I'm Aliiiiiiiiiive!!!

Indeed I am. I know, it has been many moons since I last posted but there are two perfectly reasonable explanations for that: (1) I have been busy, busy, busy with school and my mother; and (2) when I don't spend 8 hours chained to a desk, I find that I don't wander over to my computer super often. It's not just you that I've neglected - I'm so behind in checking what's new on all of my regular sites that I'm starting to feel a little panicky! So, I decided, now that I have a few minutes of free time, to take things one at a time and see how far I get. Here we go.

• I totally blew it and failed to post the recap of the second-to-last and the final episodes of The Amazing Race. Rather than take up oodles of space with both of those, I will direct you to their links --> here's the link to the former recap, here's the link to the latter. I myself have not even read the recaps yet so I don't really have anything to offer you in the way of witty commentary. I can only say that I am most grieved the cowboys weren't able to pull it out in the end (JorDaniel were SUCH douches in the final episodes that I want to punch them in their smug little faces) but I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo relieved that Caite did not win. They would have been able to hear my brain explode in Space had she done so. I hate her with the fire of a thousand suns. Truly. I do.
  
• Last Monday (the 3rd) was my last day of work but I had a midterm the following day so I didn't spend a lot of time dancing for joy at my break from The Bay. (Let me pause here and thank all of you that shared your thoughts and well wishes with me on my new life direction. :o) It really was so nice to get some encouragement in my hair-brained idea.) I didn't tell any of my coworkers that I was leaving until the day that I left - mostly because it all went down so quickly but also because I just didn't want to deal with however many days of questions, questions, questions. You won't believe me but I don't actually like being the center of attention; I like to fade into the background. I was surprised to discover that a handful of my coworkers seemed mildly offended that I hadn't given them an earlier heads-up. I think they took it as a "I don't like you enough to say goodbye to you" as opposed to the "I like you just fine - I just don't want deal with the Spanish Inquisition you are bound to attack me with the moment you hear I'm leaving" it actually was. (And I wasn't wrong in assuming this would be the case; I am not exaggerating when I say that less than 60 seconds after the 'Lauren is leaving' e-mail went out, one of the counselors ran down the hall to my area to ask me what was going on. Less than a minute. I kid you not.) I did agree to a little cake-filled send-off where some people wished me well, some people expressed their envy (loudly) of my Bay break and the ones I really liked were genuinely sad to see me go. It was very strange packing up and heading out but I honestly didn't have a ton of time to dwell on it because...
• As I mentioned, I had a midterm the following day. A midterm I, of course, was ill prepared to take so spent the rest of Monday night and Tuesday morning cramming. I wound up doing just fine on the exam (I got it back Tuesday and I got an A so yay!) but I didn't really get any reprieve after it was done because a project... that I had not yet started... was due the following Tuesday (i.e. two days ago). I spent Wednesday filling out applications (for programs and internships) and Thursday doing a few pressing house chores. Friday my mom went in for shoulder surgery so I spent the day watching the dogs and Saturday I had a class at the Humane Society Silicon Valley in the afternoon. (My mom spent an unexpected extra day at the hospital on Saturday so I watched the dogs that day, too.) Sunday was Mother's Day so I, of course, spent the day with my mom, vegging on the couch and helping her out with some post-surgery tasks. Then I had Monday to finish up my project and *poof* it was Tuesday and time for class again. A week had gone by since my last day of work and I barely noticed!
  

Now it is Thursday and here I am. So there you go. I actually have a few things still on my plate that will keep me busy well into next week but I will make a concerted effort to get on the computer and update! I know I owe a few of you some e-mails, too, so I will get on those next. Thanks again for all the kind words! :o)

Whew! I Finally Made My Decision!

Okay. I must preface this entry by saying that it will be long, it will most likely be quite ramble-y (as I am writing it in pieces over a few days) and more "Dear Diary"esque than you're used to seeing on the blog. Now, all that being said, let's dive in!

