It has officially begun-- well, that's a lie. It began officially about a week ago, when I realized that the date of our departure for our New York/Paris odyssey was just over three weeks away. Officially, it is time to completely freak out about my Big Summer Trip, which marks more than a passport stamp for me.
I am entering the last days of my employment at Current Job, which is just fine with me. For what it's worth, I learned a lot here, and we all know I love to learn. Coming in, I knew that this wouldn't be my career, but I never suspected I would have as much trouble with the structure, expectations, and communication here. Since my previous job had been so structured and choked with bureaucracy, I looked forward to working for a small company, one in which there was "no hierarchy," and one in which everyone worked so closely together. What I found was a bit different, and I will be leaving having made some great personal friendships, but feeling like a big disappointment because I couldn't meet "goals" that had no business even being on my plate. I don't want this to be about work, though-- frankly, not enough exciting bad stuff happens here for it to be a compelling read, and I want you people to be entertained.
So, on to the entertainment! Friends, I am leaving for New York (GP's sister's Big Fat Armenian Wedding) and Paris (GP's parents' and our Big Parisian Non-Honeymoon) in two short weeks. I am losing hair over how excited I am. Have you any suggestions for things I Simply Must Do while I'm there? I have only ever been before on day trips when I was visiting London, so really have only covered going up the Eiffel Tower and walking on the Champs Elysees... Oh, and if you want a postcard, I may be able to arrange that. Just give me your address, and I will try my best to find something appropriately cheesy.
Also entertaining? What I get to do when I get back! This is more nerd-entertaining than actually entertaining, but I will be starting my internship (woo, libraries!) and back at Previous Employer, only this time as an instructor. I will have so many exciting and weird kid stories for you!
Now, if only "two weeks from now" would just hurry up and get here...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
M.I.A.
Really, I have no great excuse for being a terrible, terrible blogger when it comes to new posts this week. I have been completely wiped out this entire week, having had a very fun, very event-filled Memorial Day weekend (the short version: GP's graduation and ensuing luncheon and dinner, trip out to Half Moon Bay, and then some Santa Cruz Mountain wine tasting), and developed this sleep thing where my body likes to wake up around 5:30a rather than a more reasonable time. Blame stress, blame activity, blame earlier sunrises...I am just exhausted. But not too exhausted, it turns out, too do some Friday Fill-Ins!
1. For me, data entry is the opposite of creativity. I was recently reminded of a summer job that I had while home from college one summer, in which I learned that one truly can spend too much time reading gossip blogs-- in between soul-crushingly boring sales data entry. Thanks, though, stepdad, for employing me when no one else was interested in a motivated and organized UCLA sophomore! Seriously, that job, though...
2. Heat, by Bill Buford was the last excellent book I read. The foodie nerd in me relished (ha!) every word of his descriptions of working in various kitchens in NYC and Italy, and made me envious that I may never get to do the same. But at least it's not data entry, right?
3. I like fill-ins because sometimes there is simultaneously too much and too little interesting crap going on in one's life to be able to craft a well-thought-out post.
4. In nature I like looking at the ocean. Luckily, I get to do so fairly often, and am always mesmerized by it, to the point of being completely dazed.
5. Obama should win the US elections. ...but that's an entirely different post. We can still be friends if you disagree, though, I promise. I don't want to shy away from talking politics, but I just don't have the energy right now.
6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was at The Office last night. Yeah, yeah, it was a rerun, but Michael Scott rarely disappoints. Well, actually, that is untrue. But the disappointment is the funny kind, so I am all right with that.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to drinking some wine and watching the rest of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (thanks, dvr!), tomorrow my plans include checking out a new pedicure venue (and potentially the place that I want to do a hair trial before GP's sister's wedding) and Sunday, I want to have the obligatory weekly dinner with my mom and stepdad! (In reality, I may end up skipping it because I have to go to a conference for work in the afternoon...but we'll see)
Have a great weekend, internets! I promise that I'll be more interesting soon...
1. For me, data entry is the opposite of creativity. I was recently reminded of a summer job that I had while home from college one summer, in which I learned that one truly can spend too much time reading gossip blogs-- in between soul-crushingly boring sales data entry. Thanks, though, stepdad, for employing me when no one else was interested in a motivated and organized UCLA sophomore! Seriously, that job, though...
2. Heat, by Bill Buford was the last excellent book I read. The foodie nerd in me relished (ha!) every word of his descriptions of working in various kitchens in NYC and Italy, and made me envious that I may never get to do the same. But at least it's not data entry, right?
3. I like fill-ins because sometimes there is simultaneously too much and too little interesting crap going on in one's life to be able to craft a well-thought-out post.
4. In nature I like looking at the ocean. Luckily, I get to do so fairly often, and am always mesmerized by it, to the point of being completely dazed.
5. Obama should win the US elections. ...but that's an entirely different post. We can still be friends if you disagree, though, I promise. I don't want to shy away from talking politics, but I just don't have the energy right now.
