Friday, November 30, 2007

WEEK ONE DOWN

Here I am, halfway through my first week on the new job. I have my desk accessories, and I must say they look quite nice, and I am starting to get the lay of the land. I went to an interdepartmental meeting yesterday and actually understood about 70% of what was going on. I thought that was pretty good.

Today someone came by to take my picture for the new employee section of the departmental newsletter. He worked in the downtown office and I had offered to go to him for the picture. He said eh would come to me. I then told him that I was in Lincoln Park and asked it that would be ok. He said sure. Today he told me that no one has ever offered to go to his office before. I wonder why?

So far the hardest thing has been getting my commute right. My main office is five stops closer on the train than my old office and I thought I would save about 15-20 min on the commute. I was right the first day, left 18min later and got to work at about 8:55. Then I did the same thing on the second day and got to work at about 9:05??? Today I left 10min later and got here at 8:45. It makes absolutely no sense. Not to mention the day that I came in to my office and then headed to the downtown office to meet my supervisor and was late. I gave myself 30min to go 7 stops, and was 10min late. It made no sense whatsoever. Oh well, I suppose if that is the least of my worries (well that and mastering the material I have to start teaching in Jan) I’m doing fine.

My computer at home is still broken but it seems to be less broken than before. About a month ago we went to turn it on and the buttons didn’t work. I took it apart and jiggled things but nothing changed. The other day we went out into the living room and the thing was on although the front buttons still don’t seem to do anything. We had been completely unable to get it on before. However, now the monitor won’t go off sleep mode so we can’t tell if it is on and working or just on and doing nothing. It is all baffling. Tony’s friend Ryan is going to send us a laptop so we’ll be able to have a computer while I send it off to my Dad.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Looking back on when I/ Was a little nappy-headed boy/ Then my only worry/ Was for Christmas what would be my toy. I Wish, Stevie Wonder. Identified by Mom.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

SINCE THE FEAST

I learned a few things during this year’s Thanksgiving.

1. Don’t make a dish you haven’t prepared before but you saw done on the Food Network with much larger vegetables than the ones you could find. It just won’t work out quite right. My artichokes were not served although I did take them home and manage to make a few incredibly tasty bites.

2. If you want Tony to do karaoke you have to pick a Beastie Boys song.

3. Even when you think there is plenty of food, plenty of drunken people will eat things you had planned to eat for leftovers

4. Good food and good fun will make fast friends

5. Sometimes to have proper leftover plates the next day you need to go back to the store and get some more potatoes.

I started my new job at DePaul University on Monday. The first day was a general new employee orientation where people from all departments came and talked to us about new hire things. It was a day with a lot of paper. Tuesday we did our Electronic stuffs orientation which didn’t take too long at all and then were to report to our respective departments. I wasn’t scheduled to be in my department until noon due to my supervisor having a meeting and we got out at 10:30. I took a seat in Starbucks, had a chai, did the crossword puzzle and read Prometheus Bound. I then met my manger, went to lunch, got introduced around the loop office and then was shown to my office at the Lincoln Park campus. There were more introductions and I was given the Staples catalogue to order things for my desk. I spent a long time deciding if I want black mesh desk accessories or black solid ones with rounded corners. I am going with the mesh because it fits my futuristic office furniture a little better.

Today I went in to my office and read over things for about an hour. I left at 10am to get to the Loop campus and meet my supervisor at 10:30. I was late. I have no idea how that happened but she told me that sometimes it can take up to 45min. Granted, I was only five min late but it didn’t make me feel too spiffy. We spent the morning going over departmental structure, my goals until June ’08 and the things our program is measured by. Then we started in on the Financial Literacy workshops that I will be teaching. We got through one before lunch. It is like the financial stuff I was teaching before but much more in-depth. After lunch we’ll go into the three others.

