Our Redheaded Step Child

Meet Georgestein. This little guy showed up in our back yard about 2 months ago.

He had a collar on then,

with a little bell on it. So, he was either abandoned or somehow lost his way.

Either way, he became a fixture on our back porch eating right along side the numerous feral cats that I keep an eye on. We noticed he began limping about 2 weeks ago. We thought maybe he had gotten into a fight, or had been bitten by a dog, or something like that.


It happens, he's out side.

Well, last Saturday some neighborhood dogs got loose and were wandering the neighborhood. Georgestein decided to hike up the neighbors tree to get away from them. I did the Turkish rebel yell "kitty kitty kitty", which prompted him to come down and run to me. (He is very sweet and cuddly and loving you see, he WAS someones house cat) He ran to me and I immediately noticed that his sore paw was now dripping with blood. I called Beau to come look, and then I went to find the phone book, hoping to find some vet clinic open.

It's 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night, chances aren't good. But then, a glimmer of hope. On the outgoing message for the Perkins Vet Clinic is a message "If this is an emergency, call the OSU Vet Med teaching hospital". I called, we went.

3 hours later we brought the lucky little dude home. They didn't really do anything. I mean NOTHING!!! They looked, they gave us some pain meds and antibiotics and told us to follow up with our own vet. Follow up?? Follow up on what???

Well, now we know the Vet Emergency room in Stillwater is equally as shitty as the people Emergency Room in Stillwater.

The nurse and the vet were very nice ladies, and seemed to be genuinely concerned, but he didn't receive any treatment. The more time passes, and the more I get to thinking about it, the more pissed off I become. Anyway... I called and set up an appointment with The Cat Clinic of Stillwater. I have taken all of my cats to them. They are wonderful!!!

Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m. I kept the appointment and was greeted by Dr Peakhearts always caring smile. She took his vitals and we chatted a bit about his condition and the fact that he was never supposed to have been an outside cat. Anywhoo, I left him in her capable hands and went back to work.

Dr. Cowell (The owner of the clinic) along with Jacye (Who happens to be a friend as well as a nurse who has been working for the Cat Clinic for the last 10 years) put him under heavy sedation and took a good look at his wounds. Cleaned him up well, and took some cultures.

I went back to pick him up after work and talked to Dr. Cowell. She was concerned because the culture came back with nothing to report. I mean, NO bacteria, NO organisms. Nothing.

His tissues were not necrotic as they should be with a typical wound and there were no pathogens living in the wound at all. Organisms and bacteria are everywhere. Even a healthy sample shows SOME bacteria and organisms. Strange. She also had bandaged him up and wanted me to bring him back this morning the have the bandage changed. I took him in the morning and dropped him off, chatted with Jacye for a bit and headed to work with the plan to pick him up at lunch and take him home. About 10 minutes later after I got back to work, I get a call from the desk nurse. "We have a group of kids coming today at lunch, and Dr.Cowell wants to talk to you in person, can you pick him up later?" Ummmm sure. "How about 5:00?" ok...

So I am getting ready to head back to talk to the vet now, and hopefully I will be bringing the little guy home. He is a sick little kitty and I really want to see him thrive, and then find him a good home. Sooooooo.....anyone wanna kitty???

Not a harmless religion

http://www.xenu.net/


These people have to be stopped.

I lost it all

OK, so I will admit I don't know how this blog thingy works. I went to change my template, and all the customizations have vanished. No links, no blinkies, no counter....all of it "poof". *sigh* I suppose it isn't a big deal, since I don't have a huge reader base anyway.

Sonofamotherfuckingshitpisshell

So... I get home from work today. Feed the out door cats, change into my PJs, turn on oven to preheat for dinner, unload dishwasher, get chicken out of fridge and arrange on a sheet pan for baking, begin to load dishwasher... when I hear a loud, strange noise coming from the utility room. It sounds sort of like pouring cold water into a very hot pan. I run to investigate. Thinking it may be the furnace, I rush to turn the furnace off. No, still making the noise, and worse. Now I smell gas. It's the water heater. Literally, this is what is coming out of my mouth,

"Oh shit, oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck" as I am running around like a crazy person trying to figure out where the fucking emergency shut off is for the gas.

