I haven't checked it out but it sounds interesting!
If you're especially bad at judging how your e-mails come across, there's ToneCheck, a (slightly silly) plug-in that flags harsh phrases. If you can prevent your workers from feeling like Bazooka gum on the bottom of your shoe, surprise! -- they'll actually want to impress you. Kissing ass is a whole lot easier to master than the other kind.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Third Line Manager Meeting
I started off my day by going to the Ramsey County Courthouse and donating 171 dollars to Ramsey County for a speeding ticket. It was only 120 I think but then for an extra 50 bucks they will not put the ticket on my driving record and after a year they totally wipe it from the system. Heck I would even donate an extra hundred bucks!
Luckily I was in and out of there within 30 minutes. So I decided to go hang at work for a bit. I had a meeting with Randy who is my third line manager at 3pm and since I was already in St Paul and it was 1:30 decided there were things I could find to do at work. I actually got a lot accomplished in the hour and a half I had before Randy's meeting.
The meeting with Randy went great. I am not really sure what the premise was, other than maybe just to see if all his managers are in alignment with our area's vision. I want to ask the other managers if he was having one on one's with everyone or just some people.
Anyway the meeting was excellent. I really feel my career here at US Bank is going to be good to me. He asked me how I was doing, how I liked the job, etc. I told him I love my job. I love working up in the NOC (Network Operations Center), I love working with all the employees and I really think we have a great group of managers in the NOC finally. We used to have some duds. I feel that we are going in the right direction and I like what is happening in the area. He asked how I liked working for Tim and I told him I loved working for Tim. I know I can learn a lot from him. Randy asked if there was anything I think he could or should be doing...actually the way he phrased it was - if you were in my shoes, what you do differently? I told him that I would like him to be more visible in the NOC. As in, perhaps have quarterly meetings and rotate the time and days every quarter in order to hit all people within the year. I really like Randy. He is very level headed, easy to talk to and extremely smart. When he has his manager meetings, he lays out a lot of great communication about the vision of the bank, of the NOC, etc. I told him that info doesn't seem to get down to the operators/analysts and tho I may be idealistic in my thinking, perhaps if he would share the info with them - they may get it...why they are doing what they are doing. I also said I think it would be very cool if Richard Davis, the CEO would come and check out the NOC sometime. I think Richard Davis is the best CEO I have ever worked for thus far. I also told Randy that I could definitely see retiring from the bank because I am very happy working here.
Randy asked what I thought about the recent Job Description Refreshes. I fared well so I am very happy. I am glad to be a grade 14 now which gives me another week of vacation and also allows me to be eliigble for a longeviity bonus. Randy also said that being a 14 opens up a lot of "wealth opportunities" for me. As in, as long as I continue to work hard, etc that there are more opportunities for bigger bonuses since I am now in a different pool.
Let's see, we also talked about school. He asked how I was liking school and how much further I had left. I told him another couple years and that I enjoy school. He then talked about when he went to get his Master's, etc and that now he is thinking about getting a Doctorate to stay in touch with what is going on outside the business world. I told him I was thinking about going for a Master's also and that since I am already on the school roll, maybe I will just keep going for my Master's. He highly recommended it. He said that for him, if he had 2 candidates with equal job experience but one had a Master's degree, he would be inclined to hire the one with the Master's.
Then he asked if I had a Smartphone. I told him no. He said that he is not suggesting that I get one, but he feels that for himself, if he wants to stay in tune with the next generation, he needs to keep up with the technologies like facebook, smartphones, etc. That made sense to me. Maybe a DROID phone is going to be in my future.
Anyhoo, it was an awesome one hour conversation. Oh yeah, I did let him know that I do want to work my way up to higher grade levels and higher ranks....and would like to do it within the NOC area. As in I envision Randy moving up, Deb moving up, Tim moving up and me moving up....or me moving up to Deb or Randy's level or who knows. He said that is good I told him that....that people that want success need to let their "wants or hopes" known and to not be afraid to tell people (because I had said I want to move up, but not to take Deb's or Randy's jobs - and he had said why not?).
Yes, I still don't like Corporate Greed and I think there are a lot of shoddy CEO's etc but right now, I feel that we as a company are doing good things. I told Randy that since Richard Davis became CEO, that is when my pride as an employee really increased - Richard is doing wonders for this bank.
Luckily I was in and out of there within 30 minutes. So I decided to go hang at work for a bit. I had a meeting with Randy who is my third line manager at 3pm and since I was already in St Paul and it was 1:30 decided there were things I could find to do at work. I actually got a lot accomplished in the hour and a half I had before Randy's meeting.
The meeting with Randy went great. I am not really sure what the premise was, other than maybe just to see if all his managers are in alignment with our area's vision. I want to ask the other managers if he was having one on one's with everyone or just some people.
