It sure is hot! Of all days to have this weather, I finally got my hair cut after three months, and had some bad gray streaks mitigated (for now). As I went to leave home, the skies opened up. Fortunately, when I left the salon, they had cleared, but humidity and heat are now up and the trees are dancing, a harbinger of storms to come. I guess we will see.
Kevin and I were out way too late last night (for me) and although it was a fun night, as I nursed a glass of wine, the hosts announced a DWI checkpoint on our route home. Three hours later, with me totally sober but exhausted and paranoid, we took a detour and came the long way home. By the time I got to sleep, it was close to 1. My entire body aches when I do this these days! It didn't help that I had been up since 6.
So - M is back to school. She has to take physics, which is causing her some anxiety since it's been two years since she last had anything requiring mathematical thinking. But she enjoys her audiology class this time (last year I think it was very dry) and also loves her social psychology teacher (sort of a given, I would hope, or at least a requirement for one to attain such a position, that the personality should befit the subject matter and be entertaining). Her apartment is probably her biggest source of excitement over being back, and she has already started swim training for the season. She can walk to Whole Foods in less time than it takes me to drive to the one here. The bad news is that Abby is pining for her long-lost pal.
B started school yesterday. As always, he is determined to perform well this year. He too has physics, and he has precalc. It isn't going to be an easy year, and it's an important one for college. He should be able to manage it, but he will have to learn to control his lack of focus.
Having just passed his driver's test two weeks ago, he has taken to the roads in M's Explorer, which we knew was in need of some sort of repair (turned out to be a rusted wheel bearing, and$300 later, that is all fixed ). Meanwhile, the other day, the battery light and warning sign came on, and the garage (during the wheel repair) said it was fine. Sure enough, half an hour later it came back on, refused to go off, and the battery charge drained down to 'E'. This morning we had to take it in to a different place, and drop an additional $500 on an alternator.
Other than that and the college applications, B is status quo. Oh, he did have his MRIs last month but we have heard nothing back. I may call, but since it ties my stomach up in such knots, I'll probably end up waiting until our November appointment.
As for my job, it is much, much improved. I like my new boss and appreciate her honed administrative skills, which the organization was really lacking prior to her arrival. Of course it's too soon to tell if this will prove to be symbiotic or cause rebellion, but I have not seen her make any move other than one that was unarguably the right one. I rarely sit and stare with nothing to do anymore, and I feel almost as if my brain is awakening from a long sleep. Of course, nothing is perfect and without knowing the future, I do still keep an eye out just in case; the commute and the salary both have room for major improvement. But for now, I am happy to be where I am.
And in other news, we may have actually managed to secure a refinancing. Kevin is waiting impatiently as the underwriters do their thing, but everything up till now seems to be in order. If we ever manage to close, we will save about $1100 a month, which is nothing to sneeze about. It sure will help when we have to pay two tuitions next year! Of course, Kevin plans to use the money to buy himself a Jeep.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
what, no water????
So during Irene, a bridge was washed away by our drinking water. In fact, it took out the home of a former KISS rocker, knocked it right off of its foundation, causing him to lament the loss of much of his memorabilia, as he wasn't being allowed inside to retrieve it due to risk of collapse of the home. How long ago was that? Ten months?
Things are a little slow at work, sort of the calm in the eye of the storm, just after a major snafu debacle and just before the change in administration which will affect me in unknown ways. So I checked into my news source, Facebook, to find reports of a major water main break in town. So major, in fact, that we no longer are gathering water in our reservoir. We're on a mandatory water restriction, under a state of emergency, and very much in the dark as to why this happened or how long it will last. The entire midsections of three intake pipes are simply gone into the water below. The very same pedestrian bridge damaged by Irene collapsed around them - but it was such a flimsy bunch of boards to begin with, it's difficult to imagine that it could have caused the entire fiasco.
So far, we're little affected, our water works and the pressure is good. Although the water looks clear, we've been advised not to drink it, so I gathered up a bunch of water in Princeton yesterday before I came home from work. Luckily, our power is on (some not so lucky in this extreme heat) and our pool is filled. This may end up being the first day it gets some use!
M is off to work, she is also filling in for someone on Monday which means she will work six days in a row. I don't like that, and hope at least one or two of them are complete washouts (she is already way too tan and it's not even July...) B is a bum; he'll start tennis camp on Monday, going twice a week, but other than that his days aren't too full until he heads off to his computer 'camp' in three weeks. He'll do some volunteering at the nursing home again, if he ever gets on the ball, and of course he needs all of his medical testing done as well.
