Sick

Minne-soooo-ta

new job, new office, new m-state to travel to. this time, work has sent me to the upper midwest, home of the twin cities...minnesota. of all the things i've ever heard or known about minnesota, it's about the civility of the people. they have a charm and calmness about them that i can only imagine comes after building generations of patience to survive the brutality of their winters. but whatever the root cause, minnesotans are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

beyond boring you with the banality of endless meetings, racing my rental car between offices and hotels, shuttling between generic diner and faux-trending restaurants, i will just explain the sense of adulthood i felt after the trip.

i've been on business trips before, and have been working a 'real' job for nearly two years now...but this time, the responsibility is actually on me. the boss will actually turn to me, leaving me without the safety net that i once had. sure i have resources to turn to, institutional memory to rely on, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with me. and i've been uncomfortable with that situation for a while...but this trip has helped me, though not yet overcome, adjust to my new surroundings. and only time and experience will truly push me to independence and confidence.

but fret not, though my trip to the great state of minnesota didn't allow me the luxury of free time (i failed to explore the mall of america and i flew out the night before the famed state fair began), i did get to enjoy a twins game on the finest of minnesota evenings.

Gluttony Week

those who have followed these ramblings are the ones who truly know me (besides all those who just happen to link to my page from a picture of one of my dream girls). so those who are still reading this now...i know, the dream girls are distracting...know that there are few things that i have no hesitation in spending my hard earned dollar on. and one of those is food...whether it be fresh from the farmer's market, store bought, ordered in, or dining out. so this past week of gluttony--restaurant--week, i definitely ate my share.

for some reason that i can no longer remember, i seemed to have fallen behind on my self-improvement routine and already missed the gym for a few days, and then my schedule being ruined by reservations, i continued to miss more. so truly, 4 reservations in one week, no days spend at the gym, i was indulging myself in my favorite of all sins.

i won't get into the details of my dining escapades, since they'll only leave my mouth watering and anxiously waiting for the winter restaurant week to come. you can read about them here, here, here, and here. and beyond those 4 visits, i also made stops for happy hour sushi and a large shrimp burrito, as well as large platters of homemade indian food.

so i sit here, as disgusted i am with the rolls of fat spilling over my waistband, i am just as equally satisfied at my epicurean adventures. onto the next meal i say...i can always go on that diet tomorrow.

Adjustments

on the eve of my third week with the new job, i'm still finding myself uneasy and tepid about my surroundings. though it's normal and i do have the advantage of having been around the hill before, i'm just not a big fan of not having a sure footing.

but in the middle of last week, i walked to my desk to find an item that i had been waiting for. it was a three part process, which made it more enjoyable when it finally arrived to my cubicle.

it's a framed copy of what's called a "redline" document. in this case, it's of the health reform law...the first and last page with the signatures of the president, the veep, and the speaker. and on the front, it was graciously signed by my previous employer, senator max baucus.

i've seen other staffers with redlines neatly framed in their offices and i've always admired them as signs of accomplishment for their work. and i know i haven't done anything to prove myself in my new position, but hanging this up next to my desk at least made me felt like i belonged there as opposed to just lucking into it.

so as tiny a symbolic gesture it is...it's helped me ease into my third week and hopefully the many weeks to come.