So far.....

Well, it's been 3 days now at the new job, and today, I finally got to do a little "hands on" work. It's likely to be a very easy, very boring job.

And that's just fine.

The people are really nice, as far as I can tell. I am going to be sitting in a cube with 2 other people, with my desk facing into a corner. One of the girls in my cube plays the oldies station on her desk all day. Guh.

I will eventually take my iPod, and head set. I hate to have to wear the head set for 8 hours a day, but I may need to in order to save my sanity.

So, the report is, so far, so good, I guess.

Busy

It's been a busy Sunday today.

I put a batch of chili in the crock pot while Dave made heart-healthy pancakes for breakfast.

My step son came over for breakfast, and I gave his sore shoulder a rub down.

Then, Dave and I went and had a great work out at the gym. We love it when we have the gym to ourselves!

We came back and changed, then went to the Friends of the Library book sale. It was HUGE! We spent $6.50 and came home with 10 books.

Then, I made a batch of burritos, and a batch of my yummy tomato basil soup. NOW, the freezer is pretty well stocked up for our lunches.

I start my new job tomorrow, and won't have the luxury anymore of cooking something to make left overs for lunch every couple of nights.

I am liking my new lap top computer. Getting used to it. The thing I am NOT used to is sitting on the couch for more than, oh, say, the time it takes to watch a movie.

My new pc, and it's games and stuff, sucks me in, and I find myself getting up after hours, all stiff and sore!

Starting work tomorrow, however, will end that for the most part.

Hope all are doing well....have a wonderful Sunday night, and a good week!

Purple!

For a couple of years, now, Dave has been saying that we would get me a lap top computer "some day."

My desk top is about 6 years old, and has totally crashed and been completely rebuilt once. It's a dinosaur. Plus, my computer desk is an ergonomic nightmare, and spending any time at all sitting at it to work on my computer causes me to have various pains and numbness.

The past month that I have been off work, I have spent a lot of time sitting at that desk. As a result, I have been having chronic pain in my "mouse" shoulder, and that side of my neck. Pain to the point that it wakes me at night, and hurts all day.

When I was first living down here, and unemployed for the first 6 weeks or so, I had similar troubles. For some reason, though, this time is worse. Perhaps my body just hit it's limit.

I've found a new chiropractor in my new town, and am getting some help with my totally jacked up spine. This is helping with the pain. You should have seen my xrays....the spinal bones of the neck and upper back are all over the place!

This situation has inspired Dave to make a decision about "some day." It's tax refund time, and I got my new lap top yesterday!

It's a Dell Inspiron, 15 inch, running Windows 7, with an Intel pentium microprocessor, and 4 gig of RAM. The amazing part is that, just a few years ago, something like this would have cost around $1500.00. I know, I looked at lap tops when I bought my current desk top!

This one rang in under $500.00. Of course, we purchased accessories for it, too, but all of that included still came out WELL under $1500.00.

Amazing how things change.

We will work on transferring my documents and music over from the big old desk top over the weekend, and soon, everything will be on this cute little machine that is much more ergonomically friendly to use.

This lap top is fast, and has lots of room for all kinds of cool stuff! The fun part? IT's PURPLE!

In other news, I am FINALLY a licensed massage therapist!

Licensing updates

The city licensing office never called back yesterday.

So I called them first thing this morning. The person I spoke to yesterday answered, and said "I didn't forget about you...the person I need to speak to was in meetings all day yesterday, and she isn't in the office now. I will make this a priority, and call you back as soon as I can."

I think it should have been a priority yesterday, but that's just me.

She called me within an hour, and said my licenses are ready for me to pick up.

Good.

No explanation. But whatever.

I also asked if Dave could go by and pick them up, since he works down town, and she said "Yes, but you still have to go to the police and get your i.d."

I'm sorry?

"The police require that you have them make you an i.d. tag to wear while you work. If you don't have one, and you start seeing clients, they WILL arrest you."

Why can't YOU issue me an i.d.?

"Because that's the police's jurisdiction."

Lovely. One MORE agency to go to, and probably one more fee to pay, before I am allowed to actually PRACTICE under my new licenses.

