Workplace Entertainment

Let me start by saying that I work with a bunch of children. Sometimes their antics make me crazy, and sometimes they amuse me. Today was the latter.

First, a little background.

Here at work, we often have "Lemon Cake Wednesdays." It's a nice thing that our shift supervisor does sometimes, and at the end of our shift, we leave the rest of the cake for mid-check to enjoy.

Well, one of the guys on nights thinks it's funny to cut off the top of the remaining cake and eat just that... because that's where the frosting is.

(Yes, I thought it was pretty messed up at first, but once you've hung out for a while, you realize it's just an ongoing game between shifts.)

Today, they got our shift back.

Last night, the "frosting thief" left part of a pacan pie in the fridge.

Today, we came in and our shift supervisor reached in to eat it... but the other shift had eaten the rest of the pie... and left only the crust... and put it back in the fridge!

The look on his face was priceless!!

It really is a war around here. You have to be careful not to get caught in the crosshairs!!

Somebody Bring Me Some Food!

So, I started Mid-Check today at work. I feel like I have jet lag already, and my shift isn't even over! It's not even 2am, which is funny, because when I was working nights, I routinely stayed awake until 2am or even later... I believe this shop just sucks all the fun out of being up late! lol. My answer to this jet lag feeling is 5 hour energy drinks at night, and melentonin (natural sleep aid) in the daytime... I'm not sure it's the healthiest way to go about it, but it's the best plan that I could think of.

Not really much to talk about today... I am mostly trying to kill some time, since I managed to finish the book that I was reading about 30 minutes ago, and I ran out of things to look at on Facebook. Nobody is posting, because everyone I know is in bed!

In other news, I had Carley for a whole 2 weeks... It was awesome, and she was finally able to spend some quality time with Jannian's kids, since they are here visiting as well. She was excited to go back to her Dad's house, though, because they are getting ready to go to South Carolina for a beach vacation. I'm very happy for her and I hope they have a wonderful time!

Ashleigh seems to still be doing well. I don't hear a lot from her. She's like me... doesn't call home very much, so no news is good news. But, she did text me for a few minutes earlier today, and it sounds like she is skipping the trip to SC to meet up with her Dad's side of the family, but is hoping to plan a trip down to Florida soon. That makes me happy, because it's been too long since I've seen her!!

I guess that's about it for now... Nothing new or exciting in my life happening currently, and no major thought processes that I feel compelled to share. Most likely, I'll post this, and end up deleting it in a week or so, seeing as it is most definitely NOT one of my best blogs...

Have a wonderful night, friends... and Somebody Bring Me Some Food! (I should note that I did bring in a freezer dinner to eat, but I mostly want to snack... because I'm bored... I am going to have to find a way to relieve this boredom if I'm going to stay on this shift! Eating is not the answer! lol)

Hi, People!

Hey, everyone! I didn't realize that it had been so long since I blogged! I don't have a laptop at my house, I'm not about to even try to blog on my phone, and I rarely get on the computers at work... Time flies!!

So, let me see what I've been up to... I'm looking at a likely move from the tool room at work to the PR Shop (survival equipment). As many of you know, that was what I did while I was in the Navy. This move will help me out tremendously, and I'm really excited about the opportunity!!

I have also been going to the gym and trying to train myself for running 5k's. I am a terrible runner (think drunk duck) and so this has been a challenge for me. I have managed to lose just over 20 pounds, and have actually gotten to the point that I look forward to going to the gym and miss it on days that I don't. I will be running a 5k in May for Breast Cancer research, and one on the beach (in the sand!!) in June for Life Choices that encourage people to be aware of preventing Brain Bleeds, Heart Attacks and stroke. This new "hobby" is something I feel is good for me, and when I take part in the races, I am helping out a good cause. So, it's a win-win!!

Ashleigh is still in Georgia. She's doing very well for herself. She had a rough patch for about a month, but she's very strong, and has made it through. The transmission in her car had gone out, so she stayed with a friend from work for a while so that she could save up money. She finally just sold the car, since it would cost her more to fix it than it was worth. She ended up getting herself a cute 2010 Nissan Sentra, so she has entered the world of car payments... My little girl is growing up so fast!!