Kevin is off on one of his obsessive bike rides, he finally found someone to go with him, a former co-swim parent and fellow congregant at our dysfunctional church. So they're off on their maiden voyage together, out in this building heat.
So I guess things are not that exciting. We're gearing up the college search for B, welcoming any suggestions for an average kid in a world where above average is the new average. His hope will be his essay, which has to be well done and has to draw attention to the fact that his grades, while averaging out to a lackluster GPA, have staged steady increases ever since freshman year. So the challenge will be for him to maintain that climb in time for first quarter/semester grades, and to tie in the whole chiari experience with the difficulty in settling into high school, and ultimately, a more competitive junior/senior year GPA as compared to the first two years.
The real challenge is to find a school with admissions standards relaxed enough that he will get in, without sacrifice of education quality or motivation of the other students. And to keep this within a respectable budget, as his top choice school is one of the priciest schools around; although its reputation is solid in the community and it could offer him opportunities after graduation, another important consideration in this search.
And in other news, we had our house and deck painted last week. We waited a month past the date we were given for the guys to show up, and then they blew through like a tornado, knocking over bushes and leaving unfinished bits everywhere. I guess that's what happens when you hire people and nobody is around to watch them work. They were dropped off by their boss, and the only one home was B, who managed to sleep through their hollering and banging around, which began at 7am daily.
But now I must be off - I took a vacation day on Monday, mainly to get caught up in dust bunny maintenance and laundry (which is now prohibited by the county!) so I probably should try to get a start on that.
Things are a little slow at work, sort of the calm in the eye of the storm, just after a major snafu debacle and just before the change in administration which will affect me in unknown ways. So I checked into my news source, Facebook, to find reports of a major water main break in town. So major, in fact, that we no longer are gathering water in our reservoir. We're on a mandatory water restriction, under a state of emergency, and very much in the dark as to why this happened or how long it will last. The entire midsections of three intake pipes are simply gone into the water below. The very same pedestrian bridge damaged by Irene collapsed around them - but it was such a flimsy bunch of boards to begin with, it's difficult to imagine that it could have caused the entire fiasco.
So far, we're little affected, our water works and the pressure is good. Although the water looks clear, we've been advised not to drink it, so I gathered up a bunch of water in Princeton yesterday before I came home from work. Luckily, our power is on (some not so lucky in this extreme heat) and our pool is filled. This may end up being the first day it gets some use!
M is off to work, she is also filling in for someone on Monday which means she will work six days in a row. I don't like that, and hope at least one or two of them are complete washouts (she is already way too tan and it's not even July...) B is a bum; he'll start tennis camp on Monday, going twice a week, but other than that his days aren't too full until he heads off to his computer 'camp' in three weeks. He'll do some volunteering at the nursing home again, if he ever gets on the ball, and of course he needs all of his medical testing done as well.
Kevin is off on one of his obsessive bike rides, he finally found someone to go with him, a former co-swim parent and fellow congregant at our dysfunctional church. So they're off on their maiden voyage together, out in this building heat.
So I guess things are not that exciting. We're gearing up the college search for B, welcoming any suggestions for an average kid in a world where above average is the new average. His hope will be his essay, which has to be well done and has to draw attention to the fact that his grades, while averaging out to a lackluster GPA, have staged steady increases ever since freshman year. So the challenge will be for him to maintain that climb in time for first quarter/semester grades, and to tie in the whole chiari experience with the difficulty in settling into high school, and ultimately, a more competitive junior/senior year GPA as compared to the first two years.
The real challenge is to find a school with admissions standards relaxed enough that he will get in, without sacrifice of education quality or motivation of the other students. And to keep this within a respectable budget, as his top choice school is one of the priciest schools around; although its reputation is solid in the community and it could offer him opportunities after graduation, another important consideration in this search.
And in other news, we had our house and deck painted last week. We waited a month past the date we were given for the guys to show up, and then they blew through like a tornado, knocking over bushes and leaving unfinished bits everywhere. I guess that's what happens when you hire people and nobody is around to watch them work. They were dropped off by their boss, and the only one home was B, who managed to sleep through their hollering and banging around, which began at 7am daily.
