And what did you do today?

I have invented a cure for boredom! It's quite simple, actually. All you have to do is assign yourself the task of cleaning the house, and then see what you come up with to procrastinate. It works every time! My apartment has been neglected for weeks--which is not unusual--and is in dire need of some attention, especially since I will be having a house guest in one week's time. My only obligations today were to show up for a massage at 10:30, and clean the house. Well, one out of two ain't bad, I guess! I got the massage, naturally, then went out to lunch with the massage-giver. Stopped off at Walmart to pick up a few things, and did the self-checkout thing to avoid the long lines. It backfired. I ended up scanning something twice (not something cheap, either) and didn't notice until I'd gotten back to my car, which meant I had to wait in the returns and exchanges line--twice as long as the regular checkout lines. I think it was karmic payback, because while I was shopping, I changed my mind about purchasing a DVD. So I put it down right where I was standing...in the toy department! Gasp! I don't usually do that sort of thing, but my arms were very full (as usual: run in for a few things, end up wishing you'd gotten a cart) and I just wanted to get out of there. Oh yeah, the universe wasn't going to let me get away with that one!

When I finally got home, I worked on a PowerPoint presentation for my boss. I worked with PowerPoint a LOT in my last job and in a weird way I kind of like it, so I offered to help jazz up his slides. Oh, who am I kidding? My competitive nature compelled me to volunteer. Here's a little background: My office is having its annual kick-off meeting in a week (I'll be in the Bahamas, boo hoo), and somehow my boss and I have been pitted against the director of sales and his new admin assistant. Our task: to create the most kick-butt PowerPoint ever, one that will entertain and amuse and leave you wanting more. Observing this all from above is Taylor, my co-trainer. He of quick wit and stinging sarcasm claimed that the other team's presentation is so astounding that it made him want to trade his long-sought-after and finally-procured Nintendo Wii, just to see it again. I swear, you could write a very funny episode of The Office with this material.

I finished the presentation and emailed it to my boss, and then had to read my blogs and check the news. Then it was dinner time, so I fixed myself a sub sandwich and settled in to watch a couple episodes of House. It's a good show, but it feels kind of lacking compared to the more serialized dramas that I've become accustomed to watching (e.g., Lost). Then I found myself back on the computer browsing pretty much aimlessly, and I ended up here. My intention was to finish telling the news that I had from the other day, but here I've gone and written a few hundred words about a completely different topic ("What I did today" by Melissa Mertz). The news from before was that I got a raise at work (not enough to run out and buy a BMW, but enough to make a difference), AND a spiffy bonus! The CEO took me and Taylor into his office and said out of everyone, he selected us to get bonuses this year. Woo hoo! Oh, and the last bit of news is that the mean girl from work got fired. Of course the rumors are flying about the details of why, but basically she just was very unprofessional, screaming on the phone regarding personal matters and such.

What a lovely way to end a post! Let's discuss something else so we can end on a better note. Um, I booked hotels for the road trip part of my upcoming trip. On the way down to Miami, we're staying in Savannah, and on the way back, we're staying on Hilton Head Island. Of course, we won't be getting in until the evening both nights, so I doubt we'll be doing much sightseeing, but hopefully we'll get to see a little. The best part: both hotel rooms are FREE! I had enough reward points to cover both, which is such an awesome perk of traveling for business. I think I only need four more flights (two trips) on Southwest to earn a free roundtrip ticket. That'll come in quite handy, I'm sure!

Oh, and one more thing: Happy Anniversary to my Mom and Dad. Thirty-two years and counting. Wow!!!