Working my butt off to be better at what I do

I realized yesterday that although I am pretty good at my job there is room for improvement because I can be better at what I do. I work at a good company, with good people and a good manager but the thing is that if I want promotions/more money/etc it is me (not the company, not my team, not my manager) who needs to make it happen. So, for the next year or so, I am going to do just that. We don't have very good training in place so what I can do is use the resources at hand to create my own training module.

I think too often our generation believes that their locus of control is external. I could blame my situation (of not knowing the advance techniques in my job) on a number of things: My education, my company, my boss, heck I can even blame the weather but when it comes down to it I can change my own condition. Its the American Dream for goodness sake. It's Picking Yourself up with your Own Bootstraps. Call it what you like, but we need to get off our behinds and take our situation, our growth, and our money into our own hands.

For the Love of Dyson

Just a quick shout out to the folks at Dyson, who--without knowing me personally have made me quite happy. They have brilliantly created a machine that is not only cool because it rolls around on a ball but it also enables this full time banker to keep her rugs clean in minimal time. Today I wanted to vacuum my very old and very fur-ridden family room rug.

Here's the before the Dyson picture:

Seemed hopeless (and I could just throw it away) but then the Dyson came along!!


This miraculous turnaround happened in about 45 seconds too! Look Mom! I can keep house!!

Friday!

I woke up late this morning and I was tired. Maybe it was the week's events that have taken their toll on me or maybe I was tired because I stayed up late watching Austin and Santino (awesome Lifetime style show). But I am.
As I sit on the train to work I drink coffee, listen to music on my phone, blog and I do some online shopping. Maybe that's why I am so tired---even in the moments when I could be kicking back and relaxing, technology has enabled me to multi task and run as many applications that phone can handle at once. Although a wonderful testament to human innovation, the advancements in technology have given me the opportunity, nay the obligation, to be completely plugged in at all times! I suppose the best thing that I could do is use my daily commute to unplug from the world and read a leisure book or even stare out the window.

RED!!

We decided that it was time to paint our white walls and actually decorate our new home. I was leaning towards a simple tan color but my husband really wanted to be bold and suggested red. We gave a sample a try and thought that it wasn't all that bad. But as "Big Mike" at the paint store was mixing a gallon's worth "Spice" my heart began pounding. I felt that I could possibly be making a huge mistake.

With the encouragement of my friends and family I decided that it was time to step out of my element and make a statement.

We painted the first coat and it started to look pretty good. Day two the second coat was down and our accent wall began to give real character to the room. But we got carried away and chose to paint the other three walls that tan I dreamed of earlier. We went to the paint company's website because their designers had suggestions for colors that would complement their accents. For the record, I suggest not trusting the website of paint companies because a few hours later we painted the wall and it turned out PEACH. Yes, peach---which although a lovely summer fruit reminded me of the Golden Girls decor a bit too much and we had do something about it. Husband and I decided to call the wall James until we knew what to do next.

This time around, we nixed the website's suggestions and just went with our own tastes and choose "toasted Chestnut" in hopes that James would, going forward, be a mere memory. It worked and we love it! We got through two walls and are hoping to finish the last two tomorrow. At the end of the day, we took a risk and despite our mistakes were able to fix up our room just as we like it. I'm glad we did it.

Cooking

So I have a new sidekick in my cooking its called Allrecipes.com. Really, in my house I am the Sous Chef and my husband is the Chef--because lets face it, raw meat is gross. BUT, the Sous Chef has a pretty important role if I say so myself, I create the menu (and make the drinks/desserts).

Anyway, I am such a big fan of this website that even though I don't get paid to say this, I (and 4 out of 5 aspiring cooks) recommend it to my friends. The greatest thing about Allrecipes is that it helps me pick my meals, saves the recipe, and posts reviews of each recipe. And lets face it, if the recipe doesn't get 50 5-star reviews its either too hard to do it right, or its just a bad recipe.

Just last week, I was creating my grocery list and thinking about making something with chicken. And since I am a busy working woman I needed an easy-to-prepare, easy to store, inexpensive, and tasty dish. Well, all I did was click on quick chicken recipes and there it was, my Tuesday night meal. This website even made me the rock star at a friend's get together (my younger, hip brother would call it a "kickback") with its "Sangria Sangria! recipe." Which, if you were at that get together here is the secret recipe source.

