Labor Pains

Girl who I am replacing at New Job (and who was training me) started having contractions today and she left at lunchtime. It was later confirmed that she had gone into labor. I had exactly 1.5 days of training.

It was very surreal watching her leave and then walking back to my desk. I am currently getting e-mails about things that I don't fully understand and I am surrounded by files of projects that I am not familiar with.

I have no idea what the heck I'm doing.

Day One

Today was my first day at the New Job. It felt a lot like the first day at a new school:

• Not knowing anyone
• Trying to figure out what to wear
• Not knowing what my assignments will be
• Not being sure if I will pass the first "pop-quiz"

I was fairly nervous walking in the door this morning. However, it turned out to be a really good first day. Strangely enough, I think it was one of the best "first days" at a job I ever had. I walked out the door today feeling pretty good. I like the people. I feel like the job will be challenging, yet enjoyable. The commute was heavenly. Did I mention free drinks and snacks?

I'm afraid that I'm going to wake up suddenly and realize that this was all a dream. Please--I beg of you--let me keep sleeping.

May 28th -- A Very Good Day

On this date in 1971, a very special person was born.

This person knows how to make me laugh when I need to be cheered up. He is a friend, an advisor, a drinking buddy, a handyman, a Texas Hold'em opponent, a traveling partner and a pal to watch movies with while wearing sweatpants. If I am sick, he takes care of me. I would trust him with as much as my life or as little as deciding what topping to get on a Friday night pizza. He is cute, talented, smart, funny, patient, strong, sensitive and courageous. He is my husband.

Eighteen years ago, he spoke to me for the first time when he asked me to sign his yearbook at the end of our junior year in high school. My life changed forever (in a good way).

Thank you, sweet Husband, for being a man that I can trust and never once letting me down. I know people like you don’t come along every day. I am a lucky woman.

Happy Birthday!

End of a Chapter

Well, tomorrow is my last day at my old job. It is a strange feeling. I know that the new job will be amazing and exciting and exactly what I want to be doing and where I want to be. Nonetheless, I still feel a strange distant sadness to know that I have to say goodbye to this old place and friends that I've made.

I've held enough jobs to realize that this is just a fleeting emotion and once I am immersed in my new position, I will be thrilled. But right now, teetering on the edge of what I've known for over a year, and what is new, unknown and unforeseen--it is just strange. It's strange, sad and exhilarating all at once.

At least I have the long Memorial Day weekend ahead. I can sleep in, go to the pool, go to the movies and watch too much television. When Tuesday arrives, it will be out with old and in with the new. I feel like I should sing Auld Lang Syne or something...Happy New Job 2006!

Meme - Per Glam Jo

Glam Jo tagged everyone who reads her blog--so here goes nothing...

Accent - Not sure if I have one. I guess I have whatever accent you end up with when living in the Northeast for 28 years and the South for about 7 years.

Booze - Love many varieties of this stuff, but really enjoy my glass of red wine, while eating Italian food, while watching The Sopranos on Sunday nights. Love red wine -- I especially dig the Rex Goliath 47 Pound Rooster wine. It's inexpensive and oh so good. Another favorite--Menage a Trois red wine. Also amazingly tasty for little $--and with a name like that, how can you go wrong?

Chore I hate - Putting clothes away when they come out of the dryer. Also, cleaning toilets.

Dogs/Cats - I love dogs. In my lifetime, so far, I've lived with 1 German Shepherd, 1 Dalmation, 1 mutt, 2 Dobermans and 2 Greyhounds. I have nothing against cats (except allergies), but I will go up to any person with a dog or any strange dog for that matter. I love them all and will tend to remember dog's names much better than I remember people's names.

Essential Electronics - My Ipod and my TiVo. I alternately love the randomness and exquisite preciseness of the Ipod. I love the fact that with TiVo, I can live my life and watch the TV that I want to watch when I want to watch it. It no longer matters what day of the week that anything is on--and I LOVE that.

Favorite Perfume / Cologne - Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely scent. It is absolute perfection in a bottle.

Gold/Silver - Love silver. Any silver will do. However, perfect decadence is silver jewelry from Tiffany.

