My Birthday Boy

I'm a couple of days late but life has been crazy as of late.  Work has been a nightmare.  I've been working 55-60 hours a week for at least 6-8 weeks and still am not caught up.  Our new contract launched 4/1.  We also had a new system put in for medical management with the same launch date and a new program to implement in my department.  THAT little endeavor required interviewing, hiring, training, etc.  Soooooooo..... I apologize for my absence.  All that time at work in front of a computer makes a person shy away from one when they absolutely don't need to use it.

I was in Florida for the week before CC's birthday.  I had lamented, stressed, pondered, and generally raked my brain over coals to decide what to get him.  I try hard to get gifts he can't or won't get for himself.  I'm not sure where the crossover happens, but there is a point in our lives when we just get the things we want leaving it difficult for gift givers to plan....  BUT.... About a week before I was due to fly out, it came to me.....   WATCH!!!!!!!!!

When we were on our cruise, we spent a lot of time in jewelry stores.  Not searching for rings or anything but looking at nice watches.  He had mentioned he would like a Breitling but didn't want to spend the money on it because he already had a Tag and so it was hard to justify in his mind..  Sooooooo......  I got on the internet to try to find a dealer here in town.  Thank goodness we had one!  Genesis Diamonds is the only place in 100 miles of here that sells Breitling watches.

Of course, I didn't know what the heck I was doing.  I mean, if we are shopping for a suit, shoes, handbag, bedding... Hell, just about anything else, I would have experience and feel confident.  But, I have never purchased a high end watch and really had no idea.  They were nice and the poor man that helped me put them on so I could see, explained all the features and what nots.  After a long while, I made my decision and bought one.

They told me at the store I could return it if he didn't like it and they gave me a book with all the watches they make in it.  They said they would order what he wanted, get a different band, blah, blah, blah.  Basically, buy one and make him happy in the end.

They shipped it to FL which helped with the sales tax thing and promised I would have it on Friday which was the day I arrived.  I knew I couldn't wait until closer to his birthday and would want to give it to him that day.  It was kinda cool I had it shipped as I have been having many things mailed to the house so he wouldn't think anything weird was going on.  BUT, I didn't count on the efficiency of FedEx.  They got to the house before we even arrived home from the airport.  When CC found the note on the door, I panicked!  I made up some lame excuse WHY we had to get it on the way to the restaurant.  Tangent-- We had tickets to Tony Bennett for that night and were going out to supper prior to the show.  At any rate, we did make it to the store and I was able to pick up the package.  While I was in there they were nice enough to help me get the box open and get just the box the watch came in into my purse. That was a feat.  I had a large handbag on purpose for that but I had no idea the SIZE of the box those things came in.  They say good things come in small packages but this was not small by a long shot.  Good thing my handbags are more like overnight bags...


So, we get to the restaurant and I give him his card.  He always gets two.  One funny one (at least to me) and one serious one (that freaks him out because he says I could have wrote them).  So I preface the gift stating his love for me is priceless. I cannot begin to express how much it means to me but I want him to let me try (something along those lines) and I give him the box.

He seemed extremely surprised.  YAY!  He didn't guess!  To be honest, I was afraid he was going to try to make me take it back. (Which I would not).  He didn't though, crisis averted!  He did feel it was kind of big though.  After the concert, I gave him the book to look through to see if there was anything he would prefer.

Before the Concert!!

Well, he looked.... And looked.... And looked....  Finally, he determined there wasn't one he liked any better.  I kept trying to convince him the watch wasn't as big as he thought. I think it looks awesome!  So, since I did a FABULOUS job choosing a watch, we went to the Breitling dealer in Belleair Bluffs to have a link or two removed, discuss warranty work, care, etc.  They were very nice.  We went to Columbia  for lunch and their yummy beverages and went home to relax before the Louisville/Florida game.  I took a picture of CC wearing his watch.  Kind of like shoe shopping, you have to get the view others will get.  A lot of shoes don't look attractive when you are staring straight down, you need to be looking at them from a different angle. He agreed, it didn't look as large from this viewpoint.  :)







