Bizzy

Hoooo! Still hangin' in there! I'm in the midst of office cleaning and organizing this week. Still tying up loose ends, trying to keep up with daily crap...the usual. I'm hoping to be all moved downstairs by the end of Monday. Exhilarating, I tell you.

The exhilaration continues with the weekly wedding planning update. BREAKING NEWS! I've got ALL my vendors! The photographer, the DJ, the flower guy, the minister and I chose the last one, the cake lady, yesterday. That was the highlight of my day. I got to taste some truly scrumptious cakes! The easiest decision of all! Two bites of the moist, fluffy yellow cake with strawberry filling and I was sold. So I got a three-layer dealie 'cause I've got around 100 people on the guest list. I chose yellow cake with raspberry cream filling (oOoOoOH) for the bottom layer, chocolate marble with custard filling (eEeEEeeeughghgg) for the middle and yellow cake with strawberry cream filling (AaAaAaaHhhH) for the top. Whoopie whoopie yay yay! I think I've chosen my vendors well. They all seem like nice, down to earth people and a few have worked with each other many times before. Now it's time to get down to all the little details. The fun part! Right? Heh...

My invitations are at the printer. OH how I can't WAIT to see how they're gonna turn out! There was a little drama (in my head) with the printer because the first estimates I'd gotten from her were outrageous! I'd found her online and gotten together with her at the beginning of December. A very nice lady who runs her own small shop. We connected and talked easily because she is a fellow animal lover and bird owner. She's got an aviary of canaries and parakeets and a little male lovie, too! Of course she adored my lovebird design and was eager to work with me. After chatting for two hours, both about our respective pets and the project at hand, we came up with three design options. She emailed me the three estimates a few days later and I was FLOORED at the prices! This was right around when the holidays were at their hairiest so I put off calling and discussing the estimates until afterwards.

In the meantime, I stewed. At first I kept thinking, "Shit, she was such a nice lady, I thought she'd give me a better deal! I'm gonna go to Kinko's where I should have gone in the first place! I can buy a fucking used car for these prices!" I'm glad I took some time to think about it because I inevitably came to my senses. I was being unfair because I didn't do my homework and had never even given the poor lady a budget to work with! When I'd orginally met with her, I hadn't a clue what the going rate of invitation printing was! Kinko's here I come! Naturally, the project is muuuuch cheaper to do at Kinko's. That's because I'd have to do everything myself. Choose a design from the pages and pages of the binders full of wedding invite examples, the stacks and stacks of special papers, envelopes, fonts, cards...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have that much energy!! I just want someone to ask me what I want and show me the best options! Therefore, I compromised...took the Kinko's price to the nice lady and she totally worked around it for me! Who KNEW that all I had to do was ASK! Sometimes I amaze myself. *sigh*

Another thing about this lady is that she's got an indoor aviary that she might be able to give me. She just has to ask her husband if it's okay. They have to make sure that they won't need it for anything, you know...before they go and give it away! I hope it works out because I'd love to put my guys in something bigger that they can actually fly around in. The aviary is supposed to be able to be separated in two areas so that I can put two different species in it. It's a good idea to keep the lovebirds and the parrotlet separated...they need their own spaces. They'd fight and get all stressed out if I put them together. Yea.

Okay, that's all for now. I have to get back to work. I've been doing this in between and I really need to concentrate now. Lots more to do!

Serenity NOW!

To say this week has been busy would be the understatement of the year. Work has been INSANE. SO, I'm taking a break to write, dammit! I've been alone at the office again. My boss left Monday to attend his last convention while with the company. So that leaves me here to tie up loose ends from my week away, deal with the shitload of daily issues (always MORE when the boss is gone) and try to get things together for the big change. I haven't even finished closing up 2006...ugh... I also have to move my work space to a desk in another part of the office. In other words, everything is a fucking MESS! I'll get through it slowly but surely... Just have to quell the urge to panic. Not an easy feat for me. I let myself get way too overwhelmed on Monday and ended up getting physically ill, as in having to pull the car over and PUKE as I was on my way to the accountants office. That was fun. I'm sure the two cars that drove by while I was yacking really enjoyed the scene. Whenever I get so nervous that I barf, I know I have to pull the needle off the record and silence my thoughts. Which I did. I sat in the car for a few minutes and gathered myself. Since then I've managed to get a lot done, both at work and at wedding planning. Yay me!

So I haven't worked with the owner of the company much since I started here three years ago. From what I remember, she is type A alla way! That's not necessarily a bad thing, just something I have to get used to again. She'll have me running all over the place when she first arrives. She'll want everything organized to a teeee... She'll have a million ideas running through her head and will want to share them with me. ALL AT ONCE. She's actually quite funny when she gets going. I love it when she's so worked up that she can't even finish a sentence! I have actually changed a lot since I last really worked with her. I'm thinking we'll work well together. I'm HOPING we work well together!

