Life with fur-kids

Many of your realize that husband and I only have furry children, not because our children are like Eddy Munster, but they are dogs & cats. Living with furry children can be frustrating at times. They can’t tell us where they hurt or what the problem is. We just have to figure it out and make it better.

Furry Children also play tricks on you which regular children just can’t.  First of all, our old lady cat likes to sleep behind the couch right by the baseboard. The combination of her snores and the baseboard make for a long sleepless night. The other night was the pits for husband. She had an itch, and well, he thought he was being shot at. I slept through the whole damn ordeal. Last night I was not as fortunate.

I have no idea what time I was woken up by what seemed to be someone at the front door knocking. It stopped and I tried to go back to sleep… and it started again. Husband is on the couch (the littlest dog has a little bladder, and he just stays down stairs after her potty break), I scream down, “Get up someone is at the door”, I come flying down the stairs. He said, “No one is there, go back to bed.” I assume whomever it was must have run off.  I guess I went right back to sleep. I found out when I woke up (for good) that it was our ginger one batting at the flaps of a box.

I think the furry children & I need to have a discussion, not that they will listen… but it will make me feel for one moment that I’m in control, even though we all know better.

I NEVER thought I would enjoy sewing

As a child my mother made almost all of my clothes. I loved my Little House on the Prairie inspired skirts and shirts. That was until I was in about 4^th grade, then I only wanted store bought clothes like the ones my friends wore. I really was foolish. My mother’s clothes were much better made, and they had a story, something store bought clothes would never have. My mother continued to make clothes for my Barbies (which always seemed to disappear when I played with certain girls). My mother tried to teach me how to sew clothes for my dolls. I was not a very good student (or she may not have been a good teacher).

When I was fifteen, I thought I should learn to make my own clothes. My second attempt at sewing resulted in a thoroughly screwed up sewing machine (this was not a cheap Wal-Mart sewing machine, since Wal-Mart had not invaded our area yet).

My Senior Prom, I intended on making my prom dress. My mother knew that it would be a shit show, so she made it for me. My mother didn’t do zippers. She had a fear of them, because in home economics class she broke a needle that stuck into her eyelid. Since then, she never sewed a zipper.

In my early 20s I started playing with dolls again, I bought patters and fabric, and an inexpensive sewing machine. I tried very hard to teach myself to sew. I was again not successful. I broke this sewing machine as well.

In my mid 20s my mother in law had a sewing machine she never used. She gave it to me (after I told her if she was never going to use it I would be happy to take it off her hands) with the understanding that I would hem my father in law’s pants. Well, that only happened once. I guess he didn’t like how screwed up they looked after my hem job. I actually made some clothes that I wore in public. BUT, I didn’t use the right material for the pattern, and some of the seams started to come apart while I was wearing them. I made a fabulous Halloween costume; I was Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

I stopped sewing again. I gave my mother my sewing machine (because she had sold her Wal-Mart special in a yard sale).

Five years ago, I did a Secret Santa Swap with another dog owner. The dog was a Bull Mastiff. She was always complaining that she could never find clothes to fit her. I decided I would make dog dresses for a Bull Mastiff for Christmas. I bought a sewing machine during a black Friday sale at Wal-Mart; it was a Project Runway Brother. I began making little dog clothes. I thought that I would sell them on Etsy or EBay. Honestly, they were not that well made, but I tried hard.

I began trying to make clothes for myself again. I didn’t install zippers, because my mother put this fear in me that I would get poked in the eye with a broken needle. I used too heavy material, and never wore any of these clothes in public. I made pj bottoms for my best friend, myself & my husband. I wasn’t bad at all. I lost interest and the sewing machine was packed away in a corner.

I decided that I wanted to make clothes again, bought books, watched a few YouTube videos, stocked up when I saw fabric sales. I lost interest again. I think it was because I had gained a lot of weight. I found large patterns and started sewing again. Nothing spectacular.

As I lost weight, I bought more books and learned how to take clothes in, learned how the proper fabric can make or break a sewing experience. I began making dresses, my first attempt wasn’t great, but each time I sewed something new I felt at little more accomplished with what I had made.

I decided that if I was going to actually sew, I needed a more advanced machine. I researched what sewing machine would be best for a new sewer. I discovered that Brother (which was the brand that I was using) was the most user friendly machine, and that they had made a new computerized Project Runway Machine. I decided to purchase it. I began making skirts that I actually wore in public and loved. I made a couple of shirts and even a pair of shorts!

I decided that I wanted to make an outfit for a disco era themed Drag Show. I did not enjoy working with sequins this time. It was tricky to make, the sequins dulled the needle, you couldn’t iron it, but I continued on. I swore I would never work with sequin material again! Much to my surprise, my outfit was a success.

     A)     I looked amazing in it.

    B)       I had people who wanted to steal it right off my body.

   C)       I had people who began asking me to make clothes for them!

I admit the idea of making something for someone scared the shit out of me! I wasn’t a real seamstress, and I only had one outfit under my belt that was remotely amazing. Luckily, the person changed her mind, and I felt better. I don’t know what about it made me so frightened, but it did.

I made some more outfits that I wore out in public & I received complements on. As my confidence in my sewing grew, so did my skill.

I read more books on different techniques, watched YouTube videos, and started following sewing and refashioning blogs.

I entered a pinup competition and made my outfit. It was amazing!!!

I began really enjoying sewing. I made a few dresses, some failures, but it hasn’t stopped me.

Halloween came this year; I decided that I would make my Halloween Costume. I wasn’t afraid that it wouldn’t come out well. I knew I finally had the skill to make something amazing. I did something I never anticipated doing. I OFFERED to make the husband’s cousin’s costume for The Nightmare Before Christmas Drag Show. She actually agreed to let me make her something!!!  I made her a sexy Mrs. Clause dress IN SEQUINS! I didn’t hate working with it, and it came out AMAZING! My costume came out amazing as well.

I decided I wanted to make my own Christmas Dress in sequins as well. It is DONE! I’m just wondering what I will do for my next project!

There are two things you NEVER discuss at work; Politics and Religion.

There are two things you NEVER discuss at work; Politics and Religion.

I guess it is a good thing that this is MY BLOG and I’m not at work.

