I might be rushing it with this one…a bit of an assumption. Sometimes you just know, you know? I am pretty certain that I am going to like this job. However, I’ve got to get out of this training stage which I know can not be rushed. However, just watching the other assistants I can tell that I could do this for awhile. I like the people and the company but most importantly the job itself. I’m glad that I found it…er…it found me. 🙂 Already I feel less stress and aggravation, and I like it. Other things are changing for the better too.

Last night Bryan and I did our weekly dinner at Kirby Lane after class. Class was great in case you were wondering. There was a new instructor that I had never taken under; I had only seen him in class. He is good, and he worked us hard. I was really sweating. I <3>

It’s true I do. And this one was no exception. Lately they’ve all been so wonderful. A string of good weekends…it’s better than a string of pearls.

Friday:
Friday was awesome if for no other reason that I started my new job at Lott Brothers Construction. It was a day of learning and mostly just settling in, but it was awesome!

After work Bryan and I went to the Cheesecake Factory where his friend Jose was having a birthday dinner. It was good company, good food, good drinks, and many, many laughs. We went back to Bryan’s and eventually went to sleep. Good way to end a good day.

Here are some pictures from the birthday dinner:

Haha…after dinner (he’s only resting his eyes) 🙂

Saturday:
Saturday morning I had the model shoot through my photography meetup group. It was so disorganized, at least in my opinion. We met at a park downtown. Fine, but the organizer of the shoot only noted himself as the place to meet. Not fine. The park is big. He said, “Look for the guy with the camera and model releases.” Do you know how many people at this park there were with cameras. Idiot! I spent 30 minutes looking for this dumbass. I pretty much let my disgust be known in front of the entire turnout. I might bring it up at the next meeting. Hmm…mostly likely will depend on if I’ll remember by then. 😀 Anyway, it was 3 photographers per model. Also not fine. We were in each other’s way, and the model was confused about where to look. Completely a waste of my time and gas. Plus it was really hot.

Here are some pics I shot of the park:

After an hour of that, I left for my TKD class. It was really good. I’m enjoying them more and more each time. I’m almost excited for testing (but still mostly nervous). There is still much practicing to be done.

I chilled at Bryan’s for a little while, and then we were off to Tommy’s house for the Indiana Jones Movie Marathon. That was a lot of fun. I love this group. 🙂 I guess they watched all 3 movies, but Bryan and I only stayed for 2. But we ate and drank and were very merry. We even got a little Rock Band in before the show. It was super fun. I love movie nights. Just be careful who you sit by…hehe. Kidding! Ben, you were a riot! Always sit on the “loud couch” because that’s where all the fun happens just like the floor is where all the sleeping happens. After that we pretty much just chilled and then slept.

Check out these pics from the movie marathon:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2010041&l=63c01&id=163200356

Sunday:
Ah, the sleeping in day…and we did! But we finally had to stir and start the day. We went shopping for some groceries, played some games, and I did a photoshoot of Bryan’s martial art moves/weapons. I need to edit them before they can become public view, but hopefully soon I will have something to post for ya’ll. We also met Wendy and her son for some coffee/tea and fun/silly conversation which all occurred outside. I am loving this really warm weather, but I feel you have more Texas. Bring it on! 😀 We stayed up really late, but finally we slept.

Today (Monday):
It was brutal to get up so early
this morning thanks to super late chatter. But work was really good today. It’s exciting to be starting my first full week at LBCC. And after hanging out with some of the other girls at the company for instructions, I can tell this job is for the one for me. I came home for lunch and took my cat outside while I ate. Again – loving the weather. And she really enjoys her time outside.

On a side note:
I received this month’s AT&T internet bill (see past entry). I didn’t want to jump through all the circus rings that I have had to in past month’s. So, I wrote out my check at prepared it for the mail, but when I went to make out the envelope this is what I discovered:

No, you’re eyes do not deceive you. They actually printed the bill with a mail payment to: and then left it blank. I had to call to find out where to mail the check, and they were really rude! Ugh…I hate them so much. I mean, was this really an accident? I kinda think it wasn’t as sound as that would be.

