Sunday, May 28, 2006

Jello and ice cream, STAT!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Memorial Day weekend.

I seem to have caught a "touch of the flu." It hit me like a mack truck on Thursday night at work--I started throwing up at 5 that evening and didn't stop until Friday afternoon around 2. (And I'm talking EVERY TEN MINUTES, guys.) I'm sparing you a lot of the details here, but suffice it to say that vomiting was not my only gastrointestinal "distress." ;) I called the doctor for some anti-nausea meds, but, of course, I couldn't keep them in my system long enough for them to work.

The throwing up stopped for a while on Saturday and I was even able to work my way up to foods like ice cream, toast and broth. (Mind you, by this time I had lost SEVEN POUNDS since Thursday night, putting me at a weight not seen since high school. My face was looking CHISELED.) But something happened and it started all over again. By this time, my stomach was just a mess from going through this for three days, I wasn't sleeping, and I was dizzy and weak. So Steve (because by this time, Mom had it too) took me to the E.R.

My blood pressure, it turns out, was **71/39.** Yeah, that's really low. LOL. "Holy crap," the nurse actually said to me. Apparently, I was quite dehydrated. So they pumped a whole lot of liquids into me, gave me morphine for the pain (whoo hoo!), put some meds into my IV line to stop the puking and sent me home around 6 this morning. The E.R. was actually short-staffed last night because I guess the nursing staff had it, too. (MY nurse, aka Holy Crap, had just gotten over it herself--she had it for FOUR DAYS.)

Finally, FINALLY, I am starting to feel better again. Plus, I got to take home a presciption for Darvacet, since my stomach muscles are still so bruised and sore from--well, I'll spare you the details on that one, too, but I'm sure you can figure it out.

As I write this, it's 3:00 on Sunday afternoon, and I think I'm going to take a shower and get out there and do SOMETHING, so I can still enjoy the last two days of my holiday weekend--looking oh-so-slim, of course. ;)

(Renee, I hope Sara's back up and around by now, too.)

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

American Idle (as in, someone has waaaayyyy too much time on their hands and really needs to get out more)

Here are some pictures of the impromptu American Idol Mom has apparently decided to throw tonight. Mind you, everything you see is just for THE TWO OF US.





















Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Second interview update

My 2nd interview was today. I walked in and there were SIX OR SEVEN PEOPLE sitting at the conference table....and then they sat me at the head of it. Not too intimidating at all. Principal, vice principal, a few teachers, a PARENT....I think the President may have been sitting there, too.

Anyway, I was able to answer all of the questions (I don't know how WELL, though) and I was even able to relax a little bit and let my personality come through (God help us all, LOL). I made them laugh quite a few times (in a god way...I think). So we'll see.

The bad news is that there would still be ANOTHER round of interviews after this, so my waiting is far from over, even if I manage to make it through this round. The good news is that I MAY have done well enough to actually MAKE it to the last (and final) round. But I've been sooo nervous the last few days, and I hate to think that I may have to go through it all one more time before this is all over--and that's if I'm lucky. ;)

Keep your fingers crossed...

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Can't we all just get along?

Mom bought this indoor "play pen" for the grandpigs, which gives them a little more room to run around than their cage provides (however, they spend most of their time sitting in one place and chewing on newspaper). The other day during their play time, Tweak, who had been watching through the little gate walls, suddenly jumped into the pen with them. Very carefully, we watched what would happen (as I've mentioned, she likes to watch them in their cage and often reaches her paw in to "pet" them). It was pretty cute...






























Well, at least I got my shit back

...but holy shit, he's truly an asshole.

I emailed him through Match.com because, like any good girl going through a breakup, I had deleted all his emails and removed him from my buddy list--and his Yahoo ID is just weird enough that I coudn't remember it even when I wanted to. Anyway, I emailed him and said, Look, no matter HOW busy you are, you have 30 seconds in the day to call or email me and say, Hey, I'll leave your stuff in the garage and you can pick it up on Monday night, or whatever the case may be. I also asked him not to make this bitter or difficult, because I'd like to look back on our time together and think, Wow, we had some good times and not, I can't believe that fucker hijacked my exercise stuff.

