I haven't had a chance to do much of anything the last couple of days, internet-wise. It's days like those that make me realize what an addiction I have to the internet. I get annoyed because I don't have time to waste time doing nothing online. Crazy, I know, but true.
Anyway, the saga of the toxic air didn't end with my last post about it. Things continued on Wednesday. Actually, Wednesday was a pretty good day, for the most part. I got to work and the air was fine. The rest of the hair spray managed to work it's way out of my work space and all was fine. All was fine until 3 o'clock. That's when I got a huge whiff of perfume. Not just a little spritz, but quite a bit. Un-fucking-real. This time the stuff didn't effect just me, but one of my friends who sits nearby, but not as close as I do. Her nose started running and her throat closed up a little. I was really getting hot under the collar. I didn't do anything about it right away. I wanted to first of all see if this stuff was going to send me into reaction. I'm not allergic to all scents, luckily. About 40 minutes later my right eye was blood shot, my left eye was starting to turn and I was getting slight blotches above my cheeks. That's when I marched straight over to the Director's office. He's a real stand up guy and someone I'm quite happy is in charge of everything. He genuinely cares and listens to people. I went in and vented my frustrations to him. I wish I could say that this was the first time I've done this about this particular issue, but I did it about six months ago. I felt like an ass having to go to him over something so minor in the grand scheme of things, but I really didn't know what else to do. I explained how I sent an email to the people around me reminding them that I'm allergic, blah blah blah. He asked if I could send a copy of the email to him and he would then address the issue with the supervisors of the offensive cow-orker of mine. I'm now dreading Wednesday's unit meeting because this is going to be the top agenda item. I'll be sitting in a room with the offender when this is being brought up. Everyone knows it was me who had the reaction, so everyone knows this is being brought up because of me. I'm almost feeling guilty for bringing it up and I know that's insane for me to think. I just want things to be taken care of and settle back down to normal. Honestly, the thing that I hate most about all of this is FrankenKlinger has used this as an open invitation to talk to me about it and other things. Suddenly she no longer hates me and wants to be my best friend. During the meeting she's going to have a lot of "input" which has nothing to do with anything. Joy. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I snapped at her on Thursday. I was near my desk doing some work when she came in and walked by me. She said that I looked better today and I kind of lost it on her because I was already feeling itchy from the prior day's attack and just used her as an excuse to unload. I actually felt bad after the fact, but decided apologizing to her would just open an even bigger door for her to come in and be my BFF.
Today was a toxin-free air day and it felt nice.
Thursday night I stayed a little late and work and was anxious to get home and play online for a little bit before Survivor came on. That didn't happen, though, because I walked in to find company sitting on the couch.
I keep mentioning all the overtime I've been working. However, I don't recall if I have mentioned that I felt I was about to hit a brick wall in regards to all the extra hours I've been putting in. I have been pulling my sorry ass out of bed a couple hours earlier than usual for the last few months and it's finally catching up with me. On Tuesday night I felt like crap. I was dragging and just wanted to collapse. My brain hurt just to think. I got up at my normal time and didn't go into work until 8:30. It felt great, but it felt off. I felt like I walked into work already hours behind. I had to go and look up when the last time I actually went in at 8:30 was and I was pretty shocked to find it was at the end of October. I would have guessed it was the end of December. I'm thinking about cutting back for the time being, just so I don't burn myself out too badly. I love that I have the o.t. available to me and I'm enjoying taking advanatage of it, but when that's all I'm doing....
2.27.2009
2.24.2009
Tuesday
The titles of these posts are getting really original and revealing, huh?
So thanks to everyone who piped in on the hairspray incident at work yesterday. In this particular circumstance, taking it all the way up to Human Resources didn't seem appropriate. I was pretty sure the incident was just a cow-orker being a clueless dolt. If this was something that was done on purpose, I'd have no problem taking it straight to the top. There's one person I sit around who would do something like this on purpose and I know it wasn't her (this time.) I was mostly fine the first hour of work today before I started reacting to the hairspray that was still lingering. We have terrible circulation in my office, even though the building management will argue I'm wrong to it's last breath. After about an hour of itching, I decided to just send an email around to the people who sit in my vicinity saying that most are aware I have allergies to perfumes and hair sprays and that I've been having a reaction to something that was sprayed yesterday. I asked that if someone needs to spritz, could they kindly take it to the rest room to prevent future discomfort. About an hour after I sent my email, the guilty culprit, who was still completely cluess, gave me something that was sort of, kind of, almost but not quite an apology. She said she knew it wasn't her because she always uses the rest room. Always. But sometimes she'll find a strand that's out of place and give it a quick spritz at her desk, even though she never does it at her desk, blah blah blah. And then she thanked me for sending the email around. All I care about is everyone is back to being informed and I'll probably have a good three or four months before someone does it again. And yes, we have rules against such things, but I work with animals who really don't care.
