Rachel's Reflections

The following was part of our company (Karpen Steel) e-news letter that I thought I would share with everyone. I also used it for our company luncheon with a few ad-libs, edits and so forth. (FYI, last year my theme was traditions). 

2010 has been a year for reflecting and figuring out new ways to look at my daily life both at work and at home. A lot of these changes were based on outside influences, things I had no direct way of controlling. How I chose to deal with these changes has been through various means, some of which I have learned in my Yoga classes.

For instance, our instructors teach us to focus on the here and now and not worrying about what comes next. So, when we are doing a specific exercise, the idea is to work hard to master that exercise to the best of our own personal ability, not to compare ourselves to the person next to us, but to try our best and persevere. Perseverance is not about working ourselves so hard that we collapse unable to do the next exercise. It is working hard and stretching ourselves to continually improve. I have also learned perseverance through another exercise class, which is an intense workout. I have seen some people unable to finish the workout because they started out too hard too soon, without building up their stamina, instead of setting realistic goals for each session.

How does this apply to work? I have learned not to worry about the future (plan and persevere, yes), to work my hardest every single day, and to make sure that the company produces the best quality product every single day. I have also learned that when things get the best of me, to retreat to my office and take big deep "yoga breaths" or go outside and get some fresh air and regroup. I will be the first to admit that I don't always do this soon enough, but life and self-improvement is a journey.

Part of living in the moment is also pausing to reflect on my surroundings and to appreciate the people in my life, especially my husband. One day we stopped a class for a few moments to appreciate the sunset, which was beautiful, and which will never be the same again. Likewise, I am learning to take some time off, to travel, to take long walks building up to short hikes, to taste really good wine made in North Carolina and so forth.

Let this year's holidays create memories you will long cherish, and may 2011 allow you to improve your present abilities, to learn new skills and to relish the joys of everyday life.

President

Greetings of the Season

Rachel’s dog, Panda, wishes you all happy holidays on behalf of all of us at Team Karpen Steel.

Veterinarians

One of our dogs, Panda, needed to have some surgery today at the vets. She had her teeth cleaned and she had a growth on her ear removed. We scheduled both for the same day so that should would only have one traumatic day. But it was 2 different vets at the animal hospital that did the surgery.

What has always amazed and amused me about the Animal Hospital of North Asheville is how awesome they
are and how much they check up on you. I always wished that our pediatrician had been as in touch with us. First we had a check in appointment today where everything was thoroughly explained to me. Then when Panda was in surgery, we had phone calls from each of the doctors, and one after she went into recovery. And, they were very thorough with written instructions on how to care with her tonight besides verbally reviewing everything with us.

And, I know that during the next few days they will call us at least 2 more times to check in with Panda (or more). Based on past history with this group, you never feel neglected and they are always available to answer questions or concerns.

So, why when I need to talk to my regular physician is it so hard to get someone to return a call? Or to check up on us afterwards, or to see if we need more information. I think one big thing is that with animals who can't express themselves in words, they want to make sure we know what to expect. And customer service is paramount, when everything that is done for them is really "elective". We don't typically have insurance for dogs, and they want us to be satisfied and wanting to come back to their practice. In fact, one of the other vets stopped by to chat with me for a few minutes while I was in the waiting room and I got a chance to ask her about the med dosage for my other dog.

So, this is really a thank you to the awesome care that my dogs receive at the animal hospital, and to let everyone know that great customer service makes a difference in everything that all of us do!

Changes

What I hate being an owner of a small company, is trying to make changes. Not just the thought of what people will accept, but having to keep so much of the work "quiet" until it is time for an announcement. I guess that this is not true just about changes, but also about fun projects (like the T-shirts we did a couple of months ago), or the Holiday presents that just arrived and are stashed away.

I think it is the secrecy that is hard to deal with. So, my research, or my plans, or my thoughts can only be shared with 1 or at the most 2 other people. On small things, this is fairly easy, but on larger projects it gets harder. Whether the changes are big and awesome and good, or the changes are thing we wish didn't have to happen it takes its toll on me until it is implemented and rolling along.

