Talk to corporate - Send some faxes - Promote synergy - LIKE A BOSS

Busy busy busy! Being a bee the past 2 weeks has sadly kept me away from my computer - my personal computer that is.  I do spend most of my working day sitting in front of a computer, but alas, that doesn't allow me the time to take care of my personal matters. For the first time in ages I'm actually really behind in answering e mails (I flatter myself thinking that I actually get important or time-sensitive material...).  Work has been a little nutty (still grateful that I have a job!) and kinda stressful - I can judge it by the fact that over the course of the past 2 weeks, I've bitten off my nails! I'm a nervous biter so I've had to resume painting these short stubs to prevent it.  Also, I can tell that I've been "working too hard" because I find myself frequently unable to log into my private accounts on my computer because I keep typing in my work password! How sad is that?  Next thing I know, ill be coding bills in my sleep... (Gd forbid)

2 weeks ago I was able to say that Ive never been to the west coast - current day that is no longer a truth!  Our company held our bi-annual retreat last week in San Francisco, California - It was rad! The retreat lasted only Monday and Tuesday, so I flew in on Sunday to spend the whole day being a tourist, which if I may say so myself, I do quite well.  It was fantastic riding the iconic cable cars all around town (I bought a day pass for unlimited ride-age) and visiting the famously gay Castro Street - home of Harvey Milk and his story, as well as seeing the crooked Lombard street and walking around Fisherman's Wharf.  It was a really wonderful opportunity (it didn't hurt that it was all on the company account - airfare and awesome hotel included) both for me as a traveler and for the work-me as I was able to meet people who we work with nationwide and see what we do in the field.  Very Educational. 

I've been having a few other Real World experiences related to work that have been really humbling and good life lessons.  A few weeks ago I went to cash a check for work - With HSBC, its a bit of a to-do, making sure to have all the proper documentation as well as identification, and endorsing in the correct manner.  To make a long story pretty long, I went to cash a check having endorsed it in the way that I very strongly remembered having done it the time before, and when they gave me a hard time, I got very stern and insisted that i was right, and had them look up the last check that I had cashed (having properly remembered the date and amount of that check).  I actually said to them "Look on the back - it will show that i did the same thing..." and I waited for them to look it up, excited at the prospect of proving them wrong and rightfully, as the customer - who is always right - making a big stink about it.  To my horror, they turned the monitor around to show me just how much I was wrong, and I was forced to eat my words.  I was absolutely mortified, and with my very red face, I quietly issued a small apology.  For the 2 days following, it absolutely ate me up inside with what a fool I had been.  I felt terrible that I had been so rude and so very wrong.  I was then faced with the challenge of having to go back to the bank to make a deposit - I only prayed that noone would remember the idiotic exchange from two days prior.  As I tentatively walked into the bank, i sighed deeply noticing that noone involved was actually present.  However, as I went up to the teller, she actually said to me "Make sure you've endorsed it properly - not like what happened the other day..." While she said it with a smile in jest, my heart sank - I was the story of the day, the one that everyone at work went home and continued to talk about! So clearly I was remembered, and having felt so badly I actually told her that I wanted to apologize properly to the people with whom I had spoken.  She assured me that she would pass on the message and said not to worry.  (I did get the confirmation that she did in fact pass it along, because the next time I was in the bank, I did see the teller who I had dealt with and when I apologized to him again he said that the other woman had already said I was sorry, and he said not to worry and thanked me for apologizing).  To make matters even better, as I was walking out of the bank, I was stopped by an employee who was issuing a brief survey about customer service, and I relayed the whole story to her, and gave a good review - I felt like with that, i was able to properly shed my shame and move on having learned the lesson to hold my tongue and always proceed in a humble and cautious manner.

