Thursday Thirteen #12: Holidailies Topics

On Friday, I begin my entries for the annual Holidailies project, where I'll make a point of posting once per day between December 1st and January 1st. If you look through my records lately... that's going to be a very tough job to tackle for me. But I'm up to the challenge.

Here are thirteen topics I'm planning to write about next month (got any more that I should add? Throw them in the comments!)

Thirteen Topics for Holidailies 1) The first snowfall, whenever that happens 2) My current stitching projects 3) Reflections on my job, once I become a bit more situated there 4) Yule recap 5) Christmas recap 6) New Year's Eve recap 7) Thursday Thirteen entries 8) A photolog of a "day in the life" for me 9) Holiday foods 10) Christmas carols-- particularly the ones I either don't like, or don't make sense 11) Holiday TV specials of my youth (and why it's still necessary to watch them) 12) My annual Closing Down the Year entry 13) Hopes and dreams for 2007 Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Finding my new routine

Yesterday I started my new job. The commute is the same, and so are my hours. I do have to go an extra stop on the commuter rail to South Station (i.e. downtown Boston), so it's throwing off our train schedule a bit now-- we're on the earlier train.

So far, I'm enjoying it. I have a clear sense of what my little administrative department does, which is something I haven't had in six years. There's a well-organized system in place for work requests. It's thankfully been very slow this week, allowing the other two admins I work with to spend a lot of time showing me the programs I'm unfamiliar with, helping me get macros set up on my computer, and finding my way around. I've already completed two fairly large projects on my own, including one that was a "miracle worker" project this morning in Acrobat... so I'm feeling quite good. Tomorrow our group has a massive printing and binding project to do which will probably keep me at work after hours.

But I honestly am looking forward to it-- it's nice to feel like I'm part of a team again. I'd grown so isolated in my old position, and as independent as I am, I really do prefer to at least feel like I'm contributing to a team effort.

My dress code is thankfully virtually the same-- I can't wear jeans or sneakers, but that doesn't concern me at all. I'm just thrilled I don't need to rush out to buy an entirely new wardrobe. What I have will suffice until I get caught up on bills and such after the holidays.

I do have to admit that I miss most of the people I worked with already... but I think a lot of that is due to the familiarity. I traded email addresses with most of the people that I would love to keep in contact with, so I'm not too concerned. And I know I'll see them in about a week when they gather for the monthly social gathering after work.

Only three more days until Holidailies starts. I need to start coming up with writing ideas... anyone have suggestions?

Happy Tuesday...

Success

The 20 pound turkey was a fantastic success... and oddly only took about 2.5 hours to cook (no... really. We're shocked too, but it's true). We've eaten, are now passed out around the living room, waiting to make room for the pie.

So safe and happy Thanksgiving to all. :)

And Happy Birthday to Ivanna, who reads my journal.. and to my cousin Marya, who doesn't.

Thursday Thirteen #11: Turkey Trimmings

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I brine my turkey for Thanksgiving, and it tastes fabulous. When I'm preparing the brine, the entire kitchen smells of a wonderful blend of spices. So here is everything that's in the recipe.

Thirteen Ingredients for my Thanksgiving Turkey 1) Kosher salt 2) Light brown sugar 3) Vegetable stock 3) Black peppercorns 4) Allspice berries 5) Candied ginger 6) Water 7) Apple 8) Onion 9) Cinnamon stick 10) rosemary 11) Sage 12) Canola oil 13) One 20 lb turkey. :) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Cheryl - Laughing Muse - MommyBa - Michelle - Wendy - Jen - Sanni - Moogie - Brony

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Last day

My personal stuff is removed from my office. It's definitely not bare-- the work of an administrative assistant requires that there's a ton of paper everywhere. But by five, I'll have the last remaining things on my desk tidied and labeled. It feels very, very weird to be leaving here. My emotions are a bit mixed today. I honestly consider that to be a good thing. I'll put of my thoughts to writing tomorrow during my downtime. I have a few topics to roll through in my head before I type them out. I may not finish them. I might not write them all down, depending on the tone they take. Some may be too trivial and fleeting to really consider noteworthy.

