Okay this may seem really weird, but it's no weirder than meeting someone and noting that they drive a yellow car and now when you go out all you see is yellow cars. Which I'm sure has happened to everyone at least once.
Anyways I say that to say this. Since I have been blogging I seem to get all this news about being able to be fired for blogging. Can you actually believe that this may be a policy workplaces now have to start. Just imagine how it will read.
If you are taking business time to write personal "blogs" then you will be written up. What's the difference than your co-worker taking 40 smoke breaks during the day? Or your boss getting their 14th personal call during a meeting? Or someone endlessly writing personal emails? I just think this is absurd. Is this really something that you should be fired for? NO!!! It's just a fact of life that people need to overlook. I mean geesh you still get our freakin' 60 hours a week out of us without paying us overtime!
But that's just my two cents! :)
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Neat things about the weekend
Okay so this weekend has been really interesting and I thought I would share some of the happenings....
Well recently John and I have been trying to pay off some bills and get in a more "comfortable" position before he goes to Grad school and on of the things we are up in the air with is rent. Currently we live in an apartment and trying to decide if we should possibly look into building a home in the area (he's got many connections so the price will be right) that we could sell down the line. So that made Friday an interesting discussion night. I'll let you all know what we decide, but I'll also take advice if you have some :).
On Saturday I was able to spend time with Jenn and Matt and we had a blast. We met up in downtown ATL and went to Cafe' Intermezzo (John's fav). Then we headed down to a great restaurant choice of Matt's..but for the life of me I can't remember the name. It's a micro-brewery passed the Fox. Anyways it was delicious. Then we headed out to Dad's Garage for a night of improv show downs. Just tons of fun!!
Now today just was a nice way to top of the weekend. We went to church this morning and was able to attend the "Welcome to Heritage" class. Since we have only been going to this church for about 2 months it was great to find out more about it and I must say we are thrilled. This church truly has a heart for the community and outreach. Then as we were leaving I spoke to the "Lifegroup" Leader (they are weekly home Bible studies) spoke to us and stated that he was real excited about getting us into a drama/praise team group. The Lord is certainly working here with us, this was a great decision. But the most surprising turn of events for the day was when John and I visited the local YMCA for a tour. As we were walking around trying to decided if we wanted to join I really hit it off with our tour guide (who was also the membership director) and she asked me if I would be interested in working with her Part-time for a free membership. I said I would think about it and she handed me an application. So when we left John was so funny he said, "Only you could go somewhere in 20 mins and get a job offer." Now I don't necessarily agree, but it sure was a nice compliment.
But alas the weekend is now coming to a close and the work week is about to set in. Hope everyone has a great week!!
Well recently John and I have been trying to pay off some bills and get in a more "comfortable" position before he goes to Grad school and on of the things we are up in the air with is rent. Currently we live in an apartment and trying to decide if we should possibly look into building a home in the area (he's got many connections so the price will be right) that we could sell down the line. So that made Friday an interesting discussion night. I'll let you all know what we decide, but I'll also take advice if you have some :).
On Saturday I was able to spend time with Jenn and Matt and we had a blast. We met up in downtown ATL and went to Cafe' Intermezzo (John's fav). Then we headed down to a great restaurant choice of Matt's..but for the life of me I can't remember the name. It's a micro-brewery passed the Fox. Anyways it was delicious. Then we headed out to Dad's Garage for a night of improv show downs. Just tons of fun!!
Now today just was a nice way to top of the weekend. We went to church this morning and was able to attend the "Welcome to Heritage" class. Since we have only been going to this church for about 2 months it was great to find out more about it and I must say we are thrilled. This church truly has a heart for the community and outreach. Then as we were leaving I spoke to the "Lifegroup" Leader (they are weekly home Bible studies) spoke to us and stated that he was real excited about getting us into a drama/praise team group. The Lord is certainly working here with us, this was a great decision. But the most surprising turn of events for the day was when John and I visited the local YMCA for a tour. As we were walking around trying to decided if we wanted to join I really hit it off with our tour guide (who was also the membership director) and she asked me if I would be interested in working with her Part-time for a free membership. I said I would think about it and she handed me an application. So when we left John was so funny he said, "Only you could go somewhere in 20 mins and get a job offer." Now I don't necessarily agree, but it sure was a nice compliment.
