PurrrpleJ's World

Happy holidays from the company

2010-12-01T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well, one day after getting a great performance review, I got laid off. Well, actually, my whole department did, except for three people. I might just move back to WI to help out my mom while I'm on severance/unemployment and hunt for a job. At least I get my library degree in May, so hopefully at that time I can get a library job somewhere...

Ho ho ho...

Casualty of the crummy economy

2010-11-30T17:05:00.001-08:00

Well, I got laid off today, effective at the end of the year. Happy holidays, right? Bah humbug.

At least I get severance through March, and my library degree in May, so at least after May (or even perhaps slightly before it) I might be able to find a library job somewhere.

I might move back to WI to help my elderly mother get around, take care of the house, etc. The main thing giving me pause is getting my cats across country, and how my mom's cat would get along with mine. Of course, mine could always live in the basement, at least at first.

It wouldn't be very expensive for me to move, just gas and motel bills (I would donate all my furniture and just bring back clothes, shoes, household supplies like dishes, books, TV/computer, etc.). Whatever stuff wouldn't fit in my car, I could mail to Mom's.

So, it's kind of a bummer, since I'd hoped the job would at least last till May, when I got my library degree. However, maybe it's a blessing in disguise if I get to move in with and help take care of my mom...

Performance review

2010-11-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well, my performance review for the third quarter (yes, they're slow) went very well. Got 110 percent of my bonus. Will definitely come in handy for paying tuition. I've determined I need to get a little bit of money from an auto title loan (maybe a couple hundred bucks) to pay off the tuition for this semester... but I can pay that back after my big tax refund...

Giving thanks

2010-11-24T11:18:00.000-08:00

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I wanted to express my gratitude for all the good things in my life. My life is far from perfect, but it could be a whole heck of a lot worse...

I'm thankful that I have a good roof over my head in a good neighborhood, even if paying the rent is a struggle. I'm thankful that I have enough to eat, even if I'm trying to eat as cheaply as possible. I'm thankful that I have family, friends, and my cats who love me. I'm thankful I have two good jobs - even if they aren't always ideal... they could still be a lot worse - and volunteer opportunities that give me a chance to feel good by giving back to the community. I'm thankful for my intelligence, which has allowed me to succeed in school and in life. I'm thankful for the use of all my senses and limbs, and that I don't have any terrible diseases or deformities. I may whine about my life from time to time, but as I said, it could be much worse, and I should never forget to count my many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally, some good financial luck

2010-11-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

I accidentally damaged a library book, and the replacement fee is normally $39. Plus I returned it late, so there was a $6 fine on top of that. But the librarian in charge of circulation decided, in the spirit of the holidays (and knowing that I was financially strapped, and that it was an accident), to limit the fee to just $14 and not suspend my borrowing privileges. That was nice! Now, we'll see what I have to pay to another library, from which I lost a book (it is probably in my car somewhere, under a seat or something). :-( I need to be more careful with my borrowed materials!!

New cat blog

2010-11-17T11:34:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start blogging about my cats at: http://kitty-korner1210.blogspot.com/

I supplied the links to friends and family so they don't have to be subjected to constant e-mails from me about the daily doings of my furry friends.

In other news: There was a happy hour last week for a departing employee, on my day off, and nobody bothered to call and invite me. I think I'm pretty unpopular at work - seen as difficult and moody. And maybe they're right! But I don't try to be... can't help the way I am. I try to be cheerful and pleasant and helpful. Guess I just fail sometimes. Oh well, at least I have friends and family (and cats) who love me and appreciate me. I shouldn't let the naysayers get me down...

Found some cool websites that let you review all sorts of consumer products. I've been busy writing reviews. Gives me something to do at work! Have also done some schoolwork... ugh, I'm pretty burned out on school and really looking forward to getting this degree program over with!

Kitty update

2010-10-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Just a status update on the cats… I left them home alone together yesterday, and they did very well. I checked on them at lunchtime, and things seemed to be going okay so I kept them together when I went back to work. When I came home, all was still well. Murray still bugs Yuki a bit from time to time, but I think it is kind of a game now, and I am very confident Murray won’t hurt him. Murray doesn’t bother Yuki when Yuki is eating, sleeping, using the litter box, grooming, etc. – I’m sure if he really hated him, he would bother him during these times. And I’m sure he would really attack Yuki if he really wanted to. He’s had ample chances, but has been very mild in his “aggression.”

They’re home alone together again today, and I plan to drop in at lunch again today. I also hope to spend about an hour with them before I go into my second job tonight, so they don’t feel completely abandoned all day/night. If they get too stressed about my being gone all day and all night, they might take it out on each other. So I want to give them at least some contact with me…

I am so very glad I got Yuki. He is so sweet and loving - he loves to climb on my lap and snuggle and be petted. Not that Murray hasn't given me lots of love and affection, but he isn't much of a lap cat; he usually prefers to sit in the same room as me, at a slight distance, coming up to me every now and then to get petted a bit. (And he likes to sleep in the bed with me at night, and get petted quite a bit when he's in bed with me.) It is nice to have a cute little kitten who likes to sit in my lap with me while I watch TV, listen to music, etc. I try to give Murray plenty of attention, too - talking/singing to him, etc. - so he doesn't feel too jealous. He seems to be accepting Yuki's role as a lap cat, after some initial jealousy. Meanwhile, Yuki has accepted that Murray likes having the bed and me to himself at night. I wish they would both sleep with me, but if Murray feels more secure without Yuki in the bed, so be it...

2010-10-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

I introduced the new kitty, Yuki, to the "established" cat, Murray, yesterday...

The first couple hours they were alone together, Murray spent most of the time rebuffing Yuki's numerous overtures of friendship, responding by chasing Yuki and batting at him with his paw. I don't think he meant to hurt Yuki, he just wanted to prove who was dominant. I hope this is normal behavior and something Murray will get over.

After these couple hours, I had to leave, so I separated the cats again. When I came home, I let them be together overnight while I slept. At first I heard a little bit of chasing. But then things got very quiet and were quiet the rest of the night. At one point, Yuki and Murray were both in bed with me. Murray didn't like sharing, but he did, reluctantly (he batted at Yuki, but Yuki stood his ground and stayed in bed, so Murray let him). I take this as a good sign, along with the relatively quiet night. Still, this morning before work, I separated the cats, just in case.

Murray, understandably, seemed a bit jealous/shellshocked. As for Yuki, he was happy to meet Murray and wants to be friends. He seems to respect Murray's dominance but not be too frightened of him - he is holding his own. Hopefully soon Murray will stop feeling threatened and stop the chasing. At least he stopped it overnight, so that is something...

New kitty

2010-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

I took the step of adopting a new kitten this weekend. He is about five months old, a Siamese/Snowshoe mix, and I have named him Yuki (Japanese for "snow"). He was very shy and skittish at first, but seems to be settling in comfortably now. He has gotten to the point where he loves to sit in my lap and cuddle and be petted. He is having fun playing with my other cat's toys (which are now his toys too now, I guess!). He is white and grayish-brown, with brown ears/tail, a little grayish-brown mask on his face, a pink and black nose, and pretty blue eyes. He is still quite small and still has that high-pitched kitten meow. He and my other cat are separated from each other by a door, but they have been playing paw-under-the-door and have shown no sign of hostility toward each other, so hopefully they will get along once I decide it's a good time to open the door and introduce them to each other. My other cat, Murray, has shown some signs of loneliness, meowing and scratching at the door when I have been in the other room with Yuki bonding with him, so I have tried to spend some time with Murray too so he doesn't feel neglected and pushed aside. At least Murray gets me all to himself all night, since his area includes my bedroom. I really hope the two kitties get along, because I have bonded quite well with Yuki and have gotten rather attached to him...

Life

2010-10-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Life is okay, for the most part. Not perfect, definitely. Here is an update on the latest developments...

Spiritually, I have decided to become a Baha'i. This faith really resonates with me, and I like the people I have met who subscribe to its beliefs and principles. Meanwhile, I "fired" the rabbi I was studying with, because he was unreliable, but he gave me less of a refund than I deserved (crook!), so I reported him to the BBB and AZ Atty Genl's Office. It might not bring me more money (who am I, compared to a *rabbi*, when it comes to credibility in a he-said, she-said thing?), but at least I have the satisfaction of complaining.

