found here: http://xkcd.com/77/

That is all.

My sister and I trying to break out of jail in Toon Town.


Max looks like one of those creepy ventriloquist puppets in this one.



Showing off his face art.

Stayed at a local resort for the last two days with Brooke.

I lounged a lot:



Also, R.I.P. my favorite pumps:



The left heel snapped. Tragedy.

Have any of you taken any sleep aids? I have trouble falling alseep and staying asleep. I tried Lunesta once, but had a funny metallic taste in my mouth the next day. A friend of mine was on Ambient, but got addicted to them. Advice!

Oh, and a necklace from Electric Ladyland http://www.electricladyland.com/photos/ebpearlcharmnecklace-2T.jpg:





Feel free to drool on your keyboard.

from http://www.dizzydava.com/fwda/index.html.

Updated girl_obscured with a story type thing, which is very important because it's the first time in a LONG LONG LONG time that I've written anything at all.

Some highlights from that NYC trip:

Departed from Tucson @ 10:30ish and landed at 6:00ish AM.

6/2 Met Stephan from Germany on the plane who, like me, had several hours to kill in NYC, so we decided to pal up and wander around the city together.

6/2 Central Park: We almost joined a walk for some cause I don't recall. Well, not really but we joked about it. Wandered around the lake and relaxed for a spell in a gazebo.

6/2 Little Italy: I had a Caramel Mochaccino at a little table on a sidewalk patio, I forget what Stephan had.

6/2 Chinatown: Enjoyed unidentifiable yet delicious Chinese food where we were the only tourists, found Ginseng Oolong and Jasmine Green Tea in a small corner market, mmm then had tarot & coconut boba tea. Walked through a little park where a bunch of old chinese men were playing games.

6/2 Ground Zero: Very depressing but glad I went.

6/2 - 6/3 Times square: Said goodbye to my new friend Stephan at Port Authority and met Brooke there a half hour later. We had quick bite at some hole in the wall Indian restaurant where we ate this scrumptious appetizer, I'd describe it to you but I have no idea what it was. We were so so so tired and didn't feel like commuting to New Jersey where her crash pad is, so we got a room at a nearby hostel for $40 and slept for three hours. Then we woke up, showered, beautified, and went out. Dinner at Junior's (best cosmo ever), then pub hopping, got invited to and escaped from (via a back stairwell) a private party that was very scary, back to the Irisih pub we started at, then we crawled back to the hostel and passed out.

6/3 Soho: Ate rice pudding at Rice to Riches, found this awesome store called extinctions where I bought skull earrings, a plastic bracelet with green beetles inside, and a lollipop for Max.

6/3 Chinatown (again): Bought handbags.

6/4 Times square: Bought a t-shirt for Max, ate scary pizza, and caught the bus at Port Authority back to the airport.

text recap to come eventually, with better pictures.

I miss the city.

Manhattan suits me.

This weekend I think I'm going to either Seattle or New York.

On another note, a big thanks to mister mlknchz for making livejournal less adsy for me.

1. Saw Pirates 3 -- Not my favorite but Jack Sparrow makes me swoon something awful. When we went to Disneyland I almost jumped off our boat on the Pirates ride to hump on him.

2. Maxwell's 5th Birthday Party at Pump It Up -- I survived, but with $460 less in my checking account and a wound on my arm from the inflated slide of doom. Plastic-burn. Fourteen wild five-year-olds are so much fun.

3. Self-care -- Mani/pedi. My tanning place was closed, the communists.

4. Extracurricular -- Bowling with my aunt & uncle. After 6 years of not bowling it's good to know I still got game. I lost, but I got a strike. Just one is all I need to feel like Ishmael Boorg.

5. Illness -- Maxwell has pinkeye. I feel a little goopy today. Please, universe, protect me from the ooze.

6. Near familial disaster averted -- I almost forgot my brother's birthday (bad big sister!). Thanks, Dad, for reminding me. He really likes his Cole Haan wallet.

