I keep thinking I am going to get back to posting on a regular basis, but it feels like i never have time. I spent my two days off this week sleeping and feeling like crud. I think it is just sinus/allergy related, nothing contagious, but I am almost wishing it was the 24-hour bug and already over instead of this lingering junk. I can clear my sinuses if I want to, but the medicine that works makes me dopey and unable to focus, so not really ideal for days I work.
Work is OK. I finally made a label with "TPANYF - JDYFJ" and stuck it inside my desk. Anyone who sees it will probably think it's a password or something, when in fact it is a reminder that this is just work, nothing more. It helps.
Kids are just finishing basketball. D is playing point guard, which is interesting. He plays there because he is short and a bit cocky, but he will need to improve his skills considerably to play beyond peewee ball. L has already said that she will probably not play again next year, which is fine. One of her coaches runs cross country, and L is very excited to try anything that involves running. In fact, when her softball team fell apart, she went back to soccer because it was more running. I hate that she doesn't want to stick with softball, it being my favorite and all, but I think she liked it for the social aspects as much as for the sport. Unfortunate, as she was beginning to practice batting both directions, and she is a pretty good batter, but she is more competitive with herself than with others, so maybe running is a good thing for her. Just hope she doesn't ask me to practice with her!!! Baseball for D and soccer for L will start just as soon as basketball is over, so same busy schedule as far as activities go.
B and L are still a thing, but I think some of the new is finally wearing off. She is a nice kid, but a bit manipulative. I don't want to see him trying to change for someone else, but most of the time it justs makes him behave better :) He turns 16 soon, and provided the drug tests keep coming back clean, he can get his license. He has been giving some thought to jobs he is interested in, although choices for someone his age in our town are not great. He is hoping to start putting in applications soon, then following up with them after his birthday. Maybe he will have something before school is out and all of the other kids start looking too. I don't need him to work a lot, but enough to have some spending money and responsibility would be good. I can't find enough for him to do around our house.
Not that we don't have plenty to do, but I am back to looking for a new contractor. The guy we had doing things last fall completely flaked and disappeared. I can pick up business cards all day long, but would rather get a referral from someone who has seen their work. We have a contractor lined up for the garage, but I still have some things I need help with, like the second-story trim, framing a window, painting, and building steps. It is an ongoing project, but hopefully we can stay ahead of the next big disaster, which is a leak in the bathroom. Ugh.
On a positive note, the long weekend in Chattanooga/Nashville was fun. I am not as interested in Chattanooga as L is, but would definitely take the kids to Nashville for a weekend sometime. We did have a long talk about staying where we are vs. moving, and will probably stay where we are for the foreseeable future. I can live with that, as long as we are not just living in the same dump, doing the same things, with no change at all, until it is too late to do anything else.
How come the good change is always slow to come and takes work but the bad change is usually quick and unavoidable?
February 19, 2016
January 15, 2016
Goodbye 2015
Wow, so much has happened since I posted last. For the purpose of clearing my thoughts so I can get back to work, I am just going to make a list of possible topics that I have thought about in the last year:
1. B - Where to start? He is 15, he has a girlfriend, he took the truck without permission and blew the transmission, his friends are all idiots and I don't think he has smoked pot again since he got caught. He is home from school today with a sprained ankle.
2. The twins - both mostly amazing, occasionally challenging.
3. L - still driving a truck. Life without him home is different than with. Not sure which I handle better. On a positive note, we are going to Nashville for the weekend in a couple of weeks. Hopefully good weather and a good time.
4. Work - I pretty much don't speak to M. After more than a year, I can't decide if D is brilliant or completely ignorant.
5. Football - the Broncos are in the playoffs, baby!!! Already arranging my weekend so that I can watch them play Pittsburgh on Sunday. Hoping for the best but will not be surprised if they blow it.
6. Family - K suddenly married to some random guy. T expected to be released next month. My brother engaged, no date set that I know of.
7. The 'hood - the house next door burned down right after Thanksgiving. No one was living there, and some question about whether they still own or the bank does, but clean up crew came this week and started to remove everything.
