magnifying glass v. airplane window

yesterday was a magnifying glass view of my life… As I babysat last night and headed home I reflected on my day/week. When I look at my life through an airplane window view I am pleased... content. I live near people that love life and enrich mine. I work two jobs that challenge me in different ways while broadening skills. I cook several meals a week, listen to good music and have access to good beer. Reminder to be in the airplane more and look through the magnifying glass in healthy portions. My mom always says to embrace your emotions, whatever they may be, but remember to not hold on too long.

2 least favorite words: "business attire"

My mind is full. My bank account is overdrawn. Somewhere in there my emotions were tapped and I cried. I jokingly drop the “I just wanna be held” card, but its true. I-just-want-to-be-held. I'm babysitting tonight so maybe I'll be the one doing the holding... still therapeutic somehow I guess.
Endurance. Mental stamina. These are things I’m working on. I remember looking at the gymnasium wall in 4^th grade PE class. We were learning words like “endurance” in relation to our Jumpathon in which I earned a striped jump rope with purple handles. Today, endurance looks like networking as though I am already connected and preparing for a career as though I don’t need one, having the peace of mind to endure the cruddy parts (bounced checks and a borrowed business suit) and repeating "this too shall pass" as I look toward 2009.

I signed up for a sprint triathlon with calley and camille... main goal - mental stamina. Those years of little league through high school athletics provided an avenue to set and achieve goals, something I miss and look forward to with this venture.

its potty-time

You would have laughed...
I was babysitting a 4yr old and she, all duded up in tights/leotard/princess dress, looks up at me in the middle of something and says, "I have to go to the potty." She sprints up the stairs and disappears. I hear some frustrating sounds so I go upstairs, assuming she has gotten into her other 25 swimsuits/leotards/princess dresses and find her naked in the closet. I reminded her of our rule of one outfit at a time and ask her where her other outfit went to which she replies,

"I don't know."
Me: "Sevilla. Where did you take your clothes off?"
her: "I don't know."

Me: "Sevilla, take me to them... sh ow me where they are."

She walks me to the laundry room and then to the dryer (full of clean clothes) and points to her outfit. She says, "It's dirty" which I feel as I pull it out of the dryer. She then says, "ummm I didn't make it to the potty fast enough." She not only peed, but seemingly "sharted" all up in that biznass and yours truly did the honors of "ok, lets make sure we wiped good" which she hadn't and then followed her to the bathroom only to realize her underooos didn't see all the damage… the bathroom floor and rug got a piece of it too.

After cleanup you had better believe if she hinted like she was thinking of the restroom I had her tucked under my arm so fast and hauled it to the bathroom. Funny night.

chicago = best vacation of 2009

I finally caved and went for it - the New Year's trip to Chicago. I'd debated and debated but alas, I went.

This was the advertisement: 19 people in one apartment for one week. 150 people confirmed for NYE festivities. "Leah, you help scrub floors and make food for the party and we'll make sure you don't go hungry this week."

The bases were covered and the trip was way more than what was advertised. The week consisted of whirlyball at midnight, burning champagne corks to draw mustaches, brewing beer, endless darts, pool and catch-phrase, sneaking into the aquarium (my first illegal activity I think), Bulls game, human pyramid of all the "hostel #4" residents, code words, taped up feet and sleeping in various positions on all sorts of beds/couches/floors/closets, etc. The list could go on, but I will just say that my life is better after spending one week with 19 people in an apartment which happened to be at least 4 times the size of mine. A few highlights in picture-form:

a little self-incriminating, but oh well. yep, unibrow and mustache!

Tapin it up... don't worry, Rebecca left a nice note explaining his situation.

Waiting in line at the aquarium... making fish-faces!

Oh my goodness... words... there are none that would suffice.

My dear Tara

two of my besties

A great example of talent and creativity

All the ladies of Hostel #4

Mike in his snazzy sweater!

auto-flush = shamu

ps i HATE the toilets that flush automatically. Seriously, I must pee funny or something bc they always flush before I'm ready... maybe i'm too much of a multi-tasker bc I'm on the phone (with only a select few who can talk while I pee) or reading or checking my toes out while I'm peeing and then the stupid sensor goes off and whoooosh, water spurts up and freaks me out... then i have stage fright because shamu just splashed me... then I've gotta get back in the game, do my thing, and I stand up to wipe (yes, i know this is weird and I've tried the sitting method but it just doesn't work) and boom, it goes off again. Jeez, it takes more time to wipe than that (unless I speedily throw the TP in as quick as i can... but then i don't thoroughly wipe and that's just awkward) so now I've got toilet paper in a clean toilet so i have to finagle the stupid button and I've just wasted all this water. piss! Never again!

Too much information for some, but really let's just be honest, the auto-flush is awkward.

In the spirit of the auto-flusher I found this great cartoon:
I normally wouldn't share bathroom stories, but its been a long week and my mind is tired of the serious talk.

feedback

Today I realized:
When I want someone to buy into my idea I don't let them respond. I wanted very badly to be doing my work correctly so I went to a quasi-supervisor and asked for his feedback. Rather than letting him review my work and independently respond I chose to give him my overview of what I had done, telling him in a "selling" tone so he would be more inclined to agree with my conclusion of "so I'm doing it right, huh?" Of course, bc I smiled and didn't leave him much opportunity to correct me I got my desired response "Yeah, wow thats going to be helpful." In reality, which is where I have to live when I talk to my actual boss, I was not doing the project correctly... kinda close, but still had to go back over my work and adjust things. Honest feedback is important, but I have to set the table for it or I will never get it.

Places I spent the night, 2008

Stolen from Katie who stole it from Lindsey, who stole it from Bethany, who stole it from…anyway, you get the idea. Thanks KT:)

Watford, England (Williams family unit)

Clapham, South London (thank you Kristina...wink)

Rickmansworth, England

Brecon, Wales

Bentonville, AR

Siloam Springs, AR

Kansas City, MO

Las Vegas, NM

Pagosa Springs, CO

Ruidoso, NM

Denver, CO

Chugwater, WY

NYC, NY

Las Vegas, NV

Santa Fe, NM

Albuquerque, NM

Colorado Springs, CO

Chicago, IL

hmmm... and I wondered where my small paychecks went? I think Denver is going to be housing me most of 2009.