ahhhhh... i miss my job...

Last year at Glen:


Yesterday, in Indy:


Charles, man! Why didn't you let her hit him???

s l o w a n d b a r e l y h e r e

So I have moved to my new apartment and this is now my third week here. I love it so far, everything I would need on a daily basis (besides my job) is pretty much walking distance from here: Target, movie theaters, grocery stores, an Apple store, shopping malls, restaurants (russian, thai, brazilian, japanese, chinese, you name it) - everything right around the corner. But since nothing is perfect in this world of mine, wireless Internet here sucks. I can pick up one open signal if I place 1/3 olf my computer on the edge of the desk that sits in my small and improvised office. I will be posting a photo that displays the fragility of my Internet situation tomorrow from work, because of course, the network at home is not stable enough to wait for all those ENORMOUS PIXELS FROM MY GIGANTIC 500K JPEG PHOTO TO UPLOAD. God damn it, me and all those pixels trying to get online. What the fuck, right?

But of course, the beautiful provider of my very expensive cable TV will also be allowing me to use the Internet comfortably from my very own rented home for the mere price of $30 some dollars a month. What a deal. Thanks Comcast, you rock! I could be out there jogging or spending my hours in the crazy outdoors, but you sure know how to keep me in here and watch my ass get bigger by the minute. Comcast, you... silly... cable provider!

Work has been crazy busy and I haven't had time to do much besides actual work, which totally blows. Hope this trend changes soon.

Here are some things that have been occupying my time or rocking my world: my best friend's home-made lettuce wraps, Paris Hilton in jail, Amy Winehouse, Patty Griffin, new photos and prints I bought from Talbott Street Art Fair, Icy-Hot patch to heal the crazy pain I had on my neck for 3 days after spending the night on a really hard couch, and of course my new 26'' flat screen TV (I had one ridiculously banged up TV that went to the trash before the move. I could only watch really bright shows on it, because the darks were REALLY DARK. Now I can watch shows I really like, instead of shows I pick based on contrast).

I'll be hooking up my new high-speed cable tomorrow, so more to come!

Me lately

I haven't blogged in a while because I really just don't feel like it. Lots of good stuff have happened. Here's a list:

1. Things with my new roommate are gravy. He's the sweetest thing and we're hitting off really well. I like him.

2. I got MVP of the month at work and a small cash reward. Woot, woot, represent!

3. I met someone. I'm getting back in the game. But I'm still nervous and very careful about it.

4. I went to Detroit a couple of weekends ago to see Justin Timberlake. Don't fucking judge me, I took one for the team. (I kinda liked it, though)

5. I'm going to NY in less than two weeks to meet with my brother and my dad. I'll be there for a couple of days. Yay for NYC!

That's the news from me. Please, pray that men won't suck again for me. I need all the help I can get. Amen.

i miss them

I was reading my old blog and I came acrross this post. I miss those days:

"a few reasons why i love my job

Brad - Is "Driving." a sentence?
Mandy - No.
Brad - How about "Go."?
Ryan - I don't think so!
Mandy - How about "wake me up before you go go."?

Greg - If you could have a super power, what would it be?
Mandy - I would be able to shoot money out of my hands.
Greg - How about you, Brad?
Brad - I think shooting money out of my hands is pretty sweet. I probably would want that too.
Greg - And you, Ryan?
Ryan - I would want a classic super power. I would want to be able to fly. And be invisible.
Greg - But you can't choose two! You can only have one super power!!
Ryan - Well, then I would fly invisibly.

Greg - Ana, what would your super power be? Besides making out with me, of course.
Adam - Yeah, cause that's more like a super burden!

(Greg whistles while using spit).
Ana - Greg, that's nasty!! Quit playing with your spit!
Ryan - Yeah, Greg! Spit is NOT a toy.
Declan - In Brazil spit is a toy!

(Cindy, from Marketing. The whitest white lady ever.)
Cindy - For shizzle."

Goodbye Brazil, hello Key West!

Right now I'm in Sao Paulo at the airport, and I still have about 5 hours ahead of me before boarding time. I have actually been here at the airport for about an hour, so I have just paid $11 of wifi access just so my time here won't seem like eternity.

It's always hard leaving, but hey - be proud of me - I didn't even cry! My mom did, but I guess if she hadn't I would be somewhat disappointed. It's a mom's job to cry whenever their kid is leaving. At least a good mom, and my is beyond awesome.

So I'll be arriving in Indianapolis tomorrow afternoon, and next day at 7:30am I am leaving to Key West for 5 glorious days at the beach. A company retreat, all expenses paid. Please don't die of jealousy, good thing evetually happen to good people and your time will also surely come.

Ok, I guess I'll do some more people watching, some youtube searching and other great little things to kill time.

Bye Brazil, it's nice seeing you!

Living on the edge

Today was nothing short of SCARY. Here's how the story started: yesterday I ended up leaving the office at around 8:30pm, only to go home with a bunch of printouts and a couple of boards to finish a presentation at home. I was up for a while mounting everything because our account execs had to be at a meeting early this morning with a potential new client. I finished pretty much everything before I left. I had the on-screen presentation saved to our server at work, I had the leave-behinds ready to go, but the boards were with me. I was supposed to get there this morning at 8 so I could talk to the account managers who were going to present the project. But then... I WOKE UP AT 8:40! I was almost 1 hour late already, plus a 20-minute drive, I had fucked up BIG TIME. I HAD THE BOARDS! We hadn't even gone through the presentation, and the meeting was the clients headquarters at 10!



