How'd They Know

My username at work is 'stephanieho".  They're so quick to judge.

I was robbed by a young woman in a parking attendant's uniform.

I decided to forgo the convenience of the $12 parking garage today and park in the slightly less accessible $9 parking garage.  That's a savings of $3 per day.  $15 per week.  $60 per month. That's worth sitting in line to exit for as long as it would take you to get 3/4 of the way home, not to mention the waves of claustrophobia when you start thinking about if the parking structure collapsed and you were crushed under cars and cement while you're waiting in the massive line of cars, right?  I thought so too.

Today I parked on level 5A so I was grateful (in a round about way) when work got busy and I needed to stay late to finish things up because that meant I didn't have to wait in a line of cars for 10 levels (5A, 5, 4A, 4, 3A, etc.) to exit the parking garage.  When I handed the parking attendant my ticket at 6:45 this conversation happened...

PA: That will be $17.85.

S: I'm sorry, how much did you say?

PA: $17.85

S: I owe you $17.85?

PA: Correct.

S: I thought this was a $9 PER DAY lot...

PA: It's $9 per day up to 10 hours.

S: So I've been parked here for more than 10 hours?

PA: Yes.

S: So instead of $9 I have to pay $17.85?

PA: Yes.

I was upset that I had somehow mistaken "per day" to mean an entire day.  I mean, why wouldn't I think "per day" meant 10 hours?  Everyone knows that when people say "per day" it means "for the first 10 hours and then we will require you to hand over your entire life savings". But I went from upset to furious after I pulled out of the garage and did the math on how long I had been there.  

Here's a story problem for you.  

Stephanie works in downtown Seattle and parks in a parking garage. This morning she arrived at her desk at 8:35am and left her desk to go home at 6:40pm.  It takes Stephanie five minutes to walk from her desk to her car. How long was Stephanie parked in the parking garage?

Did you answer 10 hours and 15 minutes?  I was 15 minutes over the unadvertised limit and ended up paying double what I expected and $6 more than if I had parked in my favorite garage.

I really need to figure out which bus I ride.

Note(s) To Self

1. Don't let your roommate put honey on your cat to try and force it to bath itself and then let the cat take a Sunday nap with you in your bed.  You WILL end up with honey on your sheets.

2. Beware of anything metal on the sidewalk when it's pouring rain and you're wearing high-heeled boots.  Oh, and also beware of the floor when you get off the elevator after walking through said rain.

3. Don't go to Target just because you're bored.  You will buy A LOT of things you don't need and you will regret it, but you still probably won't take them back.

When Google Calls

I reached a milestone in my "on-boarding" at my new job today - I was actually given real work to do! I actually felt useful and that felt good.

I also received my first phone call.  My phone started ringing, which was a little surprising, and when I looked at the caller ID it said "GOOGLE".  Even though I had just sent my reps there an email, it was still a little bit intimidating to have "GOOGLE" calling my direct line.

Good news, after day five I still like it.

How did I miss this?

I just saw this on a friends blog and was instantly excited! I'm still so sad about the show ending. I kind of feel like they broke up with me. I got dumped by Rob & Big!

Safe Bet

S: "Do you know what the weather is supposed to be like tomorrow?"

L: "I don't know...Rainy?"

S: "Oh. Right."

You'll Laugh About it Later

Tonight I was looking through the pictures from when Jill was in Seattle a couple weeks ago and came across this one..
I didn't appreciate it at the time, but now it cracks me up.  There are a few reasons I'm asleep in the back of the car while Jill and Lindsay appear to be enjoying themselves.

1. I had just arrived in Seattle (after a 14 hour drive that I drove roughly 11 hours of) and was exhausted from the three/four weeks prior of interviewing, quitting, finishing up work, etc.

2. I have a strange inability to stay awake as a passenger in a vehicle.  It's nearly impossible for me.

3. I sat in the backseat the whole weekend and could rarely hear the conversations in the front so I was pretty bored.

4. It was a 90 minute drive on a Sunday afternoon...c'mon!

5. I get slightly car sick so sleeping is a way to prevent puking.

Anyway, regardless of the reason, I was asleep and they got this picture and it made me laugh tonight.  

Success.

I successfully completed the first day of my new job! I even think I'll go back tomorrow.  

