Saturday, February 28, 2009
Pop Up Blocker, Version 2009
I remember when the internet used to have a ton of pop ups. You couldn't go to any site without ten or fifteen advertisements popping up. Luckily some brilliant person thought up pop up blockers. Well, those nasty salesmen have thought of a way to beat us. In person pop ups. I can't go to the mall, or the Wal-Mart parking lot, without someone asking me if I want my hands softened, or my hair straightened, or to buy a magazine. So I have invented my own personal pop up blocker. It's called being a jerk. No I don't have a minute. No I don't want to help you get your trip to Paris, or your scholarship. I always feel bad, but seriously! Let me shop in peace!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Deep Thoughts and Bookshelves
It hit me today. As I was trying to get my lazy buns out of bed, get dressed and out the door, I realized that my dream job will be in training. I then realized two things:
1) I am probably in the wrong masters program. I should probably be in Adult Education and Training.
2) I will probably have to leave the company, or the campus.
3) (I know I said there were only two things, but my motto is underpromise and overperform) I do not want to do either of those two things.
As I was running down the stairs looking for my keys and shoes, I was hit with a wave of sadness. I realized how much I loved living in my house, I loved San Antonio, and I loved this campus. I feel like I am at a turning point, like the decision I am going to make now is going to have an effect on the rest of my life. I'm scared that I will let my comfort level here make the decision for me, and not make the decision that will be the best in the long run.
On a lighter note, I went to Ikea this weekend! It was amazing! For those of you that are keeping score, that would be two trips in three weeks. I might have a bit of an Ikea problem... Well, I got a bookshelf! The one I had wanted for almost two years but couldn't justify spending $89 for. I realized if I put it on it's side it will be the perfect place for my new TV! $89 for a TV stand is a steal! So I get it home, and get ready to put it together. Three pieces are missing!! I call Ikea, and they kindly inform me that they will be happy to replace my parts as soon as I come into the store. As much as I love Ikea, I didn't want to make another three hour drive, so I asked if they could ship it. Yes, they say, it will arrive in 10-14 days. That is so long!!!! I'm hoping that they are telling me it will take longer than it actually will (another great example of underpromise and overperform!) but in the meantime I have a stack of boards in the corner of the living room, and a stack of sadness in the corner of my heart.
1) I am probably in the wrong masters program. I should probably be in Adult Education and Training.
2) I will probably have to leave the company, or the campus.
3) (I know I said there were only two things, but my motto is underpromise and overperform) I do not want to do either of those two things.
As I was running down the stairs looking for my keys and shoes, I was hit with a wave of sadness. I realized how much I loved living in my house, I loved San Antonio, and I loved this campus. I feel like I am at a turning point, like the decision I am going to make now is going to have an effect on the rest of my life. I'm scared that I will let my comfort level here make the decision for me, and not make the decision that will be the best in the long run.
On a lighter note, I went to Ikea this weekend! It was amazing! For those of you that are keeping score, that would be two trips in three weeks. I might have a bit of an Ikea problem... Well, I got a bookshelf! The one I had wanted for almost two years but couldn't justify spending $89 for. I realized if I put it on it's side it will be the perfect place for my new TV! $89 for a TV stand is a steal! So I get it home, and get ready to put it together. Three pieces are missing!! I call Ikea, and they kindly inform me that they will be happy to replace my parts as soon as I come into the store. As much as I love Ikea, I didn't want to make another three hour drive, so I asked if they could ship it. Yes, they say, it will arrive in 10-14 days. That is so long!!!! I'm hoping that they are telling me it will take longer than it actually will (another great example of underpromise and overperform!) but in the meantime I have a stack of boards in the corner of the living room, and a stack of sadness in the corner of my heart.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Am I Blue? Yes, I'm Blue
Maybe it's the gloomy weather the last couple of days, or the fact that I have been eating a ton of junk food, or the fact that I have plunged myself into yet another four weeks of WayTooMuchToDo land, but I have had some serious blues this past week. I watched Castaway last week (gotta love Tom Hanks!) and I have been living by his last statement "I know what I have to do now. I have to keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring" (Broyles, W., 2000)?* So I've been living my that motto. Keep breathing. Take one day at a time. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? But in an effort to get myself out of this funk, I am making a list of all the amazing things about my life:
I don't have to be to work until 9 every day, which gives me lots of time to sleep in, and I don't have to fight anyone for shower time, or hot water.
