Losing My ...

Today's Dessert at Lunch

Since I've been at this conference I have lost and found my mini dell bag of computer accessories and my favorite pen. The bag was left on the floor and a janitor picked it up. I tracked it down in the building office. Then pen fell on the floor during a session, and then I found it when I was back in the same room for another session later. Thrilling.

But it's made me feel more airheaded than normal. I've also been more upset. Being out of my routine (however shaky and new it is) is making me feel worse. And the swing from insular, nearly anti-social lifestyle and personality to near constant sociability for what seems like days on end is a bit wearing. I am tired.

I do love the views here. The coast line is amazing. I did take some photos, so I'll use those as a post later this week. Maybe on a travel day when I'm even more exhausted than I am now, although i can hardly imagine!

I ate dessert at lunch today -- and still regretting it. Not from the calories/sugar/and not really exercising perspective, although that's bad. But from the how it made me feel perspective. I didn't even love the taste, I had a bad sugar reaction, where you get super sluggish afterward. I have to remember it's not worth it.

A lot to do before I can hit the sack so I'd better get to it.

Happy?

I want to be more even keeled.

I want to let go of the snark, and not project my unhappiness.

I want to be a vessel for joy -- and spread it to others.

I want a lot of things. I'm trying to want fewer things and more experiences and love. But it's a struggle.

To cheer myself up, how about a picture of Owen in front of the mighty Mississipp? Remember when I used to say he was the cutest thing on either side of that river? I still think he is!

Have an Absorbing Day!

Insulting

Writing from a conference. This is a different kind of travel than I have been and will continue to do. Many of the people here seem to be whooping it up and just happy to be away from their desk jobs. Hrm.

I met the president (owner? founder?) of my company -- the contracting company that actually pays my salary. He was weird -- introduced himself as my boss after someone else introduced me as being with the company. (Just what I need, another "boss.") He asked about my work -- thought I was doing something completely different, so I explained a little about my role and my title. Obviously didn't know I, or my position, existed. Which is fine with me, so whatever.

Then I was talking to the HR lady with whom I'd had many discussions in the process of interviewing for and accepting the position. We talked about how I went from working from home, alone in my studio apartment to this, which is much more people-involved.

The president guy scoffed and said "I thought you said you were a communications person."

I think insulting my background is uncalled for. And besides, my past life work was heavily web based ... and it wasn't like I didn't do any person-to-person outreach. It just wasn't as concentrated as this work is. Also most of my closest contacts within the organization are REMOTE. I don't know, it just really rubbed me the wrong way.

But I schmoozed and said "everything is great." HR lady said ~sounds like it's been really good for your career ... as a professional ... or something like that.

But sometimes, like when I've technically worked 12 hours on a Sunday, missed church, a workout, dinner and an evening with my boy ... I don't know that this is worth it.

It's just one week, one Sunday, one conference.

Time to put on my big girl panties and be a professional ... for once.

Bike Owner

SUCCESS!

The first place we went had a bike that I really liked. The medium was a little too small for me, perhaps, so the bike man called to the other locations and found one that had the large so I could go try it out. I did, and Shawn was convinced it was the correct size. The bike lady at the second shop said it looked almost too big, but that if it felt OK it was good. And it did feel OK.

So we got it! And it's purple!!!

At Target we got a lock and a helmet -- silver for silvermari. It was less than 1/3 of the price of those they had at the bike shop. BUT the bells at the bike shop and the baskets were cheaper. I'll bling out later, either when I'm back from my travels/before Christmas or in the spring if the weather here actually turns cold enough that you can't ride bikes.

It is threatening rain so not sure if we'll go test out the new wheels, but I've got a ticket to ride!!! And I can get to work even more easily now with this new option. Huzzah!

I haven't taken pictures, but it looks something like this, although it is not the exact model.

Edit: Here's a picture:

Untitled

So tired after the trip. And it was the short one!

Tonight I drove into the parking garage and zoomed up, as normal, parked the car and got out. It wasn't until I was inside that I realized I was on the wrong floor. I'd only gone up to 5. Thankfully I realized it before I tried to open 2510!

The audio book was amazing and worked well. Am loving the ability to download books. It's the simple things.

I also finished a book that I found at the library proper, A Lesson Before Dying. The librarian complimented me on my selection. I like that the libraries here offer a Louisiana section!

Time to make tacos and margaritas and wait for Shawn to come home. We have an abbreviated weekend together, so will have to make it count.

Attitude of Gratitude

November is about thankfulness, leading up to the family holiday of Thanksgiving! I have so much to be grateful for, but to list them all would be boring.

I got my first "you should feature my website on your blog" e-mail. Does that mean I'm a real blogger? Uh ... I'll look at the site later and decide whether to write about it I guess.

I'm on my way today to Spanish Fort, AL, and will be back tomorrow before picking up and leaving again on Sunday. Hopefully on Saturday we can have a swinging good time, relax and enjoy some QT together. Shawn's at the top of my list of things to be grateful for!

Before my three hour drive I'm downloading an audio book and transferring it to my iPod. Then I'll use an AUX cable to patch it into the truck's stereo. Fearless Fourteen should make my drive MUCH more fun. East Baton Rouge Library for the win...

How 'Bout Them Cowgirls?

I've held onto this ad for years ... I guess since I got it in an alumni magazine. This is exactly what I looked like when I graduated. It's not me, but I had the long hair, wore it curly with my cap and gown.

Bonus: I found out that I don't need to be at the meeting tomorrow until nearly 3 pm. It's a three hour drive, so instead of leaving at 8 am I can leave closer to noon. Hooray! I'll actually get to sleep in and enjoy part of the holiday. Of course tomorrow I'll bounce right out of bed, unlike today when I had to peel myself out.

I'm glad I did. I went in early to go to a coffee hour w/ a professional group I've joined. The journalist who was supposed to join us didn't come, but I was mistaken for her. She's the editor of the college newspaper, and someone asked me if I was her. HILARIOUS. I guess this means that either A) I look young enough to be 22 and/or B) I need to get new, less cheap looking clothes?

Webcamming tonight with my favorite little moo hoo. Catch you tomorrow ... perhaps in the morning before I leave for the meeting.

Christmas Crochet

I need to get started on my Christmas crochet. I'm thinking some snowflakes and maybe keep working on a Christmas blanket.

I'm hitting a wall with blogging. I have ideas and a list but everything looks just ... undoable.

Snowflakes from Christmas 2006

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things during this week. Travel will pressure me, and next week will be even worse. But I'll carry on!

Snark and Pumpkin

Removing the snark is a worthy goal, and something I've been reading about on Rachel Held Evans' blog, but I don't have it in me. Example, today I go!t upset on a conference call and snapped "you criticize it before you even read it?" It seems stupider now, hours later. But still ...Work was crank-tastic today, although keeping my chin up anyway.

Pumpkin Cauliflower Pasta

Tonight I made the pumpkin cauliflower pasta from Rachel Ray's low-carb cook book. It was pretty darn tasty, although it dirtied a lot of dishes. It was pretty much a 30-40 minute meal, so that was good. But it felt more involved than I'm probably up for every night. BUT automatic lunch for tomorrow, so bonus...

