Buck Up Campers, We're Not THAT Screwed!

I'm sure a bunch of you heard rumblings at work today about how the bailout package got voted down. I'm sure another bunch of you kept refreshing your browser to see Wall Street's tumble. I really hope none of you checked your 401k today! Remember, without great risk, there is no reward in investing.

Here are some charts to put today in perspective. This first one is inflation and it looks pretty bad so let's move on.



GDP is low but we've lived through lower.



Unemployment is nothing compared to that huge peak in the early 80's. We survived that ass backwards fiscally screwed Republican term and we can survive this one! Just remember, only 4 more months.

The New Job

With just a half week under my belt, I am EXHAUSTED! This week was a lot of starting and stopping projects plus assignments with no background or instructions. A little frustrating! And a typical first week. The company is an interesting one in an industry that I'm unfamiliar with and a convoluted supply chain. It's a steep learning curve coming from a company that made a product and sold it to the customer.

The commute is fairly good and I get to tackle the Pike for commuting for the first time. Yup, I'm getting a transponder. It's amazing how different Pike drivers are from 128 drivers. It's like night and day or competency and released from the looney bin.

In the middle of this crazy week, I signed up for personal training at a local Fitness Together. I have always enjoyed personal training and since my weight loss has hit a plateau from dieting alone, I need to kick things up a notch.

Watching the debate right now. McCain is so annoyingly whistley, he needs better dentures or have Sean Connery be his talking head. Obama looks pooped.

New Season, New Everything

On the first day of Autumn, I interviewed and got a new job assignment. I'm starting tomorrow! It's in Framingham and the manufacturing industry. I had a wonderful farewell from my former supervisor who told me that I'm fantastic and if I ever need a reference or a job in the future, look her up. That was a newly discovered benefit of this analyst for hire job I have - the networking potential! I was allowed to leave early today so I could have a little transition time between jobs. What did I do? I did a lot of laundry and took my down comforter out of storage.

Tonight, I signed up for 100 personal training sessions this year. It's a crapload of money but I was really impressed with the gym and trainer. Plus, if I really want to seriously get healthy diet isn't going to get me results forever. They have a ton of really neat looking gadgets that I'm looking forward to trying. My first training session is Saturday morning.

Also, I'm back using the online dating sites. It can't hurt and doesn't cost too much. I have gotten fewer creepy contacts so far.

The Job, A Respite

Since my employer is running out of work for me to do, my last day is probably going to be Sept. 29. I haven't heard a definite confirmation. It's no big surprise since I was told that this assignment will last about 6 weeks.

And also since my employer is running out of work for me, I was given a horrendously huge filing job yesterday. There was an office filled with stacks of papers and I sorted all of those papers into piles. I finished 5 minutes ago. Every muscle in my legs is screaming and my back feels badly twingey. I stupidly started off this task bending poorly (like doubled over ass in the air) as I sorted and lifted heavy piles. Then I moved onto the bend at the knees method. Guess what? That basically relocated strain and pain to your legs! I took a hot shower last night and popped some Alleve before bed. I'm still stiff and sore. I let my boss know today that that level of lifting causes me pain so I'm waiting for my next assignment.

As a wrap up, I really liked this job. My boss is a smart funny cookie. Plus she swears like a sailor. I learned how to use Meditech. I also learned a lot about healthcare finances and accounting. That tidbit was a bit scary especially when you're dealing with insurance companies and their reimbursement policies. Umm, who cares if a patient is admitted or under observation? Just pay the GD bill and save a life! My commute was really awesome too: under 30 minutes and a nice drive up 117. Though I have to complain about the driving habits of Monster employees. Whenever I am stuck behind them, they brake every 5 seconds and weave all over the lane plus they drive REALLY S L OW L Y. Once, I had to park in their parking lot. Apparently at Monster they support individuality and creativity so much, it extends to parking spaces in a parking lot.

Politics 2008

I have been a supporter of Barak Obama for a while basically because I've had my eye on him ever since the 2004 Democratic National Convention. But I must admit I am pretty disconnected from this year's presidential race. I digest the headline blurbs and roll my eyes at the political jabs.

Recently, I decided to do some research on Obama's stance on issues so I can support him intelligently. Guess what? The majority of his stances are exactly the same as McCain. The only major differences are abortion, taxes, and Iraq. I hate how politicians have to embrace the middle to win. I'd love to see some Lefty candidate lay some truth on the American people (granted, he or she would never win the Presidency).

Back in 2004, I was so involved in the presidential race that it felt like life or death. After Kerry lost, there were months when I could not talk politics without raging or weeping. So why waste emotional effort on a candidate who differs from the opponenrt on 3 issues? I can take a historical view. We had two terms of Reagan and then a single term of Bush I which lead us to the golden age of Clinton. So, if I have to wait out a single term of another Republican I can wait for the 8 years of prosperity and peace under a new Deomocratic President.

Told Ya So

I'm not bragging but I bought this shirt back in 2005:

Earbud Suggestions?

