Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Apartments...and more...

Apartments: Today I went to the apartment complex in Gunbarrel to drop off my application. In order to put yourself on a waiting list, you have to turn in an application so that they can do a credit check and background check. I passed the credit check, and the background check came back clean. Apparently they didn't check deep enough into my background! Anyway, now that I'm on a waiting list, the manager of the complex will start calling me once she knows when apartments will be free and available. Since I'm applying so early, I'm hoping that I will have a nice pick of the better apartments. But I also don't plan on moving until July, so I still have a lot of time on my hands.

Work: Things have been quiet and slow at work lately, and I'm enjoying it. It feels nice to be able to take a breather, and it's nice to be able to leave the office at 5:00 for a change! I assume, though, that things will eventually pick up again. But it's nice to have a chance to relax even for a little while.

Bananas: I eat bananas because they are good for me and because I like them. The only problem is that I'm kind of allergic to them. I'm eating one right now, and I'm only halfway through it and it's already starting to affect me. Bananas do strange things to my throat and make my throat itch. I still eat them though. As long as my throat doesn't close up, I figure I'll be fine.

This is a random entry, but this is all I have right now...

Current mood: relaxed
Current music: Tori Amos

Monday, April 28, 2008

Near Death Experiences (not my own) and Strange Sights

Near Death Experiences: This was a fairly quiet weekend where all I did was run some errands, do some shopping, and try to clean my apartment. I was out Sunday driving down 30th Street with nothing but green lights ahead of me. Even though my lights were green, some woman was crossing the street at an intersection up ahead. In Boulder it's not unusual for people to jaywalk or to cross the street against the light if no traffic is coming. Most people, however, follow their mothers' rule that you should look both ways before crossing the street. This particular woman, however, was crossing the street while looking down at her phone. As I got closer to her, it looked like she was text messaging someone. She was fixated on her phone, didn't look up, and didn't notice anything that was going on around her. Naturally, realizing that I potentially had an idiot on my hands, I didn't slow down too much. Hey, someone needs to scare her so that she learns a lesson and doesn't end up being someone else's roadkill! And I'm perfectly content letting that person be me! I didn't really slow down until I got near the intersection, and she finally looked up and saw my little silver car coming toward her like a bullet. She had a "surprised" look on her face when she saw me, then she looked up and realized that she was walking against a red light. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, then scurried across the remaining lanes of the street. I like to assume that she shook her head because she realized how stupid she was. I can only hope. And, don't worry, even though I was coming toward her like a speeding bullet, I definitely would have been able to stop in time. And even if I did run her over (oops), then that would simply have proven Darwin's theory.

Strange Sights: What are you supposed to think when you go to Target and the person in line in front of you is buying nothing but a 24-pack of toilet paper and two cans of air freshener? I don't know, but it certainly makes you think, doesn't it?

Friday, April 25, 2008

Apartment Search

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment to look at an apartment complex in Gunbarrel. I left work early and went straight there. The drive took about 10 minutes (at 3:30 in the afternoon) and it was a little under 4 miles away. And the drive was on a little two lane road through open, grassy, little "country" areas. It was definitely more enjoyable and relaxing than the car-packed, crowded streets through the middle of Boulder.

The woman I met at the complex was very friendly and welcoming. She told me that she broke her tailbone recently and that she wouldn't be able to walk too fast around the complex with me. Then she told me that there was a major water pipe that burst under the complex. The city of Boulder was actually doing some work, and I guess when they turned the water back on, the pressure was too hard and the pipes burst. Or something like that. I was just hoping that it wasn't an omen.

Anyway, she took me on a tour of the place to see a 1 bedroom apartment. We walked through the grounds and things seemed pretty quiet and peaceful. We passed a few people along the way and most of them seemed older (my age or older) and it seemed like there were a few families or couples with very young children. I'm hoping that this is a sign that there aren't too many students in the complex. It's also a dog-friendly complex, so I saw puppies on the balconies and people walking their dogs.

