I Survived!

I survived the past two weeks.  I knew I would and that yesterday’s trip would turn out okay, but getting here…well that’s a story I’m just too tired to write.   I’ll just say that despite all the frustrations and aggravations, the trip went very well.   We left lunch 15 minutes late which put us late to all our afternoon stops but my time estimates were pretty darn accurate.   And in directing the bus driver I only missed one turn.  One of maybe 100?!    Of course I expect to hear about that AND the fact that allowing 1 hour for lunch wasn’t enough.  We’ll just have to see. 

All this proved was that I need to somehow tell my boss that if she would just leave me alone to do my job I’d get things accomplished in half the time and one third the effort.  I can’t do a job when I know that every decision I make will be changed.   The end product yesterday was 90-95% what I originally outlined, but I had to go through multiple stages to PROVE what I already knew.   No, I'm not saying that I could do it without help from her and other people, but I had a plan, but I couldn't use it because at least 2-3 times a day I was asked when I was going to do something.  When I said today I'm doing such-and-such and tomorrow I'm meeting with so-and-so, I had to contact so-and-so that very minute.  It seems if she doesn’t know someone or something, then I obviously can’t.  Yet I’ve been working here 5 years longer than she AND I can add to that the contacts my husband and now my daughter are making, but...   

Oh well, such is life.  I just need to figure out a way to get these things off my chest without making things worse AND figuring out a way to do my job.  

 
Right now, I’m just exhausted.  I can’t think of anything else except how to get through the day and home to bed.

I did it!

I sent my application to Jix.

Gulp.

I sat down with my lunch around 11:30 and pulled up the latest chapter of Beatrix that I’m working on. I sat and stared at it for a few minutes, so I pulled up the lengthy document I’d saved as “JixApplication”. I started reading it and decided what the heck. So I sent it off.

I’ve been working on my website for several weeks. I completed my initiation story and am now confident that I WILL complete Beatrix. So why haven’t I applied to Jix?

Several reasons, the MAIN reason is because I know there are some people who won’t believe that I can finish Beatrix and may be hesitant to allow me to join if I force people to wait another three years to get the “rest of the story”. I have my own concerns.

Second, Inclusion. CAN I be a real member of Jix. I’ll try to explain.

Many if not most of the other members/authors have met each other, having attended at least one convention or small get-togethers. I’ve never been to a convention and don’t know if I ever will. Not that I wouldn’t love to, but the money, when you include travel, is just too much for me. Others get together on weekends, etc. Weekends…yes I used to have those. Anyway, I’ve been included in a couple small things, but very few and none recently. Sigh.

Even more of the other members/authors IM, chat or telephone each other. I don’t. I don’t have an IM name or anything and I don’t really chat. The regular chat time is Thursday evenings…when I have book club, teach Master Planner classes and of course two Thursdays a month start the day around 5:30 AM. When I AM home at chat time (9:00) I’m usually too brain dead to “chat”.

I’m old enough to be some Jix people’s mother…ahem well their aunt! I sometimes wonder what the heck an old hag like me is doing…We share Trixie but what else? That only contributes to my feelings of exclusion.

SO, sometimes I feel like I’m intruding in conversations between people who know each other in REAL LIFE, not just online. I know some people have stopped visiting the sites etc. because they felt slighted. At least one was ugly about it. I have never felt that strongly of course, but… I know a big part of my feeling left out is MY doing…because I don’t participate more. Period. If I were more involved, I’m sure I’d feel more included. Most of the Jix people are incredibly open, warm etc. but they ARE human.

Anyway, I love reading the fan fic. I’ve only read one or two stories (and I don’t think any of them were at Jix) that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, but even those that aren’t as well written fascinate me because I’m reading about my beloved Bob-Whites and how someone else sees them AND some of the stories are absolutely incredible. It’s been said by others, but I totally concur that some of the stories are better than some of the “original” 39. I’d love to get some real feedback from the other writers and I’d love to have at least one of mine included in that list. HAH. Wouldn’t that be a kicker? But it will never happen unless I write and then SHARE my writings.

So I submitted an application to Jix.

We’ll see what happens.

Now, back to work. :(

Monday, Monday...

can't trust that day
Monday, Monday, it just turns out that way
Oh Monday, Monday, won't go away
Monday, Monday, it's here to stay

Well, it’s 4:00 on Monday afternoon and I’d say maybe, just maybe, I got half of what I wanted accomplished at work today. Too much of it is dependent on other people who haven’t given me what I need. Also, I got whacked in the face when two people I was counting on to make presentations at this training meeting can’t do it so now I have to try to find replacements and I just don’t know who else to ask!

