Gonna be a long post

Wow, been quite a while since I posted here, and so much has happened in the past few weeks -- not so much in my personal life, but in general.

1. In case you didn't know, the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series! I work downtown at 18th and Walnut, just a few blocks from Broad Street. So, my boss decided that, after the large affair we hosted the week before, we deserved a "field trip" to the Phillies parade. We went with a bunch of other people from work down to Broad and Lombard, waited for about 90 minutes for 5-10 minutes of parade, and loved every minute of it! Luckily, I know how to get home using SEPTA in ways that do NOT involve regional rail, so I was able to avoid the 4-5 hour wait at the trains and took the El and a bus that dropped me off literally across the street from my apartment -- thank God!

2. The Presidential Election -- I'm not going to go into detail, but I'm very happy with the result of our election in the United States. No, I DON'T think that the day Obama takes office everything will automatically change. I DO expect that over many years some things will go in a different direction than they have been. After eight years of the current administration, I'm ready to see what someone else can do.

3. Our fundraising/visibility event was October 23 and was a huge success. Our Inspiration Award winners were all very... well... inspiring! I don't think there was a dry eye in the house and when you see people like this overcoming obstacles such as AIDS, drug addiction, mental illness, depression, job loss, and homelessness, it helps to realize that maybe you aren't as badly off as you previously thought. I know some people I'd really like to drag to one of these luncheons to show them how bad it can really get and that if these people can drag themselves out of it (with a little help from us), than we're OK.

4. Did I post my declaration here that I wasn't going away for any holidays this year? LOL, well THAT'S been blown out of the water. I'm visiting my parents over Thanksgiving and my sister is coming out from CA, too. It's a 5-6 hour drive, so mostly gas is what the expense will be. My sister has also decided that I will be visiting her over Christmas and New Year's in San Francisco! I'll be out there about 10 days. She'll be working part of that time, so I can take BART and get around that way. She offered to leave me her car to drive around, but she has a nice Acura and I'm not much of a city driver and think I'm better off navigating BART. I'd be a nervous wreck with her car, but it's nice she offered. :)

5. I still haven't found that camera cord, but (again) I really haven't been looking. I'm almost done with Skeleton Crew. If I really tried, I could have finished it by Halloween, but I was a bit headachey and didn't want to push it.

6. I now have a Facebook account. If anyone is interested in friending me, I'm Mindy Bogue. I may not friend everyone, but most of the people who read my blog have been coming here for a while and I "know" you. :)

Blah

Sorry, not in a mood for creating a title today. :)

Seems I have asthmatic bronchitis. Basically, the infection is gone but the congestion is still there, which is why my chest has felt very heavy since finishing the medication. I've also been pretty worn out because I'm not breathing well. So, I have an Advair inhaler and Ocean nasal spray, and hopefully after two weeks everything will be cleared up.

I'm so looking forward to being healthy to go to Celebration of Needlework in NH! I may buy that new Stitch-Opoly and take it with me. That could be fun. I may take a class in Hardanger, I'm not sure. I have to look at my budget for the next few months to see if I can swing it. I guess I should do that soon, before the class fills up.

My department at work is having a tough time lately. Our work is up to snuff, as usual, it's our personal lives. I've been having health issues for a few months; one of the guys has been sick or his wife has been sick; my boss's grandmother died last week; a woman's great-aunt has been very sick and she's been helping her get things in order, find attendant care and see about hospice care. I really like my coworkers and hate to see them in pain like this. :(

I have been doing some stitching lately. I'm almost done with the ribbon topiary. I would be finished but I ran out of floss and just ordered some more of Dinky Dyes' Gum Leaves so I can finish. The last few days I've been working a little on Skeleton Crew. I'll get some pictures over the weekend.

Not planning on doing much this weekend, other than stitching and resting. I should have some nice progress pictures to post by Sunday night. I haven't been stitching as much as usual in the last month or so, but I think I'm getting my mojo back. :)

It's Friday!

