More, More, More (How Do You Like It?)

Okay, I have to admit that I was desperate to make a job change when I left my last job four months ago. Little did I know that I would give up a lot of the freedoms that I had come to enjoy. This evening I spent almost an hour cleaning up all of the SPAM that had been sent to my five email accounts, which is something that would have never happened; because my accounts would have never became so bad in the first place. At my current employer I do not have the liberty to check my email accounts at my leisure. Do you want to know what I do at my leisure at work? Nothing. I have no leisure time. I once made a joke when I first started that the place was reminiscent of the office of Meryl Streep's character in "The Devil Wears Prada". No one thought it was funny. I should have known then that it was a sign.

Some of the things that were an issue last year for me are still an issue this year. I still have money problems, but who doesn't have money problems? I have kind of made a sick game out of it. Here is what typically happens when bill collectors call my house:

Bill Collector: Yes, is Stacy there?
Me: This is she.
Bill Collector: Yes, this is Mr.Bill Collector from Random Credit Card Company, do you realize that your payment is currently 5 days late.
Me: Yes.
Bill Collector: When will you be making that payment?
Me: Hmmm... I might be able to do it sometime in the next two weeks.
Bill Collector: Okay, of the total amount that is currently due, how much of a payment can you make today?
Me: Nothing.
Bill Collector: Okay, when will you be able to make the minimum payment due?
Me: I told you it will be within the next two weeks.
Bill Collector: Can you tell me why you fell behind in making your payment on time?

That is the one that always gets me. Why in the hell do you think it wasn't made on time? Do they actually believe that I spent time thinking about how I could get them to call and bother me? I think it is hilarious. I'll spare you the rest of the conversation because it isn't even worth the time I will spend to write it out? Get it--spend? That pun wasn't even intentional. I wish it had been.

Although I would really like to bitch some more about work, I don't think it is worth the effort either. I guess that I have learned the last few months that it is unnecessary to exert any extra effort unless it will be rewarded. Even though the thought of someone reading my gibber jabber has a reward ring to it; I am too tired to continue my tirade. I could give more, more, more, but I think I will stop. Good night. :)

Dusting off the old blog

So much has happened since I last wrote that I don't even know where I should begin. Perhaps I will just wait for another time when I have a few free moments to myself. I do miss blogging becuase it was kind of a therapy for me. I do not know when I will have a free moment to myself, but I can hope for it at least.

Things are pretty much the same for me. My husband at least has a somewhat stable job now and I am gainfully employed. I know--it's boring. There is nothing wrong with living a normal, stable life. It is something that I like to have now that things are on an even keel. I do wish, however, that I had more time to myself, but for now, it has to be what it is.

More blogging to come--I promise.

134-160

134) I believe that my best feature is my eyes.
135) The feature that attracts me to other people the most is their eyes.
136) Eyes are windows into a person's soul.
137) I cannot stand it when people speak to me and do not look me in the eyes.
138) When walking towards people, I look people straight in the eyes.
139) When I do this, people usually smile or they look at the ground.
140) Those who look at the ground are cowards and I perceive those people to be weak.
141) People who continuously draw attention to themselves are usually trying to hide something.
142) When I feel that I am being cheated, I seek revenge.
143) I am guilty of making rash decisions.
144) My ultimate goal in life is to be happy.
145) In my early 20s I was very depressed and took Prozac for my depression.
146) I do not believe that drugs are the answer to people's problems.
147) An unexamined life is not worth living.
148) Socrates said that last statement.
149) I really do not understand the hype about Shakespeare; there were many other wonderful authors during the same time period.
150) I really believe that Christopher Marlowe was a far better writer that William Shakespeare.
151) My last comment caused quite a stir during my Shakespeare literature class in college.
152) The forementioned class was the only English class I took in college in which I received a C+.
153) My favorite author is Wally Lamb.
154) My favorite book is "She's Come Undone".
155) If a film were to be made of my favorite book, I don't know of any actress who would be able to play the title character.
156) I think that Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan are all no-talent hacks.
157) I think the most worthless television show is "Dancing with the Stars".
158) My current quest is to find a brand of hairspray that will actually work on my hair.
159) I believe the current condition of my hair is that it is too healthy.
160) I am guilty of switching topics of conversation without proper segue.

More to come later...

And I'm telling you, I'm going...