In other work news, we had a unit meeting today and I tend not to speak up at these. But something got into me today. Something very unlike me. At the end of the meeting is a go-around where everyone has a chance to say or ask or bring up something they see fit to. Usually when it's my turn, all I say is that Alison looks very pretty today and then it's on to the next person. But Alison was out today, so instead I said that since Alison was absent and I couldn't tell her exactly how pretty she is, I have an actual issue to bring up. And then I went off for about five minutes how annoyed and irritated I am at one of the clerks who has made a fine art out of taking a simple, hour long job of sorting and delivering mail into a two and a half day ordeal. I told Linda, his supervisor, that my opinion is that she needs to sit him down and talk to him. I said to her that I understand doing work gets in the way of him standing around doing nothing for hours at a time, but enough is enough. I really don't know what got into me. I don't like to rock the boat, but here I am giving it my best to tip the boat over. I know nothing will come of this, but it made me feel good to get it off my chest. And I had two different people come up to me after the meeting telling me that (a) they couldn't believe that came out of me and (b) they were proud of me for doing it and I need to do it more often. And both these people I respect.
So thanks to everyone who piped in on the hairspray incident at work yesterday. In this particular circumstance, taking it all the way up to Human Resources didn't seem appropriate. I was pretty sure the incident was just a cow-orker being a clueless dolt. If this was something that was done on purpose, I'd have no problem taking it straight to the top. There's one person I sit around who would do something like this on purpose and I know it wasn't her (this time.) I was mostly fine the first hour of work today before I started reacting to the hairspray that was still lingering. We have terrible circulation in my office, even though the building management will argue I'm wrong to it's last breath. After about an hour of itching, I decided to just send an email around to the people who sit in my vicinity saying that most are aware I have allergies to perfumes and hair sprays and that I've been having a reaction to something that was sprayed yesterday. I asked that if someone needs to spritz, could they kindly take it to the rest room to prevent future discomfort. About an hour after I sent my email, the guilty culprit, who was still completely cluess, gave me something that was sort of, kind of, almost but not quite an apology. She said she knew it wasn't her because she always uses the rest room. Always. But sometimes she'll find a strand that's out of place and give it a quick spritz at her desk, even though she never does it at her desk, blah blah blah. And then she thanked me for sending the email around. All I care about is everyone is back to being informed and I'll probably have a good three or four months before someone does it again. And yes, we have rules against such things, but I work with animals who really don't care.
In other work news, we had a unit meeting today and I tend not to speak up at these. But something got into me today. Something very unlike me. At the end of the meeting is a go-around where everyone has a chance to say or ask or bring up something they see fit to. Usually when it's my turn, all I say is that Alison looks very pretty today and then it's on to the next person. But Alison was out today, so instead I said that since Alison was absent and I couldn't tell her exactly how pretty she is, I have an actual issue to bring up. And then I went off for about five minutes how annoyed and irritated I am at one of the clerks who has made a fine art out of taking a simple, hour long job of sorting and delivering mail into a two and a half day ordeal. I told Linda, his supervisor, that my opinion is that she needs to sit him down and talk to him. I said to her that I understand doing work gets in the way of him standing around doing nothing for hours at a time, but enough is enough. I really don't know what got into me. I don't like to rock the boat, but here I am giving it my best to tip the boat over. I know nothing will come of this, but it made me feel good to get it off my chest. And I had two different people come up to me after the meeting telling me that (a) they couldn't believe that came out of me and (b) they were proud of me for doing it and I need to do it more often. And both these people I respect.
2.23.2009
Monday
I'm sitting here beating myself up. I've been a gluttonous pig and I don't know why. Today was the day I was supposed to get my bad self back under control, stay away from the shit and refocus. But it didn't quite happen. First of all, with my willpower pretty low, I passed by a bowl full of Hershey's mini chocolate eggs. I grabbed a few. They weren't very good at all, yet I ate a few. And then I had a couple more. Okay, not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I know better than to get all hopped up on sugar first thing in the morning. I had a sensible lunch (big ass salad, apple and popcorn) and it filled me up. So, not being very hungry for dinner, what do I grab? A left over biscuit from last night's dinner and a big ass brownie. Now, I wasn't even hungry, but having the brownies in the house pretty much negates any willpower I might have. Again, it teaches me that I can't be trusted to have shit in the house. This morning I was up 2 pounds from yesterday. That's a result of the ice cream from Saturday night. I'm scared for tomorrow morning because I'll see the results of the brownies and pudding I had last night. I need to refocus tomorrow. After all, I can't be as big as a house for my next date with Sean (on Thursday). He'll dump me quicker than you can say "fat ass."
Can I talk about inconsiderate people for a moment? Yeah, this is about work, where I work with nothing but people who are nothing but self-involved that they don't think of the effect their actions might have on others. I sit near a supervisor who decided that her hair wasn't doing what it was supposed to do today. So, at her desk, she emptied a bottle of cheap smelling hairspray onto her head. While normally I wouldn't give a crap, the cheap stuff she used was floral based and I had an immediate allergic reaction to it. My eyes became all glassy, my head started throbbing and my skin started turning red. And I got to sit there and breathe it in all day. I left work three hours ago and my right eye is still itchy and dry, but the headache is nearly gone and I only have a couple of red blotches on my cheeks. Is it asking too much to wish she would have gone into the restroom to do her hair up? Am I out of line for wishing that?