Whew! This was a fun but tiring day. We had a breast cancer awareness day at the EARN Center today, and since it's one of my programs for PR/Communications I was part of the committee and helped out today. I have to say I was so thrilled with the turnout! This was for our clients (the EARN Center is basically a welfare-to-work program, with added benefits) and we had about 60-70 people there for most of it. We barely had room for them all, but figured it out. We had some nurses come out from the local hospital and talked about prevention and stressed how important it is to fight for yourself when it comes to doctors and not to wait for them to call you back if you find a lump -- you call them again, etc. I really liked that they stressed not only prevention and health but that you have to take responsibility for your own body when it comes to these things. The clients had a lot of questions and were really attentive, which was also great.

We had other activities throughout the day, and by the end of the day we had about half of clients left for some raffles, games, quizzes, and pink cake and pink lemonade. One of the women on our committee knew someone who works at Auntie Annie's and they gave us a huge discount on pretzels -- and shaped them into ribbons. How cool is that?

We are going to have one of these days every month, but the rest are only going to be in the morning because this one did get pretty long. It was our kick-off event, so that's OK. Next month will be diabetes. For the breast cancer event, everything was pink, everyone wore pink. Well, the color for diabetes awareness is grey -- not quite as exciting. So, were going to get silver and grey decoration, wear grey, and have a veggie tray with lowfat dip, fruit and maybe cheese and crackers. We thought we'd be sending mixed messages if we had a big sheet cake and cookies at a diabetes awareness seminar. :)

So, when I got home I pretty much chilled out on the couch for a few hours, but now I have my second wind back and am going to do some stitching. I'm working on a Mirabilia cherub for my coworker's baby shower at the end of November, and I really need to get cracking on it.

Orleans Tech had it's grand opening today!

Orleans Technical Institute is part of the organization where I work. This isn't one of my programs, but it's such a visible and large part of JEVS that our whole department was involved in the grand opening this morning and other activities over the weekend.

I am so proud to be working for such a fantastic organization. About one in three people who live in Philly are at the poverty level, and this school is there to help people learn trades so that they can end the cycle of poverty in their families. They moved into the new building at the Oscar Lasko Campus over the summer (they had been in a previous location for many years), and it's state-of-the-art and gorgeous! I still can't believe we broke ground on this building last September!

Anyway, here's the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer if you're interested.

I sometimes get frustrated and stressed at my job, but for the most part I really love it. Seeing things like this and how many people we help allows me to see that what I'm doing helps the direct care workers, counselors, instructors, etc. do their jobs.

Stitching pics and general rambling

Finally, here are some pictures of recent finishes. I finished Christmas Elf Fairy back in August, and this is my current picture of Halloween Fairy. I'm almost done, but can you guess what happened by looking at the picture? Yup, ran out of Dandelion. I thought I had enough, but not quite. So, I contacted Hoffman and hope they will send me a little extra. As long as I can finish it by my Mirabilia BB contest deadline (Dec. 1, I think?) I'm fine. Christmas is stitched on Cherub and Halloween is stitched on Moonglow, both from Picture This Plus.





In the meantime, I've finally started my yearly round of Christmas ornaments. I usually have them done by now, but just haven't been in the mood. It's OK, because once I design a few that I like I just copy them using different threads and beads. I can get one done in about an hour or two and only have about 7-10 to make. I have two stitched already, just have to add beads.

I'm also going to stitch something up for my coworker who is having a baby in late December. I already stitched a Dragon Dreams design for her. It's cute, but I think I'll save it for someone else. After stitching it, it just doesn't say "Jeanette" to me. So, I'm going to either stitch the Mirabilia cherub freebie with the baby or the 2000 L&L angel with the baby. They will both stitch up pretty quickly and seem to be a better fit, particularly the Mirabilia. I've also decided I'm going to get her a gift card for DSW Shoes. After babies are born, everything is about the kids and half the time moms get gifts for the baby instead of themselves. I think moms deserve to be a little pampered, too. Plus, she's very fashionable and hasn't been able to wear her heels while pregnant. She said she went to DSW the other day and left without buying anything because she didn't want to buy anything more that was flat. So, I figure this can help her once she is up to wearing heels again. It's funny though -- she still looks better almost 7 months pregnant than I do on most days, lol.

Yay, it's Friday!