Going to class tonight and looking forward to it. Monday night classes are my favorite I think. Haha…maybe that’s because Monday is the night that Bryan and I go to Kirby Lane for dinner. I always get the special pancake of the day.

Things I’m loving lately:
Bryan 😀
my job (wow, can’t remember the last time I thought that)

Music I’m really digging right now:
– Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl
– Citizen Cope – Son’s Gonna Rise
– Radiohead – House of Cards (even though this isn’t new)
– Natasha Bedingfield – Pocketful of Sunshine
– Jordin Sparks – No Air
– Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart

Hey everybody! Just wanted to give you a quickie in the middle of the day to let you know that I’m so happy to be on the new job!! Everyone is so nice. I know today doesn’t really reflect a normal day for me in the future because its the first day, and I’m mostly just doing little things here and there as I familiarize myself with the people, job, company, etc. Still, I love it. And I love the commute. I left my house at 7:55 this morning! Bet none of you can beat that drive. If you can, please share. Today the company had lunch catered. After I ate though I decided to come home so I could see Bella (my cat) because I had promised her I would when I started the new job. She’s so happy too. I’m glad that I did. I don’t really know what all I will be doing this afternoon, but I’m just so excited that I’m not doing leases!! 😀 I’ll tell you all more later.

On a side note…I have a new photoshoot lined up with a model next weekend. I’ll give you all the details on that at some point. Ok, enjoy the rest of the work day and have a great weekend!

I’ve done a very naughty thing. I felt bad until about noon today. After that I was like well…right or wrong the deed is done. So, here’s the story…

As many of you know I gave my notice to my current job that I was moving on on Friday. They quickly began looking for my replacement. My boss and I even had a deal that I would create a guideline for my replacement to help them understand their job. I didn’t have anything to help me learn, and it made it difficult. They wanted to help the next person learn the role more quickly and easily, and I agreed this was a great idea. They asked if I would also train the person, and I said I would. However, instead of phasing me out and giving me time to work on this extensive document they seemed to take advantage of my remaining time by piling it on. Yesterday the work load just became ridiculous. I don’t want to go to a pity party here. All I am saying is it became too much to do a job I already hated especially when they are taking advantage of me. I was still on through the staffing agency and not really obligated to the company. I mean what can they do fire me? Technically no… I’m leaving anyway. I do not care. After work yesterday I cleaned off my desk and left them the key to the office. The staffing agency did call looking for me at 11. I do I feel I owe my boss an explanation. He is currently in Mexico so I will have to send him an email. I do feel bad for ducking out. It was so hard just to finish that day out. I did what work I could during the day, but I left a lot undone. I would normally beat myself up over this…but…since I feel they piled it on, I really can’t make myself feel too bad. I’m glad to be rid of the whole thing. I’m sorry for the pitiful and less than graceful exit I made, but my sanity was at stake. I will not miss the office or the commute…especially the commute. I wonder if they are cursing my name today.

I took today off. I needed it. And good news…I start at the new job tomorrow!! I am so excited. This job is going to totally change my life…not just career but also in being able to do things after work. I will not waste all the extra time I will gain by not having to drive all the way to and from South Austin every day. The money I’ll save on gas however, I will try to keep in the bank where it draws major interest.

Today I am just relaxing at Bryan’s house trying not to distract him too much from his job and catching up on some music. We went out for sushi for lunch. Soo good! Later tonight I will be going to class again. I have really been loving it lately. I can’t wait to have more time to rest before I have to go. I used to come home from work and barely be there before it was time to leave. I need to get my head cleared before I can go practice a martial art. I bought some TKD t-shirts at the school on Tuesday. I wore one to the sushi restaurant today. It says TKD in Korean…least I think so. 🙂 I can’t read it, but the hostess said, “Ah, Tae Kwon Do.” LOL…yeah! I wonder if she thought I just wore it because I like the tiger one it…hehe.

Last night the weather was pretty bad. I wasn’t scared though. Anyone who has known me for years knows that I get really scared during tornado weather. It hailed, but I found myself more worried about my car than a tornado. I was pretty proud of myself. Even when the sirens went off I didn’t really care. I checked the weather online and while it looked bad I could tell everything was going to be just fine. By the way…my car came out without a scratch…or dent. Thank goodness! No one wants to spend their one day off working on an insurance claim. I tried to take pictures but found that they just couldn’t do it justice. It has hailed more since I moved to Texas than I’ve ever seen in my life, and trust me, I have seen tornado weather. Hope everyone made it through the storm too.

