Happy Monday??

So I got off to a bumpy start this morning. Woke up late, scrambled to get ready & get to the train station. Just BARELY made my train. Didn’t nap on the way in as much as I wanted to – a group of high school kids were in my train, all packed up, ready to go only God knows where (Spring Break, maybe??).

Anyway, once I got to Penn, I head for the Subway to catch the train into Times Square, and it ended up being delayed – I had to wait a good 25 minutes or so for the damn thing. THEN, to top it all off, asshole New Yorkers decide that even though theirs isn’t the next stop, they’re going to go and stand in front of the exit doors. These two people, who aren’t exiting Times Square (the next stop) are standing at the doors, so when I need to get out, they’re just, like, trying to step over so that I can squeeze through. And I’m not a big person, but I had a couple bags with me, so I’m like worming my way between them. God, how annoying. If yours isn’t the next stop, don’t stand by the doors!! It’s as simple as that…sheeesh.

Then things took a turn for the better. I got out at Times Square and there’s sort of like a revolving exit that we have to go out of – this slightly overweight (she wasn’t that big or anything, but you could tell she had a few pounds on her) black woman went through before me, and I followed just behind her. She kept turning around and looking back as we went through, and even as we went through the stairs afterwards, and couldn’t figure out why, until she said, “I didn’t think I’d fit -I’m amazed I made it through there!” I couldn’t help but laugh with her as she said that! Too cute!

And the final cherry on the sundae? There were all these girls from the GAP, dressed all pretty in their khaki trenchcoats, with baskets of flowers in their hand. One came up to me and chirped, “Happy First Day of Spring from the GAP,” and handed me not one, but THREE pink roses! Now, I don’t know what it is, but receiving flowers could put a smile on ANY girl’s face!

It could be a great Monday after all!

White Butterflies

I know I’ve been complaining about snow and winter and all that comes with it in recent entries. But let me be honest – it’s not all bad.

It’s snowing today. It was fine on my drive into the train station this morning. I dozed off on the train as usual, and woke up just before Newark, only to see a fresh dusting of white on the tracks and nearby grounds. When I looked out over the horizon, I didn’t see the actual snow falling – just a sort of distant white haze. Really quite peaceful actually. It was only when we pulled to a stop that I could see the delicate white flakes drifting downwards. Really peaceful to watch, actually. I got to Penn Station, caught my subway ride, and stepped out into Times Square. It was still coming down pretty steadily. And it was just so nice to be in the midst of a light snowfall like that – almost as if you’re in the middle of some dreamworld fairyland or something. I think that’s what it is. What I especially love is having snowflakes fall on my hair. The contrast of the white snowflakes on my dark hair is so dramatic. The whole effect of it sort of makes me feel almost as if I’m a princess in a fairyland.

Okay, now I’m just getting weird.

But explain this to me. New Yorkers carry umbrellas when it snows. Why? Umbrellas are for rain – not snow. This morning I saw this one woman with an umbrella, and because of the wind and the weightlessness of the snow, she was STILL getting snowflakes in her face and hair. So what’s the point? I’m convinced it’s a NY/East Coast thing, because nobody in the Midwest that I know of carries an umbrella when it snows.
NY-ers must be daft!

Revulsion

So what is it with female executives? Do they have some sort of aversion to washing their hands after they use the ladies?

It’s quite frightening, actually.

This afternoon I was in the ladies’ room and someone came in just ahead of me. Of course, they finished first, flushed (as they very well should), and then left the stall…walking straight out of the bathroom. She didn’t even stop to wash her hands, or at the very least, rinse them off!

She’s not technically an executive, but is definitely “up there”. Add to that the fact that the assistant to one of our female EXECUTIVE executives spilled the beans that this Carly Fiorina-esque individual NEVER washed her hands upon answering nature’s call.

Really makes you want to think twice about shaking their hands when you meet them.

Maybe I’m generalizing this, but consider the fact that all us other little peons take the time to wash our hands – often with soap. So is it an executive thing? Are they too busy to wash their hands, or do they think because they’re all hoity-toity high & mighty the germs won’t adhere to their hands?? Come on, people. Get real – Germs are germs, and germs don’t discriminate!

A little hygiene would be nice!

I realize I might appear a bit sexist here, but do understand – I can’t very well go visit the men’s bathroom to see who does and doesn’t wash their hands…

Am I right?

Trust...Who Do Ya?

Is it really that hard to come by? I mean, really.

I was telling my husband last night that while I really do like the people that I hang out with when we all get together (his friends), I don’t really think of them as my friend friends. I told him that a friend is someone that I feel I can really confide in. I can share just about everything and I can rest assured I can trust them on two major levels:

1)They won’t go blabbing my secrets/problems to everyone else around town

2)They won’t judge me – they’ll listen and offer whatever advice they may feel is necessary.

So why is it so hard to find someone like that? I had folks down in my old position in Princeton I considered those kinds of friends – we’d go out on fun little excursions during our lunch hour and totally relate on a “non-work” level. I could share whatever was going on at home, and I’d get a very attentive, non-judgemental reponse and I knew that I could trust that the entire company wouldn’t know about it the next day. I miss those folks. We don’t talk as much as we used to only because we’re all so busy now – them with their work, me with mine.

The friends that we hang out with now, I can’t trust them worth jack. They have that tendency to where I can never be sure what I can tell them; unless I want the entire neighborhood and our whole network of contacts to know about it, I really can’t tell them anything. (Well, it’s not EVERYONE in the group – a couple select people, but I won’t name any names.)

I miss having a real friend around. I really do. It just feels like a part of me isn’t fully there. No – let me rephrase. It feels like a part of me is just constantly staying bottled up inside. And it’s just really frustrating. I want to be able to share it with someone, but there’s no one around that I feel comfortable doing that with.

On a lighter note – go check out some pics of my little nephew Max! He made his grand entrance into the world at 9:44pm on Thursday, March 3rd.

Woohoo!