The apartment she showed me was pretty nice. This complex was built in the 1970s, so they are sort of old (like me!), but they are also in the process of renovating things. The 1 bedroom apartment is much larger than what I have now. Right now my apartment is only 500 sq. ft. For some reason I thought it was more than 600. It's not. I measured it. So a 925 sq. ft. apartment would be a nice change. Everything was bigger--bigger living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The unit I looked at was on the second floor and it had a nice balcony. I think I would prefer the second floor with the balcony. The first floor apartments have patios that are enclosed by a fence. They are tall fences so you can't really see over them, and I'd be a little worried that if someone were to try to break in, a tall fence would make a great hiding place. (At least if I were to break into an apartment, I'd use a tall fence as a shield!) But lest my parents get worried, it looked like a very safe complex.

A part of me wishes that the apartments were a little more modern and up-to-date, but it looks like they are working toward that with all of the renovations. But, on the other hand, I would be getting a lot for the price I would be paying if I were to sign a lease at this place. Rent is really going up in Boulder, and there are some places where a studio runs well over $900. In my opinion, a 400 sq. ft. studio apartment shouldn't cost that much.

I took all of the paperwork home with me to think about things before I put my name on a waiting list. Throughout the night, one of my neighbors next to me was screaming at the top of his lungs in his apartment. Then he walked out of his apartment (slamming the door) and started talking to himself and yelling at no one in particular. And then it sounded like the neighbor on the other side of me was continually slamming something into the walls. And trust me, it's not what you might think it is! And she's doing it again, right now, as I type. I really have no idea what she is doing... So these things made me think a little harder about the new apartment complex.

We shall see, as I think about things a little more...

Current mood: glad it's Friday
Current music: Lisa Gerrard (apparently I'm in a Lisa Gerrard phase)
Current drink: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac (obviously I'm always in a Cognac phase...)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

This and That

So far this has been another busy week at work. As I've written in several posts recently, this is one of our busiest months where we have the most and the biggest deadlines. These are times of high stress and long working hours. I was at the office until about 7:00 last night, and I also took some work home with me. Fortunately, though, things are falling into place, and I'm getting all my books to press on time. Some are even early! And, in spite of all the stress I'm going through now, at least I know that in a few months I'll have a bunch of cool new books to add to my shelves. ...except for one book, but I won't talk about that one...

With the excitement and advice of some of my friends, I'm getting more interested and encouraged to look into the other apartment complex I have been looking at. Tomorrow I'm going to make an appointment to take a tour of the place sometime in the next few days so that I can see what the apartments look like from the inside. If I really like it, hopefully I can get an early start on all of the paperwork and planning that goes with moving into a new place. It will be a bigger place, and that will be nice if I want to have more friends over more often. It will be in a quieter place, but still close to Boulder. Actually Gunbarrel is still technically Boulder but it is just a little outside of the "city." I don't know. We'll see what happens, but maybe by July I'll be writing this blog from a new place. Or I'll be drinking wine while sitting out on my little patio or balcony...

I've sort of fallen off my workout routine, because I've been working so late. But next month I'll be able to get back on track. I'll be back to eating better, building muscle, and trying to gain some healthy weight. Other than that, life in general is great. I can't complain too much, because I'm happy and doing well.

Current mood: tired but relaxed
Current music: Lisa Gerrard
Current drink: Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Torn...

I'm torn right now. My lease on my apartment expires at the end of July, and I'm torn on whether I should renew my lease or look for a new place. Right now my apartment is in a good location in the middle of Boulder. It's my little cabin, and it's cute and has a certain charm to it. But it is starting to feel like it is getting to small for me. I'd like a bigger kitchen--one with more than one drawer and just a few cabinets. I'd like more than one closet. I'd like a bigger bathroom. In general I just need more space for all of the stuff (mostly books) that I've accumulated over the years.

I looked online and found what look like good places in Gunbarrel, which is just a few miles northeast of Boulder. One place I'm interested in would be more expensive than what I'm paying now, but it will have more amenities. It would be much bigger, and I'd be going from a 600 500 sq. ft. apartment to one that is about 925 sq. ft. There would be a living room, bedroom, and a dining room. There would be a much bigger kitchen with newer appliances. Some apartments have ceiling fans and fireplaces. And it has walk-in closets! It would still be only 4-5 miles from the office. Etc., etc., etc. It sounds pretty tempting. I don't know. I've only looked at it online, so I'd have to see it in person to make a real decision. Maybe I'll make an appointment this week to check things out...