Let's just say it went a little better than the first day of my previous job.  The words, "Oh, I thought you were starting tomorrow" were never uttered.  My laptop was set up, I had "gifts" on my desk, a welcome note from HR, a gift card to Starbucks, notebooks and pens ready for me, 100+ emails in my inbox and a complete agenda (typed by my supervisor) of what I would be doing at every hour of the day for the ENTIRE week.  Clearly she knew when I was starting. 

I sit on the 15th floor and the view from up there is amazing.  Not the view from my desk per se (unless you count the fairly attractive new guy sitting across from me) but the view from that general area of the building.  I was in a meeting this morning on 17 and I couldn't stop staring out the windows.  It was all blue sky and water.  I loved it!

Oh, and when we started in on the "transition plan" (Yes, they actually had a typed up transition document...so impressive.) everything she was saying made sense.  Knowing what you're doing is always a bonus.

Aside from a little elevator mix-up, where I tried to get to the 18th floor on an elevator that only goes to the 11th, I would call the day a success.

Let Me Out!

Since becoming an indoor cat, Max will just sit and stare out the window for hours. When I get ready in the morning he likes to peek out my bathroom window.
The sill in the hallway is another favorite.
Oh, and then under the covers of my bed is another favorite spot. Now if he could just stop shedding like a maniac...

Views, Cupcakes and Pictures

This weekend Lindsay, our friend Jen and I did some exploring around the neighborhood and it turns out Magnolia is more than just the train tracks across the street from us. We discovered the water (and some very large and very fancy homes) practically in our backyard!
The people in these houses have a fantastic view.
A barge. Or something.
We also discovered a park that had an awesome view of the city.
After dinner at an adorable locally-owned Italian place (with delicious food) we made our way to Ballard to the Cupcake Royale.  It was too hard to make a decision so we went with a half dozen and decided to find the one we like the best...Red Velvet is at the top of my list right now.

On Saturday Linds and I put the finishing touches on the house. We had a lot of pictures to hang up and I was most excited to hang the print I purchased at Pike's Market my first weekend here. I framed it and think it turned out quite nicely.
All in all, a good weekend. But now my stomach is getting more and more knotted as I think about going to work tomorrow...

Please, Never Again

A little something I never want to hear in church again...

"I ain't no nine dolla' sucka, yo."

Yes, you read that correctly.

Kickin' It With Kanye

Two nights ago, as she was walking up the stairs to go to bed, Lindsay stopped and said, "Oh, I have tickets to see Kanye West tomorrow night. Want to go?". Who just has Kanye tickets laying around? Apparently Lindsay.

So, we went...and I haven't felt so out of place in a long time. My first mistake was wearing entirely too much clothing. My mini-skirt and tube top were in the wash so I had to settle for jeans and a long sleeved shirt, which definitely separated me from 90% of the crowd.
Linds ran into some traffic issues on the way home from work so we got there late and caught the very end of N.E.R.D. Rihanna was next and was rockin' some neon outfits and crazy pink nails. I thought I only knew two of her songs, but it turns out I knew quite a few.  Of course "Umbrella" was a hit with the crowd.
I was not super impressed with Kanye.  I've never really liked him as a person (from what I've seen in interviews, at award shows, or read about him) but I thought maybe he would put on a great show that would overpower my dislike. Not so much. His show was really just to celebrate how awesome he [thinks he] is.

Although, he did say if he could get off the planet he was "stuck on" he would "stop spazzing out at award shows", which I thought was pretty funny. I do have to give him credit for his endurance.  There were rarely any breaks between songs and he was going strong the whole time.

I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more had a known more of the songs. But at least we were able to get some good people-watching in (like the lady we named "Tranny" in the blue-sequined tank top dancing her heart out alone) and got me a little more acquainted with my new city.

Rob & Big Quote of the Week: Finale

Tonight is a sad night, my friends. The last episodes EVER of Rob & Big aired.  I'm not gonna lie, I really am sad.  

Since there will no longer be a Rob & Big Quote of the Week, I decided to include all of my favorites from tonight's episodes instead of picking just one.

Big: "That's all doodoo related.  That's a doodoo related ghost right there. DRG."

Rob: "Doodoo didn't grab me....An entity did."

