Sunday, December 10, 2006

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas!
Originally uploaded by schmann.
Merry Christmas from the Urban Family!

I only sent this card to a few people because my rule is to send it only to people who know 3 of the 4 households really well or else its just weird. Oh, and immediate family just because. So I am posting our family photo here for a Christmas Blog (instead of Card). Know that I adore all of you (well, those of you who I KNOW). And I wish you a blessed holiday season!

P.S. If you live far away, come to visit sometime. Portland is cool.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Madrigals Christmas

I'm sitting in my apartment, paying bills and listening to Christmas music. My Madrigals CD has been on for a bit. I have two, and I love them for different reasons, both having to do with the people singing. I am getting sappy and homesick, and listening to my fab friends' voices makes me look forward to possibly seeing a couple of them when I come home in a week. A week! Yes, 1 week from Tuesday I fly to Minneapolis. I'm excited to be home. I have a lot to do first, but I'm excited. I think I finished all my shopping this weekend, so now I can focus on packing and cleaning because Brad is staying with me right before I leave.

This enneagram 9 is pretty proud of her motivation and progress this weekend. I have been very busy. Bill & Joy and I visited another church today and it was nice. I'm not sure where I'll end up, but it has been good to do a little searching. It's hard to go to church alone. I'm glad they've let me tag along.

I spent this morning doing some reflection and sending good vibes to the southwest. My work friend Emily from San Fran was in Hawaii running in an AIDS marathon this morning and several of us in P-town signed up to do something for an hour to honor her and encourage her from afar. I signed up for an hour I thought I'd be in church but then ended up going earlier, so I devoted my whole morning to thinking of her. In church, the focus of advent was joy, so I was thinking of the joy of finishing, accomplishing, helping, and the joy of the people whose lives will be touched by her efforts. I also thought of cleansing and washing and healing (words in the songs we sang) and thought of those with AIDS. We all could do more to help this issue. I am drawn to my former student Jena's work with Blood Water Mission, but I also wonder what we can be doing here at home. I guess the key is "Do Something."

Well, those were some random thoughts on my Sunday. :)

Monday, December 04, 2006

coolest quote ever

Got this quote from my manager today. I wanted to share:

“I honestly believe that the future is going to be millions of little things saving us. I imagine a big seesaw, and one end of this seesaw is on the ground with a basket half-full of rocks on it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air; it’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. And some of us got teaspoons, and we’re trying to fill up sand.

A lot of people are laughing at us, and they say, “Ah, people like you have been trying to do that for thousands of years, and it’s leaking out as fast as you’re putting it in.” But we’re saying, “We’re getting more people with teaspoons all the time” and we think, “One of these years, you’ll see that whole seesaw go Zooop! in the other direction.” And people will say, “Gee, how did it happen so suddenly?” Us and all our little teaspoons.”

-Folksinger/activist Pete Seeger 7/3/06

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Family Photos


IMG_0717
Originally uploaded by schmann.
We also took our 2nd Annual Family Photo for photo Christmas cards. The entire event is on video (Nicole video-ed most of our weekend, which was way funny). Taking a photo can be a bit of a fiasco, with lots of opinions in the mix. Here's one of the pics we didn't use, which is cute but there is a tree growing out of my scalp and there's a lot of wall showing in the background. But you'll notice our pictures this year were taken on a bed! :)

Thanksgiving Dinner


IMG_0704
Originally uploaded by schmann.
Here's a picture of my Urban Family cooking the Thanksgiving meal. Look at them, all hard at work! We had some great food (including a Quorn Turkey Loaf--fake but tasty). It was a very relaxing weekend, very cozy. Activities included: the Millers spending the night at my place Wed, cooking, eating, watching Grey's Anatomy, Black Friday shopping at Best Buy Michaels and Fred Meyer, Christmas Tree Lighting at Pioneer Square, Games, "craft day", watching Little Miss Sunshine at Kennedy School, church at Mosaic, and shopping at Jantzen Beach. Also lots of relaxation and morning coffee. I came back to work this week very refreshed and peaceful.

San Francisco


IMG_0702
Originally uploaded by schmann.
So, San Francisco. Fun times. We started our trip on Sunday by getting to the airport to find out that our flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems. So 30 of us had to get on 2 other flights that afternoon. Yes, 4 hours later. So most of us stayed at the airport and hung out for a few hours. It was actually one of the highlights of my trip. :)

While in San Fran, we had a cocktail party the first night and those of us who had been certified got recognized. We had a couple of main speakers on Monday and small discussions as well. The highlight of that, for many of us, was a group of high school students from a charter school in Oakland. Many of them are first generation high school graduates and are involved in leadership. We are going to work with these students to help them transition into school. As one of my fellow coaches shared with them, they were very inspiring, and most of us are jumping at the chance to work with them in addition to our rosters.

