It's So Good To Be Happy Again

I've been busy!

Life at jail is fabulous. Crazy, I know. I would have never imagined myself JOYOUS about returning to that job. But I am. LOL, I love it! I've already had a few interesting moments...

A drunken beligerant hateful cursing older (50's) female DUI (along with multiple other violations) managed to hide her cigarette lighter in an unmentionable cavity prior to my initial pat-down search, and subsequently set a fire in the holding area while awaiting booking. She ended up with an aggravated arson charge added to her booking sheet. THAT was an interesting night!

Tuesday evening, my male partners decided to do a cell/pod search for contraband while the inmates were out of their pods for their meal. The C.O.'s found tobacco, homemade weapons, and a variety of other disallowed articles. The games began as our S.O.R.T. (special operations response team) responded, in full tactical gear, to lock down the offenders in question, one by one, some by force (whee fun!)... but most went compliantly. It was a stimulating evening! (And I used an entire brand new ink cartridge in my Zebra pen writing the reports.) I may have an opportunity to join the S.O.R.T. team myself soon.

It feels like I'm finally back home!

Danny and Johnny moved home last weekend. Life had gotten crazily out of control at Trinity's apartment where they were staying. Trinity turned out to be less than stable, and insanely jealous of him (even talking to ME on the phone was enough to send her into a jealous rage.) Monday was Danny's 21st birthday, so Sunday night we had a birthday cookout party for him. Brian's mom and step dad came, and my good friend Julie, her husband Thad and her kids Angel and Josh were there too. We had a great time, good food, and lots of free flowing alcohol. It's good to have my Johnny home. He is really Granny's boy, wanting to sit in my lap and be next to me all the time! Danny needs to start looking for a job soon, before Brian loses his patience. Brian might be able to put Danny to work with him on the job he's working. It would be entry level, but would still start out at a good wage. I've also suggested applying at the jail where I work. There are few jobs in our area advertised in the classified ads right now, but he does have to find a job soon.

Brian started last Thursday working for C----, the brother of M--- his former employer. They are working close to home, in Kansas City (100 miles north), and he is home every night. Midway through his first day, he was told his wage would be $25/hr., so we are pleased with the potential financial recovery that can happen with this job. With us both having stable employment and good wages, perhaps the financial crisis can be resolved. I am amazingly good with managing money, as long as I have some money to manage!

It's so good to be happy again. I feel a thousand percent better.

Officer Harper Has Returned

I quit my job at US Cellular about an hour after my previous post. Without going into details, the situation with my co-worker and I being left in the store to deal with customers with the minimal training that we had... and the promise (lie) of step-by-step assistance being a phone call away should we need it turning out to be an illusion... it was time to go. Enough said. I'm sorry it had to happen that way.

I am now, for the time being, officially working only Friday and Saturday nights at the liquor store. Not a happy consequence for my employer J--... which is OK with me. Pleasing J-- remains quite low on my priority list at the moment.

My first shift back as a uniformed officer at the jail was last night. By the end of the evening, it felt like I had never left. I am so glad that I made the decision to return. Thank you Bill and Jason for planting the seed, and to Jimmy and Darrell and all the rest for making me feel welcomed. Thank you Brian for your understanding and encouraging support, even though I feel your trepidation. Playing with the numbers... I will make approximately the same amount of $ working 40 hours a week at this job that I have been making working 88 hours a week working 3 jobs. Did I mention that my health insurance premium is paid in full?

Yet another new alcohol related screaming red flag has arisen with Brian. I wish with all my might that I were brave and self-disclosing enough to blog openly and freely about these issues. Damnit, Brian and I can't even discuss these things between the two of us... so how can I discuss it with anyone else? I feel like a child smoothing over small indiscretions in order to 'keep the peace.' How unhealthy is that? "Tough Love" "co-dependence" and "enabling" are words that keep floating in and out of my thoughts.

I'm Going To JAIL!

Where I'm 'currently working' seems to have become such a fluid concept that even I have to check with myself occasionally to make sure I'm headed to the right job.

