Hello my friends. I'm sorry that I abandoned you for awhile. It's been pretty chaotic with weekend travel and such... have recently changed my work schedule. I feel like I am working in retail again with my noon to 10pm shift. Of course, I go in early and stay til 11:30, but details details.
Work is picking up quite a bit. We officially hit our peak in about a week. then things just hit the fan and we hope we make it out ok. All I can say is if you are shopping on Amazon - please order early! It will be a long 6 weeks for us, but I'm still excited for it. Then I will sleep.
Other than that, I feel pretty good. Been working out more than I have in awhile and have tried to watch what I eat. I went down to Nashville for the night to celebrate my 30th birthday - holy wow! Can't believe that I am 30... not sure what that means for me yet. But I do have to thank all my friends and family for the outpouring of love. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life.
So yes, in a way my birthday made me kind of sad. It's hard to build relationships with people down here because I work with half the town. I'm generally a private person and I don't like people up in my business but down here that's all that they are. It's just hard to have the kind of relationship that I have when you see someone everyday and work in the environment that we do. I just don't have the history, the trust, the similarities and the differences that I am used to having. I'm feeling slightly off-balance in that regard. Just having a funky day, I guess. So yes, I miss all of you.
It's looking like I may get to go home for Christmas, but I'm not sure yet. Should figure all that out this week or next. Am truly looking forward to spending some time at home when I don't have a thousand commitments and can just sit back and watch a movie or hang out without feeling the need to pick up and drive somewhere else to see someone else. Plus I will be needing to catch up on sleep as well!
Alright, I'll stop babbling. Going to go to bed now I think.. it's about that time. Hope ya'll are doing well. Bless you!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
ta-da! It's me!
So I didn't forget, I swear. It's just been chaos all around.
The picnic went well. The morning was beautiful and sunny, until 3 pm. Naturally the picnic was supposed to start at 3pm and naturally employees started showing up at 1:30pm. At 3pm a monsoon erupted in the skies of KY. All dark, windy, and downpour rain for about 45 minutes. It was absolutely insane. So between running between tents to save our prizes - which were plasma tvs, blue rays, and camping gear - and making sure that our tents didn't blow away. Shortly after the rain storm, I went home to dry out. Over 9 hours at the picnic was more than enough.
Then there was Seattle. Seafood, sunshine and fresh air. Awesome. I think I walked five miles a day and didn't really take a cab anywhere. It was wonderful. Spent a great weekend with some peeps from Portland - the Jones' - and a day with my bro and his lady. The first week was an international conference for HR Business Partners and the second week was new manager training. Met a lot of really great people and learned a lot about myself. I returned to Cville invigorated and ready to take on Christmas. :) or something like that.
So now here I am back in Cville doing the work thing... so far so good. Been really busy this week and will be the rest of the week. How many more weeks until Christmas???
Wow, so I'm watching Glee and they are doing a Britney special. They just did a commercial for her new fragrance - it is the worst commercial I have ever seen. She goes to the psychic and is asked if she wants to know her future. She response "No thanks, I control my own destiny". Well of course you do Brit Brit. You shaved your head, popped out two kiddos, and blew up your career all on your own. Clearly this woman should be the driver of destinies. I personally think she should have consulted with the psychic and potentially avoided some of those moments.
I'll put a plug out there - if anyone knows any early-in-their career ops peoples let me know. We are looking for area managers :)
The picnic went well. The morning was beautiful and sunny, until 3 pm. Naturally the picnic was supposed to start at 3pm and naturally employees started showing up at 1:30pm. At 3pm a monsoon erupted in the skies of KY. All dark, windy, and downpour rain for about 45 minutes. It was absolutely insane. So between running between tents to save our prizes - which were plasma tvs, blue rays, and camping gear - and making sure that our tents didn't blow away. Shortly after the rain storm, I went home to dry out. Over 9 hours at the picnic was more than enough.
Then there was Seattle. Seafood, sunshine and fresh air. Awesome. I think I walked five miles a day and didn't really take a cab anywhere. It was wonderful. Spent a great weekend with some peeps from Portland - the Jones' - and a day with my bro and his lady. The first week was an international conference for HR Business Partners and the second week was new manager training. Met a lot of really great people and learned a lot about myself. I returned to Cville invigorated and ready to take on Christmas. :) or something like that.
So now here I am back in Cville doing the work thing... so far so good. Been really busy this week and will be the rest of the week. How many more weeks until Christmas???
Wow, so I'm watching Glee and they are doing a Britney special. They just did a commercial for her new fragrance - it is the worst commercial I have ever seen. She goes to the psychic and is asked if she wants to know her future. She response "No thanks, I control my own destiny". Well of course you do Brit Brit. You shaved your head, popped out two kiddos, and blew up your career all on your own. Clearly this woman should be the driver of destinies. I personally think she should have consulted with the psychic and potentially avoided some of those moments.
I'll put a plug out there - if anyone knows any early-in-their career ops peoples let me know. We are looking for area managers :)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Homeward bound
Tomorrow I get to pack to come home. I never thought I would be so excited to get home. Of course, I will have to log on and probably do some work at some point, but it will be nice to be in my surroundings again.
I do have to say that despite my ability to identify chickens from roosters (but isn't a rooster technically a chicken? i didn't call it a hen, but maybe a rooster is only a rooster and not a chicken?) and my limited vocabulary to C'ville slang, I'm adjusting pretty well. I am no longer running from T-Bone the pitbull across the street - we are friends now. AND I have eaten fried green tomatoes. That has to count for something! I will admit that when one of our employees came in yesterday I could not understand a darn word he said. Thankfully my office mate was there for the assist and, though a Baltimore native, has adopted the local dialect.
I went to a local restaurant on Saturday that is apparently a big favorite. This place was unlike anywhere I had ever been. It was like Mardi Gras, the flea market, a garage, a toy store, and a farm spawn of a restaurant. First off, it's in the middle of nowhere. No, seriously. You have to drive a good 25 minutes from my house to get there and through a series of farms that all kind of look alike. There are teeny little signs along the way that were so covered by weeds that I missed half of them. Thankfully I was not driving. It looks like a little ranch house...maybe like a little antique store that you would pass in a quaint little neighborhood in the burbs.... until you walk in. The women that own this place are collectors - all kinds of knick nacky stuff. Some of it is old and handmade - stuff that my mom would want to save and I would want to throw away because it's just not practical. Wooden boxes, handmade signs, figurines, dried flowers. Just stuff. Then you walk in to the dining room. And look up. The ceilings are high and on each rafter is hanging so much crap that it should be a fire hazard. We're talking dolls, stuffed animals, inflatables, sports flags, hats, sports equipment, mardi gras beads, pictures, albums, streamers, holla hoops. Anything. You name it. Will post the picture next time. It's amazing.
Despite it's appearance, the place cooks up a good meal. Lots of deep fried stuff, but some basics too and even something different. It's good, well priced, and the atmosphere is fun. Oh, and it's out of the county so you can have a drink with your meal :)
As I am sitting on my bed typing, I can see my shoe rack. It certainly has filled itself up despite my bad feet. A sense of accomplishment of finding so many normal shoes has overtaken me. Ahhhh. Nice work, Nik. Go me!
Today I expanded my visual communication project and redid the forms in our HR office. Clearly another strategic initiative...haha. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't like a little arts and crafts project. We color blocked the forms by group and bought some tropical fish folders to hold the forms. It's bright and cheery. Does it really matter? Probably not. But it's done. Check check. Next I get to worry about 5s.. for all you non manufacturer/distribution peeps that means putting tape on the floor. Well, it is more than that and it is important, but man... no one wants to actually put the tape down. Not fun. Oh well.
Oh so get this - our company picnic is next week. 1500 ppl plus. Should be fun. Apparently they do volleyball, cornhole, giant inflatable jumpy things, and all kinds of other stuff. They have a hard time keeping tabs on who brings who and how many people get to come. It's the biggest event in C'ville other than the parade. However, I won't be dressing up in any kind of crazy outfit.
There was something else I meant to write about but I can't think of it. Hmmm. I will think about it with my eyes closed as I lay in bed. Good night!
I do have to say that despite my ability to identify chickens from roosters (but isn't a rooster technically a chicken? i didn't call it a hen, but maybe a rooster is only a rooster and not a chicken?) and my limited vocabulary to C'ville slang, I'm adjusting pretty well. I am no longer running from T-Bone the pitbull across the street - we are friends now. AND I have eaten fried green tomatoes. That has to count for something! I will admit that when one of our employees came in yesterday I could not understand a darn word he said. Thankfully my office mate was there for the assist and, though a Baltimore native, has adopted the local dialect.
I went to a local restaurant on Saturday that is apparently a big favorite. This place was unlike anywhere I had ever been. It was like Mardi Gras, the flea market, a garage, a toy store, and a farm spawn of a restaurant. First off, it's in the middle of nowhere. No, seriously. You have to drive a good 25 minutes from my house to get there and through a series of farms that all kind of look alike. There are teeny little signs along the way that were so covered by weeds that I missed half of them. Thankfully I was not driving. It looks like a little ranch house...maybe like a little antique store that you would pass in a quaint little neighborhood in the burbs.... until you walk in. The women that own this place are collectors - all kinds of knick nacky stuff. Some of it is old and handmade - stuff that my mom would want to save and I would want to throw away because it's just not practical. Wooden boxes, handmade signs, figurines, dried flowers. Just stuff. Then you walk in to the dining room. And look up. The ceilings are high and on each rafter is hanging so much crap that it should be a fire hazard. We're talking dolls, stuffed animals, inflatables, sports flags, hats, sports equipment, mardi gras beads, pictures, albums, streamers, holla hoops. Anything. You name it. Will post the picture next time. It's amazing.
Despite it's appearance, the place cooks up a good meal. Lots of deep fried stuff, but some basics too and even something different. It's good, well priced, and the atmosphere is fun. Oh, and it's out of the county so you can have a drink with your meal :)
As I am sitting on my bed typing, I can see my shoe rack. It certainly has filled itself up despite my bad feet. A sense of accomplishment of finding so many normal shoes has overtaken me. Ahhhh. Nice work, Nik. Go me!
Today I expanded my visual communication project and redid the forms in our HR office. Clearly another strategic initiative...haha. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't like a little arts and crafts project. We color blocked the forms by group and bought some tropical fish folders to hold the forms. It's bright and cheery. Does it really matter? Probably not. But it's done. Check check. Next I get to worry about 5s.. for all you non manufacturer/distribution peeps that means putting tape on the floor. Well, it is more than that and it is important, but man... no one wants to actually put the tape down. Not fun. Oh well.
Oh so get this - our company picnic is next week. 1500 ppl plus. Should be fun. Apparently they do volleyball, cornhole, giant inflatable jumpy things, and all kinds of other stuff. They have a hard time keeping tabs on who brings who and how many people get to come. It's the biggest event in C'ville other than the parade. However, I won't be dressing up in any kind of crazy outfit.
There was something else I meant to write about but I can't think of it. Hmmm. I will think about it with my eyes closed as I lay in bed. Good night!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Friday Eve
I'm not sure where the days go, but did you know that next week is September???? CRAZY! I can't believe I'm nearing my 3 month mark. Strange. The good news is that it has finally begun to cool off and it's actually quite pleasant out. I had dinner outside today and didn't glisten through it. The simple pleasures.
I have fallen terribly behind on email, so my apologies if I owe you something. I will get on it this weekend. Have been trying to keep myself busy with trips out of town and activities. Will be posting State Fair pics today. And Lily - I didn't even see the Crispy Creme Burger and I'm pretty sure that I'm ok with that! :)
So one of my projects has been Visual Management of our office and breakrooms. This doesn't necessarily mean creating the actual communications as much as it mean printing, laminating and using velcro dots to hang things. If you have never used a velcro dot, I think my company owns stock in them. We have them EVERYWHERE and we use them on EVERYTHING. The stick unlike anything I have ever seen. In fact, that's how we got Abe's beard to stick to his face for the parade. He had little circles on his face afterward. But anyway... so it's really a bizarre, not very exciting project that I am not enjoying in the slightest but my boss is extremely passionate about. It drives my bonkers every day. Point of the story - he gave my officemate a super hero doll of Elastagirl from the Incredibles. I believe this was her name - the mom in the movie. Anyone? I think that's what it is. Anyways, we were joking that my superhero name would be Laminator Girl. Little does anyone know that I am the WORST laminator ever. I can't seem to line it up very well and that part doesn't get laminated, so I just trim it down til it fits. I can cut a straight line :)
We are thinking of going to the Rascall Flats concert this weekend at the Fair. If we do, it will be Sunday night. Tickets are pretty expensive. I'm indifferent if we go or not, but I do want to wear my cowboy hat at some point.