I have had an iPod for years and quickly learned that I needed to replace the earbuds that came with it. Who knew you could get bruises inside of your ear?

So, I opted for the only other sanely priced earbuds offered through Apple. These:



I have gone through 2 sets of them in one year. The first set I bought had faulty wiring in the left/right ear wire split. The second set I bought pooped out on me this weekend. Now I can't hear anything from one bud. Does anyone know of a decently priced earbud that can last for a while?

Hair Lifecycle

I grew up with thin, straight fine hair but in my mid-twenties my hair suddenly grew up and became different. It was the cuts I had, or the color - all of a sudden my hair was thicker and wavier. Haircuts that I couldn't have pulled off when I was a teen suddenly looked good. And my hair became too thick for some clips.

With my awesome new short hairdo, I am discovering the downsides of my new hair. It has to defy gravity ALL THE TIME. Nothing lies flat on my head anymore. Combing while wet doesn't work. So people, I'm starting to look like this:

CNN Cracks My Shit Up

I was reading this on their website when I came across this sentence in their blurb "Skeptics claim the experiment could create a black hole capable of swallowing the Earth." Oh you skeptics you! If we listened to you, we'd never have penicillin. Why live life like we're on the edge of an event horizon? Ooh that could totally be a song lyric!

Explain This

If you can explain this bumper sticker, you are one smart cookie in my book. I've gotten so many questions and weird looks thanks to this bumper sticker on my car

Sedation Dentistry Gift From Heaven

If you have ever had a bad experience at the dentist, have trouble getting numb, or put off dental appointments for so long that your teeth are messed up, look up your local sedation dentist. I've had multiple bad experiences with dentists throughout my life basically because they could never get me numb.

I had my first appointment with a sedation dentist this morning for a cleaning. My goodness, the complete difference! I wasn't rinsing out chunks of my gum and blood. There was absolutely no pain or discomfort. And afterwards when my teeth were all clean, I had no gum bleeding. Unfortunately, I do have cavities (that's what you get by going for 9 months without dental insurance).

Also, they can give you lots of medication for any dental anxiety. I don't have cleaning anxiety, just procedure anxiety. So, for my fillings we're going to try nitrous oxide so I can actually go back to work afterwards. If it wasn't nitrous oxide, I'd take valium. I LOVE valium! I understand why it was the housewife drug of choice for years.

Seven Years Later

Now that it's 7 years after, and Bush is out of office in January, I feel like it's safe to blog about 9/11. Safe as in not trying to be manipulative, single-mindedly patriotic, or political.

I was still on partial disability from my stroke back in 2001. So, I worked half a day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (usually 8:30 to 12:30pm) and normal hours Tues/Thurs. I remember how crisp, clear and cool the day was. Basically, I was on auto-pilot just going to work, trying to make it through the day to go home to practice physical therapy. I was doing my normal morning web-surfing when something odd happened. CNN refused to load and almost every single news website was unloadable. Unperturbed, I started reading through my regular message boards. A known asshole and troll baiter had posted the topic "Plane Crashes into WTC". Again, I didn't think anything of it. He was probably trying to be inflammatory or some sesna knicked the building.

Then a professor came into the office and asked me if I had heard about the plane going into the WTC. I shrugged and said no. Within minutes another professor popped out of his office and said there were more planes taken hostage. This is when I started getting really concerned and confused. None of the news sites were loading still and my cell phone wasn't working either. So, it slowly dawned on me that shit was up.

Since there wasn't a tv in the office, I scrounged up a radio so at least I could hear what was going on. And that message board topic started by the asshole troll baiter was an online international news repository for the day. Members posted their international news feeds so those of us stuck at work, could watch some coverage. Also US members would post their outrage and confusion while International members would post support and love. In the early hours, we kept hearing different reports on how many planes were hijacked. Another professor came out and announced that they hit the Pentagon. This is when I started feeling nauseating panic and called my mom. The thought of going home never entered my mind. I needed the normalcy of work.

I'll never forget the sound of Peter Jenning's voice as he confirmed that the first tower had collapsed. "Gone" didn't really make sense that day. Coming back to my office after doing a Xerox job, I saw a cluster of people around the radio and the bottom fell out of my stomach. Oh God, what else had happened? Finally someone found a dinky 15 inch tv downstairs and a bunch of us crowded into an office to see footage. The same damn footage that was repeated ad nauseum for a week. One of my co-worker's husbands was almost on one of the flights that morning.

Driving home was eerily quiet. In fact, the next couple days were oppressively quiet. You have no idea you live along a flightpath until every single flight is grounded. When flights did resume, the sound made me jump out of my skin. 9/11 was the only day in my life that I have defended President Bush, as the President started his speech that evening some schmuck started up a political diatribe and I told him to shut up. There's a time and place.

