Comments (19)

By kilax, November 10, 2009 5:20 am

In conversation this weekend, two people mentioned to me how much trouble they were having with the younger people in their office. I think it really boiled down to these younger people being lazy and trying to take (stupid) short cuts. And wow, they DID have some good stories to tell! I was amazed!

But I asked how young these people were that they were having issues with – 24.

I’m 25.

Hee hee. So I mentioned that in my office, we have a large workforce of “trainees” – younger people in the 20s age group that are actually doing a lot of hard work. The Trainee Program is a two or three year program in which you have a coach and mentor, and actually get to do different “rotations” in the office to see what area of work best suits you, and to help you become a more diverse employee.*

We had a “Trainee Forum” in August. It was a lot of seminars, but also networking between the trainees. I was amazed to find out a lot of the people I work with are trainees. I assumed that because of their professionalism, they had already made it through the Trainee Program.

Anyway, the things they were complaining about wasn’t actually news to me. I’ve heard these statistics about the younger workforce – they’re more lazy, they have less dedication and bad attitudes, there’s no work loyalty, etc. And I’ve definitely witnessed it! I guess it just made me realize how lucky, and proud I should be to work for a company where this is not the case in the younger workers.

Have you witnessed any of these myths of younger workforce? Are they myths at all?

Correction on yesterday’s post: Steven did not bribe the kids with cookies to get out of the street. He asked them to get out of the street, then offered them fresh cookies, so he wouldn’t seem mean (I think? I wasn’t there).

*I realize I am very lucky to have been given this opportunity.

Comments (15)

By kilax, November 9, 2009 5:22 am

… to ask the neighbor kids to stop hanging on the tree in our yard and breaking the young branches off?

… to ask the neighbor kids to quit playing IN THE STREET and yelling at cars?*

… to ask the neighbor kids to stop scratching on the back of the large residential mailbox with sticks?

I am not a parent. So, parents, ANYONE in fact, please call me out if there is any reason why I should just let these kids do their own thing.

I just wonder… why do their parents not worry about them playing in the street? Or defacing public property? Or ruining our already pathetic looking neighborhood trees?

Why do I have to be the neighborhood bitch?**

*One time, Steven bribed them to get out of the street by giving them fresh cookies.
**We’ve had to ask these particular neighbors, and others, unfortunately, to please turn down the loud music they blast out of their open garages in the middle of the night.

Comments (6)

By kilax, November 8, 2009 5:11 pm

Day 15 | November 2, 2009: Stretch and Strengthen

Same routine as last week, plus the ab moves, minus the 90 Degree Chest (I think the machine was broken or something).

So, when are these darn arm curls going to get easier? I am using a machine like this… which makes doing arm curls look easy, when they are really NOT. I wonder if I have the seat too low. I guess I’ll keep trying. What strength move do you find to be struggling?

I totally wish we had weight equipment like this at home. Doing strength training makes me feel so worn out and calm… I bet I would sleep well after doing it in the evening! (“It” being strength training!)

Day 16 | November 3, 2009: 3.5 m run

Ha. The temperature was about 37°F but I was being a total baby about the cold and got all decked out in my Under Armour and hat and gloves! I love running when it’s cold like this. I felt like Steven and I were going super fast, but alas, our splits say “No. You weren’t.” I do like that I am not constantly looking at the watch when I am running in the dark.

A super bright shirt and a reflective belt for safety!

Distance: 3.51 | Time: 36:58 | 1: 10:41 | 2: 10:40 | 3: 10:29 | 4: 5:06

Day 17 | November 4, 2009: 2 m run or cross

We made this a functional walk – we somehow managed to get exactly 2 miles in between our home and our neighbors – where we were picking up some pizza kits we ordered from their daughter. Steven asked if walking counts as cross-training. Well, Hal Higdon says it does! Ha ha. I hope it does. I feel like it works my calves more than running. And it makes me sweaty so… it counts, right?

Distance: 2.00 | Time: 29:36 | 1: 14:46 | 2: 14:49

Day 18 | November 5, 2009: 3.5 m run + strength

Early morning strength training at 6:30 am (that means I got up at 4:30, people!). I did Monday’s routine, plus the 90 Degree Chest, which was fixed. Damn, I hate getting up that early, but LOVE having the gym mostly to myself.

