Why is everything so difficult with some people? I come in today, and the first thing that happens is I am inundated with stupid questions and requests - nay, demands - for information that I just don't have at my disposal and do not fall within the sphere of my responsibility. I'm tired of having to lead people to solutions (or explain the lack thereof) when they're supposedly above me on the corporate ladder. I want my peers to also start thinking for themselves and finding solutions to their problems instead of trying to make them my problems (since I really do have enough of my own, thanks). I am constantly behind because I'm answering questions that I really shouldn't need to be answering, covering the gaps in our steadily diminishing staffing, and generally being the "team player" that the former boss insisted I needed to become. It wears a sister down, let me tell you. Not to mention that I've somehow become the secret confessor to the disgruntled masses -- people from other departments are coming to me to voice their grievances and help them look for other jobs. It's bizarre and not as satisfying as one might think. I'm having one of those "Why am I here?" days, for sure. Last week one of my co-workers (who I think of as demi-boss) was having a bad week and, while bemoaning the fact that she's not a drinker but she could really use a drink, asked me how I manange to not go crazy with all of the demands and expectation. I looked at her in all seriousness and said "I don't manage it.".
(I don't take anti-depressants...there would be no need for this blog if I did)
At least M should be here later to share a coffee with me and gossip. Hopefully the bosses will be back by then so that I can step out.
In other non-news, someone has been having an awful lot of peeks at my limited-access MySpace page. That usually means that my husband's slightly obsessed ex-girlfriend from about twelve years ago is about to send me another message, which will as usual go unanswered. This is why my account is set to private and why none of my accounts on any social networking site or this blog link to one another, and why the blog is kept, for the most part, fairly anonymous. Better to be safe than sorry.
Yesterday there was a story posted on the website for one of the local news channels about the whale that stranded on a local beach and had to be euthanized. Originally, when posted, the first sentence read: New information has been released regarding the sperm whale that came into the mouth of Tampa Bay over the weekend. Do you suppose that was intentional? The story has since been...altered...for less innuendo. I believe I actually saw that whale in the bay last weekend while crossing the big southbound bridge on the way to visit my parents. I remember something large, gray and not quite boat-like going under the span but not emerging on the other side. I barely even registered it at the time, except to think that it wasn't a boat and way too large to be an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. The whale was apparently old and in poor health, which is why it was euthanized after it had beached. These are the kinds of things that make the news here. Well, that and temperatures dipping to a sub-arctic 32 degrees. It's warming up now, so there is great rejoicing and thawing of extremities.
I had a massive squee moment earlier today after reading that Good Omens might make it to the big screen - FINALLY! According to the insane genius Terry Gilliam: "I'm the only one who can make it, because that's what Neil (Gaiman) and Terry (Pratchett) have said. I'm the only one." And yes - I know this project has been off and on countless times. But I have hope! As a bonus, the article also mentions Gilliam's Don Quixote-themed project (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote) that would ideally star Johnny Depp, which I think would pique the interest of a certain Depp fangirl I happen to know. Plus, Neil Gaiman's children's story Coraline has been adapted into an animated film that is set to be released at some point this year (and features the voices of Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French from Absolutely Fabulous!). According to the IMDB page for the film, Gaiman supposedly has stated publicly that the soundtrack would be performed by They Might Be Giants. There is not enough server space on Blogger to handle the amount of exclamation points I wanted to place after that last sentence, so for the sake of the integrity of the whole internet I will just have to contain my excitement.
On a related note, I went to the bookstore this morning with my pockets bursting with the promise of unspent holiday giftcards. I came away with a Koontz paperback in the Odd Thomas series that will get me through the weekend (because it's like junkfood for the brain, see?), another collection of Gaiman's short stories, and The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco, which was discounted to less than six dollars and then had 25% off of that, so was a bargain that could not be passed up. All that and I still have one giftcard. I was pretty late for work - get me in a bookstore of any kind and I lose all track of time - but everyone's still on holiday break time (the ones who were there, anyway), so it didn't seem to matter much. Little much does these days, I get the feeling...