Anyway the meeting was excellent. I really feel my career here at US Bank is going to be good to me. He asked me how I was doing, how I liked the job, etc. I told him I love my job. I love working up in the NOC (Network Operations Center), I love working with all the employees and I really think we have a great group of managers in the NOC finally. We used to have some duds. I feel that we are going in the right direction and I like what is happening in the area. He asked how I liked working for Tim and I told him I loved working for Tim. I know I can learn a lot from him. Randy asked if there was anything I think he could or should be doing...actually the way he phrased it was - if you were in my shoes, what you do differently? I told him that I would like him to be more visible in the NOC. As in, perhaps have quarterly meetings and rotate the time and days every quarter in order to hit all people within the year. I really like Randy. He is very level headed, easy to talk to and extremely smart. When he has his manager meetings, he lays out a lot of great communication about the vision of the bank, of the NOC, etc. I told him that info doesn't seem to get down to the operators/analysts and tho I may be idealistic in my thinking, perhaps if he would share the info with them - they may get it...why they are doing what they are doing. I also said I think it would be very cool if Richard Davis, the CEO would come and check out the NOC sometime. I think Richard Davis is the best CEO I have ever worked for thus far. I also told Randy that I could definitely see retiring from the bank because I am very happy working here.
Randy asked what I thought about the recent Job Description Refreshes. I fared well so I am very happy. I am glad to be a grade 14 now which gives me another week of vacation and also allows me to be eliigble for a longeviity bonus. Randy also said that being a 14 opens up a lot of "wealth opportunities" for me. As in, as long as I continue to work hard, etc that there are more opportunities for bigger bonuses since I am now in a different pool.
Let's see, we also talked about school. He asked how I was liking school and how much further I had left. I told him another couple years and that I enjoy school. He then talked about when he went to get his Master's, etc and that now he is thinking about getting a Doctorate to stay in touch with what is going on outside the business world. I told him I was thinking about going for a Master's also and that since I am already on the school roll, maybe I will just keep going for my Master's. He highly recommended it. He said that for him, if he had 2 candidates with equal job experience but one had a Master's degree, he would be inclined to hire the one with the Master's.
Then he asked if I had a Smartphone. I told him no. He said that he is not suggesting that I get one, but he feels that for himself, if he wants to stay in tune with the next generation, he needs to keep up with the technologies like facebook, smartphones, etc. That made sense to me. Maybe a DROID phone is going to be in my future.
Anyhoo, it was an awesome one hour conversation. Oh yeah, I did let him know that I do want to work my way up to higher grade levels and higher ranks....and would like to do it within the NOC area. As in I envision Randy moving up, Deb moving up, Tim moving up and me moving up....or me moving up to Deb or Randy's level or who knows. He said that is good I told him that....that people that want success need to let their "wants or hopes" known and to not be afraid to tell people (because I had said I want to move up, but not to take Deb's or Randy's jobs - and he had said why not?).
Yes, I still don't like Corporate Greed and I think there are a lot of shoddy CEO's etc but right now, I feel that we as a company are doing good things. I told Randy that since Richard Davis became CEO, that is when my pride as an employee really increased - Richard is doing wonders for this bank.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
This is not good news in my opinion
It's a bad-news report: The United States has fallen behind 11 countries in its proportion of college graduates.
But the report contains good news for Minnesota.
The state ranks fourth in the country in the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with at least a two-year degree, according to the report released this week by the nonprofit College Board. Neighbor North Dakota ranked higher, while Louisiana and Arkansas were at the bottom.
I am glad MN is doing well but it is the main statistic that makes me uncomfortable. We are now 12th in the world in college graduates. That is a statistic that to ME - proves that we are falling behind as a World Leader. Somebody better flipping stand up and take notice.
On a more exciting note, when I walked into work today and checked my email there was a note sent to all managers about a limited amount of Twins tickets for Friday nights' game against the Seattle Mariners. Luckily the note went out at 11:30 so when I got in at 1 (I always check my email first thing) I was able to snag a couple. For those of us that replied quick enough we will get to sit in the US Bank Suite and also will be provided Target Field food and beverages. Rock ON! I already had tickets for the game as part of my season ticket package so I asked Travis if he wanted those tickets. He had asked me at the beginning if I could give him a game so him and his friend could go. So this worked out great. I still get to go to the game and Travis and his buddy can go before he leaves for Basic Training in August. I had asked my girlfriend Denise if she wants to go and she said she will let me know by Wed. Well I had asked her when I thought I had my tickets - about a week ago. So I will be in a pickle if she doesn't go because all my siblings want me to take them! Eek. Actually I have already decided that if Denise can't make it I will ask Julie. Especially sunce Julie took to the Timberwolves game in Oklahoma in April. I will have to find my camera. It is MIA. I can't remember where the heck I put it. Sorry the rest of my siblings and Carrie :-( I am hoping that next year the same opportunity will present itself.