The countdown has officially begun to go home. I'm soooooo excited to be going home for the weekend. I half have it in my mind to go back Thursday night. Then the week after I get back I head to Seattle for two weeks. Should be a fun month. Then it's nose to the ground time. Cuz clearly I've just been screwing around the whole time I've been here.
I learned a new term today. Honeywagon. Anyone know what it means? We were talking about our Kampers - our retired population that lives in RVs all year and travel for hourly work - and somehow Honeywagon came up. It's the truck that apparently clears out all of the sewage. Amazing.
Oh - and I'm also taking suggestions for Halloween costumes. I'm requiring people to dress up at work to humor me for my birthday. Alas, if I live down here I may as well make my own fun! I need to think of something fun. It is, afterall, the big 3-0 and I will be spending it down here.
Ok - it's past my bedtime. I will try to post again this weekend. Hopefully something post worthy will happen over the next few days. Take care, be safe.
This little guy had a cool haircut. Who knew there were such hip chickens?
I have fallen terribly behind on email, so my apologies if I owe you something. I will get on it this weekend. Have been trying to keep myself busy with trips out of town and activities. Will be posting State Fair pics today. And Lily - I didn't even see the Crispy Creme Burger and I'm pretty sure that I'm ok with that! :)
So one of my projects has been Visual Management of our office and breakrooms. This doesn't necessarily mean creating the actual communications as much as it mean printing, laminating and using velcro dots to hang things. If you have never used a velcro dot, I think my company owns stock in them. We have them EVERYWHERE and we use them on EVERYTHING. The stick unlike anything I have ever seen. In fact, that's how we got Abe's beard to stick to his face for the parade. He had little circles on his face afterward. But anyway... so it's really a bizarre, not very exciting project that I am not enjoying in the slightest but my boss is extremely passionate about. It drives my bonkers every day. Point of the story - he gave my officemate a super hero doll of Elastagirl from the Incredibles. I believe this was her name - the mom in the movie. Anyone? I think that's what it is. Anyways, we were joking that my superhero name would be Laminator Girl. Little does anyone know that I am the WORST laminator ever. I can't seem to line it up very well and that part doesn't get laminated, so I just trim it down til it fits. I can cut a straight line :)
We are thinking of going to the Rascall Flats concert this weekend at the Fair. If we do, it will be Sunday night. Tickets are pretty expensive. I'm indifferent if we go or not, but I do want to wear my cowboy hat at some point.
The countdown has officially begun to go home. I'm soooooo excited to be going home for the weekend. I half have it in my mind to go back Thursday night. Then the week after I get back I head to Seattle for two weeks. Should be a fun month. Then it's nose to the ground time. Cuz clearly I've just been screwing around the whole time I've been here.
I learned a new term today. Honeywagon. Anyone know what it means? We were talking about our Kampers - our retired population that lives in RVs all year and travel for hourly work - and somehow Honeywagon came up. It's the truck that apparently clears out all of the sewage. Amazing.
Oh - and I'm also taking suggestions for Halloween costumes. I'm requiring people to dress up at work to humor me for my birthday. Alas, if I live down here I may as well make my own fun! I need to think of something fun. It is, afterall, the big 3-0 and I will be spending it down here.
Ok - it's past my bedtime. I will try to post again this weekend. Hopefully something post worthy will happen over the next few days. Take care, be safe.
This little guy had a cool haircut. Who knew there were such hip chickens?
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| Unique animals - like the PUPPY |
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| OINK! |
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| This was adorable - the ducks would run up, grab food, fall into the water and run back around again to climb the ramp. The busiest exhibit at the entire Fair. |
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| Cake decorating contest. |
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| Woaaaaah balloon art! |
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| Biggest cow ever - in my books, that is |
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| And what Fair would be complete without the Grand Prize baked ham! |
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| there were a lot of pigeons - and rabbits too - but this one had cool shoes. clearly my favorite |
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| tobacco. arguably the biggest cash crop in the state other than marijuana. |
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| the classic chicken |
Monday, August 23, 2010
Oh the joys
I went to the State Fair this weekend and all I can say is wow. Will post pictures... I have never seen so many giant cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, and PIGEONS. Why are there pigeons and rabbits at the fair? I don't get it. Pretty sure it's not a great talent to breed rabbits. I mean, really. Come on now.
There was also an entire room dedicated to tobacco at various stages of the growing/drying process. I understand that some may find this interesting, however, I am not one of these individuals. I do think the plants themselves are unique and pretty and would probably look pretty cool in a flower bed, but alas, they would probably get stolen around here.
Work is busy. I went in at 4am today to do locker searches and we found NOTHING! But, I did win the award for the most random thing found - a pair of boxer briefs. I had tech gloves on, but I just poked them with a box knife to be on the safe side. An important lesson learned from the morning - at 3:45am McDonalds is still serving the Late Night menu and there is not a chance of getting an egg mcmuffin. Clearly I didn't plan accordingly. Then again, who knows the last time I saw 3am.
We are working 12 hour days every day and I'm even taking work home with me. There are so many changes being rolled out, so many projects, and then the daily complaints and employee relations issues that come up. I always said that I didn't want to be generalist and now I know why :) At least I know what I like. But I am learning a lot, especially about communication and feedback. I do get to work with the operations groups in a way that is new for me, but it's still intense. We are constantly going back and forth and I'm sure the end product is better, but man it's exhausting.
Sorry, I try not to talk about work stuff...just hard not to on some days.
So I have attempted my first batch of gumbo. Why you may ask? Well, let me tell you! Southerns LOVE okra. Not just like, but LOVE okra. They prefer to dip it in some buttermilk and roll it around in some cornmeal before throwing into a fryer. Healthy, right? I am now getting a weekly bunch of veggies from the local farmers market and got a bunch of okra. In an attempt to make it semi-healthy, I made gumbo. Still haven't tasted it... haa but it is a lot of work! There's a lot in it and it took about 3 hours to make. By that point I had killed half a brick of peanut butter/chocolate fudge and was not hungry for gumbo. Go figure.
Ok I promise to post fair pictures soon. Hang in there kids!
There was also an entire room dedicated to tobacco at various stages of the growing/drying process. I understand that some may find this interesting, however, I am not one of these individuals. I do think the plants themselves are unique and pretty and would probably look pretty cool in a flower bed, but alas, they would probably get stolen around here.
Work is busy. I went in at 4am today to do locker searches and we found NOTHING! But, I did win the award for the most random thing found - a pair of boxer briefs. I had tech gloves on, but I just poked them with a box knife to be on the safe side. An important lesson learned from the morning - at 3:45am McDonalds is still serving the Late Night menu and there is not a chance of getting an egg mcmuffin. Clearly I didn't plan accordingly. Then again, who knows the last time I saw 3am.
We are working 12 hour days every day and I'm even taking work home with me. There are so many changes being rolled out, so many projects, and then the daily complaints and employee relations issues that come up. I always said that I didn't want to be generalist and now I know why :) At least I know what I like. But I am learning a lot, especially about communication and feedback. I do get to work with the operations groups in a way that is new for me, but it's still intense. We are constantly going back and forth and I'm sure the end product is better, but man it's exhausting.
Sorry, I try not to talk about work stuff...just hard not to on some days.
So I have attempted my first batch of gumbo. Why you may ask? Well, let me tell you! Southerns LOVE okra. Not just like, but LOVE okra. They prefer to dip it in some buttermilk and roll it around in some cornmeal before throwing into a fryer. Healthy, right? I am now getting a weekly bunch of veggies from the local farmers market and got a bunch of okra. In an attempt to make it semi-healthy, I made gumbo. Still haven't tasted it... haa but it is a lot of work! There's a lot in it and it took about 3 hours to make. By that point I had killed half a brick of peanut butter/chocolate fudge and was not hungry for gumbo. Go figure.
Ok I promise to post fair pictures soon. Hang in there kids!
Friday, August 13, 2010
2 in one week!
Don't fall of your chairs! I'm pretty peppy this morning. Perhaps it's the convo with my parents last night that perked me up or maybe it is the fact that it is Friday and I only have 2 meetings today - so far :)
So we played with Skype last night. It was pretty entertaining. I gave my dad a tour of my place. Good times. Everyone should download it.
Why on earth are they talking about Lindsey Lohan on the Today show this morning? I hear it in the background in the other room and I have to pause and consider the credibility of US news. Really? My goodness. Sometimes it is nice living in the middle of nowhere and being so far away from all of that.
Instead, I will choose to focus on the upcoming State Fair. They have every kind of animal you can imagine, including pigeons. I'm not quite sure what these birds will do at the fair, but I will capture it on camera - whatever it is. They were talking about all the fried food that will be there - sounds like a death wish. The most amazing may be the Krispy Creme Cheeseburger. Yes, you read that right. Instead of a nice kaiser roll, there will be doughnuts. Healthy, right? That's how we roll down here.
Tomorrow I get to pick up my first farm share. A guy that I work with transferred to North Dakota and gave me his food share. So every weekend I get to go to the farmers market and pick up a half a basket of veggies. I did something similar last year (City Fresh for all you Clevelanders) and loved it. It challenged me to cook all kinds of things and it supported the local farmers, mostly Amish. Plus it was organic and fresh and CHEAP! Can't beat it. Win win win situation. :)
they are still talking about Lindsey on the 'news'.
This weekend I am also going to a managers bowling event. It is for managers and their families. There will be food. No alcohol. No beer. Yes, you read that right. I'm sure there are people that bowl without a frosty mug in their hands, however, I would offer that I am not one of those people. It's like hops flavored soda. What's the problem? If it is too family friendly and I start getting looks that imply pity for the old maid with cats, I'm hightailing it out the door. I have yet to meet anyone over the age of 23 who is not divorced with children. Some days I feel like I belong in the C'ville version of Ripley's Believe It or Not. I just made myself laugh :)
Alright, time to go to work. For my fellow HR gurus - I'll be mapping out the Workers Comp process and Long Term Accommodation practice for my site. Then there will be a couple interviews and wrapping up and starting another investigation. It amazes me the things people say to each other... but we will save that for next weeks blog.
Have a great weekend!
So we played with Skype last night. It was pretty entertaining. I gave my dad a tour of my place. Good times. Everyone should download it.
Why on earth are they talking about Lindsey Lohan on the Today show this morning? I hear it in the background in the other room and I have to pause and consider the credibility of US news. Really? My goodness. Sometimes it is nice living in the middle of nowhere and being so far away from all of that.
Instead, I will choose to focus on the upcoming State Fair. They have every kind of animal you can imagine, including pigeons. I'm not quite sure what these birds will do at the fair, but I will capture it on camera - whatever it is. They were talking about all the fried food that will be there - sounds like a death wish. The most amazing may be the Krispy Creme Cheeseburger. Yes, you read that right. Instead of a nice kaiser roll, there will be doughnuts. Healthy, right? That's how we roll down here.
Tomorrow I get to pick up my first farm share. A guy that I work with transferred to North Dakota and gave me his food share. So every weekend I get to go to the farmers market and pick up a half a basket of veggies. I did something similar last year (City Fresh for all you Clevelanders) and loved it. It challenged me to cook all kinds of things and it supported the local farmers, mostly Amish. Plus it was organic and fresh and CHEAP! Can't beat it. Win win win situation. :)
they are still talking about Lindsey on the 'news'.
