Just Another Manic Monday…

Today has not started off well, and sadly, I haven’t handled it quite as well as I would have liked. I’d like to say that I’ve let optimism rue the day, but that hasn’t happened. I’m running on empty as it is, and my emotions keep waffling between anger, frustration and sadness. I’m hoping my sense of humor will return soon, and I’m attempting to find something to laugh about by writing this down…

I arrived home on Saturday evening and found a completely empty mailbox. It seemed odd. I was expecting 2 DVDs from my Netflix que to be there, and I was pretty sure that I should have received at least one holiday card already. My cousin Julie's card and letter is almost always the first to arrive. So I went to the post office first thing this morning and waited in line to find out what had happened.

The bottom line is that my postal carrier decided that since I didn’t empty my mailbox for 3 days (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) that I must have moved, and so she had ALL of my mail marked “return to sender” without any notification to me. Yep, she simply emptied my mailbox and sent all of my mail back to the senders because quite clearly I had fled the country since I didn’t empty my mailbox of all those holiday ads while I was away in Michigan.

This has never happened to me before. I didn’t imagine that my mailbox would get full in 3 days, and if it had, I assumed that the process would be that my mail carrier would simply leave me a card indicating that I needed to pick my mail up at the post office. That’s been the process in the past. I’ve never put a HOLD on my mail for 3 days or less. 3 days is the minimum amount of days they will hold your mail anyway, and so I figured it was safe for that amount of time at least. I never assumed that over a 3-day holiday break, my mail carrier would assume I had moved.

So now I’m left wondering…

What mail will I never get? 

Was there something important in the mix like a bill?

Will I really get mail in my mailbox tonight like I was told? At this point, it is anybody’s guess really, but here’s hoping.

Right now I’m just trying to count my blessings…

1.  My call to Netflix was quick and easy, and they are going to promptly resend the movies that my postal carrier sent back to them. Awesome! 

2.  I’m so glad that I had all my holiday purchases sent to my work address. YAY! 

3.  I probably won’t ever see those missing Thanksgiving holiday ads that probably over-stuffed my mailbox and prompted my mail carrier to think I had fled the scene. Yep, those MIA ads are probably gone for good. WOOHOO!!

Classic ISTJ

Last Friday, I attended an all-day team building event that involved getting a copy of my results from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality profile. I didn’t know quite what to expect at all, but I found myself enjoying the day.

Three weeks ago, I completed the paperwork with more than a slight suspicion of how in the world my personality was going to be assessed based on whether I preferred one word over another. So admittedly I was skeptical as I opened my assessment packet on Friday, but as I read the report, I discovered a lot of truth within. I was an ISTJ: Introvert, Sensing, Thinking and Judging or better known as someone who is most often "doing what should be done." (NOT my words here, but the definition of my profile type. AHEM!)

INTROVERT: not really a huge surprise here, but I was curious where I would fall on the scale between 1 and 30. I was a 5. The basic premise at the heart of the introvert vs. extrovert question is where a person gets recharged. Some of us get refueled by spending time with others while others prefer to slip away on their own to recover from the blur of the day. I fall into that latter category. Yes, I enjoy being with people and can actually be a social butterfly if the occasion calls for it, but the truth is that at my core, I enjoy the solitude just as well.

SENSING: this one was not a surprise either. I ranked in as a 9 on sensing vs. intuition but it was interesting to see my wide range on the breakdown of this dichotomy. Yes, I definitely prefer more concrete ideas to the abstract, and while I have a vivid imagination, I do live in the real world on most accounts. However, I ranked high on the “conceptual” side for intuition vs. the “practical” side on sensing, and I also had a preference for “original” (intuition) vs. the “traditional” (sensing).

