Here's the Michigan Library. 

Here is the top of the tree in the courtyard. 

This is the view you see when you walk into the Michigan Library. 

Lucky for me the windows were clean! 

Just a few inches of water. Just enough to want to wade around in it! 

The swirling water around the tree just draws you in. 

Looking up! 

This gives you an idea how big the tree is. 

This one's for Karry! 

Went to Lansing today

The drive to Lansing wasn't as bad as I thought. No pun intended, but the drive on I-69 was actally pleasant. There was hardly any traffic until I got there. I thought I did well on the vocabulary and typing sections. As for the other 15 sections, well... I parked by the Michigan Library. It looked pretty new, I had to poke my head inside to say I was there. The whole place is built around a big pine tree. It's now the center of the courtyard surrounded by plate-glass windows. Around the base of the tree is a shallow stained-glass dish with water swirling around in it. You just was to walk into it. Of course I took pictures!

Anyway I just wanted to add what my definition of a "set for life" job is:
You no longer look for another job once you get one because,
-Raises can happen
-Advancement can happen
-Accumulation of vacation can happen.

It does not include:
-Getting a paycheck through an agency
-Calling your co-worker on their cell phone to wake them from their 2 1/2 hour nap
-And all the general shit-eating a crap-assed dead-end job entails. Nuff said?

Keeping fingers crossed

I'm driving to Lansing Wednesday for the Civil Service test. I hope something better comes out of this.
I'm hoping that "set for life" job will come.

Here's an altered tag I made not too long ago 

Here's Lookin' At Ya! 

Solarized Kitty! 

Sepia Kitty! 

Negative Kitty! 

Seven staples! Count 'em! (My mom took him to the vet for me to have them taken out). 

more bitching about work

Yesterday they sent out the older lady to train with me. That was okay, but the other chick threw a hissy in Kalamazoo. The SJ location is her baby. If I take time off, she's supposed to cover for me. I had a weekend anniversary trip planned and told the bosses about it, and they let me take it. Other chick is going on a honeymoon for two weeks, and will be gone that same weekend I am. So she's not seeing the big picture that everyone needs to know all the accounts. It's only fair. Meanwhile, we are still sifting through the mess the guy left that I replaced. Basically, you got a phone out of warranty, but have the service plan, and it plain just don't work, you get to take a different phone home with you. Same model, just not the one you walked in with. Our job is to send it out to the repair center to fix it and send it back to us to replenish our stock. If they can't fix it, they send back a different one. Same model, just not the one we send. Our job is to keep track of the ones we send and if a diffent phone comes back, we record the serial numbers. Well, the guy was swapping out phones that he never recorded the serial numbers, so there are phones unaccounted for.
Sorry about bitching about work so much, I talk about what I know, and so far this is all that is going on.

More training

Today I worked in the SJ location. I felt a lot better about the job now that I had my own area. Let me tell ya, the previous person left my area a pigsty. We cleaned for a couple hours. Then underneath it all was like six phones all tore apart, no paperwork or anything. So there was no indication whose phones they were. So I'm sure there they will stay for a while. The girl training me was actually nice, so maybe last week was a bad week. Underneath the desk I found the official notice the previous guy got notifying him of his bad behavior.
-Generic stop and start times on his timecard. Honestly, unless you have a timeclock, what else should you put? 10:58 and so on?
-Taking lunches longer than an hour
-Not doing paperwork
-Not sending phones in to be repaired
-Leaving his area a pigsty.

Doing the paperwork is so vital to the business. I say its 60% of the job. By doing it, the company gets money for doing the work from the cell phone company, and the inventories of parts are kept accurate. Do your paperwork, your parts inventory gets replenished.

As far as Jerry Springer news goes, my sister kicked out her boyfriend last week, moved his stuff out of the apartment...in time for her ex-husband to pay a weekend visit! He took her grocery shopping. Then she let the crackhead boyfriend move back in. Crackhead is eating the ex-husband's groceries.