Music I’m loving lately (check em out…I wouldn’t lead you astray):
– Ghostland Observatory (esp. the song Sad, Sad City)
– Once I Loved – Astrud Gilberto from Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs
– Fall Out Boy‘s remake of Beat It
– Handlebars by Flobots
– Mercy by Duffy

What a week! Another bleak day here in Austin…no, yesterday was bleak…today it rained on me all the way to work. Don’t mind rain, but combine rain with traffic and lots of mini vans and no thank you! It took me forever to get to work this morning. Usually I would have been going crazy, but I was pretty calm. That’s because I didn’t want to get to work. This week has been so excruciating. I have been antsy to get out of this job and to my new one. All I have to do is make it through this week, and it’s already half over. 🙂

Nothing major has happened so far this week. Class has consumed most of my nights which is fine considering testing is fast approaching. Last night’s class was pretty awesome. I finally obtained my other two stripes on my belt. One is for knowing all of the required blocks and the other is for knowing all of my one steps. Yes, I FINALLY got them down. Now I will just need to refine, refine, refine. That should be the theme for this month. 🙂 Well, I do want them to look good. Stances are my biggest problem area at the moment. I am going to have to start devoting 30 minutes a day to just practice getting them down. During my form I stop and evaluate my stance and realize that while the upper part of my body is perfect, the stance is horrible. I can not go into testing doing bad stances. I will be penalized for sure. Mostly it is my back stance which wouldn’t be so bad if 50% of my form didn’t use this stance as well as most of my one steps. I need to keep practicing the one steps. They need a lot of work too. Just knowing the moves won’t cut it. I suppose I will have to drag Bryan in for help because I will be doing them with a partner at testing and well, he’s the closest/easiest person for the job…sorry Brayn! 🙂 But don’t fear for his safety…yellow belts aren’t supposed to make contact. So as long as he doesn’t flinch, I won’t kick or punch him…promise!!

I am really looking forward to this weekend. Friday night we are going out to dinner with some of Bryan’s friends. Saturday morning there is a photoshoot scheduled through my photography meetup group. They have lined up some models for us to shoot in a park. The cost is $10 which is nothing really. I am excited to work with people I’ve never met before. That used to be the scariest part about getting models in school. I only wanted to stick to people I knew but also wanted to see some fresh faces. I don’t know how many models there will be or how much time each photographer will get will them. I suppose a lot depends on how many photographers actually show up. I should get about 1.5 hours here and then it’s off to class. I like Saturday classes because they are double classes. Because of this we usually get to do more…sometimes even fun things. Sunday I want to do the photoshoot and couples workout with Bryan. Shoot…that reminds me. I better prepare a workout. 😀

Things getting on my nerves lately: bleak Austin days
Things I’m loving lately: Juno Soundtrack, Ghostland Observatory, and Bryan (because he loves and appreciates my silly side – I love his also)

I am tired of bleak days here in Austin. Seriously, what is the deal? I am thankful that the weekends have for the most part been beautiful, but Blah! what a way to kick off the week. And it’s already gonna be a hard week because I don’t want to be at this job. I want to be at my new job. I spent about 30 minutes at the new place this morning simply meeting some people and getting acquainted with office in general. Should help day 1 go a little smoother. I’m also scheduled to do the same thing in the morning. Looking forward to meeting with everyone. I am not necessarily ready to jump into a new learning curve, but I am ready for change no matter how it has to happen. So, I’ll work my ass off until I learn my job…and then…I’ll perfect it and do it the best they’ve ever seen. Because that’s how I roll… 🙂 It’s so nice to have a job title I’m proud of.

Here is a link to my new company’s website: http://www.lottbrothers.com/. Check it out.

