I've seen this on two blogs that I read regularly. It's kind of like doing the wave... if the people around you do it... you feel compelled to join them.
Four jobs I've had:
1. Life Insurance Sales
2. Lounge Singer (yes, I got paid)
3. VP of Safety Engineering
4. Actuary
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. The Godfather (Series)
2. Amadeus
3. The Natural
4. Singing in the Rain
Four places I've lived:
1. Wausau, WI
2. Visalia, CA
3. Hartford, CT
4. Freeport, IL
Four TV shows I love:
1. 24
2. Smallville
3. Alias
4. Law & Order
Four places I've vacationed:
1. New Orleans, LA
2. Portland, ME
3. Lake Tahoe, CA
4. On a train across Canada
Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Beef Stroganoff
2. Mommy's Chicken Soup
3. Italian Meatloaf
4. Creme Brulee
Last four books I've read:
1. Doctor Zhivago
2. Girlfriend In A Coma
3. Quirkyalone
4. A Prayer For Owen Meany
Last four movies I've seen:
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. The Squid and the Whale
3. Firewall
4. Transamerica
Four sites I visit daily:
1. deletedeletedelete.blogspot.com
2. Drudge Report
3. Craigslist
4. bigeastbasketball.blogspot.com (go MU)
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Iceland
2. Scotland
3. New Zealand
4. Heaven
My Seven Dream Jeopardy Categories (thank you Douglas Coupland in Microserfs)
1. The American Graffiti Soundtrack
2. Singing Falsetto
3. Home Winemaking
4. Side Effects of Testosterone
5. The Poetry of John Donne
6. Cross-Country Household Moves
7. Total Life Makeovers at 50
Friday, February 24, 2006
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Where's that offer?
It's going well this week, working out of the local office. It's a nice space, and I've gotten so much done! I had 4 major work things I wanted to accomplish while here; 3 are completed, and it's only Wednesday! I should be done with the 4th by the end of the day or early tomorrow AM. Then the rest of the time, I'll meet with local staff and learn a few things.
Another house showing yesterday, so I didn't go home for dinner, but ate out and went to a movie instead. It was a very, very good show! ;) I'd like to see that one again... everyone seemed so natural in their role. :)
No word back from yesterday's showing, but this was a couple who had tried twice before to get in and couldn't, and an offer packet was taken! Good sign... And today another showing scheduled, too. They just keep on coming. But I want an offer!!! C'mon people! The house has been on the market for a whole two weeks! Cough it up, already!
Fun this weekend! A little R&R Friday/Saturday :) and then Sunday night is talent night at our church. It's so nice that it fell when I was going to be in town - now I get to go on stage and "act" for a while! Maybe draw a laugh or two, or perhaps a tear.
It seems to be working really well to be back in town more than I expected to be. I haven't had to disconnect from the people I love, and I'm still getting good work done. It feels nice.
Another house showing yesterday, so I didn't go home for dinner, but ate out and went to a movie instead. It was a very, very good show! ;) I'd like to see that one again... everyone seemed so natural in their role. :)
No word back from yesterday's showing, but this was a couple who had tried twice before to get in and couldn't, and an offer packet was taken! Good sign... And today another showing scheduled, too. They just keep on coming. But I want an offer!!! C'mon people! The house has been on the market for a whole two weeks! Cough it up, already!
Fun this weekend! A little R&R Friday/Saturday :) and then Sunday night is talent night at our church. It's so nice that it fell when I was going to be in town - now I get to go on stage and "act" for a while! Maybe draw a laugh or two, or perhaps a tear.
It seems to be working really well to be back in town more than I expected to be. I haven't had to disconnect from the people I love, and I'm still getting good work done. It feels nice.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Home again!
Heading home on Sunday (after the memorial service on Saturday), and will work out of the local office all next week. That will be so nice. I had felt a little guilty about taking long weekends (Thurs - Mon), and this is better. More nights in town, and no lost workdays. Everybody's happier this way!
No offers from the open house yet, but - one private showing already and another tonight, another tomorrow and a second open house Sunday. So, still activity. :) Gooood.
Then, after next week, almost three whole weeks out East before I can return again, but then am back in town another week, with nearly full weekends on either side.
This is really working out pretty well, all things considered. And work here seems to be going well. I think I'm quite close to making a hire that I need desperately. He's deliberate, almost coy, in his decision-making. He knows he would be a good catch for me. It's almost like dating... But, I think he's about to allow himself to be persuaded. :)
That will help a lot!
