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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

PPT Hell

Have finally emerged from a week of microsoft power point hell. Who came up with that brilliant program? I have no idea why I can't get my stupid text boxes to line up. They need to rewrite that shit. This job is turning out to be far more challenging than I thought it would be. Or, I've just gotten kind of dumb over the years, which is entirely possible.

Anyway, last week went by so very quickly - a blur of hours spent cursing at my computer under my breath with breaks in between for sleeping (barely), exercising (amazingly I did still manage to make it to the gym a few times), and walking Pig (b/c why should she get punished b/c I have too much work?). Speaking of Pig, I bought her that automatic feeder thing, but she won't use it! Pig - the dog who eats EVERYTHING - just lets her food sit there and waits for me to come home, thus defeating the purpose of the automatic feeder. I figure eventually she'll get around to using it.

So mini-weekend recap: Spent Saturday sleeping on the couch, trying to recover from hellacious work week. I think I took about two three hour naps. Max and I went to Fogo de Chao, this awesome brazillian grilled meat place, to celebrate his new promotion. He's doing great at his job - his new boss loves him and thinks his writing is "sublime." Haha. After dinner we went out to a bar called Father's Office to have a drink with AD, whose birthday was last Thursday. I don't think he really wanted to go out, but Amol threated to just show up at his apartment and drag him out, so I think it was easier for him to appease Amol and let him by him a beer. Pretty laid back night all in all.

Sunday morning I went to see my trainer. I love working out with him! This whole personal training thing totally appeals to the lazy person in me. Jack hands me weights, adjusts the machines, put away weights, jots down notes - everything. All I have to do is just stand in position, do the exercise, and wait for him to do everything else. And when I really have a hard time finishing a set, he helps me finish it. It's perfect really. I am slowly beginning to fit into more pairs of pants, which is nice because I've been too busy to do laundry so my clothing options are limited. Too bad he is so damn expensive. In a weird way tho, that's been motivating. Whenever I want to order a cheeseburger, I think about how much I'm paying for PT sessions and what a waste of money it'd be for me to eat a burger and undo all the gains I've made from training and exercising. That's another thing -I've been getting up at 5 a.m. to go to the gym before work! Amazing! I actually don't mind it so much. It's nice and quiet, and since the gym is on my way to work, it cuts down on my drive time. I can't believe I am now a Super Early Morning person. It's so weird.

Sunday afternoon we had people over to watch the NFC and AFC championship games. I was routing for Brett Farvre so I'm sad he lost. Oh well. Max bought a ton of Popeye's Fried Chicken so we have lots of leftovers. Leftovers I'm trying to avoid, of course.

So. That's that. Tomorrow's hump day and then it'll be the weekend again. Please - just no more power point!

Monday, January 14, 2008

Weekend Recap

Another Monday. Sigh. To be fair, I don't mind Mondays nearly as much as I used to. I think I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase of a new job. Well, a KIND of "honeymoon" phase...I don't think most newlyweds spend all their time wondering if they're going to get fired.

Anyway, nice weekend. Uneventful. A couple friends came over on Friday night and we ordered chinese food and just sat around and chatted. I think that's a perfect way to spend a Friday night. I just don't have the energy to do more than that. A movie is totally out of the question - I'd inevitably fall asleep. And a bar? Forget it.

I spent Saturday doing what I normally do - napped on the couch while Max watched football, walked the dog, thought about doing the dishes, thought about buying groceries, thought about cleaning the bathroom, thought about doing laundry, and finally settled on at least making it to the gym. I've actually been pretty good about going to the gym lately. In fact, I even got up at 5:15 THIS MORNING, and went to the gym before work. Amazing! It was a bit too early for Pig though - we spent 20 mins outside, with me angrily whispering "go poop. go poop. GO POOP GODDAMMIT" while she just sort of meandered around, looking a bit confused. I have to say, it's scary that time of the morning. Very quiet, and very dark. I think I may start carrying pepper spray with me. I know I have a dog, which makes me less of a target, but let's face it, neither Pig nor I look very intimidating. Especially not me, in a teletubby purple fleece and flipflops.