In addition, she has been able to move from her friend's house to a different place. As it turns out, she made friends with someone that works for Siemens, and he does a lot of traveling. He needed someone to live at the house and take care of it and his two dogs while he was out of town. Ashleigh was in the right place at the right time, and is now living in a beautiful home, rent free! This is an excellent opportunity for her, and I'm very excited!!

Carley is doing great. All the kids in Florida are doing their annual FCAT testing this week, so I went today and had lunch with her. She said that she has a really good feeling about her tests so far, which is great. I am so excited about moving down here because I get to see her all the time! Even without having a lot of money, Jacksonville is an amazing place to live, that is always offering inexpensive or free things for families with children. Even when there is nothing going on, we make it out to the beach or to a friend's pool when we can.

Chuck, unfortunately, is still in Georgia. He doesn't seem to be having luck finding work down here, but he does manage to visit about once a month or so. He is really missed, but I know that when the time is right, something really great will come up for him.

I am still staying with my friend, Tammy, and we have my dog, her two turtles, and an albino ferrett... plus her two girls, and Carley much of the time. We have a house full... and it is wonderful! I couldn't ask for a better roommate. I am grateful for everything that she has done to help me out and I appreciate her company on the weekends. We rarely see eachother during the week, since she works days and I work nights. That works out well, though, so we don't drive eachother crazy! lol

I guess that's about it for now. Everything seems to be going in the right direction for the first time in a long time. I am not only happy, I am content. It is a really, really good feeling!!

...And I'll try not to wait so long to update again!! lol

Update

I guess it's been a while since I've updated... life has been busy! Still plugging away at the job... still working on getting into the other shop! I won't stop until the big boss sits me down and tells me to quit. :o) I'm persistent if nothing else!

Lately, it's been the usual military run-around regarding paperwork. I don't have a base access card yet, so I can't get a decal for the jeep. SO, every 30 days, I have to go wait in that crazy line and get a new temporary pass... The government hasn't changed a bit! lol.

In other news, I was invited to a Super Bowl party by a friend that I knew when I lived in Spain... hadn't seen him in seven long years! It was nice to see a friendly face again. When I went to the party, I had planned to leave by half-time, because I didn't know anyone there except him. BUT, they all turned out to be a really great group of people and look forward to hanging with them again sometime. I haven't laughed so hard in ages!

Carley is doing great. She was over last weekend, and we saw "Joyful Noise" with Tammy and her girls. Then, on Sunday, we enjoyed Lexi's 11th birthday party. Only 6 more weeks until my baby is 11 now! She's growing so fast, and becomes smarter and more beautiful every single day. I am so proud of my girls!!

Ash is still plugging away at school and work. The transmission in her car went out, so she has been pulling extra shifts to make enough money to get it fixed. Meanwhile, she is relying on the kindness of Chuck's family and her friends. My family is so fortunate to be surrounded by such kind, loving people!

Otherwise, I'm enjoying being in Jacksonville. I miss Ashleigh, Chuck & all of the Lamphere family, but I still firmly believe this is the best decision I could've made. I have a good job, and I get to see Carley on a regular basis. She has always needed her Mom in her life, and I feel so much better about being here! I won't have her this weekend, but I am taking her lunch at school on Thursday, and we're planning a trip up to Georgia to visit everyone on President's Day weekend.

I guess that's about it. Hope everyone is doing great!!

Every Little Thing is Gonna be Alright

So... here i am in jacksonville! Things are going well. I am staying with an old friend that has 2 little girls, so carley has friends to play with whenever she's over. My friend is every bit as broke as me, so we find inexpensive things for them to do... crafts, dvd's & popcorn, going to the park, window shopping... i'm thinking of visiting the flea market w/ the kiddo this wkend.

The job is going well. I'm on nights, which works for me. That first week of getting up at 4am was killing me!! Lol. Now i'm on 3 to 11:30 pm. I like that a lot better. I'm still working on getting into the line shack. It's better pay, and a lot less boring. The tool room at night isn't exactly bursting with excitement! Don't get me wrong, i'm thrilled to have a job, but anyone that knows me, knows that i am persistant. If i want something (ie., better pay) then i will work hard to get it.

