Today Is The Day

I threw a picture of Pearl in there just for a change of pace this morning. Liz and Kirsten are heading out early this morning after getting the GPS thing straight last night. I think the problem with our address is it lies either on or very close to the town line and the road we live on runs through a couple of towns. If you put our address in a GPS you actually end up sitting in front of an empty lot near the lake about 15 miles from here with your little dohicky cheerfully announcing You Have Arrived. Arguing with it will do no good.  So we've discovered through trial and error to put a different road in a different town and it will land you within 15 feet of our doorstep, go figure. Anyhoo, it rained yesterday and the temp dropped this morning which adds up to the yard is a big mess now, frozen mud abounds. David had planned on reconfiguring the driveway so we've been driving all over the front yard so we either need to do the drive or start using the current one. With all the ice we'd been parking next to the front door but with the Great Thaw the tire tracks don't exactly scream Buy Me which is the future plan, for now. I finished the first sleeve of the sweater last night so there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I spent a little time planning my next project. I think I'll do something small like socks and then will be making another shawl.  My first week at work went well, I'll be on the computer Monday, I've got to hand in my direct deposit and I got my last checks from Interim yesterday so that door is closed. Firmly. And yes I'm still mad, thank you for asking.  But I am sleeping a little better, I think the change of job helped and I got rid of the late night telemarketer. Don't you get tired of them?  I got a call at 9:30 the other night - that moron started her spiel and I interrupted her, told her to take me off her list and if she EVER called my house again I would track her down, come to her house and rip her liver out. I think I got my point across.

Is It Friday Yet?

Are you tired of pictures of Vincent? I'm not! However, in your defense he also thinks I should stop. Well, it's been a busy week for me and David work wise. David has finished his first week of clinical and even though it's still a bit daunting for him, he's enjoying it far more than he expected. he's off with Harry today scoping around and before anyone gets too hysterical please keep in mind we are talking about only moving 30 miles away, there is definitely NO hurry and we know this time the jobs are much more plentiful there than here AND there will eventually be less travel time for both of us. Not to mention we spend more of our weekends there than here. I'm doing a couple of visits today as I need to be signed off on that so I have to leave early this morning. David has his list of things to do as they don't have class today and we have to finish getting ready for the arrival of Liz and Kirsten.  The weather has warmed up a bit more, hopefully it will continue to get a little nicer. The other thing we've got to do is get Ray moving as it's that time of the year for him to start visiting. I think I'll see if he can come out while I'm in Philadelphia and he and David can have a weekend for shooting the bull and so forth.  So with a hint of spring in the air things are starting to lift their heads and take a deep breath, it's this time of year  that I always have the most plots and plans, that you really feel like DOING SOMETHING, that some big project (the porch) starts to loom.  But we'll see, won't we?

First Day Out Of The Box

I finally had my first day at work, dragged that out, didn't I? Everyone is very nice and better yet, they're very organized as far as I can see. The office is bigger as they just reshuffled things recently and I'm pretty sure I have every one's name down. I just observed for the first day, it's a bit overwhelming but I'm sure I'll get on top of it. I'm invited to a big event in March in Philadelphia which I'll attend with the office - there seems to be a little bit of traveling involved in this job. My office will be opening in a couple of weeks and they're going to have a big open house so there's that. I'll still be expected to pick up a few visits here and there, but that's home care in general and if it's not your entire job it's fun to get out of the office. Speaking of which, Liz and Kirsten will be landing on my sunny shores on Saturday, it's just a quick visit but we'll be packing the grand tour in there. Of course since there will two of them that will be an addition problem for me as Liz now has Kirsten to be lookout while she freely rummages around in the yarn closet so I may have to rig something up (like a roaming  spotlight or something). The Hostess is beyond thrilled and is planning her social calendar. It's snowing this morning, Vincent went for his usual 37 second constitutional around the house (that's how long it takes him to run from the front door to the back so David can let him in). David rewashed his uniforms and said no one noticed the ink stains - the scrubs are blue so it's not glaring - they're now doing patient care and even though he finds it a bit daunting, he's enjoying it. 