I called the office and told them I would be there in 10 minutes. I put on the same jeans I wore the day before, because they were still thrown all over the floor. I brushed my teeth, didn't even brush my hair, and rushed out of the door with the boards. I couldn't even take my dog outside (of course the poor thing peed in the living room by the time I got home at the end of the day). I FLEW down the freeway and ended up arriving at work at 9:07, don't ask me how. I was so embarrassed and I could not believe myself. I could have completely ruined a new deal for the company single-handedly! Just because I ignored a freaking alarm! My second month at work and a major fuck up. The good thing is, most people at the office usually arrive at 9, and I actually got there with the 2 other designers. The fact that I have been putting in a lot of extra hours also helped. I had worked on Sunday and met a big deadline on Monday. I also had stayed really late the night before, so that made things not look as bad as they really were.

End of the story, the meeting went really well and they complimented me on my work, and we even went out to lunch. I suggested Side Street Deli, which they had never been to, and they LOVED IT! Luck was on my side - the food was great, there were 2 guys playing the guitar and the saxophone, very sultry and charming. They now think I have good taste.

I was one of the last ones to leave tonight, and before I walked out of the door, one of my bosses yelled "Have a night. Oh... AND GET SOME SLEEP!".

my days as a grown-up

Since I have negleted this blog for the past week or so, here's what I've been up to, summed up:
- new (REAL) job
- new Nikes, sweat pants and iPod (to enhance the experience of my my recent attempt to make jogging a habit)
- dinner at my old boss' house, with his lovely family
- napping


hummm...Yeah, that's pretty much it. I have been overwhelmed by my new job-having reality, with benefits, salary, working from 8 - 5 (without the flexible schedule of an intern). I have my own office (and by office I mean a cubicle)and soon I will have my name on a company business card. SA-WEET! The people are nice, I've had the chance to go out to lunch with all of them a few times this week, and it seems like it's a good fit. The art director is also new, and I still have to get to know him, so I'm hoping and praying that we'll get along.

The downside of this whole thing is that I have been EXTREMELY tired, and all I do once I get home is eat, lay on this couch and fall asleep watching TV. My day is pretty much useless after 7pm, and that bothers me terribly. Hopefully my body will adjust and I'll be up and running next week.

I just got home from a 'double-date'. I ended up agreeing to go out with my friend Kira and this guy she met, who brought along his friend. I don't like these kind of things, because it makes you look desperate, but what the hell, I wasn't interested anyway, so I don't care what he might think. It was actually fun, the guys were from some french-speaking country in the northwest of Africa, one looked Italian and the other one looked Brazilian. A cute Brazilian. Sort of a darker-skinned Ben Affleck, and that was MY date. Really cute, entertaining, and layed back. When the date was over (I cut it short because I kep yawning, since I woke up at 8 this morning to go get my highlights done) Kira and I walked to my car, and they went the other way. 2 minutes later, her date calls her phone asking if I was interested in exchanging numbers with his friend, because he really liked me. You know, I even considered it, but eventhough I would love to have someone to take me out every now and then, I would rather wait until I feel like I'm ready to put up with someone new again. I'm just sick and tired of disappointment, so like a coward, I just stay away and enjoy the benefits of single life. Huh?

What I actually like is having crushes. Crushes on people I don't really know. I like the phase before the kiss, before the end of the first date, before the first call. That's what I like. Because then you really get to imagine all those great things that of course, don't turn out to be true. Earlier today, for example, I went over a friend's who just bought a house in the suburbs, and the house was full with of really cute guys (his brothers and his cousin, who is SUPER FLY and on whom I happen to have a slight crush). He's really handsome, he seems to have his stuff together, great conversation, well-rounded, well-traveled, speaks frech fluently... I imagine what it would be like to date him, or even just go on a date with him, and how he would know exactly what to do with me, how to treat a girl who is outspoken and opinionated, and he would actually appreciate those things about me. In my mind, it would be perfect, he would call me the next day, then the next day, then the next day. We would wine and dine in really nice charming little places, we would travel, and do things couples do.

But then you actually go out with the guy. And he doens't like the fact that you have a brain and opinions, and that it just might be the case that you actually have more balls than him. Instead, he thinks you're stubborn. But he still calls you, because hey, how is a man supposed to get in some girl's pants without even calling her every once in a while? Then he acts like he's normal and really into you for the first few dates, until one day he just does something that makes you see think 'WHT THE FUCK? DID THAT JUST HAPPEN??', and then it's over, and all the nice things you imagined in the beginning are gone, and he becomes one more waste-of-time man in your lists of those who were WASTE OF YOUR PRECIOUS TIME. That's the story of my life.

So as you may have noticed, I've become slightly bitter and cynical when it comes to relationships, but what do you expect from someone who's dated men who turned out to be inconsiderate, stupid idiots. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM. Even the one who I was with for almost 2 years. Yep, another stupid idiot (and broke!).

Well, this may be the Corona talking, so let me take my ass to sleep. Tomorrow I plan on doing laundry, just the whites. I also plan on grocery shopping and cooking a strawberry desert I have been craving for a couple of days. If the weather permits, I'll take my dog to park or walk somewhere. I also plan on napping, because that's just how useless I am.