Working for a Higher Standard

In general, I think working for the government would be a pretty good gig. You get reasonable pay, decent benefits, never an hour of overtime, a four-day work week, and the joy of just not giving a damn. Wouldn't it be nice to never actually be busy? To pack up at 5pm, leave and never think about the office the rest of the night? To never have to go through the "goals process" of setting super-human goals in an effort to reach immortality in the corporate world? How nice it must be to be a government worker.

Yesterday I had the joy of calling the Securities and Exchange Commission "Help Desk" to resolve an error message I was receiving on a regulatory filing. Shaniqua was my customer service representative and was generally annoyed that I would be calling her for help. Clearly we were not communicating because every time I would answer her dumb questions (they were seriously as dumb as, "Who are you?") she would sigh and say, "That's not what I'm asking." Eventually she became so frustrated with my answers, she transferred me to Leslie, who was much more gentle. At some point, after being put on hold for the 83rd time, I hung up and figured it out myself. {Leslie actually did call me back and said, "I came back from being on hold and you were gone. I wonder how we were disconnected." I didn't tell her I hung up on her.}

Today I stopped by the main post office to ship a blanket order that required a medium size box. The main post office closes at 5:30pm sharp, so I rushed to get there before being locked out. Just my luck, they did not have any medium size shipping boxes on the shelf. So I approached the mail official and asked if they had any larger boxes. He came back with the same small box that was on the shelf and proceeded to stuff my items into the small box. Needless to say, it took three boxes to get everything to fit comfortably. When I went to pay for the boxes, the mail official tells me that I could have used a different box which is $3.50 cheaper than the box I was given, but I would have to repackage my order. When I agreed to switch he said, "We closed six minutes ago, so you don't have time to repack your boxes." The girl standing next to me chuckled. I glared in disbelief. So I said, "OK, I'll just pay more for these boxes and you can just go ahead and give yourself a raise." I'm paying your salary, mister! I think you should be nice, but he doesn't have to be. You know why? Because he works for the government and government workers just don't give a damn.

The Bachelor

Is anyone out there watching The Bachelor this season? Ok, I admit, The Bachelor is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I have a secret crush on Jason, this season's Bachelor, but since I love G so much, I must let Jason go. Until tonight's trailer when DeAnna, last season's Bachelorette, comes back to pledge her love for Jason, whom she dumped in the finale. Ooooh, this is going to be good. What is Jason going to do?? Would you take her back? I can't wait!

Baby Goodness

Ok, how cute is this?? I needed a project the other night, as if I don't have three other projects waiting to be finished, so my Mom showed me how to crochet this cute little baby beanie for a newborn. The pattern is here. It's just basic crochet and so, so easy. The pink edge is my creativity at work (not in the pattern) since I have crazy scalloped edge skills :)

Chili, with Beans

I was grocery shopping the other night when I was struck head on with a shelf full of this canned good: Chili With Beans. What a novel concept. Just think how fine guacamole would be with avocados or spaghetti, with noodles. Albertson's just might be onto something here.

Phelps Phlucks Up

My Olympic gold-medal superstar is human, or at least that's what the comments by the citizens are saying on CNN about Michael Phelps' recent bust by a British newspaper, who caught the swimmer smoking a bong {and we all know what goes in a bong}. It's pretty likely Phelps will loose some of his endorsements, his reputation, and a handful of fans. I admit, I've lost some respect. Phelps was a role model for what this country can be; what you get when you set a goal and work hard; how to make something of yourself when life hasn't always dealt you the best hand, and to do it with integrity and self respect. I held Phelps on a pedestal to prove to the world that America really does have potential, and here was the guy to prove it. How naive of me. How unfortunate that he would choose marijuana for a moment of magical thinking over a lifetime of hard work and accomplishments. I'm sure he'll be back, but I wonder if his return, no matter how great, will bring that same ecstatic feeling felt during the Olympics. He's tarnished. I suppose we are all humans who make dumb choices, but we all eventually pay the consequences too.

Juno

I just watched the movie Juno for the 100 millionth time tonight. HBO seems to be airing it a couple times a week these days. This movie gets me everytime. Juno is very funny with her immature one-liners and Bleeker is just a lanky, awkward athlete with tangy breath. I can't help laughing during this movie, even though the subject matter is rather serious {I'm not so sure the movie exactly portrays the real challenges of teenage pregnancy}. In the end, what literally brings me to tears is when Vanessa is in the hospital and the nurse comes out and says, "Would you like to meet your son?" I don't have any children of my own, but I think my maternal instincts kick in and I start to imagine what that must be like, even as an adoptive parent, to hold a baby, your baby, for the first time. What a miracle.

Our New President

I have a secret crush on our new President, Barack Obama. He intrigues me. I love to listen to him speak. He is so eloquent and honest. I feel like he is genuinely speaking to me. I was just watching him dance with the First Lady. They are so romantic, even after what must be the longest day of their lives! I look forward to the years ahead. I think Obama will be a fabulous leader. He is a man of action. Our nation is in a pretty frumpy state right now, but the enthusiam of our country is overwhelming. It is refreshing. I hope it lasts.

Countdown to April 18, 2009

Last year G and I ran the Salt Lake Half Marathon. It was quite the accomplishment for both of us and a big step towards running a full marathon. I think I am finally mentally prepared for 26.2 miles. I thought I had Kate on board to run it with me, but apparently she's broken her ankle snowboarding. G is trying to convince me to run the half again, and beat our time from last year. When talking to my mom about it, she said, "Why would anyone ever want to do that?" So now that I've rallied my support group, let the count down begin. Every week I go for a "long run" and every week my long run gets longer than the weeks before. This week I am on my seven miler. Easy. It's when I get to the 20 miler when I might see the wisdom in my mom's question.

Word Search

I just finished this cute little blanket to put on my Etsy site. The blue fabric is Michael Miller's Word Search fabric and the back is a coordinating brown & blue polk-a-dot flannel.

The ABCs are the same flannel fabric that I've sewn on and quilted around. As the blanket is washed, the edges around the letters will fray slightly to give the letters a little texture.

The blanket is quilted with the entire alphabet and bound with a silky ribbon. Who wouldn't want to cuddle with their little one with this cute blanket? Plus it's educational!

Send Me to Detention

I'm a blog delinquent. I've posted nothing about Christmas, New Years, cabin weekend, friends, family, G. I'm sure I can find something interesting to tell my faithful readers. Is it too late to post the draft I wrote two weeks ago on my thoughts about Christmas? Maybe I'll just save it for next year.