Decorating at Work -- To Decorate or Not?

I am someone who finds it practically a requirement to trick out my workspace at the office, simply because so much of my time is spent in that space. And, I really can't think of anything worse than staring at those drab, corporate standard gray walls.

In past positions, I had the whole decorating thing down to a T. I had a lovely {fake} plant or potted flowers, a cute, little lamp to help with lighting, and the usual array of pictures. I also had a bunch of crap pinned to the walls like little sayings or quotes, a Monet calendar, an Iowa State bumper sticker, and whatever swag I managed to collect during my time at the company, most likely acquired from training events.

This time around I've decided to approach my space from a totally different perspective: Less is more.

There is something that makes me very edgy about bringing too many personal items to the office. I suppose that's my jaded side coming out, given I have experienced two layoffs. Believe me, when you're laid off, it's critical that all your shit fits into one box or less!

Today, as I was thinking to myself how proud I was to approach my space from a minimalist angle {despite it going against my usual need to decorate}, my boss suddenly appeared out of thin air {she is a quiet walker, that one} and announced to everyone in my immediate space, "Missy really needs to decorate her space, don'tchya think?"

Oye.

Yea, I suppose this space could use a splash of color. But let's remember -- I'm working in the middle of the Midwest. This ain't IKEA for crying out loud.

If you had to sit in this space, what would you do to spruce it up? Suggestions, please!

And no, I am not going to buy an area rug.

Check out my photog skillz! Almost a near panoramic shot, taken with my iPhone on the sly.

Here's my guest chair and the view of my co-worker's desk. I swear she leaves her Mac off and uses the screen as a mirror to spy on me.

My Attempt to Start a Photo Diary of My Commute to Work

I don't know why I feel compelled to share with you the DRASTIC change in landscape but one day last week I decided to start snapping a few pictures. While I was driving, of course.

That's the back end of our corporate center office. Yes, you read that correctly. The processing plants are located just west of the corporate office. Remember what I said about the parking lot being hell on earth? Well, perhaps now you will understand. Although, I am not complaining. Those plants are giving me a paycheck twice a month.

These pictures might also help to explain why I've had to get my car warshed {as they say in these here parts} every weekend since we moved. Whatever my company is cooking up on any random day gets spewed into the air and lands on the cars in the parking lot.

The other thing you can't see? The way the air smells in this area. The real estate agent who took us house hunting before we relocated made sure to tell us, "Do you smell that? That smell? I like to say that's the smell of money!"

Yep, that smell sure is distinct. Some days it smells like pet food. Other days it smells like hot chocolate. And then you get the days when it smells like pet food AND hot chocolate...oh, those are special days. Today, however, I was pleasantly surprised that it smelled like hot, buttered popcorn in the parking lot when I went out during lunch. Of course, this being the Midwest and all, the company has popcorn machines in the cafeteria and you can help yourself to free popcorn every day. I decided to partake today, and boy, I am regretting it! My tummy ached all afternoon.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to snap a picture of a sign on my way to work that says "Agri-Fab". How hysterical is that?

Yes, that's right, we are Agri-Fab around here. I feel so at home.

Take That, Nosey Co-Workers!

The timing could not have been more perfect...I read this today on Corporette while at work {of course, duh} and raced home to make some changes on my Facebook page.

I sound like a Staples commercial, but, seriously, it was so easy!

Do yourself a favor and change some settings if you're not comfy sharing your innermost thoughts otherwise knows as Status Updates with friends who aren't friends, or those photos from college your friends tagged you in...you know, the ones where you're doing beer bongs?

I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. Can you hear me?

The Thing About Facebook

I know this isn't new news, but seriously, WHY DO YOUR CO-WORKERS FEEL THE NEED TO SEND YOU FACEBOOK FRIEND REQUESTS?????

I've been at my new job for THREE weeks and I knew it was only a matter of time before I received their friend requests. I literally scrubbed my page, just to make sure I was comfortable letting them "be my friend".

During the week, after I accepted their requests, I realized that my Twitter handle was posted on my FB page, and that my Twitter page links to my blog. God help me. I only hope they were too busy snooping at my personal pictures on FB and didn't check out my Twitter page. In fact, the next morning, one of the two girls I work closely with was like, "Missy, I saw your wedding pictures last night!!! Squeal!!" Jeez-us.

Last Friday, as I sat at my desk, dying for the weekend to come {yes, it's happened already, I'm a corporate world hater}, I wanted to go on Facebook and bitch about stuff. But I couldn't. WHY? Because the people I work with would see my comments. And therein lies the rub.

I could have declined their requests, right? But do I need weirdness at work if I don't accept? No. Am I aggravated that I feel like there's no way around this issue? YES!

Tell me, blogging buddies. How would you handle this situation?

Walking Around in My PJs is Suddenly Not an Option

So, I've survived the first two weeks of work after not working and walking around in flip flops for seven {glorious} months. Week One was a blur. Much too much socializing for my liking. Although, in reality, it was probably a normal amount of socializing and talking. To me, though, it seemed like a three day interview all over again.

The second week proved to have another set of challenges: Getting my feet to cooperate with wearing heels and PMS-ing at the same time. As if "normal" PMS, whatever that is, isn't bad enough, a strange new PMS symptom reared its ugly head last week -- water retention in my feet and ankles. I've never experienced this before, and although I'm convinced it has something to do with my period, I still plan to get it checked out...as soon as I receive my health insurance cards in the mail, which I'm told could take 3-4 weeks! Unbelievable.

