swim meet weekend

this weekend should have been a fun, big meet, weekend. but with my co-coach and i only having 2 kids signed up for one day of swimming, out of the 15 or so we have on our roster, it was actually more of a boring meet. although it was fun to watch all of the other kids swim, including our kids that we just moved up to the next group as they got too fast for ours, it was also just a lot of sitting around on a hard metal bench. good thing there is free food for the coaches.

coaches pic
waiting for the meet to start...

tara and i pointing out U of M swimmers on the record boards that we will see swim at trials in 2 weeks!
2 of my favorite swimmers that use to be in my group

Twins Territory

my lovely friend ann has been so generous to share her free twins tickets from work with me. when we went last week to the game, i gave her an extra twins shirt that i had laying around, as she was without. we also enjoyed the company of some much beloved bsu design tech alums...it was great to see my boys and lisa!

bomono

for work, we just updated our firefox browsers to 3.0 and i happened to also download some fun plug-ins for mine...one that was called snag it, which basically pulls up websites that might be of interest to you. so for all of you that like to color...head on over here: bomomo.com

something to look forward to

i found this site a while back, when i was in college. it's a competition put on bombay saphire to design a new martini glass. how more perfect can that be? however, in order to win it, you must be 25 and working in the design industry for 3 years. which puts me at 2.5 years out. i guess...it's just something to look forward to. i can start generating ideas anyways...

Designer Glass Competition

perfect sundays

my sunburn from a few years back. won't do that again...

i could have finished cleaning my basement yesterday. or worked on web pages. or a million other things. but with a nice day when every other day has been rainy and cold, i was outside right after church. after lathering up in sun lotion which i later found out didn't do much for the upper body, i headed out to the town home community pool. there i was greeted by the obnoxious boys whose parents are making the pool the babysitter for the summer, which i really have no tolerance for parents who can't see the dangers of not watching their kids at the pool. the way they were horse playing, i'm just waiting for one of them to get hurt and i hope i'm not there when it happens. while laying out in the sun, half napping, i also called my dad and grandpa to wish them happy fathers day. squeakers also called and we chatted as she walked to the mall. i was outside for 2 hours.

making me way back to the house, i changed and decided to go for a run. or run/walk. i'm not quite at running the whole way. i then came back and did some ab work before taking a shower and making super. then i watched the tonys and went to bed.

this morning, not only am i a little sore from the slightly burnt skin, but i am also sore from my athletic adventures. and i have a form of eczema on my fingers which makes it hard to hold writing utensils...so that's fun. but really, it was a perfect lazy sunday in my opinion and all the pain today was worth it.

friday 5

Who gave you your last balloon, and what was the occasion?
Balloon? The last balloon I probably got was when I went to state for high school swimming.

Who gave you your last scolding, and what was it for?
my horrible boss from my last job. thanks for understanding jerk...

Who gave you your last attaboy, and why?
yeah...my last boss. after i redid his website. he's still a jerk.

Who gave you your last haircut?
one of the ladies at avant in gf!

Who gave you your last massage?
i'm always rubbing my neck...other than that, it was probably my boy.

the expense of travel

After a short lunch outting today to turn in all of my comcast equipment, my jaw hit the floor when i noticed the price of gas hit $4.10 a gallon. since this has happened, i have now cancelled my trip home for father's day as i cannot afford it and i also looked into trying to find an alternative way to work for a couple of days a week. if i took the bus, which is $2 a ride, i'm sure i could buy a monthly pass, i would have to be on the bus at 6:51 and switch buses 4 times to go 3 miles, according to the metro transit web page...and it would get me to work at 8:30. it doesn't make sense to me. then i looked into bike paths...there is no path from my house to work that doesn't involve me getting run over by a car as i pass under I494. so...all my money saving dreams have been crushed. and i will inevitably have to pay $4.10 and rising in gas. when will this madness end??? i'm fearing the end of the week when i have to pay...the last time i filled up it was at $3.82.

a new start

so...in an attempt to cure boredom at work (we're a little slow...) i'm electing to start up my blog again. it will probably include a redesign, especially since i have 2 hours and 40 minutes left at work today.

