Three Days of Productivity Down....Infinity to Go

I don't know if its because I'm busy at work, or that I'm trying to be busy at home, but I've felt exceptionally productive since I've banned laziness from day. I've cut down on surfing the Internet unless I'm doing it for a certain reason. I'm returning more personal emails so that I have something to look forward to in my inbox other than Sole Society or Bauble bar sale emails. I feel good.

And as an unexpected side effect, I've actually not fallen asleep on the couch this week. I have been energized enough to go to bed between 11-11:30 instead of 10-10:30. I have not hit the snooze button ONCE (yes, I know it's only Wednesday, but small victories, okay?). Unfortunately, this has not had the desired effect of landing me to work much earlier because traffic (even with my minimal commute time) has been a bitch. Such is the case of commuting in LA--even if it is only 4 miles.

However, I have been waking up sore. And for a change it hasn't been because I slept funny. The bright side is that I've been sore because I've been working out at night again. The sad side is that I've only been working out for 12 minutes. Let me be clear: I do run/walk intervals for 30 minutes on the treadmill in the morning and I run stairs for at least 10 flights a day. But the toning/strength training is only 12 minutes. It only takes 12 minutes to make me sore.

All in all, I'm happily productive. Of course, the more you do, the more there is to do.

You Say You Want A Resolution. . .

I'm posting another reflective piece because it's that reflective time of year. I mean is there really any other time of year, other than perhaps a birthday or anniversary, that brings out the mushy "What is life really about?" thoughts? I didn't think so. I'm not immune.

I also have a thing about not making resolutions, because nobody keeps them. And I'm not really breaking that rule this year. Mostly because I broke that rule last year and promised all these update posts, but didn't follow through. I didn't follow through for a couple of reasons. 1) update posts are good for me, but really boring blog posts unless I get creative with them 2) I don't think it's helpful to obsess over how many days I'm over or under my daily calorie allotment. At least not in public. I can keep those convos in my inner monologue.

I will, however, start breaking my larger goals into smaller ones and if they're interesting enough, I'll share. If they're boring and personal, I'll spare you the details. But looking back over last year, I have to say that I'm proud of a few accomplishments: 1) I made better use of my time. This meant that I gave up a nice job with good pay that ate at 3 hours of my personal time every day for a long commute.  But in helped with 2) Making a big dream come true. I have always wanted to work in an agency with a big brand and I'm working with a great, international agency on the  McDonald's brand. People love it or hate it or deny they eat there, but I love working on the brand. It is FASCINATING to see how a company can grow to be one of the top 10 biggest brands IN THE WORLD in my parent's lifetime. Truly been a blast to work on. 3) Write more. I made a big breakthrough on the never-ending project of a novel that has lead me to rewrite most of it and add a bunch to it. It's been excruciating, but here's the good part: I love writing it. Clearly I want to finish it, but before I had dreaded sitting down to write it and now I love it. It's been a blast and already I'm excited to start writing other things. But first things first. I'm determined to get this puppy done. Or at least the most done I can let it be before moving on because I've come to terms with knowing that it may never be complete in my eyes.

With those accomplishments behind me, I look forward to 2013. As I said, I hate making resolutions, so what I have below are goals. Some of them I've already started on weeks ago. Some I will start tomorrow or in coming days. None will begin today. That's my way of wiggling out the resolution thing. All of which will need my "Follow Through" theme to move forward. So here goes:

1) Concentrate on being well. This is intentionally vague. I want to concentrate on my health--not only my weight, but any lingering ailments that need attention. I want to renew my love of being active (which I hope my new Fitbit will help with), renew my belief that paying attention to what I eat makes me feel better. I want to stretch my arthritic hips, soothe any lingering emotional pains and try to continually remember that putting others before myself does not make me selfless. It is just the easy way to put myself second.

         1a) Don't say 'skinny' when I mean 'healthy,' and vice versa. 

2) Write daily. The only way to  be a better writer is to write more and read more. I read plenty. I love reading. This has been a passion that has never and will never die. But I have learned that writing even when I don't want to has made me love it even more. So I've literally taken away every excuse that I can to not write. I have access to all my files at home and work and anywhere (Thank you, Google Docs). I have an app on the iPad that can access and connect with Google Docs better than their mobile interface (which really does suck) and I have an actual notebook with various musings, novel chapters, lists, and notes that I carry with me everyday, as well as a small notebook in my purse. No excuses. A word counts. Sometimes the first word is the most excruciating.

