The end of another year.

2011 is almost over.  I don't know how I feel about it.  The year is ending with much tension and I don't like it.  Why can't things be easy and simple?  Why can't everyone get along?  Why do some people put other people in the middle of uncomfortable situations?

I'm always a little sad when the year wraps up and afraid of what may happen in the new year.  It's scary and exciting at the same time.  I guess all I can do is close my eyes, take a deep breath, and put my foot forward and take that first step into the new year.  I pray that it's a good one.  I pray that we all get along.  I pray we make it through in one piece, healthy and happy.

Good bye 2011.  Hello 2012.

I am a DUMBASS

So, last week I was getting ready for a night out in the City.  We were going out to celebrate my brother and his wife's first wedding anniversary (I had a great time).  So I showered, blew my hair dry and then further used my InStyler to straighten my hair.  I turned it off, unplugged it and placed it on its cooling pad on my bed.  I walked out, walked back in and sat down on my bed to put something on (or off, I don't remember).  Suddenly I felt this sensation, and it wasn't a good one.  You guessed it...I. SAT. ON. THE. INSTYLER.  It wasn't just hot...it was SCORCHING HOT.  Not just scorching hot but HELL HOT.  So now I've got a lovely burn on my ass.  I didn't think I'd have a scar visible to the general public but it turns out I will.  Only during the summer when I wear a bathing suit will this scar be able to be seen.  It didn't bother me much at first.  It is now though.  Oh well, live and learn!  I won't be cooling anything off on my bed any time soon!

Chellooooo!

Ok, so let's recap. Two years ago at this exact time, I was miserable, working in a job I hated, waiting to hear on a new job opportunity. In September of that year I got the job I prayed for. I had 9 blissful, stress free months of happiness. In July of last year I was forced to switch positions with someone else, doing something I had no idea of how to do. (Just imagine this; you are a receptionist at your office. The accountant isn't doing their job well. Management decided that you should become the accountant, they become the receptionist...yeah, that's what happened to me). Now I sit here before you today, as stressed out as I was two years ago (and that stress built up over a period of, ohhh, 10-15 years) and trying to figure out what the hell am I supposed to do now. Please don't misunderstand me, I thank God every day that I have a job. The benefits are great, the people are great, the job is just really, really, stressful. At least it is to me. I am already planning on how I will do things differently next year. But getting through this last month or so is proving to be very difficult.

Ok, enough of that crap.  I had a very lovely day today.  My friends and I volunteered our time at the Sheep to Shawl Festival at the Kissem House Museum in Huntington.  It was a beautiful day of sitting out, showing some of our knitted stuff, knitting and socializing.  It was such a pleasant way to spend the day.  Here are a couple of pictures:

The Spinning Guild was there too:

These guys were really cool: 

Call me insecure

So, a few weeks ago I met this....man. He turned me off right away after, on our first phone call, he asked me a question and in the middle of my answer interupted me and brought the conversation back to himself. I was hesitant, but after many phone calls and text messages I met him. He was nice enough, but I had no interest in him whatsoever. I mean, I could not for the life of me see myself with him. Afterwards, he walked me to my car and asked if he could continue calling me. Like an ass I gave in and said yes. I said yes because didn't know how to say no to his face. So he started calling and texting me every day. I kept putting him off, not answering, hoping he'd get the hint. I began to dread the sound of my phone. Then it hit me....I've done that very same thing. I am sure of it. And that realization really upset me. That was also when I decided to just call this guy and tell him it just wasn't working. I felt badly, but I knew I wasn't being fair to him. It was obvious he was very much interested in me and I decided I didn't want to lead him on and give him false hope. Although I could hear the hurt in his voice, he took it well and I feel better about it. I can only hope that I am given the same consideration.

Think Happy Thoughts....

I am terribly unhappy with my new work situation. It's not because of thee people because they are all very nice. It's just that I was hired to do one job and I fell in love with it. It was relatively stress free and it was fun. I guess hoping that it would last a little longer than it did was asking too much. I keep trying to find the silver lining, but it's hard. I suppose the silver lining is that I actually still have a job and I'm not one of the countless jobless people that are out there. So, I will try to keep my thoughts to myself and try to be positive.

What I did this weekend and Thank God for 2 day work weeks!

For those of you who do not follow me on Facebook:

Hello out there......