Vincent Your Cold Weather Friend

I have often noticed about Vincent that the colder the weather gets, the more an affectionate cat he is. My favorite spot in the house is the loveseat which I rarely get to myself. Often all the animals in the house join me, Claw will wait until Vincent falls asleep (about a 19 second wait) and Pearl curls up on the other side. I often announce that we have plenty of other seating but no one appears to care. Anyhoo - I'm finally starting my new job today! I have enough outfits to make it through the week or so and then will pick up things as I see them. I did look for shoes yesterday but found nothing I like. And the other issue is I am itching today! David thinks it was the pineapple this time, as I get older I seem to be developing allergies to certain fruits, first it was just kiwis, now it's pineapple. And I can't take benedryl as it gives me a bad reaction. David is having a bit of a problem this morning, he washed his uniforms and forgot to take the pen out of his pocket - and it was a new pen all full of ink of course.  We scrubbed and washed to no avail so he'll just have to tough it out until Friday and he can go buy a couple new pair. As you can see from the pictures I'm almost done with the first sleeve, I have 12 more rows to go and then I can start in on the other one. That other picture is the new yarn I bought and Vincent is touching in a very fresh way that might get him killed.  I did tell him it was 100% superwash wool at $15 a a skein but he didn't seem impressed or interested. I suppose I should get up and get started, I'm sure the first week will be all paperwork. I'm going to be at the main office until I am trained and they open my office - whoo hoo I have an office!!

Big Day Tomorrow

Well, last day of being unemployed, it's been a good week I have to say. I probably could have gone somewhere or did something, but since we've only lived here for such a short time it's pretty easy for me to go sightseeing around here. Today I went over to my favorite haunts and then the mall, the economy's slowdown has become glaringly apparent there. I went into Sears to buy David some tee shirts to wear under his scrubs. I found them easily enough plus a sweater on sale and then went to buy them. That would be when I noticed the lack of customers and more importantly, the lack of cashiers. In desperation I finally checked out at the jewelry counter, the only cash register being manned. And that's not unusual these days, David and I stopped shopping in Walmart because they DO have a wall of cash registers but if two are open it's a good day.  The weather is still very cold but the sun is shining today, not much in that department.  Actually, not much going on in this department today either - isn't that lovely?

Two More Days

The weather is crappy and the wind is howling - but I don't care because I'm off until Wednesday and then I start my new - and better!! - job. Liz will be arriving Saturday morning with a song in her heart and a fork in her hand as we are hitting the Cheesecake Factory along with other various and sundry things. The Hostess of course will be doing her duty towards the guest as she considers it her mission in life to entertain and be involved in everything.  I'm not planning on doing too much today, I'm considering hitting Big Lots either today or tomorrow to see if they have any cushions to fit the porch swing and the church pew.  David and I did all the grocery shopping yesterday, Sam's Club and Wegmans of course. I'm almost done with the first sleeve of the sweater, then it's just the second sleeve and the hood and it's done. Finally.  I think I'll be knitting socks next, David could use another pair as I managed to half felt the first pair I made him (reading the washing directions of the wool I used would have made more sense if I had done it PRIOR to pitching them in the washer....). 

I spoke to Jackson the other day, his new thing is playing pool on base, he actually bought his own poolstick and accessories. I was glad to hear it as it means he's not staying in his room at night and is going out and meeting people. We haven't heard too much from Adam but I should probably email him this morning as he's still out at sea as per his brother. I suppose I should get up and stuff - but first I have to go another round in Mob Wars as I'm trying to get to a higher level than John and Carleen and I see they were out robbing banks again last night on Facebook. Rats.

What Fun!