this week i started a new job. so far i'm enjoying it, although this week has been a little slow. i suppose when you add 2 new employees to your department, the work load goes down. i've enjoyed filling out all my paperwork for my benefits and ordering all my new office supplies. office supplies are one of those things that i have a love affair with: cool new pens, fresh pencils, a daily planner, binder clips, push pins, tape and staplers (swingline of course, but not red), and of course post-it notes. i'm slowly decorating my office, too. i need a paycheck though before i can buy stuff for it. on my list: plant with a beta fish, bamboo or vine plant (if i was by a window i would have bought a sunflower or something...), a vase of fake sunflowers?, a cell phone holder...and i was thinking of maybe something like a rug to cover up some floor stains? i also need to bring in more photos...not sure if i want to bring in my europe ones, however, or if those should stay at home. i do have a picture of the sibs here though... other than that, i'm kind of liking cubicle life.

i'm also now a basement dweller...i've moved into a townhome of someone who is letting me take over their basement. plenty of space and a kick ass shower. the only downside is some of the bugs i'm finding. i've sprayed once, but it wasn't a powerful spray, so i'm guessing i'll have to buy the strong stuff.

well, summer's underway...swimming, the lake, and a vacation here and there. couldn't ask for more!

the first signs of spring!

well...it's a friday evening, i'm at home, with a pineapple pizza. i haven't had one in forever! the best part of all this...i have my balcony door open and i can hear birds. i'm guessing the sheep are all ready in bed? they wake up early enough...

the pursuit of happiness

i know i haven't posted in awhile. i guess life has been somewhat depressing and i'm realizing i'm not as happy as i used to be. i'm hoping to change that.

last week's friday five

1. What’s your favorite small office supply (like something that can fit in your top desk drawer)?
it's a complete toss up between shiny binder clips, cool pens, and bright colored post it notes.

2. What’s your favorite medium office supply (like something that can fit on your desktop)?
i have a tiffany's stand up calandar...i love it! that and my bright kleenex box :)

3. What’s your favorite large office supply (like a furnishing or a large tool)?
gotta love my previous work computer (30 inch monitor mac! i miss it!)

4. To which specific office supply do you have a particular personal attachment?
that computer held my life at one point...though i do get a little worked up if my fav pen is missing

5. Which office supply do you consider yourself something of an expert on?
im no expert, but i do know computers pretty well.

i miss btown!

2 and a half weeks...i can't wait!! it will be a homecoming!

in the right direction...but still up in the air

life is slowly coming together. i am no longer coloring dora in blaine but have moved in with my aunt, uncle and cousin. everything seems to be going well and i am very close to the pool that i am coaching at, which was not planned at all and is actually a nice perk. the drive to work is also pretty smooth...494, besides the bright, blinding sunlight in the eyes every morning is pretty easy going besides the hold up in bloomington.

so far i've coached 3 days and have enjoyed all of them. the coaches are amazing and, well...nice. which is a contrast from my last coaching experience. i'm trying to learn all of the kids names as fast as i can so i can easily get their attention to correct them. right now i'm in a funk where i will mention what i see to my co-coach and we chat about whether we need to mention it to the swimmer. it's been a little hard to get back into my coaching personality. each day is getting better.

other than that, i'm itching to get my own place. i haven't had a bedroom that is actually MINE since may. i'm not complaining as i am fortunate to everyone who has helped me out...but i really really miss my bed and all of it's down feathers. i have to wait another month before i can actually start figuring that out though...i need to figure out where i will be working. no word has really been said about whether i will stay at where i'm interning, all i know is that i will need a job! the downtown life was appealing to me, but now a place close to the pool is starting to look good. everything can change in a month though :)

friday five

cost

1. What’s something you suspect you regularly overpay for?
umm...gas???

2. What’s something you suspect you regularly underpay for?
i've got nothing...everything is expensive! i sometimes think that the clearance items are still too expensive!

3. What’s taking up more of your time than it should?
Probably driving...but I enjoy it. That and i think i'm on the computer too much!

4. What’s causing you stress only because you let it?
The job hunt.

5. If all your karma were based on your positive and negative attitudes, would it be in good shape, in bad shape, or perfectly in balance?
I'm a pretty positive person, so I would say good shape but we all know that there is a little negativity everywhere, so I would guess in balance with a slight lean to the positive side:)


there's another friday five, but i don't like it as much. i guess i'll answer it when i find the questions amusing.

last weeks friday five

I used to do these all the time until the site shut down. Now two new ones have open up...giving me something to blog about again! so here is last weeks friday five...and tomorrow i'll do this weeks.


