jerks at work

let's see...how did this day start? with an annoying co-worker who prints a gazillion page document and doesn't come to pick it up off the printer, plus the printer is out of paper. i'm wondering what's going on with printing my document and reboot, etc. to find out the freakin' printer is OUT OF PAPER again!! i lost it and stomped into his office and told him he needed to come load the printer and get his crap off there asap. so there we are arguing in the middle of the room about who fills up the printer. he walked off mumbling his usual mumble about how folks are out to get him...blah, blah, blah. what-the-freak-ever, jerk!

i wound up loading the printer again and finally was able to get my printed documents. we made up, so to speak, but i made my point that he should use the big copier/printer/scanner to print the huge files he has to print. sure he only prints occassionally, but 9 times out of 10 if there is a huge doc on the printer and it's out of paper, he's involved.

i guess what i get tired of is the guys around our office act like the "women" should check for everything. for starters, they can't wipe up their spilled coffee from the counter in the breakroom. and goodness gracious if they should walk 3 little steps to the trashcan and discard their empty cups/creamer cups/50 empty packets of sugar. they will put an empty coffee pot on a burner that is still on and walk away! hello, smart guy, it will burn up the pot even if there is nothing in it.

and don't even get me started on them making a pot of coffee if none is made or the pots are almost empty. they will look towards the nearest female and ask "are you going to start a pot of coffee?". a couple of them have tried that with me. i told them i would talk them through making a pot and then they would be able to do it in the future...lol. in all fairness, there are a couple of guys who come in earlier in the day and they manage to make some pots of coffee. part of me wonders if they would do it if a woman was in the office at the same time....

i also bowed up a little at one of the higher ups. as i've said, we're supposed to implement a new software package this year by august/september time frame. things are not looking good because the consultants have run into some roadblocks here and there, caused mainly by our i.t. group. well anyway, he asked me if i had been testing. before i could stop myself, i popped off we haven't had anything valid to test. i explained i was waiting on the go-ahead from the consultants and had checked with them on friday afternoon. nothing was ready yet. he said there was an email that went out this afternoon (while i was at lunch) that said we could start testing. i talked to the lead consultant and he finally had some stuff we could test. we're going to start in the morning and try to go through the tasks again. part of me is hoping this will come together b/c it will be a good thing to have under my belt. the other part of me knows the support calls are going to be crazy! i don't even want to think about it.

today i talked to my bosses about meeting with the surgeon on friday to discuss gallbladder surgery. they are pretty much in agreement with me to go ahead and schedule it. they are concerned that i might have an emergency and have to be out longer. at least this way, it's planned and will hopefully be minimal time off. so i'm going to see if i can get it asap. then i can be on the way to recovering and get that knee surgery towards the end of the year.

well, i'm going to go now. i feel better now that i've ranted and got everything out of my system. tomorrow will hopefully be a better day.

kisses....

sunday-night-got-to-go-back-to-work-monday blues

yes that's what i have. i'm not really looking forward to work this week. first of all it's the beginning of month end and that's always a stressful time. plus, we still have not been able to fully test on the new system. i'm getting real concerned b/c some decisions need to be made.

i'm meeting with the surgeon on friday about my gallbladder. i might just have him go ahead and schedule it as soon as he can. i need to get it out so it doesn't continue to be a problem. i asked my boss to find out if we are actually going with this new system or not. it's not looking good so far.

i'm going to go now. i'm sorry for the short post, but i don't really feel like posting much tonight.

kisses....

gallbladder, be gone!

dr. c confirmed what i kind of knew all along. my gallbladder needs to be removed. he feels that it is becoming inflammed and then continues to be inflammed until i have the gallbladder attacks. i told him the pain i'm feeling across my stomach and my right side is intermittent, some days worse than others. i have an appt with dr. s next friday to discuss surgery.

now, comes the real dilemna with all this. we're in the process of moving to a new budgeting system. the system is not quite ready even tho the consultants have been feverishly working into the wee hours of the night. i'm really starting to feel bad for those guys. they are trying and trying, but things are not falling in their favor for the most part.