David and I were out scouting the territory again this weekend. We like the Stroudsburg area a great deal and now that we no longer have to worry about school systems we're a bit more mobile in where we would like to live. The other fun thing is we actually live within driving distance so we can get an idea of where we would like to go someday.  And it gives us a good excuse to get in the car and go toddling around. We set out with a list of addresses and found most of the houses were either the right house and the wrong area or the right area and the house was way smaller than it looked on the Internet. We had seen an old rambling fixer upper with lovely property which would have been perfect - except the pictures didn't show the house was literally steps away from a rather busy and dangerous curve. But we're in no hurry, if we find a place good on us, if not we're not exactly slumming it. Most of it though is a vapid excuse for traipsing through the countryside, taking pictures, sightseeing and shopping. We found a store called the Christmas Factory, a two story warehouse year round store specializing in Christmas of course. We drove through Analomink, I think the founding fathers might have been imbibing a bit when they came up with that. 

Log Cabin Estates with road names such as "Sportsman Drive" was definitely false advertising but I suppose "Modular Estates" with Cookie Cutter Drive would not have sold as well. And I found a REAL knitting shop about a mile from my future office! They have a knitting group that meets in the evening once a week so that in itself would be a reason to move. I bought some sock yarn and a few other things - I have to say the Yarn Hater was fairly good about the whole thing although he didn't look as intrigued as one would have thought. The woman ahead of me at the counter was wearing a mink coat, pearls and complaining to the person behind the counter she just HAD to finish this sweater since she'd spent $200 on the yarn. She obviously is not acquainted with the wonders of Big Lots.  For that money you could afford enough yarn to knit a House Cover. But we were not at Big Lots so sometimes you have to go with the flow. I have just a few more days before I start work again but that's ok. I think by Wednesday I'll be ready and raring for my next adventure.

The Arctic Zone

It has transcended from being cold and windy  to Life On The Tundra. The wind makes it beyond cold and this is the time of year where I seriously question Dog Ownership. Because Pearl the Polar Dog is impervious to cold, ice, snow and wind unlike her owner who cannot wear enough thermal wear. At this point when I go out to "walk" the dog the only thing that's showing is enough for me not to walk into side of the house and that's it.  The cats just stay in the house entirely, I think they both go out for a total of 37 seconds daily.  eek. Anyhoo, I did venture out yesterday for a quick jaunt to the bookstore and grocery and then back home. It's nice having time to get things done for real - I swamped out the bathroom yesterday as opposed to it's usual quick swipe, vacuumed and continued to sort through things. Today I might go on safari to see if I can find some items including the DVD player and if we go out I might start scouting for a book case. One of the problems David and I have had here is there are NO shelves around the house(at all! not one!) and the closets are big, deep and fairly useless as far as storage goes. They each have one tiny shelf in the way back and the poles are set up in a very odd way - instead of going around the closet they're set up across which makes either the front or back one useless as you can only hang stuff on the ends - otherwise you can't get to the second pole.  
We have to burn some stuff today but it's a good day given the current weather. David is done with classroom work and got his CPR card yesterday - now they're off to clinical at a local nursing home. He's a little nervous but will do fine. At least he's taking a class, when I became a nurse's aide it was taught by the Crankypants Nursing Home and since it was held by the nursing home it was actually a legal way to fling you out on the floor ASAP - it was pretty nerve wracking since none of the aides felt they needed to help you. At all. And they upheld the Crankypants What The Hell Do You Want Way Of Doing Things at all times.  I am facing my own set of doubts - I know I'll do well but it's a bit overwhelming at times. But I think I made the right decision, I'm ready for a change and this company is more like what I came from in WV.  And I have a few more days to lay around and eat stuff while watching BBC channel.....

Pass The Doughnuts And Remote.

