My eyes are burning. Rather, they feel tired and warm. I’m working from home. My car is at the shop getting worked on. I’m wondering if XM Radio is tracking every movement I make as well as reading donnaville. As soon as I dropped off my car at the dealer, I got a call from a gal named Tamara at XM telling me they were sorry they couldn’t fix my issue but the dealership should be able to diagnose my problem AND she would like to give me a 1 month credit for the problems I’ve been experiencing! How sweet is that? They are working their way back into my heart.

Gosh I am feeling icky. Not sick like– I never get sick. I just feel like I’m trapped in a big bowl of jello. I really shouldn’t have stayed up late last night watching the mediocre film, Premonition starring Sandy Bullock. What a downer!

I’m gonna spell check later.

What a rough day. I’m glad it’s over even if I am still far from where I need to be in terms of accomplishment. Tomorrow I must work from home because I will have no car for the day. Yeah, tomorrow is the day I get it inspected and see what’s wrong with my XM radio.

I really should be finishing up my work– but once the clock clicks 5:30 I become completely unproductive. I am so ready to go home but I missed my train and I have to wait for the late one. If I was a different type of person, I would go to the Elephant and Castle, sit at the bar and order a lager and a side of sweet potato fries. Gosh that would taste great right now.

Did I mention how well received my Watergate Salad was at Robert’s Family’s Holiday Party? There wasn’t a smudge left in the bowl! A couple people approached me and personally thanked me for making the dish and telling me how they remember eating the dish back in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and/or 70’s! They all agreed it was the perfect comfort food! If only they had an idea at how easy it is to make!

Suddenly I am feeling all Suzy Homemaker! I want to start cooking again! Maybe tomorrow I will try my hand at Chicken, Rice and Beans? For some reason I am hungry for it. I dunno. Of course I am also hungry for the new 3 Musketeers MINT bar! I had it just the other day and I found it to be delicious– of course I am a glutton for anything that is chocolate and mint. Poop dipped in chocolate and mint? I’m there!

I’m showered and almost ready for work. Last night I spent with my parents. My dad made me dinner, chicken parm and spaghetti. It was delicious. Of course, right now my mom is thinking, “I MADE THE CHICKEN PARM AND SPAGHETTI, YOUR FATHER SIMPLY HEATED IT!”

Yesterday I got my business Christmas cards. I went to Walmart and got picture cards with a picture of Bo. I know, not very professional but I figured it would be memorable. Today I will print out labels and try to get some sent out.

My alarm didn’t wake me up this morning. Feeling light flood my room, I awoke with a curse and looked at my alarm clock. Seeing it was 7:00 made me curse again. I threw on a sweater and trousers and left the house within 5 minutes. Half way to the train I realized I had a meeting with clients to negotiate a very large sized deal. I couldn’t show up in trousers and a sweater! I turned around, went home, pulled on pantyhose and a dress and went to work late.

How could I have slept in? I remember setting my alarm. Apparently I must have turned it off but I don’t remember. Although I do remember having extremely odd dreams. The middle finger on my left hand was somehow chopped off. Looking at where my finger used to reside, I noticed it looked like a phone jack. I ran to the bathoom and saw a long, thick, lock of hair sitting in my shower stall. I worried that I had somehow gotten scalped. The longer I looked at the lock of hair, the more I realized it was just a dead bird. Suddenly the bird started to jerk about, thrashing. I decided to ignore it and go to Best Buy. Somehow I decided that if I kissed everyone in Best Buy, I would be presented with a 20% off coupon. Every customer I passed, I kissed on the cheek. Unfortunately, once at the cash register, the cashier refused to give me my discount. Strange.

I really can’t wait to see Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The trailer is hysterical and I hope the movie lives up to it. We shall see. It opens December 21. The only other movie that I probably wouldn’t mind seeing is Enchanted. It’s been so long since I’ve seen a RomCom that I’ll honestly take anything.

Rob and I went shopping this afternoon. We bought a vacuum cleaner, toilet seat, press in place caulk, and an air vent deflector. Unfortunately this is the second air vent deflector we’ve purchased and just like the first one, it doesn’t work. The darn thing refuses to fuse to the vent. The magnets aren’t strong enough, I guess.

