work

The Happy Place

| Viciously Sweet

I haven’t had time to draw lately.

It’s all work and well more work… and work on the weekend to make deadlines kind of work.

Needless to say the sun is not the only thing burning me out during the 8-5 of it all.

In fact all this work has made me feel uber dull. In fact I was feeling like when Spongebob stopped being silly and devoted his life to becoming more normal:

I felt like I lost that silly spark of mine.

I had this terrifying dream on Monday night of me being in a beige blazer in a cubicle, doing spread sheets and i couldn’t get them to print right on my 80’s dot matrix printer. Basically I was Jane Fonda in 9-5 and I was hating my existence:

I feel bad that she had to wear this outfit… I feel worse that I was wearing it’s beige cousin in my dreams.

And I felt trapped. This horrible amount work is controlling everything do. I mean is was even in my dreams!

I was only really resuscitated yesterday by a day of severe office goofing off… my deadlines were over and the new guy is really fun to be goofy with.

This is kind of what yesterday was like… but more like this with ruler jousting.

… and making bottle launchers, and playing pranks on Amber. (Who I think secretly enjoyed the weird screensaver and Rick-rolling.)

So in a better state of mind from a less stressful work load. I decided to get back into a doodly state of mind. I looked in my vast archives to find a doodle I made when I was a completely joy enraptured state.

And I found this stunning brainstorming cloud up in my fancy notebook. It explains the perfect storm of my personal happiness:

Just some things that put a smile on my face.

And reading all my silly joys just brought me right back to my giggly self.

I am sitting here thinking about vinyl records, the beach, how very nice the blanket I have stuffed in my work desk feels. I have a feeling the rest of my day may just be awesome.

Also I think I have a great idea for a series of things that make me and others go “Oooh.” Be prepared. Tell me things that make you go “Oooh” too… and you never know what can be doodled from that!

♥Lauren

(All images that are not mine are courtesy of Tumblr)

Blinded by the Light

| Viciously Sweet

I have been gone for a while. But I never stay away too long. I actually I get really bummed when I don’t get to blog or draw for a while and well it’s time to get back to doodling!

Today I have to share something that has never happened to me in the nearly 7 years I have worked for this company.

I actually have too much light in my workspace.

You see I’m used to working in a space with no natural light :

This is pretty much my old cubicle space [image courtesy of imgur]
Before you say… Hey Lauren, I remember you totally wanted a window when you moved offices?  Well yes, I do remember this. And having a window is really great! I get to see hummingbirds, and squirrels galore (better than just seeing wasps and spiders). But I was just not prepared for all the light. I guess all 7 years of mole like office conditions, made me forget how serious the sun can be. It is in fact so serious, that in the afternoon when I look at my west facing window my computer screen seems as if I am staring into the pearly gates of Microsoft Excel.

Hey Girl, welcome to my pearly gates… have you got that color board sent out to my homie Jim? He really needs that thing.

At a few times after I had to put on sunglasses to see my emails… I thought maybe I was on my way to the pearly gates and I still had a work deadline. Only I would be working until the end. And I hadn’t even seen the rest of season 4 of Arrested Development… I just couldn’t deal with that thought. But I could deal with the thought that heaven is probably full of really good food and I was kind of hungry.

And now I have come to the conclusion… that I may be the office vampire. I mean I like being pasty, I am always wearing sunscreen (even at work) and I am quite skilled at adept at avoiding sun beams, and well I’m not a big fan of being stabbed with wooden stakes.

My boss thought I was exaggerating when he came out of his office to see me typing with my sunglasses on. The when he came over to my cubicle he realized I was in fact not exaggerating with my Stevie Wonder like wardrobe change. He then told me I could get extra blinds  because when he came into my cubicle space and couldn’t even see the work on my computer.

I knew I wasn’t exaggerating that badly… and plus working with shades makes me feel cool, like Lenny Kravitz, or Shades from “That Thing You Do”.

I am a mole person in Malibu Barbie’s work space. Like totally.

♥Lauren

Today’s Pretzel

| Viciously Sweet

Today I wanted a pretzel, but like a good one. You know a soft pretzel that has like saltiness, and is delivered to you buy angel’s playing a harp with their non pretzel holding hand. But, I had to settle for a hard one from work. They are okay and everything but no one ever closes the container and well, they are not fresh. Like 2 days after they come into this office… they are beyond unfresh.

