Month: February 2011

Will you be my life coach?

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Thanks to Emily (and the totally random subject of an email she sent to John), I think I’ve found my calling. Or at least another job possibility should I decide 9-5 in the IT world isn’t doing it for me anymore. I could totally be a life coach. I just googled it – there are certification courses in life coaching. Who would pay someone for that? More to the point, who would pay ME for that? And how can I convince them to?

No segues come to mind, so let’s work together on this and pretend I found one so I can abruptly change the subject.

Here’s a transcript of a voice recording I left for myself on my phone (that I’d forgotten about), I think from early December:

We’re driving home from John’s parents’ house, and we just passed a sign that says we’re in a highway safety zone for the next three miles.  I said, “What does that mean?”  John said, “It means you can dance…if you want to.”

And then the giggles I was suppressing broke free and I think that might be a snort right at the end of the recording.  Unfortunately (for you, maybe, but I think I’m okay with it), it’s not saved in a format I can convert to mp3, so you don’t get to hear it.

Technical difficulties

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It’s funny what an unexpected internet outage can do to an evening. Since yesterday was my day off from exercising, I’d planned to spend some time reading my regular blogs (it’s been a couple of days) until John came home and we ate dinner.  Instead, I got home from a whirlwind day in DC with my boss (We commuted together and were in almost every meeting together – that’s a LOT of quality time.  I value my time alone in the car after days like this; I need it to relax and let the day go.  Didn’t happen.) to find that we had no internet, we had no phone (we have Vonage for the house (needs internet) and my cell phone battery was dying), and the problem seemed to be with the cable company.  At least we had power.  It was cold in the house, so, while I waited for John to come home so we could have stir fry for dinner, I made myself some de-caf Earl Grey and curled up under a blanket on the couch with my book.  My new book, a mystery set in post-WWI England with a haunted detective.

The internet came back this morning (obviously).  I missed it.

Happy Melday!

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My academically- (and otherwise, but let’s stay on topic) talented sister is in the throes of comps right now for her masters in speech pathology, and all day today she’s been getting results from the written portion.  So far, she’s passed 9 out of 12 subjects, with no rewrites necessary, and her three best subjects are the three she hasn’t heard about yet.  Are we worried?  Not in the least.  She’s kicking some comps ass.

Happy Melday!

How do we get out of here?

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Every once in a while, the need to drop everything (except John and the dogs, of course) and walk away gets almost overwhelming.  It bubbles up and boils over and I burst into tears thinking about everything it would take to make it happen.  And make WHAT happen is part of the problem.  What is it exactly that I want to change?  I’m good at what I do, and I like it well enough, but I don’t love it.  Not a bit of my identity is tied up in what I do for a living.  So that could go, but what would I do instead?  Be a librarian?  Sure, but I don’t think there’s much demand anymore for librarians in public libraries, which is the kind I’d want to be.  Be a teacher?  Of what?  Maybe math, but I don’t want to teach kids who aren’t interested in being in class.  So adults, then.

Whoa.  Just did a quick search at ala.org.  A whole bunch of universities have started offering 100% online courses for a masters in library science since the last time I looked (which was when we were living in our last house, so more than 5 years ago at least – makes sense).  Okay, I have some research to do.

Wine-tasting and music

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Erik and Margaret came over this afternoon so we could get some very important things figured out about their wedding: what music they should use for the processional and what wines they should serve at their reception.  Very important.  The music part was definitely worked out (but it’s a secret – I’ll tell you only that there will be guitar and singing).  The wines…a little more testing (and tasting) might be needed.

Fitness is fun

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Maybe I’ll become addicted to classes at the gym.  There are worse things.  I feel SO much better than I did all day.  It was, to be blunt, a shitty day.  A few people at work were in bad moods and were being pricklier than usual, and that put the rest of us on edge, so we were all sniping at each other most of the day.  I texted John around lunchtime and said I was considering pretending to get sick just so I could leave early.  I wanted out of there.  But no, I stayed all day.

But then, I went to my new gym (I joined today – they won me over) for what was described as a high energy dance fitness class.  Everyone in the class was super-friendly and the steps were fun and I had a wonderful time and I feel MUCH better.

I’m a problem-solver

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Really, I am.  It says so right there, on my blue, Lucite, sharp-edged award.  It was awarded to me (because it’s an award and that’s how you get them) at our annual work thing this afternoon (a speaker, team discussions, yearly awards, etc).  Pretty cool.  It looks like the missing murder weapon on Law & Order.  You know, the victim’s head was smashed in with a heavy blunt object at the office, but no one has been able to find the murder weapon.  Then one day the cleaning crew notices one less thing to dust on the shelf in the executive’s office, and when they finally find the weapon (which was shoved in a box in the closet), it turns out to be an award for excellence in consumer relations that has been hastily (and not thoroughly) cleaned off.  Plenty of evidence to convict.

Mine looks kinda like this, but blue. And a little more substantial. And therefore dangerous.

I may also have committed myself to playing golf with my boss when the weather warms up.  She’s aware that I’ve never played before, that I’ve never even picked up a real golf club (I don’t think putt-putt counts), but that might be part of the appeal for her.  I’m someone she could beat.  Maybe she’ll forget.  Oh, look!  A problem to solve!  I’ll get right on it.

Well, I thought it was funny

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The internet conspired to make me laugh today, which is good ’cause my workday left me feeling irritable.  First, The Bloggess.  Naturally.  Time-share ponies = awesome idea.  Then, John and I watched an episode of Castle on Hulu tonight (we’re maybe three episodes behind – it was the one with Donna from That ’70s Show), and there was one scene we laughed so hard at we had to pause the show and go back.  Then, I read an email from last week (I’m not that behind – I must have missed this one) that’s a compilation of winning Style Invitational entries and alternate definitions of words.  I can’t find the actual list online anywhere, so I think it’s just an email thing that was put together who knows how long ago (I’ve seen some of them before) and by who knows who, but it’s really funny.  My favorite was lymph: to walk with a lisp.

Maybe you had to be there.

http://www.hulu.com/