6. The last time I laughed with all my belly was at The Office last night. Yeah, yeah, it was a rerun, but Michael Scott rarely disappoints. Well, actually, that is untrue. But the disappointment is the funny kind, so I am all right with that.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to drinking some wine and watching the rest of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (thanks, dvr!), tomorrow my plans include checking out a new pedicure venue (and potentially the place that I want to do a hair trial before GP's sister's wedding) and Sunday, I want to have the obligatory weekly dinner with my mom and stepdad! (In reality, I may end up skipping it because I have to go to a conference for work in the afternoon...but we'll see)
Have a great weekend, internets! I promise that I'll be more interesting soon...
Monday, May 26, 2008
My favorite kind of Monday
...is one on which I don't have to work. Instead, there may be some wine tasting. Go check out my guest post on Life in Pink if you need a break from all the sunshine and barbecuing. I'll be back tomorrow, with a recap of all the graduation and family activity that has filled my weekend!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Domestic goddess
Because I couldn't be bothered to be PT today, I figured I would earn my Girl Points by whipping up a fantastic dinner that did not consist of hot dogs (my immediate response when GP asked what we had for dinner). Rather, I concocted this, which was my first foray into the world of frying things in my own kitchen. All in all, it was pretty successful-- despite the fact that I got to experience My Very Own First Grease Fire. Yes, friends, olive oil will ignite if you try to tidy up with a paper towel when the burner is still on. I can't say that I recommend it. Oh, and you know there was an apron involved...I have ruined far too many shirts being spattered by wayward pan contents.
This weekend will be mercifully cooking-free, I believe, but more on that later. I am way too busy drinking wine to talk about the laundry-list of things that will be done this weekend.
This weekend will be mercifully cooking-free, I believe, but more on that later. I am way too busy drinking wine to talk about the laundry-list of things that will be done this weekend.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Just keep swimming
This poster hangs on the wall in my office, and serves as a more stylish reminder than, for instance, a "Hang in there!" poster, that I need to keep plugging away at the interminable phone calls and emails that constitute the majority of my job. Now, for instance, I am in a tangle of CC's, unreturned phone calls, and multiple scheduling conflicts, and I want the hell out! Good thing the British Empire is there, encouraging me to maintain the stiff upper lip of my forefathers (well, Granny, at least).
I told my boss last week that I'm going back to school, and that I had been searching for library-related internships so that I can have some experience in the field even before I begin school in the fall. He took it pretty well (maybe there was some degree of relief? At any rate, he knew that what I am doing for him is not something I want to make a career of), and gave me a good reference for the internship woman, who called the day after I broke the news. The reference, along with that of a former boss (who is now a friend), sealed the deal-- I am starting an internship in a special library after we get back from Paris in July! That's not "special" as in "needs to wear a helmet at all times," just "special" as in, "a very specific collection and management system." I am pretty excited, but a bit apprehensive about being in over my head...I hope there's someplace to hang my poster at the internship place.
Monday, May 19, 2008
(Post) Weekend Update
While I can't claim to have been overwhelmingly busy last weekend, I still managed to be occupied enough not to blog. This, then, is what you are left with: bullets! What I managed to do in two days, aside from blog avoidance...
- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!
- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.
- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.
- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.
- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)
- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.
- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.
How was your weekend, internets?
- entertain! Technically this was Friday, but I am including it because I am amazed that I was able to stay up past 10pm. I have been falling into the "in bed by 9:30" routine, which, while not bad in itself, sort of hampers one's social life. Oh, and I made a very popular (what? There were three other people eating it!) avocado mango shrimp salad (even though I ended up using papaya instead-- result of a very boring grocery-store tale). No heat required, and very refreshing. You have to try it!
- finish two library books! I am terrible, generally, at getting through books that I check out before they are (over)due, which is pretty shameful considering I am going to library school in the fall. This time, however, was different! I managed to finish Heat and One Perfect Day, both of which I highly recommend, especially the former, as I am food and cooking-obsessed these days.
- do a Major Apartment Clean-Up! We are not categorically messy people, GP and I, but we tend to have a bit of clutter in key places, including leaving drinking glasses (him) and shoes (me) in our wake as we go about our apartment business. I managed, through the weekend, to tackle the kitchen floor (thanks, Method O-Mop!), vacuuming with out teeny-tiny vacuum cleaner, dual bathroom cleanup, and balcony organization. Since the balcony (re) construction, there has been a ton of debris and whatnot due to further roof construction. It is a regular three-ring circus of construction crap and noise in our complex! If only we could...you know, enjoy it being done.
- get through two loads of laundry! Well...one and a half? We have big dryers, and each load is $1 wash and $1 dry. We are not Rockefeller, you know.
- spend less than $100 at Target! This is a big deal, folks. I finished birthday shopping for my mom, snagged some Jergens Natural Glow for me, and grabbed a full-length mirror so I have nothing holding me back from participating in Mission: Put Together but my own morning indecision and subsequent donning of jeans and a sweater. (Why yes, it is upwards of 80 degrees outside. I am completely insane.)