I still have the steak and spinach gratin on tap to make this week plus other things that will be less involved. Domestic bliss?

Also remembered I haven't posted photos from the Owen visits Baton Rouge trip or really detailed the trip. Not going to do that today, seeing as how that would burn a post I could do another day! But here's a photo of Shawn. Heart's a flutter!

Deliriously

I got a delicious amount of sleep last night. Didn't even remember it was Daylight Savings Time ending until I woke up and saw the clock on the oven. My alarm clock automatically adjusted itself, and my body didn't notice.

It was good sleep too, in part because I was so worn out by the week of sleep deficit and an especially awful and short night's sleep on Friday but mostly because Shawn was sleeping next to me! Now creeping into the afternoon and I feel a little sleepy, but powering through to get a few things done on my side projects. Probably I can get to sleep early/at least on time.

After church, which was All Saints Sunday celebration and Communion, I went to the grocery store and got actual ingredients for recipes. I've made a few genuine (i.e. non-frozen) dinners in our kitchen since we've been here -- stuffed bell peppers, bacon cheesy pasta and the usual spaghetti/taco nights that are so easy. This week I hope to make a spinach gratin to go with some beee-autiful steaks and try a pumpkin cheesy pasta. I don't think I could ever legitimately have a food blog BUT I could arguably do a food post or two, especially while I'm charging through November and beyond.

Randomly, my favorite line from the play on Friday night: I like her because she's nothing like you, the lead guy said to the skinny coworker about his fat girlfriend.

Game Day, What?

Had my first out-of-the-apartment-on-a-game-day experience. And I chose the Alabama game...

Actually it just worked out that way, but at 10:45 I was rolling up Nicholson, nearly 4 hours before game time and there are people everywhere. Tailgating is serious sport. I made it where I was going in exactly the right amount of time despite the slow crawl alongside campus.

Then ... we rode bikes!

And I was scared of the traffic. My friend even said that it was heavier than normal, but the cars were going fast on the winding roads and not really keeping their distance from us pedalers. We only ran into each other once, and that was me misunderstanding what we were doing/where we were turning. I didn't actually fall OFF the bike, but it caused a heart rate spike even more than the big SUVs barrelling down on us!

Otherwise it was amazing, and I got to see neighborhoods around the lake in a whole new way. There were also birds and other happy people walking and riding about. I'm definitely going to buy a bike. Just will have to figure out the best kind. Shawn will come in handy for that. He's a good consumer researcher.

Just a few more hours til I get to go pick him up. Huzzah! This week has been a weird one without him, but I survived. More physical distance between us to come, when I'm traveling throughout November (11/11-12 in Alabama; 11/14-18 in Galveston, Texas; then a trip together 11/20-27 to California and Oklahoma; then 11/30-12/2 in Florida/Alabama). After that I should find some semblance of balance? Or at least a little more staying put until our trip to Virginia for Christmas?

Oh the places we'll go...

Date Myself

Just home from a date ... with myself. Good hair day, new shirt (weird plaid thing from Old Navy with pearl-ish snap buttons) and art -- a play at LSU.

I thought the acting, sets/props and production values were great, and the concept of the play was interesting. But the play itself ...

As a story just about this one obese girl who meets a hot bodied guy, they fall in love but he's superficial and his coworkers rag on him about dating a fat chick, it felt forced and fake, and there were no sympathetic characters.

But thinking about it more, maybe the far fetched, non-adult, extreme dialogue was the point. But certainly felt like the main character wasn't true to herself. She was strong and over-the-top at the beginning/not taking crap from anyone. Then at the end she's sobbing and broken instead of getting mad and standing up for herself. Honestly I was disappointed by the ending.

And I don't think the play's message can be applied more broadly -- as commentary on society's views of fatness (see should fatties get a room (even on TV) controversy). It just makes even less sense.

But was fun to get out of the house, see culture that made me think and want to write another post.

In the Market for a Bike

There was a brief window of warm, comfortable weather in which to bike. Now it's almost too chilly! But tomorrow I'm going to try anyway, borrowing a bike from a friend to see if I like it. I'm so close to work that biking would make much more sense than driving, especially when the weather is nice.

I'm thinking when I buy one it will be a cheapy Walmart version, hopefully purple, yeah? And I like the comfort models -- like a beach bike. Last time I rode a bike was on Governor's Island. Once I get one, automatic blog post with pictures!

Big football game this weekend. Hope I can survive and keep out of the traffic patterns when I go get Shawn from the airport. Huzzah!

2010 Voting Experience

I voted in a fire truck bay this year.

And the machines were still more advanced than the old timey ones they use in New York, where you have to pull a lever to cast your vote.

In Baton Rouge I pushed a button to cast the vote!

The method they used to track voters was a binder of printed out names that they checked off. And then yelled out our names across the table and spelled them out for another guy to write them on a separate print list. I thought that was really weird, but whatever. He misspelled my name Marylin?! I corrected him though, as I'm sure you would expect.

Work today was one of the worst in a long time. Just not enough to do and little direction or communication. It will swing back to being super busy next week when the travel stars. But anyway, I just felt yechy as the day dragged on -- and too focused on myself and how bad I felt.

Also doesn't help that Shawn's been gone and I'm off balance because of that. Time to go work out and try to regain some balance... Two more sleeps 'til he's home!

Bonus: Laconic

Webcamming with my sister and nephew means I stay at the computer and my brain thinks of other things to write and look up.

One of the best things anyone ever called me was laconic. I don't think it was a compliment, but I love it anyway. I was reminded of it when someone at work today said they didn't know if I was there because I was/am so quiet. Via Merriam-Webster:

using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious

(Emphasis mine)

Origin:

Latin laconicus Spartan, from Greek lakōnikos; from the Spartan reputation for terseness of speech

First Known Use: 1589

Doesn't that sound like me? (In an audible kind of way. I write more than is necessary, obviously.)

Also I got two "like it" to posting my baby picture. So what if they were from my mom and my husband? They're my two favorite blog readers anyhow! Today is Nov. 3, but I don't have a picture of me at age three. When I go home maybe I can scan a few in from the family albums and do the 1-30 birthday project toward the end of the month.

Read: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For some reason I thought this was set in New Orleans or somewhere in Louisiana. Not so much. BUT it is a southern tale and pretty interesting, although I wouldn't say it's as good as a novel. (Yes, I read fiction.) Definitely lots of intrigue and some voodoo.

View all my reviews

This is kind of a cop out post, but finished this book today and thought I'd write it up. One thing I hate, hate, hate about Good Reads is its feed. I don't want every book I read to go out in an e-mail to people. But if I forget to uncheck the box I think it does. And there's no way to delete it -- like you can delete something from your Facebook feed/wall/whatever. Ugh, my reading material isn't always stuff worth sharing.

Now I just need to get back to the library to return the book ... and maybe check out another title or two. I have a list of "to read" going in about 10 different places, but always welcome new ideas.

What Do You Do?