But the report contains good news for Minnesota.
The state ranks fourth in the country in the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with at least a two-year degree, according to the report released this week by the nonprofit College Board. Neighbor North Dakota ranked higher, while Louisiana and Arkansas were at the bottom.
I am glad MN is doing well but it is the main statistic that makes me uncomfortable. We are now 12th in the world in college graduates. That is a statistic that to ME - proves that we are falling behind as a World Leader. Somebody better flipping stand up and take notice.
On a more exciting note, when I walked into work today and checked my email there was a note sent to all managers about a limited amount of Twins tickets for Friday nights' game against the Seattle Mariners. Luckily the note went out at 11:30 so when I got in at 1 (I always check my email first thing) I was able to snag a couple. For those of us that replied quick enough we will get to sit in the US Bank Suite and also will be provided Target Field food and beverages. Rock ON! I already had tickets for the game as part of my season ticket package so I asked Travis if he wanted those tickets. He had asked me at the beginning if I could give him a game so him and his friend could go. So this worked out great. I still get to go to the game and Travis and his buddy can go before he leaves for Basic Training in August. I had asked my girlfriend Denise if she wants to go and she said she will let me know by Wed. Well I had asked her when I thought I had my tickets - about a week ago. So I will be in a pickle if she doesn't go because all my siblings want me to take them! Eek. Actually I have already decided that if Denise can't make it I will ask Julie. Especially sunce Julie took to the Timberwolves game in Oklahoma in April. I will have to find my camera. It is MIA. I can't remember where the heck I put it. Sorry the rest of my siblings and Carrie :-( I am hoping that next year the same opportunity will present itself.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Good Work News
The company is doing a Job Description Refresh in order to make all jobs in-line with industry standard. So I found out today that I got promoted a grade level! My job description was Computer Operations Manager 3 and is now IT Ops Manager 1. But I went from a grade 13 to a grade 14. My salary didn't change (which I suspected anyway since there is so much overlap from grade level to grade level) but the GOOD thing is I now get 4 weeks of vacation a year (I have 3 now) and I am eligible for a longevity pay bonus every year, in addition to any regular bonus or raise one may get.
I know that one friend of mine got like a 10k bonus a couple years ago. Though he also makes about 40k more than me. But hey, any extras I can get will be nice!
I know that one friend of mine got like a 10k bonus a couple years ago. Though he also makes about 40k more than me. But hey, any extras I can get will be nice!
Work Work Work
Luckily I have work to bring me back to reality! My weekends are sooo busy but that it is good. This will be a short and sweet post because work has been crazy today (but the time is flying by). Last Thursday we had a little party at Julie and Don's house for Travis. He passed his GED tests and will be going to Fort Benning GA for Basic Training for the Army National Guard on August 10th. He seems pretty excited about it and I am very proud of his accomplishments and getting on track. He is talking about taking classes at Century College in the winter too. He will be in Basic Training for 14 weeks. I might have to take a trip to GA for his graduation!
Friday I babysat Penelope for a few hours then met my friend Cheryl from work at Swede Hollow Cafe on the East Side of St Paul. It is a very cool little cafe and has some great outdoor seating. I went home and swam for about an hour because it was another sweltering day, then did a bit of house cleaning.
For dinner my friends Kate, Michele and I met at Hoa Bien which is a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in St Paul about a year or two ago and is one I have been wanting to try. I really liked the food - it was cheap and there was a lot of it! Although I don't like leftovers very much so left most of my food behind.
Saturday I had an appt with Lisa then went over to cousin Carrie, Lonny's and Jaime's house to help Alice celebrate her 4th birthday. Then I took Travis to dinner at Red Lobster because he loves eating there and we also made a pit stop at Dick's Sporting Goods since there was time to kill before I dropped him off at work. I got a new pair of sneakers which I needed badly. My other ones were getting pretty beat up.
Then I met my friend Rebekah from work at Granite City at Rosedale Mall (I didn't want to go home before the 8pm movie). We hung at the bar and she had dinner and I harassed the bartender and whatever other men were around. We went and saw the movie Inception at 8pm. I really liked it but the ending was a cliffhanger so that was kinda the pits.
And Sunday was back to work! Whew. The nice Sundays at work are good to bring me back to the real world. :-)
Friday I babysat Penelope for a few hours then met my friend Cheryl from work at Swede Hollow Cafe on the East Side of St Paul. It is a very cool little cafe and has some great outdoor seating. I went home and swam for about an hour because it was another sweltering day, then did a bit of house cleaning.
