Unemployment (it's not just for beer and cigarettes)

Let me introduce myself...  I am the newest member of the entitled.  I am the newest member of the unemployed collecting money from the government (and me, 'cause I paid into it while I was working) and you hard working individuals out there.

This experience is teaching me so much.  I can now look at this experience from both sides.  I have written about about people willing to take money from anyone that will give it to them, instead of working, in this blog.  I've written about my lazy tenants and the lifestyle of welfare, unemployment and crime they have cultivated on the backs of hard working people in this country.  And now I find myself collecting money every week because I no longer have a job.

I will tell you... it seems weird.  I'm getting paid for looking for a job.  I am required by law to apply for, no fewer than, two jobs per week.  I am required by law to keep a log of every job I apply for.  According to my state's DLLR this log can be required for submission at any time during my term of receipt of benefits and up to two years after my benefits end.  I'm going to tell you...  I have a difficult time believing that many people collecting benefits actually keep this log.  I mean, it's sort of like taking a class and having homework assigned every week, but the homework is never collected or checked and you are going to get an "A" in the class whether you do it or not.  But, because I'm such an ISTJ, I'm applying for jobs and keeping the log.  It's just the way I roll.

Ok, I know the title of today's blog is a bit snarky.  I know people collecting unemployment don't use their benefits for only beer and cigarettes, but let me tell you, the government makes it easier to use the benefits for beer and cigarettes and more difficult for using the benefits to pay your mortgage or rent.  Seriously.

Here's the story.  When you are approved for unemployment benefits my state sends you a debit card and my benefits are loaded on to this debit card and I can pay my bills with this debit card.  This may work for many people or some people or people that don't want to maintain a stellar credit rating, but it isn't working for me.

First of all, my mortgage company does not take debit cards.  So, I cannot pay my mortgage unless I go to the ATM or the bank and have the money transferred into cash or deposited.  Both of these transactions will incur a charge onto the debit card.  POOF!  Money disappears into a charge I would have never paid had I been getting paid by direct deposit into my checking account the way I was getting paid when I had a job.  I HATE paying service charges when I don't need to pay them.

Secondly, I LOVE paying my bills with my credit card.  I pay my bills with my credit card for two basic reasons.  Because I pay off my credit card completely every month, my credit is stellar.  If I ever need a loan for anything, I have no difficulty obtaining said loan.  AND, I use a credit card that allows me to accrue points for free flights.  The more money I put on the card, the more points I accrue for free airfare.  I look at this as a "win/win" situation.

Maybe I'm not the typical recipient of unemployment benefits.  The few people I've told that I'm collecting benefits have all been quite surprised.  I guess they thought I didn't qualify.  That's funny to me.  After all, when you are fired from a job for no reason at all, one qualifies for unemployment.  This is just the way it works.  And, by the way, it's not going to be easy for this 56 year old woman to find work out there.  After all, most of the work in the area I live has been affected by sequestration, furloughs, and government closures.  It's tough out there.

I am learning so much, through this experience.  I'm learning that this program, and the limited checking into job search activity, may make it easier for people collecting on this program to become lackadaisical in their job search.  AND, more importantly, I learned that I could call my state's DLLR office and have my benefits deposited directly into my own personal checking account.  YAY!  Now I can pay my mortgage with my unemployment benefits.  I'm so happy.

511.  My back is all better.  (I tell you, the secret to living well into old age is to NOT FALL DOWN)
512.  Spending time in the book of Acts and the gift of Christianity to Gentiles
513.  OCR programs
514.  The cool crispness of fall
515.  Netflix documentaries (yeah, I watch too much tv)
516.  Crawling out of the depression that comes from being fired
517.  Clear blue skies
518.  Making lunch for my husband
519.  Learning to be quiet at home (no laughing out loud)
520.  Having the energy to entertain friends on the weekends

There is no sense in nonsense

Ok, I'm ready to write about the ...rest of the story of my "retirement."

I thought it may take me a few days to find the humor in this and I was right.  You've heard that no news travels faster than bad news.  This was true for me.  A week ago on Tuesday my phone and email blew up!

Evidently the college had begun to hire for my old position.  And, surprise, surprise, they had upgraded the position and given the position a raise.

I wasn't surprised at all.  I knew they wouldn't be able to hire someone qualified if they had kept the position the same as when I was in it.  This is why I was asking for a raise.

Sure it hurt that I had been lied to.  I had been in the job 11 years.  I thought I deserved to be treated with respect.  I guess I was wrong about that.

I got over this pretty quickly.  I mean, my old boss, Mr. Nonconfrontational, showed his true colors.  If he had been any kind of a man or manager, he would had spoken to me directly and just told me the truth.  I knew what the truth of the situation was.  It wasn't that I was a bad employee.  It wasn't that I wasn't doing my job.  The truth of the situation was that I had pushed them too hard.  I asked for the position to be upgraded and a substantial raise.  If they would have done this for me, then they would have been opening the door for EVERYONE to ask for raises.  And, they would have been able to say, "You gave Happygirl an upgrade and a raise.  Why not me?"  They weren't gonna have THAT.  And the easiest way not to have THAT was to close the door I had opened when I turned in my letter of resignation.  So they did.

Ok, I get that there is not much humor in this portion of the story.  Let's see if this next bit contains anything that'll make me smile.

The new guy that was promoted to be my boss (get that!  he had been promoted.  he had been a co-worker, now he was my boss.  gee, you think he'd want to share  some of the blessings that had gone around his way.  I guess when you "get yours" you don't have to care about anyone else.) is retired Navy (albeit a blackshoe or surface guy).

It was inevitable that I would run into this guy in the commissary.  (a commissary is the grocery store on a navy base, fyi)  This happened last Saturday.  It was everything you might have expected it to be.  We were both surprised to see each other, although he looked much more uncomfortable than I felt.  He asked me how retirement was treating me and I said I was well.  I congratulated him on getting my old position upgraded.  He hemmed and hawed and eventually said that he had told me he would get the position upgraded.  I said, "yeah, but not for me."  He responded with an uncomfortable sheepish look.  And, oh yeah, he told me that EVERYBODY on campus wanted my old job.  I told him that of course they would.  It's the easiest job on campus.  I mean, heck, I was capable of doing it.  Then I let him off the hook and told him he could keep all the crappy things that they were saying about me behind my back, behind my back.  Good luck and yada yada yada.

Are you laughing?  Yeah, I'm not laughing that much either.

The bottom line is this.  They did me a favor by not offering me the upgraded position.  First of all, they didn't raise the pay to as much as I had asked for.  (really?)  Secondly, if they would have raised the pay enough, I would have accepted the upgrade and raise and stayed.  And, this would still have been the character of the people I was working with 40 hours a week.  These would have been the people I was sharing the best part of my day with.  This is who was getting the best of my energy and intellect.

