Quirks and Collectibles

A few days ago at work some coworkers and I were talking about our various quirks and oddities. This all came about on the one day when I wore tennis shoes into work. For those who don't know me, I prefer to wear boots. I wore the tennis shoes because that was the day we were moving our offices, and I didn't want to keep walking back and forth from one building to another all day in my boots. My coworkers and I got onto the topic of why I don't normally wear tennis shoes. For some reason I just don't like shoelaces. I don't know why, I just don't. I don't like the way they feel. The laces sometimes come undone, and if you don't notice they are untied, the laces drag through the dirt, water, and mud, and they get all icky. Then your hands get all icky when you have to retie them. I just don't like shoelaces. I also don't like drive-throughs at fast-food restaurants. I am morally opposed to drive-throughs. I don't see why human beings need to scream into a little box in order to get our food quicker. I get even more annoyed and morally opposed to drive-throughs when I see drive-through drivers who are on the cell phone and still have the radio blasting while they are trying to yell into the little speaker. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't mind waiting in a line or having face-to-face human contact with the person getting my food. Plus, I like to watch the people as they gather my food to make sure they get everything I ordered. Therefore, I never use drive-throughs. Even if it is the middle of the lunch rush and the lines are long, I still prefer to park my car and go inside to order my food.

And while we are on the topic of quirks, that leads to certain collectibles. Collectibles and mild obsessions, I should say. I have a minor obsession with office supplies. I think this comes from my youth when on the weekends I would go with my Pa to his work. I always came home with a pen or two from the office's supply closet. When I was still in school, the most exciting thing to do was to buy school supplies. Fresh paper, cool notebooks, and brand new pens and pencils always excited me. When I started to study Greek and Latin, I developed a system of color coding my notes, vocabulary cards, declensions, and conjugations. For some reason the color association helped my memory. So because of that, I had to buy pens in a variety of colors. Since I took so many notes, I had to have a lot of pens. Well, necessity eventually turned into an obsession. Even though I had my favorite brands and styles, I always wanted to try something new and different, so I kept buying different pack of pens. It wasn't long before I soon amassed a nice collection of writing instruments. Some are fancy and cool, and others are standard and basic. But, it is a rather large collection. I mean, really, does one human being really need about 120 pens? I can see a person going through 120 pens in an entire lifetime, but to have that many at one time? But, then again, you never know when you are going to run out of ink. And if there is ever a time when the world experiences a writing-instrument shortage, my collection will be worth a fortune!

Last Day

My last day at work was rather quiet and anticlimactic, quite honestly. My first boss had his last day on Friday of last week, so our going away parties were combined into one day. Then I had to come back to work for one more week. This week was thrown into disarray because our department moved our offices. I had my exit interview on Thursday, but still had to come back to work for one more day today. Because we were in a completely different building essentially by ourselves, I didn't really see anyone before I left. We had a nice, quite department lunch, but no wild parties after work. I slipped out of the office somewhat early, I picked up some dinner on the way home, and I've been enjoying a quiet evening since then.

This is all very different from when I quit my last job. At my last job I walked out of the office with a feeling of triumph as if I just won a major gladiator match. Then I walked out to the cheers and congratulations of the crowd (my coworkers). At this job, I simply said goodbye to the people in my department, and then I slipped out quietly. It felt odd, as if I were just leaving for a normal weekend. What seemed like a big, exciting day for me was just another day to the rest of the world. I suppose it is nice to slip out quietly, though. What has been done is done. One chapter is closed, and a new chapter is about to begin.

No Surprise

Last night I was going to write a post about how wonderful the spring weather has been. It has been warm and beautiful during the day. The nights have been cool, but not cold, with nice gentle breezes. The air has smelled wonderful. Today it has been snowing. Welcome to Colorado.

Almost There...

