Still Adrift

Blank

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:55:00 +0000

My mind is completely blank. My brain is fried. For the last four days I have worked with Merc & Ong and haven't been coming home until 10 or later; plus working an eight hour day at my job. It's cool cause I get some extra money (which will help pay for new tires), I get to hang out w/Merc & Ong and I don't mind the work. I'm just not getting as much sleep as I have been used to and I am exhausted. I actually do alright during the day until about 3 or 4...then I start shutting down. Then I'll pick up during the evening and then about 9, I shut down all over again and I am completely worthless. You ask me to add 2+2 and I'll just stare at you and say "huh?"

Tomorrow will be even better because I am getting up early to be at the car dealership by 7a to get my blinker fixed and an oil change...and hopefully I will be done in time to make it to work by 9. It sucks because my dealership isn't open on Saturdays anymore and I want to go there because my car is under warranty and I won't have to pay for the blinker.

Okay and the award for the most boring blog post goes to..... Me!

No Starbucks for You

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:10:00 +0000

Well, me, rather.

Out of the kindness of her heart, by best friend sent me a Starbucks gift card in the mail. She sent it last Monday and I have yet to receive it. She only lives 4 hours away, so it shouldn't take a week to get something in the mail from her.

Lately, some of my mail has been put in the wrong mailbox. I will often find some of my mail up on this ledge by the mailboxes, where people typically put mail that doesn't belong to them. If I get mail in my box that doesn't belong to me, I stick it back in the outgoing box, cause ya know, I'm sure people don't want their mail up on display for everyone. I know I don't, but it happens anyway.

So, I'm thinking this card got put into another mailbox, they saw it; felt it, realized there was a gift card and are now enjoying morning lattes on my friend. I am still hopeful that it could show up, but it probably won't. Might be time to write a note to the mailman, though...

Overwhelmed

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:54:00 +0000

"I know you can be overwhelmed. You can be underwhelmed. But can you ever just be whelmed?"

Okay, seriously, though...I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now. I feel like I have a bunch of little things, plus some bigger things all on my plate and I just need to figure it out. So, today's blog will be used to make a list, so I can organize from there. Enjoy! ;)

- Estimates for cost of new tires and then getting new tires
- Oil Change for the car
- Get left turn signal fixed
- Learn to make mashed potatoes (includes "trial run")
- Laundry
- If there is a work get together Friday night, something to bring for the potluck

Okay, so maybe it's not a lot of stuff, but it sure is taking up a lot of space in my brain.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:56:00 +0000

As I was sitting here today, Dream a Little Dream of me, by the Mamas and the Papas came on my iPod. I absolutely love this song; I love the lyrics, the music, the way it is sung. The thought popped into my head that this would make a great wedding song. More specifically, the first dance between the bride and groom. I know it may not be the most appropriate song, but I dunno, I think it could work. It's a sweet song, and has a good melody and would be nice to dance to.

I think I will reserve it if I ever get married. And here's a link if you are not familiar with the song... Dream a Little Dream of Me.

OC Fires

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 06:47:00 +0000

Today has been absolutely crazy. I remember, I think it was 2004, when there were a bunch of fires around OC. I was living at CSU Fullerton at the time and I remember there being ash every where and it smelling like smoke, but I swear this is much worse.

I went out to run some errands today and half the sky was smoky, the other half was blue. A few hours later, there was no blue and everything looked a golden yellow color and then for a while, I don't think there was any sun at all cause of the smoke.

Tonight I went out to meet up with the doctor I used to work with. Harbor Blvd. was crazy backed up and bumper to bumper. I could see the ash falling in the beams of my headlights. On my way home, even though I had my air on recycle, the smoky air was still getting into the car and my chest started getting tight, I was having to breathe deeper and I started to wheeze a little. This isn't cool because when I was a kid, I'm thinking 2-5ish, I had asthma and had an attack or two. I haven't had a problem since, but I'm afraid this air could spark it again. Right now I'm not breathing as deeply as I was, but my chest is still pretty tight. Kinda afraid to lay down and go to sleep.

