Peace and Quiet: HA!!!

Just had lunch with him. It went well–I think. He came in with the attitude that he isn’t sure where I’ll wind up or on what basis (permanent, temporary). THAT part was scary.

ARGH!

He asked what happened at the hellhole, and I told him. His reaction was that I’d really been through the wars, and I wasn’t about to disagree.

So where do we go from here? I said that I needed senior management help in finding a place to land because I’m rather expensive. He agreed, and had arranged a meeting with another senior person in another group (same parent org) to see what they can do for me, if anything. They don’t even know where I”m going to wind up sitting!  My return’s a week away.

I explained that I can’t retire yet (financially) –he’s in a similar position–and that it doesn’t much matter to me where I wind up.

So it might be disability after all–who knows? I sure don’t feel up to proving myself all over again in another field, especially 18 years after having left it, but…..whatever.

Am depressed. But at least they’re working on something.

Pauly’s back from the hospital as of yesterday. Quad bypass, and he’s feeling good. My aunt is getting better but it’s a truly slow process (she’s in her early 80s). Mom’s doing fine.

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe has healed. Her eye and leg are just great. She’s very happy. I wish I was my cat!!  They really love her at the vet’s.

Advice and soothing words will be eagerly accepted!

BJ

UPDATE: talked to good pal Marcus. He said that something’s going to be done, they just have to get organized and THAT takes forever. Feel tons better. (((((hugs))))) to Marcus!!

The meeting with WC went marvelously! It is so nice to be able to associate a face and voice with the writings I”ve been reading for years. I think that WC and Tshsmom were among the first people I met blogging. We talked for at least 3 hours (didn’t keep track of time) and it was great. Over all too soon. This is the first time I’ve met a blogbuddy in person unless you count talking on the phone to Tshsmom. Very very positive experience.

And now for some scary/intimidating/progress news.

The doc says I am going back to work on Feb. 8 which is a Friday. Half days at first (am now feeling like an invalid, but whatever). Was hoping for a reprieve, but she says the sooner I get back the easier it’ll be on me.  Gave me a bit of a pep talk about running my life instead of letting influences run me (like physical health).

Right.

So I go back to see her again next Friday to work out a ‘back to work’ schedule.

Sigh. Ok, alright, it was going to happen sooner or later.

Left a voice mail message for new/old boss with the news. He sent me an e mail asking me to go to lunch next week on his tab to ‘talk about things’. I accepted, and asked if there was anything I needed to worry about.  His response was no.

OK now I”m panicking.

That lasted about an hour.

Then I talked with pals at the hellhole, and felt better. Things there are even worse (honestly I didn’t think that this was possible). The new motto is ‘the beatings will continue until morale improves’, and some of the staff are being royally roasted by the rodent, who now has a henchman/woman or two. I tried to cheer the buds up and think I succeeded. At least I can give them a friendly ear.

The lunch is Wednesday.

I know that they didn’t expect me back, and that this has got to be expensive and a puzzler for them (do I plan to stay? What do I want to do, how much longer do I plan to work, etc). Hope that these are the topics de jour. After all, they do owe me a job, sorry to say (sorry for them and me that things didn’t work out at the hellhole, but I”m hardly the first person to have issues there).

On another note, Mom went to a heart doctor and is getting tests done, which she badly needs.

Pauly wound up having a quadruple bypass and cauterization to part of his heart, and he’s doing fine. WHEW!!! Thank you for your good thoughts and prayers, world, I know that they helped.

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe is healing very quickly (eyes and leg). She is not forgiving me for the eye cream, though. Thanks again for your affection and support for her too.

I applied shopping therapy to my work-fears. Let’s hope it isn’t a wasted thing. Can’t hurt (much), can it?

Have a lovely weekend, world!! Hope it’s warm wherever you are.

BJ

It was GORGEOUS here, if your idea of gorgeous includes -20 something wind. Well, at least it was sunny and that’s my only criterion.

Pal of pals Pauly has his bypass operation first thing tomorrow. Please spare a good thought for him, OK world? He’s truly the best and so is his wife. Both of them are the kind of person that you feel great after speaking with. Know what I mean?  We need more of both of them.

Am meeting WC tomorrow in Kingston for dinner (we moved it up a day because of my psychiatrist appointment on Friday). Since neither of us knows the town well, this should be good! Can’t wait.  Have been reading WC’s blog for years. We spoke today too (also very cool).  She actually got to meet and talk to George S (am not going to even try to spell his last name, but he’s the GS she really likes)!!!

