gonzai: (Tired)
The suckage of 2016 has continued, with my foot still hurting, job insanity, weather, etc. Last week a couple not so bad things happened - won $40 in the lotter, won the first two rounds of playoffs in trivia (although reverted to mediocrity in the finals), and my job finally became permanent as of Friday. On the other hand, I'm starting from scratch, with the last 5 months not counting for anything. So I still have no personal or sick time, much less vacation, and boy do I need one. A week to sleep/stay off my foot, and a week for errands and housecleaning. Yeah. That'd be good. Never happen, of course. I'd settle on one day for errands. And my foot not hurting.
gonzai: (Snarl)
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.
gonzai: (Snarl)
2015 has pretty much sucked for me, start to finish, and it's finishing with a kick. I'm still not a permanent employee. My mother doesn't know who I am any more. My new health insurance (through ACA) was cancelled by the insurer because 'I didn't pay the premium before December 1'; they conveniently left out the part where they didn't process my account or the invoice until Dec 6 and didn't contact me until Dec 10. Still haven't gotten that straightened out, and my prescriptions run out tomorrow. Great.

But the big issue is that last week, just two blocks from the office, a kid ran a stop sign at speed. I was already in the intersection & couldn't stop in time to avoid him. Fortunately he admitted liability and I didn't think I was hurt. But the next morning - apparently I jammed my feet, esp my right heel, & my feet keep getting worse. It hurts to stand, much less walk. Meanwhile, my 2007 Mazda3 was a total loss. I'd never had a mechanical issue with it, and I intended to drive it at least another 5 years - I like not having a car payment, among other things. I found myself with only a few days to find another car, with an amount of money that was a decent down payment but not enough to buy any car outright (at least, not one under 125,000 miles.) & the only car I found in that short time was more than the quickie budget I put together. So now I have a car payment again, which really peeves me. I had plenty of smaller aggravations as well, a new one every day it seems. I finished up with a 2010 Mazda3, fewer miles than the deceased car and pretty well loaded. Less storage, both less cargo space in the trunk and few spaces up front to stow things. Nice car but I'd still rather not have a payment, esp not without a permanent job.

So 2015, bite me.
gonzai: (Dexter)
My string of minor successes last week (finished watching Charlie Cox's entire filmography, trivia team won both the final game of the session and the entire session, had two promising possible jobs on Friday) has come to a crashing halt, it would seem. I tried to play trivia last night, an all Game of Thrones night for extra seeding points, but the restaurant had cancelled all Sunday games for the rest of the year (football). However, the trivia company never took it down from their web site, never told the hosts the theme nights were off, and when I called the restaurant to confirm, the woman who answered said yes, they're having trivia tonight. So I skipped part of the Ravens game and drove an hour plus tolls, only to discover nope, no trivia. And got to watch the Ravens implode. Yay.

Then there was the temp-to-hire job I was to start today. It lasted less than 4 hours. I went home for lunch and while there got a call from the temp agency that they didn't want me to come back. Work-wise, it seemed okay, I hit it off with my trainer (who turned out to be a neighbor) and it was something I certainly could do, but I'd already realized I could not, in good conscience, work there. And while I hadn't said so, they must have figured that out. The main business of the law firm was finding legal loopholes for their clients to get around firearms background checks, CCW regulations, and generally selling weapons. Their one client this morning was crowing about the new silencer they'd helped him buy. Sorry, but no. Guns may be legal, but that doesn't mean I have to help people get them.

I will be calling the other job in a few minutes to see if, hopefully, that one works out better.
gonzai: (Wat)
I was chatting with my former supervisor Monday, she's found a job and she suggested I try the employment agency she signed up with. So I did. Now, on Friday, they have a job they want me to start on Monday (!) Except at the same time, the car dealership 500 feet from my house also called me back, interested in having me there. That one is part-time, but pays more than the fulltime legal job. And it's 500 feet from my house.

