The job hunt, that is.
Yesterday I went over to the Employment Resource Centre, and got a referral to another local centre that does various workshops on resumes, cover letters, interviewing, and so on. I signed up for six of the workshops - it can't hurt! My work history - and job acquisition history - has been so full of serendipity over the last fifteen years that I really have very little experience with things like crafting a winning resume and acing an interview. All my jobs to date have either been through temp agencies, or through being sought out by employers. Flattering, but not presently useful!
Funnily enough, I actually had an interview today. A forwarding company had found my current resume (such as it is) on monster.ca, and called me to come in on about five hours' notice - was I glad I'd touched up the grey roots last week! The interview went well, though rather quickly, but I don't think I'll get the job. They seem to want someone with a lot more forwarding and NVOCC experience than I have. But you just never know ... as I told Big Guy when I got home, "It's always a fifty-fifty chance - either they hire me or they don't."
* * * * * *
Moving J went more smoothly than I'd expected, all things considered. We had everything loaded, moved, and unloaded, and the truck back at the rental place, by about 6 p.m. Friday. Her helpers were willing and able, nothing (that I know of) got broken, and I only hit my knees on the trailer hitch six times. My hands and wrists are still kind of sore, but I suspect some of that may be from a weekend spent almost entirely either knitting or winding yarn. Once I can get some clear table space (don't go there!) I now have three completed sweaters to sew together.
The room proceeds, albeit a bit more slowly than I'd originally planned. The walls, ceiling, and woodwork have all been washed, but I won't be doing the primer until my right wrist is less stiff and achy. So it looks like I'll be priming on Friday, and painting on Sunday and Monday. Furniture etc will start shifting Tuesday or Wednesday, since I want to give the paint plenty of time to harden up first.
* * * * * *
We got up this morning to another dry, sunny, beautiful (but very cold) day. I spent the time before I had to get ready for the interview wandering around the yard, making mental notes of everything I'd like to do to prepare for this year's garden, and thinking I'd get started on the winter debris cleanup tomorrow morning. All the fruit trees need pruning, the lawn needs a good raking to get rid of what the evergreens have been dropping on it all winter, and there are monster weeds everywhere. Naturally, the morning paper is predicting rain for the rest of the week ... It rains with monotonous regularity this time of year, especially on those rare occasions when I have the energy, the motivation, and the time to get out there and do something. Sigh. I may have to console myself with graph paper and seed packets.
Or maybe I'll start another sweater.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Time Flies ...
... whether you're having fun or not.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
So far today has been a complete waste of clean underwear.
The job search, of course, continues. I'm not finding many jobs to apply for, but I keep looking. One that I did apply for last week - a reception/customer service position - actually came through with an interview, for which I dutifully coloured my hair and shaved my legs last night. The interview was today, and I had fairly high hopes going in; everything listed in the posting was stuff I can almost do in my sleep. They seemed quite impressed with my resume, and it sounded like a job I'd want, and it was fairly close to home - ten minutes by car, just under half an hour by public transit. All in all, pretty much exactly what I've been looking for. Until they mentioned that the salary is $11 per hour. I was polite and didn't actually say out loud what I was thinking: Are you freakin' serious? I'm getting more than that from EI! I thanked them nicely for seeing me, indicated that I'd wait to hear from them, and came home hoping I don't. Hear from them, that is.
Upward (with luck) and onward, as they say. I'll keep looking.
It took three weeks, but I finally got through to a real human on the phone at EI. Yes, they do have programs for women over 55, for retraining and assistance getting back into the workforce. No, I can't come in and see someone about the programs, I need a referral. Yes, the local Employment Resource Centre can give me that referral. So I called the Centre. "Yes, we can give you that referral, but first you need to do at least one session with one of our counselors. No, you can't just come in, you need an appointment. Yes, we are taking appointments now - yours will be for Monday, February 6th." So now I have to hope that the time limit between applying for benefits and applying for the special programs doesn't run out before I can actually take my referral to the EI office, where I will no doubt have to make another appointment some time in the nebulous future. So far, the only saving grace is that both offices are within walking distance of home.
J moves on Friday, so tomorrow I'm off to the liquor store for as many boxes as I can cram into the car; I might make two or three trips. I'd rather have too many boxes than not enough! If there are any left over, well, that's what our recycling boxes are for. I still have the tape gun and some rolls of both tape and bubble wrap from when we moved here, so there's no need for her to buy any of the supplies U-Haul keeps trying to talk us into. Thursday will be for finishing the packing, and staging everything so that once her friends/helpers arrive on Friday it will all be ready to go into the truck. The truck will be here around 9 a.m. (I set up the rental for her last week, and she'll be paying cash when we return the truck) and her friends will start arriving around 10 a.m. or so.
We will miss her dreadfully, of course - she's the last one to leave home, and the place is going to seem pretty quiet for a while. But at the same time, she's almost 27 - it's time to empty the damn nest already. And as previously mentioned in other posts, I have plans for that room - and this one! I have the action plan all mapped out in my "Projects" notebook, the primer and paint are in the basement, and all that's left to do is draw a scale plan of the room and decide where the furniture etc will go.
An unforeseen consequence of having so much of her stuff staged in the living room already is that I have no flat surface left anywhere that's big enough to lay out the pieces of the green shell so I can sew them together. So I've modified my original resolution accordingly; I've started another sweater and will sew them both together as soon as there's space to set up my layout table. The new sweater is a classic vee-necked pullover with elbow-length sleeves, in a lovely soft caramel colour. I did break down and buy the yarn - for $4 at the thrift store. I was there to drop off a box of donations, but when I saw that yarn and realized there was enough to actually do something nice with, well, I just couldn't resist. The pattern is very plain, so it knits up fast; and I've used it before, so I know it will fit well and look good. The pattern is also old enough that it gives yarn amounts in ounces and needle sizes in the old British range! It calls for #9 and #11 needles; after some swatching I find that 3.25 mm and 3.75 mm are the ones I'll be using.
I've come to the conclusion that one of the really difficult things about J moving out will be getting Big Guy to scale back on the amount of food he cooks for every meal. We both hate waste, and I pointed out to him yesterday that I'd just had to throw two week-old baked potatoes in the compost. He cooked too many, the two left over got shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten ... I can see that kind of thing happening more and more often if I don't find a way to stop it. In a way the potatoes aren't a total waste - we do use the compost in the vegetable garden - but it's the habit of cooking too much and then tossing it that I want to eliminate. There will just be the two of us from now on; there's no reason to cook six pork chops, or bake four or five potatoes, or open two cans of corn.
So the short- and long-term goals are:
Get J moved, which will basically be finished by Saturday.
Relax after the move by setting up my layout table and sewing together the pink sweater that's been ready for a while, the green shell I finished last week, and - if it's finished - the brown pullover I'm currently knitting. Sans interruptions, I should have at least the first two done by Monday.
Turn her old bedroom into my new workroom, turn my old workroom into a den/guest room. I think I'm looking at about a month, maybe two. Both rooms must be finished before mid-April, as that's when my good friend S arrives from Indiana for a two-week visit.
Persuade Big Guy to cook less and thus waste less food. I foresee an ongoing struggle with this - could take years. I'll keep you posted ...
This week's food waste tally so far: two smallish potatoes, six olives (they're not supposed to be hairy, right?) and a baby dill pickle that was turning blue.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
One Week In
A week into 2012, and not a lot to show for it so far ... except on paper.
I've been on the internet for at least four hours every day, and so far have found exactly three jobs worth applying for. The rest are all either minimum-wage, which wouldn't even come close to paying my share of the mortgage let alone anything else, or commission-only sales, or jobs I'm not even remotely qualified for. I can hear you now ... "Take the minimum-wage job while you look for something else!" No. If I can't find a job that pays enough to live on, I'm better off collecting EI and not working. And believe me, minimum wage would be far less than EI. Besides, that's why it's called Employment Insurance. I've paid more into it over the years than I will ever collect, and I'm not taking anything I'm not entitled to.
Apart from the job search, I have been getting things done, though you'd never know it by looking around the house! All the holiday paraphernalia is packed up & stowed away and the mending pile is shrinking visibly at last. And I've been making plans ... not just in my head, but in my "Projects" notebook ... complete with action timelines.
One thing about cleaning out the basement really hit a nerve with me. We found a tall stack of boxes that had been shoved way in a dark back corner behind the old furnace when we first moved in. After seeing what was in them all, I sadly realized that it all had to go, due to age and potential health hazards ... nine cases of home-canned fruit, jams, and relishes, all dated 2004 or earlier. Lids into the recycling, contents into the compost, jars washed and stored away ... that much waste just hurts. I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that it will never happen again; as soon as the shelving is all put up in the basement, I'll be organizing the "home-canning centre" to make sure all the home-canned food gets properly rotated and eaten while it's still good. Which also means that since there's just the two of us (as of the end of this month), I won't be canning in massive quantities any more, except for the jams and jellies I plan to give as gifts. I suspect that when the boxes were first put there - not by me, I assure you - they were moved with a dolly as one stack, and someone thought they were boxes of empty jars. That won't happen any more either; all the empty jars are being packed into milk crates, so we can tell at a glance that they're empties. The full jars will go into labelled and dated cardboard boxes, with a tally sheet on the front of each box so we can also see right away how many jars we have left of pickles or salmon or applesauce or whatever.
Tomorrow's afternoon project is a pantry cleanout and inventory. Since Big Guy does almost all the cooking, he also does almost all the grocery shopping. But he's short on patience and has admitted he can't see what he's looking for if it isn't exactly where he expects it to be, and the result is that he tends to go out and buy stuff we already have. Case in point: in various cabinets in the kitchen, while helping him look for egg noodles, I found eight - yes, eight - packages of elbow macaroni ... but no egg noodles. The really tricky part will be persuading him to mark something off the list when he uses it, so we can keep track of what we have plenty of and what we're almost out of. I can see myself going through the shelves every week and updating the inventory. Sigh.
