Thursday, June 29, 2006

Dilemma Girl strikes again

It's been a long week. Every morning I get up I think it's the next day. I really don't like that. Tomorrow is finally Friday, and though it is the last day of the month, I only have 3 files going and they are beyond prepped - balanced, released, letters ready, the whole bit. It should take me roughly 3 minutes per file to finish them, and then it will be 8:30am. Wonderful.

So Dilemma Girl strikes again. I have been given an offer and it is a great offer. There are a couple of edges to smooth out, and that can be accomplished fairly easily, with a little planning, but the rest of the decision is a tough one. It has to do with representation of myself, reputation, and work ethic pounded into me at an early age, mixed in with a don't-live-with-regrets, seize-the-opportunity, go-with-your-heart kind of attitude. I will spend this weekend deliberating, figuring, and utlimately drawing up a proposal of some sort or another. I am already tired thinking of it.

Isn't it funny how when the opportunity arises to do the one thing you really really want to do, there are speed bumps and hurdles and all manner of obstacles in its path? Seriously, I hate this grown up gig.

I need your positive vibes now more than ever. I spent some time trying to weed through a Doreen Virtue book but it all ended up sounding so trite that I found I couldn't relate. I will be pulling cards like crazy over the next few days, and I think I could use a good dose of Bridie while I'm at it.

Okay then. If any of you are in the dark, sorry about that, but right now I just need positive vibes in helping me through this. I appreciate it, you all have done so well for me in the past.

Let's lighten this up a bit.

New link! So I got this guidebook from a friend - direct from the source - and it is really a good one. Kindly visit the link "People's Choice Guide" - soon there will be information on how to order it, but for those of you living in Cancun, it is available at My Place (I am sure you are all familiar with the establishment...) right now. Even as a person who lived there, I found a lot of really good information in it - I think anybody travelling down that way will find it very useful. What's really nice is that it is a good size to pack and travel with - so if you find yourself on Ave Yaxchilan wondering whether or not to eat at a restaurant, you can pull out your trusty guide and find out what others thought of it. Seriously, I am spending a lot of time going through it and making notes in the back. Kudos to Eric - it really is a quality guide!

I will report back on my dilemma soon, so stay tuned, who knows, I may have some news....

Monday, June 26, 2006

I need a fan.

Why don't I own a fan? In the last, oh let's go back 10 years, I have purchased at the very least 9 fans (that I can count). Always seemed to have one of those box fans and one of those tall oscillating fans. It seems like every time I move out of a home, the fan stays with it. You know, I don't think I have ever actually stored a fan. Certainly haven't moved a fan from another state.

Fans aren't that expensive, but you never really think to purchase a fan until it's too late. So one day (Friday) it's like 70 degrees, and the next it's 100 degrees. Don't need a fan at 70, DO need one at 100. I was pretty pleased that this place kept so cool in the evenings. But that was when it only got up to like 85 (even that 94 degree day we had a few weeks ago it was cool in here). I suppose if I ran down to the Fred Meyer and bought a fan right now it would cost me way more than if I would have thought to have purchased one in like April.

But you live and learn. And tomorrow it's supposed to be down to like 84 again. So I won't need a fan then.

But right now, it's just really hot in here.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

I want to go BACK...

This sucks so bad.

Come on, you guys, between all of us we can figure out a way to get me back there for good. There has GOT to be a way.

I am thinking that if I do really well at work and then log my time showing that I rarely actually face-to-face my clients, I can convince somebody to let me trailblaze the concept of working full time off-site. This can be done, folks, it is 2006 for Pete's sake. We get all docs over email, our company is switching to VoIP and utilizing RightFax soon, every form of communication we have - releasing files to record, ordering payoffs, title assistance, even opening orders - is done via our escrow system. So I have to fly back and forth every month or so, big deal. We have signing services, we have HUD work-up services... this can be DONE.

So yeah, it's supposed to be like 92 today, which is good. I am considering going down to the pool and laying out for a little while. I have been up since 7 and haven't done shit but a little bit of laundy, and I really should get some sort of grocery situation (but I don't feel like it). I am having ankle issues big time since my return, and of course thanks to the little diversion I had at lunch with Kim, when I should have had some free time before lunch with Chris, I did not get back to any kind of farmacia to get more Nexium and some Lasix. So here I throb. Not sure what to do about it right now short of drinking the hell out of water and that right now is not really doing much for me. Anyway, Vain Me (odd, isn't it?) doesn't like to go out in public with the situation below the knees so I am going to have to get the hell over it and motivate, I guess.