I work with some amazing women that throughout their lives had to walk the line in the age old work versus family predicament and they generously share their experiences and advice with me, a newlywed. Here's their take on cooking: Don't feel like you have to cook everyday and if you do, make it an easy meal.

Negative Reinforcement

Today I have a headache because I am squinting to see the computer screen. I have the proper prescription for my contact lenses however they are monthly lenses and I remember to change them every other month when the power seems to deteriorate.

Now the reality IS that I really do know better. I've worn contacts since I was 12 years old and they've always been the kind that you have to throw away every month but I have never heeded to the instructions on the box. I could have avoided this pounding headache if I learned from this in months past but not me. Unlike Pavlov's dogs, I apparently do not respond well to negative reinforcement. Now positive reinforcement such as chocolate or jewelry may do the trick ::Wink, Wink, to the husband::

Now I'm not sure about YOU, reader, but I don't understand why we (people) often ignore the directions on the box. (Or the directions from our parents, schoolbooks, or pastors for that matter). WHY? My guess is that the average person, although submissive to the rules of society, needs to rebel in some way... by ignoring the obvious we, in our white picket fenced world, are able to stand up to big brother, break the rules, and live on the wild side. The only problem is that at the end of the day we still have to deal with the headache.

Onto the inside: Chairs

Now, as I mentioned earlier, our new home is really quite beautiful. We are so very blessed to have found a home that has no requirements for repair but the challenge is now to decorate. If you've spent much time with me, you know that I lack any sort of creative bug. As such, when I stopped sulking about it, I thought to myself, "How do you learn how to be creative?" the answer was books! So off I went to the library and only 2 weeks later did I start my first project---re-upholstering the dining room chairs. I came to the conclusion that this would be a good first project because you only need a staple gun (provided my my friend Maggie) and fabric which was on sale at Hancock Fabrics. I picked the color orange because I want the room to appear warm. Mom-in-law suggested that I keep some to sew a table runner. That will be another project...
These chairs have seen better days. Although they were very pretty at first, they have collected a few years of sauces, pop, and just about anything else that fell off the dining table. The thing about chairs is that you can't really wash them---you just replace!








First step, remove the cover from the chair with an electric screwdriver.
Step two, pry out old staples so you can replace old cover with new cover and stick it on with a staple gun. (to the right). For this step, I needed my husband to help me pull the fabric so it was taught on the seat.




Voila! Done. Now I have newly covered chairs that I think will really serve as a nice accent to the room.

NEW POST! FLOWERS!

Sorry its been so long since I've blogged but I'm back and back with a fury! So, husband and I have started decorating the house. We are a bit scatterbrained about it because there's 6,000 SF of blank canvas to start with. Last week I rented home decorating books from the library then the next day went out to OSH Garden Supply because they were having a garden sale! Before we left we googled some good flowers with low pollen counts and came up with: Geraniums, Petunias, and Snapdragons.
Here's our before picture:
Notice the uncontrollable bushes in front of the house, the lack of color in the walkway and the massive flowering bush on the right.


We started by pulling out all the dead annuals and their weed friends and the uncontrollable flowering bushes. We then trimmed the bushes near the house which, HEY! Aren't really scary large masses at all. They now look like green apple lollipops. 6 hours and 2 farmers tans later we have taken ownership of our garden. Sure, now they are mere baby plants but I have high hopes!

We finished the job with mulch. It surprisingly only took about 2 hours and two trips to Lowes. Yes, in case you were wondering, we fit all the mulch in my Integra. What I'd like to do from now on is post pictures of all the things we've fit in the Integra. IT WILL SURPRISE YOU!! I missed the pictures of the SHED, the LCD TV, the living room tables, and a set of cabinets but I assure you that there will be more! What an amazing car!

The Shed is UP!

Our new house has a side yard that is not landscaped and is perfect for either a boat or a shed. Given my new-found aversion to moving vessels, we opted to use the space for a shed. We chose a resin shed because they're durable, low maintenance and easy to assemble...or so the directions in German, French, and Korean lead us to believe.
Day one of Shed Assembly:
Chad designed a foundation built of cement blocks, small stone, and paver's sand. So we piled them into our cars and drove back home. We borrowed our nice neighbor's wheelbarrow and got to work. It took about 3 hours but the foundation was set and the floor placed!
Day 2:
Navigating through the directions wasn't easy, but as the sun went down that day, the walls of the shed made their way up.

