Me and the Prez

I saw him today! It was a harmonic convergence of me staying late at the office and him running late (click here for his official schedule). At about 6:20 his motorcade raced up Randolph, along with a police escort -- both motorcycle cops and police cars -- and Secret Service vans and a fire department ambulance. The coolest part was seeing all the families along the route, waiting to see Barack Obama, with children cheering him as he went by.

Children cheering the President -- it did my old heart good.

Lose that long face

Maybe I'm too swept up in the August Happiness Challenge, but right now -- at this very moment -- I am enthusiastic about my job.

This week, my team got new senior management. The new head of the marketing side came from a prestigious competitive agency by way of a popular not-for-profit. The new head of the creative side joins us from another account internally. Both of the gentlemen in these important positions have been blessed by our client (which is better than just saying, "Here they are! Work with 'em and pay 'em a ton for the pleasure," as it appears we have done in the past) and indicate that The Powers that Be believe this account has a future at this agency after all.

Yea!

So why is my boss walking around like Mr. Bad Posture, all grumpy and negative? While I don't expect a Knute Rockne speech from him, I am surprised that he's so cynical, doubting that anything will change.

I am hardly new to this industry, with decades under my belt now. I'm not easily bamboozled or distracted by smoke or mirrors. But these changes look good to me!

And so I am going to continue acting like Pollyanna, being so unremittingly upbeat that all my coworkers will lapse into a diabetic coma in response to the saccharine I spew.

Seven Subjects

Recycled from Kwiz:

SUBJECT ONE- THE OUTSIDE
What's your name? The Gal Herself
How tall are you? 5'2
What color are your eyes? Green
What color is your hair? Light, reddish brown
Are you Male or Female? Female
What is your best physical feature? dimples
What's your shoe size? 6.5 or 7
Glasses, yes or no? Usually contacts
Did you ever have braces? yes
On a typical day you are wearing? Jeans and a t-shirt
When you go to bed you're wearing? A nightshirt
How often do you exercize [sic]? At least 2x a week, and yes, I know it should be more

SUBJECT TWO- MUSIC
Name two of your favorite bands: The Lads from Liverpool and Del Amitri
Name two of your favorite singers: Bruce Springsteen and Dusty Springfield
Name two songs you currently love: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay and "Fever" by Eva Cassidy
Name one song that describes your life right now? "Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer
Name one song that describes your life 1 year ago? "Wake Up Alone" by Amy Winehouse
What are the preset stations in your car? I don't have a car
What's the last CD you bought? Soulbook by Rod Stewart
Was the last CD you burned an actual CD or a mix? A mix
Name one band you're embarrassed to like but do? The Partridge Family
If you could only attend 1 concert ever again, it would be? Sir Paul
Name one band or singer you absolutely can't stand? Barry Freaking Manilow
Name a group you use to like but feel you've grown out of? Michael Jackson ... for a variety of sad reasons

SUBJECT THREE- MOVIES and TELEVISION
Name your favorite actor? Leonardo DiCaprio
Name your favorite actress? Jennifer Aniston
Name your favorite television show right now? NCIS
Name a really cool movie you have recently seen? Inception
Your favorite canceled television show? Law & Order
Name 1 movie you wish you hadn't wasted time and money? Babel
You would never watch a movie with? No one comes to mind -- I'm really very easy in this regard
Three favorite TV channels? USA, MSNBC, ME-TV (a local channel)

On these last two, I completely agree with Kwiz

Favorite reality show? American Idol... but I'm not so sure about this new season
Favorite character on a reality show? It used to be Simon Cowell


SUBJECT FOUR- WORD ASSOCIATION
coffee- cup
dog- cat
slut- ho
candy- cane
pole- North
ocean- beach
brave- strong
loving- You (Elvis, "I'll just spend my whole life through loving you ...")
cookie- Mrs. Fields
death- and taxes
life- live
child- toys

SUBJECT FIVE- WHICH WOULD YOU PREFER?
Eaten by a lion OR Eaten by thousands of small insects? lion
Skydiving from a plane OR Bungee jumping off a bridge? skydiving
No television OR No music? no music
No more pizza, ever OR No more chocolate, ever? pizza
A trip to Europe OR a trip to Hawaii? Europe
An hour with your future soul mate OR An hour with a lost loved one? lost loved one
Sex without love OR love without sex? love without sex

SUBJECT SIX- THE LOVE LIFE
Are you currently in a relationship? Lots of them! Just no romances
Are you currently looking or interested in someone? Interested, yes. Looking, no.
How many times have you been in love? Twice
Looking back, how do you feel about that person now? They are both still very nice men, it just didn't work
Name three physical things you look for in someone? Sweet smelling hair, nice eyes, strong arms
Biggest turn offs include? Suspect hygiene, bigotry, bossiness
Your ideal date would be? comfortable
You want to get married, where, when, how? Never, nowhere, no how
Does anyone have feelings for you right now that you don't return? It's possible

SUBJECT SEVEN- THE FRIENDS
The one you immediately go to with a problem? Depends on the problem
The most rational? Barb
The funniest? My oldest friend
The one you spend the most time on the phone with? My mom
The craziest? John
The most honest? Edgardo
The purest? Ditto
The smartest? Kathleen
The most athletic? My best friend
The most compassionate? Mindy
The one most likely to get thrown in jail? John.
The last one that who said I love you? I don't remember

August Happiness Challenge 2010 -- Day 5

Good News! My friend Kathleen left word this morning that the additional growths found in her breast turned out to be benign, and so the outpatient procedure she's enduring today is to remove a single malignant lump.

I'm grateful that her prognosis is still as positive as it was when she first shared this scary news, and I'm happy that she remembers to update me. (I'm a worrier.)