OK, so I'm really really getting the hang on this now.....ahhahahahhaha
You Are Mint Green |
 Balanced and calm, you have mastered the philosophy of living well. Your friends seek you out for support, and you are able to bring stability to chaotic situations. You're very open and cheerful - and you feel like you have a lot of freedom in life. Your future may hold any number of exciting things, and you're ready for all of them! |
OK, so Penny got me started with the "what kind of..." so here's one that I thought was hilarious!!
| You're A Crazy Drunk |
 When you drink, you get wrecked - and it ain't pretty. |
| You Were a Snake |
 You have a primal energy that drives you to explore the mysteries of life. A nearly immortal soul, you'll live a very long life. |
Ok, so my dear friends, I've been amiss in leaving my diary over a week without an update. What a crazy time it's been....way too much traveling (NY-STL for me, CHI-STL for Trev), having to pack stuff up, getting movers into get a quote, socializing, working, traveling (STL-NY for me, STL-London for Trev) and then back to work with no time. I think it's time for another silent meltdown:)
My to-do list....I'm soooo behind
- reply to Lorraine's email. I'm so happy we've made contact again via email....we're catching up over the 10 years since we've seen each other. It's so much fun, I just need to find half an hour to reply....as right now we're writing lengthy emails.
- taxes....we did turbotax again this year; i'm now convinced we need an accountant as we have a business and still can't get a refund. I think we're missing out. I'm fed up of paying more taxes.
- flexible spending...it's the night of the 29th of March and my 2005 claim is STILL not in the system. MUST FAX TOMORROW
- get more people hired at work. I've made one faux pas this week....but it's pretty minor in the grand scheme of things
- get the list to Penny of what stuff we have and what she wants so she can get the truck hired etc.
- get rid of the other stuff she doesn't want
- find somewhere to live in NYC.....again
- communicate with my family and friends more....
- stop working 90 hours a week
- find somewhere for the pianos in storage...not sure it shoudl be a regular place
On a more positive note...I got my hair done in a New York salon. My friend Heather recommended a salon. It was amazing. 2 hours to colour my hair, an hour to cut it. It looks amazing! Although I'm not quite used to paying NYC prices.....I nearly fainted on the spot. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch and ouch. I keep remind myself why i got the payrise I did....it's to pay for things like this. However, a mortgage is needed I believe - it's so good I have to go back:):)
I'm really starting to enjoying walking everywhere...it's fun. Now my shins don't hurt all the time it's much better. It's also the ONLY exercise I'm getting in NY right now. That sucks...but I'm working on it.
I'm hoping to spend more time this weekend catching up and getting to the point where I'm up to date with work, I've scoped out another part of town to figure out where to live, and I get to do one luxurious thing (whether it's a massage or a pedicure, I don't care...but I'm going to do SOMETHING).
On the living front, I'm realizing why being in Manhattan is cool - it's soooo easy to get home. I like the fact it's a 15 min walk and the fact that if I'm out to dinner it's less than $10 to get home. It's making Brooklyn look less likely....although I really need to try out the train....
Ok, it's 9.40pm ET, I've been up since 4am CT....I'm completely exhausted. I'm off to veg....
http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs2986
Read this.....it'll make you realize as women in the western world we have so much to be thankful for.
So, I knew when Trev woke me up about 4 times between 10.30 last night and 1 am that it was not good....especially as he had to get up at 4am for a flight to Chicago at 6am. I wish I had been wrong. So, I got up at 4.30, hung out a bit...figured I'd get up, go to work early and get out at 3pm....yeah - like that happened. I ended up leaving work at 6.30pm, picked up dinner and then getting into my apartment you need a security code. So I've been up hours, I'm grumpy, hungry, Trev's away etc etc - you get the picture. And what happens? The blinking code doesn't blinking work......not happy. I call the contacts at the apartment and at the time of writing I STILL have not heard back. Peed off or what!!?! I had a brainwave while getting madder and madder that perhaps one of the keys that I don't use opened the door.....you can probably tell because I'm writing this that I managed to get in. Hey ho....you can guess what the email says to them tonight.
Man, we need our own place..........
So, today was the first foray into looking for somewhere more permanent to live. Didn't go quite as planned...but still, a fun day. I thought we were doing good by being on the Corcoran website...and had it all planned out - we ended up in the wrong part of Brooklyn (cement city to put it mildly) and wasn't particularly nice to look at. We did find one building that had condos for sale that weren't on our list...but they were very expense (over a million!!!!) and the view wasn't good enough.