Man, the things one finds on the internet:
For whatever reason, I crave calamari right now. I don't know if I'll still feel this way tomorrow, but I think I may have to think about that for lunch. After all, you know how I feel about cephalolpods...
It was Introvert Day today. Or, as I like to call it..."Wednesday". I spent it, appropriately, by napping and not answering the phone, which are the things I normally do when I don't have to go to work and I have no reason to go outside and interact with others. I also made slow-cooker chili that turned out awesome. Now we're watching episodes of Dirty Jobs that we'd recorded during the New Year's Day marathon. I'm trying to enjoy this as much as possible since I go back to work tomorrow. This, along with the fact that what remains of our Christmas tree is now sitting by the curb, signifies the end of the holidays. Of course it gets cold now. It's not even that cold, really, although they may get snow in the panhandle. I'm off to make some cocoa, in any case.
Updates...It's currently Thursday. The boss will be out until next week. The receptionist will be out indefinitely due to a family emergency. So the co-worker that is sharing the space with me for the next two days has been venting to me about all of these problems that came up while I was out and she was the only one here. Today she is a little...well, there's a word for it, but I'll be nice and say she's under stress because things are going so wrong for her departments. Meanwhile, I'm not stressing simply because one would have to give a care to stress over some of these things. And not giving a care is the new black. Seriously. It goes with everything! I am a little aggravated because no one is here to operate the complicated coffee making apperatus that practically requires an engineering degree, the cafeteria is closed, and the dispensers in the break room are out of order. So I'm caffeine free against my will. It's lunch time, so I think I'll brave the chill and walk over to the B&N to get a hot beverage in a little while.
M - here's a reason to go back to ORL this year: Universal overhauled the Earthquake ride into something a little different - and it features a projection of Christopher Walken. According to the Sentinel article I read today "...the audience watches a projection of Walken -- portraying a fictional movie director named Frank Kincaid -- run onto the stage, talk to them, walk in front of, and behind, real furniture on the stage, and interact with a live actor there. Slated for a Jan. 17 grand opening, the attraction has been open sporadically for previews during the past couple of weeks, drawing consistent, widespread wonder from employees and visitors alike..."
Doesn't that sound like seven different levels of awesome!?
So it's a new year. Again. And here I am, sans resolutions and feeling overall kind of meh about the passing of another year of my life, and rather directionless. This is normal, but unfulfilling. I guess "define life goals" could be a resolution, but it'll take more than a year to accomplish. I hope the new year brings decisiveness and success to everyone else, at any rate.
The weather is changing again - there's a cold front blustering through that'll make it nice and chilly for a few days. But then it's right back to "normal" for us in the sunbelt.
I'm watching the NHL's "Winter Classic" - the outdoor game in Buffalo between the Sabres and Penguins. It is one of the most awesome hockey spectacles I've ever witnessed, and a great game so far. Of course I'm a long time fan of the Pens, being from the area originally (loyalty any Pittsburgh team is second only to my current "hometown" teams), so I'm a little biased, but isn't Sidney Crosby an amazing player - youngest captain in NHL history at 19 and the kid can handle a stick like he's been pro forever. I'm going to have to start watching league games again...this is some exciting stuff! I guess I should check the stats to see where my team is standing. Also, the All-Star Game is coming up at the end of the month, so don't forget to VOTE!
So I'm caffeine free against my will. It's lunch time, so I think I'll brave the chill and walk over to the B&N to get a hot beverage in a little while.
So it's a new year. Again. And here I am, sans resolutions and feeling overall kind of meh about the passing of another year of my life, and rather directionless. This is normal, but unfulfilling. I guess "define life goals" could be a resolution, but it'll take more than a year to accomplish. I hope the new year brings decisiveness and success to everyone else, at any rate.