What a serious crock of crap!!!

Dave said he'd take me to get the stupid i.d.

Oklahoma is the WORLD CAPITOL of stupid laws and red tape!

The fun never ends!

At least the good news is that I have been cleared to start work (even though I still have to pass another TB test in the meantime...how they expect me to do that WHILE I am working remains to be seen.)

I start my new job on Monday.

In other news, however, I called the City offices today to ask about my Massage Therapy license.

With Dave's help, I had dropped the applications off last Monday, and they said it would be "a day or two" before I would hear from them.
So, given that, they should have called me last Tuesday or Wednesday, after having the OKC police background check done.

(Some fans of this blog may remember that I had to have a State Bureau of Investigation background check before I could even submit my application to the city----but that was not enough, apparently. Now the local police have to run a check, too.)

When I called today, I was on hold for what seemed like a long time after I asked about the status of my applications.

When the person finally came back on the phone, her comment was "We don't show that."

Reacting to all of the meanings that could POSSIBLY have, I said "EXCUSE me?"

She blustered a little...and then said "Well, yes, it usually only takes a day or two...um....please give me a number where I can reach you. I will have to look into this and call you back. I am not sure what TIME, but I will call you back TODAY."

Ahem.

Does it sound to YOU like they lost it?

It sure sounded like that to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gawd, I hate computers sometimes. I had a full blog post all typed out, and it just....vanished.

Disappeared. NO reason.

We are trying to make home made yogurt today, despite many obstacles in our way.

I had tested the oven previously, to see if it was even a feasible idea to try to make yogurt without a yogurt machine. The oven passed with flying colors....set on "warm," it maintained a steady, low temp around 105, 110.

BUT, of course, today, putting it on warm resulted in it going to 150. Too hot for culturing yogurt.

So, Dave went out and got a heating pad, something I read about on two home made yogurt web sites.

The heating pad only allowed the milk in the pot to get up to about 85. Not hot enough.

Back into the oven. What I am doing is periodically putting the oven on, and turning it off, and praying that all of the work that went into getting a half gallon of organic milk up to the culturing stage will not be wasted....

along with the actual half gallon of organic milk, a third of a cup of powdered milk (to make the yogurt more creamy), a quarter cup of organic maple syrup, and a table spoon of organic vanilla extract.

Just gonna have to pray it turns out. Damned unreliable oven.

At this rate, because of all of the delays and the bad heating, I will be up all freakin' night waiting for it to be ready to put in jars.

(it's supposed to culture at a steady temp for 8 to 12 hours)

We went out to Cheesecake Factory for lunch yesterday...holy freakin' crap... $60 for two sandwiches and a dessert that we shared. Absurd. It was really good, though!

That was our Valentine's date, a day early.

Dave got me some Godiva truffles, and a rose. I got him a pair of cute "sleep shorts." They're more for me, actually. And we exchanged cards.
This is our first Valentine's day together, in the same state, county, town, and dwelling!!

Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it!

UPDATE: what a complete EFFING waste of time, energy, money, and milk. The oven got too hot, even with trying to cycle it on "warm."

The culturing milk went up over 150 degrees, and that most assuredly killed the cultures.

I will not be trying this again.

Clumsy phlebotomist

Went to the employee health office today for phase one of the three step screening process.

I did have to have a gowned exam with a doctor, but he was very nice, and the exam was very basic. They had me put on two gowns, one with the opening to the back, and another over that, with the opening to the front. Why didn't they just leave me in my clothes?

Whatever.

The nurse who did most of the testing also drew blood, which I did not anticipate happening. Why do they need a blood test?
She did a bad job of it, anyway, and left me with a big purple bruise.

Lovely.

I have to go back on Monday for the TB test reading, and then they have to do ANOTHER TB test next Friday. Why? No idea.

Apparently, it's safe to do this test repeatedly. I was sure to ask, and explained that I had just been tested in November..

Oh, and my ex employer's personnel office never did send that fax that I requested in writing, and talked to them about on the phone FOUR times.

Morons.

In the process of talking to them, however, I found out that another department head has quit...that makes 5 of us since I started that trend last month.

Amazing. Or not.

