Does Your Boss Speak to You Like This?

Many of you have already heard this story, but I can't resist including it here because I still think of it often and wonder,... "What the Hell??!!"

(As a primer on the chain of command... I report to Joker who reports to Major Dick. LulaBell is my counterpart)

On Tuesday, January 15, I attended a meeting in Major Dick's office with Joker and LulaBell because LulaBell wanted to give Major Dick an update on a project she is working on. I attended for moral support.

During the course of the meeting Major Dick started to ask Joker and I questions that weren’t related to LulaBell's topic. I was afraid that she wouldn’t have a chance to complete her update and also get Major Dick's “blessing” on the project so at one point I interrupted him in the middle of one of his questions and said, “Major Dick, I know that you like to veer off into other topics, so before you do, I just want to make sure that LulaBell has gotten what she needs out of this meeting.” He gave me a slightly bemused look, but then let LulaBell continue. Shortly after this the meeting ended.

About an hour later Major Dick came into my office, sat himself down and said, “I have a question for you”

Mingle: “Ok…”

Major Dick: Don’t worry it’s not related to anything that we’ve discussed, and you don’t even have to answer

Mingle: Okayy…. (could this be that he finally realizes my value, or he wants to ask a delicate question about one of my coworkers??)

Major Dick: You see, men of my generation often wonder why women of your generation would get a tattoo. (At this point he stared pointedly at me and it was obvious that he had seen my tattoo which immediately made me uncomfortable since it is on my lower back, just above my rear and the only chance he could have seen it is if I might have bent over to pick something up)

Mingle: oh! That is not the question I was expecting! And I’m a little concerned that you have even seen it – I can’t even see it! (what the hell??)

MD: More to the point – why bother to get one?

Mingle: Well… again, I must say I’m a little concerned that you have seen it at all but…

MD: Oh, well it was sometime in the old building…

Mingle: (oh great… now he admits that he has seen my tattoo which resides just above my ass 6 MONTHS ago, and has been dying to ask me this question ever since) Huh….well, in my case it means love..

MD: oh! you don't have to tell me!

Mingle: Well - you asked! (and damn it I'm not letting you off this easy Buster) It’s in Kanji which is Japanese and as I think you know I lived there for awhile. It has meaning to me.

MD: oh ok. I just thought since you mentioned in our last meeting that I like to veer off on other topics it reminded me that I’d been meaning to ask you this so I thought I would. Since we have this open communication….

Mingle: Again, I’m surprised you have seen it (and would dare talk about it. And where on earth do you get the impression that my attempt at keeping a meeting on track opens up the door for you to ask me this question??)

Major Dick: When I used to live in Texas the cowboys often had their names on the back of their belts and the joke was that if they fell down drunk in a ditch someone could walk by and know who they are by their belts. (Smirk and Stare)

Mingle: That’s not what my tattoo is for. (Phone Rings) I have to get this Major Dick – it’s a customer. (Go away now you gross, inappropriate man!)

It's Time...

I’ve been thinking about the blog lately – how I miss typing stories about inane things that happen in my life and complaining about work. Oh so much to talk about! But since last July it’s been difficult to come back to the blubbering blog entries that I so enjoy. However, I think I am now at a happy point that I can mention that which has not been discussed and can move on to the more mundane, less fascinating but oh so amusing aspects of life that I like to ramble about.

So, to begin the therapy session of my blog entry …. As everyone already knows who reads this blog – two months after my director oh so embarrassingly announced to the company that I was pregnant, Mr. Mingle and I lost the baby. Sad, confused and devastated pretty much sums up the next couple of months, however, our loving, understanding family and friends helped to keep our spirits in check and we knew that we were not alone. It must also be admitted here that the cats took on an even more important role in the Mingle household – they became our pseudo-children (not that we weren’t already obsessed cat-loving people).

Most of my anger was directed at work since that barely paused in the wake of our loss. My co-workers, although understanding, did not once address the elephant in the room once I returned, and my bitterness grew as the 4th Quarter sucked and all I could think about was how I was supposed to be on maternity leave and shouldn’t have been there to deal with all of the work crap in the first place. I had to train and hire new people, and it was hard to think- they have no idea what just happened to me a short few months ago, and I have no desire to talk to them, but I pushed on and just did the best I could. The 4th Quarter was really tough and I have never been more excited for a New Year to start because it really gave me the feeling of starting fresh and putting a difficult year behind us. That is not to say we wanted to forget what happened, because we never will, but it was important and helpful for me to look ahead and hope that 2008 would be happier than 2007.

Fortunately 2008 has kick-started us into a happier place. We started by celebrating Christmas in SunValley, Idaho with Mom, J and family and enjoyed the holiday in one of the more perfect snow settings you can imagine. (Complete with spending Christmas Eve dinner with Billy Baldwin and family, but I digress). I also got in a couple of fantastic days of skiing which I haven’t done in 6 years so it was so nice to do a physical activity again and see that I can still do it!

In January we celebrated Matt’s birthday with a weekend in Napa and were able to relax and enjoy each other’s company with more joy and less sadness than at the end of last year. Let me be clear however, that Mr. Mingle and I were still able to joke together and appreciate the lighter moments in life even when our loss was most near. I feel this is an aspect to our relationship that keeps us strong (as well as goofy) and helped us get through last year as well as we did.

Now we are back to our same old shenanigans (one of our favorite words) where he is acting in a play and I am playing the trumpet for an orchestra pit. We like to be busy, it’s who we are, however this time around we are not keeping busy to try to forget what happened, but we are doing the shows we love because we enjoy it. Things will happen, life goes on, and in looking back on last July and the loss of our baby, I am grateful for having been given that experience at all since I learned so much from it. The loss will always be in our memories and it will be hard for us at times even going forward, but the one thing I know for sure is – we can handle it.

So, now that the blog therapy session has come to an end, it’s time for me to get back to work and kick some ass so that I can return to the more amusing blog entries that I so enjoy writing.

Things I Wish The Doctor Wouldn't Say

"Huh. Well, ... I'm stumped."

"...but I don't think you have anything to worry about."

The Whole Company Knows

I actually saved this IM Conversation with Mr. Mingle that occured on April 11, because I knew that eventually it would make it to my blog. Let me provide a little background about the chain of command at my company (BS). I report to Joker, who reports to Captain Dick, who reports up to Major Dick (or CEOD - Chief Exec Of Dicks). Oh yes...it turns out I work with a cast of characters again! But I digress...more to be shared on them later...

Mingle: hi! do you have a minute?
Mr. Mingle: sure
Mr. Mingle: what is going on
Mr. Mingle: ?
Mingle: we just had a company meeting with Major Dick
Mingle: there are 103 employees
Mingle: 75 of which work in my office
Mingle: 30 of which I actually may know
Mr. Mingle: ok
Mingle: yet Captain Dick put me on the spot to announce my pregnancy to the entire company
Mingle: "ta-da"
Mr. Mingle: oh, that is so respectful of him
Mingle: i know... and what is even more respectful...
Mingle: after I announced it, Major Dick made a comment to the effect of, "you're not saying that Captain Dick had anything to do with your pregnancy are you?"
Mingle: sexual harassment 101
Mr. Mingle: wow! that's um...wow
Mingle: yeah
Mr. Mingle: I'm sorry
Mr. Mingle: that's really rude
Mr. Mingle: You should reveal something about Captain Dick.
Mr. Mingle: Hey everyone Captain Dick just wants to say, he has a hernia

Calling the Doctor

The day after taking a home pregnancy test and telling Mr. Mingle the news, I stood, stressed out, in an empty conference room at work, speaking quietly into my cell phone so no one could hear me call the Doctor's Office...

Receptionist: Hello?
Mingle: Hi, yeah um, I need to make an appointment?
Receptionist: In regard to?
Mingle: Well, um, I think I'm pregnant and I'd like to make an appointment.
Rec: Did you take a home pregnancy test and was it positive?
Me: Yes, and yes
Rec: Well, you are pregnant. Those are pretty accurate.
Me: oh. OH. huh...(thanks for the confirmation on the biggest news of my life Ms. Receptionist with no personality) so, can I make an appointment?
Rec: We don't typically see you until 10 to 12 weeks into the pregnancy, unless you are at risk.
Me: (how do I know if I'm at risk?) But where do I go for information in the meantime?
Rec: Try our website.