IMPORTANT: I can now fly anywhere for almost nothing because my bff Brooke added me as her travel companion on Continental. If you live someplace interesting I may want to use you for your sofa. Especially if there is a beach or a chinatown nearby.

Jasmine has had babies. Five of them. We also have a kitty living outside which the neighbor feeds who had two kittens, and then disappeared. I gave those kittens to Jasmine who now has seven. Let me know if you want me to ship you a kitten.

_____________________________________________________

It's difficult to prioritize at work when everything is a priority.

I'm considering introducing cardio into my life, which will be difficult because I'm super lazy. BUT if I get up when my alarm goes off instead of an hour later, I should be able to get at least a 1/2 hour of running in and some yoga--and still have time to shower and get dressed.

In other news, I am so sad that I missed America's Next Top Model tonight. I saw the end of it, but it's the good middle part that I missed--so there was no climax. Just bam, there you go. I feel cheated. And a little dirty.

Beauty realated: Two-Faced lip plumper works really super well but it feels like a hundred bees are stinging my lips. Lip Fusion is really expensive and doesn't do a damned thing. I've heard Lip Venom is awesome but wears off quickly. I want injections.

Okay, time for bed if I'm aiming to run in the morning.

EDIT: I overslept. Again.

pumps by Carlos Santana

I can't normally wear Carlos Santana shoes because they have no arch support--but these are gravy and they make a nice icon.

Shoes are kind of an obession these days and I wonder if it's a sign of growing up--I never really used to care about fancy footwear. I mean, I liked wearing cute shoes, but the idea of spending $295 on a pair of Stuart Weitzman platform pumps would have never crossed my mind until recently. I'll capture those babies on film soon. Or not film, film but whatever.

It's important to have awesome nails. I just wasted too much time on this site, which isn't in English but has amazing (and some really horrible gawdy) pictures.

I want these toes:


And these fingers:


But probably not at the same time.

1.  My P-touch Brother labeler.  I've made files (poly, not manila--they last longer and are reusable) for each of my tasks.  Instead of putting them in a drawer, they're neatly organized in desktop file holders for easy access.  I only keep what I'm working on (one folder at a time) in front of me.

2.  Cleaning out my in-box (both electronically and on my desk).  If my in-box gets all gummed up I feel overwhelmed and angry at the universe.  By taking the time as things arrive to either delete, execute, or file, a magnificent weight is lifted and I feel positively liberated.  If you let your email gather in your inbox for too long, but then take the time to delete and/or file, you might get the same feeling as after you've cleaned out your fridge for the first time ages.  From that point on, maintaining that cleanliness is imperative.

3.  Desktop shortcuts.  Mapquest, Yahoo Yellowpages, Webster, and all of the electronic files I use on a weekly basis are saved on my desktop, so the things I need to readily access are a click away.  When I'm in a crunch, these shortcuts save me.

4.  Phone Lists.  I keep my phone number in a list format.  It's several pages and in a clear plastic swing-lock report cover like the one pictured below.  All the most frequently used numbers are on the front page, followed by numbers I don't need so often.  Essential digits are always right at my fingertips--it's much more simple than thumbing through a rolodex or searching my online contact list.



5.  Tea.  I know, not everyone is a tea junky, but I am.  I keep a Hamilton Beach Tea Kettle at my desk--it boils water in mere minutes.  If I'm feeling a bit frazzled or stressed out, a calming cup of oolong or green tea brings me back to reality and allows me to refocus.

If you have any tips of your own, I'd love to hear them.

Work overload.  I have about twelve different reports due at various intervals--daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually.  Right now I'm doing the job of two regular assistants; however, my main boss has assured me that by the end of the year they'll hire another assistant.  So excited.  Also, in the very near future the new financial analyst will start, so that will take a load off my plate.   

I just found out that blogging is heathy:
http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2006/05/23/blogging-essential-for-a-good-career 

Time to do some expense reports.  Could life be any better?

My son, Mister Max, turns 5 next Wednesday.