40 and Stuff...and Things

2011....PHEW!

2011-12-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

WOW. I'm doing a shitty job of blogging this year, aren't I?

Well, it *IS* the holidays, after all. Already.

Let's recap what happened this year:

- I turned 41. Whoopie-fuckin-doo. I have also gotten carded more this year than last. SWEET.

- I went back to work for Redfin. So far, so good. I have not wanted to cut a bitch yet. This is good, people!

- We got another Boston terrier. His name is Ed. He's adorable, tiny, and a total attention whore. Loki is starting to like him more - or tolerate him, rather. It's a work in progress.

- I lost a good friend. See previous post. That was a sucky time and I hope he's in a better place.

- We went to Burningman again this year. We had a foam dome, which was the most popular attraction on the playa and about 40+ people in our camp. I've passed camp cruise director duties off to my friend Blacksmith as I am kinda done running stuff. While this year was a lot of fun, it wasn't as epic as 2010. This might mean we take 2012 off. Plus, after 7 years...I kinda need a break.

- We bought a loft in Capitol Hill. Yes, we are smack in the middle of the hill...which is great - b/c I can walk to work. I can pretty much walk/bike/bus anywhere. I've given up using a car - it's freeing! I'm lowering my carbon footprint! Plus our dogs have Cal Anderson park as their backyard. WIN!

- One of my best friends got married in October. I got to wear a kick ass dress from Buddhaful and hang out w/ my amazing circle of friends. It was probably the best and funnest wedding we'd ever been to. Plus there was an awesome photo booth there - and there are some ridiculous photos floating around FB, I'm sure.

- My tolerance for stupidity has gone down. I seriously cannot deal with it. DUMBASSES, if you are reading this, please do something about this. I cannot be your friend if you continue to a) do stupid shit, and b) have bad grammar. It's maddening.

- Speaking of tolerance, I want more ink done. :)

- Corey has started allowing the dogs to sleep in our bed vs their dog beds. While they are v snuggly, it's also a snore symphony involving 2 dogs and a human man. I wake up and giggle a lot.

- I started going to Barre3 classes...b/c time stops for no one, turns out. Which means my ass is definitely becoming part of my hamstring and we can't allow that to happen, now can we?

- We're opening a restaurant on Capitol Hill. By we, I mean, Corey, Chris & Laura (of Grim's, Auto Battery, Po Dog)...I will not be directly involved. Corey is going to come home from work some nite and there are going to be 4 more Boston terriers running around, while I will be drunk on the couch, with the movie Bridesmaids on loop in the dvd player. You know it!

That's it in a nutshell. I mean, for the most part...those are the big things that happened!

That being said, have a wonderful solstice & a safe holiday season! I leave you with this photo of our two bastard children:

For Dub-C

2011-07-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had a good friend once. His name was Warren. He was solid - there for me when I needed to whine at work, he made people laugh, and was a hard worker, good father and husband.

He's in a different place now.

But his spirit lives on.

Wherever you are, I hope you're at peace. You are missed.

Yup! We got another!

2011-05-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

In other exciting news today, we got another Boston terrier. Yes, yes we did.
He came from a family on the eastside whose daughter didn't get along with him. How anyone can not like a tiny, cute, fluffy little Boston terrier is beyond me, but whatevs. He's ours now.

We've decided to rename him Ed. Yes, you read that right. ED. I like to think it's short for edIT, as in Glitch Mob. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Anyway, here are a few photos of him (and Loki) that we took last nite. Cute, eh? You know you want to meet him.

"Hello, my name is Ed. What up."

"Dear Loki, I OWNZ YOU NOW, BETCH. MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!" (Loki contemplates cutting Ed).

What a long, strange trip it's been...

2011-04-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

In early March, I went back to work for my former employer.

You know, like returning to the scene of a crime.

Everyone wants to know what it's like to leave a place, be gone for x amount of years, then come back.

Well I'll tell ya - it's like an amicable breakup w/ a partner, where you decide they're not that bad, and you get back together w/ them...but v cautiously.

Ok, I'm not being that cautious - but while I've been aware of everything that's been happening there (here?) since I left, I'm determined NOT to get involved in any (if any) drama during my stay. I just don't have the time or patience for that anymore. I don't work in HR (not directly) anymore, so people coming in and talking to me? It's merely for conversation, and not about issues. So instead of being "filed away", it simply goes in one ear and out the other.

