ergo

The calendar I made to keep track of things to do...well, it's up there, and seems to be mocking me! Many items for this past week did not get done, and ergo are not crossed off the calendar, and ergo not completed in the house.

But on a much happier note: the hospital where I work is trying desperately to save lots of money. So, March 31 starts a week off for the schools for Spring Break. My department manager gave too many people the week off, ergo, not many patient spots are available, ergo not many office and support people are needed. So, the office manager sent out an email to all of the aforementioned office/support staff saying they were taking "volunteers" for people wanting days off that week. If we take the "low census" time off, we can opt to use vacation time to still get paid, or not. Either way, we still accrue vacation and benefits as if we were at work!

Now, there is 1 woman at my work in the office/support category, who has no vacation time available because she takes most Mondays off and oh, has this to do and needs 2 hours (which is always 3) to get it done...or that to do...always something! This means she will not "volunteer" for the days off.
If we don't "volunteer" to take time off, we will be assigned days off. Meaning, they make a list, by seniority, and low man gets 1st day, then 2nd and so on. Now, I have big party to get ready for, and although a day off in the middle of the week sounds great, I really had to think this through. I am the most senior person in office/support staff.

So...to force the slacker to show up for work, I did indeed "volunteer." C is taking Monday off and she doesn't work Fridays ever. L doesn't have any vacation time since she's been out sick alot just 1 day at a time (so she didn't get to use "sick time". You have to use 16 hours of vacation to get into "sick" bank, and she is 1 day here and 1 day there...). CH is the complete slacker! She has nothing! So to make sure she has to come to work, I took the entire week off!

Now, 2 weeks before the big party, I will have 9 consecutive days off!! Ergo carpet cleaning, window washing (inside & out!) and thorough dusting will get done. This is a great deal!
AND...I had already taken off the Th/Fri before and the Mon/Tue around the Big Party weekend! Ergo this next month I will have almost 2 weeks off work!! I will get paid for all of it.

In my last post the napkin bands were "ordered"....well, not exactly. I would have to buy 10,000 for $13.00, and no matter how I think that is a deal, I can't imagine what I would do with the other 9,875 bands! Might have to rethink it. I did find a website where I can buy 2500 for $25, and I can justify that...kinda. Still not sure how I might tackle this...ergo, more thought required!

managing costs

I am planning a huge party...and it's consuming me. A huge party for 120 people is a large endeavour. Besides cooking for all of those people, there are the little items that make it a special occasion. This can be a serious drain on an already tight budget.

Luckily we have a theme, and although "Americana" isn't my forte, I am able to plan for anything. Our son has earned the rank of Eagle Scout! Only 1 in 100 boys who enter scouting make the rank of Eagle, so this is a huge deal! We told spouse's mother that the more the merrier for this party and so she called family and invited them - told them it would mean the world to her son (spouse) if they came to celebrate the Eagle Scout. They all listen to Mom. And apparently they all need a spring time trip!

Family that we haven't seen in almost 20 years are coming, and friends who we see regularly are coming too. We have people coming from Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Idaho, Illinois, California and Washington. It's gonna be a great weekend, for as well as the Eagle Scout Court of Honor with dinner, it's also our son's birthday the day before the ceremony! So this is one really lucky kid to get to have all this family here for his birthday party too!

Back to the details. Flowers: I have a hook up at one of the flower fields locally, who will get the white tulips I need, so I can check that off the list. Centerpieces: dollar store clear vases with previously mentioned tulips...check. (And in them, a thin wooded dowel with an emblem attached). Cake: ordered, check. Napkins/forks/knives/spoons: these are from Costco cause the cost is so low. But to find those little paper bands that go around the assembly of napkin/fork/knife/spoon has proven to be much more challenging. But a good tip from the very pregnant woman at Michael's was the restaurant supply store in town! They are now on order - check! Table cloths: red plastic runner from Party City with 1/2 width strip of blue running down center...then blue placemats (that my sister bought so I have to use them) and we are good for tables. The runner is $20 for 33 tables...not too bad! Sis also sent plates for cake and napkins with the emblem and a paper table cover so we will use that for the cake & table...check!