OK, I don't know how to shut it off, so, realizing that this is REALLY happening, and could turn out really badly, I started scooping up cats. I got Einstein and threw him in the car, then went after Figaro (who was none too happy about this) and I get him in the car too. I go after Cosmo, but she is not about to get near me, as she can see I am clearly not with it at the moment. She ran inot the bedroom, so I shut the bedroom door. OK, this won't help her if the house blows up, but she won't die of gas poisoning.

(In my head):
"Now what, now what?"
"OHHH... call 911." So I call 911.
"911. What is your emergency?"
"MY WATER HEATER JUST DID A WEIRD. IT'S LEAKING AND I SMELL GAS. I CANNOT FIND THE SHUT OFF AND I AM FREAKING OUT!"
"Are you the only one in the house?"
"YES, WELL NO, I MEAN I AM THE ONLY HUMAN."
"Ok, I am sending the fire department out to you ok? You need to get out of the house ok?"
"OK, OK. Yeah, I will get out of the house."

So I grab my purse, my keys and a jacket and go outside. I hear the sirens, they are getting closer. Then they pull in. I was impressed, less than 3 minutes. Anyway, they go in, shut off the gas and the water to the water heater and tell me that the water heater needs replacing.

So, at the moment we are without hot water, but think what could have happened had this occured while I was at work today.

Jesus fucking whipped garbanzo beans
It was a rush!!

9 Things that piss me right the *&%$ off and just wear me out

In no particular order.

1. People that apply for a job because they "Really need a job, because I have a family to feed and bills to pay..." and then don't fucking go to work when I find them a job.

2. People that bitch about money, but have a housekeeper and have their car professionally detailed once a week. Hey, Fuck you buddy, yeah, fuck you very much.

3. Asshats that park their cars sideways, taking up 3 spaces. Selfish inconsiderate pricks.

4. 2 hour parking at the DMV, the Walk in Clinic and the Social Security office. I mean really, we all know I will be here longer than that.

5. "Feed the Children" ads. Am I an uncaring biotch because I believe we should feed OUR children first????

6. People that abandon their pets when they are tired of them. These are the same people that have been raised, or are currently raising their children to be careless with what they have, as it can be replaced anyway right??

7. Hearing about Brittney Spears every 5 minutes, and calling it NEWS!!!

8. Onions on my Whopper, when I clearly asked for none.

9. Soy Milk. (What? Soy beans have tits now?)

*siiighhhh*

Better now, thanks!!

FYI...

So, I have been feeling pretty crappy the last couple of days, so I broke down and took a trip to the walk in clinic this morning. Turns out I have a mild case of bronchial pneumonia, and another sinus infection.

Will the joy never end?

OK OK OK, all that crap aside. My Halloween bash will be on the 21st this year. That gives us all about 3 weeks to pick our costumes. I still have no idea what I am going to do. I do this every year. I say "This year I am going to plan ahead!" then I usually pull something outta my ass at the last minute. LOL. Any ideas for a clueless Ville?

I need a vacation

For those of you that do not know what it is I do for a living. I am a Staffing Consultant for Express Personnel Services. One of 500+ branches worldwide. My job description has many components. One of them being, I put people to work. I try to find jobs for people that come to us for assistance. Most of the time, I really love what I do. But lately it seems as though no one wants to work. I mean, they say they want a job, so I get them a job. How do some of these asshats repay me? I'll tell you. By calling me at noon to say they had a flat tire on the way to work this morning. "Your shift started at 8 a.m. right? Then why are you calling me at noon?"

This wouldn't be so bad, except this is not the first time something similar has happened. Last time she did this, she asked "What should I do?" I said "Go to work, I don't care if your shift is over in 3 hours, GO TO WORK" Well, she didn't go to work. So this time, I just simply told her to not return to her assignment.

Everyday I wake up wondering, "What asshat is going to fuck up today. Which one of these irresponsible jerkwads is going to try to ruin my day today.?" And then they have the nerve to turn around and somehow blame it on me? Workers as well as Employers. Ass Q. Hat didn't go to work today, and it is somehow MY fault. I can't make them go to work! I can't drag their lazy asses out of bed and tug them by the ear to get to work.

I've always been a cynic, but this place is really beginning to magnify it.

I need a good strong drink and a vacation. Preferably not in that order.

I seriously want to organize a weekend trip to Vegas in the next few months. Just 3 or 4 days of forgetting about reality.

It would be fun if we all went together! Lets do it!!!!