Honestly, we could all save money on doctors' appointments if the receptionist and websites can answer all the questions! I ended up changing doctors anyway because I needed to find one closer to the new job, but it still shocked me that most of them didn't see you until you were 8-12 weeks pregnant. I guess I thought there was something more magical that they could do to really confirm that I was pregnant. Instead, Mr. Mingle and I bought a book, "I'm Pregnant!" and hoped that that had the information we needed until the first appointment finally rolled around.

Diary of a Pregnant Mingle

Last December:
Mr. Mingle and I talked about starting to have kids in a year or two. I had decided to try to get into an MBA program this coming fall so we thought I'd give myself a chance to have at least one year behind me before trying to add kids to the Mingle household.

January/February:
Work was kicking my ass, travelling almost every week. One week in Seattle/Bellingham WA; then Salem, OR (where BeattieBeattieB asked me if we were going to have kids and I told her in a year or two); and then Ft. Worth, Texas where I was more tired at a client site than ever before. I was fighting every urge to lay my head down on the desk. I began to suspect something...

February 13:
Took home pregnancy test. Mini freak-out and then Mr. Mingle came home:

Me: "Hi...would you like to sit down and relax for a bit? Catch up on our day?..."

Mr. Mingle: "Umm...sure..."

Me: How was your day? (At which point I heard nothing he said)

Me: Well..I have some news...

MM: Okay...

Me: Oh, it's not bad! At least I don't think it's bad! Well, yeah, it's good; so um.. (he he he.nervous laugh) - how do I say this?

MM: WHAT? (he asks, a little frightened)

Me: Well...um.. I'm pregnant. atleastI'mprettysureIam.

MM: WHAT?! WOW!....How did that happen? Well, I mean I know HOW it happened.. but how did it happen??

Me: I'm pretty sure it was...

MM: ooh... huh.

...

MM: So, what do we do now?

Me: I DoNt KnOW (starting to panic). I don't have a doctor now since my Insurance CHanGed. I GUEss I NEED to find a DOCTOR to conFIRM. RIGHT?!

MM: Okay...do we tell people?

Me: Not yet. I definitely want to wait until we know for sure and I've heard 8 to 10 weeks is a good time frame.

And so, we waited. Blogging stopped. Much communication with friends and family stopped because answering the question of "What's new with the Mingles?" was just too hard to answer. Life has changed for us in a wonderfully surprising way, and now we are taking everything in stride. However, during the first couple of months we were certainly in a state of shock and just kind of wandered around in a wide-eyed state wondering, "what do we do now?", while trying to maintain the confident, "we're fine, nothing new here! ha ha ha" attitude when talking to others.

But now we are excited, and I am ready to blog about life again and the crazy things it deals us. Babies; Work; the Unexpected Random Events - I'm back!!

Is This A Compliment?

From Co-Worker to Mingle:

"Do you know what makes you good? You're a hard-ass."

Only In The City...

...will a man on stilts walk up to me and say, "Now, I can relate to you...", as he did today.

Happy Valentines Day

We Could Have Saved So Much Money

A friend from my old company forwarded this to me today. It was an actual announcement on their internal website. Names and company were changed by me, but everything else is exactly as received:

Wedding Announcements On Thursday January 25th at 1:00 pm

Mary James of St. Petersburg’s Customer Operations was married to Assan Nazrallah. Mary and Assan were married at Mingle's Old Company in a conference room, during Mary’s lunch hour. She is such a dedicated employee that she was back at work at the end of the hour. One of the MOC security guards who is also a Pastor, officiated the ceremony. Below is a comment from Mary (along w/pictures -(unfortunately I have no pictures)) as to why they chose to get married during her lunch hour, at work.

From Mary: The reason why I married at MOC is because I had been sick for two weeks with bronchitis and the second week of February I’m off all week because I’m going on a cruise, so I felt that requesting additional time off for the wedding was not appropriate, especially during peak season. Another reason was that since my husband speaks Arabic and his English is not that well, we needed someone to translate for him and the court wouldn’t allow it. We believe that a big wedding is a waste of time and money, so instead we will use the money to buy a house. Marrying at Mingle’s Old Company certainly was different, and I’m glad I did it here because a lot of my nice co-workers were able to attend, even one who was off on that day came in! My husband and I enjoyed it and appreciate everyone who attended. I hope they enjoyed it too!

Considering Mr. Mingle and I met at this very same company, we really could have saved money by doing this too... Now why didn’t we think of this before????

Loco for Lemons

Do you like lemons? I mean, really, really like them? Over the weekend Mr. Mingle and I picked lemons from the tree in our backyard. Bags of lemons. And once we were done picking, the tree still looked full. We plan to give lemons to the landlord, and anyone else who wants them. Today we started by bringing in bags of lemons to each of our workplaces. I schlepped about 40-50 lemons with me on the bus and didn’t think I’d be able to get rid of them. Turns out I was wrong – very, very wrong. First I stopped at my favorite little coffee place, and the lady there took 10 lemons off of me, calling them “organic”, which had not occurred to me. Then I got to work and distributed them between the break rooms and sent an email advertising – “take lemons!” Within an hour they were gone, and some people were upset they missed out. Turns out I’ll be hauling a few more bags of lemons on the bus in the coming week. The CEO came to my desk with his hands filled with lemons and asked,
“Are these Meyer lemons??”
“Um.. I’m not sure…they came from a tree in our backyard (we rent)”
“Because these look like Meyer lemons, and if they are – you have a gold mine! I’ll try it out tonight, and if these are Meyer – I’ll take all the lemons you want to bring!”
“Um..ok…will you give me a raise too?”
(Just kidding – I didn’t say that last part.)

My big boss (that’s the boss above my direct boss) emailed me:
Him: “What type of lemons?”
Me: “I don’t know…’backyard lemons’?”
Him: “We have a lemon tree too.”
And another email from the same man – “Your lemons look more uniform”

Seriously, these people are Loco for Lemons!! Although as one coworker pointed out, “you could bring in dirt, and someone would take it home…”.

Stop by for some lemons – I hear they’re worth their weight in gold.

Subject to a Special Search

This week I was in Oregon for two nights. My customer is in Salem, so that is where I stayed, but I spent the first evening in Portland visiting with JP & JD and the second evening in Eugene with BeattieBeattieBeattie. Other then two great evenings with friends, I spent the rest of the time either driving or at the bank where everything was going ‘not quite right’. (sigh)

When I got to the airport to come home I found out that my flight was cancelled, but fortunately I was able to take another one about an hour later. When I walked through airport security I found out that I was the “subject of a special search” (randomly selected). This included standing in a machine that blasted me with puffs of air and then waiting while all of my things were searched. After listening to the chatty TSA agent comment on my stuff -- purse: “This is a blackhole”; jacket: “Are you going to Siberia?”; Computer: “A laptop was once dropped and busted into pieces when a TSA agent handed it back to the passenger” -- it was finally determined:

I am, in fact, very special.

A Day in the Life of the Traveling Mingles

We spent this past weekend in Seattle and although Mr. Mingle and I were only in Seattle together for two full days, we made the most of it. And, as I had predicted prior to leaving – we ate our way through the City…

Saturday 10am: After a leisurely wake-up and get-ready, we left the hotel in search of brunch. Mr. Mingle had planned ahead and printed out a list of recommended brunch places but when we looked at where hour hotel was, compared to where we wanted to end up – the Seattle Space Needle, we abandoned the list, thinking the places were all too out of the way.

An hour of walking later, we did in fact end up at one of the restaurants, Le Pichet, but not near the Space Needle. Oh well, change of plans are good.

Brunch was delicious, but not a typical American breakfast of heavy eggs/bacon/potatoes, so although we were pleasantly full, we were not stuffed and set off towards the Pike Place Market. We visited a few quaint shops on the way, and took note of a wine tasting shop that would be open later on.

12ish: After thoroughly exploring the market, we decided that is was time to find the next food stop. After careful investigation of a piroshki shop and a couple of bakeries, we settled on a cheese shop where we could get mac ‘n cheese and a crab and cheese sandwich. While there we also picked up some special cheese to have as hors d’oeuvres later on in our room. (In other words – we like cheese)

1:30: Next stop – Pioneer Square about a mile away. We continued to amble along, stopping into shops along the way, including a gelato store where we looked (and admired) but did not buy. Eventually we made it to Pioneer Square and decided to go on the Underground Tour to get a little history of Seattle and do something different (other then eating). The tour guides were fun and informative and we enjoyed it immensely. The tour also started and stopped in a pub so we were very delighted to learn that our ticket got us a $2 beer at the end.