Rob: "Why is that whole so big?"

Big: "You've got a big a** sledge hammer."

Big: "I just can't have a little dude runnin' through here with sledge hammer like Mr. Clean."

Rob: "Sometimes you've gotta get hit in the face by a ghost and get attacked by rats to find a better thing."

Rob: "Don't have, like, baby rhymes for me right now."

I know you're all torn up about not getting to hear me go on and on about this show anymore. I would be too. I guess I'll just have to watch the season 1 & 2 DVDs that Brian and Amanda bought me and maybe dedicate a post or two to them for old times sake.

Just remember, Do Work Son!

To Some, I Will Forever Be StephBoo

You know how there are some people in your life that will always just be a part of it? Whether they are center stage or hanging out in the background, they're there. You may not talk to them or see them often, but when you do it's like no time has passed. 

I'm lucky enough to have a few of those people in my life, one of them being this guy.

Last Friday I received a homemade postcard from him in the mail.  Duct tape and lined paper - brilliant! It was a small gesture, but it made my day.  It's nice to be reminded of how lucky I am to have fantastic people in my life.

Wizard

Since I'm unemployed at the moment I have to come up with random "to do's" to get me out of the house each day.  (I didn't go outside yesterday and almost went a little nutty.)  

Today's list included buying bananas and Diet Coke and returning the movies to Blockbuster.

As I walked into B-buster I remembered that Juno came out today.  It was only 20 bucks so I decided to get it.  Little did I know I was getting some bang for my buck.  

That's right, a Juno beanie came with the DVD. Wizard.

Needless to say, you won't be seeing me out and about without this gem. Don't be jealous.

Gone Baby Gone

Even though watching movies is one of my favorite things to do, I feel like I haven't watched one in a long time. I rented a couple this weekend - Feel the Noise (produced by Jennifer Lopez) and Gone Baby Gone (directed by Ben Affleck). 

I'm sure you know where this is going.

I can usually appreciate a movie that I know will have no substance but that I also know will have something slightly redeemable about it.  For example, Step Up (and/or Step Up 2) and the dancing.  It was not the case here.  Feel the Noise was unwatchable.  I got about 15 minutes in and had to turn it off.

Gone Baby Gone, on the other hand, was fantastic.  I really enjoyed it and would suggest Ben Affleck stick to directing.  His brother, Casey, on the other hand, should stay in front of the camera.  I may have developed a little crush on the younger Affleck. Delightful.

Turpentine

Tonight Lindsay and I had or first "family jam session" (as she likes to call it).  Not only did we play a Brandi Carlile song together, but we played my favorite Brandi Carlile song, Turpentine.  

I'm loving this whole guitar playing business!

Unfortunately, Max couldn't make it with his bells but maybe next time.

Excitement

My oldest sister, Julie, is engaged!  I have yet to meet the husband to be, but I'm so excited for them!

Cat Lady Vibe

Today was my official last day at the DM. I'm packing up that massive laptop and FedEx-ing it to SLC tomorrow. It feels good.

I celebrated the beginning of my week of unemployment with trips to Costco, IKEA and Baja Fresh.  Exciting, right?

So here's a story: While in Costco Lindsay and I picked up two bundles of lint rollers; each pack containing five rollers in it (Would you expect any less from Costco?). 

You see, Max has a serious shedding problem.  Serious problem. Basically he's been under a lot stress with the move and becoming an indoor cat and is depressed and his hair is falling out. In large quantities. Hence the lint roller stockpile.

Back to the story - As we were walking down the aisle, me holding one lint roller pack and Lindsay holding the other, a random man walking toward us said, "They're good to get the dust off".  I glanced around, realized he was talking to us about the large quantity of lint rollers we were sporting and said, "Oh...yeah" (I have a very quick wit) and kept walking.  He then called after us, "And they're good for cat hair too! I don't know if you know that or not."  I turned around, smiled and again kept walking.  

It totally got weird Costco man, but what I'm wondering is how did he know I have a cat?  I could have been been buying my years supply of lint rollers for my dog.  Do I not look like a dog person?  Is there some sort of cat lady vibe I give off?

I'm curious.

Seattle Observations

++On my first full day in the city Lindsay said, "You'll find that in Seattle brushing your hair is optional". She was correct. People here are definitely less pretty - and I mean that in a good way.

