Can I just tell you guys how much I LOVE and HATE the little red exclamation point you can use to send Outlook emails?

I mean, I rarely ever use the thing, because, afterall, it’s like having the Ace and knowing you gotta be really selective when you’re going to slam it down. In that case, I love it. It’s a cute important little guy announcing, “Hey! This is urgent! Like the sky is about to fall and if you don’t forward this to 5 people in 7 minutes you will have really bad luck for 11 years!”

However, on the same token, I really hate the stupid little pieces of crap. I mean, who is so important that they need to have a loud red obnoxious exclamation point on

Every

Single

Email?

Seriously. 

Good “whatever it may be” friends (I figure if I say morning this post won’t be finished until the afternoon, and knowing me I may not even publish until this evening… we’ll just stick with “whatever it may be.” It’s safe)!

Well, here it is again- Thanksgiving. The good news is that this year’s holiday (hopefully!) won’t be another Angstgiving as in years past. We can only hope, anyway.

My family and I are celebrating a little early this year because of our trip to Jordan. The plan is to have Thanksgiving tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed. See, unfortunately there’s a chance I might have to work. I’m just going to put my foot down and tell my boss I’ve got a freaking 16 pound turkey that’s been defrosting in my fridge since Sunday night and dang it, that bird is getting tossed in the oven, and if not- HE’S going to be the stuffing!!

What do you guys think?

My coworker and I agreed we could come in Saturday, so hopefully that will suffice. I even said I could do some work from home while the bird was in the oven. While we’re on the subject of work, will you guys say a prayer for me? I just found out some disturbing news that might have me searching for something elsewhere. I really hope not, but please just say a prayer for me. My stomach feels yucky over everything.

Okay- this post is NOT about work. It’s about Thanksgiving! Let’s get back on track!

The original plan was for me to go over to my parent’s house tonight, bird in tow. I was going to stay the night with them so I could get up early and make the turkey at their house. You might remember last year’s Thanksgiving drama. As you can imagine, I don’t want a repeat of that, so I thought it best to let Will do his own thing in the morning and let me get the turkey ready at my parent’s house. Transporting the stupid thing was a sloshy juicy mess last year, and this plan will not only make for a happier wife, but a happier Thanksgivng overall.

I’m not sure I’m going to go over there now, though, if I’m going to do some work from home. I figure I’ll be distracted if I’m at my parent’s house. There’s no way I can resist goofing off with P. Besides- what loser tells their sister, “Now now, pipe down. I need to focus on my studies!”

Exactly.

I’m sort of bummed because I thought it would be fun. I know all I’ll do is worry if I go over there instead of taking care of my crap. We’ll see. Again- PRAYERS guys, please. I really want to seek God’s will for my life and job.

So- plans are still up in the air for tomorrow’s festivities. The plan is for me to make a desert tonight and the turkey tomorrow. We’re going with rather unconventional desserts this year. My mom is making key lime pie and I’m making a chocolate buttermilk pie- only because it’s from a Semi-Homemade cookbook and it was one of the first pie recipes I turned to. Plus it’s chocolate and you can’t go wrong with that.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Did I ever tell you my sister and I have a really morbid Thanksgiving tradition? We LOVE to watch The Shining Thanksgiving night. How random, right? I don’t really know what started this tradition, but it’s become a staple in our holiday fun. Will and my parents don’t get it, I can’t understand why. Will already informed us he won’t be participating in this year’s viewing. What a party pooper. Oh well.

Back to turkey. I’m making the same one I have the past two years- the orange-y one. I had pictures on my old blog, but when I had to transfer all the archives (copy and freaking paste. It took FOREVER) over to this blog, I got lazy and didn’t insert all the pictures. So- sadly, if you ever read the archives (ha ha yeah right), I have a ton of posts where I’m all, “Look at our trip! Here’s me with P doing such and such, and here’s Will skiing in Dubai!” only there aren’t any pictures underneath. I suck.

Okay- this post has literally taken me all stinkin’ day to write. I started this morning and got so busy that now it’s time for me to leave- and the best part of all is I GET TO WORK FROM HOME! 16 pound orange-y turkey… get ready to be basted!!

Love you guys. Pictures of the big day to come tomorrow! 

It’s funny to me how grown, professional, working women still resort to high school petty jealousies at the first sight of a newbie.

Why are we like that? I swear- we’re more territorial than a grizzly bear.

We might as well go around peeing on desk chairs and fax machines so we can properly mark our territory. “It’s Miiiiiinnnneeee. Alllll Miiinnee! Steal my job and I’ll rip your tacky coral cardigan to shreds!”