Been stressed over finances. Paying my settlement program monthly payment was too much to pay and still pay my other expenses, including my car loan. So I dropped out of the settlement program (which didn't do much for me, anyway, except take my money), and I am trying to pay as much as I can on my bills, on my own. I can't pay them all, not even close, but maybe I can throw the creditors just enough to keep them from suing me... and if they sue, well, guess I just declare bankruptcy!

Stress over money may be the explanation for my hospitalization last week due to intense stomach and back cramps. They ruled out kidney stones, appendicitis, and liver malfunction but couldn't tell me what it was. But the morphine they gave me eased the pain, at least. However, now I dread getting the hospital bill... another expense I can't afford!

I have a pimple/sore in my nose that has been bothering me several weeks. If it doesn't go away soon, I will go back to the doctor. I was trying to avoid paying this expense. I did see the ENT doc once, and he gave me antibiotics and a nasal spray, but these don't seem to have helped at all. He wanted a CAT scan and a return visit, but I cancelled these for now, trying to save money...

Boss is still a witch. Oh, well...

And that's life!

New strategy for dealing with my problem boss

2010-09-09T08:36:00.001-07:00

I’ve taken a step back and analyzed the things that seem to be my boss’s “triggers” that get her exasperated with me. She gets upset if I ask a question that she sees as unnecessary, for example, or, paradoxically, if I DON’T consult her first about certain things. She doesn’t like feeling interrupted. Etc. I wrote down all these triggers, and then a list of things I can potentially do to avoid triggering her. Like analyzing every decision before I make it, whether it’s necessary to consult her or not. Not interrupting her even when I seek to defend myself. Etc. We’ll see if that does any good…

Meanwhile, Murray had as good of a vet visit as is possible. He was very healthy, just up a bit in weight (up to 15.06 pounds, from 14.8 pounds last visit) because he had gotten me in the habit of giving him a lot of snacks, with the way he whined every time I went in the kitchen. I couldn’t resist his begging. Well, now I will have to resist. I will try to get him down to two treats a day, and only a couple pieces of treat each time.

Almost lost my cat yesterday

2010-09-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

I almost lost Murray (my cat) yesterday. I was going in and out of the apt, taking clothes out to the car to take to the Goodwill donation site, and during one trip, he decided to make a break for the outdoors and ran past me when I opened the door, running outside. Fortunately, he only took a few steps, then he froze, probably because the surroundings looked unfamiliar, and he let me pick him up and put him back inside. I was so terrified he would run off on me before I could capture him. I’m so glad I was able to catch him.

I hope he doesn’t ever pull that stunt again!

I take him to the vet today for his annual checkup. Hopefully all will go well.

Emotional intelligence

2010-09-02T14:00:00.001-07:00

I took a fairly comprehensive online test on emotional intelligence (106 questions), and I rated surprisingly high. I was in the "acceptable" range. I expected to score low, with my bipolar and all. But I guess I have learned how to better manage my emotions over the years...

I knew I had a lot of clothes, but...

2010-09-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Finished weeding out the clothes I want to donate to charity from my wardrobe, and adding up the approximate tax-deduction value using the Salv Army and Goodwill tables, and the total was over $1700! I have nearly 300 separate items to donate. Good Lord. I never realized how bad my sickness was concerning clothing acquisition. I knew I had a fetish, but holy mackerel. Imagine how much money I would have saved if I hadn't bought those 300 items, new. Oh well, all I can do now is vow to stop the obsession. I have enough clothes to last a lifetime, so no need for any more!!

I will try to occasionally go through my wardrobe and purge, so I can get my wardrobe down to a more manageable and reasonable level. I still have a lot of clothes!

My manager was all over me last week because she thought I should do something differently than the way I had thought we were supposed to do it, wouldn't listen to my justifications, made a big deal about it, even implied that I lacked "common sense" for thinking my way (it was "common sense" to do things her way). Well, lo and behold, yesterday she reversed course and decided we should do things the way I had argued for, after all. But do I get an apology or an acknowledgement that I was right all along? Of course not. Harrumph.

Review - whew!

2010-08-25T13:31:00.001-07:00

Had my Quarter 2 review today (yes, Quarter 2, which ended June 30... just a little late!). It went surprisingly well. I was fearing the worst, since my supervisor is constantly on my back about nitpicky little things. I was fully prepared to reject the review and go over her head to challenge it, if she graded me unfairly. But she gave me a very positive review, and I will receive 105 percent of my bonus, which is really good. So I can breathe a huge sigh of relief. Till my Q3 review... it will always be an uncertain event for me, since I always feel like I'm in the doghouse for something.

Now, I just need that bonus check so I can make the rest of my first installment tuition payment...

Spirituality

2010-08-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

Took a hiatus from blogging because I was too stressed out between school and work. But I will try to get back in the habit.

I am undergoing a spiritual awakening. I took the "What's Your Faith?" quiz on beliefnet.org, and scored 100 percent Reform Jew, in the 90s Baha'i, in the 90s Liberal Quaker, and 90 percent Unitarian Universalist. Same scores I had a few years ago, and at that time I chose to pursue Unitarian Universalism because it seemed the most akin to my Catholic upbringing. But I did obtain a copy of the Baha'i publication "The Hidden Words," written by the Baha'i prophet, Baha'u'llah. I liked it, but didn't think much of it at the time.

But this time around, I decided to study the Baha'is more, as well as Judaism and Quakerism. I like things about all three religions, but the Baha'i faith seems to be pulling me in the most. It resonates greatly with me. I like a lot of their teachings, like about the equality of all people (and of men and women), equality of all religions - which all worship the same God - and the hope for world peace, etc. They have some beautiful prayers, and their prophet's writings are worth studying, they are very wise and spiritually moving. I just might join the Baha'i faith. Only bad thing: They fast for a MONTH in spring. Yech.

Reading some Baha'i writings about detachment from material things (not asceticism, just not being too vain about possessions) has inspired me to do a wholesale purge of my clothes. I have waaaaay too many, anyway, so it helps me to simplify my life in a much-needed way. (I got just ridiculous about accumulating clothes.) I feel the poor need the clothes that I don't absolutely love, or don't wear all that often, far more than I do. So I went through my mountain of dirty clothes and found about a dozen bags of various sizes full of clothes to give away. The nicest ones, I'll take to the resale shop to see if I can get any bucks back. The rest, I'll donate to the charity store and get a tax write-off. So it's a win-win.

Now I need to stop coveting new clothes... And I need to go through my clean clothes to see what's disposable.

Take care, and I will return soon...

Update on life in general

2010-03-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Not much exciting is happening in my world. Still working the two jobs. Still managing to keep up to date in my two grad-school courses. It helps that although one is very difficult and demanding, the other is ridiculously easy, in terms of workload and expectations. So it balances out. I am in a nice lull period right now, with nothing due in one class till March 24, and nothing due in the other till March 31, due to spring break and such.

I spend most of my "free time" reading or getting caught up on sleep, but I have gotten out of the apt a little bit here and there. I went to see "Avatar" recently on the IMAX screen. It was something else. The special effects were amazing, of course, and I really liked the storyline. It reminded me a lot of "Star Wars." I hadn't expected to like it, but I did. The only thing that bothered me was that there were, like, no minorities in the movie, among the "humans." Everyone I remember from the movie was white. You would think that in the future, there would be more diverse employment for minorities. Oh well, no movie is perfect, I suppose.

I've been struggling to keep my head above water with all my credit card bills (and auto loan, rent, auto insurance, etc.). A number of my payments have been late recently, because I have had to wait for a paycheck (or "help from Mom," bless her soul) in order to make payments, and sometimes I have had to make only partial payments. Oh well, my credit sucks anyway, so if it gets a bit worse, no biggie, I suppose.

Not much else to tell.... will write again whenever I have time and anything worth writing about!

Hello again

2010-01-06T06:25:00.001-08:00

It's been a while, hasn't it? I've been very, very busy, causing me to temporarily lose interest in blogging, which I had developed an interest in through a school project. Well, I'm going to try to make a comeback, in case there are any readers out there who stumble across this blog.

