Friday, May 30, 2008
Shocked
I just found out tonight that in addition to being a lazy credit-stealer, C may also be a liar. She got heaped with credit and praise from our shared manager and another senior manager in the department for something she allegedly wrote; it turns out that she only edited the work that someone else had already done. I used to be angry and bitter, but now I'm angry, bitter, and disgusted. I know it's wrong, but I want to see her fall.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
It's Weird Being an Adult
One of the benefits of being in DC for as long as I am is that I got to join a mini-family reunion. My cousin Yoon-ji graduated from a residential high school in Warrenton, so her mom flew in from Korea, and my mom flew in from Dallas. We all had dinner at my (2nd) cousin Susan's house, where we were joined by Susan's parents (they act as Yoon-ji's guardian in the US) and Susan's cousin (my second cousin) Joong-shik.
Before I go any further, are you keeping all these familial relationships straight? Here's a little key:
Mom (my mom, lives in Dallas)
Hyun-bin Emo (Emo is "aunt" in Korean; my mom's sister, lives in Seoul. Because she's my mom's sister, I generally just call her Emo, even when there are other Emos around.)
Yoon-ji (my first cousin, Hyun-bin's daughter, graduated high school on Thursday)
Yoon-hee Emo (my mom's cousin, lives in Ashburn. If she's the only Emo around, I just call her Emo, but if there are others, or if I'm referring to her in conversation, I'll call her Yoon-hee Emo.)
Emo-bu (literally translated -- "aunt's husband," Susan's dad. I just realized that I don't know what his name is. Seriously. I call him Emo-bu. I also call Yoon-ji's dad "Emo-bu," and if there are multiple emo-bus around, I'll say "Yoon-hee Emo-bu" for Susan's dad, and "Hyun-bin Emo-bu" for Yoon-ji's dad. Wow. If you're not Korean, this is confusing, right?)
Susan (my second cousin, Yoon-hee Emo's daughter, lives in Reston, referred me to the firm)
Michael (Susan's husband)
Joong-shik (my second cousin; his mom is Yoon-hee Emo's older sister, lives here, works for the IMF)
Ok, now that we have that straight, you basically have a list of everyone who met up for dinner at Susan's house to celebrate Yoon-ji's graduation. We had a GREAT time. Emo bought some delicious food so nobody would have to cook, and we stuffed ourselves. We also got to see pictures from Susan and Michael's trip to Korea and the Phillipines (Michael is Filipino-American). Looks like a whirlwind and some serious WORK, but it also seemed like they had a great time.
After dinner, Susan, Michael, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and I played Rock Band. And because the "kids" were having so much fun, my mom and Emo also played -- I couldn't believe it! But they had a go, and they had a great time. My mom was excited (and also a little jealous) when she found out that I had Rock Band at home. I played bass, and it was my first time using the guitar. I didn't realize that you had to strum the lever thing in the middle, so I got our band booed off stage a couple of times until Susan figured out what the problem was. The guitar is super fun, but I had carpal tunnel pangs in my forearm the next day.
After that, we karaoked. Of course. Yoon-hee Emo, Emo-bu, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and Susan sang Korean songs. Michael, Susan, and I sang American songs. My mom and Emo begged off, saying they can't sing. That's not really the point of karaoke, but they got away with it.
That was all Friday night, and on Saturday I had to work (I'm working today and tomorrow, too -- that meeting script won't write itself!!). I talked to my mom on Saturday night, and she told me that I work too much and she didn't want me working on the weekends. I had to remind her that before she retired, she had busy times at the bank when she had to bring work home or stay late. She conceded that when there's work to do, you have to do it, but it took that reminder for her to come around. It's the millionth time that I've gotten the impression from my parents that they don't really think of me as having a job. I mean, they know that I have a job and that I'm supporting myself somehow, but I don't think they realize how serious and real my job is. It's hilarious, but not at all in an insulting way.
I say not insulting because I kind of understand where she's coming from. I'm 35 years old and a fully-functioning and -contributing member of society, as are Susan, Michael, and Joong-shik, but we all definitely split along generational lines on Friday night. The "kids" played Rock Band while the "adults" watched. My mom and my aunts were trying to feed me dinner and dessert. My mom tried to send Susan up to bed for a nap (Susan is 8 months pregnant).
And really, I don't feel like an adult. I thought it would change when I got a real job. It didn't. I thought it would change when I was paying all of my own bills. It didn't. Then I thought when I bought my first car I'd feel like an adult. Nope. Maybe buying a house will do it, but I don't think so -- Susan and Michael have a house and a baby on the way, and they were in the playpen with the rest of us kids. We'll see how things shift once Susan's baby is born.