Anyway, enough of the job stuff. Sunday recap:

Sunday was a good day. Can’t say that everything was accomplished, but it was an awesome day none the less. We slept in because we stayed up so late on Saturday. However, Saturday night was a lot of fun so even if it did mess up my sleep a little, I’m glad we did it. We hung around not doing much for most of the day. I had been wanting to start a couple’s workout on Sundays. I thought it would be fun since we both like to work out, but we never do it together. Just another way to spend time with one another I suppose. 🙂 Bryan planned the whole workout. It was really good…and fun! My legs are a little sore, but the good kind (I can still walk). I’ll work it out in class tonight. I hope we can do that as many Sundays as possible. I think I’ll plan this Sunday’s workout. We’ll see if he can handle it…hehe.

That evening we went downtown so I could attend my photography meetup group’s monthly meeting. It was a little different than normal. They had a photojournalist come to speak and share his experiences. He is still starting out even though he’s been in the industry for a few years. It’s hard to make a living in any art profession unless you really stick with it or are extremely lucky. I wouldn’t want to do what he does, but it was very interesting to hear him talk about his job. It must be awesome to have a big portfolio of printed works. He brought along some pretty cool prints from his personal work too. I’m really loving the meetings now that I am getting to know some of the people and they are getting to know me too. I really look forward to everything they plan, and they have some really cool things that they want to initiate into the group. Sounds like I joined at a good time. There should be some sort of shoot this weekend. I’ll have to keep my eyes posted on the website for the info. I love a photoshoot.

Speaking of…I really wanted to do a martial arts photoshoot of Bryan. He has so many cool movements and stances. I would love to capture that in black and white with extreme lighting. I’d love to get that in this weekend. I’ve been going over it in my mind for some time now and am ready to see it translate to film.

The rest of Sunday was lazy just like I like it. We cooked a super simple yet tasty meal and played PS3. Who could think of a better day?

Backtracking a little…the 9th was our 3 month anniversary. It feels like so much longer though. I think that happens when things just go so smoothly and feel so right. Anyway, I won’t go on and on because I’m sure no one other than Bryan wants to hear about it. 🙂 But let me say that he’s an awesome man, and I feel blessed to have him. Looking forward to more anniversaries.

Well its been another long week of work…and commuting. But Thursday that all changed…

To get to this point I need to go back a little. Most of you who read my blog don’t know about my previous employer – Lighthouse Remodeling. I loved that job…not my boss. No, I pretty much hated him (yes I used hated), but I loved the job. And though working there quickly turned sour, it was one of the most important jobs I think I’ll ever have. Why? Because that is where I gained a lot of confidence. Before Lighthouse I had never had to talk to clients or vendors. I was always in the background. It didn’t take me long at Lighthouse to realize that I loved talking to clients. I’ve always loved to talk and never meet a stranger but talking to people in the work environment was a new thing for me. And since I held that job I have found so easy to talk to people which is good because I found myself looking for a job one day unexpectedly. Lighthouse (the 7 day remodel) crashed and burned. Not because we tried to do a remodel in 7 days but because of bad and idiotic management. I better not get into that rant. 🙂 So one day I come in to the biggest disaster ever. That place couldn’t have been more screwed up. And every single person working there found themselves jobless and most being owed paychecks. So, I went job hunting.

I interviewed at many places. The job I wanted the most was for a construction company called Lott Brothers. It’s less than a mile from my house. It was the best interview I’ve ever been on. I loved the company’s mentality. Plus, my whole background has been in construction. Alas, they didn’t think I fit the position. And as many of you know, I went with a company called LGI Financial Solutions. It’s a 3rd party leasing company. I like everyone here at the company, but I do not like my job. At first it was hard, but once I had learned it…it was only repetitive and boring. It didn’t take me long to realize there was no career path here for me. And the commute! I live in North Austin, and LGI is very, very South. I quickly grew weary of spending so much time driving especially lately as gas prices have soared. I was so tired when I got home that I found I skipped a lot of my TKD classes. No, I definitely was not happy. I wanted change, but I was both scared and unsure how to make it happen. This was the blog I posted about not complaining about things I have the power to change…fyi for those who were wondering. I guess I didn’t do much to change my situation. It more or less fell right into my lap. Hmm…either way a change occurs. Lets not get caught up in the details.