THINKING: this one was another curiosity for me. I was not exactly sure where I would find myself in the thinking vs. feeling realm. I was a 3 on the scale, and so this is a slight preference for me. Honestly, I think this is a newer trend for me in my adult life. I think I’m harder on myself and others than I used to be. I’m more cynical and less likely to base a decision on feelings vs. the facts. I guess I would rather be logical than follow my heart sometimes, which is perhaps not always the most compassionate route. See, even here I am waffling. HA!

JUDGING: now this one made me laugh, even though this "judging" is not quite what my sister and I joke about all the time. AHEM! Sure, I knew that judging would be my diagnosis here vs. perceiving, but I didn’t know exactly where I would pan out on the scale. Well, I was a 28 out of 30. HA! My personality preference is very clear on this score. I definitely prefer decisiveness and closure, and while I can be a bit flexible and am able to adapt as I go, I am hard-wired for a more planned and scheduled routine vs. spontaneity. Yeah, this is certainly not news to anyone.

One final thought, I loved the ISTJ prayer that was shared with me at our event: GOD, help me to begin relaxing about the little details tomorrow at 11:41:32 AM. That is classic me, and I know my sister would agree with that! Hee hee!

Moving On Up...

The boxes arrived in my cubicle this morning. It’s official. My move date is a week from today, and so it is really time to pack up and move, take on new responsibilities, spread my wings, meet new people, and do some writing for a living. I’m rather excited about that last part. Elated, in fact. OK, so writing and editing will only be a portion of my job (maybe 40-50%), but I’m still psyched. It’s a start in the right direction, a new beginning and a welcome challenge allowing me to utilize my college degree. I’m in. ALL in.

I think I have always had a writer’s heart and soul, and so whether I get paid to write or not, I AM A WRITER. Just a fact.

Random Question: What do you do for a living?
Answer: Who me? I’m Melanie, and I’m a writer.

But I will miss my current colleagues in the legal department. These past 5 years have been good ones. I’ve gotten to know some incredible people. Attorneys are quite different from my previous misconceptions. I’ve had a lot of fun in my current job. There has been a lot of hard work, some long hours and plenty of stress as well, but there never seemed to be a shortage of laughs either. While realizing the knowledge that I’ve gained is only the tip of the iceberg, I still have learned a great deal about the world of patents and legal processes. I’ve developed relationships with internal colleagues and outside counsel and made a few friends in the process.

I feel blessed to be where I am now, and as I will soon step away into another role, I feel my current role has been a great preparation for the next phase of my career. I will miss my patent co-horts, but I will only be one floor away from them, and so I’m quite confident that we’ll keep in touch. I’ll need their expertise, their advice and their friendship, too.

Freaky Friday

Here in the office this morning, we suddenly lost power for about 20 minutes. We were all busy working away on our laptops, conducting meetings, or participating in conference calls, when the lights went out, computer screens went dead and all was suddenly quiet and dark.

Of course, instantly there was a lot of office chatter and groans. A group gathered under the emergency lights down the hall. I came out and joined them with my safety first flashlight in hand (Hee Hee!). I commented that it looked like the group was ready to do a team cheer or something as they huddled together. We celebrate Blue Fridays in support of the Colts, and so they all have their team jerseys and Colts gear on. Of course, yours truly does not own anything Colts at all, but I still get to wear jeans on Friday. WOOHOO!!

Anyway, so the “emergency light group” was holding a rather interesting discussion. Here in large corporate America, we seem to have plans, procedures and committees for just about everything. We have our emergency plans and procedures for tornadoes, storms, fire, etc. and safety committees that develop those necessary plans. But as we discovered today, no one seems to have developed any plans about what an employee should do in the middle of a black out. So our eclectic group of legal assistants, paralegals and attorneys decided to create an agenda for such a discussion and began talking through the procedures that should be put in place. It was a hoot. How long should we stay on the premises? Should we all work from home instead? Should we all just go shopping?

Then there was the conversation about rationing food. One of the attorneys was munching on a snack as he joined us, and a couple of people were eying him suspiciously. “We don’t know how long we are going to be here after all. Do you really think you should be eating that and not sharing with the rest of us?” Another person suggested that we just raid the refrigerator. She hated to see all that food go to waste. HA!