I guess this is why outside management consultants manage to stay in business. They become a confidant outside of the organization. But, who can afford that luxury in these times? And, I can't talk with my husband about some of the things on my mind ( because he also works at the same company), and I can't talk with my immediate family members (like my mom or brother), so I talk to myself. The best thing is, I usually agree with myself.

One fun change that is now implemented is the fact that Dana and I are now taking a 1/2 day off every week for US. Not to do laundry or grocery shopping, but to explore, hike, walk, talk, eat out and have fun. This past week we went to downtown Asheville to Lexington Avenue Brewery. We both had a flight of 6 beers, really good food to eat, and then walked around down town for quite a while. Before heading out we stopped at a used book store where I had credit. We are planning on doing this at least through the spring.

The economic situation has caused all of us to have changes at work and at home. Change is not all bad, it can be good and I plan on continuing to enjoy the challenges ahead.

New Computer

Computers are supposed to make our life easier -- right? Wrong!!

 I have an 8 year old desktop computer at home, and finally upgraded to a fairly high end laptop. So, unlike my $300 (which was actually free) laptop which I had decided to basically use for travel, I decided to load everything onto this one.

Problem number one -- trying to get my ipod to synch and move my songs to the new computer. I got so far and then got stuck -- didn't help that the instructions were written for both a mac and a windows computer -- interspersing the two. Finally got my dear husband to help me with it and he approached in a different manor, and finally done.

It was a little easier to move Quicken that I use for personal finances, I bought an upgraded copy and the move went fairly easy last week. The biggest problem was setting up a disk (formatting) to do the backups.

The hardest part, was moving my contacts. I am one of those few homeowners that was still using Outlook. So, first I went through and deleted about 100 contacts that were obsolete. And, I had created a gmail account that all my charter e-mail goes to. But, to actually move the contacts, also involved my dear husbands help. But, the good news -- I can now easily contact all my friends and relatives when I am traveling, as prior to this my only cloud e-mail account was my work account. Yeah, I have moved up in the world.

I have a couple of things left to do such as backing up photos and word docs and figuring out which if any saved e-mails I want to print, or move their "important" information into my new world.


You will be happy to know I did manage to set up my new wi-fi printer all by myself, although I haven't quite learned all the ins and outs. For instance, I can print to it from anywhere as it has its own e-mail address. Hmmmm. printer seems smarter than me.

So, I am happy, have started to clean up my disaster of an office, and I know how reasonably fast internet access from anywhere in my house!!

PS -- I am trying to figure out the concept of ecologically sound. For instance, the cords for the printer were packed in a nice reusable nylon case -- and they made a big point of it being reusable -- but the cords were still also packed in plastic bags. Ditto for the printer -- in a really nice nylon bag, but it was surrounded in the box with Styrofoam. Go figure!

Chicago

Growing up, the only business trips I remember my dad taking were to Chicago. Later learned that they were for visits to UL for fire testing of doors. Only recently however, I figured out that he never went to downtown Chicago, but to the outskirts in a different direction. (Which may be why my presents were always from the airport).


When I joined Karpen Steel in 1986, my first business trip was to Chicago for the annual Door and Hardware trade show, with my dad. It was Karpen Steel's first time exhibiting at the show. It was windy, rainy, and not a nice introduction to the city. Now, it turns out I go to Chicago 1 to 2 times a year for meetings and so forth, and I have grown to love the city. The city of today is so much nicer than it was 25 years ago. Great restaurants, friendly staffs, and so forth. So, now I present to you just a few pictures of my most recent trip to Chicago (and third time there for the door and hardware show).

This was taken from Navy Pier where the convention was held.

This was the original entrance into the Palmer House Hotel - no longer used.

 

 

If you know who these look a likes are, you watch professional football. And, if you don't, you won't care.

