The thing I hate most about this new shift is just when I get nice and comfy warm in bed and start to drift off to sleep... the danged alarm goes off and it's time to drag my butt out of the nice warm bedroom into a frigid (to me) living room to get dressed and head off to work.
How's that for a run on sentence? What can I say? I'm too cold to type periods!
Nimitz' Lady
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
What to do
Well, after talking and then talking some more about this new schedule shift Der Deutscher and I have decided we'll tell my boss we'd rather I stay on the day shift, but it'll completely depend on whether we can get child care arranged.
If I can't find an affordable situation for JBP by the end of the month, I'll have to go back to the night shift. The concept of that just makes me sick to my stomach.
I'll just have to console myself with the fact I'm looking for another job sompelace else and this stint on the night shift should be temporary.
Although Der Deutscher reminded me, I may not find anything else. Like I really needed that. Men!
Nimitz' Lady
If I can't find an affordable situation for JBP by the end of the month, I'll have to go back to the night shift. The concept of that just makes me sick to my stomach.
I'll just have to console myself with the fact I'm looking for another job sompelace else and this stint on the night shift should be temporary.
Although Der Deutscher reminded me, I may not find anything else. Like I really needed that. Men!
Nimitz' Lady
Racism
Unless you're a visibly (or audibly) obvious minority in this country you don't get obvious examples of racism on a daily basis. For the most part racist actions are very subtle and slip under the radar.
This evening, I witnessed about as blatant an act of racism as I've seen in a long time.
We were leaving Sam's Club. At the exit they always check your receipt. They're supposed to compare what it says to what's in the cart. They rarely, if ever, even look in the cart.
This time, we were right behind a white, possibly hispanic, woman and her african american consort. They had two, stacked to the rafters flatbed carts. The checker at the exit proceeded to physically hand count every single item in the carts.
Der Deutscher says that's what they're actually supposed to do. But I can't say that I've ever before seen them do it.
Then, we, a white (appearing) couple, exit next. The exit checker gave JBP a smiley face on his hand then checked off our receipt. She never even looked at our cart.
Again, Der Deutscher said it was obvious we only had two items in our cart. I say she couldn't know that, she never looked at our cart. If she even peeked, she had no way to know we had nothing hidden underneath the giant bag of dog food because, again, she never looked.
Racism. Alive and Well right in here in the middle of the United States of America.
Nimitz' Lady
This evening, I witnessed about as blatant an act of racism as I've seen in a long time.
We were leaving Sam's Club. At the exit they always check your receipt. They're supposed to compare what it says to what's in the cart. They rarely, if ever, even look in the cart.
This time, we were right behind a white, possibly hispanic, woman and her african american consort. They had two, stacked to the rafters flatbed carts. The checker at the exit proceeded to physically hand count every single item in the carts.
Der Deutscher says that's what they're actually supposed to do. But I can't say that I've ever before seen them do it.
Then, we, a white (appearing) couple, exit next. The exit checker gave JBP a smiley face on his hand then checked off our receipt. She never even looked at our cart.
Again, Der Deutscher said it was obvious we only had two items in our cart. I say she couldn't know that, she never looked at our cart. If she even peeked, she had no way to know we had nothing hidden underneath the giant bag of dog food because, again, she never looked.
Racism. Alive and Well right in here in the middle of the United States of America.
Nimitz' Lady
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
E-mail Troubles
Ever since the new company took over my TV station I've had no access to my work e-mail account.
This has created all sorts of problems in my doing my job. Especially since I'm not around during the day to pester the IT guy into getting it fixed.
This morning I came in to find a note taped to my computer with instructions for how to access my work e-mail through a jury rigged set-up. Ok. I can deal with that.
But it also included some snide comments about all the pictures I have in my profile and how I need to do a better job keeping it cleaned out. This, after I've e-mailed this guy before that when I erase pictures from my profile they come right back the next time I log on. NOT what I needed to deal with at 12:00 a.m.!
I tried to keep my true feelings out of my response to him and just remind him that I'd previously complained about this problem.
Then, I check my backlog of e-mails and find a note from my boss dated last week that I'll be staying late to get the noon show started on Monday, Feb. 13th. No one ever asked me if I could or wanted to. (Normally, I'm among the first to offer to help.)
By then I was fuming so hard I simply refused to respond to it. I might get myself fired. All in all, not the best of mornings.
Nimitz' Lady
This has created all sorts of problems in my doing my job. Especially since I'm not around during the day to pester the IT guy into getting it fixed.
This morning I came in to find a note taped to my computer with instructions for how to access my work e-mail through a jury rigged set-up. Ok. I can deal with that.
But it also included some snide comments about all the pictures I have in my profile and how I need to do a better job keeping it cleaned out. This, after I've e-mailed this guy before that when I erase pictures from my profile they come right back the next time I log on. NOT what I needed to deal with at 12:00 a.m.!