Hometown - Was born in Allentown, PA. Currently living in Franklin, TN.

Insomnia - Very seldom. I love sleep. I treasure it. I will schedule hair appointments around it and change jobs to gain more of it.

Job Title - I believe this new position that I begin on May 30th is "Design Coordinator".

Kids - None at the moment.

Living Arrangements - Living with 2 dogs and a husband in Franklin, TN in the cutest little brick house in the cutest little neighborhood. I am officially (sort of) southern--I have a little magnolia tree in the front of my house. It was the one thing I really wanted to have when I moved back to Tennessee.

Most Admired Trait - Calmness and a positive attitude.

Number of Sexual Partners - One--what can I say, I found what I liked early in life and I stuck with it (him).

Overnight Hospital Stays - None since birth--and I'm in my 30's--(you people need to start drinking more red wine...)

Phobias - Do I really need to go into this again? I think we all know the answer....

Quote - I came across a quote by Walt Disney once that I absolutely loved. It is a quote about Cinderella. It said, "She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When prince charming didn't come along, she went over to the palace and got him." That quote just struck a chord with me. To me, it said that you can be passive and wait for life to happen to you, or you can go out and search out what is important to you. I cut that quote out and taped it inside my day-planner.

Religion - Practicing Catholic Christian

Siblings - I am the youngest of 6--I have three older brothers and two older sisters.

Time I Usually Wake Up - The alarm is set for 6:21. This allows me to smack the snooze button once. When it goes off again at 6:30, I drag myself out of bed.

Unusual Talent - Reciting all of the prepositions in alphabetical order. Yeah, I don't have a whole lot of talent.

Vegetable - I really dig asparagus, peas and green beans.

Worst Habit - Nail biting. I have acrylic nails at the moment, and if I didn't, I would keep my nails painted to stop the habit. But the second the fake nails and nail polish comes off, I could chew them all off and love every second of it.

X-rays - Mostly of my lungs--I've had 5 documented cases of pneumonia. I've had the occasional finger and ankle x-ray, but I think the only thing I've only broken is my toe on my right foot that is now eternally crooked.

Yummy Food I Make - Pumpkin Pie. It's the best recipe. It's creamy with nuts on top. It is truly one of the few things I do well.

Zodiac Sign - Scorpio, but I don't really believe much in astrology. My Dad and I are both Scorpios (who are supposed to be rather fiery personalities) and we are two of the calmest, happiest people you will ever meet.

Ok, that's everything--to all of you reading who haven't done this one--TAG--you're "it".

A Grey Area

In the fall of 2002, we adopted 2 retired racing greyhounds.

We were walking through the Allentown Fair that year, and one of the stands caught our eye. It was a stand dedicated to helping retired racing greyhounds find homes. I don't think I had really had any experience with greyhounds prior to that moment. They were tall, skinny, quiet and calm. There was something about their gentle nature that I was drawn to immediately and when they looked into your eyes, you couldn't help but melt.

We bought a book on greyhounds and did some research. It did not take us long to reach a decision. Once we had made the decision to adopt, we met our boy, Smoke (his racing name was Indian Smoke). We immediately knew we wanted to take him home. He was so quiet and shy and sweet and a gorgeous red fawn color. Not long after, we met our girl--the happy, quirky, brindle-colored, Hollywood (her racing name was Rodeo Hollywood). We ended up adopting both and the adoption group delivered them both to us on the same day.

They make me smile every day that they share our home.

A New Chapter

Have you seen the Monster.com commercials where they show people who are just insanely happy with their jobs? The people in the commercials are dancing, jumping, playing and laughing in various blue and white collar positions. At my current job, I am not one of those people. There is no dancing and the laughter is minimal.

I am a realistic person. I realize that most people are not THAT happy in their jobs--but I used to be. Five years ago, I had what I considered to be the Perfect Job. It was a job in the entertainment industry. I had a fun boss who understood that a heavy workload combined with deadline pressures could take take it's toll on people, so she made sure that there was enough laughter and fun to balance out the stress. I liked what I did and I was good at it. It was an easy commute. I considered my co-workers to be my friends. The whole situation was good and I enjoyed going to work every day for about four years. Those years FLEW by.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to resign. (My husband was getting transferred out of state for his job.) It was a sad day for me, but I somehow always felt that eventually I would be happy in a job again.