This weekend I am also going to a managers bowling event. It is for managers and their families. There will be food. No alcohol. No beer. Yes, you read that right. I'm sure there are people that bowl without a frosty mug in their hands, however, I would offer that I am not one of those people. It's like hops flavored soda. What's the problem? If it is too family friendly and I start getting looks that imply pity for the old maid with cats, I'm hightailing it out the door. I have yet to meet anyone over the age of 23 who is not divorced with children. Some days I feel like I belong in the C'ville version of Ripley's Believe It or Not. I just made myself laugh :)
Alright, time to go to work. For my fellow HR gurus - I'll be mapping out the Workers Comp process and Long Term Accommodation practice for my site. Then there will be a couple interviews and wrapping up and starting another investigation. It amazes me the things people say to each other... but we will save that for next weeks blog.
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It's getting HOTT in here
As we welcome August (yes, I know this happened a couple weeks ago), we welcome the heat. Not just the heat that I'm used to..the kind that makes you glisten when you walk to the end of the driveway when you take out the trash...but the kind that makes you wonder if you did something terrible and have discovered hell. We have been clearing 100 lately - just the heat - this past week. Once you figure the heat index and the heat of the conveyors in the warehouse, we're talking heat indexes upward of 110. I've never experienced hot like this. It's pretty miserable. Now imagine that you have to run all over the place for ten hours and you've got the life of our hourly employees. My goodness.
Here I would insert my newly acquired C'ville phrase - "Bless their hearts". Our group says this about everything. It's actually pretty catchy.
Some more C'ville craziness... this isn't the happiest story, but I'm just in awe of it. My colleague/friend got a call from her mother the other night. Her mother's cousin is a buffalo farmer in a nearby state. He went out to check on his herd the other night and one of them charged and gourged him. He died shortly after....death by buffalo. I didn't even think that buffalo would charge and hurt a person, but my goodness, kill a person? Never in a million years. When I think of all the terrible ways that people go, that certainly is one of the worst. Wow.
Let me think of something on a lighter note. AH! So the state fair is coming up and I am making plans to go. can you imagine this gem? They have all kinds of animals there and farmers. I just can't wait. I will be sure to take pictures.
Speaking of... I won't write a lot...just share a few token pics that have been long overdue... Enjoy!
Here I would insert my newly acquired C'ville phrase - "Bless their hearts". Our group says this about everything. It's actually pretty catchy.
Some more C'ville craziness... this isn't the happiest story, but I'm just in awe of it. My colleague/friend got a call from her mother the other night. Her mother's cousin is a buffalo farmer in a nearby state. He went out to check on his herd the other night and one of them charged and gourged him. He died shortly after....death by buffalo. I didn't even think that buffalo would charge and hurt a person, but my goodness, kill a person? Never in a million years. When I think of all the terrible ways that people go, that certainly is one of the worst. Wow.
Let me think of something on a lighter note. AH! So the state fair is coming up and I am making plans to go. can you imagine this gem? They have all kinds of animals there and farmers. I just can't wait. I will be sure to take pictures.
Speaking of... I won't write a lot...just share a few token pics that have been long overdue... Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Alas, I am here!
The terribly delinquent blogger that I am... I've come up for air and joined the land of the living. It's been a crazy couple of weeks - things have really revved up at work and I've been on the road.
I spent a week in Seattle and was able to spend some time with my brother. We enjoyed a Mariners game and a nice dinner out by the water. It was nice to be out in a city and one with so many things to do. One of the things that I love about Seattle is it's mellowness. It's just a good city to hang out in. You can walk around and go in and out of shops and restaurants and just wander. It's safe and clean.. at least in my opinion.. and there is no better place to get a variety of cuisines and fresh seafood. Add the mountains in the background and the lush green landscapes and I think that's a little taste of heaven!
So work has been chaotic. My team has some interesting dynamics that we are working through... I'm not used to being on a large team and being so involved in so many things. I'm getting some meaty projects and working with some great people, so I can't complain about much other than the hours. But I expected that and it's only temporary. 9 more months.
I'm excited that I will get to go home in a month. Will be nice to relax with friends and family. I was going to try to be superwoman and hit Pittsburgh and Cleveland in a four days span, but I just don't think I can do it. I can't go at this pace without having a break soon and by then I will certainly need one.
In local news, there is a guy at work who is transferring to one of our facilities in North Dakota. Yes, you read that right! and I thought C'ville was rural! But this kind man and his wife have offered to give me his farmers market food share for free through October. How cool is that? last year when I had City Fresh (look it up Clevelanders! Best food sharing program EVER! Support your local farmers!), I was cooking up a storm. This will force me to take the time to cook and enjoy it again. Reflecting on my meal of turkey brats and gardienera, this will be a welcome relief.
I took out my poultry to make chili tomorrow for dinner. Did I mention that tomorrow is going to be the hottest day of the year? Hmmmmm
One last plug - I was severely disappointed by my recent trip on Delta. My flight was delayed and I was sprinting through the Minneapolis airport and didn't get home until very late on Saturday night. Then they lost my bag...which didn't arrive at my house until today. Today is TUESDAY. Then something exploded in my bag and now a bunch of stuff is red. Not sure where or how, but it's red. Nice. So Delta will be getting a letter from me with lots of adjectives. :)
Oh- and for those of you who have been trying to subscribe.. apparently it is a pain the bum. I've been told that you have to have a gmail account to do so and really, as a gal who has too many email accounts as it is, please do not feel obligated to open one. Just check my blog every once in awhile :)
Happy Tuesday! Til next time...
I spent a week in Seattle and was able to spend some time with my brother. We enjoyed a Mariners game and a nice dinner out by the water. It was nice to be out in a city and one with so many things to do. One of the things that I love about Seattle is it's mellowness. It's just a good city to hang out in. You can walk around and go in and out of shops and restaurants and just wander. It's safe and clean.. at least in my opinion.. and there is no better place to get a variety of cuisines and fresh seafood. Add the mountains in the background and the lush green landscapes and I think that's a little taste of heaven!
So work has been chaotic. My team has some interesting dynamics that we are working through... I'm not used to being on a large team and being so involved in so many things. I'm getting some meaty projects and working with some great people, so I can't complain about much other than the hours. But I expected that and it's only temporary. 9 more months.
I'm excited that I will get to go home in a month. Will be nice to relax with friends and family. I was going to try to be superwoman and hit Pittsburgh and Cleveland in a four days span, but I just don't think I can do it. I can't go at this pace without having a break soon and by then I will certainly need one.
In local news, there is a guy at work who is transferring to one of our facilities in North Dakota. Yes, you read that right! and I thought C'ville was rural! But this kind man and his wife have offered to give me his farmers market food share for free through October. How cool is that? last year when I had City Fresh (look it up Clevelanders! Best food sharing program EVER! Support your local farmers!), I was cooking up a storm. This will force me to take the time to cook and enjoy it again. Reflecting on my meal of turkey brats and gardienera, this will be a welcome relief.
I took out my poultry to make chili tomorrow for dinner. Did I mention that tomorrow is going to be the hottest day of the year? Hmmmmm
One last plug - I was severely disappointed by my recent trip on Delta. My flight was delayed and I was sprinting through the Minneapolis airport and didn't get home until very late on Saturday night. Then they lost my bag...which didn't arrive at my house until today. Today is TUESDAY. Then something exploded in my bag and now a bunch of stuff is red. Not sure where or how, but it's red. Nice. So Delta will be getting a letter from me with lots of adjectives. :)
Oh- and for those of you who have been trying to subscribe.. apparently it is a pain the bum. I've been told that you have to have a gmail account to do so and really, as a gal who has too many email accounts as it is, please do not feel obligated to open one. Just check my blog every once in awhile :)
Happy Tuesday! Til next time...
Monday, July 19, 2010
Creepy crawlies!
I know, I know. I've been a bad blogger. My workdays have blurred into my work nights and I have lost track of days and fallen behind on emails yet again. I will catch up eventually, I promise!
It was an interesting week in C'ville. I learned about the local animal population....oh boy, did I! It started with an innocent conversation in the middle of my office when I asked if there were poisonous snakes in the state. Certainly they had gardener snakes, but could they be deadly? The answer - oh yes! There are def copperheads and even rattlesnakes in this area. I ran this by another colleague who was quick to inform me that they had found 2 snakes in the plant over the past couple of months. One was a copperhead. Awesome.
I had to run home at some point last week to sign for a delivery...probably around 3pm. As I walked to my front stoop, I noticed a little lizard sitting next to my pot of basil. At first I thought it was a newt, but after closer inspection I determined he was a bit bigger than he should be. Needless to say, he did not want to hang out with me and took off running down the side of the house. When I got back to the office and asked if they had newts or salamanders around here, they said no, just lizards. Again, awesome.
After I vetted the lizard scenario with my colleagues, I struck up a conversation with a guy who was in the building for an interview. He was a very chatty fella and from the area. He was telling me that when he phone screened with us he had to delay the interview because he had just discovered a snake in his house. A cowsucker snake to be exact. Yes, you read that right. I am immediately assumed that I was being setup by my office mates who found my awe amusing, but alas, it was a true story. Apparently cowsuckers are not poisonous, but they hang out in fields. After further Googling, I have discovered they are also called rat snakes. But enough about them... I'm trying to eat my breakfast. Ew.
Then on Friday I went to the weekly labor planning meeting with our sr ops team, controller and gm. One of our sr ops mgrs comes in laughing hysterically over a conversation he just had with one of our employees about frog giggin'. Now before you cringe, think about the last time you had some nice, delicate, buttery frog legs. This is where they come from. Somewhere in the world, someone is going frog giggin with their little trident spear and pocket knife. If you are eating, I suggest you stop reading or hold on to your stomach because what happens next is kind of gross. So they catch a from in a trap and use the trident to pin down the frog and cut off its legs....while it is still alive. Apparently if you kill the poor creature first, it dries up their legs and you can't eat them. This lovely employee had fried frog legs for breakfast. Just think about that. Awesome.
I must have looked shocked because the gm and controller called me out...said I was rethinking my decision to come down here. If he only knew the rest of my week!
So that it what I have learned about the local animals. Besides being afraid of ticks, I'm now worried about cowsuckers and lizards getting in my house. But fear not, I do not believe that I will have to worry about frog giggin. Not a local tradition I care to experience.
I realize that I keep promising pictures that I have yet to deliver. You are probably thinking I only wished that I was Lady Liberty. By the way, they only call her Lady Liberty around here.... I've called her the Statue of Liberty and received some strange looks. Strange. Strange. It's kind of fun being the pale girl that talks funny. I'm actually kind of tan by my standards!
It was an interesting week in C'ville. I learned about the local animal population....oh boy, did I! It started with an innocent conversation in the middle of my office when I asked if there were poisonous snakes in the state. Certainly they had gardener snakes, but could they be deadly? The answer - oh yes! There are def copperheads and even rattlesnakes in this area. I ran this by another colleague who was quick to inform me that they had found 2 snakes in the plant over the past couple of months. One was a copperhead. Awesome.
I had to run home at some point last week to sign for a delivery...probably around 3pm. As I walked to my front stoop, I noticed a little lizard sitting next to my pot of basil. At first I thought it was a newt, but after closer inspection I determined he was a bit bigger than he should be. Needless to say, he did not want to hang out with me and took off running down the side of the house. When I got back to the office and asked if they had newts or salamanders around here, they said no, just lizards. Again, awesome.
After I vetted the lizard scenario with my colleagues, I struck up a conversation with a guy who was in the building for an interview. He was a very chatty fella and from the area. He was telling me that when he phone screened with us he had to delay the interview because he had just discovered a snake in his house. A cowsucker snake to be exact. Yes, you read that right. I am immediately assumed that I was being setup by my office mates who found my awe amusing, but alas, it was a true story. Apparently cowsuckers are not poisonous, but they hang out in fields. After further Googling, I have discovered they are also called rat snakes. But enough about them... I'm trying to eat my breakfast. Ew.
Then on Friday I went to the weekly labor planning meeting with our sr ops team, controller and gm. One of our sr ops mgrs comes in laughing hysterically over a conversation he just had with one of our employees about frog giggin'. Now before you cringe, think about the last time you had some nice, delicate, buttery frog legs. This is where they come from. Somewhere in the world, someone is going frog giggin with their little trident spear and pocket knife. If you are eating, I suggest you stop reading or hold on to your stomach because what happens next is kind of gross. So they catch a from in a trap and use the trident to pin down the frog and cut off its legs....while it is still alive. Apparently if you kill the poor creature first, it dries up their legs and you can't eat them. This lovely employee had fried frog legs for breakfast. Just think about that. Awesome.