Last night I had the misfortune to have to speak with an individual who kept talking about how everyone should vote No on 1 (for those of you not in the state of Maine, Question 1 was a Citizen’s Initiative to legalize same sex marriage).  It took everything I had to remember, that you NEVER discuss politics or religion at work… THEN, he said to me “You must have voted yes.” My response was shockingly adult and non threatening. “There are two things I learned early in life; there are two things in business you never discuss, Politics and Religion.” Upon which he informed me that the question was not religion, nor was it political. I said, “Putting it on the ballot makes it political.”

 I assumed that was the end of the discussion. I had to repeat my response that I never talk about politics or religion with customers.  Of course, he went on to say that the Pope defines marriage as a union for procreation (way to make marriage about religion). I piped up and said, well that isn’t a fair definition, because there are some people out there who cannot have children. He blew it off (as most people who are set in their ways do). He went on and on and on.

In the United States, we all have the right to religious freedom. We do not have the right to hide behind religion to fuel hatred. With that being said, with the passing of Question 1 in Maine I expect to see people hiding behind religion to spew words of hatred more than they have recently. I don’t want to or need to get into debates with these individuals at work. Now that the initiative has been passed, it is time for people to accept that love is love, and frankly, move on.

I will also bring up another important election result for me personally. I am so THANKFUL that our Mr. President is Barak Obama. I cannot imagine if Governor Mitt Romney had been elected as our president.  I know many of my friends feel that Obama hasn’t done anything for the country and that Mr. Romney could do better. You are entitled to your opinions. The truth of the matter is our President is Barak Obama, and he was elected by both the popular vote AND the Electoral College.  Those who say that their voices were not heard are incorrect.  Let me say this again, our current president was elected by both the POPULAR vote AND Electoral College.

I am thankful to live in a country with so many freedoms that we take them for granted.  I am thankful for the men and women who fight everyday doing what they think is right to protect those freedoms. I AM proud to be an American and I am proud to call the state of Maine my home!

very quick update

Well… it has been a crazy month or more…

I’ve been working at my new job for officially a month now. As my life begins to slow down I will hopefully have time to sew & blog more.

Today will be a fun day; I’m getting extensions put in by my best friend and fabulous hairdresser!!!

I’m getting ready to head out, so hopefully I’ll have time to update you all very soon!!

Day 11 of My Connecticut Adventure

Things aren’t terribly exciting… so I may not be posting every day to update you on breakfast, lunch, dinner, training, etc…

We had another action packed day of training (I haven’t been disclosing what we’ve been doing in training, because it is proprietary info and I don’t want to lose my job for disclosing).

Day 12 of My Connecticut Adventure.

Another busy day of training. I’m on overload right now… tomorrow is going to be a packed jam day plus our Week 2 assessment.

Next week I got to my store for some more hands on training. That will be AWESOME! I won’t be cleared to sell YET… so, all of you faithful followers will have to wait until Mid-August to come see me!

The individuals in my training class are making it really easy to keep my personal and work life separate. I was in the elevator with one of them. He did not even say hello, hey… hell, he didn’t even grunt. I got more out of a total stranger. As the husband keeps reminding me, I probably won’t see most of these people much after training. There are three people who are at least polite, I will give them that … but life goes on.

To be honest, it keeps me out of trouble. If I was friendly with them, I’d probably be out dancing coyote ugly style. HA HA

This weekend is the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo, in the Exciting Manchester, NH. I’m sure I will have interesting things to share about that!!!

Until next time!

Days 9 & 10 of My Connecticut Adventure

Day 9 of My Connecticut Adventure

I’m a few days behind on my blog posts, because my weekend was awesome (and I didn’t even have to wear the AWESOME panties to make it so).

Monday, a day back to training…. I’m feeling really good about my decision. I’m learning so much, and just putting up with the fact that my fellow students are choosing not to socialize with me. I’m actually pretty ok with it, because it keeps me out of trouble. Since I can no longer drink anyone under the table, I won’t be tempted to try it any way.

I was still eating left over’s from this weekend… I’m sure the company is going to be happy to see I don’t use my whole meal allotment.

Day 10 of my Connecticut Adventure.

So, I’ll get caught up and put two days in here, I guess.

Training itself is going really well.

My fridge in my room is freezing my food L

In my lunch today I found a fruit fly. L

I didn’t want to put it out there… but I’m annoyed today. The people in my class aren’t so nice. Day one I introduced myself to a couple of them, and they couldn’t have been less interested in who I was or what I had to say… Here we are at the second week of training… EVERYONE (there are a whole 9 of us) goes out to dinner together. I haven’t been invited or asked… tonight took the cake though… I went to pick up my dinner in the lounge. Three of them were having dinner at the bar. The only one who spoke to me was the one other woman in the class… the other two guys completely ignored me. Now me, I would have suggested that the individual sit with us…. I don’t know what it is. I don’t think I’ve come across as holier than thou…maybe I have… frankly, my first impression of them wasn’t great… and they haven’t given me anything to make me think anything better of them.

For those who know me, know that I’m pretty darn social. I party with anyone… as long as you keep your hands to yourself (and then if I know you well enough & know you are being silly I will pretty much accept that too).

This COULD be the universe’s way of telling me that I need to maintain a professional personality when I am around people I work with. I haven’t always been the best one for this. Some of my best partying friends were also co-workers… and I have been known to let my freak flag fly. Oh well… I guess this is where I make the choice to separate personal and professional life completely and utterly… I’m so grateful for the wonderful people I’ve met through my previous jobs, those who take me for who I am. Many of them let their freak flags fly high with mine!

On the upside my dinner (which I ate alone) was really good.

I’m going to curl up with a good book (my aunty gave me a bag full).

My weekend rocked!

I’m a few days behind on my blog posts, because my weekend was awesome (and I didn’t even have to wear the AWESOME panties to make it so).

I visited with my Aunty. I love visiting with her because there is no agenda, not stress… no 1,001 activities that we MUST pack into a day. It is nice and relaxing… as a weekend (or any day off) should be.

I got in a little later than I wanted because of traffic issues, but I made it there in one piece, so that is the important thing. We sat, had a drink & caught up on everything… including that she has decided to take early retirement. I’m excited for her! She’ll have time to do what she wants without having to worry about having to go back to work, or deal with cranky pants! (I think this celebration requires more than just a weekend, but we can plan for that).

