weekends

Spring flinging

As in flinging stuff.

Spent the weekend getting rid of stuff. Must have made four or five trips to the curb, and each time the stuff mysteriously disappeared. That is till I saw one of my Crate and Barrel boxes in the foyer of the Chinese acupuncture place next door. Chinese people love free stuff.

Also shredded a slew of old documents, getting my two file boxes down to one. Dumped a huge garbage bag of clothes I haven’t worn in years at Housing Works. $900 worth! I also have books I need to donate, and a box of kitchen stuff that was too heavy for me to bring down to the curb. Hey, MB, first order of business when you get back from Chicago!

Aside from the spring cleaning, I hung out with YP a bit Saturday afternoon. Had a coffee and a nosh, then walked around the city. It was a gorgeous day, like winter was finally ending. Today I saw SB and Ellie for a little while. Little Ellie had the crazy medusa hair going.

Just one day of work this week. There’s a small thing I totally procrastinated and need to take care of tomorrow. I feel myself getting stressed, but I need to remember that it’s really a small thing and can be taken care of. I don’t know why I always do this to myself – procrastinate to the point where I’m totally stressed and wake up at 5 in the morning and can’t sleep anymore. I’m such a doofus.

tcob / weekends / work — 2 Comments
10
Mar 08

Weekend update

I finally worked on my paper yesterday. As I thought I was more productive with MB around and working too (fun work, not work work). Also did my reading.

I hate daylight savings time. There I was, thinking I was getting up at 10, and it was already 11. By the time we ate – MB made French toast, yum! – it was well after 2.

After we got our work done, we took a walk, grabbed a light dinner, and browsed around a Barnes & Noble. I wanted to get Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, but it wasn’t there. Three of his other books were though. Will probably hit Amazon.

I know y’all are probably sick of hearing me complain about work, but I’m really not in the mood for it today. At 11 I have a meeting which I don’t think is necessary, given the changes, but the request came from my boss, and he’d rather waste an hour of everyone’s time rather than just say, “We don’t know if we’re doing this now that the team is different,” and give 60 minutes back. Then at 12 I have a 2-hour meeting for a project that I was so lucky to inherit, as one of my dumbass agencies said.

“That just shows they think you’ll do a great job!” she said of the 30% increase of my workload. “Congratulations!”

Are you a robot, or just a complete idiot?

Anyway, it helps to remind myself of the good things in life. Vacation next week, woohoo! Aside from South Carolina at the end of the week, I’ll just be sticking around here. Need to take care a bunch of stuff, including my site visit for school, a dermatologist appointment (finally! I’m really tired of breaking out all the time), and my taxes too, which reminds me I need to actually make that appointment.

food / friends / photography / weekends / work — 3 Comments
03
Mar 08

Much weirdness

There is much weirdness going on here at work today.

To recap, late last week we found out that five out of ten team members are being moved to another team. Our boss, who is a horrible micromanager with terrible judgement (ie, he wanted to kick off our sales presentation in Vegas with a Bush impersonator introducing our team – yes, FOR REAL) went around to each of us to tell us what was happening, but we never had a team meeting.

He set one up for this morning, but when I got here discovered that it had been canceled. Apparently he’s sick with the flu and will be out till Thursday.

Umm, how does he know he’ll be sick till exactly Thursday? “I’m scheduled to be well . . . now.” Anyone else would have said, “I have the flu, I’m definitely out today and tomorrow, maybe I’ll be back on Wednesday.”

Other dirt I got from my boss’ admin, who is also my friend:

He had a meeting with a VP in human resources on Friday. It must have been important because he was off-site and drove back into the city just to have this meeting.
Tomorrow he has a “personal and confidential” meeting on his calendar.
Today at 5 what was our whole team has a meeting with the Senior VP of our group. That is, our whole team minus our lame boss, who although ill could have easily called in.

Those in combination with the scheduled out sick thing makes for much weirdness around here.

