This past week: the good, the bad, and the smelly

Monday morning, I had to go to work and then in the afternoon leave to go to Reno for business. So around 3:45 PM...I'm driving to the airport and all of the sudden my rear window shatters...while driving...in the snow...uphill both ways (okay, I had to add that last one). But seriously, it just shattered. After making sure that I hadn't been shot and that I was, indeed, awake I arranged to drive back to work and have a co-worker drive me to the airport so that I could catch my flight. Long story short, I was able to get it replaced under warranty and all is well. But holy COW that was scary!

So, like I said, I was in training during the week at our plant in Reno, NV. They arranged to have us stay at a place called the Peppermill (a co-worker refuses to call it anything but the "Poopermill") and boy was that an experience. After my VERY delayed flight, I walked into the hotel lobby and was greeted with the smell of stale smoke, neon lights EVERYWHERE and black mirrors. It was so strange, that I can't even explain it other than it looked like I was an extra in the movie "Tron." For more information on this lovely place, feel free to visit www.peppermillreno.com. The rooms were fantastic though...really. Nice comfy beds, 42" plasma screen TVs, a TV in the bathroom, and showers with multiple heads. :) The picture to the left is from their website. I think it's a way to show that prostitution is encouraged at the Peppermill...but I can't be positive. Anyway, you can see the lights at the top of the picture...and that's what the WHOLE place looked like on the bottom floor. Scary, creepy, and full of neon-goodness.

The training was actually really helpful, but the big thing that was cool is Tuesday night I got to talk to the plant manager and the shop foreman. The training was on knife gates and was held in the facility that produces them. When we went on the shop tour on Wednesday, the smell of welding, metal, and manufacturing hit me and brought me back to my days at GM in Oklahoma. I didn't realize until then how much I missed the business of manufacturing and made a firm decision to change jobs yet again. I called my friend Kelly today and asked if they had openings at the factories (she works for Caterpillar in Peoria, IL) that were NOT line supervision jobs. She told me that the big thing they're hiring for there is Process Engineers for manufacturing plants and that she thought that she could get my resume' to the right people. So, sometime on Monday, I'm going to update the resume'. I'm actually pretty excited. I love Denver...and it would be sad to leave, but I can come and visit...and really, nothing is holding me here, you know? So, we'll see...more to come. Now, some of you may think that I'm insane since I just moved 8 weeks ago...but you know, walking on that shop floor made me realize that I *do* have a passion for something. And as pathetic as it is, I miss it. Plus, Cat would relocate me, so it's not like I would lose money on my house.

The very, very, very cool thing about this week is that I had a lot of fun. I drank and ate every night for free and met some cool people who were also taking the class with me. One of them was pretty much the funniest guy I've met - it was so much fun to laugh that hard and for the first time in a LONG time, I didn't have to explain why I thought something was funny or what the heck I was talking about. I'd write some of the funniest things, but I'm sure it's one of those times that you'd have to had been there for it get it. It was refreshing and oh, so nice. I loved talking with him and felt that he "got" me...which as those of you who know me, know that's pretty rare. :) He's has amazing grey eyes and although not my typical type was/is very good looking. More importantly, his personality and character was great - truly a great catch. Now, before you get your hopes up for me, the guy is married so nothing can come of my crush on him. :( And I am more bummed about this than you know...but it gave me some hope that I could possibly find someone who would fit me as well and that I shouldn't settle for anything less. And in the meantime, I have a lot of fun memories and a new (hopefully good) friend.

Okay, so I got back yesterday and was so tired that I slept for a couple of hours...not long enough to get some good sleep and feel refreshed, but just long enough to screw with my sleep pattern...so I was up from about 9 last night until 4 this morning watching TV. I slept for a little while, got up and went to the fridge to have some Chai Tea... I opened up the fridge and realized immediately that something was off (watch out Columbo!) because my light in the fridge didn't come on. Oh, yeah, and EVERYTHING is warm. Yes, friends, even in the freezer. More proof that karma, is indeed, a bitch. Just in case you wanted to know, the smell of spoiled food is nasty. I do not recommend that you unplug your fridge to experience the smell...please, take my word for it. :)

I walked down to my basement to see if the breaker had blown, turned on the light and realized that I had just blown the light bulb down there...and no, I don't have a replacement halogen bulb. And the breaker didn't feel tripped. :)

Anyway, after shopping for a new fridge (and again, with any luck I'll be moving again soon so it's not like I want to get the best fridge ever) I found that no one can deliver the fridge before this coming Tuesday night. So I made the best of it, stopped by Walgreens to get some milk (I still want my chai tea!) and some ice... After eating out all week, I really don't want to eat out anymore and was, quite frankly, looking forward to cereal. :)

For those that have read this far, you are a true friend. I just did the cursory read-though and saw that I wrote a mini-novel.

And I know...it's not even funny. :( But I guess I'm in a subdued mood. It was a pretty eventful week and I wanted to share it with you...because otherwise it'd be one of those things that it'd take forever to catch you up later.

Or maybe I'm in a non-funny mood because I'm afraid to touch anything...who knows what else will break?