A couple of weeks ago Bill, an old coworker from the SEKRCC, called me wanting to know if he could use me as a personal reference on a job application. We were Correctional Officers together at the jail; he quit just over a year ago, shortly before I left that job as well. He told me that he was thinking seriously of going back to work at the jail. I thought he must be nuts, and told him so! He talked (he's a talker...) about how much he loved the job (gosh, so did I), and how he'd missed it since being gone (gosh, so do I), and how comfortable he had been there (gosh...)

So the seed had been planted.

On Tuesday Jason, my old partner, drove up to our house in his new car to say 'hi'. He got out in SEKRCC jail uniform! He said he'd been back working there about a week, and that Bill is scheduled to start back next Monday. He complained about his new partner being a loser, and said he missed working with me. (Gosh... do I miss any of that?) I had to go in the house to get ready for work, but he chatted with Brian for a few minutes about being rehired. WOW. It's like they are re-organizing the 'old crew'.

That seed had begun to grow.

Yesterday I had to go to the county court house to get our new tags for the car and truck. Since I was already in the building, I decided to stop by the jail just to see what it 'felt like'. The reception I was given was amazing. Hugs and smiles and catch-up-conversation... and an application. Today I took back the application and my resume, which seemed to be almost un-necessary as they had already began spreading the joyous news that I was coming back to work.

I can't believe I'm doing this, and I'm shocked at how HAPPY I feel about it. Honestly, the kicker was this morning when I got my paycheck from US Cellular for the entire month of June. It was for a lesser amount than my bi-monthly checks were at the jail. No benefits at US C, great benefits at the jail. No vacation or holiday pay at US C, great vacation and holiday pay at the jail. No health insurance offered at US C, health insurance not only offered but the premium is paid in full at the jail. Obviously terrible pay at US C, very competitive pay for our area at the jail. It looks like early next week I'll be starting back working for SEKRCC!

So I'll be quitting the US Cellular job on Monday, so tomorrow will be my last day actually working there. I wouldn't even work tomorrow, but my co-worker Shelly is going to be gone. Now all I have to decide is what to do about the liquor store job. After working there tonight and tomorrow night, I'm sure I'll find my answer. Change is constant!

See y'all later!
Officer Harper

Adding Insult To Injury

Boss J-- and his wife stopped by the drive thru liquor window last evening while I was working, jovially asking how the evening was going and making jokes and small-talk. Not a mention of 'the incident'. When I got home last night, there was a letter from him waiting in my mailbox. It was an apology of sorts. Mostly it was a long and drawn out detailed accounting of all of the events of the past year that led to/contributed to his reaction and subsequent inappropriate conduct. So, rather than an apology, I read it to be more of an explanation to excuse the behavior. I still don't know what to do. I felt very uncomfortable working there the last 2 nights. It didn't feel FUN as it usually always does. The fun factor is the only reason that I wanted to remain working there, even after being disrespected so blatantly by my employer. If it ceases to be fun, it's not worth the stress. We DO need the extra income, but *honestly* it's just chump change at the wage they pay, and would be easily replaceable.

On a semi-related note... I am toying with the idea of going back to work at the jail. They have been advertising heavily in the classified ads for several weeks. It's been exactly a year since I left my job there. 2 of my good friends who worked there with me and had also moved on to other jobs have returned to the jail in the past few weeks. There was some stress involved with that job, and I really disliked the loud obnoxious abrasive personality of my direct supervisor. But I liked the job itself, felt like I was doing something valueable to society, and was liked by coworkers and inmates alike. I met my husband there (we were both correctional officers). The benefits were good, health insurance paid 100%, vacation, holiday pay, etc. My current job(s) don't offer any benefits of any kind. Hmmm, unless that 15% discount on alcohol I get at the liquor store can be considered a benefit. Ha ha.

Lots to think about.

To Quit or Not To Quit... That Is a VERY Good Question!

I've been sitting here writing for the longest time, trying to describe the details of a situation I had regarding my part time liquor store job. It's a rather complicated story, with aparantly too many sub-plots for me to be able to write a concise and understandable 'Readers Digest' version.