I've also begun making a detailed inventory of all my sewing, knitting, and craft supplies and equipment. As soon as I've completed the move into J's old room, I'll be able to start putting things together for next fall's craft sales and this summer's Renaissance Faire booth, as well as the items I want to make as gifts for birthdays and next Christmas. I've already gone through my clothing-fabric stash, and paired up each length with the pattern I plan to use it for, and the necessary notions such as thread, buttons, and zippers. Next week I'll do the same with the yarn stash and knitting patterns. I must admit I'm not looking forward to measuring myself all over and adjusting my dressmaker dummy accordingly. But it will be so nice to be able to look at the "to make" list, pick something from it, and actually have the working space to do it!
This year, as stocking-stuffers for Big Guy, I knitted some wool frypan-handle holders. His mother used to send him a batch every few years, but since she died the collection has gradually eroded down to two, both very ratty and almost completely worn out. Well, he loves them! Not only that, but he's going to take a couple with him on his next trip to his favourite outdoor store, to see if they'd be interested in buying them from me as a regular thing. I told him even if they are, whether or not I go for it will depend on how much they're willing to pay me for them; they're a business, not a charity, and will need to put enough markup on them to make it worth their while to carry them. So the main considerations are how much they'd pay me, and how cheaply I can find a source of good-quality pure wool ... definitely not something I can pick up at thrift stores! In the meantime, I can use up the rest of the wool I bought for a few to put away for the craft sales; I can easily knock out six or eight of them a day.
Have I mentioned the university courses I have on DVD? Earth sciences, economics, oceanography, anthropology, history, climatology, and astronomy - now I have to decide where to start! Each course is a series of half-hour lectures, with accompanying guidebook and suggested reading list - but I want to start them all first! And I have a lovely tall stack of new books, all received as Christmas / Yule gifts ... does this qualify as an "embarrassment of riches"? It does to me! I'm sorely tempted to put the job search on hold while I read, and watch lectures, and work on all my future craft projects and wardrobe additions ... sometimes being a responsible adult has a downside.
I'm ending this post with a question, and hoping someone out there has read this far and perhaps can answer it.
This year, I want to learn to knit socks. However, I can't wear wool ... do knitting patterns for wool socks work just as well with synthetic yarns? I'll be grateful for any and all advice received!
I've been on the internet for at least four hours every day, and so far have found exactly three jobs worth applying for. The rest are all either minimum-wage, which wouldn't even come close to paying my share of the mortgage let alone anything else, or commission-only sales, or jobs I'm not even remotely qualified for. I can hear you now ... "Take the minimum-wage job while you look for something else!" No. If I can't find a job that pays enough to live on, I'm better off collecting EI and not working. And believe me, minimum wage would be far less than EI. Besides, that's why it's called Employment Insurance. I've paid more into it over the years than I will ever collect, and I'm not taking anything I'm not entitled to.
Apart from the job search, I have been getting things done, though you'd never know it by looking around the house! All the holiday paraphernalia is packed up & stowed away and the mending pile is shrinking visibly at last. And I've been making plans ... not just in my head, but in my "Projects" notebook ... complete with action timelines.
One thing about cleaning out the basement really hit a nerve with me. We found a tall stack of boxes that had been shoved way in a dark back corner behind the old furnace when we first moved in. After seeing what was in them all, I sadly realized that it all had to go, due to age and potential health hazards ... nine cases of home-canned fruit, jams, and relishes, all dated 2004 or earlier. Lids into the recycling, contents into the compost, jars washed and stored away ... that much waste just hurts. I try to comfort myself with the knowledge that it will never happen again; as soon as the shelving is all put up in the basement, I'll be organizing the "home-canning centre" to make sure all the home-canned food gets properly rotated and eaten while it's still good. Which also means that since there's just the two of us (as of the end of this month), I won't be canning in massive quantities any more, except for the jams and jellies I plan to give as gifts. I suspect that when the boxes were first put there - not by me, I assure you - they were moved with a dolly as one stack, and someone thought they were boxes of empty jars. That won't happen any more either; all the empty jars are being packed into milk crates, so we can tell at a glance that they're empties. The full jars will go into labelled and dated cardboard boxes, with a tally sheet on the front of each box so we can also see right away how many jars we have left of pickles or salmon or applesauce or whatever.
Tomorrow's afternoon project is a pantry cleanout and inventory. Since Big Guy does almost all the cooking, he also does almost all the grocery shopping. But he's short on patience and has admitted he can't see what he's looking for if it isn't exactly where he expects it to be, and the result is that he tends to go out and buy stuff we already have. Case in point: in various cabinets in the kitchen, while helping him look for egg noodles, I found eight - yes, eight - packages of elbow macaroni ... but no egg noodles. The really tricky part will be persuading him to mark something off the list when he uses it, so we can keep track of what we have plenty of and what we're almost out of. I can see myself going through the shelves every week and updating the inventory. Sigh.
I've also begun making a detailed inventory of all my sewing, knitting, and craft supplies and equipment. As soon as I've completed the move into J's old room, I'll be able to start putting things together for next fall's craft sales and this summer's Renaissance Faire booth, as well as the items I want to make as gifts for birthdays and next Christmas. I've already gone through my clothing-fabric stash, and paired up each length with the pattern I plan to use it for, and the necessary notions such as thread, buttons, and zippers. Next week I'll do the same with the yarn stash and knitting patterns. I must admit I'm not looking forward to measuring myself all over and adjusting my dressmaker dummy accordingly. But it will be so nice to be able to look at the "to make" list, pick something from it, and actually have the working space to do it!
This year, as stocking-stuffers for Big Guy, I knitted some wool frypan-handle holders. His mother used to send him a batch every few years, but since she died the collection has gradually eroded down to two, both very ratty and almost completely worn out. Well, he loves them! Not only that, but he's going to take a couple with him on his next trip to his favourite outdoor store, to see if they'd be interested in buying them from me as a regular thing. I told him even if they are, whether or not I go for it will depend on how much they're willing to pay me for them; they're a business, not a charity, and will need to put enough markup on them to make it worth their while to carry them. So the main considerations are how much they'd pay me, and how cheaply I can find a source of good-quality pure wool ... definitely not something I can pick up at thrift stores! In the meantime, I can use up the rest of the wool I bought for a few to put away for the craft sales; I can easily knock out six or eight of them a day.
Have I mentioned the university courses I have on DVD? Earth sciences, economics, oceanography, anthropology, history, climatology, and astronomy - now I have to decide where to start! Each course is a series of half-hour lectures, with accompanying guidebook and suggested reading list - but I want to start them all first! And I have a lovely tall stack of new books, all received as Christmas / Yule gifts ... does this qualify as an "embarrassment of riches"? It does to me! I'm sorely tempted to put the job search on hold while I read, and watch lectures, and work on all my future craft projects and wardrobe additions ... sometimes being a responsible adult has a downside.
I'm ending this post with a question, and hoping someone out there has read this far and perhaps can answer it.
This year, I want to learn to knit socks. However, I can't wear wool ... do knitting patterns for wool socks work just as well with synthetic yarns? I'll be grateful for any and all advice received!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
January 1st. New Year's Day. The time for new beginnings, new resolutions, new habits ... some say, the perfect time to wipe one's slate clean and start over.
Well, I'm starting over, all right. As of noon Friday, December 30th, I'm once again unemployed. The job search begins on Tuesday ... here's hoping it doesn't take thirteen months like it did the last time!
I've lost or left jobs before, of course. Who hasn't? But this time it feels different. Last time, I was grateful; I'd been hating the place (though not the work) and its management for years, and I was just sticking it out until the layoff I could see coming actually arrived (I needed the money, and here if you quit there's no EI to fall back on). I've left jobs in anger, in frustration, in disgust, or to go to better jobs. But this time ... I loved that job. I was very fond of the people I worked with, and got to be friends with a lot of nice customers. And damn it, I was good at what I did! This time ... I'm just really, really sad.
**********
Last night - New Year's Eve - was pretty quiet here at Chez Chaos. J was at work, so it was just the Big Guy and me. We watched television for a while, then he went outside to have a few beers and I curled up with one of my new movies. Eventually he came back in and remarked that it really didn't feel like a special day, and I had to agree. The whole neighbourhood was quiet all night - none of the usual gongs & whistles. Don't know if everyone was out partying, or what, but I sure did appreciate the peaceful evening!
**********
Today was a mix of the traditional (for us) - taking down the tree and packing up all the decorations - and the new - cleaning out the basement. We've made a pretty good start on it - the truck box is almost full enough to do a dump run, and my car is packed full of stuff to be dropped off at a local charity thrift shop. Now that we finally have room to work down there, the insulation and wallboard will go up this week, and with luck by next weekend we'll be putting up shelving. After that, I have a feeling the organizing part of the job will be almost all on me, but that's okay too. It'll give me something constructive to do besides sitting at the computer all day hunting down jobs and sending out resumes.
J has announced the intention of moving out at the end of January; apparently she has found not only two good (I hope) housemates, but a house for them to rent. I really hope it works out for her; she's always missed East Van and wanted to move back there. It will also mean she'll have a thirty-minute commute each way rather than the ninety minutes (and sometimes much more) she has to travel to work from here. And she's almost 27, so it's time to empty the darn nest already!
I have big plans for that room - it will become my new workroom/sewing & craft room/office/guest room. The day after she moves, I'll be in there cleaning and priming, and the next day I'll be painting. No more neon lime green - that will change to pale grey walls and a bright white light-reflecting ceiling. Since I'll be working with fabrics and yarn, I'll really need a very neutral background and a lot of good light.
This teeny-tiny room I'm currently in will become the Big Guy's den. He'll have a nice desk, a file cabinet of his own, good light to read by, television, bookshelves, and with luck enough space for that hideous old recliner presently (dis)gracing the living room. Maybe then all his assorted papers and junk will migrate permanently from the kitchen table, and we'll be able to sit there and eat together ... maybe ... a girl can dream, can't she?
The resolutions I made this time last year have served me well, so I'm sticking to them for this year:
1) I will work with what I have.
2) I will finish what I start.
3) I will step up my efforts to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
And I'm adding a fourth:
4) I will spend at least four hours every single day, Monday through Friday, looking for a new job.
And of course I'll continue to report my progress on all fronts!
New Year, new start? I certainly hope so!
**********
I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2012. May you accomplish everything you set out to do, and be pleased with the outcome of every choice you make.
Well, I'm starting over, all right. As of noon Friday, December 30th, I'm once again unemployed. The job search begins on Tuesday ... here's hoping it doesn't take thirteen months like it did the last time!
