Is that a Banana in your Pocket?



Back by popular demand (well...not really...but go with it), is a continuation of yesterday's topic of food. This time, however, we are going to talk about that important meal of the day: Breakfast. Much like lunch, a lot of variables go into determining when, when, and where the working man (or woman) will be eating in the morning. In fact, you might not even have time to eat breakfast and have to settle for a late morning snack. But more on that later.

Bring bring. The alarm starts to sound off anywhere between 5:00a.m.-7:00a.m. and your first thought is if you want to get up or not. Your second thought (hopefully) should be about what to eat. Maybe you are already running late and will just grab a quick fruit on your way out the door. Maybe you're working from home today and can enjoy a nice hot meal at the comfort of your own kitchen. Or maybe you have just enough time to pour yourself some coffee and off you go.

Another option is skipping breakfast at home, making your way to work, and then purchasing some breakfast from a vending machine or the cafeteria (that cafeteria sure is happy you didn't eat at home today!). Sadly, there are those who just don't eat anything and starve themselves to lunch (present company included). So why talk about breakfast? What's the big hooplah (great Cranium game by the way...teehee)?

Well, my inspiration for today's topic comes from the kindness of my co-workers. The best type of breakfast, in my opinion, is the gift of others. Today, because of the snow, one co-worker decided to leave earlier than normal and ended up stopping to pick up breakfast. She bought herself two boxes of donuts, but they were for our department. There she comes in, walks right up to a side of the cubicle, and plops down two boxes of donuts. Mhmm...mhmm...good! Before the words "Thank you" came out of my mouth, there was a nice powder-y donut already in my hand.

Unfortunately, I am on my strict (ok...semi-strict) diet and helped myself to only two mini powder donuts and one regular size plain donut. But I will say this much: That's a nice way to start my day. I'm also hoping that the managers will continue their trend of "buying-lunch-for-everyone-when-it-snows". Either way, I brought lunch and will be good to go.

So whether you're reading this drinking your cup of coffee, chewing on your bagel, or popping some fruits in your mouth, make sure you don't miss out on the most important meal of the day.

Your mother would be so proud of you!

What's for Lunch?

It's almost time for lunch. What are you going to have today? Did you bring something from home? Are you going to the building's cafeteria? What about going out to eat on your own? With friends? With so many choices, how does one decide what and where to eat?

For me, it's all about money. I'm in the business of saving money, so what better way than bringing food from home? Sure you spend the money when you buy groceries, but that food tends to go further. However, maybe you're sick of staying indoors and just need to get out for a big. Then, going out may be for you. With many restaurants/fast food establishments nearby, your options are plentiful. However, what if time is short or you can't get away from your desk? Then the cafeteria might be the answer you're looking for.

For the past couple of months, I have been bringing food in, going downstairs to one of the tables at the cafeteria, and reading a book during my 1 hour of freedom from my cubicle. Although it tends to be noisy, I situate myself at the back of the room and just get immersed within my book (currently reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). Yet, with the minutes winding down to 12:00p.m., I am starving!

In fact, I really want to go out today. It's nice weather and I have enough choices in the nearby vicinity to not waste time driving. Sadly, I have no one to go with, which plays a big factor in my decisions. I'm not one to want to eat on his own, so with that variable, I end up staying inside. But I REALLY WANT TO LEAVE!!! It's just one of those days where I want to escape for a bit. Eat something not healthy. Live a little!

There's Fridays. Fuddruckers. Great Wazu (Sub place). Burger King. McDonald's. And on and on. I think I'm going to end this post before I start to drool on the keyboard.

Bottom Line: Me. Want. Food!

Happy Hump Day! & Angry Co-Workers!

Really? Hump Day?! Who came up with this? In fact, I never even know of this phrase for Wednesday until I started working at my current job in 2007. Imagine my surprise when a sweet 61 year old woman says, "Happy Hump Day!". Oy gevalt is all I thought. But the fact remains: We are at the half-way point of the week. What better feeling than knowing you've passed the mark and are on the decline to the weekend.

But my blog isn't all about just wishing about the weekend. My focus is on the workplace and how it affects all of us within it. For Wednesday, we are all starting to feel that way of wondering if we've accomplished what we've set out to do and are hoping we have enough time left to get our tasks done for the week.

However, I would like to talk about co-workers today. Specifically, co-workers who have been out for a few days, you had to cover their work, and then they return to criticize the work you've done. I'm sure you're familiar with these people. Sometimes they are happy-go-lucky employees, but in my case, they are annoying and unhappy employees. Just recently, I had a co-worker who was out for two days. During that time, I entered her orders and responded to her e-mails (on behalf of her). Yet, she comes in today and immediately starts dissecting all I did wrong.