Anyway, the swollen feet thing did not help AT ALL last week. I had several meetings each day, some meetings held in a different building which required me to trek out to the parking lot and to my car...a long ass haul {I am planning to take pictures of our lovely corporate parking lot and then you can share in my personal hell.} The issue with the parking lot? There is NO WHERE to park! The people at my company are serious about starting their day early...as in, 7:30 a.m. early. Yuck! If you arrive anytime after 7:45 {and you're really pushing it at that point}, you might as well forget parking in the lot closest to the building. You're forced to go to something called The South Lot, which is all the way across the f*&^%$# street.

On a different note, we are really loving the house we're renting. The neighborhood is great...there's a park nearby with a walking path, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and even a volleyball sand pit. People actually come out of their houses here and sit on their patios! What's up with that?!? That's one thing we never saw in Boca...it was too damn hot!

This past week, as I was blissfully enjoying my new neighborhood, I discovered one evening that this guy from work---WHO IS ON MY TEAM---lives right next door to us! Ugh!

Imagine my horror as I stood at our kitchen sink {changed out of my work clothes and sporting a freshly washed face} cleaning my commuter coffee mug, looking out our kitchen window to discover Mr. Team Member grilling on his patio and basically looking right into our kitchen window!

Waaaay to close for comfort. My husband, on the other hand, is very amused by this whole situation.

Now I feel like I can't walk around my house, or at least in the kitchen, wearing anything but normal looking clothes. I can't imagine this guy seeing me in my PJs! Or my robe! The thought of it gives me the creeps. {Perhaps I should explain that I find him very unattractive? Or that Jeff and I can't figure out if his wife is really his wife, or just his girlfriend? And whether they have one or two cars? And if they only have one car, is he some kind of weird control freak? And what does the wife or girlfriend do all day long if she's stuck at home without a car?}

Oh yes, I do love to speculate and concoct stories in my head about my neighbors!

Meanwhile, we do have "normal" neighbors living on the other side of us...Bill and Elsie. Bill's a retired school principal with one KILLER vegetable garden. I am trying to play nicey nice so he will bring us some of those tomatoes growing like wildfire in his backyard. Salsa, anyone?

Bill and Elsie's backyard and their veggie garden. Notice how brown and awful our grass looks.

This was my attempt to capture a full moon and a beautiful sunset.
Can you say, Blair Witch Project?!?

More pictures coming this week!! And possibly even scarier.

My Latest Obsession: Cocktail Rings!

Don't ask me how I got started on cocktail rings. Actually, now that I think about it, I was busy packing our luggage for the move and as I sorted through my jewelry I realized I had a cocktail ring that I wanted to wear to work. The thing about cocktail rings? Some are just too darn big and obnoxious looking. I like the middle-of-the-road rings that are unobtrusive with a presence, if that makes sense.

Oh how I want to buy one of each! Look at these beauties from Banana Republic:

As I rationalized the price {in the neighborhood of $50 without shipping} I couldn't help but think that $50 sure seems steep when you consider that this isn't the kind of ring you wear all the time. It's more like a statement piece, I suppose. Although, knowing me, I'd probably wear that silver pave ring every day.

So just for kicks I looked at Overstock.com and found this amazing ring for $22.99. Not bad!

And then I saw this and my jaw dropped...

This could be yours for the low, low price of $4,999.99!

Those Banana Republic rings suddenly seem reasonably priced. Hmmm.

We're Unpacked --- My Cats Aren't Missing

I survived three days of work last week, but not without my feet yelling and screaming at me, wondering why the hell they were suddenly wearing HEELS instead of flip-flops. And to add insult to injury, my office building and the parking lot are big mazes, and I still can't figure out where the hell I should park. The parking lot is jam packed by 7:45 a.m. and I'm out in No Man's Land walking a loooong way into the building. Then, I managed to select entrances on two separate occasions where I had to walk up four flights of stairs in said heels. Ugh.

Thursday could not come soon enough. Finally, after what seemed like a long week of packing, moving, leaving Boca Raton and staying in a hotel, we moved into our new place. The night before the move, my husband picked up our cats from the vet/boarders and spent an hour with them at the new house to make sure they were OK. The next morning we arrived at 8 am to wait for the movers. We called out the cats' names and they didn't respond. We checked the basement. No response. We looked in every room, in the bathtubs, underneath the stairs...basically any nook you can imagine. Still no response.

Finally, Jeff said, "Missy, they're gone! Someone must have been here last night. They took them!"

I almost fainted when he said that.

I started yelling at Jeff, "How could they be gone? And who would have come here last night? It doesn't make any sense!"

I decided to call the person we're renting the house from to see if knew anything. As I'm on the phone with him, I'm pacing back and forth in the kitchen. I turned around at one point and looked up. There, sitting on top of the kitchen cabinets, were Cookie and Doughie.

Jeff thinks they were mad at us for keeping them in a cage for a week, and probably a little freaked out about the new place.

I'm just glad they're ok. They're like my children, I swear.

We're about 98% unpacked -- my parents and sister came down to help us and WOW, we made a lot of progress. I'm not one to leave unopened boxes lying around {plus that cardboard starts to smell up the house}. We have a couple of DVD boxes and some other miscellaneous items, and that's it.

It feels good to be settled. I have a full week of work ahead of me, but I'm looking forward to getting back into a blogging routine. To say that we're experiencing culture shock would be an understatement! But it's all good, and I can't wait to tell you about it.