Anyway, Sat night we went out to the Dresden with some peeps. Have not been there in years. It was okay. Kind of stupidly crowded. I dunno, I used to love that place, especially since it was in Swingers, but I was annoyed last night with how crowded it was. We had to wait in a line for about 15 mins! It's not exactly a happening club, so the line seemed silly. Afterwards, I ate my first 7-11 hot dog. I've never remotely wanted to eat one of those before, considering how wrinkly and gross they look in the case, but I was really hungry and succumbed after Max insisted that they were awesome. And it WAS awesome. I even liked the fake cheese and chili that CAME OUT OF A MACHINE.

So, it was a good thing that I had to meet with my trainer on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Hopefully I managed to burn off that hot dog. It was our 3rd session and I loved it!! I had such a good workout with him, and he helped me stay focused and motivated. I'm already using heavier weights than I've ever used before, so I'm hoping that all this extra work will yield quicker results. Unfortunately, his regular non-charity-donation prices are VERY STEEP (okay, maybe they're "normal" but still, $70 per hour!!????) I am trying to find ways to rationalize continuing working with him after we're through with our initial sessions. Maybe I can skip a hair appointment (between cut, color and tip - that's about 3 sessions - altho this might mean showing more gray hairs and having an overall bad hairstyle)? Maybe I will win BIG MONEY IN VEGAS???? Also, he does charge less if you sign up for more...

Anyway, that was about it for Sunday. I did manage to make it the grocery store, do the dishes and clean up, but I figured the bathroom and laundry could wait until next weekend ;)

Meeting up with Raleigh tonight for her consultation with Pig. Since she's going to be our on-call dog walker from now on, we're going to have to make sure the apt is REASONABLY tidy before we leave for work in the morning. Sigh. I don't know about you guys, but I have bad habit of leaving stuff around in the morning (underwear, pajamas, bath towels, clothes I changed out of b/c I didn't like the outfit, breakfast dishes, etc) so the apartment is usually a mess. This will take some effort!

Lastly, I'm going to give a shout-out (like this is a radio show) to my friend Jeremy, who apparently has been reading my blog. I haven't seen Jeremy in years - he moved to Florida a while back, but we used to spend a lot of time talking about ways to avoid germs. He too is a bit of a germ-freak and we had many a conversation about the least germy way to press an elevator button. Jeremy is quite a good writer so I'm amazed and flattered he's taken the time to read my shitty posts (literally, since so many of them are about Pig's poop)!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Christmas Wish List 2008


one baby polar bear cub. just one. because two would be far too much to handle.

Happy Friday!!

Surprisingly, a google search for "bendable happy yellow man" does not actually turn up any gay asian porn. Don't ask why I spent all morning looking for this guy online. Just be happy for me that I finally found him.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Changes

Thursday. Made it through another hump day. Almost to Friday...and then the weekend!!!

This week has actually gone by pretty quickly. Max got promoted (yay!!!) but that means he is now super super busy. He's been getting home so late - last night he didn't come home until after 10. Poor thing. And then he stayed up for another few hours to work some more. Unfortunately I've been going to bed at around 9:30, so I feel like I usually only see him for about 20 mins a day in the morning. I don't know how long this schedule will last, but truthfully I'm not really complaining. This new promotion is a HUGE HUGE opportunity for him, and I know it's important for him to give it his all. So, yeah, some sacrifices and changes, but in the long run, it'll all be worth it.

I'm super happy that I've found a solution to our new Pig walking problem. Originally, Max worked from home, but now with the promotion, he has to work at the office. On most days, he'll be able to come home at lunch to walk Pig, but not always. Luckily Raleigh, my professional dog walker friend, actually has a client just down the street and has agreed to be our "on-call poop escort" so we can call her if we need her to take Pig out. Such a huge relief!!! My office is just too far away for me to be able to make it back at lunch every day, altho I will have to do that this Friday (Raleigh is sick and won't be avail until next week).