I've lost or left jobs before, of course. Who hasn't? But this time it feels different. Last time, I was grateful; I'd been hating the place (though not the work) and its management for years, and I was just sticking it out until the layoff I could see coming actually arrived (I needed the money, and here if you quit there's no EI to fall back on). I've left jobs in anger, in frustration, in disgust, or to go to better jobs. But this time ... I loved that job. I was very fond of the people I worked with, and got to be friends with a lot of nice customers. And damn it, I was good at what I did! This time ... I'm just really, really sad.
**********
Last night - New Year's Eve - was pretty quiet here at Chez Chaos. J was at work, so it was just the Big Guy and me. We watched television for a while, then he went outside to have a few beers and I curled up with one of my new movies. Eventually he came back in and remarked that it really didn't feel like a special day, and I had to agree. The whole neighbourhood was quiet all night - none of the usual gongs & whistles. Don't know if everyone was out partying, or what, but I sure did appreciate the peaceful evening!
**********
Today was a mix of the traditional (for us) - taking down the tree and packing up all the decorations - and the new - cleaning out the basement. We've made a pretty good start on it - the truck box is almost full enough to do a dump run, and my car is packed full of stuff to be dropped off at a local charity thrift shop. Now that we finally have room to work down there, the insulation and wallboard will go up this week, and with luck by next weekend we'll be putting up shelving. After that, I have a feeling the organizing part of the job will be almost all on me, but that's okay too. It'll give me something constructive to do besides sitting at the computer all day hunting down jobs and sending out resumes.
J has announced the intention of moving out at the end of January; apparently she has found not only two good (I hope) housemates, but a house for them to rent. I really hope it works out for her; she's always missed East Van and wanted to move back there. It will also mean she'll have a thirty-minute commute each way rather than the ninety minutes (and sometimes much more) she has to travel to work from here. And she's almost 27, so it's time to empty the darn nest already!
I have big plans for that room - it will become my new workroom/sewing & craft room/office/guest room. The day after she moves, I'll be in there cleaning and priming, and the next day I'll be painting. No more neon lime green - that will change to pale grey walls and a bright white light-reflecting ceiling. Since I'll be working with fabrics and yarn, I'll really need a very neutral background and a lot of good light.
This teeny-tiny room I'm currently in will become the Big Guy's den. He'll have a nice desk, a file cabinet of his own, good light to read by, television, bookshelves, and with luck enough space for that hideous old recliner presently (dis)gracing the living room. Maybe then all his assorted papers and junk will migrate permanently from the kitchen table, and we'll be able to sit there and eat together ... maybe ... a girl can dream, can't she?
The resolutions I made this time last year have served me well, so I'm sticking to them for this year:
1) I will work with what I have.
2) I will finish what I start.
3) I will step up my efforts to reduce, re-use, and recycle.
And I'm adding a fourth:
4) I will spend at least four hours every single day, Monday through Friday, looking for a new job.
And of course I'll continue to report my progress on all fronts!
New Year, new start? I certainly hope so!
**********
I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2012. May you accomplish everything you set out to do, and be pleased with the outcome of every choice you make.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
It's Official
We got it in writing on Wednesday ... the office is closing much sooner than we expected. My last day at work will be December 30th. Happy New Year.
My first thought was "I'm glad I didn't do much Christmas shopping yet." My second was "I'm glad Big Guy is still working." I'm ashamed to say it took me until the third thought to feel badly for N (our office manager / supervisor), who has a little one at home and whose husband's work has been somewhat sporadic lately (not his fault in the slightest, the work just isn't there).
So, here I am again - job-hunting in an economy that's as unsettled as it was the last time I was laid off, with even bleaker prospects in my particular field.
And in a corporate move that really adds insult to injury, I get to spend part of my remaining time at work training my replacement! Now, I'll do the very best I can with her in the inadequate time I have - because honestly, even if she spent a month sitting with me all day every day, it wouldn't be enough to teach her everything. But a couple of hours a day on the phone isn't going to cut it, and I feel badly for her. I'll do everything I can for her - none of this was her doing, and I'm certainly not going to throw her under the bus just because I'm not happy with upper management. I have to admit, though, that there's a not-so-nice part of me hoping that said management will shortly come to realize how badly they shot themselves in the foot with this particular decision. I'm also deriving a bit of satisfaction from hoping they all lie awake every night through the holiday season, feeling guilty about their execrably poor timing and the effect it's having on all of our families.
**********
Yesterday's gathering went really well, even though there were some last-minute no-shows. We talked and laughed and ate - and ate - and ate - and enjoyed each others' company. I ended up pressing containers of food on everyone to take home, because there was so much more left than I expected. There are still enough leftovers that Big Guy and I won't have to make work lunches until at least Wednesday, and today I asked him to please not make anything large for tonight's dinner because there is no space in the fridge for any more leftovers!
Now it's time to get creative with gifts. The stocking stuffers will be easy - traditionally, everyone gets socks and a chocolate orange (addictive, those!) in their stockings, so there isn't too much space left to fill. A trip to the dollar store will take care of the stockings nicely, and with luck provide a few other gifts. Thrift stores are always good too - in fact, Value Village is daughter P's first choice for gift cards! I raised her well ... I just wish I'd known a couple of months ago that the layoff was coming; I would have made time to make more gifts myself.
I'll spend this afternoon redoing my shopping list, and shop on my way home from work every day. We have Friday the 23rd off, so anything I haven't acquired yet will have to be picked up then. Friday evening is Chinese food and Miracle On 34th Street with Mom and sister S, and Saturday is for wrapping and tree-trimming, and watching White Christmas and The Muppets' Christmas Carol and the original Grinch and Alistair Sim as Scrooge.
So ... my house is cleaned and decorated (except for the tree), I have plenty of homemade goodies on hand, and a plan for an affordable holiday. I'm more determined than ever to enjoy my family, count my blessings, and not let a little thing like unemployment stop me from having a wonderful time!
My first thought was "I'm glad I didn't do much Christmas shopping yet." My second was "I'm glad Big Guy is still working." I'm ashamed to say it took me until the third thought to feel badly for N (our office manager / supervisor), who has a little one at home and whose husband's work has been somewhat sporadic lately (not his fault in the slightest, the work just isn't there).
So, here I am again - job-hunting in an economy that's as unsettled as it was the last time I was laid off, with even bleaker prospects in my particular field.
And in a corporate move that really adds insult to injury, I get to spend part of my remaining time at work training my replacement! Now, I'll do the very best I can with her in the inadequate time I have - because honestly, even if she spent a month sitting with me all day every day, it wouldn't be enough to teach her everything. But a couple of hours a day on the phone isn't going to cut it, and I feel badly for her. I'll do everything I can for her - none of this was her doing, and I'm certainly not going to throw her under the bus just because I'm not happy with upper management. I have to admit, though, that there's a not-so-nice part of me hoping that said management will shortly come to realize how badly they shot themselves in the foot with this particular decision. I'm also deriving a bit of satisfaction from hoping they all lie awake every night through the holiday season, feeling guilty about their execrably poor timing and the effect it's having on all of our families.
**********
Yesterday's gathering went really well, even though there were some last-minute no-shows. We talked and laughed and ate - and ate - and ate - and enjoyed each others' company. I ended up pressing containers of food on everyone to take home, because there was so much more left than I expected. There are still enough leftovers that Big Guy and I won't have to make work lunches until at least Wednesday, and today I asked him to please not make anything large for tonight's dinner because there is no space in the fridge for any more leftovers!
Now it's time to get creative with gifts. The stocking stuffers will be easy - traditionally, everyone gets socks and a chocolate orange (addictive, those!) in their stockings, so there isn't too much space left to fill. A trip to the dollar store will take care of the stockings nicely, and with luck provide a few other gifts. Thrift stores are always good too - in fact, Value Village is daughter P's first choice for gift cards! I raised her well ... I just wish I'd known a couple of months ago that the layoff was coming; I would have made time to make more gifts myself.
I'll spend this afternoon redoing my shopping list, and shop on my way home from work every day. We have Friday the 23rd off, so anything I haven't acquired yet will have to be picked up then. Friday evening is Chinese food and Miracle On 34th Street with Mom and sister S, and Saturday is for wrapping and tree-trimming, and watching White Christmas and The Muppets' Christmas Carol and the original Grinch and Alistair Sim as Scrooge.
So ... my house is cleaned and decorated (except for the tree), I have plenty of homemade goodies on hand, and a plan for an affordable holiday. I'm more determined than ever to enjoy my family, count my blessings, and not let a little thing like unemployment stop me from having a wonderful time!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Three Weeks On A Roller Coaster
I've been struggling to get this post done for about three weeks now, and I'm still not sure exactly why. True, I've had a lot going on in the real world, but I've been tired before and still managed (mostly) to post as scheduled. It's been three weeks of inner and outer ups and downs ... at work, at home, and with both my physical health and my moods / emotions. But I've blogged through those before, too. So what's different this time?
The weekend after my last post was our office move. Not a bad thing in itself - the space we were in was far too big for just the six of us, and the new office not only fits our needs better but is in a much nicer building, with a gorgeous view of Coal Harbour and Stanley Park. True, it means getting a bus to and from the downtown Skytrain in bad weather - it's a lovely walk on a nice day, though! - but that only adds about ten minutes each way to my commute, and the views alone are worth it. But the moving process itself was fraught with frustrations. On the Friday, we had no phones - that was the day our phone service was shifted to the new office. And naturally, in spite of spending two weeks warning everyone (and adding a warning to our e-mail signatures) that we'd have no phones on Friday but would still be in the office and reachable via e-mail, we were deluged with offended e-mails complaining that we weren't answering the phones ... sigh. Then on Monday, we had phones but for most of the day we had no internet. Now, literally everything we do, every program we use, is internet-based. So we could take calls, but that was pretty much the only thing we could do. And within an hour of finally getting the internet working, our booking system went down for the rest of the day ...
The weather has been cold, wet, and gloomy. One or two nice days, but overall not pleasant at all. I did manage to salvage enough apples for a dozen quarts of applesauce, but the tomatoes are pretty much a write-off, and nothing else even tried to grow - except the ubiquitous chives! I don't think they can be killed!