Essentially, I received a phone call on Monday morning from my boss accusing me of stealing (or being complicit in a theft). Loudly, meanly, harshly, threateningly. It was absolutely devastating and terrifying. I had no clue what to do, no idea how to respond, and since I immediately crumbled into a sobbing crying puddle of scared little girl, I was unable to even formulate a logical verbal defense. The 'stolen' item was a large very expensive bottle of Hennessey that lived on a high shelf that could only be accessed by ladder. I KNEW that I nor anyone else had been anywhere near that section of liquor while I was on duty. My denials only seemed to fuel my employer's anger, fanning the flame and making him more and more agitated. He ended the conversation by telling me that I needed to sit myself down and "find a way to remember" because he was going to get that bottle back. I sat and cried uncontrollably, scared shitless, not knowing what to do next. Less than 5 minutes later, he called again. He was laughing, sounding joyful, telling me how "thrilled and happy" he was that he had located the bottle (it had been put on 'HOLD' by another employee for a customer who was going to come back and buy it later). The apology was superficial and insulting. I cried for 9 hours and missed work Tuesday at my full time job due to the resulting migraine headache.

I have never in my life been suspected of or questioned about doing ANYTHING unscrupulous on the job. I have lived my life in such a way that I have never been in that position. I have a squeaky clean legal record, and an impeccable job history. I have been complimented and praised by this employer constantly for my professionalism, to-the-penny handling of money, etc. I still am blown away that he jumped to such a dramatic conclusion without checking facts first, accusing me of theft before investigating. In his defense (which he and his wife both pointed out to me), the employee whom I replaced after her being fired had stolen the store blind (many hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise and cash). I know that because of that experience, my boss would naturally be sensitive to the possibility of disloyalty from an employee, and perhaps would even be prone to suspect that before other explanations were considered. BUT... to outright accuse me, a good employee and a reputable member of our community, WTF???

I still don't know what to do. They gave me a raise. (Well, that's another insult... a 'raise' to the new federal mandated minimum wage, making a big deal out of the fact that I'm getting it a WHOLE MONTH early to thank me for all my good work and to apologize for the 'misunderstanding'. That's not technically a raise, is it?)

Anyway, I'll keep ya posted.

Life Is Good (or Perception Is Everything)

Wish hard enough for something and you'll get it!

It looks like Brian is not going to be going back out on the road with his current employer. I have been encouraging him to find alternative employment for a very long time due to continued problems, most regarding pay, and some having to do with the social environment he was exposed to. Of course he, being the trusting soul that he is, was always sure that the current problem-of-the-day would be resolved and everything would be fine thereafter. WRONG. The employer M--- runs a small family owned and operated construction/restoration company. His daughter handles all of the financial business, including payroll and all of the hassles that go along with that responsibility. In fairness, she does this without pay in her spare time, after taking care of her family, her full time job, and (oh yeah) she's third trimester pregnant. Anyway, there have been multiple issues of Brian's pay being jerked around in one way or another since the beginning. Most recently, there has been some sort of miscommunication resulting in the child support garnishment funds that have been deducted from his pay not being sent to the proper agency for payment. Now he has been called back to court for contempt due to non payment, which was no fault of his. There will be a simple and prompt resolution to this one, but the point is that some new problem arises every few weeks. Ya just don't f**k with a family's money, man! He does still have to go to a DUI court hearing next week in the Illinois town he was working, and still thinks that he should stay and work for a few days for M--- while he's there so that it's not such a wasted trip (8 hour drive each way). I just dunno.

Ironically, M---'s brother C---- also runs his own similar business, although on a slightly larger scale (and all appearances indicate that it is much more professionally managed). Brian worked for a few days on "loan" for C---- a few weeks ago, and in addition to being very well financially compensated for his time, C---- also offered Brian a job. C----'s crews work much closer to home. C----'s accountant pays the bills and handles payroll. I think we have a winner here!

For the moment, Brian is spending a week or so doing a job for my family, re-roofing a large portion of my gram's house. Dad asked Brian to check out a new leak near the back of her house, and what he found was major/massive water damage (rot) under the existing shingles as a result of a poor roofing job several years ago. Yesterday he spent the day tearing off the old roofing, and hopefully the rain will hold off today long enough for him to get started on the repair work. The whole job should take 4 or 5 days, if the weather cooperates.