Then there was a conversation about walking around in the dark. We heard a noise from the floor above us, and there was talk about going to investigate. I laughed. “Have you guys learned nothing from horror movies? You never go UP the stairs. Just run!” Just about then, someone else mentioned that this was Friday the 13th after all, and we all burst out laughing. Ironic, isn’t it? [I can hear the Twilight show theme playing in the background, can’t you?]

Soon after, the lights came back on, and we resumed our daily routines without delay, but what an interesting start to the work day. Never a dull moment around here. Happy Friday the 13th!!

Candy Break Time

I’m having a moment. Just me and a Nestlē Baby Ruth bar. I’m at work sitting in my corporate-issued cubicle with people buzzing around me, but when I close my eyes and fade for a moment, I’m at home curled up in my comfy chair with a soft blanket and a good read, AND I’m enjoying every tantalizing morsel of this chocolatey delight.

Never mind that I am consuming 7 Weight Watchers points to get a quick fix. Don't lecture me. Yes, I know just how many Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches I could be eating instead, but it doesn't matter. This is my first REAL candy bar in a long time, and I’m savoring this decadent pause in the hustle and bustle of life.

This candy break moment was brought to you by Nestlē.

NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know…

Why do some yogurts seemingly explode when you open them? This happens ever so often to yours truly. I am innocently about to partake in a delicious, healthy breakfast. I cautiously pop the seal and flip back the foil lid, and in doing so, I get splattered by drops of nutritious goo. One such occurrence happened here at my desk about 5 minutes ago. WOOHOO!! I know yogurt is good for me, but I wonder about the benefits to my clothing and hair?? Hmmmm...

Sunny Fall Day in Indiana

It's lovely today. The sun is shining, the fall colors are in their prime, and the temperature is hovering just under 60. I would love to take the afternoon off and go explore the woods with my camera in hand. However, there is much to be done here in the office, and so I will press on with the piles before me, but if only...

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Short Week Blues

It is ironic how short work weeks can be filled with such mayhem. You know what I mean, right? Four-day work weeks always seem fraught with crunching 5 days of work into 4, and 3-day work weeks are just more of the same, which is just nutty! HA! This week just happens to fall into that latter category, and since today is my last work day of this 3-day-week, I’m making myself laugh through it.

I’m laughing because:
a) it beats the alternative, which is getting sucked into the melodrama;
b) it is necessary to find humor when things get like this; and
c) it is my attempt to stay sane and keep a level head in the midst of stress.

It is also helpful to remind myself of the blessings all around me:

1. I have a good job, which helps provide for my needs like food, shelter, clothing and cable. Yes, I’m very thankful for my job.
2. I am going on vacation for a few days starting tomorrow. I’ll get to spend time with family members I haven’t seen in a while – like my Dad, my niece Janet and her fiance Chris, and my Aunt Laura and husband Leon. Lots of hugs!
3. The latest test confirmed that I don’t have a sinus infection anymore after fighting it off for the last couple of months. We’re done with that, and now I’m just experiencing seasonal allergies again for the first time since I moved to Indiana. HA! Now, THAT I can handle!
4. This weekend, I get to see more of the Smoky Mountains, revisit Cades Cove and get as close as I can to the Biltmore Estate without paying for admission, etc. WOOHOO!!!
5. Did I mention that I’m going on vacation in just a few hours? Hee hee!

I don’t mean to be all “Pollyanna” about life here. I'm a realist, too. I know it is tough out there. Our economy, unemployment stats, the government, the housing market – it all seems to be about doom and gloom right now. Every week there seems to be more bad news, but there is always something to be thankful for. There is always hope, a rainbow or a silver lining if we just look for it. We just have to remind ourselves where to rest our faith and confidence. It doesn’t reside in relationships, in money, in the government, in the economy, in employment or other things. True hope comes from THE ONE – JESUS CHRIST! And I have to ask myself often...am I passing that hope on to others? Does it shine through in spite of the rough day I'm having? Hmmmmm...