And much like a Mindy Kaling book, everyone at work is hanging out without me. I know this because I found them all in one room when I was on my way to the bathroom. I listened for a minute or two, but was not really interested in the fact that they were talking about girls throwing up and being drunk in general. And the lushiest lush of all of them was enjoying the fact he was the only sober person at this event. Like, seriously so much nerve was being had! And as he bragged about his un-inebriated state, I told him “Well, there is a first time for everything.”

Why am I going on about this? This post is supposed to be about snacks…

So anyways I ate pretzels. And I don’t usually say this about food… but:

These pretzels are like the worst.

 

♥Lauren

Not the New Mother Teresa

| Viciously Sweet

I have been vacationing. Or as cool hip people say “Stay-cationing”.

And it was nice.

Got to see my family. Got a super cool tan on just my arms.

But let’s be honest. I am not Justin Timberlake and I must go back to work a lot sooner than in 7 years. The poor girl I am got more like 4 days (3 if you count one of them was a national holiday). And so I got into the office kind of keeping a low profile as I left the office last week with pretty cold feelings about the dudes I work with.

I got through to lunch by talking to Amber, getting my work done… and very seriously ignoring the other 2 like crazy.

And then I went to the bathroom, and I was engaged in small talk. With the more silent, but equally insulting person I work with. A person who before I went on my break called me “the weirdest person he’s ever met” without humor behind it and who had previously told me some pretty cruel unasked for observations on my personality. A real stand up kind of dude, if you would.

While I was talking to him about my family’s trip and a really strange day to pick at Disneyland. BECAUSE HE ASKED, I REMIND YOU! I notice another coworker giving him a look and then rolling his eyes at me. They both looked at each other and smiled. And I don’t know what that meant, but I knew it was about them being straight up not nice people.

To quote Stephanie Tanner:

Seriously Rude. Image courtesy of Gifrific.com

Usually I try to take their insults with stride, trying to be the bigger person. But I am quite candidly done. I am not running for new Mother Teresa. After that special conversation I realized, I am not crazy about them, and I don’t find them to be respectful characters in my life. But seriously, I had only talked to them for about 3 minutes in a whole work day.

I cannot forgive their rudeness today. I mean they only have to see me for 3 days, why can’t they just be pleasant?!?!?!

Well at least this conversation left me inspired to make today’s doodle:

This may hinder my need for a tattoo across my stomach that says “PUGLIFE” when I leave this profession to become a world famous pug dealer… but it may be more helpful for my life in general.

I hope everyone else’s day was a little less rude. Also, I have permanent marker all over my hands because I cannot handle pens…

Now I’m going to draw sections of buildings and be happy.

♥Lauren

 

Amber Protocol: Tri-folds and Tribulations

| Viciously Sweet

We all have our protocol quirks in my office.

-Proper phone etiquette is a biggie. (I always tell people to have a nice day when I say my professional tidings.)

-Being more streamlined. (this is all the Professional.)

-Getting our deadlines done. (I think most people want this.)

-Not having a break-room full of ants (sane people.)

-Refilling the water for the Keurig (People who don’t want the world to end. My boss wants coffee.)

-Getting prints at a good quality (the printer is my nemesis )

-Using the tri-pod to take project photos (Ahem, Professional)

-Not having enough bullet points (it seems like enough, now :) )

And well now I know one of my new desk mates big professional gripes… incorrectly folding invoices:

She’s going to judge you and your whole company if it has that weird extra bit folded over the rest of it.

So remember when you send us stuff, and you want Amber to not be mad… tri-fold it like you mean it.

Does anybody else have a serious office procedural quirk? Or just how you think things should be done? Are we just crazy in this office?

The world may never know.

♥Lauren

One of those Days…

| Viciously Sweet

I have spent too much time away from my blog.

And I have suffered consequences.

I am stressed, my hair is turning white. I am drinking 2 sodas a week. And umm.. I can’t think of a third thing…. but I’m sure that it’s happening… and that it is on the equivalent of 2 sodas bad.

I guess I have been too busy. But that doesn’t really excuse me, because a lot of my joy is sharing silliness with people. In a strange was it is what calms me. And right now I totally need this before I start work-related-crying. (I have been redoing the same project every other hour for the last 15 work hours… and none of the printers are working and… my head is about to explode.)

