So, I will be his little assistant. Let’s hope nobody asks if I’m pregnant this time.

We had a Secret Santa gift exchange also.

I really didn’t want to go. I really just wanted to get off early and go home. Yet, I had to go because I already “RSVP” to the tattle tale lady who I had also bought a gift for.

I was dreading this also because I am so shy and get nervous in situations like that.

So we were meeting at this restuarant Maggianos.

You know it was really, really nice! Not even miserable a little bit!!!

There were 5 different tables in a room that was all decorated and pretty.

The food was absolutely AMAZING! AMAZING! Every single thing we ate was so freaking delicious and I don’t think I’ve eaten food that was THAT good, well EVER.

Here’s what we had…and it was all family style.

APPETIZERS

Crispy Zucchini Fritte
Strips of zucchini hand battered and fried, served with a zesty lemon aioli cream sauce.

The lemon aioli cream sauce was to die for!!! The zucchini was in super long strips and fried to where it was light and crispy.

Mushroom Ravioli al Forno
Ravioli stuffed with mushrooms, marsala wine, parmesan cheese and baked with alfredo sauce until golden brown.

Fabulous! Ravioli stuffed with the most amazing mushrooms!

DINNER

Angel Hair, Coach Joey Z’s Pomodoro Sauce
Angel hair pasta served with a chunky plum tomato sauce with roasted garlic, white wine and fresh basil.

This was tasty! I love angel hair!

Lasagna, Our Special Recipe, Meat or Marinara Sauce
Whipped ricotta cheese layered with pasta sheets, crumbled meatballs, Italian sausage and marinara sauce. Topped with provolone cheese and your choice of our meat or marinara sauce.

I’m not a huge fan of lasagna unless I make it, but this was very good!!!

Chicken Scaloppine, Marsala Style
Chicken breasts sautéed with marsala wine, veal sauce, mushrooms, onions and basil.

This was amazing!!! Loved it!

Salmon, Lemon & Herbs
Filet of Salmon sauteed with fresh herbs and spinach; served with a light lemon sauce.

Oh my god!!! The salmon was the best thing EVER! It was so delicious!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes mashed to perfection with heavy cream and roasted garlic.

These weren’t all that great. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t creamy enough. More like if you squeezed the inside of a french fry out into a bowl and added garlic.

Fresh Asparagus
Asparagus sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

This wasn’t cooked enough for my tastes. They were a ittle to crunchy for me.

DESSERT

Tiramisu
Ladyfinger cookies soaked in espresso and coffee liquer layered with mascarpone cheese;dusted with cocoa powder and served with chocolate

I am not a huge tiramisu fan. I would never order it for myself but don’t mind a few bites, but this tiramisu was absolutely amazing. I would order this one if they I didn’t try this…

Apple Crostada, Caramel Sauce
Warm apple filling of Granny Smith apples, sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, baked in a pastry crust dipped in cream and crystallized suar. Served with caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Garnished with mint.

Literally the most amazing dessert I’ve ever had! The crystallized sugar was crunchy and the filling with the ice cream. Orgasmic!

Then we also had cesear salad and a garden salad both good!

I have to go back there again sometime!

Then they raffled off the center pieces which were a pretty flower arrangement. I won one of them!

Then we all got gift cards to Vons. I got $50! That was nice, since I’ve only been there for 3 months.

Then we did the gift exchange. I got tattle tale lady this… with her name engraved on it. Although they did a shitty job engraving her name on it and it wasn’t centered and was really small. I was irritated at that, but I just picked it up last night and couldn’t really do anything about it. She seemed to really like it, and all the women at my table were like  “Oh pick me next year!” HaHa! 

So then I got my gift, and let me be totally ungrateful for a second.

After we picked names for the secret santa, I got an email from the girl that had everyone pick names. She said my secret santa wanted to know what I liked/wanted. So I made a little list of things the could get me that I would like.

I put on my list:

• The Notebook DVD
• The Family Stone DVD
• Bath & Body Works Country Apple lotion and spray.
• A gift card to Michael’s & Joann’s.
• A gift card to Outback Steak House

Simple no?

So, I got a gift set of Au Lait Bath stuff and lotions. I think it totally smells BAD! It’s a smell that I wouldn’t wear because like the Cotton spray from bath and body works that I used a couple weeks ago would drive me insane, and not in a good way. It kinda has that same scent to be honest with you.

So, I was a little bummed. I mean I gave you a list of very specific things. Spelled out for you all well within the budget of $20-25 like we were to spend. I mean just stop by Michael’s and get me a gift card for $20 and I would have been stoked.

I guess because if I would have gotten that list I would have gotten something on the list knowing that is what the person would want and would use and enjoy. Or if I was going to totally stray I would have gotten something else that was more thoughtout and not something that smells, because who knows if that person would like that. Hence the reason I gave a scent for the bath & body works…and didn’t just say whatever lotion/spray at bath & body works.

