Moving Fast

Life has been hectic. Mostly a good hectic, but some other mixed in: Interviews, reject letters, second-opinion doctor visit, and work, lots of work. My bosses are aware of my job hunting and are giving me more hours! Another job interview tomorrow morning, working and training in the afternoon and a County exam for a job at 5:30. Another busy day coming up! How is YOUR life going? Has it also seemed to speed up suddenly?

Some jokes from a website:

What It Means

Five year old Becky answered the door when the Census taker came by.

She told the Census taker that her daddy was a doctor and wasn't home, because he was performing an appendectomy.

"My," said the census taker, "that sure is a big word for such a little girl. Do you know what it means?"

"Sure! Fifteen hundred bucks, and that doesn't even include the anaesthesiologist!"


George and Moses

George W. Bush, in an airport lobby, noticed a man in a long flowing white robe with a long flowing white beard and flowing white hair. The man had a staff in one hand and some stone tablets under the other arm.

George W. approached the man and inquired, "Aren't you Moses."

The man ignored George W. and stared at the ceiling.

George W. positioned himself more directly in the man's view and asked again, "Aren't you Moses".

The man continued to peruse the ceiling.

George W. tugged at the man's sleeve and asked once again, "Aren't you Moses".

The man finally responded in an irritated voice, "Yes I am".

George W. asked him why he was so uppity and the man replied, "The last time a bush spoke to me I ended up spending forty years in the wilderness".

Road Repair

The road by my house was in bad condition. Every day, I dodged potholes on the way to work, so I was relieved to see a construction crew working on the road one morning.

Later, on my way home, I noticed the men were gone and no improvement in the road. Where the crew had been working stood a new, bright-yellow sign with the words, "Rough Road."


and my favorite joke...

It's a Girl

Stationed in Okinawa, Japan, my son and his wife were expecting their first baby. I was elated when he called me at work with the news of my grandchild's birth. I took down all the statistics and turned to relate it all to my co-workers.

"I'm a grandmother!" I declared. "It's a baby girl, and she weighs five pounds."

"When was she born?" someone asked.

Recalling the date my son told me, I stopped, looked at the calendar, and said in amazement, "Tomorrow!"

Some things are great

Another day of job hunting looms ahead. But usually I don't start off all that early, since I don't have to. Even if I wake up (or get up) at 6:30, I often don't get showered, dressed and ready until closer to 9:00 AM or even 10:00. (Sorry all you working people. I DO know what it's like to have to get up at 5:00 AM every freakin' weekday morning--and did so my entire adult life, until now.)

Today one of the Worker's Comp people called me shortly after 8 AM. I was awake but still in bed thinking about getting up. When I saw the number on my phone, I quick took a sip of water to avoid the "just woke up" voice. But it didn't work, I had to keep clearing my throat for the first five minutes of conversation. And the conversation went (like WC conversations always do) on and on. Soon I was talking normally but dearly wishing for a cup of coffee and a bathroom pit stop!

The lack of coffee and bathroom break was making me impatient. I actually interrupted the caller twice during our long conversation--not a good thing to do. WC people are the ones holding my fragile purse-strings, it's not wise to tick them off.

Anyway, I was denied a second doctor's opinion and will return to the first, totally uncaring, bone doctor in October. I had wanted a clearance to go to a podiatrist. In the past 3 appointments the bone doctor looked at the X-rays, pronounced the bones all healed and that I should be able to walk around now. He didn't even look at my actual foot, swollen, deformed and purple. I showed him photos of it at one appointment and at each appointment I've come in with crutches and now a cane and was sure to mention the problems I'm still having with it. But the appointments last about a nano-second and they are done. In the past someone had told me that Worker's Comp doctors can only bill a small portion of the actual services, that there is a cap on the fees and so they don't go out of their way at all. At the time I thought that couldn't be true, but now I think it may be a possibility. Oh well. I can't dwell on all of my problems.

Actually, some things are really good, like the sleeping in thing! I get to watch the "Today" show in the morning, which I never got to do. I can stay up really late, if I want to. Finished the 14th Stephanie Plum book, another book by Alexander McCall Smith, "Sex, Lies and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting." That last book was really good, I've always been really interested in the handwriting = personality thing. And now am working on a basic Philosophy book. I can pretty much pick my own schedule, which is sweet. That schedule does have to include 6-8 hours of job hunting per week day, but now that my computer is repaired I can do a lot of that at home. Like I said--sweet!

Oh what a day!

Oh what a day! Yesterday, I mean. Today was sort of unusual too, with two doctor appointment trips (to two different places) plus re-listing my house for sale. Two people that I know quite well lost their jobs yesterday. No, I wasn't one of them, although it's always a possibility for sure.