We did find one apartment - but that was coz we broke down, hailed a cab,....who didn't know where he was going and had to stop and look at a map - LOL* We did find a real estate agent there though who seemed pretty good...so we'll use her to look around rather than trying to do this on our own.
* I always took for granted London cab drivers who have to pass the "Knowledge" test....here, you have to know where you're going so you can give directions. Hahahahaha
things we learnt this weekend:
- we need a broker...we had thought that maybe we wouldn't need one and didn't want to pay
- that thinking we could get somewhere we'd like to live for $300k is a joke
- we can mortgage for more than we ever thought possible
- that we're both going to lose 2 dress sizes purely by the amount of walking that we're now doing in NYC
- that the train is OK....and we're going to have to get used to commuting all over again
- the view out of the windows in an apartment is really important (apparently)...to the tune of hundreds of thousands of $$$$
- that cab drivers sometimes don't kknow where to go either
OK, back to catching up with my work to-do list and out for dinner with friends.
So, we moved into our temporary apartment last night - and oh, how horrible it was. The apartment itself is nice if a little small. The bed - well, it was like sleeping on cardboard. So, you get used to that (nothing that a mattress pad and real pillows won't fix) and then at 3am it sounded like construction going on ALL FLIPPING NIGHT.
Needless to say, my husband who arrived late last night is not impressed with his first night living in Manhattan.
It can only get better from here.....
So, we moved into our temporary apartment last night - and oh, how horrible it was. The apartment itself is nice if a little small. The bed - well, it was like sleeping on cardboard. So, you get used to that (nothing that a mattress pad and real pillows won't fix) and then at 3am it sounded like construction going on ALL FLIPPING NIGHT.
Needless to say, my husband who arrived late last night is not impressed with his first night living in Manhattan.
It can only get better from here.....
If you're feeling down....give this link a whirl
http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~geoffo/humour/flattery.html
Today's the day we move into our apartment. As usual in my life, nothing is ever simple and getting the lease signed and to the landlord has proved more than difficult. So they email paperwork, I sign it, leave it for pick up and all is well....until 5.30pm last night when the call to say they never received the lease. Well, THAT'S COZ THEY NEVER SENT IT TO ME. What dingbats! Turns out there was a whole other doc I was supposed to have. They sent it, I printed it, I signed it......and then noticed it was for 6 months, not 3 month. OMG - can you believe that? So this morning it's now 10.38am...and I must have called 5 times, emailed 3 times and can't get hold of anyone to take the flipping lease. I have checked out of the hotel this morning.......so as of now I have no place to live. Oh, what fun I'm having.
Trev gets into NY tonight - can't wait. It seems ages since I've seen him and I really miss having him around. I know it's stressful right now for both of us - but it's still nice to pop your butt on the sofa and veg out. Let's hope I have somewhere to sleep tonight......hahahahahahah
The house in St Louis is sold - yeeeeeeeeeeha. We close on April 13th. So, now we have to get our butts in gear to get stuff packed up. Penny has said she'll take a load of stuff - so, before i send her the list I've given first refusal to the kids - not sure they want anything major, but had better check. So, Penny if you're reading I'll be sending an inventory shortly with the dates we're back in STL.
Now I'm really excited and scared at the same time. We've now got no ties to St Louis - I really hope we find somewhere we like to live. I think it's overwhelming for the pair of us. For me, at least i'm now here and working - I'm not sure Trev has adjusted yet. Hopefully it'll feel more real once we're in our apartment next weekend. Roll on Thursday.
I realized on my last post I titled it implying that it was about my apartment hunting....and I managed to avoid it until the last sentence.
I went out this afternoon, met a guy and looked at 2 apartments in the same building and found one. Grossly overpriced and small but it'll do for now - it at least sorts out my corporate housing. Yeeeeha!