Not how I thought my morning would go

I made a doctor's appointment this morning. I have had this bad ass little bastard cyst on my back for years. (Left side, near the shoulder.) Decades really. It has given me trouble twice before. It has been dormant for more than 10 years, until recently. Little bastard came back with a vengeance.

So, as I stated previously, I made a doctor's appointment. I got there a bit early, was taken in fairly quickly and Dr. English came in, in about 3 minutes. A record for any Dr. visit I have ever made. She looked at it and said "Oh my lord! What is it?" (You have to know Dr. English and her sense of humor.) She felt it, and looked at it for a second and said "We can't let this go any longer. I am going to go see if the procedure room is free." I said "Seriously? Now?" "Yep," she said "why wait?" and she was off.

Back in a minute or 2. "Lets go do this thing." *groan* "O-k"

In the procedure room, lying on my stomach, she starts in with the lidocaine shots. "SONNA OF A..!!!" Damn! I hate those freakin lido shots!!! She shoots the vile stuff all around and in the little bastard. *breathe breathe breathe*. My hands are sweating, my ears are ringing, I am in fact a tad nauseous at this point. She pokes at me a little bit. "Feel this?" ~"No"~ "How about this?" ~ "No" ~ "And thi..." ~"OW!!"~ "OK, more lidocaine"

There was so much pressure in the little bastard, that one of the shots actually backed up and shot lidocaine all over the room.

"Holy crap!" I said, and started busting up.

Finally I am numbed up. Dr. English starts cutting, and digging, and then... the tugging. This went on for a good 35 to 40 minutes. The little bastard had abscessed and was so big and divided, that she was unable to take it out in one piece. She put the biggest chunk in a little plastic jar, and the nurse showed it to me. Weird looking little bastard.

Finally Dr. English said, "OK, I'm done."

My whole body relaxed in one breath. I didn't realize how tense I had been until then. I had my arms crossed under my chin, and when I lifted my hands, they were drenched in sweat and wrinkled from being wet. My mascara had smudged all up over my eye and I was shaking like a leaf. I looked great!!! LOL. But it was done and I was ready to be done.

She gave me a script for an antibiotic and sent me on my way with some packing gauze and after care instructions. Because the little bastard was so big and abscessed, she could not suture me up. So, I have a big gaping wound on my back. Luckily my husband was a medic in the Army, so he can help me take care of it without getting all grossed out. I will be changing the outer dressing tonight, and will be changing the packing tomorrow morning. For now, I am feeling the numbness wearing off and am trying not to move that side of my body too much.

Meantime, the little chunk of the little bastard is in a jar, in my handbag. Smugly floating in there as though nothing happened. I can hear it laughing. Little bastard.

Getting better is making me sick

So, I started taking an injectable medication last Tuesday for my diabetes. It's not insulin, but rather a very new drug designed to slow the metabolism and even out glucose levels. I knew the risk of side effects when I started taking it. But, damn, it sucks. Sunday night, right after eating, I became violently ill. Uncontrollable vomiting and (to put it politely) gastrointestinal distress. I have been sick like a dog ever since.

I missed work on Monday and went home early yesterday. Now I am sitting here at work, still fighting back the nausea. I talked to my Dr. and she assured me that these are the typical side effects and shouldn't last more than a week. A week??? Good lord and butter. How am I supposed to get this diabetes under control if

1. I can't keep my other medications down?
2. I cannot eat anything for fear of losing it 2 minutes later?
3. I get dehydrated, because water isn't even staying with me?
   

So, getting better, is making me sick. What a drag.

OK, I'm finished complaining.

On a happy note, we got a new kitten. He is gray and white and as sweet as can be. He still has not told us what his name is yet, but these things take time sometimes. Right now I just all him Little Buddy. So, Gilligan has crossed my mind more than once. LOL Took him to the Cat Clinic on Monday afternoon, and he got a clean bill of health and got his shots and stuff. I will post a pic as soon as I get one.

Feeling hot, hot, hot...

Some of my fellow bloggers have been commenting on the heat lately. And, as the A/C in my place of employment has been down all day, I thought I would say a few words myself.

I hate the heat. It sux. I hate sweating. It's 88 in our office right now, and only fixing to get hotter. I'm not happy and I want to cut off all of my hair and dunk my entire head in the sink. How did the pioneers do it??

OK, that's my rant for the week.