I will tell you this: it's a weeeee bit weird being back. Things have definitely changed and there isn't that tight-knit-group-feeling that used to exist here, however, when you're simply there to work and not socialize, it's not so bad. Not to mention I have a kick ass team, so that makes it pretty fun AND bearable...HURRAH!

While I liked being away and working for other places, I have to admit I didn't make many friends while I was gone...at least, not like the ones I have here. There are a few people that I stay in touch with, but for the most part, I left w/o looking back.

I like to believe I grew up a bit (really? I'm 41) while I was gone as well, but maybe that comes with leaving and coming back, who knows. All I know is I'm here now, I enjoy it, I want to do a good, if not GREAT job, and at the end of the day, not stress out about it.

I think I'm on track.

Let this be a lesson, kids: hindsight is sometimes 20/20, but really, the grass ain't that much greener - you only think it is.

**photo courtesy of me iPhone. Again.

Because I can

2011-03-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

And because he's super cute.

A photo of my dog for you. Happy Wednesday!

**photo taken by me iPhone.

Yard art

2011-02-27T14:02:00.000-08:00

Even the gloomiest of gloomy Seattle days can't beat the happy that comes from seeing random art like this.

Thank you, Henry.

**photo courtesy of me iPhone.

Cheap cheeaaaaap

2011-02-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

So. Here I am. In the land of the living.

And the "kept women".

Granted, it's only been 3 days, but whatever.

I figured since I have all of this *time on my hands*, I'd help out the general public on where to eat and drink and not break the bank while doing so.

Ok! Here we go!

Where to get yer food & drink on, part 1:

Breakfast

After a grueling yoga class and/or workout, my favourite place to go is Healeo, where you can get a heaping bowl of hemp granola w/ soy milk (cold OR hot) plus 2-3 toppings (my current fave is raspberries, chocolate, and shaved coconut) for $6. That's a deal, yo. A DEAL.

Sometimes I wind up at Oddfellows. For $7, you can get an awesome breakfast biscuit w/ eggs, herbs, and gruyere cheese in it. Plus a salad. Oh HELL YEAH. No, I am not drinking at this point. That comes later.

Skits n gravy (short for biscuits, if you haven't figured that out) from Georgetown Liquor Company. Awwww yeah. VEGAN goodness. $8. Un-fucking-real. Plus there's a build your own bloody mary bar. It doesn't get much better than that.

Lunch/Dinner

I figured I'd lump lunch and dinner into one category b/c really, I can eat the same thing at all hours of the day. Does this surprise you? It shouldn't.

Grilled cheese at Grim's. Holy moly, I think I've found the holy grail of grilled cheeses. There are 3 kinds to choose from here:

- chipotle

- truffled leek and havarti

- moz, basil, and proscuitto

I've had all 3 (minus the proscuitto b/c as you know, I don't partake in the meat thing right now, annnnd I don't like the pork so much) and they are all three mm mm goooood. And comes w/ a salad. And all for a whopping $6 to $7. I can't bitch about eating a good meal for under $10 these days.

Pho at Pho Cyclo on Broadway. Best pho in the city, in my opinion. Granted, the service isn't the fastest, but $6.95 gets you a bowl of piping hot pho w/ your choice of tofu, veggies, meat, or seafood. I always get tofu. And I always walk out full. And happy.

Shrimp and grits from Where Ya At Matt food cart. I. LOVE. SOUTHERN. FOODS. And I really really love the shrimp and grits combo from this particular food cart. $8 buys you a fantastic comfort food meal. Plus you get to listen to zydeco jazz while waiting for your food to be ready.

Mac n yease at Plum Bistro, Cap Hill. I can't remember how much it is, but I'm guessing around $7-8. Yes, it's vegan. Yes, the yease stands for nutritional yeast. Yes it's AMAZING. Yes, you should order it. I would eat this over mac n cheese anyday. Not kidding. And you guys know how much I LOVE cheese.

Happy Hour

I dig the hour of happy. Why? b/c it's cheap. And I get to booze it up. Shocking, I know. You wanna know where to go that's cheapie mccheaperson? Read on.

