Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Life is in flux BIG TIME these days. I want to keep in touch with all of my peeps. The Internet is this beautiful thing. I can move to a brand new city and still stay in easy, near-daily contact with the people I love. When I feel connected to the people in my life that matter, I am unstoppable!

More Whining For Your Entertainment

By Abby at 8:28 pm on Wednesday, January 19, 2005

I’ve written an official letter to the program supervisor officially complaining about the sad lack of a usable computer in my cubicle in the school administration building. I’m under the impression that it’s completely out of his hands and that there is nothing I can do. I’m afraid this may be another case like the health insurance. I’ll do all this legwork to make things right (like shmoozing the big donors at the Christmas party) so that I end up helping the people who come here next year instead of helping myself. I mean, it’s something, but it’s… well… non-optimal. I’d kind of like my efforts to help me, too!

It’s a shame, really, because this internship is all kind of excellent. The supervisors, the organization of everything… it’s superb. It’s just that this one little day-to-day detail just isn’t as it should be, and it’s this constant irritant.

Aaron has been kind enough to lend me a laptop he has, but it’s a little bitty one that gets really hot really fast. I have to cart it to and fro. I need a computer that can live there in my office. It’s amazing to me that people expect that I can get by without a computer. My supervisor doesn’t use a computer. I’m not really sure how that works. Never done it. Maybe I’m spoiled, but if that’s the case, then so be it. I don’t think I am. I’m just technologically skilled, and I do better work when I have my whole toolkit available.

I’ve been browsing around online looking at deals on refurbs. I know eBay is an option, too. Gah! These stupid things… somet of them are using Windows 98. HELLO!!!! It’s 2005! Windows 98 is SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!! It just makes me really angry that I’m here, considering dropping a few hundred out of my big $15K for the year on equipment they should have provided for me. I’ll get on, get a real mouse to put there with it, so I don’t kill myself with carpal tunnel on a touchpad, and I’ll keep it locked in my cubicle.

I still won’t be hooked up to the printer or the Internet (it’s all protected somehow so plugging in doesn’t seem to work – plus, every site I’d want to visit is blocked). No, they won’t hook me up to these things. They only support computers they provide. No, they won’t give me any scoring software. Again, that’s only for their computers. But at least if I have a cheap laptop with a decent-sized screen, I’ll be able to have it there to work on… so I can, like, DO MY JOB! At least some of it… not the printing out things I write part. Not the checking my e-mail part. Not the utilizing online resources part. Not the scoring protocols part. But the writing report part… that, I will be able to do. Man, the more I write, the more I realize this still isn’t really a very good option.

Grrr. I get so angry when I think about it. Hey, at least I have a phone now. That’s something.

Previous Comments

Filed under: Memphis,Professional Life,Rants,Stories From My Life,Uncategorized Leave A Comment »

PICTURES!

By Abby at 11:36 pm on Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Well, today I went a bit nuts. I blogged twice tonight, then I ended up posting a million pictures – all from the same day, January 5th. I spent that day with Sunitha, Ashwyn, Elizabeth, and Aaron. It was a fun day, and I got some great pictures. I’m sure it will be the only time I actually see the ducks arrive in the fountain at 11am and then leave again at 5pm. If you see both of those events in the same day, you KNOW you’ve really partied!

Previous Comments

Filed under: Friends,Memphis,Stories From My Life,Uncategorized Leave A Comment »

They’re Here! They’re Here!

By Abby at 8:12 am on Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Help! Indians have attacked Memphis and are eating all of our barbecue! Hee hee! Well, all of the guests have arrived. Sunitha, Ashwyn, and Elizabeth arrived in Memphis last night at around 7:30pm, shortly followed by Aaron. The first order of business was getting some barbecue… OF COURSE! And today, the tourism begins with a trip to the Peabody to see the ducks. I have to go to work, but I will join them later for a mandatory trip to the National Civil Rights Museum. There’s so much fun touristy stuff to do here, and now I have an excuse to do it! If only they’d arrived on a weekend, but I forgive them. Ashwyn has to go back to India on Saturday, so I am honored he chose to spend the end of his trip here in Bluff City!


CHOMP!


Lovely Dancing Pigs!


The Bar-B-Q Shop. Swoon! I mean, Swine!

Previous Comments

Filed under: Friends,Memphis,Pictures,Stories From My Life,Uncategorized Leave A Comment »

Perfect Day

By Abby at 9:32 pm on Thursday, December 30, 2004

I woke up at 10:30am without a headache for the first time in many days. I tribed for 2 hours. I ate oatmeal, lovely oatmeal, the best food on earth. I paid some bills. I decided that after 48 hours in the apartment in my jammies, it was time to get outside. My goal was to take out the trash and get my New Year’s Day fixins lined up. I went to Easy Way and got TWO bunches of collards for a freakin’ DOLLAR! Next, I went to Otherlands Coffee Shop for coffee, food, and free WiFi. I ended up meeting three very lovely people who I spoke to for about an hour and a half. They were all in their late 20’s. Two were a couple visiting from New York. The woman had grown up in Memphis, and she was a weaver. The man was in training to be a Lutheran minister, but he was really cool, too! The third guy had grown up with the woman and was an intense opinionated sort. He’d actually been my waiter when I first moved here!

After that, I went to Shnuck’s (the other grocery store) to get the rest of the stuff. On my way in, I got a call from friends who said, "Let’s go out," and I was like YEAH! So they met me back at my place, and we went to Automatic Slim’s Tonga Lounge for a mighty fine meal, then we wandered around a very busy Beale Street amidst all the whatever-it-is Bowl fans with their bright orange and red shirts. After that, we went to the Peabody Hotel and had drinks in the lobby, then went up to the roof and wandered around, looked out of the city on a very pretty night, said hello to the ducks. I just got home. That was way fun! And dog gone-it! I forgot my camera! What was I thinking?! The only way this day could have been more perfect is if Aaron were here with me, but he’s arriving tomorrow. Maybe we can arrange another perfect day together. 😀

Tomorrow night is New Year’s Eve. I won’t go out cuz drunk drivers aren’t my bag, baby, but I will reflect a bit on the year. It’s been an action-packed one!

Previous Comments

Filed under: Food,Friends,Memphis,Stories From My Life,Uncategorized Leave A Comment »

Mountain-time

By Abby at 7:58 pm on Friday, December 24, 2004

I’m at my parents’ cabin in the mountains. Just had a lovely dinner with some of their friends. Dinner was super tasty. Mary Ann made the only roast beef I’ve ever enjoyed, and my parents made Yorkshire Pudding, peas, carrots, brussel sprouts, gravy, fresh bread, potatoes, and bread pudding for dessert. I wasn’t expecting an English feast, but it was way yum. I took some pix for more food porn fun.

My mother and I both ordered many things from Amazon, but we both used her name for the shipping, so we have all these boxes here, and we don’t know which gifts are hers to wrap and which are mine. Whoops! I guess we’ll just take turns opening Amazon boxes in the morning.!

To all my friends this Christmas Eve… have yourself merry little Christmases, m’kay?

Previous Comments

Filed under: Family,Food,Stories From My Life Leave A Comment »
« Previous PageNext Page »