Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Shot myself in the Foot

I took the computer up to Indiana for the cable people to hook up for high speed internet! It is suppose to be even better than dsl.  Naturally ran into a problem! The people we are buying the house from where not moved out in time for us to be there for the cable guy!

So my wonderful portal to the world it sitting on the living room floor of my new home! And I am down here in Kentucky!

Due to further complications regarding the logistics of my move and beginning the new job....it may be the following week before I am back up! Two weeks! Great Mother of God!

I'm not sure I will survive the withdrawl!

Thursday, May 26, 2005

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

WILL WONDERS EVER CEASE

Just when you think you have it all figured out. Just when you have accepted your fate and circumstance it all changes! Just when I had begun to look forward to just being lazy all summer and not worry about a job I GET A JOB!

Astounding. I am blown away and totally caught off guard! Last month I tried to blow the interview when I realized how different this position was going to be from what I was use to doing. I even showed my hand, telling them the truth about myself! Mind blowing and gutsy move! Aimed at not being offered the job! I told Joe that since I did not want it, for sure it would be offered to me! And I was right.

I accepted for many reasons. First and foremost, having a job is so much easier than looking for one. Looking for a job is very stressful, much like a job. So, I may as well get paid for hard work, right?

They want me the 1st of June. I said yes, but I found out that is going to be a major problem! I will be working for the same company, just a different division in another department. My boss flat said, "No, not enough time."

So, I deviously went to the Head Muckity Muck of our center to thank him for his part in getting me this offer and offhandedly told him about the time frame problem...he said, "Go!"

So I went back to my boss and said, "P. say's Let My People GO!"

Who knows, I hope a compromise is made quickly. Maybe I will start the following Monday. I'm ready to go. It is going to be extremely difficult for me to leave here. They are like my extended family.

When I was offered the job officially by HR she told me they were looking forward to having me, the experience I bring, the evident enthusiasm, and my terrific sense of humor!

I am so looking forward to this. They expect big things out of me and I find that I usually will live up to great expectations. They think I'm a star! By golly, I'll be a star.

The house will be boxed up on the 6th and the movers arrive on the 7th. Our stuff should arrive in Indiana on the 9th. I'm having a yard sale on the 4th, the annual Taste of the Bluegrass is on the 3rd, we take possession of the new home on Saturday the 27th! It is a good thing I work well under pressure.

And somewhere in that time frame, I will be starting a new job!

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

MYSTERIOUS DOORWAY

The Round Robin Photo Challenge

I am entering Carly's photo challenge! Mysterious Door.

I have driven by this mound for many years. It is located in a country cemetery very close to Russell Cave Road, an old country by way or pike as we like to call them in Kentucky. I have always been curious to its purpose. It looks like an Indian burial mound. In an ancient Baptist cemetery?

Last week, after years of driving past, I realized it had a door!

The possibilities this unleashed in my mind!! It looks like an old root cellar, but in a cemetery? It resembles what I have in my mind what Pooh's House would look like, if I happened to stumble across it.. Could even be a Hobbit House. Is it a earthen crypt? Are the tools of the trade kept down there?

One thing is very odd, there is a chain on the door making it a difficult endeavor to break into. In the middle of the night when few to no cars are out on the country road? I think not!

A very mysterious door.

The other entires are.....

Karen...Musings from Mavarin

Duane...Sotto Voce

Steven...Sometimes Photoblog

Betty...My Day My Interests

Amy...Substance or lack of

Dawn...Dawns Drivel

Kat...From Every Angle

Carly... Ellipsis

                                                       

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

GIRL FOR HIRE

Adventures in Babysitting

It has been quite a while since I have been on the hunt for a job. Seven years if the truth be known. It is something I am looking forward to, new challenges, new landscape, learning something different. In a sense reinventing myself. I am happy to be leaving this job. I am bored, uninspired, and operating on auto pilot and have been for some time. A change is welcome.  Yet I find I must put the job search on hold for the time being. I have found that it is near impossible to achieve the objective, secure a job, when you are 300 miles away. It is too stressful. I made the decision to wait. Until mid-August! I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. I am free for the summer! I have some major plans in the works on how to spend my time. It is going to be wonderful.

