Cubical Musings

So, following in the footsteps of the lovely Annie Parsons, I am currently working in an office as a Temptress. These are some of the idle thoughts that momentarily take me away from my daily to-do list...

• When I wear heels at work, I use the long open aisle in the warehouse to practice my runway walk/posture. It helps that there's also a huge metal fan at the end of the "runway" waiting to give you model hair just before you walk back into the office.
  
• one of our sales guys is named Joe Fabian. He lives in Reno. I think his name makes him sound like a New York City landlord and when he calls the office, it makes me want New York Style pizza.
• The names of two of our major clients, no lie: French-Gerleman (which I always say in my head with a degrading, fake, male Austrian accent) and Carlton-Bates (which just makes me want to dance).
• My boss's boss's last name is Ripper. Oddly enough I dont' think it's very scary because it reminds me of Jesse & The Rippers.
• Ex-Pirate Band Kids- One of my co-workers totally has the Mr. Davis smile. Hilarious.
• How do people end up with last names like Trout and Fish?
• Speaking of last names... another guy I work with has the last name "DuBuque". Which is supposed to be pronounced "Doob-yook" But every single time I look at it (or him) I say "Doo-boo-qway-qway" (in my head). This is why.
• I spend a lot of time electronically recording our receipt of metal parts. These parts have huge long alphanumeric item numbers. Sometimes the item numbers look like horrible, scary Polish or Welsh words (i.e. KQG2H07N02S). I find myself still trying to pronounce these things as words.
• Checking in orders is more exciting if I pretend I'm checking in droids and engine parts for starpilots and smugglers.
• I like my green pen the best.
• I feel like working at the Arch made me become a mild germophobe out of boredom. I used to clean things with bleach wipes daily just to pass the time (and also because there were upwards of 6000 people walking through there daily in the summertime). Now it's just me at my desk and I'm still using hand sanitizer and wiping things down with Clorox wipes.
• My boss looks like a slightly older Donna from "That 70's Show".
• Good penmanship is invaluable.
• Penmanship is such a great word too. I think it connotates someone with fabulous, ornate handwriting, scrawing their name with a giant, feathery pen. Possibly wearing a powdered wig or large pirate-type hat.
• I hate when I go to use the office IM system and I've left CAPS lock on and IT SOUNDS LIKE I'M SHOUTING OR BEING HATEFUL even if I'm just asking WHERE ARE THE PAPERCLIPS?
• Another last name: Pottorf. I can't ever spell it right. And I think it sounds like a name for a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger villain.
• I don't know what in the world would come out of my mouth when I answered the phone if the company name wasn't plastered in front of me. It's like I forget every time the phone rings. That'll change with time, I hope.
• Todd and I have been re/watching Season 2 of Chuck. The other day, Sarah, the girl who trained me, made a phone call that started like this: "Hi Chuck, this is Sarah over at ControlTech..." I couldn't stop grinning.
• I'm really glad office computer screens don't have talking screens like at the self-checkout at the grocery store. Could you imagine if your computer spoke every button you clicked?
• I seriously adore post-it notes.
• Every time I get one of those crazy invoice numbers with "QB" somewhere in it, I think about Matt Sarazen. And every time I get one with "PYC" or "PY3" somewhere in it, I sing "PYT".

More to come, I'm sure...

That whole job thing...

The past two weeks, have been filled with madness. Todd and Gotham and I have all been sick and had our schedules rearranged and turned upside down. There are so many new, wonderful things happening, it's been impossible to chronicle. But I'll try and give you a brief synopsis.

About the job:

Three weeks ago, I signed with a staffing agency (read: temp service). On the very same day that I signed up to start looking for work with them, I got a call to interview for a job I'd applied for independently. The position was a part-time gig with a local non-profit children's theater company. Two days after the phone interview, I went on a live one and love it. The company is wonderful and I adore everything they're doing in the community.

A week after my interview at Metro Theatre Company (MTC), they asked me to go on an assignment: go to a performance/residency and do interviews and write a story. Brilliant. I was pumped. But, because the program was a new program at a new school, everything got a little flaky and they had to push back my assignment date from last Thursday to this past Tuesday. I was fine with it, because 2 days before the assignment, Todd and I got a horrible stomach virus that sidelined us from life for 2 days. I was happy to have more recoup time because I wanted to be awesome for my assignment.

So, on the very same day that MTC calls and postpones my assignment, the temp service calls and asks me to go on an interview for an admin job with a manufacturing company that makes big electronic panels for large mechanical equipment. Mmmhmm.