I convinced Steven (it wasn’t that hard) that we should do our run on Friday in the daylight, at a park. I won’t be surprised if I put off every other Thursday run to my Friday off!

Day 19 | November 6, 2009: Rest 3.5 m run

We “ran” at the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve. It was nice and sunny and warm (about 53°+F) but DAMN was it windy. The last 2.5 miles were straight into the wind. I felt like I was running through water. Or wading, actually. Bleh. We got to see a lot of beaver dens at the end. That was fun.

Matchy McMatchersons!

Distance: 3.50 | Time: 38:00 | 1: 10:19 | 2: 10:38 | 3: 11:22 | 4: 5:40

Day 20 | November 7, 2009: 40 min cross

Steven and I celebrated the 70°F  (!!!) November weather by taking our bikes to the Singing Hills Forest Preserve to explore a bit of the Millennium Trail.  The Millennium trail will eventually connect 35 miles of trails (with forest preserves as hubs) in the county I live in. Only certain parts of it are completed right now – 11 of those completed miles are very near our home, but we had never visited! I wanted to run on the trail this summer, but there are not many toilets on the path. Ha ha!

We had a fun ride. We actually really enjoyed the scenery, and are sad it will be winter soon and we won’t be able to ride much on this trail. I noticed that our mile splits were lower than an elite runner, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t getting a workout! Plus, we spent about two hours painting when we got home. That counts for something, right?

My brother-in-law gave me a gift card for my birthday and I used it to buy a bike helmet in August! I didn’t have one!

The start of the trail at Singing Hills – can you tell it was getting dark when we got there? We both wished we could have started earlier! We wanted to keep going!

Wouldn’t it be great to have a home right off the trail? Easy access AND fun people watching!

Bike Time: 44:00 | Distance: 7.39 miles

Day 21 | November 8, 2009: 5 m run

Sad Face McMatchersons. Have you noticed I like for us to match? I don’t think Steven likes it, but he puts up with it! Another runner started a conversation with us by asking about the shirts. See – good conversation starter!

I don’t know what to say about this run. I actually had high hopes for it, since we had a nice temperature (low 70s) and since I was feeling pretty crappy all day. I figured the run would make me feel better.

But, it didn’t. We started off well, and I felt like I had to go to the bathroom about 1.4 miles in. When I finally got to a toilet at 3.4, the phantom poo went away, and I was very upset, because I have been feeling constipated for… well, too long (I went when I got home).

Steven took off ahead of me at the last mile, and then I felt even crappier for being slow. I am going to blame it on the weather, and my sour mood. At least my shin felt good!

(And I have a suspicion I should be running all of my “longer” runs at the pace of my last mile. Ha. 5 miles used to be a SHORT run!)

Here are two pictures of the beaver dens (is that what they’re called?) we saw on Friday (we ran at the same place on Sunday). I thought it was neat to see them all together!

Distance: 5.00 | Time: 55:16 | 1: 10:32 | 2: 10:53 | 3: 10:50 | 4: 11:11 | 5: 11:46

Week Summary: 14.00 miles

I enjoyed our workouts this week, except for the last one, because painting, website issues, and a work report left me in a bad mood. I have a feeling that the workouts will be even more fun when I am carrying LESS weight around. I’ve lost 9 pounds in the last three weeks so let’s HOPE I keep that up!

Comments (4)

By kilax, November 8, 2009 8:44 am

I am having major Akismet issues on this blog. It stopped working because it cannot connect to a firewall, or is blocked by a server or something. My webhost has not been able to help, and as a result, I am getting HUNDREDS of spam comments.

I deactivated Akismet and installed WP-SpamFree. Has anyone had this issue on a wordpress blog before? Any insight?

These are the types of things that make me so frustrated, I consider shutting down my blog. This shouldn’t be so difficult to figure out.

Comments (10)

By kilax, November 7, 2009 7:32 pm

Wow Data, you’re really helping paint the guest bedroom.

Not.

Why can’t you be more helpful like last year?

We’ve been painting the final two rooms (the guest bathroom and bedroom) in our house this weekend and last weekend. It doesn’t suck as much as last year, but ugh. It’s not on my top ten list of fun things to do!

