Crossroads

I hadn't intended to drop off the face of the earth. The main thing I can say about this month is that things are a-changing. After a few days of not hearing from the doctor about my test results, I called the doctor's office and learned that my doctor is out for back surgery. Yikes! So the doctor on call reviewed the test results and had his assistant call me.

The bad news is that there is an issue. The good news is that it's one I think I can do something about. I have an appointment on Tuesday, so I don't have details, but my internet research turned up the same thing I expected: I need to change my life, starting with exercise and a change of diet.

Any change is difficult, but these will be good in the long run. It would be nice not to be tired all the time, for one thing. I've started walking and will continue to do so every day. It's a good start.

This month I've also learned about some restructuring at work. With some companies, this is a polite term for layoffs. That's not the case for the company I work for. In this case, restructuring is restructuring. I don't love change, but I hate being in limbo, which is where things will be for a few months until the dust settles and we figure out who's going where. There may be a few opportunities for me if I decide to pursue them. Ah, decisions.

What all this means is my energies have been focused elsewhere. Most of my online stuff has been slipping through the cracks. I haven't written a review for TRR for almost two months. I did manage to post a column at Romancing the Blog and was pleased to see it received some comments. Still, I need to think long and hard about accepting any any more responsibilities. And about whether I should keep the ones I have.

As for reading, I find myself turning to my comfort reads, which now include Kelley Armstrong as well as Rachel Gibson, and Julia Quinn. I've read a few new books, too, and hope to post short (possibly very short) reviews sometime.

What are you reading?

Contest Winners

My apologies for the belated posting of the contest winners. Here they are at last!

BJ
Kim W
Kristie

I will contact you, but you're also welcome to e-mail me your address: alyssa @ scrapseasons.com (just delete the spaces).

My reason for being late is work. It's been a bear lately; the busy season has hit. Still, I'm grateful that things aren't nearly as bad as they were at this time last year. I don't mind working the occasional overtime, but consistently working 60-70 hour weeks isn't something I can do again. (Since I'm a salary employee, I didn't even get to enjoy extra money.) It's just too difficult.

Anyway, if my posts are infrequent, that's why. I will try to post more frequently, though. I've been a book review slacker lately and must do better.

Public Apology

I was going to title this "Losing Friends and Alienating People." Sometimes I can be a real dork.

Rachel,

After this morning, I'm sure you'll never want to tell me anything again. ::Sob:: It's not your fault you have air conditioning, nor is it your fault that my life is pathetic. I am happy for you, and I mean it, damn it! You must tell me the details. Well, if you're still speaking to me.

I am going home at lunch in hopes that happy packages will be waiting for me. That, along with medication, should put me in a better frame of mind.

Apologetically,

Pitiful Excuse for a Friend

P.S. Rachel tells me I am forgiven.

Whoosh

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
--Douglas Adams

There are some days I wouldn't mind being fired. Really. Take now, for instance. I have a bunch of Web projects (among other things) that need to be completed and online by July 1. Will they be finished? Yes, but they won't all be finished by July 1. If I worked 24/7 on Web projects alone, I might be able to get them done. Maybe. Strangely enough, though, I'm not a machine, so I can't work 24/7 on anything.

As it is, I'm not even able to spend eight hours a day on the Web projects, because I'm also writing an interview, a magazine article, online announcements, and more. Every project is top priority. I'm split in so many different directions each day that being drawn and quartered would be less painful.

We're hiring two more writers, which will help in the future. It doesn't help at the moment, though. I thought things were bad a few months ago, when I felt like I was always being forced to choose between doing a job well and doing it to meet an unrealistic deadline. Now I don't have the "luxury" of either option. It's difficult to work when it doesn't seem like anything I do decreases the work load.

I have a rather distinctive (loud) laugh. At lunch today, a coworker mentioned that she doesn't hear me laugh any more. Amazing how unrealistic expectations and deadlines can squeeze the joy out of a person. Go figure.

