Not just another week in San Diego

It's been quite some time since I last posted a blog entry, so this will probably be a big, fat, juicy one! I just capped off a jam-packed week (for me, at least) and enjoyed a few new experiences.

Monday, as a part of my Employee of the Month "duties", I visited a few branches along with my supervisor, branch manager, and my executive of choice, the lady in charge of all the branches. All three are a hoot and a half, so we had a blast. Our visits involved drawings for gift cards at each branch, all resulting from superior service awards. They took a picture of me and the winners at each place (not one of my favorite things lol), and it's amazing how many people are waaaay shorter than I am...made for some hilarious pictures!

After our visits, I was able to pick a place to eat lunch..and after some helpful advice, we went to The C Level on Harbor Island, where we spent at least 4 hours, and ate so much food! This restaurant, part of the more expensive Island Prime, is located right on the bay with a fantastic view of the San Diego cityscape, and we got a table right in the corner of the patio and enjoyed the beautiful weather and view. I got to try steamed mussels for the first time (delicous!) along with a few other appetizers, a scrumptious entree involving lobster, and a small key lime pie as dessert. A few beers and wine rounded out the huge meal. I will definitely have to go back there someday. If only every work day could be like Monday was, I'd really, REALLY love going to work lol

Wednesday, I went to our company's "Circle of Excellence" awards banquet at Qualcomm Stadium's Stadium Club, where I and about 30 others received gift cards and certificates for our performance last quarter...along with a nice dinner and an open bar! This was my 2nd time going to this event and I hope to make it to at least 1 more, especially the annual event, which I hear is phenomenal. What I really love about these events is that I get to mingle with some of the executives I don't see very much. It reminds me how awesome they all are, and how fun they are. These banquets are actually very enjoyable.

After the dinner, a few of my coworker buddies and some new people I met went out to a bar down the street, got some more beer, and hung out till midnight. This was totally out of the norm for me, since I usually go to bed at like 10 on weekdays lol. But it was worth it...such a fun night!

Today, I woke up at 4am (no big deal to me!) to go volunteer at a triathlon/duathlon at the Imperial Beach Pier. Not only did I get a free t-shirt and food out of the event, but I also got to be around more hot guys than I've ever seen in one place! Dayamn! I was assigned (along with 4 other volunteers) to wait after the finish line to collect the tracking chips from everyone. These chips were attached to a band that was velcroed around everyone's legs, near their feet. Since the athletes were not supposed to bend over, we had them put the leg on a chair and removed the bands for them. I ended up being the person who reminded the athletes to let us get their chips and not to bend over, though I did get to take bands off too (and I loved that part a little too much when it involved one of the studs lol).

While one guy did puke (3 times) just before I got his band off (no one else wanted to go near him for fear of another upchuck lol), it wasn't too bad. We had to wait about 3 hours for everyone to finish. I really admired all those people for finishing such a strenuous event, especially those who were older. I definitely plan to volunteer again next year.

So now I'm ready to just sit back and read for most of today...and prepare for the new week and a more mundane Monday than the last.