Meghan Finally Gets A Distraction

I would have written about this yesterday, but the flaming pit of misery (aka the day job) kept me busy from the second I walked in till the second I left. And being that I was working on about 3 hours sleep yesterday, I crashed early. But I still feel the need to post about Tuesday night, because I severely needed a night out...and I wasn't disappointed.

Went to see one of my new favorite bands - Mindless Self Indulgence. I had heard a few of their songs on a local college radio station (89.5 for you Jerseyers) but never got around to buying the CD. Then that station changed format (it was primarily metal and punk) and I hadn't heard them since. At a party about a year ago some people were talking music. I'm not sure how it was brought up, but one of the guests mentioned that his brother was in MSI. And he seemed shocked to hear that I knew who they were and really liked them. Fast forward to this past weekend and I finally heard the whole CD. That guest, M.J. Euringer (as he's known in the writing field...I just call him Markus, which isn't his name...heh), accompanied us on our trip to hell. He brought along the CD and I REALLY dug it. I had asked him the day before when there next show was and it turned out to be this past Tuesday in NYC.

So Fran and I got to go see them. Markus was cool enough to get us in for free, I can't thank you enough! But even if we hadn't been able to get comped, I would have definitely paid to see them. And whenever they come around, I will continue to pay to see them. I'm not bullshitting you when I tell you this, this fucking band was AMAZING! I haven't been this floored by a live show in I don't know how long. Yes, Markus is a bud, but I don't bullshit about things like this. His brother and the rest of the band were incredible!

I can try to describe their style to you, but it would be quite impossible. I can tell you that certain songs remind me of Mister Bungle, only heavier. It's creative, it's new, and it's anything but boring. Finally a fresh new sound (though they aren't all that new...I believe they've been around since '99...Markus will correct me if I'm wrong. :) ) I'm tired of all these new bands on K-rock and the rest of the pop stations. They all sound exactly alike. I can't listen to the radio anymore. It's refreshing to hear a band that isn't just another carbon copy. But I should stop rambling. You'll just have to check them out for yourself. www.mindlessselfindulgence.com. I just picked up two of thier CDs from Amazon.com (too lazy to go to a store). But they're available at most major chains. SO GO NOW!

I believe Tuesday was the last night of their tour, but I'm sure they'll be back out there soon. So if you hear that they're coming your way, do yourself a favor and check them out. I posted on Tuesday about what a crappy time I've been having lately. That show was something I really needed. So Markus, if you're reading this....you fucking rock! Thank you so much for getting my ass out! :)

I think that's all for now. Over and out.

"Everything Sucks All The Time" ~Geoff Cooper

Ok, sorry Coop for stealing your quote, but it is the only title I could possibly think of for this rant. I mean, it's to the point, and dead on. The perfect title for the perfect fucking day.

I say day, which is bullshit. More like year...and it's only fucking February. As if you haven't guessed already, Meghan is in one of her moods. A mood that really should be kept to herself, but that just ain't me. Besides, no one reads this thing anyway. So if you hate depressive whiners, move on. Nothing to see here.

What set me off today? Better question would be what DIDN'T set me off. But I'll try to stick to the point. Woke up with a migraine. That's nothing new. Only today nothing seems to be working on it. So you can imagine the happy mood I came to work with. That brings us to the major issue of the day. Work. The day job. Or as I like to refer to hit, the burning pit of misery. And I don't even give a fuck anymore if a co-worker or my boss reads this. Here, just in case....FUCK YOU BRIAN! Ah, I can hear unemployment calling me now. Who gives a flying fuck!

He struts into my office today with his usual smirk. Closes the door behind him. Definitley not a good sign. I actually had a brief shining hope that I was getting canned, but no such luck. He tells me I'm overdrawn on vacation days. Ok, I know I've taken a lot of time off lately (fucking winter!) but I keep track of my days. I have 2 left. He begs to differ. He wants me to write down a list of every day I was out. I did. I still have TWO FUCKING DAYS. We'll see what he thinks. I'm sure his math will win though. What else is new. But that's not even the worst part. Let me tell you a little something about my boss Brian:

Loves to give arbitrary deadlines, if he gives them at all. Never can remember what assignment he gave to whom and when it's due. Doesn't remember to do half of his own assignments. He's the vice fucking president, but WE have to remind him to do his job. Getting the picture? Granted, I wouldn't take his job if my life depended on it, but he gets to make the big bucks, so I'm not shedding tears.

So, after the vacation day talk he starts talking to me like I'm a moron. How I need to be more organized (coming from him I really had to hold down my chuckle) and pay attention to deadlines. He said "I know I'm soft on deadlines, but I'm getting really backed up here." Let me mention that I have NEVER missed a deadline. Basically, he spent about 15 minutes telling me I need to shape up. This from the man who had to be reminded TODAY to write an article that is due tomorrow.

