thanks!

Happy anniversary.

I swear, this stupid project is going to give me ulcers. By the time I left, I could barely string thoughts together and was asking some really dumb questions because my brain was fried. I did a weeks' worth of work in 3 hours because of the dumbasses who didn't get me the information until 5 minutes before a come to jesus meeting. Oh wait, they did get me the info this morning. THE WRONG INFO. So at least I'd already set things up. Otherwise I'd still be at work tonight.

And I'm half-certain the stuff we started will bomb overnight.

And Loki knocked over the water jug again. I'm going to have to rethink his water dishes.

Loki, give your person a break, will ya?

oh sarameg, sorry that's work has been an unremitting zone of suck lately.

I'm just going to get a big pot for him while I'm gone. In my copious free time between now and Saturday. Ahahahah!

The project wouldn't be so bad except for the completely unrealistic expectations, poor vetting and this teams' inability to get things to us in anything resembling a reasonable time frame. And then they expect us to respond to them immediately. And then the godboss is all angry and "why haven't you started" and it doesn't change anything.

Oh, sarameg, that's vile.

Perkins, I'm sorry for your swelly tongue but glad it's better and you're nestled at home in inside pants.

I just snuck back to my office from the cardiology division holiday party, which the assistant division chief strove mightily to make a heart-healthy festive gathering.

Unsurprisingly, it turns out that heart-healthy festive gatherings are not only not so festive, they kind of blow. No shrimp, no smoked salmon, no baked brie, no brie of any sort, no stinky cheeses, lots of cubes of Swiss cheese, lots of baba ganouj and edamame, very few petit fours, and an endless parade of vile little tartlets composed of a dollop of custard, a grape, and a drizzling of chocolate sauce. Grapes, chocolate and custard: the kind of dessert that's not. It's insane troll dessert-making.

What I really need right now is inside pants and a hefty martini.

I managed to get into my car today! I shopped today but I still have to get a couple of Christmas gifts and a couple of birthday gifts. Parents are hard to shop for. I'm thinking of getting them tickets to see Arabian Nights at Missouri KC Rep.

I figured out how Loki's knocking the water over: he loops his paw into the handle (it is one of these inverted jugs) and yanks to watch the water slosh. OY. EIther a large pot or I bungee it to something.

Grape and chocolate don't go together.

lots of cubes of Swiss cheese, lots of baba ganouj and edamame

See, I *like* Swiss cheese (not just to taunt Perkins), baba ganouj, and edamame (dear god yes), but if I were putting together the menu for a holiday party at which there would be a wide variety of people, I'd go for more luxe tidbits. And maybe keep the baba ganouj and edamame as well.

Because, seriously? NOBODY'S heart health (even my dad's) is going to be trashed by one plate of nibblies at one holiday party.

And shrimp and smoked salmon are actually outstanding for heart health. So there's that.

he loops his paw into the handle

Our cat Toke plays in the water dish endlessly. She'll stand there forever (okay, probably 5 minutes, but it seems longer) dipping her paw in the water, taking it out, shaking it, looking at it as if to ask, "WTF, paw??? Why are you all wet?", and then repeating the whole procedure.

She'd be so happy if we got her a fountain.