I know they evacuated some places in Brea that are probably 1mile or so from where I work now, which is kinda scary. I did call and the phones are working, so hopefully that means the place is still standing.

I don't know, this is all just crazy. I've been listening to news radio all day just for any updates. I sure hope these winds die down soon and these things can be contained. Scary times.

Scrolling Marquee

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:30:00 +0000

I have always envisioned having these scrolling marquee signs that you could install in your car; one for the front windshield and one for the back. The purpose of these scrolling marquees would be so you can tell someone off by driving. They could come with a special keyboard that would either attach to the steering wheel or dashboard. The keys would be set up in shorthand type of fashion.

For example, did some jerk cut you off? Tell him what you really think and post it to your marquee on the front windshield...and it will come out readable from his rear view mirror.

Some ass riding your bumper? Tell him to go f--k himself with the special middle finger character, which is conveniently located on a larger size key, so it is more easily accessible.

I think it would awesome.

Music: The Doors - The Alabama Song

New Couch

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:36:00 +0000

Well, not my new couch. My neighbor tonight attempted to move a couch into his apartment. I'm actually not sure if he got it inside or not. First, they brought it up the stairs. I kept hearing banging against the wall, so I looked out my peep hole and there he was, moving a couch. They set the couch up against my door trying to figure out how to get it in the apartment. There's practically no turning radius on our little porch that we share, so they couldn't get it in. I then heard them discussing about moving it in by putting it over the balcony and taking it in through the slider. Like I said, I'm not sure if they got it in that way or not.

I actually feel bad because I came *this* close to popping outside and seeing if they wanted me to open my front door so they couldn't put the couch down on it's feet and carry it in, but I didn't want them to know I had been watching or listening.

Boy, what is wrong w/me? This guy has been pissing me off since day one and now I feel bad for not helping. I think I have a complex about helping people...I do enjoy helping people, but sometimes I think it's for the wrong reasons, which is a whole other topic. :)

Music: Ray Charles - Drown in my Own Tears

New Program = Frustration

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:01:00 +0000

Work has been a little frustrating the last few days. There's not a problem with my liking the job, the company or the people, but I am beginning to learn how frustrating a new program or implementation of something can be.

As you may have read on here before, my job has been created. The process, function and duties of my job are all brand new. And since it is a brand new program, issues are bound to pop up. What is frustrating me is the lack of answers.

For example...

I look in a particular policy...there is this note that was made and seeing this note causes this train of thought and action...

Do I call the hospital for records? Or do I call the policyholder?
Let me look in this other program, maybe there's additional notes in there.
Oh, maybe the new girl a few cubicles down knows...
Nope, she doesn't. Let's try the girl that's training us.
Walk over to her cubicle, can you look at this?
She looks, she doesn't know either.
Our boss comes in, she addresses it.
Our boss isn't sure either, she needs to check with underwriting.
She schedules an impromptu meeting at 1:30p to discuss.
In the meeting, we finally get some sort of answer.
We schedule another a meeting on Friday, to touch base.
We continue on...

Yeah, that's not so simple. At this moment, in my job, there is no question A, with simple answer B. That becomes frustrating because I have a lot that needs to be done and these constant interruptions do not help...especially when I am in a groove.

I'm not looking forward to Friday, in particular, because we have a department status meeting at 9:30 for an hour and then another meeting with underwriting at 10:30, probably for another hour. That takes a huge chunk of time out of my morning where I could be calling hospitals.

Don't get me wrong, I completely understand that this is a new program and there are tons of kinks that need to be worked out...and I am not mad or frustrated with any person or thing; the situation itself is the frustrating part.

Veteran's Day

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Not much to say, except for this:

For those of you who have fought, continue to fight and serve this nation, thank you.

We are forever in your debt.

Here are some interesting facts about the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Mashed Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:34:00 +0000

Our department at work is having a Thanksgiving Potluck. I've been trying to figure out what to bring, since ya know, I don't cook and I thought mashed potatoes would be a good choice.

Now, I've never made them...well, except from a box, but how hard can it be? Boil, peel (or is it peel and boil), mash, right? Of course, I know some butter and seasonings go in there, but I think I got the basics down.