Geez, almost a year between posts? I've been so busy I haven't been able to catch up. Let's see...last September I left my job of 20 years and started a new one. I worked there for 9 months (the best and happiest I've been probably ever) and now in the infinite wisdom of the district I've been moved to a different position. Grrrr. I left one stressful place and now I'm in another. I guess I should be happy I had 9 months to recover and be blissfully happy.

Update.....

Wow, it seems as if I haven't been here in a dogs age! Well, let me give you all a little update.

After almost 21 years in the insurance biz, I finally packed it up and moved on. I haven't talked about it much but at the urging of my mom (THANK YOU, THANK YOU!) I took the Nassau County Civil Service exam almost two years ago. She went for bi-lingual clerk typist and I went for regular clerk typist. She scored very high on her exam and I was about average. A few letters came for me, but some of the salaries were way too low. I was unhappy in my situation, but I wasn't going to settle for such a low salary. If, on these letters you indicate you are available but not interested for a certain reason, they will not offer you anything in that salary range. So, for a while I didn't hear anything. All the while I was riding an emotional roller coaster at work. Some days were good, most were bad. I was under a lot of pressure. Whether this pressure was real, or imagined, I felt it. It was horrible. I felt as if I couldn't do anything right. I felt I was just screwing up all the time and in the insurance business that 'aint good! So, I prayed and asked God to please send me a job offer in a school within a reasonable salary. I promised him I wouldn't squander my chance and that I would do my best. Last December I received a call from a local Elementary school and went in to interview. I nearly had a nervous breakdown! It was right around Christmastime. Right after the interview, we received our Christmas bonuses and went to our holiday party, and my manager gave me a beautiful gift. I felt like crap at the thought of giving my two week notice. It was all for naught as that job fell through. I got back on the roller coaster and plodded through another six or seven months. I got a few more letters. Some I answered with a yes, some I did not. Then, I interviewed for a position in a Middle school. I got lost and arrived 15 minutes late. I actually think that worked in my favor. I was a little flustered but I interviewed really well. I remembered some of the questions asked of my at the Elementary school and felt better prepared to answer them. I also did a quick search on the schools within this particular school district and in the course of the interview, it came out that I had done that. It turned out that one of the women sitting in on the interview was the mother of a former high school classmate. She brought it up at the end of the interview and we chatted for a few moments. So as I was taking my little typing test, the secretary whose desk I was using came over and whispered excitedly to me.."THEY LOVE YOU!!" She implied that I was a shoo in, and I was excited, but afraid. I didn't want to take it too much to heart, but I left there very happy. I went on with my life, making plans, working, stressing and praying. A short time after that I received a call asking me if I was interested in the position and with barely a moments thought I said YES!!! I gave my two weeks notice on August 28th. My last day was September 11th (weird, who would've thought that day 8 years ago I would be starting a new life?), and I started a new chapter of my life on September 21st. Getting to work at 7:30am is a challenge, but I don't mind it. I love my new job. I haven't been this happy in years. Truth be told, I was pushed into that other job. Don't get me wrong. While I hate insurance, I love the people there. The company was good and fair, I just couldn't do it any more. I am so much happier now. I am still paranoid that I'm not doing a good job. I guess that's something left over from before, but everyone is so nice and I just got my 5 week review and it came out excellent, so, I guess I'm doing OK! Things are good. I'm happy. Really happy. It's a weird sensation, this relaxed feeling. I think I can get use to it.

My Special Half Day Off

On August 5th I took my half day to go into the city with my friends for a concert. We went to see Chris Issak at the Beacon Theatre. I highly recommend that you go see him...even if you only know a song or two of his. He's not just putting on a concert, he's a performer. He is so funny, and sexy, his band is awsome, and he just goes out of his way to please the crowd. He also has a meet and greet after the show. If you purchase something at the concert, he'll autograph it and take photos with you. We didn't wait around this time, but we had a great time.

Paige & Diane on the LIRR

The inside of the newly renovated Beacon Theatre.

Chris (yes, I've seen him so many times we are now on a first name basis) singing my all time favorite song, Wicked Game.

A few shots from the very long taxi ride to Penn Station.

Holy C---!!

Wow, so much has happened over the last few months I don't know where to begin. I don't know why I've not been blogging other than life has been busy. I also sometimes feel overwhelmed and after being at work all day my brain is scrambled. I tend to retreat into fantasy land rather than face reality.

Things are going OK at the moment though. I'm waiting to hear about a couple of opportunities that could have a positive effect on my life. I need a change in my life and hopefully one or two of these situations will go through.

More to come.....