Monday night involved dinner at a GREAT Thai restaurant in/near Chinatown (the spicy tofu was to die for...and made for a flaming mouth). Afterwards, we went to a club for dancing and drinking (see photo). Lots of free drinks all night long. I went back to the hotel after about an hour at the club--not my scene and I can't stay up that late anymore!

Tuesday we started the day with optional community service. I went with a group to the San Francisco Food Bank. I worked with 20+ other coaches to pack up boxes of groceries for low income senior citizens. In the 2.5 hours we were there, we packaged 600 boxes.

Then we wrapped up the day with lunch, highlights of the three days, and some large group closing conversation. All in all, it was much more fun and educational than I anticipated--mainly because I didn't know what to expect. I came home exhausted and ready for a break.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

How to Save a Life

I really love that song by The Fray (see "blog title"). I realized I love, love, love sad songs. There's something so mellow and soothing about them. Huh.

I haven't had anything really exciting happen to blog. However, I am leaving for San Francisco in 1 week for work: Sunday - Tuesday. Then when I get back, we get 3 days off work and I get to spend time with my Urban Family--one of our favorite holidays. So that's great.

I'll blog about San Fran and post pics if I take any. Maybe this time I'll see more of the city than just downtown. :)

Monday, October 30, 2006

Hallo-weeeeeee!


IMG_0692
Originally uploaded by schmann.
I made a last-minute trip to Bend this weekend to cure my boredom and participate in a Halloween party and to help bring the attendance up to 8. Here are some pictures from it. It was funny. Well, the costumes were. And we played a telephone charades that was funny when Dan acted out The Shining. I love that scary movie.

I also got trapped in a mini-antique-car-tour an hour from Bend on my way on Saturday and was very excited. Most people would be annoyed by the 40 mph drivers, but it made me think of the good old days...I made sure to call my Dad to let him know about it. It was great to see a car that looked like our old Model T. Good times, riding in the rumble seat. I miss that car.

Now I have to log off the 'net and try to come up with a costume to wear to work tomorrow. Today I decided I should dress up because 1) it's a fun challenge to be creative, 2) some of my coworkers put time and thought into creating a party so I want to support them and 3) San Francisco goes all out so I think we should try to compete with their greatness. The good news about tomorrow's party (since it's been a hellish week so far) is that there will be cocktails at 5pm!!!

hot pink spider cake


IMG_0691
Originally uploaded by schmann.
check out heather as "drunk prom date". so funny!

Spooky something & Elizabeth Taylor at the 2001 Golden Globes


IMG_0687
Originally uploaded by schmann.

Jack-o's


IMG_0689
Originally uploaded by schmann.

Friday, October 06, 2006

My team!


TeamPic4Sarah
Originally uploaded by schmann.
This is a picture my team and I put together in a whirlwind yesterday afternoon. Our ACD (aka manager) and others are having an affirmation time today during their retreat in San Fran so we put this together for her. I think we are also going to be doing a rap for her at 1:00. I was on the phone while that planning went down, but it should be funny. Anyway, isn't my team cute? We enjoy each other a lot and had fun putting this together!

Rose Gardens


Rose Garden
Originally uploaded by schmann.
Long time since I've posted pictures, eh? Dial up didn't like uploading pictures (or the user - me - was just impatient).

This is a picture from August when Brad came up with his friends Dave and Heather. I hung out with Dave at a conference in Feb so were were pseudo-friends, so it was good to meet his "other half" and get to know both of them a little better. We went on Friday night to see a band they know at one of the small McMenamins pubs. It was great. Neither of them had been to the Rose Gardens so we took them there the next day before they all made the trek back to Bend. Here they are throwing petals (instead of coins) into the wishing fountain. Good times with new friends!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

winning streak?

I won $100 at work this week (if you want to know the story, ask...it's not blog-worthy). I am starting to wonder if I am becoming lucky. Nicole doesn't like that word, which is an interesting thought, but that's beside the point. I rarely won things in the past when there was chance involved (except some "guess the number of candy pieces in the jar" contest on some antique car tour). Now I have won two drawings at work since I started in June. Huh. Curious.

I also should update y'all that I am getting closer to my Basic Certification as a coach. This means that I have been improving my skills and am getting feedback that I'm meeting minimum requirements in the areas we have to focus on / demonstrate in each of our meetings. I just have the oral exam and when I pass that I'll be certified on this basic level. Then I get to start working toward my next level, which will be a really big challenge but will also mean a salary increase and, more importantly, will mean I'm more skilled and confident!