I'm happy that I'll have the next few days to decompress, regear myself, and enjoy the holidays. Erich and I bought our turkey yesterday (in case we had to buy frozen, since we didn't order one). We decided on a large turkey to ensure leftovers. Last year's 14 pound bird just didn't have enough for our liking. I think I maybe was able to scrape out one good batch of turkey salad from the leftovers. So this year we're going on overkill- a 22 lb turkey for four people.

Heh.

As of now, the group will be Erich, his dad, our friend Matt, and me. Quiet and cozy.

Tonight I'll be making my shopping list for the rest of the supplies needed, plus food for the weekend. We're going to the annual LAN party on Cape Cod, starting Friday night and running through Sunday. Lots of soda, snacks, and coffee are needed.

Other little mentionables...

I signed up to participate in Holidailies again this year. I'll be posting at least one entry per day from December 1-January 1. If there's anything specific you want me to write about (read: I need some ideas!!!), toss a comment my way so I can start scribbling. This includes odd memes, Thursday Thirteens, and any random topics.

I also was accepted into the Thursday Thirteen blogroller this past week-- for anyone stopping by... Hi there! :)

If I haven't already done so, I'll be dropping anyone who requested a card a little confirm email & to swap addresses where requested. If you're interested in one, go here. :)

Okay, I'll stop. Seven more hours... :)

Thursday Thirteen #10: Things to do before New Year's Eve.

Thirteen Things I want to do by the end of the year 1) Reclaim my office. I really haven’t been up there much since May, originally due to the summer heat… and now just because it’s a disaster area. 2) Redo all of my character sheets for all of the various Dungeons & Dragons style games we play. We had a roof leak in the sunroom last month, and my binder of character sheets was directly under the water flow. 3) Wash, iron, and fold (or hang up) all of the laundry that’s piling up. 4) Get caught up on my credit card bills. 5) Write out and mail all of my Christmas cards. 6) Order my Save the Date cards for the wedding (that won’t be mailed until January, but I want to make sure they’re ordered and enroute). 7) Go through my closet and do some serious clothes weeding. 8) Purchase new clothes appropriate to the new job scene. 9) Rake up all of the leaves and prepare my flower pots for winter. 10) Cook a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner. 11) Cook a fabulous Christmas dinner. 12) Take all of the cats to the vet for their annual checkups. 13) Visit Newport and take the holiday mansion tour. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

What a difference a week makes

The reality that a week from today, I'll be done working at my present position started to seriously hit me today. I was oddly shocked by the sadness that hit me, despite all of my frustration for the past... oh, eighteen months or so.

I'm just going to miss a lot of the people I work with. For six years, I've been at the low-end of the totem pole as far as title goes. But as a single administrative assistant for almost fifty people, I still felt like a lot of things circulated around me and that I was important in the grand scheme of things - even if I felt that my managers didn't agree with that idea.

There are over a dozen people within my department that have been working with me the entire six years. They've shared in my life as things have changed in incredible ways.

Since starting my job, those people have watched me as the following things have happened:

- Worked through the death throes of a nasty relationship
- Lived in three places (The Beast, Randolph, and Providence)
- Met Erich (nearly a year after starting this job)
- Acquired four cats
- Turned 30
- Lost my grandmother
- Had the huge falling out with my father (still unrepaired)
- Participated in NaNoWriMo four times, winning twice
- Got engaged
- Bought a house
- Acquired my first car

And probably other things that I can't recall off the top of my head.

My mother's constant "Melissa hates change..." addage from my childhood is laughing at me. I don't agree with the sentiment that I hate change. I actually do enjoy change. I'm excited to start my new job. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

But what does throw me off is a sense of instability. Mom and I have discussed this at length, and I do agree with her that part of it comes from being - and knowing at an early age - that I was an adopted child. It's not a fear of change so much as an underlying need for stability.

