Holidayzzzzz

Well, Christmas is over, and New Year's approaches.

I got a MUCH appreciated care package from my sister, including the WXRT live from the archives c.d., and lots of stuff from Trader Joe's!!

They are supposed to be opening a Whole Foods here in OKC some time next year, but still no plans by Trader Joe's to open a store here.

I've never been able to afford to do ALL of my shopping at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but I love both of those stores for specialty items. I especially like Trader Joe's "simmer sauces," seasonal chocolates, snacks and treats, artisan bakery rolls, and frozen fish.

As for Whole Foods, I like their organic produce and meat (when I can afford a little organic stuff), and they have some items that I used to get at my local health store that the local health stores here don't carry. Like "Miso Cup" instant miso soup. They also have an awesome deli with LOTS of cheeses and olives to chose from, and I like their 365 house brand for staples like brown rice and healthy pastas. Cheaper than name brands.

Anyway, on Christmas eve, I cooked the sacred Virginia ham for my husband and his family, along with green bean casserole, home made cranberry sauce (thanks again, seeeester!), and, of course, spoon bread.

Everything turned out great, and my mother in law made sweet potatoes with marshmallows, which nobody ate, and some desserts. There was so much food left over, it was like no one ate anything.

Dave got me new hiking boots, some books I wanted, some cool jewelry, and some goofy, fun stuff from Archie McPhee. He went overboard.
I got him a book he wanted, and some goofy, fun stuff from Archie McPhee~ including a dash board jesus, and a dash board hula dancer.

We went to see "True Grit" on 12/25 with Dave's son, brother, and sister in law. You'd think it was set in Oklahoma, or something. That theater, on Christmas at supper time, was SO FULL a half hour before show time, that we had to sit way down in front and off to the side. My neck hurt the whole next day.

Made my Golden Split Pea and Virginia Ham soup on the 26th, thanks to the fact that my sister sent me some yellow peas several months ago, when I discovered that you can't GET those down here!

Marked the 14th anniversary of my mom's death by not thinking about it at all. That had never happened before.

Dave's brother and sister in law from Texas were here for Christmas, but his brother and sister in law from Kansas were here the weekend before.

So far,our plans for New Year's Eve have nothing to do with going out. We are hoping for a Netflix to arrive either that day or the day before, and we will have some bubbly, and some snacks.

Just like last year, when those were our plans even BEFORE Dave had a heart attack on 12/19, and required our activities to be kept low key!

The association dues for the condo went up, and the size of my paychecks is going down (removal of the "health care credit" I have been getting because I am NOT insured by my employer).

Oh joy.

Did I tell you about the testing program at work? (and the unexpected and absurd drama related to said testing program?)

When I was hired, I was told by H/R that they had to hire me at entry level, but that, come December, I could sit for tests that could potentially raise me up a level or two.

In the medical billing department, there are 3 levels.

Anyway, on December 1, I was told by the woman who has been my trainer and mentor that the testing program had been discontinued. This was also the first day of my direct supervisor's 6 week medical leave, so I had no supervisor to talk to about it.
So I emailed my boss's boss.

2 weeks went by. No reply.

My mentor then went on a few days' vacation, so I went and talked to another supervisor, who said "OH NO, the program hasn't been discontinued!! But because your supervisor isn't here, you almost missed it! I'm really sorry I forgot to pass the word along to all of her people!! You almost fell through the cracks!"

So, she got me signed up, in the nick of time. Oddly, THEN my boss's boss replied to my email. Gee thanks.

Anyway, when my mentor returned, oddly, the first thing she asked me was if I had heard anything more about the testing program.
I told her that, as a matter of fact, I had decided to pursue it with another supervisor, and found out that it was NOT discontinued, and that I had made it in to the line up ON THE LAST DAY to sign up.
I HAD thought it odd that she had been wrong about the testing being discontinued, especially because she had said that she was on the test development committee....so anyway, then I asked her what I needed to do to prepare, she said "nothing. There's nothing you can do to prepare. It's just how well you know your job."

