heaven is a place on earth with you

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey

full circle

It's funny. Ever since they tried to put their moves on me, DfmB and Food Dude seem to have disappeared off the face of the earth. I wonder if it's just a coincidence or if they actually had a secret mission to get a date and failure to do so could only end in termination.

Whatever it was that happened, it's left things in a pretty sorry state at work now, with Boss as my only form of "entertainment." However, the company is throwing a holiday party, and it just so happens that it'll be held at the venue where I met Sketchy.

I thought the worse that could happen was running into him there, but the phone rang today and you'll never guess who called to hash out event details with me. The best part was when he did the verbal version of a double take. After asking me to repeat my name, recognition seemed to dawn on him in that split second of hesitation before he pointedly asked, "How are you?"

blown away

December started off with a freak windstorm that knocked out power for over 250,000 residences in LA. The night it happened was pretty exhilarating--the wind began as a howl that steadily turned into a roar outside, rattling the windows and distorting the sounds of passing helicopters and sirens that never seemed to be too far away...

I didn't realize just how strong it had been until I went outside the next morning and saw that two trunks had been snapped off the neighbor's tree and flung onto my driveway. Some less fortunate trees around my area even got uprooted. On my way to work, streets were lined with debris.

Going 24+ hours without power was kind of a cool, albeit inconvenient, experience. Not having internet access gave me a reason to do things I had been putting off, and then I actually went to bed early for the first time in years.

It's one of those things that you don't regret happened, but you also wouldn't want to do it again.

turkey weekend

My weekend was filled with the abundance of eating, shopping, and sleeping that comes with Thanksgiving as an American.

I was crazy enough to suggest going to the Moonlight Madness event at Citadel Outlets on Thanksgiving evening, hoping to get an early start on the insanity that is normally reserved for Black Friday. I left my house at 9:20pm to make it to the event which was starting at 10:00pm. While it didn't take that long to reach the freeway exit, it took an entire hour just to get out! By the time I found parking (which was relatively painless), it was 11:00pm. Then we had to line up just to get into the stores. Tired and defeated after two hours of not accomplishing anything, we hopped back in my car and made for home. It only took me 14 minutes to get back.

"Never again!" I had sworn to myself. Except...

...I slept for 3 hours and went on another mission, hellbent on satisfying my Black Friday shoplust. But finding good deals just wasn't in the cards this year. Everything I purchased was at regular price, with the exception of one ugly-with-potential sweater from H&M that only managed to reel me in because it was so cozy when I tried it on (I am powerless to soft things). Will try to post some pictures of my haul soon.

Saturday night featured a Thanksgiving potluck with friends, a dinner that's become an annual tradition spent at Greg's house where everyone has a jolly time getting fat and wasted. The highlights of the evening were two gloriously juicy, tender deep-fried turkeys:

The skin was the best part! Salty and greasy!

The lowlight of the evening was having to take care of Greg after he had waaay too much to drink, holding him upright after he began vomiting so that he wouldn't choke on it while out cold, only to end up getting it all over my arm. Thanks, friend!

healthy lungs

I sat in the break room drafting my resignation letter on my Blackberry in silence. Boss's shouting got louder and louder with every word I typed, and every decibel seemed to increase with as much remorse as I felt for every letter I punched in.

By the time I had finished, Boss was still going. The fact that Boss could still achieve those levels of sound even with a bad case of bronchitis was astounding. I'm surprised my coworker still had a face after that.

the northern capital

I wish I had been more diligent about documenting my visit with J. But there's not much to photograph when you're just gaming or shopping. As for the food...well, I fully intended to take pictures but by the time I remembered I had a camera, everything was either already half-eaten or in my/someone else's tummy.

Mountain of shaved ice covered in red bean, condensed milk, and fruit

An Orgasm during Happy Hour...*cough* one of many *cough*

Not an Apple advertisement. I just happened to like the pink glow cast by the adjacent screen.

Hot French onion soup topped with bread and melted cheese

A really juicy salmon fillet with a butter lemon sauce garnished with tomato wedges dipped in pesto

My Chocolate Devotion and J's Founder's Favorite in chocolate-dipped waffle cones

View of the city through a dirty window, from 80 stories up

J and I went to a cozy British(?) establishment for afternoon tea, but I don't have clear pictures of our sandwiches, scones, and pastries, so...have some pictures of the surrounding area instead.