Yet at the same time, I feel really good. The past week is the first in a long time that I can remember waking up without the sharp pains in my shoulders due to stress. My shoulders are still somewhat tense-- they always have been because I'm generally just a walking stressball. But they don't hurt. For the past year, my shoulders always hurt. I often had to physically try to force my shoulders down from a hunkering position that they tended to rootch into throughout the day - to the point that when I would lie down to sleep, they'd literally be scrunched up by my ears.

I feel like myself again-- I can laugh and joke around. I'm smiling a bit more at work.

I wonder what a week off between jobs will do for me...

Holiday Cards!

It's that time of year again... :)


Next week, I'll start writing out the cards. And this year, I have a bunch of address labels to use up, since by this time next year, I'll have a new last name! (eep) If you want a little holly jolly in the mailbox, please do the following for me...

Please email me at measiwitch@gmail.com, with a subject line of CARDS!!!) and send me the following:

1) Your name & full mailing address
2) Your email (if you want my address in return)
3) Your webpage, blog, etc.- to make sure I have you on my list
4) The holiday you personally celebrate (if any), because I do personalize cards. :)


Or, head over to my LiveJournal (if you have a LJ account) and add the info into my screened comments.

Post-election thoughts

It's been a while since I wrote a political entry. I generally try to avoid politics now, having grown increasingly weary of the pointless partisan mudslinging that has dominated the airwaves since September 11th. In light of the Tuesday election, however, I feel a need to voice why I'm hopeful that America can now make progress, and also voice my concerns about continuing with the abhorred status quo.

I have voted in every election since I reached the legal age to do so. I attempt to make an effort to educate myself on candidates and vote accordingly. I accept that my beliefs and convictions should be under constant self challenge. Am I right to believe in XYZ? Where am I being pigheaded? Where can I learn from the other side of the political spectrum? Such challenges have resulted in my never voting entirely to a single party ticket. I don't ever expect to do so, and quite honestly hope that in years to come, my vote becomes split as evenly as possible. I want to evaluate each race individually. While my personal political leanings re generally liberal, I try as much as possible to keep moderation the forefront of my viewpoint on politics. Party loyalty is nothing. Personal ethics and honesty are everything. I am just as apt to vote against a Democratic party candidate as I am to vote against a Republican candidate. Incumbents need to demonstrate why they should keep their positions. Give me a reason to vote for you, not just vote for the lesser of two evils.

For the Democratic party, this is not a time to gloat, to foolishly declare they have a mandate, or to start demonizing the "other side" as being anti-American. Over the past six years, our government has done just that, and exactly what has it produced? A fracture of America where the two sides have traded an ever growing onslaught of loaded barbs, never bothering to stop and look around to see what is happening to our great nation.

The vote on Tuesday was not a party vote. It was America finally screaming "enough." Both sides fo the aisle need to put aside the bickering and get back to work, finding common ground or at least a ground that is a compromise for both sides. We have serious national issues that require discussion and debate, followed by action: the exploding, crippling cost of healthcare, the failures (and needed revisements) of No Child Left Behind, the lack of a minimum wage that accurately reflects the cost of living, the horrendous Eminent Domain ruling... just to name a few. In addition, our foreign policy needs drastic repair- Iraq is the forefront issue, but we have to find a way to repair our relationships with other nations and start proving that America is a great nation, not just a large bully.

Correction and repair takes longer than destruction. It's unrealistic to think that everything will be fixed within two years. But in two years, America needs the government to truly start working together and making corrections. The system of checks and balances must be restored. Progress must be made. Otherwise, as American voters, we will vote the incumbents out again and send the message again- start working, or you will lose your position. And that goes for Democrats as well as Republicans.

Thursday Thirteen #9: Pets

Apologies for those who tried to read this when I first attempted to post it at midnight... apparently Blogger or my provider was malfunctioning...