In some odd way, wizzing on a HP printer seems a little more dignified than the typical office games I’ve watched play out around here.

Guys, I feel like I’m in an episode of Man Vs. Wild. Survival I tell you - that’s what it’s about.

Remember The Beatniks (if you’re too freaking lazy to click the link- as I usually am- they’re the couple we went out with a few times)? Well, Mrs. Beatnik has temporarily been working in my department. She’s “on loan” the next few weeks, and if things work out she’ll probably get hired over here.

Nothing was said to any of us about her arrival, and they’ve sort of been hiding her away- like maybe we won’t notice that a grown woman is camping out in office 234.

That’s a whole other story.

Weird, I tell you. Weird.

When I found out she was here, I was sort of hoping we’d talk some, maybe go to lunch, but- no.

We’ve barely spoken.

We talked for like 15 minutes on our way from the BIDFY the other day, but that’s been about it. It’s been incredibly awkward. Forced. Uncomfortable.

I bet our football obsession turned her off. Or maybe it was dog thing (they don’t like dogs).

Note to self: get a new hobby and lose Boz and Lucy- they’re cramping your style.

Anyway- that’s another story and I’m getting off track-

I’ll admit I, like everyone else, was a little taken aback at her arrival. I mean, Hel-lo! What about the application I put in 2 weeks ago? My job had nothing to do with what she is doing here, but I was still hoping my managers would take some action since they went to all this trouble to bring someone else in for additional help. Aside from that, I’m laid back about the whole thing. What’s the big deal?

There have been some in my department, though, that have totally gone off the deep end about Mrs. Beatnik’s arrival.

Guys, they’re scaring me.

I’ve got the mother lion on one side of me licking her chops as she prepares to go for the jugular and feed the family, and I’ve got a freaking boa constrictor on the other side, ready to squeeze the life out of anyone that so much as looks at her the wrong way.

Please! Please dear God I pray- Just pee on the freaking chair already for crying out loud! I can tolerate your urine much better than your psycho-fly-off-the-handle employee relation complaint threats and whining!

Perhaps it’s because she’s pretty. Perhaps it’s because she wasn’t overly friendly to some of the staff. Perhaps it’s because she’s smart and good at whatever it is they have her doing in her super secret office. I don’t know. What I do know is that people’s panties are getting all wadded up over the fact that she’s here.

Can’t we all get along? Seriously- I’m having flashbacks to my awkward junior high days. Please don’t make me go back there. I thought this work relationship crap was supposed to be easier than junior high- why is everything digressing? Don’t they have seminars for this stuff?- “Love Your Cubical Mate” and “How to Foster Healthy Work Relationships While Maintaining Your Sanity” or “Killing Your Co-Worker: Why It’s Not Worth It.” I bet there’s one for “Chill Out, You Freaking Moron. That New Girl Isn’t Out to Steal Your Job- and PS: You Smell Like Icy Hot.” If there’s not, please, please somebody do something.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m the moron here. It could very well be. All I know is: Thank God for iPods. Seriously. There’s no better way to drown out the sound of high pitch territorial shrills like a good dose of Thievery.

Gotta go. People are continually loitering around my desk.

It’s as if their killer instincts have sniffed out this post and they’re circling me, preparing to pounce…

...

or maybe even worse…

the won’t invite me to the next office birthday party. (gasp!)

The difference between my check and Will’s.

I was actually higher! Wow.

He was so sweet and called to tell me that. It won’t ever happen again (probably), but it made me smile that he called to tell me.

More to come…

I think I’m starting a tradition.

This week’s confession deals with something totally stupid (I guess that’s why I have to confess).

I’m afraid of the blue tupperware container in my work refrigerator.

Not just afraid.

Terrified.

There. I said it.

I am seriously scared of the blue tupperware container in the office fridge.

If only I could insert a picture of it right now… that would be the best of all.

Okay, here’s the story.

The week Will went home for his big OU-Miami game, I had gone grocery shopping for me and P. I got lots of good stuff that Will normally doesn’t like to eat. I had made a tomato, cucumber, and feta salad for me and P one night and decided to make enough for me to take to work the next day. What a smartie, right? So, I put the remaining portion of the salad in a blue tupperware container and brought it to work with me.

Well, unfortunately I got extremely busy that next day. So busy, in fact, that I forgot to eat lunch! My poor salad was abandoned and neglected. I had totally forgot about it.

That was 8 1/2 weeks ago.

You would think after a day or two I would have thought, “Oh Yeeeahhh! I forgot about the blue tupperware container in the work fridge!”

Only I didn’t.

Then the weekend came.

Then Ramadan hit in full force and I barely used the fridge because of my fasting coworker.

