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First I have to apologize to EGlenn for not being a very good student last night.
He’s doing such cool things with his blog, and I know once he gets it together, it will be an awesome place to go each day. I asked him to show me a few things, but I’m at that EXTREMELY dangerous place of knowing a tiny bit of code. Just enough to be a danger to me and my surroundings. Which last night, included EGlenn.
I had put the end code for a line break into my quotes on the side bar, and they looked good in Explorer, but he was using FireFox and they didn’t work. He was trying to tell me I have to put the starter code in as well, but I wasn’t understanding him, and I got frustrated.
I also wanted him to show me how to change the name of BlogRoll to just Links. I wound up going back afterwards and figuring it out, with a tiny bit of help from him.
So today, I went in and made a new page (all by myself, woo!) to gather all of the quotes I’ve been collecting on sticky notes and shoving into my day-planner for the last 2 years. So, up there by About, check out Quotes I Like.
Today’s Ear Worm of the day is brought to you by Rodney Atkins — “Watching You“ Track 3.
For lyrics click here
It’s a sweet little song… not your old school country song, although it does mention trucks and momma and prayin’.
I got the call yesterday around 1pm asking if I could come play for a friend’s co-ed team. After calling and checking in with EG to make sure it was ok, I confirmed. Game was 9pm, which meant I had a good shot at making it.
Now – Tuesday is… not a BAD day… but a very full day for me and my group. We get our weekly data Tuesday morning, and between three of us we put out at least 5 reports each Tuesday. The last report we send out contains a write up about our 7 networks, plus 3 competitors. This can sometimes be a little time consuming, but this week we nailed it and I sent out the report at 6:14pm – new record!
Scooted on home and found my softball stuff (which had not been washed since Sat, but passed the smell test), and realized EG was on the edge, so I cooked dinner. No applause – it was just microwave bbq and stew, but everyone was happy.
Left the house about 8:15pm, hopped on I285 around 8:20pm. I had to go I285 West to I20 West and then I20 to exit 34 – quite the hike, but I got there around 8:45pm. A little late, but before game time. They give me a shirt, I throw on my cleats, and we do the introductions of the short time softball player. They’ll remember my name for the game (maybe) and then I fade into the masses of pick-up players. I know the three other girls (even with me as a pick-up we’ll play short with 9), but none of the boys. I’m confident though, they look like a good team. After playing for 33 years, I have a pretty good instinct with this – the way girls will hold their glove, the way boys walk around with a bat, the way they wear their clothes even are all good indications, and this team looked to be really good.
We start counting the other team’s players – and sizing them up (woo boy, this was going to be a quick game – even their boys didn’t look good), and we realized – they had 5 girls and 2 guys. Not good. Most leagues will let you start with 8, but they couldn’t even bring that many.
They picked up a couple from the game before, but the umpires called it a forfeit. Thirty miles to put on my shoes and someone else’s shirt? (the shirt passed the smell test, and I had my underarmor shirt on too, don’t worry) So we played a couple of innings of a scrimmage, enough that everyone got an at bat or three, and called it a night.
Pulled out of the parking lot at 9:51pm, and made the 30 mile drive back home.
And I almost…. ALMOST made that drive back home with a puppy in the front seat with me. She was sooooo cute – nice “mutt look” to her. Paws weren’t too big… nice dirty blond color with a dark brown muzzlepouche. A couple of girls on their way to the ballfield saw her by the side of the road and picked her up. If they hadn’t found her a home by the time we left, I was taking her with me.
We played 5 games yesterday to win 3rd place in the tourney.
I got out once in the first game, twice in the 4th game, and twice in the 5th game. Was pretty tickled with my batting — even had a home run and a triple!
Our two losses were against an A level team now playing B (they had to spot us 4 runs), and a B level team that should play A (also only spotted us 4 runs). We played great the whole damned tournament and then just got out classed, and out played. It kind of throws a disappointing shadow on such a great day. The last game was downright frustrating. The score was 34 to 10.
I tweaked my hip in the last game – I was moving to my left and bent over to get the ball, and “zing” goes my hip. The weird thing was that the pain was in my hip, but it was making my knee weak. I couldn’t put any weight on my knee for the rest of the inning. It was very strange.
Very tired and sore today, so I don’t think I’ll be going to the gym to run. But I’ll be up and back at it on Monday. I have to get ready for that 5K!
“I run when chased.”
After holding fast to this mantra for nearly 20 years, I’m going to start running. Yesterday I signed up for the Susan G. Komen 5K on May 12th. That’s less than a month away. But, I have some inspiration and motivation.
About a month ago someone fairly close to me let us know that she has breast cancer. When she first told us, she made it seem ok – no big deal – everything’s under control. She used words like “contained,” “it’s all figured out,” “I’ll only be out for a bit…”
Looking back she was trying to reassure us. At a time when you’d think she’d be asking us for our strength, instead she was being strong for us!
Two weeks later, we were told that actually she would be out of pocket “for a while” and the end of that was very much left open. She’s now had another surgery (which required a 2 night stay this time).
And yet, the day before that surgery she sent us an email asking how everyone was doing. She told a friend through another email, when asked how she was doing, pulled out the old quote “what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.”
