Reason # 322 My Boyfriend is Fucking AWESOME!

Quick update before work.

Yesterday a man walked through my lobby. He was wearing the most amazing Pens tshirt I'd ever seen.

It was a perfect shade of yellow with caricatures of Sidney Crosby, Geno Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury on the front with the caption "MALKIN IN THE MIDDLE." Anything with Flower on it is instantly a favorite (how amazing is Fleury's nickname btw) but this tshirt was top shelf. I immediately stopped the man by yelling at him and asked where he got this incredible piece of fanware.

"One of the Buccos street vendors over there on the Clemente Bridge n'at," replied the man in one of the thicker accents I'd heard in a while.

For the next 6 hours, I fixated on this shirt. I had to have it. I was telling everyone about it, even my new manager, The Guy With the Awesome Name. Since he and his wife were headed over to PNC for SkyBlast last night, he told me he'd look around for it and if I had cash, he'd definitely make the purchase and bring it back before they went to the park.

By the grace of God (and my new manager, the Guy With the Awesome Name but thats another story completely), I had cash on me! I gave him $20 and sent him on his way.

He came back dressed in jeans and a Bucco's t-shirt with a sad look on his face, "They weren't over there," he reported and handed me my money back. "But I've seen those shirts before and yeah they're awesome so I think you should check out the Strip tomorrow morning. You'll probably find them there!"

What a terrific idea, Mr. Awesome Name! I just might do that. Only problem was, I had no way to get to the strip early. Frustrated, I headed home for the night.

Fast-forwarding to after the Pens game, my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend called to say good night. I barely remembered what his voice sounded like because I hadn't spoken to him in forever so we ended up talking for about 90 minutes (thats an hour and a half for those of you keeping score). Catching up on talking about work and life, the universe and everything, I mentioned the Mr. Awesome Name/Shirt story.

My Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend definitely agreed that Mr Awesome Name does indeed have an Awesome Name and that I was equally awesome for sending my manager to go look for a tshirt for me. Additionally, my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend was equally bummed that I was not able to obtain a tshirt for myself during this story.

Long story short (oh look its too late): I got a text from my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend this morning around 10:20am containing the following picture.


I might have a huge crush on Marc-Andre Fleury (that I refuse to admit to anyone btw) but I don't think that Flower would be going out of his way to go to the Strip District at 10am to find me an $8 tshirt.

I have the BEST boyfriend in the world and this is just another reason why my boyfriend is better than your boyfriend.

Also, I was supposed to be off today. Since my management team has been working 12 hour shifts, I agreed to let both of them take the day off and come in when one of my coworkers called off for tonight. Yay team players!

I tried to find a clip on youtube from Clerks of Dante crying, "I'm not even supposed to be here today" but apparently thats a hard find, which is sort of suprising considering he says it in every scene. Instead, here's a runner up: Jay and Silent Bob!!

Hi. I'm Not Dead... Yet!

I spoke to my friend Anonymous Andrew from Fairbanks, Alaska via MSN tonight:

omg its Jen! says (2:22 AM):
sup superstar
Andrew says (2:22 AM):
Geeze, blog more imo
omg its Jen! says (2:22 AM):
nothing to write about atm
well nothing worth writing about tbh
Andrew says (2:23 AM):
With the Pengs in the finals you have nothing?
omg its Jen! says (2:23 AM):
follow me on twitter lawl

So Anonymous Andrew from Fairbanks, Alaska... this one's for you!



Andrew and I used to game together but right now I can't decide if he's more the Johnny Depp wannabe elf or the Unicorn? LMK Andrew, kk? xoxo

Anyway, The truth is here (with 100% degree of certainty) that I've been so incredibly busy with work that I haven't found time to even bitch about it. I got another 3hrs of overtime today because my morning supervisor wasn't able to stay late when someone called off so I had to do it. Honestly, I don't know what's worse here: the fact that a supervisory position might not be opening up or the fact that I may not want it when it does.

I spent most of my time in Vegas wanting to get promoted. I knew I'd be an awesome manager. I still think I'd be an awesome manager but 8 years later, I'm in a different city and with a different company that has different policies. Honestly, I don't completely agree with the "culture" of my current property because my experience is based out of a place nicknamed "Sin City."

Checking photo ID is considered taboo here. I don't quite understand why. Credit card fraud isn't exactly uncommon plus I want to know I'm giving the right room to the right person. Meyer and Myer are both standard spellings for the same name. If I miss something as easy as that, a guest could wind up in a wrong reservation. I've had to clean up that mess before. Its not pretty, especially if 1 of the 2 reservations was prepaid by a company like Expedia or Hotwire.

They let pizza delivery guys up on the floors. Admittedly, this procedure has changed since I started in August but it was because I was so adamantly against it. Just because a guy walks in with a pizza box and a Milano's tshirt shouldn't give him right of way onto my property. Cafe Milano's wouldn't see me busting into their kitchen to start stealing all their ingredients but unfortunately these delivery guys don't get it so they still try and slide by my desk unnoticed. They then give me an attitude when I stop them. You know, I hate Milano's! Giovanni's guys are way more respectful.

Its ok for housekeeping to leave rooms over until the next day. Anyone that's ever worked at a hotel will probably see the problem with this right away. If you're like me and you come from a property with nearly 4000 rooms, your head might explode like mine does every time housekeeping calls me to advise of the carry-overs. On days I'm not sold out, I still need the rooms cleaned. That's not to say I don't know where housekeeping is coming from since I used do do that job but Jesus dude... I still need the rooms ready even if someone has to go home early.

Speaking of housekeeping: do NOT refer to the housekeepers as "maids." Holy fuck did I get bitched out my first week of work!! A beer is a beer regardless of the packaging you put it in. Lager, Port, Stout... it's still beer, it's just another word for it. I've cleaned up after people and have been called a maid when I was doing it--there's nothing wrong with being called a maid. Don't hate the player, hate the game: meaning if you don't like being called a maid, get another job. Otherwise, a spade's a spade.

I could go on but firing people is a new past-time for our property so I'll refrain and reiterate that I'm happy to be under new management. Our new Front Office Manager (I guess that's his title???) is going to work out great. He's super nice and knowledgeable and is catching on fast to things that work, don't work and the department in general. Woo! He also has a GREAT name. I wish I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you.

The soles of my feet are incredibly itchy. The old wives tale says that when your feet itch, it means you're ready to travel. Ordinarily, I'd say "HELL YES, TORONTO HERE I COME" but I work in a hotel. My body might just be confused. For you hecklers out there, I've already showered.

Why is golf on TV?

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals starts tomorrow at 8pm. I'm not staying later at work then absolutely necessary. I don't need to talk about how great this match up is going to be, I just want to comment on 1 thing:

The media is exploiting this angle so I can too

I hope Hossa gets creamed. I don't personally hate the guy but I just think the irony of his situation is basically outstanding. Leaving the Penguins after last season and signing with Detroit to work with a better coach and a more productive team only to meet them again in the SCF is just mind blowing. Its also got loads of Schadenfreude potential. Pens in 5.