What I’m hoping is that they’ll fire him or at least move him elsewhere in the company, and that we all end up reporting to someone else. Second best would be if I got a new job. Third best would be if I got canned because the severance package is sweet.

Worst would be if things remain the same.

I’m excited by the shake up. I kept thinking nothing was ever going to change unless I got a new job. The only annoying thing is that one co-worker who has been moved to the other team is starting to transition her stuff to me, although I’ve gotten zero direction regarding what projects I’ll be taking on, or if I’ll even have a job, or what my job will look like.

In other news, my weekend was very nice. Saturday morning I met up with YP to do our monthly photo assignment. This is just for fun and way to get us out there and taking pictures. Back in January we made up several “themes.” Last month it was Reflections, ie, taking pictures of anything with a reflection. This time it was I Spy. In other words, “A is for. . .,” “B is for. . .,” which I’ve noticed quite a bit on Flickr. It was fun though I got only as far as K. YP got to J.

But before that we had breakfast at Cafe Habana, where I inhaled steak and eggs, and had a celebrity sighting: Ian Wright from Globe Trekker! He is probably my favorite host, along with Megan and Justine. The other hosts are sort of annoying. Ian was with a bunch of other Brits, and looked a bit older than he does on TV, or maybe I just tend to catch earlier episodes. He was wearing an orange sweater with a hole in the elbow, which made him seem down to earth.

That night MB and I saw Jar City, a crime thriller out of Iceland. It was really good. Kind of reminded me of Seven but less gruesome. The grossest thing was what Icelandic people eat – yuck, sheep’s head! (I couldn’t find a link directly to sheep’s head, but here is one on Icelandic cuisine, which apparently also includes cured ram testicles and putrified shark. Mmm, rotten shark meat.)

Another funny thing was that I was freezing in the theatre, and then to see the Icelandic landscape with everyone walking around in giant sweaters and parkas just made me feel colder.

Sunday MB and I did some work, then walked around the city. Although it’s warmer, it’s still quite windy. I’m tired of the cold; I hope it’s on its way out.

library / weekends / work — 2 Comments
25
Feb 08

So sleepy

Got maybe 6 hours, which usually is okay, but for some reason today I’m very tired.

Friday was basically a wasted day at work. Had one stupid meeting, and then because of the snow the offices closed at 2. MB was still at work so I just hung out, doing schoolwork. We grabbed dinner at Metrazur in Grand Central.

Had a nice weekend. Spent a good chunk of time, but less than I anticipated, working on my Andrew Carnegie paper. Saturday was finishing up research and typing up my notes, while Sunday was actually writing. I got most of it done before MB and I headed out in the afternoon.

We hit another museum, the Met this time. Actually we wanted to go to the Guggenheim and check out the crazy Cai Guo-Qiang exhibit that includes a huge arc of what look like stuffed wolves (they’re actually made of wire and papier mache, and covered in goat skin). But because the exhibit just opened on Friday, it was a madhouse, so we went to the Met instead.

We got there an hour before closing, but because my corporate ID gets us in free, we didn’t mind. We just wandered around, stopping to look at the instruments exhibit as well as arms and armour. Next time we’re going for longer.

I don’t feel like doing anything today. This morning I had a slew of meetings, then my second interview for that job. I guess it was okay, but again it’s hard to tell.

Have class tonight. Gonna try to work out beforehand.

weekends — 2 Comments
22
Jan 08

A mostly quiet weekend

The rest of the weekend before MB came home was quiet yet productive. Saturday I putzed around the house before heading out to run some errands in the afternoon, and then coming back and basically attacking my apartment, trying to get rid of clothes and books I don’t need.

I ended up emptying almost half my closet. Who knew there were so many shirts I haven’t worn in more than a year? I really have had no excuse not to donate stuff. There’s a Housing Works right near my place. I dropped off an estimated $900 worth of clothes on Sunday. More to come! As for the books, there’s a Housing Works Used Books Cafe downtown. Will want to schlep my stuff down there soon.