Before I go any further, are you keeping all these familial relationships straight? Here's a little key:
Mom (my mom, lives in Dallas)
Hyun-bin Emo (Emo is "aunt" in Korean; my mom's sister, lives in Seoul. Because she's my mom's sister, I generally just call her Emo, even when there are other Emos around.)
Yoon-ji (my first cousin, Hyun-bin's daughter, graduated high school on Thursday)
Yoon-hee Emo (my mom's cousin, lives in Ashburn. If she's the only Emo around, I just call her Emo, but if there are others, or if I'm referring to her in conversation, I'll call her Yoon-hee Emo.)
Emo-bu (literally translated -- "aunt's husband," Susan's dad. I just realized that I don't know what his name is. Seriously. I call him Emo-bu. I also call Yoon-ji's dad "Emo-bu," and if there are multiple emo-bus around, I'll say "Yoon-hee Emo-bu" for Susan's dad, and "Hyun-bin Emo-bu" for Yoon-ji's dad. Wow. If you're not Korean, this is confusing, right?)
Susan (my second cousin, Yoon-hee Emo's daughter, lives in Reston, referred me to the firm)
Michael (Susan's husband)
Joong-shik (my second cousin; his mom is Yoon-hee Emo's older sister, lives here, works for the IMF)
Ok, now that we have that straight, you basically have a list of everyone who met up for dinner at Susan's house to celebrate Yoon-ji's graduation. We had a GREAT time. Emo bought some delicious food so nobody would have to cook, and we stuffed ourselves. We also got to see pictures from Susan and Michael's trip to Korea and the Phillipines (Michael is Filipino-American). Looks like a whirlwind and some serious WORK, but it also seemed like they had a great time.
After dinner, Susan, Michael, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and I played Rock Band. And because the "kids" were having so much fun, my mom and Emo also played -- I couldn't believe it! But they had a go, and they had a great time. My mom was excited (and also a little jealous) when she found out that I had Rock Band at home. I played bass, and it was my first time using the guitar. I didn't realize that you had to strum the lever thing in the middle, so I got our band booed off stage a couple of times until Susan figured out what the problem was. The guitar is super fun, but I had carpal tunnel pangs in my forearm the next day.
After that, we karaoked. Of course. Yoon-hee Emo, Emo-bu, Joong-shik, Yoon-ji, and Susan sang Korean songs. Michael, Susan, and I sang American songs. My mom and Emo begged off, saying they can't sing. That's not really the point of karaoke, but they got away with it.
That was all Friday night, and on Saturday I had to work (I'm working today and tomorrow, too -- that meeting script won't write itself!!). I talked to my mom on Saturday night, and she told me that I work too much and she didn't want me working on the weekends. I had to remind her that before she retired, she had busy times at the bank when she had to bring work home or stay late. She conceded that when there's work to do, you have to do it, but it took that reminder for her to come around. It's the millionth time that I've gotten the impression from my parents that they don't really think of me as having a job. I mean, they know that I have a job and that I'm supporting myself somehow, but I don't think they realize how serious and real my job is. It's hilarious, but not at all in an insulting way.
I say not insulting because I kind of understand where she's coming from. I'm 35 years old and a fully-functioning and -contributing member of society, as are Susan, Michael, and Joong-shik, but we all definitely split along generational lines on Friday night. The "kids" played Rock Band while the "adults" watched. My mom and my aunts were trying to feed me dinner and dessert. My mom tried to send Susan up to bed for a nap (Susan is 8 months pregnant).
And really, I don't feel like an adult. I thought it would change when I got a real job. It didn't. I thought it would change when I was paying all of my own bills. It didn't. Then I thought when I bought my first car I'd feel like an adult. Nope. Maybe buying a house will do it, but I don't think so -- Susan and Michael have a house and a baby on the way, and they were in the playpen with the rest of us kids. We'll see how things shift once Susan's baby is born.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Travel Update
Wow -- sorry about that. I forgot that I hadn't posted where I'm supposed to be in a while.
May 18-June 6: DC (yes, including weekends. I'm trying to be zen about it.)
June 11-June 12: Chicago
I have to be back in DC for part of June, but I'm not sure yet when.
The company gave me a "new" laptop. "New" is in quotation marks, because the laptop belonged to someone else at the company who recently resigned and turned in his laptop. The reason they did that instead of sending me a new (no quotation marks) laptop is because they don't have any. One of my colleagues has been using a loaner laptop for 2 months. Please explain to me how difficult it is to call Dell's 800 number and order 100 laptops. What is the firm doing with all the cash they're sitting on???
