Thursday, October 30, 2008

Provisional Ballot Voting Rocks!

Took 2 hours and standing on my poor feet that whole time, but I did it! I voted!

WOOT WOOT

GO OBAMA! ROCK IT BOY!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The Tribulations Of A Short Attention Span

I work in an environment laden with distractions.

Let’s start with my physical work space where it seems to be common practice for the 3 senior developers (all male, 2 single, 1 married) to stand around and talk a lot of mad shit about women in obvious full range of my cube. Partly, the cause of this is because my cube is positioned kitty corner to my supervisors, everyone and their brother is either already chatting with her or waiting in line to chat with her. When they wait in line, it becomes anyone’s game at that point because the boys get to talking (let me just say that it is NOT a myth that many senior level techies are completely socially inept) and they are either a) Talking nerd speak about some piece of code they “tried out” over the weekend (yes on their TIME OFF, just for fun) that no one else (even us other developers) understands or cares to or b) How the women in their lives suck either because they don’t have a woman in their life or because the ones they do have hate that they spend all this time coding and playing WOW on the weekends instead of going to dinners or walking the dog together. Shocking, I KNOW!

I do my very best to tune out these conversations via headphones or the age old technique adopted by mothers since the dawn of time: passive aggressive heavy sighing and glances in their direction that clearly say “SHUT IT!” Sometimes though, I just can’t ignore them so I end up wandering over to Raquel’s cube and beginning our own dialogue (usually about our children or her ginormous family that reads more like a Telemundo soap opera then someone’s life) or going outside or to the bathroom in the hopes that my absence will be noted and they will be gone when I get back because my fear is that one of these days, one of these guys is going to get schooled on just exactly WHY they are single or their wives are complain all the time. And I won’t apologize for it afterwards because I’ve been listening to this crap for about 2 years now since our cubes were moved and not only is it unprofessional and unacceptable discussion for a work environment, I for one have had ENOUGH of the woman bashing.

In addition to the women-haters, my cube lives right under a big smelly and noisy heating/AC vent that kicks off approximately every hour or so. When it does, I cough, sneeze and otherwise begin to feel a little strange. I’m either freezing or roasting within a matter of seconds, only for it to later disappear as quickly as it arrived. I initially thought I might be experiencing the onset of menopause, but Raquel who shares the cube next to me has a vent not far from her and she experiences the same symptoms though not as severe as she shared a story of sitting at my desktop one day while I was out with the broken leg and said she didn’t know how I could stand it. This vent, I believe, has something to do with what seems like a constant battle to stay well when I’m in this office. I’ve made mention of it numerous times for which I get the following response: “We’ll have the air ducts cleaned.” For which my mental response is: “Why don’t’ you just MOVE me? There are umpteen numbers of open cubes available all over this office now, hello!” But I just smile and nod and do as I’m told.

Secondly, because I work on the Internet I am exposed to all sorts of tempting goodies every day. Perhaps it’s time to check my personal email again to see if I’ve heard anything back from my cousins about their weddings within 3 months of each other in OshKosh next summer? How about now? Now? Then, there are LOL Cats, LOL Dogs, The Westword, Alternet, local news blogs, my personal blogs (both reading and writing) etc.et.etc….THEN there are bills to be paid online, book/dvd/incense shopping and various other things that can pique my interest in a millisecond when I am NOT distracted, let alone when I’ve written 800 lines of code this morning and need a break and I just so happen to find myself on Google. Crap.

When I leave work, I get in my car and I am overwhelmed by options….do I listen to my iPod or the local radio (which mostly sucks) or do I drive in silence and consider what’s next on my daily journey? Often when I am in silence in my car, I totally space out so it’s not really safe I’ve learned. At least with music I am having some fun with the driving and actually focused on driving instead of making mental notes about what needs to get done at home, who needs phone calls, what should we have for dinner and what book is next on my agenda for reading or some other random subject like why did so and so say that to me like THAT? Or if I were a dog what kind would I be? Or what would be so wrong with starting a new life where I travel all the time and meet some handsome, exotic man toy to lavish love and attention and all of his independent wealth upon me so that I can feed my wander lust?

Then I get home and there’s always too much to do, but I’m getting better at deciding what is important. Or, at the very least, where I really want to put my little precious energy and time. Usually by then I’ve been assaulted by my son’s presence in some manner because his physical body is still clumsy and his emotional one seeps out of the doors and windows, but I always stop to hug him and tell him hello and snuggle the cats before I go on to the next thing.

I do the dinner/domestic life thing and get up and do it all again the next day….no freaking wonder I have adult ADD. It’s easier said then done to stay focused; one of my favorite Alanis songs has a lyric in it as follows:

Why do I fear that the quieter I am the less you will listen?
Why do I care whether you like me or not?
Why is it so hard for me to be angry?
Why is it such work to stay conscious and so easy to get stuck
And not the other way around?