I tried to keep my true feelings out of my response to him and just remind him that I'd previously complained about this problem.
Then, I check my backlog of e-mails and find a note from my boss dated last week that I'll be staying late to get the noon show started on Monday, Feb. 13th. No one ever asked me if I could or wanted to. (Normally, I'm among the first to offer to help.)
By then I was fuming so hard I simply refused to respond to it. I might get myself fired. All in all, not the best of mornings.
Nimitz' Lady
More Changes
Ok, so just as I'm starting, mind you just starting, to settle into the new schedule the boss asks me to call him sometime today when I'm not sleeping.
When I get ahold of him, he tells me one of the other producers has had a family situation come up that has necessitated her requesting to work the morning shift.
Now, they want to move me to the 6pm newscast (an 8:30am to 6:30pm shift). He's trying to be flexible and has offered to let me work it as a swing shift instead, 1:30pm to 9:30pm, and act as a manager for the 10pm after I'm done with the 6pm. He actually prefers that.
The problem is, the one thing I liked about the morning shift was being able to be with my husband in the morning, cook supper for my family and be there to eat it with them in the evening. I've literally been reveling in that this last week or so.
I feel like I'm finally part of a family again, not just a boarder/babysitter who occasionally sleeps with her landlord.
If I say I want to do the standard 8:30 to 6:30 shift, he'll accept that. He already knows I'm only temporary anyway. As soon as I find something else, I'm out of there.
But, the standard shift would involve new childcare issues for JBP. I WILL NOT put him into school at this age and finding a day care that will take him all day is not only next to impossible it's financially unfeasible at this time. There are a couple ladies at church who are certified elementary teachers who are homeschooling their own children. I'm going to check with them and see if one will add JBP to their classes for the same price I've been paying for daycare.
I have until the end of February to figure out how to work this. Hopefully I can find a way to preserve my evenings with my family. They've suddenly become all important to me. In the meantime, I guess I'll just wear my knees out praying God will lead me to a better job. Maybe even better pay? =)
Nimitz' Lady
When I get ahold of him, he tells me one of the other producers has had a family situation come up that has necessitated her requesting to work the morning shift.
Now, they want to move me to the 6pm newscast (an 8:30am to 6:30pm shift). He's trying to be flexible and has offered to let me work it as a swing shift instead, 1:30pm to 9:30pm, and act as a manager for the 10pm after I'm done with the 6pm. He actually prefers that.
The problem is, the one thing I liked about the morning shift was being able to be with my husband in the morning, cook supper for my family and be there to eat it with them in the evening. I've literally been reveling in that this last week or so.
I feel like I'm finally part of a family again, not just a boarder/babysitter who occasionally sleeps with her landlord.
If I say I want to do the standard 8:30 to 6:30 shift, he'll accept that. He already knows I'm only temporary anyway. As soon as I find something else, I'm out of there.
But, the standard shift would involve new childcare issues for JBP. I WILL NOT put him into school at this age and finding a day care that will take him all day is not only next to impossible it's financially unfeasible at this time. There are a couple ladies at church who are certified elementary teachers who are homeschooling their own children. I'm going to check with them and see if one will add JBP to their classes for the same price I've been paying for daycare.
I have until the end of February to figure out how to work this. Hopefully I can find a way to preserve my evenings with my family. They've suddenly become all important to me. In the meantime, I guess I'll just wear my knees out praying God will lead me to a better job. Maybe even better pay? =)
Nimitz' Lady
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Wet Morning
Nothing like waking up just to have your cat wet all over you! In your bed!
Sabbath morning, Nimitz had been trying to yowl me awake for an hour or so. It wasn't working 'cause I didn't get to sleep until after 2 a.m. (My body hasn't figured out when it's supposed to sleep but it has figured out when it isn't supposed to sleep. Danged body!)
I'm not sure if Nimitz was mad at me because I hadn't gotten up to feed him yet, if he'd been yowling because he needed to go outside and go potty (for which he has a litter box in the basement!) or if he was just mad at us because Chicken Cat has been spending so much time cuddling up to us and sleeping in the big bed with us.
Usually she sleeps and cuddles my mom (Grammy). But, with Grammy out of the country, Chicken Cat has transferred her affections to Der Deutscher and I.
Anyway, once JBP alerted me to what Nimitz was up to (I hadn't noticed, thank goodness, due to the thick blanket between me and his wet.) I tossed him off the bed, then Der Deutscher and I chased him down, cornered him and banished him to the outdoors for two days.
Every time we open the door for one of the other animals he tries to get in. Then glares at us in confusion when we won't let him in.
What gets me is this is my perfect little boy. Out of all the males, kids and animals in this house Nimitz is the one I can count on to always do the correct thing. To be my good boy. To never mess up.
So what does he do? He messes up big time! I just don't get it.
