Squeaky clean!

[susandennis]

I did get all my chores done and even a few extra.  My kitchen is clean.  The dishes are washed. I even swept and mopped the floor.  It looks very nice!

I met my friend for lunch and she did, indeed, have news.  She quit.  She was something like employee 22 five and a half years ago.  She was the office manager, payroll manager, personnel, receptionist and all around go to person.  They have hired a bascillion new people including a receptionist and personnel manager.  She asked if she could cut back to part time - three days a week. 

They said no. So she told them she quits. And they basically told her not to let the door hit her in the ass.  Her last day is December 2.  Amazing.  She's relieved and glad to be out of there.  I'm glad for her.  She was way too nice for that joint. 

She's going to find something part time - she'll have ZERO trouble - she's very very sharp and good and thorough and mature and nice looking.  She'll be able to do whatever she wants - she's already had several people offer her jobs.  I'm so glad she's getting out of that toxic place. 

And I did figure out which of the drug plans is the best one for Mom and that we can click on 'apply online' and do the deed when I get there.  The pharmacist told Mom that in her case she could probably save about 75%.  Worth the effort at least.

Jake is making me nuts.  Some cat law demands that he stand in between me and the monitor at all times.  And if I move him, he must return immediately.  I need to contact the cat law people and see if we can work a compromise that will keep me from injuring him.

We had lunch at a place that has been in the 'hood for a bazillion years.  They have $5 burger Wednesdays.  It used to be cute and nice with good food.  Then it got turned into a band bar and was pretty much cremated and the food was tolerable.  Today they have it kind of back to a little nice - at least for lunch - but the burgers were FABULOUS!  I mean really delicious.  

There were ash trays on the tables and it made me sad.  After yesterday's vote, come December 8, no more ashtrays.  There were a few people enjoying a lunch cig and I really felt sorry for them.  Come December 8 they will be relegated to the dumpster allies.  It's hard enough now to get any decent second had smoke around here...  come December it's going to be impossible.  My North Carolina heritage is just sad.

Comments

[happyjenn97.livejournal.com]

After yesterday's vote, come December 8, no more ashtrays. There were a few people enjoying a lunch cig... they will be relegated to the dumpster allies.

When I was in Seattle for a few days about 9 years ago (my how time flies...), one of the things I noticed was that it seemed like *everyone* was smoking - but the streets were really clean. No cigarette butts. No grime. It really surprised me that with that many smokers, I saw no cigarette butts on the ground. Perhaps they all get washed away with the rainwater.

[susandennis]

That is interesting... You really don't see a lot of butts here. I never thought about that. Hmmmm guess we're just overly tidy!

[teasdale.livejournal.com]

Is this the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants? They did that here in NY about two years ago. Businesses feared that the customers would no longer come in, but after awhile, they did. Smokers are a resilent bunch, really. You can kick us outside, but you can't make us quit!

I'm still a smoker and sometimes I think back and now can hardly believe that we used to be able to smoke at work! It's been years and years now that I've been running to my car, or standing in the snow. We do have a "designated smoking area" *cough, choke* that we affectionately refer to as the Butt Hut. I'd rather stand in the rain. LOL

[susandennis]

Yep, the new law says no smoking in any public place of any kind - no exceptions at all anywhere anytime AND outside, you have to be at least 25 feet away from a public air access (door, window, vent, whatever).

At IBM (in North Carolina) when the smokers first got all militant, they divided up our conference rooms into smoking and non-smoking sections. The table would have a little sign at one end 'no smoking' and a little sign at the other end 'smoking permitted' (and I still have one of those!). This was particularly hilarious in the smaller conference rooms built for 4 people!

[teasdale.livejournal.com]

Being outnumbered and outlegislated, I've always been a polite smoker. Even when they still had smoking areas in restaurants, I'd never smoke. After awhile, I got to respect the rights of the non-smokers. Unfortunately, I never got that degree of respect back.

I still think that if I'm outside, public air is public air, no matter how many feet away I am from a non-smoker. At that point, I want them to move, not me!

What really bothers me is the butts thrown down everywhere. That's just plain rude and gives all smokers a bad reputation. At work, they provide no ashtrays outside of the designated smoke area. They say they don't want to encourage smoking outside of that area. But people still do catch those last few puffs before coming into work and just drop the butts. Then the company gets all huffy about it. It's a vicious cycle.

[susandennis]

Ok, the guy baking the cat and then getting messages from it (or it's reincarnation) is pretty funny but so very strange is that this comment never got to LJ or rather is not showing up in my comments and not showing up in the page of all comments received... it's like a comment ghost...

I'm replying in email and wondering if I'll even see that... hmmmm

[susandennis]

Ok so my comment made it.. I'll betcha you did your comment via gmail and gmail ate it. Ok, that's that I'm thinking now.

[jimcarson.livejournal.com]

Actually, that was my thinking "Is this too over-the-top"
when combined with this icon.

[susandennis]

I love the icon and Jake is now shopping on Amazon. And this comment made it. The first one is still missing in action... (cat law???)

[shanynrose.livejournal.com]

"Cat law" has nothing to do with people. In fact, I think "cat" and "law" might be mutually exclusive. More like "cat lawMAKER."

[susandennis]

You are so right!

[vasilatos]

Now I want a yummy burger. So hard to come by.

[susandennis]

I know! When did that happen? My Dad used to make THE best burgers ever anywhere. This one today was periously close.

[vasilatos]

Egad, now that you mention it... the last yummy burger I had was about eight years ago, in a fancy restaurant. Maybe I should just go over there. It's only a couple of blocks. I don't know whether to thank you. (Will decide after the yummy burger.)

[rsc.livejournal.com]

Part of it is the paranoia about "undercooked" meat. A yummy burger is by definition medium-rare or rare, and a lot of places Simply Won't Do That these days.

[susandennis]

ESPECIALLY here in Washington where our list of accomplishments includes the Big E-Coli Outbreak at Jack in the Box. Often I order "as rare as you dare knowing that there is no way I will ever tell on you"... Yesterday's meat not only had a hint of pink but also the bun was very good.

[susandennis]

It's wild but neither Jake nor Betty are interested in catnip. Betty likes it for about a half minute and then loses interest. Jake won't even give it that much. Wild.

[vasilatos]

Sam's vet says it's genetic. She, Sam, has zero interest in catnip.

[dizzdvl.livejournal.com]

They are trying to get smoke-free restaurants and bars here. It's failed a couple of times. I don't smoke, but I would vote against it. It's part of the "going out" around here. You hang out at smokey bars! I will arm punch the first person who blows smoke in my face to be an ass, but other than that it doesn't bother me.

Ever smoker I know (including CB) is so amazingly polite around me because they know I have asthma. And usually it doesn't just hover around my head because they have decent ventilation units in bars around here.

[seattlejo.livejournal.com]

Whats the restaruant?

I don't think the smoking thing is right, but then I am looking forward to going to the Karaoke bar and not smelling like an ashtray afterwards

[susandennis]

J&M Cafe

[gissa.livejournal.com]

Yay for your friend! She'll land back on her feet while the old place suffers even if they'd never admit it to her in a zillion years.

Cool that your mom can save with the online purchasing of her drugs. Here, its all about socialized medicine. Out of pocket prescription costs are capped at $190 for the year.

Hmmm. Smoking is forbidden in public places here too. But people seem not to even smoke in their own apartments. I see them all the time going out even in the dead of winter. I have yet to walk in a smoking friends' place and smell the aftereffects.

[susandennis]

They aren't opening up the application process for the drug thing until November 15 and if it's anything like the explaination they offer, it might well be easier just to move her to Sweeden! Stay tuned.