March 26
From my brain
Contents |
2012
Me 21:22, 26 March 2012 (EDT)
So, all in all, a good day at work for the first day. Came home with a splitting headache due to my allergies making me blink like I was crying during a Hallmark movie of the week all day, but otherwise, it was good.
Got there plenty-early-enough and met a couple of the other newbies who were also waiting in the lobby. The fourth one eventually came in, and the fifth was a referral of an existing employee so she was upstairs with said friend. The HRLady came down, escorted us up to the conference room for the typical "new employee paperwork". Went over some of the benefits and policies, but mostly it was just "sign there and date there" stuff.
She then proceeded to give us a tour of the whole building. Mind you, this place is in the heart of Columbus's brewery district, and while I don't know how long Wasserstrom has been in the building, I do know that this building was very, very old. The HR conference room was all old hardwood and was originally a wine tasting room. The basement areas were clearly storage rooms where you could imagine a hundred years or so ago would contain a few dozen casks. Very cool building; lots of history.
After that, we got passed on to our training instructor, M. She was fun, cute, but also pretty knowledgeable about every aspect of the business. I gotta tell you though, it took me way back to everything we did at ThePit. I mean, time after time she's showing screens in SAP that while they looked completely dissimilar to the AS400 systems at ThePit, the reasoning and concepts were quickly translated in my head. When the other trainees were explaining their backgrounds, I totally figured they had lots more experience than I did, but while I was following point after point she made, they kept giving M. deer-in-headlights looks and she had to keep stopping for "does that make sense?" moments.
I like this place. Yeah, it's gonna be crazy-high call volume, but it's a great step for me to get my business going. More importantly, it's a great step forward for my family to get back on our feet for awhile.
2008
Me 07:48, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
So much for a little heavy breathing and quickening of the pulse to cure what ails you. Nookie last night did absolutely nothing for my fortitude. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it was neither my A-game (though Wifey made a point of disagreeing with me on that), and my entire body was spent afterward as if it was a marathon.
As I said as I went to bed, I felt like crap. Put Princess down, put TheBoy down, and before he fell asleep, Wifey came home. We talked a bit, and she stood over my shoulder as I made the above post. Having not eaten prior to her Tastefully Simple party (which by all signs was fairly successful), she went down to eat. I on the other hand put a hot water bottle on my stomach and laid down. She made little winking promises that when she came back up, if I were still awake, "...we'd see."
She pops into bed around midnight. My maleness goes into auto pilot as systems awake one by one. Hands, smiles, and *ahem* are the first. Eyelids the last.
{fade to black}
{fade in to L-shaped sheets}
For a "short session", I've never felt more exhausted. I even had full-on colds/flus with all kinds of mucous and nasty things going on and had recovered after better. Last night, I practically did a guy-thing of rolling over after. I laid there like a lump on the bed as the power drained out of me. I was certain I'd sleep well.
I did not. For some unknown reason, I lay awake probably until 1am. Could not sleep for the life of me. Brain was still in overdrive and thinking about who knows what.
Somewhere in the night I had all kinds of obscure and wildly different dreams. Woke up after each change of scene and then couldn't fall back asleep again. I feel worse today than yesterday and my stomach is still slightly cramping. (Man, guys whine like babies when they're sick.)
Anyway, TheBoy has a cough and is feeling feverish this morning, so we're going to make a grand pair going to see Copperfield] tonight. I told him to pull it together; we can't miss this show.
Hopefully Daddy can do the same.
Me 09:17, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
So, they're having a problem with a couple of the ceiling lights here in the office, so they turned off the switch to fix them. In the mean time, it's rather dim here, getting only light from monitors and ambient light from the windows.
I love it. I'm already feeling my stress level go down. Can't we PLEASE keep it like this?
Me 09:27, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
*sigh* they just turned them back on.
Me 14:28, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
I'm a little less than happy. Wifey just called to inform me of the date when we're going to go to Pennsylvania for our summer vacation Part II. It's Part II because I won't be attending Part I as that's at the beach (more on that one later). Part II will be at Sesame Place. She wants to do it the week of July 7th-11th.
The problem? That's exact same week as Boy Scout Day Camp this year. I really wanted TheBoy to attend that this year. Day camp is like high point of the year.
Now, as I'm writing this, TheBoy calls me to tell me it's OK and that he knows that "Mom picked the wrong dates" and he knows that I'm mad about it, and it's OK if he goes to day camp "or whatever."
I told him that it's all right, and it wasn't something he and I needed to discuss right now whether or not I'm mad. He said again, that it's OK, and at that point I could feel my face going red. I asked to put Mommy on the phone and he said, OK.
Apparently she didn't know he was going to either call or ask about that, and she was over at the neighbor's house (...whose phone was he using?) and the baby was sleeping so she'd call me back.
