What the Heck is a Michigan Turn Anyway...and Other Random Musings

Back in April, less than one week after I moved back to the Mitten, I was pulled over. What? I wasn't doing anything wrong? There I was, minding my own business, following my GPS and traffic, then Bam! Motorcycle cop in my rear-view mirror. Apparently I made an illegal left hand turn, and it was "posted five times". The cop had no sympathy for the fact that I just moved here one week ago, though clearly evident by my Tennessee license plate and Florida driver's license. AND he even pointed to my GPS and said "just following instructions, huh?". I drove away with a ticket and a "meet me in court and I'll drop the charges down to a violation so you don't get any points". Grrr....

You see, here in city, we have something really lame-o called Michigan Turns. It is where you have to pass the street you want to turn left on (even though you could physically turn left), go down about a block, and do a u-turn around the median only to go back to the road you originally wanted to turn left on to then turn right. Huh? You follow that? Well, me either. Still don't really understand it, though now abide by the law.

This past Tuesday was my court date- and $150 later, I walked out of there a free woman. Well, I was never technically not-free, but at least I don't have any points on my license. That was my first time at court, and hopefully my last. What a waste of time.

So...other random musings..I have a short work week coming up, which is just fine by me. This past week, a guy on my team was out on vacation, so it was a trying time. It's tough being the new girl, being busy and not getting any help from anyone. Yesterday, I was completely, utterly emotionally and physically exhausted by the time I got home. But I got a good night's sleep and today is Saturday!

On Thursday, we are leaving for our annual trip Up North, and this time we are breaking into teams and having a weekend long scavenger hunt. Stay tuned for more details on that- I'm confident I'm on the winning team! I know Lesa, Ryan and I are three of the most competitive people, and we're all on a team together. You hear my, Jennette? You're going down ;)

Tomorrow we're heading into Manchester for Ryan's niece and nephew's birthday party. Taylor is turning two, and Wes is turning 4. I'm going to try to remember my camera because they are two of the cutest kids ever.

Now, time to start cleaning the house and running some errands. This stuff just doesn't get done by itself, unfortunately...

Y'all vs. You Guys - South vs. North

Y'all- used in addressing two or more people, one of whom is addressed. Chiefly South Midland and Southern US.

You guys- the Northern, slang, ugly, uneducated phrase for the above.

Perhaps one of the things I miss most about living in the south is the warm, comforting, hospitable accent. And the use of the oh-so-wonderful word "y'all". I sure wish we used this phrase up here! In addition, I miss my friends, the music, the city, the food, the history, the culture and Elvis.

Happy Monday, y'all. I'm SO happy it's over with :)

Misc. Musings

Currently...

Excited about: Our looming trip to the Great Up North

Worried about: Kaia's terrible separation anxiety. It's been really hard for her now that I'm working.

Reading: Harry Potter- Half Blood Prince

Loving: This Saturday morning with my man. We are just relaxing with coffee and about to eat BLTs. Now that I'm back to work, this is my most favorite time of the week.

Hating: The fact that as of September 30, I may or may not have a job anymore.

Wondering about: Goodby, Silverstein and Partners

Craving: a don don

Listening to: Sports Center on ESPN. When Ryan is home, it's ALWAYS on.

Dreaming about: My wedding, of course :)

New Favorite Hangout: Gusoline Alley in Downtown Royal Oak. A great local dive bar.

Missing: My mommsy

Love this pic of my guy. Isn't he handsome?

So.....

....I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT!!! Congrats to my brother, Carl, and his girl, Jaime. She is due in January, and I am so happy for them :)

Fire Drill

Yesterday, right smack dab in the middle of a busy morning at CE, alarms started sounding and lights started flashing. I heard a few of the veteran employees groan "not a fire drill- I have way too much to do right now", and even heard some say they may just stay at their desk. Well, not possible, in that seconds later the floor admin was shepherding us all toward the stairway. From my previous post about my first day at CE, you probably know I work with over 1,000 people. Have you ever had to evacuate with that many people? It's a slow process, to say the least.

As we were heading down the flights of stairs (sure feel bad for those on the 9th and 10th floors), I'm sure some others like me wondered- for just a moment- if it was a real emergency, rather than just a drill. I couldn't help but think about 9/11, and what the occupants of the World Trade Center were thinking on that fateful day when their fire alarms went off. Did they think it was a joke? Did some of them want to stay behind, or did they stay behind, because they had too much work to do as well? For those who did evacuate, what were they thinking during their loooonnnggg walk down? Were people panicking? I can't even imagine the pandemonium that would have ensued yesterday should everyone have been pushing and shoving to get out.

While we lost a precious hour of the day, I'm thankful CE took the time to do the drill. Now, in the event of a real emergency (especially if the power goes out), I'll at least know where the stairwell is.