movin' on up!

I got the job!

overheard

...while walking* around the neighborhood tonight with Monty...

*Seriously I am obsessed with the new phone. It took me half the walk to write this. It's a little hard to type and write at the same time...but I will get better.

Boy: "There's that bad dog."
Mom: "No he's not."
Me (thinking to myself): "He's just misunderstood."

prayers needed

The next time you pray, meditate, chant, cast a spell -whatever it is you do - please think of me. I need your good thoughts. I had a second interview today for a position with a statewide organization. It means lots of responsibility, pressure, challenges and more money. This job would be a great fit for me...although I'd need to work my ass off.

I met with the president today for an hour and a half. He said he was going to meet Wednesday with the other two folks I interviewed with two weeks ago and they would let me know what they decide. I can't tell if they've interviewed anyone else but all signs are pointing positively towards me.

Uh oh. Now that I've said that, I've probably jinxed myself. Now you have to pray harder.

Thanks for the help.

grab a tissue

Please take some time this week and read Parker's Story.

He fought valliantly but lost his battle to leukemia Saturday night. During this season as we acknowledge the things we are all thankful for think of little Parker, his family and friends. I know they are thankful for the short time they had with Parker.

And we are thankful that he touched our lives too.

I may hate my job, but it's not the work I hate. It's the environment. Instances like this reassure me that we need to work harder so no one else has to suffer the loss of their child.

run down

After a full extended weekend of late nights, early mornings, dinners out and wedding related parties I flew back home eeeeearly Tuesday morning. Once I landed i went straight into an interview that lasted over two and a half hours (keep your fingers crossed that I get a second interview.) By Tuesday night I was exhausted and fell asleep at nine...I could have gone to bed earlier but I wanted to make sure I slept through the whole night.

Wednesday morning training started and since then I have been hanging out with work related people nonstop. It's pretty hard to do that when you hate your job. I've helped the national manager coordinate all the meals and other logistics. We have one more day of training to go...thank god!

I am really looking forward to this weekend so I can unpack, put the sheets back on my bed, see FF and get a full body massage. And basically not do much else but relax. I think that's a good plan considering this is the third day in a row that I have woken up with a sore throat. I am just run down and need some lazy me time.

time's up...

You will find the answer to the *NSYNC trivia question below.If you haven't googled him yet, you can see his pictures here (although none of these are the ones he posted on his profile...he did the classic "take a picture of myself in the mirror" shot.)

The one thing chris is most passionate about:
making music

The three things which chris is most thankful for:
family
friends
health

The most influential person in chris's life has been:
my grandfather gave me all of the values i cherish today

chris's friends describe him as:
Creative
Thoughtful
Outgoing
Funny

Three of chris's best life-skills are:
Using humor to make friends laugh
Helping those who are less fortunate or in need
Finding new adventures and unique experiences

The most important thing chris is looking for in a person is:
honesty and kindness

The first thing you'll probably notice about chris when you meet him:
my kung fu grip!

The one thing chris wishes MORE people would notice about him is:
black socks

chris typically spends his leisure time:
listening to music, playing games

The things chris can't live without are:
i pod
guitar
food and water
laptop
football

The last book chris read and enjoyed:
rock and roll history, i liked learning about the backgrounds of bands and music

One thing that only chris's best friends know is:
i like 80's rock music

Some additional information chris wanted you to know is:
fun, fun, fun

By the way, I hope you realize that I could be jeopardizing my subscription and, most importantly, meeting my soul mate all because I thought you all would get a kick out of this. There is no way I can start communication with him now. And I am sure I am in violation of some policy that the site has about privacy or something. Whatever. Like I said, I thought it was best shared than kept to myself. Just goes to show us that we are all human...and just looking for a little bit of LURVE in life.

t minus nine days...and counting

IKEA O-town is set to open on November 14th. The pandemonium is already starting. We got the latest catalog with our daily paper yesterday and the buzz around town is growing. I became familiar with IKEA through the Canadians and we've made an IKEA trip a mandatory requirement of all visits. I used to come back with all kinds of stuff and no one knew how cheap I'd really gotten it. They were impressed with the design and style. Well, now my secret is out...