Can I talk about inconsiderate people for a moment? Yeah, this is about work, where I work with nothing but people who are nothing but self-involved that they don't think of the effect their actions might have on others. I sit near a supervisor who decided that her hair wasn't doing what it was supposed to do today. So, at her desk, she emptied a bottle of cheap smelling hairspray onto her head. While normally I wouldn't give a crap, the cheap stuff she used was floral based and I had an immediate allergic reaction to it. My eyes became all glassy, my head started throbbing and my skin started turning red. And I got to sit there and breathe it in all day. I left work three hours ago and my right eye is still itchy and dry, but the headache is nearly gone and I only have a couple of red blotches on my cheeks. Is it asking too much to wish she would have gone into the restroom to do her hair up? Am I out of line for wishing that?
2.22.2009
Sunday
It's Sunday night and I just finished dinner. I'm stuffed. I made a chicken, sweet potatoes, peas and dinner rolls. I tried not to overdo it, but I'm sitting here contemplating passing out. The sweet potatoes I bought were HUGE and I think that's part of my problem, because I ate the whole damn thing. And to make matters worse, I overdid it with dessert. I made a brownie/chocolate pudding sundae. I made up a thing of Trader Joe's brownies this morning and I wanted one, but I also wanted pudding, so I had both. Thank god I had a positive weigh in this morning because I'm going to be fighting the rest of the week to keep things in check. Actually, today's weigh in was a milestone. It's the first time I had three consecutive weeks where I weighed in in the 180s. This week and last were both 189, but the week before was 188. I was surprised as hell today considering I got a pint of ice cream last night and devoured more than half the calories I'm supposed to eat in a day in a matter of minutes.
I know it's Oscar night, but I really don't care. I have the Amazing Race and the finale of Confessions of a Teen Idol. Rock of Love 3 isn't on tonight, which is fine.
As for tasks I hoped to accomplish this weekend (okay, there was just one), I managed to dig out my Secret Society of Super-Villains from the bedroom closet and I got 4 issues in before I took an afternoon nap. I hoped to read all 15 issues, but it didn't happen. I'm giving myself the rest of the week to finish them up. They're just as cheesily bad as I remember them, and by that I mean they're AWESOME!
I know it's Oscar night, but I really don't care. I have the Amazing Race and the finale of Confessions of a Teen Idol. Rock of Love 3 isn't on tonight, which is fine.
As for tasks I hoped to accomplish this weekend (okay, there was just one), I managed to dig out my Secret Society of Super-Villains from the bedroom closet and I got 4 issues in before I took an afternoon nap. I hoped to read all 15 issues, but it didn't happen. I'm giving myself the rest of the week to finish them up. They're just as cheesily bad as I remember them, and by that I mean they're AWESOME!
Sexy People
2.20.2009
Friday Night
I don't know why I'm still awake and playing on the computer. It's been a long day. It felt longer than usual. Fridays, for the most part, fly for me. At work, a lot of people are either off on Fridays or have a half day on Fridays and the office gets quiet around lunchtime. When it's quiet, it's easy to hunker down and get as much done with limited interruption. For some reason, though, today dragged. And dragged. And dragged. By lunch, I was ready to fall asleep. Not good. Not good at all. That just made the afternoon drag even slower. I suppose I was due, though. This whole week flew by in the blink of an eye.
Although he's been quiet lately, the Conspiracy Theorist that I sit next to was actually on fire today. It's like he saved up all of his insane ramblings and they just erupted today. Since it's been a while, I purposefully listened in on his rants for just a little bit until I couldn't tak any more of it. One of his rants had to do with the goings on in Austin, TX. Naturally I emailed the only man I've ever truly loved to fill him in. In return, I got the true story upon which the rantings were based. It is good to know that some of his theories are based in reality. Now, is anyone out there from Oklahoma City because I got an earful about the goings on there, too.
I'm not one to listen to movie (or television) scores, but tonight I've been listening to the score from the show TORCHWOOD and I'm really, really getting into it. I don't know if it's just my mood or what, but I'm finding it really relaxing and enjoyable. I think it's better than the current DOCTOR WHO score (Series 4).
I'm so happy it's the weekend. I have no real plans and that makes me happy. I'm sure we'll probably go out to lunch tomorrow to make up for us not going out to dinner tonight. Ken called a little after lunch to tell me he wasn't feeling good at all. Sounds like he got what I had two Fridays ago when I went home early from work. A stomach thing has been going around. He came home, crashed on the couch for a couple of hours and now is feeling better. It's rare that we miss a Friday night out to dinner, though I wasn't bothered by it at all this week. I wasn't really all that hungry when work was done today, so it's probably for the best.
If I can find the energy to move comic boxes tomorrow, I'm going to dig out my run of Secret Society of Super-Villains and re-read it. Sean has inspired me. I kind of wish this was available in trade paperback format, though, because that would be easier to dig out.
2.18.2009
Walt Needs....
I stole this from the ever adorable Kevin:
Google your name and the word "needs" in quotes ("Walt needs") and see what you get.