So that's been work and subsequently, that's been life.  Im learning to take it as it comes and make the most of each situation, learning what I can.  A perk of being a working woman will be realized this weekend.  For the first time, I will get a paid holiday! Thanksgiving is moments away (in the grand scheme of things) and Im super psyched! Turkey for me - Turkey for you - I like to eat Turkey in a big brown shoe! Yay! really looking forward to that, while in the mean times the next 2 days will be quite hectic.  With a change in staffing is happening at work, a lot of stuff is filling up my plate, and Im sure ill be able to use the long weekend.  The title of this posting may look familiar to you if you are an Andy Samberg fan - once again i turn to the Lonely Island for inspiration.  Talking about the work I have to do brings my mind to "Like a Boss" and if you haven't heard it, get yourself on a boat, love your mother, and look it up!

On that note, I leave you with the following:
A picture montage of stolen pictures from Google image! Gavi Samberg.... has a nice ring to it...

The best things in life are free - but you can give them to the birds and the bees...

Once again, mention of "The Real World" came up today - I would like to think that people are talking about my blog, but no - my blogs namesake was the intention.  This evening I attended a short seminar on Financial Planning for the future.  Really I went because I figured that now that I'm making money (not very much, but money it is), I should learn what to do with it.  My financial vocabulary and knowledge are somewhat basic, and therefor a lot of what I "learned" at said seminar was a bit beyond my realm.  Sure, I understood that saving is important if you want to retire, and in order to be able to do so, you must earn more than you spend.  However, when it got into the Bull and Bear markets, as well as certain investment outlets, I suddenly found myself focusing on other things in the room (such as the fact that it was really warm...).  It would have been one thing if they were teaching us about these terms instead of just throwing them around, but that wasn't the case, so I felt my spacey-ness was legitimate.  Anyway, reoccurring in the PowerPoint presentations that were shown to us was comparison between an ideal situation and "the real world," often in relation to the way the markets move.  Obviously as soon as it first showed up I gave a little chuckle, but it proves to me once more that the whole notion that there is anything BUT our reality, or "The Real World" is comical.  When do we ever live in the fake world or in hypothetical situations?  The real world is all we have!  Fantasy is great for a little mental escape (I would be lost without TV/movies and books!) but crazy-enough things happen in our day to day life that all of it is part of reality, and anything is a possibility. 

For all you running fans ad followers of new york culture, Im sure you know the ING Annual New York City Marathon was this past Sunday.  I've always been a fan of the Marathon - when I was younger I would go with my dad to the house of a business associate of his where we would watch the start of the race on TV while eating a spread of bagels and coffee, and then we would walk a couple of blocks down (he lived in Brooklyn) to watch the runners in real time running by.  It was always so exciting! I even got to help give out little cups of water for which I was rewarded with a Marathon raincoat - first to protect me from spillage and secondly as a souvenir.  Nowadays I still like to read up about it and follow some of the pre-run media (I was following the "Idiot Runner" who is a staff writer for AM New york - my main source of news - and trained for the first time for this Marathon).  While it seems quite lofty right now, its on my bucket-list to one day complete the NYC Marathon - I urge you to follow up with me in 20 years to see if Ive already done it or have specific plans to do it!  While I didn't run this past Sunday, I did have a very busy day which brought me to 4/5 boroughs (no Staten Island), not unlike the Marathon, so at least in that way I got to channel it and keep it on my radar!  At around 3pm I found myself on W.66th street in New York where many runners were hanging out after having finished, and aside from randomly wishing people congratulations, it was really exciting to be in that kind of atmosphere where sheer physical ability and determination were so evident - I found it inspiring and it made me smile. 