All the lights were beginning to turn on by the time we finished.

It got dark fast and we promptly boarded the subway to escape the chilly evening air.

Maybe I'm crazy to say this as someone who revels in the weightless blanket of indoor heating once it drops below 60 outside, but I kind of miss the brisk 40s we had abroad (legitimately cold, I'd say). Or maybe...I just miss the warmth of being held in the midst of it.

wedges

When it comes to women's shoes, I feel like it's nigh impossible to look stylish without sacrificing comfort. Breaking in a new pair of heels is about as fun as accidentally hitting your boobs when they've just begun growing in. So yeah, a pair of fancy shoes needs to be pretty damn enticing to warrant such a sacrifice, especially because I'm normally not big on footwear anyway.

With that said, look what I found while browsing online:

I find wedges to be a pretty good compromise between looking put-together while still feeling relatively comfortable. They give you height with significantly less pain than heels over the same period of time, and I like the fact that they're much more stable than heels even when your feet do start to hurt.

These also come in a pretty shade of blue:

I was spared the anxiety of having to make a decision, however, because my size is no longer available in either color. It's the weirdest combination of disappointment and relief.

withdrawal

November has been one hectic month.

Having to work 11-hour days wasn't the worst thing I've ever had to do, except that made it really hard to get packed up in time for a red-eye flight across the world to see J. I managed (no thanks to Boss who kept me 2.5 hours past the time I meant to leave on the day of my flight).

Anyway, do I even have to tell you the trip was amazing? For nine fleetingly blissful days, our regimen consisted almost entirely of copious amounts of eating, shopping, sexing, and gaming. Then it was time for me to come back to LA, just when I had finally gotten over my jet lag.

Damn it, this is so hard.

southern sun, part 2

I had this song on loop for a while several months ago. These are the colors I picture when I hear it. Vibrant and uplifting, and reminds me of scenic summer drives through La Jolla.

&&&

Over the use of an ampersand on an invitation card:

"It looks horrible. It's not tasteful. Why can't you just use 'and'?"

"Do you want me to spell it out, a-n-d? Or do you just want me to change the font?" (It was Monotype Corsiva.)

"Yeah, 'and.' People aren't going to know what this is."

"Okay, so I'm going to spell it out then. A-n-d."

"No, just use '&.' This looks horrible."

"That is '&.' It only looks like that because of that font. So you want me to change the font?"

"Yeah, because it's not tasteful. When you look at it, do you think people will know what that is? Doesn't it look horrible?"

"No, it looks fine to me."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I mean, it depends who's looking at it. You're asking a really subjective question."

"You only think that because you haven't seen what is the best."

Really? Really? Talk to me again when you discover what fonts are. I mean, what exactly is the "best" font anyway? I would've been less offended if we had talked about what could've been a better font.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!!!

southern sun, part 1

I'm going to see J in less than three weeks! So excited!

Okay, so the weather in LA has been really erratic. A couple weekends ago, we had some gorgeous sunsets and I managed to snap a few shots one day, before the colors faded into darkness.

Afterwards, a storm rolled in and wrapped us in wintery (for SoCal) 50-degree temperatures before jerking us into a 90-degree heatwave a few days later. Whiplash, anyone?

goal-setting

In today's episode of Life as the Office Bitch, Scarlet gets an earful of self righteous drivel about how she shouldn't befriend "losers" who will drag her down, how people don't have direction in life if they don't have goals, and how "scary" it is that some can go through life that way...which was provoked by responding to Boss with a tepid "okay" when Boss told her not to ignore a certain email. Even seemingly innocuous things like acknowledging an instruction is not immune to scrutiny.

For those 45 minutes, I sat there with an inward smirk, wondering what Boss would do if I revealed that I am, in fact, one of those damnably directionless "losers." Why, I would be terminated, surely? Then Boss would no longer have to worry about the likes of me defiling the work environment with my erroneous ways of thinking.

"I don't have the direction or the heart to keep working with you." I almost said it out loud.

Actually though, to say that I don't have any goals or direction right now is untrue...because we all know my #1 goal is to get the fuck away from Boss ASAP.

another player joins the game (but not really)

Everyday I get lunch for Boss at this place across the street from our building, and almost everyday I get helped by the same guy. When I show up, he already knows what I'm going to ask for even before I say it. He also seems to know that Boss is crazy and always gives me extra food to bring back (a sacrificial offering to appease the monster, methinks). Yup, he's pretty nice.

