Great Bus Story

Sorry, no picture, just a great story. Tonight on the bus, after a particularly uncomfortable situation that was resolved peacefully, we had a few minutes to spare before the bus left the stop and so the driver was passing the time chatting with us. He started to sneeze and the conversation turned to allergies that everyone seems to be suffering from right now. I said that it was the Junipers. The young man next to me said: "You're allergic to a planet?" and when I stopped laughing I explained that I was talking about a tree not Jupiter but doesn't it make a better story to say I am allergic to a planet?

Oh Happy Day!!

This is Dave and Felix, 2 of my favorite musicians playing a happy song. And you get a random listing of wonderfulness on my second day of the best change I've made in a while!
I was introduced to everyone who came by (as opposed to not being introduced to anyone for fear that if I knew anyone's name, I would chat with them)
A wonderful window to look out onto a wonderful courtyard that makes a wonderful peaceful place to eat lunch with lots of birds for company
Lovely people to work with who ask me to do something and then let me do it without checking every 5 minutes
Being asked what I thought would be the best way to do things
Feeling like I am part of a team
Working with people with a sense of humor!
Watching and listening to the President that I am so proud of making a wonderful speech, maintain his sense of humor, giving credit when credit is due and not making up words or smirking!What a class act he is. Smooches to Barry H!
And so my lovelies, I hope your day was as wonderful as mine was today.

Ch ch ch changes

The first thing you need to understand is that I work in temp jobs. Last year I worked at the same one for 6 months. I didn't renew my contract because the Crazy Lady came back after extended medical leave and made me too crazy to work. Crazy and controlling are a really bad mix especially when the same person PATS YOU ON THE HEAD to tell you what a good job you are doing. So a few weeks back, they talked me into coming back into the department because she was retiring at the end of February. Only she is more crazy and more controlling than ever. The second day I was at the job, she called me into her office to tell that I had to quit acting like I knew what I was doing and I had to act like I knew nothing so she could train me in this job (I trained her when she came back in September!!) And so I immediately started looking for another temp assignment. (remember, I did use the wrong hand to open envelopes, wasn't mean to the work study kids and many other crimes against the Crazy Lady policy of workplace misery)

So this is how my LAST week went, I know you are dying to find out!!
On Monday
Me: I am giving my 2 weeks notice
Crazy Lady: Why bother, leave now
Human Resources: You have to work out your notice, the other department isn't expecting you for 2 weeks
Me: I have to work out the notice
CL: Fine, you need to write a complete training manual before you can go, for the whole department (that I had been in for 5 days at this point and told I was too arrogant and my expertise didn't serve me well and now I was writing the training manual? Crazy, crazy!!)
Me: Okey dokey
Tuesday AM
CL: Is the manual done? I'd like for you to move on now
Me: Just started it will try to have a first draft on your desk my close of business
CL: Just get it done
Tuesday PM
CL Stop what you are doing, you need to train my replacement today and tomorrow
Me: Okey dokey, would you like to see the work I've done so far on the training manual
CL: What are you working on?
Me: Training manual?
CL: For what?
5 more calls made to HR Help me! help me! I need to leave early. Calls to new department, can I come now? Pleeeeeease!!!!!!
Wednesday
Trained her replacement all day, she asked me why I was leaving and couldn't I just last until she took over
Me: I don't mean to be rude but hell no
Replacement: This training manual is very helpful. Thank you for doing this.
Thursday AM
CL: Can I see the finished training manual?
Me: I have the first draft, here it is.
CL: Why isn't it finished?
Me: I trained your replacement yesterday and will be doing so this morning as well
CL: Why? I want that training manual before you go and it is time for you to move on.
Thursday PM
Meeting with the head of the department and the replacement
What can we do to get you to stay?
Me: Absolutely nothing will make me stay
Them: we are so sorry to loose you
Friday:
Replacement training completed, training manual completed and checked by those who do the job and found to be accurate. Crazy lady checks it out and her parting comment to me was "They are going to think you are so smart."
My parting comment to CL: I AM smart.
So now my lovelies, I am free to make the change. I love changes. I love the freedom to enjoy the change and I am going to enjoy the new department to the fullest because now matter what it will be better than one more minute in the company of the Crazy Lady. Thank you for listening and we will now return to the regularly scheduled programing.

Looking for the unexpected

My friend saw an elephant...
in Albuquerque...
in some one's back yard!
I know! How cool is that??
So I started my day with a touch of adventure and an intention to look for the unexpected today and to enjoy the journey. Whatever ever you are doing today to celebrate Valentine's Day, look for the unexpected and celebrate whatever you find. Tell me what surprised you today! You don't really have to do anything I say to do and really, I'll never know but what could it hurt? SMOOCHES

Grace in small things:
1. Beautiful sunshiney morning
2. News from a friend
3. Only 2 more weeks, 14 days, 112 hours, 6720 minutes,403,200 left of the crazy lady, but who's counting...oh wait, I forgot to deduct for breaks and lunch hours!!! WooHoo, less time than I thought working for someone who would like for me to use the "correct" hand when cutting open envelopes that will then be thrown away. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried...
4. Not having to blow my nose the very minute that I woke up
5. My crappy, noisy neighbors are finally gone, no more late night calls to the police!

And the bestest, goodest, most wonderfulest news is that I will have a new job in 2 weeks in a place where they think I'm brilliant and want me to be creative and talk to people and use what I know. And, they ASKED me to take lots of pictures for them. yippee skippee dancing is on going in this glorious sunshiney morning

Is this thing on?

tap tap tap, is this thing on? ...
testing...one...two...3
Is anyone out there?
I guess the real question is is anyone in here.

Thanks for all of the kind inquiries. I'm fine but
due to

unrelenting allergies,

intermittent internet access and

unfortunately returning to work for a crazy lady

I haven't been on line much.

But I did continue my daily lists and had I been posting, you would have learned of art in progress, amazing spring like days where I thought of dumping socks for the spring, the hope of a different job and finding a perfect place to eat lunch. They also included Kleenex with lotion and finding the winter jasmine in bloom. And these are the images that started and ended my day yesterday!



Grace in small things
1. Crocus!
2. Iris!
3. 8 robins in a tree
4. Crows on campus
5. Tomorrow's Friday..woo hoo!!!

A Moral Obligation

Know that joy is rarer,
more difficult
and
more beautiful
than sadness.
Once you make this all important discovery,
you
must
embrace
joy
as
a
moral obligation.
Andre Gide