LORD, keep my eyes open to see things clearly amidst the confusion, keep my mind stayed on YOU despite the drama, and keep my heart tuned to YOURS always.

Celebrating Five Years

I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by here on the job. Five years ago yesterday, I started at my current job a bit intimidated by the size of the office, the number of fellow worker bees, and the sea of acronyms I found myself working in. But it has been a good career ride for me thus far, and I am continually grateful for this opportunity.

I had never worked in the legal realm before my experiences here, and I’m not quite sure what I expected, but today I certainly have a different opinion about attorneys and more respect for their efforts – at least patent or IP (Intellectual Property) attorneys. There is no shortage of projects and work to get through, but we also laugh a lot and enjoy each other’s company. Yep, I work with amazing and fun people.

I am blessed to be here. I don’t know where this career path will lead me, but I’m grateful for each day. Here’s to another 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 years! GULP!

Once Upon A Time…

When I got back from England, I was told by some coworkers that I needed to schedule a lunch to share my England photos. Here at the office, we call these events “Lunch ‘N Learns” where everyone brings their own lunch, and someone (me in this instance) provides the “entertainment” or “learning” session. AHEM! So I whittled down the number of photos to 399 (less than 10% of the 4,037 photos that I took) and scheduled 2 separate lunch events to fit everyone in.

Now me, I love photos. I’m crazy about them. Heck, I even like photos of perfect strangers. A few years back, I worked with a photographer for a few months in her studio, and I really enjoyed working with and editing photos of people I didn’t know. I like studying pictures and capturing new ideas for my own photos. But I know quite well that not everyone is like me. It’s a shame but a reality all the same. HA! Not everyone is a photo buff or likes seeing photos of people they know let alone someone they are not acquainted with. Especially vacation photos--everyone knows the stigma with that. So I purposefully did not invite everyone in the department to these lunches. I just sent out select invitations to a couple of people that that had asked to see my photos. Well, my little intimate gatherings snowballed.

Today I had the first sharing session, and my 4 co-workers were so kind and generous with their time. They patiently sat through my nearly 1-hour slideshow, asking me questions at the right moments and showing great interest. Next Tuesday, I’m scheduled for the 2nd viewing, and it looks like there will be 9 of us. WOW! I’m still a bit shocked by that. Honestly, I didn’t know that so many people would want to see my trip photos. I’m guessing that some of them are just being kind, but I’m still touched. I did have a splendid time in England, and I do love sharing the stories, memories and photos of my adventure.

Hmmmm...I'm ready to go back again.
Becky? Jessica? When are you free?

Enjoying the Calm While I Can

My department had a pitch-in lunch today. So we had a nice long lunch break with good food and excellent conversation, but then afterwards, it was back to business as usual. It was a bit hard to get motivated again, but we all slugged through. It was extra hard for Diet Girl since the party tables got moved down by my desk for a change, and all the leftovers were left staring at me, beckoning me over. I was pretty good though. [sigh!]

Actually, my life at the office is back to normal again. Lots to do and more projects coming in every day, but my personal and work life are starting to get back into their proper priority placement. No more overtime. WOOHOO!! Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been able to meet up with friends for dinner, catch up over coffee (No, I didn't drink it), get out on walks again, etc. It’s been pretty nice. I’ve also started planning a couple of trips with friends and family members, too. I like this pace, but I know it won’t last for long...have to enjoy each moment of calm while I can.

Thank you, LORD, for a bit of quiet. I confess it makes me nervous though...

Difficult People: I Think I Am One...

We all know, work with, are related to or have some interaction with difficult people. People that frustrate us. The acquaintance that just knows which button to push. The coworker that likes to lay the blame on our door for every error. The relative that always reminds us of something in our past we would like left forgotten.