And wedding planning, wedding planning, WEDDING PLANNING. It's getting down to the wire. All kinds of shit needs to get done between now and April. To think I originally wanted my wedding in February of this year! HAH! I really would've had to get off my ass on the planning LONG before I did. Yeap. Glad we changed it to April. I'm soooo not into this. Yes, I want a nice day. Yes, I want to celebrate with friends and family. NO, I don't want to plan what is essentially a huge party! I have never planned a party in my life! I'm all about small social gatherings so this is quite the undertaking for me. All the damn details. I just want someone else to do it. Wake up and SURPRISE! It's your wedding day! Everything is done and simple and lovely! Right. This is also the time when the "what ifs" start. What if any of the vendors screws up, doesn't show up? What if it rains? What if my cousin(s) drink too much? What if my mom has a diabetic reaction? What if I throw up all over my dress while trying to deliver my vows? WHAT IF I FORGET SOMETHING???!!!

It'll all be fine.

It'll all be fine.

It'll all be fine.

How many jillions of people have gotten married?! I must calm myself. Then I think, how many jillions of people have getten divorced?! That's another thing that's been on my mind. I'm getting married. I want this to last. I know it's not always going to be easy. I must not give up like so many others have. Marriage is not a doomed institution! There are just too many people getting married too young, or for the wrong reasons... Too many people who are chronologically old enough to get married, but are too immature to grasp the real concept of marriage. Spoiled people who don't want to compromise... People from an entirely different generation that's all about self gratification. But really, I'm ready for this. I'm sure. I won't be a statistic! Dammit!

Alright, shit...I gotta wrap up. It's jogging time again. I've been a bad girl and have been eating too much. My thighs and stomach feel so flabby. I don't even want to know what I weigh. I've always been of the mindset that if I look good and my clothes still fit (barely) it's fine. Just cut down on the portions. Fuck, I'm Italian! I LOVE EATING. I can't give it up. I can, however, exercise to keep things under control. So here I go. Right now. Bye bye.

I needed that

Well, it's the last day of my week long vacation. A vacation that I really needed. I didn't do much, but that's what vacations are for. I spent some time with friends, slept too much, worked on wedding details and read some books. I actually went to the local library and got a library card. I totally forgot how fun the library is. I used to go there all the time with my friend Cathy. We used to rollerblade there, pick out some books, read some and then rollerblade home. A nice way to spend the afternoon. Hmmm...she still lives pretty darn close to me. We should do that again... Whuddya think, Cathy?

Anyway, it's time to get back into work mode. I'm kind of excited/nervous because there are going to be some big changes at the office. The Friday before my vacation I found out that my lovely boss had given his resignation to the owner at the beginning of the year. His last day will be the 31st. I was expecting this...he's been with the company for six years and has worked in our office for three. He'd been working from his home in St. Louis, Missouri before he came to L.A. His working at the office in L.A. was supposed to be a temporary thing, but he ended up staying for a lot longer than he'd planned. He's always been a travelling salesman and was used to being away from his home and family for long periods of time, however, this was getting to be too much for him. Especially since he HATES L.A. Can't say I blame him there. I hate it and I was born here. So he says that it's time for him to move on. I'm really going to miss him. Now the owner, who had moved to Poland to live with her husband and help with the alcohol business they have over there, is moving back to L.A. to sort out things out. She was actually planning to do so anyway since the business really needs to be revamped. My boss' resignation just put the fire under her ass. I'm glad because I feel like the place needs some changes. Who knows what's going to happen...she may even decide to sell. I've been thinking about what I'm going to do a lot lately. I'm going to see what happens with the owner back. After the wedding I'm probably going to start putting my feelers out just so I have some other options. I'm nervous but I've been thinking about how much I need a change so much... Even a little change is good.

Okay, I've gotta go get my stank ass in the shower. I just went for a nice, long jog. Here...have some pictures of the birdies. I recently got some great ones of them hangin' at the local water hole. The digicam I got Ron for Christmas works great!







And then we have the adorable lovies sittin' on my arm while I'm at the 'puter. I can't even tell them apart by looks anymore! Pickles is still doing SO well... He's a happy little birdy now that he's got his flock established.


"Let's you an' me get outtah here... How 'bout my place?"


"First, let me whisper in your ear..."

Another year

Gone in a flash. I'm looking forward to another good year. Sure, the past year has had its ups and downs but it's been good altogether. I guess if I were to resolve to do anything, it would be to have a better attitude. Stop feeling sorry for myself. Stop worrying so much. Be thankful for what I have. Look ahead to the future.