Merry Day of Inconvenience

I suppose that I should be wishing everyone a Merry Christmas or something.  I really don't even celebrate this holiday.  Sure, I purchase gifts for my daughter, and even go to parties, but I really cannot get into the commercialism of what used to be the best time of the year for me.

It all started when I worked for a major toy company the year that Tickle Me Elmo came out.  It was the first year that I really began to despise this time of year because of what it had become.  A breeding ground for greed, and breaking up more fights over that stupid toy than I knew what to do with.  It just got worse for me after that.  Sing 'n' Snore Ernie came out a while later.

We'll forget the fact that most places are closed except for convenience stores, bars, and some places like movie theaters.  Why the heck would I want to visit any of those places which will surely be crowded beyond my comfort zone?

So, this year I decided that I would visit my daughter, who is staying with friends, and then visit friends.  Actually, I am on their computer as I type this.  One of these days I will get a laptop of my own and be very happy indeed.

So, to all the Bah Humbugs out there, you are not alone.  I wish I could say that this only comes around once a year, but then there is always Easter, Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.  Bleh!

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So, a Year's Worth of Updates

Where the heck do I begin. Today I quit my job. Never fear, I found another job already. I will not be dealing with people on the phones anymore, and because of that, I feel as though my sanity will surely return. Three and a half years I spent at this call center and though I love the people I work with, I did not enjoy the job itself. Being promoted to the senior level was the worst mistake I could have make at this company, and my mental state paid the price for it. Yeah, yeah, don't take your work home with you. That is really hard when I already don't deal well with confrontation so being yelled at for three hours straight did help that, either.

Let's see, what else have I been up to in the last several month. My mother and stepfather came down in June for a week. While they were here, they bought me a bow for my birthday. No, this had nothing to do with that Hunger Games movie that came out. I haven't even seen it. I've been into archery since I was a child, although my interest was reactivated a few years ago when my mother said she had gotten into it. Quite jealous was I, actually. She and I finally have something in common. She had more in common with my sister than with me. I don't get to shoot as often as I would like these days, but that will be happening more now that I am not tied to this call center job anymore.

I moved out of my beloved apartment that I was in for two years.  Last summer I went through some financial issues and so I had to leave my apartment.  I moved in with four, yes, count them FOUR gamer boys, most of whom I do not see very often either due to work or the fact that they are playing video games or WoW at all hours of the day/night.  They don't bother me, and I have never had a conflict of schedule with them regarding the fact that my call center job had me up so early in the morning.  To my knowledge, I have never woken them up being up at 530am.  That's a good thing, I think.  Now that I'm not working there anymore, my schedule is going to be changing drastically, but I am sure that it will not be an issue with the boys.  They are very easygoing and understanding.  Did I mention I'm the only girl in the house?  I'm just one of the boys to them, and that's fine with me.  The house I moved in is very old and dilapidated, but it's one saving grace is that it has a very nice garden area so this spring I will be able to clear all the dead stuff from it and grow another garden if I want.  That is the one thing I miss about my apartment is my garden. 

Raven started first grade this year.  Currently she is staying with friends of mine a town away.  I still see her on a regular basis.  She turned 7 nearly two weeks ago and she is growing up to be so beautiful.  She is thriving with the family she is with, my friends.  They love her so much, just as I do. 

I did start going to a gym.  Planet Fitness to be exact.  Their membership fees were very reasonable and I have already lost about ten pounds, give or take, since I started there.  That is a total of around 40 from about a year ago summertime.  I am very proud of that.  I had to buy new jeans finaly, and that felt really good!

I have spent the last several months trying to get my head back on my shoulders straight, and I know that I have barely scratched the surface of that, but I am hoping that getting back into regular blogging and getting things out that I will be able to get that going again.  It has been difficult, but things are progressing much more interestingly than I had thought possible.  I look forward to the time when I am as back to "normal" as I was before.. whenever that was.... 

Feel free to leave comments. I love comments.

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Has It Really Been Over a Year?!?

I'm not sure I enjoy this new format. It has been forever since I've been here due to many issues. I read over my last blog entry and only vaguely remember writing it. I do not even know what the job was that I was talking about. Needless to say, I didn't get it. I still work where I've been for over three years. I'll write more later when I get home. I'm sure that the last year's worth of information will be informative to say the least... ::end tranmission::

I Know. It's Been a While... AGAIN!

I know it's been a while since I blogged about anything. Not too much has happened, but then again, a lot has. I suppose it would depend on how you look at it.

So, picture this....

