2nd Star to the Right :: Neverland. I think I want to live there.

Working to live, not living to work. Working to live, not living to work. Working to live, not living to work. I've got to keep chanting that to myself over and over again.

Especially when one of my co-workers decides to treat me like her personal secretary. That is not what I got my degree for.

8:58 AM | allison | # |

I had a bit of a revelation last night. A little bit of calculation puts me at having more than forty years of work ahead of me. It's inevitable unless I win the lottery or find myself a sugar daddy.

That plus the current suckiness that is my new boss man, I've decided something.

It's all about working to live, not living to work.

9:12 AM | allison | # |

The first full work-day of my Summer of Possibilities is not going well. I'm feeling especially saucy today and am in need of an ass to kick. Preferrably new boss man's ass.

Not that I would, but I probably could.
Kick his ass I mean.

I'm just saying.

1:20 PM | allison | # |

With summer officially here, I have a feeling my posts are going to become less frequent than they have in the past. This is my first summer back in Chicago and I plan to enjoy every moment as much as I possibly can.

There are vacations to Denver to be had, festivals galore, theatre to take in and general fun to be had. It is the Summer of Possibilities, my friends.

And, a fitting quote from one of my favorite movies, "In this life, there are nothing but possibilities."

8:46 AM | allison | # |

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a graduation party with my parents. There were lots of people there, most I didn't know. There was a band and a keg and lots of food. And lots of kids.

As we walked away from the party, I told my folks that I loved watching all the kids at the party because I know that none of them are coming home with me. I get to go home to my nice, quiet apartment and not worry about anyone but myself.

And now, just a couple of weeks later, I'm not so sure that statement is entirely true. I've been on my own and independent for a long time and I like it that way. Or do I?

Is this just a phase I'm going through because I'm lonely and sometimes ache to have another warm body about the house?

Is it real now - am I ready to find someone to love and settle down with? I find the idea scary and unimaginable and exciting all at once. But the same is true about living alone and on my own.

It's all very confusing.

11:04 AM | allison | # |

So, this new guy at work smells really good. He wears Cool Water for Men which I totally dig because I'm a fan of Cool Water for Women.

But do I tell him he smells good? I don't want him to think anything other than I think he smells good.

Oh. And I locked my office and desk keys in my desk this morning. There's nothing in there that I can't live without, except maybe the new director's corporate AmEx card. The sad thing is, that's not really what I'm worried about. My knitting is in there too and I wanted to start decreasing on the crown of the hat I'm working on.

Bugger.

4:01 PM | allison | # |

Most of my memories are connected to smell. This weekend was all about remembering summers as a little kid. The smell of sulfer reminded me of past Fourth of Julys. The nightly outdoor fires reminded me of camp fires at girl scout camp and our weeks spent up at the lake in Minnesota. But what brings back the most is the smell of sweat and sunblock.

It reminds me of summer. It reminds me of that feeling you get on the morning of the last day of school when you can nearly taste the three months' freedom ahead of you. It reminds me of long summer days when we could play until after dark and come inside filthy and exhausted because we had had the most fun. It reminds me of bike rides and kick-the-can; of swimming pools and day camp; of freshly cut grass and softball games.

The sweat and sunblock brings it all back.

8:40 AM | allison | # |

Game on. For a day that traditionally brings bad luck, I'm having a pretty good day. The meeting that everyone thought would run over time got out early, my vacation is back on, I'm going to a baseball game tonight and I get to spend the weekend with my family.

All this fun stuff makes me feel a little silly about how upset I got earlier this week when I got the estimate for my car repairs. Everyone around me was right, it was a "grander scheme of things" kind of event. But it's hard to think like that in the middle of a crisis.

So, thanks to everyone who listened to me bitch and moan and worry. I'm very lucky to have you all in my life.

3:20 PM | allison | # |

I have a huge freakin' crick in my neck. It's big enough that I can actually feel the knot of muscles at the point where my neck joins my shoulder.

So, since I can't really turn my head very far to the right, please don't be upset if I cut you off in traffic. I wanted to look, but I just couldn't. Put that finger down or I'll tell my mom on you.

5:30 PM | allison | # |

So, in case anyone wanted to know, I'll soon be accepting donations for a new vehicle. Or sure-fire winning numbers for tomorrow night's Illinois State Lottery.

I'm not picky. Either one will do.

UPDATE: 5:51 PM
I just got the estimate for my car.

fyi: I so wasn't kidding about the donations or the winning lottery numbers.

11:33 AM | allison | # |

So, I've been working on this 100 Things list for a while and since the boss man was out of the office today, I took the opportunity to finish it.

Viola!

