Usually, I am a responsible girl. If you ask me to bring something, I always remember it. If you ask me to meet you somewhere, I am usually on time and at the right spot. If you ask me to pick you up at the airport I am always there on time. That is not the case today. Some form of haze enveloped me, and I was WAAAYYY late for Lou's airport pick-up today.
We spoke on the phone this morning to confirm the pick-up time. He told me that his plane was to arrive at 2:45pm. I told him I would plan to arrive at 3:00 to give him time to get his luggage and two girls outside. After the phone call I wandered back into my room to watch TV and then a movie (Funny People...way too depressing). As I was watching the movie I tried to do the time math in my head. I need 45 minuets to drive to the airport...so I need to leave my house by 2:15. I need 45 minutes to shower and dress, so I needed to start at 1:30. I had the time line down.
I got in the shower sort-of on time...around 1:40 but I knew I could make up the 10 minutes. When I was done in the shower, I unpaused the movie and continued my dressing routine. The next instance I was aware of the time it was 2:15 and I was sitting on the couch half dressed relaxing. Somehow the time didn't stress me out and I had completely forgotten the aforementioned timeline. I didn't move until the movie ended at 2:30. I only got up then to get my book because I thought I had plenty of time. I sat and read until 2:40 when I thought I should probably finish getting dressed and get ready to leave.
I donned my shirt and shoes, and then decided to sync my IPOD because I wanted to listen to the new Bob Marley album I downloaded today. When that was done so I headed outside to the car and and to get the mail. Wow...Joanne got the package she was expecting from Amazon...so I decided to text her and let her know it was on the kitchen table. I was finally sitting in the car at 2:46 when I get a text from Lou that said, "We just landed".
Fuck! I finally dropped out of my time haze. I could not believe that he just landed and I was still sitting at my house 45 minutes away. Of course, I needed to spend another minute in my driveway to set up the IPOD and I then raced off to the airport. As I was speeding I tried to think of some good lies about being late. There was the idea of Bad Traffic or Mickey running out of the house and I needed to catch him.
I still didn't have a good story planned when my phone began to ring at 3:05. I was lucky as it was only Sarah, and it was easy to blow her off and tell her I was still driving. There was no need for her to know that I was still near Castleton when I told her I would be there in about 15 minutes. I knew that was a stretch but it bought me some time. The second time my phone rang at 3:20 I wasn't so lucky. It was Lou and I could no longer avoid the situation.
I told him I was still driving but that wasn't a good enough answer. I then had tell him that I was near downtown. Ok...I wasn't exactly downtown yet...but I could see it from my position on I70. I decided to tell him the truth and fess up. I explained about my time haze and after his initial anger he began to laugh with me or...at me.
I finally arrived at the airport at 3:35. A full 35 minutes late. I am glad that they handled it so well. I know if it was reversed I would have been angry for a longer period of time. I also need to build good will as I require transportation to the airport several times each year.
I am VERY Sorry Lou! Please accept my apology. I promise the next time I will really try to be on time;)
November 27, 2009
November 23, 2009
Job Interview Screw-Ups
I had a conversation today with some friends that reminded me of some job interview screw-ups from my past. Looking back I cannot believe that I really said some of these things. Keep in mind that this is really the truth and not fiction.
A Very long time ago I had a interview while I lived in Toledo. This was at the time of my life where I was trying to transition from working in hotels to having a day job somehow related to accounting. Also, this was the first "professional" type position that I had ever interviewed for.
I was interviewing for one of many open accounting positions at this company and I was extremely nervous. They asked me which of two types of jobs that I would prefer. I refused to give them an answer. I just kept saying that I would be happy doing either job. I was so anxious to get a job I was willing to do anything. Looking back I realize that giving them an answer would have been much better.
Next, they asked me to give them three adjectives to describe myself. At that moment I didn't know what an adjective was. Seriously! I couldn't think of anything. I sat there in the quite for about two minutes trying to think of some words. I don't remember what I said, but the whole situation was awkward. I believe I came up with two answers but I couldn't think of a third.