Day 3: Continued to work on walls...
Day 4: We each went to work early to get the most sunlight in the evening and finished our project!
I feel good and the work gloves I bought were put to good use. My husband will surely customize the inside to make it his own and we'll put down river rock around the sides and vine plants in the back.

mid week blues

I find myself tired this afternoon. Its as if the week has just taken over my energy and I am left a tired ragdoll. Maybe I should use my gift cert for a massage this week. I got my sister a whole spa day for her bday and she was sending pics out for the play by play but now I feel like the 4 yr old little sister that just wants what she has. Lol. The spa day was my idea. Looking fwd to the weekend!

FART

I noticed that I am quite the serious, insightful blogger. So, here's a blog for being silly. FART.

Spin, I SAY!

I've started focusing on getting off my butt and into the gym regularly. Today it was pilates, and tomorrow I'm off to Spin Class. Spin was the hardest for the first 15 mins or so, but I got through it! Although, after Spin, I have the munchies and eat everything in sight.

I need to be careful and not fall into the tunnel vision of perfecting a self image that has been defined by my society. Instead what I want to do is focus on being healthy and feeling beautiful. Sure, looking good is fine. But really, I'm a married lady and my husband thinks I look good in sweats and glasses so aside from him, who am I trying to impress?

Beach Season

We went to the beach today for the first time this season and oh how I've missed it. I've been so busy with setting up the house that I have been feeling so guilty when I'm not working on house stuff. Today broke the mold. The beach felt awesome. Under my umbrella I sat on my mat and caught up on some magazine reading. Aside from that my friends and I even played --yes played-- in the ocean, bumped the volleyball, and had a BBQ. Not too often as an adult can I say that I've played and actually referred to a passing of time devoted to nothing. Jumped waves, ate hot dogs (not caring if they were all meat or not) and did some free reading.



The beach we went to was in Santa Cruz. Its called Natural Bridges and we actually ran across the passage way in between the tides to our own secret private beach!

I think that too much of the 20 something years is spent getting things that make us busy. Getting a job, getting married, getting a house. Although those are all normal and good events they take up the time in those supposedly "care free" years between school and having children. Until I hit the latter of the aforementioned milestones I think I need to take more time out of the busyness of life and just play.

Case of the Mondays

Although I am happy to have had a long weekend I am suffering from a case of the Mondays. And yes, I am aware that today is Tuesday. But the thing about this particular Tuesday is that it has taken place of the dreaded Monday. I know, I could look on the bright side that it IS only a 4-day week or that I just enjoyed a long weekend but No, I must dwell on the day that is Monday. Mondays never seem to go right. There's always many things that go wrong and make me want to crawl back under my comfy covers until I am ready to wake up. Today for instance, we thought the garbage collection was moved back a day due to the holiday. But no, at 6am (and if you know me well, you know I wake up much later than that) the garbage truck was roaring down the street. Thank goodness for husbands--otherwise I would have been the one that had to run down the stairs in my PJs to take the garbage out. However, nonetheless my beauty rest was disturbed. Then, I FORGOT MY COFFEE on the kitchen counter. Biggest obstacle thus far because lets face it, Monday mornings require coffee. And let me indulge you on the joy that is my morning coffee. My lovely husband actually imports our beans (orders online) from the plains of Sub-Saharan Africa. He then grinds them through the burr and brews the beans until they are perfectly infused in my mug. Then, to top it off he then makes my coffee just the way I like it: 1 splenda and a dash of milk, kisses me goodbye and hands me my mug on the way to the train. Well, given the garbage debacle mentioned above, the kiss goodbye was thrown off course and the coffee handoff was never made.
So, I think that to change my mood I need to focus on the normals of a Tuesday. Well, by now I have usually gotten into the hum of the work week: emails are checked, projects underway. --Missed that one. Redbox's new releases come out--That's a plus. Light workout at the gym before spin class tomorrow--Another plus. Almost to Wednesday which is half way until weekend--awesome!