Also, Detroit Red Wings fans are obnoxious and easy to hate. I'm sure I'll start shit talking here pretty soon but in the meantime all I got is that throwing an octopus on the ice is only something an idiot would do. Why the fuck would you lug that smelly thing around? Also, can you imagine if that thing didn't make it onto the ice on the first throw? Some unsuspecting fan in the crowd gets to take an octopus to the head mid beer-sip. What a bunch of assholes.

My bell captain at work gave me a riddle to play with earlier today. Its Einstein's Riddle:

There are no tricks, just pure logic, so good luck and don't give up.

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colours.
2. In each house lives a person of different nationality
3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

THE QUESTION: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

HINTS

1. The Brit lives in a red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.
5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The man living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbour who drinks water.

ALBERT EINSTEIN WROTE THIS RIDDLE EARLY DURING THE 19th CENTURY. HE SAID THAT 98% OF THE WORLD POPULATION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SOLVE IT.

In return, I provided him the following question:

There's only 1 word in the English language that allows usage of all 5 vowels in order and even sometimes y. What word is it?

With that, I'm going to do my hair and go to bed.

Fleury vs Freddy, What Now Pittsburgh!

I can't sleep.

Its 12:30 and I've been in bed for an hour and a half. Insomnia frustrates the hell out of me. At the very least, I can find comfort in the fact that I can pinpoint the cause of the stress that induces my bouts of insomnia.

Work.

Yep, you guessed it. That grease-spot of hate called the "Hotel" is completely at fault. Laying in bed, I find myself staring at the ceiling positively dreading the alarm clock turning over to 5am. I ask myself how much longer can I go on like this? There's no end in sight. I've been in this position before.

That's when I finally quit my cushy job at Bellagio.

Quitting that job is pretty much where this new chapter of my life started. I got fed up being miserable and decided to give myself not just a physical make-over but a life make-over too... like Cher in Clueless when she says, "this time I would make over my soul." Sometimes I look back at the chain of events that happened over the course of 1 year and I wonder where I'd be if I had just stayed at Bellagio.

Oh wait, I know the answer to that. I'd still be miserable. Gotcha!

So why am I staying at my present job? Cuz its the best hotel in the city and I'm worth working at the best hotel in the city... only they're not paying me enough while they work me too hard and don't show any appreciation whatsoever.

You could say that morale is not only in the garbage but that it was just picked up by Waste Management and toted down the street, plowing over traffic cones as it went.

I need a new perspective, I've needed one for about 6 weeks now. I was banking on my 3 days off to rejuvenate me and had high hopes that I'd be able to walk in that building tomorrow refreshed and with a better outlook. Yeah right. Not even the Pirates beating the Cubs tonight could possibly inspire me out of this bubble of despair.

Although, I will say this: Freddy Sanchez is one of the best looking athletes on any Pittsburgh sports team right now (with the possible exception of a certain goalie that I harbor a secret crush on but would never admit to in public though I'll be sporting mighty #29 tomorrow afternoon. Hizzah)!

Fleury... Freddy... Freddy... Fleury
It might be illegal for me to put them side-by-side like this but... yeah. I do what I want.

Hmm.. I might want to change that caption, it reminds me of David Letterman's Academy Awards Hosting fiasco between Uma Thurman and Oprah Winfrey. Although I do think that my Pittsburgh version is better. Its certainly better looking, I mean look at those smiles. God, what girl (or lets be real, what homosexual male) could resist? I think this might be the best entry I've ever written just because I took the time to find those 2 pictures, put them next to each other and upload them. God, winner every time! I'll have to keep this in mind for future postings!

This is the kind of trouble I get myself into now that its 10 after 1am and I have 4hrs before I need to be awake for work. Coffee is obviously going to be key for tomorrow. For now, I'm watching the FSN replay of the Pirates game and wondering what would happen if Marc-Andre Fleury ever showed up at PNC Park while Freddy Sanchez was at bat... I think my universe would explode.

You Know What... I Hate the Pigeons Downtown, Too.

Three Days.

Three days to do whatever I want. Over a holiday weekend, too. Three days to not worry about hotel policy, guest satisfaction or if room #711's pipes need tightened.

After 8hrs of work and the 5hr nap that immediately followed, I sort of have a Zen feeling now that I'm realizing... I survived Hell Week #3 and I have 3 days off to show for it. Three days off. IN A ROW!!!!

However, I now face the looming question: wtf am I going to do with it?

My Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend is going back to work starting tomorrow afternoon so I'm on my own for entertainment. Maybe my friends want to go out drinking? Maybe my cousin is going to the bar for the game tomorrow? Maybe I should just stay home and bask in my freedom while giving the finger to the hospitality industry.

Here's a juicy work-related tidbit: I think my department head got fired. Our GM is currently using the excuse that "She's out sick" but people who are out sick don't get called down to HR then have the director of HR come to pick up their stuff 15-20 minutes later.

Just sayin'.

We'll see. If she did get a pink slip, it'd just figure since we hired a new Front Desk Manager less than a week ago. We can't have the Front Office getting SATURATED with people to employ now, can we? If we hire 1, we have to fire 1 in order to remain short staffed. Its what the cool kids do. Gosh, I hope I get to work another 6 day work week 2 weeks in a row. Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch... BITCH!

I got reminded today how awesome my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend is today via a bill from Nevada Power. When I left Vegas, my Ex-Husband insisted that he needed at least some of my final check from New York-New York to pay bills, etc (since he didn't work, btw) .

Surprise: he didn't pay bills with the money I gave him.

Instead he did God knows what with it because today I got a $350 power bill from 9 months ago which is now in collections. Not that its Nevada Power's fault but if my Ex-Husband tells me he's paying the bill with the money I gave him and I don't get any statements from them for 9 months, how am I supposed to know that it needs paid?

I am so glad that I'm out of that relationship. Honestly... what the fuck was I thinking for 7 years? Oh, thats right... nothing! LOL What an idiot! Ugh!

Back to the positive: my current boyfriend is 30 levels of amazing. He's sincerely the coolest guy ever. My boyfriend is cooler, hotter, nicer, awesomer, sweeter, handier, more knowledgeable about everything, better read, better spoken, more intelligent and a better driver than your boyfriend! I'd say he can do no wrong but you might think I'm out of my mind so instead, I'll just say he doesn't do any wrong. He got me a Coach bag for no reason. No reason just BOOM, "Hey Jen, have a Coach bag. By the way, you're super cute and I like you." The first thing out of his mouth when he picked me up yesterday was, "Wow, your hair looks great!"

I'm telling you, he's Mr. Perfect!

On a serious note, Its such a crazy change to go from hearing all the promises in the world and getting nothing out of any of them to getting few promises but being able to rely 100% on all them being followed through.

Meanwhile, the biggest news in Pittsburgh Internet over the past 24hrs: PittGirl is back! She's now a columnist for PittsburghMagazine.com! I'm pretty geeked though I never read her blog, never even knew its url or what she wrote about until I read in November that her blog was no more.