So, before I knew it- a month had passed without any regard for the blue tupperware container of feta, cucumber, and tomato salad in the fridge.

Then one day, I remembered.

I remembered and thought to myself, “Oh wow- that’s really sick! I’m going to have to get that out of here!”

And that was about all that occurred.

I closed the fridge and went on with my day. The container never left its little nook on the right hand side of the fridge. It seemed so happy, so content to stay and grow. Why bother it?

So now it’s been over two months. Now I’m just sickened by the thought of actually picking up the container for fear that it has grown arms and will, in one split instant, swallow me whole to mold and spore and spawn with the remnants of what was a cucumber, feta, and tomato salad.

Every time I open the fridge now, it’s like this huge glaring reminder staring back at me. It’s as if the cucumbers are knocking on the lid saying, “Hey! I’m beyond slimy! Get me the crap out of here! I hate feta! I hate feta!” and then they try to get the tomatoes all fired up as if to start a riot.

And I simply respond by shutting the fridge door.

The way I see it, I don’t have many options. I could take the container home- stinking my poor coworkers out the whole ride to the apartment.

I could throw the whole container in the trash- stinking my entire office up for quite possibly the next 4 months- or at least until Christmas.

Or-

I could leave it be.

I’ve opted to leave it be.

Yeah, yeah, so the reality is that I do have more options, but hey- why mess with a good thing?

So now everytime I open the fridge I let out a little groan about how incredibly uber DISGUSTING it is for SOME FREAKING INCONSIDERATE SICK MORON to leave crap in the fridge FOR FIVE MONTHS!

I love how I blame it on someone else.

The trouble is that it’s just me and this other girl in my office.

I can’t be sure, but I think she knows it’s me.

So what’s a girl to do? I’ve simply ignored it for 8 1/2 weeks now, and as each day passes the more grossed out I get!

Sadly, I think my poor blue tupperware container is going to have to take a trip to the outside dumpster.

Eh…

What’s one more week? 

That’s where I want to be.

I’m not exactly sure where that is for me. Bahrain? Dubai? Heck, I’d settle for on the couch watching a King of Queens.

Once again I’m working on the weekend. This is the 3rd weekend in a row, and the 4th time in 5 weeks.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed or not (HA), but I’m starting to sound a bit like a work martyr.

Can I just tell you how much those people SERIOUSLY annoy me!?

They come around your office all huffy and start touching stuff on your desk as they proceed to tell you HOW

INCREDIBLY

BUSY

THEY

ARE.

“I’m so stressed.

I’m so overworked.

I stayed at the office until 9:00 last night.

I’m SO IMPORTANT AND IRREPLACEABLE.

I can never go on vacation because I’m SO IMPORTANT.”

Sigh, sigh, sigh, boo hoo, etc.

Those type of people make me want to create a paper airplane out of my timesheet and fly it right into their freaking forehead.

Can I just say something? If someone has to tell you all those things about how important and stressed they are, they’re probably not.

However-

I realized last night that I’m sort of starting to sound like that, and trust me, I’m not important.

Are you guys getting your paper airplanes ready every time you see “This Isn’t CTU” is assigned at the bottom of my posts because you know it’s about work? Hey- I wouldn’t blame you.

This week had been a nightmare. It’s left me wondering if this is how life is in this field, or if it’s just my crazy company.

I don’t know what I want to do. I think next week I’m going to go into my manager’s office and really level with him and ask him if this is how life is in this field. If the answer is yes, I’m going to have to really think about whether or not this is a field I enjoy enough to sacrifice a large amount of down time for. If Will and I ever decide to have a family one day, I’m not going to want to feel incredibly guilty for leaving at 5 everyday like a normal person. I won’t want to feel guilty for “letting the team down” by taking a vacation. I feel that way now and I don’t like it. It will only be worse with kids one day. My heart hurts not seeing Will too. On normal week nights we only have one hour together, and lately we haven’t had even that.

I don’t even know where to begin!

The sheer thought of trying to verbalize everything I want to say and at the same time maintain some anonymity exhausts me.

I’ll just say that this week has been a bad week! I’m tired of my department looking like freaking idiots. That’s another story, though.

Will and I got into an argument about the whole situation last night. See, you might remember that I recently moved into a new office (Remember? The one that’s a door closer to the BIDFY?). When I moved into this office I started working lots and lots on new things. I didn’t get a promotion, but I did get a raise. At the time, my managers also posted two positions that were the same level as the girl that I’m currently working with. Well, because of the pay and experience required (Ha- not to mention the fact that the job is in KUWAIT and no one is going to leave their cushy jobs in America for that) they’ve had a hard time filling them. So, they’ve sat open for months and have thrust me into the position of having to do a large majority of the job without the pay or title.

