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~be prepared to faint from the cuteness!~

~up ...up...& away~

~up ...up...& away~
Originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~

this past fri sat...
Jeanne & i loaded mitsy up ((as if we were going for a week...but i digress))...
& drove 1400 miles round trip ....(4 hours on the way back in sideways pouring rain))....

to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque......

because the weather canceled the Saturday eve glow session i wished we had an opportunity to stay another day....

but.....i'll take what i get...
it was a wonderful day nonetheless....
the morning mass ascension was something everyone should get the chance to experience.......

approx 700 balloons took off within a few hours time....

there were soooooooo many people.....
beautiful people too...
i still cannot put my finger on it without sounding mean to those who live in phx...

but ....there was an air of creativity....
a comfortableness in differences among those who were at the fiesta.
now...that could be attributed to type of event it was....
perhaps balloons attract creative, colourful attractive people?

regardless.....i enjoyed it....=)
pretty balloons...
pretty people.....

there u have it......come on over to my flickr site to see lots more balloons......

~9118:YIP~...we must never forget~

~9118:YIP~...we must never forget~
Originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~

It was 7:10 am, I was finishing my 12 hour nite shift. I was on the phone with our NY office, discussing the details of a batch job running on one of our servers. She put me on hold to verify some code info......and I was casually watching the big screen monitor mounted high on the wall a few cubicle isles over.

CNN was showing a plane flying into to first tower. I was still on hold. As I stood up to have someone across the way turn up the volume.......my cohort came back on the line. I'm not sure if I was all that calm when I told her I thought a plane just flew into her building. She said they heard a loud bang, but their supervisor was looking into it. She didnt believe me.

Why should she believe some programmer from AZ telling her a plane just flew into her building.

At that point, I think I told her the 2nd plane hit...f*ck what her boss was saying...everything was not okay...I was not making it up...I described the chaos we were witnessing on the tv...."use your sick time....vacation....just leave!" We hung up and I joined the crowd forming around the TV in silence.

I still wonder if she got out, or how her life changed forever on that day.

My shift ended.....the new crew was on their way into the building......some had been listening to the radio during their commute across the valley.......others were just learning.....some were crying.....others just stood in shock. One of my co-workers, who, on anyother day would be someone I would admire for his constant sunny disposition, walked by in tears trying to get thru to NY on his cell.

Today, if I were to hug him, as I did on 9-11, in the lobby of that fortune 500 org., we would both be advised on "inappropriate behavior in the workplace". How sad is that ?!?!

In the days that followed, when I wasnt glued to the set, crying, or wide awake having anxiety attacks into the night...........I made new friends at the grocery store, let people in line ahead of me-- no questions asked, hugged people with no hesitation, and vowed to be more in the moment.

How long did it take tho.....before people were back to: not acknowledging each other in line at the grocer, inching their cars forward because 'letting someone in' would delay them, re-establishing the unwritten rules of interaction in public, and operating on auto-pilot thru the day????

So.....what can I commit to....today?.....and each day after?

I can acknowledge "friends I haven't met yet".....allow people to cut in front of me in traffic, at the store,.....hug when I get the urge.......and be in the moment..................

What will you do?

~988:YIP~....more than 1 bat in da house this holloween

~988:YIP~....more than 1 bat in da house this holloween
Originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~

starting to get all the halloween decorations down from their hiding places....

some on display year -round..
cause thats how i roll....

i LUV this time of yr...
the changing of the weather..
the leaves...
filling the house w/ comfort food smells as i cook squash, rice, yams, soups....

found out this am the hammies are really curious about that black berry i dropped in there.....
which just so happens to be the size of their heads....lol

but ...not eating off it.....
the raspberry either?....finicky little critters.....their organic fruits too!~

u'd think they would just dive right into them....oh well...still learning.

nothing else much going on around here school, work wise.
i think i am starting to get stir crazy......
i really cant go out every day & play ....
take pics..
shop..
drive around...
cause that costs money....
but i have to go do SOMETHING.....


zoe seems ok today....
her injection spot over the weekend was all swollen...
to the point that i put an ice pack on her...
& it must've felt pretty good..
cause the little squirmer laid right down & went to sleep...
all upside down in my arms....

she had been giving me the major stink eye...
& hiding under the covers...
i found the spot when i went to put them out to potty...
& she yelped when i picked her off the bed....
poor thing....

this am tho?...chasing & barking at the backyard visitors...
still a little swollen ...
but seems to be getting back to normal...
whatever her "normal" is =)

ok..
must go get some shit done...
& maybe take the poopers for a walk...
its cooling off in the am around here....

later bitches..

~mom?.... what cha doin down there ?