Then the question is lumps or no lumps? I personally don't care either way, but I wonder what other people would like. I'm thinking I'll make 'em creamy. Maybe I'll ask Ong and my mom for help; they make damn good mashed taters.

I Should Know Better

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Last night I upgraded to version 8.0.1 of iTunes. It was against my better judgement because I have had issues before when upgrading iTunes and now is no exception.

As you can tell by my writing and publishing this post, I have no internet connection problems, but iTunes seems to think differently. Their store seems to think that I do not have an internet connection. I am also trying to import a new cd and iTunes can't access their database for song titles/album artwork because, again, I am not connected to the internet.

I've checked out the forums on apple.com and some people were having the same issue as me, but the last post in that thread was Friday, 11/7/08. Support did suggest clearing out my "DNS Cache," but I get nervous doing stuff like that, cause what if it screws up something else, which iTunes has already done to my computer.

I really should have known better, but the only reason I upgraded is because I have been having trouble burning cds. First of all, iTunes will do this "preparing disc," thing, which it will go through every track, though I have no idea what it's doing. Then it will finally burn the disc, which total, takes about 20+ minutes. That is just WAY to long to burn one cd. That is if the cd gets to finish. Lately, most of the time iTunes will spit out my disc, in the middle of burning, and tell me an unknown error occurred and my disc will be unfinished. Some tracks are written but not all. So, I was thinking maybe I needed to upgrade to the latest version.

I just burned a disc. It still did the "preparing disc" thing, but it burned w/o issue. Figures, one problem is fixed, while another emerges.

Like I said, I should have known better.

Odd Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Here are a few snippets from my dreams last night...

Merc was hanging out with Carlos, this guy I had a crush on at my old job. I also ran into Carlos behind the store and he was wearing the doctor's name tags and was saying he was out of there and couldn't wait.

dz took my dad shopping and bought him some trendy wear. He also took my dad to get his hair dyed...actually, I think it was pretty much a makeover. And the funny thing was, the stuff dz picked out for my dad, definitely wasn't dz's style. Maybe he owns a hot pink shirt, (tight)white pants and white leather flip flops, but I doubt it.

There was a monorail accident at Walt Disney World and this lady called me saying she needed help because this woman called her trying to see if her daughter was okay. I told the woman I was in California and I had no idea who she was.

I had a little sister, about 6 years old, who said I was lame because I didn't read the trashy celebrity magazines. She then proceeded to lay on the couch with a copy of "Us" magazine.

At least I am entertained, even when I sleep.

Music: Roy Orbison - Pretty Woman

Cubicle Talk

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:23:00 +0000

It seems as though some people don't realize that even though cubicles have walls, they are not sound proof.

There is a woman who sits behind me, to my left and I constantly get to hear about her personal life, some of it WAY too personal. In a nutshell, this is what I have heard in the last few weeks...

"Mom, can you make me a blanket? Apparently, I have to go back to the doctor; she called and said I have a UTI and yeast infection. I don't know, should I cut my hair like her? Or her?" I also know that she did something to her boyfriend that made him speechless for 5 min...fortunately, I didn't hear what she did. Oh, almost forgot about this one...on my first day, I got to hear about how she didn't go to a coworker's Halloween party because she started her period in her new, cute underwear.

Now, it's not like I sit there trying to hear her. And most of the personal talk was down outside of her cubicle, but right next to mine. I am on the corner of the aisle, so she was talking to someone there.

Maybe people a couple of rows away can't hear you, even if you talk quietly, but I still can and I do not care to know this much information about you. This is made me very aware of what I should or should not say at work.

Music: Boston - Amanda

Lifeline

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:58:00 +0000

I just got done watching a documentary called The Great American Songbook. This doc. basically goes through the beginning of popular song in America starting in the 1800s up through the 1950s. It talked about composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Scott Joplin, George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein and many others. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it immensely. The only thing I didn't quite like about it was that it tried to shove a lot of info into 3 hours, but it was good and had good music, none the less.