Things are looking pretty good. Everyone here is incredibly nice and welcoming. One of the guys the Lincoln Park office has a banjo. Monica would totally want to hang out with this guy. Although there is a ton to learn and not all that much time to learn it before I have to get out there and teach/supervise/create I think that I’m really going to enjoy it and that is a great feeling.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Girl I must warn you/ I sense something strange in my mind/ Situation is serious/ Let's do it cause we're running out of time. Poison, BBD. Identified by Monica.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

FOOD PLANS

I’m finishing things up here and one of the most important tasks I have will be to transfer the URLs of my bookmarked blogs into a Word document that I can email to myself and then erase all memory of me on this hunk of junk that they call a computer. The last day is going very smoothly. No one is really here and things are nice and quiet. I am essentially waiting for the word of when we can go home. Once I get home is when the real work will start.

I have to go shopping for Thanksgiving! I am hoping that they will have everything that I need at the close grocery store and that I won’t have to make any additional trips. You never know though, it could go either way. Tomorrow at 1:30 Monica’s sister will come to take me and the beginnings of my food over to Monica’s house where all will be assembled. The dishes I am making will be:
Turkey Tofu
Vegetarian Stuffing
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce
Brussel Sprouts
Artichokes
I am also in charge of bringing Dance Dance Revolution but in a sneaky way so that Tony doesn’t hate the idea of not having Thanksgiving at our house even more. He hates that game and the idea of people playing it all night will make him grumpy. I also haven’t mentioned the fact that Monica purchased a karaoke machine. I hope that all the food will keep him happy enough. Maybe we’ll get a pecan pie. He has been wanting one for at least a year.

That is a lot of action for me. I am hoping that I can get the stuffing made tonight and the Tofu marinated so that I can layer it all up in the morning and then bring it ready to bake to Monica’s. I should also be able to do the cranberries tonight. After that the rest should be pretty simple and easy. Monica is in charge of:
Turkey
Meaty stuffing
Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
And may also be doing a sweet potato I can’t remember

Dave will also be joining the crew. He will be picked up along with me and bring his contributions over. He is taking on:
Ham
Dessert (I hope it will be gravy cake)
Bread

I hope someone is planning on bringing some drinks. I know I will be bringing lots of Tupperware. I plan to bring plenty home.

Hope you all have a wonderful and delicious holiday!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

COVER STORY

Today is an interesting day. I am sitting in the Customer Service class watching Cassandra teach it. No one but me has ever taught the class before. It is strange seeing the course that I created being taught in a style that is different than mine. I think she is doing a fantastic job but sometimes I have to hold myself back as far as adding things on. Unless I feel they are really important, then I certainly will speak up. Yesterday she told me that teaching while I was in the room was like being a cover band playing for the group that they always cover. I found it to be an interesting analogy.

Yesterday was my going away celebration. It was pretty nice but seemed to focus a lot on the Christmas party last year. I truly have learned my lesson when it comes to that sort of thing. The other common topic was people not believing I was really leaving as I had left once before and came back after three months. I guess after five years, less those three months of course, I had expected a little more. Maybe they just have a different sense of humor when it comes to that kind of stuff than I do. A few people said some really nice things to me though. I guess that is really what matters. I know I did good work here. I don’t need them to tell me.

Tomorrow will be a very easy day. I will finish cleaning out my desk, put an automatic reply on my email, and erase all the bookmarks and remembered things from my computer. There really isn’t much left to do. Last time when I left, even though I hadn’t planned on coming back, it wasn’t as sad. I didn’t feel as much as if a chapter of my life was closing. Of course it hasn’t always been the happiest chapter but it hasn’t been all bad by any means either. It’s just very strange.

1. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

2. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

3. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

4. So I go/ Though it hurts me so/ I'm crying/ For your love

5. Girl I must warn you/ I sense something strange in my mind/ Situation is serious/ Let's do it cause we're running out of time.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

SOME ALARMS AND SOME SURPRISES

This morning started off very peacefully. I watched the season premier of Project Runway, which I had missed because I was watching the very disappointing 19th run of Sasuke “aka” Ninja Warrior. Ninja Warrior is the most insane obstacle course ever created and is one of my favorite things to watch because the things these guys do are simply amazing. My favorite run was 17, when Makoto Nagano became the second person in history to finish the course. You can see him tackling all four stages below.