More medical crapiola

I have yet another follow up on my toes today. They are healing but very VERY slowly. I was thinking about them last night. I am so used to caring for them and being conscious of them, that I don't know if I will ever be normal again. I mean, am I going to roll up my pants leg to get me feet in for the rest of my life? When walking about barefoot, will I always attempt to point my big toes skyward? Will I always be acutely aware of how close someone is standing in proximity to my feet? I don't know, but it sure is getting old.

On another note, I am meeting with a Diabetic Educator this afternoon. I am looking forward to this as I have no idea what I am doing. As far as my diet is concerned, all I know to do is to cut out the obvious. Sugar, pasta, white bread etc... But other than that I am floundering. It's a good thing I like salad. Right now I am enjoying a breakfast bowl from Carl's Jr. that Lashell was good enough to get for me. It's like a breakfast sandwich without the bread. Don't get me wrong, it's good, but, it's no sammich. *sigh*.

But, I digress, it could be much worse. While diabetes is a life-long disease, it is also a controllable one and I will live a long, happy life with a few modifications and some meds. I seriously need to get off my big, fat, white ass and do some exercise. I really want to start walking, but I cannot get into my walking shoes with my damned toes like this. I know it sounds like an excuse, but my feet get really sore and tired if I try to walk in these sandals I have been wearing. Bleh... I need to stop complaining!!

I knew I was sweet, but this is ridiculous

Last weekend was an adventure. Saturday morning our sewer was backed up AGAIN, so we decided to try our new drain bladder. It is a device that you hook up to your garden hose and shove down into the main sewer line. It fills up with water, and then lets the water go in a huge burst. This is to get the clog unstuck. It will do this over and over until the clog has been completely swooshed away with the force of the water.

So anyway, Beau hooked the damn thing up and shoved it in the line and just let it go. He went off to work and I monitored the progress. I pulled the thing back out and was puzzled because it didn't seem to be working, so I tried just filling it up outside of the main. Hmmm...it's not filling. Must be a defective bladder. (I know how funny that sounds.) So, I pack the thing up and through some miracle I find the receipt, and decide to take it back to Lowes.

OK. New bladder in hand, I hook it up and stick it down the hole. (Why I didn't test it first is beyond me.) About an hour and a half to 2 hours go by. It is a beautiful day, I decide to open all the windows in the house. I go into the office to open that window, and discover that the carpet is soaking wet, from the back wall and in a good 5 feet or so. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!! I run outside, pull the thingy from the main again, and discover the problem. The bladder would have worked just fine if the hose had been spewing water out of it, instead of backing up into my house!!!!!!!!

WOW. One problem escalated into 2 problems. Crapiola! Well, I called the Home Warranty company and of course, no one is available until Monday. In the meantime, I think to myself, hopefully we can at least hook the bladder up to one of the other 2 faucets outside. But the hose is too short. I need to get groceries anyway, so off to the Evil Wal*Mart faction I go. Hooked up the thingy to a different faucet and shoved it back in the hole. At least this time it was working properly. Still didn't resolve the plumbing issue, but it was filling up. Beau finally came home in the afternoon, and being as we had no sewer system, we decided that it was necessary to vacate.

We ended up in Tulsa at an extended stay hotel. You know the kind that have little kitchens in them so you aren't spending a bunch of money on eating out. We came back to Stillwater on Monday and had a plumber out to fix the sewer problem (FOR NOW). Apparently, we have broken pipes. We have time before we have to get them fixed, but it will cost around $2000.00.

*sigh*

I had a pre-existing Dr's appointment on Monday as well. A follow up appointment for my toes. The Dr. looked at them and could see that they are not healing right. He asked me if I was a diabetic, I replied, "Not that I know of." So he decided to do a blood sugar test. Low and behold, I popped 297. Normal levels are somewhere between 70 and 90. So he says to me, "There's your problem, dear. You're an undiagnosed diabetic!"

I knew it, I just knew it, but I needed the kick in the ass he gave me to face it and finally do something about it. An appointment was made for me to see Dr. English, a family practionioner here in Stillwater, the following Thursday. She confirmed what I already knew. So, now I am on diabetic meds and testing my blood sugar twice a day.

So it's official. I am a diabetic. But the sewer is running fine.

OK, Seriously...

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I had made an appointment to see a podiatrist for my weird ass toenails. I have been suffering from ingrown toenails on my big toes for several years. The left one had gotten so bad that I decided it was time to have some medical intervention. The appointment wasn't until 1:45, so I went to work as usual. Nothing remarkable about the work day really. I was nervous about the appointment, as I was fairly certain the doctor would opt to remove the offending nail, and possibly both of them.

