Just when I start getting used to my schedule at work, it changes. But the new schedule looks more consistent at least. Only one 7am day instead of three. And no 10 hour days.(but still a 9 hour one).
Monday 7-4
Tuesday 8-4
Wednesday 8-4:30
Thursday 8-4
Friday 12-5:30
For a net loss of one hour. Not bad. I'm not so crazy about Monday still having to be the early morning, but I'll live.
Are you familiar with babies at all? Or any of the games they start to play? You know, dropping things just because they know you will pick them up and give them back?
Why, yes, that will work nicely. Thank you very much.
It didn't stay exactly like that for even one week, but taking an hour away from one day and adding an hour to 2 other days puts me up to 40 hours a week, so I'm not complaining.
I'm not taking a lunch on any of those days. But the kids in my class are good nappers, so that's not really a problem. I can eat while they sleep as long as I remember to take lunch with me.
The 10 and 9 hour days aren't exactly ideal, but it's ok. Even if I did go to bed at 7pm this Monday. After having 2 months of unemployment, it's hard to get into a sleep schedule that's more work-appropriate. It will probably take me a couple of weeks.
By the way...that 7pm bedtime this week? Wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't woken up at midnight and been unable to get back to sleep for 2 hours. Darn TVLand.
Since the fingerprinting fiasco, I've been working 4 mornings a week with the pre-k class at this preschool in town. It's good to be out of the house, and I do love what I do.
When I moved here I applied to just about every day care and preschool in the area before finally landing this part-time gig. Last week I got a call from another center in town. They have 2 full-time openings and are offering a full dollar an hour more than what I'm making now. I went in after work yesterday afternoon for an interview that lasted a whopping 15 minutes before being told the job is mine if I want it.
So today I talked to the director where I work and she's going to try to work the schedule so I can get 38-40 hours a week. If she can do that, I don't mind settling for less money. I would feel bad about leaving after only working there for a month. And that probably wouldn't look all that good on my resume in the future anyway. But if she can't get me more hours, I'll have to go where the money is. That degree that makes me so much more desirable than other applicants in this field isn't paying for itself. And I'm going to be looking into my own transportation before too much longer, too.
At least things are looking up in this area of my life.
Yesterday was a hella-annoying day.
Let me preface this recap with 2 facts :
1. I landed a part-time job at a daycare here in town this week.
2. In celebration of such a sweeping victory on the job front, I got a new haircut.
Ok, so yesterday the director of the daycare called to let me know that she had gotten the confirmation number I would need to get my fingerprints done.
So I start getting myself ready for another foray into the outside world. At which point I realize that, as straight as my hair is and always has been, I now need a straight-iron to style it just right. Do I own a straight-iron? Of course not.
Well, to quote Tim Gunn, I "made it work." Hair = presentable. Time to find the black shoes I need for the outfit I'm wearing. 10 minutes later I realize that my sister must have worn them to work. We're only about a decade and a half behind in the whole sharing a wardrobe phase of siblinghood. I'm still adjusting to that. That's fine. My boots look good with this outfit, too. No big.
I go to the daycare to pick up the form I need and then I'm off to be fingerprinted. Now, it would just be too awesomely convenient for me to be able to have this done at the sherriff's department here in town. No, I have to go to the next county over - a 30 mile trip.
I get to the sherriff's department and ask about fingerprinting, only to be told that I'll have to wait until after 3p.m. Current time: 12:36p.m. Well, crap. What to do for the next 2 and a half hours? Gas prices may have been going down lately, but they still aren't low enough to justify 2 trips to the same place in one day.
Well, I think I know this town well enough to find Walmart. And, hey - random fast food joint with a dollar menu is Walmart-adjacent! So I kill a little time for lunch and then I start browsing at Walmart. About an hour into my browsing I bemoan the fact that, while they are hella-cute, these boots are not, in fact, made for walking. But I don't know the area well enough to be comfortable exploring, so I gotta just deal with it.
I get back to the sherriff's department and walk in the door at exactly 3:00p.m. Now there is a sign posted (which was NOT there before, mind you) listing fingerprinting hours as 8am-12pm and 4pm-6pm. What? Obviously, I should have packed a book in my purse. I spend the next hour texting friends and writing this post in a notebook I keep in my purse.
At 4:00pm I go BACK into the sherriff's department. I FINALLY get in to be fingerprinted and we get this show on the road. It's a computerized system that scans your fingerprints instead of the old ink pad and paper business. First we scan my thumbprints. No problem. Then we scan slap-prints of each hand (all 4 fingers lined up together). Simple. Then we roll each finger. Right hand, all good. Left hand, fine. Until we get to the ring finger on my left hand. Evidently the computer had trouble getting a clear read on that print. It kept popping up "FAILURE." I. kid. you. not. After the 3rd attempt, I laugh it off by saying "I didn't really need a computer to tell me that." I mean, really. How's that for self-esteem boosting? And THAT finger? Really? The officer ended up going into the computer and choosing the best of the 4 attempts for that finger.