At the time it was called a “learning experience and training ground” for me. Honestly, it was. I truly consider this place my training ground. However, with all this weekend work and the added responsibilities that have continually been squeezed of me, I’m starting to feel that I should apply for one of those positions. I don’t want to get taken advantage of because I’m “learning” when in all actuality I’m “doing.”

Will has been on my case for weeks.

My mom has too.

So has my coworker friend.

So has Theresa.

Want to know a secret?

I’m terrified to apply.

Yep- a chicken.

I’ll admit it.

However, this week was the last straw. I almost threw my application at my boss yesterday! I didn’t, though.

The truth is that this job requires 3-5 years of experience and I only have one. However, I’ve been with this company for two years. I know the workings, I know the people, people know me. I know the job, and heck- I’ve been doing it for 6 months now whether I’ve got the experience on paper or not. If I’m good enough to be doing it anyway, why not at least be compensated?

That’s what Will says anyway.

I feel like I’m in a quandry, and all I want to do is run to the nearest faraway place.

I prayed about it and feel like the confirmations of others telling me to appy without me even bringing it up has been one reason I feel maybe I should apply. However, I still feel uncertain. I started reading Jonah the other day, and I keep thinking to myself, “What are you trying to tell me? Is this my Ninevah? Am I in Tarshish and am supposed to be somewhere else? I’m I reading WAY too much into this story and just need to chill out?” I want God to call me up on the phone, darn it. I guess the awkwardness of turning in my tiny little resume to someone who will have to turn around and say “no” makes me sick to my stomach.

Meanwhile, the work keeps coming and there seems to be no end in sight. Things are constantly coming our way and I’m anticipating many more added responsibilities.

Can I switch gears for a few minutes and tell you guys a little side story??

I’m going to tell you what put me over the edge yesterday, and oddly enough it has nothing to do with work really.

I always get dressed up for work. Honestly, I think it’s ridiculous to have to get so dressed up when it’s a million degrees and a stand storm is blowing the desert all around you at 50 mph- but I still do it. Anyhow, I always try to look nice at work. Half the people at my company are over 55, have gigantor beer bellies that hang from their short tight little polos that go oh-so nicely with their unbrushed teeth and 3 inch long neck hair protruding out of the collar. It has nothing to do with money, they get paid just fine. I would never ever in a million years say something like that out of an ugly heart- trust me. SO- keeping that in mind- Thursdays (my “Friday) I like to dress down a little. Yesterday I wore a pair of khaki cargo pants and a fitted AE tee. Nothing fancy, but also- not slobbish.

My boss comes in and starts telling me about a meeting we’re about to have. I asked him if I needed to do anything for it and he said, “I don’t know Brittny! I just don’t know! By the way, glad you can get dressed up for the meeting today!” and storms out.

That went all over me. Granted, we had a horrible morning dealing with a slew of different issues, but still- that doesn’t warrant such a comment, does it? It just made me so mad. I was already stressed because of work, and angry about having to come in today, and then that comment just really annoyed me. I can take work criticism, but why say something about how I’ve chosen to present myself to the world if it’s not necessary? You know?

Okay, so that was my side story.

Back to what I was talking about before…

All-in-all, I still think I might apply for this position for experience sake. It’s just a matter of getting the courage to bite the bullet and do it! I’ve been saying I’m going to for weeks but have been way too nervous to do it. I’m such a wimp sometimes. I hate that.

I’m sorry for droning on about work. That just seems to be my life right now and I feel as if I’m at a bit of a crossroads. Not a big one, but one that requires a decision. All I know is that I really want to go home today. Really, really badly. The more I’m stuck at work on my days off. The more I let this job dictate my schedule and change my routine… the more I skip going to the gym or forgetting to do things because I’m scattered… the more I begin to hate what I’m doing and I really don’t want that because I like what I’m doing. I just need a break from it sometimes.

All I want to do is run to the nearest faraway place today.

I’m back to work now. You can refrain from throwing those timesheet airplanes. 

Yesterday’s late night has finally hit me.

I’m mindlessly staring at a bottle of B&BW Plumeria spray that says:

“Want to feel instantly energized? Spritz on our Plumeria Body Splash to refresh your skin with a wildly exotic scent and give your spirits a lift.”

Just FYI- they’re lying.

I was at work until 9:00 last night.

I was beyond annoyed with the entire situation.

When you work on a military base in the middle east you’re stuck.

Totally stuck on base until you are leaving for the day. There’s no running to the grocery store or going to Applebees on your lunch break. You’re stuck, dang it.

