Today

Well, it's 2:24 p.m., and I have barely done any actual work today. Yet, I feel like it's been a pretty full day thus far - if not in activity then definitely in my head. Let me explain.

9:45 a.m. - I run down to the print shop on campus to check on a job I took down there late yesterday. I frequent said print shop to get out of the office and to take various design jobs to be printed. The people are good to talk to, and there are more windows there than where I work. Plus, and this is something I was conscious of this morning, I just love the smell of the presses - or rather the ink to be more accurate.

Some people may think I'm crazy, but in the eight years I've been working in publications, I have always gotten some kind of pleasure from the redolence of the press room. Where I work now, I walk into a room and see shelves full of paper or cans of ink. There are three small presses, nothing like the massive machine I'm used to seeing in a newspaper building. And I'm sure some of the smell is the lingering of the chemicals used to clean these presses. Nonetheless, each time I walk into our print shop or take a larger job to a printer in town (or elsewhere), I just take a deep breath and take it all in.

11 a.m. - I am back in my office working on photos that Chris and I took while in Italy last year. I am taking each photo that we really like into Photoshop and working some magic. Now, I've been using this program for years, tweaking photos for newspaper, but it wasn't until I got this job that I realized how little I knew about the program. I have already learned so much in the nine months I've been working here, but I have been doing some Classroom in a Book session when I don't have a project to freshen up skills and learn even more. So in trying to put together a collage of sorts for our bedroom wall, I am working on the photos at work as practice. Yeah, it's technically for personal use, but the practice will help with my job, so I don't feel bad. And don't make me try to feel bad, suckers!

12:30 p.m. (or noon-thirty as I called it the other day) - I'm getting out of my car from having lunch with my husband when I see a coworker of mine who has given himself the title of Director of Crap. If you knew all the things he has to do, you'd realize it's a sad truth. But said coworker said he left something in my chair. When I get to my office, I find two DVDs laying there with a note that says I must watch these two movies and report back to this coworker and another coworker who just absolutely LOVE these movies. What are they? "Airplane" and "Airplane II: The Sequel." These movies are supposedly created by the same person/people that made the "Naked Gun" movies, so Chris will be eager to watch them (and I'm not being sarcastic). I'm always up for a good laugh, so we'll see. The viewing of these may have to come later. I just rented "Into the Wild" the other night, per Mickey and Courtney's compliments on the film, and we must watch that first!

1 p.m. - My boss and I head over to the on-campus health fair that is going on to take advantage of the bone density reader that was listed in the e-mail about the fair to encourage people to go. The reader was "out of commission," so we moved on to some chiropractic nerve reader that told both of us we are stressed (no way!) and have nerve damage on one side of the neck. According to this guy and his little reader, I should have headaches, nervousness, insomnia, head colds, high blood pressure, migraines, nervous breakdowns (aaaahhhh!!!!), amnesia (wait, who are you?), chronic tiredness, dizziness, sinus trouble, allergies, crossed eyes (hee), deafness, eye troubles (oh my gosh, I've always needed glasses), earaches, fainting spells, throat conditions, etc. Sure, I get a headache every weekend, but that's from more sleep than usual, not enough water and withdrawal from coffee consumption. Other than that, none of these apply to me. But I apparently need to go to the chiropractor. Right.

After leaving the health fair, I stopped in the Blood Vessel to give some of the good ol' red stuff. While squeezing the heck out of a stress ball in the shape of a blood drop, one of the nurses turns on some music. Then I realized what the song was and broke out into laughter. Nothing like giving the gift of life while "One Toke Over the Line, Sweet Jesus" is ringing in your ear! Just to complete the visit, I walked out with a T-shirt that reads "John Donor" on the front with the trademark green and yellow logo. The back says "Save a Life; Ride a Tractor." I have no idea what that has to do with giving blood, but whatever.

1:45 p.m. - After sitting down at my desk, I sift through e-mails, one of which is something I see at least three times a day. The college feminist group is throwing some get-together, hosting some speaker or acting out the "Vagina Monologues" again. Oh those feminists! I'm all for women's lib but I'm not obsessed with it, you know?

Now - Now I must bid adieu and deliver some brochures to one department, drop off some mail and go sniff the print shop one last time for the day. Thanks for letting me share.

Oh, and I got highlights in my hair the other day - for the first time ever! I like it, but I'll have to show you a photo later. "Work" awaits!