I'm just your average, everyday, divorced 38 year old girl -- overweight, tragically unhip,
and trying to make a life for myself. I live with two furry beasts, Dave and Abby, whose
feline mission in life is to choke me with their fur. Nothing special.
Saturday night. Well, you can cross one of my "must do before I die"s off of the list because...I've met Yvonne! You can read her account of it and it's fairly accurate but she left out one very small detail - her picture just doesn't do her justice. This is one gorgeous woman, let me tell you! And funny, too. You know how she reads? Well, she's just the same in real life. If it weren't for the whole unemployment-and-can't-afford-my-shopping-addiction thing, I'd move out here and bother her for Saturday breakfast every weekend. Fortunately for everyone, I'm a California girl with a passion for Chanel, Kate Spade, and Tiffany, and I'm just too old to change now.
Today's itinerary, after the highlight of the day, was much smaller than yesterday's seven hour, nearly seven mile odyssey. We had a few little hiccups along the way due to a Metro detour that caused an additional transfer in order to get into town and back to Silver Spring, but that didn't stop us. Slowed us down, yes, but we soldiered on nevertheless. First, we hit the National Book Festival - checking out the various authors speaking and the many interesting pavillions featuring literacy organizations and such - then tootled over to the World War II Memorial (very moving), before ending up at the Ellipse and the finale for the Tour of Hope bike ride. We didn't actually go into the finale grounds (because we were already pretty wiped out), but we got to see all of the cyclists and some of the festivities before we popped back on the Metro to Union Station for lunch and some shopping. At Imposters costume jewelry store, Mom bought me a beautiful Diamonique pendant for my birthday. The chain and setting are all 14K gold and the CZ is just spectacular and looks just like my earrings, which are the real thing. After shopping and eating, the Metro shuttled us (after several extra transfers) back to the hotel. Whew, I'm tired just reading it.
So, tomorrow it's back home and the everyday routine. Our flights leave at noon and 1pm, so we'll be at the airport about 10am, which is not entirely unreasonable. You know what's odd, though? Football doesn't start until like 1pm here - what's up with that? How are you supposed to watch JB, Howie, Terry and Jimmy while eating breakfast and sipping coffee if it's not on until noon? This is terribly confusing. In any case, we're both connecting through Chicago, so please pray for us. It's odd, you know, how the end of a trip - whether for business or pleasure - always makes me feel sort of melancholy. I love San Diego, I love my life, and I know that I wouldn't get on well here at all, but I always get this way when I travel. Still, my prepared meals will be waiting for me and it will be back to the routine Monday morning.
By the way, for anyone interested in my efforts at better health (remember when that's what this site was about?), I managed only two formal workouts while I was here, but I also put at least 11 miles of casual walking on my feet, legs, and shoes, so that's not too bad. My food, however, leaves a lot more to be desired. We won't even discuss the alcohol. I'm really just hoping this doesn't put me back over 226 because I will cry if I have to take my latest charm off of my bracelet. Really. Cry.
Drinking too much, cute boys, walking, and then some more walking
Friday evening. Waking up this morning was excruciating. Well, to be more accurate, getting up this morning was excruciating, as I didn't actually get any sleep last night. Some serious drinking of hard alcohol was done last night, including this funky mix of Red Bu11 and whiskey, and it left me feeling buzzed and my heart racing with the speed junkie stuff in Red Bull. Yikes! I got up, though, and made it to my meetings right on time (8:30am). It was not pretty - nor was I - but I did what I had to do.
Once the meetings were done, Mom and I headed out to Dupont Circle for lunch and then a three mile walking tour around the Georgetown area. Once we'd done Embassy Row and were back in the Metro station, we decided to go to the National Cathedral, so we hopped on the Metro then got off and tried to find the #30 bus to the Cathedral. After waiting a few minutes, we decided to just walk it instead. Turns out to be about 1-1/2 miles each way, so it appears that we did about six miles of walking today, did my 65 year old mother and I - wow!
LATE BREAKING NEWS: Congratulations, Dan, my new friend, Scott, and the rest of the Red Sox Nation. The better team, clearly, won. Now it's time to put away the hatchet (I wasn't really going to use it, I was just kidding) and focus on the most important task of all - beating the Yankees and then winning the World Series. We did it in 2002, now it's your turn. Use The Force!