So after all this time of not being able to find a job, I get offered two the same morning. I gotta lotta thinking to do and not much time to do it. (And dangit, I had just started a longterm project in the house thinking well, it's not like I'm working...)
gonzai: (Crews)
Last year, I barely managed to be at Balticon because of Mom issues. So I was promoted from volunteer to staff. Go figure. This year, I managed to rack up 30 hours on the job in the art show. Except, that's all I did. One pass of the dealer's room, two panels (one of which was in the art show room), never set foot in the west side of the hotel much less in the game room. Just art show and trooping back and forth between the show and the bathroom/registration desk for three days. The con debuted a new computer system which...didn't work as planned...and only one guy knew how to fix it. I swear, my primary job all weekend was to go to registration and drag said guy back to the art room.

Meanwhile, I have only two weeks of unemployment left and no prospects on the horizon, so my purchasing consisted of the con t-shirt (which is gorgeous, BTW) and two inexpensive prints. And breakfast from 7-11/Royal Farms each morning. That's it. A cheap, hard-working weekend. I did manage to trade 'trade secrets' with the Art GOH, Ruth Sanderson, regarding scratchboard, and I went to a sci-fi trivia competition, was teamed with someone I've never met at random, and we creamed everyone. She knew books & anime, I knew TV, movies & games, we rolled.

Next year - for them's haven't heard, it's Balticon 50(!), the GOH is George R.R. Martin and Balticon is headed to the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Baltimore, right on the Inner Harbor. And I'm the 'co-Art Show Director'. My co-director has already told me she prefers pre-con prep to the con itself, so I'm pretty much in charge of the art show. Meep.
gonzai: (Bad Day)
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.
gonzai: (oh really)
Beats me how I've managed this, but after not winning anything at anything in some 20 years, I have now won two raffles in three months. Both were gift baskets of pet supplies, the first one a $50 basket of small animal items, most of which my rats appreciated, and the one today is a $100 basket of large dog supplies, which hopefully CJ will allow Mosely to enjoy. (The poor fellow was diagnosed this week with a partially torn ACL, so he needs the giant bed and fluffy toys.)

Now, not that I'm ungrateful or anything like that - both baskets are a help with my critters - but being as I'm over five months unemployed, couldn't I win the lottery instead? (Yes, I play one ticket per drawing.) Anything would be good.
gonzai: (Checking In)
One thing I've definitely not kept up on: posting here. Yikes.

1 Not a damn thing. No exercise and eating terribly.  I'm eating lunch every day but that's the only improvement that's stuck.

2 No cleaning projects done, but nothing badly regressing. Meanwhile, I've collected plenty of organizing, financial and similar such apps for the Kindle, and as a result I've got life-type things organized to a goodly extent.

3 Kept up with the TV shows, and while I've only seen a few movies on the list, I've watched a lot of movies I've wanted to see. Still not where I want to be on music but I've listened to a lot of samples & previews. Slowed down a bit on books, just half of 'Feast of Crows', but caught up on a few magazines.

4 Survived the month of presents and conventions and things with my bank account in reasonable shape. I have got to get the car tuned up (one of the organizing apps is dutifully nagging me about this) and it's hard to schedule with constant medical appointments for both me and Mom. But, for a rare occasion, money is not an immediate concern.

5 Still working but the boss is getting testy again. A junior attorney clicked on a questionable e-mail and got the whole office infected with a whopper of a virus, and the boss is ticked at me instead of him. And the lack of work for me. Yippee. But Mom means another job is tricky.
gonzai: (Checking In)
So let's see...

1. Going nowhere, literally. The occasional walk and that's it. Falling off the eating wagon as well, but so far no weight change.

2. Maintenance mode. Nothing new in the cleaning but nothing already done is backsliding.

3. Keeping up with TV OK, and proceeding steadily with the movies. Finished A Storm of Swords and Under the Dome, and just started on back issues of the Atlantic. Getting better with the music, listening a couple hours a week to various music samplers. Also, Freebo is a good musical artist if you are a dog person, and the Lone Bellow are awesome.

4. Financially spending too much, but that happens with multiple birthdays, holidays, conventions and car insurance in the space of six weeks. The car's tuneup and new glasses will have to wait for a while, but I should be able to cover this.

