Is there a right way to tell a colleague that he smells really bad? I'm talking about deadly breath that could knock you down and terrible BO. I think that I just have to grit my teeth and bear it, but holy moly, I've never experienced anything like it.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Scary!
I tried to post this by e-mailing it in, but it didn't work. Bummer.
Yesterday morning at the airport, I got an e-mail from Shana inviting me to dinner at her place. Shana's one of my favorite people at the office, and I almost never get homecooked meals when I'm on the road, so I immediately accepted her kind offer.
After work, we drove through pouring thunderstorms to the grocery store to pick up dinner fixings. We both commented on the habit of drivers in the DC area of avoiding hurting the raindrops. We dilly-dallied at the grocery store because it was fun (and because I'm staying at a suites hotel, I got a couple of healthier things to keep in the fridge/freezer), and then headed to her and Jeff's apartment.
Shana called Jeff as we neared the apartment to ask him to come down and help us with groceries. He was already downstairs and waiting for us, and all three of us were laughing about it. Shana and Jeff hung up their cell phones, then there was a crack, Jeff screamed, and a massive tree branch hit Shana's car.
Yes, you read that correctly. A massive tree branch hit Shana's car. How massive? The diameter of the branch was 6 inches. Miraculously, the only damage done to the car was that a little over a third of the driver's side mirror shattered and disappeared.
I don't use the word "miraculously" lightly here. Shana drives a convertible. I think it helped tremendously that it's a hardtop (the very cute Pontiac Solstice), even though Jeff read that Consumer Reports says that a hardtop won't help in a serious accident.
Jeff was freaked out because he was outside and saw the massive tree branch drop (Shana wants to call the branch "Ed," but Jeff and I prefer "Beelzebub"). Shana didn't hear the crack or Jeff's shout -- all she heard was the huge thunk on the roof of the car right above our heads. I ducked and covered, not that it would have helped if the roof had caved.
I took video of it with my Flip. You're not going to believe how big this branch was.
What was equally amazing was watching the apartment complex maintenance guys take the branch apart and haul it away. They started with clippers and took off the smaller branches. Then they broke out the chainsaw. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to grab the Flip, because it was a sight to see. They had the whole thing cleared away in 30 minutes. Except for a few wood shavings and a couple of leaves on the ground, you'd never know that there was a near catastrophe.
Shana tested the top on the convertible to make sure it worked right, and it does. The roof and hood were wet, so we couldn't tell for sure, but it really seems like there aren't even any scratches on the car. We're going to check later today in the dark, but dry, parking garage.
We talked a lot about how many things have to happen at precise moments for you to be in a place where a tree branch can fall on the car. If it hadn't been raining, the top would have been down, but if if hadn't been raining, we would have gotten to the store and home sooner, and the tree's leaves wouldn't be saturated with water. If we hadn't played so long at the store, it would have been a near miss rather than a hit. A few more seconds, and instead of Jeff being well out of the danger zone, he might have been right in it without the protection of a car.
I'll never forget the look on Jeff's face as he frantically looked for a way around the tree. I was a little shocked, but I had the presence of mind to make sure that Shana was laughing hysterically because of the shock and not crying hysterically because she was hurt, and then I opened the door (I couldn't remember how to roll down the window) and yelled out that we were ok.
The patron saint and guardian angel of silly girls was working hard last night, and for that, I'm VERY grateful.
Yesterday morning at the airport, I got an e-mail from Shana inviting me to dinner at her place. Shana's one of my favorite people at the office, and I almost never get homecooked meals when I'm on the road, so I immediately accepted her kind offer.
After work, we drove through pouring thunderstorms to the grocery store to pick up dinner fixings. We both commented on the habit of drivers in the DC area of avoiding hurting the raindrops. We dilly-dallied at the grocery store because it was fun (and because I'm staying at a suites hotel, I got a couple of healthier things to keep in the fridge/freezer), and then headed to her and Jeff's apartment.
Shana called Jeff as we neared the apartment to ask him to come down and help us with groceries. He was already downstairs and waiting for us, and all three of us were laughing about it. Shana and Jeff hung up their cell phones, then there was a crack, Jeff screamed, and a massive tree branch hit Shana's car.
Yes, you read that correctly. A massive tree branch hit Shana's car. How massive? The diameter of the branch was 6 inches. Miraculously, the only damage done to the car was that a little over a third of the driver's side mirror shattered and disappeared.