Thursday night Comedy night

I won some free tickets to the comedy club for this past Thursday. It was bad. The place wasn't even a quarter filled, and people just talked among themselves through the whole show. Or yelled out stuff. And half the crowd were hecklers. They ruined the show. There was a white-trash bachellorette party going on, they were the worst. We got the worst table in the whole place, dead center, right in front next to the stage. My friend had to take a bathroom break right after the show started, she said there were people doing coke in the bathroom stalls.
So if I'm called offered free tickets again, I'll politely decline.

The job thus far

I trained at the main location in Kalamazoo Tuesday through Friday. I spent half a day with the person who's supposed to be doing my training. She's about my age or a little older, and not friendly at all. So I got pawned off on the other lady that works there that is older, but showed me step by step how to do stuff. She was really patient and let me do stuff by myself. The other one, well, just ripped stuff apart in front of me and didn't let me do anything. And she's supposed to be at the Saint Joe location until I know what I'm doing. Ha. Remember the Faith No More video where that poor fish is flopping around gasping out of water? That's me. And this unfriendly chick got the guy who hired me wrapped around her finger. I've decided to go through and take the Civil Service test. I was going to cancel, but I'm not confident in the training I've got this far. Besides, my family will be so mad if I don't. My aunt worked for the Secretary of State, my cousin works for the Liquor Commission, and my other cousin works for the Area Agency On Aging. All starts by taking a civil service test. Maybe I'll get called, maybe I won't. I owe it to myself to try. If this place I'm at don't like that, oh well. I worked Saturday at the smaller Kalamazoo location. Didn't get much in the way of training, it wasn't very busy because of the WMU game going on. But I did get to talk to the people there and they gave me the scoop on who I can talk to and who I can't. Mostly can't talk to the one who's training me. How confidence building is that? The few customers they got were regulars that the two guys there knew to handle with kid-gloves. These customers were regular pains in the asses.
I want a job, don't get me wrong. I feel like right now I'm being set up to fail.

Today's training

I had to drive to the Kalamazoo location for training. Holy crap, that's all I got to say. It's so technical and so much to remember for each model of phone. The morning was slow and I got to tear apart old phones and put them back together. The computer entry of all the work looks hard too. Then business picked up after lunch and I got to watch as phones were repaired as their owners waited. Got to see quite a few "this don't happen very often" moments, and a sales dude have a hissy fit. I had lunch at Panera Bread. We are supposed to get one in St. Joe and I wanted to see if we were missing anything. Yes we are.

We are having some hot 90 degree days, and I thought I would take Little Dog's bandage off. Almost got my face tore off. On the under side of his leg they shaved it very close to the skin, then they covered the wound with gauze and wrapped it up with stretchy sticky tape. It was pulling his skin off. I got the whole thing off except that mean part, and I tried oiling it down with baby oil, then in a brave moment I ripped it off like a band-aid. He didn't even flinch. I was sweating. I can't imagine taking the staples out. Oh yeah, I didn't mention that before. The vet said I can pick up a staple-remover from them and do it myself if it's less stressful for the dog. If I do end up going that route, I'm going to borrow their muzzle also.

This time, I pick the shirt color

I didn't have to go to training today because the whole company had an all-day meeting. Training starts tomorrow in Kalamazoo. I decided I better get a few new shirts. The guy that interviewed me wore a polo shirt with the company name, so I figured polo shirts were a safe bet. I found some in Sears, and picked the colors I wanted when I worked for the copy joint. I also got a new pair of navy Dockers in SHORT length and some new bras. As a new "got a new job" gift, I bought a long-sleeve shirt and pajama pants set with Snoopy and Woodstock.

Little dog is doing well. He kind of relapsed a little when he slipped on a towel we're using as a throw-rug in the bathroom. His bandage is starting to slide down his leg and I can see a staple now. Ew.