4:00: Left the pub after our $2 beers in search of bread to go along with our cheese for hors d’oeuvres. First we got the bread, and then we went back to the wine tasting shop to find the perfect bottle of wine to go with our cheese and bread. After tasting four Syrah’s that were recommended to go with our cheese, we settled on a different bottle for the cost and the label. (Jester’s Red)

After leaving the wine tasting shop our intention was to go to the Space Needle which was the first place we were headed when we initially set off on our walk in the morning (it was now dark). As we walked we investigated the restaurants along the way to find the one that looked the best for dinner. (Mr. Mingle may say that he scoffs at planning ahead, but when food is involved…puhlease….)
Unfortunately the Space Needle was closed for a private party (it turns out there was a convention of librarians in town who had taken over) so we walked the last 15 minutes to our hotel on Lake Union to enjoy our hard earned wine, cheese and bread.

8:00: Arrived for reservations at Twist. The food was good, I guess you would call it Asian Fusion, and I particularly enjoyed my cocktail – a Mojito with a twist. When we were finished, we weren’t yet ready for dessert so went in search of the next stop…

9:30: Enjoyed dessert at another restaurant across the street: BellTown Bistro. This was the perfect place to end the day – it had a lounge with comfortable leather chairs where we relaxed and traded questions from the Trivial Pursuit box that was sitting next to our chairs. We ordered S’mores which turned out to be just that – flaming sterno, graham crackers, hershey’s chocolate bars and marshmallows. Relaxing in leather chairs making s’mores over a flame – it’s a good life.

(The next day we made it to the Space Needle)

Christmas in Hawaii

This year Mr. Mingle’s brother and sister are both living in Hawaii, so rather then fly to Indiana for the holidays, his mother, and we, flew west to spend Christmas in Oahu. We had a wonderful vacation and it was nice to catch up with the family. We even had a chance to visit with Manoa Missy before she flew back to California to spend the holidays with her own family. Many, many thank yous to Missy for loaning us her apartment and car while we stayed in Hawaii!

My best memory of the trip is also a surprising one, because it doesn’t involve surf, sand or sun. Instead, it was about getting to know my sister-in-law’s mother-in-law. Wait, say that again? Mr. Mingle’s sister’s husband’s mother (got that now?) flew out to Hawaii from Bangor, Maine to spend Christmas with the family as well. I had met her once before at sis-in-law’s wedding in Maine last year, but didn’t get to talk to her much then. Lady M is 80 years old, going on 50. I am absolutely fascinated by this woman’s life and she is sharp as a tack. She certainly likes to talk, but I found her stories so interesting that I really didn’t mind the constant narrative. I especially enjoyed her story of how she went to Norway for her 80th birthday (by herself!) and her luggage didn’t arrive for 4 days. She joked about telling the tour group that she would soon have to resort to wearing her only other piece of clothing – her nightshirt – which she promptly whipped out to show us. A massive nightshirt covered in African safari animals. (She’s also been on four safaris…) We dropped Lady M off at her accommodations a couple of times while in Hawaii, which was at the University down the street from sis-in-law’s house. One of these nights she even invited us up for a nightcap to try some of this special liquer she likes from South Africa. I never thought I would be invited up to an 80-year-old’s place at 11pm for a drink! I hope to be like her when I’m that age.

Although we still had the traditional turkey meal with all the fixins’ on Christmas and opened gifts with the family, it felt very odd being in Hawaii because it was so warm and sunny. On Christmas Day Mr. Mingle and I dawned shorts and t-shirts and hiked up to the top of Diamond Head for the view. The only chance of a white Christmas there is on the beach! Sadly, within two days of returning to an unusually cold SF, Hawaii already seemed like a world away - but luckily there are pictures to remind us of the good times:

Manoa Missy and The Mingles

Spending Christmas Eve at the Beach

(That is our niece playing with the sand)

Brother R with his wife and Sis-in-law (front)

Mr. Mingle and Mom

Mrs. Mingle enjoying the wisdom of Lady M

Happy New Year!

Every year (or so) I write some resolutions for myself which I’m inevitably doomed to fail. For example, there’s the one about, “I will not pick at my fingers” – I’ve been trying to quit this nervous habit since I was in the eighth grade. However, it’s to the point where I don’t even realize I’m doing it, so there is no way a resolution at the start of the new year would get me to stop that cold turkey. And then there’s always the one about “I will get in better shape”…I honestly have the best intentions when I write this one – however, there’s one fatal flaw in my plan. I hate going to the gym. Hate it. The gym to me is just one step above torture. Mr. Mingle on the other hand likes working out so much that he will go to the gym twice, sometimes three times a day, in order to insure he gets his full workout in. If only I could have a quarter of his “I love the gym” energy.

So, this year I have decided to make some resolutions that I can keep. Ones, that at the end of 2007, I can look back and honestly say – “I kept all my resolutions!” I like to call these, Resolutions for the Modern Woman.

I will drink beer.
I will watch the CW channel.
I will wear sweatpants in public.
I will not go to the gym every day.
I will pay a lot to get my hair done.
I will not drink coffee without half & half.
I will stay in bed so the cat can sleep longer.
I will not make a home-cooked meal every night.
I will blame the cat when I belch (or emit other sounds).
I will use my feminine wiles to get my husband to do the chores.

How Not to Pose for a Company Party Photo

Merry Christmas from The Mingles!!!

So Much To Plan

I'm sorry I don't have more time to blog - but there really is too much to do.

Maybe I should create a blogging schedule.

Short. Attention. Span.

Sometimes I feel like I'm suffering from ADD with all the emails, IM, phone calls and breaks in conversation I get at work. I'm constantly having to jump from one topic to another and by the time I get back to the original topic, it's difficult to remember what I was doing in the first place.

Now I'm staying in a hotel convenient for business travelers like myself and I think they have developed their marketing campaign for people exactly like me. Everything, and I do mean everything is broken down to a few words and a period - beginning at the door:

hello.
we're happy you are here.
relax.
enjoy your stay.
some like it hot.
some like it cold.
check out the new Hampton bed.
freshen please.
thought pad.
shampoo.
conditioner.
pillows by hampton. firm.
clean your face.
working.
clean your body.
vanity kit.

As I look around the other bathroom products, my eyes land on my new hair gel. In one place where I'm not distracted by conversations, IM, emails and the phone - the bathroom - I can look over at this one bottle which reads:

Bumble and Bumble. Bumble and Bumble. Bumble and bumble. Bumble
Curl Conscious Curl Conscious.
Curl Creme Curl Creme Curl
Creme a Boucles Creme a Boucles Cre
For Fine to Medium Hair For Fine to Medium Hair For Fine to Medium
Cheveux Fins a Moyens Cheveux Fins a Moyens Cheve
Belle Du Jour
Baby Doll Botticelli Muse Nordic Angel English
Wavy Woman

all on one bottle.
no joke.

No Presence for Presents

Even though our house is all decorated for the holidays and I love to see the decorations in downtown SF everyday, I still cannot believe Christmas is just 2 weeks away. I am not ready for it! Where did the shopping weekends go?! I had thought we would get some shopping done last weekend, but when it came down to it, there just wasn’t time. First we had to go out to the East Bay for our last wood class (oh! I must blog about the stools we made!), then meet sis-in-law in SF for lunch. It took us longer to find parking then it did to actually sit in the restaurant. After lunch was over we then had about a half hour to shop before we had to race home so I could get ready for a “gig” that evening with my brass quintet. Afterwards Mr. Mingle and I treated ourselves to a fancy dinner in the city to celebrate the fact that I was all dressed up. I mean, if I’m going to get into a cocktail dress for my brass quintet, I may as well take advantage of it right?

Anyway, I do need to pause here a moment to tell you about our dinner, because it was a lovely unexpected surprise. We were in a section of town that we weren’t familiar with and my feet were already screaming at me for standing on them for 2 hours in heels so there was only a limited distance that we could walk. Therefore, after the gig was over, we stopped by a nearby hip hotel to see if they had a restaurant. The hotel’s restaurant was closed for a private party so they directed us to the concierge to give us some tips on nearby restaurants. And boy, was he helpful! Assuming that we were staying at the hotel, he told us all about restaurants and then called ahead to get us a table at the one we chose (Les Amis). He even told the restaurant that it was our anniversary, and that they should take special care of us! (We in fact had told the concierge that “no” we weren’t celebrating anything.) When we showed up at the restaurant they greeted us with champagne and then seated us very quickly. Mr. Mingle and I were not very hungry since we had had a late lunch with Sis, so we split everything and therefore got to try a few small things. It was delicious!!! I give the restaurant 4 Mingle Stars (out of 4) – friendly (not snooty), knowledgeable service (excellent wine recommendations) and very yummy food (except for the parsley soup with escargot…don’t need to ever have that again).

