Brief Pointless Story, Unrelated Cat Photos

I have a vague memory of going online recently and requesting a coupon (that I'd read about somewhere, who knows where) from Greek Gods yogurt. And by "vague memory" what I really mean is that when I saw their logo on the small box that came Priority Mail today, I was puzzled, and thought, "Coupon? Maybe? Only why a box for that?" Because it's not like they were going to send me a free sample of yogurt through the mail, you know?

It turned out to be coupons (two for free products, two for a dollar off), and a t-shirt that says I Am A Greek Goddess. Which is really nice, in a puzzling way. Am I truly losing my memory?

Probably. Let's look at the cute cat photos and not think about it too much.

Can't you see I'm washing?

A little privacy is too much to ask for?

I ... I don't think I ask so much.

What, the toes?

What about them?

Really, lady, do you know how strange you are?

In Which The Already Thick Plot Thickens

Well! Another turn on the roller coaster. My boss called me into her office today, which by the way brings out such a called to the principal's office, I'm in trouble vibe, doesn't it?

But actually I wasn't in trouble: she wanted to tell me that she's filing the paperwork to extend my position "into next year", that I'm doing a great job and catching things even she doesn't see, which is great, and ... and ... I wanted to ask why she hasn't told me this before, why her feedback has consisted of telling me twice in four months that I'm doing well on a project, why she waited until two weeks before the end to mention any of this.

And no, I didn't open that particular can of worms, just said that it was nice to hear, period. But when she pointed out that the original term end date is coming up, I also wanted to say, "Did you think I'd forgotten that?" Which I also did not say.

She asked if I was interested, and I said that well, I've started to make other plans (she looked surprised), but nothing that was firm yet. She said that she would put the paperwork in, and I could let her know if I was interested, and I agreed.

This was, by the way, about an hour after I called back The Guy who called about The Job, but it went to his voice mail. Pins and needles...

So! Pros and Cons!

Pro: It is a job in the most basic sense: it provides a paycheck, with which to pay my bills.
Con: It does not pay enough for comfort. If my mother wasn't a generous person, I would have been pinching pennies big-time this summer.
Pro: It is a job that I already have. No interviews, no waiting and hoping, no selling myself to a stranger. I know the routine and mostly what to do, when, and where.
Con: I hate-hate-hate the commute. And if I hate the T in rush hour in summer and fall, how much will I hate it in winter? Freezing and snow and slush? Coats and boots and scarves and complications?
Pro: It is more or less what I want to do. I don't love the company itself, the way they do things, but it's so much better than the last job.
Con: Very basic benefits. Basic medical and dental, but no paid vacation or sick time.
Con: No certainty. It's still a temp job. I know better than some how there's no guarantee at any job*, but with a permanent job, there is the illusion of certainty.

*Since I moved back to Massachusetts seven and a half years ago, I've worked for four different companies--and at one of them, I had three different jobs.

And as my mother pointed out, if I agree to stay past October first, that doesn't commit me to staying as long as they decide they may want me to. (Someone in the department told my neighbor that his end date was supposed to be last year, and here he still is.)

Have to think.

In other news, I tried on the sock-in-progress tonight, and doesn't it fit! Like it was made for me.


You can see that the yarn vulture was supervising me closely.


He really wants to grab the dangling ends. No!


He can't understand me at all.

Change of Plan

Well, I was going to write more about the Bruins rookie game last night, and share some of the many, many* pictures I took, but that will have to wait, as I have far more potentially exciting news. Well, I was excited by last night's game, too, but this is different.

*Over 100. Yes, really.

I got a call from the company where I applied for a job Tuesday night.

Ack! Yay, but eek.

It was late this afternoon, and I was on my way to a doctor's appointment, so I didn't call back. I will do so in the morning. He said that he wanted to ask me a few quick questions before passing me off to the director to set up an interview. So all I have to do is not sound like a fool or lunatic on the phone, and I'll have an interview.

Deep breath.

This may not be it, in the end. I know that, and that's okay. It's just such a rush to get the call, you know?

I will, of course, tell you what happens. In the meantime, here's four seconds of hockey. You know, to hold you over.

Summer's End is Not All Bad

Monday night was stitch and bitch. Last night, my only errand was to pick up a book at the library, but I had a bunch of stuff to do and fell into bed at 10 wondering where the time went.

And tonight? Hockey time! I went to see the Bruins rookies play an exhibition game against the Islanders rookies. Hockey time! It was awesome! And I'm exhausted! And wired! Yikes!

Many, many photos to come. But not tonight.

Oh, all right, one.