Unfortunately, for me this wasn't the worst thing that happened during the interview. A bit later they asked me a very STUPID question and I gave an equally stupid answer.
Q: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Silence for thirty seconds while I thought of an answer....
A: I would choose a cat. (I immediately thought of this answer because I love little Mickey) I would want to be a cat so I could be lazy and lay around all day.
I SERIOUSLY SAID THAT! Can you imagine your horror as an interviewer and a candidate says something so very ignorant. There was no way to recover from that. I am pretty sure I wasn't going to get the job anyway but that really sealed the deal. The thing is I wasn't lazy and I didn't want to lay around. I just couldn't think of anything better to say. There are tons of positive qualities attributed to cats and I didn't say a single one.
The next story occurred when I lived in Indianapolis. I had a second interview for an accounting position in a hotel chain. They decided to take me to lunch with the department to see if I would be a good personality fit. Things were going well until someone asked me about the weather. I responded that it was a bit "Nipply" outside. I meant to say nippy but it came out wrong.
I sat at the table mortified that I had just said something so inappropriate. I ignored that had occurred and continued on with the conversation. If it had happened now I would have made a joke out of it and laughed it off. I didn't get this job either.
I am sure there are more as I was a professional interviewer the first several years that I lived in Indianapolis but I cannot remember them now. Do you have any fun interview stories? I would love to hear them.
A Very long time ago I had a interview while I lived in Toledo. This was at the time of my life where I was trying to transition from working in hotels to having a day job somehow related to accounting. Also, this was the first "professional" type position that I had ever interviewed for.
I was interviewing for one of many open accounting positions at this company and I was extremely nervous. They asked me which of two types of jobs that I would prefer. I refused to give them an answer. I just kept saying that I would be happy doing either job. I was so anxious to get a job I was willing to do anything. Looking back I realize that giving them an answer would have been much better.
Next, they asked me to give them three adjectives to describe myself. At that moment I didn't know what an adjective was. Seriously! I couldn't think of anything. I sat there in the quite for about two minutes trying to think of some words. I don't remember what I said, but the whole situation was awkward. I believe I came up with two answers but I couldn't think of a third.
Unfortunately, for me this wasn't the worst thing that happened during the interview. A bit later they asked me a very STUPID question and I gave an equally stupid answer.
Q: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
Silence for thirty seconds while I thought of an answer....
A: I would choose a cat. (I immediately thought of this answer because I love little Mickey) I would want to be a cat so I could be lazy and lay around all day.
I SERIOUSLY SAID THAT! Can you imagine your horror as an interviewer and a candidate says something so very ignorant. There was no way to recover from that. I am pretty sure I wasn't going to get the job anyway but that really sealed the deal. The thing is I wasn't lazy and I didn't want to lay around. I just couldn't think of anything better to say. There are tons of positive qualities attributed to cats and I didn't say a single one.
The next story occurred when I lived in Indianapolis. I had a second interview for an accounting position in a hotel chain. They decided to take me to lunch with the department to see if I would be a good personality fit. Things were going well until someone asked me about the weather. I responded that it was a bit "Nipply" outside. I meant to say nippy but it came out wrong.
I sat at the table mortified that I had just said something so inappropriate. I ignored that had occurred and continued on with the conversation. If it had happened now I would have made a joke out of it and laughed it off. I didn't get this job either.
I am sure there are more as I was a professional interviewer the first several years that I lived in Indianapolis but I cannot remember them now. Do you have any fun interview stories? I would love to hear them.
November 17, 2009
Little Bastard or LB for Short
The cat formally known as Mickey has a new name, Little Bastard. I think that it perfectly describes him as he was on a very annoying rampage yesterday.
I went to the grocery store yesterday afternoon and I purchased two packages of cat treats. When I got home I left some of the nonperishable items on the kitchen table and it included both packages of cat treats. I then went to my bedroom to enjoy some ice cream and TV time. I found it odd that the LB was not trying to sneak bites from me while I was eating, but I was happy to be eating my snack in peace.