I must have looked shocked because the gm and controller called me out...said I was rethinking my decision to come down here. If he only knew the rest of my week!
So that it what I have learned about the local animals. Besides being afraid of ticks, I'm now worried about cowsuckers and lizards getting in my house. But fear not, I do not believe that I will have to worry about frog giggin. Not a local tradition I care to experience.
I realize that I keep promising pictures that I have yet to deliver. You are probably thinking I only wished that I was Lady Liberty. By the way, they only call her Lady Liberty around here.... I've called her the Statue of Liberty and received some strange looks. Strange. Strange. It's kind of fun being the pale girl that talks funny. I'm actually kind of tan by my standards!
Friday, July 9, 2010
TGIF!
For a short week, it certainly lasted awhile! Another 11 hours in the books for the day and my head hurts. Was a busy, busy day at work. There are things about being the new kid that are tough. You never know what you aren't asking, but I continue down the path that I think makes sense. It hasn't failed me too terribly yet. The good thing about my company is that they are extremely accepting of risk-taking, change, and a different perspective. They stress that they hire you because you have an opinion and will literally ask for it all the time. This has really stretched me as it is now coming from all directions. It moves fast. I knew that it would. I was forewarned, but DANG they weren't exaggerating!
A few of you have commented on my somewhat depressed last post. It's not that I'm sad, really I'm not. I just have a lot of time on my hands and spend a lot of time appreciating the way that my life used to be. Not sure that I really did that before. I'm used to being able to fill my days and nights with endless activities and here it's just not an option. Most people that I work with all work a lot and really just want to go home to their families. It's really on the account that I'm single and not so much that I am in C'ville. But it will get better. These things take time.
Tomorrow's adventure will take me to Louisville. I believe that I am going to head to Whole Foods and maybe Costco. For the first time in my life it's appropriate for me to actually have a Costco membership and stock up on stuff. Before it was just pure excess. Here is it necessity, at least in my book. Yes, I need a giant package of turkey sausage and yes, I need some fromage blanc for the mini cheesecake recipe I am planning on making this weekend. I'm winning the hearts of my peers by working my way up through their bellies :)
I did crop some of the 4th of July pics and will get them up here this weekend. You will all be so proud of me. I didn't look nearly as ridiculous as I thought I would, maybe even kind of cute. You judge.
I may be venturing out on the town to night with a colleague from work. Maybe. Haven't decided how creepy he is yet. We'll see....hahaha
A few of you have commented on my somewhat depressed last post. It's not that I'm sad, really I'm not. I just have a lot of time on my hands and spend a lot of time appreciating the way that my life used to be. Not sure that I really did that before. I'm used to being able to fill my days and nights with endless activities and here it's just not an option. Most people that I work with all work a lot and really just want to go home to their families. It's really on the account that I'm single and not so much that I am in C'ville. But it will get better. These things take time.
Tomorrow's adventure will take me to Louisville. I believe that I am going to head to Whole Foods and maybe Costco. For the first time in my life it's appropriate for me to actually have a Costco membership and stock up on stuff. Before it was just pure excess. Here is it necessity, at least in my book. Yes, I need a giant package of turkey sausage and yes, I need some fromage blanc for the mini cheesecake recipe I am planning on making this weekend. I'm winning the hearts of my peers by working my way up through their bellies :)
I did crop some of the 4th of July pics and will get them up here this weekend. You will all be so proud of me. I didn't look nearly as ridiculous as I thought I would, maybe even kind of cute. You judge.
I may be venturing out on the town to night with a colleague from work. Maybe. Haven't decided how creepy he is yet. We'll see....hahaha
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Tuesday that feels like Monday
It's hot. Not just a little hot that makes you sweat a little. Or hot that makes you want to grill out and sit outside with a cold beer. But hot that makes you want to sit in the air with your ice cold beer and blog about how hot it is out there and pity those without air conditioning. This place has heat like I've never seen. It's like mid-August, sticky, nasty Cleveland humid hot every day since I've been here except for 2. Miserable. But, in an effort to be a little cheery about it, I don't have to shovel snow and I don't have to worry about the humidity making my hair curl. What a lucky girl am I!
There is this interesting phenomenon that I am finding quite interesting and am having trouble coming to terms with. As I learn more and more about the people that I work with, I learn more about the local dating/marriage culture. So C'ville has an abnormally high divorce rate. I think it's somewhere near 70 % or upwards. They say the people here are really friendly - too friendly, in my opinion! Apparently some people are married, but only 'kind of married'. So by definition, at least to my understanding, is that they are married by law and wear the jewelry to go with it but are date on the side. Some spouses even consent to this. And it's not just a couple people. I've ran into a disturbing amount of people where this is true. What I don't understand is with this degree of openness and honesty, shouldn't the divorce rate be higher? And with 60 some churches around here, you'd think someone would try to wrangle them up somehow. Perhaps it's just me and my naivety. After all, I'm the equivalent to the town spinstress!
Been spending a lot of time thinking about my life in Cleveland. Not having all the things that you hold close to your heart really makes you think. I get sad when I think about my beautiful house on my quiet little street in the Heights. About the hours that my dad spent with me putting in tile or fixing something that I no doubt broke because I knew that he could fix it if did break. About the many friends and family that I left behind. Or even the ease of a life in a town that I knew like the back of my hand, where I could find anything and always had somewhere to go....the safety of knowing, of being a native, of having connections. Here I'm out on a limb, exposed to the elements. Here I'm looked at funny if I wear a blouse instead of a tshirt or have stretch marks from the freshman 15 (cough cough ;) ) and not having a gagillion children by the time I was old enough to buy beer. It's hard to be away from a place where I felt and was accepted and loved. I had a very good life, a great life in fact. And I still do. It just looks different and will take some time to get used to. Who knows, maybe I will grow into this place but deep down I know that it's not big enough for me here. I crave the people, the culture, the diversity and the depth that only a city has. And for as much as people knock Cleveland, it has all of those things.
On the work front, I've started to sink my teeth into some projects. Need to get used to having assistants who support our team. Such a change for me. There's such a get-it-done attitude that I almost feel bad scheduling their time or giving them more tasks, but they expect it as well. Everyone chips in and puts in the long hours together. It's certainly a team environment which I suspect only strengthens as we head into our seasonal peak season.
In other news, my Lady Liberty name will live with me forever I suspect. I'm now addressed as such at our morning production meetings. At least I got a free Halloween costume from it! Pics to come, I promise.
There is this interesting phenomenon that I am finding quite interesting and am having trouble coming to terms with. As I learn more and more about the people that I work with, I learn more about the local dating/marriage culture. So C'ville has an abnormally high divorce rate. I think it's somewhere near 70 % or upwards. They say the people here are really friendly - too friendly, in my opinion! Apparently some people are married, but only 'kind of married'. So by definition, at least to my understanding, is that they are married by law and wear the jewelry to go with it but are date on the side. Some spouses even consent to this. And it's not just a couple people. I've ran into a disturbing amount of people where this is true. What I don't understand is with this degree of openness and honesty, shouldn't the divorce rate be higher? And with 60 some churches around here, you'd think someone would try to wrangle them up somehow. Perhaps it's just me and my naivety. After all, I'm the equivalent to the town spinstress!
Been spending a lot of time thinking about my life in Cleveland. Not having all the things that you hold close to your heart really makes you think. I get sad when I think about my beautiful house on my quiet little street in the Heights. About the hours that my dad spent with me putting in tile or fixing something that I no doubt broke because I knew that he could fix it if did break. About the many friends and family that I left behind. Or even the ease of a life in a town that I knew like the back of my hand, where I could find anything and always had somewhere to go....the safety of knowing, of being a native, of having connections. Here I'm out on a limb, exposed to the elements. Here I'm looked at funny if I wear a blouse instead of a tshirt or have stretch marks from the freshman 15 (cough cough ;) ) and not having a gagillion children by the time I was old enough to buy beer. It's hard to be away from a place where I felt and was accepted and loved. I had a very good life, a great life in fact. And I still do. It just looks different and will take some time to get used to. Who knows, maybe I will grow into this place but deep down I know that it's not big enough for me here. I crave the people, the culture, the diversity and the depth that only a city has. And for as much as people knock Cleveland, it has all of those things.
On the work front, I've started to sink my teeth into some projects. Need to get used to having assistants who support our team. Such a change for me. There's such a get-it-done attitude that I almost feel bad scheduling their time or giving them more tasks, but they expect it as well. Everyone chips in and puts in the long hours together. It's certainly a team environment which I suspect only strengthens as we head into our seasonal peak season.
In other news, my Lady Liberty name will live with me forever I suspect. I'm now addressed as such at our morning production meetings. At least I got a free Halloween costume from it! Pics to come, I promise.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Miss me??
Hello world! did you miss me? I'm sorry - took a little hiatus and watched too much tv. I'm well rested and starting to feel a little more at home in C'ville. Not entirely, but a little more.
I've been here almost one month. That's longer than a vacation and shorter than a lifetime. So I'm at the point where I am missing my friends and family. I had such a wonderful life in Cleveland, filled with wonderful friends and family. I always had something to do, whether it was just to order pizza in or go out for the night. I miss them.
By the way, the pitbull just came by and peed on my tomato plant. Maybe that's why it's not doing so well. I like dogs, but this is a bit much.
I started hanging out with some people from work. Had dinner at the little cafe and publically humiliated myself this weekend. So let me tell you about the 4th of July in C'ville. It's the biggest event in the COUNTY and everyone comes. Little did I know that I would have any part of it.
So I was at work the other day and the lady in charge of our float asked me if I would be Lady Liberty on the float. I laughed and kindly declined, but then an email came out that I was excited to do it. So I thought it was a joke and tried to laugh it off for the the majority of the day. Then the next morning, my colleague came in and stuck her head in my office to tell me that it wasn't a joke - oh they were serious. I was tagged to be Lady Liberty and it was announced to the senior leadership team at the morning meeting. Uhhhhhhh. what?
I couldn't really back out. And I don't really know anyone, so what's the harm? Then I found out they asked another guy to be Lincoln. Except our Lincoln was 5'5 and blond. Awesome. So we stood on our float for about an hour and a half waving at hundreds and hundreds of people. I didn't even think this many people lived in C'ville. They were lined up about 15 people back for about 2 miles. And the parade was huge. Every tractor, four wheeler, and horse was in the thing. Who would have thought there would be anyone left to watch it? But there was. And at the end of the day, I had a funny sunburn and my arm was tired from waving. I'm pretty sure that it will be in the newspaper and there will be plenty of pics to come. I don't have any yet, but will be sure to post them once I get them.
I discovered this cute little spa and treated myself to a massage and pedicure today. The pedicure was so-so, but the massage was heavenly. I was totally and utterly surprised by this adorable little lady. I feel like a million bucks. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.
I was downloading some photos today and came across a few gems, courtesy of my mama. See, she tries real hard but something the camera should be removed from her hands. But sometimes it's best to let her have at it and see what happens. The attached are of the camo car we saw at the gas station and of my adorable little man, Mo, while we were unpacking the kitchen. If you are looking for a photographer for a special event, my mom is available for bookings if you want memorable snapshots of time :)
I've been here almost one month. That's longer than a vacation and shorter than a lifetime. So I'm at the point where I am missing my friends and family. I had such a wonderful life in Cleveland, filled with wonderful friends and family. I always had something to do, whether it was just to order pizza in or go out for the night. I miss them.
By the way, the pitbull just came by and peed on my tomato plant. Maybe that's why it's not doing so well. I like dogs, but this is a bit much.
I started hanging out with some people from work. Had dinner at the little cafe and publically humiliated myself this weekend. So let me tell you about the 4th of July in C'ville. It's the biggest event in the COUNTY and everyone comes. Little did I know that I would have any part of it.