In other RIVETING Pig walking news, we've bought an excellent new harness that actually keeps her from pulling!!! Amazing!!! Why didn't we buy this four years ago??? It's a "gentle leader" but not the nose version - this one goes under her armpits and really works. Last night we went for a long walk and for the first time, I actually felt like I was walking a dog, and not a wild horse. Unlike the gentle leader nose leash, which seemed to affect her breathing, this one doesn't seem to bother her. And it's very very effective. She tried to go after a pizza crust and couldn't get to it at all!

So, another adjustment we've had to make, is that I had to order an automatic pet feeder. Thode got one for Punk and I guess it worked out really well for them. These days, I just can't tell when I'll be home (am still trying to squeeze in a stop to the gym, and some days I do work late) so I don't want Pig to wait and get anxious. She's not really anxious about seeing me or Max - she's really anxious about getting fed by us when we get home. And normally, she likes to eat at 5 p.m. So now, she gets to eat at five p.m., and I have no excuse not to stop at the gym!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Corporate Sareet


HA!!!!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Vegas, Baby!

So I am really beginning to look forward to an upcoming Vegas trip - a whole bunch of us girls are going Feb 22nd for the weekend, so it's just a few weeks away!!! We've decided to make it an annual thing, commemorating the Prince in Vegas 2007 trip we took last year.

In preparation, I have been OBSESSIVELY studying an excellent website called www.wizardofodds.com that pretty much lists all the different casino games, the odds for them, the house edge, etc - and the best strategy for each game. I seriously spent all weekend laying on the couch, with my new fleece throw (Aunt Laura's gift) and the computer on my lap. Turns out, I've been playing blackjack wrong for years!! According to this guy (and many other sites - I did my research) basic optimal blackjack strategy tells you to hit on 12 and 13 when the dealer is showing 2 or 3. Interesting. I always figured you don't, and let the dealer bust instead. I'm sure that applying this basic optimal strategy will get me yelled at by other players, but I don't care - I'm listening to The Wizard!! Speaking of blackjack, I went over to a friend's house for Blackjack Night over the weekend and won $45!!! See - gotta listen to The Wizard!! And, be very very lucky. :)

As a result of all this Vegas anticipation, I've had TWO dreams about Vegas - one where I'm friends with Celine Dion (strange) and we're hanging out at the Imperial Palace - and another one, which I can't recall at the moment, but I know it was definitely about Vegas. I might have been in Vegas looking for an asian ice cream store. Which makes sense - it's a combination of recurring settings in my dreams. In no particular order, I often dream of casinos (Vegas), theme parks, fairs, asian ice cream stores (with flavors like green tea, lychee, and guava), and Chinatown (usually in these dreams I am lookign for either a noodle shop, boba shop, Chinese bakery, or a dim sum restaurant), and shopping malls where there are MASS discounts and sales.

Anyway, I am so excited!! I can't wait!!! We're even talking about getting a limo to pick us up from the airport!!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Wet N Wild

It's raining like crazy today. Really scary drive home, where many traffic lights were out so everyone had to just sort of wing it.

Pig is so funny in the rain - she hates it so much! She does this prissy prancing thing, like she can't stand getting her feet wet. Tonight, she actually tried to pull me into a garage, presumably, to duck out of the rain.

Off to bed now. Am just praying that there won't be any thunder. Last thing I want is to wake up in the middle of the night with a wet Pig on my head.

Trick Photography

So, I've pretty much hated every single pic of me from New Year's, which is no surprise. Not only did I have a runny nose and generally felt sick and tired, but those extra five pounds I packed on over the holidays looked like about 20 extra lbs on film. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself...surely it's just a camera effect...

However, there was one pic that made me look about 40 lbs thinner, much to my surprise.



Amazing!! If you haven't seen me recently, don't be alarmed. I really REALLY don't look like that at all. But I want all future pics of me to be taken from that angle and with whatever lens that was used!

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Back to Work!