I told a friend about the gift and they exclaimed  they couldn't believe I would pay for a watch like it was "jewelry".  I feel men, on the whole, are cheated when it comes to that sort of thing.  A man's wedding band, etc., never costs much.  A woman will want her "two month's salary" or whatever the going rate is for engagement rings.  A man deserves the same sort of treatment.  A man isn't as much into jewelry but a watch is a functional attractive item.  This watch will last him forever.  Why not buy him the best I can afford?  I get the best of him every day.  He deserves so much more.  You just can't put a price tag on love, respect, companionship, friendship, etc.  I would gladly give him everything I have.  Happy Birthday Baby!

Gin and Juice

Let's here it for Snoop Dog.  "With my mind on my money and my money on my mind".  Of course, I'm not "Sippin' on Gin and Juice", but wine. A nice Carmenera.  I know, how bourgeois.  Nothing gangster here.  Snoop does have a few catchy lyrics and right now that one is the most appropriate.

We have a lot going on.  Everything, of course, is getting more and more expensive except for real estate. Even so, I can't seem to get a bite on the house.  CC and I are basically in a position like we were right out of college.  Broke.  Except now we actually have a lot to lose. I really need to sell this house in Indiana.  It's a great house, don't get me wrong, but I would much rather live with my CC in our new house in Clearwater, FL.  The climate is better, the sports teams are better, the company is better, the pool is better....  Oh wait, I don't have a pool here.  So basically, that house wins out hands down!!!

Right now with the two mortgages, two car payments, two sets of utility bills, airline tickets, Son related expenses and savings depleted, it's time to get really serious here.  I don't want to ask the Family for help. Not that they wouldn't give it but damn!  I'm 44 years old.  One would think relying on your relatives is a thing of the past at my age.  My pride won't let me.  Well.... If I was a day from foreclosure I might, but you know what I mean.  I have been spending my time praying that this mild winter holds out.  I won't have to fill the propane tank so soon seeing as the electric heat pump can handle it but I think the fact that I have gone from my usual fill in November until January, my luck is probably running out.  It will be about 400-600 depending on the price of propane they day they come to fill it.  The best investment I made was to buy the tank when I moved in instead of renewing the lease on it.  It was a straight up $500 investment but you get at least $1 off each gallon of propane.  The thing paid for itself on the first fill.

The Son continues with grandiose ideas on what he wants to do to make money, cars he wants to build, etc.  Of course all of that rides on us owning this home which while it's nice, I have no intention of doing long term.  I talked to my realtor Jennifer and told her she needs to sell this thing quickly before the Son destroys it.

Ah, the latest update..  Tangent time!!
I returned to Louisville right after the New Year on Tuesday.  I arrived without any hiccups in the Ville and started my trek to the house.  Upon arriving there were a few of the Son's friends here congregating in the basement.  The house looked pretty decent for having a teenager here with just a friend of mine who is older but not necessarily more responsible.  I instructed the Son to clean up the garage floor as we were to have someone come to look at the house in a few hours.  His response, "I don't know what you want me to do about the blood, good luck with that."  Blood?  I didn't see any blood!!!!!  I asked him what he was talking about and one of his friends noted there was trash in the floor from the stereo installation that occurred in my absence.  Yes... I was talking about that... But blood???  I would not be distracted... I asked three times about it before I received a response.  "The GF punched me in the nose and my nose bled; but I deserved it."   Oooookkkaaaaayyyyy...  Maybe, just maybe, that is information I would just rather not know.  Needless to say, there was bloody towels in the laundry, blood on the garage floor, blood on the wall entering the basement bathroom and some on the basement carpet....  SWEET!  Just what a girl needs before her house is shown!!!


End of the tangent.  Needless to say I had some mixed feelings.  On one hand I was pretty proud of the GF as she stood up for herself and apparently stopped him dead in his tracks.  But on the other it was a bit disturbing it came to that as it means the Son and the GF somewhere down the line think that is acceptable behavior. (She was in the crowd of friends here on my arrival).  I have never struck nor have had anyone strike me in the Son's presence.  I am unsure where this whole thing arises.  The Son is actually quite a jerk to the GF and I don't know how it has lasted as long as it has.  I guess there is truth in the "girls stay with the guys that treat them like shit" theory.  That's all I can come up with.