A place where one could go during the day for the tastiest baked treats on the planet, prepared by the most awesome mad scien... I mean baker in the state. A place where one will find absolutely NO mainstream (Pepsi, Coke) products to drink, but rather a wide array of mixed nonalcholic drinks and what I lovingly call "microsodas". A venue to sing karaoke...A place where one can enjoy the adventures of the video game challenge, or a poetry and story night... even DJ dancing to various genres throughout the month.... a place where one can enjoy a party dressed in their Alice in Wonderland best or time warp with Rocky.....

All while never having to deal with the drunks or risk getting a DUI while going home.....

Now, I know there are a lot of people who think that they HAVE to have alcohol to have a good time, but what if you're underage? Yeah, well, that's where The Silent G comes in. All ages all the time to enjoy pretty much anything one can find in a regular bar and then some.

Now, The Silent G isn't open for business yet as it is still in the planning stages. Who am I kidding. It's been in the planning stages for about five years now. I have been dreaming of this for so long that I can almost taste it. My friend (the mad scie...baker) is excited about this, too. We've gone so far as to look at a few places, and I think that I'll be ready to open in the early spring.

How about your thoughts, opinions and whatnot. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please don't downright knock my idea down. I can't stomach naysayers.... I know it is going to be a long, tough road, and one that may end in failure, but nothing ventured, nothing gained and all that.

I am looking forward to all the hard work and fun that this will entail. Sure, the economy is rough right now, but I also believe that this will be a great project. Let me know what you think!

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Back from The Trip

I don't have a lot of time to get into the details of the trip right now. I'm at the library and my time is almost out. Suffice it to say that it was AWESOME. I went with a friend of mine and she'd never been to California before, and she was definitely in love with it.

We ended up going to Reno, San Francisco, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, then back to Reno and then home. I am currently working on video collages and photo stuff.

Oh, by the way, during this trip Two Girls, One Road was born. We had so much fun that we are going to start taking regular road trips. Probably most local stuff for right now, but the goal is to provide the viewers with a taste of the trip as seen through normal peoples' eyes. That would be us.. normal people.. hehe.. Anyway, we haven't worked out all the details just yet, but when we do we'll probably have a blog and a website dedicated strictly to Two Girls, One Road.

Keep your eyes out as our first trip has been broken up into several segments. All filled with pictures and video commentary. We hope you enjoy them just as soon as we can get them posted.

Stay tuned....

Raven had a wonderful time in California with her aunt. She was happy to see me and had a good time on the second half of our journey. That's all I have time for at the moment.....

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California, Here I Come!

Tomorrow is the day. I work until 2pm then by 3pm my friend and I are gone to California to pick up Raven. My friend and I are taking a side trip to San Francisco to see the sights. She's never been there, and I haven't been there in quite a few years. We plan on seeing many things while we are there.

Reno hopefully will be good to us as well. She's never been to Reno and is looking forward to playing on the one armed bandits. Me too if truth be told, but money is tight, so playing responsibly is top priority.

I can't wait to see Raven again. She's been having a lot of fun with her aunt. I know she misses me, but will be sad to leave California.

More to come. Working now, and time is tight.

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Been another while

Chaos ensues, and it's been a while since I wrote last. Suffice it to say that I have been busy even with Raven in California.

This week has been a week of changes on top of all the changes that I have gone through with work the last few weeks. My schedule has been cut back to 22 hours per week, and I am still stressing out over what I will do for daycare when Raven gets back. I'm not letting that worry me too much, or trying not to. I have a few options that I will be looking into this week before I leave to go get her.

Another newsworthy note is that I am back into martial arts. A very odd form that I had never really heard of before now. Wing Chun. I don't even plan on getting into a fight, and I have never been on one before, but I find that having something to do helps me focus. And it's helped me to focus on other areas of life, like conquering my new job duties. My arms were bruised all this week, and my muscles sore, but I love it.

There isn't really anything else worthy of noting so I'll leave you to tend your lives.

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Something I Swiped From PB... Thanks! (Where's my Jelly!)

I swiped this from a friend, Psycho, and I thought it was a really great quiz. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did taking it.

Sheesh, when's the last time I said that about one of those quiz things.......??

How Many Things Have You Lived Through?

I have read a lot of books.

I have been on some sort of varsity team.

I have run more than 2 miles without stopping.

I have been to Canada.

I have been to Europe.

I have watched cartoons for hours.

I have tripped UP the stairs.

I have fallen down an entire flight of stairs.

I have been snowboarding/skiing.

I have played ping pong.

I swam in the ocean.

I have been on a whale watch.

I have seen fireworks.

I have seen a shooting star.

I have seen a meteor shower.

I have almost drowned.

I have been so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.