Gram has taken a turn for the worse, and the expectation is that she will likely not live long. She turned 100 in September, and there have been many times in the past 6 years that we thought we were going to 'lose her'. This time feels different, though. She is TOTALLY READY to go, and finally it seems that her family (primarily my mother, her daughter) is ready for her to go as well. We (family) have been staying in shifts with her in her home 24 hours a day since her first heart attack in 2002. It has been a long process for everyone. She's lived longer than she wanted to, and she looks forward to the restfulness that she believes crossing over will bring her. Mom and dad live next door to her, and own both houses. Their plan is to sell both houses after Gram passes, and buy something small and low maintainence to live in for their remaining years (both are in their late 70's). Before Gram became incapacitated, dad kept both properties immaculate, with perfectly manicured lawns and impeccably maintained homes. Since then, there has been some unavoidable neglect, and they want Brian to do quite a lot of work getting the houses spiffed back up to sell. Work work work.

The bank account is looking better. Although the wolves are at the door, it looks like if we can just hang in there through the rest of this month we'll be back on solid ground. We fortutiously got some unexpected help with our gas and electric bills, which took some pressure off the scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel budget this month. Maybe even allowing enough wiggle room to get our car and truck tags/taxes paid before they are due the last day of the month!

Finally I've found a constructive way to spend some of this completely boring and wasted time at my full time job (with no customers and nothing to do). I think I'll be blogging a LOT. Oh, and speaking of the nowhere-job... a couple of maybe/possibly/keep-my-fingers-crossed options have crossed my path this week opening up other opportunities. Maybe they will lead to a better job, or maybe they'll just be networking contacts for future endeavors. Positive momentum, none the less.

Life is good. At least for this very moment it is.

Daisy

Late Monday afternoon, we loaded all of Danny's and Johnny's worldly possessions on a trailer and transported them and their things to their new 'home'. They are going to be living with Trinity (at least for now) at her apartment complex in Chanute. The complex is pretty low-budget, aparantly "kept up" only to code with no frills or extras. A gathering of bored but mildly interested neighboring tennants wandered to their porches and yards, beers in hand and dirty faced children in tow, to watch the unloading as if it were a spectator sport. They appeared to be generally low income folks, but a close knit community. I felt uneasily certain that they were all mentally calculating their profits if they should rob Danny and Trin's apartment, as we were unloading some $5000 worth of drum/music equipment and hauling it across the lawn.

As we were finishing up, an emaciated and obviously dehydrated female Boxer dog wandered (staggered) up to us and literally leaned against Brians leg before she collapsed on the ground. Trin shared with us the following story about the dog.

Sunday evening Trins sister was camping/fishing on the riverbank near Chanute. This Boxer wandered into their campsite, covered with dirt, mud, and fleas, sores on her ears, and hair worn off portions of her skinny body. She had been without nutrition for so long that her bones (ribs, hips, backbone) protruded grossly from her hanging skin. Trin recieved a phone call from her sister asking her to come look at the dog. Trin has a large healthy male Boxer pet, therefore her sister thought she might be able to tell if the stray was a 'lost cause' or a saveable dog. The lost dog was well behaved, nice with the children, affectionate and appreciatave of kindness, and appeared (sadly) to be a "dump" animal (or perhaps became lost on a camping or hiking trip). Trin took the dog back to her apartment complex, fed her a bit of food and gave her water. Monday morning she phoned her veternarian in hopes the animal hospital would board the dog while nursing her back to health, and then find her a home. Of course the vet said that they didn't provide that kind of free service to strays. The apartment complex landlord spotted the dog, and promptly called the police to have the animal control officer come remove it from her property. Fortunately, the dog catcher was off sick... but the landlord commented that she would just 'take it out and shoot it' later.

So we're standing there with this poor dog lying at our feet. Brian said "This dog is going to die very soon" in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice. She got back on her feet and started interacting with us, being so sweet and gentle. Johnny excitedly petted her and pulled (actually hung/swung!) on her ears harshly. She didn't even flinch, then licked Johnny on the hand. It was aparant that she had been well socialized and was gentle and loving. Brian is such a soft hearted man... after petting her for a few minutes, he opened his truck door and said "LOAD." The Boxer jumped right in, laid down on the back seat, and promptly fell fast asleep. We had a new friend.

