Step into my office, baby
Wow, can it really have been that long since I wrote? I guess it can. I've had so much going on that I haven't really figured out what to write about. Well, I'll start with the job news. Many of you may know this story, but I'll write it for the benefit of those who don't.

I haven't been very happy on the job front for quite some time. I managed to keep up appearances at work and continued to do a good job, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. My company has been going through a lot of changes, and the stress level there has tripled. At the same time, all of the opportunities that have been promised to me kept failing to materialize. Combine that with a lot of in-fighting, unnecessary firing, and poor management all around, and it made one very unhappy workplace. So, after the final straw broke (and then a few more final straws broke after that), I decided to start looking around.

I sent off resumes, and it took about a week before I started getting interest in them. I had several phone interviews and went to a couple of live interviews. The job that I really wanted was a fundraising job with the leading regional theater in Dallas. I did two interviews with them, and I was offered the position. After some salary negotiation and some soul-searching, I took the job.

It was tough turning in my resignation letter. I've never left a job for any reason other than a major life change (I'm going to college! I'm moving to another state! etc.), so leaving for another company was new to me. I managed to do it pretty well, I think. The blow was that one of my friends/coworkers, Shane, turned in his resignation on the same day. That really threw my boss for a loop. She hasn't really said much to me since then. I've been busy implementing one last account before I go.

I'm really excited about my new job. There should be a lot of hobnobbing with Dallas elite involved, as well as going to opening nights, hosting events, things like that. There's also going to be a lot of legwork involved. I'm sure convincing companies to give us their money will be tough. I am pretty sure that I'll have to be impeccably dressed, so I've done some shopping over the last week or so to get ready. From the looks of things, I'll have an office, too. No more cubicle! Oh, and one other thing: NO COMMUTE! That's right, it's like 10 mintues from my house. No more driving 40 miles a day on Central Expressway! No more Plano!

I think the best thing about the new job is that I'll finally get to work in my fiend (I have a degree in Drama), so that should bring me a lot of job satisfaction. I'll have the opportunity to volunteer with the education program the theater runs, so I can work with disadvantage kids. I did an internship in Dublin doing that and really enjoyed it. I'm so lucky that the position was available right when I needed it.

The other big thing that happened recently is our trip to London... I'll try to download pictures so I can blog about it tonight.

Viewpoints
I was talking to my sister yesterday about the carry-on bag/liquids/terror controversy. She is currently working part-time because she wants to spend more time with my nephew, but in her previous position she was a territorial sales rep (read: frequent road warrior). She still works daily the the rest of the sales reps in her company, who travel all over their large territories as part of their daily job.

She was mentioning that if the bans on liquids continue, and if airlines move toward banning carry-on luggage altogether, she predicts a massive drop in business travel by air. She said she would rather drive to a meeting in another state, rather than fly without contact solution and wait for her luggage to show up at her final destination (which, as we all know, sometimes does not happen). Not to mention the fact that checking your laptop is a pretty sure way to ensure its demise. That is, if it's not busy bursting into flames instead.

Victor sent along these letters to the editor of the New York Times that, for the most part, tend to agree with her. Some of these letters to USA Today echo the same sentiments. Of course, for every person who shares your viewpoint, there will be at least one that does not, and some of the authors of the letters I've linked would prefer a total ban on carry-on luggage in the interest of safety.

I don't know the answer to this dilemma. Reinstate the old rules and risk a terrorist attack? Ban carry-on items altogether and suffer the consequences? Only allow books on board (which, of course, will prompt someone to figure out a way to turn a book into a bomb!)? Is there some sort of happy medium that can placate both sides while keeping us safe from potential attacks? Is it all just scaremongering anyway, as some of my friends would like to suggest?

I'm frustrated that I even have to think about this kind of thing. I'm sick of whining about how the bad guys are always ruining it for the good guys. I guess I should just shut up and deal with it. But (surprise, surprise) I'm not going to like it.

Air travel and teen drama
Well, we flew this weekend and didn’t get blown up by crazy water bottle-wielding terrorists. So that’s good. We did check a bag for the first time since forever. We waited for a long time, maybe around 30 minutes (probably more, but I’m trying to cut down on exaggeration), before the baggage carousel started moving in the McAllen airport. I think with all of the extra bags, the baggage handlers were a little overwhelmed. I’m not at all thrilled about this whole checking bag business, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? If it keeps me from getting exterminated, I’m good with going along with it.

