yes...just like "American Beauty"

remember what Kevin Spacey's co-worker says when Annette Bening and her lover pull forward to the drive thru window that they're manning? she says, "You are SO busted."

and that's how i feel about not blogging. of course, i usually only get going when the blog queen herself (aka, Nelle) busts me and either tags me with 'abandoned blog' or 'ZZZZZ.'

so, to the handful of readers who have just about given up on me ever blogging again, here goes...

nothing really new and exciting lately. some potential archaeological work in Virginia that we were hoping would come through...fell through. so, for the past three weeks, i've been helping out at PCL Construction (where Susie and Lois work) - mainly in the mail room and in accounting.

it's been interesting though. before this little temporary stint, i had never worked in a 'traditional' office setting. i was always either in field, a museum, or a restaurant. some of the odd things that go on in this office is full of poison. i tell ya, some people have way too much time on their hands... what i can't figure out is why the lame ones keep their jobs. there are a couple individuals who are just wasting space and should be fired on the spot; it would save SO much money. unfortunately, many are kept on because of their stellar ass-kissing skills. and that is one thing that i abhor, mind games in the workplace (or even in general). i refuse to kiss ass. there is way too much work to do instead of getting caught up in the gossipy personal affairs of other people. HEAD GAMES = TOTAL WASTE OF TIME. 'nuff said.

lemme see here...i think i have some more rants...just a sec

sigh. some of my colleagues are gathering in Chicago next week for the national anthropology meetings. yeah, Chicago is not the best place to gather, especially in November...but the conference is always in November or early December. i just wish that they would opt for a warm locale. the cycle for the last ten years has been:

1994: Atlanta
1995: Washington D.C.
1996: San Francisco
1997: D.C.
1998: Philadelphia
1999: Chicago
2000: San Fran
2001: D.C.
2002: New Orleans
2003: Chicago

these are all great cities...the wide array of gastronomic delights and the cool places to visit are downright amazing...BUT couldn't you have it in Phoenix, Miami, or even Houston? D.C. and Chicago every two or three years keep us one step away from defrosting completely between meetings. i will never forget the '95 meetings. we had just left a snowstorm in Denver...only to have it find us again in D.C., but with heavier snow and bone chilling humidity. we did get lucky in Philly though...the weather was an unseasonal 60's and 70's. unfortunately, i packed wool suits and thick sweaters :(

well, this year, i ain't goin'. i'm gonna miss my best friend, Antonio, who is Curator of Ethnography/Ceramics at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and my mentor, Ruben Mendoza, who teaches at Cal-State Monterey Bay. yeah, my boss is going too...so he can have some extra drinks for me.

i guess i really wasn't in the mood to buy a ticket to Chicago when fares were less than $200 (around Labor Day), so i blew it off. and even last week, when Delta had me drooling over a $79 (+ tax) fare sale that they had from Denver to Chicago - ROUND TRIP! of course, by the time i found out about it, all those seats were gone. perhaps, i wasn't meant to go this year. ah well. as a consolation, i'll be saving not only a fare, but an additional $600-$800 had i gone. it would be even better if a huge storm were to hit all those hapless anthropologists while the meetings were in full swing HEH.

some good things too...

tonight, as numerous other people, we stopped by our local Cub Foods, whose Going Out Of Business sale has prices slashed by 50%. it was a mad house! the parking lot was simply bulging at the seams. shopping carts were hard to come by. i had to run out and fetch one from the parking lot when we arrived. people were fighting over the greeting cards that are now 3 for $1. somehow, i didn't find 33-cent Passover, Halloween, and any stupid freakin' rhyming cards for all occasions, to be that shrewd of a buy. still, you should have seen the people who were just about pouncing on the half priced frozen turkeys LOL. it was like the entire poultry shortage of the century had culminated in the frozen food section of the Glendale Cub Foods. damn, people! there will be other turkeys to buy...don't you realize that Cub is selling everything at retail? half off is not ALL THAT.

still, we were caught up in the pandemonium. Susie and I were swooping down on the really good buys, like baking goods...ethnic spices...dog food...frozen dinners...and basic junk food. all in all, we nearly killed our poor cart...filled 15 bags past sensible capacity...and lightened our wallets by $133 for our booty. now, i just wanna know how long it's gonna take to eat all the stroganoffcerealpuddingbiscuitmixsoupfruitmeatloafbottledwateretc., especially when we probably didn't have enough space in the fridge or pantry in the first place.

ah well, Lois (and all other Texans) have a saying, " Having a full pantry is like having money in the bank. " too bad i'm only rich in Corned Beef Hash, eh? what does that get me? a bigger coronary? maybe a super sized embolism...