After getting her home, Brian bathed her with flea shampoo, medicated her sores (even the pads of her feet were cracked/torn and bleeding), trimmed her toenails, and put ear mite medicine in her ears. She loved on us affectionately, acting so grateful to have food and shelter and people to snuggle with! She's housebroken, lead broken, walks at heel, and gets along with other animals. She slept with us. We named her Daisy.

We took her to the veternarian Wednesday morning for a health check up. He gave her a clean bill of health and felt that with proper nutrition her coat would grow back in the places she'd rubbed bare and that she would re-gain the weight and muscle mass that she lost while living on the riverbank for so long. They waived the exam fee and did a heartworm blood test free of charge. I was only asked to pay for her vaccinations and wormer medication. Checking with the local Chanute newspaper provided no leads. We were hoping to find a 'lost dog' ad. It's just impossible for me to comprehend anyone having dumped such a GOOD dog as this, so we were hoping that someone might be advertising for her if she had become lost somehow.

She looks so much better already, simply from having 4 days of good hydration with clean fresh water and decent nutrition with high protien dog food. We took her fishing last night, and she had such a great time frolicking in the high grass and wading into the lake-edge water. I'm very pleased with our new family member. She's going to be a good companion! (I hope she feels the same about us.) Life is good.

Life is So Damn Complicated

Ya know how sometimes life can get the better of you. Well... I've had more than my share of that lately.

The insurance job. It crashed. Actually it was me that crashed. It started with normal and reasonable job related anxiety. Then the anxiety got large and oppressive. Then the anxiety became overwhelming. I was having anxiety attacks that were totally incapacitating. 3 trips to my doctor (thanks to the universe that for at least that short time I had good insurance.) Antianxiety drugs. Antidepressants (we tried 2 different kinds.) Sleeping pills. I got worse instead of better. I started throwing up. I quit eating. I quit sleeping. I had an allergic reaction to one of the meds. I became helpless and weak and small. I lost 20 pounds. Danny had taken my darling Johnny to another town to stay with a woman 13 years his senior that he met online. I made Brian come off the road to take care of me. He ended up staying with me for 2 weeks, because he was afraid to leave me alone. I quit the job.

I'm working full time at a brand new US Cellular store for totally sucky pay. There are no customers. It is very boring, and frustrating that I can't learn the product because there are no customers to sell to. I am working part time at the local #1 liquor store. It is fun, furiously busy, hot and sweaty, and the pay is even suckier than the full time job. I'm still helping take care of grandma 2 nights (24 hours) a week. This week I'm putting in 88 hours "on the clock" somewhere or other. Last week I worked 82, and the week before that I only worked 60 because dad had a heart attack and I spent the rest of my time traveling between home and the out of town hospital he was in, waiting in surgical waiting rooms, and taking care of my mom. I am so tired. Next week I'm scheduled to work 88 hours again.

Danny came home this week. He thinks I should clean up after him and Johnny, deal with the dishes and the laundry, bring home fast food for him to eat, and take baby toys out of the bathtub myself before I shower. I think he should do those things himself.

Brian was back home for almost a week, and has now been gone again for 4 days. I miss him. We are losing our asses because of my 'good' job loss and his staying with me for too long instead of working, leaving us with bills overdue and no money in the bank. I've never had a late payment before. Now everything is overdue and my phone rings every day from someone wanting an immediate payment. We've never had a fight, but there's an issue that is getting out of control in Brian's world. If I had the strength right now, I'd elaborate on that, but I don't. I will sometime. Even if I don't, you know. Some things are the same, no matter who or where or why. Alcohol abuse is one of those things.

Life is so damn complicated.

Hi Nay!

Alright, now I've gone and done it. I shared this blog address with someone who I'm sure will actually be coming around checkin' on me. So if I don't keep current, she'll surely call me on my slothful ways.

Actually that sounds like a good thing. I am wound up pretty tight, and this blog WAS intended as a way to de-stress and decompress.