In Utah you can't go out of the house unless your hair is ratted sufficiently, your skin is artificially tanned, your make-up is caked on, your hoop earrings are big enough, your nails are done and your leggings are just right. Going to church was like stepping onto the runway of a fashion show.

All I need here is a pair of jeans, some sort of jacket from REI and a Starbucks (or Tully's or Seattle's Best) cup and I fit right in! I think this city will do wonders for my self-esteem. It's brilliant.

++I normally have a good sense of direction. In driver's ed my instructor would tell us to turn North, South, East or West instead of the usual left or right. When he would call out a direction whoever was driving would look in the rear-view mirror and I would point to the left or the right so they would know which way to turn.

That is not the case in Seattle. I never know which direction I'm heading. Utah ruined me with their super simple grid system and "mountains are East" trick. Seattle has water and bridges everywhere! That's why I purchased Buttface, my GPS.

++It doesn't rain as much as everyone thinks. It is overcast a lot and if the sun is shining (which it has been the last three mornings) it can turn gray very quickly. But I was outside most of the weekend on only got rained on once while we were out on the water in a ferry boat. If it has rained while I was indoors it's a light sprinkle and usually stops after a few minutes. Granted it could be because I moved here towards the end of the rainy season, but still...

++Seattle really wants you to be "green". In fact, they almost force you. Our trash can for actual garbage is 1/3 of the size of our can for recycling. We have to recycle or else we'd have trash bags piled everywhere with no place to put them.

I've only received a bag for my groceries when I bought $100 worth of food. Any other time I've been they've just had me carry my few items out to "save a bag".

Panic

This morning I woke up to the sun streaming through the blinds. What time is it? I squinted at the clock and saw 1:32.

WHAT?! 1:32 in Seattle is 2:32 in Salt Lake and I'm supposed to be working today!

Words cannot describe how quickly I jumped out of bed in search of my phone. I knew my phone wouldn't lie to me. Plus, I didn't have my glasses on and even with squinty, blurry morning-eyes I would be able to hold the phone close enough to my face to read it accurately.

7:32.

A half hour early, not five and a half hours late. That's better.

Attempting a Hobby

I decided that watching TV and surfing the internet aren't real hobbies so I've taken a crack at a "real" one. 

I bought a guitar on a whim.  

I've always wanted to be able to play and I've now taken the first step toward making it happen.

My only other attempt at playing an instrument didn't turn out the way I'd imagined.  Growing up we had a piano in our house.  My sister played a little, but other than that it was a place to set the mail.  I loved to "play"; plunking out "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" by ear.  In 7th grade I began taking lessons but had trouble mustering up the desire to practice (not to mention the fact that my family complained about how noisy I was every time I tried).  I was frustrated that I wasn't brilliant right off the bat and couldn't play awesome songs.  After two years my teacher "retired" from teaching but said that she would keep me as her student if I committed to practicing.  I couldn't commit and that was the end.

I will admit I'm a little worried about this attempt heading the same direction.  But I keep reminding myself that there's no way I'm going to be brilliant right away (or ever) but that if I keep at it, I could be good enough to make it enjoyable.  

So far, so good.  I've practiced almost every night and even played "Silent Night".  I'm pretty sure it sounded horrible, but I played it!  I'm hoping Linds and I can bust out some Brandi Carlile in the near-ish future.

Biggest Lemon Wedge Ever

Would you like some beverage with your lemon?

Rob & Big Quote of the Week

After the skateboarding kid he met on the street in Mexico ate it hard.

"Welcome to the big leagues....That's the worst case scenario."

They've Made it Too Easy

I just bought seven American Idol songs on iTunes.  I have no idea why.  I just couldn't stop clicking "Buy".

Buttface and Pork Bomber

On Saturday night Lindsay, Jill and I went to RAM for dinner. When we asked Linds what type of food they had she said "meat", which actually summed it up pretty well. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and didn't realize what it was actually called until I got my bill.
I don't know if I would have ordered it had I known it was called a "Pork Bomber". Something about that just isn't right...although it was delicious.

They also had Buttface Amber Ale on the menu. I'm not joking. Who thinks, "What should I name my company? I know...Buttface!". Because I'm mature I decided I wanted to name something Buttface. Jill suggested my new portable GPS and now I have a reason to say buttface on a regular basis.