First off, I want to say that I MUST see The Simpsons Movie this weekend, if only to find out what's going on in this picture I found on Rotten Tomatoes:




Now, onto other things, the good and bad of the week. I'll start with bad so that I can end with good.


Bad

Had a horrible migraine that started Tuesday night and went into Wednesday. I just slept all day. I know the humidity blast that came in had a lot to do with it. I've read that ginger can help with that, among other things. I do notice that when I eating ginger I feel better, so I'm going to get me some more of that good stuff that I haven't had in a while.

Originally, Tim had Fri, Sat and Sun off. At the last minute, they decided to force him to work Sat overnight, then he has to work very early Mon morning. I say "force" because that's what he says. There's some sort of union thing, apparently. I've never worked for a union so don't get half the stuff, but as far as I can see, the only thing that union does is screw him and people who have been there 2 years or less while letting the ones with seniority do whatever the hell they want. He's making decent money, but I don't know that it's worth the crap they put him through.



Good

Found out that we'll have program funders at our end-of-internships luncheon for one of my programs. They are philanthropists who are well-known in the Philly area, so I'm hoping this will help me get some press for the programs. The kids were great this year. One program is for Jewish college kids who intern at local Jewish organizations while learning about their culture and mentoring the other intern group. That other group is for at-risk Jewish high school juniors who also intern at local Jewish organizations and receive free SAT tutoring and other college prep help. They are fantastic internships and have really grown in the last few years.

Went to a great show last night at World Cafe on 30th and Walnut in Philly. It was Lez Zeppelin, an all-girl band playing Led Zeppelin tunes. Wow! They were awesome. The opening group was good, too -- April Smith and her band (can't remember the name of the band right now.) Her voice reminded us of Gwen Stefani -- not too breathy or girly, if that makes sense. Tickets were only $16 -- for a fantastic night of music. I spent that much on beer while I was there, lol. I love the fact that as long as I drink at least as much water as beer, I don't end up with a hangover. It also helps me not guzzle the beer so that I get really stupid. I've discovered I have quite a hankering for Yuengling, after not being a beer drinker most of my life.

I'm almost done with my crazy stitching project. After discovering In a Minute Ago a few weeks ago that showed some awesome crazy quilts and free-style embroidery (don't know what else to call it), I was inspired to create my own free-style embroidery. I'm almost done with it and will post a picture when I'm finished. It's very different from anything I've done before.



Well, that's enough for now. I wanted to be sure I listed more "goods" than "bads" as I was a bit ranty for a while and am trying to get past it. :)

It's always strange in Philadelphia

I don't know what the heck is going on, but there's a woman downstairs on the sidewalk in front of our building who has a bullhorn and is yelling at someone in our building. She said something about depositions and the law of Pennsylvania, so she's probably ticked at one of the law offices here. I'm sure the police are on their way, as I can't imagine she can be allowed to do that all day.

You never know what's going to happen when you go out to get some fruit and veggies for lunch in Philadelphia. :)

Yay Phillies!

Well, we picked a great Phillies game to attend! Not only did they win the game, but we were treated to a grand slam homerun! The rain held off but it was overcast so not hot at all. In fact, we were way up at the top, last row, and it was pretty windy up there, almost cold. It's the first time I've been to Citizen's Bank Field, the new Phillies home. Even though we were in the very last row, the view was fantastic. It's a very well designed stadium and we had a great time.

Need to show off

I wanted to give this it's own thread so that I could show off a little. :)

Our department recently won five Communicator Awards! The text my boss sent out to everybody is below. The Annual Report was a departmental project and is every year, and the CLHS brochure was a project headed up by one of the other communications managers. We joke that she gave birth to it, as she was working on that thing for 9 months.



I am pleased to announce that we, the Communications & Public Affairs Department, have received five Communicator Awards for our publications.


The Communicator Awards is an international award competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communications field. Entries are judged by professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry.


Our work was selected in the following categories:


2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Non-profit Category
2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Overall Design
2006 Annual Report, Award of Distinction, Photography
JEVS Community Living & Home Supports Brochure, Award of Distinction, Non-profit Category
JEVS Community Living & Home Supports Brochure, Award of Distinction, Interior Design


Kudos to everyone in the Communications Department for their hard work on these projects! Go team!

