So, I've just spend a fantastic morning shopping for Lead Momma's birthday present. And I have to say, if I have to mail a birthday present, it's always late. This time, I'm happy to say that her birthday isn't until the end of the week, and her gift has been wrapped, boxed and dropped at the post office just about an hour ago! I think someone needs to make a note of this. It may never happen again!
I also got my textbooks for my first class today. I have to say, I'm very excited about this. Although I was a little scared when I picked up the box. It was HEAVY. I wanted to take a photo of the stack of books to post, but my darn batteries in the camera have died, and I can't seem to find any new ones around here. I promise at some point this week, there will be a pic. There are four books for this class, two of which are longer than 800 pages. The other two are around 300 pages each. I was talking to a man I work with about grad school and he said that from his experience, graduate level classes are about 3 times the amount of work of an undergrad class. I think he may be right. I think I'll start reading now!
I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but I decided to adopt a soldier. This is a charity organization that matches up soldiers who don't get mail/packages with someone in the States who commits to sending at least 1 letter a week and one package a month for the duration of the soldier's deployment. It breaks my heart that there are men and women out there who never get any mail. Anyway, I decided that this was the least I could do. All of this is to say that I got an email today from my soldier. I was totally surprised for a few reasons. We're warned not to expect to hear from them, and my first letter was mailed just last week. I can't believe how efficiently the mail was able to get to him. And what I've realized about this, the statement 'it feels better to give than receive' is 100% true. I feel absolutely great about being able do this! It's just my small part.
20 August 2007
17 August 2007
An Amazing Book...A Must Read
I've just read the most amazing book. A Thousand Splendid Suns was written by Khaled Hosseini. He also wrote The Kite Runner, which was good, but this is superb. One thing that absolutely shocked me was how accurately he captured a woman's thoughts. How believable it was that the main character was female. Had I not known that the author was male, I would have believed the author to be female. But beyond the gender of the author and the main characters, the story was captivating. I could picture the settings in my mind clearly, and the story lived on even though I closed the book. It's a story that will stay with me, and one I'm sure I'll re-read.
These characters moved me. The love between Laila and Tariq was achingly beautiful. I don't usually believe in two people being "meant" for each other. These two were. Now, if I had been at home reading this, instead of at work, I would have been sobbing when she was told of his death. I felt it wasn't fair. They belonged together. They deserved happiness in the chaos that was Kabul. My heart ached, no other words for it, my heart ached.
And I was fascinated by the backdrop of the book, the last 30 years in Afghanistan. From before the Soviet invasion, to the rise (and ultimately the fall) of the Taliban. I felt it was honestly portrayed, neither glorified nor apologized for, through the lives of these characters.
There are so many more things that I'd like to say about the book, but it would ruin the story for anyone else. I think I'd have to say it's a must read. The strength of the two main characters, Laila and Mariam, is inspiring. So, go out, get the book and start reading. And hopefully, you'll love it as much as I did.
These characters moved me. The love between Laila and Tariq was achingly beautiful. I don't usually believe in two people being "meant" for each other. These two were. Now, if I had been at home reading this, instead of at work, I would have been sobbing when she was told of his death. I felt it wasn't fair. They belonged together. They deserved happiness in the chaos that was Kabul. My heart ached, no other words for it, my heart ached.
And I was fascinated by the backdrop of the book, the last 30 years in Afghanistan. From before the Soviet invasion, to the rise (and ultimately the fall) of the Taliban. I felt it was honestly portrayed, neither glorified nor apologized for, through the lives of these characters.
There are so many more things that I'd like to say about the book, but it would ruin the story for anyone else. I think I'd have to say it's a must read. The strength of the two main characters, Laila and Mariam, is inspiring. So, go out, get the book and start reading. And hopefully, you'll love it as much as I did.
13 August 2007
Work Woes
Okay, so forgive me, but this post is predominantly going to be me complaining. I'm really frustrated and need to get it all out and I can't vent at the people who are causing my frustrations. So here goes.
