Chili, anyone?

I have so much to get off my chest right now that I am going to have to wait to title this thing until AFTER I've written it to see what all gets some spotlight this morning.  *sigh*

Let's travel back in time a few weeks.  Right after being informed I was going to day crew from night crew, I was also informed that I was being volun-told to sit on the Company Picnic Planning Committee (CPPC).  *insert eye rolling here*  I'm doing WHAT??  And I was promptly told that I was hand selected by my supervisor and blah, blah, blah.  Yeah, OK.  Hand selected?  Had nothing to do with Miss Overbearing having done it last year and wanting nothing to do with it this year, right?  Well, since I'm done listening to you blow smoke up my ass and have figured out that there is no way out of this crippling migraine of a chore, have a nice day you smug bastards.  SCOFF!!!   So, in the middle of dealing with the planning queen (the one who volunteered [is she crazy?!] to head up the circus) and all of her rants about the dunking booth and the picnic site and the dealings with...Zzzzzzzz.  Oh, sorry....  So, in the middle of having to deal with this CPPC crap, one day, The Smeller walks into my office, plops himself down in the chair in front of my desk {note to self:  remove that stupid chair!!!} and starts running his head about a "Chili Cook Off". 

A Chili Cook Off?  Really?  I'm in the middle of trying to do the minimal possible while dealing with Little Miss Planner who is really getting on my nerves with her crap...and you want me to plan a CHILI FREAKING COOK OFF?!!  Are you MAD?  I promptly proceeded to lean over my desk and slap the shit out of him  tell him that I was busy with the CPPC junk and that I would not even entertain the thought of a Chili Cook Off until the next month (which is this month).  Wouldn't you know that bright and effin early on the first of the month (which was Tuesday of last week) he was sitting in that chair (that desperately needs to be removed from my office) again?  Chili Cook Off this and we (translating into me) can make a flyer that...  When I hear "Cook Off" I think competition.  Why can't we have a Chili Pot Luck where everyone brings a crock pot of their version of chili and we all get to taste something new?  Why does there have to be a competition?!!  I KNOW MY CHILI IS BETTER BECAUSE YOU PUT ROTEL TOMATOES IN YOURS!!!!!!!!  I don't have to have a "judge" tell me that!  So, the flyer came out (no, I had no part in it) and whose name is on there as another chili provider?  Mine.  Great...

I was not at work yesterday.  Instead, I spent time with Monkey in the morning before taking him to daycare, then I went and got my wax done (Brazilian), and after that was done I went to the college campus.  I needed to speak with a counselor about my next steps in the application/enrollment/registration process.  Turns out, I need to do the ASSET test (placement testing for math and writing) in order to figure out where I need to start.  The point is (and GO ME) I have begun the process of getting my butt back to school and I will NOT stop until I have no less than a bachelor degree in SOMETHING!!  I'm currently in "student" status at a community college, but as soon as appropriate, I will be transferring to Texas A&M.  I'm gonna be an Aggie, and I want that ring. 

Monkey was very fussy yesterday and I'm thinking it was because he was just overtired.  It happens.  Whatever.  So I dealt with his fussiness and forgot all about that stupid chili cook off...and the fact that it is TODAY!!!  So when Monkey woke up at about 2:50 this morning, I fixed him a bottle, changed his diaper and pj's (cause he soaked those too), set him on my bed with his bottle and changed his bedding.  Took all of about 5 minutes.  I sat on my bed and pulled him into my lap while he finished and was reading some Facebook status' on my phone when I read one of my co-workers had written about the chili cook off.  OH SHIT!!  I completely forgot!!  Then I got mad.

I got mad because it is now 3:20, the morning of this stupid "Chili Cook Off" (that I didn't want to do in the first place) and I haven't lifted a ladle in the direction of cooking chili.  CRAP!!!  So instead of going back to bed (like I should have done) I went into the kitchen to hunt down the recipe box that has dad's chili recipe in it.  Can't find it.  Look for several minutes, still can't find it.  Go wake Gran up and ask if she knows where it is.  She gets up and puts her hands on it immediately.  Where was it?  Right in front of my face the whole time!!  Oy.  I read the ingredients list and realize at 3:45 that I am going to have to go to Walmart and get the stuff I don't have...GRRRRRRRRR.  I didn't want to do this stupid thing in the first place!!!! 

You're probably asking yourself, "Why didn't she just go back to bed and say screw it?"  I'll tell you why.  Because Mr. Smeller is also Mr. I-Can't-Keep-My-Mouth-Shut.  He always has to be saying SOMETHING.  His office is next to mine.  I've been sick. When you're sick, you cough.  I've been coughing a lot.  EVERY time I cough, he says, "Gracie, you'll get that lung up someday."  It makes me want to Juggernaut the wall and slam him linebacker style.  Dude, when I am trying to catch my breath after I just tried to cough my shoes up, I don't need your commentary.  Leave me alone.  I leave you alone.  LEAVE ME ALONE!!  So, the reason I didn't just go back to bed is that I didn't want to hear it from The Mouth. 

While I was at Walmart, Gran stayed up and was defrosting the ground beef (Yeah, The Mouth asked me what kind of meat I used in my chili.  I told him beef. He asked me what KIND of beef.  Seriously?  I told him ground beef.  He asked me what kind of GROUND beef....  Is this guy for real?  So that's when I started to lose my temper.  I asked him what he meant by what KIND of GROUND beef.  He wanted to know how lean it was.  OMGosh!!!!!!  Why didn't you just SAY that?!?!?) and chopping up the onion I was going to need.  By the time I got home, built my chili and set it to simmer, I had just enough time to jump in the shower, throw some clothes on, put the chili in a crock pot and leave for work.  After telling Gran she was the bomb and thank you, of course.  Catastrophe Averted.

**Several hours later**

Well, thank goodness THAT is over with.  I have to say that I am deeply disappointed with the way people just throw stuff together and don't build a meal.  One of the "contestants" was telling me that she did her meat last night (No pun intended I swear. We're talking about chili here for Pete's sake...) and that this morning she was opening cans and throwing it together here at work.  Whatever.  Mine did not receive the majority vote.  Bitter?  Yeah, a little bit.  The winner was the one co-worker I can stand, Miss T, so I can live with my loss.  Better her than the Rotel tomato dude. LOL

In other news:  After a long wait, AB finally got her offer from CPS (Child Protective Services) to be an investigator.  We are ecstatic about that!!  She's one tough mama and won't take any crap from those trying to dish it.  Well done, honey!

Mrs. Adventure is making it through a rough day.  My thoughts are with her because I can't be. *insert sad face*

Mr. G...hmm.  There's a post about him coming in the very near future.

Mr. Italian.  There's one coming about him too.  Stay tuned.
 
Ciao!