Thursday, November 30, 2006

Let's Celebrate

After a three-hour interview, two months of waiting, an indepth background check, a drug test, and the unearthing of a very old high school diploma, I finally got the job I wanted as a Clinical Data Administrator.

I had to jump through a lot of hoops for this job. I hope that "benefits that start Day 1 of employment, excellent pay, tuition assistance, 401K and PTO" is worth it.

I kind of have a feeling it will be...

Put Off

"Hi honey. Hey, did you take care of your car today?"

"No." Irritation shows in his voice. "I didn't get up until late."

"What do you mean? I talked to you at noon!"

"Whatever," and then he goes back to playing Lego Star Wars on ;his PlayStation2.

The night before Thanksgiving, I received a call from Todd. His car wouldn't start. He wasn't far from home, and was at the vet's office. He asked me to bring his AAA card so he could get a jump.

I knew it was more serious than a jump.

As expected on the busiest American travel holiday of the year, AAA couldn't send anyone out for over an hour. So, I took Todd and Benny home, and he said he'd take care of it on Friday.

It's been over a week, and his car is still parked at Baring Animal Hospital (or at least we hope it is).

Every day, he has forced (okay, that's an exaggeration...how about "strongly encouraged"?) me to take my other car to work, so he could have a car at home, on the premise that he needs it in order to take care of his car. For a week, I've driven my Vibe to work, and every night when I come home it's the same story: "I haven't taken care of my car because I didn't have the time."

And why do you think he hasn't had the time? I don't know. Ask PlayStation2. Or Splinter Cell. Or God of War. Even the newbie Lego Star Wars knows more about what he does in a day than my Honda does.

Oh well...never do today what can be put off until tomorrow. Right?

Friday, November 17, 2006

And a Whole Lot of Space to Breathe In

That's what I need: space to breathe in. And I haven't had any in three weeks.

THREE weeks. It seems like a lifetime.

Since going back to work, my life has been one of almost constant activity. Who am I kidding? The month before I worked, it was pretty much the same, only in a different way. Before I was working, I spent about 50% of my day looking for work and doing job magic, and another 25% of my day trying to mend my relationship with Todd. The other 25%? It was devoted to sleep.

Ahhhh...sleep. What has happened to my sleep life? But I digress...

As I was whining saying, I haven't had any time to myself for at least two months. I haven't been reading LJ...much. I haven't caught up with friends. I haven't emailed. Written. Phoned.

I haven't had time to read. I have a stack of magazines that I received in the mail that just keeps getting bigger. I have a zillion TV shows to watch. I haven't seen the mid-season finale of LOST.

I just haven't had time.

The good news is that my hard work paid off. Yes, Todd's still dating, but he and I are getting along better than ever. I feel connected to him lately in a way I haven't since I first moved here to Reno.

I'm working. The job magic and endless interviews and persistent nagging of OfficeTeam brought me a job I'm really enjoying. Sure, it's "part-time" (about 30-35 hours a week, depending), and no benefits, but my boss is great and the hours are a bit flexible (except on Mondays). Further proof of good job mojo is the fact that the CEO of the company emailed me this morning to tell me that I'm doing a great job and am a fantastic asset to the company. (A bonus or benefits would have been appreciated, but hey, I'll take the email kudo as well.)

As I was driving home tonight for a quick bite to eat before I turn around again to pick up a friend and go to Lake Tahoe for the evening, I heard the song "Hold On Loosely." When 38 Special sang "And a whole lot of space to breathe in..." I realized that's what's been missing from my life lately: breathing space.

I long for some breathing space. For a few hours to myself, during which I could just do whatever the heck I want to. Read. Watch "Lost." Write a letter. Make some postcards. Play with the cats. Or heck, even update Blogger.

When I worked at Acme, I hated my life. Or at least, I hated the last year and half of my life...that's when things really got ugly at Acme. Yet, I hung in there day after day after day because I had three-day weekends. Every time I complained to my mom about something at Acme, she'd say "but you don't want to lose the job, right? You get three day weekends."

Yeah. She was right. I cherished those weekends. It didn't matter how busy I was Monday through Thursday, because I knew that I could always do whatever needed to be done on Friday, and still have the weekend to play.

Well, those days are gone forever.

Am I sad about that? Not really. Life without Acme hasn't been easy, but it also hasn't been awful. It's nice to go to a job where I'm appreciated. It's nice to actually like my boss. It's nice to go home at night and not have a dark aura surrounding me from the detritus of the day.

And I think not hating my work life has contributed to the harmonious atmosphere between Todd and me. I'm not bitchy when I get home. I am not carrying the weight of the day on my shoulders. I am able to come through the door and just enjoy my home life.

Busy as it is.

So, I'm not complaining. Not really. However, God or Goddess or Universe or Angels or whoever is listening, please give me some breathing space soon. I'd really like to watch "Lost."

Thank you.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Na na na na na na na NA

Today is my birthday.
na na na na na na na na
Gonna have a good time.

Or at least I hope to. At my age, it can be difficult to have a good time. You know, it can be quite the challenge to fit a little fun in between bouts of flatulence, dementia, stiffness (not the good kind) and random drooling. I think I can do it, though.

Wanna join me? Or does the drooling turn you off?

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Still In The Mix

Late yesterday afternoon, I finally reached the HR rep for the position I really want. She had called me last week, and we've been playing phone tag ever since. The reason she called? To let me know I was one of two top finalists for the position, so she wanted to be sure I was still interested.

Still interested? Doesn't she know I've been obsessing about this job for weeks now? Of course my answer was "yes."

I also got in touch with the HR rep for a company with a Report Writer position open. I had applied for it several weeks ago, and the company finally got back to me. I have an interview scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

It feels strange to still be "looking" when I am working at a job I like, for a boss I really like. However, there are absolutely NO benefits with this position, and a girl likes a little security, ya know?

Here's hoping I end up being the chosen one for the job I really want!