I'm learning lots in this job, including that I am so not as naturally-organized or motivated as I always thought I was. I always wondered how I am a "P" on the Myers-Briggs and I am seeing it so much more clearly in this job. To those of you who always knew (probably Tammy and Lara :) ), please have a good chuckle on my behalf since I'm finally seeing my true organic/fluid/laid-back/anti-structure nature.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Festivus for the Rest of Us

So, last weekend was my birthday. Pretty exciting. I went to Bend, OR, and had a very relaxing time. And some mojitos.

This weekend, I have lots of excitement. Haha. I think I may change to my new "fall colors". I bought some teal-ish blue pillows from Pier 1 so I think I'm gonna put them out so that I can get the full appreciation of them.

I'm trying to be a full-time vegetarian right now. Which is actually a change because I had been eating a turkey sandwich for lunch every day. Today is my first official day. I'll let you know how it goes. So far so good, but I'm gonna have to be creative about my lunches--mainly, I'm gonna have to cook more so that I can take my leftovers in for lunch.

I'm getting a haircut tomorrow...that should be exciting. I get to make a trip to the 'burbs to Gresham. Fun times.
-----------------------------------------
Try this recipe (what I'm eating right now during my lunch break...thanks Brad!):
--Couscous Salad--
Couscous (prepare as box directs you to, then cool
Chop a bunch of vegetables (I've chose red pepper, edamame, and carrots)
Sausage if you're a meat eater
Small chopped cheese (optional)
Several tablespoons of italian dressing

Mix it all together and eat it. Just eye it--you can't do it wrong, except maybe if you add too much dressing--it's just for the subtle taste. It'll sort of resemble fried rice, in the proportions of couscous to veggies.
-------------------------------------------

Festivus for the Rest of Us

So, last weekend was my birthday. Pretty exciting. I went to Bend, OR, and had a very relaxing time. And some mojitos.

This weekend, I have lots of excitement. Haha. I think I may change to my new "fall colors". I bought some teal-ish blue pillows from Pier 1 so I think I'm gonna put them out so that I can get the full appreciation of them.

I'm trying to be a full-time vegetarian right now. Which is actually a change because I had been eating a turkey sandwich for lunch every day. Today is my first official day. I'll let you know how it goes. So far so good, but I'm gonna have to be creative about my lunches--mainly, I'm gonna have to cook more so that I can take my leftovers in for lunch.

I'm getting a haircut tomorrow...that should be exciting. I get to make a trip to the 'burbs to Gresham. Fun times.
-----------------------------------------
Try this recipe (what I'm eating right now during my lunch break...thanks Brad!):
--Couscous Salad--
Couscous (prepare as box directs you to, then cool
Chop a bunch of vegetables (I've chose red pepper, edamame, and carrots)
Sausage if you're a meat eater
Small chopped cheese (optional)
Several tablespoons of italian dressing

Mix it all together and eat it. Just eye it--you can't do it wrong, except maybe if you add too much dressing--it's just for the subtle taste. It'll sort of resemble fried rice, in the proportions of couscous to veggies.
-------------------------------------------

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Earthquake!

You've been waiting for exciting stories from me, and something blog-worthy has finally happened. I'll embellish it to make it more interesting since, to the general public, it's like "huh? what's the big deal about that?"

So as I went to bed last night, one of the people living upstairs kept going up and down the stairs--loudly. The staircase shakes if you don't tiptoe down it, so as I went to bed, I thought "man, I hope they don't keep that up all night or I'll get no sleep."

Cut to 1:40am, me sound asleep in bed. Suddenly I am awoken to loud noise, rattling, and my bed shaking. My first instinct, wow, that must've been an earthquake. Then, in middle-of-the-night thinking that reminds me of that fabulous night in 1994 when Tammy and I thought the drug house was on fire, I thought "wow, I'm gonna be pissed if that was my neighbors down the way slamming their door!" (since, in the past, they HAVE woken me up by slamming their door).

Cut to 7:00am, me eating cereal, putting on make-up, and watching "12 on 12" to see how warm it would be during my lunchbreak and how bad traffic would be on my drive in to P-town. The top story: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake hit Battle Ground at 1:40am, which is wicked close to where I live in V-town (like, mere miles)

So I'm not crazy, and my bed really WAS shaking. Huh, my second earthquake. It was much more exciting than the thunder-sound of the Spokane earthquake I felt.

