What did I get for Chrismtas?

I am making my way into the office today after a glorious break. I hope my busy little worker gnomes read my Christmas wish list and completed a task or two. What are the chances? Slim? None?

When I get there, I'll post a picture of just how bad the situation is under my desk. And if you have no idea what I'm referring to, see my wish list.

My home gnomes surprised me with skillets and a new tea kettle on the 25th. Sounds cliche, I know, but I love to cook and good tools are essential. Though, I did ask for my own copy of Super Mario Bros. for the DS and the head gnome in red didn't produce. And I thought I was pretty good this year. Hmmm.

What did you all get?

My Christmas List

Dear Santa,
I think you are cool and I've been a very very good girl this year. I only lapsed that 1 time, oops no twice - okay few times but not that many. I've given my list a lot of thought ...


1. Can I get a lock on my door so I don't have to hide under the desk anymore - sometimes I get caught (sneaky Jennifer) because I have to pop my head up to see if they are finally gone.

I'd like both the overhead lights in my office to work. Sometimes it's dark in here and I can hear whispering and giggling. It could just be Jennifer down the hall but I can't tell - it is dark.

2. Please send the elves over to my house to de-clutter and clean. I only want the elves, no home improvement shows allowed.

3. I know everyone I work with wants to be a pirate, but could we pretend to be something else once in a while? We don't have to be grown-ups, I have some reasonable expectations after all. Maybe we could just agree that anyone who wears sandals has to paint their toe nails.

I want to be a cast-away for a week or two. I think Jennifer wants to be a cruise director on the Love Boat.

4. Can I be assigned an exciting state to go to this year? Maybe Hawaii? Or the U.S. Virgin Islands. I promise to make lots of sales calls.



5. Another puppy to keep me company in the office while I work. Puppies make me happy.


See Santa, I'm a reasonable woman.

Love, Andrea

It finally happened. Christmas is here, folks!

Evening last, we all gathered at Olen Jack’s Grille for a yummy dinner and excellent conversation. I think we all needed to blow off some steam and have some fun. I know I had a great time and I don’t think I’m the only one. Check out the pictures from the Christmas party. What a beautiful bunch of people – especially when they smile. :)

Enjoy your time off.

Enjoy your family.

And have a very Merry Christmas!

Presents for everyone on our list

Happy Holidays my friends! Expect a very special treat coming to you in a FedEx box.

My Turn!!

Santa Baby, if we're going to start making wish lists I want in!

1. A REAL desk. I have been known to occasionally sneak a peek online at desks. Especially the sexy kind with drawers and hard wood tops.

2. Security lighting in the parking lot. Now that Shannon has started calling the dark dark parking lot a “rape zone” I get the heebie jeebies every time I walk out there. Damn crack-heads.

3. A company massage therapist. I know I am not the only one who has this one on their wish list. And if something doesn’t change soon my left shoulder is going to relocate itself on the front of my chest. Not pretty.

4. Bigger pots for Shannon’s plants. (Ho Ho Ho, Skullgrinder!)

5. I’m voting for the new refrigerator too. Can it make those cute little ice pellets like Sonic’s ice, please?

6. A trip to NC with my girls. We’d really love to go for a visit.

7. Books – of course. And time to read them. Top three on my list – Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes by Sandra Lee. Because my family is tired of eating take-out. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling. Yes, it’s for me. I’m just a big kid. And finally, Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer. I know that last one sounds a bit dry and maybe out of place but I love books about how we make decisions, especially the ones that aren’t entirely rational. Sociology geek that I am, I’m a total sucker for any book that uses words like “heuristic” a lot. Talk academic to me, baby!

8. Laptop – So I don’t have to sit in the cold office at home. Instead, I could be snuggled under the covers sending invoices and writing blog posts like this.

9. An intercom system for upstairs so that Shannon and I don’t have to run up and down the stairs.

10. Micro-Stereo system – something that’s flat and wall-mountable so that Shannon and I can listen to music. The speakers on our monitors suck! >.<

What the Skullgrinder wants for Christmas

1. Someone to properly run wires (of adequate length) in my office.

2. A REAL desk. Not a folding table.

3. Shelves. Cabinets.

4. A decent phone.

5. A computer with a fan that doesn't go: ggggggrrrrrrrrrggggggggrrrrrr

6. Someone to care for my potted plants. (Jenn has started doing this early. Thanks, Santa!!)

7. A new refrigerator with--gasp--an ice maker.

8. A cold Diet Coke once in a while. (See above wish).

9. A dish washer. My hands are getting chapped, dammit. (Does it piss Santa off if you curse in your wish list?)

10. On-site yoga classes so I can de-stress at 5:30.

Calmness In Our Lives

This came in an email from Rob in North Carolina:

"I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr. Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey 's Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now."

There's always tomorrow

Rough, rough day. Things out of my control. Too much "shut up and take it." And me with not enough time in the day.

The bright spot? My son's holiday program--he looked precious as an elf!! And Rob and Jimz recognizing when I've hit a wall and offering me a beer at the end of a very long day. You guys rock. And thanks for not thinking I'm a crazy bitch.

Mythbusters

Who knew Santa liked Crown? And that elves drank Bud Light? Or that the sleigh previously driven by eight reindeer was traded in for a black Escalade? That's what I learned this week, hanging out with two of my favorite people in North Carolina. Rob and John. 

Thanks for the laughs, guys. It was an education.

 

Tipsy Star

tipsy star
Originally uploaded by Reel Pirates

Friday night we gathered after work to trim the Christmas tree - an evening together as a “family”, before being scattered to the four winds. Sherry and Sandra expertly wrapped the tree in lights and the guys made them dance to music - the lights that is, not Sherry and Sandra. The rest of us hung decorations, though I dare say we did a poor job of it. Makes sense, we’d all been drinking. Even the star on top looks tipsy.

-Ship's Councilor

Send Lawyers, Techs, and Turkey

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks here. Thanksgiving came and went in a blur. Practically everyone worked straight through the holiday to keep locations up and running in spite of several hurtles and pitfalls. At times it has reminded me of a zombie movie. Not the gore – there’s been no blood shed, yet. Rather it’s the social observations - How does humanity respond when forced to fight for survival? And as with any good zombie film, location is key. Where do you stage your last stand and with whom?
It’s a running joke at Hest that we’re the Island of Misfit Toys. It’s a joke you won’t get unless you’ve watched the 1964 stop motion animation classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. But to put it succinctly, Hest has become a refuge for the creative, eccentric, and unconventional. That’s part of our charm. It’s also part of our strength. Each of us brings something unique to the table and we’re all fighting for survival.
If the old adage is true, that which does not kill you only makes you stronger, then before the year is finished we will be titans. Bruised perhaps and sporting that “thousand mile stare” occasionally, but undaunted and unstoppable.
So in case I forgot to mention what I was thankful for this year, it’s the Misfit Toys. Thank you for rising to the occasion and working your asses off. I can't think of a better group of people to have at my side when the zomie hoards attack.
-Ship's Councilor