It is really going to happen this time

I read back over my Archives for April last year, trying to find inspiration for something to write about today and found something interesting. Did you know that on April 29, 2008, I was given the hope of an actual vacation? And as of this writing, that has yet to happen? And by vacation, I mean at least one entire week away from work. I have always been able to use all my vacation and personal days but only one or two days at a time, which does nothing to recharge the batteries.

In just a couple of weeks that is going to change. I’m getting an entire week off in May! Truth be told, it still isn’t a vacation because I will officially be laid off…but a rose by any other name, you know? Whatever you call it, it is still nine days (including weekends) in which nobody can call me about work and I am actually forbidden to login and do anything, so yeah, this will be good.

To clarify the layoff situation, our division of the company has agreed that each of us will take four weeks of temporary layoff in 2009. We were able to choose our weeks (for the most part, after making sure we had adequate coverage throughout the year) so really it is not too bad. It is guaranteed time off that some of us haven’t had in years so that is definitely a good thing. And the weeks are eligible for unemployment benefits so while it is a slight dip in income, it isn’t going to impact anyone too severely. Whatever we can do to keep a job in this economy, you know? I have a week coming in May, August, September, and November. I am so giddy thinking about it I could dance naked on the rooftop.

The best part is, I still have my nearly four weeks of vacation time to take in between there too. I could actually be a new person by the time this year is over. That’s a lot of time away from work that could change my mental outlook completely. I hope. Like a vacation, it is well overdue.

It is no wonder my mail never finds me

Why do I do this to myself? Last night, I made some ridiculous statement on Twitter that I just KNEW a blog post was imminent and I was even going to shorten my workout so I would have time to write. I could just FEEL the thoughts starting to flow from my mind, down my arms, and into my fingers.

Pffffft.

If you have any idea what I was going to write about, please let me know because it is gone now. All I have in my brain this morning are disjointed ideas and random words like turtles on bicycles, ice cream cones with stardust sprinkles, and pastrami. You try to make a blog post out of that. Why do I KNOW at least two of you are going to do exactly that?

I guess I can try to catch you up on things at work.

• I was asked to work an additional job
• I’m moving
• Twice
• This weekend
• Ugh

And…now you’re caught up.

The additional job is to help backfill for part of the workforce we laid off earlier this year. With the layoffs, some critical positions were left open so those of us who remain are being asked to pitch in and help cover the slack, which I think is great. I like working for a company who is thinking outside the box in terms of finding new ways to keep us afloat during this period. And the job itself, while adding a whole new layer of stress to my work life, is interesting. The best part, as with any job, is the great people I’m working with. It is very much a team atmosphere and everyone is there to support the others so it makes for a great environment.

There are a few drawbacks though. I’m splitting my day between the two jobs so it feels like I never get anything done. By the time I really dig in and get rolling on something with one, it is time to pack up and drive to the other. Oh yes, did I mention that these jobs aren’t in the same building? Or city, for that matter? (Now, truth be told, the two office buildings are just over the bridge from each other, but doesn’t it sound much more ‘woe is me’ if I say I have to work in two different cities every day?)

Which leads me to the moves… If you have been around here a while, you may recall that I moved from one office building to another just one year ago. And then about three weeks later, I moved back to the first office building (but on a different floor) because the new building was making me sick. Well, now, everyone in both buildings is moving to a third office building. So some time between working my two jobs and commuting back and forth over that bridge, I need to pack up my desk and be ready to move this weekend.

And the new job? That I just started last week? Yeah, our team is moving too. Luckily, it is just from one room on the floor to another but still… And the move is also this weekend. Is it a full moon? Do full moons cause desk moves? Who am I talking to?

I did a little tally the other night and in my 12 years with the company, I have worked in six buildings in three different cities and had 15 desks. What is the deal with all the mobility? Those of you who work where I do, what are your numbers? And the rest of you? How many moves have you had with the same company?

