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I have withdrawn from dance class.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.