A little tired

I have been going about non-stop recently, and my recent post about not taking work home is being revoked. I have been doing lots of work from home recently, but this week am really going to try to put that in check. I have stuff to do on other projects anyway. So, as I munch on my Spaghetti Lean Cuisine for lunch I figured I would take a chance to blog.

I have a philosophical post building in my head, and am going to try to get it on the screen this evening. It will be a nice break from the "journal" stuff I have been doing lately.

It does seem as though I am not the only one that feels like I am running ragged. My Alpha Counterpart is burnt out, and I hate it for her. She is also taking a break from band, or more like - ending the season early. I considered doing the same thing - but have resisted the temptation. Fortunately I am not yet to the "burnt-out" point, and see an equilibrium on the horizon.

My recent frenzy has no-doubt been attributed to John, but I don't hate on him for it. Things are good. It is probably best he is off in Tampa this week though. It will give us both a chance to re-set a little bit.

The big thing on my radar right now is a break from the office environment. Not a break from work, but a hiatus from my gray fabric walls and Oddica post cards. Carley and I are going to the low country for three days next week to visit business offices! We are staying at Harbor Island while down there and are both looking forward to some much needed time away from "the norm." The following week we are doing a 2 day tour of the Pee Dee region and staying with the rents. I am looking forward to learning more about the business office side of our operations.

Gramma was in the hospital most of last week, but she is back home and all well. :-) Fortunately it was not anything too serious. She, Mom, and I went strawberry picking on Saturday. It was grand - although I am quite full of strawberries, and now have 10 lbs of them in my freezer.

There is a 1:00 meeting on my horizon though so I ought to go.

So long...

Dark Day?

Have I crossed to the "dark side"? Have I done the something that will forever change the rest of my life? Have I created a dependency that will become an addiction?

I stopped at Starbucks on the way to work this morning, and I am at work at 8:15am. Its the dang Dulce de Leche Latte - Grande, Skim Milk, with whipped cream. YUM!! I was brave and tried some regular old coffee over the weekend and actually kind of liked it - then on the way back to Columbia on Sunday John wanted to stop at Starbucks and he got a Dulce de Leche Latte - of course I had to try, and what was not to love!!

I even bought a coffee maker. What has happened to me?

Excited

Chillin' in Mt. Pleasant today - about to take a shower. John & David had a site visit to do this morning at some new condo building down here so I slept in. It was grand. While I was up around 7:30 for a bit going back to sleep was easy and I've just recently started stirring again. I even took a few minutes to do a couple of things for work. There are some Forrester studies and WebTrends reports to analyze later this afternoon, but none of that has to do with me being excited.

I am getting a new camera this afternoon! Well, I guess it will probably be this morning, and can't wait. For a good while I have wanted something that will fit in my pocket or purse, and now I am getting it since I unloaded my old camera to Chris, the guy that did my tattoo.

So - to all of you at work. Enjoy! To me and the Charleston area - Hoorah!

Dirty Hands

And I love it. My hands, of course, are not literally dirty - but I am about to be knee and elbow deep in something I love -Entrepreneurship! It is rare to find someone you can talk business with, and I don't mean talking about your job. Its discussion of the fundamentals of what business is about, how to be successful, how to grow an organization, new markets, industries, etc. All the sexy parts of business. I think it is even rarer to find someone that is crazy passionate about starting a company and is not afraid of putting everything on the line to do it, and is willing to pretty much trust a complete stranger with all their ideas, strategies, and plans. Even more so - it is cool when they have confidence that you can help and make a difference in their goals and objectives.

So, I am getting to help out with some start-up stuff. Writing business plans, researching industry standards, formulating marketing strategy, running revenue projections, and all sorts of stuff. It all really got started formally last night when I pulled out an old business plan I had written - stripped out the content and saved it as a new file. Now a blank canvas awaits me, and the fun can begin!

Hurray for Breakfast

I've been fortunate enough to enjoy some good breakfast food recently - pigs in a blanket; cheese eggs, sausage, and toast; sausage, biscuits, and gravy...it's been yummy.

I've also re-found Diet Mountain Dew - which really has nothing to do with breakfast - but is tasty all the same.

On another side note - some random person added one of my tattoo pictures as a favorite. That was the first one from my flickr account. :-)

The selling of the house is going pretty well so far. I have had 8 or 9 inquiries I think, 1 showing, and have 2 showings scheduled for this week (both on Wednesday). The property hits The Carolina Trader today, so I am expecting that will generate a good number of calls. Goodness - Craig's List & the bulletin board here at work have been fab.

Work is well. I really do like what I do and who I do it with. That makes me a very lucky person.

I am looking forward to a good mini-vacation this weekend. I am going to Charleston on Thursday evening and will be back on Sunday. If it were not for wanting to hook up with SJ while I am down there (she is going for a wedding) I would consider not even taking my phone. On Saturday night I'll be seeing a band called Leslie. Personally I think that is a little odd because of the band name, but from what I have heard of their music it should be pretty good. So - here is to meeting some new people, hearing some good music, drinking some good drinks, eating some good food, and getting a new camera.

Gotta get back to work - my lunch blogging is over with. New music and movie posts are up. (and yes - A 'Window' post is unbelievable overdue)

So Long.