There's no way I could ever describe to anyone how much music means to me. It is something I love dearly and is very close to my heart. I definitely believe that music is my lifeline. It keeps me connected to others and to myself. Music makes me happy, sad, excited...it gives me goosebumps, makes me cry and makes me want to dance. I find that most of my spare moments involve music. Even if it's the 5 min. it takes for me to brush and floss my teeth; my radio will be on. Or if it's something big like cleaning the apartment, music keeps me going. I actually enjoy cleaning more...nothing like scrubbing the shower and singing a tune.

I am not an authority on music, I think I know a lot, but I know I don't know as much as other people. I enjoy all kinds of music. My iPod contains everything from Gospel to Metal...Country to Rap and everything in between. I like cheesy music, patriotic music and even some boy bands.

As odd as it sounds, I feel that almost each song I have speaks to me in some way. There's a melody, a lyric or a note that hits me inside and I instantly fall in love. Heh...you think I'm crazy, don't you?

Music: James Intveld - A Sinner's Prayer

Dyscalculia

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:20:00 +0000

First of all, let me just say that I am not self-diagnosing, but I found this interesting...

At my old job my doctor said there was a term for people who are dyslexic with numbers. I have always found myself mixing up numbers and I am noticing it more now with my new job because I am constantly dealing with policy numbers and phone numbers. Most of the time I do it when I'm not thinking about, but when I am concentrating on what I am doing so I don't mess the numbers up, I get them right. Anyway, after doing a little research, it seems the word that most closely applies to something like is Dyscalculia.

Basically, with Dyscalculia, people have a hard time learning or understanding mathematics...well, you can read for yourselves. What I found interesting is some of the symptoms I can definitely relate too. For example... (all of these are from the Wikipedia article linked above.)

"Difficulty with conceptualizing time and judging the passing of time." I sometimes I have a problem with this, whether something took 5 min, 10 min...1 hour or two hours.

"Difficulty navigating or mentally "turning" the map to face the current direction rather than the common North=Top usage." - As many know, I am directionally challenged. If I have a map, I can usually figure things out eventually, but you may seriously need to give me 30 min...and I usually have to talk out loud in order to figure things out.

"Having particularly difficulty mentally estimating the measurement of an object or distance (e.g., whether something is 10 or 20 feet (3 or 6 meters) away)." - I am horrible at estimating distance. If someone tells me 30 feet, I have no idea how to picture that...or if someone asks me how far I went or how far away something is, I have a hard time giving an answer. Most of the time, I just say a number and have no idea if I am right.

"An inability to read a sequence of numbers, or transposing them when repeated such turning 56 into 65." - This is what I constantly do and while I do transpose repeated numbers, I generally transpose all of them. Give me 4582 and I'll read and copy down 4528.

Another thing that I thought of is when I am out with people and it comes time to split a check, I have the hardest time concentrating and figuring out the math. It's like if I am put under pressure, I can't think. (Which probably isn't limited to this situation.) Like the directions, it's usually something that takes me a while and I usually have to talk it out.

Like I said, I'm not self-diagnosing, but this is very interesting...here I am reading an article and it's like, "oh, I do that!" And I'm definitely not saying that if anyone has these symptoms, that they suffer from Dyscalculia. I don't know much more than what I've read online, but maybe I should look into it more just for the hell of it.

Something Needs to be Done

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:11:00 +0000

I am really about to kill my neighbor. His constant playing music and/or video games loud, to where I can hear them clearly through my wall, has got to stop. Right now, the head of my bed is against a wall that we share and the last two nights have been horrible with trying to sleep. Last night, I got up and turned on my TV, just so I had something else to focus on besides the thumping bass coming through the wall...and my frustration at that moment had almost brought me to tears because I was tired and just wanted to sleep.

I have considered moving my bed, so it is not against that wall, but there really is no functional place to put it. But no matter what, I can hear it, even if I am across the room. And, to be quite honest, I shouldn't have to rearrange my apartment to get away from his obnoxiousness.

