Apparently some of my writing is being emailed around? HA! I’m glad I could entertain. Am I providing insight? Humor? Inspiration?

In any case, I’ll use this time to bring your attention to the late Katie Reider, whose music and life should inspire you. For $1 you can own some of her music and give to a good cause.

Tonight I saw The X-Files: I Want To Believe. I’m not going to spoil it. I am going to see it again next week with a friend whose friendship was, in the early days, built on the show and will probably have more to say after that. I liked it. I really did. It wasn’t spectacular like The Dark Knight, but it was quiet and atmospheric and even a wee bit thought-provoking. Gillian Anderson writ large is still breathtaking (though I often temporarily fixate on the cuteness that is her uneven blinking) and as in most of my favorite episodes of the show, she is the frosting keeping the gingerbread house upright. I might also add that in my world–the one where the show ended with “Je Souhaite”–this movie drops in quite nicely.

I’ve learned over the years that having low expectations of Chris Carter is best. I think I had pretty high expectations of the flick despite my best intentions. Not bad, CC. Not too bad.

Gillian Anderson is just adorkable. I sometimes forget this, but with all the press around the new X-Files movie, she’s everywhere. I’m enough of a dork that her televised appearances are on my Google calendar. Really.

Last night she was on Leno. I was not home, and I didn’t TiVo. Nevermind that, though, because that’s why we have YouTube. I do love that I watch her live like this and I’m always on the verge of fear of what’s going to pop out of her mouth. She skirts a bit toward the British accent in there, which I also think is adorable…but I have so much adoration for her anyhow, that I’m a terrible barometer.

Read this article from Salon which does a pretty good job of explaining my love of Scully (and by extension, Gillian herself). Though I’d take Scully over Gillian if I got to choose. But if I didn’t get to choose, I’d take either. I’m not stupid.

Even though Sarah gave me a partially used container of sugar and a bike frame (which I forgot to take) instead of the X-Files prop she has, I have to wave to her here. I was glad to get your (by proxy) text from Barstow. Drive safely and I hope the cats can poop in the box while the car is moving. We miss you already! Git yerserlf a job now!

Firstly, if you lag even more than me, you must stop what you are doing and you must go see The Dark Knight. It was awesome. Spectacular. Having just watched Heath Ledger chew the screen, spit it out, and make me beg for more, I implore you to put yourself through the experience as well. Goddamn that was good stuff.

In other news:

• Fuck bike theives!
• Joss Whedon is brilliant! And no, that’s not a link to Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.
• Then there’s my Friday night which I’m so looking forward to.

Thus I am not re-installing the small gate in the backyard. I could change the bulb on the porch light, but instead, I’m blogging off my brunch Chavela (chilled glass with salted rim, filled with Beer, shot of Tequila, splash of Tomato Juice, squirt of Lime Juice, and a touch of Tapatio) from Bill’s Cafe. Yummy. I could’ve used more salt, but it was the perfect amount of Tapatio. Maybe I could make it with Cholula if I make it at home…

My new job! It allows me to have weekends and I pretty much just work the same schedule every day. It’s an amazing little invention called a “fixed schedule.” After six years of retail, it’s actually a minor miracle that I still remember what a weekend even is! What I’m doing right now is working at Phil Wood & Co. doing a little bit of everything. Though I have a fancy title (VP of Global Operations), I cut my day with answering phones, weird tech questions, product assembly, organization, graphic design, technical writing, merchandising, new product research, and shipping and receiving. I love it!

My short attention span is perfect for this job, as is my love of cycling, my nerdiness about cycling, and the fact that I can dork out reading Bicycle Retailer and updates on the Tour de France and consider it actual work-relevant research. I’ve been there for about a month now, and I’m really finding my feet. I think it’s a great place to work and we’re producing great products that are designed and manufactured right here in San Jose.

A lot of the things I’m doing at work aren’t bloggable (much like the last job), but it makes me enormously happy just to be doing them. I’d spent the last year or so at REI, not really wanting to be there. It had its perks, but huge annoyances were turning into impossible working conditions and the really good health insurance wasn’t going to help me if work was making me sick. Wanting to stay in the industry of outdoor gear left me with few options, though there are actually more options than one might think. I did put a few applications out there and even interviewed for a retail store manager position (they couldn’t offer me compelling money or benefits in the end) for a well-known brand within the industry. This job just fell into my lap, really, but proves once again that if you have the skills, are passionate about the work (or the industry), then you can get something you will like. Build those working relationships. It’s all about who you know.

The lesson here for me was to understand that my happiness at work was ultimately the most important thing. Being unhappy at work led me to being unhappy at home, and it made me grumpy with Bryan, which is about the last thing I want to do. It took me a while, but I figured out what I wanted, the conditions I wanted to work under, and the amount of sacrifices I was willing to make in order to get the work I wanted. This move cost me a little bit, however I ultimately commute less, spend more time at home and with friends, and am happy. I’m allowed to be a more committed wife and friend. I can make family events. Today I went to a last-minute brunch.

Find balance in your life. It’s something I used to hear a lot about when I was at REI. I found it by leaving REI.