So I was at work the other day and the lady in charge of our float asked me if I would be Lady Liberty on the float. I laughed and kindly declined, but then an email came out that I was excited to do it. So I thought it was a joke and tried to laugh it off for the the majority of the day. Then the next morning, my colleague came in and stuck her head in my office to tell me that it wasn't a joke - oh they were serious. I was tagged to be Lady Liberty and it was announced to the senior leadership team at the morning meeting. Uhhhhhhh. what?
I couldn't really back out. And I don't really know anyone, so what's the harm? Then I found out they asked another guy to be Lincoln. Except our Lincoln was 5'5 and blond. Awesome. So we stood on our float for about an hour and a half waving at hundreds and hundreds of people. I didn't even think this many people lived in C'ville. They were lined up about 15 people back for about 2 miles. And the parade was huge. Every tractor, four wheeler, and horse was in the thing. Who would have thought there would be anyone left to watch it? But there was. And at the end of the day, I had a funny sunburn and my arm was tired from waving. I'm pretty sure that it will be in the newspaper and there will be plenty of pics to come. I don't have any yet, but will be sure to post them once I get them.
I discovered this cute little spa and treated myself to a massage and pedicure today. The pedicure was so-so, but the massage was heavenly. I was totally and utterly surprised by this adorable little lady. I feel like a million bucks. Wonderful. Simply wonderful.
I was downloading some photos today and came across a few gems, courtesy of my mama. See, she tries real hard but something the camera should be removed from her hands. But sometimes it's best to let her have at it and see what happens. The attached are of the camo car we saw at the gas station and of my adorable little man, Mo, while we were unpacking the kitchen. If you are looking for a photographer for a special event, my mom is available for bookings if you want memorable snapshots of time :)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Running for my life
Imagine this:
You step out on your doorstep to water your plants on your front step. The morning air is heavy with the leftover rain from the night before. You bend over to evaluate the necessity of the morning watering when the silence is broken by a large RUFF. You look up. Your neighbor from across the street's little sidekick is staring at you from about 50 meters away. He barks again. RUFF. And takes a few steps towards you. You back up onto the stop of your step and open the screen door, fumbling with the nob. Looking over your should you see that the little dog is in a trot now and barking full go. RUFF RUFF RUFF. You make it in the house and shut the door tight, peering out the window until your neighbor calls him back home. Coast is clear. Did I mention that this pooch is a PITBULL?
Welcome to my morning!
Had a pretty good day at work today. Have a ton of meetings and calls this week. But I have a couple of meaty assignments to work on and I'm excited about getting started. It's been almost a month since I've done work, so I have plenty of energy for it.
C'ville is gearing up for their annual 4th of July celebration. Apparently it's a pretty big deal around here with a parade and if the weather holds, a hot air balloon race. I do hope that happens. I think it would be pretty cool to watch. But I'm not sure who actually goes to these things. There seems to be a strong divide between those that work for my company and the locals. It's a relationship that is kept at arms length. I am trying to get an invite from one of my colleagues to go fishing. I don't really want to touch the fish, but I think sitting on a boat by the lake holding a rod is an appropriate way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
I'm also excited about the local farmers market. Every Saturday there is a fresh produce stand over by Walmart where they set up. It's a bit too early to get the good stuff yet, but soon. I do think I'm going to have to drive up to Louisville for turkey sausage as I cannot find it within the city limits. Who knew. I told one of the ladies at work that I was looking for some and she thought I was the strangest thing. She didn't understand why I couldn't just use pork sausage. She didn't believe that I thought the turkey tasted better. Strange yankee girl....
Alas, I'm gonna guess I'm going to be really bored by the end of August.
You step out on your doorstep to water your plants on your front step. The morning air is heavy with the leftover rain from the night before. You bend over to evaluate the necessity of the morning watering when the silence is broken by a large RUFF. You look up. Your neighbor from across the street's little sidekick is staring at you from about 50 meters away. He barks again. RUFF. And takes a few steps towards you. You back up onto the stop of your step and open the screen door, fumbling with the nob. Looking over your should you see that the little dog is in a trot now and barking full go. RUFF RUFF RUFF. You make it in the house and shut the door tight, peering out the window until your neighbor calls him back home. Coast is clear. Did I mention that this pooch is a PITBULL?
Welcome to my morning!
Had a pretty good day at work today. Have a ton of meetings and calls this week. But I have a couple of meaty assignments to work on and I'm excited about getting started. It's been almost a month since I've done work, so I have plenty of energy for it.
C'ville is gearing up for their annual 4th of July celebration. Apparently it's a pretty big deal around here with a parade and if the weather holds, a hot air balloon race. I do hope that happens. I think it would be pretty cool to watch. But I'm not sure who actually goes to these things. There seems to be a strong divide between those that work for my company and the locals. It's a relationship that is kept at arms length. I am trying to get an invite from one of my colleagues to go fishing. I don't really want to touch the fish, but I think sitting on a boat by the lake holding a rod is an appropriate way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
I'm also excited about the local farmers market. Every Saturday there is a fresh produce stand over by Walmart where they set up. It's a bit too early to get the good stuff yet, but soon. I do think I'm going to have to drive up to Louisville for turkey sausage as I cannot find it within the city limits. Who knew. I told one of the ladies at work that I was looking for some and she thought I was the strangest thing. She didn't understand why I couldn't just use pork sausage. She didn't believe that I thought the turkey tasted better. Strange yankee girl....
Alas, I'm gonna guess I'm going to be really bored by the end of August.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday funday
After a short hiatus from blogging, I'm back. A few of you have asked how you sign up for the blog. I believe if you scroll all the way down to the very bottom there is a link. It says something like Subscribe to Post or something like that. Maybe? Maybe not.
So did you know that that Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana is referred to as Kentuckiana? I didn't know that until I was watching the local news and they were talking about a storm in that part of the country. Maybe I'm living under a rock, but I have never heard of that. Anyone? Pretty funny.
C'ville is not a dry town, nor is it wet. It is what they call moist. The only place you can get a drink around here is at a restaurant that serves more than 50 people. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before or not. Well there are even more rules. Alcohol can only be 25% of a restaurant's profits. I went to happy hour on Friday with a few colleagues and discovered more laws. So as you order your drinks, they require you to order food. So we ordered appetizers as we went and eventually the apps just sat on the table. And then at some point, the waitress cut us off because we stopped eating the food. So we were cut off after about 3 beers. One of the guys from work offered to take me out next weekend to the next town over to experience a real honky tonk bar.
So what else happened last week? Hmmm. It was hot again, really hot. Spent about 4 days crawling around on the floor and in a bunch of meetings. The one thing that I have noticed is that there is always food around. Apparently at peak season they created a room full of food for the managers called the food closet since most of them don't get a chance to run home and eat. Hmmm
Oh - I also learned that fried okra is called the popcorn of the South. Did you know that?
So at least 3 people on my team of 5 asked me how many kids I had - not if I had kids. Apparently most women my age have already been married, mothered, and divorced by the time they are my age. The fact that I have never been married nor have children seem to baffle the minds of the locals. Apparently the single scene consists of the local university and that's about it. Lucky me :)
That's about it for now. It's been a busy work week, so hopefully I will have more time and more stories to share with ya'll next week. Take care!
So did you know that that Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana is referred to as Kentuckiana? I didn't know that until I was watching the local news and they were talking about a storm in that part of the country. Maybe I'm living under a rock, but I have never heard of that. Anyone? Pretty funny.
C'ville is not a dry town, nor is it wet. It is what they call moist. The only place you can get a drink around here is at a restaurant that serves more than 50 people. I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before or not. Well there are even more rules. Alcohol can only be 25% of a restaurant's profits. I went to happy hour on Friday with a few colleagues and discovered more laws. So as you order your drinks, they require you to order food. So we ordered appetizers as we went and eventually the apps just sat on the table. And then at some point, the waitress cut us off because we stopped eating the food. So we were cut off after about 3 beers. One of the guys from work offered to take me out next weekend to the next town over to experience a real honky tonk bar.
So what else happened last week? Hmmm. It was hot again, really hot. Spent about 4 days crawling around on the floor and in a bunch of meetings. The one thing that I have noticed is that there is always food around. Apparently at peak season they created a room full of food for the managers called the food closet since most of them don't get a chance to run home and eat. Hmmm
Oh - I also learned that fried okra is called the popcorn of the South. Did you know that?
So at least 3 people on my team of 5 asked me how many kids I had - not if I had kids. Apparently most women my age have already been married, mothered, and divorced by the time they are my age. The fact that I have never been married nor have children seem to baffle the minds of the locals. Apparently the single scene consists of the local university and that's about it. Lucky me :)
That's about it for now. It's been a busy work week, so hopefully I will have more time and more stories to share with ya'll next week. Take care!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
What day is it?
Hey ya'll-
Today was a rough day. I woke up this morning and thought, "what the heck am I doing down here?" My feet hurt, I didn't feel that great about my new project I'm co-leading, and I'm pretty sure that I haven't stopped sweating since I got down here. But out of bed I went and started my day.
My goal of the blog is not to vent about work stuff... everyone has issues at work and who am I to take up airtime to drone on about issues that will live on forever as long as man continue to interact with each other. I'm working through all that it means to manage others and be responsible not only for the work but for them. And you know, given my tenure at it (a whopping 7 days under my belt), I think I am doing alright. I need to make my own mistakes and need to learn what my own style is. But the process is frustrating and my challenge is not to show it to the world. Alas, that is where the work work stuff ends.
But there is something worth sharing that I was thinking about as I drove home from work. There is something to be said to the type of person that lives out here in the middle of nowhere, with their hourly job in a warehouse or factory, driving into 'the city' once a month to go to 'the mall', and at the end of the day probably struggles to make ends meet. These are some of the individuals on my team. Their lives so different from my own. Going to college was not an option and maybe not even a desire. And yet they work hard, even in the heat as it spikes high in the 90s and apologize for cutting a piece of tape in the wrong place. They apologize for something so small and so irrelevant to the big picture, but they do it because they want to do the right thing. And at the end of the day, they want to go to the pool or go home, work on their farms if they have it, and be with their family. For me, the simplicity of it all is perplexing. It makes me think of how we have complicated our home and work lives so much and I'm not sure if it is for better or for worse. They are happy, hardworking, kind-hearted people. Shouldn't that be enough?
But I certainly can't end my post on such a solemn note. Here's a funny thing I did - they had a meet and greet luncheon for me with all of the managers - two in fact *am & pm shift. They introduced me and I had the opportunity to say a few words and I ended with "I look forward to working with ya'll". I said it. I can't believe I said it. I don't know where it came from but it just popped out of my mouth and before I knew it there it was. And perhaps the most frightening thing - NO ONE SAID A WORD or even blinked an eye. I think I could have some real fun with this.
Oh and for all ya'll looking to come visit me, after some research I think Southwest is the best way to get to the Louisville airport. HINT HINT :)
There is a car revving... again and again. I think it's my neighbor working on one of his two broken cars. Did I mention I have determined he works nights? Around 3am I wake up every night to a car coming in and out of his driveway. OOOOOH sounds like he got it started. I'm going to go be nosey - it seems the thing to do around here - and look out my window to see what he is doing.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on this beauty that I saw in my work parking lot. HOT!
Today was a rough day. I woke up this morning and thought, "what the heck am I doing down here?" My feet hurt, I didn't feel that great about my new project I'm co-leading, and I'm pretty sure that I haven't stopped sweating since I got down here. But out of bed I went and started my day.
My goal of the blog is not to vent about work stuff... everyone has issues at work and who am I to take up airtime to drone on about issues that will live on forever as long as man continue to interact with each other. I'm working through all that it means to manage others and be responsible not only for the work but for them. And you know, given my tenure at it (a whopping 7 days under my belt), I think I am doing alright. I need to make my own mistakes and need to learn what my own style is. But the process is frustrating and my challenge is not to show it to the world. Alas, that is where the work work stuff ends.