Where was I? Oh yes.. shopping. Last Sunday was spent cleaning the house and grocery shopping to get ready for Sis-in-law and husband who came over for dinner to celebrate her birthday. So, all in all, no shopping was done except for the one gift we had to buy which was for the birthday girl.

Now, I am sitting in a hotel room in Phoenix, where I’m traveling for work and will be here until Wednesday. I don’t really want to buy gifts here since inevitably someone will want to return something. Meanwhile we have to ship Mr. Mingle’s dad’s gift (which we haven’t bought); celebrate Christmas with Pop and J this Sunday (to give gifts that we have not purchased); and then leave for Hawaii next Wednesday (with gifts for the rest of the family which we do not have). Can anyone say gift cards?

Just Wait For It

Back in August we were house-sitting at my Mom's house with her two cats and dog. Mini was trying to figure out the cat door to my mom's cats chagrin. Here you can see Mini trying to get out, but not knowing how, and the other two waiting behind her. But then something unexpected happens....

Proof

Zimby was excited when Stephanie came to visit again

So Long Sella!

The Car I Love to Hate

It’s no secret how I feel about Mr. Mingle’s Saturn. This car has plagued me since I met him. First it was the little matter of the registration expiring and needing to pay for the towing and to get it out of the impound lot. No sooner had we got it out of that mess, there was a flat tire. Then some ‘hooligans’ came along and scratched obscenities in the vehicle.

Then came the reign of parking at the West Oakland Bart Station which led to 2 or 3 windows being broken (we lost count), and of course the oft talked about car-theft which occurred twice. To my chagrin it was found both times – the first time cost us to fix the clutch which they destroyed, the second time we had to pay for the towing charges and to get it out of the impound lot (again). The police have no sympathy for the victim – if it’s your car, you pay everything to get it back (whether you want it or not).

There were the other things we just didn’t fix knowing it wasn’t worth it – the droopy headliner, the broken stereo and the broken-down seats for example. It rattles with every stop, and when Mr. Mingle gets home at night I can hear him coming because his radio is so loud it cuts clear through the car and the house. Why this occurs I have no idea considering he only has one rear speaker, and he listens to NPR. A long time ago I named the car “Sella”, so I could say “Sella Saturn…get it? Sella Saturn!!”

Sella’s saving grace was that once Mr. Mingle started commuting 50 miles each day, the car was getting over 30 miles per gallon, which was nothing to scoff at. Until I realized he also had to buy a quart of oil each time he filled up on gas – so I’m not sure the cost savings was all that great.

But today was the day I have been waiting for …. Today we bought Mr. Mingle a new car! We’ve been shopping around for quite awhile, looking for a fuel efficient car that we both liked, and one which made sense price-wise. Finally, we settled on a Scion xA. It gets 37 miles per gallon on the highway, it’s only 154 inches long which is perfect for parking in the city, and it has a lot of bells and whistles for an affordable price.

Finally, the day has come – we can Sella Saturn!! (get it? Get it?!)

Mr. Mingle's New Ride

Transportation Hell

Today I was supposed to fly up to Bellingham, WA for work, but first I had to go into the office in SF. I started the day by dragging my suitcase to the bus stop and then carting it to work with me via bus and muni train. All in all, it wasn't that bad (thank god for wheels - they truly are a marvelous invention). I was supposed to leave work to catch BART at 12:45, and around 12:30pm I found out that my flight between Seattle and Bellingham was cancelled due to snow, and the rental car company was inquiring if I still wanted the car since Washington State was putting out a warning to stay off the roads if possible. Apparently the poor Seattle-ites who went to the Seahawks game last night were still trying to get home this morning.

I decided that I would fly to Seattle anyway and then take a bus up to Bellingham, so I dragged my suitcase, and my new computer case (also with wheels) to the BART station and hopped on. (When will wheels be developed that work on stairs?) While on BART I had the brilliant thought to call my customer in Bellingham to make sure they would even be open tomorrow. She confirmed that they were, but expressed concern that I was still coming. We decided that if it was okay with my company I could support her testing requirements over the phone rather then in person tomorrow. By the time I got to the airport, and dragged the bags through the BART turnstile (when will they make BART exits that accommodate bags with wheels?) I was pretty sure that I would not be traveling today. Fortunately my company agreed with me and I made all the calls to postpone my trip.

But I still had to get home. The original plan was to have Mr. Mingle pick me up when I returned home Thursday night - I hadn't intended to come straight home today. Dragged the bags back through the turnstile, back onto BART, to go to the stop nearest my home. The escalator at the station was working but at the top I dragged the heaviest of the two bags over my heal while trying to avoid a petitioner at the top. ouch. (when will they make wheels that are foolproof?)

Now I had to take the first of two busses to get home - the total mileage was maybe 2 miles. Not that far, but too far to drag the bags. Fortunately I got on the first bus immediately and got a seat. The lady driver was one of the surliest, but no harm done and I got off a mile later. Dragged my bags across the street and waited for the second bus. And waited.. and waited. Finally it came and I dragged the bags onto the bus and grabbed the first seat I could.

It was after we started moving that I realized the man to my left was full blown crazy. He started cussing and swearing and talking about all the things he could/should/would if he could do to women. It was as if his angry speaking intensified with the speed of the bus. The faster we went, the crazier he was. When we stopped he was quiet so another unsuspecting soul would sit down. I had to laugh internally when I realized the woman who was sitting directly across from him, seemingly on the other end of his tirade, was blind. The poor woman - I've never seen a blind person move so quickly when her stop came. My bags and I got off a few stops later and tried to wade through little kids waiting to get on. (when will they make wheels that go over kids?) As the bus pulled away, I looked up to see the mother and kids sit down directly across from Mr. Crazy. Those poor, poor children...they may be scarred for a long while.

Two and half hours after leaving work, I was home again and the good news is - I got home earlier then I would on a regular work day - so I have time to blog about it!

A Mingle First

In all my life, I can never remember a time when we had the Christmas tree up and decorated any earlier then a week or two before Christmas. I knew that there were families out there who started decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving, but frankly, I thought they were a little crazy…

This year however, after hosting Thanksgiving at our house, Mr. Mingle and I were overcome with the holiday spirit. It started off when Mr. Mingle spent all day shopping downtown on the busiest shopping day of the year (I unfortunately had to work) and it didn’t push him over the edge. Instead, the two of us went back downtown the following day as well and bought some ornaments.

You see, this is the first year that we can actually have a full-size tree in our house, and we were very excited to put it up. We bought our tree last night, and as I write this blog now, it is already up and decorated!

I supposed if you also think, as I once did, that to decorate so soon is just plain crazy, then so be it. I will enjoy one full month of Christmas spirit, sipping spiked egg-nog, singing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, and trying to put reindeer antlers on the cats. Of course, that is until we actually go away for Christmas, this year to Hawaii, where I doubt I’ll see much in the way of Christmas trees. Maybe Santa pulling a sleigh led by dolphins, but somehow, it’s just not the same.

I'll keep trying until Mini looks happy about it

Christmas 2004

Our old tree is one and half feet tall. Our new tree is over 6 feet!

A Mingle Thanksgiving

For the first time ever, Mr. Mingle and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house. We are happy to finally have a home that is big enough to entertain, and were excited to test it out. We started cooking two days in advance, and I’m pleased to be able to tell you that it was a success!

Ten people in all came (plus one more non-eater – Little Baby Sniffy), but only eight stayed for the full meal. Step-sis and beau Mackus had to leave early to have dinner at her mom’s house. Rounding out the rest of the crew were Mom and J, Uncle D and Cousin G, and Sniffy, Hubby and little E.

We started everyone off with some Thanksgiving punch made with fresh squeezed OJ, grapefruit juice… lightly spiked with Cognac. For appetizers we made sweet potato bruschetta, and mom brought some olives over for a little extra.

The turkey was ready around 2:00 and after that, it was time to stuff ourselves silly! Everyone had seconds so I took this as a positive sign that the food was yummy. Mr. Mingle and I got our recipes from Food and Wine Magazine, AllRecipes.com, epicurious.com and williamssonoma.com. We were happy with how everything turned out, and aside from lots of chopping and preparation ahead of time, they were fairly easy recipes. The “Country-Bread Stuffing with Parmesan, Raisins and Pine-Nuts” was the overwhelming favorite of the whole meal. I would happily recommend all of the recipes below if you are interested in making a Thanksgiving meal of your own.