I got a call from Bayada the other day that they needed me to call them back. It turned out to be a VERY good thing - I haven't even started yet and will be going to the Annual Bayada Award and Seminar in Washington DC!! in June - David will be coming along and we even get a trip to the zoo. What a great job already. In the meantime I'm quite enjoying my time off, I didn't go out yesterday at all, I spent most of the morning putzing around on the porch, I fixed the tv in the guest room, sorted things, dusted and took Pearl out a lot to race around and play endless games of fetch while I read a book. 

 I'm currently reading Small Vices by Robert Parker, I actually love that detective series so much I named my dog after the one in the book in case you've ever wondered why I own a dog named Pearl.  During the afternoon it decided to snow again and it's back to being windy and hideous outside. I make great use of my scarf - I get windburn like no body's business so if  I don't wear one I'm forced to walk about looking like Tomato Girl. And that got me thinking the other day - I don't think I've ever made a scarf, I must have at some point but I can't think of one. I made little squares when I started and I know my first real project was a dog coat for Sulee, Bob and Evelyn Marshall's pug. I remember that clearly because it was a rather awful purple thing with sides that went in and out randomly. I thought it was pretty crafty of me at the time and Mrs. Marshall made a huge fuss over it like she'd never seen anything so wonderful and made that poor little wheezy dog model it. I will always love her for that - nothing encourages a child like success, does it?

Tales Of The Unemployed

Yesterday went better than expected - you always expect some crap to fly but weirdly enough, none did. I finished up all my patients and was back in the office at 2, reported off and tied up my paperwork and then left at 2:30. I didn't have too much to take as I've been quietly transporting what is mine out of the office and I returned everything that is theirs so we're square. I hugged everyone goodbye, I won't miss the job but I will miss my co-workers, they're a good group. I didn't head straight home, I pottered around a bit, went to Wegmans which I LOVE, that is the best store.I bought fresh mozzarella cheese and aduki beans, stuff I love.I also bought doughnuts as I have to have some sustenance while I sit on the couch and watch Jerry Springer.  About that time it started to snow more so I headed on home. David had called me during the day to let me know I had another box from Amazon. I said just one. He said how many things exactly did you order and I patiently explained the used book thing and how much money he is being saved. I sat there thinking he would be impressed and be in awe of what a Smart Shopper I am, after all I DID get the Book Of Modern Lace Knitting for $6 - along with a few other bargains but do you think he was impressed? No, he even thought it was no use talking to me! Oh well, since I am unemployed it will give me something to do besides sitting around in my pajamas and guessing at the answers on Family Feud.  The weather so far today is crappy but I don't care as I don't plan on doing too much today. I am just enjoying things for now.

Dodging Bullets

I had an exit interview yesterday - I don't know if anyone was happy with it. I just want my job  done and over with so was not in the mood.  I asked them if they wanted me to be nice or did they want the truth, of course a good rule of thumb is it's not a good idea to piss someone off and then ask their opinion of your company. So they got the truth but I was kind about it, as kind as I could be. Because I know two things - when you're upset events tend to be bigger than they actually are and just because it's true to you doesn't necessarily make you right. So that is done and over with and today is my last day which I thought would never happen. I have a week off and then I start my new job which  I am very excited about. Part of me would like to start tomorrow but I know I need a few days off to regroup and this will most likely be the only time off I have for awhile.  I got two of the books I ordered from Amazon - I'm pretty happy with them. Amazon sells used books too, they aren't as cheap as you think they are because they may charge nineteen cents for the book, then the "shipping and handling" is $4.  It still works out, one of the books I bought is $29 at Borders and I paid about $8 for it used and it's in new condition so I'm pretty happy over all. They also have a lot of hard to find stuff - David wishes it was harder for me  to find but tough cookies on him.  Knitting is my only hobby that costs money and even when I go crazy buying yarn and stuff it's still fairly low cost.  Speaking of David, he's having a very good time in his CNA class and will be starting clinical next week. The course he's taking pays for uniforms so he got that yesterday along with a pair of white crocs so he's set to go.  So I guess there are big changes in the Lester household this week.