The first time I really laughed after 9/11 was watching the Saturday Night Live premiere with Reese Witherspoon. I do remember how incredibly emotional that time was. It was kinda amazing for me since I has been working on my emotional lability for months and all of a sudden it was okay to burst into tears in the middle of the day. I also felt a burgeoning uneasiness with the reactions to 9/11. Someone sent out to the entire work list-serv and email detailing how Nostradamus predicted 9/11. I also read online the 9/11 Jewish conspiracy theory.

Since 9/11, I compulsively check CNN whenever I first go online in the morning. So, don't think I'm crazy if I IM you asking if we're under attack again if CNN doesn't load. Also a lot of workplaces have now installed televisions and travel insurance is mandatory for business trips. Of all the movied that have come out about 9/11, I found Reign Over Me and United 93 to be the most affecting. But watching these movies is like scratching open a wound and I don't know how long it will take to completely heal over the memory of that day. I sometimes think that just as I used to ask my parents about the Kennedy assassination or Watergate, this will be an event my children will ask me about.

Friend Radar

As I get older, I find my concept of friendship changes. When I was little, if you had cool toys and we agreed on things, you were my friend. Needless to say, I had a lot of friends with such simple criteria. In the teen years, friendship became more complicated. You had to be part of the same social level and participate in the same activities. Also, you couldn't date a friend's ex-boyfriend without asking permission.

During this period, I developed the friend radar. I had an inner circle and other friends floated in and out within the radar. We weren't angry at each other or less of a friend but our attention was elsewhere. I did used to feel disappointed and betrayed when an inner circle drifted out to the periphery but I grew up.

The last several years have featured a lot of flux in my friend radar. It makes sense that as people get married or have kids, they drift away. It can be difficult if you're not dealing with someone who understands the radar. They can feel guilty/angry that there is lack of continuous contact. Sometimes lack of contact is my choice because I need a timeout from a particular kind of friendship. But that doesn't mean I am angry or no longer care about the person. That last sentence has taken me 31 years to figure out. So, as I am embarking on getting back in touch with old friends via Facebook, I am feeling more secure and less guilty.

Prithee if Thine Abode is in a Trailer and Thou Shop at Amazon

Back in mid-summer, when I was unemployed and strapped for cash, I decided to sell off a bunch of my DVDs on Amazon's marketplace. It went very well. I sold almost every set I advertised and shipping via media mail went fine. I did have one complaint from a customer about a scratched DVD so I issued a refund and got the DVDs back. In total, I basically made $200.

Currently, I am dealing with a looney tunes customer who contacted me a week after ordering about not receiving a shipment from me. I told her that I used media mail so it won't just take 5 business days. Her reponse was in bizarro King's English with prithees and thous. I didn't hear from her for weeks so I assumed the package reached the destination. Lo and behold, I noticed that I got a really crappy rating from a customer with an unfamiliar name. Apparently this looney tunes doesn't own a computer or have her own email address so she logs in as a friend. So, besides asking for a refund for a non-delivered package, she decided to wreck my seller rating. I am really glad she lives in a trailer park thousands of miles away.

Bye Bye Old Mattress

My Job, I Am So Lucky

3 weeks at my new job so far and I am loving every day. The people who I work with are very supportive, funny, and professional. Basically, high EQ. My commute is awesome - 2 Dunkin Donuts en route and my office building is down the street from a CVS and post office.

What I love most about this job, is the work. I know, it sounds weird! I get to analyze numbers non-stop and learn an entirely new industry. Only once was I worried that I wouldn't know how to do a job - but it worked out fine. Now, I am a pivot table guru. At work, I eat data like Cookie Monster and when I finish a project, I am like, "Feed me!" After the months of rejections, I started worrying if an analyst position would be a good fit for me. Working this job, I am more confident than ever!

The final great thing about my job is that they like me. I am getting positive feedback non-stop. Also, I have a huge financial discrepancy to research tomorrow and I can't wait to get into work to dig in!

Long Weekend

Hello everyone! I hope all of you had an awesome weekend (despite hellishly high pollen count). My weekend kicked a lot of ass:

Friday - I had an hour massage. I am one of those people who is always on the brink of pain during a massage. It's like, "Ooh, that's doing something. Does it hurt? Maybe if I breathe through it, I'll relax." Even though I am still sore days afterwards, I think the massage was pretty good. Also, I purchases a bunch of tops online from Old Navy. They arrived on Friday and every one fit and looked awesome on me. Score! For dinner, I grilled a very yummy (and hot) tandoori chicken recipe.

Saturday - I got my hair done. The top is much shorter and I'm happy. Also, I started a Jane Austen reading spree this weekend. I finished Persuasion Saturday. My goodness, it was SO GOOD! I almost like it better than Pride and Prejudice. The characters were so real and the humor and compassion for any foibles was just the right dose. Also, the letter at the end? I squealed like a schoolgirl.

Sunday - I bought a new mattress thanks to Mattress Giant having a huge sale. I was able to stay within budget but of course the first mattress I loved cost $700. Great taste, huh? Then, I went to a fabulous cookout hosted by Sarah and Bodhi.

Monday - the mattress est arrivé and I have moved onto Mansfield Park.