The Mingle Thanksgiving Menu
Citrus-Cinnamon Punch
Sweet Potato Bruschetta
Classic Roasted Turkey
Country-Bread Stuffing with Parmesan, Raisins and Pine-Nuts
Holiday ONLY Mashed Potatoes (Because they are too fattening for regular consumption)
Spicy Cranberry Chutney (My personal favorite)
Peas (Thanks to Mom)
Salad (Thanks to Sniffy)
Pumpkin Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (Thanks again to Mom)

We were blessed with beautiful weather too, as it was clear and crisp. The perfect temperature for walking off the meal by traipsing up to the top of the hill and taking in a view of the city. At the pace we travelled I doubt we knocked off any calories, but it sure felt good to go for a walk after eating so much!

The Chefs are relieved their first turkey turned out

Mingle and family enjoying the view

A Surprising Success

This past month has been a very busy one. I've already mentioned that work is hectic, and Mr. Mingle is in a play, but I have also been busy planning a surprise 60th birthday for my dad (Pop). I first got the idea to throw it only 6 weeks ago, so my party planning skills were kicked into high gear immediately. I originally thought it would be easy after planning my wedding last year... I still don't think anything is as involved as planning a wedding... however this party still proved challenging. I immediately began trying to find addresses of Pop's old friends which was difficult considering I couldn't ask the main man directly and my step mom doesn't share the same address book. Not to mention she was in Hawaii for two weeks with Pop during the initial planning stages so she was pretty much out of contact.

I enlisted my aunt to get me some addresses, but that took a few weeks, so in the meantime I went on an internet search. I found one of Pop's old coworkers and called him up, which fortunately turned out to be the right connection. After flubbing through the initial conversation with his wife, "Hi, I'm Mingle, I used to be Smith's daughter..." "You used to be Smith's daugher, but you aren't anymore?" she quickly replied.. "no, ha ha, I'm still Smith's daugher, but now I'm Mingle..." she gave me addresses of other old coworkers so I sent those invites out.

I then searched through old emails from Pop, to see if there was anyone on the CC list who I could contact. This proved fruitful for a few gentleman from Pop's other life. "Hi", I would write, "I don't know who you are, but I found your address on an email from my dad, would you like to come to his party?"

Invitations went out to about 50, and 30 were expected. Then the other plans started...many calls with the stepmom and aunt both of whom I don't speak to on a regular basis. "yes, yes" says Mingle, "I did consider buying food..." "yes, I did invite my family", "Yes, I am getting alcohol..." I found myself repeating many conversations over and over, because in my mind, I had everything planned and under control and just needed others to bring a few items. The others thought I was not buying anything and went out and bought over and above what we needed. ("Yes, yes I did bring plates (read: I'm not an idiot, please leave me alone)". During the last two weeks stepmom called even more, "Hey Mingle, I invited so and so's mom....Hey Mingle, my son is bringing his 3 friends - they know Smith....Hey Mingle, I invited the gardner and the tenants..." I was kind of waiting for the postman and garbage man to show up, but alas they must not have run into my stepmom in time. Finally, I realized that 50 would most likely be the number. Some would come, but not respond, some would respond but not come, and some would just show up. So, about two weeks ago anytime someone asked, "how many people are coming?" I'd just respond - "Oh, about 50". Sure enough... it was right.

My mother, who is the last person I wanted to ask to help me (because she is no longer married to my father), realized the state of panic and stress I was in about 2 weeks ago and went out and bought all the decorations for me. I can't say thank you enough. Pop's friends picked up the key to the Senior Center (that's where we through the party - GREAT irony) and came to help me set up. They also led the cleaning brigade at the end of the party, and had almost everything done, (along with Fossie the mopper) before I needed to lift a finger. This was the first time I have thrown a party where I didn't have to do the cleaning. Grateful doesn't even begin to explain what I felt tonight.

But, the best part, was seeing how pleased Pop was. He has been Mr. Grumpy McGrumpigus leading up to his 60th birthday. He's been down, and a sour puss, and just resisting the whole idea of getting older. But tonight, for the first time in a few months, he was happy. Happy, touched and genuinely surprised. And that made all the planning worth it.

Head Above Water

Hi! Long time no blog!

I must say that the worst thing about getting a job that keeps me busy is not having the time to blog. After JWTLV left the company I got her clients which quadrupled my workload (not hard to do when you only start with 1 client) and sent me traveling.

Shortly after Mr. Mingle and I moved into our new house in the city we were barely around to be able to enjoy it. He's been busy rehearsing for his play (Our Town) which opened last Saturday, and I had to go to Chicago and Phoenix for work, and then perform my duties as a marching instructor on the weekends.

But the good news is, when we are home - we love the house! It's so great not to have any neighbors below or above, and we have our own backyard, garage and laundry room. Oh, and did I mention that our front yard has a picket fence? Yep! But don't let our lush lawn in the front yard fool you - it's just astroturf. A short walk up the hill from our house gives us a grand view of SF which we enjoyed for the first time last weekend when JP was in town for a visit. But, I can't keep talking about the house without giving props to Mini, because without her, we could have never unpacked.

The Start of Unpacking

Helping Mom Put Things On the High Cabinet Shelves

Tired After a Long Day's Work

Thanks to Mini we were able to take a walk and enjoy JP's visit

Mr. Mingle and JP

Have a Peaceful Halloween

Beware of the Scary Monster who sometimes goes by "Janis (aka Mom)":

P.S. Sorry I've been off the blogging charts lately - hope to be back soon!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Nothing Like Having Egg on My Face

Especially at the Company Picnic. Egg on my face, egg in my hair, egg on my shoulder, … oh, I’m sorry – did you think I was speaking figuratively?

No! no no no.. Last Saturday I attended my company picnic and participated in the proverbial egg toss. We all had a partner and then faced each other in 2 lines. After each toss we would then back up. When we were about 20 feet away from each other my partner and her line tossed their eggs to us. Unfortunately, the team next to me didn’t toss well and while I was leaning to my right trying to catch my own egg, the guy to my left was trying to take a leaping grab to his right to catch his egg. Alas, he missed and instead it hit me full force in the neck and shoulder – getting quite a lot of egg in my hair. Gross. I immediately flashed back to my woodworking class only a week before where the instructor had been touting the glue-like properties of egg.

I missed my egg which went skidding away unbroken – so we were still in the game. What could I do? I didn’t want to be a spoil sport and stomp off so I took off my outer egg-doused shirt and continued the game in my tank top. No one could criticize me for giving up. My partner and I ended up getting second place shortly after, and then I ran to a water fountain to rinse my hair out. Others brought me napkins for my face, neck and arm and then I was able to put my hair up in a tie, so no one was the wiser. However, I did make an impression – I was the only employee mentioned by name in the CEO’s re-cap email: “And, Mingle, I hear that egg white is actually good for hair sheen!”

At least now he knows who I am. The girl with egg on her face….

Diary of a New Employee

Day 1: I had my first day of work today and so far so good. I guess. I was introduced around and everyone seemed pretty nice, although I don’t understand a lot of what they are talking about.

Day 2: I started training on the software that I will be implementing at clients' sites. I can tell that it’s full of good functionality, but it is also confusing and not very user friendly. I think it will take me a long time to truly understand the ins and outs. Especially since it also seems like the other Project Managers also know everything about networking and server set-up as well.

Day 3: I spent more time with JANIE WITH THE LOUD VOICE, who I believe is to be my mentor. She is all-knowing when it comes to the application, even down to minute tech questions that the engineers should be answering. She’s also a very strong Project Manager.

Day 6: My boss – the director of the department - left for a 10 day vacation. I didn’t get to see her much in the first week, but I guess I’ll just keep training on the app with Ms. Random (who I find a little strange) and shadow JWTLV the rest of the time. Still waiting for a cubicle, but at least today I’m in the same suite as the rest of my department.

Day 9: There are only two other Project Managers besides myself and JWTLV: the Russian woman (Russia) and Joy who works in Idaho. When I was hired they told me they would look to me to become manager of this little group, which now confuses me because I see that JWTLV is currently the manager. Makes me a little suspicious.

Day 10: Joy needed to take a sudden leave of absence due to a sick family member. While she’s out the next two weeks I’ll help JWTLV communicate with Joy’s clients. I don’t understand their questions, but I send them nice emails saying I’ll get back to them quickly with the answer – which I do – when someone else gives me the answer. By the way JWTLV made a comment today that I would be her boss one day and she seemed okay with that. I find it weird.

