Wordless Wednesday

On my way to the Capitol...

Queue Flashdance and Fame

I AM OUT!! I was offered a new position at the “elite” company almost three weeks ago and I hesitated to post for fear of a jinx. But now…NOW! The first round of papers are signed, the background check came back clear (no big surprise – I am pretty boring), the second round of papers are signed and it is a done deal! Granted, I have no idea what I will be doing, but it is official, I am out of the cold, dark place I currently am today. That is probably the best experience of it all…TURNING IN MY RESIGNATION! “Ah, what a FEELING!” Man, it was awesome to seal the envelope with a letter I wrote in mid-March and drop it off with a secretary. I just wanted to dance in the hallway…”Remember my name. I’m gonna live forever. I’m gonna learn how to fly. HIGH”. Irene Cara is a GENUIS. Alright, not really, because I am pretty sure she only wrote the Flashdance and Fame theme songs, and they are pretty much the same, but they have been playing in my head on repeat for a few weeks. If you can not tell, “I’m sooo excited”…oh, another good song for this moment. This whole experience is proof that I heart the 80s. Really. I know, it is sad, but you know what?!
I GOT A NEW JOB!!
"Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember…"

p.s. -- If you haven't seen the movie or watched the old show, the videos will not make sense. Not to mention...go to Blockbuster or dial up the NetFlicks ASAP. You are missing out!

Funny because it is true

Ah...that smell is in the air. All over the country, school age children are "gearing up" for standardized tests. The senior students are finally done with their SATs and state mandates. Thus, the younger ones are left to begin their rounds. Given the season, I found this online and thought it was too true.

For more interesting facts, please go here.

Happy Birthday Tis!!

I want you to know that I think of you each and every day. You were always such a good friend to everyone you met, and such an amazing person. I miss laughing so hard we just silently shake until we lurch back to try and catch our breath. I miss making those crazy videos with your sister’s cat attacking small towns as if they were Japanese mega films. I miss the fact that every time you saw one of us cry your instinct was to cry with us. Then we just giggled because at that point no one knew what we were crying about in the first place.
There are so many selfish reasons why I wish you were still here. I wish you were here to share a drink with and swap job stories after a long day. I wish you were here to take a dance class with me. I wish you were here because you were the only friend that was always there for me. No matter what. But most of all, I wish you were here to touch all of those kids lives. All of those kindergarteners that you wanted so badly to teach. You would have been so good at it, Tis! I only hope I am half as good at my job as I know you would have been at yours. Despite the fact that those kids never got to know you, do know that you touched each one of us. Every person you ever came in contact with is affected by you. Your kindness and strength guides me and encourages me to be better in life. Cheers to you! Miss you!

Reason 572 & 573 to stop

I have this “favorite” aunt and uncle that I just adore. I, like most people, have a CRAZY family. Despite all of the weirdos, I have this one aunt and uncle that are just the greatest. I love when they visit and just hang out with us down here in the south. They are really straight forward, kind, salt-of-the-Earth type people. Both of them would literally take the shirt off their back in a blizzard if you looked cold enough. Like most in their generation, they grew up drinking hard liquor and smoking like chimneys. We thought that my aunt would stop all of that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago, but no. NOPE! She went through chemo, a mastectomy, a complete rebuild of her ankles, and back to her smoking and drinking.
Well, it has caught up to her. She went into the hospital about a week ago with a rapid heart beat and shortness of breath. Two days later she had a pace maker put in and seemed to be doing fine. Then she took a turn. Last I heard was Saturday and she was still in the hospital. They say it is her “lifestyle”. I guess that is what years of tar and booze will do to you, but it is like the old question…why do such good people have such crap handed to them sometimes? I really think it just sucks. (I know that is not the "actual" question, but you get the point.) The silver lining is that she is just crazy enough to see it all as an adventure. She just goes with the flow (for the most part). Not to say that she doesn’t get scared and panicked, but she still laughs and plays dice and sends me strange emails.
Hopefully she will be home soon. She has a grandbaby to spoil.

Happy Muster!!

