How to Tell You've Made your Mark at a Company

This, right here, is why it's dangerous to facebook friend your coworkers and let them have access to your tagged photos.

Milestones.

Tomorrow, August 13, is my three year anniversary at The Chicago Sun-Times. 

A moment. 

The Pot...the Kettle....

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/people/1751626,chris-brown-rihanna-oprah-090309.article

In short, Chris Brown feels Oprah was a little 'harsh' with him. "It was like a slap in the face", according to him.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

I'm So Proud!

The Chicago Sun-Times won the Golden Local Debates!

The Chicago Sun-Times is an example of fate in my life. I very very randomly at the last minute decided to go to a career fair back junior year of college (the alternative option was going to class, but going to the fair was an excused absence). I literally wrote my first resume (after googling 'how to write a resume') 15 minutes prior to said fair. Anyhow, long story short, fast-forward to an internship at the CST that summer. I was all ready to go back to Chili's for the third summer in a row, but life had other plans.

When I came back recently, it all started by me, at the very last minute, deciding to go to a former coworker's happy hour, which I really had to squeeze in amongst several other plans for the evening. Again, it really wasn't in my plan for the evening, but it was there I ran into my current boss and, as they say, the rest is history.

Sigh. It's good to know that, no matter what happens, the CST and I just keep finding our way to each other. I guess it must be my soulmate (hey, someone had to be).

Serial Monogamists

Ok. You know what I don't get - girls who always have boyfriends. And I'm not talking the same boyfriend - they're never single and they've been in like 10 serious relationships by age 25. They break up with one guy and have a new one less than a week later. They have existed long before the world of online dating started, so that cannot be attributed to contributing to this group (although maybe it has made things easier for them).

I have known quite a few girls who fit this description. There is no one common denominator amongst them. I have seen some that I would describe as very pretty; I have seen some that I'd say 'not so much' to. It's not as though this group of girls is, specifically, as I'd see it, all of the girls who are simply the most desirable to men, although maybe I'm wrong on this - I'm not a guy and I don't know what's going on in their head.

I don't think I need to go any further - because everyone I know, male and female, knows the kind of girls I'm talking about. they are serial monogamists (and I know their male counterparts exist).

Here's what I don't get about these girls - do they REALLY like pretty much every guy out there? Could they fall in love with anyone? Anything?

For me personally, I haven't even really met that many people I've quote-unquote like liked. At least not seriously. I'm not talking about a little crush. And I don't really understand how other people can say they have. I don't think it's possible to be compatible with all that many people out there. For me personally, I don't understand how someone my age could have been in love more than 2-3 times. I don't see how someone could have been in that many serious relationships. For some of my friends who have been in multiple long-term relationships - some will say that for earlier relationships, they may have thought they were in love but they now realize that it was just youthful naiveté.

Anyhow. I actually really think these people are just too insecure to be single and they think they're in love with everyone who crosses their path because these people temporarily abate their insecurities. I really wonder what goes through this group of individual's heads - do they know, themselves, that they're not really crazy about each person? Do they seriously think they're crazy about each person? Are they trying to convince themselves that they are more crazy about this person than they were with the previous 11? All I know is that, with some people I know, I laugh when they introduce me to their 'new guy who is DEFINITELY the one - even though it's early, they've NEVER felt this way about anyone before'.

I realize I may sound like the angry single girl at the moment, but I swear that's not the case. I have a coworker who, let's just say, is at that stage in life where he says EXACTLY what he thinks, for better or for worse. The other day, we were talking, and he said 'You know, I really don't like that many people. My wife yells at me that I shouldn't be this way. It's not that I dislike people; it's more that there just aren't many that I can honestly say I really like." I think he and I are on the same wavelength on this one.

Huskie Pride, Cont'd?

From suntimes.com:

April 14, 2009

Marlee Matlin, who grew up in Chicago's north suburbs, says she was molested by a female baby-sitter at age 11.

"I remember feeling very, very violent and very disgusted," the Oscar winner tells "Access Hollywood."

The disclosure comes as Matlin releases a memoir, I'll Scream Later.

She also says she lost her virginity to a teacher in high school. "I was older and I knew about sex. ... I didn't really understand it wasn't right," she says.

