With all the other medical advances in the world, I am unsure of how cough medicine can still taste so gross. Why is it not available in capsule format?!?!?

I developed some sort of hacking cough where I sound like a monster for a few minutes. It's actually not that bad because the rest of my body pretty much feels okay, except when I cough really hard and get dizzy. My nose is slightly stuffed, but as colds go, this one is a baby. I haven't been sick since I started WW in 11/2005, so I am feeling pretty good about my health.

Because I didn't think my coworkers would have enjoyed my barking-style cough, I decided to stay at home today because I knew there was nothing pressing at work. I commend myself, because I was going to go to work, but then realized it would be stupid to infect my coworkers. I recalled all the signs in Spanish on the bus and the metro to stay home when you're sick for that very reason. I was okay with it.

I ended up sleeping in and then went to three Verizon stores where I got all conflicting information about upgrading my phone. It turns out that on a family plan, the primary line (which is my mom's), gets a $50 credit and the other line (me), only gets the 2 year pricing. Since my mom didn't want a new phone, she let me take her $50 credit. Here is a sequence of events that explains the incompetence of Verizon employees (who I am now convinced are all high school dropouts with acrylic nails and tattoos):
1) Go to the store and reluctantly decide to get the Razr, get home, hand-transfer all my contacts but the speakerphone is broken.
2) Go to another Verizon Store and try to exchange the Razr, but they try to charge me $50 and make me do a mail-in-rebate when the other store just gave the rebate to me up-front. Um, I AM NOT PAYING $50 FOR A PHONE I ALREADY OWN FREE AND CLEAR!
3) Decide to get a different phone (as in, NOT the Razr) that is the same price. Again, they try to charge me the $50. Bite me.
4) I sign a new 2-year-contract making COMPLETE sure that the only line that is extended is mine and not my mom's. Nope, when I got home and checked online, they extended her line and not mine.
5) I call my mom from my new phone and her number shows up on the caller ID. They put her phone number on my new phone. By now I am pissed and walk back to the Verizon store one last time, where they proceed to give me a survey asking about their service (a fun-sized Hershey Bar is attached). Do they really want me to fill this out?!?!?

I still have to go back to Verizon and make them fix the whole contract situation, as three, yes THREE employees confirmed to me that my mom's contract status would not changed when I used her credit and got a new phone. GOOD LORD THIS WAS SO ANNOYING.

I realize that ranting was a bit much, but thanks for listening. I already feel better! Too bad Verizon is the only company with tunnel service in the metro. Ugh!

On a better note, I have been scavenging online for a pair of brown casual tennies from my favorite brand, Tsubo. People, these are the most comfy brand of shoes I've owned in my life. I finally found some brown ones I wanted for free shipping and no tax, HOLLA. Now, I really want these ones. Go, go fiscal restraint.

At least the sick day ended on a somewhat happy consumer note...

Typical...

Janai: "I'll call you later. Our client is taking us out for drinks."
Me: "Again?"
Janai: "Yep, we're going to Chadwicks."
Me: "I work in the wrong sector."

The semester rolls on. Last week it was busy at work primarily becuase of all the congressional requests for tax data in regards to the economic stimulus plan. If I have to try to explain tax law to IRS Media Relations to, in turn, explain it to the Wall Street Journal, I will shoot myself. Seriously. Reporters tend to be assholes, and I'm a bit tired of dealing with them.

This weekend was the four day weekend I haven't been waiting for, primarily because I had class all day Friday-Sunday. At least today was a Federal holiday, so there was nothing planned on my agenda. Days like this are priceless. I made the rest of my weekend really jam packed just so I could have most of the day off. I still had a bit of reading and homework to do, but it wasn't too bad. Janai and I went for a late-night drink at Chadwick's last night and then we went out for breakfast this morning. The only problem was that I didn't want to have any alcohol last night, so I drank circa 6 glasses of Diet Coke at 1am. Not a smart idea, people. I didn't fall asleep until 6am, or something equally as ridiculous. Hence, the four hour nap in the middle of the day today (who is complaining, though? not me!).

My feelings about the current state of my relationship with Janai are about to erupt because of our ambiguity and my general confusion and, admitedly, relationship novice-ness. Props to Yer and Gups for listening to this drama. A conversation will be had in the near future. I'm obviously not looking forward to this, but as Yer pointed out, adult relationships require adult communication. I should have realized this sooner especially since so much of my academic work is about fostering effective relationships, colleague, or personal. Lesson here: relationships, defined or not, are hard, and it is not only me that thinks so.