Sunday was another productive day. Aside from giving stuff to Housing Works, I ran some more errands and worked on my writing before heading downtown to YP’s birthday party, which was fun. Lots of laughing and talking. I made the mistake of having two cosmos so that by the time I left, close to midnight, I had the hugest headache ever.

MB’s flight landed around 10:30, and he got to his place around 12 AM. It was so nice to see him again after all those days apart – gee, just four, but it felt like a long time. :) We both had yesterday off too, which was fun.

Must workout today! My legs are getting that crampy feeling from not running enough.

TV / weekends / work — 4 Comments
08
Jan 08

Just when I thought I was out. . .

. . .they suck me back in!

Only I could interpret good news as bad: I just found out I got a promotion. It’s long-awaited. I’ve been doing the job of that position for at least a year now. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m not super excited. Plus with a promotion comes more pressure and even higher expectations.

But do they really? I know where I want to go, and that’s out of here when I’m finished with school. I don’t think the money will even be incentive enough to stay longer than I need to.

As for the weekend, MB and I saw There Will Be Blood. It was excellent – the story, the music, the actors, though at times Daniel Day-Lewis threatens to become a charicature of himself. Unfortunately we got there late and so had to sit in the front row. Neck strain!

What the heck else did we do? Oh yeah, we rented a bunch of Dextor DVDs and have been watching those like crazy. It’s a great show though we’re a little burned out by this point.

Now do I feel anymore motivated at work because of the promotion? Just barely.

holidays / weekends / work — 1 Comment
27
Dec 07

Whiny post

Wah, back at work and so don’t want to be.

My boss was especially annoying last week, which makes me even less motivated. Not only is he annoying, he’s a terrible manager. For example, he’ll blame the team for not doing something that he never told us to do. After getting chewed out in a meeting, he’ll turn to us later and say, “You guys should have done that,” when he never stressed the importance before.

I know I have to stick it out till I finish school, but I don’t know how much longer I can take. Today I looked at job postings again. You know the highest level secretary here – what they call a “coordinator” – makes only a little less than I do, and probably the same with overtime? So tempting, though I’d never be allowed to take a demotion.

Yes, that’s how bad it is.

Otherwise I had a lovely few days off. Spent lots of time with MB. We saw Juno, which we both really liked. I also enjoyed the soundtrack quite a bit and might buy it. Last night we saw, get this, Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, a pure MB choice, though I’m a total Alien fan and thought it might have some promise. Not! Some of the fight scenes were cool, but the rest of it was just horrible. I don’t need David Mamet dialogue, but at least I don’t want to be rolling my eyes every two seconds.

We also did quite a bit of work, he cooked a few times, and we went shopping one day.

I went to the ‘rents’ on Monday. It was uneventful. I realized what I had planned to give my mom – a bunch of treats from Jacques Torres and some coffee from the Porto Rico Trading Company – wasn’t enough so I suggested a trip to the mall.

We thought it’d be a madhouse, but it was quite empty. By 4ish everyone had skedaddled to start Christmas Eve dinner. It was just me and my parents and Mongolian hotpot so we weren’t in any rush. Ended up getting a Nordstrom gift card for my mom, and a couple of books for my dad, as well as a few things for myself (new jeans, long sleeved Ts, undies).

One night is definitely enough at the ‘rents. By the next morning, they were bugging me about stuff. 401K, where I’ll work after my degree, buying an apartment in the city. Okay, gotta go! Was back in the city Tuesday afternoon.

MB and I both took yesterday off, and just had a lovely day together.

The main reason I’m crabby today is that I actually have meetings. From 11 to 3. :( Oh wait, the 2 is canceled. Yay! And the 11 may not take the whole hour. I had ANOTHER meeting at 10 but I totally skipped it. I’m sick of this place.

rant and/or rave / weekends / work — 6 Comments
12
Dec 07

Behind in the weekend catch-up

MB and I hung out a bunch. We saw a couple of movies, The Golden Compass and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, both of which were good in different ways. Wel also walked around Central Park, and on Sunday night, he cooked dinner, grilled salmon with a bunch of veggies and tiny potatoes. Yum!