For dinner my friends Kate, Michele and I met at Hoa Bien which is a Vietnamese restaurant that opened in St Paul about a year or two ago and is one I have been wanting to try. I really liked the food - it was cheap and there was a lot of it! Although I don't like leftovers very much so left most of my food behind.
Saturday I had an appt with Lisa then went over to cousin Carrie, Lonny's and Jaime's house to help Alice celebrate her 4th birthday. Then I took Travis to dinner at Red Lobster because he loves eating there and we also made a pit stop at Dick's Sporting Goods since there was time to kill before I dropped him off at work. I got a new pair of sneakers which I needed badly. My other ones were getting pretty beat up.
Then I met my friend Rebekah from work at Granite City at Rosedale Mall (I didn't want to go home before the 8pm movie). We hung at the bar and she had dinner and I harassed the bartender and whatever other men were around. We went and saw the movie Inception at 8pm. I really liked it but the ending was a cliffhanger so that was kinda the pits.
And Sunday was back to work! Whew. The nice Sundays at work are good to bring me back to the real world. :-)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
My Wednesday night work night does have me wondering tho....
I never seem to have a tired spell at all when I am working all night. Is it just because it's one night? Is it because I get decent sleep the rest of the time? Well most of the rest of the time? I never seem to be able to get a nap in before I do my night shift, and yet I haven't been tired ever since I started the DBT class and night shift thing.
Not that I am dwelling on this or anything, it just surprises me. Guess I will take it for what it's worth.
Not that I am dwelling on this or anything, it just surprises me. Guess I will take it for what it's worth.
The company I work for is doing great!
This was on our intranet -
I am very proud of our second quarter results and accomplishments – and all of you can be, too. Our company’s net income of $766 million in the second quarter of 2010 was 62.6 percent higher than same quarter of 2009 and 14.5 percent greater than the previous quarter.
From the CEO. I don't know if I have said this on my blog but I really do love my job. I love the people I work with, I love what I am doing, I love the direct management staff and the CEO is a really awesome guy. He has only been in the position for a couple years, but he has been making great decisions. We are finally doing a rollout of all new equipment at all the branches which is sorely needed. He has implemented 8 hours of Volunteer Time a year. In my own opinion, he really does seem to want to take care of his employees. We are in the process of doing job description refreshes so that we will get up the the rest of the industry in salary, etc. The previous CEO's, which were brothers, were so flipping tight and didn't give a rat's arse about the people running the place so this is a very nice change. I really hope to stick it out here until I retire. Unless something drastic changes I can see myself being very happy and content with working here. That is a good feeling.
Today Russ the Handyman and I went shopping. I don't remember if I said this or not, but he will be re-doing a lot of my bathroom while I am on vacation in Seattle. I am taking care of three things that have annoyed me most in my bathroom (well the last thing would be a new tub or shower setup but that will have to be another time if I ever decide to do it)...anyway, so yeah. I didn't like my toilet because it seems like it sits too low to the ground, I didn't like my vanity because it is sooooo big and my bathroom isn't that big, that the vanity is almost overwhelming, and the grout in my tiles was cracking and falling apart so there is always bits and pieces of grout.
I know that things in life aren't perfect, but these little annoyances end up getting to me eventually and I want to take care of it.
So my friend Russ will put in a new subfloor and new tile for me (this was part of our shopping experience). I ended up getting the tile at a store in Bloomington call The Tile Shop and I am now a huge fan. The guy that helped us was so freaking knowledgeable and helpful...it was awesome. He gave Russ a great idea on a different way to install the tile so I am excited to see it all come to fruition. We also shopped at Menards (omg, I am beginning to get addicted to that store) and bought a shower door and a new higher toilet. The toilet reminds me of my mom's in her upstairs. I think she has an elongated seat and it sits higher. I think the toilet is like 16 inches or something like that. And it was even on sale so I got lucky on that. I also had Russ remove my tacky medicine cabinet and he is going to take the space in the wall from the cabinet and make some custom shelving for it (that was my idea instead of just sheetrocking the space closed). And the final finish to the bathroom will be the new Vanity and Mirror set that I got at Menards last week or so.
I am super excited for Seattle and it will be super exciting to come home to a new bathroom! I am also going to have my friend Kate re-paint the bathroom for me. I need this because the vanity takes up less space, there will be different colors and also there will be some wall repairs due to tile removal, mirrow removal, etc.
When everything is all completed, I will have to have a little gathering so peeps can see the difference. Just changing out my lights alone and my kitchen faucet has me all excited, I can't wait for the bathroom!
I am very proud of our second quarter results and accomplishments – and all of you can be, too. Our company’s net income of $766 million in the second quarter of 2010 was 62.6 percent higher than same quarter of 2009 and 14.5 percent greater than the previous quarter.
