“I am who I am because of what we all are.” Ubuntu (#12)

After a hard day of selling dental widgets I have no issue walking away and totally disengaging.  When I work on things I’m passionate about, like education, there is no putting it down at the end of the day.  I walked away from KIPP Charlotte on Tuesday night so frustrated I was physically shaking.  I find working on things that impact the community I live in wholly consuming.  My foray into the land of dental widgets and work being just work has afforded me the time and emotional energy to pursue other interest and build a life in Charlotte.  Dental widget MBA programs also pay pretty well and I’m enjoying not worrying about money for the first time in my life.  The decision to work in corporate America is my big post business school experiment and the verdict is still out as to whether it has been a successful one.  The world of non-profit moves slowly and I was always left wanting more responsibility and to be more challenged.  I also wanted to be around smart, experienced professionals who I could learn from.  I am getting all of that in spades in my current role.  The looming question is whether my desire to serve and make a positive contribution to society can be fulfilled through extra-curricular activities alone or do I need to dedicate my professional career to it.  The answer, which I probably knew going into this, is that I ultimately am not going to be fulfilled working for a company who makes stuff and whose sole purpose is to make money, but until I find a sugar Daddy who will keep me in the lifestyle to which I’m accustomed and so long as I’m still learning, growing and progressing in my current role I can’t see myself making the change.

The reason I was at KIPP on Tuesday night is that I’ve been asked to sit on their development committee.  Per pupil funding is $6,000 per year versus $10,000 a year that NC public school pupils receive.  The goal of our committee is to raise enough funds to close that gap and the aim of the school is to operate at the same cost as a regular public school.  The reason I was so frustrated is there is such a lack of business savvy in the non-profit world – it was like pulling teeth to get a straight answer on what our financial gap actually is and they looked at me like an alien when I asked what the plan or series of actions are to bridge that gap.  In the non-profit world there is a real aversion to change – the committee described how they would be doing the same two events that they have done for the past three year (despite the fact that these events haven’t met the necessary financial goals) because those are the two events that they do every year.  I also find non-profits frustrating because so many people are doing things in their own time out of the goodness of their hearts that it makes it really hard to have frank conversations and say things like “your idea sucks”.  I firmly believe that we should run non-profits like businesses and that we should Executive Directors as accountable for results as we do CEO’s.  It was my first meeting so I sat back and listened and played nice, but if you know me at all you know I won’t be playing that role for very long.

KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) is network of charter schools that serves communities that are traditionally underserved and marginalized education.  They achieve above national average results and get above average percentages of children to and through college.  While in business school I had the privilege of working for the KIPP foundation marketing team in NYC and I’m so excited that I’ve found a way to reengage with my KIPP family.  I urge you to crank up the volume and watch the video below to learn more about the organization that I am so proud to be a part of:

KSS 2011 Gala Video from KIPP Foundation on Vimeo.

What does a weasel look like? (#24)

If you know me, you know I procrastinate when it comes to making big purchases.  I have needed a DVD player for over a year but am overwhelmed by the choices so haven’t bought anything.  In the spirit of embracing the list, I cancelled my contract with Sprint, handed in my two blackberries and signed up for the Verizon/i-phone 4S combo.

Things I love about my new i-phone:

• Siri
• Siri
• Siri
• Face Time
• Nike+iPod
• The ability to turn off work email with a simple slide
• Skype mobile
• Hipstamatic
• Picture/sound quality
• Internet browsing
• Siri

Things I don’t love about my new i-phone:  

• I accidentally called someone as I was reading their text aloud to my friend - awkward
• Damn auto correct
• I miss BBM
• It knows and announces where I am geographically - a real impediment to sketchiness
• I love it so deeply that I walked head first into a lamp post while texting leaving me with this unattractive bruise and a 2 day headache

