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Our Second First Friday

Song Lyric of the Day:

Oh baby when you talk like that / You make a woman go mad / So be wise and keep on / Reading the signs of my body

Shakira / “Hips Don’t Lie”

2:56PM.
Well, tonight’s a big night for us–Rich’s second art show at Three Flights Up Gallery. I hope as many locals can come out as possible; the weather is nasty, but hopefully people will brave the rain. Support our local art scene! In particular, support my husband!

Once I leave work I’ll head home to feed and walk the dogs, then head out to the gallery. I’m hoping to be there no later than 6:15ish or so. Hope to see you there!

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My TV Has Landed

Song Lyric of the Day:

You were my sun / You were my earth

Justin Timberlake / “Cry Me a River”

12:42PM.
Sweet! I just ran to Wendy’s to grab lunch, got back to my cube, and TADA! My TV is here. Now I can start catching up on my 24 DVDs over lunch–the TV has a VHS and a DVD player. How cool is that? Talk about a happy work environment. Well, talk about my happy work environment.

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Distractions

Song Lyric of the Day:

I’m worth a million in prizes

Iggy Pop / “Lust for Life”

12:55PM.
I got distracted last night and didn’t get around to updating. That, in addition to my laptop once again being on the fritz, sealed the deal. So I caught up on burning more season four episodes of Without a Trace to DVD and clearing them off Tivo. I was multitasking at the time, balancing our checkbook and budgeting while editing out commercials. My administrative assistants, Snoops and Caleb, also kept me company and provided entertainment. Those two really do have their playfights and wrestling down to a science.

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Decorating the Cube

Song Lyric of the Day:

Now I’m lookin’ at a flashback Sunday / Zoom lens feelings just won’t disappear

J. Geils Band / “Freeze Frame”

12:37PM.
I brought my Darth Tater to work. In organizing the wasteland that is master bedroom fireplace and mantle, I came to the realization that Mr. Tater does not quite fit in with the romantic motif I’d like our bedroom to have someday (after painting, new lighting, etc.). So Darth is now sitting on a shelf next to my Halloween 20th anniversary snowglobe. Which are sitting near a couple of my framed black and white photos. (I brought in a few things to further personalize my cube.) Obviously, work is going very well. I’m really enjoying the work I’m doing, which is something I hadn’t experienced in a few years. I highly recommend it.

I had a busy weekend, which I’ll have to write about later since I don’t want to take up my whole lunch break blogging.

I will, however, leave you with a few of the things I learned at work last week:

  • there’s a magazine devoted solely to drywall
  • the very idea of wall-mounted toilets scares me
  • my mom is peeved that she can no longer enter HGTV contestslearning website applications is a blast
  • I now want to spend every cent I earn on household goods, products, and remodelling projects

12:54PM.
I forgot to mention that Rich‘s next art show is this Friday, May 5, at Three Flights Up Gallery. So if you’re local, join us at this month’s First Friday. His work will be on display until Saturday, May 13. Just think, if there’s some artwork you’ve admired on his site, this could be your chance to own it.
Support our local art community!

11:13PM.

So tired…I did a whole lot of nothing tonight. Came home, made dinner, watched Prison Break, showered, watched CSI: Miami. And now here I am.

I’ll be in new employee orientation all day tomorrow, so I’ll be at the big building (I work at the annex). At least my cube is now decorated with some of my black and white photography, my signed going-away photo from my last job, two calendars (since I got four for Christmas), and the above-mentioned movie memorabilia, including the Jaws replica poster Vanessa and Ken gave me.

Hopefully I’ll get home a bit earlier tomorrow so I can write a bit more. In the meantime, here’s a weekend whirlwind recap: datenightMexicanrestaurantSilentHillBravoItalianshoppingwithCurrynewunderwearwrong
petfoodTVonthefritz.

It is so past my bedtime…

.

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Touring the Country (Bus)

Song Lyric of the Day:

Tell me that it’s fate driving me insane / Tell me it’s the real thing / That keeps me hangin on

Bo Bice / “The Real Thing”

11:06AM.
We’re getting a nice treat today at work–we get to tour the Great American Country tour bus; it’s stopping by before it takes off on a 40-state, 20,000-mile journey. Lucky me, I just so happen to have my camera here with me today, so I’ll definitely take pictures. I brought my camera in to show our gardening experts all the flora sprouting up around the house and get some of the plants identified (since Rich and I are somewhat clueless).

Rich suggested we see a movie tonight. I’m lobbying for Silent Hill. You know, so I can scare myself silly.

1:02PM.
Hahahahaha. Crime isn’t paying after all for a certain thieving young author. Vindication for legitimate, original, creative authors everywhere.

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Look at Me, I’m Pattie Lee

Song Lyric of the Day:

Just too wrapped up in / Your own emotion / Your vanity will always be / Your greatest thing….

Soup Dragons / “Divine Thing”

1:51PM.
I’m enjoying my lunch break right now, checking out the news and reading No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark.

While reading the news, I came across a story I’d heard about a few days ago, about a no-longer-up-and-coming young novelist who plagiarized another author’s work. Maybe that’s what we should all do, just rip each other off and make money in the process. It’s certainly easier than being creative and working, right? And, after all, the thieving author’s “talent” landed her a half-million dollar publishing deal. See, crime really does pay.