Counting It Down

Work has become a stressful place quite naturally, I can see why people tend to call in sick rather than do this. They're being overwhelmed with work - but they take far more than they can possibly do which makes no sense to me, but I'm leaving so I say nothing. Anything that can go wrong has for the past few days at work so I'm just keeping my eye on the end of it all and keep working. I wish my books from Amazon would get here, I've never ordered from  them before but it seems like an awful long time since I ordered and I still have nothing. Of course I realize I have the patience of a mayfly when it comes to ordering things. I tend to order and go on Mailbox Patrol the next day which is unrealistic but it works for me.  If nothing comes again today I'll start bothering them. Anyhoo, aside from the daily excursions into the salt mines I've been working away on the sweater, I'm a third of the way through the first sleeve already, they always go faster though since they're so much smaller than the main part. I'm making a few plans for my week off - I realize if I cram too much in there it won't be too relaxing so it will just be small trips here and there and getting a few things done around here. I would love to start painting the porch but I think it's still too cold. But I'm sure I'll find something to do with myself.

One Fine Day

We had a really good day yesterday - really good. After all the changes and turmoils of the past few months it was a welcome change. We hung out and ate candy of course, there are three times a year you can legally eat candy for breakfast - Easter, Christmas and Valentine's Day so indulged. Then off to the Pcoconos to scope out my future new office. Much to my surprise and great delight it's not that much further than I'm driving now. Map quest overshot by about 10 miles and if I take the back roads when the weather is good, it will be a nice drive. We headed out to the outlets as it was still pretty early - I love the outlets but on the weekends they jam up beyond belief with people from NJ. By noon there's a line at the exit off the highway and the traffic controllers are on every corner. I went to the Eddie Bauer outlet and got some great stuff, I'm slowing down now as I don't want to buy more than I need until I see what everyone else is wearing. But I have enough to make it through the first week at least so that will be enough for now. After shopping we drove around for a little while and ended up in a little cafe that served sun dried tomato foccia with everything and cups of coffee that were huge. It was really good. The American Candle Company is right down the road, acres of knick knacks, candles and more chachi than you can shake a stick at. There are figurines, aisles devoted to one thing (cat shirts, bowls, cat shaped candles, etc. Dogs, etc...). We wandered about for a bit but didn't buy anything, we have yet to finish unpacking everything and I already have some decorating stuff. We eventually wandered home and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I admit it was dorky and quiet, but I think you need that once in awhile.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Did you get candy? I got candy! Anyhoo, this is the porch I'm always talking about, I have VERY big plans for it. David thinks it's ridiculous - it's a small, narrow oddly shaped space and that door at the end leaks like a sieve. If you go outside there's a large and quite ugly cement porch with an iron railing that reminds me of houses in Florida in the 70's. If I showed it to you, you would think of that too. Even that entry is odd - this house had no back door when we moved in, only two front doors about 20 feet apart and the only use we've found for this porch is to put the ladder on so we can sweep the snow off the satellite dish when it interferes with reception. Oh, Vincent uses it sometimes to scope out birds too. David is demolishing the steps in the spring and most likely will put a window there. I'm replacing the carpet and the second church pew will go on the other side of the chimney. I threw out what was serving as a cushion on the swing (yes, there is a porch swing on the other end) and will replace that. I'm painting it white or yellow and have my eye out for a chandelier. You can see into it quite clearly from the road - it's windows all around - and I think a chandelier would look quite snappy, don't you? I'm off for the weekend, I have 3 more days of work - it might as well be 3 more years. As this draws to a close, I vacillate between sadness and anger - I had my issues with this agency but when I worked in WV even when it stunk, I rarely had the day that I didn't want to go to work. My co-workers were great and even though it was hard when I started I remember it fondly, there is something exciting and rewarding about not only  being a part of building a business, but building a successful one. I'm sad it's ending this way, I did love my job and was very loyal to the agency. I'm angry because I watch the way things are done there and they have forgotten one very basic, but very important fact. That all of their jobs depend on the nurses. Without the visit nurses, they don't exist - there is no reason for them to work. No nurses, no visits, no nothing. You can't build a house without a solid foundation and if I take anything away from this job, it will be that.