I started to suspect he might have a crush on me. However, I could identify no solid reasons for thinking this so I chalked it up to my imagination getting the better of me in the recent monotony of life at the office. I had dropped the issue until...


Food Dude: You're dressed different today.

S: Oh, because I'm more casual?

Food Dude: *pause* More pretty.

S: Aw haha, it's because I ran out of clothes.

Food Dude: You ran out of clothes? Don't tease me like that.

S: ...haha! I meant I ran out of suits to wear!

And then I ran out of there.


At least he's not creepy like DfmB. Apparently, flirtation is slightly more effective than the charge-in-with-a-boner approach.

spirited away

I really like the moods evoked by these pieces.

The Day We Left Earth by Grzegorz Rutkowski

Heart of the Forest by Tuomas Korpi

Endless Street by A. Rocha

They kind of take you away to another place, even if it's just for a short moment.

micromanagement

As if controlling every little step we take within the realm of work isn't already enough, Boss felt it was time to give me another push in the "right" direction during one of our meetings last week. What was the problem? My note-taking. Specifically, the lack of contrast between the important and less important instructions.

After Boss finished complaining that it was beyond understanding why we were given all the tools (e.g., highlighters, multicolored pens, sticky tabs, permission to breathe) to help us be efficient workers but don't use them, I explained that I have my own system that works for me (which doesn't include color-coding at every juncture, you twat).

But of course it was futile. I was told that while Boss respected the fact that I had my own system, Boss was merely trying to offer ways to improve it as it "may not be the best," adding that Boss was an efficient student back in the day so Boss must've been doing it right.

Never mind the condescension that was palpable in Boss's tone. Never mind that I could've rewritten my notes twice and finished all the tasks I was just given in the time it took for Boss to deliver this self-serving soliloquy. Next thing I knew, Boss was sitting there and staring at me expectantly. With little will left to endure another lecture provoked by dissension, I slowly uncapped my highlighter and grudgingly dotted the page with the tiniest of marks. And Boss looked on in smug satisfaction. Ugh.

A few days later, while I was jotting down another set of instructions, Boss brought up that I should be sent to a class to learn the "best" way to take notes.

Because we're all automatons that operate the same way, yes?

i hate salespeople

"See Scarlet, now that you worked on this [assignment], you will know what people are looking for [in an employee]."

Boss's attempts to "sell" my job to me is nothing new. In addition to comments like the above which allude to all the useful knowledge I'm gaining in this position, I am also constantly reminded how:

• grad schools are looking for people with 2-3 solid years of work experience ("You have to get through me first."),
  
• I'm so lucky to have a "mentor" like Boss because other managers wouldn't bother taking the time to explain tasks in such (excruciatingly long-winded and emotionally-charged) detail, and
  
• I'm getting such a bargain because at least I have a job AND I'm getting paid to learn while I'm at it.
  

But let's stop and consider for a moment. If you actually feel the need to convince me I have a great job, chances are it's probably not all that great...because if the product you're offering is as good as you say it is, shouldn't the quality speak for itself?

emotions in the workplace

“Emotions and emotion management are a prominent feature of organizational life. It is crucial “to create a publicly observable and desirable emotional display as a part of a job role.” ^[6]

^*****

“Stress is the problem of each person feeling it. [Negative emotions] can be caused by “poor leadership, lack of guidance, lack of support and backup.

*****

Showing stress reveals weakness, therefore, employees suppress their negative emotions at work and home.

*****

Marital and Family- Spouses and children can feel the crossover effects of burnout brought home from the workplace. Depleted levels of energy which effect home management is another consequence. Organizational- Negative feelings at work effect “employee moral, turnover rate, commitment to the organization”.^[28]

*****

“Professional women who express anger may experience a decrease rather than an increase in their status. Women are expected to be kinder and more modest than men, and they evoke negative responses from other people if they fail to conform to this prescriptive stereotype”.^[30]

*****

Full Wikipedia article here.

emotional tyranny

Emotional Tyranny is a phrase first used by Dr. Vincent Waldron, professor of Communication Studies at Arizona State University, to describe the use of emotion by powerful organizational members in a manner that is perceived to be destructive, controlling, unjust, and even cruel.^[1]

^*****

That is, organizational relationships are unique to others, and the work place provides an interesting context in which we can experience emotions.