Oh well. I thought I was safe, but apparently I wasn’t. Now the kids have some stinky bath stuff & lotion.

Okay enough being ungrateful. It was a totally pleasant end of the day though.

At the office I work at there are 9 sales reps. Who I sit in the same area with. I fax all their stuff, direct their calls, give them their faxes.  

So once a month they have a sales meeting for an hour and a half. The meeting starts when I am “told” to take my lunch break at 11:30 am. The lunchtime is a whole other story. Who takes lunch at 11:30 AM??? Anyway. On these days they have the meetings they order lunch. I am told I have to take my lunch at noon. Do they order me lunch? No.

I personally think that is rude. I work with them. No I am not a sales rep, and I get paid shit…I still do things that are productive for them to do their work in a timely manner. Not only that, but my lunch is getting switched without a care in the world about how I feel. I think they should buy me lunch.  

At every escrow company I worked at, they brought lunch in once a month from a restaurant or had it catered. I was always included in this.

Also I’ve never worked at a place where they tell you what time you have to go to lunch. I mean 11:30? I used to take my lunch at 2. Why so I could get most of my day over with in the first stretch. I’ve always been given an option…like “I’d prefer if you had your lunch between 12 & 1” Never you go at 11:30, unless we have something we need to do, then I will change it because what you do should revolve around us. You are a piece of shit, and nobody respects you. You eat when I tell you to.  

Plus it’s like when I want to take an hour lunch…I have to go at 12 when everyone else. So I never have the same lunch.

So that combined with money worries, I’ve been crying off and on all morning. I hate this place so much. I wish I could just be a stay at home mom again. I’d give anything to have that and not have to work for nothing, and be treated like you are nothing more then a slave…and a dump of all the things nobody wants to do.   The worst job ever.

Let’s all say them together, shall we…

Ste-pha-nie ~ Jen-ni-fer

Hmmm, they sound different to me. Not even close to the same sound. Maybe he was picking up on the fact that when I was a child I wanted my name to be Jennifer because I had like 57 friends with the name.

What do you buy for a 50 something year old woman, at work whom you don’t know, nor care for much???

I’m totally not the type to correct people on calling me the wrong name either. I hear it and let it go, because I guess I don’t really care that much to keep talking to them to correct them & also I don’t like making people feel like idiots. Go figure!

Well we are having a Christmas luncheon for work at a restuarant and are doing a secret santa gift exchange. I guess everyone got their name put into a bowl and someone walked around and everyone picked a name. Who did I get? Oh I got the one and only person I absolutly cannot stand. The tattle tale lady who has told on me no less then like 15 times since I’ve worked there, and told my manager there was tension between us, when I’ve been nothing but nice to her. How lucky am I? The best part is I have no idea what this lady would want! I was thinking about getting her a big chunk of cheese to go with her whine! If I knew she drank wine I’d get her a nice baket with wine and cheese. A nice little tongue in cheek gift. I’m lost though. I don’t know.

THEN!!!

Jeremy’s little family christmas get together that I talked about a week or so ago that I was not going to attend. Well apparently his sister called him and told him that she was buying for me, he has to buy for her, and I get to buy for……..

HIS DAD!!!!!!!!

HaHaHaHa! God hates me!

It’s cool I am included this time, and I guess that means I have to go. HaHa! Jeremy told me tonight he asked his Dad what he wants for Christmas, and he said a Starbucks Gift Card. So Jer said I could just get him that for Christmas. Phew!!

Now to buy for whiney, tattle-tale, annoying as hell lady at work. Ack! Think a swift kick in the ass will do? Maybe I should buy her a blow up doll that she can talk to at work, so I don’t have to listen to her talk to me about all the shit I could careless about. I mean because there is so much tension between us and all. It’s obvious by how she approaches me all the time to talk about her stupid life.

When I moved Jeremy told me to toss my fake one and we’d buy a better one at Christmas time, but I wanted real. I wanted that smell. So I got it.

We priced the trees at a lot and then at Target. The price at Target is cut in HALF!!! So I got my 7 ft. Noble Fir for $42 and some change. Then the kid at Target put on our stand while we were there…hmmm….wierd. So we get home and our tree is completely tilting to the side. It was ridiculous. I mean if your going to go through the trouble of sawing the stump and getting the stand on there. Do a good job. Plus, the LAST thing I want is to get home and have to have Jeremy do anything like sawing off the stump to be even, and getting the stand on even. Jeremy tends to get really pissy while he is doing stuff like that. HaHa! Plus Chase talking to him. So you know when your frusterated and then you have a kids asking you 1001 questions. HaHa! I had to let Chase in on my little secret. When Jeremy is doing something like that, stay out of his way, don’t talk to him, and if he asks for help…be fast. HaHa!!!

Man, the funniest thing happened at work a bit ago. I answer the phone and this happened.

 HER: Pete-za Man