The food is challenging too. I am making lasagna...starting today. So there will be much cooking over the next month. Once I assemble a pan, they are going straight into the freezer in the garage. On the day of the party, they will go into the ovens at 1pm, so dinner will be ready at 6pm. Lasasgna on 200 degrees F will thaw and melt it all together after 5 hours, and they don't need to be babysat. Salad and dressings and bread will be bought the day before, so I am set.
BUT, I need to make at least 1 pan of lassagna vegetarian for my friends that don't consume meat. No problem, except finding a colored aluminum pan to make sure there isn't any confusion when serving...perhaps Target...

With just 5 weekends until people arrive, I have made a huge calendar on newsprint and hung it in the kitchen. All the cleaning details, the cooking, shopping items and arrivals and departures that I need to coordinate are marked on the calendar. The newspaper came in a shipped box - as filler paper. There were 8 sheets in the box, not crumpled, or even smooshed around the mailed item...just laid atop the item. What a stupid attempt to protect the item. But...it worked out for me since I love to recycle. I used all 8 sheets (four for March and four for April) so the backer sheets will protect the kitchen wall from bleed throught when we use a Sharpie marker to line through a completed item, or enter a new item!

So after lunch, and Costco, and many stops, I am beat. I think it's nap time, then off to grocery store to get 2 lassagna pans. Spouse & I are going to make 2 pans tonight together, since child is gone for weekend. Right now, spouse is enthralled in a 12 hour car race...sebring, florida. He is in heaven. After running errands with me, and keeping me grounded on costs, he is blissful listening to the hum and whine of the porsche, audi and ford gt. Everyone's heaven is vastly different!

trying out

my girlfriend's daughter is terribly shy. but yesterday, she mustered her courage and decided to try out for the children's theater. each year this particular troop goes to local elementary schools, has a plan, and lets kids try out for the play, then they put the play on for the whole school.
my friend's daughter wasn't chosen. she was heartbroken, to say the least. and no matter how you frost it, rejection sucks. you can say how proud you are that they tried out, and that you are sure they did their best, but not being chosen is tough.

when i was a girl, rejection was common place. it was long before the days of everyone making the team because "we don't want to scar anyone's self esteem." you tried out, and if you made the team, you celebrated. if you didn't, you went home, cried for a bit, or took it out on your little sister calling her a brat or something! but you still had to go to school the next day. you did not get " a day to recover."

trying out and not making it is all a part of life. we try out for everything. my son is preparing to apply to colleges. spouse is thinking about trying to find a new job. actually he's been thinking about it for the past 19 years...the same number of years he's worked at the hell hole (his words, not mine). i am trying out as well. today i decided to really try to find another job. i read the want ads in the online newspaper (online because i don't believe in newspapers for obvious environmental reasons). it is my hope to leave my own version of unhappiness.

today i finally realized that things will never change at my clinic. the office manager will be there forever, no matter how unskilled and unprofessional she is. the previously mentioned pink elephant (aka director) will continue to drink to excess, and her much older "sugar daddy" (also an alcoholic) will be returning from the southwest this week. he winters in the warmth because he can't take the rainy winters here. but the pink elephant cannot change because she doesn't think she has a problem. as far as managing a staff of 20, she is one of the least effective managers i have every worked for. office person number 1 is a drunk (and best friend of the pink elephant), #2 pretends to be an ultra-christian, yet still holds onto her previous life as a resident of either soddom or gomorrah. she spends the days when she actually shows up, on the internet or eating. two people i work with are capable and great employees, but we 3 are constantly having to cover or fix or troubleshoot. the clinical staff is understaffed, grumpy and under appreciated. they have sent a letter of no confidence to the ceo - their form of mutiny. but they are collectively arrogant, spoiled and much to full of themselves.

so without talking to spouse (he is still sick) i came to the decision to put myself out there once more. looking for a new job is tough. i have been at the company now for 9 years. i find myself almost grieving about the loss of this relationship...wondering if this is how i will feel if spouse ever leaves me or divorces me or dies. there is sadness. there is relief. there is fear. i plan to stay put until i am completely sure i have made the new team. but quite soon i will try out again. ugh.

