my annual favorite workday

I love this day.  I needed this day.  After feeling like there was something amiss at work, today was a much appreciated.  Our work team pulled together to pull off another spectacular party.  It was more noticeable this year how many new clients we have working at the company now, probably because they were such awesome dancers.  One guy kept breakdancing while another one just moved around a lot.  He's one of the shyest guys I can remember having in the program but he was in his element on the dancefloor.

It was very similar to the years before with some slight alterations.  I screwed up on the macarena but fortunately another staff member (who experienced her first client party) got up on stage and helped me out.   I also got in there and did the train with most of the group for the first time.  My favorite guy, 'W' grabbed onto my shoulders and just kept hollering.

I think our team will be stronger after this.  I hope so.  I don't see how this couldn't be a bonding moment.

my sub for luv

DC Vegetarian wooed me with a twitter today.  I was downtown already, delivering reports for work when I got a twitter that DC's special was a bacon cheeseburger sub.  Oh heavens, I didn't even hesitate about calling there to order mine (and Ashes').  I love their bacon cheeseburger and a sub would just be larger and even more loved by myself.  Not suprisingly, I was more than satisfied.  If this became a regular menu item, I'd be there more often.

It was the second best part of my day.  The first happened when "G", my client that declared war, refused to go to last break because he was working on coloring.  Another staff member pestered him about it until he became unresponsive.  I was asked to come and sit with him while everyone else went to break.  "G" didn't want to talk, he just wanted quiet while he colored.  I dig him so I wasn't going to push him to go to break.  He wanted to be productive so I thought he should go for it.  It worked out well because I got to sit in absolute and comfortable silence for 15 minutes.  I need to take more breaks like that.

doing it myself

At BikeCraft yesterday, I went looking to make myself a more effective and weather-ready cyclist.  Even though I know they carry them at most stores, I was looking for a locally-made head-band-that-covers-the-ears thingy.  However, Sophia pointed me in the direction of ear cozies.  You slide them over the straps of your helmet and they cover your ears.  It was a very neat idea but I thought that the sizes looked too small and, for fifteen bucks, I could afford to take the time to make my own so I came up with the cozies pictured above.  I think I went a bit overboard with the back fur but it's too late now.  I might make some straight up black ones as well.  It was pretty easy.  I sat by the fire while we watched Six Feet Under episodes and hand sewed them.  It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

What else?
Raven got this marble game thing that was fun to play.  We played several games before it got old.  Again, a nice way to spend the day.

Also at BikeCraft, we got a list of power foods from a vendor.  Greens like kale and spinach were at the top of the list so I made myself a spinach, mushroom, onion and pepperjack cheese egg scramble today.  It was awesome.

my kind of craft

Growing up, I was subject to more than my share of craft fairs.  My mom operated a home-based business where she and my best friend's mom appliqued sweatshirts.  They not only sold these out of their home but also at numerous craft fairs.  While I didn't love going, it still beat having to go to rodeos or sporting events so I went without too much complaining.  As I've grown, I've come to appreciate craft fairs so much more since I hate supporting big businesses.

Today, I went to Bike Craft.  The vendors here are pretty awesome and I could easily drop a whole lot of money.  (I'm doing a horrible job this season Christmas shopping as I keep returning home with presents to myself.)  I limited myself to an wristband from the Sprockettes and a red and gray biking cap.  I may come back for a black corduroy cap tomorrow.  I went to H&M a week or so ago, looking for a cap.  However, I couldn't bring myself to buy one because they had a whole rack full of two different colors and I saw numerous people wearing them in the store.  I need something a little more unique (although I'm pretty sure that each of my friends Martin and Tim own the same hat).  I guess it's just one more value that I can thank my mom for.

What else?
I'm tired of going to bars so I hosted a group of people over at the house tonight to watch Howl.  We watched the movie while the fire blazed, the wind roared and we sipped Pear Cinnamon Cider.  This is my winter pace. 

the travel bug

A few weeks ago, I was looking for new desktop wallpaper for my internship computer.  I came across the picture at the bottom of this post and decided that was what I wanted.  Maybe it's the lack of sun here right now but I want to go to somewhere where it's warm, where I can relax and where I can walk out onto a pier and just lose myself in the beauty.