And so here goes....my summer series "GIRL FOR HIRE"

JOB EXPERIENCE: Job Description: will babysit for room and board. Age requirement: none.

I was the oldest of six children. My two younger sisters were born in the mid to late 1960's, so they were almost like another generation to the three boys and myself.

Since I was the oldest, I was responsible to keep an eye on my younger siblings when necessary. My mother was the head Librarian at the County Library. She did most everything from home, but on Saturdays she worked the entire day at the downtown building. This was the late 1950's early '60's. We were a one car family.

When we were very young, I was in second grand, N. in 1st, T. was in line waiting to go into school and P. was a toddler...we all had chicken pox. Dad left me in charge while he went to bring my Mother home. In the spirit of a child's world, minutes seem like an eternity. My little spots were bothering the heck out of me, and since I was in charge I requested my brother N. climb up on top of the stove and open the cabinet above and grab the bottle of calamine lotion.

Naturally, he fell. He was crying, but that was nothing new, N. was a cry baby back then. When Dad arrived home N. was taken into the bedroom and his arm examined. I will never forget, one of those moments burned into my memory, my father holding his arm and trying to straighten it out and N.'s blood curdling screams.

He had a broken arm. But not just any old type of broken arm, his required surgery. And he had a case of chicken pox. Could it get any worse? Yes,we all got measles right in the middle of N's recuperation.

Did this stop my Mother from putting me in charge of the kids? No! Never!

I then went on to actually baby sit for money at the age of 12. 50 cents an hour! Actually it was not that bad, a 16 magazine was 25 cents, a 45 rpm record was around 79 cents to 99 cents. A pack of cigarettes was 25 cents out of the machine at Wilson's Drugs. (How did I know that?)

Babysitting was the first a very long string of occupations, jobs, hard labor and professions I have held over the years.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

PHOTO FRIDAY GREEN

SHE DIED IN 1870

Green...I first went through my archives and found a picture of Ireland that was the epitome of green. Then I found myself taking pictures at the Switzer covered bridge in Franklin Co. yesterday that challenged the green of Ireland.

Today I had one of those unencumbered, no demands on me kind of day. A lazy and delicious sort of day. I went to once of my favorite places to take photos, the Lexington cemetery. I could kick myself for missing the beauty that this botanical wonderland offers in spring. Everything is 1,000 times 1,000 shades of green now.

I found my Photo Friday entry in my picture wonderland.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

TOYS IN THE ATTIC

CAN YOU TELL THESE TOYS WERE LOVED?

I like to think that there are very few people who have moved as often as I have. If I am not at the top of the list, I am very close. Since leaving home at age 18, I have never lived longer than five years in any one spot. Since 1980 I have moved 19 times. Fort Wayne makes 20!

There are certain things that I have dragged around with me over the years. Such as Bridget's stuffed animals, Cabbage Patch Dolls, and her expansive Barbie doll collection. I do this for several reasons. The first, because I'm certain if she ever has a child, this baby Alphawoman will delight in Bridget's toy world. Secondly, because when I was a kid , all my beloved dolls were passed down to my younger sisters when I left for college. Not so much passed down, as a frenzied dismantling of my room occurred the moment I left! When I returned home the first time, those little rats had scribbled all over the faces of the ones I cherished! That will never happen to Bridget's dolls! Not while they are in my care!

I wandered upstairs into the attic this afternoon. I am beginning to organize for the inevitable. Going through the dolls was therapeutic. I am always transported to a place and time when Bridget was small and fast asleep with an "animal" held tightly in each arm. She named them "My Animals", or "Doggie".

My brother T. gave her the Cabbage patch premie doll when she was three. She called it "Baby" and  for many years every where she went Baby went too.. We were in Target one afternoon, she was in the buggy holding tight to Baby when a woman behind us commented (what is the matter with people?) how dirty Baby was. Bridget just hugged her tighter.

