Archive for August, 2008

Andy was a sweet and very thoughtful husband yesterday, and bought me the prettiest pink roses in all of Costco as a surprise. I absolutely love Costco’s floral department, such a great selection for a decently low price. In the end, I had enough roses to fill 3 vases! I like all sorts of flowers, but I think my favorites are hydrangeas and roses. Yes, I have expensive taste…it’s unfortunate. So, I’d like to share my pretty pink roses with you as I wish everyone a happy and safe Labor Day!

A closeup of a single pink rose, they're all so gorgeous, I wasn't sure which bloom to choose!

The biggest bouquet on our kitchen table, doesn't it just make you smile?

Oh…and I forgot to put a link up for the photos I took last weekend. So here it is! Plus as a bonus, a picture Andy took of me and Jabber…looking like we’re searching for land on a long lost ocean voyage.

Ahoy there Jabber matey, do you see any land out there?

I’ve been a little busy for the past weekend. First of all, I got the chance to visit my family and friends in Kansas. (Andy went in the opposite direction and visited his parents in Austin) Secondly, I’ve been immersed in a book series and haven’t been able to stop till they were completed. No, I won’t tell you what it’s called. Mostly because I’m ashamed that I’ve been so enthralled by a plot meant for teenagers. I’ll give you a hint…a wildly popular story of vampires and romance. Yeah…like I said, ashamed, though thoroughly entertained. If you really must know, you can click here. Though if you’re like Andy, you’ll just skip ahead.

Kansas, as usual, was fantastic. I love being with the people that know me best. I flew into Kansas City Friday morning. I had a quick meeting with Dr. Fisher down at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I’m delighted that he’s been doing so well in his research! Afterwards, I stopped by Dad’s office to visit with Grandma Peggy. I always say this, and I’ll say it again, a trip to Kansas just isn’t complete without Grandma Peggy. I always enjoy our talks, and she has the uncanny ability to remind me that there’s so much I don’t know and have yet to learn!

For dinner, Daddy and Mommy Chao took Cathy and I to Tatsu’s. It’s a delectable French restaurant in Prairie Village. I had scallops, veal with a lemon sauce, and a fantastic vanilla creme brulee. Yum!! Don’t I feel spoiled! The next day, we took Grandma Yao and a couple of her friends out to dim sum at Bo Ling’s. You know it’s good dum sum when you find a fair number of the Chinese community dining in one place. My favorite dish is definitely the shu mai, and it always has been. I’m pretty predictable when it comes to ordering dim sum specialties. I always end the meal with a happy little custard tart in a pink cupcake wrapper.

It's Saturday, that means it's dim sum time!

After lunch, I headed over to Ashley’s house to hang out. She and AJ recently adopted a new baby chihuahua named Rosco. He’s absolutely adorable. Now, I’m not a huge fan of chihuahuas normally. However, this little guy is really more like a miniature fox than a shaking with fear, sad excuse of a dog. So, I’m happy to say that I’m wrong about chihuahuas!

Ashley and Baby Rosco, now she's got a wolf and a fox!

We stopped by Scooter’s Coffee House to catch up with some of our high school friends, Jin and Cindy. It was much too humid and hot out to have coffee though. So, smoothies all around! We followed up 2 hours of laughing and updating with a very productive shopping spree at the new and improved Oak Park Mall. (warning, if you click on the Oak Park link, it plays music…loudly) Goodness, as if Overland Park wasn’t snooty enough already. Oak Park is now completely unrecognizable with all of its hugely expensive stores! My how my little hometown has grown!

Jin, Cindy, Ashley, and me catching up over smoothies

After a quick but tasty dinner, Ashley and I got ourselves dolled and pumped up for a night on the town. We headed for the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City. (another loud music warning for the P&L link!) We had such a fantastic time! The crowd was entertaining, the music decent, and the weather (though a little too humid for my taste) was…bearable. Seeing as how I’m not at all an outdoorsy person, “bearable” is pretty good! We did stop by Angel’s Rock Bar, since Ashley’s got “connections” by way of her awesome boyfriend. It’s completely wild inside, though I have to admit that I did enjoy the bartender’s performance.

Ashley, me, and Jin hanging out in the atrium

Ashley and AJ in front of the Rock Bar, don't they look happy?

