I am thankful for so many things...

Of course, there are the obvious things, like friends and family, and my pets.

But there are so many other things that we all tend to take for granted, because they seem so basic to us that we forget how lucky we are to have so many things that so many people do not have: houses to live in, plenty of food to eat, clothes to wear, cars to drive, money in our bank accounts, the freedom of living in Western society, things as basic as indoor plumbing and clean water, electricity, healthcare... the list goes on and on...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! May we never forget how blessed we are, and may we each find ways to use the things we have to help others who are not so fortunate.

Now I'm Troi.

I took the test again to see if it offered any other options for the html code (it doesn't), since it didn't display very well on my blog, and this time it said I'm Troi. However, both times, I was tied between Troi and the expendable one with 75% for each. Go figure. I guess I'm the expendable Troi.

Your results:
You are Deanna Troi

Deanna Troi 75% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 75% Uhura 60% Spock 49% Geordi LaForge 45% Jean-Luc Picard 45% Data 39% Beverly Crusher 35% Will Riker 35% Chekov 25% Worf 15% Mr. Scott 5% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 5% James T. Kirk (Captain) 5% Mr. Sulu 0%

You are a caring and loving individual. You understand people's emotions and you are able to comfort and counsel them.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Test

See? I really *am* the expendable one!

I told you so!

Your results:
You are An Expendable Character (Redshirt)

An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 75% Deanna Troi 75% Uhura 60% Geordi LaForge 50% Spock 49% Jean-Luc Picard 45% Data 39% Will Riker 35% Beverly Crusher 35% Chekov 25% James T. Kirk (Captain) 15% Worf 10% Mr. Scott 5% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 5% Mr. Sulu 0%

Since your accomplishments are seldom noticed, and you are rarely thought of, you are expendable. That doesn't mean your job isn't important but if you were in Star Trek you would be killed off in the first episode you appeared in.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

A good birthday

Over the past several years, I've gotten used to no one really doing anything for me on my birthday, or even remembering my birthday, for that matter, and I've pretty much stopped caring about it. Birthday, shmirthday. It's usually pretty much like any other day for me. (So, Wino, you were right!)

But this year was a little bit different, and it was really nice. My boss, Max (not his real name), showed up yesterday morning with two huge boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts, which he laid out at my desk before sending an email to the entire firm telling everyone to come by, wish me a happy birthday, and have a donut. That turned out to be a great way for me to meet a bunch of people I hadn't been introduced to yet. Then, Max and Molly gave me a very nice card and a Petsmart gift certificate (they don't know me very well since I've been there for only two months, but they do know I have a house full of pets!). I thought it was so nice of them to do something for my birthday, and it made for a really enjoyable day.

We also had our office Thanksgiving lunch yesterday, and it was fabulous. Finally, Max insisted that I go home early for a change.

Oh, and of course, I opened the package from my little brother and his wife as soon as I got up in the morning, and it was full of fabulous, delicious-smelling bath and body products and lip gloss.

So, my week started out really, really crappy, but it ended on a very nice note, and I'm very thankful.

How good am I?

When I got home from work this evening, there was a UPS package from my little brother and his wife sitting on my doorstep, with a note on it that says, "Do not open until Friday, November 17th." (That would be my birthday.)

So, I took it inside, set it on the table, and did not open it. It is still sitting on the table mocking me, daring me to open it. But I will be strong. I will wait until tomorrow morning. Who knew I had so much willpower?

Hmmm, it's lower than I thought it would be.

Your Social Anxiety Level: 60%

You have moderate social anxiety. It's possible that you have a serious social anxiety problem. But it's also likely that you can help yourself, by getting out more and trying new, scary activities. No one's secretly judging you. So be yourself, and if you screw up, just laugh.

Are You Socially Anxious?

Sorry about the dearth of posts lately

Work has been incredibly stressful, but I haven't wanted to write about it here, just on the off chance that someone from work should happen to find this blog.

Let's just say that I came really close to quitting yesterday, but today was a bit better. It's only one person who is causing me so much stress, and I believe she's been given a good talking-to by certain people who have told her she's crossing the line and needs to chill out. She apologized to me today and promised to behave herself, so we'll see. Apparently, she has quite the reputation around the office as being extremely difficult to work for. It's obvious from what others have said to me that I have the support and sympathy of the rest of the firm, and nobody wants to see me quit, so that's a good thing. And I really do not want to quit, because I really do not want to be job-hunting again and have to start over someplace else.

Sooooooooo, hopefully things will improve from here.

The rest of this week and next week are going to be extremely busy for me both at work and in my off time, so I still may not be posting much for a little while longer, but I do plan to get back in the groove ASAP.

Vocabulary test

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Random Update

I think that every once in awhile, I just need to shut down and do nothing for a spell. It's sort of like recharging a cell phone battery, I guess. I haven't been doing much of anything lately -- not much reading, not much writing, not much socializing, not much work around the house. I've just been craving solitude and inactivity.

So, although it's been a few weeks since I updated this blog, I really don't have much to report.

Cooler weather has finally arrived in Austin, and I'm really enjoying it! I love autumn. It always feels so cozy and peaceful. The world looks different in every season, and I especially love the way it looks in the fall.

I'm still not loving the new job, but it could be worse, and I'm still thankful to be employed. I'm keeping an eye on the classifieds, and if I see something that looks more appealing than what I'm doing now, I'll look into it. I'm not putting much effort into searching for something else -- just sort of keeping an eye open.

I'm still riding my bike two to three times per week, and my weight seems to be holding steady at around 111 lbs., so that's good. I guess the big drop in the month after I started the new job was probably just stress-related.

And, finally, I'm looking forward to the holiday season. I really need to get started on my shopping -- I'm usually well into it by the time November rolls around, but have not yet begun to holiday-shop so far this year. Hopefully, my recharging period is coming to an end and I can get started on that next weekend.

No surprise here, either.

You Are 32% Democrat

You're a bit Democrat, and probably more liberal than you realize. If you're still voting Republican, maybe it's time that you stop.

How Democrat Are You?

8% Republican and 32% Democrat, which means I'm 60% something else -- yep, that's why I'm not registered with either party, and why I voted for Kinky when I did the early voting thang last weekend! :)

No surprise here.

You Are 8% Republican

If you have anything in common with the Republican party, it's by sheer chance. You're a staunch liberal, and nothing is going to change that!

How Republican Are You?