Spinning in my office chair...

So the new job is getting off to such a very slow start. I'm learning with amusement that many of the government-worker stereotypes are soooo true! There are the colleagues obsessed with their lunch hours, the clock-watchers who sprint out the front door at 5 pm so fast it's as if they're competing for an Olympic medal, the chair-spinners and frequent coffee refillers, and let's not forget the fellow employees who have clearly been in their positions since shortly after birth and who may as well have "that's not my job" tattooed on their foreheads. Yikes. Okay, so I might be exaggerating a tad, but not that much! I'm just used to running at 100 miles per hour, juggling multiple projects at once... feeling constantly stressed and working in continual panic mode and working late each night. And now that has ended. So what the heck am I complaining about??? I should learn to thrive with my new life, right? Yeah. I suppose. I'm sure that with time and as I continue to build relationships and learn the who's who around town I'll be busier. I'm excited about the opportunities I'll have with the community organizing part of my job. In grad school, this was one of my favorite courses and our major project (albeit hypothetical) looked at the very issues I'm now really dealing with. It's interesting how communities can have so many similar issues no matter where you go, even though the politics and the environment surrounding all of those things can be so very different. Living in a smaller community like this, it's pretty fascinating to see what the major issues are among neighborhoods. Anyway, enough about work!

NewsFlash: HEAT WAVE! TODAY WAS 72 DEGREES! That's right, folks, 72 degrees in Northern Illinois on November 3rd. Proof that the sun really can come up in this part of the world on the dawn of winter. Maybe a tiny bit of Phoenix followed us eastward? I can only hope! I am still preparing for the impending deep-freeze, however. We've been warned that we'll be experiencing record cold this winter, and to go with it as a special treat? A 70% hike in natural gas prices. Essentially this means that we could potentially face monthly heating bills around $400. Now then, to remedy this we recently spent a small (yet wise) fortune updating our masonry fireplace with one of these high-efficiency log burning units which basically burns less wood more slowly and with more heat. It has a blower which can heat 2500 sq. ft., so we can use it to heat our entire house (or at least the main floor and upstairs.) My friend Staci recently joked that I'm turning into Laura Ingalls. TRUE, but at least we're going modern. Who knew that heating a home with WOOD would make a comeback & become so trendy?! I guess there's been such a demand for these things that they're selling out all over the midwest and eastern parts of the country. We had to get the floor model because that's all the store had. I'm still skeptical that this thing is gonna work, but I guess it won't be long until we find out.

I had my first neighborhood association officer's meeting last week. It was pretty fun! The women involved seem very enthused and excited about planning projects and improving our neighborhood, so I'm looking forward to meeting some new people and doing things with the group. Later this winter we're already talking about putting together a chili cookoff. SO very midwestern, no?