I spent the night at Ashley’s Saturday night. We woke up and chatted over coffee in the morning. It was nice just being able to relax and talk with a best friend, a luxury I wish were more frequent. All too soon, I was headed back to Texas Sunday evening. I miss my family and friends, but I am happy to be back with Andy and my Jabber Puppy. For now, life is back to normal. Work during the day, followed by a healthy dose of relaxing evenings. Well, as relaxed as I get…

As many of you know, last week was my first week at my new job. It’s always exciting to learn something new, make new friends, and be a part of something that seems so different. I’m having some difficulty adjusting to the new work schedule, but in time I’m sure I’ll adapt. I am working four 10 hour shifts, starting from 6:30 am (**shudder**) to 5 pm. The best part is, I can choose to rotate my four days, so every other weekend (YAY! I have ALL weekends off!!) I’ll have a 4 day weekend. From what I’ve seen so far, working a 10 hour shift isn’t really that bad. Since there is still quite a bit to accomplish in one day, the time flies. Plus, I get home in time to get dinner ready, relax, walk the dog, AND go to the gym with Andy before bed. It feels like such a luxury to get so much done in an evening.

Now, let’s get to the part everyone seems curious about. What is it that I actually do? I am working in a research pharmacy for experimental cancer medications. We have several studies running currently, everything from breast cancer to prostate cancer to preventing cancer. The drug companies send us the drugs they want studied and its qualifications. We then get orders from affiliated doctor’s offices regarding patients they think would benefit from the study. The patients have to get certain lab tests that prove whether or not they fit the parameters for the experiment. If they qualify, we’ll send their doctors the medicine for them to start taking. Throughout the study, the patients must continue to take lab tests that monitor their progress.

I will, once fully trained, be in charge of sending, monitoring, and ordering these lab tests/kits. Right now, I’m just the new girl. Oh how I despise being the new girl! I don’t know where anything is. I can’t work as fast as everyone else. Things that are common everyday occurrences to everyone else causes me to crinkle my eyebrows in confusion. I ask about a zillion questions and have to get my work double checked by a more seasoned co-worker. Sigh…thankfully, there is a new guy starting tomorrow! Ha! Let HIM be the new person this week! All in all, I do enjoy my new work and the change in pace is nice too. Plus, I LOVE my scrubs. It’s so nice not having to spend time in my closet trying to put outfits together 15 minutes before work starts.

Me in my scrubs, aren'ts they spiffy?

This weekend has been a mix of really productive and completely lazy. We did go see the Mummy 3 at the Movie Tavern in Bedford. It was really really awesomely terrible, exactly what we expected! Of course, mocking the utter awfulness of the film was the best part. Poor Jet Li, how I loved you! This was definitely not your best movie! I feel he needs to think extremely hard about the roles he takes from now on, especially if he doesn’t want his career to continue on a downward spiral. As for Brendan Frasier, I can’t say I expected that much out of him.

Here are a few things that confused me about this movie, that won’t spoil the movie for those of you that are still planning on watching it (though be warned, be sure to watch with an air of mockery, it’s REALLY not worth taking seriously): 1. They replaced one of the main characters with a new actress, one that doesn’t really resemble the original. Why not write a new love interest into the plot? 2. Brendan Frasier’s kid was maybe 8 in the last film. He’s now in his 20′s and…Brendan Frasier looks like he’s the same age…that can’t be right! 3. Chinese people can speak Yeti? This is completely new to me, though perhaps I should take a trip to the Himalayas and try it out! We had a great time at the theatre, though I won’t be purchasing this movie anytime soon.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing some chores, walking the Jabber, and relaxing for the week to come. I did buy tickets to KC for next weekend (my first 4 days off). I’m excited and can’t wait to see my family and friends! I leave you with a photo of Jabber, because really…she explains exactly how I feel.

Jabberwocky being lazy as usual.

Okay, this post is a little delayed. I’m still adjusting to my new EXTREMELY early work schedule (my morning starts at 6:30 am *whimper*). So, I believe we left off with Saturday’s events (08/09/08). Andy and I were lazy through most of the day because of the incredibly hot weather that prevents us from venturing out for very long. Once the sun starts to set, the temperature at least gets a little more tolerable. Not good, mind you, but at least manageable. Like the night owls (or vampires?) we are, we waited for sunset before heading to Diem’s going away party at her sister’s house in Hurst.

Diem is a friend from the pharmacy who is heading for pharmacy school this fall. She’s been a blast to work with and I wish she weren’t leaving so soon! We had a great time eating delicious barbecue (burgers, hot dogs, sausages, wings..etc). Yum! We also got to meet some of Diem’s family and friends. I’m wishing her only the best of luck, and I hope she knows that she will be sorely missed!

