Wednesday, 30 September 2009

I've been rather busy at work this week. I haven't been this busy in months. It's sort of hard to get used to, but I guess I'll have to.

I think I'm going to copy Beth Dunn at Social Climbers and take the preppy challenge. We'll see how many items mentioned in The Official Preppy Handbook that I can wear each day. Yesterday, I wore LL Bean khakis, LL Bean navy/green striped sailor tee and topsiders. Today, I wore black pants, red cotton turtleneck sweater, gold monogrammed pendant, and penny loafers. Tomorrow, I may only have on one or two items. We'll see. It's amazing that after all of these years, I still dress according to TOPH. HA!

I hope everyone has a good Thursday.

Monday, 28 September 2009

Yesterday, I was lazy. I read and watched TV all day. I did do about five loads of laundry, but that wasn't that much of an effort. Yesterday afternoon, I decided that I would move my stationary bike to the living room so that I can ride it while I watch TV. I rode it yesterday and today. My plan is to ride it five miles everyday. I hope I can keep it up. I know it's not as good as the treadmill, but I will be more motivated to keep it up.

With my new position came a move to another floor. To get in the door, you have to have a key card. This afternoon, I was by myself, and I heard a knock at the door. You will never guess who was at the door. My former boss. I was so excited to see him. Another one of my former bosses was already there. It was so great to see both of them. I almost started crying when they left. I miss our old gang so much. It's just not the same. Hopefully, in about nine months, we will all be back together again. I can't say anything about how we'll be back together, because I'm not sure of all of the details, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. A little hint...my bosses had a one year non-compete clause in their contract.

Tomorrow, I'm getting a new desk. I've been sitting at a counter that looks like a desk. Maybe after I get settled at my new desk, I'll feel like part of the department.

Tonight, the temperature is going to be in the 50's. That's about 20 degrees lower that it has been. I am so ready for fall. I'm ready for corduroys, sweaters, wool skirts, turtlenecks, and tights. When can one legally start wearing suede shoes? I know corduroy is okay after October 1 and wool is okay after the first frost.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

Saturday, 26 September 2009

I had a fairly relaxing day today. This morning, I cleaned house. I finally got all of my clothes and purchases from vacation put away. This afternoon and evening, I caught up on reading magazines and watched the Britcoms and the Auburn football game. Even though it was mostly a lazy day, I feel like I got a lot accomplished.

Tomorrow, I'm going to do laundry while I finish catching up on reading my magazines. I subscribe to a lot of magazines. They include:

Vogue
Marie Claire
Allure
InStyle
Elle
Harper's Bazaar
Smithsonian
Southern Lady
Food & Wine
Cooking with Paula Deen
Victoria
Tea Time
Taste of the South
Weight Watcher's

I always purchase Cook's Illustrated. As I said in a previous post, I'm thinking of subscribing. I also purchase the seasonal magazines published by Hoffman Media.

I hope everyone has a nice relaxing Sunday.

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Tonight, on the way home from work I stopped by Target. I went in there to get a bag of the Archer Farms frozen Wild Maine Blueberries, but they were out. I bought a bag of frozen mixed berries instead. I also bought a few Lean Cuisines, a plastic tumbler with pictures of candy corn, and some Pumpkin Spice Flax Kashi Bars. Thanks to Miss Janice for pointing out the Kashi Bars. As I was leaving, I picked up a magazine called Victoria Magazine Presents ENTERTAINING. I can't wait to read it.

I've gotten addicted to Cook's Illustrated magazine. I'm thinking of ordering a subscription. Do any of you read it?

I hope everyone has a good Thursday.
We've gone 24 hours without rain. I feel for those people in Georgia. They either have way too little or way too much. Maybe everyone will dry out soon.

I gained a few pounds while on vacation, and now I'm having a hard time losing it. Yesterday, I wore one of my new Brooks Brothers dresses. It was a little snug. I was upset all morning about it. As the day went on, it became lose. I thought it had probably stretched out, but I tried on the others when I got home. They were actually very lose. That made me feel a lot better. I don't have any clothes to wear at this time of year. I hate to wear my summer clothes, but I guess as I'll have to. I usually put them away about September 21.

I hope everyone has a good Wednesday.

Monday, 21 September 2009

I am not believing all of this rain. It has not rained as much here as it has in the Atlanta area. I noticed this morning that the Cahaba River was over it banks. I just heard that it is supposed to rain until Sunday. YUCK! We will be drenched.

