Tuesday, February 27, 2007

The match is lit

*Cue Mission Impossible theme song*

I am starting to feel a bit burned out by school. I am tired and I have classes twice a week until Thanksgiving (that includes 10 week classes in the summer). I suppose part of it is that I am taking finance and it is not fun and it seems to drag on and on! Last year it did not seem that bad but then again last year I knew less than I do now.

My quarter is up in two weeks and then I have "spring break" but I will still work my crazy hours. I think that is part of it too. I have to be at work at 7 on the days I have school so that makes for a very early morning and I am not a morning person. Plus the days I have school I don't get home until about 9:30 and that is early. I've gotten home at 10 and then I have my things to do like, make something to eat, make lunch, download the podcasts to the i-pod, talk to the bf, do dishes, and get ready for bed. If I am in bed by 11:30 it is a good thing.

It is just wearing me out.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Frustrating team mates and the better part of the weekend

I just gotta vent...

I am working on a pretty intensive team project for my international marketing class with two teammates. They are male and the only reason I am saying this is that the two of them are in this challenge to be right. So, even though they are polite about it, the two of them make things harder than it needs to be.

At this point we have only a few more weeks to get this project done, written, presentation created and proofed before it is due. Well today I get an email that we have another conference call today. I got it after the fact and nobody called to tell me so they proceeded with the chat and made changes to the plan. In fact it was two steps back!

So now I am pissed off! I send them an email to ask them why they did not call me and why now have they decided to make changes? I am still waiting for an answer. Our professor has told us we can make assumptions so damn it lets make a few assumptions and proceed!

I am getting so tired of this. I mean at this point we have to move forward not backwards. I swear between this nonsense and the crap that is finance, I can not wait for this quarter to be over.

Thankfully, I have a nice Bellini in from of me that the bf made. It is taking the frustration away


On to the weekend update:
-Friday we had dinner at Kitsch'n , where I had a Tang (yep Tang) martini. We really enjoyed our dinner there, it will be a do over place.
-Saturday we and ran errands. I bought jewelry at a trunk sale. Joann was there and she had some beautiful pieces, most were half off and I got some good deals on two necklaces and two pairs of earrings (one is a gift for a friend). There is something about retail therapy.
-the BF went ga ga here and got a few new things
-Last night we went to see a performance at the Chicago Theater where we saw a show called "terracotta warriors". It was okay, I thought the dancing was so beautiful and the soloist had this voice that was out of this world. We braved snow, ice and sleet to see the show and it was nice. There was this one interpretive dance sex scene that you had to know what it was to really understand it from the dancing and then this family grabbed their 7 year old and dragged her out of the theater! Poor kid had no idea why.
-Today we had brunch with a friend at this cafe called the over easy cafe. The strawberry rhubarb French toast was to die for!

Tomorrow is the start of another week. Why do I get the back to school feeling of dread on Sunday nights?


Thursday, February 22, 2007

Wishing for blissful ignorance

Ya know the saying "knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss" well it is sure as hell true.

There is some noise on the street about our company is going to be either bought or become another joint venture. Well the rumors are about office closures and job loss abound and the senior management team is not saying a word as to if this is true or not. It is kind of like they are denying the fact that there is a pink elephant in the room as they are feeding it peanuts. Some of us think that if this was all bullshit, it would have been addressed weeks ago when the noise began.

I had a colleague/friend call me almost in tears asking me what could she do if they actually go through this M and A? I don't know what to tell her, I don't know what I will do either, it just sucks because my life is going to be majorly affected b this news but I don't know how or what will happen to me and it is frustrating. I HATE when people make decisions about me that have a major impact on me and my life!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Uneven division of labor

I was wondering why, I seem to be handling more than my half of general duties and why my CLA (cranky lazy ass) has not been answering the door nor pulling her weight. I passed her desk and she is watching the Anna Nicole Trial live on her computer.