I don't use the word "miraculously" lightly here. Shana drives a convertible. I think it helped tremendously that it's a hardtop (the very cute Pontiac Solstice), even though Jeff read that Consumer Reports says that a hardtop won't help in a serious accident.
Jeff was freaked out because he was outside and saw the massive tree branch drop (Shana wants to call the branch "Ed," but Jeff and I prefer "Beelzebub"). Shana didn't hear the crack or Jeff's shout -- all she heard was the huge thunk on the roof of the car right above our heads. I ducked and covered, not that it would have helped if the roof had caved.
I took video of it with my Flip. You're not going to believe how big this branch was.
What was equally amazing was watching the apartment complex maintenance guys take the branch apart and haul it away. They started with clippers and took off the smaller branches. Then they broke out the chainsaw. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to grab the Flip, because it was a sight to see. They had the whole thing cleared away in 30 minutes. Except for a few wood shavings and a couple of leaves on the ground, you'd never know that there was a near catastrophe.
Shana tested the top on the convertible to make sure it worked right, and it does. The roof and hood were wet, so we couldn't tell for sure, but it really seems like there aren't even any scratches on the car. We're going to check later today in the dark, but dry, parking garage.
We talked a lot about how many things have to happen at precise moments for you to be in a place where a tree branch can fall on the car. If it hadn't been raining, the top would have been down, but if if hadn't been raining, we would have gotten to the store and home sooner, and the tree's leaves wouldn't be saturated with water. If we hadn't played so long at the store, it would have been a near miss rather than a hit. A few more seconds, and instead of Jeff being well out of the danger zone, he might have been right in it without the protection of a car.
I'll never forget the look on Jeff's face as he frantically looked for a way around the tree. I was a little shocked, but I had the presence of mind to make sure that Shana was laughing hysterically because of the shock and not crying hysterically because she was hurt, and then I opened the door (I couldn't remember how to roll down the window) and yelled out that we were ok.
The patron saint and guardian angel of silly girls was working hard last night, and for that, I'm VERY grateful.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Fun Weekend!
I didn't have any specific plans this weekend, aside from test driving a Mini Cooper convertible. I LOVED driving it. It's close the ground, so you really feel like you're part of the car, and because it's so small, it's really zippy. I would love to own one, but it's completely impractical. My car is small, but the Cooper convertible is TINY. The space between the backseat and the front seat is literally a couple of inches. And the trunk is only about 4 cubic feet. That's ok, but the way it's configured, there isn't any room for my smallest suitcase. The backseats can be folded down and secured, which increases the trunk space to about 21 cubic feet. The trunk is where they put the CD-changer and MP3 player, so you don't even get to use the full 4 cubic feet. I sort of feel like Mini would have been smarter to make the Cooper convertible a two-seater and done something more practical with the trunk, because all of that space is just wasted.
After the test drive, I went to visit Jennifer and Mark and Natalie. Natalie has started talking, and it's so much fun! She's so cute and so verbal, and she's stringing her words together into sentences. She's still a thrill-seeker, so you can still make her laugh by throwing her in the air or by chasing her or by lying in wait and yelling "BOO!" at her. Good times! Jennifer is very pregnant, and she and Mark are frantically trying to get some stuff done on the house before the baby comes. Selfishly, I hope she has the baby while I'm in town, but man, she's ready to stop being pregnant. And it's really hot outside, so I know she's horribly uncomfortable.
My sister came into town to pick up some more clothes, and we did a little light shopping. I took her to Academy for some new running shoes (I got some new "athletic" slides), and then we went to Best Buy and World Market. I always forget how much I love World Market until I get there. I managed to limit myself to some potato chips and Botan rice candy (YAY!!).
At Best Buy, I bought a USB hub. Why do I need a USB hub? TO PLAY ROCK BAND! After we got home from dinner, I made Judy play with me, and she did not regret it. She was doubtful at first, and then we started to play, and she's a huge Rock Band fan now, too. We even tried doing a song at Medium skill. So fun! We played until 1am. Oops.
The next morning, I meant to get up at 8:30 so we could go for a walk at Memorial Park. That happened, except that I hit snooze and then slept until 11:30. We decided to walk to Discovery Green and then around Minute Maid. So we got 45 minutes in, which is all I was really looking for. I have to start somewhere!!