She did not specify the school, but Matlin is a graduate of John Hersey High in Arlington Heights.

Just as I was thinking Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin (well, I know her as the tennis ball-girl on Seinfeld and a contestant on Dancing with the Stars) could save our school's name....

Filene's Basement Wedding Dress Sale

So, today, the Chicago Sun-Times had one of its book sales. It looked a little like this....



Despite the pushing and shoving, I was able to get some good finds. For instance:



It will help give me material for my next Tina Fey impersonation. I couldn't help but think some of my coworkers were looking at me and possibly judging me, for it gave the appearance that I'm a 'Sarah' fan. This is why I sometimes hate buying books at public places, like bookstores. Unless it's a typical best-seller, someone is judging your choice and making assumptions about your personality. I always say the book I'm looking at is a gift for someone, even if it isn't. I, at first, loved amazon for the reason of buying books in private, UNTIL they started recommending books to me that 'I might like based on other books I've viewed'. Ugh. Anyhow. The goodness of a booksale can't be passed up for this reason alone. I got some other good shameful products while I was there, including....



In short - how to find your soulmate using THE SECRET....I look forward to panning it in a review shortly....

Also,



California Dreams Seasons 1 & 2. For nostalgia purposes alone...don't judge.

Celebrity Crushes....

So I've been known to have, at times, unconventional taste in the men department (believe me, ask ANY of my female friends on this one). Who are my celebrity crushes, you might ask? See above. Top down - Jon Bon Jovi (well, 20 years ago), Paul Rudd, and, as of lately, Reid Scott (Brando on My Boys). HOT. I don't hear many other girls talking about Reid Scott - maybe I can have him. He used to have a thing for PJ, a single Sun-Times employee living in Chicago, so I really think I'm his type.

Advanced Book Review....

So, as you all know, I periodically get free advanced copies of books from my work. The latest one I got was Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty - the fifth and supposedly final book in the "Jessica Darling" series.

Anyhow - I like teen lit because it seems as though all adult women lit has the exact same story line (an aspiring writer, single, struggling to make ends meet in the big city who somehow puts it all together and finds Mr. Right in 300 pages or less). Even if there isn't that much variation in the teen world, at least the age gap puts a little separation between the parallels of these character's lives (circa page 25) and my own.

Anyhow. So I have now read all five books in this series. I realize no one other than Piper has any interest in reading a book report by yours truly, so I'll try to keep it brief. This wasn't my favorite of the series (I think the first or third would be my favorite). My main criticisms of the book are that it was highly highly predictable, the symbolism is heavy-handed, and the character development becomes redundant. Other than that, I find the main character too easy to relate to (I think I found the word cynical about 27 times throughout the book) and likable enough, so I did enjoy the book and would recommend the series to anyone who enjoys reading fiction.

I know, often times, authors will create a main character who mirrors herself - I wonder how much I would have in common with Megan McCafferty. I must say, she has been published multiple times, so I may be a little jealous of her. Anyhow. The book drops at some point mid-April. I'm guessing Piper will read it (or get a critique from some of her students). Anyone else out there read this series?

Guilty Pleasure

So I am a closet Fleetwood Mac fan. I don't regularly openly discuss the subject. They are part of what I was referring to in the 'obscurities on my ipod' post. I'd admit to liking them, but my parents would probably make fun of me for that, and really, I don't think I could emotionally handle that. I don't remember exactly how or why I came upon them initially - I think it was at some emotional time in high school when I was searching for some music that understood me better than N'SYNC. Well, anyhow, they were in town this past week in concert.

Well, my work gets a lot of tickets to every major event (sporting and concerts). Long story short, a coworker of mine lost a pair of tickets on the behemoth of his desk. I was told by management that if I could find them, they were mine. Well, I woke up at 5 the next morning and, sure enough, I tore this coworker's desk to shreds! He won't be able to find ANYTHING come Monday. But that doesn't matter. What matters is I found the tickets!! (I told my mom I had to go in early to help with a project - said project was 'find the Fleetwood Mac tickets'.)

Anyhow. The show was amazing. The prices of drinks and tchotchkes showed that Fleetwood Mac fans CLEARLY don't care about the state of the economy. Well, I helped the economy last night with the purchase of multiple tchotchkes. I feel good inside - I honestly did my part. That, and I felt a bond with Stevie Nicks through the night - she changed outfits four times in a period of three hours. That, and apparently, she's had the same 'bangs' hairstyle for the past 30 years. I don't know her personally, but at this moment, I felt like I did.

