....it was 76 degrees yesterday, and will be again today.
There was an ice storm just over a week ago.
They tell me that this happens sometimes, and it usually brings upon it's heels severe winter weather.
Fact is, they're predicting another ice storm, with snow on top of it, for next Tuesday. We'll see.
My guess is that the ground will be so warm that it won't be an issue.
So, while I was still taking the antibiotics for the sinus/nasal infection, I got a virus. Felt like warmed over something for a few days this past week, with a cough, and horrific sneezes.
ENOUGH ALREADY! Never felt sick enough to really FEEL SICK, though....just miserable enough to be miserable without missing any work.
The speculations continue as regards house shopping. We have looked at some promising ones on line, with incredibly low payments, so that we know we will have some good options when we really start to shop. It really is a buyers' market.
We are considering a debt consolidation loan in the meantime, so that we can clear all of our credit card debt, and only have one payment per month at a FAR lower interest rate than the cards.
This will provide a jump in our credit score, too, which will help when going for that mortgage pre-approval.
Tax forms are starting to roll in, too. Dave is hoping for a big refund, but I am worried. 2010 was my first full year as a land lord, and I have to claim all of the rent as income.
I will have no business income to claim for the first time since 1994, and thus no business write offs for all of my expenses to try to get the business going.
However, I am hoping that the fact that the rent doesn't even cover my costs of owning the condo will work out in my favor. It's basically like having a loss on a business.
But I sincerely have no idea how that works...so, we shall see.
Taking a new dance class. These ladies are a lot more down to earth, and I am not "in the way," like I was at Soraya's classes. However, I am not sure that I will fit in here, entirely, either. Time will surely tell.
These classes are more affordable, too, which helps.
It feels good to be doing something dance-related again.
We have not been to the gym much this month. Between my illnesses and the funky weather, and the fact that it seems all of the maintenance guys like to work out when we like to work out.....it's not been very conducive to us going.
But we will try to get back on track next week.
This weekend's cooking projects include cottage pie (what some call "shepherd's pie"--but since I don't use lamb in mine, it's technically not shepherd's pie!), breakfast casserole, and chicken scallopini.
As the week goes along, I will also be making chicken mole`, and carne asada. The left over carne asada will then go into a WONDERFUL carne asada soup that I will make NEXT weekend!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
What a week....
So, my sinus and nasal infections are pretty well cleared up. I threw away all of my balms and ointments and nose sprays, and have to buy new, because there's just no telling where the nasal infection came from, and I NEVER, EVER want that to happen again. Even if it was caused by the drainage from my infected sinuses, there's no way to know that for sure, so I am taking measures.
It was excruciating. Now the tissue inside my nose is raw and tender, so when I blow my nose, it still hurts and bleeds a little, but that's because it's healing.
I missed 2 days of work this week, one for being sick, and one for a minor ice storm. The roads were impassable Thursday morning, so Dave stayed home, and strongly advised that I do the same.
Fortunately, at my place of work, if you have a FEELING you might not be in to work the next day, if you tell your supervisor before you leave, it's not marked against you as an unexcused absence if you don't come in the next day.
In the case of the bad weather we had, we were all advised to fill out time off request forms on Wednesday, and give them to our supervisors, if we thought there was a chance we would decide not to drive on the ice covered roads the next morning.
So, while it sucks that I had to take 16 hours of time out of my bank this week, at least only 8 of those were unexcused.
One is only allowed 4 unexcused absences in a year before one risks losing one's job, and the year does not start with your start of employment anniversary, it starts with your first unexcused absence, and then rotates to mark the next one as "first," once that anniversary has passed. Clearly, the company has the advantage.
I now have three, because my first one was last March, my second was July, and you have to be clear for a year AFTER your most recent one to be totally clear. So the only way I will have zero on my record is to NOT TAKE another unexcused absence until after a year from now.
They really do try to trip you up. Thankfully, I get sick VERY rarely. I used to get checks at the end of the year from my old job because I didn't use my paid sick time, which is something this company doesn't offer.
I didn't know about the loop hole, though, of telling my supervisor if I thought I might not make it the next day because I'm not feeling well. She just told me that during my review last week. Good to know. Wish I'd known that a year ago.
Anyway, most of the ice cleared away by afternoon, which was good, because Jack the cat, who had been to the vet last Saturday, was going through his worst bout of constipation to date.