Right after the move I caught a nasty cold, probably from one of the all-too-numerous people on the Skytrain who think it's okay to cough in other passengers' faces. Nothing too serious, but by the time I got home every evening I was feeling pretty washed-out and used-up. I kept my germs to myself, and didn't give the cold to anyone else, which pleased me.
As I expected, nothing more happened in the basement until literally the night before the installers were coming to replace the furnace. I'd already moved everything I could handle without help, and having Big Guy lose his temper with me because he actually had to shift his big heavy things himself ... let's just say his running commentary was not well received. However, during the whole process I did get four more big bags of donations weeded out, and I'm still working on adding to them.
If I'd been told when they started that the furnace guys wouldn't be finished the same day, I think I might very well have packed a bag and spent the weekend at my Mom's place. Ditto if I'd known that Big Guy had not, after all, lined up a gas fitter to reconnect the gas lines after the installation was done. Yeah ... two days with no heat, no hot water, no stove, and all the microwaveable meals we'd bulk-cooked and frozen were inaccessible because, apparently, the best place to pile all the toolboxes, spare furnace & duct parts, etc was on top of the chest freezer. I suppose it could have been worse - I still had my coffeemaker. Still, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for lunch and dinner two days in a row didn't do a lot for my mood or my digestion. He finally did find a gas guy willing to come out on a Sunday afternoon, so at last we have heat, hot water, and a working stove again. The best part? I'll get to watch our winter heating bill come in at not quite half of last year's, since the new furnace is more than twice as efficient as the old one. And it's so quiet you can't tell it's on unless you stand on a heat vent!
Righteous indignation being a great motivator, I got a lot of cleaning and clearing-out done in my workroom over those two days ... the family refers to my bouts of anger-based activity as "working furiously". I'm not quite ready to post the "after" pictures yet, though (you can see the "before" pics here).
My birthday had its ups and downs, too. Mom got me the lecture series on geology, tectonics and climate interrelationships I'd been jonesing for, and daughter J gave me beautiful flowers and a gift card to Chapters - she knows what I love! Big Guy brought home three birthday desserts - he said he couldn't remember what I like and wanted to cover all the bases, so there were cheesecake, Nanaimo bars, and a coffee-almond torte. Seriously? Almost thirty years and you don't know what I like for dessert?? So I was torn between being charmed by his thoughtfulness and resentful of his lack of attention. And then I felt guilty about the mixed feelings. And later I felt more resentment, and more guilt ... he'd bought me not the one fall hoodie I wanted, but two - black and super-dark brown, just like I wanted - but he didn't bother unfolding them or looking at the tags, so they are both about three sizes too small. And he promised we'd go exchange them today, only now he's suddenly "too busy". Busy with what? Reading a cookbook. Yes. He's decided he wants to deep-fry our Thanksgiving turkey. Should be ... interesting.
I've decided to scale back a bit on Hallowe'en this year. We'll still put up some creepy fun stuff around the front door and hand out treats, but I just don't feel up for our usual all-out over-the-top decorating. Partly because this year everyone will be at work all day except me, and I want to use the quiet time for more appropriate Samhain reflection. And partly because Big Guy's job has lasted months longer than it was originally supposed to and we don't know when the axe will fall and want to spend as little as possible on non-essentials as we prepare for his layoff. Oh, and of course we'll do several pumpkins - which will get cut up, cooked, and frozen the next day, as usual. I've never cared for pumpkin pie, but I make a pumpkin-cinnamon-raisin loaf that's very popular with family and friends. I might even give some frozen pumpkin puree to sister S for her pies, if she asks nicely!
Next weekend the guinea pigs will come inside until spring; the indoor cage sits in front of the living room window, so they still get fresh air and what little sunshine there is. Now that we have three of them (female-free-to-good-home, we couldn't resist!), the old indoor cage is far too small. Luckily, the vet clinic daughters P and J work at was tossing a perfectly good indoor cage big enough for all three, so she called, Big Guy drove to Kits, and the pigs have a nice roomy safe space until they go back to the outdoor hutch next spring. And the price was right - free.
Yes, even though J is back to cooking full-time, she's decided to hang on part-time at the clinic for as long as she can stand to; she wants to get those student loans paid off quickly, and more power to her! Like me - and unlike Big Guy - J sees debt not as just a to-be-expected part of life, but as something to be dealt with and eliminated as soon as possible.
I got a letter from Visa last week, telling me that they had doubled my credit limit. Since I never ever carry a balance, it really doesn't matter; whenever I use the card, I go online as soon as I get home and transfer the same amount from my chequing account, so my statement balance is always zero. And I only take the card shopping when I know in advance what I'm going to buy and how much I'll be spending. I suppose I'm fortunate in that I've never been tempted to be a buy-now-pay-later shopper ... I just don't like to carry large amounts of cash. It's good to know, though, that if a true emergency arises I have enough credit (I hope) to take care of whatever it is.
Right now, though, I have to go deal with three loads of laundry and a grungy kitchen floor.
The weekend after my last post was our office move. Not a bad thing in itself - the space we were in was far too big for just the six of us, and the new office not only fits our needs better but is in a much nicer building, with a gorgeous view of Coal Harbour and Stanley Park. True, it means getting a bus to and from the downtown Skytrain in bad weather - it's a lovely walk on a nice day, though! - but that only adds about ten minutes each way to my commute, and the views alone are worth it. But the moving process itself was fraught with frustrations. On the Friday, we had no phones - that was the day our phone service was shifted to the new office. And naturally, in spite of spending two weeks warning everyone (and adding a warning to our e-mail signatures) that we'd have no phones on Friday but would still be in the office and reachable via e-mail, we were deluged with offended e-mails complaining that we weren't answering the phones ... sigh. Then on Monday, we had phones but for most of the day we had no internet. Now, literally everything we do, every program we use, is internet-based. So we could take calls, but that was pretty much the only thing we could do. And within an hour of finally getting the internet working, our booking system went down for the rest of the day ...
The weather has been cold, wet, and gloomy. One or two nice days, but overall not pleasant at all. I did manage to salvage enough apples for a dozen quarts of applesauce, but the tomatoes are pretty much a write-off, and nothing else even tried to grow - except the ubiquitous chives! I don't think they can be killed!
Right after the move I caught a nasty cold, probably from one of the all-too-numerous people on the Skytrain who think it's okay to cough in other passengers' faces. Nothing too serious, but by the time I got home every evening I was feeling pretty washed-out and used-up. I kept my germs to myself, and didn't give the cold to anyone else, which pleased me.
As I expected, nothing more happened in the basement until literally the night before the installers were coming to replace the furnace. I'd already moved everything I could handle without help, and having Big Guy lose his temper with me because he actually had to shift his big heavy things himself ... let's just say his running commentary was not well received. However, during the whole process I did get four more big bags of donations weeded out, and I'm still working on adding to them.
If I'd been told when they started that the furnace guys wouldn't be finished the same day, I think I might very well have packed a bag and spent the weekend at my Mom's place. Ditto if I'd known that Big Guy had not, after all, lined up a gas fitter to reconnect the gas lines after the installation was done. Yeah ... two days with no heat, no hot water, no stove, and all the microwaveable meals we'd bulk-cooked and frozen were inaccessible because, apparently, the best place to pile all the toolboxes, spare furnace & duct parts, etc was on top of the chest freezer. I suppose it could have been worse - I still had my coffeemaker. Still, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for lunch and dinner two days in a row didn't do a lot for my mood or my digestion. He finally did find a gas guy willing to come out on a Sunday afternoon, so at last we have heat, hot water, and a working stove again. The best part? I'll get to watch our winter heating bill come in at not quite half of last year's, since the new furnace is more than twice as efficient as the old one. And it's so quiet you can't tell it's on unless you stand on a heat vent!
Righteous indignation being a great motivator, I got a lot of cleaning and clearing-out done in my workroom over those two days ... the family refers to my bouts of anger-based activity as "working furiously". I'm not quite ready to post the "after" pictures yet, though (you can see the "before" pics here).
My birthday had its ups and downs, too. Mom got me the lecture series on geology, tectonics and climate interrelationships I'd been jonesing for, and daughter J gave me beautiful flowers and a gift card to Chapters - she knows what I love! Big Guy brought home three birthday desserts - he said he couldn't remember what I like and wanted to cover all the bases, so there were cheesecake, Nanaimo bars, and a coffee-almond torte. Seriously? Almost thirty years and you don't know what I like for dessert?? So I was torn between being charmed by his thoughtfulness and resentful of his lack of attention. And then I felt guilty about the mixed feelings. And later I felt more resentment, and more guilt ... he'd bought me not the one fall hoodie I wanted, but two - black and super-dark brown, just like I wanted - but he didn't bother unfolding them or looking at the tags, so they are both about three sizes too small. And he promised we'd go exchange them today, only now he's suddenly "too busy". Busy with what? Reading a cookbook. Yes. He's decided he wants to deep-fry our Thanksgiving turkey. Should be ... interesting.
I've decided to scale back a bit on Hallowe'en this year. We'll still put up some creepy fun stuff around the front door and hand out treats, but I just don't feel up for our usual all-out over-the-top decorating. Partly because this year everyone will be at work all day except me, and I want to use the quiet time for more appropriate Samhain reflection. And partly because Big Guy's job has lasted months longer than it was originally supposed to and we don't know when the axe will fall and want to spend as little as possible on non-essentials as we prepare for his layoff. Oh, and of course we'll do several pumpkins - which will get cut up, cooked, and frozen the next day, as usual. I've never cared for pumpkin pie, but I make a pumpkin-cinnamon-raisin loaf that's very popular with family and friends. I might even give some frozen pumpkin puree to sister S for her pies, if she asks nicely!
Next weekend the guinea pigs will come inside until spring; the indoor cage sits in front of the living room window, so they still get fresh air and what little sunshine there is. Now that we have three of them (female-free-to-good-home, we couldn't resist!), the old indoor cage is far too small. Luckily, the vet clinic daughters P and J work at was tossing a perfectly good indoor cage big enough for all three, so she called, Big Guy drove to Kits, and the pigs have a nice roomy safe space until they go back to the outdoor hutch next spring. And the price was right - free.