Yes, people aren’t perfect. We are, each of us, hopelessly flawed. Truth is that most of us probably ARE that difficult person in someone else's life, whether we know it or not. We’re selfish beings who want the best for ourselves and don’t always recognize or care how something will affect someone else. We have a difficult encounter with someone, and we’re so quick to defend ourselves or prove the other person wrong. We’ve got to get out the facts, set the record straight. At least I am that way. I get frustrated and want to correct the wrong at all costs, and today, I’m more than a bit convicted of it.

I can’t always control the circumstances. I can’t set the tone for every meeting. I can’t prevent people from speaking their minds or taking a conversation down a negative path. And I certainly cannot control how others in the discussion respond either. BUT I can control my own response. My reaction, my response to the situation or conversation is what I am culpable for. I am held accountable for my own actions and thoughts, and my response is exactly what I need to master or rather turn over to THE MASTER and get HIS guidance with daily.

LORD, help my response to always be one of love and not disgust, of compassion rather than debate. Help me to turn to YOU in my frustration and to seek YOUR counsel above all else.

Again, that new take on the Serenity Prayer comes to mind...

GOD grant me the serenity
To accept the people I cannot change,
The courage to change the one I can,
And the wisdom to know it's ME!

No More Michelanie...

For the last few months, I have been working 2 different jobs in the same department while my colleague was out of the office on maternity leave. And since I've been doing my job and Michele's job, my nickname has been Michelanie. HA! (Like I need any more nicknames...)

1. The hours have been long. TOO LONG! I don’t recommend 12 hour work days. I like my job, and I'm thankful to have a job, but I don't think your job should become your life. There has to be a balance there, and I lost the battle with that one for a while.

2. The stress has been building. I actually started feeling a tic in my eye a few weeks back. Drama girl emerged from the shadows, and I was sure I was coming down with Bell’s palsy or had Tourette’s syndrome. AHEM! Fortunately, no additional symptoms developed, and I think it was just the stress.

3. The exhaustion has threatened to undo me at times. I would often get home around 8 or 8:30 PM at night and just sit there on my couch, drained of all energy and not wanting to move.

4. I haven’t been eating right. Even though I haven't gained weight, Diet Girl was disappointed to lose some momentum. I’ve been exercising less than I should be as well.

5. And don’t even get me started on the state of my apartment. To the casual eye, it may look clean, but this girl knows how long it’s been since those floors have been vacuumed. It’s truly shameful.

So while I certainly struggled under the heavy load, GOD got me through it, and HE kept me going. It was all HIS doing, not mine. There were days when I considered running away, but HE was my rock. There were moments when I was sure the sky was falling, but HE would always bring me some comic relief and make me laugh at myself.

Now I always knew this wasn’t a permanent situation, and that eventually my schedule would return to more regular business hours like before. Well, my friends (drum roll please...thank you!) THAT DAY has arrived. WOOHOO!!

Today I handed off the 2nd job back to my co-worker, who returned to the office last week and has now completed her new systems training. This afternoon, I got to move projects from my desk over to her desk. I started spring cleaning my space--rearranging piles, going through some paperwork, getting organized to do the tasks at hand, etc. I got out the Mr. Clean disinfecting wipes and tidied up my office, too. WHAT A FEELING! I’m elated. I’m relieved. I’m blissed out. [BIG SIGH!]

I only have one more work day this week, and then I’m off for the week. I’ll return back into the office next Monday. I know there will be plenty of projects waiting for me at my own desk: legal documents to prepare, inventors to meet with, drafts to finish, databases to update, etc.; but I’m actually looking forward to a fresh start, to a new beginning for July. It will be wonderful to fully concentrate on my own job and do it to the best of my ability!

Thank you, LORD! Thank you for seeing me through these past few months. Thank you for letting me lean on YOU and in your strength! YOU are awesome!

Office Chatter

A colleague was writing a letter to some outside counsel this week, and she misspelled the word inconvenience on the draft. Spell check immediately caught the error and gave her several suggestions.

