The World According to Marney

Post-Op Updates

2009-04-01T08:07:00.003-04:00

Well, since the last time I posted, I have been in full recovery mode. The surgery went well and I have been trying to get better as quickly as I can. So far that is going well for me.

The first week was rather painful and uncomfortable all the way around. There really wasn't anything I could do that was comfortable, particularly if it involved wearing clothes with a waistband. And in weather that is hovering around freezing, that is usually pretty much everything. I took the rest of the week off from work and spent most of the time sleeping and resting which is pretty much all that the pain and pain killers would let me do.

The second week, was a little bit better. Less of the pain, but more of the uncomfortable-ness. Still the waistbands were not good and sitting in a chair all day long was not pleasant. And to tell you the truth, I think I went back to work a bit early. I should have taken more time off. But I didn't and it's too late now.

Last week was much better. The itching was in full force. I'm still sore in all of the incision points, but they are definitely healing. Clothes were not nearly as awful but loose fitting clothes are still preferable. I also started with the WiiFit. I can't do anything that works the Abs for the next few months but I can do most of the yoga and the basic aerobic and balance stuff.

I am now looking at week 4. I don't know if things are still going as well, but I'm still having some pains in my abdomen due to some digestion issues. I think that at this point I need to bring it up to the doctor. Since things are supposed to be getting "back to normal" and they don't seem to be doing that. Also for the past 2 days, I have been getting nauseous for the first time since the surgery.

On the bright side, I have taken all of this down time to do a lot of knitting. I have made a cardigan for me, Peter, a pullover for Sandy (colleague who just had a birthday). I'm also working on an afghan that will be our headboard eventually. Yes, that's a lot of knitting, but when you can't move a whole lot, other than your hands, and you need to do something, this is the best way to keep from going nuts.

Schooling

2009-02-20T08:02:00.002-05:00

So just because I have nothing better to do, I have taken on more adventures in my life by taking classes at Bergen Community College for Wedding Planning and Coordination. Now the original game plan was to add skill sets to my current career of corporate meeting planning and networking within a more specialized field. Well since I made that decision, I also started helping 2 friends plan their weddings this year (both in October 2009). So I am actually putting this knowledge to good use and using them as "homework".

It is actually very similar to what I already do and quite redundant in many ways. But there are a lot of details that we have on our corporate scope of services (floral arrangements, invitations, etc) that, in theory, we can all do but have never been challenged by a client to do. Now, with this lovely 4 month crash course under way and having the owners of both an invitation shop and floral shop in the class as well as a dozen budding planners and field trips out to bridal shows and a very skilled and seasoned instructor, not only will I have an understanding of budgeting these things, but I will have local connections. I am totally not regretting this decision at all!

And heaven forbid should something happen with the economy and there be a reason for me to need something more specific to fall back on, I will have a certificate and a path for more personal planning in my pocket. Keep your fingers crossed that the economy stays strong, because with my dual weddings right now, they are definitely a complicated challenge. And they take away from precious knitting time. But for dear friends, I would sacrifice even that whole-heartedly. Maybe not for strangers.

What's up with me now

2009-02-09T08:05:00.003-05:00

So I have been telling you what has been going on in the past year, so I thought I would let you know what has been going on with me lately. Well this is going to be a short post. I can sum that up in a couple of lines.

Work - I have been putting in a lot of time at work lately now that the economy has taken a hit everywhere. Meeting planning and travel are areas that don't generally stand up well when companies are trying to cut back their funds. But on the bright side, because we are an outsourcing company, we can pick up some slack in very diminished departments that are still expected to make contributions to the company. Also we have some leverage with national chains and with large accounts to be able to wield some good discounts and reductions on the bottom line. So it's a good and bad thing all at the same time.

Knitting - When I'm not working, I'm usually knitting. It's really the only thing I can do to keep my fingers busy and the stress down. Just like after 9/11, I seem to have a bit of pent up energy that I need to focus. Either I do that through knitting or I will find some other outlet, like eating or throwing things or something else less productive. At least with knitting, I can keep it all on the up and up.