No offers from the open house yet, but - one private showing already and another tonight, another tomorrow and a second open house Sunday. So, still activity. :) Gooood.
Then, after next week, almost three whole weeks out East before I can return again, but then am back in town another week, with nearly full weekends on either side.
This is really working out pretty well, all things considered. And work here seems to be going well. I think I'm quite close to making a hire that I need desperately. He's deliberate, almost coy, in his decision-making. He knows he would be a good catch for me. It's almost like dating... But, I think he's about to allow himself to be persuaded. :)
That will help a lot!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Open House
Goodness me, the activity!
Twenty-six potential buyers when through the house on Sunday, with a half-dozen serious. A showing last night, and hopefully more this week.
Could we possibly have an offer by week's end, when I'm home? That would feel pretty encouraging!
In other news, working girl's car accident is partly resolved. She took the settlement of it as a total loss and is now doing public transportation until she hears back from the at-fault party on what they might do for her as a settlement.
College boy is coming out to see the old man on Friday night, and going with me to my brother's memorial service on Saturday to lend moral support. That's nice. He and I fly back to the Midwest on Sunday a couple of hours apart, so we'll have some time on Saturday to knock around together. Too bad he's not 21 - martini's by the park! :)
Oh, by the way - Happy Valentine's Day!
Twenty-six potential buyers when through the house on Sunday, with a half-dozen serious. A showing last night, and hopefully more this week.
Could we possibly have an offer by week's end, when I'm home? That would feel pretty encouraging!
In other news, working girl's car accident is partly resolved. She took the settlement of it as a total loss and is now doing public transportation until she hears back from the at-fault party on what they might do for her as a settlement.
College boy is coming out to see the old man on Friday night, and going with me to my brother's memorial service on Saturday to lend moral support. That's nice. He and I fly back to the Midwest on Sunday a couple of hours apart, so we'll have some time on Saturday to knock around together. Too bad he's not 21 - martini's by the park! :)
Oh, by the way - Happy Valentine's Day!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Another week in the books
The end of my fourth week on the new job ends with an afternoon-long meeting on a favorite topic of mine, Workers Compensation - something I actually know a little about.
Seems like I have been contributing around here, definitely, but it's been mostly by meeting and connecting people with other people and getting them involved in things that I think they should know more about. Which, for an introvert, is really saying something! No wonder I'm tired... all these people wear me out! :)
But, both Rug and Alpaca asked me yesterday to think about the organizational structure in my area, and not just mine but also Wally's (Wally is my counterpart in a technical support area - we are supposed to be partners in getting useful information out of the claim department and into the businesses' hands.) So, after 4 weeks, they actually want my opinion on something. Now if only I had one! I don't, yet.
My permanent office space is now set - I'll move in at the end of the month. Yay! Four hard walls, a door, a conference table, and... no windows!!! Yes! Not to mention it's cold in there. Mmmmm...
I found some nice artwork to hang, just "borrowed" (legitimately) from other walls in the building. Plus Alpaca gave me a poster of the downtown skyline that I'm going to go get framed this weekend, before the Nor'easter blows in on Saturday night.
Looks like 9 inches of heavy, wet snow will fall from 5PM Saturday until 3PM Sunday. So I will run all my errands tonight and tomorrow before 5 (movie, art museum, groceries.) Then, I can curl up with a book, some good wine, and the occasional surfing of the 'net. Oh, yeah - the Olympics are on! So there's that, too.
And for once no real estate to explore. The snowstorm makes me feel guiltless about not going to open houses Sunday afternoon! But back home... Sunday is our first open house. Hope it sells immediately and at full list price! But, of course, occupancy not before May 1st. :) Yeah. Good luck with that.
Seems like I have been contributing around here, definitely, but it's been mostly by meeting and connecting people with other people and getting them involved in things that I think they should know more about. Which, for an introvert, is really saying something! No wonder I'm tired... all these people wear me out! :)
But, both Rug and Alpaca asked me yesterday to think about the organizational structure in my area, and not just mine but also Wally's (Wally is my counterpart in a technical support area - we are supposed to be partners in getting useful information out of the claim department and into the businesses' hands.) So, after 4 weeks, they actually want my opinion on something. Now if only I had one! I don't, yet.
My permanent office space is now set - I'll move in at the end of the month. Yay! Four hard walls, a door, a conference table, and... no windows!!! Yes! Not to mention it's cold in there. Mmmmm...
