The Friday Report

I have completed my third week at my new job and am finally actually doing some useful work. So much to learn, and much of it needs to be on the job training as things occur, so when something comes up that I can do, I am all over it.

I have audited over 1000 pages of reports in the last three days.  I figure, in a way, it is sort of like doing discovery if I was a new associate - sorting through records, looking for abnormalities.  For now, it is kind of fun. Eventually, maybe tedious...but that is only part of the job. As I said - lots to learn!

So, on the BIG NEWS front, Vicki and I have decided we need to get out of our small one-bedroom apartment as soon as possible. We are tired of the noise, the transients urinating in our garage, and the lack of space. Last weekend, when the kids were with us, we happened across a really nice older home duplex while we were out walking.  We called the guy, he came right over, we all looked at it and loved it.  We have spent this week wondering if we should....the timing is a bit sooner than we were ready for...and then the rental sign went down. We figured we had lost out, and it just meant this was not the place for us. Yesterday - the for rent sign was back up. A sign for us?

Tonight we are going back to look again with a fairly serious intent to rent.  The owner really wants us in there - a government contractor and a lawyer (we look good on paper!) - but made it clear that one posting on Craigslist and he'd have 150 emails by tonight. He want a renter soon.  He is asking a fair price in a very desirable neighborhood where not a lot of openings come up. So.....stay tuned. We may be moving!

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Thanks for the suggestions that I received on an off-line about where to get pictures blown up, and for the idea of keep them small and doing groupings.  I may do a bit of each.  Now the hard part - deciding which pictures to use!

I cannot say that I am really doing much in my job yet, as far as actual work goes, but I am learning a lot. It is strange to go from knowing everything there is to know about a position and how to get things done, to knowing nothing.  It does take the pressure off though - no one expects anything from me at this point!  I am excited to be learning so much about the natural gas industry. This was a great place to have landed!

I have finally learned enough about Portland to know where the restaurant is that my old law school classmates occasionally meet for get-togethers. I found it on a walk during lunch yesterday. It appears to be a nice Irish pub that would have good beer, tasty food and fine  Dutch Masters cigars.  Well, maybe not that last part, since there is no smoking in any restaurants or bars, but you get the idea. Hmmm.....now that I work about a 5-minute walk from there, I wonder when the next planned lunch will be?

I have spent the morning reading about standard procedures and finding educational information on the web. My brain is full, but my stomach is not. Now, in search of food! Have a good week everyone!

Blowing Up Pictures?

We have a little art on our walls, but we need more!  Vicki and I decided a while back that we should blow up a few of the nature pictures I have taken over the past year and call them art.  There are a few really good ones taken on nature hikes deep in the woods - great color and depth.  The tricky part is we need to find a company to send them to that will blow them up into poster-size without charging a ridiculous amount. I have considered Walmart, but I know there are lots of options out there. Does anyone have any experience with this?   Web surfing for companies can be so confusing with all the ads about diet supplements, choline supplements, getting more energy and saving more money.

Thanks for any advice!

January is Flying By

OK, so I have set some goals for the year.

I have started my new job, and I am excited that there is so much to learn!  I am even more excited that my supervisor is all for me learning all I can, meeting lots of people and doing "ride-alongs" so I can learn about what work out in the field looks like, after all, that is where it really all happens.

This month has gone by so quickly. How did it get to be the 19th already?  It can't possibly be that far after Christmas....there are still boxes of Christmas decorations in the living room that we have to make room in our storage area for!  I still have professional journals piled up that I wanted to go through while on Christmas break.  There are still a ton of junk emails to clean out of my account on everything from creating the life I really want to live to colon cleansers that work.  Nope, we can't be nearly done with January!

Just in case we really are, though, we are making plans for February already!

New Year's Resolutions - Part 3

I actually did write down some fairly specific goals yesterday and I feel good about them.  I am about to start a 90-day meditation course, and I want to complete that with at least a 5/7 day participation rate. I plan on doing at least 10 pages of creative writing each month. I also want to find two mentors at work and participate in at least three career-development activities that are not directly job responsibilities.

I plan on getting more exercise - I was doing great for a while last year, but really slacked off.  I don't want to be worrying about needing to do diet pill reviews!  My goal is at least 20 minutes of exercise 3 times per week. I have not set a timeline on that, but feel OK about that fact.