Data loves to run into the room and dive into the plastic sheets. Maybe we should just leave them up in a room for him all year long!

Comments (16)

By kilax, November 6, 2009 9:11 am

If rain could fall in any scent, what scent would you want it to be?

How about… buttered popcorn?! What can I say, I guess I’ve woken up in a silly mood today.

We had a lot of rain in the Chicagoland area in October. I’ll admit, I’ve said the dreaded, “I wish it would just snow already,” a few times. There are only so many times you can sit on the train ride home with shoes soaked through to your socks, and not be a little bit annoyed.

Comments (13)

By kilax, November 5, 2009 12:17 pm

Note to self: Using a napkin to cover your mouth so you can talk with your mouth full of food is NOT COOL. QUIT DOING THAT.

So, I’ve been eating a lot of salad lately, and for some reason, it takes me forever to chew, and I get anxious when I am eating with other people because I cannot respond as fast. So… yeah. The napkin thing.

That is just so gross.

Do you know anyone (besides now, me) who has gross food habits? Do you?

Steven and I once worked with this guy who always chewed with his mouth open at his desk, and smacked his food so loud… you wanted to smack him. He was always eating something, and would walk around the office smacking his food. Yuck. Oh yeah, and he was a vegetarian who any ate meat if it was free (?). And he cut all of the tops off of the cupcakes I brought into the office because he didn’t like frosting (he ate 6 or so cupcakes though).

Bitter much? Ha. I laugh about it. Now.

My other bad food habits are eating too fast and apparently, Steven says, I do a bit of smacking too. BUT NOTHING LIKE THAT GUY! I am working on it too!

Comments (12)

By kilax, November 4, 2009 6:02 am

I did something I haven’t done in awhile – brought an actual book with me to read on the train! Since I bought my baby computer back in March, that is really all I have brought with me for entertainment during the hour and twenty minutes (x2) commute. I use it to check emails, and surf the internet, but mostly, just to read blogs. I try to get all of that done on the train so that when I get home I can just chill with Steven, and leave the computer off.

I feel bad though! I have so many books at home (loaned to me), and here I am, choosing to read blogs during my commuting time, instead of books (to my credit, I try to read books at home, right now, it’s Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life). Blogs and books both keep me engaged and entertained, but is one better for me than the other? Hmm…

Anyway, that is not what I came here to write about today (on my commute, on my baby computer). Last week, I read on many blogs (ha) about the new book from Jonathan Safran Foer – Eating Animals. A small excerpt from the amazon description says, “Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits-from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth-and how such tales can lull us into a brutal forgetting.” Check out the amazon site for a full description.

A lot of bloggers were writing about Natalie Portman’s post on the Huffington Post about how reading it made her vegan (if you have an hour or so to kill, the comments on that post are pretty heated and interesting). I was somewhat intrigued with her post, but didn’t think much of it.

But mention of the book keep popping up everywhere! Someone even pointed out that three vegan books, including this one (the other two are on my wishlist, wink wink), are in the Amazon Top 100 list. And yesterday, another blogger mentioned that the author of Eating Animals was doing a tour. I excitedly clicked over and saw that he would be in Chicago on November 18th, at the library that is two blocks from my office! (Event information is here).

I love, love, loved seeing speakers when I was at Iowa State University. I went to see Obama, Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock, and countless others. I miss doing things like that! Steven was really enthusiastic about going to the reading as well, so he picked up a copy of the book for us to read before (and hopefully get signed!). Last night, I told Steven I hope there are some debates in the audience – it will be interesting to see what people have to say about this book!

Whoops. That story ended up a bit LONG.

So the big question is, am I going to read this, or use the baby computer to read blogs? For this early morning commute, it looks like the book wins – this pos computer didn’t charge last night!

Comments (17)

By kilax, November 3, 2009 7:30 am

How do I end up with mud on my hand (and not to mention, glove, coat, messenger bag and pants) when all I have been doing for the last hour and a half is sitting on the train? When I got out of my seat to leave the train, there it was. It’s magic! Or maybe it’s not even mud…

If it was Monday, I may have been slightly annoyed, but since I was already mostly awake and chipper, I just made my way to the bathroom in Union Station to try to clean myself off. I then got out a clean pair of gloves (Because it’s totally normal to carry three pairs of gloves with you… right? Right?!) and made my way on to work.