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Roman Holiday...

I really need to start saving money so that I can take this vacation. Check out the slide show, too.

More about my life (not my dreams) later...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Taxes

I finally did my taxes, and I'm grumpy because of the fact that I owe money this year. But I'm also grumpy for other reasons. I sort of resent giving money to a government that will not grant me some of the same rights and privileges available to other people out there. You can file as single or you can file jointly if you're married. However, marriage is defined as husband and wife, man and woman. I once read that the federal law denies same-sex couples about 1,138 federal rights, benefits, and protections that are available to straight couples. Yet the government doesn't hesitate to take our money. They deny us our rights then take our money away. That's how our government works. I always wonder if there will be a time when I can check that "married" box and if it will be counted and recognized. Sadly, I have little faith in our government and our society to believe that this will ever happen in my lifetime. So I either have to keep hoping...or I have to move to a more accepting and progressive country that recognizes same-sex marriage.

Current mood: bitter
Current music: Lisa Gerrard
Current drink: Ravenswood Napa Valley Zinfandel

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday

This was another busy and exhausting week at work, but it was also a good week. If I can survive the next three weeks, I think I'll be OK. On Monday I have one book going to press. The following Monday, on the 21st, I have another book going to press (or is it two?). Then on the Monday after that, I have two more books going to press (or is it three??). Anyway, there is a lot going to press right now.

Today I also had my one-year review, and it went quite well. Everyone had wonderful and positive things to say about me, so that makes me feel good. I'm always amused when people comment that I approach work and handle things in a very calm manner. I suppose I am relatively calm at work. What people don't know is that I often come home from work stressed out, freaked out, and that I just drown myself in a glass of Cognac. Whatever works, I suppose. Anyway, I'm pleased that the review went well, and I'm even more pleased that it came with a reasonable raise.

Because I did so well on my review, I'm thinking of giving myself a prize. I just don't know what it is yet...

Because I've been so busy at work, the rest of my life has more or less been on hold. I'm behind in my cleaning and laundry, and I STILL need to do my taxes (darn it!). I wish I could be more on top of things and organized like one of my friends who finished her taxes in February! Oh, I can only dream and aspire to be like her... :)

Current mood: tired, but positive
Current music: Lisa Gerrard. The Silver Tree
Current drink: what do you think? Remy Martin VSOP Cognac

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Work? What Work?

Today I was planning on staying at the office a little late. Then I had plans on taking some more work home with me, then maybe work on my taxes, then maybe prepare myself for my review. But at the end of the workday, one of my friends asked me if I wanted to go out to get some drinks or dinner. Even though I have so much work to do, I let it go. I've been working too many long hours these days.

Besides if I had the choice between working overtime and spending the evening having dinner with a good friend, what do you think I'm going to choose? Plus, I'm always a sucker for a beautiful lady...

Monday, April 07, 2008

Tater Tots

Tater tots is a strange post title, I know, but I had tater tots with my dinner tonight, so I have them on my brain. Which leads to the bizarre philosophical (or rhetorical) question of the day. Is there such a thing as a healthy tater tot? They are potatoes, so they can't be too bad. And if they are organic and if bake them instead of fry them, that has to make them healthier, right? I suppose I'm trying to justify eating tater tots tonight. Plus I just like saying tater tots for some reason. Kind of like the word eyeball. For some odd reason I just like saying the word eyeball.

Anyway, as I mentioned in previous posts, things are going to get really busy at work over these next few weeks. Last week was also my one year anniversary. And while there wasn't much fanfare, I do have to go through my annual review this week. My "homework" is to come up with a list of goals for the next year. I have never liked the idea of coming up with goals. My major goals are to make my books as good as they can possibly be and to try to get them to press on time. And the fact that I was promoted five months after starting the job, makes it a little harder to come up with something that I can shoot for. But I suppose I have to come up with something clever that falls outside the normal day-to-day work that I do.