Speaking of removal, our garage is down to just a slab. We still need to haul off shingles, but hope to flag where new utility lines and outer walls are to go this weekend, if it will ever stop raining.
Have had to put painting off until spring, as weather has been either constant rain or freezing cold since November. Thankfully not both at the same time, although we are getting to that particular season.
Not much else is going on, just needed to vent a bit as I try to finish out my Friday afternoon. May come back and elaborate on some of these if I get a chance. If not, it's not like anyone will notice anyway.
1. B - Where to start? He is 15, he has a girlfriend, he took the truck without permission and blew the transmission, his friends are all idiots and I don't think he has smoked pot again since he got caught. He is home from school today with a sprained ankle.
2. The twins - both mostly amazing, occasionally challenging.
3. L - still driving a truck. Life without him home is different than with. Not sure which I handle better. On a positive note, we are going to Nashville for the weekend in a couple of weeks. Hopefully good weather and a good time.
4. Work - I pretty much don't speak to M. After more than a year, I can't decide if D is brilliant or completely ignorant.
5. Football - the Broncos are in the playoffs, baby!!! Already arranging my weekend so that I can watch them play Pittsburgh on Sunday. Hoping for the best but will not be surprised if they blow it.
6. Family - K suddenly married to some random guy. T expected to be released next month. My brother engaged, no date set that I know of.
7. The 'hood - the house next door burned down right after Thanksgiving. No one was living there, and some question about whether they still own or the bank does, but clean up crew came this week and started to remove everything.
Speaking of removal, our garage is down to just a slab. We still need to haul off shingles, but hope to flag where new utility lines and outer walls are to go this weekend, if it will ever stop raining.
Have had to put painting off until spring, as weather has been either constant rain or freezing cold since November. Thankfully not both at the same time, although we are getting to that particular season.
Not much else is going on, just needed to vent a bit as I try to finish out my Friday afternoon. May come back and elaborate on some of these if I get a chance. If not, it's not like anyone will notice anyway.
August 29, 2014
August was the Month
August was the month that I went from really liking what I do to just having a job. The job itself didn't change, but the office dynamic did.
Our office is located in an apartment building. We have a one-bedroom apartment that has been made into two offices for three people. The director had the private office (bedroom) and M and I shared the outer office (living/dining area). Most of the time this worked because all three of us are part-time employees. Sometimes on Wed and Thurs, when M and I overlapped, it was a little loud and crowded, but it didn't keep me from being able to work. Apparently it bothered M, who complained about it to J, the building manager and "wondered" if our storage space down the hall could be turned into a third office. J sent a blanket email stating that the cost to make the space functional was prohibitive, especially since we do not pay rent. (yes, you read that part right). She suggested an alternate configuration, which made sense, but the whole thing was overstepping her bounds as far as our office management goes. D, the director, made a passing comment on this fact, but obviously took it under consideration. It was decided that D would take my desk, since she is in and out of the office the most, M would keep hers, since she is the office manager, and I would move into D's office so I could have space to spread out my projects. It feels a little weird to be the low man on the totem pole and still get a private office, but it really does make sense.
Prior to this, I had made arrangements to be out of the office for a few days. This also apparently bothered M when one day at lunch I referred to my upcoming vacation. She bristled, and said we don't get vacation. You could tell she was annoyed from then on. When J asked me about it the next day, I stopped her and said "There has been some clarification. I am taking THREE DAYS OFF and my kids can call it whatever the F*** they want." No one really discussed it after that.
Knowing that I was about to be out of the office, I worked hard to get everything done that I needed to do before I went. Then I came in on Wednesday to find that M had spent Mon and Tue rearranging the office. Her space was nice and organized, D's space was ready to go, and my office was full of boxes and equipment! In spite of wearing a skirt and heels, I spent the day rearranging furniture, locating the most important files and items, and crawling around hooking up computers. M made a few comments throughout the day that seemed a little passive-aggressive, but I smiled and worked through it. By the end of the day Fri my office looked a whole better and I felt like my absence was going to be okay.