Health - Unfortunately, that has not been all that great lately. My headaches have been mostly under control but I'm still fighting with them at times. And now I'm dealing with other problems. I found out that my 8 years of vegetarianism/pescetarianism was not in any way helpful in the cholesterol realm as mine is VERY high. And also I will have to have my gall bladder removed next month. I'm finally coming to terms with this. It has been a bit of an ordeal for me, but I'm dealing with it. Mostly I'm tired of the doctors telling me I have to change my diet and laughing like it's a big joke and their know something I don't know. If I've been playing by the rules for as lng as I can remember, and I'm still losing the battle, how can I ever try to win?

That's pretty much everything right now. Almost everything else for me is being put on hold until the health thing is taken care of. So I'm hoping that in about a month and a half I will be in a much better place and feeling much better. Until then, I'm just getting through each day as best I can.

More updates with pictures

2009-02-02T17:05:00.006-05:00

I know that i owe a lot of stuff over the last year. Here goes. Let's start with the wedding dress. This is the one I knit. I designed it from pieces of other patterns that got Frankensteined together. I think they came out well.

Keep in mind that I got married in a park in March in Vancouver. I needed to be covered in Alpaca. It was the only thing that made the whole thing less than freezing. I did have my little shawl but really, this sweater dress was what made me survive the weather of my wedding. It was gorgeous but very cold. And seriously, did you think I would do something traditional?

What else do I have to share with you? Well, there is Jersey. What do I have to say about Rutherford? It's not Manhattan, but it's good. Peter and I love our condo. We're in a cute little town just on the west side of the Lincoln Tunnel. If you know where Giants Stadium is, you can find our place. We are across the street from the train station so getting into NYC or anywhere else is very simple. eriepcrutherfordnj.JPG
The train station doesn't look quite like that now, but they are doing construction on it.

We are still getting used to being in a small town. But one thing we haven't lost is great restaurants. Within walking distance, there are at least a half dozen amazing restaurants from our place and a dozen more that are worth eating at regularly. And since it's a dry town, you bring your own wine or beer and for no corking fee dinner is a whole lot cheaper than NYC. For steaks, there's Mignon. Across the street, you can get just about anything at Village Gourmet. You can get about 2 dozen different kinds of risottos at Risotto House. There is also sushi, Greek, Italian, Bakeries, pizza, Thai, Cuban and much more. And everything is all just a few blocks away from us.

On the other side of the railroad tracks is East Rutherford. That is not a dry town so that is where the bars and pubs live. So we can go over there to have a beverage if we would like. Ah, the best of both worlds.

I have also become more of a host now that I live in a place that has more room. In my last few homes, space has been non-existent. So Peter and I have started making up for this but inviting people over. Particularly since trains and buses are easy from NYC and parking is plentiful for drivers. We have a decent kitchen and an open floor plan. That means we can cook, have plenty of room for tables and seating and entertain like real people. It's almost like a dream come true. And for anyone that is a smoker, even though we are on the 5th floor, we have a terrace with a lovely view of downtown Rutherford. And as we learned on the 4th of July lovely views of fireworks in NJ.

I think I am going to end this post with a picture of my helper monkey, Chairman. He loves to help clean and do chores. As you can see, he's always doing everything he can to make chores go faster. All about efficiency.

I am a very bad blogger

2009-01-21T13:55:00.003-05:00

It has been over a year. I can't believe it. I have proved to my grandma that I can't keep a promise to blog more often.

In the past year so many things have happened:

1. I got marrried
2. Bought a condo.
3. I moved to Rutherford, New Jersey
4. I went to Vancouver, Victoria, Portland (OR - and the 'Couve), Baltimore, Columbus, Strathmere (NJ), Boston, St. Michaels (MD)
5. I bought my first car ever - 2005 Acura TL
6. I was selected to be a part of a special committee at work that is helping to reorganize and strengthen the company - it's called the SMILE TEAM. (I could tell you more about it, but it would sound a bit silly out of context and I promise I didn't drink any kool-aid)
7. I knit many, many things that I can't even begin to tell you about - though I will as I continue to blog, including my wedding dress (which I started in 2007 but finished in 2008 - blocking it in the hotel room two nights before the ceremony)
8. I visited a ridiculous number of hotels - I don't think I can count the number of them all.
9. I hosted a couple of lovely parties at my house (something I never did in my VERY SMALL apartments in NYC)
10. And mostly, I worked, went home to my lovely husband and adorable kitties and enjoyed being a bit more domestic than I have been in the past.

