busygirl

...and then i almost cried.

I sit by some, um, interesting people at work.  No one on my direct team, thank goodness, but nearby coworkers who cannot seem to control the volume of their voice.

Enter Rover and Alan.

My saviors from 7-11am and 3-4pm, respectively.  They not only provide daily laughter (I can sometimes be found snickering under my desk, holding my hand over my mouth, willing myself not to laugh out loud for fear that my coworkers will mock me), but they provide a peaceful sanctuary from the amplified personal conversations swirling around me.

Until recently, I had to listen via the internet (which they just blocked at work), but our new iPod allows radio to run through it.  Booyah.  Of course, listening to the radio for five hours a day puts a drain on the battery, but I can charge it through the usb adapter using my computer.

Which has worked.  Until today.

When I went to unplug my iPod from my computer I nearly cried.  It was burning hot to the touch.  And the screen went blank.

WHAT?

No, iPod, you simply can't leave me.  There is no CPR in the technology world.   Please, I need you...they're starting to discuss the benefits of homeschooling right outside my cube...(for the record, I have NOTHING against homeschooling at ALL...just when people want to talk about it, or anything really outside my desk)

Sigh.

Of everything in my life that could break, it had to be this.  Damn you computer.  You FRIED my iPod.

i don't understand sir...no coffee?

I didn't sleep last night.  Yes, I'm 25 years old and still sometimes have nightmares.  This particular one involved someone breaking into our house to take our tv.  What can I say?  I'm very protective of my DVR.

Little sleep translates into little functionality.  Meaning there wasn't a chance I was making my own coffee this morning (Note: I got one of those awesome Cuisinart Brewers with a zillion buttons for my bridal shower.  I can pretty much make it turn on and sometimes brew a few cups.  I think I need to read the manual).   Lucky me, we have our own Starbucks in our building. 

So off I went as soon as I groggily dragged myself into work this morning.  And THEIR COFFEE BREWER WAS BROKEN!  Do you hear this?  NATIONAL EMERGENCY!  Starbucks is out of COFFEE!  I just stood there in disbelief, blinking back tears.  I'm pretty sure I mumbled something along the lines of, 'I don't understand...'

The poor barista guy, he's going to deal with people like me all morning. 

Luckily their espresso machine was just on the verge of being fixed.  So a few minutes later the nice barista handed me an Americano for my troubles.  I just took it praying it had caffeine, no really knowing what an Americano is. 

After some googling, I discovered that it's just espresso watered down to have the consistency of coffee.  Which leads me to conclude that Americans are weenies because we can't handle the hard stuff.

I'm not a fan by any means, it was too watered down for my tastes.  I like my coffee strong enough to make itself.  But I suppose that in a pinch, any form of caffeine will suffice.  Especially today.

And so, if you feel so inclined to give this 'Americano' drink a try for yourself, be sure to enter my Starbucks gift card GIVEAWAY!  It ends tomorrow at noon, so hurry up and enter!

blue pens for sale.

I'm cleaning out my desk today for good.  Which means I've officially come to terms with the fact that I could possibly be a contestant on that 'Hoarders' show.  It is astounding the amount of 'crap' in my desk.  Enough computer wires to create a small spaceship.  An umbrella that is not only pee-green in color, but that doesn't even work.  A roll of sparkly silver ribbon that I cannot for the life of me remember why this would be in my desk.  Business cards from about three years ago with the wrong title on them.  Boxes of printer labels - I have never used nor needed to use printer labels at all, why I have three boxes of them is beyond me.  A gazillion blue pens for the person who only writes in black.

HOARDER.

Oops.  My bad.

The scavengers are already circling.  Fights over who gets my chair (I do have a brand new chair WITH a reclining option, it's in high demand).  My monitors are being pilvaged.  I managed to steal away my mousepad before it was stolen away from me.

No takers on the blue pens though.  Come on people, they're BLUE pens for FREE!

My stapler is even gone.  My stapler.  What is this, an office space remake?  It's not even a red stapler, just plain black.

Oh and there aren't any staples in it, because let's face it, I probably couldn't find them in my desk if I tried.

And so the vultures are circling.  I guess I can't blame them since the majority of my prized desk possessions were the result of picking through the desks of those laid off last year.  It's the circle of life, for office supplies.

