The nice maintenance man just fixed my air conditioner and delicious 65F air is pouring from my vents as I type. Of course, it will take hours to normalize the temperature but at least it isn’t getting any hotter! He put in 2lbs of freon and diddle with the motor. So far beyond my skills. *sigh*

He did get to see me in my panties. That was fun.

Anway.
Vegas.

In overview -
We get in on Saturday, have some pizza and spend a leisurely evening with my cousin in hotel #1′s swimming pool. Her husband trots off to the casinos and we all go to bed by around 9pm

Sunday, we move to hotel #2. Then we go to the Bellagio which is right next door. We (hubby and I) see the conservatory (neat) and the Ansel Adams exhibit at the museum (spendy but WORTHY). Next we head north to Caesar’s palace and then the Mirage (one very lazy tiger), we then cross the strip to the Venetian and head inside for a bite to eat. We ate a little cafe in the Grand Canal Shoppes where we could hear but not see the gondolas and the singing. There was a lady being a statue right across from our table though and she provided plenty of amusement. We skipped the Wax Museum (WAY more expensive than I though) and we headed south to the Flamingo. There were flamingos, ducks, swans, turtles and some giant-ass ugly fish. Then we hit the Showcase mall — Coke store, M&M store and Gameworks. I bought a coke t-shirt and had a deliciously cold glass bottle of coke. Mmmmmm. Then we went onto the MGM Grand, but sadly, the lions were not on display. After all that walking, we head back to our hotel to relax for a bit and wait for my cousin and her husband to reappear and for my aunt and uncle to call. When the finally do, we head off to the Fashion Square mall where we ate at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba’s – Spanish food! Very strange but quite tasty. We rounded out that evening by going to Penn and Teller out west at the Rio.

Monday, we wake up early and walk to Mandalay Bay for breakfast. We met my parents, another uncle and my sibling there (after some hunting) and went to the Bay Side Buffet (mmmmm). Then we (hubby, me, my sibling and my mother) went to the Shark Reef exhibit (the rest of the family wandered off). Shark Reef = awesome. I got to walk under sea turtles and sharks and a saw fish. I touched sting rays and horse shoe crabs and some little sharks. Lots of pictures and lots of neat, neat things. I bought a hammerhead shark pillow. Then it was the shuttle to the Luxor (which is just neat – inside and out). We saw an IMAX show (Ocean 3D something or another) and a Pirate show with moving seats and water spray (with Leslie Neilson) and then hubby and I went to the King Tut museum (neat but small – and in many ways amazing — King Tut was buried for better than 3k years…the U.S. is just turning 230 years old). Everyone else headed off to buy Carrottop tickets while we were there and then we met for a late lunch/early dinner at the Desert Passage Mall (in a sports bar). After that, hubby and I drove home (6 hours, ish, of which, 1 hour is IN Phoenix).

What did you do this weekend?

Wanna know something that really sucks in AZ?

WHEN YOUR AIR CONDITIONING QUITS!

*SIGH*

(And I just had a big long post about Vegas and then I accidentally deleted it because I’m not very smart at 1am. And now I should actually work because I am at work. I will try again tomorrow I guess.)

Vegas = fun.

Location is now bed. Horizontal. Slightly fetal. With three cats.

Approaching the end of week 2:

Work is, well, boring. Not because the actual job is boring (though it is slightly) but more because I’m training. And training and yet more training. And while I appreciate the oooodles of training, it is frustrating because that means that no matter what, what I am doing plays last fiddle to people who are doing real testing. I spend a good two to three hours per day sitting on a chair doing crossword puzzles – easy ones of course, I have the Pat Sajacks’ Moron Level crossword puzzle book. Seriously, it’s way easy. In three days I have gotten to puzzle 28 out of 104. I figure I’ll be done with it by the end of next week and can upgrade to the simply stupid level crossworld puzzles. I would mind getting paid to just sit or even just to clean – but at 3am or so, my body is kind of like: er, why are we up, yo? It’s just not a time a choose to be awake doing NOTHING. Ah well, I must content myself with the fact that I am making 28.6 cents per minute. Sometimes, I count that as a form of entertainment.