Arturo just got back from visiting his fam in Cali for a few months.  He's here for just a week and then he's going camping in the jungles of Mexico.  Yes, I'm jealous.  I am a homebody but I've got this strong desire to go somewhere far away that I have never seen before and just relax.

We went out to eat and drink tonight along with BHT who spent most of last year traveling throughout the US in his pickup.  His journey was more soul-searching but he still got out there and travelled somewhat aimlessly and got to see the world.  I'm heading to Nebraska later on this month and then my only other travel plans involve going to Alaska in August for my cousin's wedding.  I think I'm going to need to fit something tropical in there.

What else?
We went to Dick's where I tried a BBQ tempeh burger there for the 1st time.  We also went to Hall of Records and chilled out on the couch.  Before heading to the Backstage Bar to finish out the night, we crashed an art opening at Gallery Zero (for the 1st time).  We figured it would be neat to see the art but we were also counting on free wine.  I had some pear wine which was awesome.  It was a fun night but it doesn't satisfy my need to get out of the region for warmer weather.

the advantages of fake work

As much as my real job is bugging me, my internship is delighting me.  At the beginning of the term, my instructor said that we have an advantage in our interships in that we are supposed to be curious and supposed to question why they do things the way they do.  At most jobs, bosses just want you to maintain the status quo.  Suggestion boxes are made available so you can stash your idea in a box (that may never get opened) which is so much easier to disregard than a voiced concern by a human.

Besides the fact that I'm an intern and can question without repercussion, I think that my internship agency is a lot more open to feedback from the employees.  The hierarchical structure is not so structured.  Plus, once a week, we have something called supervision.  This is an hour-long meeting with your direct supervisor where you get a chance to discuss the agency, your work, your clients and/or your ideas.  When I get promoted at my job, it's going to be one of the first things that I institute.  I think that my classes have taught me a lot but I can see that I am also learning a tremendous amount at the internship.

For my new thing, I used my supervision to question some policies regarding some of the youth that are also new parents.  My supervisor said she appreciated my feedback and thought it was a great idea.  I also got the chance to lay out more diverse tasks for myself next term which my supervisor also liked.

I have to appreciate my current job in that they are giving me all of these opportunities.  Without them, I would not be in school or in my internship.  I know that I'm in the succession plan so my promotion is imminent.  I'm currently enjoying my internship more but everything I'm learning is going to go in my toolbox so I can bring it back to my work.

bad morales

(sorry for the lack of pics.  posts about work and the internship are hard to take pictures of)

I had a dream the other night that I had been reassigned work locations.  I was moved out to the new Beaverton store and one of my older managers from the Powell store (the one who got me into working with the clients initially) was my manager again.  She also had my desk on the sales floor, in the middle of everything.  Needless to say, this didn't make me happy.  However, I was even less happy when I came into work one day and found out that they accidentally put my desk in the truck of furniture headed to the salvage yard.  Fortunately, it was just a dream.  Unfortunately, I think it's telling of where things are at work right now.

I still love my job but it feels like it's teetering over the edge of a pit of despair.  I attribute this feeling to a certain number of factors.  First off, my co-worker and friend who was drinking on the job is no longer there.  Yes, she had self-destructive patterns that were beginning to destroy others around her too but she was also a social entity at work who kept a lot of people happy.  Second, my eastcoaster co-worker is still annoying and doesn't seem to be grasping the actual functions of the job (not to mention how the basics of Microsoft Office) and the social norms of the office.  Third, I think that having the internship has breathed some life into me and opened my eyes to the possibilities.  If nothing else, I'm at least ready to advance in my current job because I want to make some fundamental changes and I can only do so if I have more power.