Day 15: Russia left for vacation today so now it’s just JWTLV and I. My boss – the director – returned from vacation. (Oh! I finally got my cube and laptop!)

Day 17: A department-wide meeting was called which JWTLV fore-warned me may be “dramatic”. In this meeting, my boss announced that she is leaving the company to pursue a new opportunity – she is purchasing a wine distribution company. (I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that she just returned from Italy.)

Day 17-19: I continue to do whatever work I can but am a little concerned since my boss was the one who made all the promises of quick promotion at interview time – and now she’s leaving. Fortunately she’s still going to work part time through the end of the year and has agreed to meet with me daily for training. I’m also pacified by the fact that I still have JWTLV to work with. I’m confident in her abilities, and aside from the fact that she sometimes makes my ears bleed, I enjoy her company.

Day 20: JWTLV announced her resignation! What the hell?! Apparently she’s tired and needs a change – she even quit without another job lined up. What am I going to do?? JWTLV will be here for 3 weeks and in that time I guess I’m supposed to suck her brain dry. Am going to Chicago with her too for a couple of days. I sure hope the other Project Managers come back soon.

No Joke

I wasn't kidding when I wrote The Cast Off and to prove it, here is the email that Ms. Random sent out to everyone today:

"Yep, this is the day you have all been waiting for. I've put out markers just inside my cube and my old cast is waiting for YOUR signature. It presently comes in two pieces so two people may sign it at one time! No words of wisdom are necessary, just YOUR signature. Once this work of art is completed, it will reside in my cube as a flower vase. Come one, come all. If I missed anyone that interacts with [Our Group], please let me know. If you were out of town when I sent this, come on over when you return. The more signatures and color on the CAST of characters, the more beautiful it will be. Don't make me come to you - because I will!"

Right now, I am very, very frightened....a flower vase??!!

Geeks that Make Me Proud

I thought I'd try posting something new to my blog site - a video! This is an SNL skit which some of you may have seen, but if not - enjoy.

My Life In Boxes

The contents of a large entertainment center

Plus
Linen Closet Stuff
Plus
2 Nightstands worth of junk
Plus
Hanging Things
Plus
Sleeping Bags, Pads, and other similar objects
Plus
An office full of crap
Equals
27 boxes full of Heavy-Ass Shit

And we still have to pack our kitchen, clothes, and bathroom items…

But the good news is – we are moving!

Signed a lease for a house in San Francisco last Friday, started packing Saturday and move in less then two weeks.

Can’t Wait!!!

And now… back to packing up the rubbish.

The Cast Off

One of my coworkers, Ms. Random, had a cast on her leg, from just below her knee down over her foot when I first started working here. Then last week it was removed and replaced with a soft cast. She wanted to keep the cast, so that now, people can sign it. She said that they cut out all of the innards– and now it’s mainly just the hard outside. As I walked by her desk just now I saw that it is sitting on the desk. Personally I find this gross – is it just me? She was walking around in the cast for 6 weeks, and now it’s sitting on her desk. I don’t care if the stinky insides are gone – it’s dirty. I would never even throw dirty socks that I wore for an hour on my desk, even if “my foot only touches the inside”. Tell me, does this seem strange to anyone else?

Good Things Come in FouRRRRs

Yesterday I got my laptop, my cubicle and my phone. But the fun didn’t stop there! Today I received a new wireless mouse with the coolest extra button I’ve ever seen. It brings up a box on the screen that magnifies everything that falls within it and you can move it all around the screen. Where was this nifty feature during the days of FT spreadsheets????

For extra amusement, the power cord that came with my new laptop already had a label affixed to it with my name. It reads, “Meghan Meghan”.

But to pay homage to that which came before… thank you dear R key for the good times….

The Little Rockstar That Could

As I mentioned at the beginning of the summer, Rockstar Supernova was on the Mingle House TV Line-up. It was the only show that both Mr. Mingle and I sat down and watched religiously from the first episode to last night's finale. About a week before the first episode we saw the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp and from the first time we saw Lukas Rossi, he reminded us of an Oompa Loompa. Who wants to see an Oompa Loompa hopping around onstage for two hours? Not this kid.

From the beginning we were big fans of Dilana and Mr. Mingle and I would often discuss what a great addition she'd make to the band. It seemed she was unstoppable, until of course, 'the breakdown', when she self-combusted at a press junket. Even so though, she got back on track, and performance-wise she was unbeatable in my book. I would have paid to see her in concert just to see what came next.

It came down to Lukas and Dilana in the final two, and I agree that they were the best two choices for the band, as long as Dilana won. But alas no matter how much discussion between Mr. Mingle and I, or how much Lukas looks like an Oompa Loompa, the band chose Lukas.

What were they thinking???!

Blame Canada

Dreaming of Work

I have officially made it through the first week of work - make that exactly 6 days of work. Despite the whole cubicle and laptop situation, I have been trying to absorb as much information as I can. I’ve been attending meetings, getting trained, shadowing. Up until Thursday however, the big problem with all of this is it was putting me to sleep. Literally. It’s not that it was boring, it’s just…I guess a combination of too much new information, but no real stimulation. I began standing up in meetings to avoid falling asleep. Even talking one–on–one to people in their cubes I would have to stand, eat chocolate, hold my eyes real wide, and have the constant intravenous coffee drip going. I felt like I was in college all over again, - because I fell asleep in almost every single class I took at Davis. Regardless of if I was tired walking in – there always came a point when no matter how much caffeine I had, how many crosswords I brought with me, or snacks, I would drop off to sleep, literally while taking notes. If you were to look at my college notebooks it would look something like this – AND I QUOTE – “In 1945 the political theory of.. flowers…(fell asleep here).” Because not only did I fall asleep in class – and keep record of it in my notes - on occasion I actually wrote something from a dream rather then what the professor said. Oh, but I digress…

My total tiredness came to a head on Wednesday when I had to sit in on a two hour conference call with the Russian Woman*. The Russian Woman was talking into a polycom and walking the customer on the other end through a configuration document. I really needed to pay attention to this because it is what I will do very soon. I was avidly listening and taking notes for the first hour, when the doze potential started kicking in. I stood up, I sat down, I stood up, I paced around, I sat down. I got cold – left the room to get my jacket and shook my head to try to clear the cobwebs as I left the room. I came back, sat down. Stood up, paced around… you can see where this is going. Fortunately the Russian Woman seemed non-plussed by my movement, and also did not notice when finally 10 minutes before the meeting ended I could not control it any longer and… closed..my…eyes.. Huh? What?

It was after this, that I sent an email to my friend JP and said that I needed to ask my boss some burning questions before she left on vacation:
1) When will I get my laptop?
2) When will I get my cubicle?
3) When will they start putting me to work?
4) Can I have a cot?

JP suggested that I switch the approach and say, “Listen, either you give me a cot, or you put me to work, I’ll leave it up to you.”

I thought that was excellent advice, but fortunately it didn’t come to that. On Thursday before I left for the day my boss and the project manager guru whom I’ve been shadowing met to discuss what to do with me for the next few weeks. They decided that I’m picking up stuff quickly and that it might be good to give me my own client. Which they did! They came to tell me that my first client will be in Oregon. Hooray!!! At that point, I don’t know if I was happier about the fact that I get to go to work, or that I get to go to Oregon. I did keep my wits about me enough not to exclaim to the boss, “that’s great news, because I have friends up there!” Instead, I thanked her, and eagerly came to work on Friday refreshed. And not once, did I doze.

*In regards to the Russian Woman… when I first met her I knew that she was either from Russia or somewhere else in Eastern Europe but I wasn’t exactly sure. However I figured it out yesterday when I saw her cube. She had 3 still-life photos hanging on her cube walls, which had one prominent thing in common: Vodka. It was right then when I knew – she’s Russian.

The Cubicle Saga

Thursday:
My boss tells me that I am supposed to be sitting in a cubicle in the corner where another guy (the English Guy) is currently located. He is supposed to be moving to the other suite (where I am temporarily located). The woman I am supposed to sit next to, shadow, and train with says that the English Guy will probably be very excited to move.

Friday:
A random employee tells me that "No" I will not be getting the English Guy's cube because he doesn't want to move. According to her, she is moving to a different cube, and I will get her old cube.
Later I mention to my boss that I am getting conflicting information about where I am to sit. She tells me that the random employee is wrong and that she will be sorting this out with the CFO who is supposed to tell the English Guy he's moving. Later in the day the boss tells me that the English guy will be told on Tuesday that he needs to vacate his cube by Wednesday.