So, first and foremost is this: I have quit my job. My last day at The Bay is Monday, May 3rd. This is a decision that has been many, many, many sleepless nights over the past several weeks in the making and I think it is the right one. Still scary? Definitely! But ultimately I think it's the first step in steering things in the right direction.

What spurred this mega-life decision? Well, lots of things, actually, but the main one is that I am going back to school. "What?," you ask. "I thought you were already in school - aren't you getting an MS in Library Science at SJSU?" Ah, no. I did take 1 semester of courses toward the degree before deciding it was definitely not for me and getting out early. Why did I not publicize it on the blog? Because why on Earth would I post 'I'M A BIG FAT LOSER AND A QUITTER!' on my own blog? I've been trying to accept that maybe I'm not a loser and a quitter, maybe I'm smart because I tried something I thought I would like, decided it wasn't what I thought it would be and decided to change course before investing more time. So, let's just go with that train of thought, eh? Because, let's face it - there was a definite risk of me just staying in the program for God knows how long because I was waffling over whether things would improve or I'd like X better or whatever. (This is typically why I stay in jobs, classes, etc.) Now I know that it's not the right career for me and I won't have to look back years later and wonder what would've happened if I'd tried it. Done. Off the list.

"But Lauren," you say, "isn't it a wee bit foolish to quit a job in this economy?" Well, yes. But things just haven't been quite right for me the past few months and it's about time I take a leap of faith and get busy with trying to make me happier. I could potentially stay in the job until I find a new job but if you know me at all you know that I am the worst at motivating myself to do ANYthing unless it's do-or-die time. Besides, the program I want to start in the fall requires a prereq that is only offered in the fall and spring quarters. I could have taken it in the fall but that's when lots of things were going on in the family (health-wise) so I'm definitely glad I didn't try to tackle going to school while dealing with all that. Since this quarter is therefore the last chance I had to take the class I need, I went for it.

"Gee, but can't you go to school and keep working? I mean, it's only one class and only for 10 weeks." Yes, that's true. But extenuating circumstances meant that I did - and would - not have enough vacation time accrued to leave early every Tuesday to attend class (the class is in Los Altos and starts at 3). My boss and I talked extensively about my options and what it came down to was I could either resign and continue taking the class or drop the class, try to accrue some time and take the class next fall. Robert and I hashed over all the pros and cons of each choice and finally settled upon me keeping the class and leaving work. I haven't been happy at my job for a while; there is virtually nothing to do (my boss even admitted as much when discussing whether now would be a good time to resign) and the one thing there IS to do (answering the phones) I abhor. "Lauren! Quit being a pussy and suck it up! Lots of people don't like their jobs but too bad! It's money! And benefits!" All good points and things I have said to myself many times over. But, when it comes down to it you spend the majority of your life at work; shouldn't you do something you enjoy? If you have the ability to try and do so? The prospect of waiting another whole year to start doing something was rather disheartening so now seemed like the time.

"Hm. Well, just what is this program you're so interested in (for now, anyway - you never seem to stick with anything for very long, y'know) that's worth throwing your job away?" It's the registered vet tech program at Foothill (essentially a nursing program for animals). I had been mulling over whether or not to try out the program when I had a very unexpected and fortuitous meeting with an old high school friend, Kelli. I hadn't spoken to Kelli for 12 years but she found me on Facebook back in March and we've been chatting ever since. We even met up in person so you know I actually like her. ;o) Anyway, she's an animal keeper at Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo and was in the program at Foothill so she was (and is) a great source of information. After talking to her and thinking about all the other things going on in my life that I could spend a little time working on, I really got a bee in my bonnet to start making some changes. My ultimate goal is not necessarily to be an RVT in a clinic; I'm actually much more interested in animal rehabilitation/massage (like physical therapy). But being a licensed tech will afford many more career opportunities so a degree I will get. Will I feel doofy being a UCLA-educated woman who makes her living massaging dogs when my friends are all in real grown-up jobs? Yes. (Trust me - I already do!) But, again, I need to be okay with the fact that I'll be enjoying what I do everyday. I'm sure the doofy feeling will pass eventually.

