LOTS OF OLD-MAN BALLS

So what sucks about this job is that sometimes [read: often] I have to wait for someone else to do something before I can do what I need to do. Right now, for instance, I am waiting for the printer to drop off 200 brochures that our graphic designer made up so I can finish compiling 105 goodie bags for a golf outing.

No, I'm not joking.

Actually, it was an idea I got while looking through the 55+ section of the newspaper a couple weeks ago. I was scouting out the local senior citizen scene to try and see where I might begin my recruiting efforts for our New Horizons band. I came across an ad for an old-people golf outing being held in the next town over.

Being the avid [read: disturbingly fanatic] golfer that my boss is, he just happened to have 300+ golf balls lying around. So I bagged up the aforementioned goodie bags - each with 3 balls, 4 tees and a ball marker. The brochure I'm waiting for is for our New Horizons program, and one will be stapled - along with my newly minted business card - to each bag.

Essentially, over 100 old men will have my contact information. I have not yet decided how I feel about this.

Thankfully, it's my last project until I return to work on August 6th. HE and I both took next week off to move into our new abode. I am SO looking forward to... well, not the move itself. But definitely to living in a great new place with the greatest guy I've ever met.

I just hope HE doesn't mind the 100+ old men that I'll be inviting over for dinner.

STILL HERE

Just figured I'd check in, it's been a while. Things are chugging along here at the new job. Some days I am busier than others, but for the most part I am enjoying it. Went out with my boss the other day to pick out some office furniture and am waiting for the arrival of my Palm Treo (yes HONEY, I know it's no iPhone ;)

Been running a bunch in the mornings and have registered to run the Rochester, NY 1/2 marathon in September. I did it back in 2005 and enjoyed being back in my grad school stomping ground. So I am looking forward to that and have been following Hal's Intermediate level training program.

This one has me doing speedwork once a week (so I guess that crazy bitch from the 5K got to me after all.) I do it down at this lake near my house. There's a paved path around the lake that's .74 miles/lap. I figure this is about 1200m around, so I've been doing 600's instead of 400's -- about halfway around at a very rapid pace and then slowing for the remaining half-lap.

Know what? Speedwork is HARD! Even though I am only doing like 3 miles of it per week (and have really only done it twice), it kicks my ass in a new and different way. We shall see if I can have that sub-2:00 1/2 I am dreaming of... *sigh*

In other news, we're moving into our new condo exactly one week from today! Although the act of moving sucks more than just about anything, I am very excited for new beginnings and looking forward to living with HIM in our new place.

Will certainly make an effort to post more often (yeah...right.)

3 WORDS: INTERNET. AT. WORK.

Finally! My Mac's got itself hooked up wit' da Ethernet strings and I compromise NOTHING! They use PCs here, and since I would rather put toothpicks into my eyeballs than use a PC, I was sans Internet until today. But I won! And now my life is complete.

Life's been good. Things at work are a little slow this week as it is summer and schools are off (as I well know.) I am keeping busy getting my ducks in a row so I can launch a full-scale recruiting assault in September, but until then I am kinda laying low and gathering the forces.

Today I did something very different: I went to a diner for lunch - by myself - ordered a lovely salad, and sat and read a book. It was nice. And while I'm sure that thousands of people around the world do this on a regular basis, it was a very new experience for me.

In other news, I ran what was probably the toughest 5K of my life this past Sunday. The race T-shirt even said "The Toughest 5K in New Jersey" on the back and, while that may not be 100% accurate, at least I'm not the only person who thought it was tough. It was in my own town (which is an extremely hilly lake community) and I thought I'd be prepared for it since I train here. But clearly the guy who picked the route was a twisted sadist.

Needless to say, there was no PR for me. I did, however, place 2nd in my age category (30-39 y/o female) and so I felt really good about that. Hell, I even got a little award plaque! So all was not lost.

Uhh... I had other things I wanted to write about. Every time something funny happens I think, "I should blog about this" and then I forget it. Well, hopefully I can keep more current now that I am amongst the technologically living.

TGIF

So I’ve made it through the first week of the new job and I must say, things are definitely shaping up.

I gotta admit, at first I was a little overwhelmed by the new environment, and my initial reaction was pretty pessimistic. I think that’s fairly normal when someone is taken out of their comfort zone. But I did a lot of thinking about things Monday night and realized just how lucky I am...

For eight years, I have dreamed of starting my “Old People Band.” I’ve dreamed of doing it on my own terms – possibly even getting paid to do so. I’ve longed to be creative – to not have to follow the same boring schedule day after day, year after year. And now, miraculously, I find myself in that dream situation. How I got here, I’m not quite sure (and I certainly won’t question) but all of a sudden, I am realizing the actual potential here.

And I am loving it!

It’s amazing being able to wake up at a reasonable hour. To be able to fit in a 40 minute run, shower, have breakfast and read the newspaper BEFORE going to work. To walk into a beautiful office where secretaries greet me with relaxed smiles. To sit in a huge office (even if it’s not my own personal office just yet) with my Mac and figure out exactly how I am going to spend my day. I can go to the bathroom. Or out on an errand, or to lunch...

AND I DON’T HAVE TO ASK ANYONE’S PERMISSION!

Today we had two business meetings and people [ADULT people!] listened to my opinions with respect. It was almost as if they thought I had some sort of credibility or something. This is all very new.

I like the people I work with. As I mentioned, Nick is completely ADHD, but I like him. He’s a good businessman and a nice guy. The co-owner Tom is the complete opposite. He’s quiet and shy, but absolutely brilliant. They complement each other well and have been working together for over 30 years.

I feel good about things and I am just gonna make the very best out of the situation. There’s so much potential and I feel like I really am only limited by my own creativity. It’s the dream job.

