The Not-So-Secret Diary of a Bad Luck Girl

Not that it was busy. More like one minute it was morning and I was vegging in front of my computer, and the next it was five hours later.

Thursday and Friday were pretty busy, between coming back from the meeting in Chicago, my office move, interviews, and a semi-big meeting I ran Friday afternoon. By Friday night, I crashed and just did laundry, then chilled with my book and TV.

Saturday was the day I managed to do almost nothing till about 4. My one accomplishment was cleaning the bathroom, no small feat I guess. Late afternoon I ran a couple of errands. It was so hot and humid, by the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do was go back outside. Cleaned more.

Sunday I was finally able to get it together and write a little, though not as much as I wanted. Another humid day, though cloudy and not as hot. Had lunch with SB and company. Was going to go to the Park to write, but it was pouring by the time we left the restaurant. Went home and finished cleaning. Cleaning my place really kills a whole weekend.

I finished up around 5, and by then the downpour had slowed to a drizzle so I headed out for a run. Since I hadn’t had one since Tuesday, it was fairly manageable. Plus there was no sun. I’d rather have a steady drizzle than sun. I was going to run the Reservoir but there were too many giant puddles. The lovely Loop instead.

Didn’t pull any muscles, but I did have some stomach issues. Literally had to sprint home and up three flights of stairs. Made it in time! Whew. That would have been really embarrassing, not to mention disgusting.

Watched The Two Coreys last night. It wasn’t that entertaining. Corey Feldman’s wife came off as really uptight. Corey Feldman looks kinda good, I have to say. Corey Haim looks like a washed up frat boy. Both still look pretty young though.

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since The Lost Boys. That’s so wrong.

Had my last interview today. Four for one position. I’ll hear at the end of the week.

Sushi for lunch. Wholly unsatisfying. I need something dessert-like, and yogurt’s not gonna cut it.

Back finally! I was in Chicago from Monday through Wednesday, but feel like I’ve been gone forever.

Didn’t get to see as much of the city as I wanted. Took little walks with a coworker, and the view from the hotel was cool, but that’s about it. As for the meeting itself, definitely information overload. After about an hour, I find my brain shutting down. That’s when you need a five or ten minute break to pee, walk around, refuel.

The hotel was pretty nice. The bed was very comfortable with nice sheets and comforter, but I didn’t sleep well the whole time. Kept waking up. It wasn’t that noisy. Maybe it was the dry air that did it, and being in a weird place.

Last night my flight didn’t get in till about midnight, and then I got home after 12:30. So needless to say I’m pooped!

On the top of all that, I had interviews today, yay! It’s for another team at my company. What’s cool about it: the position is very similar to mine, it would be with a woman who is a former boss and with whom I got along really well, and it would be away from my current crazy boss. The downsides: I’d be working most with another former coworker, who I disliked.

I never worked with this person directly. The dislike was more by association. Her assistant DETESTED her and I was friends with that assistant. Her behavior is very snotty and princessy.

New job pros: straight-forward work, cool boss, new environment, better structure, more varied experience

New job cons: bitchy co-worker

Current job pros: very familiar work, cool coworkers (mostly), boss who is a nice person

Current job cons: annoying boss, unclear work objectives, artificially urgent deadlines, being at the beck and call of another team, my career goals unaligned with what my boss sees for me, same old same old

In the interview, I was pretty open about my career goals, that I want to move into operations and think this new experience will help me along that path. The downside is that they may want someone who wants to move up within their team.

Looks like there’s just one con for the possible new job, one I could possibly suck up while I get my MLS.

And on TOP of the interviews, I was moved on Friday and so now I’m getting situated in my new digs, always a little disorienting. I have a blank wall and I kept thinking, What’s missing? What did I have in my other office there? Furniture?

No. A window.

Oh well. At least I have an office.

I’m so ready to go home.

Gorgeous weather makes all the difference in the world.

Yesterday morning I did the writing-at-Starbuck’s thing, getting there earlier than I usually do, by 9:30. About an hour later, I looked up to see – Derek Jeter! He was on his way out with big iced coffee in hand. No one in the cafe seemed to notice, and if there was any hubbub beforehand, I didn’t hear it since I had my headphones on.