Saturday morning we went to the beach and just hung out. I actually slept in until 10! That is not normal for me, but it was great.  I’m not so good at the just sitting… but I did pretty well. We did lunch at the Landing. That was quite yummy. We went to a Sandcastle Competition (more like Sands sculpture exhibit), and that was awesome. We might have gotten misplaced on the way back.

We had a nice evening when we got back, had some cocktails & chatted some more.

Sunday I didn’t sleep in much (I woke up at 6:45). By the time my aunty got up, I had read most of my book & drank four or more cups of coffee.  We went to Salem and just puttered around. That was fun. There wasn’t really much more than window shopping… but that was ok with me.

 We had lunch at a little sports bar. That was yummy too (I wish I could find places that were as yummy in CT).

I headed out about 4:45. I got into the hotel about 8:15. I kept getting detoured. Plus I would take a left when I should have taken a right, so yeah, some of it was me…. But I really hate trying to drive though Boston. It sucks… big time!

Day 6 of My Connecticut Adventure

Note to self, do not have the continental breakfast on a Friday. I took a sip of apple juice, it was fermented. The eggs were rubbery… and alas, nothing was ready a half an hour after it was supposed to be.

It was a long day, but very productive. I learned a lot, and I really learned the areas that I need to work on. Oh, and I scored a 90% on my assessment. Woo hoo to me.

After class, I headed to visit my Aunty in Massechusets. I was not impressed by the lack of movement on the highway. Come to find out there was a delay at one of my exits. I was rerouted. Then there was another delay at another exit I had to get off. It put me, about an hour behind where I wanted to be. I hope that my return trip will be a-ok.

 It is going to be a great weekend of catching up (since I think it may have been 2 years since I’ve seen her)… no updates this weekend, until maybe Monday, since she is one of the few people in the world who does not have internet, a cell phone, or even a computer (frankly, I say good for her).

Sorry for the shortness of this one… but it is what it is.

Until Next time

Day 5 of My Connecticut Adventure

I guess we don’t need to go over what I had for breakfast today. Ha ha..

I woke up at 5am, but decided to stay in bed a bit longer. The only problem with that is that the walls are paper thin in this hotel. They really are I can hear the conversation in the room on the other side of me as though they were in my room. Not cool. L I can’t leave just the fan running all night because then it gets too darn humid in my room, so I guess I’ll just stop complaining, because there isn’t anything I can do about it… moving on.

I have decided that the best way to start a day is to watch Sesame Street music videos. Yesterday’s video was Cookie Monster singing Share it Maybe:

Today’s video is REM singing with the monsters Furry Happy Monsters.

How can anyone have a bad day after watching Sesame Street music videos? You really can’t. It is almost impossible… even though I had some strange issues yesterday, I didn’t have a bad day. When I started to get frustrated, I just thought about the video I watched in the morning, and it seemed all was right… and who can’t help but smile when you have a catchy tune sung by cookie monster in your head?

Training was great today! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE role playing. I am NOT being sarcastic, I really actually do like role playing. It is a great way to practice what will really happen in real life scenarios. I may have a habit of making things difficult for my role playing partners, but customers are never easy all the time, are they? I know I’m not always an easy customer either.

Oh, and we got our phones today!!!! Mine is AWESOME, but to be honest, I think any phone would be awesome. I’m so excited to start putting the devices from my company into the hands of my customers!!!

Tomorrow is the last day of training of this week. After training, I’m heading to visit my Aunty in MA. I haven’t seen her in a while. It will be nice to catch up and rest for a moment, since it has been go, go, go all week. Knowing me, it will still be go, go go while I’m visiting with her.

Until Next time!

Day 4 of My Connecticut Adventure

My breakfast today was the same as yesterday. I do wish that the concierge would be a little more on the ball. He hadn’t put the eggs out … was running low on oatmeal, and I went even later today!

So today I learned a valuable lesson, listen to Google Maps (unless it tells you to take a U turn)… even if you have driven somewhere twice, you still don’t know it. I was almost late for class today. I went South instead of North. I was so used to my Garmin messing up that I just assumed that I must be right and my Google maps must be wrong. Considering that Google=Big Brother I should have known better. Well I wasn’t late, so all is right with the world there. (Glad I left extra early because I was going to get gas).

I was sitting in class and suddenly my bra strap snapped.  I was not happy about this… and thank goodness break time was imminent. I spent almost my whole damn break trying to find a way to fix it so my boobs wouldn’t look lopsided. I had a make it work moment and was glad that a) I had a breast reduction a few years ago b) Yankee ingenuity c) there was only an hour and a half left of class.

I learned another valuable lesson… Credit Unions are not always better than Banks (technically I all ready knew that after the bank I just finished working for).  We paid off a credit card with the Credit Union with a loan from another bank. It was part of cash out from an equity loan. I specifically told the teller I worked with NOT to close out the card. She told me that she was only paying it to zero. I went to use the card yesterday to get gas. It did not work. I found out today that it is because it is their policy that when a credit card or any open ended loan is paid off with loan proceeds that they close the account. That was never told to me in the 45 minutes I spent at that Credit Union. Yes, folks, 45 MINUTES TO COMPLETE FOUR TRANSACTIONS!

Since the card is in my wonderful husband’s name, who had suggested that I use the card for expenses not covered under the company meal plan while in training, called the credit union and got the above answer. He was told that the loan officer from the other bank would need to contact them to reopen the card. So…. My husband had to contact the loan officer from the bank. She took COMPLETE ownership. She actually told him that she thought that she had checked the box on the paperwork not to close the card, but she must have missed it. She asked what she needed to do to fix it. REALLY??!??? I was shocked. She just earned brownie points with me. In addition to the fact that she was honest, upfront, and didn’t hide or fail to disclose anything with our loan. I AM CONFIDENT that she was not the one who messed this one up, but impressed that she owned the mistake, didn’t place blame on someone else, and she fixed the problem.

I worked out again after work, BUT the A/C was still broken. I got dizzy & a head ache after running just a mile, so I decided it might be a good idea to call it quits for the moment. I HAVE been walking on my breaks too, and eating better than usual… it CAN be done even if you are eating out three meals a day.