100 Things

1. At a quarter of a century, I have yet to reach five feet in height.
2. I think it’s about time I stop hoping to get any taller.
3. Physically, I am a spitting image of my mother.
4. But I have my father’s coloring.
5. I also have very small hands, feet, finger and toes.
6. Buying shoes that fit my small feet is a challenge and a source of pleasure.
7. I have an incredible amount of sandals, though I currently live in a city that is not as conducive to sandal wearing as my previous residence.
8. My toenails are almost always painted. Usually in a shade of pink.
9. Pink is one of my least favorite colors.
10. Purple is actually my favorite color.
11. One of my bedroom walls is painted this color.
12. I have tried to make my bedroom as serene and soothing as possible.
13. I go through terrible phases of insomnia.
14. I’m slowly gaining the upper hand over my insomnia.
15. My dad and my dad’s dad also suffered from long periods of insomnia.
16. My family is very, very important to me.
17. My parents are two of the most amazing people I know.
18. I didn’t realize this until I was in college.
19. My mom is my best friend.
20. My dad is one of my heroes.
21. My brother is incredible too.
22. He’s a brother, a son, a student, a musician and a friend.
23. He’s the only person who can always make me laugh.
24. I recently transferred jobs in order to be closer to my family.
25. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
26. It was also one of the hardest decisions I ever made.
27. One of the other best decisions I ever made was having breast reduction surgery.
28. That was three years ago.
29. The scars are all but gone.
30. And I have a great rack.
31. I recently lost more than 40 pounds.
32. I did it out of a desire to be healthy.
33. All the cute clothes are just a bonus.
34. My beverage of choice is Diet Coke.
35. But I still drink Shirley Temples and IBC Root Beer at family dinners during the holidays.
36. I still get carded at R-rated movies and when purchasing alcohol.
37. It used to make me frustrated, but now I realize it means I’m aging gracefully.
38. I had a bi-weekly box cartoon in my college’s newspaper. It was called Whatever Floats Your Boat.
39. The cartoon, not the newspaper.
40. I didn’t draw for years after that but have recently started working on another strip for my own enjoyment.
41. I haven’t shown it to anyone.
42. I was baptized and made my first communion as a Catholic.
43. In 8th grade, I was confirmed in the Methodist church.
44. I attended a Catholic high school.
45. At the moment, I’m not a practicing anything.
46. Fate or not, I believe that everything happens for a reason.
47. I hate talking on the phone. I would much rather:
48. Talk to you face-to-face;
49. Email you;
50. IM you.
51. I know a lot of people.
52. I consider very few of them close friends.
53. I’m very proud and protective of my friends.
54. I trust too easily.
55. I wear my heart on my sleeve.
56. I’ve been hurt by someone I loved.
57. I collect flamingos and Elvis memorabilia.
58. In my cube at work, I have a picture of my mom with Elvis and a plastic flamingo perched in the plant.
59. Don’t ask. I don’t know why.
60. Calvin & Hobbes is my favorite cartoon strip.
61. John Irving is my favorite author.
62. I prefer writing with blue ink.
63. My favorite movie is Ghostbusters.
64. My birthstone is the amethyst.
65. I don’t drink enough milk.
66. I have long curly hair.
67. I drink out of silly straws.
68. I drive faster than the posted speed limit.
69. I brake too late.
70. I sing along with the radio.
71. I always check out the drivers of other cars.
72. I still have my Texas driver’s license and license plates.
73. I was fired from my job at a movie theater.
74. I quit my job as a telemarketer because I couldn’t take constant rejection.
75. I waited tables through most of college.
76. I have also worked as a theater teacher, an intern at a television and radio station, a temporary admin assistant for a lobbying organization and an advertising coordinator for a Fortune 500 company.
77. I now work in Human Resources.
78. The morning of my mother’s dad memorial service, we saw a rainbow.
79. It was a clear, beautiful day with no clouds in sight.
80. A month later, I saw a rainbow and thought my mother’s mom had passed away.
81. She passed five days later.
82. Rainbows make me cry.
83. I watch an incredible amount of television for one person.
84. I can tell time by what program is on.
85. I have been the victim of a break-in.
86. Two rings were stolen. I had been given one by each of my grandmothers.
87. I’d happily return the insurance money to get the rings back.
88. I wish I had recorded my grandparents’ laughter before they passed.
89. It is one of the things I miss the most about them.
90. Recording the laughter of my own parents is something I want to do.
91. I keep a list in my wallet of things I want to accomplish before I die.
92. I also carry a letter my mom wrote to me when I was in high school.
93. I set my alarm clock ahead of the actual time so I can hit the snooze button a couple of times before I get up in the morning.
94. My watch, microwave, oven, bathroom, kitchen and car clock are also set ahead.
95. The only clock I always set correctly is on the VCR.
96. I’m rarely graceful.
97. This results in numerous bruises, scrapes and scars.
98. I’m often unaware of the injuries at the time they occur.
99. My dad is like that too.
100. And yes, my eyes are really this blue.

4:49 PM | allison | # |

Fridays are inherently good days, simply because they symbolize the end of the work week and the beginnings of two glorious days that I can spend however I choose. What could be better you ask? Any Friday that finds a voicemail message waiting for me from the boss, telling me he's out for the day and won't return until Monday.

The only thing not cool about that is when he calls at 10 to tell you he's feeling much better and the reason he was up all night and out sick today is because of intestinal blockage and descriptions of that blockage in all its gory detail.

10:30 AM | allison | # |

This morning I wanted to write about a comment a co-worker made to me about being an independent soul, but it's not coming out right.

Maybe later.

8:27 AM | allison | # |

Days like this kinda make me wish I had stayed in bed.

Is it summer yet?

11:49 AM | allison | # |

I love weekends that make me feel like I need another weekend to recover from the past few days. This weekend was full of wedding showers, new washing machines, movies and the Blues Festival.

Can it get any better than this? I submit that it cannot.

9:08 AM | allison | # |