From the CEO. I don't know if I have said this on my blog but I really do love my job. I love the people I work with, I love what I am doing, I love the direct management staff and the CEO is a really awesome guy. He has only been in the position for a couple years, but he has been making great decisions. We are finally doing a rollout of all new equipment at all the branches which is sorely needed. He has implemented 8 hours of Volunteer Time a year. In my own opinion, he really does seem to want to take care of his employees. We are in the process of doing job description refreshes so that we will get up the the rest of the industry in salary, etc. The previous CEO's, which were brothers, were so flipping tight and didn't give a rat's arse about the people running the place so this is a very nice change. I really hope to stick it out here until I retire. Unless something drastic changes I can see myself being very happy and content with working here. That is a good feeling.
Today Russ the Handyman and I went shopping. I don't remember if I said this or not, but he will be re-doing a lot of my bathroom while I am on vacation in Seattle. I am taking care of three things that have annoyed me most in my bathroom (well the last thing would be a new tub or shower setup but that will have to be another time if I ever decide to do it)...anyway, so yeah. I didn't like my toilet because it seems like it sits too low to the ground, I didn't like my vanity because it is sooooo big and my bathroom isn't that big, that the vanity is almost overwhelming, and the grout in my tiles was cracking and falling apart so there is always bits and pieces of grout.
I know that things in life aren't perfect, but these little annoyances end up getting to me eventually and I want to take care of it.
So my friend Russ will put in a new subfloor and new tile for me (this was part of our shopping experience). I ended up getting the tile at a store in Bloomington call The Tile Shop and I am now a huge fan. The guy that helped us was so freaking knowledgeable and helpful...it was awesome. He gave Russ a great idea on a different way to install the tile so I am excited to see it all come to fruition. We also shopped at Menards (omg, I am beginning to get addicted to that store) and bought a shower door and a new higher toilet. The toilet reminds me of my mom's in her upstairs. I think she has an elongated seat and it sits higher. I think the toilet is like 16 inches or something like that. And it was even on sale so I got lucky on that. I also had Russ remove my tacky medicine cabinet and he is going to take the space in the wall from the cabinet and make some custom shelving for it (that was my idea instead of just sheetrocking the space closed). And the final finish to the bathroom will be the new Vanity and Mirror set that I got at Menards last week or so.
I am super excited for Seattle and it will be super exciting to come home to a new bathroom! I am also going to have my friend Kate re-paint the bathroom for me. I need this because the vanity takes up less space, there will be different colors and also there will be some wall repairs due to tile removal, mirrow removal, etc.
When everything is all completed, I will have to have a little gathering so peeps can see the difference. Just changing out my lights alone and my kitchen faucet has me all excited, I can't wait for the bathroom!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Oh
I am going to Seattle Sunday August 8-Sunday August 15. I will be visiting cousins Ann and Mike and their families. Also, uncle Dennis and aunt Joanne.
I am ALSO going to take the train to Portland and spend a night to visit a bunch of people I work with. Portland is the backup site for the bank. There are about 20 people that I work with on a fairly regular basis so it will be fun to meet them in person. There is a Hampton Inn right at the end of the drive for the Operations Center and they give US B*** employees a discount. Instead of 109 dollars they only charge me 64! What a deal! Excited for that.
I am also making a stop in Idaho for cousin Katey's 40th and auntie Marie's 80th birthday party. Then I will get to mark off 3 more states. I think I will be up to about 46 or 47 states that I have been through or vacationed in. Just a few more to go.
I am ALSO going to take the train to Portland and spend a night to visit a bunch of people I work with. Portland is the backup site for the bank. There are about 20 people that I work with on a fairly regular basis so it will be fun to meet them in person. There is a Hampton Inn right at the end of the drive for the Operations Center and they give US B*** employees a discount. Instead of 109 dollars they only charge me 64! What a deal! Excited for that.
I am also making a stop in Idaho for cousin Katey's 40th and auntie Marie's 80th birthday party. Then I will get to mark off 3 more states. I think I will be up to about 46 or 47 states that I have been through or vacationed in. Just a few more to go.
I guess I am not too far behind
It was beginning to feel like I haven't been on here in months and it was only last Thursday. Travis and I went golfing on Friday and it was superb. Hotter than Hades but we had a lot of fun golfing together. I am hoping we can do it again this week. But it seems like our schedules aren't as cohesive this week. After golfing I ended up meeting my friend Jaime from work and his girlfriend in Uptown. We went to a place called Cowboy Slims. I am not a country fan as most of you know but it was nice to sit outside under an umbrella.
Saturday I had an appt with Lisa and then hopped into the pool for a bit. I then went and met Peggy and Beth at Granite City for lunch. They have an awesome Chicken Bruschetta salad.