For pete's sake though, will somebody take all these pens?

must. stop. to. breathe.

And blog.  Since I haven't stopped moving since last week.

I sent out the 'hey I'm outta here' email at work last Thursday.  I'm honestly kind of surprised by some people's reactions.  Some wrote such heart felt emails making me feel guilty I'm leaving.  And some who I expected to have a reaction had none at all.  Even while I'm sitting at work today less than ten feet away from them.  Oh well, work friends are not always true friends I suppose.

It's strange to think I need to start cleaning out my desk today.  I refuse to be someone walking out with a big box.  I'd rather be a bit more discreet with a picture frame here, my coffee mug there.  I really like my chair though, maybe I should pull a Rachel and take that too.  Although I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon.

It hasn't really hit me yet.  I'm sure it will on Wednesday.  Followed by a mental breakdown.  I was never great at accepting change.  The only way I deal is by completely detaching myself emotionally.  Or by not thinking about it at all.  I'm trying to stay more focused on what lies ahead than what I'm leaving behind.

And truth be told, I'm terrified.  To be leaving a place where I know everyone and everything.  For a place where I don't even know where the bathroom is.

Yikes.

It will be a good change though.  I just need to get through the next couple days.

monday woes.

I'm starting to freak out.  As in, the reality of everything going on in our lives at this moment is setting in.

We have to sell the house.

We have to move.

We have to plan a wedding.

I have to start a new job in TWO weeks.

And worst of all, I have to say goodbye to my current job within two weeks.

Sigh.

It's harder than I thought.  I told some of the higher-ups last week and the reactions were hard to deal with.  Comforting to the fact that they would miss me and it's not like they were at all happy to see me leave.  But sad to the fact that I left each meeting feeling like I was disappointing them.  And I was. 
I wasn't supposed to be leaving this job so soon.  This is a company where people put up roots and just stay forever and ever.  But I'm one of those.  That just packs up and moves on.

It's hard.

I'm just hoping the next couple weeks speed up because this part of getting a new job is the PITS.  The phrase 'this is the last time I will ______' keeps going through my head with each report, each project.

Sigh.  It's just work, why is this so hard?  I just need this chapter to close and the next to open.  And soon.

working hard from the homefront.

It is STILL snowing.  And our street is nowhere near the top of the 'to be plowed' list so we're pretty much stuck at home.

I did at least grab my laptop at the last second before leaving work yesterday - you just never know.  Good thing - now I won't be behind at work.  AND I get to work in my pjs.  And as expected, I did have a little help from a small, furry friend.

Someone's pretty happy that I'm home today.

in the midst of my madness...

...yesterday was one of those days.  Fire after fire after fire.  I didn't accomplish anything I needed to do.  Not one thing.  Since everything I did over winter holiday went kaputz as soon as I walked in the door to work.

Today is not much better.  The problems that I stayed late to correct last night apparently decided to become bigger problems again this morning when I walked in the door.

I've got mounds and mounds of work to do.  Blogging for sanity's sake and while waiting for a program to run.  Did I mention that my computer runs like it was built in the stone age?  It's only a year old and already revolting against me in its disgust at the amount of data I have stored on it.

I did do something mildly entertaining to some of my coworkers yesterday.  My family will read this, shake their head and say 'that's Nicole for ya.'  It's true.  I'm decently smart but I say the STUPIDEST things sometimes.

This one was no exception.

In the midst of fighting the fires at work yesterday, I noticed that there was an appointment on my calendar for a meeting with the subject 'Epiphany' in the conference room 'Germany'.  (Note: our conference rooms are named after countries).  I spent allllll day trying to figure out why this dumb meeting was on my calendar, what on earth it was about and where it came from.  ALLLLLL DAY people.  It was driving me crazy.  I even asked some of my coworkers if they had put it on my calendar.

And then I realized.

That I have European holidays on my calendar.  And that my 'meeting' was just a reminder that tomorrow is 'Epiphany Day' in the country of Germany.

Well gee, happy Epiphany day to you then.  I'm going to spend tomorrow working instead of sitting in the non-existant day-long meeting I thought I had.  Whoops!

twenty2go: tickle your teacher pink!

