Waiting.....waiting....waiting.....

Tomorrow I will be making my third voyague to Philly. Fun. Okay, not really. Between the hours of traffic I need to deal with getting out of DC and then the road work being done in Baltimore topped off with the $20 of tolls....I'm tired of it. But I must go or else I will be homeless in a few weeks. And that is good for no one! It was so easy finding a place to live in DC (wiht a roommate) while never visiting once. Now that I'm closer I want to visit and can't seem to find a darn thing. Odd.

BUT I have picked the community. Manayunk (man-e-unk)is this cute little place that reminds me a very much older version of Grand Ave in St. Paul. Well, okay, just the main street does cause everything else is rowhouses and they are under much rennovation. I'm excited though. The last time I was there I checked out some of the local restuarants, found the gym, an ELCA church and ate at the local diner (where they serve ONLY Pepsi products!). It's a solid 20 miles from where I'm going to work, so yay, I'll be back to the commuting world. But I figured I would do that for my sanity seeing that living in Manayunk with other young professionals and having access to an 18 minute train ride into Center City.

Another reason why I love this little town....? Well you know how we shorten Minneapolis to Mpls? Yeah, Manayunk is MYK for short. Loves it! I couldn't do that with Arlington. When I got lazy I just said DC even though I live and work in Arlington. Go MYK - major points!

I'll Treat Myself Thank You Very Much!

The parking garage where I work is too nice. As in, they thank their tenants by giving them treats sporadically throughout the year along with a free DVD rental opportunities. Today....drivers recieved packets of Peanut M&M's......yummy!

I'm terribly jealous and deep down, confused.

Why?

Let's see.....

I walk to work equaling the following: polluting less (therefore helping the environment), wasting less oil and promoting a healthier lifestyle (making the health insurance industry happy).

But I have yet to be treated for my economcial, envrionmentally fit way of commuting to work.

I guess I'll have to wait for Blue Cross/Blue Shield or some environmetal group to reward me. Until then, I'm satisfied by knowing I'm doing my part in making this a little bit better place to live.

(okay I know that was a MAJOR 'pat on the back' to myself....but hey, it's been a rough few days, I need to do whatever I can to keep the spirits high)

7:45 a.m.

Every morning while working out I see the same man walk by our windows for a smoke. Just seems weird. Here I am working out to try to stay (get, become...whichever you feel is most suitable) to be healthy and there's the smoker who just as religously as I has his morning smoke.

I think if I was the one smoking I sure as hell wouldn't be doing it infront of the gym windows. Wouldn't you feel a little odd?

Case of the ......?

I'm sick. Not deathly sick but enough to make me want to check out for the day (or next few). My forehead is warm, my stomach queasy and my eyes bloodshot. Oh so fun. I'd stay home but I can still function and move; albeit not at my normal, fast pace.

I am also fighting it because I think it was totally brought on by me....and a little thing we call stress.

Why stress you make ask? Well, here's the deal. I have a new job. I start the 15th (Oct) but I'm missing to very vital things - a new place to live and a runnig vehicle. That's right. My faithful car of many, many years decided to bite the dust. I don't blame her. She did okay for the times we've been through (not to mention all of those snowstorms during my days in IA & MN). So in less than one month I need to buy a new car and find a place to live.

It would be a little simpler if I was made of money and knew exactly where I should live (considering safety and trusting landlord). But I have neither. So the pressure from the clock is starting to get to me and provide me enough stress to make me sick. Yay! (please note - that was very sarcastic).

I did ask for this. I chose to leave my family miles away and to test my independence. And oh boy - I'm doing it. So I guess I need to just suck it up and deal.

But on a happy note - the DC Gophers Alum flag-football team did excellent this weekend. We beat both William and Mary & Yale. And I got the first touchdown of the season. Not too bad!

