My Blog

What began last Saturday and ended this past Wed. was like some kind of insane company bonding excercise, A.K.A., Toy Fair. As the snow began to fall on Sat. afternoon, my co-worker Chris and I waited for the train from Stamford to Grand Central.The trip consisted of me trying to give Chris advice about what to do for his fiance on Valentine’s Day (a theme to continue throughout the weekend as I lived vicariously through the recipient’s of my co-workers Valentine’s plans).
We made it successfully to Time’s Square and our hotel (Marriott) right in Times Sq. with the lights flashing from the street into my hotel window. With an hour to kill, we walked around looking for possible Valentine’s gifts, with a stop in the Hershey store where I tried to convince him he should get a personalized Hershey Kiss. We stopped in Toys ‘R Us and saw the Melissa & Doug display right upfront, with the guy wearing the Melissa & Doug sweatshirt (we had seen Brett making at work) straightening up our toys. Why had I never heard of the company before I applied there? Now they seem to be everywhere.
Our company dinner was at ESPN Sports Center, in the Skybox. There was tons of food and free game playing cards (for the Dave & Buster’s type place upstairs). Not too many employees showed up, so after a little eating, drinking, and game playing, we bailed. It was still snowing, but not sticking. I doubted that it would accumulate at all.
The next morning we had to be at the Javitz at 7:30am. There was snow. Over 2 ft by the time it was over. Our booth was insane! It was huge. We had one on the lower level too, and the combined sq footage was 5,ooo sq. ft. There were these big puzzle shaped walls, and bright colors, and toys and signs (my finger was still sore from cuting many of them out by hand) covering everything. In the middle was a little round booth where the beverages were kept, and then the back room where we did coat check and stored food, and everything else we might need.
I had already been told that I was going to be in charge of massages….not giving them, but overseeing who could get one of the professional massages given out by our two hired massage therapists. The guy who had assigned this position to me thought he was doing me a favor. But try standing on your feet from 7:30-7pm and watching people get massaged knowing very well you couldn’t (or I’d get in big trouble!).
I worked the show for three days. From 9 until 1:30 I was in the back room helping with coat check which was insane! We checked coats (including big long, wet, fur things, yuck!), boots, bags. We also had to share the room with the caterer. We were over capacity. At 1:30 the massages started. This meant I had to leave the comfort of the back room and stand in the middle of everything with a sign up sheet. There was really no good spot for the therapists to put their chairs, it was very crowded.
Why was it so crowded? Well, throughout the day we served breakfast, lunch, beer, wine, strawberry daquiri’s, soda, water, a chocolate fountain, cookies, brownies, soft pretzels, popcorn, massages…I think that’s everything. Oh, and it was all free. That is if you got past our greeters a the door who tried to weed out anyone who was not a customer already, or who did not inend to be one.
There were no official breaks. You had to grab food whenever you could and run into the back room to eat it. The whole thing was such a drain on the body! But…it was also a lot of fun. It was a very high energy booth, and I got to spend time with co-workers I rarely spoke with.
After the day was over, we went out to dinner (reimbursed by work no matter how much). There are some interesting experiences there, including the dinner with our creative director, and two other designers. The talk turned to religion (you know that’s bad already). One of the designers is a born again Christian, the director and I had similar views, and the other designer got drunk and rambled on about his atheistic beliefs in an unrelenting way. Then had to call me twice afterwards to make sure I wasn’t offended. That was interesting. Anyways…
I also had Valentine’s Night dinner with Marta and two of her fellow interns at Magnum. We went to some Mexican place in the East Village. I was happy to get out of Times Sq., and happy to see Marta!
On the fourth day there we got to walk around and check out all the other toy booths. Since we didn’t have to be at the Javitz as until about 9 on that day, I decided to have breakfast in the hotel. It was nice to not be working the booth that day. Andy and I walked the show. Then I lost him to the Magic Cards (yes, he still plays Magic) and I walked around again by myself some more.
I could write more about the walking around, but frankly I’m getting sick of typing (and good for you for reading this much).
Now a quick ending to my blabbering, we all had to go to work on Thursday and Friday, though no one had any energy. We had a quick meeting with Melissa about how all of our products did in the show. Both my beading sets (the two products I had in it) did really well! That felt great. I wanted to take Monday off, but we have a company wide meeting. It was so nice to do nothing this weekend. I need a vacation! I feel a three day weekend coming up soon….
(I gave the guy on the left a hug and told him I wanted him to come home with me!)

