Year of Living Dangerously – week 43

October 30, 2011

As I write this posting, I’m watching the reunion show for the ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey.’  Oh my god these women are trashy and classless, yet…I still keep watching.  What is wrong with me?  The addiction I seem to have for the Bravo network really developed when I was unemployed but nothing has changed since I went back to work.  I just can’t watch the channel past 10 pm anymore since I get up early for work.  It’s funny, I still get emails about HR jobs that are open in the area.  A lot of the same jobs that I saw on the job boards when I was looking still have not been filled.  It’s pretty strange considering how many people are looking.  A consultant I know contacted me about a job at a private equity company.  He had interviewed me for similar job last winter.  They liked me but thought they needed someone who was more of an office manager.  How ironic that those responsibilities are part of my job now.  Anyway, the job sounds sweet and it’s in midtown, but I won’t leave my new job at this point.  I want to see if I can make a difference and be helpful at this place.

Work this week went pretty well.  I did benefits presentations for the employees.  I can’t really say there was 100% attendence but the employees who came did get something out of it…I think.  I investigated some other benefits programs and met with a friend who represents Aflac insurance.  The commercials for Aflac are annoying but they actually have a pretty good product.  I probably drank the Aflac kool-aid but I was impressed and want to offer it to the employees at work.  My bosses have given the go ahead so hopefully other people will be impressed too.  Other than this, I’ve figured out a few more things on the office manager front.  I found out this week that I am also the fire warden for the floor which is something I DO NOT want on my plate.  I guess I’ll see how it goes.

I did a few things this week besides work.  I went to a restaurant in the Benjamin Hotel called The National.  It is in midtown and had a pretty good bar.  We had appetizers and the food was good.  I’d like to eat dinner there at some point.  I met someone for a drink at Opia, a club on 57th street.  It is actually a pretty nice place, although on the weekend it gets packed like other clubs so I probably wouldn’t want to go there then.  I went to the Broadway show ‘Relatively Speaking’ which is 3 separate plays written by Ethan  Coen, Elaine May and Woody Allen.  These are supposed to be comedies but really only the last one by Woody Allen was funny.  I’m not sure I’d recommend it….at least not at full price.  I went to Vanderbar to celebrate my friends birthday.  She worked with me at my last job so there were people there I hadn’t seen in a while.  It was great to get together with them.  I also had lunch with another friend from my last job.  We met at Heartland Brewery.  It isn’t exactly a classy joint but I love their chicken wings!

A few things in the news caught my eye.  Another couple of weeks of basketball games have been canceled due to basketball lockout.  It is a little difficult for me to feel very sorry for the millionaires in basketball…owners and players…but it is a real shame that this is happening for all the people that work in the arenas and do things that support the teams.  They are the ones who are really getting hurt by this.  The stock market went up this week which is nice to see.  Who knows…if this keeps up I might be able to retire before the age of 80.    There was a snowstorm this weekend.  What on earth?!  It is only October 30th!!  This doesn’t bode well for the winter.  Tinally, the St. Louis Cardinals won the world series.  Does anyone care?

I have a busy week coming up so I’m going to close this out.  I have to get to bed early….and the Real Housewives of Atlanta are on.  Until next week!