Do you know what the best part about changing jobs is? Shredding. That's right; shredding. I have been shredding documents since I walked in the door at 8:30 this morning. There is nothing like the sound of paper going through the shredder; a loud, whirling noise that is almost on the verge of annoyance. I love it. What I love even more is that my co-workers can hear it throughout our office suite. I bet they are gritting their teeth and holding their heads as if they are in dire need of Excedrin. I LOVE IT!

You are probably asking yourself; why is she so angry against her current employer? Well, it is because there is a great injustice going on--almost to the point of being considered discrimination. My boss, who is a woman, is currently paying the only man in our office over $100K for making phone calls, puffing up his chest, and pretending to be important. Sounds like a great job, doesn't it? The next highest paid employee in our office, a woman, makes $40K less than he does and works her ass off. She puts in 10 hour days and goes out of her way to make sure she has a handle on all everything associated with her position. Can you see the problem here? It only gets worse.

I asked my boss for a raise in order to compensate for the $750 monthly medical insurance coverage and I was denied; that is why I sought out another position. When I told my boss I was leaving; what does she do? She hires someone and pays her $3K more than what I am making right now. Do you see what is wrong with this picture? I am the type of person who normally does not put up with people treating me unfairly, but I have to play nice because I need health insurance coverage for the next month for my family. I normally do not care about burning bridges, but in this case, I have to and it bothers me more than anything.

The countdown is on ladies and gentlemen; six days, 23 hours, fifteen minutes, 18 seconds...

Another 100 Things

I am bored today at work, so here it goes...

101) I once won a trophy for writing an essay titled "From Liberty's View".
102) I won second place; first place went to a refugee from Vietnam.
103) A week before the award ceremony, my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Krupich, accused me of plagarism.
104) I had no idea what plagarism was; I had to look it up in the dictionary.
105) I love to write fiction.
106) In my collection of writing, I have an unfinished screenplay that I began writing when I was in college.
107) I always imagined Lou Diamond Phillips being cast as the lead of my screenplay.
108) During my time in college, I starred in two independent films that were produced by my film studies classmates; "Night of the Living Beer" and "The Eye in You".
109) I miss my former film studies classmates.
110) In my lifetime I have owned 10 vehicles.
111) The coolest ride I had was a 1979 Mercury Gran Marquis (two-door).
112) When I was in high school, we used to play a game on the backroads that was called "Hey Cow!".
113) "Hey Cow!" would consist of an individual yelling out of the car window to a cow and if the cow looked at the person, the person would have to take a shot of alcohol.
114) I don't remember how or when the "Hey Cow!" game would end.
115) Throughout my life I have had 22 jobs.
116) On May 21, I will start job #23.
117) The worst job I ever had was working as an accountant for a fence company.
118) It was the first job I ever quit working at before acquiring another job beforehand.
119) The longest I have ever worked at one job was two years, four months.
120) The shortest amount of time I have worked at one job was one week.
121) Once I figure out how to do a job, I become bored with it.
122) I have never been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
123) The search for the replacement at my current place of employment isn't going well for my supervisor.
124) I secretly hope that they do not find an adequate replacement before I quit working at my current job.
125) I believe, at times, I am the devil in disguise.
126) My favorite American film is "Titanic".
127) My favorite Foreign film is "Cinema Paradiso".
128) My least favorite film of all is "Seven Beauties".
129) The last film I saw in the theatre was "Dreamgirls".
130) I believe that Netfilx was invented with people like myself in mind.
131) The last book I read was "The DaVinci Code".
132) For the last year and a half I have been trying to read "The Sicilian" by Mario Puzo.
133) I miss reading books.

I will continue this on Monday, when I will be bored again at work...

Tear this circus down

In ring # 1: Last night Brody woke up screaming because he had an awful rash on his legs that he would not stop scratching. I made my husband take him to the ER ($75 co-pay) because I had no idea what would cause him to have such a bad rash. Mike was informed that it was due to laundry detergent. I found this hard to believe because I had used the detergent before and didn't have this sort of incident occur.

In ring #2: When they finally got home after filling a prescription for a liquid steriod that causes insomnia, it was almost 2 a.m. About a half an hour after we all fell asleep, Byron decided that he needed his breakfast at 4 a.m. His screams were heard throughout the house. I made his bottle and fed him until he finally fell asleep and I dozed off as well. I woke up at 6 a.m. and realized that I needed to get ready for work. If it wasn't for the audit going on at work right now, I would have called in sick today.