I don't know what will ultimately transpire for me - I don't know yet if I'll be accepted into the program for fall, I'm looking into internships/apprenticeships/volunteer opportunities in the field and I may very well wind up with some variety of part-time job in the interim for some financial cushion! - but I'm cautiously optimistic that things will start to improve... however slowly. Hey, you all know how much I hate change, so even a little progress is a big step!

Will keep you posted...

Layoffs at The Bay

I have to attend a second meeting later this afternoon to discuss the layoffs but it looks like I've narrowly escaped the chopping block on the first round. All notices were received by 10:30 this morning and only 1 person in Financial Aid got one. (Admissions and Records were hit pretty hard.) It's all seniority-based so we will have bumping and all that going on; as such, I'm not sure when the second round of layoffs will start. I do know that the 1 person in Financial Aid that got a notice has only 9 months less time in her position/classification as I do in mine (we are both ASA IIs) so things aren't looking too hot for me come Round 2. We shall see...

It's December!!!

And that means it's time to decorate my desk! Woohoo!!! I got a new toy this year and it's been a big hit at the office. Check it out - USB powered Christmas lights!



I took the pictures with my phone so they're not great but were you to see the detail, you'd see that the lights are little gift packages. Cuuuuuuuuuuuuute. They just brighten up my whole area!

How'd They Know My Left Side Is Best?

I worked The Bay's Preview Day event a couple Saturdays ago and manned the Information Table with my work friend Melanie (a.k.a. Big Mel or Work Mel). I've worked the same table with Mel for the past 4 or 5 events and while it's a bummer waking up and getting to work by 7:30 on a Saturday morning, it IS an easy way to earn some comp time. The only reason I'm mentioning it now is a photo album of Preview Day '09 has been published on The Bay's Admissions' Facebook page... and guess who's in it? ME! With Pioneer Pete!!! Could life be any sweeter*?


* Biji, I know you're really bad at getting sarcasm when it's in written form so, just a heads-up - I'm being facetious. I don't really like Pioneer Pete all that much.

Today's Score

Biji hit the Bay again today (transfer student orientation fair) and even though his boss was there, I still scored me some free stuff. (And no, I didn't ask for it - Biji totally offered it to me, I promise. He probably just didn't want to pack it up but that's okay. )True, it's Army related so it's not all that great (I kid! Ish.) and it's not the golf ball/tee set, lanyard or water bottle he had lying out for the students... but whatevs. :o) And because I'm a good wife... and Biji only had 2 shirts he was trying to get rid of... I snagged one for Robert, too.



(Oh, and today was the first time I got to refer to Robert as my husband to someone [I don't know] in conversation... Aww.)

Financial Aid in the News

So, my boss has been interviewed by several news outlets over the past few weeks because of the budget crisis and its potential affect on financial aid (Cal Grants and whatnot). Usually, her footage winds up on the 5 or 6 o'clock news so I have never really had the chance to check it out. Well, yesterday my boss was interviewed by KPIX news and I knew it was going to air at 6, so I logged into my TiVo account and set it up to tape that news broadcast. Here's the snippet that featured my boss:

Wow! KPIX has a crackerjack news team!! All this time I thought my boss' name was Rhonda but KPIX dug deep and discovered it is really Wanda!!! :oP Jesus. I would expect this from channel 4's janky news guys but I sort of assumed KPIX was a more legitimate news source. Whoops. In fact, I talked to Rhonda about it this morning and she said that after the interview the dude asked her to spell her name, which she did. And they still wound up with Wanda. Oy.

Biji at the Bay - Free Stuff!

Biji was back this morning tabling (as he calls it) for the ROTC program. He didn't have his usual sidekick LT Gary with him this time, though, so I got to embarrass him in front of a brand new coworker. Fun! I'm always happy to oblige and give people a little more insight into Biji. This guy seemed to know him well enough, though - I did hear him say Biji is "tight as a clam" as far as money is concerned. ;o)

Biji will be in Virginia for the next couple weeks, so it was nice to have a minute to chat with him before he leaves. Plus, Biji hooked me up with this free foam football. Jealous? I know. Hey, I'm a nice gal - I'll only charge you $1 to play with it.