I will say, however, that this review experience will probably be better than the reviews that I had at previous jobs. My first job out of grad school was the worst. Our manager would ask us to write up our job descriptions, you know those things that the company is supposed to give you when you start the job. He mostly wanted us to write up our job descriptions because he had no idea what we did on a daily basis. Then he would ask us to write up a self-evaluation, again, because he had no idea what we did on a daily basis. Then we would have to come up with some goals. My job description, self-evaluation, and goals essentially said "I perform all of the duties and task of my ignorant and incompetent pinheaded manager. Although he continues to get all of the credit and money for the tasks that I perform, I perform them nonetheless in a vain attempt to keep some sense of order and sanity on this sinking ship. My goals for the next year are to try to prevent myself from hurling myself out of my office window and thus not falling into a bloody heap on the parking lot below."

Fortunately I think that the review and self-evaluation at this job will not be so bad. How times have changed...

Current drink: Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel

Sunday, April 06, 2008

This and That Weekend Edition

This weekend has been relatively quiet. I had grand intentions of waking up early on Saturday to run some errands and do some shopping so that I could go on a little hike later in the day. My alarm went off at 8:00, and I turned it off thinking that I would just rest my eyes for another ten or twenty minutes. When I finally opened up my eyes again and looked at the alarm clock it was noon. I guess my body was telling me something...

The week at work was busy again, and I've been putting in more long hours. Unfortunately I have a feeling that things are going to get worse over these next three weeks. Maybe things will calm down in May, but I doubt it will calm down that much. The fact that my body just gave up on Saturday morning was a sign that I needed more rest...or less stress. So rather than go on a hike, I decided to just take it easy on Saturday. My body was too tired and my head was too groggy.

On a bright note, I've been keeping up with my workout routines. I worked out only three days, but I've been trying to pick up the intensity so that I can start working out at least five days a week. My muscles are still sore, but I guess that's a good thing. Now, the only thing I need to do is improve my eating habits. Because things have been so busy at work and because I've been working such late hours, when I get home I'm usually not in the mood to cook. So I've been picking up food on the way home. I try to be healthy when I take food home with me, so I've been getting pasta and salads from Noodles or tacos, beans, and rice from Wahoo's. But I suppose that it would be better (and cheaper) if I cooked my own meals. So I have to either force myself to cook or force myself to leave the office at a reasonable hour! I'm cooking up a nice dinner for myself tonight, so we'll see how long it last this week.

I brought a lot of work home with me this weekend, but so far I haven't touched it. I was also planning on doing my taxes this weekend, but I haven't touched that either. Right now I'm not feeling motivated to do anything that requires work and a lot of thinking...

Current mood: still tired
Current music: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Raising Sand
Current drink: Barq's root beer

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Pain...I'm in Pain...

So, I am on another health kick again. The inspiration for this latest health kick is a friend who recently (on a whim) woke up one morning and decided to run a 7K race in Denver on St. Patrick's Day weekend. Hearing that story and the fact that it was something she randomly decided to do, I was inspired to try to get back into shape and to exercise more. I considered joining a gym or the YMCA or the Recreation Center in Boulder, but it costs over $500 a year to join those places. That amounts to anywhere between $40 and $50 a month. To me, that sounds like a lot of money. Then again, I'm also the type of person who will spend $40 on a good bottle of Cognac, but whatever. So, for now, I've decided to not join a gym or other such establishment, and I've decided to work out at home instead.

I've always liked lifting weights, so that's what I'm doing. I worked out on Sunday, and I'm feeling pretty sore today. Okay, I'm really sore. I'm mostly sore in my legs. My upper body has always been fairly strong and resilient, but my legs have always been the weaker parts of my body. For some reason--probably because I'm my father's daughter and can't "ease" into things--I sort of overdid it. I was doing lunges and squats with weights, and then I got the crazy idea to jump rope between sets because I thought it would be a good to get a little cardio workout between sets. My legs really hurt. Today at work, I wanted to go down to the downstairs kitchen to get some root beer. It sorta hurt to walk down the stairs. With each step I took, it felt like someone was whacking me on my thighs with a baseball bat. I was tempted to take the elevator back up to the second floor but decided not to because that would be sort of pathetic.

Anyway, in a nutshell, I'm in pain, but I rested yesterday and plan on working out again tonight. I have to keep working my muscles if they are going to get stronger, and hopefully the more I work out the less sore I'll get in the future. But, man, I hurt...