Now back to sorting out my job....this afternoon is me getting my reports and to-do list together. i can sleep well tonight
So I've been here in New York for 4 days. It's been a good weekend. My friend Melissa from Hartford came down for the weekend - we went shopping (gotta love Macy's), hung out and then went for dinner in Chelsea. We met up with a friend we both know from APAC days. John now lives in Fort Lauderdale and was in NY for work. Was good to meet up again. A few things I'm going to have to adjust to:
1) it costs $100/person without that much alcohol. The food was amazing (we had sushi) - however, I couldn't believe the cost
2) the fact that everyone goes out for dinner after 8pm and then stays out in very crowded bars for hours and hours
I felt very old... I know in England I'd meet people for dinner at 8.30pm...but having been in the midwest for a decade I got used to dinner at 6. Oh well, we'll figure it out.
On the apartment front, I'm seeing a couple of apartments later today - hopefully I'll have more news.
It's Friday...........can you believe I only arrived on Wednesday? It feels like I've been here forever. My role has changed - I run the Americas training group for high revenue account. Yeah.......although personally I don't see me getting any high revenue. I'm conflicted - do I ask for a raise now (I'm responsible for 70 people rather than 25) or do I work 3 months, make it work and then ask....? I feel like if I was asked to give someone a raise without proving themselves I'd say no....but at the same time this is NOT what I signed up for.
On the plus side....I'm heavily involved in the recruiting trying to make head nor tail of the information. I've decided it's a guy thing. they create weird ass spreadsheets without all the data that no-one else can understand. Luckily I'm a project manager at heart so i can figure it out myself. That's my job for this afternoon. In addition, I have a huge migration project at one of my accounts - and I'm being BS'd by one of the team members....the client and acct mgrs love her, but my team doesn't. Having listened in on the mtg I think they're full of crap....so I'm being a project manager too. Wooo hoooo. Loving it already!
On the apartment front - I have nothing. nada. zip. I'm in the Hilton temporarily until I can find something. Work is so crazy that it's hard to find time. so this weekend I'm actively spending time looking for places to stay.
OK.....off to more work.
We closed on Bradbury Dr...I'm sure I said that before, but hey - one house down, one to go:)
Had my last day in the St Louis office today - I left with a tinge of sadness but mostly excitement. I get on a 6am flight tomorrow and then my life in NYC begins.
It's Trev's b'day today - he's had a good day - he liked the Sony PSP i bought him, he went and got a game and now I'm showing him how to put music and movies onto it. We'll see if the focus stays....I love it so it has a home if it becomes unloved.
Things to do:
- reply to my friend Lorraine's email...feel bad that I've not done that (if you're reading, I'm thinking of you)
- get the house tidy before 4am tomorrow morning
- get STL house sold
More later
Bye
I think I'm having the quietest meltdown in history....
Step 1: House in Iowa is sold - yeeeeeha. Have seen any money yet, although we make a complete and utter loss.
Step 2: Go through rooms in St Louis house and make sure we pitch all the crap stuff
Step 3: Get my ass to NYC on March 8 - bags packed, don't forget anything. Find somewhere to live
Step 2a: Don't forget between now and then that it's your husband's birthday. Quite worried about his gift and I've got him something that Tim (my brother) tells me he'll love. Don't worry at all about the fact that Trev said he didn't want one the DAY AFTER I bought it.....I hope I haven't let him down
Step 4: See Melissa and John for socializing in NYC
Step 5: Be in NY for St Patricks Day...Trev will be in town for that, brilliant
Even so, it's going to be busy - I've not got anywhere to live and work won't let me stay in a hotel for weeks and weeks. It has to be my first port of call. Mind you, my calendar is getting so booked up I'm not sure how to find the time. I WILL MAKE TIME I WILL MAKE TIME I WILL MAKE TIME....keep repeating this over and over again
Had a fantastic leaving do last Friday...can't remember some of it - but have about 250 photos to prove it. It was fabulous. I'm so sad to be leaving but very excited about my new opportunity. I'll post the photos later.
Was at the dentist this morning....again. Yuk. although I can quite frankly recommend this conscious sedation thing. You get happy drugs via IV - and you don't care they're hurting your mouth. Recovery is pretty good too so that's even better. I'm at the point where I'd fly back to STL to see these guys - awesome!
OK back to work, back to sorting, back to getting b'day ready, back to clearing up, back to.....................ouch:) my brain hurts!
OK, so I did the nerdy test....so here's a fun one:)
http://www.dr-joe.net/quiz.html
This one is a political one:
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blgeorgewbushquiz.htm
If you like weird-o British humor I suggest you listen to the free podcasts of Ricky Gervais...he's the guy from the BBC "The Office" - blinking hilarious. Limewire.com is the source - these were free. There are 12 episodes - they will only appeal if you like weird stuff.... each episode rambles for 30 mins talking about nothing in particular. it is funny though!