Guess who won the game? :)

A Possibility Makes Me Happy; the T Does Not

I heard about a proofreading job opening recently, but it has two big strikes against it: it's temporary, and it's in Boston. Been there, hated that! I don't want to be a temp again--I will as a last resort, but it is absolutely not my first choice. And of course, neither is working in Boston. I may have to compromise on one point or the other, if it comes down to the hard choices, but I'm not there yet.

But then! To my great relief, I found a good listing. Well, if by found it you mean it was e-mailed to me via CareerBuilder. Tomayto, tomahto. It was such a relief to read the description and nod, instead of shaking my head. I applied tonight, and nothing may come of it, but it raised my spirits anyway, merely by being what I'm looking for.

The bus was late this morning, after I was running a couple of minutes late myself and half-sure I would miss it. It was late, and it was the kind of crowded that had the regulars telling each other that "I've never seen this bus that crowded!" We had to keep pushing back and back, and by the time I got off, I was practically doing Lamaze breathing. (Shudder)

The train was just normal crowded, not too bad, but the announcements were different today. I don't know if this was one driver's quirk, or a new program. On the Orange Line, they usually announce what the stop is, with any connections, and which side the doors will open, as the train pulls in. Then as it pulls out, there's a shorter announcement about what stop is next. So you usually hear:

"Wellington, change for local buses, doors left."
"Next stop Sullivan."

Some expand on it slightly, but most stick with the very basics. Which, to be honest, is fine with me, given that I'm going through the same stations ten times a week. At this point, I could give the announcements myself with only infrequent glances at the map.

But today was apparently "pretend we're de-planing" day.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The next stop will be Wellington Station. Change for local bus connections. All the doors will open on the left side. Please remember to take all your personal belongings with you. Thank you for riding the MBTA."

Seriously? A dozen times? Some of the stops are so close together that the two announcements became one:

"The next stop is Downtown Crossing. Change for the Red, Green, and Silver lines. Doors will open on the right. Downtown Crossing. Change for the Red, Green, and Silver lines. Doors open on the right. Please remember to take all your personal belongings with you. Thank you for riding the MBTA."

Puh-lease.

Briefly (ha, as if)

I was so tired last night from my apple-picking (and carrying), I was in bed way early. And though I'm not quite that tired tonight, it was an annoying day at work and that took it out of me. Stitch and Bitch was fun, but I'm pooped.

At work I was still mired deeply in the hateful project from last week (All Freakin' Day, and not done yet), and at one point I was trying to look on the bright side and musing that since I have to wait for the program to run, there are built in breaks to the process. It's just a few minutes here and there, but at least you can look away from the computer.

I was leaning back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling to stretch my neck, and wondered what I'd say if my boss came along just then. "I'm waiting for Godot," I decided, and it was a minute* before I remembered: Godot never came.

*Hey, high school was a long time ago.

Fortunately she didn't come along while I was snickering about that one.

Then my commute was Even More So than usual. The station was so crowded when I got there that I didn't get on the first train, but waited (fortunately just a minute) for the next. Not too crowded, and a few stops later I got a seat, phew (starting the heel on a sock is really much easier when seated).

And a stop or two later, several dozen Spanish-speaking teens and a few adults shoved their way on like it was the last train out of a war zone. Crazy! I just kept looking at my knitting (I'm not here, I'm not here, just keep knitting) while they made the car the most sardine-can crowded it can be, though I did look up when a bite of someone's snack, yes really, bounced out of his mouth, off my arm, and onto my neighbor. Can I just be an old fart for a moment? Kids! Jeez louise.

Anyway. The point of the what-a-crazy-day stories was to say that I'm not going to say much more tonight. (Typically, it takes me eight paragraphs to get there. No wonder I have no interest in Twitter.) But here's a link, if you:

1. like cats
2. saw Google's home page the other day when the letters were made up of little balls that broke apart when you moved your mouse over them--or if you didn't see it but wish you had!
   

Click here (sorry, it won't embed). Enjoy!

Too Many Apples?

I went apple picking with friends today, and, well, I came home with a bag of 19 pounds of apples. I wanted a lot so I can make plenty of applesauce, but I may have overdone it.


Still, it was a fun way to spend the day, and the applesauce will be good all winter.


It's a good thing I don't have to make it tonight, though. I wouldn't want to lift my arms for that long.


It was surprisingly tiring, all that fresh air and heavy lifting. The three of us adults were all wiped out after, and ready for a nap.


The kids, of course, weren't noticeably tired. I'm convinced that children have so much energy because they siphon it from nearby adults. It would explain a lot.

Remembering

I wore the bracelet every day. I got it a few weeks after September 11, 2001, and wore it every day for years. Thinking about tragedy, and hate, and hope. About hockey and life and living for the moment.

