I’ve heard the comment that it seems a little bit early, but Saturday night (November 15th) was my company’s “Christmas” party. Like most large companies, they no longer call the event as a Christmas Party, they even refuse to call it a Holiday Party. This is out of respect for those people that don’t celebrate any holidays. I find that hilarious!! Anyway, we have an party and it is called The Winter Event.

I have no boyfriend right now and had no prospects for a date, so I was going to take my friend Jennifer. She used to work for the same company so it would have been nice for her to see some of her old co-workers. However, on Wednesday she was rushed into emergency surgery. Since there was no chance she was going to make it, and I was not up for going alone, I posted an ad on Craig’s List to find a date.

I was expecting a lot of responses based on the location of our party. Our Winter Event has been held at the same location for the past three years: Invesco Field at Mile High. I was right. Considering the amount of time it was up I did get quite a lot of responses. Some jackass flagged the post – I’m guessing it was in reaction to me turning him down. After reading through the replies, one stood out above the rest. I asked to meet him for drinks on Friday night, to test the waters and see if we could get along well enough to go to the party.

Drinks led to dinner, dinner led to a movie, a movie led to him walking me to my car and a kiss goodnight. It was a nice night. He was sweet and cute and funny. The next evening was the party. He dressed in a suit and looked really hot. I wore a little black dress and looked beautiful. The party was buffet dinner, gambling tables, karaoke, and dancing. We had a great time.

He asked me up to his apartment afterwords and I really wanted to, but I resisted. I like this guy. I’m not sure how much I do yet and that is wonderful. I see potential in him, he is a gentleman and has the right stats for me. For those of you that follow my blog, you must have noticed that I have been falling for men far too fast recently. Who knows, the next time I see him, I might jump into bed with him. And I’m ok with that. It’s not the physical side I am worried about taking too fast, it is the emotional side. I want to get to know him before I get gaga over the guy. I’m not going to let myself get attached so quickly anymore.

I had a job from July 2005 to September 2005. 

First the good.  I was elated when I found this other job, it was more money, a step “up the ladder” and was a young company. This was by far, the most training and guidance I have received in a new position since graduating from college, which was great.  Now the bad.

Imagine a small size conference room that is converted into four working areas.  A really small size room.  We were stuffed in there like veal, no joke.  In the summer, with no A/C. 

Then imagine a boss that looks like Barbie, but acts like Trya Banks on crack.  She was a tyrant.  A major bi-otch.  She wouldn’t allow us to have contact with any other departments, she would scream at you at the drop of a hat, and she wanted us to know as little about the rest of the company as possible. 

My job was consisted of working on Excel 8 hours a day working proposals.  The request was e-mailed to a general box, then distributed to us.  No e-mails, no phone calls, no interaction with other humans.  I got so bored with everything; funny how that is when I started my first blog!    Even when we were busy, the job itself was so meticulous and dull, it was busy-boring.  So I had slow-boring or busy-boring.  Yuck! 

On top of that, none of my co-workers understood my sense of humor AT ALL!! Once, I was joking and I said, “One of these days someone is going to come back to this place and start shooting!!”.  It was meant as a joke, like a “going postal” thing.  This actually got written up and put in my HR file!! And it was a joke.  I was told that I could not talk about things like that.  We were all joking about how crazy the office was, but I guess my joke took it too far.  What-ever!

And now, I have a job.   What can I say about it?  I know.  READ THE TITLE AGAIN!!

Remember the internal interview I had last week?  Today I got a call requesting a second interview for the position!  I am so excited!  I’ve had other internal interviews, but until now I had been cut off after the first round.

I have a week and a half to get a presentation ready and I am thrilled, because they are going to judge us on actual talent, not a a title or a recommendation.  I need to practice the presentation a hundred times so that it is smooth and easy going.  All my speech classes will come in handy now.  Later tonight I plan on doing some research about presentation styles. 

I’m going to skip the power point on this one.  Or if I do one, it will be headlines only!!  The interview is on July 25th.  I wonder if someone is on vacation, or if they are just giving us time to prepare. 

I called my good friend JT and she said we had to go out tonight to celebrate.  So we went to Old Chicago for pizza.  yummy.

Send me more luck/prayers/mojo/ and voodoo!  Whatever y’all sent last time sure didn’t hurt none!  When I go walking tonight, I’m pulling out the Surviror cause you know I have the Eye of the Tiger.

