July 19th 12

Someone had taken a piece of chalk and laid it sideways on the bowl of the blue sky and made bright pink zigs and zags. I'm guessing the low grey clouds were a bit embarrassed on behalf of the artist as they swooped in quick to cover up the art. Harmph Gotta hate censorship.

MMJ

Austin I love you. I love the small secret wonders that lay hidden in parks, around the next bend and on the streets of downtown. I love the flamboyant, loudness of your opinions. I love that I have an opportunity at work that I think I could come to enjoy and feel good about, I really, really hope you have similar plans for MMJ. He could really use a job, as many, many others could too, I know.... but....

First Couple of days with out a trainer

Monday was ROUGH. Well, for me anyway. My computer had issues and it took a couple of hours for them to get it figured out. (I will say that I pointed out one of the key factors early on and was ignored only to hear them say "hey did you know it was doing this" an hour and a half later...)  Then I got some solid work in for about 3 hours, which was great until my keyboard and mouse froze up after googling some answers- none of which worked so I smacked myself in the forehead and went "Hey, first rule is to 'turn it off and on again' " which lead to a 45 min delay as my computer installed 22 updates. My boss grabbed a spare keyboard and the mouse from the other lady in the office who was out at the time (I didn't know he had taken hers until the next morning when she started asking around for her mouse and low and behold the new girl has it at her desk...did NOT help my relations with her at all)
  I answered an email and hung my ass out the window for many to see on an issue that came up last week. So eager to please, I *have* to slow down a bit make sure I understand what I reading and not just making general assumptions. The boys miss the lady I replaced and it shows but I hope to slowly win them over. I can almost grasp some of things they want me to know about: elastic beanstalks and load balancing no longer look like rubber plants and a clown standing on a seesaw juggling in my head.
So this week I've been charged with interviewing the boys in the office. Getting to know them and getting to know what they do. Poor guys.
I've convinced one of the gents that I'm a fool but whatcanIdo. He was talking about how the clock on the desk is slower than the clock on the wall- I joked about a time vortex in the lobby area an he said rather than a vortex is was a "something or other". I was trying to make a note in my brain what he had said  so I could look it up later as I didn't know what he had referred to and he followed it up by "time is not constant" to which I giggled (as well- duh I know and I was too busy trying to remember if I had heard of what he had mentioned before) and he got all huffy "it's not a giggling matter, we *know* time is not linear" and he huffed away. That he miss understood and called shame upon me- totally derailed me and I forgot what he had mentioned before and I was flustered that he thought I was a giggling ninny. :P ah well, he is also very obsessive compulsive so I may slip back to his desk and uncap all his pens and place random objects out of place in his office.  Harumph.
Tuesday went better as I did not hang my ass out the metaphoric window and my computer worked well all day long. I wore my new mega platform shoes- had a spectacular stumble in the hall, caught myself before I fell on my face AND NO ONE SAW IT. *that* in my book, is a great day. :)
I hope today is as good if not even better.

July 18 12

there was a low lying bank of clouds that covered the sun himself from view however the high thin clouds which had the better view, trembled and blushed to see the sun step from his rest and reach a gold hand out to them.

New Job day 3

The first day was as awkward- as first days can be. This is the office, no- just here, it may seem small but fits our needs. This is the kitchen area- about that, when we said you have to do dishes we forgot to mention there is not a dishwasher and you have to *wash* the dishes. Here is the candy dish that you need to keep filled as you will walk by it and have "just a couple" every time you get a drink of water. (you might need to take some extra Jazzercise classes)  This is the small space that you will need to share with the young lady you are training with/replacing. This giant sign with it's protruding metal logo hangs just above where you sit for training, so you will need to hit it with your head as often as possible whenever you stand up. Here are some of the things you will need to learn how to do. Here, tape these receipts to this paper and I'll train you on this spreadsheet if there's time. (??) 

Day two took a bit of a nose dive. The young training lady has bad allergies and a bad reaction to her meds and is not feeling at all well. The computer we share is breaking down and backfiring like an old model T. So it's decided that they are going to get a new computer. It's a laptop. The young lady's eyes nearly bugged out of her face and she was quite indignant that now that she was leaving, the position was getting a laptop. (I knew it for what it was. They are thinking I'm going to need to work from home; nights- weekends.) There are fires that need to be put out so I am in charge of wiping and rebooting the laptop (cause yea, I do that all the time *snort*) and getting it set up with everything I'll need. Wiping it, takes out the Network driver. So I have to use ChittyChittyBangBang to find the correct driver online and get it on to a flash drive then to the laptop to get it up and running right. (we won't talk about finding the printers when there is not a network connection THAT was a "fun" hour. It would have helped if I had a CLUE as to what I was doing instead of searching for a screwdriver in a dark room, not knowing what a screwdriver looks like and not knowing it wasn't IN the room to begin with)
So I have already learned A LOT. Due to some miss communications (assisted by allergy meds and headaches on her side and frustration about printers and network drivers on mine) I've convinced my trainer that I'm not very attentive or smart.