What I am trying to say in my blog today is that I am exhausted. I am exhausted from work and my home life. I feel like I am performing the circus act of the twirling plates on the sticks. If a plate slows down, I need to make sure it keeps going so it doesn't fall off and break into a million pieces. Am I the plate? Am I going to break into a million pieces if I slow down? I am so very tired and in need of some sort of respite. It needs to come soon because I cannot wait to tear the circus tent down.

Two for one

I just got off the phone after speaking to one of the "fish". It appears that the position I applied for has turned into two positions. Because of this, all of the original resumes received from applicants were copied and given to the two hiring managers in order to fill the two positions. When the two hiring managers met to go over potential candidates, guess who's resume was at the top of both piles? MINE! I guess that my line has caught two "fish" instead of just one.

100 Things

Since I have read these posts elsewhere, I decided to write my own. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

1) I was born on a Tuesday.
2) I was the only child for 14 years until my brother Josh was born on my 14th birthday.
3) I liked being the only child.
4) I used to daydream as a child that I was adopted.
5) I do not get along with my mother at all.
6) I get along with my father very well.
7) When my mother dies, I think I will leave it up to my brothers to plan her funeral and pay for it.
8) I do not forgive people easily.
9) I hold grudges and can admit it.
10) As a child, my career aspiration was to be an actress.
11) When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be an English teacher.
12) When I graduated from college, I wanted it all.
13) I have two undergraduate degrees; BA & BS.
14) It irritates me when people think I had a double major in college when I actually attained two separate degrees.
15) I do not like it when people do not live up to my expectations of them.
16) When I was a child, my favorite film was "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
17) As an adult, I hate the film "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
18) I have been engaged three times.
19) I was divorced.
20) I am remarried.
21) I believe my current husband is my soul mate.
22) I have always had a "thing" for Aquarian men.
23) I used to believe I would never marry or have children.
24) I have two adorable sons.
25) I always cry when I read or hear stories about missing or abused children.
26) I was an abused child.
27) I have been to two different countries outside of the U.S.: Jamaica and Canada.
28) Even though I took German in high school; I really wanted to take Spanish.
29) The only Spanish I know is what I learned on "Sesame Street".
30) When I was a child, at one point I owned every "Star Wars" action figure.
31) I brought my collection of "Star Wars" actions figures to day care and forgot them there for a week. When I returned, all of them had been taken by other children.
32) I hated going to day care as a child; when I was left there by my mother I cried hysterically.
33) My husband watches our children during the day while I am at work.
34) My parents divorced when I was three.
35) My father believes that my half-brother, Josh, could actually be my full-blood brother.
36) My mother will not admit to having an elongated affair with my father after they divorced.
37) I have skeletons in my closet.
38) Literally, there are no skeletons in my closet.
39) I tell my husband I love him everyday before I go to work.
40) The reason I tell my husband that I love him everyday before I go to work is because I am afraid that if I die in a car accident on the way to work, and I didn't tell him that I loved him, my soul will wander around endlessly for the end of time.
41) I am an imaginative person.
42) When I was a teenager, I thought about being a nun.
43) I went to prom; twice.
44) The first time I drank alcohol was when I was 10.
45) The last time I drank alcohol was last Saturday.
46) I wear my heart on my sleever.
47) I do not have a good poker face.
48) I believe in ghosts.
49) I believe in angels.
50) I was baptized Roman Catholic, but brought up in the Lutheran faith.
51) I do not attend church on a regular basis.
53) My favorite food is Old Home cottage cheese in the dark blue container.
54) My favorite color is dark green.
55) At one point in my life, I had a gambling problem.
56) At one point in my life, I had a drinking problem.
57) I consider myself a former smoker, even though I smoke when I drink.
58) I have had my heart broken more than once.
59) I have never had the heart to break someone else's heart intentionally.
60) I despise people who bother me when I am in the middle of completing a difficult task.
61) I have been told that I have a short fuse.
62) I use a lot of profanity.
63) I yell when I am frustrated.
64) I am of German and Irish descent.
65) I have pretended to be someone from a foreign country.
66) I have pretended to be blind.
67) I have pretended to be deaf.
68) For some reason I think I will die an unnatural death.
69) My greatest fear is that I will not see my children grow into adulthood.
70) I am obsessed with James Dean. During a trip to North Carolina I made my fiance at the time drive out of his way so I could visit James Dean's gravesite in Fairmont, Indiana.
71) At times I will pretend to be working when I am not.
72) I search the Internet over 50 times a day.
73) I believe that employers get what they pay for.
74) When I like a song, I will buy the CD and listen to it over and over. When I eject the CD from the player, I can see a groove worn into the plastic.
75) As I child, I consistently acted out my own interpretation of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". (See # 16)
76) I have been to Sea World in Cleveland, Ohio.
77) I have never been a "girly-girl".
78) I once hit a boy in my 8th grade English class so hard in the arm that he welled up with tears. I laughed at him.
79) At one point in my life I could bench press 250.
80) When I was a child, I would listen to vinyl Disney showtune records while I took a bath.
81) Out of all the bad things I have done in my life, one haunts me continuously.
82) I once left my infant brother in his crib while I took my parents car and went to a party in Hugo with two friends. (see #81) Although nothing happened to him, it still bothers me to this day.
83) I always cry when I think about #82. I am crying as I write this.
84) I am an emotional person.
85) Since becoming a mother, I feel that I am more emotional than most people about things.
86) The best job I have ever had is being a mother.
87) I used to make myself the center of attention just to hide the pain I was really feeling at the time.
88) I believe that I am constantly changing.
89) I always tip servers and bartenders.
90) I often play "what if" games with myself.
91) My "to do" list has not been completed.
92) I may not be someone to the world, but I am the world to someone.
93) I like using trite quotes and sayings on a regular basis.
94) I do not feel complete without drinking coffee in the morning.
95) Although I can cook, I claim I cannot in order to have someone else cook for me.
96) At times I am starved for conversation.
97) My biggest pet peeve is people who patronize me.
98) I don't like being by myself for long periods of time.
99) Although I complain about the cold and snow, I really love winter.
100) My favorite thing about the Sunday paper is the coupons.