Enough with this nonsense.

Btw, now that I work for myself, I ADORE my new boss.

484.  On line yard sales on facebook (I finally found something useful on fb!!)
485.  Working with people I love
486.  Reading
487.  Finding my footing in my new normal
488.  Chuckling at Samsung's smartwatch (really, who likes this thing?)
489.  Finding my "happy" again
490.  Smiling a lot more 

Don't let the door...

I'm ready to tell the story of how I discovered I no longer had a job.

I am much more into to the idea of not having a job to go to each and every morning than I was last week. In fact, Monday mornings when you do not have to go into work are WONDERFUL. REALLY GOOD.

I thought I would find humor in the unceremonious way my resignation was accepted and the last day of my employment after being with the organization for 11 years. I haven't totally grasped the humor of it, but there have been some moments that made me chuckle.

Let's begin the story last Monday, August 19th. I was a bit late for work that morning, as I knew my boss was taking leave that day to assist his school-teacher wife in her move back into her classroom. I was doing my job and culling through his emails. I saw one email with the subject line of my name. My old boss was asking my new boss to meet with him to discuss me. A short time later my old boss's secretary called to set up a meeting. I told her it would have to happen the next day, so we set it up for Tuesday, August 20 at 9:00 a.m. Awesome. It appeared that a decision was going to finally be made. Part of the back story is from this blog, Why I'm still working.  This portion, in particular, sums up where I stood, employment wise, at this moment.

On Wednesday, July 31st  I carried my letter of resignation UPSTAIRS to my old boss.  I now work down in the basement and my new boss had not been hired yet.  Anyway, the date I put on the letter as my last day was August 8, 2013.  I was DONE!  When my old boss took the letter he was not happy.  He asked if this had anything to do with the fact that I had asked for a raise in January, written up a new PD and duty list in March, and he had said he would move forward on this and then had done nothing at all.  (oh, did I tell you he got a $100k raise in his new position? awesome.)  I said yes.  Yes it did.
He asked me if I would wait a couple days and he would go to HR and see what he could do about my raise.  Fine, I said.  So I waited...  A week later I'm told that HR told them they could not reassign my position in a way that would allow me to get a raise.  BUT..., would I continue working for 3 or 4 more weeks until the NEW HR director they just hired is on board and in place.  Looking at my job description and seeing about my raise would be the first thing this person will do.  My NEW boss said he would make this his TOP priority.

At 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20th my boss went upstairs to the meeting about me.  He returned at 9:35 a.m.  He didn't look at me.  He didn't speak to me.  He hurried into his office and got on the phone.  He managed to spend the 25 minutes he was stuck in the office with me talking on the phone and then left, at 10, for a 2-hour walk around the campus.  He used the entire two hours.  He returned and told me he was going to lunch.

Really?  He wasn't going to say ANYTHING to me about the meeting about ME?

As he was walking out the door, I called him back.  I asked him what was the result of the meeting that morning?  What had they decided to do about ME?  He got a funny look on his face and told me that he and I had a meeting scheduled in HR at 3:00 p.m., and it wasn't going to be a good meeting.

Really?  Not a good meeting?  What was going to happen?  Were they going to FIRE me?  I mean, that wouldn't be bad.  I was ready to go.  If they fired me I would be able to collect unemployment for 99 weeks.  I'd be good with that.  So I asked, what's going to happen at 3 o'clock?

He told me since I had submitted a letter of resignation, they were accepting my resignation at 3 o'clock.  They wanted me off campus immediately.

Really?  It was noon and they wanted me to keep working until 3 and then they wanted me to leave.  Huh?  I began to clean out my inbox and download all my personal files to my flashdrive and began to clean out my desk.  Then my phone rings... it's my boss... he's decided to tell me I can clean out my desk and leave now.  There's no need to wait until 3.

No kidding there's no need to wait until 3.  I'm outta here.  I told my boss that this was not a bad thing, for me.  I had put in my letter of resignation weeks ago.  I wanted to leave.  I was only here because I was doing a favor for him.  He had ASKED me to stay a few more weeks.  He was working on getting me a raise.  (evidently, he didn't work very hard at it.)

I packed up my stuff in a box and I carried it out to my car.  On the way to my car, I passed my old boss (the new CFO of the college) on the path.  I said "good-bye" to him.  He said "good-bye" to me.  It was 1:00 p.m.  It wasn't the end of the day.  I was carrying a box.  He knew what was happening.  Neither he, nor my current boss thanked me for 11 years of service.  Nothing.  I don't expect my phone to ring and be invited out for lunch either.  This was an incredible display of classlessness on the part of the upper administration of the college.  I shouldn't have expected anything more.

The thing that has made me chuckle in this whole evolution occurred last Friday.  On Friday evening my husband carried the mail into the house.  Included in the mail was a manilla envelope with a DVD of the movie Office Space in it.  No note.  Just the DVD.  (I had loaned the DVD to my old boss when he moved my office into the basement.  He, of course, didn't understand why I would make a reference to this movie.  I asked him if he had ever seen the movie.  He, of course, confused it with the tv show The Office.  I told him that Office Space is a classic comedy about business management and the corporate working world.  I have no doubt that he did not watch the movie.  But at least he had enough class to ask his secretary to mail it back to me and not steal it from me.  He's AWESOME!  not).

I am able to laugh about this.  Now, does anyone want to take any bets on whether or not I get a good-bye lunch?  Hahahaha

 

467.  Levis 505s for $10 for my son (I have to hem them)
468.  Time to hem the jeans
469.  Neighborhood picnic (fun to catch up with neighbors I don't see very often)
470.  A new goal (earn enough $$ by selling stuff to buy a new laptop)
471.  Friends that are truly happy for my new state of unemployment
472.  Advice to take it slow and not commit to anything for a month or two
473.  Feeling absolutely great about this decision
474.  Happy that I have enough to do to occupy my time and not have to "twiddle my thumbs" while my husband works
475.  My son's resume is being forwarded for a part-time IT position  (please pray God's will be done on this.  my will is that he gets the job.)

I've got nothing to do today but smile

I am now retired.

I feel good and bad at the same time about this turn of events.  No one is more surprised by these conflicted feelings than I am.  I'm learning so much about myself.

I remember that in June 2012 I told myself I would work for one more year.  I loved the way I told myself that story.  It made me happy.  It gave me something to look forward to.  Every time I completed a task on the annual calendar I would tell myself, "Hooray, that's the last time I'll ever have to do that."  It felt like I was checking a box.  And being the strong ISTJ that I am, checking a box feels like success.  I continued through the fiscal year completing task after task, just waiting for June 30, 2013 to arrive.
 
