Monthly Archives: June 2010

Jun 30 2010

Things that happened yesterday…

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Someday I’m going to start a category here called “Things I would have blogged if I had a smart phone”. I imagine that I’ll do this the day before I acquire a phone that will get me to the internet.

Yesterday’s annoyances:

1) Got to work early, but later than I’d planned since I was making an early exit and Boss Gwen wasn’t aware of it

2) Car service I’d scheduled for ride to airport did not materialize. Took hoopty cab to airport, cost more than car service, driven by cabbie who had to be coerced to pick up my suitcase. Tipped said cabbie for absolutely no good reason.

3) At Cheesecake Airport, sat next to older lady who would not shut up! Ugh, go buy a copy of People and let me enjoy my laptop (and free Wifi) in peace!

4) Flight from Cheesecake left late, got to Atlanta late (due to weather), 45 minute layover turned into two hours of pacing airport waiting for it to reopen (closed due to weather). Made it to Indiana about 11:30 instead of before 10:00. Mother Nature, phhhhhfffffffttttt.

5) Seatmate on flight from Atlanta stole my cookies! And was not respectful of the “Keep your damn self on your side of the arm rest!” rule.  Isn’t that a universal rule? If I don’t know you, I don’t want to be touched by you. (Oh and!! when she brushed off the crumbs of MY COOKIES she brushed them onto me! Rude!) (And she took any unclaimed packages of cookies she saw as we exited the plane). (Ahem)

Good Things That Happened Yesterday (in order of happening):

1) Dad met me at the airport. It is so nice to be met at the airport.

2) WHITE CASTLE WHITE CASTLE WHITE CASTLE (I think this is the cheeseburger the LOLcats are after)

3) Met GWEN my adorable tiny tiny niece. She is SO cute and I will pester the heck out of her with the camera. Once I wake up.

Jun 29 2010

Dilemna

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Yes, I know how to spell* D-I-L-E-M-M-A. About 40% of the time on Babycenter the word gets misspelled as “dilemna” and it always makes me cringe. Where do these dingbats get an “N” sound???

So anyway, I have a dilemma. At my new job, I will have 2 weeks of vacation a year (plus sick time and my birthday off). I start the job on 7/19. Gene still wants to go to Germany to visit his friend and his family. How on Earth do I ask for a week off less than two months into starting a new job? What if they say no? And say I can’t have the job after all? And then I end up with zero jobs?

I know the answer is I should call the HR director at the new company and talk to her about it but I am so very scared. When I had an interview with another company in March, they made it clear that I’d be lucky to have 5 consecutive days off anytime in the next year. New Employer seems more laid back than that but am I pressing my luck?

Ugh.

*More horrifying, I tried to spell the word “spell” as “spelle.”
Jun 28 2010

Randomness

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So, today I packed up the stash of baby clothes. I’m taking it with me to Indianapolis to pass to Brandy. It filled up a suitcase (once I included the clothes that I plan to wear on the trip!). Yes, I included all the penguin stuff. Somehow I ended up with two penguin Halloween costumes (maybe they’re just pajamas, not sure).

I am glad to pass them on (especially to a friend) but, still. (I feel like such a Debbie Downer saying that, but, still). Gene and I talked about it a week or two ago and he apologized for stopping Plan B but I admit that the Stash is something I brought on myself. But, still.

Talked to The Almighty D this morning. She is still in the hospital (and will be THRILLED to find out I said that here). She’s doing OK and I am sooooo very glad. (Again, I know that none of you have met her but believe me, she’s my Advisor of all Things Culinary, Medical, Relationship and Misc so believe me, you’d love her!)

Work related: Having Job Acceptance Remorse. Sigh. I know it’ll all work out but I’m scared I jumped too quickly. Maybe I should have just waited for the current company to go toes up.

Entertainment: Just watched Beavis & Butthead Do America. It still holds up after fourteen years. I love Beavis & Butthead.

Jun 24 2010

Tough Day…

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So, today was a very tough day.

First, I had to Google “how to write a resignation letter” (and yes, I wrote it at work because I am classy that way). Then I had to write a resignation letter. Then I had to accept the job offer from yesterday – via voicemail – and then wait, petrified, terrrrified that the new company would have decided in the previous 24 hours that they hated me.

(But of course, that’s not how that went. The HR Director from the new company finally called me at 3-ish after I called her at 9:30 in the morning).

Boss Gwen is probably ready to shoot me but she also knows she needs me to show her all the stuff I do so she can do my (soon to be old) job. Originally I asked for a full two week notice – but because of my time off and the fourth of July it would have only been 7 days notice and that really isn’t long enough.

So my last day will be approximately July 14. And then my first day at the new company will be July 19. I will be unemployed for about 4 glorious days. OMG.

Jun 23 2010

OMFG

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I was offered a job today. I have to answer them tomorrow. And I have no idea how I’m going to answer.

Pros:

1) Company is in better financial shape than my current employer

2) Medical benefits are pretty much better (it’s high deductible, but the premium is entirely employer paid)

3) Commute is shorter

4) Job is entirely payroll focused. No more farting around w/ HR, benefits, etc.