We have a tradition at Texas A&M that is held each and every April 21st all over the world. It is called Aggie Muster. I believe it to be the best tradition the university has created. You need to understand that I am by no means one of those die hard, crazy Aggies, but when it comes to Muster, it is a different story. Maybe it is because I was introduced to it at a young age when my sister was the chairman of the campus event. Maybe it is because I was there for the trauma of bonfire collapse and watched my super manly Corps friends cry at the loss of a buddy. Maybe it is because I was there on September 11th and saw the pain of a classmate who could not reach her parents in New York for three days. I know my passion for the tradition was solidified when I lost my best friend from childhood my senior year. She and I met in 2nd grade and ended up rooming together our freshman year of college. It is because of her that I have my career and think of her everyday. The memories just make me smile.
Whatever the reason, Muster is one tradition I am glad to be a part of every year. So, Happy Muster!!

Happy Birthday, Lauren!! Be safe my crazy Aggie!

Could not resist

I had to log in during work and post the best thing I have heard today.
Kid B looks at me with all seriousness and asks, "Governator? Are IQ tests multiple choice?"
I love the looks of the future!

Happy Birthday Eb!!

I know that things have not been the best with us lately, but please know that I always love you and I am so very proud of you. It is good to see things coming together in your life. It is refreshing to see you smile and hear you laugh. It truly warms my heart. I hope you have a great day, kiddo...you deserve it. Love you to the moon.

Thankfully, an end is in sight

So, last week, as I have stated, was CRAZY!! I was not at work an hour on Monday before my week turned to crap. I would rather not write about it because it still infuriates me to the point of wanting to throw my computer out the window. AHHHH…just thinking about it…I gotta change topics.

I had two early morning interviews this week at a place that is pretty much exactly like where I work now, but better. It is highly acclaimed and respected in the “industry” and to be honest, I think I would be quite happy there if I am offered the gig. If I have learned anything from these past 5 years where I am, it is that I just have to keep my priorities straight. Sometimes that is easier said than done in my profession. In conclusion on these two…felt great about the first meeting, but just okay about the second. It is abundantly clear that there is little or no communication between the first group of interviewers and the second. BAD, BAD SIGN!

I also had an interview at an extremely elite “company”. It is such a different environment than I am used to working in currently. Now, don’t get me wrong. I do love change and this is one I could get used to in a minute! While there was very little that I did not like about this job, it is really the exact opposite of what I have always seen myself doing in life. Never once would I think that I would end up in these surroundings. But seriously, I did love it!! In conclusion on this one…did not feel great, but did not feel bad about it. They really did not give me much to bite on other than the fact that they asked for references and have actually talked to all of them. We shall see. They said it may be 2 weeks before I hear anything.

I did take a day off of work this week to take care of those interviews, but I went up there for afternoon meetings anyway. It amazes me how much hatred I can have for a place and people I know I will not have to see after 2 months. Normally I do not waste energy on crap like that, but this situation just really irks me. How can a boss honestly call a meeting (that I show up for despite a day off) and then show up for literally (I timed him) 3 minutes!! Not to mention, he showed up a HALF HOUR LATE!! AHHHH! I shake my fist at this stupid system.

Aside from all of the previously mentioned junk at work, I still showed up to work on Saturday. I challenge anyone to say that I am not dedicated to this job or the people it serves. Sadly, three out of my five immediate bosses have said exactly that to me.

The date will have to wait for another post. I have to get back to work. Yes, the person they say has “shut down” and has “low standards” needs to go back to working on a Sunday night. Really, I should find some dedication somewhere.

Crazy week!

Start was bad...as in HORRIBLE!!
The basics = grades, allocations, job interviews (yes, plural), missed a day of work, elections, early morning meetings, date, working Saturday, and some more I just can not bare to think about right now.
I will write more details when I have more time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBYN!! Thanks for all you do for me at work and as a friend. Seriously, it means the world to me.

I get it

You don't need people anymore. But maybe, just maybe, someone may need you sometimes.

I need new friends!!

He says I should go into politics

The show on Friday was great, but even better was that my friend actually went. (I will call him Bob since I don’t know if he is cool with me using his name on here.) As I mentioned before, I somewhat conned him into going, but not really.
Allow me to first explain that I would have NEVER, EVER asked Bob to go with me to this show. He is a self proclaimed music snob and has never seen me perform in the 14 years I have known him. I knew there was no way he would go and see people he didn’t even know. I never intended him to go. I was perfectly content going alone or with my mom (my usual date to these events).
A little back story…you see Bob and one of my kids bonded one day when Bob visited me at work. He claims he and Kid A have a lot in common. I don’t really see it; maybe because I know too much about Bob, but I digress. Kid A asked one day if Bob was coming to the show. I told him I didn’t know, but I would ask him. Here is how that conversation went…

Me: Kid A wants you to come to the show.
Bob: Is he in it?
Me: Yep
Bob: What is he doing?
Me: Um…playing. Duh!
Bob: Hell yeah, I’ll go. When is it?
Me: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of next week.
Bob: Let’s go Thursday
Me: Okay. I’ll tell him. He will be excited.

