Name: T
Posts by T:
- I am treated as an adult, capable of handling my own schedule. They expect me to work the standard amount of hours and get my job done correctly, completely, and on time but I am not browbeaten into signing in and out. In fact, I only have to complete a time sheet when I am sick or on vacation. I still feel like I am getting away with something as I leave the office in the afternoon without signing out or saying goodbye to my entire department (or team, as they call it in the private sector).
- Bonuses! I am not even eligible for them at this point but just saying the word brings joy to my life. I was daydreaming of this very notion while working my second job last night when one of my favorite supervisors interrupted to ask why I had such an impish grin plastered on my face. When I was offered the job, my new big boss mentioned this. I laughed out loud and asked if it was somehow related to the furloughs that public sector employees are treated to during times of fiscal distress.
- I have a clear path of world domination. I know I currently stand as WAY-low-woman-on-the-totem-pole but I expect that with my charming personality and brilliance, I will shortly rule the universe. I can clearly see (via an hour long training session on the corporate org chart) how many people I have to climb over to reach my rightful position as Top Dog. More importantly, I know that it is possible to move up the chain without having to answer the all-important question: “So where did you go to high school?”
- My former coworkers are all crazy and they are all my family. I can say that honestly about nearly everyone there. Every so often, I would get irritated with one of them but, hey, it’s family and you get over it. I am sure I will make new friends over time but I know for a fact that I spend five years with a tough group of people who knew how to get things done even when the system worked against them.
- The Round Table. The Round Table was a gathering place…and the place where I sat all my baked goods when I did not want to keep them in my house. We sat around it to discuss everything from federal legislation changes to Cardinals baseball. It may not have all been work related but it bonded us together.
- I could pass the time via Gmail and streaming online radio. I know that is probably not the most valuable use of resources but I need distractions to keep me focused on the big picture. If I can sent a quick email to my best buddy in the UK or rock out to a song for a couple minutes, it does wonders to keep my energy level up and running. Case in point: I was working through some required online training today sans Gazz/music and I did not get a perfect score on either follow-up test because I could not stay focused on the content. I just KNOW that if I had the No Apologies Track playing at 4 pm, I would have aced them both.
Spa Day
February 5th, 2012Cara and I finally managed to find a time to head to the spa together and I am very glad now that we went during the week, as we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. The sense of ownership made me significantly less self-conscious than I otherwise would have been in such surroundings. I cannot honestly say that I am not completely comfortable in my own skin but neither am I shy. Hanging out with Cara forced me to abandon any pretense of holding back and just throw myself headlong into a day spent naked or nearly so. It was rather liberating for a spa virgin.
As a first-timer, I did not exactly know what to expect. I simply signed up for the services Jason picked out and went with the flow. I am glad I did, honestly. Their list of options would have overwhelmed me on my own and it was nice to have a decision-free afternoon. All I was required to do was lie on the table and roll over when prompted. It was delightful to put myself in someone else’s care for ninety minutes, letting my mind wander freely. I can see why people pay ridiculous sums of money for this kind of treatment and naturally, I enjoyed every minute of it. It is good to escape my humdrum reality and see how the other half lives but it made coming back to reality that much more jarring.
Monkeying Around
January 9th, 2012I have been a bit lax recently but it is certainly not due to lack of material to post. I am still settling into the routine of having two new jobs and rebuilding my social network to keep myself occupied. Perhaps I am succeeding a bit too well on that account, as I believe I have spent approximately an hour in my apartment in the past month. It really makes me wonder if it is worth it for me to pay the exorbitant rent or if I could get by living out of my dad’s truck. There is a certain appeal to being able to pack up and leave at any given moment but my life here has been so compelling of late that I am not caught up in the whirlwind of wanderlust that usually hits me around this time of year. However, this line of thought is not the purpose of this post.
Missy convinced me to take a rock climbing 101 class at Upper Limits over the weekend. I was a bit reluctant at first but that Groupon did the trick and honestly, I am glad I went, hung over and all. We listened to the instructor for about half an hour before she let us practice anything at all. I had to learn how to tie the knots properly and how to alert the climber that I was prepared to support them on their way up and down the wall. Finally, we were allowed to attempt our first climb. Missy and I stuck to the easy wall for the first one and I approached it with some trepidation. I did not want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone but being born in the year of the monkey must have helped me tremendously since Missy had to tell me to slow down several times. Once I mastered the easy path, we moved on to a more challenging course of action. Still, I destroyed it. We had to leave shortly thereafter but it was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning and I hope we take the second class sometime soon.