However, the first suggestion was not the word inconvenience. No, actually, Microsoft Word suggested the word “incontinence” as the first choice. She laughed and had to share the story with the rest of us, and so for the rest of the day, we joked about that almost slip of the tongue.

Can you imagine if she had accidentally chosen that first suggestion from spell check and sent the letter?

Dear Sirs:

We apologize for any incontinence...

Hmmmmm...a bit too personal, isn't it? Hee hee!

Just A Wee Bit Stressed

I've been one excessive workaholic lately, and there has been little time for else. My pregnant co-worker got put on bed rest 2 weeks ago, and ever since, I've been doing both of our jobs. (Read: beaucoup over time; breakfast, lunch and dinner at the office; piles of work to get through; trying to maintain a sense of humor; etc.)

I'm a bit exhausted right now, but other than that, I am doing well. I know that I will make it through this, and thankfully, I am not alone. I have co-workers that are trying to help me out as much as possible, and others that give me extra moral support. And besides all that, I know that GOD is right in the thick of things with me, and I have so much to be thankful for.

1. I have a job, and GOD continues to provide for my every need.
2. This over time business isn't forever, and July will be here before I know it.
3. I have only 26 days until I fly internationally for the first time and get that first stamp in my passport. WOOHOO!! OK, I'm totally ready to count down the hours now...
4. The sun was shining brilliantly out there today, and I got out of the office around 7 PM just in time to admire it for a few. Lovely!
5. Tomorrow starts the weekend, and I am determined not to come into the office this weekend. [Fingers crossed]

Yes, I am blessed. I have much to praise HIM for. I'm sure there are lots of other things I could name off right now, but I'm about to fade out here.

Good night! Sweet Dreams, my friend!

High On Life

I’m high on life today. It might have something to do with how I spent my morning here in corporate America. I brought my MP3 player to work today just because I could. I woke up exhausted this morning, and I thought that listening to some tunes while I worked might boost my dragging energy levels. I mean, it worked for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, didn’t it? WAIT! That was whistling, wasn’t it? Oh well, you get the point. So anyway, I was plugged in from 7:30 to 10 AM, and it has made all the difference.

There is a certain recording artist that always makes me smile. OK, there are really several that move me, but I have a certain bounce in my step and lightness in my heart when I hear one voice in particular. His music and his lyrics--they just get to me every time. I’m convicted, compelled to keep listening and inspired to carry on. I’m not going to mention his name. I’ve already given him a lot of free press on my blog, and I don’t want to give him a big head because of my excessive compliments and mentions of said brilliance. HA!

Free press indeed! As if I had millions of readers...let's be realistic here. The handful of you that read this regularly have endured my countless complimentary babbling on his musical flair in the past, and so I am trying to refrain from further gratuitous publicity. OOPS! I think I just did again. HA!

Well now, as I said, I’m high on life. I think I hear the birds singing, my heart is soaring, my head is in the clouds, and I’m resisting the urge to run outside and twirl on the grounds here at work belting out: “The hills are alive with the sound of music, with songs they have sung for a thousand years, ahhhhhhhhh…” [Barb and Heidi, you both would join me, right? Come on...]

GOD is good, and I’m grateful for the boundless joy HE has provided. I’d like to capture today’s joy in a bottle and save it like a sweet perfume to savor over and over again. Maybe by blogging about it, I have done just that.

I wish you a day filled with happiness, peace and joy! Embrace it.

You Know You Are Tired When...

Your co-worker sends you a meeting notice with the subject line: "How about lunch toady?" You accept the meeting notice and start thinking about what to eat for lunch. So it's 7:40 AM and you just finished your breakfast. One meal down it's time to plan for lunch. HA!

A few minutes later, this same co-worker sends you an instant message telling you about the slip-up of "toady" rather than "today." It is then you realize that you were insulted and hadn't even noticed.

