2010 Christmas Card

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Today's Horoscope

Have you thought about becoming some sort of advisor or mentor to someone? If you haven't, you should -- and today would be a good day to investigate how to get involved in something like that. It could be as formal as a teaching position or as informal as just showing a friend how to do something in their home. What's important here is that you spend some time sharing a skill or talent of yours with someone else -- it's a great way to connect with the rest of the people you see every day.

This is a very fitting horoscope, especially as I'm already an advisor to members and alumnae advisors for my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta.

Yeay.

First Snow

Saturday night, Raleigh got hit with its first snowfall. Granted, it was just a dusting, but it was pretty. And the best part was that it was gone the next day.

It's a far cry from the crap I used to get back home.

What? I can't hear you.

It happens every workday morning. More often on Monday mornings. That whole "What did you do this weekend" question that ultimately lasts for 90 minutes.

Working in a cube farm I hear all the conversations. And for the most part, I don't care. At least I don't care at 9am.

My most productive time of the day is the early morning. I am active, alert, creative and I want to be able to throw myself into my work and get things done. But if you look at me after 2 pm, then I am procrastinating as if it was my life goal.

I love to chat about bullshit, but I would prefer it to happen at a less productive time for me, like lunch or late afternoon. Instead I have to be the anti-social asshole with my headphones on; drowning out the morning conversations of tv shows, kids, pets, remodeling projects, day trips and bouts of gastrointestinal issues.

On second thought, I might just leave my headphones on all day.

I can work from home up to two days per week. And I know that when I can wake up at 7am and log on in my pajamas, I can work for 6 hours with no distractions and get a lot done. But even though my team is on the west coast and I don't interact with them too much even when I'm in the office, I do miss the social atmosphere of having colleagues nearby. Interspersed among the rambling of nonsense, I might hear a gem of information that I could actually learn from.

I wish I could just put a door in my cube, or maybe a shower curtain. When it's closed, it could be the cue to "do not disturb". But when it's open its a screaming invitation to distract me.

Barry mouse hunting

Barry is doing what he loves, hunting for field mice.

Things I Like: My Nook

There are a lot of stupid things on tv. The only show that I will stop my life and turn on the tv for is Glee. Yes, I am a gleek and I'm not ashamed to say it.

I've traded in a lot of tv time for reading. And I was holding out on an e-reader for a while. I thought I would miss the tactile-ness (is that a word), and the smell of books. But one day when I was home in NJ, I decided I wanted an e-reader. Like right now.

So I mapped the distance for Target and Barnes & Noble. B&N was closer so I drove the 3 miles to get the Nook. I have to say, I love it.

There are some books that I will just have to have a hardcopy for, but for casual reading, e-books suit me just fine.

I've been catching up on some literary classics that I never read in school. I just finished Oliver Twist and I have a bunch more free classics waiting in my queue.

I read the Oprah selection 'Freedom' by Jonathan Franzen. I can't say it changed my life like Oprah said it did to her, but it was ok.

I'm currently reading 'Half the Sky : Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide' by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It's great, in that it angers you and stirs up the desire to want to do something to end the injustice towards women.

Next in my queue is 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett and then the Millennium Trilogy Series books, The Girl Who Kicked the Shit Out Of People Because She's So F'n Badass. I'm interested in reading the series because the movies of them were just so awesome.

So what are you reading?

Thanksgiving Wish

As part of my yearly tradition, I sent out my Thanksgiving email:

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

It's that time of year again. When the roads, skies and rails are packed with people all trying to get back to their loved ones. And maybe if they're lucky, can get a little sumthin' sumthin' in the TSA pat down line. I am finally one of those people who have to travel hours (8 by car, to be exact) to make my way back home.

2010 has been another year of contrasts. We have seen incredible devistation with the earthquake in Haiti and have seen miracles in the rescue of the Chilean miners. We have cheered with the Olympians in Canada and recoiled in horror as the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion devistated our oceans.

Whether you like your tea with sugar or with Palin, Rally for Sanity, Rally for Fear or Rally for the Cure, I think we can all agree that when that turkey comes out of the oven we're all rallying for the drumstick!

This year has been one of amazing change for me. I have changed addresses, jobs, and loves. I've traded in the Garden State for the Tarheel State and I've had to defend that everyone from New Jersey is not like those clowns on Jersey Shore! But even though I hit a fork in the road, I have discovered so much more.

Thank you to the new friends I have made. Thank you to the friends who haven't forgotten me back home. And thank you for my family who make it feel like I've never left.

Before the insanity of the holidays hit you hard, take this time to stop and take a breath. If you have a roof over your head, a dollar in your pocket, a full belly and a full heart then you will never want for more.

My wish for you this Thanksgiving is to be healthy, happy and home (where ever you call home).

Love always-
Claudine

Normally the responses I got back were kind words.

Except for Charles. (Yes, he was on my email distribution list because I really don't harbor any bad feelings.) His response withing seconds of me hitting send: I'm not in the mood.

Well then. How about go fuck yourself. Are you in the mood for that?

Fucker.