List the first 7 entries.
1) Walt needs a slumpbuster.
2) Walt needs us.
3) Walt needs a Memorial.
4) Walt needs to see this.
5) Walt needs your help now.
6) Walt needs some Euro flavor.
7) Walt needs to abandon naive 'coincidence theories' and realize that certain long-term policy trends -- those which extend over multiple administrations -- are very carefully planned behind the scenes by very powerful players.
Google your name and the word "needs" in quotes ("Walt needs") and see what you get.
List the first 7 entries.
1) Walt needs a slumpbuster.
2) Walt needs us.
3) Walt needs a Memorial.
4) Walt needs to see this.
5) Walt needs your help now.
6) Walt needs some Euro flavor.
7) Walt needs to abandon naive 'coincidence theories' and realize that certain long-term policy trends -- those which extend over multiple administrations -- are very carefully planned behind the scenes by very powerful players.
Dear Aretha,
Dear 1960's super fierce Atlantic Records Aretha Franklin,Thank you for being my constant companion this week. I've really had a good time hanging out with you. However, the 2000's super fat Hat
Wearing Aretha Franklin has been inside me forcing me to do bad things like eat chocolate chip muffins, Kit Kats, Reese's Pieces, mini Mr. Goodbars and other things I'm supposed to be avoiding. Can you talk to her about maybe chilling out a bit?Love,
Walt
How Did It Get To Be Wednesday Already?
I love these fake Monday holidays. What was it this week? President's Day or some such bullshit? It means a day off of work and the rest of the week becomes a blur because you're convinced it's actually Monday when it's Tuesday, Tuesday when it's Wednesday, etc. etc. It feels like it still should be Tuesday and I'm not complaining about that. If only every week could be like that. I used to hate the Monday holidays back when I worked retail. Mondays were sheer hell until about dinner time when every state worker felt the need to descend on the store and be ultra needy. There was something about these holidays that brought out the needy in people. In the twenty years I worked retail, I could never quite figure it out I still wonder about it. The only thing I could figure, and I'm sure I'm way off, is that without the normal Monday structure, everyone was lost and couldn't think for themselves. I mean, it's as good a reason as any, right?
I'm starting to get overwhelmed by television. Right now it seems like there's too much on tv for me to watch. I have something on almost every night of the week now. And most all of it is pure trash. I Love Money 2 (which, I'm sad to say, I think is my favorite show right now), American Idol, The Biggest Loser, Lost, Top Chef, Survivor, Hell's Kitchen, Confessions Of A Teen Idol, Rock of Love 3, the Celebrity Apprentice (starting soon), Guiding Light.... Almost everything I watch is a reality show right now. Scripted stuff doesn't really hold my attention unless it's really good, like Lost, or trashy fun like Guiding Light. I've been watching that show since I was in elementary school. It would be on when I got home from school and I'd watch it with my mom. Then I found I was still watching it even if my mother wasn't around. I tend to come and go when it comes to my soaps, but right now it's been pretty damn good. Phillip Spaulding is back in town and things are heating up. Like you care.... Anyway, there's getting to be too much tv on that I want to watch. I'm learning not to watch things live and that saves time. For instance, last night's American Idol (the first one I've watched this season, incidentally. The auditioning process is too annoying for me to watch anymore) was a two hour show that I managed to watch in about 20 minutes. Same thing goes for the Biggest Loser. That's another two hour show that I can get through in about 30 minutes. And the VH-1 shows are notoriously commercial heavy. Even without fast forwarding through the action, a one hour show is probably 35 minutes tops.
I had lunch today with my friend Sean. This was our third date and I felt terrible about it. I've been in a not-so-good place for the last few days and I was afraid my mood was going to bring things down. So, in the neurotic way that's charmingly me, I shot him an email right after lunch apologizing for ruining what should have been an otherwise fun time. Of course he sent me a virtual bitch slap and then I felt all better. Sean's such a stand up guy, he's a lot of fun to be around and I'm so happy we're becoming good friends. One of the things I wanted to talk about was arranging a double date night so that we could meet each other's spouses. The hour (AGAIN!) slipped away in about 20 minutes and it didn't happen. When I got back to the office, I got picked on a little only because I never go out to lunch. But I'm training my girls. One of them, rather than picking on me asked if I was out on another "boy date." For some reason "boy date" cracks me up. That's what I've been referring to my lunches out as.
As I just mentioned, I've been in a not-so-good place for the last few days. I really didn't realize how upset and stressed out I've been until I noticed the effect it's been having on my health. When I get to where I am right now, I've got certain health issues that present themselves that usually lie dormant most of the time. When things start happening at work or when I'm out shopping, I get really nervous. And that's been happening. Sorry to be so vague, but while I tend not too hold back here too much, I don't really feel the need to broadcast every single thing that's wrong with me. Hell, maybe it'll be fun to guess what the hell is going on with me and post your guesses in the comments section. Anyway, that being said, I need to look out for my own well being. I'm trying to remove myself from situations that are causing the stress and anxiety. While I don't need the things that make me feel like shit about myself (and who does), I absolutely don't need the things that are causing the stress to mainfest in my physical being.