Nimitz' Lady
Sabbath morning, Nimitz had been trying to yowl me awake for an hour or so. It wasn't working 'cause I didn't get to sleep until after 2 a.m. (My body hasn't figured out when it's supposed to sleep but it has figured out when it isn't supposed to sleep. Danged body!)
I'm not sure if Nimitz was mad at me because I hadn't gotten up to feed him yet, if he'd been yowling because he needed to go outside and go potty (for which he has a litter box in the basement!) or if he was just mad at us because Chicken Cat has been spending so much time cuddling up to us and sleeping in the big bed with us.
Usually she sleeps and cuddles my mom (Grammy). But, with Grammy out of the country, Chicken Cat has transferred her affections to Der Deutscher and I.
Anyway, once JBP alerted me to what Nimitz was up to (I hadn't noticed, thank goodness, due to the thick blanket between me and his wet.) I tossed him off the bed, then Der Deutscher and I chased him down, cornered him and banished him to the outdoors for two days.
Every time we open the door for one of the other animals he tries to get in. Then glares at us in confusion when we won't let him in.
What gets me is this is my perfect little boy. Out of all the males, kids and animals in this house Nimitz is the one I can count on to always do the correct thing. To be my good boy. To never mess up.
So what does he do? He messes up big time! I just don't get it.
Nimitz' Lady
Friday, February 03, 2006
Free Books
Due to free tickets from my station, Der Deutscher, JBP and I have been attending the local college's women's basketball games.
Sooner or later this necessitates the use of the public restroom at the arena. There I discovered an internet treasure.
Do I have you hooked yet?
See, it's this whole program where you leave books in public places for people to pick up, read and pass on. The idea is books want to be free!
All you have to do is go to Book Crossings on the internet, register your book, label it and then "release" it somewhere public.
If you find one of these books you can leave it for the next person, read it and release it or keep it. This is much the way original libraries were designed, until money got involved.
The site has 478,000 members worldwide with more than 2.7 million books registered. Imagine all those books just floating around, waiting to be found and read?
I think that's just soooooo cool. I can't wait to start releasing books of my own, all over the place. I've already become a member. Now I just need to collect some of my excess books at home, and Lord knows I've got plenty of those!, and register and rlease them. I can't wait.
Nimitz' Lady
Sooner or later this necessitates the use of the public restroom at the arena. There I discovered an internet treasure.
Do I have you hooked yet?
See, it's this whole program where you leave books in public places for people to pick up, read and pass on. The idea is books want to be free!
All you have to do is go to Book Crossings on the internet, register your book, label it and then "release" it somewhere public.
If you find one of these books you can leave it for the next person, read it and release it or keep it. This is much the way original libraries were designed, until money got involved.
The site has 478,000 members worldwide with more than 2.7 million books registered. Imagine all those books just floating around, waiting to be found and read?
I think that's just soooooo cool. I can't wait to start releasing books of my own, all over the place. I've already become a member. Now I just need to collect some of my excess books at home, and Lord knows I've got plenty of those!, and register and rlease them. I can't wait.
Nimitz' Lady
Small Blessings
In an effort not to get too depressed by my lack of sleep and general dissatisfaction with this new shift (that was a mouthful, good thing I'm typing it and not saying it! =) I've decided to write down all the good things about it.
1) More family time. I've probably quadrupled the amount of time I get to spend with Der Deutscher and JBP. And, with my mother (Grammy) out of town I'm seeing even more of them. It's been idyllic, or at least would be if I could wake up completely to enjoy it.
2) Daycare. This shift lets me keep JBP in his same daycare under his same hours. This wouldn't have been the case if I'd been shifted to a day shift.
3) No Sabbath work. For me Sabbath is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. This is my holy day, a day of rest. I don't think it was wrong to work on Friday nights. I categorize my work as public service. Just one example, we're in the middle of tornado alley and can get tornadoes at any time of day, any time of the year with little to no warning. So, someone needs to always be on shift. I just didn't enjoy being the one who had to work Friday nights. And now I don't have to.
4) Less gas consumption. Since I don't get a meal hour on this shift (thus it's only an eight hour shift instead of the industry standard nine hour shift) I'm not driving home to eat everyday. That's cut my fuel consumption nearly in half.
5) I'm not bored. As a manager there just wasn't enough for me to do. We had too many managers for the amount of managerial work. That's not the case in producing a two hour morning newscast.
6) No more taping. I don't have to worry about trying to remember when to tape the TV shows I like to watch and then finding the time to watch them when JBP's not around/awake. Now I can pretty much watch my TV shows when they actually air.
7) Worship time. With the new schedule I've actually managed to find a reliable time for a daily, morning worship. This is something I've struggled with since my baptism. With my old schedule I'd wake up when JBP came in to wake me up. Then I'd spend all morning with him, leaving no time for worship. And by the time I got home from work I went straight to bed. Again, no time for worship. Now I've got the time.