I decided to plug the address for the nearest Target into my phone and take a little trip. Getting there was fine, coming back it wanted me to make U turns. I just pretty much went back the direction I came and it recalculated enough to give me the correct exit numbers.

Tonight? I think I’m going to call it an early night (I said this last night, but I ended up chatting with my bestie & cousin). Tonight the internet is running super slow and I guess I ran a red light thinking it had turned green, so I must be sleepy.

Until tomorrow!

Day 3 of My Connecticut Adventure

So, I still woke up with a massive headache this morning. I didn’t think I was going to make it. I talked to the hubby right after I took Tylenol this morning. He suggested I take another shower, and that I would feel better. I went to breakfast later today. I had the same thing I had yesterday. I decided to listen to the hubby and took another shower. I had four cups of double brewed coffee (the coffee in the hotel room is so bad to get it even close to dark enough I have to double brew it). By the time that it was time to leave my head ache was gone.

Training was great today. I don’t know if it was because of the lack of head ache or the 4 cups of hot coffee, plus the large iced, but it really was great. I was really impressed by the “guest” speaker that came in. It is great to see someone who has worked for a company for so long still have so much passion about his or her job and the company!

I made a promise to myself that I would work out while I was here. Yesterday I didn’t, because frankly I couldn’t. I went to sleep about 7:45pm. I came straight back to the hotel after training, changed into my workout clothes and worked out. I realize how out of shape I am. I did a mile on the tread mill, 20 sit ups, 20 push-ups then repeated. I all ready feel the pushups in my shoulders. The fitness room may not be state of the art, but it gets the job done. I don’t need a ton of equipment to make it work!

I went exploring and didn’t find anything for dinner that way, so I chose to eat at the hotel restaurant. I had a salad and a white pizza with feta & figs. I honestly can say I haven’t had figs before. I have decided that it is yummy.

Now, I think I’ll veg out before I call it a night, maybe even go down to the hot tub… but I’m good with hanging out in my room reading a book.

Until Next time!

Day 2 of My Connecticut Adventure

It is early in the morning of day two. I woke up early. I seem to wake up earlier when I take a Tylenol PM. Not sure why. You would assume that it would be the exact opposite. I went to have breakfast, because breakfast is ready at 6am. I waited about 10 minutes. The concierge was just putting breakfast out. I waited a few min, got a surprisingly healthy breakfast (usually complementary breakfasts are crap). Since I’m sure you are all interested in what my breakfast consisted of, I will tell you. I had a slice of pineapple, a slice of honeydew melon, a slice of cantaloupe, a hardboiled egg, oatmeal, and an apple for later. I have made coffee.  It is so weak it might just as well be hot water. L Guess I will have to stop for coffee on my way to training.

I will be wiggin’ it today. Lately I really have not cared if my hair looks fabulous or not (I KNOW it is a shocker) but my best friend and hairdresser was sick before I left. The brat was going to do my hair even though her DR wanted her to go in for an emergency CT scan. I thought not. She is my best friend first, and I have wigs. I would rather have her be doing my hair for years to come than just one time.

I got to my training with no issues this morning. Again, Google Maps didn’t put me on the wrong course. I don’t have great cell reception here, so it DID take a while to load Google Maps. But, it won’t be long before I can ditch the old cell carrier and port my numbers to the new one I work for J

The morning training was a get to know each other session. They are always good. I’ve decided to turn a new leaf in my life & no longer cringe when people comment about my name. This girl has been married for 13 years this August… SO I will embrace all the comments, and my name is my name, and yes, it happens to be similar to an actress.

I tracked down a sushi place that got great reviews on trip advisor. My Google Maps didn’t steer me in the wrong direction, but I did have to find a place to turn around, because I hate crossing over traffic. It was worth it. I will write a review soon. I’m not sure what I will try there tomorrow…Today I ordered one of my stand bys of California Roll, and I also ordered a Pink Lady Roll. The Pink Lady I had never had. It is spicy crabmeat, avocado, and crunch with salmon on top.  I do not have a fridge in my hotel room. I have made a make shift cooler by filling the sink with ice… so I had to eat my sushi early so it didn’t go bad. I think I’ll be eating a lot of sushi while I’m here just the same…. Maybe only ordering one roll instead of two.

After a long day of training, I have a migraine. I believe it is because of lack of sleep (and quite probably because I need to see a chiropractor & a massage therapist). We covered a lot today, and even more to come.  I think I’m going to call it an early night tonight. I was going to work out tonight, but I don’t think running or lifting is a good idea considering my head ache.

I will update more tomorrow.

Day 1 of My Connecticut Adventure

I left the house earlier than I had planned today. Mostly because I was so antsy that I might start housework or mowing the lawn before a 6 ½ hour drive.

I’m glad that I left early, because I ended up having to make a few stops. 1) For snacks. 2) For potty breaks 3) for a new charger.

Traffic wasn’t too bad and Google maps on my phone worked AWESOME! I actually didn’t get lost or misdirected ONCE!!! I guess sometimes big brother isn’t so bad. A lot of road work is going on right now, and if I hadn’t been driving all the vibrations would have been a fun ride. Not so much when you are driving an SUV and trying to combat wind as well as grooved pavement.

The only irritation with drivers was when I tried to pull out after getting gas on the Mass Pike. Some ass hat stopped in the middle of the exit. When I tried to go out around him, the guy who was trying to go out around me got pissy and honked at me.

While Google maps is AWESOME, it did kill my battery. I went to plug it in, and the charger I brought with me WOULD NOT WORK! I went to the front desk to see if they might have one; the girl was not overly helpful. I ended up going to the W-Mart just down the street from my hotel. Well, it was a ghetto W-Mart. Not that W-Mart is upscale in any way shape or form, but this was the worst!!! I hate W-Mart anyway, but holy hell!! This location was not even a super W-Mart! They were under construction to become a Supercenter, but even with that being said, I’ve never seen a W-Mart with such bare shelves. I tried to get an adapter to make my car charger a wall charger as well. The man tried to tell me that they don’t make such a thing. I know they do, because I used to sell them when I worked for the cell company. Then he tried to sell me an iphone charger. I showed him my phone even. GRRR… eventually I walked out with a cable to hook up to my computer to charge it. I will be returning it as soon as I can. My phone has been on the charger for three hours and it is barely at 50% charge.