June 30, 2013 arrived and I didn't quit.  Nobody was more surprised about this than I was, but there were extenuating circumstances.  I wrote about some of them here and here and here.  So there is no need to rehash this whole mess.  Oh, btw, the college I USED to work at is still accepting applications for fall 2013.  (classes begin on September 3rd.  hurry up all you slackers, there is still a place for you this overpriced public institution.)

I am happy.  I mean, I've finally stopped hitting myself with a hammer.  I'm out of a situation that was pretty toxic for me.  I really was never able to buy into the mission statement and mindset of the institution.  I tried to appease this in myself by just doing my job and not getting involved in the culture of the institution.  I wasn't able to keep my feelings completely to myself and ended up not winning any popularity contests.  There just weren't enough conservative capitalists on campus for me to hang around with.  (there were a couple, and we were friends.  hi girlfriend!)  I worked for a guy that believed that making money and talking about how you do that, was vulgar.  Making money in the stock market, on eBay, and renting real estate were my favorite hobbies.  (btw, it was ok to chat about killing birds, his hobby.  not gross at all.)

I am happy.  Now I can do all the things at home I wished I was doing while I was at work.  My lifestyle isn't going to change because I don't have this job anymore.  (well, sadly, I am going to let my house cleaner go today.  it would just not work for someone to come and clean my house while I'm at home.) 

So, you may ask, why am I not so happy I cannot stand myself?  I guess the first reason is because of my ISTJ personality type.  Yep, I'm my own worst enemy.  I'm a duty fulfiller.  It would have been easier for me to have a couple weeks to tie up all the loose ends of things I was working on.  Instead and because I had already submitted a letter of resignation with a date of August 8th as my last day, they accepted my resignation yesterday and gave me 2 weeks pay in lieu of 2 more weeks of notice.  I need to accept that those things I was working on that I hadn't finished yet, aren't my job anymore.  They don't want me to finish them.  I need to give up the ownership I feel for the work I did.  I don't work there anymore.

My husband tells me he went through this same process when he retired from his job.  He's an ESTJ.  I know it will pass.  Today is just the first day.  The way that my resignation was accepted was done in a strange way.  (I really need to write about that, but I think I need a day or two of distance because it was done in a pretty hurtful way.  a couple days may help me see the humor in it.)

So I'm turning a page.  I'm walking through a new door.  I'm entering a new phase of my life.  I've gone from being a child, to becoming a college student, then a working single adult, to a Navy wife, which turned into a stay at home mother, to a working mother, and then a working empty nester, to what I have now become... retired.  Thank you to all that have held me in prayer during this transition.  I'm ready to do this retired thing the best way I can.  I am accepting any and all suggestions, cyber hugs, real hugs, and hope, strength and experience out there.

To quote Paul Simon, “I've got nothing to do today but smile.”

I'm linking with Emily today at Imperfect Prose because I'm happy, but scared. 

441.  Waking up without an alarm clock
442.  Drinking coffee in my pajamas on a Wednesday and I'm not on vacation
443.  Writing my blog at home
444.  Thinking about my future
445.  Hearing people tell me they will miss me (for a little while)
446.  Thinking about what I want to call this stage of my life (I'm not sure I want to call it retirement just yet)
447.  Allowing myself to feel these feelings (it's not something I typically do)
448.  Being encouraged by my husband
449.  Not having to plan a going away lunch for Sleeping Beauty (his last day is a week from Friday)
450.  Trusting that I am in the center of God's plan for me

Whose voice are you listening to?

I've never felt "at home" here in SoMD.  I remember the day my husband brought me here.  He told me the place we were going to live was just south of Washington D.C.  I'm a city girl and that sounded just fine to me.  We drove here from Monterey, CA.  When we got to the beltway I was so happy.  We were almost here.  And then we kept driving.  We kept driving for a long time and there wasn't anything along the way.  We didn't pass through any towns.  We barely saw any houses.  We saw a bunch of empty land.  (it was winter, that empty land was farmland)  I didn't have a good feeling about this.  That was 22 years ago.  My feelings about the area haven't improved.  But this is where God brought me and I was going to bloom where I had been planted.  It has been a struggle, but you know what they say, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  I'm feeling pretty darn strong right about now.

Some Christians I've met believe God has been speaking to them and telling them to leave their home and go out and search for a new home in a different location.  I guess they believe they will receive a "sign" when they find their home.  This is interesting.  You would think if God was sending you out, he'd make a path for you.  After all, when he asked Moses to take his people out of Egypt he sent a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  Even though he had them wander in the desert for 40 years, he was still the one leading them around.  So when you say God is sending you out and you have to manipulate everything you have and hold in order to make this divine journey happen, maybe you shouldn't say it is God who is sending you.  Maybe you should just say it like it is, this is something you want to do and you want God to bless it.  

Being a Christian is difficult enough, in this day and age, without putting words in God's mouth.  It hurts my heart to watch someone say that they hear the voice of God, then tell others what God has told them, and then to watch it not happen.  This makes God look foolish.  Or, it makes God a liar.  I'm sure God appreciates the help.  (Not)  This makes your witness in the world pretty weak.

My pastor shares the Halverson Benediction with his congregation at the close of every service.  I used to think it was because he thought the way I was thinking and was convincing himself that God had not made a mistake by sending him to SoMD.  As I listened to it over and over, I realized that wasn't the case.  He was happy here.  He believed God had sent him here and God had a purpose for him being here.  This gave me the courage I needed to believe more strongly that God's plan for my life had me living here and it wasn't a mistake.  I could pray for God to change his mind, but I wasn't going to force his hand.  God had something he wanted to do through me here in SoMD.  I just needed to be open to what God wanted me to do.  So I was.

If you ever feel you aren't where you belong or that God has made a mistake by placing you in your job or you home or your family.  Remember the words of Rev. Dr. Richard Halverson.

You go nowhere by accident. 

Wherever you go, God is sending you. 

Wherever you are, God has put you there.
God has a purpose in your being there. 

Christ who indwells you has something He wants to do through you, where you are.

Believe this and go in His Spirit's grace and love and power.

371.  Friday (yay!)

372.  My office feels a little bit warmer

373.  Time to myself this weekend (my husband is at Otakon with my son)

374.  Cantalope

375.  A sense of peace about my job (or resignation, whichever it ends up as)

376.  Netflix

377.  Kelly Clarkson AND Dwight Shrute

378.  Truth

379.  People here at my job that know what's going on and call me to see if I'm ok

380.  Confidence that I am exactly where I'm meant to be

These feelings would go so well with pie

Tomorrow is the date I put on my letter of resignation.