The second job loss I just found out about today, but had suspected it. BZ had called Former Temp into her office late on Tuesday. A late-afternoon summons to the big boss' office is NEVER good. And to top it off there were a couple of clues before that. BZ had a "Big Change" meeting with HR on Tuesday and when the HR people were leaving, they did not even look at Former Temp. She remarked on it when BZ called her to the office. She rushed into my office and asked me what I thought. I quite honestly said I didn't know, hadn't heard anything but told her that the strange behavior of the HR was a bad sign!

I told her a little story of when I went for a job interview (a long time ago) set up by a friend who worked at the potential employer's place. She and I met for lunch after my interview. One of the interviewers, a friend of hers, stopped and sat at our table. But the interviewer didn't even look at me. Even though I'd done well in the interview (friend was in on the interview too, she works for HR up there) I just KNEW I hadn't gotten the job. Friend insisted that I had it in the bag, but I knew better. Body language seldom lies, and nope, I didn't get that job.

The second clue was back a couple of weeks ago when BZ was doing one-on-one interviews with us, asking us all sorts of questions about our jobs, co-workers, policies, etc. In that interview I had asked her if we were keeping Former Temp--fully expecting to hear an enthusiastic "yes" because Favorite Co-worker, her little pet just loves Former Temp. But BZ was very noncommital about it and that surprised me. It worried me a little too.

So Former Temp will be leaving. It's a shame, she was a nice person and the one to clue me in to certain tricks that Favorite Co-worker was pulling on me to get me in trouble. Come to think of it, probably Favorite Co-worker turned on her former little buddy because of that. So although I feel bad for Former Temp, I feel bad for ME, too!

Favorite Co-worker can continue doing things like changing the passwords on me to make me look bad (she is the administrator of our website) and I will have to sit at the front reception desk again. I really didn't care to ship out all those boxes every day and receive shipping in. It's hard on my back and difficult to stay looking nice (which is a requirement when sitting in front) when packing, unpacking and lugging around heavy boxes. I'll miss Former Temp, my nice office and the ability to work without being interrupted constantly by the phone, deliveries and staff people wanting this or that--right now. Such a bummer.

But at least I have a job. My friend SLA was fired from her job on Tuesday. She had called me late in the day. Actually at the same time poor Former Temp was getting let go by BZ, but I didn't know that for sure then. SLA called me later at home and asked me to come over. The story is surreal, SLA was fired over a man, her family got her fired "because they care about her" then called the police to have him arrested and her locked up. And I thought I had a disfunctional family, good grief! The police didn't arrest him, nor lock her up and her family was very disappointed. She hasn't heard from them since then. Yikes!

Doctor day

Today I won't be at work much, ha ha. First I have an appointment at the clinic lab to get blood drawn and tested for this and that. It's a fasting draw, so no coffee until it's over. When I called to make the appointment I tried to get in as early as possible.

The medical assistant told me, "There are no early appointments available until next week."

After a brief thought, I asked "And what would be available this week?" because I wanted to get the whole thing over and done. I was a bit miffed that they hadn't done it at my regular appointment but had required another, different appointment for the lab work.

"8:20 AM would be available, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." she said. So I choose the open Wednesday, which is now today.

Out of curiousity I asked her, "How early are the early appointments next week?"

And she told me, "8:00 AM, we open at 7:30 and 8:00 is the earliest we can book an appointment." So it was a difference of 20 minutes, big whoop. I can go without coffee for an extra 20 minutes, not a huge hardship to just get this over.

Then it will be back to work but not for long. At 11:00 I have an appointment to re-list my house. It's with the same real estate agent. Remind me to tell you about how all of THAT went to lead up to this appointment! I should post bits and pieces of my emails to him, because they're funny--in hindsight. I didn't take a lunch on Monday or Tuesday (I usually don't but this time I am counting it) just in case the appointment runs over a half hour.

Then at 1:00 I have a mammography appointment, and then back to work. Sounds like an exciting, fun-filled day, no? How does your impending day look so far?

The bright side

Fun, fun, I'm going to the doctor today. I worked a bit extra here and there this week to make up the time in advance at work. It's for the regular check-up thing, but they also run blood tests and stuff, so it will take most of the afternoon.

The former temp was gone Tues afternoon, Wed afternoon and all of yesterday. Yes, she had good reasons to be gone, but it certainly happens a lot! I wouldn't care, but I have to step up and do parts of her job while she's out. For one thing, she's the receptionist, so I have to deal with visitors and deliveries while she's gone. She also mails out packages and such, so I also have to take care of that. Guess I should just be glad that I don't have to do all of that, all of the time, like before we hired her. Oh, and while I'm looking on the bright side here--it's Friday!