Fear the Blog

I went out with HSG (High School Guy) again last night. We had a great time but I couldn't stop laughing when he said, "I'm afraid that anything I say or do will wind up in your blog." Well, you know what, that is a very good fear to have. Ahhh, yes, the power of the Blog.

I will say that he did have a few more good lines but I promised him I wouldn't blog them. I must admit it IS taking a lot of restraint. See? I can be nice.

Holiday Happiness

Tomorrow is our office Holiday Party. I will not be in attendance because I will taking the day off but also, and most importantly, because I do not live in Cincinnati where my company is located and where said party will be.

About four years ago the small company I worked for here in Philly got purchased by a MUCH bigger one and the powers that were told us that we could keep our jobs if we moved to Cincinnati. I frantically tried to find another job but having it been two months after 9/11 there were not many job openings for me. No problem, I was single and care-free and could move. I’m friendly, I’m nice, I’m fun and it will be an adventure! WRONG.

If there are any readers out there who currently reside in Cincinnati by choice, well, good for you for liking it. I, however, did not like it. Maybe it was my industry (I do not work for Procter & Gamble, the HUGE employer for Cincinnati) but I did not find that mid-Western town to be friendly or welcoming in the least. I tried, I did. I did make a couple of friends who had also transferred in to Cincinnati that made my time there less painful, but they both jumped ship two months before me one to move to Michigan and the other to London.

I could add a few more really mean paragraphs in here but I won’t. Maybe it’s because I’m too tired to type or maybe because it’s not worth being negative (well, in this instance!) but needless to say I begged my Boss to let me move back, work from a sister company’s offices and, finally, be happy again.

And happy I am! I had no idea how truly miserable I was there until I moved back to Philly. Here I have friends and family. People here are outgoing and welcoming and nothing like what I experienced in those 2 years, 7 months and 24 days in Cincinnati. I bought a house in the best neighborhood where all the neighbors get together every couple of months to hang out in our neighborhood bar for a Happy Hour. In the 16 months since I’ve been back I have made wonderful new friends (including one of whom's birthday it is today, Happy Birthday M!!!!!) and I am surrounded by my old friends who I am eternally grateful for and are always there for me. I am lucky.

So, tomorrow, when all of my coworkers will be leaving work at 3 and going to a party to be merry, I will be running my errands, doing last minute Christmas shopping and feeling so grateful that I have the best life ever. Really, I do.

I guess the natural look just isn't enough

So there I am walking thru the make-up section of Lord & Taylor to get to the shoe department when I get ATTACKED by perfume wielding, spritzer Nazis. After repelling them successfully with polite, but firm, “NO, thank yous” I get accosted by a Lancôme cosmetic counter lady who has come out from behind her glass encased shrine to all things make-up and who appears to have drawn her face on with Sharpie markers.

She approaches me swiftly and with determination, “Can I give you a make-over now on your lunch break? I can make you look beautiful in five minutes!” To which I stop, look her squarely in the face and reply with equal determination and a blank face, “Oh really? So are you telling me that I’m ugly now?”

She froze and stammered some, “Uh, no I didn’t mean that….” while I walked away. Score one for me.

Beauty Tip #376

Ladies (transvestites, transgender and experimental boys), did you forget to apply your blusher today? No worries! If you’re looking for that rosy glow just walk a half mile in 16 degree temperatures with a driving wind! No need for blusher now, you have windburn! And it will last for hours too. Your eye make-up may run as tears stream down your face and you may need to powder your nose again once you remove the frozen snot that has dripped out of it BUT you won’t need to apply blusher!

Crappy past few weeks

My Marketing Manager quit. One week before Thanksgiving, 6 weeks before our National Sales Meeting and two weeks before out Sales Meeting rehearsal outlines were due. (Insert Expletive here)

Two of my projects got cut. I am now afraid my job will be outsourced. Please read Tom Friedman’s book, The World is Flat. AWESOME book. Everyone needs to read it. Man, is the U.S. ever going to be f*****….

I have no Christmas present for my favorite (and only) sister. DOUBLE expletive.

The emissions light on my car came on on Saturday. I didn’t know I had an emissions icon light thingy on my dashboard but it lit up on Saturday and now I have to go to the Car Dealer. TRIPLE Expletive!

BUT, I made almost all my Christmas cookies with my friend Ellen yesterday while singing along with Christmas carols so I feel slightly ahead of the game there. I also decided to take off from work Friday and next Wednesday and a few days after Christmas. Maybe it’s getting better…..