A change in year is not helping things at all. This has been one of the worst weeks ever.

Some of it is universal; I may not be the biggest Harry Potter fan, but I did adore Alan Rickman. By Grabthar's Hammer, this sucked. And Bowie. We got cable the same month MTV debuted, so I got my fill of Ashes to Ashes, Fashion, etc., loved the 80s version of Bowie, then went back & discovered that Ziggy Stardust is one of the best records, ever, full stop. Today just heard about Ted Marchibroda, the first ever coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Enough with the death already.

On a more personal level, I hurt my heel in the car accident & it's been getting worse every day. Last week we started using a new software system at work without training or practice, & the data supplied by our client conflicted with the previous set they sent us. I wound up standing at my supervisor's computer for hours at a time while we compared databases looking for the (many errors) sent by our client. That hurt my foot even more. It took us all day Monday to finish fixing the database & printing documents. When I got home, my paycheck was in the mailbox; I usually take it to work in my pocketbook & then to the bank at lunchtime. This will be important later. Monday night, CJ flipped out around 1am, and stayed that way, barking for hours. I finally got up, and after another hour figured out the problem - battery ran low on the smoke alarm. Meanwhile I was freezing & couldn't get back to sleep. Great.

Tuesday, I arrived at work to find out that all the documents we'd printed Friday & Monday - over 2500 of them - were wrong. We had to delete some data that we didn't want on the documents; turned out the new software decided to helpfully put it back when we printed. We had to reprint every one of them. Forget going to the bank - I didn't get lunch & almost didn't get a chance to go potty all day. Meanwhile my supervisor & the third member of our office were at each other's throats all day, & it became pretty clear I was not going home at 4 for the second day in a row. After 4, I kept working on documents while my supervisor went to ask the boss some questions. When he came back, he came back with the boss, the office manager & boxes. And started packing his stuff into them. I thought he had quit. Seems there was another issue altogether I didn't know about, & combined with software issues, there was blow up & he was fired. I'm a temp, who was brought on specifically to be his assistant, so I had to ask the office manager if I should come in on Wednesday. Meanwhile, We were still printing the documents, and as a result of the firing, all of the documents needed the supervisor's name crossed out and signed by someone else. Some other workers stayed late, but the whole mess wasn't finished until after 7:30, & I didn't get home until almost 8. (I called the neighbor & asked here to feed/out the dogs.) When I got home, it was 40 degrees in my bedroom - the wind was blowing straight in & the heater couldn't keep up. So I 'slept' Tuesday night on the couch. Didn't actually sleep much & was one hurting puppy in the morning.

So Wednesday was a continuing adventure in frantically trying to print documents & deliver them to various courts, which included broken hand carts, heavy boxes, metal detectors, nosy clerks & my own failure to poker face (the clerk correctly guessed from my body language & refusal to answer questions that things were a mess, & since we'd just filed over a 1000 documents with the name crossed out...well, we handed over a lot of evidence.) Managed to eat lunch but still no time for the bank. On my way home, I discovered that the keyfob to my new car wasn't working.

Thursday was worse; the third person in our office was now the boss, as it were, & she was pissy, surly & wanted someone to yell at. Guess who. Anyway, never stopped working the entire day, no food, no bank, barely made it to the potty & then only when I snuck out when she was smoking. I nearly quit Thursday. & I got in trouble with the higher ups, because my contract with the temp agency requires that I inform them of any 'change in status' so I called them Wednesday & told them what was going on. Between the temp agency & the loose-lipped clerk, a lot of people knew about the firing, & I started to think I was going to get fired because of that.

Friday wasn't quite as bad as Thursday, but not much better. It was worse for the 'new' boss, she almost quit yesterday. And again, no lunch & no chance to go to the bank. Every bit of me hurts like heck.

Then today, I was finally going to take the check to the bank. And...it's gone. Missing. I searched everywhere, but the check isn't in my pocketbook & it isn't anywhere else either. The only place I haven't been able to look is the drawer at work where I keep my pocketbook. I'm hoping beyond hope the check fell out of the pocketbook & into the drawer at some point during the week, but if it didn't, then I'm out a paycheck indefinitely. Haven't gotten this week's check either, so the money thing is is not good. Oh yeah, the keyfob is damaged & can't be fixed without an appointment at the car dealership. Joy.

2016, you are sucking.