A new friend asked me this, and I did my best to explain my job, even though parts of it are still a mystery to me. I am cryptic about my work here because I'd rather my professional life not collide with this blog, although it would take someone very little time to find this once they know my e-mail address. I've got silvermari covered on most parts of the web. I am more open about who I work for on Facebook though because I figured it's expected that I'll have a Facebook page. A vanity blog ... not so much?

But without being too specific, I am a communications specialist. Right now my job is focused on helping to facilitate some public meetings and will continue to be the focus for a while, getting more involved in meetings to come in the future, down to booking the room, advertising the meetings, taking notes, reporting out, etc.

I also do some web work and social media around the subject matter, although not enough for my liking. I also am hindered by layers of clearance procedures, which are necessary but still a pain. I am a point of contact for the public, but so far the inquiries have been minimal. That will heat up and hopefully I will become more eloquent and fully aware of my subject matter and empowered/cleared to speak!

The adjustment from small organization to big government has been tough, and I'm still rocky. There's no more blogging for work. I touch a little bit more of the media relations side of things, but still very peripheral. For the most part I seem to have positioned myself as a communications content creator and not really a public relations person. I think that's the right move for my particular skill set and interests, but we'll see.

I also am finding that I'm very self conscious or oddly proud about my educational background. I find myself saying "I'm trained as a journalist" or "when I was in grad school," which is obnoxious and embarrassing.

A lot of what I do is obnoxious and embarrassing though. Just ask Shawn.

Bazinga!

Thirty for 30

Start of National Blog Post Month, and I'm aiming to write a post every day this month. Going to be tough, given the amount of travel I have scheduled, but here goes nothing.

I thought it would be cute to post a picture of me from each birthday, since there are 30 days and on Nov. 26 I'll have had 30 birthdays (or is it 29?) In any case, I don't have photos of all my birthdays. I've posted baby pictures of Shawn but not really any of me that I can recall. So here's me on my first birthday in Frederick, Okla.

November 2010 started with perfect-for-me weather -- cool, cloudy, drizzly. Tonight it's even storming! Only way it could be better is if November started on a Thursday, my favorite day of the week, and if Shawn had been next to me when I woke up! He's at a conference and will be home on Saturday. Not wishing my life away, but I'll be glad when he's home. I used to think living alone was the bees knees, but I've come to rely on his company and calming presence.

Until tomorrow ...

Sixth Year Stretch

I met my husband at a Halloween party six years ago. This is what I looked like then:

I don't have any pictures of Shawn from that era. But he was, as he is, cute as anything.

NaBloPoMo starts tomorrow. Yikes. Better get my writing face on. Until tomorrow ...

Scheduling

I drove/rode more than 600 miles around the state this week for meetings.

 

And I survived. I took more than 60 pages of notes. And have more meetings and travel to come in November. I hope I can make it through ... AND with NaBloPoMo how will I keep up?

I also found out a meeting in Mississippi is set for the Monday of Thanksgiving, when I planned to be in California. I can't sort everything out until this Monday, but an already packed travel month just got a lot more complicated. No matter what I do I'm going to feel awful. And the week of my birthday.

Pre-worrying won't get me anywhere, so hopefully I can get some rest this weekend and be a little less emotional when I'm not so exhausted!

Spinning Hands

I'm a rule follower. Part of me wishes I were more flexible -- or looked out for number one a bit more. What I'm thinking of is the way I work. Basically I consider my 8:30-5 to belong to my employer (minus a half hour for lunch if I can manage). BUT I allow my employer to have MORE of my time if they want it. They pay me for that time and technically I can take unpaid leave later, but still I feel like I can't go in an hour late after coming home at 10 every night after these meetings. Even a coworker commented on it -- that I don't have to go in so early after late nights. I don't think I can let myself relax!

Tomorrow will be the last meeting, and my plans to go to New Orleans on Friday for a meeting didn't pan out -- so I will have a relaxing, regular work day in jeans on Friday. And work hours 52-60 or something like that. I've already worked nearly 40 hours and it's only Wednesday. More than 80 hours for the two week period because there was overtime LAST week because of a field trip. Here are some photos:

Looks very similar to the previous field trip shots -- same hat and glasses -- but different type of boat. This was a bay boat I think. And a different photographer. If he ever finds this blog and requests credit then I'll give it to him. :)

Brain Dead

Am working almost non-stop this week. Basically four 13-hour days. Last night, after the first one, I managed to lock my car and apartment keys inside my office. Thankfully I have a husband who brought me his car key and who let me in to the apartment when I finally got home (at about 10:45 p.m.). Am going to do my best to keep it a little bit more together today. Just wanted to issue that quick missive. Carry on!

Bugs

On my field trip on Thursday we were in marsh, which means gnats apparently. I'm learning a lot about my new state ... and I have the bites to prove it. Of course my body is whacked out and reacts in a delayed fashion. Seriously still finding hives or welts now and flipping out about potential bed bugs. Shawn has checked the bed, we've washed all the sheets and thankfully nothing. If they are bed bug bites I probably got them in the hotel. But probably a better bet that it was the gnats, since I checked the hotel bed before I went to sleep!

The field trip was OK. Certainly better than I expected. I worried about sea sickness, but I didn't take bug spray! Like I said, I'm learning... Anyway, the beauty of the water and expansive skies never fails to amaze me. Just like when we were out on our cruise, I was blown away by the beauty of sea and sky. There was a time when it was loud on the boat and no one was near me as we skipped along the water so I sang a little bit of Awesome God.

My photos were pretty lame, but the videographer got some good stuff AND we saw dolphins! Apparently they follow the boats.

I'll add the videographer's photos of me soon. I have so many posts going in my head but will have next to no time this week to write. IF I were smart I would have pre-written some this weekend. Maybe next weekend ... although starting next Monday, Nov. 1 I'll have to make a post a day no matter what!

Flibbertigibbet

Ever heard that word? Was an answer to a Mensa puzzle this weekend on our calendar. Shawn had fun calling Owen a flibbertigibbet (silly, flighty person). Maybe it will replace doofenschmirtz in our vocabulary?!

(Owen, Beth and my mom were visiting this weekend. It was fall break.)

Shawn bought a mini pumpkin at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and I used a Sharpie to give it a scary face. In practicing with my new work camera (Canon Rebel, what?!) I got this picture. And it makes the pumpkin look better, oranger (more orange?) than it is in real life. (Although it's pretty cute in real life too.)

So during this weekend's visit I practiced with the camera using my favorite model -- Owen Max! He is not as obliging as he was when he was a baby, but the camera can get action shots even when he was running around. So that was pretty cool. I'll load those and detail our adventures in a separate post (gotta get my count up!).

For now I need to scoot to the gym, then back to continue laundry and then dive into some side project work. Not enough days in the week or hours in the days ...

Complainer

GRETNA, La.--From a hotel outside of New Orleans, greetings interwebs. I'm traveling for work; what else is new? Full day of work, then nearly 2-hour drive. Tomorrow early going out to capture video. Will consider linking to the video from here. Definitely from Facebook (it's obvious I have a FB page, but I haven't exactly advertised my blog among my colleagues).

I wish the hotel I'm in had stationery. I would send a letter to Shawn's grandma, who lives in Gretna, Va. Oh fun times. I'll just have to tell her that I was thinking about her. This post is proof.