5. Look at that. Still at the same job. Which is not to say I don't have a dozen job postings saved and some really strong leads for vet work if shit happens. The boss hasn't been too bad this month, although the supervisor isn't around much (gone again this week on short notice) and the junior attorneys are being a pain. Hanging on, anyway.
gonzai: (Checking In)
Last week, well, that was rough without national/world events piling on. Work was tough, I wasn't sleeping and I was rather stressed. So I hit the dog show over the weekend for a well-deserved break.

relaxed clumberThe reigning national champion Clumber Spaniel. Clearly mellow.
AttentionA Sheltie, 'stacked'.
Red AussieA lovely Aussie Shepherd.
Bad HairThere's bad hair days, and then there's this.
KeeseyKeeshond fluff. I've owned two Keeses, great dogs.
Berger PicardA Berger Picard. Never even heard of the breed before.
foxy facePeekaboo! (Long-haired Chihuahua.)
Big EyesI felt like this dog last week. (Chinese crested, powder puff.)
Pretty GirlHow soft he looks.
HugsScary thought of the day - that Dane is a puppy.
Fuzz facePoofy Chow.
wheatenThis Wheaten is ready for his close-up.
gonzai: (Checking In)
Reviewing them with myself won't work unless I actually do it, right?

1 Gym - Really screwed this pooch. I actually cancelled my gym membership today. Haven't been there since December, which amounts to throwing $200 in a hole, so I cancelled. Trying to walk CJ a few times a week for now.

2 Cleaning - Got the computer room completely cleaned up; this weekend, it's sort and put away all the papers and DVDs sitting around. Assuming I actually do it, plus one for me.

3 Media - Caught up on TV (finally finished the last season of Sarah Jane Adventures) and the movie thing is progressing in a timely manner. Still having trouble with music (headphones broke, but I wasn't being good before that happened) and behind on reading, although 'Storm of Swords' is coming along. I may finish it before GoT comes back.

4 Money - The car is paid off and I have the title from the bank. It needs to be re-titled to just me (which apparently isn't cheap) but otherwise all good. Tax refunds are in the bank. CJ goes to the vet next week, hoping to get myself to the dentist the week after, then glasses and fixing up the car.

5 2013 - Not so hot. Mom continues to decline and I have now fully taken over all paperwork and bills from her, my health isn't improving to include a new assortment of GI issues (already saw the doctor, tests being run this month), and I'm amazed I'm still employed. I'm bored stiff at work and my hands are killing me, but still there. I have lost a few pounds, surprisingly, and I'm eating a bit more healthy, but that's about it.

So, walking the dog, continue gradual cleanup, stay on top of TV and movies, do something with the music, keep getting things done for myself and Mom until caught up. Mission assigned.
gonzai: (Checking In)
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.
gonzai: (Bad Day)
I've had one nearly all day. No fun. Then again, my supervisor was out today with the flu.

Remind Me

Feb. 19th, 2013 10:20 pm
gonzai: (Tired)
That the next time I decide to do some serious lifestyle changes, I probably don't want to start the day after a con.

I was late to work twice last week (mind, 15 minutes late) and was read the riot act accordingly. Then I had a doctor's appointment Friday and the doctor read me his own riot act about my diet. So as cons go, I ate better at Farpoint than usual (cereal for breakfast, veggie flatbread pizza for dinner, mostly drank water) and post-con I've managed to stick with the cereal, eat a semblance of lunch, and a healthy dinner. Also getting up half an hour earlier in hopes of getting out of the house before Mom wakes up and starts with passive-aggressive 'if you really cared you'd stay here and do (x)' which I could also do when I get home but she wants it NOW. I was going to start going back to the gym today, until I crashed from the lovely combo of less sleep, radical diet change and post-con blahs, which I increasingly suspect includes con crud. Sore throat and a cough. Great.

Shoot for tomorrow on the gym, I guess. And try to be awake and not starving tomorrow. Right.
gonzai: (Checking In)
I didn't reallymake resolutions this year, ) ore like self guidelines. And it would probably work better if I checked in on them monthly instead of waiting for December. That said...

1. The gym. I haven't been there. Not once. I have walked at every opportunity, but that's it. Renewing this plan, because I have absolutely got to.

2. Cleaning. Kinda haven't done much of that, either. Did clean up a section of my bedroom, and this weekend the computer room is getting cleaned, period. Guests for Superbowl and Mom's bridge upcoming, it's got to be cleaned.

