Xmas has come and gone, surprisingly without snow. Before the year is over, it's hard not to look back at what has been and look forward to what might be.
One nice thing about having an actual calendar on the wall is you write things on it; things that can be fun to flip back to at times like these when the whole year seems like a blur. So besides enjoying good health, good friends and good times, here's my top 25 things of 2011:
25. Fixed the fence in the backyard
24. Beer Fest at the fair grounds
23. Painted the bedroom
22. Got iPhone (then lost iPhone)
21. Got glasses
20. Eric and Bekki's Wedding
19. NHL Draft at Xcel
18. Got a Kindle Touch
17. State Fair
16. Annual Valley Fair trip
15. Sold pinball machine for a new washer & dryer
14. Anne Frank and The Odyssey at Park Square Theater
13. Rock Band Parties
12. Renaissance Festival
11. Devotchka show(s)
10. Summit beer dinner & brewery tour
9. Weekends at Amey's cabin
8. Circus Juventas: Grimm
7. Cirque du Soleil: OVO
6. Florida/John Mable Ringling Museum
5. Wisconsin Dells/Circus World Museum
4. Berg's resort/fishing in Alexandria
3. Caribbean cruise
2. Started a new job
1. Asked Angie to marry me
Friday, December 16, 2011
Touchy Feely
I walked out of work tonight and didn't look back. What a great feeling to finally be done and moving on to bigger, better things. I don't think it's actually hit me yet that I'll be off work at 3:30pm now. We can go to our favorite classes at Lifetime again, like Monday cycle and Thursday yoga. Together! We can cook and eat dinner at the same time again. Together! It's such a great time to be starting the new job, too. A bunch of short weeks at the new job, celebrating the holidays and then a seven night all-inclusive trip to Mexico. It's hard not to be excited for all that's to come.
I'm only a little nervous to start the new gig on Monday, but mostly I feel prepared and ready for the change. It will take a little while getting my body used to the 7:30am start time, but if that's the worst of my worries, BFD. I'll be sure to post a blog after I get my feet wet and have a better idea of how it's going.
How about those Wild, huh? Even though they've fallen on tough times now as the injuries pile up, they continue to find ways to battle and win games like never before. I'm not expecting them to stay in first place forever, but I do expect them to make the playoffs, where anything can happen.
I bought myself a Kindle Touch as a new job/early birthday present to myself and I love it. The first book I downloaded was the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm very impressed with the visual quality and ease of use. Not to mention, it's lighter, more portable and all-around more fun to read than an actual book. Another reason I decided to pick up a Kindle was my serious resolution to cut down on "filler" video games and focus my spare time on reading instead. Frankly, I've found myself losing interest in the single-player, so-called blockbuster video games and feel my time (and sore eyes) would be better spent reading. I still plan to make time for Rock Band parties and the occasional indulgence, but no more pre-ordering, gotta-play-it-now bull sh*t and being tethered to my controller for weeks at a time.
That's about it at the moment. Looking forward to so many things in the coming weeks... Wild games, making more lefse, holidays, family gatherings, vacations, but most of all I'm looking forward to spending more time with the woman I love.
I'm only a little nervous to start the new gig on Monday, but mostly I feel prepared and ready for the change. It will take a little while getting my body used to the 7:30am start time, but if that's the worst of my worries, BFD. I'll be sure to post a blog after I get my feet wet and have a better idea of how it's going.
How about those Wild, huh? Even though they've fallen on tough times now as the injuries pile up, they continue to find ways to battle and win games like never before. I'm not expecting them to stay in first place forever, but I do expect them to make the playoffs, where anything can happen.
I bought myself a Kindle Touch as a new job/early birthday present to myself and I love it. The first book I downloaded was the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm very impressed with the visual quality and ease of use. Not to mention, it's lighter, more portable and all-around more fun to read than an actual book. Another reason I decided to pick up a Kindle was my serious resolution to cut down on "filler" video games and focus my spare time on reading instead. Frankly, I've found myself losing interest in the single-player, so-called blockbuster video games and feel my time (and sore eyes) would be better spent reading. I still plan to make time for Rock Band parties and the occasional indulgence, but no more pre-ordering, gotta-play-it-now bull sh*t and being tethered to my controller for weeks at a time.
That's about it at the moment. Looking forward to so many things in the coming weeks... Wild games, making more lefse, holidays, family gatherings, vacations, but most of all I'm looking forward to spending more time with the woman I love.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
5 Days Left
Only five more days of work left until I start my new job. Even though I know I'm done soon, it's still dragging like crazy. My favorite part is when my boss tells me she expects me to keep my schedule clear in order to work overtime as needed. I'm sorry, do I need to explain to you the unwritten rules of the two-week notice?! Two week notice means I've essentially checked-out from here on out, and while I will still put forth a satisfactory effort, you're sh*t nuts if you think I'm going to work overtime for you. I mean, it's not like you get an oil change on a car before you trade it in.
Most (all?) of the Xmas shopping is done, thanks to a very successful trip yesterday with Ang. I even found some shoes for the new job on clearance at DSW for myself. We got a good start of wrapping but still have a ways to go. Today were headed to my Dad's to visit and celebrate his birthday, which was actually on Thursday.
The new washer/dryer is fantastic, definitely puts a new spin on doing laundry (zing!). I don't think I would ever go back to a top-loader again. Started reading the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy, only about 200 pages in, enjoying it so far. Perhaps I can read the the remaining books while we're in Mexico next month?
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Feeling Up, Counting Down
I got the job. < fist pump, loud scream goes here >
That simple sentence carries with it a complete change in perspective, schedule and future. While I could easily write five paragraphs on the shit I put up with for the last year and a half, I'm going to immediately put it behind me. Writing about it would only give it more life, and waste more of my time in the process. Instead, I'll take with me a decent amount of experience, whilst forgetting an enormous amount stress, frustration, and... people.
I start my new position on December 19th. My new schedule will be M-F 7:30am - 3:30pm. I'll be working about 9 miles down the road in Bloomington, not far from Angie's office; maybe we can even meet for lunch one day? My official title will be something like "Digital Press Operator" or "Digital Production." It basically means I'll be taking files of all types, performing preflight/edits, setup, printing, bindery and shipping. I'll even have the pleasure of getting 40% of the print work from an in-house design agency, and working in an apple computer-based environment.
That simple sentence carries with it a complete change in perspective, schedule and future. While I could easily write five paragraphs on the shit I put up with for the last year and a half, I'm going to immediately put it behind me. Writing about it would only give it more life, and waste more of my time in the process. Instead, I'll take with me a decent amount of experience, whilst forgetting an enormous amount stress, frustration, and... people.
I start my new position on December 19th. My new schedule will be M-F 7:30am - 3:30pm. I'll be working about 9 miles down the road in Bloomington, not far from Angie's office; maybe we can even meet for lunch one day? My official title will be something like "Digital Press Operator" or "Digital Production." It basically means I'll be taking files of all types, performing preflight/edits, setup, printing, bindery and shipping. I'll even have the pleasure of getting 40% of the print work from an in-house design agency, and working in an apple computer-based environment.
- 10 working days left at my current job
- 15 days until I start my new job
- 3 weeks until Christmas
- 5 weeks and 3 days until we leave for Mexico
- 5 weeks and 4 days until my birthday