And although I eventually stopped wearing it, I still have it.

Even a Blergh-ish Friday Ends in a Weekend

This morning I got to "train" my sometime-fellow proofreader B in the bizarro task that drove me nuts yesterday (repeat after me: the blind leading the blind). I found myself saying two things over and over:

• "I don't know why...", and
  
• "...which I find really irritating."
  

This may help explain why this crazy project bugs me: I don't enjoy being made to feel stupid and irritable. Funny, that.

Today wasn't actually quite as bad as yesterday, though it was in no way fun. Mild cramps and the attendant feelings of bleh didn't help. But it's Friday, and after I sleep late tomorrow, I hope to spend some time like this:



Meanwhile, tonight NESN is showing a Bruins game from last year (and surprise, they're winning!), and I think I may have the energy to knit while watching it.

Let's Look At Pictures (instead of extended whining)

Today at work was a day that even the wonder-socks couldn't make good. Between the tortuously labyrinthine computer program here and the Excel-as-I've-never-used-it-before there*, probably the best part of this day was spelling "tortuously labyrinthine" correctly at the first try. And while I'm proud of that (word nerd alert!), it isn't much of a high point to the day.

*Damn it Jim, I'm a proofreader, not a computer programmer!

So while I have the new socks due to show off, as well as the drop stitch scarf that I finished recently, and the start of the next socks and a little shawl for work, am I showing you any of these now? No, I am not. The time of year is swinging toward not much sunlight when I get home, which means waiting for the weekend to get decent photos.

However, I can show you photos I've already taken! Flowers and seashells and yarn tease, oh my.

Yarn tease number one: this is going to be a shawl, a little one for those times at work when I get a chill down the back of my neck.


I got it and the next yarn last Fall, at Apple Festival and Rhinebeck respectively. (Re-read it here.)

Yarn tease number two is, of course, destined to be more socks. Socks socks socks! Same pattern as the oh-so-recently completed wonder socks.


Mmm, blues. The good kind. And more:


I only recently learned how literally morning glories take their name, when one afternoon a friend pointed out a plain green bush and told me that in the morning, it was covered with lovely blue flowers. I got to confirm that another day. Gorgeous! And pink isn't too shabby either.


I also like those flowers furled in the morning dew.

Some more Cape shots. A good clock for a vacation house:

Just love the porch!

Signs and more signs

Always good to conclude with a cat shot.

Tomorrow won't be any better than today at work, but it will be Friday, and that means the weekend. Eyes on the prize!

Quick Knit Note

There comes a time in a knitter's life when she has to knit more than she has to blog about knitting. So, to be brief:

Done

Next

And more next

Later, gators.

Resuming the Resume leads to...

Yesterday I finished updating my resume and posted it online at Monster and Career Builder.

Today, the e-mails started coming in, highly appropriate and selective. Such as:

• "consider joining MetLife as a Financial Services Representative."
• interview with Aflac (favorite sentence: "I know your past experience may not have been focused on sales or insurance and you may not have considered a career in insurance sales, but some of our most successful associates had resumes just like yours." I know everyone thinks they're special and unique, but I doubt anyone has a resume "just like" mine, moving through retail, financial, medical device, educational publishing, medical device, educational publishing.)
• consider Epic, "one of the world's premiere developers of healthcare software." I could "Improve healthcare, get great benefits, and wear jeans to work. (And we'll cover your expenses for the move to Madison.)" Is there a Madison other than the one in Wisconsin? The one more than one thousand miles from me, the person who has indicated I am not interested in relocating?
• a recruiting firm called Job Serious (seriously?), with a friendly message claiming to have "received" my resume, and concluding with a cheery PS about the weather in my town and theirs, and a PPS: "What do Queen Elizabeth I, Buddy Holly and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde have in common? Today is their birthday!"
• an insurance firm that is "currently interviewing for a full time sales agent position", which I would hate only slightly more than I would suck at doing.
  
• a "Part Time Freelance Writer Opportunity" that sounds much like the various write-for-us listings I've seen, with lots of input for not so much compensation. Let's just say I'm hoping for a position that has more of an advantage than "No fees or start-up costs".
  

Well. It is early days yet.

**********
This is the source of my recent physical discomfort:


I had that sore throat for a few days last week, and have been seriously congested for I don't even know how long since. Sniff. Hack. While I'm glad that HurricaneTropical Storm Earl didn't do a lot of damage around here, he didn't do the pollen cleansing I was hoping he would.

Such a Nice Weekend

I had a wonderful weekend, so now there is definitely this going through my head:



But it was wonderful, the Cape was beautiful and peaceful, with good company and good food and great weather, and really what more needs be said? Just look and enjoy, while I go brace for the week.