And before I forgot, I have a special message for Ricci and for Candy. You two..... (This is where I point and shake my finger at you both) You really know how to take a shitso day and turn it around. ::Great Big Hugs::
I'm starting to get overwhelmed by television. Right now it seems like there's too much on tv for me to watch. I have something on almost every night of the week now. And most all of it is pure trash. I Love Money 2 (which, I'm sad to say, I think is my favorite show right now), American Idol, The Biggest Loser, Lost, Top Chef, Survivor, Hell's Kitchen, Confessions Of A Teen Idol, Rock of Love 3, the Celebrity Apprentice (starting soon), Guiding Light.... Almost everything I watch is a reality show right now. Scripted stuff doesn't really hold my attention unless it's really good, like Lost, or trashy fun like Guiding Light. I've been watching that show since I was in elementary school. It would be on when I got home from school and I'd watch it with my mom. Then I found I was still watching it even if my mother wasn't around. I tend to come and go when it comes to my soaps, but right now it's been pretty damn good. Phillip Spaulding is back in town and things are heating up. Like you care.... Anyway, there's getting to be too much tv on that I want to watch. I'm learning not to watch things live and that saves time. For instance, last night's American Idol (the first one I've watched this season, incidentally. The auditioning process is too annoying for me to watch anymore) was a two hour show that I managed to watch in about 20 minutes. Same thing goes for the Biggest Loser. That's another two hour show that I can get through in about 30 minutes. And the VH-1 shows are notoriously commercial heavy. Even without fast forwarding through the action, a one hour show is probably 35 minutes tops.
I had lunch today with my friend Sean. This was our third date and I felt terrible about it. I've been in a not-so-good place for the last few days and I was afraid my mood was going to bring things down. So, in the neurotic way that's charmingly me, I shot him an email right after lunch apologizing for ruining what should have been an otherwise fun time. Of course he sent me a virtual bitch slap and then I felt all better. Sean's such a stand up guy, he's a lot of fun to be around and I'm so happy we're becoming good friends. One of the things I wanted to talk about was arranging a double date night so that we could meet each other's spouses. The hour (AGAIN!) slipped away in about 20 minutes and it didn't happen. When I got back to the office, I got picked on a little only because I never go out to lunch. But I'm training my girls. One of them, rather than picking on me asked if I was out on another "boy date." For some reason "boy date" cracks me up. That's what I've been referring to my lunches out as.
As I just mentioned, I've been in a not-so-good place for the last few days. I really didn't realize how upset and stressed out I've been until I noticed the effect it's been having on my health. When I get to where I am right now, I've got certain health issues that present themselves that usually lie dormant most of the time. When things start happening at work or when I'm out shopping, I get really nervous. And that's been happening. Sorry to be so vague, but while I tend not too hold back here too much, I don't really feel the need to broadcast every single thing that's wrong with me. Hell, maybe it'll be fun to guess what the hell is going on with me and post your guesses in the comments section. Anyway, that being said, I need to look out for my own well being. I'm trying to remove myself from situations that are causing the stress and anxiety. While I don't need the things that make me feel like shit about myself (and who does), I absolutely don't need the things that are causing the stress to mainfest in my physical being.
And before I forgot, I have a special message for Ricci and for Candy. You two..... (This is where I point and shake my finger at you both) You really know how to take a shitso day and turn it around. ::Great Big Hugs::
2.15.2009
I don't know why, but I never allow myself to sleep. I'm walking through life feeling run down and tired all the time and it's because I don't get enough sleep. This morning, for instance. It's Sunday and I set the alarm to go off at 5:30. Was there any place I needed to be? No. Was there anything I needed to do? No. I did get up to go walking and grocery shopping, but I didn't need to get up that early to do it. It's 8:30 now and I'm done with all the things I wanted to do. The rest of the day is a blank slate now and I do like the idea of that. I'll bet I pass out this afternoon when I sit down to read.
Yesterday was a day I was actually planning on sleeping in. For real. But Ken wanted to take a road trip to the closest Trader Joe's. We don't have one here in Albany, but there's one about an hour and forty-five minutes away in Hadley, Mass. It was a nice day for a drive, so I agreed. It seems kind of foolish to drive nearly two hours to go to a grocery store, doesn't it? I loved what I saw there, however. People lucky enough to have a local Trader Joe's are always singing it's praises and I can understand why now. They've got a really cool mix of things. We loaded up on all sorts of things (including hummus, like you'd have to ask.) Almost directly next door is a Whole Foods, another store we don't have here, but I'd love to have. I wasn't very impressed by the store. I'm not sure if it was the store, though, or the clientele. Everyone seemed to either have a stick firmly placed up their ass or a brood of unruly children that they refused to keep in check. All I know is I was feeling increasingly uptight as we shopped the aisles and was so happy to finally be out of there. All in all it was a fun shopping trip. I'm glad we went.
