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Mar 5, 2012

Things To Do While Unemployed

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I’m taking the elimination of my job amazingly well. Or at least that’s what everyone is telling me. People look at me awkwardly, asking how I’m dealing with the news, and I just smile and say, “I’m fine.” And then they give me that sad look that tells me they think I’m being so strong in hiding my pain, so I have to follow up with, “No, really! Do you know how much I can get done without my job getting in my way and sucking up all my energy?”

Not an optimist, folks. Just a realist.

But c’mon – if I’m going to be unemployed (hopefully for only a very short while), why NOT plan out all of the projects, chores, and wish lists I’ve wanted to tackle for so long but never had the time for? I feel like I’ve suddenly got the entire world in front of me, with limitless directions to take.

Here’s just a few of the items I’ve started writing in a notebook (three pages now, people!) that I can now do with my time, in no particular order:

For home:
Make a greater dent in the laundry, get rid of clothing that no longer fits, de-clutter every room in the house, clean out the garage, put up the shelf I just bought from Ikea, take down the kitchen table & replace with the larger crate for Cosmo (this dog is getting too big), vacuum more often, learn to paint with the help of Pinterest and YouTube, paint a few rooms, get some kind of filing system up and running to keep papers under control, dust (for once), and more…

For the family:
Volunteer for my daughters’ classrooms, pick Cordy up from school some days so she doesn’t spend 1.5 hours on the bus, take Mira to preschool each day so Aaron doesn’t have to be late for work, learn to cook with Pinterest and blogs (I’m trusting you, food-bloggers!), cook meals occasionally without poisoning my family, decorate my daughters’ rooms with input from them, help Cordy with her homework, read more with Mira and take the time to teach her how to read, take the dog for walks, make doctor and dentist appointments that I’ve been too busy to make and then go to them, pay attention when Mira tries to tell me something that is so important to her, listen to Cordy’s stories, cuddle with Aaron on the couch and spend time together and not just in the same room, sign Mira up for gymnastics or ice skating and take her to classes, and more…

For me:
Sleep at night again, next to my husband (!!!!), go the gym more, blog more, use my gift cards to have a facial or massage, get acquainted with my sewing machine again and find my way back into sewing, play video games, visit with friends, re-do my blog template, play with my fancy camera, catch up on Downton Abbey (I’m only a few episodes into season one), blast loud music in the living room and dance around like a fool when no one is home, reorganize my Pinterest boards, do something with my Facebook fan page, meditate, read a book or two, say yes to more product reviews for small businesses I want to support, knit, and (you guessed it) more…

Whew!

Looking at that list, I’m kinda amazed at how behind I am on things. I should have found myself a stay-at-home wife years ago to help me get all this done! 

Did you read it all? I admit, it’s a long list, and I seem to find new things to add to it each day. And of course there will be a half hour or more set aside each day to check the job boards and look for any opportunities that would be a good fit for me, or network with friends who might know of good jobs. (This has already been happening and so far is very promising!)

I feel so free knowing the long hours of my night shift are at an end. I’ve worked an overnight shift for years now; seeing the sunshine and enjoying my weekends without being in a sleepy fog will be refreshing. If you’ve never worked overnights for an extended period of time, you have no idea how it affects your body and mind. No matter how much you try to convince your body that night is day, and buy blackout shades to have some darkness during the day while you sleep, it still knows. Oh, it knows, and hates you all the more for it.

Maybe I’ll even blog some of the adventures I’ve listed above? I’ve been so removed from the domestic scene for so long that it could be comedy gold.

I doubt I’ll get to everything on my lists. But I’m actually excited at having the ability to tackle them.

Filed Under: clearly insane, domestic zero, me me me, the J-O-B ·


Mar 1, 2012

A Crazy Example of Great Service

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I had one other amazing experience during Blissdom that I wanted to share, but decided that it needed its own post.

As I mentioned previously, Blissdom was held at the Gaylord Opryland resort, which I often refer to as a city under a Bio-Dome. But ultimately it is a luxury hotel focused on providing high-quality service and creating a memorable experience for each guest.

I’ve been to Opryland three years in a row now. On my first visit, I remember walking into our hotel room and hearing this lovely music playing. It was similar to what you might hear if you went for a massage at a high-end spa. I looked at our clock radio and discovered it was also a sound machine. And the sound playing at the time was “spa” of course.