An apple?  A yardstick?  Extra chalk?  What do you get your child's teacher?  Or even any of your friends that are teaching in the local schools.  I took advantage of my house-mate/sibling/middle-school history teacher/morning coffee maker and asked busyteacheramy what she would like her students to give her for the holidays.

And here's what we came up with...plus a few I threw in on my own:

1. Starbucks anything.  Apparently coffee-related items are always appreciated.  I think our country has a caffeine addiction problem.

2. Journals - a lot of teachers love the write down their thoughts or jot down notes of what worked during their lesson plan.  Not to mention a reminder that they need to pick up milk on the way home.  A cute journal such as this one would be a great gift!

3. A book relating to their teaching interest or a gift certificate to a local bookstore.  Busyteacheramy would LOVE anything to do with World War II that she could share with her student - such as Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures.

4. A plant to spruce up their desk.  No wrapping needed and it's something that a teacher can use in the classroom!  My personal favorite is the Jade plant which is not only pretty, but easy to take care of.

5. A planner - help keep your teacher organized with a daily or weekly planner!  How about an cute inspirational planner for the fun-loving teacher or small, pocket version for easy travel.  If you're looking for something a little different, get a mini calendar for their desk or get them something that they can use in the classroom, such as a Teacher's Calendar!

6. Make a donation to the teacher's favorite charity.

7. Gift Cards!  Let the teacher decide what the gift will be.  A gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or a local teaching store can be used to purchase classroom necessities or that book they've been dying to buy!

disclosure: some of the above links are affiliate links which means i will be receiving a penny or two if you click on them and purchase something.  i'd love ya for it.  seriously.

twentyone2go: coworker delights!

This is by far...the HARDEST type of person for me to shop for.  But, even though I work in an office where gift-giving isn't really a big deal, I love leaving a little gift on my fellow workers desks to make their holidays bright.  So year after year I rack my brain for something spectacular to surprise my coworkers with...while not spending TOO much money...

1. 50 Jobs Worse than Yours- for the coworker that is there through it all.  For every rude customer call, every irritating assignment, every sarcastic remark.  Remind them that it could be worse - they could have one of these jobs.

2. Starbucks Gift Basket - Caffeine IVs are a bit too expensive (trust me, I checked) so why not fuel their addiction with a gift card tucked inside a mug?  Or a pack of the new VIA Ready Brew packets?  Or a bag of the Christmas blend?  Or all of them in one box!  Remind me to post my address...

3. Keeping with the coffee-addict theme...how about a USB Heated Travel Mug!  This stainless steel spill-proof mug plugs into your 12V auto adapter and then your computer's USB port to keep coffee hot during the drive to work and while at your desk.

4. Play to their interests.  For those coworkers that you DO know outside of work, get them a gift that is reflective of their favorite hobby.  One of my coworkers is REALLY into photography and showcasing his art in photobooks - so he would LOVE a gift certificate to SeeHere to use for one of his projects!  One of my close friends/coworkers is a baking fanatic and would get a ton of use out of this adorable half-apron!  What about a Hoop Jams basketball game for that sports fanatic?

5. If you really get stuck, you can't go wrong with a tin full of homemade holiday cookies or filled with their favorite munchies!

6. If you're doing some type of secret-santa/white elephant exchange, your gift is sure to be a hit if you go with this Desktop USB Missile Launcher complete with a 10-foot range and sound effects!  What coworker wouldn't get use out of that on a Friday afternoon?

7. Last but not least, regardless of how simple this seems, a gift card to their favorite lunch spot is not only thoughtful but useful.

disclosure: some of the above links are affiliate links which means i will be receiving a penny or two if you click on them and purchase something.  i'd love ya for it.  seriously.

foggy.

That's how my head feels.  I actually did make it into work today after spending yesterday bonding with my couch and DVR.  The dog was thrilled.  I was not.  He kept trying to lay on my head.  I suppose it was his feeble attempt to keep me warm during my case of the chills.

And today isn't going much better.  But it's Friday so I'm attempting to make it through this last day.  My head is killing and I'm obviously not being as productive as I should.  My greatest accomplishment this morning was an hour long conversation with my friend in Switzerland about nothing.  My to-do list hasn't even been touched.

Ugh, I really despise flu season.