Just to bring you up to date on my 2009:

Wages were frozen at my main job in '09, but at least we still received quarterly bonuses. We have been assured that merit raises will return this year, but who knows how high they will be.

I took a new secondary job in January '09, moving from Sears to Famous Footwear. I earn a lot more money at Famous Footwear, both due to more money per hour and due to working a few more hours, and the atmosphere is a lot more laid-back and low-pressure at FF. We don't need to push unwanted credit cards on people (at Sears, there was a lot of pressure to get people to sign up for the cards, which were a tough sell), and there is hardly ever a line. I love my co-workers. I work Friday nights and Saturday nights, which gives me most of the day Saturday and all day Sunday to relax and/or get schoolwork done.

I continued my studies in library and information science through the UA's distance learning program. I got an A in my spring course and a B in my fall course (my first B, after all A's in the program up to that point... but I deserved it, having put in much less effort in the course in the second half because the course's structure made it easy to let things slide). I am getting ready to take one of my three final courses in the program in spring 2010, and I plan to put forth more effort than I did last semester.

After having been out of a history PhD program for four years (I had completed all requirements except the dissertation, but quit when I couldn't think of a good topic to work with), I finally thought of a topic for the diss, and decided to try to go back to finish the PhD program. I literally dreamed up the topic, dreaming that I did a dissertation on mental health care in AZ; I woke up thinking, You know, I might actually be able to pull that off. The main thing against me is time. I am technically supposed to have the diss completed in spring 2010, but of course that is impossible. So I am going to request a one-year extension from the Graduate College and hope to finish in 2011. If I can't make that deadline, I can request a second extension and hope for 2012. I need to take a course on 20th century Western history in spring 2010, taught by my new committee chair; fortunately, it is a night course (one of the few offered by ASU), so I don't need to rearrange my work schedule. I am probably crazy to try to take both an ASU class and a UA class, while working two jobs. But I'm going to try it. I would love to have my PhD. Not sure what I would do with it, except perhaps it would come in handy if I also got the library degree and wanted to be a history subject-matter librarian for an academic library. That would be a job I would enjoy, and I think a PhD would be helpful, perhaps even necessary, for this job.

I made visits to friends in San Diego and Kansas, and a couple trips to WI to see my mom and former cat, including over Xmas (during which time I got to see my brother for a bit, too). In 2010, I plan a weeklong trip to WI in spring or summer, a visit to WI at Thanksgiving, a long-weekend visit to Maryland to see a coworker/friend, and perhaps brief visits to San Diego and Alabama (where my Kansas friend moved in '09).

My cat and I marked our fifth year together in October (Oct. 16). He had been a stray who hung around my apartment complex, and I would say hello and be friendly to the strays. One night, he just decided to run inside my apt. with me when I opened the door, and he didn't want to leave. So I let him stay. He is (usually) a very sweet cat, very loving, and I am very lucky to have him.

I began volunteering for a Native American tribal library, as part of my spring library class at UA. I enjoyed the work and liked the librarian so much, I decided to stick around and keep coming a couple times a month, even after the course ended. The librarian had me over for Thanksgiving dinner in '09. It was a great dinner, though I felt a bit awkward, not knowing anyone besides her, and being the only white person there, amid Native Americans and blacks. Experiences like that are good for me, though, I think, helping me feel what it is like to be in a "minority."

I had a car accident in March when either my blood sugar level dropped (I was diagnosed as diabetic in April), or I became disoriented due to my medication mixing with beer (just one beer - I was not drunk), and I just could not stay alert/awake behind the wheel. I should have pulled over and called my friend to take me back to her place, but I was tired and just wanted to go home. At one point, I nodded off and veered off the road and hit a pole, or something like it, and bounced off; I just kept going (fortunately, I wasn't going very fast). I am lucky I made it home to my kitty in one piece, and only had to pay a $500 deductible as the price for my poor decision to keep driving when I knew I was in bad shape. I thank God that I am still alive.

Let's see, what else... I pretty much stopped my frenzy of clothes-buying that I had gone through in 2008, and concentrated on starting to pay the resulting credit card bills; but, I did take full advantage of my Famous Footwear discount to buy a TON of shoes. I have more than enough to last me a lifetime now, so I am cutting back on buying more - I don't need more, plus I have no place to put them! I have already exhausted the space afforded by over-the-door shoe organizers.

I went through a period in spring where I was having trouble sleeping at night, so I was taking too much sleep medicine and feeling tired and hung-over during the day and could not stay awake at work. Exhausted a lot of leave time that way, unfortunately. But I finally figured out the problem and cut back on the sleeping meds, and the situation returned to normal, after I had feared that I was losing my ability to work like a normal person. In fact, I cut back the sleeping meds to a fraction of what I had been taking before increasing the dose, partly to avoid the appetite-stimulating side effect of the drug, and my work improved tremendously. I made (and still do) a lot fewer mistakes than I had been making in the previous couple years I had worked at my main job (I marked my second anniversary in the job in May). Most of my documents now go through the quality control process without any errors being found, whereas in the past, most had come back with at least an error or two. I will try to keep up the improved performance in 2010.

I fell out of the habit of watching football (or anything else on TV, for that matter... my cable bill is a waste) because I was just too busy, doing background reading for my ASU diss project and such, but I plan to watch the Packers in the playoffs in 2010. I have some ambivalence about the upcoming game against the Cardinals, because I have been turning into somewhat of a Cardinals fan lately, but the Packers will always trump the Cards for me.

Well, I will cut off this long post now.... I will try to update this blog more frequently, so I can keep future posts shorter! Happy new year!

Praise at work

2008-12-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

I had my quarterly review at my main job last week, and it went extremely well. Our quarterly bonuses are now based on performance, and the top bonus anyone could get was 96 percent, due to the crummy economy. I qualified to get 95 percent, almost the max. Last quarter, I only got 75 out of 100 percent, so it's a significant improvement. I've made a concerted effort to tailor my work to the bonus criteria, making myself more visible, taking on more leadership, being more engaged, etc. And it's paid off...

Financial woes

2008-12-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I sold my house short in June, and I was led to believe that most of my debt would be forgiven. But now the bank (Chase) is coming after me saying I owe them $70,000! I've hired a lawyer, and we may go after the Realtors for negligence for not getting the debt forgiveness in writing. I sure hope I don't end up having to pay Chase all that money!!

Coping with loss

2008-11-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

My dad passed away Thursday, Oct. 30, at about 5:30 a.m. central time. He had abdominal cancer. Although I am very sorry he is gone and miss him very much, I am glad he is now at peace, and that he didn't linger/suffer long. I made it to WI in time to be with him in his final moments. Although he was barely conscious when I arrived at the hospice, at about 1 a.m., he recognized my voice when I told him I was there - he opened his eyes and said my name. I will always be grateful for that memory, that he knew I was there for him at the end. We weren't very close in his final years, but hopefully my being there when it mattered most counts for something.

I have many memories to treasure, mostly from when I was a little girl and Dad and I were closest. He took me to baseball games, played baseball and basketball and tennis with me, taught me how to ride a bike and went for many rides with me, etc. All the things that a dad does with his daughter.

He had a very nice funeral/visitation, complete with military honors since he was in the Air Force Reserve. His favorite big band music was played, and there was a video loop showing various pictures of him throughout the years.

Well, other news seems to pale in comparison, but in other news... I got a new tattoo. It is of the sweet Siamese face of my cat. It's on my lower right calf, and it turned out beautifully - even has his lovely blue eyes. When I was in WI for all the upheaval concerning my father, I kept it hidden from my mom. She had enough worries, no need to upset her further. I don't know whether I will ever reveal it to her. Maybe a long time from now, who knows.

Letter-writing phase

2008-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've really been in the mood to write letters lately. I've developed a real enthusiasm for cool stationery. I'm writing to quite a few military members overseas. I've also started sending some letters to my friends instead of sending e-mail all the time. It's costing me a bit in stamps and stationery, but I really enjoy it.

Special day

2008-10-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oct. 16 was the fourth anniversary of my kitty moving in with me. I'm so glad he did.