3) Be a better blogger.  There never has been a theme to this blog nor do I intend on implementing one other than Ashley's random thoughts. But I will be more random, more honest, more consistent. Or I will pack it in. It's time to get serious or get going.

       3a) I will try at least one thing a month that will help improve my blog in some way. First stop, a content  calendar. It's super sad that I've made at least two professional blogs for clients or companies I've worked for successful and have yet to implement the things that made them a success into my own blog.

4) Try new things. Again, purposefully vague, but I will make a concentrated effort to eat new things, drink new things, do new things, see new things and meet new people in 2013.

     4a) Try new things from Pinterest at least once a week. I'm pinning up a storm lately and will try new things that I've seen there. If they work, I'll let you know. If they fail, I'll take pictures. Either way, it'll be fun.

So that's it. 2013 will be a year of being well, writing daily, blogging better and trying new things. All of which will take a good bit of follow through.

What are your big plans for 2013?

Happy Anniversary, LA!

Two years ago today Chef and I made our way with the cats, a Nissan Sentra and a large Penske truck into Los Angeles where we headed to our new apartment and started to lay down roots in the city of angels. It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I left Nashville. I still miss my friends there and have yet to make as many friends here (but I have made some, which I'm proud of), but I'm happy we moved here.

Los Angeles has been an adventure and I don't think I was having enough of them before I got here. Despite anything else that has happened in my life, I'm always a little proud that I took a risk and moved across country with little knowledge of the area and only a hunch. While it was easier mentally to move to Los Angeles than Nashville because I have a partner in crime, it was way harder physically. Knowing that we're far enough away from family that I couldn't hop in car and get there in a couple of hours was a sobering experience. But thank goodness for modern technology. It's made the distance between the other ones I love seem much less expansive.

I can't believe how much I've done since I've been here. Here's a recap of some of the highlights:

• I've gotten married. :)
• Had two different jobs at two different companies. I've worked at more companies in two years in LA than my entire 9 years in Nashville. 
• Traveled the US and a small part of Canada. Non-profits don't have a ton of "business trip" kind of jobs. For-profits do. While I miss Chef while I'm away, I've liked being able to see different areas of the country. Got to see Washington DC, Philadelphia and Las Vegas a LOT more than ever before. 
• Went to the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Getty Villa, the Aquarium of the Pacific, a Hollywood homes tour, the Griffith Observatory, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, the American Horror Story Season One house, Staple Center, Angels Stadium, and so many more cool places.
• I've become a redhead.
• I've learned what the word "commute" really means and that estimating the time it takes to go one mile only works if you're on foot. I've also learned the hard way how much of my daily life that I'm willing to spend in a car for a job. 
• I've found great sushi and shitty pizza.
• I've gained the confidence in knowing that I can live and make it.

Now on next year's list, I want to add that I finished my novel and made headway in getting an agent. :) It's been a hell of a two years and cheers to many more!

A New Career Adventure

It's bittersweet, but ultimately more sweet than bitter that I decided to leave my current job at SAGE after nearly 18 months. I will desperately miss my UK counterpart who held my hand through trying times and my team who work so hard each day.

I will not miss the commute.

In fact, my new position will cut more than 42 miles off my commute. One way. So about 84 miles a day. In LA traffic. Basically it will be like getting 2 hours and 30 minutes of time back each day. And thus allowing me to actually start living in LA. Making friends. Volunteering. Sleeping past 5 a.m. on a weekday. Staying up later than 10 p.m. That kind of thing.

What am I doing next? Great question. I am going to try a completely different atmosphere (yes. more different than LA) again. I'm going to work as an Account Supervisor in the LA office of  Porter Novelli, an international PR agency. I've never worked in an agency before but I've always wanted to try it and I've always been able to handle it thus far, so why not take the risk.

And because I'm still enamored with the ways of LA, I am SUPER excited that 1) my new job is about 3 miles from home and 2) the office is on Hollywood Blvd. Like THE Hollywood Blvd. You can walk out the front door of the building and be stepping on stars. The Oscars are held about a block away. So the side of me that is impressed with this kind of thing is excited.