I remember reading the article in (what I'm pretty sure was) the PMTrib and thinking it was a shame that a) I hadn't had the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and b) that she felt she was forced to quit writing. One of our liberties as Americans is Freedom of Speech but this anonymous girl's identity was being threatened so she had to pull the plug on giving her opinion? It just didn't seem right. Why do people always have to know everything? If she doesn't want to be recognized for her writing then why seek her out? Just read it, agree or disagree and move on.

Anyway, the whole idea of "PittGirl" fascinated me. This anonymous girl who hated Pigeons wrote about everything from politics to... well I don't really know because I never read her blog but the point was that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

In November, I was struggling with different issues of going through a divorce and getting reacquainted with myself. I've always loved writing and had wanted to start again but didn't have any stories that seemed worth telling. I was discouraged and depressed. I'd considered blogging but didn't really know what to blog about or where to start.

When I finally sat down to start this blog back in March, I was using the Spaghetti Theory: something would eventually stick. I didn't expect readers (I'm still shocked when anyone comments or I look at my hit counter). I just wrote. I wrote about nothing and everything but the whole time, I was writing with PittGirl in the back of my mind and I tried to emulate the sort of attitude that I assumed she'd have when she was writing: Just talk, get it out. If you're thinking it, its worth being said. Say it and don't apologize.

The only difference between she and I was that I couldn't be anonymous. I started out wanting to use an online pen name, PoeticPisces but it just wasn't me. I'd spent so much time hiding from the world in my marriage and running away from who I am, I decided that I needed to expose at least a little "leg" on this one while respecting the anonymity of the Cast-of-Characters in my life at work and family and friends. Basically, you can know who I am--but I don't want you to know who everyone else is when I talk about them.

Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Anyway, I'd sent PittGirl a quick message after reading her first article on PittsburghMagazine.com thinking that she'd be getting inundated with positive feedback about how happy her real followers were about her return to the cyberworld. Hell, I didn't even realize I was already following her on Twitter (I'm good at the internet) but surprise, @JanePitt ...that's her. Duh!

Skipping to the end: PittGirl started following me on Twitter. Its hard to explain what a big deal this is for me since I know literally nothing about her yet she's had such a huge, positive impact on my life (on and off my blog). I don't want to sound crazy or fanatical but its pretty important to me that she'd even bother replying to one of my tweets earlier tonight. Its like getting acknowledged by your childhood hero.

Ok Listen: when I was walking to Market Square last night with my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend, an arrogant pigeon crossed my path and refused to give me, the human, the right of way. I'm not going to lie, PittGirl shot through my mind and I wanted to kick it in order to show it who was boss.

3 Day Catch-Up (Subtitled: I've Been Busy as Hell and My Life is OUT of Control WOO!)

Life gets so out of hand sometimes.

Luckily, they invented Xanex to cure Life. Unfortunately, I don't have any Xanex. I've found a good substitution for Xanex is beer, sex, hockey and getting your hair done (in any order and possibly over the course of a few days).

First: I FINALLY got my hair cut. YES! Super summer deal of a layered bob thats shorter in the back and angled down in the front with blonde on blonde lowlights and blonde highlights and a medium brown underneath. And honestly, even the modest part of me thinks I look great! Just to keep my ego in check, I'm publishing a picture I sent to my Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend when he asked if I'd gone for the Platinum Blonde Life (yes he gets bonus points for the Gwen Stefani/No Doubt reference).

Anyway, here's the picture:

WOO!

Just in case you were wondering, that skin color is totally natural... I'm so white you can actually see through me and God forbid I expose myself to sunlight. Its been reported that you can actually see me from the moon when I stand outside on a hot summer's day.

Hottie Boombalotti hair pix will follow when I get to them (circa Toronto trip).

Speaking of which, I just found out that I won't be able to use my phone when I'm in Toronto. I am PISSED! Not so much because I won't be able to make phone calls but no texting, no internet access, no Twitter... No BLOGGING??? What the fuck am I going to do for a week?

My Hot-as-Balls Boyfriend, of course. God DUH!

Here's something I learned about myself today: I'm legitimately insane. Why? Ok, well... I've had these Data charges coming up on my Verizon bill for about 6 months now. I thought my Data charges were covered since I was on a premium plan with them. They were $2.99, $5.96... real piddly charge amounts that I always wondered about but never really cared to investigate because I just didn't give that much of a damn to wait on hold for 20 minutes to get $3 refunded or credited.

But when I heard about YinzCam, I had to confirm that my LG DARE was not WiFi capable before heading to Mellon Arena. Repeat: $3 was not worth the wait, but YinzCam was.

I now feel dreadfully inferior to iPhone users because if I'd just gone ahead and gotten the iPhone 9 months ago, I totally would be able to blog, twitter and text in Toronto with the complimentary wifi that the hotel provides. Not to mention, I'd be able to access YinzCam at the games.

Dammit, man!

But(!!!!) I also "heard through the grapevine" (aka the Customer Service Rep that I spoke to today) that Verizon might be getting the next version of the iPhone exclusively and that in Feb 2010, I can totally upgrade. That's a long time for me to wait now that I know for sure my LG Dare (while totally baller in most every way) is sort of way more inferior than I already knew.

Anyway, my boyfriend's mom is doing better after her surgery, which is a relief. She's doing well, he's doing well, his family's doing well, everyone's doing well... She was released from the hospital this afternoon but early Doctor's reports say that the tumor has definitely grown back. We have to wait a week to find out the nature of it (is it benign or malignant?) then from there we get to find out treatment options.

My boyfriend gave her the flowers I got her from Rosebud downtown on 7th and Ft Dusquesne. He said she liked them. The bouquets there are really very pretty, I'd honestly recommend them. They kept very well for 2 days before she got them, were reasonably priced and just lovely.

Onto more fun topics: my Hot-as-Balls boyfriend and I had every intention of watching the Pens game tonight down at Mellon Arena. Unfortunately my lunch/shopping date with Mom ran over and he got stuck in midday traffic on 376 outbound. Meaning, he didn't get a chance to pick me up until after 6. By that time it was standing room only down at the Jumbotron, see:


Long story short, we ended up at Primanti's in Market Square by the 3rd period. Honestly, we should have just gone there from the giddyup. It wasn't slow but it wasn't busy, there were 4 high def TVs around the bar and just enough Yinzers to keep it entertaining without being totally obnoxious.

The game itself was amazing! Geno scored a hat trick, Kris Letang BEAT SOME ASS (WOO!) and Miro Satan got kicked out of the game!!!

Who knew that Miro was such a little beast? Satan really is working on being my absolutely favorite player... this kid got told to go back to the Baby Pens midseason then was brought back from the Baby Pens for the last few games against the Flyers in the playoffs, had some shaky moments and finally stepped his game up over the past three. He made Cam Ward look like a rookie in Game 1 then gets ejected at the end of Game 2... God whats he got in store for us once he gets to Carolina? Game 3 Killing Spree? Go Satan!