But now I must be off - I took a vacation day on Monday, mainly to get caught up in dust bunny maintenance and laundry (which is now prohibited by the county!) so I probably should try to get a start on that.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
of blogs and creativity
Well, can it be so? Occasionally I will search the hits, to see the terms that bring viewers, few and far between, to my little blog. About three years ago, I posted a link to an article featuring B and his surgical complication. Apparently, this search has landed me #54 in Google's searches on the topic. I have recently learned that the power of Google is indeed a mighty force. Initially, when this blog was indexed by the "bots" it had WAY more identifying information than it should have had, and more details than should have been prudent! So I revised the blog and took out some of the details, but in the cache, often the facts remain.
But what transpired was a revisitation of the past - I perused a few blogs and had a few chuckles - hard to believe that it's just been a few years and already I've forgotten that chipmunks drowned in our pool, only hours after being rescued from the jaws of the Wren (a few circa 2012 have not been so fated, although I've not been home to witness, nor have I been responsible for the release of the beast, despite her loud and repeated pleas for acquiescence). I seemed to have a great connection to specific beloved shrubs, many of which I fear I see withering in the yard this year. I attributed this to the weather, but in fact it may instead be neglect. Not so much lack of water and care as lack of caring!
So this is what my going back to work has done ... my blog is dry, and my yard no better! Seven pets now roam the halls in search of entertainment, and, not finding it, they either eat my kitchen table or pee on my bathmat! But all is well. The college bills will be paid; at least for this year.
Anyway, the point is not to bemoan my working. On the contrary, I often feel as if it's given me my self back. But it may have drained some of my creativity when it comes to my blog, and my yard, and it's certainly left my pets just a bit more lonesome. Thankfully they have had M all of these days, and B will now be with them as well. Abby no longer has to live in the hall - the other day we had a mysterious ant invasion and Kevin, ever the savior, doused her whole hall with ant spray, so I refused to put her back there. This put a short life on M's June lie-ins, as she reported awakening to a big wet nose the second day of Abby's freedom. But the good news is that the wood furniture has remained intact.
So it is interesting that I have to watch my writing style as well. The style at work tends to be more flowery and unlike me and it took me a while to realize I didn't have to end all my letters with things like "blah blah blah blah blah," and that I could just say, "blah" as always and perhaps "blah blah." I guess it's a good sign that I'm back to myself. Although I'll have to be careful. Don't want to be too unflowery - in the yard or in the email!
And in other news, we finally got to the beach today, just in time to see M and her partner get an earful about how to handle dead-in-the-water boats (not the way they handled one, which was to allow it to nearly wash up on shore!) But it was surprisingly warm and comfortable on the beach today. It would be nice to have more time to enjoy it! I did have a good laugh when a beachgoer came up and asked them what they do when a boat loses power and starts to wash ashore. They responded, "oh, we swim it back out," as if it's just one of those instinctive lifeguard talents. (I guess the guy had been too far away when their boss came by on the beach buggy).
But what transpired was a revisitation of the past - I perused a few blogs and had a few chuckles - hard to believe that it's just been a few years and already I've forgotten that chipmunks drowned in our pool, only hours after being rescued from the jaws of the Wren (a few circa 2012 have not been so fated, although I've not been home to witness, nor have I been responsible for the release of the beast, despite her loud and repeated pleas for acquiescence). I seemed to have a great connection to specific beloved shrubs, many of which I fear I see withering in the yard this year. I attributed this to the weather, but in fact it may instead be neglect. Not so much lack of water and care as lack of caring!
So this is what my going back to work has done ... my blog is dry, and my yard no better! Seven pets now roam the halls in search of entertainment, and, not finding it, they either eat my kitchen table or pee on my bathmat! But all is well. The college bills will be paid; at least for this year.
Anyway, the point is not to bemoan my working. On the contrary, I often feel as if it's given me my self back. But it may have drained some of my creativity when it comes to my blog, and my yard, and it's certainly left my pets just a bit more lonesome. Thankfully they have had M all of these days, and B will now be with them as well. Abby no longer has to live in the hall - the other day we had a mysterious ant invasion and Kevin, ever the savior, doused her whole hall with ant spray, so I refused to put her back there. This put a short life on M's June lie-ins, as she reported awakening to a big wet nose the second day of Abby's freedom. But the good news is that the wood furniture has remained intact.
So it is interesting that I have to watch my writing style as well. The style at work tends to be more flowery and unlike me and it took me a while to realize I didn't have to end all my letters with things like "blah blah blah blah blah," and that I could just say, "blah" as always and perhaps "blah blah." I guess it's a good sign that I'm back to myself. Although I'll have to be careful. Don't want to be too unflowery - in the yard or in the email!