I have to put ice on my head after banging it against my desk.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Idle brushes

I paint well it is more along the lines of I used to paint. I used to run home and if it was sunny sit in my sun room with the CDs playing and my brush adding touch ups to my recent paintings. Sometimes, I let unfinished ones sit for a while because I get bored and then frustrated and then inspired to finish them. But there are a few that have been sitting there untouched in over a year. In fact, I have on on my easel as I type this taunting me with

"Come on I know you want to. You want to mix colors don't ya, yea you do. It will only take a second."

But I ignore the calling. Why, you ask. Because I don't have the time with school, homework, work, cleaning and hanging with the BF. Well this weekend, the BF and I went to Blick and I was surrounded by paint colors, brushes, pens, pencils, framing material, canvas. I was itching to buy the store and grab my brushes and go. But I did not...there are some work things that are preventing me from going nuts. Not to mention, the constraints on my time.

After November when I am done with the MBAs, I hope to pick up my brushes, blast some music and just paint until I am exhausted and covered in specks of color. Fingers crossed!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Not again!

I have a cough...again! I got a cold in December and then it reared its ugly head again in January and now I have a cough,

What the bloody hell!

It is pissing me off, I am tired of being sick! But hopefully this will be a minor cold because when I get my hands on those weaselly little germs I am going to rip their heads off and squish them with my boots.

Then wash my hands...to prevent any mutant germs from developing.

Ack!

Friday, February 16, 2007

New age concentration

My dad is very pragmatic and practical. Well, I decided to get two masters instead of one and decided to think of what other concentration should I do. My initial concentration is international business and my functional emphasis in it is management.

Now, I want to be done with school by the end of this year so with that in mind I wanted a management concentration. Well last quarter, I took the coolest class ever called "Creativity in Business". It was so much fun and it was about ideas and how you can use creative tools to garner some really profitable ideas. One of my classes was in the Art Institute! So After that class I decided to get a second concentration in Change and Leadership management.

Last week I finally submitted the additional concentration papers and got the approval on Tuesday. Well I am very excited and that class was cross listed so I will be able to still graduate in November. I was speaking with my dad last night and told him my news and he was quiet and said "I think that is too new agey and you should think of a more practical concentration like economics. You don't want employers to think you are too "out-there" you need to be practical." I gave him my reason why economics is not going to happen and I will keep my two concentrations, thank you very much. After all I (well technically the US government but I have to pay back the loans) am paying for this schooling so it is my decision.

So I was chatting on-line with my friend JT and told him that my dad thought that my additional concentration was too new age and trendy and his response...why don't you consider economics!

Ack, well while business people analyse the past and make predictions, I will use tools to motivate, change and empower businesses now. So there....

Thursday, February 15, 2007

The 4th "R"

Ok soapbox time, let me dust it off and get on.

Yesterday on my way to school, there two teenage girls got on. They could not be more than 16 years old. They were chatting and one of them says that this is the first winter in two years that isn't "with no baby". She proceeds to tell her friend that is glad she is not pregnant and that this summer she won't worry about giving birth because she wants to go out with her friends. Her friend mentioned that she should bring the kids to her house so that her mother can watch the babies while the go away for the weekend.

It got me thinking...you are 16 years old with two kids and you are worried that they are cramping your freedom. Well to put it in terms that they can associate with.. Duh!

I often wonder how things like pregnancy can happen to young people. I know that there are many factors and it is hard to pinpoint just one. I am not blaming nor judging them for their actions. But actions have consequences and no matter what age you are, having a baby makes you grow up fast!

Parent's have a certain responsibility but, sometimes the best intention mom or dad can't do anything to prevent it. Schools are afraid to talk about it because they may lose funding. So kids retreat to the famous rumor mill to get info and we all know how the rumor mill is full of false info.