I work in a facility that is considered mission critical. That means that we have to be there 24/7. This is something that is abundantly clear at the outset of hiring. It is mentioned multiple times in the interview and is clear throughout the process. So, it's nothing unknown to any of us working in the building. AND. Our schedule is set for between 6 months and a year, however, there is a disclaimer on it which states, "schedule based on the needs of the service". Translation: if things need to be changed, then they are going to be changed. We are a mission critical 24/7 facility and there needs to be someone here to do the job.
As I've mentioned recently, I've been reassigned to the communications center to answer phones because of staffing issues. Since that has happened, it was announced that I had been hired as a supervisor. While waiting for that to become official, they have had to find my replacement and train him. The decision has also been made that the staffing in the unit is insufficient in comparison to the work load. Too many people have been given the weekend off. (the previous supervisor in the unit wanted to make his friends happy, so he gave them all the weekends off, even though the unit is busiest on the weekends.) So, the new supervisor has to change the schedule and that has pissed off everyone in the unit but me.
The one individual who caused the issues in the first place (convinced the old supervisor to give him the days off he wanted) is acting like a 5 year old at this point. I can't comment on what precisely is happening, but to be honest, the entire building would be better without him and the old supervisor. Of course, we can't seem to do that. How frustrating.
And here are a few other things that are driving me nuts:
I work in a facility that is considered mission critical. That means that we have to be there 24/7. This is something that is abundantly clear at the outset of hiring. It is mentioned multiple times in the interview and is clear throughout the process. So, it's nothing unknown to any of us working in the building. AND. Our schedule is set for between 6 months and a year, however, there is a disclaimer on it which states, "schedule based on the needs of the service". Translation: if things need to be changed, then they are going to be changed. We are a mission critical 24/7 facility and there needs to be someone here to do the job.
As I've mentioned recently, I've been reassigned to the communications center to answer phones because of staffing issues. Since that has happened, it was announced that I had been hired as a supervisor. While waiting for that to become official, they have had to find my replacement and train him. The decision has also been made that the staffing in the unit is insufficient in comparison to the work load. Too many people have been given the weekend off. (the previous supervisor in the unit wanted to make his friends happy, so he gave them all the weekends off, even though the unit is busiest on the weekends.) So, the new supervisor has to change the schedule and that has pissed off everyone in the unit but me.
The one individual who caused the issues in the first place (convinced the old supervisor to give him the days off he wanted) is acting like a 5 year old at this point. I can't comment on what precisely is happening, but to be honest, the entire building would be better without him and the old supervisor. Of course, we can't seem to do that. How frustrating.
And here are a few other things that are driving me nuts:
- I will not apologize for being hired as a supervisor
- If you didn't apply, don't complain
- If you did apply, it's not my fault you didn't get it
Okay, I think I'm done complaining. I'm sure after tonight I may have some other things to say, who knows!
09 August 2007
Loss
So, I posted the photos last night, but haven't written much recently. So, here goes. This past week has been a whirlwind. When we got back from CT, I found out that the ex's grandmother had died. I knew that she had been sick, I wrote about visiting her, didn't I? But loss is still hard. The funeral was on Friday and I really felt like I had to go. After all, he and I were together for 6 years. They were my family. It seemed to really mean a lot to his mother that I was there. And, really, that's all that mattered to me. She was such a dear lady. She used to crack me up. She was spunky and funny and always told it like it was.
I've realized that when you experience a new loss like this, it reminds you of all the other people you've lost. Grief is a really funny thing like that. So, I've been thinking a lot about the people in my life who have died. Cheery, no? And I've been trying to have patience with myself as I go through this, but as usual, I tend to get frustrated. Oh well, I try.
Other than that, Captain Contrary and I hung out last Thursday all day. Preschool Queen had some things to do, so we chilled. It was a ton of fun. When it was time to bring him home, he looked at me and said, "why do we have to go?" I told him that the parental units would like him to come home. He still didn't want to leave. It cracked me up.
And of course, his party was Saturday. Like I said, decorating the cake wasn't finished until 2 AM on Saturday morning, but his reaction was totally worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I actually had a lot more fun than I thought I would. I popped in a few Harry Potter audio Cd's and listened as I decorated. I've certainly learned a few lessons, and I think the more I do these things, the better I'll get. I know that this one was far from perfect, but hey, the kids just loved it and that's what is important to me.