And in other news, we finally got to the beach today, just in time to see M and her partner get an earful about how to handle dead-in-the-water boats (not the way they handled one, which was to allow it to nearly wash up on shore!) But it was surprisingly warm and comfortable on the beach today. It would be nice to have more time to enjoy it! I did have a good laugh when a beachgoer came up and asked them what they do when a boat loses power and starts to wash ashore. They responded, "oh, we swim it back out," as if it's just one of those instinctive lifeguard talents. (I guess the guy had been too far away when their boss came by on the beach buggy).
Saturday, June 9, 2012
summer daze
So - B has taken his last final of his junior year. Only one more year of high school (theoretically) and off to college? He is taking the ACTs as I type and then he will be on to summer. He doesn't have much planned, but I guess he is happy enough about that for now. I'd like him to find a part time job but of course there's that trivial burbtopia issue with his not having a driver's license yet. The stores up in town are a possibility and I do want him to complete the application for the grocery store there; but I don't place much faith in much coming of it, even if he does follow through.
Otherwise, he's off to San Diego for a week, spending a week at a computer science program at a local tech college, and tennis camping one or two days a week when he's not away. And of course, the family trip to the shore.
M is still flopping around the house, although she spent a week in Cape Cod last week. She finally saw a doctor for her stomach issues, which she's had for years, and had some troubling results in her blood work. But a visit to a gastroenterologist yesterday allayed some concerns, and she's been given a medication to reduce "spasms" which she has to take 1/2 hour before each meal. She took one before dinner last night and miraculously, it worked! So I told her to skip the one this morning, as she's working and side effects may include tiredness, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light and heat! Not a great combination for a beach lifeguard on the job. But it was encouraging that it had such immediate results.
She has one more week before she starts work full time, so hopefully her symptoms will stabilize before long and she can cut down on the use of those pills and manage with diet. She has been given a clinical diagnosis of IBS. If the treatment doesn't work, she'll have to have a scope for celiac. Although the IgA marker for celiac was low (negative), so was her overall IgA; so the doctor said she might still have it, but he didn't think so. He said that having had this for so long, if she had celiac he would expect her to be anemic (she's not), and aside from elevated bilirubin, all of her other liver numbers were normal. The IgA, according to the pediatrician, is an inherited deficiency. None of this has ever been tested before now, which surprised me.
And this is a busy day - Wilbur and I have our hair appointments, it's the family BBQ at B's school, M is working and Kevin is running around trying to find a place to ride his bike. Just back from his week overseas and then this past week of work, he's trying to get himself back into the groove. He's also revisited the shoulder injury, with another dislocation the day that he left for Europe.
And in other news, my job continues to keep me busy, which I do enjoy although it's been a little harrowing. And of course, the future continues to hang in the balance as I await the direction of the company over the next few months. But in a week, I will have reached my three month anniversary, meaning I will be entitled to the full allocation of vacation days, and there are indeed many - four weeks to be taken whenever I want to take them (and the office closes for a week in December so that's not a vacation drain), plus 12 sick days so I don't have to use vacation when I take someone to a doctor, or go to one myself - meaning I can finally enjoy an actual vacation without being docked in pay or wondering if I will have any interviews when I get back. It's been many years since that happened!
Otherwise, he's off to San Diego for a week, spending a week at a computer science program at a local tech college, and tennis camping one or two days a week when he's not away. And of course, the family trip to the shore.
M is still flopping around the house, although she spent a week in Cape Cod last week. She finally saw a doctor for her stomach issues, which she's had for years, and had some troubling results in her blood work. But a visit to a gastroenterologist yesterday allayed some concerns, and she's been given a medication to reduce "spasms" which she has to take 1/2 hour before each meal. She took one before dinner last night and miraculously, it worked! So I told her to skip the one this morning, as she's working and side effects may include tiredness, blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light and heat! Not a great combination for a beach lifeguard on the job. But it was encouraging that it had such immediate results.
She has one more week before she starts work full time, so hopefully her symptoms will stabilize before long and she can cut down on the use of those pills and manage with diet. She has been given a clinical diagnosis of IBS. If the treatment doesn't work, she'll have to have a scope for celiac. Although the IgA marker for celiac was low (negative), so was her overall IgA; so the doctor said she might still have it, but he didn't think so. He said that having had this for so long, if she had celiac he would expect her to be anemic (she's not), and aside from elevated bilirubin, all of her other liver numbers were normal. The IgA, according to the pediatrician, is an inherited deficiency. None of this has ever been tested before now, which surprised me.