Wow its 1:30am, I have to be up for work at 5am. But... I have Saturday off too! So only 8hrs between me and a day off. For the first time in about 3 weeks, I feel like I'll be able to make it.

Its 5am and This is Already the Longest Day of My Life.

I finally got out of bed at quarter to 5am when I've been wide awake for at least an hour. Admittedly, I'm a nervous wreck. My boyfriend's mom went into Presby for her biopsy a few hours ago. I've been in touch with him but that's not really doing much to assuage my concern for either her or him.

I'm quickly learning that flexibility is going to be the key for all this. Which, after some thought, shouldn't be such a problem. I'm pretty adaptable but realizing that plans will change at last minute is something I'm going to have to get used to. I just hope that she gets a chance to see the flowers I got her yesterday. Money's sort of tight right now and they're super pretty--daisies and sunflowers and mini roses. Its the thought that counts so I'm sort of feeling guilty that I'd even think like this.

I guess if nothing else, I'm glad I got this particular bouquet because I can put it on display here at home if I can't give it to her at the hospital.

Does all this make me selfish?

I'd ask myself how I'm going to get through the day but it's pretty easy: One step at a time. One hour at a time. One minute, one second at a time.

Coffee might also be a key here since 8 hours ahead of me is looking pretty bleak right now, but hey--Its my Friday! Woo!

Photographic Proof that People When Put Into a Large Group Can be Quite Stupid

Dear Assholes in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels outbound today at around 4:30pm,

Wtf is your problem?! The signage outside of the tunnel CLEARLY says, "Maintain Speed Through Tunnel."

WHY THE FUCK ARE YOUR BREAKLIGHTS ON??!!

This phnomenon needs to end. If you're one of the idiots that caused me to come to a total and complete stop INSIDE the tunnel and made my commute take an extra 5 minutes, fuck you! I'm on a scheule. I have flowers to put in water, hair to be done and passing out to do... I don't have time to deal with your stupidity while I sweat my ass off in my car with no a/c.

Sincerely,
OMGitsJen.

PS this does however give me a good time to listen to Super Genius on 105.9 WXDX aka Mark Madden, the coolest and best Sports Commentator in the city... maybe even the world!!

Post Script

This is a quick illustration of my life at the desk. I call it Agent Under Pressure, medium is Red Dry Erase Marker on Company White Board. My former colleagues should be reminded that old habits die hard and I still love drawing on grease boards at work. I dedicate this work to my dear friend Stephanie Connell without whom I would have lost my sanity long ago. xoxo I love you, Teffy.

There's Always Room for Jello... and Other People's Generousity.

Sometimes life catches up to you and you realize that while the small, stupid things matter, its the bigger picture thats the most important.

My boyfriend's mom is going into the hospital to have a biopsy done on a growth that was found on her brain by an MRI last week.

I've been really worried. Last night was the first time I had a chance to connect with my boyfriend since he told me on Saturday. He says he's ok (which I believe) but I'm still a bundle of nerves. I had to take a sedative to help me sleep.

Between birthdays and Mother's Day, my bank acct got wiped out so I started freaking out about how to send flowers. By the grace of God, a guest tipped me $20 today so I have a little wiggle room. Something small is better than nothing.

I'm seeing him tonight for the game, he's picking me up from work. For the first time in our relationship, I'm nervous to see him.

I don't know how upbeat I can be. Work's been awful. I hope I'm strong enough for this.

NewsFlash: OMGitsJen (dotCom)

OMG its Jen!

And I'm a Super Star!

Okokok seriously though--take a look at the URL: yep, I'm totally official now! What used to be www.poeticpisces.blogspot.com is is now totally www.omgitsjen.com

This is basically because I'm cool as hell. How the domain was actually available, I have no idea but I'm guessing I totally sniped it. Even if I didn't, I'm going to make up a story that involves me sniping the domain because it makes me feel like an internet badass.

I TOTALLY STOLE IT!

I also changed my twitter feed from @poeticpisces to @omgitsjen... this actually was kind of stolen since @omgitsjen was already in use by another Jennifer somewhere in Houston, Texas but when she realized that a Jennifer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was in need, she surrendered the name and allowed me to claim it as my own.

She's now @JtotheMack and she will have next #followfriday dedicated to her (keep in mind that I've never participated in a #followfriday and in fact vowed to never participate in #followfriday but I think something and someone this cool definitely needs some hard core recognition). So... speaking of Elle Wood's Snap Cup:

I'm giving snaps to @JtotheMack for recognizing that I'm a perfect stranger and surrendering her identity to someone who's planning on using it to take over the world!

I miss hockey!

I Really **AM** Elle Woods

This is the most amazing thing I've seen since Fleury's save against Ovechkin the other night:

What you're looking at is the space shuttle Atlantis against the Sun as seen from an Earth based telescope. Yes, this picture is real.

That picture is crazy! Seriously, how crazy is that picture? Nuts if you ask me! And pretty damn cool too!

Anyway, something totally unheard of happened today: Michael Phelps won a race. His first swim meet since Beijing and uh... yeah the media totally mentioned his meaningless suspension. Glad that no news is still no news. The real news here is that Phelps is now sporting a snazzy goatee and he still set a world record. Whats new pussy cat, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!

If you take a quick look to the sidebar on the right, you'll notice that we are now T minus 29 days to No Doubt's concert in Pittsburgh aka My Date with Gwen Stefani (and 4 guys, the 3 dudes in the band and my Hot-As-Balls boyfriend). I'm starting to get REALLY excited here. Obviously, I'm not going to immerse myself in No Doubt's music while reading up on hockey blogs, message boards and chatrooms. God, it looks like June is going to be the best month ever.

Fuck! I forgot to request the day off for my cousin's Graduation party today. Dammit!

Next week is Associate Appreciate Week at the hotel. I'm sure a Penny Candy day and Ice Cream Float day will make me feel way more appreciated than I do already.

Shame on me, I shouldn't be so sarcastic about Associate Week. They're trying to make us feel a little more motivated but the fact that I know that it pretty much went unnoticed by my department's upper management is something of a morale killer. The bottom line is that after Associate Week is over, we're going to go right back to being overworked, underpaid, miserable, tired, stressed and frankly that's just not an environment that anyone wants to be in.

Misery loves company and boy is it getting a lot of it lately at our hotel.

During a lull in the Front Desk action, I actually caught myself talking about the Snap Cup from Legally Blonde 2 earlier today (I'm outing my boyfriend as being the influence of this thought since he totally texted me and told me he was watching it. Whatever, that movie is a guilty pleasure, I can admit it) and explaining the benefits that come from just recognizing people for the little things they do every day.

If you don't know what a Snap Cup is, just watch the movie. I can't bring myself to explain it. Or just go ahead and click the link: Snap Cup.

The point is, people need motivation to show up every day--not just for a week. Employees are not kindergartners that will sit still if you flash some cookies in front of us or work harder if you give us a gold star for one day. Those cookies go stale after a while and the gold star fades and is forgotten about in a few hours, things need to be renewed.

