Tired & Tangled

Just came back from watching the new Disney movie "Tangled" with a couple coworkers. The verdict: entertaining and a fun twist on a classic fairytale story, but nothing out of this world spectacular. In other words: you'll enjoy the movie as long as you don't go in with the expectation of seeing a Wall-E or Finding Nemo-caliber theatrical masterpiece.

I've had a pretty boring week, mostly because I've been getting home late from work and crawling into bed with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or a mindless episode of Gossip Girl before clunking out at like 9 PM...yeah, so hip, so fly. I think it's the whole waking-up-before-sunrise and going-home-well-after-sunset effect that's taking a toll on me, both mentally and physically. I am starting to feel and look and probably smell like a zombie. Mmm, decaying flesh - irresistible.

The coming weekend should be a wee bit more exciting though as a handful of ThoughtWorkers, myself included, are heading up to a small town in British Columbia called Fernie for a mountain getaway ski lodge trip bonanza event thingy woo I rock at English. I have never been more excited to do nothing with myself all weekend except get tipsy on red wine and pruny in a steaming jacuzzi. I may or may not have plans to drop a bath bomb in there and scare the living shit out of my colleagues ("SWEET JESUS WHEN DID THE WATER TURN PINK AND GLITTERY")

Oh, also I Google Imaged "Fernie" and found this picture:

This picture succinctly conveys what I look and feel like each day after work: wiped out, immobile, clutching onto someone's ankles. God only knows what kind of shape I'll be in after a day of snowboarding. Will definitely update with pictures galore, Wi-fi willing.

Hi, I'm a Mac.

As of right this very second, I am a proud sort-of owner of a brand new 13-inch Macbook Pro. Sort-of meaning the computer does not belong to me; it belongs to the company from which ThoughtWorks leases our machines. But for all intents and purposes, it is now mine to use, to travel with, and to adoringly cradle and whisper sweet nothings to at night. I may or may not have already affectionately referred to it as "my baby".

The company laptop I was using before was a Dell Latitude E3400. And I swear to God: it was possessed by the devil. Over time, the fiery demon embedded in that machine only grew more ferocious and unwieldy - by the time I lugged the beast over to our IT department yesterday, my computer was afflicted with not one, not two, but THREE symptoms, all of which I am sure are trademarks of the devil:

1. The speakers were completely bust. Turning on any sort of sound would result in agonizing, scratchy thumps that resonated in my soul day in and day out.

2. My screen would physically react to certain web sites - specifically, Flash-based ones with dark-colored backgrounds. White columns would appear and begin to flicker - the more intense the site, the more the columns and the more their flickering would plague me. Not only did this give me a migraine, it seriously confused my colleagues who'd happen to walk by and see me typing away on a epileptic screen.

3. Sometimes, in the middle of typing anything - an e-mail, a blog post, an Excel document - the index would jump about twelve letters previous to where it was supposed to be, essentially splicing my sentences and words at arbitrary times. This was incredibly frustrating, as if I was not careful when typing for long periods of time I could easily miss a "splice" and wind up with words like "derPerhaps" or "whatfromever".

The IT guys made a few attempts at exorcising my Latitude of its inner demon, all to no avail, so when I half-jokingly asked "any Macbook Pros left?" and was promptly handed over this glorious aluminum beauty, it was all I could do to keep from jumping up and down and doing an ill-executed somersault right there on the spot. Well actually I was at ThoughtWorks so I probably could've done it and nobody would have cared.

I will probably spend most of today setting up and tinkering around with my shiny new toy. I love almost everything about my ba - er, new computer, except for the fact that there is no forward delete key. Or maybe I am too dumb to find it. But it's okay - I am too delighted to care.

LUSH LOVE

This is a totally girly post, so to all you Y-chromosomers out there: I will discuss pink fluffy bubbles. You've been warned.

So...I've been working. A lot. The half-hour-to-hour commute twice each day, the ten to eleven-hour workday, and the constant traveling is bad enough; then tack on all the pressure we have to meet our milestones and I become one very stressed girl.

My favorite way to relax? Soak in a long, nice bath.

Here's my recipe for relaxation:

1.) Allot time. This is usually the most difficult part for me (hey, you try turning down drinks with your colleagues and saying "umm, I want to take a bath" when they ask why you're leaving). But it's imperative not to feel rushed! I always try to set apart one bath night a week. Usually 1-1.5 hours will suffice. Primetime is right before bedtime.
2.) Pick an album you adore to play in the background. Today's was Fleet Foxes for me.
3.) Find a combination of bath products that you love. Try mixing up bars, bubbles, soaps, oils, candles...whatever it takes! Today I used 1/4th of The Comforter bubble bar and a Keep It Fluffy (the purple one) bath bomb, both LUSH products.
4.) GO CRAZY!

 

I crumbled the bubble bar, a longtime love of mine, first under the hot running water. It filled my tub with glorious fluffy bubbles and turned the water a lovely baby pink color and laced my bathroom with a sweet cotton candy scent, yummmm. When I was done running the water, I dropped in the bath bomb, which fizzed into a lavender smell and turned the bath water purple - so fun!

I definitely love experimenting with different smells. In fact, I ramble on and on about "omg I had the best bath ever last night" so much to my colleagues that I've since persuaded a couple of them to try it for themselves - I've even piqued a couple of male colleagues' interests. But in all honesty, despite everyone's snickering, I firmly vouch that bubble baths are probably the most underrated things ever for adults. For just a few bucks and an hour or so of your time, it will do miraculous things to your body, mind, and state of being. And it leaves you feeling clean and girly and smelling like lavender. Seriously, what more could you want in life?