A Moment of Grossness

And immaturity, probably. I'm warning you now so you can stop reading if you want to.

Okay. So, my day started off with a free-form cougher in the elevator. Really? I mean, I've come to accept that college students - and employees - are somewhat lacking in the manners department but I honestly have never experienced someone just full-on open mouthed coughing in an elevator without even feigning an attempt to cover their mouth. After this person spewed their spittle all over the place, I glanced around quickly at my fellow elevator riders... and they did NOT look any happier than I felt. ICK! I hate people.

(It totally reminded me of an old episode of Frasier when Niles only breathes through one nostril to "conserve oxygen" when he's trapped in some enclosed space which I cannot recall. Robert and I always pull the ol' 'one nostril' trick when someone sneezes or coughs near us. Yes, we are that dorky.)

But that's not the gross moment. No, that happened earlier this afternoon when I had the displeasure of entering the ladies room at the same time as one of my floor mates (no, not one of my coworkers. Thank goodness!). The lady walked in behind me with a coffee mug in hand and proceeded to take her coffee mug into the stall with her. Okay. Weird, but whatever. Then, I realized - quite quickly - that she was there to *ahem* attend to some other business, if you know what I mean. Now, I don't want to be too immature or graphic or anything but this is something I would never do. I would never, ever, ever go to the restroom to do... that... when I knew someone else knew it was me in there! I'm weird and probably overreacting but there you are. I just wouldn't. I'm totally the type of person to go from floor to floor, building to building if I have to, to find an uninhabited area! Just the way I am. But back to my story... So, I'm washing my hands when I hear the woman start slurping her coffee. Slurping! REALLY?!! The woman is leisurely drinking her coffee while she takes a dump?!!! I find this distressing. And awfully off-putting. Am I completely alone on this? Is this, like, regular practice other places and I'm just living a very sheltered life? Discuss!

Biji's Poster

An addendum to yesterday's post...

As I was leaving the building last night, I saw one of Biji's posters rolled up and lying in the newspaper stand by the exit. Someone just threw Biji's beloved poster (actually, I believe Biji told one of the students he handed it to that the poster was "awesome") away!!! Can you believe that? Kids today! So thoughtless.

Biji at the Bay - Part Dos

Biji made his quarterly sojourn to the Bay today - it's our homecoming week and we had a career fair this morning - so I took a moment to stop by his stand. He was stuck outside last quarter but today he had (in my opinion) cushier digs inside our new university union... though I think Biji would've preferred being outside, seeing as he never gets to see the sun on weekdays anymore. ;o) But it was a very nice treat after I was finally freed from the hell that is the Call Center at 1:00!

Biji (and his 2LT Gary) hated these posters so he forced one on me as I was leaving. Apparently, Biji's boss is a big fan but Biji doesn't think they scream 'Join the Army - It's Not All About Guns, War and Killing People!" He could have a point there. Still, I was a nice friend and took it off his hands. Will it wind up in the trash can? Very possible.


Something I scored that I'm a little more excited about is this Army mug. Sweet! I love me a free mug. (The foam footballs last quarter didn't light my fire. Which I guess is good because Biji never offered me one.)


But the best part? Remember Biji's janky 'business cards' from last quarter? Well, he actually had REAL business cards this time out! Much better. (Gary was hoping no one remembered the homemade cards. Oh, Gary - you don't know me at all. As I once said "I never forget!" - plus, always I take photos!)

I think the crappy economy boosted his numbers; I definitely think I saw more people stop at the booth this time than last. Which sucks for them but is good fir Biji, I guess. The poor guy was sick as a dog but he was a trooper. Definitely the healthiest-looking sick person I've ever seen. OH! And he told me he was accepted at Walden University to pursue his Masters in Systems Engineering, so CONGRATULATIONS Biji!!! I'll try to overlook the fact that you're a huge overachiever who's trying to show me up... ;o)

Christmas at the Bay

These photos are a bit late but, hey - I can only post what I am given when it is given to me! As you may recall, I attended a holiday party at my boss' house on the 19th (which is why I was late to Robert's proposal). My boss, Rhonda, just sent the department some photos from the soiree so I thought I'd pass them along...