Happy 13th!

Yes, it is Friday the 13th today - a friend of mine told me years ago that in Europe that's considered a lucky day because it happens so rarely - I'll go with that. The wind continues unabated-I put some water in the bathtub last night as we have a well now. The upside of having a well is you don't have to pay a water bill. The downside is no water when the electric goes out as the pump won't work. We did look into a generator but found it would need to be hardwired into the electrical panel - David does a lot of wiring but that is too dangerous to fool around with. So we just do what everyone else does and keep  few containers filled to get us through. I'm so glad today is Friday, it's been a long stressful week workwise - I'm afraid of making a misstep at some point this late in the game. I'm afraid my new job will disappear and a host of other things. I'm looking forward to this weekend, the weather is supposed to be crappy but I can knit. Speaking of which my books from Amazon will not be here for awhile I think - I qualified for the "supersaver" free shipping and given the estimated date I think they may be coming by sea turtle express. Live and Learn. I was hoping it would stay warm so I could start working on the porch but I can shop for cushions for the swing and harass David to finish the church pew and of course arrange and muck around with the gazillion knitting books I have now. 

La Shopper

I've been shopping inbetween patients - this time of year is perfect as everything is on clearence so it's all deeply discounted. The only thing I do have to be careful of is not to buy a lot of winter stuff. Even though it's still winter I do have to remember we are almost halfway through February and as of the 20th we will be officially 4  weeks away from Spring. Hard to believe, isn't it? Although yesterday was beautiful, I don't know about your part of the country but here it hit a high of 64 - most of my patients made it onto the porch. I'm off for the weekend so am planning a nice Valentine's day. We might drive up to the Poconos for lunch and stuff. Pearl is not included. We heard from Adam, he's been on his ship all week, I have no idea why and the connection was not so great so I'll have to live in darkness. It's almost Friday thank goodness, I thought it would never get here. They're talking snow, rain, etc but I don't care at this point since I know spring is working it's way slowly but surely towards me. I am plotting a garden this year I think, I hate to be outside with nothing to do but watch the dog and be the official Stick Slinger and I've always wanted a garden, just never had the place to put it. 

Keeping Busy

David has been introduced to the ugly fact that there is ALWAYS homework - he just didn't realize it until the 11th hour. But it got done and he got through his first day unscathed. It's a little bit of a rush in the am now and I've given up the daily elipse in exchange for the Running Of The Dog - hopefully when it gets a little bit warmer and I get a little bit more organized I'll be able to do a real walk with her before work. That way I'll get my exercise in and she'll refrain from ingesting my last remaining item in Random Acts Of Revenge while we are both out for the day. My job has entered that creepy phase in which everyone is polite but avoiding you, I just spend as little time in the office as possible. It's not too bad but there's always that danger of them getting one last hit in (and yes, that does happen)so I'm keeping my head down.  I just want it to be done and over with - the only laughable thing is I finally got my insurance cards, 6 weeks late. Sigh. In other news I have discovered Amazon.com - you can buy VERY cheap books which are sort of used. I got one for 31 cents which was very whoo hoo but then got hit with a $4 shipping charge. BUT even with that it's a big discount so I went ahead and bought it, along with a few other things. I usually only buy my knitting books from Knitpicks but lately they've been out of stock and constantly move the available date and the last time I was just forget it. I had to pre-order from Amazon but at least I know it's coming instead of sorry sorry sorry. The weather is really warming up now, I know in head it's just a tease but the rest of me is hollering Spring Time! I've gotten the porch almost completely cleaned out and am making plans. The church pew David shortened up will fit great where we got rid of the icky desk so there will be plenty of churchy seating for everyone. 