Now, I appreciate constructive feedback, but it was more along the lines of "Why did you enter those orders already? They aren't due to the customer until such and such date." Are you serious? Are you asking me why I entered the orders as soon as they came in, as I've always been instructed to? Gee I don't know; maybe to get my work done so I can continue keeping up with all the work coming in at the beginning of the year.

So how to go about dealing with these people? How do you not let them get under your skin and in your mind? There's many options you can do, the most obvious is to just be the better person. But what happens when that doesn't work out? Do you speak back, ignore her, or tell someone? One article I read is the following: Rise Above the Fray: Dealing with Difficult People at Work.

How about you? Have you ever dealt with a similar situation? What tactics and methods would you recommend? Post your thoughts.

In the meantime: OY VEY!

Looks Like Somebody Has a Case of the Mondays!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun? What'd you do? What movies did you see? Where did you go out to eat? If you work anywhere that has a break between Friday and Monday, chances are you've heard these questions before. In fact, I may have even asked you them. it's those Monday morning water cooler conversation topics that help us transition back into another 5 days of work. Some people tend to be more sharing of their personal life than others; others just keep to themselves and say the usual "same as always" response.

For me, my weekend was a roller coaster of activities. It started off a little bumpy, but progressed into an amazing and very fun weekend. Friday night we'll ignore, but Saturday was jam packed full of activities. I had picked up my fiancee and we spent the morning at temple, then I took her to my favorite restaurant in the winter for lunch. It's called Windlass Restaurant and it is located in Lake Hopatcong, NJ. It is located right on the lake and during the winter, the lake is frozen and you can find ice fishers, snowmobiles, and just people walking on the lake. In fact, the picture at the top of this post is what the lake looks like during the winter. The food is superb, they have a wonderful Buy 1 Get 1 Free Lunch, and now I'm done advertising, haha.

After lunch, we headed off to the mall where I finally got my watch fixed after 3 weeks of the battery dying on me. Trust me, it's no fun looking at the second hand going back and forth like it's not sure which direction it should be heading. Later in the evening, we can back to my house and spent a good few hours Marathon-ing it up with Modern Family Season 1 (such a funny show). Then on Sunday, we met with the Rabbi for our wedding and then came back to my house and watched the last 7 episodes of 8 Simple Rules.  Finally, I drove her back home and here we are. So how about your weekend? What'd you do? Please tell me!!!

Now that we're back at work, we have 5 straight days of cubicle life (4 if you're off today for Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday..in which case...L-U-C-K-Y!). I do not think this will be a bad week and with this being the first full week of the year that I think I can hit up the gym everyday. My goal is to be in shape for my wedding and it's one goal I intend to keep. In fact, there is little time outside of work that I can claim my own during the weekday, that it feels good to stay true to an objective of mine.

Random Thought: I look around my department floor and wonder what everyone's goals for New Years were. Did they make any? Are they following through? Is their goal something that gets them through the day? Sure, I can ask, but where's the fun in that?

Back to Topic: So it's Monday! That can mean a lot or a little to whoever you ask. For me, I see it as a new opportunity to do better than I did last week. To wash away the past and look forward with a more positive outlook. Of course, it's still only 11:00a.m. in the morning, so anything can change!

On this frigid Monday morning, will you look forward to the week ahead, or long for the weekend that just passed (or just try and get to the next upcoming weekend?). Post your thoughts, share your feelings, and just know: You're not alone if you have a case of the Mondays.

TGIF!

Yesterday I stated that the best day of the week was Pay Day. Yet, that is very much open to debate. For you see, many people would say that Friday is the best day of the week; it's the day before our 2 day break from work and our 48 hour freedom. The weekend is a time where anything can happen (that's right kids...dreams do come true!). For myself, Friday is a workday only up til 12:00p.m. After that, it's more of a countdown to freedom and less about what this past week has entailed.

Of course, if you happen to be Jason the Serial Killer or work in retail (as I once did), Friday is nothing special. In fact, you may be off on a Friday only to have to open a store on Saturday (or Sunday). But let's not digress on the "what if's". For you cubicle employees, Friday is a day to be happy. Actually, if the prior day was Payday and today is your last day of the work week, then you're probably floating on cloud 9 right now. I look at the clock on my phone and my computer and see the minutes passing by, closer to that 5:00p.m. punch out.

Yet, the weekend has changed for me over the years. What was once a break from school and homework and being about hanging out with friends and playing video games, it is not the same anymore. Instead, once I leave work, I go to pick up my fiancee and decide what our goals are for the weekend. Do we catch up on a show? Do we have to run errands? Or more importantly now, do we plan for the wedding now that work and any other weekday activities are done with?