Diem, me, and Krystina at Diem's BBQ Farewell Party

After Diem’s party, we headed downtown to meet Ethan and Donald for a Saturday night at Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar. It’s a fun place with some of the best people watching! If you’ve never been to a dueling piano bar, it’s a club with two grand pianos center stage, where they play and sing pop/rock songs. Sometimes these performances turn into a mock argument between the performers, where they “duel” it out with their side of the room cheering them on.

I had a great time, though I have to admit I’ve never been a huge fan of Grease, which was played to screams of delight. I know, there’s probably groans of disapproval all over the world because I said that. However, there’s nothing appealing to me about a girl who changes everything about herself to please, not the guy, but the guy’s friends. Call me a feminist if you will, but I’d never deck myself out in head to toe leather, fry my hair with a perm, put on slutty makeup, and act dumb just to seek a boyfriend’s posse’s approval. (Which by the way, if you do those things normally, kudos for you! I’m just saying it’s against my nature.)

Andy and Donald enjoying music at Pete's Dueling Piano Bar

Sunday was spent, again, hiding from the Texas sun during the day. In the evening, we met Lloyd (former pharmacy manager) and his wife, Karen for dinner at the Melting Pot. It was absolutely fantastic! We opted for the full 4 course meal, which I know is horrible bad for you, but it was an experience not to be forgotten. You start with a nice salad, doesn’t sound so awful, right? This is followed by a boiling concoction of cheesy goodness. They serve all sorts of dippers (bread, apples, fresh veggies) for you to dip in the cheese fondue. I think they should have cubes of cheese to dip quickly in the melted cheese, but apparently this is just the nonsensical talk of a cheese-aholic.

After that (Which by the way, the cheese is totally my favorite part. Duh!), they bring out a new pot of a simmering liquid of choice. We chose coq au vin, though extremely tasty, it has a very distinct smell that quickly permeates through every article of clothing and strand of hair on your body. So heed my warning and order it with care! The main part of the meal is very similar to a Chinese hot pot method. You get all sorts of raw meat and veggies to stick in the soup until its cooked through. We had steak, pork, chicken, shrimp, lobster, ravioli, potatoes, mushrooms…etc. Then, if you can believe it, this was followed by a delectable chocolate fondue with homemade marshmellows, cheesecake, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, brownies, and rice krispie treats to dip in the gooey melted chocolate.

The entire meal took about 3 hours, which apparently is typical at that restaurant. We literally rolled out of the restaurant! Though we can’t go there again anytime soon (#1 We eat WAY too much and #2 It’s WAY too expensive for a normal night out), we had such a great time. Lloyd and Karen are hilarious and we really enjoyed our evening hanging out with them

Andy, me, Karen, and Lloyd enjoying our fondue goodness

Monday, for me, was spent signing all sorts of new job paperwork. But really, I was just savoring my last day being unemployed. In the evening, we went to go see the Hush Sound show in Dallas. It was an all ages show and ended pretty early, which was nice because I had to get up at 5:30 the next morning. I really enjoy the music and highly recommend listening to their album. They have a couple tracks/videos on their website for free, in case you don’t want to commit to buying their cd quite yet. I promise to get around to writing about my new job soon, but I think this post is already long enough and people’s eyes are probably starting to water by now.

Andy and I have had several really busy days over the weekend. Friday (08/08/08) was my last day in retail pharmacy. Everyone threw a nice going away party on Thursday for me. However, a party at the pharmacy isn’t really like any other office party. Customers don’t really want to wait longer for their prescriptions, so we’ve got to eat cake and work at the same time. The thought was very sweet and I definitely appreciated everyone going out of their way to make me feel special. Though I doubt I’ll miss the retail environment (grouchy customers, late working hours, standing for 8 hours straight…), but I will most definitely be missing the people. I’ve gotten to know so many great co-workers in the last year and a half. I wish them the very best!

Keitrick, me, Karen, Tennis, and Krystina (up front) on my last day

It's me and Krystina, one of the sweetest people in the pharmacy. Sadly, she's looking to move to Orlando soon.

And…they got me presents! It’s better than my birthday! ^-^ I thought they were appropriately named for the occasion. So, I chose to take a photo and share/brag.

Plan Ahead, wise words!

I love Philosophy!

After a sad goodbye, Andy and I headed out to Southlake for dinner with David, Anni, Ethan, and Donald at Brio’s. We were coincidentally also celebrating David’s birthday. August is such a busy month, that even though his actual birthday isn’t till the 13th, Friday was the first and last available date until September. Sometimes I just feel like we’re running a muck!