I have listened to one CD over & over & over again.

I have had stitches.

I have had frostbite.

I have licked a frozen pole and got stuck there.

I have stayed up til 2 doing homework/projects.

I currently have a job.

I have been ice skating.

I have been rollerblading

I have fallen flat on my face.

I have tripped over my own two feet.

I have been in a fist fight.

I have played videogames for more than 3 hours straight.

I have watched the power rangers.

I attend Church regularly.

I have played truth or dare.

I have already had my 16th birthday.

I have already had my 17th birthday.

I've called someone stupid.

I've been in a verbal argument.

I've cried in school.

I've played basketball on a team.

I've played baseball on a team.

I've played football on a team.

I've played soccer on a team.

I've done cheerleading on a team.

I've played softball on a team.

I've played volleyball on a team.

I've played tennis on a team.

I've been on a track or cross country team.

I've been swimming more than 20 times in my life.

I've bungee jumped.

I've climbed a rock wall.

I've lost more than $20.

I've called myself an idiot.

I've called someone else an idiot.

I've cried myself to sleep.

I've had (or have) pets.

I've owned a spice girls CD.

I've owned a britney spears CD.

I've owned an N*Sync CD.

I've owned a backstreet boys CD.

I've mooned someone.

I have sworn at someone of authority before.

I've been in the newspaper.

I've been on TV.

I've been to Hawaii.

I've eaten sushi.

I've been on the other side of a waterfall.

I've watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies.

I've watched all the Harry Potter movies.

I've watched all of the Rocky movies.

I've watched the 3 stooges.

I've watched "Newlyweds" Nick & Jessica.

I've watched Looney Tunes.

I've been stuffed into a locker/I have stuffed others into lockers.

I've been called a geek.

I've studied hard for a test and got a bad grade.

I've not studied at all for a test and aced it.

I've hugged my mom within the past 24 hrs.

I've hugged my dad within the past 24 hours.

I've met a celebrity/music artist.

I've written poetry.

I've been arrested.

I've been attracted to someone much older than me.

I've been tickled till I've cried.

I've tickled someone else until they cried.

I've had/have siblings.

I've been to a rock concert.

I've listened to classical music and enjoyed it.

I've been in a play.

I've been picked last in gym class.

I've been picked first in gym class.

I've been picked in that middle-range in gym class.

I've cried in front of my friends.

I've read a book longer than 1,000 pages.

I've played Halo 2.

I've freaked out over a sports game.

I've been to Alaska.

I've been to China.

I've been to Spain.

I've been to Japan.

I've had a fight with someone on AIM.

I've had a fight with someone face-to-face.

I've had serious conversations using IM.

I've forgiven someone who has done something wrong to me.

I've been forgiven.

I've screamed at a scary movie.

I've cried at a chick flick.

I've watched a lot of action movies.

I've screamed at the top of my lungs.

I've been to a rap concert.

I've been to a hip hop concert.

I've lived in more than 2 houses.

I've driven on the highway/been on the highway.

I've driven more than 400 miles in a day/been in a car that went more than 400 miles in a day.

I've been in a car accident.

I've done drugs.

I've been homesick.

I've thrown up.

I've puked on someone.

I've been horseback riding.

I've filled out more than 10 myspace surveys.

I've spoken my mind in public.

I've proved someone wrong.

I've been proven wrong by someone.

I've broken a leg.

I've broken an arm.

I've fallen off a swing.

I've swung on a swing for more than 30 mins straight.

I've watched Winnie the Pooh movies.

I've forgotten my backpack when I've gone to school.

I've lost my backpack.

I've come close to dying.

I've seen someone die.

I've known someone who has died.

I've wanted to be an actor/actress at some point.

I've done modeling.

I've forgotten to brush my teeth some mornings.

I've taken something/someone for granted.

I've realized how good my life is.

I've counted my blessings.

I've made fun of a classmate.

I've been asked out by someone and I said no.

I've slapped someone in the face.

I've been skateboarding.

I've been backstabbed by someone I thought was a friend.

I've lied to someone to their face.

I've told a little white lie.

I've taken a day off from school just so I don't go insane.

I've fainted.

I've had an argument with someone about whether cheerleading is a sport or not.

I've pushed someone into a pool.

I've been pushed into a pool.

I've been/are in love.

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I have lived through 110 things. Find out how many things you have lived through by taking the survey at TheTopTens

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All Good Things End

Well, the spiraling energy that has been building up has finally come crashing down around my head.  As of tomorrow I will no longer be in Work Force Management at work.  I have been given the opportunity to go back on the phones, which some of you are saying, "Awesome!  You're still employed, great job!"  To that I say that they are setting me up for failure of mass proportion.  Not only am I not qualified to be in the training class next week, I haven't taken a phone call in over a year.  So many things have changed since I was a phone advisor that I am not sure how long it will take me to get back into some semblance of a groove.