I am blessed with a boss who refuses to micro manage, so I am free to do my job as I see fit (within reason, of course).
I live in a beautiful house with three great girls that don't drive me insane.
I learned to swing dance this weekend, and was pronounced to be a "natural".
I started using shampoo for blonde hair, and my highlights are looking better than ever.
I have glasses that I can wear on days I don't feel like putting my contacts in.
I ate cake for breakfast this morning.
I have the opportunity to mentor a fourth grade girl at a local elementary. Not only is it tons of fun, I also feel like I am doing something worthwhile.
My organ/piano skills are improving, so it's becoming easier to pick hymns each week.
I get to go on vacation in less than a month and will see my whole family two weekends in a row.
I'm going on a cruise in six months.
My job is incredibly stable in this economy.
I'm taking off 6 days in March, and will still have 44 hours of PTO, not even counting sick time.
People at work feel comfortable enough around me to tell me to stop singing.
My car has great speakers that are perfect for blasting music as I drive down the road.
My little sisters are coming the end of next month.
I'm feeling better already. Thanks Tom Hanks!
Reference:
(Broyles, W. (2000). Castaway. Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment*
*That's right, I cited my source. How do you like me now Mr Oldfield???
I don't have to be to work until 9 every day, which gives me lots of time to sleep in, and I don't have to fight anyone for shower time, or hot water.
I am blessed with a boss who refuses to micro manage, so I am free to do my job as I see fit (within reason, of course).
I live in a beautiful house with three great girls that don't drive me insane.
I learned to swing dance this weekend, and was pronounced to be a "natural".
I started using shampoo for blonde hair, and my highlights are looking better than ever.
I have glasses that I can wear on days I don't feel like putting my contacts in.
I ate cake for breakfast this morning.
I have the opportunity to mentor a fourth grade girl at a local elementary. Not only is it tons of fun, I also feel like I am doing something worthwhile.
My organ/piano skills are improving, so it's becoming easier to pick hymns each week.
I get to go on vacation in less than a month and will see my whole family two weekends in a row.
I'm going on a cruise in six months.
My job is incredibly stable in this economy.
I'm taking off 6 days in March, and will still have 44 hours of PTO, not even counting sick time.
People at work feel comfortable enough around me to tell me to stop singing.
My car has great speakers that are perfect for blasting music as I drive down the road.
My little sisters are coming the end of next month.
I'm feeling better already. Thanks Tom Hanks!
Reference:
(Broyles, W. (2000). Castaway. Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment*
*That's right, I cited my source. How do you like me now Mr Oldfield???
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My Quest to Become Like Allison
I started running with a podcast at the beginning of the year, as part of my New Year's resolution to not be a big ol fatty. I have a podcast with a workout on it that helps you go from "couch potato to 5k in 9 weeks".
There have been 6 weeks in the year, and I am now on week 2 of the podcast... When things got really crazy at work and I moved, and school got busy, I flaked out. But I started again last week! And now I have a goal. Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. April 4th.
Allison is doing such a great job, she is keeping me on track! Tomorrow, I do week 2 run 2. We'll see how it goes.
There have been 6 weeks in the year, and I am now on week 2 of the podcast... When things got really crazy at work and I moved, and school got busy, I flaked out. But I started again last week! And now I have a goal. Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. April 4th.
Allison is doing such a great job, she is keeping me on track! Tomorrow, I do week 2 run 2. We'll see how it goes.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Ode to Ikea
I got to go to Ikea today! It was way fun, I forgot how much I missed shopping there. Surprisingly, most of my money was spent on the way home at a Circuit City. Those going out of business sales are killer!
So, I wish I were cool and could write a little poem about Ikea, but I'm not, so as usual I will just make a list of things I love!
1) The first time I went to Ikea I found a kitchen that I swear was made just for me. I honestly almost cried when I saw it. It was so perfect. As other floor plans changed, the kitchen always stayed the same, for almost two years. It might still be there, for all I know.
2) You can touch everything in the store and actually visualize how it would look in your home. Also, you get to look at other people's ideas and then incorporate them!
3) They put so much work into putting the model homes together. There are clothes in the closets, books in the bookshelves. I really feel like I am walking through someone's home.
4) The cafe. I love Swedish meatballs! The cake we had today was especially amazing!
5) Everything fits in flat boxes, which means people with tiny cars like me can still bring home a huge dresser!
6) Cheap frames. Their frames are unbeatable, and they have plastic instead of glass, which is more resistant to shattering (a good thing when you are clumsy like me!)