In other news, Ash's car broke down the other day. It sounds like it could be the transmission. Still waiting on the official verdict from the mechanic. If that's what the problem is, we have to figure out what she will do. Lord knows i can't buy her a car or get that one fixed! She called me in a panic, overwhelmed by the whole thing this morning. I don't blame her. This is the first real thig she's had to deal with as an adult w/out me or her dad being right there to help her. It's tough, but i gave her the whole "it will all work itself out in time" speech. I'll keep everyone updated.

Finally, i would like to apologize for all of the spelling, grammar & punctuation errors that this post is riddled with. I don't have access to a computer, so i am typing on a touch-screen. I havr the fat-finger disease, so this is difficult. That is why i waited so long to post in the first place!

Anyways, hope all is well with everyone else!

Just a Clown in His Circus

Happy Monday everyone! I was going to blog about my current humorous situation, but I feel that I need to give a little background information before we get started...

We were divorced in Feb. 2008.

I was finishing chemo & radiation, had just been hospitalized for alcoholism, and did not have a job. Without that breakdown, I don’t know if I would’ve had the courage to leave the situation I was in.

** Side note… I am not an alcoholic. There were a lot of bad things happening in my life at the time, and I was not dealing very well with all of it. I was hiding. This was my (wrong) way of dealing, and basically it led to the breakdown. Now that I am away from that situation, I don’t have any problem with having a beer now and then, or a glass of wine.

But, I finally left in October 2007, rented a room in a house for $500/month, and got a full time job. The full time job barely allowed me enough money to cover my rent, car payment, insurance, and food. Because of that, I did not have money for a lawyer. I spoke to several, who would not give me the time of day, because I had no money. So, needless to say, my ex and his lawyer steamrolled me and he got everything, including the house, furniture, and children. Also, they said that I have to pay him $500/month in child support.

Wait a minute... shouldn't he be paying me alimony? We were married for 10 years, and I should be getting money from him for the fact that I couldn't hold down a decent career. I got out of the Navy for our family, we moved all over the world, so a career was out of the question, and it wasn’t him taking care of our children! But no, none of that was even considered. Nor was the fact that there was no way in hell that I could afford $500/month to him, plus support myself. I even worked two jobs... to no avail.

So, there were some months that I wasn't able to give him all of it. There were even a few months that I wasn't able to give him any money at all. BUT, I did take out several cash advances (HUGE interest rate) on my credit cards and paid him that way. I gave that man every spare dime that I had. Even after Chuck and I moved in together, thinking it would help my situation, we still couldn’t make it together. Finally, at the verge of being evicted, we moved to GA to live with Chuck's sister, because we could no longer support ourselves while paying my ex husband. I had to stop seeing my children on a regular basis in order to be able to pay him. So, that's what I did.

Then, in August 2009, the ex called the State of Florida and told them that I had NEVER paid him any child support at all! Completely untrue. The State of Florida never gave me the opportunity to defend myself, or show where I had been paying him. When I called them, trying to fix the situation, they were ALWAYS very snotty with me and treated me like I was a criminal. I was even told by one person, "Ma'am, we don't work for you. We work for your ex husband because he is the custodial parent." In other words, nothing I said mattered because my kids didn't live at my house. That automatically made me into the bad person.

Never mind what my situation was when I left.
Never mind that I did what I thought would be best for my children.
Never mind that there is no way I could afford to pay that much money each month, no matter how much I did or didn't want to.
Never mind that I live off of graham crackers and peanut butter while he uses the money I send to pay for his house payment, his wedding, two Harley Davidson’s and an RV.
Never mind that our older daughter has been living with me for over a year now, and I am still paying him child support for her.
Never mind that in August 2010, I had filed all the paperwork required to stop Ashleigh’s child support, have the amount for Carley adjusted, and show where I had paid him support during the time he claims that I didn’t, and it still isn’t fixed.
Never mind that they take $600/month out of my Gas Incorporated check every month.