I plan on taking the kids on a nice vacation this year. It is a goal.  I did so much cool travel last year, and this year, I would like to include the kids. We are hoping to be able to make a trip to Disneyland a reality.

There are more, but those are some of the major ones.  Sometimes it feels like I will never have enough time or energy to do all the things I want to do, but it is funny how the busier you are, the more that gets accomplished! It is also amazing how much more time there is in a day when the TV does not get turned on!

New Year's Resolutions - Part 2

Yes, so I am thinking about goals for the year. Vicki and I were talking about them a couple nights ago, and I realized that most were still too general in my mind. In order to be achieved, they should be more specific, that way, I will know when I have reached the goal, right?  I hate to throw out the term SMART, but I will because it  is actually useful. That is the thing where goals should be Specific Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely (uh..something about setting a timeline, anyway).

I have been thinking about all areas of my life - family, career, physical and mental health, spiritual - and considering what I would like to have done or learned.  One thing I would like to do is take a weekend course in glass blowing or glass tile.  I have decided that does not have to be a goal for this year, but if it happens - great!  Might be better to hold off until we have more room where I can safely display something that is glass!

New Year's Resolutions?

I heard a statistic on the radio yesterday.  The third Monday in January is supposed to be the saddest day of the year. By that point people have started receiving their Christmas spending credit card bills, the high from any vacation time has ended, the weather is usually not great, and most people have already given up on their well-intended resolutions.

I have never been a big New Year's Resolution fan.  It seems like a lot of hype - and really, there is no reason that any day of the year that I want to start doing or changing something, I can. No point in limiting it to one day a year.  Besides, I wouldn't want to break a Resolution, so if I don't make one, it can't be broken!

I am not calling them Resolutions, but I am thinking about goals for the year. More on that in the next post. How about you? Any big NY's resolutions out there?

So, once the Black Friday craziness and other Holiday shopping was over,  Christmas with the kids was fun, as always. They both received pretty much everything they wanted.  After that, I had a few days left of my old job and then I was off for a week to celebrate New Year's Eve and prepare to start working full time again.  No one made any preparation for me leaving my old job, which was disturbing, but not too surprising. A couple hours before I left they had me show someone a few things.  Crazy.  I have found out I will not be replaced and my job is being divided up amongst various departments and people who already have too much to do.  All I can do is let it go and know I did a good job while I was there.

New Year's Eve was a blast!

Vicki and I went to visit our good friends, Bonnie and Dave, in Seattle. (They are the ones who got married in England last year.)  We stayed at a very nice hotel in downtown Seattle, and indulged in a dinner cruise that concluded with a spectacular view of the fireworks that are set off, literally, off of the Space Needle.

The food was really good, the jazz band pleasant, and the company excellent!  This was definitely a great way to spend the night - away from the crowds, lines and drunken craziness, and in a beautiful setting with friends.  Bring on 2011!

Where Have I Been? - Part 2

Where was I? Oh, right, the new job.  I am not going to be working as a Mesothelioma lawyer or any lawyer, actually. I am going to do pipeline code compliance for a natural gas company. This is the perfect opportunity to dive in to what was was most interested in - which is administrative law - applying federal regulations to a highly regulated industry.  It is going to be a great chance to learn a ton...and then figure out where I want to go from there.

I started the job on January 6th, so barely a week ago. So far, so good! I keep having people come up and, unsolicited, tell me what a great company this is and how wonderful the people are.  People that have been there for 10 years are still considered "babies" because there are so many that have been around much longer. I am meeting people who are very excited about what they do and are eager to share their knowledge - which is very exciting.  I am really happy that I waited for the type of job I thought I wanted, at the place I wanted, and that it all seems to be coming together perfectly.

Where Have I Been? - Part 1

Wow! I cannot believe it has been since before Christmas that I last blogged!  Guess between being busy and just posting random updates on Facebook, I lost track!  It was a wonderful Holiday season spent with kids, family and friends.  Shopped lots, played lots, ate lots...seems like between Christmas and needing things for a very special New Year's Eve celebration, we shopped for everything except. new slipcovers!  Oh, right, maybe because we still do not have a couch!