My (new) boss asked me if I would stay on for at least three more weeks or at least until the new HR director came on-board and got settled.  (I said I would do this)

My (old) boss wants to be done with all this and just move on to his new work and leave all this trifling business (my raise or resignation) behind him.

My (new) boss says he really doesn't know what I do. 

Example:  one thing I SHOULD do is to run his calendar.  Today he got an email requesting him to go to HR and complete his promotion paperwork.  Instead of forwarding the email to me or just telling me about it, he decided to handle it himself.  Of course, as calendar things go, there was a back and forth with "no, I'm not available then.  How about this time?"  "Oh, no.  I'm not available then."  and so on and so on.  I asked my (new) boss if he would just let me handle the calendar.  My (new) boss said, "Don't worry about it.  This is easy."

Um..., yeah... I know it's easy.  It's just tedious and time consuming.  I guess if they want to pay you $60 an hour to spend time setting up meetings on your calendar, BOOYAH!  However, I believe that's why they justify paying me so little.  My work is not difficult.  I know that.  Thanks for pointing that out to me.

So, my (new) boss is putting the negotiations with HR back to my (old) boss, because he believes that he knows what I do and would be better at telling them what work I do autonomously.  (see, I can even use big words appropriately) 

At the same time I'm working in an office that's running about 66 degrees Fahrenheit.  I'm freezing.  And I'm getting a little tired of being jerked around.  I'm building some serious resentments.

So what do I do?  Is tomorrow my last day?  (nobody got back to me after I said I would stay on the extra 3 or 4 weeks)  Are they really trying to get me my raise or are they stringing me along until my (new) boss is settled and has a better idea of what the job is supposed to be?  (ie.  he has a secretary now and he doesn't need to run his own calendar.  at least he should know that.)  Should I just go home sick and try to warm up?  (because I think I may be coming down with a cold from working in this meat locker.)

I just finished eating my lunch which consisted of two very ripe peaches.  Delicious.  Although, the feelings I'm having today would have gone so much better with peach pie and ice cream.  :)

And, it's my 31st anniversary of my wedding.  Wow, I've been married longer than a bunch of you have been alive.  :)

361.  I guess being too cold is easier to take than being too hot
362.  Peaches
263.  A nice new boss
264.  An organized office (all the boxes are unpacked and put away)
265.  Getting my "feelings" out of my head and out on the blog
266.  Comments from readers. 
267.  A water cooler that dispenses HOT water for tea
268.  Sweaters
269.  Socks
270.  Gloves

Why I'm still working

I had put a countdown clock app on my iPhone.  The title of my countdown clock was "I Quit."  I was totally and completely ready to quit my job and I had decided that June 30, 2013 was going to be the day.

I'm still working.  Even I need to take a minute to sort out why I'm still working.

If I think about it, it all started back in April.  In April the college I work at discovered the new student enrollment for fall '13 semester was going to be 1/3 less than they had budgeted for.  Another way to say this is, they were $3.5 million short.  There was PANDEMONIUM.  What were they going to do?  Where were they going to find the money?  Why did this happen?  Were they going to have layoffs?  Were they going to ask for early retirements?  So many questions...

I stayed through all this HOOPLA because of one thing.  If there were going to be offers of early retirements there were going to be cash bonuses to take the early retirement.  I thought it would be silly to miss the opportunity to get a bonus and just take the early retirement.  So I waited...  The early retirement thing did not pan out.  Bummer.

While I was waiting to see if the bonuses panned out, a better job opened up and I was qualified for it.  So I applied.  This job paid a 1/3 more than I am making now and it had fewer responsibilities.  My fingers were crossed.  If I could make more money, I'd have an easier time getting up for work in the morning.  After all, isn't money the reason we go to work?  I told my boss I was applying for the job and I asked for a reference.  I figured a reference from my boss (who had just been promoted to CFO of the college and was in the capacity of Acting President) would carry a little weight.  So I waited...  I waited quite a while (more than 2 weeks) and then discovered they didn't even offer me an interview.  Evidently, in their eyes, I was not qualified for the job.  I WAS PRETTY DARN ANGRY.  In fact, I was so irritated that I sat down and wrote my letter of resignation.  I wrote it.  I printed it.  I signed it.  And, I carried it upstairs and handed it to my old boss.

Ok, I need to take a couple minutes to update you on a few things that were going on at the same time all this waiting and whatnot was going on.  First, they fired the president of the college.  And then they fired the VP for Admissions at the college.  Who else was going to fall under the axe?  Also, I told you my boss had been promoted, so I don't currently have a boss.  We are in the interviewing process for finding my boss, but they haven't hired anyone yet.  Oh, and btw, one of the candidates for my new boss is a co-worker of mine who is extremely qualified.  But, no, they didn't just want to promote him.  They wanted to spend thousands of dollars to fly in possible candidates from hither and yon.  Then, they hired my co-worker.  I have a new boss.  Finally, while this was all going on, they asked me to move out of my office and move into the basement.  (sounds a lot like Office Space, doesn't it?)  They told me this on a Friday and my move date was the following Wednesday.  Awesome.

That's why I had to say I carried my letter of resignation UPSTAIRS to my old boss.  I now work down in the basement and my new boss had not been hired yet.  Anyway, the date I put on the letter as my last day was August 8, 2013.  I was DONE!  When my old boss took the letter he was not happy.  He asked if this had anything to do with the fact that I had asked for a raise in January, written up a new PD and duty list in March, and he had said he would move forward on this and then had done nothing at all.  (oh, did I tell you he got a $100k raise in his new position? awesome.)  I said yes.  Yes it did.

He asked me if I would wait a couple days and he would go to HR and see what he could do about my raise.  Fine, I said.  So I waited...  A week later I'm told that HR told them they could not reassign my position in a way that would allow me to get a raise.  BUT..., would I continue working for 3 or 4 more weeks until the NEW HR director they just hired is on board and in place.  Looking at my job description and seeing about my raise would be the first thing this person will do.  My NEW boss said he would make this his TOP priority.

Too late to make a long story short.  This is why I'm still at work.  I can tell you this whole evolution has been quite a roller coaster.  I have been left exhausted and wrung completely out with all this rigamarole.  The only good thing I can say about this is that either way it goes, whether I stay and have a raise or a quit and stay at home, I will get exactly what I want.

I think I'm in a very good place... even if it is the basement.