Besides work I'm looking forward to my family visiting for their fall break. We'll try to sneak a peek at Mike the Tiger, take a wander around campus and probably scope out some neighborhoods. Maybe a trip over the bridge -- or even a ferry ride? Who knows what wonders await us this weekend.

Mall of Louisiana

I am up one new skirt and new jacket, and I had a lovely time with new friends who invited me to join them for an afternoon at the mall. Feels pretty weird, in a good way, given my hermit-like existence in New York ... ha!

In my work life I am forced to be more social. I use the telephone constantly (shudder), and social tendencies are bleeding over into my non-work life. I actually chatted with the guy who gave me my UPS package on Saturday -- something I would never have done in New York. My conversations with the doormen always felt stilted.

The package, by the way, contained custom frames for my OSU and UMD diplomas (yeah, only a few years behind on those). BOTH are screwed up, so I have to go through the hassle of sending them back. What was I thinking? Michaels is having a sale on framing so I think I'll go there if I can find time this week. It's so far away though, so probably not ... unless I can work that into my family's trip-to-the-Red-Stick that's happening this coming weekend.

Shopping with non-relatives made me think back to when the last time I would have done that ... probably with my friend Megan in college. We'd load up into one of our cars (for some reason I mostly remember her driving the big Suburban) and heading to Tulsa. Her favorite store was Arden B -- and I couldn't wear most things in the store because of the tiny sizes or afford any of it because of my cheapness. We would have fun though.

And I had fun today, although I'm worn out and boy, are my feet tired. This mall is big and nice. And I can't wait to tackle it again! Maybe I'll get crazy and be the initiator of an outing sometime. Baby steps in socializing. Baby steps!

Read: The Bedwetter

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee
by Sarah Silverman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Saw this on the shelf at the library and picked it up. I'm glad I did. I like reading about other people's lives. My question about this one is -- why does Sarah Silverman never truly mention her relationship with Jimmy Kimmel? He's got a photo in the book, the break up is mentioned in a caption and the F***ing Matt Damon video she made for his show is also mentioned (she won an Emmy for it). I thought she was so personal and complete in exploring/detailing her childhood and young adult life, but she left out some of the juiciest stuff about her life as a celebrity.

My favorite line, I think, was when she was describing her depression and it wasn't about levity, poop jokes, etc. ...

"What does it feel like?" It was the first time I was prompted to articulate it. I thought about it, then said, "I feel homesick." That still feels like the most accurate description -- I felt homesick, but I was home.

I also probably like her because Silverman looks so much like Silvermari. 

Read: Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
by David Allen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Written in 2001, Allen's book contains funny techno references (Palm - ha), but the advice still stands, although clearly ways to implement in new media that weren't available upon publication.

I know this book started a lot of great thinking and productivity tricks ... the 43 folders idea especially (31 daily plus 12 monthly), which I stumbled across several years ago but never actually implemented. I think I just don't want to increase the amount of paper I encounter. I try to keep everything online. I do like the idea of getting to inbox zero, which again I think started in this book. But I use my inbox as my "@action" folder that Allen recommends creating. IF I moved the items currently in my (work) inbox to a similar folder before acting on them and archiving then yeah, I probably could rock that.

A lot of his advice is common sense, but he's so positive and it's presented in such a way that it seems to make even more sense than if I'd thought of it myself.

When I was reading it I still was struggling with my roles at work. (I still am, but it's a different struggle.) I wrote on an index card: I may muddle through in my job, not have clearly defined roles or responsibilities, but I can certainly apply GTD to my non-job projects and be more efficient there.

I don't know that I'll ever FULLY implement the GTD program, but I will certainly take tricks from the book and continue to apply and refine them. I think I'll start @Phone, @Waiting For and @Computer lists ... anything I can do to get things off my mind and onto paper is great. The insomnia is back ... even though exhausted I can lie in bed for hours thinking about work and what needs to be done/what email I should write/phone call I should make/etc.

There's a part in the book about other people's systems ... and how there is no way to control them. And that's hard for me to deal with. Other people not staying on top of their e-mail, so my messages get lost and/or ignored. So that puts additional work on me to remind others to do their job/respond to me. I'm getting more adept at the phone, but calls take so much more time -- for both people.

Will continue to ponder this and maybe write additional posts on how partially applying GTD to my work and home projects turns out.

Before and During

Today, October 15, 2010, marks one year of South Beach diet and regular exercise. Like I mentioned before, I've lost just over 50 pounds. And I thought I'd show some before and during photos (I'm not done trying to work on my body and better myself). The befores are a little embarrassing, and I didn't take any in October when I started -- I didn't want to jinx things and really didn't think I'd find success. It's amazing.

Shawn said he didn't ever remember me looking like that. There are some others from this trip where I look even worse -- no make up and near/at my heaviest ... July 2009

Photo by Owen ... boob-a-licious, also July 2009

Clearly shows the physical issues...July 2009 (but how cute is Bubba? he's growing up so fast!)

October 14, 2010. A self-portrait w/ timer option on the camera. Nothing too revealing -- and can see that my life is still a mess with all the junk around me. But don't I look happier or something? My face is certainly thinner and feels more "me." And I feel a lot better. Pounds and pounds to go. 

Happy Weekend!

Pretend Adulthood

Back from the business trip ... worked 16 hours yesterday with all the travel and late meeting, and 10 hours today with return travel. I am worn out and battled a fierce daylong headache after lack of food and water during the long stretch of work and meeting. I didn't get the headache completely licked until after a latte and Excedrin this morning. And there are many more trips to come ...

The room I stayed in was unbelievably gorgeous. The best part was the view of the Gulf of Mexico. Of course I was never in my room when it was daylight, so I didn't get a picture. I worked until past 10 last night and left this morning pre-7 (good thing too because of the traffic).

I took a picture from the airplane to have something to illustrate this post. Maybe my coworker will share some view photos -- she was on a higher floor and was at the hotel a couple days early. I didn't remember Galveston being so lovely when I was there for our high school graduation trip!

I am such an adult ... and it partly feels phony. I have made many air flights and train trips on my own, but this was the first time I rented a car, drove myself somewhere in that unfamiliar car and didn't get confused or lost. I managed myself, including getting back to the airport and battling 2 hours of Houston traffic -- yikes. I wonder if other 20-somethings feel like they're faking their way through life. I guess fake it until you make it.

I'm still going that route with my job. Who knows if I really know what I'm doing. Half the time maybe yes, half the time definitely no. And I'm kind of twisted. I left early today -- 4:30, when 3 would have marked 8 hours -- and I still felt guilty, like I was skipping or doing something wrong.

I'm over it, and the extra half hour for reading and lounging on the couch has perked me up ... but I'm still looking forward to a long deep sleep tonight. Hope your night is as restful as I expect mine to be.

Stay at Home Wife

Holiday ... Celebrate ...


It's Columbus Day, which means I have the day off (being a federal employee-ish and all). Shawn doesn't ... the university takes this and other holidays as the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. I think I'd prefer that ... but having a random day off is nice.

