Well, it had to happen. I actually had to work my butt off today at work! How DARE they! It started out fine. I got to enjoy THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES while I was eating my NUTRISYSTEM breakfast cereal. Then, I went to an empty conference room and was on the phone for a half hour completing an application for AETNA benefits through my employment agency. They’re not the best benefits in the world, but they’re pretty cheap and at least we’ll be covered! The COBRA we were offered through Eric’s union was just too expensive. I’m hoping to be working in a permanent job by fall, so it’s only for a few months.
When I got back to my desk my boss was there and he started throwing stuff at me right away. I don’t mean literally. He’s actually very polite. He just gives me so many instructions and I’m writing as fast as I can, but I get confused and flustered sometimes. Today, I was PMS’ing (sorry if that’s TMI for some of you guys out there!) and at one point I just had to have a conversation with myself to “stay calm, don’t worry, and just get through it!”
I had to pull together about 15 documents into two separate folders for two different clients in two different meetings. One client required 5 copies of everything; the other needed 8. Some of the documents went into the folders for both clients, but some were just for one; some just for the other. Then, I had to pull together folders for a meeting another guy was going to in China and had to add and delete slides from two PowerPoint presentations. Sound confusing? Welcome to my day!
I finally got it all together and gave the "international package" for the China meeting to a guy on the other side of the floor, and shipped all the stuff for the 2 meetings my boss has on Friday to a hotel in NY where my he will be staying this week. Now, I just have to worry about the package getting there on time. I sent a package last THURSDAY for MONDAY delivery in Milwaukee and it didn’t arrive until TUESDAY! Thank goodness it was UPS’s mistake and not mine!
One other thing that happened this morning at work: My boss came out and said he was SO sad. He took me into his office and told me that the woman I’ve been sitting in for is now in Colorado with her parents. She’s been very ill, and he said she’s dying. She’s only 40 and it is very, very sad. He was almost crying and I felt really bad for him. He explained that he had to call her and tell her that they’re posting her job, because by law you have to hold someone’s job for 3 months, and they held it for 4 months, but now they have to replace her.
He didn’t say anything about ME taking the job, or offering me the job, or applying for the job or anything, and I have to admit I was a little insulted, although I was relieved. I definitely wouldn’t take the job, even if we were staying, because I don’t like working for him very much and I think that there’s not enough for me to do and I really would go crazy if it was a full-time, long-term job. Also, I promised myself I would NEVER work for a boring company again and I’m determined to REALLY try to avoid doing that. That means no accounting firms, no investment firms, no banks.
So, even though I don’t WANT the job, I still want them to WANT me for the job! I know the woman who was training me (who has become my mentor) wanted me for the job, because she told me weeks ago that the woman probably wasn’t coming back and asked me if I wanted the job. When I said no, she immediately assumed that it was because of my boss and told me there were other jobs available in the office. She likes me. She really, really likes me!
I decided to tell her the absolute truth and told her our situation. Turns out she and her husband are thinking of retiring in 3 years and THEY want to move to Asheville! She already lived in Charlotte for many years, about 20 years ago! I thought that was a big coincidence!
So, the bottom line is, I told my boss that I would be willing to come back to work and keep temping until they hired someone, when I got back from vacation, but they may hire someone by then. So, I may only be at this job for another 2 weeks. It was a sweet gig, and was nice while it lasted!
When I got home this afternoon I was so exhausted that I fell asleep watching Dr. Phil. Eric was working on his bicycles all afternoon. There were three laying around the living and dining rooms without their wheels. He was doing “maintenance.”
He woke me up at 8:00pm and I made us salads and NUTRISYSTEM entrées. Then, we each had a little serving of gelato (you don’t need much!) and watched AMERICAN IDOL. I thought there were some stellar performances tonight!
After that, I went into the bedroom to watch the DANCING WITH THE STARS elimination show and Eric watched “cage fighting.” I don’t know how such a sweet, gentle boy could love boxing and cage fighting so much, but he really enjoys it. I find it very upsetting!
I DO have some great news! Eric and I actually have people to visit in Asheville and Charlotte! My sister, Audrey, has a friend, Judy, who lives right outside Asheville. She invited us to visit her while we’re there and we made plans to see her on Friday.
Then, I was emailing with a friend, Ted, who lives in NJ with his partner, Ricky. Eric and I have been friends with them since the early ‘90s when I met them when I was performing in cabarets and nightclubs in Manhattan. Ted is an amazing performer, writer, and director. Ricky is an amazing singer, pianist, accompanist, musical director, arranger, and all-around performer!
Ted told me that his niece and her husband recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, because they love MOUNTAIN BIKING! I couldn’t believe it! I asked him if I could contact her and he sent me her email. I wrote to her immediately and told her we were looking to do the same thing and that we were looking at Asheville, but would love to meet her and her husband and see Charlotte, too.
She wrote back and was so sweet and helpful. She sent me an email with about 10 links to places to go, things to see, mountain biking trails, clubs, etc., etc. It was fantastic! I also found out she’s a YOGA INSTRUCTOR!!! I love these people already!
Her name is Steffie and his is Dave. They invited us to come to Charlotte and Dave is going to take Eric out for a mountain bike ride on Saturday morning and I’m going to take one of Steffie’s yoga classes.
I can’t wait! It will be SO nice to meet new people and hear what they have to say about Asheville and Charlotte.