Bottomless pit

laelene Posted in general blog，
10 April 2012
0

For the past two days I feel like I have been eating non-stop, yet I can’t seem to get hungry.  I’ve tried cooking a filling meal with eggs and veggies on noodles, devouring a bag of chips, powering through multiple plates of smoked salmon salad, munching on a variety of snacks, chugging cans of soda, and enjoying some fruit.  All stuff I love and crave, but somehow I don’t feel full.

I’ve always eaten a lot, but this is weird.  Maybe it’s because I don’t have a schedule to follow, so there are no “triggers” to tell my body when it’s time to eat.  But then again, the issue isn’t that I’m not eating enough.  Maybe I’m actually eating too much!  I always did say that by eating small portions constantly, my metabolic rate was kept up so that’s how I don’t gain weight.  Or maybe what I’m eating just isn’t heavy enough.  At first, this seemed like the case, but then I started cooking and that always provided me with a more hefty meal.

Or perhaps I am actually full, but my stomach isn’t sending the right signals to my brain to tell me so…

Ice cubes

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
03 April 2012
2

ice cube on airplane in the shape of a tubeRiddle me this: why are ice cubes on airplanes circular?  I mean, calling them “ice rings” or “ice tubes” might be more appropriate.  It makes me wonder how the ice is molded that way.  Perhaps a tube with a pole in the center rather than the traditional trays we’re used to in our homes.  Or maybe strange trays with round openings and something sticking up out of the center of each.

A quick search online led me to some interesting results and I’m inclined to believe that there is a scientific reason, like it’s faster to freeze them that way.  However, that then makes me wonder why it isn’t a more widespread shape used for commercial industries.  I generally get flat, thin pieces of ice at restaurants and I can’t recall an occasion where they used these types of ice cubes.

Maybe it has to do with the elevation or cabin pressure or something wacky I can’t even think of.  Whatever it is, I wouldn’t mind seeing more tubular cubes (haha that sounds funny) – after all, they’re fun to play with!  I even heard the kid behind me say, “Look dad, check out my ring!”  No doubt she was able to stick her finger through one for some entertainment.  I’ve always been a fan of having fun with your food.  😛

Last night

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
02 April 2012
0

It’s my last night here before my adventures start! I can’t wait to be flying around a bit and finding a rhythm to work in. As soon as the dust settles, I’ll need to start tackling the goals I laid out. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my precious Missy, who is just so fun to play with. It’ll be sad to wake up without her, but hopefully we’ll be reunited before long. I’m looking forward to change and that’s about all I can think about now.

Dream schedule

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
30 March 2012
0

My, how time flies when you’re enjoying yourself!  In my first week of scheduling freedom, I have started most days around 8:30-9 in the morning, when I wake up naturally.  I then spend the morning whiling away time enjoying an episode of The Voice or some Plants vs. Zombies gaming action.  Around noon, I packed up and headed out in search of places where I could sit and read or go online while enjoying the sunshine.  Sometimes I ended up hanging out in my car and oftentimes I found myself driving around to various parts of LA – Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood…

I filled up my tummy for lunch, then spent the afternoons first online, then reading through the first book I plan to cross off my reading list: Switch.  Before I knew it, 5 o’clock would roll around and Panda would get back from work to find I wasn’t around.  I’d head back to meet up with him for a brief break to decide where to eat and off we’d go.  By 9 or 10 we’d be back for the night, winding down the day.  All in all a very relaxing and leisurely schedule for me!  Perhaps because it was so nice, it went by in a blur and suddenly I find myself at the end of the week wondering where all the days went.  Luckily, I now have the weekend to enjoy and more weeks of working online and reading offline to look forward to.

On the brink of freedom

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
25 March 2012
0

It’s Sunday night and for the first time in over two years, I won’t be joining the rest of the work force as they begin another work week tomorrow.  It’s a peaceful feeling, to be able to sleep when I want to and not worry about waking up at a particular time.  I’m excited to be able to wake up tomorrow and realize that I don’t need to drag myself up at the crack of dawn to drive for two hours just to get to work.  It’ll take some getting used to, since I even woke up yesterday thinking that I might be late for something.

For the next week, I have tasked myself with two very simple things: pack and read.  Panda’s in town so I’ll be hanging out with him at night.  While he’s at work I’ll need something to do, so it’s a perfect time to get some reading in.  My reading list is full of awesome texts and I look forward to everything these books have to teach me.  Being able to do it by the pool, at the beach, or in a dessert/drink shop makes it all the more amazing.  I’m pretty thrilled to spend my days with less structure and more go with the flow choices.  Hopefully it will inspire a lot of creativity and productivity too!

