Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ! ~

Well, getting back into the swing of things is as much of a pain in the ass and a drag as I anticipated..le sigh.
I have to admit, I am surprised at a couple of instances that happened while I was out..and then..why the frak ( LMAO..much the same as I did when I was around Dakota, now that Carlee is a part of my life, the Fairy God Grandmother is going  to try to watch the potty mouth..well...I'm gonna try..LMAO )   am I surprised ?

My department/section if you will is made up of 3 people.
When one of us is out, we jockey coverage and it usually works out. It is  , or should be understood that when one is short staffed that it is not the optimum time for one of the other 2 to take 2 hour lunches or leave early.
Yep..that is exactly what Cha Cha did..on more than one occasion while I was on the coast.
I mean really ?
She has developed a really bad habit of pulling this crap. She won't share when she wants to take off they way the other gal and I do , she just does and screw anyone elses life. She is going to try to sneak and sneak is not me being snarky, it is literally her MO....out of here early today  because she and her hubby are going to fly to Denver for the Football game. Yes dear hearts, she is the same one that habitually takes off the Monday after a game because her  ass is so hungover she is quite the porcelain Buddha hugger.
Chronic to the point that the whole bloody office knows and expects it. She hinted broadly that " If it's a late flight back from Denver that she " might " not be in on Tuesday, "  to which the third of our trio replied...." No...I have jury duty that day, beginning at 7:45 am. "
Any bets Cha Cha takes it off anyway ?
Didn't think so, you clever things, you .

Her panties are going to be in a royal twist when she figures out that she cannot take the day off after the Christmas party as is her custom as the third gal is going to be out of town. That time was properly submitted and approved long ago. Cha Cha thinks it is her God given right to take that day off and she was quite irked a few years ago when she was actually turned down..thank you again for that on general principal ,  Malibu .
She then started to submit the request a FULL 6 MONTHS in advance.
Yeah, she really did .
And they had no call to not approve it .

I have put in a request for time off in December, from the 21'st through the end of the year today.
Yes, I know I just came back from vacation.
Yes, I know that Cha Cha is used  to me being more prudent with my accrued time off in the last quarter of the year because I carry over a month and cash it in to pay federal taxes.
I haven 't taken time off during the holidays since a trip to meet Dakota ..6 years ago.

Except I don't have to worry about that any more.
If I am short on time , and I don't care if I am , they can dock me.
I can afford it.

We are getting a new full time HR for the original office on October 2'nd. The gal who has been doing the job was the HR for the Atlanta office and took over that function for Houston in addition when Malibu retired.

I can't wait to see how Cha Cha thinks she is going to pull this crap with a new HR on duty.
The HR who is our direct supervisor in the chain of command here at the firm.

Good times, good times.

Have a great weekend .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Another Theophile Steinlin Fan - Who Knew ?

http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/09/chocolate-poster-of-day.html

I am trying to get semi caught up on a ton of shite, including all of the blogs that I follow . I always read " Dying For Chocolate " because yeah...
Anyhoo, this post stopped me in my tracks because I have both of the posters in question in the guest room and am a HUGE fan of Theophile Steinlin.

Evidently, Miss Janet and I have more in common than a love of chocolate.
Who knew ?
Boop Mr. Linky to pop over to her blog.

Ciao,
Aunty POl

Lava Butte ~ 2012 ~

This is Lava Butte, south of Bend Oregon, and no..we DID NOT drive to the top. As it was, parts without guard rails scared the crap out of me on the way up On the way down , the mantra was " Hug the rock, pretty rock, hug the rock...pretty rock.
The lil dude is a yellow chipmunk. He and his running buddy were all over the parking lot, cuter than hell...so of course Sistah and I had to feed then a bit of a cracker.
Then we saw the sign.
" Please do not feed the chipmunks."

Aw CRAP !
Hmmm...if no one saw, did it happen ?

Then near the visitors center , we saw the second sign :

" Human food is bad for you ."

Obviously, the US Park Service has an elevated belief in the literacy level of Alvin and the rest of the band.

Remember, if no one saw....it NEVER happened.

Google Lava Butte  for more information.
Class dismissed.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol.