I’m going to D.C. for Thanksgiving then England for Christmas so I’m not sure I’ll knock anything else off the list in 2012 – although I do plan to attend the UVA-Virginia Tech game this weekend so there is always the threat of #27.   And maybe I will set up the online dating profile over the holidays.   And I should really register to vote when I’m home.  Regardless, here is my mid-year progress report…

1. Start a blog
2. Eat lobster in Maine
3. Visit Barcelona
4. Run the Savannah, GA half marathon
5. Be debt free by 30 (hahaha)
6. Get my green card (next key date Dec 5)
7. Go to Disneyland  (Feb 2012)
8. Watch a Nascar race (Daytona Feb 2012)
9. Take my Dad to the US Masters (booked April 2012)
10. Attend a Jimmy Buffet concert
11. Register to vote by mail
12. Be elected to the board of a non-profit organization
13. Complete a mountaineering course
14. Have laser hair removal
15. Go to Bonnaroo (June 2012)
16. Big Brothers Big Sisters - 2 fun activities a month
17. Read every Man Booker Prize winner since 1982
18. Tour the White House
19. Move into a two bedroom apartment
20. Visit Joshua Tree National Park (booked March 2012)
21. Spend the day at the US Whitewater Center
22. Climb Mount Mitchell
23. Go to every museum in Charlotte
24. Buy and successfully operate an i-phone
25. Try online dating
26. See Niagara Falls
27. Streak the lawn at UVA
28. Attend every class at the YMCA gym once (20% complete)
29. Plan a 30th birthday party (in process)

Run, run, run, run, run, banana, run, run, run (#4 contd.)

A few weeks ago I ran my first half marathon in Savannah, GA and finished in 02:10:20.

I am not a natural runner and I do not find it easy.  Runners World has awesome training guides for all levels of runners  and I was amazed at how effective it was when I did follow it – adding the miles each week was a very natural easy way to run increasingly long distances.  It was truly amazing to realize that with enough work I can train my body to do pretty much anything.  I didn’t love the structure of following a schedule – I resented its rigidity and often rebelled.  I also didn’t like that all exercise had to be running – I enjoy variety and missed hiking, swimming and other exercise classes.   I had good intentions of training all the way up until the race but unfortunately life (more specifically work) got in the way.   The furthest I managed to run before the race was 8 miles so I felt extremely unprepared – I was pinning my success on the fragile hope that adrenaline would take me through the additional 6 miles that I hadn’t trained for.   The night before the race I was very nervous – the gravity of what faced me in a few short hours was weighing heavily.   My favourite good luck message was from my sister who, as ever, showed love and humor with a text that simply said “run, run, run, run, run, banana, run, run run”. After some carb loading the night before and a broken nights sleep full of super weird dreams, we were up at 5am and off to the race.

The race itself was incredible.   My eyes welled up as we set off as the reality set in that this thing I had been planning for months was actually happening and that my dear friend Nicole was there to share it with me.  There were all shapes and sizes running the race and I was particularly touched by the many people who wore shirts with the names of those they were running in memory of.  The people of Savannah, GA knocked it out of the park with the love and support they showed the runners – it was completely unexpected and overwhelming.  As we were waiting to get the bus people would let “runners get on first” and numerous strangers wished us luck.  There were local bands playing every mile, there were high school cheer squads, and there were people alongside the road with signs and cheers and high fives for the entire length of the race.  People had some pretty funny signs and my top 3 were:

• “This is long and hard so do it faster (that’s what she said)”
• “Make this race your b*tch”
• “13.1! (because 13.2 would make no sense)”

The actual running came much more easily that I had expected and I felt physically and emotionally on top form throughout.   I had set a goal of 2:30 so was ecstatic to finish in 2:10 and change.  I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink for a month leading up to the race so the first post-race beer tasted like heaven and we went on to celebrate in style with a rowdy day and night out in Savannah, GA.

Of all the wisdom that was spouted by proper runners leading up to the race this little nugget was dead on:

"Run the first part of the race with your head (slow and steady), the second part of the race with your personality (have fun and go for it) and the final part of the race with your heart (because that is the only thing that will get you through)."