Oh, and the other company I was a candidate for emailed me. They are promoting from within, so that position, that potentially would have paid a LOT more than this one I am going through this testing for, is no longer available.

Recipes my sister wants....

Paula's Golden Split Pea and Potato Soup

2 C yellow split peas, soaked over night and drained
1 large ham bone (or several small ones)
1 celery rib, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 med. golden potatoes, chopped
3 leeks, washed, trimmed, and chopped
1 C diced ham
water
butter for saute`
seasoning as needed


Saute` onion in butter until translucent. Add leeks and saute to soften. Add ham bone, soaked peas, celery, potatoes, and carrot. Add water to cover (about 6 cups). Bring to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for at least 2 hours, to obtain as much flavor from the bone as you can. Any meat that was left on the ham bone should be falling off.

Remove ham bone, and any large pieces of meat that may have cooked off of it. Dice the meat, and set aside with the other diced ham. Discard bone.

Cool soup enough so you can work with it without getting burned if it splashes you. This is also a good opportunity to skim off any unwanted fat (I have not found any fat when I have made this soup).

Put through a ricer, or puree with a stick blender, or in a conventional blender.

Add diced ham to smooth soup, and reheat to serve! (if you want a chunkier soup, only puree/sieve half of it)

The soup is not likely to need any seasoning, but season to taste if desired.

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Paula's home made tomato soup with pesto and beans


1 small sweet onion, diced (can substitute the white portion of one large leek)
1 small zucchini, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 t olive oil (try not to add more...there's oil in the pesto!)
1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cups "Imagine foods" veggie broth
2 14 oz cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 or 2 T jarred pesto (depending on how much you like the flavor of pesto!)
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice

Saute the onion in the olive oil until transparent. Add zucchini and cook briefly. Add garlic, but be careful not to burn. Once garlic has become fragrant, and has been incorporated with the onions and zuke, add tomatoes with juice, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add pesto, cover and reduce to simmer until vegetables are very tender.

Remove from heat, cool, and use immersion blender, or conventional blender, to puree.

Then, add beans, return to heat, and bring to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until beans are hot. Add lemon juice just before serving.
Top with grated romano or parmesan cheese, and serve with your favorite bread, or a crisp salad.

I'm sorry...but....

...this really is SLIGHTLY ridiculous.

The job is a low paying, zero advancement possibility clerk job.

I had to go through 3 interviews, one of which was a panel interview, and a background check, which PROBABLY included a credit check. Employers are doing those these days, too.

Now, I find out that the pre-employment physical will require me to go to THREE different appointments, and that it takes 7 to 10 days for them to clear me, IF I can get the appointments booked within that time frame.

THREE appointments? FOR WHAT? It just seems excessive....but.....once again, it fits with my other experiences in this state!

Sigh.

EDIT: 2/10/10

Okay, so I called to book the first appointment, and I found out that I have to undergo a full physical, stripped naked, and wearing a paper gown, with a complete stranger.

Not a doctor of my choosing. This makes me EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Especially if the doctor turns out to be male.

AND THEN, they are going to do another TB test, unless I can produce the results of the one I had in November.

I never got anything about the one I had in November. So, I called personnel at my old job, and they said I had to either appear in person to collect the test results, or I could request the test results in writing, and wait for them to come in the mail.

I need them by FRIDAY!!! And I REALLY don't want to have to go over there!!!

So, I asked if I can FAX my written request, and have them FAX the results immediately, and she said yes.

So, the request is prepared, and Dave will send it from the fax machine at work tomorrow. Then, if she sends the results back as requested, I will have them to take with me.

If she doesn't, however, then I will have to have tuberculin toxin injected into my body for the second time in 4 months. I can't imagine that's healthy for a person!

FUCK!

This is for an office clerk job, in an office that is not even located anywhere near a doctor's office or health care facility!! I will NOT EVER COME FACE TO FACE WITH A PATIENT! Why do I have to be re-tested for TB if I can't produce my test results?!

GRRRRRRRR!

So, the initial office visit is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

They told me to show up half an hour early "because there's a lot of paperwork to fill out," expect the gowned exam, bring the TB test paperwork (or else submit to another one), and have a drug test done.