So he emailed me back this heartwarming response: "It'll be out there Monday morning."

(Yeah, that was it. That was all I got.)

I emailed him back and said, "That's all good and fine, but I work and I don't have any extra time to swing by your place in the mornings. Can you work with me on this?"

(Note how civil I'm being, STILL. I know, I'm a putz.)

No response. After my walk, I emailed him again (he was still logged onto Match.com--yes, Mr. My-Life-Is-Just-Too-Chaotic-For-a-Relationship-Right-Now) and said something along the lines of, well, since you're home right now, can't I just swing by and get it? You can just leave it outside by the door and you won't even have to interact with me. No answer, so I called him and said, "Okay, I'm leaving and I'll be there in about 15 minutes. Please have it outside for me."

Yes, I was being persistant (I prefer "persistant" to "crazy" or "psycho") ;) but dammit, this had been going on long enough, he was being a raging asshole, and I just wanted this to be DONE so that I could totally forget that this clusterfuck ever happened. And dammit, he was FORCING me to act this way. (I realize that this is also the defense invoked by domestic abusers, but in this case, it's true. I had politely called him, several times, each time waiting patiently for some kind of response, and by God, if I was going to have to hunt him down like the dog that he is for my exercise ball, resistance bands and workout DVD, then so be it.)

When I got there, my stuff was sitting outside--he was gone, of course, cuz he's a coward, but at least I got the rest of my exercise stuff, so I'm happy.

And this will be, I swear, my last Fuckhat-related post. Please join me in a jolly, Broken Road "F*CK OFF, ASSHOLE."

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Second interview!!!

I received the call today inviting me to come in for a second interview for My Dream Job. It's this Tuesday at 4:00.

The problem is, though, that now I'll HAVE to tell my current employer that I'm interviewing. Monday's interview was first thing in the morning, so I just told work that I had a doctor's appointment and I might be a little late (I got there at 10 instead of my usual start time of 9:30, so that wasn't too bad). However, for this one, I'd have to leave pretty early--2:00 or so, if I wanted time to go home, shower, change, freshen up, etc. And, since I normally work till 6:30, that's a good half of my shift that I'd be missing. Ordinarily this wouldn't be so much of a problem if I had been able to give them more notice--like a week or two. But to come in on Friday and tell them that I have to leave early on Tuesday...I'll have to give them a pretty good reason for my short notice.

Another teacher has been interviewing for "real" teaching jobs, and she's been up-front and honest with our bosses about it. So if she can do it, I suppose I can, too. I mean, I also have a dentist appointment next week, on Thursday--again, at 8:30, so if I'm late to work at all it won't be by TOO much....but I'm running out of "cover stories" that I could potentially use to cover up this second interview.

What do we think? I'd have to have a pretty good reason, and at this point, honesty just might be the best policy.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Employee of the Month

At tonight's staff meeting, it was announced that I was the latest Employee of the Month.

Missy asked me this weekend, "Is it really that bad?", after I regaled her with stories of the f**kers otherwise known as MY kids. Yes, yes it is--and here's why.

After the meeting, I was talking to some of the other teachers about my new title (which comes with a $25 gift card to wherever I want--so feel free to post some suggestions here. The only limitation is that it can't be a "specialty" store, like Barnes and Noble--dammit--but other stores, like WalMart, and most restaurants are okay. So far, I'm thinking either the Dollar Store or Walmart so I can use it on care package stuff for my soldiers)....wait. Where was I going with this? Oh, yeah.

Some of the other teachers were congratulating me after the meeting (each month, the other teachers are the ones who vote for EOTM), and I commented on being surprised at receiving the award this month.

"Are you kidding?" said one. "You have the kids that nobody else wants. And you KEEP COMING BACK. And you're in there from 9:30 - 6:30 EVERY DAY. I couldn't do it, Jen. I don't know how you do."