In which we discuss the feasibility of two miracles in one not entirely long (thus far) lifetime
Wednesday morning. OK, so, why am I up and posting at the equivalent of 2:22am Pacific time? Because I'm sharing a hotel room with my mother, who's been snoring. Yikes! I got about six hours before I woke up, though, and I think that's liveable. I'm just killing time until the hotel fitness center opens at 7am. (Yes. Really. Seven am. What's up with that? How is a working girl supposed to get her 40 minute walk/jog session in before her slightly intimidating meeting at 9am? Honestly!)
Yesterday went amazingly well. My flights were both early and (oh, blessed day!) I got moved to an Economy Plus exit row window seat for the leg from Denver to Reagan National. This, to the uninitiated, is pretty much the highest level of achievement a business traveler in cattle (Coach) class can expect. I think I heard the band of cherubim start in as I sank happily into my seat and stretched my legs out as far as they would go just to put my tippy toes on the arm rests in front of me. Ahhhh. That and my CSI: Miami Season One DVD and I was in a state of bliss.
Then, upon arrival in Washington, my bag was in one piece, the TSA-approved lock was happily dangling from my joined zipper pulls, and I didn't hurt any innocent bystanders while pulling the monster from the conveyer belt. Life really doesn't get better than that. My friend and work colleague, Kathi, got in right on time and we had time to peruse the shops at the airport before Mom's flight arrived (early). We hopped on the Metro and, after a few missteps, off we went. We were checked in and ready to go out for dinner by 6pm Eastern, which is a lot earlier than I'd expected.
In case you're wondering about the title of today's post, it refers to my beloved Anaheim Angels and their chances of "going all the way" again this year. Because of my well-known (and awfully rare, come to that) devotion to the boys from Anaheim, people keep asking me, "can they do it again, Denise?" My answer, always, is that I never expected to see them win the World Series once in my lifetime, much less twice, so I have no expectations at all. None.
Monday night. OK, not so much the Wizard, but I do get to meet Yvonne this week while visiting our nation's capitol. It's funny how completely focused and business-like I become just before a trip for work. This became very clear to me last week when my mother, who is accompanying me on the trip, called me, very excited, to talk about the trip and I just sort of moaned and groaned about it. Here she is, excited because she's going somewhere cool and neat and wonderful and I'm being a grump and very nearly ruining it for her. I did explain that I had a lot to clear off of my plate before I could leave and that, for me, work came first and I had to think of it is work otherwise I'd lose focus and not be effective. She understood, for which I'm eternally grateful, and I'm working on mustering more enthusiasm.
I also got a little cold water to the face today in the form of a one on one meeting with my boss. She had gathered feedback from my immediate past team (up until May) and my current team and much of it wasn't pretty. I'm in too many meetings (true). I don't always follow through on things I say I'll do (too true, especially because I overpromise). I am not good enough at confronting personnel issues (this is both true - I'm not - but also partly because no one knows when I do deal with them because I don't do "public hangings"). I don't share enough information (this one was news to me, and I'll definitely work on it). The worst one? I'm a very negative person and always look on the dark side. (Ouch.) I think those are the "highlights". When my boss talked to me about it and asked what I had to say, I was trying, valiantly, to explain that I'm trying and that I've been really overwhelmed with all of the projects and the troubled employee (gone to greener pastures, thank Heaven) and the employee on disability and the outside projects when I committed the ultimate sin. I just couldn't get the words out because tears started blocking my eyes and my throat and all that I could do was stare into space and try to will it away. It didn't work. Through my tears, I told her how I was feeling, apologized for crying, and said that I really wanted to be doing a good job and I didn't really hate any of my projects, but that the level of stress and the pervasive sense of doom on one of my key project teams (not one that I lead) had just pushed me past my limit. She (who has worked with me as a peer for over 11 years now) said that I needed to ask for help long before I got to that point and gently chastised me for not letting her know what was going on until I got called onto the carpet for it. Fair enough. However, I am competing with Mr and Ms Perfect Project Managers and they never, never, ever ask for help or are unable to see a project through to completion. Never. I don't want to be the one that can't handle it all, you know? In any case, I told that I would try to be more communicative about my stress level, that I'd start working to hand off more projects and meetings, and that I'd really start focusing my energy where I add the most value: with my team. Hey, now there's a concept, Denise!
Why is it that you never appreciate how good you have it as a child until you grow up and develop an ulcer?