Let me tell you how it happened. Lott Brothers contacted me at random about a month ago to ask if I was available. I was! They had liked me, but I just didn’t fit the original position I had applied for. However, they wanted me for a project manager’s assistant. Thursday I went in to interview and was hired! This is going to change my life. I have to stay with LGI for at least a week while they search for my replacement. They took it much better than I had played in my head which made it much less stressful for me. I’m super excited to get to my new job. I’m glad to go back to my roots in the construction industry. It was just random luck I ever got into it, but the industry quickly grew on me. Perhaps it was always in my blood. My grandfather does mostly dirty work, and I grew up surrounded by heavy machinery. I dunno the reason, but I do love the construction industry. I will keep everyone posted on the transition. I’m ready to start but do have a loyalty to LGI. I need to leave guilt free which means doing whatever possible to make them have a smooth transition.

Let me recap the weekend so far…

Friday:
I cooked dinner…Dorito casserole. After eating we just lounged…drank some tea…played some Simpson’s on PS3…it was quite nice. After giving the “news” to LGI it was a stressful day and the lazy night was most appreciated.

Saturday:
We slept in because though Friday night was lazy, we stayed up way too late. I went to class. It was a great class, but I was disappointed when I got to work with the instructor one on one to go over my one step sparrings. I forgot everything! I dunno where my brain was. However disappointed I was in my lack of memory, I was glad for the moment because I realize there is nothing for me to get cocky about. A lot of practice is still required before testing on the 31st. There is still time, but it must be spent well.

Tonight Bryan and I went to celebrate my new job at Truluck’s….sooooo good! I love that place!! It was very sweet for Bryan to take me there. After that we spent a little time at his house and then headed out to meet everyone at Sam’s Boat for drinks/crawfish/pool. After that we went to Ben’s for TV and finally home to bed. Another late night. I suppose tomorrow we will be sleeping in again…just the way I like to start a Sunday off. 🙂

Tomorrow I have the monthly meeting for my photography group. That should be fun. It’s Mother’s Day as well. I will have to give my mom and step mom a call.

Ok…I am getting nervous about my testing. It’s still weeks away. I can’t let my nerves start getting to me already! I guess it really started when I looked at the calender and realized it was May and at the end of the month I test. But then last night in class we really began to discuss what testing is really like. When I tested for my yellow belt in Chattanooga I tested early. Therefore, I have never experienced a true testing. I have never done my form with multiple people at the same time. I probably won’t know the judges. It will be loud. They might ask me to do my form facing various directions. Ok, actually this last one scares me the least. I really don’t get confused when facing different directions of the room. However, if they were to put me on an angle…I might just be doomed. Last night in class we practiced doing forms in close contact and also doing them facing different directions. We even had to do them with our eyes closed after being turned. I did pretty good on that one. It was a little weird, but it actually ended up being the best time I did my form in class. It will also be loud and distracting during tests because lots will be going on. All the schools will be coming together….people I’ve never met. Ugh…I’m scared! And perhaps this nervousness stems from my feeling of not being ready. There’s still lots of time, but seeing that date circled on my calender is scary and looming…always looming nearer.

I am loving class though. I have come a long way since that first Saturday…hehe. It’s everything I remember loving that one summer so long ago. I hate that I had to take the time away, but I’m truly glad that I did come back to TKD. I could have easily never gotten back into it. Last week I was showing Bryan my medals and certificates from that summer when I participated in the International TaeKwonDo Alliance Tennessee Regional Tournament. It made me think what a fun time I had in class and doing the tournament that summer. And doing that tournament was extremely terrifying. Do you know how dumb I felt being a white belt adult competing? I realize I shouldn’t feel like that, but it was just odd to be older and the lowest rank in a competition. At least looking back I know that if I can do that, this testing will really be nothing. Besides they give you 3 chances. However, the goal is to only need one. 🙂 I’ll keep you updated as May 31st draws near.

Sorry for the sporadic writing/thoughts, but that’s how it comes out when I think about it…a flood of nerves. Practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect…and all that good stuff.

I found this video on YouTube.com of my form. I am not making any comments on this video. I wanted to use it for illustration purposes only.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eA3wefxIAG8

And now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of Monday: my weekend recap.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Mainly this post is all about Friday and what a shitty day it was!