At first I thought, That guy looks a hell of a lot like Derek Jeter. Then outside someone came up and shook his hand, and then someone else asked for his autograph so that pretty much guarunteed it.

Later in the afternoon I had my Loop run. It was quite sunny so the run was a bit tougher than usual. But my knee and hamstring didn’t bother me much at all.

I had my first encounter with an annoying fellow runner. He was pretty far ahead of me, but when we hit a hill, I was able to slowly close in on him, not on purpose or anything. I wasn’t even paying attention, but suddenly I was right behind him. I know it’s annoying to have someone running in your blind spot, so I pulled ahead.

Then he decided we were competing and caught up to me, and ran right next to me. It’s like, dude, either go slower or faster, I don’t want you as a running partner, thank you very much. So I forced myself to pull ahead again, going faster than I wanted. Luckily I didn’t poop out towards the end.

On my walk back home, I saw that SB, her hubby, and Ellie were sitting outside their building, eating popsicles. The Manhattan equivalent of sitting on a porch on a summer evening. I had a popsicle too – which surprisingly hit the spot – and suffered Ellie putting her freezing cold hands on me every two seconds.

This morning is writing and maybe some pilates if I can squeeze it in. This afternoon YP and I are heading to Central Park to take pictures.

I wish I had my camera yesterday when I was in the Park; I had to make do with my cell phone when I saw this dog sitting on a bench like a person.

You can barely make out the German shepard on the left. He has his back to me.

I have to get back in the habit of carrying my camera everywhere.

You may have heard about the steam pipe explosion that occured on 41st and 3rd yesterday, which is a block away from where I work. It wasn’t terrorism but, as Mayor Bloomberg put it, “a failure of our infrastructure.” One person died and about 30 were injured.

The sound of the explosion has been described as a deep, unending, thunderous roar. Tons and tons of steam and dirt and debris blew up into the sky like a geyser, and everyone just started running, looks of panic and fear on their faces.

I, on the other hand, HEARD NOTHING.

I was at the company gym, and it seems none my fellow exercisers heard anything either. True, most of us had our headphones on and were working away on noisy machines, but you’d think someone would have heard something. Though I guess there’s no reason to panic.

I found out what had happened when an announcement came on. Getting home wasn’t too bad. It’s a mile and a half, which I’ve walked many times. Tons of people were walking and having trouble with cell phones. I was able to make a couple of calls, SB and my mom, who had no idea what happened, prompting an infuriating conversation:

Me: Did you hear what happened? There was a pipe explosion. But I’m walking home now.
Mom: What?!? An explosion?! What?!?
Me (screaming over passing firetrucks): A pipe explosion! On 41st and 3rd! But I’m walking home now!
Mom: What?!? You’re walking home?!? But it’s so late!
It was 7 pm. Me: Silence, rolling eyes.
Mom: What happened? Which building exploded?
Me: Not a building! A pipe!
Mom: Which building?
Me: No! A pipe, a pipe!
Mom: What?
Me: I don’t know! Watch the news! I just called to tell you I’m okay and walking home now!
Mom (finally getting a clue): Oh, okay! I’ll watch the news!
Me: Okay! Bye!

Jeez.

This morning I didn’t even bother trying the subway, but walked to work and showered at the gym.

All of this reminds me of when that house on Park Avenue exploded last summer. I was about 10 blocks away and again heard nothing. Guess my iPod works well.

I don’t think of where I live in Manhattan as being very hip. It’s home to yuppies, young couples with giant strollers, or old, blue blood, longtime Upper East Siders.

But for some reason Justin Timberlake has chosen my area to open his new restaurant, Southern Hospitality.

Last night I happened to walk past it, though I don’t usually walk around there. My grocery store is one avenue north of me, but all I needed was a box of couscous so I headed to the Korean deli on the avenue south of me. The last time I went there was about six months ago.

As I walked two girls were practically up my ass trying to get to the restaraunt. Of course at the time I had no idea what was going on, only that something was. “We just missed it!” they cried.

I didn’t see a thing except a guy all in black with an earpiece standing importantly outside, and a lone paparazzo. From the outside, the restaurant seemed unfinished, or at least closed, so I didn’t think anything could be going on. Guess I was wrong.

So now my area has a claim to fame aside from the #1 International Farmer’s Market – where I got my couscous last night – which was featured in Time Out New York a few weeks ago.