So yeah. Just the fact that I keep showing up every day was enough to make me the most valued employee in the building this month. (And, for the record, although I routinely refer to them as f**ckers, they're really growing on me, even though I've been drinking a lot more since I started this job. I actually take a sense of pride in being the teacher who can handle the kids that "nobody else wants." I feel like that chick from Dangerous Minds.)

Monday, May 15, 2006

Interview

I had my interview this morning. I'm not really sure how it went, actually. I feel like I answered the questions pretty well, and he seemed to really like some of them particularly. He did take me on a tour of the building, but he had told me that he was going to do that right at the beginning--so I don't think that's necessarily a reflection of how I did.

He has some more first interviews next week, I believe he said. He hopes to have everything wrapped up by early June, so I won't have to wait TOO long before hearing back, at least on this first initial stage. It sounded like I would still have at least one more round of interviews.

I REALLY want this job.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

It's done

I've spent the last five days "respecting his needs"...and after talking to Missy and Nikki last night, I realized that I was tired of forgetting all about MINE. So when I saw him online today, I said, "If this whole thing has nothing to do with me and youre just dealin with some stuff, could u let me know? And on that same note, if you're gonna dump me or something, i'd really rather just know that now. i've tried to respect your needs and all that, but i also hope you'll respect mine by giving me some idea of what's going on with you." I also let him know that I still had a shirt at his place that I'd really kind of like to wear to my interview tomorrow. Finally got this IM back: "I'm sorry but right now life is so chaotic for me, and all I can be is Isabelle's Dad and Kira's Uncle."

To paraphrase the eloquent Nikki, "That's a fuck-off if I ever heard one." (She was actually referring to his voicemail but hell, I think it fits just as well here.)

Did I make mistakes along the way? Sure I did. But there's a whole lot that he could have done differently on his end, as well.

Talk about a crash and burn.
Happy Mother's Day

Today kinda sucks for me, so I'll just say Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. You're very lucky.

In three weeks, Katey will contribute Grandkid #10 to the family. And I've barely even gotten STARTED yet. (Of course, at the rate I'm going, all I'll be kicking in is half a dozen or so grandcats.)
Feel the Jen

Go to http://www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi , type in your first name and then post your very own advertising slogan here. (Don't cheat; post the first one you get.)

I'm thinking about having mine made into a T-shirt.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Success in the Making

RALEIGH, N.C. - Chris Daughtry is looking to launch his music career after getting booted from "American Idol." Fuel is searching for a lead singer after Brett Scallions quit.
The band offered Daughtry a job Thursday, hours after viewers voted him off the Fox television talent show.
Bass player Jeff Abercrombie and guitarist Carl Bell made their pitch on the TV show "Extra."
"Chris, if you are watching, we've talked about this before, and if you want to entertain it again we'll take it and go," Abercrombie said.
Daughtry, who dreamed of becoming a rock star while working in the service department at a Greensboro car dealership, told reporters earlier Thursday he was considering whether to pursue fronting an established rock band or launching a solo career.
"I'm a songwriter myself," the 26-year-old said. "To be able to launch my own career would be a dream" come true.
The buzz around Daughtry for weeks has been that he could end up Fuel's lead singer; Scallions left the band in February.
Daughtry performed the band's song "Hemorrhage" on a recent "Idol" show. His wife, Deanna, said she's not sure which option he should pursue, but either way music is all he's ever wanted to do.
"He's got a lot on him and hopefully he'll have a lot of wisdom there," she said. "The public forgets so fast about those idols once they get off the show. I just hope they don't forget about Chris."
Many observers thought the shaved-head rocker from McLeansville would win this year's competition.
On Tuesday's show, Daughtry performed two Elvis Presley songs. His rendition of "Suspicious Minds" drew strong reviews from judges. Paula Abdul said, "See you in the finals."
Judge Simon Cowell said his second song _ "A Little Less Conversation" _ was "flat" and not as good as the first performance.
Daughtry, who said he doesn't regret anything he did on the show, said he was shocked to get voted off because so many people had picked him to win _ which may have led overconfident fans to not bother casting votes.
"They didn't have to vote as hard, and I think that was the downfall, in my opinion," he said, refusing to critique the other three finalists. "It was definitely a gut-wrenching moment and I was not expecting it, even a little bit."
Some fans around his hometown fear their votes were mistakenly credited to one of the other contestants because they'd get another hopeful's voice thanking them for the call instead of Daughtry's, family friend Tracey Adams said.
One music industry expert said it shouldn't be the end for Daughtry, who has a great opportunity to cash in as a solo artist because of the equity he's built on the show.
"I think he should definitely pursue that at this point," said Jeff Walker, president of AristoMedia, a Nashville-based company that develops and promotes music artists. "He's got a lot of people that like him."