I don't think the people of O-town are fully aware of what a momentous occasion this is. Although I will be staying away until the newness dies down. I'm not in the mood to battle the crowds that are shuffling through their first time in an IKEA warehouse. I can't wait to get a cinnamon bun and some Swedish meatballs though!

soulmate update

Today marks a week I've been doing the eHarmony thing. So far, I have been matched up with someone who I knew in college who now lives about an hour away (and is 5'8") and a lot of other short guys. Then there was one of the matches I got this morning. A former member of *NSYNC (yes, you read right...could it really be him? I wouldn't be surprised if it was.) Go on - guess* which member and tell me if I should start communication with him. I'll give you one hint...unfortunately, it's not JT. :(

* (at the end of the word guess, not in the band name) By process of elimination I'm sure you can figure it out.

moving on

Yesterday I went to see FF for the first time in a couple of months. I've been avoiding her because she is out of my insurance network and I thought I had racked up a huge tab (...so I was very excited to find out that with yesterday's visit I only owed her fifty bucks.) It was good to see her again and to be able to talk to someone who is neutral (except she is totally on Team Kat!)

I basically unloaded on her. The last week I've felt very overwhelmed with my feelings and had a hard time figuring out which are my real feelings...or if it's just me over-reacting. Luckily, she was able to provide me with some much needed insight. We covered how much I hate work, how I'm tired of the constant clashes with my bosses and the microscope they have me under, a co-worker who was a really good friend who is now just a co-worker again because she's been ignoring me, the Barber, my eHarmony subscription and other boys.

I realized with her help that with work it's hard to figure out what is ultimately going to make me happy when I'm so miserable in my current position. She suggested I look into part-time work supplementing income with other things just to get out of this bad situation. I'm definitely going to be analyzing all of that in the upcoming days. I have really stepped up the job search this week...and have started looking outside of this city too. (I'm in the cycle again...am I ready to move???)

With the friend issue I didn't really expect her to tell me to move on from the friendship although I have been thinking about it for the last couple of months. I consider myself to be a good friend to others...I really do. Sometimes I get disappointed with my friends, but I understand that everyone is different. I just try to be the kind of friend I want. Someone who is there for you, loyal, fun...and you can always count on them. I met this girl when I first started working at this place I hate so much. On the surface, we don't have a lot in common but I started hanging out with her and enjoying her company. I introduced her to my friends who welcomed her with open arms and she quickly became part of the group. Everything was great.

She started dating a boy (her first real boyfriend) and I continued to be there when she needed even though we didn't talk much anymore outside of work. She and the boy dated for a while and then this summer he dumped her...it was mean. She retreated to her parents house and it didn't take me long to cancel all my weekend plans to follow her there. Just to be with her. That's what I do.

I had my surgery and subsequent fiascoes...and she wasn't really around. But I overlooked that. People get busy in their own lives and I understand that. Recently, she accepted a new position and is leaving. Today is her last day. Since she's given her notice she stopped speaking to me. I'm not about to waste my time being nice to you if you don't want me to. I've tried though...I offered to proofread her resignation to which she responded with an emphatic NO! I gave her a Congratulations card explaining that I was happy for her (I didn't mention that I don't think she is going to like her new position though) and I offered to treat her to congratulatory one on one cocktails to celebrate. I'm done trying.

FF said it seems like I've gone out of my way to be a good friend and helpful but if she isn't being responsive then I just need to move on. Easier said than done though I guess. It hurts. It makes me sad for her. She isn't making smart choices now (she has a new group she is hanging out with including a married man she likes to flirt with) and I think she has lost her common sense. It's just hard to sit by and watch it happen. So it's a good thing today is her last day. I won't have to watch anymore.

Really, I am venting on here because I desperately want to tell her how I feel. I can't do it one on one though since she hasn't taken me up on my offer. I have spent the last two mornings lying in bed formulating emails and cards I want to sent to her even though I have been advised to just let it go. FF says it is not worth it. I've tried and been denied already so why try again? (Hello...am I sensing a theme in my life?)

So that's what today is about. Letting go. And when she decides she wants to be my friend again...when she needs me. I won't be there for her. And that makes me sad. But it's what I have to do.

red hot

I got my hair did yesterday (dyed it red & got it chopped again at an angle.) When I walked in this is what I saw.

"Christina" was doing my hair today. I couldn't keep a straight face. "Christina" has been doing my hair for a long time. Today I got to feel his boobs and see his hip pants. When I walked in he'd taken the heels off, but I made him put them back on to do my hair. The only thing is, while he was doing my hair I kept catching looking at himself in the mirror. Women are so vain!


(I told him I would post it on the Internet for all to see, but he told me no. So I am doing it anyway.)

By the way, with all the talk of Stella's wedding becoming a national treasure, I found my old post with my "Nature's Bounty" photos in case you want to look back.