There you have it, the small blessings I've found in the morning shift.
Nimitz' Lady
1) More family time. I've probably quadrupled the amount of time I get to spend with Der Deutscher and JBP. And, with my mother (Grammy) out of town I'm seeing even more of them. It's been idyllic, or at least would be if I could wake up completely to enjoy it.
2) Daycare. This shift lets me keep JBP in his same daycare under his same hours. This wouldn't have been the case if I'd been shifted to a day shift.
3) No Sabbath work. For me Sabbath is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. This is my holy day, a day of rest. I don't think it was wrong to work on Friday nights. I categorize my work as public service. Just one example, we're in the middle of tornado alley and can get tornadoes at any time of day, any time of the year with little to no warning. So, someone needs to always be on shift. I just didn't enjoy being the one who had to work Friday nights. And now I don't have to.
4) Less gas consumption. Since I don't get a meal hour on this shift (thus it's only an eight hour shift instead of the industry standard nine hour shift) I'm not driving home to eat everyday. That's cut my fuel consumption nearly in half.
5) I'm not bored. As a manager there just wasn't enough for me to do. We had too many managers for the amount of managerial work. That's not the case in producing a two hour morning newscast.
6) No more taping. I don't have to worry about trying to remember when to tape the TV shows I like to watch and then finding the time to watch them when JBP's not around/awake. Now I can pretty much watch my TV shows when they actually air.
7) Worship time. With the new schedule I've actually managed to find a reliable time for a daily, morning worship. This is something I've struggled with since my baptism. With my old schedule I'd wake up when JBP came in to wake me up. Then I'd spend all morning with him, leaving no time for worship. And by the time I got home from work I went straight to bed. Again, no time for worship. Now I've got the time.
There you have it, the small blessings I've found in the morning shift.
Nimitz' Lady
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Tired and Getting Sick
Well I'm three days into my first week on the graveyard shift. The show's going well enough, I suppose. Although I can't really work up much enthusiasm for it.
I, however, am not doing so well. I'm exhausted to the bone. As in if I sit still for five minutes I start falling alseep.
It wouldn't be so bad if I could go to bed as soon as I got home from work. But, I have to stay awake with JBP until he goes to daycare at 12:30pm.
I could move him to morning daycare but then I would have fewer total hours for sleep. So, I'm hoping to avoid that. I'm hoping once I get fully adjusted to the new sleep schedule I'll be able to handle things better.
In the meantime, I think I'm getting a cold. I was sneezing up a storm this morning and have a stuffed up nose. Hopefully that's as far as it'll go. But if the first part of this winter is any evidence I'm in for a lot worse.
Nimitz' Lady
I, however, am not doing so well. I'm exhausted to the bone. As in if I sit still for five minutes I start falling alseep.
It wouldn't be so bad if I could go to bed as soon as I got home from work. But, I have to stay awake with JBP until he goes to daycare at 12:30pm.
I could move him to morning daycare but then I would have fewer total hours for sleep. So, I'm hoping to avoid that. I'm hoping once I get fully adjusted to the new sleep schedule I'll be able to handle things better.
In the meantime, I think I'm getting a cold. I was sneezing up a storm this morning and have a stuffed up nose. Hopefully that's as far as it'll go. But if the first part of this winter is any evidence I'm in for a lot worse.
Nimitz' Lady
Monkey Girl
Last night we took JBP to a local college women's basketball game (no Cyclones). At one point he started sliding down the bannister next to our seats.
I made the comment, "Be careful, I'd like grandchildren some day!"
A few minutes later JBP came to me and said, "I'm going to adopt a little girl and name her Tasha."
A minute or so later he added, "I'm going adopt a black one," meaning a black baby.
Then, as he was wrapping himself in pretzels around the bannister he said, "And when Tasha starts climbing around I'll call her Monkey Girl cause she'll be acting like a monkey."
I then had to explain to him that you never, ever refer to a black (african american, negro, colored, whatever description is currently politically correct) as a 'monkey' for any reason.
He still didn't really get it but promised me he wouldn't say it anyway. He's such a good boy.
I mean really, how do you explain centuries of prejudice and abuse to a 5 year old?
Nimitz' Lady
I made the comment, "Be careful, I'd like grandchildren some day!"
A few minutes later JBP came to me and said, "I'm going to adopt a little girl and name her Tasha."
A minute or so later he added, "I'm going adopt a black one," meaning a black baby.
Then, as he was wrapping himself in pretzels around the bannister he said, "And when Tasha starts climbing around I'll call her Monkey Girl cause she'll be acting like a monkey."
I then had to explain to him that you never, ever refer to a black (african american, negro, colored, whatever description is currently politically correct) as a 'monkey' for any reason.