So if you wonder where I've been the last month, the mystery is now over. I've been transitioning and as my mom used to tell me "Work as hard on the last day as you did on the first." It's a good mantra. I wanted to make sure my friends and colleagues are left in a good place.

Celebrating until I go into my new gig on Monday morning. Why no longer gap?

Because I'm heading to Nashville and Evansville in two weeks (also became officially official today)! Make plans to hook up with me, friends!

The Friend Dilemma: I Need Your Noggin

I'm reading a book called MWF seeking BFF because it jumped out at me. I can relate. I'm married, in a new city and have friends--just not many that live within five states of me.

I've enjoyed the book and was really considering doing the whole "friend quest" exhibition in my own way. When I really started putting myself out there in Nashville, I met my writer friends, found friends outside of work, hell--I met my husband. All because I made a new year's resolution to not turn down any offer to do anything socially (unless I was already booked or felt like I could be in danger). A year of saying "yes" meant some awkward hang outs, but also some new memories and people that I really love.

I thought it might be that simple here. Just say YES to every invitation. But it's not. For one, there aren't many invitations. I don't know if it's a difference of not being in the South or being older now or what, but the invites to hang out haven't exactly flowed in LA. And then there's the husband factor. I already know a night with him will end up in a good time about 99% of the time, so that seems like a safer bet. But even with these factors, I know that I need to have more friends here. I'm just a social person. It's how I roll.

So here's the friend dilemma: I work 45 miles away from where I live. It's causing some unforeseen consequences that could be affecting my social life --or maybe I'm just not looking at things the right way. But to lay it out for you, typical first friend meetings happen over drinks or the like on weeknights. And herein lies the problem.  Here's how I currently see scenarios happening when I do get invites and want to meet new people:

1.  I can't meet people who live/ work in LA at a specified time after work unless that time is like 8 or 9 p.m. Traffic here is everything everyone says it is and more so I could get home at 6 or 9 p.m. depending on the day.
2. I have a hard time hanging out with work friends because if I choose to stay around here, I can't have a cocktail because I have to drive an hour home. 
3. If I don't have a cocktail, I don't want to stay past 8 because it takes me an hour to get home.
4. I get up at 5 a.m. every weekday morning because it takes me an hour to get to work (if I'm lucky) and I have to workout in the mornings or it doesn't happen. So this means I get sleepy by 10 each night.

Okay, people. You're smart. Help me with my friend dilemma please. Am I just being ridiculous or can you see my point? Either answer is acceptable-- with some explanation.

 

Nice Things About Vacations

Being lazy like Genghis

I'm off of work this week and trying to take full advantage of my time away to recharge. Errands and running are being kept to a minimum and it's been awesome. Here are some of my favorite things about being off of work:

• Extra Chef time (and time with the kitties)
• Could go and get my brakes fixed without stressing about conference calls or being on time for meetings
• Email is optional
• Can respond quickly to moves on Words with Friends games
• Ice skating at 2 p.m. on a Friday? Sure!
• When I see 5 a.m. on the clock, I just roll over and go back to sleep.
• I can take naps every day at 3 p.m. (if I wanna)
• I can clean the interior of my car and dust my house and clean my cabinets and organize my shoes without thinking I should be lounging in my free time
• I can read all I want
• I can even read trashy magazines all I want
• I haven't driven as many miles in the last 5 days as I do on one day just getting to work
• Thus I have 80 percent of the gas left in the tank I filled on Saturday
• Football is on nearly 24-7
• Writing feels like a daily necessity and not a habit I'm trying to form
• I can go shopping on "off" hours (if there is such a thing in LA)
• I get to see and soak in the sun

What have you done with your time off?

Without Stabbing My Eyes Out or A Gun to My Head

I forgot my iPhone at home today. I realized it about 5 minutes after I started, but I was hustling to get to work for a conference call so I knew I wouldn't be able to go back. No iPhone means that I didn't have any music or audiobooks to listen to on the way home. So I decided to tackle one of the items on my spirit list that I was kind of dreading: Listen to nothing but Christmas music on one commute home.