I'm seriously considering going to management about this.

Maybe not necessarily an idea like Elle's Snap Cup but some daily Front Office Kudos might work pretty well. Where us as employees recognize each other. "Hey I overheard my coworker helping a guest this way." "I saw this guy step up and do a great job in this situation." It doesn't have to be fancy, it just shows recognition.

Hmm... stay tuned.

Detroit and Carolina Advance in Stanley Cup Playoffs, Will Work for Playoff Tickets.

Jonas Hiller is currently suiciding somewhere in Detroit while the Boston Bruins realize that outplaying a team doesn't necessarily mean they'll win.

Boston wanted it more but couldn't beat Cam Ward's octo-goalie skills. Honorable mention Tim Thomas equally had a nice showing but I'm pretty sure (even without knowing or looking up the stats) that Boston had way more shots on goal than Carolina did thus making Cam Ward's performance all that more impressive... at least to me.

And remember, I know nothing about hockey.

Anyway, I called Carolina... but I also called the Ducks. 2/4 for only paying attention since the Pens got rid of Michel Therrien isn't too bad.

Semis start on Sunday, May 17th with Red Wings/Hawks. Opening night for Pens vs Canes: Monday, May 18th. Times will be released as soon as NBC gives everyone the authorization to breathe in public.

The only reason I feel bad that the Bruins lost tonight:



This kid is probably crushed. :(

I'd also like to take this opportunity to positively THANK the powers-that-be for airing the Western Conference game between Detroit and Anaheim instead of the game that actually mattered between Carolina and Boston. News Flash: Pittsburgh is an Eastern Conference club, we'd be interested in wtf was going on in the East. Jerks.

In other news, I got my schedule from work today. I get to see all playoff games due to working the early shift which is great. Unfortunately, this cuts into my hot-as-balls boyfriend time since he's a PM supervisor. What also sucks is that I don't have a day off until next Thursday and even then--yeah, split days off.

I need a new line of work. God!

Course, I've also been saying that for about 5 years now... right after I say, "Checking in?"

Pens Beat Capitals 6-2, Capitals Search Hotwire.com for Vacation Deals.

To our left, we have a picture of Alexander the Great getting fucked by Marc-Andre Fleury.

Unfortunately for #8, Fleury only opted to remove his dick from Ovechkin's ass in the middle of the 2nd when he got a goal that MAF coughed up on an easy gimme that's going to have Marc-Andre facepalming for the next decade.

Superman Varlamov (aka the Rookie), on the other hand, let 4 by before getting replaced by the guy he replaced, Jose Theodore, who then let another 2 hit the net.

Sid's awesome. Ovechkin sucks. Our Russian is better than their Russian. End Chapter 2.

Chapter 3 starts as soon as NBC announces the worst time to air NHL playoff games and then airs them at those specified times.

Meanwhile, Bruce "Boohoo" Boudreau will be sunning himself on a rock somewhere in the French Rivera and sending postcards back home that resemble a Cialis commercial (see right).

GO PENS!

Pittsburgh: City of Champions

This is Bob.

Bob's telling us what he thinks of the Capitals.

Actually, I think he was giving me the finger but I don't remember why so I'm just using the Capitals as a scapegoat since all I've learned from watching them play is how to make excuses.

Since I'm pissed off at hockey due to the disappointments of the last 24hrs (ie the Pens going to a 7th game vs the Capitals and the Canucks getting eliminated by the Blackhawks...), I decided to take a day off from the sport and chill with my hot-as-balls boyfriend instead.

The day started off good enough. I got a new pair of shoes (or two) and had a solid lunch then retired to my hot-as-balls boyfriend's apartment for some surprise sex. He asked me if I wanted to go to the Pirates game and not being a girl that likes to pass up a chance to watch an emo guy play centerfield, I totally agreed.

Unfortunately for my anti-hockey state of mind, we started listening to Mark Madden on 105.9 ("Ze Eeeeexe") on the way to PNC Park and listened to him back Fleury for being an awesome goalie (cuz it's true) and basically rehash the pain of last night.

As a quick side note here: Why to Pittsburgh sports fans call Mark Madden when they don't know what the fuck they're talking about. I like Mark Madden because he's an asshole that doesn't hold anything back. He'll call you out for being an idiot if your opinion is based on either lack of knowledge or just plain stupidity. He gets some bad reviews from a couple of my friends but he's fun to listen to, he knows what he's talking about and I like the music he plays. So fuck you!

Anyway... moving right along, I haven't been to a Pirates game since high school when Three Rivers Stadium was the place to be and Jason Kendall was the hottest guy in the city. PNC Park lived up to the hype. It's a beautiful stadium and a remarkable place to spend a late afternoon and evening--nice place for a date, totally recommend it. I ended up spending $50 on a long sleeved Pirates T shirt (which is fucking baller by the way). Ordinarily, I would never spend that much on a T shirt but this one is particularly nice. I also get a feeling that its somewhat couture since I don't see anyone else spending this much on a Pirates long sleeved T.

My hot-as-balls boyfriend decided to go for a new jersey as well. To the left, you see him sporting some sweet banana yellow. What you don't see is "Clemente 21" on the back. What you also don't see is the huge pile of cheesy fries the geezer behind him has in his hand which is why he's looking so happy! (Edit: WOOOOOW! What you ALSO don't see unless you click on the picture to blow it up to its real size is my fucking tits reflected in my boyfriend's sunglasses... Oh well, there's your pic of my new long sleeved T!)

We got baseline seats from a promotion I gave to my hot-as-balls boyfriend for his birthday last Friday which he wasn't expecting. I told him a couple different times that we'd have sweet baseline seats but he either didn't believe me or just ignored it. When we finally sat down to look at this:

He kept saying, "Oh my God! Oh my God! These are great seats. Thank you!" which made me feel good but I was also quite amused by how excited he was to be at his first baseball game in 2 years (the seats filled up before the 2nd inning). Check out some Before and After pix here.

Before he saw where we were sitting:

THEN: After we sat down...

See how much happier he is. :)

Here's some other pictures I took at the game (cuz its interesting):

Pittsburgh's smokin Skyline.

This guy is probably the coolest guy at the park. He's a Security Guy/Usher named Phillip C. who works tirelessly and endlessly to escort people to their seats and yell at idiot drunks to tell them to quit throwing popcorn and tell the guy who nearly knocks over 5 year olds that their assholes for not giving the kid the foul ball they just caught. He also drinks lemonade out of a dixie cup while watching the game from right behind our seats. He's basically the biggest baller in the city. I. Love. Phillip. C!

Speaking of Lemonade, I learned a valuable piece of Pittsburgh Trivia tonight. Did you know that Mellon Arena's Cotton Candy Man, seen here:



Is the SAME dude that sells "Lemonade Here" at PNC Park?



If you listen closely, you can hear more than just my boyfriend mentioning "Cotton Candy" as he goes by too. I can't help but wonder a) why PNC Park doesn't have him selling Cotton Candy during Pirates games and b) if this guy knows that he's a Pittsburgh Icon.