And now it's a year later and I have not blogged at all. In fact, it's the 21st of January and I'm just now getting around to it. I need to get that fixed. I'll get there. More to follow - including pictures.

Happy New Year

2008-01-06T20:51:00.001-05:00

I would like to introduce you to the new members of the Andersen-Lindberg household.

Chairman Meow

Nano

Catching Up

2007-12-06T07:42:00.000-05:00

Here we are in December. I know I haven't been blooging much this year. I have to say, I can give all kinds of excuses, but it doesn't make that much of a difference since I just haven't done it.

That being said, I have all kinds of catching up to do. First of all, I have started to get involved in Ravelry. But I haven't really gotten far in logging things there either. I do like the way I can keep track of all of my knitting projects and stash and needles. If I had a week of nothing to do but update Ravelry, I would still not have everything logged in.

I have been knitting a lot. In the past couple of months, I have made a few sweaters, worked on my slow going wedding dress, got back into socks, and worked on a few small projects. (I have some pictures, but I still need to post.)

I know this is not really much of an update, but I'm trying to do better. I'll be back soon with more info. Really I will.

Wedding Clock

2007-09-25T20:39:00.001-04:00

I Got Wedding Yarn!!!!

2007-08-16T20:37:00.001-04:00

20 Skeins of Classic Elite Miracle

I picked them up today. I am so very excited about this. Still don't have a solid pattern, but I've been plotting, drawing and contemplating.

Yarns, Dresses and Moving

2007-08-12T23:32:00.001-04:00

Well, I have been making progress on the wedding dress design. Today, as Peter and I were walking to Starbucks, I was inspired by a design for the dress. When we got our coffee, I grabbed a napkin and searched for a pen to start drawing. I'm still working out the details, but this could be quite an undertaking.

On Thursday, after a heated discussion about changing Peter's move from Friday (a day I took off to help) to Tuesday, I needed a bit of retail therapy. So on my way over to help pack, I decided to stop off at Knitty City. Lucky for me that they were open late that night. I explained to the woman at the counter that I was going to knit my wedding dress and we purused the selection. I managed to come home with a ball of Classic Elite Miracle in Fundy Bay Blue,

Lang Silkdream in Steel,

and Catalina Bably Silk in Baby Blue.

Though I like them all, after a swatching frenzy, I have decided to go with the Classic Elite. It is a delacate blue/green (Peter would call it Grue) with a slight varigation, almost as though it's painted. There is a little bit of fuzziness without it being itchy or fluffy. The other two are really beautiful but not quite what I was looking for.

So, today, I put in my order for 20 hanks of yarn for the pattern that is building in my brain. We finished packing up Peter's apartment for his move on Tuesday into my place. I have cleaned out some of my apartment so he should fit well. Also, I have been keeping up on my Abercrombie knock-off sweater.

The lighter picture is good to see the detail a bit sharper, but the actual color is closer to the blurrier picture. (I'm still working on getting my camera settings straight.) The yarn is Knit Picks Essential. It's a 2-ply with one strand inbrown and the other in navy.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

2007-07-30T23:51:00.000-04:00

So, in my deliquent months of non-blogging, I had a tendency of not spending much time knitting. Mostly because as the weather started getting warmer, I didn't really want to have too much extra fabric. But this is all changing.

While my niece Hailee was in town, we made a pilgramage to the Flagship Abercrombie & Fitch store on Fifth Avenue. Prior to that time, I had never been inside an A&F store, which is ironic since they are a client for work. Anyway, I saw a sweater that I knew I could make myself, better. So, with the idea of the sweater in mind, I went home, logged on to Knitpicks.com, found some lovely Essential in Shoreline for this project. I did a little bit of tinkering with the image from the website and what I really want this sweater to become. I have it already on the needles (not bad since I got the yarn delivered today). I think I should be in pretty good shape with my scribbles and notes.

To make life more interesting, I have also decided to knit my wedding dress. I know this is quite an undertaking, but I'm going to give it a try. Again, I think I will probably design at least most of it. I'm still looking into yarns, and am willing to take suggestions. I am leaning toward either silk, cashmere, bamboo or something else that may be a bit elegant when knit up. I'm also going to do beading. I went a little nuts over the weekend picking out beads online, but I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of options when the time comes for actual beading.

So, I'm back on the knitting saddle. I'll probably be in yarn stores over the weekend to find something fabulous. Pictures to follow.