Sometime around 10:00 a.m. or so, a lady walks into my office with a vase of flowers and a purple teddy bear. In my head I'm thinking "Huh? It's not Valentines day, and besides, Beau wouldn't do something like that." (Although I wish he would, if you are reading this honey, hint hint... ;) )

Anyway, she hands me the gifts and I read the card. "Good luck. You will be fine. We love you. Signed Your Duck family"

Awww, how sweet. They are from my co-workers. The duck thing is an inside joke. Long story, I may tell you later. Anyway, it was such a sweet gesture and I am touched.

Lashell, Megan and I order a big order of fried rice and eggrolls from a local Chinese restaurant (man, that was good), and soon after it is time to leave for the appointment. Lashell follows me home to drop off my car, and we go to the Doc.

After filling out all the friggin paper work, I am led into the exam room. Doc comes in and chats with me a bit, poking at my toes with a metal, pointy sharp weird.

"Does this hurt?"
"Uhhh, YEAH!"
"Is this tender?"
"Meh, not so much."
"I would stick this under your nail, but you probably wouldn't like me if I did."
My response: "Doc, I'm not sure I like you yet anyway."

The nurses roar with laughter. I was proud. Hehehe. The exam is complete. Not ingrown toenails after all, but some nasty syndrome called Subungual Exostosis. Apparently this happens to people in their 60s most commonly. Leave it to me to be before my time. I've always been a trend setter. *sigh*

Treatment? Yes, both toenails must be removed. I won't go into the procedure too much, as I kinda wanna puke when I think about it, but I will tell you that getting several shots of Lidocaine in your toes, is THE MOST PAINFUL THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!

After the first shot, the nurses looked at my face and one of them asked. "Do you want your bear?" Choking back tears and in a feeble whiny voice I hear myself say "Yeah, I think I do." The nurse hands me the bear, and I proceed to choke the hell outta this poor little thing. Silly as it may seem, I was so glad to have that bear. I closed my eyes and squeezed my little buddy and tried not to start bawling like a baby.

OK, OK, OK. Breathe, breathe breathe. Shots are done. Right toe is not going as numb as I would like, so one more shot. It's ok though, because it's mostly numb already and I hardly feel the needle.

After the nails are removed, the doc makes a small incision at the tip of my toes, to get to the spur underneath. This is where I almost puked. No pain or anything, but the sound of him scraping at the bone to get it reduced in size was almost enough to send me over the top. Once again the purple bear gets what's coming to him. Anyway. I'm bandaged up and sent on my merry way.

After this extremely stressful past hour, I'm dying for a cigarette, so I called work to let them know I was done and Megan could come get me, then I slipped outside to light up a smoke. Nothing remarkable about that. I watch as Megan turns into the parking lot where I am waiting. As she sees me I see her head go back in a fit of laughter. I catch a glimpse of myself in the windows of the clinic. Long black velvet peasant skirt, bright red shirt, tan medical sox, blue surgical booties and holding a purple teddy bear. I busted up laughing too. I seriously looked like a retard. And then I start walking, well shuffling, towards the car. Megan busts up again. I must have been a site. It still makes me laugh.

Megan took me to the drug store to fill my scripts and then she took me home, settled me on the couch and left me to my TV and healing process.

So I am stuck at home today, too. Suckiest part, I can't even do housework or anything. Just stuck with the tube, the computer, and maybe read a good book. Not too bad really, but I am not a sedentary person. I like doing "stuff".

Anyway, that was my interesting day. I'm hobbling back to the couch now. Hendrix, the purple teddy sits beside me.

Eh...it's a paycheck

Well, the temp agency got me another gig. Cleaning up fire damage. Sheesh. Let's talk about over-qualified again, shall we?? But, like the title says, it's a paycheck. It is only for the rest of this week though, but at least I will get money 2 weeks in a row. Hopefully they can keep this up. Even if it is just a week at a time, we need the $$. FUCK, I hate this shit. Money is such bullshit. Housing, health care and food should be free, or at least far less expensive than it is. *sigh* Oklahoma is slated to get a lottery this fall, maybe I will get lucky! Oh well. Off to work. A little something to amuse you.

What are the two dirtiest words in the English language??

OVER QUALIFIED!!!!!!