I took my motorcycle to lunch because it had been sunny in Eagan when I left, but on the way home the clouds got darker and darker. It did rain on me (and I was hoping I was going to miss it) but at least it wasn't torrential downpours until after I got home. Riding Stella and getting rained on is not real fun. My pants were soaked by the time I got home. At least it was an experience though!
And then it was back to work and it has been busy both days so far which is nice. I like being busy.
Saturday I had an appt with Lisa and then hopped into the pool for a bit. I then went and met Peggy and Beth at Granite City for lunch. They have an awesome Chicken Bruschetta salad.
I took my motorcycle to lunch because it had been sunny in Eagan when I left, but on the way home the clouds got darker and darker. It did rain on me (and I was hoping I was going to miss it) but at least it wasn't torrential downpours until after I got home. Riding Stella and getting rained on is not real fun. My pants were soaked by the time I got home. At least it was an experience though!
And then it was back to work and it has been busy both days so far which is nice. I like being busy.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Russ the Handy Man
Well Russ did an awesome job and got everything accomplished that I wanted to get accomplished today. He will be re-doing the tile in my bathroom because all the grout is cracking and falling apart. We decided the easiest thing would be to just get all the tile up and replace with new. It would also be most cost effective since he wouldn't have to worry about not breaking the tile and then having to scrape and clean it. He will also be putting in a subfloor - with a new subfloor the grout with the new tile should not break apart. I also bought a bathroom vanity, faucet, mirror ensemble at Menards. There is nothing wrong with my current one, but it is so big it takes up nearly all the space. I bought a smaller one so hopefully it will make the bathroom look bigger than it is. I also want a new toilet because my current one seems to sit extra low - it probably is just average, but I want a higher seat. Russ is also going to fix my ceiling since it is starting to peel in the bathroom and take out my medicine cabinet because it is old and tacky. And instead of him filling in the empty wall space with sheetrock, I asked if he could just leave the space and make shelves so I can put little knickknacks or whatever there. I thought that was a brilliant idea I came up with and he is willing to do it.
Today he fixed my bathroom ceiling fan so it finally works (it never has since I moved in) and replaced my DR and Kitchen light fixtures, and moved the old light fixture into the hallway to get rid of the little globe that was there and installed a new kitchen faucet for me. The new light fixtures are awesome and give off way more light! I was originally thinking I would need a light above the sink but with my new kitchen light, it is 10 times better at giving off light than the other fixture so I am all good.
So all this stuff I am doing is really more just esthetic (other than the bathroom) but I love what I have done so far. And Russ was efficient and detail oriented so I am happy with his work. He is also very conscientious. When I am gone to the West Coast in August, Russ will then work on my bathroom so it will be all done when I get back. That way if I don't have a toilet to use while he is working it won't be a big deal. I am excited for the bathroom to get re-done.
My new air conditioner that I purchased at Warner's Stellian works beautifully (and we needed it today - I mean yesterday!) It was a 106 degree heat index. The sirens went off in Eagan but luckily we only had a downpour. I guess there were tornadoes spotted in Apple Valley and Lakeville which are 2 suburbs that Eagan is close to.
I think pretty soon I will have stimulated the economy as much as I possibly can. A couple trips coming up in August and September and I will have to say that I have tried my darndest to get the economy going! :-)
Today he fixed my bathroom ceiling fan so it finally works (it never has since I moved in) and replaced my DR and Kitchen light fixtures, and moved the old light fixture into the hallway to get rid of the little globe that was there and installed a new kitchen faucet for me. The new light fixtures are awesome and give off way more light! I was originally thinking I would need a light above the sink but with my new kitchen light, it is 10 times better at giving off light than the other fixture so I am all good.
So all this stuff I am doing is really more just esthetic (other than the bathroom) but I love what I have done so far. And Russ was efficient and detail oriented so I am happy with his work. He is also very conscientious. When I am gone to the West Coast in August, Russ will then work on my bathroom so it will be all done when I get back. That way if I don't have a toilet to use while he is working it won't be a big deal. I am excited for the bathroom to get re-done.
My new air conditioner that I purchased at Warner's Stellian works beautifully (and we needed it today - I mean yesterday!) It was a 106 degree heat index. The sirens went off in Eagan but luckily we only had a downpour. I guess there were tornadoes spotted in Apple Valley and Lakeville which are 2 suburbs that Eagan is close to.
I think pretty soon I will have stimulated the economy as much as I possibly can. A couple trips coming up in August and September and I will have to say that I have tried my darndest to get the economy going! :-)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tomorrow is my manager's birthday
My new manager Tim that is..as of April. He turns 41 tomorrow but he is a super nice guy and great manager to work for. Anyway since I don't come in to work until late tomorrow and I won't see him, I went out and bought 2 DQ birthday cakes for the Network Operations Center (about 50 people). Usually each little area does their own thing, but since we in THEORY are supposed to be one team (ohhmmmm) I decided to get enough for the entire room. It was nice too! To have everyone taking an ice cream break together.
