Good-bye Lucy. Hello Chupacabra

Today was Lucy (the administrative assistant who is keeping us semi-sane at work)'s going away lunch. Needless to say, we're all happy that she's moving up the ladder to a better paying clerical job. However, we are also sad and worried because taking over for her is the dreaded Chupacabra.

No, Lucy is not being replaced by this. Rather, Chupacabra is the name I've chosen for the four feet of bad attitude that is now sitting at Lucy's desk. And like the creature, this individual can be both irritating and unpredictable, though I haven't heard any reports of her destroying livestock. Still, it's not a good day here.

There's also another event that troubles me here at work, but I've been told to keep my trap shut by people way up the chain of command. As soon as it becomes public, I'll report it here. But I'm concerned about this incident and what it says about this place where I work and the community that surrounds it.

But on to happier topics:

Drink Man is continuing his recovery, almost to the point of irritation, as he seems to make constant reference to the accident and how he's making all sorts of changes in his life. His truck was totaled, but the insurance is paying it almost completely off, so he'll be able to bounce back from this in short order with hardly any financial strains. There's still his court date, but given his seemingly teflon nature, I'm sure he'll skate clear of that, too. I don't wish him ill, but I almost wish that something would hit him and stick, so that he'd have a reminder of this event to reinforce the need for him to maintain the changes about which he's currently excited. Sooner or later he's going to get bored with the "new" life, and be tempted to return to his partying, womanizing ways. Then all hell's going to break loose.

'til then, One Ring and I will probably be watching and waiting.

In other news, Pooh called One Ring last night. Seems she's planning a trip out here to get some much needed study time / respite from her work. You might recall from an earlier post that Pooh had given thought to getting a tattoo. Well, I jokingly suggested that when she comes out in late August, we head out to a local shop and get some ink together. One Ring exclaimed, "You don't have a bare place to put it!" She pointed to my arm to prove her point.

Sigh.

Well, I'm not going to let a little thing like fur prevent me from being utterly foolish and a possible embarrassment to friends and family! Rest assured that I will be providing updates and pictures should this quasi-plan come to fruition.

Drink Man took a similarly dim view of my plan. "You're pushing 40!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah," said I. "And I know a woman in her 60s who just got a tat done not too long ago. What's your point?"

He asked me what I was going to put on, and I said, "Religious symbol, probably."

"But you're not religious!"

"Okay, fine. Some spirituality symbol, then!"

"What some upside down Ozzy Osbourne cross?"

"Uhm, dude. That would be an upright cross ..."

You can see how deep our conversations get at work most days. In case you're interested. This is the symbol that so far is leading the pack:

It's the Dharma Wheel, and is one of the most basic of Buddhist symbols, representing discipline (the hub of the wheel), mindfulness (the rim of the wheel), and The Eightfold Path (the spokes of the wheel).

As far as symbols go, it's pretty important in my life right now, which is why I'm considering it as a tattoo, as opposed to these (warning: some images are not safe for work)! I've spent some spare time today wondering what people are thinking when they pick a design or choose an artist to do the work. I mean seriously, did they even look at the artist's previous designs before shelling out the cash for something that will last until the day they die? Scary stuff. Which is why I'm thinking of going with something simple, yet filled with meaning. And if my views change over time, I can always tell people that it's supposed to be the wheel of a pirate ship or something!

Okay, the doctor just left, which means that I am absolutely doing nothing for the next 35 minutes. Huzzah!