I got the biggest surprise when we got home from the trip. I asked Ken if he would please clean the bathroom (a job I just hate more than anything) and not only did he agree to do it, but he also helped me clean some of the rest of the house. I know it was all motivated by guilt. He does any amazing job of trashing the house, but he rarely lifts a finger to pick up. I'm left to do the bulk of the housework. What I find funny about all this is Ken does a much better job of cleaning than I do. I'm okay at cleaning (and you'd think I'd be better considering I'm the only one who does clean), but he's great. We've been in our house for 5 or 6 years now and yesterday was the first time that he vaccuumed the stairs. Don't think he didn't make a point of letting me know that, either. Because he did. A BIG point about it.
I don't know what's going on today, but tomorrow I'm looking forward to more than any other day this weekend. First of all, it's a day off of work, which is a huge plus, but Ken's planning on going in to his office to catch up on work. I live for these days when I have the day to myself. I thrive on solitude. It'll give me a chance to recharge my batteries. I've worn myself to the ground lately and I need a day. Now I'm trying not to get my hopes up for the solitude only because Ken makes these plans all the time. He actually makes it in to work maybe 1 out of every 8 times he says he's going in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Yesterday was a day I was actually planning on sleeping in. For real. But Ken wanted to take a road trip to the closest Trader Joe's. We don't have one here in Albany, but there's one about an hour and forty-five minutes away in Hadley, Mass. It was a nice day for a drive, so I agreed. It seems kind of foolish to drive nearly two hours to go to a grocery store, doesn't it? I loved what I saw there, however. People lucky enough to have a local Trader Joe's are always singing it's praises and I can understand why now. They've got a really cool mix of things. We loaded up on all sorts of things (including hummus, like you'd have to ask.) Almost directly next door is a Whole Foods, another store we don't have here, but I'd love to have. I wasn't very impressed by the store. I'm not sure if it was the store, though, or the clientele. Everyone seemed to either have a stick firmly placed up their ass or a brood of unruly children that they refused to keep in check. All I know is I was feeling increasingly uptight as we shopped the aisles and was so happy to finally be out of there. All in all it was a fun shopping trip. I'm glad we went.
I got the biggest surprise when we got home from the trip. I asked Ken if he would please clean the bathroom (a job I just hate more than anything) and not only did he agree to do it, but he also helped me clean some of the rest of the house. I know it was all motivated by guilt. He does any amazing job of trashing the house, but he rarely lifts a finger to pick up. I'm left to do the bulk of the housework. What I find funny about all this is Ken does a much better job of cleaning than I do. I'm okay at cleaning (and you'd think I'd be better considering I'm the only one who does clean), but he's great. We've been in our house for 5 or 6 years now and yesterday was the first time that he vaccuumed the stairs. Don't think he didn't make a point of letting me know that, either. Because he did. A BIG point about it.
I don't know what's going on today, but tomorrow I'm looking forward to more than any other day this weekend. First of all, it's a day off of work, which is a huge plus, but Ken's planning on going in to his office to catch up on work. I live for these days when I have the day to myself. I thrive on solitude. It'll give me a chance to recharge my batteries. I've worn myself to the ground lately and I need a day. Now I'm trying not to get my hopes up for the solitude only because Ken makes these plans all the time. He actually makes it in to work maybe 1 out of every 8 times he says he's going in. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
2.14.2009
2.11.2009
500 (And Other Numbers)
I haven't been putting aside the time I need to post here on a more regular basis and it's been bothering me. Not because I have a lot to say (if you've read this drivel, you know I don't have much to say), but more because I started the blog to help me work on my communciation skills, to help me learn how to take what's in my head and turn it into something coherent. The less I try to get something out, the more I find myself internalizing everything and translating it all back into Walt-speak. The more I do that, the less I want to write here,
One of the reasons I haven't been as active here is because of work. I've been working my ass off since the holidays. There's been lots and lots for me to do at work and when there's such an abundance of work, there's overtime. Last year I went though a couple of months of not having as much to do and limited overtime. If there's nothing to do, there's no overtime (though try telling some of my co-workers that. Doesn't stop them...) Anyway, there's been so much to do and I've been taking advantage of the extra hours. But it's killing me. By the middle of the week, the exhaustion starts catching up with me and by the end of the week, I'm a zombie. This week it started catching up with me on Tuesday. Not a good sign. To put the number of hours I've been working into perspective, in 2008 I managed to work 87 paid* overtime hours. In 2009, I've worked 42 paid* overtime hours, nearly half of my entire 2008 output. Now can you see why I'm tired?
(*I've mentioned before how overtime works in my office. I work a 37.5 hour work week. The first 2.5 hours of overtime each week is given to us in comp time. Anything above that is time and a half in our paychecks. Most weeks in 2008 I managed to get in my 2.5 hours but not much above it.)
I haven't posted about my little iTunes OCD project lately. To refresh, I'm actively working on listening to every single song in my iTunes library at least one time. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it's getting me giddy. My iTunes library is currently 43,330 songs with the unplayed count at 2,739. iTunes estimates that's a solid 7.5 days worth of music. I'm really anxious to finish this up because I've let some great things kind of slip by me in the last year or so that I've been doing this. Most new things get a single listen and then I'm on to the next thing. If I had to guess, I'd say I have about 5 or 6 more weeks until everything is finally listened to.
