cwappy fwiday
Friday got off to a real shiatty start. I was up pretty late the night before, fixing my costume for work the next morning and the costume contest.
Well, because I've been feeling sicky and depriving myself of sleep as usual, somehow I missed my alarm. I got a phone call at 11:30AM from my co-editor JABBO, asking if I were coming in. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKKKKK! The damned costume contest was beginning at 11:30 and I was to miss it. Boy was I in a pissy mood. I said fuck the costume and threw on my comfy Spartan fleece and jeans and jumped in the car. By the time I got there it was noon. I was supposed to have worked 9 to 12 but I guess I'll have to work the PM shift instead and get my time off switched. GRRR. Of course, 500 people came by my cube wondering where my costume was, so here I go, explaining the whole story over and over again, which put me in an even sour mood. Dammit. Well, I had photos from last Sat. so I showed them that and everyone really, really liked my idea. (Wait till you guys see what I am planning for Halloween 2005! I just got an idea yesterday.)
Of course I had a dumb SUPER KMART page to check, which involves like 500 layers and 1000 sheets of paper to look through to make sure each price, shot and description matches the ad mans... jeez. Bores you to tears. And it was pretty busy elsewise.
Left at 4 and zipped to Jen's. Wanted to get Anita's Kitchen on the way there... yumm... Chicken Shawarma and hummus with tabbouleh that I have been craving for a week now. But NOOOO, traffic was shiatty at the beginning of rush hour so I had to settle for a McDonald's Happy Meal (with chocolate milk). And I was SO looking forward to a comfort food meal. =P
We headed down to Deeeeetroit the north central neighborhood community center (on 7 Mile and Dequindre) to help out with the first night of Angel's Night watch. We were assigned to "logistics" which was basically inside duty, because Jen and were too chicken to do outdoor patrolling with just us two. We arrived at 5 and the people there didn't expect us apparantly, even though we were signed up and had volunteer group numbers from Synergy. They were organized but not really in the office. For almost an hour, we were just sitting and talking to each other. The woman in charge (who was very friendly) would come back and start to tell us to do stuff, then get called away by someone else. Finally she said for me to answer the phone calls coming in, and Jen was watching me. Eventually, the woman gave Jen the food sign-in sheet and she was checking in the people who donated food.
It was hotter than Hades in there with all the people. You wouldn't believe the long lines of people of all ages and ethnicities who signed up to patrol on foot and by car. They'd make you fill out papers, then the police would check your license and registration, assign you a route, and then you'd get your flashing light for your car-top, Angel's Night flourescent caps, flashlights and and a folder of papers which tell you the dos and don'ts of patrolling. Basically, if you see an arsonist or fire, call 911, because they need to record the calls coming in and cops were all over the streets to assist. I sat there and watched people come in most of the night, because we only got about 6 phone calls on my watch and some were for people who worked there. Other calls were to give directions, and I don't know that 'hood, so I wasn't much use and had to pass off the calls. We kept asking the woman in charge if we could help in any other way but there were many indoor volunteers there.
You would not believe all the food that was donated from local businesses, judges, councilmen and individuals. They had tables of everything, and hot food over Sternos. Some store-bought, but lots of homemade southern cooking and desserts, too... it smelled wonderful. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (the US House Representative for the area and Mayor Kwame's mom) was in, and she introduced herself to Jen and I. She seemed very nice. We shoulda got photos with her... all the office women flocked to her and did, like papparazzi. =P
The line had died off by 8PM and our duty was up at 9PM. We asked if we should stay to help hand out food to the volunteers, but there were an army of helpers already in the kitchen area, prepping the tables. I feel bad that we couldn't have helped more, but it was outta our hands. Next year, we patrol the streets in a car as long as we can get a guy to go with us. We really have little to fear, since there are so many other volunteers and cops around. (The cops helping register people were friendly to us, by the way.)
We ended up leaving and going to Jen's friend Nicole's house. Me, Jen, Nicole, Adam, Theresa and one o' their guy friends decided to go to the movies at Star Fairlane to see "Team America: World Police". I saw the trailer long ago and thought, ehhh... doesn't look so hot. Then Ryan A. from work said he thought it was just OK. But dammit... there were a few times where we were just ROLLING with laughter... I actually cried I laughed so hard. The songs were totally awesome funny... the "America... FUCK YEAH!" theme might have to be Ms. Americana's new battle theme! Makes me wanna buy the soundtrack. I like the puppets of the celebrities and there are some memorable phrases and nuances. Of course it had a dirrrrty part too (do we really need to see marionettes making love?) and language flying all over. Oh boy. Bruce and Dawg, you would def. like it, so go seeee.
So my day was shitty, but that movie and being down in the D really made my night. Thanks for the fun, Jen. =) You my girl.
Sat: Housecleaning and Anne's costume party. It shall be lots o' fun. Too bad Ron's out of town at a funeral up north. He was actually looking forward to Anne's party.
P.S.- I feel bad about accusing my brother for swiping one of those credit card advance checks that was supposedly on my last CC bill. Turns out, I made a typo in the bank acct. # when I made my last payment by phone, and my payment got rejected. They put all these fees in the "cash advance" column which scared me. So she took all of them off and we're square. Phew. I had my CC stolen once, so I know what a biaaach it can sometimes be to fix your credit afterward.