After a long drive to Nashville, the gentle wood flute and nature sounds were so soothing that I nearly fell asleep while relaxing on my bed. That entire weekend, I continued to notice how relaxed I felt while that music was softly playing in our room.

Before we left the conference that year, I asked the hotel where I could get one of those clock radios. They didn’t sell them but told me I’d be likely to find them in any store. I copied down the model number, but was never able to find one in stores that had the “spa” sounds. It seems that the model in the hotel room was only made for Gaylord hotels.

The next year, the clock radio in our room was a newer model – replaced after the great flood of Nashville – but the new one still had the soothing spa music. I again asked where I could find one, but nobody had an answer for me. I took down the model number and tried to search for it, but came up empty handed again.

Yes, I know you probably think I’m insane to obsess over a clock radio. And to be honest I’m not as obsessed as I sound. While I’m at Opryland, I enjoy the spa music. Sound can influence our thoughts and feelings, and this particular track soothes my mind, calms my nerves, and lets me sleep deeper than I usually do at home. I occasionally see sound machines at the store and when I do I always check to see if they might have the one I’m looking for. But I don’t spend every day in the quest for this particular clock radio.

So THIS year, I once again arrived at Gaylord Opryland and was pleased to find my little happy machine in the room. I joked with my roommate, Lisa, that I might just need to ask Opryland how much they’d charge me if our clock radio happened to be missing from the room at the end of our stay. I didn’t want to be a thief (bad message to send to the kids, right?), but I’ve been trying to find a product like this for three years now.

I turned to Twitter to ask the hotel for help.

And they responded. (Because they’re cool like that. And smart enough to watch their Twitter feed during a blogging conference.)

And then I responded:

I received no response after that, and I attended the Blissdom closing night party with the subject no longer on my mind. When we came back to the room, I walked over to the nightstand and switched on the music again, then turned and found myself face-to-faceplate with a second clock radio perched on the dresser, and an envelope next to it with my name on it.

(Photo re-enacted after I’d already opened the card, of course.)

There was at least a five second pause as my brain tried to process what my eyes were seeing. I slowly picked up the envelope and opened it, reading the handwritten card: “Christina, Thank you for following us on Twitter. We hope you enjoy these spa sounds at home. If you need anything, please let us know. Sincerely, Elizabeth, Nick & Tori.”

That would be the point where the excited screaming began. Sorry to those of you staying in the Delta who were trying to sleep at 11:30pm.

I would have been happy to pay for one of the clock radios, but the staff at Opryland took notice of just how much I loved this thing and went out of their way to make sure I had the best experience ever. And they also ensured that I wouldn’t have a guilty conscience when returning home to my daughters.

(Kidding.)

(Well, mostly.)

(No, no, really. Stealing is bad, kids.)

So thank you, Gaylord Opryland (Elizabeth, Tori & Nick!), for topping off a wonderful weekend with an unexpected delight. You reaffirmed that there are still companies out there focused on great service, and you’ve made a lifelong fan out of me. And you’re now helping me get some of the best sleep possible, year-round, which any mother will tell you is a feat worthy of high praise.

You’ll have to pry this thing from my cold, dead (yet amazingly relaxed) hands.
Filed Under: Blissdom, clearly insane, me me me, people who don't suck · Tagged:


Dec 28, 2011

Cosmo the Wonder Pup

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As if my house wasn’t already enough of a zoo, we added a new species to the mix just before Christmas.

Meet Cosmo:

Cosmo is a 5 month mixed breed (mutt) we met through a rescue group. He was found nearly starved to death on the street at 3 months old, and was nursed back to health by the rescue group.

We’ve been considering getting a dog for quite a while. Some of Cordy’s doctors and therapists had suggested that a dog could be beneficial for her. She’s often shy to demonstrate anything new to other people, but she might be more willing to practice new skills with only the dog to witness. (And unlike people, the dog can’t judge her ability.) Cordy also is very interested in animals, so a dog would hopefully serve as a good companion for her as well.

Aaron also grew up with a dog, and has always enjoyed dogs. I’ve always been a cat person myself, but can certainly see the appeal of a canine companion. We’ve had the dog discussion several times for over a year. We have a fenced yard, our work schedules are compatible with the needs of a dog, and our kids are old enough to help with the care of a dog.

