Managing My Leisure Time

There wasn't much exciting about this week that didn't revolve around the purchase and set up of the new desk. I was in fact the first person to respond to the ad, so after some back and forth about where to pick it up, I convinced Vince to drive me downtown on Tuesday night to get it.

This transaction was flawed from the start. I didn't really want to pay the price that was listed in the ad, but I didn't bring up price in any of our discussions. No sooner did I get there than I blurted out that he was the fourth person I had contacted about this desk. Talk about giving away the upper hand on a silver platter. We get out to the car and turns out that the guy is a graduate of Vince's super-small college and they have a mutual friend. So the anonymity of Craigslist is shattered because now there is a possibility that our paths will one day cross again, defeating the purpose of why people buy crap from strangers. So I'm checking the pieces, they appear to be all there, and I ask the price...and it hasn't come down for the ad. So I reach for my wallet and realize, to my embarrassment, that I am a dollar short. I still get the desk.

We get the desk back to my place, and realize that I don't have a screwdriver. Vince left his at home. I begin to lay out the pieces and realize that I am missing a shelf. On Wednesday, I contact the seller about the shelf, he's almost positive that he gave it to me, but low and behold it's in his storage unit. So I make an hour-long round trip to go pick up this shelf Wednesday after swimming. Vince comes over on Wednesday to put the desk together, and realizes that he left two small pieces that had fallen out in transport (which he had picked up and put in his jacket) in his other jacket at home.

By the time Thursday rolls around, this desk is wearing on my last nerve. Luckily, no major incidents prevent us from putting the desk together, and although the shelves need to be tightened, for all intents and purposes the desk is up and functioning. I will say, however, that it is a nice desk and fits perfectly not only size wise but with my entire decor theme. And although not the perfect transaction, at least it is done.

As the desk exploits took up most of my free time this week, I didn't really have time to do other things I needed to do, like grocery shop (I was without milk for two days), pay bills, and clean my apartment. So now I've loaded my Saturday up with these exhilarating tasks and now that it's almost 4pm I won't be able to make it to the pool to go for a swim. Sigh. Sometimes being an adult really bites the big one.

Third Time's a Charm

This is the third time I've seen this desk on Craigslist...let's hope this makes the cut. The ad was posted today, so hopefully I'm the first....

The Excitement Continues

Judging by my posts last week, you must have been anxiously awaiting to hear how the rest of my week turned out. Here are the highlights:

• someone did call me out for using a pink highlighter after I had started using the yellow one. Oh well.
• someone in my office found out I spoke Spanish (she asked me, and I answered in the affirmative). So I then had to broker an agreement over watering the dying plants in the conference room between my co-worker and the building managers. I pray that those plants don't die because then I am going to be held personally responsible (and also look like an idiot).

Other than that, the week went by pretty quickly. This weekend I noticed the weekend moving a lot faster (despite the fact that I slept for almost 14 hours on Friday night) until I realized that I didn't have a three-day week.

On the horizon this week - I only have three swim classes left. So sad. I don't know how I'm going to motivate myself in February. Speaking of which, I'm excited for this new month so I can finally get a grip on my finances. I even went to a budgeting seminar last week...very informative.

I organized a big event at work today and as such, had to be up before it was even light out. What a trip. I also was lucky enough to get to manage 60+ pounds of briefing books across the city. Don't worry, I took a cab...but everyone was making fun of my ginormous suitcase. Then, on my way home today, I almost got trapped in an elevator with two other people...until we realized no one had pushed the button. One of the men was talking about how he was in a POW camp for 31 months....and I thought I had a rough day.

Tuesday Excitement

Today was effectively a Monday wrapped in the sweetness of a Tuesday. I had 31 (!) emails to go through this morning, so there wasn't a lot for me to be excited about this morning until....I remembered I bought some new tea (ginger peach - it smells like those candy peach rings). So I slogged through my commute, thinking about that tea. Get to my desk this morning, still pumped about the tea, and see that I have a new keyboard! How awesome is that! I was having issues rebooting my computer on Friday, and I got an error message that my keyboard was disconnected. Long story short, the keyboard actually wasn't the problem (go figure, you can't leave a flash drive in the computer while it's off), but I got a new keyboard. I was momentarily worried that my new keyboard would be taken away (how quickly it can all disappear!) but fortunately I get to keep the keyboard. Final point of excitement was when I was restocking my paperclips and jumbo clips, I stumbled upon a pink highlighter, which added a little splash of color to my day.

Right now you are probably thinking "Wow, it's a wonder that she didn't have a heart attack from all of that craziness." I mean seriously, I could barely contain myself. But I've been breaking out of my box of post-work routine and mixing it up. For example, I decided on a whim today to go to a book lecture and signing tonight. Quite fun, not a huge time commitment, and I got to hear about why journalism is so cool (which I already knew, but had to be reminded). Tomorrow back to swim class - I need to make sure I get there early enough to practice. And Thursday I potentially have a networking happy hour. Friday - I sleep. Or I might have plans, who knows. But this is definitely improvement from even a month ago! I feel like 2010 is a better year for me to navigate the work-life balance.