Hmmmm...Mel-Belle, you might want to get some extra sleep tonight! Hee hee!

How Do You Say...

In the office, we have quite a hodge-podge of accents both globally and from the USA. Here in the IP section, I continually get re-educated on regional dialects in the USA especially, and I find it amazing.

For example, my friend Stephanie is from Kentucky, and she moved back to Louisville a few years ago. My friend Kristen and I planned a weekend excursion to visit her, and when I told my co-worker Dena about my trip, she hastily corrected me on the correct pronounciation of Louisville.

“Not Louey-vill, Mel. It’s Loo-ih-vull.”

Now Dena is from Tennessee, and so I trusted her advice, and after a few day of intense phonetic training, I finally got my Midwestern tongue to say it as she suggested. The silly thing is that once I got the pronounciation down, I had to say the word extremely fast so that I wouldn’t screw it up. It quickly became a one-and-a-half syllable word for me. Dena joked that she was tempted to say Gesundheit each time I said the city since my pronounciation was more like a sneeze than a word. HA!

Well, fast forward a couple of years, and we get a new attorney in the office from Louisville, and being the Southern gentleman that he is, it takes him a while to finally correct my pronounciation and that of Dena’s for his beloved hometown.

“Slow it down, Mel. It’s Loo-uh-vull. It should just roll off your tongue.”

So I’ve been practicing the correct recitation ever since, but it has brought up a couple more questions in my mind. Does that mean that Nashville should be Nash-vull? Knoxville be Knox-vull? Asheville be Ash-vull? And what about Greenville? I lived there for 4 years, and I don’t recall anyone correcting my speech and suggesting that I call it Green-vull. Or does it depend upon which of the Carolina Greenville’s you are referring? Now, I’m confused.

I’m a Midwest girl. It is what it is. I grew up with that nasal Michigan thing going for me, but then I went to college in South Carolina and have now lived in Indiana for 12+ years. Honestly I’m not sure where I sound like I’m from. When I’m tired, the Michigan comes out in me. Words like car become different, and it’s a dead give-away. But ordinarily under proper resting conditions, I’m not sure what a linguistic expert would say of my speech. Would he pinpoint the Michigan thing instantly? Would he sense the Carolina influence? Would he detect the Hoosier-isms?

Oh well! I don’t know any Professor Higgins types to investigate it further, and let’s face it, I’m no Eliza Doolittle either. I just think it’s fascinating to study how people say the same word from location to location. I love the differences which make up this melting pot I am pleased to call home.

Let Your Inner Song Out

I can usually determine what kind of day we’re going to have here in the IP section by whether or not Carl sings at my desk. Yes, you heard that right. I frequently get "serenaded" by one of my attorneys when he is in a good mood. He has a pretty good voice, by the way, and he likes to compose new lyrics to familiar tunes to make them relevant to our work environment. This morning he started off with some tune I didn’t recognize, and naturally expected me to reply in song at 7:15 AM...

Him: [singing] Good Morning, Melanie, and how are you today?

Me: [talking] I’m just peachy.

Him: [singing] Please reply in song.

Me: [talking] I haven’t warmed up my vocal chords yet.

He went on half-talking and half-singing for 5 minutes about how and why I should sing more. Then he tells me that I especially need to practice singing for England.

Me: Huh? Why do I need to get ready to sing in England? Is there a music tour I’m going on that I don’t know about?

Him: True love requires singing. Let your song out. How else are you going to snag a husband in England without a song?

Me: [laughing] Ommmmm...so you’re back to that again, are you? [He’s been going on and on for months about how he feels my purpose on this trip to England is to find a duke, earl, lord or someone with aristocratic blood to marry.]

Him: [He paused for a moment to mentally compose his response.] Whether through your voice of through your heart, if you’re not singing, you must part.

Me: Wow! That’s--that’s something.

Him: Didn’t know I had the gift, did you?

Me: I knew you had something. Not sure I’d call it a gift. [We laughed some more, and he continued on with his rant.]