Biting the line

Trying to support four people on one salary is very difficult. I sometimes wonder how my grandparents were able to support my mother and her six sibilings when my grandfather only worked during the spring and summer months. My grandmother, of course, did not work outside of the home. I always have to be sensitive when I make that statement because people who do not work outside of the home usually work much more inside the home.

When I found out that I would not be receiving a pay increase that was larger than our organization's three percent, I decided that I needed to cast a line out and see if there were any job prospects. The last time I looked for employment, I was so desperate to get away from my boss, I jumped at the first job that snagged my line. It wasn't a bad decision at the time; I had one less person to support in my family.

I have been "fishing" for three weeks now and I must say I am impressed. Out of 13 positions I have applied for, I have heard back on three. I guess I will have to keep casting and see what else bites my line.

Ask, and you shall not receive

Starting on April 1, I will be paying $800 per month to provide my family with health insurance coverage, which equates to $9,600 per year. When I deducted the annual cost of insurance from my current salary amount, I realized that I would potentially be making less than what I was when I worked at my previous job. At my last job, family health insurance coverage was $350 per month. I will be paying 2.28 times more than I was before.

I was thoroughly disgusted when I realized that I would be making less than I was before. I decided that the best thing I could do for myself was to ask my boss for a raise. I didn't come right out and ask for it, I explained that my husband would soon be losing his unemployment benefits and his job prospects were not what we had hoped they would be. I knew that I would be receiving a three percent pay increase at the end of March and asked my boss if there would be a consideration of a larger pay increase. She told me that she appreciated my suggestion and that she would think about it.

This morning she stopped by my desk and asked how things were going and I told her not so well. I was hoping to get partially paid health insurance for Mike and Brody through the state, but I found out that it wasn't going to be an option for us when I came home from work last night. She then did something I wasn't expecting, she began to patronize me. Have you done this? Have you done that? Needless to say, it really pissed me off. I told her that Mike was registered with four different temporary agencies and that he had his resume posted on at least six different websites. I guess I know what the answer is to a larger pay increase. I think it is time to look for a different job.

You say Sibley, I say Selby

The office I work in is located next to one of the main entrances to our office building. From time to time I have to answer the door because someone is lost, or someone believes our office is the management office for the building. Today was one of those occasions....