So I tuned in to BOTH of the stations in LA that I know of that are playing nothing but Christmas music. I was lucky because it wasn't a three-hour commute day. Just a little over an hour and I heard at least two songs on both channel. I don't know if this one thing helped put me in the spirit, but it couldn't hurt. Plus I'm thinking it's a cumulative effort that's gonna do the job. 


In that one hour, I heard Christmas music by:

• Paul McCartney 
• Gene Autry
• Whitney Houston
• Colbie Caillat
• Wham!
• The Chipmunks
• Chuck Berry
• Gayla Peevey (I Wanna Hippopotamus for Christmas)
• Kelly Clarkson
• Trans Siberia Orchestra
• Many more

Here's one of my favorite's that I'd forgotten about:

Okay, what's your favorite Christmas song?

I Blame my Lack of Goals on my Time in Traffic

What I was doing about
a year ago.

I don't know if it's the change from Daylight Saving Time or what, but traffic has been nuts the last two weeks. I've been averaging about 90 minutes for the trip home when it would typically take me 60 to 65. It's driving me insane. And the nearly 3 hour drive last Thursday about put me over the edge and at least had me considering drastic changes.

Until then, I'll just use the commute to have something to raise my fist up to the heavens and an excuse for my lack of productivity.

• Pages of fiction read: 20% of a 432 page book (World War Z) So, that's technically 87 pages. 
• Fiction read: World War Z by Max Brooks. I might be over zombies. Or just need a break.
• Fiction listened to via audiobook: 13 hours into The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larrson. 
• Five pages written: Nope. 
• Calorie tracking: Check. Could still do better but at least I'm being honest on my calorie intake. 
• Exercise: 221 minutes of exercise in the last week. 
• Current 5K best (on elliptical): 23 minutes, 44 seconds
• Friends and family: Yup. Two calls and one more email.
• Weight Loss: 0 lb.I suck.
• One revised section of novel per week:  Check! Still working it.

The Lilting Accents on my Radio

The last two nights I've listened to some southern drawls on my radio and it made me feel like I was back in Tennessee. I was listening to my first audiobook: The Help. I don't think I would've normally picked up the book if I were just on my own. I'm not really one for many bestsellers. At least blockbuster bestsellers.

But when you're trying to find some free audiobooks, the choices are most likely going to be the most popular ones. So, The Help it is. And I'm kind of glad that I'm not actually reading it. Mostly because it's a little slow in the story section. The voice acting is really well done and the southern accents are pretty dead on.

But most of the reason why I'm enjoying it is because it's not just music. I'm a visual learner, so I have to pay attention to the recording to really follow along. I can't tune it out like music. So before I know it, I'm through a chapter and halfway home.

But I need some suggestions. I can go through about 3-4 audiobooks a month so I need some help. What should I listen to next?

I Hate Motorcycles

When I first moved to LA and took that long trek to the DMV, I was forced to take another written test. I wondered at the time why there were so many questions on it about motorcycles. I mean, sure, you need to know about motorcycles, but they make up such a small portion of the vehicles on the road and were disproportionately represented on the test.

And then I started making my daily commute. And I began to realize just how much I truly, deeply, passionately hate motorcycles. Or rather the dicks that ride on motorcycles. Before I launch into this tirade, let me preface this by saying that I'm not talking about those who ride leisurely on Harley Davidsons on weekends. I'm talking about crotchrockets and the like, and the a-holes who ride them on a daily basis.

For those of you who don't live in a mild or warm climate and don't have to deal with an abundance of motorcyclists, this will probably be as new to you as it was to me. Here's the deal: Motorcycles here weave in between the cars in their lanes to get by. And by weaving, I don't mean they pass and get into a lane. I mean, they literally drive in the small space between you and another car. So if I opened my door, it would most certainly mean death to them.

Not only is this illegal, but it's rampant. And annoying. You're sitting there listening to your music in rush hour traffic, going 10 miles per hour and WHOOSH! A motorcycle rushes by and does the land equivalent to buzzing the tower. It's loud. It's dangerous. And it's aggrevating as hell. If I'm stuck going 10 miles per hour, you shouldn't be able to go 60 mph illegally.

And that's why I hate motorcycles.