List. In Belltown. I know, BELLTOWN. Who knew? But List has happy hour ALL DAY MONDAY. So there you go. Had a shitty Monday? Head to List - they will take care of you. Organic tomato salad $6 and gnocchi w/ truffle cream sauce $11 - slash that by 50% and there's your HH price. It's a deal.

Licorous. Cap Hill. Tuesdays is $1 carnitas for HH. That's if you eat pork. Otherwise, their house cocktails, which are normally $10, run $5 from 5-7 during their HH. My current favourite is the Joyful Ginger. Try it!

Rosebud. Also Cap Hill. HH runs 4-830pm every nite. Cocktails are a mere $3. Plus they have a crazy truffle mac n cheese for something like $4, plus other appetizer specials. It's AWESOME. And the staff is lovely.

These are just a few of my favourite places to go. For more in depth info on where Lily is lurking, go to: http://fireminx.yelp.com.

What about you? Where do you prefer?

**hemp granola bowl and wellness shot from Healeo. Photo by who else? Me.

Freedom! ... what what

2011-01-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

So. In case you hadn’t heard, I left my corporate job.
For real.
This is not a joke.

The older I get, the more I realize that working for a big ass conglomerate (or “working for the man”) is really not my thing. Like not even a little bit. Staring at a computer for 8-10+ hours a day with little to no human interaction just about killed me. And I miss smaller workplaces – where I know everyone – their names, their job titles, where they sat in the office, their pets’ names, what they like to eat – all the little details that are missed when there are a bazillion people. Anything bigger than 150-200 and I start getting itchy. So imagine me at 15,000. It’s like being covered in mosquito bites.

Mind you, not every large company is like this. When I worked for a huge apparel retailer - at the corporate campus, we worked hard and played hard. We were allowed to go workout on our lunch (sometimes for more than *gasp* an hour) and not get scolded for it. Imagine it! Actually leaving your desk to take a lunch or go workout! We had tons of social events. People came by to visit. We weren’t just staring at our computer screens, keying shit…day in, day out. There was variety. And like minded people.

So not all big corps are alike. Just some. Here. In. Seattle.

But anyway…

With prodding from C and a couple of fabulous friends (the “blonde mafia” as I sometimes refer to them as), a few freaks outs, a “you’d do this for someone else, so do it for yourself” conversation, some tears, somewhat of an emotional breakdown, and more white hairs than I care to see on my head, I said “sayonara, bitches” to my current workplace and have joined the ranks of the other searchers. HOLY SHIT! I might actually make it to yoga everyday! I’ll be able to spend more time at the park w/ my dog! I can go back to cooking! I can do massage whenever I want! I can go back to personal training if I feel like it! We’re gonna have the cleanest. Place (and garage). EVAR!

Now I can troll craigslist for something I truly want, thanks to my bestest friend and partner, C.

And I can finally take a little bit of time to chill…but you guys know me - I don’t take time! It always has to be now now NOW! So there’s that. We’ll see how long I can sit still and NOT work.

You’re welcome to place bets…
Starting…NOW!

**photo courtesy of yours truly. Me and my tea.

Excellent

2011-01-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is my idea of a perfect start to a morning - coffee, paper of some sort, and my man (that's his arm). Too bad I couldn't photoshop Loki into the picture b/c that would complete it!
I wish every morning could be slow and easy like this.
Maybe someday.

**pic courtesy of my iPhone.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T16:58:00.001-08:00

**photo courtesy of my iPhone.

Ho

2010-12-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this last week (before the holiday).

I leave you with this:

Yes, that is my dog. Yes, he is wearing a Santa hat. And yes, he is PISSED about it.

Hope everyone had a safe and fabulous holiday!

Why?

2010-12-20T17:22:00.000-08:00

I've had person after person ask me why I "check in" via yelp or why I review or why I don't do these things (ie: review) for a living.

I really don't have an answer for that, except for...I'm pretty sure it won't pay me what I want, but if money weren't an object, I'd probably do it for a living. I mean, why not? How about that for a roundabout answer? Hmm? Hmmm?

I review places because I, quite frankly, have an opinion, and would like the public to know. Why wouldn't I warn people of a restaurant where the cook sneezes into her hands and then puts those same hands in a bowl of noodles? Ewww. Why wouldn't I want people to know that there's a restaurant that has great service, great food, and great prices, or that there's a venue that's absolutely magical and my friends, who were looking for such a place, should get married there? Why would I NOT share that information? With everyone?