Another work week is upon me. Time to sleep.

I just finished making my world famous Watergate Salad. “Making” isn’t quite the right word. Basically it’s just combining ingredients and stirring them together. I decorated the top with a smiley face made out of cherries. I know that’s not really a Martha-like design but it worked for me.

I tried refreshing my XM radio signal once again and had no luck. Finally I called their customer care line and freaked on them. I had no intention of freaking on them– it just sort of popped out once they disconnected me and then when I called back they made me verify my address, phone number, alternate phone number and email address 3 times. What really angers me is the scripted responses. Why can’t they just say, “Okay, let’s get you fixed!” Instead they have these silly scripted responses, “Thank you for your patience, permit me to verify your home address, and now I shall transfer you to a colleague in the technical support department who will assist you, thank you for calling XM radio and if you love Holiday music please tune in to stations 100 – 200 for our seasonal favorites!” It’s like talking to automatons. Turns out there is something wrong with the radio itself and I need to contact my dealer. Why couldn’t they tell me this earlier in the week? How many times did I need to refresh my signal?

Little do they know, the longer they keep me without XM the more I am realizing that free radio isn’t that bad and maybe I shouldn’t be spending 100.00/year for their service.

Gomer is back and he has an interesting entry on songs that have moved him to the point of tears. I queued his songs up in Rhapsody, you can listen here. They’re good songs but I can’t say they move me. It got me to thinking about MY songs. The songs that have moved me to tears. I came up with this list:

She’s Got You – Patsy Cline

I guess because for a period in my life I felt exactly that way.

I’ll Spend My Life With You – The Monkees

It’s because of these lyrics: “People come and people go/ Movin’ fast and movin’ slow/ I’m in a crowd yet I’m all alone” I don’t have to tell you how much I live these lyrics everyday.

Hard Candy Christmas – Dolly Parton

Just listen to it.

I Let Love In – Nick Cave

Nick always makes me cry

Love’s Been Good To Me – Johnny Cash

You have to listen to it

Fooled Around And Fell In Love – Elvin Bishop

When Rob was courting me, he told me this was “our” song- that gesture moves me more than the song itself, but it’s a beautiful song on it’s own.

The Rainbow Connection

Reminds me of when I was a little girl and Charles Grodin.

I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Hank Williams

I’m not sure if I cried listening to this song or if I am just mixing up my own life experiences with Jim Varney when he played Jed Clampett in the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies.

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down – Johnny Cash

It’s all about loneliness.

Red Rubber Ball – The Cyrkle

Last night I asked Lisa what song makes her cry and she said, “Red Rubber Ball by The Cyrkle.” It seemed like a crazy choice until she told me that that’s the 45 I left on my record player when I first left for Germany back when I was a young teenager and she listened to it over and over whenever she missed me. How sweet is that?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Monkees? Below is a clip from 1986 that played on MTV and featured all 4 Monkees! I spotted Mike right away!

My office stinks of Chicken Tikka Masala and Vegetable Korma. What is it about Indian food that makes it so pungent? On my way to pick it up, I saw a woman that had an honest to goodness moustache. This isn’t the first woman I’ve seen sporting a really thick and dark moustache. There was a singer in Suburban Station that not only had a fuzzy lip but a goatee as well. I can’t figure out why these women didn’t shave it or wax it or pluck it or at the least bleach it. Perhaps they just embraced their furry nature and if that is true, then I salute them. Or as Sidd Finch would have said, “Namasté”

There’s a man that rides the same train as me. He is the most talkative man! He is always engaging people in conversation. His preference appears to be tall ladies but he will talk to anyone. He will tell you that he tests electronics for a living and if you’d like a flashlight he can get one for you, free of charge. I can’t quite figure him out. I think he must be very lonely or afraid of silence. He tries so hard to engage people yet most people resist. The people who do accept him tend to be the Russian immigrants. They always converse right back with him. Next time he talks to me I intend to find out if he has a family. I have visions of him living in a tiny flat with a dog that he talks to all night long.

Lisa is driving into the city to meet me for an evening of drinks and laughs. I’m looking forward to it. Or maybe I am just looking forward to escaping the smell of India. Damn their delectable cuisine!