And now, I got a second job, in order to improve my own situation, until the lawyer can get this straightened out, and what happens? The State of Florida actually took money out of that check, too! Seriously? My paycheck should have been over $200, and it was $93. I was livid. I called them, and the (snotty) woman tells me that any time I am hired somewhere, it throws up a flag on my case, and they start taking money out of that check because they assume I switched jobs.

Did anyone bother to ask me if I changed jobs? NO.
Did anyone bother to contact Gas Inc. to see if I was still employed there? NO.
They just assume that I quit a perfectly good full time job to take up with a part time job that barely pays minimum wage. Why would I do that?
You know what they say about people that “assume,” don’t you? I believe the same can be applied to the State of Florida.

So, she says that she will send a message to Michael’s and let them know to stop taking child support out of my paychecks. Well, thank you very much.

Anyways, so I tell her that the money from Gas Inc. went to paying my lawyer and other bills, and I was going to have to live off of my Michael’s paycheck for the next two weeks. That was sort-of the point of getting a second job. Since they took most of that, I only have $93 to live off of. So, when can I expect to receive a check back from the state? She tells me that it will go into an account, and at the end of the month, they review how much money I have paid, and then decide whether to send it to me or my ex husband.

Well, my ex husband falsely claims that I owe him thousands of dollars, and still has me paying for a child that is nearly 20 years old and has been living with me for over a year. Who do you think they’re going to send it to? But go ahead. Send it to him. He clearly needs it worse than I do. Without that money, how on earth will he ever put gas in his motorcycle? My butt was getting big anyways. I should just stop eating. Taking away my money will help me do just that. Thank you very much.

So. $93 to last me two weeks. Super. But, I can do this. I always find a way. I have Chuck to help support me. I am a resourceful woman. If my life has taught me anything, it is how to fend for myself when I have to. I figure out everything I can cut out of my life, and decide that I will just use it for gas and hope that Monica doesn’t get too mad at me for eating all of her food.

THEN, I get up on Sunday morning to go to work at Michael’s. I am not even joking… the battery on my jeep is completely and utterly dead.

ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME WITH THIS???

So, Chuck uses Monica’s van to jump it and we go over to Auto Zone and they test it. Yup, sure enough… Dead as a doornail. Time to buy a new one. That’s going to be $97, thank you very much.

Did you just do that math in your head? Let me help you. I received $93 paycheck and pay out $97 for a battery. Damn. At this point, it’s just funny. It’s a joke. My life is a running joke. Everyone is always asking about the meaning of life. Well, I don’t know about yours, but the meaning of MY life is to make God laugh.

Here I am.
Just a clown in his circus.
The really funny part is that my weekend isn’t over yet.

So, we get the battery replaced, I take Chuck home, and head into work. I drive the 45 minutes to get there, and I’m in the break room, about to clock in, and I decide to look at the schedule to see who else I’ll be working with… Hold the phone… I’m not on today’s schedule. Really? I know for a FACT that I was scheduled to work on Sunday… for TWO reasons.

1.      I always work on both Saturday and Sunday.

2.      I looked my schedule up on the internet (the Michael’s HR website) and it had me scheduled.

So, how mad am I that I just spent $25 in gas (when I'm SO broke) to drive to work when they could’ve just TOLD me that they took me off for that day? Worse yet, I just worked on Saturday, but they couldn’t have told me then? Not one person told me that I’d been removed from the schedule. In fact, if I had not looked at the schedule before clocking in, I would’ve just clocked in! And then, I would have been given a point for clocking in when I wasn’t on the schedule. You can only earn 6 points in 6 months before being fired.

Yeah, I was mad. But honestly, I can only stay mad for so long before I start laughing. It’s not one of those laughs like someone told you a funny joke. It’s one of those maniacal laughs. Like I’ve just lost my mind and it’s the most hilarious thing in the world. I’m laughing so hard that I’m crying, which is good because if I wasn’t crying from laughing, I’d be crying from my life. I’m not kidding. I couldn't make this stuff up if I'd tried.

Very funny, God. Very funny.