Weekend Visitors

I am vowing to leave work on time or even early (which is tough to do--I mean, I want to make sure I'm giving off the right appearance, but I have been coming in at least 30-45 minutes early all week and leaving at regular time. Yes, I neourotic. And a workaholic, but it just has to be that way.) I am vowing to leave early for two reasons:

1. Traffic is SIGNIFICANTLY worse going home on Fridays than any other day. And by "significantly," I mean that the drive that normally takes about an hour and fifteen minutes going home Monday-Thursday took me two hours and twenty minutes last Friday.
2. I need to get my rest and tidy up the place because I'm having my first visitors this weekend: MY DAD AND STEPMOM!!!!

I knew they'd be the first out here and am so excited to show them around our little neck of the woods. Dad also requested a trip to Santa Monica, which is very do-able, although might be a little chilly as it's only going to be about 60 this weekend. Dad and Robin are in town for a conference and Chef and I are so happy to have them come. I look forward to it tremendously and know that we're gonna have a great time.

In the mean time, I need to finish out my day and mentally prepare myself for the long ride home. I think I'm literally going to dig in and take the scenic route this time. A drive along the Pacific Coast Highway with the ocean to my right. Traffic isn't so bad to be stuck in with a view of something other than someone's bumper. Wish me luck!

And the winner of the Ashley Employer Lottery is. . .

well, me, of course. Because I've got a job. But the employer isn't getting a bad deal, either, because I work my ass off, as a rule.

And the lucky employer is. . .SAGE publishing, a higher education textbook, reference book and journal publisher. On Monday, I begin my tenure as the PR Manager. I get to continue management (or as Amanda quoted to me "We can put you in a position to be over as many as four people"--except that was Office Space and my new gig puts me over 2--one of which I'll have to hire), I get to work with the upper management and build the brand externally, and I get to learn a new industry. All of which are very exciting.

The things I really liked about SAGE were that it is an independently owned publishing house--which is highly unusual--and the owner has set up an endowment to keep it that way. The place feels like its on the precipice--at that crossroads where its trying to figure out how to expand while keeping the relationships and service that made it successful in the first place. And that's kind of fun.

I also got to meet a LOT of the upper management and the CEO during the interview process and they were all easy to get along with and understand. Plus the HR department sent me chocolate covered strawberries to welcome me to the team. Which was exceptionally sweet and Chef will very much enjoy them.

So on Monday I get to bust out my heels and cute work attire and head back into the fray. The one downfall is that there is about a 45 minute drive (with light traffic) to get there--up to 90 minutes in heavy traffic to get home. That's going to be a change from the usual 8 minute commute I had at the AHA. Which got me thinking back to my longest commute. Two of the longest commutes I had were 35 and 40 minutes to Princeton and Mount Vernon, respectively. Which kind of made me chuckle that my longest commutes thus far weren't in the city but my Indiana home.

So the commute is gonna have to become a useful time for me. I've decided to use it to do a couple things:

1. Listen to Mike & Mike and sports talk radio. Mike & Mike ends at 7 a.m. here, and in time, I'll be able to keep 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours at the new job. So that means, extra sports chatter. And until then, I'll listen to regular sports talk to get my sports jones in without sacrificing any Chef time, as he's not a fan.
2. Flush out my arguments. For a debate? Against Chef? What kind of arguments? All valid questions. The answer lies in Chuck Klosterman. Thank you, Greg, for introducing me to him and his wonderfully sarcastic essays. They've already got me thinking and that thinking takes time--so I'll use the commute to flush out some weird arguments to write. And be prepared for this blog to shift it's tone a little. I feel like I may have pulled some punches lately to buffer things from any potential employers or to keep from offending. But I've decided its time to be a little offensive.
3. Books on tape. Anyone got any good suggestions? I've never been a big audio book fans because I like to visualize my literature and its harder for me to visualize words that I'm listening to rather than words that I'm reading. Is anyone else like that? Does this mean that I'm a visual learner? I guess it does. I usually take notes as people are talking to me so that I can see the important words they're saying. It helps me remember better. I may never look at the notes again, but just writing them and seeing them help me.
4. And last, but not least, I need to use the time to be inside my head for a little while. I need to let my mind wander and go places that it shouldn't. I need to be my characters for a while and use the time to write. I might even get a voice recorder to see if I can transcribe anything later that could be useful.

So, that's my life and work coming up. Wish me luck on Monday. I feel good about it.