Never at Ease

So I'm still working full time these last two weeks of my job, but at the same time I'm training a few hours here and there at the new position before my predescessor leaves town for good. It's really great to get to train with her, but it's making me more than a bit frazzled.

I've got all kinds of lists going, including but not limited to: Acronyms Will Kill Me; Before They Find Out I Haven't Done Anything With This In Months; My Desk Reference Is How Out Of Date?; Parking Garage Instructions; Office Supplies I Can Get Away With "Accidentally" Taking Home; Wardrobe Expansion, Summer 2008.

Not included in all of these lists is something to help keep my personal life straight. No, not Questions About The Future of Our Relationship kind of personal life, just all of the crap I need to be doing between working late and falling asleep at 9.30. (Yes, I've fallen asleep at 9.30 every night this week. Don't judge me.)

I need to keep a list somewhere, and while the black Moleskine notebook in my purse is the most logical and useful and handy choice, I'm putting it here. I have no idea why.

Dear non-working Valette, these are the things you need to do so you won't slap yourself later:

• call Nordstrom's and ask if they have my driver's license
• check on puppy classes for Olive
• pick up my license from Nordstrom's
• get an IM for the car
• get puppy hand-me-downs from Rachel
• schedule puppy playdate with Rachel
• renew car registration on the innernets
• order prints for Laughing Lotus in August
• that's seriously two weeks away, OMG
• find out about signs for Laughing Lotus, and post some
• buy some more clothes, you look like a bum
• change dentist appointment to some day in August after 5
• wash and change Olive's kennel blanket

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Weekend in Reverse

• Approximately 57 loads of laundry
• Freecycled everything that wasn't bolted down
• Both of the above done while Steve was napping
• Spot-cleaned the carpet
• Ate cookies
• Dumped pasta on the carpet
• Cleaned the dishes, kitchen, and bathroom
• Gave Olive a puppy cookie for taking herself outside to poop
• Yelled at a deli worker for not changing gloves after moving boxes
• Saw the Dark Knight, and was super impressed
• Wore a sundress
• Slept on brand new pillows and clean sheets
• Made choco chip cookies that ended up completely flat, yet chewy
• Cooked pasta with a vodka sauce
• Made the bed
• Bought new shoes
• Was extremely grumpy
• Bought new pillows
• Wandered through construction and ate lunch in a quiet hidden sammich shop with a funny and adorable man
• Yelled at Olive for pooping in the living room
• Woke up too late
• Left good coconut shrimp on the back seat of my car overnight
• Stayed up too late
• Bought slacks and a shirt
• Tried on one outfit, three pieces, that cost $450 (on sale)
• Hit the Nordstrom's sale
• Dinner with Steve's officemates
• Gave 2-weeks notice at work
• Was offered a new job, and accepted

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The Longer You Don't Say Anything

Yes! I am still alive, despite this whole non-blogging thing. I don't think I can write about them properly or wittily enough, so I don't write. And then weeks go by and my only links to the intertubes are constantly refreshing Twitter, blocking people who favorite all of my feet photos within a 30-minute block of time, and 3-point status updates on MetaChat. So in that vein:

3-Point Status Update!

1//This weekend Steve and I tethered disposable cameras to news stands and handrails downtown with signs encouraging people to take photos with them, completely ripping off The Plug's idea of Stranger Photos Have Happened. I was worried that people would completely ignore the cameras, but to my happy surprise they filled up each roll. We got the rolls developed last night, and each shot makes me really happy.

2// Last week I took a photography workshop with Zack Arias on getting the flash off-camera. A lot of the information was stuff I had read before, but the workshop had a few Ah-Ha! moments that made everything really start to make sense. It went from 10.30 Tuesday morning until 1.30 Wednesday morning. There was lecture-type stuff, but also a lot of hands-on stuff. I got to work with some great models and am really glad I took it.

I didn't get home until 2.30, and was back at work at 8am. I'm not sure how effective I was at work that day. But I have solicited model time from one of my nieces with the promise of cookies, and I'm excited to practice.

3a// Steve and I went to Homer for the holiday weekend, however long ago that was. We took a taxi across Kachemak Bay to experience Seldovia's wild & crazy July 4th festivities (log rolling! kayak jousting!), only to find everything rained out. Apparently there wasn't enough alcohol to convince anyone that jumping in the ocean for a shot at $150 is a good idea when you can see your breath in the air.

3b// The sun did manage to come out that Saturday, and we headed down to the beach where I was able to spread Lacey's ashes. It was a lot more difficult than I expected. After the wind and waves took away her ashes, I cried and cried. The metal urn I had been clinging to for the past month no longer held any meaning for me.

photo by robotkarateman

3c// There was also a family issue that I reacted spectacularly dickishly to, and ended up being quite disrespectful to some people I hold drear to my heart. I guess a part of me really is still 14.

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