"You're no longer a necessity to the company."

I cried the whole drive home. Maybe I cried out of shame and frustration. Or, maybe I was just plan relieved. It might have also been one of those oh-shit-what-now cries.

Either way, I was laid off from my job last Wednesday. Yep, E is unemployed. What's worse is that I didn't even get a severance. Thankfully, I feel better about it now. It was such a negative environment and I was so unhappy. That place sucked the soul out of people. I have a chance to find something better.

Now, the world is my oyster. If only I could find my pearl.

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The things we do for good vino.

I was so excited for 5:30pm on Saturday. At that time I was going to meet up with J and L to sample the incredible wines they'd picked up the day before while out wine-tasting in Napa.

It wasn't until AFTER the Hertz rental car had been returned at Noon to the parking garage of the hotel and the keys were dropped into the unmanned and locked drop box outside that the realization dawned on some of us that said wine was still resting comfortably in the TRUNK of the rental car. Since the Hertz service desk in the hotel was already closed, L calls Customer Service and tells them that some personal items were left in the trunk and asked if someone could please let them back into the car to retrieve them.

Hertz: "Sorry, but we can't help you until Monday. Call back on Monday and maybe we'll ship it back to you." Maybe? That's like over $200 worth of wine. There is no 'maybe'.

Poor L can't even deal with this load of bull. She has a Classic routine to put on the floor in three and a half hours.

Time for Plan B. I find the Manager at the hotel's front desk.

Me: "Excuse me, sir? We just accidentally returned our Hertz car into the garage and dropped the keys in that box outside before we realize that my medicine is in the trunk. I have a severe medical condition, and without my medication I could really have problems. I know the Hertz desk is closed, but is there any way you could help me??"

Within 5 minutes he was on the phone with Hertz reiterating my story. At one point he whispers over the phone, "so, there is no way you can last until Monday without your medication, right?"

Me: "No, sir. I need it tonight." The whole time, L and I are trying to keep from completely cracking up, and I start believing that I really am going to hell for lying.

An hour later J and I are zooming towards the SFO airport in a borrowed car to pick up a spare key to the rental car from the rental car compound and rescue the vino from the trunk.

Wine never tasted so damn good. Who said laughter was the best medicine? It's wine.

We even made it back in time for L's routine.

I'm currently watching the Presidential Debate and playing "drink whenever McCain says 'my friends'" using a box of Franzia. This is solely due to the fact that I will not waste any of my GOOD wine on anything that comes out of his mouth.

Seriously man, I'm not your f*cking friend.

For those of you keeping count at home, I believe the total number of times the buzz phrase is uttered is somewhere between 48 and 52.

Thank god I started this game AFTER the debate started, huh? I'm still alive! McCain's goal to kill all those at home playing drinking games has failed, miserably.