Schools should hand out condoms and should have a honest and frank dialogue about sex. Education is a powerful tool, I mean we all can remember some things that. Should they talk about abstinence...yes just as they would talk about STDs and AIDS. I also think that students should handle a baby, change a stinky diaper, get spit up on, wake up in the middle of the night for a feeding. That teaches one what it is like to have a tiny human to look out for. It is not a doll that can be put away when you are bored, it is a living, breathing, moving tiny person.

I can speak only from my experience. We had sex ed chapter in in Catholic school in 5-8 grade. In high school, my conservative teacher told us, that she knew we had questions so she was going to answer them. So she handed out index cards and we wrote our questions and true to her word she answered each and every one of them honestly and frankly.

So just as our schools teach the 3 Rs, they should add a fourth one...responsibility. Not just about sex and its consequences but about life and its responsibility.

Ok, off my soap box...

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

I choo choo choose you

This just popped into my head. I was thinking about how when I was in grammar school we used to write valentine's to everyone in the class. It started with selecting the type of cards you wanted to give your classmates, then the difficult decision about what card to give what person ( you did not want to give certain people the wrong impression!). Then you had to write out your name and remember to bring them to school.

At school we would make "mailboxes" for our desks to collect the cards. Then you would distribute them and check to see what you got and from whom. Since I went to Catholic school, you had to give them to everyone. But before that, I went to public school and that was not a huge deal. I remember 2nd grade there was this boy in my class...Leroy. I did not like him, he was mean to me and called me names, plus he smelled. Well my dad forced me to write him one. My dad had an affinity for him because Leroy was the only person to thank my day on my birthday when he handed him a cupcake (memo to me, get a cupcake). So I had to give Leroy a card. I did not see him after that year because I switched schools.

It is funny the things that you remember!

Snow...to love or despise?

Well it snowed yesterday for about 11 hours, then with the wind, you had wind gusts up to 4 feet! My boss was merciful and allowed us to leave at 1, I made it home in less than an hour because the roads were not too crowded and I took a major highway. The local roads were a mess, and many were not plowed!

I got home and defrosted! But I got tons of things done! I read a chapter and half of my finance homework, paid some bills, shredded some paperwork, did some dishes, took an early shower, watched TV and caught up on some of my favorite blogs! It is amazing how much I can get done in the middle of the day in the middle of the week! Tomorrow I hope to read some things for my marketing class and finish the case study!

This morning, it took me 20 minutes to dig out my car and back up. I had to shovel, dig out the wheels, and slowly back up. It was so annoying, I almost gave up and called in. But it would have been a waste of a lazy day that I can use in the future. I was only a half hour late and my boss was cool with that, I don't need to take a short lunch to make up the time. She is very reasonable with things like that!

I don't want to go to class tonight, it is going to be freezing and standing waiting for the EL, is not on my top ten things to do today. Alas, I have no choice but on the upside 3 more finance classes to go before the final! Wooohooo!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Back from the apple back into the snow

Well, we are back from our trek to NY. It was such a great trip and the BF and I had such a great time. Our trip into Laguardia was a bit harrowing due to some fierce winds, it was a bumpy landing. But once we got back on land we hit the ground running. We vegged out at my parent's house and Charlie B was soooo excited to see us, it was so funny, he did not know what to make of the surprise visit. The BF and I caught up with the Independent film channel, we love that channel and my parents have it at their house.

We all went to dinner at a local pizza restaurant and it was as good as always. They have the best mozzarella sticks, hot gooey and cheesy. Then the BF got to try some amazing New York pizza not the "New York" style pizza! He loved it, we got a pie called the four seasons so each quarter has a different topping so mine had meat balls and tomatoes, his had shaved sausage and pepperoni. For dessert he had one of their popular cannolis and I had chocolate covered strawberries.

On Saturday we went to NYC and spent the day walking all over the place. I showed the BF Grand Central station . We wandered around the stores and played in the whispering gallery. Then we wandered around the market in the station and ate the food with our eyes.

