My suspicions have been confirmed. I work with 4 year olds. Since it was announced that I'd be moving to another department, the co-workers in my current department have increasingly been giving me the cold shoulder. Big babies. BUT if they have a question about something (normally because they didn't pay attention when I trained them on certain things), why they're just as sweet as honey when they interrupt me at my desk.

I think I've mentioned this before, but just in case... because my former (thank God!) supervisor is such a putz, I'm working 1/2 days for him and 1/2 days in my new department until the end of the month. This, of course, makes me feel un-productive in both departments, which drives me crazy.

I have fantasies of flipping them the double-bird and telling them all to fuck off when I'm finally able to pack up my desk and move.

Instead, I'm hoping to inflict some guilt by baking up a big basketful of cookies and taking them in on the day I move desks, to thank them for being such a good department to work with.

Well crap on a cracker. I've spent about $150 at the iTunes website today. But I got some good stuff... and it made me happy, if only for a little while (there's truly something to be said for retail therapy). I just hope K doesn't peruse the credit card bill too thoroughly next month.

So what's on my iPod now, you ask??

Some additional Sarah McLachlan, some older things of hers that I hadn't purchased yet.

Dido, who I'd never listened to before, until a lady I work with turned me onto her last week.

And I heard a very interesting story on NPR the other day about the South by Southwest annual music festival in Texas, so I found some of the artists featured in the story and bought some of their stuff.

And I made a big pot of chili today.

What a productive Sunday afternoon!

Holy neds, what a blogging dry spell. Where does time go? I just don't understand it. I constantly feel like I accomplish nothing, yet never seem to have enough time to get things done. Work, eat, sleep... work, eat, sleep... work, eat, sleep... you get the idea. Maybe I've avoided getting on here because I don't feel like I have anything good to say right now.

My mental state is iffy at best. I'm exhausted. I didn't think it was possible to be this tired. Getting to sleep is never a problem. The problem is staying asleep. I normally wake up, for no apparent reason, 2-3 times each night. I never reach that deep REM sleep that you need to feel really rested. This has been going on for months. Well, years really. 2 years to be exact. Since the boy was born. And it's amazing how much the lack of sleep can affect. Aside from feeling exhausted constantly, not getting the proper amount of sleep can affect blood sugar readings, and can affect efforts to lose weight. Yes, the two biggest things on my list of what needs to be taken care of right now. I saw the doctor week before last, and broke down and finally let him prescribe something to help with the sleep problem (although it has yet to really start working, but we'll see). I hate that. I hate having one more pill to take everyday.

I kind of started my new position as Case de Insurance this past Thursday (because Thursday was the beginning of a new pay cycle). Because my now-previous supervisor is an idiot and a pain in the ass, he worked out a deal with the new supervisor for me to work 1/2 days for him and 1/2 days for her until the end of the month, then I'll move to my new department full-time. I feel completely unproductive at work, which is very annoying.

And I'm irritated at home. K has been off work since February 3rd. He starts school (finally) on March 27. That's what, about 6 weeks off from work? And he had tons of time off from October to December of last year. He's had more time off in the last 4 months than I've had in the last 3 years. And has he really been doing anything around the house? Guess what the answer is to that question. Well I take that back. He does the laundry. Sometimes. Cleaning? No. Cooking? God forbid. He takes the boy to the park on days it's warm enough, and other days sits at the computer while the boy is watching either the Disney Channel or 'Elmo in Grouchland'. I'm sure the boy's brain is starting to atrophy. He'll end up going to vocational school for auto mechanics and living at home until he's 37. And, of course, K will not be working for the next 2 years while he's in school. He's very happy about that because it will give him so much time to spend with the boy. You know... I'd really like to have 2 years off to spend with my son, but that just ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Hope you all are doing okay. I promise I'll have more positive things to say next time.

I've been remiss in my blogging duties, and I apologize for that.

I don't sleep very well at night. Getting to sleep is no problem, but something inevitably wakes me up - my husband snoring, the cat jumping on the bed - and after that I just toss and turn until the alarm goes off. I walk around with a permanent feeling of exhaustion. My father-in-law even commented not too long ago that I looked like I was in a daze. Gotta love those in-laws, between this from the father-in-law and my mother-in-law pointing out the dark circles around my eyes. They always know what to say to make me feel special.

The big news is that I'VE GOT A NEW JOB!!! Well, a new position, really. No, I'm not leaving the Casa de Insurance, just moving to another department. I'll be making a rather slow transition over the next 4 weeks to this new position. My current supervisor bargained for this so that I could train my replacement, which is fine. He was surprisingly good to me when it came to my year-end review for 2005 and my bonus for last year, so I'll throw him a bone before I go. Thankfully, the review and bonus were approved and signed before this job offer came about, otherwise I'm sure they would've been much different. That's the kind of person he is. And yes, this will mean saying goodbye to the woman that sits in the cubicle behind me. I'm sure I'll do some kind of farewell post, probably around the beginning of April. But don't despair. There are plenty of interesting folks in the department I'm moving to.

The Charles Schultz philosophy

I received this email as a FW: FW: FW: today.  Since Snoopy is the unofficial spokesperson for the insurance company I work for ( Hmmmm... did I give too much away?  Although let me make an important distinction by saying that I do not actually sell  the insurance.  I don’t think I could ever do that job!), the subject line piqued my interest.  Call me naïve.  Call me sappy.  This really made me stop and think when I read it.  I spend so much time focusing on what I think is wrong with my life, lamenting what I think I’ve been cheated out of because things haven’t gone according to the little ‘plan’ I made for myself when I was younger.  It’s so easy to get caught up in all of that self-pity and let it take over, pushing out the really good things.  I thought it was worth passing on.


Charles  Schultz  Philosophy

The  following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the  "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer  the  questions.  Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the  point.
  
1. Name the  five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the  last five Heisman trophy winners.  
3. Name the  last five winners of the Miss America.  
4. Name ten  people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.  
5. Name the  last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and  actress.  
6. Name the  last decade's worth of World Series winners.



  
How  did you do?

  
The point  is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no  second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause  dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and  certificates are buried with their owners.


Here's  another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a  few teachers who aided your journey through  school.  
2. Name  three friends who have helped you through a difficult  time.  
3. Name five  people who have taught you something worthwhile.  
4. Think of  a few people who have made you feel appreciated and  special.  
5. Think of  five people you enjoy spending  time  with.

Easier?
  
The lesson:  The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the  most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones  that care.
  
"Don't worry  about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in  Australia." (Charles Schultz)

So, I'm cruising around on Ebay the other night. I'm always amazed at what you can find on there.

And I run across this tie, pictured to the left. Nice looking necktie. 100% silk, according to the description. Put out by the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. Guess what? The little light blue ovals inside each square created by the wavy dark blue lines are..................

Viagra tablets!

The picture doesn't zoom in close enough to show whether or not the name Viagra is actually 'inscribed' on the tablets. I'm guessing it probably isn't. Which would mean that unless 1) you were familiar with what Viagra looked like and 2) you knew it was made by Pfizer (the label on the back of the tie does show the Pfizer logo) and 3) were smart enough to put 2 and 2 together, you probably wouldn't know what the little light blue ovals were.

Which is why I would LOVE to get this tie for several men I know... my brother, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law. My brother is a minister, and has many occasions to wear neckties. My father-in-law is retired, and my brother-in-law is between jobs, so neither of them would really have much of a use for it.

But I sure would get a chuckle out of seeing any or all 3 of them wearing one of these. Is that wrong?