"How do we get there? Buttface will tell us."

"Do I turn left? Check with Buttface."

Why do I still get so much enjoyment out of 5th grade behavior?

My Mission, If I Choose to Accept It...

I was at a gas station in Bliss, Idaho on Friday when I got the official job offer. I will soon be heading to this building every day instead of a warehouse in West Valley City.
Isn't it great when all the pieces just fit?

Into the Wild...If you can call Magnolia "wild".

As promised last week, this is the Into the Wild bus parked outside our front door.  Since last week the bus has moved from our side of the street to the other.

This is the view from my bedroom window looking across the street.  I wasn't kidding when I said the trains rattle my bed.  Although, the rattling hasn't been bad the last couple of days and the actual noise is kind of soothing.

Taking a Step Back

Life has been going so fast lately that I haven't had time to take a step back and enjoy some of its little adventures.

Example #1: I missed my plane back to SLC after my interview in Seattle last weekend.  I thought my flight left at 10:33 am on Saturday morning.  Turns out my mind was pulling :33 from my flight leaving SLC at 7:33 pm two days earlier and my flight actually left at 10:05 am on Saturday morning. I realized this at 9:15 as Lindsay and I were walking out the door for the airport.  I couldn't check-in online because I had no way of printing my boarding pass...so Lindsay put me on police look-out duty and we just went for it.  

We failed. 

I got to the airport at 9:40 am, which was 5 minutes too late to check in for my flight.  This was the first time I had ever missed a flight and after the stressful week I had been through my emotions were running high.  I may or may not have cried at the ticketing desk.  Even though the rest of the flights to SLC were over-booked for the rest of the day, the woman at the counter was kind enough to put me on stand-by for the flight leaving three hours later.

I cried my way through security and made my way to the gate.  I really wanted to make it home that night so I wouldn't miss what would be our last family get-together before my move, but all I could do was wait.  Luckily I had my laptop and Arrested Development to pass the time.  Miraculously I was able to get on the flight and made it home for some family fun.

Example #2: The crazy woman sitting next to me on this very flight.  She was probably in her mid-to-late fifties and was very concerned about nutrition.  As the flight attendants were passing out drinks and snacks she asked for extra napkins.  The flight attendant gave her one extra and she said she was going to need a lot more.  I was pretending to watch Arrested Development but was very intrigued by this.  What was she going to do that would require "a lot more" napkins?

She proceeded to fully unfold one napkin on her tray, open a bag of Fritos and pour half of the bag out onto the unfolded napkin.  She then folded the napkin around the Frito pile to try to soak up the grease.  That didn't work very well so she began to wipe off each Frito individually.  Wiped them individually!  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  

She continued to declare her crazy status by telling me how she was going to miss her connecting flight and she didn't know why she was sitting so far back in the plane anyway because she had booked this trip so long ago and had requested to a seat closer to the front.  You see, you get off faster when you're closer to the front...

I'm sure there are many other little adventures that have come and gone undocumented and there will be many more to come.  It's nice to slow down every once in a while and appreciate them for what they are.

End of an Era

Today was my last day of work...kind of. It felt a little strange and also a little anti-climactic. I don't think it has really set in yet. Plus, I still have to work from Seattle for another week so I'm not officially done.

I've spent the entire week visiting family and friends and trying to say goodbye. There are so many people I wish I could take with me!

-------------------------------------

In TV news, I watched Rob & Big last night at T&J's and thought it was pretty funny. Then I watched it again tonight with Brian & Amanda and it was HILARIOUS. We were laughing so hard.

Quote of the Week: Brought to you by Rob.

"Pick a hand. (Shows one hand.) Nothing. (Shows the other hand.) Nothing. I'm a magician."

Probably not funny unless you watch it...

The Call

Today I got the call I've been waiting for...and it was good news! She said she was able to talk with everyone I interviewed with and they all had great things to say about me (which is always nice to hear). They were complimentary of my presentation skills which was a little surprising because I feel like that's an area I struggle in, but she just had nice things to say in general.

No official offer yet. She has to get some approvals from important people that have never met me. But the important thing is that they WANT to make me an offer.

Things are coming together. And I like it.