Today is my first day back to work from our small holiday break and, of course, I am not glad to be back. The holiday break was too short and too fun and I didn’t want it to end!

I have work to do, but I can’t seem to get motivated enough to breeze through them. Good thing I’m not too busy or nothing will get done! I just keep yawning and yawning.

Anyhoo, so my coworker and I are discussing napping under our desks and it reminded me of an article I read in Newsweek several months ago about designated nap areas that some companies have started putting up.

I definitely wish we had one of those “sleeping pods”! Though I could always just sleep under the desk like an old officemate used to do… but he got fired so maybe not so much….

My coworker recently adopted a German Shepherd mix named Murphy. He was rescued from a kill shelter by a foster family. My coworker found out that Murphy had diabetes, but adopted him nonetheless.

He was such a good dog and was always so energetic. I met him about a day after he was adopted. He was so behaved and calm and played well with the other dogs in the office.

Lately, he’d gotten sick and started vomitting blood. The vet said there was some inflammation in his organs, but that the antibiotics should help. My coworker was confident that Murphy was going to pull because despite the pain and the blood Murphy was still his old self.

Unfortunately, I found out this morning that Murphy didn’t pull through. He died last night at the age of one It is such a loss to many of my coworkers because we got used to seeing/playing/feeding Murphy almost everyday. My condolences are with his adoptive parents.

One of the good things about working in a historical part of the city is the Ride the Ducks tour vehicles that pass by every so often. When the weather is nice, my friend and I typically eat our lunch outside in the park and we often see the Ducks ride by. It’s so fun seeing the families’ excitement about the whole touring experience and also their insistence on waving to everyone they see. Plus, you can’t count out that loud quack whistle that everyone seems to love blowing.

The cool thing about the Ducks is that it can travel both on land and on water. My friend has ridden it and has told me just how great it was. When my best friend, who lives in California, comes to visit, I’m thinking of taking her on the Ducks

11 June was my first year anniversary at work and it also coincided with our Design Team Spa Day that was awarded to us by the company. Needless to say, it was a great day. We went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch, which the senior designer wrote off as my anniversary lunch so it was free! We had Crab Wontons for appetizers and I ordered Chicken Madeira for my course. Of course, it was yet another yummy dish. I have never been disappointed with their food. They really emphasize quality with their food, I’m told.

With some convincing from the print designer (”Our lunch is free and I don’t want to eat by myself!”), I ordered the Pistachio Mint cheesecake, which was so new that it hadn’t made it to the menu yet. It was delicious!

After filling our faces with free food, we headed down to the spa. We were given the half-day package which included deluxe manicure & pedicure, a massage, and a facial. The place was very relaxing and everything was set up to truly be relaxing: the music, the lighting, the rooms, etc. It was definitely an experience! I definitely understand why people splurge on this stuff.

Curiously, I received a thank you card from my masseuse a few days ago. It was very nice of her. Plus, she also offered me 10% off another massage with her! I might take her up on that offer.

I’ve been wanting to visit the Hershey Spa, where you are bathed in chocolate. Seems so decadent! Their day packages don’t seem too bad though:

Hershey Half Day
Approximately 3 hours, $280
Hydrotherapy A La Hershey - Personal Prescription Facial - Traditional Massage - Lunch in The Oasis

Hershey Full Day
Approximately 5.5 hours, $435
Traditional Massage – Personal Prescription Facial – Radiant Citrus Manicure – Radiant Sea Pedicure – THE HOTEL HERSHEY Scalp Treatment (for longer than shoulder length hair, thick or curly hair add $15) – Lunch in The Oasis