New Recipe #8 — Apr 2009

As per my 100 Things list, I am tackling #41 – Try a new recipe every month for a year. The previous months’ recipes can be found here:

Sep 2008: Butter Bean Burgers
Oct 2008: Pasta e Fagioli
Nov 2008: Sweet Potato and Cranberry Hash
Dec 2008: Potato-Onion Tartlets
Jan 2009: Butternut Squash Soup
Feb 2009: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread
Mar 2009: Hearty Bean Nachos

This month’s recipe was chosen due to a passing remark from David that he and his wife had recently made a tempeh dish for the first time. That prompted me to try it myself. I found the impetus for this recipe in one of my cookbooks or online shortly thereafter but I haven’t been able to find it since. Luckily, I could remember enough to get started and I just ran with it from there.

Rice with Tempeh and Spinach

INGREDIENTS
* 1 tbsp. olive oil
* 4 oz. tempeh
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* salt and pepper
* 1 cup cooked rice (I used leftover brown rice)
* 1 lemon, zest and juice
* fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in medium saucepan. When hot, add crumbled tempeh and cook until browned on all sides (5-7 minutes). Add garlic, salt and pepper and cook for a minute. Stir in rice, lemon zest and lemon juice, combining thoroughly. Add 2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves on top of rice and place a lid on the pan. Let steam on low heat for 5 minutes, until spinach begins to wilt. Stir together and serve.

NEXT TIME
This was amazingly good! I would not change a thing. This was the first time I tried tempeh but will definitely be adding it into my vegetarian diet. It tastes great and does have a very similar texture to ground beef so I can imagine it is very versatile. It is a little expensive (about $4 for 8 oz.) but has tons of protein and iron and very little sodium so it is like investing in good health.

On the bookshelf, #2009-07

You’re Not You, by Michelle Wildgen

From the bn.com site:

Bec is adrift. It’s the summer before her junior year in college. She’s sleeping with a married professor, losing interest in her classes, and equivocating about her career. She takes a job caring for Kate, a thirty-six-year-old woman who has been immobilized by ALS.

As it turns out, before the disease Kate was a stylish and commanding woman, an advertising executive and an accomplished chef. Now, as she and Bec spend long days together, Bec begins to absorb Kate’s sophistication and her sensuality, cooking for her, sharing her secrets, and gradually beginning to live her own life with a boldness informed by Kate’s influence. The more intense her commitment to Kate, the further Bec strays from the complacency of her college life. And when Kate’s marriage veers into dangerous territory, Bec will have to choose between the values of her old life and the allure of an entirely new one.

This was a captivating story in its examination of relationships and the influence one person’s life can have on another. When the story began, Bec was aimless and justifying her relationship with a married man but after her friendship with Kate, she found a purpose and an understanding of loyalty. The ending faltered a bit, but it was a faltering that you would expect from Bec, given the circumstances. But she also finds her footing again before the book ends…and it was all attributable to Kate.

Alert me

I’m not sure what this says about me (okay, I have a pretty good idea) but I have a Google Alert set to tell me whenever my name is used on the Internet. Have you used Google Alerts? You can choose whatever or whoever you want to keep tabs on and it will email you whenever that topic pops up on the Interwebs. Pretty cool.

I have a few other alerts set as well. You can probably guess some of them. And yes, Vincent D’Onofrio is one. Duh. You think you’re so smart.

Anyway, I have this alert set for my name and I get emailed about once a week. But, for some reason, this alert has never come back with any news about my name. Instead, I get an alert when my father hits the local papers (he is on the school board which makes news where he lives) and more interestingly, I get an alert whenever a certain reporter at Rolling Stone publishes something. We all have the same last name and first names that start with D.

I’m not sure why this alert acts this way. I don’t get alerts for every other D’Onofrio in the world who happens to have a first name that starts with V. Just my Vincent. So why am I picking up random people for my name alert? AND, why not every other person with my last name who has a first name that starts with D? I happen to know that there are hundreds of us…in my extended family alone.

So, do you use Google Alerts? If so, what topics are you tracking? If not, will you start and what are you interested in getting alerted about?

Another of my alerts? Well, I also track… Nope, you tell me yours first.