Different

I think that's a really appropriate word for these days. In the big picture my life is nothing like it was 6 months ago, and in the short-term (just this past week in fact) I have been in a totally different mood. It is a mood I am really enjoying as well. So, for some things that are different...

- Perspective on Life : I don't think I value exactly the same things as I did before, but it is letting me make decisions based on feelings and instincts that are probably more true than I have ever felt.

- Friends : I continue to have few friends from my "previous life" (Sarah Jane and Hannah are really the only ones). I am closer with Jamie than I have been in ages, and have met a lot of new people. Slowly I am coming into a group I think I can count on.

- Honesty : It isn't that I was lying before, but I wasn't exactly true to myself which led to hurting others. I am now putting that guard or shield aside and just telling people like it is.

- Work Style : I still probably work too much, but for the first time ever in my professional career I don't take work home with me (unless 100% necessary), and it even extends to the fact that I really don't have to think about it a ton when I am away from the office. This attitude change has probably been the most enjoyable.

- Body : While I still have lbs to go I am more healthy and more shapely than I have been since I came to college - or at least almost. For the first time I weigh less than what is on my driver's licence, and can't wait to go renew here in the next month or so to get an updated photo and weight on there. :-)

And last but not least, a different...

- Symbol : Yesterday I went and got a tattoo. "Leslie you what??" Yeah - I got ink, and I love it. And I loved getting it. Even though I was scared-to-freakin-death before I got started.


Not sure why this snap-shot is a little blurry, it isn't in flickr.

More Photos

Oh, and speaking of photos - I have uploaded a variety recently including some pics of the house, cat, Wendy's 30th birthday, me, a trip to Carthage Justin and I took, etc.

Lobster

Rich, succulent, juicy, red, fleshy... Well, not exactly. I laid out on Friday before heading to Florence for the Easter weekend and got FRIED! I am as red as a lobster and feel about as crispy as a burnt piece of toast. It really isn't that bad though. Just hoping I won't peel.

It has been nice visiting the fam. I've played canasta, done a ton of Sudoku, walked twice (2 and 6.5), watched TV (second half of The Sound of Music 2x), and eaten too much. Friday night gramma made BBQ chicken "her" way - it was tasty and I think I learned the method. Yesterday Dad made burgers and did some of them with a spin I have been wanting to try. He put diced jalapenos in the meat, and on the toasted bun I put lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, mayo, and more jalapenos. I used American cheese - but think it would have been better with pepper-jack. Either way - the heat was great. Very tasty. Today we are having left over burgers for lunch. Gonna do that one with grilled mushrooms and Swiss. Tasty.

I also played tech-lady this weekend and got Dad's site back up - www.jjcustomcreations.com.

Before heading back today I am gonna try to go and visit my G'ma Johnson. When I get back to Cola I have to do some mowing, although it will be interesting to see what everything looks like after the frost last night. It was 22 degrees here this morning. Burrr.

So - Happy Easter to all!

So Long.

Funny for the Day

A man and his wife are dining at a table in a plush restaurant, and the husband keeps staring at an old drunken lady swigging her gin as she sits alone at a nearby table, until the wife asks,

"Do you know her?"

"Yes," sighs the husband, "She's my ex-wife. She took to drinking right after we divorced seven years ago, and I hear she hasn't been sober since."

"My God!" says the wife, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"

Thanks Craig.

Hmmm...

To cheer up my odd mood today a friend sent me Charlie the Unicorn. I feel slightly disturbed after having watched it. I hope you feel the same.

Cup-Tastic

Well, I survived my first excursion to the famed Carolina Cup. It made for a very long Saturday, but was (as William) would have called it - Cup-Tastic!

I got to meet all sorts of people most important probably was the infamous "Joe" from Dallas. He used to live in Columbia - and is the buddy of Eric. They are the two fella's that put this group together. Joe brought some people from Dallas with him, and I had a great time with those girls - Melissa, Melayne, and Jenny (although I doubt I spell the names correctly there). Andy from Myrtle Beach/Loris and Jeff & Kyle from Aiken were a few of my other favorites. I also met a Chris from Dallas too - although he never sees Joe in Dallas.

I did even see the horses go by twice, and got a photo of them. I took plenty of photos in fact, and hope to get some from other people too so that I can add to my collection.

When I came out of the restroom (which remained surprisingly clean) one time I saw my old Justinsane Design guy - Levi - so we got to visit for a few. I can't decide whether or not it was good he was the only person I ran into that I knew.

The after-party at Eric's house proved to be a good time as well, but made for a very lazy Sunday.

Sunday evening I sat with Eric as he did the math for the event. There were about 65 people in our group, and Joe & Eric really put it together right. I was very impressed. After walking around we really did have one of the nicest set-ups. The food was good too, although I am not entirely convinced something didn't tear up my stomach. I have been queasy for the past 2 days now. So, a big thank you to the two of them for doing such a great job.

I look forward to next year.

Thought for the day

Pulled from an article about the "300" workout (based on the movie).

Appearance is a consequence of fitness.

Perhaps I will reflect on it later. For now - just thinking about it is enough. I did survive "The Cup" and it was fantastic. Granted there were good and bad parts, but a great experience nonetheless. I shall detail later.