Tuesday, January 31, 2006

One Thing

I've decided to do one thing for myself.
 
Each day, I'll do one thing - Sweet Jesus!  How did I get 401 spam messages?  Sorry about the interruption; I just happened to see the counter on my spam box.  And gmail automatically deletes messages more than 30 days old, so this is just what I've gotten in the last month.  Great ...
 
Anyway, as I was saying - each day I'm going to do one thing for myself.  I have this never-ending list of things that I want to do/need to be done (sometimes I can't figure out which they are; sometimes they move and change; sometimes it's both) and it's overwhelming to consider it all, so I'm going to take it one thing at a time.
 
Last night, my one thing was to take down my Christmas tree.  (Not a single friggin' word!)  I'm happy to report that I managed to get that done, and for a bonus, I vacuumed up the stray 'needles' AND cleaned up the hole punch holes that have been on the floor in the back bedroom for at least a month, if not two or three.
 
The one thing I'm going to do for myself today - go to the gym.  Now that I've said that, I've got to do it!  And if I feel like it/have time, I'll stop at the grocery store and pick up a roast to cook for The Man on Thursday.  Okay, that's not really for me, but I do enjoy cooking for him, and of course I'll get to partake in the meal as well, so ...
 
One thing.  One day at a time.

Happy Blogiversary To Me

My first post was two years ago today. Wow. I think it was a Saturday, and I spent most of the day sitting on the couch with my laptop testing things out. After that, I was hooked.

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog lately - not as many posts, not as many comments (given or received) and not as much time reading other blogs. Could it be I actually went out and got myself a life?

No, that's not a good way to phrase it - saying that is implying that those who blog regularly don't have a life, and that's simply not true. I'm fascinated by the lives led by fellow bloggers.

I've even gone so far as to insert myself into other bloggers lives - "hey John, how about I drop in and visit you when you are in Boston?" and "Debbie - that's so cool you moved to California; now I can meet you and Brian when I pass through LA." I've invited Jenica to my parties (one of these days, we'll connect!) and now Nita and Dan are my latest targets whenever I'm headed east (too bad we didn't connect this past weekend, but I'm thinking about coming your way in April when John runs in the Boston Marathon again).

And there are others - if geography allowed, I'd pop in on Sally and Sue and the Contentious Chic. And the other Dan, of course.

But the person I look forward to meeting the most? I'm not sure who he or she is, or when we'll meet, or where. All I know is that this blog has taken me places I've never been before, and I never want this journey to end.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Things I Miss About My Former Employer

The ability to create an audio post with Brian via conference calling so we could wish Scooterdeb a Happy Birthday!

Sunday, January 22, 2006

How Is It ...

... that my gmail account has 499 messages, and 45 of them are unread? How did I let it get so out of control? Oh, yeah, they encouraged me to do that. "Never delete a message."

... that I can get the email-to-blogger function to work on this blog but not on my other blog?

... that I managed to make it into the 21st century without a .pdf file extension plugin thingy?

Brilliant!

Helpful hint # 76: Use what you've got.

For example, that buckwheat hull wrap in your kitchen drawer? The one that heats up when you throw it in the microwave? You don't need to save it for when you have cramps. You can heat it up anytime you want a little extra warmth. Like when you're sitting in the (unheated) back bedroom working on the computer? You can heat that baby up and hold it in your hands for a few seconds, and suddenly, your fingers can function again.

I had been fixing myself some tea or General Foods International Coffee (French Vanilla) but those beverages only last so long, and if I wondered where the calorie creep was coming from ... so yeah! me for thinking to use what I already had. And 27 lashes with a wet noodle for not thinking of it sooner.

I'll bet this will be a great foot warmer in bed tonight, too.

Friday, January 20, 2006

A Communication Has Been Received

Special note for Contentious Chic:  I got your postcard.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

I Gotta Get Me A Schtick

I lead a boring life.
 
I thought I was a wacky, wild girl, but I'm not.  I am clearly lacking in the imagination department when it comes to being truly outlandish.  Take deadbodyguy, for example.  Guy goes around posing as a corpse and having his wife take "crime scene" photos and puts it up on his blog.  This morning?  He's on the Today show.
 