BAD BLOGGER

2007-07-27T14:05:00.000-04:00

I know I have been missing in action for a long time. I don't have any good excuses other than life gets in the way. Since the last time I posted, I have been working a lot, spending time with Peter and friends, had a visiter from back home, had to take another kitty into the vet - this time for kidney failure, knitting, and just doing stuff.

But to get to the good stuff, I do have great news; Peter and I are engaged! He popped the question on my birthday about 2 weeks ago. After trying to recreate our first date, going to Flatiron Lounge for drinks and dinner at Chat 'n Chew for dinner. Unfortunately, Chat 'n Chew was closed (whether permanently or otherwise is not clear). So instead, we went to Blue Water Grill which was fabulous. In his ideal plan, he wanted to find a cosy bench in Union Square Park to do the asking, but since it was a beautiful night, everyone was out. So instead, we went back uptown to my place when he decided to ask. He gave me his mom's engagement ring which is gorgeous.

To answer questions without answering them, we don't have anything set as far as plans are concerned. We're trying to figure out the best way to do this without being a pain or extremely expensive for a lot of people. So details will follow.

In the mean time, we are trying to figure out living spaces and when we might be able to afford to buy a place (which we have been talking about for quite a while). So there are many pieces that are up in the air for the near future. So expect changes and updates as I have them.

Actually heard on the air today...

2007-03-15T08:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow, there's a chance of 3-5 inches of snow. Right now it's 61 degrees.

Heading Back West

2007-03-09T08:35:00.000-05:00

I know I have been very lax in posting lately. With all of the problems with George, having to put him down (more about that later), hearing about my Grandmother being rushed to the hospital (I'm happy to say that she is doing much better) and lots of work to do, I haven't really had much time for reflecting on what's going on with me or anything. I shouldn't say I haven't had time, but I haven't been motivated to do so.

In any case, I do have news for those of you one the west coast. Peter and I are going to be out west the last week of this month. Since he hasn't really experienced the PNW (except his VERY short stop on the way back from Japan), we have decided to explore and visit family in one trip. We will be flying into Seattle where we'll stay for a couple of days, rent a car and drive up to Vancouver BC for a couple of days, drive back to Seattle and take a train down to the 'Couve to spend a few days there. Then we're back by the time his Spring Break is over.

We are in the process of working out the details right now, but it looks like Seattle will be March 24-25 (Saturday and Sunday), Vacouver, BC will be March 26-27 (Monday an Tuesday), March 28 will be a travel day from Vancouver to Vancouver with a stop in Seattle. The remainder of the trip (March 29-31) will be in the 'Couve and a red eye on Saturday night. And then Sunday will be the day of recovery from Time Change and Red Eye.

More to come soon.

George

2007-02-08T07:18:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for your thoughts about George. I found out last night that this is much worse than I thought. George has cancer. The cyst on his head is a tumor and there are mast cells in his blood. They think his spleen may have lesions and want to do an sonogram to look for more. He also has a heart murmur and his thyroid may be problematic.

I'm really not handling this well right now. And to top it off, I'm going out of town for a couple of days for work. I'm hoping that his time away will give me a chance to think about something else for a while. Peter is going to look in on the kitties while I"m gone.

Other than that, all I can do is wait until the vet contacts their oncologist to look a George further.

But George is a trooper! He's acting a bit more normal, though still not eating much. He's still a big snuggle bunny and purrs 85% of his day.

Busy

2007-02-06T11:40:00.000-05:00

I am having a hard time finding time for anything that is not work these days. For the last month, I have worked more hours than I can count. Pair that with the 2 hour commute each way, it's amazing that I have time to sleep any more. Also, I was in DC at the beginning of last week. Though I worked about 15 hours a day for the 2 days that I was there, I did get to stay at the Mandarin Oriental. It's a small price to pay for such a beautiful hotel.

Upon my return, I managed to be a part of a panel for a meeting of hotel sales people. I was one of 5 meeting planners that spoke our minds about the industry, trends and what we are looking for from a hotel. After being back in the business for 2 months, I can't say that I would have chosen that role quite yet, but that's the way it works.