I think I’ll probably miss the kids. There’s something to be said for working with kids versus adults. I think they keep you young, in a sense. But the beauty is that if I start to miss them enough, I can always decide to do some teaching here – maybe lessons or an ensemble or something.

For now though, I think I will focus on the creation process. Get some programs up and running – get out to the schools and begin spreading the word. After all, the more people I be bringin’ in the door, the more money I be bringin’ home. That is an incentive that was definitely missing from my last job.

GENESIS 1:1

Wow. This is kinda surreal. I’m writing this at 1:44 PM – right about when I’d normally be [sullenly] gathering my things to go upstairs to the gym to conduct afternoon Band. I’d be faced with 50+ unruly pre-teens, all blowing sour notes and talking incessantly. I’d roll my eyes, count to ten and try desperately to get through the next 42 minutes without committing murder.

Honestly though? I kinda wish I were back there right now.

The morning was busy. I got here around 9 and sat and brainstormed with Nick (my boss) about what I’d work on this summer. Since I don’t yet have an office of my own, I have taken up residence at his conference table. The problem is, he is quite possibly the most ADHD human being on the planet. He talks a mile a minute and his thoughts don’t seem to flow in any logical order. Speaking with him is both exciting and exhausting.

Around 11:45 I asked him when I am supposed to go to lunch. He replied, “whenever you’re hungry” a response – to most normal people – which makes sense. But having spent the past eight years being governed by a bell, this is a foreign concept. So at 11:50 (my lunch time at school) I drove to the health food store and bought a sandwich.

When I got back here, Nick was gone and well – I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. So I wandered around and poked my head into different areas of the shop. I went up to the lesson studio and talked to the lady whose job I will be incorporating into my own. She scared me a little.

I wandered over to the vending machine. I ate a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. Then I ate a bag of Famous Amos oatmeal cookies. If this is the way things continue, I’ll be 900 lbs. by the time the summer ends. Now I am back in Nick’s office and I have decided to blog… keep you all on top of my new and exciting life.

Maybe I need not to stress out about it yet. After all, it is only my first day. It’s just strange not having a routine yet. As a teacher, the whole job is a routine. Every day had its order, every month, every year. It ended in June and started up in September. It was both painfully mundane and mindlessly comforting.

But maybe as the days unfold, a routine will reveal itself. That’s human nature after all, right? Systemizing? It’s what we do. It just seems like it might be a little more vague here than it was at school. No one handed me a class schedule this morning that told me what I was teaching, who’d be in the classroom and when I’d be able to have 5 minutes free to take a poop.

Ah well. A change is what I wanted and a change is what I most definitely have gotten. I’ll take it as it comes and see just where it goes. And along the way, I’ll savor being able to eat and poop on MY terms.

D-DAY

- Anxious tonight.
- Starting the new job tomorrow.
- Wondering what it will be like to drive to a new "work."
- Hoping I don't hate it after a week.
- If I do hate it after a week, maybe it's ME and not the job.
- Hmm.
- Wondering why the fan on my laptop keeps going on.
- Has it always gone on and I've just never noticed?
- And now I can't stop noticing it?
- Maybe I should shut it off before it melts.
- That would really suck.
- I'd bring it back to the Apple store.
- They'd probably hit me with the $300 restocking fee.
- Fuckers.

I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?



I don't know why, but I cannot get enough of this site!

I [HEART] THE INTERNET

2 really cool running aids I've come across thanks to blog friends Lisa and Jeff.

The first is PodRunner - a DJ who puts together 60 minute workout mixes at specific BPM. I used one of these on Monday and had one of the best 5-milers in months!

And today I used GMaps Pedometer to track some routes around the new abode. One of my biggest concerns was figuring out where to run and this totally solved the dilemma.

Thanks, Internet. You're one sweet innovation!

YOU'RE GONNA LOVE... ME-E-E-E!!

Alright, that was weird. I just launched Safari and this strange layer of gray began sliding down my screen -- as if it were melting. When the grayness reached the bottom, a message popped up (in four different languages) informing me that I needed to restart my computer. WTF?

Anyway, it's been a rainy 4th of July here but a nice one, nonetheless. HE and I had a lazy morning - complete with bagels and Dunkin' Donuts coffee - and then I went home to do some "rooting." I have been rooting through boxes and drawers all over the house, reminiscing a bit and throwing out a whole lot. Between changing jobs and changing residences, I feel like it's a good time to clean house. So I did that and felt semi-productive.

Later in the afternoon, HE and I went on a hike at a place we call Jewish Park [note: it's okay that we make fun of the Jews. I am half a Jew and HE is full-on in Jewness, so technically, we're allowed.] We call it Jewish Park because the main walking trail is paved concrete. And since Jews don't like to sweat unnecessarily (or so HE claims) they come to this park to hike because it's easy. We walked around Jewish Park until it started to rain.

We ended up back at HIS apartment with takeout Chinese and a copy of "Dreamgirls." Okay, I knew Jennifer Hudson was great and the movie won all these awards and stuff. I also knew it was a movie about music. What I did not know was that it is a "musical." As in, a-Broadway-burst-into-song-every-ten-minutes cheesefest.



Uugggghhhhh... I HATE musicals!! I mean, I went through the obligatory Broadway Geek phase in high school and all, but by my 20's, I was well over it. I didn't even like Wicked, and that was with blowing $120 on a ticket. I don't know what it is, but musicals are horrible.

Needless to say, by the time Jamie Foxx and Beyonce were married, HE and I had both had enough. We also made a pact that when and if we get into any fights in the future, we must both burst into song and sing our sides of the argument. We even shook on it. So maybe Dreamgirls wasn't a total loss.