7) You have to buy the bags. It makes me feel like I am helping the environment.
8) All the Swedish words. I feel like I am getting an international experience along with cheap textiles!
9) There are about a hundred more things, but as this has to potential to be the most boring blog ever thought of, and I'm really tired, I'm going to bed!
So, I wish I were cool and could write a little poem about Ikea, but I'm not, so as usual I will just make a list of things I love!
1) The first time I went to Ikea I found a kitchen that I swear was made just for me. I honestly almost cried when I saw it. It was so perfect. As other floor plans changed, the kitchen always stayed the same, for almost two years. It might still be there, for all I know.
2) You can touch everything in the store and actually visualize how it would look in your home. Also, you get to look at other people's ideas and then incorporate them!
3) They put so much work into putting the model homes together. There are clothes in the closets, books in the bookshelves. I really feel like I am walking through someone's home.
4) The cafe. I love Swedish meatballs! The cake we had today was especially amazing!
5) Everything fits in flat boxes, which means people with tiny cars like me can still bring home a huge dresser!
6) Cheap frames. Their frames are unbeatable, and they have plastic instead of glass, which is more resistant to shattering (a good thing when you are clumsy like me!)
7) You have to buy the bags. It makes me feel like I am helping the environment.
8) All the Swedish words. I feel like I am getting an international experience along with cheap textiles!
9) There are about a hundred more things, but as this has to potential to be the most boring blog ever thought of, and I'm really tired, I'm going to bed!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Things I Learned While Running
As I was running tonight, I learned a few things:
1) There is the most perfectly proportioned house I have ever seen two streets away.
2) Someone has a full beauty salon in their garage a couple of blocks away.
3) I am allergic to pretty much everything here. My eyes were burning the whole time.
4) It is unwise to eat an entire box of Girl Scout cookies and then run.
This is how I will apply my knowledge:
1) Keep passing by the amazing house to see if it goes up for sale, or at least to see if I can get a peek inside!
2) Check out the people coming out of the garage/salon to see if I want to get my hair done there. I figure it has to be pretty cheap, people wont pay top dollar to go to a garage.
3) Buy more allergy medicine.
4) Well... I can't decide if I would rather stop eating entire boxes of cookies, or if I will just stop running. We'll see.
1) There is the most perfectly proportioned house I have ever seen two streets away.
2) Someone has a full beauty salon in their garage a couple of blocks away.
3) I am allergic to pretty much everything here. My eyes were burning the whole time.
4) It is unwise to eat an entire box of Girl Scout cookies and then run.
This is how I will apply my knowledge:
1) Keep passing by the amazing house to see if it goes up for sale, or at least to see if I can get a peek inside!
2) Check out the people coming out of the garage/salon to see if I want to get my hair done there. I figure it has to be pretty cheap, people wont pay top dollar to go to a garage.
3) Buy more allergy medicine.
4) Well... I can't decide if I would rather stop eating entire boxes of cookies, or if I will just stop running. We'll see.
Monday, February 2, 2009
25 Things About Me
1. I love my bed. I eat many of my meals here, read here, do my homework here. Sometimes I find it hard to get up in the morning, not becuase I am tired, but becuase I am so comfortable.
2. I'm a magazine junky. I never get a subscription, because I would get bored reading the same one every month, but I usually pick up something different every month. I look at every page at least three times, even the advertisements.
3. I like looking in people's windows as I run at night, not in a creepy way, I just like to see how other people decorate.
4. I have a things for clocks. Big clocks, little clocks, I just love them, which might have something to do with...
5! I hate hate hate being late. Even for something dumb. I hate it even more when someone else makes me late.
6. I'm super organized at work, and always clean my desk off before I leave. I am messy at home, and almost never make my bed. I still can't figure out why...
7. I love school. I hate homework, but I love going to class and doing the readings. If I didn't have to write a paper every week, graduate school would be pretty much the funnest thing ever!
8. Every time I see a Hiring sign, even at a gas station or a McDonalds, the thought crosses my mind that I should apply. Same thing with apartments, every time I see a sign that says "Your New Home" I think for half a second about moving.
9. I don't mind performing in front of people, but I hate it when people come up to me afterward and tell me I did a good job, so I never want to do it. I never know what to say. A friend in college who was a music major and understood my need to criticize every little part of my performance taught me to say "I'm glad you enjoyed it" which works well for music, but not so much for a presentation at work. I'm still working on a response for that.