He still didn't really get it but promised me he wouldn't say it anyway. He's such a good boy.
I mean really, how do you explain centuries of prejudice and abuse to a 5 year old?
Nimitz' Lady
Monday, January 30, 2006
Better Late Than Never
I've finally posted a few, I mean a few, pictures from Christmas and New Year's Day. Check them out via the link on the right side of the website.
Nimitz' Lady
Nimitz' Lady
I'm Back
Sorry so long with no updates. Between the new work schedule and my resulting semi-depression I just didn't feel like being jolly for all you internets. Sorry. I'll try harder next time. If I feel like it. (Notice the dripping sarcasm yet?)
Anyway, I've completed two whole morning shows and it doesn't suck as bad as I thought it would but it does suck worse. The shows are relatively easy, 90% cut and paste. The problem is A) I'm constantly exhausted from working overnights and never getting a decent night's (day's, whatever) sleep and B) everyone else insists on doing things in the most difficult way possible.
This is a two hour show. Generally for a newscast you have one rundown that shows what you're putting in the show, in which order, from beginning to end. However, our computer system won't let us have a big enough rundown to fit an entire two hour show in it. So we have to have two run downs, or find a way to jury-rig the single rundown.
Rather than go with the simplest format of just using two rundowns everyone else on the shift insists on the jury-rigged version that only half works. Like I said, gotta do things the hard way!
I did have all sorts of things I wanted to write about our trip weekend before last to Colorado but by now most of it has faded into the nether realms of my memory (never the most reliable at the best of times).
So, here's the short version:
Sick
I got way bad sick on the way out there. I'm talking halfway there I'm making Der Deutscher stop at every way station we can find so I can puke my guts out. This lasted through game day. Der Deutscher then proceeded to get the same sort of sick as soon as I started getting better. The good news is that JBP never caught "it", whatever "it" was.
The Game
It was a great game. Good offense, solid defense. A good road win. Now if we could just start winning at home this could be a great season. Due to being sick, I pretty much just cheered the first half of the game. Once it was obvious they were going to win (you know, a 20 point lead) I kind of just sat there in a stupor for the rest of the game.
Swimming, Sledding & Cousins
Whenever we travel overnight and stay in a hotel I must make sure the hotel has a swimming pool or JBP would disown me! He loves swimming. Despite not feeling so hot we did manage to take him to the pool once in the afternoon and then again the next morning. Mostly he plays in the hot tub. The pools are usually too cool for him.
After the game we headed south to visit his Three Cousins. They're actually my cousin's three boys, ages 5, 6 and 7! JBP adores visiting them. The last time we dropped in was nearly two years ago. He was just three and a half at the time and was still talking about it when we planned this trip!
Anyway, since they live in Colorado and Colorado usually has snow and JBP has been dying/begging/demanding to go sledding since the leaves started changing colors we brought his sled along.
My Cousin, her husband and I took the four boys out sledding and they, strike that, we all had a blast. I haven't gone sledding since I was in college. But JBP was a little frightened by the speed and steepness of the hill so I was commanded to "go with" him.
All was well until his sled busted on a particularly bumpy ride down the hill. You've never seen such a broken hearted little boy. Now all he asks is when are we going to get him a new sled. Nevermind that there's nowhere to use it near home!
Olympics
While in Colorado we stopped by the Olympic Training Center, learned a little bit about how U.S. athletes train for the games and spent waaaaay too much money in the gift shop.
That's about it. I'm sure I'll think of more sooner or later but right now my brain is just a bowl of sleep-deprived mush.
Nimitz' Lady
Anyway, I've completed two whole morning shows and it doesn't suck as bad as I thought it would but it does suck worse. The shows are relatively easy, 90% cut and paste. The problem is A) I'm constantly exhausted from working overnights and never getting a decent night's (day's, whatever) sleep and B) everyone else insists on doing things in the most difficult way possible.
This is a two hour show. Generally for a newscast you have one rundown that shows what you're putting in the show, in which order, from beginning to end. However, our computer system won't let us have a big enough rundown to fit an entire two hour show in it. So we have to have two run downs, or find a way to jury-rig the single rundown.
Rather than go with the simplest format of just using two rundowns everyone else on the shift insists on the jury-rigged version that only half works. Like I said, gotta do things the hard way!
I did have all sorts of things I wanted to write about our trip weekend before last to Colorado but by now most of it has faded into the nether realms of my memory (never the most reliable at the best of times).
So, here's the short version:
Sick
I got way bad sick on the way out there. I'm talking halfway there I'm making Der Deutscher stop at every way station we can find so I can puke my guts out. This lasted through game day. Der Deutscher then proceeded to get the same sort of sick as soon as I started getting better. The good news is that JBP never caught "it", whatever "it" was.