Last night was my team’s holiday party. At first I was excited because it’s been a few years since we’ve had anything like that, what with all the budget cuts, but then the day before we got the following email from the director of operations:

You may have heard the term “elevator pitch” before, but it could similarly be termed “cocktail party pitch”. The concept is that if you have 30 seconds to explain to someone what you do…what would you say?

Drafting an elevator pitch was an exercise done at a recent team offsite, and I found it quite useful not only to help me frame for myself what it is that I do, but also to help me concisely communicate that to others. At the offsite, members were asked to complete the following template and then practice it with each other as they mingled around the room. It may sound a little quirky at first, but you might just find it helpful tomorrow night!

“Hi, my name is (insert name), and I work for the (insert team name) team in (blah blah unit). We’re the group that focuses on (insert brief description of your group mission). The role I play is to (insert what you specifically do to further that mission)”

As an example, here is the modified one that I put together for myself. “Hi, my name is Condescending Asshole. I work for the Blah Blah Unit. We’re the Unit that focuses on some sorta bullshit. The role I play is to be really condescending, and to make adults with years of working experience and degrees up the wazoo feel like three-year olds.”

My tip is to practice it a few times at home, try it out at the party, and then make any necessary refinements as you read people’s responses. It just might prove useful as you continue to explain to your colleagues and friends what it is that you do.

Are you fucking kidding me? I mean, FOR REAL?!?

Obviously on that second paragaph, I took some creative license.

I almost decided not to go to the party, just in protest of that email. I heard from one of my coworkers that some folks did just that. But in the end I decided to go, for observational purposes.

Turned out to be fine. Very cazh. There was an open bar but MINISCULE food. I ate about four hors d’oeuvres and so was starving afterwards.

Cuz of the booze I had a craving for something fried and salty, so MB suggested A Salt and Battery. Fish and chips! Woohoo! Totally hit the spot. The couple next to us were sharing a deep fried Mars bar, which sounded disgusting last night but right now actually sounds kind of good.

My last writing class tonight, and and perhaps the last one in a while, at least till I finish my MLS program. Orientation on January 12. Yay!

I’m so not in the mood to be at work today. Am I ever?

weekends — 2 Comments
03
Dec 07

The weekend: there it is. . .

. . .and there it goes.

Thursday night I was hanging with MB, who could tell I had had a crummy day, so he suggested a movie. We ended up seeing No Country for Old Men, which was really good, except for the ending, though I didn’t hate it as much as MB did.

Saturday afternoon we did some shopping. I felt in need of some winter clothes that actually fit (past seasons’ are suddenly just too big). He was very patient waiting as I tried on stuff. He had bought a new toy for himself (think electronics) and was engrossed – no exaggeration – ENGROSSED in the manual as I waited in the line of eternity outside of the Banana Republic changing room.

Sunday I went to the Small Press Center Book Fair. I was supposed to volunteer, but it turned out they had many more volunteers than were needed so I just went to a few sessions, my favorite of which was The Perfect Pitch.

A literary agent talked about the do’s and don’t’s for a good pitch letter. For example, the first paragraph should contain the three p’s: 1) the place, 2) the protanganist, and 3) the problem, all connected in a cohesive way, like a good movie trailer.

I loved this agent because she totally cut off the audience’s long-winded non-questions. That’s the one thing I HATE about these writing conferences. People’s dumb-ass, braggy questions that aren’t questions. For instance:

Dumb ass woman: I have a question, but I also have a very interesting story. . .
Cool agent: I’m sorry we don’t have time for a story, but we have time for a question.

You rock, agent lady.