Human beings were not meant to sit in little gray cubicles all day!  I am getting tired of sitting around all day and of the entire office politics thing. 

If only we had cool people at my office like Jim Halpert.  That would be great.  The days would go my faster.

I’m glad I have a job and everything, and things could be worse.  I just don’t think that I can work reports all day anymore.

So, remember the co-worker that was transferring to another area and I was really excited about it?   She changed her mind in the 11th hour.  In the late afternoon on her last day, she changed her mind.

Yep.

I have been working at my job for almost 2 years.  Just like any other job, there are co-workers I really like, co-workers I kinda like, and the rest.

I have a co-worker that I REALLY don’t like.  Kim.  She has been a rude and thoughtless towards me for a long time.  She refused to train me, didn’t like when I changed anything, told me I had to everything the way it was done before.  She is a horrible communicator.  She is unprofessional, stubborn, hates change, short-sited, and has the most annoying laugh of all time.  She is a really bad dresser.  I can not stand this woman!!  It was a blessing when I heard that she was going to have a baby.  I knew that meant a maternity leave and that I would have 2 or 3 months away from her.

Well, now there is even better news! I have a much longer break from her!!  Woo hoo!! Tomorrow is her last day at my office.  She will be staying with the company, but not near me.  Do you remember the re-org I told you about?  This woman hated the thought of her new boss so much that she requested a transfer during her maternity leave.  She didn’t even give Kathy a chance.  Based entirely on her impressions of the new boss and her style, my nemisis is leaving!  And has to move down to Colorado Springs to do it.  HA!

I am so fucking happy, that don’t know how else to explain it other than to curse.

Usually on Mondays at work, I have my iPod on.  I sit there and jam out in my head while I do the amazingly boring task of pivot tables and formulas in Excel.  This Monday, I was mostly alone in the office, so I had the TV on instead.  I listen to the digital music station – channel 914 on Comcast.  It is a Music Choice channel and is called alternative. It plays Flobots, The Killers, Foo Fighters, Single File, REM, Motion City Soundtrack, Incubus, Paramour, all kinds of cool bands.  Actually some of the same songs I have on my iPod- although my pod has a wider selection of course.

Anyway, the point is that a coworker caught me listening to this station and was completely shocked.  She said that she had no idea I listened to rock music or anything like it.  I asked her what she thought I listened to and she said, Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe Jazz or soft ballads.

OMG I totally wanted to laugh in her face and mock her, but his is work, right, so I can’t. I said Really?  Interesting.  I said no, I listen to mostly alternative, and some other types of rock.  I’m a rocker all the way.

I just think that it is really funny that she pictured me that way.  I must really clean up nice!  After all, I had punk rock red hair for 2 months and I’ve had a muchroom tatto since I was 18.  Plus, I thought she might have noticed that I wear a LOT of black and that on caual Fridays I sometimes wear a graphic tee with a great band like Tool or The Police.  But, I guess she was looking at my desk, which, (other than pictures of family) is only decorated with a mini poster of the first Rocky movie and a tiny Budda that is less than 2 inches high.

Wonder if she will ask if I am Jewish next week?

YAY ME!  Apparently I am doing a good job looking like a generic office person, so maybe that promotion is closer than I think.

Finally I feel about covering this topic.  As you may know, I went to Cabo San Lucas April 20th to 25th (great trip by the way).  I came back to work on Monday the 28th and everything at work had changed.  In Colorado, my company has 4 areas.  Northern Colorado, North Denver Metro, South Denver Metro, and Southern Colorado.

I work for South Metro.  Or I should say I worked for South Metro.  The higher levels of management decided to merge the North and South Metros into one area.  I don’t have to explain to you that when 2 departments, or regions consolidate that there is a danger of jobs being lost. 

So there I am on a Monday morning sitting at my desk at 8 AM, the only person in the entire building and I read the e-mail about the consolidation.  Wow I freaked.  No one was there.  Who was gone and who wasn’t?  Did I have a job? It was a tense hour.  It turns out my job was still there.

However, some people did lose their jobs.  Some of those people were offered other positions at the company, but not all of them.  It is sad to think that some people I really liked and spent 40 to 50 hours a week with, are not going to be there anymore.

We had a goodbye party today.  That was fun and laid back, and worth every minute.  But it was also sad.  The person I will miss the most is my old boss.

BUT, I am so excited about the changes that are coming.  I know that I won’t like all of them, but at least my job is new and exciting again!