1. What were the circumstances surrounding your last all-nighter?
My last all nighter was for school purposes...I was working on a project while portfolio semester, so my time was very limited. I spent many nights in my office until the wee hours of the morning until my advisor told me that i HAD to get at least 5 hours of sleep a night.

2. What’s your favorite stay-awake-and-alert food or drink?
I don't have a favorite...it's usually water or diet pop with some sort of snack...popcorn, crackers, candy...

3. What are you most likely to be doing when you’re up in the late, late hours of the night?
homework! but not anymore. now if i'm up, there usually isn't a good reason for me to be up. but i find i do some of my best art/designing at night.

4. In what way does your personality change when you are sleep-deprived?
not by much...in some cases, i go into overdrive and get a little crazy.

5. If you get home extremely tired and extremely hungry, which need are you most likely to satisfy first?
haha...food! it's always food. at night anyway...i'll stay up to make sure i get everything done at night before i sleep...but if i'm tired during the day, and i have time, i will make sure i take a nap.

Being Silly

This is my little cousin Savanna and I, playing with her Dad's web cam. She really amazes me. Every day she asks when I will be coming home and waits for me...then she follows me around once I'm home, waiting patiently for me to have time to play with her! I love it.

Here goes week 3 of work. Hopefully I won't mess anything up this time. I also start waitressing Thursday and I'm trying to get into Biolife so that I can make some gas/food money. I can't wait for my first paycheck!

swim coach

i got the swim coaching job! that makes me pretty excited. however, i'm not excited to kiss away my friday nights until 7 pm. that means if there is any weekend traveling, i won't arrive anywhere until late.

but i'm so freakin excited! foxjets are the biggest and fasted team in minnesota...and minnesota is a fast state. the team has sent 2 swimmers onto olympic trials.

woohoo! no i just have to figure out where i will be living in september. i'm thinking eden prairie with the relatives for the month...then my new roommate should have bought her house in st. paul.




and yes, julie mae, i will call you...just have to get my definite schedule figured out...should start next week.

and yes...i miss bad medicine and you, deedee. if i don't have to work on saturday or sunday, i'll think about driving up...but i'm thinking it might be best to stay here.

week 2 - the city life

so far so good. i have my own office. i work 3 days a week. and...i have an interview for a swim coach position with the fastest team in minnesota. i have my own room, a sleep number bed, a bathroom with heated floor tiles all to myself, my computer is here, i have a tv in my room, and every night my little cousin waits for me to come home so we can color dora the explorer.

yup, can't complain too much.

(but making money would make everything a lot easier...)

internship!

i finally landed something in my field. in about 2 weeks, i will be starting my internship, which should hopefully lead into a job. i'm excited...even if they find themselves unable to hire me in the end, it's experience, it's contacts, and it's a shot in the right direction.

still unemployed

and i'm getting slightly sick of hanging out at home. it's not bad, kind of relaxing, but my friends aren't here, or if they are, they are busy, and i really want to be on lake bemidji.

speaking of friends...

my friend steph posted this on her blog. it's a scale to rate your friends in your life:

1: A friend also known as an aquaintance. Maybe you don't talk to them. Maybe you do. But when you do, it's only because one of the two of you need something from one another. You don't usually hang out.
2: A friend who you call occassionally. Maybe you'll hang out now and again. You know a lot about them. They'd help you out in a pinch.
3: A friend who you hang out with often. Knows you well. Calls/talks to you often. This is the person who'd bail you out of jail, and not ask to be paid back.

I have very few number 3's. I do find it disappointing when you want so desperatly for a person to be one of your number 3's and yet, no matter what you do, no matter how many times you call them, they don't consider you a number 3. so they can't be your number 3. i tell you, living in another town, moving on from the town that you called home for the past 5 years, where many of your friends still reside, you find out who your real number 3's are. and they are all amazing.

still nothing new on the job front. i'm not moving to reno, i guess if you call that new. the board of directors wanted a senior marketing director, that which i am not. so now i'm looking at the cities again. when ever i see a job in another state, it looks tempting, but then i chicken out. so...i guess it's the cities.

my birthday is in a week. i think i might need to go back to bemidji for that weekend. celebrate a little, as i'm not sure if i will be doing a whole heck of a lot of that here.