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe is healing rapidly. Her eye looks completely better, but am giving her the meds anyway. The leg looks good too. She’s back to her normal self, i.e. I appear to be forgiven for now.

Started and finished a collection of Jeffrey Archer short stories, Cat O’Nine Tales. They’re based on his ‘recent’ incarceration. Interesting stuff. I brought a copy to Pauly (well, in addition to Mad magazine) to peruse too.

Finally finished the laundry after a 2-3 week dry spell. Couldn’t stuff any more clothing into the hamper. Also took a bunch of trousers to the tailor’s (I may be 5′8″ but have short legs) after putting it off for weeks too. Looks like this is a week for getting stuff done.

Well, off to visit you all. Will report tomorrow on my dinner with WC!

BJ

Mom’s episode with flushing her dentures? Turned out to be only a very realistic dream. That’s right, she didn’t do it. WEIRD, huh?

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe has an eye infection. Off she went to her doctor, who gave me (her) some eye cream and steroid cream for her leg cut. She’s a very patient patient, so far.

Little bro’s girfriend dumped him under some incredibly nasty terms. I won’t go into it here, but let’s just say he hangs out with the scum of the earth (and I don’t use that term lightly). Ewwww.

The new/old boss called today to see when I’d be returning. That’s good isn’t it? I mean, sounds like they’re getting ready for me to be there. IN a good way.

Heard from GI this a.m., which is great. He always has a cheerful voice and is upbeat. I can’t say that about the others who call. The family is going nuts (with Mom, or he who shall not be named is always carrying on about something rotten I’ve done, like breathe), and the old colleagues from the hellhole are upset and depressed. So it’s great to talk to a positive happy person!!!

OK off to dose the cat. Wish me well, world!!!

Later.

BJ

p.s. that list of CDs on the sidebar is just a list of stuff that runs through my head, musically speaking. It’s not intended, at least by me, to promote sales.

Oldies reign!!!

Hope your weekend, and Sunday in particular, is as sunny as it is here. It’s spring weather (wouldn’t THAT be nice?) in O town.

Wish events mirrored that!

Mom woke up on Friday night, deliberately flushed her dentures down the loo and then went back to sleep. She’s worried that she’s losing her mind and I can’t say that I blame her. Am taking her to the doc when I see him on Monday (he’s insisting on some follow up of my cholesterol tests. Why, I can’t imagine as I already have a great doc for that. Am taking advantage of this to bring Mom along). Am hoping it’s sleepwalking but who knows?

It turns out that he who shall not be named is supposedly arranging a cardiologist appointment for Mom. Every time she goes anywhere she has a major angina attack. However….the last time he ‘helped’ Mom it took a year and my sister’s butting into the act to get anything done. So I’ll take advantage of the opportunity on Monday to prod things on.

Am having the usual response to spring—depression. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been out of the house all that much. Need to drop off Pauly’s bd present(s), so need to snap out of it fast today.

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe is wearing her collar again since she made her leg wound bleed. She’s resigned to wearing it but isn’t thrilled.

Did manage to get a lot done this weekend (dusting, polishing, changing linen, that kind of thing).

Sis is having the exact same probs at work that I had at the hellhole (malfeasance, harrassment and ethics issues). My shrink said that the organization where we work is full of this kind of behaviour. Even at my ripe old age, I’m astonished at how blatant it is and am only now becoming aware of the fact that it isn’t necessarily confined to one corner of it.  Her conclusion is that there’s valid reason for wanting to get the heck out of it on a large scale.

Are all organizations like this? Does power breed corruption/arrogance? Why and how does this kind of mindset gain a foothold in organizations?

Despite this crap, am determined to hang in there and remain ‘me’–true to myself and my principles.

Don’t know about you (and would like to know, seriously), but I think I”m the same person I was as a teenager, only a bit wiser as a consequence of the experience of living.  I’ve stayed in touch with a fair number of friends over the decades, and have noticed this same thing about all of them–none of them have really changed except to be more of what they always were. Introverts don’t become extroverts, for example; and kind people remain kind.

That gives me hope–no matter what kind of stupidity I’ve been immersed into from 9:00 to 5:00, I’m still me and plan to stay that way (“so there”, I tell myself, lol).

