I am a grown-up!
I filed my *first* brief today! As in, honest-to-goodness, grown-up, bound-with-a-red-cover-to-be-proper + shaved-from-48pgs-to-42-pages-in-6hrs-after-120+hours.
I celebrated by, again, buying myself flowers :) AND it was a fabulous deal --- I went to Whole Foods, my fave place to get flowers b/c their bouquets are gorgeous and usually about $15 for sooo many + colorful blossoms (hee) -- but duh, it's Valentine's weekend, and everything is jacked up, or ordinary (roses and boring bouquets). Though, note, I am actually going so that I can buy flowers for my secretary, who *rocked* it today, since I was supposed to send my brief to the printers for binding, um, yesterday... and we were still proofing it at 10:30... then 1:30... uh, yeah. And she was stressed, but she wouldn't (or tried hard) not to let me see it, and was focusing on me not being stressed! How fabulous is she!
But -- I have a vase at work that was given to me by another attorney, and I'm never going to use it (it's one of those ugly-ordinary kinds, but hey, it's free, and I've got a lot of expenses coming up!) -- so I was thinking I could splurge on a nice bouquet for her. And me :)
BUT -- I see this BEAUTIFUL square vase, filled with sort-of-ordinary bouquet of mixed roses + purple-baby's breath looking things -- and it's so gorgeous, I want it for myself. It is marked $15.99. WHAT?? I know. That is *outrageous*. So of course I have to buy this for myself, as selfish as that is.
And then WF has a beautiful display of potted hydrangeas. And we've talked about how much Graci loves gardening. So why not, right? Except I don't know if it's better to have (1) a thoughtful thank you gift, like, "I remember you like gardening!" But then, what if the beautiful v-day-pink hydrangea doesn't go with your garden color scheme? But gosh, it's a beautiful color, or (2) a pure-indulgence-bouquet of cut flowers? The ranunculas were particularly beautiful (really, I should get a new word, but they all really were), more so than the mini callas, and gigantic white callas, and tulips...
Anyway. I debate and debate, and finally decide on both -- and ultimately end up giving the potted hydrangea to Graci. And keeping the cut bouquet on my desk :) For me to enjoy all day tomorrow! And hoping she doesn't mind that I got her a potted plant, rather than the thing-you'd-never-buy-yourself (usually) bouquet -- ugh, see, that's my dilemma! Well, that and she *totally* busted her (and my!) buns today, but I do have other support staff who help me out, and is it really fair that I buy her a thank-you gift, and not the others? I hate over-thinking things.
Anyway -- so, I stand in line to checkout, and the cashier ends up stepping aside and asking the assistant manager to ring me up b/c he has to do something. And the AM proceeds to ring me up, picking up my vase of flowers to check out the price, and I almost correct him b/c the sign is placed in the flowers, like a card letting you know who it's from. But then he rings me up, and it's only $12.99! SCORE! Um, except that THEN he rings up the flowers ALSO -- at $15.99. And my uber-good deal turns into a nightmarish $30 splurge -- and yeah, I just took a my first baby-step in the direction of lawyer-adulthood, but I am not worth that!
So I hesitantly ask, "Um, that's not just $15.99?" And he explains that the vase is separate, etc., to which I simply, forlornly respond, "Oh," very meekly.
But THEN -- he looks at it again, and then goes, "Well, I could throw in the vase for free. It's not very well marked..."
YEA! I AM IN HEAVEN! Thanks, Mr. Asst. Manager, what a rockfest! I am just beaming i am so excited that he was so nice! HOORAY! And I thank him profusely, and he just says, "Yeah, you're lucky the Asst. Manager stepped in," and I totally am!! And everyone's all smiling at me as I walk out of the store, and while I'm heading back into my office to drop these off at Graci's desk & mine...
Anyway. To follow up on cheapmetaphor : we'd dialogued all week about "earning" some fun time. For me, I was sick of working on this stupid brief, and I was getting stuck and cranky and it was terrible. And with cheapmetaphor 's similar post last week or so, I thought maye an incentive would be good ... and Saturday was *terrific*! I know, maybe it sounds a little nuts to drive in for lunch and a movie -- but it was perfect for me: made me get out of town so I couldn't feel guilty about not being in the office, made me really try to get a bunch of work done cuz I *knew* I wouldn't be able to make it into the office (though I did get a good SOLID 45 mins of work done before I left town!), and it really felt like a getaway! And duh, hanging out with cheapmetaphor ! (Though yes, I was definitely glad she and her friend had also partaken in spirits the night before and was passing on margaritas! Even though we all explicitly agreed on them, but 'ray :) )
And the MOVIE -- 1) Crazy jam-packed theater! but suuuuper awesome prices. 2) LOVED IT! Um, I think there was just one character I wanted to punch in the ovaries? Well, except one has zero acting skill (ahem, sorry), and really needs to do something about her brows, though okay, I know it's her trademark, but really. But beautiful eyes, yes.
Anyway -- um, i super super super loved this movie. Super. Well, except for some parts that made me paranoid, of course. And man that blond guy is hot, I forget his name again. And Dustin Long is *so* cute!! But 10x more cute is Jennifer Goodwin! I so want to be her :) And her hair! I think I'm trying for that.
Anyway. I can't guarantee anyone else is going to love this movie as much as me -- but I totally did :) And I totally cried at this one part, trying to keep the tears from falling too hard, though, b/c I just met cheapmetaphor 's friend! But, really, Saturday was terrific :) And yea, self-restraint in not buying beautiful fun copper + purple floral earrings!