Actually, I love to sing. I just don’t like to sing publicly. No more of that! I grew up doing solos, duets and trios in church and school programs, and it was torture for me--the knocking knees, the faltering voice, the gulps mid-song, the sea of faces, etc. OK, so trios and duets weren't quite as bad, but those solos were just the worst! I’m shivering just thinking about it, or maybe I’m shivering because it’s 14 degrees below 0 this morning, and I still haven’t recovered my body heat after my mad dash from the car to the building. [One moment please...I’m gonna put on my gloves now.]

There that’s better. Where was I?

Anyway, I love to sing, but I just have a mediocre voice. It's not anything amazing at all. For one thing, I don't have a really strong voice. Part of that is a lack of confidence when it comes to singing, I guess. But I have been known to belt out along with Sarah Brightman while cleaning. Yes, I like to clean with Sarah or Michael [Buble], and I just can't listen to them--I must sing along, but even then I'm hoping my neighbors can't hear me over the vacuum. HA!

Throughout the day, I usually have a song going in my head even if it’s just the Smurfs theme song. La-lah, la-lah-lah-la... Or a show tune like I Could Have Danced All Night or some obscure Broadway song that Sarah Brightman has introduced me to like Meadowlark. Oh, I love that song! [sigh!]

Now Carl likes to walk by my desk singing one of those annoying ditties that gets in your head and then won’t leave like Don’t Worry Be Happy or In the Jungle. You know what I mean, right? You get those songs in your head, and all day you are trying to cleanse them out and get another tune going to replace them. Anything else would be better. Yeah, that drives me crazy, which is definitely a short drive some days.

Hmmmm...maybe I will take Carl's advice just this once. Maybe I should rehearse a song and be ready just in case I meet Mr. Right in an English garden or along a bike or walking trail in Indiana. At our meeting, I will burst into song...

*If ever I would leave you,
How could it be in spring-time?
Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so?
Oh, no! not in spring-time!
Summer, winter or fall!
No, never could I leave you at all!*

What do you think? Should I pick something else? You don't think it's too much for a chance encounter, do you? HA!

I’m just kidding, of course.

Whatever you do and wherever you are today, I hope you release your inner song, as Carl suggests. Let it out. Whisper if you must, hum along as you will, whistle about your day, croon to your colleagues, yodel as you drive home, croon to the radio, but whatever you do release your inner song and share it. As for me, I'm going back to the previously scheduled song in my head now. And NO, I'm not going to tell you what it is. Some things are meant to be private... Hee hee!

*Taken from 1960's Camelot, selection from If Ever I Would Leave You, music and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Comic Relief 101

Let me share a recent conversation between me and one of my attorneys.

SETTING THE SCENE: Someone was in the conference room that this attorney and his fellow attorneys had reserved, and so for a few minutes, the 4 of them were all standing around my desk waiting for the previous meeting, which was quite obviously going long, to disperse.

Him: Hey, Melanie, why don’t you go knock on that door and clear the room for us?

Me: What? Are you scared of kicking them out of the room? Come on. You can do it. You attorneys thrive on conflict and confrontation. You live for it. That’s why you became a lawyer, isn’t it? You know it’s true.

Him: How prejudicial of you? I can’t believe you just said that. [He paused for a moment, and I could tell his brain was churning and that I was about to be dinged.]

Him: Saying that every lawyer likes conflict is like saying that every legal assistant is helpful!

Me: OUCH! [laughing] I didn’t see that one coming.

I've heard him repeat our conversation at least 3 times now. He sure is awfully proud of himself for that comeback.

Welcome to my world! This is just part of our daily banter in the IP (Intellectual Property) Section of the Legal Department, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It keeps me guessing and laughing even while under tremendous stress from approaching deadlines or immense pressure from the insurmountable stacks of paperwork attacking my desk. Ahhhh...what would we do without comic relief? I know that I'm rather thankful for it.