If only I could have a film of the night Tammy and I thought the drug house was on fire. Now THAT is definitely entertaining. :)

Saturday, July 22, 2006

98 Degrees

So, the only new thing happening in my life this weekend is that it's freaking hot. Today it was 98 degrees and that was cool. It is making me think I should find a place with at least the OPTION of running A/C. I was gonna go to a movie to get out of the heat today, but there's nothing out I want to see for theater prices that I haven't already.

So my job is great. It has been a pretty intense few weeks because we just finished week 2 of the new term. The last week and first week are pretty crazy, and I'm still learning my calendar system, so I'm a little behind. I have 100 students on my roster, and about half of them are newbies, so I've been learning a lot of peoples' life stories. Which I love. I work with such a great variety of students.

I have been starting to think about moving. I would love to get an apartment close to work so that I can walk, but I'm not sure that I'll find anything decent for a good price. Downtown living isn't cheap, and I want to live by the riverfront. Pricey. So I've started seriously thinking about buying a house or condo. I still may not be able to afford something withing walking distance to work, but I am thinking Portland is a place I'd like to be for a while (if things work our for me to be here), so I was thinking owning is a good financial move. So I have a lot of thinking to still do, but that's my new obsession this summer. :)

Monday, June 19, 2006

update on my new job

So it has been ages since I blogged and so much has changed since then. Here's an update (and a very long one...sorry).

I went to San Francisco for a week with three other colleagues for training. It was so good, and so challenging. The first day, the trainer told us he expected to push us out of our comfort zone and we would temporarily appear to know less than we did coming in. He said if we allowed ourselves to, basically, "turf (in the immortal words of Dr. Mandeville) and fall flat on our faces, we would eventually soar higher in our skills and knowledge than we had ever imagined. So we had to set aside anything we knew, or thought we knew, about coaching students, so that we could learn a new way to coach. Needless to say, it was a long and draining week. Wednesday night I felt really crappy and wondered if I'd ever learn what I needed to know. But fortunately, we were expected to journal each night about three things we learned that day, and this really forced me to deal with my insecurities and challenges. And each morning, one of us was coached by the trainer to 1) experience coaching and 2) work through one of our "key learnings" we wanted to process further. It was helpful each day because I realized my insecurities and struggles were the same as what the others were experiencing. And the one thing I learned is that I work for an amazing company that had a master plan to the week and is full of genuine encouragement. By the end of the week, I was gaining my confidence and getting real and honest feedback that I can do this job and am already doing great things.

So when I was in San Fran, I didn't really see the city a ton. We stayed downtown, near the cable car line. One day we walked to the east bay to have lunch, and another night I had dinner in The Mission District with Seth and Angela (thanks, Ange, for driving!). But otherwise, I spent a lot of time by myself just relaxing in my hotel room because 1) I was too tired to walk two miles to see the Golden Gate Bridge and 2) too cheap to pay for transportation to go to see it. It just wasn't as important as my personal reflection. So next time I'm there, I'll check out the city a little more.

Since that week, I spent last week training at my new office. I got to learn things specific to the school I'm working for and started to get to know my co-workers. Consistent with San Fran people, they are all so great. I work in an environment where everyone is college-educated and has a passion for helping people. So we speak a lot of the same language and have a similar way of interacting. But everyone's so unique. There are former counselors and teachers, a PhD in Math, an MA in poetry, and other great people. In our meeting today, we started with a "circle of congratulations" for 3 people who were just certified at the next coaching level, and it was just a time to tell them each what we have learned and see as strenghts in them. Total Res Life kind of stuff, but it's in a corporate setting. How great, huh?

As for the work, last week I worked with a coach in San Fran and he and I made calls to several of his students, with him introducing me. I also spend a TON of time getting a handle on my schedule (61 students to meet with each week) and the computer systems. This week, I have started making all calls by myself. I am really enjoying just chatting with students, finding out how they are doing and trying to help them to be more successful. My craziest day is tomorrow. I have appointments EVERY 30 MINUTES for the ENTIRE DAY, except maybe 2 time slots. That is so much. I'm going to be drained by the end of the day. It's a lot of question asking to do in one day! :) But I love that I am doing the stuff I loved as an RD. I used to say I wished I could just get paid to be a mentor all day. This is probably the closest thing I'll get to it.

I know it's not going to be all roses, that I'll have students who are mad at their school and take it out on me, students who don't want to work with me, and weeks when my numbers are bad and I have to push to try to raise my retention rate, but for now, I'm just happy that I'm doing something that uses my strengths (which I discovered through StrengthsQuest a couple of years ago): Adaptability, Strategic, Achievement, Empathy, and Futuristic. I can start to see each of these fitting together in this job, and it's great.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

my new job...