So today I am going by Dunkin'Doughnuts and getting her favorite coffee and swinging by the cupcake place and getting some mini cupcakes and I'm hoping that we can start anew today and see if we can get along a bit better and recover the awkward  friendlyness that we had on Monday.(which is much better that the borderline loathing that ended yesterday)

July 11th 12

Walked out to a pale kindergarten pink sky above me and grey clouds harumphing along the horizon. The sun rose swirled in grey silks that she twirled and played in as she climbed the stairs. She wore a vibrant pinkyorange dress that the grey silks couldn't dim very much. There were some beautiful moves and shapes and once even she looked just like Jupiter with stripes and a dot an' all. It was a lovely morning.

July 10th 12

There was a low lying layer of grey wet lumpy clouds, grumbling about the higher clouds that were catching the gold and white light from the sunrise. The high clouds rough texture sparkled and glowed like mica in a stream while the grey clouds looked like discarded lumps of paper mache. The sun cheekily lifted up the curtain of grey just long enough to wave a cherry pink hello and then scuttled back behind the clouds to hide for most of the remainder of the day.

New Day

Today I begin a new job, in the new home to me, Austin. It's with a software company (one of the hundreds in Austin) that is just a mere 15 mins (in heavy traffic) from our apartment. I'm excited to start a new journey. Excited to see if I can apply what I learned at my previous employment to be a better employee and (most importantly) take better care of myself. I need to find the balance between firm and friendly. Something that I had a hard time with as a stage manager as I would swing wildly from one to the other- which was very hard on those I was working with.  My last job taught me that if I am not getting respect or told I am worthless- to get the fuck out. Even in this job economy it is not worth investing 9 hours a day feeling belittled or trapped. And that if that is the way I am perceived, even by just one manager- that is the way the company will see me. (since I like to work for small companies) I have a lot to offer: loyalty, dependable and a willingness to work hard. I'm fairly smart and creatively intuitive, which makes for fun problem solving- sometimes I miss the obvious however it often means I see solution that is out of the box.

With that little pep talk, here I go. Day one. It was a beautiful sunrise I look forward to seeing what the rest of the day brings.

July 9th 12

It was a Don Bluth sunrise this morning. The foreground was little dark clouds painted on a clear sheet that was pulled along the sky very fast going from right to left. Behind that was a layer of large dark clouds being pulled slowly from left to right. Behind that were tall, beautifully detailed rounded clouds that were just painted on the back drop of a pale blue sky. These were the only ones to catch just a bit of the peach color, for just a moment, of the sunrise.

My garden

I love to play in the dirt, plant things and watch how they grow. I love the different properties and meanings that plants have. The way each one grows differently, the shapes they create, the various shades of green and the textures and scents that they have. I can watch the cycle of the seasons in some; dying in the winter and being re-born again in the spring and those that weather all weather and stay green year round. I've just started this years garden with two from my recent move from Dallas to Austin and some new seasonal additions. I hope to continue to add to it as finances allow.
 


 One of the pants that made the move with me is mint. This guy has been with me for going on two years now. I wasn't at all sure if he was going to take to container living, as I know mint loves to travel around and taking over a lot of space. So far he is doing quite well. He had died back over the winter but seems to be making a full recovery. He is holding down the north side of my balcony for luck and prosperity for my home.

This is my bowl of culinary herbs for this year. I haven't had basil for a couple of years, and I missed having fresh on hand for tomato salads. This year I got a globe basil as I like the spicy bite that it has. Parsley always comes in handy and I love the texture that curly leaf parsley has both to look at and to eat. I am working on adding more fish to my diet so I am trying dill this year. (I found I like how well it hides "fishy" taste) I'm not sure if there will be enough room for him in a pot, so we'll see how he does. Lemon balm is great smelling and I love a simple syrup that is made from sun tea of this guy mixed with lemon aid and/or rum/vodka. I know he is a bit of a bully and will take over space if given the chance, so I am keeping him well trimmed in hopes that he won't go too crazy.

Holding down the south end of my balcony for clarity and peace in my home is culinary sage. It's been ages since I've tried growing this type of sage and I expect to have better luck with it since I am up three stories and it will be much more difficult for the bugs to get to him and eat him up before I have the chance to.






Rosemary is one of my favorite plants and this is the old man of my garden. I think he's about three years old. He protects my home and offers an abundance of different culinary uses.  He has so many wonderful properties that go beyond just culinary and is so forgiving. (I love that Austin has rosemary shrubs and hedges all over the city)





The pots with the ladies on them were a birthday gift many years ago, hand painted by Melia at Bemused Art. I think they add wonder and creativity to my garden and underline the purpose of the plants I put in them, so I choose very carefully what goes into each one. I have two more of those pots to fill and two long planters that I usually plant annual decorative flowers in.  I find myself really missing lambs ear so I think that might be my next purchase. I have a friend who loves predatory plants and I have fallen in love with the phallic shapes of the pitcher plants, so I am going to look in to perhaps getting one of those down the line for my "fire" pot. I'm not sure if my east facing balcony will have enough light for them or if Austin gets too hot- so there will be a little bit of research to be done.