Monday:
Holiday

Tuesday:
The CFO stops by to apologize for the delay and explains that he's "sorry that I don't have my permanent space yet. A couple of people didn't show up for work so they didn't feel they could be evicted from their cubes until they saw them face to face." He thinks I should be in my space by Thursday.

Wednesday:
No word.

Thursday:
Random employee shows up to tell me that I should be sure to take the chair I'm currently sitting in. She explains that I should quietly remove it from the suite I am in to the other suite where the cube is. I explain to her that I have already placed an order for a proper office chair because I don't really want to continue sitting in the 80s style kitchen chair with the wooden arms and no wheels. But thanks anyway. Random then says that "they" are on the case, and are trying to get me my cube (aka her old cube). My boss comes out and says that Random is incorrect and well.. go away.

Friday:
Considering it's only Thursday, I can't comment yet. But my boss is now officially out of the office until September 20.

No mention of whether the English guy has actually been told to move yet, and frankly I haven't even met the poor guy. I'm afraid to since I feel like he's going to hate me. Anyone want to take bets on when I'll actually get my permanent home away from home?

The Raptop

On my first day at work, I was in a meeting with my boss and some others when the subject of my laptop first came up. "When will Mingle get her computer?" "What kind of computer did you order?" "What?" "Did you fill out the form?" "The new employee form? yes?" "No, there's another form now - to request her computer - did you fill that out?" "No, no one told me about a new form." "Oh, there's a new form." "Oh." As the computer discussion continued around me, I think that I heard I would be getting an HP because it has a nice wide screen. But since it has a nice wide screen, then I would not be getting a new flat panel monitor to go with it. Beggars can't be choosers.

On the second day a tech guy came by - and let me stress one of the two tech guys came- which is something I'll need to get used to in this small company - with an old IBM laptop. This is the conversation that followed:

9am -
Tech Guy: Here's your laptop. Unfortunately as I was setting it up for you the R key came off but I was able to pop it back on. However, it may fall off again.

Mingle: oh. thanks.

The R key falls off as he's typing in the password. He then spends a good amount of time trying to put the R back to no avail.

Mingle: Is this a loaner laptop?

Tech Guy: No - this is your laptop.

Mingle: Oh... hmm... I might need the R key.

Tech Guy: Do you want me to put a little glue on it? It might be uneven but it could work.

Mingle: Well.. the R could come in handy... ha ha..you know if I'm travelling... I'd hate to lose the R when I'm taking my laptop somewhere... (what the f...?!)

Tech Guy: Okay - I'll take the R back to my desk and find some glue.

4pm -

Mingle: Hey Tech Guy - before you go on vacation next week - can I have my R key back?

Tech Guy: What? Oh that's right - I was supposed to attach that for you. By the way I found out you are getting another laptop.

TG then hands me one of the most ancient keyboards and mouse I've seen in awhile.

Tech Guy: This mouse won't actually work with the laptop because it doesn't have a USB connection. But it will work with the docking station. Did I give you one of those?

I have yet to get the other laptop, or hear about it. I don't know what's going on. I also don't know what's going on with my cube - but that's a different story...

A New Beginning

Last Thursday I started my new job at BS and so far so good. I guess. It's been kind of a slow start, but so far everyone I have met is really nice, and they work hard, so that's something new. They are kind of slow to give me a cube, a computer, direction... but I still have hope. My first day of work really felt like the first day at a brand new school. I was waiting at the bus stop with my banana, granola bar and water, wondering if the "kids" would be nice to me once I started. Mr. Mingle even sent me a text message asking if I remembered my Trapper Keepers and I had a moment of panic when I realized I didn't. Where would I keep all of my stuff??

Little did I know that this would become more of an issue as it became clear that I didn't yet have a cubicle and therefore nowhere to keep my stuff. I started to panic, but then thought...now... be patient, afterall - I didn't get moved into my last cube at FT until at least a month after working for the new department (hence the reason this blog ever started in the first place!). Speaking of blogging, I also don't have a permanent laptop assigned to me so I don't yet feel confident blogging from work (although I was pleased to discover that the loaner laptop does have Spider Solitaire). So, to make up for it, I've been taking notes as I ride to and from work - just so I don't miss anything that I find amusing during the day.

And now, as I sit at home about to type my first blog since starting at BS - I realize I have left my trusty notebook at work, in the temporary cube next to the loaner laptop and can only think: - dear god - i hope no one reads it.

How to Make an Exit

When I wrote my story a month ago, I thought that was the end of it. When I left work for the last time on Friday, I really thought that was the end of it. Oh, but how wrong I was...

After work on Friday I had set up a Happy Hour with friends that I'd made through the years at FT. I was having a jolly good time having some drinks and mingling with those who had come. It was a nice turn out that represented the various groups that I've worked with over the years. Sandy and her husband came to say goodbye and aside from the fact that I had to referree between Sandy and our boss Meanie for 4 months, I like her and was pleased that they were there. One thing that always bothered me however was the fact that during the whole 4-month woe of whining about getting a job with my department she never once told me that her dad was friends with the Executive VP. The Big Spin and Meanie had told me Sandy's dad was friends with the VIP about 8 months ago, but Sandy never breathed a word. Instead she complained and worried that she wouldn't be hired and I was always on the verge of exploding, "will you give me a break! We all know that you will get a job here since your dad is friends with the VIP, never mind the fact that you've worked here for 2 years now and are a smart woman, so please, shut up!". But I never did... instead I was quite impressed (and frankly surprised) that she never once brought that little piece of information up.

Then comes Friday night... a couple of beers down, I decided to ask Sandy about this tidbit of info, and here's how it went:

Mingle (all happy): Sandy, now that I'm leaving, you can finally tell me... is your dad friends with [VIP - The Big Spin's boss]?

Sandy: What?

Mingle: Is your dad friends with VIP?

Sandy: What?

M: Is your dad friends with VIP?

S: No!

M: oh

S: Why would you ask me that?

M: well... the Big Spin and Meanie told me he was.

S: WHAT?! Why would they think that? Why would they tell you that????

M: um... (oh dear god what have i started) ... because they believe it?

S: Do you mean to tell me that my whole job here is predicated on the fact that people think my dad is friends with the VIP?? (tears start)

M: What? NO, noonononono, (oh dear, oh dear, shit, shit - why won't someone come rescue me?) ha , ha, no, of course not - you are a smart, talented girl, and you finally have the job that you wanted , so I really wouldn't worry about it. Just make your mark now. (Apparently after a few beers, "Make Your Mark" becomes my mantra)

...

S: (Cry, cry, tears) Can I clear this up with the Big Spin?
M: Of course you can!! Good idea! Yes, yes, clear this up and Make YOUR MARK.
Someone else: Um..Mingle…would you guys like to play pool?....
M: Yes, YES! Great idea! Come on Sandy, let’s go play pool with your husband…

At this point, Sandy pretty much disappeared, her husband came to say goodbye and thank me (curse me) for dropping that bombshell of information prior to their weekend and off they went.

I, in the meantime, had dropped my own bombshell. It was as if I wound her up, set her in front of the door to my old department, patted her on the butt and said – “Off you go now… say bye to the Big Spin for me!!!”

And, exit – stage left.

Geeks on Parade, Installment 2

When I first met Scooby, one of the other marching instructors, last year - I quickly came to learn that one of his favorite words is "Clusterf_ck". He has used this word so many times since I started teaching with him that I'm convinced the dictionary definition would be something like this:

Clusterfuck: n. 1. A group of kids marching aound on a field. In a sentence: What a tremendous game we have seen so far; while the football team regroups in the locker room during half-time, let's all enjoy the clusterfuck that is occurring on the field.

Needless to say, I do cringe everytime I hear him use that. Fortunately, it's never within ear-shot of the kids.

Last Day

Have you ever tried to remember a specific song, which you know you know, but the lyrics and tune don't quite come to you? I've had that happening to me all day...

Is it "Working 9 to 5"? no, no ... that's not quite it.
"5 O'Clock Blues?" no... no... I'm about to go drinking, so that can't be it...
"Iiiii don't want to work.. I just want to bang on the drums all day.." - that could be it, but considering I just made it through band camp, I don't really want to hear anymore drums right now. What, oh what could it be??

"Take this job and shove it"? YES! THAT IS IT!! Because you know why? I am done! I just need to wipe away the remaining papers lying on my desk, turn off my computer, and, and walk away. All together now, please join me in a collective sigh of relief.

