19 posts tagged “work”

Between trying to work and trying to find a new place to live I have had no time for myself or for my 'hood here on Vox.  Please don't think you've been forgotten about because you haven't.  We spent all day Tuesday looking at houses---13 of them to be exact and found two we liked.  We spent Wednesday agonizing over which one we wanted to put an offer down on.  Thursday morning with a decision made we head off to make an offer---but decide on the way to the real estate office to look at just one more house.  We ended up looking at two more houses, and putting an offer on the first one we looked at Thursday morning.  Now on Friday I am supposed to be working---but instead I am sitting on pins and needles waiting for the phone to ring so we can find out if our offer was accepted, rejected, or counter-offered.

This weekend we have to go see the in-laws as they've had an anniversary and a birthday since we last saw them.  We need to be finding boxes and packing.  The lawn needs to be mowed, too.  We have work work to catch up on.  And stuff that I haven't even thought of yet.

Ahhhh!!!!!

Okay.  The house we put an offer down on: Three bedrooms (Master is big enough for a king sized bed, plus two dressers and a small entertainment center), two full baths, HUGE den, formal dining, eat in kitchen...there is a doggie door to the fenced in back yard complete with an in-ground pool. It sits on 1.2 acres, but is in a full subdivision with kids and a lake. We will have room to plant our transplanted blueberry bushes that we've been cultivating in pots for a couple of years. It comes with a covered swing, a pool house, and a dog run. Lots and lots of mature trees, I will never have to complain about my house not getting any shade! It's awesome, we love it and we hope to own it!

I have ZERO desire to work today.

Maybe because I'm feeling overwhelmed by my new project at work.  It is my project.  Mine, all alone, just me...if it gets done beautifully then it is all me.  If it doesn't get finished in the time given, it's still all me.  Good or bad---I have no one to share the burden of this project with.  It is a huge project, one that in the beginning I was told could take up to a year to accomplish, now I've been told I have two months---tops.  A lot of the work is to be done in an Excel spreadsheet...but another portion of the project is figuring out how the UK is broken up into different mailing regions.  You know, the US has zip codes to help distinguish what goes where and basically it is a numeric system going from East to West.  Well, I get to try and figure out the UK's method and at first glance it is not a systematic numeric system.  ~sigh~

I was also told that one of my daily duties that takes me about four hours should take me no more than two hours.  I'm supposed to try and figure out a way to get that work done in half the time I do it in now---with the same degree of quality; especially since I am in the Quality Assurance department.

~sigh~

Sometimes it is hard to work from home---the distractions are so many and it can take a major amount of self discipline to sit here at the computer and actually work.  Okay, I'm cracking my own whip.  Off to work.

My alarm went off for the first time in 12 days this morning.  ugh!  Time to start reality again.  At least it will only happen for about five work days and two weekend days, then my adventure in India, Paris and Rome will start!

I bet come February I will have a hard time settling back down to 'reality' after nearly three months of fun, vacation, shopping, planning, and celebrating.

I hope everyone has a great 2008!

I'm going to work---one of my resolutions is to IMPROVE my work habits.  So, I guess I better get to it or I will be breaking my resolution before the first full day of work.  LOL!!

My neighbor DG posted this today which prompted me to take a picture of Baron when he is 'helping' me work.

Please ignore the mess in the background.  Those are bills to be paid and/or filed away.  The little pieces of white that you see hanging down are the legs of the snugglebunny that was sent to me by a special Vox friend.  There are a couple of dog treats sitting on the desk just waiting for Baron and/or Darcy to do something extra special cute.  There is some chocolate sitting there waiting to be devoured (or tossed), a bottle of Excedrin Migraine just so it's handy and an Eeyore cross stitch that I picked up for a dollar when the old Wal~Mart was closing down it's fabric dept.

Baron sits in my lap

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Okay, so I need to clean/straighten my desk.  I wonder if doing that would help my concentration level?

I have zero desire to work today.

ZERO

~sigh~

I'm behind and don't see getting caught up before January.  See, I have vacation days to take or lose.  12 of them to be exact, which is two work weeks plus two days.  There isn't anyone that knows how to do what I do.  So, if I don't work, my job doesn't get done it sits there waiting on me to get caught up.  And this stuff is important to the integrity of our data base.  I am part of the Quality Assurance Team...I look to see if others make mistakes, then I send the mistakes back to them so it can be fixed.  If I don't look for the mistakes they don't get caught unless it is by a client.  If an error gets caught by a client then that casts us in a 'stupid' light.  There are plans to remidy this situation.  It is not good that I am the only one that knows what I do.  This is why I'm going to India in January.  I'm going to train some of our team how to do some of my work.  We are still undecided on whether or not to train them on a different part....in order for them to be able to do a good job doing the MergerStat stuff then they must command an excellent knowledge of the English language and be able to 'interpret' what the notes really mean.*

If I think about it, I will freak out.  Our company is listed on the Forbes list of the best 200 small companies for 2007.  The fact that I am one of the last people to see this information before our clients do, is nerve-wracking.  I have a very important job.  But we are about to send it to India so I can concentrate on other 'more important' things.  Okay, what is more important than the accuracy of the information our clients look at?  I was told that if I feel like the team of Indians doesn't 'get it' that I will keep certain tasks that I currently take care of.  It is important that the information be accurate and if they can't understand things that I can have trouble understanding....well then that could be a problem.

I'm taking Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday at least half-days each day as I will be watching Xavier while his Mom goes up the New York to get her stuff out of storage.  Then at Thanksgiving I'll take the day before and the day after as vacation days.  At Christmas I'm taking every day that I have left...possibly from the 21st through the end of the year.  January 11th we will fly to India, I will train them for a week, then Chris and I will take a weeks vacation in Europe (Paris and Athens).  Heh, life won't be 'normal' until sometime in February.