Sunday

It would have been a great day if the wind was not whipping and making it seem much colder than it actually is. The snow is melting which is turning the entire yard into muddy puddle infested mess, but we still managed to get things done. David rented a dumpster since we have enough to fill it so we finished that, I got rid of the last of the junk on the porch and I also went through all of my old knitting magazines and dropped them off at the local library. I hate to just throw them out as they're expensive but it's silly having a pile I'll never use. So I sorted through them and kept all the Simply Knitting and Vogue and the rest will be glommed over by the local knitting club. I've got both halves of the sweater done (finally!!) and started on the sleeve last night. David and I did a quick run to the local supermarket - I don't know about you but I keep a running grocery list, we go shopping and then we do the 2nd list so we can go back out the next day and pick up everything but we forgot EXCEPT for one crucial item that we will invariably forget. It has been a fairly quiet day, but that's the way I want it - two weeks straight without a break is a bit much even for me. I know I'll be dragging my way to work - resigning has that odd effect of making time stand still, the last day always seem further away than it actually is. I have to stop and pick up paperwork at the other office, not to mention shopping here and there.  David starts his classes tomorrow which will be odd for me not to have him here - since he's always been self employed he's always done his schedule around me so that's going to be a big adjustment for both of us. Pearl most likely will be traumatized. 

David was also trying to figure when we could have the rugs done but I think that will have to go on the backburner until at least spring which is when we originally had slated it for. But I think with me switching jobs and him embarking on a whole new world the rug is the least of our worries. Not to mention if you wait long enough everything comes back into fashion - so maybe this will be the year of the Hidiously Green Carpet With The Random Large Honking Stains - you never know. Oh! And a Ghoul - the definition is a)someone who takes great delight in gross, morbid or disgusting things (half of my family qualifies on that definition), b) grave robbers and c) a Muslim demon that feasts upon the dead - just in case you needed to know.

It's Getting Hot In Here

The tempeture has hit the high 30's, effectively starting to  turn everything into a wet sloppy mess. But the warmer weather (who would've ever thought that the 30's was practically tropical) had Pearl and I playing in the field behind the house. She fetched a stick and I made a giant snow rabbit as I am off for the weekend you know. David and I went out early this morning, we got the oil in my car changed, I bought an office outfit (whee!!), we did the grocery shopping, bought and sent off my Dad and Maryann's birthday presents, got my car washed and ate breakfast at the Country Buffet. We had dinner at the Chinese Buffet last night - I must be feeling french as I seem to spend a lot of time at La Boo-Feys these days. I probably need to stop or I'll be hanging around La Weight Watchers pretty soon.  We are just celebrating my my future job. It's a good time to be looking for clothes as everything is on clearance these days, I got a jacket and skirt set for $10 bucks today and it looks pretty snappy to boot. I'm still pretty mad about that manager  but am keeping it under my hat. Word is out at work that I'm leaving and of course everyone is wanting to know why - the desire to trash that manager is ovewhelming of course but I'm keeping my counsel. In it's own odd way it decided a difficult decision for me - any loyalty I had no longer existed and in the long run I'll remember it - hopefully it will help me become the manager I want to be. I spoke to Jackson this evening, he hates the navy, hates his job, etc... but underneath it all I think he's very very homesick. I told him 6 months from now he'll feel much better - I wish I could make him feel better but I know from previous experience he'll just have to ride it out.  At least he's being homesick somewhere warm!! I am currently watching Dr. Who, my usual Saturday night date. I was watching a show today and they were discussing Ghouls and what exactly they are - what are they? I always think of them as sort of damp people eating sort of things, but that's zombies. Anyone know the difference between a ghoul and a zombie? You never know when that knowledge might make a difference between life and death.

I don't Bark. I Just Bite.