I made lunch, and then Judy packed up and left. And I have been doing pretty much nothing ever since. Good weekend!
After the test drive, I went to visit Jennifer and Mark and Natalie. Natalie has started talking, and it's so much fun! She's so cute and so verbal, and she's stringing her words together into sentences. She's still a thrill-seeker, so you can still make her laugh by throwing her in the air or by chasing her or by lying in wait and yelling "BOO!" at her. Good times! Jennifer is very pregnant, and she and Mark are frantically trying to get some stuff done on the house before the baby comes. Selfishly, I hope she has the baby while I'm in town, but man, she's ready to stop being pregnant. And it's really hot outside, so I know she's horribly uncomfortable.
My sister came into town to pick up some more clothes, and we did a little light shopping. I took her to Academy for some new running shoes (I got some new "athletic" slides), and then we went to Best Buy and World Market. I always forget how much I love World Market until I get there. I managed to limit myself to some potato chips and Botan rice candy (YAY!!).
At Best Buy, I bought a USB hub. Why do I need a USB hub? TO PLAY ROCK BAND! After we got home from dinner, I made Judy play with me, and she did not regret it. She was doubtful at first, and then we started to play, and she's a huge Rock Band fan now, too. We even tried doing a song at Medium skill. So fun! We played until 1am. Oops.
The next morning, I meant to get up at 8:30 so we could go for a walk at Memorial Park. That happened, except that I hit snooze and then slept until 11:30. We decided to walk to Discovery Green and then around Minute Maid. So we got 45 minutes in, which is all I was really looking for. I have to start somewhere!!
I made lunch, and then Judy packed up and left. And I have been doing pretty much nothing ever since. Good weekend!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Diet & Exercise
So for whatever reason, I had a really bad holiday season this past winter when it comes to food. I was eating a lot more than I usually do, and I wasn't really editing what I eat, and I am paying the price. All my clothes are tight and don't look right.
I've been trying to watch what I eat. I'm not necessarily dieting, but I'm trying to pay attention to nutrition and eat more vegetables and less crap. I copied Lindy's chicken and olive dish relatively successfully, and I've been eating a lot of fish and vegetables over the past week. The nutrition and vegetables are going pretty well. I've noticed something else, though, which is that I'm ok eating like a reasonable adult during the day, but when it's late at night, I want a snack. I've tried delaying dinner, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. And because I have no will power, I end up eating something I shouldn't, like a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of cereal.
I suppose one solution is just going to bed at a reasonable hour like a normal person, but that's hard for me, especially when there are quality movies like Starship Troopers on tv, which is what I have going in the background right this very minute. Even with TiVo, I get sucked into this crap as it's broadcast.
I don't have this problem when I'm not at home. When I'm on the road, I probably don't eat as healthfully, but I also don't want a snack right before bed. I also watch a LOT less television when I'm traveling. It's not that I'm necessarily working all the time, either. I think I end up reading more, or I'm visiting with local friends whom I don't usually get to see. Apparently, there's a lot of inertia at home.
Shana and I are going to try to keep each other honest. I told her that I think she has a harder job than I do, but she claims that without a wedding as a goal, my job will be equally hard. I might try to restart "Ye Olde Foode Confessione" with Jennifer and Vera, too.
I really wish I like working out, but I don't. I was doing well with it last year for a while. I'd go for a walk in Memorial Park on Sunday, and then I'd only have to make myself get to the hotel gym for half an hour twice during the week. I stopped because my shoes were bad and killing me. I'm kind of bitter about that, actually, because I bought them in Portland at a specialty running store, and they made me live through the trauma of VIDEOTAPING MY GAIT, and then WATCHING IT. And after all that, my shoes still hurt me! GRRRRR!
Anyhoodle, I have a new pair of shoes, so I'm going to try to start back up. My friend Carrie is going to run a marathon in Baltimore on a weekend that follows a week when I have to be in DC. Kris will run 3 miles with Carrie as encouragement, so my big, fat, training goal is to be able to run 3 miles with Carrie as well. Carrie said she's not trying to set a PR (personal record), so it's ok if I'm slow. She's trying to check another state off of her list. Yes, Carrie is crazy. She's trying to run a marathon in all 50 states. I'd be really happy if I could just run 3 miles without stopping to walk.