I based the goodbye email to my coworkers on a topic that has been sitting on my company's intranet site for a couple of weeks. They like to give you a lead in sentence and then employees write in with their responses. Typically it's either someone from India or in management being very very serious. Except for one guy wrote about chocolate which was the best entry ever in my opinion. Here's my farewell:

On my way to work today I was thinking about... …how happy I was that this would be the last time I drive from Alameda to San Mateo to go to work. I was reminded of the time when I missed the WAM meeting because I was stuck in a 9-car pile up on the San Mateo Bridge. And then I realized that I would no longer be attending a WAM, LSRM, TOC or BUPOC meeting. And I thought that if I start a similar meeting at my new company I will call it the AWM (Acronym Without Meaning) Meeting. I imagined hearing the response of others when new employees ask, “what does AWM stand for?” and someone might say, “oh, that’s the All-hands Weekly Meeting”, or “that’s the Administrative Work Meeting”… and it made me chuckle. But I also started to think about how much I would miss the friends that I have made while working here and wanted to tell them that. And regardless of the drive or countless number of acronyms through the years, I have learned a lot and will take these lessons with me. Lastly, I thought about that guy in Rancho who wrote about chocolate, and have to agree with him, chocolate really is great.

Geeks on Parade*

It is a well known fact that I am a band geek – have been for years. Although to be honest, even if I weren’t in band, I would probably still be a geek in a different activity. Now many years out of band myself, I am still living up to my geek potential by teaching marching at a local high school.

Band camp (damn that movie that ruined it for all) started last week and I went back to work as an instructor during the hours when I’m not at FT pretending like I still work here. There are over 200 kids in the band, so they have 2 official band directors and 4 marching instructors. We lowly marching instructors like the job because we enjoy helping the kids, and we like our friend who hired us, Band Director #1 Mr. Ed.

On the first night three of us showed up (and as a side note, I have struggled with naming my fellow instructors… these two guys have been friends forever and I first thought, Beevis and Butthead, but they aren't that destructive. Then I thought the Ambiguously Gay Duo, but they would kill me for that. So, I’ve decided to go with Scooby and Shaggy). Anyways, Scooby, Shaggy and I were in for a surprise when we showed up to the first rehearsal last week to find two more instructors. Apparently Band Director #2 not only hired these gentleman, (Dick and Macass), but also told Dick that he would be in charge of marching this year. Things may have gone a bit smoother if someone had told us this prior to the first rehearsal. Instead Dick strolls in late on the first night and announces to the kids that BD #2 has put him in charge. He says a lot more stuff and finally looks over at us and says, “hey you guys – get over here. I don’t know your names, but introduce yourselves!” The kids did know our names since we’ve been teaching there for years, so it was a somewhat awkward moment when I said, “Hi, I’m Mingle, I’ve been here for 4 years…”, while not saying out loud, “who the hell are you??” to the new guy…

That first night was very uncomfortable because there was a lot of tension between all of the instructors – unfortunately it was also palpable to some of the older kids. Since then however, things seemed to have smoothed over. Frankly I kind of like having the new guys there because the kids like me now. I’m nice compared to Dick and Macass.

I also find it rather amusing to watch Scooby and Shaggy square off against Dick and Macass – they are all very passionate about their marching technique. And it’s at this point that I realize that no matter how much of a geek I am, I am nothing compared to them.

* This installment of Geeks on Parade is dedicated to JP.

The Details

OK – it’s time to fill you in. I got so excited about quitting my job, I haven’t told you where I’m actually going!

I have accepted a position at a small company in downtown SF which provides various banking operations services, primarily for small banks. It also works very closely with the Federal Reserve Bank. It will be a completely different job and experience then what I’ve had the last five and half years at FT, but I am definitely ready and excited for the change!

What attracted me to the company:
The size (less then 100)
The location (within walking distance of various public transportation options)
The future potential of the company
The future potential of my place within the company
The people
The idea of being a big fish in a small pond

I am going in as a Project Manager, however there has already been talk of Manager potential in the near future if I do the work they expect me to. They like my background and the things I’ve done here, and think I’ll be a valuable resource to their growing company. And I would like to agree! Hmm… no pressure….

There are some risks of course – I’m leaving a very large, stable corporation with financial security (stock plan, bonus structure, yada, yada), but frankly, it just wasn’t doing it for me. I’m fed up with the politics and the hoops I have to jump through to get work done. I’m tired of the daily 60 mile round trip commute. But most importantly, I am so very ready for a change.

This job came across my path when a recruiter picked my resume off of Monster.com, and it was amazing how fast things happened. I met with him a couple of days before leaving for Portland, and I had my first interview with the company the day I got back. Less then a week later I had the second interview and the offer. I counter-offered but pretty much new it was in the bag, and I was waiting on specifics.

On Friday at 12:45 I got the final offer, and at 1:00 I resigned. Do I have any regrets? Hell No! Will I later? Who Knows! But it’s time to take a chance…

Oh Happy Day

Mrs. Mingle,

I accept your resignation and understand the reasons for your choice. You have been a tremendous asset for us in this group and your contributions are far greater than the successful projects you managed.

Your friendly voice and professionalism will be missed.

HR Lady,

We have agreed to the two week notice which puts Mrs. Mingle's separation date on Friday, August 25th. Please let me know what else we need to do to facilitate this process.

Thanks.

The Big Spin

-----Original Message-----
From: Mrs. Mingle
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 2:14 PM
To: The Big Spin; Meanie
Subject: Mrs. Mingle Resignation

Dear Big Spin and Meanie,

I regret to inform you that I am resigning my position at [this company] effective Friday, August 25. I’ve enjoyed working for the both of you and have learned a lot while working for [your department], but feel I cannot pass up my other opportunity.

Thank you very much for your continued support and I will work with you to complete as smooth a transition as possible with my departure.

Mrs. Mingle


oh yeah...I've got lots to talk about!!
(If only I could take a picture of the huge cheesy grin on my face since I sent this email!)

Rockin' the Rogue

It’s been awhile since I wrote my latest reflections, but I have to tell you, it’s certainly not for lack of things to talk about. Because I have things to talk about. But oh…where do I begin? I guess I’ll go back to the Oregon trip from July 29…

Mr. Mingle and I drove up to Oregon to meet our friends JP&JD at the Rogue River for a little camping and river rafting. We were celebrating JP and my birthdays and any excuse is a good excuse for a visit. We met up around 1pm on Saturday outside of Grants Pass (near the Oregon – California border) and soon discovered that all campsites in the area were full. Actually, JP&JD had discovered this the night before when they arrived earlier then us. Fortunately they found the most perfect spot by the river where there was plenty of space for two tents (which didn’t matter since Mr. Mingle and I forgot our tent poles), no neighbors, and it was free. We set up camp, went for a swim in the river, and then ate. And then ate again.

After a restful night’s sleep we went to meet our group for an all-day river rafting trip. It became obvious early on that this trip was to be more of a lazy trip down the river with occasional rapids, rather then a white-knuckled helmet-wearing adventure. We all decided that it would be more fun to go kayaking instead (the tour company had brought them along with the boats) and each got our own inflatable kayak. By the way, when they said “inflatable” I had envisioned something just slightly better then an air mattress with walls, but luckily I was badly mistaken. They were heavy, heavy duty boats which we paddled for 6 hours down the Rogue.

About two-thirds of the way through the trip we finally stopped for lunch at which point we were all ravenously hungry. I think the tour guides sensed that this trip might turn ugly and asked that "Everyone back away from the food tables until we are done setting up." The four of us walked away, but never out of site of the food tables and amused ourselves by throwing rocks to see who could hit the bigger rock. Let's just say it's pretty obvious none of us played baseball or softball. Finally they let us eat, so we built up our strength and hit the river again.

We hit some rapids which were fun to go through, and then we could relax the arms and shoulders a little and let the river push us along sometimes. JP came away with the only war injury of the day when her boat tossed her out into the rocks. Her brave husband came to the rescue, not only catching her on his way down, but also her hat.

After the trip down the river we got into our cars and drove up to Portland to JP&JD’s house. We wanted to see their new place, meet their cats, and also check out the local scene. I also wanted to find out more about the job market up there so Mr. Mingle and I met with recruiters on Monday. As coincidence-luck-fate would have it, shortly after we met the recruiters, Mr. Mingle got a call from a company in California offering him a job. He accepted, and the search for a job in Portland ended as quickly as it had begun.

On Tuesday we sadly said goodbye to our friends and began the long drive back.

Mr. Mingle started his job as a Research Analyst this past Monday in Menlo Park, and so far so good! He’s enjoying the work, although not the commute and is learning all about chemicals in India. What? More to come…