Since no one has commented lately I am going to assume that everyone stopped reading during my short little 8 day trip. Or maybe my latest entries are just boring. Sorry. Guess I'll throw in a picture. I am now checking airfare, and have so far found $394 on American. It of course becomes all-consuming until something else interests me. All I know is I am sad and I want (no, I NEED) to go back.

Bleh. I hate grown-up responsibility.

Oh by the way - new link. Check out Mexico Vacation Central (which I like to call Mexico Vacations Central even though there is no "s" at the end of Vacation). This is a great site - lots of info for those of you that need as much info as possible in one spot. Not just about Cancun, so people like Kim will find it helpful when she travels to PV and all those other west coast venues.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Okay here are some.

Thanks to Kim for her speedy delivery of the photos!

Rogelio

Me and David (with a little help from Rafa)


One view from Room 801A


The boys: Tio, Isaac, David, Rafa and Ever

I was never great at trip reports...

Okay. So here I am.

I arrived on Tuesday around 12n and Janet was just pulling up, just in enough time for me to power down a cigarette. It was hot, nice and hot. We went directly to the Salvia condos and I checked into one of Brian's units, ocean front and on the 8th floor. It was huge, with a kitchen and two beds. The balcony sort of wrapped around and the view was beautiful. I threw on some shorts and we may have gone to Walmarts pretty much right away, I can't really remember if we went on Wednesday or on Tuesday.

Most of the week was spent running errands and spending time at My Place. It was pretty busy, no doubt about it, but I did manage to lay out some (a total of 7 hours for the whole week. Let's face it, I am not that tan) (as a matter of fact, the office boy John even told me he was disappointed in my lack of tan. I just looked in the mirror in the bathroom and I am SORT of tanner than last week...). Anyway, lots and lots of running around. There is still no a/c in the van and so it was a lot of hot wind drying the sweat that formed when you got stuck in traffic. I loved it. The best part of it was feeling like I still lived there, with so much to do all the time.

The club is great - Tuesday night Kim and Arturo and Laura came down and we all had cocktails and hung out. The club is a great "hang out" place. I spent a lot time there, sometimes drinking, sometimes not. The days sort of ran together because of the constant running, and that was a good thing.

The wedding I was sort of dreading actually ended up being quite a great time. Beautiful church wedding, and Eder went all out for the reception. The cake was enormous. There were mariachis and lots of alcohol and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I sat with some of the waiters from VCI, as well as Nora and her boyfriend of 6 months or so, and then later Sabas and Vicky. I got a cab back to the zh around 4am and even that was a good time, my taxista being a younger guy who sprang his fluency in English on me at about Ave Yaxchilan. At least he didn't mind my bad Spanish. We sat in his cab for about 20 minutes when we finally got to the hotel, so I didn't get to bed til about 4:45 making Sunday pretty much useless until the evening.

What else... I took a few pictures with Kim's camera, when I get them from her I may upload some, because there hasn't been a lot of photos on this blog in a while and I am sure this particular post is pretty boring to you all. I got to do lunch with Becky and Liz on Friday I think it was, that was good fun, and also with Kim on Tuesday (that ended sort of badly) (I had a visitor show up a week early and so I had to cancel my 2nd lunch date with Chris).

Tuesday night, my last night in town, was the night before Sergio's 40th birthday, and so of course I celebrated. Ended up drinking a lot (at My Place and then at the Black Pearl next door) and beat a record I thought I had beaten pretty well. Perhaps I will tell some of you what that was, but if I post it here you guys might not see me as the saint that I truly am. And I am one. Ask anyone.

Travelled all day Wednesday and that sucked because I hated coming home. But the good news is that my office mates really took care of my desk, so there was no stress today. I loved that. Literally never happens. So it was easy coming back.

I had a really great trip and priced airfare for September. I am already looking forward to that. It is important to have stuff to look forward to, no doubt about it. But for right now, my bed and my washer dryer are my best friends, so I am off to use them both. I am still pretty tired ...

Hope y'all didn't miss me. And Jeri, I hope you really LOVE those peanuts, because you have a LOT of them now!

Back

My flight last night was like 45 minutes late and I was so tired (went to bed at 5:30am and got up at 8am) that I needed to go to sleep pretty much right away (well, it ended up being around 11). Once I settle and start my laundry I will give you a little report. But right now, I gotta go get ready for work.

Monday, June 12, 2006

See how dedicated I am?