So I took a moment during my lunch break to color a few things and this is one of them.

Because I am such an odd bird, I don’t really think this drawing needs much context… because well this kind of stuff happens to me… a lot:

It’s been one of those days. Just hand me my spotted wings.

♥Lauren

 

Office Confessions: Just like Heaven…

| Viciously Sweet

So today has been a mildly uneventful day in my hood.

And I am just fine with that… While I found myself getting lost in grids and information blocks of doors and room information. I got a big smile on my face. I was listening to the Cure.

And sometimes things just don’t get much better than that!

I just love listening to the Cure. Robert Smith rocks my socks!

Also tomorrow is my brothers birthday he’s going to be the big 4-0! Which means 4! Happy Pre-Birthday Tony!

♥Lauren

 

Stress, Potato Salad and Happiness

| Viciously Sweet

Happy April Fools Day/ First Day of April/Kris Marshall’s birthday/ 88th Anniversary of the Formation of The Royal Canadian Air Force.

Today I have had a lot to deal with:

-really stressful deadlines! I mean I was already running late today and then I come in and everything is the worst and due at the same time… Um give me a moment to panic:

I already didn’t take a lunch! I can’t find extra time!

-Trying to set up appointments so my car can look less crunchy from behind. Never a problem for a Kardashian… but, it’s a problem from my car’s rearside.

FUN FACT: I drive a candy bar. And… well summers are very sticky.

-making my stapler fancy:

It’s costume is so cool it’s now in the Justice League in the corner of my desk… The Scurvy Stapler of Justice is here!

– Defeating the evil in my general area. It’s a real affliction over here. And for a few weeks I’ve retreated… but there is only so long I can be pushed around until I get all well Warrior Princess on you.

Your Nonsense: I will shut it all down! All of our office supplies will have faces!!! BWA HA HA!

-eating my potato salad while it was still cool from refrigeration .

It’s been out of the fridge since 9!!!!! And now it’s lunchtime!!!!!

(The last one was much harder than it sounded. It took about 45 minutes to get to eat it between all the work I was doing, and our office fridge is still not functioning.)

 

But today is just not a day I want to remember being stressed out for. Because, I choose no to! There has to be a silver-lining to this Garfield grumbling of a Monday! So now that I’ve finished 2 deadlines, some mildly cool potato salad, and set up an appointment for my car to get some reconstructive surgery… I can share something really wonderful with the people who read this blog:

“San Francisco” from the Mowgli’s- this song is like sunshine and love had a baby, and their baby became musical.

This song according to Amber is very hipster. It probably is, but I think it is 100% fun. And you can hear it blaring out of my car everywhere I drive lately. And I even have a horrible Polynesian/ belly-dance dance for it!

 

And here’s a little doodle to go along with all the joy in this post:

It is because you make it that way!

♥Lauren

(All images, besides mine are courtesy of the rad people who host thangs on IMGUR)

 

If you have nothing nice to say…

| Viciously Sweet
*cricket sounds*

Right now I’m going through one of those if you have nothing nice to say kind of moments.

And dear Internet, I need some help before I get really mad.

I am really at the end of my tether with this bad time coworker of mine. Everything is everyone else’s fault, everyone is undermining and being mean to them. They can say mean and rude things, but no one can say anything back without basically being the anti-christ.

Actually, no Internet. I will correct myself… I don’t work with Taylor Swift… but there is a special place in hell reserved for me according to this person. And, as long as they are not there… I will take it.

The worst thing is lately, I have been having such a great time in the office. Let’s just say… practically all of our office supplies have homemade top hats, or pope hats.

And then it happened. Today was the last straw when the fun police swooped in, and my personality became the issue. My personality! I’m sorry I’m too cheerful, and try to make the office a nice place to be in. I’m sorry I leave little notes and happy things around the office.

Actually, wait  a minute. I am not sorry. I am not sorry for a damned thing. And for the risk of becoming really mad I will say nothing else. I’m going to retreat for the rest of the day, just to maintain some cheer.

Snarky side note to said coworker: Why don’t you just go talk about tree trimming for another 20 minutes? Everyone found it really captivating last time… and by everyone, I mean no one.

But don’t think I”m giving up. I will survive. And  tomorrow I’m coming at you with the sparkly fury of Rainbow Bright. And you will be my murky dismal.

♥LAUREN