And this is a busy day - Wilbur and I have our hair appointments, it's the family BBQ at B's school, M is working and Kevin is running around trying to find a place to ride his bike. Just back from his week overseas and then this past week of work, he's trying to get himself back into the groove. He's also revisited the shoulder injury, with another dislocation the day that he left for Europe.
And in other news, my job continues to keep me busy, which I do enjoy although it's been a little harrowing. And of course, the future continues to hang in the balance as I await the direction of the company over the next few months. But in a week, I will have reached my three month anniversary, meaning I will be entitled to the full allocation of vacation days, and there are indeed many - four weeks to be taken whenever I want to take them (and the office closes for a week in December so that's not a vacation drain), plus 12 sick days so I don't have to use vacation when I take someone to a doctor, or go to one myself - meaning I can finally enjoy an actual vacation without being docked in pay or wondering if I will have any interviews when I get back. It's been many years since that happened!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
mayday
And it's another sunny beautiful day with me in the dirty stinky house! At least today I have hope of getting it cleaned, although I have a little headache already and a newsletter to finish for school, the first since I started my job. To complicate the task, the principal, who has been my primary proofreader and supplier of information for the opening pages, has left the school and I'm missing some key components, including upcoming events (which I can somewhat figure out) and announcements (which I can't). But I hope to post it by Monday. I just have the tedious task of editing and adding clip art.
Meanwhile, Kevin and B have gone fishing! Kevin texted that the ocean is rough but B is having fun. I'm thinking of inviting the Doll over for dinner to make up for not seeing her on Mothers' Day but I always have to be sure the house is presentable so I have a couple of hours before that determination can be made.
M went out to dinner last night and just as I was drifting off to sleep, she texted that they might go to an 11:30 movie. I texted back, "!" and fell asleep. She came home at 2am and scared us all out of sleep! Kevin hadn't even realized she was going to be out so late, and my usual radar is all cobwebbed from the months of not having to worry about where she was or when she would be home. It was a really odd feeling - because if she hadn't come home, I wouldn't have known till this morning! I don't like that thought - it's going to be a rough summer of this.
On the job front, there is still nothing to report. Although I can't write here about the secret happenings at work, change is indeed in the air and I don't know how that will affect me in the long term. Since both of my bosses will be retiring before the end of the year, everything is just a big question mark, and I still find I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing. Surely it isn't a hard job, although once in a while when I am called on to perform a task, it *is* difficult, and hours of idle waiting make it more difficult for my brain to turn on.
I am also starting to notice strange tensions in the air, and an artificial friendliness that fills the gap in an attempt to cover it up. I am not directly affected by it, but I have to really remain aloof if I don't want to get drawn in. That's not easy for me to do, and I did come close to losing my cool last week with one particularly condescending staffer. I just reminded myself to remain above it all, and hoped myself would listen. But overall, I do still like it although I don't think it's a good sign that the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is peruse the daily job emails on my phone.
And in other news, it's litter box changing day. I'm on a quest to find the best cat litter. We used to use Fresh Step, and I loved the way you could not scoop the boxes for days and the house wouldn't smell like cats. But it would smell like Fresh Step, and so would the cats - all the time! There was a fine powder all over everything in the laundry room, and all over the cats. I'd get it in my nose when I'd scoop and couldn't get the smell out for hours. So, regretting that I'd have to give up the luxury of not scooping as often, I began a search for a replacement.
Now that there are five cats and we've had problems with inappropriate urination, I really had to make a good choice. So I did a little internet research and found Dr. Elsey's CatAttract Litter. Although I can't say it smells fragrant, it does clump wonderfully and the peeing has subsided quite a bit. As a test, I had another box with another highly rated litter in it, and it sat unused for two weeks while the cats continued to pile into the CatAttract boxes, no matter how soiled they were. I also invested in a plug-in Feli-way diffuser for the bedroom, where the new cats hang out, and that seems to have helped with the peeing as well. We've still had a couple of incidents, but not upstairs (except for when M locked one of the new cats in her room for hours).
And on that note - I think I hear the dust bunnies fighting!
Meanwhile, Kevin and B have gone fishing! Kevin texted that the ocean is rough but B is having fun. I'm thinking of inviting the Doll over for dinner to make up for not seeing her on Mothers' Day but I always have to be sure the house is presentable so I have a couple of hours before that determination can be made.