^*****

Nonverbally, emotional tyranny is practiced through the intensity, duration, and intermittence of emotional displays. For example, "an emotionally-abusive boss may express emotions at great volume, for unusually long periods of time, in unpredictable bursts and ever-changing hues."^[6]

Emotional language is used to suggest perceived shortcomings in the moral character of workers or to “motivate desired behavioral responses." Benign or otherwise positive language in other contexts are now used to harm. In his research, Waldron found workers have been described as “too eager and excited,” “shameless,” “emotionally undercarbonated” , “grumpy,” “wimpy,” “fearless,” “lacking personal pride,” “explosive,” and as having a “chip on her shoulder.”^[7]

Tactics. Powerful people design communication that elicits or changes emotional responses (false concern or faking, vanquishing emotions from work, emotional blackmail).

*****

Emotional tyranny, like workplace bullying, has potentially devastating effects. "Fear, frustration, and rage, often appear in narratives about supervisory abuses of power. Hopeless despair or burning indignation may be the emotional reaction to repeated and persistent misuses of power."^[4] What's worse, Waldron argues that when emotional manipulation is the norm, relationships with powerful others become less authentic, more guarded, ethically compromised, and anxiety ridden. Waldron contends that powerful people should feel more responsibility to engage in responsible emotional behavior.

...yes, it was absolutely necessary to quote nearly the entire Wikipedia article.

haiku

Very fine frown lines,

I suddenly noticed them,

Etches on my face.

I WONDER WHAT WHO COULD HAVE INDUCED THEIR PREMATURE APPEARANCE.

Time to stock up on the best smoothing serums and anti-wrinkle creams that money can buy.

Fuck.

oh, the horror!

It's been confirmed. DfmB is a total sleaze.

I was walking along my break route and staring at my phone again, hoping to slip by undetected. No such luck as I glanced up and he was standing right there, waiting for my approach. Creepy, no? And then an even creepier conversation ensued. A couple of snippets:

DfmB: So do you have kids?

S: Um, no. Kind of a personal question there, don't you think?

DfmB: Oh, how much do you weigh? Like 125?

S: ...haha, you're not supposed to ask that. Are you a rapist?

DfmB: Well, I wouldn't have asked if you were big but you're small.

S: Um, yeah, around there. Why did I respond?

DfmB: Oh, I can pick you up with one arm.

S: ...oh really. Please don't.


DfmB: So you have a boyfriend huh? Three years?

S: Yeah, more like three and a half now. Taken taken taken!

DfmB: Oh, lucky guy. *awkward pause* So can I have your number?

S: Didn't you hear what I just said? Uhhh...I don't think...

DfmB: 'Cause I get the feeling you wanna hook up, or are you just really friendly?

S: ?!?!? Um, I'm just really friendly.

DfmB: Well, you're really beautiful. You're not like other girls, you don't dress provocatively and you don't wear a lot of makeup.

S: But you thought a girl like that would go and cheat on her boyfriend? Thank you, that's sweet of you to say.

DfmB: Let me know if things don't work out.

S: Mmkay. No way in hell.


That uncomfortable exchange had me wondering whether I had said something to lead him on. But looking back on it, no normal person would've deduced that there was even any possibility of mutual attraction had they seen how immovably my arms remained folded over my chest and the way I was giving more eye contact to my phone than to him for the duration of our conversation.

Still, I should have been more direct and told him that crap was inappropriate. I have to stop being so damn chirpy.

Now if you'll excuse me, nothing short of a vigorous scrubbing session will rid me of the residual slime from that encounter, and I fully intend to indulge myself. And unless I find a new break route, I'll have to see him again tomorrow. Ugh.

pseudo-alcoholic

This job is turning me into one.

For the past few weeks, every time I've had a bad day at work, I've come home wanting nothing more than a stiff drink.

But I've only given in to those urges on weekends.

I also heard through the pathetically sparse grapevine that Boss is thinking about promoting me since another coworker is preparing to leave. Little does Boss know, I don't plan on staying past 2011.

MAKE ME STICK TO THIS PLAN.

good try

It's no secret that I'm kind of clumsy when it comes to guys. The following encounter was no exception to that rule.