This is a link to the new company I will be working for. I will be a Success Coach. When I first applied, I was not sure what to expect from this company because their site and lingo is very corporate feeling. However, the two people I interviewed with were very personable and knew a lot about student development and issues of college students. I got the opportunity (ha!) to do some role-playing in the interviews (including feedback from them) that showed me the values they hold and goals they have. My interview was a lot like the interviewing we did at Whitworth for Resident Assistants, which says a lot about how important hiring good people is to them.

So you can check out the site to get info if you'd like. Basically, I will be working with a ton (like 70 or 80) first year students at one specific school. We'll have regular conversations in which we'll discuss their lives, how they are doing in classes, socially, emotionally, etc. and I'll be helping them with time management and basically helping them to succeed. It's the stuff I loved doing as a Resident Director. I don't know exactly what this will look like because it's all done over the phone from a call center they are developing in Portland. Interesting, huh? Phone one-on-ones. And it works...check out the web site for the impact they've had on schools.

InsideTrack : Company Background

Just wanted to post this until I get a chance to send an e-mail out. Wanted to keep you updated. :)

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

um...

...I got a new job. yeah, didn't think it would happen. but it did. someone who had no connection to any of my friends or colleagues or my previous schools actually recognized my education and abilities and hired me. and offered me more money than i'm making now. what? there is hope in this world.

shhhhh....i don't tell my boss until tomorrow morning. i'll post more details after that terribly difficult conversation. i have to give them less than 2 weeks notice, which is legal in oregon, i guess. i could legally call tomorrow morning and say i'm done, never coming back....but i am not that type of person, so i will instead have a conversation that will give me ulcers.

gotta go make a game-plan.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

FREAKED

hahahahahahahahahaha! This is funny. A tribute? Isn't that for people like Johnny Cash? Of course, I'll probably buy it. And you should, too. True dcTalk fans would.

FREAKED_The_Official_Jesus_Freak_Tribute_Project

Thursday, May 18, 2006

For American Idol Fans

Check this out. It's very very funny. I don't enjoy playing Pacman, my game of choice is Frogger, but it's still worth a look. :)

Taylor Hicks PacMan

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Favorite Memories of the Past Month

*Cinetopia.  Because once in a blue moon, it's good to go to a posh leather-recliner filled movie theater.

*driving in the snow with my parents to see Mt. St. Helens...and then not being able to see it because snow on the mountain = clouds that hide it from view

*Easter Sunday at Imago Dei

*playing lots of board games with my parents.  I love games.

*discovering downtown Vancouver and the riverfront in Vancouver

*deciding I want to buy a condo...near the Vancouver riverfront, of course!

*lunch with my brother on the Columbia River, 10 feet from the water, watching the sailboats

*pizza and a movie at Kennedy School.  It was my first time ordering pizza while watching a movie there...way fun.

*seeing John Butler Trio at the Crystal Ballroom

*getting trapped in the immigration protest...and driving across the protest line because I had to get back to our office.  Trippy.  And, in Portland, DANGEROUS.

*wine tasting at Daniel Hill Vineyard.  Effing funny to see the wine go to our heads and cause us to eat our dainty picnic food as though we were high.

*getting sick.  ok, not a favorite, but I did get a nasty cold in the midst of the fun memories

*White Trash Ladies Get-Away Weekend Reunion to Renton, WA

*Saturday evening with my friend Denise in Bellevue, WA. We can talk for hours and not get bored or run out of things to talk about.

And now my most anticipated event: a free weekend, all to myself, in a few days.  I need to sleep and get rid of my nasty cold.

Monday, March 27, 2006

tasty tofu treat

This weekend, I made some ice cream-like stuff that has tofu in it and is dairy-free for all you vegans. Bill & Joy had made something like it in their VitaMix, and I found a recipe online and adapted it. It is gooo-oood. So you should make it. Here's a general idea of how to do it:

1 - 14oz bottle (individual serving) orange juice (almost 2 cups)
1/2 - family size thing of tofu (I don't know the ounces...sorry)
1 - 14 oz bag frozen cherries (or fresh) or other fruit
2/3 c. - sugar

Blend it all together until the tofu is pretty much gone and the cherries are all cut up. Chill in fridge for 30 minutes. Mix in ice cream maker until done.