Me?  I'm at work.  Compiling and processing and typing and searching and clicking and composing.  I'd rather be anywhere but here.
 
Calgon - take me away!

Friday, January 13, 2006

Chill Out!

Ever have one of those days when you just want to reach through the computer screen and strangle someone?
 
That's the way I feel about my event co-chair (let's call her Stephanie) today.  We are both working really hard to coordinate this fund raiser, and I haven't been able to make many phone calls during the day now that I'm working.  So there are a LOT of email messages going back and forth.
 
This morning I sent Stephanie and another committee member an update on how many showcase participants we had.  One of the confirmed participants was someone I had talked to at the end of December.  Stephanie had a phone conversation with her earlier in the week and confirmed her participation.  When I sent the list around, my name was still attached to this particular participant as being the contact person.  Stephanie sent me a one line message to the effect of "my name should be there since I'm the one who talked to her."
 
Okay.  What. EVER.  It was an internal document.  It's not a competition.  We're not keeping score.  (At least I'm not.)
 
Then, this afternoon I get copied on a message that she sent to the treasurer (my good friend Lorrie) and copied the president about a check that absolutely, positively MUST be mailed.  I zapped back a note saying "if Lorrie hasn't responded, I suggest you call her - she may be out of town and not reading her email."
 
Oh. My. God.  I get this response that goes ON and ON about how of course she's called her - she called her at home and and work both yesterday and today and we really need to get things like this straightened out.
 
Uh. Okay.  Listen - I didn't know you had called her.  There was nothing in your message that indicated that you had done so.  Excuse me for living.  This woman is wound a little too tight.  And to make matters worse - Stephanie is the one who forgot to ask for the check on Weds night in the first place!
 
Yes, if I could only reach through the screen ...

Thursday, January 12, 2006

I Say Give Him A Ticket

So after being involved in a motorcyle accident with his 12 year old son, Arnold Schwarzenegger will not receive a traffic ticket.  Even though he was driving without a motorcycle license.
 
That's absolute bullshit.
 
There's some technical question about whether or not a motorcycle license is required for a motorcycle with a sidecar (technically, that makes it a three wheeler which is exempt from the law), but it's widely known that Arnold often drives a motorcycle without the sidecar - and he freely admits he does not have a motorcycle license because ``I just never really applied for it.''
 
Politicos are down playing the incident saying there are more pressing issues to get worked up about.  Gee, I don't know ... driving around on a motorcycle without a license with your kid in tow?  Seems like plenty to get worked up about to me.
 
They should have issued him the ticket, let him plead guilty and pay the fine and be done with it.  Now it's going to become an even bigger issue because they have, in essence, said that the governor is above the law.
 
So sayeth Kenna Fearing.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Mouse In The House

Turns out my new employer has a very progressive attitude towards pets in the workplace.

I have a mouse living in my desk.

Oh, I haven't seen him, just the clues he leaves behind, if you catch my drift. I leave peanut butter crackers in my drawer one time, and this is what I get. As long as I don't see the little bugger, we can co-exist.

So it's Wednesday, and you know what that means - time for Scooterdeb's Wednesday Wreck of the Week. Turns out she has lots to choose from today. On this morning's news I saw video of an out of control police car crashing into a tree AND footage of a car plowing into three pedestrians (a mother and two children) - all in sunny Southern California. Must be the sun got in their eyes.

We're having a heat wave here in upstate New York. Temperatures may actually climb into the 50s by the end of the week. Good thing - gas prices continue to climb and I don't even want to think about my next heating bill.

Being back at work has some benefits - I listen to the news as I'm getting ready for work, so I have a better sense of what is going on in the world. I occasionally read the Wall Street Journal while I'm eating lunch in the staff room. I get a daily update from the New York Times so I'm aware of recent literary scandals involving contemporary authors who've been outed for embellishing their 'memoirs' and now that I've set up my Google home page, I occasionally listen to whatever NPR sound bite is being offered for the day.

I hear that People magazine is reporting that Angelina Jolie is pregnant with Brad Pitt's child. It just so happens that today's quote on my "Wild Words from Wild Women" calendar is from that "mouthy movie actress" -

"When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers I kind of wanted to be a vampire."

