#3012 three things I won't miss about work

My last work day is getting closer and closer. Here are three things I will not miss about my work.

1. Month end close. I work in the administrative department of a big publicly traded construction company. My month-end closing window is two days. The first business day is spent getting as all the billings completed and processing as much accounts payable as possible. The second business day is making a list of anything that did not get entered into the accounting system so we have an accurate record of what we earned and what we owe. In the summer, these two days are intense and long. It's a little less stressful in the cold months, but there is pressure to account for everything. I won't miss this process at all. 

2. Long days. When the weather is cold and the crews aren't working as much, the days are long because there isn't much to do administratively so time does not fly. When the weather is hot, everyone is working from the minute we walk in the door until usually past when it's time to go home. It's the nature of the construction beast. I won't miss those early mornings and getting home late. 

3. Commuting. I'm not talking about walking 20 steps from my bedroom to my home office, of course. I'm talking about that 30 minute commute. It doesn't seem to matter anymore what time of day you are on the road; it's always busy. If there's rain or snow, the commute is always longer. In the winter I drive home in the dark, and I don't really like it, irrespective of the weather. I won't miss the drive to and from the office.

Six work days to go...

#3011 pdin 30 (!) first and last

me this morning

There was snow on the ground when I woke up this morning - the first snow of the season at my house! It was just a dusting, but it was sticking to the grass and actual snowflakes could be spotted falling from the sky. The snow didn't last very long, but the sky remained the perfect shade of November grey all day long, I liked it. It felt cozy and quiet.

Most of my morning was spent right here at my computer doing the bookkeeping. So many accounts to keep track of! This afternoon, T and I went to see Wicked for Good at the movie theater. I liked it, but I liked Part 1 better. The song "For Good" made me weep. The harmonies from Erivo and Grande are so lovely.

I've got a lot of stuff coming up next week. Monday and Tuesday will be busy at work because it is month-end close and I will be training DM, my replacement, on the processes. Wednesday T has a dentist appointment and Thursday he has his final follow-up with the back surgeon. I have a doctor appointment on Friday, which was scheduled awhile ago. I think MT will be home on Friday. I would like to do some Christmas shopping this week or at least on the weekend. Plus, I still need to set up my new laptop, and I feel like it must be done this weekend.

Today is November 30, and I have completed my personal challenge of posting here every day this month! I don't think I had too many dud or throwaway posts, and I had fun doing it, so that's what is most important to me. 

Cheers to the first snowfall of the season and the last post of my Post Daily in November challenge!

Have a great week!

xo

 

#3010 pdin 29 snooze-y Saturday

a brave little marigold

It seems like this little marigold is not quite ready for winter. She's cute.

I had big plans today, but it didn't really work out that way. I was up by around 7:00, played with the dogs, then made a cup of coffee. Sadly, the milk had turned -thankfully I sniffed it in the jug before I sipped it from my coffee mug. I don't care for coffee without a bit of milk, so I decided to treat myself to a coffee from Dutch Bros. Oh! I don't think I told you that a Dutch Bros is being built closer to my house, right across from the McDonalds on the busy streets! YAY!

After I had my coffee and the rest of the delicious cinnamon roll from Pocatello, I read for a bit, filled the bird feeder, and decided I needed a nap. The dogs and I snuggled on my bed and I had an absolutely delicious, glorious nap for a couple of hours. It felt so good!

Since then I've just been puttering around the house, reading, making a shopping list, playing games on my phone, and just kind of passing the day away. I made T a dentist appointment on Wednesday, and I'm glad I did because that darn crown popped off again tonight while he was eating a slice of pizza. Dammit. 

Because I didn't do many of the things that were on my to-do list today, tomorrow will be busier than I would have liked. It's okay, though. It won't be too much longer before I won't have to cram so many to-do items into my weekend days. Thinking about how I'm going to spend my days when I don't work anymore is taking up a lot of space in my brain right now! It's going to be a big change, and it may be a bit weird, too. I'm really looking forward to it. 

In some ways, November seemed kind of slow, but on Thanksgiving, I felt like Halloween was just a week ago. I feel like the next two weeks will go by in a rush and Christmas will be here before you know it. 

Talk to you here tomorrow!
 

#3009 pdin 28 they didn't have stuff like this when I lived there

My BFF LA and I got together for coffee this morning (I never thought I'd say/write those words!) at what may be the cutest coffee shop I have ever been in. Gate City Coffee is in Old Town Pocatello on Center Street. It's one of those places you just know will hit all the right notes as soon as you see the pretty window display. The place is enchanting.

LA and I sat at that table on the right. In the back section, there is a little wine bar. Dreamy!

The owner told us she had spent several hours last night putting up the Christmas decorations. 
They were expecting a lot of people to come in this afternoon and evening as Pocatello is holding it's annual Christmas parade which goes down Center Street.

I really liked all the old black and white photos of the early days of Pocatello.

If this little scene doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will. And look at that exposed brick wall. LOVE!

Please look at the curved ceiling with the pretty raised frescos. There's LA on the left placing her order!

