The Hair is Always Better on Someone Else's Head

At church on Sunday, my class watched a video about the perspective of being "rich" and then had a discussion about the various issues surrounding "riches". One of the things I thought about after leaving the class was how much people compare themselves with other people. Ironically, I had been driving to church and silently lamenting the state of my hair and how frustrating it was that I cannot get my hair to do what I want it to do. And then the thought occurred to me that there are probably women who would like to have my hair because of it's color, its straightness or any number of other things because they are frustrated with their own hair.

Even more ironically, after the class, one of my friends was commenting how her hair is so curly that she can't even comb it after showering because it will turn into an afro. I remarked that I wish my hair had more body. She then remarked how my hair had such nice body and waves to it...I then countered that it takes me a lot of hard work with the curling iron as well a number of products to give my hair some grip so that it will hold a curl.

The very things that I find annoying about my own hair, my friend was envying and vice versa. Ironic.

Then I started thinking about the video we had just watched about wanting more than we have, not being satisfied with what we do have and not realizing that to someone else, we have great wealth. I don't think I should complain about my hair anymore. It is thick and I love the color. And now I have found a length and style that has the versatility that I like having. And I will try not to envy those with naturally curly hair.

Furthermore, I will work on looking at my closet for what it has and not what I feel it is lacking or what I think it is lacking. I want to learn to be content.

Update on my career goals

I found the staff fridge!! So, I can mark that off my "To Do/Learn How to Do" list. A gal from work showed me where the fridge is. I landmarked it my memory with the location of a VIP who is the "It girl" when it comes to computer stuff that I often need. The staff fridge and microwave is directly across from her cube. Whew!

But my new revised goal is to learn how to work my pager. I have the concept down. I get a page, it vibrates, I shriek and jump up, and then look at the number and call the number back. My shrieking is a lot quieter now but I still jump several inches off the ground. However, I don't know how I did it but I set an alarm to go off every day at 1:33 pm. I am trying to figure out how to turn it off. I did get a real page once but the rest have been this crazy alarm.

Maybe I could use the alarm to teach me how to relax and not over-react in case I get a real page.

I think I would rather learn how to turn the doggone thing off and take my chances when a real page comes.

Lost in Washington County...

I have said that my method of driving to unfamiliar locations is the use of Concentric circles...gradually honing in on my target until I find where it is I need to go.

My new job requires lots of driving and to lots of places I have never been. And I have had many opportunities to improve my method. Translation: I have gotten lost. A lot.

Yesterday, I attempted to plan ahead for one of my appointments by "Mapquesting" (I think I have coined a new term) the location. That would have helped, had I actually rememebered to bring the directions with me. I thought that I remembered well enough that I could "wing it". But as I was driving, I thought, "Was it Stillwater Blvd to Lake Elmo Ave or was it Lake Elmo Ave to Stillwater Blvd?" I tried the first. I was wrong. That just brought me back out to a road I was trying to take a shortcut from. I proceeded anyway and considered at times, calling back to the office, admitting defeat and asking for directions. However, I continued on, following a hunch. I was just about to admit that my hunch was not going to work out when I turned down a road, and behold...There was the building I was looking for.

Pure dumb luck! But the take away from that experience...I now know how NOT to get there and now I also know exactly HOW TO get there. Good thing too, I had to go there again!

My other adventures have taken me on the various, scenic backroads of Woodbury, Stillwater, Bayport and Lakeland. Lovely drives along gentle rolling hills and by the river. As I drove along, pretty sure it was the wrong way, I thought to myself, "Am I really lost if I know that I am going the wrong way and I know where I should be, know where I am but know it is the wrong way to where I need to go?" Hmmmmmmmmmm.

The good news, I am getting better. I am learning how to find places. I have the luxury of time at the moment so that I can build in a little cushion of time to find my way, in case I do make a wrong turn at Albequerque, as Bugs Bunny would say. And I am getting better about Mapquesting and taking the printed directions WITH me! It's progress.

My "Brilliant...but let me think this through...than again maybe not" Idea

My office building has automatic toilets that flush themselves. I have been marveling at this modern stroke of genius. (Ok, sometimes, I admit, I use the bathroom for moments of meditation and prayer and sometimes, I get inspired...it's happened ever since I was in college and shared a suite with 5 girls...and now that I have my own circus of boy-barians plus a girl...it is STILL a place of quiet contemplation). Here is my idea:

Install these automatic toilets in my home. Then I would never have to use the phrase "Did you flush?" again. It would solve lots of problems. It would bring such peace and harmony to my world. One less battle to fight. I think.

Hmmmmm.

However, if part of my job as a parent is to train up my children in the way that they should go, and when they are old, they shall not depart from it...(I just found a joke in there...since I am talking about using the bathroom...and training boys on where they should go...I may only amuse myself but, hey! wouldn't be the first time!), I would be robbing my children of valuable lessons while merely considering my convenience and lack of tolerance for flushed toilets and unsanitary bathrooms. Because unless every home, office, restaurant and other place of business plans on installing auto-flushers, at some point, my children are going to encounter a situation in which they are not equipped to handle.

