Saturday, June 30, 2007

Non-agreement survived

Don't you just hate it when you have a few days off?

I mean when you have a few days off and you eat something that doesn't agree with you. I worked Thursday til about 7. I was supposed to work til 9 but as I was told by the store asst mgr, they understand it if I have to leave early until my schedule change can go into effect. Since I was to be off jcp til next Wednesday(when my new schedule begins), I had to leave early. They understand. Although my boss asked me how I was feeling when I was there yesterday getting my nails done.
Me:Fine, why?
Boss: Well Esme told me you left early and you weren't feeling well.
Me: No, I was just tired.
Boss: (the exasperated look)
Me: Debbie said you (the store) would deal with it if I had to leave early...

A little fire flashed in her eyes as she realized I was being spiteful, but frankly, I no longer give a damn.

So yesterday, I went in the morning to see my client Angela and did her hair. Then I called Paulie expecting he was still in the hospital. He was home and I went by to visit. I picked up an Antone's po' boy on the way. Tuna. Now if it was the tuna that did not agree with me, I think I would have known right away. Remember what a delicate flower I am. After a nice visit with Paulie, I went to get my nails done. That took about two houes, about 4 hours since I had eaten. No tummy trouble.

On the way home I got some fried rice from our favorite local place. I eat this all the time. All. The. Time. About an hour after I ate I was feeling a little indigestion. When it is bad food, I usually know in minutes. Now that I consider that, I feel it is possible that the tuna and the fried rice did not agree with each other.

Anyway, This morning, after a restless nice sans EB, as well as restless up on the pot all night, I think it has passed.

Paulie's nurse usually comes by around 11 and he wants to jet to Galveston. I am glad he feels well enough to get out and I am happy to oblige. To maximize my morning, I am going to take Lilli Munster for a haircut and then go to the bagel shop on the way to the yarn store. Well maybe the haircut will wait til tomorrow because who knows when we will get back from the island.

The yarn store trip is necessitasted, mostly because I have a beautiful skein of Helen's Lace that I want to play with. It is very fine and thin, and I am not about to wind 1250 or so yards of it by hand. Just. Not. Happening. I also want to pick up two skeins of Cascade 220, one in orange and one in blue, to make a skull hat for Thomas in his Syracuse colors.

Maybe I will even wear the Syracuse crocs today.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Go...Now...

Take the poll...

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/leisure/your.picks/index.html

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Yawn...streeeetch...

My new boss is such a babe. I like her so well, I will be dropping another day at JCP at the end of July to give my new boss 3 days and JCP only 2. Poor ole JCP. What will they do without me? My goal there this next month is to get the other receptionists a little more paperwork proficient so I will not be doing it all on one of my 2 days there. We have been open more than a year, and there should be a foolproof system in place by now. But there isn't. And I am not quite sure I will be able to remedy this. I say it is my goal for the next month, but if I do not pull it off, have no fear. I will stop giving two shits about it. I promise. I just feel like I need to ease everyone into the idea that JCP is no longer a priority for me. At all.

I have already set it up to where the evening receptionist does the confirmation calls because of all the things the desk is responsible, that is the one thing I absolutely hate doing. It isn't terribly difficult. It takes all of about 10-15 minutes. I just don't like doing it. On Thursday, I will have done it for the last time. Unless I forget. I might.

So now, I leave you with another question. I have alread decided, but I am still interrested in a vote. South in February? Or north in May? Vote in comments.

Friday, June 22, 2007

questions

Can a surprise be too big and should not be a surprise?

How big is too big?

Discuss.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Hear Darth Vader's March playing softly in your ears...

Evil has been unleashed in my house via USPS and KTS3. My package arrived this afternoon and I opened it when I was home from work for lunch. I didn't want to go back. I wanted to plunge into my new adventure to the Dark Side right away. (Of course, it should be said that I never really want to go back.)

Take a moment to hear the Emporer as he commands Darth Vader to lure poor young Luke over to the Dark Side. Shwhooooo...shwooooo...shwoooo...(that's Darth Vader breathing for those not in the know).

Laura of The Painted Sheep sent me a lovely letter detailing my goodies. The yarn is a skein of Mango Moon Recycled Silk. Laura says, "I am not sure if you know about this company, but I thought that a recycled sari silk yarn benefitting Nepali women would go with your zen approach to life."

There is no way Laura could have known this, but one of my LYSs carries this yarn and I buy a skein every time I go. My plan is to collect it and eventually knit a patchwork bedspread from it. Just plain garter squares to make a nice and substantial weight quilt. I have 2 skeins in my stash, now 3. Awesome. Darth Vader is still lurking waiting to make his move...

Laura also sent a skein of The Painted Sheep's "Foot Prints" which is superwash merino sock yarn. If that isn't enough yarn, there is a skein of The Painted Sheep's "House Blend" which is a blend of merino, silk and alpaca.

"Luuuke...shwooooo....shwoooo...I am your faaather...shwoooo...shwoooo..."