337.  I like my new boss
338.  It's super air conditioned in the basement.  I'm wearing a sweater
339.  Being in the basement helps me focus on the positive
340.  My favorite blogger is blogging again
341.  Tomatoes are EVERYWHERE
342.  BLTs
343.  Surprisingly balmy weather for the end of July and beginning of August
344.  Dreaming of traveling to Prince Edward Island (and seeing where Anne of Green Gables lives)
345.  Smiling just a little more

Earning my pay next week

It's going to be a busy week.  My work is wildly busy lately.  My old boss is now the acting president of the college I work at.  Oh yeah, and on July 1 he took over the position of CFO of the college.  So he is doing both of those things.  And, oh yeah, he didn't appoint an acting AVP (the position I support) so he's doing this job, too.

Nuts.

This week I'm bringing in four candidates for the AVP position.  There will be four days of interviewing this week.  I am supporting all the interviews and responsible for gathering all the recommendations and compiling them for review.

Oh yeah, they are moving my office this week.  I just found out last Friday.  I have to pack up the offices on Monday and Tuesday because the movers are coming to move everything on Wednesday.

Double nuts.

If this isn't enough, I need to schedule three full days of meetings with faculty, staff, and students from all over campus to meet with contracted evaluators from a national organization for campus facilities.  We are paying big money for this evaluation, so if it isn't complete, I'm wasting the college's money.

My week is nuttier than squirrel poop.

By the way, I haven't heard anything about the position I applied for.  I've been told that the search committee for that position is meeting next week.  Fingers crossed that the interview for the position isn't going to be scheduled for this week as well.

And, how's this for weird coincidence?  If, by chance, I get the new position I will find myself sitting in the exact same place I'm sitting right now.  (luckily I get to coordinate the moves)

Maybe I can get Sleeping Beauty to skip a nap or two and give me a hand.  (haha)

320.  Lazy Sunday afternoon
321.  Catching up on blogs I've been missing
322.  Hearing a great sermon in church this morning
323.  Spending quality time with my husband
324.  Fresh peaches
325.  Confident I can do the work I have ahead of me this week

I'm baaaaack!

Hi.  Long time, no see.  I've missed everyone.

Where to begin?...

I guess I can start with why I haven't been writing.  The short answer is, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to share with everyone.  At first I wanted to say, I couldn't think of anything to write about, but that isn't true.  The fact of the matter is that there was so much stuff going on at work and in my head that I couldn't figure out what I wanted to share and what I didn't want to share.  So, I just stayed quiet.

If you've read any of my blog you know I'm a secretary.  And, if you've read any of my blog you know I tell everyone I get paid for blogging because I write my blog while I'm at work.  Well, work has been CRAZY lately.  The college I work at had a much smaller incoming freshman class than anticipated.  In fact, the number was only 2/3s of the expected accepted students.  The parents were not sending in the checks.  The kids decided to go somewhere else.  Our budget was screwed.  We lost 5% of our expected revenue or $3.5 million.  What does this mean, you may ask.  Well, the first thing it means is that jobs are on the line.  The easiest way to find money in a budget is to lay people off.

At the time this came to a crisis, I was having my own identity crisis.  I had been seriously contemplating quitting my job.  Seriously.  I'd even picked a date, June 28th, to be my last day.  But with this whole budget cutting, possible layoffs, where the heck are we gonna find $3.5 million looming overhead, I decided to wait and see what happened.  After all, one possibility being batted around was the offer of early retirements.  Wouldn't I feel like a total fool if I quit my job 3 weeks before the college offered early retirements and I stipend of $1000 for every year worked.  Yeah, I'd feel pretty stupid.  So I waited.

While I was waiting things went crazier and crazier around here.  First, my boss was promoted to a vice president position and the guy in the position he was promoted to, left the college (no scandal here).  Then, the president of the college quit.  He said this crisis was all his fault (he was correct) and asked that his contract not be renewed.  Next, they fired the vice president for admissions (no kidding).  She absolutely needed to go, too.  What a fiasco.  One of my favorite quotes the president and vice president of admissions used was that the college was located in a fairly rural area... did we move the college?  Didn't they notice all that farmland around them.  Lame.

Also, the state capital budget submission is due the end of the fiscal year (June).  This is a large endeavor and does take a good bit of time and organization.  On top of the submission, my boss left to go on a vacation on June 19th.  So, the submission had to be completed early.  Needless to say, June has been one busy month.

I know most of you won't care about the fate of one small college on the mid-Atlantic coast, but there you have it.  My job is a big part of my life and it takes up a lot of what I think about every day.  Sad to say, I could see this coming.  I had talked with my boss about this NEW vision for the college a year ago.  I'm not saying I'm psychic or anything, but we are not Harvard or Princeton down here.  Who are we kidding?

At this same time a position on campus became available.  Evidently this is a position the college decided to fill instead of cut.  (instead of layoffs and early retirement they have decided to leave vacant positions that are vacated at this time)  It pays better and is a better job.  I applied.

I feel like I have made a decision for my future employment and I'm feeling much more settled.  Whether or not I get the job I applied for doesn't matter.  I know what I want to do now and it feels great to leave the confusion and turmoil behind.  Once I make a decision I can make a plan.  When I have a plan, I can move ahead with confidence.  And here I am writing and sharing this with you.

Another reason I'm glad to be back on the blog is that I discovered that my blog has an impact on the lives of some of my readers.  Believe me, nobody was more surprised than me.  I visited one of my blog friends, Smooth Stones, in May.  She was visiting Annapolis and I drove up to the Ellicott City, MD area and met her and her family.  It was great.  I need to write about this.  She has a beautiful family and I was so proud that she was good with having me meet them.  I cannot express how special it made me feel.  Also, friends and family that read my blog have wondered what is going on with me and have asked me about it.  Seriously, mostly NO ONE I KNOW says anything to me about what I write while I'm writing, but when I stop, they come out of the woodwork.  And finally, I got an email from a reader and new follower.  She shared with me the impact that my blog I wrote about my 20-year prayer for my son had on her.  She told me that God touched her heart through my blog.  I know that God can use ANYTHING for his will and for good.  I mean, he used a stick in Moses' hand to part the Red Sea.  If God is using my blog for his good, I want to be available to be used by him.

Blogging isn't easy, but it's worth it.  It feels good to be here again.

305.  Air conditioning
306.  Readers that write encouraging and uplifting emails
307.  Blog friends
308.  Choices for employment
309.  Celebrating 59 years of marriage with my parents
310.  Growing in my faith in God
311.  Enjoying a feeling of peace in my soul
312.  Wondering if any of my readers are still out there and if they will notice I'm writing again, but if they don't, I'm ok with that  :)

Hazardous workplace

This info came to me just 24 hours too late.  I guess my workplace is hazardous.  It wasn't necessary to bold the STOP EATING or Drinking portion of the email.  If there is nothing inside, there is much less that gets hurled out.  Yep, this is higher education.  :)

And, of course, prevention.  So important.