Making a presentation during one of the educational sessions.

Karpen Steel trade show booth. It plays off of our advertising. We like to keep it clean, and bright.

Putting Life in Perspective

It is October 2nd and I just came out of the swimming pool. Life is good. Hard to believe it was warm enough to swim, but I truly think this will be our last weekend of swimming. Can't remember the last time we swum in October. Just before that we were at Vino Vino for a Saturday wine tasting, and tonight we are going to a friends house for a party.

Last week I was in Chicago for an industry trade show. It sure was hard to keep my perspective as our first major speaker was on how bad the economy is (and the title of the session was Forum for the Future). We knew it was bad because our lunch was a little skimpy. But, I was bound and determined not to talk about the economy while working on drumming up business for my company.




People that are closer to my age (or older) at the show understood my comments about, OK, so work isn't as busy as it should be... so more time for my husband, for Yoga classes, for cooking, and travel. We have a long weekend planned to the wine country in NC, which has really come into its own in the past few years. And, the good news is, I very rarely work a Saturday anymore. And, next week we are taking a half day off to go to the Biltmore Estate (they have a new area with a tavern that we want to check out).

So, putting life in perspective has been a good thing for me. I am working on a jigsaw puzzle, and not feeling nearly so stressed about quantity of work to do in a day. Someday soon I would like to be so busy that we all have to work on a Saturday. But, for now, we celebrate life.

I wanted to post some Chicago photos -- I have some great pictures, but am in the progress of changing computers, and just haven't had time to download them etc. But the weather was awesome. One day we walked about 50 minutes to a place for deep dish pizza. Sure, we could have gotten a cab or a bus, but the only way I think to see a city in on foot - and we had time.

I also bought a second T-Shirt with the saying "Optimistic by Nature". Now, many of you may not believe that about me, but truly I am. I look at all the possibilities, but I don't fret and worry. I act, and I act on my optimism. I ordered T-Shirts recently for everyone at work that say "Proudly Made in Weaverville NC". A real pessimist would have not spent the money, but I know that employee morale needs to be kept up during these rough times, and everyone loves a new company t-shirt.

I just wish I could put some energy into cleaning up my home office. It is almost hopeless - I let it get really bad during the times I was swamped at work and with home stuff. Now I don't know where to begin. But, if it is a sunny day, I'd rather be swimming, and walking, or sitting outside on the deck with a book.

It may seem like I am rambling but it is where I am at right now. Calm, fairly cool, working to better my life in a fun way, and taking time to enjoy whatever life throws at me. And, keeping up with my friends, some of whom I really need to have lunch with again.

Food - Organically Grown, A night on the farm

This summer we have done a CSA 1/2 share. For those of you that are not familiar with this -- it is Community Supported Agriculture. We pay for our vegetables from a farmer during the winter, giving the farmer a chance to get their seedlings started and so forth with a guaranteed amount of money. Then, each week during the summer we got a box of wonderfully fresh, organically grown vegetables. Let me tell you this was an experience! We learned to cook every green imaginable (Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, and more), as well as lots of japanese veggies like endamame, bok choy, and others that we love, along with the traditional carrots and potatoes and tomatoes. As much as I loved all the food, we had a problem with an old refrigerator that kept freezing my greens if I didn't use them right away (now replaced with a new one), and when we traveled we had to find someone else to use our share.

Paul Littman is an awesome farmer and marketer. He knows how to talk about his vegetables, and to put them out in extremely attractive arrangements (nicer than a lot of the tail gate farmers). This was his first really big year of doing the CSA shares, and last night we went to a pot luck dinner at the farm. It was awesome. They had music, and food, a beautiful night, and farm tours. Have you ever seen shitake mushrooms growing on oak logs? And be told that it takes over a year to get a log to produce for the first time? And then learn all sorts of organic and sustainable ways to farm? Paul is a great educator, giving us lots of information without boring us. Although I might not do a CSA share next year, he will continue to be my tailgate farmer of choice. We saw some people we knew at the farm, and met lots of new people. I definitely want to get to know the person better who brought about 10 loaves of hot out of the oven fresh baked rustic breads! And Paul's wife Anna made some awesome eggplant lasagna (no noodles) with fresh tomato's and eggplant.