Today I hit a weird little milestone that I initially wasn't trying for, but made anyway. Today marks the 500th consecutive day since I had my last soda. When I stopped, I think it was initally going to be for a month. I had plateaued in my weight loss and I thought kicking the soda for a little bit would jump start me losing again. I've lost 36 pounds in the time that I've stopped drinking soda, so I guess it worked. ;-) I kept reaching what I thought would be my soda restriction goals and then I'd challenge myself to see if I could go even longer. First a month, then two, then 100 days, then six months, etc etc etc. Now I've made 500 days. After I hit a year, I told myself the challenge was over and I could have a soda whenever I wanted. And I may soon. God knows I keep dreaming about the stuff. I'm good to have a dream where I have a soda to drink at least three or four times a month. The dreams are all generally the same. I'm somewhere (restaurant/friend's house/vacation) and before I realize it, I'm drinking soda. And in the dream, my next thought would be "so much for breaking that streak." I think what's helped keep me off the stuff is my competitive nature. Once I reached a significant enough period of time, I started pushing myself to avoid the stuff, challenging myself to continue to build on the number of days. I can't imagine going forever without having another soda, but at this point in my life, I don't really miss it... much. But there are some days when I would kill for a Diet Dr. Pepper. KILL!
One of the reasons I haven't been as active here is because of work. I've been working my ass off since the holidays. There's been lots and lots for me to do at work and when there's such an abundance of work, there's overtime. Last year I went though a couple of months of not having as much to do and limited overtime. If there's nothing to do, there's no overtime (though try telling some of my co-workers that. Doesn't stop them...) Anyway, there's been so much to do and I've been taking advantage of the extra hours. But it's killing me. By the middle of the week, the exhaustion starts catching up with me and by the end of the week, I'm a zombie. This week it started catching up with me on Tuesday. Not a good sign. To put the number of hours I've been working into perspective, in 2008 I managed to work 87 paid* overtime hours. In 2009, I've worked 42 paid* overtime hours, nearly half of my entire 2008 output. Now can you see why I'm tired?
(*I've mentioned before how overtime works in my office. I work a 37.5 hour work week. The first 2.5 hours of overtime each week is given to us in comp time. Anything above that is time and a half in our paychecks. Most weeks in 2008 I managed to get in my 2.5 hours but not much above it.)
I haven't posted about my little iTunes OCD project lately. To refresh, I'm actively working on listening to every single song in my iTunes library at least one time. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now and it's getting me giddy. My iTunes library is currently 43,330 songs with the unplayed count at 2,739. iTunes estimates that's a solid 7.5 days worth of music. I'm really anxious to finish this up because I've let some great things kind of slip by me in the last year or so that I've been doing this. Most new things get a single listen and then I'm on to the next thing. If I had to guess, I'd say I have about 5 or 6 more weeks until everything is finally listened to.
Today I hit a weird little milestone that I initially wasn't trying for, but made anyway. Today marks the 500th consecutive day since I had my last soda. When I stopped, I think it was initally going to be for a month. I had plateaued in my weight loss and I thought kicking the soda for a little bit would jump start me losing again. I've lost 36 pounds in the time that I've stopped drinking soda, so I guess it worked. ;-) I kept reaching what I thought would be my soda restriction goals and then I'd challenge myself to see if I could go even longer. First a month, then two, then 100 days, then six months, etc etc etc. Now I've made 500 days. After I hit a year, I told myself the challenge was over and I could have a soda whenever I wanted. And I may soon. God knows I keep dreaming about the stuff. I'm good to have a dream where I have a soda to drink at least three or four times a month. The dreams are all generally the same. I'm somewhere (restaurant/friend's house/vacation) and before I realize it, I'm drinking soda. And in the dream, my next thought would be "so much for breaking that streak." I think what's helped keep me off the stuff is my competitive nature. Once I reached a significant enough period of time, I started pushing myself to avoid the stuff, challenging myself to continue to build on the number of days. I can't imagine going forever without having another soda, but at this point in my life, I don't really miss it... much. But there are some days when I would kill for a Diet Dr. Pepper. KILL!
2.09.2009
2.08.2009
Another Random Post
***Sunday weigh in. I don't think I've nattered on much about them the last couple of weeks. Last Sunday I topped out at 194 again. It was a big weekend of eating, visiting and eating. I expected a number around there. Today, however, I was at 188. Down six pounds, which is huge. The first couple of pounds came off early in the week as my body regulated from the over indulging. The rest came off when I got the stomach bug that's been going around. I almost feel 100% again and my appetite is coming back. Too bad, because there's nothing quite as slimming as a stomach bug.
***I watched an entire dvd from Dynasty's third season last night (4 episodes). I love how craptastic that show is. It's just as good as I remember it being. But things aren't happening in quite the order I remember. For instance, Adam arranged to have Jeff's office at ColbyCo painted (with toxic paint!!!) on one of the episodes I saw. I remember this happening later.
***I'm sick of allowing people to hurt my feelings. No one can hurt my feelings unless I let them and I'm the king of allowing it. If there's one thing I need to work on about myself this year, it's this.
