A Light(box) at the End of the Tunnel

Although I've only been working a 40-hour week now for about two and a half years, I still find it difficult to focus some days. I've made progress and certain days don't even seem like eight hours long, but other days seem like I've been working for 14 hours by 11 o'clock (Editors note—I include a Facebook Status from July 28, 2010 to further illustrate my point: "How the *level one* is it only 11?!! I feel like I've been here for 14 hours already."). I owe my success to several survival tactics I've come up with—one of which I will describe below—

Most projects at my job require some sort of photographic element in order to achieve the esthetic nirvana that all hospital patients are expecting from their healthcare public relations department. Luckily for us, we have www.istock.com, a stock photography site that sells you the rights to thousands upon thousands of professional photos. One very convenient service istock provides is a page on your account called a "lightbox." Simply put, a lightbox is where you can store images that you like but are not planning on purchasing right away. I use mine quite often to store photos of different services (i.e. rehab, surgery) that I come across in case I might need them in the future.

Well, to make a long story even longer...I have a coworker who rarely uses istock. I also have another coworker that manages our account and has created a lightbox page for everyone on the team—including this coworker who doesn't really use it. One day I came across a photo that was really awkward and made me a little uncomfortable. Holly (yet another coworker) and I decided we would put it in Ethan's lightbox. We thought it was really funny (and may or may not have laughed ourselves silly for longer than is normal for two working professionals. Sine that fateful day, I have been adding photos to his lightbox whenever I come across something bizarre.

I don't know what it is about secretly putting weird pictures in a digital folder that is so fun, but I giggle like a little kid every time I think about it. I laugh even harder when I pull up the folder online and shuffle through the collection.

I guess the lesson here is don't let monotony govern your work days. Look for ways to shake things up...even if it's at someone else's expense!

Here are a couple of the gems from my coworker's lightbox for your enjoyment:

Hug a Single Person Day

It's been a while, I know. I need to work on that. If it's any consolation, I've been updating my music blog pretty regularly ( themarkofdane.blogspot.com ). As for my personal blog, just a couple of updates to report:

1. I just got my hair cut...short. Not too happy about it. With my hair short again I look younger and I look lost. Don't ask me to explain it, that's the only way I can describe it. Luckily, it will only take about four months for it to grow back to where it was. Heck, I may just let it grow out to look like this guy (don't tell my mom)—

What do you think?


2. I ran the Red Rock Relay this weekend and loved it, that is until it was two in the morning and I was thinking about the four uphill miles that were in front of me. It was cold and I kept thinking deranged homeless guys were going to jump me and drag me into the bushes, but I just turned my iPod up and focused on the road. Just when I thought I was going to die of hypothermia, Cyndi Lauper came on with "All Through the Night" and I looked up and saw a shooting star. Another point of severe discomfort assaulted me on my third leg when I was running through the desert at midday. I had a 6.7 mile stretch that started off smooth with about two miles downhill, but then took a turn for the worst (literally) when it started going uphill. It was miserable. When I reached the last hill and thought that the day would end with me at the hospital, my iPod pulled through yet again with Dave Barnes' "Carry Me Though." "There's a mountain, here before me, and I'm gonna climb it, with strength not my own." It was perfect timing...literally carried me through.



3. I am in the process of planning a Masquerade party. We actually have a committee of 21 people who are planning it. We have five sub committees: invitations, decorations, food, photography and music. We may have to include another: lighting, unless we want to add another sub-sub committee to decorations. We'll have to see. Hopefully people come and don't complain about masks being against their religion.

4. I am a single man again—did I mention mortal fear grips my heart every time I think about it? I hate grocery shopping alone. I don't know what it is about buying food without anyone next to me that just makes me feel down. It's been about three weeks since the breakup and I've been feeling a little lonely. I was walking down the hall at work the other day and I thought, "Man, I need a hug." I realized it had been a while since I had had one and it made me miss having a girlfriend who would hug me every day. Don't get me wrong, us single men are tough, but every now and then, we just need to be wrapped in some arms. So if you haven't already today, go hug a single person. They don't get as many as the rest of the world.


Well, that's about it...for now. I'll keep you posted on any other exciting happenings as needed.