About an hour later I wandered into the living room to see the package of treats on the floor and some wild animal (Mickey) had tore out the middle of the package and was gorging himself on the food. I promptly took it away and chastised the LB. He gave me a shrug and went about his business.
Later that evening Joanne asked me if I had been in the utility room lately. I replied No and she said perhaps I should go and investigate. The LB had vomited up all of the treats he gorged on. It was disgusting. I cannot imagine how he crammed so much stuff into his stomach since he is so little. I gave a giant sigh and went outside to spray off the rug. When I came back inside I gave him a dirty look and he promptly returned the look and then knocked over my water bottle that I left on the kitchen table. I am certain that he did it on purpose.
I was telling AL this story while we were on the phone last night and she asked me how Joanne deals with his antics. I told her Mickey didn't bother Joanne. Joanne then replied that they have an "understanding". Apparently, he has very bad manners for me and acts perfectly normal around Joanne. I just hope that Mickey isn't trying to teach all of his bad habits to Sparks. I can only tolerate one bad cat at a time.
PS...I sat down and explained to LB that is name is now officially changed. He responded by not speaking to me for the entire evening and he found himself a nice little spot above the refrigerator to have his evening nap. At least he is not trying to knock over my water;)
November 8, 2009
An Evening of Children
I invited Sarah and Paige (my nieces) over to my house for a sleepover on Saturday night. They are 9 and 6 respectively. I made these plans a couple of weeks ago because I haven't been spending very much time with them in the last few months, and I thought it would be nice to reconnect. It is often interesting to me the wisdom that comes from the children. Here are a few funny things that occurred during their visit.
Late Afternoon:
I picked the girls up at 4:30 and I was very fatigued from my 20 mile bike ride. I explained this to them and said I needed to have some rest time when we got to my house. I sat on my bed and turned on the latest episode of Project Runway. The children were surprisingly entertained by this show. They stayed fairly quiet and let me doze for that hour. I was very appreciative that they were so easily entertained.
Dinner:
I was going to make the girls some homemade chicken fingers with shake n bake for dinner but I was pretty fatigued. They just kept asking for a grilled cheese so I gave in out of convenience. I made them grilled cheese, canned soup and some gummy bears and they were ecstatic. It is so easy to please children. They were so happy to help stir the soup and set the table. They just enjoyed Aunt Candy's undivided attention.
When we sat down to dinner Paige asked me if we were going to pray. I said no. She then proceeded to bow her head and have a silent prayer. Seriously..she is only six. I was cracking up. We then had the following conversation:
Paige: Do you ever pray?
Aunt Candy: No
Paige: Not even when you were a kid?
Aunt Candy: I guess I did but not anymore.
Paige: Are you going to hell?
Aunt Candy: No...I don't believe in Hell.
Paige: What about Heaven?
Aunt Candy: I don't believe in Heaven either.
Paige: I guess you will just be in the ground with the worms crawling in and out of you.
Aunt Candy: You you are correct. The worms will get me.
After this conversation Paige got out of her chair and walked up behind me. She removed my hair band, gave me and once over and pronounced that I was Beautiful with my hair down. How can she already be so charming as six. Seriously, where does she get this from. I asked her for the band back and she didn't want to give it back. She looked at me, cocked her head and said I was much prettier with my hair down. Charming...Charming...Charming.
Early Evening:
The children brought over a DVD game called Disney's Scene It. It is a trivia game related to Disney movies. We enjoyed playing this for about an hour. Of course, the little tykes kicked my ass. They are much more versed in all things Disney than I. The end result was it was a very nice hour spent together.
Evening:
After our game I promised the children that I would make them fruit smoothies. This is a treat that they only get at Aunt Candy's house and they love it. They act as if it is the best thing they have ever eaten. I prepared it with frozen berries, two fresh bananas and milk. It was a delightful evening snack. We drank our faux milkshakes while we watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was a very good evening.
I am so glad that I invited them over and I would like to be more diligent about doing this in the future. I will have to plan another weekend sleepover in December.