The first thing I remember about Friday was walking out of my house to my car to leave for work. As soon as I stepped outside and the warm air hit me I thought, “Wow, what a day!” I said the same thing when I got out of my car at the end of the day. It’s amazing how they came out sounding so different. Friday was so busy at work that I quickly became frustrated. Also my roommate had arrived home the night before which means let the bickering begin. All we ever do any more is bicker. It’s over petty stuff mostly but still…it wears at you. And we did…all day…through emails, texts, and in person. Again…all petty. In an attempt to reach out to me he said he would take me to lunch. I jumped at the chance because it was something that used to be a Friday tradition and that I enjoyed immensely. He’s been working on Fridays more so it’s really been few and far between as of late. However, maybe after all the petty fighting it was best we didn’t. We didn’t really fight. It was more of just an awkward conversation. We ate at a pizza joint. The food was good; the waitress was not (slow). She made me late for work. Nice. Just add it on.

And now what you’ve all been waiting for – the rant!

So, on the way to eat, I decided to use the time to call AT&T so I could pay our internet bill. I always do it through phone because I forget to mail in the check when I get it. Why not just pay online? I know you are thinking that. Well, we have no phone line attached to our internet. Currently, you can not pay your internet bill online if you do not have a phone line. Hint: This phone line becomes very important to the story…er, rant. I would love to pay online same as I do for my cell. Why does this giant corporation not have this ability built into its website? My guess…its all to get you to get a phone (just hang with me). So, in my procrastination I call instead. Yay…let the fun begin. Ohh…I know what would be fun…let us do this rant in steps.

1. Call and go through the automated choices (none are really what I want)

2. After getting to the internet portion she wants to know my telephone number

3. Automated lady doesn’t understand “no phone,” “we don’t have a phone,” or any other variation…she says she doesn’t understand me and puts me through to a live person…finally

4. Live person comes on…I say, “I’d like to pay my bill”

5. Live person tells me sure, but it will cost me $5.00 (now having done this for a couple of months now and somehow always getting out of this fee I tell her I’ve never had to pay before and she informs me that indeed I will…ugh)

6. Here she tells me that there is ANOTHER automated number (im familiar with this one from months past) you can call made just for bill pay (this number is not on my bill as far as I can see)

7. I inform her that I can not use this feature because the first thing it asks you to do is put in your phone number

8. She informs me that I can simply use my account number

9. I tell her I can’t…unless they’ve updated since last month

10. Again…she says I can…then she wants to give me the number to the automated piece of shit service and I stop her to tell her to transfer me (see all the knowledge I’ve gained)

11. Music…stupid 80’s elevator music

12. Automated guy asks for my telephone number and I put in my account number

13. He doesn’t compute…

14. Repeat step 13

15. He informs me he will be transferring me to a live person

16. Crappy music…and then a live person!

17. I tell them I want to pay my bill….

18. They tell me that will be fine…for $5.00

19. “No! I never have to pay'” I say…and continue, “I don’t want to pay your convenience charge because nothing about this process is convenient. I have already been on the phone for over 30 minutes. I just want to pay my bill. None of the services you have for paying your bill work for me.”

20. This bitch now informs me in a haughty voice that I had time to send in a check (geez thanks Einstein…yeah, well, I didn’t…and it’s really none of your business)

21. Or she states…”you can have it debited from your account” (no for lots of reasons but not helping me today either way)

22. I start to go off…she transfers me

23. A genius answers the phone (who knew that AT&T employed them? why didn’t I get her direct number?)

24. This genius informs me that the automated man indeed does not have the capability to take my payment with no telephone number and she will be glad to take the payment for no cost (finally)
Lesson: AT&T wants you to have a phone line!!!!! This much is apparent. Oh, and I guess don’t procrastinate…but that’s not really where I was going with this. Also, without the phone line AT&T can’t combine my cell and internet bill either. That would be perfect, but alas the world is not a perfect place.

So, lunch didn’t go well. Neither did the rest of my afternoon at work. I was so tired and beaten down when I arrived home, but then a break in the day came thanks to Bryan. He made me dinner and awesome coffee and took me to see Iron Man at the Alamo. That was such a good movie. In fact, the night was so awesome that when I got into bed I had already forgotten how rotten it started. Thanks Bryan!! 🙂 He is the best!