He did great for the first 3 days after we saw the vet, but then, his poops got smaller and smaller, and then by Thursday, they stopped altogether, and he was hiding and even crawling away when I would try to pet him. NOT like him AT ALL.
Thankfully, we had already seen the vet for this a few days before, so they got us in that afternoon.
Jack has been there ever since. He finally had a bowel movement yesterday around 4 pm, which was 48 hours or so since his last one. He's normally a twice a day kind of kitty. They gave him laxatives, and fluids, and special food, which he finally ate after he pooped.
Ultimately, they had to give him an enema. The vet really didn't want to have to get that invasive, but he just wasn't doing it on his own....I think, probably because of stress.
I HATE that he's had to be there all this time, and that they had to do an enema to get him to go. Of course, now he has the runs because they over treated him before the enema, and now all of that stuff is clearing him out entirely.
There is NO EVIDENCE of any kind to indicate why this happens to him. Everything about him is perfectly healthy. His blood work is FINE. His two abdominal xrays look FINE.
Sigh......
So, we get to pick him up this afternoon, and hope that his diarrhea stops shortly thereafter! ew.
In other news, we were sleeping peacefully just before 3 this morning when the rednecks upstairs started one of their "altercations."
They were all three screaming at each other, literally, at the top of their voices, and stomping feet/maybe physically fighting. The dad would pound on a table of counter top for emphasis with every word he spoke.
They were in their kitchen, which shares a wall with the neighbors behind them, who have a baby, the neighbors next to them, who work nights, and shares a floor with us.
I woke Dave up and he determined it was bad enough to call security. Again.
This is the third time we have reported these people. When we made our first report, in person at the management office, we were told they would give the tenants a written warning, and that, if there were further complaints, they would be told told to leave after the third one.
This was the third one....so we'll see.
We are going to start house hunting for real one day pretty soon. Need to get the pre-approval process done, first, and I need to speak to my investment counselor about what monies there are left in my inheritance from my Dad that might be accessible.
The amazing thing is how cheap real estate is down here. We are talking a really nice house for payments that would be potentially $200 LESS A MONTH than we pay in rent.
Anyway, off to do an errand or two before we pick Jack up.
It was excruciating. Now the tissue inside my nose is raw and tender, so when I blow my nose, it still hurts and bleeds a little, but that's because it's healing.
I missed 2 days of work this week, one for being sick, and one for a minor ice storm. The roads were impassable Thursday morning, so Dave stayed home, and strongly advised that I do the same.
Fortunately, at my place of work, if you have a FEELING you might not be in to work the next day, if you tell your supervisor before you leave, it's not marked against you as an unexcused absence if you don't come in the next day.
In the case of the bad weather we had, we were all advised to fill out time off request forms on Wednesday, and give them to our supervisors, if we thought there was a chance we would decide not to drive on the ice covered roads the next morning.
So, while it sucks that I had to take 16 hours of time out of my bank this week, at least only 8 of those were unexcused.
One is only allowed 4 unexcused absences in a year before one risks losing one's job, and the year does not start with your start of employment anniversary, it starts with your first unexcused absence, and then rotates to mark the next one as "first," once that anniversary has passed. Clearly, the company has the advantage.
I now have three, because my first one was last March, my second was July, and you have to be clear for a year AFTER your most recent one to be totally clear. So the only way I will have zero on my record is to NOT TAKE another unexcused absence until after a year from now.
They really do try to trip you up. Thankfully, I get sick VERY rarely. I used to get checks at the end of the year from my old job because I didn't use my paid sick time, which is something this company doesn't offer.
I didn't know about the loop hole, though, of telling my supervisor if I thought I might not make it the next day because I'm not feeling well. She just told me that during my review last week. Good to know. Wish I'd known that a year ago.
Anyway, most of the ice cleared away by afternoon, which was good, because Jack the cat, who had been to the vet last Saturday, was going through his worst bout of constipation to date.
He did great for the first 3 days after we saw the vet, but then, his poops got smaller and smaller, and then by Thursday, they stopped altogether, and he was hiding and even crawling away when I would try to pet him. NOT like him AT ALL.
Thankfully, we had already seen the vet for this a few days before, so they got us in that afternoon.
Jack has been there ever since. He finally had a bowel movement yesterday around 4 pm, which was 48 hours or so since his last one. He's normally a twice a day kind of kitty. They gave him laxatives, and fluids, and special food, which he finally ate after he pooped.