Survivor

At the end of every month my office throws EVERYTHING out of the two fridges. We're talking Tupperware containers of food, frozen meals and such. They have no limits. I understand the deal because if it didn't happen, the stuff piles up. I get it. You leave it there...it gets thrown at exactly 5 p.m. on the last Friday of the month.

Unless it is pickled herring.

I bought a jar of pickled herring in a cream sauce back in the middle of August. I ate most of it but forgot about it. Not only did I forget about it then, I totally forgot I had brought it to work (for 2 meals!). That was until yesterday. I'm searching through the piles of bagged lunches, all the way to the back and what do I find? You guessed it. My pickled herring. Sitting there, tucked up against the back of the fridge on the top shelf.

So I'm wondering. What prompts you to toss things like peoples' nice Tupperware and unopened frozen meals but leave the half eaten herring? Are you scared of it? I mean, it's kinda grey and murky looking - but it tastes "Oh so delish!" This thoroughly amuses me.

I'm proud that I finally found something that can survive the garbage Nazi. I think this time I'm going to test her limits with luetifisk. If it works, I'm I have finally discovered the proper 'weapons' for the Scandinavians to use.

Maybe I should now keep a jar of herring in my purse instead of the mace. You never know when it will come in handy.


****

By the way - it's tough finding decent pickled herring out here. I miss my Olsen Fish Co. - I knew their products and quality. It was amazing. Oh well.

I'll Find My Own Meatloaf.

GK is doing a community thing in St. Paul where they are serving a meatloaf meal ($5) and having a street dance. I will admit. I'm a bit jealous. First of all, I make a one mean "Chuck Wagon Cheese Meatloaf" (from an old MN 4-H cookbook) and secondly, it's APHC. I love that show. Oh well. I'm over it. I'll just do my own version of being Minnesotan out here. I think I'll make a meatloaf and have a side of hotdish. I'll start with pickled herring as an appetizer and do a jell-o mold for dessert. It'll be delish. We can then end the evening with some coffee (Folgers...fancy stuff is not our style) and watch a home Twins game. Yah. Dat der sounds purty dern good.

There is another thing I'm jealous of back home at the moment. I read that it dropped to about 30 degrees F in places such as Benson and Willmar. Excuse me?! As I have had to sit in a muggy 88 degree weather with humidity at 91%. Not fair. Just looking at something would make me sweat. But for the first time in what seems like ages, I woke up to a beautiful morning with 65 degree weather and a low dewpoint. I can't see my breath yet (that means the weather is perfect for me) but it's coming. Slowly but surely. And today has been so beautiful. The sun coming up over the Iwo Jima and the air is starting to smell like the fall. Amazing. Gorgeous.

I can't wait to when I can stop giving a soulful look at my piles of sweaters and sweatshirts and actually wear one. Long gone are the days of me trying to figure out what is the most breathable/comfortable outfit I can wear in public without creating a henious display of poor fashion. Really, I've had to be creative without looking totally ridiculous (i.e. street hooker).

Moving on....

My search for an apt is still going on. I can't believe how much cheaper things are up in Philly. I may actually make enough to save enough. Hard to fathom at the moment, but we'll see.

I must get back to work. Sadly, I like what I'm doing today. I am editing a 26 page report on whey as an egg replacer. It's crazy, interesting and I'm a little too into it.

i.e.

While eating lunch the other day I was reading the Prepared Foods magazine I came upon at add for eggs. I sighed and thought aloud "well eggs....I like you but now you just have so much more to prove to me." A co-worker looked at me as if I just turned green. Me, all defensive, said, "Well you see, you can easily replace eggs in a bakery recipe with whey protein." I went further on to explain the benefits and simplicity of the change. Let's just say, they understand now, but still think I'm weird.

Great.

I'm With Fred.

I'm moving. Yay. I think I've been shouting this for ummm...at least the last 48 hours. Sorry to all who have to put up with it. I'm fricken excited, to say the least.