This guy's so fucking huge to Pittsburgh sports fans that they text 28226 to send text messages to the boards at PNC Park, dedicating texts of 40 characters or less to him. "Lemonade Here!" and "Cooootton Caaandy!" were seen more than once between innings.

Finally, here's a picture of the guy that's got my dream job:


It dawned on me that in order to even try out to be Iceburgh at Penguin games, I'd have to learn to skate because I'm pretty sure Iceburgh skates. That's so fucking lame!

Surprisingly, the Pirates actually won tonight beating the Cardinals with a final score of 7 to 1. LaRoche didn't suck tonight to show off his HR skillz and ditto Brandon Moss.

At the bottom of the 6th, my boyfriend and I heard some guy scream, "We're FUCKED!" Which was pretty amazing in itself. We turned around and happened to see these two guys wearing their Rally Caps:

Tomorrow is another Great Day for Hockey. I get off work at 7:30pm... just in time to see the puck drop in Washington. There's no living with me for the next 48hrs!

GO PENS!

Moo

THIS DAY WON'T END!!!!

PS Pens in 6... the puck stops here!

The Internet: Its Serious Business!

Ok, so I realized today that I seem to have more Capitals fans readers than Penguins fans readers.

Which is fine. I think it just proves that people in Pittsburgh actually know way more about hockey than in Washington because people in Pittsburgh know better than to read and comment on my blog.

:)

Work was pretty quiet today. We had two big groups arriving and two weddings checking out so that kept me pretty busy for most of the afternoon. Work's pretty boring.

One of the food and beverage managers asked me today if I was interested in moving up and becoming a supervisor or a manager. It felt like a loaded question so I wasn't sure how to respond and just made gurgling noises until she finally put me out of my misery by telling me that her friend at one of the Shadyside hotels is looking for a Front Desk Manager and I was the first person she thought of. No previous management experience required, just hotel/front desk knowledge preferred.

What? This job opportunity almost sounds way too good to be true.

And besides: really? Me? I'm an agent but I guess I have my shit together after all?

I checked in a sports writer today whom I'd totally heard and really respect but didn't put his name with his face with his work until after I got home to sit down and read a couple of his articles online. What kills me is that his name and face rang a bell so I totally gave him the Max Talbot Superstar Treatment but I was totally clueless to his true identity. When I finally put two and two together, I felt how Lois Lane must have felt when she finally put two and two together with Clark Kent. "Oh God, duh! The answer was in front of me the whole time!"

I caught a great tweet earlier from a fellow Penguins fan:

@rlenzi: "Just, with everything we've gone through, this is who we are." - Sidney Crosby #penguins

Its a great philosophy, imo! Simple-sounding but really profound at the same time. I don't know why this kid has to be the serious one. He's only 21, you'd think that the older guys like Max Talbot (weighing in at an ancient 25) would be way more pokerfaced... yeah ok!

This guy's my hero (even in front of smokin-hot Marc-Andre Fleury). He gets into a fight in the middle of a play off game with the Flyers, beats Dan Carcillo's ass and then gives the fans and media this amazing photo op: "hey Orange Crush, stfu cuz we're gonna bring it now"






Totally serious!



^ Supah-stah treatment again!

Anyway, right now I'm watching Boston dig a hole and bury Cam Ward. So fucking much for Carolina winning in 5 games. Fuckers! I'm still calling them to win the series. Boston was due a bounce-back since they're playing at home but Carolina's gonna bring it.

I can't believe the Red Wings won. What another group of fuckers.

Also, I'm pretty impressed with how easy it is to get some Capitals fans pissed off. I made a single comment on Twitter earlier regarding someone comparing Game 6 to Pearl Harbor and cheering their team on to victory to the tune of "Never give up!" And I'm like really?

Next thing I know, I'm called an idiot, moron and twat by 4 different people all of whom appeared to be eHighFiving each other via Twitter and told that it was OBVIOUSLY a quote from Animal House and how could I be so fucking stupid to not recognize it. GOD! Quoting movies is cool but quoting movies from 1978 is really cool! Especially when you're quoting it to a potential audience who is under the age of 30.

Whats even better is that the first clown I was mouthing off to called in eReinforcements but was showing off for his Internet Ladies so when they told him to simmer down, he did and everyone dispersed.

???

Pussy whipped is bad enough but internet pussy whipped... really dude? Where's your balls? I got to be condescending and an asshole but he backed down because his precious Lady-Caps-Fan didn't want to see him be mean to a girl on the internet.

Once again proving: The internet is SERIOUS business, man.

Especially when you're a Capitals Fan!

Anyway, as serious as this blog is, I'm going to have to take a break. I'm going on 2hrs of sleep. I don't know how I'm still awake. My hot-as-balls boyfriend is coming to pick me up in like 20 minutes. I must be insane. I'm also sure I look like hell. Oh actually, I have proof:

unleashthefury@poeticpisces Your face makes me want to vomit.

This guy is currently killing elementals with his level 78 Warrior in World of Warcraft. Find him on Frostmourne realm under the name Unleashedfury.

Zzz...

Hey Caps Fans! OUR RUSSIAN IS BETTER THAN YOUR RUSSIAN. GET FUCKED!

GENO! GENO! GENO!



Geno Malkin just broke Bruce Boudreau's spirit. In a related story, Bruce Boudreau just broke into a KFC for some late night munchies. He was also reportedly finding comfort in a box of chocolates.

Tom Poti is going to kill himself sometime tonight at the request of Bruce "Boohoo" Boudreau.

Basically the lack of calls in either team's favor, Ovechkin's 2 goals and even Boudreau's appetite for flank steaks weren't enough to stop the Penguins tonight.

"Fuck you, Poti! You fucking nerd!" <~~~ quote basically sums up tonight's overtime performance.

Meanwhile, back on the bench, Boohoo was thinking up some ways to cook up the puck for his next feeding:OT creeps up on us all, Boohoodreau. I suggest you bring the pepper next time. EAT UP FATTY! SUUUUUUUUUUUCK IT!

This game just proves how awesome Geno Malkin is and that Alexander Ovechkin sucks a big, fat weiner. Go stand at the blue line some more you loser!

Melange: My New Favorite Pittsburgh Restaurant and Other Great Things About Last Night

Much Belated Entry Update: 2/9/10: I'd like to point out that since the original posting of the following entry, Melange has changed Executive Chefs so I feel that my original "review" is no longer accurate. I haven't dined at the restaurant since late summer and haven't heard anything since the menu change took place. That said, the following entry is a great documentation of the excellence in customer service and attention to detail that Chef Doug Noxon has and should be respected for. I couldn't have pulled any of it off without his assistance.

And now, the original post:

I aced the Hot-As-Balls Boyfriend's 30th Birthday Bash with just a little help from my friends.

He had been scheduled to work 4pm to 12am on his birthday but thanks to a called-in favor/good natured co-worker who wanted to pick up hours anyway, he was able to switch and get the day off. That was lucky break #1.