This whole song speaks wildly to me, you can read the lyrics here:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/alanis+morissette/these+are+the+thoughts_20005439.html

And listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kBt3SM3h1c

I’m off, my ADD is calling again….

Monday, October 20, 2008

Longer Weekends, Shorter Work Weeks!

I vote YES on Longer Weekends, Shorter Work Weeks!

I’d like to consider going to 4 10’s, but I’m not sure it can happen. There’s been talk of that around here a lot lately, but I know it’s one of those subjects that might be a little scary to broach with the powers that be. Certainly with our job market what it is right now, no one wants to rock the boat.

I still think work weeks are too long relatively speaking though, where’s the time for fun and R&R? Saturday is generally spent on various domestic duties and/or work and/or social engagements that by the time Sunday rolls around I’m fried. Guess I’m just still getting used to being back at work. My weekend was lovely, however brief it is and I suppose I won’t spend too much time lamenting the days I DO have off.

Saturday was Kim’s baby shower. Pregnant ladies are so beautiful. I always thought the pre-natal vitamins had something to do with it, but I think in many cases the women are just generally happy and we all know that happiness translates into such a warm kind of beauty, the best kind I’d say. Kim made out like a bandit; I can’t believe how far baby products have come in the past 16 years. SO much has changed, though it’s all still basically the same. Diapers, butt paste, soft things to wrap baby in, bottles, pacifiers, bouncy seats, bassinets, car seats, high chairs and of course (my favorite) TOYS! Toys that blink and whir and beep and bop and buzz and crinkle and are extraordinarily soft…..its good stuff. I love the little things that you attach to their baby carriers or car seats that you pull and they dance and light up and charm baby. OMG and bath toys, dood seriously bath toys have come A LONG way. I may just buy myself some of those bath crayons and little tumblers.

Let me not forget to mention the amazing food, it was mostly pot-luck and it turned out incredibly. It thrills me to share such an experience with people that I love. Sandy & Jen were there also as well as many other women I’ve not seen in some time. The entire experience was very heart warming, albeit totally exhausting.

I came home and spent an hour or so chatting up my Aunty MB! Yay Aunty MB, you rock.

After that I picked up Max, made some dinner and did some catching up with various friends. Talked to Matty for a little bit, he sounds pretty good. I’m hoping to see him this week some time.

Things at home are weird with Max right now. The transition between young boy and young man is challenging for both of us. Life with my boy has taken a bizarre turn, but not one that couldn’t have been predicted. None of this is unexpected I’m afraid, but how I manage it both as my own person and as his mother is where I find myself in unexpected territories. The terrain of parenthood is never dull, boring or lacking in substance.

Wish us luck!

Happy Monday all, I’m off to work.
Xo’s
S

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

For the record.......

My boss freaking rocks!

We are managing....

I know some of my friends and family haven’t heard from me in a while and are concerned. In the past 5 days the following has happened:

a) Max was injured and required emergency care. Long story, partly stupid teenage behavior…partly karmic I suspect.

b) Bankruptcy court on Friday Oct 10th. All went fine, it’s official and now we have to find a place to live in the next 2 – 3 months.

c) Pumpkin had a horrible seizure Friday night. Her second in as many weeks.

d) Working in the midst of all of this to catch up on hours, I’ll be shocked if they don’t fire me with all the work I’ve missed due to my injury and Max in the past several weeks. A raise of any substance this year is definitely out of the question! I am begging the universe to please have mercy on me on this issue. Please, just until we find somewhere to live and something in our lives is stable!

e) Worked all Saturday, went to a fun housewarming party, did laundry and slept ALL day Sunday.

f) Monday I had a very long (ouch) physical therapy session and a Dr. Appointment. People came to appraise the house; they gave me dirty looks the whole time as if to suggest that I am looking forward to loosing my house and moving again. Aholes. Was out of the office AGAIN but did work from home so I’m not totally screwed on hours.

g) I have jury duty tomorrow….maybe. I hope not, I’m not feeling particularly patient at the moment.

And in the midst of all of this, I’ve been running up and down the stairs taking care of Max. Making sure he has ice and Advil. Driving him to appointments, making sure he’s got everything he needs on top of life…..good stuff.

Everything hurts, I am exhausted…but we are managing. Still to come this week is work, more drs appts for Max, a baby shower I am supposed to be helping to both fund AND orchestrate (commitment from eons ago, very close friends, have to suck it up) and what to do about Pumpkin with all the extra money I have to take her to the vet so they can tell me to have her put to sleep.