The "new" laptop works great, except for the part where I don't have administrator access, so I can't install new hardware or software. And before you start casting aspersions on my character and make any allegations about the types of things the company suspects of me of wanting to download, this means that I can't add my printer. For some reason, clicking certain links doesn't do anything, either, and again, before you get all suspicious, I had to do some research for work on Fidelity.com, and I couldn't get most of the links to work. REALLY ANNOYING. But at least I have a work computer again, which I guess is the main thing, and the IT guy said he'd give me administrator access this week.
My car is finally working and back in my possession again, just in time for me to go out of town for 3 weeks. AND the dealership had to cover it under warranty because it's totally a drive train issue. It was comical how unhappy they were about it. What's also fabulous is that, in the process of looking for screen protectors for my new phone (yes, I got a new phone -- I couldn't handle that little flip phone any longer), I FOUND THE PAPERWORK FOR MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. According to that paperwork, none of the work I've had done this year should have been paid for out of my bank account. Not sure how or where to start the fight to get my money back, but I'm definitely going to try.
I'm in corporate housing while in DC, and it doesn't suck. It would be a lot better if the carpet weren't so old, but it's clean and has the essentials, including, regrettably, noisy neighbors. I'm not sure about the kitchen, not because it isn't clean, but because it's weird cooking in a foreign kitchen. It probably doesn't matter because I don't think that I'll have a lot of time for actual cooking. I also don't know if it's worth it when I'm going to have to buy dishwashing detergent. I really hope I remember to buy toilet paper.
I also need to go buy some dress pants and a couple of sweater sets. I stupidly did not pack enough "smart business casual" clothing. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't believe I'm this unexcited at the prospect of shopping.
May 18-June 6: DC (yes, including weekends. I'm trying to be zen about it.)
June 11-June 12: Chicago
I have to be back in DC for part of June, but I'm not sure yet when.
The company gave me a "new" laptop. "New" is in quotation marks, because the laptop belonged to someone else at the company who recently resigned and turned in his laptop. The reason they did that instead of sending me a new (no quotation marks) laptop is because they don't have any. One of my colleagues has been using a loaner laptop for 2 months. Please explain to me how difficult it is to call Dell's 800 number and order 100 laptops. What is the firm doing with all the cash they're sitting on???
The "new" laptop works great, except for the part where I don't have administrator access, so I can't install new hardware or software. And before you start casting aspersions on my character and make any allegations about the types of things the company suspects of me of wanting to download, this means that I can't add my printer. For some reason, clicking certain links doesn't do anything, either, and again, before you get all suspicious, I had to do some research for work on Fidelity.com, and I couldn't get most of the links to work. REALLY ANNOYING. But at least I have a work computer again, which I guess is the main thing, and the IT guy said he'd give me administrator access this week.
My car is finally working and back in my possession again, just in time for me to go out of town for 3 weeks. AND the dealership had to cover it under warranty because it's totally a drive train issue. It was comical how unhappy they were about it. What's also fabulous is that, in the process of looking for screen protectors for my new phone (yes, I got a new phone -- I couldn't handle that little flip phone any longer), I FOUND THE PAPERWORK FOR MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. According to that paperwork, none of the work I've had done this year should have been paid for out of my bank account. Not sure how or where to start the fight to get my money back, but I'm definitely going to try.
I'm in corporate housing while in DC, and it doesn't suck. It would be a lot better if the carpet weren't so old, but it's clean and has the essentials, including, regrettably, noisy neighbors. I'm not sure about the kitchen, not because it isn't clean, but because it's weird cooking in a foreign kitchen. It probably doesn't matter because I don't think that I'll have a lot of time for actual cooking. I also don't know if it's worth it when I'm going to have to buy dishwashing detergent. I really hope I remember to buy toilet paper.
I also need to go buy some dress pants and a couple of sweater sets. I stupidly did not pack enough "smart business casual" clothing. I don't know what I was thinking. I can't believe I'm this unexcited at the prospect of shopping.
Monday, May 12, 2008
DEPENDENCE SUCKS
In the space of a couple of weeks, the transmission in my car has started doing weird things, my BlackBerry can't hold a signal, and my laptop has refused to start up (I had to FedEx it to my office today in the hopes that they can fix it tomorrow and FedEx it back for Wednesday morning delivery).
Without my Mac and my bicycle (and the car I rented), I'd be trapped in my apartment with no contact with the outside world. It's like the Apocalypse!!