The thing with this competition is that they consistently make it harder. Once Nagano completed the course the 18th run was totally insane. Only six people made it past the first stage and three made it to the third no one, including Nagano, finished stage three. Nagano was close but accidentally grabbed the wrong part of an obstacle and disqualified himself.

For run 19 they simply went too far. The obstacles are so much harder that only two people made it past stage one (100 attempt the course each time). Nagano was very close to finishing but missed it saying he wasn't determined enough. Maybe seeing all his best competitors fail was too depressing. No one made it past the second obstacle on stage two, making it the shortest competition in history. I hope they don’t make the course harder next year because it would just be stupid. You want to see people have at least the opportunity to finish. If they keep the same course as they had this year I think more will succeed.

Anyway, I digressed a whole lot. This morning was very peaceful. It was a cold morning but brisk and still. The train ride was quiet and speedy. As I got off the train I was listening to “no surprises”, by Radiohead on the iPod and was in a nice happy place. Then as the words in my ears sang, “no alarms and no surprises,” I came off the escalator to the surprising alarm of a fire engine. The day hasn’t quite recovered. I forgot that I agreed to stay late to help with a volunteer orientation. I did three depressing and draining practice interviews, and Cassandra is out sick so I can’t go over some things with her that I really need to cover before I leave. No surprises indeed.

1. Underneath the bridge/ top has sprung a leak and/ the animals I trapped/ Have all become my pets. Something In The Way, Nirvana. Identified by Brooke.

2. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

3. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

4. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

5. THe first cut/ Is a criminal thing/ The first cut/ Goes deeper in. The First Cut, Eurythmics. Identified by Mom.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

NOT SO MINI MUSIC RANT

In the comments section from yesterday’s post my Mom talked about me getting on the ice to skate. I have been thinking about it a lot for the last month or even a little longer. The itch got really bad about three weeks ago while I was listening to The Magical Mystery Tour and my body just wanted to make a program for Strawberry Fields Forever. Sadly, there are no rinks that are particularly easy for me to get to and I like things to be easy. I secretly hoped that there was a rink on the DePaul campus that I could sneak some ice time on but there isn’t. They have an intramural hockey team but they practice at one of the few city rinks.

The first event of the season, Skate America, aired Oct 28th and the second, Cup of China was on last Sunday. Happily, there will be skating on every Sunday (except one) from now until Dec 23rd. Even though it makes me incredibly happy to see the top skaters so often and gauge how they will end up performing this year as we get to Worlds in March I am also experiencing some frustration with the sport.

In my posts last year I talked about how much I love the new judging system (based on a base value of points for each element) because it really pushes the skater to achieve more than they had to on the 6.0 system and is much fairer. I still agree with that statement. However, I am interested in why skating in the Us, which used to bring in great ratings, is failing so much. One of the reasons could be the lack of people like Dick Button to get spectators excited about the new system and instead maintaining his typical curmudgeon attitude. Some people have said that the sport is suffering because it is perceived as unfair and corrupt because of the incident at the 2002 Olympics. That could very well be true. However, instead of trumpeting the merits of the new system as being a way to stop such practices, the system was rolled out as complicated. Maybe it is just m but I think it is easier to understand that each move has a point value and then the points are added up then a system where they get random numbers assigned to them based on a program as a whole. Even after a life of skating that system didn’t make all that much sense.

Anyway, I have digressed from my point. My point is that even a lover of skating such as me sometimes has a hard time with some of the skaters. I have my favorites, people that light up the ice and you can’t stop watching, and I have people that I tend to watch out of the corner of my eye. I think the problem is incredibly simple. They need to do something about the music. They need to bring back innovation and interest. I can’t stand to hear another program with the music from Carmen, Sing Sing Sing, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, The Mission soundtrack, or a Broadway melody. If I am getting bored with the music and I love the sport I can only imagine what the casual observer must think.