This may sound horrid, but it’s not…it’s just life and I am hanging in there in spite of my tone. I know in my heart, that we are facing another round of obstacles and I think after that things will start to smooth out….at least it’s what I am asking for.

Love to you all.
S

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

wow

I’ve been sorting through upwards of 7 years worth of email on my Comcast.net account recently as I’m getting nasty grams from Comcast telling me what a crappy customer I am for hogging so much of their email server space. That’s hilarious considering how much I pay these bloodsuckers each month, but it’s a monopoly and monopolies leave a girl with little or no choice so whatever.

Here I am cleaning away, tossing stuff in the trash bin like a garbage man on crack and it feels good to “clean house” when lo and behold what do I discover? Apparently some kind of secret stash of love letters, poems, discussions and wooing between Chance and myself from 04/05. Before things got hairy between us. When we were still madly, deeply and stupidly in love.

I thought I’d deleted all that stuff last year, but apparently not.

I spent about 20 minutes reading through a few of them, just wondering if it might spark something in my heart….guess what kids? Nothing. Not a thing, except a lot of eye rolling. Wow. That and in reading through these letters, I can now see indicators of the lessons I had in store. 20/20 hindsight is a bitch.

Then, I came upon the time when shit hit the fan and let me tell you there is a definitive point. It’s right around the time we moved into the house together and things got very real, real quick for homeboy and he didn’t manage it well at all. Neither did I because I didn’t recognize this person any more and I became someone I didn’t recognize either. I can see me now, at that time, struggling with it all and how I almost instantly regretted that decision which I’ve never really told anyone. I think I knew very quickly that I’d made a terrible mistake, but didn’t want to admit it to anyone. How could I tell everyone the truth? About how unhappy and worried I was? After all, I wanted to believe it wasn’t true too.

But it was and the fact that we made it another 18 months together totally blows my mind. No wonder “I got fat, got angry…started hating myself, without a sense of my name” (Baby Bitch, Ween)

Needless to say, I’m pretty sure I deleted everything. It was several gigs of pictures, emails, etc….a huge heavy weight was just lifted off my email servers shoulders, GO ME!

Somewhere inside, I want to believe this man loved me at some point. I think he may have, I’m fairly loveable on most ends and while I never claimed to be perfect, it’s taken me a long time to see what my true worth is, to look at the bigger picture of my value in this life. I am capable of love and loyalty and giving of myself and that’s not something he took from me, it made me wiser certainly….but that wisdom can only enhance my ability to love and go forward. It took getting my heart stomped on and learning big huge important life lessons for me to finally see it all. I guess if nothing else, I can thank Chance for that. His legacy in my life has not gone unnoticed.

Oh & By The Way….TODAY IS DANCING FRUIT DAY:

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

From Growl To Grin

I am uber frustrated today, I am trying to remain calm and collected. To have perspective. To be the capable woman I know that I am. I am trying to take with me what I’ve learned about how to manage all that is this life. I am trying not to tie my son up and lock him in a closet. I am doing my best not to want to run away screaming like a banchee. Some days, all you can do is get through the day and hope it’s enough. These past few days have felt like that to me. I’ve considered picking up cigarettes again; ah hell part of me is already smoking again full time in my head. Sometimes I wonder if I’m really living my life’s purpose because I seem so often to be against the grain, rather than flowing with it.

*growl*

Pishaww…I don’t intend to put this negativity out to the Universe, I am just letting it go. Love & Release. Buh bye bad juju for today. Breattthhhhe.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

If I Were.....

If I were......

A multivitamin:
I would suppliment all your Tree Fruit Root needs. (c/o Miss P)

A smoothie flavor:
I would taste like Honey Bunny Berry Monkey.

The Name Of An All Female Group:
The Blonde Lobsters

A Theme Song:
Pink & Blue Won't Make Me Love You!

A Programming Language:
SarahScript

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Luna Lovegood

As many of you know, my work goes basically ape shit at Halloween time. It’s like an all out battle of creativity and this year’s theme is Harry Potter! I am to be Luna Lovegood!

WOOT WOOT!

If you don’t know her character, here she is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Lovegood

I don’t know much of her myself, but she seam’s a good fit based on my colleagues input as well as my own understanding of her.

Playing dress up is one of my favorite things in the world, somewhere along the line I was robbed of the gene that inhibits my need to dress in costume and get up on stage and sing my guts out at Karaoke. Fear not, for I am not ashamed and I intend to take this new character to the next level.

Really, I’m sure I was a version of Gwen Stefani/Shirley Manson/Natalie Merchant/Poe/Sarah McLaughlin in some other life. Or some other random mixture of influence and general appreciation for the craft. I may not get to realize my rock star dreams in this lifetime, but for a few days a year I get away with it ok :-)