M went out to dinner last night and just as I was drifting off to sleep, she texted that they might go to an 11:30 movie. I texted back, "!" and fell asleep. She came home at 2am and scared us all out of sleep! Kevin hadn't even realized she was going to be out so late, and my usual radar is all cobwebbed from the months of not having to worry about where she was or when she would be home. It was a really odd feeling - because if she hadn't come home, I wouldn't have known till this morning! I don't like that thought - it's going to be a rough summer of this.
On the job front, there is still nothing to report. Although I can't write here about the secret happenings at work, change is indeed in the air and I don't know how that will affect me in the long term. Since both of my bosses will be retiring before the end of the year, everything is just a big question mark, and I still find I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing. Surely it isn't a hard job, although once in a while when I am called on to perform a task, it *is* difficult, and hours of idle waiting make it more difficult for my brain to turn on.
I am also starting to notice strange tensions in the air, and an artificial friendliness that fills the gap in an attempt to cover it up. I am not directly affected by it, but I have to really remain aloof if I don't want to get drawn in. That's not easy for me to do, and I did come close to losing my cool last week with one particularly condescending staffer. I just reminded myself to remain above it all, and hoped myself would listen. But overall, I do still like it although I don't think it's a good sign that the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is peruse the daily job emails on my phone.
And in other news, it's litter box changing day. I'm on a quest to find the best cat litter. We used to use Fresh Step, and I loved the way you could not scoop the boxes for days and the house wouldn't smell like cats. But it would smell like Fresh Step, and so would the cats - all the time! There was a fine powder all over everything in the laundry room, and all over the cats. I'd get it in my nose when I'd scoop and couldn't get the smell out for hours. So, regretting that I'd have to give up the luxury of not scooping as often, I began a search for a replacement.
Now that there are five cats and we've had problems with inappropriate urination, I really had to make a good choice. So I did a little internet research and found Dr. Elsey's CatAttract Litter. Although I can't say it smells fragrant, it does clump wonderfully and the peeing has subsided quite a bit. As a test, I had another box with another highly rated litter in it, and it sat unused for two weeks while the cats continued to pile into the CatAttract boxes, no matter how soiled they were. I also invested in a plug-in Feli-way diffuser for the bedroom, where the new cats hang out, and that seems to have helped with the peeing as well. We've still had a couple of incidents, but not upstairs (except for when M locked one of the new cats in her room for hours).
And on that note - I think I hear the dust bunnies fighting!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
settling in
It's going to be a beautiful day! Next week will see my two month anniversary at the job come and go, meaning in one month I will have passed the official 'trial period' of 90 days. At that point I'll have all sorts of fancy benefits, including finally a retirement savings plan, my first in 17 years! Not that I can put much in, most has to go to college tuition, present and future, but in order to get the match rate of 5%, I have to put 5% in myself. So technically my pay will go down in a few weeks.
Not a whole lot of excitement has gone on in recent weeks. Kevin has been traveling a lot, M has been hanging around the house most of the time, and B continues to allegedly strive to improve his GPA. The verdict on that will be in in four weeks or so. Meanwhile, I"m trying to get him into a summer program in computers at one of the local colleges for a week in July. I have been back and forth with the guidance office because the college's website wasn't functioning properly and the deadline is Tuesday! But we should have an answer on that by the end of the week.
In the world of M, lifeguard tryouts are today so she is excited to have something to do. They have to run a mile, swim 500 yards, and then complete some re-certification coursework. They are lucky to have such a nice day for it this year. Other than that, she hasn't been doing much because none of her friends are back from college yet. She has some travel plans in early June, and she'll start work in mid- late-June. She is supposed to be trying to find herself something relevant to her major, as she'll have to interview for placements over the next semester for her co-op in January. So far these efforts have been limited to one unreturned phone call and a bounced-back email to the woman who led the volunteers when she volunteered at a hospital two years ago.
And in other news, we had to get a new floor for our family room! The day that the dogs had their baths, I don't know what happened to Abby. She must have eaten something bad, or else she was just so distraught that she had terrible gastric upset beginning in the evening. She projectile vomited a couple of times before bed, but then came to bed acting normally. Well, at some point in the night she must have been stricken and went to the back door - but of course nobody was there to open it for her. So - the rug was horrifically soiled. We decided to get the wood laminate because it should be easier to care for than hardwood (and cheaper!) in case of incidents like this one. It's such an improvement over the ugly old rug. And finally - the pool is open! And so we settle in and wait for summer ... and all the fun that it brings (and - sigh - the long-awaited MRIs...not looking forward to those.)