This past weekend, I went to my mother's. Saturday, we were going to do some minor cleaning, eat lunch, buy groceries and then be lazy. We did not stop until about 8:00 pm. So much for being lazy. Yesterday, we cooked dinner for my sister's family. Today is my sister's birthday. My sister seemed to enjoy the dinner. She's having family problems right now. She and my brother-in-law have two foster sons. One is 17 years old and the other is 17 months old. The 17 year old is a great kid but is very jealous of the 17 month old, and it is very obvious. I told my mother that I sort of feel sorry for the 17 year old, but I think he brings a lot of it on himself. He can't help feeling jealous, and if he lets it, the jealousy will eat him alive. I hope he can find a way to come to terms with it. He says hurting things about the 17 month old, but then he will talk kind about him. I think that is his way of sounding off. My sister gets really angry when he mistreats the 17 month old. Maybe someone can talk to him.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday. Maybe we will dry out soon.

Saturday, 19 September 2009

WAR EAGLE!!!!!

War Eagle!
Auburn 41 West Virginia 30
How about those Auburn Tigers!!!!!

Friday, 18 September 2009

Have any of you been invited to those "Gold" parties? In case you haven't heard about them, a host invites her friends, provides refreshments, and a representative from one of those companies that buys gold appraises everyone's gold jewelry and buys it from them. Something about it does not seem right. BFF MAB got invited to one, and the host said that she was given $90 for some old jewelry. My sister's friend said that she took 4 pairs of broken earrings, some earring backs and a ring and got $500. This sounds almost too good to be true. Have you heard of these and what do you think?

My new position is going very well now. I'm gradually learning things and feeling like I'm part of the department. Maybe in a few weeks, it will be old hat.

Today's Friday! YAY!!! Have a good Friday.

Tuesday, 15 September 2009

Southern Lady Celebration Giveaway

Miss Janice, who is the epitome of a Southern Lady, is hosting a giveaway to promote the upcoming Southern Lady Celebration. The prize is a gift bag full of Southern Lady goodies. For more details, read about it on her blog.

My definition of Celebrating the South is all of the tradition that goes with being from the South. It is also all of the good southern food, proper southern ladies and gentlemen, and the hospitality and genteelness of the South. If you've ever been below the Mason-Dixon line, you know what I am talking about. I've always thought there was something unique about the South and about being a Southerner.

Monday, 14 September 2009

I had a pretty good day at my new job. My new boss talked to me about my ordeal last week. He said that he was glad that I brought everything to his attention. We both agreed that we would put it behind us and make our department the best. I'm glad that I took this position. I was apprehensive at first. Everyone in the department is so nice. They have made me feel welcome.

Now, to tell you about my buys at the Talbot's outlet. I bought a hot pink corduroy blazer, a hot pink cardigan, a chocolate brown cardigan, a brown long sleeved tee, a white long sleeved tee, a navy with white polka dot 3/4 sleeve cardigan, some socks, a pair of tights and a pair of faux peridot earrings. Everything was 30% off outlet prices, plus I received double points.

Last Monday, I started a new eating program, but I was bad over the weekend. Today, I was good, plus I walked on the treadmill this evening. If I can keep it up for a few weeks, maybe I'll lose some weight. Wish me luck.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

In Memory...

I just saw where Patrick Swayze lost his battle with cancer. That's so sad.

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Thanks for all of the kind words and advice about my job. I feel a lot better now. I started in my new position Friday. Everyone in the new department has been so nice. They seem like they are going to let me do as I please for the time being. Nobody bothered me.

I was busy most of the weekend. Saturday, I went with my mother and two of her friends to Chattanooga shopping. We started to visit Preppy Engineer at Gigi's Cupcakes but decided that she would be super busy on her first day. Maybe next trip. We got back about 2:00. My mother and I decided to go to Huntsville to run a few errands. We felt like we accomplished a lot. Sunday, we just went to church and came home to relax.

I think tomorrow will be a good day. I just had to get over my anger. It's hard when you feel like you've been stabbed in the back.

I hope everyone has a good Monday.

Thursday, 10 September 2009

I did not email A today. I'm not going to. He and B were out of the office, so I had the area to myself. C was also out sick, but emailed me many times. He told me to go ahead and move my things to an empty office and work there until my new desk arrived. I told him that I would gladly move since A and I had an altercation yesterday. I didn't bother him with the details since he was sick, but he will find out on Monday. I told my former coworker and she wants me to tell my former bosses. I don't know what that will accomplish since they don't work there any more. I just had to have my drama though. I emptied all of the drawers in my area. I packed everything that had ever belonged to my department. It is sitting in boxes in the floor in front of my desk. I have stationary items stacked about 3 1/2 feet high. I would take the copier with me if it would fit in the elevator. There is nothing in the desk but a small light bulb. I may or may not move the boxes tomorrow. I may wait until A is out of the office. C said that I could not take that stuff up to my new area. I told him to let me have my drama, it makes me feel better. I think I am going to move it into a storage room outside of the executive dining room. I am the only one that has a key.

