Not a morning person...

I admit it. I am not a morning person. I never have been yet every single job I've ever had has forced me to get up in the wee hours of the morning to get to work. Oh, there are some things that are typically good about mornings, according to some. Things like:

1. Sunrise. Yes, sunrises are great and living on the lake, as I do, I've seen some spectacular sunrises. But, I've seen just as impressive sunsets so I'm not overly excited about watching the sun rise on a daily basis. Call me jaded, but one sunrise looks pretty much like the next and, frankly, I'd rather still be in bed.

2. First cup of coffee. Yes, that first cup of hot Joe is about the best thing ever. But, honestly, I can enjoy that first up sensation whether I have that cup at 5am or noon. I prefer noon.

3. Breakfast. I'm just not a fan. Brunch - now that's a good thing. And I am a fan of those restaurants that serve breakfast at any time because breakfast for dinner is the bomb! Recommendation: the Ole Skillet at Marina Gardens. Try it! YUM!

4. Quiet alone time in the morning. This is entirely overrated. Maybe because I never seem to get it anyway. Either my husband is up and talking to me or the cats are all over me saying good morning. I like them better when they're saying good afternoon. In the morning, they are not cute...they are annoying.

5. Morning drive time. Now, granted, I live very close to where I work and my drive time is ridiculously short but I hate it. I hate going out to my car in the dark winter mornings. I hate scraping ice off my windshield in the morning. I have waiting for my beater bomb to warm up. I don't have a garage. I have me, in the dark, swearing and freezing my tuckus. It's not pretty.

There are more things I hate about mornings - that moment when I have to uncover and get out of bed, that alarm going off, that moment I realize I've dawdled too long and now I'm rushing, trying to form a coherent thought - it all sucks. I am decidedly a night owl. I can be completely worn out at the end of the work day but when I get home, something happens. Actually, when I leave my office something happens. I wake up! I'm ready! Let's go! I can stay awake very late. In fact, I find it difficult to fall asleep before midnight. So I am awake that late and then have to get up early.

It's a hellish, never ending cycle. Sigh...

The great audit...

This week we have been preparting for an audit by the state. They're looking at 8 of our cases. Of course, they managed to pick 8 of the cases that were in the worst shape paperwork - wise. My teams have been kicking butt and getting this stuff together for the past two days. We only got the names of the cases on Monday. Stress level around here is a 15 out of a possible 10 but we're all hanging in. I'm sure we're going to run into some issues but it is what it is so there's not much else we can do. When a program runs at about a 95% paperwork saturated rate, there's bound to be something missed.

On the brightside, all of this has made the spirit of comeraderie here quite pleasant. People who previously couldn't stand one another are now working side by side and getting along. So maybe some good will come of this after all. At least we'll all get along when we're out on the unemployment line.

I watched the debate last night. Yeah...so...I did...and that's about all I can say about it. McCain seems to be very disconnected from the real world. Okay, THAT'S all I'll say about it.

I've been staving off a cold or something for about a week now. I can't be sick now. I am willing myself not to get this whatever it is. Each weekend though, I sleep forever and feel like hell. When this audit is over, I'll probably crash for a day or two but until then it's zinc tabs, juice, and echinechea for me. I'm about chicken souped out though. I've had that for dinner for three days running...and I do mean running. 'nuf said...

The semi-great debate...

I'm as informed a voter as the next person but I've never really been interested in watching the candidates debate on television. To me, debates have always been just so much talking heads spewing out the same rhetoric they put into all the incessant ads that have been playing for the past two years. I did tune in last night though just out of curiosity. I have to say, though I completely disagree with her, I am intrigued by Sarah Palin. As a woman, I had hoped to see an example of a smart strong female who could stand her ground and make sense. I suppose she is smart (though her references to the average American as "joe sixpack" just irks me to no end. I suppose she is even strong. I mean, you don't get to be governor of a state without having something. Oh wait...Arnold did it, didn't he? Yeah... well, nevermind then.

Unfortunately, what I saw was the same old, same old. It was just wrapped up in an updo and high heels. But the truth is, I kind of saw the same thing in Biden. Okay, not the high heels or updo but you know what I mean! Lots of talk, shades of a vague plan or too which are usually the things that fall away pretty damn quickly once the election is over. It was all there. Eventually I just turned off the sound.

The thing is, as much as we all say we need change, I don't know that we're really prepared for it. Don't get me wrong, I want W out of that White House yesterday and I sure don't want someone who will just proliferate his cockamamie ideas for the next four years to get elected. But real change is hard. It's not enough to change the names and faces of our leaders. We have to be ready, willing and accept some of the hardships and unfamiliar routines that must come will any real change. We have to be able to be hard on ourselves and accept personal responsibility.

Yes, the US is too dependent on foreign oil but, honestly, how many of us have started to car pool, take mass transit, bike, or walk to work. Yes, the US needs to take care of the homeland security issues but is it prudent (to quote George B. senior) to do it at the risk of losing touch with those people who live here on the economic edge of no return? How can we build school and educate children in other countries when our own school systems are being short changed and having programs cut left and right. And here's the big change...how can we realistically do any of this without raising taxes? The truth is, we can't. And the first honest politician who tells me that gets my vote. And that tax thing is the one thing that almost everyone I've talked to opposes. They do not want to pay more to get more and that's final! So, yeah, we can talk about change and how the government "should" do this or that and the other...as long as it doesn't have any affect on us. Unfortunately, that means more of the same.