Podworld News

To everyone who wished me b-day happiness both on and off lj, thanks and stuff!!!

All in all, the day went okay, but it was busy here yesterday, and it'll be busy here today, and I was away for the weekend before that, so I won't be here much. Sorry! (and no, tanaise, I'm not forsaking you)

Anyway, brief rundown of yesterday... we were involved in a little bus accident in the morning. Low speed, when 2 busses collide. No injuries. Took the subway to get here in a timely fashion. Realized how behind on work I am, and that sucked. Was mildly rude or at the very least patronizing to the purchasing people, which amused me somewhat. (sample from conversation... "Now, I'm not saying I have no faith in you, but I have no faith in you. I'll believe it when it's done.") They almost caught me doing something not entirely correct, but it seems to have escaped their notice, which is good. I had a minor showdown with a chef about the fact that chopped up onions are still onions and so telling me there are no onions in something when, in fact, there are many chopped up little ones is essentially lying.

I was serenaded with the b-day song twice, once in the kitchen by the guys there, then again in the cafeteria, and given cake and card. The cake was good. The card was cute. It was a happy experience.

And then in the evening me, astrophyiscat, and Eric went out for dinner after Cara gave me my spiffy new book, "Lamb", which I'll probably talk more about after reading. Incidentally, "American Psycho" has gone from being vaguely disturbing to me to pretty icky in parts. I just keep going "EWWW!!!" while reading it. Ew.

I thought long and hard about whether to say anything beyond gratitude. And in a way, this makes sense now, because it was 2 days before I posted something real last year too. So. I thought about reposting my original post, written in the aftermath, or maybe editing it slightly then posting it, but... honestly, rereading it... I just couldn't. It was too... graphic, too pain filled, it was too reliving for me. So instead, I have these thoughts.

I'm not all about excessive, weirdly manipulative, commercialized patriotism. It bothered me and still does. In some ways I feel it takes meaning away. I didn't just have a media fast this week, I've actively avoided most (note: I say most, but not all, because I've felt it healing to look at some things) news and stories about WTC and 9/11. Because in my head it's all too interwoven. The fear, the experiences, the snapshot moments. The last time I walked out of there, at 8:30am. Calling my parents, telling them that there was an attack but people wanted to believe it was an accident and that I was okay, but didn't know how to get home. I think of the horrible blackness outside the window, after feeling the collapse. I think of the several inches of ash (and what the ashes were) and paper, walking through what even at the time I thought of as a surreal sci-fi post-apocalyptic scene. Of the many buses that were commandeered to take away the wounded, the dead, the body parts. Of the hundreds of stretchers being built and the sound of the hammers. Of turning back to look past one of the many barricades I walked through to see part of one of the Towers lying across the road. Of the phalanx of fire trucks roaring down a strangley empty road (7th ave.? 8th?) in the twilight. Of being hosed down to avoid potential contaminants (though really, that many hours after, who really thinks that was useful?). Of seeing the parking lot with so many cars at 11pm when I got to my train station. Of crying in the shower when I got home.

One of my uncles told me that these memories would fade. It's not true. They don't fade, they just became something I don't think about that often. Because really, life goes on. I still feel sorrow at the horrible luck of the people who chose that day to go to the top and the people who were staying at the hotel, and for all the people who were there. I'm glad to be alive. Glad that last year my first day back was the 18th instead of my b-day. And I'm grateful to my friends.

Last week I stood on the corner of Liberty St. and Trinity where it becomes Church St. for the first time in 360 days and I thought all these things. To each their own way of mourning the dead.

Been trying to convince my boss to put "Snack Attack" on the menu, so far I've been largely unsuccessful. One of the chefs agrees though.

Dammit dammit dammit!!! I'm just obsessing over having forgotten my cell phone today. Meh!!!! That is so *not* dick!!! I want my phone! Even if I don't use it, I want it near me!!!

It's weird. You say something like, "I'm really enjoying this book about serial killer conspiracies" and people at work just look at you strangely...

bob_dot_com told me that he couldn't understand how I don't have a boyfriend when I'm *so* submissive... hehehe.

Apparently Bob *can* be wrong!

Only 1 day till I fly to Atlanta! Yeah!!!

I've been alternating between squeaking all excited-like and vaguely anxious because people keep asking me questions about logistics. It's all good though.

And work is sucking! I don't like having to come in early, and I'm sure astrophysicat is going to be just as unhappy after driving me to the bus stop tomorrow morning at 6 am.

And the guy in the kitchen is all irate today about random shit. He's half venting, half freaking, and it's getting on my nerves. Actually, he just came in and he seems calmer, but still. Today's ire is mostly because the new cafe manager doesn't really communicate well with them. Though he's also still annoyed about the 9/11 thing, which is understandable. Oh, I'll explain, cause it's kind of weird.

See... the whole company is being allowed to come in a few hours late that day, so they can attend memorials and such in the area. Which is good. But they've decided they want to have a free continental breakfast that day, which means that *all* of *our* staff has to be here, on time, working through it. Which is not exactly going over well, though most of them don't know about it yet (which is why there aren't that many complaints yet). As admin, I can leave during that time, probably, but they can't, and oh, that is so not right. Besides it being a double standard, it's going to be a very tense day and stuff.

So I was talking to someone about BDS&M stuff the other day... actually mostly just about bondage. And at some point I said that I think most people are a little bit attracted (or turned on, more like) to a small amount of it. Not necessarily in a way that would be expressed regularly, but just kind of in the back of the mind.

Anyway, talking to tanaise about it, she said this... "And I think that probably everyone has a little S/M side to themselves because everyone simultaneously wants completely control of their lives and total bossing about by someone else." And I think she makes a valid point...

So I had to deliver something to my boss's wife's office.

My ears popped 4 times on the way up on the elevator and twice on the way down.

Do people who work up that high have related health issues from their ears popping so often?

Okay, so I get this call from one of ours saying that she now needs a hotel room of her own for her and the two other marines plus the sailor since she doubts they can all fit in our room. Good point. Anyway, she felt bad about ditching us, so she found us a replacement. Yes that's right!!! There's more of us!!! The Coypu Suite will be a rocking place to be...