You can see me finish around the 12 second mark in the grey t-shirt on the right.

Half Marathon, Savannah, GA (#4)

13.1 miles
02:10:20
Now to celebrate - apologies in advance to the citizens of Georgia.

Last minute trip to hell and back (with a 4 hour layover in Phoenix)

Let me tell you about something that wasn’t on my list!  In the past 48 hours I have flown across the country tell 60 associates that we intend to close their facility and lay them off, have been told that I have a new boss, that I will soon be in a different position, and that we are merging with another business.  I have never experienced so much change in such a short period of time.  I have got through the past few days because of a tremendous amount of support from my mentor, my “work uncles”, my team, one brilliant conversation with my Mum and wine (LOTS of wine).  Below is what I have learned from the craziest 48 hours of my professional career:

Lay-offs

·    When you are laying someone off do not dwell on the past, why the decision was made or who made it.  Help the person focus on the future.  Help them move forward.  Focus the conversation around what the next opportunity is for them.

Managing Up

·    Have an upfront conversation with your new boss about what you need to be successful and what is important to you.

·    Explicitly ask how you can help your boss be successful and achieve his goals.

Leading a Team

·    As a leader it is your job to remain POSITIVE.  During a period of change your team will be watching very closely to see how you react as it will set the tone for how they react. 

Change

·    The emotional journey of change goes something like this: anticipation, denial, shock, fear, anger, resistance, betrayal, guilt, depression, acceptance, exploration, search for solutions, develop plans, commitment, execute plans, emerge stronger.

·    You can’t control change but you can control how you react to it.  You determine the outcome. 

·    Change is an opportunity to learn, grow and develop new relationships.

·    Stay assertive, stay involved, and don’t retrench.

·    Quit taking it personally, it is not all about you.

Move stats (#19)

Hours it took to move: 24

Friends that helped: 5

Hired help: 3

Bedrooms in new apartment: 2

Friends in my new building who I can now see without getting dressed or putting on shoes: 2

Shopping trolleys stolen: 1

Altercations with old landlord over deposit: 1

Flowers rececived: 1

Overall a big win and I'm accepting applications for visitors! 

Rules were made to be broken (#17)

One of my goals is to read every Man Booker prize winner since 1982.  Lately I have been reading everything but Man Booker prize winners.  There a few factors  that have driven my recent reading habits including: books my sister has sent me, the filming of ‘The Hunger Games’ in uptown Charlotte, and books I have to read as I seem to go through book clubs like Hugh Hefner goes through girlfriends.  I will put my book reviews into three categories (serious novel, beach novel and non-fiction) and rate them out of five. 

Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen (2010)

My absolute favourite genre is big, meaty, American contemporary fiction (preferably male authors); think Tom Wolfe, Philip Roth, John Updike etc.   Freedom was right up my alley and easily earns its place next to the big guys.  It begins as a story of a seemingly normal contemporary American family, but quickly transitions into a third person narration by the unhinged protagonist, Patty.  It’s an engrossing and utterly convincing peek inside the mind of a deeply dissatisfied woman with well-developed characters.  

Overall rating 4/5 (serious novel)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)

Because I was basically reading Dostoyevsky before I learned to walk, I used to tease my little sister when she read cheesy teen novels about mystery and unrequited love.  Then one fateful day I saw “Twilight” on a flight from New York to London and thus began my love of all things teen vampire drama.  I quickly expanded my repertoire to include Twilight, Vampire Diaries and True Blood and re-read novels aimed at young adults such as “Harry Potter” –which I’ve been enjoying  more than grown-up books.  Two possible hypothesis: 1)  the quality of novels aimed at teens is higher than I anticipated; 2) my maturity peaked at 25 and I am now regressing back toward a fetal state.  This newfound appreciation for teen-lit coupled with the fact that they are filming the movie adaption in Charlotte led me to read “The Hunger Games”.  I devoured it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down, I was totally addicted.  The story line is full of suspense and draws the reader in.  The book touches on some moral and emotional issues, but these are secondary to the compelling narrative.  The only ‘dis I have is that the ending was a underwhelming and seemed rushed and disjointed.   I have since recommended the book to a number of friends who have all loved it.  I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of parts two and three of the trilogy in the mail.