Which was fine by me.

Saturday morning I headed out to my favorite Starbuck’s and wrote for a bit before SB called. It was such a beautiful day, we took a walk, Ellie in tow of course, stopping at Sephora’s to ogle beauty products we didn’t need.

Afterwards we had lunch at her place – well, SB and I did. Ellie licked cream cheese off pita bread (gross) and then resisted her nap, getting crabbier by the minute. When she finally ate, the faces she made while immensely enjoying some delicious banana were hilarious. Are all kids this expressive?

That afternoon I spent a lot of time in the Park – wrote on a bench and ran the Loop. 6.1 miles! Woohoo! While I was running, my left hamstring and knee were achy, but today my leg feels okay. Maybe the pilates is working.

There are some excellent hills on the Loop. It’s interesting to see the entire jogging/biking/rollerblading population start to move in slow motion when we hit a steep one. Suddenly we runners are pulling ahead of rollerbladers, and some cyclists start walking their bikes. Then of course when we reach the downhill portion, everyone’s zipping past us.

I love the Loop because it takes me to parts of the Central Park I don’t otherwise see, like who knew there was a giant public pool? Probably lots of folks, just not me.

I was thinking yesterday how it’s taken me two years to really begin exploring the city. My first summer I was caught up with getting used to this new life, post-divorce, living on my own again. I spent most weekends wandering up and down 3rd or Park Avenue, visiting the same museums over and over.

Last summer I was caught up with dating DK, but I did start to get to know the Park a little then. Sometimes we’d meet at the Bandshell, and since he lived almost directly west from me, I learned to maneuver across the Park, rather than taking the very slow bus.

This summer I’ve finally gone out of my way to delve into this huge playground just a few blocks from my place, whether it’s reading by the Alice in Wonderland sculpture, climbing up Belvedere Castle, or trying to find peace in Shakespeare’s Garden.

On July 4th, I went running in the rain, and on my way home, I passed the little pond where people sail miniature boats. Usually that area is packed, but that day of course it was empty, and I was amazed at how peaceful it was with the rain falling on the water.

Yesterday I did some more exploring, this time walking to the East River. It’s pretty nice from the low 60s to about 75th Street, but after that you’re pretty much on the FDR, which between the fumes and kicked up grime, is not so fun.

I also woke up with a sore throat yesterday and was feeling kind of run down. So I didn’t mind staying in for most of the day and working my writing. I ended up revising three pieces, two of which are close to being finished, one of which kind of stinks.

This morning I was hoping to get up early and go to the gym, but last night some idiot stood below my window and screamed into his cell phone for a solid hour. I didn’t get to sleep till after midnight.

My throat hurts today too, and I still have that fatigued feeling. Lots of liquids and vitamin C, and a light workout at lunch. Hopefully, it’ll go away in a day or so, and not grow into a full-blown cold.

Well, except for a post.

Friday morning I did a lot of work for a change. Just hunkered down and did it. I complain about my job, but it’s not the work I dislike. If I’m just left alone to do what I need to do, it’s fine.

It helps one of my new co-workers seems pretty cool. We’re working on this project together, and agree our boss has been very unclear about his vision. Since she’s new, she was able to go to him and say, “I don’t get it” (though not in so many words), and so at the meeting he was able to clear things up. I’m still not sure if the project has any value, but at least we’re all clearer on the direction.

Had a meeting at noon (no lunch! had to concentrate on keeping from stomach from growling) and that consultant I have an on-and-off crush on joined via phone. I was hoping he’d show – I even wore a cute outfit (yes: I’m a loser) – but I think his office is in New Jersey. I got all giddy when he addressed me by name directly. So high school.

I accomplished even more work after the meeting, and was still out by 3.

Oh yeah, I also finally made dentist and eye doctor appointments. Well, the eye doc appointment is on time. The dentist is overdue from April. Also made my travel arrangements for a meeting in Chicago at the end of the month. For some reason, I’m really looking forward to it. Probably because I won’t be presenting, just participating in different trainings. Plus it’ll be my first time to the windy city, outside of stopovers in O’Hare.

Today’s reserved for writing and running. I’m looking forward to my jog in Central Park, and the weather seems perfect for it right now. Tomorrow there will be thunderstorms and I would prefer not to be hit by lightning. Ouch.