But there is something worth sharing that I was thinking about as I drove home from work. There is something to be said to the type of person that lives out here in the middle of nowhere, with their hourly job in a warehouse or factory, driving into 'the city' once a month to go to 'the mall', and at the end of the day probably struggles to make ends meet. These are some of the individuals on my team. Their lives so different from my own. Going to college was not an option and maybe not even a desire. And yet they work hard, even in the heat as it spikes high in the 90s and apologize for cutting a piece of tape in the wrong place. They apologize for something so small and so irrelevant to the big picture, but they do it because they want to do the right thing. And at the end of the day, they want to go to the pool or go home, work on their farms if they have it, and be with their family. For me, the simplicity of it all is perplexing. It makes me think of how we have complicated our home and work lives so much and I'm not sure if it is for better or for worse. They are happy, hardworking, kind-hearted people. Shouldn't that be enough?
But I certainly can't end my post on such a solemn note. Here's a funny thing I did - they had a meet and greet luncheon for me with all of the managers - two in fact *am & pm shift. They introduced me and I had the opportunity to say a few words and I ended with "I look forward to working with ya'll". I said it. I can't believe I said it. I don't know where it came from but it just popped out of my mouth and before I knew it there it was. And perhaps the most frightening thing - NO ONE SAID A WORD or even blinked an eye. I think I could have some real fun with this.
Oh and for all ya'll looking to come visit me, after some research I think Southwest is the best way to get to the Louisville airport. HINT HINT :)
There is a car revving... again and again. I think it's my neighbor working on one of his two broken cars. Did I mention I have determined he works nights? Around 3am I wake up every night to a car coming in and out of his driveway. OOOOOH sounds like he got it started. I'm going to go be nosey - it seems the thing to do around here - and look out my window to see what he is doing.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on this beauty that I saw in my work parking lot. HOT!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day!
First - a tribute to all the dads out there - Happy Father's Day. Dads are an important part of a person's life. For me, it's someone who has taught me so much about patience, hard work, sports, and home remodeling. My dad may very well be the calmest person that I know. He would do anything for anyone and has such a kind and gentle way about him. I probably could use a bit more of that. And also a happy father's day to my friends/family who are celebrating their first father's day.
So my first week went by very quickly. Seems strange. I was sitting here on Saturday looking around the house and wondering what the heck I was doing here. I spent the day cleaning the house and hanging up some stuff on the walls. Had a washer and dryer delivered and got that room all squared away. So really I'm done with this place. And thanks GOODNESS - there is not a foot of space left for anything else. I can't even go shopping - there is no room for anything. Which is semi problematic because I may need to buy a few more casual clothes for work. All the suits, black pants, and button downs that I have are no good here. Just cargo capris and a nice tshirt.
I also went back out to the lake today. I packed a book and a bunch of water and sat out in the 93 degree heat. I lasted about an hour and a half and went through a half a bottle of sunscreen (thanks to Meg for turning me into a sunscreen freak!). I got some color, but no burning so I suppose mission accomplished. I did fail at going to church today. I did a workout tape in the morning and lost track of time. There is only one service a day around here and I missed it. There is always next week or maybe I will go sometime during the week. I'm sure I will need to register and perhaps write a check.
Today Joe washed his SUV. He put it into the middle of the road and did it there - I swear it took him two hours. I was tempted to bring mine over and see if he would do it, but I didn't think he would go for it. I do feel like he is always watching because every time I go outside he is there. He's not always doing stuff, but he's just there. I suppose that's good - heaven forbid someone try to break into my mansion and steal my valuables.
Now the guy that lives on the right side of me is still a bit of a mystery. He has two broken cars in his driveway. The hood is always up on the one and neither of them move. Ever. He seems to have friends pick him up and drop him off everyday, but I have not yet figured out what he does. I supposed I could go over there and introduce myself, but part of me really likes being the private Yankee girl who always keeps her blinds closed. He has a little black lab - felt bad for her today out in the heat. But he does go out and play with her almost everyday.
So here's today's shots. The first is of my kids. They have been entertaining and a lot of company over the past couple of weeks. There always seems to be a fly or a moth in the house. In this instance, they were watching a ladybug on the light while I sat in bed reading.
Last thing - I apologize for getting behind on my phone calls. I promise to make some this week. Thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts. I miss ya'll!
So my first week went by very quickly. Seems strange. I was sitting here on Saturday looking around the house and wondering what the heck I was doing here. I spent the day cleaning the house and hanging up some stuff on the walls. Had a washer and dryer delivered and got that room all squared away. So really I'm done with this place. And thanks GOODNESS - there is not a foot of space left for anything else. I can't even go shopping - there is no room for anything. Which is semi problematic because I may need to buy a few more casual clothes for work. All the suits, black pants, and button downs that I have are no good here. Just cargo capris and a nice tshirt.
I also went back out to the lake today. I packed a book and a bunch of water and sat out in the 93 degree heat. I lasted about an hour and a half and went through a half a bottle of sunscreen (thanks to Meg for turning me into a sunscreen freak!). I got some color, but no burning so I suppose mission accomplished. I did fail at going to church today. I did a workout tape in the morning and lost track of time. There is only one service a day around here and I missed it. There is always next week or maybe I will go sometime during the week. I'm sure I will need to register and perhaps write a check.
Today Joe washed his SUV. He put it into the middle of the road and did it there - I swear it took him two hours. I was tempted to bring mine over and see if he would do it, but I didn't think he would go for it. I do feel like he is always watching because every time I go outside he is there. He's not always doing stuff, but he's just there. I suppose that's good - heaven forbid someone try to break into my mansion and steal my valuables.
Now the guy that lives on the right side of me is still a bit of a mystery. He has two broken cars in his driveway. The hood is always up on the one and neither of them move. Ever. He seems to have friends pick him up and drop him off everyday, but I have not yet figured out what he does. I supposed I could go over there and introduce myself, but part of me really likes being the private Yankee girl who always keeps her blinds closed. He has a little black lab - felt bad for her today out in the heat. But he does go out and play with her almost everyday.
So here's today's shots. The first is of my kids. They have been entertaining and a lot of company over the past couple of weeks. There always seems to be a fly or a moth in the house. In this instance, they were watching a ladybug on the light while I sat in bed reading.
The next are of the kitchen cart I spent two hours putting together Friday night and the complete laundry room. The red tubs are Christmas decorations. I wasn't lying when I said I have used every foot of space.
Last thing - I apologize for getting behind on my phone calls. I promise to make some this week. Thanks for all of the kind words and thoughts. I miss ya'll!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Random C'ville occurrances
Just a few strange things about today that I didn't want to lose----
So I went to the post office today to buy stamps to mail some various cards. It's about 6pm. I figure the post office will have some sort of machine that I can use to buy stamps even though it's closed. Wrong. Just store hours and some drop off bins. And this was the MAIN library. Sorry, Dad, your card will be late.
Went to Subway for dinner. I don't mind Subway - it was easy and it got me out of dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. When I was in college they put a drive in Subway in Mentor and I thought it was the coolest thing. Super high tech. Want to know what Subway in C'ville has? A drive thru Subway. No stamps, but lots of subs. Go figure.
I tried to pick up some sticks in the yard from the storm the other night and saw a strange little bird sitting in the yard. It didn't fly away when I walked right up to it and had some flies on it. I thought it had met its unfortunate fate, but by the time I left and came back from Subway it was gone. Strange.
Speaking of Subway - there was a woman behind me in line who ordered a meatball sub. She put it on the cheddar bread and put monterey jack cheese on it. I thought it was weird, but didn't think much of it. Until she put lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, and MAYO on it. Um, gross. Not sure if it was just her or the a local thing..but ewwwww.
And last but not least, I tried to order a part for a refrigerator on Monday. I didn't get a confirmation number, but it hit my card. I assumed that it must be in the mail. Today I tried to call on it to follow up and they had no record of it. The rep said the charges would simply fall of my card. Do we think that's true? Not sure. But I went ahead and ordered another one.
Trash thing went smoothly. I had ordered some shoes online since I'm on the go a lot with the new job. The mailperson must think I live in a not so safe part of town. I found the shoes in my car port buried in between some folding chairs with the lid of the garbage can as a cover. Now I might not be the brightest person around here, but I think my neighborhood is pretty safe. There are six or seven buildings on my street counting my house. Then there is Joe, the church, a hair salon, and a handful of houses. Pretty sure no one is going to steal my shoes.
My official announcement went out at work today. Let's just say my new mgr is quite a character. He included the fact that I don't like marshmallows in it and now every person I run into asks me why I don't like them. Too funny. The whole team is actually pretty amusing. There are nine of us in total, 1 more on the way. Once that person gets here, I'll share an office with one of the other HR managers. But the people are very friendly and willing to help and are always good for a laugh. There is an older woman who LOVES to tell me stories - perhaps I'm the only one who has not heard them - and, of course, I humor her and ask her questions and allow her to ramble on and on with her slow Southern drawl. I'm pretty sure she is going to adopt me soon :)
That's all for now folks. Get ready for my first real weekend in C'ville... and church! The things I do for my future-godbaby.
So I went to the post office today to buy stamps to mail some various cards. It's about 6pm. I figure the post office will have some sort of machine that I can use to buy stamps even though it's closed. Wrong. Just store hours and some drop off bins. And this was the MAIN library. Sorry, Dad, your card will be late.
Went to Subway for dinner. I don't mind Subway - it was easy and it got me out of dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. When I was in college they put a drive in Subway in Mentor and I thought it was the coolest thing. Super high tech. Want to know what Subway in C'ville has? A drive thru Subway. No stamps, but lots of subs. Go figure.
I tried to pick up some sticks in the yard from the storm the other night and saw a strange little bird sitting in the yard. It didn't fly away when I walked right up to it and had some flies on it. I thought it had met its unfortunate fate, but by the time I left and came back from Subway it was gone. Strange.
Speaking of Subway - there was a woman behind me in line who ordered a meatball sub. She put it on the cheddar bread and put monterey jack cheese on it. I thought it was weird, but didn't think much of it. Until she put lettuce, tomato, olives, cucumber, and MAYO on it. Um, gross. Not sure if it was just her or the a local thing..but ewwwww.
And last but not least, I tried to order a part for a refrigerator on Monday. I didn't get a confirmation number, but it hit my card. I assumed that it must be in the mail. Today I tried to call on it to follow up and they had no record of it. The rep said the charges would simply fall of my card. Do we think that's true? Not sure. But I went ahead and ordered another one.
Trash thing went smoothly. I had ordered some shoes online since I'm on the go a lot with the new job. The mailperson must think I live in a not so safe part of town. I found the shoes in my car port buried in between some folding chairs with the lid of the garbage can as a cover. Now I might not be the brightest person around here, but I think my neighborhood is pretty safe. There are six or seven buildings on my street counting my house. Then there is Joe, the church, a hair salon, and a handful of houses. Pretty sure no one is going to steal my shoes.
My official announcement went out at work today. Let's just say my new mgr is quite a character. He included the fact that I don't like marshmallows in it and now every person I run into asks me why I don't like them. Too funny. The whole team is actually pretty amusing. There are nine of us in total, 1 more on the way. Once that person gets here, I'll share an office with one of the other HR managers. But the people are very friendly and willing to help and are always good for a laugh. There is an older woman who LOVES to tell me stories - perhaps I'm the only one who has not heard them - and, of course, I humor her and ask her questions and allow her to ramble on and on with her slow Southern drawl. I'm pretty sure she is going to adopt me soon :)
That's all for now folks. Get ready for my first real weekend in C'ville... and church! The things I do for my future-godbaby.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Life on the floor
Hey ya'll... sorry, couldn't resist. So for those of you who are new to blogging (like myself), you can sign up for my blog and follow it. I believe this will notify you every time I share a bit of myself with the www. So do it, please. It makes me feel like there is someone actually reading my ramblings. And feel free to comment! So we'll throw some special props to my cousin for being the first one to officially sign up. He's a peach - I heart him mucho.
So my past three days have been on the floor doing straight up manual labor. I thought my feet were going to fall off yesterday and that I had sweat out about 5 lbs. After 10 hours of sleep and a bit of yoga this morning, I'm feeling pretty good today. It's good to get out there and sweat it out a bit and meet people. I actually had a really great time on the floor today. It wasn't nearly as hot as it has been the past few days - did I mention there was no air conditioning?- and I had a nice lunch with my new team. Good deal.