So, my testing day came, and I successfully passed the level 2 test, even though there were two questions on the test that had errors in them! Pointed them out to the testing person, and was given a couple of extra points.

Passing up to level 2 assures me of a small raise, which will help offset a portion of the pay cut that comes on Jan. 1, but not all of it.

I was then given the option of taking the level 3 test immediately after passing the level 2. I said yes.

Then, during the level 3 test, I found out, the hard way, that there was an outline of procedures that is in my new employee manual that I should not only have studied, but memorized. I KNOW I got all of those wrong, because I didn't have the chart in my head.

"There's nothing you can do to prepare...."

Really?

Also, because my supervisor is off until January some time, they can't even complete giving me the level 3 test until she comes back!

So, I have no idea if I passed that middle portion or not...but, as I just said, I am pretty sure I did not pass it because I was told not to study anything.

This makes me wonder if this woman who has been mentoring me has something against me.

How could she lie to me about the testing being discontinued, hoping I would miss it, and probably knowing that I would slip through the cracks because of my supervisor's absence?
She was on the testing committee...she KNEW it wasn't discontinued.

And then, to tell me NOT to study, so that I would almost be guaranteed to fail....

Wow.

THEN, today, my new cube mate, who just started working last week, got to take the tests. I had to wait almost a year, but because he started in December, he qualified.

I asked my mentor if the new guy was testing today. She said no. I told her it sure seemed like he was going to, because yesterday, he was asking me all kinds of questions about it, and this morning, he had a set of coding books on his desk.

Later today, when new guy had been gone from his desk for an hour, I asked her again.

The second time, she said yes, he was testing today.

What.
The.
Fuck.

What was the point of lying to me about it?

Gawd.

(EDIT: and there was the time in May, after the hail storm that totaled her car, when I asked her if she'd heard from her car insurance company yet. She said NO, that she had not gotten a settlement yet, and had no idea what kind of new car she would end up getting.....But her brand new car was already purchased, and sitting in the parking lot when I asked her that: I saw her leave in it at lunchtime. It was not a loaner, it was a new purchase with the temp tags on it.
Why lie to me about that? What was the point? I had sort of forgotten about that until now...putting it here for sake of documentation.)

Anyway---so I know that I will be getting the raise that comes from passing level 2.

I MIGHT get another raise in addition to that IF I PASS level 3, which I will not know for weeks.

THEN....we are supposed to have an annual performance review, and everyone gets theirs in January. THIS could also bring an additional raise....
SO....the hope is that, between the one I know I am getting, and the others I MIGHT be getting, maybe I WON'T be bringing home less in 2011 than I did in 2010.

Please keep your available appendages crossed for me, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What to do with your left over ham....

Paula's Golden Split Pea and Potato Soup

2 C yellow split peas, soaked over night and drained (if you can find them...my sister had to send them to me, because they're not available in Oklahoma City grocery stores)

1 large ham bone (i used the femur from the Christmas Virginia Ham)

1 celery rib, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 med. golden potatoes, chopped

3 leeks, washed, trimmed, and chopped

diced ham (again, left overs from Christmas...about a cupful)

water

butter for saute`

seasoning as needed

Saute` onion in butter until translucent. Add ham bone, soaked peas, celery, potatoes, and carrot. Add water to cover (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for at least 2 hours, or until all veggies are soft, and any meat that was left on the ham bone is falling off.

Add leeks, and cook for an additional 20 minutes or so. 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.

Put through a ricer, or puree with a stick blender. Add diced ham to smooth soup, and reheat to serve!n (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.

Count down

The ham is here. It's small this year. The other groceries have been bought. The presents are all wrapped, or shipped away. The musical messages have been left on the office voice mails of my former co workers back in Illinois.

So far, the only things missing are that I have not seen "A Christmas Carol," or "It's a Wonderful Life" yet. Might not, depending on when they air. I really just need to own those.