I had no interest. But I didn't want to seem ungrateful, and it's always good to have interview experience. So I said I'd go.

So, with a bad/utterly apathetic attitude, I dressed up and went. When I got there, they had me take a spelling and grammar test for 30 minutes. I did really well on it, which they were super jazzed about, since apparently everyone else they interviewed can't spell? The interview was fine, and the women who interviewed me were nice. The admin position is 8-4:30, Monday-Friday, with hourly pay 4 bucks more than I was making. They told me it was a temp gig-- but that honestly, they desperately wanted someone to come on full time. They said it would be hourly as long as the temp agency demanded, but that assuming I liked the place, they wanted to hire me on full time and put me on salary ASAP.

At that point, I started to feel torn. Everyone knows I'd been utterly willing to take the financial hit for the fun, artsy job versus selling out for the money and the consistency. I asked for the weekend to consider the offer. I wanted to run it by some friends and family to see if anyone would tell me I shouldn't take the job.

But the more I deliberated, the more I realized that the interview and the job itself was a gift from God. Just one day before my interview, my student loan payments went up by $200/month. With the rush season ending @ the Arch and hours getting cut, I was looking at having to take on another side hustle to stay up on payments. By taking this job, the financial issue is solved-- and if I were to go on salary at the beginning of the year? It would really help us out in our goal to be debt free (apart from school loans) in one year.

So... I took the job. :) I put in my 2 weeks at the Arch and started the new gig last Monday. I have a desk and a window (yay!!!) I do payroll and emails about engineering equipment. I answer the phone and make copies. I find myself more tempted than usual to consume copious amount of candy. And I have a 25ish minute commute, which is interesting since we only have one car at the moment. But it's working so far.

I'm actually really enjoying it and love working in an office with grown ups and relatively no drama.

So that's the deal with the new job... speaking of, I'd better get to bed so I'm not late tomorrow!

Dear Sixteen...

(jumpin on the bandwagon with a letter to my sixteen year old self... enjoy.)

-----

Hi Julie,

Let's be real about this. I know what you want to know. Yes, you get married, okay? But-- it's not to Nick. He's going to marry a cute Mexican girl. Yes, I'm serious. Breathe. You'll be fine.

I know that's the only thing you really want to know about, but all you actually need to know regarding this subject is that your super hot and hilarious future husband does exist and he is exactly everything that you want AND need. Oh and he's currently playing football in a tiny little town. That's all you get. Don't be mad, I wouldn't ruin this surprise for the world :)

So, I've only got one shot at this-- fortunately, I don't have many regrets to advise you about, so let's get practical, shall we?

First and foremost-- Student loan money is not fake money. They WILL make you pay it back. And you won't have it. So you need to apply for scholarships. I'm serious. Don't be a slacker. You need to submit roughly 100 essays before you enter college in two years. Do it now so you can enjoy going on dates with your husband with all the money you saved. Also, after college? When they send you all those letters about paying on your interest during a grace period? Don't throw those away because they say "This is not a bill" on them!!! PAY THEM! Get a server gig at a restaurant, save up some money and pay on it. Please? You will be so happy you did.

Other things that will help you out...

Love your hair. Take care of it. And buy a 1 inch flat iron. A 2 inch one will not make the process go faster.

Call Mudear on a regular basis. Rig up a tape recorder before you leave for college and ask her to tell you about her life. Record it. Then write it all out.

I'd tell you stop before you get to the Bailey's and coffee when you go to the cocktail party at Jared's house-- but you'll do it at some point anyway, and I'd rather you deal with that situation there, surrounded by friends, than somewhere else.

Any time you leave to go to school or any time a boy leaves YOU to move out of state, even if it's just temporary-- you need to break up with him and move on. I doubt you'll listen to me on this-- but you should. And don't waste time thinking that you'll get back together with anyone you break up with, because it will only happen once. And then it still won't work. But don't sweat it! Your man is making his way to you and he's all the best pieces combined into one body. He is worth every bit of the wait. Okay that's it! No more boy stuff!

If you mess up and do something dumb that hurts a friend-- 1) don't KEEP doing it and 2) don't wait 3 months to fess up.

Try out for a freaking musical at school. Just suck it up and do it, you'll really be missing out if you don't.

Look at the dock number when you get out of the little speed boat in Venice. Make an effort to remember how to get back there.

And my most important thing... keep writing... keep on and keep on and keep on-- and when you come home for a visit from college, save yourself a Blue Christmas. ALWAYS unload your car the moment you get into town. I'm not playin. Empty it all out. The fish too. But especially the DVD/journal box. Do not forget this. Empty the car!