Late Afternoon:
I picked the girls up at 4:30 and I was very fatigued from my 20 mile bike ride. I explained this to them and said I needed to have some rest time when we got to my house. I sat on my bed and turned on the latest episode of Project Runway. The children were surprisingly entertained by this show. They stayed fairly quiet and let me doze for that hour. I was very appreciative that they were so easily entertained.
Dinner:
I was going to make the girls some homemade chicken fingers with shake n bake for dinner but I was pretty fatigued. They just kept asking for a grilled cheese so I gave in out of convenience. I made them grilled cheese, canned soup and some gummy bears and they were ecstatic. It is so easy to please children. They were so happy to help stir the soup and set the table. They just enjoyed Aunt Candy's undivided attention.
When we sat down to dinner Paige asked me if we were going to pray. I said no. She then proceeded to bow her head and have a silent prayer. Seriously..she is only six. I was cracking up. We then had the following conversation:
Paige: Do you ever pray?
Aunt Candy: No
Paige: Not even when you were a kid?
Aunt Candy: I guess I did but not anymore.
Paige: Are you going to hell?
Aunt Candy: No...I don't believe in Hell.
Paige: What about Heaven?
Aunt Candy: I don't believe in Heaven either.
Paige: I guess you will just be in the ground with the worms crawling in and out of you.
Aunt Candy: You you are correct. The worms will get me.
After this conversation Paige got out of her chair and walked up behind me. She removed my hair band, gave me and once over and pronounced that I was Beautiful with my hair down. How can she already be so charming as six. Seriously, where does she get this from. I asked her for the band back and she didn't want to give it back. She looked at me, cocked her head and said I was much prettier with my hair down. Charming...Charming...Charming.
Early Evening:
The children brought over a DVD game called Disney's Scene It. It is a trivia game related to Disney movies. We enjoyed playing this for about an hour. Of course, the little tykes kicked my ass. They are much more versed in all things Disney than I. The end result was it was a very nice hour spent together.
Evening:
After our game I promised the children that I would make them fruit smoothies. This is a treat that they only get at Aunt Candy's house and they love it. They act as if it is the best thing they have ever eaten. I prepared it with frozen berries, two fresh bananas and milk. It was a delightful evening snack. We drank our faux milkshakes while we watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was a very good evening.
I am so glad that I invited them over and I would like to be more diligent about doing this in the future. I will have to plan another weekend sleepover in December.
November 4, 2009
Channelling Spock
I will be using today's blog as cheap therapy. Thanks to Ems who planted the idea of the blog being therapy. Ok...here I go. I have been struggling the last three weeks with being happy about the state of my life. It took me a while to figure out why I was upset, and to set my head right, but it finally happened yesterday.
Lets start with the first problem. I like to suppress my emotions just like Spock. It is much easier for me to suppress them than it is for me to feel them and then react to them. It has become easy for me to suppress them after a lifetime learning how to do it. I usually do this with food. That is how I have come to be so overweight. This past weekend I used a different drug, alcohol. This didn't work out so well for me. After a horribly mortifying night I woke up on Saturday with a terrible hangover and a even larger amount of regret over my actions.
While I was recovering from the overindulgence in alcohol, I had two days to ponder my life and try to figure out why I was so unhappy (yes...it really took two days to recover). It became unavoidable to suppress my emotions over those two days and they came bubbling over. During that time I became a Zombie. It was almost as if my brain short circuited. I remember being at book club on Sunday morning and separating myself from the group. My eyes were glazed over and I was totally disengaged from my surroundings. It was very reminiscent of how my mother behave most of my life. I don't think she had much success dealing with her emotions either. It really bothers me to have to relate to her because she was so damaged.
My friend told me tonight that she has thought the reason that I keep myself so busy with activities is so I don't have to feel my emotions. She has a valid point.