I had forgotten what fun an informal gathering like this can be. We stayed until the last light leaving with just enough light to walk back through the field down to our car. And we left with big smiles on our faces.

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago. I am almost all packed, just a few last minute things to throw into the suitcase. And, another friend will get my CSA share this week.

How I Spent my Summer Vacation - Part 2

After the time in Maine, we came home for a fast couple of weeks, unpacked, and then repacked for our planned long vacation to Utah and Nevada. The original itinerary was 8 nights away from home, the final itinerary, 10 nights away from home. We tacked on an extra night in Las Vegas to see a show that was "dark" on our planned 2 nights there, and then tacked on a night on Charlotte, NC to go to a Comic Con. But, I think I am getting ahead of myself.

Quite a few years ago, we did Bryce Nation Park, North Rim of Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park as a long family vacation. Adam kept asking that we repeat this vacation, but add in Las Vegas for shows. So, we dropped North Rim of Grand Canyon, and made our plans 11 months before the planned trip. We like to stay at the National Park Lodges, and those fill up quickly.

First Stop: Bryce National Park. This is not one of the more well known parks. Most people say, have you been to Arches? No, not been to Arches, but would return to Bryce in a heartbeat. Of all the 3 parks that I've mentioned, our favorite for trails, for view, for less crowds and so forth. Only negative, not many places to eat (choice of Ruby's just outside the park) or the National Park Lodge (good food, a bit pricey).

I had worked hard over the winter to get ready for a hiking trip. Treadmill, bike, zumba, yoga and more. I wanted to build stamina and some muscles. And it worked. We hiked about 5 miles each day and although it was still tough, it wasn't out of my ability. At Bryce you hike down first into the canyon, and then go back up at the end.

Our cabin at Bryce. Complete with resident mice. We stopped at the store to pick up food supplies for picnics and bought a big plastic container to put them into. Last time here we shared our food with the mice. This time, no sharing.

At the edge of the canyon, all ready to go for a hike. It took an extra suitcase for all of our gear.

A Hoodoo

National Park Lodge at Bryce

We saw a lot of deer both at Bryce and at Zion. 

At night we would play card games back at the cabin after sunset. We watched the sunset from the rim of the canyon each night. Very peaceful, very beautiful and typically a bit on the cool side. Then we would go back to our cabin and play card games or read books. No internet access which was awesome. My plans to download pictures and write each night didn't happen either -- too tired from hiking. But what a nice tired.

I forgot how long it takes to upload pictures into blogger. So, I am going to post this part of the trip, and then work on the next park - Zion.

What Happened This Summer?

I cannot believe that I have not blogged since May. I guess it was because my summer started off so strange, and then with my dear son home from school, the evenings were filled with watching movies, and playing games, and some how now it is past labor day. So, as my New Years Resolution I am back to blogging (faithfully I hope). There is so much to write about, but I will start with one major event at a time and hopefully also post some pictures.

Well, right after college got out, we headed up to Maine for the burial of my father in law. Yes, he passed away during the winter, but in Maine they don't bury until the ground has thawed out. We coincided the date of his burial with his birthday. The best part of the trip was seeing all of my husband's family, whom I hadn't seen for quite a few years. We rented a big van, drove around the coast of Maine, ate and drank, and talked and reminisced.

What was really hard for us, is that my father in law and husband used to talk every Sunday evening at about the same time. So, for months I planned our eating and so forth not to coincide with the normal phone call time, even though we knew no call would come. Force of habit.

So, here are a few photos from the trip

Yes, this is a 1500 pound chocolate moose! What a tourist attraction -- in the back of a really nice candy shop.

My brother in law - walking around ruins of an old building on the coast.