Friends
December 19th, 2011This may take several tries to perfect but here goes…
I have said this numerous times but it bears repeating: my friends rule. I have a very hard time trying to express my feelings so I can only hope they understand how very much they mean to me. No matter how ludicrous I am acting (see the post about my bathroom woes), they step in to calm me down.
For the past few weeks, I have been working both of my jobs nearly every day. I have not had much time to see anyone and that lack of friend time has made this time even more stressful. I am not entirely sure where I am going with this except to point out that during the few meager moments off, one of them stepped in to offer a laugh, a drink, a night vegging in front of the TV or some combination of the above.
With the holidays around the corner, I started hearing rumors that gifts would be coming my way from those around me. This was rather unexpected, in all honesty. I received them today and was completely floored by both their generosity and thoughtfulness. Cara purchased these fantastic mid-century candleholders, along with a pair of tapers to burn on New Years Day for good luck. Boy, could I use some of that after the year I have had. They will look stunning near my pin-up pictures. Jason bought Cara and I gift certificates for a massage and an espresso mud wrap. Holy crap! We always joke about finding out how the other half lives but I certainly never expected to have the opportunity to experience such luxuries. And at the Four Seasons, no less!
Naturally, my shopping is nowhere near complete and now I feel like a heel. I am not even sure where to begin putting together something half as nice as either of these gestures. I better get cracking, though, as I only have a few days to figure it out and execute.
What Was I Thinking?
December 11th, 2011My friend Jason has a great way of justifying bad decisions by breaking the decision down into tenses. Future Jason has to deal with the consequences, Present Jason is naive and makes the decision, while Past Jason is stuck with all the regrets. Present T managed to make one really and truly bad decision and Future T is dealing with the fallout. Yep, I had to call The Ex tonight and even though he did not bother to answer, I am still in a tailspin of sadness. I was hoping that six months out, the picture would be brighter and I would have the internal strength to deal with a simple phone call. I will say that I am in a much better place now. My new job is going really, really well and I really have the greatest friends on the planet (more on that later) but having my one big, bad decision crop up still sucks.
So here I am, alone and crying in my room…again. It’s pathetic. I think this time it has more to do with the frustration of not being able to control things than anything else. I mean, all I wanted to do was cancel the internet at my house and I cannot even check that simple task off my list since it is not in my name. Are you kidding me? UGH! I did my duty and called him (twice), left a message, and now I wait for The Ex to call me back. Of course, I would appreciate it if he would just take care of it and leave me out of it but I believe that would be asking too much. Sigh. My life.
Thirsty Thursday
December 1st, 2011Totally my bad for not writing anything in the past few weeks. It’s been a wee bit nuts in T-ville. I started the new jobby-job on Monday, following the traditional trek home to Indiana for Thanksgiving. I could have used a bit more time off before diving in but as usual, I do what I have to do to move forward. In an effort to sprinkle more bullet points on this blog, I have created the top three things I love about my new job and the top three things I miss about my old one. They (like me) are in no particular order.
The new job rules because:
Woot!
November 11th, 2011I woke up this morning with a positive attitude based on nothing at all. The ever-dreaded auditor showed up at my workplace yesterday, ruining my entire afternoon. Ask Gazz how quickly that happened. I went from content with my life to depressed and fearful in approximately .001 seconds while chatting with him. Those auditors must receive significant amounts of training to learn how to make people’s lives miserable. It still impresses me after five years of dealing with them. Even knowing that, however, I rolled out of bed ready to face the day. It may have had something to do with the sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds, so rare these last few days, but I choose to believe that I knew something tremendous was going to happen.
This afternoon, my phone rang with the most thrilling news I had heard in a long time. Exactly two weeks to the day from my interview, I was offered a new job! Apparently, my interviewers unanimously thought I should work with them and I felt the love all the way down the street. I have been crazy happy ever since and celebrating like it’s 1999 all over again. I fully intend to keep the party rolling for the rest of the extended weekend, with a new brewery opening up tomorrow and a Blues hockey game on Saturday in addition to a house party. This weekend promises to be one of the best. I love my life!
New Book
November 1st, 2011My birthday money from my Granny arrived in the mail yesterday. A little late considering my birthday is in July but there was a bit of a snafu with the check she mailed me several months ago. I was not upset about it and did not expect the money to be replaced so its arrival was a welcome surprise. This time, however, it was cold, hard cash, the kind that burns holes in my pockets quicker than you can blink. Today, I decided to put a portion of my present to good use and bought myself a new book. I picked up my own copy of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: St. Louis, which I hope will inspire me to get off the couch more often as the cold weather approaches.