Did what was probably my last transport for a while (unemployment runs out in a couple weeks, I don't think I should be running up a gas bill at that point) and went to Flintstone, Maryland. Actually, I went all the way to Frostburg, aka my alma mater. By the time I got there it was pouring rain and time was short, so I didn't make it as far as the college campus, but I went in far enough to see things haven't changed much. The crap movie theater is still there and still crap. Fox's Pizza is still there (I didn't like their pizza 25 years ago!). Driving through LaVale and Cumberland, they haven't changed either. Cumberland was dead 20 years ago and it still is. What did change is that now there's a state park and a casino between Cumberland & Flintstone. Quite the setup they have there.

I picked up a white boxer named Sugar Baby (yes, really) who had supposedly just been neutered (he wasn't) but was wearing a cone anyway (much hilarity ensued.) He only had to go to Hagerstown. The other was a mutt named Skeeter who just became a tripod. His entire leg was removed, including the hip joint. Poor guy. He was a sweetheart, if I'd thought for a second CJ would accept him I'd be interested. He rode down to DC after I dropped him off in Baltimore.

I have a couple days this week to try to finish cleaning the laundry room (my mother's dumping ground), bathe the dogs and clean the house before I have a mini-job fair and then...Balticon.

Since I've been gone from LJ so long, there is much to update. Earlier we caught up on four-legged additions to my household. I can also update that Aimes, the dog I transported a couple weeks ago, was adopted just days after arriving in Baltimore; I did another run to Hagerstown last weekend, moving a Brittany Spaniel named Ash (who likes Mountain Dew) and a puppy of unknown origin, possibly mastiff or Rhodesian Ridgeback, named Coop (he snores). Coop has also been adopted already. I'd love to take Ash but I think CJ would go on strike if I got another critter.

One of the big changes that has really sucked: in December, I finally lost my job. It seemed like there might be layoffs at many points the last few years, but in December, the boss decided to just plain close up shop entirely. He started by sending me on my way (and telling me how I could use the office equipment to help in my job search while conveniently failing to mention there wouldn't be an office in a couple weeks) and promising me a severance check, so I didn't commence my job search right away since I wouldn't be eligible for unemployment until after the severance. If you guessed that he never gave me the severance, you're right. Cost me two weeks of unemployment benefits, which are meager enough. Ten days of I got the boot, so did the office manager. The only other employee, the other attorney, quit the following week when she was told she had to answer the phones. Just brilliant all round. Merry Christmas to us.

As I had gotten myself certified as a veterinary assistant, I've been trying to find jobs at vet's offices and pet supply stores and other animal-related ventures. No dice, as it were. I've gotten few calls and no offers; not even nibbles from PetSmart or Petco, where I applied for cashier/stocking jobs. I have applied, less often, for secretarial and clerk positions, trying to avoid law offices, but I've had a whopping two calls for non-animal jobs, both law offices and both rejections. Unemployment has 3-4 weeks left. I'm already depressed; I suppose when the payments end, I'll end up delivering pizza. If I can get hired for that, which seems unlikely if I can't even get a cashier job. The only bright spots are that the car and the house were already paid for. Otherwise, this sucks.

Technically Balticon continued today, but I slept in instead. My legs were all bruises and muscles pulls, Mom & CJ were cranky, and there really isn't much to it on Mondays, so I picked up some crabs (first ones this season) and settled in for a bunch of movies on FioS' special free OnDemand promotion. So far, 'Cabin in the Woods' (it was different/twisty, but not the way I thought it would go), 'The Avengers' (NOW I understand why the Avengers panel at Balticon was titled 'And Schwarma After...' ), 'The African Queen', on the 100 films list and hooray, Hepburn's character was NOT a helpless dame in distress. at least not after adjusting to her circumstances; and 'The Hunger Games', credits presently running. What happened to the tribute who saved Katniss at the Cornucopia? But I kinda figured that's how they'd solve the one survivor problem. Hoping to squeeze in one more, probably the remake of 'True Grit'.

Meanwhile, Balticon had hotel issues. The hotel was bought by another chain very recently, and apparently they fired the whole staff and only hired half of them back; they disconnected the reservation system so only people with a paper printout from the previous chain were able to check in without drama; the bathrooms weren't cleaned; a corkage policy was instituted days before the con (grrr), etc. Yippee. Someone apparently decided to rectify this by punching a hole through the men's room wall. The art show had its own issues with artists (which is not unusual) and serious issues with the customers (not usual). At least one, expensive piece has gone missing, a piece was broken, apparently deliberately, and bid sheets kept disappearing either entirely or showing up in other parts of the art room. Trying to reconcile the paperwork was not fun. Sheesh.