For those of you who'd ever know me in real life, you will know when I'm angry. Not just "Aw man, they canceled Farscape!" kind of angry, but really, really angry, because rather than turning green, I have a lovely red stripe that runs from the bridge of my nose between my eyebrows straight into my hairline. This was a birthmark I've had since a baby and shows up clearly to anyone who knows me.
I'd hate to look in a mirror right now.
Me 15:28, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
Slightly panicking now to go along with the anger above.
Last week Monday, I drop down the employment verification from the apartment complex to HR. The girl I gave it to didn't get it done, so she dropped it off to her Director to do on Tuesday (as she had the next day off). I forget to check with them on Tuesday, and go back on Wednesday. The director is now in a meeting somewhere in the building, and the girl from Monday doesn't know where the sheet is. "Come back later and she'll get it for you."
I proceed to forget until last night when I'm leaving.
A half hour ago, I remember I still haven't gone down, so I go and low and behold...they've lost the sheet. The director put it in an interoffice envelope, but not intending it to go into the interoffice mail. The envelope is nowhere to be found, no one touched it that we asked (all three receptionists), and the contact in our department who picks up mail for our department hasn't seen it either.
The main issue? An "employment verification" happens to not only have my home address and date of employment, but also has my current salary. It's bad enough to have that info known, but when you're paid more as a peon than some of the managers in your department are, there's cause for concern.
And...the apartment complex still can't get the paperwork. I'm looking forward to this show tonight.
Me 21:37, 26 March 2008 (EDT)
So, when he comes through Columbus (and we have the money to do so), I try to see his show. Tonight was my third show seeing him. The first was by myself in 1994 while he still regularly performed his "Flight" show. I was enraptured. I could barely speak after seeing it. A couple years later, Wifey (who was then just Girlfriend) went with me, and saw basically the same show. She enjoyed it, but not as much as I did. Tonight, TheBoy and I went, using tickets Wifey had purchased for my birthday.
And then came a trick that I half-remembered from the previous show. He walks out on the stage with a handful of frisbees and proceeds to throw them into the audience in order to prove that the people are randomly chosen. I have only a split second to think, "Wouldn't it be neat if...," as a frisbee sails over head, my hand reaches up and I snatch it, eyes wide open. We're at first asked to just stand up, and then we are told to walk up to stage right's stairs.
Now, at this point, a proper, dignified, clear-thinking parent would assure his child that he would be fine. That he would be back. That he would be going up to help the magician do a trick, and to make sure he clapped loud.
I would love to have been that parent.
Instead, I was a seven year old with a frisbee in his hand that was just thrown to him by his hero. Sure, I told both my son and my wife that I meant to walk forward, turn and say all those things above. That as I stepped into the aisle, the assistant said, no, go around the back of the theater and I got confused and went where he directed. In reality, I was so giddy and in shock, I just bolted and ran like someone told TheBoy, "Hey, they're giving out free ice cream over there! All you can eat!"
Breathless I reached the stage, and then said, What the hell are you doing??? Is TheBoy OK? Wait, there he is. He's smiling and looking for you. Good, he sees you. I then paused as the real focus people are brought up to the stage for the trick (a good one mind you that I'll describe tomorrow the first half of). The rest of the 9 of us held keys for it, and were escorted onto the stage to hand off the keys.
My involvement in the trick
After we hand off the keys, we're all given ropes to "rope off" the edges of the next trick. A cloth comes down over the middle of the stage like a box where David and the other three are all crouched down. The next thing we see, this big-ass Buick (or whatever the car was) appears under the car. FIVE FEET IN FRONT OF MY FACE.
Any common spectator would have just thought this was cool. I however was just in dreamland. I still am.
I went back to TheBoy who assured me he was worried at first (as the lady beside us stated, but she reassured him I was OK and pointed out where I was), but once he saw me he was fine. He loved the rest of the show but to tell the truth, I'm only dimly aware of the rest of the tricks. I was still stunned.
This is bound to be a tradition for TheBoy and I whenever David comes to town. I will again revert to whatever age I was when I first saw his act. I don't care if his hair continues to recede to the crown of his head, or when he goes completely gray. I will continue to watch him until he ceases performing.
The best part: "Dad, I wanna grow up and be a magician. I don't even care if I can't make money at it forever. I'd like to even just do magic for the kids in the neighborhood."
I wouldn't be any more proud of him should that come true.
OK, I'm done now.
2007
Me 07:39, 26 March 2007 (EDT)
Really long weekend. I feel like someone pushed a railroad spike into my head. And yeah, that's pushed, not pounded. Just slowly shoved it and left the cold steel sitting there.
Friday
- 0900: Expected time Mom goes in for hernia surgery.