I had it before with cranberries, which was also good. I think I'd maybe use 1 C. sugar if you do it that way. And if you have a VitaMix, it takes only like 10 minutes to make instead of an hour. :)

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Sunday Work Fun

I just got back from dinner at PF Chang's with my coworkers. The RMs have been asking if we could go to dinner, so I arranged for us to go out with the manager, asst manager, and my work husband (aka office buddy). All on CHNW's check, which is so choice (remember that lame 80s phrase? ha!). It was nice to just have some fun together. I like them. And I haven't been to Chang's before, except for a little lettuce wrap snack with Nicole once when we were shopping. I would recommend the coconut curry vegetables for you if you like spice and are a vegetarian, which I almost am.

This week starts the joy of having to hire a new RM. My RM who is going to Western Culinary Institure got a chef job at a local restaurant and it means he can't work our weekend shifts. So he had to resign. He's staying on until the end of April (and we may get to lure him back this summer with an afternoon position we're creating). It should be interesting to see the type of people we get to apply for the opening since a lot of people will be motivated by the free rent they'd get paid. I'm hopeful that we'll have some good service-oriented folks in the mix.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in my life. I may finish another book or cook a new recipe someday soon. Folks, my life is just a wild and crazy ride every day.

Friday, March 10, 2006

"snow day"

It has been snowing here since Wednesday night. Which for me and where I work and my commute means it's just wet. But it's a big deal here...the hills are high enough that it's accumulating and slick for some. I got to slide slush from my car yesterday--it had accumulated a bit overnight. So it was a fun day yesterday...you know when it's just snowing all day and you aren't worried about it being icy so you just enjoy and want to be all cozy with a hot beverage and a book? That was yesterday.

And today I am getting a sort of snow day. Not because of the weather, though. I was pretty emotionally wiped this week because work was very crazy and I worked a lot of extra hours last week. So at lunch Wednesday, I decided I needed to take a day off to recouperate. I love that my bosses are so accommodating and let me take today off at such short notice. So this is a day devoted to me, whatever I want. I already slept in until 7:45 and then made coffee and breakfast. And I just got online to check movie times in case I want to go see a matinee. Who knows what else this day devoted to me will hold! :)

Well, I'm off to enjoy my day!

Sunday, March 05, 2006

my Oscar re-cap

OK, if you missed the Oscars, you didn't miss a ton, except a few hilarious moments. Jon Stewart, so funny. His The Daily Show and Lisa Loeb's #1 Single are almost enought reason for me to get cable. I can't quite afford it yet, but I may someday soon just to hear his hilarity. He made the awards way more fun that usual. And Ben Stiller in the green screen unitard was the funniest things I've seen in a long time. I'd pay money to have that on DVD to watch over and over.

As for the actual awards, I hadn't seen many of the movies (only 10 to be exact, and only 1 of those was up for best picture). There were a couple of shocks. Best original song went to some rappers I've never heard of, and I don't think anyone expected it. And I thought Brokeback Mountain was a shoe-in for best pic, if anything as a political statement. But it lost to Crash. That's the one movie I saw, and it's a great story of racial issues. You should see it. You probably should also see Brokeback, but I haven't seen it so that's just a second-hand recommendation. I'm gonna go ASAP.

K, that's the only thing I have to say about this year's Oscar night. Now I must see if I can find a clip of Ben Stiller's skit. Bu-bye.

Friday, March 03, 2006

long week, the Oscars are near!

This has been a long week. Counting the 2 hours I was at work Saturday helping to set up for art exhibit, I think I worked 50 hours. 20 of them were in the last 2 days, with no lunch break. I'm tired. And Tim better not have a funeral or anger management training to go to during next month's rent week like he has the last two months. Good thing I no longer fully hate my job. Now I give it a B (unless it's rent week or the internet is down...then it's a C-. I spent about 5 hours this week just talking to tenants about their internet being down, why it was down, when it would be up, how to help them, etc. etc. Ugh!!).

Enough complaining. So yesterday we had a mandatory all-company meeting. I thought it was because it's employee appreciation month. Which by the way I totally dropped the ball on. I was supposed to make a sign about an event, but I haven't had any time to do it. Anyway, I thought it was a surprise mandatory party or something until our head cleaner said she was told "if someone has the day off or is sick, they have to come in for the meeting." And then when my manager who is "in" on everything didn't know what was up, I got scared. So, the big reason for us to meet was for the CEO to tell us some big news ASAP before it became gossip. Here it is: For about 30 years, we have been providing all of the housing for Portland State. A few years back, PSU decided they want to start doing their own housing, so we were getting "the boot". So we were on a 5-year plan to be phased out. In that plan, there was a stipulation that we or they could cancel the plan with 12-months notice (meaning the deal is off and we're outta there). Well, PSU cancelled on 2/28. Which means in a year, we will not be doing any PSU housing. Which means we have to find other income and work for about half of our company. The CEO told us a year can be long and short, and she's working to find new business for us.