I hope that y'all don't think it is me. This has happened to many people over the past year. Each month, more and more people are let go. I'm just lucky that C thought enough of me and my work habits to move me into his department.

I'll keep you posted on my drama.

Have a good Friday.

Wednesday, 9 September 2009

Opinions Please

I had an incident at work today that I did not handle very professionally. I need opinions on my method of handling it tomorrow.

As I have told you before, I am an Executive Assistant at a very large bank. The local executives were relieved of their duties back in June. Since then I have reported to this man I'll call A. A and I have adjoining offices. He has to walk through my office to get anywhere. Next to my office is a man I'll call B. For the past 60 days, the only communication that A and I have had is small talk, such as "Hi, how are you?". That's it. I am always bragging on how nice and considerate B is. I was told in June that I would be reporting to A for 90 days and then if no jobs became available I would be severed. About 3 weeks ago, a man I'll call C, approached me about being his secretary. It sounded like a good position and I accepted it. Yesterday, when I got to work, C told me that he and I would be moving to another floor and that I would report to a team leader. The team leader is nice, but has no clue as to what I am doing. She treats me like a member of the "steno pool." (In Mad Man speak, I thought I would be working for Don Draper, but found out I was working for Joan.) Today, when I got to work, A told me that someone would be coming in for an interview. I didn't think much about it until I overheard him telling someone that he and B were interviewing someone to be their Executive Assistant. I was livid! I looked up the job on the website and there it was. It was like the position didn't exist until I moved on somewhere else. I felt like I had been stabbed in the back. I printed off the job posting and attached my resume and took it and laid it in A's chair. Everyone that I talked to said that they knew about the posting, but couldn't tell me. I cried for a long time. I finally got over it. About 4:50, A comes up to me and says that he wanted someone with a marketing background and that is why he was interviewing the candidate. How did he know that I didn't have a marketing background (I don't). He's never seen my resume. He doesn't know anything about me except where I went on my vacation. He added that since I took the job with C, I was not available. I told him that I took the job so that I would not be severed at the end of the month. He apologized for upsetting me, but I just turned my head the other way. I couldn't even look at him. I started crying. I apologized for crying at work. I have never cried at work, except when there was sadness. On the way home from work, I decided that I am going to email him tomorrow and say:

"I'm sorry for the way I behaved yesterday. I have been an Executive Assistant for over 15 years and loved my job. In order to stay at the bank, I took a position in the other department. My ego is not handling going from being an Executive Assistant to the "steno pool". When I came into work yesterday and found out that an Executive Assistant position had become available, I was hurt. It appeared that the position materialized after I took a position in another department. I felt "stabbed in the back". For the past two months, I have tried to keep a positive attitude towards everything that has gone on recently, but yesterday was more than I could handle. I am always bragging about what nice guys you and B are, and I hope this does not tarnish our working relationship."

Does that sound okay? I'm not apologizing for how I feel, but for how I behaved. I also want him to know how I feel. He's not going to be there tomorrow, so I thought I would email him. If I find out that he talked to B, I'll copy B on the email. I dread telling C what happened. I'm afraid that I might cry.

I'm not in the mood to post about my vacation buys. I'll post about that tomorrow.

Thanks for any advice that you might give me.

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

I'm going to tell you about my shopping while on vacation. I will take it a day at a time. Yes...I bought that much, but I don't regret it.

Today, is Brooks Brothers outlet day. At the BB outlet in Freeport, I bought 2 wool sheath dresses, one is grey and one is black with rose and light blue pin stripes. Both were 70% off, and the black one is real BB, not "346". I also bought a black merino wool cardigan, a pink/white striped OCBD, a navy/white stripe cotton blouse, and a pair of silver tone hoop earrings. At the BB outlet in North Conway, NH, I bought 2 more wool sheath dresses, one navy and the other camel. At the BB outlet in Kittery, ME, I bought a pair of small gold tone hoop earrings, a pair of small silver tone hoop earrings, a strand of 12 mm faux pearls, and a box of ladies handkerchiefs.
At LL Bean, I bought 2 pairs of blue jeans, a pair of khakis, a green with navy polka dots cardigan, a green fair isle cardigan, a long sleeve white tee, a gown, and a natural with red boat n' tote.