Looking back amongst all of the ramblings above, I've gotten a bit off of topic.  Sorry about that.
Back to business.
The realtor has told me her company will do property management.  Basically, if I decide to take this place in IN off of the market, they will handle renting it.  Background checks, financial checks, issues with pipes, etc.  It would be a load off of my mind to have someone local watching over the place if I do need to rent.  Rent, of course, would include yard upkeep.  I have a person who has been mowing the grass throughout the warm season. It would be a throw in.  You can't expect people to buy $6,000 mowers to take care of 1.5 acres they don't even own.  I would reinstate my contract with the HVAC guys I have been using for a few years.  Routine maintenance included and you get bumped up the list should something happen with the HVAC.  I would rather sell, but you always need to have a Plan B.

Now the holidays are over I have already been contacted by a couple of head hunters.  I am hopeful I can find suitable employment soon.  Maybe, just maybe, it will all work out in the end.  We can only hope.  Everyone cross your fingers...

Daylight's Burning

So.  Here I am sitting in the airport in Birmingham, waiting through a 2+ hour layover before my flight to Tampa.  I have spoke with CC, spoke with the Son, had two beers, then went for coffee (yeah, contradict each other) and now I am sitting here still waiting.  Bonus though, CC said he apparently requested tomorrow and Monday off of work so it will be even more time together.  YAY!

I have a third interview tomorrow with a company in St. Pete.  They are a small, privately owned company which gives me the willys.  This whole interview process I have gone through is almost a clone of a previous experience that did NOT turn out well.  (Apparently I was too "big" company for them and they didn't care for anything I had to say).  I have had IQ and personality tests, hours of interviews etc.  I just don't know about such a small place.  it has been an ordeal to say the least.  I am going tomorrow to see if I still feel the same way before I make a decision.  I have several more irons in the fire so I am not certain moving on something that my gut tells me no is a good idea..

OOPS! I almost forgot..  All of my labs were normal.  They did a passel of them.  So.......  I guess that means that I am just fat and lazy and need to exercise and join the hair club for "people"...

Thanksgiving

It's relatively early Thanksgiving morning.  I am up, had some coffee and talked with my CC.  I have been downstairs doing some repairs on the basement bathroom.  The Son (like most teenagers) takes extremely long hot showers and after a time, it has caused some mold spots on the ceiling.  As I am trying to sell the house, this definitely needs to be addressed.  There are also some areas on the drywall around the shower that have the paper bubbling up due to water and the shower curtain not properly closed when bathing.  I have sprayed the ceiling again with bleach water and will paint it later with a mold/mildew retardant paint.  I have sanded the areas around the shower and thank goodness the areas were superficial. No patching required, just some spackling, sanding and painting.  The spackling has been applied and I am waiting for all to dry to move on to the next step.  I also repaired one of the holes in the Son's room.  (Yes ANOTHER one).  This one was caused by a stray elbow when rough housing with friends.  IT required a patch but it was a very small hole so not so bad.  I'm not cooking this year as I have chosen to do home improvement instead.  I will probably make chili as the weather isn't very nice.

I do have a lot to be thankful for this year.  I have my health (well at least I'm living).  I have my wonderful CC who is the light and love of my life.  My mother is doing as well as can be expected. (This time last year she was in ICU and on a vent).  My grandmother is doing well also.  The Son and I are on better terms as of late.   I am able to pay the bills and make ends meet.  That is a wonderful thing as well although if this house doesn't sell, things are going to be much leaner. But, all in all, things are going okay.

All signs are pointing to the fact I may get a job offer from the company in St. Petersburg I have been interviewing with.  They requested a 30-60-90 day plan which I have done and they want me to meet the owner on Dec 2 when I am in Clearwater next.  If this comes through, I will need to resign from my position here, find a place for Morgan to stay if his father will not agree to live in this house until he graduates.  If that is the case, I will need to have all of the locks changed and get the house cleaned, etc. and have us all move out and will keep it on the market.  If his father is willing, I will take it off the market for a few months and will pay the mortgage if he will pay the bills on the house.  A lot of things are up in the air.  I just know if I can find other employment paying better than what I am making now, it will help things out tremendously.

