Change is in the air

The times they are achanging, and it is looking good! Positive thinking is what we/I need now and we're off to a great start. Just hope I can keep up the momentum. I have faith, determination and necessity so onward!

This is a Test

Sometimes, I astound my self in my dumbassness. A few weeks ago, I had enough at work. I quit. There were words of course, I'd been there 6 years. We had become friends as well as employer/employee. I did it all in the office. I never complained, just did more. (see dumbass comment above) But I'm going back to school to finish my degree which is a very good thing. I've been working on it for almost 30 years on and off. Now the kids are grown, I've got the time and finally mostly the desire.

Employer spent more and more time either networking (i.e. "visiting") with clients and strangers or at home "working" While employer use to come to the office around 10 or 11 in the morning, now it is 2 or 3 pm. And that's okay, because it is employer's and employer can do whatever employer wants. But then I was being held hostage in the evenings. by 5pm I'm done, I get up early, work at home, get to the office around 8am and at the end of the day I'm ready to leave. Employer however parks in the driveway blocking me in. Every day it's I've gotta go, can you move your car? yeah, I'll be ready to leave in a minute. which turns into 30 or more minutes. not nice. and while I'm on my whinning streak, 6 years, no raise. grief if I take a few days off every 3 months (4 day weekend) to visit family. never call in sick. got a few bonuses the first 2-3 years, which made up for no annual raise, but then as the economy tanked, the bonuses stopped. With a vague "I'm going to take care of you if/when I ever sell the business. And we can retire and live together im my country home, won't that be fun?"

Well, in a work no, that won't be fun. I take care of you now, why would I want to do it when I don't have to? harsh? yeah, maybe.

But that isn't the test part of this. I've been sending my resume out looking for another job, one that will fit in with classes, be less stressful and appropriate for an old lady. I've sent lots of resumes out, not much response, which is okay, but I did go on a cold call last week. The lady was nice, said she'd be doing call backs this week. This morning at about 7:30 she called to say she wanted to interview me and one other person and was I still interested. Well, yeah. I'm not sure, but I haven't had any offers and I'm getting nervous although I shouldn't be, and what the heck, it will either work or not work. SO I said I'd be glad to come in, but I couldn't do it today, could we do it tomorrow morning? She said sure, she was interviewing the other person at 7:30 could I come in around 7? I said sure, I'm up at 5 and that isn't a problem, but maybe we should make it 6:45 so that she and I didn't run into each other. SHe said well, I'm here aroud 5 so that would be fine, and why don't we make it 6:30 so there is enough time. Absolutely I replied.

So, now I have to leave my home at 6:15 am for a job interview I'm not sure I even want.

I am a dumbass.

Yard work

I got up bright and early to rake leaves. I figured just the front today, we bought a new "toy/tool" friday night. Fancy schmancy yard vacuum thingy looks like a lawnmower. I was assured that it got good reviews on research . . . and the people who didn't like it just didn't know how to use it. huh? While I take people's comments about products with a grain of salt becausey, well yeah, sometimes they don't know how to use something properly, or as in my HD case, I know how it should work, don't tell me to read directions . . . . hrumph

So off I went. The wonder of yarn maintenance is crap. Oh, is sucked up the leaves well enough and I was pleased with that portion, but whoever designed the bag was a moron. It took three people to dump the bag into a bag. Well, yes if I'd gone out and bought some rolling dumpsters, it would have been easier to dump by one person, but I didn't. I shouldn't have to. I said no. This isn't going to work, take it back.

I finished raking the entire front yard by myself in about an hour. Yeah, lots of bending and dragging bags of wet leaves. Forgot to meniton the rain huh? But it was done. Next weekend I'll tackle the back, with my trusty giant rake, and be done in a couple of hours.

Good Mother, Good Employee and Good Friend

Steph, just wrote a heartfelt missive about how sad and disappointed she feels for leaving SOAR to be home with family. GO STEPH! (and of course I don't know her except through her blog, but I pretend and there you go). She's right, it sucks being a mom sometimes, and it is absolutely right that you let one and all know your disappointment, after all, why can't we be disappointed? and more important, why should we not be allowed to express our disappointment. I don't mean looking your kid in the face and saying "I hate you because I have to do something for you instead of me" it means, "man, I'm sorry you're sick (or whatever) and I'm glad that you need me but I'm really sorry that this happened now because I have been looking forward to my trip all year". And what would be wrong with that?

I have been accused of being a not got employee and not good friend. That hurt. I didn't reply that the accuser was not a good boss and not a good friend. Because sometimes you know that whatever you say is going to be flipped and then it is all your fault/responsibility. Then you sit there and wonder WTF and how did that happen? Then you realize that the flipper is really good at it and why are you surprised because you've seen similar instances of this same scenario happen over the years. And hmmmm, maybe all those other people had a point. So what do you do? Resign. As in find my replacement I'm out of here. As in, OMG as of next week I will be unemployed and not able to collect unemployment because I QUIT.