I spent the day doing domestic chores -- laundry, errands, vacuuming, etc. I'm not sure I could do this all day every day, although add a baby or two to the mix and I think I could handle it just fine. Dreaming, dreaming ... Wishing, wishing ... stay tuned.

One of my errands was to get a library card. SUCCESS! And I checked out a couple books, so I feel like an official citizen, even more so than when I got my driver's license and registered to vote (which I still need to actually do ... I didn't participate in the Oct. 2 primaries).

The main library is so '70s (as I'm sure they all are), but it had a good vibe and was obviously very popular. I'm not sure if it's always so busy or if the holiday gave it more traffic.

The young adult section has a couple cardboard cutouts -- one of Robert Pattinson (will he ever leave me be?!) and the other of Spock -- Leonard Nimoy! I was kind of bummed I didn't have my camera ... maybe next time.

Another cool feature is that all the Louisiana books are sectioned together, which makes browsing for fiction and non-fiction about my new home easier. Will aim to digest at least a bit of that -- and I've started with a couple recommendations I got via comment a while back. Will add them to GoodReads after I finish them.

The only drag -- the library is kind of far away. Took at least 20 minutes to get there, and I can imagine it would take longer if I were going after work (meaning this is probably going to be a weekend-only errand) ... maybe there is a closer branch. I know you'll be waiting on bated breath for updates ...

Read: White Teeth

White Teeth by Zadie Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Liked the intricacies, but got lost a few times (or bored) with the characters and story lines. Got a little preachy in places and sometimes made me feel stupid in others, which might have been the point.

I bought it in a used book store in New York, upping its cool factor for me ... and it's a book I'd been meaning to read for a while, as it generated a ton of buzz when it came out (~10 years ago?). I think the author is still on the scene, just landing a plum reviewing job or something. Not up on my literary gossip I guess.

View all my reviews

SilverMari Responds: Reader Questions

I have had a couple question comments on recent posts that I thought I'd elevate the answers to a post of its own. (I never remember to check back on posts I've commented on anyway.) Just because I could respond to these readers directly via e-mail, why not eek out another post ... and maybe someone else was wondering too!

An airboat? Is that the thing that Marlon Perkins would use to cruise through the Everglades? LOL

Yes - the airboat (wikipedia link) is the kind of thing they use in the Everglades. Apparently they can tip over quite easily. They didn't tell me that until we were safely back at the car. But I was glad to be wearing a PFD (personal flotation device -- or life jacket) even without that bit of information!

I had to look up the Marlin Perkins reference (wikipedia link), TV host of Wild Kingdom. Sounds like he would have used an airboat during the filming, so the answer is yes to that part of the question too!

Whatever happened to "Sage" anyway???

Not sure what prompted this, since the post it was left on didn't include a mention of Sage, although I have certainly been thinking of her in my current job and maybe had written about her on another post. And one of my coworkers reminds me of her a lot in mannerisms.

I'm not sure what happened to Sage, my graduate school roommate. Our relationship exploded, primarily due to my failure as a roommate (I had to find someone willing to deal with the crazy ... lucky Shawn). I don't think we've spoken since just after I moved out in 2006 -- on the phone to resolve getting the bedroom I vacated painted. She blocked me on Facebook, made her blog private, etc. I respect that our relationship is severed, although maybe we'll run into each other again someday and can mend old wounds.

And how is it that Shawn always looks so good?

This is a tougher nut to crack. Shawn looks so good in part because we love him so much and also because he's photogenic and has good, youthful genes. I took about 3 pictures of him with the griddle (mostly due to my fiddling with the flash), so it definitely isn't a factor of taking a load of pictures and choosing the best one.

I love comments ... never met a blogger who doesn't ... so ask away.

Dillards: Oversell

Took a field trip to the mall today. I've really been needing some black work pants. The wardrobe I'd built up is mostly too big for me now, especially where work pants are concerned.

So, we went to the "bad" mall because it has a Dillards where the second floor is entirely clearance. Not exactly what I expected. I guess it was just too overwhelming and looked more like that store that took over Walls in Cache Road Square ca. my high school years. I forget what it was called, but basically a low-rent Marshall's or Ross -- if you can imagine.

The regular part of Dillards was too posh for me and the clearance wasn't posh enough (or something). Maybe if I'd been better rested or more energetic I could have found some good stuff. What I saw was mostly not my size and all smooshed together. Other people there were having a great time though, so maybe I'll give it another chance down the line. Shoes were a bust, as there was only one pair of 11s, and I didn't really think I needed a pair of shiny silver stripper heels. Although thinking now, silvermari... Anyway, next time we're going to try the "good" mall and see how that goes.

I did manage to get a pair of black pants at Macy's, and Shawn found a few more polo shirts. We're slowly building his teaching wardrobe ... and running out of hangers in the process. Maybe something for a Wal-Mart or Target list.

On the wardrobe-getting-too-big for me front, I haven't had much change in weight since moving. I've kept up with the exercise at the new gym, mostly because of its convenience, but have been less careful in my food choices. In total I've lost just over 50 pounds in one year (started in earnest on Oct. 15, 2009). I have 5-10 more pounds to lose to get into the "overweight" category of the BMI chart. I know it isn't 100% accurate because I have considerable muscle mass, but still have a long row to hoe to get to "normal" or "healthy" (about 50 lbs. more). Maybe I'll write more about the experience on the actual anniversary of starting the diet/exercise regiment. Or maybe I'll save it for a November nablopomo post. Stay tuned ...

Driven

I did a defensive driving online course for work. It took several hours, so I did it over three days. It actually taught me a lot ... and I definitely look at things differently while I'm driving. What I half wish is that I didn't have to drive! It's a scary world out there and people are insane!

Pancake

Chef Shawn on the griddle on Saturday cooking up some pancakes for us to enjoy. You can see in the background that our cooking accoutrement has gotten a bit out of hand. Loving it though.

Still have reservations on the work front, but I'm plowing through as best I can. And we'll see how everything turns out.

The weather has been comfortable, sunny and dry. Things I wasn't expecting. But I'll take it. Just trying to roll with the punches.

Nothing much to update. Blogging is going down the tubes for me. Hopefully I'll get a kick start of inspiration soon.

10 for Ten?

It's October 2010, or 10-10. Under the Sycamore, a photography blog I have in my reader, is posting 10 for 10 in October. I could do that from time to time. What would be great would be posting a top 10 list every day (or bottom 10!). I have a list at work going of grammatical errors I hate. I probably have at least 10. Hrm.

Eye twitching, work stressing, sleep needing girl up in here.

In November I'll be doing Nablopomo again. In October the theme is PLAY. They do post prompts every work day, but I can't commit to 31 posts in a row plus 30 in a row. So I think I'll stick with just blogging when I can in October ... what would be better is if I only blogged when I had something to say. Then I'd never blog!

Bazinga!

On an Air Boat

Colleague took this picture -- I am laughing to keep from crying. I kept telling myself -- it's just an above-ground subway (as I was moving backwards). I didn't really look around. My hat got blown off by the air boat when we were still on the ground. Pretty comical.

I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities for boat rides, grass planting and Louisiana lifestyle to look forward to.