The shop is so cozy and inviting to look at, I couldn't stop gawking. I wanted to stay there all day! There is a little bit of Idaho merch for sale in the shop. The couple also owns the building next door and it is a full on gift shop that is equally enticing. These folks really have their style dialed in.

Yeah, but how was the coffee? Well, it really good. I had a cappuccino and a cinnamon roll.

The baked goods are homemade on the premises. The owner makes all of them herself. The roll was big; I only finished half of it and I'm looking forward to warming up the other half for breakfast here at home tomorrow. 

I had such a great morning hanging out with my friend, chatting, having breakfast at this gorgeous shop, then doing a little of of shopping here, too. Gate City Coffee will be a regular stop on every trip to Pocatello.  It's like the perfect chick lit coffee place. If they sold books, it would be a chick lit dream come true! I would love to find a cute shop like this here in Salt Lake. I don't know if one exists, but I'll be on the lookout. 

#3008 pdin 27 be thankful and have gratitude

my autumn art "quilt"

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. I don't really think of this holiday in terms of pilgrims and the native people they displaced. I don't harbor childhood fantasies of white English settlers and brown indigenous people peacefully gathered around a table laden with turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. Instead, I think of it as a bit of time off work. I think of it as a time to gather with family and friends to have a nice meal and enjoy each other's company. Daily gratitude is part of my routine, so it's not hard to think of all the things that make me feel like I have a blessed life. 

A quick note about the little autumn art quilt above. This came out of a prompt by Jill the Artist to celebrate the season with things that make you feel autumn vibes and gratitude. There are a couple of leaves and an acorn. Those things remind me of Red Butte Garden. There is a tree with falling leaves which represents my neighborhood. There's a red cup of coffee in the upper left corner paying homage to Starbucks and their holiday season red cup. There's a football with the words Go Utes and the red U for the University of Utah football season. There's a pie because, well, pie (!), and there is a wee family of three to represent me with my menfolk. 

Have a wonderful day! Do what makes you happy today: rest, read, enjoy your garden, have yummy snacks, and remember, I LOVE YOU!

#3007 pdin 26 Thanksgiving eve

scribble wreath with color

Yesterday I wrote that today would likely be a short work day, and the team did get notified that, if the workload allowed, one could sign off at 1:30. I did not feel that the workload allowed, so I worked my regular shift. The co-worker that I've been training to take over my position (let's call her DM) was also working from home today, and I know she was logged in until at least 5:30, just like I was. 

One might comment, "Sandy, you are retiring in two weeks. Why don't you go ahead and coast?" The answer is simple and sort of annoying: I can't. I mean, my sense of obligation, responsibility, and ethics, I guess, won't let me coast when I know there is work to do. (I get that from my dad, I think.) I already know there will be things that I won't finish before I go, but I don't want to leave a jumble for my innocent co-worker, DM. Next week is month end close; Monday and Tuesday will be big training days. From Wednesday on, though, work will probably calm down a little and I imagine that DM will take on all the things and I will be there to advise and help as needed until the 11th. December 11 is my last working day, after that, I'll be on vacation and holiday, so my last day on the payroll will be December 25. Merry Christmas to me! 

As of now, though, it is the Thanksgiving break. I'm planning to drive to Idaho tomorrow in the late morning. Cocktails are at 1:00, and the meal is at 3:00. I'll spend the night at my MIL's house. On Friday morning I have a coffee date with my BFF, I'll go see the new property that T and MT are working on, then I'll head back home by noon or so. I've got a few chores on my calendar for the weekend, and maybe I'll squeeze in a movie, too. I'd like to see the second part of Wicked.

I woke up with the hiccups this morning - how odd is that? I got rid of them quickly. Tonight I have a teeny tiny headache and I feel kind of tired. I have to be careful because this is the time of night when I tend to catch a second wind if I start doing something that I really enjoy. I want to play in my travel journal - no, it's still not done, but I have a plan to finish it before Dec. 15 - but if I get into it now, I'll lose track of time and then it will be midnight. I want to get up a little early tomorrow to clean up the kitchen and do a couple of things before I get on the road. It's probably best if I save the travel journal for Friday when I get home. 

Good night!

#3006 pdin 25 today is Tuesday

All day long I have been reminding myself that today is Tuesday. It's a holiday week, and the office will be closed on Thursday and Friday. I get to work from home tomorrow, and I anticipate that it might be a short day. Today is even better than a Friday, but I still thought it was Friday, so I had to remind myself that it is Tuesday.

During my lunch break today I went to the liquor store to pick up some wine to take with me to Pocatello. It's one of my contributions to the Thanksgiving feast. I chose two bottles of cabernet sauvignon, and two bottles of sauvignon blanc.  I don't know much about wine, but I do know that I usually like these two types. These wines are from California vineyards. I hope they are good. 

I think it would be fun to go to a vineyard for a tasting and stay overnight. I wonder if that's a thing? I'm going to look into that.

One more random thing: when I left the office last night, I unconsciously thought, "One down, eleven to go." I did it again tonight, but now it's ten to go. That's ten working days until my last day on the job. 

Whoa.