Need to workout tonight! I’ve been such a lazy bum.

family / holidays / relationships / weekends — 5 Comments
26
Nov 07

Too much ‘rent time

Three days and two nights at the parents’ = way too much time

Wednesday night was fun hanging out with MB. He made dinner – tilapia with veggies and potatoes – which is great because 1) he’s a good cook, and 2) I don’t have to do anything! Since he enjoys cooking so much, he doesn’t put any pressure on me to help him, and in fact says, “Just work on your writing.” I’ve taken on the role of cleaning up and doing the dishes afterwards, which is a fair trade I think.

Afterwards we walked all around town. We checked out the movies, but anything we wanted to see was playing too late. Plus it was nice just to walk and talk before my going away for a few days.

One place we stopped in was the Forbidden Planet comic book store in Union Square, which he’d never been to. I wondered aloud, “I wonder if they have all the Buffy comics?” He asked about Buffy, which prompted a very long monologue from me describing all the highlights from the series.

That made me realize how ridiculous some of it sounds out of context. “Well, Angel was a good vampire, then he had sex with Buffy, and then he was a bad vampire. . .And then there was Spike, who was in love with Buffy. He was evil, but then he got his soul back. . .Oh yeah, and there were these evil nerd guys, who made a Buffy bot.” We were cracking up.

The next day I caught an 11:30 AM train to NJ. Had lunch, then slept for like three hours. Got up, ate dinner, Mongolian hot pot as usual. My mother offered to bake a chicken, which she doesn’t do well, and my dad and I were like, “Um, why?”

In between all the eating and sleeping, I did work on my writing, though not the work I had taken home from the office (boo! for bringing work home). In the evening, I also chatted with MB, who was on his own (his family’s spread out all over).

The next morning I wrote more. In the afternoon MB texted me – turns out he was at work :( – and asked me to help with this thing he was developing. Basically he wanted to take it and make it into ridiculous corp speak, which we both hate but which I’m quite fluent in.

I had fun cranking that out, and was making myself laugh with the ridiculousness of it. Like instead of container, “containing device.” Instead of Read the file, “Leverage comprehension of the document containing device.” I scare myself sometimes.

In the evening, I finally started doing the stuff from my job and got through the majority of it, interspersed with working on my writing. A very productive evening. Spoke with MB again before going to bed.

Saturday, more writing. At this point the ‘rents were annoying me. Dad: “You’re all set with your 401K, right?” Yes, Dad, it hasn’t changed from the last time you asked me. Mom: “You save a little bit every month, right?” Yes, Mom, don’t worry.

They may seem like innocent questions, but they reek of, “We’re so worried about you and your security and what will happen to you 30 years from now? We wish you’d settle down and buy a house and never do anything different or live anywhere different, and just have a kid and be done with it.”

I may have been in that stage when I was married, at least beginning down that path, but since my divorce, I basically feel like I’m starting over. I had so many years of being “settled” and worrying about saving money and buying a house that I don’t want to be in that mind set right now. I sort of feel like this is my second youth. MB is in the same place, though he has a better business head than I do. He maxes out his 401K primarily for tax purposes. Smart that boy.

Ack, and of course my mother had to ask more about him! Not in a negative way, just in a curious-about-his-background way, which she may twist negatively later but I’ll worry about that when or if the time comes. She did have good enough sense to notice that I talk about him in a different way than other guys. That I seem calm and happy about him, and not worried.

Saturday afternoon ES called, thank God. I really needed to get out of the house at that point. We walked around Princeton, then had dinner. AY was supposed to meet us at 7, but she slept through our calls and texts, and didn’t get to to the restaurant till 8:30.

I went back into the city after that, ES kind enough to drop me off at the station.

Yesterday MB and I hung out. Walking, shopping, working on our stuff. Talking, laughing. He cooked again, stir fry chicken this time. It was good but the fish was better.

Blah, work. Luckily today is not too heavy in terms of meetings.

Angela Tung Oversharing on the internet since 2005.