Wow, man. Getting up was brutal this morning. I haven't exactly slept in over the holidays (I consider 7:00 a.m. pretty early, even if it's an hour and a half later than when I normally get up) but it was still a nasty jolt. I had taken Nyquil and went to be early last night, hoping that I'd wake up refreshed and healthy, but instead I woke up drowsy and congested. Not good. Somehow the ten feet between my bed and my shower felt like ten miles. I had a terrible nightmare last night where I got fired. Yup, straight up fired. Then I had a dream-within-a-dream where I "woke up" and couldn't tell if I had actually been fired or if it was all a dream. You know, it's a good thing I figured out it was just a dream this morning and actually went to work.

Max comes home tomorrow - at last! Feels like it's been forever, even tho he's only been gone since 12/19. Sometimes I look back on those months he spent in Denver and wonder how I managed not to be totally and hopelessly bored. Or maybe I was. Probably just got used to it over time.

I just finished Atonement by Ian McEwan which I highly recommend. Really great book. As much as I enjoy my murder mysteries, a proper novel from time to time really does me good. I want to see the movie, but doubt that I can persuade Max to go with me, so I will have to ask one of my girlfriends.

Grr. Argh. Why won't my nose stop running? You know, I read online that the average non-sick person produces nearly 3 quarts of mucus a day. Ew. Gross.
And a sickie produces up to 6 quarts of mucus. No wonder I feel sluggish - and fat! That's a lot of extra fluid to be carrying around!

Anyway, as the title of the post suggests - back to work!

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

2008!!!

Happy New Year!!!

So I'm off to a good start. Went to my first personal training session yesterday. It was great - I really like the trainer and I'm hoping that he'll help me stick to a good exercise routine for 2008. He said that my arms are actually pretty strong, which amazed me. I mean, I have trouble opening everything from jars of spaghetti sauce to bottles of Gatorade. He did say that my weakest areas were my abs (I could have told him that!) and legs, which made sense b/c I don't really work out my legs a lot. Anyway, I told him I wanted to tone up and lose the muffin top so we'll see. We talked about how I have a tendency to work out for a few weeks and then fall off the wagon, so he said he'd try to make sure we come up with routines and workouts that will keep me interested. Not sure that's really the reason why I fall of the exercise wagon, but I was glad to hear that anyway.

I also went to the dentist yesterday and she was very pleased with me - said my teeth looked great, there wasn't much tartar, and the cleaning went really well. That's a first! Altough I didn't keep up my 2007 resolution to floss every day, I guess I did improve some and I feel inspired.

Got a ride home last night from our designated driver Amol, which meant I had to go get my car from Jason's house this morning. And, I TOOK THE BUS to get it! I'm so proud of myself. 2007 Sareet would have paid $40 for a cab ride. Or begged a friend to come pick her up and take her to her car. 2008 Sareet paid $1.25 for a bus ride. Bus was actually fine until a homeless man got on and sat next to me, but that was pretty close to my stop, so I didn't have to hold my breath for too long. My stop was about a ten minute walk to my car. I passed by a man peeing against the side of a building - he waved and said hello. Guess everyone's in a good mood on the first day of the year.

As for resolutions...I dunno. I'm really glad that I got a new job - that was a huge deal for me and now I can cross "get a new job" off the resolutions list. I've been working hard at my new job so I can cross "work harder at the office" off the resolutions list as well. With the new job, my financial situation has improved so I feel like I've got that area under control. So that leaves mainly health and emotional well being?

Okay. Here we go. So this year, I resolve to:

1) Get my wisdom teeth removed. My dentist has been bugging me about this for years and I'm finally going to take care of it this year.

2) Lose the muffin top! (don't laugh - I know I say this every year - or every week - but this is something I want to have happen)

3) Step out of my comfort zone and try new things. I am a total creature of habit and I want to challenge myself to do new things. Even little things like today - taking the bus - that's a great accomplishment for me. I know it sounds silly but I normally would never think of taking the bus. And I did it!