While I was leaving W-Mart some guy yelled out his car that he wanted a piece of that (as in me). He also proceeded to tell me he loved me…and then the car swung around. I thought for sure I was going to be followed. I got into my car, locked all the doors and made it back to the hotel without incident.

I finally ironed and put away all of my clothes. I decided to go exploring. I found the pool, the fitness room and the laundry. I don’t exactly know where the entrance is to the fitness room. I will have to find that tomorrow night. I also realized that I did not bring any type of detergent for my clothes. I’m hoping that I won’t have to go back to the ghetto W-Mart for detergent.

I took the first bubble bath I had in years with my Hello Kitty Bubble Bath that I got from my former co-worker.

I popped a Tylenol PM, so I think it is time for bed….

Stay tuned for more of my Adventures in Connecticut!

I didn't imagine that today would be so bittersweet..

I don’t really remember feeling anything but joy when leaving a job. Happy to get the hell out and start something new…. Today is a bittersweet day for me.

I’m super excited to be starting a new chapter of my life with a different company. I’m sad about the people that I will be leaving behind.

I was with my previous employer for 7 ½ years. I really dedicated my life to the cell company I worked for. I came in on days off, I got phone calls while on vacation, while out of town on emergencies, I opened new markets, and I managed the store with out the pay or the title. I really did give it my all. When I left that company I didn’t even get a card. The only people who acknowledged my leaving were people who had left the company before I had. Some of them moved on to bigger and better things, others just moved on.

I have been with the bank for a little over a year. I have to admit, I was scared when I started working in Electronic Banking Support. One of the individuals scared the hell out of me; I would go home after dealing with her attitude and really wonder if I made the correct decision leaving the cell company. I wasn’t making even close to as much money, but I was able to see my family more, which was the important part. This woman really made me want to quit and look for a new job, because she was nothing but negative. I stuck it out. Things got better. Mostly, because she quit.

I worked with a number of other departments and really enjoyed being busy and learning new things. I was fortunate enough to work with individuals who had patience with me and were really nice. They understood the frustrations I was having with the individual who quit. They gave me a sounding board and tips for dealing with a big ego.

I would actually consider some of these individuals friends.

I became friendly with the other individual in the department and found out that we had more in common than I realized. She and I became friends once the negative cloud left. We got new person in our department, whose attitude radiated positivity. We had a great thing going.

Things took a turn for the not so great when the individual who had been with the bank for about five years “got done”. We were really walking on egg shells.

The other individual in my department really became a great support to deal with mother issues, and other things that were going on.

An opportunity came up for a training position, and I applied. I received a letter of recommendation from one of the individuals I worked with from another department. I was really excited at the possibility of being able to use more of my brain. Some days, the job that I have makes feel like a trained monkey could do it.  I unfortunately did not get the position, but was really touched that some one I worked with would recommend me for the positions.

The manager was having a difficult time finding some one to replace the person who had “gotten done”. She actually considered hiring back the individual who had made my department hellish. I had in the past been very open and frank regarding this individual. I really felt like I was being disrespected by the thought of hiring this individual back, considering the conversations we had regarding the individual.

As you know, bills suck, and I really don’t make enough money at the bank to have much spending money after paying bills. I don’t live to work and work alone. I haven’t been on a real vacation since before I left the cell phone company. I really had a lot to think about.  I missed working with people face to face, the challenges associated with working in the cellular industry, and yes, the money.

The manger hired a new individual who has experience with customer service and computers. I think things will turn out ok.

So, as all of my readers know, I got the job with a different mobile phone carrier, and leave for training on Sunday.

Tuesday, I had lunch with my co-worker, and former co worker. It was nice to chill out and have lunch with them.

One of the individuals I work with made me a card. Everyone signed it. I was touched that after a little over a year, the people I had worked with valued me enough to take the time to bother signing a card.

Today, being my last day, they finally made the announcement that I was leaving. I have received phone calls from people telling me that I will be missed. The individual I worked with on account reconciliations actually bought me a going away present of Hello Kitty stuff! I might have felt a little misty. AND one of the people I’ve worked with actually came in even though she was on vacation to say goodbye to me.

Now, those of you who really know me know that I’m not too keen on people in my space, especially hugging… well, today; I’ve gotten and given hugs… Ok, AND while I’m typing this I’m getting a little bit of a knot in my throat. So, I guess it is time to wrap this up.

I have met some amazing individuals working for the bank, and am really going to miss them.

Sometimes I forget that even the people I love are asses

Many of you, who know me personally, know that I know and love many individuals who happen to be gay. I support gay rights, and promote acceptance of the gay community.  Last year I walked with a dear friend in the Queen City Pride Parade with my friend Tim. I was overcome by the love and support that perfect strangers show for each other and for the community as a whole.

I will be walking in the parade again this year (which is going to be even bigger than last year, but with a smaller parade route), with my wonderful friend, my husband’s cousin, and hopefully my friend’s daughter & grandson. I’m thinking I’m not going to walk next to a float again. Since I’m not so coordinated, I’m lucky that when I got to close to the wheel well I got a little heads up from a couple lovely queens. J

My husband’s cousin has moved back home after a long time away. She has been to Pride Parades in the past. This will be the first time she will be participating.

Last night my dear husband’s cousin got an earful from her mother. It started out just being a lecture on bills. It turned nasty, very quickly from what I hear. Her mother informed her that by participating and supporting the gay community she is “dragging the family’s name through the mud, and making them look bad.”  ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? I love my husband’s Aunt, but BITCH NEEDS TO GET A GRIP! I know that my husband’s family is very religious, and has strong republican views. IT IS 2012, time to understand that being gay isn’t a fad, a phase, or a choice!

Now I’ve had my share of issues with my mother, as anyone who follows my blog knows. My mother has even used derogatory remarks about my sexual orientation while I was in high school. But she has NEVER told me that I made her or our family look bad. She may be a wretched woman, but she has NEVER, NEVER made me feel like I was a disappointment!

So, today, I say… I love you Aunt, stop being a bitch to your daughter, you are acting like and ass!

I love my husband's family, but hate family get togethers

The husband’s grandparents celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary yesterday. That is no small mile stone if you ask me, especially with people getting divorces after 20, 25, even 30 years. It was great to see them (not so great when I hear from the husband’s cousin that their grandfather told her that he still loved the grandmother very much and that they make love on a regular basis). Family members that hadn’t been together in about five years all got together for dinner.

