running to embarrassment

this past weekend. i drug myself out of bed. at 6:45. earlier than i get up even for work. to run a 5K for the company. a city wide - corporate challenge. i hadnt been running as much. so i knew my time would be slower. it was also a windy morning. a little chilly. and i forgot to take my zyrtec that morning. the run was in a park. great. plus it very hilly. with a long gradual one at the end. i finished. that was the point. and not too slow. but i felt like i was going to hurl on the last of it. i had no energy to even attempt a sprint at the end. nothing. i was done.

monday morning. chatted it up with the fellow runners. no one had any idea of their time. because the race clock was broken. we shared stories of the hills. and our running experience. then the email came out at the end of the day. with everything just listed out. to the entire company. i was mortified. i still am. and even more pissed at the person who sent it out. atleast she had some typos. made me smile.

This past Saturday was the Corporate Challenge 5k event and it turns out we have some runners in the group!

Male took 11 overall out of 168 competitors in his age group and placed FIRST in his bracket for our division with a time of, bringing back 10pts to MMG. His time was 19:52. Congrats Male!

Female took 46th overall out of 146 competitors in her age group and placed SECOND in her bracket for our division, bringing back 8 points to MMG. Her time was 31:04. Contract Female!

Me also rocked the house and came in 100 out of 170 competitors in her age group, and 13th in her bracket for our division, (she had some crazy fast runners in her group!). ME's time was (i am not listing my time, but it was faster than the other female).

when duty calls

after calling in weekly for jury duty. every friday evening. well i forgot this last week. and remembered after mother scolded me like i was fifteen again. as if i had forgot to type a book report. even using my middle name. i remembered to call on monday morning. when i woke up. debating if i could hit snooze again. which depends on hair style. and outfit. i also remembered i needed to send my rent check. to the favorite land lady. the judster.

so i called on monday morning. and there it was. a new message. i was told i needed to report tuesday morning. luckily not monday. i'd be screwed. (i later found out, that the lady in charge can tell if you havent called in. and is nice enough to call you if needed). i went to work. told them the news. and then received a notice that work takes out the money from your check that you receive for serving jury duty. i told hr that was rude.

tuesday morning. i grab a coffee on the way. i had to get up an hour early. i needed a jolt. made it to the jury room on time. watched the morning show for an hour. fifteen minutes of a welcome to jury duty video. getting me pumped to make it to the end. there were twenty of us. that would be narrowed down to fourteen that make it into the jury box. and eight would be selected to serve the case. i dont know if it was the challenge to 'win'. to make it through the selection process. not that it proved anything. but i was crossing my fingers to make it until the end. i was determined. and actually excited.

we go to the actual court room. my name is called up for the fourteen to the jury box. some people leave because they cant serve this week. replacements come. then questions start. others are telling stories. revealing things about themselves. that i think - makes them a prime target to be released. it was the final round of questions. this series of questions were not about the case. more personal questions to get to know the jurors. i was the last to speak. the first thing out of my mouth was that i lived in another state. not the one where i am registered to vote. the judge stopped me right there. and began asking more about my residency. he then called the counsel to his side. turned on white noise for our jury box. and made us all stand and turn around. i know i turned lobster red. i was nervous. what had i done! i was then called to the judge's box. they asked more questions. and i was released. i could not serve since i live in another state.

i was so close. i know i would have made it. and served as a great juror. but no. they told me to keep calling in until the end of the month. so there is still a chance.

i spent the rest of my morning. attempting to switch over all my personal identification and car tags to the new state. after a cluster fuck of a system. (pardon my french). going from one building to another. receiving list after list. and encountering a woman who could have joined the circus for her mustache. i am going to remain a nomad. and keep everything. just the way it is. because as i told the judge. it is just easier.

such is life

walking into my apartment building the other night. i stopped in my tracks. to observe nature. a sad snail. found his buddy. smashed. squished. shell and all. innards seeping onto the sidewalk. and covered with a colony of rolly pollies. (are they really called rolly pollies? and do they travel in colonies? i guessed.) i am assuming the rp's were feasting. little did i know they did such things. i always thought they were sweet. and innocent. so back to sad sammy the snail. i couldnt figure out what exactly he was thinking. but i imagine he was crying small little snail tears. but not the salty kind. saying kind. parting words. for his dead little buddy. he stayed with him all night. maybe he was more than a buddy. maybe it was samatha. just thought it was cute. and sad...

just for kicks

i signed up for a kickball team. with untitled. we will be playing competitively. or enjoying adult beverages competitively. every thursday. this is a team she played on last year. so i am a newbie. the team has a tradition. that you get to select an 'at bat' theme song. so when you strut yo' stuff out to home plate. you can get yo' groove on. (i feel it only right to use yo' when discussing my theme song). so i am trying to come up with a good one, yo. i need to be able to dance. but also have it appropriate. after brainstorming with emjay and untitled last night. we have the following as options: anything by beyonce - prossibly crazy in love, put a ring on it, or buggaboo. or poison by bel biv devoe. any of my readers/friends have other suggestions?

