The rest of my first week waking up with the roosters and "morning" people.
Morning Two:
5:00- Warning "snooze" alarm goes off. To which the banker swears I yell "No! Longer!"
5:30- Alarm goes off. I bounce out of bed and straight into a jarring ice cold shower to wake up. Thunder rattles and and rain pours down.
5:50-Downstairs, and even have time to make a healthy and yummy breakfast smoothie.
6:00-Starting to feel drowsy. Ride down, I chatter nonsensically to stay awake.
6:16- Seek shelter at Starbucks, avoid chatter from over friendly guy in suit. Mentioning the banker stops the conversation very effectively.
Morning Three:
5:30- Stick leg out and keep it hovering over the bed. The banker disappears downstairs.
5:45- Wake back up to the sounds of NPR. Proceed to literally roll out of bed and get ready.
6:00- The banker comments that I am being particularly grumpy on the ride down. Even mentions that I don't have to wake up and carpool. I keep my mouth shut.
6:16- Get downtown and sleep for an hour locked in the banker's truck.
Morning Four:
Pretty similar to morning one, but I wake up late and have to forgo making breakfast at home. I sit at my favorite diner, Ernie's eating eggs and reading. I realize just how much more time I have to read and write, now that I am up early. I sit outside on a bench for my remaining wait, and realize just how wonderful it is to start a day of work as such.
Morning Five:
Waking up seems easier today, though it is raining again. Once downtown I jump over the river of rainwater that has grown on the sidewalk and hustle inside Starbucks to enjoy a morning smoothie, Emerson, and a cranberry orange scone. Talkative suit guy comes in but orders his coffee to go, thankfully.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I Now Know What A Sun Rise Looks Like
Okay, so I exaggerate. I have seen sunrises before. Granted it's usually grumpily, and reluctantly. But with the new job, I now have to drive to work. But excitingly the banker and I work within five minutes of each other. So to save gas we carpool. Which sounds like a great idea, but I am a night person and he is a morning person. He likes to get up and go to the gym. My inner Scrooge gets the better of me and as much as I love sleep, I love saving even more.
The first morning:
5:30- NPR clicks on with the morning news. The Banker promptly gets up and begins getting ready. I roll on my stomach, slide a foot tentatively down to the ground.
5:33- The banker goes downstairs, leaving the damn radio on. I cover head with pillow and poke toes of other foot out from under the covers.
5:35- NPR Jingle blars, alarm clock is too far away from the bed for me to slam off. I slide lower half of my body out of the bed and kneel. This allows my upper half to remain snugly under covers.
5:37- The banker is back upstairs, and in an effort to show I am a good sport, I jump up and bound into a nice shower.
I have to admit, I was at a loss as to what to do downtown while he was at his gym. But walked around and scored a just pulled out of the fryer toffee donut from Bleu for $0.89!
The first morning:
5:30- NPR clicks on with the morning news. The Banker promptly gets up and begins getting ready. I roll on my stomach, slide a foot tentatively down to the ground.
5:33- The banker goes downstairs, leaving the damn radio on. I cover head with pillow and poke toes of other foot out from under the covers.
5:35- NPR Jingle blars, alarm clock is too far away from the bed for me to slam off. I slide lower half of my body out of the bed and kneel. This allows my upper half to remain snugly under covers.
5:37- The banker is back upstairs, and in an effort to show I am a good sport, I jump up and bound into a nice shower.
I have to admit, I was at a loss as to what to do downtown while he was at his gym. But walked around and scored a just pulled out of the fryer toffee donut from Bleu for $0.89!
Moving on and Moving in
So this past month and a half has been filled with a lot of changes. Funnily enough, I wrote down in my journal back in the spring that I knew that something big would be happening. Turns out, that was going from full time to part time at my marketing job. Then events took a turn for the worse when my company downsized me. Luckily I was able to find another job exactly a week later.
I have to say that I am endlessly thankful, even though I went on a emotional and perceived financial roller coaster. The position I had, did have some advantages...but ultimately it wasn't worth the stress. The poor banker had to deal with me coming home practically in tears for months because I was so frustrated. The lack of training and type of communication were very difficult for me. Besides, being stuck in an office basically by myself was horrible! I interacted with others on the phone and email, but I didn't SEE anyone. I hated that. Especially when I couldn't even send a personal email during the work day. I was not made to be locked in a house all day, even if it wasn't mine.
