September 17, 2011
Isn't it Strange?
I spend a good deal of time putting on nice clothes and makeup, but I feel best when I'm in pajamas with no makeup.
September 16, 2011
Progression
Yes, I know it's late, but my day is just winding down.
Sometimes I forget how recently I started working. It's been a little over three months, but feels like longer (I guess settling into a routine has that effect).
Yesterday, I re-visited a project file that I'd worked on during my first month, and it looked...pretty shitty. Disorganized, incomplete, lots of cross-outs and eraser smears: it looked like a kindergartener had put in a lot of effort.
I remember putting a ton of time into that particular project and being pretty proud of the result, but after doing the same process a dozen or so more times, I've raised my standards (as have my supervisors). It suddenly struck me how much progress I've made. I no longer have to refer to my 'passwords' document constantly or check my notes to figure out how to do certain tasks.
Feeling competent every now and then is nice. Until yesterday, I was so focused on all the things I still still have to learn/improve on, that I hadn't considered the things I've already learned. Now that I'm no longer brand-spanking-new around the office, I'm trying to shift away from the 'just stay afloat' mentality (try really hard, ask lots of questions, take lots of notes, and accept that despite your efforts, you will make mistakes) in favor of the 'impress the boss(es)' mentality (try really hard, ask some questions, and do quality work). So basically, I'm giving myself a little less slack. In return, I need to also metaphorically pat myself on the back every once in a while for my progress.
Sometimes I forget how recently I started working. It's been a little over three months, but feels like longer (I guess settling into a routine has that effect).
Yesterday, I re-visited a project file that I'd worked on during my first month, and it looked...pretty shitty. Disorganized, incomplete, lots of cross-outs and eraser smears: it looked like a kindergartener had put in a lot of effort.
I remember putting a ton of time into that particular project and being pretty proud of the result, but after doing the same process a dozen or so more times, I've raised my standards (as have my supervisors). It suddenly struck me how much progress I've made. I no longer have to refer to my 'passwords' document constantly or check my notes to figure out how to do certain tasks.
Feeling competent every now and then is nice. Until yesterday, I was so focused on all the things I still still have to learn/improve on, that I hadn't considered the things I've already learned. Now that I'm no longer brand-spanking-new around the office, I'm trying to shift away from the 'just stay afloat' mentality (try really hard, ask lots of questions, take lots of notes, and accept that despite your efforts, you will make mistakes) in favor of the 'impress the boss(es)' mentality (try really hard, ask some questions, and do quality work). So basically, I'm giving myself a little less slack. In return, I need to also metaphorically pat myself on the back every once in a while for my progress.
September 11, 2011
Get Lost
This weekend I had a craving to go shopping (ie. expand the corporate wardrobe).
Saturday: attempted to find the desired shopping destination, got lost, didn't go.
This has been a common theme since moving to LA. Every time I venture out of my neighborhood, I get lost. This discourages me from wanting to venture out of my neighborhood again.
Today, I set out for mall #2. A while into my drive, I realized that I had probably passed the mall. Seriously? As I turned down some random street to head back toward home, I realized that I had NOTHING better to do than drive around and figure out what's where in this very large city (note- do this at a day/time when traffic is light or you will probably kill yourself). So I drove. And then I drove some more. Eventually, I found the mall (accidentally).
Shopped, bought some clothes. It was nice.
On the way back from the mall, I decided to take a different street that I thought would take me to the grocery store I wanted to go to. Of course, the street suddenly got narrow and changed names. In the spirit of exploration, I continued my drive to nowhere, and eventually found a street that lead me to a street that lead me to the grocery store.
Once I accepted the fact that I wasn't necessarily taking the shortest or most direct route to my destination, It was actually pretty relaxing. I guess there are lessons to be learned from lazy Sundays.
Saturday: attempted to find the desired shopping destination, got lost, didn't go.
This has been a common theme since moving to LA. Every time I venture out of my neighborhood, I get lost. This discourages me from wanting to venture out of my neighborhood again.