Happy Birthday David!!

Poor David and Anni had to work on Saturday, isn’t that horrible? Of course, if I were still in retail, last weekend would have been my weekend to work too. Thank goodness there will be no more working weekends! **sigh of relief** So, we parted ways in Southlake and Donald, Ethan, Andy, and I headed to the M Lounge (aka Ten) on 7th in downtown Fort Worth where we met up with Amber, Michael, and Brandon. (Look! Names like I promised last week!!) While there, we decided to team up on a multi million dollar website scheme…which I can’t divulge as of yet. Apparently, we need a patent lawyer. I find the whole thing quite amusing. And as the alcohol continued to flow, the more adamant everyone was that this plan would succeed! Let’s just say I’m not planning any trips on my private jet anytime soon.

Andy, Amber, Michael, Brandon, Ethan, and Donald at the first ever board meeting of...yeah, they still need to come up with a name

Ethan (looking like I'm trying to drown him...), me, and Donald

After the Martini Lounge, we headed to the Mule Pub. Yeah, it’s called the Mule Pub…if it was never obvious that we’re in Fort Worth, Texas, it sure is now! It’s just this little hole in the wall bar that happens to serve Kansas City’s Boulevard beer! Andy was thrilled! After last call, we headed to Amber and Michael’s apartment for a rousing game of Wii tennis. Isn’t the Wii just fabulous? Okay, my first day at US Oncology is tomorrow. I’ve got some paperwork to look through, so I’m leaving the rest of our event packed weekend for later. Wish me luck tomorrow! Oh, here’s the link for all my photos from last weekend!

The last week has been pretty horrible at the pharmacy. There has been some major drama and office politics that is quickly spiraling out of control. I suppose no matter where you go, if there are personal relationships and co-workers, there will always be office politics. However, I’ve not seen a set this complicated nor messy before. I feel bad for leaving some of the people I’ve gotten to know and like behind in the chaos, but I’m definitely ready for a change. I do wish them the best of luck and hopefully everything will resolve for the better.

That said, I was ready for a break from the emotional turmoil that was last week. Saturday started pretty normally. We slept in, then dragged ourselves out in the 100+ degree Texas heat to meet my friend Cryssie for lunch in Denton at El Matadors. She happened to be in Dallas with a couple of her friends for the big annual Mary Kay conference downtown. It is so great to see her and I always miss her energy and fantastic stories. We’ve decided that Nebraska (where she’s from) isn’t really all that far and we need to meet up more often. What’s a measly 10 hour drive, right?

It's Cryssie and her friends plus me in front of El Matadors. Yum!

After lunch, we ran some errands (**cough cough shopped cough cough**). Then headed back home for a nice dinner. While on our way home, I got a text message from Ethan saying a group of friends were going to a Ted Nugent concert at Billy Bob’s that night, and whether or not we’d like to join them. If you’ve never heard me mention Billy Bob’s before, it’s because it’s not normally my kind of venue. It’s the largest honky tonk country bar in all of the world, or so they claim. Since I don’t normally frequent honky tonk bars…I take their word for it. As for Ted Nugent, I didn’t actually have any inkling of who he was. I had a vague impression that he’s a dirty old man that shoots a lot of stuff. Vague impression correct! At one point during the concert, I think he actually said, “if you can shoot it, you can kill it!”. What words of wisdom! (*extreme sarcasm*)

Despite all the mullets, red necks, hillbillies, and Mr. Nugent himself, I had a pretty fun time last night. Can’t say I want to do it again, but makes for an interesting night I suppose. I think the good time was due largely in part to the awesome people we were with. I’m still a little fuzzy on everybody’s names, which is odd because I’m usually pretty decent with names. Perhaps it’s because I met a bunch of people at the same time, therefore the faces have stuck, but the names elude me. I promise to get it straight the next time we go out on the town! I also promise to take more pictures of the group!

Me, Andy, and Donald feeling like fish out of water at Billy Bob's

Andrew, Erin, Donald and Andy rocking out to Ted Nugent

Today (Sunday) has been just a day to relax and unwind before another crazy week starts. My last week in retail pharmacy though! I think later tonight we’re going to take Jabber back to the puppy park. It’s good for her to socialize (no dad, not trying to find her a boyfriend) and run around. We just have to time it right, where it’s not too hot, but not too dark. Summer in Texas sure is tough, thank God for air conditioning!