OMG Twilight

The 12 year old in me has been let loose ever since "New Moon" came out last week.

I decided to not see it at the midnight premier (I can't go to bed at 3 a.m. on a work night!) or on Friday night (too many 'tweens all at once). Instead, I opted for the first showing Saturday morning at 10 a.m. I even got the early bird special price! Score!

I'm happy I saw it by myself the first time around because with a friend there I might have been distracted and missed things in the moving because of chatting. Watching alone I was able to completely concentrate (because, you know, the plot is so complex) and take in every single moment!

Oh, and how it was magical. One of the first scenes when you see Edward and he walks in slow motion - WOW! I call it "New Swoon!" I couldn't help but just love every minute of the movie.

And yes, critics will call out how cheesy it is and how it sucks. But really, the movie was made for a certain demographic, and it succeeds at doing exactly what the books do - you're mesmerized the whole time and just want it to keep going!

We all know the books are no masterpieces, as far as the snooty literary community would conclude. But just the fact that a regular ol' housewife can create these characters that people can envision and fall in love with is ingenious in its own right. I'm not one to re-read books because there are so many out there that I want to check out, but I'm going to make an exception and read the series again!

Oh, and P.S. I saw the movie again last night (this time not alone - I'm not that sad), and I'm probably going to see it for a third time later this week with my mom and sister. I guess I now fall into that category of the aptly named "Twi-hards." Love it!

Made in China...I Shoulda Known

I almost blew up my apartment last night.

I got this crazy idea to bake a cheesecake last night, so I hit up Super Wal-Mart for the ingredients as well as an electric mixer, since I didn't own one.

Imagine my amazement when I found a handheld mixer for only $6 and some change! Ahh, the magic of child labor.

I swooped that puppy up and went on my merry way to bake.

Within 2 minutes of mixing my cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla, I witnessed a huge spark and the mixer started smoking. I promptly turned the thing off, as a creepy, dangerous smell wafted through my kitchen.

This wasn't looking good.

After unplugging the piece of crap and waiting a few minutes, I decided to try it again. Poof! A large spark and then smoke.

I decided it was probably best if I just carry on and mix the damn thing by hand. I'm hoping it turned out OK and that there aren't random chunks of egg or sour cream in the cake.

I guess I shouldn't expect anything less - the thing was made in China and only cost me 6 doll-hairs! I've now put an electric mixer (preferably a trustworthy brand-named one) on my Christmas list.

Something Good About Sarah Palin (Crazy, I Know)

So far, my week has been a pretty good one, with just a couple interesting little tidbits.

For one, I unfortunately missed Sarah Palin on "Oprah" on Monday (damn DVR didn't record for some reason!), but thankfully I read about it online and watched clips.

I know this may sound wild, but I actually kind of like her!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now don't go thinking I've switched political parties or that I'm now championing Sarah Palin as my feminist icon. Let me make it clear - I still absolutely in no way support Sarah Palin as a political figure. I would never vote for her for president, and I still disagree with her on numerous accounts.

What I mean by liking her is that she is very charming and personable. I can see why so many Republicans (and women) are drawn to her - she is well spoken and appears smarter than the average person.

Don't get me wrong - I still find her completely inept as a leader (who quits her post as the leader of a state with obvious intentions of later leading the country? Totally bizarre to me). My guess is that million-dollar book deal she got might have had something to do with her resignation.

This also brings me to why I disagree with her ethics - she laments about all of the lawsuits filed against her for breach of ethics, but these claims had to come from somewhere, right? And are you really doing your patriotic duty of helping people by resigning as a governor making maybe $100,000 annually and opting to be a "regular" citizen with a $1 million+ salary? That definitely makes me question where her priorities are.

But I must say, I don't despise her as a person, surprisingly. Now Rush Limbaugh and George Bush - yeah, I can say that I have trouble finding any redeeming qualities with those two.

Now my only hope for Sarah is that 1) she disappears into oblivion so we can all forget about her, or 2) she runs in 2012 - an Obama-Palin debate would be quite the knee-slapper! She wouldn't stand a chance.

