I'm cheating on you, baby

Since I was feelin' like there wasn't much going on [LIE] I thought I'd come up with something else to do: how about a year-long course on how to be a leader? What can I say, work doesn't pay for training much [EVER] so I thought I should take advantage.

Now as part of my sharing and leading and learning and growing I have a new blog, for which the co-workers who kindly agreed to judge me during this process can keep up-to-date with my "progress". I'll be honest, I'm having a hard time keeping the sarcasm in check on there. Not because I don't think this is worthwhile, just because apparently that's how I communicate. And yes, I know it's a problem.

This actually comes during a time of introspection and personal reflection. The "Year of Jen" has turned into the "Year of Improving Jen" which is fine as long as I get somewhere with it. The last class for the program was the Myers-Briggs test and that was very eye-opening for me. Apparently I'm an introvert. So many things make more sense when I understand that. I thought it was weird that I feel shy so often when I'm also quite outgoing. Aside from people I know, most others make me really uncomfortable [STILL SINGLE].

Speaking of being single, guess what I have this weekend? Family reunion! Once every 5 years I, conspicuously-alone, get to go visit my great big mostly-married, baby-breedin' extended family. Don't me wrong, I love them and I can't wait to see them. But if my dear cousin points out that I'm the oldest one at the party alone (again) I will not be responsible for my actions. At least I'm not the lard-ass I was 5 years ago (see photo at right and then print and burn).

Anyway, to get back on topic, I'm supposed to post on my other blog at least once every other week. So... yeah. You may need to go there for your Jen fix for awhile. But I still love you.

Oh and the [BLOCK] thing. Just ignore it. [HABIT].

The Brain Bone is connected to the Mouth Bone

I have lost the ability to communicate recently. It may have been going for sometime now but it's reached epically bad proportions recently.

Have you ever been thinking one thing but your mouth says something else? Today, while walking to get coffee with the new web guy (who will hopefully make my work life much easier) we were talking about my new TV and the possibility of TiVo etc. I was thinking:

"I got DVR the second it came out, back when it was the dirty little secret of cable. I love my DVR!".

... but what I said was (oh god. So mortifying)...

"I love you".

Naturally I just kept talking. I briefly tried to clarify my love for the DVR rather than him but mostly I tried to gloss over my apparent attempt at sexual harassment 30 minutes after he showed up for his first day of work. Oh, the humiliation.

This is not the only example. At trivia I wrote down 'Siskel and Egbert' (rather than 'Ebert"), and I thought Michael Jackson's kids' godfather was Marlon Brando (FYI, it's Macaulay Caulkin and isn't Brando everyone's godfather?). I also recently referenced the movie "Harold and Kumar go to Washington". I'm not sure what's worse: messing up the title of a classic, iconic movie or the fact that now Mr. Smith apparently has to go to White Castle.

Keep your fingers crossed that this is a phase and it passes quickly-- I say stupid enough stuff normally. None of you want me calling you for bail money after I say "Thank you for my ticket, Mr. Occifer!". Now that I have a big, pretty TV I can't bail myself out anymore! (my god, I sound blonde, don't I?).

Giddy with Technology

Not all of you starved-for-entertainment readers know me that well, but I'm a little high-strung. I stay busy anyway and if you've been reading you know the last 10-11 months or so have been extra crazy. So the vacation was a blissful break and I honestly didn't realize how stressed I'd been until I got back.
The last week or two post-vacation has also been somewhat dreamy. Sure, it's been busy but it also feels like time has slowed down. I can't believe, for example, that I have only been back for two weeks. It feels like a month!
So for the first week and a half or so I was able to stay mostly detached and not let stuff bother me so much. Slowly things have started to get to me again but I'm trying to remind myself not to over-react and that things don't need to be a crisis. I'm trying to enjoy things away from work more and remember to smile, even when I don't feel like it.

One thing that has really helped with this goal is that my roommate moves out this weekend. I do like my roommate as a person, but not as much as a roommate. The other piece of awesomeness about her moving out is that now I get to buy a new TV. I take the TV very seriously so I've decided to invest/splurge. I'll be picking up a 37' flat-screen LCD HD TV (Samsung, in case you're curious) later this afternoon. I can't wait to watch some HD Olympics and play some hi-res Wii and I'm thinking out hooking up a computer too. Sweet, sweet technology. I enclose a picture here as further proof that I am a geek.