Tomorrow morning Russ is coming over to do light fixtures, shower head, kitchen sink faucet and whatever he can do in the time allotted before I have to leave.
I am very thankful I have my new a/c in before he starts any of this because it is pretty hot and humid today and it would suck to work in my condo with lame-o air. It will be nice to finally be able to sleep with the air on all night and not have to worry.
Anyway, that is about it. Right now I am feeling very happy and contented in life. Good karma is going on.
Tomorrow morning Russ is coming over to do light fixtures, shower head, kitchen sink faucet and whatever he can do in the time allotted before I have to leave.
I am very thankful I have my new a/c in before he starts any of this because it is pretty hot and humid today and it would suck to work in my condo with lame-o air. It will be nice to finally be able to sleep with the air on all night and not have to worry.
Anyway, that is about it. Right now I am feeling very happy and contented in life. Good karma is going on.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Bad Heidi!
Wow the last time I blogged was July 1! Well I have been a busy girl. On July 1 I went to the golf driving range with my friend Jim from work. He golfs a lot so I asked him to give me some pointers. Well I got bit all over again by the golf bug and went out and proceeded to purchase a new set of golf clubs, some shoes and a glove. I also went again to the driving range last Thursday (the 8th) and my friend Chanda that was visiting from Tennessee and my nephew Travis also joined Jim and I. I am hoping to get on a course this week with Travis if it works out weather and work wise.
Chanda came to town on the 2nd and we went out for a bit then headed off to bed so we could leave by 4am to get to Sisseton SD for her tribe's annual 4th of July pow-wow. While I was there I met her uncle Randy and his girlfriend Jodi and we had a great time. Jodi is also a "white girl" but has been to lots of pow wow's (wacipi's) so explained a lot of the ceremony and dances to me while the family did a lot of visiting. We were supposed to camp out but it was so bloody windy the tents kept falling down so we ended up staying in Aberdeen at her parent's place. Which was a good thing because on the way there it was a torrential down pour of rain and the frogs went crazy and were flying all over the place. We were massive frog killers on the way to Aberdeen. Almost smoked out a doe and her baby too. It was hard to see.
Oh and I forgot to mention, I need to work on my understanding of the native humor! The announcer said there was a hickey booth that (and he said some name) had been set up and one could go get a hickey for 50 cents. Well I was all over that! I haven't had a hickey since I was probably 20! So I pulled out my 20 and told Chanda I want to go find the hickey booth. She was in shock that I was seriously asking her because unbeknownst to me it was a joke. I guess the Natives are into hickeys! The announcer also got me when he said dinner would be served in the air conditioning....uhhh yeah. It was outside in the hot blowing air a/c. It is either my gullibleness or my blondeness. Not sure which. But of course after the hickey question (which Randy and Jodi saw all this happen) it has now become my quest in life to get a 50 cent hickey...I would even go up to a dollar!
The next day we went back to the wacipi and hung around for a bit before deciding to go to the Dakota Casino in Watertown South Dakota. Chanda's mom and dad had a coupon for the room that we could use so it cost us all of 5 dollars to stay. Well actually Chanda's dad paid for the room and she bought him a soup at the wacipi. And the funniest thing wassss, the 23 year old bartender at the casino had A HICKEY! I laughed my ass off. I asked him if he would give me a hickey for a buck since I couldn't get one at the wacipi for 50 cents. I think I scared the poor boy! :-) Needless to say, I am still "hick-less".
We got back to MN on Monday and just hung out, watched movies and ate pizza. Tuesday we went to the Science Museum to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit. It was okay but I guess I was expecting more. They didn't have much of the scrolls and they wre so tiny I can't imagine trying to piece them all together. We did see the IMAX movie also called Arabia. So while I wasn't super impressed I still totally enjoyed myself since it had been awhile that I had gone to the Museum.
I can't think of what we did Tuesday. hmm. I think that was the night Chanda met her girlfriend for dinner? Oh well, guess I will just go on about what we did do.
So I already said that we hit golf balls (I am trying to get her hooked on the sport so when she comes back we can go out together) and went to dinner at the 5-8 club for Juicy Lucy's. Also went to the MN Zoo on one of the hottest days yet this year! We sweat our dupas off. I hadn't been there since about 1983 probably so it was fun to catch up. I also decided to become a member.
We went and saw my favorite band in the Twin Cities, High and Mighty on Friday night. They were playing in the next town over at Mendota Days.
Saturday we hung at the pool and saw the movie Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I am easily amused.
And then it was back to work. I was so exhausted all day yesterday but today I feel like a new person. Rock On.
