Monday, April 13, 2009

This and That

1.) Chiquita took me out to lunch today to celebrate my 3 month anniversary. (I will personally be celebrating by getting health insurance with my benefits stipend. Oh, and passing out business cards. Being a grown up is amazingly fun.) She said that we could go anywhere but since we both love a good taco I suggested we go to one of our favorite Mexican dives. And now I'm in a Mexican food induced coma. I have tissue at the ready in case I start drooling on the key board.

Why is it that the best Mexican food is always in the seedier part of town? We went to this little place tucked behind the hot rod track at the fair grounds. It was technically La Verne but I'm pretty sure La Verne would cede it to Pomona if they asked nicely and offered a cookie. I felt slightly conspicuous getting out of Chiquita's Mercedes and I clutched my handbag to my chest like the true 80 year I am. But it's clean and I wanted to marry my enchilada, so it gets 5 stars from me.

2.) There was an article in the New York Times this morning about the need for bathroom stalls for women at sporting arenas and theaters. In the article was the following sentence: "Groups including the American Restroom Association and the World Toilet Organization view quick access to clean public toilets as no laughing matter." It is no laughing matter indeed. But I'm pretty sure that the American Restroom Association and the World Toilet Organization technically are laughing matters. I know because I couldn't stop giggling over them. Where can I sign up?

3.) In other news, in order to cut costs without laying off, a corporate law firm in New York offered their associates the chance to take a year off at a third of their pay, which, for most associates, comes out to about $80,000. They can do whatever they want. They just come back after a year. They were shocked when so many of the associates took them up on the offer.

What would you do with $80,000 and a year?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

give half of it to my daughter and son-in-law and then babysit their twin babies till my head explodes.

Nora's world said...

Can you post (or send me) the name of the little restaurant? I NEED a good Mexican restaurant.

Amanda said...

Oh, I'm so jealous. I wonder if they are calling it sabbatical. I've always wanted to say that 'I'm on sabbatical' and I think that just quitting my job doesn't entitle me to that luxury. Although, I do say that I'm retired and that's a stretch as well. Maybe I'll just start saying I'm on sabbatical, but I will of course feel the need to go abroad to do some sort of research.
A year off and $80,000? Hmm, well since I have the year off, I'd hire a nanny and then travel a bit. I'll need a nanny! After going to Chicago for a week with Nathan and trying to carry around all his baby crap (I mean stuff) I'm feeling like nannys are essential when traveling with children. Can I get that law firms name? Maybe these days big companies aren't really too careful with their records and I could convince them that I was in fact an associate with them.

Heather said...

I used to drive past that place all the time! It looks like it'd be really authentic. Now I'll have to stop in. Maybe tonight.

My $80,000 would definitely include a trip with my friends--maybe a cruise.
And my dream of getting my hands dirty in a foreign country (digging a well in Africa, or building an orphanage in South America) would become a reality!

Unknown said...

I suspect the folks listed on this web page don't think the American Restroom Association is silly

www.americanrestroom.org/pr/who.htm

Gina said...

I wonder if the World Trade Organization and the World Toilet Organization ever get each other's mail?

Stephanie said...

Yea for seedy Mexican restaurants! It's what makes life bearable.

Funny toilet story . . . We went to this gold mining town in the Superstition mountains a few weeks ago. We went for a chili cookoff, which was oh so much fun. We needed a toilet and found the women's restroom. Inside were two toilets - not two stalls, two toilets. Right next to each other, both in relative working order. I peed right next to my mother - it was every bit as romantic as I thought it would be.

Rach said...

I'm guessing that it's thanks to the American Restroom Association and the World Toilet Organization that we don't have squat pots in rest stops in our country. I offer them many thanks. I wonder if they have long discussions about the use of the Eastern Europe Trophy Shelf Toilet and the effect its water conservation could have on public restrooms at our rest stops.

The Katzbox said...

I learn new stuff all the time from reading blogs. Today's "new stuff" comes from Rachel's blog: the American Restroom Assoc. and the World Toilet Org. I just wish I could have been in the inspirational meeting when the men/women were sitting together (?) and the light bulb went off. Oh to be a fly on that wall...or not....

80 grand and a year off?..live like a miser and pay off school debt....