Friday, August 24, 2007

Same Cough, Different Week

Yes, I'm still sick. And no, I haven't called my doctor. I know that coughing and runny nose can last 3 to 4 weeks, so I'm not worried yet. It was getting a lot better earlier this week so I took a chance and did a riding lesson on Wednesday morning, which turned out to be a mistake -- by that evening I was back to where I was a week before. Last night I took two extreme cold night time liquigels and that knocked me out for most of the night, so today I feel a bit better and the cough is more productive. Unfortunately I haven't been able to let my body rest as I've been working ridiculous hours. I don't get paid for overtime since I'm on salary, but they do take that into account when they pay bonuses, so I will get compensated for it one way or another. If I work on the weekend things will start to slow down next week. I need to clone myself.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Soul Coughing

I've been suffering with a nasty summer cold for going on two weeks now. I've been through the sore throat and stuffy head phase, almost through the nasal congestion phase, but it's this cough that just won't go away. My back hurts, my stomach hurts and my chest hurts. Plus, there is nothing more sexy than coughing. We spent the last five days in Pasadena watching the Drum Corps International championships and my poor husband was stuck in a hotel room with a woman who woke up every two hours coughing and walked around in a daytime cold medicine haze. Sorry honey. The weather was nice, we saw lots of friends and watched from the comfort of a suite at the Rose Bowl, so no complaints on the trip, just could have done without the hacking.

My work schedule this week is hellacious; my newest client was not happy that I was gone for most of last week and is now making up for it by pushing an unattainable deadline on his project. I'd like to believe my consultant mantra in situations like these: Your bad management and planning does not make this my crisis. Unfortunately I think in this situation it does make it my crisis and I am going to be working my ass off for someone who has the personality of a warthog.

So, please send me your empathy, your best cough-stopping tips and maybe a few jabs at Mr. W. Hog. I have several posts for y'all that will just have to wait.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

More Songs about Buildings and Food

As promised, here is another in my series of music posts. Kudos to you if you got the Talking Heads reference in the title. I dare say, I bet there's nobody out there reading this over the age of 30 who doesn't know all (or most) the lyrics to at least a couple of these songs. You might not even know you know all the lyrics, yet somehow when you hear it, there they are, saved in your brain for just such an occasion. If you want the download of the entire list, send me an email (link is in the upper left) or leave your email in the comments and I will gladly send you the zip file.

1. Ballroom Blitz by Sweet -- Ready Steve? Andy? Mick? All right fellas, let's go!

2. Bang A Gong (Get It On) by T. Rex -- you're dirty sweet and you're my girl.

3. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison -- this song got a little bit ruined for me when I found out it was Lacy Peterson's favorite and they played it at her memorial service, but I still love it.

4. Goodbye Stranger by Supertramp -- it's hard to pick just one song from Breakfast in America, this is my favorite though.

5. Hooked On A Feeling by Blue Swede -- if you knew the name of the band you get extra bonus points. Ooga chaka, ooga chaka, etc.

6. I'm Not In Love by 10CC -- I probably still have the very first mix tape I ever made (recorded from the radio onto my beloved Panasonic cassette tape player), this was the last song.

7. Love Is Like Oxygen by The Sweet -- yes, it is, isn't it? You get too much you get too high, not enough and you're gonna die. That's deep.

8. Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf -- come on, you gotta admit this is a cool song. Are all these songs about drugs??

9. Magic Man by Heart -- ah, the lovely Wilson sisters. Try to understand, mama.

10. Money Honey by The Bay City Rollers -- I know what you're thinking: that girl has gone off the deep end. Seriously? The Bay City Rollers? Seriously. It's a great song. Short plaid pants for everyone!

11. More Than A Feeling by Boston -- close your eyes and slip away.

12. One Is the Loneliest Number by Three Dog Night -- two can be as bad as one.

13. Sharp Dresssed Man by ZZ Top -- every time I hear this song I see them spinning those fuzzy guitars.

14. She's Come Undone by The Guess Who -- this song is actually called Undun on the album, maybe that's the Canadian spelling? (See, I can make fun, since I'm Canadian.) When I was a young girl I wanted to marry Burton Cummings.

15. Summertime by The Zombies -- a lovely waltz version of the classic.

In my music travels I also make a note of the name of any band that I think is clever, silly or just plain bizarre. Here are my lastest:

Half Man Half Biscuit
Parenthetical Girls
Oxygen Ponies
Peanut Butter Wolf
Young Antiques
Bipolar Bear -- my favorite of this list!
Chainsaw Kittens
Pagan Babies
Chicken on a Raft -- great, now I want chicken.
Ice Cream Socialists -- my second favorite, makes me giggle every.single.time.
Bastard Fairies
Genghis Tron
Get Cape. Wear cape. Fly! -- giggling again.
Two Cow Garage
Chicken Poodle Soup
Bowling for Soup
The Self Righteous Brothers -- brilliant!

I hope this little trip down memory lane makes you smile. Get the zip file now!