Unemployed

So, now I'm unemployed and still 6lbs from my goal. What a difference a few days makes.

On Monday we were all told that the company I work for would cease doing business after June 30th. They are trying to close shop without claiming bankruptcy. So, after watching many of my friends get laid off, here I am in the same boat.

Work is weird at the moment, the company has been run into the ground. We're not even sure if we will get our last pay check and everybody is pretty sure there is no money for PTO - that's a shame 'cause I have 20 PTO days. I am also working on projects that won't finish before the end of the month, and the clients don't have a clue. We have no idea what will happen to their projects or the up-front money they've paid. It's just a mess. Not sure if I should bother showing up next week...

Oh well, I'm thinking positive, they say that when one door closes there is another door to open, I just have to find that damn door! :-)

Triskaidekaphobia

It's Friday the 13th and even with a little triskaidekaphobia, I'm quite positive. Well, I'm still employed, and I'm 6lbs from my goal :-) We'll just ignore the fat percentages, one mustn't be too hard on one's self!

The rumors at work are now leaning more to bankruptcy for the company. I still think if we could sign a few of the deals in the sales pipeline we'd be able to limp along a little longer. I'd even go without pay for a month if it meant that it would save the company for another 6 months; job prospects are dire and unemployment won't last long.

I'm really getting into my stained glass. I love the design side and the feeling of accomplishment when it is complete and looks good. If only I could make a living selling my glass...

The company I work for is having cash-flow problems. There is work, but no money, Rumors are flying at work. Will we get laid off, will we be furloughed, will we get hired back as contractors??? The shit will hit the fan pretty soon as the top guys have met behind closed doors all week. All factors indicate that we are probably at the bottom of this economic slump, so it will be sad if the little company I work for just couldn't hang on long enough.

My friend gets married this weekend. We met in '98 not long after her divorce, and worked together on a huge online training project for a client in Texas. She was so anti-marriage and could only partially agree with it if kids were involved. A couple of years later when we were both working for different companies she called to see if I knew of any open positions. My boyfriend at the time (now husband) had a friend he'd known for almost 10 years who was president of a big technical training company. They were looking for someone to manage/program/market their website. Bingo, my friend was in. She went for a couple of bike rides with the president, it looked as if they may date, but nothing came of it. Two years later the company was sold and the president took his share and decided to go on to other ventures. They started seeing each other, the relationship became quite intense, within a few months they were engaged. Marriage -phooey! This weekend the friends we introduced, who had such a bad taste in their mouths about matrimony, will tie the knot. She'll change her name, and they'll ride off into the sunset legally bound, again!

Paprika flavored Pringles are exclusive to Europe, and are the best flavor of Pringles on earth! Today I went searching for websites that cater to Europeans in the US. Unfortunately I could not find a site that sold paprika flavored Pringles, loads of Walkers flavors that most Brits seem to miss. Not me, give me paprika flavored Pringles goddamit! So, I went to the P&G website and filled out their feedback form. I feel a little better for voicing my opinion, but I don't think it will do much good; there won't be paprika Pringles in the grocery store next time I look.

The buffalo grass is looking better, and yes, we have runners; the plugs have cute little green strands that are spreading out. If I'm lucky the area will look like a real grass lawn in a couple of months, or so. Only my grass will need less water and just need cutting two of three times a year.

Well, my birthday came and went; what a weekend. I never did lose the 8lbs I needed to be the same weight as I was in 89. May be over the summer that can happen. My weekend can be described in wine.
We drank a wonderful Chateauneuf du Pape on Friday; my favorite. On Saturday I was banished while the house was done up in black, purple and grey balloons, black table cloths and napkins. While out of the house I had a couple of glasses of pinot noir. On returning home to the festivities I switched to Cabernet Sauvignon, I lost count of the glasses, but survived the night. Sunday was an alcohol free day, partly because I wanted to stay awake; we had tickets for Les Miserables. So, I think my entry into another decade was decadent enough.

I was always a bad speller, but after getting a higher degree, I felt I had proved myself intelligence-wise and so didn't worry too much. Then I moved to the US from the UK. Now I'm confused with words I thought I knew how to spell. Does it have an "s" or a z", double "l" or single... Recently I decided to sign-up for Wordsmith's A Word A Day in an attempt to, not only improve my spelling, but also expand my vocabulary. Generally the e-mails are informative and helpful, and there's always a sense of satisfaction when it is a word I know "Ha, people don't know THAT word, I must have such a good word-range". Then, there are words I didn't know and cannot imagine in my wildest dreams why I would ever want to use them. Take for example today's word, retromingent (re-tro-MIN-jent), an adjective meaning, urinating backwards (like a raccoon or camel). I can't really imagine using such a word except in an insult "You retromingent, you!"

It's been just over 2 weeks since I planted buffalo grass plugs; some are looking great, others are a little crispy. Conditions have been good and I have been lucky with the weather, mostly 60's and 40's overnight, so hopefully the crispy ones are normal We have had some rain too, in fact we had 7 inches of snow at the weekend that is equivalent to 1 inch of water. I looked for runners yesterday; seemingly when the grass starts to take hold it sends out runners. Rest assured I will post a "runner sighting" immediately I see anything remotely green and growing.

My plan was to get back to the weight I was in September 1989 by my next birthday. Alas, I'm only a few days away from D-day, or should I say B-day, and I am still 8 lbs away from my goal. I believe 8 lbs was what I wanted to lose when I made my New Years resolution five-months-ago! The upside is I haven't gained anything in 5 months! So, in the last few days before B-day I will be starving myself in an effort to get down to a weight that I thought was too fat 14 years ago! It's amazing how perception changes over the decades.

Just noticed an interesting article called Gagging the bloggers. It is about the fact that despotic governments are now taking notice of bloggers (and what they are saying), as blogs are an outlet for many without fear of censorship. However some individuals in China and Iran have been arrested for posting their comments online; no freedom of speech there! Of course this type of news is to be expected, but sometimes I'm surprised when I hear stuff like this. I have all the facts, but don't always put all the pieces together, or forget that censorship exists in many part of the world.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!.

Ah, May Day and the start of watering season in my part of the world. I planted buffalo grass last Friday, I used plugs from a super way-cool place called High Country Gardens. The grass is genetically engineered to be greener than natural buffalo grass. It already looks greener; I just hope that it takes root before the hot days of summer arrive. Then I can smugly look at my happy green grass (that, BTW, only needs watering every 2 weeks), while everyone else’s bluegrass is looking dried and crispy. I’m getting very environmentally conscious in my old age.

The Vespa desire is dwindling, as the company I work for may not move downtown. That will be a big bummer, but I guess I’ll live with it and the $4,000 I’ll save from not buying a scooter. My car will be paid off this month too. What will I do with all the extra money? Ha!