January 2007 Highlights Part II

Some friends/coworkers and I decided to ski & snowboard this past Saturday. Big-ups to all my friends who board... it's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Way back in the day (and I mean waaaay back) I used to ski frequently... and very good might I add. But snowboarding is a whole new ball game; and it sure as hell took the best of me.

My coworker Dan moonlights as a snowboarding instructor - so I had the privy to have a full days worth of private (and free) lessons. The first half of the day involved me holding fiercly onto his hands the whole way down the intermediate slope (yes, we basically skipped bunny). It took about 1 hour to get down. Shut up.

The second run went by smoothly. I finally got the hang of things - and could actually turn that board on my own. Needless to say, I loved it! We're already planning on heading up to summit/bear/mtn high a couple more times before the season's end. That way I can get good enough for Mammoth next Christmas.

Kudos to Dan - and his barrel of patience. Poor guy. He had to wait for me to mozey on down the mountain the entire day. I promise I'll get better buddy!

Sidenote: The loveliest Portuguese (or so says his accent) man works at the rental shop at Snow Summit. I honestly believe he's the most attractive person I've ever seen in person. That's all.. it just needed to be said.

January 2007 Highlights Part I

I can't believe January 2007 is almost past-tense. Despite the fact that 90% of my time 'awake' was strictly devoted to work (see two previous entries), I really can't complain too much... especially since time-worked sandwiched a hardy helping of time-spent with some of my favorite people!

Photo: Le gang

Forgive me if I can't contain all of my excitement, but look at this photo! It's almost all of my favorite single London Bedfordian loves-of-my-life! From left to right: Sandy, my partner in crime and bar ho; Mikey, my favorite boy from London; Norma, my favorite favorite; and Ace, who, despite being excessively mean in '07 (as shown above), is the best person to dance with.

We all met up in Beverly Hills for a lovely (and expensive) sushi dinner at Sushi Roku on the 21st of January. This was after unsuccessful attempts to meet up at Zip Fusion and Boss Sushi (we almost felt as though we were never meant to eat fish - long story). Sidenote: Norma, I'm sorry you didn't like the eel. We had no idea it would make you gag.

Photo: Mochi


Photo: We take the best pictures.


Photo: Mikey is flat out adorable.


Photo: Mean in '07, but so easy to love.

All in all, the night was lovely! Just lovely! My single friends are an A+, and I'm almost certain that there's a correlation between London and being single... because, well, I do believe they're the only single friends I have left.

Office Mates

Having close friendships with coworkers over the age of 40 is both fruitful and strange. Take away the age, marriage, and children factors - and we all have quite a lot in common. We have similar problems to work through, and similar insecurities to overcome. And even though I'm decades younger, they're more than willing to take advice from someone whose head isn't clouded by years of experience.

[Sidenote: and i'm hoping the day never comes when they stop referring to me as 'the kid']

The thing that gets me is this.. one minute, I'm running over to one of their cubicles to have them explain the fine details of a retirement plan. The next minute, I'm running over there to make them watch Dick in a Box. Wierd i tell you... freakin wierd! But a blessing nonetheless. They make work more than just bearable - they make it fun and worthwhile.

All Work, No Play

It's quite funny to look back and recall the many times I've sat idle and daydreamed of being a pawn in the corporate world. Though in retrospect, I don't recall any of my daydreams involving 10-12 hour work days, little to no sleep, meal-wavers, buckets of tylenol, and cancelling evening reservations with friends in order to ensure that the quality of my work would be the screw to set the bar.

But really, I can't complain too much. Despite this being 'what i've always wanted', the busy and fast-paced world of a grown ass woman makes for a good feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day - when I walk out of the office knowing that I've satisfied another client.

[side note: don't get me wrong, we get our fair share of ungrateful motherbleepers who make us cynical, cold-hearted, and are perfect examples of why it can be so easy to lose your faith in human-kind.]

My free time on weekdays is becoming frighteningly scarce. By the time I ebb my way through traffic - the only thing I want to do is crawl into the furthest corner of my bed and canoodle with my schmoe of a dog.

T-minus 6 hours until my alarm goes off. Ohhh corporate ladder, you better be worth it.

People's Choice Awards

A friend of mine - who so happens to have my dream job at CBS - scored my mom and I tickets to the PCA last night. So after a quick stop at the studio, mom and I arrived at the Shrine with our excitement in tow. Being that I've been to several award shows in the past (bite me), I already knew the drill: no cameras and no cell phones with cameras, so we got through security pretty smoothly, and secured our 2nd row seats on the balcony. Now, if you've ever been to the Shrine, you can appreciate how damn close we were to the stage. Granted, we were no where near arm's length from our fave celebs, but still - we were there.

We really didn't care too much about who was to be there - except Jennifer Aniston! We're so team Aniston (Though lately, Angelina Jolie is making it really hard to hate her. In time she'll grow on me, I just know it. Not.).

Photo: Jennifer Aniston at the PCA '07

My Joy

When I want [yearn, bleed for] something - and can't have it - I still can't bring myself to settle for anything different. It doesn't matter if that 'something different' is equally yolked, or even if it's better. My something is the only thing that will be my joy.

And if I truly can't have it, I'll eventually phase it out. Does that make me an idealist, or just stubborn?

Happy New Year!

2006 was down right fabulous - all thanks to a hardy paycheck and willingness to travel. Also combined with a harmonious blend (and unquenching thirst) for church, foreign dishes, and family - 2006 is to go down in the books tied for the title of 'best year of my life so far' (alongside 2004).

2007 does not come without its own set of promises and adventures. The month of March is to answer many questions regarding what's in store for my academic and/or career-based future... and I anticipate whatever is to come. In the mean time, while I'd love to admit I haven't been sitting around planning the next year - I'm not made that way... thus, I've been sitting around planning the next year. Of course, every outcome is dependent upon acceptance letters or promotions - and I've done some prep work in preparing myself for either path I'm set to walk down.

07, bring it.

Photo: Favorite photo from the holiday season.