His mom ended up meeting him at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall for lunch. They went to check out puppies and when he told me all this, I was super jealous because a) I need a new pair of shoes at the 30% discount from my friend who works at the Famous Footwear at Pittsburgh Mills and b) I LOVE puppies! Anyway...

So he'd already gotten a free meal that day. Unfortunately, I can't remember where they went but I started feeling the pressure to really deliver for dinner. I took comfort in the fact that I was extremely confident in my choice of restaurants. Melange Bar Bistro on 6th Street, conveniently located right across the street from the hotel where Frenchy's used to be.

Let me start here: I was so excited for dinner yesterday that I had to look up reviews of the restaurant while I was at work. Melange is a new place but I still wanted the most recent review I could find and by luck I stumbled on one that was published on 4/8 by a theatre critic named April T. Carter from the Tribune Review. (You can read it yourself here). Since both myself and my hot-as-balls boyfriend are such "foodies" by nature, I got virtually drunk on excitement when I read it. Work went by in a flash since I was anticipating my meal with such vigor.

Melange did not disappoint.

We showed up early for our 8:30pm reservation but were still seated promptly by the host staff. My immediately impression of the decor was charming. The large black and white portraits of sports and music icons added a special touch that reminded both of us that we were in the heart of a sports and culture loving city without being overwhelming or in your face. We were seated in a booth that was private but not so set apart from all the action at the bar that we felt detached from the hockey game being shown on all three TVs.

Since I'd been studying the menu for about a week, I already knew what I wanted to order as an appetizer and my hot-as-balls boyfriend was able to guess in less than 15 seconds--the Saganaki, a flaming cheese dish, was so impressive in presentation and taste that words really fail to properly convey how good it is. Just imagine 3 (large) triangles of of battered kefalotyri cheese, showered with brandy and lit on fire tableside just to be doused with lemon juice by your server. The taste it creates is outrageous. The cheese is exceptionally strong but the batter and lemon juice compliments it perfectly to create one of the best appetizers I've ever had the privilege of eating.

With a little practice, I can see the wait staff at Melange having fun with this dish and turning it into a huge ordeal, yelling "Opa" (since its Greek) and drawing all kinds of attention from other patrons. Any time you set something on fire at someone else's table, people look because its fun!

Our server had mentioned a Chilled Strawberry soup which sounded to me as a type of gazpacho. The only other time I've had gazpacho offered to me was at Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio in Las Vegas. I'd loved it then and so jumped at the chance to enjoy it again. Needless to say, it was also unspeakably good. The girl waiting on us said it was made with lemoncello and that when she'd initially tasted it, she could taste the liqueur but I failed to pick up on a trace of it. It was perfect.

Time to talk entrees. My boy (sorry, he's 30 now. I mean, my man) and I both love food that jumps out at you. Not literally of course but flavor-wise. He ordered the Airline Chicken Skillet with Chorizo sausage while I opted for a Moroccan lamb dish with couscous but requested that saffron rice be substituted for the couscous instead.

I can't help but blush when I think about how good this meal was. I didn't try any of my date's chicken but my lamb was seasoned so perfectly, prepared so well and presented so immaculately that I don't believe that any other meal will ever rival last night's experience at Melange. Even my hot-as-balls boyfriend, who doesn't care for lamb, said that he thought it was good. It wasn't spicy but had a little kick and a ton of flavor. Perfect... just perfect.

In the middle of our entree, Kenny Blake and Maria Shaheen began their set of live jazz music. Unfortunately, I didn't catch their drummer's name but they all were amazing! Nearing the end of our meal, Kenny and Maria subtly showed up next to our table serenading my man with a gentle rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the sax, Kenny then confirmed my man's name and Maria sang to him on stage. The bar joined in and the Penguins scored. That particular stretch of 5 minutes was probably some of the most magical in my life so I'm sure that when my hot-as-balls boyfriend kept saying over and over "I'm very impressed" that they were for him too.

The Executive Chef, Douglas Noxon, then brought out a large piece of Tiramisu for dessert with 3 birthday candles on top. When I told my guy to make a wish and he blew out the candles, I got pelted with cocoa powder! It was great!

I have to add a quick note here: the portions on my appetizer, starter, dinner and dessert at Melange were excellent. You didn't have the desire or ability to over eat but you weren't left hungry either. The prices were moderate but completely reasonable and definitely outstanding for the sort of food you're being served.

Melange is great for small get-togethers/celebrations or for someone trying to impress a client/loved one. Every city has that "well kept secret restaurant" that's just perfect for special occasions when you've still got money on your mind. Unfortunately, Melange isn't going to be that well kept secret since I've got such a big mouth. Every single guest that comes up to ask where a good place to eat is getting sent over to Melange with the instruction to say that I sent them over. Its easy to say that I've got a new favorite restaurant.

Plus, they made me look really good to my hot-as-balls boyfriend. He's still sending me texts today to say thank you for how great everything was last night. While we were finishing dinner, I suggested we take the T over to Station Square and then the Mon Incline up to the overlook.

Neither of us had ever been on the T so we were totally a couple of tourists when it came to this. We sat at the Gateway Center station for about 30 minutes trying to figure out which train to take and my guy was getting frustrated and about to jump on the 47L when I remembered that it was the 42S we wanted (I'd looked it up online the night before). I'm glad I remembered otherwise we'd have ended up in Library and I would've had to have killed my hot-as-balls boyfriend.

We finally ended up at the overlook next to the Mon Incline on top of Mt Washington. It appeared that a group of prom kids had a similar idea in mind for a romance-filled fun night on the town since they were already up there taking pictures and making noise. I didn't really want to impose but at the same time, I realized that I had every right to be there as much as they did so I started pushing kids out of my way so we could get a good look at the city together... its my boyfriend's birthday, frankly he was the VIP for my night and they needed to get the fuck out of my way. I'd like to relate a story of hair-pulling and catty name calling here but it didn't happen, they sort of ignored us. :)

I had 2 glasses of wine in me from dinner and really needed to find a ladies room so we wandered down Shiloh Street to find the Shiloh Inn. We sat out on the patio where I enjoyed a lovely cocktail called The Shiloh Ghost (or 4 of them) and our bartender, Will, was extremely kind and accommodating. I definitely plan on making this a regular spot and would love to go back for dinner sometime. Possibly with dessert at the local ice cream/coffee places right across the street. I love Mt Washington, its got such a young, urban feeling to it.

I'm comfortable being a yuppie. Shut up!

Anyhoo, thanks to Will I was quite drunk for my trip back down the incline and back to the Gateway Center from Station Square. I'd taken my shoes off when we got back to Gateway Center and walked barefoot in the rain to the parking garage that stands right in front of our hotel at 6th and Ft Duquesne. My boyfriend doesn't drink so I was slightly embarrassed when he left me shoeless on the curb while he went in to pay for parking and get the car.

