Nice Day; I am in an Office, though

Oh it isn't so bad being in an office (still in Illinois). I can look outside and see cars, a large building full of Baptists (another nonprofit's headquarters), many fire trucks, and usually a couple of geese. The geese get angry a lot and stick out their big goose tongues.

I have many quirky features. One is that I work best in a very stimulating environment. I need lots of stuff to look at, colors I enjoy, and things I like to look at. So, I probably have the most decor-intensive office in this building. There are brightly striped rugs, table cloths and table runners on the walls (all from a very festive Target theme). I have a collection of images of carp (to capture the "crap" and take it away from me), including 2 ceramic carp, size large (one that broke falling off a shelf), 1 wooden goldfish, 6 goldfish cocktail picks that are in one of the table cloths, and a big statue of a carp-esque dolphin that was the only decor item in the least decorated office here--now that guy has nothing in the room that is not black or white, and nothing purely decorative. I have two perky strings of lights. I even got a coordinating pillow yesterday, for my 70s burnt orange guest chairs. I like my office a lot, and it negates some of the negative energy and lethargy this place exudes. Of course, the coughing woman who says her old office made her sick, who is now next to me keeps reminding me of my friend Dave's theory that there is some horrid organism in the walls or ceilings here. Yummy.

To remember for today, from an intense meeting I participated in:

• No one is irreplaceable
• No one should be the only repository of information on a vital project
• People who feel powerless hold on to perceived power way longer than necessary
• Insecure people tend to want to control their environment more than secure people
• Leadership skills take a long time to develop--it's fun to watch a good leader at work.

Comment from Stephanie: Sounds like a really good meeting, Sue Ann. Why don't I get to the interesting and productive ones like that? Hmmm.

From Sunny Illinois

Bad former Illinois resident--I am typing this during the Big Game (this is basketball in case you are not a sporting person). Last time I tried to watch Illinois in a "Big Game" was the Rose Bowl in 1984, right after my mom died. It certainly didn't help our mood at the time to watch a huge blowout and big loss.

So I am in Illinois and managed to put my office back together pretty quickly--had to plug in the phone and the wireless router, had to find the chairs that had left...but that's all, not too bad. I even found cute little presents in the office from my friends who visited after I last left.

The usual frustrations--can't directly send email from Eudora, this blog site would not work at the office, and my friend who was gonna give me a ride (and I hoped take me to get some lunch!) had her car die, and I didn't even hear from her most of the day, wah. Didn't hear from any of my friends, actually, but that was OK, as I was really sick from some bad buffet food last night, and had barely slept last night. When I finally got to my hotel (no reservation made) I was so tired I nearly went to sleep at 6! This hotel is pretty funny now--they redecorated and it is all beige. Not a color in sight. I guess it is supposed to be soothing. But, there's the Internet, so I am happy.

I predict more fun tomorrow!! And hey I got everything done, even though a lot of it required a complicated sending of materials to my assistants. They are real troopers!

Today's highlight was getting to see my old pal Dave, who has gone from someone I was in touch with all the time for a few years to someone I barely hear from and hadn't seen in a year. We both had rough years last year, I guess, especially money-wise. It was nice to at least catch up on him and his family. It's always sad when someone you really care about and with whom you worked closely for a long time drifts away from your life, but that seems to be the way things go so often these days. Friendships are based more on activities than human connections, it seems. Ah, my work organization and the church have probably soured me on this topic.

So I'll stop. I'll go on and on about my kids or something tomorrow.