I spent some time tonight doing some orientation stuff for my LSAT class, which I'm getting more pumped about every time I spend more than 3 passing seconds thinking about it. Yes, I anticipate complaining a ton about how I will have no life when this starts. But a) that could be good for my budget and b) a la Alice, I'm going to make an Internet promise that I will try and maintain a positive attitude throughout this. I will keep my eye on the prize. I am glad I didn't do this right after I graduated because almost a year (gasp) later I feel like I can be much more committed to putting my best effort and really understanding what a good score can bring. A big pat of this attitude will also depend on my ability to maintain some semblance of a workout schedule - I've noticed a huge improvement in overall moods since I've been working out more than a couple of times a week.

I know that Luke was having some Post Office problems. I, too, have experienced some Post Office issues in the last few days. In as many days, I've had two Christmas cards returned to sender. Incidentally, both of these were mailed to Chicago. Is this coincidence? I can't say. They were mailed, however, in early December. So it took almost two months for it to go to Chicago and come back. I could have driven across the country twice in that span. Seriously.

Gratuitous shout out to Ashley. I hope you read this.

Oh Weekend, Where Art Thou?

I can't believe another weekend has come and gone. Luckily, this weekend we had the extra day, but still. I guess I do have the four-day work week to look forward to...

On Friday, I came home from work and slept for about two hours. It was like I was hit over the head with a brick. Unfortunately for me, however, I fell asleep in sweatpants and with the heat still on in my apartment. Bad move. If the heat is on for more than 20 minutes, it makes my 550 square feet fortress of solitude feel like a sweat box. I woke up gasping for air and severely dehydrated. It was like I was in the desert. I mean, seriously, had to go outside and get some fresh air to feel better again.

Speaking of sweatpants, I only have one pair here in my apartment and they have never seen the light of day here. I think that this is a positive development in my overall life goal to not look so ragged.

But anyway - back to the weekend. Overall lots of fun - Julie was in visiting. We did, however, wind up at this weird dance club that I can only best describe as stepping in to some kind of alternate universe a la Chronicles of Narnia or some other movie where the characters are transported to a world not their own. I mean seriously, just so bizarre. Nerdy Hill staffers, Pharell wannabes, two guys dancing horribly to rap music in oversized jerseys, a 40 year old guy trying to use the night as an aerobics workout...to say nothing of the other people that were hanging around. And it was in the most bizarre place, more of a business district area, and from the street appeared as though it was in someone's apartment. Hopefully, I will never have to go back to this place again, although it was worth the trip just for the stories.

Because of the holiday, I did not have swim class today. I did go to the pool, but got discouraged because it was SO crowded I just knew I wouldn't be able to get a productive workout in. So I sat in the hot tub instead. I've also been noticing that my bathing suits are really worn out. One day I will get out of the pool and there will be nothing left. That would be embarrassing.

Also, I don't know if you have heard, but one of my all-time favorite bands is being inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15. Can you guess who it is? ABBA, of course. And since I normally write my blog posts to ABBA, I will occasionally be featuring some ABBA music here in anticipation of their big moment. Love this photo montage of "Our Last Summer". If you go to the YouTube page, the lyrics are included in the more info page. Incidentally, although this is one of my favorite ABBA songs (although let's be serious, what ABBA song don't I like?), I do not have it in my collection.

Read this Blog!

Read this blog: http://quickslantsreporting.blogspot.com/. Even if you are not a big sports fan, help support a budding young journalist!

Laundry Apocalypse

Today there was one goal: do laundry. I didn't sleep that well, but I knew that I had to push through the pain of exhaustion (yo, swim class is mad hard) to get it done. So last night, thinking I'd be buried under all the laundry I had to do, I decided to try this new Crockpot recipe that was part of the recipe cards my mom gave me for Christmas. And I guess I timed it wrong, but I still had to add the shrimp (it was this Creole chicken recipe) in the last hour. So when I woke up (because I did it overnight, and yes, as I live in a studio the aromas did wake me up at 3am) the Crockpot had already switched over to warm. No problem, I thought. I will throw the shrimp in and then the auto-shut off will make sure it switches off.

Except...there is no auto shut off. Flash forward to 9ish hours later, coming home from work, excited to eat my Creole creation and frankly just pooped (this was NOT one of the mornings I got up early to do yoga, even though I had planned on doing so). The dish was completely charred. Life fail. So after all of that, I wound up having to eat a Lean Cuisine. Wholly unsatisfying. To say nothing of the fact that my apartment smelled like burnt chicken for three hours. I don't know if the smell is completely gone because I've been sitting here for the last couple of hours (you really get the effect when you leave and come back in). I've got a candle going but we'll see.