I’m also quite tired. I posted that my DH came home last week in considerable pain from an abscessed tooth. He went to the oral surgeon on Thursday but they couldn’t do anything because there was too much infection, so gave him some antibiotics and paid meds and an appt for tomorrow. DH was in so much pain he was up all night Thu. and just laid around all day Fri & Sat. with the heating pad on his swollen jaw. By Sat afternoon/evening he was feeling almost human again, but his sleep clock is all screwed up. His inability to sleep means he’s keeping me up. AND I couldn’t lay around all day today! I am totally whipped.

DH goes back to the Dr.tomorrow and hopefully they can fix it, but he’s been pretty miserable for several days. Of course, it will hurt after the root canal, but I doubt as much as it has! I really feel badly for him. He's the type that if he’s complaining I know it’s bad, but his messed up schedule is messing up mine! I need a decent night's sleep!!!

Almost forgot to share what an absolutely wonderful surprise I had this weekend! I was busy with my normal weekend chores when Buster started his warning bark that someone has pulled into the driveway. I peeked out and saw a car with NY tags. Can you imagine my shock when Trixie and Brian Belden got out of the compact car???? I immediately welcomed them in and offered coffee and pastries. Was I ever glad that I had been to Market that morning and had some wonderful and fresh PA Dutch sweets to share!

We talked and laughed for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. My DH joined us for a while, but he was feeling pretty poorly from an abscessed tooth and left the entertaining to me. Brian actually checked his meds and concurred with what his doctor had prescribed. He left his cell number if we needed him though. Yes ladies, I have Brian Belden’s cell phone number!

I was able to track down Holmes Morton and arrange for a time for Brian to visit him before he returns to school this fall. Trixie wasn’t sure if she could come back with him but he said he MIGHT bring Dan along. I can only hope. Two dark, handsome Bob-Whites in my home at the same time?!

To clarify, Holmes and his wife, Caroline, are neighbors who operate the Clinic for Special Children. This non-profit medical practice was created originally to treat local Amish and Mennonite children with genetic defects, but now treats children from around the world. The Mortons and their work are quite remarkable. Brian had heard about the clinic and when we said we know the Mortons, well he was too polite to ask, but it was obvious he wanted to meet them, so we called. Being Saturday, the clinic was closed and Holmes was enjoying a day with his wife and daughters, but he did arrange for a time for Brian to visit the clinic when it’s open and see a bit of what they do.

There are always medical students from Penn State and Johns Hopkins volunteering at the clinic, perhaps one day Brian will too!

Anyway, I was quite thrilled to visit with Brian and Trixie and hated to see them go. They did promise to return for a REAL visit to Lancaster soon. When they left, I sent them towards Maryland with a bag of Washington Boro tomatoes and a route using back roads where I am certain they encountered many buggies AND drove past the farmhouse where “Witness” was filmed.

TGIF

If this was a short week, why did it seem so long? I spent all day Tuesday and until late Wednesday preparing for yesterday. Yesterday, had a breakfast meeting and had to leave my house at 6:00 am to get there. It went very smoothly and I got positive comments re: my presentation. Then had back-to-back meetings until 3. Had a voice mail message when I got back from my DH, he was home and in pain. A LOT of pain. Turned out that Wed night he cracked a tooth and when he got up yesterday his jaw was swollen and he was in agony. He called the Dr. and they got him in at 1:30 and sent him to the oral surgeon at 5. He’s maxed out his insurance for the year so he needed me to come to the oral surgeon’s to pay his bill. Can you believe they wouldn’t let him go back today to pay?

Anyway, I left shortly after 5 and headed to the Dr., instead of staying late to prepare for a presentation I had to make today. My hubby was supposed to be out of town, my son working so I was just going to stay until I finished it. (I was asked to fill in for someone at the last minute so I was NOT prepared). Came in this morning and managed to prepare something, thinking it was for a small “informal” group. Got there to find that there were OVER 50 people, including state officials. I did fine, but I would have prepared a power point or some colorful handouts if I’d known. Just got back to the office and now need to decompress.

I have an EVEN BUSIER week ahead and everything I was planning to accomplish today is not done. I have several standing meetings that aren’t going to require much more than attendance, but they do take time and I’m working on two very big projects that must be completed before the end of this month AND I have to get some information/data to GIS before Wednesday. I’m really really trying to do that but…and I do NOT want to come in tomorrow. I will be staying late tonigh. The President, as in THE PRESIDENT OF THE US, is in town and they have closed off all the roads. No sense in trying to leave until 6:00. His campaign bus is supposed to go right by this building. Do you see me running out to wave? But that’s another blog.