Tuesday I was exhausted - I ran all weekend and handed in ALL the paperwork -  5 full admissions, 1 resumption, 3 discharges, 5 (or 6) visits - all OASIS, ask a nurse how much paperwork that is. And then worked another 9 hours straight on Monday. Imagine my surprise when the new manager shut the door while I was speaking to the supervisor and proceeded to call my work "sloppy" and told me  I was an embarrassment!! I protested and she - and I kid you not - wrote me up!! Please keep in mind in the medical profession that is one of the worst things they can do as it goes in your personal file - and mine wouldn't mention that I was overworked, understaffed and there is no way anyone could have completed that amount of paperwork in 48 hours while doing all those visits and fielding phone calls. So I handed my resignation in the next morning - it seems that the new manager only showed the director the few pages I hadn't completed - nor had she told the director how much work I'd done over the weekend.  The director said it wouldn't be a part of my file, but it was too late - I truly no longer have the heart to work for them. I was furious, she just accepted that person's word instead of even asking me, despite the fact I've been there four months and they haven't had problems with my paperwork before. When I left  I felt a little better - but not great. I got back to my desk and was getting ready to leave, I noticed a message - it was from BAYADA!!  I did the telephone interview with the regional manager yesterday after 5 and this morning I accepted the position of Clinical Manager for the new office they're opening! I can't believe they hired me!! But I'm glad they did - I'm still a little nervous as it's a big job, but I think I made the right decision. I am sorry things ended the way they did, I've been with that agency for almost four years now and despite all the occasional strum and drama they've been good to me. At least in West Virginia. 

Going With The Flow

I was looking at this picture and couldn't figure out what it was or even why I took it. But if you look closely you will see Vincent right above that white pipe. I still don't know why I took that but at least you know what it is. Don't you feel better? Things in my world have been rocking for the past week, I'm not ready to talk about all of it yet as events are still unfolding - some days you walk the path and others you run it. Anyhoo, in other news Lizzard will be darkening our doorstep at the end of the month so Pearl will be hostessing yet another event. The only thing is the yarn closet is in the guest room and I'm not sure I trust Liz to keep from temptation, I might have to rig up some sort of alarm system...... on the other hand since we've pretty much known each other from birth I suppose I'll have to trust her. Jackson has called briefly to get our address but other than that I think he's very busy these days. I'm off this weekend, I can't wait - I've been working nonstop - on Friday it will literally be 2 weeks straight without a break.  Saturday will be lying in bed and eating doughnuts, this time of year I'm obsessed with them and then I guess not too much on the boards after that.  The temps are supposed to go up to the mid forties this weekend which will be a welcome change from "6". David ordered a dumpster, he's been waiting until he had enough construction debris and so forth and he has stuff from the job he's doing so that will be an activity this weekend also. He starts his classes on Monday - he's a little nervous I think but also looking forward to it. I think it's pretty cool myself.

Getting A Move On

I am hard pressed to get moving this morning, I worked from 7 to 4 yesterday without a break and today is looking worse than that. I applied to a dialysis place online and there's another one I have my eye on.  So I'm just biding my time but not gracefully - when I was talking to the manager about this oncall she was "well, that's the way it's always been" which seems to be their standard answer for everything - one would think that considering their "senior" nurse has a big 8 months under her belt and the staff seems to quit constantly one might reconsider the way things have always been. If you kick the dog every day just because you always have, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. Anyhoo, the cold weather continues unabated, the snow has frozen which makes it hard to walk but really fun to watch the dog play "fetch" as she tends to sling right past whatever object has been thrown. She got her hips xrayed and they are "good" so in the event she ever goes into heat again and we're able to co-ordinate with the breeder we are good to go. They also did her nails while she was under which we appreciated until we read the bill and realized  they'd charged us $14 to do it. Hmm. We're supposedly expecting another snowstorm tomorrow but given the area if you make that prediction everyday you have a 50% chance of being correct all the way up to April. David starts his CNA classes in a couple of weeks so he's been busy scanning the manual and finishing up the job he's currently working on.  As for me, I just hope this day passes quickly