Cons:

1) Money is worse – I know! I didn’t think it could get worse than what I’m pulling in now. (However, a pro within a con: I spoke to Boss Gwen who assured me that my current employer will probably not be able to offer me more $ due to the whole Chapter 11 kerfluffle).

2) Leaving Boss Gwen and the Almighty D in a serious, serious lurch. D goes out on a medical LOA tomorrow (AAHHHH!!) and Boss Gwen also shared with me that they will probably not replace me. Not now, not ever. How fucked up is that? D and Gwen can’t do payroll, HR and all the insane parts of D’s job.

A tiny part of me wishes this job offer rolled around in 6 or so weeks so D would be back at work and I would be thoroughly annoyed with Boss Gwen and ready to GTFO.

But here’s the deal: no one is offering me the 15% they took from me in July 2009. At least two people in my office have had their pay reinstated, ostensibly due to “promotions.” Well, booey on them. When they laid off Stefania’s Toady, I took over a portion of Toady’s work load. When I moved from Stef’s team back to Gwen’s back in 2008 (?), my work load increased immensely. And I never got a raise for any of it. Hell, the sum total I have seen has been negative 15% of my salary.

Why am I even thinking twice? Two reasons: first, I will miss seeing the Almighty D daily. Her LOA was going to be hard enough (I liken it to how Betty acts when Scooby goes to the vet without her…mopey). Second, I do not like change. Change is hard. It is usually worth it, but yikes!!! What if I hate this job?

You guys, it is so weird to be in this position. Not counting the call center back in 2004, I haven’t had a job offer since the day the Accounting Manager shoved a post it note at me that read:

1/2/2001

$23k

and that was that.

Jun 20 2010

Facebook, you jerk!

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So I just checked my Facebook page and there’s a new feature that gives a user the chance to “like” things based upon other things that the user already “like”s.

What did it have for me?
“Fans of Kohl’s often ‘Like’ Walmart” – NO

“Fans of Kohl’s often ‘Like’ Toys R Us” – HELL NO

“Fans of Lands End often ‘like’ Sarah Palin” – WTF???

Wow, Facebook. You don’t know me at all, do you?

Jun 18 2010

random thoughts…

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First, I see that WordPress version 3.0 is available. Hold me, I’m scared. Oh, how I hope they will let me upgrade automatically. If this blog disappears sometime this weekend, assume that I had to do the tech stuff myself. Please light a candle for me 😉

Second, I wonder what Gene plans to cook for dinner. He was in VA but he’s home now (showed up just as I finished making the bed with clean sheets).

Third, my hives (why do I want to call them scales? or scabies? or rabies?) are recovering remarkably after just two days of Prednisone. Yay!

Fourth, that means that the hives will not be accompanying me on my visit to Exotic Indianapolis. I’ll be in town from late on the 29th until midday on the 4th. YAY! YAY!!!! I plan to pack an entire suitcase with my Illicit Gymbo Stash (gifting it to Brandy), which means that I will need to buy a new wardrobe once I get to Indiana. Actually, that’s not a bad idea. YAY!

(And those are the official dates – I finally booked my flight earlier today. Holy Hell, I miss Indiana and its residents and I am SO excited to finally meet Gwen.)

Jun 17 2010

it’s true, it’s true…

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I have hives.

Even a real live doctor agrees. She* even prescribed luscious Prednisone for me to take for the next 9 days along with some over the counter Zyrtec. So, I may be itchy, but (as I already said on Facebook) my house will be clean.

As you may know – and I know I have covered this because a search for “prednisone” on my blog brings up no less than 8 different posts where I have extolled the virtues of Prednisone – it gives me a crazy amount of energy. My plan right now is to clean my entire house  (hahahahahahahah) and then when I finish the Pred, go to the Almighty D’s house and repeat the process. (She will be incapacitated).

* Had to see Dr. Ladydoctor because Dr. Hottie is out of the office all week. WTF Hottie? Whither the Doctor Hottiness? (Wait, what does “Whither” mean?)

Jun 16 2010

Hive Mind…

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Or, I have hives and YES I mind.

Ugh. Woke up this morning with hives. I have never had them before in my entire life. Ick. Feel so gross. WebMD said to take an antihistamine and smear some hydrocortisone on the spots so that’s what I have done. If I don’t look at least 50% better tomorrow morning I am going to the doctor.

Grumble, grumble.

Jun 14 2010

Travels with Laineyd…

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Going to Indiana from approximately June 30-July 4. Yay! (However, I am not going to Arkansas as my grandfather’s wife’s granddaughter and her family are visiting right before I’d be there and that’s a lot of stress).

(I will get to Arkansas, I WILL). (I’m not proud that I have been saying that since 2008). (Also not proud that I am annoyed that my – ?? – step-cousin? – will be there more or less when I want to be there. Not thinking the most charitable of thoughts).

So, yay! Can’t wait to see my beloved family in Indianapolis in July. And that goes double for my beautiful niece, who I cannot wait to meet!