Let's see....the week before Christmas week, I got what was possibly one of the greatest gifts I could have received - a job offer from one of the top three companies for whom I wanted to work. It was the same company that I did an internship for while in law school, so as you can imagine, I was thrilled! It was nice after so much time and networking, that one of the things that is "supposed to work" to get a job did - namely, doing the internship to prove myself, meet people - oh, and check out the working environment.

I am in between cooking breakfast, so will post this. Look for Part 2 soon!

Christmastime Fun!

After finding out about my new job, I rewarded myself by buying one of those cool kid car track sets that they have set up in mall kiosks.  I always have told the kids we could not get one.  Were they ever surprised to come to the apartment last week and find the track set up all around the Christmas tree!!

I know, lots of people might have gone out and bought new clothes, or jewelry - I bought a toy!

Today, Christmas Eve Eve (as Kelton informed me), we baked and decorated sugar cookies.  As you may note, we used a rather unique rolling pin.  :)

Kelton was more interested in printing and coloring pictures from Wizards 101.  He was doing a great job, and later, Kaylen joined him.

We rounded out the night with more coloring, watching Christmas shows, and eating Chinese food we had delivered.  (Or at least, that is the plan...I am currently updating my blog while Vicki is coloring with the kids and we await food delivery.) We are all enjoying our pre-Christmas fun, and looking forward to Christmas day!

WAHOO!!! NEW JOB!!!

I am so very, very happy to report that I was offered a great job yesterday with a company that I have wanted to work for since I interned with them in my third year of law school!  They are in the utility industry, are located about 3 miles from where I currently live, are known to be a good company to work for, have a beautiful building, there is a lot of growth potential, and based on the interview, I like the people with whom I will be working. Oh - and the pay is really good too!  There is probably no need to say that I accepted their offer!  I will likely start the first week of January.

Last night, I celebrated in style - with my kids at their winter festival.  I have to say, I couldn't have had a better time at a 5-star restaurant.  I watched/helped them do crafts and play games, have their picture taken with Santa, and have a good time with me and with their friends. Today, despite my plans to sleep in, I woke up excited and figured I might as well be up and get the most out of my day.  I was at our outdoor Saturday Market, in the pouring rain, by about 11:00, and was happily choosing among artwork prints,  jewelry, pottery and more as I searched for Chirstmas/Thank You gifts for those that have especially supported me over this past year.  I later found myself warming up at the mall that was on my way home, and found another couple gifts I had been searching for.  (Bonus to all of this - I was on foot - did not have to drive anywhere!)

I was home by 2:30, ordered a pizza, watched a bit of a movie, took a very brief nap, then got up to sort through all the fun gifts that have been purchased for the season.  It has been a really good day, and I am happy to say it is not over, yet.  May still do some web surfing, reading, or even some writing.

I feel very grateful to finally be at the point where I was hired as a result of my legal degree and experience. Finally time to start putting the knowledge and skills to work.

Lost First Tooth and Other Fun

The pictures say it all:

The Christmas-Related Fun:

 Zoo Lights:

Wanted: Good Sleep

Historically, I have had no sleeping problems at all.  Over the past year, I have developed some, on and off.  Vicki is trying to help me figure them out.  I think it is a combination of stress over still not having a job in the legal profession, , my current job going half-time, ongoing kid and divorce-related issues, and the fact our new apartment is too noisy! We are on a busy street and even though traffic is low at night, garbage trucks seem to start everyday at 3:30 in the morning, and throughout the night, there is occasional truck or bus noise.  Now, I am not the type to be awake worrying about anything. I am generally not much of a worrier....but sometimes lately, once I wake up, I have trouble going back to sleep.  I sometimes am thinking about the previous day, or the next day, or something fun coming up....almost never about any actual difficulties.....I am just awake.  If this keeps up, I will have to look into under eye wrinkle cream or some such product.  Oh, last night, the problem was easy to diagnose - do NOT drink a Red Bull after 4:00 pm.  (Although it does make it easier to stay awake watching Harry Potter! We just finished the third movie, with three more to go before going to see the new release!)

Little Tasks Adding Up

You know how sometimes you just need a day to catch up on all the small tasks?  I think I could use one of these every week!  None of the tasks take long, and I usually make a list so I can cross them off, because it feels good to know they are done!  First - there is always sorting through the emails - which are maybe Christmas sales I actually want to look at vs ones about the best male enhancement products which I am certain I will NEVER need.  Then there's things like paying the bills online, uploading pictures from the camera, backing up the computer files onto a portable hard drive, checking into status of a student loan, updating my blog, and checking the job posting sites.  I am splitting those things up over the course of a few days this week, and it feels a bit fractured, but I can say as my list gets closer to completion, the happier I feel!  It should be a "duty-free" weekend!

