Ysabel apologizes for not blogging enough lately.

"Wow, I haven't updated this blog in a while."

"I've been so busy lately."

"I promise I'll update more from now on."

"[Insert standard overdue blog update remark of choice here.]"

...Anyway, as you may or may not have already surmised, this new job of mine has been taking up quite a bit of my time. This is definitely the most involved, hectic and pressure-filled job I've had (non-performing-wise, that is), which is good since I can actually say that I'm very rarely bored at work. Unfortunately, this also means that I am left with hardly any time to do any entertainingly angst-ridden work-related blogging. Poopy. This past week, which was my first full week by myself as the official Print Buyer for Mills, I've been scrambling around like a crazed hellion trying to re-organize the department to more of my liking, tie up all the loose ends left by my predecessor and clean up my workspace (i.e. making it look cute and faaabulous) while keeping up with all the day to day tasks of managing the print departments for eleven different music stores. Agh. Is the second week too early to ask your boss for 1) an assistant, and 2) a raise? Hahaha.

***

Also: I was driving home the other day talking to Ben on the phone telling him how one of the store managers started calling me "Elise" for no reason. And how I'm too much of a pansy-arse to just utter these simple words: "My name's actually Ysabel." And how to avoid such confrontation, I should just start referring to myself in the third person around said store manager. Like: "Ysabel could really use a coffee break right now." Or "Ysabel needs to make a phone call." And how, while I'm doing that, I should just adopt Elise as my evil alter-ego: "Elise is angry." Or, more likely: "Elise huuuuungry!!" Or "Elise is stressed out. Elise is going to ram her head repeatedly against her keyboard until 6 o'clock rolls around and she can go home."

Tambien: Grande soy no-whip latte with one pump each of White Mocha, Raspberry and Toffee Nut syrup. Trust me.

Auch: Scott and I saw The Departed the other night. Wait, it was last weekend. It just feels like the other night because I've been busy being a raving lunatic all week. Anyway, it was really good. I don't typically enjoy Martin Scorsese movies, mainly because I've seen all of two - maybe three - in my life, but I highly recommend this one. Lots of cursing, lots of killing (of course) and a bit on the lengthy side, but quite engrossing as well.

Aussi: I got offered a gig for my first time in Seattle the other day! How exciting. Unfortunately, I had to turn it down because it was a sub-in gig for a Dixieland band (sounds fun) which required me to have the ability to know my blues scales (which I don't) and improvise (which I can't). So too bad. But it's a start. Jazz-ish, Dixieland band gigs are all well and good, but what's a stuffy old boring classically-trained player to do? Sigh...

Umm....

One of the store managers here has suddenly started taken to calling me "Elise" today. I guess they kind of sound the same. Ugh, now I have to go fix it...

The story of how Ysabel turned into a geriatric.

Ok, there's really no story. Just that I was at work the other day checking our Hal Leonard warehouse inventory, when I realized that I can no longer stand up from a crouching position without putting a hand on one knee and grunting under my breath. And I now have a bedtime of midnight instead of 2am because...ugh, for a variety of reasons - namely being: work. Blah. Also, I find no greater joy than getting ready and driving to work on Saturdays while listening to NPR's Car Talk and Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me. Well, except for not getting ready for work and sleeping 'til noon on Saturdays instead. But that goes without saying.

Speaking of going to work on Saturday: I (of course) swung by the one of the gloriously numerous Star*ucks drive-thrus on my way to work on Saturday morning. As I was pulling into my place in line, I noticed that there was a car just idling a bit behind and towards the right of the end of the line. I thought nothing of it, assuming that it was just waiting for a parking space and proceeded to drive around and in front of it to get in line at the drive-thru. About 20 seconds later I noticed a guy get out of said car and make his way to my car. I immediately figured out what had happened and sighed as he tapped on my window and said, "Hey, I was next in line." At which point I simply said, "Oh, sorry! I didn't know..." and proceeded to pull out of line, drive around the Star*ucks and get back in line behind the guy in his car. Anyway, when it was my turn to pick up my drink (and since you're all dying to know: a tall soy one-pump no-whip pumpkin spice latte...), the lovely Star*ucks barista said, "The gentleman in front of you paid for your drink and he said to tell you 'thank you.'"