Dinner is where it becomes no fun. Big o’le E-Town is limited on the places that you can go with a party of 17. We had all made suggestions on places to go for the cheap (because even though the husband’s family is most likely of English and French decent, I’m shocked if some of their roots don’t come from Jerusalem) other than the establishment we ended up at. We were actually all set to go somewhere else, but this location had a sign for cheap fried clams and 2-for specials, so we went to this place which we had sworn never to go to again.

We got there, and sat down. The waitress had not taken drink orders from the people who were all ready there yet (really, that is the first thing you do). She waited until everyone got there to take drink orders. She was pretty slow. She did not bring out dinner rolls until I got a little loud and mouthy and said that some one should ask for them, even though they were complementary. She actually brought them right over (surprise).

Oh, yes, don’t let me forget, there was only one waitress for 17 people! When it came time to serve food, only ONE WAITRESS, so some people were done with their meals before the last person even got served (if they had waited their food would have gotten cold). She was terrible at refilling drinks; people had to ask more than once for her to get on it.

The husband’s cousin found a hair in her food. Instead of sending it back, she opted to just not eat that half of her plate. Me, well I would have sent it back and told them to take it off my bill (even though it was a 2-for they could have discounted the 2-for 50%). My husband had a hair on the side of his plate, not in his food, and his aunt had pulled pork that was more like pulled fat.

My husband ordered chicken scampi… now; I have NEVER had chicken scampi covered in mushrooms! It was LOADED! He had to pick off the mushrooms, because he doesn’t like them (good thing he isn’t allergic), plus there was still a bit of shell left on a piece of shrimp… FUN TIME!

Desert time came. No one was pleased with their meals, and we didn’t want deserts. The husband’s dear cousin had just gotten over the stomach bug and really didn’t want desert, but her mother told her that everyone else was getting desert so she should order something. The grandmother and two other guests were the only ones besides the cousin who had desert.

Remember, the cousin literally was in the hospital two days ago getting IV fluids because of her stomach bug. She was eating slowly and not a lot. She ordered Key Lime Pie. Frankly, they offer better stuff in the frozen section of the grocery store! She was slowly eating it, and all of sudden, the husband’s aunt starts flipping out on the cousin about how she always orders things she can’t finish. Well, she tried to tell her that she was taking it slow and it kept going. I really thought she was going to stab her mother with a fork! No, she cut the pie into three pieces and shoveled them into her mouth.

When the check came, people were very angry that the gratuity was included on the checks. (I tried to explain that it was customary if there was a party usually over 8 to include the gratuity). We were happy, because the service was terrible, and we never tip less than $5, but it was just over $3, because they only figured 15%, not 20%.

We were very happy to get out of there to say the least.

Hello Kittification Continues

I have been working very hard to come up with ideas to finish my hello kitty-fication of Alice in Wonderland. The Mr. told me that I need to figure out what I want to do for the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo on July 20-22. It has been stressful to come up with an idea that works as a tattoo, or at the very least inspire me to come up with an idea for my tattoo, using Hello Kitty.

If I knew how to use my Photo Shop Elements software this process would have been SOOO much easier, but alas, I have not had time bothered to look at the videos from adobe. I have been choosing ideas, printing, cutting, enlarging, and reducing pictures.

This has been an endeavor to find the pictures, trace my leg so I can figure out how to fit the new characters in. This project has taken over my desk, my sleep, and frankly my life. I finally finished everything (other than the Cheshire Cat… because how the hell do you Hello Kitty-fy something that is known for its smile?). I figured out the placement. The background can always be done later. The artist sent me a message back that she would love to work on it! Now, I just have to send her a copy of my idea. I’m actually getting excited about it now.

Is it bad that I think that everything should be hello kitty-fied?

I only have about two more weeks before I head out of town for training for my new job. On the way home after the second week, we are stopping over at the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo. I don’t have a lot of time left to design the next phase of my hello kitty half sleeve that I will be putting on my leg (which may be changing to a scene with a “looking glass frame”. I have to not only decide what character I’m getting, but also design said tattoo, or at the very least email the artist that did my Mad Hatter tattoo (because frankly, she is amazing). I’m getting a little anxious thinking about this.

 I’m looking for inspiration online to see what I should do. I’ve made a tracing of what I all ready have and am really trying to figure out what is next. As I am doing this, I am also thinking of other things that I could Hello Kitty-fy. Some of these things would make people squirm. Some people who call what I am thinking sacrilegious even. I’m not talking about the Virgin Mary or Jesus (all though, these have been done). I’m thinking about other favorite things of mine… Hold on to your panties and shut your mouths babies… but I am thinking of Hello Kitty-fied ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and Hello Kitty-fied GREASE.

 Now, un-bunch those panties boys and girls… A talented artist could do such things and it would be… AWESOME! Have you seen the Hello Kitty as Hannibal Lecter? Hello Kitty R2D2? Hello Kitty Storm Trooper? Hello Kitty Pin-Head? I could go on, but I’m sure I’ve all ready sufficiently frightened everyone.

I guess it is time to go back and think of what characters are important to my design and where they will be placed. I promise to continue to blog about this journey to the eventual completion of this EPIC (because, yes bitches, it will be) tribute to Lewis Carroll’s famous book and to the most loved and loathed cartoon kitty.

GO ME!

I’ve been pretty quiet, only telling a select few people about my recent job search…

A few weeks ago I began actively looking for a new job. It isn’t that I didn’t like my job at the bank. I’ll be honest, banks don’t pay well. You get a fixed schedule, but most people are lucky to make any money at all in banking, unless the stick it out and have been there for 10 years or more. I had a certain life style that I had grown accustomed to while working for the cell carrier. I really thought that a career change would be ok. I cashed out my 401k (yes, I know, really not a great idea, but it had to be done) and changed industries. There were many reasons why I had to leave the cellular company. A lot of it had to do with the mother and the stress that my marriage was having. I paid off a lot of bills and figured my budget.

