Frog's Leap

Very rich earthy (oak?) Zinfandel tonight at Vinophiles meeting.

Extra Hair Style

It was actually quite a kindness that the on-set stylists pulled my hair up off my neck.

What's inside

I just noticed there is a hole at the base of the non-working back door large enough for animals to go in.

I am a rock.

Plinky asks: 

Is it easy for you to ask for help when you need it, or do you prefer to rely only on yourself? Why?

It is always hard for me to ask for help. It's not that I don't want help - I just don't know how to go about getting any when I need it. I'm just not good at knowing when or who to ask for help and I feel I should be self-sufficient. It's as if I should never have to ask for help and if I can't figure something out myself, its my own fault or proof that I am an inadequate human being. 

I think this is also a result of doing so many things alone growing up and as a young adult. There was a phrase I had on my fridge for a long time that stated: The man who goes alone can start today.  
Too often, there are things I want to do or take action with that no one else has an interest in at that time or place. And some times it is easier for me to proceed on things without hearing negative criticism of the idea or my execution of it. I get discouraged too easily. 

at end

"Good night, Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning."

evening out

Nice evening yesterday. I made it out of the house and to the East Atlanta Farmers Market, met up with Chaz and Mrs. Lounge and MonsterMustDie. Bought some rabbit boudin from Spotted Trotter and some fresh beet dumplings/ravioli and fresh red & green okra. Also met up with Tracy there in the village market.

Mrs. Lounge told me about a quite successful meal she had made by cooking fresh sausage and dumplings and then searing the pasta in the same pan as the sausage. After that she deglazed the pan with a bit of balsamic vinegar and added fresh cherry tomatoes to created a kinda deconstructed pasta sauce. I will try to something a bit similar tonight with what I have on hand here.

Mrs. Lounge also told me about her recent business trip to NYC and the difficulty she had getting into the library there, which has very short hours and is closed altogether on Sundays. The three minutes she got in on her last day in the City convinced her that she must make it a priority to return and, if she's lucky enough to have the time, take a tour of the library.

We decided to have a few adult refreshments together at the Flat Iron before Mr. & Mrs. Lounge headed home to cook dinner. We saw Bridget riding home from work in midtown as we were entering the bar and she and Nelson came back to join us for dinner before we returned to el Rancho. I had the Southwestern veggie burger with 'taters as a side. Nelson had the coleslaw as a side to his sandwich and reported that it was good and quite spicey hot. I need to remember to try the Flat Iron's slaw next time I'm there. We chatted about the voodoo artwork on the walls and their plans to move out of the Southeastern Bible Belt and into the Northwest. I asked them to have my guest room ready wherever they land.

Just punch me in the arm.

Sometimes I really do need someone to join me or give me a big push. My motivation to do anything by myself seems to be at an all-time low. I have not stepped outside the house by myself at all this week, except for one party attended with MonsterMustDie and mutual friends and out to dinner with MonsterMustDie and neighbors. Between fatigue, hot flashes, and general low self esteem, I have talked myself out of doing everything. My attitude has been fully self-defeating. I have not stepped outside the house by myself at all this week, except for one party attended with MonsterMustDie and mutual friends and dinner with MonsterMustDie and neighbors. Between fatigue, hot flashes, and general low self esteem, I have talked myself out of doing everything this week. 


Healthwise: 

The prescription I got for my nose healed everything in just a few days. 

We both had some digestive problems after eating shrimp at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants last week. Not knowing MonsterMustDie had issues with the food as well, I thought it was a UTI because the at-home test came out very positive for leukocytes. I'm still on antibiotics for that but wondering if I should discontinue use of them now that I feel better and knowing my room mate had similar issues that seem to have cleared up on their own (I haven't asked for details). 



Healthwise: 

The prescription I got for my nose healed everything in just a few days. 

We both had some digestive problems after eating shrimp at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants last week. Not knowing MonsterMustDie had issues with the food as well, I thought it was a UTI because the at-home test came out very positive for leukocytes. I'm still on antibiotics for that but wondering if I should discontinue use of them now that I feel better and knowing my room mate had similar issues that seem to have cleared up on their own (I haven't asked for details). 

nose fixing

I made it to the doctor's office yesterday morning. A medical practitioner for my doctor, who was booked solid for the next two weeks, took a look at me, asked a few questions and sent a prescription for something better than Neosporin to my local pharmacy.

MonsterMustDie had left his phone at home in his office so, since I was in the neighborhood anyway for the medical visit, I brought it to him at work before heading back home.

The pharmacy phoned on my way there to let me know that the ointment that was prescribed to me was over $100 an there was no generic equivalent for it. They put in a call back to my doctor, and I did too when I got home, to try to get a cheaper medicine for me to use. I told MonsterMustDie about this later when he phoned, while I was waiting to hear back about when and what I would have ready at the pharmacy and offered to pick up whatever the golden cure was for me. He just wanted me to do something about this problem that has been plaguing me all month. By the time he got home from work, with my prescription in hand, he said what they ended up sending me was ultimately just $15. Huge difference. I only hope this alternative works just as well as the other to clear the infection up.

maintenance and searches

Going in this morning to see a nurse practitioner about a sore nose that will not heal. It's been going on over a month now so I suppose it's time to see a medical professional about it because it is not getting better on its own. My nostrils have sores inside that will not heal and smell like a wet dog. My nose is clogged with blood and mucus when I wake up in the morning now.