So who knows what my future holds. It's easy to feel removed and not be concerned because I don't work in one of the on-campus housing buildings, but really, we're all in this thing, whether we work on the PSU campus or not. Who knows. I'm hopeful that all will be fine for everyone. But it sure is tiring to think about, especially when you have worked 50 hours! :)

Good thing 2 of the 3 friends I have in Portland are coming to my apartment Sunday to watch the Oscars. All will be right in the world if we are dishing and critiquing the fashion and if Joy, as always, beats the rest of us by guessing the most winners. And that is all I need to be happy right now

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

A Food-Filled Weekend

This past weekend was a great get-away. The reason for my title is twofold: 1) I did a lot of meal/conversation dates with friends and students and 2) I had forgotten: my RD friends LOVE food, especially when it is free. :)

I spend the first part of the weekend connecting with friends and students. Saturday, Nicole had a party at her house to which I invited lots of people I love, and most of them were there. It was great, though it was hard to connect as deeply as I'd like. So good to be in her cozy house out of the cold. Oh, and there was lots of food. I have enough tortilla chips to last the rest of my life.

Sunday, I met my co-workers at our hotel and we registered and went to the start of the conference. Because there was no dinner as we expected, we went with the Whitworth crew to get some dinner. I'm glad they all had a chance to meet once another. I hope my boss and co-workers have a better sense of me and my experiences. Monday was filled with conference stuff, and I went to dinner with my co-workers to Catacombs, a cool restaurant in Spokane. Tuesday we finished up the conference and headed back home. I'm so glad Whitworth was at the conference so I got to hang with my old pals!

Today was back to reality. I got a chance to talk a bit with my new Asst. manager about some team ideas and things I'm thinking about with the RMs I manage. I need to learn to be a better manager. I'm really struggling with them and their attitudes, which I sense is directly related to them not feeling supported. I thought I had been doing well but now I think some of the issue is me (and the fact that there's still a lot I don't know and haven't had time to organize for them). So these next few months are going to be rough, supervisorily. I can't get mad at them for not getting paperwork in when I am not getting things done they've asked of me! So I have some real growing to do and may need to put in some time to get a handle on things. I'm glad I feel supported by the management, though (it's not a "well, you figure this one out...it's your isssue" attitude but feels more like a "we're in this with you" view, which is what I need).

On a different note, it's getting a little warmer here, not so "South Dakota cold". So good. I don't like the uber cold (to quote Lara Ann :) ).

Gotta go watch American Idol now. I got into it this year. Who am I/

Friday, February 17, 2006

traveling and freezing

I am driving to Spokane today. I'm going to a college housing officers conference with my boss and two other CHNW employees. IT doesn't start until sunday but I'm going early to see friends. I'm excited to see people I haven't seen since the summer. And I'm hoping I get to spend some time with Whitworth people at the conference, too. I like them lots.

Also, it is cold. Like really cold. Here, with windchill it's 5 degrees. In Spokane, it's 9 degrees, but -8 degrees with windchill. I live in the northwest. This is not supposed to happen!! I've got my hat and mittens to keep me warm, though.

K, gotta get going!

Friday, February 10, 2006

update

Whew! It's been a while since I posted something. Sorry to any of you regular listeners. :)

My life hasn't been too exciting. Last Thursday, J & B & I went to a Mute Math concert. They're an indie group that has been featured in Relevant. It was a pretty small venue, so it was a fun concert. They sound like The Police, and the lead singer/keyboardist plays a keytar, so that was a trip. Welcome back to the 80's. I'd highly recommend going, and if you like the music, buy the CD at the show because as I have sadly discovered, it's not available in stores yet. Just their EP that was released a while ago is available, and it only has 6 songs.

Um, other than that, I've been working a bunch because it was "rent week" (aka the week everyone comes in to pay rent) so I didn't get out of here at 5 ever. Last weekend I watched the Superbowl at J & B's. We were disappointed that the commercials were pretty lame (since when do they advertise for TV shows and movies during the superbowl??!!). Brad is coming to visit this weekend, so it should be full of adventure and laughter.

Hope all is well for anyone reading this!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

winter

It's raining again. We had two days, though. Two dry days. Actually, I like the rain. it's better than just being cloudy, and it's MUCH better than snow.

Look at me, up late. I'm going in to work at 9, so I stayed up past 10! It's gonna throw me off for Friday.