As much as I would like to sleep in late and watch cartoons with my bowl of cereal, I'd just be wasting precious time. Friday's for me (and not always, but sometimes) is a reminder of what used to be. If you continue reading my blog posts or know me, you will know I am a nostalgic person. I long for a lot of what's past, but I know some of it's unobtainable. I do look forward to the future and I'm glad life is progressing, but it seems a lot of those carefree days are but memories of a past long long ago.

But let's not dwell on the past right now. Let's look forward to the future and more specifically, the weekend! I for one plan on booking my honeymoon destinations and meet with our Rabbi who will be officiating our ceremony. I have a lot of good things in store for me and I'm anxious for the weekend to begin so I can get a jump on them. What about you? Have any fun plans? If so, post them in response to this blog and let's hear about it. As much as I like to hear myself talk, I'd much prefer to hear from the readers.

Until Monday, have a great, safe, and fun 2 day weekend!

Pay Day: The Best Day of the Week!

So here we are on another sunny Thursday. The snow has passed, the sun is out, and life at work is back to normal (well as normal as it can get). However, the best part of today is that it is PAY DAY! That magical day where all your hard work is summed up in one amount, direct deposited in your bank account, and makes everything better. At least for me. It feels great to know that I have some money to burn (the majority goes to bills and my upcoming wedding), but it does ease some stress off.

Now by no means am I a paycheck-to-paycheck kind of guy. I do have savings, I do not spend everything, but I don't live lavishly either. I make sure my bills are paid every month and I still try to have some spending money for those weekend movies, hanging out with friends, and so on. Yet, I just can't help but fill more giddy than normal on pay day. The "every other Thursday of the month" is the best day of my work week. But should it be?

Should I only look forward to the paycheck? That's always been my philosophy: I don't work just for the paycheck. I want to enjoy my job and have that as my main reward. Yet, I don't live in a lollipop and gumdrop world where everything is just dandy. Instead, I have a job (I should be thankful, right?) and it's not what I want to be doing. So even though I try to make the best of it, the paycheck in this situation is the best part of the job. In past jobs, I didn't look forward to the paycheck as much as just getting to go into work, but you grow up and you don't always get your way.

I still have no doubt that I will find the career job I want, but it hasn't happened yet!! So I have to find the small victories and in this case, the monetary victories. The paycheck is a great incentive and I for one am grateful to be getting one (well 2 actually every month).

Lastly, I plan on updating this blog page this weekend to make it more homely (e.g. pictures, better layouts, etc.) so be on the lookout for that.

Until then, I've got some money to burn...

- Polan

Silly Employee. Snow is for Kids!

Well this is my very first post on a blog. Ever! I know, you might be wondering what I have to say that's worth you taking the time to read. I can't promise eye-opening wonder, but I will do my best. Frankly, I work in a very small cubicle (picture to come soon) and what better way to get through the day than with a blog? Oh sure, I could work. But you see, I do my work and it gets done and I'm still left with all this free time.

My first topic is about snow. The stuff that falls from the sky and when you were a kid was your only hope of staying home during the week. Now, being 26 and working full time, snow has become to mean a messy commute, a car needing cleaning, and still having to go to work. But there are those few times where the weather will be so bad that your company might close or your manager might be kind enough to close the department.

Last night, we had a snow storm that looked promising. I mean the roads and cars were being covered faster than they were being clean. I even took a gamble and stayed up a whole 30 minutes later than normal in anticipation that I would get to sleep in later the next morning (I know. I'm such a rebel). However, I awake to my alarm clock at 6:30a.m. to see a blue sky and a sun beginning to emerge from the horizon. Are you serious? Is it bad enough that work wasn't closed, but it had to be a gorgeous day with sun beaming through my windows to just have that final jab?!

Well, here I am at work along with my co-workers. The phones are slow (I'm a customer service representative, but more on that later) and I figured it's time I start a blog. In fact, it were a few of my friends who already created blogs that inspired me to start this. And what better way of saying thanks than with some free advertising. The blogs that are worth looking at are:

http://bennwithtwons.blogspot.com/
http://zippy-friends.blogspot.com/
http://twentyfiveat25.blogspot.com/

So, in short, my name is Jonathan and I hope to get through the mundane work week with a blog that will discuss any and all things; mainly my boredom and the hijinks of the workplace, but we can expand from there. I welcome all forms of comments and criticism, but mainly beause it will see if anyone is even reading this.

I hope you're ready to take the ride with me (specifically between 8:30a.m.-5:00p.m. Monday-Friday).

- Polan