i have played on a team before - its been a few years. but it brings back some nice memories of 'just 4 fun' with kitkat and crew. we were league champions. quite the honor. and a lot different from when our team played softball. or sand flag football.

gas light

i never take the gas light seriously. i always take my chances. slowly calculate the miles in my head. i have a theory. you can go thirty miles when the light goes on. for someone that lives only a mile from work. and less than five from most of my daily activities. i can let the light stay on for a day or two. or three. for some reason. getting gas seems to be a pain in my side.

lesson learned. after visiting zola on saturday. the fam was out of town all day. so she just needed a potty and play break. we went on a walk. i make her wear her harness. even if i dont use the leash. because she becomes calm. and looks at me like really. how embarrassing. she paid me back by diving. jumping. and splashing through all the puddles from the morning rain. and then sitting in my back seat on the ride home. slobbering on all the windows. and rubbing off all the mud on my seats.

so there i was on my way back to the dog house. where i am staying this week. i took a different route home. thinking it would be faster. the route. just happened to go into the 'bad' part of town. just a lot of vacant. run down buildings. homes. its sad really. as it used to be part of the prime area of kansas city. it just needs some tlc. i didnt stop for gas. wasnt too worried about it. just thought. oh there was a station near the house. it was at one of the many stop lights i hit on the road to their house. that i hit the gas. celine (the car) sputtered across the intersection. i put in the clutch. shifted to second. eased on the gas. only she did not accelerate. instead slowed down. then the car shut off. i freaked. yelled a couple choice words. and turned the steering wheel to the right. to roll toward the curb. i made it into the next lane. turned on my flashers. and freaked. turned on the car again. she didnt start. 

i called friend. after friend. after friend. no one answered. probably my own karma for 'never' answering my phone. it was saturday at 6. i didnt leave messages. didnt want to freak everyone out. i called a new friend. someone who i have only hung out with a couple of times. he answered. and came to my rescue. while waiting. a man on a bike circled me. but didnt stop to help. a nice couple did stop to help me push my car farther out of the way. so nice. i was still all upset. and embarrassed. so trying to get a gas can was just as eventful. the gas station didnt have any for sale. so i gave $5 and borrowed the stores. opening the top and. filling it. were both a challenge. i was so flustered. i forgot how to pump gas. and then going to the wrong side of the car. to find the gas spout. 

then i went to the  dog home. had dinner. wine. and watched superbad. it made me feel better. and laugh. i so heart michael cera. 

have you ever

recap of the super action freak out party. we went as ghostbusters. yes. yes. many people told me prior. thats really not a super hero. but they fought crime. and killed ghosts. saved the city from awful. horrible. ghosts. so i think they are. in fact super heros. its their brains. and balls. that equal the super powers. we came equipped with proton packs. guns. and even the thingy to capture the ghosts. aka my brothers old playstation. but the best part was the theme song. i found an old bobby brown cassette tape. (my pack ratting - i still have all of my old tapes. and on the car ride to the party. while untitled was busy in the back seat trying to find the song. by rewinding. fast forwarding. rewinding again. i realized. kids today. they have no idea how lucky they are. what about when your boombox ate the tape. had to get a pencil to manually rewind. with hopes it a. didnt sound bad in the crinkled part. or b. get eaten again). so onto the story. on the tape was the theme song to ghostbusters ii. bobby had a cameo in the movie. and then a rap in the theme song "have to take control". since i was in love with him in second grade. i know this. so if you click on the link below. to the video from the party. and notice we are dancing a lot. the beginning is to the theme song. and if i havent mentioned it before. i am really fun at parties. cheers!

LINK TO MOST AMAZING VIDEO. and i should note. the song. was downloaded the night of the party. probably at 10 pm. and i chuckled to myself that it made the video song. great success.

james and the giant bambo

i bought a bamboo. from one of the best stores ever. target. about 3 years ago. i decided my cubical at the time. needed some greenery. an element from the outdoors. so for $10. over lunch. i brought back the bamboo. twojulies saw mine. (if i remember correctly). was marveled. so for her birthday that year i bought her a bamboo for her office. since the original purchase. i am on my third job. during that time i moved from a cube to an office at second job. at current job i have moved cubical location three times. each time. i pack up all my shit. and yes i have a lot of decorations for the space. and the bamboo has not only lasted all these moves. she has grown. wildly. to the point where her leaves go over my cubical wall. and i am afraid management might ask me to take her home. she is out of control. see exhibit a. and b.


i filed my tax returns for the first time. on my own. since i have decided i will officially be old this year on my birthday. it was time to take matters into my own hands. i had a little difficulty deciding my residency. since i have tags/plates in one state. and i live in another. but with one call to mother. it was resolved.

the house where i am dog sitting this week. they have the air freshener sprays. that are on a timer. when i let the pups out in the morning. i then nap on the couch so i can hear when they want to come in. the air freshener. woke me up out of a dead sleep. and scared me. it also startled one of the dogs this afternoon. so its not just me. i think the makers should add a silence feature.

i got screwed yesterday. ha. just wanted to say that. i saw i had a flat tire. luckily i was across the street from a tire shop when i noticed. they fixed it. and told me to stop driving over screws. so clever.