Husband thinks he could get away with stuff but should know better. Mostly about making messes in the kitchen and not me knowing about it. All I have to do is walk in there and feel the stickiness under my feet, I know he was up to no good. Or just plain clumsiness. He dropped a styrofoam container of cole-slaw (the vinegar and sugar variety) all over the floor. To his credit, he picked up every last shred off the floor. He just can't take the mop out of the closet to save his life.

Nothing much new here. We went to see Larry the Cable Guy Saturday at the Allegan County Fair. It was a good show, lots of new material. We had good seats. The fair itself is really crowded and unorganized. I'm used to our nice fair with straight rows and a little space between food vendors. And paved rows! There were some paved there, a lot not, all crammed between trees. And walking to and from your car you have to walk along traffic coming in and out. Didn't like that much. Our fair here is really organized and plotted out in a sensible way. I don't think I'll be rushing back to that fair any time soon. Maybe if they have a good show or something.

Pre-Operative Pup just being cute 

Post-Operative Pup! Look at the age-spots exposed on his shaved chicken-leg! 

You broke the kitty! 

kitty contortion! 

Jenny-Jen got a Jobby-Job!

I went to an interview today and I got a job! I'm going to be repairing cell phones. Area law enforcement agencies and the corporation where I was previously placed are clients. At first I thought it was just customer service, but when I found out I'll be taking stuff apart, I just lit up.

I wore my good suit and dress shoes. The other people in the office waiting to be interviewed wore:
-stretch pants and a t-shirt
-"dress" stretch pants and a hooded sweatshirt
-khakis and a shirt that might have looked nice in 1985.

While waiting for the phone call I baked myself a chocolate cake. I figured:
-If I get the job, I'll celebrate with cake.
-If I don't get the job, I'll console myself and eat the whole cake.

Training starts Tuesday, and I get milage to drive there. Things are looking up.

I dream of Woody?!?

Before the dog woke me up at 4 A.M. to piddle, I was dreaming I was at Easy Street in Coloma for a Welcome Home party for local troops coming back from Iraq. I just walked up to one soldier and embraced him, and he let keep holding on to what seemed like five minutes. I finally stepped back to look him in the eye to tell him thanks, and it was Woody Harrelson.

HUH?!?

Don't have no trashcans

I guess the format of this template don't have any trashcans to delete comment buzzards. I can hide all comments, but I can't delete each one by themselves. BAH.

Well Ain't This A Hoot!

My sister found out today her boyfriend's a crackhead. Up until now he's been telling everyone that he's having Ritalyn Relapse. What's more, he stole some of her checks! Forged her signature! I can't imagine how she's feeling, but I feel like I got my legs knocked out from under me.

help wanted

Please advise how to delete those damn spam comments.

Jerry Springer Time!

Let's just say I'm grinding my teeth over stuff I can't control. Serenity prayer not sinking in... It's actually quiet on my own homefront other than taking care of post-operative pup. My sister makes a habit of throwing out her boyfriend, who is my husband's friend, every 3 days. I guess it's getting really bad, and my husband's freaking cell phone won't stop ringing because he's supposed to be an on-call counselor. The dumbass keeps going back to her, she keeps taking him back. Epitomy of dysfunction. Then I see some of her qualities in myself, and I'm questioning my own sanity. Then throw on some daily New Orleans news, an upcoming 9/11 anniversary, one parent bitching about the other, news of an invalid aunt falling off a couch.
Where's the phone number to where I can reserve my desert island?

Post-Interview and a Post-Operation Pup

I think the interview Thursday went good. It's in the circulation department, and there is no one real job title, I think. It was described as a lot of chaos, working on the computer, answering phones from people who missed a paper, answering the dispatch radio from one of the carriers, ripping bundle labels apart. Everybody does everything. Problem is it's a little less money than I would like and a little less hours. And some Saturday mornings. But the Saturdays are rotated. No health insurance, just 401k match by the part-timers. I have COBRA coming so that's no too much an issue. I told the lady my aprehension about answering irate phone calls, my past experience with that left me scarred. The said job is not for sure going to materialize in the next few weeks, so I'm going to keep looking. The good parts was that there's plenty of opportunities for advancement. Getting into that Displaced Workers Program is still an option at this point too, I just wanted to get all this dog surgery over and my appointments that I put off while being employed. I am still going for that Civil Service test in Lansing. I will forever kick myself if I don't go for that.

