October 22nd, 2006 by Kateastrophe

I’m not sure when I’ve been so excited for the weekend to roll around. EVER. In my entire. life.

Some of you know I have been sick this week . . . but it wasn’t really a normal, Kate sickness. It was bad. I mean BAD. I missed three days of work this week. THREE. I haven’t missed three days of work due to illness since . . . well, ever. You will all remember me feeling like crap last weekend in Pennsylvania. Well I put my sick butt on a plane. And five out of five health care professionals say that getting on a plane with a slight cold will cause you to immediately go from “sniffles” to “full blown plague with 90% chance of death.” Oh and the people sitting within 100 feet of you will immediately be infected with the same plague. So basically, I think I just started the first outbreak of the black plague since the dark ages. My apologies to everyone on my oversold flight, everyone at JFK airport, everyone at Sky Harbor airport and anyone who got anywhere near to THOSE people.

ANYWAY, I had/have bronchitis. Usually this is identified immediately in me with a horrific, phlegmy hacking cough. Apparently in THIS version of bronchitis, that is not the case. The cough doesn’t show up until DAY FIVE of this particular version of the death disease. On Wednesday I finally dragged my butt off the couch to take a shower and FORCE myself to go to work … and immediately started hacking up a lung. Maybe it was the standing up? That must be it. I hadn’t stood up for a significant amount of time since the dreaded “show” in New York. So that was when I decided to consult our lovely local overworked urgent care facility. Much to my surprise when I showed up I was one of two people in the lobby, so my prayers were answered and I knew I would be seen soon.

**Random side note: At this particular urgent care facility, they ask you to check yourself in by computer. Now this would be an extremely wonderful, effective way to get people checked in, if we lived in a perfect world. But here’s my point: The people who go to urgent care typically have one or more of the following symptoms: Amputated digit, plague, flu, cold, BRONCHITIS, blood, guts . . . you know URGENT CARE TYPE OF THINGS. I’m thinking that most people will infect the computer with their particular slew of germs, bleed all over the thing or be TOO SICK TO TYPE IN WHAT THEY ARE SICK WITH. Ok, sidenote over.**

Back to me and my experience. I got in pretty fast. I was asked by the nurse what my symptoms were. While describing them I’m thinking “what the crap did I fill out all that crap on the computer for if you idiots aren’t going to READ IT.” But explain I did. “Sick for five days now, lots of snot, coughing started this morning.” She sends me in for a chest X-ray. Um, people, I’ve had bronchitis every year since I was about 5 and I have NEVER had an X-ray. I’m thinking this is going to cost me . . . bastards. Anyway, finally the doctor comes in and he is actually great, effective, nice, well groomed and carrying this sweet notepad computer where he enters my symptoms AGAIN but this time with a stylus! Then he says “your prescriptions will be ready at the front. You have acute bronchitis. Hope you feel better.” Sweet! A virtual prescription! (see how bored I was all week? Daytime TV really sucks.) Anyway, I’m on meds now. Being drugged up is SO GREAT!

Thursday I dragged my still sick butt back to work. Remember now, this was the week after a big trade show. I’m pretty sure the world fell apart while I was gone. So I groggily tried to wade my way through that day. I’m not exactly sure what happened but I was there from eight to five.

Friday was a BAD day. I mean BAD. I was starting to feel better for real but my boss and I decided to not like each other for the day. I had a real argument with my boss for the first time ever. And I don’t mean THIS boss. I mean first argument with ANY boss. He, “Mr Communication” claimed I misunderstood what he said to me, but I’m pretty sure that when he said “You are making this problem a B priority and it’s not a B priority, Kate!” that he meant to say “You are making this problem a B priority and it’s not a B priority, Kate!” I’ve never actually been accused of making a well known issue a “B” priority. Especially when I’d spent the majority of the day trying to fix it . . . oh and an hour with a very busy developer the day before. But whatever right? Hahah, the Kate most of you know would have just shrugged it off. Apparently plague Kate is a monster. Plague Kate said “Don’t say I’m making this a B priority” . . .and then sort of went off from there. I got splotchy. Those of you who know me know that when I get splotchy, it is NOT good. I look like a teenager with like fifty hickeys. It’s not pretty and there’s NO way to hide it.

Anyway, I walked out mad, then he called me back in and we “worked it out” (as you can tell I’m still not quiiiiite over it though) and I came home . . . sort of a mess, sort of in tears. Apparently Plague Kate is super emotional as well.

Ok this post is getting a lot long . . . I’ll sum up fast (and sorry there are no pictures. I, er, hate the camera lately. Or something.)

We went and saw “The Prestige” on Friday night. It’s very cool and very entertaining. And have I mentioned my love of Christian Bale? Yeah, I pretty much have been in love with him since my first glance of him in Newsies in 7th grade. Anyway, the movie has lots of cool magic stuff, lots of pretty boys for the gals to look at, lots of Scarlette Johansen’s cleavage for the boys to look at, and a cool storyline and some really cool twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out they HIT ya. It’s great. And did I mention Christian Bale . . . with his ENGLISH ACCENT? Yeah. Drool.

