I Need a Vacation

Yes, I've only been back to work for a week now, but I already am completely drained and need a vacation. On Monday, after going weeks without having any headaches, I start having steel-rod-driving-through-my-skull headaches after being in the office for only 2 hours. On Tuesday, my work-at-home day, I couldn't get half of what I needed to do until about 8:00 that night because I kept getting interrupted. On Wednesday, I went from one meeting to another and had to go back and clean up messes that others had left behind. Thursday, well it is a known fact that Thursdays always such for me...I'm in meetings now starting at 7:00 AM that go through noon, where I have a break to grab a bite of lunch and prepare for my afternoon meetings. And sadly, these are not light, fluffy meetings where I can just sit in the back and stare off into space, no these are meetings that I'm having to drive and facilitate and call people on the carpet and beg for leniency from the customer and have to walk that fine line of politics and ethics and doing the right thing for both my customer and my company. By Friday, I'm exhausted, but now I have to report on everything that was addressed in the meetings from yesterday as well as run some other reports and basically try to finish up everything that I didn't get done all week just so I can start doing it all over again on Monday.

I know, I know...welcome to being an adult and everybody has a tough job, blah, blah, blah.... I just want another vacation... preferably if I could take a vacation every other week, that would be great!! Anybody know who I can talk to about getting this into the constitution?

Dilemma

My parents are planning on coming out to visit in February. That isn't the dilemma. 

I live in an apartment building and my bedroom window looking out over the fire escape. Mind you this fire escape is fully contained within the framework of the building and it is there to allow people access to the roof. Note that when the Queen and King came to visit me, the King loved this fact and climbed up to the roof a couple of times. I share this escape with five other apartments. This isn't the dilemma, either. 

The fire escape is sort of like a funnel for noise. I can hear about anything that occurs in the bedrooms of the other people in the complex. Now, I turn on a fan when I crawl into bed at night as white noise to block out any noises, but my parents run a little cold, and I don't know if they would be up to turning a fan on. Nope, not the dilemma. 

Last night as I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth and washing my face, I heard something coming from the bedroom. Yeah, let your mind go there and imagine what I heard. I have a neighbor who is very expressive and very loud. Mind you, I come from very modest people; I get embarrassed watching a movie with my folks if there is an adult situation on screen. You got it, this is the dilemma...

What do I do with the noisy neighbor situation when my parents come visit? Would it be inappropriate of me to put a note on all my neighbor's doors and ask that they keep the noise down while they are visiting? I don't know which neighbor is actually the loud one, but I know what apartments share the escape with me. Do I just ignore it and insist that my folks use the fan? Should I just stick my head out the window and shout down the fire escape telling them to shut up? 

I'm not a prude and I could not care less, I just don't want to put my parents in a uncomfortable situation. 

Thoughts? 

Party Planning for the Office

My office is having a party next Tuesday and I somehow was elected to be the person who "gets" to organize the whole thing. Mind you, this isn't my responsibility and I don't have any control over budget nor do I have access to the list of attendees, but I get to plan the location, menu, and activities. 

So, this evening I got to stay late at the office putting the last touches on the menu. This is what is being served: 

• 2 drinks per person
  
• goat cheese and artichoke dip
  
• tomato & garlic bruschetta
  
• mango & chicken quesadillas
  
• vegetable spring rolls
  
• calamari
  
• chicken taquitos
  
• spinach & cheese stuffed mushrooms
  
• chicken tenders in spicy wing sauce
  
• BBQ baby back ribs
  
• mini sliders
  
• fresh fruit & cheese plate
  
• vegetable plate
  
• chips with salsa and fresh guacamole

We are also going to have two pool tables available for people to use. 

So, do you all think there will be enough food and all the various cultures and people that will be attending? My big worry now is that either a) people won't show up and I'll be stuck with ALL this food, or b) people WILL show up and not have fun and then I'll be the party planning laughing stock of the company. 

Why, Why, Why do I let myself get involved in coordinating these sorts of things? 

Cowgirl Smarts

I'm having terrible writers block these days and just don't have a whole lot to say, however, I do feel obligated to impart some sort of knowledge on all my readers. With this being said, I will periodically, in these low thought moments, go to my tomes that I've surrounded myself with and pull pearls out for all of you.

Recently, I visited the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (which I highly recommend you visiting if you are ever in Fort Worth, Texas) and picked up a great little book entitled Cowgirl Smarts: How to Rope a Kick-Ass Life by Ellen Reid Smith. This is where I will be pulling today's wisdom from.

Until Cowgirl Smarts was published, about the closest thing to a written
Cowgirl Creed was at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. High up in
the rotunda (which is very cool to walk around and see how the pictures morph
and change shape), the museum's designers decorated the walls with what they
call "Cowgirl Spirit Words." They include: Genuine, Authentic, Confident,
Determined, Original, Independent, Dependable, Dauntless, Adventurous,
Dedicated, Celebrated, Earnest, Skillful, Passionate, Clever, Focused, Spirited,
Passionate, Clever, Focused, Spirited, Honored, Bold, Resourceful, True,
Respected, Steadfast, Fearless, Hardworking, Trustworthy.

These spirit words are characteristics to which all cowgirls aspire. But
upon closer examination, you'll see that these aren't just cowgirl
characteristics, they are characteristics all women would like to have -- for
themselves, their daughters and their sons. But while these words describe some
of the most famous cowgirls, they don't convey cowgirl lessons that women have
been passing from one generation to the next. They don't explain the unwritten
Cowgirl Creed that cowgirls have been living by for over 100 years. These
cowgirl lessons that make up the Cowgirl Creed needed to be documented, so here
they are:

The Cowgirl Creed

1. Dare to be a cowgirl
2. Buck the rules
3. Stay balanced in the saddle
4. Ride the trail of adventure
5. Dream as big as Texas
6. Be tough, but be feminine
7. Attack life like it's a 1,000 lb. steer
8. Saddle your own horse
9. Rein in your fears
10. Dress for success -- the cowgirl way
11. Ride high in the saddle
12. Ride high, but stay grounded
13. Give others a leg up
14. Always get back on the horse
15. Ride beside your man
16. Recharge your cowgirl spirit
17. Die with your boots on

The Cowgirl Creed may sound a bit horsey with all the riding and roping
metaphors, but it truly is adaptable by all women in any environment. The
Cowgirl Creed is a code for living a more fulfilled life. It's appropriate for
teens, mothers and women in their twilight years, because the concepts can be
applied at any age or any stage of life. So grab your hat and pull on your
boots, because the Cowgirl Creed is designed to inspire you to cowgirl up and
rope a kick-ass life.

In the coming year, when I'm completely blocked on what to talk about, I'll pull one of these creeds and expound on that for you all. I know, you all are very excited to learn all about the Cowgirl Creed, aren't you!?!

One More List to Start 2009

I really don't have a whole lot to say, so I'm going to share with you all something that my mom sent to me to help kick off 2009:


TIPS FOR A BETTER LIFE - 2009

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.


2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.


3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'


4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.


5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, and almonds.


6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.


7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.


8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.


9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.


10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.


11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.


12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.


13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.


14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.


15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.


16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'


17. Forgive everyone for everything.


18. What other people think of you is none of your business.


19. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.


20. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.


21. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.


22. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

And, yes, I deleted a couple from the list so that I could make it a list of 22 for those special people out there, and you know who you are!!