- 1030: Her friend calls. They had took her in early, and once she wakes up she should be able to go home in about an hour.
- 1130: Go to lunch with the guys
- 1230: Back from lunch
- 1300: Call Wifey, wish her a safe trip enroute to her cousin's house. Going to a play on Saturday, and a Tastefully Simple party on Sunday.
- 1330: Mother-in-law calls stating Mom had issues with her oxygen levels, so the formerly "out patient" stay is now an overnight one.
- 1530: Leave work.
- 1720: Leave hospital. Mom is doing better than she's letting on IMO, but that's just the way Mom is.
- 1805: Get home, eat dinner (prepared by mother in law), recover from day.
- 1930: Process children into bed.
- 2035: Log into WoW
Saturday
- 0035: Go to bed after staying up far to late doing things I most likely shouldn't have.
- 0700: TheBoy wakes up. Sister is pounding on the wall (I slept through it). Proceed to tell sister to go to sleep. Attempt to do the same myself.
- 0815: Mom calls. Stepfather (yeah, the one with poor memory) won't be able to find his way to the hospital to pick her up, "It won't be before 10am." Well, at least this gets us motivated to head to Wal-Mart.
- 1015: She's ready.
- 1030: Beat children into car.
- 1130: Find a parking spot, and walk two blocks to hospital, carrying Princess on my shoulders because she had slipped on some spilled bubble solution the night before and hit her foot. (She also gimped this of the night before, and carried it on throughout most of Saturday).
- 1300: Leave moms and go to get some chinese buffet.
- 1400: Had to poop. Went home instead of Wal-Mart. Decided that I wouldn't head back out.
- 1830: Dinner served and eaten, sent kids upstairs to the newly refurbished bathtub.
- 1915: Snacks
- 1945: Put Princess down.
- 2000: Put TheBoy down.
- 2025: Quick bio break before WoW.
- 2045-2330: Organized, supervised, and laughed heartily during my level one race in WoW (video link should be provided today).
Sunday
- 0200: After sending out the prizes to my winners, passed out.
- Too-damn-early: TheBoy wakes up and says he's going down stairs. It's then I realize it's only 0635.
- 1145: Leave for church after a morning of yelling, false starts, and mental incapacity.
- 1845: My beloved Wifey returns. My prayers are answered.
- 1000: Major "welcome home" for Wifey.
- 1045: Pass the hell out.
When is nap-time today?
Me 10:04, 26 March 2007 (EDT)
Slightly big news. I'm down a belt-notch and a half.
Since I first started on the tea up until now, I've maybe had about a 12-pack's worth of pop. That includes actual cans I've consumed as well as whatever I've had a restaurant. Now, when you figure I USED to drink 4-6 cans per day, it's no wonder I'm losing a couple inches.
Basically, for several months, I've had about 1-2 (depending on the day) of extra belt notch holes left after I cinch on me belt. Saturday night as I put on my shorts to just hang about he house, they felt a little loose. I figured it was just the knot in the waist tie loosening or something. Then on Sunday during church, I noticed that I kept having to pull my pants back up to my waist and re-tucking my shirt.
This morning, I fixed it. I now have no more belt notches left. I'm on the last one. This from cutting my sugar content down to one-sixth to at least one-third of what it used to be each day.
NOTE: I dropped down to 4 tea bags per 3-quart batch. Heart rate was getting a bit to noticeably high for my comfort level.
I've also been watering it down a bit each day because it's seemed too sweet. So, since both the sugar and the caffeine was too much, I lowered the sugar even further rather than watering it down. I'm not at 2/3 C of sugar instead of 3/4 C per batch. That's 0.222... C per half gallon rather than 1/4 C, but who knows, I may be able to lower this even further.
/yay!
Me 11:12, 26 March 2007 (EDT)
Just what I need!
- (10:30:05 AM) Me: oh god
- (10:30:06 AM) Me: Wifey
- (10:30:13 AM) Lawgirl: what?
- (10:30:17 AM) Me: "I give it one more day and your mother will be moving in with us."
- (10:30:24 AM) Lawgirl: oh no
- (10:30:26 AM) Lawgirl: not again!!!
- (10:30:31 AM) Me: same stuff
- (10:30:36 AM) Me: no help from {stepdad}
- (10:30:36 AM) Lawgirl: oh no
- (10:30:41 AM) Lawgirl: i am so sorry, sweetie
- (10:30:44 AM) Me: he's expecting her to do housework already
- (10:30:52 AM) Me: AFTER A HERNIA OPERATION ON FRIDAY
- (10:30:54 AM) Lawgirl: Can i please go beat him up?
- (10:30:57 AM) Lawgirl: please??
- (10:31:00 AM) Lawgirl: pretty please????
