102406“I’m with CCI—Colleague Communications. I’ve been here for about 1 ½ months and I write for Epicenter and do some stuff for The Loop. I actually have two adjectives I would use to describe Marilyn and they are ‘adequately accessorized.’” “Well, I worked as a reporter for the Star Tribune right out of school, then took some time off and then found this job in mid-September.� “To be honest, I watched a lot of TV and learned how to cook, mostly from the Food Network. Oh, and I wrote a novel.� “It’s fiction. A romance novel, actually.� “Oh no, it’s not published. I’m waiting to hear back from an agent in DC. They asked to see the entire manuscript, which is a pretty big deal.� “I love it here. It’s so nice to have co-workers again. I really missed the whole environment you get from working in a big office. You know, getting to interact with other people on a daily basis. I just didn’t get that when I was writing my book. Or nannying.� “The benefits are nice, too. I can finally go to the doctor again without it costing a fortune.� “So, what do you do for Carlson?� 101906Joe and I carved pumpkins last night. We visited a nursery not far from our houses and picked through the picked-through pumpkins. I guess that’s what you get when you try to find an appropriate jack o� lantern less than two weeks before Halloween. I called my brother to see if we should get him one and to my surprise, he said yes. When asked what size, Jack replied tall. “Tall?� I asked. There was a pause on his end “Mom says Bert, not Ernie.� Well there you go. When the guts were scooped out, the designs were finalized and the knives wielded, we turned our pumpkins around for the big reveal. I opted for a classic carving (two eyes, nose and mouth with three teeth), while Joe took some creative liberties and made his with ears, a jigsaw-piece-like eye and a jagged mouth. And I thought I was the creative one! We then spent a good hour sitting in the dark with no light but that of two small candles situated behind the fleshy orange walls. I think we scared the crap out of Jesse when he came home from work. Tonight is dance lesson #2. I wonder if we’ll learn new dances or more steps to our current repertoire (fox trot, swing and waltz). Our instructor is this large guy—I’d liken him to Humpty Dumpty. Honestly, if you saw him on the street, dancing is the last thing you’d think him capable of. But when he grabs his partner and steps into the middle of the floor, he’s the most graceful person I’ve ever seen. It’s magic, really. Now if only Joe and I could dance like the fat man. 101806Today has been a crappy day at work. And even though the day isn’t over, I imagine it will continue to be crappy. First off, I had a photo shoot in the rain/snow for 45 minutes. And I was wearing a skirt and leather heels. So that means I was freezing and worrying about my shoes the entire time. Not smart. Then, on top of it, I’m having crazy “female problems� today (and no, I won’t go into detail). And I think last night’s dairy fiesta at Copper Bleu upset my digestive system, which doesn’t really explain why I’m eating the leftovers for lunch. Actually it does: I don’t have enough time to make lunch in the morning. You try waking up at 5:30 a.m. every day! Really, I just want to go home. I want to lay on the couch, wrap myself up in a blanket, turn on Food Network and just sit. Sit and get warm. And not be in my cube because it’s too grayish/purpleish and depressing. Tonight’s tentative plan is to watch “The Break Up� with Joe and carve pumpkins. I said I’d make dinner, too, but maybe I was being too ambitious. Then again, I could go for some of that Rachael Ray chili I made before. No beans. That’s the key. No beans and lots of heat. Oh, and my brother fits in there somewhere, too. Sorry Jack! I'll try to keep mushrooms out of tonight's main dish. 101306Today is the end of my fourth week at Carlson. It’s also payday. While cubicle life is an adjustment (as is no Casual Fridays), the money and the benefits make me forget about it all. Although I had to pay the remainder of my credit card bill today, which just about cut my cash intake in half. Damn. My Girl Scout co-leader’s bachelorette party is this weekend. She’s been engaged for a while, and her wedding date was always so far away that it seemed she really wasn’t getting married. But she is. And it’s happening soon (read: 8 days). I have to update our rosters for the year and she not only gets a new address, but a new last name, too. It’s weird. Life really is changing for all us twentysomethings. Pretty soon, she’ll start popping out babies—I just know it. I hope she names one after me. This cold weather is the pits. Jack and I turned on our heat the other day. I can’t bring myself to leave it above 65 degrees for fear of enormous CenterPoint bills. It actually gets rather warm, unlike that hellhole old house I lived in senior year. We kept our thermostat at 68, but it was perpetually 56 in there. I swear, if you looked close enough, you could see our dollar bills flying through the drafty windows. At least I won’t be as worried about paying large bills now. Joe and I began our beginner ballroom dance classes last night. We have three more weeks of lessons for two hours each night. In our first class, the teacher, Larry, taught us the fox trot, swing and the waltz. We even learned some basic spins to add to the dances. Now if only Joe could get the beat, we’d be in business. I try tapping it on his shoulder as we dance, but it’s to no avail. Still, we’re learning a lot. Those who have their weddings next summer, beware: we’ll be tearing up the dance floor.
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