Day 345: Beautiful Mess

It was a busy day.  I'm happy to report that the Christmas Ball was a resounding success!  I ran around for the most part, with about ten people stepping on my train the entire night.  Which was funny.  I did not trip all over my face like I feared, though, so it was all good.  I realize that  during events like these, as much as it's a great opportunity to take photos, I never really find time in the middle of it all, nor do I have the inclination to do so.  Aside from the fact that I'm horrible with portraits.  So, let's just not try.  I'm often busy running around as an usherette or something else, anyway.  I think, these are moments that I prefer to live in, rather than capture.  That's probably a weird thing to say for someone who likes photography.  That's also probably why I prefer doing landscapes.  Capturing a moment in landscape is the same as living in it.  So, I don't really miss anything.  Yes, I'm selfish that way.

I took a picture of the worktable of our make-up artist, though.  It looked dramatic, and I liked how it turned out.  So, when I got this shot, I left the camera alone.

Beautiful Mess (Jason Mraz), isn't it?

Day 306: Antiquated

Today marks my first year at work.  Yay!  What's fascinating is, I'm facilitating a Foundations class on my first year anniversary.  The photo above is one of the journals I own.

Here's a thought I have after a year with my organization;  I used to think that joining a new company is like getting a new boyfriend.  There's an excitement very similar to what you feel when in a new relationship.  It feels very much like a honeymoon phase.  Interestingly, it doesn't feel like that with my organization now.  It was a start up when I joined and when I say start-up, I mean start-up. There were serious birthing pains involved.  It did not feel at all like a honeymoon.

It somehow felt like buying a house.  There's excitement, yes.  The fact that you're in a new organization where you have a gazillion opportunities to make a difference. It's exhilarating, if you think about it.  But just like getting a new house, sometimes you get the feeling that it's more trouble than it's worth.  Think of it this way, you go through sample after sample of flooring until you finally decide to get limestone, because it's aesthetically pleasing and it fits the interior of your house.  What you do not realize, is that limestone is a bitch to maintain.  Thing is, you can't really change your flooring again just because the upkeep is difficult.  This ain't like Sims 3, you know.  So you weigh it in.  Is getting new flooring worth all that trouble?  Or do you stick with limestone and deal with it?

Either way, you stick it out.  You don't let the house go just because the flooring didn't turn out the way you imagined it to be.  You stick it out because you know that it's a good long-term investment.  Ultimately, you also realize that at the end of the day, you're not just keeping a house.  You're already building a home.

Day 304: Halloween

Happy Halloween, folks!

Day 301: Pumped Up Kicks

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, outrun my gun

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, faster than my bullet

- Pumped Up Kicks (Foster The People)

This is a very disturbing song.  However, it's also very catchy.  It has been my earworm for the last couple of weeks.  It's has a block party tune with angst-ridden lyrics.  I was so caught up with the upbeat melody that I didn't realize it had very dark lyrics until about the fifth play.  I think it's about disturbed kids, but not necessarily for them.  If you know what I mean.

I'd like to dedicate this to my class who made this shot possible.  I asked them to wear sneakers today, to get this shot.  They were very compliant.  Props for putting in that smiley face balloon, too.

Day 273: Happy Faces

Sometimes, no matter how down I feel it's difficult not to put on a brave face, because you know there are probably other folks who have it worse than you do.  I think about that, and I feel foolish about my own sentiments.  It doesn't make it go away, but it somehow puts it on the back burner.  That's why there's no way I can hate my job.  Not when you encounter faces like these that smile despite everything.

If you're wondering what commotion happened, they were so excited to have their picture taken that half of the bodies fell down.  It must have been painful, but no one was crying.

This song reminds me of this class: Won't Go Home Without You (Maroon 5)

Day 261: Tower II

This is probably one of my favorite buildings in the city.  Primarily because I spend a lot of time here.  Incidentally, this was the exact same building where I first worked.  Talk about deja vu.

Day 260: Keys

This keys got me running around like a duck on Friday shift, which I'd just like to share.  I needed to go home halfway through my shift because I needed to change (don't ask why).  On the way down, I realized that I left my keys in my bag.  So, I ran back up to get it.  I took a cab and rushed home so I can be back before my next meeting.  I asked for the cab driver to stay, so he can take me back to the office.  I rushed back to work, and when I got there, I realized I didn't have my keys with me.  I was trying not to panic, but was advised to go home to check my apartment.  I left, nearly forgetting to take my wallet with me, and found my keys inserted in the lock.  How Stupid (Sarah McLachlan) is that?