I guess the question isn't if...oh speaking of the jerk, he just came home and not 2 min. later, the music is blasting. Anyway, I guess the question isn't if something should be done, but how it should be done. How would you handle it? I was thinking...either put a note on his door or telling the management office. Overall, I have reservations about it, well, cause I'm a weenie. Guess I'm afraid of some sort of "retaliation." But, ya know, I pay too much and have been here much longer and deserve to have a quiet place at night and I deserve to be able to sleep at night. I know I was spoiled with my last neighbor because he was quiet. I never heard him unless he was coming or going from his apartment.

I was thinking...maybe he doesn't know how loud he is, which could be true. But I think back to when he moved in at 1am...he obviously didn't have much concern or respect for his neighbors then, so why would he have it now?

I think I am just going to write him a note...I'm the only apartment he's connected to, so if I go to management and say he's buggin me, he'll know where it's coming from anyway.

And I'll say it again, you'd think for a cop, he'd have maybe a tinge more consideration. But he also looks pretty young...probably immaturity.

So yeah, write him a note or let management know? What do you think?

Annoyed & Disappointed

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:42:00 +0000

Let me say that I love America, I really do. I have pride for my country, the freedom I enjoy everyday, but sometimes this country really pisses me off.

I do not get the thinking or reason behind some of the choices that are made. For example... neither one of my parents work and they are unable to work for health reasons. Because of that, they are on disability and/or social security. Mind you, they get little on that and it certainly isn't much to live on. I freely admit that it is better than nothing, but it still isn't very much to get by on. For some reason, my dad will be getting less money now because they think he is getting too much.

WTF?? What my parents get is barely enough for them to pay their bills and have any money left over for food and necessities. They're scraping the bottom of the barrel with what they are getting and suddenly, my dad is getting "too much," and is taking away $100 a month. That is a lot of money to be taken away at one time.

How screwed up is this country. Sometimes I have no faith, here they are taking money from people who need it to survive...why not take from the people who have money floating around? I'm not naive enough to think that it is that simple, but come on. And you know what really pisses me off? My parents have worked their asses off their whole lives and they have never caught a break. They have a lot to be proud of; I know they are proud and I am extremely proud of them. It just saddens me to know how hard they have worked and they can't even get what they truly deserve.

I just don't understand the reasoning or thought process. It makes no sense to take from people who need, but perhaps it's easier that way, which is why it's done. I will never understand.

Music: Sonny & Cher - Baby, Don't Go

Movie Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:44:00 +0000

A while back Ong made a list of movies that she and Merc own and of which I needed to see. It's been pretty awesome cause anytime we don't know what to do or what to watch, we just pick from the list. The last 3-4 weekends we've been watching a lot of movies, quite a few being on that list. This weekend was no exception. Total we watched 3 movies yesterday and 2 movies today.

Saturday's Movies:

Tammy and The Bachelor This was a very cute movie. It stars Debbie Reynolds and a very young (and surprisingly handsome) Lesilie Neilson (Naked Gun movies.) I am starting to realize that I really love older movies and now I am more likely to choose to watch something older over something newer, which is something I've never really done.

Misery This was a great movie, but I am afraid I will never be watching it again. The acting was great, story was great, but this chick was just a little too disturbed to watch again. I couldn't even watch the ankle scene...my head was buried in a pillow the whole time. I had to ask Ong what exactly she did.

Muppet Treasure Island This was very cute and funny. It's the Muppets, what else would you expect? The greatest line? "Not bad for an amphibian."

Sunday's Movies:

Independence Day Apparently, this movie is a pretty big deal and even Merc was shocked that I had never seen it. It was really good, a good combo of emotion, action and comedy.

Jaws And, yes, I had never seen Jaws either. I absolutely loved it. I got creeped out, scared and did scream one time, which is good. I mean, what a better way to tell that a movie is sucking you in, right? Afterwards, we watched the making of the movie, which is about the length of a movie itself. That was very interesting and funny.

I love having these movie weekends...and I am hoping with Ong and her list that I will eventually be at the same movie level as most people. ;)

Music: The Beatles - When I'm Sixty-Four

National Blog Posting Month

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +0000

November is National Blog Posting Month. So, along with my two photography projects I am doing, A Year of You and 365, I have decided to do a blog post everyday for this month.