Now, let me fill you in on what I do here. Let's see....oh....EVERYTHING! If there's a new project, it's handed to me. If there's extra work to be done, they call on Meghan. I already take care of more crap here than anyone else in editorial. But I get the least amount of recognition. Want to know why? I have a kid. Yup, that's it. He HATES women with kids. The day he hired me he made sure to ask if I had proper care for my child during the day. Being that we're in the employment law business, he knew better...that question is ill-fucking-legal. He feels women with children are not as devoted to their jobs. Let me see...do I love my daughter more than my job....yup. Oops! My bad! I should be given 40 lashes with a wet noodle!

Ok, so I'm going on and on, but you get the point. So, I'm not having a dandy day. Add that to the months of misery I've had as of late and you get one depressed/frustrated/angry/readytokillmotherfucka. Christ I feel bad for my shrink. This Thursday's appointment will be a doozy I'm sure. Tell me again why I bother? Tell me again that life is beautiful and I should consider every day a fucking gift? Well, I have something to tell you Hallmark motherfuckin shiny happy people. FUCK YOU! And you can quote me. Simple, and to the point. And dead-on. End transmission.

Fuckin' Virginia

You know, back in the day, me and VA had a nice relationship. My parents would take us to Virginia Beach just about every summer. I loved it there. It was like a second home. I knew that tourist town like the back of my hand. Funny how things can turn upside down so quickly.

The first evidence I got that VA was turning against me was the summer before I entered high school. We were vacationing in VA Beach like usual. I'm not going to get into gory details and start off in a different rant direction, so let's just leave it as I met some unsavory characters who made me learn real quick just how important it is for women to ALWAYS use their heads and be cautious. My family vacationed there a few times after that, but it was never the same. (Side note: One of the trips thereafter I took a friend with me. Unknown to me was that she had head lice at the time, and we shared a pillow in the back seat of the car on the way down. Need I say more? *shudder*)

Last summer my husband and I decided to take our daughter camping. We chose Williamsburg VA because of all the historic sites in the area, not to mention Busch Gardens, of course. Halfway down the drive it started raining, and it didn't really let up all weekend. We put our tent up in the rain, BBQed in the rain, toured historic sites in the rain, and rode on lots of coasters in the rain. Granted, there were very few lines, but still, being wet for three days straight got to us. The kicker was our brand new tent just couldn't keep up and we woke up the third night floating in our own little pond. This set my husband over the edge.

So we broke down and got a cabin for the rest of that night. Of course the roof leaked and we still weren't able to keep dry. We took off the next day, a day earlier than planned. The rain was the worst part of the trip, but believe me, there were plenty of other annoyances. Like no restaurants being open passed 9:00 and there being nothing but fucking Waffle Houses wherever you go. So we left VA behind and vowed never to vacation there again.

Enter Matt Warner. :) He lives outside of DC in Falls Church, VA. He decides to throw a shindig this weekend and Fran and I can't resist a party. So we decided to make the 4 1/2 hour ride and brave VA once again. Well, despite perfectly good directions, we end up in the DC ghetto. If you have never been, I don't recommend checking it out. We must have been riding around for a half hour before we finally found a gas station to get directions. Ok, we weren't far...we could get back on track easily.

Enter the pothole. Let me tell you something about the highways in Maryland, DC, and VA, they are all giant FUCKING potholes! You couldn't swerve around one without hitting another. Ah yes, state tax dollars hard at work! Needless to say we hit the biggest one (about the size of our car) and blew out a tire. And did I forget to mention it was raining the whole ride down? So there we are, on the side of pothole highway, fixing a flat. A friend from NY was accompanying us on the road trip and I have to thank God, Buddha, Ala, or whoever the fuck is in charge for that. Fran and I actually took the situation with a good sense of humor and didn't attempt to kill each other. We agreed that our friend should move in with us because we're actually able to behave and be civil to each other around him.

Ok, stupid cheap donut is now on. We finally hit the road again and make it to Matt's without any further incidents. Though we did see three other cars on the side of the road with flats. Fran couldn't feel comfortable until he got a real tire back on the car, so he immediately took off in search of someone who would do it at 4:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. He came back a couple hours later with the job done, and over $150 poorer. That brings us back to that fucking car I hate. The stupid stick shift that I'm too frustrated with to bother trying anymore. I haven't attempted to drive that car in months, now I have to put on a super special expensive tire in order to match the others. God I hate that car. But I digress.

Thankfully the rest of the evening went well. Good food, lots of booze, and friends I don't get to see nearly enough. We made it back home ok. Fran has learned how to master the potholes from hell. But we agreed again...no more trips to VA. Period. End of story.