What the fuck does that REALLY mean anyway????? Well, I found out today that I am not going back to work on Monday. The temp agency told me that they called and told them "She is really great, and we are impressed, but it just isn't a good fit. We can't give her enough work to keep her busy..." Blah blah blahdee fuckin blah. I'm over-qualified. Jebuz Crast, I just want a job. I don't care that I am just a grunt working, phone answering, do all the crap that no one else wants to do girl. I just need a fucking job. Either that or I need to be in some rich person's will. LOL (no offense whatsoever to anyone who is), and you know who you are. LOLOL. Well, back the the pavement I guess. Cripes, now I really may have to flip burgers somewhere. I love Stillwater. I love the atmosphere, and the surroundings, and of course I am positively thrilled that I live near my friends again, but right now, this fucking town can bite me.

From cold pizza to cold chicken

About 10 years ago, or so, I was eating a slice of cold pizza, when one of my teeth cracked and broke clean in two. I immediately went to a dentist and had it "fixed" with a temporary crown. The crown fell out a few years later, which left me with half a tooth. It never bothered me so I let it go. Well, Tuesday afternoon I was eating some cold chicken for lunch at work, when I felt the remaining half of this tooth begin to come loose. I was unsure as to what I should do. We are to close on our new house in less than 2 weeks and are trying to sock away every penny. After about 2 hours of deliberation, I realized that I would have to go have something done.

So I made an appointment for Wednesday at 2:20. I got to the dentists office around 2:00 ( I am a chronic early bird) and much to my delight, they were able to take me in right away. After the obligatory X-Rays and a brief exam, I met the dentist. Dr. Haun. He is probably around 30 years of age, fairly good looking in that dorky Harry Potter sort of way, and then he opens his mouth. He's a Flamin' Mo! LOLOL. Lord, its like there is an unwritten law, if there's a homo within 20 miles, send em to me! Anyway, his sexual orientation notwithstanding, he was a really great dentist. He was quick and thorough and the offending tooth removed within 20 minutes of my arrival. One more hole in my head. *sigh* So now, it's the next day, and after a painful night, I am doing much better, There is still a bit of tenderness, but it is actually healing really well and rather quickly.

What a day

Man. When I woke up this morning, it was 60 degrees in my house. I was like "Wha?" I have the thermostat set at 68. So of course I checked to make sure the heater was on. It was. "Oh shit!" I ran down to the furnace and sure as shit, the fires were out. First thought "I paid the bill right? Yeah, I know I paid the bill. Did I pay the bill??! Of course i paid the bill." Yes, I had indeed paid the bill. At first glance, I thought that the water heater pilot was out as well. So I called the gas company. I ran the water in the kitchen sink, hot water VERY hot water. Hmmm... OK.

Back down to the basement, water heater pilot is fine and is now running. Gas man shows up like 2 minutes after I called. He checked the furnace, and said that the pilot wasn't working right and that something called a thermocoupling needed to be replaced. OK....called a heating and cooling place. Line was busy, so I called a different one. No problem, "Someone will be over today." About 10 or 15 minutes later, they arrive. Pilot needed cleaning, and thermocoupling was replaced. $70.00 Not as bad as I thought it would be. One of the guys "Daniel" asks "Are you just moving in? Or are you selling your house." Odd question, or maybe he is just trying to make small talk. I said "We are selling." So I told him the story, with the 8x10 color glossy photographs with the pictures and the arrows on the back of each one explaining what each one is to be used as evidence against us.

Anyway, I asked "Do you know someone who wants to buy a house?" He says, "My wife and I are currently looking." "Oh really. Well, do you want a tour?" "Sure!" he says. So I gave the 5 cent tour. He seemed really enthusiastic and kept making comments on how 'he really likes this, or how great that is'. Then he asked if he could have a flyer. I of course obliged. So I don't know if anything will come of it, but it was encouraging nonetheless. I took my shower and began to get ready for work. Puttered around a bit, made the bed loaded and started the dishwasher.

Now it was time to start the car, so it can warm up for the drive to work. I get in and put in the key. 'Click' "Oh no" 'Click" "Shit!" 'Click" "SUNNOFAFUCKINGBITCH!"

Called Beau. He didn't know what I should do either. So I pulled all the fuses from under the hood. Looked at them, and put them back. One more try, just because. Turn the key. Vroom!! A miracle! It started.