It isn’t as if there is a lack of music out in the world. There isn’t even a lack of instrumental music in the world. You don’t have to use classical music to be graceful and artistic. There are instrumental arrangements of popular music all over the place. Why aren’t people tapping into the true variety that is out there? New music would inherently bring new artistic expression and with new expression comes new excitement. How awesome would it be to see a short program to Da Funk by Daft Punk or a long program to some instrumental Radiohead piece? It would be entirely crazy awesome I tell you. Some people can carry off the classical pieces, they have a dance quality and a maturity that can actually express the music but some of the skaters just can’t get in tune with the traditional pieces. They need to recommend some selections to their coaches and choreographers, things that they like and motivate them. Sure, it may take the judges a little bit to get used to but if the top skaters do it I think it could work. I mean Jubert won everything possible last season to instrumental versions of Metallica. He was awesome. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The sport is progressing physically and is increasingly more complex. The music needs to get modernized as well.

Oh, and another thing, stop taking skating videos off youtube for copyright issues US Figure Sating Assn the sport needs all the viewers it can get. Dumbases.

1. Underneath the bridge/ top has sprung a leak and/ the animals I trapped/ Have all become my pets

2. I met you on a midway at a fair last year/ and you stood out like a ruby in a Black man’s ear. That Song About The Midway. Joni Mitchell. Identified by Mom.

3. Make a list little Lars never seen a star/ Put his fans behind bars/ Can’t you see mp3 means you’re stealing from me/ you should have bought a Cd

4. Daddy’s ghost behind you/ sleeping dog beside you/ You’re a point of mystery/ You’re the prayer inside me

5. Does it make you happy to ignore me on streets/ I guess by now you think I’m weak/ I wish you could have said something before now

Monday, November 12, 2007

A BALD ASSHOLE IN MY BRAIN

Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes. I am incredibly excited. I have now started to get very nervous as well. It’s a good nervous, an exciting motivating nervous, but nervous all the same. The main reason I was looking for a new job was to do something new. I was no longer being challenged. However, it is nice to be someone who can answer questions about virtually every aspect of what goes on at work. It is nice to have someone come to you with a question and you not have to look anything up before you can quote numbers and statistics. It is nice to know you are really good at your job.

I have no doubt that I will become really good at my new job. I also know that it would be insane not to expect a lengthy period of adjustment. One of the nice things about when I am starting is that the students won’t be at school. I’ll have time until mid Jan before they return to get used to how everything works. I amso happy about that. It helps a lot. It certainly doesn’t erase the nerves though.

Last night I dreamt I was Larry David. If you know who that is, you will get a sense of how incredibly nervous I actually am. That man makes Woody Allen look relaxed and sane. Not only was I Larry David but I was Larry David lost in an enormous hotel that seemed to resemble parts of a temple in Ninja Gaiden Sigma. I haven’t even played that game in weeks since I bested the horrible Queen Fiend. Talk about a stressful battle. She was one of the most difficult bosses that I have ever faced in the history of gaming.

Once I became myself again in dreamland, I found myself taking train after train after train and getting delayed and lost in order to get someplace that I really could have walked to. Why I didn’t walk I have no idea because I usually prefer to walk short distances unless it is incredibly cold outside but it was not cold in my dream. It was a little cold after I woke up though so maybe it does make sense.

I know that everything will work out just fine. In a way I am actually glad to get out of my comfort zone. I know it is only natural to feel this way when starting something new. I just hope that my dreams will start to calm down because if they stay at this level of anxiety I will be a sick sick person in a number of weeks. I need to find something to keep me nice and relaxed for until I get started. Any suggestions?