Sore Hands

Planted marsh grass today as part of a work field trip. I used a dibble (?) and dug holes and put the little plants in. I had my first ride on an airboat. That was pretty scary. Check out my kicks -- white shrimp boots that my work colleague secured for me. Def protected my feet from the muck!

It was a rough day overall -- waking up at 5:30, leaving at 6, no food or bathroom break until we were back in BR. I worked the last two hours from home ... I kind of missed it!

So anyway, a long day, I'm tired and my hands are sore from digging. Makes me appreciate my office job more, although it was fun as a half-day thing. Also I should get to leave early on Friday (perhaps for shopping?) to offset the extra work hours today. My hands are still dirty. ICK!

Here's the song that was in Medium (the show that also introduced me to a favorite Dixie Chicks tune). I've liked other Sara Bareilles songs via Pandora. Kind of haunting ... in a good way.

Green

We're having a drought, but I can't tell from how green it is from our view -- the golf course and campus are obviously pretty well watered. Looking forward to rain storms -- there was one when we were first here. I'm only happy when it rains.

I did a really stupid thing. I did an order on Amazon and sent it to the New York address. I didn't realize it until it never came. HOPEFULLY the doormen will refuse it, then it will be sent back to Amazon for a refund. Then I can reorder. At least that's what the guy on the phone said.

Waaah. I really wanted that stuff too -- two books, cubicle clips and some shampoo that I can't get around here. Geez I'm stupid! I guess I'll just reorder once the refund comes through -- probably in a couple weeks. Waaah.

I walked to the post office during my lunch break today. What a drag. No APS machines, not very good customer service and the woman was BARKING loud, letting everyone know everyone else's business. I need to find a big post office I guess.

Early morning tomorrow -- leaving here at 6 a.m. for a field trip. Maybe I can get a picture of myself doing what I have to do. *whimper*

Breathtaking

The air was crisp, cool and not humid this morning. It took my breath away.

My Baton Rouge boss said that it will last until January. That made me laugh, because no way. But I guess our swimming days are probably over. I'm glad we got to do one swim party this season! The hot tub still calls my name though.

Shawn's juggling, I'm doing a little side work and should be getting to the count down. I updated the blog header and name. Let me know what you think, but I'm pretty sure this is what I'll stick with ... at least for a while. (I almost wrote "sticks" -- to contrast w/ the city but decided that was a little cutting/tacky.)

Now if only I could see some bright red and gold leaves. Maybe I can find an online slide show of images or something.

By the Numbers

One: black ring gift I received when we stopped in Annapolis en route to our new home. Also has matching earrings and bracelet. Is from Kazakhstan.REALLY like it, and it was sort of put aside in the shuffle of the move. Putting into the accessories rotation now though. (Yeah, I don't really have an accessories rotation, but it sounded good in my head.)

Two: months left in my 20s. Trying to sort out what to do for my 30th is adding stress to an already too-taxed brain/heart/whatever. My big 3-0 falls on Black Friday, day after Thanksgiving. The whole country will celebrate by shopping. I like that.

Three: months until Boxing Day, which means just under three months until Christmas. I need to get started on my list. I already have a few things that I've picked up on travels and from New York (did a bit of a buying frenzy before I left ... but never enough, no never enough). I also got Christmas cards from the Met for $5. They are stunning.

Four: of us at our dinner/pool party last night. We were the only ones in the pool area the entire time. The grilled burgers were amazing -- Shawn even wore his grilling shirt that he hasn't been able to really wear since Maryland days. It's nice to be creating a social circle, no matter how much it goes against my mole-ish, hermit-like tendencies. I had a great time ... and the frozen margaritas helped!

Five: ingredient easy cheat frozen margarita recipe: fill blender 2/3 or so with ice, add can of frozen limeade, fill can with tequila and add, add 1/3 can of triple sec. Crush ice setting and then blend. When you think it's done, blend just a little more. Serve with lime and/or salt (so 5-6 ingredients depending on how you do.) Surely there are better ways to make them (I think I read a low carb version once ... will have to hunt that down). I'm in trouble now that I know I can make these any time I want -- no need to go out and pay $6-10 a pop.

Nothing else right now ... more this week I hope though!

Starburst Blankie

starburstblankie
Originally uploaded by silvermari

Quick working project that seems almost like a modified granny square, adding in the points. Mostly double crochet once you get started. This is a kit from Herrschners (Variegated Round Ripple Baby Afghan), and I would NOT recommend their thread -- it includes knots and is easily tangled. But the finished project is darling and I’m hopeful that it will be just the thing for this new baby girl! I definitely recommend the pattern!

Culturally Speaking

Last night we tasted our first bit of the local arts scene and went to opening night of an LSU performance. It had really great costumes. And it was fun to go to the theater, no matter where we live.

I'm going to be helping this theater company do some online marketing and sprucing up of their website (an opportunity that came out of a failed job interview). So that should be exciting and a way for me to keep up my online interests. Perhaps even a spring board to a future career/self-run business. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I wore my black and white floral skirt, something I last wore at grad school graduation. I don't really dress up for work, so it was fun to feel fancy for a minute (or actually 4 hours ... the play was a tad-bit long).

It's another game day, and this time we've invited some people over to take advantage of the (hopefully) empty pool. We're going to grill burgers and swim. There's a chance of rain, but hoping anything that comes through is quick and moves on. We're expecting cooler temps after Sunday, and by cooler I mean high 80s instead of mid-90s.

For these, and many reasons, I miss New York. But I wouldn't trade my life with Shawn and how happy he is in his job for anything. I'll get settled and figure out what I'm really meant to do here.

Thursday TV

Thursday has long been my favorite TV night. It was the night of My So-Called Life for the one season it aired.

Tonight was no exception, and my dual DVR isn't enough to record the things happening on three stations at once. Good thing for the Internet and weekends to catch Grey's. I'm still troubled by the Olivia-Peter-Fauxlivia Fringe thing. I need to get a life.

I'm working on it ... but I would miss my TV life too. I should at least try to stop myself from hooking up to new shows.

Tomorrow the theatre, and some live action entertainment plus opening night reception. More after the fact, perhaps.

Exclamation

Never use exclamation points! EVER!

I think I'm going to break that rule and use them at the end of every sentence in this post!

And how about not copying everyone and their mother on this sage piece of advice?!

I will get over it! And he does have a point!

But I also resent having to get an e-mail reviewed by 5 people before it can be sent! When at the same time being told I'm going to have heaps of responsibility, ready or not! I think NOT!

I just don't know what the wise thing to do is! Press on, I guess!

Consolation -- I have the sweetest photo of a baby Owen posted in my cubicle! He's wearing a little rainbow crocheted cap! And he is such a happy kid! It's fun to look back at baby pictures knowing a little bit more of the story! And what a great kid he is and is still turning into!

Spring Break 2005!

September 2010!

Orange You Glad?

This is the gravel outside my building on campus. Not sure if you can see it, but there are little shells mixed in with the gravel. That made me laugh because the building is called Sea Grant.

I made a video of our apartment, password protected on my Vimeo. Let me know if you want to see and I'll send you a link.