I celebrated by, again, buying myself flowers :) AND it was a fabulous deal --- I went to Whole Foods, my fave place to get flowers b/c their bouquets are gorgeous and usually about $15 for sooo many + colorful blossoms (hee) -- but duh, it's Valentine's weekend, and everything is jacked up, or ordinary (roses and boring bouquets). Though, note, I am actually going so that I can buy flowers for my secretary, who *rocked* it today, since I was supposed to send my brief to the printers for binding, um, yesterday... and we were still proofing it at 10:30... then 1:30... uh, yeah. And she was stressed, but she wouldn't (or tried hard) not to let me see it, and was focusing on me not being stressed! How fabulous is she!
But -- I have a vase at work that was given to me by another attorney, and I'm never going to use it (it's one of those ugly-ordinary kinds, but hey, it's free, and I've got a lot of expenses coming up!) -- so I was thinking I could splurge on a nice bouquet for her. And me :)
BUT -- I see this BEAUTIFUL square vase, filled with sort-of-ordinary bouquet of mixed roses + purple-baby's breath looking things -- and it's so gorgeous, I want it for myself. It is marked $15.99. WHAT?? I know. That is *outrageous*. So of course I have to buy this for myself, as selfish as that is.
And then WF has a beautiful display of potted hydrangeas. And we've talked about how much Graci loves gardening. So why not, right? Except I don't know if it's better to have (1) a thoughtful thank you gift, like, "I remember you like gardening!" But then, what if the beautiful v-day-pink hydrangea doesn't go with your garden color scheme? But gosh, it's a beautiful color, or (2) a pure-indulgence-bouquet of cut flowers? The ranunculas were particularly beautiful (really, I should get a new word, but they all really were), more so than the mini callas, and gigantic white callas, and tulips...
Anyway. I debate and debate, and finally decide on both -- and ultimately end up giving the potted hydrangea to Graci. And keeping the cut bouquet on my desk :) For me to enjoy all day tomorrow! And hoping she doesn't mind that I got her a potted plant, rather than the thing-you'd-never-buy-yourself (usually) bouquet -- ugh, see, that's my dilemma! Well, that and she *totally* busted her (and my!) buns today, but I do have other support staff who help me out, and is it really fair that I buy her a thank-you gift, and not the others? I hate over-thinking things.
Anyway -- so, I stand in line to checkout, and the cashier ends up stepping aside and asking the assistant manager to ring me up b/c he has to do something. And the AM proceeds to ring me up, picking up my vase of flowers to check out the price, and I almost correct him b/c the sign is placed in the flowers, like a card letting you know who it's from. But then he rings me up, and it's only $12.99! SCORE! Um, except that THEN he rings up the flowers ALSO -- at $15.99. And my uber-good deal turns into a nightmarish $30 splurge -- and yeah, I just took a my first baby-step in the direction of lawyer-adulthood, but I am not worth that!
So I hesitantly ask, "Um, that's not just $15.99?" And he explains that the vase is separate, etc., to which I simply, forlornly respond, "Oh," very meekly.
But THEN -- he looks at it again, and then goes, "Well, I could throw in the vase for free. It's not very well marked..."
YEA! I AM IN HEAVEN! Thanks, Mr. Asst. Manager, what a rockfest! I am just beaming i am so excited that he was so nice! HOORAY! And I thank him profusely, and he just says, "Yeah, you're lucky the Asst. Manager stepped in," and I totally am!! And everyone's all smiling at me as I walk out of the store, and while I'm heading back into my office to drop these off at Graci's desk & mine...
Anyway. To follow up on cheapmetaphor : we'd dialogued all week about "earning" some fun time. For me, I was sick of working on this stupid brief, and I was getting stuck and cranky and it was terrible. And with cheapmetaphor 's similar post last week or so, I thought maye an incentive would be good ... and Saturday was *terrific*! I know, maybe it sounds a little nuts to drive in for lunch and a movie -- but it was perfect for me: made me get out of town so I couldn't feel guilty about not being in the office, made me really try to get a bunch of work done cuz I *knew* I wouldn't be able to make it into the office (though I did get a good SOLID 45 mins of work done before I left town!), and it really felt like a getaway! And duh, hanging out with cheapmetaphor ! (Though yes, I was definitely glad she and her friend had also partaken in spirits the night before and was passing on margaritas! Even though we all explicitly agreed on them, but 'ray :) )
And the MOVIE -- 1) Crazy jam-packed theater! but suuuuper awesome prices. 2) LOVED IT! Um, I think there was just one character I wanted to punch in the ovaries? Well, except one has zero acting skill (ahem, sorry), and really needs to do something about her brows, though okay, I know it's her trademark, but really. But beautiful eyes, yes.
Anyway -- um, i super super super loved this movie. Super. Well, except for some parts that made me paranoid, of course. And man that blond guy is hot, I forget his name again. And Dustin Long is *so* cute!! But 10x more cute is Jennifer Goodwin! I so want to be her :) And her hair! I think I'm trying for that.
Anyway. I can't guarantee anyone else is going to love this movie as much as me -- but I totally did :) And I totally cried at this one part, trying to keep the tears from falling too hard, though, b/c I just met cheapmetaphor 's friend! But, really, Saturday was terrific :) And yea, self-restraint in not buying beautiful fun copper + purple floral earrings!