Let's talk about some C'ville fun things. I met the guy from Lowe's wife - she works at my site. She was not what I was expecting but apparently it was a big deal that he met the new HR lady before she did. She is apparently the expert of a particular process and has a reputation throughout the building. Small town. I told my trainer admin that I really liked to cook and would love to have a garden to just pick out of, not actually do the work. She offered to intro me to her son and daughter-in-law. She described them as misplaced hippies. I love them already.
Apparently it stormed so badly last night that there are mini branches down in my yard. Have to make a pile so that they can be burned by my landlord. C'ville has no yard waste pickup and no recycling. It's very difficult for me to not sort my trash. I think I will locate the nearest recycling center this weekend and see if it is feasible to do. I cringe every time someone throws a can or water bottle in the trash. Speaking of - tomorrow is trash day. I'm sure they will love me with my stacks of cardboard boxes and 10 bags of trash that my mom and I lovingly stuffed.
The cats are doing really well. Ironically enough, I think my little Maizy is more comfortable here than back in the Heights. Maybe because it is smaller and all on one floor. Not sure, but she seems more friendly than before. The two chase each other around the circle of the living room to the kitchen, through the office and back into the living room. I was just giving them some dental treats - Mo swallowed them whole. Defeats the purpose, huh?
So that's about all I have for today. I know, kinda boring. But I'm living in a town with population 15,000 - what do you want? :)
So my past three days have been on the floor doing straight up manual labor. I thought my feet were going to fall off yesterday and that I had sweat out about 5 lbs. After 10 hours of sleep and a bit of yoga this morning, I'm feeling pretty good today. It's good to get out there and sweat it out a bit and meet people. I actually had a really great time on the floor today. It wasn't nearly as hot as it has been the past few days - did I mention there was no air conditioning?- and I had a nice lunch with my new team. Good deal.
Let's talk about some C'ville fun things. I met the guy from Lowe's wife - she works at my site. She was not what I was expecting but apparently it was a big deal that he met the new HR lady before she did. She is apparently the expert of a particular process and has a reputation throughout the building. Small town. I told my trainer admin that I really liked to cook and would love to have a garden to just pick out of, not actually do the work. She offered to intro me to her son and daughter-in-law. She described them as misplaced hippies. I love them already.
Apparently it stormed so badly last night that there are mini branches down in my yard. Have to make a pile so that they can be burned by my landlord. C'ville has no yard waste pickup and no recycling. It's very difficult for me to not sort my trash. I think I will locate the nearest recycling center this weekend and see if it is feasible to do. I cringe every time someone throws a can or water bottle in the trash. Speaking of - tomorrow is trash day. I'm sure they will love me with my stacks of cardboard boxes and 10 bags of trash that my mom and I lovingly stuffed.
The cats are doing really well. Ironically enough, I think my little Maizy is more comfortable here than back in the Heights. Maybe because it is smaller and all on one floor. Not sure, but she seems more friendly than before. The two chase each other around the circle of the living room to the kitchen, through the office and back into the living room. I was just giving them some dental treats - Mo swallowed them whole. Defeats the purpose, huh?
So that's about all I have for today. I know, kinda boring. But I'm living in a town with population 15,000 - what do you want? :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
First day of work...
Yesterday was an odd day. Mom and I got up early so that I could take her to the airport for her departure. It took about an hour and twenty minutes to get there and it was actually pretty easy once we figured it out.
My mother is a special lady for putting up with my crabbiness and trying so hard to keep things in my place just the way that I like it. She gets that I can be more than a little particular about certain things and knows why I am the way that I am, after all, I am partly her daughter! If my mom had not been here to help me, I would bet that I would be stressed and unpacking my place through all hours of the night just to get it done. I so appreciate everything that she did for me this past week. And my dad too - he's my on-call AskJeeves. I can send him an email from anything from Consumer Report rankings to my mothers poor movie choice (sorry, ma!) and he always comes back with an answer. My parents are the coolest - be jealous. I'd keep em around even if we weren't related! :)
Today was the day that I've been awaiting... the first day of work. I'm not quite sure how it got to be 5pm, but inside the walls of my new work the time flies. It was just about everything I expected it to be. My next few weeks are all mapped out for me - meetings with various individuals, webinars, videos...the whole 9 yards. It will be challenging and hardwork -- and something to fill my days here in C'ville.
Pair all of that with some 90 degree weather and dense humidity and you've got my day. Only part of my day will be spent at my desk in the AC while the rest is out on the floor with everyone else sweating it out. But I do get to retire to the coolness of my semi-stinky house. It could be much much worse.
So today I found out that many people that I work with do not live in town - some drive up to an hour and a half each way just to get there. I suppose when you are married and have other considerations it is better to live close to civilization. But the people are just so nice out here. A lady at work offered to introduce me to her son and daughter-in-law when I expressed my love for cooking. She described them as hippy farmers. I love them already.
My evening will be spent making a list of all the things I didn't do during the day and thinking about buying a washer/dryer. Aren't you so jealous? I'd be.
I would like to buy a bicycle and take off down one of these country roads. They are nice and flat and some of them don't get too much traffic. If anyone has any knowledge of bicycles and can recommend a good starter bike, please let me know. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but I would like something to do other than make beer runs to the next county.
I was going to try to take a picture of the rainbow today while I was driving home, but thought it was a safety hazard. But it was just perfect. Driving home after yet another run to Walmart, the thunderstorm had just ended and just over my house was a bold, beautiful half rainbow. While I'm not the most religious person, I certainly do believe in God and believe that there are so many signs each and every day that we miss because we are too busy with our own self-created chaos. I'd like to think that this was one of those signs to reassure me - not sure that I even need it right now (maybe in two weeks) - that I am where I am supposed to be. It's not going to be easy, but nothing worth it ever is.
So we'll wrap up this one with some pictures of my place. There are some pre-unpacking and post-unpacking. Maybe this weekend I will make a video walk thru of my place. I know the suspense must be unnerving, but hang in there. I promise more pics of the locals soon.
These orange flowers are from my grandparents old house. When they moved about 4 years ago my grandma asked me if there was anything in particular that I wanted. I remembered sitting in my grandmas kitchen watching her make dinner or eating a snack of fig newtons or lorna doons and seeing these bright orange flowers hanging in the kitchen. And now it is a part of my kitchen, even all the way down here.
There is a good sized lake about 20 minutes away from my place. It has a small beach area with water blocked off for swimmers and the rest is for boats, jet skis, and houseboats. It's pretty amazing. Will definitely be back there.
And last, but never ever least, is my little Mo man. We were playing on the couch and he broke out what I like to call his crazy-Mo face. He's really quite priceless with his ear tufts and his crossed eyes. The cats have transitioned pretty darn well and are quite a bit of company...sometimes too much. But I love this little guy dearly.
Happy Monday, ya'll!
My mother is a special lady for putting up with my crabbiness and trying so hard to keep things in my place just the way that I like it. She gets that I can be more than a little particular about certain things and knows why I am the way that I am, after all, I am partly her daughter! If my mom had not been here to help me, I would bet that I would be stressed and unpacking my place through all hours of the night just to get it done. I so appreciate everything that she did for me this past week. And my dad too - he's my on-call AskJeeves. I can send him an email from anything from Consumer Report rankings to my mothers poor movie choice (sorry, ma!) and he always comes back with an answer. My parents are the coolest - be jealous. I'd keep em around even if we weren't related! :)
Today was the day that I've been awaiting... the first day of work. I'm not quite sure how it got to be 5pm, but inside the walls of my new work the time flies. It was just about everything I expected it to be. My next few weeks are all mapped out for me - meetings with various individuals, webinars, videos...the whole 9 yards. It will be challenging and hardwork -- and something to fill my days here in C'ville.
Pair all of that with some 90 degree weather and dense humidity and you've got my day. Only part of my day will be spent at my desk in the AC while the rest is out on the floor with everyone else sweating it out. But I do get to retire to the coolness of my semi-stinky house. It could be much much worse.
So today I found out that many people that I work with do not live in town - some drive up to an hour and a half each way just to get there. I suppose when you are married and have other considerations it is better to live close to civilization. But the people are just so nice out here. A lady at work offered to introduce me to her son and daughter-in-law when I expressed my love for cooking. She described them as hippy farmers. I love them already.
My evening will be spent making a list of all the things I didn't do during the day and thinking about buying a washer/dryer. Aren't you so jealous? I'd be.
I would like to buy a bicycle and take off down one of these country roads. They are nice and flat and some of them don't get too much traffic. If anyone has any knowledge of bicycles and can recommend a good starter bike, please let me know. I'm not looking to spend a fortune, but I would like something to do other than make beer runs to the next county.
I was going to try to take a picture of the rainbow today while I was driving home, but thought it was a safety hazard. But it was just perfect. Driving home after yet another run to Walmart, the thunderstorm had just ended and just over my house was a bold, beautiful half rainbow. While I'm not the most religious person, I certainly do believe in God and believe that there are so many signs each and every day that we miss because we are too busy with our own self-created chaos. I'd like to think that this was one of those signs to reassure me - not sure that I even need it right now (maybe in two weeks) - that I am where I am supposed to be. It's not going to be easy, but nothing worth it ever is.
So we'll wrap up this one with some pictures of my place. There are some pre-unpacking and post-unpacking. Maybe this weekend I will make a video walk thru of my place. I know the suspense must be unnerving, but hang in there. I promise more pics of the locals soon.
And last, but never ever least, is my little Mo man. We were playing on the couch and he broke out what I like to call his crazy-Mo face. He's really quite priceless with his ear tufts and his crossed eyes. The cats have transitioned pretty darn well and are quite a bit of company...sometimes too much. But I love this little guy dearly.
Happy Monday, ya'll!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Sun and sniffles
The weather called for thunderstorms all day long today so mama (trying to use the local vernacular) and I did not make many plans. Instead, it was a radiant 91 degrees today and not a drop to fall from the heavens. Who knew.
Unfortunately, I find myself wrestling with a bit of a cold. Not sure if it is from overdoing it on the move or a bug I have picked up. Needless to say, I can be cranky when I am sick, tired, hungry, hot, and any combination of those things. I have a sneaking suspicion that other reason I could be sick is some sort of crazy allergy to my house. It smells like the man who lived here before was a chain smoker and while my landlord repainted and did a nice job of cleaning up, the scent of him lingers. We have wiped everything with vinegar and/or ammonia and have sprinkled/vacuumed baking soda throughout the house and added a few citrus air deodorizers. Cross your fingers that the smell goes away and takes my sniffles and congestion with it. Luckily I have some antibiotics from the travel clinic leftover from my trip to China and have started taking those today. Hopefully I will be 100% by Monday.
We took a drive out to the Green River Lake . It's about a 20 minute drive from here and quite beautiful. There is a small section blocked off for swimmers and the rest is for boats and jet skis. It was just so hot and humid today that I couldn't even think about sitting out there for more than ten minutes.. but maybe that is me just being a sick baby. Needless to say, I will venture out there again. Could be a nice place to pack a lunch and do some reading.
Then we decided we would take each of the major roads out to see where they went. Let me tell you - they go to one of two places. 1) churches. 2) farms. Let me explain. The nice man at Lowe's the other day gave me a brochure of C'ville. On the back of the brochure was a listing of all of the churches within the city, just the city and NOT the county. Guess how many? Come on..just try to guess. Give up? Just about 60 churches. Yes, 60 churches for a town that is barely 15,000. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. This must be the thing to do in C'ville and the only way to meet people. There aren't really any restaurants or places to hang out. No parks, no patios, no put-put courses. Nada. Alas, next Sunday's adventure will be to join the one church that I can. Stay tuned.
Speaking of churches, did I mention there is one right across the street from my house? It's a Seventh Day Adventist Church. There were about five cars there today, but that's about all the action that I've seen over there. There is also another one around the corner by the Subway and one on about every other corner after that to add to the 60+ churches.
If I was home I'd be at the Colony or maybe the Lizard or even Luxe. If I was home we'd go out for drinks after, ones with real alcohol and made for real adults. Maybe even end the night with a drink on my porch or perhaps some dancing. Alas, Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore. We struggled to find a place to eat today and ended up at Pizza Hut. Just seems wrong to go their on a Saturday night. And now we are home and I am putting together my office and probably watching tv later.