Playing the Lotto with Coworkers

Ok, today kids, I'd like to address the pros and cons of playing the lotto with coworkers (and, I suppose, various other interoffice gambling options - such as football pools, etc.). I bring up this issue because, as you might imagine, I have been roped into said activity.

I guess the only real selling point is one could possibly, but VERY HIGHLY UNLIKELY, win a $#*%load of money. In which case those years and years of putting a couple dollars in here and there have REALLY paid off. But the odds are really really really, ahem, not good.

The first time I participated, it wasn't a big deal to hand over a couple bucks. However, in my workplace, and I imagine in many workplaces, this is a regularly recurring event. I do not want to think of how much these couple bucks here and there have added up to. One could say this is simply recreational, although I don't know how much 'fun' it is to simply hand money to the collector - because, really, that's all there is to this event. I suppose this is cheaper/better odds than playing alone - but I wouldn't up and purchase lotto tickets on my own.

Anyhow, I'm rambling. I have raised said concerns to my coworkers multiple times, but the only response I've gotten is that if I drop out and they lotto, they will have no sympathy for me, I will have missed out on my cut of the money, they will be sitting on a beach, thinking of me still going in to the office on a beautiful day and laughing at my poor self. So I suppose, that, alone, is motivation to stay in the pool.

I am curious - are my readers part of their workplaces' group lottery/football pools/etc? Is it worthwhile? How much does it add up to at the end of the year? Has anyone actually won? Should I continue to 'play'?

Hilarity

So, from my work, I often get a lot of good tchotchkes from my friends Burt and Erin on the movie desks. I have a 27 Dresses pullover, a Batman tank top, a New in Town t-shirt, etc. Well, earlier in the week I was digging through my desk and discovered quite possibly the BEST one yet, courtesy of my desk's previous occupant.

I am not sure what movie it's from - I think maybe Kinsey or something. Please note the dimensions of the ruler.

Late Night....

So, last night (Thursday), I kind of ended up being out until 12:30. Oops. It started out as a quick drink for a good coworker's 50th birthday (I said the fateful words 'I'll stop by, but only for an hour or so') which turned into getting invited to the auto show party which turned into stopping in four separate bars and staying out late on a work night. Oops. This would normally be bad news, but the auto show party was a work function with all of the top members of the company, so if anything, it was a good opportunity to mingle.

Anyhow - I found, at many points throughout the night, me saying to myself "I should go home". However. Life is short. But you know what is even shorter - the number of opportunities to go out and truly live it up! I find myself regularly in the situation where a good amount of my good friends (and I love you guys) are settled down or settled in or something of that nature where people just aren't going out much any more. It's not that I'm a party animal, but when an opportunity to go out and do something fun presents itself, I have a hard time saying no because, let's face it, it's hard to say where the next 'going out' opportunity is coming from.

Although some of you might be reading this and thinking 'loser!!' - I know I'm not alone in this one. Thoughts?

O Really?

A Million Little Pieces.
The Secret.
Barack Obama.

Don't doubt the Oprah effect people!!!

Goals

Ok, I know I have raised several questions in the past about making new year's resolutions - however, one resolution I usually make it to read a certain number of books in the coming year (and I encourage others to make this goal as well - the number of books depends on the individual).  I do believe last January, a study came out that said one in four Americans did not read a single book the previous year.  

This past year, my goal was twelve books - I happened to luckily exceed it by one book.  Obviously, I should aim a little higher this coming year, but I don't want to overdo it.  However, I do want to challenge myself.   Hmm.    

(This reminds me that I am supposed to review my books from this past year - still working on that one.  Maybe a better resolution for me would be keeping my blog promises.)

What would be a good new goal?  Fifteen seems too small (I almost did that this year); eighteen a little too large.  Seventeen is too odd of a number - I don't like it.  Maybe I'll go for magic sweet 16.  

However, I am NOT at a shortage of reading material - I got seven new books and a Borders giftcard for Christmas.  That, and I have a large quantity on hand from the beloved Sun-Times booksale.   I have a ton of books that I am excited about reading, which is always good.   In fact, I started reading one of my new books (see above).  

