Thawed Out

Wow is it really Saturday already? The weeks at work are passing very quickly. That is always a good thing, IMO. When the weeks go slow at work it often means I have not had a lot to do or I was very disorganized and spent time spinning my wheels. The last reason work can pass slowly for me - is I am in the midst of an existential crisis and hating my job. That was happening daily towards the end of my tenure at CMU. The people working in my unit have been great. They come with energy and a desire to do work daily.

The downsides to the job have been minimal - there have been some logistical issues with work flow out side of our unit and thus out of my control. I want mountains of work - even if the mountains of work will sit in the unit I'd rather it sit here than some where else. Lots of peeps have been ill with the flu or bronchitis or Louisville Metro Area gunk (nice way to refer to air pollution) and I am feeling germs trying to sink their poisoned razor like talons into me. Thus far I have been winning the melee against getting ill, I significantly improved my Armor Class by getting lots of sleep, getting a flu shot, getting a pneumonia vaccine, taking plenty of B12 and Zinc, and washing my hands so frequently that at times they spontaneously start to bleed - but not in a stigmata call Rome sort of way.

I am looking forward to joining the Training Section of the Bureau in a week. The office is really committed to working as a team. Just hearing that is so refreshing - enough so that if I even think of the job I quit in Michigan I shudder. I am trying to decide what sort of office toys/desk decorations I want to take into my new office. Currently I am not trying to weird everyone out with hanging up posters advertising Order of the Stick or Fear the Boot or for that matter putting a row of plastic monster miniatures along the top of my computer monitor. Nor is there a collage of tattoos I find interesting and variations I am considering for my next tattoo. I have found that once you get a tattoo you spend a lot of time pondering what your next one will be like. I have also thus far refrained from putting up anything that could clue someone into my quasi obsession with Anthony Bourdain the chef traveler star of the Travel Channel's No Reservations. It is rather nice to have a dilemma about what you want to decorate your workspace with. I suddenly have the urge to find all the cat or cat people plastic D&D miniatures possible to put along the top of my computer monitor... many out there know of my "fascination" with such creatures.

What is in store for the weekend? I need to work up some motivation for doing things that I don't like to do... laundry and putting away clean dishes. I have no problem with washing the dishes but for some reason putting them away is just distasteful. And anyone that truly knows me knows that I would rather go out and buy new socks than do laundry. However that little habit leads to owning too many pairs of sock and eventually your mother will yell at you for it - even if she doesn't live with you or do your laundry. The majority of the weekend will be centered around entertaining... either prepping to entertain or actually entertaining. My parents are having a dinner party on Saturday and on Monday. I am invited to both of them and am looking forward to them.

As much as I enjoy cooking and baking I am trying to work out a problem that has been occuring. I prefer to do all my prep for everything prior to beginning to bake or cook. This means lots of chopping, grating, grinding, cleaning etc.... To accomodate this I need to invest in a bunch of small pyrex dishes to hold all the chopped ingredients because right now I am going through a huge stack of paper plates each time I cook. I am either holding my instruments wrong, or my posture is bad, or my stance is wrong, or the counter is at the wrong level.... because everytime I cook I am miserable about halfway through the night with piercing pain from my neck to the tips of my fingers in my right arm. Its bad enough to rouse me from sleep and keep me up until it subsides. Being the stubborn bull-headed person that I am... I don't immediately think to go to the doctor to check it out.... since I will be prepping a lot this weekend I am going to try various stretching exercises before and after as well as soaking in a hot tub afterwards (with a nice sipping drink) and applying a topical analgesic before going to bed. Hopefully this will help because I am not going to stop the chopping and dicing.

I am trying to put together menu's for both events - one will be an all-American event complete with gourmet burgers and peanut butter pie, the other will be an attempt at a more Spanish/Mexican influenced menu. For me finding the perfect bites to nosh on before the meal and the perfect dessert are always what takes time planning. The main meal is easy compared to finding the right delicious bites to whet the appetite and the dessert to seal the deal without sending everyone into a coma (before they get home). Not to mention trying to work with a budget... if only there was no limit on spending - the things I could do but life is not like that.... (Evidently I have not yet found a way to be independently wealthy)

Well the weekend is hurriedly approaching - I hope each of you finds the rest and relaxing you need over the weekend!