Then we headed to the museum where we loved the butterfly exhibit. It was amazing and beautiful. Here are some photos of the butterflies that we saw. This was just a few of the ones that were flying all over the place. I would so love to replicate this in a garden!

After that and a quick lunch, we headed to look at some of the dioramas and the fossils of the dinosaurs and the prehistoric animals.
It is such an amazing museum and we saw most of it.

Afterwards, we went to Soho...the BF bought me a tee shirt that it was based on an old pulp fiction comic book. I bought a bead necklace and then we wandered into Evolution. Where we were greeted by:
We bought some butterflies conserved in glass. the BF wanted a stuffed squirrel but it was not purchased.

Afterwards, we went to dinner with my friends and it was so much fun. The food was so yummy and we ate and drank and laughed! It was a blast.

Sunday was a lazy day and then mom made a great dinner and we had a family dinner. I did not really speak to my brother and his fiance was not chatty. So whatever.

Then yesterday we headed home just before the snow began.

Today it took me 2 hours to get to work then they let me go at 1. So it was a bit of an annoying trip home but I made it in one piece and I am glad to be inside!

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Ready to pop a "big apple" cherry

I've been teasing the BF that I will pop his NY cherry this weekend. We are heading to the Big Apple and he has never been to NY so, I am very excited to show him around.

It was actually his idea to head east so that he can meet my dad, my brother and Charlie. So we found a cheap trip to NY. I was really honored and touched that he wanted to meet my family and see where I grew up.

On top of all the visiting, we are going to spend Saturday at the AMNH and then for dinner we are going to meet up with my friends P and her hubby! We are thinking of dinner in Little Italy.
But there are tons of good eats so that may change. It is going to be a balmy 30 degree so we may walk around the village. I can't wait. This will give him a feel and flavor of that city of mine so that we when we go backin the summer, we will have more to see and more to do.


Wednesday, February 07, 2007

I told him...

Today I got an email from my brother telling me that we should let things go and that he and his fiance want to get brunch with the BF and I over the weekend.

That is all well and good, but I am not at the same place he is at. I am still very hurt and upset over the assumptions that he made and that he did not support me when I responded. So I told him how I felt and that I am still working on "getting over it". I told him that he has to earn my faith again that he will support me and trust my judgement and that takes time.

I finally told him that it sucked that he lacked the courage to tell me either on the phone or in person but rather hid behind an email! That was cowardly of him to do.

So, I finally got it out and off my chest, perhaps now I can let go and move on.

Almost mid-term time

For the past few days, I've been engrossed in finance. Not just the mid-term that will be this evening but also the 18 question assignment that the professor decided to post late Friday. It was due last night at 10! So on top of the 6 1/5 chapters to review, the past assignments to review and the sample mid-term problems to review I had homework. I was so frustrated, it actually brought me to tears because I am a perfectionist that once I started my homework I *needed* to finish it despite my eye fatigue from looking at the spreadsheet. The BF had to calm me down and forced me to turn off my computer, put the books away and get to bed. He was right!

Anyway, so as you can imagine, I am sick and tired of finance. I'll be glad when the exam is over that way it is done and over with. After this class only 4 more to go. Then I am going to lynch my notebook, sell my text book and then use e-bay to sell my financial calculator. Oh and I am going to have a nice expensive drink...and a pedi.

Monday, February 05, 2007

-28 degrees and sunny

That is what the weatherman said on NPR this morning. It is bloody cold and that is an understatement. I want to go back to bed and get nice and cozy instead of getting up, getting in my cold car and driving to the cold office.

This is what sucks about Chicago....the cold and the wind!

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Public heartfelt apology...

Also known as I am a little shit!

I owe this to my wonderful, boyfriend who is the sweetest, kindest, silliest and loving person that I have ever had in my life.