As for Sharkie, the surgery went well. I felt a lot better about the whole thing when I saw the place. Brand new buildings and the interior was sparking. The receptionist put me and Sharkie in an exam room and I told her my concern with leaving him there overnight since he's so upsettable. And he bites! So she told me she'll ask the doctor if I could take him home later in the day. So then the doctor came in. Reminded me of my husband. Long hair pulled back in a ponytail and a scruffy short beard. I had to remind myself my vet at home couldn't say enough good things about this doctor's passion for his chosen field. I told him about how the dog bites everyone, so the doctor assured me I would be the only one handling him when he was awake. And I could take him home after surgery. He brought in the plastic aquarium that they put the animals in to sedate them. I put Sharkie in it and he closed the lid. Hoses are hooked to the tank and the dog goes to sleep. He told me he would still be knocked out after surgery and placed in a cage and I would be able to take him out when I pick him up. Then he explained the surgery to me, a little ligament is gone where two bones butt up against each other. Without the ligament, they rub like they shouldn't and this causes arthritis. Then he asked if I wanted to see how his leg moves. Now he was on a table asleep with a hose in his mouth. The doctor asked if I was okay seeing him like that, I said I was but really I wasn't. Somehow I choked down a mini-meltdown there as the doctor showed me how his joint shouldn't have been moving. I told him I'd call after 2 and see if he's ready to be picked up and I left.
I went to my sister's, we went to Meijer's and Hobby Lobby and then Burger King. Then it was time to pick up Sharkie. I payed first and waited for someone to bring me his meds when I heard him squealing like a piglet. I knew it was him and ran back there. Some woman that worked there who wasn't there earlier when I brought him didn't get the message that nobody was supposed to handle him. She was trying to lead him on a leash. So as predicted, he shit all over himself and the floor. I told them he would do this, and I didn't want to drive an hour and a half with a shitty dog. So I grabbed him and they brought me towels to clean him with. I left the crap on the floor for them! The doctor actually came out of a surgery to apologize. I opened up the pet carrier I brought from the top and placed him in and was on my way. I put the carrier in the passender seat so he could see me. He always wants to lay in my lap, but I didn't want him to hurt himself. He whined the the whole was home when he wasn't passed out for little naps. They do that when they come off the anesthesia.
Today he's a little more himself. He holds that leg completely off the ground. It's wrapped in a bandage and I got to keep an eye on him so he doesn't lick it. I carry him into the kitchen for him to eat, and carry him outside and set him in the grass to pee. He pees and then he looks at me like "I'm done here, take me back in". Then I'll put him on his blanket pile in my room. He just stays there and sleeps. I think his pain medication is pretty good to last all day. It's going to be quite a while before he's fully mobile, I'm glad I'm not working to take care of him.

getting psyched for the rest of the week

Tomorrow is a job interview. I already got my outfit and shoes put aside. My wedding/funeral/job interview outfit. After tomorrow, I would have gone to one of each in these in this suit. I'm more concerned about Friday. Friday I have to be in Grand Rapids by 9 A.M. to take my dog to the orthopedic surgeon. His leg sounds like cracking knuckles when he runs around. It's really sickening. He's having ACL surgery to take care of it, he has a ruptured ligament and bones are rubbing together that should be held stable by the ligament. I have full faith in this surgeon that got the highest recomendations from my vet. I believe my dog will be okay, but me, on the other hand, I'm anxious. If it were a kid, I will probably need to be sedated.
How do you parents out there do it?

Today I just turned on the t.v. and Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas was on. I really got into it! It was a cool story with lots of imagery. I'm probably going to rent all of the Disney movies now. I been hating everything that's on t.v. lately. Sopranos isn't coming out with a new season until next year.