The Game
It was a great game. Good offense, solid defense. A good road win. Now if we could just start winning at home this could be a great season. Due to being sick, I pretty much just cheered the first half of the game. Once it was obvious they were going to win (you know, a 20 point lead) I kind of just sat there in a stupor for the rest of the game.
Swimming, Sledding & Cousins
Whenever we travel overnight and stay in a hotel I must make sure the hotel has a swimming pool or JBP would disown me! He loves swimming. Despite not feeling so hot we did manage to take him to the pool once in the afternoon and then again the next morning. Mostly he plays in the hot tub. The pools are usually too cool for him.
After the game we headed south to visit his Three Cousins. They're actually my cousin's three boys, ages 5, 6 and 7! JBP adores visiting them. The last time we dropped in was nearly two years ago. He was just three and a half at the time and was still talking about it when we planned this trip!
Anyway, since they live in Colorado and Colorado usually has snow and JBP has been dying/begging/demanding to go sledding since the leaves started changing colors we brought his sled along.
My Cousin, her husband and I took the four boys out sledding and they, strike that, we all had a blast. I haven't gone sledding since I was in college. But JBP was a little frightened by the speed and steepness of the hill so I was commanded to "go with" him.
All was well until his sled busted on a particularly bumpy ride down the hill. You've never seen such a broken hearted little boy. Now all he asks is when are we going to get him a new sled. Nevermind that there's nowhere to use it near home!
Olympics
While in Colorado we stopped by the Olympic Training Center, learned a little bit about how U.S. athletes train for the games and spent waaaaay too much money in the gift shop.
That's about it. I'm sure I'll think of more sooner or later but right now my brain is just a bowl of sleep-deprived mush.
Nimitz' Lady
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Odds and Ends
Sorry I've been a bit absent this week. The station's sale is final at 12:01 a.m. Friday, which means all our shifts change then and those who are laid-off will be gone. Needless to say, I've not been in the mood to "chatter" much.
We did have an interesting trip to Colorado this last weekend which I promise to tell you all about later. For now, check out the pictures I've already posted from the trip. They're linked on the right side of the page, but down a little because the web page formatting is messed up right now. Hopefully I'll get that fixed soon.
In other news, we now have internet access at home. Which is a good thing because once the sale goes through I won't be updating my blog from work anymore. I had no fears doing it under my current company, but I've already learned I can't trust a thing the new company says and refuse to give them the least excuse to fire me without buying out my contract.
Yes, that's exactly how paranoid we all are right now!
Last note: the job search is moving ahead in fits and starts. I've sent out resumes to 13 companies. So far I've heard from four of them in one format or another.
One dropped me as soon as I wouldn't interview on Sabbath. One was a mutual drop. They were very interested in me, but it's a non-profit that can only pay $26,000 a year. I'm willing to take a pay cut, but not quite that big a cut. I've still got to pay my bills, after all. One asked for two reference letters, which I turned in yesterday. The last, and most depressing, just sent me a postcard saying they were moving ahead with other applicants. In otherwords, thanks but no thanks.
Ugh!
Time to go home and try to sleep this off, or something. I promise more details from our Colorado trip later.
Love you all.
Nimitz' Lady
We did have an interesting trip to Colorado this last weekend which I promise to tell you all about later. For now, check out the pictures I've already posted from the trip. They're linked on the right side of the page, but down a little because the web page formatting is messed up right now. Hopefully I'll get that fixed soon.
In other news, we now have internet access at home. Which is a good thing because once the sale goes through I won't be updating my blog from work anymore. I had no fears doing it under my current company, but I've already learned I can't trust a thing the new company says and refuse to give them the least excuse to fire me without buying out my contract.
Yes, that's exactly how paranoid we all are right now!
Last note: the job search is moving ahead in fits and starts. I've sent out resumes to 13 companies. So far I've heard from four of them in one format or another.
One dropped me as soon as I wouldn't interview on Sabbath. One was a mutual drop. They were very interested in me, but it's a non-profit that can only pay $26,000 a year. I'm willing to take a pay cut, but not quite that big a cut. I've still got to pay my bills, after all. One asked for two reference letters, which I turned in yesterday. The last, and most depressing, just sent me a postcard saying they were moving ahead with other applicants. In otherwords, thanks but no thanks.
Ugh!
Time to go home and try to sleep this off, or something. I promise more details from our Colorado trip later.
Love you all.
Nimitz' Lady
Thursday, January 19, 2006
One Hour at a Time
Another tough day, but filled with small blessings.
Last night I accompanied a bunch of folks from the newsroom to a local bar, where most proceeded to attempt drowning their sorrows. Can't say that it really worked.
So, today began with a severe deficit of sleep. JBP couldn't have been better behaved however. He came in, quietly, and snuggled next to me until I fully woke up (not that I'd say I've truly achieved that status, even now!).
Then proceeded to spend most of the morning glued to my side. This kid can be snuggly when the mood hits him and he's very responsive to other's moods. He knew something was upsetting Mama so he stuck by me.
