After gulping three Dr. Pepper's and chowing down on some free pizza, I felt I had bolstered my courage enough to plow through the eight boxes that I brought home from my old office. Going through them, I struggled to hold back the tears because I just plain feel horrible about leaving that job. I worked my tail off to no avail, while others profited by slacking off and engaging in unethical behavior. But the worst is that my boss's actions rarely followed her words and I was fool enough to believe her. I have learned ever so much, but the lessons hurt still. I wish they did not.

At the end of my labors, I still had eight boxes, but I did have two full trash bags of things I should have let go of long before. I had two boxes of things that I kept in and on my desk. I also had a box of things that I used since I ate lunch at my desk while I worked nearly every day. For someone who does not drink coffee, I have three of those metallic thermal mugs. I really do not use them, but they are nice ones. I do have all I need for my nasty-tasting-but-healthy protein shakes. A fourth box was supplies that I had brought from home to augment my work since ordering supplies meant going through something like an inquisition. The rest of the boxes were resources that I have amassed over the years, things that help me think and plan and strategize.

What was not in there were the samples of collateral that I had developed that I thought I brought home. I do have two binders of copies of just about all my work and three folders with brochures in them. I did not have the extra copies of all the of the design work that I could have sworn were in there. I cannot begin to express my disappointment that I will not be able to create a portfolio (other than an electronic one) without asking my old organization for samples. ARGH!

I did take the opportunity to clean out my utility closet in the basement a bit, including the file cabinet in there, and the closet where I am storing half of the boxes. I ended up with a third trash bag and a much cleaner space.

I did realize that I left my blender at the office. I wonder if I can gather the nerves to go retrieve it.

I was cheered this afternoon by reveling in the slug-fest between the Falcons and the Steelers. Rightfully so, Michael Vick drove the Falcons to an overtime victory to cap off a rather thrilling game. Now, if the Colts will just beat the Redskins, it will be a good day. The Cowboys don't play until tomorrow night.

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NOTE: "No Hassle Miles" are a fallacy. No hassle means six to eight weeks to redeem even a gift certificate. I had planned to use them to get one that I could use to purchase an auto navigation system. My friend W suggested I think about getting one the last time I was lost. After calming down after being lost on Friday , I called to see why the gift certificate had not arrived since it was supposed to be shipped via UPS. I learned that the order of two weeks ago to redeem the miles had not yet been processed...and most likely would not be processed for at least four more weeks. My only option offered by the representative: to put the miles back into my account.