There doesn't seem to be a real connective thread in this post, so going with that idea, I have one last thought to share.  If there's anything that Ive learned from the movie The Social Network and previous professional work experience, it is that anything you put in writing either on the internet or through e mail has the ability to come back and slap you across the face.  During the last semester of my senior year of college I interned at a big PR company in NY.  There was a lot of blogging as well as professional drama surrounding the CEO of the company.  One main instance that he will never live down is having verbally abused his former HR director who he had fired because she was had allegedly helped one of the employees leave this firm and start somewhere else.  As a PR "pro", he should have known that cussing her out in e mail, as well as calling her a vulgar term for the female genitalia was bound to leak to the internet and add to his already bad name.  What I learned from this (other than the fact that I shouldn't continue to work there, and I should be weary of listing that work experience on my resume) was that writing negatively about anyone on the internet will almost certainly get back to them.  Not to get up on a high horse, but I don't like to talk negatively about people in general (we all slip up every so often), so it shouldn't be too hard not to put it in writing either, right?  However, recounting funny work stories is certainly a temptation.  I don't have anything particularly bad to say about people at work, but when something notable happens, I urge to want to share it with others - but I dare not put it in writing!  Characters at work remain comedic relief on the work place and not on the internet.

And on that note, I leave you with the following:
This "song" or comedy sketch never ceases to make me laugh, and if I may say so myself, i do quite a good impression if it - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! (I HEART you, Andy Samberg!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu5Uv0JH828

I've been POKED!!!

Get your mind out of the gutter, you! And no, I’m not talking about Facebook either. (I stopped using that stupid function about a day after I joined that social network).  I’m talking about acupuncture! Last night I had my first experience of what should most likely be a number-of-weeks series of acupuncture sessions. 

Ive been diagnosed with a quite common hormone disorder, and I’m hoping these Chinese medicine treatments can aid my body with helping itself.  To be honest, I don't really know much about acupuncture - I've only ever seen it in movies and on TV, and I’ve thought it to be fascinating and intriguing.  I agree that I should really know a bit more about these treatments if Im going to be receiving them, but what I’ve learned so far is that they shouldn't be detrimental to any other form of medical help, and (while it should be helping my body) it wont do any harm to my body.  I hope to learn more on this journey. 

During the initial consultation, where I disclosed about every single bit of information about myself - details that I wouldn't dare to even write in a diary - I was given all the warnings about acupuncture.  Other then potential bruising or redness or skin irritation, I was told that the worst that could happen would be that my organs could be punctured!  Quickly I was assured that a lot of training was focused on specifically avoiding that issue, but I couldn't help but think, "how hard would someone need to push for that tiny little needle to penetrate through all of the stuff between the organ and skin surface?"  It actually made me laugh out loud.  although, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that our biggest organ is our skin, and so acuPUNCTURE, by definition is puncturing our organs.... something to think about.

Anyway, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but lying on that table, pre-needle pokage, I was really excited! I've been blessed with a really strong threshold for pain, and so I wasn't too worried about that aspect. I wasn't really worried about anything at all, but you could have called me George for the amount of curiosity I was feeling.  Playing in the background was this really pleasant, calming music that one would think was a cliché of acupuncture - I really liked it and I found it to be helpful in the relaxation process.  Each place where the needle was put in (and in case you have a queasy stomach, just note that the gauge of the needle is tiny - you almost can’t see it other than the top handle that is colored and a bit thicker) was carefully swabbed clean, and each needle is single-use and new.  Im not sure exactly how many points of entry there were, but my guess is about 15 (placed on my arms, legs and one in the center of my chest).  Some I didn't feel at all, but there were 2 that had a less than pleasant feeling when initially put in, but felt fine afterwards.  Seeing as it was my first time, fewer needles were used and they were kept in for a shorter period of time.

Once all the needles were in, i was left alone in the room, lights off and music playing.  At first I didn't feel anything, other than an awareness of the needles in the 2 "painful" places, but soon enough I started to feel my blood stream pumping through my body and there was this pressure and concentration of energy (a good kind - not at all uncomfortable) that flowed from my feet up to my head - it was really awesome! I'd never felt more at peace or physically calm then I did then.  It was as if there was nothing else in the world - just me - lying on the bed - and just being. I was a little sad when the time was up, and even after the needles were removed (totally painless), i remained in the same position for about a minute, as my body didn't want to move.  I felt like I was disturbing myself when I finally sat up.The after affects were minimal other then my legs felt as if I had just had a really good workout - specifically my calves were a little tight, but this morning felt back to normal.