Lego Fun at Buy.com

More shopping - done!!  How much fun does this toy look?

Way, cool, right?  This is Emporor Palpatine's Shuttle OK, well, presumably not the real one, but it is a way cool Lego model that includes 4 mini figures - Battle-damaged Anakin Skywalker with Darth Vader helmet, Emperor Palpatine, medical droid, and clone pilot. The shuttle has folding wings, functioning landing gear, opening cockpit and transformation bed. The completed model measures 12” long and has a wingspan of 15”.  This is 592 pieces of intergalactic fun that I suspect is going to make my son very happy this Christmas.  :) *shhhh...don't tell*  He has been somewhat into Legos for a couple years, but this year, he became VERY interested and skilled at building sets and making up his own creations. I am quite supportive of any constructive ways he finds of expressing creativity, so Legos gets my vote any day.

This ship is from Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.  I never actually saw any of the prequel movies...never beyond the original movies with  very young Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. I suspect I will soon see the movies I have missed though. They are sitting in a boxed set under the TV as Vicki is a huge fan of Star Wars and owns them all.   Sounds like a good marathon theme on some cold winter day.  

Anyway, the Palpatine Shuttle can be found on sale at many locations this Holiday season, the reviews are great, and I know where there is one hiding in my apartment.  :)

Weekend Fun!

Wow - what a full weekend we had over the Thanksgiving holiday! It started with a potluck Thanksgiving at my nephew's house. There were about 16 adults and 8 children - turkeys both baked and deep fried, 3 kinds of stuffing, plus a variety of veggies and, of course, desserts!  It was fun that the kids got to play with their cousins that they mostly only see at holidays and birthday parties, good for me to catch up with people, and nice for Vicki to spend a bit more time with my family.

Later weekend fun included Zoo Lights - a light display at our local zoo featuring animals, decorated trees and colored lights of all sorts.  I will upload some pictures soon.  We also decorated the tree, made a gingerbread train....and....duh, duh, duh, duh  (sound of trumpets)...Kaylen lost her first tooth!! It took a bit of prodding from me....but it had to be done. She was crying almost everytime she ate because food was hurting the loose tooth when she bit down.  When I pushed on it the last time ("come on, let me see it again"), she started to get mad because it hurt, but then she realized the tooth was loose in her mouth and shouted, "I lost my tooth!"  She was so excited! She ran through the apartment showing Kelton and Vicki, and then called Casey.....big excitement!  We celebrated by going to see Disney's Tangled, which we all enjoyed very much!  Kaylen was so sweet the rest of the weekend - looking at me and saying, "thank you for helping me loose my tooth."  What a sweet girl!

We had a nice balance of quiet time in the apartment and outside activity, which is something I am striving for, especially as winter sets in.  A very nice holiday weekend!  Pictures to follow. :)

Buying Zombieland at Buy.Com - Maybe So!

I wrote a few days ago about how Vicki has a knack for finding bad TV. It happened again.

Last night, I entered the apartment to find her watching the credits to Lord of the Rings. OK, good enough.  We chatted about the kids and the weather and left the TV on the channel on which Lord of Rings had played.  Soon, we heard a teenage boy giving us important survival rules for when the zombie apocalypse arrives. The most important, it turns out, is the 'Double Tap" - never think you have killed the zombie on the first hit - always hit it again.  The movie, Zombieland,  drew us in.....it was a train-wreck and we could not look away.  The thing is, it was actually very entertaining. 

I have lifted the IMDB storyline description here rather than figuring out a better way to describe it myself:

Searching for family. In the early twenty-first century, zombies have taken over America. A shy and inexperienced college student in Texas has survived by following his 30 rules: such as "look in the back seat," "shoot twice," "avoid public restrooms." He decides to travel to Ohio to see if his parents are alive. He gets a ride with a boisterous zombie-hating good-old boy headed for Florida, and soon they confront a young woman whose sister has been bitten by a zombie and wants to be put out of her misery. The sisters were headed to an LA amusement park they've heard is zombie free. Can the kid from Ohio get to his family?


