its great for super dry skin that seems to creep up on me during winter time!

The Elusive Page 6

Page 6 where are you?????

Lets back up. Made an offer on a fantastic new place and I am in the throws of all the minutia that accompanies buying and selling----downsizing, giving crap away, evaluating everything I own, finding a mortgage, repairing everything that the home inspector found (to the tune of $2000.00 thank you) and in the midst of it all the condo docs for the new pad arrive today. My biggest concern, of course, is making sure Elvis Woodsman (most know him by Elwood. remind yourself with picture at left) has a well respected place by my side in our new home. Page 5, last section titled "pets" starts off with some comment about it being illegal to breed dogs and then...........nothing. Page 6 is missing. Grrrrr......

So...we wait and see until someone finds the missing page 6. In the meantime, I will get a fresh glass of ice water (ice maker apparently was broken who knew) flood my basement (new sump pump) and turn off and on a light in the basement with the new switch (who knew code required the switch near the door to turn that light on??? here I have been walking across the basement for 5 years!) to get my last few days of enjoyment out of this place now that everything is working so properly and up to code. Hell, I might even go up on the roof and check out the piece of wood that is completely invisible to the naked eye from the ground that required painting (love the home owners association)!

The ides of March

Ahh....back from Mexico and living in the whirlwind of the Ides of March. Every year something happens during this dreadful time when I assume my astrological signs go bad. One year it was a divorce, another a LSAT score gone bad, or remember that boyfriend that decided no to wear deodorant during this same week....you get the picture.

This week I have lost my car keys, burned my hand with scalding water, lost power at my house for a whole day when I really needed to work, got sick....then got sick again in Mexico and well...the week has not yet ended. Why did I allow a home inspection to occur during this time frame? Curious.

the art of the speaker phone

my boyfriend has stopped using his headset. i worry it will end our relationship. seriously. all day long i listen to men rattle on about how important and great whatever it is they are referring to or taking about is in a LOUD voice. the last thing i want at the end of the day is to call the sfo to hear a yell in response.

is there an art to the speakerphone? Yes. Apparently there are well documented protocols out there that people are writing about but when do folks inside the walls of the office get a chance to learn about these hard and fast rules? (hard and fast is added her for emphasis) its clear there is a decline of mental capacity inside America, and I fear items like this one, that seem so small and insignificant, are really very very very very important.

So lets look over the simple rules people are talking about:
1.) DONT YELL.
This seems simple, but everyone yells into their cell phone like its a two way radio so I don't envision this habit declining rapidly.
2.)Announce your name in a group setting.
Again, simple manners. People tend to forget that others do not recogonize your voice. Just think of it this way..your not howard stern. or jerry seinfield. or ted kopel. Those are the only people that pop to mind outside of the NPR gang that I would "recogonize" if they called me on the phone.
3.)Don't talk over others.
Stop talking and start listening America. I could use this sentence repeatedly over and over again and it would be applicable to just about everyone I meet. SHUT UP!!!!
4.)Don't take another call when you are on one already!
How many times have you heard Ralph pick up and tell his wife that yeah, he will pick up some wine on the way over to the Howard's that evening? enough said.
5.)Avoid multi-tasking.
Stop shuffling papers and typing while you are on the phone. Trust me, you have TIME for this call that you are taking. Are you Donald Trump? Then maybe you don't have time but then ask your self, Donald, why did you accept the call in the first place?
6.) Turn off your other phone.
I love listening to the macarena or other ridiculous tunes flow out of cell phones (that people have not learned how to turn off??)
7.) Do not EAT or COOK while on the phone.
How about some flames and sizzle please? Some chomping? No thanks. Also, don't take me to McDonald's with you! I am sitting at my computer working and don't need the hunger pangs evoked by listening to your order.
8.)Make sure others can hear you.
How many times is there someone on a call talking and I speak up asking them to increase their volume and everyone else is like yeah, I couldn't hear them either. Make sure people can hear you--and ask people to speak up!

so will the speakerphone end our relationship? no. but i have asked very nicely for him to stop using it all together..... :--)