This enchanting fellow on the left is Eric. He is a fellow "imaging specialist" in the department... and he's also the guy that told me (a) that I needed to brush my hair and (b) that I was 30. Now you have a face to go with the name. ;o)

The woman in the upper right-hand corner is Gladys - I've blogged about her before. Here she is with her husband, Martin.


Here I am opening up my white elephant gift. It turned out to be 2 2007 snowmen mugs, which I thought were adorable...


which is why I'm frowning. I looked excited at first, until I realized that the more I seemed like I liked the gift, the more likely it was to be stolen! So I tried to look really put out by my stupid gift. It worked; no one stole my mugs. Yay!


This is me with my boss, Rhonda, and the ornament my mom made as a gift.


Gladys was a bit schnockered at this point so, of course, we were the last 2 people to leave. Sorry, Robert!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, it is indeed my birthday... the last one of my 20s. :o( MEW. In fact, one of my coworkers (the one that insulted my hair a while back) is absolutely convinced that I'm 30 today and just saying I'm 29 because I'm in denial. I am not taking this as a compliment. I told him I'd be much more depressed if I really was 30 but he's not buying it. (He also made fun of me because I'm wearing a purple shirt today, which matches my flowers and my balloon. He's kind of a douche.)

I am depressed that this is the start of my official slide into 30, though, to be sure. Plus, my birthday falls at, like, the worst time of year! I love my parents dearly but they really screwed this up for me. My birthday falls right when you have to go back to work, go back to school, take down Christmas lights, throw out your dead tree... it SUCKS! And it falls right after you've taken time off for the holidays, so it's less convenient/acceptable/needed to take the day off for your birthday. Hmpf. (My New Year's resolution was clearly not to stop whining!! Sorry.)

BUT. My birthday it is and I am determined to enjoy it. Robert, of course, worked extra hard to make it a special day - he woke up early and bought me donuts, so when I came into the living room there was a donut (with a candle), a card and a stuffed monkey waiting for me. He sang "Happy Birthday" and then we sat down for breakfast together. When I got to my car, there was a bouquet of birthday balloons in the back seat and just a few minutes ago an arrangement of flowers was delivered. :o) He's pretty darn good... I think I'll keep him.

Here are a few photos of my festive desk, (taken with my cell phone so apologies for the less-than-stellar quality):




(Oh, and just FYI - the birthday cake in the blog header is for both me and the blog (though mostly for me!). The blog officially turned 1 year old yesterday. Awww...)

Halloween @ The Bay

This year I decided to take my camera and snap a few photos of my department so that you all have a better understanding of to whom I am referring when I mention Coworker X. (You're welcome.) As I mentioned in an earlier post, the theme for this year's party was 'Celebrity Look-a-Likes' and I had not intention of dressing up. My boss really wanted me to go as Marcia Brady but I refused. Then I mentioned that Christina said I look like Helen Hunt and a bunch of people agreed. But what the f&%$ does a Helen Hunt costume look like?! 1994?!!! C'mon now. So, I just wore my festive garb as I'd planned... only I made myself a "Hello, my name is ____" tag and wrote in Helen Hunt to be a smartass. Some people thought it was funny but most didn't get it. Oh well. I still looked Halloween-y, I think.

This is me and Gladys, my one actual friend in the department (as opposed to coworker or acquaintance). We've been friends since I first started at The Bay (I posted a few photos of her and her daughter in my birthday post earlier this year.) She went for the not-a-real-costume-but-still-festive look, too. My headband got a lot of raves - I made it myself from a Martha Stewart kit I bought at Michaels. Woohoo! ;o) And check out my name tag; you can't even tell it is homemade!! I got skills.


Gladys - and everyone else in my office* - loved the Barack-o-lantern and wanted her photo taken with it.


I helped set-up the room for the pot luck...