I have a longstanding love affair with books. I rarely buy them but when I do, my entire day brightens. Normally, I try and keep mine as pristine as possible but this one I bought specifically to mark up and get dirty. I already checked off the hikes I have completed (nine and counting) and fully intend to keep it in my hiking bag. This book will serve as a reminder of all the places that I have been and a nudge to get me to explore new territory. I have been slacking quite a bit on that front lately so I am making plans to hike again this weekend if the weather holds. It should be a bit chilly, which makes for a great hike. Maybe this time, I will be able to persuade someone into joining me. Who knows? Crazier things have happened.
Midday Wine Fun
October 25th, 2011I am very proud to announce that I am officially crossing another item off my list! It has been quite some time but this past Saturday, I visited one of Missouri’s wineries. Mount Pleasant, to be specific and it could not have been a more perfect day.
My friend Steph agreed to drive so Susan and I piled into Big Black for the trip out to Augusta. The drive alone was worth the time, winding through trees painted in the reds and yellows of fall. It also passes near a number of great hiking trails in the area so I made a mental note to draw up return plans that combine these two things. Imagine how refreshing that glass (bottle) of wine will taste after a long hike.
Back to Saturday, though. We pulled into the parking lot in early afternoon and elbowed our way to the tasting counter. I was prepared to fight with the bachelorette party disembarking from the bus but we slid through the door just before them so that saved me from an ugly incident. At Mount Pleasant, it is $5 for five two-ounce pours of your choice and they are paired with Bissinger’s chocolate. Not a bad way to start the day so after Susan and I finished that, we selected our two favorites (one red and one white to suit all palates) and headed out to meet Steph and Tom (who had ridden out on his motorcycle) on the patio. There, we proceeded to drink and chat and in general, enjoy the wonderful Saturday afternoon. It was perfect.
And then I went home and passed out for three hours. Couldn’t have asked for a better day outside of the city.
Side note: my laptop is currently misbehaving. My screen has to be replaced and am waiting on the tech guy to set up the appointment. Perfect timing when I am trying to research a new business idea.
Looking Up?
October 21st, 2011There is something about a bright, sunny fall day that lifts my mood considerably. I feel that great and wonderful changes are coming my way, almost to the point where I want to pick up my phone and call The Ex just to say “You are missing out on amazing times.” Fear not: I will not do such a thing. I can exercise at least that much self-control. I suppose I am grateful (is that the word?) to him for walking out because it has ushered in such a period of creativity.
I am working on some big ideas right now so send happy energy my way. I am being purposefully cryptic so I do not jinx it but as things progress, I hope to post details.
Love for Mpls
October 17th, 2011Today’s “I love my peeps” post goes out to my friends, both old and new, in the Twin Cities area. After a five-year hiatus from the great state of Minnesnowta, I made my way back up there for a very short but jam-packed weekend trip, joined by Missy on her first visit to the area. Though I did not have enough time to see everyone or everything, I feel like I hit the highlights and showed Missy a drunken good time.
On the food side: Walleye baskets with tavern fries from Tavern on Grand. Delicious. I have had a craving for these fried bits of goodness ever since I left town. If you have not experienced this yet and you live in the vicinity, get in your car and head that way right now. You will not regret it. And if you move fast enough, Surly’s Wet might still be on draft, though Furious paired nicely as well.
On the beverage side: Three brews really stood out. Surly’s Wet, as mentioned above, was outstanding and without a huge, hoppy bite to it, even Missy enjoyed it. No wonder this stuff is flying off the shelves. Tyranena brews a bourbon barrel-aged brown called Rocky’s Revenge that will be featured on an upcoming Beer Float Friday if I have any say in the matter. Smooth, vanilla goodness. My final nod goes out to Grain Belt Nordeast. This malty lager gets my thumbs up for updated taste in classic packaging. The perfect beverage for a lovely Sunday afternoon with great friends.
And speaking of great friends, mine, once again, are the best. Many, many thanks to Che, Trish, and Pete for a very special Sunday Funday, complete with a stop at the Country Bar. My memories of that place may be somewhat fuzzy (and for good reason) but being back there was…well…old school. It was the perfect way to end my weekend trip and had Missy not been there, I most likely would have extended my visit.