Pizza had to come from Pat's. We worked at the original one during our first year of marriage while going to school full time. What memories. There are definitely better pizzas out there, but none that evoke the feelings of seeing a Pats Pizza Box (and we still knew the old prices from way back when!)

Two brothers and a sister.

My favorite picture from the trip. Lighthouse in South Portland, ME

In Memory.

The Aches and Pains of Getting Old

Yesterday, I was sitting at my desk at work and I got a shooting pain in my leg. Turns out it was a shin splint but I don't know why or how I got it. I usually know (too much walking on pavement at Disney), or whatever. But, the only thing I can figure is something I did at Pilates Thursday night. Argh! Very frustrating, I ended up not doing my Zumba class, iced it quite a few times throughout the day and night and today it is mostly better.

This morning, my husband woke up with an excruciating painful back problem. He has been seeing both his chiropractor and massage therapist regarding this problem, but for some reason it took a turn for the worse. So, here I am at work on a Saturday working with my nephew who is also our IT person as he does computer upgrades, maintenance, and stuff I don't full understand. So, by the end of the day I will have a really clean desk (or at least part of it) because I don't have any work work I really need to do today. Now, if only I could train my dogs to do the loads of laundry that are waiting for me at home.

What is so frustrating, is that we will be leaving on a vacation soon to go out to Bryce and Zion parks to do some hiking, and then to Las Vegas (where we will also walk a lot) and to see some shows. And we will need to keep up with our 21 year old son who doesn't have all the aches and pains of getting old. I am glad we waited til we were a bit older to have a child, but as we get older it is harder to keep up with him.

My mom is almost 90 and still living alone at her home. I see things that lead me to believe that she too is getting old (I guess at her age she has the right to be getting old). She has trouble with her manual dexterity due to arthritis in her fingers (if this is hereditary I too will probably get like that as my grandmother also had arthritis problems). She is still active, and she is still driving, and she is planning a big birthday bash for this summer.

So, I see more and more the importance of keeping up with my Yoga, strength training, and so forth. And my diet has become much healthier in the past few years. I hope it all pays off and although I have aches and pains, I want to be living in our own place when we are 90.

Obama in Asheville

President Obama is in Asheville. So how does this affect me? Well for Admin Professional Week I took the two women from my office in to downtown Asheville to paint pottery and for lunch. Well, we literally could NOT get out of town after lunch. All the expressways were blocked because of Obama. We figured out, OK, we would take the river road home. Nope. Obama and his wife decided to eat at 12 Bones (Ribs) where they had gotten food from during the campaign stop here 2 years ago. That was my root down to the river. So, decided to go through Biltmore village, nope, bridge construction. Finally headed south, hit the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and made the 12 minute drive from Asheville to Weaverville in about 50 minutes! Thank goodness I didn't run out of gas, as I started out with a quarter tank.

People are taking the long routes home to get home from work, and parents are having trouble picking up their kids from school. What a mess!

Anyways, the pottery painting was fun! The lunch (brick oven fired pizzas) was delicious. Can't wait to go back and pick up the pottery after it has been fired. Should be ready in about a week.

Computer Updates

I hate computer updates. I have two computers I use at home. An older one that I mostly use for keeping track of my finances, and doing my email because I have been too lazy to move it over, and a newer laptop. And, they both demanded updates tonight that needed to reboot my computer. They are running on different windows operating systems. I understand we want things better, faster, brighter, and so forth, but it just burns me up. I am all ready to do something or other on my computer... and it says update me, update me, you didn't really want to do anything else!!

Oh well, now I am tired, but they are both updated. Maybe tomorrow they won't need anything from me and we will get along better. Oh, and of course, laptops always decide on needing updates when you are in the airport, with only a limited amount of time and or battery life. But, I have learned to check for as many updates as possible before a trip (if I have time in between packing, paying bills, watering plants, and leaving instructions for the dog sitter).