This and that

1. We're going to a Phillies game this afternoon, if it's not rained out. My organization bought tickets and $10 food vouchers for everyone who wanted to go, and there's 400 of us going. Should be fun. I don't care about the baseball game, but it's an excuse to wear jeans and hang out with people and get to know some of them better. Good deal all around!

2. I found out on the 123 board the other day that people are having problems with Pantene products. This is the first I've heard of it, but it may explain some things. Apparently, one of the problems is thinning/hair falling out. Well, in the last few years I've noticed this problem and on my crown my hair is thinner than it should be. I use Pantene off and on, but more often than other shampoos. I had my thyroid and iron checked a while back and they were fine, my blood sugar is fine (don't know if that would affect it, anyway), and I eat my fruits and veggies. So, I threw out all my Pantene products and am using something different. We'll see what happens.

I realize that some people love the stuff and have no problems, but this is probably like any other allergy -- some people are affected, others aren't. Then there are the self-proclaimed "experts" who claim it's a lie because "I haven't had any problems" but I say screw 'em. My hair, my problem. If I switch and nothing changes, I'll chalk it up to getting older, but jeesh! What's the harm in changing products if you think there may be a problem? Some people need to spend more time worrying about their own problems and their own families and maybe do something other than live on message boards all day.

Enough on that...

3. I had my pay-for-performance review earlier this week and it went very well. I either met or exceeded my specific goals I set for myself for the year and should see some sort of raise. Not sure yet how much, but anything helps. :) I had my annual review a few months ago, which is a review I get on the anniversary of my hire date and goes over my accomplishments and development, so I knew I was OK after that one. I thought I'd been doing a good job, but it always helps to hear it from your boss.

Woohoo!

After I go home in an hour I won't be back in the office until Tuesday! I'm not completely free tomorrow, as I'm going to training in the morning and working from home in the afternoon, but it's still different from being in the office. I'm so thankful that I actually like my job, because I still have the need for down time and I can't imagine truly hating my job and being stuck there all the time. I've had jobs that didn't thrill me (Burger King comes to mind), but at least I worked with fun people that helped take the crapiness away... a little. :)

So, Friday I'm going to see Pirates, probably at 12:30 so that it (hopefully) won't be as crowded as later. I really have no idea what to expect, but hope I'm not crammed in like a sardine. Tim isn't into it, so I figured that would be the perfect day to take off and go see it. I have Memorial Day off, so that makes a very nice long weekend for me.

I'm going to finish Easter Fairy tonight. I received the Kreinik a few days ago and started filling in her wings and can finish it tonight. I think I can do the beading tonight as there's not a lot and it's all one color. After all that beading I just finished on Mermaid of the Pearls, this will fly by, lol. I meant to stitch on her last night but read instead. I read Harry Potter 5 the other day to refresh my memory for the movie. Of course, after that I just HAD to re-read Harry Potter 6. It's a good thing, as I read them all in sequence in a few weeks about a year ago, so I'm catching/remembering some things that I didn't before. I think the fifth movie is going to be great and am impatiently waiting for the seventh book.

So, not sure what I'm going to stitch on over this lovely long weekend. This week I also worked a little on Why Hoard Gold, so I may do some more of that. I doubt I'll spend all weekend on it, though. As adorable as the Dragon Dreams designs are, the rayon floss drives me nuts and I only stitch on them a little at a time. Of course, I don't HAVE to use the rayon and can substitute DMC, but I must admit that I love seeing that shiney look on those dragons. Her dragons are so adorable that I'm willing to tough it out with the rayon to make it look right. One of my stitching friends works with rayon floss on patterns that don't call for it and she uses it a lot. I tell her she's nuts, but she definitely has a knack for it and her pieces look beautiful.

OK, enought blathering for now. :)

Say it with me, everyone!

I will not put off tallying my time allocation for four months ever again.
I will not put off tallying my time allocation for four months ever again.