I took at good look at how grimy Baby was. I probably was silently relieved she was not referring to Bridget! Baby was a mess. I tossed her in the washing machine and laid her on the window sill to dry.

When Bridget realized what I had done she freaked! I had killed Baby. Bridget howled and carried on for what seemed an eternity.

It took awhile but she was able to grime up poor Baby back to normal. I never attempted to wash that doll again! Heck, I may even take her to bed with me tonight.

Monday, May 16, 2005

TOWN WITHOUT PITY

Graffiti on wall along side the river walking path 

Three weeks and counting until the move. Hard to believe. And I am beginning to melt down. Don't want to work. Don't want to find a job in Ft. Wayne, at least not right now. I find that I have to concentrate and focus on the here and now. I would love to wave a magic wand and have the move, the turning over of the car, the establishing myself in a new town finished and behind me.

Nothing is that easy and I must wait it out.  There's no crying in baseball. (my bosses comment when I finally told him about the diaster last week...I did start crying).

Been looking and exploring the area. Found a lovely running path in the down town area at the Rivers Head Park. It extends out the eight miles to New Haven!

It gave me the much needed inspiration. And I took the first steps. In no time at all I will be running eight miles!

 

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

WHICH COUPLE ARE WE?

LOUISVILLE AIRPORT BEFORE FLYING TO IRELAND MAY 2004

I  really got into The Amazing Race this season. I guess it was  because of Rob & Amber that I became so interested and then hooked. Last night I was cheering for the couple that won! I was so excited that it took me till 1130pm to calm down enough to fall asleep.

I was so impressed with the respect and the patience they displayed towards each other. The one episode where she submitted to having ALL HER HAIR cut off caused me to fall in love with them. He sat beside her and held her hand, kissed her cheek, and wiped away her tears. He was awesome and she was so brave. I was so happy to see them win the million dollars.

Something very terrible  happened today at work. Something that only I know about. My first instinct was to call my boss and pass on what had happened. On second thought, I knew I would be in terrific trouble for no other reason than it happened on my watch. No matter why, no matter the surrounding circumstances....it is my account and I am responsible. The buck stops here. 

I shared what had happened with my better half. He bluntly stated that I have always had trouble, had courted trouble, because I am reactionary. He went further and pointed out my other faults, (i.e. procrastination, dirty dishes in the sink, not crazy about mowing the lawn....)

Instead of defending myself with excuses and explanations, I said, "You know if we were on the Amazing Race we would be one of the couples bickering at each other throughout the entire show!"

I really would like to have been the couple that worked together with mutual respect and tolerance towards the  million dollar pay off.  Because this is reality, I know we would be the couple choking each other in the back seat of the cab.

After the choking scene, I'm certain he would say something like "I'm a winner as long as I have my Mary".

Our anniversary is Friday!  I think I will choke him when I see him tomorrow!

Sunday, May 8, 2005

MOTHER AND CHILD

MY MOM AND I  WHEN I WAS FOUR MONTHS OLD

When I think about my Mom in my minds eye she is always young and vibrant.  I see her the way she was for the many years I was her child, one among the many, but I was the first.

I was a big headed baby and she was in labor for over two days with me...or so the legend goes.  I'm surprised she ever had any more children. 

Triva about my Mom. Her nick name as a teenager and college student was "Turkey".  I never understood this.  All her pals called her this, and it mortified me as a kid! As most things about my parents did at the time.  Now I realize that all her children were the luckiest kids in the world to have two of the best parents that ever lived.

I love you Mom and sorry for all the pain I caused you from 1969 - 1977. 

Saturday, May 7, 2005

GHOST OF DERBY PAST

During my first attempt at college I was fortunate enough to attend the most famous Kentucky Derby in modern history. In 1973 I saw the unbeatable and undoubtedly the greatest race horse of the last half of the 20th century Secretariat win the 99th Derby.