Blogging from work while I SCARF down some chicken (and I don't even like chicken, just no other form of protein available that isn't an 18 block hike). I have no business blogging from work, today of all days, but here I am.

Because, folks, the thing is, you will all have to live without Trauma: The Drama for at least 8 days.

Yes, it's true. I am on my merry way to sunny Cancun tonight. Excited? Hard to say. I am thinking my bag will be so full of stuff that I will have to pay a $50 overage fee. But such is life. I am muling a lot of stuff down - not huge amounts but it all adds up weight-wise. I need a beer and I need one BAD but it looks like I won't get one til sometime tomorrow evening. Unless I have one on the plane. You know what, I am going to have one on the plane.

I am overstressing about my desk and that is normal for me but I think right now, right NOW, as I sit here, things look okay.

I will be sure to report back when I get home, so please don't be too sad. Those of you locally (meaning Portland), we'll have to get together when I get back so you can see how tan I am.

Bwahahahahahahhahaha!

Take care and have a great week!

Saturday, June 10, 2006

The root of my issues. Or not.

I feel a little sick to my stomach.

I got up at 6:30 this morning because I had to go to the bathroom and just stayed up. Apparently I did not sleep the WHOLE night on my face so my hair doesn't look bad enough to take a shower before my pedi/wax expedition at 9, so here I sit, drinking coffee and feeling kind of sick.

Not "sick-like-I'm-gonna-throw-up" sick, but "sick-like-I'm-kinda-nervous" sick. Which is funny sort of because although I leave for Cancun Monday night (3 more days, 2 more "sleeps"*), I am not really all that, like, excited. I am jazzed to go, don't get me wrong (semantics? Is it all just semantics?), but it's not like back when it was vacation time and I would wait all year to go for 10 days in December and then for 2 weeks in February. I have been back for just over 3 months. I am looking forward to being there, feeling that feeling I get when I get off the plane, seeing my friends, being warm for the first time in ever, it feels like. But like I don't have much of an agenda (which is good) and I don't expect people to drop everything and come see me or whatever. My friends are real people with real jobs and real crises and real daily routines, just like me when I am here. I was thinking how I haven't seen Benny but like maybe 3 times since he's been here (for the last month) because, you know, I have a job and a life. It's the same for my pals down south. THIS DOES NOT BUM ME OUT, because I understand. It's just different. I don't know, first of a number of different types of vacations.

Like, I don't know how it works out for where I am staying. I know I am staying in one of Brian's condos, but I don't know a) which one, b) what it, like, HAS (do I have to bring my own beach towel?), or c) HOW and WHEN to pay him. It's all kind of wierd to me. I mean, I like things in order, with some sort of normalcy. Where, like, everything has been paid for all ready, and I have very few expectations beyond what I already know. Janet and Joe use Brian's condos all the time for their friends and business associates, so I know they know the loop, but I am back to being "Worker Joyce" so I have to be all control-freak about it. I need to just shut up about it.

Plus I have this wedding. I was advised by some very well-informed people-in-the-know not to just give money as a gift (which is a lot easier to bring down) but instead to find some sort of thing for their house (small appliance or table linens?) but as it is I am lugging down plenty of booty for my friends. Not that cherry jello or Tom's of Maine deoderant will take up much space, but I don't know if any of you besides Janet are familiar with my packing abilities (okay, INabilities). I suck at it. I will end up bringing stuff I will NEVER wear. Because, I MIGHT. My biggest thing this trip is to bring something for the wedding (right now I am totally in the zone, I gotta tell you, because that GOD DAMNED Miranda song "Don" is playing on channel 944 and I hated that song when they played it NONSTOP on VH1 in Cancun and I hate it now) to wear, and then just stick with jeans and shorts and tshirts. The problem is you can't just bring one pair of jeans because it's so humid that when I put them on they are 2 sizes too big within minutes. Okay I am just thinking out loud now. I need to chill.

Anyway, I am more worried about leaving my desk, and I think that is where my sick stomach feeling is coming from. It's not super busy right now, but all (and I mean ALL) of my clients decided that Thursday and Friday of this past week seemed like a good time to get me docs on their files. So I have signed like 6 people, and all the files will close while I am gone. And see, I started May 1 and in theory I wouldn't have been that busy (except that I am so extremely popular that I AM) and they never intended to have to have coverage for me. Which is fine, seriously. It's just that these files aren't going to close themselves. I know I can rely on the fabulousness that is Maggie's Emerging Markets group, but I absolutely hate to push all this on them.

