A slap in the face

So you might remember me mentioning that my company is making us all take a week off without pay. Seems the company is hurting for money and this measure is supposed to save the world, as far as they are concerned. Well look what just got delivered yesterday.

New LEATHER chairs for one of the conference rooms we think. Uhm glad to see i need a week without pay and you're buying new leather chairs. and not just one box.

But 4 boxes of leather chairs. And do you even have the common courteous to bring them in the back door. You just set them here in side the lobby door for all to see. THANKS! Wow Wait what does that say.....oh fantastic!

Thank god it's on all seating surfaces. Supple? Hey maybe they thought they would help out the porn industry during this hard time. Because I don't know another time people use the word "Supple" to describe a product. We waited all day to see who would claim the chairs, when i left at 3 p.m. they were still sitting inside the door like the forgotten child at the gas station. The lady who does all the ordering was out yesterday, by out i mean on her furlough. Thank heavens for supple leather chairs.

My Support and Dedication!?

I was in a bad mood when I got to work today. It appears that the bad mood is going to continue. Why you ask? Because here in Amy's real world. Life sucks. I was in a bad mood for a dumb reason. I'll admit to that. A real dumb reason. Valentines Day. I was feeling sorry for myself. It's dumb. But I'm a girl and I blame it on that. However, my current bad mood is entirely related to this.......

A letter from my company telling us we ALL must take a mandatory 1 WEEK FURLOUGH. Between Now and the end of March. Here are some of my favorite lines from this letter.

• I know this action will create a strain on our personal budgets.
• I know I cannot GUARANTEE that a furlough will prevent any future layoffs.
• A Brief period without pay is better than many more layoffs.
• Please understand that I am not trivializing the serious nature of furloughs.
• A question and answer sheet is being prepared for distribution.
• Thank you for your understanding, your support and your dedication.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. My response.

• You have no fucking idea what kind of STRAIN this will place on my personal budget as you make MUCH MUCH more then I. I'm a single women with one income. I currently don't have enough left over out of my bi-weekly paycheck to go grocery shopping. I eat most meals at my parents because after $400 in rent, $326 for my car payment, $50 for my phone, $86 for electric, $40 for gas, $86 for my student loan, I have a roughly $290 a MONTH to take care of the necessities like food, clothes, anything I might need to buy for the MONTH! So no, you don't know the strain. With your company car, company credit card to pay for your meals 5 days a week, and company expense account. I don't think you can even begin to understand.
• Well that's reassuring.
• But you said you couldn't guarantee us you wont lay us off in the end. So really you're just blowing smoke up our asses.
• Well thanks for that. Also thanks for the heads up. This all starts well according to the letter "over the next few days". I'm glad you cared enough about us to give us some advanced notice so we could try and prepare for this. Thanks.
• I would think the Q&A sheet should have come out....oh i don't know when you gave us this letter. Thanks for passing it out on Friday and then not giving us this handy dandy Q&A sheet until the next week. That makes for a stellar weekend. Nice job with being half ass prepared.
• You aren't welcome. Because I don't understand. I don't understand how you can have the guts to send us this letter after my department has hired 5 NEW people in the last week. 5 people. I'm not getting my raise, I'm being forced to take a week off with no pay, but you're hiring new people when you can't afford to pay the people who already work here. Are you fucking kidding me. My department has 5 new people LAST WEEK, Advertising has 5 new people in the last 2 weeks. And you Understand my strain. FUCK YOU! I don't support this at all. I don't support this company. I don't support the fact that no where in this letter does it mention that while the other 2 obit ladies are off for their weeks "To be determined by the department head" that I'll be working 6 days both those weeks with one day off. Or how they wont be paying us for any overtime accrue during these "Furloughs". So no I don't support you. I don't support the fact that I've been given extra work since you laid off everyone at the Hanover evening sun, making our job harder and you aren't paying me now for my extra time. And dedication. Trust in the fact that if I could find another job, I would jump this ship and never look back. This company by far has the worst employee relations. This company cares only about the money. They don't care that our department head talks to us like we're trash, they don't care that she explodes on us and other employees when ever she feels like it. She has never ONCE been reprimanded for her actions. She is the scum of the barrel.