Yeesh! I've been keeping a general record of it in my organizer, but didn't realize that I hadn't actually recorded it in my spreadsheet since early December! Good grief! Time flies, and all that. Well, believe me when I say I'm being very good about recording my time for May while going back and fixing my goof. Lesson learned.

(The problem was that I was so busy for those months that I wasn't taking the time to do it, but it wouldn't have taken me THAT long if I'd just done it daily, or even weekly.)

Quick post

Haven't been around much lately, and won't be here much today. Been very busy at work. We're doing great things, but jeesh it's been busy!

If it tells you anything, last night I had a dream that I was in San Francisco, down by the Golden Gate bridge. It's one of my favorite bridges. I picked up a small rock, maybe weighed 3 pounds. That action started a chain reaction that caused the whole bridge to fall. I don't know how much is due to my feeling of having a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to ensure that my upcoming events go smoothly and how much is due to hearing about the earthquake in Japan, but I was actually pretty upset when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep.

Hopefully, no more weird nightmares tonight. This always seems to be how I handle stress - really weird dreams.

Thanks

Thanks for the condolences. I haven't posted in a lot of places about it, and appreciate the thoughts. :) I'm going up again this Friday and coming back Tuesday so that I can help them a bit more.

Not much else going on, except that I'm trying like heck to get caught up at work before I go away again, but I don't think that will be happening, as I'm out most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday for meetings. Thursday afternoon I should be able to get some things done, and I can bring a little work with me and check my email while I'm gone.

Now for something fun: One advantage of my job is that I'm a member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, and there are little events that come up here and there. One is going on Thursday night -- a private tour of the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute! I was planning to see it at some point, but a private tour is going to be so much better than the normal crowded tour. Plus, we get to do a lot of networking and have a cocktail or two before the tour, which is always nice. I'm looking forward to that, right before I head up to NY.

I was hoping to visit Williamsburg with my sister during my vacation time the first week of April, but that won't be happening due to some work that came up for her. It's just as well, as I'm working on paying off some accounts I have hanging over me and these trips to NY cost money. I'm staying with my parents, but there's gas and other stuff, as I don't want to be living off them completely while I'm there. I'm still hoping that Tim and I can get away for a few days during that time, though. The last time we went anywhere together was to visit Grandma a few years ago. We stayed at a nice B&B but it still involved family. We've never gone away on a vacation that has nothing to do with family, not even for a weekend, and we've been together almost 8 years now, so it's definitely time! We're thinking of going up to the Poconos. Of course, he has grand ideas of staying at the fancy rooms with the jacuzzis and such in the rooms, but we'll see. Those aren't cheap. I try to get him to understand that I don't care about that, as long as we can get away, but I know he wants to do something nice for me and I do appreciate it.

As for stitching, I've made more progress on "I Shall Wear Purple" and have pictures of it and the stuff I started in Guilt-Free January. I'll get around to posting them soon, but I'm just feeling too lazy at the moment. With my crazy February, I won't be able to finish as much as I'd like for Finish-It February, but I should be able to finish that one. I don't have anything else that is close enough for me to finish this month, but I'll feel good finishing that one. Hey, if I can finish one medium or large design each month, that's not bad. :) If I stitched like crazy after getting back from NY I *might* be able to finish the stitching on Mermaid of the Pearls, but I'm not betting on it.

Man, I've been a lush lately!

I'm not a big drinker, have a glass of wine now and then but that's it. I think I've had more drinks in the last two days than I've had in the last few months!

We had our big company-wide holiday party last night, and it ws a total blast! When you get us all together -- admin, people running the programs, volunteers, caseworkers, caregivers -- we amount to about 1000 people. Now, we all weren't there but there were a few hundred people there. The party had a 70s theme. We didn't have to dress to the theme but a lot of us did. There were a lot of afro wigs, on light and dark people alike. Since I'm a classic rock fan, I went the other way -- Led Zeppelin t-shirt, jeans, blue eyeshadow, heavy black eyeliner, and the closest to carnation pink frost lipstick I could find. I was the only one dressed like that, and one guy (no idea who it was) came up to me and said, "Man! I love your shirt! I love those guys! Zeppelin is awesome! Maybe we can get them to play some, man!" Hysterical!