Today was a very unproductive day at work. Actually most of the day yesterday was also unproductive. As I might have mentioned in another post, we're in the middle of a great office move. Most people are moving around to different offices within our suite, but, naturally, our department is moving across the street into a different building. Because the pressure was put on us yesterday to GET OUT, we started to pack everything in our office including all of the work on our current projects. We thought that we would be able to move this morning. There was a slight kink in the plan because we were waiting for some new office furniture to be delivered. So we waited. And we waited. And we waited. And, yay, the furniture showed up...but it needed to be assembled. So we waited... Finally around noon or 1:00 we were given the "all clear" to start carting things across the street. And by carting I mean carting. We had a dolly that we could load up with a few boxes, then we had to wheel the dangerous vehicle across the parking lots and streets. Eventually, after about six or seven trips back and forth, we had all of our belongings in our offices. I'm in a cubicle for now, but that's fine since I'm leaving soon. After a little more time, the IT department came to set up our computers and phones. Although, my computer and phone are still sitting in my old, now lonely and empty, office. I couldn't work on the network, I couldn't check e-mail, I couldn't make phone calls. Basically I got nothing accomplished today. It is starting to stress me out because I still have so much to do. Oh well. I suppose all I can do is make the most of what I have right now. I'll just have to hand over whatever I can't finish. It won't be my problem for long.

Tonight's plans are to open a good bottle of beer and start working on my "exit interview" paperwork. Maybe not a good combination of tasks, but it will be a fun combination...

One Down, Four to Go

I'm getting closer and closer to my last day at my current job. Part of me is starting to panic only because there is still a lot of work I need to do before I leave. I was tempted to bring work home with me this weekend, but a wise friend advised against it. As she said, they have good people there who are capable enough to take things over, so why should I kill myself over anything. All I need to do is to get things in decent order for a smooth transition. The other part of me is excited because I'm ready for all of this to end, and I'm ready to start something new. I did find myself, though, feeling exhausted this afternoon. I wish I could have taken a week off between jobs. But there is only so much you can do when you have a lot of work to do at one job and when the new place needs you so badly. The hamster wheel keeps turning, but that's okay. That is why I tend to sleep in so late on the weekends.

As part of my Great Exit, I'll have to go through my exit interview later this week. Exit interviews are always a strange balancing act. On the one hand you want to be honest, but on the other hand you don't want to be so honest that the company retaliates against you or your coworkers. I don't think that will happen where I work now, but it is something you have to think about nonetheless. I just need to remind myself to be diplomatic and political in my honesty. Anyone who knows me knows that when I start to get honest, I can really get honest and I don't hold back. I often think that my life will end like Cicero's with someone stabbing a hairpin through my tongue for all of the things I've said. ...That's a morbid thought... Anyway, in my exit interview, I just need to toe the line of being honest yet diplomatic. We'll see what happens, but, on the bright side, I doubt that it will have the same Mount Vesuvius effect as when I left my last job. Really, it takes a special touch to leave that kind of destruction.

Almost One More Week

Here I am, eating a salad (yes, a salad!), and I thought I would drop a little post here. I have just about one more week to go at my current job before I start a new one. Naturally things are busy because I'm trying to get everything in order before I leave. I'm either trying to wrap up projects or put them in a place where they will be easy to take over. Things will get difficult next week because there is a massive office rotation going on in our suite. While some people are moving down the hallway, for some reason our department will be moving to an entirely different building across the street. It will be somewhat isolating (for those who aren't leaving), but we (the royal "we") have absolutely no choice in the matter. No one ever asked us if we wanted to move there. One morning we were simply told that we would be moving. If I weren't leaving, I'd be pretty upset, because right now I have a really nice office with a great view. Oh well. This won't be my problem for long. But, needless to say, this will cause a huge disruption especially for me since I have so much to do.

There is also a growing sense of panic at work as it is starting to sink in that I won't be around anymore. There are a lot of people in the office who tend to go to me when they need answers to their questions or when they need help with a project. Now everyone is wondering what they are going to do when I leave. There are some wonderful and intelligent and capable people in our department, so I'm sure that everyone else is in good hands. I suppose they've just developed a certain comfort level with me. People are also saying that they are going to "miss my smiling face." In spite of the fact that I often feel moody, neurotic, and marginally bipolar, I never really let it show. I guess I have a way of seeing humor in even the most difficult situations. Sometimes you just have to laugh, and I suppose that makes people feel better. I suppose I can feel flattered by all of this.