Darth Vader jumps out of nowhere...evil is running rampant in my house.

Did lovely Laura send me some of her fabulous handpainted colorways? No. (For the record, I am not complaining here.) She sent me naked yarn. A blank canvas. And pure evil in the form of Cushing's Perfection Dyes. Nile Green. Turquoise. Mint Green. And a book I have been lusting after, The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. The book will help me on my trek toward the Dark Side.

While communing with Darth Vader, I can enjoy some of Angelina's Orange Spice Black Tea, and Earl Grey Green Tea. Perfect to dunk in my cup-o-tea is something local to Laura, Moravian sugar cookies. I have already snacked on some of those and I hope there is a website they can be ordered from because they are delish.

A very well rounded package and a very satisfying swap. Many thanks to all whose efforts made this possible!!

EB is a babe

Cultivating Grace is up and running (linked right), and though the template is not perfect, until I have time to sit and tweak it(likely never), or until I find another one I like better, it will have to do. My goal is to post there once a week, but we shall see how that pans out.

Not only is EB a babe, she is also a rebel. She is blatantly defying the docs instructions as she just drove herself to work. IMHO, not taking it easy enough, and she was supposed to not drive another day. But I suppose it should be said if she was home another day she would likely be working on the bathroom, so being at work is taking it easy in that respect. Everything is relative to something.

Now I have to see if I can get my ass in ger enough to make the post office on my way to work.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

And so it was

I was so stressed out going into work this afternoon. I even thought, for a brief moment, that I should call in sick so as to avoid the confrontation with my boss. I immediately saw the flaw in that plan as it would just have me more stressed out tomorrow.

I saw her as soon as I got to work. She reacted as I knew she would. I said specifically, "I need to drop Tuesday and Thursday altogether as I just cannot handle the evenings." She said, "Well do you want to work til 6 on T and Th and just close 2 registers before you leave ond someone can close the third?" Umm, no, I need to drop T and Th altogether as I just cannot handle the evenings."

She then did a little For Fuck's Sake (tm GFI) in her own full of charm and never uttering the word fuck in her life suthin way and was totally talking out loud to herself. Well, if I am sitting there in the room, and you are talking out loud to yourself, you're sorta talking to me. So I was answering. She said something about compromised coverage and I replied that it could no longer be my concern. "Well of course not, Max, I was talking to myself. I'm just trying to figure out what we can do..."

I stressed to her that this was about my illness. I was telling her at one point how I appreciated that her concerns were company related and not personal toward me. I then told her my concerns were company related, too. In particular, I told her that I felt that if my Crohn's was a visible disibility, I would have been given the modified schedule I requested a few weeks ago. That put her radar up and she got up from her desk and went down to the main office to call the Assistant Manager out of a meeting in another store to ask what to do. Amazing how the word disibility being thrown in made the sparks fly.

She came back explaining that with our new system (new next week) schedules were locked in three weeks out and my new schedule can't go into effect until 7\1. funny that not 30 minutes prior, she had been asking me if I needed any edits for the week before that. She could edit that week to drop me out T and Th, yes? I did not push it because my new boss is a pushover...umm...flexible.

JCP is just less and less a company I want to work for. Maybe that is taking care of itself.

So the new job... I will be the assistant to not one, but two! Two hotshot art directors. Both who like me well enough. One even loves me dearly. They can totally have their way with me.....

Ask, and it shall be given...

Everyone needs to hold a good thought for me today. I have accepted a new position part time and in lieu of that will let my boss know I am dropping two of my days and will no longer be available evenings. it will be a challenging conversation because it compromises desk coverage, but I can no longer let that be my concern.

A few months back I asked to be taken off nights as soon as possible because it was a challenge for me in that I felt more tired on Tues and Thursday, the nights I work, and then I felt worse at work the next day as well. I told my boss I really felt I needed to not work past six. Nothing really came of that that has helped me. I was clear in saying I needed to not work past six, but my boss took it to mean I was working too long a shift and cut me back on the early end changing my 12-9 shift to 2-9. Not so helpful really.

Recently, I asked to change my work week to a 4 day week. This would be the best of both worlds solution. It would get me down to one night, and it would still offer good desk coverage. I got an uncompromising no. Crohn's is a protected disability. Basically this just means they cannot fire me for being sick, I think. However if it was not an invisible disability, I think my scheduling request would have been taken more seriously and likely would have been granted.

I see no choice but to go in today and limit my availability. The down side might be that they really fuck with that and schedule me minimal hours within that. But that will be okay. Within my availablility, I will work whatever I am scheduled.

So here's my shout out thanks to The Universe for answering!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Did you hear that loud bang?

It was the sound of one door closing. I need everyone to be clear on this just in case The Universe isn't paying attention. I can't give notice at my current job until I have another offer on the table. I was going to say I officially hate my job, but that isn't accurate. I actually like my job and I am rather good at it. it is my employer I am less than fond of. Toxicity has reached a new level and it is soon time to go, if The Universe will cooperate. MAW, get to work. xo.