Last but not least - weird quiz
LAYER ONE:
Name: Philippa
Birthplace: Hemel Hempstead, England
Gender: Female
Age: 38
Eye Color: blue
Hair Color: mid brown
Height: 5'2
Righty or Lefty: left
Zodiac Sign: Leo
LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: Anglo Saxon
The shoes you wore today: Black boots, then sneakers
Your fears: that I don't enjoy my life
Your perfect meal: depends on the day....right now, it's Sushi followed by a tempura
Goal you'd like to achieve: be debt free
goals? be financially sound, retire early, enjoy life
LAYER THREE:
Your thoughts first waking up: "Gotta get up"
Your best physical feature: yeah.....right - ok.....my eyes or my ginormous boobs
Your bedtime: 10pm weeknights....who knows on weekends
Your most missed memory: my grandmother
LAYER FOUR:
Pick one..Pepsi or Coke: Diet Coke
McDonald's or Burger King: BK
Single or group dates: dates?Group
Adidas or Nike: actually I'm into New Balance right now
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Good grief - PG Tips English tea, hot, strong and w/milk
Chocolate or vanilla: chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: coffee
LAYER FIVE:
Do you...Smoke: No
Cuss: I've been known to...although I try not to (and fail most days)
Sing: occasionally
Take a shower: daily
Have a crush: not really
Think you've been in love: Yep
Want to go to college: In an MBA program (although not studied for 2 years)
Like high school: nope
Want to get married: already married
Get motion sickness: no
Think you're attractive: not really
Think you're a health freak: I never used to be, but now I'd say yes
Get along with your parent(s): yes, but that's coz I'm older
Like thunderstorms: not especially
Play an instrument: piano - although not played ina few years
LAYER SIX:
In the past 3 months...
Drank alcohol: yep
Smoked: no
Done a drug:
Had Sex: yep - what are husbands for:)
Made Out: yep - again, what are husbands for:)
Gone on a date: - ditto above...
Gone to the mall?: only under sufferance
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: yuk no
Eaten sushi: yes
Been on stage: when I was 12
Been dumped: not for a very long time
Made homemade cookies: no
Gone skinny dipping: no
Dyed your hair: yep
Stolen anything: no
LAYER NINE:
In a guy/girl...
Best eye color?: blue or brown
Best hair color?: don't care
Height: don't care....but I'm short enough not to worry
Best weight: don't care
Best articles of clothing: jeans
LAYER TEN:
Number of drugs taken illegally: zero
Number of piercings: 2
Number of tattoos: 0
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: maybe twice
Number of scars on my body: about 7...all surgery scars
Number of things in my past that I regret: None...the things I have done have shaped who I am today
I start my new job today....wooohoooo - doesn't feel like it though. it was crazy today, I got a cold so i've come home to prepare documentation and what happens? I leave my charger at work so I only have 2 hours to work. Funny thing is I seem to be blogging more than working.....jetlag'll do that to you.
I leave for NYC on march 8th - still don't have anywhere to live, but we'll figure it out. We close on the IA house tomorrow so that'll be one less hassle...then we have just the MO house to sell. We've agreed a price with my brother so we should have enough collatoral to buy in NY.
today was cool for another reason - I got an email from my friend Lorraine - we've known each other since I was about 17 and have kept in distant touch. Another reason to love the internet.....it brings you closer. Hopefully she's reading this blog to know I'm thinking of her. I do feel bad - i got her email, thought it was brief and replied just as briefly....only to find out it was a longer email. I'm now working on that too....it's a decade since we've seen each other so we have a lot to catch up on....i can't wait.
I'm also happy that Penny's back up and running.....it feels like I'm in touch again. All we need is for more people to blog and keep in touch and it'll be brilliant!
More later
Thanks Penny for this quiz...I figured I should answer too...
1. Do you remember when you saw your first computer?
I won't count the Atari game player I got when I was about 11. I was in 3rd year of senior school (US equivalent 8th grade) - at the time I had taken computer studies....although what that meant was that you wrote your programming on cards...gave them to a college, wait a week and then get back your output. 9 times out of 10 the admin would mistype something.....