But alas the weekend is now coming to a close and the work week is about to set in. Hope everyone has a great week!!
Saturday, August 13, 2005
What do you look for?
As some of you know I recently moved to ATL a little over a year ago and I was having a tough time transitioning the whole work/job thing. I ultimately held 3 jobs and turned down another all within a 3 month period before the wedding. Talk about stress!! But I had an amazing realization about what I need in a work/job situation.
Job #1: You see the first job had me isolated in this horrible office with my tyrant boss breathing down my neck. The worst part of this is that there was absolutely no reason and no one would come to our offices because we were across the plant. I didn't realize it at the time I took the job that this isolation would be an issue (not including that the boss lady was the spaun of satan) but it was. So when I quit the job I decided that since I'm such a people person I needed to be in an environment where I interacted with people, money was not going to be a driving force.
Job #2: So I start this job (through a temp agency) and I was amongst great ladies and communication was good. However, this was a Japanese environment and the schedules were crazy. The best way for me to describe this is that there were bells that would go off to let us know when we could leave for lunch and when we should be back from lunch. They also rang at break times and watched the clock, never be late! This was way too strict for me (also this boss was a little over the top, but it wasn't the turning point of the decision). So alas I needed a place to have some schedule flexibility to get the best work out of me.
Job #3: Well let me first say that I am still there (almost been there a year) and it's alright, but not perfect. Let's see I have a somewhat flexible schedule, I have great co-workers and interaction with others. However, my boss is the most ADD person I have ever met. My co-workers in the department call her the tephlon queen because everytime she messes up she somehow comes off scott free. But I have to say the worst part is that she has no education or experience in HR which makes her very scattered, paranoid, and bossy because her butt is always on the line. But with the Grace of God I am surviving. I just take the good parts of my job into account when I'm getting upset and it's not so bad I just overlook her and don't take things personally.
Now I say all of that to say.... since moving here I have come to realize that $$$ to me is low on the list of what I look for in a job and I would have never thought that or learned that without my experiences. Isn't it amazing what you can learn out of the craziest of scenarios??
So here's my list of what I look for...when looking for a job?
1. Flexibility
2. An boss that is understanding, encouraging, and educated
3. Environment - open area for chatter
4. Good pay
So for those of you who have worked in the same job for awhile (and I know a few of you making changes)and are about to move away from that...don't just let money be your deciding factor. Take under consideration all the attributes that you use/need in your work life that are necessary to making you happy in your job.
What's are the most important things to you???
Job #1: You see the first job had me isolated in this horrible office with my tyrant boss breathing down my neck. The worst part of this is that there was absolutely no reason and no one would come to our offices because we were across the plant. I didn't realize it at the time I took the job that this isolation would be an issue (not including that the boss lady was the spaun of satan) but it was. So when I quit the job I decided that since I'm such a people person I needed to be in an environment where I interacted with people, money was not going to be a driving force.
Job #2: So I start this job (through a temp agency) and I was amongst great ladies and communication was good. However, this was a Japanese environment and the schedules were crazy. The best way for me to describe this is that there were bells that would go off to let us know when we could leave for lunch and when we should be back from lunch. They also rang at break times and watched the clock, never be late! This was way too strict for me (also this boss was a little over the top, but it wasn't the turning point of the decision). So alas I needed a place to have some schedule flexibility to get the best work out of me.
Job #3: Well let me first say that I am still there (almost been there a year) and it's alright, but not perfect. Let's see I have a somewhat flexible schedule, I have great co-workers and interaction with others. However, my boss is the most ADD person I have ever met. My co-workers in the department call her the tephlon queen because everytime she messes up she somehow comes off scott free. But I have to say the worst part is that she has no education or experience in HR which makes her very scattered, paranoid, and bossy because her butt is always on the line. But with the Grace of God I am surviving. I just take the good parts of my job into account when I'm getting upset and it's not so bad I just overlook her and don't take things personally.