We get out a lot, I admit that - to restaurants, bars, events at different venues. Each one, in my humble opinion, has a little bit o' something that needs to be shared with the general public (that would be YOU).

So yeah, that's why I review. That and I get to go to some pretty cool events where there's food, booze, shwag, great people (watching), plus networking...for free. All so I can write my tiny little opinion about it later in hopes that it generates some business (or not).

Does this make you want to write reviews? If even a little bit? :)

I'm a caretaker

2010-12-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

I'm a caretaker. Just like it says in the title. That is what I am. There's a reason why people call me "Mother". It has nothing to do with the CIA. At all. Turns out.

I watch out for everyone. I can't help that. I can't stand seeing my friends upset or hurt because oddly enough, I physically feel their pain. I can't handle it when an employee is having a meltdown and everyone else is standing around with their mouths open, wondering what to do - I have to do something about it. I shed a tear when I see an animal that's been abused (humane society ads be damned!). I am very passionate about things that have nothing to do with me.

I want to make the world safer for my family, my friends, my friends' families, their pets (yes, cats included). I wish there was more I could do.

But I am one person. And I can only do so much.

So why am I in the position I'm in now?

Good question.

I do not know.

I should be a counselor, a nurse, an EMT, a therapist.

I am only a massage therapist.

I am only a human resources robot.

But...I am a caretaker.

And I can't change that.

I have an opinion

2010-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Seacompression - which is Seattle's version of Burningman decompression parties.
I don't know why I bother going. I really don't. Especially when Portland's Burnout and San Francisco's decompression parties are so...GOOD.
I understand there are dozens of volunteers that put in their time & energy in creating Seacompression - I GET IT - you don't need to lecture me on this aspect - I've thrown plenty of events in this town and in other cities as well. But man alive...how it tends to not be...that good year after year is completely beyond me.

Case in point:
The space - everyone knows that the hangar at Sandpoint Magnusson Park has the worst feng shui on the planet. There's no rhyme or reason at this venue. People are running into each other the whole event.
And who are these suspension people taking up half the hangar? Why? Half the time they weren't even doing anything.
Why weren't there more stilters? Why was the only marching band, which is one I adore, Titanium Sporkestra? Where were some of the others?
Where were the art cars?
Also, the good folks who rent this space out to burners like to shut down EARLY. 2am? Really? Where ARE we? No burner event wants to be shut down at 2am - they want to go all night...sometimes til dawn or beyond. (thank you Hippos, for throwing an after party - the community loves you!)
The music - there are really good sounds and there are sounds that are questionable. DJ's that are consistently good? Michael Manahan. Everyone else? Uhhhh...I can't really say, b/c I inevitably leave after 5 minutes of their sets.

Seacompression is not really like the playa, despite what you might be thinking. Maybe the costumes, but the atmosphere itself? No way. The playa is amazing. Seacompression? Not quite.

After speaking to some people that were there last nite I realized that at least 45-50% of them had never been to Burningman and never will go...which is FUCKING WEIRD to me. If you're gonna go to a decompression event, then you need to get your ass down there so you can see for yourself what it's really like. No amount of event attending is gonna do what being there will. None.

I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the hard work people put into throwing Seacompression, because I do. I just wish it were...different. And maybe different means better.

So until then, I will continue to trek to the playa and hit other decomp parties afterwards.

Sorry Seattle, I'm gonna have to pass for now.

**and let the shit talking begin...NOW.

List style

2010-10-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking. And dealing with a lot of different people and issues. In doing so, I came up with these lists. Proceed with caution.

