I'm calling OSHA

The anti-christ has arrived at Alcatel! It all started a few weeks ago...when there was an awful smell outside my manager's office. It started out smelling like sewage and after 2 days I don't even know how to describe how it smelled it was so awful. By Friday we knew what was behind the smell that was coming from the filing cabinet...DEAD RAT! Yes, apparently rats can get to the 2nd floor, die, and nobody knows it until it reeks so bad you want to vacate the premises. Of course, I could never just accept the fact that there were rats in a building where I spend most of my life so I started asking around.

According to my admin...the 'rat situation' is a known issue and doesn't just affect our building but the other building that is also in close proximity to the creek. The facilities people apparently set a trap behind the filing cabinet and forgot to check it hence why there was a dead rat in the first place and why it stunk so bad.

According to the guys that work in the 'bat cave' (aside- the bat cave is an area of our building that has no windows, low ceilings, and kind of dim lighting and thus was named the 'bat cave'). These guys said the 'bat cave' has been renamed the 'rat cave' because THEIR area is where the rats are coming from. They are above the loading dock where all trash dumpsters are stored. There theory is the rats are coming into the building via the loading dock and get to the second floor through the pipes, air ducts, etc. They have had DOZENS of rats in their area to the point that all the females have left the 'bat/rat cave' and found new offices. The guys plugged all known access points to their area and they speculate that is why they are now in our area. As if that wasn't bad enough they found a 5ft snake intertwined in the window blinds in the lab downstairs...apparently he is here for the rats....are you kidding me? So at this point, I'm hysterical and pretty much told my manager the day I see a rat - dead or alive - will be the day I begin permanently working from home or the day I hand in my resignation with no notice.

So last week I was walking in the hallway downstairs and notice a trail of dead roaches. Not little ones, but the kind you hit with your shoe and it walks off with the shoe...THOSE KIND. Even though they were dead they still freaked me out. So again, I start asking around...and whatever they sprayed to try to kill rats is killing everything else. Some environmental, animal loving, person complained and no more rat poison was to be put out. As a replacement we got good ol' fashioned rat traps with peanut butter on them. They are everywhere. In the corners, in the break room, under the vending machines, under the mailboxes...pretty much everywhere you look. An exterminator comes by at 1:00 each day (yea! rat check at lunch time) to check the traps for victims. He has on blue rubber gloves up to his elbows and carries a bucket for the traps and a CLEAR plastic bag of dead rats. I saw this dude last Friday on my way to a meeting and literally almost lost my Chick-fila when I saw the dead rats in the bag.

I thought surely this week would be better...boy was I wrong! Yesterday, the 'rat cave' guys were in the break room saying they all were moving out because the rats are now coming out during the day and they eat anything that is left on their desk even if they step away for a few minutes...so gross!

How could things get worse? This morning, there it was the ANTI-CHRIST staring me in the face as I rounded the corner. The BIG BLUE PEPSI machine. Seriously? Rats, roaches, snakes, and Pepsi? I can't take it...I seriously MUST get a new job. How can I work in such an establishment? A girl from Atlanta, that drank Coca-Cola Classic out of her bottle, could NOT possibly work for a company that supports such inhumane activities. That's it, the line has been crossed...as soon as I'm done with this posting I'm calling OSHA and going to RaceTrac to get a Coke!!!

Working Memorial Day

Adam and I have been crazy busy working on our house remodeling so we planned to have a 'working' Memorial Day weekend.  My dad has been helping us tremendously so we decided to tackle some of the more difficult and messy tasks this weekend.  Adam and my dad built a wall to support two sets of french doors to separate our dining room from our new study which is where the living room use to be.  This weekend we were down to putting up the wainscoting in the dining room and texturing the two rooms before we would be ready to paint this week.  Friday night my dad came over and worked on the wainscoting with Adam.  Saturday afternoon Adam and I started texturing and didn't finish until about 10:30pm Saturday night.  Who knew texturing took so long and is that the messiest task ever?  I think I mopped the kitchen floor 3 times to get all the dust off that blew in from the room next door!

Sunday we decided to take a break and had my family over for a cookout and some potential swimming.  It was super overcast and looked like it was going to rain at any second so the pool water was rather cold.  Adam jumped right in and admitted that even he thought it was a little cold.  I would only brave getting in on a raft and even that didn't last long.  We didn't have any other takers on the swimming.  The highlight of the day was the hamburger cake we got from Central Market.  It was so delicious!

Today we ran a bunch of house related errands and Adam and my dad worked on the picture boxes for the wainscoting.  I think they'll wrap it up tomorrow....so weird how quickly things move when my dad is involved....had Adam and I done those rooms by ourselves it would have taken at least 2 months!  Maybe one or both of us have ADD???