So we all were given two drink vouchers for beer or wine. A coworker's friend gave her hers because she didn't drink, and then she gave me one of them. So, I had three glasses of wine with those, plus paid $3 for a fourth. I can't remember the last time I had that much, but I can handle it -- no hangover or anything, went to work this morning with no issues. Of course, I knew I was taking public transportation so it wasn't an issue, and I was traveling with a few other girls in that part of Philly. If I was driving, I may have had one glass of wine at the beginning of the 4-hour party, if any. I'm pretty paranoid about that.

Today we had our department party, and my cool boss paid for our dinner, bowling alley and drinks at Lucky Strike Lanes downtown. I didn't bowl because I physically can't -- throwing it a few times does a number on my hand and it hurts then falls alseep -- but I had a great time hanging out and watching. I had two yummy lime margaritas, too. Funny, wine seems to effect me more than mixed drinks do. We had a Secret Santa with a $2 limit so we had to get creative. I'm so happy to be working in such a great organization and such a great communications department!

Now, I COULD have also attended another party this past Wednesday night, but I didn't because I'm not a big party person and knew I had two in a row already. The earlier party was at the PR firm we've used for our capital campaign PR and creating our new logo, as well as a few other logos for different programs. They said they had a lot of fun, but I'm glad I made the decision not to go. I had an important meeting this morning and one more party added to the week would have made me tired.

That's probably it for most of the holiday parties, as I'll probably be out of town when other ones crop up. I had a lot of fun, though!

Back again

I've been bad about posting lately, but I do tend to go in spurts.

Part of the reason for not posting is that last week we were pretty busy at work. Our Strictly Business Luncheon was last Thursday, and it's our big fundraiser of the year. We had four award winners, two clients and two employers who hire our clients. We hired a video crew to film them back in August and we went with them to help "produce" them, and since then we've been sending out PR, editing videos, etc. for the big day. It was my first one so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Well, it was PHENOMENAL! It's the first time I've been in a meeting like this that was big enough that we needed walkie-talkies to talk to each other. We all had our own award winner to treat with VIP treatment so we were talking on the radios to see who was where. We had 500 people there -- sold-out! We got great feedback from the board of directors and others in the organization, and a few of the board members said it was "perfect." Awesome! Of course, that means we need to somehow do better next year. :)

As for the elections, all I'm going to say is that I'm very happy with the results, especially in PA.

I'm making great progress on my stitching, though. One of the projects on my 10 Project Challenge is L&L's Angel of Love. I can't remember when I started it, but I know it was well before 9/11, so may have been in 2000 or even 1999. I think the problem was the Wichelt fabric, which I've discovered I don't care for and will no longer buy, but I didn't want to start over. So, I finally finished all the stitching and am well into the beading. I'd like to finish it this weekend, but I'm not sure if that will happen. I had planned to do some beading today as I had the day off, but I really needed to get some housework done. I can put it off for a while, but sometimes you just have to give in and do it so you feel more comfortable stitching in a somewhat presentable home. I'll get a picture and post it soon. I think she's pretty cool, but the only thing that always drives me crazy with angels is stitching the wings. Thank God I finished them!

Cool boss!

I love my boss, and work for a great place! I know I've said that before, but this time it's because of something completely selfish. She's letting me take an extra 30 minutes at lunch and make it up at the end of the day so that I can go to the pool during lunchtime! I sometimes could do this at my other job, but I often felt that they didn't approve even though I had permission. This way I can get in at least 30 minutes of swimming when I go, and then I can go back on Wednesdays for a class (or just swim before or after the class).

I also just noted on my 101 blog, that I finished "Gods and Generals" and started "The Last Full Measure." I can't believe that I actually had tears in my eyes when Stonewall Jackson died -- I'm a Yankee, dammit! Seriously though, I'm as interested in the Conferederate commanders as I am in the Union commanders, especially since many of the higher commanders in the Confederacy were much more competent than their equals in the Union, at least in the beginning of the war. I don't think that's a big secret. I also laughed out loud at the part near the end where Pickett makes his appearance smelling of some sort of cologne that he, not remembering the French name, calls it "fleur de frommage" -- flower of cheese -- and Lee thinks on it a second. I realize this is historical fiction, but the whole idea of that strikes me as pretty funny. Of course, I read both of these parts on the trainride home, so anyone who noticed me probably thought I was psychotic or something.