1 hour and 10 minutes lost

What a Monday. Yes, a statement, not a question. Although, as I digest the day's events, perhaps I should question Monday!

Remember this past weekend turned the clocks ahead 1 hour...so time lost. Gone. Poof! My day today started 10 minutes later than it should have. Apparently 10 minutes shouldn't be a big deal, but since I missed them this morning, I think the cosmic ribbon of energy was upset...read on...

Snorin, the spouse, didn't go to work today. The headache he was complaining about yesterday was still lurking this morning at 0445, so he just turned off his alarm and rolled over back into the folds of warmth and security under the down comforter. Now, I set my alarm for 0555. Usually, Snorin gets up, does his back stretching program, showers, dresses and complains about having to go to work at that "Hell Hole" and off he goes at 0540. I actually get out of bed at 0520, grab his clothes for work and lay them on the bed. Then I make his lunch, and put it in the lunch box. Now, if it's really cold or frosted outside, I bundle up and go outside and start his truck to ease the transition from warm house to cold truck. It also saves him a couple of minutes scraping the windows. (Here is the part of the blog when I accept the award Outstanding Performance by a Wife In A Drama or Comedy and thank the academy!) Once Snorin is out the door, I lock the door and dash back to the lingering warmth under the comforter...only to have my radio/alarm click into action. The DJs banter nudges me out of bed at 0600, sometimes 0605 or 0606...

Today, I woke up to the sound of Cool and the Gang shrieking "Celebrate." Now, this song is not a favorite, but it cannot be confused with DJ banter. And the music on this station starts after the news is complete at 0610...uh oh!

I am amazingly well tuned to shower, shampoo & shine, and left just 5 minutes after the usual schedule. Now, the son used my car and the gas light was on when I fired up the car...hmmm (note to self: charge kid double what I put in tank!). I put a mere $10 into the tank (not even 3 gallons, but enough to get to work!) and off I went. I made it to work ontime (no thanks to the idiot driver in front of me) and clocked in ontime! There was a message on machine at work...1 of 2 front office gals sounds as if she is underwater with head cold...she won't be in. I reset the message machine, and the phone rings. The 2nd of the 2 front office gals...who is out 3 of 4 Mondays every month..."has caught a virus" and won't be in. Miraculously she has survived these mysterious plagues every Monday and returned to work the next day every time. She has had "pink eye" 8 times in less than 1 year. The last time she had it, she came in the next day with new hair color, and full makeup...including mascara. Now, the office manager doesn't wear makeup, so doesn't know that you aren't to wear mascara less than 24 hours after being diagnoses with congunctivitus. Oh well.

So, all of the office people are out. And we are just to 0703! The Office Manager never stays late to cover any shifts, never comes in early and never, ever offers to work on her day off, even if we are down to 1 person out of 6 person office. And today was no different. Immediately upon learning about the missing employees, she asked the other staff who would be staying to cover and how their schedule needed to be adjusted to cover the closing. I usually get off work at 1445, but she thought that I should stay until after I check in the last new patient at 1715-ish. (that's 5:15pm), Now, the OM's regular leaving time is 1630, so her staying would mean maybe 45 minutes later, not the 2 1/2 hours for me. When I mentioned that since her child wasn't in school today (yep, the 4th grader was suspended from school again for fighting, but that is a complete blog in itself!) and she didn't need to rush home, she replied, "Well, I never know what could be going on, so I can't commit to staying late!" Her husband (5 time drunk driver, coke head, unemployed all around bum) was watching the little "angel" (her words, not mine) while he was on school suspension...which means the dad stayed in bed, and the kid played video games (my words). He's learning a good lesson there, huh? The lady who wound up covering, wound up going home for 2 hours in middle of the day, so stay 2 hours after her shift and close the clinic.