Well, because I've been feeling sicky and depriving myself of sleep as usual, somehow I missed my alarm. I got a phone call at 11:30AM from my co-editor JABBO, asking if I were coming in. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKKKKK! The damned costume contest was beginning at 11:30 and I was to miss it. Boy was I in a pissy mood. I said fuck the costume and threw on my comfy Spartan fleece and jeans and jumped in the car. By the time I got there it was noon. I was supposed to have worked 9 to 12 but I guess I'll have to work the PM shift instead and get my time off switched. GRRR. Of course, 500 people came by my cube wondering where my costume was, so here I go, explaining the whole story over and over again, which put me in an even sour mood. Dammit. Well, I had photos from last Sat. so I showed them that and everyone really, really liked my idea. (Wait till you guys see what I am planning for Halloween 2005! I just got an idea yesterday.)
Of course I had a dumb SUPER KMART page to check, which involves like 500 layers and 1000 sheets of paper to look through to make sure each price, shot and description matches the ad mans... jeez. Bores you to tears. And it was pretty busy elsewise.
Left at 4 and zipped to Jen's. Wanted to get Anita's Kitchen on the way there... yumm... Chicken Shawarma and hummus with tabbouleh that I have been craving for a week now. But NOOOO, traffic was shiatty at the beginning of rush hour so I had to settle for a McDonald's Happy Meal (with chocolate milk). And I was SO looking forward to a comfort food meal. =P
We headed down to Deeeeetroit the north central neighborhood community center (on 7 Mile and Dequindre) to help out with the first night of Angel's Night watch. We were assigned to "logistics" which was basically inside duty, because Jen and were too chicken to do outdoor patrolling with just us two. We arrived at 5 and the people there didn't expect us apparantly, even though we were signed up and had volunteer group numbers from Synergy. They were organized but not really in the office. For almost an hour, we were just sitting and talking to each other. The woman in charge (who was very friendly) would come back and start to tell us to do stuff, then get called away by someone else. Finally she said for me to answer the phone calls coming in, and Jen was watching me. Eventually, the woman gave Jen the food sign-in sheet and she was checking in the people who donated food.
It was hotter than Hades in there with all the people. You wouldn't believe the long lines of people of all ages and ethnicities who signed up to patrol on foot and by car. They'd make you fill out papers, then the police would check your license and registration, assign you a route, and then you'd get your flashing light for your car-top, Angel's Night flourescent caps, flashlights and and a folder of papers which tell you the dos and don'ts of patrolling. Basically, if you see an arsonist or fire, call 911, because they need to record the calls coming in and cops were all over the streets to assist. I sat there and watched people come in most of the night, because we only got about 6 phone calls on my watch and some were for people who worked there. Other calls were to give directions, and I don't know that 'hood, so I wasn't much use and had to pass off the calls. We kept asking the woman in charge if we could help in any other way but there were many indoor volunteers there.
You would not believe all the food that was donated from local businesses, judges, councilmen and individuals. They had tables of everything, and hot food over Sternos. Some store-bought, but lots of homemade southern cooking and desserts, too... it smelled wonderful. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (the US House Representative for the area and Mayor Kwame's mom) was in, and she introduced herself to Jen and I. She seemed very nice. We shoulda got photos with her... all the office women flocked to her and did, like papparazzi. =P
The line had died off by 8PM and our duty was up at 9PM. We asked if we should stay to help hand out food to the volunteers, but there were an army of helpers already in the kitchen area, prepping the tables. I feel bad that we couldn't have helped more, but it was outta our hands. Next year, we patrol the streets in a car as long as we can get a guy to go with us. We really have little to fear, since there are so many other volunteers and cops around. (The cops helping register people were friendly to us, by the way.)
We ended up leaving and going to Jen's friend Nicole's house. Me, Jen, Nicole, Adam, Theresa and one o' their guy friends decided to go to the movies at Star Fairlane to see "Team America: World Police". I saw the trailer long ago and thought, ehhh... doesn't look so hot. Then Ryan A. from work said he thought it was just OK. But dammit... there were a few times where we were just ROLLING with laughter... I actually cried I laughed so hard. The songs were totally awesome funny... the "America... FUCK YEAH!" theme might have to be Ms. Americana's new battle theme! Makes me wanna buy the soundtrack. I like the puppets of the celebrities and there are some memorable phrases and nuances. Of course it had a dirrrrty part too (do we really need to see marionettes making love?) and language flying all over. Oh boy. Bruce and Dawg, you would def. like it, so go seeee.
So my day was shitty, but that movie and being down in the D really made my night. Thanks for the fun, Jen. =) You my girl.
Sat: Housecleaning and Anne's costume party. It shall be lots o' fun. Too bad Ron's out of town at a funeral up north. He was actually looking forward to Anne's party.
P.S.- I feel bad about accusing my brother for swiping one of those credit card advance checks that was supposedly on my last CC bill. Turns out, I made a typo in the bank acct. # when I made my last payment by phone, and my payment got rejected. They put all these fees in the "cash advance" column which scared me. So she took all of them off and we're square. Phew. I had my CC stolen once, so I know what a biaaach it can sometimes be to fix your credit afterward.