Pretend you're texting someone, don't look up, oh no he's coming this way!

Dude from my building: Hey, I always see you around but I don't even know your name.

Me: Oh, my name's Scarlet. Please don't do what I think you're going to do, please.

DfmB: Scarlet? I'm DfyB.

Me: Nice to finally meet you, DfmB. (Then, by sheer force of habit, I offered my hand to him for a handshake. Nooo, I can assure you, it wasn't out of place at all...)

DfmB: Listen, I think you're very beautiful. I can tell you're not like other girls. Are you seeing anyone right now?

Me: Smile, laugh, keep smiling. Yeeeah, I am. For about three years now.

DfmB: Wow, three years? You guys are gonna guy married!

Me: Haha well, I don't know about thaaat. Stupid, he gave you the perfect opening, you should've gone along with it!

He said some more nice things at this point and may have asked me to talk to him if I ever happened to find myself single, but I was so caught up in attempting to make a hasty escape that I honestly can't remember exactly what was said beyond that.

So as you can see, I can barely deal with guys with mediocre game. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if a guy with good game ever tried to disarm me.

turning tables

Her voice is perfect for those lyrics.

summer nights

After an uneventful start to the month of August, life finally picked up its pace again this past week, beginning with a girls' night out with Elise, Leigh, and Irene. (These days, the BFF is nowhere to be found and sometimes I'm not sure how that makes me feel.)

Dinner at California Pizza Kitchen in Glendale followed by some browsing at the Glendale Galleria and Americana made for a pretty low-key evening, which seemed appropriate for a Wednesday night. That didn't prevent Leigh and me from sharing a strawberry mojito though, and I'm glad we ordered it because it was really delicious!

Doesn't it look pretty?
Photo courtesy of Leigh

Another highlight of dinner was dessert (of course). It's probably a good thing that we split the tiramisu four ways--I totally could've put down the whole thing by myself, but my waistline would've been none too happy about that.

Cool and creamy, with rum-soaked ladyfingers. Yum!
Photo courtesy of Leigh

Fast forward to Friday night and we kicked off the weekend with a birthday celebration for one of Leigh's friends. The plan was to check out Supper Club in Hollywood, which is apparently a pricey restaurant in the early hours of evening that transforms into a club come 10:30pm.

For one reason or another, we weren't able to secure a table and bottle service there like the birthday girl had wanted. So we migrated to another club down the street but I was too preoccupied with trying to refrain from pissing myself for the thirty minutes we were in line to check what the place was called (the unfortunate side effect of having only 10 minutes to pregame with mixed drinks). By the time we were finally granted admittance, I made a beeline for the restroom and only narrowly avoided giving myself a UTI for holding it in so long. Leigh promptly ordered us some AMFs, and wow. They make'em really strong here, but considering they charged $15 for each one, that is expected.

Compared to all the other women walking around, I felt really modest in my outfit. They say classy > slutty, but I think being slutty gets you better results in environments like Hollywood, where everything's more about raw sex appeal than sophisticated allure. Still, I wasn't in the mood to readjust my outfit all night for fear of spillage, so I went the conservative route.

Forever 21 dress, belt, and earrings (not shown), Target tights, Charlotte Russe heels

Oddly enough, my theory that guys tend not to hit on bespectacled girls did not hold true that night. Not one, but TWO guys attempted to win me over by, ironically, commenting on how hot my glasses were. Sloppy execution, but A for effort I suppose. Must do some more field testing before I can prove/disprove my theory. Will report back.

Last night I ventured out to Blitz Ultra Lounge in Alhambra to get drinks with a friend I hadn't seen in months. We had a couple Buttery Nipple shots (which were sinfully good, by the way) and I sipped on a cranberry vodka afterward. Totally didn't mean to drink that much since I had to drive myself home early, but it helped to make dancing on the deserted dance floor a lot less awkward.

The transitions were kind of sloppy and the music was much too loud, making it impossible to have a conversation even whilst shouting directly into each others' ears, but the crowd seemed friendly enough. I can't comment too much more since I left right when the place started to fill up, so I'll have to try this place again some other time to get a better feel for it.

I didn't have time to take an outfit picture, but since it was a repeat of what I've worn before, here's a crappy picture of it taken back in January. Tights are shown, but it was warm enough outside for me to ditch them last night.