Now let's just cross our fingers that we don't find out that I'm a serial killer or anything when the results of the check come back.
Wow. It's been a while since I've been up to blogging here. So much has happened and I just don't know where to start.
The problem with the computer was a busted power supply. Hubby replaced it first thing when he got back. Funny aside: within a week of our computer issues, Lotus over at SarcasticMom.com had some similar computer woes. Seriously, she had me in stitches with her perfect summary of the situation. Go read those posts. They are great.
Anyway, I guess I've put off talking about this long enough...
Hubby and I are getting a divorce. God, that is hard to look at. Hard to wrap my mind around, too. There are a lot of issues involved, but the bottom line is that we just don't work as a couple. It doesn't really make much sense to me, but as soon as the decision was made and wheels were set in motion, it was like I had my best friend back again. What's up with that? I mean really.
So anyway, we got everything packed up and had a fairly uneventful trip back to TN. Hubby's got a place back in the town he used to work in, and I'm living with my sister for the time being. The cats are shacking up with Hubby for now.
I don't know how often I'll be up to blogging. Gonna at least try to get back on the Weekly Winners wagon, and maybe back to the PhotoHunt too. Just know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...I just feel like it sometimes.
I know I haven't been very talkative lately. Sorry about that. I just have a lot on my plate at the moment. Hubby was laid off shortly after the 4th of July and we've been trying to work out all the details involved in getting back home. He's been back in Tennessee for a couple of weeks now, pounding the pavement in hopes of figuring out at least what area we're looking to move to. I've been here in Arizona, sweating like a pig and slowly packing things up. So that's what's been going on lately.
Because life just keeps throwing me curveballs lately, I wasn't too surprised when the computer decided to crap out on me this week. Frustrated and incredibly peeved, yes. But not surprised. I took it to Best Buy yesterday after work and paid them $70 just so they can run diagnostics and tell me what's wrong with it. Ugh. This is the first time I've ever had to pay for anything like this...usually Hubby takes care of it on his own, but since he's out of town and will need the computer to be functioning properly when he returns, I'm doing what needs to be done.
So I am currently blogging from the public library. It's not like I'm completely cut off from the outside world at home. I can get online with the Wii. It's just that typing takes forever when you have to point and click on each letter.
Anyway, don't expect to hear much from me for a while. No Photo Hunting. No Weekly Winners. No random actual post posts. At least until our computer is back up and running. And even then, I may not have the time or energy until we are once more in God's country. Know that I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. I'm just digging my way out of the crap-pile that life currently sees fit to bury me in.
There I was, blissfully floating along in the morning sun. Life was pretty darn close to perfect. And then I opened my eyes. And what, pray tell, was floating along next to me?
: MEOW.
: I know, sweetie. We're on our way home now.
: MEOW.
: Really?
: Meow.
: Go on.
: Meow...meow.
: That's nice.
: MEEOOWW!
: No, we're not there yet, but soon.
: MEOW!
: Not yet.
: MEOW!
: Yes, this is our parking space. Welcome home!First things first - I took a few pictures of the apartment we were relocated to during the fiasco with the air conditioning in our apartment. You can see that slideshow HERE. The only parts of the apartment I didn't shoot were the balconies (because I just didn't) and the master bedroom (because that was where all our stuff was). The only difference between the master and guest bedrooms were the beds really - the master had a king.
The issue was only an issue for our apartment - it didn't affect anyone else.
We got the kitties out of the heat in time to avoid them getting too uncomfortable, although Neko was panting a lot when we first got into our temporary apartment. It was kind of funny actually, because he smiles when he pants. So he looked pretty ridiculous. I couldn't get any pictures of him doing it though; he would stop as soon as he heard my camera power up.
Both cats seemed to be adjusting to the other apartment pretty well at first, but it appears that Neko chose to spend most of his time hiding under the bed while we were at work both days.
A) We're back in OUR apartment with a WORKING air conditioner and a spiffy new digital thermostat.
B) I found a new function on my camera! When I choose the manual setting, I have the option to create composite shots, so this photo is NOT EDITED! How cool is that?
Ugh. After working exhaustingly long hours at our respective jobs, Hubby and I arrived home last night and walked in to an oven. Yes, our air conditioning - which was working fine after last week's maintenance call was resolved by repairing a short in the unit - was out.
The maintenance man (hereafter referred to as TMM) said it looked like the unit had frozen up and said that it should be fine after giving it time to thaw out. He let us in to the "corporate apartment" (hereafter referred to as the CA) and said he would make sure in the morning that this was the issue and that everything was working.
So Hubby and I did the flight of the bumblebee in a 90 degree apartment to pack everything we would need for the 2 of us and 2 cats to move across the apartment complex for the night.
Today TMM informed us that the unit had not, in fact, frozen up. The coils had actually burned out. TMM tells us that we will be in the CA for at least another night.
So we're on a "vacation" of sorts for a couple of days. Nice change of scenery at least. I'll post pics if I ever get around to taking them.
