Prisoner

So, I need to vent... I'm currently working on a client I worked on last year (no names will be named here folks). Last year, I was given an access badge and the ability to work in my own cube and walk to and from meetings at my leisure. Sure, I may have gotten lost once but I never deliberately wandered anywhere I shouldn't have gone. Everything worked nicely and the client even requested that I come back this year because it went so smoothly.

So, here I am. I was given the same badge on Monday and everything was fine. But for some reason, yesterday they decided to revoke my independence!! I now wear a pretend badge that doesn't give me access to anything and must be escorted everywhere. Also, I have to work in the same room as my client contacts, which is definitely an inconvenience to both of us. But really, the worst of the entire situation follows:

1. I can't be left alone in the room. So, today when the only other person in the room needed to go to the bathroom, I had to walk with him to the breezeway (between two locked doors which I can't open) and wait there while he used the restroom.
2. I can't go to the bathroom by myself! To get to the bathroom, kitchen, microwave, etc., I have to pass through a door that I have no access to open. Thus, if I need to use any of the above mentioned items, I have to ask for someone to come with me (and wait, where necessary). And if you know me, I hate asking for things like that...

I seriously feel like a prisoner... Needless to say, I'm ready for this week to be over!!! (Rant is over...sorry for those who don't care, I just needed to get this out.)

Your Vote Counts!!!

In the spirit of election day, I would like to ask everyone's input on a very important matter... You see, last January Shane and I bought a Christmas tree. I think it's a 7-foot tree or something. Anyway, we decided we needed ornaments to decorate our new tree since the mini decorations we used for the 3-foot tree we inherited (stole?) from my parents will seem funny on the big tree. So, we went to Ikea last weekend and bought some decorations. We were really excited about them until we showed them to Tom... He mentioned that our blue/silver color scheme (which makes me think of winter, snow, ice...) made him think we were celebrating Hannukah instead of Christmas.

So, I want some input... If you saw these decorations on someone's tree, what would you think?

First, these in silver and dark blue: Then, these in silver:
These in white and dark blue:
The white ones of these:
The blue ones of these:
Your comments are appreciated! Remember...every vote counts.

Como Los Peruanos...

We have some Halloween pictures to post, but as I am in a hotel in middle-of-nowhere Colorado, I can't access them right now so instead you get a random update!

On Sunday, Shane and I made Peruvian food for Tom, Ashley, Jenny, and the Guthries. To break them into the Peruvian way of life, we made Lomo Saltado (Translation: Tossed Beef; i.e., the dish I ate pretty much everywhere while we were there). I wish I took a picture of the final creation, but it disappeared pretty fast so I don't think there was time to take one. Instead, I found one on the internet. Mine wasn't served with lettuce, the french fries weren't mixed in with the sauce (we had a few complaints about soggy fries...), and we didn't have an Inca Kola to drink it with (you can see it in the background). Despite these differences, I think it turned out okay because I made WAY more than I thought we'd need and there was barely any left. Next time...Aji de Gallina (Translation: Pepper Chicken)! Before they know it, they'll be regular Peruvians.

In other news, I am currently in Black Hawk, CO. It's a little mountain town about 40 miles outside to Denver. I'd compare the town to Park City, but it's lacking a few of Park City's draws: the view, the shops, the food... Pretty much, it's a very narrow town in a really narrow canyon that's made up of 5 casinos/hotels. Sounds fun, huh? I'm up here until I can get my work done. Then I'm catching a bus back down to Denver, where I'll catch a cab to the airport. Until then, I'll just brave the threats of snow...

That's all for now... Halloween pictures to come!