I found some nice artwork to hang, just "borrowed" (legitimately) from other walls in the building. Plus Alpaca gave me a poster of the downtown skyline that I'm going to go get framed this weekend, before the Nor'easter blows in on Saturday night.
Looks like 9 inches of heavy, wet snow will fall from 5PM Saturday until 3PM Sunday. So I will run all my errands tonight and tomorrow before 5 (movie, art museum, groceries.) Then, I can curl up with a book, some good wine, and the occasional surfing of the 'net. Oh, yeah - the Olympics are on! So there's that, too.
And for once no real estate to explore. The snowstorm makes me feel guiltless about not going to open houses Sunday afternoon! But back home... Sunday is our first open house. Hope it sells immediately and at full list price! But, of course, occupancy not before May 1st. :) Yeah. Good luck with that.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Ahhhh!
What a nice trip home. Both J&J came home, for HER birthday, which was fun. Also some chores, some very pleasant R&R, and some work out of the local office, too. I feel recharged on several levels. :)
The local office space is going to be very nice. The space will be set up for me by the time I return on the 20th (converting a conference room into an office), and the phone and voice mail is already set up. Guess I should check it...
They were quite helpful and very gracious there. Plus I met a bunch of folks from their Chicago office, and will set up a visit there, soon, too. Plus, I'll be contacting the folks in St. Paul for a visit to that office. Might as well make use of the geography, and maybe I won't have to switch doctors so fast. :)
So, I'll be back before I know it, and back for a little longer stretch this time - a week. It will be right after my brother's memorial service here on the East Coast, (which college boy is coming out for! - how nice), so I'll be glad to be with people I love, while working, too.
This transition isn't going to be so bad... these opportunites to be back more often are making things easier for everyone.
The local office space is going to be very nice. The space will be set up for me by the time I return on the 20th (converting a conference room into an office), and the phone and voice mail is already set up. Guess I should check it...
They were quite helpful and very gracious there. Plus I met a bunch of folks from their Chicago office, and will set up a visit there, soon, too. Plus, I'll be contacting the folks in St. Paul for a visit to that office. Might as well make use of the geography, and maybe I won't have to switch doctors so fast. :)
So, I'll be back before I know it, and back for a little longer stretch this time - a week. It will be right after my brother's memorial service here on the East Coast, (which college boy is coming out for! - how nice), so I'll be glad to be with people I love, while working, too.
This transition isn't going to be so bad... these opportunites to be back more often are making things easier for everyone.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Homeward Bound!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, baby! Am I ever ready to get back home for a few glorious days!
I wonder if I'll be able to relax at all while I'm there. I feel like I've sort of gotten a new routine established here and have kind of established a rhythm to my days. Maybe this will seem like a vacation from that routine, but still doing familiar things that I haven't done for a while, seeing people I haven't seen for a while. Being the existentialist that I am, I'm sure I'll be sensing every moment of it, taking the experience all in.
One load of whites in the morning, and then off to the airport. Yay! I'm usually not enamored of flying, not since those awful 3-leg, 12-hour days in the 1990s going from Podunksville on the West Coast to Podunksville in the heartland. Yuk. But, I am so eager to get on this plane, I can hardly stand it!
And then, though this trip will seem short, in a couple more weeks, I'll be back there again for 8 days, working out of a local office. How great that will be (for everyone, I hope, not just me.) More opportunities to see those I love.
Mmmm, sleep fast! The plane's almost ready to warm up!
I wonder if I'll be able to relax at all while I'm there. I feel like I've sort of gotten a new routine established here and have kind of established a rhythm to my days. Maybe this will seem like a vacation from that routine, but still doing familiar things that I haven't done for a while, seeing people I haven't seen for a while. Being the existentialist that I am, I'm sure I'll be sensing every moment of it, taking the experience all in.
One load of whites in the morning, and then off to the airport. Yay! I'm usually not enamored of flying, not since those awful 3-leg, 12-hour days in the 1990s going from Podunksville on the West Coast to Podunksville in the heartland. Yuk. But, I am so eager to get on this plane, I can hardly stand it!
And then, though this trip will seem short, in a couple more weeks, I'll be back there again for 8 days, working out of a local office. How great that will be (for everyone, I hope, not just me.) More opportunities to see those I love.
Mmmm, sleep fast! The plane's almost ready to warm up!
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