It was a wonderful morning, a balm to my troubled soul. Then I messed up the cookies. We were making cookies for to give to the ISU Women's Basketball team after their game in Colorado this weekend. Unfortunately, I screwed them up somehow, half of them were undercooked and had to be tossed.
I needed this morning's calm to come into work and actually try to accomplish something.
One thing all this has taught me is that it's time for me to get out of this business. I've talked about leaving television news for years. This is the kick in the booty I needed to actually put actions to words.
In the last week I've sent out cover letters and resumes to 12 different employers with open positions, everything from Public Relations Director to Newspaper Managing Editor to Public Educator at a local museum.
I'm doing my part, now God needs to step in and get the right people to notice me and offer me a job.
Hopefully it happens soon, because after the sale of our station is complete I will no longer be the Nightside Manager. Instead I'll be the morning producer. The shift is midnight to 8 a.m.
I don't know how long I'll be able to keep that sort of schedule up, physically. I'm just not as young as I used to be and I can't recover as well as I used to. I've been noticing that more and more the last couple of years.
I just pray I can keep it up until I find a new job, doing something outside of TV News!!!! And soon.
Nimitz' Lady
Last night I accompanied a bunch of folks from the newsroom to a local bar, where most proceeded to attempt drowning their sorrows. Can't say that it really worked.
So, today began with a severe deficit of sleep. JBP couldn't have been better behaved however. He came in, quietly, and snuggled next to me until I fully woke up (not that I'd say I've truly achieved that status, even now!).
Then proceeded to spend most of the morning glued to my side. This kid can be snuggly when the mood hits him and he's very responsive to other's moods. He knew something was upsetting Mama so he stuck by me.
It was a wonderful morning, a balm to my troubled soul. Then I messed up the cookies. We were making cookies for to give to the ISU Women's Basketball team after their game in Colorado this weekend. Unfortunately, I screwed them up somehow, half of them were undercooked and had to be tossed.
I needed this morning's calm to come into work and actually try to accomplish something.
One thing all this has taught me is that it's time for me to get out of this business. I've talked about leaving television news for years. This is the kick in the booty I needed to actually put actions to words.
In the last week I've sent out cover letters and resumes to 12 different employers with open positions, everything from Public Relations Director to Newspaper Managing Editor to Public Educator at a local museum.
I'm doing my part, now God needs to step in and get the right people to notice me and offer me a job.
Hopefully it happens soon, because after the sale of our station is complete I will no longer be the Nightside Manager. Instead I'll be the morning producer. The shift is midnight to 8 a.m.
I don't know how long I'll be able to keep that sort of schedule up, physically. I'm just not as young as I used to be and I can't recover as well as I used to. I've been noticing that more and more the last couple of years.
I just pray I can keep it up until I find a new job, doing something outside of TV News!!!! And soon.
Nimitz' Lady
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
The Hard Part
This afternoon I thought the hard part (for me) out of these layoffs was my feelings of guilt for still having a job.
Now I know it's not the worst.
The true hard part is knowing who else is getting the ax but not being able to tell them.
The hardest part of all is holding a sobbing production assistant in your arms, with just five months experience in the business, and knowing there's not a dang thing I can do about her lost job.
Signing off with a very heavy heart tonight.
Nimitz' Lady
Now I know it's not the worst.
The true hard part is knowing who else is getting the ax but not being able to tell them.
The hardest part of all is holding a sobbing production assistant in your arms, with just five months experience in the business, and knowing there's not a dang thing I can do about her lost job.
Signing off with a very heavy heart tonight.
Nimitz' Lady
Shift Change
I've been putting this post off for about two hours now. I've talked occasionally about the pending sale of my TV station.
Well, the second shoe fell today and it fell hard. Layoffs have begun.
No, I did not lose my job. I did however officially lose my job title as Nightside Manager.
Although I'm keeping my pay and benefits (at least until my contract runs out in July) my new job is the Morning Show Producer. This is the show usually given to the least experience producer in the cadre because it requires the last amount of work. It's mostly a matter of re-writing stories from the night before and re-cueing tapes.
Our show is longer than any other morning show I've ever filled in on but it's mostly a repeat-every-half-hour-type-deal.
I'm not really too worried about the actual execution, at least after the first show or two.
Actually, my first response to the news was an impulse to wail, "But I wanted to be bought out!"
The new company could've chosen to pay off my contract and dispense with my services. Hey, I could handle that. Paid to stay home for a month or two, then to job search for three or four months. Sounded good to me.
Instead I'm going to have to drag my butt out of bed at 11pm and work a midnight to 8 a.m. shift.
See this rambling? That's why I've been avoiding this post. I figured out exactly how I feel about all this, or what all it's going to do to my life, so it's tough to write coherently about it.