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Interview

Whoo hoo! I have a job interview on Monday morning for a 6th grade language arts teaching position at a charter school here in town. (It's actually the same charter school "company" that I was a parapro for back in Detroit, so I'm familiar with the academies, basic curriculum, philosophies, etc). I'm trying not to get TOO excited since it's still a longshot (so few positions, so many teachers)--but hell, in this ultra-competitive market, even catching their eye and getting an INTERVIEW is something to celebrate.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Shock and awe

I cannot BELIEVE that Chris was voted off American Idol tonight.

I thought Katherine was going tonight. MAYBE Elliot (although frankly, I think he's my new front-runner now. I adore Taylor but although his likeability factor is high, I don't think he has the best singing voice of the group). But CHRIS? I thought he was a given for the final two. The only positive aspect of The Greatest Upset In Idol History is that it gives him the opportunity to go on and become the most sucessful "non-winner" ever (and he will. Oh, yes. He will).

I mean, did ANYONE see that coming?

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Thanks

I deleted my most recent post. I'm pretty sure (for those of you who weren't in on the email conversation yesterday) that through a series of events, I have now FUBAR'd this relationship and once he DOES start talking to me again, it'll be only to dump my ass. I'm just really bummed because I really didn't TRY to mess this thing up, I really liked this guy and ....fuck.

Anyway, I disabled comments on this post because I just don't want to talk about it anymore. But thanks to everyone for your help in this situation and your comments on the previous post. Another "learning experience," I guess. (But I don't know how someone can have so many learning experiences and still be so freakin' stupid.)

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Flat-iron fun

Oh, the benefits of having a sister who's a licensed cosmetologist. Missy has been giving me lessons on how to make myself more presentable, ;) and a while back she flat-ironed my hair. I LOVED how it turned out and have been trying to achieve the same results at home. I can't, of course, because I'm still not very good with "girly" stuff, but as these pictures show, I think I'm starting to get CLOSE to what she was able to do.

I'll keep working on it.

(PS, WHAT IS UP with the huge bags under my eyes? Are those caused by old age or by lack of sleep?)
















Friday, May 05, 2006

Is getting hit on bad?

I’ve been going to car dealerships all week looking for a new used car, which brings me to the question: Is getting hit on necessarily bad?

You may have noticed that most car salesmen are men. You may have also noticed that I am a woman, a married woman.

Now, I’m not talking vulgar or rude hitting on. That’s clearly bad. I'm asking about a greyer area.

Yesterday I went to yet another dealership and a sales guy who approached me, as is their habit. When I said I was looking for used cars he brought me over to a used car guy saying that he wished he could help me because I was lovely. He didn’t say it gross like “help me,” but kind of complimentarily (did I just make a new word?). At the time I just smiled, said thank you and went about my business.

But now I'm thining about it. Should I take this sort of thing as a compliment or should I be offended? The feminist, women’s study classes in college Anna says “That’s sexual harassment and I don’t have to take it, you pig!” But there's a part of the old, boring, married woman I’ve become that kind of thinks, well, it’s nice to be noticed and it’s not like it’s anything more than words. What do you think?


p.s. Does it make a difference if the guy who’s hitting on you is attractive? Be honest, now!