Of course, I started thinking how the mud didn’t phase me at all, or really even annoy me, and I remembered the time when lots of things used to gross me out. Not mud, per se, but I gagged when cleaning the cat litter, gross laboratory smells in college made me sick, and nasty garbage smells grossed me out big time.

I quickly got over that volunteering at the cat shelter in Rome for 6 months. I basically cleaned around 40 litter boxes each night. I cleaned up vomit. I cleaned up non-solidified poop. I cleaned up other nasty things that sick kitties do. I got pooped on by a pigeon during a class walking tour of the Campidoglio and I didn’t get upset. I just calmly left class, walked back to the apartment, and took a nice hot shower.

The other day, I took Data on a walk and was talking to my mother on the phone. I was kind of distracted, so I wasn’t fully monitoring how much grass he was eating. We got back inside, and sure enough, Data started making his telltale deep moaning “I’m about to vomit-os” meow. I got Data to a tile surface, and asked my mom to hold on for a moment while Data threw up. I am sure she could hear him hacking in the background. She politely asked if she should let me go… because it was grossing her out. I told her he was done, but then he threw up a little bit more. Ha ha. I finally let my poor mother off of the phone after that. But I just cleaned up Data’s vomit like it was normal. I even got some on my finger by accident and totally didn’t care.

So, most things like this don’t bother me. Do they bother you?

Of course, I will say all this, but still thinks it’s DISGUSTING when someone uses a public restroom and does not flush. And sometimes, the smell of the landfill really gets to me, especially when it waifs into the train in the early morning. But mud, poop and vomit? Bring it on. Ha ha.

Comments (19)

By kilax, November 2, 2009 6:52 am

Hmm, my reminder on the monthly calendar to pick up my medication looks kind of funny next to the day I have marked as off from work.

Somehow, I ended up on autofill for the monthly prescription I pick up at Target. I figured this out one day when I got a creepy automated voice message telling me that my prescription was ready to pick up.

That was several months ago. Since then, I have been trying to figure out how autofill works. I only got the creepy voicemail reminder once during that time frame (until last week) so I’d been asking the pharmacist each time I went when my prescription would be ready, but they could never give me a straight answer. I just went with it, since they always had it ready.

Well, this Saturday, on the 31st, we stopped to buy some groceries and pick up my prescription. Surprisingly, I had received another one of the creepy voicemail reminders on the 26th, so I figured my prescription would be ready.

Uh, no. I got back there, told them my name, and they couldn’t find it. They gave me dumbfounded looks and asked how to spell my last name again. They looked it up in the computer, and told me I had waited too long to pick it up and it had been sent back (huh?). They said they fill my prescription on the 24th, and they sent it back because I had taken more than 14 days to pick it up.

Um… it was the 31st, a mere 7 days later. And I got the creepy voicemail reminder on the 26th. They then informed me that the reminder told me they were sending it back, not that it was ready. Guess I need to get my ears checked, because that is not what I heard on the phone.

So, they told me it would take an hour to “fill” my prescription (which is not actually pills, so I don’t know what was going to take so frickin’ long). I was not very happy, because we were trying to get home by 1:00 pm for trick-or-treating (we got 24 trick-or-treaters in a six-hour time frame – FAIL) and still had one more stop to make.

We did all of our shopping in about 25 minutes and while we were in the checkout I went back there to see if my prescription was ready, by chance, and lo and behold, it was. Ugh. I don’t know why they told me it would take an hour when all they have to do is get something out of a refrigerator. They lady kind of apologized to me and thanked me for being patient. And I asked again, PLEASE explain to me how this autofill works. PLEASE. And all they told me is that my prescription will be ready on the 24th* each month. So, I will give it one more shot, before I go back to requesting it myself during each visit. When I do that, I expect the hour wait. What’s the convenience of autofill if it’s not ready to pick up?

*My calendar reminder is on the 28th because I don’t go shopping on the weekdays. I’m going to call and make sure it’s ready.