Last night our air went out. The maintenance man who came to let us in to one of the "corporate apartments" came in to see if he could figure out what the problem was. And he discovered a breaker that had been tripped. The unit came back on and there was much rejoicing.
Premature jubilation. See, the unit ran all night long, but the apartment never cooled off. Current outdoor temperature = 90. Inside our apartment = 85.
The same maintenance man is now on the roof trying to fix the issue before we reach the triple digits for the day.
Looking on the bright side, at least there's been blog fodder for a couple of days.
Arizona in July is no place to go without air conditioning. Even for a few hours. Current temperature outside = 102. Yes, one hundred two degrees at 10:00 p.m.
Needless to say we've called the emergency after-hours maintenance line. There is a maintenance man on the way (from his home 45 minutes away) to give us a key for one of the "corporate apartments" since it's too dark for him to really fix anything tonight. Joy of all joys.
*EDIT*
This maintenance guy is a prince among men - our problem was just a tripped breaker. Woohoo!
You may or may not have noticed that I changed the title of the blog - I'm in a bit of a "less is more" frame of mind lately. The photo in the new header is me a few years ago. It's one of my favorites.
It has been a while since I've blogged something besides photography. It's just that, right now, that's where my interest lies. I'm still teaching preschool, and there's always something to comment on about that. But by the time I get home at the end of the day, I'm just too tired to think about work.
I've been trying to take advantage of the pool here at our apartment complex lately. It's a great way to unwind after a long day. And since it's still close to 100 degrees at 7pm around here, there's plenty of time after work to get in a good hour at the pool.
I was doing a little research yesterday, trying to find some good places for fireworks next weekend. How crazy is this? Of all the surrounding cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale (where we live) is the only one with no fireworks show as part of their Independence Day celebration. What, can Scottsdale not afford fireworks? Seriously.
Anyway, I'm sorry my material hasn't been very thought-provoking or humorous lately. Hopefully one of these days I'll be back to it. Until then, enjoy the photos.
Congratulations are in order! My nephew Chris and his wife Rachel are the proud parents of a beautiful 8 pound 3 ounce baby girl! Welcome to the world, Alexis Louise! You are loved!
Hubby and I are currently "between churches." We found a wonderful church family shortly after moving out here, and we really felt at home there. Everything felt so familiar about worship services there, and being strangers in a strange land, it was good to have something familiar out here to connect with.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we no longer feel that we can be comfortable as a part of that congregation. The choice had nothing to do with any problem with the congregation on any level. We'll just call it a matter of personal histories and leave it at that.
The point is, Hubby and I are in the market for a new church home. And after perusing this helpful website, we chose one of the closer congregations and decided to visit this morning.
For the first time in my life, I stayed just long enough to partake of communion and left before the sermon. Suffice it to say, this congregation was not a good fit for us. Now personally, I don't think it's necessarily a sin for a congregation to have a praise team. And I don't think your soul is doomed to an eternity of torment if you choose to clap during songs of praise. Neither of those things are really my cup of tea, but I'll not condemn others who feel moved to do so. But when those things are accompanied by a pervasive sense of defiance about the whole ordeal, something's not right. And that's what I sensed this morning. The entire experience made me so homesick for the Bible Belt that I cried the whole half-hour drive home.
Surely the congregation we are leaving behind isn't the only one nearby that feels like home. There has to be another family nearby that we can be comfortable worshipping with.
The longer I work in child care, the more this little gem is reinforced:
My job is the best form of birth control EVAR.
Seriously. Just looking at some of the kids where I work is enough to make me want to give myself a hysterectomy with a plastic spoon simply to avoid the possibility of my own children turning out like them.
And that's coming from the same person who listed "barefoot and pregnant for the rest of my child-bearing days" as profession of choice in high school.
I think it's safe to say that I'll be looking for a different profession before we get serious about having children of our own.
I have been off of Herbalife for about 2 months now. I just didn't think it was worth what we were spending on it anymore. I lost about 15 pounds during the 3 months that I followed the program, but there at the end I had stopped losing and was just maintaining. However, I have not given up on weight loss. Or on new techniques. For example, did you know that a weekend stomach bug is good for a 5 pound weight loss? Yep, I'm finally down to my first target weight of 150! Go me! Maybe I should get sick more often. Wait ... I hate being sick. Nevermind.
In other appearance-related news, I've had to change foundation shades. Yes, being out here in sunny Arizona has turned me into a bronzed goddess ... well, at least less pale. I've moved up from Mary Kay's Ivory 100 to Ivory 200. Hubby said, "so you aren't Snow White anymore ... you're Cinderella." Yep. That's me.
So I haven't been posting much more than pictures lately. Sorry about that, but I just haven't really had much on my mind worthy of blogging.
Today was a really nice day, so I walked home from work. Here are some pics I snapped on the way. Walk with me:
Wait for the little white man...
I defy you to tell me this cactus doesn't have an awesome personality...
Oranges just over the fence...
Airplane!
More pretty...
And a lemony fresh scent...