Somehow around 7:30 I “volunteered” myself to get dinner for everyone. My boss gave me money and we all agreed the easiest thing to get would be pizza. I attempted to call and order but got no answer.

No pizza.

“I KNOW!” some freaking braniac shouted, “LET’s HAVE SUBWAY!”

What a GREAT idea!

Not.

Do you know how freaking impossible it is to order sandwiches and salads for like a thousand people?

“I want a six inch turkey on white...no, no wait… make it wheat Doh! Sorry- you know what, let’s stick with white. Then I want pickles, olives, tomatoes, a TINY bit of italian dressing, a DAB of mayo, a SPRINKLE of salt. Then you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around,

thats

what

it’s

all

about!”

I was about to launch across the desk in a firey fury at that point.

So-

As I’m headed to Subway, fuming about work, fuming about “volunteering,” and fuming about ordering 56 different variations of the same sandwich, and all I can say is (and I have no idea where it came from or what it means, but trust me- it made sense at the time):

“I’m starving and I’m pissed. I can go without the food, but not without the pissed. That’s right- I’d like an order of ‘pissed’, please!”

Who knows what I was thinking. All I know is that I totally laughed at myself for being such a weirdo.

By the way- they don’t serve that at Subway.

Do you ever wonder why you post?

Take today, for example. I spent my entire work day writing.

Writing, writing, writing.

Why in the world would I want to sit down and write something else?

Why do we post? Why do we write stuff when writing is what we do all day? Therapy? Obligation? Fun?

Who do we do this for? We sit at work all day long pushing paper for “the man” and then sit down all over again to post. Do we do this for ourselves? For our blog friends?

I guess it’s all of the above depending on the day and circumstance. I guess today I feel like I’m writing out of sheer obligation. I have absolutely nothing to talk about, yet sometimes I feel this is yet another “task” in my daily duties.  I love posting and would consider it a hobby, but do you ever wonder why you feel the need to post sometimes? I do.

Then again, I’m probably the only one who thinks about all this stuff because I worry about everything. E-VER-Y thing.

Today I had a bit of a revelation: You (generally) can’t rush quality. Unfortunately the majority of people I’m surrounded by don’t agree. I joked with someone about this very point todoay. Just think- if Da Vinci was rushed to complete the Mona Lisa she might have been smiling with big crusty yellow teeth- and while I’m sure people would stand in front of the portrait and stare for hours on end, I’m pretty positive it wouldn’t be for the same reasons they do now. Or Britney Spears. Do you think “Gimme More” would be the sheer genius it is because she rattled off the lyrics in about two minutes flat? I think not!

Okay- kidding about the Britney Spears thing. How dare I use her name and Da Vinci in the same paragraph right!?

Anyway, I was trying to think of a nice way to write that to someone… I couldn’t think of one. I should just use that, huh? Especially the Britney Spears thing. They would LOVE that.

Kidding.

Sort of.

The girl I work with is on vacation. You know what? I think she planned her trip on purpose. I think she had a secret meeting with the Powers That Be and paid them to tell her when things would be busy. Do you guys have coworkers that do that too? Man, I gotta get the number for those guys. I would have planned a vacation too! I feel a little jipped. If you guys have that number, share the love.

The fact that my family will be vacationing in Oman for Eid this weekend doesn’t help either. Did you know Oman is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in the world? Um, little jealous. I think they must have called those Powers That Be guys too. Darn it! I’m telling you- I gotta get that number! Oh- and we get Molly. Boz and Lucy were excited to hear that. You say the word “Molly” and their ears perk and they start jumping around and getting all silly. It’s freaking ADORABLE. It’s like when I hear the word, “Will” only I don’t slobber as much as the pups do.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. I need to go home and get out of writing mode. What a quality-filled post!

not.

<3 More to come…

Holy CHIT!

Ha ha, that’s right.

Well- we DID have a staff meeting, and guess what?

I got CHIT!

ha ha. I have absolutely NO idea what it stands for (it’s some fancy acronymn I’m sure), but my company gives out a small amount of “chits” every quarter for outstanding performance and I got one!

Pretty cool.

It’s 20KD, which is about $75. Not too shabby for showing up to work and doing your job, right?

Exactly!

So, although I’m grumpy because I have to work this weekend (yep- if you bet $5 for weekend work- you win! Yay!… I guess… there’s really no “yay” when you’re talking about working on the weekend), at least it’s been noticed.

I owe it all Thievery Corporation.

(okay not really...It’s God. but you already knew that).

So,today was pretty good in a crappy-you-put-too-much-work-on-me sort of way.