Life Updates of a Larger Magnitude

Hello loyal fans. I've been slacking, haven't I? As a follow-up to the last work-related blog... nothing much has changed on the department-switching front, mostly due to the fact that I have been out of the office for the past 2 weeks. And where was I? Well, home in PA last week, and the week before... JAPAN! Yay!!! Unfortunately, the trip there required that I spend 24 hours in transit, over my 2 year anniversary no less, but it was worth it. I finally got to sit down face to face with our Japanese subcontractors, work through some communication issues, and pry some information from them. Before I left, I was so nervous about going. I didn't know what questions they would ask and if they would respect me even though I was women, I didn't want them to see through my careful planning and realize that underneath it all I know very little. So I spent almost the whole flight over there praying for the week to be over. It turns out, I didn't have so much to worry about....

Let's talk, people. A dialogue, a discussion. No? Fine, I'll just spew words at you.Work takes up more than a third of your waking life. Did you know that? So I find it funny that we try so hard not to be defined by our jobs, yet it's really an inevitable outcome. One third. I'm obviously going to talk about jobs now, mine in particular. My last job, as you probably know, was not exactly a "good time". My old boss may have been referred to here and there as "the devil". Matt may have come home once or twice a week to find me surrounded by empty bottles and "napping" on the couch. So pretty much, any job is a step up from that. My new boss is not mean-spirited, vindicative, or insecure. He is a very smart engineer, but he lacks a little bit of what we would call "management skills". As a result, I've spent the past year teaching myself about the energy industry, and I've decided that I can't get anywhere wi...

I was told I've been slacking on the blogging, so it's time to get back on the horse. To summarize my travel diva lifestyle of the past 2 weeks, I'm afraid I have to rely on my trusty Google calendar for a recap. Let's see... 3 Sunday's ago I ran the Boston half marathon along with Matt, Naomi, Shakes, and Chris. I personally thought it kicked ass. Since it was the first time Matt, Naomi, and Shakes ever ran 13 miles straight, I would have to guess they think they kicked ass too. :) I managed to take 18 minutes of my personal best time to come in at 2:06. Yay!! Not sure if I'll be able to beat that at the Philly half in November, since I haven't exactly been running in the past 2 weeks... The following weekend Elaine and Becky Brown came up to Boston for a weekend of silly shenanigans. Friday night a group of us went to see everyone's girlfriend - Kristen - and her fabulous band - the Noise . Henceforth referred to as simply KaTN. In case you didn't ...

This is, admittedly, a very tired post. It's not yet 8 am, I can barely keep my eyes open, and I haven't even had my first sip of coffee because I've been sitting idly stirring it as I peruse the headlines... and this is the headline that spurred my typing... "Former 'Price is Right' Employee Sues". She's suing for being forced to quit after testifying against Barker. And by being forced to quit she means that she got moved to a crappy position and quit herself. You know what? Get over it. This life is full of bad breaks, many a lot worse than not having the ideal job. I wish that if she lost she would have to pay back the legal fees. (And here the bleeding hearts yell "Hey! That show makes a ton of money! What they did was wrong! She's DESERVES a piece of it! (Stick it to the Man)." But let's just say for a minute that for some reason, the management in my company changes. I've been working here 20 years. The new ma...

The last 10 days rule because: *My first real hash was a great time - even with a 7 mile run. And I didn't even embarass Shakes (though I was sorely tempted to). *I remembered how to play my fiddle. (The first 2 days back from England were a little rough.) *No traveling, but instead got to UNPACK my bags. *Had a gourmet meal at a mansion on the sea. *Reger and Carla got engaged! *Regan threw a kick ass party on Saturday night. (Still waiting for Monica's scandalous pictures.) *Sunday I got to decorate my nest and break bread with friends. *Monday my softball team *almost* didn't lose! Same for my beirut team. *This week I planned all my dinners and grocery shopped on Sunday, so I've had mostly balanced meals instead of Mac N Cheese every night. (Not saying I don't love mac n cheese. I still do!) *I went to a chiropractor who made things go *pop* and then felt a thousand times better. *I got to mentor some naive undergrads who think I actually know what I'm talk...

I haven't nearly begun to get through the 477 pictures that were taken on my camera during our trip to England last week, but here's a start... Julie's wedding was absolutely perfect. I promise to give details and events and all that good stuff in the next few days, but I'm swamped with work at the moment and can't do it justice. Stay tuned!