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~my loving mother....~

~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......

~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..

~my latest complaint w/ my esteemed PhD~

are you kidding me?

first, i complete the ADDITIONAL requirements ( at the last minute announcement, mind you), then I send a note explaining my views,concerns & opines regarding this new hoop, & then to add the icing to this mud cake of a process Capella seems to have created..... I go back into the additional courseroom to check if I have any further information to read? & THAT POSTING HAS MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED!?!

yeah...why not....its only my financial aide money...its only what I depend on to buy groceries, pay my light bill, put gas in my car so I can continue this uber frustrating process I started almost 5 yrs ago.

but wait!~ theres more.....

I decide to call Capella Support to calm my fears regarding this whole process....& what does the robot phone system lady tell me (which btw? to my surprise is working today...) "sorry, call back later....all learner support is on a team building event!?!?!?

R u kidding me?...no one there to answer the phones?

well..I shouldnt be surprised, there were no emails telling me this term I was enrolled...I had to call to find out. There was NO call back to even acknowledge my mssg or internal email communication yesterday....& today...NO ONE to talk to....

thanx.....I feel SOOOO valued as a Capella learner.

& yes ...I know this note is rather caustic......so be it. They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease....lets see if the old adage is true....

your "was really happy to refer people to capella learner.....now...not so enthusiastic about this whole thing...." PhD learner....

minta

~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~

~I say...& u think~

Been a long weekend....
got all the latest PhD docs submitted to all the different Dr's that needed them....
tomrw i will f/u w/ the local indian health services to see if my study will be approved.....
so...
please cross your fingers, toes...any other appendages that will help =)

I also had an over-the-internets disagreement w/ that arrogant crunchy granola chick in canada who linked my pic from flickr to her diatribe on "good equipment does not a good photographer make"....
what a loon....
(of course she didnt word that analogy as creatively as i.... )
but then, according to her, i must have a better word processor...
because it wouldnt be my intelligence that would allow that .....?!? ~ OY~

I also got rid of the couch that i replaced =)
...a nice young couple wanted it...so ...much better than just going to a landfill....
even if they only use it for porch sitting...or out in the garage.

Stu-beans got a dog....
i'll write more when i get home ...
after i process the pics i took of him this afternoon......
what a sweet dog!....an australian cattle heeler....
or something like that....
he is beautiful....
& yes...i said ...when i get home.....
where am i? u ask...at 10 pm on a sunday nite?....
well....i came into the office to clean the puter of all docs that could be personal....
all internet links that would be mine....
printed off copies of the evil emails from the prick i wrote about the other day....
& basically cleaned off my desk...

just.in.case.

u know....in case monday brings unemployment after my pissy phone call the other day.
I think we (the prick, his boss...& i)
will be sitting down in the am to hash things out....
send good juju that i dont lose it....& stand my ground....
k?.... =)

OK...now....
u know the game.....answers are in the comments..... chat at cha later....

Gossipping ::
Misplaced ::
Spaceship ::
Ignore ::
Bodily ::
Tweezers ::
Goodnight ::
Curls ::
Faucet ::
Right? ::

~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...~

~guess which holiday cliche' i did~

i did something monday =)
can't wait to share
very holiday activity cliche' oriented
can u guess?
i'm giddy w/ excitement.....
soooooo want to share.....
but won't.... =)
for now............

~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...

~escapism~

its been quite the week...
i feel as if a small portion of ME got sucked out...
slowly....
almost didnt notice...
until i assessed my lack of 'zaniness"...
my lack of smartass-ness....
& measured it against my "want to crawl into bed & escape" levels....

i'm at that 'pulled in different directions' spot again....

u know the place.....
its at the crossroads of
"want to crank the tunes, dance & create art"
&
"must be responsible adult, play nice, & make money to support your creative habits"......

I hate standing in those crossroads.....

I'm so much better at being
'suffering artist'.....
'creative nite-owl'...
"crazy neighbor lady w/ all the animals who seems to be having an affair w/ her USP guy'.....

i sit here all day......
playing corporate mouse in the cubical maze....
thinking of all the pictures i could take....
how to set them...
the subjects...
the colours....
the mood.....
the message
the hidden story....

but then when i get my nite pass to leave the maze.....
i forget them....or am tooo tired to get them....or the sun has disappeared...... =(

oh...well...
got another meeting....
to go over another report....
a survey this time...
that i created...
to pick the brains of my pilot testers...wheeeeeee!~
it will be interesting to see the level of responses from the other mice.....

maybe i should add cheese to it when i send it out?.........

~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.....

~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.....

~.....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 =)

~questions~

1. r u serious?...lady...i was standing at the sink in the washroom...rinsing my contacts....u DID NOT just waltz out of the stall ...after flushing....& make a beeline for the door?!?!.....good god woman....we are at work!.....u are disgusting!.....((note to self....always use paper towel on handles in all areas of building......))
   