Final countdown

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
21 March 2012
0

Well, over the course of the last couple days, it has become public knowledge that I put in my two weeks and will be leaving my company at the end of the week.  Today one of the CEOs said bye to me since he’s off to NY tomorrow and I won’t be seeing him again before I’m done.  It hasn’t quite hit me yet that I won’t be seeing these people again (at least not in a consistent manner).  The good thing is I will likely need to come back to train my replacement whenever they find one, so it’s not completely the end of seeing my coworkers!  I’ll definitely miss them a lot.

Still, it’s time for me to move on, both personally and professionally.  I don’t get to see Panda nearly enough, so I want to dedicate some time to that.  Also, I have some of my own things I want to pursue and it’s a great time to do so.  I don’t feel I can really give it a solid effort unless I were to work on it full time, so that’s the plan.  Luckily, I have so much support around me and not a single person has discouraged me from my dreams.  I have a lot to look forward to and I’m excited to be able to set my own schedule and take control of my life in ways I haven’t yet.

This week, I have done my best to “rally the troops” as I like to say, encouraging them to all join me for my lunch plans.  Many have been working on various health efforts, like juicing or the caveman diet, so they don’t get out to lunch anymore.  Happily, they have been taking a break from their efforts to save money or lose weight and I’m hoping everyone will come out Friday to the last hurrah!  After all, it’s the people who make the place what it is and it’s the people I’ll miss.

Lazy cat days

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
18 March 2012
0

I am amazed by how much my cat sleeps. When I wake up in the morning, she is there napping away. If I don’t have anywhere to be, I like to stay with her and sleep a little more or work on the computer. Through it all, she keeps on sleeping, with a few positions adjustments here and there.

This weekend I spent the majority of my time laying with her since I don’t often get time with her like this. She’s just so cute and fuzzy and cuddly! Now how could I disturb her sleep? Plus, her presence is comforting to me. I feel more relaxed and happy to have her snoozing away on top of me. Unfortunately it encourages me to be lazy though! I wouldn’t have left the bed to eat or otherwise take care of myself if I didn’t have plans during the day. Still, it’s nice sometimes to take life at the pace of a cat and slow things down to enjoy them.

Two-toned cars

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , ,
12 March 2012
0

If I made cars, I’d paint them in two colors, much like the Toyota from the LA Auto Show. Why do we get stuck with so many cars with no flair? I think Mini Cooper’s just about the only brand of car you can get these days that has two colors. Still, I think you can have a sleeker look since the line of change is very much horizontal for those.

Instead, a more curvy line that helps accent the shape of the car or creates an image of how air might sweep along the side would add such appeal! I don’t understand why car companies aren’t doing it. People are already so I seeded with self-expression through their vehicles and getting to choose a two-tone design just allows them to add another layer of choice and (supposed) individuality.

I know I’d go for it!

Alert driving

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
09 March 2012
1

Tonight a car started to merge into me, which made me grateful that I was an alert driver, noticed the drifting, and promptly moved and braked to avoid a collision. I would have honked too, to warn the guy, but I was just about to take a sip from my tea so my hands were too occupied. I wonder if he ever had a clue how close we were to scraping against each other.

It used to be common for me to be tired on my drives home and if this had happened last year when I was commuting, it may not have panned out the same way. Thankfully, I have a secret weapon under my belt that has been helping me stay alert during my drives. It has been very effective and I can’t wait to unveil it someday! For now Maven and I are working on launching it so I’ll keep it under wraps. One day though, you’ll hear about it!

Constant communication

laelene Posted in general blog, relationships，Tags: , ,
03 March 2012
0

It’s been nearly a year since Panda left to work on the east coast and we’ve been very fortunate to be able to see each other almost monthly.  I always knew our relationship would be fine despite the distance and I’m glad that it wasn’t as hard as I feared it might be.  Still, it’s challenging and I’m looking forward to the day when I don’t have to wish we lived together.

For now, we keep all lines of communication open, ranging from text messages and IMs to phone calls and Skype video messaging.  I think that video chatting is a critical piece to making a long-distance relationship work.  Being able to see and hear each other when you can’t be near each other is invaluable.  It’s so much easier to express yourself and bond that way.  Even something as simple as showing each other what we’re eating becomes a rewarding experience.

In fact, Panda and I often get on Skype and don’t talk to each other.  We don’t need to!  Just being able to look over and see what the other person is doing is comforting.  We’ve both got our separate things to do, but that doesn’t mean we can’t share our time as well.  A lot of people don’t seem to understand that and have been perplexed by our decision to sit on Skype without actively talking most of the time.  I think they’ve just got to try it!

Of course, nothing beats being there in person, so still we wait for the day when that is the norm…

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