Express shirt bought from China, Forever 21 belt, H&M geometric skirt, gifted Urban Outfitters watch necklace

desert rose

Bruna Tenorio, Vogue Brazil, June 2010
Photographer: Jacques Dequeker
Stylist: Franco Pellegrino
Hair/Makeup: Max Weber

make me a sandwich!

On the subject of partnering with your spouse to create a business:

"You will be paying for his business trips. You better find a good husband or you will be paying for him to fool around with another woman."

You'd better stop talking about husbands to me, or I'm going to get married and quit this job so he can support me instead. While I pop out babies for him. Isn't that all a woman is good for?

How I would love to quit right now.

imposing much?

"My goal is to help you plan your wedding."

What I wanted to say:
1) I'm not getting married any time soon.
2) I'm going to plan my own god damn wedding, thanks.
3) What the fuck is wrong with you?

What actually came out of my mouth:
"Oh....heh heh." *fidget*

Why is Boss so fixated on my marital status? How does one even respond to unsolicited offers like this? Ugggh.

business as usual

"What is the correlation between A and B? Do you know what is correlation?"

Yeah, unless you've created your own twisted interpretation of that word too. "Yes. A will help us fulfill B."

"You're on the right track. What is the correlation?"

Repeating the question when I've already given you my answer is not going to make me understand what you're getting at. "Isn't that the correlation? I'm not seeing it."

"...what is the correlation?"

Fuck you fuck you fuck you just tell me what you wanted me to say because anything I say will be wrong to you anyway. "Define correlation."

Interpersonal work relationships are weird. Being blunt can get you into all kinds of trouble.

vacation photo diary

...okay, more like a food diary.

World of Color at Disney's California Adventure


Rainbow Roll and Roppongi Roll (basically a shrimp tempura roll topped with spicy tuna and eel) at Roppongi in La Jolla. We were celebrating our 40th monthaversary :)


Chicken Satay with sweet peanut sauce at Roppongi in La Jolla


Lychee Martini at Roppongi in La Jolla. This alone got me buzzed. It had been a while since I last got drunk.


Hazelnut Truffles at Roppongi in La Jolla. They might not look like much, but I cannot stress enough how absolutely fucking amazing these tasted. I have never had a truffle explode into warm, gooey, chocolatey goodness in my mouth...and hazelnut-flavored to boot! Mouth-gasm, if ever there was one. Oh, they were also complimentary! :D


Stuffed French Toast at The Cottage in La Jolla


Eggs Benedict at The Cottage in La Jolla


La Jolla Shores, where J got horribly sunburned because he wasn't thorough enough with the sunblock. I'll never let him live it down :P


The name escapes me, but it's like a tortilla and meant to be dipped in that bowl of curry. Served at Penang in West Covina.


Black sticky rice with coconut milk. It looks unimpressive and possibly even unappetizing, but it's actually quite good and has a hint of red bean (always a plus in my book!). Served at Penang in West Covina.


Turkey Club served with plantain chips at Porto's Bakery & Cafe in Glendale. J also got a potato ball and shared it with me, but it was so good that I forgot to take a picture before we gobbled it up. Oops. (This actually happened a lot during our two weeks together.)


Egg noodles with peanut sauce at Ding's Garden in Rowland Heights. We ordered it medium spicy. Yummy.


Egg noodles with beef and brown sauce at Ding's Garden in Rowland Heights. My favorite!


Sunset on the 10-W towards LA

I swear we also did other things besides eat a lot, but I think I'll save that for another post.

hallows & horcruxes, part 2

After waiting for what seemed like forever when it has only been less than a year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 finally came out last night and of course I caught the midnight showing. After another epic two hours, my childhood was officially over.

Quite a few details were changed, including some of my favorite parts from the book, so I wasn't entirely pleased with that. But that's just the picky fangirl in me speaking and the changes didn't affect the quality of the movie, which turned out to be pretty good overall, so I'd say it was $15 well-spent. (We decided to forgo 5+ hours of waiting in line and paid a little more for tickets with assigned seating. A wise decision, I think.) The pacing was good and, staying consistent with the book, there was plenty of action at every turn. I can't say any more without getting into spoilers, so just go watch it if you haven't already!

