Esprit de l'escalier

“OK, so it’s been 6 whole minutes and all I’ve done is paid a visit to the little girls’ room and returned to my desk. (Which, by the way, was interesting because I discovered I can hear almost all activities in the warehouse through the ceiling vent. At first this was exciting until I realized they weren’t saying or doing anything interesting.) 

My goodness, listen to me! My boredom has made me so liberal with my comments! Next thing you know I’m going to be supporting free health care for the “poor” (aka people who can but don’t want to pay for it themselves) or something. 

Speaking of which…has anyone else noticed the unusual number of “unique” proposals lately? Like this one where they want to hand out condoms and birth control to 11, 12, and 13 year olds? I remember my Grammie telling me how when she was a nurse she had to deliver a baby from a 12-ye…”  

So….amazing story comes in right here. You’ll notice that I stopped my intriguing thought process right in the middle of a word. That is because at that moment the power went out in our building. (Thankfully LJ recovered the lost entry for me.) It was kind of fun because I got to see our office fall right into CAT mode (otherwise known as catastrophy mode). Obviously, working with a disaster restoration company means that we don’t get the priviledge of just going home when things get rough…we have to bust out the flashlights, miner head lights and generators and stick it out! As for me, I just went marketing. Haha. I didn’t have anything constructive to do in our dark office so I decided to go visit other offices. 

Anyways, from here I’d love to tell you all about the totally amazing trip Kyle and I took to Victoria, B.C. for our one year wedding anniversary. However, I have to start my exhausting drive to Spanaway to visit a job site. Yippi. Anyone want to come so I can carpool?

Looking at houses is addictive. Beware.

In other news…I wish I could go home. Work is boring today and I feel like I’m in a funky mood. I just know I would be so much more productive working on that biography at home. The deadline is fast approaching!  

 I dropped my parents off at the airport this weekend. We had such a fun time with them. We looked at houses for fun Saturday, but then we came across one we really liked. Soon it became an obsession and suddenly the reality of what it would take to get into a house (financially speaking of course…we could technically get into any house we wanted by knocking on the door or pretending to be Kirby vacuum sales people.)

Although I was kind of sad initially thinking about it and coming to terms with the numbers, we’ve prayed a lot about it and now I have a peace that God will provide us with shelter (I’m just praying for something with a jetting tub in the master bath, bay windows, a cozy fireplace that is central to the family room, an updated kitchen with stainless steal or just new appliances….) 

*SIDE NOTE: Speaking of fireplaces….I’ve been having real issues with the placement of fireplaces in a lot of these homes. For example: Who in the world thought putting a fireplace between the back door and a staircase was a good idea?!  That’s not a cozy sitting nook. That’s a tripping hazard. Let’s be honest here. 

Then yesterday my parents came to work with me and met with the other ServiceMaster folk and gathered a lot of great ideas for improving their own business. This is such a great franchise. I’m impressed more and more every day. They had such a good time and were really encouraged by the employees.

For our first year wedding anniversary, my parents want to get us a grandfather clock because they know how much I love grandfather clocks. We didn’t have time to look for one while they were here but they said to let them know when we find the perfect one. I’m so excited to go clock shopping!

OK, now back to work.

” Prayer wonderfully clears the vision; steadies the nerves; defines duty; stiffens the purpose; sweetens and strengthens the spirit.” -S.D. Gordon

My parents are flying in tonight. (Yes, my parents have wings. Somehow it skipped a generation. I’m kinda bummed about that, but whatever.)
I’m excited to see them. This weekend we’re going to look at houses, maybe go shopping and just relax. It’s gonna be sweet!

I wish so bad right now that my job was part time, or at least that I could take half days. I would love more than anything right now to go home and write.
I’m so far behind on my project. I’m going to need massive prayer to get it to my client on time. Yikes!

So funny. Check these guys out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDtR-P82BMs

I have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying this down time I have right now at work. My bosses are in a meeting, my co-worker is out in the field, and I’m waiting for some customers to call back. I’ve organized everything I can possibly think of and I’ve sent all the necessary emails. I’ve even made courtesy calls to my on-site technicians.
Normally when I have down time like this I go down and clean out the show room and work on our new categorizing system, (it’s just TOO much fun, I know).
I have this nagging work ethic that drives me to always be doing something during work hours. Sounds reasonable, right? Well, most of the people I’ve talked with say they never feel guilty checking personal email at work, posting to a blog, or making personal calls or surfing the web on the clock.

So now, while I am feeling a bit guilty for posting this during work hours…at the same time I get this rush from doing something devious. Indulging in the forbidden. It’s simply delightful. Like having dark chocolate cake for breakfast.

I saw a segment on the news this morning about personalizing work space. There was some study done somewhere (please excuse my lack of specifics), that said no more than 20% of the items on your desk should be personal items (photos, flowers, toys, etc.). There have even been offices that have taken measures to streamline the desks of their employees because they said too many personal items appear unprofessional. Personally, I agree. I look around my office and see desks with stuffed animals and toys from kids meals and stuff and it just looks trashy.

Anyhow, it’s kind of funny that they mention that story on the news because I have been thinking about my work space at home a lot lately.
The second room in our little house is supposed to be an office. It has a desk, a bookcase, and the necessary computer stuff. We’ve also minimized the amount of non-office related stuff that we put in there. That category consists of a bench and a cat tree.
Yet, everytime I’ve tried to write or do work in that office, it just doesn’t feel right to me. It lacks that feeling that I’ve had in every other work space I’ve developed (like in dorm rooms or offices). I still haven’t figured out what it is, but I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

What makes your work space ‘yours’? In other words, in order for you to work in a particular space, what needs to happen? (At home, at the office, or anywhere.)

Does anyone have a copy of Enders Game (Orson Scott Card) or 1984 (George Orwell) that I can borrow? I promise I’ll treat the books like they were my own (and if you know me, you know that’s a good thing.)

Also, if there’s a book you own that you think I should read (and that I would be better for reading it) tell me about it and we’ll set a date to meet, have coffee (or hot beverage of your choice) and swap books. In exchange, I’ll present you with a book I own that I think you would enjoy. Sounds like a good arrangement, eh?

It should also be known that these exchanges can only occur with those who care for their books in a like-minded manner. Otherwise, strains may form on the relationship.

*NOTE: Self-help books or other publications promoting thoughts, ideas or beliefs not shared by all parties involved are not permited within the exchange unless agreed upon by all participants. (Otherwise feelings might be hurt.)

There are so many days when I wish I could just wake up and go to a class, see my friends, learn stuff and then go home and write. I know, I know…I’m wishing I could be eternally in college. I’m still struggling a little bit with a lack of community. Really, I think college spoiled it for me. I know I’ll find that “special place” again eventually. But I think my best friends will have to move up here from CA and OR before that place can be a reality again. *hint hint, Andrea, Loreanne, Sarah, Emily*

In other news, I hope the Canadians don’t buy any of the houses Kyle and I have been looking at.