Things I Cannot Stand:

- intolerance. REALLY? This is surprising? It shouldn't be.
- stupidity. That pretty much speaks for itself.
- skinny jeans. That shit should not have made a comeback.
- people who can afford to shower, but don't. If I can smell you from across the room, you're gross. Period.
- delusions of grandeur. Come on. If you don't know your subject well, you aren't fooling anyone and you look and sound like an idiot.
- denial. See comments above.
- laziness. Seriously. If you can't find a job to support yourself, don't expect someone else to. And don't try living off the state just b/c you have a bazillion kids. You're an asshole. A lazy one.
- women who think men should support them when they're perfectly capable of working. You choose not to. This is also called "laziness" and makes the rest of us women look bad.
- bad grammar. GET A DICTIONARY AND TAKE A WRITING CLASS, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
- people who say they're soooo old at 30. FUCK. YOU. You're not old. You're gonna pay for my retirement, bitch.
- people who don't pick up their dog's shit. Imma gonna chase you down w/ one of my little blue bags if you don't pick up after your pet.
- infidelity. Pretty sure I don't need to explain this.
- Sarah Palin. 'nuff said.

Things I Heart (besides my family):

- my friends. You all have unwittingly enriched my life, and for that, I'm thankful.
- my man. Because he loves me even when I'm a complete dork...and then some.
- Boston terriers. The world does not have enough of these!
- Boston terriers in sweaters. *giggles*
- rainbows. And double rainbows too.
- tea. 100+ flavours...yesssss.
- gouda cheese. *swoon*
- fire. DUH.
- boots. All of them. Except for ankle boots from the 80s...GO AWAY.
- movies. Netflix is my BFF.
- Olympus Spa. *sigh*
- liberal, open minds. As if you didn't know this already.
- Burningman. It's like an amusement park for people like me.
- clothing swaps. You know I love them! I love trading clothes w/ my friends!
- Portland. Of course.
- riding my bike in a skirt. I wear padded shorts underneath, but it's still so freeing. All I need is a big sun hat & a mint julep in my hand! Oh, and a basket w/ flowers in it.
- Mexican food. I could eat it everyday. But I don't. But I could.
- smart people. You know why, you geeks & nerds. It's sex-ay.
- petticoats & bustles. Perhaps I should've lived in a Victorian era of sorts. Hmmm...maybe not.
- music & dancing at music festivals. I'm currently rocking out right now on Pandora and dancing in my seat.
- freedom of choice. Of course. Thanks Devo!

What about you? You haz some to share?

**photo by yours truly. B'man 2010.

The last teeny tiny bits o' summer

2010-09-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is almost gone, even though there's blue sky outside and temperatures hovering around 73 - which works for me!

We had our last bit o' outdoor summer fun'in this past weekend with Decibel Festival happening.
Friday was spent inside a club with no ventilation (you can bet I'll be mentioning that part in my review), listening to Emancipator and Beats Antique, while trying to keep from passing out from the humidity inside. It was jam packed with about 50% of the people dancing and the other 50% trying to get to and thru the bar for a drink. You know it's hot when the walls are sweating (blech!).

Saturday we ventured out on the scooter to meet some friends on the front lawn of the Seattle Centre for dB in the park. When I say "a few" friends, I mean an entire lawn full of people. It kind of looked like this. It was a sunny day, the lawn was full of people dancing, laughing, hooping, or just gathering on blankets to hang out.

It was the perfect end to a not so perfect (weather-wise, that is) summer.

I look forward to more outdoor events come next spring/summer & I'm sure my friends do too!

**Look at how happy we are! Pic courtesy of my dear friend, Playapixie.
***PS - MY MAMMOGRAMADINGDONG IS CLEAR! WOOHOO!

Mammogramadingdong

2010-09-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

Good times, good times had by all.

And by all, I mean me.

And the chick that was manhandling muh girls.

If you're wondering, yes, I had a mammogram. Why? Well, I turned 40 this year (obviously, if you couldn't tell by the title of this blog), so my good ole gynie made me make an appointment to get my boobs smushed.
It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be.
Basically, I had to stand two ways (for both sides) - so 4 "pictures" taken.
Of me boobies.
I have to wait a week for results, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing turns up.

If you're 40 or about to turn, you should make that appointment too!

**photo courtesy of the internets.

My Swan Song

2010-09-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Another burn come & go.
Another amazing time in the desert, the harsh elements - first rain, then a double rainbow (!!), then the heat, then a dust storm (of course), then freezing cold temps at nite/early morning.
I love(d) all of it.