Tailgate Market / Weaverville

The Weaverville Tailgate market opens today. Hooray!! I have pre-ordered my fish, because otherwise at 5;30 they are almost all sold out. Hoping for some baked goods, and some spring lettuce for a salad. Starting in May I will be getting a half share from a local farm. Can't wait to see what all he brings this year, and his produce was by and far the best that I had from the vendors last year. If you'd like to see more information about the local market in Weaverville check out their web site: http://weavervilletailgate.org/ . What is nice, is that it gives me something to look forward to in mid-week. And I need some more "Rainbow Jam" as we just ran out of our last jar (I bought extra at the last fall tailgate to last me through the winter). The matzoh at passover finished it off.

No More Broken Bones

About 2 1/2 years ago, I twisted my foot at work, and then high excruciating pain only to find out the next day that I had broken my foot. After having it in a walking cast and so forth I asked the bone doctor, well, based on my age (young 50's) and a history in my family (mom and grandmother) of osteoporosis, could you test me for it? His answer, no.He was only a doctor to fix a problem, not prevent future ones. So, went to my regular doctor, got bone density screening found out I did indeed have osteoporosis and went on a regimen to turn it back for the past 2 years. Since you can only have the test every two years I had to wait to see if all of this would do any good.

GOOD NEWS. I got my second bone density screening a few weeks ago and the osteoporosis is gone! Between weight bearing exercise, medicine, increased calcium, and change of diet (less sodas) I was able to regain my bone density. Yeah!! I still need to keep it up -- so I don't go back to where I was. Doesn't mean I won't break another bone, but if I do, it shouldn't be so easy to do. I am proud of myself for sticking to the regimen and making new habits for myself. And good news is always worth sharing.

Toothache

This past few weeks I have been feeling kind of drug out and wore out. Went to the dentist for a cleaning, and mentioned that I'd been having a bit of a toothache. Well, he sent me to a specialist (since it was in an area where I had a root canal done) and she did all of her tests. Problem was, that she couldn't pin point it to one tooth, each test came up with a different tooth. So, she concluded it was a sinus infection! Turns out that the roots go into the sinus cavity. So, now I am on an antibiotic and feeling quite a bit better all around. Did a Zumba class last night, and still had a little energy left over. I am so glad that I mentioned this to my dentist. It makes sense, we have everything blooming here and budding out. Daffodils, forsythia and more. Yeah!! We finally have spring which also makes me very happy.

In Memory and Sharing Memories

Today is a very reflective day for me. This is the anniversary of my father's passing. This is the month that my mother-in-law passed away many years ago, and this week on Monday my father-in-law passed away. (He was 91 1/2 years old). All of the emotions have me on a roller coaster ride of thoughts. My husband has to travel up to Maine for the memorial service, and I can't go along because our son is home for the winter break (and winter it is, we had 8" of snow yesterday). I also couldn't go to his mother's service as child care was an issue back then. And, then in the summer he will go back for the burial. There is so much he is dealing with, and then I keep remembering my dad and his dad.

On a lighter note, today at work we are sharing memories with a large anniversary celebration for some employees. 2-employees have hit their 20-year anniversary with the company, and 1-employee has hit his 10-year anniversary. With 29 employees total, we now have 6-active employees with 20 years service. So, we will tell stores, share memories, eat a wonderful meal, and eat from 3-different cakes.

My mom was working yesterday on wording for some save the date cards for her 90th birthday. She put on it no gifts. I added, bring memories and stories to share. For people live in the hearts of those that remember them, and the stories will include people that are no longer with us, and the stories will make sure that her stories become part of us. As will the stories that we tell today at our luncheon, as will the stories that my husband and his brother and sister will share this weekend up in Maine.