The only question I have is since most of the people I know are honest, how does the kind of organizational deterioration I’ve noticed set in? Was Delorean right when he said that people in groups make decisions that they wouldn’t make as individuals?

Not that the answer to this changes anything….

BJ

Thanks Tshsmom, this is a (literal) scream….

A woman went to a Wal-Mart service counter and told the clerk she wanted a refund for the toaster she bought because it won’t work The clerk told her that he can’t give her a refund because she bought it on special.

Suddenly, the woman threw her arms up in the air and started screaming,

“PINCH MY NIPPLES,
PINCH MY NIPPLES,
PINCH MY NIPPLES!!!!!!”

The befuddled clerk ran away to get the store manager
In front of a growing crowd of customers.

The manager comes to the woman and asks, “Ma’am what’s wrong?”

She explains the problem with the toaster, and he also tells her that he can’t give her a refund because she bought it on special.

Once again, the woman throws her arms up in the air and screams,

“PINCH MY NIPPLES,
PINCH MY NIPPLES,
PINCH MY NIPPLES!!!”

Which begins to draw an even bigger crowd!

In shock, the store manager pleads,
“Ma’am, why are you saying that?”

In a huff, the woman says,

“BECAUSE, I LIKE TO HAVE
MY NIPPLES PINCHED
WHEN I’M BEING SCREWED!!”

The crowd broke into applause and her money was quickly refunded!!

It was another great weather day here, which I avoided by sleeping in till 12:20 (finally got dressed at 4:30). This was in rebellion to the phone call I got at 9:00 and the carpet people who rang the bell at 8:30 (wrong house). Yee gadzooks.

The Most Spoiled Cat In The Universe is happy now that her blue cape (collar) has been removed. The latest scar from Mom’s TLC is healed (that poor kitty!). 

Mom is kinda OK. She came back from lunch with he who shall not be named saying that ‘people’ (me apparently) are ‘trying to do things to her’ whereas she is perfectly fine.  Sigh. Paranoia is one of the signs of dementia, and she’s already been diagnosed with that. Or else it’s HWSNBN raving (during their lunch), which happens a lot too. Either way, it totally amazes me how much power and responsibility I apparently have.  Am sorely tempted to have nothing more to do with her medical appointments and other miscellaneous tasks. They are stressing me out (not to mention keeping me hopping), and if I am going to get more blame and hostility over it, why bother? I sure don’t need it and it might help wake Mom up.  I love Mom and don’t want anything bad to happen to her. Suggestions on how to deal, anyone?

The car passed its first emissions test and now has a sticker valid through 2010. I celebrated by filling the gas tank and washing it. Groceries are done…now I have to do some cooking. This used to be something I liked doing…am not so sure now.  Also picked up some bd presents for Pauly, who turned 60 yesterday. One of them is a T shirt that says “I’m 60 and I hate this shirt” on it.  Can’t believe he’s that old.  He hasn’t had the bypass operation yet, and none of us can understand why.

Pauly’s wife explained that he now has to take insulin injections and watch fat/sugar/salt closely. Did you know that chicken breasts contained injected salt water to make them look plumper? All except the specialty ones. That was made illegal in the US YEARS (as in DECADES) ago!!!! Only in Canada, eh. Well that was a shocker to me. Pauly’s limit is 1200-1500 grams of salt daily.  The next time you get a bottle of green tea, check out how much sodium is in it. About half of that daily limit. Yikers.

Found out that the chief nasty officer at the hellhole is retiring in June. It’s supposed to be a secret but….nonetheless, leaving that moron in charge of anything human or even breathing for the next five months is a managerial dereliction of duty. It’s great that he will eventually cease to have an impact on them (his minions), though. So this is why the umm studies are not being done, I suppose. There’s also a re-org being announced today (at least that was the target) that would limit his responsibilities further. It also turns out that the consultant company he thought he was joining won’t have him because ‘he’s a liability’.

So much for that.

I ordered some clothes from Coldwater Creek which arrived yesterday. They are so much nicer than anything the Ottawa stores stock. It’s been years since I’ve purchased a lot of clothing from Ottawa stores. Do any of you have similar experience? They’re much more reasonable in terms of costs, too. Including shoes (which I didn’t get from Coldwater Creek, but still they’re half the price of shoe store items for the exact same thing).

Later!

BJ