THEN, I have to go back on Monday for-- what?? Step two of the TB test, apparently, regardless of the fact that I am hopefully bringing them the print out of the test from November.

I have no idea why there has to be a 3rd visit.

As with so many other things since my arrival in Oklahoma (i.e. 8 trips to 2 different places JUST to get a driver license; 5 or 6 trips to 4 different places to get a massage license--which I still don't have), this is a ridiculously complicated process! I just don't GET IT!!!

Is it me, or is it Oklahoma?!?!

Got it!

I left a message for the HR guy at 7:30 this morning.

He called me back at 11:30, and made the offer. It's half what I was making at the nursing home, but that's really okay. As long as I can be bringing in paychecks, that's all that matters.

He is running the background check today, and will call me tomorrow.

Then, I have to comply with a pre-employment physical, and the usual drug test.

He said the earliest I would be able to start is 2/22.

Immediately, my pattootie!! But whatever...I'm just glad to have something.

If the other place calls in the meantime, I still have time to consider them, too.

Update: Today is Dave's birthday. He took a half day so we could go to the licensing office to take the next step in my massage license process.

Apparently, we will have to GO BACK to the licensing office at least once more. WHY can't anything in this town be an easy one stop, one trip thing???

They have to do an OKC police background check now.
The state bureau of investigation's background check wasn't enough.

Once I clear this latest round, THEN I have to go back downtown, pay them money, get my mug shots taken again, and I can FINALLY apply for the license, which will then take 10 days to 2 weeks for them to issue.

While downtown, we stopped at this wonderful little chocolate cafe for some hot chocolate. It was DEEEElish, and wonderful on a raw, cold day.

Later, out for supper!

Sunday night

Yeah, so Friday afternoon, I decided to go out for my walk without taking my cell phone.

That was when the company I've interviewed with 3 times called, and left a message.

Which I got 3 hours later, because I didn't look at my phone til then.

D'OH!

I can forgive myself, though, because Thursday, they said "We'll hopefully be making a decision next week. We'll give you a call then" or words to that effect.

Since everything else has taken so long, I REALLY did not expect them to call me THE NEXT DAY.

Anyway, it has to be good news, because otherwise, why would they call me the next day? I will give them a call first thing tomorrow morning.

It's been a pretty good weekend. We saw "Avatar" today. It was cool. I'm cooking with some left over Christmas ham today, and baking flat bread.

Tomorrow is Dave's birthday. He is going to take part of the day off, take me to City Hall so I can get the next step in my massage licensing process completed, and then I will take him out somewhere to celebrate.

That is, if the weather forecast is wrong. If it's RIGHT, we'll be staying home watching it ice and snow again.

Glass art

Dave ordered a gift for me from an "imaginary" friend of ours through Radio Paradise.
Her business is called RedTail Glass Works, and her work is amazing!!

Unfortunately, I have tried three different ways to post the hyperlink to her website here, and it won't work.
You will just have to copy/paste. Her website is: http:/www.redtailglassworks.com

Exit interview, and etc

Had an exit interview, via phone, this morning, with the nursing home's corporate HR department.

I was brutally, and i mean brutally, honest. I told her everything from the promised 3 weeks of training that worked out to be 5 days (of radically incomplete training), to the personal insults, to the weird phone call from the other office manager who quit the following week, to the stream of visitors to my office last week, telling me that I was doing the right thing by getting out of there.

She said they don't customarily DO exit interviews, but due to the high turnover at the center I worked in, they are starting to do them.

Good idea.

(after I gave notice, the social services director gave notice, the records dept head was fired, and now the HR department head has told me via email that she wants to quit...I was a department head, too....so SOMETHING obviously isn't working!!)

Heh....I started out with "SO—I bet you want to know why I gave up the highest paying job I have EVER had after only three months!"

The only thing I forgot to tell her was the part about how my trainer told me I wasn't allowed to touch payments from residents, but my direct supervisor wanted me to go room to room and collect money from old, sick people, and threaten to kick them out if they didn't pay.

******************************************

In other news, the third interview yesterday went fine, I think.