In his next movie he plays a German soldier captured in Vietnam. Oh and he’s apparently manorexic looking. Caaaan’t wait!

October 19th, 2006 by Kateastrophe

I am pretty sure this is my favorite quote of all time:

“Prince might be the only human who’s actually made of butterscotch and grease”
— John Heder, on explaining his choice of a Prince song on his iTunes celebrity playlist

October 15th, 2006 by Kateastrophe

Oh my gosh i feel like crap.

C
R
A
P

I think I wore myself out this week!

I was on “trade show duty” Wedesday and Thursday all day. And I mean ALL DAY. I was up at 6:30 EST (which is 3:30 Arizona time. OUI) and I was standing, in our booth, from 7:30 AM until about 6:00 PM both days. My feet were KILLING me . . . to the point that I called my sister on the verge of tears and begged her to send me a pair of Danskos so I could handle the next day of standing all day.

The Danskos came and they helped a bit, but I think my entire blood supply was pooled in my feet. They were swolen to twice their normal size and popping out of the top of the shoes.

On the bright side I went and saw the musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” and loved it. I recommend it to everyone.

Friday I walked all over New York. I walked up and down Fifth Avenue a few times, walked through Central Park, walked everywhere. My fat body is not used to that i tell you what!

I had woken up feeling sort of sick so i went to the pharmacy and got some Airborne and cough drops, hoping they would help, but I dont think they did.

Friday evening I took a train from NYC to my parents house in Lancaster, PA, and I have pretty much done nothing but sleep since I got here. I’m really sick AGAIN. I have had the chills and the shakes and a sore throat and all kinds of lame crap. I was supposed to go shopping today but instead I slept. And slept. Then ate, then slept.

Tomorrow morning I go back to New York to fly home from JFK. The train drops me off at 12:30 and my flight isn’t until 6:00 PM but I think I may just go straight to the airport and sleep some more. If I walk anymore I think I might open a vein.

I still love New York but I’m really ready to go home and see my husband and sleep in my own bed.

Of course going home means going back to Boot Camp too, but honestly, it might be better than the swolen feet New York caused me this week.

**Pardon my errors within this post. I’m using a Mac and I’m struggling to type and too tired to care!

October 11th, 2006 by Kateastrophe

Someday I’ll learn HTML and be able to add a picture of a heart or something in my titles . . .

ANYWAY

I am in New York and oh how I love it here. I love the tall hallways of buildings, the city smells, the knockoff purses on the corners, the amazing shopping, the sort feet from walking everywhere . . . everything.

I am here for my first real business trip. I feel so fancy and so . .. well, old. Since when do I have a real job and a real life? Holy crap!!

Anyway, here I sit in my hotel room, not sleepy because it’s only 8:30 at home but 11:30 here and I have to get up at 6:00 here which is three-freaking-a-freaking-m at home . . . and I want to sleep but I can’t. I’m staying at the Hilton New York, right in the heart of the city - near Times Square, near 5th Avenue, near Central Park . . . it’s newly renovated and really quite nice, yet all I can think about is the fact that in a small way, i am contributing to stupid Paris Hilton’s trust fund. And that pretty much pisses me off.

But ANYWAY, I love New York. And I should stop saying that . . . I am really excited because on Friday morning, after the rest of my company goes home, I am going to an endowment session at the Manhatten Temple! I have wanted to go since it’s announcement but this is the first time I’ve been to New York since I’ve been endowed.

I will also, as is fitting to my dramatic self, try to find a show to go to. I’m thinking Drowsy Chaperone or Jersey Boys, if I can get decently priced tickets. Although Donny Osmond IS playing Gaston in Beauty and the Beast! It’s the role he was BORN to play, no?

I’ll try to keep you all posted, though in the next two days my only entries might look something like “Stood on my feet for twelve hours straight today, boss won’t let me sit down. Shoe size has gone from water ski size to full billionaire yacht size. Stay tuned for tomorrow when they will be the size of Mount Everest.”

Ow.

October 4th, 2006 by Kateastrophe

I was looking at some Blogs the other day by some really great photographers and scrapbookers. The pictures were truly beautiful. The colors were bright, the smiles were white, the eyes were clear and sparkling . . .

Then I started to think about it. They are all just photoshop whores. (and I say that with the utmost respect . . . if you can call someone a whore and mean it respectfully)

If I knew what they know about photoshop and airbrushing and making eyes look bluer and greener and taking off fat rolls and other such things, I’d look hot all the time, and so would everyone I ever took a picture of!

I’m filing a complaint with . . . someone.

Either permanently Photoshop ME as a person, or stop doing it to pictures. I want to know what people REALLY look like.

Or maybe I should just learn Photoshop . . .

October 3rd, 2006 by Kateastrophe

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first one being — hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”
-Erma Bombeck-

I correct that to: My second favorite household chore is . . . wait, I don’t have one.