This weekend, Peter and I noticed that George was a bit lethargic and really not himself - not wanting to eat and throwing up more than usual. So I took him into the doctor this morning. He had blood and urine tests, xrays and cell samples from a cyst that had formed on his head. Poor guy has been poked and prodded all morning. Then I had to separate him from the other two for the day so he won't eat or drink anything. I have to wait until tomorrow before I will know anything more. But I am not looking forward to the results. I'm worried for my baby.

I'm having a hard time focusing on work right now. I think I'll work from home tomorrow so I can be with him. But then I have to go to Columbus for 2 days. Lucky for me (and him) that Peter is willing and able to stop in and check on him, particularly if he needs any medication.

Knitting Update

2007-01-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

I was wandering through the internet and came across a page dedicated to Knitting With Balls, the most recent of the knitting books that I worked on. If you look at the book, the projects I made were the hounds tooth blanket and the bronze colored cardigan hoodie.

I inquired about the next Stich 'n Bitch book. I have been waiting to hear about when I should start working oon the blanket again. Apparently, it is being postponed until Spring.

In the mean time, I gave the original blanket to John and Aaron for Christmas. Actually the only Christmas present I had ready before Christmas. I have the pillow almost finished. Maybe that will be a belated birthday present for Aaron and a surprise for Debbie in the new book.

Also in personal excitement, I discoved that there is a brand new Yarn store only 1.5 blocks away from my new home. I spent a little bit of time and money at Yarnotopia last weekend. It's a cute little shop that has pretty good selection. I'm very happy that I don't have to go too far to find good yarn. So, I managed to get some Di.Ve' in blue for a hat, mitten and scarf set for myself. I guess I have something to keep me off the streets for a while.

Happy New Year

2007-01-04T07:01:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is January 4th and I am just getting around to blogging. December was a hard month for me. New job with a commute to New Jersey; New apartment; Packing and moving and cleaning out the old apartment; Holidays (much ignored or at least put on hold). It was quite an ordeal to battle. I'm just now getting back into the swing of things.

I am finally getting used to the commute into New Jersey. I have been very lucky in the past not having to travel outside of a maximum 30 minute subway ride. Now I have a subway ride to a commuter train to a carpool. All in all, about 1:45 each way door to door. It makes for much audiobook listening.

Work itself is very busy. Today is my one month mark in the new role and I am already working on 9 very demanding meetings. I'll be traveling this month to Columbus to meet with one client and likely Washington DC for an event for another client. Last week with the skeleton crew, I was able to test my mettle as being the senior staff member making decisions like I knew what was going on. I think it's a good match, me and this new role. I'm very happy.

The new apartment is wonderful. Although I am being lax in getting out of the last few boxes, it is a pleasure to be in this space, which wasn't always the case for the last apartment. And the kitties love the many rooms to hide in and the tall cabinets to jump on. It is a kitty adventure haven. Of course as I type, they are all asleep within a foot of my chair.

The holidays were pretty mild this year. Christmas was spent with my kitties and cleaning the old apartment. New Year's Weekend was spent at Ikea and Bed Bath & Beyond. As my proesent from Mom and Dad, I got an occasional table (strangely no longer on the Ikea website) plus a few other small items. Peter scored a new chair, footstool and lamp. Of course, we also rent a Toyota Tacoma for this job.

But it's back to the grind now. I have to get ready for the long journey into work. Happy New Year to you! May your 2007 be happy and healthy.

Move is over

2006-12-19T12:14:00.000-05:00

I made my big move this past weekend. And now I know why I didn't move for the past 1 years! What a pain!

I think the hardest part was getting the kitties to the new place and settled. Those poor cats have not been in a car in about a decade - when they were each kittens. They don't leave the apartment much at all. So to be crammed in a carrier and taken in a car to a strange place, it must be the scariest thing in the world. Not to mention, I only have 2 carriers, so Koshka had to go in a duffle bag.

Peter (the best boyfriend in the world) rented a Zip Car so we could take a few things and the kitties to the new place before the move. I had one carrier and the duffle on the floor by my feet and another carrier on my lap. Once we started, I felt bad for Koshka and tried to open the duffle a little. Well, he jumped right out and I couldn't get him back in. So he spent the entire scary ride in my arms watching the world pass by very quickly. At one point he tucked his little head in the crook of my arm to hide. Well it wasn't hard to get him back into the duffle for the transfer to the apartment.