(You guys -- Starship Troopers is really awesome. It's so totally over the top!!! I have to hide my eyes at some of the gross parts, but it's truly spectacular.)
So the very slow working up to being able to run is starting again. I don't understand how it can already be near the end of June without even trying, but 30 minutes on the treadmill feels like an eternity. God help me, but the time seems to go faster if "Two and a Half Men" is on. I'm so ashamed, because that show is NOT GOOD. And at the same time, it makes me laugh. It's so guilty a guilty pleasure that I won't even record it. Humiliating.
That's it really. Trying to eat right and exercise more. This means that if you see me, you should snatch the ice cream cone out of my hands.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
AM I CRAZY???
I'm thinking about buying a new car: Mini Cooper Convertible or Volkswagen EOS. I AM crazy.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Random, Barely Related Hodgepodge
Sorry it's been so long!!! I worked every single day during my 3-week stint in DC. So, so, so painful, but it paid off -- my meeting in Chicago scored a 3.91 out of 4, and everyone is happy.
I'm kind of irritated that my boss's boss still needs some sort of reassurance that I'm relatively good at my job. She forwarded me an e-mail that he forwarded to her and the head of the other team that I work with that contained the 3.91 and some personal scores. She was congratulating me, but I haven't trusted her for a long time. Back in August, she told me that there was no point in trying to take control of my career, and that not being anyone's priority is just a fact of corporate life. And that's fine, except that the company I work for has done research that shows that the high performing employees are the ones who should be getting the most attention and development both in terms of performance and career. I may be difficult to work with, I may have really high standards that are tough for the people around me to accept, and I may question your competency to do your job sometimes, but you know what? I'm definitely a high performing employee. This woman is a mediocre manager who absolutely does not tolerate anyone disagreeing with her. She's the reason people like C will always have jobs. C makes her look good in comparison.
My meeting earlier this week was in Chicago, and I got to eat at one of my favorite places. It's called FoodLife, and it's in the Water Tower mall. It's basically a food court, but the food is extremely fresh and totally delicious. AND you can buy 99-cent bags of Bit O'Honey by the cashier. It seriously just doesn't get any better than that!!
Anyone who tells you that Chicago isn't hot is full of it. We had four people plus a driver crammed into a Chicago taxi, and the A/C was on, but was not reaching us in the back seat. We all roasted for an hour. I'd forgotten what it's like to be so hot that even being in air-conditioning for several hours doesn't cool you down. I had the option to come home 2 hours earlier, but only if I flew in a middle seat. I was too hot to fly in a middle seat. I normally freeze on planes, but on my flight from Chicago, I had the air blasting on me and only turned it down about an hour into the flight. And I didn't put my sweater on at all.
It's so nice to be home, but I don't understand how my apartment can get so messy so quickly. I'm just one person. Where did all of this STUFF come from??? And why do I not have any place to put it all in this enormous apartment??? More evidence that I'm not a responsible adult and probably won't be one for a while.
I tried a new drink today that was horribly disappointing: Vitamin Water Energy. I like Vitamin Water, although it's a little too sweet (and yes, I understand that the different formulations are just clever marketing), and I like caffeine (can't live without it, really), so I thought that Vitamin Water Energy would be magical. First of all, it's fizzy. Now, that's ok, because I like sparkling water, but plain old Vitamin Water isn't fizzy, so that was unexpected. And then I tasted it, and it was bad. I took two sips and dumped the rest in the sink. I don't know where they get off pretending that thing is healthy. It's like a fully-sugared soda that's had a Flintstones vitamin dissolved in it. Luckily, the can I had was free.
DirecTV is doing a special promotion this weekend where ALL of the premium movie channels are free. I went through all of them and only found 4 things to Tivo. FOUR. You'd think that some effort would be made to bring the A-game during a weekend when they're trying to hook new customers. Apparently not.
I'm going to take this whole weekend off -- luxury!! I'm going to see Sex and the City on Saturday and the Astros vs. the Yankees on Sunday. And hopefully I'm going to get my stupid apartment cleaned up. Maybe this week I'll actually cook myself some real dinner!! My friend Lindy cooks most nights, and she and her husband both work, and they have an 18-month-old son. I invited myself over to their house for dinner earlier this week (I was getting my hair cut and nails painted in her neighborhood), and she had dinner on the table in no time flat, and it was delicious and nutritious. On the one hand, I felt completely incompetent, but on the other hand, it was inspirational. I'm a little scared that I've forgotten how to cook.
