Maxima

Yesterday, Thursday, we found out we work Saturday.  We have 62 people on our project and it needs 77.  We also started 2 days late.  So to not get any further behind, we work again Saturday.  Next week we also work 9.5 hours every day.  I still am looking forward to my 40 hour week in the future.

Today, when I came home from work, Blips had made dinner and it was fantastic.  He made Indonesian curry rice with pineapple, onions, mushrooms.  Next to that was sate chicken and peas.  I thought I was in heaven and then after coffee he revealed that there was tirimisu.  That dark ‘cup’ is all chocolate….mmmmm lekker.  I just might work 50 hours every week if Blips has that kind of meal waiting for me.  He said it was a special day because I get paid today.  Oh yes, double sweet to get paid also.

It is early on a Saturday and we are still not up, but I wake up first and I poke Blips and ask, “Did you set your alarm?”  He has to work every month at least one weekend.  It is hard for him to get up on time because they start extra early on Saturday and he has stayed up extra late on Friday night.  So, usually I have to push him out of bed on the work Saturdays.

This morning was so strange because I woke up when Blips said, “Did you set your alarm?”.  You see,  *I* had to go to work today!   *He* could sleep in.  It was so very bizarre.  But I kissed him when I left and he was so snuggled in tight for a long sleep.  ahhhhhhh, but then I opened the garage door and could not see the street there was so much fog.  This rarely happens and can disappear in minutes.  So, I called Blips on the phone since I knew he would want to get a picture.  I would like to say he flew out of bed….but I was not there.  I imagine he rolled out of bed and looked out the window…..then he flew outside and behind the house and got his misty picture.  Mona would be in it too but she sleeps in on Saturdays.  She doesn’t set any alarms.

My new job is going absolutely fantastic and I still love it.  I have had to work two 55 hour weeks in a row.  Now starting next week, I will work 40 hour weeks…..well, 15 hours less per week will seem like part time.  I have had to learn how to sit up very straight so my neck does not get tight.  And I have had to be very firm in my eating habits.  No candy, no chips, no cookies, no snacky things.  They all make me tired.  So, I bring in all my own foods including my green tea.  No pop.  As a result…..I am alert and focused all day. I have been working 9.5 hour days and that is all in front of the computer where I need always to be accurate and reasonably fast(no drifting).  At breaktime, I get outside and go for a fast walk.  I am happy to say, I also have lost 6 more pounds.  Life is good.

Remember Jessica, the Queen of the Lakes whose National Guard Unit got called up to go to war?  So she resigned her position of Queen and is in combat training now.

In a few months when her unit is deployed…..she will be a door gunner on a black hawk hellicopter.  Holy crap!

I got paid today!!  wooo hoooo

So, we had to take it to our credit union which is 12 miles away (not our local bank account).  Blips and I argued who should drive.  He did not want to drive because he hates and I mean he HATES the drive up window at the bank.  The lobby is closed and we have no choice.  He can’t understand what she is saying because 1-it is a machine and a bit garbled and 2-this is Minnesota and we round off things and slur them together.

He did agree to drive because I have to work tomorrow and my back is stiff from sitting at a computer.  I told him to just memorize these two phrases……..#1 “Fine, thanks”………..and #2 “Thank you, you too”.  That is all he needs to say at the pole when he puts the money in the tube and a fuzzy voice comes out of the pole at the drive up bank.  He thought I was a little nuts but I said I would treat us to dinner at our favorite Chinese buffet when the bank was done.  I insisted he learn how to do this because if I was not available, he needs to know how to get money from the fuzzy voice pole at the drive-up.

We get to the bank and the fuzzy voice in the pole says, “Hi, how are you today?”….to which Blips answers phrase #1-”Fine thanks” 

Then we hear some clicky sounds at the pole (the receipt is on its way), the fuzzy voice says,” there ya go, have a nice weekend”…..to which Blips answers phrase #2…….”Thank you , you too”

And our Chinese buffet was delicious.

After lunch every day, we all sit around while the “boss” asks us 14 trivia questions.  He calls it his ‘dirty dozen’.  It must be terribly dirty since he crams in 14.

Today one of the questions was…..where is Aruba and who does it belong to?   Guess who got that right!!!

I still love my job.  I am not quite used to being treated with respect at work but it sure is growing on me   I have been there one week now.  On Monday, we came back from lunch and the computers were down.  After 1/2 hour, they told us to get out of the building but check back in a few hours!!!!   People headed for Caribou and grocery shopping.  I went for a long walk.  The “boss” said to bring a book because this can happen at any time and then you have something to do.  They expect you to get paid for reading your favorite book.  I am getting used to being treated with respect and common decency at work.  I was describing my nice work conditions to my girlfriends and one decided to apply.  She starts next week!  I am so happy for her and guess what?????  I get $225 referral fee.  So, I am extra happy that she decided to apply and got the job.  It would be so nice to have the same break times.  So, yes, I am still alive and kicking.  I do spend some time each evening organizing for the next day.  That has worked pretty good so far since we have not had to run to a restaurant to eat dinner.  We still eat healthy at home.  And I do laundry and other household chores in the evening instead of crashing in the recliner.  It feels so good to have a job AND a life.

Blips and I made a snowman for Jonna and Nancy.  If you click on blips video camera, you can see it as it melts.  The weather on Thursday is supposed to be 40F.  It also sits in the sun all day, so should be tipping over soon.  We put a red heart on the snowman for love to our granddaughters.  Someday we will build a snowman with them.  I can hear them giggling already.  And bossing Opa and Grammy around…..do it like this!  And of course, we do everything they say.

I have a new job.  It starts Thursday March 8th.  Back to the 8:30-5 schedule.  It is a temporary job until the end of the school year in June.  I review papers for a college program checking for content, application and feasibility(does it make sense and is it possible).  So, I get to use my organizational skills.  I looked for something where I did not have to deal with mentally ill people.  I did that for 26 years and I wanted to move on from that.  Of course there are always a few dysfunctional co-workers and hopefully not a dysfunctional supervisor this time.  I sit in a large room with about 75 other people who do (kind of) the same thing.  Everything is on the computer…I don’t get to see the actual paper.  So, Blips’ car repairs and a couple trips this year will get paid for.   woooo hoooo  Life is good (smiling here).  I did not get the above job.  I got the job on the right.

Our second storm this week.  We are soooooo lucky.  I love snow.  Lots of it and especially when we are home safe and sound and watching it from the window.  Blips was home for two days and our day started when our neighbor Judy called and said……let’s get Carol’s mom’s snowblower and get rid of some of this snow.  We had had about 8 inches so far (expecting 12-18 inches).  So, here is Judy starting the snowblower.  And here is the Woodbury Crew….in our safety vest uniforms. Blips, Maxima and Judy.  Just as we got everything blown out…..here comes the city truck and dumped our driveways shut again.  So, we went back to work.  The white spots in the picture is the flash reflecting against the snow coming down.  When the city truck went by, he was laughing really hard at our ‘uniforms’.  I bet he had a nice story to tell about our street when he got back to ‘the office’ or at the dinner table. We had so much fun playing in the snow.

And here is Blips as he looked when he was done.  He did most of the snowblowing while Judy and I pointed.