Ultimately, they had to give him an enema. The vet really didn't want to have to get that invasive, but he just wasn't doing it on his own....I think, probably because of stress.
I HATE that he's had to be there all this time, and that they had to do an enema to get him to go. Of course, now he has the runs because they over treated him before the enema, and now all of that stuff is clearing him out entirely.
There is NO EVIDENCE of any kind to indicate why this happens to him. Everything about him is perfectly healthy. His blood work is FINE. His two abdominal xrays look FINE.
Sigh......
So, we get to pick him up this afternoon, and hope that his diarrhea stops shortly thereafter! ew.
In other news, we were sleeping peacefully just before 3 this morning when the rednecks upstairs started one of their "altercations."
They were all three screaming at each other, literally, at the top of their voices, and stomping feet/maybe physically fighting. The dad would pound on a table of counter top for emphasis with every word he spoke.
They were in their kitchen, which shares a wall with the neighbors behind them, who have a baby, the neighbors next to them, who work nights, and shares a floor with us.
I woke Dave up and he determined it was bad enough to call security. Again.
This is the third time we have reported these people. When we made our first report, in person at the management office, we were told they would give the tenants a written warning, and that, if there were further complaints, they would be told told to leave after the third one.
This was the third one....so we'll see.
We are going to start house hunting for real one day pretty soon. Need to get the pre-approval process done, first, and I need to speak to my investment counselor about what monies there are left in my inheritance from my Dad that might be accessible.
The amazing thing is how cheap real estate is down here. We are talking a really nice house for payments that would be potentially $200 LESS A MONTH than we pay in rent.
Anyway, off to do an errand or two before we pick Jack up.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Beignet heaven
Oh my god. I had my first beignet this morning. Hot and fresh. Wow.
Some friends of Dave's invited us to meet them and some of their friends for brunch at a little restaurant called Cajun King. It's owned and operated by a family from New Orleans.
The girls who met us at the door had the most beautiful accents!
So, I tasted my first beignet, after years of anticipation, and also had my first catfish, and etoufee, and gumbo!! The restaurant has a lovely Sunday brunch buffet.
We WILL go back.
Currently, the Chicago Bears are trouncing the Seattle Seahawks....28-0 in one of their divisional playoff games. GO BEARS!
And I have chili with chorizo in the crock pot. I came up with the idea thanks to my friend Jessie suggesting spaghetti sauce with chorizo, which I have come to ADORE.
I thought....why not try it in chili? We'll see how it turns out!
I am telling everyone I know to NOT USE ZICAM. I got some nasal gel, and used it Wednesday when I felt a cold coming on.
Thursday, my nose was full of blisters. At first I thought they were cold sores, but now it is clearly evident that they are not. I have been in excruciating pain for days, my nose is hot and swollen, and it's getting better VERRRRY slowly.
The most effective remedy so far has been saline spray, so I suspect that maybe the Zicam threw off my nasal pH balance. In a way, it's like I have a chemical burn inside my nostrils.
It's been awful. if you've never used Zicam, I don't recommend the nasal gel!
I wish I had a doctor. May have to go to a "Doc in a Box" tomorrow if it's no better. The pain has been horrific.
Gonna send Dave out to get me some antibiotic ointment next.
Took Jack to the vet yesterday. He got one of his booster shots, and we got some advice on how to manage his constipation effectively. He is SUCH a good boy at the vet!!
Because he sometimes has a reaction to his shots, they kept him for a couple of hours yesterday to make sure he would be okay, and then next weekend, he goes back for his other shot. They will probably do the same thing next week, too.
We went to see the little red house yesterday. It's really cool in a lot of ways, but I really don't like the kitchen, and it does need some expensive updates.
We are going to still see what we pre qualify for in a mortgage, and get those ducks in a row, even if we don't offer on this house.
I mean, we didn't intend to start house shopping NOW. Our lease doesn't end til May or June.
Dave just happened to find that house on line the other day and he got all excited about it.
It IS a very cool old house, but I am not yet convinced that it's THE house.....we'll see.....
ADDENDUM: okay, so while I was watching the last quarter of Da Bears game, I started to feel worse and worse, so by the time they won, Dave and I decided to take me to a "doc in a box."
My fever was back up, and the pain in my nose was worse than ever.