Yes, even though J is back to cooking full-time, she's decided to hang on part-time at the clinic for as long as she can stand to; she wants to get those student loans paid off quickly, and more power to her! Like me - and unlike Big Guy - J sees debt not as just a to-be-expected part of life, but as something to be dealt with and eliminated as soon as possible.
I got a letter from Visa last week, telling me that they had doubled my credit limit. Since I never ever carry a balance, it really doesn't matter; whenever I use the card, I go online as soon as I get home and transfer the same amount from my chequing account, so my statement balance is always zero. And I only take the card shopping when I know in advance what I'm going to buy and how much I'll be spending. I suppose I'm fortunate in that I've never been tempted to be a buy-now-pay-later shopper ... I just don't like to carry large amounts of cash. It's good to know, though, that if a true emergency arises I have enough credit (I hope) to take care of whatever it is.
Right now, though, I have to go deal with three loads of laundry and a grungy kitchen floor.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Projects And Updates
Yes, I know it's been longer than usual since my last post. I could go on about getting caught up in other things, or delayed by events outside my control, but the truth is I just kept putting it off until here I am, a week later than I planned.
It's true that a lot has been going on here - some of it good, some not so much.
I'll start with a good thing - a finished project. Yes, a sweater is actually finished! And here it is:
Please ignore the mess behind it - the "get-the-workroom-cleaned-up-and-organized" project is not going as quickly as I'd hoped. But hey, one finished project is better than none - isn't it? And the second sweater is almost finished; I just have to assemble it and darn a few ends in. So maybe - with luck and hard work - more things will get done.
This year's food garden was almost a complete loss, thanks to uncooperative weather and steady rain through almost all of pollination season. So far we've managed to harvest one stalk of rhubarb, two tomatoes, and a handful of chives. The apple tree, however, contrived to bloom during the only dry few days we had all spring, and the apple crop was so abundant we were afraid branches would snap from the weight of the apples before we could pick them. One five-gallon pail at a time, they're coming into the kitchen to be canned as applesauce. We'd hoped to slice a bushel at least and run them through the dehydrators, until we realized that every one of them has had at least one bite taken out of it by the squirrels.
Every. Single. Apple.
You'd think that after the first, oh, hundred or so bites, the furry little buggers would have figured out that all the apples taste the same, but no. Apparently our squirrels, while handsome and sometimes entertaining, are not very bright.
And the basement project is almost at a standstill through no fault of my own. Or anyone else's, really ... accidents happen. It's not my co-worker's fault he had a bicycle accident last weekend. But because of that, instead of having a week off to really clear out the basement, I was called back into work. Yes, I'll get the days off some other time ... but probably not until next spring, since we are coming into the busiest / most hellish time of year for my department.
This slows the basement work down rather seriously, since the only time left for it will be weekends, when Big Guy always manages to have something "more important" to do and I can't move the big heavy things that need to be moved without his help. Why do they need to be moved? So that our huge old clunky noisy 43 % efficient furnace can be replaced with our new (still in its wrappings in the basement) small quiet 93 % efficient furnace. I would really love to see that happen before we actually need to turn a furnace on again this fall, but I know if I leave it up to Big Guy it will be at least another year before anything happens.
So my plan of attack has morphed into a plan of sneak attack. I'll be down there in the evenings clearing out all the small stuff, and on the weekends I'll just cajole him into helping me with just one or two large things at a time. Wish me luck!
In other news, J has rounded up two potential roommates, and their plan is to find somewhere to rent by the end of October. We'll miss her, and the move to paying rent will slow down her debt repayment plan, but I can understand her reasoning. She's working two jobs now, one full-time and one part-time, and the almost-two-hour commute each way is killing her. She goes to work, comes home, sleeps, and gets up and goes back to work, seven days a week. Living closer to work will give her a little time to actually have a life. Maybe even get some laundry done ...
This project has had side effects, of course. Big Guy is not happy with the last "baby" leaving home, of course. And all the bins and boxes of her stuff from the basement and the attic will be all over the living room until she makes time to go through them all and do the keep-trash-donate sorting. But ... the day after the last of her possessions leaves that big sunny front bedroom, I'll be in there with a bucket of paint! That room will become my new workroom, this little 8-by-11 room will become the den / guest room, and she already knows that if things go south and she has to move back in, she gets the den and not her old room.
Some people have said I'm unnatural, or a bad mother, for actually wanting my nest emptied ... but hey. She's twenty-six, she has a good education and a good profession (chef) ... it's time. Time for her to spread her wings in the real world, and time for Big Guy and I to be able to sit back, watch our girls all out on their own and independent, and know that we did a good job as parents making sure they could make it on their own.
It's true that a lot has been going on here - some of it good, some not so much.
I'll start with a good thing - a finished project. Yes, a sweater is actually finished! And here it is:
Please ignore the mess behind it - the "get-the-workroom-cleaned-up-and-organized" project is not going as quickly as I'd hoped. But hey, one finished project is better than none - isn't it? And the second sweater is almost finished; I just have to assemble it and darn a few ends in. So maybe - with luck and hard work - more things will get done.
This year's food garden was almost a complete loss, thanks to uncooperative weather and steady rain through almost all of pollination season. So far we've managed to harvest one stalk of rhubarb, two tomatoes, and a handful of chives. The apple tree, however, contrived to bloom during the only dry few days we had all spring, and the apple crop was so abundant we were afraid branches would snap from the weight of the apples before we could pick them. One five-gallon pail at a time, they're coming into the kitchen to be canned as applesauce. We'd hoped to slice a bushel at least and run them through the dehydrators, until we realized that every one of them has had at least one bite taken out of it by the squirrels.
Every. Single. Apple.
You'd think that after the first, oh, hundred or so bites, the furry little buggers would have figured out that all the apples taste the same, but no. Apparently our squirrels, while handsome and sometimes entertaining, are not very bright.
And the basement project is almost at a standstill through no fault of my own. Or anyone else's, really ... accidents happen. It's not my co-worker's fault he had a bicycle accident last weekend. But because of that, instead of having a week off to really clear out the basement, I was called back into work. Yes, I'll get the days off some other time ... but probably not until next spring, since we are coming into the busiest / most hellish time of year for my department.
This slows the basement work down rather seriously, since the only time left for it will be weekends, when Big Guy always manages to have something "more important" to do and I can't move the big heavy things that need to be moved without his help. Why do they need to be moved? So that our huge old clunky noisy 43 % efficient furnace can be replaced with our new (still in its wrappings in the basement) small quiet 93 % efficient furnace. I would really love to see that happen before we actually need to turn a furnace on again this fall, but I know if I leave it up to Big Guy it will be at least another year before anything happens.
So my plan of attack has morphed into a plan of sneak attack. I'll be down there in the evenings clearing out all the small stuff, and on the weekends I'll just cajole him into helping me with just one or two large things at a time. Wish me luck!
In other news, J has rounded up two potential roommates, and their plan is to find somewhere to rent by the end of October. We'll miss her, and the move to paying rent will slow down her debt repayment plan, but I can understand her reasoning. She's working two jobs now, one full-time and one part-time, and the almost-two-hour commute each way is killing her. She goes to work, comes home, sleeps, and gets up and goes back to work, seven days a week. Living closer to work will give her a little time to actually have a life. Maybe even get some laundry done ...
This project has had side effects, of course. Big Guy is not happy with the last "baby" leaving home, of course. And all the bins and boxes of her stuff from the basement and the attic will be all over the living room until she makes time to go through them all and do the keep-trash-donate sorting. But ... the day after the last of her possessions leaves that big sunny front bedroom, I'll be in there with a bucket of paint! That room will become my new workroom, this little 8-by-11 room will become the den / guest room, and she already knows that if things go south and she has to move back in, she gets the den and not her old room.
Some people have said I'm unnatural, or a bad mother, for actually wanting my nest emptied ... but hey. She's twenty-six, she has a good education and a good profession (chef) ... it's time. Time for her to spread her wings in the real world, and time for Big Guy and I to be able to sit back, watch our girls all out on their own and independent, and know that we did a good job as parents making sure they could make it on their own.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Ever Have One Of Those Days ...
... where you just can't seem to get moving? I'm having one today. And although I feel like I've earned a lazy day, this is not the best time for one. But every time I think about the things that need to get done today ... I sit back down here and start another game of solitaire, or read another blog/social site thread/news article.
And there are a number of things that do need doing today; the litterbox and guinea pig cage need cleaning, the dishes are piling up and so is the laundry, the bathroom is grubby, the whole house badly needs sweeping and dusting, the mending pile keeps growing, I still have a few more loose ends to darn into the "project" sweater, and my workroom is still chaotic. Don't even ask me about the basement ... and here I sit.
Why? I'm tired. Deep-down in my bones tired. Overtime every night at work, family who meet me at the door with things they "need" me to do right that second, a computer on which I need to replace/rebuild a gazillion files because we had to wipe the main drive and reinstall Windows (some files might still be recoverable, but it will take time); it all adds up. It seems like the only time I had to relax for the last week was during my train ride to work and back, when I could lose myself in a book or put my headphones on and ignore the world for a little while. That's not enough.
On the plus side, I have tomorrow off. Even though our office is in Canada, the ports I handle are in the US, so I work the Canadian holidays and take the American ones. Instead of Victoria Day, I get Memorial Day. This is actually a good thing, because tomorrow I plan to get my passport pictures taken, get J to sign one (she works an afternoon shift tomorrow so she'll still be here when I get back with them), go downtown to use the birthday gift card the girls gave me last fall for a manicure & pedicure, then take in my passport application. I'll be putting the fees on the credit card, but as soon as I get home I can transfer the amount out of chequing and so pay no interest and get the card back to zero again. The passport office, like the photo place, is within walking distance of home. So are the bank, the library, the computer store, and two grocery stores, all of which I will also be stopping at ... all in all, a very busy day, but a very productive one.
Oh, yes, the bank.
I have a little piggy bank on my desk here, into which I drop all the coins I accumulate during the week. When it's full, I empty it into an old toffee tin, and when the tin is full, I roll up the coins and deposit the lot into my savings account. So my trip to the bank will be to deposit - drum roll, please! - $233.00 !!! Which more than makes up for having to tweeze my eyebrows into submission and touch up my grey roots tonight so I'll be ready for the passport photos in the morning.