So in short.....GO FUCK YOURSELF MEDIANEWS GROUP! Go fuck yourself.

So needless to say I have no idea what I'm going to do. I know it's just a week, but it's a WEEK with no pay when i can hardly afford to live on what I make now. I don't live an extravagant life. On this note I'm going to try and do some work and try not to short circuit my keyboard with all these tears.

What happens to the snowman

So we had our office decorating contest yesterday and I'm proud to say we came in 1st (like always) what can I say I'm a winner! I can't help it. When you rock at life you rock at life. and to answer your question yes I did have trouble getting my huge head and equally large ego through the door today. thanks for asking. We also had our secret Santa exchange today. My gift rocked, well both the gift I gave and gift i received rocked. I gave Sharon a cool gift bucket with spaghetti sauce, wine, noodles, and Parmesan cheese and I also gave her a Nerf dart gun to shoot at dumb customers. well I told her she shouldn't unless they are particularly dumb, and then i shoot numerous co-workers. It was awesome. But I'm awesome so that should come as no surprise.

Well I wanted to post a picture of how we decorated our office area (our cubicle). Our theme was well, doom and gloom, come on we're the obit desk what else would we do.

So here's frosty's funeral. It's hard to see but on the left hand side of he coffin is a jar with water in it (he's melting). I was glad to see Santa made it our for the funeral and the other chair has some other winter friends. the name of the funeral home was Flurries and Flakes Funeral Home and Meltatorium.

Go Gobble Gobble yourself someplace else

Since I'm an insanely awesome daughter I have logging plenty of hours at my parents house over the last month (not just watching their cable and eating their food) helping them redo 2 rooms before Thanksgiving. Yes that's right 2 rooms. What can I say they dream big. Let's redo the Dinning room (aside from the kitchen it's the most important room for a holiday dinner) and the living room. Great. Because that wont add even more stress onto our plates, (haha plates, I slay me). So First we stripped the wallpaper off the walls int he dinning room. That in a word. Sucked! in two words ROYALLY SUCKED! Note to self never buy a house with wallpaper and NEVER put up wallpaper. I will slap myself in the face if I ever do those two things. then we had to paint. Put up a new light. Put up the chair rail. Bang our heads into the wall a few times. Because yes we did it all ourselves. why not. what could be the downside there. But on top of this we were ripping the carpet out of the living room, moving all the old stuff out and making room for the new furniture. Packing up all my mom's knickknacks (ie. junk) and packing it away in the basement, I voted for trashing everything but that's not how my family rolls. Yeah good times. My favorite was the carpet.

We had to cut the carpet into strips for the pick ass trash man. So picture this. I'm feverishly cutting the carpet and moving the furniture around, because true to life it's rainy and we can't move the stuff outside to rip the carpet up we just have to move it around the room. That makes things so much easier. Thanks mother nature. I'm on my knees using some crappy scissors that jammed up after each cut. Stupid carpet. Stupid scissors. Stupid remodeling before holidays. Stupid. At one point I yelled at my mother, I'm sure I used a few choice words of encouragement towards the carpet, and a few in my head towards her. When i finished the last cut, my hand throbbing from the blister that formed and busted open during this fun endeavor, I threw the scissors on to the pile of carpet stood up and shouted "You can't beat me CARPET you can't beat me! Now what? Not so tough now huh you stupid pile of carpet!" My mom just looked at me with complete bewilderment. I showed that carpet.