Now I have a job that is taking the time to make sure I thoroughly understand how to do my job. It also helps that it has also been defined, with clear expectations and a plan for growth. I now work in an office full of outgoing, consistent people. I am sure that there will be personality clashes, but everyone works hard and with a great attitude. Plus, the product I sell fits perfectly with my best OCD cleaning dreams. The benefits package alone makes the change worthwhile. Besides I got a raise. The banker was right when he told me that everything would work out, I just had to work at it. He also said that he likes seeing me happy again. I am no longer paranoid, frustrated, and depressed. -which is good, considering I have offically moved in. I was basically paying expensive storage before, might as well contribute to the household that I actually stay in.
I have to say that I am endlessly thankful, even though I went on a emotional and perceived financial roller coaster. The position I had, did have some advantages...but ultimately it wasn't worth the stress. The poor banker had to deal with me coming home practically in tears for months because I was so frustrated. The lack of training and type of communication were very difficult for me. Besides, being stuck in an office basically by myself was horrible! I interacted with others on the phone and email, but I didn't SEE anyone. I hated that. Especially when I couldn't even send a personal email during the work day. I was not made to be locked in a house all day, even if it wasn't mine.
Now I have a job that is taking the time to make sure I thoroughly understand how to do my job. It also helps that it has also been defined, with clear expectations and a plan for growth. I now work in an office full of outgoing, consistent people. I am sure that there will be personality clashes, but everyone works hard and with a great attitude. Plus, the product I sell fits perfectly with my best OCD cleaning dreams. The benefits package alone makes the change worthwhile. Besides I got a raise. The banker was right when he told me that everything would work out, I just had to work at it. He also said that he likes seeing me happy again. I am no longer paranoid, frustrated, and depressed. -which is good, considering I have offically moved in. I was basically paying expensive storage before, might as well contribute to the household that I actually stay in.
Airing My Dirty Laundry in Public
So lately in an effort to cut costs, we have been getting pretty creative. We have only turned on the air conditioner once this summer so far. We have even gone so far as to make a makeshift laundry line using some rope. It cuts our energy costs to avoid the dryer. It also helps cut down on the amount of heat we create in the house. While cooking, I try to use other methods of cooking other than the oven. This again helps us keep the created heat down.
To be honest, I wouldn't survive without the attic fan and the ceiling fan though! This year, the weather has also been pretty mild. I don't think we have hit triple digits pre-humidity yet.
We still are looking for further ways to penny pinch, and cut corners.
To be honest, I wouldn't survive without the attic fan and the ceiling fan though! This year, the weather has also been pretty mild. I don't think we have hit triple digits pre-humidity yet.
We still are looking for further ways to penny pinch, and cut corners.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Working on something new...
Here is a short scene:
She needs to pick up a few things at the grocery. Just a few things, no need to write a list. "Eggs and wine." Who buys just eggs and wine, or wine and eggs? She picks up her step as she rounds around a big suburban whose driver only at last minute decided yield on the cross walk. She adverts eye contact immediately as the man rolls down his window and calls out a "hello beautiful." The blast of cold air created an obvious transition between the muggy heat of the day to the artificially lit air conditioned store. Of course she entered on the wrong side of the store, thereby guaranteeing that she would have to walk the entire width to get her eggs and wine. She considers grabbing a few other items to change appearances. But then she wonders who she is keeping up appearances for. Its just the two of them, and she knows the teenagers at the check out really cares. She doubts anyone could suspect her of making meals of hard boiled eggs and a glass of vino in the morning.
When walking through the fresh produce, the smell of the nectarines on display grab her attention. Immediately she begins craving that first bite of the flowery and juicy yellow flesh. Summer reminders of reading in the garden and licking the nectarine juice as it runs down her arms. When walking towards the display, a man in chinos and a tie falls in step beside her. They reach the crates of fruit together, and he works to catch her eye. He keeps asking advice on how to detect the best picks. Again she quickly turns, grabbing a two nectarines and shrugging. Before she can get the bag tied closed, she is already an aisle away. She is careful to avoid overly smiling men.