Today, I did get a bit of respite from the despair.  The guy who runs our ATE department is out on medical leave so I got to spend a lot of time helping out in the ATE today which is my favorite part of the job.  In particular, I got to help my client who has declared war with a Star Wars puzzle while we all watched the Sandlot.  Another client had a five minute chuckle session as we watched the scene where the kids puked in the amusement park.  I was very grateful for it all.  Also, it gave me the chance to work more with the person who took my friend's job and I like her which is cool because in all likelihood, I will be her boss one day.

I'm hoping that these blues are temporary because they are definitely contagious.  Two separate coworkers pointed out to me that they also noticed a lowering of morale in the office.  I'm hoping this next month gives me more time to work on improving things since I'm done with school and I only have to do the internship for half the month.

ethicality

I've gotten used to class presentations by now.  I've done well (even outstanding) on two of the three group presentations I've done in my master's career so I wasn't sweating this one but pretty much most of the other people in the class were.  We had to do a calming exercise ahead of time where we told ourselves that, although our bodies were nervous, we were in no danger.  I actually got more worked up after the exercise.  I was completely calm and had nowhere to go but nervousville.

However, we did well.  There were six groups, all presenting ethical dilemmas for social workers.  Our dilemma was what do you do when a client with protected confidentiality status who is HIV positive tells you that he's having high-risk sex with an unknowing partner.  We were the fourth group to present and the first group to not do it via powerpoint.  It was a nice change of pace and the teacher wanted us to keep it short because we were running out of time.  She did tell me afterwards that we did great so that was reassuring...not that I had any doubts.

the hawthorne walk

After doing the holiday decompression yesterday, I decided it was time to shop for Christmas gifts today.  I will never understand the compulsion of people to go shopping the day after Thanksgiving.  For one thing, if you have the day after a holiday off, stay at home in your pj's.  For another thing, no amount of savings is worth injury and possible death from trampling.  Lastly, consumerism is killing the planet.  Unfortunately, I only waited one day before giving in and doing my part as a consumer during the holidays.

After meeting Dom, Sophia and Martin for brunch at Cricket, Martin, Sophia and I made plans to shop Hawthorne.  My intention was to buy Christmas gifts.  I ended up buying myself a T-shirt, two books (one for school and the other one because it's the third book in the Wicked Saga), Christmas cards, bath salts, many drinks and an avocado.  Jen met up with us so Martin and I ended up accompanying Jen and Sophia on their ladies night out.  After being disappointed at Mulligans (never going back), we went Backstage.

Backstage is a bar behind the Bagdad.  I've stood in line in front of this place many times before for Battlestar, Lost and various movies but I've never given the bar much thought.  I absolutely loved it.  It was unusual and comforting all at the same time.  If it wouldn't have been so cold upstairs, I would have stayed longer.  McMenamins knows how to add a unique charm to its bars and they did well with this unusual space.  I will definitely be bringing people back here.

After Ashes and Victory joined us, we went to close down Starky's.  The drinks were cheaper and they had some awesome videos as always there.  It was a great bar crawl and a fascinating day, even if I didn't get my shopping in.

harvest week

Normally, this is the one holiday I really like celebrating.  Due to schedules, attempted plans, unconfirmed plans, good friends, new acquaintances and last minute changes, it continued to be one of my favorite holidays this year.  It wasn't our big harvest dinner that we do at our house but it was at a good friend's house with excellent vegan food and a more intimate setting.  We played Apples to Apples and got caroled by Beatles songs.  Dean also got to come hang out.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the day with all of the changes from the last five years or so but it ended up just exactly like I wanted it to.

What else?

I don't have the interest, energy or pictures to create posts for earlier this week so I'm just going to cover them here quick.  On Monday, I had a conversation with a client at work about the benefits of coming out.  It was awesome to be able to help him through the process and talk with him about what he could expect to feel.  On Tuesday, I had tried new drinks with Jessica at Delta since it's their all-day happy hour.  On Wednesday, I baked a vegan pecan for the first time.  I also helped a resident at my internship register for classes on the PCC website.  It hasn't been an amazing week but I've been thankful for all of the opportunities I've had and all of the friends surrounding me.

the yoga competition

Yoga and competition seems silly to put together but it was actually interesting to watch.  My friends don't do compete regularly.  I think the most competitive thing anyone of us has done in recent memory would be bar trivia.