Now, if only the weather would lighten up a little. It may be the end of May on paper, but it's still March outside.
And there are a number of things that do need doing today; the litterbox and guinea pig cage need cleaning, the dishes are piling up and so is the laundry, the bathroom is grubby, the whole house badly needs sweeping and dusting, the mending pile keeps growing, I still have a few more loose ends to darn into the "project" sweater, and my workroom is still chaotic. Don't even ask me about the basement ... and here I sit.
Why? I'm tired. Deep-down in my bones tired. Overtime every night at work, family who meet me at the door with things they "need" me to do right that second, a computer on which I need to replace/rebuild a gazillion files because we had to wipe the main drive and reinstall Windows (some files might still be recoverable, but it will take time); it all adds up. It seems like the only time I had to relax for the last week was during my train ride to work and back, when I could lose myself in a book or put my headphones on and ignore the world for a little while. That's not enough.
On the plus side, I have tomorrow off. Even though our office is in Canada, the ports I handle are in the US, so I work the Canadian holidays and take the American ones. Instead of Victoria Day, I get Memorial Day. This is actually a good thing, because tomorrow I plan to get my passport pictures taken, get J to sign one (she works an afternoon shift tomorrow so she'll still be here when I get back with them), go downtown to use the birthday gift card the girls gave me last fall for a manicure & pedicure, then take in my passport application. I'll be putting the fees on the credit card, but as soon as I get home I can transfer the amount out of chequing and so pay no interest and get the card back to zero again. The passport office, like the photo place, is within walking distance of home. So are the bank, the library, the computer store, and two grocery stores, all of which I will also be stopping at ... all in all, a very busy day, but a very productive one.
Oh, yes, the bank.
I have a little piggy bank on my desk here, into which I drop all the coins I accumulate during the week. When it's full, I empty it into an old toffee tin, and when the tin is full, I roll up the coins and deposit the lot into my savings account. So my trip to the bank will be to deposit - drum roll, please! - $233.00 !!! Which more than makes up for having to tweeze my eyebrows into submission and touch up my grey roots tonight so I'll be ready for the passport photos in the morning.
Now, if only the weather would lighten up a little. It may be the end of May on paper, but it's still March outside.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Return Of Randomness
I haven't posted for a while, for several reasons.
1) The death of our beloved pet hit me very hard. She was such an important part of our lives for eighteen years, and we are still devastated and heartbroken. It's only in the last couple of days I've been able to talk about her without weeping ... and kind words about her from others are still enough to set off the tears.
2) I'm finally starting to recover from what I thought was just a nasty cold but turned out to be a serious bout of bronchitis. It started to fade, then came roaring back, and left me with no energy to do anything except go to work, come home, and lie down. I've finally stopped coughing, but I still get tired much faster than I'm used to.
3) In spite of everything else, I still had to go to work every day; we are an office of 5, only one of whom could have covered for me. She was out of province (business), which meant that instead of taking sick days, I was there far more hours than usual covering for her.
You may have noticed that I've rearranged my sidebar items. I realized that I really hardly ever spend money on anything I don't need. The cough medicine, for instance, turned out to be the only way I could get even three or four hours of sleep per night, and certainly I never would have made it through a single day at work without it. So I've removed it from the (renamed) "Extra Spending" list. You'll see, though, that I've added my annual purchase of coffee direct from the plantation in Costa Rica. Yes, it looks expensive ... but I don't drink it every day; it's my only real "treat" and believe me, I'll make that twenty pounds of (in my opinion) the world's best coffee go a long way. I'll also be giving some as birthday or Yule gifts to a select few who appreciate it as much as I do, and sharing it with fellow coffee lovers on movie nights. Break that annual expenditure down to $13.25 a month for personal treats and gifts, and it's eminently affordable within our current budget.
I've also decided to keep track of what I've labeled "Serendipitous Income" - money from unexpected or unplanned sources. On-line surveys, coupon and club card savings, deposit containers found and redeemed, that kind of thing. I will include any overtime I get paid for, because I don't go to work planning to stay late. I will not, however, include my tax refund when it comes in, because I did plan for it, and have plans for where it will go. The overtime from May alone will cover my new passport and my coffee order, and still leave over $200 to go into savings.
Project update: there isn't one, really. The sweater is put together at last, but the darning in of loose ends has still to be done, and the workroom organizing is on hold until I'm healthy enough to haul boxes around without wheezing. For the same reason, the basement-clearing project is also on "pause" - though whenever I go down to do laundry, or tend to the litterbox (yes, we still have one cat), or get something from the freezer, I'll try to remember to do one thing towards the cleanup, even if it's just putting away an empty canning jar or two. Baby steps.
Spring gardening hasn't even started yet; we've had a month of low temperatures, sunny weekdays, and rainy weekends - frustrating, since weekends are the only time we have for garden/yard work. But we'll get there eventually. My fruit trees all blossomed nicely, and I'm hoping there were enough dry days for the bees to pollinate well and so get us a good crop. We don't expect any cherries or pears for a couple more years, but the black currants, plums and apples - we hope - should do well. I don't know if the growing season will be long enough, or warm and dry enough, for a decent tomato crop. The herbs will go in containers this year and with luck I'll find a way to keep the squirrels from nibbling them all down to nothing again. Rhubarb always does well - I don't think we could kill it with napalm - and I'd like to put in some raspberry canes.
The coupon insert in this morning's paper had several good two-for-one offers on laundry detergent, (recyclable) plastic food storage containers, and other household basics. An hour after clipping the coupons, I found out that a very dear friend and her husband are both out of work and really struggling financially right now. So I will use the coupons this week, and set what I buy aside for my friend. And I'll raid my stockpile of toiletries as well, and add some of our homemade jams and pickles from last fall. I know she won't be offended; we've helped each other out like that countless times over the years. For us, that's always been a really big part of what friendship is about - being there for each other. I'm only sorry I can't do more, and sorry that it's not later in the year so I could take her apples and plums and tomatoes too!
Now I think I'll go do some mending. That pile has to get smaller eventually!
1) The death of our beloved pet hit me very hard. She was such an important part of our lives for eighteen years, and we are still devastated and heartbroken. It's only in the last couple of days I've been able to talk about her without weeping ... and kind words about her from others are still enough to set off the tears.
2) I'm finally starting to recover from what I thought was just a nasty cold but turned out to be a serious bout of bronchitis. It started to fade, then came roaring back, and left me with no energy to do anything except go to work, come home, and lie down. I've finally stopped coughing, but I still get tired much faster than I'm used to.
3) In spite of everything else, I still had to go to work every day; we are an office of 5, only one of whom could have covered for me. She was out of province (business), which meant that instead of taking sick days, I was there far more hours than usual covering for her.
You may have noticed that I've rearranged my sidebar items. I realized that I really hardly ever spend money on anything I don't need. The cough medicine, for instance, turned out to be the only way I could get even three or four hours of sleep per night, and certainly I never would have made it through a single day at work without it. So I've removed it from the (renamed) "Extra Spending" list. You'll see, though, that I've added my annual purchase of coffee direct from the plantation in Costa Rica. Yes, it looks expensive ... but I don't drink it every day; it's my only real "treat" and believe me, I'll make that twenty pounds of (in my opinion) the world's best coffee go a long way. I'll also be giving some as birthday or Yule gifts to a select few who appreciate it as much as I do, and sharing it with fellow coffee lovers on movie nights. Break that annual expenditure down to $13.25 a month for personal treats and gifts, and it's eminently affordable within our current budget.
I've also decided to keep track of what I've labeled "Serendipitous Income" - money from unexpected or unplanned sources. On-line surveys, coupon and club card savings, deposit containers found and redeemed, that kind of thing. I will include any overtime I get paid for, because I don't go to work planning to stay late. I will not, however, include my tax refund when it comes in, because I did plan for it, and have plans for where it will go. The overtime from May alone will cover my new passport and my coffee order, and still leave over $200 to go into savings.
Project update: there isn't one, really. The sweater is put together at last, but the darning in of loose ends has still to be done, and the workroom organizing is on hold until I'm healthy enough to haul boxes around without wheezing. For the same reason, the basement-clearing project is also on "pause" - though whenever I go down to do laundry, or tend to the litterbox (yes, we still have one cat), or get something from the freezer, I'll try to remember to do one thing towards the cleanup, even if it's just putting away an empty canning jar or two. Baby steps.
Spring gardening hasn't even started yet; we've had a month of low temperatures, sunny weekdays, and rainy weekends - frustrating, since weekends are the only time we have for garden/yard work. But we'll get there eventually. My fruit trees all blossomed nicely, and I'm hoping there were enough dry days for the bees to pollinate well and so get us a good crop. We don't expect any cherries or pears for a couple more years, but the black currants, plums and apples - we hope - should do well. I don't know if the growing season will be long enough, or warm and dry enough, for a decent tomato crop. The herbs will go in containers this year and with luck I'll find a way to keep the squirrels from nibbling them all down to nothing again. Rhubarb always does well - I don't think we could kill it with napalm - and I'd like to put in some raspberry canes.
The coupon insert in this morning's paper had several good two-for-one offers on laundry detergent, (recyclable) plastic food storage containers, and other household basics. An hour after clipping the coupons, I found out that a very dear friend and her husband are both out of work and really struggling financially right now. So I will use the coupons this week, and set what I buy aside for my friend. And I'll raid my stockpile of toiletries as well, and add some of our homemade jams and pickles from last fall. I know she won't be offended; we've helped each other out like that countless times over the years. For us, that's always been a really big part of what friendship is about - being there for each other. I'm only sorry I can't do more, and sorry that it's not later in the year so I could take her apples and plums and tomatoes too!
Now I think I'll go do some mending. That pile has to get smaller eventually!
Monday, April 18, 2011
My Silver Linings
In retrospect, my last post ended up being more negative than otherwise. It happens ... and I'm not going to apologize for it. This is the one place where I can say exactly what I think and how I feel without being told how /why / to what degree I'm wrong. That's not to say I feel negative toward my family very often, but when I do, I really don't appreciate having my feelings discounted or pooh-poohed with responses that translate to I'm either crazy, delusional, stupid, or a liar.
And now that I've got that off my chest ...