My friend Jessica says Burningman is "the most amazing place on earth." Quite frankly, I have to agree with her. It's not for everybody, definitely not for people who can't handle being dirty ALL THE TIME or need certain amenities to get thru the day, but for those of us that don't mind, it really is the most amazing place on earth. You will never see art in the real world that's created just for this event. You will never see costumes in the real world that are created just for this event (or maybe you will if you live B'man all year round, I suppose) - while Halloween is my favourite holiday EVAR, it just doesn't hold a candle to what I've seen out there. You will never be around every walk of life beaming with creativity and love...TOGETHER. You just don't.
You also won't have super fine dust in every crevice of your body all day everyday like you would when you're out there, but that's besides that point.

This was number 6 for me. Every time I go to B'man I come back wondering what the next year is going to be like. I'm like a little kid out there - I ride my bike around staring in wonder at "all the cool shit" and everyone that's made the trek...with a big smile on my face.
I love it. I really do.
This year was fun, but also hard for me.
As you may have read from my earlier post, I took my friend's ashes down to be placed at the temple. I was an emotional rollercoaster that day. We got to the temple, walked in, and I immediately walked right into this little nook which I knew Cristal would've loved and placed her there, cried my eyes out, then blew her a kiss and told her I'd see her again someday.
From there we rode past the man and back to camp, got ready, and headed out to find some good beats to dance in hers & Shura's honour. It was a good night.

I named this post "My Swan Song" as this is most likely my last year heading up a fire conclave and (possibly) fire performing in general. I no longer want to be in charge of rounding up fire performers & hoping we make it into the Great Circle to spin. No more 3 hour meetings on the playa when I could be running around or hanging out with my camp mates. Next year, I want to come back as a spectator. Or, join an existing conclave as just a performer and not as their shin. Things are changing quickly - we're all getting older, people are getting married, having babies, and there is a younger, hungrier group of performers out there. I'm content with just watching. This isn't to say I won't pick up a hoop or a stave and spin it, but for now, I want a break. Maybe a permanent one.

In any case, if you haven't seen them, here's the public gallery on FB of my pics:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=524609&id=681175190&l=551ef32f20

Enjoy!

Here I Go Again...

2010-08-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

So. Here I am again. Getting ready to head down to Burningman. Yet. Again.

I'm in a bit of a frenzy right now - as we've been out of town a lot, so preparations have kiiiind of gone down the shitter. NONETHELESS, I will persevere. I always do. This is how we do it...and not in a Montell Jordan kinda way either.

This year is going to be especially tough for me as I'm bringing down Cristal's ashes. You may recall a post from my other blog about Cristal - she was a dear friend of mine that was diagnosed in 2008 with cervical cancer and a year later, passed away.
She went to the playa with me in 2007 and had the time of her life. I know she had a ball b/c I hardly saw her out there - she was too busy running around the desert creating her own adventures. She made tons of friends, connections, and worked part time in accounting while attending massage therapy school (sound familiar? It should). She was a beautiful person, a loving being, and cancer took her away. She was only 32.

The week before she died, we were hanging out - both her and I on her twin hospital bed - talking about how we were going to go to Burningman together again. I knew, but didn't expect it to be in this capacity - me taking her down in a tiny little box. But here we are. And here I am, getting ready to take (part of) her to the temple this year.

At dusk, a group of friends will be taking another friend's ashes to the temple on Wednesday. Another friend taken away by cancer. I will join those friends with Cristal and we will all walk over together. We will silently pray, meditate, and send our love to both of these amazing women. When the sun finally sets, we will go wherever we are pulled to go and dance the night away in honour of Shura & Cristal. They will be with us in spirit.
...
As above
So below
...

**photo for Cristal, she loved mushrooms

Eeeeeeeeee

2010-07-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to take better care of myself as of late - biking more, yoga more, taking Loki on frequent walks around the neighbourhoods - that kind of stuff.

I realize that my stress level has gone way WAY down since I left my former job. It was to be expected, I get that - I just didn't expect it to be as low as it's been these past couple of days. I think I've halted the hair-turning-white-thing for a little while (PHEW!) and I'm much more at ease. Spending a few hours at Olympus Spa probably helped, as well as the amount of sleep I'm getting - which has been heavenly. It's like catching up on a year's worth of sleep! My body is still freaking out a little bit - wondering what I'm doing ("what is this sleep thing?") and getting used to NOT sitting in a shitty work chair.