This complaint may not stay online very long, since my coworkers know about and visit my blog. Although most of them feel the same way.

Alyssa

Weekend Recap

Tomorrow you'll find my next column at Romancing the Blog. The topic is one I think many readers can relate to. As usual, I wrote one column, then ended up writing another on a completely different topic. This appears to be my writing pattern for these columns. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.

In book news, I've set aside Lady in Waiting for the second time; I'm really having trouble getting into it, in part because the heroine is driving me crazy. Back to the TBR pile it goes. Perhaps the third try will be the charm, but for now I'm moving on to review books and books I'm reading for a contest.

Back to work tomorrow. The weekends are always too damn short. The day's packed with six hours of meetings, too. I haven't decided whether that's good or bad. I guess it's good because I'm sick of doing the same thing every day, and bad because my work doesn't go away just because I'm in meetings. Just thinking about it makes me tired already.

Off to do laundry. Hope you had a good weekend!

Alyssa

I'm Not Paranoid, I'm Just Suspicious

Today at work:

Coworker: Alyssa, you are wonderful.

Alyssa: (Eyeing him skeptically) Huh?

Coworker: You're wonderful.

Alyssa: (Pausing) What do you want?

Coworker: Nothing.

Alyssa: Oh, well, thank you.

I think it may be a while before I get a compliment again.

Alyssa

Buried

I wish I had time to blog about some of my recent reads, but I'm buried under work at the moment. I'm consistently working 10+ hours a day, then coming home to collapse. I'm so glad my Romancing the Blog entry is ready to go on Saturday because I don't have the time or energy to write a column at the moment.

The good news is that the work week is winding down, even if the work itself isn't. I'm praying desperately that I won't have to work this weekend.

Alyssa

Annual Review

It's annual review time at my job, and I'm compiling my weekly reports into one file. Here are some of the more amusing listings:

• Wept bitterly


• Talked myself out of going home and getting drunk


• Had a moment of amazement that I reached page two of my weekly report after only three days of work


• Was stood up for a meeting


• Wondered if my weekly report would spill onto page 3 at this rate


• Stunned everyone with my exquisite hairdo


• Finished article, thereby adding to Rachel's workload


• Ate a ton of bubble gum ice cream


• Created huge to-do list (this week may kill me)


• Kept myself from bashing my head against the wall for my sad failure re: the Web site


• Was dogged by xxxxx, who later wanted to know why she hadn't been contacted for an interview


• Showed off my $3 shoes


• Attended company dates (not dating) meeting


• Locked myself out of my house and car, thereby inconveniencing everyone


• Made diabolical plots with Marianne


• Decided I had done enough work and went home


• Tried in vain to get into my computer


• Finished recruiting article (even though it sucks)


• Got a freelance gig from my dentist


• Stayed home and wished my head would either feel better or explode


• Realized that I needed to buy new crosstrainers


• Attended meeting, where I had my third great idea of the week


• Spent half an hour hearing about BYU football


• Had my body fat checked, after which I ate a sugar cookie


• Finished good, bad, and ugly article (and I'm afraid it's the third)


• Watched Unsolved Mysteries (yay!) while having a root canal


• Ate several of Kellene's cookies


• Agonized while waiting for the Peterson verdict


• Raced home to greet the electrician


• Managed to harass coworkers from home via e-mail


• Was truly vexed by the error message I kept getting when I tried to post something online


• Gnashed teeth over the loss of an audiobook that was within my grasp


• Discovered that my article mentions that demonstrators can "initially illicit" interest in the business opportunity (Rachel thinks I've been reading too much crime)


• Wished the Web site would blow up and leave me alone


• Made a fool of myself at the first meeting


• Redeemed myself somewhat in the second meeting

I just wish I could say I've done all of that in one day.