Plus this STUPID CONDO SUBDIVISION is getting ready to close a bunch of units, and they are SO screwed up, and I have NO idea what I am doing on them, and then I am just LEAVING in the middle of them. How to Win Friends and Influence People. Jesus Cristo. I will come back to Portland the scourge of the Pacific Northwest, I am sure. So this all adds up to my sick stomach. Seriously, I need to learn how to chill and let this stuff roll off, it's not very Mexigringa of me. But I guess that's why the -gringa is still there.

Oh and one last thing, so yesterday morning I had an 8am signing, and it took about 30 minutes, and the loan officer hung out for about another 15 (I sign people in my office, at my desk), and then I went out and had a little smoke, and came back in and was just about starting to draft an email to the Eastside branch begging for a 3pm courtesy for that day (not a reach around, but a courtesy signing, jeez people this is escrow), when lo and behold, a big (okay, medium sized) BEIGE spider runs along the top of my computer screen. I did of course the requisite shriek-and-shove-away-from-the-desk move (thank God for wheels on desk chairs) and ran out of the room, gaining "composure" with every step. First of all, the Boy of the office, John, was no where to be found, and the only two other people were Cathy (on the phone) and Laura (also on the phone, but wrapping it up). When she hung up, I asked her calmly, "Can you kill spiders?" and she answered, "Yes, so long as they are not big and crunchy." I said, "Well, will you?" and she said yes, but she had to get this package into messenger first. Okay. Look it. I understand the need for urgency, but let's get some priorities straight. When I come out of my office looking like I have seen a ghost (or a spider), HOP TO IT. The flipping messenger can wait the 30 seconds it will take you to get this spider (and me off your back). I am not kidding you, this chick took like 5 minutes (5 agonizing minutes), while I watched this spider go all over the singing karaoke bird that AnnaMarie gave me, the Dove wrapper that says "You are allowed to do nothing", and the length back and forth of my computer screen. I kept going, "I'm losing it!" and "There it goes!" and "If this thing abandons the screen and ends up in the paper mess, you'll be sorry!". FINALLY she comes in (this is NOT the procedure, folks) and spots it racing over to the stack of papers by my boom box, smashes it, and throws it in the trash. I of course am not convinced that it is dead, so she has to show me the carcass in the trash bucket.

I would just like to say that this would have been easier on everyone (including you, who had to read about it) if people would just stick to the rules. It should take no more than 32 seconds from shriek to dead spider. 32 SECONDS. I was away from my desk for like 8 minutes. When John got back I scolded him severely because he is the office Boy and, you know, this IS part of his job. Hello.

Okay, this was a doozy for you, a lot to take for a Saturday. I should have just taken a shower instead.
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* As I have said before, I read a lot of message boards, and one of the things that always bugged the crap out of me is when people say "5 more sleeps!" or "36 more sleeps!" as a reference to how many more days until their next vacation. Just bugs the crap out of me. It sounds so, I don't know, trying-to-be-cutesy. Instead it's just stupid.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Blllllleeeeeeeeeehhhhhhh. Poor you who tuned in.

Wow time flies when you are getting back to your roots.

Tuesday night Jill was in town and my mom and I met her for dinner at the McCormick and Schmick's at Riverplace. Mm mm good. Jill is the national sales manager for a textiles company now. I always get free stuff from Jill when she comes up here or I visit her. Once when she worked for Hamilton Beach I got like 6 toasters and 3 blenders. I kept one of each and gave the others away to my clients. When she worked for Douglas-Kwikcut last year I went back to Cancun with a nice knife set (they are still down there with Janet, too heavy for my enormous luggage situation. In theory I will bring them back this trip). Now with this textile thing, I left with a fun little present for a friend's daughter in Cancun, two throws and five throw pillows. Turns out seeing Jill is just the icing on the cake.

Other than that, just working. And working. And working. This subdivision is killing me because I am a total idiot about it. So far I haven't done anything WRONG, but when you do something for the first time you always feel like you are doing something ... wrong. So there I am. Lots of docs coming in today and yesterday, and more tomorrow, and since I won't have any coverage for my desk (we have "floaters" who cover escrow officer desks while they are on vacation) I have to convince one of the other assistants to do the payouts on them. Fun for them. My shit is pretty much squared away though, so it's not like it's that big of a job. Nevertheless...

Yeah I guess I don't have much to say midweek, but I feel like if anyone is still tuning in I should probably say something. Nothing has really fired me up this week so far. I got my hair cut, and Saturday will be the pedi and eyebrow (and LIP. I think I am ACTUALLY going to go for the LIP this time. Holy crap.), and then finish laundry and pack and go to work on Monday and then get the hell out of dodge.