I am now working out 5 times a week, which I feel is a mammoth effort considering my schedule. I am proud of it, but the perpectual soreness is starting to catch up to me, and it is not reaping me any benefits in terms of weight-loss. I'm not sure why since I've been a regular exerciser for over a year now, but I guess only time will tell. Exercise is important; crucial really, so I'm not going to try to talk myself out of it.

The week starts on Tuesday, which is nice because after class tomorrow, I have the rest of the weeknights free to start formulating my thoughts on my big paper for the semester. Janai leaves for NYC (again) tomorrow, so hopefully he will be back sometime before Friday. I think Federal employement is starting to stick to me, becuase he works crazy hours which I think is ridiculous. I better get out of that mindset, because I don't see myself as a fed forever...

That's all I got, but I do have one final "prop" for the state of Maryland for getting my refund in 3 days. In a bureaucrazy, that is UNHEARD OF! =)

Wow, for a Monday it was quite a productive day. I not only did my taxes on the first day the IRS would accept them (holla back education credit!), I also did my renewal FAFSA. Let me just say, good lord, I will be happy to never do a stupid FAFSA again in all of my life. I will not be taking out any more loans (wow, DOUBLE HOLLA), so maybe I didn't even need to fill it out, but whatever, I did. At least I can feel happy about it. Finally, to top of the productivity-fest, I dropped off my India ring to get resized. It is so big it falls off my hands now, so instead of losing it, I thought I would resize it, even though I've now spent more money repairing the ring then it actually cost. Oh well.

Props to Carey Ma for turning me on to the new Kate Nash CD, Made of Bricks, because I am really loving it. Every day I work out, I really like listening to it because the sad songs are at the end and I can just listen to the punky happy ones. Coupled with the fact that I downloaded some Snoop yesterday (who admits that?), my workouts are great.

Speaking of workouts, I've amped mine up to 5 days per week. The only problem is that I am now actually gaining weight, KYA? I am annoyed but hopefully this is just a phase. Tomorrow is a day for class, which really sucks, but at least I get to wear my new rainboots.

Off to read about the United Nations (again).

New month, new post.

Tomorrow begins the first of four times this semester I have weekend class. I am pretty excited and think the class will be good, but that doesn't change the fact that I have to wake up on my weekend to go to school the entire day. Luckily, I have a dinner party with the gals at the illustrious 10th & M Apartment to look forward to!

Today was my Friday off (remember, I have every other Friday off!), which was good because I went out with Janai last night to Fado to listen to Irish music. The poor bloke (ha!) Janai had to work until like 8, so that sucked for him, and left me wandering downtown for two hours (annoying). Still, I had some delicious mini-burgers and listened to a good fiddler, a really good bagpiper, and a mediocre singer. I am hoping for a cover band next time. When I was at Fado in December, they had an Irish cover band that played "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers. Gotta love it!

I am trying to get myself mentally prepared for this semester. It is hard. We've already been in class three weeks, and I'm getting my work done, but I can already feel the projects getting piled on. I have a 25 page paper and two final exams due in the same week in April. SUCKY.

In my endless attempts to plot the course of my life, which at the moment seems to be a bit map-less, I keep thinking about Janai. The thing is, he is talking aboout travelling for an entire year, so I keep thinking, "where does this leave me?". In all honesty, I'm not sure he will even be able to travel that long, but he also once mentioned moving back to Britian for a short while, so I just don't really know how to respond to this. I am feeling the much, MUCH dreaded "What are we?" conversation that I really, REALLY don't want to have. I have to say, though, it stings a little everytime he says this stuff (even though I have a feeling he will be here for some time). Enough about this source of annoyance. What is important, now, is that I love spending time with him, he makes me happy, and a part of me seems to be a bit more whole than before.

I just finished ironing for 1 hour. At least I don't have to do it often, but I think ironing is a chore I would love to have outsourced. At least I was productive on my day off; I finished my reading for class, went to the grocery store, did laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and ironed. Yes!

I finally broke down and bought Imogen Heap's 1998 album I Megaphone. Even thought it is a slightly less seasoned Heap, it still is a great album thus far. I am starving for her her album, which will hopefully be out sooner rather than later. Five for Fighting, one of my other favorite artists has also not had a CD released since 2005, same for Tracy Chapman. I AM READY FOR NEW MUSIC!