Chicago, Cubs, and Chris

The first weekend in May Adam and I went to Chicago for Chris Durbin's 40th b-day party.  Yes, ADAM (not me!) is old enough to have friends that are turning 40.  Seeing has how I am only 25 it would be a little odd for me to have friends that old.  Anyway, we left Dallas in the height of the swine flu and on the day that Joe Biden said he would advise his family not to fly unless absolutely necessary.  DFW seemed to be business as usual...our 6:15pm flight to O'Hare was delayed until 7:15pm by the time we got to the airport.  As we waited, our departure time somehow surpassed our original arrival time.  We boarded our flight around 9pm.  There were literally 10 people on the entire flight.  We see now why the flight was delayed.  I assume so they could get on as many standby passengers as possible.  I have never been on an AA flight to/from DFW/ORD that was not at least close to full...maybe the swine flu scared off some travelers???

 

We FINALLY arrived and got to our hotel around MIDNIGHT!  Vinnie picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel on Michigan Ave.  I was completely beat and pretty much unpacked and went to bed.  Adam and Vinnie went out for drinks at a pub that was near by.  

Friday Tom and his daughters, Jessica and Elaina, came into the city to go with us to see the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.  It was completely awesome!  At the start of the tour they select children from the group to sit under the sorting hat and find out which house they belong to.  Jessica was a Griffindor!  You go into a room where they show short clips from all the movies including the yet to be released, Half Blood Prince.  When the clips are over, the room goes dark just for a second and then a curtain opens to reveal the Hogwarts Express complete with steam and blowing whistle.  What a way to start an exhibit?

There were so many great things to see but the highlights were:  pulling mandrakes from their pots and hearing them scream, throwing quaffles through the quidditch rings, sitting in Hadgrid's chair, and viewing countless costumes and props from all 6 movies (including Half Blood Prince).  The tour ends in the dining hall complete with floating candles and Hogwarts food...pumpkin juice, chocolate frogs, and many more.   I couldn't resist getting a "Harry Potter Exhibit" hoodie, to document the moment.   Adam and I were interviewed for a local newspaper as we exited the exhibit.  I'm sure I told the columnist way more than she wanted to know.  After the museum, Adam and I had lunch at Heaven on Seven, a cajun restaurant off of Michigan Ave.  It was so completely bad for you but so good.  We had such an amazing day, but super exhausting.  I had to go back to the hotel and take a nap before going out for dinner.

Friday night we had dinner at Due (like Uno's) with Karen, Monica, Freddy, Lori, David, Reneau, Saneata, and Amir.   It took forever with that many people, but it was really good.  Afterwards, we tried to find a bar that wasn't super crowded and ended up at ESPN Zone...hehehee...total tourist trap.  After 1 round, we had to call it a night.  We had a big day in front of us.

Saturday was Chris's 40th b-day party which was to start at 10am at Murphy's for bloody mary's prior to the noon Cubs game.  Adam and I rode to the Wrigley area with Amir and then walked to the game.  We had to stop at Nuts on Clark to get some chocolate covered peanut brittle for the game which they were sold out of so we 'settled' for chocolate covered english toffee and chocolate covered cashews...YUM CITY! and Amir had to stop to get peanuts.  Needless to say, we did not make it to Murphy's by 10am....more like 11:30.  I was with Adam and Amir, I don't think anyone thought we would be anywhere close to on time.  We met Chris at Murphy's and then went to meet the others in the bleachers.

The Cubs game was packed...no swine flu worriers there!  It was so much fun despite the cold...yes, cold.  It was the first weekend in May and I had to wear a sweatshirt to a baseball game.  I don't even think they make Texas Rangers sweatshirts because I doubt they would ever sell any.  After the game, we headed to the Gingerman to continue the festivities until we were to head to dinner at Tango Sur.  Here is a pic of the b-day boy at the Gingerman....

We stayed at the Gingerman until about 7:00 and then headed to Tango Sur.  There was about 14 of us and Tango Sur does not accept reservations except for parties larger than 6.  Selena, Chris's wife, called to make reservations and they would not accept anymore large parties and thus we would just have to wait.  To kill time we went to the Blue Bayou across the street to watch the Bulls playoff game.  About 9:30pm, Tango Sur called to say our table was ready.  I was completely exhausted and decided to go back to the hotel, lay on a comfy bed and order room service.  Adam was in for the long haul...he made it to dinner and to the bar afterwards.  I think he got in around 4:00am.  I really don't know how he made it that long and I certainly have no idea how Chris could do it...maybe I need to hang with 40 year olds more often ;oP

Sunday morning we met Vinnie, Monica, and Freddy for brunch at Reza's.  It was great as usual.  Afterwards, we went for a walk on Michigan Ave and walked down to see 'the bean'.  Michigan Ave was completely lined with fabulous tulips.  They had ever color you could imagine.  Here are the pics from Michigan Ave....

               

We had such a fun trip to Chicago and it was so great to see everyone!

King Tut Mother's Day

After years of long waits, sub par service, and unexpected buffets at Dallas's fine dining restaurants, we've always done non-traditional Mother's Day celebrations.  For the last several years we have gone to Silks at Lone Star Park, the horse track in Grand Prairie.  Every one has a great time because we get to do several of our family's favorite pass times...gamble, drink, and eat.  Even though we always have fun at Silks, this year we decided to to something totally different.  