That's it for now. Enough randomness. Here's the travel update through the end of August:
June 23-26: DC
July 2-5: Chicago (more on this in a later entry)
July 8-11: DC
July 21-25: DC
August 4-5: NYC
August 7-18: Australia (that's right -- Australia)
August 18-21: DC
Peace out, dudes.
I'm kind of irritated that my boss's boss still needs some sort of reassurance that I'm relatively good at my job. She forwarded me an e-mail that he forwarded to her and the head of the other team that I work with that contained the 3.91 and some personal scores. She was congratulating me, but I haven't trusted her for a long time. Back in August, she told me that there was no point in trying to take control of my career, and that not being anyone's priority is just a fact of corporate life. And that's fine, except that the company I work for has done research that shows that the high performing employees are the ones who should be getting the most attention and development both in terms of performance and career. I may be difficult to work with, I may have really high standards that are tough for the people around me to accept, and I may question your competency to do your job sometimes, but you know what? I'm definitely a high performing employee. This woman is a mediocre manager who absolutely does not tolerate anyone disagreeing with her. She's the reason people like C will always have jobs. C makes her look good in comparison.
My meeting earlier this week was in Chicago, and I got to eat at one of my favorite places. It's called FoodLife, and it's in the Water Tower mall. It's basically a food court, but the food is extremely fresh and totally delicious. AND you can buy 99-cent bags of Bit O'Honey by the cashier. It seriously just doesn't get any better than that!!
Anyone who tells you that Chicago isn't hot is full of it. We had four people plus a driver crammed into a Chicago taxi, and the A/C was on, but was not reaching us in the back seat. We all roasted for an hour. I'd forgotten what it's like to be so hot that even being in air-conditioning for several hours doesn't cool you down. I had the option to come home 2 hours earlier, but only if I flew in a middle seat. I was too hot to fly in a middle seat. I normally freeze on planes, but on my flight from Chicago, I had the air blasting on me and only turned it down about an hour into the flight. And I didn't put my sweater on at all.
It's so nice to be home, but I don't understand how my apartment can get so messy so quickly. I'm just one person. Where did all of this STUFF come from??? And why do I not have any place to put it all in this enormous apartment??? More evidence that I'm not a responsible adult and probably won't be one for a while.
I tried a new drink today that was horribly disappointing: Vitamin Water Energy. I like Vitamin Water, although it's a little too sweet (and yes, I understand that the different formulations are just clever marketing), and I like caffeine (can't live without it, really), so I thought that Vitamin Water Energy would be magical. First of all, it's fizzy. Now, that's ok, because I like sparkling water, but plain old Vitamin Water isn't fizzy, so that was unexpected. And then I tasted it, and it was bad. I took two sips and dumped the rest in the sink. I don't know where they get off pretending that thing is healthy. It's like a fully-sugared soda that's had a Flintstones vitamin dissolved in it. Luckily, the can I had was free.
DirecTV is doing a special promotion this weekend where ALL of the premium movie channels are free. I went through all of them and only found 4 things to Tivo. FOUR. You'd think that some effort would be made to bring the A-game during a weekend when they're trying to hook new customers. Apparently not.
I'm going to take this whole weekend off -- luxury!! I'm going to see Sex and the City on Saturday and the Astros vs. the Yankees on Sunday. And hopefully I'm going to get my stupid apartment cleaned up. Maybe this week I'll actually cook myself some real dinner!! My friend Lindy cooks most nights, and she and her husband both work, and they have an 18-month-old son. I invited myself over to their house for dinner earlier this week (I was getting my hair cut and nails painted in her neighborhood), and she had dinner on the table in no time flat, and it was delicious and nutritious. On the one hand, I felt completely incompetent, but on the other hand, it was inspirational. I'm a little scared that I've forgotten how to cook.
That's it for now. Enough randomness. Here's the travel update through the end of August:
June 23-26: DC
July 2-5: Chicago (more on this in a later entry)
July 8-11: DC
July 21-25: DC
August 4-5: NYC
August 7-18: Australia (that's right -- Australia)
August 18-21: DC
Peace out, dudes.
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