Oh I did get a new a/c that was sorely needed and it is soooo nice. Also am going to replace light fixtures and faucets and have to get my bathroom floor redone because the grout is coming up between the tiles. There is a guy Russ that has his own handyman business and does a lot of work for people in the building so I am paying him to assist. PLUS, he is a super nice guy and I kinda dig him - sorta. We'll see. But spending time with him so far has been fun. He went to a Twins game with me a week or so ago. But then again, it seems like there are always men to chase around. Maybe I will just be the hunter! :-)
Chanda came to town on the 2nd and we went out for a bit then headed off to bed so we could leave by 4am to get to Sisseton SD for her tribe's annual 4th of July pow-wow. While I was there I met her uncle Randy and his girlfriend Jodi and we had a great time. Jodi is also a "white girl" but has been to lots of pow wow's (wacipi's) so explained a lot of the ceremony and dances to me while the family did a lot of visiting. We were supposed to camp out but it was so bloody windy the tents kept falling down so we ended up staying in Aberdeen at her parent's place. Which was a good thing because on the way there it was a torrential down pour of rain and the frogs went crazy and were flying all over the place. We were massive frog killers on the way to Aberdeen. Almost smoked out a doe and her baby too. It was hard to see.
Oh and I forgot to mention, I need to work on my understanding of the native humor! The announcer said there was a hickey booth that (and he said some name) had been set up and one could go get a hickey for 50 cents. Well I was all over that! I haven't had a hickey since I was probably 20! So I pulled out my 20 and told Chanda I want to go find the hickey booth. She was in shock that I was seriously asking her because unbeknownst to me it was a joke. I guess the Natives are into hickeys! The announcer also got me when he said dinner would be served in the air conditioning....uhhh yeah. It was outside in the hot blowing air a/c. It is either my gullibleness or my blondeness. Not sure which. But of course after the hickey question (which Randy and Jodi saw all this happen) it has now become my quest in life to get a 50 cent hickey...I would even go up to a dollar!
The next day we went back to the wacipi and hung around for a bit before deciding to go to the Dakota Casino in Watertown South Dakota. Chanda's mom and dad had a coupon for the room that we could use so it cost us all of 5 dollars to stay. Well actually Chanda's dad paid for the room and she bought him a soup at the wacipi. And the funniest thing wassss, the 23 year old bartender at the casino had A HICKEY! I laughed my ass off. I asked him if he would give me a hickey for a buck since I couldn't get one at the wacipi for 50 cents. I think I scared the poor boy! :-) Needless to say, I am still "hick-less".
We got back to MN on Monday and just hung out, watched movies and ate pizza. Tuesday we went to the Science Museum to see the Dead Sea Scroll exhibit. It was okay but I guess I was expecting more. They didn't have much of the scrolls and they wre so tiny I can't imagine trying to piece them all together. We did see the IMAX movie also called Arabia. So while I wasn't super impressed I still totally enjoyed myself since it had been awhile that I had gone to the Museum.
I can't think of what we did Tuesday. hmm. I think that was the night Chanda met her girlfriend for dinner? Oh well, guess I will just go on about what we did do.
So I already said that we hit golf balls (I am trying to get her hooked on the sport so when she comes back we can go out together) and went to dinner at the 5-8 club for Juicy Lucy's. Also went to the MN Zoo on one of the hottest days yet this year! We sweat our dupas off. I hadn't been there since about 1983 probably so it was fun to catch up. I also decided to become a member.
We went and saw my favorite band in the Twin Cities, High and Mighty on Friday night. They were playing in the next town over at Mendota Days.
Saturday we hung at the pool and saw the movie Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I am easily amused.
And then it was back to work. I was so exhausted all day yesterday but today I feel like a new person. Rock On.
Oh I did get a new a/c that was sorely needed and it is soooo nice. Also am going to replace light fixtures and faucets and have to get my bathroom floor redone because the grout is coming up between the tiles. There is a guy Russ that has his own handyman business and does a lot of work for people in the building so I am paying him to assist. PLUS, he is a super nice guy and I kinda dig him - sorta. We'll see. But spending time with him so far has been fun. He went to a Twins game with me a week or so ago. But then again, it seems like there are always men to chase around. Maybe I will just be the hunter! :-)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Lady Gaga
I am a HUGE fan of Lady Gaga. Julie, Don and I are going to her concert on August 30th and I just cannot wait. And if you know anything about Lady Gaga, it is all about the costumes for her. I am very excited because I am going to get all glitteried up and crazy for the concert.
I finally found a unique pair of pants online that I think will be perfect for the concert. I hope they fit!
Watch out St Paul!
I finally found a unique pair of pants online that I think will be perfect for the concert. I hope they fit!
Watch out St Paul!
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