It was much worse today than yesterday, getting up at 6:00am. It’s cold in San Diego in January at 6:00am! Fortunately, there’s an electric heater in the wall in the bathroom, which I put on as soon as I get in there. By the time I get out of the shower, it’s toasty!
Eric drove me to work again, so he could have the car. We left the house at 7:15am and I was there before 7:45am. I went right to my desk, dropped off my stuff, went down to the 4th floor cafeteria and bought a bottle of orange juice to have with my breakfast bar. I figured I could eat breakfast at work, and save time at home, since there’s not many people there that early. They actually have free bagels with cream cheese and muffins in the cafeteria every day, so they're eat-at-your-desk friendly. It’s a good thing I’m on a diet, or I could start a VERY bad habit of having a muffin or bagel every morning. You know what that means – carbs = pounds on Peppy!
My boss is still in San Fran, so I knew I wouldn’t have much to do. I was reading an online tutorial about using OUTLOOK, so I could get up to speed, but by 9:30am I was bored out of my mind, and my eyes were getting heavy! How can you be tired after being up for just over 3 hours? Boredom. Plain and simple. Stay busy and you stay awake!
I had noticed that the cubicle next to me (which is not used by anyone) had become a dumping ground for brochures, binders, etc., etc., etc. I asked a woman on my team, who sits in an office right outside my cubicle, if that cube needed to be organized. She took me to another guy on my team and asked him. He said it was a total disaster and would be thrilled if I could get it organized. Turns out most of the stuff is different materials which are put into folders to give to clients. A lot of them were over 3 years old and the documents have all been updated, so they were obsolete.
He showed me which 9 documents he needed. I organized all the different documents into piles. I recycled all the old versions and had Fulfillment (the printing department) make me copies of the newest versions, if I didn’t have them in the piles. By this afternoon I had 10 collated packages ready for clients, in case they are needed, and had recycled about 200 pounds of paper!
I also reorganized the entire cubicle, so that if someone DOES need to use it, they actually have a place to sit! It looked SO great! I worked on that most of the day and only occasionally went back to my desk to check emails or if the phone was ringing.
Eric got a dentist appointment for 5:15pm tonight, so I told him to come a little earlier and I would sneak out at 10 or 5 to five. Of course my boss called at 4:50pm and started giving me instructions for a couple of projects. I wanted to tell him that I had to go, but I didn’t want to seem like I was running out of there (although I had a good reason), so I just sat there and listened and took notes. Then, he asked me to transfer him to someone else, so he could help me find a document. Thank GOODNESS he wasn’t at his desk, so I asked him if it could be done tomorrow and he said yes.
The second I hung up the phone I RAN out of there. Eric was waiting downstairs and we headed to the dentist, which is on Balboa, right near us. I LOVE this place. They had a TV in the lovely waiting room, so I got to watch MILLIONAIRE as I filled out the forms for Eric, while he was being examined. Then, when MILLIONAIRE was over, I read the latest issues of VOGUE and PEOPLE. That’s one thing about going to the doctor – I love magazines!
The doctor gave Eric a temporary crown and he has to get a new crown, and maybe root canal. Ouch! He has another appointment for next Wednesday at 10:30am. Poor baby!
When we got home I heated up my vegetable soup, which just gets better and better with each reheating. YUM -- if I do say so myself! We each had a bag of NUTRISYSTEM barbecue soy chips with it, which is a perfect complement to the soup. Then, for dessert, we each had a NUTRISYSTEM cookie. Eric had oatmeal raisin; I had peanut butter.
I got an email from the couple who bought our house. She is pregnant with her third child. They’re hoping for a boy this time, but she says if it’s another girl then Daniel will have “Daniel’s Angels.” I think that’s so sweet. I’m the third of three girls, so I know how it is when everyone is hoping for a boy. My parents always said they didn’t care, but my Dad is really into sports, and shared that love with my two older sisters, so I always thought he would have loved a son.
Here's the dining room. We had a ceiling fan which, although nothing beautiful, really kept the house cool in the warmer weather. They put in a chandelier. They also put roman shades on the French Doors (we never covered them at all -- I loved to look at the backyard while I was in the dining room). They installed all new wood floors (the house REALLY needed them). Pretty fabulous! That's my dining room table and chairs, which was one of the conditions of the sale. Cynthia fell in love with my work and HAD to have it!
I am including pictures that Cynthia sent of our old dining room (now their gorgeous dining room/kitchen area. They broke down the wall between the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen was completely redone and I think it’s fabulous. Any of you who remember our house will flip, because it is such a dramatic change. They added walls where there were none, and broke down walls where they were. We never did anything to the kitchen, and it had the original 57 year old sink, red formica counter with the chrome trim, and white wood cabinets. I guess it was about time for a renovation, don’t you agree?
The kitchen is simply magnificent! Those two little angels on the floor are Zoe and Samantha, both of whom Eric and I fell madly in love with!
The refridgerator is where the hallway was before. They blocked off a wall, so that they would have more space in the kitchen. Look at the size of that fridge!!! I think they did a great job and wish I could see it in person. Maybe some day!
I feel frustrated, because I feel like I don’t have time to get everything I want to do done, now that I'm working. I’ve been trying to find the time to sew a button on my jacket for 3 days! I also want to do more crafting, but by the time I finish dinner, reading emails, blogging, etc., I’m ready to watch a little TV and go to bed. I’m going to have to do everything on the weekends, including fighting for a washing machine on Saturdays and Sundays!
After we ate, I helped Eric fill out two applications for sprinkler work. They were SO extensive and one even had a math test! That took almost an hour, including me researching phone numbers and addresses for previous employers and references. We were both so relieved when it was finished and Eric was very appreciative that I helped him. It's just not as easy for him to do that kind of stuff, but I'm pretty good at it, even though I always say I HATE filling out forms!
I want to try to get to bed by 10:00pm tonight. Last night I went to bed at 9:30am, but I didn’t sleep well all night and I was exhausted this morning. I feel the only way to survive this schedule is to go to bed at a decent time. I’m one of those people who really needs 7-8 hours to be any good at all. I need my sleep! I believe sleep is rejuvenating.
I always told Eric that you heal while you’re sleeping, because while you’re awake your body is so busy doing other things, including digesting, but at night, while you’re still and sleeping peacefully (hopefully), your body has a chance to concentrate on any illnesses or injuries. That’s why you always need sleep when you’re sick.
I bet if you had two people with an injury, like a broken bone, and one person slept 8 or more hours a day and the other was intentionally sleep deprived, even if he or she stayed off the foot, the person who slept well would heal faster. Some scientists should do a scientific experiment. To whom do I write?
Well, I made it through my second day at work. I’m making friends and learning as much as I can. Unfortunately, working for a financial firm is pretty boring (for me), but beggars can’t be choosers. When this job is done, I’m determined to get a job working in a stimulating environment – hotel, real estate, fashion, decorating, music, theater, art – I want to be in an interesting area and involved with a business that I at least understand!