190.  Pepto Bismol
191.  Ginger ale
192.  Rice
193.  Paid sick days
194.  All the company this misery could ask for
195.  Knowing it will be over soon

Retirement (they say you just know when it's time to go)

Should you stay or should you go?
Do you leave them wanting more?
Or wait ‘til they want you to go?
Pull your finger out of a bucket filled with water.
That’s the void you leave behind.
Soon your name won’t even be a memory.
Think on that while you decide…
What’s best for you.

Linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55
Pondering what to do.  Fight for a raise or retire...  What to do?

168.  My conscience
169.  Lessons in civility taught to me when I was young
170.  The people in my life that can tell me when I'm wrong
171.  The people in my life that encourage me
172.  The people in my life that will just listen
173.  The people in my life that give good advice 

ABC's of oxymorons

English, it’s so complicated.

act naturally

boxing ring

certain risk

definite maybe

educational TV

freezer burn

graduate student

head butt

inside out

junk food

kosher ham

liquid smoke

more unique

new tradition

one size fits all

plastic silverware

questionable answer

relative truth

sinfully good

toll free

unknown identity

virtual reality

weekday

young adult

zero deficit

I'm linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55

142.  xerox machines
143.  scanners
144.  pdf's
145.  photoshop
146.  spell-check
147.  double-sided printing
148.  ocr's
149.  Fridays

The unteachables

There are just some people out there in the world that are downright unteachable.  Lately I've run into a few people that are absolutely unteachable.  It's not like these folks are mentally deficient or damaged or have any physical ailments.  They just can't seem to learn anything new.

This is very hard for me to understand.  In fact, I've found myself frustrated and baffled by the situations.  I'm a person that loves to learn new things.  Sure, I have my favorite areas of interest, and I enjoy learning new things in those particular areas the best.  However, if I have to learn a new way of doing things or a new way of thinking about things, I'll give it my best shot.  I know I've told you in past blog posts that I'm an ISTJ in the Myers Briggs psychological typing.  Traditionally the ISTJ type likes tried and true methods of doing things.  Yeah, that's mostly how I roll.  Yet, I like to hear how other people do things.  And, if I'm forced into learning a new way to do things, for example the big switch at work from Microsoft Outlook to Google Gmail, I'll do it.  And, I will do it the best I can.

Lately I've run into those folks that won't learn.  I'm sure they CAN learn, but they don't want to learn.  In fact, they spend more time and energy trying to change everyone they meet to do things their way instead of learning the way things are done in their new situation.  It's amazing to watch this happen. 

I've encountered a couple individuals spending thousands of dollars trying to change the way social networking works instead of just keeping off the twitter account, facebook account and blabbing on the web altogether.  I've run into people at work trying to change the way we do business at my office to the way they were used to doing things at their old office instead of adjusting to the way we do things here.

How do you know if you are one of the unteachable?  I have a few indicators I'll share with you.

• Do you talk non-stop?  Will you, seriously, not stop talking long enough to hear what someone is trying to say to you?  If you are doing all the talking, you are doing none of the listening.
• Do you nod your head up and down and say "yeah" or "uh huh" or "I see" or something equally patronizing?  Do you say "yeah, but...?"  If you are butting all the time, you aren't listening.  A bunch of buts usually means you are trying to teach them, not learn.
• Do you ask questions?  This is critical to being teachable.  Teachable people ask pertinent questions.  Were you trying to understand or were you trying to be understood?  A person can't ask questions if they are not really listening.
• Do you ever apply something someone has told you or something you have read to a situation in your life?  If you don't ever use anything you may have inadvertently picked up by reading or accidentally overhearing something, you may be unteachable.
• Do you have an opinion on everything?  Opinions are like noses, everyone has one.  If you have an opinion on absolutely EVERYTHING and you feel the need to share your opinion with absolutely EVERYONE, you aren't trying to learn.  You are trying to teach.

Even the bible tells us to have a teachable spirit.

1 Peter 5:5:  Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Proverbs 13:18:  Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.

2 Timothy 3:16:  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Proverbs 12:1:  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Be a teachable person.  It's worth the effort.

 

135.  Friends with mad building and repairing skills
136.  Enough patience to get the insurance company to pay for our flu shots
137.  Living near a town named Loveville (isn't this a great place to send Valentines from?)
138.  Going to the movies with a good friend
139.  Learning new things from the bloggers I read
140.  Listening to christian music on the radio on the drive into work
141.  Learning how to sharpen a knife with a honing stick (I love the way chefs do that thing with the knife and the stick, but I'm a lot slower at it)

Should you click Forward or Reply?

In this world of email and social networking a click of a mouse can make all the difference.

A funny thing happened to me at the office last week.  It's been busy at my office this past week or so.  Maybe you noticed because I've been kind of MIA, but actual work trumps blogging in my book.  Anyway, I've been busy.  Sometimes when I'm busy I make a mistake or two.  I know this is not an easy thing for you to believe, but it's true.  Let me tell you about one of my tiny, infinitesimally small boo-boos.

Last Thursday I was getting ready for three, count 'em, THREE huge meetings on campus.  These meetings were jam packed with faculty, staff, trustees and students.  Lots of people and some very important people.  So, Thursday, toward the end of the day, I was culling through my boss's inbox and cleaning out the crap.  Suddenly it occurred to me that I had seen a report on my desk from my old friend Sleeping Beauty.  He had asked me to get my boss's signature on the cover page.  I had glanced at it and noticed that the form he used to write said letter was nothing like the form we use here.  I wrote him a quick email requesting him to peruse the style guide we use and gave him the link to its webpage.  One tiny thing that I don't usually do, but is really no big deal, was that I sent this email from my boss's inbox.  Thus the email was sent from HappyGirl on behalf of HappyGirl's boss, Mr. Non-confrontational.  I wasn't trying to be deceptive.  I just didn't notice whose email box I was using.  (we just switched to gmail from outlook.  not an easy transition.)