Graduation Day

Had a great experience cheering on my little brother at his college graduation over the weekend. Its such a memorable time in a person's life. Exciting and scary all at once. The speaker at my brother's commencement said something profound. He said that in his many years teaching and mentoring, he's known too many new college grads who have passed up jobs that they didn't think were "good enough" or that they were "too qualified for" and as a result, they missed out on career growth.
When I graduated it was the dead of winter (and we had to walk up hill both ways, lol) but I was so anxious to start my new life. Although I didn't have a job yet I was ready to go and find one. After a month of searching and about 50 resumes I got a job and it WAS NOT what I expected. But God taught me how to be grateful for that job and to work hard at it. Some parts of it I did enjoy too. I got dressed up each day in fancy clothes and I had somewhere to go. Not to mention a paycheck too. I then got a second job that the wise professor above would say I was "overqualified for". Again, God taught me to work hard and take what I could from that job.
From that job, I got to spend time with someone that filled the grandfather void I had since I lost my grandpa at age 4. Job number 3: AWESOME. I am challenged, I get to wear fancy clothes I get a paycheck. Took a long time to get here but looking back, I am sure I wouldn't like it as much as I do had I gotten this job right after college.
I guess what I learned from all this is that my life, as I expect it, will not go the way I expect it to. And based on this experience I can live with that.

Colbert Report

Funny Thing, Colbert report was commenting how no one uses their English Essay writing after college. I sure told them. "Write" is in my job title. I write essays for a living! hehe!

Living in the Valley

So, although I am not technically a "valley girl" by "Clueless" standards I live in a valley. And no, despite the name, it is not made of silicon. It is made of dirt which is good for trees and flowers of spring. However with each pretty flower I pass on the side of the walk or in my backyard comes POLLEN. My arch enemy. And POLLEN is winning the battle. Although I have a inhaler, a nose spray and old reliable--Claritin D, I am now taking Benedryl before I sleep so then my nose doesn't run into my pillowcase. So today, my mouth is so dry I can hardly speak! Which, if you're married to me may be a good thing for a short while. ha. (That one's for you hun). Hopefully spring will be over soon and summer will come. Looking forward to the beach and no more Benedryl.

Google Street View Car

Sometimes I just take a look at my life in CA and laugh because the things that we see here are truly unique. We crossed paths with the Street View Car on our way to San Francisco on Friday afternoon. We followed it for like 10 minutes in hopes that we'd be on Street View! One of us---no names, mooned it!

Praising in the Storm

Have you ever heard of praising God through the storm? I always thought that was kinda of weird since God could easily make the storm go away. Well today, I figured out what it meant to praise through the storm.

As you know we are closing this loan for our first home purchase next week and today we were blindsided with last minute, unexpected, loan contingencies that required we stop our lives to send the Lender all the documents they wanted. Now, that'd be just fine if we had any assurance that our hard work would actually result in meeting our closing date, but it didn't.

Frustrated as I was, it dawned on me that this obstacle was to strengthen me as a woman of character, gentleness, and perseverance. And it dawned on me that at no time in this process was God not on my side. So I just started praising him by listening to worship music at my desk because I KNOW that we need to fight to make this thing happen and luckily, we're not fighting it alone. That in itself is why I can praise. And to top it off he's favored me with my JOB--if you didn't know...I close loans for a living.

Its the end of the day and I'm no longer frustrated, no longer angry---I'm empowered.

Here's a good song in case this happens to you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw

The boxes are everywhere

This sight you see here is of my living room. We are surrounded by the boxes that hold our life's accumulation of stuff.

In preparation for the big move my husband has so smartly begun packing. Although I too should help with this, I am having a hard time. For me, the sorting and the throwing away of so many items has been difficult. During the packing process I encounter physical markers from the days when that t-shirt from the 9th grade or that country/rap/mixed CD take me back to school day memories. And then I laugh, tell my husband the story related to that particular item which reminded me of the days when my friends and I tried to fit 5 people into my 4 seater Integra on the way to the mall or when we decided to take a road trip to Nashville, TN just because. Sometimes too, I find myself sniffling back a tear from the memories of my dad or long lost friends. But I guess that's the purpose of keeping things--so then you can take them along with you as you move.