Overall rating 5/5 (beach novel)

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (2008)

This book was recommended by a friend and was a rattling good summer read.  The story is an intertwining of modern day Parisian journalist and a young girl who was separated from her family in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup and deportations of Jewish families from Paris in 1942.  It’s a great page turning historical novel about some of France’s darkest days.  The book makes a powerful emotional connection to the reader but the characters are a little stereotypical.

Overall rating 3/5 (beach novel)

One Day by David Nicholls (2009)

This is a great beach novel – but not a serious read.  I think I enjoyed it more than most because the story begins at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland (where I spent three happy years), the cultural references belong to my generation, and the relationship that is the main theme of the book follows a path that I could relate to.  The book is funny, sad, and incredibly sweet.  Without giving too much away, it has a really great, totally unexpected twist.  I went to see the movie, big mistake.  I wasted two hours of my life that I will never get back. The movie was dis-jointed, confusing and didn’t do the story justice.

Overall rating 4/5 (beach novel)

Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin (2010)

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this latest installment from the “Tales of the City” series.  I am a huge Armistead Maupin fan but the last installment “Michael Tolliver Lives” was pretty bad and nowhere near as compelling as the earlier books in the series.  I enjoyed “Mary Ann in Autumn” because I have a fondest for the characters and for Maupin’s voice – but as a stand-alone book it’s pretty weak.  “Mary Ann in Autumn” is the literary equivalent of “Pirates of the Caribbean 7” and it’s time for me to stop reading them.  The first four books are just fantastic – I hardly ever re-read books but I have and will re-read these.  They  are gorgeous books that chronicle San Francisco life and are vastly superior to the Alexander McCall Smith “44 Scotland Street” series about Edinburgh life.

Overall rating 2/5 (beach novel)

We can do no great things, only small things with great love (#16)

Volunteering helps me feel connect to a place.  When I lived in San Francisco, CA the British American Business Council was a big part of my life.  Through volunteering at events I made personal and professional contacts that I still have to this day.  When I lived in Charlottesville, VA I was very absorbed in graduate school.   In an attempt to break out of the 1 mile square radius self-absorbed world I inhabited I volunteered for an annual school project called Building Goodness in April – every year they raise money to renovate 10+ homes that belong to low income families.  With two friends I led a project that built a kids playground in a trailer park.    The experience put my  ‘I don’t want to do my homework’ troubles in perspective, led me to explore beyond ‘grounds’ and get to know the city where I lived and allowed me to meet people outside of school. 

My move to Charlotte, NC last summer was one of mixed blessings.  A year on I am still not in love with Charlotte as a city (a sensation that is only compounded by visits to places like Vancouver) but I have found peace with it and built a really happy life here.  I have an amazing group of friends, love my job, love my neighborhood and seem to have some kind of adventure every weekend.

Service is important to my wellbeing – so I explored various volunteering opportunities in Charlotte.  My passion for education still pumps hot through my veins but school based tutoring programs were problematic as my work and travel schedule is so erratic.  Big Brothers Big Sisters (“BBBS”) won out as it had the most flexible schedule (spend time with your little twice a month) in a friend and mentor role.  To say the application for BBBS is thorough is an understatement; an application fee, written application, in person interview, 4 reference letters and a match interview later – I had a little sister!  My little sister is 9 (going on 21), is going into third grade for the second time and has 3 brothers.  I’m very pleased to report that my real life little sister (the one who I love more than anyone else in the whole world) has been incredibly grown-up, supportive and non-jealous about this new addition to my life. One thing has been consistent through all the volunteering I’ve done – I do it to give back but always feel like I get more out of the experience than the people I’m helping. 