So. Oh boy. It's thanksgiving. Joy of Joy. I'm not big on the family dinners. Yeah I like my family. Oh aren't they swell. I just don't like the uncomfortable gathering around the table when you know 5 out of the 7 people don't really want those two strays there. Look I love my grandmother and aunt as much as I do any other person I'm obligated to love. But they ruin dinner EVERY YEAR. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ruin to the point I don't really care to attend. I'd rather sit at home and eat chips then go to these dinners. In my defense I've always felt this way. I don't understand the need to completely stress out over an event and ruin the good time. My mom cooks EVERY year. My mom buys all the food. My mom and dad get up early and start the cooking. My mom and dad host it. I get stuck cleaning up EVERY YEAR! now I know it's petty to say I'm not going because I don't want to do the dishes. But I'm not going because I don't want to do the dishes. Maybe this will help you understand. My aunt is in her 50's she lives at home with my grandmother, not because my grandmother needs help (well she does now, but this didn't start out that way) but because my aunt just can't work because working is to hard on her. To stressful and she's to lazy and has let herself get up to 300 lbs., so it's just to much for her to work. She hasn't worked since I was in high school. She doesn't do anything but sit around and mooch off my grandmother. And then has the nerve to say "Welcome to the real world" to me when i complain about paying rent, insurance, car payments, basically when i talk about my bills. She has NO bills. She pays NOTHING. My grandmother bought her a car and paid it off. My aunt does nothing, she contributes nothing to society and it pisses me off. It pisses my mom,my brother and my dad off. My grandmother just gets in the way. She either tries to do to much and gets in the way or doesn't get enough attention so we end up with a trip to the hospital so she feels noticed. I'm not joking this is my holiday. My dad is always on edge because he's mad we have to do everything and they expect us to send tons of leftovers home with them. I hate it. It's never fun. They chew with their mouths open. My aunt always looks like she just climbed out of a dumpster. I don't want to go. Lucky for me my job is a 365 day job. Someone must be here everyday. So I'm he lucky girl working Thanksgiving. There must be a god. I told them to eat without me, i told them to have a fun time. And i told them to find someone else to wash their dishes! So why everyone is raving about their short week mine actually got longer.

Not only do I work the holiday but I'm working Friday also, because I'm dumb and said I would cover for someone who in turn WILL NOT cover for me the next two Sundays. FANTASTIC love the team work. Not only do I have to work my day off but not I'm not leaving to see my family (i want to see them) until Friday afternoon. Missing out on a whole day. Whatever. Lucky for me one of my other co-workers offered to work Sunday so I wont have to rush home (it's a 4 hour drive) and I'm using my last two vacation days in Dec. But I'll miss my friends Body Shop party on the 7th. so is life.

Welcome ladies and gentleman to the one, the only, mind of McMean Show. I acquired the name some years ago during my "glory days' of college. Maybe it was my friendly demeanor, sunny dispostion, or out of the way caring personality, but I was saddled with McMean. I have embraced the persona because no matter how hard I try I just can't shake the name. If you can beat them surrender and sing like a bird, or you can just join them. I've decided to blog on here in hopes that some one outside the cubicle walls of my office and the padded walls of my home will find me as entertaining as I find myself. At the very least I hope you find me as entertaining as my friend, family and co-workers pretend to find me.



I'm knew to the world of blogging. I'm an avid blogger on my awesome myspace page, but this is a new forum for me so bare with me. I've discovered a few blogs that i enjoy and would love any recommendations the peanut gallery can provide.



I'm simple enough. My blogs usually consist of long angry rants, short burst of humor, funny or ironic stories and extensive rambling about nothing. Enjoy.




For all I know, which isn't very much, this isn't a comment that should make me smile. But a comment was made and I agree it is rather "on the money". The golden comment made about me today. (drum roll please) "Amy I don't know what's going on in your head, your sick in the head" I gave the best response I had "I am, but for so money other reason then this" The comment was made by one of my co-workers today in reference to the restraining order and accompanying letter from my fake law firm that I toiled over yesterday. I spent roughly an hour and half of....well it wasn't my time, concocting (that word always makes me think of Katie Buffalo) the letter, and filling in the actual restraining order form (you can get anything on google which excites me but also frightens me). Now usually "sick in the head" would sound, well, not nice, but I took it as a complement, a sign my "work" was appreciated. Everyone wants to feel excepted. So I just laughed and said thank you. I figure I should have a little fun at work to off set the long hours of dull and uneventful boredom.


I thought I was suffering a heart attack last night. Here's what happen I was laying on the couch (Oh yeah I fixed my couch that has been busted for 3 months) watching one of my favorite shows, The biggest loser, and chatting with Taylor on the phone. My chest started to hurt. Here's sort of what I remember from the conversation.