AM I NUTS? Well, actually someone has accused me of that, but when I checked with my family and a few other friends discovered that no I'm not. And you know the crazy people don't know that they are crazy so maybe since I thought to ask people if I was crazy, that meant I really wasn't. Maybe. But I do know that I got through the first of my last two weeks, and by the end of the week things were better. I've been given the opportunity to change my mind until the last time I walk out the door, and I honestly thought about it for about 30 seconds, then stopped myself. Things won't change. The circumstances won't get any better and I know that some people talk behind other people's backs and make things up - because that is what they truly believe. I'm also aware that being two-faced is human nature. That doesn't mean I have to like it.

On being a good friend. Good friends don't try and come in between their friend and that friend's sister. There. I've said it. I didn't realize how serious the situation really was until recently. Fortunately I did realize that there was a problem and adjusted my conversations so that they did not include said sister. But the stress and strain was apparently coming to a head (see quiting above). I feel better. My face doesn't feel "heavy" never had that one before. and maybe my heard palpitations and racing and other crappy feelings will stop some. Although I've been told that goes with the territory of "the change" like some horror flick. We shall see. I'm going to try and keep a better handle on the blog, since I know so many people read it - hahahahahahha I'm gong to be better at time management, since I'll be looking for a new job for the foreseeable future. I'm going to try temp work for awhile and most important. I'm going back to school. I'm going to finish my stinkin degree even if it kills me. Then I"m going to have to decide what to do when I grow up.

Oh yeah, and I need to spend 5 hours at the dentist at the end of the month. Can you say pudding for thanksgiving????

Author Unknown

I couldn't resist repeating this - well done.

A recent study indicated that yarn and thread gives off certain pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts.

When stored in large quanities, in enclosed spaces the pheromones (in the yarn) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter, i.e. storing of food) therefore perpetuating their species and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others.

Sound tests have also revealed that these yarns emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as "loomers". When played backwards on an LP the sounds are heard as chants, buy me, loom me, and wind me into a ball.

In order to overcome the so called "feeding frenzy effect" that these yarns cause, one must wear a face mask when entering any storage facility and use ear plugs, to avoid being pulled into their grip. (One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a yarn store with WW@ army gas masks and headphones). Studies have also indicated that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects that these yarns have on the human population. They are called "yarn store clerks".

It's also been experienced, that these same pheromones cause a pathological need to hid these yarn purchases, when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash). When asked by a significant other if the yarn is new, the reply is "I've had it for awhile."

Ravelry Swaps

Is there a support group out there for swap intervention? I like ravelry, I pop in on it every day or so just to see what is going on in the fiber world. I like a few of my groups a lot. Some of the groups I just peek into every now and again to see what's up.

WHY have I now joined 4 swaps all between now and the end of October? What need is missing in me that I feel I should do this to myself? arg. Now I'm going to have to spend a whole day organzing my list and then shopping.

Please, stop me. I declare that I will not join another swap before Christmas, 2009.

My Weekend

This is Stanley. Stanley likes ham. He doesn't like roast beef. He doesn't like chicken. He does like tuna on the rare occasion I give it to him. He wants ham, every night at 8:30. He is most insistent on it. If I ignore him, he will go find someone else to help him. If he could open the refrigerator he would. He will often go to someone else anyway just to see if they are on their toes in hopes of getting more. Do you know how expensive ham lunch meat is?

This weekend I:

- Raked the back yard, oh my the acorns are falling fast and furious this year, I guess to make up for being NONE last year. I liked last year's crop better.

- Mowed the front yard, and raked up acorns.

- Helped DH work on the car he is restoring. The one we bought for DD when she graduated high

school, then bought back from her a few years later when she and SIL bought a new car and

needed cash. Did you get that? I paid for the car once in 2002 and again in 2006.

- Helped DD refinish her spinning wheel, which I bought for a few years ago unfinished (because

I'm cheap and had just rebought a car I'd already paid for). She has stained her Ashford

Traveller a beautiful cherry - she will finish the job next weekend.

- Joined yet another ravelry swap because I get caught up on the moment and can't seem

to help myself

- Was enjoying Fidler on the Roof when work interrupted, now I'll have to rent it, ugh.

- Cleaned the gutters, acorns you know. Oh crap, just realized I forgot the garage. Guess what I'll be doing next weekend?

- Missed a call from my son in Iraq :( hope he can get to a phone tomorrow or the next day, I need my weekly conversations with him, even if it is only, love you lots, can't talk.