Overall it was a really cool experience physically, and now I’m just hoping that the proposed beneficial effects will start to take place upon the continuation of the process and treatments. 

And on that note, I leave you with the following:

"I think Im in love with my radio...."

Music has been a longtime friend of mine.  When I was younger and I misbehaved (shocker, right?) my punishment used to be that I wasn't allowed to watch TV.  Distraught, I retreated to my room only to find comfort in the warm arms of my stereo speakers.  I instantly became a radio listener, which introduced me to lots of music, both current and classic, and there was born my love for music in general.  Now, I often find comfort in the warm arms of my iPod's earbuds, and I realize myself a bit lost when my iPod is out of battery.  What I'm about to say might shock you, so you might want to sit down.  Ive previously alluded to my lack of enthusiasm towards the exponential growth in the technology world, and the prime example of that is with apple products.  It seems as though every week there is a new generation of ipod being released.  Summer of '04, after I graduated high school, I bought myself an iPod to store all my music on for my year abroad studying in Israel.  It was a generation 3 iPod.  This is the shocking part.... get ready.... here it is:  Im still using that generation 3 iPod. It looks like this:

 

Of  course this is a much cleaner, newer looking picture, but that's my current ipod.  It did die once, about 4 years ago, but being the dedicated user I am, I brought it to the apple store and they gave me a refurbished one.  I love this iPod - I particularly love that the buttons are seperate from the scroll wheel.  Ok, so the battery life isn't great, but it still serves an iPod's main purpose - it plays my music! And for that, I still love it and intend on using it until it officially dies (may it live until 120 - poo poo poo).

I dont have a particular genre of music that I specifically only listen to, or absolutely wont listen to, but I can safely say though that im not a die-hard Dead-Head or Phish-Head or Jam Band groupie.  Thats not to say I won't listen to it, but it's not my go-to choice.  Saturday night I had a really interesting experience.  It was my friend Shira W's birthday, and as a birthday treat, we went to hear a Grateful Dead cover band (WigJam) play at a local music venue.  Seeing as it was Halloween weekend, it was also a bit of a festive bash where people, including the band members dressed up (that wasn't integral to the show, but it did add an element of fun to the feeling - watching Shrek bounce around to heady tunes is bound to be funny).  Ive been to concerts before, and certainly ones where people "feel" the music and dancefully interpret what they are listening to, but being at this concert was a whole new world for me.  It was exciting to watch a lot of people, most dancing in the same enthusiastic, full body movement manner! It made me enjoy the music more seeing other people enjoy it the way they were.  Now granted, I may have been high seeing as though people were "blazing" (now do I sound like a dead-head?) around us, but nonetheless I really had a nice time! I would totally go back and hear them again.  Just kidding about my being high, but there really were doobies being lit and enjoyed in our surroundings.  

Its interesting how sometimes one can sync with music.  Here's an example:  I had a stressful end of the day at work today, and by the time I left the office a half an hour late, I was feeling flushed, annoyed and slightly rushed to catch the next bus.  Walking quickly to the bus station, as I was catching my stride, I turned on my iPod.  Apple must have been tuned into my brain because my trusty iPod knew exactly what I wanted to listen to (and they weren't songs that I often chose, so it wasn't like my iPod had previously favored them) and it played all the right ones!  By the time I arrived at the bus, I was already in a better mood and smiling.  Look how helpful music can be!

On that note I leave you with the following:

This first link is quite long - it is the trailer to a movie slated for a 2011 release about the oldest living Holocaust survivor (107!!!) and how music saved her in the Holocaust - really beautiful and inspirational.

http://www.youtube.com/user/AliceTheFilm

In case that is too long, here is a "lighter" and shorter clip of someone who really feels the music- it is absolutely adorable!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0REJ-lCGiKU&NR=1

Enjoy!