Four months in my little sister and I are doing just fine.  We are still feeling each other out and testing boundaries.  She is a strong little girl and we do more “I’ll race you to the car” than “let’s braid each other’s hair”.  She can have a challenging personality and I am the second “Big Sister” she has had (the first one didn’t make it).  I have to balance getting to know her and the things 9 year olds want to do with some non-negotiables like wear a seat belt, say please and thank-you, and don’t litter.  There is so much I want to do for her like teach her to swim, improve her diet, help her pass third grade, take her an aeroplane for the first time, start talking about college etc. but for now I need to just take it easy and carry on building our friendship – Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Sometimes I really have to remind myself she is a child and I am an adult.  She has a bazillion reasons to feel angry and part of my role is to help her release some of that anger.  One of the things I’m grateful for is that I have a good relationship with her Mum.  I have made an effort to get to know her Mum, I always take ten minutes to sit and chat with her and send her pictures while her daughter and I are out and about.  This Thursday I plan to take the whole crew out for dinner using a voucher I won at work – this will be my first outing with the whole family and I’m really excited.

The experience has been a lot harder than I anticipated and during the lows I’ve felt frustrated, discouraged, scared, unprepared and inadequate.   The balance between giving her freedom while trying to keeping her safe is excruciating.  When she is in my care I see otherwise inane objects such as water, dogs, cars and humans as potential threats to her life.    An episode pretty typical of our time together was this Saturday when I took her to a Charlotte Knight’s baseball game using free tickets that BBBS gave us.  When we got to our seats she started pouting, making claims that she couldn’t see from so high up and that it wasn’t fair that I’d got us such bad tickets.  I was in no mood for that kind of behavior and I told her that some people would do anything to just be at a baseball game (kind of a stretch seeing as it was the Charlotte Knights) and instead of realizing how lucky she was she was focusing on the one bad thing – the crappy seats (in her defense they were really crappy seats!).  Then we got in a squabble because she wanted me to buy her crackerjacks but she had spent all of her money.  I was feeling pretty low on the car ride back and out of the blue she asked me how I was doing with my garage door as I’d been having some trouble with it and she had been worrying all week that I wasn’t getting in.  Heart.  Melted.  Immediately.   

The best part about having a “Little Sister” is that most of the time we have a ton of fun – she brings out a playful, silly side of me that I love.   In the past 4 months I’ve rediscovered the joy of screaming on a rollercoaster, whizzing around at a roller disco, playing sharks in the swimming pool, watching the Smurfs and laughing at my dance moves (“pleeeeeeeeeease stop dancing” I can hear her cry – haha). We typically hang out once a week and below are some of our best days together.

Cooking breakfast together is our favourite thing to do:

"The Intimidator" at Carrowinds theme park:

Baking competition - Apple pie vs. Blueberry muffins:

Tubing at Lake Norman:

Take me out to the ball game:

The whole crew at Chili's:

It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A. It is not fun to be a member of the YMCA gym. (#28)

I love working out in the evening, but with my current job I don’t normally leave work until 7ish and by that time I’m hungry (often starving).  I’m then faced with the dilemma of eating then having to work out really late and risk feeling sick or not eating and working out and feeling weak and totally distracted by hunger – so I have been choosing the couch.  The recent hiking trip to the Cascades in Washington and my upcoming half marathon has made me aware that my fitness is not where I want it to be.    For the past two weeks I have been trying a morning workout schedule that has me up at 5:30am, exercising from 6am – 7am, going home to eat breakfast and shower and arriving at work by 8:30am.  What really helps is my good friend Emily is firmly on the 5:30am workout schedule so knowing she will be there each day is super motivating.  She is more wonderful and inspirational to me than she knows.