Beth is on the left; she won the costume contest. Gladys is on the right; she decided at the last minute to dress up as Cruella de Vil. Her hair looked great but OY was it toxic!! It really fogged up our work area something fierce.

Here's a stealth shot of Big Mel (on the left). Anita, dressed as Ugly Betty (but sans her glasses at the moment), is on the right and one rung below the big boss in the department.

Here are the three pumpkins entered in the carving contest. A nine-year-old carved the one on the left, Robert (obviously) did the center pumpkin and our resident artist carved the one on the right. And I'm not being facetious when I say 'resident artist' - the woman that carved the third pumpkin really IS an awesome artist... I don't know why her pumpkin was so generic. In any event, her pumpkin won. I was (and am) confused. I told Robert one of three things happened: (1) the pumpkin was too political; (2) it was so above the rest of the field that it would've seemed unfair to win; or (3) people thought it was Pat (the winner)'s pumpkin. Seven out of ten people that would comment on the pumpkin in my presence praised Pat and I would then have to correct them. Lots of people told me mine should've won, though, so I guess I'm happy with that. And the prize wasn't money - it was dark chocolate-covered nougat (blech!) - so I'm OK with that, too. :o)

And, finally, here I am looking festive at my similarly festive desk. I look like a winner!! Actually, now everyone's pestering me to have Thanksgiving decorations for my desk. I'm going to have to do some scouting this weekend, I guess - Thanksgiving stuff is hard to find!

* One woman did make the comment that she didn't know such political pumpkins were allowed on State property. Ugh. She's a big Hilary fan, though, so she was probably just bitter. Suck it, lady! You can carve yourself a Hilary face in '12 or '16, okay?

In the Halloween Spirit!!

So, here are a few (grainy) cell phone images of my newly decorated desk at The Bay:

This is the general gist of my desk, as seen from the doorway of my 'office.'




See the little spider in the corner? I hope he's noticeable enough for the people in my office. They're kind of... unobservant. Yes, that's a nice way to say it. ;o)



The only item not crocheted is the spider candy bowl (which only has 6 legs, not 8, which annoys me every year. But whatever). My aunt made all these and I know I purchased some from her but, of course, I don't know where it is so I swiped this stuff from my mom. Hey, she's always with her grandkids at Halloween and so doesn't usually decorate - it's not like she needs it!

Some people at my office are excited that I'm in the spirit and others think it's weird I've decorated so early. Early? Early?! It's October 17th, people! When do you want me to decorate - the day before? Please. The people in FinAid always have a costume party on Halloween and this year the theme is Celebrity Look-a-Likes. So far, people have suggested that I go as Sarah Palin, Britney Spears or Beyonce. (Yes, you read that right.) I'm not too keen on dressing up so I'll probably just wear my Halloween shirt and my bat headband. Besides, I don't think I look like anyone in particular - do you?

Biji at The Bay

Biji is on campus today for a career fair The Bay is putting on - he is, of course, representing the ROTC program at Cal. I ventured down to the Meiklejohn Walkway a little after noon to check him out and boooooy was he having a good time!! ;o)

BIJI: "My feet hurt, my knees hurt, my legs hurt..."
ME: "But you were in Iraq. Twice! You're telling me just standing at a career fair is doing you in?"
BIJI: "In Iraq we ran. And stopped. And ran. And sat. This is just standing for four hours!!"
ME: "Don't you sit?"
BIJI: "Weeeell... no. It's all in the body language. We stand, we keep our hands behind our backs - to present a good image."

So, Biji is a very good face for the program... but he's not a happy man. I enjoyed watching him try and work the crowd but my favorite part was when his boothmate (the 2nd LT that works with Biji at Cal) approached him and said "Sir? I'm headed to the latrine." He called Biji sir!!! And called the restroom a latrine!!! HEE!!!!! :o) I hee'd at Biji but he didn't see what was so cute about the exchange. "That's what he's supposed to say." Yes, I know, but I never get to hear anyone call him sir so I was tickled by it. I'm easily amused. Sue me.