anyway, the original plan was for me to conduct end-user training in august after we finish july close. the training would run for 3 consecutive weeks via web training with the official budget season opening after august close. so if we stay on this track, i'm looking at nearest dates for surgery are in september. i also want to have the knee surgery this year if i can. the sooner i get the gallbladder taken care of, the sooner i can get the knee taken care of....

alternate plan....if by some chance they see that we are not going to the new system, then i want to have the surgery asap. i would be able to be back in the office for the normal refresher training in sept like we've had in the past. then i could definitely schedule the knee surgery in nov or dec.

i told my boss that i really need an answer about how things were going to go so i could plan this. she and my big boss are in agreement that i need to take care of my health issues. i just don't like the fact that i may not be able to do my job and i hope it wouldn't interfere with me keeping my job....enough about this b/c i'm starting to stress and it makes my stomach hurt.

oh, and i have to have another endoscopy to dialate my throat. apparently i shouldn't be experiencing any issues with swallowing since the first one and i have been. upside is i will have a nice nap afterwards! lol...got to look at the bright side, right?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
on the knitting front, i finished up the jellyfish shrug by iris g. janelle liked it a lot. i can hardly wait to see it on her with one of her dresses. she asked me to make her another one but not with a lacy pattern. i'm combining some elements that i've learned from a couple of patterns and trying to make her another one. she likes how stockinette stitch looks, so it's basically going to be that. i wrote out the pattern and it's very elementary...lol. i know that true pattern designers would probably have a fit if they saw how i wrote it out. i wish i was comfortable enough to write the neat, concise patterns. i'm going to try and make notes as i go so i can condense it and make it cleaner looking.

well, i'm going to go now. i'm glad tomorrow is friday. i know i'm going to be tired by the end of the day b/c i will be adding new accounts in the system. i'll be lucky if i'm not cross-eyed by the time it's all said and done!

kisses........

update tomorrow

i've got my appt with dr. c to go over the gallbladder tests and the colonoscopy/endoscopy. i'll catch everything up tomorrow when i get home.

kisses......

random sunday randomness

well, it's sunday evening. janelle is back from her mission trip and i'm washing the pile of clothes rom the mission trip. i have never seen anyone pack the way she does. she had stuff here, there, and yonder in her 2 bags she carried. shoes mixed with t-shirts, tools mixed in with the make up bag. i tell you i don't know how she was able to keep up with anything. i'm definitely going to insist she use that big ol' plastic bag for dirty clothes on this next trip she goes on in august. it'd make it easier to pull everything out w/o accidentally having the can of hair mousse go in the washer.

even with all the mess, i'm so glad to have janelle home. i have really missed her these past 2 weeks. it makes me wonder how i'm going to handle her being away at college. will my heart just pine away for my kid or will i adjust? knowing janelle, she'll come home when they kick her out of the dorms around holiday time b/c she'll be too busy with student ministry or student government or studying or something like that.

she has come back on fire for Jesus. she has decided she would like to be a missionary and has a passion for working in peru. she's made a committment to GOD and is going to work towards being a missionary. since she's gotten back, she has been furiously researching what it takes to train to be a missionary. she even went as far to say she'd consider staying here to go to college to get her basics in and then transfer to one of the christian colleges to finish up. she has a chance at a scholarship at erskine so i'm hoping she'll do what she needs to do to get in the running for it.

needless to say, i'm very proud of her and will support her any way i can.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
this past wednesday, kyle petty and his wife pattie were in town for their annual charity ride to raise money and awareness for the victory junction gang which is a camp for kids with serious medical illnesses and disabilities. these kids wouldn't normally get to attend camp because of their health issues. the pettys built this camp in memory of their son adam who was killed in a racing incident. the camp was something adam wanted to do so they are keeping their son's memory alive in the camp.