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You Really Haven’t Lived Life Yet If You Ain’t Got No Regrets

Song Lyric of the Day:

‘Cause she’s so high… / High above me, she’s so lovely /She’s so high… /Like Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, or Aphrodite

Tal Bachman / “She’s So High”

10:49PM.
I’ve entered a really great new chapter in my life. I like to think I’ve worked hard to get to this point in my life, that I’ve paid my dues, but I have to wonder if certain things in my life had been different–if I’d made different decisions–would I still be at the same place I’m at today?

I remember when I first followed the money and ended up working in a place that, by the end of my time working there, made me physically sick every time I walked in the door each morning. If I hadn’t worked there, would I have ended up at my next company when I did, with a job I truly enjoyed, and–particularly important after the environment I had just left–working with people I truly liked? Since then, I’ve never followed the money again. While making a good salary is nothing to sneeze at, it should never be the sole criteria in determining whether or not you take a job. Trust me, I speak from experience.

What other things in life do I regret? I regret never learning to speak Spanish well enough to communicate with my paternal grandmother on my own. I regret not having been more social in high school and throughout college, although I don’t think I could have forced myself out of my shell at that time in my life; I’m a vastly different person now. I regret not having been a better student. I regret not being able to be here for my family when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Fret not, though. I also regret really trivial things. Like not sprinting across the street when I was 99% certain I was looking at Keanu Reeves, sitting on a motorcycle outside a New York City comic book store. I regret not having dated more in high school and college. I regret never getting that pet hampster I lobbied so hard for as a child. I regret not watching Felicity until near the end of the show’s run. But would I change anything? I don’t think so. Our experiences shape who we are, for better or for worse.

What do you regret having done or not having done? Would you have done things differently?

I’m ecstatic that I can honestly say I love my life, I love where I am in my life, both personally and professionally, and I can only hope my decisions today lead me to an even better place in the future.

11:35PM.
I forgot to say that my Aunt Bea rocks. She finally left a comment the other day, which made my day. God willing, I’ll be seeing her and my cousin, Rocky, soon–I’m flying up to New York City at the end of May for Bea’s wedding. Can’t wait!

Blog title comes from the Von Bondies song “No Regrets.”

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Back in the Civilian World

Song Lyric of the Day:

Don’t call it a comeback / I been here for years / Rockin’ my peers and puttin’ suckas in fear / Makin’ the tears rain down like a monsoon

LL Cool J / “Mama Said Knock You Out”

9:27PM.
I’m not feeling too well right now (sinus-related migraine), but I just wanted to say that my first day of work at HGTV went really well. Granted, my TV turned out to be broken (a new one is on the way), but everyone’s really nice, my cube is nice and will be decorated soon, and I am looking forward to diving into the wonderful world of
coppy edeting
copee editting
work.

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Excitedly Nervous / Nervously Excited

Song Lyric of the Day:

I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now

The Verve / “Bittersweet Symphony”

10:04PM.
Well, tomorrow is my first day of work at HGTV. I’m nervous, which is my norm, but it’s not a bad kind of nervous. It’s a happy nervous.

Wish me luck.

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Justly Underrated

Song Lyric of the Day:

You took a white orchid / You took a white orchid turned it blue

The White Stripes / “Blue Orchid”

10:11AM.
It’s storming here again today. Seriously storming. My poor dogs are a mess. Suddenly, they’ve found reservoir bladders that can hold all the pee they haven’t let out since approximately 11PM last night.

I’m going to spend my last standard Friday off by having lunch with Mom and Samantha. Then I’m going to peruse my usual haunt, McKay’s, and my soon-to-be-usual haunt, Hargreaves (everything’s discounted, and they have ALL the Ramona Quimby books!), until my allergist appointment at 2:30PM.

Yesterday, I had what can only be described as the best possible sendoff ever for someone who’d only worked with a company for just under two months. (Although it doesn’t beat the sendoff my Hampton, VA, buddies gave me after almost a year there). In addition to a fun dinner at Big Ed’s Pizza (I set a second-best record of 7 1/2 slices) with a couple of coworkers, including Kathy’s family, on Monday night, yesterday my on-site supervisor held a breakfast meeting, complete with bagels and schmear, for everyone to say bye to me. (My officemate, Kathy, also brought delicious chocolate cookies). I received a large, mounted photo of the project site, signed by people going all the way up to upper management. It will soon adorn my HGTV cubicle or office. So that was a great going-away present. I passed the rest of the day already mentally checked out before heading for my exit interview at my company’s nearby office. The HR woman who interviewed me was just as excited about my new job as everyone else I’ve worked with has been. When I said bye to my hiring manager, whom I’ve adored since day one, she said “I want a hug.” You can’t ask for more support than that. As you can see, these are some of the reasons why I’m going to do my best to stay in touch; even though I’ve only just gotten to know these people, I’m going to miss them.

To top things off, during my drive home I received a call from my new boss, who informed me that my phone and TV are waiting for me, soon to be followed by my computer. My work TV is waiting for me! Woohoo! I get to report to work at 9AM Monday morning, and can not wait.

Here’s to the next big chapter in my life…

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