1. I know/ I can’t find you/ I go/ sit beside you. I Know, The Best Band

2. We love to boogie/ we love to boogie/ Jitterbug boogie/ High school boogie/ we love to boogie/ On a Saturday night. We Love To Boogie, T-Rex (not I Love the nightlife (Disco Round) by Alicia Bridges although it could easily be mistaken for it)

4. Seven am so it begins again/ One zip favoring familiar silhouettes/ Left whips and chains/ Behind I’m boycotting trends it’s my new look this season. Girl Disappearing, Tori Amos

5. You see this kind if chick in every town/ whenever there’s a scene she’ always hanging around/ she’s so naive and innocent/ stares at you with awe/ she’s only 14 but she knows how to draw. Superlungs my Supergirl, Donovan.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

I'M OVER IT

It is official. At about 4:30pm yesterday I put in my two weeks notice at work. As those who have been reading for a while know there is a lot that I really love about my job. However, I have reached a kind of stalemate. There isn’t much left for me to learn and there isn’t anywhere left to go. I’ve had my eyes open for a while, looking for the right opportunities and putting applications in here and there. Something perfect clicked and I am so excited about this new chapter.

I’m going to be working for DePaul University in the Career Development department. I’ll be working primarily with student employees and ensuring that they have actual work to do and are both learning themselves and growing the program. I’ll be in a relatively new part of the department so I’ll be able to not only grow myself but help grow the university and the services they offer. It is a wonderful opportunity. Not only that, but they have tuition reimbursement that starts on day one of employment. I have no idea what I’ll be studying but I do know that I will be getting my masters in something. The great thing is that I have all the time in the world to figure it out and I don’t have to worry about the financial burden of changing directions.

Continuing my education is something that I have wanted to do since leaving college, I simply haven’t known how or had the resources to do it. What a day, what a day. I’m going to miss a lot about this crazy place that I work but I guess that is a good thing. Having just hired an assistant for the contract I work on I can leave knowing the work I started is in good hands. I’m so glad for that because I put a lot into my Customer Service class and I wouldn’t feel good laving it with someone I didn’t trust. Come Nov 26th I am on to a whole new adventure. I can’t wait to get started.

1. I know/ I can’t find you/ I go/ sit beside you

2. We love to boogie/ we love to boogie/ Jitterbug boogie/ High school boogie/ we love to boogie/ On a Saturday night

3. Daddy’s flown across the ocean/ leaving just a memory/ a snapshot in the family album/ daddy what else did you leave for me. Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 1, Pink Floyd. Identified by Katrina

4. Seven am so it begins again/ One zip favoring familiar silhouettes/ Left whips and chains/ Behind I’m boycotting trends it’s my new look this season

5. You see this kind if chick in every town/ whenever there’s a scene she’ always hanging around/ she’s so naive and innocent/ stares at you with awe/ she’s only 14 but she knows how to draw

Monday, November 05, 2007

THE EDGE

I’m on the edge of something big. I want so much to write about it but I just can’t quite yet. There is nothing else that I want to write about so it has made posting a little hard. My office smells like Sbarro pizza, which I am not a huge fan of but right this second it sounds amazingly delicious. I have some pasta in the fridge though so I will not be eating pizza. My pasta is delicious. There is little better than a mixture of pesto and mushrooms. MMMMM food. That’s all I can say for now. I truly hope that I will be able to go over the edge, in a good way, in the next few days.

1. Lonesome cowboy bill/ Rides the rodeo/ Lonesome cowboy Bill/ You got to see him yodel-eh-he-hoo. Lonesome Cowboy Bill, Identified by Monica.

2. You never give me your money/ You only give me your funny paper/ and in the middle of negotiations/ you break down. You Never Give Me Your Money. The Beatles. Identified by Brooke.

3. I know/ I can’t find you/ I go/ sit beside you

4. We love to boogie/ we love to boogie/ Jitterbug boogie/ High school boogie/ we love to boogie/ On a Saturday night

5. I never meant to give you mushrooms girl/ I never meant to bring you to my world/ But now you’re sitting in the corner crying/ And now it’s my fault/ My fault. My Fault, Eminem. Identified by Brooke.