what is really cool is in the summer, kids with specific illnesses or disabilities get together with other kids just like them. this past week, pattie petty said there were kids at camp who had been burned or had severe facial deformities. they had stopped by the camp to visit with the kids before heading to augusta. she said it amazed her how quickly the kids had bonded with each other. the week before there were kids there with spina bifida. most of the kids got to ride a horse for the 1st time in their life.

while pattie petty was speaking, i thought how great janelle would be working at that camp. she is a kid magnet. kids who are normally shy or difficult just melt when they are around janelle. i can't remember a kid yet that she's not been able to win over...lol. i mentioned it to her and encouraged her to check it out.

at the end of the program, i was able to get kyle's and pattie's autograph. they are such nice people!! i know a lot of people rag on kyle and his racing, but he is a terrific man. he stood there and signed autographs until no one else was standing and waiting. harry gant was there, too. i didn't get to get his autograph before he left though. he seemed like a nice man too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

on the knitting front i've just about finished jellyfish by irisg. i'm down to the last 4 rows on the main part of the shrug and getting ready to do the ribbing part. janelle liked what i had knit so far. i'm hoping it will fit her all right. i made the small one b/c she does not have very broad shoulders. i'll post pics on my webshots once i finish it. maybe i can get her to model it so you can see how it looks on a real person.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

my stomach and all has been bothering me this weekend. i had some slight pain in my right side (gallbladder area) this afternoon. yesterday and today i had the flu-like symptoms i've been experiencing on and off. when i got back from running my errands after church, i took a nap and slept about 3 hours. i woke up to the phone ringing and thought it might have been janelle calling. my cell was not on b/c it was not charged up (it's been charging for a while now so it should be ok).

i'm ready to find out what we're going to do about the ol' gallbladder. i have the appt on thursday morning with dr. c to discuss everything. hopefully we can get the show on the road and take care of the gallbladder, hiatal hernia, and messed up knee before this year is over. i can then start fresh and new for next year...lol.

i need to check on the clothes in the wash and find something light to eat for dinner.

kisses....

someone remind me...

i shouldn't drink coffee drinks in the evening time! i went by dunkin donuts after stitch night and got one of those delicious coffee coollattes or whatever they are called...i'm wired i'm telling ya and i need to be sleeping!

yesterday was robin's birthday. mom was nice enough to make lemon pies for me to take to work. the pies were a big hit b/c folks found out my mom made them so they knew they were going to be delish. three folks came back for 2nds including one of the ladies who normally eats a teeny-tiny piece whenever we've had cake for someone else. she surprised me the most by eating 2 whole pieces of pie! she's a tiny little thing so it won't hurt her much. plus mom used sugar free lemon pudding mix and fat free whipped topping so it was a healthy birthday pie to eat. luckily there was about 1/2 a pie left for robin to take some home to share with mark.

after work i went to stitch night at my lys. i had a blast! i met another knitting blogger ~ susan ~ who has moved here from texas. {waves} "hey, susan!!" we talked about different blogs we read and about ripplealongs and alicia paulson and other sites we visit from time to time. i'm glad she came to stitch night and hung out with all of us.

phyllis let us know that one of the local coffee shops invites knitters and crocheters to hang out on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th friday each month. they also have a tatting group that meets there a couple of times a month. i'm going to check it out. i think it's good to network with other crafty-minded folks.

most of my friends are not into needlework or any other crafts for that matter. one of my friends i work with, jane, is into cross stitch and embroidery so i get input from her from time to time. she has been a real sweetie and brought in some of her needlework mags with knit/crochet patterns that might interest me. i'll come in and have a magazine on my desk with a little sticky note on the page(s) and a note saying "this might interest you".

i'm going to go now and attempt to go to sleep. i think i need to break out the ipod and listen to the meditation podcasts i downloaded. those have helped me settle down and go to sleep the couple of times i've listened to them.