In other news, today I got vaccinated for H1N1 at work - woo hoo! I know a lot of people are resisting the shot, but from what I've been reading (and what the doc told us today), the swine flu is no joke. It's survivable, yes, but I'd rather not risk missing a week of work.

I also discovered recently that I was defriended by someone on Facebook. Ahh, yes. The oh-so-challenging world of online friendships. I know I shouldn't be hurt by this because, let's face it, it's just Facebook for crying out loud! But it does kind of come off like a slap in the face. I guess I'm really not sure why I was deleted, although I can attest to doing some deletions of my own lately. I recently went through my friends and deleted numerous people that I never talked to, met once a long time ago or who just always posted really annoying things that I never cared to read.

I'm a sensitive person, so it does sting a little to be deleted, but I guess I just need to accept that some people don't like me. It's better to just focus on the people who do like me - and those who love me! Like my family, for example. I'm so thrilled to visit home next week for Thanksgiving! We're celebrating my mom's birthday by going to Kelly Clarkson (8th row, baby!) and we might even go see "New Moon" if the theater isn't taken over by 'tweens.

Looking forward to the holidays! Only one more week to go!

The Hiney Flu

I was nervous this past Friday that I might have the H1N1 flu (dubbed "hiney" by my sister - those 1's look like i's. Not to mention, apparently the virus kicks you in the hiney).

I was scheduled to cover for my co-worker on Friday and go in early. Thursday night I started to feel a little under the weather, but I assumed I just needed some sleep and I'd be hunky dory.

Well, I woke up at 3 a.m. scorching hot (in temperature, not looks, naturally). I stumbled out of bed and took my temp - 100 point something degrees! (This may not seem hot to some people, but my temp runs cold on this particular thermometer - like 97 degrees).

When my alarm went off at 6, I knew I couldn't go to work. Even if I could muster up the strength, I was still feverish, therefore contagious.

I felt really guilty calling in sick - for some reason, I feel like I should just push through things sometimes and suck it up. I don't want to appear like I'm not dedicated, especially since some of my co-workers have worked when they were sick. Plus, I was filling in for someone, so it was doubly inconvenient to miss work.

Then I reminded myself that no one else is going to look out for me - only me. And proper rest will heal me faster than if I push through it.

In the end, I was extremely glad I didn't go to work. I got progressively worse throughout the day. My fever remained, as did my head congestion. Then the severe body aches arrived - I felt like I'd just worked out for hours with Billy Blanks (minus actually seeing any results). I could barely move, let alone get up and make food.

Ugh, to be honest, it made me wish I had a boyfriend! Then someone would be there to make me soup and be there for my every beck and call. My mom used to give me a bell to ring so she could hear me in my room (what a gem!). Sadly, I was left alone with Cammie, who kept trying to cuddle with me, but I was too hot for any such affection.

I did catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror - that made me thankful I didn't have a boyfriend. Yikes. If I couldn't even make food, a shower was obviously lower in priority. I was not lookin'/smellin' pretty.

The good news is that it appears it wasn't swine flu. My fever broke that night (I basically swam in my own sweat all night - even had to change my shirt at 4 a.m. - ewwww), and by Saturday night I was feeling much more functional.

Thankfully I went back to work today. My days of rest were necessary, yes, but ultimately boring. I like being in tip top shape where I can actually be productive.

Work is super busy this week. Also, tomorrow I have my creative writing class. The professor asked 2 people to volunteer to have their stories read by the whole class tomorrow and then critiqued. I volunteered last week, in my typical overachiever fashion, so hopefully everyone likes it! And if not, I do appreciate the feedback.

Other than that, not too much is new. The new Twilight movie comes out this Friday, and yes I already have my ticket to go see it (on Saturday morning though). I can't wait!

Oh, and I won't be getting the hiney flu this year - someone is coming in on Wednesday to vaccinate us at work! Never thought I'd look forward to a shot.

Textiquette

I've always wondered if there was some manual out there for text etiquette in certain situations. It would really help me out.

One time I got a text from a guy I had a crush on, and it was our first time texting. We didn't know each other that well, so it's not like we had a lot of conversation topics to cover.