   
2. what is it about two people walking towards each other who do not work together side by side...but perhaps pass each other in the building.....((which houses 1000's of people thru-out the day)) ....that can not....must not...WILL NOT make eye contact.....or say hi.....!?!?...am i the odd-ball here?..have i been out of the workforce too long this last hiatus?......jeezychreezy......its a simple acknowledgement... a simple nod, a simple smile, god forbid we take it up a notch & actually say HI!?!? .....fuckers
   
   
3. what corporate organization that functions on a 24 hour basis ((IT industry)) has a cafeteria (shitty, dead-animal based, at that)) that closes at 1:30 in the afternoon?!?!.....i had to practically beg the sweet little Hispanic guy behind the deli to give me a scoop of egg salad......& a slice of cheddar cheese......then i thought i would get adventurous?....& bought the homemade ...ranch kettle chips?!?..um yeah....MISTAKE......i wouldn't care about the cafe closing at 1:30 if it weren't such a pain in the ass to go down there floors ...across the parking lot.....drive out of the gate secured campus.....go get lunch ....& make the trek back to my desk on the third floor (( in 100+ degree'd weather soon)).....
   
   
4. Y does my dog KorKor make it her personal mission in life to chew every pen possible that she can get a hold of?......she has even figured out that there is a plethora of them on the desk .....so when momma is at work?! pen par-TAY!.... ordered new pens from staples last nite.....& will now need to put the pen-bucket up on the bookshelf......gotta luv a smart dog...i think she secretly wants some 'ink' on that pearly white bod of hers......
   
   
5. ok...not sure if you all in other parts of the country have this issue......Pixie & veritably bare can prolly relate since they live in southern states......but ....people! ..this is a corporate ((really nice, newly built)) building ......if you come from a country, home. neighborhood, or upbringing that required (s) you to place your toilet paper not in the toilet .....due to poor plumbing issues......that DOES NOT mean it is necessary to just throw it on the ground below the toilets here !?!?....R U KIDDING ME!...come on!......GROSS!.....
   

~ok....got that out of my system..WHEW!.thanx for listening...tomrw is FRIDAY!! toodles...~

~whew~

ok
lots of stuff swimming in the doc2b's noggin...
will try to stay linear as i explain...
but it is saturday...therefore not required...
but i will try...

monday I had a WONDERFUL conversation w/someone who has become a new 'friend'.....
but was previously a tenured "aware of each-other" guy ...
in other words.....
when i was in 7th grade...he was in 8th...lol...
he would tease me in school & brought his friend along (as the wingman) to deal w/ me when he wanted to get into my 'easier' girlfriends panties at 'willow wood park' ...
i am not even sure what brought about our exchanging emails...& now phone calls....
but we have been 'talking' for about a yr or so....
i guess to sum the whole experience up?
there are nice guys out there...
good fathers....
the only problem?....
i can't find one here in az...
u see Thom is still back in the midwest...
where people tend to still have that 'real people' mindset...
u follow me?....

which brings me to TH's nite experience...
which i am still mulling over....
i participated in a live streaming ustream TV chat...
& i although i didn't mean to ....i managed to monopolize the conversation...
HUSH...
i know u're not surprised.....

anywho.....
i asked the men in the conversation questions about the type of women they prefer...,
i asked how they felt about smart girls....girls who own their own home....who have jobs, goals, responsibilities...etc....((get where i was going ?))
yeah....i was asking for myself....
w/out explaining the whole thing....
& no.....
i did not get any real answers....nor did i leave that feeling any better about myself....my situation...my future lovelife possibilities....
they actually confirmed my fears w/out even realizing it.....
they made fun of my braininess......my IQ....
ribbed me for talking about my failure of two marriages...& brought it all down to sex ...
big surprise again...
of course they wanted to see pics....lol
because they could not fathom talking about the situation w/out deciding on their own if they would 'hit that'.....
losers.....
i left that conversation more confused about it all than before it started......
niiiice.....

first week at work was just that...
still getting settled in....
good to see familiar faces...
HATE getting up in the am...
can not get my ass to bed at a reasonable hour....
babies are all adjusting to momma being gone all day....
thankful that i am only 10 minutes away...
& can go home for lunch each day to get a snuggle & let them out to go potty....
i am, however, really enjoying getting a paycheck again....=)

this week has been HELL for my allergies...
itchy eyes.....
sneezing, sneezing & more sneezing....feeling wiped out from trying zyrtec ....
decided on claritin instead...

i have not had any real time to get any foto-fun in....
that saddens me....
as i still have a couple rolls to finish in the lomo fish-eye...
& want to get a good day in focusing just on the hasselblad.....
perhaps tmrw?....

i did manage to order & install a wacom editing tablet...
NO MORE MOUSE editing pain!
ever try to edit a layer off cactus spines?...um yeah...
can we say carpel tunnel?...
the additional bene to getting the wacom....
is the opportunity i had (& took) to order PS CS3 for over 1/2 off .....
(also a gr8 writeoff for next yrs taxes for the bus)

i installed it last nite...
& although i anticipate a steep learning curve?...
i am soooo looking forward to it.....

i paid bills today....
& am waiting anxiously (another 2 wks or so)
for my school funds to show....
i can pay some big chunks on some outstanding bills...
& it will feel really good to have those paid....

getting closer to ordering the D300 & all her accessories....
she has an additional 300.00 rebate currently .....
& of course all the bells/ whistles i want are 'currently instock'....
u have NO idea the amount of control i have exhibited this last week .....
it has been painful to not hit that 'order' button.....
even more painful because my new amex bus plat card is 0% interest thru the end of the yr!.......
any bets on how long i hold out?...........=)

i anticipate depositing my next reservation funds check right back into the savings accts....
both for the house & my health savings.....
i burned thru both while i was off...

ok....i really must get to my list of to-do's around here.....& get some shite done so maybe i can play tomrw....
toodles poodles....