In other news – we’re off to Vegas tomorrow morning. Hubby is picking me up at 1130 after I get off of work and we’re heading straight up (and over) from there. I will hopefully be dozing in the car most of the way (six or so hours) there. This will be my first time in Vegas aside from a layover when I went to Portland, OR to visit my cousin. I will be visiting with my parents, my aunt and two uncles as well as a cousin and her husband. We won’t see them much as we’ll be leaving fairly early on Monday night. Ah well, a little bit is better than nothing!

The job proceeds well. The sleep not so much. The cats have been good, but it’s hard to sleep during the day, still. And my poor belly! It has no idea when it is supposed to eat/be hungry!

Otherwise, my arm hurts from my first round of HepB vaccine and I’m getting really tired of observing. Hopefully things will be a bit more hands on. I do, at least, like the folks that I work with. Though I am amused by them. The shift that I work on is 6 people (counting me) – three males, three females. Of the woman, I’m the youngest and the slimmest (which is actually saying quite a bit) as well as (at least I think) the cutest. Whereas the men… all three are about the same age, appearance and level of appealing. Late twenties, dark hair, dark eyes, slim but muscular build, average height and all three are either single or dating – none of them are married. It just cracks me up and makes me wonder if my supervisor (a 40-something woman whom I really like) has a thing for young, slender, dark haired males. It also cracks me up because when I see any of the males from the back, I can’t identify them as they are all so similar.

I am very glad that tonight is my last night for this week and I have a nice long break before heading back to work. Of course, I also have CPR/First Aid training on Sunday which is about 10 hours long. That is not so much of a break, but at least the class will be useful. And, while not as good as lounging about together in our skivvies, at least hubby and I will be taking the class together.

Well, stupid thefts continue. As does the stupid vandalism of ye olde corolla.

Over this weekend, my car has managed to “somehow” develop a 4 foot
long scratch across the hood as well as a bent radio antenna. Oh, and
someone stole all my change out of the little tray in the front. I have
little doubt that someone managed to squirm their scrawny hand into my
car and somehow get the window down to steal my whoppin’ two bucks
worth of change.

*sigh*
Whenever I wonder why I think people suck, such things happen that make
me want to scream and beat people. Stealing a crappy amount of change
is just dumb – I mean, it was mostly pennies (of which they took EVERY
SINGLE ONE) – but to willfully damage someone else’s property… I just
don’t understand. I never (not even once) participated in vandalism as
a hoodlum teenager (my #1 suspect for the vandalism being the group of
late teens hanging out near my car Friday evening). I would never,
never, purposefully destroy or harm someone’s stuff. Why would someone?
Is it fun? Did I miss out on some formative event in my teenage years
by not doing it?

*                        
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In other news, today’s orientation session for work was crazy long -
about 9 nine hours or so. Blergh. And it was just me. No one else was
being orientated (so why they couldn’t start me last week, I don’t
know), so it was just me doing reams of paperwork, watching lots and
lots of videos and talking to a bunch of people who really couldn’t
care less that someone new was being hired.

I can’t wait to start working at 0100 on Wednesday.
Well, I suppose I should add that I’m nervous and I don’t want to be up
all night, but at least this whole buggering mess of waiting will be
over.

Oh yeah, and I have to take a class to work there – Immunohematology.
Apparently, even though I have two degrees, that doesn’t make up for
the requirement of that one class. At least it’s offered through the
company and for no charge (like my Hepatitis B shots!).

Things I’m now excited about:
        – Money, money, money. (Have I
mentioned what I’m going to do with my entire first paycheck?)
        – Accruing real grown up paid vacation
time during which I can count up how much money I’m being paid to be
either a.) at home or b.) somewhere awesome – like a cruise. Or my
belated honeymoon.
        – Career. ‘Nuff said.
        – Insurance. Good stuff. Other benefits like 401k with company matching (more money!)
        – Lab coat, goggles, etc (yes,
I’m a dork – but at least I’m not excited really about the booties and
the hair net I’ll have to wear….)
         – Not being in the apartment with nothing to do all day, everyday……….
         – The program they have
where they will pay 100% of your tuition up to $2500/year for you to
take ANY college class you want after you’ve been there for 6 months
(guess what I’m doing in January?)