Though reality is hitting me hard right now. There's just a few minor details such as finding a place to live, getting out of my current lease, saying goodbye to friends, packing (which I despise), learning a new trade, finishing current projects at current job and so on. I can handle it though. I always have worked better under pressure.

On another note, last night I attended a house 'party' for Fred Thompson. It was a good time and by the end of the night my roommate got to witness me walking into our apartment holding a vase of flowers, a ballon, a rally sign and bumper sticker topped off with three buttons and a name tag saying "Hello, I'm.....AWESOME". Basically it looked as if I rolled around on the paraphernalia table and picked up everything. Funny enough, I managed to get home using public transportation (the metro) and no one looked at me weird or with a disapproving eye. I take that as a good sign.

Yes, if you're wondering this Repub girl is pretty much stuck (and have been for several months now) on Fred. I find him to be a pretty straight forward guy who markets himself as ... well.... himself. Right now, that makes me happy. And yes, I read that he had issues with seeing the Butterheads at the MN State Fair. I'm okay with that. It is odd. Unique - but odd nonetheless.

So go Fred. I hope you do well on the trail!

I am the food industry.

Not to brag...but it's true. In what I deal with, I get to be involved with the entire food industry. Even with some creative markets...err..marketeers.

For example - Bass Pro Shop's gravy. It has whey in it. Whey is what I sell; therefore I am a part of the gravy AND Bass Pro Shop worlds. Exciting, no?!



Next is confectionary. I love it. Really....I work in dairy and most confectionary uses some form of dairy products. Even the really sweet ones (e.g. truffles).



Oh and didn't you know? I dabble in the dog food industry. Sadly, it's a very lucrative business.


And finally, one of my favorite industry's to be involved in - SNACKS!



In all reality, dairy is involved in more than that (e.g. processed meat, sports nutrition, clinical nutrition, etc); I'm just showing off some of my crazy/favorite ones.

Soon I'll be moving on to more than marketing the products. I will be doing full-flegged selling of a specific product to those markets and people. What out, cause whey is coming your way, courtesy of me.

My Life - Chapter Four

I guess Chapter Four of my life will be starting soon. I don't know if people think it's normal to say it like that but for some reason that's the only way I can deal with the past and present. I may be a tad odd for the fact that I've always loved where I am but yet think/believe there are greener pastures on the other side. Yet, when I get to that other side I miss the other. There are moments when I miss them and then other times when they seem like ages ago and you no longer fit that.

Ages 1-20 of my life (i.e. Chapter One) was pretty stream-lined with the same thoughts, problems, values and desires...as little safety net of my life. But then it changed dramatically when I brought a group of people and activities into my life. Chapter Two only lasted for a few years...the majority of my college years. It was a good blur of fun, academics and learning a lot about who I really was. Next was Chapter Three.

The life I'm currently living.

It's very different from Chapter One. When I look back One, it seems so foreign. I barely remember it. I know there were a lot of great times but plenty of ones that just made me itch for change. Chapter Three is very much a fantasy. I live in a bubble world. Reality is far from the norm. My life is surrounded by people and things are 'important', materialistic and 'idealistic'. Not saying these are bad people but more like your super people. Ones that are not your norm old joys you'll meet on the street. So many of them are wonderful and so special to me, I couldn't imagine life without them.

I guess I would say 80% of the times I love my currently setting but I know it won't last forever. It's that 20%, which has been nagging me so much that I've started looking for new jobs in other locations.

So here it is. Looks like I will be starting a Chapter Four quite soon. I have been offered a job....a great job with great opportunities to grow and expand my horizons. As excited as I am, I find myself just as nervous. First of all it's in Philly. A large (VERY LARGE) city that I know little about (basically anything to do with Rocky and that's about it). Secondly, the job is different. As in, I'll be working in the for-profit work...the private industry. I will have commission. My new five most said words will include: clients, sales, pricing, quota and commission.

So yes, I will be doing it again. Ending my current job, packing, moving, unpacking, awkards meetings, making new friends and establishing a sense of community again in yet another new place.