Heading to work knowing I’ve already worked out is such a good feeling and at 5:30am and I’m too sleepy and disoriented to come up with an excuse not to exercise.  The part that’s weird is accepting that my life is now one where I go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 5:30am versus one where I go to bed at 1am and wake up at 8am.  It’s what I need to do but something about it smacks of growing old and boring.

To facilitate the new schedule I decided to move my YMCA membership from the gym close to where I work to the gym close to home.  I naïvely asked the nice young gentleman behind the desk if I could just transfer my membership at the first of the month.  With a twinkle in his eyes and a big smile he proceeded to tell me that by moving memberships I was lucky enough to access the fantastic new membership structure (he was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory “you’ve won a golden ticket” excited).  He again stressed just how awesome it was and when I looked at it all I saw was that my monthly fee was going to increase from $35 to $65.  A little bit confused and a lot bit irritated, I asked him to explain what specifically about paying an extra $30 a month was “great”.  He proceeded to tell me that the new structure was much better for everyone as your fee was based upon your income.  It all seemed so unjust and I was so mad and he just stood there judging me for creating such a scene about $30 a month when I make a six figure salary.  I felt like the YMCA was discriminating against me for working hard and making decent money.  I have worked my ass off since I was 14 years old, I currently work a 6 day, 72 hour week – why on earth should I have that held against me?  Also, last time I checked the YMCA was meant to be a gym, not the federal government – there is an elected body responsible for income redistribution and I (happily) pay my fair share of taxes – why do I have to pay them at the YMCA as well?  And, after student loan repayments (apologies YMCA that I chose to seek higher education) my disposable income is pitiful – I really resent that additional $30.  I know I’m being an obnoxious cow about this but it really got to me – time to move on to the exercise class reviews:

Cycle – J.B.

This was my first exposure to spinning and I LOVED it.  The instructor had killer tunes and the 45 minutes flew by.  I have not been on a bike in a long time so my bum was sore afterwards but all in all it was a great work out.   I like that you control your own resistance so you can manage how hard you push yourself. It’s on a Monday morning so it’s the perfect way to kick start the week.  This one makes it into the permanent rotation.

Cardio Strength – Kim

The best part about this class was the instructor – she was very motivational.  The class itself wasn’t really my thing.  There were a lot of props (balls, half balls, bands, ropes, steps, bricks, whistles etc.) and some pretty out there moves that were hard for someone as dance challenged as I am.  My biggest frustration with this class is I felt like I put more effort into trying to figure if I was doing the one legged skip-hop on the half ball correctly than working out hard.  I won’t be rushing back to this class but I will try out some others that Kim teaches.

Yoga – Dawn

I love yoga but this class was pretty weak.  There were way too many people in the room so you couldn’t stretch out fully in the poses.  The pace was very slow and I came away feeling like I had done 45 minutes of stretching in a sardine can.  I need to keep looking for a yoga teacher who is more my style.

Athletic Conditioning - Becky

There are no words to describe how awful and awesome this class is.  I literally thought I was going to throw up on more than one occasion.  What I love is the simplicity – no props – just good old fashioned sprints, push-ups, star jumps etc.– too many of them, way too fast, to the sound of someone yelling at you about how weak/slow/lazy/awful you are.  We were beat all day at work and at 5pmish Emily finally admitted defeat declaring – “Becky kicked my ass like I stole something”.  I want to go back but will only seek out Becky classes on days that I hate myself.

It's Friday!

Bachelorette* (#21)

The prospect of a gaggle of girls for 12+ hours would usually make me break out in hives, but I’m super blessed to have found the most fabulous assortment of female friends in Charlotte. They are all very different but share some common traits: adventurous, smart, beautiful, real and stupid fun to be around. I usually prefer one on one play time but I did get a kick out of bringing everyone together for our special day. We kicked things off with blueberry pancakes, bacon and mimosas.

Next up was a trip to the U.S. National Whitewater Center. I literally felt like a kid in a playground as there were fun and physical activities everywhere you looked. We started off by going flatwater kayaking – but after about 20 minutes of somewhat pathetic paddling we found a small beach and ended up swimming and hanging out for a few hours.