I would love to see photos of your garden and what has worked and not worked for you. Do you plant for magic? For food? Decoration? All of the above?

June 17 12

there is a baby oak tree just in front of my balcony and he has that wild new growth that they get that is just silly and all over the place. I've name him Einstein. :) there is just enough breeze to tickle the tops of his branches and just enough slow moving clouds to give the occasional relief from the sun. It's a thick lazy morning this morning. Even the hookah smoke falls slowly down wreathing my hands before meandering away

June 15th 12

 I came out to the porch to see hot neon pink light, Pele herself I think, dancing on the cloud mountain tops, then a lazily moving river of cloud closed the view and has left the birds and I in a grey morning.

June 14th 12

I walked out to get to class and the clouds were magnificent towers from a Parrish painting that caught the early morning light and turned it to silver. The crescent moon danced among the towers, flirting coyly though the windows and turrets.

June13 12

Stepped out to a cool moist grey morning. The grey began to slowly break up and through some of the patches of quickly moving clouds I could peek in to the pinks and golds of a sunrise that was happening for somewhere else. A voyeur of sorts...

June 8th 12 Sunrise Report

Thick surly grey clouds blanketed the morning. The dawn, unwelcomed by the day, took her colors else where leaving behind just enough light for the possum, finding it's way back under the rosemary hedge, to glow softy as it waddled along.

June7th 12 Sunrise

a tattered an' worn thin in some places and thick and lumpy in others, blanket of clouds lay across the sky this morning, the sun breaking through some of the ragged fissures in short yet lovely rays. The birds were oddly very quiet this morning. (I think word got out that more than 1 glass of chocolate wine makes for a rough morning for that 3rd story resident)

June 5th 12 Sunrise Report

Sunrise this morning was at Jazzercise. I had an odd moment when we got down to do sit ups and I looked up at the ceiling- and it wasn't the ceiling I've been starring at for the last 5 years... the squares were much smaller (an' not at all square) and they are outlined in black tape. All the "faces" and shapes that I had gotten to know, were gone. It was a startling moment for me. Briefly, I felt very alone in a strange place. 

Sunrise June 4th 12

the skies were thick with rushing grey clouds, not so much as tipping a hat as they hurried past me. A little sparrow was playing in the wind on the ridge of the roof of the building across from me, he'd jump, spread his wings and hover for just a brief moment before landing back on the ridge again. Over and over again.

Monday, monday June 4th 12

Dah, dah, de dah dah dah...

Yeay! I have internet access again! I hope you all had a great weekend, mine was good. The move down to Austin was a bit rough. MMJ and I underbid on the size of the moving van and we had to leave behind our boxsprings for the bed, however all our stuff made it safe and sound and nearly ding free. I stopped and got a Sonic burger on my way out of Dallas- as last hurah of crap food for I'm leaving for the town of great food and will never have to eat a fast food chain again- right? (you'd think I'd know by now not to snort in the face of the consumer gods, they don't have a sense of humor but they do have a well developed sense of vengeance) as I bit in to my microwaved bit of burger, a squirt of *very* hot grease shot out and  burned the left side of the roof of my mouth. Yea, it's blistered *twice* and has made eating anything a very slow painful process. sigh....

Aside from food being painful, the oven in the apartment not working- still- it's very exciting to wake up every morning and be in Austin (even more importantly- being with MMJ)
The week was full of little joys, with a few frustrations, and MMJ and I getting used to living together again. (it's wonderful to have JOT- Jim On Tap, again. I kept touching him at random - just because I could) MMJ and I went to the top of the highest peak in Austin (city limits) Mount Bonnell and got to enjoy not only a beautiful view but also a fun, twisty, turny, uphill road that went though some mighty nice areas. I can tell I will be there a lot. 
It's been a whole lotta fun getting to spend so much time with our friend Jeff.  With Jeff (myman#2) and Jim tag teaming "Guide" I've been to a Geeks Who Drink, a movie at the Alamo (MIBIII) and we walked the shops at Congress Saturday ("thrift" stores- my eye! but fun to browse) and yesterday we went to the park and I few my kite (more or less) and we played frisbee. I feel like I almost have my feet underneath me again and can start expanding the social circle and meeting up with other friends that we have here too.

Our apartment is north, north Austin (Scofield and Mopac for those who know where that is) and I get to see the sunrise as I drink my morning coffee on the 3rd story balcony. (it'll take a bit to get used to being up so high. I kinda side step out to my chair and sit down with the back of the chair up against the wall, as far from the edge as I can get. Not a big fan of heights.)




Please, let me know the how-abouts-of your fines selves and that of your charges!
Here's to a great week!

Jess