I'm trying the Hollywood cookie diet. Four cookies for breakfast and lunch. I'm OK at breakfast, but I need something else light at or soon after lunch. So I guess the diet half-works. Better than not at all.

I'm also trying Dexatrim to see if it actually works. So far, it really seems to be curbing my appetite. Unless it is just a placebo effect.

Having fun in San Diego

2008-10-10T09:48:00.001-07:00

I'm visiting some friends in San Diego, and having a blast so far. Last night we went to a club downtown to see a good '80s cover band, and I wasn't driving so I could get good and drunk (but not drunk enough to have a hangover - yay). This weekend we are also going to the Wild Animal Park and a winery. So it will be a full weekend, and one I don't want to end.

Meanwhile, I have decided to be just friends with Mr. NY. We have differing philosophies about how obligatory our chats are, plus I want to give him the option to have kids, and I don't really want them. I thought I would grudgingly agree to have kids with the right person, but I've reconsidered that.

Curiouser and curiouser

2008-10-07T09:47:00.001-07:00

Well, the NY situation is getting even stranger. He doesn't appear to be receiving the displeased e-mails I have been sending. He has been e-mailing me all happy and sunshine and light, telling me to have a good day, etc. (And he was disappointed that I wasn't online to chat with last night - ha!) I tried sending a test message from the e-mail address I had been using, and it worked fine. So maybe there is a problem on his end. We'll see if he gets the message I sent from a different e-mail address, just in case. If he's not getting his messages, too bad. I'm not going to call him or anything. Let him get puzzled by my apparent silence and try calling me.

Grrr. Here I had thought I was breaking free of him, and he's just not getting the message - literally!

Disenchantment

2008-10-06T16:55:00.001-07:00

The NY guy is letting me down. He didn’t show up for a prearranged online chat last night. No explanation. So I don’t think he and I are compatible - I need someone I can count on to keep his promises. I think I’m going to just ixnay the whole dating thing and concentrate on my cat. At least he is reliable.

Giving up on leash-training my kitty

2008-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

I had gotten a walking jacket for Murray, to try to leash-train him. At first he seemed to be getting used to the jacket, and I had some hope. But now he's decided that when I put it on him (which he's started fighting), he'll just lie down in the same place where I put the jacket on him, and he won't move until I take it off. That pretty much defeats the purpose of the jacket, so I'm going to send it back. I guess Murray is just too old (six or seven) and set in his ways to be taught. Too bad. I was hoping to expose him again to the sights and sounds and smells of the great outdoors, which he's been deprived of since he stopped being a stray and moved in with me. But, oh well, I guess he's adjusted very well to being an indoor kitty, so hopefully he doesn't feel like he's missing out on anything.

More about great guy

2008-09-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how my folks would feel about Mr. New York, since he's black (and my parents are older and have some old-fashioned ideas... not that that excuses it) and fifty-two. I always attract older guys - when I was in my twenties I attracted guys in their forties, and now in my thirties I attract guys in their fifties.

He also wants kids and I really don't, but if he's otherwise the perfect person I would make the sacrifice to have kids if he felt strongly enough about it...

Met a great guy

2008-09-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

I met a guy online I really like. He is in New York now but moving here soon. He is very handsome and well-spoken. I feel a definite spark.

Meanwhile, I told another nice guy I went out with a couple times that although I like him, I don't feel that romantic passion. Too bad...

Dating trials and tribulations

2008-09-21T19:25:00.001-07:00

A guy I met online came over Friday night for swimming but turned out to be a loser. At first, things were going well. He told me he was more comfortable with me than he'd ever been with any other woman, etc. But at the end of the night, things took a negative turn. He is far more into the physical side of a relationship than I am, at least early on - it takes me a while to develop the comfort level and trust needed for that stuff. So he ridiculed me, saying no man would accept my "old-school" attitude. He also had the nerve to tell me I'm a bad kisser. Well, I know a number of other men who would say quite the opposite! ;-) So, anyway, I told this guy that I didn't think we were compatible. I don't need a guy who tries to make me feel bad about my value system and way of operating in a relationship. Or my kissing skills.

Then, last night, I was supposed to go dancing with another guy, but the club was closed. But the guy never made it that far, because he got lost. So he called me and we planned to meet at a Denny's midway between where he was and I was. But even though I told him exactly where the Denny's was and how to get there, he got lost again. So I told him to forget it. And I said he seems like a nice guy, but getting together seems to be too complicated, so we should just let things go. He didn't do a whole lot for me anyway, based on the online interaction we'd had, so no big deal.

Today was much better. I had a lunch date with another guy, and he was actually on time, and he was a good conversationalist. I enjoyed myself a great deal and would definitely see him again. He's a little old, though - fifty - but oh well, at least that makes him more mature than some guys closer to my age.

I have a lunch date next weekend with yet another guy. He seems really nice, so I am looking forward to it...

I have dates!

2008-09-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm going out dancing Saturday night with a guy I met online, and to lunch Sunday with another guy I met online. I hope they turn out to be normal. Another guy from the site sent me dirty pictures. Uhhh, no thanks.

New toy has arrived

2008-09-14T17:25:00.001-07:00

My new BlackBerry is here, but I can't use it to blog on this site. For some reason, it has problems loading the blogger.com pages. Oh well! Otherwise, I really dig it.

Vet says to chill out

2008-09-12T10:27:00.001-07:00

My vet says not to worry about Murray's patch of thinning fur. He said the change in seasons may be a factor (though it doesn't SEEM to be getting any cooler, LOL). The vet must be honest, because if he really wanted my money, he would play upon my fears and act all concerned and say that a bunch of expensive tests needed to be run.

So - I will just keep an eye on things and TRY not to worry! :-)

Today I'm just working a half-day, and the first thing I will do when I go in will be to go to lunch. A FREE lunch - the bosses are treating us today as a thank-you for all our hard work on getting the new layout system up and running. Free lunch rocks.

My cat, unlike me, is losing weight

2008-09-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Took Murray to the vet last night for vaccinations and check-up, and he's lost some more weight since the last time he was in. Three ounces since late July. He's a big boy and can stand to lose a little weight, but I hope he will come to a point where he stabilizes.

Another concern is the fact that the vet found a spot on Murray's back where his fur appears to be thinning. I hope something can be done to prevent it getting worse, but I don't know what could be done...

I found out that hyperthyroidism can be a cause of hair loss in cats, and since Murray's also losing weight, I'm wondering whether he should be checked for that. I e-mailed my vet about it. However, the vet didn't seem too concerned last night, so maybe it's nothing I should worry about.

Info on new phone

2008-09-09T11:27:00.001-07:00

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/detail.aspx?tp=tb2&device=6d4fca92-916c-48bd-a991-e1f1dc91bc0d

Good start to football season

2008-09-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Packers played well and won their first game, and Rodgers looked good at quarterback. It was also a good week for my fantasy football team - it won its first "game" of the season, hands down. Yay!

I bought my tickets to go to San Diego next month and visit my friends. We talked about going to the zoo and/or Wild Animal Park, and we're going dancing once or twice. So it should be a fun trip.

My new toy

2008-09-08T20:51:00.001-07:00

I decided to upgrade my cell phone to a Blackberry and get e-mail and Internet service on it, since the Nazis at work have blocked a bunch of websites and are monitoring Internet usage. With the new phone, during the many, interminable down times at work, I'll be able to surf wherever I please on the Net, and not have to worry about my time online being monitored. So soon I will be able to do Facebook at work again (and MySpace and Twitter and whatever else the company blocks). And blog...

Pretty sad that...

2008-09-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

... the highlight of my Friday night was sitting around chatting online with a bunch of old ladies pretending to be cats. :-)

I miss my dancing buddies!!

Need to get back on track with diet

2008-09-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

I need to get back on my diet. I did so well, losing forty pounds in just a few months. But for the last couple of months, I've been mired in some really bad habits again, getting cookies from the vending machine at work, eating lots of fast food, ordering lots of pizza, etc. I've got to stop it and start eating less, and better, again. I want to lose more weight, and it will never happen if I don't get back in good habits.