I also found out that the glasses for the 3D version were fashioned after Harry's round frames. Ahh, I should've swiped a pair!

back to reality

Even after an amazing two weeks with J, I'm definitely not ready to go back to the hell hole I call the office, where the devil known as Boss reigns supreme. Actually, "not ready" is a gross understatement...

The next few years are such a critical time in my life, and I can't afford to tarry at this job much longer. All the decisions I need to make are bursting with possibilities, an idea that simultaneously scares me and thrills me. My heart keeps alternating between fear and fortitude at the uncertainty that is my future, but I remain hopeful that I will find the direction I need as long as I keep searching.

I absolutely must find a way to visit J in November. I need to leave my current job in favor of a better one by that time. It's good to set goals.

Is it just me, or is 2011 passing rather quickly?

things are happening!

I got offered an interview! But scheduling the damn thing has been difficult since I'm out of town for the next two weeks. Fuuuck.

And then there's the small, somewhat unexpected issue of feeling guilty for potentially leaving the office in figurative shambles since one coworker has already decided to resign (and the other soon to follow). Having a conscience is really inconvenient.

On the bright side, I get to see J soon. Sooo excited!

dodged a bullet

Meeting up with The Woman today reaffirmed my belief that cutting him loose was one of the best decisions I've ever made. (And choosing to date him was one of the worst, clearly.)

Still condescending, still critical, still selfish.

It's funny that at one point in my life, he was actually someone special to me. After the breakup, it felt like that part of my life never even existed. Now we're suddenly on speaking terms again and I can't remember whether he was like this before or if his personality's just taken a turn for the worse during the years that have elapsed.

you can't make this up

Just when I think the demands of my job could not get any more ridiculous, a gigantic steaming pile gets dropped on us.

According to Boss,

• we will have to travel 6,000 miles for work
• our related travel and housing expenses may not be covered by the company, and
• we will also be working for free.

I waited to hear just ONE redeeming feature of this business trip, but it never came. All I got was, "It'll be a great experience," which I'm sorry to say is not very convincing.

At this rate, my resignation letter practically writes itself. Now it's just a matter of when I should submit it...

unexpected

The Woman of yore has recently gotten back in touch with me.

What is the meaning of this?

optimistic

Changes are coming.


It's been too long since I've gone back.

Summer is slowly inching its way back to southern California.

I've taken the first step towards breaking away from the Prison, otherwise known as my office.

Best of all, J will be here to visit soon.


I can't wait to see this view again.

Things are looking bright.

cat eyes

Charlotte Free

The scowl suits her.

crunch time

Everyone at the office had important deadlines to meet all week, but Boss's infuriating knack for coming up with new things to do and changing the entire game plan at the last minute thoroughly undermined our plans of getting off on time as everything absolutely had to be finished by today.

To our great dismay, even leaving for an off-site meeting didn't keep Boss from calling in literally every five minutes to give us instructions we'd already been given. And get this--the first three calls were to ask whether we'd finished the tasks we were given yet so that we could join Boss at the meeting, even after Boss told us to stay behind to finish up. Yo, does it look like I have the power to manipulate space-time? (Even if I did, you don't pay me enough to use it.) Please tell me who can finish a two-hour task in half that time whilst getting interrupted by phone calls every five minutes, because I'd really like to meet this wizard.

After eight hours of nonstop work (save for a brief ten-minutes where we scrambled to shovel some food into our mouths), my coworker and I were finally reduced to fits of uncontrollable laughter, a telltale sign of our stress-induced delirium. By that time, our manager could only look on with amusement and sympathy.

Then the phone rang for the thirtieth time that day and we all spontaneously combusted.

around LA

Just wanted to do a quick post about my Saturday.

Afternoon: Griffith Observatory

The Hollywood sign in the distance

Downtown LA in the distance

I like how the terrain looked here.

• Cold and shitty weather
• Quality time with Mom
• Organic dark roast coffee & dark chocolate brownie
• Must come back: 1) at night, 2) when the weather's nicer & warmer, and/or 3) with J

Night: V Lounge

Looked better than they tasted.

• Even colder and shittier weather
• Good company, including a wasted birthday boy
• LA Waters that tasted like grape medicine (Was that intentional? I guess the quality of its taste lives up to that of its namesake...)
• Not sure I'd recommend this venue. People didn't start showing up until 11pm or so, which meant it was literally empty for an hour after we got there.