This is the list of things in my life that I am currently dissatisfied with :
My job
My lack of love life
My finances
My relationship with family members
My body
My face
My job
My poor communication skills
My inability to diet successfully
My inability to be perfect
and being a quitter
I realize it is quite a long laundry list from a person who is normally confident and outwardly happy. Or at least I like to think that I am. I have had several of these dissatisfaction's for a long time and I have not been able to overcome them. However, I think I have become overwhelmed with too many of them lately.
The Diet
I had an epiphany about this over the weekend. I was watching The Biggest Loser and the blond contestant was having a fight with Jillian. Jillian was trying to get her to continue working out and she wouldn't and she wanted to quit for the day. Jillian pointed out to her that she is living her life in a bad cycle of failing and being fat, because that is how she has lived her entire life and she needs to move out of the cycle. This really spoke to me. I feel that this is what holds me back from changing my life for the positive. I am used to being fat and failing at diets so why would that change. It is all mental!
I think my unhappiness started when I decided to quite training to run the 5K. It allowed me to perpetrate my tendency to quit things and to stay as I am. This doesn't make me change my mind about wanting to run the 5K, but it helps me understand myself a bit better. I know I need to change the cycle of failing diets and just DO IT! Decide to become successful! Easier said than done.
I guess that is the only item from my list that I am willing to talk about at the moment. But, I will continue working on the others. I do feel that I am in a better place emotionally today than I was last week but it has been a battle. Unfortunately, I do find it easier to suppress the emotions than dealing with them.
Live Long and Prosper
Lets start with the first problem. I like to suppress my emotions just like Spock. It is much easier for me to suppress them than it is for me to feel them and then react to them. It has become easy for me to suppress them after a lifetime learning how to do it. I usually do this with food. That is how I have come to be so overweight. This past weekend I used a different drug, alcohol. This didn't work out so well for me. After a horribly mortifying night I woke up on Saturday with a terrible hangover and a even larger amount of regret over my actions.
While I was recovering from the overindulgence in alcohol, I had two days to ponder my life and try to figure out why I was so unhappy (yes...it really took two days to recover). It became unavoidable to suppress my emotions over those two days and they came bubbling over. During that time I became a Zombie. It was almost as if my brain short circuited. I remember being at book club on Sunday morning and separating myself from the group. My eyes were glazed over and I was totally disengaged from my surroundings. It was very reminiscent of how my mother behave most of my life. I don't think she had much success dealing with her emotions either. It really bothers me to have to relate to her because she was so damaged.
My friend told me tonight that she has thought the reason that I keep myself so busy with activities is so I don't have to feel my emotions. She has a valid point.
This is the list of things in my life that I am currently dissatisfied with :
My job
My lack of love life
My finances
My relationship with family members
My body
My face
My job
My poor communication skills
My inability to diet successfully
My inability to be perfect
and being a quitter
I realize it is quite a long laundry list from a person who is normally confident and outwardly happy. Or at least I like to think that I am. I have had several of these dissatisfaction's for a long time and I have not been able to overcome them. However, I think I have become overwhelmed with too many of them lately.
The Diet
I had an epiphany about this over the weekend. I was watching The Biggest Loser and the blond contestant was having a fight with Jillian. Jillian was trying to get her to continue working out and she wouldn't and she wanted to quit for the day. Jillian pointed out to her that she is living her life in a bad cycle of failing and being fat, because that is how she has lived her entire life and she needs to move out of the cycle. This really spoke to me. I feel that this is what holds me back from changing my life for the positive. I am used to being fat and failing at diets so why would that change. It is all mental!
I think my unhappiness started when I decided to quite training to run the 5K. It allowed me to perpetrate my tendency to quit things and to stay as I am. This doesn't make me change my mind about wanting to run the 5K, but it helps me understand myself a bit better. I know I need to change the cycle of failing diets and just DO IT! Decide to become successful! Easier said than done.
I guess that is the only item from my list that I am willing to talk about at the moment. But, I will continue working on the others. I do feel that I am in a better place emotionally today than I was last week but it has been a battle. Unfortunately, I do find it easier to suppress the emotions than dealing with them.
Live Long and Prosper
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