Today, I set out for mall #2. A while into my drive, I realized that I had probably passed the mall. Seriously? As I turned down some random street to head back toward home, I realized that I had NOTHING better to do than drive around and figure out what's where in this very large city (note- do this at a day/time when traffic is light or you will probably kill yourself). So I drove. And then I drove some more. Eventually, I found the mall (accidentally).
Shopped, bought some clothes. It was nice.
On the way back from the mall, I decided to take a different street that I thought would take me to the grocery store I wanted to go to. Of course, the street suddenly got narrow and changed names. In the spirit of exploration, I continued my drive to nowhere, and eventually found a street that lead me to a street that lead me to the grocery store.
Once I accepted the fact that I wasn't necessarily taking the shortest or most direct route to my destination, It was actually pretty relaxing. I guess there are lessons to be learned from lazy Sundays.
September 8, 2011
Have you met her?
I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, though you probably already know someone just like her:
She is what I call a D.P: Difficult Person. It is nearly impossible to make plans with DP. If you do make plans, they'll probably be postponed once or twice, or just canceled completely (ie. don't hold your breath). This is because DP can never keep her schedule straight. It's not until after she makes plans that she'll remember that she'd already scheduled something else at the same time.
This past weekend, I tried to make plans with DP and two other friends. We compared schedules and decided that Sunday at 4pm would work for everyone. On Sunday, three hours before the agreed plan was to be executed, DP notified us all that she completely forgot about her other plans that started at 2pm and would go all night. So, with great difficulty, we changed our plans to the next day in order to accommodate DP.
The next day arrived, and DP was nowhere to be found. Once we were able to get in touch with her, she informed us that she had other plans and wouldn't be able to make it. We figured, since she was already 45 minutes late.
I'd like to think DP is one-of-a-kind, but my rational mind thinks not.
She is what I call a D.P: Difficult Person. It is nearly impossible to make plans with DP. If you do make plans, they'll probably be postponed once or twice, or just canceled completely (ie. don't hold your breath). This is because DP can never keep her schedule straight. It's not until after she makes plans that she'll remember that she'd already scheduled something else at the same time.
This past weekend, I tried to make plans with DP and two other friends. We compared schedules and decided that Sunday at 4pm would work for everyone. On Sunday, three hours before the agreed plan was to be executed, DP notified us all that she completely forgot about her other plans that started at 2pm and would go all night. So, with great difficulty, we changed our plans to the next day in order to accommodate DP.
The next day arrived, and DP was nowhere to be found. Once we were able to get in touch with her, she informed us that she had other plans and wouldn't be able to make it. We figured, since she was already 45 minutes late.
I'd like to think DP is one-of-a-kind, but my rational mind thinks not.
September 3, 2011
Guaranteed Party-Killer
This handy trick is guaranteed to kill the energy at any party.
Step 1: Invite many guests to your apartment complex for a get-together
2: Partake in lively conversation and lose track of time.
3: At some point, sneak away and call a towing company to remove their cars.
4: At the end of the evening, when your friends try to leave, the parking spots where their cars once were parked will be empty.
*Of course, this isn't really what happened. No malice was involved from the apartment-owners. I'm not actually sure what happened because my car was the only one that hadn't yet been towed, so I booked it the hell out of there....should probably check up on what happened with the others.
But now I can understand why we don't all get together that often.
Step 1: Invite many guests to your apartment complex for a get-together
2: Partake in lively conversation and lose track of time.
3: At some point, sneak away and call a towing company to remove their cars.
4: At the end of the evening, when your friends try to leave, the parking spots where their cars once were parked will be empty.
*Of course, this isn't really what happened. No malice was involved from the apartment-owners. I'm not actually sure what happened because my car was the only one that hadn't yet been towed, so I booked it the hell out of there....should probably check up on what happened with the others.
But now I can understand why we don't all get together that often.
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