Wish I Had My Camera

Earlier I was doing some shopping in an area where there happens to be an Arby's restaurant. When I was leaving, I glanced over and noticed that a truck towing a horse trailer pulled into the parking lot behind Arby's. Fortunately the horse was still in the trailer, otherwise you might start to wonder.

New Days

Today is a beautiful day. For one, the weather is just gorgeous. And, two, I found out that I will be starting a new job next month! My big "appointment" earlier this week was actually a job interview at a local publisher. The interview went really well, so well, in fact, that on Friday they offered me the job. I think that I had an edge because I already worked with two of the people who are currently there. And I have a few "references" who were nice enough and able to find something good to say about me. I am going to give my official notice at my current company on Monday, and my first day at my new place will be April 2. I'm extremely thrilled and excited to start something new. It should be a wonderful new step and direction in my career! Yay!

Denuone Latine Loquebar?

Being an editor and a Classicist, you would think that I have a fairly good understanding of words. Several times this week at work I have overheard many lengthy and seemingly confused discussions about language. One day in one office: "what is the difference between affect and effect? Is one a verb and one a noun? How are they different and which one should I use?" Another day in another office: "what is the singular of alumni? Is it alumnus? But isn't that masculine? What is the feminine? But what if you want the feminine plural? Should we just say alums?" The same alumnus/alumna conversation happened again this afternoon. For some reason all of these conversations took place in the hallways or offices around me, yet no one asked for my humble opinion. Umm, hello... here I am... I'm an editor, I'm pretty good with words, I can tell you the difference between affect and effect. And I studied Latin...I can give you the full declensions of alumnus and alumna... Oh well. Never mind.

Current mood: annoyed
Current music: more random songs from the playlist. Currently Tori Amos "Hey Jupiter (Dakota Remix)"
Current drink: Fat Tire

Editing and Conspiracy

Editing: Yes, I'm an editor. And I love reading my blog posts a few days after I post them. There is nothing more special than my own typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. I'm smarter and better than this sometimes. But when you type fast while under the influence of something (nothing illegal), an error slips through every now and then. Oh well. And don't ask me why I have a tendency to slip into the British spelling of certain words. I tend to blame it on my Greek studies. I blame everything on my Greek studies. Since a lot of early Greek scholarship was written by the Brits, I'm so used to seeing the British spelling of words that I hardly notice it.

Conspiracy: I think that the writer in me often leads me into wild daydreams and wild stories. I think that I often live in some kind of twilight zone, because in my mind I'm often creating alternate versions of my daily life. A boring and mundane day at work makes me want to create something more exciting. When being an editor at a nonprofit legal organization isn't exciting enough, let's believe that there is some secret agenda and that people are out to get me. Or, more fascinating, let's pretend that there is a dark secret to our company--like, maybe the great company secret is that we are really selling body parts and kidneys and other organs on the black market. That would actually make a great short story or novel...

Many thanks to my beautiful friend who pointed out my quirky conspiracy theory nature. :)

Current mood: twilight zone
Current music: more songs from my music library, currently Tori Amos "Cruel"
Current drink: Fat Tire beer

Changes

Tomorrow I have a special "appointment" that could potentially change things in the next few weeks. Then again, maybe it will not change things, but I'm honestly hoping that it does. I'm sure there will be more on this later.

More ambiguity to leave inquiring minds wondering...

Could It Be Spring?

Today was quite a wonderful day. It was sunny and clear, and temperatures reached the mid-60s. There is a slight chance that this could be the beginning of spring. Then again, this is Colorado, and we could have a blizzard dump five feet of snow on us tomorrow. Either way, I enjoyed the beautiful weather today. It is wonderful to drive with the windows down again. I accomplished quite a bit today--had my car washed, did the grocery shopping for the week, did the laundry, and attended to other "business" matters. Tomorrow I will have my second "performance review" with both the old boss and the new, incoming boss. I have to update and revise my self-evaluation. Perhaps I can include as one of my goals, "to win back the office I am about to lose due to one person's desire to have the corner office." Maybe that is the wine talking.