I don't have much else to advise you about, kiddo. I won't save you from everything. You need a few good heartaches, it'll make you a better writer. But don't worry about anything. Trust the Jesus who your Mom and Dad taught you to love. He has some amazing stuff mapped out for you and He will NOT let you down. Talk to Him regularly about everything, and just remember that no matter how you occasionally feel-- you will not die of loneliness. Or virginity.

Each day gets better. Enjoy it and take lots of pictures!

Love,

Juliette

Confessing.

I've been such a lurker as of late. I've been reading lots of great blogs and not writing any. I've been thinking about my mermaid-esque treasure trove of incomplete ideas. I've been reading a lot of really entertaining nonsense-- and remembering some of my own entertaining, nonsensical ideas that I've long since abandoned. (Not without intent to return.) I've been thinking about old things-- the good things about old things and the better things about new things. I've been having new ideas and new desires (at the most inconvenient times) to revisit old ideas. I've been feeling outdated and underqualified for everything involving my professional life.

I've also had the hardest time spelling the word inconvenient today. I've used spell check on it 3 times in the past 12 hours.

I feel bad about the days when I don't want to deal with people. Even fun people. I know everyone has days like that, but I don't really have time to have days like that.

I feel responsible for several people who I don't really know very well yet-- and I think the majority of that feeling is one of responsibility to spend time with those new people and get to know them better. But sometimes, I feel like there are still so many "old people" left in my heart, who I still love and care about and want to know about. Facebook happily, continuously and cryptically updates me concerning their lives and their business-- but its not the same. I've always been terrible at letting go.

Maybe that's the reason I haven't met any really cool new ideas lately. Maybe my community life and my writing life just need a jumpstart.

i AM working on a new project. With a partner. But I can't talk about it and I can't talk about why. :) But I'm happy about it and I hope it goes well.

If something else happens, I'll try to keep you posted.

Uno. Dos. Tres.

-I wonder if I'll ever NOT be tense driving through Illinois backroads. Some of them are so small and bumpy and Todd flies over them like he poured the asphalt himself. Zero respect. I get nervous. Also, there's nothing more unsettling than a concrete construction barrier that forces you into just two lanes on an unfamiliar highway. So scary.

-I think self-inflicted drama should have an age limit. I know that The Real Housewives and The Bad Girls Club and Sex In The City beg to differ, but there's just really no excuse for such poor behavior in grown people. It makes me sick and sad every time I witness it.

-In other news, I got to shoot my father in law's rifle pellet gun today. In the basement. I've never shot anything larger than a handgun, unless you count the water cannon I wielded annually at summer camp. He set up a cardboard box target for me and I aimed from roughly 30 feet away-- I only shot two times... and I hit the bullseye both times! So fun! Next time, maybe I'll attempt a real rifle... outside of course. :)

Post-Eclipse

Stephenie Meyer's four volume, 2500 page (more or less) saga is just further proof that when you're telling a compelling story-- you can take as much time as you need.

I finished Eclipse today. One more book to go-- I'm ready for the ending, whatever it is. And so far, the ride has been a lot more entertaining than I'd anticipated. The second book had a lot of the really cool backstory I'd been hoping for-- and of course, loads of drama. I really enjoyed it.

Just one more volume and I'm through.

Oh, and I haven't changed my mind. Forced to choose, I'd still pick a werewolf over a vampire.

Post- New Moon

I woke up this morning riddled with allergies. Very uncommon. I managed to clean up the downstairs part of the house this morning, but besides that, I've been lazing about trying to clear the haze from my head. Part of that strategy included finishing Volume 2 of the Twilight saga. And I must say, I really enjoyed it. Intriguing conflict, well-developed characters, excellent storytelling.

However, I find Bella to be morose, unbelievably selfish and overly worshipful of Edward and vampires in general. I hope she grows some self-esteem and some basic human courtesy in the next book.

Edward was sort of out of the picture in this one, but when he came back, he was his same stubborn, overprotective, freezing cold self. Whatevs. They're perfect for each other.

I really like the rest of the Cullens though, Alice in particular. And I'm still intrigued by the mystery of Rosalie.

And then there's Jacob. Confident, sweet, comforting, WARM-blooded Jacob. I really liked him and felt terrible for him when Bella just blew snot and tears all over him for 400 pages and then threw him away.

I guess, as of now, that puts me on Team Jacob. I'll let you know how Eclipse goes.