I didn't buy much in Quebec. I bought some wool socklets, a wool dog bone and a couple of headbands at a shop called Lamberth. I bought a couple of Fleur Di Lis souvenirs at a tacky souvenir shop.

I bought some T-shirts and a sweat shirt in Portland and Halifax. I bought several kitchen gadgets and kitchen linens at various shops in Portland. I bought several gadgets and various food products at Stonewall Kitchens in Portland. I can't wait to cook with them.

I'll be back tomorrow with a post about my buys at the Talbot's outlet and the Pendleton outlet.

Have a good Wednesday.

Monday, 7 September 2009

I"m Back!

I'm finally back from my 2 week trip. It was so fun and relaxing. Here's a quick recap:

We left at 1:30 AM Saturday, August 22. We drove straight to Upstate New York and spent Saturday and Sunday night at MAB's sister's house. It was soooooo relaxing. About an hour from the house we met a fierce storm. We pulled over at a rest area and sat for about 20 minutes waiting for the rain to calm down enough to go further. After it calmed down, we started again. In a few minutes, it got bad again. We pulled off at an exit and sat for over 30 minutes. It finally calmed down enough for us to get there. We ate a quick bite and went to bed. Sunday, we sat around for a few hours. We went to the next town to see a photography exhibit of one of MAB's sister's friends. We hit a few shops and then came back to the house and took a nap. We then went to see the friend's recently renovated house. After dinner, we watched a movie and then went to bed.

The next morning (Monday), we set out for Quebec. We got there about dinner time. We stayed at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. I highly recommend it. It is convenient to almost everything in the Old City. Tuesday, we went on a walking tour/river cruise. We learned a lot about Quebec's history and architecture. Wednesday, we walked around the Old City, hit a few shops and then went to a museum. I was disappointed in the shopping, but the food was outstanding.

Thursday, we drove to Saint John, New Brunswick. On the way, we all of a sudden smelled this horrible smell. It was so bad that we started screaming. We tried to close off the vents and air out the car. It got worse and worse. We then discovered that a hog truck was driving in MAB's blind spot. It was awful! We spent the night in Saint John, and the next morning we drove to Halifax, Nova Scotia via Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy. We hiked and hiked until we got to the ocean floor. It was low tide and we were able to walk on the ocean floor.

In Halifax, we went to the Maritime Museum and on a Harbour Cruise. We both wanted to see the Titanic exhibit and the Halifax Explosion exhibit. It was a good thing that what we wanted to do was indoors, because it poured down rain all day. That night after dinner, the weather got really bad. Tropical Depression Danny was passing through. Sunday, we intended to take the ferry to Portland, Maine, but it was cancelled due to Danny. We decided to drive to Portland instead. It actually worked out better. We got there 4 hours earlier, plus we saved $400.

In Portland, we stayed at the Portland Harbor Hotel. The room was small, but the service was excellent. Monday, we walked around the area and hit many shops. Tuesday, we went to Bath and Freeport shopping. MAB's mother collects pink luster china. MAB found a set of six cups and saucers in an antique shop in Bath. She got them at a good price. Our last stop was LL Bean, of course. Wednesday, we went to Cape Elizabeth and Kennebunkport. In Kennebunkport, we shopped and took a ride on the Schooner Eleanor. I had to eat at Allison's before we left town. The food was casual, but delicious. Thursday, we went to Dover, NH for MAB to do some genealogy research. We then went to see a garrison that dated back to the early 1600's. That was fascinating. We then drove to the Canterbury Shaker Village and did the tour. After that, we drove to North Conway and did a little outlet shopping.

Friday, we left Portland and drove to Harrisburg, PA. On the way, we stopped at the Kittery, ME outlets and at the New Hampshire liquor store. Saturday, we drove to Bristol, TN with a stop in Staunton, VA. We always have to stop at Arthur's when we drive through. Sunday, we got up early and drove on in. We stopped at the Pendleton outlet in Pigeon Forge. Traffic in Pigeon Forge was awful, but it was worth it. We both found some good things at Pendleton.

I got a lot of things at the Brooks Brothers outlet, Talbots outlet, and Pendleton outlet. I'm going to have to lose some weight, so that I can fit into them. I think I may have gained a few pounds on my trip.

Today, I have laid around and caught up on all of the shows that I missed while I was away.

Tomorrow, it is back to work.