On the job front, I am still looking for more work but I do have a short temp gig in Conyers lined up at the end of the month. I'd really like something much closer to home but I'll take whatever I can get. I'm hoping for more extras work and pet-sitting to come up again, now that I have time to schedule things like that.

want ads

When I started the job of doom several weeks ago, there was only one experienced employee in the entire art department, who had been with the company in different capacities for 30 year, and who is in bad health. There was another new girl who was in training on the Indigo printer and one other new prepress operator that had only been there two weeks longer than me.

Looking around the want ads today, I found this ad that is obviously for a position at the same company that dumped me out of the blue.

They are apparently replacing their entire art department, over and over again, as a way of working out problems that are probably more hardware and corporate culture related then employee related. During my time there, they were also looking for a new 2-color and 4-color pressman.

unemployed again

Just as suddenly and unexpected as it started, my job ended on Sunday night around 8:30 p.m. when the president of the company called from his mobile phone to tell me not to come in on Monday. Just like that with no explaination. I asked what was going on. I knew they were busy and I had been working 12-hour days along with everyone else to keep up, especially after a hard drive containing ALL of one client's most recent files had failed and everyone was scrambling to cobble new files together for them. He said they had made an offer to a former employee, of the company who was already trained on their procedures and very familiar with their clients, who had agreed to come back to his former job. That was all. Nothing wrong with me other than no one had time to train me and he was ready to jump in with both feet. 

All this after they had phoned me out of the blue with the job offer, were VERY insistent that I leave my then-current position without notice so I could start sooner (I didn't  - I don't believe in burning bridges so I worked out my notice.) and had me drop everything in my life with the promise of company health insurance that would have started August 1st, and long-term full-time employment. Now I'm worse off than before I took the job. 

There were problems working the part-time I had gig before this latest disappointment. I couldn't count on a predictable schedule enough to take any extra work and the pay was lower than I was used to. The hours flexed between 2 days a week or 5 days a week. It killed my film extras work and my extra freelance work but at least it was a very long-term assignment and a source of pocket cash that I would probably still have now if I didn't leave for the promise of a real job - and it was a lot closer to home. I had been spending over 2 hours on the road every day to and from work (no complaints because it seemed quite worth it to have a good job with potential). 

So now I'm back to where I was two years ago, looking for anything I can possibly get. 

I have learned a few things. Freelance is not worth the pain at tax time or getting money from a bad client. In that way, although it pays a lot less, temp work is easier at the end of the year. A temp company will always make sure they get paid as well. Part time is not worth the commitment if it kills everything else - it has to be flexible and on my schedule or it has to be full-time committed hours. 
And last: Never leave anything at the office overnight or over the weekend. The last thing I want to do is return there just to pick up my leftover stuff. They can have the Pantone coffee mug, note pad, and the half-eaten bags of chips. 

home again

It has been a long weekend. Friday and Saturday were spent in Alabama for the funeral of MonsterMustDie's mother (June 24, 1933 - July 2, 2013). We saw members of his family and a few old friends at the visitation on Friday night and the funeral on Saturday afternoon. Everyone says they must get together soon but you know the next time most of them will see each other will be at the next funeral. That's just how it goes as we get older and time grows shorter. Our lives get busier and more distant until our bodies break down to the point that we don't have the option of travel anymore. 

It is still raining constantly, every day. Alabama weather was no different and, without any break in the rain, we had all of the services at the funeral home and skipped taking the funeral party to the graveside. The pall bearers went alone to the cemetery. We waited until they had returned and everyone had left after the service to finish any business necessary and visited the grave before driving home. Both of his parents are buried side by side with his sister, Donna, who died as an infant. The traditional lamb on her marble tombstone was the closest thing to sculpture in the cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Alzheimer's research. 

Today, back in Atlanta and after a night's sleep, we went out treasure-hunting in the morning and then met up with Mr & Mrs Lounge in EAV, where we had brunch and spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and shopping. I designated myself the DD and encouraged MonsterMustDie to have a few more beers, loosen up a bit, and chat about cars (mostly), people, work, and gadgets, etc. 

Now we're home again to laundry, emails, catching up with the news, and preparing to go back to work in the morning. 

departures and arrivals

MonsterMustDie was able to be with his mother last night when she passed away, around 2:15 a.m. this morning. Her passing is a sad but I am glad he was able to be with her. It always bothered him that he was on his way to visit his father  in 2005, only to arrive 10 minutes after he had passed away, alone.
Also yesterday, his cousin K's first grandchild was born.

Someone comes into town just as someone leave town.

saying goodbye to June

I just got home from work. Not long on the road, I got a phone call from MonsterMustDie. The hospice  phoned to let him know his mother's body appeared to be shutting down today. He's driving to Alabama now, straight from work. There is no time to come home first or pack an overnight bag again. Once again, there is nothing I can do to help. He said he would try to phone tonight with an update.