Alyssa

Not What I Had in Mind

When I said that I planned to work on balancing things in my life, having my work projects quadruple in number was not what I had in mind. It's gotten to the point where I have set up my e-mail with an out of office reply even though I am not out of the office. It basically explains that unless an urgent web posting is required, I will not get to the project until next week. I brought work home with me tonight, but I ended up taking a 20 minute cat nap that lasted 3-1/2 hours. Oops. And I still feel exhausted. I'm hoping to get some of these projects out of the way tomorrow.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the comments my Romancing the Blog entry has received. It seemed to spark a lot of interest, which is all I could hope for. Now I just have to decide which of my four ideas to write next . . .

Tomorrow after work I am getting together with my publications coworkers. We're going to have dinner, watch a video, and scrapbook. I will be leaving partway through the video to attend Rachel Gibson's book signing, which I'm very excited about. I'm hoping my mom will let me borrow her camera, since both of mine are giving me trouble at the moment.

Over the weekend, you can expect to see a book signing report and hopefully a book review or two. If I end up not posting a review, it will be because I'm too busy trying to catch up on work. :(

Alyssa

Operation Fridge: Success!

In December, my office moved to a new location. Today the last group of people at the old building moved here, so on Friday I had to figure out to do with my small fridge. We are not supposed to have fridges at work, but I found one on sale for $35 and couldn't resist. For the past three years, it's been in the art room at the old building. Now it's sitting under my desk, but how it got there is an interesting story.

On Friday, I drove to the old building with two of my coworkers, who volunteered for this exciting mission, though they would claim ignorance if caught. The plan was to sneak it out of the old building (not so difficult) and into the new one (a bit more challenging). The fridge is too big to put into a box, even two boxes (idea #1). It's too big to fit in a small trash bag (idea #2). The larger trash bags didn't work because they were white, and you could see through them (idea #3).

My friend Paula saved the day by giving us some Christmas wrapping paper, which she was planning to throw away. So we took the paper and wrapped up the fridge like a present (idea #4). First, however, we had to drain the fridge after defrosting it. Then we wrapped it, put it on a dolly (hand truck, whatever term you prefer), and took it out to my car. It wouldn't fit in the trunk, so it sat in the backseat.

Once we got to the new building, we took the fridge out of the car, put it on the dolly, and covered it with a desk calendar, catalog, and one of my coworker's jackets. Then we nonchalantly brought it inside. After surveying the scene, we got on the elevator and brought it back to my desk.

Now the fridge is unwrapped and is keeping a drink and some leftovers cool. Yippee, the fridge has arrived!

Alyssa

What Do You Mean, I Have to Work?

Today was my first day back at work after the holidays, and it was difficult. I got used to being lazy and not worrying about what time it is. It's not exactly bad to be back at work, just challenging. (Is it the weekend yet?)

I forgot to post my second Lord of the Rings autograph after I watched part two of the extended version of Return of the King. Here's Elijah Wood.

And here are a few scrapbook pages. The publications department at work went to see Beauty and the Beast. I commemorated the occasion by making these scrapbook pages.

Party, Page 1
Party, Page 2

I'm gearing myself up to dive back into work tomorrow, but there is some consolation. I leave for Tampa in 10 days.

Alyssa

Surprise

My birthday is coming up (December 27), and my department has a habit of decorating the cubicles for birthdays. I figured today would be the day, since most of us (myself included) are taking all of next week off. I'll be working tomorrow, but no one else in my department will be here.

So, I come walking into the office this morning, and I see the back of a party hat sticking up as I head toward my cubicle. I turn the corner to see a life-sized Legolas (Orlando Bloom) in my cubicle. He's wearing a Lord of the Rings party hat. Well, I wasn't expecting that. At that point I started laughing so hard that I was on my knees.

One of my coworkers took a picture through her phone. If I can figure out how to upload it, I will. Otherwise, I'll upload it here tonight.

Too funny.

Alyssa

Same Job, New Digs

Today marks day two in my new office. I haven't changed jobs, just locations. It's interesting. I still have three boxes to unpack, but they'll have to wait while I get caught up with projects. As with any work location, there are some good and bad things about the place.