See the bird in this one?

Home Safe; Pooped; Thankful for Tomorrow

I'm back from the Cape, having had a wonderful time. I'm inexplicably tired, so I'll leave it at that for tonight! I'm tremendously pleased to have tomorrow off, with no big plans.

If you have a moment, wish Kate well on her recovery from an attack of diverticulitis this week, yikes.

And meanwhile, here's another picture of my brother's new kittens:


Cute!

Stormy packing

She's in the mood for summer in New England...

Well, "they" keep changing their minds, but right now Hurricane Earl is looking to be a non-catastrophic visitor to Massachusetts tonight, and I hope they're right for once. I suppose I won't know until the morning if I'm actually leaving for sure. Which means I need to pack and prep tonight anyway.

Actually, while my main hope is that I still get to go to the Cape this weekend, a very close second is the wish that the rain washes all this high-level pollen out of the area. After a couple of days of slight-sore-throat, today has been all about the minor but hard to soothe congestion, and it's really annoying. Cough, hack, uck.

I'd better get moving, before I fall asleep on my feet. Have a nice weekend!

Four weeks left.

I imagine that there are people who enjoy temping, who find the different situations and frequent change to be exciting and challenging. If you know me, you won't be surprised to hear that I am not one of these people.

I want to know my job and the company's products, and expectations, thoroughly. I can proofread anything for errors, but style is a different thing.

I want to get to know the people, know their names, know who enjoys a good gripe about traffic and who wants to get straight to the point. Don't talk to him first thing in the morning; don't bring her a problem without suggested solutions; admire her dog pictures and she'll move you up her list.

I want to have or be able to get any resources I need to do my job, without feeling like I'm asking a lot. If a company works to the Chicago Manual of Style, a reference copy should be provided for the department. I shouldn't have to hunt for a red pen, or a ruler.

I want to feel part of the big picture, the future of the company (even if it's an illusion). I want to care if they're doing well. When the end is in sight, my motivation levels slip.

I need a certain amount of social interaction in the workplace. If I have to get up early, wear socially-acceptable clothes, commute, and try to work in an environment full of people and their noises, then I want to have someone I can talk to about the weekend, the weather, traffic, or whatever's on my mind. Not constantly, but regularly. To me, being surrounded by people yet with no one to chat with is pretty much one of the circles of hell.

And I want benefits. Vacation and holidays, sure, but hey, I'm getting older. Give me health insurance!

Thing I Have Learned From This Job

Some good, some ... good to know.

• I do want to be a proofreader (assuming I don't, you know, win the lottery, though I understand the odds of that aren't good even if I did ever remember to buy tickets).
• I don't want to work in Boston, or anywhere I have to get to on the T.
• Some companies aren't as worried about the details as the last company where I was a proofreader was. (They may be different now, since I assume that after laying off about 1/3 of the company, they're doing some things differently. But when I was there, we really aimed for perfect, and "settled" for very, very good.)
• I want to work for a company that cares about the details.
• I like a manager who communicates. I knew I didn't need my hand held all the time, but I also don't want to be left alone for days at a time, especially at the beginning.

Something that's been on my mind recently at work is wondering if they really intend for me to work through October first, or if they might let me go before then, if the work is done. I don't have any reason to think they'll let me go early, or that the work will be finished before then, but I can't help thinking that I don't know any of their schedules, timetables, or plans, so if they do plan this, it's not like I would know.

And I like knowing what to expect.

I am hereby presenting random topics and photos from my brain today.

Sadly, I woke this morning with a slight sore throat. Guess the body didn't appreciate yesterday's blogging. It got neither better nor worse today; I think it's just from the pollen, which is reportedly Very High.

Happily, at work this morning they sent out the get-out-of-work-early message for Friday. I was hoping that, as on previous holidays, we would be dismissed early, and so it is. Come on, 2PM Friday!

I read about this football player today, whose hair is insured for a million dollars. No, really. Have you seen him?


I walk by the Hancock building in Boston just about every day, but only recently did I notice this: you can see through the glass corner in some spots.


It's not a reflection, either.


Struck me as strangely cool.

Unlike this, which I grabbed a shot of before the red light changed.

See? Ow, ow, ow.

And this? Is just strange.

I'm hoping there's a child involved, as having a stuffed animal in your car that looks like a dead rodent would be extra weird if you're not doing it to please a small irrational person.

I was looking through a catalog at work, and I noticed part of a book cover with something crafty going on. I can't quite figure out what she's doing, though. Something with pins.

Finally, sometimes a satisfying photo is just being in the right place at the right time.