One more quick update

I have found another yellow bag...and it's bigger. Thoughts? I've never had a Kate Spade bag before, but I definitely want a yellow bag, and I might like this one better than the Coach one. here they both are below.

Coach

Kate Spade

Brackets and whatnot

I've been gone for a while! I won't lie to you, March Madness controls my life. And we're already a full week in and I still have a decent chance to win the bracket challenge that my friends have set up! I'm usually way out of contention by this point, so I'm pumped. I'm hoping that I will win some money to assist me in my upcoming yellow purse purchase.

Speaking of purchases, I'm hoping to buy a pair of black strappy gladiator-type platform sandals. Here are a couple below. Which do you prefer? I like them both, but I'll probably just get the cheaper ones...the bonus for which is that I buy a lot of other BCBGirls shoes so I know for sure what my size is, so online ordering is not as scary.

Side note: are these not the cutest rain boots ever? I may have to buy some.


I'm in New Orleans again this week and I'm definitely starting to get bored of it. I got a taste of home last week and then it was ripped away. I'm here this week and then again next week and then I'm home for two weeks and away for the next 4 (one of which is vacation, so that's good).

Susan and I just went to W.I.N.O. for dinner...wine tasting, a cheese plate, and some bruschetta. best dinner ever. We will be returning. Delicious.

UGGGGH

You know what makes for a crappy start to a week? Getting a voicemail on Monday morning from your gym saying that they want to "discuss some upcoming changes to membership fees starting in April." Now, there's no way the fees are going down, so this cannot be a good thing.

Granted, my fees haven't gone up since I joined the gym in 2006, but they're already pricey. If they increase by more than $15/month, I'm quitting on the spot. The Y is about half the price (and only a few blocks further away) and actually, I've been wanting to force myself to become a runner anyway (it's the best form of cardio), and that would be free. Especially since we have a bench and free weights at home for lifting.

There is a great possibility that my "gym at lunch" routine will come to a close and I'll be on more of a run 3 times a week for cardio routine. If I can get my fat ass to run for more than 30 minutes at a time, this should work out pretty well.

I wish I had a house with room for an elliptical. Boo.

I've been gone a while, eh?

Sometimes I get busy and forget to update for a while. Sorry about that.

I will start by answering the question that I've gotten from numerous people, about the purse. I think I've settled on the yellow one, I would really like a yellow purse for spring (yellow looks like it's going to be spring's answer to fall's purple this year). I haven't bought it yet because I'm trying to behave myself, but it's only a matter of time.

Last week, the company I work for had layoffs. Over the 10 offices, 10% of employees were let go. I knew that the chances of me being let go were extremely small (I fortunately have a LOT of experience in the one type of client base that is currently making us money, thank god), but it was still quite the wake up call. It also caused me to become slightly depressed, because now no matter how much I'm asked to travel, or work 80 hour weeks, or work on clients that I loathe, I can't turn it down for fear of future layoffs. Don't ever not quit your job because you think to yourself "I could quit at any time, no biggie." Because eventually you come across a time like this, where there is no way out. My future at this company will be 100% based on how I'm treated in the current economy. If I am taken advantage of (as in "Jen, we're going to need you to travel 60% of the year instead of your normal 40%, which was already too much, because we know that you can't do anything about it"), I will quit the first chance that I have once things shape up. I hope that doesn't happen, because it will cause me to be REALLY unhappy while I'm still employed here, but we'll see.

I get to be in Charlotte this week, and then I'm out for 5 weeks. Awesome. I'm going to cook diner every night because I won't get to do that again for a while. Blake's family is coming in for the weekend (including his sister, who just got engaged, congrats Ash), and I have AT's bridal shower/bachelorette party on Saturday, so I should be pretty busy. And then I head back to New Orleans. I actually hated it much less than normal this time. I think I've become at one with it. I'd still rather be in Charlotte, and I would never voluntarily vacation there, but it's acceptable for work travel.

Ok, I have MUCH to do at work this week, so I must dash.

Belated update

Hello friends! I'm a bit tardy with my promised Britney update, but let me assure you, it was AWESOME. I wish she had done more old stuff, and she doesn't dance quite like she used to at 17, but it was damn entertaining. And our seats were fantastic. The $9 beers were not, but what are you going to do? Totally worth the $140.

I have a short weekend in CLT before I have to head back to New Orleans. Carrie will be there all week, which sounds fun but I'm still going to have to skip going out to dinner in favor of working overtime in my hotel room a fair amount. Which is lame, but that's busy season. I went to the mall today because stupid Banana Republic keeps sending me 30% off coupons, and I got a price adjustment on what I got last weekend as well as a new skirt, dress, and sweater set. For 30% off. But I have to at least attempt to behave now, especially with my planned purchases of the Coach shoes and bag, and a pair of new black sandals which is yet to be determined. Also, I came across these online today (I'm really liking the brand Report Signature lately) and I may get them too. Thoughts?

That's all. I'll try to check in from New Orleans next week. Ciao.

Somebody kill me.

I'm coming to you live from New Orleans, which is the worst place ever, after the worst travel experience of my life. Last night, there was a "blizzard" in Charlotte. I wouldn't really call it a blizzard, but there were at least 4 inches of snow on the ground when we took off, and that's the most I've seen while living there, so it's almost legit. Anyway, the travel story involves sitting on a runway for 4 hours and then flying here, waiting on line for the rental car for another hour, and then getting into my hotel bed at 3am. We didn't leave the hotel until 9:30 this morning, but I still want to die. Need caffeine.

Also in sad news, I visited the purse in the previous post this weekend and it was a bit disappointing. I LOVE the yellow color, but the bag itself was smaller that it appeared. They did show me more of a hobo-type bag that is a smaller version of my effing huge black one that I got for Christmas, so I may go with that instead. See below. Also, they are not receiving the shoes at any of the stores in Charlotte, so I either have to order them and possibly return them and lose the cost of shipping or find them elsewhere. I'm going home to NJ the first weekend in April, and I bet they'll have them at one of the malls there, so I may hold out and try for that.

I'm too tired to form any more complete sentences today; I will check in Wednesday to tell you all about how awesome the Britney Spears concert was. Woo.

OH MY GOD.

Be my new spring bag, please. I just can't pick which color!

I may have a shopping problem. I heart Coach. And I'm thinking yellow would be more interesting and different, yes? But the pink is so cute.