Saw the doc, and she confirmed that I do have some kind of infection in the lining of my nose, especially the left nostril on the septum. She gave me some prescriptions and sent us on our way.
I have medicated goo that says in it's literature that it's for staph infections. Ew. The bacteria could possibly have been on the zicam applicator. Plus, I have been blowing my nose a lot with this cold, so I could have had staph on my hands, and I had also been dealing with a cold sore inside my nose, so the tissue was extra vulnerable. I may have unknowingly transferred the staph when I was applying cold sore medicine in there.
EW.
I am just glad to have some help. The ointment has provided some measurable relief so far.
I am also on oral antibiotics. That's for the sinus infection I seem to have, as well as for the staph (or whatever it is) infection.
AND, in other news, Dave has come around to my way of thinking about the house. WE ARE NOT BUYING IT. It needs way too many expensive things done to it to make it livable.
(oh, and he thought "the last house on the left" was supposed to be a cool, scary movie, but when he looked it up, it's just nasty....so even that no longer appeals to him! *LOL*)
BUT it was a good experience to go through the process of looking, day dreaming, and reasoning it all out. That's how you learn what you can and cannot accept in the process of house hunting.
I've done it enough to know, but Dave's only done it once before. He gets it now.
Some friends of Dave's invited us to meet them and some of their friends for brunch at a little restaurant called Cajun King. It's owned and operated by a family from New Orleans.
The girls who met us at the door had the most beautiful accents!
So, I tasted my first beignet, after years of anticipation, and also had my first catfish, and etoufee, and gumbo!! The restaurant has a lovely Sunday brunch buffet.
We WILL go back.
Currently, the Chicago Bears are trouncing the Seattle Seahawks....28-0 in one of their divisional playoff games. GO BEARS!
And I have chili with chorizo in the crock pot. I came up with the idea thanks to my friend Jessie suggesting spaghetti sauce with chorizo, which I have come to ADORE.
I thought....why not try it in chili? We'll see how it turns out!
I am telling everyone I know to NOT USE ZICAM. I got some nasal gel, and used it Wednesday when I felt a cold coming on.
Thursday, my nose was full of blisters. At first I thought they were cold sores, but now it is clearly evident that they are not. I have been in excruciating pain for days, my nose is hot and swollen, and it's getting better VERRRRY slowly.
The most effective remedy so far has been saline spray, so I suspect that maybe the Zicam threw off my nasal pH balance. In a way, it's like I have a chemical burn inside my nostrils.
It's been awful. if you've never used Zicam, I don't recommend the nasal gel!
I wish I had a doctor. May have to go to a "Doc in a Box" tomorrow if it's no better. The pain has been horrific.
Gonna send Dave out to get me some antibiotic ointment next.
Took Jack to the vet yesterday. He got one of his booster shots, and we got some advice on how to manage his constipation effectively. He is SUCH a good boy at the vet!!
Because he sometimes has a reaction to his shots, they kept him for a couple of hours yesterday to make sure he would be okay, and then next weekend, he goes back for his other shot. They will probably do the same thing next week, too.
We went to see the little red house yesterday. It's really cool in a lot of ways, but I really don't like the kitchen, and it does need some expensive updates.
We are going to still see what we pre qualify for in a mortgage, and get those ducks in a row, even if we don't offer on this house.
I mean, we didn't intend to start house shopping NOW. Our lease doesn't end til May or June.
Dave just happened to find that house on line the other day and he got all excited about it.
It IS a very cool old house, but I am not yet convinced that it's THE house.....we'll see.....
ADDENDUM: okay, so while I was watching the last quarter of Da Bears game, I started to feel worse and worse, so by the time they won, Dave and I decided to take me to a "doc in a box."
My fever was back up, and the pain in my nose was worse than ever.
Saw the doc, and she confirmed that I do have some kind of infection in the lining of my nose, especially the left nostril on the septum. She gave me some prescriptions and sent us on our way.
I have medicated goo that says in it's literature that it's for staph infections. Ew. The bacteria could possibly have been on the zicam applicator. Plus, I have been blowing my nose a lot with this cold, so I could have had staph on my hands, and I had also been dealing with a cold sore inside my nose, so the tissue was extra vulnerable. I may have unknowingly transferred the staph when I was applying cold sore medicine in there.
EW.
I am just glad to have some help. The ointment has provided some measurable relief so far.
I am also on oral antibiotics. That's for the sinus infection I seem to have, as well as for the staph (or whatever it is) infection.
