Happy Halloween!

RBOC

• So far, I've only had one day of downtime this month. Life has been crazy-busy and every time I think it's settling down, it revs right back up to full speed. Some of it's good (travel, birthday celebrations, trips to the gym), some of it sucks (very unexpected work obligations, multiple arguments with phone calls to my health insurance company, trips to the gym), and some of it is just a major time-suck (grocery shopping, visits to the mechanic, trips to the gym,). I cannot believe it's already the end of October - the month has just flown by!
  
  
• There is war being waged at school. Unfortunately, it's within my department and I've been sucked into the madness (unwillingly). It's long, sordid story that involves Department Chair, a female adjunct that he lusts over/gives far too much inappropriate attention (including offering her big-deal opportunities for which she is not qualified & not mentioning said opportunities to anyone else in the department), a group of disgruntled department members, and a group of sneaky adjuncts (including female adjunct) who will do anything to obtain a much-coveted full-time faculty position (of which there are very few - I am one of four). It's a mess on multiple levels... a horribly tense, crappy, makes-you-hate-everything situation... a clusterfuck to the nth degree.
  
  
• I'm also attempting to deal with a gossiping colleague in a non-violent manner (or any other way that would lead to me being fired). This instructor is well-known for lying about everything, even the most inconsequential details (even the dean has made cracks about how GC has trouble keeping his lies straight - and yet, GC recently received a big promotion, which should tell you something about the culture of our school). Over the years, I've heard GC tell many lies, including multiple versions of a story about a black wife who died in a car accident, a white fiancée who disappeared during Katrina, or crackhead girlfriend that he was forced to leave after she forced him into bankruptcy (it all depends on when you heard the story)... again, it's one of those running jokes amongst the faculty, but it's also one of those situations that's extremely uncomfortable, as no one knows just how to deal with him (or wants to). I typically try to limit my interactions with him, but unfortunately, we live in the same building, so he's hard to avoid. Well, apparently, he has grown tired of talking about his own life and has started blathering about M & me (at work!). At first, the lies were harmless (he told some colleagues he had hung out with us & mentioned some nonresistant conversations he had with M), but recently, they have moved into a new realm - one that is filled with malicious statements that could potentially damage M's reputation. I am so close to bitch-slapping him... M, who has one of the slowest-burning fuses of anyone I've ever known, is even closer to doing something worse. However, because I work with GC, I have to deal with the situation in a way that is sane and professional... but I need to get my point across (STFU or you'll end up in traction!). Seriously, why am I 33 and still dealing with this type of shit?!?
  
  
• Okay, enough complaining. Despite all of the BS, life isn't all bad. After all, the weather has been awesome and it's still October, aka the best month of the year! :-)
  
  
• Also, enough with the paragraphs.
  
  
• I'm heading up to Devil's Lake with D on Friday for a fall hiking extravaganza. I am so excited - I haven't been on a good hiking trip in years!
  
  
• How awesome are these cars? And how cool would I look zipping around Chicago in one? I love, love, love them! M said if I got one, that would be the end of us riding in the same car. :-)
  
  
• Is anyone else planning to participate in NaBloPoMo next month? I've been in a bit of a blogging slump, so I'm definitely planning to dive in for the fourth year. I have many exciting posts planned, including a recap of my Judge Mathis taping (M & I are going on the 5th!), a few more installments of The Ex Files, and a daily shoe photo (I have many beautiful shoes that deserve to be seen!).
  

A real day off... finally!

Today's plans include reading blogs, answering emails, catching up on Gossip Girl, eating chocolate from Door County, and sitting on the couch in my leopard print lounge pants.

Oh, and let's not forget that this is the first time in five weeks that I'm not leaving the apartment for the entire day (yay!)... although I do think my lounge pants are super-awesome and are definitely worthy of being seen by more than just M. :-)

33

It's that time of the year again! Oh yes, it's the day in which we all celebrate the fabulousness that is comebacknikki! :-)

Today was slightly lame as far as birthdays go, as I spent almost nine hours traveling via car and train (on my way back from the awesome Door County weekend). However, I was able to have a lovely dinner and mini celebration with M when I finally made it home. I was slightly emotional after very little sleep and a long day of travel... I may have cried a little when M brought out the ice cream cake and sang to me (and when I unwrapped the fabulous shoes he got me). :-)

The celebrations will continue for the rest of the month, but before that happens, I think I need a few days to recover from my booze-and-bad-food-filled-little-sleep-crazy-antics weekend. This party girl needs some sleep!

October!

I say it every year, but I think it's worth repeating: I love fall! I especially love October, as it is filled with so many of my favorite things... honeycrisp apples, pumpkin spice lattes, apple picking, pumpkin farms, crunchy leaves underfoot, bonfires, apple spice donuts, hot apple cider, the foliage, perfect hoodie & sweater weather... oh, and let's not forget the two best holidays of the year: Halloween and my birthday!

Thus far, I've had an extraordinarily busy, but still awesome fall. I could do without all of the craziness at work (I'm still working on a post about that - it just keeps getting more and more complicated), but I am seriously loving awesome weather (we're actually having real fall weather here - we often go from summer straight into winter). I'm trying to spend as much free time as possible indulging in some of my favorite fall activities...

Wagner Farm Harvest Bonfire...







Andersonville Dessert Crawl...

In an hour, I'm leaving for a quick girls getaway in Door County (we're staying in Egg Harbor). DC is an awesome place to visit this time of year (the Pumpkin Patch Festival is this weekend!) and I cannot wait to get up there and revel in all of the fall goodness. During the weekend, I'll also celebrate my birthday (it's the first time I've been without M on my birthday since I met him ten years ago) - the last time I was in Wisconsin for a birthday was when I turned 21 my senior year of college. Of course, that was only five years ago, so really that much time hasn't passed, right? ;-)