Important Abs Bulletin

Since I haven't really ever been able to say this before, and since I'm not likely to see enough people to satisfy my desire to get the message out before it ceases to be true, I am going to tell you this here: I'm between jobs right now.

Thanks for listening. You may now go on about your business.

Hard Decisions Are ...

... well, hard. They're really not my strong suit, either. I puzzle over them endlessly, alternately singing the praises of each option at the same time, then decrying the faults of each option. Maybe it would be better or smarter to contrast the positives of one with the negatives of the other, but that's not the way I do it. I ask people who really don't know all the intricacies of the options what they think. I ask them what they would do. Typically, I only ask people who have the good sense not to really try to give me an answer. I lament the fact that I have to make a tough decision ... over, and over, and over. It's really pathetic and annoying. I lambaste myself repeatedly for being so woefully unable to make up my mind. However, once I actually pull the trigger and make a decision, I'm content with it. Rarely do I fret that I made the wrong choice. I run with it.

That said, I can tell you -- even though one blogger I read cautions not to blog about work because she was famously fired for blogging about her job -- that I have survived my most recent hard decision, and I've accepted a new job. After only 9.5 years with my first gig out of college I'm taking a new one. The first job has been very good to me, but a friend's little company came to me with an offer, and I just have to try it out. I start one week from today. So here's hoping the new job will be as good to me (or even better than) the first one was.

Precocity

I don't really know what made me think of this story, but I had to share it because it's been cracking me up all day.

When my aunt was giving birth to either her second or third (of three) child, her oldest son was hanging out with my grandmother in the hospital waiting room. The little dude was less than five at the time. At some point, as little dudes are wont to do, he had to go to the restroom. My grandmother said she'd take him, and they headed off hand-in-hand to use the facilities. [Aside: I nearly wrote that they "headed off to use the facilities hand-in-hand," but that describes an entirely different, more difficult, and possibly more disgusting activity than what I meant. Beware of misplaced modifiers.]

As they neared the restroom, my grandmother was surprised to find her grandson balking and pulling away, leading to the following exchange:
Grandma: "What's wrong?"
Cousin: "I can't go in there?"
Grandma: "Why not?"
Cousin: [Pointing at the "WOMEN" sign on the door.] "That says, 'Whoa, men.'"

Meme

So Jen tagged me with this one, and since it's pretty tame, I thought I'd go ahead and do it.

Four jobs I've had:

1. Grocery store meat department clerk.
   Per the customers' (usually annoying and snotty women in furs) instructions, I pulled specifically requested cuts of meat out of the display case, weighed them, wrapped them, and handed them over. It was a very demanding job, and I'm sure there are no better ways to spend your nights and/or weekends during high school.
2. Glorified gopher.
   I'm not making this up. My boss said that was my title when I signed on. No one else ever heard it, but that was it. It was in an office where they did mortgage refinancing. I did ... office type stuff. A good summer job during college if for no other reason than it was full time.
3. Sci/Tech library clerk.
   I checked out files that teacher had put on reserve to students. That, and I shelved books down in the stacks. Not fun, but it made me some ducats during college. Some American money, too.
4. Systems Engineer/IT Guy/Techno Weenie
   Umm, it's, like, my career and stuff.

Four movies I can watch over and over:

1. The Princess Bride
   We watched this so much in college that we turned it into a drinking game, which was kind of odd, since I didn't drink. One could argue that it wasn't a good drinking game, since there were so many rules that someone had to be sober to keep track of them. But that's where I came in. It's a classic tale of true love and high adventure. What's not to like? Besides, it's soooo quotable.
2. Tombstone
   Clearly the high point of Val Kilmer's career, as evidenced by the fact that I saw him play a bit part as a sherpa pot dealer type of guy on Entourage this summer. He made that movie worth a damn, and I love it. Huge on the quotable list.
   
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
   "When Cameron was in E-gypt land/ Let my Cameron gooooo."
   
4. A Christmas Story
   I only watch this at Christmas, but I'll watch it at least 4 times during the marathon every year. No other movie has summed up kiddom so beautifully as this movie with the "You'll shoot your eye out" conspiracy.

Four places I've lived:

1. Elwood, IN
   Small. Backwards. Racist.
2. Indianapolis, IN
   Republican. Flat. Home.
3. Charlottesville, VA
   Gorgeous. Smart. Snobby. Fun.
4. The Greater Washington, DC metro area (Northern VA)
   Crowded. Traffic. Very Fun.

Four TV shows I love:

1. 24
   So, so good.
2. Lost
   One of the few good things out there.
   
3. Entourage
   I don't even know why.
   
4. The Simpsons
   I don't even watch it very often, but Homer is the best character on TV. My Tivo watches it, though, so I don't have to. (Props to my bro's unremembered friend for that line.)
   

Four places I've vacationed:

1. Disney World
   Who hasn't? I don't remember it very well. This was before Epcot even existed.
2. St. Lucia
   Went for a wedding. Spent a lot of money. Drank a lot. Fell in a ditch.
3. Cancun
   A free trip! In my mid-to-late-twenties, Senior Week had less appeal. However, I did witness the following exchange:
   "You have spectacular breasts."
   "Thanks. They're fake. I had them done two years ago."
   Good times.
4. Grand Cayman
   Hands down the best trip ever. This was also free, and I didn't expect to like it. Simply marvelous!
   

Four of my favorite dishes:

1. Pizza
   Simply the best food in the world.
   
2. Chips and Queso
   It might not be a dish, but it's like crack to me.
3. Apple PIE!
   Again, maybe not what they were looking for, but this is my meme. Best dessert there is, especially with some ice cream. Mmmmmmmm. Piiiiiiiiiiieeee.
   
4. Pizza
   Yes, I like it that much.

Four sites I visit daily:

1. Gmail
   Gotta get the email.
2. indiana.rivals.com
   One-stop shopping for all of my Hoosier news needs.
3. The Sabre
   I don't read their original stuff, but I have to read about my Hoos, too.
4. ESPN.com
   Is it sad that my news is mostly sports-related? Probably.
   

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Soft Couch
   Nothing says happiness like time with Soft Couch.
   
2. On a golf course
   I'm totally jonesing to get out and play. To make things worse, today is a totally golfable day, and I'm wasting it!
   
3. Assembly Hall (the one in Bloomington, IN)
   Something magical has to be going on there. If not, I'll wait until it does.
   
4. Chllin' with my peeps
   On a golf course would be nice, but the location or activity doesn't matter all that much. Love my peeps.
   

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Not gonna happen. I don't know enough bloggers who haven't already been tagged.

That wasn't so hard, was it?