birds, running around, and music

The birds are back. They were chirping for all they were worth outside my office window this morning--and more than just the usual crows, thankfully. While I'm used to their calls, they're not all that pleasant to listen to after awhile. I even saw a blue jay during my usual lunchtime running around.

It's been clear, sunny and cold for awhile now. Beautiful sunshine, but the wind is killer. It's snowed during the night the past couple of days, and some last week. Our neighbor even stopped by on Friday to thank us for shoveling her walk, which prompted me to do it again this morning, even pausing to knock most of the snow off of her vehicle's windows for the sun to melt the ice underneath. She keeps inviting me over to watch a movie or something after her daughter's asleep, but I've never really had the opportunity to take her up on it--my schedule's been pretty packed.

Did my usual running around at lunch today. In this particular instance, that constituted running home to add things to a couple packages for online friends, writing a quick check to my ring-supplier who I'm going to visit after work so I can get supplies to make more bracelets after being away from it for awhile (I noted today that supplies are getting expensive--I should think about selling a few online rather than gifting them so often), a quick bite since I know I'll be at the office a bit late tonight and I can't depend entirely upon the clementines and granola bars I have at my desk, then to the post office to send the packages off. Managed to cram that into an hour without a hitch.

I also have a second mix CD at work today--that is, my second in a week or so, which is notable since I haven't made a mix CD before this since--October? November? I can't remember. And it's funny how this got prompted by needing more space on my computer for pictures from Saturday's little shoot. I managed some of that space by cleaning out the files I was using to remind myself of what songs I wanted to put on the CD, once I'd finished both. When I started looking at them, having had the concept in my head for a few months and gathering material for that long, I realized I had more than enough for two discs, which is probably why they got spat out in quick succession. This second is just a draft, though, and I haven't even gotten to listening to it yet.

If you'd told me I'd be making mix CDs like the first in this little series a few years ago, I'd have told you that you were nuts, that I don't like stuff from the 80s. And that generally holds true. But I think Sunday nights have inured me to some of it. I can at least tolerate it in remixes, which is what that disc is chock-full of: remixes of a bunch of different 80s pop tunes, plus Gloria Gaynor, Elvis, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and other random picks. Some are redone enough to be unrecognizable. But really, I still don't like some of it, or have gotten sick of certain songs after hearing them week after week. So that disc was mostly a bust for me. I only hope other friends I've passed it along to enjoy it more.

work changes

The other writer/editor in our office has taken a new job, leaving me to do the job of two, for the moment. I learned today that she will be replaced, which was up in the air for awhile. I'm hoping this will be a positive change, that the higher-ups will take this opportunity to further massage the difference in the two posts, but I fear that might not happen--I fear that far too much will depend on the applicant pool. And I desperately want someone who I'll enjoy working with in the position, which will make this an even more difficult search to be involved with.

I very much value the tech end of my job, but my boss seems to want to pull me away from that--and that's understandable, given the current circumstances. We have far too many more pure writing/editing projects for even the two of us to manage together.

This is all rather tangential. To get down to it, I'm finding work very stressful these days, even though not much has changed, practically speaking. I've taken on a few more things, sure, but it's manageable, I think. I got a quick speech from my boss today that basically comes down to him saying that I should be more flexible about working outside of our normal 8 to 5 hours, which frankly makes me balk. That's part of why I took a job like this. That's part of why I stopped teaching. I didn't want to have to take anything home with me anymore. It's not like I leave right at the dot of ending time, either: I was there until 6 tonight, for example. But I'm probably getting peeved over a rather minor point.

Tangential again. Not that I have a point, per se, other than updating folks on how things are over here at the moment. So I'm going to change the subject.

Have I ever mentioned that I generally hate television? Perhaps that's an overstatement. I don't hate television: I hate commercials. Loathe them. I understand they're part of the pop culture zeitgeist these days, but I really can't stand them. Even with the Replay TV here (it's like a Tivo, for those unfamiliar), having to skip them irritates me. If it were up to me, the only television I'd watch would be on DVD--thus, ad-free. Unfortunately, J. often leaves it on as background noise--and worse, doesn't always skip or mute the commercials. Not a fun time, in my book. Guess this means I can never be a full-fledged marketing goober, even though I'm tending that way in bits of my professional life.

Or at least, here's hoping.