Things were going ok. Not great, but ok…. Then the money ran out and things got stressful… no more mani-pedis… no more shopping retail. I adjusted, learned how to budget better, and have become one of the best ressionistas (those who are my friends on facebook have seen the dollar run down on what I spend at Goodwill and what it would have cost me retail, I really am dragnificent). THEN, student loan payments were kicking in. I found out that I could not apply for forbearance indefinitely. So, I began looking. From previous blogs, you will see, I began cleaning rooms at a hotel, and looked into waiting tables.

Friends and former co-workers kept suggesting that I get back into cellular. This fell on deaf ears. THEN after a cocktail over lunch, I realized how much I really missed the job and the money. I had left the cell carrier on good terms. I was a good employee, I had practically run stores, been though the leadership program offered by the carrier, I always improved on areas I said I would improve on, and I gave notice. I contacted the manager in the area I had last worked in. We set an appointment to meet on the Wednesday he got back from vacation. I was really excited. I received a Facebook message the day before, informing me that the company was not interested in hiring back former employees unless there were extraordinary circumstances. Evidently, 7 ½ years was not extraordinary enough. I was really upset, but I applied anyway. I did not get a call back, but I also did not have my application rejected.

I decided to look elsewhere. I have a degree in medical administration, but could not find a job with those qualifications. I thought about working for another bank, but the bank I work for, is a really good company to work for. I didn’t really want to leave for something just a little higher pay that didn’t treat me as well.

I saw that another cellular carrier on the other side of town was hiring. I contacted a former co-worker who is a manger for the company in another city. I asked her what she thought of the company, what the goals were like, and if she thought I could handle it. She encouraged me to apply. I applied on line. I got a phone call to set up a phone interview approximately two weeks later. I thought that it went really well. A week later I had a face to face interview with the store manager. I didn’t do a lot of talking. I was advised that they had several more interviews and I would receive a call from staffing. A week after my interview with the store manger I heard from staffing and was offered the position, pending a background check. I knew that I would be fine with the background check, but decide to wait until I received the final final go ahead before I gave notice. I had to fax copies of W2s and pay stubs for employment verification. The first snafu I ran into was that there was not a local drug testing facility. I had to wait for information on the drug testing. I received the information on a Friday. It had to be completed within two business days. I had to drive about 40 min to the closest collection facility. They did not have Saturday hours and they were only open 8-5 during the week. I work 8-5 at the bank. It so happened that I had taken vacation days Monday and Tuesday, and was able to get into testing Monday.  My pee was sent overnight to the out of state testing facility. I assumed that I would have the results within a few days. (I KNEW IT WOULD BE NEGATIVE).The results were complete Friday, but not sent to staffing until Monday. Staffing did not receive final results until Tuesday. I then found out that I needed to provide W2s from 2007 to 2010 from my previous employer.

I started freaking out! I didn’t know if I had W2s that far back. I Knew I could get as far back as 2009 online…  I shocked myself and DID have back to 2007! I rushed to get them faxed to staffing. I was getting into a time rush, because my current manager was leaving for vacation before the end of the week!

I received a call back within an hour! I OFFICIALLY GOT THE JOB!

I gave my manager the news that my last day would be July 6^th. She was visibly saddened by my notice. She was happy that I would be staying through vacations, and gave ample notice.

I start my training July 9^th. You can rest assured that I will be blogging along the way!

GOOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEE!

I think I should change the name of my blog to “My mother makes me want to drink early in the morning”

Yup, another rant about the egg donor (yes, that is my new name for my mother).  Saturday after work I was nice enough to pick up my mother’s meds from the store. (I know I may seem like a heartless bitch, because she doesn’t drive…BUT she makes the choice to not take the bus from the retirement community into town, she makes the CHOICE to not have her helper go to the store to pick up her meds, she makes the CHOICE to not have her doctor call in her meds before her doctor’s appointments so she can pick them up right after her appointment. She also makes the choice to wait until last minute).  I go to visit with her, because she is always complaining that I don’t visit enough, and she can’t get out of her own way to get out of bed. Ok, fine. 

Sunday, after work, I suggest that we try to visit my mother. My husband isn’t feeling great himself, but agrees (since she complains that she never sees him). Day number two that she can’t bother to get dressed and out of bed. I told her that if she is feeling that poorly, she needs to see a doctor. She tells me she has an appointment the next day (Monday).

I took Monday and Tuesday off from work (planned back in January). I had a lot of errands to run. I didn’t call or see her Monday, because I have my own life and if I wanted to have a child, I would. I called her today (Tuesday) from the mechanic to see how she was doing and how her doctor’s appointment went. She had the weeks mixed up, and her doctor’s appointment is NEXT week. She was in the middle of breakfast, so she had to call me back. When she called me back I had to keep repeating myself because her cell phone is not working well (on a side note, she bought a phone that came in worse than her current phone… but she is cheap and won’t fork out the money for a decent phone anyway). I told her that instead of repeating myself over and over again I would stop by after my appointment.

I went to stop by her house. I knocked three times, called three times and sent her a text message. She did not answer, I went home. I get home and plug my phone in (it was dead). I had four messages from my mother.  1) I was in the bathroom. 2) Come back 3) you know where the hide-a-key is 4) so, I take it you are not coming back.   

I had just started lunch and laundry. I was not about to head back out as soon as I walked in the door. I sent her a message telling her that my phone was dead ( because I guess I still have to answer to her even though I am 33 years old) and that I just read her messages and that I had just started lunch and that I would try to stop by later. She said that was ok if I don’t go over today (yeah, it IS OK because I’m not going to use the gas to go back out and visit with her for 15 min, only to be kicked out because she wants to take a nap!).

I’m so damn tired about hearing how she never goes anywhere and how we never visit. This is WHY!!!! Plus I’m sure I’ll get some sort of critique about my appearance (always have regardless of how successful I am. It is never enough for her).

http://bluntcard.com/launch/352.php

So, yes, this blog should really be change to “My mother is going to make me an alcoholic” or “My mother makes me believe that 5’oclock is only a suggestion.”

Everyone loves the weekend….

So, some of you may or may not know that I did indeed start cleaning hotel rooms on the weekends. I really didn’t know if I was going to go back after the first weekend, because the woman who trained me was just wretched. She complained the whole time and kept disappearing.

Well, the hubby’s cousin is working with me. Working with her has made it much better, and I have to say I kind of like it. Yes, I get to wear gloves!