OK...off to work. It's snowing like hell, turn on the wipers. The wipers work, but no contact withe the windsheild on the drivers side. Pull over, futz with the blade. Wipe off the windsheild. Back on the road. Still no contact. Go about a mile. Pull over again. Futz, wipe, drive. Damnit!! OK....one more try. Pull over, futz, wipe, drive. OK.....seems to be better. Finally get to work almost 10 minutes late. I had started my car at 12:08. It takes 12 minutes to get to work. I was due to start at 1:00. You do the math.

OK...get to work. Help to put together a display. Snowing REALLY hard now. Get a call from corporate offices. "Go home at 4." Due to the snow. OK....start the car at 3:45 to warm up for the drive home. 4:06 leave the store. Wipers are still OK. Whew. But roads are totally untreated. Scary, hairy, nervewracking drive home. Arrive home at 4:57.

The point of this little story?? I should have stayed in bed!!!

The Axe Falleth

Well, I went into work yesterday after having been gone Monday and Tuesday due to what I can only describe to you as a severe cold (still sick as a dog I might add), and much to my surprise, The LongBob fired me. I cannot express to you my shock!! I couldn't even say a word. I just stared at him blankly for a few seconds and then proceeded to pack up my stuff. I never in a million saw this coming. I know he did this because I had already told him I was quitting. My 2 day absence was just his perfect excuse.

He said "When you aren't here, Nicole has to pick up your slack." He said more but to be honest with you, I don't remember what he said as I was locked into some strange surreal world at the time. I am still in shock I think, but it is beginning to wear off.

Beau pointed out yesterday, "How stupid, if Nicole has to work harder because you aren't there, how much harder will she have to work now?" Good point. I can assure you though, that Nicole had nothing to do with this. Its his M.O. He wants me to think that Nicole complained. He won't come right out and say that, because it isn't true, but he wanted to insinuate this nonetheless. Makes it easier on him to think it was someone else's problem, not that he is just a 2 faced invertebrate.

Here are the real reasons he fired me:

1. I'm quitting anyway and he thinks people that quit are somehow betraying him. (I have known him long enough to know this to be true)
2. Even if I wasn't leaving, he know I am planning on getting pregnant. Something he sees as a bother.
3. Quarterly bonuses are due, and why give a bonus to someone who is leaving.

Those are the big 3. I don't want any of you thinking I am making any of this up. I will be the first one to 'fess up when I fuck up. I am not saying I was perfect, we all make mistakes. But I never gave him good reason to let me go. I have been there for almost 4 years. I have seen what he does to his employees when he percieves them as a threat or a traitor. I have heard the things he says behind the backs of others. He will tell outright lies to co-workers in an attempt to make some poor unsuspecting person look like a common idiot, or to insinuate laziness, or even attempt to convince another person that they have been "wronged" in some way. Its craziness!!

You have all probably known someone like this in your life. As easy going and nice as can be when you are in the room, and then slams you to others as soon as you turn your back. All I have ever asked of him is that he come to ME if he has a problem with something I am doing. But he refuses. He tells others in the office, hoping they will say something to me. He has done the same to me, telling me about how so and so needs to shape up, or whatever. But never telling so and so anything. How are we supposed to know how to better ourselves if we don't know we are making mistakes???? Its sooooooo fucking stupid!!! He knows I have house payments, bills etc... But no compassion. How does he sleep at night?

So, I'm freaking out a little bit. My pendulum swinging sharply between relief and anxiety. It's no secret I wanted out of there. But I wanted that decision to be on my terms. I guess he couldn't handle that either. I have applied for unemployment. I did that first thing, but that takes like 4 weeks to kick in. But, as I am going through my bills and shit, it will be tight, but we will be ok. My final check from ACME goes through tomorrow, as well as Beaus check. We still have a little bit in savings, and I just got off the phone with Beau who informed me that he got Senior Agent of the Month for February, and that comes with a bonus.

We are quitting smoking soon, which will save us quite a bit per month, and I am not driving 66 miles a day, which will save in gas ($1.72 per gallon here now!). By the end of four weeks I will either be drawing unemployment, or I will once again have a paycheck. Right now I have to get over this bad nasty head cold. So I am planning on getting as much rest as I can and doing some stuff around the house that I have not had time for. So don't worry, we will be fine. I just wanted to let y'all know what was happening.