My new job is amazing. And I am so scared! We are in week 4 of training, and found out yesterday a rather disconcerting 'News Flash'. Due to a desparate corporate need, we will not be left to sit idly by in the training room viewing Power Point presentations on the intricacies of health insurance implementation and taking tests on Dean Vaughn medical terminology for 2 more months as planned. NO! There seems to be an immediate need for trained customer service representatives (us??) to take the simplest of all calls... provider inquiries into member benefits and eligibility. Sooooooooo... in a week, we are going to be thrown to the wolves... I mean tossed onto the call center floor to take these calls for a month. (Then we will be returning to 'class' to learn s'more stuff.) I am of the personality type that TOTALLYFREAKINGPANICS when I am faced with doing something that I've not done before. We've learned to (somewhat) navigate something like 16 computer programs thus far; programs that will provide us the information that we seek IF we indeed ask the program properly. Most are DOS based programs, which I have NO previous experience with. Ugly hateful little programs, I say. Programs that lock up and refuse to respond if the query isn't posed in exactly the fashion that they prefer. Control lines and... grrrrrr. In all actuality, I am doing fabulously in training, mastering each new skill well. I have a 98.something average on all of my skill tests. It's just the fear of not being able to intergrate ALL OF THOSE SOURCES of information on the spot (LIVE on the damn phone no less!) to give the right answer to the questions asked. Sigh. Compounding my fear is my total lack of previous knowledge of health insurance. Even the simplest terminology has been new to me, and I feel quite overloaded with new language. Who knew the difference between an HMO and a PPO? It's gonna be a long week.

Danny got his truck back last week. It only cost... well my Mastercard is $6 from max. I don't wanna talk about it.

Brian is back in Illinois working. I thought we had agreed that he wasn't going back on the road with this company. There have been major money issues (not being paid, not getting per diem, not being RESPECTED) for awhile. Aparantly The Boss made some large promises to Brian, convincing him to at least go back for the completion of this particular job. And, of course, the problems had re-emerged within 24 hours. Frustration with financial crap problems that shouldn't even exist. Frustration with having my dear husband hundreds of miles away from me. Grrrr.

I think I'm getting sick... coughing, fever. Damnit. I soooo don't have time to be sick!!!!

New Job

Day 2 of the amazing new job completed! I really am liking it!!! Training is 12 weeks long, so of course we're just beginning to scratch the surface of the classroom teaching curriculum. The 'real deal' remains to be seen, but I'm already convinced that I'm gonna love this job! There are 13 of us in 'class', which seems to be a comfortable number of students for the trainer.

Brian had to go back to work in Illinois yesterday afternoon. He had stayed a few extra days to go to court for the DUI he got in February, but the judge advised him to get a lawyer and gave him a new court date. I really had a hard time with his leaving this time. More than usual. I guess that was probably the result of new-job stress. I miss him sooooo much when he's not home with me. I hope that soon (maybe by winter) he can come home and work locally.

Fishing Fever

We fished all weekend. It's fun getting the New Big Red Sexy Truck muddy! Did I mention how much I love my husband??

Where Did "Pragmatic Logical Dana" Go? (let's hope she doesn't come home and see what I've done...)

Last weekend my husband was home. When he's here, we always find a time to 'get away from it all' by going for a long quiet ride in the country, just the two of us (sometimes even stealing into a farm pond or two). It's become sort of our tradition. So, on Sunday, we set out together to find some peace and solitude and enjoy the newly green spring.

Of course, all roads eventually lead to car dealerships, so (as per custom) Brian swung into one of the local used car lots. He was immediately drawn to a very large and handsome, very RED extended cab 2000 Silverado. It was truly exactly the thing he'd been looking for. His love for our 1994 (very handsome, very red) Silverado is undying, but his NEED for a bigger, newer, more mechanically reliable truck for work (one that he can take across the country with a crew in the back seat, with a full sized bed for hauling work stuff), is quite real. He touched and caressed the truck. He wanted it so badly. I took cell phone pictures of him posing with the object of his desire. LOL, it was crazy!