All is well

2008-09-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

My supervisor allowed me to Friend him on Facebook. I'm glad I didn't offend him by asking! :-)

My Sears supervisor rocks

2008-09-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

At a meeting for cashiers on Monday morning, I learned that nobody, but nobody, is supposed to get time off around Black Friday. That would have seriously ruined my plans to go to WI for Thanksgiving for the first time in seven years. But I asked my supervisor about it privately after the meeting, and he said it wouldn't be a problem, I could have the time off. It would just remain between us, keep it hush-hush, etc. That was extremely nice of him. I told him I would bring him back some cheese from Wisconsin.

He was also nice enough to bring tea and cake to the early-morning meeting, to make it a little easier to swallow. He announced at the meeting that he is on Facebook, so since I'm also on Facebook, I sent him a message asking if we were allowed to Friend him. He hasn't answered. I don't know whether he's not a big Net/Facebook guy and just hasn't gotten the message yet, or whether he's just ignoring me. In any event, I'll pin him down on Sunday when I see him, if I haven't heard back from him by then.

I'm pretty happy with my fantasy football team. I got Ryan Grant and Donald Driver from the Packers, along with kicker Mason Crosby. I also got Terrell Owens and Hines Ward. One of my fellow league members wanted to get T.O. in a trade, but no way was I giving him up. I've made a couple of trades, one to get rid of a WR I didn't want, and I got one who will hopefully be better. The other trade was to try to solve a RB dilemma - I had two out of three with the same bye date, so that means on that day I would only have one RB available sted of two. So I got one who has a different bye date, and I think he will be a better RB than the one I traded away anyway.

Football season starts tomorrow. Yay!

2008-08-30T11:00:00.000-07:00

I sure am glad I don't live in any part of the country that is hurricane prone. I guess there are evacuations going on and everything. What a pain. And of course the devastation can be incredible, as Katrina showed. Now it looks like New Orleans might get hammered again.

It's bad enough getting our monsoon storms for a couple months of the year. We had one the other night that was really bad. Winds up to at least 90 mph in some places, hail, lots of thunder and lightning, etc. Plenty of people lost power, and lots of trees were downed. The ASU football team's brand-new practice facility was destroyed. My cat got really frightened, as he usually does during storms, and hid in the kitchen where there are no windows. I got up in the middle of the night, during the storms, to get a drink, and I tripped over the poor little boy. So last night, when we got some more (milder) storms, Murray hid in the kitchen pantry, out of the way of foot traffic. :-)

In other news, I had the handyman come out today to see about hanging my drapes, but they were just a tad too narrow. They were described at 50 inches wide, which would have been just about right, but turned out to be just a couple inches smaller than that in reality. So I ordered some new drapes that will have plenty of room to spare, and will return the other ones, and will have the handyman come back when the new ones come. There was no charge for his coming out today.

I have discovered a cat discussion site where they do live chats in the evenings, some about cats in general, others about specific topics such as senior cats or feral cats or pet loss. One chat is a role-playing chat where participants pretend to be their cats. I've done that one a couple times, and it was lots of fun. And challenging, since you have to do it in baby-talk, and being an editor, I'm so used to trying to be grammatically and spelling-correct all the time!

I dreamed that I sent a letter to Brett Favre telling him how selfish he was to badmouth the Packers during the off-season, and to go to another team, and all that. So the next day, I wrote down what I had pretty much dreamed up, and I actually sent the letter. I certainly don't expect a reply, and he probably won't even read it, but at least it was cathartic to write.

Yay!

2008-08-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

I got an A in my info technology course!

Leash-training update

2008-08-22T07:56:00.001-07:00

Well, leash-training with Murray had seemed to be going well, but the cheap leash contraption I had bought for him broke, so I had to take it back. I bought him a better-quality cat harness, but it didn’t fit him because he is a big boy. So then I exchanged it for a small dog harness, but the straps were too wide and rigid, and it wasn’t designed for a cat’s physiology, so it was like a strait jacket on him, limiting his mobility - which, of course, totally defeats the purpose. So, I’m going to take that back.

I raised the question, on a couple of cat discussion sites I belong to, of where to find extra-large cat harnesses. Several people recommended something called a “walking jacket” that is more secure and comfortable than a standard harness, and it comes in extra-large sizes. So I ordered one in the biggest size for Murray. It wasn’t cheap, so hopefully I can return it if he doesn’t warm up to it!

Cutting back on pet-sitting

2008-08-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

I'm going to cut back on pet-sitting, because now that I can't do my online schoolwork at work (due to the company's Internet usage monitoring), that means I have to do it in the evenings at home, after work, and if I do a lot of pet-sitting after work, I get too tired to do the schoolowork. So I asked that I be cut back to weekends, and maybe some cat jobs during the week (cats are less taxing than dogs, since they don't have to be walked or played with vigorously).

Speaking of cats, I'm going to try again to leash-train Murray. I found some instructions online, and they detail how to proceed, being very patient. The first time I tried to leash-train him, I went too fast and expected too much out of him. So I probably gave up too soon.

I ate some bad melon last night, and so I was sick in the middle of the night. Not fun. It may be a while before I eat canteloupe again.

Blinded by the light

2008-08-12T15:08:00.001-07:00

My bedroom window in my new apartment faces east, and the sun comes streaming in bright and early, waking me up at, like, 5 a.m. Murray also gets restless when the sun starts lighting up the room, so he tries to get me out of bed early. I had a woman out to give me an estimate on custom-made drapes, and the price was way more than I wanted to spend. So I looked into getting some drapes from Sears and having a handyman come and install them, and that was way cheaper. Within my budget. So, that's what I'm going to do. I ordered drapes with a thermal lining, so hopefully that will help block the sun. And, it may help keep out the heat, which is always a plus in this climate.

Big Brother is cracking down

2008-08-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

My company is going to start filtering and monitoring Internet usage at work. So that means I won't have as much time to blog. What a bummer. It's not like I neglect my work to fool around on the computer. It's just that, much of the time, there is just no work at all to do. Nature of the job.

Oh well, I can always read the company-approved e-books...

Favre out

2008-08-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how to feel about Brett Favre being traded to the Jets. He did so many great things for the Packers over the years, but in the end, he was a traitor (even though he claims he wasn't). He badmouthed the team, so that made it impossible for him to come back. I used to think he had a lot of class, but I've lost a lot of respect for him. The team would have allowed him to at least compete for a starting spot, if he hadn't been such a bigmouth.

In other news, the shuttle driver who took me to the airport 8/1 told me he had been robbed a couple of times in my apartment complex parking lot. Lovely. Nice to know I can't feel perfectly secure in my own home.

2008-08-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Arizona after spending a week in Wisconsin. The weather there was pretty nice, though a bit warm and humid a couple days. It was nice to visit with my parents' cat, who used to be mine. When I took a nap one afternoon, he jumped into bed with me and snuggled up with my feet. This is very, very uncharacteristic behavior for him. So it was a nice surprise.

I took a tour of the Medical College of Wisconsin library, to get some idea of career possibilities in medical/academic libraries, where I might want to seek a career after obtaining my library degree. It was a nice visit, and I learned some things.

One evening, I went to dinner with a former instructor from my master's degree (in history) program. It was a nice dinner. Afterward, we drove around a bit in a nearby park so I could savor the lovely foliage, the likes of which we don't have in the Phoenix area. At one point we saw some deer in the park - a mother and a baby. It was pretty neat.

I ate a bit more during the visit than I probably should have, so I need to get back on the diet bandwagon now that I'm back home.

Murray was happy to have me back last night. He spent the night in bed with me, which he hadn't been doing much since we moved to the new apartment (probably because he likes sleeping in my nice walk-in closet, and perhaps because he doesn't like the fact that the air-conditioner blows directly on my bed, making it kind of chilly). I guess he misbehaved for the pet sitter, swatting at her hand when she tried to brush him, and grabbing her leg with his claws out. I hope he didn't hurt her too much! I guess he was just upset that I was gone, and he took out his aggression on her. I hope she'll be willing to come back in the future when I need a sitter!

New website on singlehood

2008-08-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I recently published http://hubpages.com/hub/Finding-contentment-in-singlehood

Murray's eyes looking better

2008-08-01T10:09:00.001-07:00

My kitty is doing much better today. The drops worked - his eyes were nice and clear this morning, so I didn't give him the drops. I'm leaving town tonight for a week, and the pet sitter is supposed to monitor Murray's eyes and give the drops if they start looking weepy again...