Terrorism and my own backyard

For most of us, I imagine, we don't really think about terrorist threats in relation to our own personal lives. As for myself I watch the news and hear about threats against senators and post offices. While these are causes for slight concern, I usually never think twice about them. I bring this up because when I came into work this morning, I was informed that our office received a "suspicious" piece of mail. (I was not in the office due to heavy snow.)

Anyway, the boss got this envelope, which was addressed only to ACME Brick, at this address. No return address on the envelope. Which isn't that unusual, but Bob (thats the boss) just happened to hold it up to the light, just to see if it was something worth opening, or whatever. Through the envelope the only word he could see, in bold letters was ANTHRAX. Apparently he could also make out "Nation of Islam" through the back of the envelope. He immediately called the police, who in turn contacted hazmat. Before long the place was swarming with cops, firemen and various other forms of hazmat crew. The envelope was placed into a plastic bag and taken to a testing facility.

As far as I know, we do not have any results back confirming or denying the presence of any Anthrax. The FBI are supposed to come in today and question all of us to find out if we know of anyone that could possibly want to do us harm. I cannot think of a soul. We do have a few Middle Eastern customers, so of course these are the names that are flying around the office. This in itself really pisses me off. So I reminded a few of them about all the innocent Japanese families that were put into concentration camps during WW2, only for the simple fact that they were Japanese.

Don't get me wrong, I of course take this very seriously, but we are in the middle of a war with a country that was attacked by a president that made the same reactionary assumption. If they are Middle Eastern, they are terrorists. We have terrorism right here in this country that he ignores every day. In the form of street gangs and so called legal organizations like the KKK.

Anyway I am off the subject. What really kinda scares me, is that if I had been here, I would have gotten the mail (like I always do ) and I probably would have just ripped it open. I can tell you that from now on I will be a bit more cautious about that.

Working stiffly

For the most part I really like my job, but recently it has come to light what a 2 faced, spineless, underhanded (did I mention 2-faced) liar my boss is. One of those that will smile and joke with you to your face, and then make snide back biting comments to others about you. He simply doesn't want to take responsibility for the things he knows he has f'd up. So instead he finds some way to blame it on me. Stupid thing is, he is making these remarks to Nicole, who is my best work buddy. I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say that she and I are both fed up with this childish high school behavior, and I have a feeling this will come to a showdown.

Of course, he will deny he ever said the things he has said. Its ridiculous!! He is 56 friggin years old and he is acting like a 16 year old school girl. The hardest part about this is that I have been here for almost 4 years and I never saw it before. Maybe he is going through andropause, or maybe I just didn't want to see it before. Either way, it is intolerable and I find it increasingly difficult to work for him. I used to have a great deal of respect for this man. But lately, I lose a little more respect for him every day. That's the worst part I think. That and the fact that he will not face me directly with these accusations of his. He will tell Nicole about all these things that he thinks I am doing wrong, or not doing, or whatever, yet when faced with me directly he doesn't say a word about them. It's positively insufferable. Besides the fact that the things he is "accusing" me of, are not rue and he is only trying to cover his ass.

Like this for example: I have been in charge of our collections for the most part, which means there are certain legal actions I can take to collect money. Like filing property liens. There are a few accounts with big money on them that are way out there in the past due mark. Accounts that months ago he specifically told me that he would take care of and NOT file liens on.

Suddenly now, HIS BOSS wants to know why these are not taken care of, and why there were no liens filed. Rather than own up to the fact that he told me not to, he has decided rather to talk shit about how I should have filed these liens and its MY fault he is getting his ass chewed. He has a very selective memory. I have brought these accounts to his attention on more than one occasion only to hear, "I'll take care of this one" or some other bullshit. Just last week I brought one up to him again, guess what he said?? "Oh well, I have spoken to so and so, and then to so and so, and then you know, I just forget to follow up. I'll take care of it." OH!!! So you FORGOT!!?? How the hell is that my fault you fucking 2-faced spineless prick! I think I know what the real crux of the problem is though.

I think he is intimidated by me. He knows I have a stronger personality, he knows I am more intelligent, and he knows I won't take any shit. So he would rather try to make me look bad than own up to the fact that I ( who was born without a penis) could possibly have a more Alpha personality than he does. Fucking good old boy's club.

Now that Beau is at his own office and seems to be doing really well, maybe I can really seriously look for another job. Something closer to home.I will keep you posted on that.For now, I have to get back to work for the prick head.