But apparently CJ feels otherwise. This morning, while I was still in bed and rather pointedly not getting up, CJ somehow got into my winter clothes bin, selected a pair of fuzzy socks, brought them over to the bed and dropped them on my face. I took the hint and wore those socks today.

It didn't snow much here today, mostly rain. But I didn't go in anyway, partly because we were told we probably shouldn't, partly because I would have been the only there, and mostly because there was a huge accident on the Beltway by my house that woke us. I was disinclined to go and Mom was very insistent I not go. There were at least two more accidents near here, so not much of a mess but enough to make drivers stupid. I got a few things done, laundry, CJ, some computer stuff, but mostly watched stuff on the DVR. Tried calling in to the office, but the phone didn't ring which usually means no power. Tried logging in on the computer, but it came back as computer not on. It was on when I left yesterday, so definitely a power issue. I'll be back in tomorrow, regardless.

Well, whaddya know - we have a white Christmas. Can't remember the last time that happened, but almost an inch of snow fell today, just enough to touch up everything. Nice. Unfortunately it also touched up the roads, a friend didn't even try to come after she barely made it home, and the family was late.

I've got a decent haul: the Kindle, of course; series 2 of 'Luther'; Dr Who's 'Christmas Carol' special; Cards Against Humanity; a party game called 'Martini Time', how appropriate; some books and some accessories for the Kindle. Promptly spent time playing backgammon with No. 1 nephew on the Kindle. Mom's haul included a book written by a certain meerkat-ish author (thanks for the signed nameplate, she loves it!) and a ton of Keurig-related things to include the machine itself. I don't drink much coffee, so I've never been inclined to invest in one; but the family is crazy for theirs and felt Mom should have one. Fortunately they did include a lot of tea for Mom and cider & chai for me. The boys were very happy with their games (Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride USA, and various card and Star Wars games), Janine loved the necklace & earrings and Mike is intrigued by his annual sampler CD.

The dinner was crazed; we did the usual pickup of a complete dinner at Safeway, but for some reason half the stuff was frozen solid. The turkey's juice overran the pan and caught fire in the oven, fortunately just smoke. The mashed potatoes needed over twice the recommended time to cook because they were an ice cube, and Mom forgot the vegetables until after everything else was cooked, so by the time the veggies were ready most things were cold :/  But it was a darn good turkey and mashed potatoes, and I suspect we'll be eating it all week.

Phew. Need bedtime. After I let out the hysterical dog.

CJ went back to the doggie dentist today for her followup. She's lost a pound (I think Roxie found it) and the dentist thinks her mouth is almost healed, but he wanted her to wear the cone for another 5-7 days. Wanna guess what CJ did today? If you guessed split the cone in two trying to get out of the crate, you would be correct. No more cone. I suppose I should try to buy another, but I'll see how she does tomorrow first.

No, not the movie (although I did recently watch 'The Girl'.) Not the local sports teams, either.

No, I mean the real live feathered kind.

I was getting the morning paper when I heard a commotion near the front porch. There was a large bird trying to get into the hedge and several small birds darting back and forth within the hedge, and everyone was making noise. Finally the small birds escaped out the back and the large bird dropped onto the lawn to contemplate failure. It was a red-tailed hawk. For reals. I've seen them flying, but never in my neighborhood and certainly not on my lawn! I hope he doesn't decide CJ is in his weight class. (The dogs belonging to either neighbor are definitely small enough for him.)

Then I stopped to pick up breakfast on the way to work, and a crow dropped a french fry on my windshield. I suppose he was tired of merely pooping on cars. But it was too early in the morning for it to be raining fried potatoes.

The weight of the dentist bill is heavy. My gut, which hasn't been doing well to start with, really didn't take this new batch of stress well and I was up half the night partly because of that and partly because CJ couldn't find a comfortable position and whimpered nonstop. Finally I got up and went to check the election results. At 2am. Amazingly, while I'm still totally stressed, just reading the results seemed to reduce the piano on my back from full-size to baby grand. Aside from way too much gambling, my state is fine, and my friends can get married. The country, meanwhile, will still be run by a pragmatic centrist, and half the government will be willing to play ball with him. In short, my personal situation sucks, but my country's situation couldn't have turned out much better.

CJ, however, did not behave well at work today (I was able to take her because she was supposed to be 'under observation') so back to the crate for her. And no monitoring. Because Mom just. won't. do. it. I hope CJ doesn't injure herself further. Eesh.