Coupled with unbearable phones, busy office and the fact that my own job tasks still need to be completed every day, the fact that I don't work in the front office very often, and on & on & on...this was a horrible day. I left 1 hour late anyway. The office manager went to some obscure meeting on another campus of the hospital for 2 hours, for something that could have been handeled over the phone, then came back and immediately went to 1 hour lunch. That left 2 employees to run the entire medical clinic - with one (me) who has not worked up front in years! I know what to do, but since I don't do it often enough, it's a bit rusty! No mistakes though...I am proud!

Oh, yeah! The one who always calls in sick on Mondays...we found patient paperwork not completed and no patient charts made up for patients coming in for appointments today, tomorrow and next week. The OM said, "I will go over this with her tomorrow."as she perused the chunk of paperwork. The Director was less than pleased. Since this worker has a history of "hoarding" and incomplete work, the Director was pretty upset that it was still an issue. There were many accounts not set up and a big clump of paperwork all mixed up with other documents and other patient documents...rats nest! So when she recovers and returns by tomorrow, I hope to see serious sparks!

So tonight I bid a hasty farewell to Monday. But don't get me wrong...I blame those lost 10 minutes for messing up my karma today. I want my 1 hour and 10 minutes back please.

designed by the devil?

I had a completely different topic picked out to blog about tonight, but this issue is currently more urgent...my thong is being completely inappropriate!

Why is it that I have purchased 12 pair of exactly the same thong. I started with one and it fit great, it looked great, and was an extrordinary amazing low price that I thought, "Oh, what the heck!"

When a woman finds something that fits, looks great and is affordable, you can bet she will buy at least one of every color available! I know I do! And in this case, I know I did!

So, 12 thongs later, I have to complain about this one pair. Now, every pair I bought was exactly the same size, same exact style, cut, fabric, and although different colors, they are identical. They are all made by the same very reputable retailer, and believe it or not, they are made in the USA. This one, thought, seems to have another agenda!

I could say it rubs me the wrong way, but that isn't the half of it! This one, and it has so little material that "pair" doesn't warrant use, as when speaking of traditional underwear, this one offends. For some inexplicable reason, this pair searches my body for crevices and chasms that are never approached by the others of its ilk. What is it about the melon colored one?

I have thought about this long and hard. I love the color. Melon goes well with my coloring. The cut is exactly the same as every other of the clan of thongs. Believe me when I say that I have matched them up to each other and they are all exactly the same. Secretly I keep hoping that more fabric softener will beat it into submission, so this next wash 5 dryer sheets!

Here's the worst part. Every time I put them on, I know I am going to be accosted by this particular undergarment, and yet I still put it on. Now, I am sure Freud would have some amazing thoughts on this having to do with my lack of nurturing or issues with my grade 6 teacher. I would have to interrupt the good doctor and assure him it had nothing to do with any of those reasons.

Here's why I do not turn it into a cleaning rag: 1) there isn't enough material to actually do any real cleaning; and 2) I feel that if I stop using them for their intended purpose, they will have won! (Again Freud is shaking his head!).

How can one inanimate object have such power? Perhaps the saleslady put the sales tag though just the right part of the elastic to alter the physics that make this item work it's magic. Perhaps it was vexed by a Voodoo priestess.

Perhaps the devil designed this particular one. That's it. That's got to be the reason.

so, one more try

I slept terribly last night. Dinner apparently didn't agree with me. I was up for almost an hour with rolling tummy. Once that was resolved (I will not be as explicit as Tornwordo would on his blog 'Sticky Crows"!) I was awake. I wanted to be asleep, but it was not to be. I turned on the mp3 player to soothe my thoughts. I found a piano cd with ocean and orca whale echo-location sounds and whistling. That worked about as much as someone humming polka music to lull me to sleep!

I tried other playlists I have put together. Nothing. Sting. Nothing. Mozart, Bach, Brahams. Nothing, nothing, nothing!

So, then I tried no sounds at all. Worse than the polka tunes!