Fast forward to yesterday, when my pay check was "adjusted" for my absence. While no one said it in so many words, I probably shouldn't have been surprised. Really surprised wasn't the word for it as much as aggravated. I knew that those days would need to be made up. I also thought that D and I had agreed they would be made up in the next month as we prepare for the convention. What frustrates me is the less than transparent way it has been handled, leaving me feeling a little blindsided.
So now I feel the need to document everything, which I didn't before. If the new policy is going to be getting paid strictly on time in the office, then that is how I will proceed. But my pissiness about documenting my time isn't really about recovering the lost wages. It's that now I no longer feel compelled to check my work email from home on days I don't go to the office. Now if I bring work home I will feel like I am being taken advantage of, rather than doing a little extra now to make work go more smoothly later. Now it's just a job.
But if there is some latent passive-aggressiveness in me, it will surely take pleasure in the fact that I can show up at the office on a day M isn't expecting me. My very presence will undoubtedly irritate her, but what can I say? I believe it's called a benefit :)
Our office is located in an apartment building. We have a one-bedroom apartment that has been made into two offices for three people. The director had the private office (bedroom) and M and I shared the outer office (living/dining area). Most of the time this worked because all three of us are part-time employees. Sometimes on Wed and Thurs, when M and I overlapped, it was a little loud and crowded, but it didn't keep me from being able to work. Apparently it bothered M, who complained about it to J, the building manager and "wondered" if our storage space down the hall could be turned into a third office. J sent a blanket email stating that the cost to make the space functional was prohibitive, especially since we do not pay rent. (yes, you read that part right). She suggested an alternate configuration, which made sense, but the whole thing was overstepping her bounds as far as our office management goes. D, the director, made a passing comment on this fact, but obviously took it under consideration. It was decided that D would take my desk, since she is in and out of the office the most, M would keep hers, since she is the office manager, and I would move into D's office so I could have space to spread out my projects. It feels a little weird to be the low man on the totem pole and still get a private office, but it really does make sense.
Prior to this, I had made arrangements to be out of the office for a few days. This also apparently bothered M when one day at lunch I referred to my upcoming vacation. She bristled, and said we don't get vacation. You could tell she was annoyed from then on. When J asked me about it the next day, I stopped her and said "There has been some clarification. I am taking THREE DAYS OFF and my kids can call it whatever the F*** they want." No one really discussed it after that.
Knowing that I was about to be out of the office, I worked hard to get everything done that I needed to do before I went. Then I came in on Wednesday to find that M had spent Mon and Tue rearranging the office. Her space was nice and organized, D's space was ready to go, and my office was full of boxes and equipment! In spite of wearing a skirt and heels, I spent the day rearranging furniture, locating the most important files and items, and crawling around hooking up computers. M made a few comments throughout the day that seemed a little passive-aggressive, but I smiled and worked through it. By the end of the day Fri my office looked a whole better and I felt like my absence was going to be okay.
Fast forward to yesterday, when my pay check was "adjusted" for my absence. While no one said it in so many words, I probably shouldn't have been surprised. Really surprised wasn't the word for it as much as aggravated. I knew that those days would need to be made up. I also thought that D and I had agreed they would be made up in the next month as we prepare for the convention. What frustrates me is the less than transparent way it has been handled, leaving me feeling a little blindsided.
So now I feel the need to document everything, which I didn't before. If the new policy is going to be getting paid strictly on time in the office, then that is how I will proceed. But my pissiness about documenting my time isn't really about recovering the lost wages. It's that now I no longer feel compelled to check my work email from home on days I don't go to the office. Now if I bring work home I will feel like I am being taken advantage of, rather than doing a little extra now to make work go more smoothly later. Now it's just a job.
But if there is some latent passive-aggressiveness in me, it will surely take pleasure in the fact that I can show up at the office on a day M isn't expecting me. My very presence will undoubtedly irritate her, but what can I say? I believe it's called a benefit :)
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