!!!

Yay! It totally made my day. Nowadays I think it's so common for us all to become too easily irritated at the little inconveniences and/or misunderstandings that happen constantly throughout the day. I kind of assumed that the guy would be pissed at me for cutting him off in line. And I'm sure that he assumed I would react defensively and put up a fit when he came and tapped on my window. So when a simple misunderstanding ended up being nothing more than just that and we both just reacted like two civilized human beings, I think we were both pleasantly surprised. Huh. Anyway, the guy in front of me was cool, I got a free latte and the Star*ucks barista received a generous tip courtesy of Yours Truly. Everybody wins. Have a nice day!

***

And while we're on this wonderful subject, can I just tell you that stories of the famously overbundant...erm, abundance of coffeeshops in this area is all absolutely true and absolutely fabulous?! So there are these little coffee huts scattered throughout any given city here. Here is an example. They are usually located along a street corner or along the side of the road and are just little roofed stands with, I'm guessing, just one worker (maybe two) and just as many espresso machines where your general busy Seattle-ite can just walk up to or drive through and grab a quick and delicious latte and be on their way. While I will always and forever be a Star*ucks devotee, I have come to love the charm and sheer numerosity of these little java huts. Case in point: there are a rumored 12 (at the least) coffee stands within a one mile radius of my office. Ha!! And the coolest part: many of these places have happy hours, in which, during a specific time of day (usually from 1 or 2 to 4 in the afternoon), any drink you order is just $2.00! I love this place!! Wheee!!

Oog.

I am sooo siiiiiiick.

Unnnnnnnngh.

I hate mucous. I hate that I am producing it in mega-quantities. I hate the Dreaded Violent Hacking Cough. And I hate that I've lost the ability to taste food. Bleeeeaah.

Ok, that's all.

Random thoughts...

1. Happy Friday!!!

2. I hardly slept a wink last night for a variety of reasons, one of them being that my entire head turned into a virtual mucous and bile factory, causing me to spend every five minutes for eight hours tossing back and forth on either side exchanging goo from one nostril to another while simultaneously launching into a repeated attack of the Dreaded Violent Hacking Cough, which would occasionally escalate to the level of the Dreaded Dry Heaves. Appetizing, eh? Add onto that delightful party a dull, throbbing headache and I was able to conclude that my 2-month long allergy/asthma ordeal had somehow morphed itself into a freaking cold. I mean, who gets colds anymore?? I sure don't. At least I don't remember having gotten one in the last five years. Bah. Anyway, this morning I think I snoozed the alarm for about 45 minutes and managed to stumble into work only 15 minutes later than I had originally planned to. And the beauty of that whole scenario? It didn't matter! Because I am the head of my department, people!! Mwahahaahahaha!!! ...Ooh, this is going to take some getting used to, but I can definitely see myself taking full advantage of this role. Did someone say "dictatorship"? Hmm...me likes the sound of that.

3. I cut myself bangs again last night. GodDAMNIT!!! Why can't I stop myself??!! Ugh. Ah well, here's to another 16 months spent growing them out...

4. I just ate a Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald's for lunch. Bleargh. Why do I do this to myself? And in such a repetitive manner? ...Well, because french fries are freaking tasty, damnit, that's why. And so are the burgers that come with them. As well as the delightfully bubbly Diet Coke that washes it all down. The meal is especially tasty if you've trained your brain to completely block out the fact that each toxic bite has like a billion grams of saturated fat. Oy, whatever. Also, I have no concept of willpower whatsoever. This is evidenced by the fact that I think (hope?) today is payday and I've already spent a portion of company time this afternoon checking online to see where the nearest Target and Old Navys are in relation to my office. Hey, I can't even remember the last time I went shopping for myself (pity courtesy shopping trips during visits home to California from my mother and sister notwithstanding) so you will please allow me this little extravagance.

5. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure today should be payday and I still haven't seen any new money show up in my bank account. This is making me nervous. Only because Target's a-callin' my name, if you catch my meaning. Also, I don't know how much longer I can go on without the office staff here realizing that I have been wearing the same 3 pairs of pants to work for the last 2 weeks. Who knew my wardrobe consisted of 90% denim? Hm. Anyway, yeah I need more nice slacks.

6. Hey, you know what's a really wonderful piece of music? Mendelssohn's incidental music to A Midsummer Night's Dream. I had never really taken the time to listen to much Mendelssohn, especially this particular piece because 1) As you may or may not know, I have spent the last 5 years of my life skillfully avoiding anything and everything to do with the Mendelssohn Scherzo orchestral excerpt for clarinet. This included even acknowledging it's existence, so I clearly could not let myself listen to it. And 2) My uneducated and biased feelings towards Mendelssohn up to this point had been summed in this way: "Hm. Meh." But now that I've finally conquered my deep-rooted hatred for fear of the Mendelssohn Scherzo excerpt, I have come to the realization that this piece is really quite fantastic. Especially the Overture; The sprightly elvish character of a Shakespearean fantasy, the dramatic tension of Sturm und Drang (yeah, I said it), the joyful exuberance of a late classical symphony: it's got everything! And it's especially cool if you're listening to the London Symphony Orchestra perform it. Did I mention that he wrote the Overture when he was seventeen years old?! Oy. Also, check out his Scottish Symphony. It's got a hell-of cool clarinet part - particularly the second movement - well, until you get to all the tonguing nastiness again. Ugh. Damn you, Mendelssohn. At least this one he wrote when he was like 30 or something.

Ok, that's all. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!!!

***

Addendum:

Gah. I was just talking to one of the managers here and he said he thinks that payday is next week. Bah! Baaaah!!! *sigh* Ah well. Target waits....

Gaaah.

Why do weekends have to go by so faaast??!! Blek.

Just FYI...

If you mosey on over to your nearby friendly neighborhood Star*ucks and order yourself a Grande Soy 2-pump no-whip Raspberry White Mocha, you will be a happier person for it. Just so you know.

Especially if it's a Saturday morning and you're on your way to the office.

Actually, I didn't mind going in today because I could go in at my leisure (i.e. sleep in some), and I have to work just for a little while to make up some hours that I missed during the regular work week to go to Wind Ensemble rehearsals at UW. Fair trade-off I suppose. Also, I got to drive to work while listening to Click & Clack on NPR's Car Talk, so I was in a good mood. On my previous unemployed Saturdays, I would just sleep right through Car Talk, so this is good.

Anyway, the fellow (Who, by the way, isn't really all that nutty after all. He's a good guy. And, no, I'm not just saying that because he treated me to a latte the other day. But that helped.) who I'm training with has been out of town since yesterday so I've been left to my own devices until Tuesday. Needless to say, I had to do a fair amount of "improvising" yesterday, which is always fun to do with a brand new job in a brand new field in which you have virtually no experience, but what-the-hey, you know? Keeps things fun.

In any case, I really think I will enjoy this job, and, the more I think about it, the more sure I am that I did the right thing choosing this job over the position at the Bellevue Philharmonic. The people within this company are way cool, and I already have them all wrapped around my widdle finger. Hahaha. Just kidding. But I do think we are a good fit. And, not that I am eager to have outgoing Print Buyer leave because, obviously, I still have a lot of learning and training to do in the next 2 weeks, but I am anxious to finally take over this position for realz if only so I can start re-organizing and implementing some of my own ideas into the print department for this company. Ooh, I'm excited! Every single organization-obsessed bone in my body is jumping at the bit to take over and do a major overhaul. Starting with this desk. Needs a woman's touch. An obsessive-compulsive woman's touch.

Anyway, back to the grindstone...

I look like Jet Li? Sweet!