We are still planning our trip to London, flying out Thursday night to get there Friday morning. From the looks of things, we will be able to carry on iPods and the DVD player on the way over. We will still check a bag, probably, so that I can take contact lens solution and other various toiletries. On the way back, though, we will have to check everything but our wallets and passports, so that’s going to be fun. How am I going to survive without my noise-canceling headphones? We were planning on flying back in coach, so that we could avoid the hefty departure tax on premium class, but we’re rethinking that.

So anyway, we spent the weekend in McAllen visiting Victor’s parents. While there, we accidentally started watching "Laguna Beach" on MTV. They had a marathon on this weekend, and it sucked us in like quicksand. Nothing like teen heartache, drama, and bitchiness to glue our eyes to the screen. So I guess we’re going to have to catch up on DVD. I had been avoiding all of the MTV reality shows ever since the Real World became a caricature of itself, but I guess I’m hooked now. Looks like I’ll have to start watching "The Hills" too. Bye bye, free time!

Edited to add: Well, it seems some new UK security rules will allow us to bring our electronics, books, and other items on the flight, as long as they aren't liquid. The airline website still shows the old rules, so I'm crossing fingers that they will adopt these new UK government regulations.

I did it!
Late last night, while I was trying to fall asleep, I suddenly remembered the deadline for the Music Challenge I posted on Tuesday. Whoops - totally slipped my mind. So I thought about it a lot last night, and I found some time today while my agents were testing to finish it up.

A couple of other people played along:
Ryan's answers
SwissToni's answers

One quick cultural thing: I choose to think of "record" in the American sense, which is the same as "album."

Also, my comments are acting really funky, so if any of you try to leave a list in the comments and it acts all weird, just email me and I'll post them.

Here we go:

What's a great late night song? "Nightswimming" - REM

Name 5-10 wistful/bittersweet songs: "A Summer Wasting" - Belle and Sebastian, "My Love Life" - Morrissey, "With or Without You" - U2, "Catrin" – Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, "Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" - Magnetic Fields

The 4 Best Songs Ever Written: dude.

3 Current Favorite Songs: (note: not all time favorite songs, which would be totally different) "The Days Go By Oh So Slow" - Nightmare of You, "Fidelity" - Regina Spektor, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - Panic! At The Disco

Classic Early Evening Drinking Music: Something Britpoppy, like Pulp or Blur.

3 All Time Faves That Never Get Old To You: "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash, "Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond, "Tiny Dancer" - Elton John

Song You Want (or did) To Play At Your Wedding: Well, our wedding itself was all religious music, but our first dance was "Such Great Heights" as performed by Iron and Wine

4 Records You Really Dug from 2005: Illinois - Sufjan Stevens, A Certain Trigger - Maximo Park, Twin Cinema - New Pornographers, Silent Alarm - Bloc Party

Favorite Records From This Year So Far: Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Belle and Sebastian, Morrissey

Good Angry Songs: "The Man Don't Give a Fuck" - Super Furry Animals, "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson

One of Your Favorite Lyrics: "Some had crumbled you straight to your knees /Did it cruel, did it tenderly/Some had crawled their way into your heart/To rend your ventricles apart" - "Red Right Ankle" - the Decemberists.

5 Cover Songs Arguably Better Than the Original: "When You Were Mine" - Cyndi Lauper, "Satellite of Love" - U2, "Sweet Thing" – The Waterboys. "Baby One More Time" - Travis. Oh, another that is probably not better than the original but is great nonetheless would be "Across the Universe" – Fiona Apple

Great Dance Song You Maybe Never Realized Was a Great Dance Song Back in the Day: I recently realized how much I enjoy dancing to "PYT" - Michael Jackson.

Good Albums To Workout To: You know what? As long as I like the album, I like to work out to it.

Good Album to Clean The House To: All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2. I've always said it's perfect vacuuming music.

Good Dining Music: San Francisco Days - Chris Isaak.

Good Album To Have Sex To: Ágætis Byrjun - Sigur Rós

A Good Album To Put You In the Mood (that is NOT Sade, Marvin Gaye or Barry White): Songs of Faith and Devotion - Depeche Mode

Good Album To Sleep To: Vauxhall and I - Morrissey

5 Good Rock Songs That You Can Dance To: I think you can dance to most rock music, as long as it's uptempo. Who ever said you couldn't dance to rock?