Evidently this email elicited a tremendous rant from Sleeping Beauty.  He wrote a long, LONG email whining about how hard it is to fit in down here.  He asks people for help and nobody ever helps him.  He asks his boss, Mr. Non-confrontational, for help and he can't even get help from him.  Our boss is so unhelpful.  He doesn't care about him or the work he does at all.  The only person that ever helped him is the guy that just quit and now he doesn't have ANYBODY to help him.  (wait a second.  isn't this guy replying to an email offering him some assistance?)  He's not done whining just yet.  He continues on with the rant, saying that his boss is pressuring him to write a report.  Even though he is being pressured to write this report, he continues to say that he doesn't think Mr. Non-confrontational really wants the report.  He is only asking for it because Sleeping Beauty says its important.  (i'm confused, too, btw)  He goes on to complain that our boss doesn't really want anything in writing, but because Sleeping Beauty knows everything about everything (so why does he need so much help?) he has convinced him it is important to have official documentation of everything.  The bottom line is that he believes our boss doesn't want to keep official records.  He believes our boss wants to hide any shortfalls that would show up in an official report.  His rational for all of this is that he was #18 in a major federal department on Capitol Hill and worked for the federal government for 25 years.  (and we all know how difficult it is to keep a federal job once you get one, don't we.  btw, this was sarcasm.  just sayin')  Oh yeah, then he thanked me for all my help.  :)

I didn't actually get to see this long rant/reply to my email on Thursday afternoon, even though that is when it was sent.  Hmmm?

I did get to see the reply to this email from my boss on Friday morning. He copied me.  Yes, it appears that Sleeping Beauty does not understand how email works.  Even though the email was from me, I had sent it through my boss's account.  Thus, when Sleeping Beauty REPLIED to the email it went to... wait for it... my boss.

So, on Friday morning I read this email from my boss.

"Sleeping Beauty, did you intend for this email to go to HappyGirl or to me?  Regardless, we should talk..."

And so they did.  Fingers crossed, Sleeping Beauty may not be my antagonist much longer.  :)

123.  Whew, finally a day without so much to do
124.  I'm off crutches and beginning to feel better
125.  Nobody is perfect (I am super grateful that this is true)
126.  A weekend full of delicious food (and now to pay the piper)
127.  Thinking about what play to see in NYC
128.  Having lunch with an old friend.  I would love to re-invigorate this friendship
129.  Being back on the blog  :)

Whining is not a good way to begin an email

“I really hate asking anyone for help on anything around here, especially now that Luke's gone.  He was one person I could always ask for help, who didn't mind stopping to help.  Asking for help just seems to result in more grief, or so it seems to me.  But...

But this came to me.

Hilarious!

This is the first paragraph in an email from the same co-worker I wrote about in Maybe I'm a Disney Princess.  Which Disney Princess had a whiny stepbrother?  Boo Hoo.

 

I'm linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55  

75.  Friday (that's all I've got, it's been a busy day)

2013..., business as usual

I'm back at work and getting back in the swing of things.  I've got to tell you, I'm struggling.  There is always a bit of a learning curve when returning to work after having a week and a half off, but this time there is an extra added bonus to help flatten that curve.

During the break the IT department at the school I work at migrated our Microsoft Office Outlook to Google gmail.  I know, I know, gmail is GREAT!  (I think I have to say that since I'm using Blogger for my blog.)  None the less, change is never easy and change for my boss, who doesn't want to have to think about things like, sorting emails and scheduling meetings, is even more difficult.  But, you gotta do what you gotta do when the Powers That Be make up their minds to make a change.  It's all going to be just fine and pretty soon we will barely remember how Outlook worked.

All that being said, if any of you savvy techie types out there have any tips or tricks for me when it comes to using gmail apps, I'm open to any and all suggestions.  I know a lot of you have your favorites.

I had a wonderful break.  I know you didn't hear a peep out of me during the break.  I took a vacation from the computer.  Granted it wasn't a complete vacation, but computer time was cut back quite hard.  It was wonderful.  I read books.  I watched movies.  I rested.  In fact, even I feel a bit guilty about the lack of work produced by me.  My husband and my son were working so hard on the house we evicted the renters from.  They were fixing windows and tiling the kitchen and bathrooms and fixing toilets and repairing plumbing and installing a new dishwasher, stove and refrigerator.  They supervised carpet and vinyl installation.  I still haven't been allowed to see the interior of the house.  All the interior doors need to be stained, trimmed and hung.  I think my son is waiting for those last few items to be finished before he allows me to view the Big Reveal.

It is impressive to see how much work my son and my husband have accomplished in that house.  I'm excited to do a post about it and share pics.  In less than two months they have transformed a dwelling that, literally, had everything in the inside and on the outside broken, stolen, or in complete filth and turned it into a home.  I've watched some folks drag a project out for years.  I think there is a lot to be said for momentum and stick-to-it-iveness.  I can't wait to see it.

It makes me so proud to hear my husband talk about the way my son is working and learning home repair and maintenance.  I can see it's hard for my son to work this hard.  He's gotten used to having a part-time job and living in our home.  He has very few chores and spends a lot of time gaming and watching Netflix.  Hard work has never been his best friend.  Yet, during this process he has learned what hard work is and how to do it.  His goal is to be living in the house by February 1st.  I'm excited for him AND for me. 

Our family is saying "Hello" to 2013 with the promise that all this hard work will pay-off and we will be able to enjoy the fruits of our labors sooner than later. 

Just a little note to the Congress and Senate and President of the United States; for most of us it's easier to cut back on our spending than it is to generate more cash.  Just because you get your money from us, the working, tax-paying people of the USA, give us a break.  Cut back on the spending.  Try a little austerity.  We should all tighten our belts.  There really isn't all that much people should be entitled to have.  Be brave.  Make the tough cuts.

10.  A hardworking husband
11.  A job
12.  A thrifty nature
13.  A lesson learned that hard work usually solves more difficulties than throwing money at a problem does
14.  A willingness to learn new things
15.  A willingness to say "I don't know" when I don't know
16.  Another opportunity to share 1000 gratitudes with you guys (I only made it to 782 last year)
17.  Watching my son take giant steps into adulthood
18.  Being willing to see my son falter in this new-found adulthood, and not freak out
19.  Having so many blessings to count

What has happened to personal responsibility?

"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."  Ronald Reagan

Personal responsibility.  There's a concept from the past.

The tragedies of this month have again brought out the question, who is to blame?

Who is to blame for the bad things happening in this country?  Is it the parent's fault?  Is it the school's fault?  Is it the fault of the NRA and the legality of assault rifles?  Is it the fault of the makers of violent video games?  Is it the fault of the doctors and professionals in the field of mental illness?  Is it the fault of vaccines and the possibility of their relationship to autism?  Is it the fault of neighbors and friends not seeing the signs of trouble?  Is it the fault of the high divorce rate and the crumbling of marriage in the US?  Is it God's fault?  Is it the church's fault?

Taking personal responsibility has, for the most part, disappeared.

We want to blame the NRA for lobbying to keep guns available for legal purchase. 

We want to blame McDonalds for the rise in obesity in the US.  I don't know about you, but in order for me to eat McDonalds fries I have to go there and get them and then put them in my mouth and eat them.  Nobody has a gun to my head.

We want the government to take care of our birth control for us, so we don't have to worry about our sexual promiscuity.