Things I’m not excited about:
       – Work homework. Homework. From work.
Blah. And it’s actually work. I have to go to the work library and look
stuff up and everything (I realize this is ironic given that I’m
excited about taking college classes).
       – Hepatitis B shots. Ouch, Ouch, Ouch (cuz, there are three of them you know)
       – Holy bloody job training Batmans!
Lots and lots of it. Oooooodles. I realize that this is a critical type
position, but damnation! (And really, I hate that I have to take sexual
harassment training)
       – And not to play the same old tune,
but suck hours. I am currently consoling myself with the fact that the
bedroom is now dark with the new ugly blanket over the window trick and
that at least I’m going to be sleeping away the day during the three
hottest months of the year (tomorrow will be 112!). It will be less
exciting when I’m wanting to do thing outdoor say in November when it’s
nice and 80 degrees and sunny, but hopefully by then I’ll be more
weather and time adjusted. (Hopefully)

Clearly, I am no psychic.

I am, however, irritated.
I bought a bag. At Ikea, they sell blue bags that are made out of
tarp-like material. They’re big, blue and cheap – 99 cents. They have
nice handles and I planned to use it to carry in groceries. We used it
to carry in our Walmart groceries on Saturday morning. We, however,
forgot some stuff and we needed to go get some pizza sauce to make
homemade pizza. So, since we’re heading out anyway, I take the garbage
out. It’s four big things and will require effort – but I want to take
the damn bag anyway for the impending groceries. So I take the bag out
and put it on the trunk of my car and weight it down with some rocks.
Then I carry my first load of garbage to the dumpster – from where I
can clearly see my car and the bag. Hubby brings the rest of the
garbage and we decided to pop over and pick up the mail as we’re near
the boxes. We are out of sight for less than five minutes and yet, when
we come back around the corner of the building with the mail – guess
what? The rocks are on the ground behind my car and the bag is gone. We
look. Under cars and behind them. Some mother fucker who lives in my
complex stole a 99 cent Ikea bag in the five minutes or so we were out
of sight. My upstairs neighbors came home in that five minutes and the
people next door were moving out with a large crew of around 5 people -
so there is a list of 7 suspects. But what the hell do you say – gimme
back my 99cent bag you cheap ass motherfucker? *sigh* And the thing is,
it was so cheap that if someone had asked me for it, I’d have given it
to them. Bastards.

At least at Ikea we got new sexy furniture so that we have more places
to sit. We now have a new tv stand, blue rug and a couch, all for about
$200. Yay for cheap Swedish furniture!

Monday is job. Job is currently freaking me out more than a little bit.
Nervous. I had dreams all last night about being late, forgetting my SS
card, etc, etc, etc. My biggest concern right now is that this is a
small lab. There will be perhaps 5 or 6 employees on the shift with me
- seems like a nice little close-knit exclude-me kind of family
atmosphere. And I know I’m being more than slightly paranoid…but
sheeshus!

So now I’m kind of excited about my job that starts in FIVE days.

But more, I’m feeling pudgy and bloated – still!

Also, Arizona is hot. Who knew? HOT! And by hot, I mean, last week it was 114F. That’s hot.

And I’m wearing see through pants. With no panties.
That does make me feel somewhat better.

But I’d better remember to put on real pants before I go to get the mail…

How do you make a hormone?

Well, you could put sand in the vaseline.
Or don’t pay her?

Bah. It’s a very complicated and sucky biological process that, right
now, I don’t care about. I more want to know, how to get RID of a
hormone. Or two. Or ten. I am not a fan of the moodswings. Or the
cramps. After over a year on Depo and no hormone dips, slips and trips.
No hormones, no menstruation, FREEDOM! But only freedom by being
chained to a giant dose of hormone in the hip. Every three months – a
dose. An expensive one with slightly nasty side effects (15 or 20lbs
extra anyone?). No more do I need the depo…but part of me wants it. I
hate the hormones that are now surging through me on an irregular
monthly basis – as my courses are not settled back down and could take
up to 18 months to do so.  Blergh. Only another 20 or 30 years of
this…

In other less intimate and slighty off-putting news, there are less
than 7 days until I start working. On June 18th, Hubby and I are taking
the Red Cross Adult, Children, and Infant CPR & First Aid course
(there’s 10 hours of fun on a Sunday). And on June 24th, we are leaving
for a weekend trip to Vegas to see some relatives…and Penn &
Teller.