A Friday Off :o)

I took a vacation day, today. I needed to get 'that place' out of my head. I had forgotten about the game of politics that is played in a large company. My present job affords me the luxury of being part of a 3 person team, with the other 2 being management. That means I compete with nobody in my unit. HA!! There are still others in the company that tend to torpedo me and make things difficult for me. I am very blessed that both of my bosses 'have my back'. They know what I can do and that I generally mind my own business. It's all that piddley assed crap that gets to me. I know I should just let it go - that's why I've taken a 3 day weekend.

Speaking of 3 day weekends, the management is introducing a pilot program called FlexWeek. We would work 8, 9 hour days, one 8 hour day and have every other Friday off. The one bad thing with that is that the approved hours start at 6:30 and I'd have to work till 4:00. I don't really like the 4:00 out time, but like everything else, I'd get used to it. The 6:30 start time is no biggie because I usually get to the office around 6:40-6:45 anyway, so I'd just have to adjust by 15 minutes. And the pleasure of having a 3 day weekend twice a month is glorius. I've filled out the request form and passed it along to our VP who has it 'under consideration'. I don't know what's to consider. I am my department and my being away impacts only me. But he is fighting a corporate battle to hold onto his power, so let him consider..........and I thought women were wierd in Corporate Management.

I'm loving this day off. I've got some laundry running now (that way I don't have to do it tomorrow), I'm reading the last edition of Harry Potter and I'm enjoying the day. It's hot and t'storms are forecast, but right now it's sunny and looks lovely outside. I have a dinner date at 6:00 with my former coworker Catherine. Her hubby and 2 sons are going away for the weekend and she emailed me asking if I wanted to meet up. Of course I do. I love to spend time with Catherine. She's a breath of fresh air to me.


On Tuesday of this week I had the pleasure of having dinner with my lovely niece Sandy. She was in town for a conference and we met in Arlington. Her birthday had been on Saturday so I had a little gift bag for her and she was delighted. I love being with her and miss her so much when she goes back home to Atlanta. She had an interview on Wednesday for a position that has the opportunity for advancement. She would have to move back to California, but she says that's no problem. She loved living in LA when she moved East, and I think secretly she has always been a California Girl. She would be a lot closer to her Dad and brother and could be spending more time with them. She also had kept in touch with friends so she really wouldn't be alone. She said the interview went well and that the interviewer even asked her to meet with the CEO, which lasted for about 30 minutes. That's a good sign. I hope, that if it is God's plan for her, that this opportunity works out for her. She's getting stale in Atlanta and I think she's really very lonely there. She is very busy, but she misses family being close to her and the comfort of a 'squeeze'. (Boy do I ever know that feeling).

I'm looking forward to Sunday and going to Floris Methodist again. I want to investigate their programs and see if there is something that might interest me. I'd like to see what their mission program is like too.

So that's what's going on with me.

God bless you all.

Friday the 13th - but I missed the ax again

Yesterday, another 30 or so of my coworkers were laid off. We lost 12 of our field investigators and the various departments were mandated to cut at least 10%. People's who case work numbers were not up to par or those who were the 'last-in' were cut.

Sometimes I scare myself, because if I remember correctly, that's the reason I postponed my November trip to Brazil. I had a feeling that the ax would fall again. Luckily, it missed me again. I felt bad once again, saying goodbye to my favorite supervisor and to the new friends I have made on the floor since I moved into their midst. They have all been very receptive towards me.

I got the list late in the day Friday, so on Monday I'll have to get busy at working to retrieve our materials and equipment. It will be an easier task, being the 4th time I do this, this year. Once was the big layoff in January, second was the contract shut down in February, third was another little layoff in April and now this one. One of the other managers said to me in passing "this cut was so deep, now we are down to marrow."

I prayed that those affected would be OK and the young people with families will bounce back.

God bless them all.

One More Day

My little respite is nearly over. I go back to work tomorrow. I took Thursday and Friday as vacation days and believe me, I needed the break. Even though I was away, an email upset me and I have to face a dragon when I get in tomorrow. It nearly ruined my time off, but I have nobody to blame but myself. I have to beat a problem to death before I can let it go. Geeesch, sometimes I'm a pain in the butt. The problem is resolved, but I was grinding and grinding about how and why it happened. I wish I was not like that.

The new carpet shampooer arrived on Thursday so I spent Friday and Saturday working on the downstairs living quarters. I must say, the customer reviews were correct. It's easy to use and maneuver and it does a very good job. One problem is that it does such a good job, I didn't stop when I should have, so I overdid a little bit and my back complained. I was finished yesterday by noon so I cleaned myself up and sat back in my chair, with the heating pad. That really helped. Today I feel good with only a little twinge here and there. The carpets look great as well as the first stairway. Next week, I'll do the upstairs and the upper stairway. Those carpets aren't as soiled as the downstairs, so it won't take as long. It's amazing how something like cleaned carpets can change an outlook. If I invested in an interior paint job and some new window treatments, I think I would be very happy. This place hasn't been painted in at least 7 years, so it does need it.

Steve was supposed to put in new kitchen floors but it hasn't happened. Realistically, the most I can see him doing is putting in new vinyl flooring. I saw some vinyl squares that resenble stone, so that might work. He and Theresa have to gone to upstate New York to visit her family. He always has such a nice time there, I'm glad he went. But, I do worry until I know they are both home safe and sound. Traveling by car on the 4th of July weekend tends to make me edgy.

Today I'll go to church, get groceries and pack lunches for the week. Then I'm done and the day is mine. I think I'll just chill.

God bless you all.

Heavy weather this afternoon.

See why I didn't fly the flag today...

In looking at the video in the blog, I can't figure out why it plays so choppy. It plays just fine in the computer. I guess I better go back and read the directions.

Three cheers for the red, white and blue

Today is the 4th of July and since we have thunderstorms in the forecast, I'm not putting out my flag. I just don't want it to get wet. I miss it when the weather is not good on holidays. I like to sit in my living room and see it flying proudly from the deck rail. I like to see it when I leave the house and on the return, it's flying in the breeze. I'm a real nut. It draws tears when I see an honor guard in a parade or sports event. I'm very proud of my flag.

I've taken 2 days vacation and am making a very long weekend out of the holiday. I need some time to get away from the office. It's beginning to hurt my brain. I've been appointed by our Chief Operating Officer (COO) to conduct an inventory and search of missing computer equipment.

I have to be Switzerland in this exercise. I can't take sides. Both IT (the home of all computer equipment in the company) and the former OPM contract are amiss in security and record keeping issues. They both hate me right now because I am uncovering some embarrassing procedures or lack of, and the COO isn't very happy about it. He has, however, made it very clear to both sides of the issue as well as my former boss, that he trusts me and my judgement. He had some very complimentary but embarrassing things to say about me in their presence. (I wanted to crawl under the table) But it made me feel good to know that I have the number 3 person in the company supporting me that way.

Because of this, I work harder for him and I think he knows it. My present boss, Jerry is tickled that the COO is supporting me and he feels I can get the 'missing' number down a lot lower. I don't believe any of the missing equipment has been stolen. I think it's been squirreled away in a corner or is in an office. It's amazing how they keep uncovering boxes of materials or things found in drawers. There is no control or organization over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

That's why I'm taking a few days off.

I have nothing planned. I slept till 7:00 this morning and plan to just hang out today. I have a steak thawing and that will be my 4th celebration dinner. Other than that, me, my computer and tv plan a wonderful day.

God bless you all and God bless America.