The move itself went very well. The movers were great - especially with all of those stairs. I love the new apartment. As soon as I get out of all of my boxes, I'm going to see about having a few people over. Oh, and let me tell you, I am SOOOO enjoying the washer, dryer and dishwasher. They have been run a few times already.

I'm still working on the remains/cleaning of the old place which should be done this week. Maybe sometime soon, I will finally be ready for the holidays. That has been the absolute last thing on my mind lately. But the back to back three day weekends will be totally relished.

New Job

2006-12-07T13:32:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for the phone calls and emails about the pending and realized changes in Marney's World. It's nice to have people out there with congratulations when I am up to my eyeballs in chaos.

The new job is going well. I have made it through the first few days. Though it's a bit of a slow time right now, there are a few projects that may be taking over my time in the very near future.

I am also adapting to a commute for the first time. I am not used to having to take anything more than the subway at most to get to work. But sometimes, we all have to make sacrifices to do the right thing. So, I have been taking a train out to Montclair, NJ and catching a ride with Mary Jo to the office - then she would take me back to the train to go home. All in all, about an hour including getting to/from the train station in NYC. Yesterday, I took the bus home from the office. Since it stops right in front of the building, you would think that this reverse commute wouldn't be so bad. Well, 2 hours later, when I was getting home, I was really rethinking that plan. Nothing like holiday traffic to make a bus ride even worse.

I just made the arrangements for my move next weekend. I now have a little over a week to get cleaned/packed up for this adventure. I decided that with 2 different walk-ups, I didn't want to do any of the heavy lifting, nor try to get any of my friends involved in that. So, the date of the move is the 17th. I'll pick up the keys on th 15th or so, take a day or so to scope out the layout and go for it. I think I may take the kitties up there the night before, just so they won't be underfoot with all of the move. Plus, I can put them in a room in the new place so they are out of the way.

Well, I should get back to work.

Busy Week - and it's only Wednesday

2006-11-29T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I think of all of the weeks that I have lived through, this is definitely one of the most change filled. At least in the top ten. Perhaps only beaten by birth, the move to New York and puberty.

Monday was my last day at Rogen. It was a tough last day that I couldn't truly relish in the relinquishing of my job. I spent most of the day training my replacement who was finally confirmed hours before the Thanksgiving holiday began. I did spend my lunch hour with all of my colleagues at Havana NY. There was a rousing game of "what about Marney will I miss most". It was very sweet and a bit disturbing. I also went out with drinks with Gus, who is in total denial that I'm gone. I think he is trying to convince himself that I'm on vacation or something.

Well, I made it through that day without too much trouble. But my next task was to find a new place to live. And Tuesday, I did just that.

I signed a lease on an apartment here. It was the only apartment that I looked at in person, but definitly not the only one I checked out on line. It's a 2BR with all new appliances including a washer, dryer and dishwasher. You can't beat that with a stick. Now I need to figure out how and when I'm going to get over there.

Today, I spent most of the day relishing my state of non-employment. There was much lingering around the apartment with the kitties.

I think tomorrow will include a journey to Smiley's Yarn Riot which is taking place on 57th Street. This will be the last year that I'll be within walking distance of this sale.

On Friday, I have a date to The Awesome 80s Prom. Since I only went to 3 proms during high school, I think I need to add another one. This is also a celebration of some December birthdays for friends of mine. (Anyone in the area that wants to go, let me know and I'll get you the details for the discounted tickets.)

Next week will be another busy one. Monday is my first day at my new job. Tuesday is Peter's birthday. I don't think I have mapped out the rest of the week, but I think it ends with one of Peter's friends fromm Baltimore staying in town. But that may work out best for me, since I might be able to get some packing done...

I'm still here

2006-11-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

i'm sorry if I've been a bit lax in posting. Things have been a bit hectic lately between trying to get everything cleaned up at work before I go, starting a search for a new apartment, and juggling all of the rest of my crazy life. I have been sick for the past week, either a really bad cold or a mild flu. It hasn't been easy to get things finalized a work when I was in home in bed.

I just left Peter and Gus (my colleague) in line at the Toys"R"Us - Times Square waiting for the Wii-lease of the Nintendo Wii. There is a bit of a to-do down there and I am very happy that I am not waiting with them. It should be much less painful than Friday's PS3 launch. That doesn't mean I want to wait from 6PM to midnight with thousands of other gamers in the middle of Times Square. But then again, I have made it past 30, so I'm a bit of a stick in the mud.

