more tales from lunchladyland

...and then my coworker said, "i just yanked on that thing and it came!"
...and then i was all, "that's what she said."

school is cool

The other day in lunchladyland a group of 1st graders was asking me what I'm doing for spring break.

me: I'm going to Utah!
girl: I'm going to Atlanta. (She walks away)
boy: (whispering) Doesn't she mean Atlantis?
me: No, sweetheart. She means Atlanta.

I love that I live in a world where people truly believe in mythical cities.

Day 23 of Gratitude

Stuffing. Creme Brulee. Pumpkin Pie. Carmel Apple Cake. Roast Vegetables.

Today I'm grateful that I work in a catering kitchen and get to bring home delicious left overs all. the. time.

Here's to celebrating Thanksgiving early!

Day 15 of Gratitude

Today, I'm grateful for the discount I get at work. Buying clothes for myself and others is so much nicer when you only have to pay 1/2 the price.

Day 5 of Gratitude

Today, I'm grateful that I seriously injured my car by backing into a stucco pillar and will most likely need to get my entire rear bumper replaced.

Oh... except that I'm not grateful for that at all. In fact, I'm really upset about that. Stupid accident. Should have paid better attention.

So, for realsies... Today, I'm grateful for a really enjoyable night at a job I usually hate to go to.

yum yum

Seems even the gods of fortune cookies support me in this career change.
Today after a delicious Thai lunch I got a real fortune cookie, not one of those lame advice/statement cookies.

"You will soon be changing your present line of work"

If that isn't a sign I don't know what is.

Recession Schmecession

There's a recession going on. Did ya know?

Seems that every time you turn on the television there are endless reports of economic doom and gloom. Frankly I think the media is doing more to harm the economy than anything economic. But I digress...

If you're one who has not felt the effects of the economic downturn then I implore you to be grateful. Get down on your knees and thank the good Lord. I for one have felt it. Intensely. I still have a job, yes. But my once booming employment is merely a shadow of what it was just a few years ago when we were turning away work we couldn't handle. Now we are chomping at the bit for any scrap of work that falls our way. For the past few months I've been billing about half of what I'm used to, becoming something of a part time employee with a lot of lovely (unpaid) days off simply for the lack of work. And while I immensely enjoy not working, I enjoy money (ie. the ability to pay my bills) even more. And for a gal with a mortgage, car payment, credit card bills, etc this economic downturn has daily forced me to my knees pleading for the Lord to work His mighty miracles in behalf of my coworkers and myself.

Confession. I love Joel Osteen. Love 'im. He spoke of God's power and I completely agree with him about what can happen when we put our faith in the Almighty.

God is ready to present you with new opportunities. He wants to open new doors before you. It doesn’t matter what’s happening in the world around you, in the economy, the housing industry, or with job reports; God’s Word still remains true. He rewards the people who seek after Him. He’s not the least bit concerned about how He’s going to supply your needs. There is no recession in heaven. He has His eye on you, and He still opens doors that no one can shut! In an instant, He can bring the right people into your life, the right opportunities, and the right resources to take you to a new level.
But in order to go to a higher level, you have to have a higher way of thinking. You can’t stay focused on what’s happening in the natural nor allow worry and fear to fill your thoughts. Remember, God’s ways are higher than our ways. He is working on our behalf behind the scenes in the supernatural realm. Choose to keep an attitude of faith and expectancy. As you do, you’ll move forward through the open doors of blessing God has prepared for you.

regression

i've worked at the same company ever since i graduated from college. after working for 2 years i took a 2 year hiatus for the mission gig. since my return i've seen a steady decline in my working conditions.

ideally one is suppose to work his/her way up the ladder. i seem to be regressing. see, i believe you can judge your status in the workplace based on 2 things: windows and bathrooms.

my working conditions for example:

4 years ago: corner office with 90degree windows. view of the strip. private bathroom.
2 years ago: office with a window. view of the strip. shared womens bathroom.
today: office with no window. no view of the strip. shared mens/womens bathroom.*

i ask to god,** "why god? what have i done to offend thee?"
which i quickly followed up with "actually... nevermind. that list would be way too long..."

*just a request to all my male coworkers: please don't pee on the floor. k'thx.
**read w/ mexican accent ala rosa from sabrina

ps- one post shy of 300! wow!

total liability

i cannot count the number of times i've signed my name in my lifetime. more often than not i've done it without much consideration. i've signed countless checks that indicate to the receiver "i don't have any money but if you contact these people, they'll stick up for me. i gave my money to these people here, then they gave me these. is that worth anything at all? i put my name on it and the amount of money i wish i had." (seinfeld)
things were a little more serious when i bought my house and had to pretend i was actually reading all those legal documents i had to sign. it was the most adult thing i'd ever done and knowing that by signing my name so many times basically meant i was committing myself to slavery for the next 30 years until the house would officially be mine. but i could handle that.
but today the thought of signing my name made me sick to my stomach. for the very first time today i stamped and signed a set of structural calculations and drawings as a professional engineer. the project itself is small (a 30 sq ft electrical room) but the liability is huge! by signing my name on those sheets i'm basically agreeing to take full responsibility for that building. which means if it falls down (not that it could happen) it's my fault! i've been structurally designing for over 5 years now and none of my buildings has fallen down so worrying so much about this tiny project didn't make much sense but having my john hancock on it made it a huge deal. it took me about an hour to get up the courage to actually sign the sheets and luckily i had my own little cheerleader (stamp stamp stamp stamp) and a photographer to get me through it. but i did it! and i gotta admit... it felt so good. it was pretty exciting. in fact it took me a while to wipe the smile off my face. there was a huge sense of satisfaction knowing that the last 12 years of school and work (minus a 2 year hiatus) have been committed to getting to this exact moment. i've arrived!