kisses...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Noble Excellency Beverly the Sage of Burton-le-Coggles Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

somebody's got a case of the mondays...lol

i guess it was the guy who was trying to put my iv in this morning for the hida scan on my gallbladder. it took them 5 times before they were able to get the iv in. i was getting a little frustrated with being a pin cushion. i have rolling veins and it makes it hard sometimes even with folks who are used to starting iv's, etc.

the scan was ok except for the fact that i had to lie still for an hour. i didn't have my knees properly elevated which caused some strain in my lower back. i know i wasn't supposed to but i shifted some. the 2nd part of the scan was an attempt to make my gallbladder do what it has been doing with me. in my opinion they duplicated what was happening. the only difference is it happened faster than i've experienced. the guy had to push 2 different sets of iv fluid. it caught me by surprise how quickly it worked. the nausea was the hardest part to me. i can't stand being nauseated so that didn't help. i did experience pain in my abdomen and right side tho that i wasn't cool with. i guess b/c the technician was asking me questions the time for the 2nd part of the test went by faster than the 1st part did.

i'm going to go now. i'm really tired and need to get some rest. i'll update on janelle tomorrow. i will say she sounds very excited about world changers and seems to be having a good time.

kisses.......

dirt track racing and jellyfish

saturday night dad and i went to the gordon park speedway to watch some local dirt track racing. i had an absolute blast! i especially enjoyed the crate late model cars. those cars were sideways in the corners and the left side wheels were off the dirt. what's cool about this track is you can take a cooler in with you so you can have snacks and drinks while you watch the racing. the way they have the stands set up, you can bring a chair and sit up top so you can see the whole track. we were almost at the top of the stands and could just about see everything except a small section of the back stretch. dad and i joked about getting a bucket of chicken and taking a cooler of water and diet cokes to drink. they had some awesome boiled peanuts too. dad bought us a big ol' cup of them and we washed them down with diet cokes...lol.

now to the jellyfish: yesterday before we went to the race track, i cast on jellyfish from magknits. i showed the pattern to janelle and she liked it a lot. she asked me to make her one in cream, black, and white. she hasn't shown much interest in any of the knit patterns i've shown her so i was tickled that she wanted 3 of those.

i'm making a test one out of red heart symphony yarn, which is 100% acrylic. i know it's not what is used in the pattern. i like the wispy, fuzziness of the symphony yarn. and i seem to be getting the desired lacy airy effect. the color i'm using is called tundra. it's kind of a silvery gray color. i figure i can do a test run to make sure i understand the pattern and that the size is right and then i'll buy the yarn it calls for.

and big props to iris who was kind enough to share jellyfish but to also answer a question i had about the pattern. i'm still fairly new to lacy patterns and needed some clarification. she was kind enough to help me understand it better.

i'm going to go now b/c i have to get up earlier than usual for yet another gallbladder test called a hida scan. i can't eat or drink past 12am so i've got to go cause i'm thirsty. i'll catch up tomorrow!!!

kisses.....

good saturday morning to y'all

i'm not normally up this early on a saturday morning. janelle is going on her world changers mission trip this morning and we have to have her at the church by 8:30. we're having breakfast at waffle house before she leaves.

we used to go to the waffle house a lot when she was younger and i took her to school. that was kind of our friday morning routine, especially payday fridays. i miss those mornings now that she's older and driving herself to school. it was nice just sitting there quietly enjoying our time together. janelle and i are alike in that we don't really like to talk much first thing in the mornings. we're ok with the silence between us. i think that's one of the reasons we get aggravated with mom and dad in the mornings sometimes. they get up all chatty and we don't want to be bothered until the sleepy haze evaporates from our eyes.

it was a whirlwind day yesterday picking janelle up from business week. thankfully her roommate's parents were helping her carry her luggage downstairs when i got to the dorm. i was not looking forward to climbing the stairs with my knee hurting like it has been. (for some reason it's been hurting more this week!)