Not a whole lot of excitement has gone on in recent weeks. Kevin has been traveling a lot, M has been hanging around the house most of the time, and B continues to allegedly strive to improve his GPA. The verdict on that will be in in four weeks or so. Meanwhile, I"m trying to get him into a summer program in computers at one of the local colleges for a week in July. I have been back and forth with the guidance office because the college's website wasn't functioning properly and the deadline is Tuesday! But we should have an answer on that by the end of the week.
In the world of M, lifeguard tryouts are today so she is excited to have something to do. They have to run a mile, swim 500 yards, and then complete some re-certification coursework. They are lucky to have such a nice day for it this year. Other than that, she hasn't been doing much because none of her friends are back from college yet. She has some travel plans in early June, and she'll start work in mid- late-June. She is supposed to be trying to find herself something relevant to her major, as she'll have to interview for placements over the next semester for her co-op in January. So far these efforts have been limited to one unreturned phone call and a bounced-back email to the woman who led the volunteers when she volunteered at a hospital two years ago.
And in other news, we had to get a new floor for our family room! The day that the dogs had their baths, I don't know what happened to Abby. She must have eaten something bad, or else she was just so distraught that she had terrible gastric upset beginning in the evening. She projectile vomited a couple of times before bed, but then came to bed acting normally. Well, at some point in the night she must have been stricken and went to the back door - but of course nobody was there to open it for her. So - the rug was horrifically soiled. We decided to get the wood laminate because it should be easier to care for than hardwood (and cheaper!) in case of incidents like this one. It's such an improvement over the ugly old rug. And finally - the pool is open! And so we settle in and wait for summer ... and all the fun that it brings (and - sigh - the long-awaited MRIs...not looking forward to those.)
Saturday, April 28, 2012
beginnings and endings
I have now completed six weeks at my new job! And it's still slow :( I finally felt that it would be best to bring it up to my boss. I had been trying not to trouble him, as the impression I had gotten was that I would report more to my predecessor, who would tell me what I was supposed to do in support of the main boss, as well as dole out some of her overload of work.
What I came to realize was that in her opinion, I was there to take over the "in support of the main boss" role so that she could better juggle her overload of work, and none was coming my way once the initial few example tasks were completed. I do think I will get one continuous task, but otherwise the days have tended to drag, and for now all that needs to be done has been done. After my talk with the boss, he did try to throw me a few projects here and there so I've managed to pass the time most days and I also know busier times are ahead, as the first round of board meetings is on the near horizon. And changes are in the air which will alter my job in ways that have yet to unravel.
In my daily job log, I even saw one that almost had me tempted to apply. It was a high level assistant job at a major firm only half an hour from my home. I wrestled with the decision, started writing cover letters and revising my resume, and just couldn't come up with the right approach. Why do I say I am applying, so soon after starting a job? Do I say I have started the job? I leaned towards not, but then I'm unemployed for six months in their eyes. I shut it all down and decided not to bother. I thought it best to stick with this one to see how the changes evolve, as I am happy with the company and very much like my boss. I will never find a time-off package as generous as the one I have now, and I'm happy with the pay. So the only real negative is the hour drive in moderate traffic. And the boredom; but that will pass. At least I think it will.
Anyway, the next day I went to click the link again, and the new job was gone! So that was a relief. The decision was made for me, and it was the same one I had made the day before anyway. I have decided that I need a year. If in a year things are unchanged, then perhaps I have to look. But I hope not, as I know that the whole age factor is only going to weigh more heavily against me.
In terms of travel, I'm learning the patterns of the drive. I have come to despise when people ride in the left lane at the same speed as those in the right, especially when they sit right next to the back half of my car and do it while I"m trying to pass them. I have noticed that the people with Jesus fish on their cars are for some reason some of the slowest and most inconsiderate drivers on the road (I call them pokes); often they are the ones cruising in the left lane and causing major backups with the frustrated cars behind them. Not as many people talk on their phones on the roads in the morning, but I can always spot the ones who do. And if there's a gigantic, filthy, rock-throwing exhaust-spewing monstrosity on the road, it will always pull in front of me. And finally, if by some miracle I find a faster route or traffic is mysteriously absent on one leg of my journey, there's sure to be an accident, a poke, or a monstrosity in front of me on a later leg, just to be sure that it always takes me the full hour to get from one end of the commute to the other.