***I've been listening to Devo all weekend and for this I blame Bjorn.
***I used to be a huge fan of awards shows. Couldn't get enough of them. My favorite show was the Grammys, which is on tonight. I've really lost any and all desire to watch them. I don't know how or when this happened, but I've really given up on them. Sure, I'm interested in finding out who won, but watching... Nah. I used to make a whole day out of it, starting with some specials on cable, followed up with the red carpet and finally the awards themselves.
***It made it up into the mid 40s this afternoon. All the ice is finally starting to melt. Yay!
***I watched an entire dvd from Dynasty's third season last night (4 episodes). I love how craptastic that show is. It's just as good as I remember it being. But things aren't happening in quite the order I remember. For instance, Adam arranged to have Jeff's office at ColbyCo painted (with toxic paint!!!) on one of the episodes I saw. I remember this happening later.
***I'm sick of allowing people to hurt my feelings. No one can hurt my feelings unless I let them and I'm the king of allowing it. If there's one thing I need to work on about myself this year, it's this.
***I've been listening to Devo all weekend and for this I blame Bjorn.
***I used to be a huge fan of awards shows. Couldn't get enough of them. My favorite show was the Grammys, which is on tonight. I've really lost any and all desire to watch them. I don't know how or when this happened, but I've really given up on them. Sure, I'm interested in finding out who won, but watching... Nah. I used to make a whole day out of it, starting with some specials on cable, followed up with the red carpet and finally the awards themselves.
***It made it up into the mid 40s this afternoon. All the ice is finally starting to melt. Yay!
I Am...
You Are a Coffee Mug |
 You have loads of energy and stamina. You can zip through the most boring of tasks with complete enthusiasm. You are also great at motivating a group. You are a fearless leader. You are efficient and productive. You don't put off tasks or procrastinate. You actually enjoy working. You would make a good small business owner or startup employee. If a job requires blood, sweat, and tears - then you have some to give. |
2.04.2009
Lunch With My Honey
Ken who?
Today I had my second date with my adorable Sean (who, by the way, looks so cute in that picture. Me, on the other hand.... I'm not having a very photogenic day today. LOL!) Second dates tend to be hard for me and I don't know why. I should be over that nervous energy because this is no longer the unknown. Luckily for me, this wasn't the case. I think I probably expended all that nervous energy wondering if I was going to get nervous about lunch today. (Shut up and leave me to my neuroses!) Anyway, we met at 1 o'clock at my building and headed back to the scene of our first date (a chopped salad place. So tasty!)
When we got there, I noticed something that was pretty fucked up. Sean's hands were covered in band aids. So were mine. Now, while that probably doesn't seem like anything odd, get this. On my right hand, I had two band aids. So did Sean. I had cartoon band aids. So did Sean. I had Scooby Doo while Sean had SpongeBob SquarePants.
On my left hand I only had one. So did Sean. I had a super-hero band aid on that had. So did Sean. Mine was Batman. His was a Marvel Super-Heroes. I think it was funny as shit. So much so that I insisted we take pictures.
Going back to work after having lunch together sucked ass. Sure, I was in such a good mood, all giddy and flirty and fun, but I didn't want to do anything that resembled work anymore. All I wanted to do was to gossip, chit chat, goof off and play. My afternoon was anything but productive, but while that might not be a good thing, I also didn't want to punch any of the jackasses I work with in the throat anymore. This lunch was the best thing for me. It really refreshed and recharged me.
Now that we've got lunch down to a science, our next order of business is meet the spouses. This should be good.
Today I had my second date with my adorable Sean (who, by the way, looks so cute in that picture. Me, on the other hand.... I'm not having a very photogenic day today. LOL!) Second dates tend to be hard for me and I don't know why. I should be over that nervous energy because this is no longer the unknown. Luckily for me, this wasn't the case. I think I probably expended all that nervous energy wondering if I was going to get nervous about lunch today. (Shut up and leave me to my neuroses!) Anyway, we met at 1 o'clock at my building and headed back to the scene of our first date (a chopped salad place. So tasty!)When we got there, I noticed something that was pretty fucked up. Sean's hands were covered in band aids. So were mine. Now, while that probably doesn't seem like anything odd, get this. On my right hand, I had two band aids. So did Sean. I had cartoon band aids. So did Sean. I had Scooby Doo while Sean had SpongeBob SquarePants.
On my left hand I only had one. So did Sean. I had a super-hero band aid on that had. So did Sean. Mine was Batman. His was a Marvel Super-Heroes. I think it was funny as shit. So much so that I insisted we take pictures.
Going back to work after having lunch together sucked ass. Sure, I was in such a good mood, all giddy and flirty and fun, but I didn't want to do anything that resembled work anymore. All I wanted to do was to gossip, chit chat, goof off and play. My afternoon was anything but productive, but while that might not be a good thing, I also didn't want to punch any of the jackasses I work with in the throat anymore. This lunch was the best thing for me. It really refreshed and recharged me.Now that we've got lunch down to a science, our next order of business is meet the spouses. This should be good.
2.02.2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)