It has been almost 5 years and three employers since then.

Company #1 was fine (not as exciting as a Monster.com commercial, but it was fine) but after 3 years there, my husband was transferred back to Tennessee--so we moved again.

Company #2 was bad. Short commute, but I could not please my boss. I found myself having fantasies of how much better my life would be if he just didn't come back to work one day--for whatever reason--I would let my imagination run wild with multiple scenarios. Working there stressed me out and made me cry. I realized I had to get out. I quit after 8 months without having other employment. I knew that anything would be better than the situation that I was in.

Company #3 came to my rescue in my time of need. It is a commercial printing company where I do various administrative and purchasing tasks. I was very appreciative of the job opportunity--but I never felt settled. The money was decent, but the commute is long. The ink fumes are strong. It is a noisy, industrial atmosphere. I am not being used to my full potential and I don't really love what I do. I somehow always knew there was something else out there for me--I just didn't know how to find it or when I would discover it.

Several weeks ago, I had a friend call me who used to work with me when I had my Perfect Job. She is at a new company where a position similar to Perfect Job had opened up. I was thrilled at first, but discovered the job would have meant taking a huge pay cut. I probably would have considered the position for a small pay cut, but a huge pay cut was just not feasible. She casually mentioned that she had heard of another position at another company that I might be interested in. It was such an afterthought, that at first, I wasn't even sure I should pursue it.

I sent in a resume. I had interview #1. I had interview #2. I had a job offer!

Here are some of the reasons why I am thrilled about New Job:

• New Job puts me back in the entertainment business.
• New Job is close to my house (under 4 mile commute--all back roads)
• New Job is doing what I love again.
• New Job offers 3 weeks paid time off PLUS they are closed the week of Christmas.
• New Job is in a seemingly fun atmosphere / with seemingly fun people.
• New Job has "summer hours" and employees may leave at 2:00 on Fridays during the summer.
• New Job gives Christmas bonuses and fringe benefits.
• New Job offered the same salary that I was making at current job.

Needless to say, I am VERY excited about New Job. I'm not sure that I'll behave like the people in the commercials, but I believe it is a step in the right direction. Just the thought is intoxicating. A fresh start. A clean slate. A new chapter in life.

The new chapter begins May 30th.

James Taylor Autograph!

This past Friday night, we (Husband, myself and several friends) went to see James Taylor in concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

Husband managed to score 5th row tickets for the two of us through a connection he has at his job. Halfway through the concert, James took a break for an intermission. On his way back to the stage, he reached down to autograph a few items for people in the front.

Now, let me just say, that I am generally a pretty reserved person. But when I saw that James Taylor was signing autographs just a few feet away, I suddenly found courage that I didn't know that I had.

We had purchased a Hatch Show Print poster before the show which showcased the event. I grabbed the poster and darted to the stage.

I am proud to say--I was one of the lucky few who got his autograph that night.

Moms Are Cool

Mother's Day is almost upon us. Moms are cool. My Mom is cool, but I didn't discover it until years later. Here are some of the many reasons why my Mom was and still is cool:

• She would look up words in a German dictionary to help me translate my German homework faster.
  
• She makes awesome macaroni and ground beef casserole.
  
• She sat on the edge of my bed and listened to me cry when my boyfriend moved out of state (it's okay--I eventually tracked him down and married him).
  
• She would take me to Hess's Department Store in Allentown, PA and we would shop and then eat lunch at The Patio Restaurant or the snack bar.
  
• She still listens and gives good advice.
  
• She would let me sleep in on weekends and during the summer, but would wake me if one of my favorite bands was on Good Morning America.
  
• She (and my Dad) would come out and see my then boyfriend's, (current husband) band--A LOT!
  
• She was 42 years old when she had me, was told by doctors it was a bad decision to have me because of her age and that her health was in danger and that I would have Down's Syndrome, but she took a chance on me anyway--we both turned out just fine (except for my fear of spiders).