Yeah, they were trying to cut back on costs and they were chopping positions in several sites.  Unfortunately, I'm the only one who got chopped in this building.  They went by seniority and even though I've been in this position for over a year, I am still the "new girl" and so off I went.  It really wasn't fair because I felt that they should have gone by performance.

I suppose I could go on and on about how unfair their decision was, but I'm almost a bigger person than that.  I will tackle the transition class to my best ability, and see what happens from there.  I am thinking that I will probably continue to look for a new job and see where that takes me.  I really don't want to be unemployed as I am a single mom and as it is I make too much to get any assistance, but almost not enough to survive on.  Daycare is expensive you know!

Raven is still going to visit her aunt in July.  That has to happen.  The only other thing is that I will have to find daycare for her for the few weeks before school starts and then she'll go back to her current daycare which will be located on her school premises.  I just hope that with all the changes going on I will still be able to get down there to pick her back up.  I have no clue what my schedule will be like after next week.

This training class scares me to death.  Technically, I'm not qualified to be in the class, but they made an exception for me so that they could keep me from being laid off.  (Personally, I thought they should just lay me off and allow me to collect unemployment for a bit so I could find a new job, etc....)  I am freaked out because of the length of time it has been since I've taken a call.  I'm freaked out about the fact that I know nothing about the products that they will be talking about.  I do know that there will be people there who will be willing to help me and most of them are jaded because I'm the one who keep asking them to take an extra call when it's busy.  None of the phone advisors like my job very much.  I don't think they dislike me as a person, but I am gearing up for some animosity when I get out there.  I hope that they will be a bit more grown up than that.

What's more is that they just had a class that would have gotten me halfway qualified.  Two classes, actually.  I wish they had the foresight to know that they were going to kick me out of my current position a few weeks ago, at least then I would have had a fighting chance to get ready instead of being set up for the ultimate failure.  I guess I can make all the wishes I want, but it isn't going to change the fact that I'm being screwed here.

I will keep my mind open to all the options that the universe might present me with.  It's all I can really do.... really.

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Out of Control Spiral

I know we've all been there, but I am going to blog about this anyway because blogging helps me get the chaos into some semblance of order.  I feel like I'm spiraling out of control.  No, it's not a drug spiral although sometimes I feel like that would be easier. Ok, not really.

Anyone who has been following my blogs knows that I work some pretty funky hours.  During the time that I'm not working I volunteer at the VA hospital and I do volunteer work with Soldiers' Angels.   Someone told me to be careful that I didn't spread myself too thin with everything that I'm doing.  I thought that I was doing great, and in the beginning, I was.  I was motivated to write letters, put together care packages, send out post cards and all that wonderful stuff that goes along with being an "angel".  Don't get me wrong. I still LOVE being a Soldiers' Angel, but there are times when I feel unmotivated to do much.

I think the real reason I am feeling so very down is because my apartment is STILL a mess.  I have also been working tirelessly on my costume for the midsummer festival.  A lot of people have helped me work on and pay for the components for the costume.  Pictures to come.  I don't feel like I deserve all the help that my friends have given me for this.  I guess I have a hard time dealing with that because I have always been the one to do everything for myself, whether I have friends or not, in a relationship or not.  I suppose that is another story.

I dropped the ball the other day with a project that I was going to try to help out with.  I ended up not being able to go and do what I said I was going to do, and that really irritates me.  I didn't keep the line of communication open and even though it looks like the project will still go forward, I still feel bad about dropping the proverbial ball.

The Midsummer festival is this Sunday so after that I won't have to worry about my costume anymore.  Actually, my part in the construction is finished.  The only thing left is the wings, and my friend working on them will be done by Sunday so I'm not worried so much about it.  They are looking great.  I can't wait for the festival.  It will be so much fun.

Ok, so I know that I'm not feeling very good because my apartment isn't clean.  I know that I had gotten all excited about doing spring cleaning a few weeks ago, but I never got around to finishing it.  I have loads and loads of laundry to do and even though I weeded my garden a few days ago, it needs it again already.

Some of you might say that I need to take a break and take some time for myself.  Well, I already did that when I went to Utah.  I put all my SA stuff on hold for the most part.  I also think that is the reason that I'm not feeling as together.  I am now having to regain the momentum that I once had.  It's not as easy as I thought it would be.  But, no matter.

I think I'll end with that.  Thanks for reading.

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