All in all, I am very thankful for all of my blessings.  Although the last few months have been trying at best, life is moving on and is looking up.

All's Quiet on the Home Front

The past two days have been pretty good as far as my home life is concerned.  The Son has been decent and he is actually home at this hour doing HOMEWORK!  I know he has a paper due on 11/18 and he is probably just starting it but hey, it's a day earlier than normal so I am not complaining.  There are no other kids here and it is very peaceful.  If only there were more days like this.  Maybe it's the weather.  It has been dreary and rainy for the past couple of days with the temperature feeling much colder than the 55 the weather man is touting.  Probably because of all the moisture.  But, if it helps everything stay calm and respectful around here, let it rain all it wants.

I had another telephone interview today with a company based out of San Antonio.  It seemed to go relatively well.  I am hoping for a face to face interview in the next couple of weeks.  I've got my fingers crossed.

Hope In Sight

Today I had an interview for a job based in St. Petersburg. No, it isn't Clearwater but it is a 30-45 minute commute which beats the 1000 miles it would be from. So. Indiana. :)

The interview seemed to go well. I think the varied experience I have coupled with my longevity with the company will help. The hiring director stated she wanted to set me up with a telephonic interview with some of the people I would be directly working with. I should be called sometime next week. I am so thankful this may work. She states she is flexible with where I am working. I did explain my currently "two household" situation and is understanding of the dilemma. I also stated I did not want to work at home more than necessary as I am a "come to the office" kind of person. I think that was helpful. In retrospect there are so many other things I could have told her or said but I have no idea what would have been the highest priority in her eyes at the time. I am crossing my fingers and hoping for good results. Jobs that are financially compatible do not come around often and I hope she picks me!

Miss Dismissed

Monday morning I spoke with my boss regarding my desire to flex some of my work time a few days a month. I requested the ability to work from the house so that I could spend some time in Florida. I would not be missing any time away from the office and would be in the office 4 days a week. She stated her boss would not go for it and really didn't say much else.

So, today I put together an e-mail, circling the topic back around. I stated my case, where we are with the contract etc. and that as I am dedicated, and have made the department quite successful, I wanted to see if my plan could be given some consideration and a trial period. I included a calendar of what a typical month would be like. I stated what I would be able to do to help the department with the transition to the new contact and be able to mentor someone to do the things that I do etc. It was a well put together e-mail and I had even had another director look at it. They felt that I had a compelling argument for what I wanted.

I was totally dismissed. I mean no consideration, nothing. All my boss did was reply to me "sent it to _______ (her boss). She didn't pick up the phone, vouch for me, given an opinion, nothing. The e-mail I received this afternoon was what she had exchanged with her boss. When she forwarded my e-mail all it said was "What do you think?" The reply? "This is a full time in house position". DUH! That particular statement was my second sentence in the whole thing. I acknowledged that from the beginning. My boss then forwarded all of that to me stating, "FYI. We have been told consistently all managers and directors need to be full time in house." THEN she said, "Do what you need to do but give me as much notice as possible". Period, end of story. I didn't know if I would get a yes or no, but the five years of work running this department, excellent reviews, bonuses, awards, etc. were totally discounted like a child who wanted dessert before dinner. I feel betrayed by a boss who has always told me how much she valued me and how much work I have taken from her shoulders. (Which by the way is exactly where this entire department will be landing). She wants notice? She can't even have a conversation and be an advocate for me but wants me to give her notice? She will get all the internal reference checks. That will be her notice. I find it difficult to believe that bending to accommodate someone on a short term basis far too much trouble than totally sending away an employee such as myself. It is not the company philosophy that is for sure. There are many other departments that do exactly what I am asking and I cannot even get a few minutes of someone's time. So... I am totally disenchanted. I will be seeking some sort of advice from HR in the morning. One, to verify that I am not being unreasonable and two, to see what I can do in order to find another position within the company.. One where I might be valuable enough for at least a conversation.