Murray's visit to the vet

2008-07-31T12:35:00.001-07:00

My cat was having some discharge from his right eye (his left eye has always been a little weepy), so I took him to the vet last evening. The vet said he's going to be fine - he just has abnormally "teary" eyes because his eyes are misshapen - they're a bit too small for his head, and they curve up where they shouldn't (and his left eyelid doesn't meet the eye). Plus, his left eye has a scar, probably from a fight he was in while he was a stray - the injury probably accounts for why that eye is always weepy. The vet gave me some eye drops, which are supposed to be administered three times a day, ideally - though I'm going out of town on Friday, and the pet sitter will only be coming once a day, so he'll only get the drops then. But by Friday there should be some improvement, and the drops can be discontinued when his eyes are looking better (and then given again if they start looking "bad" again).

It surprised me to learn that Murray has "deformed" eyes, because I always thought he had beautiful eyes!

My new cat site

2008-07-29T14:38:00.001-07:00

I started a new cat-related Web site, which can be found at http://hubpages.com/hub/The-cats-meow

Good news from doc

2008-07-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

I had a doctor appointment today, and my blood pressure was down to 100 over 70, so the blood pressure med is working. My thyroid tested normal, so the Synthroid I'm taking is also working. She didn't check my cholesterol, so she ordered a new test for that, which I will take when I come back from my vacation in WI (I'm gone 8/1-8/8). Hopefully that test will show improvement, too...

Birth of a hummingbird - amazing shots

2008-07-29T09:21:00.001-07:00

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/index.html

Summer vacation meme

2008-07-28T14:12:00.000-07:00

From the meme site "Give Me Five" - http://beccagirlblogspot.blogspot.com/search/label/Give%20Me%20Five

The question was to list five fun summer vacation memories.

1. Swimming (in lessons, and on my own) at the public pools. I always loved the water.

2. Going to the beach (along Lake Michigan). Even though the water was COLD (and once I got hypothermia), I still liked going in. That was back when the lake was a lot cleaner than it is today.

3. Going to baseball games with my dad. I used to really cheer and holler as a kid - must have driven the other fans nuts!

4. Attending summer activities for kids through the local university.

5. Going on trips with my dad (my mom always had to work, so she couldn't go), like touring the Kellogg plant and going to Greenfield Village in MI (old-fashioned historical park). I won't dwell on the trip to Toronto when I got food poisoning!!

Upgraded to an "A"

2008-07-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

On our midterm exams for my IT course, we were allowed to go back and correct the items we missed (which was easy, since the system showed the correct answers) - we just needed to find documentation (in our readings/lectures or on the Internet, or wherever, didn't matter) for why these answers were correct. We were able to earn a half-point back on each of the one-point questions. I missed seven questions, so I got 3.5 points back, which rose my grade from 82.5 to 91.5 percent. Which is an A instead of a B. Woo hoo! So I might have a shot at getting an A in that course after all... I had pretty much resigned myself to getting a B. But supposedly the hardest part of the course is over, and hopefully I will be able to get good grades on the remaining assignments; if that happens, I should be able to swing an A.

Going back to old doc

2008-07-28T12:31:00.001-07:00

I've decided that I'm going back to my former psychiatrist, even though he doesn't take insurance anymore. At least I can always count on him, and he has someone to back him up when he's not available. The cost per 30-minute session is $120, which I can afford if it's only every three months or so. I really like this doc, so it's worth the money. I shouldn't have to put up with an unreliable doc just because he takes my insurance. (And there aren't that many docs in my area who do.)

Hell on earth is...

2008-07-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

... having to staff a cash register all day when you have an upset stomach and REALLY need to run to the restroom!! I had to leave my register a couple of times - once when there were no customers anyway, and Loss Prevention gave me the OK to go, though nobody was available to cover me, and a second time when I had called a manager over to help with a transaction I didn't know how to do anyway, and I just had to bail. From now on, I'll take my Pepto tablets to work with me on the weekends, like I do on weekdays.

Oh well, at least I was able to go home a little early. And despite not feeling well, I had a good day in terms of getting credit applications - got three. I needed one to get my bonus of $4 per app per month (need a total of five in the month, and I had four going into today), and the other two increase my bonus, plus help me move toward reaching my target/goal.

Nice to know I have a doc I can count on... Not!

2008-07-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

I was running low on one of my medications, so I ordered some through the mail-order pharmacy, and it was to be delivered by UPS. Well, the morons at the mail-order pharmacy screwed up and didn't put my apartment number on the shipment, so UPS sat on it for a few days, then shipped it back to the pharmacy. So now I only have a few days' supply left... I called my psychiatrist's office, but he's out of town (of course), and he has no backup for him. Isn't that the dumbest thing you ever heard of? A psychiatrist who has no backup when he's gone, so in case of an emergency, the patient is screwed?? What if I suddenly had a mood meltdown and had to be hospitalized and everything? Anyway, I managed to get a prescription (for 10 days' worth, which should last me until the stuff comes from the mail-order pharmacy - they are re-sending it, though they had to be badgered into doing that... at first they insisted on me getting a new prescription before they would send anything) from my primary care doctor's office. My doctor happened to be on vacation (maybe she's at the same conference as my shrink!). But the other doctor in the office approved it. At least my primary care doc has a backup!!

Three-word answers meme

2008-07-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

"Borrowed" from a user on another blog, customized with (mostly!) my answers (I stole some from her that I liked, too).

Where is your cell phone? in my purse
Your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife/partner?don't have one
Your hair? reddish brown, curly
Where is your father? in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cheesecake? love it - plain
Your dream last night? something about school
Your favorite drink? New Orleans Hurricanes
Your dream car? yellow Ford Mustang
The room you're in? cube without windows
George Bush? WHAT A MORON
Nipple rings? ow no please
Who did you hang out with last night? just my cat
What you're not good at? working with hands
Your best friend? the lovely Lasairan
Student loans? getting higher always
Where did you grow up? in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The last thing you did? wrote an e-mail
What are you wearing? t-shirt and jeans
Tattoo on the lower back? no - on arm
Ketchup? usually no, thanks
Your computer? Sony Vaio laptop
Your life? pretty good overall
Your mood? just fine, thanks
Missing? a significant other
What are you thinking about right now?
nothing in particular
Your car? 2007 Kia Spectra
Your summer? lots of work
Your relationship status? just my cat :-)
Your favorite color? purple, teal, blue
When is the last time you laughed? I don't remember
Last time you cried? I don't remember
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow? I'm always evolving
High school? was a geek

Will work just Sundays

2008-07-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

My Sears supervisor was understanding when I asked to cut back my hours, and I will be working only on Sundays in the near future. (I'm already on the sked for this Saturday, but he will give me Sunday off to compensate.)

Meanwhile, my group is putting the finishing touches on the group project (on blogging) that is due in my IT class by 8 tonight. It will be a relief to get that over with.

I really hit the wall yesterday - had to go home from work early because I was dead tired, and I needed to rest in bed for a while to get my energy back. I've just been pushing myself too hard, between work and school. So it's a good thing I'm cutting back my Sears hours.

Cutting back

2008-07-22T15:02:00.001-07:00

I think I am going to ask my supervisor at Sears if I can cut back my hours and work only on Sundays. I think I might be spreading myself too thin working both Saturdays and Sundays. Even though I like the money I make working both days, it might be tiring me out too much. That is probably why I have made some dumb mistakes.

Oh well, my cat will be happy if I am home on Saturdays!

A D'oh moment

2008-07-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

At the department store where I work on weekends, I made a money mistake. A woman wanted to make a payment on her credit card, and she gave me a $20. I mistakenly assumed she wanted to pay the full $20 (and she OK'd the amount on the touch pad in front of her). But after the transaction was over, she said she wanted to pay only the $9.80 it showed on her statement. So, not thinking clearly and easily confused, I gave her $10.20 back, but she shouldn't have gotten that money because the transaction "on record" is for a $20 payment. So she'll get extra credits on her next statement, I guess. What I should have done is voided out the $20 transaction (if possible) and done a new transaction for the $9.80. D'uh. I think I was just tired after working all week at my FT job, then working the weekend at the store. Oh well, I guess the store can afford to lose a mere $10, but I hope if my mistake is discovered, I don't get into too much trouble!