AND, in other news, Dave has come around to my way of thinking about the house. WE ARE NOT BUYING IT. It needs way too many expensive things done to it to make it livable.
(oh, and he thought "the last house on the left" was supposed to be a cool, scary movie, but when he looked it up, it's just nasty....so even that no longer appeals to him! *LOL*)
BUT it was a good experience to go through the process of looking, day dreaming, and reasoning it all out. That's how you learn what you can and cannot accept in the process of house hunting.
I've done it enough to know, but Dave's only done it once before. He gets it now.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day dream.....that MIGHT just come true....
http://www.trulia.com/property/3027638561-111-NW-25th-St-Oklahoma-City-OK-73103
We're going to try to get an appointment to go see this.
It's a RED HOUSE....over yonder.....um....yeah.
It's the last house on the left. This appeals to Dave.
It's address is 111, and I'm into elevenses.
It's on a cul de sac, and the eastern border of the property, as well as the cul de sac, and the rest of the neighborhood, is separated from the highway by a huge WALL. In other words, it feels very safe and undesirable to the...um...undesireables.
It's an antique house that's been remodeled on the inside, and has a new roof.
The drawbacks are that it's right next to the highway, but there's that big wall between the house and the highway, which is way up in the air about a hundred yards or so away.....
There's no washer and dryer or garage, or even a shed, so we'd have to purchase those things, and a lawn mower, too....but.....it's really cool.
So---we'll go look.
We're going to try to get an appointment to go see this.
It's a RED HOUSE....over yonder.....um....yeah.
It's the last house on the left. This appeals to Dave.
It's address is 111, and I'm into elevenses.
It's on a cul de sac, and the eastern border of the property, as well as the cul de sac, and the rest of the neighborhood, is separated from the highway by a huge WALL. In other words, it feels very safe and undesirable to the...um...undesireables.
It's an antique house that's been remodeled on the inside, and has a new roof.
The drawbacks are that it's right next to the highway, but there's that big wall between the house and the highway, which is way up in the air about a hundred yards or so away.....
There's no washer and dryer or garage, or even a shed, so we'd have to purchase those things, and a lawn mower, too....but.....it's really cool.
So---we'll go look.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Robins and Eagles and Sleet, OH MY!
It's just so weird for me to see huge numbers of robins in JANUARY. They're hanging out here at the apartment complex today.
THIS is where the robins that leave Chicagoland for the winter come for the winter, it seems!
It's just so odd to step outside at this time of year and hear them.
We went to Arcadia Lake today and spotted two bald eagles. Awesome.
It was only the hearty few that were out there today, though, as it is 34 degrees, and sleeting. The driving wind makes sure you feel EVERY ice pellet as it hits you. Ow.
But Dave said he had never seen a bald eagle before today, so it was well worth it. We went last January, too, but did not see any.
Came home with a bird feeder from Home Depot, set that up in hopes of attracting some sparrows and juncos to our porch in the cold weather. Last year, we attracted them by strewing bird seed on the pavement. We thought a feeder might do a better job, and we know it will be less messy. I hope we can invite some feathered ones here to hang out with us again! It's such a delight to watch them through the window.
There are flurries in the air right now, but the real snow (that might actually accumulate up to a whole INCH) and ice is supposed to come in a bit heavier tomorrow, and then it's supposed to be actually bitter cold on Tuesday.
Not the version of bitter cold that I first heard on local radio last year, when a radio news guy referred to 30 degrees as "bitter." No, this will be what I consider actual bitter cold....it will supposedly only be 5 above when I leave for work on Tuesday.
But the ground is still warm, so whatever falls out of the sky is likely to melt anyway. Let's hope.
THIS is where the robins that leave Chicagoland for the winter come for the winter, it seems!
It's just so odd to step outside at this time of year and hear them.
We went to Arcadia Lake today and spotted two bald eagles. Awesome.
It was only the hearty few that were out there today, though, as it is 34 degrees, and sleeting. The driving wind makes sure you feel EVERY ice pellet as it hits you. Ow.
But Dave said he had never seen a bald eagle before today, so it was well worth it. We went last January, too, but did not see any.
Came home with a bird feeder from Home Depot, set that up in hopes of attracting some sparrows and juncos to our porch in the cold weather. Last year, we attracted them by strewing bird seed on the pavement. We thought a feeder might do a better job, and we know it will be less messy. I hope we can invite some feathered ones here to hang out with us again! It's such a delight to watch them through the window.