We decided to do Mother's Day dinner on Friday night rather than Saturday night as we had done in years past.  We went to York Street which is a VERY small restaurant near downtown Dallas.  We had reservations for 8 people and the restaurant probably held 25 at the most.  They couldn't even come close to accommodating our party when it was time for our reservation as they needed several tables to make room for 8.  After about a 45 min wait, they finally found a way to get us in and it was VERY cramped.  Other than that the food was good and everyone seemed to have a good time.

On Saturday, Shari and I took my mom to lunch at the Zodiac Room at the downtown Neimans.  We LOVE the Zodiac Room mostly because of the popovers and the strawberry butter.  This time the popovers were rather small and a little overcooked.  So disappointing!  I  chalk the downsize of the popovers to the economy...even Neimans has to make cut backs somewhere.   Overcooking your featured item is unacceptable but the rest of the meal was delightful!

After lunch, we went to the Tutankhamun - King Tut Exhibit at the DMA.  My mom has wanted to see this exhibit since it came to Dallas so Shari and I thought it would be nice to take her mother's day weekend since we had already planned to go downtown to eat at the Zodiac Room.  I don't think we could have picked a worse weekend.  Apparently, the exhibit was ending at the end of May so people were at anxious to go see it before the exhibit left Dallas.  

We had advanced tickets for the 3:00 time slot and arrived at the DMA about 30 min before hand.  It was unbelievably crowded.   There was literally a 'Six Flags' style line in a temporary tent to get in for each time slot.  There were probably 200 people for the 3:00 slot IN FRONT OF US!  To make matters worse there was no air conditioning inside the tent only 2 large fans at one end.  My mom had to go wait inside the museum while Shari and I held our spot in line.  As if the waiting sitch couldn't get any worse, a bus load of about 100 teenagers all with 'iBand' t-shirts on got in line behind us.  Apparently, 'iBand' is the cool way to say you are a band nerd.  Why teenagers would go to the King Tut exhibit on a Saturday is beyond me...most of them were more interested in their ipods or texting than the audio tour device for the exhibit.  

At 3:45 we finally made it into the exhibit....apparently the DMA doesn't give a flying flip about fire codes because there was literally crowds of people around each item in the exhibit.  Since all 3 of us are about 5' nothing it was a quite a feat to get up close enough to see the pieces being described on the audio tour.  For the large pieces, we would just sit on the benches, listen to the audio and view the item from afar.  There were some interesting pieces in the exhibit....one of the organ tombs (as part of the mummification process the vital organs are removed from the body and stored in their own tombs), the tomb of one of King Tut's unborn children (even though he died mysteriously at 19 he was married and had 2 children that died before birth), and several of the tomb artifacts.  What was super disappointing was that the body tomb and the well known King Tut mask were NOT at the Dallas Tutankhamun exhibit...they were conveniently on exhibit in Atlanta.   What a rip?  We waited in line for 45 min in the heat, subjected ourselves to potential swine flu brought on by the contained mass crowd for this?

Mom, Silks is looking pretty good for next year?  Should I go ahead and make the rezy's? HAPPY MOMMY'S DAY!!!

Hoppy Easter!

As you can tell I'm majorly behind on posting since it is the end of May and I'm just now posting about our Easter festivities...

Easter at my parents is all about how much sugar and junk food can you possibly consume on one day.  We start every Easter out with donuts from Krispy Kreme.  They cannot be from Dunkin or from any local donut store...they HAVE to be Krispy Kreme.  This goes back to when we lived in Atlanta and there weren't any donut stores other than KK so since I was about 3 yrs old KK has been the donut standard in our house.  

Adam and I picked up the donuts on the way to my parents house where we were greeted by masses of Easter decorations and Easter baskets for each of us.  You can spot Adam's Easter basket first because his always has a white chocolate Easter bunny because he is the only child that likes white chocolate.  You can then pick out mine and Shari's because they are always exactly the same.  This year we knew Shari's right away because she had already started in on her peeps before Adam and I even got there.

After our Krispy Kreme breakfast we all sit around and eat candy from our Easter baskets or the bowls of M&Ms my mom always has in the kitchen while my parents finish making the Easter spread which very much resembles Thanksgiving.  My parents make a turkey and all the Thanksgiving side items on Easter.  Easter brings a Honey Baked Ham and different desserts but otherwise very similar.  

Shari, Adam, and I watched Wall-E while we waited for lunch to be ready.  We thought it was ok, but were completely unaware there were so few words throughout most of the movie.  We had our big lunch and then watched the Dark Knight.  Adam and I had already seen it, but Shari and my dad wanted to watch it.  Unfortunately Shari slept through most of it...how can you sleep through an action movie in a media room that is so loud it shakes the walls?  I'm sure it was 'turkey overload' and had nothing to do with the wine ;oP