3. Media. Kept up with the TV, but didn't make much headway on the backlog. Kept up with the movies and saw A Clockwork Orange, Raging Bull, M, Midnight Cowboy, Forrest Gump, plus downloaded the films that are public domain. TCM will get me a long way on the plan in February, or would if I wasn't going to be home most weekends in February. The goal for music was one recording per work day, did more like half that. Note to self, maybe a variety of artists instead of a dozen by one artists would help on that. Books - DIdn't expect to get through more than one a month, considering I'm on the A Song of Ice & Fire series. Almost finished A Clash of Kings, a week early. So, acceptable but could be better.

4. Wow. Things are looking up. 1.5 car payments left now. When Mom & I were at the bank last week, the banker kept pestering me to get a credit card, which she assured was fee-free. I finally said yes, and she gave me a card - with a $10K limit. !!! The one I have is, uh, a lot less than that. Then she sent me a copy of my credit score, which I haven't seen in years. It's...about 200 points higher than I expected. Add the new card and the paid off card and yikes, I'll have a credit score to brag about. Never thought that would happen. Meanwhile, I've already done my taxes, and I'm getting a fair amount back. I thought I'd owe the State, but I'm getting some back there, too. In the mail tomorrow. So optimistic in this area.

5. So far, the year has not been particularly good or bad. My health sucks, but Mom's health seems to have levelled off. The money situation is better, but work is dicey still, with very little for me to do and money problems there. Not great, but not disastrous.

Back at the end of February...
gonzai: (Ravens)
The supervisor and I were kinda planning to 'sneak' out the door, hop the light rail and go downtown for the Ravens rally and sendoff to NOLA. Then we got up this morning and everything was iced over. So much for that idea. We're fans, not insane people. But a fair number of insane people did go downtown to see off the team - and the team was insane enough to be there and half-freeze - and we watched it online. And off the team went to NOLA.

The Big Game in the Big Easy. This is gonna be something.

Some Days

Jan. 23rd, 2013 09:08 pm
gonzai: (Tired)
It feels like I use all of my (few) holidays and (limited) vacation time to try and get things done for my mother, and half the time it still doesn't get done. See: 2.5 hours at the bank trying to get me on her account with power of attorney. This was the second time we tried to do this, the first time the attorney didn't give us the document in time. And it's still not done, because of course, my brother has to be physically present at the bank but he declined to show up because he saw no reason why he couldn't do it by phone. Because it's the bank's policy, not mine, that's why. Grrr. So he's still on the account as a joint owner, and I'm not a joint owner, just POA. Great. Hopefully I can drag his ass in there soon...except that's another half day of vacation.
gonzai: (Checking In)
I will be the first to admit that I am chronically late/rushed in the morning. However, throwing a very recalcitrant dog (who woke me an hour early and refused to go upstairs at the appropriate time), a bunch of utility workers who apparently think our driveway is their parking lot, and an obnoxious sales call from an energy company who wouldn't take no, much less 'you cannot speak to my mother' as an answer, did not help me get out the door any faster. (BTW, I would love, love, LOVE some regulation on the bleepin' energy companies. Constant calls, deceptive practices, refusing to put things in writing...grrrr.)

The actual work day was passable, my PT is pleased with the progress of my knee (and he was on time for a change), and the line for a Ravens autograph was reasonable, however. Picked up a signed piccie from Dennis Pitta, who caught the winning TD for the Ravens Sunday. I told him to try not to freeze this weekend - it's supposed to be 15 degrees at gametime. I think I'll be cuddled under my blankies at home.
gonzai: (Yikes)
Today was a day off work that wasn't really worth it - took off for Mom's meeting with the lawyer, the lawyer didn't show up because *she* forgot the appointment, so the document review and signing was done by conference call. Then I went to PT for the first time in ages, for a new injury, except the scheduler - after telling me it would be a one hour appointment because it was a new condition - scheduled me for 15 minutes. Yeah...Fortunately one of the two people also in my slot no-showed, because, you know, awkward!

But the really awkward thing was, it was rather chilly today. So I wore long pants, of course, and a nice sweater to the attorney's office. But I was having PT done on my knee and ankle, so I switched from pants to shorts for the PT. It took only the walk from the car to the gym for my knees to freeze. And when the receptionist asked me how I was, I answered without thinking...in front of a gymful of strangers..."I miss my pants!"

In retrospect, that could be taken the wrong way...

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