Brrrrrr

Hello winter. How long do you plan to stick around? Got our first snowfall last night and that meant fun, fun fun this morning. Between yesterday and today, I think we got something like 8 to 9 inches. After getting on the bus this morning, we didn't even manage to make it to the next stop before getting blocked by an accident. So everyone got off the bus since the driver said it would take awhile and the police still had to come. It was snowing and blowing and just an overall mess. I walked the rest of the way downtown and caught another bus there. After arriving to work this morning, I decided it was the perfect time to submit vacation requests. So I put in to cover my Italy trip and my U.S. trip. We'll see if and when they get approved.

I must note that someone got up extra early to shovel the sidewalks around my building, including the one leading out from my front door. Was it you? God knows it wasn't me. To this mystery shoveler, I say thank you. P.S. Do you plan to continue this most honorable deed?

I had a very nice weekend. The get-together at my place was fun, and as all parties do, it forced me to get some things done around the apartment. Plus I'm stocked up on drinks through 2009 as we hardly put a dent in what I had. However, I should have put sticker prices on my furniture and other items because my guests were looking around with interest and asking when I was moving out. They were salivating, people. Salivating. Hell, let the auction begin…err, right after I serve another round of drinks. Big money, big money. And no whammies.

Work is more of the same - blah. I think I should borrow the late Mr. Dangerfield's famous line and hang it somewhere on my desk, cuz I certainly don't get much respect either. Last Friday, my group asked me if I wanted to sit in on a short telecon pertaining to some of the structural changes. Sure, why not? There were only 7 of us in there. As my one coworker was naming everyone in attendance, he just skipped right on over me. How nice. Some of the others looked at me and I just shrugged my shoulders. Not that I was there to offer any input or that it made any difference to the party on the other line, but it was just disrespectful from my point of view. So now I not only don't exist to my manager, but also to coworkers. Lovely. I'm definitely looking forward to starting up in the next and final group in May. It'll probably just consist of more disrespect, but at least it'll be comeing from different people!

This weekend is as yet unplanned. Next weekend I'm in Munich :-)