There are flurries in the air right now, but the real snow (that might actually accumulate up to a whole INCH) and ice is supposed to come in a bit heavier tomorrow, and then it's supposed to be actually bitter cold on Tuesday.
Not the version of bitter cold that I first heard on local radio last year, when a radio news guy referred to 30 degrees as "bitter." No, this will be what I consider actual bitter cold....it will supposedly only be 5 above when I leave for work on Tuesday.
But the ground is still warm, so whatever falls out of the sky is likely to melt anyway. Let's hope.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Bleh
I crashed and burned on the final page of the test for taking a level up in pay at work. I got to take it this past week.
I still don't know the final combined result, I just know I failed the last page, because my boss checked it right then.
They tell you immediately when you take the first step up, but for the second step, they apparently make you wait a month to find out the results of the written part combined with the computer part.
That last page of the test, that I had to wait for my boss to administer, was horrible.
It was about using the computer software, and it had three questions on there about software steps we NO LONGER USE, and therefor, new people do not even get TRAINED ON HOW TO DO THEM.
What. The. FUCK?
SO that was automatically three wrong.
Then, there is a step that we no longer take also that I was asked to describe in writing and with print outs!
I wrote into the blank on the test what steps I DO take (all I was trained to do was look at this one screen and make sure that I see "zeroes."), and I got that one wrong too.
Then, one of the questions was a trick question, and I was so flustered by the other shit that I missed the trick.
So, I know that I failed the software test, because I only got 4 correct answers.
And then there's the lingering fact that the written portion of the test had that section that I COULD have studied for and memorized, if my mentor had not mis-led me.
And, NO, I am not blaming my failure entirely on HER. It was a combination of me being rusty on things I don't have to do anymore, and being tested on things our department doesn't even train on anymore.
She COULD have helped me, and chose (rather aggressively, through lying to my face) not to.
That's only a piece of it, which I took very personally. Sorry if I complained about it too much.
Anyway, if I passed, that means that I had to get ALL of the other questions correct on the written portion, and those were all about coding.
Coding is something we DO NOT DO in our department, and it just so happens that I used to do it at my job in Illinois.
I am rusty, but I took my time, and am pretty sure I nailed most of those questions. But without nailing them all, I am probably screwed.
I wish they'd just TELL US so I can stop thinking about it!!! WHY make us wait so long? There are 2 or 3 of us waiting, and it's been hard on all of us.
SO--at the moment, my take home pay is $60 a month less.
The one step up raise for passing the first test has not been given yet, and who knows when we will get our annual performance reviews??
Those were due on 1/3, according to the H/R website.
While those two raises will most certainly NOT equal the $60 a month take home pay lost, I'd still like to see them start some time soon.
THEN, to end my week with a flourish, I went to get my monthly prescription yesterday, and found out that my ongoing discount program (since my prescription is not covered by insurance) ended on 12/31.
Grand.
Less income, and now I have to pay full price for the medication that restored my quality of life.
Happy happy day.
I know other people have worse problems, and I DO understand perspective....but I need to gripe sometimes, okay??
Hope everyone else's first work week of the year went better!
I still don't know the final combined result, I just know I failed the last page, because my boss checked it right then.
They tell you immediately when you take the first step up, but for the second step, they apparently make you wait a month to find out the results of the written part combined with the computer part.
That last page of the test, that I had to wait for my boss to administer, was horrible.
It was about using the computer software, and it had three questions on there about software steps we NO LONGER USE, and therefor, new people do not even get TRAINED ON HOW TO DO THEM.
What. The. FUCK?
SO that was automatically three wrong.
Then, there is a step that we no longer take also that I was asked to describe in writing and with print outs!
I wrote into the blank on the test what steps I DO take (all I was trained to do was look at this one screen and make sure that I see "zeroes."), and I got that one wrong too.
Then, one of the questions was a trick question, and I was so flustered by the other shit that I missed the trick.
So, I know that I failed the software test, because I only got 4 correct answers.
And then there's the lingering fact that the written portion of the test had that section that I COULD have studied for and memorized, if my mentor had not mis-led me.
And, NO, I am not blaming my failure entirely on HER. It was a combination of me being rusty on things I don't have to do anymore, and being tested on things our department doesn't even train on anymore.
