catching up ...

i know it's been a while since my last post but i have had absolutely no time to read anyone's blog much less comment or write my own. i'm sorry. the past couple weeks have been pretty busy here at work so i've not had the opportunity to post anything. i know, i know ... i could create a new post at home, but seriously? i'm in front of a computer all day at work and sometimes the last thing i want to do is sit in front of one in my living room. half the time i don't even turn the great humming beast on, though bills are due soon so i'll have to tonight, i'm sure.

as many of you know, i work with medical insurance and currently i'm contracted with an insurance company dealing with psychological claims and during the holidays, as i am sure some of you may know, many people suffer from depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and thus, the number of claims that we receive basically doubles and sometimes triples in quantity. more claims = more work for me = no time for playing around on the computer at work. boo. today seems fairly light so far so i've managed to eke out a few minutes.

recap:
two saturdays ago i attended a party in whitemarsh at tom's place where a group of 25 people were split into two teams, salt and pepper. after said teams were formed, we had a choice of ingredients to choose from to create 3 courses: appetizer, main course, dessert. i'm going to direct you to terri's page because she has pictures and has explained everything that i could put here. i'm just going to sum it up by saying that i had an amazing time and can't wait to do it again!

so ... last week, on wednesday to be exact, i was inundated with a hefty workload ... one that i was sure i wouldn't be able to complete before 5:30 (which is when my shift was supposed to end, assuming i didn't stay late to finish) thus leaving me with a lot of work upon my return after the holidays. so, i'm working as hard as i can and it looks like i might actually be able to get everything finished by 5:30 ... but just barely. then the big boss decides to spread some holiday cheer.

big boss: we will be closing the office at 3 p.m. today in preparation for the holiday. happy thanksgiving.

now, normally i'd be thrilled to be leaving work early ... not today. i'm pissed as now i know i won't be done. so, 3 o'clock rolls around ... everyone in the office leaves, but wait ... what's this? geoffrey is still hard at work while everyone is busy relaying holiday greetings and shoving people out of the way in a race to get out, yelling obscenities, and then leaving burning rubber streaks in the parking lot, driving up over curbs, destroying shrubbery, horns blaring, plumes of smoke painting the air ... in that mad rush to get the eff out of dodge. ok, so it didn't really happen like that, but it's what i imagined as i was stuck behind a computer working. bleh. finally, at 3:30, i decided that what i don't have done can wait. i leave. buhbye.

thursday morning i was up at 4 a.m., leaving my place at 5 for my trek down to richardsville virginia to visit my mother and the rest of the collective. traffic was light at that hour and i made it down there in about 2 hours, a few pee breaks on the way (i was well into my 3rd cup of coffee as i left 7-11 that morning.) when i walked in the house the first words out of my mouth were not those of greeting as they should have been ... no, instead it was "holy shit, there's a lot of people in here." sprawled out over every conceivable flat surface were air mattresses, blankets, pillows, lumps of bodies and stuffed animals. i had to carefully navigate through the mine field of flesh to avoid triggering anything and i managed to make it to the kitchen unscathed where my mother was already elbow deep in stuffing for the bird.

long story short:
everyone arrived who wasn't there already and it was actually nice to be surrounded by family again. i got to see nephews and nieces i hadn't seen in years and finally got to meet my great niece who is absolutely precious (though she did pee on me friday morning!) this was also the first time in years that my mother and all four children have been together in one place so that was especially nice. i do have pictures of all of this but, as you all know, i'm horrible with posting pictures. i'll have a post later of all the pictures i was supposed to post and never did. if i get time. lol. i had a great time during the visit, though i was actually sick the entire time. that's the reason i left early into the weekend (friday night instead of saturday night or sunday morning) as i just wanted to sleep in my own bed and try and get better. i still feel like crap today and i have a lingering cough along with a spot of congestion. wheeeeeee!

i hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday. i thought about you all while i was away but i didn't have access to a pc. i will get around to reading blogs and posting comments either today or tonight when i get home. i promise i will do my best.