Got a few errands done today after week. How great that Office Depot does USPS packages? Not that great, since the girl was 100 times slower than I could be on the automated machine.

Sorry for the lame-oh post.

Game Day

We were warned about the insanity of home football games and tailgating, and because of that we were able to stay out of the fray. I can't compare it to the madness that is Times Square on a daily basis because we didn't go walk about, but probably on the next one we'll make the effort and I'll be able to offer more informed input. But from a distance it doesn't look SO bad:

Game Day Cars (normally that's just grass)

Stadium, viewed from the roof of our parking garage ... how 'bout that sky?!

We did what has become our normal Saturday routine -- get up, go to the gym, have a swim, then lunch. But there were extra twists, and not because of the game! Our new couch arrived at around 10 a.m. Still not sure how we're going to arrange things "permanently" but for now here is what it looks like:

Shawn on our new love seat

You can tell that he's working on lectures. The free desk in the background is what we're using for my computer, and the little end table that holds the printer was something we acquired from Frank, who lived in 8G before we did. Our dining table is behind the sofa, which works for now because it gives Shawn a place for his computer when he brings it home, and it props up my Thomas Moran print. But we might ditch it (or store it) and go for a coffee table instead -- ideally a lift top one so we could still have a dining space other than the bar counter. There's still plenty of room in front of the couch, and there's space on both sides. Will have to get used to it. So far so good though -- it's very comfortable!

The crochet piece in the photo is a work-in-progress baby blanket that's nearing completion. More photos on that to come, but it's a pattern that Gran gave me (she bought a kit and changed her mind ... I'll take leftovers any day!). It's worked up so nicely, like a modified granny square made into a star burst. Just a few more rounds to go, but they're the longest rounds of all!

So, couch delivered, we go work out. Nothing seems crazy at all. Still plenty of parking spots open in our lot and garage, and traffic doesn't seem bad. We just have to walk around the building to the gym, so no big deal either way. After working out we had a quick swim (would rather do that than bother with sunblock ... shameful I know), and we were the only ones in the pool area. I guess tailgating means partying in the hot parking lot instead of by the pool? Whatever!

I think this means we need to have a pool party next game day ... if only the guests could get into our lot. (There are 50 guest passes available for game days, but seems like there should be more because there's still plenty of parking in the garage ... although I guess it might be a security issue!) Or we should just have a pool party on a regular evening. These kids/our neighbors are certainly not night swimmers!

Then we made lunch -- waffles using our wedding gift waffle iron/sandwich maker/grill. Pretty tasty, although I did overflow the second batch. They were good, but even though the mix was whole grain or something I could still feel the difference of such a carbo-loaded lunch. Got hungry again pretty fast even though we ate a lot. Just a treat, and not something we'll do every weekend. But fun to try out our new toys!

The rest of the day has been spent on laundry and lectures. I crocheted, watched some DVR'ed TV (the new stuff starts this week, and I am ready for some new DiNozzo!) and made a light dinner.

We tried to get delivery, just for something different, but no way on game day. I guess that's really been our only brush with something different about this Saturday; although I'm sure that if we'd gone out in our car it would have been a different story and loads of traffic.

I am bummed that I wasn't able to go out to Michaels -- their 50% off framing ended today, so I guess I'll have to wait until the next sale (or maybe at Hobby Lobby, which is closer) to get my diplomas framed (and pick up a frame for the crochet print). Another day ...

Chelsea

It's not Chelsea like the New York neighborhood or our favorite player on the NYU women's basketball team, but tonight we went to dinner with a couple colleagues of Shawn's and ate at a cafe called Chelsea's.

We had a good time, and the food was tasty. It was a bummer to me that the only drinks were beer. I haven't had a beer in nearly a year because of the low-carb, weight loss effort (still having success although more slowly than at the start -- just crossed the -50 lb. mark). I decided not to break that streak today, although a nice glass of wine (or even a bad one) would have been welcome!

We sat on the patio. Dare I hope that it is cooling off enough to lounge out-of-doors, at least in the evenings? And oddly one of my five coworkers was at the next table. Small world (or really popular place I guess)!

One of the professors said something that struck me as motivational for students. I thought it would be a good opener or overall concept for a study guide. He's done the math/analysis on tests over the years and how grades change for students over time. And he's figured out that only 20% of the outcome of tests is determined by the test itself (whether it's hard, etc.); 80% is based on the individual student and how much s/he puts into studying. So, to students he says (or at least thinks) -- whatever you got on the last test is probably what you're going to get on the next test unless you CHANGE SOMETHING. Because the tests aren't really going to change anything. That's probably a good rule of thumb for life too.

There was also another wife at the table who's not strictly math-y (although she does work with numbers). She's lived in Baton Rouge since childhood and had lots of good tips -- ranging from grocery shopping to movie going to house buying. And she's even already sent me a list of links for things to do -- my kind of girl! Apparently they do their screen on the green type things in the fall when it's cool enough to sit outside ... funny!

But now I'm up too late. The couch is coming in the morning ... a little nervous about bonded leather and not getting a warranty ... and it's game weekend so our complex is rocking ... partying started last night. Woo hoo?

Eccentric

I wore a dress over pants today -- it's too cold at work to wear a skirt like a normal person and the pants are black and tight -- almost like tights or leggings. No one mentioned it, but when I walked to my car with a coworker she asked me if I missed the shopping in New York because I wear a lot of eccentric clothes. THAT is funny, since all my stuff is JC Penney, Target, Old Navy, etc. But if someone wants to think I'm New York, that's OK. I'm as far from New York as you can get now.

The pants and dress combo did keep me a little warmer -- plus the normal sweater, shawl and lap blanket. Charming. I look like I'm preparing for a blizzard or something. But it used to be a server room where they kept computers, so it's either full blast or nothing. Hrm. Broken record, I know.

I've gone from completely controlling my environment when I worked from home to being completely at the mercy of others -- as in I can't set the temperature, I can't set the volume of anything or control ... anything! It's an adjustment. Welcome to the working world again, I suppose.

Phone Diggity

This new job has me on the phone A LOT. A struggle since I'm not much of a phone person. And today I got a couple calls on my own cell phone -- random, since that never happens!

One was about re-joining PRSA -- which I was expecting because I went to their site yesterday to sign up. Clearly a no brainer to join, but they kind of gave me attitude for having been a lapsed member. Not really "welcome back, so glad you reconsidered." Just "you have to pay extra if you want back in" kind of attitude. Oh well. The company is paying so I'll deal with the attitude. And I expect the BR chapter to be much more welcoming and nice.

The other call was for a job -- IN NEW YORK! Can you freaking imagine? Anyway, if anyone in NYC needs a job and knows how to use PowerPoint, I can give you the phone number of this woman. She also sent me an e-mail. HILARIOUS. More than two years looking on and off and nothing beyond some scattered interviews. And I'm away for a month and start getting calls. AH! I went into Monster and CareerBuilder to update my address!

This is my 888th post.

Keep Calm

And Crochet On!

Got this amazing print in the mail. It's a deep plum, so of course I had to get it when I read about it via Ravelry's blog. I think I want to get a frame for it ... am planning to get my diplomas framed finally. And then take pictures ... always promising to take pictures.