K, g'night.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

American Idol and other thoughts

I am embarrassed to say it, but I am watching American Idol. For some reason I love watching the scenes where people have no idea they are bad. I feel terrible. Please, if I ever think I'm good at someone and i'm not or I have broccoli in my teeth or have bad breath or b.o. or just need to stop talking, TELL ME. Tell me kindly, but TELL ME.

This weekend, I read the entire book The DaVinci Code. It was good. I don't know that it's accurate, but it was a good weekend read.

Speaking of the weekend, starting Sunday, we have had DRY WEATHER! It had been raining since, like, before Christmas. Every day. And I don't mind the rain, especially when it means I don't have to scrape my windows in the mornings. But it's nice to have a little break!

Last news to report is that I'm going to Spokane in Feb. for a conference. I almost typed "concert". Oops. Big diff. So I'm gonna go earlier than my colleagues so I can see a few people. I'm gonna try to see a variety of peeps but not overload my schedule because I'd like it to be a bit of a break. The conference should be interesting since I'm not sure I want to stick with CHNW. I guess I'll go as though I'm staying forever. I'm hoping it gives me a good chance to spend time with my Whitworth friends, since they'll be attending, too.

Monday, January 16, 2006

almost done

Yesterday, I bought a print from Micheals to hang in an old frame that had previously housed Munch's "The Scream" (which is still in the frame, behind the new print, until I find someone to give "The Scream"). I also bought a mission-style bookshelf for my bedroom...it was on sale at Target. It's real real cute. As is the print. So yesterday I put the shelf together and also hung up some more artwork so I now know what I want to keep and what I don't. I am now totally broke, so I can't buy another bookshelf for a while, even though I need one now to finish my unpacking fully. It probably won't happen until I make a trip to IKEA to buy a desk and shelf.

So, today I did some book unpacking and discovered two things:
1) I have WAY too many books. I just keep them all, even my OT books from Sem. I must get rid of some.
2) I did NOT sell The DaVinci Code as I feared. Yesssss! I have been wanting to read it, so I was so happy to discover it in a box. Woohoo! I'm gonna take a break from Narnia and read it starting....now.

Oh, by the way, my New Year's Resolution is to read every book I own that I have not yet read. That is like 30-40 books, I'd guess. We'll see how I do.

Now I'm off to make some soup and then I'm gonna partake in the Golden Globes.

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Narnia

I went to see The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today. All by myself. At the nasty theater (meaning non-staduim) by the Michaels by my apt. But that's beside the point.

READ THE BOOK. THEN GO SEE THE MOVIE. BOTH ARE SO GOOD.

'nuf said.

Saturday, January 14, 2006

too snowy

It snowed and is still snowing a lot in the mountains, which I'd have to drive through, so I'm not heading to Bend this weekend . When they say "carry chains" or "chains required", I figure it's weather I don't want to deal with.

So I get a 3-day weekend in Portland. I'm not sure what I'll do. I may go see a movie. I may try to do another "clean Sweep" of my stuff--all the stuff I still haven't unpacked, which may mean I don't need or want it. I'm sure I'll read and knit and drink coffee. Maybe I'll drive to IKEA to spend my gift cards. That's a 3-hour shopping trip, though, both ways.

Be sure to find a way to celebrate the life of MLK, Jr. on Monday.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

gettin' stuff done

I've spent the weekend trying to get some things done. I have been mildly successful. I am quite unmotivated because I just want to enjoy the free time and not have an agenda. I think I should take note of this and get my stuff done on weeknights, when I don't really have a ton of time anyway. Huh.

So I've spent some time with my Christmas gifts. I made some stir fry with my great new pan (which I LOVE). Here's a suggestion for a great, easy recipe. Buy Thai Kitchen peanut noodles and prepare as package directs. Make them with half a red pepper, half a yellow pepper, some edamame (soy beans), broccoli, and if you want, some Quorn fake chicken. I guess you could make it with the actual meat, but I'm trying the vegetarian life. Anyway, it's quite tasty.

My big decisions for the weekend were: 1) whether or not to go to see Chronicles of Narnia tonight. I opted for no because I wanted to get some things done around here. Maybe next weekend. 2) where to put my couch and loveseat. I took down my Christmas decorations and it was time to decide how to arrange my living room.

There you have it. Excitement abounds in my world here!

On the jobfront, I am starting the job search for something new. I really want to work on a college campus. I don't love housing.

On the travel front, I may go to Bend this weekend if it's not snowing in the passes. It's a 3-day weekend, so a good time to get away. And then I can go to see Brokeback Mountain with Brad and do crafts with him and Sundi and meet his roommate. We'll see. Depends on the weather.