Current mood: productive
Current music: various tunes from my iTunes library. Currently Tori Amos "Amber Waves" from Scarlet's Walk
Current drink: Blackstone 2004 Napa Valley Merlot

Friday

It is amazing how a night of good beer and good fun with two wonderful and beautiful friends can make the stress and frustration of a busy workweek go away in an instant.

I love them!

The Corner Office

Our society has a strange obsession with status, seniority, titles, tenure, or whatever it might be called where you are at. Some companies freely dish out titles like Manager or Director, and with that comes the obsession for the ultimate status symbol, the corner office with a view. When one person quits, those in high rank hover around the office like vultures ready to feed on a bloody carcass. Who cares about causing an inconvenience in the lives of ten other people when you can have the office with the view. Who are we really? Does any official title really mean anything outside the world of the tiny individual company? Does anyone really care what we do or who we know? How does that damn office with a view make anyone in the world better or more important than anyone else? As far as I am concerned, respect is earned by the work you do and how you behave. Respect is not earned by where you sit or how big your windows are or what view you have. Therefore, in my mind, respect is lost in the mindless, senseless, petty, and egotistical pursuit of these things. You can have your office. I have respect. Who is the real winner?

The Things You Learn

Proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Here are some random things I learned today. And you'd think that at my old age, I'd already know everything I need to know!

Apparently a peanut is technically not a nut. It is a legume. This is why I watch Food Network and Alton Brown.

While working on an index for my freelance project, I learned that beta decay is a type of radioactive decay. Really? My knowledge of science is questionable, though. When I took science in college, I took a geology class. I'll take rocks, earthquakes, and volcanoes (from a distance) any day. No chemistry--the thought of explosions, acid, and scalding burns scare me. And I never liked the stale scent of formaldehyde (thank God for spellcheck) in a biology class. In college I also took a physical anthropology class. But give me something old and dead and I'm happy. Hence my love of Classics.

And here is something I already knew, but I thought I would share it with the rest of you. This is what I received in my Word of the Day e-mail (with some commentary I added for fun).

According to a story, probably apocryphal, former US Vice President Dan Quayle once said, "I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have is that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people." I don't know why but I can hear Bush saying the same stupid thing.

Latin is a dead language. No people speak it as their everyday language. Really? Sometimes I do...
The area south of the US is called Latin America because most of the people down there speak Spanish or Portuguese, both derived from Latin.

Latin took its name from Latium, a region in ancient Italy. Various dialects of Latin eventually blossomed into the Romance languages: French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish, while Latin itself faded away. IT'S NOT DEAD YET!!!

Fortunately, you don't have to travel to Latin America to use this week's terms from Latin. They have been borrowed into English and are now part of the language.

de novo (day NO-vo) adverb: Anew; from the beginning.

[From Latin de novo (from new).]

There is your lesson for the day...

Beautiful Evening

I had a fairly productive day today. This evening I decided to relax. A few dozen candles, a glass of Cognac, and a Loreena McKennitt concert on PBS. Can it get much better?

Current mood: relaxed
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Fine Champagne Cognac

New Winds

It seems like some winds of change might be blowing in my direction in the next few weeks. I have a lunch date next week with some good friends to talk about things. Let's just say it seems like I am being courted. I'm intentionally being ambiguous because I don't want to expose too much and I don't want to curse myself. I just wanted to share this with my loyal readers...and I know who you are! Well, there are a few out there who I can't pin down.

Meanwhile, I have a busy weekend ahead with cleaning, shopping, and freelance projects. Maybe I'll have some fun too...

Current mood: optimistic
Current music: Dixie Chicks Taking the Long Way
Current drink: coffee