Well, at least it's not 100 degrees anymore

I was hoping we'd get a bigger cold front than we did, then I remembered it IS August in Philadelphia, so I can't really expect it to get as cool as where my parents live in the Finger Lakes Region in NY. :) I went for a walk today and the humidity feels pretty low and I think the temp is in the high 80s. It's still a bit warmer than I'd like, but I'll definitely take it for August 5! I'm still looking forward to October.

I was very happy to see the other article about the internship programs for which I do PR in the Jewish Exponent on Thursday. It was a very well-written article and Jared was fantastic about checking all his facts and getting details. He actually called us to find out what types of flowers were planted -- great attention to detail!

I have made an appointment to see a car dealer at the end of this month. I just can't wait that many months before getting a car, I'll go crazy obsessing about it if I do, and take everyone else with me. My friend is going with me so it will be easier for me to walk away if I need to avoid being taken for a ride.

I've been working away at Lady of the Flag. Have I mentioned that her dress goes on forever? I think I'll be able to meet my 9/11 deadline, though. I'm on the bottom part of the dress well under the flag and right above the blue "Liberty" section. I'll get a picture this weekend after I stitch a bit more.

I'm almost done with "Gods and Generals." Jeff Shaara's writing isn't the same as his dad's, but it's pretty good. I like Jeef's "The Glorious Cause," also, but of course that's about the American Revolution. I'll probably start "The Last Full Measure" soon, but will read something else between the two. I'm also plodding along a bit on "Al Smith's America." It was written in the 1950s and I'm just not fond of the writing style, but I bought it for $2 at a used bookstore so it's not a big deal. I would like to finish it, though. I have learned a bit more about Al Smith than I knew, and that was the object. I also recently bought those little hardback classics at Barnes and Noble. They were on sale, buy 2 get 1 free, and are about $6 to begin with -- pretty good deal. I bought "The Brothers Karamazov," "Crime and Punishment" and "The Last of the Mohicans." If I like the way they handle, I'll buy more the next time they go on sale.

Goal-setting at work today

Well, today we had our departmental meeting where we discussed goals for the department as a whole and our own individual goals. Our fiscal year just ended in the end of June, so this is for the next fiscal year, and salary increases are based on how well we meet those goals at the end of the year.

I really like the fact that our salaries are based on something this concrete. We, with the help of our boss, create our own goals so they are projects in which we are interested and think we can accomplish but aren't part of our normal job description. I think this is the first place I've worked that does this, and I don't know why more places don't do something similar. Where I used to work, I brought up the idea of merit raises and was told that it wasn't fair because some people didn't have the opportunity to do extra things. That never made sense to me. Even somebody who is on the front desk has an opportunity to do something different -- a new idea or two, come up with a better way of doing things -- something! So, no matter what you did you got the same rate increase as everyone else. That always bothered me and seemed to punish people who went above and beyond their job descriptions.

Another place I used to work were a bit inconsistent with raises. One of my friends was promoted and received a higher salary with her higher level of responsibility. Makes sense, right? Well, when the time came the following year when most people were getting the same percentage in raises, she was told, "Well, we gave you that big raise last year so this year you're not getting as much as everyone else." Hello! That wasn't a raise, it was a promotion! Just didn't seem right.

Anyway, so I'm excited about my goals. It's a bit scary looking at it, thinking that I only have a year in which to accomplish this in addition to my regular duties plus the additional departmental duties we have this year. That's why they hired me though, they needed a third manager to handle all the extra work load with the new branding and the capital campaign, among other large projects.

Holy crap!

Man, I'm wiped! I met with one of my programs in Northeast Philly today. Took me a while getting there using SEPTA, but I'd rather do that than drive. Luckily the buses and trains have a/c, but just the little time I spent outside in-between really sapped me of energy. The meeting itself was long (about 3 hours) but it was really good and I think we made a lot of progress.