It is my favorite Derby not only because of Secretariat, but because my best friend in the whole world went with me. The next day she bordered a plane and I did not see her again for 20 years! Every Derby since we have written each other. This day and age we email on the first Saturday of May. She has a Mint Juliep and remembers the  year she spent at Murray State University that culminated with a Derby and a flight out of Bluegrass field for a rendezvous with her destiny.

Me, I was left behind to attend many more Derby's. Not one of them was ever as exciting or memorable as that Saturday in May in 1973 .

Fast forward to Mothers Day 2003. My sister Omega and I were cleaning up the family room after a recent flood. We were removing the carpet, rearranging the furniture, cleaning and disposing of the spoils of spring. We decided to move the twin bookcases, which are placed side by side so close they look like one bookcase, so we could clean under them.

We removed the books and then moved the first one.

"Look" my sister said as she peeled a tote ticket that had somehow fallen in between the two cases and had been hidden from sight.

"Oh , oh... The Derby, 1973!!!"

We raced upstairs to show Mom what we had found. Not to chastise her housekeeping skills  but because  she and Omega are both in the Thoroughbred Industry and an artifact  like this, an actual tote ticket from the 99th running of the Derby was an exciting find!

The ticket was a WIN ticket for #1.

We got out one of Moms reference books and saw that the #1 horse was Angle Light.

I arrived home and immediately began looking for my old Derby program from that race.

Guess What? Go ahead, guess what?

Angle Light was coupled that day. To Secretariat, who ran as 1-A.

We found a winning ticket for the 99th Kentucky Derby! 30 years later!

 

Friday, May 6, 2005

PHOTO FRIDAY - ACTION

MORNING  WORKOUT AT KEENELAND

In tribute to the running of the Kentucky Derby 131 tomorrow in Louisville....

 

Monday, May 2, 2005

MONDAY PHOTO SHOOT - Significant Other

I have seen the entries for the Blogfathers Monday Photo Shoot and they look like so much fun I thought I would join in.

This picture is so old.  A long time ago because the little girl is no longer so little!  We would joke about how many pictures I took of him and her, of him.  I called it "My study of Joe."  I imagine I have thousands of them.  I love this one.  It really captured the moment.

The other day I was taking the garbage to the trash bin in the apartment parking lot when I noticed a white car pull into the parking lot and then pull into his parking space.  A man got out of the car and I knew it was him, but right before it registered I thought, "What a good looking man." It made me smile.

THE INTERVIEW

I went up North to interview for a new position in the company I now work for. It was an intense ninety minutes. The position is in a different department with a totally different customer base and market conditions. They guys in the department here in Lexington prepared me for the questions that more than likely would be thrown at me. Many of them came up, but several were new and unanticipated and a bit unsettling.

You can prepare yourself all you want, but you can not cover every scenario. And the biggest one being I was not convinced I wanted this position.  I decided that I better stop being so charming and give myself some wiggle room. It arrived with the question, "What three things would you change in yourself if given the opportunity?"

I took a deep breath and thought, "What you see is what you get" and then I started to talk. I could not believe what I was doing! I'm certain they were as shocked as I!! I had already anticipated this question and had my little stock pile of things that on the surface sound like faults, but really are not. Such as, "I am too competive, I wish I could relax on week ends rather than think about work." The usual line of B.S. Everyone knows it, everyone expects it.

I was honest. I said, "As long as I am being candid, why stop now. I wish I were a better listener. I think everyone can improvement in this area. Everyday I run across people who hear what they want to hear, not what is being said to them. I want to improve that in myself."

"I wish I had more of a sense of urgency. My procrastination is a constant source of stress."

"And last I wish I were less of a perfectionist. I hate to wake up in the mornings with my very first thought as I sit upright in bed, "I MUST CHECK ON THAT FIRST THING!!"

With my luck it will back fire and they will be totally amazed at my confidence and verve.

I am also having a telephone interview with one of the major radio stations in the area! Now that sounds like FUN! I am also sending a resume to the PBS station. They are looking for a commission only advertising executive, make your own hours. I keep thinking of the long snowy winters.

Us Southerners make terrible winter drivers.