Good

• My cubicle is right by the window, so I have sunlight! I was actually right by the window at the old location, but the high cubicle walls meant I didn't get much light.


• I like the new cubicles. The walls are lower, so things are more open. We'll see how I like this in the long run. There's not much privacy, but it does seem like there's more room.


• The drive to the new office takes only 20 minutes. It took between 30 and 40 to get to the old office. It wasn't much further away, but I had a lot of stop-and-go traffic.

Bad

• While I like being by the windows, the sun is almost right in my eyes for two hours in the afternoon. Hopefully we'll get blinds or shades of some kind. Otherwise, I'll have to get some sunglasses. :)


• It's a good five-minute walk to the lunchroom, and they don't want us to eat at our desks any more. Honestly, I like having a private lunch, and that's not really going to happen.


• The new office is at least 10 minutes away from restaurants and stores. It won't be so easy to just run out and buy lunch.


• No more covered parking.

Looks like I'll also start going to a different library. This won't be too difficult, since the county has several to choose from. I'm stopping by a new one after work, and we'll see if it's too far out of the way.

Alyssa

It's Official

I got my Christmas bonus today. Yippee! I'm going to pay off a few bills, do some Christmas shopping, and buy one or two things for myself.

I've also made hotel reservations for the Target Tampa event in January. Looks like I'm going. :)

Alyssa

Just a Little Bitter

Remember that work project I took home over Thanksgiving? I found out today that they really like last year's wording, so they just want to use that, along with a few minor changes. I wish I had known that before we met twice to discuss what they wanted and before I spent between 20-30 hours working on the blasted thing.

Some days, I really hate writing.

Alyssa

Dental Phobia

I'm sitting in my cubicle, trying to get some work done, and all I can think is that I'm terrified of having my teeth cleaned this afternoon. I know it's silly, and I'm blowing this out of proportion. I really like my dentist, and even though root canals are not particularly enjoyable, I'd rather do that than have my teeth cleaned.

Here's why: the woman who does teeth cleanings isn't particularly nice. The last time I spoke with her was three (four?) years ago, and her five-minute lecture and disapproving looks sent me running out of the office. And that was before the actual cleaning appointment. In fact, I couldn't bring myself to schedule the cleaning appointment. The interesting thing is that she is apparently quite popular, because her schedule is always full a month or two in advance. Go figure.

So now I'm trying to gear myself up for the lecture and the looks. I'm perfectly aware of dental hygiene. I brush my teeth twice daily. I'm not as good about flossing, I admit, but the truth is that I inherited bad teeth from both my mom and dad, so what can you do? Well, floss more regularly, I guess. And I'm sure the hygienist will give me lots of other ideas. I just hope the experience isn't too painful.

Alyssa

Back to Work

I went back to work today. It's amazing how staying home one day can put you so far behind. I am a writer and editor who works on catalogs, brochures, newsletters, etc. Lately I've done a lot of writing for the Internet, and this morning there were several web issues waiting for me. Fortunately, one of my coworkers had time to take a few of my projects so I could turn my attention to other pressing work. (Thanks, Katrina!) I'm getting caught up, but it's a process.

I'm still working my way through Mind Game. It shouldn't be so difficult; usually I will read a 358-page book in one or two days depending on my free time. I keep putting this one down, however. I'm on page 217, which means I should be able to give a detailed plot summary by now. Here goes: Nicolas, a telepath, has been sent to rescue Dahlia, who has telekinetic abilities. So far, they have escaped the initial danger, gone to rescue Dahlia's trainer, and engaged in a lot of mental lusting. Frankly, there's not much happening here. Mind Game has too much description and not enough substance to engage my interest.

Tonight I will turn my attention to my TRR review. After I finish it, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Night Play is next. This will be the first of Kenyon's books I've read, and it's part of a series. It should be interesting.

Alyssa