To all the current and future mothers out there--HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Idol Letdown and Lemon Cake

• First of all, Chris did not deserve to go home on American Idol last night. What a sad day in reality TV-land. I thought about shaving my head in protest, but I wouldn't know what to do with all of my excess conditioner.
  
• Secondly, the little 1 point Weight Watchers lemon cakes are incredible! Sweet, cakey, lemony goodness. I'm not sure if it's because I had given up carbs for so long, but these things are like crack for me. Individually wrapped bites of heaven.

Can You Help Me, I'm Bent?

I think there is something wrong with the structure of my head. I am almost afraid to admit this. I've admitted so much weird stuff related to my body that I'm sure by now anyone reading this blog is convinced that I am Quasimodo.

Every morning, as I drive to work, the right lens of my sunglasses fogs up. I think that the reason that this is happening is because my eyeball is too close to the lens.

This leads me to several possible conclusions:

• My glasses could be slightly bent.
• One side of my face might stick out further than the other.
• One ear might be higher than the other, causing the glasses to tilt.
• One eyeball is simply hotter than the other.

My glasses don't seem to be bent. I don't like the other three options.

I truly hope that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and that the beholder's eye isn't so hot or asymmetrical that it fogs up his or her sunglasses as well.

Adrenaline Shortage?

I saw Mission Impossible III last night and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. So, Tom Cruise is a little quirky. Every now and then it's just fun to see a movie with a pulsating theme song, non-stop action, fast cars and multiple explosions--you know, the ones where you just sit back and enjoy the ride and get the most out of the theater's big screen and surround sound. I left the theater wanting to re-watch the first two Mission Impossible flicks and fought off a slight craving to blow something up.

I sometimes wonder if I have a shortage of adrenaline since I so enjoy-- even crave-- the rush of action and horror flicks, ghost tours, roller coasters, prefer deadline pressures in my employment choices and consume constant coffee and Diet Coke to wake up in the morning. Yet, if a spider runs through the room, all the fun is over and I'm ready to run from the house screaming.

Is this a vitamin deficiency? Personality disorder? Mental illness?

What is my problem?

Tagged on 10 Weirdest Things

Well, I guess I've officially been tagged by Doo Dah, on this one so here goes...

Ten Weirdest Things About Me (or at least the 10 weirdest that I can think of at the moment--there are many more, I'm sure)

1. I don't like touching smooth glass. If I have to drink out of a smooth glass, I need to have ice in the glass to create condensation. Otherwise, it's a little like nails on a chalkboard for me. I have a huge collection of plastic and textured glass "drinkware".
   
2. If I'm laying face down on a bed, with a shoe dangling from my toe, about to hit the floor, it freaks me out a little and I get the sensation that I'm the one falling, not the shoe.
   
3. I'm very particular about the taste of my water. My husband compares me to Mel Gibson's daughter in "Signs" (you know, the movie with the aliens?) who said every glass of water she tasted was "contaminated".
   
4. I make up lyrics and sing songs to my dogs, but it is always to the melody of The Beatles' "Hey, Jude" and it usually contains some reference to how they smell.
   
5. The second toe on my right foot is crooked, and must have been broken at some point, but I don't remember how and my toenail will grow right into my flesh on that toe if I don't keep it trimmed.
   
6. I really do like Barry Manilow.
   
7. I like the taste of sliced pickles on a slice of pizza. I don't eat it that way in public, but if I'm alone at home--mmmmm---my tastebuds are tantalized just thinking about it.
   
8. As a married woman, I once entered a contest and wrote an essay explaining why I felt that Batman was a superior super-hero just for the chance to win my husband a Batman action figure. It worked--I won and he got the toy. (Come on, there was no age limit for the essay--it's not like I just beat out a bunch of 6 year olds for a toy...give a girl a break!)
   
9. I love, love, love, love, love roller-coasters. I will travel great distances to try a new one. I want to someday be a senior citizen who belongs to American Coaster Enthusiasts. I applaud EVERY time I get to ride in the front seat of The Beast after dark and the hubby and I drive from Nashville to Cincinnati, almost yearly to do just that.
   
10. I think that my armpit hair grows abnormally fast.

There you go. So, now you know. Are you SURE you want to keep reading this blog?