I did this last year, and I have to admit, some days it was quite difficult to come up with something to say. Hopefully, I will have an easier time this year. Here goes!

Music: My Chemical Romance - Mama

1 1/2

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:47:00 +0000

I have been at my new job for a week and a half and I have to say that I absolutely love it. I spend most of my time calling animal hospitals, checking for medical records and making notes in the computer.

My first few days were slow, I mainly shadowed people to get a feel for how phone calls go and how to work the programs. I've had to learn three different software programs and I already feel like I've got them down.

I found out yesterday that my work schedule will officially be 8a-5p. Well, I guess I didn't find out, there were 3 shifts offered...6a-3p, 7a-4p and then 8a-5p. I was the last to speak up, so I got the 8a-5p. My boss hired 3 people and each of us got a shift...and our shift correlates to the region of the United States in which we will be calling. I have the Western Region, so anything in the PST time zone, plus Hawaii and Alaska. I've been having fun calling the Midwest or East Coast, but I won't be doing that anymore unless I'm covering for one of the other girls.

Everyone is really nice, friendly, funny and a little crazy, which is why I might fit in so well. There are about 12 of us in my department, so it's a small team and you can tell that everyone works together and cares about one another, which I am excited about. My ultimate goal with getting a new job was to work for a smaller company, and while I am working for a corporation, at the head office, working with a smaller team sort of fills that goal. Oh and you wanna know how I know this job was meant to be? Our department number is 311. (On a side note, that's how I knew the car I have now was meant to be; the last three numbers in the VIN # are 311.)

Next week my job assignment goes live. Since I've been there, I have been calling hospitals for records, but it's not exactly what I was hired to do; I'm only doing what I am doing now for practice.

I love having my own space, desk, computer, phone, extension, etc. I just need to bring some stuff for my cubicle so it looks like an office.

I really think I am going to love this job and thrive in it. Hopefully, this program I am doing will take off, that way I have a permanent job, but I have it say, it's honestly looking promising.

Music: Chicago Soundtrack - We Both Reached for the Gun

Happy Birthday, Merc!

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 07:13:00 +0000

High Heels

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:36:00 +0000

High heels are evil. They really are and I've never really understood why they exist. Yeah, I'm sure guys think they are sexy and a lot of them are super cute and definitely look nice when dressing up. BUT, they are still evil.

Now everyone knows that I am not a girly girl. I do not dress up and I always prefer jeans and a shirt. Well, since I was starting this new job, I had to go out and buy new clothes, since I didn't own any dress up ones, and this included shoes. I bought a cute pair of high heels, tried them on and really liked them. They're not even that high, maybe 1 1/2 inches...any higher and I would have broken an ankle.

This morning I decide to wear my heels. I was a little shaky at first, but by the time I walked out to my car, I had it down. Well, throughout the morning, my feet started to hurt in them and I wasn't even doing that much walking. Then lunch time rolled around and I walked down to the corner to get some food, which isn't that far...not even a block. By the time I get back, I could barely stand on my feet. My calves were hurting because I was walking funny because the heels were hurting my feet.

Let me just say, I don't know how I got through my day. My ankles are very swollen. Since most high heels don't have little straps or anything to help hold them onto your feet, they do have to be a snugger fit, so they don't fall off. I am concluding that since heels are kinda snug, and as the day grows, your feet swell, which will cut off your circulation and thus cause swelling and pain.

I plan to never wear these to work again. I can not do this to my feet on a continuous basis. And I am definitely convinced that these women who can wear heels day in and day out, must have numb feet. If they had even a tinge of feeling in their feet, they would not be wearing them.

Music: Beastie Boys - So Whatcha Want

Last Day

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:31:00 +0000

So, today was my last day at work. I can not tell you how happy I am and the freedom that I feel. When I was driving home, I swear my shoulders felt lighter. Though, somehow I don't feel like it has completely hit me that I am done with that place, either.