~mom?.... what cha doin down there ?
Originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~

this is the zoester...
peering down on her strange mom...
i am on the floor at the vets ...
.
took the little one in for her checkup
& to get her paperwork filled out.

she is going to start the pet therapy program
@ the hospital...

cross your fingers she gets thru the certification ..
please
& thank u =)

i think she'll be a gr8 little lover & caregiver...
how can patients & staff not want to luv on her?

so....i just ( 5 mins ago) recovered from a minor
meltdown..

after doing an upgrade to my zone alarm ( antivirus/spyware)
this am before trying to get some sleep....
& the puter whigged...

the mouse wasnt being recognized....
so of course i blamed it on the upgrade...
tried to do a back out/ restore to the last checkpoint....( all the while using the keyboard for the commands....tried that lately?...yeah...frustrating to say the least))

& shut up heather...i know my geek is showing ...

anywho.....after about 2 hours of rebooting/ trying this...trying that..
new batteries all around...
i went & pulled out the previous keyboard and mouse ...
hooked it up..

& oui la =)

my apologies to the dogs for my sailor talk this nice am....

anywho....going to get something to drink....& go back to bed for a nap....

later bitches....

~HA!~....have to have money to spend it ...so i guess i am safe?~

Sagittarius Horoscope (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

Spending money when the Full Moon is in your 2nd House of Resources may not be the smartest thing to do because you are likely to be more emotionally attached to something that you want. Purchases now will probably be based more upon a whim than on need. You can avoid buyer's remorse by waiting a day or two before completing the deal.

More for Sagittarius: Weekly Love | Monthly Forecast | About Sagittarius

~it's official !~

mintasfotos.com is up up and away =)

please come on over , take a run thru the different menu items.....
& either email me from there.......
or come back her to share your comments, views & opines...

~WoOt wOoT~

~Happy FUTAB from the pups ~

~Happy FUTAB from the pups ~, originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~.

ok....i figured why this stupid quick shot that i took for FUTAB....
has been visited 685 times so far in two days.....

granted this bitch --> babyslime.livejournal.com/483304.html obviously has traffic going to her site....
but ....come on .....u're kidding right?

she used this picture in her example of what u can do when searching in flickr for pictures using tags...
she further went on to state that this pic was an example of "most recent" .....
& picked another as an example of "most interesting"....

her point? ...other than being an insulting bitch ...
was to state in comparison that its not the tool (i.e. my D300) that makes a photographer.....

well no shit ...isn't she the master at stating the obvious?......LOL
um.....hey.....care to take a look at the rest of my stuff?......& who the fuck is she to point fingers .......

get a f'in life......
oh...wait.....thanx for the traffic......i guess?....I am hoping some of her readers look beyond the egotistical rudeness that she spouts.....& take a look around w/out judgment.......why couldn't she send me a flickr note?..advising me ...asking me......

do i have to make this a f&f only to avoid people like her?.....unbelievable....

~5308~...settling into the couch for the nite~

originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~.

ok...beginning RANT~

so...in addition to aunt flo making me miserable yesterday...
the issue that is my 'psycho-c*ck-sucker, control-freak, insecure, ultra-conservative' PM & i finally came to verbal blows....
over the phone...me at home ...he ...i dont care where...
..
the same shite has been happening...
so i had my IT consulting firm rep call to find out what was up his a**.

in addition to the other micromanaging bullshite he spouted...
he mentioned to her that i have used company resources to play games
(stapler kidnapping & ppt w/ list of demands)....

back the f*ck up poindexter!~
i informed her of the truth....
I had shared the humor w/ him...that i had sent him a copy....
thinking we were bonding ....& he (for three weeks now ) has been holding this misconception against me...
what a f*ckin loser!~

i sent her the original email
(created on my home computer at 2 am from my gmail account)....
HA! company resources my ass .....
again....what.a.fu*kin loser!~
.
((ok...who am i kidding w/ the astericks....lol))
.
so at her suggestion to communicate ...
he sent me his list of "new work requirements"
in it... he included
" no work from home w/out his approval" ,
1 wk notification for ANY time off,
and the clincher?
...a daily "end of day" call
to TELL.HIM.WHAT.I.HAVE.ACCOMPLISHED.
yeah....jump off mofo.....
.
after my call to my rep....to blow steam...& get her consensus....
i did my daily call....
& i know u are all thinking...
"well....i am sure THAT went well?" HA!
um...yeah....NO!~i'll save u all the ridiculous details...
.
when i asked in writing for clarification of the 'new rules' he wrote: " thats what I need"
.
after i verbally asked for better clarification ...he answered " i dont owe you any explanation"
.
so ....me being me...pushed further....by asking ....ok David....do you want me to tell u when i pee?...when i eat something...what i am drinking for the day?..
lol
the prick hung up on me.....
yeah....real professional behavior there mr PM.....
.
so i called HIS boss at home..... =) explained what happened two wks ago when he YELLED at me in private coupled w/ what went down today was the equivalent of harassment. I further stated, that because i was scared of this guys rage towards me....& since no-one was going to be in the building on our team besides he and i on friday.....i would rather not be there......in essence... i was asking permission to take a personal day.....he concurred......said he would f/u w/ the prick friday & if necessary we would all sit down monday....