Song That Is Too Damn Sad: "I'd Love To" - Morrissey

Great Love Song: "Perfect Love Song" - Divine Comedy

An Album Full of Tenderness: Seven Swans - Sufjan Stevens

Song To An Ex That Isn't Meanspirited: I'll just dedicate a mixtape to one of them. You know who you are.

Song To An Ex That Is Kinda Meanspirited: There really isn't a song for this, so I'd like to dedicate the part in Big Daddy at the end, where Julian asks "Sonny, is that the man with the old balls?"

Song to Listen to While in The Country Looking at Stars: "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake, because I'm a sucker for advertising

Song to lose your Mind to: "Let Down" - Radiohead

Song To Cry In Your Pillow to: "Call Me On Your Way Back Home" - Ryan Adams

Songs That Make You Feel Amped and Inspired: "Princess and the Pony" - Sean Na Na, "April Fools" - Rufus Wainwright, "Race for the Prize" - Flaming Lips, uptempo stuff from Belle and Sebastian

Great Semi-Obscure B-side: "Arnofio/Glô in the Dark" - Super Furry Animals (is that obscure? maybe not)

Song That Makes You Miss Your Mom: anything by Neil Diamond

That's Baby Makin' Music (No, Really): slow jams

Criminally Underrated Band That Didn't Get Attention and Then Broke Up: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci - it's fresh in my mind

Best Fuck You I Am a Teenager in Pain Song: Every time I try to think of one, I keep thinking of that godawful Smashing Pumpkins song, "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," where Billy Corgan sounds like a pissed-off fourteen-year-old. I hate that song. But I guess it fits the topic pretty well.

Feel No Shame: Great Current Pop Songs: "Hips Don't Lie" - Shakira feat. Wyclef, "Unwritten" - Natasha Bedingfield, whatever Sean Paul puts out.

Album No One Would Expect You To Love: Poems Prayers and Promises - John Denver

Album No One Would Expect You To Dislike: The last two U2 albums. Blech.

Album No One Would Expect You To Really Know: I have an Adnan Sami album, Tere Chehre. Oh, and I have a Ricky Martin album (Vuelve).

Emo Album You Actually Like: Sunny Day Real Estate had some good stuff. And I like some of that pop-emo stuff that's out right now. I don't think that emo's a bad thing.

Good, But Overrated Cause Of Indie Revisionism: this question just makes me roll my eyes.

5 Desert Island Discs off the top of your head (30 sec clock): Disintegration - The Cure, The Queen is Dead - The Smiths, Spanish Dance Troupe - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Her Majesty the Decemberists - The Decemberists, Automatic for the People - REM. Wow, my desert island is going to be kinda depressing.

3 Contemporary Artists That Were Your Faves 10 Years Ago: U2, Depeche Mode, Morrissey

Music That Makes You Feel Sophisticated: French pop

Fave Electronic Record You Own: Raise the Pressure - Electronic (cheating, I know)

Fave Hip-Hop Record You Own: A Grand Don't Come For Free - the Streets. Does that count? If not, it's probably The Chronic - Dr. Dre

Hip-Hop Song You Know All the Lyrics Too: "The Humpty Dance" - Digital Underground

Random Album You Loved In High School But Are Afraid To Admit It: I'm not afraid to admit anything!! For God's sake, I just admitted to Ricky Martin!

Album You May Have Listened To More In Highschool than Any Other Album: Oh, it was probably something by U2. Maybe The Unforgettable Fire.

If You Could Enter A Wrestling Ring to a Song It Would Be: "Party Hard" - Andrew WK

Album To Clear A Room With: "Escapology" - Robbie Williams. Yeah, I own it.

Just in time for our trip to London next week
I know, I know, it's a good thing they thwarted the bad guys, and I'm glad there's going to be extra precaution. But come on, "murder on unimaginable scale?" "Tears of frustration?" Way to make a nervous flyer even more jittery! And this one's great for Victor: "Airline shares plunge after terror alert." It's going to be a fun day at work for him. But yes, I'm so glad the terrorists' plans were foiled. I can't imagine what the people who were supposed to fly out of London were going through.

I guess we're going to keep a close watch on the news reports, since some of the airlines are banning hand luggage (the only kind of luggage we use!) and certain types of substances in your luggage. Fun times we live in, aren't they?