Me: Can I help you?
Irritated @&*^ing Bitch: Yeah, you can help by opening the door.
(I walk over and unlock our office door)
Me: What can I do for you?
IFB: Yeah, I am looking for the (blah, blah, blah). Isn't this it?
Me: No it isn't.
IFB: Well, can you tell me how to get there?
Me: What is the address?
IFB: This is the address, THIS ADDRESS (referring to our office location). I am at 400 Sibley Ave. ain't I?
Me: No, this is 400 Selby Ave., Sibley Ave. is located downtown St. Paul.
IFB: Thanks a lot you @&*^ing smartass.

Well, I guess I would rather be a smartass than a dumbass.

Long time, no post!

I really hate the fact that I had to change my blog over to the new format. Since then, it has been impossible for me to login to my account. For some reason I was able to login today. I had better write as much as possible now because who knows when I will be able to get it to work again. On to what has been going on in my life...

My Babies
Last month on the 23rd of January, I was blessed with another adorable little boy. Byron is totally different from his brother, Brody. It has been an adjustment, but all is finally starting to fall into place. It is a real challenge having two babies under two, but it is grand nonetheless.

My Husband
Mike cannot find a job outside of the home. It has been four months today since he lost his job. His unemployment will be coming to an end soon and I have been trying not to think about it. Money isn't as important as love; which we have a lot of.

So many other things have happened, but it is impossible for me to list everything. I need to get back to blogging on a regular basis. I think the next time I post I will have to include a photo of Byron. So much to do and so little time...

Is being 33 equivalent to being middle aged?

Two days ago I was reading the obituaries (it is something that I do on a daily basis) and I saw that a friend of mine from college had lost his father. His father was only 56. I have noticed a trend lately (a bad one at that) of individuals dying in their early to late 50s. Since when did being in your 30s equate to being middle aged? I wonder if I am spending enough time with my parents. Since they are now both in their 50s, I wonder if they will be dying in the next few years. With the trend the way it is, I am really beginning to wonder.

I spoke to my husband about my fear of dying young and he felt the same way. Since both of us could stand to lose some weight, we both made a pact that once I am done with my pregnancy, we are going to change our lifestyles. Right now we eat better than we did the last time I was pregnant, but it is not enough. There will be a total revamp in our household once our next child is born. I am really looking forward to it.

It was the end of the year as I knew it (and I felt fine)

2006 is over. I couldn't make it to midnight, but I did make it to 11:36 p.m. I left my husband to watch the ball drop in Times Square by himself. I am sure he forgave me for it; even though he sounded hurt that he had to watch it by himself the next morning. Oh well. I am glad 2006 is over.

The end of 2006 was happy for me. Last week we received a backpayment of my husband's unemployment benefits, which was nice. What was even better was my win of over $1500 at Mystic Lake Casino last Friday. Isn't that something to smile about? The only bad part is that I have to pay taxes on it because it was a single win of over $1500. Listen to me. I guess there always has to be a bad part to something.

Since the New Year is a time of reflection, I think I will write of some memorable New Year's Eve celebrations of years past...

New Year's 1987
I spent the night talking to some guy named Zave on the phone and drinking Asti. I drank so much that I crawled under my parents' pool table and passed out. The next morning I woke up with the phone still in hand; lying in a pool of my own vomit. I wasn't even of legal drinking age.

New Year's 1995
I got into a huge fight with my ex, Drew, that night. I left the party we were at and went for a walk. I spent the last few minutes of 1995 wondering what the hell I was doing with my life. I remember looking up at the stars and wishing that I had a life other than what I currently had. It was very momentus.

New Year's 1998
I spent this one at Gator's in MOA. I had my first fight my ex-husband, Wayne. It was funny. He was trying to be an ass to me and I kept laughing in his face. I was also three sheets to the wind at that point during the night, but I still remember how funny it was to me. I should have known then how much of an ass he really was. If I did, I probably wouldn't have married him.

New Year's 2003
This was the last time I spent New Year's with Wayne. He, my cousin, and her husband went to Treasure Island Casino. They all were losing and wanted to go home. When we left, I remember Wayne didn't talk to me at all on the way home. It was very depressing. I kept wondering why I was even with him. It was very momentus as well.

New Year's 2004
This one was a lot of fun! I spent it with my girl, Trudy, and my boyfriend (now husband) Mike. We had went to a party and got nice and drunk. Mike and I also had a bit of a falling out that evening, but the night ended with some good make up sex. Ahh...memories.

Happy New Year! :)