So what am I doing? Blogging? Guess I should go back to work.

It's July 6th!

Where the heck did my long holiday weekend go? I actually had three WHOLE days at home and can’t name a single thing accomplished around the house. Not even the routine things like dusting or running the vacuum.

DH came up Thursday evening with my brother. They worked in the yard Friday while I was at work. Then we went to this restaurant that has a buffet of nothing but good ole’ PA Dutch food. Lots of potatoes, noodles, macaroni & cheese, potatoes, meat, gravy, bread, yummy desserts like bread pudding and apple dumplings. Oh, did I say potatoes? We took my brother there once before and he’s been asking to go back. We also invited my daughter and her college roommate. Got there and it’s $3.00@ more on Fridays than other evenings. Ooops. Just a bit more expensive than I thought it would be. Oh well. The food is good, if not plain and fattening. Rolled out of the restaurant and home unable to do much except groan.

Got up early Saturday to take my daughter to find a dress for a wedding next week. It’s a BIG social event and she really needed something. I figured I’d be home by 12 or 1, so I’d have plenty of time to get some things done. After about 12 stores and 40 dresses, she found one around 4 p.m. We stopped at a farm stand to get corn and at Costco to get some steaks to grill (and other things I always get there). When I dropped my daughter at her apt, she got her things out of the back of the station wagon and shut it. I backed out of a parking space, drove across the lot and when I accelerated pulling out onto the highway in front of her apt. the rear hatch flew open. I pulled over and saw that my gallon of milk had burst open in the road but didn’t see anything else so I slammed it shut and drove on. When I got home, I saw about $50-60 worth of groceries (primarily meat! but included everything I’d gotten for dinner) was gone. I went back, but of course there was nothing on the road! And so, I arrived at home going on 6 with no dinner and having wasted big bucks. We called out for Chinese, which was just spending MORE money of course.

Sunday, I made my weekly trip to the supermarket and then went to Home Depot to get paint and a new mailbox. Seems somebody took a baseball bat to our mailbox last week! Fortunately the mail carrier has been putting mail in a twisted dented box with no door this past week, but there was no question we had to get a new one. The old one was ready for replacement but…I got it at a Pfaltzgraff outlet many years ago and the pattern/colors matched the house we owned at that time. Colors didn’t match this house and it was a bit faded, but it was still in good condition and I liked it! I felt kinda’ silly telling the police officer (we filed a report since there were several boxes destroyed that night) when he asked me the replacement value. “Well, it’s a Pfaltzgraff. It’s pretty expensive.” Like he cared! Anyway we got one of those all-in-one-piece PLASTIC replacements. Ho-hum. See how long until this one faces a ball bat.

Yesterday, DH and I left my brother at home and went for a day trip. We used to do these a lot, especially BC (before children) and after they got old enough to go without whining. It’s been several years since we’ve done this since most weekends were spent taking care of my folks. We might have a specific destination, or might just have a general area to visit. Yesterday, we went to Ringing Rocks Park in Bucks County, then drove around the countryside. The park was a bit of a disappointment, but we did see some beautiful country. One time we were on one of these trips in VA, and came to the top of a mountain and saw one of the most beautiful scenes imaginable.; a beautiful valley with a country church on a small hill in the center of the valley Absolutely incredible. We then drove on to another small town and there was a friend of mine from HS whom I hadn’t seen since college days. (This was NOT near where we’d grown up) Gee that was a long time ago! My kids were running around playing tag or whatever and being generally noisy while she and I were trying to “catch up”. She was unmarried and childless at the time and still is! Of course, she now has her PhD and I…..well, I have two wonderful children. 

Speaking of….the reason I felt I needed to post something today. Twenty-one years ago today, my son was born. Unlike my daughter, the delivery was uncomplicated and he was a full-term healthy gurgly baby. It quickly became obvious that he was the sweetest baby and then the sweetest little boy ever. Even as a teen-ager, he was a gentle, loving son. Today, he is the sweetest young man I’ve ever met. AND I would say that even if he weren’t my son. He never leaves the house without saying “luvyoumom” and has NEVER given us any real worries or troubles. My ONLY concern in 21 years has been his lack of motivation academically. And the thing is, he’s always made good grades, I just know he could do better. But if making B’s is the worst thing I can say…

His dad is taking him out tonight for a beer. My baby?! Legally he may be an adult, but he’ll always be my sweet boy.

I’ll close by wishing him a very Happy Birthday!