a break

folks, i'm gonna take a little sabbatical for awhile. no worries, i'm fine, i just feel like i haven't been on my "A" game with writing, and I don't want to disappoint with unfulfilled expectations.

poke-a-nose

For Labor Day a few friends and I went to the Poconos. This was somewhat of our last summer hoorah before we started up with the fall.

You probably can't see but Topher is the one in blue behind the girl in the black shirt, and he was our entertainment for the night. Good guitar player with a voice to match. Forgive the blurriness.

Jason and Marcie.

Brian, Jen, and Malina.

The gang. Yeah, my eyes look crazy and I'm partly out of the pic because 1) I was checking my camera to see when it was going to snap, 2) no make-up, and 3) I had to run through this obstacle course (stairs included) to get from behind the camera to in front of the camera. scary, I know.

It was a much needed trip full of swimming/water sports, night walks down to the beach, movies, nintendo, bike rides, laying on hammocks, reading, a bonfire, ghost stories, going into town and hitting a few at the batting cages, rocking the house at air hockey, and wasting the days with friends. Oh! I taught them Texas hold'em! It was a fantastic trip.

on notice

I knew it! This morning in my email I find this letter from Corporate:

"Thank you for your recent order. When you placed your order, we did have a limited supply of the item listed below. However when it was time to ship, our stock had been depleted and unfortunately, the item is no longer available. Please accept our sincere apologies."

So of course I called Customer Service since I was trying to find any excuse to put off studying for my quiz today. I explained to the lady how my rug was out of stock, and asked if she could price match for a smaller size. Now I must pause here for a minute because I think it takes a lot of guts (and little dignity) to actually ask this of them. Nonetheless, I felt it was my duty, NAY, my calling to stick it to the man.

She asks for my order number. A long pause ensues.

"A dollar?", she shockingly voices on the phone. "A DOLLAR?!?" she repeats, but with a cackling laughter I've never heard before in my life.

Me: "Yeah... like I said, it was ridiculously cheap."

"Well, I can go ask my boss, but I don't think it's gonna happen," she concludes. As she is putting me on hold I hear her repeat the amount and then I hear what seemed like the entire room start to laugh.

$1

I just bought a 9' x 12' rug from Restoration Hardware for a $1. That's right, a buck, uno dollar-o, 100 pennies. Actually, the shipping cost brought the rug to a whopping $6.37. Call me big spender.

Obviously, someone made a typo while putting in the price and if I'm honest, I don't completely love the rug and I have no need for it. But I really could not pass up the opportunity to 1) test out their customer service policy, and 2) to own anything from that store. Now I am wondering if RH will actually honor their posted price and send me my rug, or will they send me some "We regret to inform you that the rug in question does not exist..." But if they actually come through with this, you might be the lucky recipient of something long and flat and oh-so-stylish for Christmas (don't think that just because you live across the pond that you are exempt).

30 Rock

During my three week break I watched the entire first season of 30 Rock. In a 24 hour time period. Yes, I know, I have skills. Amazing skills that are crucial for future employment.

Two of my favorite characters (aside from Tina Fey) include Jack Donaghy, the tactless boss (Alec Baldwin) and Kenneth, the home-grown-country NBC page (Jack McBrayer). The best line of the entire show comes from "The Head and The Hair" episode:



Jack Donaghy: "You and I actually have a lot in common. We're both hard workers. When I was your age I was putting myself through college in Boston... paddling swan boats for the tourists."


Kenneth: "Is that a euphemism for some kind of sex worker?"

I did NOT sign up for this

This semester I'm taking a class called Physical Diagnosis in which I learn how to do the hands on stuff of my profession. And when I say hands on, the thought comes to mind "Shouldn't you ask me to dinner and a few drinks before this?" kind of work.

Today was my first lab for the class, in which three other peers and I gathered around a make-shift exam room with two professors (one in training). As luck would have it, the three peers are all gals whose sum weight equals that of a paper clip and the professor is, well, just see for yourself. He asked today "does anyone have a problem with this" referring to the fact that our classroom attire will consist of patient gowns comparable to mosquito netting. I'm the only one to raise my hand, and I shockingly stare at the girls and ask, "You seriously don't?" All three shake their heads no.

I wouldn't really have a problem aside from the fact that I have to be in a gown next week with the only thing separating me from the world is a flimsy pair of undies with my peers poking and prodding ME!!! That's just not gonna cut it. or cover it.