Friday, May 2, 2008
I am a total nerd
Here's one for the category of "everything happens for a reason." Yesterday, I left the office at 6pm for my 7:30pm flight out of DCA. The new office in Rosslyn is only about 15 minutes away from the airport, so that's a little on the early side, but I'd left my jacket at the salad place earlier in the day when I went for a little snack, and I had to grab that. I caught a taxi at 6:10, thinking I'd have time to get a sandwich or something to supplement whatever snack they served on the plane.
I didn't notice that the cab was a DC cab, and I don't know if that even played a part in it, but when the road forked, instead of taking the GW Parkway, the cab driver decided to take the Roosevelt Bridge into DC. (DC cabs aren't allowed to pick up AND drop off fares in Virginia, so this might have been a way for him to bend the rules instead of breaking them.) What my taxi driver forgot was that because of rush hour, all of the roads and exits that he wanted to take were closed.
We ended up driving past the Kennedy Center, being forced onto Rock Creek Parkway, and exiting Massachusetts Avenue and driving through Dupont. We drove past the old building at 2000 Penn, and then took 17th Street all the way down to whatever street goes past the Jefferson Memorial and then took 395 to the GW Parkway exit to go to the airport. Yes, the same GW Parkway he had rejected 25 minutes earlier.
He finally got me to the airport at 6:40, and because he was so frustrated and tense during the drive, I didn't say anything to him about my frustration and tension. He apologized when we got there and only charged me what it would have cost to take the direct route.
That's good fun in and of itself, but for me, it got better. I got my boarding pass and went to the security line, where I used my FlyClear card for the first time. FlyClear allows me to go to a special line where I can go faster than the regular line or even the frequent flyer line. What I didn't realize is that once I get my fingerprint scanned, one of the FlyClear employees will cut me into the regular line, give my boarding pass and license to get checked by TSA, and while that's happening, get my bins set up for me so I can cut into the x-ray line as well. It's AWESOME!
This is the best part, though. Because I was running a little late, I jumped on the moving sidewalk to the Continental gates, and I noticed that a gentleman who looked a lot like Larry Kellner, the Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, was on the moving sidewalk going the opposite direction. His head was down, and he looked kind of tired, so I couldn't tell for sure. I noted he was wearing a Continental employee badge around his neck, and as I got closer, I saw that the first name said "Larry." So as the sidewalk moved me away, over my shoulder I yelled out, "Thank you for not merging with United!" His head popped up, it was DEFINITELY Larry Kellner, and he started laughing and yelled back, "Thank you for your business."
It totally made my evening. And that's reason number 4,578,932 that I am a nerd.
I didn't notice that the cab was a DC cab, and I don't know if that even played a part in it, but when the road forked, instead of taking the GW Parkway, the cab driver decided to take the Roosevelt Bridge into DC. (DC cabs aren't allowed to pick up AND drop off fares in Virginia, so this might have been a way for him to bend the rules instead of breaking them.) What my taxi driver forgot was that because of rush hour, all of the roads and exits that he wanted to take were closed.
We ended up driving past the Kennedy Center, being forced onto Rock Creek Parkway, and exiting Massachusetts Avenue and driving through Dupont. We drove past the old building at 2000 Penn, and then took 17th Street all the way down to whatever street goes past the Jefferson Memorial and then took 395 to the GW Parkway exit to go to the airport. Yes, the same GW Parkway he had rejected 25 minutes earlier.
He finally got me to the airport at 6:40, and because he was so frustrated and tense during the drive, I didn't say anything to him about my frustration and tension. He apologized when we got there and only charged me what it would have cost to take the direct route.
That's good fun in and of itself, but for me, it got better. I got my boarding pass and went to the security line, where I used my FlyClear card for the first time. FlyClear allows me to go to a special line where I can go faster than the regular line or even the frequent flyer line. What I didn't realize is that once I get my fingerprint scanned, one of the FlyClear employees will cut me into the regular line, give my boarding pass and license to get checked by TSA, and while that's happening, get my bins set up for me so I can cut into the x-ray line as well. It's AWESOME!
This is the best part, though. Because I was running a little late, I jumped on the moving sidewalk to the Continental gates, and I noticed that a gentleman who looked a lot like Larry Kellner, the Chairman and CEO of Continental Airlines, was on the moving sidewalk going the opposite direction. His head was down, and he looked kind of tired, so I couldn't tell for sure. I noted he was wearing a Continental employee badge around his neck, and as I got closer, I saw that the first name said "Larry." So as the sidewalk moved me away, over my shoulder I yelled out, "Thank you for not merging with United!" His head popped up, it was DEFINITELY Larry Kellner, and he started laughing and yelled back, "Thank you for your business."
It totally made my evening. And that's reason number 4,578,932 that I am a nerd.
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