Memo To Me

After three months of pretty much no caffeine (3 Cokes in 3 months), don't drink two Mountain Dew's after 5pm on a Sunday evening. Unless of course the goal is to lie awake until 2am. Then it's a great plan!

Side note: With only 4 (fairly lousy) hours of sleep, I'm surprised I'm as awake as I am. Two thirty this afternoon could bring a whole other story!

Mother Nature Is Awesome!

Link to AP article.

I was watching a show the other day called How The Earth Was Made and it was talking about Krakatoa and how when it erupted in 1883 that it was so massive it imploded on itself only leaving a small portion still visible above sea level. (As a side note: the eruption of Krakatoa is the loudest sound ever recorded) In December 1928 the volcano (then undersea) erupted in the same way as the volacano above. I tried finding the video online, but to no avail (seriously cool!). Since 1928, Anak Krakatau (Baby Krakatoa), has risen to almost 500ft. That's an average of 6 inches a year!! That is just amazing to me.

Anyway, just thought I'd share this random bit of news with you.

Memo to me: I need to call my friend to see if she's heard anything from her family in Tonga.

{{UPDATE}} - Does This Mean I Get To Stay?

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but never got around to publishing.

Well, yesterday was the day we found out who was getting laid off in our department. Not that we went home Friday knowing that Monday morning some of us wouldn't have a job....THANKFULLY!! That would have been a crappy weekend.

All in all we lost 6 technicians, a supervisor and my bosses boss (that was a huge shocker!!) Last month our CEO told us that the company would be laying off 4% of it's workforce, but it didn't mean that each dept would lose that percent. Some departments did 4%, some didn't have to do any; my department lost 20%.

In Houston we have a huge Main Complex and two satellite offices. The majority of the techs work at the main complex and they got hit the hardest with 4 techs being laid off. The two satellite sites (one of which I work at) lost a technician each so now we're down to just two at each location. At my site we'll be OK, but the other site is probably going to feel the pinch.

Since the layoff announcement was made last month I never felt like my job was on the chopping block, but when Monday afternoon rolled around and it was announced that all the cuts had been made (my dept) it was like this huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was tough to watch my friends get walked out of the building. Two of the people let go over at the complex are really good friends of mine and it feels weird that I can't just call them up and meet for lunch on a Friday.

I'm so thankful I still have my job!

Does This Mean I Get To Stay?

I came home yesterday to find this sitting on my doorstep. Well, it was in a box, but this is what was inside. Next month marks the 5th anniversary of my working for ConocoPhillips. I've actually worked for them for 6 years, but the first year I was contract.


In recognition of this the company has a brochure of items you can get as an anniversary gift. There was a whole ranged of things from rings, watches, wall mounted clocks, cheesy digital cameras, etc. ...

...to this!!! That's right boys and girls, I chose the 3 in 1 Black & Decker Cordless Drill! It comes with a stud finder, so I should be able to find a husband pretty soon!!

MMMMMMMM! Power tools!

The company is smack in the middle of layoffs, so hopefully the fact that they bothered to send me my certificate of recognition means they plan on keeping me around. Fingers crossed!

It Always Works Out On The Hallmark Channel

Come on, admit it! You've watched a movie on the Hallmark Channel. I do it all the time. Well, mostly because Arlene loves it, but I'll be honest, I've watched and enjoyed my fair share of shows. Usually it's during the Christmas season. For about four weeks out of the year I get all sappy and want to watch feel good movies about people who's lives aren't exactly stellar. I always find it rather gratifying (and a bit fake) that by the end of the two hours, everyone loves each other and it's as though no bad feelings ever existed.

Wham, Bam, Thank you, Ma'am!

I need a two hour special on the Hallmark Channel. It would fit right in with their Christmas lineup.

Trailer Park Tinsel
or
Doublewide Christmas

Young girls world turns topsy turvy when a fight breaks out between her mom and youngest brother on Christmas day. What ensues is a hair-raising divorce, a dad who dives off the deap end leaving his kids to live in the twilight zone, years of every other weekend at his house, three stepmoms and loads of therapy. Can she forgive and love again or is she destined to always feel weird about her dad?

I think I should sell them the rights to the story! HA!

But seriously, my dad definitely went off the deep end after he and my mom seperated. Combine that with never really being around much when we were growing up and it's turned me into someone with a severe case of apathy. I use to dislike him a great deal, but I think I've pretty much gotten over that. I'm now to the point of not caring one way or the other.

About four or five months ago he called me out of the blue. I was at work and didn't recognize the number. Going completely out of character, I answered the phone. Since then we've talked about 5 times and have met for lunch and dinner. I'm ok with it, but I definitely don't go out of my way to call him or suggest meeting.

I think it would be nice to have the Hallmark ending where everyone lives happily ever after, but my apathy keeps getting in the way!

Now the question is, who would play me in the movie? I was thinking they could take some liberties with the timing and my age and have Camryn Manheim play me. I could see someone who looks like Stephen King play my dad. Stephen has more hair, but looks just amost as dorky as my dad! Vicki Lawrence would be perfect for my mom with all her red hair.