Sunday I had drinks and dinner with a very good friend of mine at work who is leaving. I think I'll call her Arizona Chica. She's moving this weekend, and as may now be obvious, she's going to AZ. I'm really proud of her for doing this. It's a huge move! But it's going to be great for her! So we ended up being out until about midnight. We had a great time.
And this week at work I was able to be a part of some training on Human Trafficking. I really feel like I learned a ton about it. One thing that I learned was that the phrases human smuggling and human trafficking cannot be used interchangeably, although they often are.
And this brings us back up to today. Last night I was chatting with my supervisor, and first, we've found a replacement for me (who was replacing Arizona Chica) in the comm center. Thank goodness! So, anyway, he and I were chatting and he told me that although he'd like me in the unit until October, it wouldn't be a good idea since there wouldn't usually be 6 people down there. Of course I jumped on this opportunity to ask to be removed from the unit once the new guy is trained. Totally awesome, he agreed, so after next week, I don't have to be around the crazily ringing phones! Yeah!!!!
I've realized that when you experience a new loss like this, it reminds you of all the other people you've lost. Grief is a really funny thing like that. So, I've been thinking a lot about the people in my life who have died. Cheery, no? And I've been trying to have patience with myself as I go through this, but as usual, I tend to get frustrated. Oh well, I try.
Other than that, Captain Contrary and I hung out last Thursday all day. Preschool Queen had some things to do, so we chilled. It was a ton of fun. When it was time to bring him home, he looked at me and said, "why do we have to go?" I told him that the parental units would like him to come home. He still didn't want to leave. It cracked me up.
And of course, his party was Saturday. Like I said, decorating the cake wasn't finished until 2 AM on Saturday morning, but his reaction was totally worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I actually had a lot more fun than I thought I would. I popped in a few Harry Potter audio Cd's and listened as I decorated. I've certainly learned a few lessons, and I think the more I do these things, the better I'll get. I know that this one was far from perfect, but hey, the kids just loved it and that's what is important to me.
Sunday I had drinks and dinner with a very good friend of mine at work who is leaving. I think I'll call her Arizona Chica. She's moving this weekend, and as may now be obvious, she's going to AZ. I'm really proud of her for doing this. It's a huge move! But it's going to be great for her! So we ended up being out until about midnight. We had a great time.
And this week at work I was able to be a part of some training on Human Trafficking. I really feel like I learned a ton about it. One thing that I learned was that the phrases human smuggling and human trafficking cannot be used interchangeably, although they often are.
And this brings us back up to today. Last night I was chatting with my supervisor, and first, we've found a replacement for me (who was replacing Arizona Chica) in the comm center. Thank goodness! So, anyway, he and I were chatting and he told me that although he'd like me in the unit until October, it wouldn't be a good idea since there wouldn't usually be 6 people down there. Of course I jumped on this opportunity to ask to be removed from the unit once the new guy is trained. Totally awesome, he agreed, so after next week, I don't have to be around the crazily ringing phones! Yeah!!!!
08 August 2007
Captain Contrary's Birthday Party
The brave knights and fair maidens at the party successfully slayed the dragons and captured the treasure!
And here's his knight's pavillion...
This is the cake I made. Not Perfect, but the kids just loved it for sure...only took 6.5 hours to decorate!
Okay, so no time for a indepth post, but these are some of the photos from Captain Contrary's birthday party last weekend. Fun was had by all! More details later.
02 August 2007
The Police Concert
So, Tuesday night was the Police concert at Rentschler Field at UConn in Hartford, CT. Preschool Queen and I and 30,000 of our closest friends were there. We drove down on Tuesday afternoon, getting into her sister-in-law's house around 3pm. She and a friend of hers were going to tailgate with us in the evening and then see if they could pick up tickets anywhere. (they hadn't purchased them yet) So we ate and had a good time just watching the crazy people around us. There were certainly very unique outfits on some of the women at the show. We had a pretty good laugh on more than one occasion that's for sure!