The other big news is M's return home! Kevin went up and got her and brought her home on Thursday. She has already spent her first night out of the house with friends from college. They're going into NYC today. After that she should be around for a while and will have to tend to personal business (and my business: driving B around!) before her job starts up around the end of June. I'm relieved to hear that gas prices will be dropping. I'd been considering looking for a smaller car that would guzzle less gas and not have to be filled as frequently as the gas guzzling V8 in the Explorer she's been driving (and B will drive to school next year.)
And in other news, B continues to try to bring his grades back up but unfortunately his slips of the past couple of months have put him at a big disadvantage. He has gotten decent grades but the low averages bear too much weight and creep up only slowly. Getting a 46 on a test because he didn't know he had it (the study guide was posted on the teacher's web page) in a class in which he had an A average was a major blow, both to the class and to his general GPA. So that and the upcoming SAT (round 3 but the first round since taking the prep sessions) are our main focus with him. And - he is going to his prom! That is in two weeks. Other than that and a couple of days at tennis camp in the summer and one week in California before a few days in Cape May, we don't have a plan for him for the summer yet.
What I came to realize was that in her opinion, I was there to take over the "in support of the main boss" role so that she could better juggle her overload of work, and none was coming my way once the initial few example tasks were completed. I do think I will get one continuous task, but otherwise the days have tended to drag, and for now all that needs to be done has been done. After my talk with the boss, he did try to throw me a few projects here and there so I've managed to pass the time most days and I also know busier times are ahead, as the first round of board meetings is on the near horizon. And changes are in the air which will alter my job in ways that have yet to unravel.
In my daily job log, I even saw one that almost had me tempted to apply. It was a high level assistant job at a major firm only half an hour from my home. I wrestled with the decision, started writing cover letters and revising my resume, and just couldn't come up with the right approach. Why do I say I am applying, so soon after starting a job? Do I say I have started the job? I leaned towards not, but then I'm unemployed for six months in their eyes. I shut it all down and decided not to bother. I thought it best to stick with this one to see how the changes evolve, as I am happy with the company and very much like my boss. I will never find a time-off package as generous as the one I have now, and I'm happy with the pay. So the only real negative is the hour drive in moderate traffic. And the boredom; but that will pass. At least I think it will.
Anyway, the next day I went to click the link again, and the new job was gone! So that was a relief. The decision was made for me, and it was the same one I had made the day before anyway. I have decided that I need a year. If in a year things are unchanged, then perhaps I have to look. But I hope not, as I know that the whole age factor is only going to weigh more heavily against me.
In terms of travel, I'm learning the patterns of the drive. I have come to despise when people ride in the left lane at the same speed as those in the right, especially when they sit right next to the back half of my car and do it while I"m trying to pass them. I have noticed that the people with Jesus fish on their cars are for some reason some of the slowest and most inconsiderate drivers on the road (I call them pokes); often they are the ones cruising in the left lane and causing major backups with the frustrated cars behind them. Not as many people talk on their phones on the roads in the morning, but I can always spot the ones who do. And if there's a gigantic, filthy, rock-throwing exhaust-spewing monstrosity on the road, it will always pull in front of me. And finally, if by some miracle I find a faster route or traffic is mysteriously absent on one leg of my journey, there's sure to be an accident, a poke, or a monstrosity in front of me on a later leg, just to be sure that it always takes me the full hour to get from one end of the commute to the other.
The other big news is M's return home! Kevin went up and got her and brought her home on Thursday. She has already spent her first night out of the house with friends from college. They're going into NYC today. After that she should be around for a while and will have to tend to personal business (and my business: driving B around!) before her job starts up around the end of June. I'm relieved to hear that gas prices will be dropping. I'd been considering looking for a smaller car that would guzzle less gas and not have to be filled as frequently as the gas guzzling V8 in the Explorer she's been driving (and B will drive to school next year.)
And in other news, B continues to try to bring his grades back up but unfortunately his slips of the past couple of months have put him at a big disadvantage. He has gotten decent grades but the low averages bear too much weight and creep up only slowly. Getting a 46 on a test because he didn't know he had it (the study guide was posted on the teacher's web page) in a class in which he had an A average was a major blow, both to the class and to his general GPA. So that and the upcoming SAT (round 3 but the first round since taking the prep sessions) are our main focus with him. And - he is going to his prom! That is in two weeks. Other than that and a couple of days at tennis camp in the summer and one week in California before a few days in Cape May, we don't have a plan for him for the summer yet.
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