The ultimate topper? We still don't know exactly when all these changes will take place. Whenever the sale is final. That could be next Friday, it could be two weeks from now. We just don't know.
Nimitz' Lady
Well, the second shoe fell today and it fell hard. Layoffs have begun.
No, I did not lose my job. I did however officially lose my job title as Nightside Manager.
Although I'm keeping my pay and benefits (at least until my contract runs out in July) my new job is the Morning Show Producer. This is the show usually given to the least experience producer in the cadre because it requires the last amount of work. It's mostly a matter of re-writing stories from the night before and re-cueing tapes.
Our show is longer than any other morning show I've ever filled in on but it's mostly a repeat-every-half-hour-type-deal.
I'm not really too worried about the actual execution, at least after the first show or two.
Actually, my first response to the news was an impulse to wail, "But I wanted to be bought out!"
The new company could've chosen to pay off my contract and dispense with my services. Hey, I could handle that. Paid to stay home for a month or two, then to job search for three or four months. Sounded good to me.
Instead I'm going to have to drag my butt out of bed at 11pm and work a midnight to 8 a.m. shift.
See this rambling? That's why I've been avoiding this post. I figured out exactly how I feel about all this, or what all it's going to do to my life, so it's tough to write coherently about it.
The ultimate topper? We still don't know exactly when all these changes will take place. Whenever the sale is final. That could be next Friday, it could be two weeks from now. We just don't know.
Nimitz' Lady
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Weigh In
.... or not.
Today's Tuesday, the day I check in on how my diet/exercise plan is going. So, on my way to the shower after my workout this evening I stopped by the scales. Broken.
Guess I don't have to torture myself, ahem, weigh myself tonight. I'll check again on Thursday, mostly because I should not because I necessarily want to.
On side note: why is it whenever I manage to get in a weekend workout one of my regularly scheduled weekday workouts goes out the window?
Nimitz' Lady
Today's Tuesday, the day I check in on how my diet/exercise plan is going. So, on my way to the shower after my workout this evening I stopped by the scales. Broken.
Guess I don't have to torture myself, ahem, weigh myself tonight. I'll check again on Thursday, mostly because I should not because I necessarily want to.
On side note: why is it whenever I manage to get in a weekend workout one of my regularly scheduled weekday workouts goes out the window?
Nimitz' Lady
Bruised and Bleeding
I don't know what it is lately but I've been extremely injury prone.
From slashing my left forefinger open with a bread knife last week to scraping off the top of my right foot with a razor over the weekend to impaling my right palm on a two inch splinter yesterday.
Oh, and then there's the chunk I gouged out of my right ring finger knuckle with, get this, my right pinkie finger.
I have no idea how I managed it. I've tried and I simply can't, normally, bend the pinkie finger far enough without using my other hand to help. But manage it I did.
With all these cuts and scrapes dunking myself in a pool of chlorine this weekend will NOT be a party.
Nimitz' Lady
From slashing my left forefinger open with a bread knife last week to scraping off the top of my right foot with a razor over the weekend to impaling my right palm on a two inch splinter yesterday.
Oh, and then there's the chunk I gouged out of my right ring finger knuckle with, get this, my right pinkie finger.
I have no idea how I managed it. I've tried and I simply can't, normally, bend the pinkie finger far enough without using my other hand to help. But manage it I did.
With all these cuts and scrapes dunking myself in a pool of chlorine this weekend will NOT be a party.
Nimitz' Lady
Monday, January 16, 2006
Game Time & Weather
I am spitting mad at Colorado University right now. We're heading to Boulder next weekend to catch the ISU vs CU women's basketball game. Then we'll visit some relatives who live in Colorado.
But, last Friday CU announced it was changing the tip off time from 2pm to 7pm. This means we're going to have to spend the night in Boulder and lose almost an entire day's worth of visiting time!
The only upside is that JBP will get to go swimming in the hotel pool.
Of course, that meant I had to get a new swimsuit. Der Deutscher does too, he just hasn't done it yet. Both our suits developed irreparable holes last summer and must be replaced.
I got mine today at Target. The good news is it covers all the essentials. The bad news, although it looks almost stylish it's still a fat lady swimsuit and there's nothing I can do about it. Highly depressing.
Nimitz' Lady
But, last Friday CU announced it was changing the tip off time from 2pm to 7pm. This means we're going to have to spend the night in Boulder and lose almost an entire day's worth of visiting time!
The only upside is that JBP will get to go swimming in the hotel pool.
Of course, that meant I had to get a new swimsuit. Der Deutscher does too, he just hasn't done it yet. Both our suits developed irreparable holes last summer and must be replaced.
I got mine today at Target. The good news is it covers all the essentials. The bad news, although it looks almost stylish it's still a fat lady swimsuit and there's nothing I can do about it. Highly depressing.
Nimitz' Lady
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