Yo, Dallasites!
Don't forget, tonight my friend Kat's movie will be playing tonight at the Angelika in Mockingbird Station. The film is called jumping off bridges, and it starts 7pm. One night only, folks, so be there or be square!

Music Challenge Time!
Um, all of the things that are going on with me are not available for public consumption. Can't blog about them. Well, other than the awesome time I had with Kurt, Meredith, and Ryan over the weekend. But the rest of the stuff is not for the internet. So in lieu of that...

It's Music Challenge Time! I got this quiz from Mark, and I don't know where he got it from. But it's tough! Here's the challenge: anyone who wants to participate has until Friday to leave their answers in the comments of this post. If you would prefer to leave your answers on your own blog, that's fantastic. Please comment with a link to your post/blog so that we can all read them. Here's the challenge:

• What's a great late night song?


• Name 5-10 wistful/bittersweet songs:


• The 4 Best Songs Ever Written:


• 3 Current Favorite Songs:


• Classic Early Evening Drinking Music:


• 3 All Time Faves That Never Get Old To You:


• Song You Want (or did) To Play At Your Wedding:


• 4 Records You Really Dug from 2005:


• Favorite Records From This Year So Far:


• Good Angry Songs:


• One of Your Favorite Lyrics:


• 5 Cover Songs Arguably Better Than the Original:


• Great Dance Song You Maybe Never Realized Was a Great Dance Song Back in the Day:


• Good Albums To Workout To:


• Good Album to Clean The House To:


• Good Dining Music:


• Good Album To Have Sex To:


• A Good Album To Put You In the Mood (that is NOT Sade, Marvin Gaye or Barry White):


• Good Album To Sleep To:


• 5 Good Rock Songs That You Can Dance To:


• Song That Is Too Damn Sad:


• Great Love Song:


• An Album Full of Tenderness:


• Song To An Ex That Isn't Meanspirited:


• Song To An Ex That Is Kinda Meanspirited:


• Song to Listen to While in The Country Looking at Stars:


• Song to lose your Mind to:


• Song To Cry In Your Pillow to:


• Songs That Make You Feel Amped and Inspired:


• Great Semi-Obscure B-side:


• Song That Makes You Miss Your Mom:


• That's Baby Makin' Music (No, Really):


• Criminally Underrated Band That Didn't Get Attention and Then Broke Up:


• Best Fuck You I Am a Teenager in Pain Song:


• Feel No Shame: Great Current Pop Songs:


• Album No One Would Expect You To Love:


• Album No One Would Expect You To Dislike:


• Album No One Would Expect You To Really Know:


• Emo Album You Actually Like:


• Good, But Overrated Cause Of Indie Revisionism:


• 5 Desert Island Discs off the top of your head (30 sec clock):


• 3 Contemporary Artists That Were Your Faves 10 Years Ago:


• Music That Makes You Feel Sophisticated:


• Fave Electronic Record You Own:


• Fave Hip-Hop Record You Own:


• Hip-Hop Song You Know All the Lyrics Too:


• Random Album You Loved In High School But Are Afraid To Admit It:


• Album You May Have Listened To More In Highschool than Any Other Album:


• If You Could Enter A Wrestling Ring to a Song It Would Be:


• Album To Clear A Room With:

I'm not sure why some of these are capitalized... but I'm too lazy right now to change them. I realize that this is a really challenging questionnaire, so I'm giving us lots of time to do it. Well, until Friday anyway. Music lovers of the world, unite and take over!!!

So, who wants a quickie?
Update, that is. I've been a little light in posting lately, but it's not because I don't love you. It's more that I've been completely swamped/stressed/overwhelmed at work and have been pulling long hours. That in turn either caused or enhanced some stupid cold or flu or sinus or allergy thing I have going on. It hit me like a freight train while I was at work on Sunday. I feel like regurgitated ass. Due to work obligations this week, I simply can't call in sick. And I'm training a class in front of a new client, so I can't half-ass it either - I have to be Perky McPerkerson. Thank God for Shane (he and I are co-trainers on this account), because he is working hard to pick up my slack.

To top it all off, our ceiling started dripping last night, and now there's a big hole in it. Lovely.

In better news, Mark and Kat came up this weekend, and that was lots of fun. We watched a pretty bad movie, we had some delicious food, and I managed to learn how to make good blueberry muffins again. They even got a shout out from Kat. Yay!

Anyway, that's it from me today. Happy August, everyone.