In addition to working seven days a week, we have started scraping the camp. We will be doing some touch up painting this year as well.

Some of you may know about the camp, or even had the pleasure of visiting it. We have made a promise to ourselves that we will use it more this year than we have in the past. (Yes, this is the same camp from the previous post).

The camp has been used very rarely since the year after my mother-in-law passed away. The first summer, my father-in-law still stayed there, and then he met his new wife and traveled to her home town all summer. After the got married, they stopped going to camp all together.

So… there is another project…

This weekend marks the FOURTH week in a row that I have mowed the lawn (and we aren’t talking about my lady bits here).  The price last year was $35 each time the lawn was mowed.  At this point it would have cost us $140…so, my little push mower that I paid $100 for has all ready started saving us money!!

Yesterday I cut out the pattern for my outfit for the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo Pin-up Pageant.

Yup, still feeling like wonder woman!

(On a side note, we DID try to visit with my mother and were going to invite her to help us scrape, but she couldn’t get her ass out of bed at all this weekend).

When you are hiring someone actually READ the completed application before an interview

You would assume that barring any unforeseen circumstances, a hiring manager would read an application before setting up an interview. (There are exceptions to this rule, such as when an application and resume are done electronically through a large corporation, but the hiring manager’s computer crashes while getting ready to prepare for a scheduled interview). You would assume that you would verify availability before scheduling an interview.  You would assume if you are conducting an interview outside of your regular interview times you would actually be interested in the applicant.Guess what, assumptions are wrong.I filled out an application about three weeks ago for a restaurant that is new to my area. I was told that they were not hiring, but to fill out an application anyway. Keep in mind, I have NEVER waited tables before, but I have extensive customer service experience, and isn’t waiting tables all about customer service?I received a call yesterday informing me that they had scheduled an interview for me today at 2:40pm. I apologized, and advised that I work until 5pm, so 5:15 would be the only time I could meet with someone. She advised me that they only do interviews until 4pm, but she would have the manager call me back.  She did, and I was scheduled for 5:15. We sat down and she did the normal interview stuff… “Tell me about yourself.” “Do you have reliable transportation?” “Are you a convicted felon?” Then she tells me, “I haven’t really read your application, what is your availability, and I don’t have my glasses, so I can’t really see it now, either.” Ok, I should have gotten up and walked away at that point, but I did not. I gave her my limited availability of Friday & Saturday nights. She asked if I had wait staff experience. I told her that I did not (but if she had read my application she would have all ready known that). I told her, “But, as you can see on my application, I have many years of customer service experience.” She told me that their hostesses are in charge of customer service, but they are promoted to wait staff from within. Last I knew, waiting tables was ALL ABOUT customer service, but then again, I’ve never waited tables… but I have eaten at restaurants a lot, and I don’t remember a damn thing about the hostess, but I sure as hell remember a terrible or great waiter! She then asked if I had any other availability, because they don’t start shifts at 5:30pm, and she really wasn’t interested in hiring someone for one day a week. She asked if I was sure that was my only availability. I work a full time Monday through Friday, and I have another weekend job, no I was not. She told me to let her know if my availability opened up. Needless to say, I will not!

Some days I wish I were a man

Some days I wish I were a man

So, I’ve been a little bit sensitive and cranky lately… no idea why. I just wanted to take my hands and pop off some one’s head. Not that this is new for me, but the extent of my uber cranky pants was out of control! I was also in a fog. Meaning, I couldn’t seem to complete simple tasks correctly and I was not making sense at all. I actually asked for onion in my iced tea instead of lemon.

Boys and girls, I had PMS! Usually this “wonderful” time of the month makes me want to eat salty items (not balls) and nap excessively. Maybe it is the weather, maybe it is because I’ve been working two jobs, or maybe I’m just getting crankier in my old age, who knows? After a few days my brain is back to functioning correctly. I’m feeling better and more normal now.

If I were a man I wouldn’t have to deal with PMS, BUT I would still wear fabulous dresses, wigs and false eyelashes. Yes, I WOULD be a drag queen. I have no interest in being a man other than I would not have to deal with PMS. Any drama in my life would be non hormonal related. I would date some of the hottest boys out there (even though I love my husband dearly, I don’t think he would love me if I were a man).  

Alas, I am not a man, so PMS will continue… until next time…….

Summer is upon us, which means times at camp.

This weekend, I spent Sunday night and Monday at camp. Sunday night was great; we spent the night with Ernie’s cousin Ashley. Kristen & our Godson Bryson came to visit. We had food, played games and had some adult beverages, and fabulous strawberry margarita Jell-O strawberries.

Monday was bearable because Ernie’s family is awesome! Monday also meant time with my mother. For those of you who haven’t had the misfortune of meeting her, we will just say that you are lucky.

An issue with my mother is Ernie’s Dad’s camp. She seems to think that she should move down there and live rent free year round. There are a number of issues with this theory.

a)      my mother is disabled

b)      there is no telephone at the camp (life alert will not work without a land line)

c)      the camp road is so narrow that emergency vehicles could not get down the road

d)     the camp has no running water

e)      the camp is not winterized

f)       she has been told no by the owner (Ernie’s Dad)

g)      she has been told by both Ernie and I

She tells us we should let me live down there at least once when we visit with her. We tell her no. We actually took her down to camp for the family BBQ on Monday. I stopped counting how many times I had to tell her no. She whined to Ernie’s Grandparents about she would have to “buy a camp of her own”. I told her she could go right ahead and do that.

Ernie and I are going to have to have a discussion about this with her. If she mentions it one more time, she will not be allowed down at camp at all. It is like we have a damn child.

She made the time all about her… Everyone was talking and carrying on, as the family does (which I really do love about them), and she informed everyone that they needed to listen up and that she expected a round of applause because she hadn’t smoked in THREE WEEKS… I don’t know if she wants me to give her a treat or what, but she always “quits” for a while and then she starts up again.

Ernie’s family is wonderful, they make her feel welcome and they indulge her narcissism.

The icing on the cake was the ride home. Ernie’s cousin (who I adore) recently broke up with her boyfriend & moved back to Maine. It is a very touchy subject… what does my mother bring up on the way home??? You guessed it!!!!

Needless to say, even though we have agreed not to drink in front of Ernie’s family, if my mother is there next time, there will be more than water or juice in my cup!