Sucks to be Angelina Jolie, doesn't it?

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Champagne and Chocolate

That's my contribution to this afternoon's girlfriend gathering. The house is clean (well, at least the parts they'll see) and the table is set. I just need to shower and get dressed before 3:00. I'm really looking forward to this. It's so ... civilized. We so rarely take time out just to visit with each other, you know?

Still haven't finished sending Christmas cards, and now I'm going to get hit with that extra two cents postage. The tree is still up - according to my friend Michelle, it's bad luck to leave it up into the New Year. According to my Mom, you're supposed to leave it up for the full 12 days of Christmas. I've got a 50-50 chance of being screwed.

So I really liked the mail-to-blogger feature - will definitely have to try that more often. And I really should audio post more frequently too. I thought about changing my comment service in the new year too. Haloscan is good, but since I'm just a basic user, the comments disappear after three months or so. Might switch back to Blogger comments. And I need to clean up my side bar.

Yeah. Well. We'll see.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Dead Tired

When will the holidays be over?
 
I had Monday off, but I needed that day to recover from being out late on New Year's Eve and then spending the day on Jan 1 cooking for The Man.  I've been out in the evening every day this week - on Monday it was yoga; on Tuesday it was my haircut; and last night it was a committee meeting for my women's group.  Tonight - a quiet evening at home with The Man and my second NetFlix movie.  And then tomorrow, a movie with Susan (Brokeback Mountain - gay cowboys? we're so there!) and on Saturday an engagement party and on Sunday a gathering with Susan and another girlfriend.
 
Maybe then the holidays will be over and I can take down my tree.
 
In the meantime - testing out the mail-to-blogger feature.  If it works the way I think it should, then I may be posting more regularly - and "On Company Time"

Monday, January 02, 2006

Ruminating on Resolutions

I didn't make any New Year's resolutions.

It wasn't a conscious thing. It wasn't an unconscious thing. I just didn't think about it. In some ways, that's good - things are going so well that there isn't anything I want to change in 2006. But I have been thinking about it today.

I was over on Dan's blog earlier, and I commented that it was odd how developing good habits are so much harder than developing bad habits. Why is that? And why are so many resolutions framed in the negative? People say "I'm going to stop doing this" rather than "I'm going to start doing that." It's something I've dealt with in my life - trying to be a glass is half full person rather than a glass is half empty person. It's a constant battle (see? there I go again, framing it in the negative - a battle, rather than a challenge which at least connotes the possibility of a reward).

Anyway.

Just had lunch with the Unemployed Boy Next Door (haven't mentioned him in a while, have I?) He called and offered me a bowl of homemade soup, and since I'm pinching pennies, I readily agreed to join him for a free meal. It reminded me of my unemployment days - just sitting, talking about the news of the day, not worrying about where I had to be or what I had to do. He told me that his father had sent out the annual Christmas letter once again musing about his son - "If anyone knows what he does for a living, let me know." I wish there were some shocking story behind it - a CIA assassin! A retired mob hit man! A male prostitute! But it's nothing other than a man who did extraordinarily well on Wall Street in the 80s who had the good sense not to snort it up his nose.

So, here I am, procrastinating again. I need to finish writing an article for the woman who helped me get my job, and I have a crapload of work to do for the event that I'm chairing in (gulp!) six weeks. As I chatted with the UBND, he wondered aloud if there were things I could give up to make my life easier, and I realized that this women's group I belong to is causing me more grief than it's worth. If I were making connectionhs and truly professionally networking within this group, it might be worth the effort. But more often than not, I feel used and abused. So many others who freely say no when asked to step into a leadership post. So many who won't step forward and offer to help. Who needs it?

And the cost ... I pay annual dues, am required to attend monthly dinner meetings for which there is a charge, the requirement to purchase event tickets etc - I'm out $500 on an annual basis and for what? Hell, that's a week's pay! I could better use the time cooking for The Man or reading a book (BTW, congrats to Jenica who read 116 books in 2005), or just taking advantage of my new NetFlix membership.

Yeah. Something to think about.