Update

Sorry for all the confusion you guys, it's the old Italian restaurant I work at with the new owners that is my problem, not the cute little French Bistro I just started working at. It's hard to keep all of my jobs straight, I know. Anyway, went down there, they are open. Got my $$. Yelled. They said they didn't have my phone number. LAME. I know they have my #, they've called me before.  I was a little crabby with them.  It could have been worse for them. Good thing I'm not on my period.

I'm pissed.

I got the night off last night. The sign was still up, and the door was locked. Someone DID change the date, though. Now it says open 7/29. Yeah, we'll see. Nice of them to fucking let me know, huh?  I work my day job just around the corner, so it wasn't that bad, but if I had driven in from my house AN HOUR AWAY, I would have thrown a major fit. I'm talking stomping feet and mega cussing here, people. I'm going to go over on my lunch break again and see what is going on. They may get a piece of my mind, but I really need all my pieces. Maybe I'll just throw a piece of my mind at them, then go pick it back up.

Closed for Maintenance

So, I go to the restaurant on my lunch break from my office job to pick up my tip-check. Two kitchen guys are sitting in front of the door waiting for someone to let them in. The restaurant opens at 11 am, and it is 11:15. Hmm. So, I go back at 11:40. There is a sign up (don't know if it was there before) that says: "Due too maintinence, we will be closed until 11am 7/28/04." with spelling mistakes and all. Another hmm. It IS 7/28/04, and it is after 11 am. Does someone not know what day it is, or is something wrong?  No one in the restaurant. No one answering the phone. I am supposed to work tonight, but I'm thinking I might get the night off. Weird, I tell you. No one notified me or told me anything, and I just worked on Monday!  I'm just shaking my head. Oh, and that reminds me, my headache is FINALLY fricking gone. I slept from 1:30 pm yesterday to 5 am this morning. Yep, that did it!  I'm hungry.

Grumpy

I'm grumpy, broke and have been getting a lot of headaches lately. My house will never again be organized (at least that is how it feels) and I'm working, like, 70 hours or something crazy like that this week. I'll write more later when I'm feeling human.

Me and my comments.

I took a co-worker friend out to lunch today for her belated birthday, and after gorging ourselves on buffalo burgers with gorgonzola cheese, we got in her nice clean car.  As she was backing up, she had to suddenly slam on her brakes because there was a steady stream of road-raged traffic behind us. The conversation went as such:

 
Her (in all seriousness): "Hey, you should go out there and stop traffic."

 
Me: "Yeah, I could so totally DO that!"

Long pause, then we both busted up into laughter.

A couple more things.

About the picture in the post below.  First, this is probably the only picture of me taken as a child with clothes on.  I was naked-child.  No matter where we were, or what we were doing, I was taking my clothes off and running around naked. Things haven't changed much; except I pretty much keep my nakedness at home because I have fat now. Everyone better hope I don't get all ripped and skinny.

Second, I wish my hair was still THAT. BLONDE.  I spend untold thousands on keeping my hair blonde.  Its maddening.

Third, HEY MOM - HOW COME THERE ISN'T ANYTHING IN MY FREAKIN' EASTER BASKET???  HUH?  HUH?

I haven't painted all week. My house just remains a complete disaster that we have dug a maze through so we can move around.  There is a chair in the hallway that we haven't moved - we just squeeze past it.  How sad is that?

There are no words to describe how much I don't want to be at work today.  It is supposed to be in the 90's this weekend in Seattle, which means it will be in the 100's at my house.  I have no air conditioning.  I will be very grumpy.

Guess Who?

Yeah, its baby CrazyDogMama.  My mom likes to send me these photos over email.  Does it look like I'm holding my breath, or is it just me?  What a goofball.  

Need a good laugh?

I found a blog (Out of Character), and I laughed like I haven't laughed in a long time. This statement alone made me choke on my spit:
 
"I paid $400.65 for a doggie door that The Jake won't use. Well, to be fair he'll use it if I hold it open. Which is something, I guess. Because that's what I had in mind when I wrote the check; a contraption that would cost fat cash, destroy my door, and not dissuade my dog from crapping in the dining room. Awesome."

Look who has comments!

Okay kids, play nice now.

I am one of those neat-freaks.

Recently inspired by Yogagirl's post of her newly organized bookshelf, I decided to post some pictures of what I do for FUN. I like to help people clean and organize their homes. I can't do the fancy stuff like on "Clean Sweep" (my favorite show), but my neighbors seem to worship me anyways. I work for rubber stamps. I clean, they give me rubber stamps for use in my scrapbooks. I really enjoy organizing other people's shit. I don't know why. I think I need to find a way to make money at this.
 
Here are some pics of some recent work I did (which is still in progress), for those of you who still aren't convinced I'm crazy.

