Unexpected Surprise

I'm excited to report that I met DMX the other night while I was at work. I'm actually a fan of his so it was really exciting and I was super nervous but he turned out to be totally nice and wasn't at all annoyed by me. He hugged me and even offered me his turkey roll up. I didn't have the heart to tell him I don't eat meat but luckily my coworker turned him down for me, so I didn't have to out myself. DMX is a gangsta rapper for those that may not know and yes, he was recently in prison on account of some dog related charges but that's all in the past now.

:)

Awwwwww

He looks so cute I totally forget he spilled Apple Jacks all over the carpet in the living room.

:)

The Latest Fashion

I was dreading wearing the new uniforms to work. Actually, let me provide a little background for those who may not know. Myself and my coworkers fell under the coverage of the ramp contract after the merger. This meant a nice raise but it also meant I would have to wear a uniform. I find uniforms awful because I don't like being told what to wear and how to wear it, especially if I have no say in the articles of clothing themselves (like where I get them, or how flattering they can be, etc.). Uniforms make me feel like I'm being publicly branded by a company as their property. Besides, comfort is my top priority with regards to clothing I have to sit in for up to 16 hours a day, day after day. However, after getting part of my order, I came to the harsh realization that the company and I have diverging priorities in this regard.

I'll spare you the details of the horrors of the terrible sizing and sky-high waists that basically offered built-in girdles. I'll also gloss over the fact that the pants are all cut for straight legged men and not women, much less women with actual-size hips and thighs.

I will, however, use this post to complain that the pants material is so stiff I'm pretty sure I've seen them walk themselves. They also don't breathe and actually, neither do I when I'm wearing them. The button up shirts are some other cheap material that's more bearable but still much too stiff. The worst is that the most comfortable of the shirts are the cotton t-shirts but they are navy blue, like the pants. Well, that's actually not true. They are also navy blue, but when worn with the pants, it's clear they are not the same navy blue at all.

There was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, though. After much despair and plenty of ordering, trying on and returning (of which I still have a little bit more to do, truth be told), I found something that has made it all worth it. I found my poplin coveralls. Oh yeah, baby. It's like one of those mechanic-type jumpsuits you expect to find at a Jiffy Lube, but I get the pleasure of sporting it to work. And it truly is a pleasure.

I really see no reason to wear anything else now. I just wear my jeans and uniform shirt and once I clock in and get into the break room, I slip into my poplin. It's like wearing a onesie. It's absolutely comfortable and also convenient for when I need to walk around the terminal or run an errand after work (I just slip it off on my way out and stuff it in my locker). I feel as if I'm wearing pajamas because I'm seriously that comfortable. The fact that rumor has it some members of management generally frown upon them makes them all the better.

Plus I can wear my poplin with my pink Rocket Dogs so I feel some semblance of personality still fights through the sea of uniforms that brand us property of the man.

Election Observations

In my opinion election day had always generally been an exciting day filled with nerves and plump, juicey anticipation. I see voting as a responsibility (and its even manditory in some countries) and I love the feeling of completing my ballot and being rewarded with a sticker. Its also one of the few times in our culture where talking openly about politics is more socially acceptable than usual.  Best of all, election day means we don't have to deal with those awful, propaganda commercials anymore and can finally have a resolution to it all.

After voting first thing in the morning on Super Tuesday, I went to work for a double, excited to follow the results online and see how the race would unfold. Unfortunately, as I was reminded time and again throughout that day, speaking our views openly doesn't necessarily mean they will be listened to openly. If fact, there wasn't so much political discussions going on but rather, ignorant, often unwelcome, small-minded rants and personal attacks.  I was actually stunned by some of the things I heard that day and much of it even changed my perception of certain people. In the end, I realized it may be a good thing after all that talking politics is somewhat taboo...

Monsoon City

I moved here in July 2003 (it was 115 degrees that day - yikes!) and I remember in those first few weeks of watching my new local news station that I would keep hearing about "monsoons." I recall thinking that it was weird that I'd never heard about monsoons in Arizona only in India. It sounded so exotic to live somewhere that had monsoons and not the usual hurricanes and tornadoes. Well, 5 years later (ugh, 5 years?) I now know better than to take the media at face value. They always jazz stuff up, don't they? They give snazzy titles and create catchy phrases for just about anything to make it newsworthy. Monsoons are just thunderstorms with a lot of wind and therefore dust too. When they pop up during the summer monsoon season they are the talk of the news with the live reports and interrupting of So You Think You Can Dance and other equally annoying tidbits that let you know "Hey, it's raining in the desert!" While watching these storms from the comfort of your hand-me-down futon can be lovely and a sweet source of entertainment, working through them is another thing entirely. Poor Keck has to put on a moldy rainsuit (think Gordon's Fisherman) because he can't find the totally awesome rainsuit I got him a few seasons back, and gently toss bags around. I'm spared the physical labor and banana rainsuit but have to deal with weather related diversions and the aftermath they leave in their path. I wonder what it must be like in India where they actually have real monsoons. Anyway, I wish the Bombay wanna-be nights wouldn't align so well with my schedule so I might enjoy the lightning show from my living room window rather than my work station.

In the interest of full disclosure, while wonderful shows like the one above (another google images rip-off, by the way) might make monsoons sound really amazing, they usually actually look like this instead:

Ahhhh, that's more like it - a blinding duststorm as you try to make your way around the overdeveloped concrete jungle sprinkled with manicured golf courses and perfectly landscaped palm trees that is the valley metro area.

Training and Texting

I'm finally training on the other positions at work. I only started yesterday but so far it's not been the nightmare I was expecting. I still have to get through the rest of this week and do it all again next week but I'm starting to build a little more confidence in what I'm doing with each call and message I handle. I must admit I was a total wreck on Monday with the the start of training looming over the next day. There were a lot of nerves to deal with and I got myself all worked up. Tuesday morning as I was getting dressed for work I couldn't find my cute red flats and I convinced myself that surely this was a sign of troubles ahead at work. I was nearly in tears as I walked through security and got ever closer to work (and equally close to a panic attack). Fortunately, I didn't lose it and start bawling like the pansy I am and instead I just threw myself into learning the new positions, letting go of my fear and anxiety. Actually, I wasn't so much letting go of it, as I was ignoring it. Either way, it worked and now I'm just worried about how I can sneak in some internet surfing time at work over the next few weeks (I'm already having allrecipes.com withdrawals). It just goes to show that I have a most endearing (hardy har har) tendency to freak out about things that I blow way out of proportion but once the dust settles I eventually come back to my senses and resume my life as a reasonable person. Also, I regain the clarity to look for my shoes behind other shoes and find them easily - oops!

On an unrelated note, Keck surprised me and added texting to his phone service. I'd been pestering him for months to get on the bandwagon but he continued to shoot down the idea saying calling was sufficient and texting unnecessary. Keck is not one for following the masses' lead on the newest, hippest things. However, having had the service for a few weeks now he is rather pleased with it. He's texting pretty fast already and even using the emoticons appropriately (i.e. :)). Surely he sees the error of his old 19th century ways now as we can communicate during class and all, not that we do...