The movie is actually a comedy, not taking itself as a true horror film seriously at all.  Don't get me wrong, it is gruesome to watch blood-oozing zombies devour human flesh and be blown away/torn apart/smashed in a variety of ways....and yet, somehow, it is very entertaining.  Maybe because it is all done so matter-of-factly.  The characters are not surprised by any horrific scene they come across or task they must perform.  The movie plays a bit like a video game, and Woody Harrelson portrays the larger-than-life, good-ol' boy hero better than any true action hero ever would have. He often feels no need to carry a weapon, despite that there may be a mad flesh-eating monster pop out at him at any time. Instead, he just grabs whatever is handy and takes care of the problem.  Contrast his machismo with the geeky sidekick teen-age boy and you have a well-balanced team with both bringing strengths and weaknesses to the mix.  The fact that they team up with a pair of sisters, a couple of the remaining few humans of the non-zombie variety, adds some interesting depth, and humor.  


I looked up the movie today and found out it was released in 2009 and the DVD is on sale for $15 at Buy.com.  This might actually be worth owning to be able to watch more than once.  Not that you need it to follow the storyline, but there are a lot of one-liners worth another listen, and sometimes, a zombie movie is just the sort of mindless entertainment needed at the end of a long week.  

Drugs, Guns and Stuffy Noses

Today I was reading a bit on phentermine, which reminded me of pseudophedrine, which led to an article about how making the decongestant illegal, except by prescription, drastically reduced the crime rate in Oregon.  Pseudophedrine is a key ingredient in creating methamphetamine and it appears that out-lawing it may be the most effective method in reducing illegal meth labs (are there legal meth labs?) and lowering related crimes.  Some states have tried various forms of limiting the availability of the drug by making it only available in small quantities behind the pharmacy counter and by tracking, but those interested in manufacturing meth found ways around all the safety precautions and tracking attempts.

A NY Times opinion piece (How to Kill the Meth Monster - Nov. 10, 2010) explains that meth is highly addictive, dangerous and has devastated countless families and individuals and implies that simply making pseudophedrine only available by prescription, or not at all,  is an effective way to drastically reduce the problem.

On the one hand, I agree. It is probably true. I doubt it would be hard to find statistics to back up the thesis. On the other hand, why should I have to go to a doctor (and pay the co-pay and be exposed to all the other sick people in the waiting room) to get a prescription for something I know I need (now at a higher cost because it is by prescription only - supply and demand at work here) that I can currently pick up fairly easily?  I live on the border between Oregon and Washington. In Oregon, you cannot buy pseudophedrine over the counter. The substitutes suck...that is, they do not relieve my nasal congestion.  In Washington, I simply ask my pharmacist for the medication, sign something attesting to my identity, age, weight, height, religious affiliation, and my mother's permission to buy the medication (tracking to make sure I do not buy a suspicious amount of the meth-making ingredient), make my purchase and soon have my nasal congestion under control.  Is it right that my ability to do that is possibly going to be eliminated because a group of drug addicts and criminals want to use the drug to manufacture an illegal substance?

Is this another form of the gun control laws argument?  Those who are going to use a gun/a drug/ heck - even a vehicle, properly are going to go it. Those who choose not to are breaking the laws.  Why are we considering taking away the rights from those not abusing the system because we cannot control those who do abuse it.

Ah, guess that last line answers my own question.

Holiday Food Temptations

The Holiday treats have started appearing at work, and on TV, and in the stores and at the restaurants....Everything looks so good!  I may need to read up on how to suppress appetite during the Holidays!  Last night was a fundraiser for the kids's school at Burgerville, a local fast food restaurant.  Casey reminded me that the pumpkin shakes are amazing, so Vicki and I shared one, and I have to say, it will be difficult not to drop by another time or two while the special flavor is still available. I am not a huge pumpkin fan - not really into pumpkin lattes or ice cream, and I like pie, but it is more about the Cool Whip and crust than the filling. That said, these shakes taste just like you are eating a slice of pumpkin pie. The only thing missing is the crust. I seriously wanted to dip a piece of pie crust into the shake to complete the experience!  If you like pumpkin pie and live near a Burgerville, you really have to try one of their pumpkin shakes. Tis the season!