Apparently, however, their idea of "immediate" is different from mine.

My first interview was 3 weeks ago, and they said then that they wanted someone to start immediately.

(this interview was what gave me the courage to quit my job)

At the end of my third interview yesterday, they said "We will probably be making a decision next week. We'll let you know."

Okay then...one month = "immediate."

Whatever.

I look at it this way...the down time is allowing me to recover from the experience of those 3 months in hell.

I have suffered from the effects of extended periods of stress in the past.

There was a 3 year period in the 90's when my three "significant elders" died one after the other.
My adrenal glands stopped working as a result, and it literally took years to get them to mostly function properly again.
They still don't function totally normally, and I react to stress differently than someone who has normal adrenals.

(I think I may have talked about this condition elsewhere in this blog...if so, sorry for the repeat.)

This past year has been nothing but solid stress, with trying to sell my home, and failing, then having to rent to a stranger, finding out she lied to me after it was too late to fix, then moving away from everyone and everything I'd ever known, then.... Dave's heart attack (!!)....

With all of that already having an impact, the horrible job situation, that was just getting worse, was the last straw.
It was beginning to make me sick. I was beginning to see the signs of increased adrenal issues again....so I had to leave.

It has taken DAYS for me to be able to take an actual deep breath, and to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time (I slept for about 5 last night, without waking up!!!).

This is progress!

Somebody up there is watching out for me.....so it's probably a good thing that the interpretation of the word "immediate" can have variables!

Round three

Yesterday afternoon, I got the call, and scheduled that third interview I've been waiting for.

It's today.

Yes, they had been shut down because of the double whammy storm last week, and hadn't called until yesterday because they were playing catch up.

I have had several friends chime in about the pros and cons of both jobs.

The one I interviewed for yesterday is still very much an unknown quantity. They don't even know which position, or pay scale, to put me in. And, it's a 12 mile commute (one way). And it could be weeks before I hear from them again.

Then, when I DO hear from them, chances are, they will be suggesting the semi-supervisory position of Team Leader, and the money they offer will be substantially higher than any offer I might hear today.

The closer to home (7 miles one way) company that I am visiting with today, for the 3rd time, is a not for profit. The pay is ALWAYS going to be lower.

BUT...maybe I don't care about that so much anymore? I just need AN INCOME.
The low stress job in the no advancement available office might be JUST the ticket at this stage in my life.

Too much to think about.

Unfortunately, the timing doesn't really allow me to think. I will probably get an offer today, and the place I interviewed with yesterday said right out that they won't be hiring until next month.

If I get an offer, I probably can't buy any time to wait the other guys out.

Sigh....

If I accept the offer, and start working, and then find out I let a really great opportunity slip by....what then?

Why did this other company have to call me?? *giggle*

Interviews

Still haven't heard from the first office for the third interview....whatever....

Off to the other place this morning for interview #1. It's a long drive to get there....will really have to think about it if they don't offer much money.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE: the interview went really well. There are three potential positions I could easily fill for the company, based upon my experience. They will call me back for a second interview once they've determined which position in which I would fit the best.

Icy blessings?

Well, the schools were still closed today, so I suspect that I didn't hear from the company I am waiting to have my 3rd interview with because maybe they didn't open their doors today, either.

They canceled me on Friday, and did not open their doors that day.

Anyway, whatever the case, I DID finally have my office inspected by the health department this afternoon, and was approved.

Now, I just have to make up a scale drawing of the office space, take it, along with 3 applications, and 2 forms from the inspector, and I can FINALLY sign up for my licenses.

Meantime, I had a call on the other job application that I put in several weeks ago. It's a surgical group up on the north side of town that needs a coder.

I told them I am not a certified coder, and they said they know that, but they want to talk to me anyway.
This job's pay scale STARTS $2 higher an hour than the other one I am waiting to hear about STOPS.

The woman who called me to invite me to interview was working from home today, so I suspect THEIR office was closed today, too.

I just don't understand why this recent storm shut the entire city down for so many days. The roads were clear by Saturday. It doesn't make sense.

But, in a way, the weather has turned out to be a blessing for me! Opportunity had the chance to knock again!

Helloooooo!