I hope everything goes okay on my desk.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Out and about and a minor rant

So Saturday was quite fun, and trust me I am still feeling it at 6:30pm Monday. I got to the bar around 8:30, and Sol was there already, as were Gilberto (the bartender I know who used to work at Azteca) and the other bartender I know there whose name escapes me but who I used to make out with every now and again. What a tart. Anyway, not long after my arrival Jamie, and her friends Missy and Cory, showed up. Haven't seen Jamie in forever and she looks great, a really great girl. After a while Kim, Felt and Kim's friend Leigh showed up, as well as Sol's little brother and his friend. Much drinking ensued. I had a separate tab thinking it would curtail my obligations for the night but I don't know who I think I am kidding, I put more drinks for other people on my tab than I drank myself, and ended up having a standard Joyce-style tab for the night.

Let me just say a word or two about taxis here in the great state of Oregon. They are a joke. A person just cannot try to be responsible. If I was a paranoid person, I would swear the cops and the taxi companis are in cahoots. I cabbed down to the bar in no time, but when we left the bar at like 1:30 or so (who knows really) I phoned for a cab and they seemed confident it would come in about 20 minutes. Kim and Felt had called for a cab themselves, and we all sat outside and waited too long. Theirs finally showed up, but ours was taking FOREVER. By 2:30, we flagged down another cab, different company, and by the time we were halfway to our destination the original cab company called and said they were arriving at Mazatlan. I had to tell them we took another company because they took so long. Jerks.

I ended up spending the night (what was left of it) at our destination, but at around 6:00am I attempted to Houdini, which kind of failed since I called for a cab again and the guy needed the actual address and I had to wake up my host to get it. Then I waited again for the taxista, for like another 45 minutes, continually calling the cab company because the driver was lost (in the wrong complex completely, the idiot, and besides, how many fares do you have at that time of the morning?) and finally made it home at 7am. It pisses me off. For the hassle it is just easier to chance a fucking DUII, not to mention it cost me all told about $45 for 3 fares (and the one from Mazatlan was like a 7 minute drive!) (but I was smashed and there was NO WAY I was walking up a hill in the rain in that condition). I swear to God it is like being forced to drive drunk in this stupid city, and I was downtown! Forget about getting a cab after midnight in Beaverton, it ain’t happening. Hate ‘em hate ‘em hate ‘em, but we have no other choice.

Needless to say I slept away most of Sunday, was shaky and drained and completely under-nourished. Even today I felt like crap, despite the supplements I powered down throughout the day. Bleh. By the time I got home I was ready to go to sleep but I am holding off until 10 so I can get back into my rhythm.

That’s about it, again, I had a blast being out, I even sang a Gladys Knight and the Pips song, and danced with Felton. It was good to get out with good people. And good practice, I am afraid, for Cancun.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Two titles: Happy Birthday to Kim S! and My Opinion, and I Do Have One.

You can't do ANYTHING anymore. This article on KATU.com pretty much covers it. I swear to God we are the most paranoid society on the planet. Give me a huge break. I have come to the conclusion that the media's only purpose is to instill fear and paranoia, and to persuade the sheep of this country that EVERYTHING IS BAD FOR YOU. I would hate to be a kid growing up in this country right now.

Does anyone even remember there is a war going on? And no, it's not between the rightful US citizens and the immigrants (I am not even going to say ILLEGAL immigrants because the hillbillies in this country don't know the difference and frankly probably don't REALIZE there is a difference). Reporting ad nauseum this issue only inspires prejudice, racism and stereotyping. I am sick to death of this. I am sick to death of talking to people about it, and trust me, EVERYONE brings it up to me. Why the hell do you care what my opinion of it is? You clearly have your own (it was given to you by the media, you sheep) and don't want to hear anything I might have to say about it. You are simply baiting me so that you can recite what you have studied so diligently on Fox News or any of the other "trusted" news sources. Whatever. I would be mildly interested in what you have to say only if I hadn't heard it a hundred times by people who are just the same as you. Get an original thought, or better yet, a SOLUTION, and maybe I will listen. Until then, just because I lived in Mexico and prefer Mexicanos over white guys, shut the hell up. You are entitled to your opinion, as am I, and everyone else in this country, but you don't see me shoving my opinion down your throat like you do to me.

Okay! Got that off my chest!