Next, he drove into the local BIG car dealership, just to see what their offering of potential work trucks might be. I immediatly saw a sweet little (I do mean LITTLE) 2 seater green convertable that made my heart skip a beat. Now, you know I'm not usually much into cars. It's just not my thing. But it was just so damn cute. It looked like a little green dragon sitting there. I touched and caressed the dragon. I wanted the car! See, I'm older than dirt. My hair's turning white. I have 8 adorable grandkids, most of which think I make a fine taxi driver. Seemed like a perfect car for me! We went back twice that afternoon, just for me to touch it again. (And we went back to touch the truck twice, too!) We decided that we would both go talk to the respective dealerships Monday morning, just to see what would happen.

It was an interesting and busy Monday morning. Brian was going to have to leave at noon to head back to a job in Illinois. To make a long story short, he was not successful in his inquiry, and left town without a new truck. I, on the other hand, was persistant, drove a hard bargain, and convinced the dealership that I really needed the dragon... er, I mean car. By mid afternoon they had upped the trade in offer on my Hyundai by another $1000, answered all of my questions satisfactorily, and I drove home in this

(scroll down just a bit...)

















Darling, isn't it!? I've had such great fun... as you can imagine! Hair blowing in the wind, bugs in my teeth, it's so cool! I went to Branson on Wednesday to visit Mariah and show her my new toy. We drove around in style with the top down, having a blast!

And when I came home and the old truck was sitting there, I felt sooooo guilty. How unfair that I should get my cute little dream car (read: midlife crisis car), and my loving husband didn't get his much NEEDED work truck. Guilt guilt guilt. What's a girl to do? (scroll down a bit more...)











I'll tell ya what. I went to the bank on Thursday and asked for a loan... and bought Brian his New Big Red Sexy Truck.


Sweet, huh? I love my husband so much. He'll be home in a few more days, and we'll go for a long quiet drive in the country. Maybe even steal into a farm pond or two. I really have fishing fever now!

I GOT THE JOB ! ! !

After waiting for 6 loooooong days since my third interview, I just got the call...

I GOT THE JOB!

3 interviews last week. One quite intense (or so I thought) telephone interview on Wednesday. Then a 'skills competency' testing battery (actually 3 separate tests) on Thursday, which comprised of 1) typing paragraphs, 2) typing series of numbers in columns, and 3) an IQ test type series of mathmatical word questions that had to be answered using a calculator and a collection of charts, graphs, and other data provided. Lastly, on Friday, a face to face interview with a department supervisor and a senior HR staffer. That one lasted nearly an hour and a half, and was totally "describe to us an example of a time when..." questions. I re-evaluated my previous definition of an 'intense' interview after that one.

So at the end of the day Friday, I felt really really positive about how it all had gone. I thought I had spoken well and with intelligence and appropriate humor. I knew that I had done very well on the skills tests. I knew I had the job!

Then days went by waiting for the weekend to end, so the new work-week could bring me an answer. Then more days went by. Every hour of every day my energy waned, and by yesterday I was picking apart my interview answers and doubting my presentation. Last night I couldn't even sleep. I was sure I had blown it.

Then at 5:45 pm (by that late hour I had already given up on a call today) Human Resources called me with "GOOD NEWS, Dana!" and extended an offer of employment! Tomorrow I will go in to sign the offer acceptance paperwork and other documents, and go do my drug testing.

I'm so excited!!!! This job is truly the answer to many issues that I have been struggling with. WOW!

NEW BEGINNINGS

Hi again! Well, it's been a long long LONG time since I've had a public blog. While talking with my friend Bill, we mutually agreed to begin blogging once again. With my dear husband away from home with his job much of the time, I often FEEL the lack of an effective way to communicate my thoughts. Days pass sometimes without contact with anyone over the age of 2 (and as much as I love chatting with little Johnny, he isn't the best sounding board to bounce my ever changing brainwaves off of...) Some days come and go with a 2 minute good morning phone call and a 2 minute goodnight phone call from my darling... and when the time does allow for long rambling phone talks, I of course keep the conversation as light and positive as I can, saving heavier 'stuff' for another time. Thus the magic of blogging! I can purge my thoughts here, be them happy or sad or scared, randomly scattered or solidly grounded. I might celebrate or bitch, write about last nights dream, or what thought-demons kept me from sleeping. Maybe I'll even write about something besides how absolutely and totally in love I am with Brian. Maybe. Come to think about it, I have a lot to say! So enjoy, my friend.