i then wrote the prick an email......advising that after speaking w/ his boss & my IT rep....it was decided best for me to take a personal day.....

long story short ....(if you're even still reading)
today was spent sleeping.....& wondering if i will have a job come monday.....
.
u know......at then base of all this shite is the fact that he doesn't respect me, believe that my actions are done w/ positive intent, & has formed incorrect negative opinions of my behavior, beliefs & work ethic.......people...life's to short....to put up w/ others who are as miserable as he is in their existence.....

i didn't go back into the work force to be unhappy....if i learned anything last yr ...during my time off....it was that life is too short to not be happy everyday.....i want to live my life joyfully...w/ passion....& not be around unkind people.....this might be turning point.....yet again..... =)

~&....SCENE!~

~ok...so this i what i did...~

~crazies are coming....so i baked nipple cookies?~

~crazies are coming....so i baked nipple cookies?~, originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~.

so...
when i say 'the crazies'..
i am not referring to any people in particular....
but rather...
aunt flo...

the bitch is obviously on her way into town...
cause...
i made what appears to be 'nipple cookies'???....

i have also...
vacuumed...
dusted...
swept...
filed...
balanced....
purged....
emptied...
washed...
laundered...
scrubbed...
scraped...
fluffed....
changed...
organized....
mailed....
paid....
displayed....
cuddled.
snuggled...
held...
kissed...
& cried at stupid commercials....

yeah....
uber-estrogen here....
time for a beer...

~testing my Buddhism~

somedays i need to step back...
& take another look...
@ the blessing that is my life....

not let little things...or people bother me so....
its their shit....

i had a SHIT day @ work today...
u think u know someone?...

then they go all jeckyl & hyde on your ass....
in this case....
because he didn't know my opinions & sharings during conversations in meetings is backed up w/ 14 yrs experience w/in the organization.....

couple:

the fact that he thought i was just a contractor who joined the team a month ago....

w/ his mngmnt style that borders on "i'm the male parent...u need to not ask questions & just do it little girl"....

& i am sure u can imagine my shock & "u've got to be f'in kidding me look on my face" .....

so...yeah....
the honey moon is over....
i've managed to piss off someone who feels hes my superior because hes the employee & I am a contractor .....
&
well...
chicks w/ nice racks shouldn't have brains ....or ask questions...or give opinions....

this too shall pass.....OM.....

~havin a private moment....~

~ yay~....its friday =) .......saturday i have the second in a series of 9? foto classes...
they are in tempe....
kinda a long haul ....
but for the price we (our shutterbugs group) got this guy at...
its worth it......
ok....gonna watch some tivo'd shite....& go to bed....
happy friday all .....play nice !~

~Yellow~

~538:YIP~...Yellow~, originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~.

well...
spring ....
is most definately here.....

this beauty was in my accountant's backyard.....

she called me to tell me the cactus was blooming in her front yard....
& after firing off a few of the cactus & the poppies....

we went into the backyard to see if any of the iris's were still foto-ready =)
this reminds me of my mom.....her fave colour is yellow.....

well....its 1 am ....
just did a couple loads of laundry....
caught up on some tivo'd stuff....
took the garbage out...
watched the 5 minutes of rain that fell ((practically a storm for phx))
checked the calendar for meetings tomrw....
& crawled into bed to write this =)

so....nite nite poodles....

~4298:yip~...safety~

~4298:yip~...safety~, originally uploaded by ~mintas.fotos~.

nite b4 last i blew the fuse for the dryer....
washing all the winter bedding.....
getting ready for summer....

& when i went out to the fuse box to see if i would be shopping for a new dryer.....
or if i had just blown a fuse....

i realized the box was accessible for anyone to peek inside.....

i could swear it used to have a lock on it?.....

because i live alone....
i do my best to protect myself ....
((i.e. ferocious dogs ((shush)), gun.....alarm system...))

but that's only useful if they get inside.....((god forbid))

so...today, i put a new lock on the box outside.....

i know this only slows them down....if they want in....they will find a way......

one can only hope to make it painful enough...
that they decide on another house .....

sad...but true.....

~so ...this dog walks into a bar......~

~.....now i have A LOT of learning to do...so GO~

~click on this toy-goodness foto to see it on flickr......i have added notes on each item =)

~my new fave work relief~

see more funny graphs

~ update time ~

new jobby...new window seat....new kicks....new speedy 'puter....=)

AZ Tattoo Convention....
this guy was getting an aztec design tattoo'd to the side of his head...OUCH!

New skull for the Dias de los Muertos celebration =) .....rest of the yr?....
on the piano...
sa-weeeet....