Not much really going on, Happy Birthday to Kim, the one person* who came down and visited me in my true environment while I was on my little sabbatical! She got to live with the cucarachas (well, one, and it was little, and dead, but it WAS in her bed before we put the sheets on it), the heat and humidity, the taxistas, and my day-to-day. I think she enjoyed it. I know I did.

Tonight I am going to meet some folks for Sol's birthday at Mazatlan downtown (uptown?). So that gets me out. I rented "North Country" last night - it was okay. I am cleaning now but putting off the vacuuming part because I just don't want to right now. After that I will run some errands provided I can get my hair into some sort of going-out shape. I'll tan, run to Target, maybe the Square, that kind of thing. And then I will chill a little bit and get ready to go out. Now you know. It's almost like you will be with me the whole way.

I leave for Cancun in 9 days (if you use my theory of not counting today and not counting the day you leave, which in this case makes sense since I leave at like 12:30am on that actual day so technically I am already there). I am looking forward to it, but not in the same way I always did before going on vacations in the past. Now it just feels like I am going home to visit. Which frankly is WAY better. The normalcy and sanity of my friends there is hugely different than here. Not better (Jeri, Becky, Rebecca, et al, relax, you guys are great), but just different. Somehow calmer. I don't know, maybe I'll figure out a way to describe it without offending anyone.

Anyway, I should just get moving while I have the energy.
__________________________
* I am not mentioning this in an effort to make anyone who did NOT come visit me feel badly. I am just saying that she was the only one. It's tough taking a vacation in our busy lives when vacationing isn't one of your priorities, that's all. It's a priority for Kim, and for me, and that's all it is. I am not in the least bit bummed that I didn't have many visitors while I was there. I like my space, and I am not that great at entertaining.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

I suck. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO SHELIA!

Sorry, I try to hit as many as possible. I just didn't think to blog that day. But Shelia's birthday was last Friday, the 26th. I already know how it was so I won't say what I hope it was. But on to a fabulous new year!

I suck.

Happy Birthday to Sol ~

Woo hoo! You're like, I don't know, 32 or something... 35? I know you read this, and yet, no commenting. Fine. Kim will tell me.

Month end was boring EXCEPT I got like a whole bunch of presents! I haven't gotten work-related presents in like ever, I mean, like 5 or 6 years or something. So I got in yesterday morning at like 7:05 am and lo and behold, a gift bag on my desk. I opened it up and it was a $15 gift card from Starbucks and a "make-your-own-tumbler" set, also from Starbucks. Like those ones where you personalize it yourself with stickers and pictures and shiatt. It's very fun. Not sure what I will do to make it fun, but I'll think of something. If I had actual photos of stuff, or at least a color printer, it would be easier, or not, maybe that's just an excuse. It was from Esther, whose desk I covered briefly while she was in Vegas last week. She just rocks. It was so very nice of her ~ I mean, after all, I ENJOYED the rush of working her desk on the last day to sign refis. So it was pretty much win-win.

After gushing over my present, a little later I was going into my office when Nicky told me that John had something for me. Feeling a little nervous, I complied when he told me to step into my office (sure, he's white, but you know, it HAS been a while - OKAY I AM JUST KIDDING). On my desk was a Target gift card, $25 - apparently the company gives us these if we make goal (we must have). Yay! Starbucks AND Target? It's almost as if the two main reasons I actually boarded the plane back in February were welcoming me back with a little enticement!

Later, after gushing at John and Nicky for the giftie, the order desk girl (good Lord I don't know her name) came in with a big box from 1-800-FLOWERS. Oh my hell. What is this madness? After tearing it apart, and stabbing my pinkie finger with an acco fastener (stuff like that just happens, I don't know why), out comes a beautiful palmish/ivyish/flowery plant in a basket. Big. Lots of height (don't worry folks, I will let the plant lady know it is on her route from now on). I searched and found the card, and it was from Mary, the processor up in Bellevue who I worked with on Esther's desk after-hours from home. Turns out all those files signed, thanks to my logging into her email at like 8pm last Thursday for some unknown reason, and they all closed yesterday, so her month end was really good, and what do you know, SHE RECOGNIZED ME FOR THAT. I phoned her and thanked her. You know there is really nothing like getting flowers/plants/gifts delivered to your office.

We also got a free lunch (month end) so that was nice. I told John I was a little afraid to cross the street or plug in an electrical appliance, but here I sit, unscathed.

What a good day for Joycee!

So here I am back at work, it's almost 8am, first day of the month, feeling a little blah-ish (no adrenalin rush to get on files) and waiting to see if anyone gives me anything else. Okay, I won't get used to it.