Solstice is this coming Tuesday. I will make wassail for two, and make Dave's current favorite dish for dinner.

No day off, or day off after. Oh well.

I have withdrawn from dance class. It just wasn't a good fit, and I was starting to dread going. The teacher has a lot to offer, but I was in her "starlet" class, with all of her star performers. The would not give me the time of day, even after all of the weeks I had been going.

We were starting to learn a choreography for TEN, and I felt like I was a little guppy fish in a big aquarium full of flashy angel fish. There was no chemistry, and it wasn't fun. They all have danced together for years, and I was in their way.

And, I really can't justify the $60 a month with a pay cut coming up in a couple of weeks, either.

Oh, yeah...didn't I tell you about that? My company is cutting benefits. One thing they're cutting is the "health credit" I was getting for being insured through my husband's employer.

The withdrawal of that credit will result in $50 less a month in my pay checks.

I am qualified to take tests next week, though, that could potentially RAISE my pay, and maybe cancel out the pay cut. But it's not a sure thing. I have to pass the tests. Medical coding is involved in the tests, for some reason....and I am very rusty in that department.

I AM going to take them, on Solstice...and hopefully, when the health credit disappears, the potential pay raise will kick in at the same time.

I'm due for my first annual performance review in January, too, but no one has said anything about if there's usually a raise involved with that as well. I am guessing not.

But, since one can only take these tests once, and if one passes, and gets that raise.....does that mean there are no more raises with the annual review? I have no idea.

Anyway...fingers crossed.

Blast from the past....

Hardrock, Coco, and Joe; Snoozy Snowflake; and Frosty the Snowman are all on YOU TUBE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5Ohgl7eTM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdYDdm3fZiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3SKtJbNu8

At the moment, Blogger won't let me post these as active links that you can just click on, so you'll have to copy and paste into your browser to watch them!

WHEEE!

Gotta love thrift stores

Found this today at a random stop at a re-sale shop. How sweet was that???

It's a nice, heavy duty sweat shirt hoodie! Has the Cubs emblem on one sleeve, and the MLB emblem on the other, this in the middle of the chest, and the word "CHICAGO" stitched onto the edge of the hood.
It's too small for Dave, so...it's all mine! *smile*

We've finished all of our holiday shopping and shipping.

The ham for Christmas has been ordered, with some financial help from my mother in law, and plans are in place for me to cook Christmas eve dinner for my parents in law, brother-in-law and his wife, and, of course, my husband, and step son....all at mom and dad's house.

I will be boiling a Virginia ham, making corn meal spoon bread, and green bean casserole.

We received a package from my sister and brother in law. Dave was impatient, so we opened a few items already.....the cd's and the BACON CHOCOLATE BAR!! Omg, is that YUMMY!!!

THANK YOU!

I won an iPod touch from work, and we're going to give that to my step son as his gift this year. THAT ought to make him pretty happy!

We had to report our upstairs neighbors to the apartment security again this past Tuesday night. It has been several weeks since they were last drunk and disorderly in the middle of the night.

At least the last time, it was on the weekend. But, also, that time, it was pretty clear he was beating her up.

This time, it wasn't as violent, but it was loud and obnoxious and very late at night on a work night.

We've noticed that they like to sit out on their patio and drink on Tuesdays. Even if it's cold out. We wonder if that isn't his pay day.

Based upon what we've heard, we're pretty sure they're alcoholics, and that abuse is just part of how they live.

Anyway, this past Tuesday, they were loud and obnoxious well after the beginning of "quiet hours," and I only got about 3 hours of sleep that night.

The security guy came around 11:30 pm, and they FINALLY quieted down around 1....then, around 4:30, one of them must have fallen out of bed or something, because there was a huge thud over our heads, which woke us both...and I never went back to sleep.

They've been very quiet since then, though.

They've had two "strikes," now, and according to what the girl in the management office said, upon the occasion of our first complaint, they only get three.