Meanwhile, one of the valets was taking a quick smoke break and caught me standing there in the rain. He called over to me, "Hey, how you doing?"

"Oh! I'm good!" I couldn't stop myself from giggling like an idiot at the same time.

"You drunk?" He totally called me out.

"Yep, sure am!" At least I'm an honest drunk.

"Have a good night?" I should have seen this set up coming from a mile away...

"Yeah, it was great. Its not over yet!" But being drunk I didn't see it coming.

"Oh well I'm jealous then, [My Hot-As-Balls Boyfriend] has you, you're drunk and he's taking you home."

I pretty much could have died on the spot. Thank God my man pulled up right when he did because even through my haze I got pretty embarrassed by being called out about dating someone I work with. That's ok though, its worth being embarrassed since he's such a fucking awesome boyfriend.

Anyway, special mention about the gifts (besides the best dinner I've ever had at Melange): my guy's a huge baseball fan so when my supervisor mentioned that she'd found a special on baseline Pirates tickets for the game of her choice, I jumped at the opportunity to buy them from her. Additionally, one of my guests checking in about a week ago had the most incredible wallet. He too is a huge baseball fan so about 3 years ago, his wife had purchased a baseball wallet for him as a birthday gift. The thing's made of real baseball leather with 108 red stitches and comes with "official rubbing mud" to wear it in and take some of that newness away.

He loved dinner and liked the gifts a lot and I'm pretty pleased with myself for being able to deliver on whats been deemed "the best birthday ever." God, I rock so hard it hurts!

5/8: Hot-As-Balls Boyfriend's Birthday. Wtf am I Gonna Wear?!

Internet out. No blogging tonight. Just as well since I should probably sleep early anyway. Watching CNN, good to see that Drew Peterson's arrest is top news on AC360. So sad he's turned tabloid, he's great at real news. :(

Planning tomorrow carefully, hot-as-balls boyfriend turns 30. Been teasing him, can't call him boy anymore. My boy is now a man. Time for him to be responsible now. I still have 2 more years of dumb to play with. Yay!

Tomorrow looks like this: work till 8:30pm. Get gussied up in a hurry and make it to Melange by 8:45pm at the latest. Dinner/appetizers/drinks/live music. Take T to Station Square then Mon Incline to Mt Washington overlook. Back to his place before midnight.

Unfortunately, my period is really putting a cramp on my plans (pun totally intended). Good thing I didn't buy the bar wench costume I was looking into...yet.

Wtf am I going to wear?!

Shh Don't Tell. I'm @Work LOL!

Updating from work. My Exec Chef friend from Melange across the street brought over some amazing treats for us tonight: some kind of amazing lamb and chicken dish that I'll expand on later after I get home. Reservations there tomorrow night after I get off for my hot-as-balls boyfriend's birthday. I'm really stoked, its going to be super-ultra yummy! Especially with live music and drinks! Woo!

Gotta run, one of the regulars is looking for his underwear. Little does he know that I actually hid it so that I could wander around with it on my head wearing it like a little hat.

WARNING: This Post Not for the Faint of Heart

I'm getting ready to go to work, somehow made it thru the night. No idea how. My period is out of fucking control. After being fucked up for Feb, March and just Whoa-Nelly-Disappearing during April, its come back with a MIGHTY debt to settle in May... the whole bit: bloating, cramps, crankiness, cravings, mondo horny. Shit just isn't right.

I know its disgusting and I probably shouldn't blog about my period but Holy Mother of God... how am I still alive? Cartman doesn't know. I sure as fuck don't know either.

As I said earlier this week, thanks God/Mother Nature for the reminder that I can bear children. Why does it have to be such a huge fucking mess?!

There is No Mention of Sports in this Entry... at ALL!

I've been advised that I'm quite boring when I talk about sports.

Actually, the text I got was to the tune of, "I love you and your blog but I don't like the sports stuff and that's all you've been writing about lately."

Or something like that. So, since that's the only feedback I've gotten, I'm specifically not going to mention sports at all in this entry.

Well, anymore than I already have.

Unfortunately, I don't really know what else to talk about. The series between the Caps/Pens is the BIGGEST news happening in both the NHL and in the city right now (aside from the fact that they won tonight to put the series at 2-1). The Pirates are trying to not be completely terrible and doing a pretty mediocre job of it but God bless them for showing up every night.

Hey! I could be talking about the Steelers and how they decided to release Larry Foote

But I won't since I promised I wouldn't!

Honestly, I guess what it comes down to is that sports are a major part of this city's culture and so they're a major part of the people, who we are and whats going on in our lives. I'd say the same for anyone who's ever spent a significant amount of time here. A good example is my hot-as-balls boyfriend. He was born in Natrona Heights, raised in the San Fransisco Bay Area and then moved back home about a year and a half ago. He gets his Steeler Pride from his mom and dad who are both natives to the Pittsburgh area.

To understand Pittsburghers you first have to understand our obsession with sports as tradition. Our love of the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates are part of our identity. Everyone that grew up here has a savvy and sophisticated opinion of sports (especially about football). You're taught at a young age to bleed black and gold (since its the colors of all 3 sports teams) and to carry a Terrible Towel with as nearly as much reverence as you would the American flag.

To have pride in your sports teams here in Pittsburgh is to have pride in your place of residence and in yourself. When the Steelers win a game, the entire city is happy and buzzing for a week. If they lose, everyone's pissed and calling Ben Roethlisberger a bum. When the Steelers win the Superbowl, a citywide holiday is declared and kids don't have school, their parents don't have work and straight A college seniors set fire to couches in Oakland. When the Penguins win, thoughts of the City of Champions dance in everyone's mind and we consider how cool it'd be to be the home of both the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the Stanley Cup.

If the Pirates win a game, we're inspired to think that anything is possible. Its just how this city works.

My friend who told me that my writing about sports bores her, texted me during the Superbowl back in February asking about the Terrible Towel and what it was exactly. Being half drunk, I was still able to give a somewhat decent response. "Its the flag of Steeler Nation," is what I initially said but she wanted an actual reply.

I explained that back in the '70s the voice of the Steelers, one Myron Cope, was instructed to generate some sort of gimmick for merchandising. Myron told his listeners to start bringing black towels to the games they came to in order to show fan support. It eventually caught on and lived on through the 70s, 80s and 90s. Its seen 6 Superbowl victories and was the original towel waved at any sporting event. This is a great article and you can hear Myron Cope himself tell you the story of how the towel rose to greatness (the "he" Myron talks about is the Terrible Towel).

Anyway...changing topics--here's something good: My horoscope via Twitter!

DH_PiscesIf you feel like you're a doormat for a friend or coworker, stand up to them today.

I had such a terrible night at work and was so beyond ready to throw down that hearing the stars are aligning to back me up when I get ready to explode isn't exactly good news. It means that I should email my boss right now to tell her exactly what I think and that sleeping on it isn't good advice.

I'm going to sleep on it instead because I don't want to get myself into trouble. Ugh! And I'm too tired to keep typing right now so... to bed, to bed, to bed I said!