I'm a big animal lover, as my regular readers know. Slightly... cat crazy. Most of my pets have been cats, but I've had dogs, fish, and even a frog. #1-5 are the current felines, in order of family appearance. :)

Thirteen Pets I've had in my lifetime 1) Colley - My eldest (age 7). The only purebred (Norwegian Forest Cat) in the bunch. I'm definitely HIS human, and Erich had better not forget it. 2) Fizzy - She's our little aloof cat. She's now five, very dainty, and not fond of the other cats, aside from Colley. It's now winter for her, so she's perpetually under her lamp on top of the desk for warmth. 3) Gus - When we found him at four weeks, he weighed just over a pound and literally could fit in one hand. Three years later he's 15+ pounds of corded, black panther muscle. He's very active, although he's starting to have those lazy marshmallow cat tendencies... 4) Noby - the dreamsicle colored kitten of the twinset, Noby's our little clown cat. He's extremely loving, not all that bright, but awfully cute. He currently has a serious case of teenager kitten-itis and resists cuddling if he can help it. 5) Elly - the oreo colored kitten of the twinset, she's never weaned properly (even now over a year old), and so she needs to suckle on Erich's shoulder every night. She almost always falls asleep while doing so. It's so pathetically cute. It really is. 6) Katie - Katie was our Lassie lookalike Collie dog when I was very young. She came into the family three years before me and was the sweetest dog you could ever have. She lived to a very old age (in 1980's standards) of 13. 7) Callie - Callie wasn't with us very long. She was a calico shelter cat that my parents got for my brother and me when I was five or six. When the next two cats came along, her territorial issues forced my parents to find a new home for her-- she lived out her days as a barn cat getting fat on mice. 8) Kelim - Kelim was my guardian cat growing up. He was a seal-point Himalayin and very large for his breed (at his top weight, almost 15 pounds). My parents got him when I was in 2nd grade, and he lived until my junior year of college. I still miss him terribly. 9) Kashan - Kashan was my brother's guardian cat. He was a shell cameo Persian (white with coffee-colored stains on his back). He came just a few weeks before Kelim, and the two of them were lifelong brothers. He follwed Scott everywhere. He also lived a fairly long life, dying a couple years before Kelim. 10) Bilbo - The first cat I remember was Bilbo. He was a very talkative Siamese (I realize that's redundant), and loved me. But he hated my brother, who was only two or three when my parents were forced to find a new home for him-- he would attack Scott frequently. :( 11) The fishtank - during high school, I had about 12-15 fish & a frog in a tank in my bedroom. The goldfish somehow lived the longest and was HUGE by the time he died. 12) Bijar - My mom's seal-point himalayin was born the day after the 1989 earthquake in California. She's a bit of a bitch, but it's endearing because she never has weighed more than six pounds. She's still alive and doing well- at the ripe old age of 17. :) 13) Kula - Kuli's Biji's littermate, and is a blue point Himi. She's always been a space cadet and tended to be Mom's cat (and no one else's). Kuli's also alive, but has been suffering from a slowly developing kidney failure. :( Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Busy week, lotsa news...

Mighty Samurai
Originally uploaded by measi.

It's already been a life-altering week for me in very good ways. I did something that shocked the hell out of me, scared me, but also made me so relieved that I was fighting back tears on several occasions over the past 48 hours.

I've found a new job. I gave my two week notice late this afternoon.

It's a sentimental thing-- I really will miss my coworkers and the idea of working in publishing. But alas, publishing is not to be. I'd asked through HR, I'd asked other managers for suggestions, and no leads turned up. So I had to look elsewhere. I"ve been stagnant for a while-- six years in any job will do that. I was feeling burnt out and not used to my potential. I desperately needed a change.

I've found a great opportunity to use both the skill set I've developed over ten years of administrative work, plus start really working with the journalism degree I earned through undergrad work. I'll be in an entirely new industry. Lots of new stuff to learn and to challenge me. That's what I desperately need.

I'm psyched. And sad. And excited. And weirded out.

So... strange.

But it's been a good day.

And the political landscape change is making that even better. :)