Beer and eggs, or was it eggs and orange juice. No, wine and eggs. She nods her head in time to her new mantra: wine and eggs. She delicately places a dozen eggs in her basket. Carefully she makes her way through aisles filled with family. Her mantra is interrupted each time she stops to smile and wave at children clutching mother's legs, squealing in carts, throwing a tantrum, or grabbing sugar packed cereal and placing it in the cart while their mothers consult boxes of organic vegan rolled oats.
Wine and eggs, that is her life. She has time to create elaborate dinners involving exotic ingredients. She also has the time to spend an hour online researching the perfect wine to go with her two hour to prepare meal. She should be happy, and she is. Her thoughts are stopped there as she passes a display of pasta. The wine would make a great sauce, and she would only drink a glass of it tonight. He won't drink any. In fact the bottle will probably sit in the fridge for a week. She is so careful to control her drinking this year. After placing a box of rigatoni in the basket, she instantly regrets it. She should have brought a list because now her mind can't recall what she came for. She passes the liquor section on her way to the check out. Wine! She turns quickly, much to the surprise of the woman behind her. She walks the aisles past the reds, and the chardonnays. As she strolls the aisle, a man joins her. She stands in front of a shelf and is about to grab the last bottle of a moderately priced bottle when with a quick "excuse me" the man reaches around her and grabs it. Astounded, she grabs another bottle and quickly goes through the check out aisle.
Not Done Yet.
She needs to pick up a few things at the grocery. Just a few things, no need to write a list. "Eggs and wine." Who buys just eggs and wine, or wine and eggs? She picks up her step as she rounds around a big suburban whose driver only at last minute decided yield on the cross walk. She adverts eye contact immediately as the man rolls down his window and calls out a "hello beautiful." The blast of cold air created an obvious transition between the muggy heat of the day to the artificially lit air conditioned store. Of course she entered on the wrong side of the store, thereby guaranteeing that she would have to walk the entire width to get her eggs and wine. She considers grabbing a few other items to change appearances. But then she wonders who she is keeping up appearances for. Its just the two of them, and she knows the teenagers at the check out really cares. She doubts anyone could suspect her of making meals of hard boiled eggs and a glass of vino in the morning.
When walking through the fresh produce, the smell of the nectarines on display grab her attention. Immediately she begins craving that first bite of the flowery and juicy yellow flesh. Summer reminders of reading in the garden and licking the nectarine juice as it runs down her arms. When walking towards the display, a man in chinos and a tie falls in step beside her. They reach the crates of fruit together, and he works to catch her eye. He keeps asking advice on how to detect the best picks. Again she quickly turns, grabbing a two nectarines and shrugging. Before she can get the bag tied closed, she is already an aisle away. She is careful to avoid overly smiling men.
Beer and eggs, or was it eggs and orange juice. No, wine and eggs. She nods her head in time to her new mantra: wine and eggs. She delicately places a dozen eggs in her basket. Carefully she makes her way through aisles filled with family. Her mantra is interrupted each time she stops to smile and wave at children clutching mother's legs, squealing in carts, throwing a tantrum, or grabbing sugar packed cereal and placing it in the cart while their mothers consult boxes of organic vegan rolled oats.
Wine and eggs, that is her life. She has time to create elaborate dinners involving exotic ingredients. She also has the time to spend an hour online researching the perfect wine to go with her two hour to prepare meal. She should be happy, and she is. Her thoughts are stopped there as she passes a display of pasta. The wine would make a great sauce, and she would only drink a glass of it tonight. He won't drink any. In fact the bottle will probably sit in the fridge for a week. She is so careful to control her drinking this year. After placing a box of rigatoni in the basket, she instantly regrets it. She should have brought a list because now her mind can't recall what she came for. She passes the liquor section on her way to the check out. Wine! She turns quickly, much to the surprise of the woman behind her. She walks the aisles past the reds, and the chardonnays. As she strolls the aisle, a man joins her. She stands in front of a shelf and is about to grab the last bottle of a moderately priced bottle when with a quick "excuse me" the man reaches around her and grabs it. Astounded, she grabs another bottle and quickly goes through the check out aisle.
Not Done Yet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