As everyone was walking to the gate with us, a man was selling two tickets to the show. The ladies offered him $150 for the pair of tickets and he took it! (now the tickets were $250 each) We were totally psyched. Turns out they were tickets on the floor...20th row. We went our separate ways when we got into the stadium since we were in an upper section. The opening band was pretty darn good. Turns out it was Sting's son's band. I'll have to find more things by them, but I enjoyed it.
Before the Police took the stage, Preschool Queen and I went and we got t-shirts...(yes I was there and have the t-shirt to prove it!) They took the stage at just about 9pm and immediately started playing the hits that everyone loves. The whole crowd was singing and screaming and dancing. It was just wild. After about 5 songs, the other two women came up to our seats and switched with us. They said since PQ and I were the really big Police fans, we should be down on the floor. So, we made our way down there, and WERE IN THE 20th ROW!!! It was just about the coolest thing in the world!!!
I have no words for how amazing the music was. They were so dang good. There were big screens around so that you could see the band close up and other things during the songs. When they played Invisible Sun there were pictures of refugee children being flashed up. And I stood there listening to the words and singing along, watching these pictures. The thought that flashed through my mind was, "I'm not sending UNICEF nearly enough money." But I suppose that was their point. If you can spare enough money to spend anywhere from $100-$300 on a concert ticket, then you can certainly help those who need it.
So, now that I've established that this was the coolest concert in the Universe, there are two complaints that I have. First. While there were many people in the neon yellow shirts who worked security in the venue, there was no security clearing. No one checking bags, no pat down, no wanding. People could have brought in anything that they wanted. And that really bothered me. If someone had wanted to cause damage or loss of life, this would have been a perfect opportunity. Second. The traffic fiasco which was 30,000 people all trying to leave at the same time. Now I know that this is not the first time this location has had a large crowd. It's where the UConn football team plays. They know about crowds. But although there were many police officers around, they weren't directing traffic in any way. It was really frustrating to leave.
But like I said, it was a blast! Something I'll never forget.
As everyone was walking to the gate with us, a man was selling two tickets to the show. The ladies offered him $150 for the pair of tickets and he took it! (now the tickets were $250 each) We were totally psyched. Turns out they were tickets on the floor...20th row. We went our separate ways when we got into the stadium since we were in an upper section. The opening band was pretty darn good. Turns out it was Sting's son's band. I'll have to find more things by them, but I enjoyed it.
Before the Police took the stage, Preschool Queen and I went and we got t-shirts...(yes I was there and have the t-shirt to prove it!) They took the stage at just about 9pm and immediately started playing the hits that everyone loves. The whole crowd was singing and screaming and dancing. It was just wild. After about 5 songs, the other two women came up to our seats and switched with us. They said since PQ and I were the really big Police fans, we should be down on the floor. So, we made our way down there, and WERE IN THE 20th ROW!!! It was just about the coolest thing in the world!!!
I have no words for how amazing the music was. They were so dang good. There were big screens around so that you could see the band close up and other things during the songs. When they played Invisible Sun there were pictures of refugee children being flashed up. And I stood there listening to the words and singing along, watching these pictures. The thought that flashed through my mind was, "I'm not sending UNICEF nearly enough money." But I suppose that was their point. If you can spare enough money to spend anywhere from $100-$300 on a concert ticket, then you can certainly help those who need it.
So, now that I've established that this was the coolest concert in the Universe, there are two complaints that I have. First. While there were many people in the neon yellow shirts who worked security in the venue, there was no security clearing. No one checking bags, no pat down, no wanding. People could have brought in anything that they wanted. And that really bothered me. If someone had wanted to cause damage or loss of life, this would have been a perfect opportunity. Second. The traffic fiasco which was 30,000 people all trying to leave at the same time. Now I know that this is not the first time this location has had a large crowd. It's where the UConn football team plays. They know about crowds. But although there were many police officers around, they weren't directing traffic in any way. It was really frustrating to leave.
But like I said, it was a blast! Something I'll never forget.
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