Crater Lake ~ 2012

http://www.nps.gov/crla/naturescience/index.htm

Hit Mr. Linky to go to the Crater Lake site.
Yes folks, I do think it's cool and I was at the site of the deepest lake in North America !

Ciao,
Your Park Ranger,
Aunty Pol

Talk LIke A Pirate Day ~ 2012 !

Yes, it's Aunty Pol's second favorite holiday, Bastille Day being the other .
It's " Talk Like A Pirate Day " !
So...Arrrrr..grab yer Captain Morgan's and have a tot of rum or 3.

The trip to the coast was wonderful. The PCH ( Pacific Coast Highway ) is amazing and for the most part has guard rails along the higher elevations. I say for the most part because to be honest , there were some areas that I had my eyes closed.
I have this thing with heights.
It's a mutual hatred.
Sistah has a love for the lighthouses along the coast so off we went.
It was really rather mind boggling to imagine the complete isolation of the lighthouse keepers and their families if they had one. They grew their own food, both crops and flocks and I was stunned to realize how hard it must have been for them to get anything to grown in that sort of wind and salt air, but evidently they did.
The most amazing bit about the lighthouses to me was the mechanics of it all, and I won't even pretend to understand the process...suffice to say.." Shiney " seemed to cover it pretty much.

Another interesting fact about the Oregon coast is that it appears that there is a thriving Classic Car Club or Society. Everywhere we went, Crater Lake, Florence, Depoe Bay, Newport , Bend ...you name it they were all over the joint.
And not just for looks.
These cats were driving all over in them.
It gave Aunty Pol a case of the vapors I tell ya.

More to follow...


ARRRRR

Your Captain,
Aunty Pol

Happy Birthday To The Sistah Of My Heart !

Happy Birthday Sweetie !
I miss you , Double Oh, the kids , the folks, Buster, Molly, Shanaia ( sp) and CARLEE bunches.
Oh, I just am enamored of Carlee..yeah....Noodle Baby did it again.
I had such a good time, and I wish that we could do it more often , yet at the same time ,  because we can only do it every few years, it makes it that more special...yeah , I know that doesn't make sense but you know what I mean.
In other news...LMAO..
The job that the Crazy Cajun got with the brown short folk is part time but it is management and it does have medical insurance so huzzah. SU thinks it may very well work into full time.
He is also very proud of himself because he got all of the wallpaper in the kids bathroom removed and 2 coats of kilz up so Lordy , let the renovation begin.
We bought a new dishwasher that was delivered yesterday and that the Moron is going to help SU install....I trust yours made it too today as planned ?
The punishment phase from the kittehs was not as long as I expected, perhaps the fact that I give them more treaties than the Daddy does might be a factor in all of this .

Happy Birthday Sweetie..!!
BTW..You do know that it is National " I Can Has Cheezeburger Day " today too..right ?

Love,
Me.

Some Things Never Change .

Hey Sistah..............
Remember 7 Layer  Bars ?

Check this out.
Never in my wildest imagination ( don't go there y'all ) would I have ever thought of serving them ala mode.
Check out the post by one of my favorite bloggers. Bake At 350.
The pictures are hers , aren't they wonderful ?
Gently tap La Linky below to go visit the entire post.

http://bakeat350.blogspot.com/2012/09/7-layer-cookies-a-la-mode.html#comment-form

And I wonder why I am starvin Marvin !
LMAO !

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

I Can't Wait For The Coast !

OK..So I don 't do the best job in the world with photos..I know.
In 3 days , I will be on a plane headed for the Big Paloose ...aka Pullman...wheeeee.
Then Sistah, Double Oh and I will be headed to Oregon.
The bottom 2 pictures are of Bend Oregon, a really gorgeous place in the middle of the state.
Then we are headed for the coast as depicted in the top two pictures.
Since it's 100 friggan degrees without the heat index factor ,  can  you blame me ?          
I am so ready to go.....
I just hope I remember to leave reminder notes so that SU remembers to water the potted plants and the garden..
I know you will try honey, won 't you ?

WANNA GO NAOW !
Ciao,
Aunty Pol