We want government to take responsibility for the raising, education and feeding of our children.  

We want our health care paid by the government while we continue to overeat, under-exercise, smoke, drink and use recreational drugs.

We want to retire comfortably without saving money during our working years and preparing for the future.

We want to give the responsibility for all these things, and more, to an institution that has proven itself to be very bad at managing anything and especially bad at managing money.  Why oh why to we continue to look to the government to take care of us.  They have showed us who they are.  We need to stop begging for them to do a better job.  It can't be done.

Personal responsibility.  If you need to depend on someone to help you with a problem area in your life, look for a mentor.  You can find mentors in your life through older family members or friends, neighbors, spiritual leaders, community leaders, the networks of your friends and colleagues.  People like to be asked for help, but they don't want to do it for you.  Don't depend on these mentors to do your work for you.  Take personal responsibility for yourself.

We need to grow up in this country.  Life is hard, but we aren't in it alone.  God knew life would be hard, so he sent his son to reconcile us to him.  He gave us prayer, an opportunity to speak with him.  He gave us church, an opportunity to join with fellow believers for support and fellowship in this tough, tough life on Earth.  I pray for churches to be filled during this holiday season and for people to return to the roots of faith this country was built upon.  We don't need to look any further than the bathroom mirror to discover where change needs to begin.  Let's decide we want to do better for ourselves, not have more done for us. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

  
768.  Last day of work before my Christmas break
769.  Red velvet donuts from Dunkin Donuts
770.  New carpet day in the rental house renovation
771.  Enjoying the final couple weeks of my son living with me
772.  Reading books for pleasure
773.  Reading blogs for pleasure
774.  Watching movies in the morning
775.  Going to a 9:00 p.m. showing of Lincoln and knowing I don't have to get up for work in the morning
776.  Listening of off-key Christmas carol covers  :)
777.  Thinking about the peace of Christmastime and getting all my work done so I can enjoy it
778.  Organic lettuce and baby greens salads
779.  Vodka made from potatoes
780.  Advent services at church
781.  Thinking about hanging ornaments on the tree, but ok with knowing it may not happen
782.  Three hours of administrative leave on the last day of work in 2012

The housekeeper in my building

This is the day the housekeeper at the building you work in asks for a piece of paper and a pencil and you give it to her without even raising your eyes from your computer screen or saying good morning.

She's been working in the building longer than you have, and that's a long time.  She's 70 years old and you have to say everything twice to her, 'cause she can't hear very well.  She doesn't really clean very well, 'cause she's 70 years old and can't really see the dirt anymore.  She shuffles when she walks down the hallway, so you always know she's coming.  She steals the last cup of coffee out of your coffee maker and never makes a fresh pot.  She tells you too many things about her personal life and you find it's easier to act as if you're too busy to listen than to respond with any interest.  She's the housekeeper.  She's always around.  She's kinda like the furniture.  She's always there, but easy to ignore.

She's lower in the pecking order than you are.  So, sometimes, when the workday is particularly stressful, it's easier to get frustrated with her than to be kind.  Every Christmas the building takes up a collection to give her a "Christmas bonus" and you, reluctantly, toss in $5 bucks.  After all, you don't get paid much more than she does and nobody is giving you anything.

You listen to her complain about her granddaughter and how kids these days have no ambition.  You forget she's as old as your mom and her granddaughter is the same age as your son and you forget she's probably the only one in the household with a steady job.  You forget that your lifestyle doesn't depend on the money you make at this job.  You come in every day and you always know, in the back of your mind, that if they treat you poorly today, or they don't give you the respect you feel you deserve, or if your boss gives you a look you don't appreciate, you can leave.  You can take that college degree and eleven years of administrative assistant experience and walk out.  You aren't trapped in this job.  She's been here a long time.  You don't even know how long.  She's got nowhere else to go.  In fact, now that you think about it, you've heard her say she has a second job she goes to when she get's off work here.  She cleans another office building after she cleans this building.  She's 70 years old.  She's the same age as your mom.  She's on her feet all day.  You sit at a computer screen and type and sit in a chair.  When you get home, you're exhausted.  And the 70 year old housekeeper goes to a second job.

She never does her hair.  She gets herself a new wig about every six months.  She wears it like a hat.  Sometimes, when you are feeling a little "less than" about yourself, you laugh at it.  Sometimes she talks to you about cleaning the bathrooms here, and she's gives a little more detail than you'd like to know.  But, maybe, she just wanted to talk to somebody, but you don't want it to be you, so you say "I'm busy now" and she goes away.  She's WAY TOO dramatic when she tells you there is a mouse in the other office or that she saw a snake outside the building or there is a bee in the building.  But, maybe she just wants to talk to somebody.

So, today the housekeeper in the building you work in asks for a piece of paper and a pencil and you give it to her without even raising your eyes from your computer screen or saying good morning.  And then you see an ambulance and police cars pull into the parking lot in front of your building.  And you find out they have pulled a housekeeper out of the river.  At first you don't know who it is, but then you find out it is the housekeeper from your building.  It's awful.  You can't imagine how she came to be in the water.  Everyone is wondering what happened.  While everyone is talking and wondering and speculating, you remember that she asked you for a piece of paper and a pencil.  You hope it doesn't mean what you are afraid it means.

And then they tell you, she left a note.

686.  I just heard that she is breathing on her own
687.  Knowing that some of my readers will pray for her to get well and recover completely
688.  Knowing that God is in this deep dark place, too
689.  Comfort from co-workers 
690.  Being able to give comfort to co-workers

Setting a goal

Boss:  Happygirl you need to set a goal for yourself this year.

Me:  Ok, I will.

Boss:  So, what is your goal?

Me:  I’d like to take a creative writing class.

Boss:  Oh?  How would that apply to your job?

Me:  I think it will make next year’s annual budget report a real page turner.

I'm linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55

625.  Juice making with my son this morning
626.  Oyster Festival (nothing better than a belly full of beer and oysters)
627.  Leaves tuning colors and starting to fall
628.  Apartment hunting (aka as dreaming of a place on the beach)
629.  Waking myself to reality and being satisfied with what I have

This is how my tenant rolls

 

First of the month, nothing.  Days pass.  Nothing.  The 15^th, bell rings, it’s her.  She’s got on her best smile and rattiest shirt.  A granddaughter sits on her hip, check in hand.  Rent's short, again. 
Can I give her a break?

My mortgage was due on the 5^th.

That baby better work harder next month.

I'm prepping for the DNC and getting my tissues out to cry me a river for the entitled.

Linking with G-man for a Friday Flash 55 

547.  A job
548.  A home
549.  A family
550.  A work ethic