Can't a Girl Have a Quiet Evening?

I've been productive today. I did my shopping, a few loads of laundry, some cleaning, and made myself a nice dinner. Since the evening is so beautiful tonight, I just wanted to settle in and have some peace and quiet. I haven't been that lucky so far. For the past few weeks a neighbor has been having what can only be described as a rough time. She has been having several angry and upset phone calls, but for some odd reason she chooses to have these phone calls outside on her cell phone. It might be scientifically proven yet, but obviously there is some gene programmed in human beings that forces us to have cell phone conversations about a hundred decibels louder than what is probably necessary. So, needless to say, these angry and upset cell phone conversations are also quite loud. To make matters worse, these loud, angry, and upset phone calls are also accompanied by loud crying, sobbing, and weeping. I don't know, maybe I'm different from most people, but if I'm ever having "issues" in my life, I'd rather not share it with the entire city of Boulder, but I digress. Tonight, instead of the usual sobbing conversation, my not-so-quiet neighbor was having an angry conversation of a different sort which ran something like this "that girl is such a bitch, if I didn't know that she was a bitch before, I know that she is a bitch now, because she is, like, really a bitch..." I've edited this conversation significantly, because she also threw in some other choice adjectives that I can't repeat, because, well, my Ma might read this. And to make matters worse, and, yes, it does get worse, this gal tends to wander around when she has these conversations and she'll just sit down wherever she pleases. Tonight she happened to chose a spot outside of my apartment right below one of my windows. My first temptation was to walk outside and hit her over the head with a frying pan, but I just did the dishes and didn't want to dirty another pan. So instead I emphatically and angrily slammed my windows closed, which is a shame because it's a beautiful night outside.

I think I'm going to need a glass of Cognac...

Never-ending Road

I'm in a mood tonight. It's not a bad mood. It's a good mood. It's not exactly the gleeful and giddy type of happiness. Mostly it is just content. Calm. Peaceful. Meditative. Maybe it is the atmosphere. It is nighttime now. It has been raining so the air smells wonderful. It is cool but not cold. It is a calm and relaxed feeling. Yet there is also the feeling of deep love and longing. But there is peace and not restlessness. I don't know how else to explain it without getting repetitive. Maybe that is the beauty of it--the fact that it can't really be explained. I've been listening to Loreena McKennitt's "Never-ending Road" and this song captures what I am feeling right now. The lyrics are beautiful and it is even more beautiful when you hear her sing the song. I wish I had the talent to write something this deep.

The road now leads onward ~ As far as can be
Winding lanes ~ And hedgerows in threes
By purple mountains ~ And round every bend
All roads lead to you ~ There is no journey's end

Here is my heart, I give it to you ~ Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple, so few ~ Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands

Deep in the winter ~ Amidst falling snow
High in the air ~ Where the bells they all toll
And now all around me ~ I feel you still here
Such is the journey ~ No mystery to fear

Here is my heart, I give it to you ~ Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple, so few ~ Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands

It now leads onward ~ I know not where
I feel in my heart ~ That you will be there
Whenever a storm comes ~ Whatever our fears
The journey goes on ~ As your love ever nears

Here is my heart, I give it to you ~ Take me with you across this land
These are my dreams, so simple, so few ~ Dreams we hold in the palm of our hands

Spring

White-armed Persephone
Queen of the Dead
Stirs and rises
Ascending from dark-walled Hades
Returning to the light
Joyful tears fill her mother's eyes and fall to the land below
Winter sleeps and Spring is reborn
A gentle breeze, the sweet, musky breath of Spring, stirs new leaves
A cold rain, tears of Demeter, falls and nourishes the thirsty earth
While the earth blossoms
I lie inside, feasting on your lips
Still fresh and sweet and red with wine
I grow drunk and intoxicated
As I lose myself in your flesh
Sweet ambrosia
Succulent nectar
I am one with the gods and goddess on high

So Much for Peace

I was having a beautiful evening. I've been listening to Loreena McKennitt. The lights are off and the candles are lit. I'm drinking a nice Chianti. It is raining so I have the windows open because I love the smell and sound of rain. It is almost perfect. Then what do I hear? The sound of a college student throwing up on the sidewalk. I looked out the window and saw him staggering across the street. Then he threw up again, quite loudly. Sigh...