Now I say all of that to say.... since moving here I have come to realize that $$$ to me is low on the list of what I look for in a job and I would have never thought that or learned that without my experiences. Isn't it amazing what you can learn out of the craziest of scenarios??
So here's my list of what I look for...when looking for a job?
1. Flexibility
2. An boss that is understanding, encouraging, and educated
3. Environment - open area for chatter
4. Good pay
So for those of you who have worked in the same job for awhile (and I know a few of you making changes)and are about to move away from that...don't just let money be your deciding factor. Take under consideration all the attributes that you use/need in your work life that are necessary to making you happy in your job.
What's are the most important things to you???
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
VA and DC Pictures
Here is the WWII Memorial and all of those concrete stands are states remembered in support of the war.
Here is the reflection pool and Washington Monument (with the Capitol Building behind). Just check out those blue skies!!
The Vietnam Memorial Wall with the soldiers looking on..
Downtown Charlottesville. It was kind of like a really, REALLY big Athens, GA. It had all those nifty little shops and cafe's.
The flowers and stuffed kitten that John gave me for my birthday :) and they actually made it home with us.
P.S. It's hard to get pictures together when your traveling with just the two of you :) but I have a few more that I will post when we get them.
Back to the race we all call work...
Well I have just gotten back from a wonderful trip to VA and DC, and I must say a GREAT birthday. John and I got to see and do a whole lot but man the weather was crazy. As we drove up to Charlottesville, VA on Friday it was pouring the entire way up. Needless to say I was grateful for a pillow so I could sleep and not critic the wonderful driving of my hubby :). So back to the rain....so when we arrived to the hotel late that night I immediately wanted to check the weather channel to see if our vacation was going to be ruined and man it looked bad the whole eastern part of the US was green (in case your not familiar with rain colors, that means heavy to moderate rain showers).
Then the next morning we wake up, open the curtains and it's a little overcast but today is our DC day (we were still about 2 hours away but since we were so close we decided to make a long day and just drive up and back on Saturday). Once we got into DC I wanted to make it a good sightseeing trip for John since this was his first time so we started off in Union Station, parked and jumped on their newest transit system (highly recommended, let me know if you are planning a trip and I will discuss). Then we headed off to the National Art Gallery, then started our stroll down the 4 mile National mall - starting at the Capitol. Now here's where it's cute we are steadily walking in the dead heat (no sign of clouds) when I start complaining about how hot it is. Then John tells me that I shouldn't complain about the heat because then it would rain and I would complain about that, aww he knows me so well. **Break for Sappy Moment**So I stop complaining and he tells me that he had prayed earlier that morning that the rain would stop and not bother our vacation and I would like to say it did, we never saw a raindrop the entire trip!! What a thoughtful husband.**Return to story** So we continue down the National mall and see the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and the headed into Georgetown for dinner and lite shopping. We then ended our day at around 9pm and headed back to the hotel. Not a bad start.
Then on Sunday we just kind of hung around Charlottesville, walked around their downtown area and looked at the local used bookstores..it's amazing what you can find. But that was just our lazy day. Because on Monday we went to the University of Virginia to see the sights and get some Masters of Architecture information for John and then we headed to the James River to go canoeing. That was a blast. The funniest part was we could never quite get on the same rhythm so we just took turns rowing and the other would rest and when we checked our boat back in everyone was like "you guys row fast". I just looked at John and said I wonder how fast it would have been if we would have rowed at the same time :).