My only problem is I'm almost a third of the way through it and I fear I may finish it before 2009, which cannot happen.   This book needs to be counted against 2009, NOT 2008.  I CANNOT have a budget surplus - that will only penalize me for the coming year.  

Poor Tots :-(

poor kiddos :-(

It's been a rough year for many.   :'(

Bizarro Work Perks

So a good friend of mine who shall remain nameless received a 20 lb turkey (!?!?!)  from her company as a Thanksgiving bonus.   Although this is great if one is hosting a Thanksgiving party, I imagine it to be a bit awkward if one already is going by someone else for Thanksgiving - there's suddenly an odd obligation to cook this large bird....  Also, what about vegetarians?

However, I know this is not uncommon.  I get an unlimited supply of free/$1 brand new hardcover books (which I find to be the BEST PERK IN THE WORLD).   That, and I get to sometimes ride the elevator with Richard Roeper.  Oh, not to mention the Jerry Seinfeld Bee Movie meet and greet - that was, as Mastercard would say, priceless.  

Anyone else have any interesting/bizarre work perks?

This Applies to 35% of My Coworkers

Getting Out All of the Political Posts Before Election Day

So, if, on Tuesday, I vote for one of the two major party candidates (it's not looking very promising right now), I would choose, of those two utterly awful tickets, Obama/Biden. And I wouldn't be voting FOR Obama, I'd be voting AGAINST McCain/Palin. A vote is a vote is a vote - no mater how enthusiastic or unenthusiastic - it counts for the same amount.

I don't really know why Obama bothers me so much. In the entire past two years of this campaign, I have not been able to figure this out. (Sorry to 90% of my blog readers/Obama fanatics.) I think it's the fact that so many people keep trying to tell me that "just you wait Jaime - he's going to CHANGE THE WORLD!!!!"

Not everyone who has the ability to inspire have actually been able to effect a positive change. Obama's been inspiring, etc., for the past year and a half - and has this movement he's evoked actually accomplished something? (Don't tell me 'it got young people interested in politics' - he's mainly gotten them to CAMPAIGN FOR HIM, as opposed to improving anything - I suppose it's the rallying of the lemmings, not where they're actually lead, that matters to some.)

The other day I read a letter to the editor in my favorite newspaper. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something to the extent to 'Illinois is so messed up - our corrupt politicians, broken economy, etc. We need Obama! Oh wait, we already have him....' I couldn't have summed up my feelings better myself.

Again, to my loyal readers/Obamaists - I'm sorry. But man, I had to say it!

It's Been a While Since the Last Book Review....

So I recently finished the book "Dear Zoe" by Philip Beard - it only took me four days. In a word, excellent.

It is very brief and to the point (only a little under 200 pages). It was actually written by a man from the perspective of a teenage girl (although it was more from the perspective of a human than a woman, per se). I think he did a very good job - he didn't go in-depth on the trials and tribulations of being an adolescent woman but moreso on the struggle of her and her family after losing the youngest sister on 9/11/01 in a separate accident.

Anyhow, in a short period of time, he really crafted some interesting and highly believeable characters. I don't really know how to describe how he did it so well all that well, but he just did. It was fiction but not boring, predictable, generic, or over-dramatic. And it appears as though most everyone on amazon.com agrees with me.

Anyhow, kind of embarrassing. I am NOT an emotional person. I honestly cannot remember ever crying at a book or movie (Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, or any of the other traditional tearjerkers didn't do it for me). In fact, normally these types that try too hard to go for the emotional factor just make me want to groan and roll my eyes. However, something about this book got to me.

Not a big deal, ONLY I was reading it on the el while packed in like a sardine ON THE WAY TO WORK. I was, for a moment, one of THOSE GIRLS. I'm sure the people around me wondered what had happened to me this morning (if they read the book, they might understand). Em, THIS is why they make waterproof mascara. Anyhow, I get to work before almost everyone else I work with, so I was able to do enough damage control in the necessary amount of time. Crisis averted.

In fact, I'm going to have to cut this post short because I'm writing it in a public place right now - work - and thinking about this book is starting to get to me again.

Anyhow. Move along, nothing to see here.