Last month we finally agreed it might be time to consider adding a new pet to our family. So at the beginning of December we went to Mingle With The Mutts, a monthly event held by our county animal shelter that encourages other rescue groups to bring adoptable dogs in for people to come meet. It was there we met Cosmo, and Cordy immediately fell for him. (OK…we all did.)

 Beginning of Dec, only 25 lbs. Did I mention he gained 15lbs in 3 weeks?

 I still went back and forth on the idea of a dog. Change is hard for me, and this kind of life change is a huge decision to make. I’m already the one who takes care of the cats 99% of the time – I refused to be the one mostly caring for a dog as well. And how much of a disruption would a dog be in my life?

We addressed my serious concerns and Aaron talked me down from any freak outs, pointing out that people far less responsible than us have successfully kept dogs.

So last Friday we welcomed Cosmo into our home. The benefit of adopting an older puppy is that he’s already house trained, crate trained, and knows some basic commands. He still tries to eat anything small – including a few crayon bits that were quickly swallowed – so we’re constantly reminding Cordy and Mira to keep their toys upstairs. (Cosmo is limited to the downstairs only.) I guess in one way he’s helping me keep our downstairs clutter free!

Have teeth, will chew.

He’s still a puppy, though, and needs to go outside every few hours, but can go as long as 6-7 hours if required. Seeing how no adult in this house sleeps more than 6-7 hours anyway, that’s not a problem at all.

And even though he knows some commands, we’re still signing up for basic training classes. A couple of episodes of the Dog Whisperer have taught me that I know very little about dog psychology and need to learn how to properly assert alpha status over our new pack member.

Here? I’m failing at being alpha.

So for now I’m happy to have our new pup, and terrified at how we’ll all adjust. Most of that fear is just my fear of the unknown. Truthfully, Cosmo’s addition to the family has added about 10-15 minutes of additional work to my schedule each day; not a big deal at all, really. The cats are the most traumatized – one of them hasn’t come downstairs since Friday. Good thing their food, water, and litterboxes are upstairs.

Cosmo is a new adventure for us, and despite my worries, I’m looking forward to the joy he’ll add to the family.

Filed Under: clearly insane, Cosmo, daily life ·


Sep 1, 2011

Wait, How Is It September Already?

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Back to school is always a busy time of year, but this year seems extra busy for some reason. The changes that have been happening around here in the last two weeks have left me underslept and overworked. I’m running on caffeine and willpower at this point, and I’m nearly out of willpower. I spent all of yesterday convinced it was Thursday only to find it was actually Wednesday, and yes, I really do have to go through the REAL Thursday now.

Let me back up for a minute.

First grade is still going well for Cordy. Amazingly well, in fact. Every note home has been a positive one, with the teachers praising how well she’s adapting to her class. She brought homework with her on Monday and then quickly completed it, only to learn the next day that it was her homework for the entire week. When I asked her to practice her spelling words, she rolled her eyes at me and told me, “these words are too easy!” And then she spelled every one correctly.

The only issue we’re having at the moment is Cordy’s transportation. Her bus route for the ride home has her on the bus for nearly two hours. That’s a mighty long time to be trapped on a bus when you’re six years old. I’ve been appealing to the transportation office for a change to her route, but have so far been ignored.

Mira started preschool this week. She attends a half-day Pre-K class in the morning, and then attends a different half-day preschool class in the afternoon. This is similar to last year’s arrangement, allowing her to get speech therapy from the afternoon class while still getting plenty of academics from her morning class. Mira loves it, as it gives her twice as many people to perform for.

The afternoon preschool didn’t start until yesterday, though, which left me awfully tired on Monday and Tuesday. I had to take her to school, then come home for a few hours of sleep, then go get her again. After a few days of less than four hours of sleep, you can now understand how I thought yesterday was Thursday. I was delirious from sleep deprivation.

And then there’s Aaron. Three years after being laid off, after working several contract jobs that didn’t fit his interests, paid little, and/or weren’t long enough to turn into real jobs, after dealing with the depression that comes from feeling like his job skills were inadequate, he finally got his reward.

On Monday he started his new job – a real, permanent job, that requires a skilled employee, with a salary that isn’t insulting. He now has benefits that we haven’t seen in a long time – paid time off, holidays, and the holy grail of benefits: health insurance. We’re paying quite a bit for it, but it’s a decent health plan and I’m thrilled to have anything that doesn’t exclude every symptom of any illness I’ve experienced in the last thirty-five years.