That is where the conversation ended. Bob did not ask anymore questions. If he had, he would have figured out that it was actually a dance show and Kid A was only on stage for like 4 minutes…maybe. I was feeling a little guilty about it, but the politician in me did not feel that bad.
Keep in mind that all of my kids know this story before we even go to the show, so as we are walking into the auditorium they are just giggling as we pass. I don’t think Bob even picked up on it.
So we go in, grab some programs, and find a seat with some of my favorite coworkers. I let him sit there for 5 minutes or so perusing through the program before I ask, “so, do you know where you are yet?” His response is, “yeah, I think I just figured it out. You owe me”. I giggle, tell him I love him, and thank him for coming. I will spare you the dance by dance play by play and just tell you that he actually enjoyed most of it!! He did cringe when my favorite group started. It is the country western dance team. He loathes country. But when it was done, he clapped and told me he would give that one to me. I think his exact words were, “that was really good. Terrifying, but good.” He even laughed at comedy troupe. Not to mention, patiently sat behind three giggly girls that have “brilliant” plans for he and me.
Anyway, I was proud of Bob for going, relaxing, and enjoying it, but more so, I was incredibly proud of my kids. It is so nice to see them participating in things they really love. Like I always say, I am a proud parent with no children. Congrats yall!! It was wonderful!!

Beginning to see the light...

So the week started off alright, and actually ended on a positive note! We left off on Tuesday. See below. Later in the week I had plans to go to my kids show. This has been one of the highlights of my year since I was in middle school, so I was looking forward to it. I had somewhat conned a friend into going with me (more on that later) and we had planned on Thursday. This was perfect because I had to be out all day at STUPID meetings and did not have a chance to see my kids. I would pick up my dose of them at the show. I headed off to “get my hair did” and got a phone call from my friend saying he was “really tired” and didn’t want to go. WHAT?! Tired is not a good excuse for standing up my kids! But, I was gracious about the excuse because Lord knows I could sympathize. He even wanted to go to the show on Friday night. I tried to give him an out, (I would not have cared one bit to go alone) but he was adamant about going on Friday.
Anyway, I got my hair cut, went to my weekly dinner spot, and headed home for a nice relaxing evening in my own skin. It was wonderful!
So…Friday.
First, how can a Friday really be bad? However, mine turned out better than expected. I opened my email to see that I have a second interview for a new job which I am totally nervous about!! I will write more on that when I have more information. My kids all asked how I liked the show, I told them the story, and they just laughed. They know how my friends are.
I had a really good conversation with a coworker and stayed at work about 2 hours longer than I intended to on a Friday. But the chat helped to solidify that what I am doing with my life is just right for me. It is also nice to see that he shares my feelings on a lot of stuff.
On the way home, the day got better! My phone rang with a random number and I let it go to voicemail. Bad idea. It was ANOTHER JOB OFFER!! I need to call them back and get more details, but again, it confirmed that the decisions I have made are right.
The day was capped off with the show. Yes, my friend did go. More on that later...

God, I love Texas!

I know there is great music everywhere, but I have an affinity for my Texas music. All of it. The rock, pop, punk, country, rockabilly, and on and on. It all makes my heart sing. Someone told me about this girl, Erin Ivey, about 6 or 7 months ago and now Perez has picked her up. Look into her if you like the whole girl-and-her-guitar type thing.

This lining is fabulous

It has been rough here lately. I have been doing my best to keep it in. Given that, I just thought I would take a second and recognize some small positives. (Sometimes it is the teeny tiny things that count.)
1. My grades are updated!!
2. My dog is clean and smells like roses
3. Trashy "reality" television is on tonight and I can watch it worry free
4. Thanks to my kids, I laughed a lot today
5. I was a rebel and wore a t-shirt and my chucks to work today and loved it!