This line of thinking, albeit amusing to contemplate as I admire the convenience for me, led me to consider other training opportunities that I might want to shortcut for the sake of my own comfort or convenience. It brings to mind how often I get annoyed by the little things and I hear myself saying "How many times do I have to tell you not to ...(insert any combination of the following: belch in public, hit your brother, throw baseballs in the house, jump off the bed like you are superman, throw my freshly folded laundry on the floor so you can use the table to draw...)?" And as annoying and tiresome it gets repeating these things, I am right in the thick of training my children to behave well, to use common courtesty and good manners and to shine the light of Jesus to others, not to mention being nice and thoughtful towards other human beings. Shortcuts will not get the job done.

So, in conclusion, I must persevere and press forward without automatic flushing toilets and continue to teach my children not just the big things but also the little every day things.

However, if they invent a toilet that flushes itself, scrubs itself and the floor around it and fold the toilet paper into that little triangle like in fancy hotels, I'm buying it.

The Newbie

My new supervisor told me that I should use my newbie status for as long as possible. I can say things like " I did not know that." whenever I need to. Could be convenient. Another strategy is the "look of confusion" when walking around the office areas. People are friendly and willing to help especially when they see "The Look".

I had three goals today. 1) Get the blinking light off my phone and program my voicemail. 2) Find the supply room. 3) Find the staff fridge. I accomplished two.

Goal 1) I got my phone to stop blinking. I was very excited. But then a while later, I came back to my office and it was blinking again. Oh NO!!!! But as it turns out, the message was for me! It was the IT guy calling me for another round of phone tag. He wants to help me solve my printer problem. One of the databases I need to have access to prints to some unknown location in the building. It would be nice to print the printer 4 cubes down. After 3 rounds of phone tag, we actually spoke on the phone and he set about to fix my nebulous printing problem.

Goal 2) Find the supply room. I found it but it took me about 15 minutes and many "Looks of confusion" before I found it. I was able to locate folders for my file drawer. But I didn't find a red folder for my To Do file. I read about that in an organization article. Put the things that need to be done in a red folder. I think it will work well for the things that I am in the process of working on but didn't finish or that need more time than I can apply at that time. Until I find a red folder, I will have to rely on the good ole yellow post-it notes.

When I worked in the state run facility, there was a running joke about the things the state would pay for. Post-it notes was not on the list of important items and they were hard to find. I can get post-it notes any time I want (if I find the supply room again) and I can use BLUE pens!! I'm so excited. The state job "frowns" on blue pens. But they are my favorite!

Goal 3) I could not find the staff fridge. I did find a fridge that is full of cans of pop to purchase. So, the venture was not a total wash.

Go Go Gadget Girl

My new job has made me into a Gadget Girl. Not only do I have my own personal cell phone...which that alone is enough to baffle me at times. But now I have a work cell phone AND a pager. I have never had a pager before. I'm not quite sure what I will do when it actually goes off for the first time. I suppose I will have a similar response to when my cell phone is in my pocket on vibrate and leap in the air when it goes off. Thankfully, when that happened yesterday, I had my seatbelt on!

I also have voicemail, very complicated voicemail and I am supposed to record a new message every day. I got some lessons for my voicemail but I wasn't feeling brave enough to get into it today and clear out the old messages from the previous occupant of my cube. So, my phone has yet to ring for me but continues to blink, alerting me to messages that are not for me.

I also have an office cube. I'm kind of excited about that. Actually, I am really, REALLY excited about that. I have never had a job that gave me my own space...semi private as it is. When I was a teacher, I had a desk in my room but I never felt at home enough to put up pictures or anything. At my last job, I shared work space with every other employee.

To celebrate my new work space, I bought cool thumb tacks. And tomorrow I am bringing the calendar Banana Boy made for me. I'm making myself at home. I also brought in my coffee mug. That is the true sign that I have moved in. Tomorrow, I will have to find the coffee.

Tug-o-war Mom

Being a mom is tough. Being a single mom, very tough. I feel pulled in every direction possible. And then there is the guilt factor. Peanut said to me today, "I don't want you to go to work."

"But I have to, sweetie."

"Why?" he says.

"Well, if I don't go to work, then we don't have food to eat and pretty soon, no place to live."

Later on, Peanut says to me, "Mommy? Can I come to work with you?"

"No, honey, you can't."

Then in a very earnest, 4 year old way, he says, "But I'm ready. I have a purse. See?" And indeed, he had his little box of Kinex with the handles and his prized possessions tucked inside. And I thought to myself, "You are just too cute! I wish I could stay home with you all day too."

So, I am in the middle of a tug-o-war. I have to go, I want to stay.

If I could be a superhero and pick my super power. I would want the ability to split myself in two and be in two places at once. If I could not have that, then I would like to be like Elasti-girl on the Incredibles...she has so much flexibility. She can be in the livingroom, on the couch with the kids and just stretch her arm into the kitchen to stir dinner. Amazing.