Then on my back, then right side, then left side. For me left side is an unimaginably difficult sleeping position - since husband sleeps on the left side of bed...sweaty, snoring. I can't stand to have someone's breath on my face (except kissing breath is tollerable). No, the left side for me is reserved only for the 1/2 hour after he leaves for work in the morning.

So, back to my back...which is awful for me. I am a tummy sleeper, and usually lie on my tummy and off to slumberland without moving until he wakes at 0445 each day. Again, nothing.

So, one more try. Lie on tummy with left arm & shoulder supported by a pillow, slightly on my right side...the only sound was the deafening sounds of the snoring husband. I pushed his leg with my foot - my code to hubby to "quit it!" He complied, although completely asleep.

Suffice to say, the last position was apparently the best. I woke just a mere 3 hours later, feeling as tired as I was the night before.

The day has been filled with usual stuff to do. Clean, shop, lunch out with the snoring monster. His biker buddies (I am not a biker chick!) call him Snorin' so I will use his biker name from here forward.

Costco. What can ever be said about this horrid necessity? I hate it, yet I need it. Today, we stuck to a very specific list and was home in 28 minutes...$135 lighter in the wallet, but happy to have lunch items for the week, pop (for Snorin) and juice & water for me. How can it cost so much and still save me so much money. A conundrum I shall ponder while mopping the kitchen floor tonight!

And what is it about certain movies? No matter where they are when I flip past, I must watch them. Thursday it was Princess Bride. Today it is The DaVinci Code. Great book, so-so movie, but it's like a train wreck...don't need to watch, but can't turn away! This movie is keeping me from planning dinner, changing the contents of the washer & dryer and the previously mentioned mopping.

Chores are calling me. As is a better night's sleep.

Friday...finally

work was so completely slow this week. I work in a medical clinic, and for some reason the boss keeps giving too many people the day off...the people who treat the patients! Without those people, the office staff really don't have much to do!

Alas, poor me...I didn't have to work yesterday, and today when I left it was only 1pm!

Yesterday was boring. The most exciting part of the tv watching: one of the contestants on The Price is Right was so close to the actual retail price - just $102 off - that he wound up winning both showcases! College student with a tax bill to now choke a horse!! But the car was nice!!
I missed every time Martha Stewart was on, no stupid cooking shows, limited home repair shows, and absolutely no makeover shows! There were no good movies on the super movie channels. I flipped around and around. You see, I never get the chance to actually hold the remote. My husband holds his 1 most important item in 1 hand, and the remote in the other. Not that I need to hold it the entire time I watch a show as he does. And I never watch the show in just the upper left hand corner and scroll through the program guide throught an entire show. But it was indeed nice to spend 1 second, 1 minute, or 10 minutes on a show before moving on. The flipping went on endlessly until I found a wonderful offering on some obscure movie channel: The Princess Bride.
Sigh. That is one of the best movies ever! It's silly, yet charming. The characters are all so wonderful. I have seen it so many times that now I watch it to see if I can find more mistakes in the continuity. There are so many, but the hunt continues! There are such classic lines in that movie: "Humperdink!" "Get back witch!" "Mah-widge" "As You Wish!"

Anyway, I didn't get nearly any of the things I could have accomplished done. Some things got done - cleaning a bathroom (almost completely), laundry, and dishes were all done. But...I could have done so much more if The Price Is Right weren't on the television!

Today, at 1pm, I met a girlfriend at a local tavern, enjoyed 2 drinks and french fries. They were delicious. We also chatted with my friend from Los Angeles. He is charming, and married, and my friend was tipsy! It was really fun! We both agreed that drinks early Friday afternoon beat work!!

Now home and dinner is done. The sink is again filled with dishes, and there are 3 loads of laundry to do...aaaahhhh, the life of a suburban housewife!

Weekend and daylight savings time kicks in this weekend. Wonder how much house cleaning I can complete? I want to get 3 rooms completely clean (except the carpets). There is big-box store shopping. There is eeking out.

Thank goodness I had 1 day and a half to warm up to it!