I finally made it to see Avenue Q today, I loved it!!!! Especially the hot puppeteer with the cute dimple, ahhh….and the puppets were cool too.

This morning, in honor of the new year, I parted my hair on the other side.

Check out Marta’s blog with it’s awesome pictures: http://martafodor.blogspot.com/

Just got back from Manchester, CT and the Hartford Road House. We went to see my co-workers friend, Tom, perform. I was very impressed. He’s like a 30 something guy who works in finance, and is amazing on the guitar and with vocals. Especially loved the cover of Pinball Wizard that I requested, yay! Good time. Not so good tunafish sandwich (but there was nothing else to eat!). And a nice talk about roadkill with Geoff on the way home.

Still haven’t seen my brother! Damnit. Boston…I will visit you and my brother soon…I promise!

I have a very painful bruised rib, but that’s all that’s left of the bronchitis. Doctor said it’s from coughing.

The next two weeks are short, thank you Jewish Holidays! Get to go to NY for both of them. Monday night to Long Island. Tuesday I’ll spend in the city with family and maybe meet up with people before going to my co-workers house for another night of Rosh Hashanah dinner. Next Thursday off to Harrison, NY with more family.

Anyways, bedtime.

It’s been three weeks….and it’s still here! I left work a couple hours early on Friday because I felt like crap. I had another doctors appointment on Saturday. I had a chest x-ray taken because the wheezing was still pretty bad (so much fun being shuffled about a strange office, topless, except for a little sheet with a hole for your head). Luckily, there was no phemonia. The doctor told me that what I had would, on it’s own, go away in 6-8 weeks. He gave me a prescription for an oral cortisone pill to reduce the swelling of the bronchial tubes, another inhaler (to use 4 times a day), and more presription cough syrup to make it all go away more quickly. blech. I feel better already, still wheezing and coughing, ribs hurt from coughing. Missed going home to Prov. for a party I had promised Marina I’d go to (in my absence, she manages to get some guys email for me-thanks for thinking of me!). Instead, I spent all yesterday laying around and watching tv. Not sure if I’m going to work tomorrow. I have the sick days, but I hate taking them. I miss life without wheezing, this sucks ass.

Complain, complain. soon it’ll be over.

Finally I had a doctors apointment yesterday and found out I had Bronchitis! Yuck. I was given antibiotics, cough medicine with codeine, and an inhaler, yum.

But that didn’t stop me from going to NYC last weekend…oh no, it didn’t. Granted, it probably wasn’t the best idea to go to two smokey parties and stay up until after 3am., but heck, it was fun. Sure I lost my voice, and probably woke Molly and Marina up by coughing in the am. I finally drove into Manhattan, not just to Brooklyn, and actually found easy parking everywhere. Anyways, Marina and Amy drove to Norwalk, we ate sushi, and then drove into Brooklyn. We met Molly at her friends going away (FAR away, to the country of Georgia of all places) party where I saw the son of my grade school (Lincoln School) librarian, and met a girl who graduated in the same class as my half sister from Wheeler, totaly random encounters. Then to a party at a loft that some random high school classmates live in. Brunch the next day, a little Oyster fest. in Norwalk, and then home! Sure I felt worse after a weekend of runing around, but it was worth it (and I feel much better now anyways!).

It was really great to have Marta visit this weekend! We went to the aquarium and saw the white alligator, out to eat a couple times, and saw The March of the Penguins. On Sunday we drove into Brooklyn to meet up with Michaela and have brunch. After we strolled around her Brooklyn neighborhood a little, got my first pedicure ( no more sparkly silver toes), and came back to Norwalk. Throughout the day on Sunday I kept losing my voice, can’t wait to be completely well again. It was cool to see how easy getting to NY was by car, although I believe the train is faster.

Today is a totaly lazy day. Slept late, went to Barnes and Noble (bought only tea), and then a little grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s. I’m off to visit the pool for the first time. Trying to kick the homesick feeling : (

Yay! Marta is on her way!

I just made my first soy latte in my new apartment and I’m feeling a bit high on caffiene. Feeling a bit better, cough is worse, but I guess these things sound worse when they are getting better, right. But my headache has finally broken.

Not too sure what Marta and I are going to do, but it might involve the aquarium, shopping, pool, tennis, who knows! I’ve never had a manicure before, maybe this is the right weekend for one. Whatever it is, just glad to see Marta!