Twilight Zone

So while having my coffee and breakfast this morning, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across TV Land. For some odd reason this morning, they were showing Basic Instinct. This is a movie that is all about sex, murder, and mystery, and although I have no real objection to sex, murder, and mystery, it is just odd to see it on TV Land. This is the channel that shows things like the Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Star Trek, Green Acres, and I Love Lucy. Maybe I've been living under a rock, and maybe they usually show random movies like Basic Instinct. It's just odd to be watching Basic Instinct and then see a commercial for "coming up next, Bonanza."

Dumb People on the Road

I'm not sure what it is, but there is something wrong with the day today. It seems like everyone is in a coma or walking around with their eyes closed today. During my lunch break, I had to go out to run a few errands. I was coming to an intersection and I had the green light, but there was an ambulance coming, so I stopped because I didn't know where it was going. A woman pulled up behind me and slammed on her horn for what seemed like five or ten seconds. When I looked in my rearview mirror, I could tell that she was cussing up a storm and gesturing. I don't know where she learned to drive, but I was told that you should stop for emergency vehicles when they have their lights and sirens on. Times like that I wish I had a James Bond car so that I could drop an oil slick to make her spin off the road. People, in general, seemed to be driving with only half their brains today. I saw someone nearly run over a motorcycle driver (who wasn't wearing a helmet, of course). Another person tried to make an illegal U-Turn, and since his SUV was bigger than the street, he had to make a three-point turn while traffic waited for him to get out of the way. I was at another intersection and I had another green light, but some guy with a bike decided to cross the street in the path of oncoming traffic. And to make things more interesting, he wasn't riding his bike, he was carrying it. I suppose the bright red hand that you see on street corners doesn't always mean "stop, don't cross." Yes, I wanted to cuss him out considering I was the one who had to slam on my breaks to avoid him, but then the thought crossed my mind that eventually he will get hit by a car, and that is simply natural selection at work. Then again, you have to wonder how so many stupid people managed to live this long...

Maybe tax day is making people angry and stupid. I mailed my taxes today and found great irony in the fact that the check I sent to the IRS happened to be check number 666. It is all too perfect...

Hiking

A friend and I made plans to do dinner tonight, but we wanted to do something beforehand. Initially we considered seeing a movie, but instead we decided to go for a hike this afternoon. Yes, a hike. I went for a hike for the first time in a long time. I'm usually "too busy" with other things like shopping and running errands, so I hardly ever get out to do something fun. We took her two dogs and did a nice hike along the South Boulder Creek and Big Bluestem trails. It was an easy, four or five-mile hike, nothing too strenuous and no major climbs or changes in elevation. It was nice to start out with a gentle hike considering I'm old and not in the shape I was in about three or four years ago. Then again, when I go out for a hike, I go out to enjoy myself and to enjoy the sights. I'm not out to "conquer a mountain" or anything like that. The trails go through lots of meadows and the base of the Flatirons. It was a gorgeous day--not too hot, not too cold, not windy at all. We saw a lot of deer and even a few cows along the way. It was wonderful. I only wish I brought along my camera to take some pictures. But I plan on going back there for another hike, so I'll take my pictures then. All in all, it was a wonderful day.

New Job

Well, I'm sure everyone (my four or five loyal readers) have been wondering about my new job. In a word, it is fabulous. But in another word, it is intense! The first day I was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information that I was taking in. I remember thinking that night, "oh my God, what have I done?!" But, I always feel this way whenever I start something new, so I just had to remember to calm myself down. For the past four days, I've been training all day every day. People have been showing me how to do things, then they watch me do what they just did while they look over my shoulder. Everyone who has been training me has been wonderful. It's always nice to get trained by six people, because then you see each person's individual style and way of doing things. And, naturally, from this I can figure out what works best for me. I currently have only three book projects, but this is a nice, gentle start while I'm still getting my feet wet. It's almost like learning how to ride a bike. You sit on it, you pedal and you pedal while people run along side of you, but you know they are eventually going to let go. That will probably happen next week. But so far so good...

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