- was able to watch live television again! So, remember that week where the DirecTV tripod lived in our living room? Yeah, that week ended, and we were able to have it re-erected...only to have the dish knocked out of alignment by a wayward roofer. They said that they "might" be able to pay for the realignment, and I think I "might" kill them if we end up having to pay for something that we did not do (!!!!!). Anyway, the DirecTV contractor showed up a good 90 minutes after the 4-hour window during which he was supposed to arrive had elapsed, but at least he fixed our tv. To celebrate, I went home for lunch today and watched Access Hollywood and felt some of my brain disintegrating.
- hopped back on the Lost bandwagon! GP and I watched "The Shape of Things to Come" last night, and I am conscientiously avoiding spoilers so that he doesn't kill me during any of the ensuing four episodes we have to watch so that we're caught up. While we are obsessed with television, we manage to be obsessed on our own terms.
How was your weekend, internets?
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Officially a wino
Better late than never, right? As you know (or should, at least, because I couldn't shut up about it), we went to Sonoma last weekend for Mother's Day with my mom and stepdad, my brother, and GP's parents. We had been planning a fun weekend full of wine tasting and delicious food, and that is exactly what we got! Oh, and all my worrying about mom competitions? Certainly for naught. I don't think that our parents are going to be forming drum circles or anything, but having them get along for a period longer than, say, a meal (which was the length of their previous exposure to each other), was encouraging.
Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.
Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.
We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.
The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.
Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.
The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.
All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.
Saturday began early, as we wanted to get on the road by 8 in order to make it to our northernmost winery destination by 10, which is when they open. After picking up GP's parents at their hotel, we made our way up the East Bay, past Berkeley and Oakland, and then over the Richmond-San Rafael bridge into the North Bay. As we got closer to the wineries, my brother called and told me that they were two cars behind us, so our planning worked out really well. The first winery we went to was St. Francis, which had a beautiful backyard-type area behind it, as well as a pretty gorgeous main building. Their wines were all right, but the girl who was pouring was basically ignoring us. If you haven't been tasting, you need to know that it isn't like going to a bar; of course, you are drinking, and have the potential to be quite smashed by about noon, but the people pouring are supposed to interact with you, as it is their job to make you want to buy the wine.
Winery number two was the polar opposite, though. We got there right at the time that they were beginning their cave tour, so we got to see the caves where they keep their barrels, which are really cool. It didn't hurt that it had started to heat up and the caves were at least 10 degrees cooler than outside. Going into their tasting room, we noticed that they had a specific area for a VIP-style tasting, and being the snobs (and cheese enthusiasts!) that we are, we seated ourselves on their classy leather sofas and sipped our four tastes (for a fairly-steep $20, but come on! There was cheese involved!). This was when the buying started, too. When GP and I go tasting in Napa, we might come home with half a case or so, total, of wines that we tried and liked. When we go to Amador County wine events, we might bring home a bit more than a case, because it is cheaper there (but still good wine!). When we were there this weekend, we came away with three cases of wine. I blame the parents-- my parents are huuuuge wine collectors (we're talking hundreds of bottles here, multiple winery memberships), and his parents are members of a couple Sonoma wineries, even though they live in New York.
We stopped at a cute Italian deli/cafe place for something to soak up all the wine we'd consumed (we are not apt to pour anything out unless it is pretty gross), and then headed off to another winery, where I got to hang out with the Official Winery Dog while we tasted. Being the smart animal that he is, he had decided to take a nap on the cool, tiled tasting room floor to escape the heat...right on one of my feet. Thanks, dog.
The families split after this, because my parents wanted to visit just one more place and then go to the hotel to rest before dinner, so GP and I and his parents headed, ambitiously, to three more places.
Pretty exhausted, we tucked into dinner at a place I had been eager to try, and made the (totally too-long) drive back to our hotel, where I am proud to say I passed out before 9pm. It had been a loooooong day.
The next morning, after having presented both moms with presents and spending some time hanging out at the hotel bar for mimosas and Bloody Marys, we made our way to , where GP's parents are members. We skipped the tour, having chosen some morning drinking instead, but got there in time to sample some Blanc de Noirs before we were seated for brunch. The brunch was surprising-- I had expected maybe a buffet or a range of options, but we all ended up with the same salad with bay shrimp, lamb, and fresh fruit trifle (no beef sauteed with peas and onions, sorry!). Other than the lamb being so rare it was near-bleating (woo, homonyms! Get it?), everything was very delicious. After our meal, we sat outside and tasted while enjoying a great view of the entire valley.
All in all, a successful weekend. Carrying the wine from the car to the apartment was a bit of a pain, but I'm pretty certain we won't need to buy anything until we go back to Amador for their Fall Crush event. The only problem now is that we have all these nice wines and only a couple "occasions" coming up... I'm sure we'll manage, though.
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