We both were kind of tired so we grabbed some sandwiches and headed to the hotel to rest up for a "date night for my birthday". **WARNING: Sappy Moment #2** Let me explain the date night. John had called weeks before to make reservations at this fancy steak and seafood restaurant that the locals use (because I have this big thing that I don't like to eat at chain restaurants while on vacation) and told me to wear something nice, so when we arrived to the restaurant and were shown our seats there was a bouquet of a dozen multicolored roses and a little stuffed cat (since we can't get a real pet) that he ordered to have delivered just for my b-day. HOW SWEET! Then after dinner we headed back to change into "comfy clothes" to top the date night off with a movie, "Must Love Dogs". Now for those of you that know me this truly was a great date for me since I'm a stickler for dinner and ANY movie!! **Sappy Moment Complete**.
So to finish up our trip we visited Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson...really cool) on Tuesday and headed into Charlotte (1/2 between ATL and Charlottesville, VA) and my sister had made a wonderful b-day dinner with the menu being my request. We visited, played Scrabble (the Hill Family game) and then headed back to ATL today. However, we did have a brief stop off in Clemson for John to review their Master of Architecture program to see if he wants to go there.
And that is the end of our trip and a wonderful B-day.
P.S. Thanks for all the birthday shout-outs. It's nice to feel loved :) !
Then the next morning we wake up, open the curtains and it's a little overcast but today is our DC day (we were still about 2 hours away but since we were so close we decided to make a long day and just drive up and back on Saturday). Once we got into DC I wanted to make it a good sightseeing trip for John since this was his first time so we started off in Union Station, parked and jumped on their newest transit system (highly recommended, let me know if you are planning a trip and I will discuss). Then we headed off to the National Art Gallery, then started our stroll down the 4 mile National mall - starting at the Capitol. Now here's where it's cute we are steadily walking in the dead heat (no sign of clouds) when I start complaining about how hot it is. Then John tells me that I shouldn't complain about the heat because then it would rain and I would complain about that, aww he knows me so well. **Break for Sappy Moment**So I stop complaining and he tells me that he had prayed earlier that morning that the rain would stop and not bother our vacation and I would like to say it did, we never saw a raindrop the entire trip!! What a thoughtful husband.**Return to story** So we continue down the National mall and see the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and the headed into Georgetown for dinner and lite shopping. We then ended our day at around 9pm and headed back to the hotel. Not a bad start.
Then on Sunday we just kind of hung around Charlottesville, walked around their downtown area and looked at the local used bookstores..it's amazing what you can find. But that was just our lazy day. Because on Monday we went to the University of Virginia to see the sights and get some Masters of Architecture information for John and then we headed to the James River to go canoeing. That was a blast. The funniest part was we could never quite get on the same rhythm so we just took turns rowing and the other would rest and when we checked our boat back in everyone was like "you guys row fast". I just looked at John and said I wonder how fast it would have been if we would have rowed at the same time :).
We both were kind of tired so we grabbed some sandwiches and headed to the hotel to rest up for a "date night for my birthday". **WARNING: Sappy Moment #2** Let me explain the date night. John had called weeks before to make reservations at this fancy steak and seafood restaurant that the locals use (because I have this big thing that I don't like to eat at chain restaurants while on vacation) and told me to wear something nice, so when we arrived to the restaurant and were shown our seats there was a bouquet of a dozen multicolored roses and a little stuffed cat (since we can't get a real pet) that he ordered to have delivered just for my b-day. HOW SWEET! Then after dinner we headed back to change into "comfy clothes" to top the date night off with a movie, "Must Love Dogs". Now for those of you that know me this truly was a great date for me since I'm a stickler for dinner and ANY movie!! **Sappy Moment Complete**.
So to finish up our trip we visited Monticello (home of Thomas Jefferson...really cool) on Tuesday and headed into Charlotte (1/2 between ATL and Charlottesville, VA) and my sister had made a wonderful b-day dinner with the menu being my request. We visited, played Scrabble (the Hill Family game) and then headed back to ATL today. However, we did have a brief stop off in Clemson for John to review their Master of Architecture program to see if he wants to go there.
And that is the end of our trip and a wonderful B-day.
P.S. Thanks for all the birthday shout-outs. It's nice to feel loved :) !
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