My mom leaves to go home tomorrow. Have to drive her to the nearest 'city' so she can take her flight home. She's been such a big help - cleaning and unpacking, making me dinner, and leaving me alone when I am crabby. Will be sad to see her go, but it's time for me to get on with it. I'm sure that I will save money, lose weight, and have time to read all those books I've been buying over the years just because there won't be too much to do other than work. It will truly be an interesting ten months....
Unfortunately, I find myself wrestling with a bit of a cold. Not sure if it is from overdoing it on the move or a bug I have picked up. Needless to say, I can be cranky when I am sick, tired, hungry, hot, and any combination of those things. I have a sneaking suspicion that other reason I could be sick is some sort of crazy allergy to my house. It smells like the man who lived here before was a chain smoker and while my landlord repainted and did a nice job of cleaning up, the scent of him lingers. We have wiped everything with vinegar and/or ammonia and have sprinkled/vacuumed baking soda throughout the house and added a few citrus air deodorizers. Cross your fingers that the smell goes away and takes my sniffles and congestion with it. Luckily I have some antibiotics from the travel clinic leftover from my trip to China and have started taking those today. Hopefully I will be 100% by Monday.
We took a drive out to the Green River Lake . It's about a 20 minute drive from here and quite beautiful. There is a small section blocked off for swimmers and the rest is for boats and jet skis. It was just so hot and humid today that I couldn't even think about sitting out there for more than ten minutes.. but maybe that is me just being a sick baby. Needless to say, I will venture out there again. Could be a nice place to pack a lunch and do some reading.
Then we decided we would take each of the major roads out to see where they went. Let me tell you - they go to one of two places. 1) churches. 2) farms. Let me explain. The nice man at Lowe's the other day gave me a brochure of C'ville. On the back of the brochure was a listing of all of the churches within the city, just the city and NOT the county. Guess how many? Come on..just try to guess. Give up? Just about 60 churches. Yes, 60 churches for a town that is barely 15,000. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. This must be the thing to do in C'ville and the only way to meet people. There aren't really any restaurants or places to hang out. No parks, no patios, no put-put courses. Nada. Alas, next Sunday's adventure will be to join the one church that I can. Stay tuned.
Speaking of churches, did I mention there is one right across the street from my house? It's a Seventh Day Adventist Church. There were about five cars there today, but that's about all the action that I've seen over there. There is also another one around the corner by the Subway and one on about every other corner after that to add to the 60+ churches.
If I was home I'd be at the Colony or maybe the Lizard or even Luxe. If I was home we'd go out for drinks after, ones with real alcohol and made for real adults. Maybe even end the night with a drink on my porch or perhaps some dancing. Alas, Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore. We struggled to find a place to eat today and ended up at Pizza Hut. Just seems wrong to go their on a Saturday night. And now we are home and I am putting together my office and probably watching tv later.
My mom leaves to go home tomorrow. Have to drive her to the nearest 'city' so she can take her flight home. She's been such a big help - cleaning and unpacking, making me dinner, and leaving me alone when I am crabby. Will be sad to see her go, but it's time for me to get on with it. I'm sure that I will save money, lose weight, and have time to read all those books I've been buying over the years just because there won't be too much to do other than work. It will truly be an interesting ten months....
Friday, June 11, 2010
C'ville - I've arrived!
I have been in C'ville for about 2.5 days. Here's a brief summary of what has happened. I will try to update this every other day or so.....
Around 3:30pm on Tuesday afternoon my mother and I arrived in C'ville. After a chaotic, sleepless night and equally chaotic morning, I made the 7.5 hour trek with my mom to my new home. The drive was not too bad, minus some traffic hiccups around a bigger city.
Met my landlord and entered my new home. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Awesome. But other than the stench, the house was clean. I soon realized that the house was missing a room - the 'dining room' was actually the 3rd bedroom in the advertisement. I also realized that I had forgotten to ask about a few essentials - a dishwasher and air conditioning. I made out on the latter - thankfully.
My mother and I have spent two days feverishly unpacking and I'm proud to say that there is not a single box left. Miraculously everything fit - minus the 3 boxes of barware/crystal that will stay boxed for the next move. It's a small house compared to where I was, but it is enough for me.
The days are hot (high 80s) and very, very humid. People keep their air on everyday, all day just to keep the thickness out of the air. It has stormed everyday, including the night we got here. On Tuesday night, we went to blow up the air mattress to find that it no longer worked. So we slept on the carpet with some blankets and sheets and two terrified cats who walked around crying all night. Pair that with a little snoring and a hint of a cold and that was my night. Needless to say there was a nap in my future the next day.
The town itself is SMALL...seems to be the trend around here. There are two main roads in town and the small university separates them. I live right off the one, conveniently located across the street from the grocery store and next to a Subway. Tuesday night seems to be biker night at Subway - the whole parking lot was filled with them. Bikers of all ages. It was the strangest thing.
I should also mention that C'ville is in a dry county. This means that I will need to drive 20 minutes to buy any type of alcohol. The good news is that the bigger restaurants are allowed to sell it. The restaurant scene in general is a little slim - there is a variety of fast food joints including a Sonic and four Mexican restaurants. Not sure why such a little town needs for Mexican restaurants, but it does. We tried the busiest one the other night and really enjoyed it. Their margaritas were a bit toxic, but the food was excellent.
Upon discovering that I did not have a washer or dryer, we headed to Lowe's to price them out. This was my first true encounter with the locals. Met a really nice man who gave me a map of C'ville, circled my place of work and where I was living. Then I met his associate who told us all about washer machines and how great the Whirlpool one was. How she was able to wash off grass stains from her farm and used the sanitize cycle to wash the blankets from her dogs false labor...too much information. Found out way too much about them, but they were very nice and just wanted to help. This is inline with the other locals that I have met - everyone wants to share their story with you. The whole story. The thirty minute story about washer machines. I have determined that you should always have snacks on you in case you run into a local. Bring enough to share - it could take awhile!
I met 1 of my neighbors the other day, Joe. He and his wife live across the street at the end with their giant PITBULL. He claims that his dog is very friendly, but the thing is huge and I wasn't about to take any changes, especially given I was covered in cat hair. I'm sure that I am being overly cautious, but I see no need to befriend this little dog. Pretty sure he would make a snack out of either of my critters should they get out of the house. But let's get back to Joe. Joe was standing in the middle of the street when my moving van arrived. He continued to stand there for the next three hours while the movers did their thing - this was when I went and introduced myself to him. He gave me the lowdown on all my neighbors on the street, including their age and marital status. Later that night, he drove his 4 wheeler down the street and later walked his dog, both times staring as my house as he walked passed. The next day he was chatting with garbage men for about 20 minutes, the four guys standing in the middle of the road STARING at my house. It would have been helpful if one of them would have knocked on the door and actually told me it was garbage day. Lesson learned - be as nosey as your neighbors. It's the only way to find out anything.
T
oday the neighbor across the street had a bonfire to burn his trash. I've seen many many bonfires in my day, but NOTHING like this. It got bigger after I took this photo with my phone through my window. I sent the pic to my dad who responded "Welcome to the country". Nice.
We also
went grocery shopping today. Nothing too extraordinary happened there, except for this find. These were both in the grocery store and the WallyWorld. And it's not like they have a couple jars of them, but it's been a giant display in both places. So at this point, you may be asking yourself what on earth are they. Well, my friends, they are pickled balogna and better than that, they come in a variety of sizes from little mini weeny things to giant sausage-like pieces. YUMM-O!
So here it is Thursday night and it is thunderstorming...again. I can't see the farm past the cornfield across the street. The electricity has flickered and I'm suddenly wishing that I had planted the sunflowers seeds I bought early today. No worries, it will probably rain again tomorrow.
Around 3:30pm on Tuesday afternoon my mother and I arrived in C'ville. After a chaotic, sleepless night and equally chaotic morning, I made the 7.5 hour trek with my mom to my new home. The drive was not too bad, minus some traffic hiccups around a bigger city.
Met my landlord and entered my new home. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by the smell of stale cigarette smoke. Awesome. But other than the stench, the house was clean. I soon realized that the house was missing a room - the 'dining room' was actually the 3rd bedroom in the advertisement. I also realized that I had forgotten to ask about a few essentials - a dishwasher and air conditioning. I made out on the latter - thankfully.
My mother and I have spent two days feverishly unpacking and I'm proud to say that there is not a single box left. Miraculously everything fit - minus the 3 boxes of barware/crystal that will stay boxed for the next move. It's a small house compared to where I was, but it is enough for me.
The days are hot (high 80s) and very, very humid. People keep their air on everyday, all day just to keep the thickness out of the air. It has stormed everyday, including the night we got here. On Tuesday night, we went to blow up the air mattress to find that it no longer worked. So we slept on the carpet with some blankets and sheets and two terrified cats who walked around crying all night. Pair that with a little snoring and a hint of a cold and that was my night. Needless to say there was a nap in my future the next day.
The town itself is SMALL...seems to be the trend around here. There are two main roads in town and the small university separates them. I live right off the one, conveniently located across the street from the grocery store and next to a Subway. Tuesday night seems to be biker night at Subway - the whole parking lot was filled with them. Bikers of all ages. It was the strangest thing.
I should also mention that C'ville is in a dry county. This means that I will need to drive 20 minutes to buy any type of alcohol. The good news is that the bigger restaurants are allowed to sell it. The restaurant scene in general is a little slim - there is a variety of fast food joints including a Sonic and four Mexican restaurants. Not sure why such a little town needs for Mexican restaurants, but it does. We tried the busiest one the other night and really enjoyed it. Their margaritas were a bit toxic, but the food was excellent.
Upon discovering that I did not have a washer or dryer, we headed to Lowe's to price them out. This was my first true encounter with the locals. Met a really nice man who gave me a map of C'ville, circled my place of work and where I was living. Then I met his associate who told us all about washer machines and how great the Whirlpool one was. How she was able to wash off grass stains from her farm and used the sanitize cycle to wash the blankets from her dogs false labor...too much information. Found out way too much about them, but they were very nice and just wanted to help. This is inline with the other locals that I have met - everyone wants to share their story with you. The whole story. The thirty minute story about washer machines. I have determined that you should always have snacks on you in case you run into a local. Bring enough to share - it could take awhile!
I met 1 of my neighbors the other day, Joe. He and his wife live across the street at the end with their giant PITBULL. He claims that his dog is very friendly, but the thing is huge and I wasn't about to take any changes, especially given I was covered in cat hair. I'm sure that I am being overly cautious, but I see no need to befriend this little dog. Pretty sure he would make a snack out of either of my critters should they get out of the house. But let's get back to Joe. Joe was standing in the middle of the street when my moving van arrived. He continued to stand there for the next three hours while the movers did their thing - this was when I went and introduced myself to him. He gave me the lowdown on all my neighbors on the street, including their age and marital status. Later that night, he drove his 4 wheeler down the street and later walked his dog, both times staring as my house as he walked passed. The next day he was chatting with garbage men for about 20 minutes, the four guys standing in the middle of the road STARING at my house. It would have been helpful if one of them would have knocked on the door and actually told me it was garbage day. Lesson learned - be as nosey as your neighbors. It's the only way to find out anything.
T
oday the neighbor across the street had a bonfire to burn his trash. I've seen many many bonfires in my day, but NOTHING like this. It got bigger after I took this photo with my phone through my window. I sent the pic to my dad who responded "Welcome to the country". Nice.We also
went grocery shopping today. Nothing too extraordinary happened there, except for this find. These were both in the grocery store and the WallyWorld. And it's not like they have a couple jars of them, but it's been a giant display in both places. So at this point, you may be asking yourself what on earth are they. Well, my friends, they are pickled balogna and better than that, they come in a variety of sizes from little mini weeny things to giant sausage-like pieces. YUMM-O!So here it is Thursday night and it is thunderstorming...again. I can't see the farm past the cornfield across the street. The electricity has flickered and I'm suddenly wishing that I had planted the sunflowers seeds I bought early today. No worries, it will probably rain again tomorrow.
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