So…. I’m going to start running. For her so I can run in her honor, but also because if she is facing the scary C word and can still have that kind of attitude, I sure as hell can get off my fat ass and have half that attitude towards my own health.
I bought a pair of running shoes today, and here’s what I’ve done this week:
Mon – walked 1.46 miles in 30 minutes
Tue – none
Wed – rode stationary upright bike 6 miles in 30 minutes
Thur – jogged/walked on treadmill 1.7 miles in 30 minutes, and played right field in a softball game
Fri – none
I’m playing in a tournament tomorrow, and then I’ll do something Sunday.
Here’s another post from my old blog, that I really like. As an update, I took the job, and I’m having a great time – I work with 4 other guys (2 a level below me, 1 above, and 1 contractor that is with us 3 days a week, and I will miss a helluva lot when he leaves) and we have a great time – we laugh A LOT, and everything is tackled as a team. I miss my old department a ton, but I’m so glad I made the change.
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Is the act of considering change, change in itself? Does the consideration immediately alter the way you view the current situation, and in doing so, make that current situation different (in my case, less appealing)?
A job opening was posted a couple of weeks ago. I found it slightly interesting – it was something different. I met with the head of my department (my boss’s boss) to discuss this, then had a meeting with the hiring manager to learn more about that new position.
My question is –> in the act of even finding this other job interesting, have I begun finding things about my current job that I dislike? Were those things always there, and now I look at them differently? or now that I’m looking, they are there for me to find?
Leaving a place you hate is easy – be it the work, the environment, your coworkers, or your boss. Leaving a place you like? Not so easy. I’m thinking maybe because I like it here so much, I’ve waited too long to move on, to try new things, push myself.
In considering this new position, I’ve realized I’ve let my satisfaction with my boss and environment outweigh my dislike for my work. And now that the window of doubt and change and contemplation has opened, many new things are popping up. Lately, I haven’t had the best of times with my coworkers –> as a team we have some definite problems. Lately, I’ve realized some of my inner feelings are actually based on my boss, and are not entirely my fault or lie entirely on my shoulders.(remember, I say these things about the boss I LIKE!)
While at the information meeting, the hiring manager “pitched” another job they have open. This other job would be a lateral move, which doesn’t bother me in the least – I’m not concerned too much with “title” and such. It did hurt my fragile ego a bit to talk to someone about a higher level job, and then have them push a lower level job. Kind of “sure I’ll tell you about this high end model, but how would you like to look at this less expensive model here… you know, while we walk to the high end one you really can’t afford, and won’t look good in anyway.” <grin> I can smile and joke about it now, but that afternoon, it hurt, and I had a tiny pity party for myself.
So, the “pitched” position I have known about for a while. The hiring manager commented that they were having a hard time filling it, and the little guy inside my head yelled, “yeah? because it’s a suck job!” Over half of the days in the job would be doing something I’ve never found THAT interesting. And I told the hiring manager that part didn’t sound interesting to me at all, while the other position we were talking about did. But, now. Now I’m thinking more about this “suck job” position. The other main “con” would be reporting to someone I consider a peer, and is realtively new to the management position, and I’ve heard some not so good things about. But I’ve heard some good things too.
A major “pro” is it is a pretty high profile job – which leads to a “con” of high stress at times.
So I’m thinking. And in the act of thinking, I’m noticing more and more how weary I am of the work I do now. Do I think the new job will be all nice and better – no matter what that new job is? No. I realize it’s called work, and not play for a reason. So do I trade out “my suck” for “new suck” work? I’m thinking about it, kitten, I really am.
And so blow the winds of change…..
This is from my old blog account, but I liked the post, so I’m bringing it over. And, I’ll talk about this a good bit, because it happens a good bit.
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From Wikipedia:
Earworm: a term for a song stuck in one’s head, particularly an annoying one. Use of the English translation was popularised by James Kellaris, a professor of marketing at the University of Cincinnati. His studies appeared to demonstrate that different people have varying susceptibilities to earworms, but that almost everybody has been afflicted with one at some time or another.
Some sufferers from earworm prefer the term “repetunitis”, “stuck tune syndrome”, “sound virus” or, if sufficiently acute, “melodymania.” (me personally – I think these terms sound quackish and corny)
I wake every morning with a song in my head. It’s like there’s a little guy in there that warms up the jukebox, pops in a quarter (my head, it’s an old one – songs still cost a quarter), and hits the Random button. It doesn’t have to be a song I heard right before bed the night before, or anytime during the previous day for that matter. I assure you – he hits Random, almost every time.
Some days I won’t even notice what the song is until I’m well into my shower. Other days, it’s almost like I wake up singing. Some days, I’ll hear another bit of a song before the worm really gets settled in. Sigh. But some days, like today, that worm of a song has dove in and put roots down for the day. Pon de Replay by Rihanna.
Yes. Come, Mr. DJ. Won’t you turn the music up?
My Thursday night team won – we’re now the only undefeated team in the rec league (we lost 10-7 to a competitive team, but it doesn’t count to our standings).
I played right field (did great - woo!) and went 3 for 4. My one out I opened up on it and the fielder had to run back, but got to it.
My women’s team – Drafted – is playing in Cumming, GA this Saturday.