Next week is Thanksgiving. I'll be heading down with Peter to spend it with his family in Maryland and Virginia. It will be nice to finally meet the rest of his family. I'm looking forward to it. I met his mom and her fiance in June when that came up for a weekend visit.

So the next couple of weeks are destined to be very full. My last day at Rogen is the Monday after Thanksgiving. I start at Ultra-Mar on December 4th. Between those dates, I plan on looking at apartments and hopefully, signing a new lease. No word on where yet, just trying to get out of this place.

Maybe there will be time to rest in December...

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T16:14:00.000-05:00

Well, another Halloween is upon us. I managed to be the only one to show up at the office with a visible costume (bleeding vampire bite - tasty yet disturbing). My colleague, Nicole didn't want to be left out of the game, so I made her eyes bleed - just like when we are all faced with those endless TPS reports. Jen, was supposed to be Jem of 80s cartoon fame, but is still waiting for the completion of her costume. Her boyfriend, Ruben came in to the office for his transformation into Pee-wee Herman. None of my other colleagues decided they wanted to be celebratory today, until the cupcakes with eyeballs came out. Ah, the great equalizer - pastries.

Nicole is chronicalling all of this with pictures, but none to post quite yet.

New Changes

2006-10-27T21:03:00.000-04:00

It's official. Mary Jo finally convinced me to listen to her pitch for me to work with her. After a couple of months of wooing and me bringin my guard down a bit, I have agreed to work with her at Ultramar Travel Management. I will be going back to the world of Event Planning. I'm really looking forward to this big change in my life.

On the flip side of this, I wasn't actually looking to leave my current job. So, for all of you that thought that I was in a good place, I was. But this is an opportunity that I just can't turn down. I will be working with someone that I know, trust and like. The position is a substantial promotion from my current position. The salary is also a big leap. And to make things even more interesting, after a bit of getting into the swing of the job and the company, I will be working from home primarily.

I haven't yet given my notice for my current position, due to the fact that everyone that I could tell in an official capacity has been out of the office for the past week. And the big boss isn't even in this hemisphere. I should be able to talk to them on Monday or at least someone. I will be staying there at least until Thanksgiving. Since that is the tail end of the busy season, and it's 4 weeks from now, I think it's more than generous.

I have already talked to the others that do what I do. The three of us have been talking about how things could change as well as me giving them a heads up on the projects that I may still have hanging out there by then.

But to be honest, I have been feeling a bit weird about keeping all of this stuff to myself and not being hoenst to my colleagues. In fact when I was talking to a friend about this change the other day, she pointed out that I don't sound very excited about this. I realized that I'm not letting myself get excited in case it starts to ooze out in an inappropriate place before I can tell the right people.

But back to more changes, between my crazy landlady (who calls me constantly to tell me that she calls and not why), my lease being up at the end of the year, the new job with better money and the need for space at home in which I can work, I am going to look for a new apartment for the holidays. I'm hoping that with the holidays taking up the time of most renters, I might be able to get a good deal. So I'm taking any leads I can get for apartments that might be available December or January.

Updates

2006-10-20T00:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I haven't had a whole lot o time to post lately. Partly because of my recent guests (Mom & Dad) and partly because I seem to be working a lot lately. Maybe it just seems that way, but that's enough or me.

So, I'll back track a bit. Mom and Dad came to visit earlier this month. Their stay included meeting a bunch of my pals and my coworkers (at both locations). We also had some really good food. They tried new cuisines and food including haggis and Irish Breakfast. We also managed to catch The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Statue of Liberty and Columbus Day Parade. I also got them tickets to see Jersey Boys. We got in some shopping - well enough to get Dad a new watch and Mom some clothes. Of course, there were souvenirs a plenty.

Aside from that, I have been thinking about some changes in my life. I have decided that I want to move out of my apartment when my lease is up. This has been confirmed by my land lady becoming a crazy stalker who leaves "messages" saying that she called me. Well, that was the first message. The follow up to that brilliant message was to threaten to send a "letter through a lawyer". But she never told me what it was that she needs from me or why she's calling. I tried to call back and got her machine. Since I haven't done anything, I have no idea what her problem is.

Well, I have to go to sleep now. I have a big day tomorrow and need to get sleep. There is a possibility that more changes may be in the works for me...