Last week was super-hairy-crazy-busy-overloaded stressful at work. To the point where my IBS flared up so badly that by Friday I was spending half the day in the washroom and eating ibuprofen and loperamide like jelly beans. Well, I knew that this week wouldn't be any better, but I was determined not to let it aggravate my system again. So today, whenever I felt myself starting to react I just turned my chair around to face away from the desk, took three slow, deep breaths, and told myself not to take it personally. And it worked! I felt fine all day, and I still do. Physically, mentally, emotionally. So tonight seems like a good time to think about the positives in my life instead of the negatives.
Cloud: super-hairy-crazy-busy-overloaded days at work.
Silver lining: a job I love and that I'm really good at (and that incidentally pays pretty well too!). And every now and them, a client actually expresses appreciation. It means a lot, folks. If someone has done a good job for you - tell them so! You'll make their day, I guarantee it.
Cloud: man and daughters who think they are and will always be my number-one priority.
Silver lining: man and daughters who are and always will be my number-one priority.
Cloud: elderly cats who yarf up dead bugs in the living room.
Silver lining: elderly cats who are still healthy, active, and interested enough to chase and catch the aforementioned bugs.
Cloud: house that never seems to get clean no matter how much I clean it.
Silver lining: it's home, and it's mine, and what doesn't get done today will get done another day. (Besides, cleaning a house with a man living in it is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing. And he cooks.)
Cloud: never enough time or working space to do all the things I want to do.
Silver lining: I am never bored. I really mean that. Never.
I may not have achieved as much as some people in worldly or material ways, but I have everything I need, most of what I want, and the freedom to enjoy it. I have more, in most areas, than ninety-nine per cent of the people on this planet. I have education, security, personal safety and freedoms, health and health care. I have a roof over my head, suitable clothing for the climate, enough to eat, clean water, reliable transportation, and work that pays a wage I can live on. What I don't have (except when the IBS is really bad) is any good reason to feel sorry for myself. Compared to most of the world - and any number of people I know - I am fortunate. And, most of the time, grateful.
And now that I've got that off my chest ...
Last week was super-hairy-crazy-busy-overloaded stressful at work. To the point where my IBS flared up so badly that by Friday I was spending half the day in the washroom and eating ibuprofen and loperamide like jelly beans. Well, I knew that this week wouldn't be any better, but I was determined not to let it aggravate my system again. So today, whenever I felt myself starting to react I just turned my chair around to face away from the desk, took three slow, deep breaths, and told myself not to take it personally. And it worked! I felt fine all day, and I still do. Physically, mentally, emotionally. So tonight seems like a good time to think about the positives in my life instead of the negatives.
Cloud: super-hairy-crazy-busy-overloaded days at work.
Silver lining: a job I love and that I'm really good at (and that incidentally pays pretty well too!). And every now and them, a client actually expresses appreciation. It means a lot, folks. If someone has done a good job for you - tell them so! You'll make their day, I guarantee it.
Cloud: man and daughters who think they are and will always be my number-one priority.
Silver lining: man and daughters who are and always will be my number-one priority.
Cloud: elderly cats who yarf up dead bugs in the living room.
Silver lining: elderly cats who are still healthy, active, and interested enough to chase and catch the aforementioned bugs.
Cloud: house that never seems to get clean no matter how much I clean it.
Silver lining: it's home, and it's mine, and what doesn't get done today will get done another day. (Besides, cleaning a house with a man living in it is like shoveling the walk while it's still snowing. And he cooks.)
Cloud: never enough time or working space to do all the things I want to do.
Silver lining: I am never bored. I really mean that. Never.
I may not have achieved as much as some people in worldly or material ways, but I have everything I need, most of what I want, and the freedom to enjoy it. I have more, in most areas, than ninety-nine per cent of the people on this planet. I have education, security, personal safety and freedoms, health and health care. I have a roof over my head, suitable clothing for the climate, enough to eat, clean water, reliable transportation, and work that pays a wage I can live on. What I don't have (except when the IBS is really bad) is any good reason to feel sorry for myself. Compared to most of the world - and any number of people I know - I am fortunate. And, most of the time, grateful.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
One Step Forward, How Many Back?
It's been a difficult and disappointing week here at Chez Chaos ...
J catered a big party last weekend. Apparently the party itself was a great success, her food was a huge hit with the crowd, and the word-of-mouth advertising will certainly pay off in the long term. However ... the friend who was helping her with setup and cleanup wasn't really paying attention, or something. Whatever her reason, all the clean kitchen utensils got wrapped in dirty, damp towels before going into the bins for transport back here, and some containers of food that should have been in the cooler were down in the bottom of the "clean stuff" bin as well. Now, due to a hectic work schedule, J didn't get to unpacking what should have been a bin full of clean, dry things until Friday. Result: mildewed towels, moldy food, and two sinkfuls of dishes and utensils to be scrubbed free of mold and disinfected. Between all of that and a massive post-birthday-celebration hangover, J is not a happy chef this weekend.
My workplace was seriously understaffed all week, due to one vacation and one nasty case of flu. Between working through lunch and staying late every night, by the time I got home in the evenings I didn't have the energy for anything other than wolfing down a sandwich and collapsing into bed. So nothing got done here on ongoing projects, and nothing by way of housework other than the absolutely unavoidable minimum of animal care, dishes and laundry. To make the week even more hectic, our highest-volume ocean terminal lost all their computer systems for three days, which meant I was deluged with phone calls from truckers who couldn't get what they needed because "the terminal has no record of it". Every one of those calls meant I had to print out what was originally booked, call the terminal, and read it to someone who would them write it down and send someone to the main gate with it. Every three minutes. For three days. On top of a doubled-plus workload. Fortunately, the usual IBS reaction to stress held off until Saturday - which was a blessing at the office but has kept me from accomplishing much of anything at home this weekend. Even the sweater that I'd hoped to have finished by now is still in pieces in my knitting bag.
One of our downstairs tenants is having a really hard time finding work, and for the last two months they've only paid half the rent. I'm sympathetic, but at the same time the money shortage is more stress we really don't need right now. I'm going to sit back and let Big Guy deal with them about it; I already have more than enough stress to keep my innards in an uproar. But if we don't see some more money from them this week, I may resort to cutting off the cable television and internet to the suite - after all, both are included in the rent, and so (in my view) have not been paid for. "Need" internet access to look for a job? It's free at the public library, which is within walking distance.
I've also come to the unhappy realization that no matter how much organizing and purging I do, there will never be enough space in my workroom to do what I'd like to be doing in here; the room is just too small. The only way to create enough space would be to move everything I work with to another part of the house, and that's just not an option. Somehow, I just can't see myself climbing the ladder to the attic to go through boxes every time I need a reference book or a spool of thread ...
We're not sure if this spring is really colder and wetter than usual, or if we're perceiving it that way because every time we finally have a little time to work on the garden, it rains. In either case, it's frustrating ... we'll go outside and get started on something, and within ten or fifteen minutes the weather changes and drives us back under cover. Eventually it will all get done; it's just hard to maintain any enthusiasm for it when progress is measured in slow, damp inches.
There were a few bright spots in all the gloom, though ...
J was very happy with her birthday gifts; I gave her a gift card to her favourite frilly-girly-girl lingerie store and a month's supply of transit tickets, and Big Guy is taking her shopping for three new pairs of jeans.
The ornamental trees downtown are all bursting into bloom, and tomorrow is supposed to be fairly nice weather-wise, so I've already tucked my camera in my bag. Every year I tell myself I'm going to get pictures when the trees blossom, and every year I either forget the camera, or it rains, or both. This year, I'm ready!
Sister S and I get together at Mom's on Wednesday evening instead of the usual Friday, and it was a really nice evening. I had to leave pretty early, but Mom had some good news for a change ... although the changes are small and slow, her health is gradually improving. She may never get all the way back to where she was two years ago, but the improvement is noticeable now, and gives hope for more. We're all very happy for her, and looking forward to doing more with her in the future. Maybe another road trip ...
Friends D and J came over Saturday night as usual, and we had a very pleasant, relaxing time with several episodes of "The Mentalist". When we run out of episodes we might move right on to "Stargate SG-1", or possibly take some time out for a few board game nights. Either way, fun evenings with good friends, and without spending money - it's all good. Next week it's my turn to provide the snacks, so there will either be homemade cookies or coffee cake, or maybe a big tub of popcorn and a plate of homemade fudge. Good times on the cheap!
J catered a big party last weekend. Apparently the party itself was a great success, her food was a huge hit with the crowd, and the word-of-mouth advertising will certainly pay off in the long term. However ... the friend who was helping her with setup and cleanup wasn't really paying attention, or something. Whatever her reason, all the clean kitchen utensils got wrapped in dirty, damp towels before going into the bins for transport back here, and some containers of food that should have been in the cooler were down in the bottom of the "clean stuff" bin as well. Now, due to a hectic work schedule, J didn't get to unpacking what should have been a bin full of clean, dry things until Friday. Result: mildewed towels, moldy food, and two sinkfuls of dishes and utensils to be scrubbed free of mold and disinfected. Between all of that and a massive post-birthday-celebration hangover, J is not a happy chef this weekend.
My workplace was seriously understaffed all week, due to one vacation and one nasty case of flu. Between working through lunch and staying late every night, by the time I got home in the evenings I didn't have the energy for anything other than wolfing down a sandwich and collapsing into bed. So nothing got done here on ongoing projects, and nothing by way of housework other than the absolutely unavoidable minimum of animal care, dishes and laundry. To make the week even more hectic, our highest-volume ocean terminal lost all their computer systems for three days, which meant I was deluged with phone calls from truckers who couldn't get what they needed because "the terminal has no record of it". Every one of those calls meant I had to print out what was originally booked, call the terminal, and read it to someone who would them write it down and send someone to the main gate with it. Every three minutes. For three days. On top of a doubled-plus workload. Fortunately, the usual IBS reaction to stress held off until Saturday - which was a blessing at the office but has kept me from accomplishing much of anything at home this weekend. Even the sweater that I'd hoped to have finished by now is still in pieces in my knitting bag.