Lou Story

Usually, Maggie sleeps in the bed with us and doesn't budge from her little spot no matter what. We try to get Louie to sleep on the bed also, but he is Mr. Grumpy and gets all flustered if a foot moves. He most always jumps down onto the floor beside the bed and sleeps there if our bedroom door is closed, or if it is open, he goes into his crate. Last night, we decided to crate them for bedtime because it was extremely humid, and we didn't need any extra fur in the bed. However, Jim forgot to lock Louie's crate when he sent him in there. Just as I was about to doze off, I hear a 'thud' and the bedroom door squeaking open.  Just before I had a heart attack, I heard the little tinkling of Louie's collar. (A dogmama can always identify dogs by the sound of their collar.) He curled up next to my side of the bed and went to sleep. I was so happy! I thought he only did that when we forced him! He actually likes sleeping in the same room with us! What do you know! CrazyDogMama went to sleep with a smile on her face, feeling loved. It's the little things.

Wanna get freaked out?

As I've said before, you have to take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt, BUT, what if it has some amount of truth to it? I've researched a little on "official" government websites, and there just may be a reason to be concerned about some things.

You may be wondering if I've lost my mind completely. Well, maybe, but over the last 4 months or so I've been experiencing a "feeling" I can't explain and have never felt before. It is sort of an unsettling feeling that something big is imminent. What I mean by "big" is, possible earth changes or social unrest/war escalation. You might think it is just because of the war in Iraq, etc., but truly, it has nothing to do with that. It's weird dreams, weird feelings and a general feeling that something is wrong. It is driving me batshit, actually. I've never been interested in this kind of information before, and I can't explain the way I feel. My husband keeps rolling his eyes at me and says I watch too many silly movies. I feel like an idiot about it, but I can't help it. It's a really STRONG feeling. I am not scared at all, I don't get that way, but it definitely makes me want to be in the know.

On a positive note, it looks like we might actually get the painting done by the weekend! Woohoo!

Miss Me?

I have avoided my computer for a whole week. This hasn't happened in like, EVER. Usually when I'm on vacation my husband has to pry me away from uninterrupted internet time. Not this time. I got this wild hair up my ass to PAINT THE INSIDE OF MY HOUSE. Somebody needed to warn me that this is quite possibly the STUPIDEST FUCKING THING TO DO ON VACATION. I have never cussed as much as I cussed last week....and we aren't even finished yet! I have rounded corners and texture. Making a straight line is harder than Chinese arithmetic. The dogs have been hiding from me, which is probably a good thing because little doggie nose-prints in the paint would probably not be as cute and funny as it would normally be. Everything in my house is in the middle of the living room. It smells like paint and dust. I didn't realize how much cleaning is involved when you paint. It is quite possible that I have ruined my nails. FOREVER. Eating take-out every night because your kitchen looks like WWIII, gets old quick. My knees will never recover, and I can't wear shorts because of the severe bruising. It (of course) is going to be 80+ degrees today. My neck hurts. If anyone comes into my house and says "you missed a spot" I will probably kill them. Dead. I will post before and after pics if we EVER finish.

Other than that, we had a fun little 4th of July bash. We barbecued with friends and family, drank, and did the pyromania thing. Jim had not shot off fireworks for about 10 years, and so, it was quite terrifying. A tip: When you light off mortars, unravel the fuse completely. Jim did not do this. He put the ball in the tube, lit it, and then BOOM! Shrapnel EVERYWHERE, in EVERY DIRECTION. He completely destroyed the tube. There was screaming, then silence. Then laughing. Someone said, "I think you did that wrong." DERRRRRR. Have another beer, honey. No one was hurt, but we won't live that one down for sure.

MAG-ATTACK!

The dogs are really funny when they play in the back yard. Maggie will huddle like a cheetah getting ready to attack, then BOOM! She surprise-plows Louie. He freaks out EVERY time. The fireworks have started here, and Maggie is on the bark-and-run-around-like-a-freak routine already. She is such a little spazoid.

Normal or Not?

After reading Skwigg's latest blog entry, I started thinking about my own body image and relationship with food. I am not quite sure if I have (or have had) a disorder or not. I've been thin, I've been fat, I've been in-between. I've been a lazy couch potato, and I've been an athlete. Did I gain weight after marriage? Of course. I don't think I gained because I got "comfortable", but more because my life became extremely stressful and chaotic and went from obstacle courses at the Police Academy to sitting in front of a computer all day. I couldn't afford a gym at that time and didn't handle ANY kind of domestic dispute with ease. My marriage started off pretty rough, but I never thought for one second "Oh, I got a man, so who cares anymore." I used to care what people thought of me, but anymore I'm like "You don't like my body? Bite me, I don't like your face." I really just don't care what anyone else thinks. I want to be healthy and pretty for hubby, but he doesn't exactly spend a whole lot of time worrying about his gut. But I don't care about that, either. I like to tease him lovingly and kiss his fat, as he does mine.

I think it would be much fun to "strut my stuff" around with a very ripped, tan bod, but I'm not going to starve myself for it. I'm just going to keep plugging away at my muscle-building and healthy eating. I still smoke, so my health is at stake. It would be stupid to be all thin, and still hack up lung cheese. I have good weeks, and bad weeks, and in the end, I'm still just running the race with all the other gym rats. I had to find a "fun" way to it, just like Skwigg did with her martial arts. The same routine everyday bores me to DEATH. For me, I am experimenting with different classes (yoga, Aeroflex, etc.) and meeting fun people. I'm trying to get a friend of mine to split time with me and my personal trainer, to make it cheaper and that much more fun. We are both sarcastic and feisty, and it would just be a blast. I am also going to be swimming, hiking and finding fun things to do this summer. If I have a mocha for breakfast, oh well, I'll have a protein shake for breakfast tomorrow. Life is short, people, don't waste it worrying about every little calorie. Do your best to be healthy, get help if you need it. I've had therapy, a personal trainer, a nutritionist, you name it. Every one of those things was beneficial in some way and has helped me. EDUCATION! The more you know, the better.