We have our loveseat being delivered on Saturday (a game day ... so we'll see how that goes). So pictures then.

And maybe I'll take pictures of my office space. Not sure. Probably inappropriate to hang this print up there ... but LOVE it!

Frozen

Be careful what you wish for -- you just might get it.

Ask for employment ... get two job offers.

Ask for air conditioning ... get turned into a Popsicle on a daily basis. No kidding, it is so cold in the office I wear two sweaters and a jean jacket and I'm STILL cold. I took a lamp that I have never been able to use because it generates too much heat. I'm STILL cold. My feet especially. I may have to break down and get a space heater, which just seems so LAME when I pushed so hard to get the A/C turned on. I was so cold that I stayed in the un-air-conditioned car with the windows rolled up to try to warm up.

Do I always have to be so unsatisfied?!

Moisture

With the shorter hair and faux professionalism I'm trying to project I've taken to blowdrying most days. Gone are the rocker chic days, even though my hair's ends are razored in such a way that, if I were in the beautiful New York crisp weather, would lay smooth after being flat ironed. But in this humidity ... the ends curl as soon as I step out in the garage.

I can't complain, because I get into a car, crank the AC and get to an ice box office post haste. But the ~5 minutes in the outdoors is all it takes to give my hair some "lift" -- aka pouf. Mufassa returns!

But really it stays semi-straight and looks OK. Not corkscrew curly or anything -- although my hair will certainly curl in this weather. Always good to have options I guess. And always my hair will go straighter after it's had a day or two to be free and curly. Weirdest thing.

Another perk of the humidity is smoother skin. Someone said it's an insta-facial when you walk outside, and I guess that's true. I still have this ridiculous eyebrow dandruff that crops up. TMI?!

I guess if I can worry about my hair things aren't all bad. And really they are not. Chugging along in all aspects and trying to feel settled. For now, I'll be pretending though. Tra la.

Thirty-Four Days

I meant to mark a month out of New York here, but on the 7th I was driving. And driving. And driving.

And then work happened this week, and I forgot/got lost in the fray. Life is a highway.

On Sunday we'll have been in Baton Rouge for a month. In some ways it feels like forever. And in other ways it feels like we just got here. We certainly haven't explored fully or even finished setting up our apartment. Hopefully we can pick out a couch tomorrow and get it delivered sometime next week. Then maybe I'll feel more settled.

I got my office workspace set up a bit too. Doesn't feel "right" still and certainly seems temporary, but eventually I'll get used to it. I got a new phone, and of course it was staticky. Figured out it was the phone, not the line, and so swapped out the phone. I like my chair OK -- it's new and I got to pick it out. Voice mail doesn't work, the shelf is kind of rickety and probably not the wisest thing to have ... and yes, mice still scurry about at night, ignoring the traps.

Time to go swim and float away for a while!

Hug or Handshake?

Can a hug ever be business-appropriate?

I think handshakes are much more appropriate in a professional situation, but someone already hugged me at my new job. It was when I was leaving Silver Spring -- the woman who had been so helpful to me in Baton Rouge (she'd been down "on rotation") and in headquarters. But it just seemed weird.

She'd never have hugged a male colleague she'd known for three days. Would she?

What do you think about hugging colleagues? This isn't an issue for me at work, and I'm struggling with so many other things, but still it was hanging around in my brain and thought I'd post it out there.

I don't like touching people in general. In fact, a quality I look for when church shopping is NOT having a "pass the peace" and touch every germy hand in the vicinity. Clearly I have issues.

P.S. First home football game this weekend. E-freaking-gads!

*EDIT -- not HOME game ... that happens NEXT weekend. Also, I remembered another person who hugged me within the first week of work. Good heavens!

Mouse-y

The mice are leaving poop on my desk every night. They don't care for the traps. I'm going to have to figure out something else to do. Seems like the university maintenance should be in charge of elimination. I'm not holding my breath.

But since there are mice in the building and it's basically a little ramshackle, it's also very casual. Jeans are the norm, which is OK by me I guess. I had been looking forward to building a professional wardrobe, but maybe I can still do that and work in pieces that can be dressed up or down. Oh to get that first pay check and hit the stores!

I am so tired at night after working that I just fall into bed. I collapse, but my brain keeps spinning. It's so hard to wind down really because all I need to process and figure out. And I'm not sure that I'm going to make it. Just plugging along.

Today I got my new office chair set up ... and the "cubicle" walls -- just an L shape. I thought it would provide some sound buffer from my office mate ... not so much. I guess I'll just have to power through, and maybe invest in some headphones for working. It's hardest when we're both on the phone -- or when one of us is and another has a visitor/in person conversation. First world whine. And honestly, I know how lucky I am to have a job!

Owen gets in my face to tell
me about the Wii characters

Webcamming with the Owen Jay. He's putting on a Wii demonstration for me. What a precious moo.

Stream of consciousness doesn't make for very good blog posts.

Doing my best to get into a gym routine. The musclemen are a little intimidating, but I get to watch TV while I elliptical. I've been watching "Who's the Boss" on Hallmark, laughing all the way -- mostly in an "oh, the 80s" kind of way. Almost makes me want ... a briefcase ... HA!

INDY OR BUST

We made it home and back ... barely. PMS and 12-hour car rides are a deadly combination. Poor Shawn! The trek back was a little easier because it wasn't after a half-day of work, but still. Not sure we'll be doing that again. At least not any time soon!

Being home was great fun though, and I did get to feel a little more relaxed and recognize myself again! I didn't really check e-mail, certainly didn't blog (I'm never going to hit 300 posts this year!) and mainly spent time yakking it up with the family.

Sweet Owen waits to blow out the candles!

Owen's sixth birthday party was on Saturday at the Y swimming pool. It was fun to meet some school chums and see others that I already knew from church. Shawn and I were the only adults that swam, same as last year. We think that's funny because we will take any chance we can get to get in the water!

Church on Sunday was good. That's really going home too. The choir sang "Meet You In the Morning," a song I hadn't heard in years. I am still finding myself humming it and hearing Gran's voice singing her parts. We also had a church dinner, and nothing beats that.

Funniest was that a lot of people said they didn't recognize me. Several people said they saw Shawn and weren't sure who was with him! I got my hair cut off and have lost some weight. It was all meant as complimentary, so a good ego boost!

Now we're back and I've unpacked a good bit. The kitchen is shaping up with all our wedding gifts! I'm going to have to get out my gift record book to remind myself who gave us what now that we're actually able to use them!

More brain power and emotional energy being put into the job ... and a small side opportunity to continue with my social media work ... and I'm just exhausted thinking about it! Maybe more on that later. We'll see.

Spirit Lifting

Owen and Buzz

Dilemma

Just checked Google Maps. It's a 12 hour drive to get home.


View Larger Map

Can I do that, even with Shawn, on Friday AND again on Monday? I'm worn out just thinking about it ... and I'm still so unsettled at work.But I want to get home for Owen's sixth birthday party. I want to get my wedding gifts. I want to see Gran and the rest of the fam. The next opportunity will be Thanksgiving, which isn't SO far away ...

*whimper*