In other news...last night was my fourth installment of swim class. I think I've been making good progress. Although I always think I'm doing it right and then Jorge, my instructor tells me to kick more or keep my elbows up. Last night, in embarrassing moment #1,243,621 of my life, I was getting some major foot cramps during my swim workout and throughout class. Luckily, as we were still in the leisure pool, I could easily hide these cramps. But of course, yesterday we graduated to the 50 meter pool. No sooner did I get in the water than my foot starts cramping terribly and Jorge has to practically rescue me from the 6 feet of water that I was swimming in (for the record, I'm pretty confident I would have made it sans help). Then, he gives me these stretches to do that pretty much involves me stretching in front of the entire pool. Sigh. Next lesson is on Wednesday.

Just finished watching the same episode of "Jersey Shore"...I can't use the phrase "the situation" at work without inwardly (or sometimes outwardly, depending on "the situation") laughing to myself.

Blogging is a Super Human Feat

I promised I would be back...even though I a) don't like using Internet or TV before bed because it gives me nightmares and b) it is way past my bedtime, I felt the urge to blog! This is how bad habits start....but it can only be a positive sign that I would forgo sleep and sanity to blog.

Speaking of habits, yoga and getting up early - two things that( independently) I think very few people would say that I do. However, (now brace yourself) I have been getting up early some days of the week to do yoga. Getting up early. To do yoga. You read that right. I have found that even if I can't squeeze cardio in, it feels good to get that stretch in...and although I can't do half the poses, it is actually a great way to wake up (because let's be serious, I'm only half conscious through most of it). And, I'll have you know, most times I do crawl back in to bed for a few minutes. Just part of some of the life changes I've been undergoing.

I did set myself some work/professional goals and so far it's going well. I'm not internalizing as much from work as I did in 2009 (although I could still be riding the vacation wave). I am also trying to be more savvy, which is harder than it looks. I don't know that I've quite mastered this, but I'm not worrying myself over my progress in this area. There's only so much one can absorb. I do have to pull that list out again tomorrow and see how I've been doing...I also need to develop some performance measurements (I don't work at a policy school for nothing).

In other news, while everyone's been making a big fuss over Conan (although I am in total support of his "People of Earth" press release) I feel like no one is really devoting any attention to a true TV bombshell - I heard a rumor today that HGTV may be dropped from cable service. Is this true? If so, I am definitely canceling my cable (are you listening RCN?)! It wouldn't be worth it to have cable without HGTV. I don't know how I could survive without House Hunters, Income Property, Divine Design, etc. etc. This can't be happening!

I've been trying to collect some commuting anecdotes and will hopefully have some of those later in the week. Do you have a good commuting story? Let me know via comments/emails.

RIP Jean-Claude & other updates

So yes, it's been a long while since I've updated the blog. And while I do have lots of good news, I feel like I should take a moment to remember a dear, dear friend of this blog: my fish, Jean Claude. Some of you may remember his violent mood swings after moving back to Buffalo from Ithaca. Unfortunately, his little heart did not survive long after arriving in D.C. Soon after his tragic passing, I purchased, via my dad, a new fish. I hadn't even had a chance to name him until he (I'm assuming it was a he) croaked. Frazzled by these stressful experiences, I decided to take a fish break until October. When Ashley (and Janelle, but now she's a permanent resident) visited, we picked out a new fish. But again, that fished died. So I have resolved that my fish is a death tank. They were better off in the small plastic container in Petco.

Not only the fish, but I feel in general I have a difficult time sustaining life in my apartment. The tropical plant my grandfather sent me is still alive, but my poinsettia never made it. I think part of the problem is the temperature in here; it's hard to regulate.

Anyway, enough doom and gloom. The good news: I've signed up for an LSAT prep class. That starts soon. Although it will be a major time suck, it represents the beginning of the "next step." Also, I have been taking a swim class at the public pool. And I'm happy to report that my kicks have much improved. I even had to demonstrate to the class (which I admit was slightly embarrassing).

I'm also getting closer to my lifelong dream of becoming a hipster. I got tickets for Vampire Weekend, and when I mentioned this to Rob, Vince's roommate, he had no idea about the band. But I am constantly at odds with myself because I never met a JCrew catalogue I didn't like, and it's hard to remain committed to hipster ideals when I arguably work in one of the top three preppiest places in America. But I'm doing the best with what I have.

Further details on the apartment to come soon...I realize I've been talking about it but there hasn't really been a context for it.

Don't Call it a Comeback

Ok actually you should call it a comeback because after falling off the face of the earth for months, the blog is back. What happened to you, you may ask? Well, for one, I did not have Internet at home until last Thursday. Like the time I quit Facebook, this social experiment taught me a lot about life pre-Internet. I enjoyed creating a safe space where no Internet could penetrate, further solidifying my "fortress of solitude" (thanks Sam). I learned there were many other things one could do - read books, exercise, or simply vegetate and watch five straight hours of HGTV. But it did pose a problem when I needed to find directions, see if my bus was running on schedule, etc. So now I'm back in the 21st century and breaking my Internet-free zone.

Another reason was sheer exhaustion. After six or so months of being out of school, I feel as though my energy level has been restored. It's really hard to fit leisure activities around the time I am required to spend at work. However, as 2010 dawns, I realize I miss the creative outlet that blogging brings. And I have resolved, among other things, to continue to write it. Hopefully I haven't scared all of my readers away....more updates to follow.