10. I am competitive to the extreme. If you are playing a game with me and I catch you cheating, or if you are on my team and holding me back from winning, I will get very upset. I don't play a lot of team centered games. People tend not to like me...
11. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I am surprised at what I see. The way I think I look and the way I actually look are very different.
12. I don't really know what my hair color is. I haven't seen more than an inch of it since I was 14.
13. I use superlatives too much.
14. My toenails are always painted.
15. I like to argue. Most of the time I just say a lot of words and the other person gets tired and just agrees with me. If I know I am right about something I will argue to the death.
16. I love dishes. I have 6 sets right now, and am always on the lookout for more. Serving dishes are my favorite, the bigger the better!
17. If something ever happens with my job, I am going to be an efficiency expert. I love figuring out the fastest way to do something. I have systems for getting things done at work that save me so much time!
18. I am afraid of falling.
19. I cry at the end of sports movies. Ok, I cry at the end of most movies. Or music videos. Or commercials.
20. I have a running list of all the places I want to go in my life. One of them is the Dr Pepper factory, which is only 3 hours away from me now, so I will probably make it there soon!
21. I love roller coasters.
22. I can spend hours looking at pictures of people I know. I can spend about a minute looking at pictures of people I don't know.
23. I am addicted to linerider.com. I have found I'm pretty awesome at it!
24. I love being at home. I am glad I can't work from home, because I would probably never leave, and would end up living in sweats.
25. Eating is pretty much my favorite thing ever, but I don't like to cook, so I end up living off of peanut butter sandwiches, soup, and string cheese.
2. I'm a magazine junky. I never get a subscription, because I would get bored reading the same one every month, but I usually pick up something different every month. I look at every page at least three times, even the advertisements.
3. I like looking in people's windows as I run at night, not in a creepy way, I just like to see how other people decorate.
4. I have a things for clocks. Big clocks, little clocks, I just love them, which might have something to do with...
5! I hate hate hate being late. Even for something dumb. I hate it even more when someone else makes me late.
6. I'm super organized at work, and always clean my desk off before I leave. I am messy at home, and almost never make my bed. I still can't figure out why...
7. I love school. I hate homework, but I love going to class and doing the readings. If I didn't have to write a paper every week, graduate school would be pretty much the funnest thing ever!
8. Every time I see a Hiring sign, even at a gas station or a McDonalds, the thought crosses my mind that I should apply. Same thing with apartments, every time I see a sign that says "Your New Home" I think for half a second about moving.
9. I don't mind performing in front of people, but I hate it when people come up to me afterward and tell me I did a good job, so I never want to do it. I never know what to say. A friend in college who was a music major and understood my need to criticize every little part of my performance taught me to say "I'm glad you enjoyed it" which works well for music, but not so much for a presentation at work. I'm still working on a response for that.
10. I am competitive to the extreme. If you are playing a game with me and I catch you cheating, or if you are on my team and holding me back from winning, I will get very upset. I don't play a lot of team centered games. People tend not to like me...
11. Sometimes when I look in the mirror I am surprised at what I see. The way I think I look and the way I actually look are very different.
12. I don't really know what my hair color is. I haven't seen more than an inch of it since I was 14.
13. I use superlatives too much.
14. My toenails are always painted.
15. I like to argue. Most of the time I just say a lot of words and the other person gets tired and just agrees with me. If I know I am right about something I will argue to the death.
16. I love dishes. I have 6 sets right now, and am always on the lookout for more. Serving dishes are my favorite, the bigger the better!
17. If something ever happens with my job, I am going to be an efficiency expert. I love figuring out the fastest way to do something. I have systems for getting things done at work that save me so much time!
18. I am afraid of falling.
19. I cry at the end of sports movies. Ok, I cry at the end of most movies. Or music videos. Or commercials.
20. I have a running list of all the places I want to go in my life. One of them is the Dr Pepper factory, which is only 3 hours away from me now, so I will probably make it there soon!
21. I love roller coasters.
22. I can spend hours looking at pictures of people I know. I can spend about a minute looking at pictures of people I don't know.
23. I am addicted to linerider.com. I have found I'm pretty awesome at it!
24. I love being at home. I am glad I can't work from home, because I would probably never leave, and would end up living in sweats.
25. Eating is pretty much my favorite thing ever, but I don't like to cook, so I end up living off of peanut butter sandwiches, soup, and string cheese.
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