I am woman

Hear me roar. ROAR.

That was for JJ. But seriously, I just requested a meeting and spoke to my manager about next year's bonuses (I know it seems premature, but they're doing 2004 budgets now). Specifically, about the fact that one of my subordinates got a larger bonus than I did this year, and that I was taken aback (aren't I diplomatic??), since while he is more technical, and therefore makes more than me, I am still his manager, and that should be reflected at some point.

Ok, maybe I'm not the strongest personality, but I did want to make my views heard at least once so that I don't seem like so much of a pushover. I feel somewhat better, now that they know I at least have some sort of backbone (a very soft one, but at least it's there).

fun fact about the 9 days

A little fascinating coincidence about rosh chodesh Av (which is today--i remembered ya'aleh v'yavoh this morning, only to forget it during bentching this afternoon). As we all know, this is basically a Jewish month of mourning, which fits in nicely with what I learned at work today...

Sameer, who is in my department, mentioned that today is the first of the holy month of shiva-the indian 'destroyer' god. (as opposed to vishnu, who's the 'creator' god). There's apparently some formation of her in the Himalayas that appears on the first of the month... I'll have to look up more about it online... I just find it interesting that while in some ways the religions are so far apart (ok, maybe major ones like one G-d in Judaism vs. many thousands in Hinduism), there are always little coincidences across religions that make you stop and ponder. Things that make you go hmmm....

So while I'm lamenting the fact that I forgot to do laundry last night, and have to go through the 9 days with ugly clothes (ok, maybe that'll make me realize that my life is a little too trivial), I wanted to share something that might make me seem like a little less of an airhead.

I feel obliged

to at least mention that Carol Shields died July 16th. I wrote my undergrad thesis on 2 of her books - Swann: A Mystery, and The Stone Diaries -- both highly recommended (in case you were wondering, the thesis was about post-modernist voice and how it inflects the female narrator/subject... or something along those lines). She'd been suffering from cancer for the past few years, so it's not a big surprise, but I was glad to see that she merited an obituary in the NYTimes.

One guy I dated had actually heard of her, and knew she had cancer, which gave him many, many points with me. Which in retrospect, was a huge mistake. He turned out to have an ego bigger than the state of Texas. And I think all those points he earned by being able to talk intelligently about Carol Shields blinded my judgement. Or maybe I should just admit that my judgement might not be so great to begin with...

finally...

for the non-existent folks reading this blog... I've finally moved! R & JJ helped me on sunday. and considering that they did most of the work, i don't know why i'm so sore! We breaked several times for freeze-pops, which I picked up in the morning, plus a break for pizza for lunch. Best moment: at the end, once R left, I was carrying a large, but pretty light Ikea chair on top of my head (that's the way it balanced best), while JJ was taking out 2 heavy-ish drawers from the car. 2 people were coming out of the building and said "Look at that--the girl is doing the heavy lifting, and the guy is just carrying some drawers!" JJ was NOT amused.

SR put my a/c in last night, so I can sleep now, and now all I have to do is speak to the super about the clogged drain in the shower. But there's SO much junk in my old apt! I don't know what to do with it. I suppose I'll just end up packing it all up and bringing it over, and then dealing with it in my new place, but it seems like such a waste...

it's raining now

and i'm much happier. even though i'm still at work.

argh

i was *supposed* to move today. really i was. but then it started pouring, so i canceled my plans with friends who were all set to help out. of course, now it's not raining anymore. and now, all i want is for it to start raining again so i don't regret still being at work at this ungodly hour, trying to fix a file that is apparently unfixable, and thinking that i will never, never actually move, and that the notion of me ever living in a normal space is just a figment of my imagination.

ice cream!

I completely wasted my time last week, since i didn't feel like being at work. the result? guess where i spent 3 hours yesterday? yes, at work. joy joy joy. i suppose i deserve it though. plus i came in early this morning.

weekend was good though. my friend came to visit for shabbat--i'm trying to convince her to become roommate #3. otherwise, i think i'll be stuck for another month without a roommate. and that i can't afford! it was fun. she charmed most of my guy-friends, which is nice for her (only, of course, since i'm not interested in them myself -- i'm not that unselfish). plus, as an added bonus, she gave me some good gossip updates.

sunday, other than work, was pretty productive. picked up a carpet for the new apt. at Crate & Barrel, went to Eric's birthday party--which i belatedly realized, maybe i shouldn't be going to parties during the 3 weeks. oops. the food was great, it was nice and relaxed, and eric seemed really happy. then i went over to the new place for an hour to clean--not so much fun, but it needs to be done. i'll have to go again tonight.

We've got ice cream at work! Ben and Jerry's... plus toppings!

i'm going to be poor soon, but it's worth it...

still looking for a new roommate. i'm moving apt's hopefully next week, and am still looking. argh! why are there so many 2 year olds looking, but no one my age? (by 2, of course, i mean 22). honestly if i get another question about the ability to share the bedroom with 4 of their closest friends to save money on rent, i'm going to scream. no more dorm-life apartments for me. thank g-d!

a little bit about me

OR why you should bother reading my blog.

well, you shouldn't. if you're that bored, go read a paper, see an art exhibit, or read someone else's blog. I'm new to this game, and am doing it as more of an exercise for myself. or as a way to waste time at work.

i'm soon to be 27, single, jewish, in nyc. so, basically, nothing very unusual. i work for a web site that is not going under, which might be somewhat more unusual. and basically spend my time dating, going out with friends, watching tv (yes, i know, a waste of time), and avoiding ex-boyfriends. lots of fun. ok, i suppose i don't invest that much time dating or avoiding ex-boyfriends. i don't usually bother with either. other than that, i spend my time in a failing attempt to become a better person, by reading, learning, taking classes. also. i want to take my gmat's at the end of the summer, but haven't really started studying yet. the math is scary. i was an english major in college and haven't got the foggiest idea of what i'm doing. help!

ok, that's about all you have to know for now...