She COULD have helped me, and chose (rather aggressively, through lying to my face) not to.
That's only a piece of it, which I took very personally. Sorry if I complained about it too much.
Anyway, if I passed, that means that I had to get ALL of the other questions correct on the written portion, and those were all about coding.
Coding is something we DO NOT DO in our department, and it just so happens that I used to do it at my job in Illinois.
I am rusty, but I took my time, and am pretty sure I nailed most of those questions. But without nailing them all, I am probably screwed.
I wish they'd just TELL US so I can stop thinking about it!!! WHY make us wait so long? There are 2 or 3 of us waiting, and it's been hard on all of us.
SO--at the moment, my take home pay is $60 a month less.
The one step up raise for passing the first test has not been given yet, and who knows when we will get our annual performance reviews??
Those were due on 1/3, according to the H/R website.
While those two raises will most certainly NOT equal the $60 a month take home pay lost, I'd still like to see them start some time soon.
THEN, to end my week with a flourish, I went to get my monthly prescription yesterday, and found out that my ongoing discount program (since my prescription is not covered by insurance) ended on 12/31.
Grand.
Less income, and now I have to pay full price for the medication that restored my quality of life.
Happy happy day.
I know other people have worse problems, and I DO understand perspective....but I need to gripe sometimes, okay??
Hope everyone else's first work week of the year went better!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Accidental Black Eye Pea and Ham Soup
This year's black eye pea and ham soup did not start out life that way.
I had gotten a new recipe for a black eye pea cold salad, and was PLANNING on making that, but I thought I could use canned peas instead of dry.
I was wrong, and at the very beginning, I realized this was not going to work as a salad! SO, I improvised, and made soup of of the mess I had made, and it turned out to be the best black eye pea soup I've ever concocted!
It's hoppin' john with broth, basically!!
Here's what I did:
1 yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions/green onions, trimmed and chopped
1 can black eye peas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice (do not drain!)
1 white potato, diced
1 32 oz box organic low salt chicken broth
1 bag of Uncle Ben's microwavable brown rice, microwaved per package directions
1 C diced salty ham
2 slices crisp bacon, chopped
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 chopped broccoli
Louisana style seasoning of choice
Thyme to taste
Saute the yellow onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the peas, and saute (this is where they immediately started to "pop," and get mushy, and I knew this would not work as a salad, where one would want one's peas in tact! *LOL*)
Add the garlic, celery, and red pepper, and saute briefly. Add the can of tomatoes, potato, and the broth. Stir in the bacon, ham, rice, and seasoning.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add green onions and green veggies (if I had had collards, I would have added them to the saute at the beginning....will try that next year) and allow to cook until veggies are all tender.
Serve with hot rolls, preferably on New Year's Day!
I have made a black eye pea soup on New Year's eve for many years, having left overs on New Year's day....I think that's just fine, and has not impacted by luck for better or worse!
I had gotten a new recipe for a black eye pea cold salad, and was PLANNING on making that, but I thought I could use canned peas instead of dry.
I was wrong, and at the very beginning, I realized this was not going to work as a salad! SO, I improvised, and made soup of of the mess I had made, and it turned out to be the best black eye pea soup I've ever concocted!
It's hoppin' john with broth, basically!!
Here's what I did:
1 yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T olive oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions/green onions, trimmed and chopped
1 can black eye peas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice (do not drain!)
1 white potato, diced
1 32 oz box organic low salt chicken broth
1 bag of Uncle Ben's microwavable brown rice, microwaved per package directions
1 C diced salty ham
2 slices crisp bacon, chopped
1/2 cup green beans
1/2 chopped broccoli
Louisana style seasoning of choice
Thyme to taste
Saute the yellow onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the peas, and saute (this is where they immediately started to "pop," and get mushy, and I knew this would not work as a salad, where one would want one's peas in tact! *LOL*)
Add the garlic, celery, and red pepper, and saute briefly. Add the can of tomatoes, potato, and the broth. Stir in the bacon, ham, rice, and seasoning.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add green onions and green veggies (if I had had collards, I would have added them to the saute at the beginning....will try that next year) and allow to cook until veggies are all tender.
Serve with hot rolls, preferably on New Year's Day!
I have made a black eye pea soup on New Year's eve for many years, having left overs on New Year's day....I think that's just fine, and has not impacted by luck for better or worse!
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