Today was a good day. It wasn't that busy, nice and light. Everyone pitched in and we got pizza for lunch, the doctor bought an ice cream cake and they gave me some flowers and a card that everyone had signed. They even got my crush from PetSmart to sign it, so that was kinda cool. ;) (Yeah, I know I sound like a school girl.) The night ended w/the doctor and I going out to dinner. She will definitely be the one I miss the most. And, sad to say it, I think I will miss some of the PetSmart people more than my actual coworkers. Most of the time, the people I worked with got on my nerves, but each of them do have good qualities about them and I am sure I will miss them.

I wanted to say that as much as I complained about my job, I am so grateful for what I have learned while working there. Not only the animal stuff, but I learned a lot about how to deal with different types of people, how far my buttons could be pushed without my snapping and how to be a better leader and manager. And while I hate this company, working there has taught me very valuable things that I know I will carry with me to this next job and probably the rest of my life. I will never regret working there. I suppose I won't regret ever leaving, either.

You know, the thing I am most sad about is that I won't be seeing animals everyday. That was absolutely the best part of that job...and honestly, the thought of that makes me teary eyed. It's hard for me to express the love that I have for animals and knowing that I won't be there to see them really bums me out. Maybe I can go visit Scarlett everyday. ;)

Music: No Doubt - Don't Speak

Love This

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:32:00 +0000

"The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don't let them put you in that position." - Leo Buscaglia

New Job!!

noreply@blogger.com (amu311bd) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:30:00 +0000

Well, I am finally getting around to posting about my new job. It is at a veterinary insurance company. My job title will be "Medical Records Assistant," and my job will be to call veterinary hospitals around the country and request medical records. There will be more to the job such as keeping detailed records as to whom I have called and also writing correspondence.

I am very excited about this job for multiple reasons. First of all, it is much closer to home. It is in Brea, which will take me half the time to get there, than driving from here to Whittier. I will also be getting paid almost $4.00 more an hour, which is much needed at the moment. I will be be able to use the knowledge I gained from my current job in the new job and I will have my own cubicle! It's probably sick and wrong that I am excited about that, but I really am. Oh, and let's not forget the most obvious reason I am happy...it gets me out of the hell hole I am currently in.

There are a few downsides to this new job...I now have to "dress up" for work. Mind you that I have never had to do this... My first two jobs were AMC and Target. AMC had a uniform, Target you wore red and khaki. Next is my current job, which is scrubs everyday. So, I have had to go out and buy new clothes, which, financially, sucks, but it has to be done...and I still need to grab a few more things. Also, right now, I will be there as a temporary employee. The manager I will be reporting to has created my position (she's hiring three people) and this is a pilot program, which means it has to work out for it to stick around. Also, since it is a pilot program, there are no benefits...well, at least medical insurance, for 6 months. If the program takes off, it could be sooner. So, basically, I have to hope that the program does work and take off, otherwise, I could be out of a job. In the meantime, I will keep job hunting just in case that happens.

My last day at my current job is next Thursday, the 16th and you better believe I am counting down. I am almost at a point where I want to just say "screw it," and leave, but I will stick it out. I've done it for almost two years, what's a few more days? Oddly enough, my last day will be 3 days shy of my two year anniversary. I am very surprised that I have made it this long, but this is the right time for me to go. My current hospital is getting ready to transition to being open 6 days a week, rather than 5, and I am glad I do not have to be there to adjust to that. Truthfully, I am excited for the team because I have been with this hospital since it opened and I have seen it grow substantially and, as much as I bitch about it, it is pretty cool to see such a difference and to have been a part of that. Even so, it is my time to exit and I feel it is good timing.

This is a big change for me, well, for someone who doesn't like change anyway, but I am excited. I have trusted my instinct on this and I really feel that this will be the place for me, even if just for the moment. Everything about this has felt right, my friends and family have said it seems like a good deal and I am very optimistic about it.

October seems to be the month of change for me. It was in Oct. 2006 that quit Target and started my current job and it will be Oct. when I change jobs again. Interesting.

Music: The Killers - All These Things That I Have Done