My first "proper" computer was actually at work and probably where I lost complete fear of them. I was 16, it was my job at BT and I remember being led into a lab and told "learn this as you have to teach us how to use it" - it was the only PC in the team. I thought it was flipping marvelous - big heavy 7inch floppy disks. It really did do me the power of good.
My first home computer was a "portable" the size of a house.....it was huge:)
2. When did you first go online and/or use email? Who did you email back then? How did the internet change your life? When did you discover blogging? What about your home internet connection - is it dial-up, DSL, cable?
I had an email address at BT in 1996...but never used it - I used cellphones and fax. I can't believe that....but that's how it worked. Trevor and I briefly had an MSN account in the UK but rarely used it. When we moved, we probably left it about a year....and then we had dial-up for 6 months. Then....we got broadband and have never looked back. Who we emailed? family and friends...not really much for work. When I joined APAC in 1999 I started to use email even more......now I'm addicted. In fact, the best way to get hold of me either instant messenging or email (esp now I have a Blackberry).
The internet changed my life because I can keep in touch far more with everyone and much more regularly. I'd phone the UK once a month....now I talk maybe 5 days a week on IM. It's great. Oh yeah, and shopping - i do all my shopping online.....I rarely go into a shop. It's cheaper....
I'm relatively new to blogging. Penny got me into it last October....
3. Do you remember your first VCR?
It was a Hitachi....I thought it was so cool because you could fast forward to each new recording.
4. When did you switch from VCR to DVD? How did it change your video viewing experience? Do you use TiVo or any such "contraption" to tape TV shows? Do you use Netflix or some other internet-based DVD "renting" service?
Probably 5 years ago...although it's only with this move that ALL the videos are being sent to goodwill. I've not watched a tape since I've been in st Louis....so it's time fo rthem to go. Tivo? I'm an addict. I love Tivo - it revolutionalizes what and how much you watch. Right now we're using the cable company's equivalent but it's no match for Tivo...
I've done netflix a couple of times thanks to our kids....however with all the CSI's and Law and Order's on demand with Tivo, there's no need.
5. What about music? Did you enjoy listening favorite music in Long Plays or did you prefer cassette tapes? When did you buy your first CD player and switched to CDs? Did you abandon them (and turned to downloaded music) for MP3 players or Ipods or do you still buy CDs? (I'm not going to ask or comment about "illegal" music activities in the internet, even though it was an exciting innovation, lest one of us gets arrested for it :)
I bought singles between the age of 16-20. I bought very few LPs. I generally mixed my own tapes. I bought my first CD player in 1985 when they were terribly expensive. I'm now an MP3 addict...although I still don't get the whole IPOD thing. ....I have a Samsung 1GB MP3 player and it's awesome. I've just bought a external hard drive as I've got over 20GB music recorded..... I have yet to purchase any online music....all my MP3s are my own.
6. Do you own and use a cell phone? Do you think it's useful or just annoying?(Did you always have a telephone in your house growing up? Did you have a phone in your own room?)
I have my own cellphone - actually I just switched to a Blackberry....very cool. I think it's great, although sometimes I think you can be too accessible. I never had a phone in my room growing up, but there was always one in the house.
7. When did you first buy a digital camera? What kind was it (3.2, 4.0, 5.0 mega-pixels or better)? Did you start taking more pictures or were you a photo aficionado before then? What about a digital video camera?
I bought my first digital camera about 5 years ago. It was $50 and it was crap....Trev said that I should buy a good one...but I wanted to check whether I'd like it. I was a big SLR camera person, long lenses etc etc. My "proper" digi I bought was a Sony DSC-P1 3MP - it was awesome. What got me away from SLRs was my trip to Oz 3 years ago - the pics on the digi were as good (if not better) than the cumbersome SLR. I upgraded last year to a Sony P200 which is great.....I did briefly have a Canon S500..but I hated it. Sony's brand is awesome. I do hanker for a cuter model though:) I've never had a digi video....although both Sony's have a video mode that I use.
8. What about televisions? Have you already embraced the new technologies, such as HDTV, plasma, and flat screen? (On the other hand, you wouldn't remember black & white TVs, would you?)
When we bought in STL we bought a 42inch Panasonic flat panel HDTV. It's blinking marvelous. Love it. I embrace all new technologies.......I'm even excited that my laptop for work has a finger print reader instead of typing in a login (how nerdy is that!!)