Day 252: Lucas at Halftime

This is Lucas, Basti's Yorkshire Terrier.  He went to Mercato with us and attended the company sportsfest.  The little thing is so adorable.  I'm tempted to get my own dog, too.  

Day 238: Hanging Up

My hangers are empty because there's no use doing the laundry when it's raining like it is.  

My longest day at work, so far.  I feel like I'm slowly getting my groove back.  Slowly.

Day 234: Nightcap

There was wine left from the weekend's staycation.  I poured myself a glass after a long day's work to relieve the stress.

Wind me down music: Make You Feel My Love (Adele)

Day 221: A Larger Dose of Caffeine

I wasn't exactly insane about this day.  It was the day I was transitioning from night shift to morning shift.  It was a bit trying.  Apart from the schedule, sometime between yesterday and today, I seem to have lost my e-mail.  I don't know, maybe it has decided it has had enough and it was throwing the towel in.  I had this mental image of my Outlook walking out while saying, "That's it.  I quit."

After some badgering with IT, it eventually returned to it's senses and got back to work.  It will take a few days before it will have everything in it, though.  Let's just say that today, my patience was sorely tested.  Ergo, the need for a larger dose of caffeine.

Day 216: Garlicky

This was an interesting and tiring Thursday.  The team had dinner with the General Manager at Caruso Ristorante Italiano, and I was late.  The place is about ten minutes away from where I live.  I left home 15 minutes after six, and got there at seven.  I truly have a talent with getting lost.

Anyway, I did not get to take pictures during dinner and was so busy the entire day, that I only got to take a picture of the the garlic I have in my cupboard.

Song of the day: Let's Get Lost  (Beck and Bat for Lashes)

Day 190: Studying on a Weekend

I took home work for the weekend.  Now, this is something completely unlike me.  I do not bring home work, you see.  I will stay for as long as I can at work, but I will not bring work home.  My downtime is my downtime.

This work I took home, however, is more like studying.  I mentioned about going through payroll and tax class, and next week is the last week.  Meaning, it's the assessment week.  Since, I have a feeling that I am going to be required to go through certification for it in a few months, if not weeks, I decided to nip it in the bud.  Mind you, taking work home is just an intent.  I did not even bring the entire manual, which much too heavy.  I haven't really started yet, since the bed is just so much more inviting.  I need to get at least a chapter done, though, just so I don't waste the effort.

Playing Ocean Drive (The Lighthouse Family) to get my groove on.  Wish me luck!

Day 186: Breakfast Reading

This is how I just spent the last couple of hours since I got home.  Having breakfast and reading.

The breakfast being the bowl of corned beef and potatoes, and watermelon for dessert.  The books in the photo are on the reading list for July.  I have read One Day, but I may need to refresh my memory of it's details.  I'm currently thumbing through Room by Emma Donoghue.  I had to start reading through it, otherwise, I might forget about needing to finish it before the discussion starts.  Also, I had to read non-work related literature to clear my head of all the numbers I've been calculating the entire day at work.  I'm back to going through the odious task of rediscovering payroll and tax, and by the sixth hour everything being discussed just sounds like blah, blah, blah...

Winding down with a song about stalking: Goodnight and Go (Imogen Heap).  I know, I'm so weird.

Day 146: Cloudy

Looks like rain again.  Sigh.  Oh, well.  Let's look for the silver lining then.  What's as Right as Rain (Adele)?

I got home later than I normally would because of this entire preparation our team is doing for the weekend.  I pray it's going to be a wonderful experience.

Day 122: Tealight

My wineglass finds another purpose for itself.  A place to put my tealight candles in.  Another one of those days when I almost forgot I had to take a picture.  Who knew this would happen when I'm a third into my project?

I had several things going on today, so I was basically preoccupied.  I'm also currently following a more conventional schedule, which I'm not sure I'm fond of.  The daylight is pretty interesting, it just isn't my norm.  I'm nocturnal, which explains why I follow the eastern timezone and I seem to find myself wide awake at 4:00AM.  I need to be up in about four hours and here I am trying to convince my displaced brain that I should be asleep.  Normal people in this latitude are asleep.  It tells me, I'm not really normal.

Oh well, I need to put my sleep music on: Lie in the Sound (Tresspassers William)