One of our downstairs tenants is having a really hard time finding work, and for the last two months they've only paid half the rent. I'm sympathetic, but at the same time the money shortage is more stress we really don't need right now. I'm going to sit back and let Big Guy deal with them about it; I already have more than enough stress to keep my innards in an uproar. But if we don't see some more money from them this week, I may resort to cutting off the cable television and internet to the suite - after all, both are included in the rent, and so (in my view) have not been paid for. "Need" internet access to look for a job? It's free at the public library, which is within walking distance.
I've also come to the unhappy realization that no matter how much organizing and purging I do, there will never be enough space in my workroom to do what I'd like to be doing in here; the room is just too small. The only way to create enough space would be to move everything I work with to another part of the house, and that's just not an option. Somehow, I just can't see myself climbing the ladder to the attic to go through boxes every time I need a reference book or a spool of thread ...
We're not sure if this spring is really colder and wetter than usual, or if we're perceiving it that way because every time we finally have a little time to work on the garden, it rains. In either case, it's frustrating ... we'll go outside and get started on something, and within ten or fifteen minutes the weather changes and drives us back under cover. Eventually it will all get done; it's just hard to maintain any enthusiasm for it when progress is measured in slow, damp inches.
There were a few bright spots in all the gloom, though ...
J was very happy with her birthday gifts; I gave her a gift card to her favourite frilly-girly-girl lingerie store and a month's supply of transit tickets, and Big Guy is taking her shopping for three new pairs of jeans.
The ornamental trees downtown are all bursting into bloom, and tomorrow is supposed to be fairly nice weather-wise, so I've already tucked my camera in my bag. Every year I tell myself I'm going to get pictures when the trees blossom, and every year I either forget the camera, or it rains, or both. This year, I'm ready!
Sister S and I get together at Mom's on Wednesday evening instead of the usual Friday, and it was a really nice evening. I had to leave pretty early, but Mom had some good news for a change ... although the changes are small and slow, her health is gradually improving. She may never get all the way back to where she was two years ago, but the improvement is noticeable now, and gives hope for more. We're all very happy for her, and looking forward to doing more with her in the future. Maybe another road trip ...
Friends D and J came over Saturday night as usual, and we had a very pleasant, relaxing time with several episodes of "The Mentalist". When we run out of episodes we might move right on to "Stargate SG-1", or possibly take some time out for a few board game nights. Either way, fun evenings with good friends, and without spending money - it's all good. Next week it's my turn to provide the snacks, so there will either be homemade cookies or coffee cake, or maybe a big tub of popcorn and a plate of homemade fudge. Good times on the cheap!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday Thoughts
Life is, as always, interesting, sometimes entertaining, often complicated, and full of choices and tradeoffs.
I really want to get my current knitting project finished. I'd like to be able to wear the sweater to work while it's still cold enough to wear a sweater to work ... and I already have the yarn and pattern for the next one. Which will be pink, so it's even odds sister S will try to talk me out of it, or into making one for her.
I really want to get my workroom completely cleaned out and reorganized. But that uses up knitting time ...
I have three shelves full of books I haven't read yet. Quite a few of them are hardcovers that are too bulky and/or heavy to carry to work and back every day for train reading. And every time my friend D comes over for our weekly movie-or-board-game night, he brings more books to lend me. I read on the train, I read through my lunch hour, I read when my hands cramp up from too much knitting (is there even such a thing as "too much knitting"?), and the books still pile up faster than I can whittle them down. I'm like Robert Heinlein's character Hilda Corners in "The Number Of The Beast", who said she read in bed, she read while she ate, she read on the john, she read in the bath, and she'd read in her sleep if she could figure out how to keep her eyes open.
I have a lecture series on DVD that Mom lent me, and another one she bought me for my birthday, that I really want to see. I could pop them in the DVD player while I knit, but they're subjects I like to give my full attention to ... I'm not so good a knitter that I can knit without paying any attention to what I'm doing.
For someone like me, an embarrassment of riches! It makes me wish our lotto pool at work would win big, so I could say goodbye to working for a living and have, finally, enough reading/knitting/sewing/everything time. I could never be one of the "idle rich" - life is just too full of interesting things to do/see/hear/learn, and not nearly full enough of time for them all.
*****
Am I a bad person because I enjoy watching someone with a highly inflated sense of their own importance shoot themselves in the foot? Especially people who've grown a sense of entitlement where they should have cultivated some kind of work ethic?
Two weeks ago, our office hired New Kid. The Monday he was supposed to start, he called in sick. Well, things happen, benefit of the doubt and all that. When he did show up, he seemed from the start to be very young - in attitude as well as age - and very, very full of himself.
The following Monday he called in sick again. Hmmmm. He also had to be warned more than once during the week about things he was doing when he should have been doing what we hired him for. Warnings he apparently didn't find worth taking seriously. And frankly, he wasn't nearly as good as he thought - and said - he was.
Today, Monday, the beginning of his third week with us ...yep, you guessed it.
If he shows up tomorrow, he'll be handed his final cheque and told not to come back.
We amused ourselves speculating on whether he has quit but doesn't have the cojones to say so to our faces, or whether he was too hung over to care what we thought and is counting on coming in tomorrow morning as if nothing had happened. I guess we'll find out in the morning. It certainly is glaringly obvious that he has no idea what being a full-time employee in the real world is all about. He's currently pursuing a business degree (evening classes) and fully expects that as soon as he has that diploma in his hand, companies will be lining up outside his door with high-paying career offers. Yeah, good luck with that. Especially since our field is not thickly populated, sooner or later everyone in the industry knows everyone else, and word gets around ...
*****
It's slushing outside. One minute it's snowing, the next minute it's raining ... if you don't like what's happening, wait five minutes ... it'll change. Nasty. I wonder what it'll be doing in the morning?
*****
Exchange between two daughters and me earlier this evening, after I had obliged them by stopping on my way home to pick up concert tickets for them:
"Yay! We have concert tickets to see 'Favourite Band'!"
"No, I have concert tickets. When you pay me back for them, then you will have concert tickets."
I'm such a meanie.
*****
I just realized something possibly odd about myself.
I remember learning to swim, and to roller skate, and to ride a bike, and to do cursive writing (a disappearing art these days, it seems). I remember not yet knowing how to drive, cook, thread a sewing machine, ice skate backwards, or chop kindling. I remember when we got our first television - a black & white Phillips, with the rounded green screen and "wood-grain" cabinet and rabbit ears sitting on top. I remember the first day of first grade. I even remember bits of my second birthday.
I don't remember not knowing how to read. And I don't remember not knowing how to knit.
I really want to get my current knitting project finished. I'd like to be able to wear the sweater to work while it's still cold enough to wear a sweater to work ... and I already have the yarn and pattern for the next one. Which will be pink, so it's even odds sister S will try to talk me out of it, or into making one for her.
I really want to get my workroom completely cleaned out and reorganized. But that uses up knitting time ...
I have three shelves full of books I haven't read yet. Quite a few of them are hardcovers that are too bulky and/or heavy to carry to work and back every day for train reading. And every time my friend D comes over for our weekly movie-or-board-game night, he brings more books to lend me. I read on the train, I read through my lunch hour, I read when my hands cramp up from too much knitting (is there even such a thing as "too much knitting"?), and the books still pile up faster than I can whittle them down. I'm like Robert Heinlein's character Hilda Corners in "The Number Of The Beast", who said she read in bed, she read while she ate, she read on the john, she read in the bath, and she'd read in her sleep if she could figure out how to keep her eyes open.
I have a lecture series on DVD that Mom lent me, and another one she bought me for my birthday, that I really want to see. I could pop them in the DVD player while I knit, but they're subjects I like to give my full attention to ... I'm not so good a knitter that I can knit without paying any attention to what I'm doing.
For someone like me, an embarrassment of riches! It makes me wish our lotto pool at work would win big, so I could say goodbye to working for a living and have, finally, enough reading/knitting/sewing/everything time. I could never be one of the "idle rich" - life is just too full of interesting things to do/see/hear/learn, and not nearly full enough of time for them all.
*****
Am I a bad person because I enjoy watching someone with a highly inflated sense of their own importance shoot themselves in the foot? Especially people who've grown a sense of entitlement where they should have cultivated some kind of work ethic?
Two weeks ago, our office hired New Kid. The Monday he was supposed to start, he called in sick. Well, things happen, benefit of the doubt and all that. When he did show up, he seemed from the start to be very young - in attitude as well as age - and very, very full of himself.
The following Monday he called in sick again. Hmmmm. He also had to be warned more than once during the week about things he was doing when he should have been doing what we hired him for. Warnings he apparently didn't find worth taking seriously. And frankly, he wasn't nearly as good as he thought - and said - he was.
Today, Monday, the beginning of his third week with us ...yep, you guessed it.
If he shows up tomorrow, he'll be handed his final cheque and told not to come back.
We amused ourselves speculating on whether he has quit but doesn't have the cojones to say so to our faces, or whether he was too hung over to care what we thought and is counting on coming in tomorrow morning as if nothing had happened. I guess we'll find out in the morning. It certainly is glaringly obvious that he has no idea what being a full-time employee in the real world is all about. He's currently pursuing a business degree (evening classes) and fully expects that as soon as he has that diploma in his hand, companies will be lining up outside his door with high-paying career offers. Yeah, good luck with that. Especially since our field is not thickly populated, sooner or later everyone in the industry knows everyone else, and word gets around ...
*****
It's slushing outside. One minute it's snowing, the next minute it's raining ... if you don't like what's happening, wait five minutes ... it'll change. Nasty. I wonder what it'll be doing in the morning?
*****
Exchange between two daughters and me earlier this evening, after I had obliged them by stopping on my way home to pick up concert tickets for them:
"Yay! We have concert tickets to see 'Favourite Band'!"
"No, I have concert tickets. When you pay me back for them, then you will have concert tickets."
I'm such a meanie.
*****
I just realized something possibly odd about myself.
I remember learning to swim, and to roller skate, and to ride a bike, and to do cursive writing (a disappearing art these days, it seems). I remember not yet knowing how to drive, cook, thread a sewing machine, ice skate backwards, or chop kindling. I remember when we got our first television - a black & white Phillips, with the rounded green screen and "wood-grain" cabinet and rabbit ears sitting on top. I remember the first day of first grade. I even remember bits of my second birthday.
I don't remember not knowing how to read. And I don't remember not knowing how to knit.
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