As a fan of the show "Tough Love," I remembered an episode where the matchmaker host told the girls that they should only text guys "need-to-know" things, such as "I'm running 20 minutes late" or "Friday works for me."

I blatantly ignored those rules and ended up texting this crush about my cat's barfing problem and gum.

Why, oh why, do I have diarrhea of the mouth, or rather fingers in this case?? Couldn't I just have responded simply and called it a day? Nope, because I like to embarrass myself. His responses to me were minimal and then kaput.

I admit that my feelings are hurt when I text someone and they don't write back. C'mon, all I'm asking for is a little acknowledgment! I mean, it's fine if the conversation is done, but if someone blatantly ignores me, well it just bugs.

Oh, and don't even get me started on my pet peeve of one-worded text messages. What a waste! Note to anyone out there who texts me: don't just write back "Cool" or "OK." Even a little ol' smiley face will do.

I know not everyone is a texter. Some people can hold long, massive, drawn-out conversations via text. Others prefer to stick to the basics. I'd like to think of myself as somewhere in between. I like to send back a couple here and there with people, like if I think of something funny to tell them. It's also good for making plans and checking in on friends without having to talk on the phone for 2 hours.

I'm still unsure how to follow text protocol when it comes to guys. I don't want to be too annoying and reveal my whole life story in 140-character long increments, but I also want to show off more of my personality than a generic "I'm doing well, thanks."

I guess there's really no in-between for me. It's either boring, mundane responses or my TMI cat barfing drama. FML.

Job Appreciation

Given the current economic climate, I've been hearing a lot of people saying, "Well I'm just glad to have a job right now."

That is definitely true for me, but this past month, I've learned more about why I really do love my job - and not just simply because it pays the bills.

I went to a mix and mingle event last week for PR professionals, mostly just to hang out with a friend of mine there (I know, I know - PR is all about networking and meeting new people). But honestly, I wasn't really in the mood to shmooze and talk career stuff.

There were a couple "in between opportunities" people there (a.k.a. unemployed), and it brought me back to the days when I was moving from the Bay Area and looking for work in Sacramento. Finding a good PR job in Sacramento is tough, not to mention when the economy tanks, it's even harder. I had to talk to people a certain way, ask certain questions, put my best foot forward, collect business cards like it was nobody's business. Basically, I had to kiss a lot of ass. It was horrible!

So I really feel for the people who've been unexpectedly thrown back into the whole job hunting thing. It sucks, plain and simple.

When I was looking for work here, I was really willing to work anywhere. I'd been told that my first "real" job after college didn't matter (as far as "making or breaking" my career), so I was open to working anywhere where someone said "yes." Imagine my luck when I ended up at my current job.

Now, this isn't me trying to brag and talk about how perfect my career is. There are some things I wouldn't mind changing, and I second-guess myself and my path all the time. But sometimes it takes hard times to really make you re-shift your thinking and see things in a positive light.

All of the things I would complain about when it came to work have lately seemed petty and irrelevant. I see people moving on up at their jobs, and it really made me question if I was learning enough or at the right place.

But when it comes down to it, who cares what my title is? And so what if I'm not 2 steps from becoming VP? I don't meet famous, wealthy people, and I don't name drop my clients. My job involves some administrative work that some would classify as "below" my job title. But in the grand scheme of things, who cares??

I guess I did for awhile there, and I think I lost sight of what's important. I work at a small firm, where everyone is tight-knit and close. We get along, and we don't have the trouble of office politics or cliques. No one is power-hungry here, willing to step on anyone's toes just to make it to the top. I work with 5 of the best people I've ever met, and I can honestly say that I genuinely like every single one of them. They each have something about them that I can learn from, and that learning takes time. I've only been here not even 2 years, and I have a long way to go.

I just need to remind myself why I'm here - we do great work for our clients, and I almost always enjoy coming into work every day (I'll admit, it's tough on Mondays, but once I'm there, I'm always happy to come in).

I've just got to keep that in mind next time I'm making copies, scanning or putting items in the mail. I once heard a good quote: "You are right where you're supposed to be." (Maybe it was a fortune cookie or something). Oh, how true that is.