Bad luck

2008-07-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

At Sears today, I missed out on two credit card application opportunities just by dumb luck. When I was at lunch, the guy who was filling in for me got someone to sign up, and later in the afternoon, a co-worker was just happening by and took some customers who were waiting in line while I helped someone else, and that customer ended up applying for a card. If I hadn't gone to lunch when I did, and if that co-worker hadn't passed by and helped out, I would have gotten three credit apps today (I did manage to get one myself, at the very end of my shift). Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

I may not give blood again...

2008-07-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

I gave blood this morning in the company blood drive. But this afternoon, I was feeling really strange, kind of lightheaded, and really warm and sweaty. I had to go home from work early, and cancel my pet-sitting job tonight (it requires a long drive, and I wasn't feeling up to it). I'm home now, drinking some water, and feeling a little better. But it will still be nice to rest, relax, try to build up my strength again. I'm kind of bummed, because I like to donate blood - makes me feel like I'm making a difference - but I don't want to end up with "side effects" like this...

Raven-haired no more

2008-07-17T08:42:00.001-07:00

I got my hair (re)done last night. The stylist stripped out the black color, and put on a brown that turned out kind of reddish-brown - similar to my natural color, only redder. He also put in a few subtle highlights in the front. In the future, he will add more highlights, and we talked about possibly straightening my hair down the road - but he advised waiting a while because of all the processing my hair went through last night to be stripped and re-colored. I think it turned out pretty good. And I got it done for FREE (except for the tip), because he did it in exchange for future pet-sitting service.

Not much else happening in my life. I guess no news is good news!

Saved from myself?

2008-07-15T15:43:00.001-07:00

Well, a while back, I had contacted some university presses about doing some freelance editing work for them. I only received a couple of replies. One reply came just last week, months after my initial contact. I took an editing test for them this week, as I had done for another university press a few months ago. I never heard anything after that first test, so I guess I didn't pass. I failed the one I took this past week, too. So I guess I'm not as good of an editor as I always thought I was. It's probably a good thing, then, that I am studying librarianship for a potential change in careers. Maybe I will be a better librarian than I am an editor...

Oh well, I'm so busy now, between school and working three jobs, I guess it's just as well that I don't try to do freelance work on top of all that. So maybe failing the editing tests is for the best.

2008-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

The whole drama between the Packers and Brett Favre is pretty sad. I don't know whom to be more upset at, Favre for wanting to play someplace else, or the Packers for not seeming to want him back. He should have just stayed in dignified retirement. Now his whole legacy with the Packers is kind of tainted, due to the bad blood stirred up between him and the team, and it will especially be tainted if he plays for another team. That's just sacrilege.

Oh well, in the great scheme of things, it doesn't really matter, I guess...

A co-worker forwarded me a written piece supposedly done by Jay Leno, about how the many people polled who are dissatisfied with the state of our country today are a bunch of ungrateful whiners. He writes about how many material advantages we have, compared with others in the world, and how lucky we are. It's too long of a piece to post here. But that's what it's about in a nutshell. And I guess it's some good food for thought.

Pretty interesting...

2008-07-14T08:46:00.001-07:00

IF yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Midterm, and perspective

2008-07-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

Well, my online midterm for my IT course is over with. I got 33 of 40 questions right, for a score of 82.5 percent. I'm just hoping to get at least a B out of the course, so that's fine with me. But I feel a bit misled, since a lot of things were on the test that were not on our study guide, and vice versa. Oh well.

Working at the department store is giving me some good perspective about my life and its trivial problems. A number of shoppers are accompanied by mentally retarded people, and yesterday one couple was pushing in a wheelchair a young boy who seemed to have some sort of palsy disorder or something, and he had a piece of cloth stuck in his mouth like a gag. Seeing people like this makes me really appreciate the fact that I am physically sound, and even though I have bipolar, it is a mild case of the disorder, and aside from that I am mentally sound, with a high IQ that I should be grateful for. Compared to what some of those people go through, my problems are nothing.

My kitty's story featured on blog

2008-07-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

The story of how I met my kitty, Murray, is being featured on a blog called "Love is a Four-Legged Word," http://www.fourleggedlove.wordpress.com - I just wish I had better pictures to have submitted!

Weight-wise, the five pounds I had "gained" must have just been water retention because yesterday I was down four of the five pounds again. I'm pretty relieved!

Where did those five pounds come from??

2008-07-09T08:22:00.001-07:00

I've been dieting, and I had lost nearly 40 pounds (39, to be exact) since December, as of last week. But now, though I haven't been eating any more, I'm suddenly up FIVE POUNDS! I hope it's just water retention or something and will quickly go away again...

Current status of life

2008-07-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling pretty good about where my life is right now. I am content living the single life - it's much easier and less complicated to exist without being in a relationship. (Though I do have sort of a thing going with a guy I met on eHarmony who lives in New Mexico... but not sure if it will ever actually go anywhere beyond friendship. We do have some nice, deep chats. I guess it is the perfect "relationship" for me right now - no strings or expectations, but someone I can talk to about anything, who doesn't judge me, and who has good advice.) I am happy living with just my cat. He's the true love of my life. And he's much more dependable than a man. He consistently gives me tons of unconditional love. What more could a gal want?

Financially, I'm getting myself back on better ground. I've sold the house that was a huge burden to me with those two mortgages, and am paying only about half as much in rent as I had been paying on the mortgages. I took the Sears job to add a little extra income, and it gives me something to do on weekends. I hate being bored and am not good at relaxing, so I'd rather be working than loafing around with nothing to do. Even working three jobs, I still have enough "down time" to not feel like I'm overextending myself. Pet sitting is getting a little busier, so I am earning more money from that gig. Hopefully I will be able to keep afloat and not have to depend on my parents for loans to bail me out due to my own stupidity.

My MA program in library and info science is going well. I've gotten A's in all my classes so far, though I'd be content with a B in the current course, which is on IT, a subject I am FAR from an expert in! I have confidence I will be able to make it through the program, and hopefully it will lead to new career options down the road. I would love to be a health sciences librarian. It would be an interesting subject, plus the pay is really good.

My relationship with my brother, after a brief period of strain due to his overly religious tendencies of late, has improved. I don't agree with his political beliefs or religious views, but I have learned to accept that he's still my brother, and still has some good qualities.

I have some good friends, though some of them don't live near me anymore. But I still feel close to them. I am one of those people who likes to keep bonds alive despite distance. My best friend and I have been close for almost 12 years now, although for most of that time we've been apart.

I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to get along with, and don't make friends tremendously easily. But I have enough friends. Though I'm always open to new ones should they come along...

Should I be insulted?

2008-07-09T04:33:00.001-07:00

I received an invitation to join AARP in yesterday’s mail. Sheesh, I’m not quite THAT old yet!! :-)

In other news, I found the MySpace page of the guy I used to have the crush on. I’d love to “friend” him, but I don’t want to seem like a cyber-stalker. :-)

More benefits of living closer

2008-07-08T09:21:00.001-07:00

Well, yesterday the new apartment really paid off in multiple ways. First, living closer let me get to work on time despite oversleeping. Then, later in the day, I was able to run home and take my meds (I'm bipolar), which I had forgotten to take during my rush getting ready in the morning. Since I hadn't had my mood stabilizers, I was feeling a depression coming on for no reason. But being able to go home and take those meds really helped boost up my spirits. I never could have run home if I were living at my old house, which was a half-hour from work, as opposed to the five/ten minutes my current apt. is from work.

Today I actually heard my alarm (slept without earplugs - and didn't even hear the neighbors' annoying wind chimes, so I guess I've learned how to tune them out), so I had plenty of time to get ready. I even had time to put on jewelry. I'm all decked out in earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet (and a fancy pearl-style scrunchie in my hair). Having my fake nails removed means I can put on necklaces again. There's nobody to look good for at work - my dept. is all women, except for an old, married guy who lives/works in Maryland. But I like looking "pretty" for myself, anyway.