Work is going well so far. I still feel fairly clueless in the art of print buying, but I'm not worried. After all, every hour I spend being semi-clueless at work is that much more in the bank with which to buy lattes and sushi after the workday is done :) My feet hurt like the dickens after today, though. *sigh* First order of business (i.e. shopping) after payday: nice, dressy orthopedic footwear. Ha. Apparently, part of being a music buyer is maintaining a giant library/warehouse of music and books (i.e. packing/unpacking/sorting/lugging/cursing at/etc. boxes and boxes of sheet). Good. Times.

In any case, in lieu of me writing a long entry (because I'm too lazy to do so), here is the internet's report on my apparent long-lost twins:

Hahaha. Do you like how I blocked out my face? One can never be too paranoid with the internet, I always say. Too bad for you, creepy online stalkers!! Oh hey, I just submitted another picture and got some even more random results:

Really? Raquel Welch?!

Oh, and speaking of random: I was perusing ze internet whereupon I happened to come across the word "pumpkin" and just got the most intense craving for a Star*ucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. ...Okay okay okay, Grande 2-pump Soy No-whip Pumpkin Spice Latte to be exact. Oh God, I want one so bad...

*scampers off to drive to the nearest Star*ucks*

*scampers back to the couch after determining that these little Star*ucks cravings must be curbed until at least the first official paycheck*

*counts down the hours until next Friday*

Drumroll please...

Ok, here's my new job title:

PRINT MUSIC BUYER

Ta daaaa!! Yay!! Ah, how sweet is this? For the first time in my retail-related crappy job history, I finally am no longer required to offer products to the masses in exchange for their money, and, instead, am in charge of buying products from assorted publishers and distributors to sell in our stores! Hahaha! I excel at the expelling of money, people, and it's about goldarned time I got paid to do it. So there, world! Sweet, sweet justice is finally mine...

Anyway, I will be the official Print Buyer for this music company in the Seattle region called Mills Music. They own 11 stores in Washington, and I'll be in charge of the sheet music inventory for all of the stores. Overseeing 11 stores will be quite a challenge, I'm sure, but at least I don't think I'll get bored (or as bored...) -- which my non-existent-attention-span-self is apt to do, as you probably know.

So that's that. I start training tomorrow with the outgoing Print Buyer for the next 3 weeks, which should be interesting. And I say this because the fellow seems to be a bit of a nutjob. I spent about 4 hours with him last week, during the morning that I officially accepted the position and got kind of a strange-ish vibe. Nice enough guy, I guess, but the type to stare at you just long enough to make you feel little skeezed out, you know what I mean? Anyway, at least it's only for a few weeks and then I'm large and in charge, baby!!

So yeah. And in the process of accepting this position, I actually for the first time in my life ever, had to turn down a job! I was offered and decided to pass on the Director of Education job with the Bellevue Philharmonic, which may seem foolish because the DE job sounds pretty impressive, but I felt like I meshed better personality-wise with the Mills people than the Bellevue people (Which is a staff of three people. Literally.). So, sorry Heather. I guess we won't be DE sisters after all. Also, the job itself was about 80% administrative/clerical stuff and the rest actual education and music related. Also, when I went to meet and interview with the Bellevue staff (all two of them at the time) the Marketing and Special Events girl decided that that would be an opportune time for her to talk down to me and act as though she was leaps and bounds more experienced and qualified than I, even though 1) she has a background in theater - not music - and 2) had been working for the orchestra for, I kid you not, all of one week. Anyway, so I, of course decided that would be an opportune time for me to say, "Eh. Thanks, but no thanks." Although, I'm sure I would have gotten plenty of good blog stories out of that little wench. Oh well.

Oh, and there's also the fact that Mills is offering me more money, better benefits and a little more schedule flexibility. Yippee!

So wish me luck on this new job and hope that I don't get fired after a month for not having the slightest clue how to be a print buyer. 'Cause I don't.

***

Also: Yes, my brain is still itching. I'm not kidding you. What has it been now? Like three or four days? I don't know anymore because I've gone so far insane that I've lost the ability to count past one. And also probably because I've jammed one too many Q-tips into my skull that I'm sure I must have bruised my brain somehow. Agh. AAAAGGGHH!!!