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T h e A d v e n t u r e s o f C h i c a g o J o

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It's October, I Have Cute Hair, and I'm Saying Goodbye to AT&T Without Paying Them $185

2004-08-13� � 4:38 p.m.
I just wasn�t feeling it this morning when I saw that once again that the temperature was in the 50s. So to boost my mood, I�m pretending that it�s October.

Suddenly, instead of moaning that this weather cuts into beach time, it�s crisp and refreshing.

Instead of lamenting that I can�t go rollerblading or go for a walk after work today, I�m going to the library for some quiet time. I�ll curl into a chair and read a science-y book until they threaten to kick me out, and then I�ll walk home while there�s still some light. (Unlike October, when the darkness starts at 3:45�)

Instead of yesterday�s button-up 3/4-length shirt with a skirt and my out-of-dresscode sandals, today is button-up 3/4-length shirt with a long skirt and my knee-high boots.

I refuse to wear the wool coat, as it is not winter (even if it was October). However, I have a nice brown corduroy for after-work kinda fun that is sassy.

Oh yes. Another fun part of pretending it�s October is that it would be near my birthday. And since I love birthdays (although not necessarily mine since I have a curse on that day that doesn�t usually allow maximum fun for anyone involved), October is fine by me.

Speaking of birthdays, have I told you about my upcoming plans?

This October, Autumn-Kitty, another friend, and I are meeting somewhere for b-day fun. We had an all-out raunchy weekend two years ago that calls far repeating. We�re waiting for the other friend to hurry up and get a job so we know what choices we have for cities to grace. I�m aiming for this to take place over the weekend of the 24th so there are no hard feelings as Benito drives way north to watch football while wearing a cheese hat. (No hard feelings so long as he gets me a cheese hat while he�s away!)

This September I�m heading to Vegas for the very first time. Also along the lines of �the very first time,� I�ll be meeting the lovely Crowhihs then. Seeing that I�ve known her since the middle of 2002, it�s about time to get this party started. We�ve been hooked up with accommodations in a kick-butt hotel, and I�m sure there�s plenty we can get our hands into. Muhahaha!

This month contains no traveling. I came back on August 1st from Texas, so that�s close enough. This week is almost up. This next week a good friend from Texas is in town, so I�ll be visiting with him on his off nights. The next week I have Benito�s b-day extravaganza. And then the next week Happy moves in with me. I think that�s enough excitement for the month that I don�t need to plan an additional trek to anywhere to see anyone or do anything.


Yesterday I figured out how to make my hair out of the way yet still very cute. Usually out of the way involves a ponytail or bun, both of which aren�t too cute. In my case, my hair isn�t yet long enough to be deemed bun-worthy, yet it�s too long to be held with a clip.

My new way of tying things back is in this faux bun that holds the hair together neatly in its spiral, leaving the ends of my hair to spike and rest on top of my hair. Like my brown corduroy jacket named above, s-a-s-s-y!

Gotta love it.


Today is the day I crave two liters of Diet Coke. I finished off a can soon after lunch, but that was not enough.

I want my fix from the fizz.


I�ve decided that the shiny green cell phone case I have looks like a fishing lure. Although it�s not minnow-shaped, it is the iridescent green of many fishing lures. If I dropped it into the ocean, a big ol� fish would definitely chomp it.

I bring this up because someone said to me the other day that my phone was the most blingtastic phone she had ever seen. (I doubt she said �blingtastic,� but whatever. It�s a proper adjective for what she meant.)

Looking at it without fishing in mind, it is out-right ridiculous. I wish I had a picture of it, but I know any camera�s flash would just reflect off and render its image un-viewable. There�s so much shimmer, glitter, and shine. Oooohhh�


I just got an email from a reader that makes me very happy. Apparently AT&T is now charging $1.50 instead of $1.25 for their 411 calls. Because this changes the contract they have with me, I have twenty days from the receipt of my last bill to make my objections and demand to be let out of my contract.

Much love to the reader who forwarded this info to me. I�ll grab my July bill where this proclamation is made, and I�ll make my demands.

Sprint! Can you hear me now?

Sure, sure... That�s the Verizon guy with his clear face and cute(ish) nerdy glasses. But Sprint it is! Muhahaha!


Unfortunately, from the looks of the website, I�m going to end up with a Samsung phone.

Allow me to explain the problem with having a Samsung phone:

For those who don�t know, I work on a contract basis for various large corporations. It�s my preference. They pay me well for my time, and in turn they can lay me off with a moment�s notice. It�s usually not such a big deal, as I just get another contract elsewhere and continue making enough money to buy myself bling.

A few years ago I got a short-term contract gig with Samsung. There were the worst six weeks of my professional life.

As a contractor, I expect people to not take the extra effort to learn about me, my background, and my likes and dislikes. I�m not really there long enough to befriend. However, I do expect to be treated like a human, if not like the working professional that I am.

My desk area was a short-walled, shared cubicle in the middle of the office. When the company�s president would find himself a few spare minutes each day, he�d walk continually around my cubicle to peek over my shoulder to make sure I wasn�t surfing the Internet. (Not that I had Internet access, mind you.) The HR lady who was in charge of me coming into work and getting my assignments failed to learn my name in my six weeks there. I also had another semi-manager who thought my job description included reading his mind, as he frequently neglected to reveal large portions of tasks until I turned everything in as he originally detailed. When I ended up with a nasty case of carpal tunnel that required a doctor�s visit, I was treated as if I had done something wrong.

The list goes on and on.

Were I not fleecing them on my hourly wage, I�d have felt a lot worse. However, knowing how they treat their contractors in this one location has turned me off on all Samsung products.

No microwaves made by Samsung. No TVs made by Samsung. No semiconductors made by Samsung. No DVD players made by Samsung. And as you may have guessed, cell phones fall into this category too.

I realize that the cell phones aren�t made in this location (they�re actually made in Dallas, if I recall correctly), but I�m really having a hard time getting over this.

I�m sure I�ll get over it though.

Now, I�m off to begin my weekend. Can you hear me?? �



Miss something?

Moving Day - 2008-02-15
Working from Home is Glorious - 2008-02-13
Speaking in Tongues - 2008-02-07
I Have My Reasons - 2008-01-25
Got an Itch, Fix it, Shine it Up, Sing it Out - 2008-01-23

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