we had the awards/graduation ceremony. janelle was recognized for being nominated for the ron mcnair scholarship competition. i was proud that she was in the running for it. she had a really good, productive week. she talked about it up until we were about 20 miles from home and then she decided to take a quick nap...lol. i was surprised b/c she usually is asleep about 10 minutes on the road. that's her thing...sleeping in the car. i'd do it too if i didn't have to drive....lol. i know i used to sleep in the back seat when we went on the family trips. it made the time go by quickly.

well, i'm going to go now. i need to finish getting ready.

kisses....

i know it's a cliche, but tgif

i am ready for this week to be over! it has been stressful and emotional. i am so aggravated with myself for being such a crybaby and for the stupid temper tantrums i have had. i apologized to the consultant we were working with on wednesday. i didn't realize that he had been up for over 24 hours. he was running on empty and we just kept on with him. he seemed to appreciate the apology. i told him i wouldn't have given him such a hard time about things and we could have discussed later some of the issues.

i go pick up janelle later today from pc. i need to get some sleep so i won't be so tired. i know why i'm wide awake. i had a cup of coffee about 3:30 or so yesterday afternoon. it was the strong stuff too. michael came in the kitchen while i was in there and made the fresh pot. he's such a cutie! he always makes a point of saying hey to me when i see him. i like to give him a big ol' bear hug. it makes his controller uncomfortable. i know she's just conjuring up all kind of hr violations when i hug him. but it's ok b/c he's not my boss nor will he be my boss. she'd really have a fit if she saw how dan and i greet each other with a kiss on the cheek...lol.

well, i'm going to go now. i finished downloading another meditation podcast from itunes. i listened to them last night and had the most restful sleep i've had in a while. hmmmm...must be something to this learning how to breathe right and relax.

kisses.......

is it the weekend yet?

first the good news: janelle was nominated to compete for a $3000 scholarship at business week. she has to write an essay and then if she is selected, she is interviewed. i hope she does well. this will be a big boost for her. she has really worked hard this summer on her fbla stuff and the business week stuff. she has stepped up and taken the lead with her various roles she's been assigned. i'm so VERY proud of her!!

i miss her though even when she's home and on the go with her friends. i'll be glad when all this travelling is behind her!

=======================
being sensitive sucks sometimes. i hate crybabies and i have been one today! i must be pms'ing b/c i am crying at the drop of a hat. today at work sucked b/c we are in the testing phase of this new software. the consultant who has been the main one working with us is a jerk. he's very condescending and talks down to us...me mainly. he treats me like i'm a total idiot and i'm just sick of it.

it seemed like every bit of input i gave or question i asked was challenged. at one point i threw my hands up in the air and tearfully said "i give up! i'll do whatever y'all say and that will be that!" i honestly don't care anymore b/c the app is so buggy and incomplete. it will not fly with the user community. my stomach is starting to hurt now just thinking about it.

i gathered myself together and started the testing at my desk. there were limited scenarios i could test b/c a couple of the pieces are not complete yet. well, i couldn't even test those basic functions b/c they didn't think about the things i tried to do. hello!! they were in the blueprint and they were in the test scenarios. supposedly the functions were tested, but i'm finding they weren't. the logic behind some of the functions showed me that they have little or limited experience in the practical application of the functions. enough about work!!
=====================

i'm going to go now. i'm tired and my stomach and my knee are hurting. i am debating whether to take a percocet or not. i think i will b/c i want to have a good night's sleep. oh i don't have my appt with dr c. tomorrow. he wants to see me after i have the other gallbladder scan so he can discuss everything with me.

kisses.......

ok once more i'm not able to put a title in....so that just makes it an even more aggravating monday....

i had a fairly productive day today even tho it was aggravating. i've gotten all the security stuff set up for the new planning system and it's ready to be emailed out to the masses. we're supposed to have an announcement email go out warning of our emails about security. we'll see if that actually happens. enough about work...i'm tired of it already!

i have an appt with dr. c on thursday to talk about my gallbladder, hiatal hernia, and esophagus erosion. oh what fun! i have an appt monday at 7:15 am to be injected with some radioactive stuff and then get an x-ray. it's supposed to tell dr. c what is going on with my gallbladder. the gallbladder sonogram showed that i have thickened walls in my gallbladder, but they won't know if that's normal for me until after this other test.