Sophia competed today with 19 other women.  There were maybe ten or twelve guys but I didn't make it in time to see them.  I saw all of the ladies' competition though and it was pretty impressive.  Sophia didn't make it into the top three but everyone who did place did the wheel so I think that double-jointed contortionists had a leg up on the competition.  The lady who won stood up, bent her head backwards, ended up looking between her legs and I swear that her collarbone was touching the ground.  Like I said, impressive.

What else?
I went to Dick's for the first time.  It's another new place on Belmont.  I may go back there if they keep Hungarian Mushroom Soup on the menu.

paradox benedict

Today was the second time I've eaten at Paradox since the expansion and the first time I've eaten brunch there since the expansion.  It was also my first time trying their Paradox Benedict.  While I loved their homemade vege sausage and their sauce, Tim had a good point.  Their whole menu is basically just a rearrangement of a handful of key ingredients.  But I'm not complaining.  It was good food and it was the highlight of my day.  Other than that, I was quarantined to my room so I could work on my homework.  I went out later (yay for third Saturdays) but it was technically Sunday then so, yes, it was the highlight of the day.

impervius

On Wednesday, I got drenched biking home from my internship.  In the morning, the weather was great but the afternoon brought cold rain and wind.  I had my rain jacket on as well as my rain cover for my helmet but my lower half was sopping wet.  I lived and learned and then got rain booties.  Dave from my internship has them and I was super-jealous on Wednesday when he put them on.  Yesterday, I bought them at Seven Corners and today was my first day of testing them out. I also put on my ski pants which kept me all water-proof.  The only thing exposed were my ears which I will fix next week.  I'm ready for you, Winter!

What else?

 

It's the beginning of the end.  I saw Harry Potter 7.1 with my housemates today.  I hustled everyone out of the house two hours early so we could buy tickets.  There didn't end up being a line so we waited at Kay's Bar and Grill until it started.  Kay's was nice.  The guy working that night seemed really busy but very friendly as well.

The movie was awesome.  I was sorely disappointed in the sixth installment so I'm glad that the director was able to bring it back for the first half of the seventh movie.  The majority of the significant scenes that I could remember from the first half of the book were present in the movie.  It felt a bit rushed but less so than the other films.  Also, they got a lot further than I thought they were going to which means that the next movie is going to be pure action and have a lot of opportunity to focus on some very cool scenes!  It's going to be a long eight months until that one comes out!

affording fords

Seven years ago, I was starving.  I wasn't making great money and I was probably going out to bars too often.  I was also spending WAY too much on mochas.  I remember when I discovered dumpstering.  It was a godsend.  Previously, I was living on a package of veggie dogs a week.  That was about it.  One time in particular, I was strapped for cash and I had no idea what I was going to eat in the morning before going to work.  Fortunately, I jumped into Trader Joes dumpster and found a box of granola (thrown out due to faulty packaging) and some okay bananas.  I remember being so grateful.

Today, I paid way too much for a sandwich, chips and a soda.  As I sat in Fords for the 1st time, I thought, wow, this would have been my total allowance for the days' food supply back then and instead, it is barely supplying a lunch.  It was good although a tad overpriced.  Since I paid off my credit cards and my student loans, I have been able to splurge a bit on food.  I'd feel a little guilty for it if I hadn't starved myself for so long to get to this point.  I'm still thrifty as a general rule.  I don't order too expensive, I judge places based upon their prices and I never pass up a free meal.  However, I have the option to go out to places that seem a little more bourgeois than my budget.

What else?
Speaking of free food, I biked down to Chipoltes downtown because Zipcar said they were giving free burritos to members.  Like I said, I don't pass over free meals...generally.  However, there was a line of at least 40 people waiting for their free lunch.  I had to decide that my time was more valuable than a free burrito.  I ended up at Southeast Grind where I got lost in paper-writing for four hours.  It is by far my favorite place to study.