I'm Awake!

For anyone who really knows me, the fact that I am awake at 11:30pm EDT is some sort of record. I am the sleepiest person I know. I can sleep propped up in a corner. Basically if I am still for longer than two minutes I could probably catch a few z's... This Predisone I have been on for the poison oak I contracted is really kicking my butt. I am wide awake at hours I generally never see, and I eat so much that you would think I am training for some sort of competitive eating competition. It's actually quite disgusting. I have had some sort of obsession with food over the past two weeks and I am sick of it. Thank God the last dose of the medicine is tomorrow morning. I can't stand eating like this and I have no way to control the urge. I had little will power with food to begin with and all bets are off on this medication.

I talked with my boss about the potential of telecommuting a few days a month. She was less than encouraging. I am refusing to take no as an answer without some sort of valid, rational reason why even a trial basis cannot be considered. I will take it as far as I can. If I get no where, then I guess I post out. Then they are stuck with all of the work. I don't know how the transition would go smoothly without someone who knows what is going on but if I can't get someone to at least give this a trial run, I will be forced to make a more drastic decision. I hate to do it while we have the two mortgages but I will do what I have to do. The boss is suppose to talk with her boss about it all. (I reminded her I do not report to him, I report to her). We shall see.

Southwest airlines is having a killer sale for it's 40th anniversary that ends on Thursday. I really want some of those tickets. I will probably plan out a scenario calendar for the boss and show how I envision it all working. And then buy tickets regardless. LOL! The company isn't on the hook for anything except a friday monday working from florida instead of from Louisville. How can that be so bad?

Government Work

A lot of people have a lot to say about government work. I happen to work for a contractor. It's a great job and I like it a lot. We have been in option periods on our contract for a few years now. We have been in a contracting phase and we have retained our contract so that is great news. That means we get to work for another 5 years or so, at least until the next contract comes around. Say what you will, working under a contract is more of a work guarantee than anything else you can come by.

With all of that said, that leaves me with a need to get some clarity surrounding work. If you have regularly read this blog, you know that currently I have houses in two places, with my CC in our Florida home and the Son and I here in Indiana for the time being. I would love to keep my job but it will take convincing of the powers that be to allow me to at least telecommute part time. I don't mind paying the money, I don't mind the travel. I still have to get my son through school for another year and I am a rare person that actually finds her job enjoyable and is quite good at it. Conservative parties may not agree with the "work from home" thing only because it is new and our company is slow to move around. Half of my staff telecommute at this time. I personally do not see a reason why I cannot do it part time at least for a while. I guess it will all depend on where they want to go with me and this position. I will be chatting with my boss next week after we get some direction on moving forward with our new contract. At that time, I guess a decision will be made as to my fate.

WTF Wednesday

It's time for another edition of WTF Wednesday. Today's topic...... Idiots in the workplace. This isn't about my workplace but my CC's. CC works at a local hospital on 10 hour shifts. They almost always end up as 12+. Today we are at 13 and some change and will be 14 or better before he gets home. He still has to work on Thursday.

This facility believes that physicians are God and bring in the almighty dollar so whatever they want is what the staff is to give. It becomes ridiculous when all physicians want the same time slot for testing when the slots are already booked. Or everyone wants morning slots but then those physicians don't show up on time and everything gets thrown off. He is at his wits end with this job and to be honest I can't blame him. There is no relief in sight where this job is concerned.

I am trying like heck to get all of the information together for this mortgage on our new home so he can turn in his two weeks in a little over a week. That way he will be done with that place by anticipated closing date and he won't have to go back there again. I hate that he has to go to work where he is miserable. I want to be able to tell him to quit now but with the mortgage up in the air we just can't.

He rarely gets to eat supper with the rest of us. His supper is cold and that is just not fair to go into work day after day and never have any idea as to when you will be able to leave. We cannot plan anything for after work because quitting time for him is up in the air.

I know life is not fair but damn!