This morning we were talking about shoes and I mentioned that I wanted new sneakers. The problem is that I am a size 4 so I have to look in the kids section to find them. So I told him tha tI wanted Pumas. But I was not really happy with the selection, too kiddie for me. So he hopped on the computer to look them up. I was in bed about 10 feet away without my glasses...he pulled up these sneakers. I did not have my glasses on so I thought that they were brown and I said that I was looking for a white pair. "oh shit" he said. I sat up and I said, "Did I just ruin your Valentine's gift?". He nodded his head and said yes.

I felt so horrible. So he goes to his closet and pulls out the shoes. He at least wanted for me to try them on. I loved them when I saw them and I felt so horrible. I tried them on and they fit perfectly and I adored them. But I crushed him and I felt so bad, I hugged and kissed him and told him that I loved them and that I was so so sorry. I just felt so horrible because he though of this all by himself and he was (and should) be proud. I wore them out to breakfast and I do love them. I am already planning outfits!

So to my boyfriend, Honey, I am sorry. I love the shoes! Every time, I look at them I will think of you and your thoughtfulness. You never cease to amaze me!

I love you for who you are, for the laughs, for the support, for the joy that you bring to me each and every moment. You are more than I could ever hope for, and more than I can ever want. You are the one I waited for, my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, my strongest support and my ardent comedian.

I love you!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

So, I will fit sleep in when?

I am tired, not just normal tired but sleepy. I have the memory of the Seinfeld episode when George builds a bed under his desk to take naps. I am plotting to do that but the carpet is disgusting!

I've been very tired for the past week of so and I have been sleeping well. I think that part of it is my weird hours because the days I have school I am out of the house from 6:20-9:45 (if I catch the EL right after class). Then the days I don't have school, I have all my errands and running around to do. It has caught up with me. Plus, I rarely see the sun due to my schedule and that may have something to do with it. The BF also suggested I may be low on vitamin C as that helps. So I brought my vitamin C drops with me to work and they may prove useful, I will be the guinea pig and report back.

But here is the kicker, looking ahead I have only one day to sleep in until two weeks. Here is my schedule (I am taking a deeeep breath).

Tonight-errands, finish my section of the group project for international marketing and start to study for my finance mid-term and squeeze in "The Office" and pack for the bf's house during the commercial breaks...oh and shower.

Tomorrow-email project notes to team mates, study at least 2 chapters in Finance but want to hit 3. Drive to BF's apartment, pet dog, cuddle with BF over pizza as we catch up and then fall asleep.

Saturday-Get up earlier (AKA before 10:30) to run errands and grab breakfast with BF, review my teammates project notes, have conference call with said team mates (hopefully less than an hour), whine to BF about how long winded team mates are, pet the dog, make another pie for Sunday. Study finance, fall asleep at around 9 exhausted.

Sunday-Get up early to get some studying done. I Plan on having done all the major studying by this time. Grab pie and other snack foods and head to BF's dad's house with a detour at another "nerd" store on the way. Watch the Super Bowl commercials and pretend to watch the Bears win. (Side note, I find football dull, boring and incomprehensible but, to say that would deny the apple pie and chocolate chip cookies that define this great nation of ours). Head back to Chicago and try not to fall asleep in car.

Monday-Wake up at 5:30, on the road by 6 at work by 7. Go to class and discuss global strategy for 3 hours. Review project with team mate, come home, collapse in bed.

Tuesday-Normal work day. Review notes for mid term tomorrow. Do laundry and review notes again.

Wednesday-At work by 7, go to class...take dreaded mid-term. Brain turns to mush on the ride home. Pack (see below for info) Fall asleep knowing I forgot something.

Thursday-work, attend meeting, head to B's house after work.

Friday-Get up early so we can be at airport for flight to NY. Fall asleep on the plane ride. My weekend with the fam and the BF begins

So you see in the immortal words of the Beastie Boys "No sleep till Brooklyn"....well not Brooklyn this time so I'll rephrase....No Sleep till NY!