Even better (to him, at least): he gets to work from home a few days each week.

So…yeah. Busy. The three of them have all of these changes happening and I’m in the center, playing ringmaster to it all and trying to keep everything running smoothly while also working my 42.5 hours each week. (It’s actually more than that, but I don’t bill for hours I spend at home worrying about work.)

My job hasn’t changed much; I still work third shift as a contract RN/manager, and most days I enjoy what I do. If I could change anything about my situation, it would be to have benefits, followed by working daylight hours at some point. Not sure if or when either of those might happen, but I hope for one of them someday.

By next week I should be able to get six hours of sleep on most days again. Maybe I’ll even try to clean the house a little? (Ha.) Or maybe I’ll just sleep even more.

Despite the constant rush of these new routines surrounding me, I’m still very happy for all of the changes. Aaron’s new job, the girls doing well in school, having health insurance again – I’ll willingly trade a little bit of my sanity for all of these things.

But I also wouldn’t mind if the weekdays would speed up and the weekends would slow down. I’d much rather repeat a Saturday than a Thursday.

Filed Under: Aaron, clearly insane, Cordy, daily life, Mira, school, the J-O-B ·


May 13, 2011

Wishing for Boredom

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I’ve had a lot on my plate lately, so rather than explain in long narrative, I’ll give it to you in bullet points to save you the time:

  • Two weeks ago, we got the note home from school that no parent ever wants: head lice. Mira had been exposed to lice in her classroom, and they found nits on her. (Itchy yet? I am.) I had been a lice virgin until now (thank you, Cordy, for never wearing another kid’s hat!), so I bought all the lice remedies, we did the treatment on Mira, cleaned all the linens and stuffed animals, combed and looked through her hair carefully, etc. No one else had been exposed – yay!
  • Same week, after having the brakes replaced on the car, the battery decided to die. The car now has another month added on to how long it must keep running as penance for the money we spent on the new battery.
  • I also got a note from my agency (I’m a contractor) telling me they accidentally forgot to take city taxes out of my paycheck all of last year. Oops! And so they need to take a year’s worth out now. Like all in one month. I bargained them down to splitting it across 4 paychecks over 2 months, but it’s still going to hurt.
  • Last week, Mira had nits again. Noooooooooo! (Seriously, click the link – it’s exactly how I felt.) Lather, rinse, comb, laundry, vacuum, repeat.
  • Thanks to a combination of factors, last week was also the first week where I’ve ever slept less than 5 hours every single day. It sucked, but I’m trying to look at it as a badge of honor – I survived!
  • I also had my first experience at ever totally losing my cool at a customer service rep on the phone. (Maybe due to the lack of sleep and stress, perhaps?) We thought switching cable providers would give us better service. But after placing the order and spending 2+ hours on the phone across different days trying to sort it all out before it had even been installed, I was losing hope that this was a better option. When they then gave me a different – higher – price than I was originally given, saying it could all be worked out after installation, I lost it and demanded they cancel the entire order. It wasn’t the rep’s fault, and I try to never take it out on them, but the poor guy must have thought I was bipolar by the way I turned on him.
  • A week later, I still haven’t been refunded the first month’s payment they charged me. And they sent me a “Your installation is complete! Welcome to our service!” e-mail today, too. More yelling may be coming soon.
  • Then the kitchen sink faucet broke. Water goes everywhere if you turn it on.
  • The garbage disposal followed shortly after that. Looking into plumbing recommendations now.
  • On Monday I developed strep throat, although I didn’t know that’s what it was until the next day. Swallowing still hurts. Ordered to stay home for 24 hours until the antibiotics kicked in. Enjoyed the sleep, but didn’t enjoy missing a night of work and falling behind.
  • And Mira was sent home with lice nits again yesterday. Dammit. Treat, comb, laundry, vacuum…. if it doesn’t work this time, I’m shaving her head and burning down the house.

To sum up: it’s been a busy few weeks. I don’t remember my fortune cookie cursing me with “May you live in interesting times” the last time I had Chinese for dinner.

It’s been said that bloggers hate when they have nothing going on, and therefore have nothing to write about. I’ve actually got too much happening to write about all of it, and most of it is stuff no one wants to hear the long version of.

I’d be happy to have a little boredom around here for once.

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Filed Under: clearly insane, fate laughing at me, me me me ·