It's just one of those .... months?

Ugh. It has been one of those months. You know, when whatever you do, however you try to turn things around, regardless of how you try to stay upbeat and positive about the future, the reality of the day to day grind just beats you into submission.

My office is broken. Communication has completely broken down, the new leadership and their "people" don't trust the staff that has been there for any period of time, and they are making judgements indiscriminately. It makes those of us who actually perform at a high level and are effective at our jobs completely discouraged. It certainly doesn't encourage loyalty or any kind of respect, and before long, they are going to have to realize that they can't do it all alone. I look forward to that day - hopefully it's the day I'm walking out the door.

DH is having similar frustrations at work, not so much leadership-oriented, but just in trying to get people to respond to his inquiries about advertised positions within the company. So that's annoying.

It makes you just want to ask - What the heck is wrong with people? How hard is it - once someone makes the transition from petulant teenager to mature adult - to treat people with a modicum of respect? You don't have to like them, or even respect their abilities, but you do have to respect them as humans.

On a side, slightly ironic note, DH and I have been invited to my in-laws house next weekend to visit with them because DH's brother, his wife, and their new baby are going to be there. I think I'll pass... I'm coming down with something, I've got something else to do, and I just don't think we'll be able to make it. Or something.

That's it! I can't take it any more!

So today DH and I set about the long delayed, much needed task of recaulking the bathtub in our bedroom. We'd redone it once before, but somehow the anti-mildew properties of the caulk were just not working. So we scraped it all out, cleaned the area, shoved new caulk in the spot, and have to wait until tomorrow morning before we can use the shower.

Our master bath is in very sorry shape. I peeled all the wallpaper and ceiling border off the walls, as well as a gold-painted chair rail, so the walls are a hole-y mess. The color scheme is almond and the lighting is crap, so everything looks dingy.

So, even though we had planned not to do any major home renos this year, we've decided that we have to do the bathroom. Thing is, unlike the kitchen, we at least have another bathroom we can use in the interim. So it can't possibly be as inconvenient and frustrating as the kitchen remodel, right.

At least we now have something to do for the next few weekends - find a bathroom designer who can fit all the stuff I want (separate whirlpool tub and shower, namely) into the 8.5' X 7.5' space.

Crap.

Cutest picture you'll see of two Bugs today

Sarah and I in our "matching" VW Bug Convertibles.


Too bad about the dog poo on her tire.

Happy happy joy joy

I love having a few small things to be happy about on an otherwise dismal Monday.

#1 - Today when I got back to my car after work it was warm enough to drive home with the top DOWN! I was so excited - even though there was too much traffic to pick up any speed, and the windscreen was home in the garage so my hair was blowing all over the place, it was completely awesome.

#2 - I've discovered two new funny shows on Adult Swim: "Metalocalypse" and "Lucy, Daughter of the Devil." Too funny, and both shows are from/by/with some of the folks I know and love from "Home Movies."

#3 - Last night's Simpsons poked fun at my rediscovered love - newspapers! Plus "Wiggum for President!"

Organizing and scheduling

Feelin' a bit ambitious today, DH and I established a calendar with regular chores assigned to one or both of us. I'm hoping that by having one of us responsible on a regular basis for some aspect of housecleaning, whether it be vacuuming the bedroom or the living room, taking out the cat litter and trash, or dusting the den and dining room, we'll clean the house more often.

Considering that we're hosting a little shindig next Sunday, today seemed like as good a day as any to start.

Today
My chores: Clean the kitchen (everything but the floors), vacuum the living room (which DH did for me today... while I was cleaning the kitchen).
DH's chores: Clean the kitchen floors; vacuum the master bedroom, upstairs hallway, and stairs;
Joint chores: Laundry

I've also scheduled when we're supposed to clean out the basement, change the air filters in the heater, and other big project type things. Pretty ambitious, I know.

I predict we'll adhere to the chores calendar for about 2 months.

Rediscovering newsprint

I'm definitely part of the e-generation. I don't text very often, nor do I IM all my friends, but I get the majority of my news from websites and TV, rarely reading a physical newspaper.

Last night DH had CNN and MSNBC on, watching the results of the Iowa caucuses. I generally can't stand politics anyway, since I live with the results of politician's decisions everyday at work, but in particular I can't stand the tone and tenor of the mainstream media's coverage of politics. The screechy voices, the ridiculous cliches and analogies and transparent pandering and biases. It makes me want to jump off a cliff or stab my eardrums out with a pencil.

This morning, I was interested in learning about what happened in Iowa without the annoying TV over-dramatization and hullabaloo. So I picked up a Washington Post before getting on the train this morning to read their coverage. It had been so long since I had bought a physical newspaper that I didn't even realize that the price had increased from 35 to 50 cents a paper.

During my 30 minute train ride I only managed to get through about 3-4 actual pages of the first section - but it was such a refreshing change. No loud screaming, no endless commentary disguised as a question, no crosstalk or interruption or immediate reinterpretation of what was said. Just an in-depth observational review of the events. It was actually a peaceful moment in politics. I felt more educated and informed about what had happened, what it meant, and what the ramifications were likely to be. Exactly what a newspaper should do.

I doubt that I can become a daily paper reader - I can't stand the newsprint on my fingers, and there's rarely enough news that I care to read in depth that doesn't get captured ably enough by the Economist. But for all the proclamations that the old fashioned newspaper is dead, well, I just rediscovered their value.

Go ahead, read a paper at least once a week. But remember, except on Sunday, it'll cost you two quarters now.

WooHoo

So, this post may make no sense because I've just had three glasses of delicious Cava from Trader Joe's celebrating my father-in-law's last day here! He retires from his DC job tomorrow, and it's the last night he'll be here!

Woot!

He's given us all kinds of warning, like he might take a job in the area again or some such thing, but I have hope that we're actually free! I don't know what we're free from, but I feel free.

That may be the Cava talking.

Anyway, I think that my top priorities, in no particular order, now that he's not going to be here and I'm not expected to be Betty Crocker and have dinner on the table by 6:30 anymore, will be:

* experiment with more alternative foods (beans, veggies, etc)
* maybe start exercising again (since I won't have to worry about making dinner as soon as I get home from work)
* maybe going to more work-related happy hours

I see big things happening. BIG!

P.S. I forgot to write the other reason why I had a little to drink tonight. Try and make sense of this: I am being nominated for an award based on the work that I did for my dream office while I was working there on detail - but I still can't seem to get a permanent job in that office. Does that make any sense whatsoever? They'll nominate me for an award... but no job? Does that make anyone else's head hurt? I can't figure it out?