Memories also puts into perspective what is important in life. Living, Loving, Sharing, Laughing and Caring for others.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

How long has it been since you watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? For me it has been about 15 years or so. So, when our son suggested we watch it last night, it was sure, why not. The singing voice for Snow White is definitely old style, but the animation, look at it carefully, is absolutely awesome. Remember, this was released in 1937 and was all hand drawn. No computers, No Copiers, No Scanners. All by hand. We have lost so much craftsmanship through the years (compare buildings from 100 years ago and all the ornate artwork to the block square buildings of today). Anyways, he is going through a book of 1000 movies you need to see in your lifetime, and although he has been working on it for a few years, the 1930s have a huge section in the book. I know we are watching another one tonight.

So, on the next cold, snowy, night and you are bored with reality TV, and want a fun movie to watch, either pull Snow White off of your shelf, or go down to the nearest video rental place. You will be glad you did. I know I was.

 

How's Work?

When I am not at work, I like to think that there is more to me than my work self. I have a lot of interests and different hobbies. Yes, I read business magazines and newspapers at home, but they help to round out my knowledge on so many different topics. Like the wonderful wine column in the Wall Street Journal, or articles about having a personal life while running a business in Inc Magazine. So, why is How's Work the topic of this blog? Because I have a brother (yes dear readers, if you know my family you know who it is) and his first question when he calls is hows work? It is because he doesn't know anything else to ask. But, in my eyes, it is nosy, impersonal, and not what I want to discuss at 9:00 at night when I am spending time with my family and winding down after a long day at work. I know that he means well, but it still gets me mad. It isn't just because of the fact that the last year and a half have been tough to be a business person in this country, and because I am under a lot of stress to keep the company running smoothly.

You know I realize that at any social function (not work related) it is really not a good question to ask. If you want to ask about work, ask specific questions that show you care. Such as how are your employees doing personally with short work weeks? How are you enjoying not having to work on Saturdays since business is slow and so forth.

For now, I will just say work is fine. My employees have been very loyal to the company. We are all working hard to weather not just the snow but the continued recession and lack of sales. We will pull through.

For fun, I am watching the Olympics. I taped the ice skating pairs last night and the Chinese are now ice skating, it is just incredible to watch!

Snow and more Snow

I am trying to remember why I moved south. Oh yes, now I know... the weather in New England was getting the best of me. And this winter reminds me why snow in New England is better than snow in the south. New England states actually have snow plows! And, people have snow tires on their cars or drive with chains, or stay home if they don't. Individuals own snow shovels to clear side walks, and driveways instead of just waiting until the snow melts away.

I love snow when it covers the brown grass and leafless trees and makes everything a winter wonderland. I don't like having to cover for all the employees that can't get into work (we sell all over the country, so we can't shut down our offices.) I love playing in the snow. But I am in the "south". We are not supposed to have as much snow as we have gotten this winter, and we are not done yet! Can you tell? I have cabin fever. I feel confined. And, I see it is lightly snowing again... this is Sunday... I should enjoy it... but all I can think about is, who won't come to work tomorrow?

Anyways, tonight is the Super Bowl. I an enthralled by the big commercials that come out during this event. I like both teams that are playing, so either one that wins will be OK with me.

The local yoga studio keeps shutting down every time there is just a little snow on the ground. So, I'll go to the class at the YMCA this afternoon (hopefully). The Y class is good, but there are 50 people in it... no personal attention. The class at the local studio usually has around 6 people. Either way will be good for my body.

There is a children's rhyme that is rain rain go away come again some other day. I think we need one for snow. (PS... there is good news. We don't have a drought any more in NC, now we have flooding!)

I am amazed

It is amazing at the Grainger convention I am out. There are 4500 people (about) including all the vendors, sales rep and customers (which is my category). Tonight's entertainment -- a bus ride to Epcot, and one whole side of Future World was shut down to everyone but us. We had dinner, rides to ourselves, free booze, popcorn, and ice cream and a band. After the real Walt Disney World Guests left, we got the run of the other side of future world with another band. And then at 11:45 pm our very own fireworks show (Illuminations). Rough estimate of cost for the events $1 million dollars, by the time they ran charter buses to and fro Epcot, the food, and everything. It was pretty awesome going on a ride with typically an hour (or more wait) and only waiting for about 20 minutes. We did Soaring, Finding Nemo (no wait) Mission Space (no wait), and Eric did Test Track (short wait), which I opted out of at the last minute. Now it is 1:00 am, and I am too wound up to crawl into bed. Tomorrow we have more seminars, more trade show, and then head back home. So, I guess I better get at least a little shut eye.