i'm just kind of sitting in this holding pattern about surgeries. i definitely know i need to have the knee surgery to trim the torn cartilage in the right knee and to shave down part of my right kneecap. lol...i love to see people cringe when i say the kneecap part. i know...i'm weird.

one thing is certain...i need to get all the surgeries in this year so i only have one deductible to pay. i don't need to pay anymore than i can help. i'll probably throw in getting a new cpap mask and supplies after whatever surgery comes first and is applied to the deductible. i know folks are probably thinking i'm causing insurance to go up at my company. well i've been there for almost 8 years and have yet to meet my deductible with me and my daughter's stuff combined.

i can't help that some of this stuff has happened to me this year. trust me, i'd rather not have to have anything done. i'm not scared of surgeries or doctors, but i'm just aggravated all of it came down at once. it's like i can't plan anything b/c of pending surgeries. i can probably give up trying to go to a race later this year. that's probably for the best since i need to lose a fair amount of weight first. if i have that stomach wrap thingie, i'll definitely lose the weight. it's been described as a mini-stomach stapling that helps with the acid reflux. and considering that i have significant damage to my esophagus due to the acid reflux, i'm a good candidate.

well, i'm going to wrap up now. sorry for being such a sour grape. mondays bum me out sometimes. i need to work on that...it's not monday's fault...lol.

kisses........

ok for some reason i can't put a title in today so i'll just start.

the weekend is almost over and it will be back to the grindstone tomorrow. i'm not really looking forward to this week b/c we will be doing unit testing on the new system. i'm going to try my best to not get irritated with the consultants but i'll be working with archer so who knows...

i took janelle to sc business week. she'll be there through friday. she sent me a text saying she was selected as ceo of her company. i'm really happy for her b/c she wanted the position. i hope it will be rewarding for her. i wish i could remember the name of the lady who was the keynote speaker. she was very inspiring. i noticed janelle was hanging on her every word. hopefully she will have a good, productive week and have fun in the process.

i'm going to go now. i'm having another one of my hot flashes...stupid perimenopause...this is ridiculous!

kisses...

united we stand - independence day

happy 4th of july, y'all! today is our nation's birthday....231 years old. i've had a nice day relaxing in the middle of the work week. i spent a good part of the day knitting while watching the revolution on the history channel. it was pretty interesting even though we had history shoved down our throats in school. it's always good to get different perspectives on our nation's history.

i'm glad i live in the united states. we have freedoms that other countries don't have. we have rights that other countries don't have. i couldn't imagine living in a country where i would be killed if i declare i'm a christian and believe in jesus. we're definitely lucky, folks, and should be appreciative.

i also want to say thanks to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces. we wouldn't be this great nation without all of you out there protecting us and what we stand for. i'm proud that i live in the united states of america...the greatest country GOD has ever created and blessed. :)

kisses....

frenchy

i'm listening to the soundtrack from one of my fav french movies, amelie. it really makes me want to go to france. i've always wanted to visit there and possibly live in one of those small french country villages where there are like 500 people in the whole place.

i trace my love of france and all things french to my childhood. one of my all time fav movies was aristocats. the setting was in france and the mama cat spoke french from time to time. and i just loved pepe le pew, the french skunk always chasing the unsuspecting female cat.

i majored in french at winthrop, but never completed my degree. i was inducted in the national french honor society, pi delta phi, my sophmore year. and just the other day, i remembered how to say " i would like a dulce de leche latte grande please" ( je voudrais un latte de dulce de leche de grande svp...i looked it up on babelfish!) i was pleased to find i had my verb tense right. i struggled with verb tenses from time to time. recently i even went as far as looking up french podcasts on itunes. some day i will download a whole bunch of them and get back in the french mode again.

well, i'm going to go now. au revoir mes amies!

bisous*......

*kisses