I’m beginning to feel homesick now. I will make it my mission to do at leat one social activity a week in order to meet some new people. And maybe start hanging out at a coffee shop or bookstore regularly. There are some other options as well. There’s a fencing class which I am eyeing…that would be so cool! Or volunteer with some SoNo arts group. There will also be more interesting things to write about if I do. Often after a day of work, and the gym I just want to go home and crash! I am looking forward to seeing Marina and other people when I come back on the 17th (also the weekend of the Waldman family reunion…in Mystic CT!) I really would like to get to Boston soon as well, I still haven’t seen Teegan’s new place, and now I can visit my brother whie he’s at BU.

Alright, deep breath, I am really feeling the caffiene working now…I should put that energy to use washing my dishes.

Have a fabulous holiday weekend!

Overheard in the IT department: One of the IT guys had to leave early the other day, his kid was at the emergency room. When asked why, another IT guy said, “there is a chance that his daughter has been eating AAA batteries.”

I spent $51.25 to fill up my gas tank last night. The guy in the truck next to me, $90.

There’s already a collection going on at work to help the hurricane victims. Also a collection for “gently used” dresses for something called the Cinderella Project.

I have the chills and what I think is a fever (really bad headache/neckache that won’t go away), along with a dry cough/soar throat, but no congestion. I’m doing my best to fight it off! But I will go to a doctor tomorrow to get an educated opinion. I don’t have a doctor yet, gonna check out the walk-in clinic in Westort unless someone at work can recommend a doctor to me. People at work are all starting to cough….somethings going around!!!

The last project I worked on, redesigning a bead set, got the okay today to be specked out with only one color change on the box! I was psyched.

My brother is back from Asia! Talked to him last night. He and my mom might come visit on Sunday. Marta will hopefully visit Sunday night-Monday. I’m going to try to make this full tank of gas last as long as possible. Probably won’t go back to Prov until the 17th.

Hope everyone is doing great!

Last night was productive. I made three trips to the dupster, put together my coffee table, met all my immediate neighbors (the engaged couple, the single older woman, and the hot guy-just being honest). I took a walk and located the tennis courts, pool, and saw an amazing sunset. I also did some organizing, putting away of clothing, and put up two lights on the wall behind my bed.

Today at the store during lunch I saw some guy who I thought I worked with, so of course I smiled at him a bunch of times as we crossed paths, and he smiled back. Well, upon returning to work I saw the guy who I thought I had seen at the store…only (as you’ve probably guessed) it wasn’t him! A little accidental flirtation had occured.

This Friday my company (plus friends and family of employees) are attending a ‘Bridgeport Bluefish’ game. Sort of like a minor league baseball team. They got us free tickets, and apparently we have our own section with food to eat and socializing to take place.

This weekend I will get to hang around my new place and decorate, and clean, and maybe swim or play tennis. The week after I’ll be home, and then later that week my brother will be coming home from another jaunt in asia. Hopefully he’ll come visit soon after he gets back.

I’m trying to get used to not having a tv in my room again, I actually read before bed last night instead of watching Law and Order. I think it’s best to keep it in the living room for fear of too much watching. It’s so quiet right now. I’m just sitting, with no tv, radio, or people talking, it’s really nice. I could actually go to bed right now.

I stopped by the gym to see about becoming an official member now that my 30 days for $30 is up. It’ll cost $60 a month, for 12 months. I want to evaluate my budget to make sure it’ll all fit in, but it’s important for me to have a place to go after sitting for 10 hours all day, ugh.

I really want to get into NYC soon, won’t happen for another three weeks at least. I really want to see a musical (like I’ve already said…Avenue Q!). I was listening to the Hairspray soundtrack at work today. I’ve also have been downlaoding audiobooks to listen to. A while ago I bought ‘Don’t know Much About History’, and finished that a couple weeks ago. I listened to ‘Freakanomics’ last week, and some book about being able to effectively talk to all types of people this week, which was so so, a lot of common sense. Not sure what else to buy.

They don’t have a few books which I want to read: ‘Salt’, ‘Cod’, and ‘The Secret Lives of Lobsters’. I definitely need some new music. I’m a bit bored with what I have. My ipod is weighed down with a lot of Ben Folds and Counting Crows and a whole mess of randomness. Any suggestions?

Time to go and end the silence with a few more episodes of the Muppet Show! Yay!