a bunch of unrelated thoughts

Sometimes I try to be all sneaky, or foreshadowing, or deep with my titles (ok, I probably fail most of the time). Sometimes I'm just getting to the point. Guess what today's is?

HERE'S A BUNCH OF RANDOM STUFF I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW:

1. So today my classes went on a field trip to the place I used to work. Lest you think I've had this teaching gig forever, let me inform you: I used to be the general manager of a kid-centered 'inflatable party zone.' I started working there part-time in college, and just stayed and stayed and stayed until they had nothing left to do but let me run the place. :) Anyway, I loved that place and a lot of things about the job, but the allure of 8-5 and benefits and paid vacation was more than I could handle, so I left for the school system. Ever so often, I reminisce and wish I were back in the 'business world.' Today, as I was enjoying hanging out with my old boss and some co-workers, catching up on business news (and gossip, let's face it), I really missed it. J, the store owner, was telling me about some new items they're selling/promoting and I was getting all the details. "So what's the profit margin on those?" I asked at some point. I wouldn't even remember that I'd asked that except that later, back at school, my friend/co-worker said "I heard you ask J what the profit margin of something was...and I realized that those are words that have never crossed my mind. I would never have any reason to ask anyone that. And it sounded so natural the way you asked. It was impressive."

And that somehow made me realize how much I miss that world sometimes. The world of caring about profit margins, of hiring and firing and promoting and networking and analyzing month-end reports. The world where it MATTERED how I performed at work each day. Do my job well? Do my job superbly? The store benefited. Business grew. Bottom lines got better. There were personal financial incentives. Do my job crappy, or just the bare minimum? There were consequences for that, too. Nowadays? I have basically no incentive (financial or otherwise, except for what internal drive I have) to do anything other than be average. And that's sort of disheartening. I love doing my best. But it sucks to do your best year after year and see NO benefit of any kind. Basically, as long as you're not doing terribly (or something illegal), you'd be seeing the same benefits as me. No one cares if I do my job well and with passion. And that's super lame. 

That was a long first point. Didn't think it was gonna be that long when I started. Apparently this was weighing heavy on the heart!

2. So here's where we're thinking of going on vacation:

source

 The GR Caribe Deluxe by Solaris in Cancun. You guys were AWESOME with the advice about cruises and all-inclusives-- THANK YOU!! We've still been wavering between choosing a cruise or an all-inclusive, but are currently leaning towards this one. Feel free to join us on vacation, by the way-- we both think we would have way more fun with another couple or 2...so if you look at this resort and are feeling it too, let me know!! We are great travel buddies! Right now I'm working on renewing my passport, which expired in like 2010 or something. Awesome.

3. Tonight Matt's mom told us about a new small group starting at their church that is for people (singles, couples, families) interested in adoption. It is going to be led by two couples who have something like 7 adoptions between them. SERIAL ADOPTERS, you could say. It will be both about the spiritual/emotional and practical aspects of adoption. It's basically just a summer group, but I think we are going to check it out. 

4. Well...I know it is only Tuesday and the weekend is not really that close, but can I just say I am already really excited about it? On Friday night there is a little shower/party for my friend Jessie. It's at a restaurant (it's her 2nd baby) that I hadn't heard of, but I love Jessie, so I RSVPd before I bothered seeing what the restaurant was. But THEN I looked up the restaurant, and GUESS WHAT?!?! It is Vietnamese food!! And I am super excited because I just had Vietnamese food for the first time ever 2 weeks ago (with Jessie and her husband, actually...but at a different restaurant) and I LOVED IT and have been craving it ever since. So...I am super excited. And then on SATURDAY...my old neighbor (old as in 'former,' not as in 'advancing age') Michelle is going to visit me! She and her husband and baby moved to Virginia about a year and a half ago and I miss her lots...we spent lots of time in our yards together and shared many good conversations. We've kept in close touch via email, but she's coming back for her first visit south and we are hanging out! So I am super excited. Have I said "super excited" enough in this paragraph yet? No? Well, I am super excited about weekend.

5. Tonight my brother-in-law Joe, who used to be a landscape architect, was telling us about how he got to meet this semi-famous 'garden designer' last weekend and he spent a long time picking her brain (I really hate that phrase, but it works). He's thinking about going the 'garden designer' route now and I am totally envious. I want to be a garden designer!!! Maybe we could start a business together? The only problem is that I have no idea what I'm doing out there in the garden...I'm just messing around. No one would hire me. Ugh. Anyway. Another career goal.

OK. I guess that's enough rambling for one night. Happy At-Least-It's-Not-Monday!