Wouldn't it be a shame if they got evicted at the holidays?

Hopefully, they will keep that in mind, and remember that they live in a fucking apartment, not a house out in the country where they can make as much noise at any time of the day or night as they want to.

My company party was yesterday. I was a candidate for Employee of the Year, but did not win. I did, however, come away with a $25 gift card to go to the movies!!

We might use it go to see "True Grit" when it comes out later this month.

Cross post

I posted the below essay as a response on a chat board.

The person I responded to had said that she/he has given up on the church, and asked how to deal with Christmas, since it's celebrated so widely, given that decision.

I just thought this came out pretty well, so thought I'd share it here....(sorry about the no caps...that's how I post on that website):


i was raised christian, but, not very heavily....my parents only ever made me to go confirmation classes and get confirmed, but after that, it was my choice.

as a teen and young adult, i was very involved in the church, and even considered the ministry...but, life, and an expanding knowledge of the history of judeo christian cultures changed me, and i have not been a practicing christian for most of my adult life.

however, to me, the christmas season, or the yule season, in the pagan vernacular, is far more meaningful in SO many ways that have NOTHING to do with religion, than any other season of the year.

why?

because i remember.

i remember the christmases of my childhood, which had very little, if anything, to do with religion.

i remember the warmth, the anticipation, the excitement, the beauty.

i remember my loved ones who have passed away, and how much i cherished spending the holidays with them, and how they made the holidays magical for us every year.

i remember how "home" was transformed when the decorations came out of the basement, and the tree came in the back door. it was like magic came to visit.

i remember generations of ancestors whom i have never met, but whom i honor every year when i eat the traditional foods that my family has had at christmas for close to 400 years.

my dad prepared the special ham all the years of my life til he passed away.
then my brother took over the honor, with the ghost of my dad standing at his elbow...and, now that i have left the area where i grew up, i am doing it myself, and will prepare it for my in- laws this year.

so much of it for me is about sentiment, and nostalgia, and about loving my memories.

however, the winter solstice does have religious meaning for me, now.

you may find it interesting that the vast majority of christmas traditions; wreathes, trees, lights, exchanging gifts, celebrating the birth of light in the dead of winter...even "santa claus" (look up "the battle of the oak king and the holly king" some time, if you're curious) are all based upon ancient pagan practices...so the holiday IS actually far more pagan than it is christian.

the church saw a perfect opportunity to make use of a big pagan festival, and superimposed the celebration of the birth of christ over these midwinter celebrations in order to win converts.

most scholars will tell you jesus was not born at mid winter.

so, on the part of the early church, it was brilliant marketing, and has proven to have been a very successful endeavor!

i have returned to my roots, spiritually. in other words, i prefer to practice a spirituality that makes sense to me, ethnically. i am not jewish or of hebrew or nazerene ancestry. i also choose not to affiliate myself with a religion that sprang out of a culture that allowed and encouraged genocide.

SO—ALL of the seasonal traditions, except celebrating the birth of jesus, fit perfectly for me because of this shift in my perspective.

whatever your reason for leaving your christian path behind, you can still find ways to celebrate and appreciate this season.

i hang a wreath, which means, to me and other pagans, the rebirth of the sun in the dead of winter. it is an emblem of the cyclical nature of life on this planet.

i have also traditionally put up a tree, and decorated it with ornaments shaped like fruit, nuts, musical instruments, birds, pine cones, and suns, moons, and stars, to encourage the earth to bring forth abundance in the coming year.

i wish people a merry christmas, because "christmas" is what we call it in the dominant culture, whether we acknowledge the christ aspect of it or not.

happy holidays works, too.

Lights

There's a huge company on the north side of OKC called Chesapeake Gas. I know. Chesapeake? In Oklahoma?

Whatever.

BUT, they do an amazing job with holiday light displays.

The coolest part is when you're at the end of a row of trees, and the colors all sort of blend in your field of vision. It's stunningly pretty!