New apt. has come in handy already!

2008-07-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my skin was saved this morning because of the new apartment being so close to work (five to ten minutes, as opposed to the half-hour away my old house was). Either my alarm didn't go off this morning, or I didn't hear it because I had earplugs in (due to my neighbor's annoying wind chimes that disturb my sleep), but I didn't wake up until 7:12, and I'm supposed to be at work by 7:30. (I actually meant to be even earlier, to arrive at 7:15, because I have to leave 15 mins. early for a beauty appointment... Oh well, will take a shorter lunch to make up for it.) I made it by 7:30; brought cereal and milk along so I could eat breakfast at my desk. I guess I'll have to either set my other alarm instead (it's louder), or try to learn how to sleep despite the wind chimes.

On the positive side, last night I learned how to sleep despite the loud air conditioner that blows directly on my bed. It was just getting too hot in the apartment when I shut off the AC overnight last night, so I turned the AC back on. And I just wrapped up in the quilt good so the blowing air wouldn't bother me too much. I guess if I can learn to sleep despite the AC, I can learn to sleep despite the wind chimes. So I will try sleeping without the ear plugs tonight and see what happens.

I had left a message with my supervisor Saturday night about changing my schedule for Sunday 7/13, and I was going to wait until today to call him again if I hadn't heard back from him, but being impatient (and having not much to do yesterday), I called yesterday afternoon and did manage to get him directly. Rather than sounding annoyed, he sounded pleased to hear from me, so maybe he can tell I don't have the crush on him anymore and he is no longer uncomfortable around me. He did allow me to change my sked so I don't have to come into work till 2, and I will close the store at 6 instead of opening it at 9:45 a.m. the way I usually do on Sundays. So I will be able to take my online midterm in the morning on Sunday while I'm fresh, rather than trying to cram it into my schedule after work when I'm tired. My supervisor is a great boss in a lot of ways. If he only returned my calls, he'd be perfect. :-)

I don't think the midterm will be as scary as I'd feared. After looking over the study guide, it seems pretty straightforward. There were only a couple terms/concepts that I didn't recall us going over, so I e-mailed the prof and also e-mailed my brother the engineer, in case he had any insight to offer. The midterm is open notes, so what I did was write the answers to all the terms/concepts on a couple sheets of paper, and I will keep them handy while I take the test. We can also look things up on the Internet while we take the test, but the exam is timed (an hour), so there are limits to how much "research" we can do. I'll be glad to get the test over with!!

The Fourth that fizzled

2008-07-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

On the Fourth of July, some friends and I went out for a late dinner in downtown Phoenix, out on the patio, so we could watch some nearby fireworks. But the fireworks got canceled, probably because it was really windy. So that was a big bummer. The Fourth was kind of a crappy day for me all around. I made some bonehead mistakes at work - including messing up on getting some change for the register... money mistakes are not good in retail! - and then the restaurant didn't have white zin, wah, and then the fireworks were ixnayed. Oh well, one good thing came out of it all - my friends' friends who were at the restaurant are hairdressers, and they agreed to do my hair for FREE, in exchange for future pet-sitting service. They live waaaaaay out in the sticks, but it would be worth the "commute" to get good hair coloring service. They said they would give me highlights and everything, which I've been craving but haven't gotten because I've been trying to save money. I have basic black hair now (natural color is brown), but I want to move more toward blonde again, and that would require a few rounds of highlights - they can't just dye it all at once when it's so dark to begin with. And that would be really expensive. So I'm glad I have this quid-pro-quo arrangement with the hairdressers.

In other news, I just moved into a new apartment - sold the house I had been living in for the past several years, because I had two mortgages on it and the cost was waaaay beyond my means. (I took out a home equity loan a couple years ago to pay off some credit card debt, but then got moved into a lower-paying job and couldn't afford the payments. Had to borrow a lot of money from my folks. Not fun.) I sold the house "short" (I owed far more than what it was worth, due to the housing market plummeting the way it did), so a lot of my debt was forgiven. Not all, but a lot. So although my credit rating has probably taken quite a big hit, at least a good portion of my debt has been canceled out. I still have a lot of credit card debt, though. That's because I went to grad school for a few years, between 2001 and 2005, studying history (intent on making that my fallback career - but then I learned there were almost no jobs in it, and those that did exist didn't pay much); I was only working PT as a grad assistant, so since I was earning very little money, I had to charge everything. I'm on a five-year plan for paying back the credit card debt I still owe (consolidated the debt). So in five years, my finances should look a whole lot better than they do right now!! I might actually be able to start contributing to my IRAs again.

Anyway, I like the new apartment a lot. The only bad thing about it is that the air conditioner is very noisy, and it blows right on me in bed, so I get too cold at night. So I have to shut the AC off overnight (both due to the noise and the coldness), which means it warms up in here quite a bit in the AZ heat. But it doesn't get unbearable, just up to 84 or so. (And I keep it 81 during the day, since I like it fairly warm.)

Murray has adjusted beautifully to the new apartment. I was worried, because he seemed to really like our last house. But he runs around the new place with happy energy, and is eating very well, etc. He seems right at home, like we've lived here forever. And we just moved in on Wednesday. He's a resilient little boy.

I have all my boxes unpacked and pictures hung already. I even FINALLY hung up some beautiful purple door beads that I've had for years and was just too lazy to ever put up. Hopefully Murray won't bother them!

Well, today I have a pretty much nothing day ahead of me. My supervisor screwed up the schedule and gave me today off though I wanted to work, so I actually have a weekend day to myself. Go figure. Guess I'll spend some quality time with my cat, do a little reading, maybe study some for the big midterm I have for my online course next weekend. (I'm going to have to either take the day off next Sunday so I can take the test, or else go into work later than usual, because I want to take the test while I'm "fresh" and feeling prepared and so forth, not when I'm tired after work.)

I guess it's better to be bored than to be over-stressed... :-)

An intro

2008-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

By way of introduction, I'm a 33-year-old woman living in Arizona. I work not one, not two, but three jobs (gotta pay down that credit card debt!). My full-time gig is working as an editor for a company. My weekend gig is working as a cashier for a department store. And my evening gig is working as a pet-sitter. So I am BUSY!! But so far am hanging in there.

On top of all that, I am in graduate school, studying through a distance learning program (web-based courses) to be a librarian. Not sure if I will use the degree right away (provided I get through the program - I'm almost halfway done) - since I really like my current FT job. But when I started the program, I was unhappy with the job I had at the time and wanted a new career to fall back on. When I got my current FT job, I continued the MA program, even though I liked the FT job, for the sake of finishing what I started, and just in case I'm not enamored of the FT job forever, ya know? Things change.

At the weekend job, I am recuperating from a crush I had on my supervisor. (He's married, so crushing on him was a bad thing.) I've managed to go two days on the job now without the crush, and our working relationship has been quite civil and pleasant (I had feared I was making him uncomfortable because he had figured out the crush, but things seem okay now).

I should focus my energies on a single guy I know, from eHarmony.com. The only problem with him is that he lives in New Mexico. Also, he has two children, and I don't particularly want kids. But I guess it would be better to raise someone else's "instant kids" than have to go through pregnancy and all that crap myself. The NM guy and I e-mail each other just about every day, and we have some good, deep chats. So we have a nice connection. But I don't know whether it will really go anywhere, due to the distance factor.

I would be remiss in this intro if I didn't mention the true love of my life, my cat, Murray. He used to be a stray, but he decided one night when I came home that he wanted to move into my apartment with me - he just ran right in the door when I opened it and ran to the refrigerator. After I fed him, he stayed in the living room with me and watched TV, though I'd left the door open for him to leave at any time. So when bedtime came, I just closed the door and let him stay. And he's been mine ever since. He is a wonderful companion - a big, affectionate, vocal Siamese. He greets me at the door whenever I come home, and he shares the bed with me just about every night. I'd be really lonely without him.

My first cat, Simba, currently lives with my folks - when I moved from WI to AZ, I didn't want to uproot him that distance. Besides, my mom spoils him a lot better than I ever could, so he's better off. I miss him, but I get to see him a couple times a year when I come to WI to visit my folks.

Well, that's a quick and dirty intro to me...