Here are few photos of Biji in action that I snapped on my cell.




He'll be working the booth until 2:30, after which I told him to call me and I'd give him a tour of my cubicle before he heads back to Berkeley. Ah! Which reminds me! Here are the two "cards" Biji is handing out:


The top "card" isn't even a card - it's a peice of paper. Apparently, Biji's business cards have not yet arrived. And the bottom card, if you can see it, has the original guy's name crossed out and Biji's name written in! Biji has handwriting like a hatchet murderer - I told him he should've at least printed out tiny labels and laid them over the dude's name. "Oh. I didn't think of that." Hmph. On the back side of the Cal card, Biji wrote down his e-mail address. I said "Wow! At least you spelled Berkeley right." To which he responded "I didn't at first. Then it looked weird. I had to go on Google and then saw that it's Berk-eh-lee." Oh, Bij. What a sad, strange man you are. ;o)

Lumpy

Last night, I made the mistake of divulging my parking spot's name to Robert. He laughed and laughed and thought it was SO cute. Gah. But since he wanted me to take a picture of Lumpy and blog about it, I guess I will. Hmph.

We were chatting on the way back from dinner and I mentioned that yesterday was the first day I'd been back at work since Daylight Savings. And that I'd only realized that when I was hotter than usual during lunch. Why, you ask? Well, because I eat lunch in my car. Yes, I'm dorky and antisocial and I like it! I used to eat out almost every day when I worked at the law firm but have since discovered that: (1) it's a lot cheaper to brown bag it (not that I didn't realize that before but I don't think I really cared); and (2) I relish getting away from work and work people during my lunch hour. Sure, it's antisocial and yes, I do eat lunch with other people at least once a week so I'm not a complete hermit. But eating in my car is relaxing; it's comfortable, I can listen to music and read my book and just, well, relax. I used to eat outside at one of the many picnic tables available but those come with bugs. Ants. Bees. Bleh. My car? Just for me! And that's the way I like it.

I have scoped out some premium lunching spots during my year here at the Bay - spots that are far enough away from the building that people won't walk by and gawk at me, spots that have ample shade, spots that face trees or walls and not other cars (too much glare - yuck). But there is one spot in particular that I've become fond of and that's Lumpy. Lumpy is a good spot in the late fall, winter and early spring months because he starts out sunny but is completely shady by lunch time. So, my car absorbs any available warmth during the day but doesn't fry me while I eat. (Lumpy is too hot for summer; I prefer a completely shaded spot during summer and no, that spot doesn't have a name). Lumpy is called Lumpy because, well, it's lumpy. I have done extensive research into my selection of parking spots suitable for lunching and have had to make mental notes as to unique identifiers of each spot. If I'm even one spot off, I'm in trouble. Lumpy is one of three spots in front of a particular tree but is the only spot with mossy potholes. So, to remember the spot, I named him Lumpy. And every morning when I pull into my spot I say "Good morning, Lumpy!" I am a dork - we've covered this already!

Lumpy is a great spot because not only is it the perfect ratio of sun to shade, because it's hole-y, no one really wants to park there. So, Lumpy is almost always waiting for me and it makes me happy to see him empty in the morning. (The parking lot is empty this week because of Spring Break - otherwise, the spaces next to my car would be occupied). Anyway, yesterday I was oddly hot during lunch and there was an unusual amount of sun pouring into my car while I ate. I took my lunch at the same time as I usually did - what was up? Well, thanks to DST, what is now 2:00 used to be 1:00 and, as such, my usual patch of lunch shade had yet to arrive. Dang! Now I either have to take my lunch a lot later (which I don't really want to do because I don't want to gnaw my own hand off while biding my time until lunch) or I have to abandon Lumpy and park in the spot to the right of Lumpy. (Robert wants me to name that spot, too, but no! Lumpy is Lumpy and that's it). :o( Pretty soon I'll have to desert Lumpy altogether because it'll be too hot but I was not expecting to have to say goodbye so soon. Mew. I only hope his next patron enjoys his amenities as much as I do...

The view from Lumpy...