Me~ "OWHHH I think I'm having a heart attack"
Taylor~ "Does your arm hurt? Is it numb"
Me- "Oww no, but..."
Taylor~ Then it's not a heart attack your arm is supposed to go numb "
Me~ It feels like a lump in my chest, I think it's my bacanator backing up (don't judge me you judgmental fucks, who doesn't want hamburgers covered in cheese and wrapped up in bacon, if that person is alive... Well I say FUCK YOU to that person).
Taylor~ (laughing) I take that back then it might be a heart attack. I was unaware you had a bacanator.
Me~ Yeah I always feel a little bad sitting here watching The Biggest Loser stuffing my face with a bacanator and fries"
Taylor- That seems wrong. Hey did you have the sandwich I can't remember where it was but it was called the something house burger?
Me~ The smoke house burger from BK, yeah I had it
Taylor~ I really liked that it had onion rings on it
Me~ It was OK but I like the bacanator better (laughing hysterically) stop Taylor I really don't want to compare and contrast the burgers at the fast food restaurants, is that what our lives have come to.



Our conversations are always so stimulating.


So Tomorrow is the big day, TRAVEL DAY! I'm heading to the great STATE of NEW YORK! I only mention that it's a state, not because I doubt your ability to recognize the name as that of one of our states but because Steve (my friend in Buffalo) always feels the need to refer to PA as a "commonwealth". He'll say "So how's life in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and if someone mistakenly calls it a state he's quick to point out it's a commonwealth. La tee da! I have so much to do before I leave. I have to do laundry, pack, do the dishes, figure out what I'm doing about the trash, and stop by my parents because god forbid I leave without seeing my mom. she acts like every time I venture out of the state I might never find my way back. When l flew to Buffalo last year she was almost positive my plane would crash, wow mom comforting thing to tell me hours prior to me getting on the plane. When I went to Colorado, you would have thought I was moving not just vacationing. and now she has to "worry" about me driving the six hours to Buffalo. I told her she doesn't have to worry, she can choose not to worry. My god the damn women couldn't even remember I was going. I mentioned it last month and have talked about a lot and then Friday I said I can't wait to go and on Sunday she asked if I wanted to go furniture shopping with her this Friday. I said "Mom I'm going to Buffalo Thursday" and she gave me the look. The "your an asshole" look. Sorry I've told you repeatedly, maybe you should write it down in your day planner with all your doctor appointments. Anywho, I'm excited for my trip it ashamed that I wont be able to access very many radio stations due the complete and utter boondocks route I take. But if I get a hankering for some porn or other adult store items I'll pass roughly a half dozen or some of them on my route. Each one slightly shadier then the last, now I've never stopped at any of those places (on this route, I have visited other adult stores) mainly because the whole area has an Amnettyville horror feel to it. I swear the one time I went up it was pouring down raining, flooding and just wretched but I plugged on, I was going come hail or high water (and the water was high there was flooding on 15, but I being the super smart girl I am said fuck it and went anyways, I was lucky) while driving I thought boy if I break down I'm fucking dead. this is the setting from every horror movie I have ever seen. All the house looked broken down and ramshackle, with plastic over the windows and rundown automobiles on blocks in the yard. I thought if I break down I'm so fucked, I don't even have phone reception up here. That's another down side, six hours and I can't even use my phone. I am half temped to stop at Mansfield University and by a shirt from the bookstore, however I'm sure their parking is as bad as ours was so I would rather not mess with that junk.



Wendy is of sick today so here I am bright and early and not feeling so hot. My tummy hurts and my head is pounding. I think my head hurts because of my eyes. It must be that time "eye check" time, that is. I feel like I look especially rough today. I couldn't sleep and then getting up early was no easy fete. My hair is doing this really weird part where it looks like my hair starts half way back on the right side like my forehead is HUGE or UGH like Taylor's' dad would say. And what appeared to be a nice enough outfit for laundry day looks like crap in the light. does peach and mauve go together? Wait color is mauve? Is it a pink peach color? because if so that's what my hoodie is mauve with a peach, yellow, orange and pink plaid shirt under. Yeah train wreck, trust me. On a happier note Sharon brought me in a A&W Root Beer Float drink to try. I'm hyped. She said she'll chill it for me at lunch! Lunch, I'm starving right now I hope there's something not so gross in the machine otherwise I have a date with some strawberry oatmeal. If you know me that involves two things I don't really care for strawberry's and oatmeal, but I'll stomach it because "your supposed to like it."