We gobbled down a quick bite to eat and then headed to the main event: the whitewater rafting! We sat through a brief lesson and then got in our boat. I have never done it before so I was a little apprehensive. The first run around was a mixture of funny and scary as I didn’t know what to expect. I quickly realized that the worst thing that could happen was that I’d get wet at which point I relaxed. It was so unbelievably fun I can’t even describe it. I didn’t want it to end and now I feel more comfortable I want to take it up a notch next time!

We finished the day sipping 24oz cans and watching people fall out of their boats.

We were sun soaked and tired but we all put on our rally pants for a delicious dinner at Sushi 101 where we traded “worst wedding ever” stories – those who know me well will know I won this one hands down. After dinner we went over to AB’s for some dancing and late fun. I can't believe we were not kicked out - I'll leave it at that.

The night finally ended at 3am at fuel pizza with this glorious exchange:
Pizza man: “I thought we would see you tonight – and you brought your friends!”
Me: “Uh-huh”
Pizza man: “Is this a one slice or two slice situation?”
Me: “Two slices”
Pizza man: “I think a fountain drink may be a good idea”
Me: “Thanks for looking out for me”

*[Disclaimer] No one was getting married – we just decided it would only be right to honour the awesomeness of the day by pretending we were a bachelorette party

Lady garden (#14)

I have a love hate relationship with waxing things – I love the finished product but I hate the process. Being a certified English Rose my skin is too sensitive to shave so after some rave reviews from well-groomed friends I decided to try laser hair removal. I chose a med-spa ( it’s more “spa” than “med”) that was near my office and that a friend had used and liked. I decided to do underarms and bikini as the thought of never dealing with either of those again was beyond exciting. Next followed some serious deliberating at Fuel Pizza at 3am last Saturday over the merits of a landing strip, martini glass, lightning bolt, heart shape or all-off. Conceptually I have a hard time with deliberately making yourself look like a pre-teen and the only merit I can see is having a blank canvas for vajazzling.

I settled on a very tasteful shape and went for my first session at the today. Everyone who worked there had glazed eyes, french manicures, too much lip gloss and wore scrubs which I’m amusing are intended to create a façade of medical credibility. The team of robot ladies informed me that I was a strong candidate as I have light skin and dark follicles (although I doubt they tell anyone who is about to hand over $1,000 they are a bad candidate). The actual experience was very fast and took less than 15 minutes. It felt like having a tiny a rubber band snapped at your skin and hurt a lot less than waxing. I think the most unpleasant part was the slightly burnt smell. They said it would take a few sessions as hair grows in cycles but that I should notice a difference after the first session. I will be sure to report back on the results.

I guess pain is relative - having beams of infrared light fired at my pink bits was pleasurable compared to the day that I’ve had.

Après Birthday: it's like après ski but with presents (#2)

29 is the birthday that keeps on giving. My friend Emily visits Maine every year with her family and is an obvious candidate to help me with activity #2. She brought me this back from her latest trip:

"I thought it was a perfect representation of your lobster goal, and our shared love of booze"

There were other après birthday activities at work this week. Sunday was a dark day as I'd been away from the office for several weeks and I had a heavy, nervous, and overwhelmed feeling about returning on Monday. It reminded me a lot of how I felt the night before going back to school after summer holidays. It was part apprehension (what has changed, what have I missed, will people still like me etc.) and part bone idle laziness (vacation > work).

I trudged into the office at 7am to find my door decorated, my office full of gifts, belated birthday cards, welcome back messages, a card celebrating being in my job for one year and a homemade cake from the person on my team least likely to ever bake a cake or commit an act of kindness. My team was actually happy to have me back, was telling me I was missed and know me well enough to have played some pretty funny pranks including a mousetrap in my cupboard, a vodka bottle in my desk and removing a wheel from my chair so I fell over when I sat down. It made me feel really special.