Dreaming

I realized looking at my blog profile that dreaming has not been written about much by me. So, what do I dream of doing? Not working. Doesn't mean I won't work, but it would be part-time somewhere fun where I do not have management responsibilities. I love traveling and planning trips and making the arrangements and then going and doing (even when I end up cold or hot or wet). I love taking photos. I love working on large Lego sets (right now building a 3300 piece Lego carousel). I love theater and movies and live performances. As much as I love helping the customers at our company and knowing them as people, I want to not worry about how much in sales we have booked, or whether everyone is doing their job, or how we can cut costs. I want to greet people at a theme park, make sure they have a good time, and then go home at night with no worries, so that I can dream the dreams of a good nights sleep.I want to spend more time cooking really good meals, not necessarily fancy meals, but good food. Watching the food network both inspires me and frustrates me. I want time to try out their recipes and improve my cooking skills, and have time to bake.

I dream of having a life that does not involve getting up at 5:30 in the morning going to work and coming home at 5:30 at night exhausted. There is more to life than this. Yes, with our new financial planner, and with working on adding to our investments every month, I hope to fulfill this dream in about 5 years. Until then, it will be bits and pieces of the dream that I have time to live. Cooking, and traveling, and laughing with my family.

Do you have a dream? What is it? Feel free to share your dreams. I'd love to hear about them.

Exhausted and Cold

You wonder where I have been? Cold and Exhausted.

Right after the New Year, our family headed to Disney World for some vacation time, and sun and warmth. Well, we went right into record lows for Orlando. Highs of 45 during the day, and lows around 30 at night. Yes we had some clothing, but we were figuring on 60 degree days, and 50 degrees at night (normal January weather). So, I went around with a short sleeved shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a lightweight fleece jacket and a heavier jacket. With 2 hoodies, and a hat I manged to stay reasonable, but not warm. To top it off, the heating unit in our hotel room wasn't working properly, and we didn't get it fixed til the next to last day. Brrrrrr. It was still a fun trip, but the cold really took it out of me.

Then, we get back to NC, and here we are also having record cold days. Lows of about 8 degrees, and highs in the low 30s. But yesterday it was almost 45 in the afternoon, and it felt balmy.

But, here I am back at work, feeling exhausted from the cold, and I didn't get my needed Florida sunshine. But wait, I am going back to Orlando on Sunday for a trade show and it is supposed to be warm and sunny! This is an odd show, Grainger is paying all of our expenses, hotel, plane, food, drink, etc for us to show up to a large trade show about the products that they carry, and go to some of their seminars. No strings attached, except that they hope that we will start buying more from them. I think that there will be about 1000 people in attendance. We even get 4 hours at night at one of the Disney Theme Parks (after hours).

Back to the exhaustion. I haven't been going to my normal exercise club, because I am bored of the one thing that they offer, a circuit. No classes, no cardio equipment and their HVAC system needs to be fixed. Which means if I go, then I have to change clothes in really cold dressing rooms, and the bathroom also is frigid cold. So, my energy level is low and not exercising isn't helping. So, last night I left work early and checked out the new YMCA facility just 4.5 miles from work. For only $12 a month more I get: Classes (Yoga, Zuma, Cycle Spin), Saturday and Sunday Hours, Real Locker Rooms with Showers, and lots of equipment. And, til Jan 31st Sign Up is Free! So, as soon as I get back from Orlando, I am going to sign up and then cancel my other membership.

I took lots of pictures on vacation, but have been too tired to go through. But, I need to do it ASAP, maybe I'll work on some of them on my laptop on the next trip.