My philosophy about self-image is this: Nothing will ever be good enough. You will never be perfect. It's just like money, you can never have too much, and even if you are a billionaire, you still want more and fight like hell to keep it. Find a happy medium and celebrate what life has to offer, because before you know it your teeth will falling out and your boobs will be dragging on the floor. When you are 90, do want to be showing everyone how good you "used to look" in pictures while secretly miserable because you aren't that way anymore, or having tea and crumpets in the garden laughing with your friends talking about how great your life has been?

A couple days of eats this week:

1. Iced mocha WITH WHIPCREAM! Vitamins.
2. Banana and some lean Canadian bacon
3. Grilled chicken with a little teriyaki, 1/4 cup brown rice, small romaine salad with vinegar
4. Ostrich stick, and protein shake
5. Grilled vegetable medley with flax oil, seasoned lean beef
6. Zone bar

1. Piece of wheat toast with peanut butter, protein shake. Vitamins
2. Ostrich stick, banana
3. Egg white omelet with green, yellow and orange peppers, onion, tomato and flax oil. Berries.
4. Zone bar
5. Seasoned chicken breast, small potato, salad with lite dressing and fat free croutons and veggies.
6. 6 oz of crab meat mixed with fat-free mayo and diced veggies over a piece of wheat toast. Same salad as previous meal. Iced mocha for dessert.

I have absolutely no idea how many calories that is, or what my protein/carb/fat ratio is. I worked out hard for 60 minutes at the gyms the first, and 75 minutes the second. I feel great. I got over my cold pretty quickly. I still have a ton a weight I want to lose, but ONE day at a time, baby! ;-)

Oh, I forgot.

I got a new part-time restaurant job. It is the CUTEST PLACE EVER. A little French bistro called the "Country Garden Bistro" owned and run by the sweetest couple.

Come on, VACATION!

I'm going on vacation next week, and damn, it can't get here fast enough. This morning, I am sitting here staring at my computer screen like it is going to do something spectacular. It's not doing anything, and neither am I. Updating my blog, checking my email and drinking coffee is the only thing I have accomplished so far in my first hour. Oh, and I went to the bathroom. Geez.

I took an "Aeroflex" class last night at the new gym. It kicked my ass. 75 minutes of low impact cardio with 10lb weights. It doesn't sound like it would kick a BFLer's ass, but it did. After the 5 billionth squat and 6 billionth lunge, I thought I was going to pass out. Its very sad when you start sweating in the warmup phase. I'll be doing this twice a week.

Does anyone else have trouble with saunas? I can't breathe, then I panic and run out. People stare. It's just too hot! Are there really any benefits, or is it just supposed to be a relaxing thing? I don't get it.

Cough, sneeze, hack and wince.

Well, it looks like I've caught the bug that everyone else seems to have, just in time for the weekend. Lucky me. Wouldn't you know it? I join an expensive gym, then work two double-shifts in a row and get sick. There goes the first week.

My throat is absolutely killing me. I hope it's not strep. I seem to get that every year for some reason. I'm going to work a few more hours, then head home for the bed. I hate leaving stuff half finished, plus I want to infect all the people that have pissed me off this week. Muwahaha! (Evil laugh) Oops, the evil laugh made me feel like I am gonna puke. Snot does that to me. Gross.

CrazyDogMama in trouble, whoops.

I got a little "talking-to" last night about my "attitude". Hehe. That statement right there probably makes my audience howl in laughter.

I decided to tell my boss he was "doing-it-wrong". Apparently, this is not a good idea. Challenging authority is one of my strengths. I just don't have it in me to kiss-ass.

I took the plunge.

I did it. I joined a conventional gym. My old gym was primarily serious and/or professional bodybuilders and only had free weights and a few treadmills/stairmasters. It was also cheap. After my membership expired, it just so happened that this big pretty gym opened up very close to my house. (The old gym is next to my work an hour away.) I took the tour last night - hot tubs, saunas, big yoga rooms, TVs attached to the cardio equipment - WOW. Now, you are probably thinking, why is this such a big deal for you? It is a big deal because I hate the whole "meat market" and women-who-look-like-they-don't-eat kind of gyms. I sweat, I grunt, I don't wear thong spandex. We're talking sweats and a t-shirt here, people. I don't do my hair. I don't wear makeup. What's the point when you are doing HIIT?? They are putting in a pool soon, too, so I am excited about that. I LOVE to swim. I'm sure I will get *those* looks from all the girlie-girls, and probably the guys too. The pretty boys always act like you are intruding on their turf. Well, they can just get over it. Make way, here comes CRAZYDOGMAMA!!!