Currently I'm on stay-cation right now - dinking about town, seeing friends, and taking care of me, til I go back to the working world next Monday. I'm avoiding cleaning out the garage, even though that's where I should be right now...oh well.

I should be ready to go back to work by next week - til then, I'm gonna do whatever I damn well please!

Enjoy the sun - cuz that's what I'm gonna do!

Goal

2010-06-08T10:34:00.001-07:00

Must. Stop. Biting/chewing. Cuticles.

If you see me gnawing on my cuticles please slap my hand away.

Thank you.

I think

2010-05-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I often times think I might not be cut out for Human Resources, but it's what I do and I'm good at it - so you'd think I'd stick to what I know right?

I think part of me stays really objective during situations, but another part of me gets a wee emotionally involved and I start to fight for "the little guy" vs fighting for the company I work for. I get really wrapped up in a situation, especially if it's someone that I like vs someone that's a complete douchebag employee. Not that that's a bad thing, b/c technically, I'm here for the employees and not necessarily just the company, but still...I wonder if I should try be one of those people that only cares about the company.

HAHAHAHAHAHA
As if.
That's so not me. I'm always going to be the HR person that fights for the employee - always. I can't imagine it any other way. Come to think of it, I think I'm always gonna be the person that fights for the employee regardless of whether or not I'm still in HR.

Hmmm...I guess I really do care about people.

Riddle me this...

2010-05-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

why why WHY do nice restaurants always have TV's in their bar areas? WHY? What is the point?

With the exception of places like Mistral or Lark, I was shocked to see TV's at Palace Kitchen. WTF?

It appears that almost every place I've been to for dinner - BAM! There's a TV. It just doesn't make sense to me - TV's in a restaurant says "sports bar" to me. The last thing I want to see is some bloody sporting event on the tube when I'm trying to carry on a conversation or eat my meal. It's distracting and really, aren't we surrounded by enough technological shit as it is?

TV's - ok in your media room, living room, a sports bar or hell, any Irish bar for that matter, but in a nice restaurant? NO. Take those things out and replace them with some nice art. Or a blank wall.

**pic from nontoxin.com

Reminiscing...

2010-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

...and not about something glamourous or good, either.

I'm in an HR seminar all week in Portland and this afternoon we talked about interviewing candidates, strategic planning, recruiting, blah blah blah.

Many years ago (ok, 5 or 6 to be exact), when I first moved to Seattle, I was interviewing for jobs...normal day jobs, after becoming disillusioned by the massage world and realizing that I needed to eat and pay rent.

So I registered w/ a staffing firm and they sent me on an interview at a travel site's corporate office, where I'd be interviewing for an online marketing position. Mind you, I knew v little about that at the time, but figured I'd give it a shot and, at the very least, practice my interviewing skills.

Why not, right?

WRONG.

I went in, and started answering questions the best way I knew how. I knew I wasn't going to be offered the position, but like I said, it was perfect for me to practice!

There were a few questions I didn't know the answer to, so I explained to this to the panel.

At one point, one of the interviewers leans forward and says, "Define obscure."

*blink blink*

I stared at him. I knew what he was getting at - he figured I had no idea what I was talking about during the interview...which I really didn't, but that was plain rude. I remember the exact moment too - his face, his demeanor (he was already condescending after he read thru my resume), his shitty preppy outfit. I also remember his cohorts (there were 4 total) actually SNICKERING after he asked me. Out of the 4 douchebags, only 1 looked like he felt kind of bad for me.

I wound up getting a job elsewhere and since then, have continued to work in pretty awesome jobs. I may not have made it in marketing, but that wasn't what I wanted to do anyway and definitely didn't want to work w/ people like that.

To that guy, I say:

Hey asshole, when your department got slashed over there, I'm pretty sure you lost your job in the process. Karma's a bitch, huh? Now who's obscure?

Well THAT'S odd

2010-04-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ok...so the numb arm thing. It's moved its way to numb left forefinger. Wha happen...?

It's the weirdest sensation - you know what I'm talking about if you've ever slammed your fingers in a door or dropped something on your big toe and it goes numb for a bit before the pain sets in? That's what my finger feels like - only w/ no pain. Just numbness.

It's been going on for about 3 weeks now. It doesn't bother me, it's just...weird.

Anyone else had this before?