~sigh~ okay, enough procrastinating---back to work.

*I know you don't understand what I'm talking about....but I had to get it out none-the-less.

Come January when Chris, David, Megan, and the rest of the group go to India, I will be joining them!  I'm going to go so I can train a couple of back-ups for such time as I get sick or decide to take a vacation.  This will be very handy as we are a 'use it or lose it' vacation policy company.  Right now I don't have an official back-up.  If/when I take some time later in the year my work will either just pile up or my boss will have to work extra extra hard to do his job and mine.

I have to get a passport.  Shouldn't be too hard as I can put my hands on my birth certificate as I type.  Then we have to send off to Houston, TX for an Indian VISA which should be good for ten years or so.

Shots, I need shots/immunizations.

I must remember to take bug spray with DEET in it so hopefully I won't come home with Chikungunya like Chris and Megan did last month.

I also must lose some weight.  Maybe this will be the thing that kicks my butt in gear and helps give me the motivation to actually do it.

I'm excited.

...I don't know what to do.

I keep just falling further and further behind at work.

I said that while Chris was gone I'd get all caught up.  Chris and Jordan would both be gone, I'd be here all alone and have nothing to do but work.  Well, my Mom decided to not go to the beach, she came here for a visit instead.  So, I lost out on four days of planned catch-up time, plus I fell that much further behind.  Now Jordan is home and I feel awful for holing up in the office and working non-stop....but what else can I do?

I had an edit report today that usually takes 5-15 minutes to complete.  It took me four hours because there was that much more extra on it.  Not extra because I haven't been doing it and falling behind on it....that much extra because well...because (work related, no one would understand anyway....).  I have now been sitting at this desk for 13 hours (no, minus about an hour and a half for a quick trip to the store and time to fix fish sticks and mac 'n cheese for supper....so, 11 1/2 hours) and I'm still not done with my regular day.  I still have about three hours of work to do...just to get today done.  That does not count all the stuff I haven't completed yet.

So, I am approximately 30 hours behind and I don't see me catching up anytime soon.  oh, and it is review/bonus time, too.  What a great time to fall so behind. 

Chris just called to say 'hi'.  Actually he asked me:
"Did you just now send out the Short Name report?".  
"No, but I did just send out the India MergerStat report."

So, he'll be in the office in India to start his day here in just a few minutes...and I'll get to IM with him....or not...depending on what he has planned for his day.

Shoot!  I don't even have a back-up trained so I could take a 'vacation' and get caught up while on 'vacation'....

Damn....

Why is it on a day that I feel I am finally making some head-way and I'm feeling good about this whole job situation....I get handed down THREE more projects.  One that is a drop everything and do this now  (Luckily it only took about 15 minutes; but still.) and two that are more time consuming but need to be done ASAP.  Well, I already have so much on my plate that I'm not getting my daily sh*t done.  Much less add to it.  ~sigh~  I feel like I'm looking up from the bottom of a hole and the top just keeps getting further and further away....

I'm not sure even Calgon could take me far enough away...

I can't decide which one to do.

Jordan started summer break yesterday and he's already on my last nerve.

Chris is in New York for a Management Class.  I miss him.  Being together 24/7 is good, but when one is not here the loneliness just screams out at you.

I'm behind at work.  I can't seem to get caught up and now the internet and the data base are running slower than molasses in January.

I just found a tick crawling on my stomach!!!

I know I'm PMSing...so I'm overly emotional.  I try to control things, take a deep breath, realize that my initial reaction is most likely too strong....still why did the kid have to beg me to let him play in the water???  He can hook the sprinkler back up when he gets bored and the roses will get water.  Why do I want to delete posts that no one has commented on?  Why do I have to suffer from such extreme mood swings.

Chris called a few minutes ago.  Finally!! I can vent a little of my frustrations.  Nope, he's calling on a cell phone from 42nd Street in NEW YORK FREAKING CITY and he can't hear me.  I have to call him back tonight after he's eaten and in the hotel room.  No big deal??  He wants me to call in the big fat middle of the season finale of LOST!!  Or at the tail end of the Season finale of American Idol.  (I absolutely hate that these two are up against each other.  But, LOST wins out over Idol.  All I need to know is who won.  I think Jordin won, she was the best singer last night....but my Jordan wants Blake to win.)

I'm so freaking crabby.  But, I want to cry with frustration, too.  grrrr....boo hoo.....grrrr....boo hooo...grrrr....

Work, I'll just get that much further behind because I have to take at least four hours out of my day tomorrow to go to Birmingham and get Chris.  At least there isn't any TV that I want to watch tomorrow night....Two hours of the drive will be just Jordan and I, he'll drive me insane by wanting to listen to the Fratellis at a much louder volume than I can tolerate....and I'll get made to feel like an old fogey because I won't turn it up.  Chris will get in the car and the volume will go up.  ~sigh~

Oh, and spam, I want to strangle someone, I've gotten over 110 spam messages in my work e-mail today alone!  I delete it every morning and I'm up to 112 or so right now!!  grrrrr......

I'm crabby.  I want to cry.

I'm going back to work.

For the last couple of weeks work has had me consumed from the time I've picked my head up off the pillow until I've put it back down some 18 hours later.  With the exception of last weekend which was not spent at home and at such a place that I did not have internet access.  So, I have not been able to post and comment as much as I've wanted to.  (Not that I've been 100% quiet, either mind you...I just haven't been as chatty as usual.)  So, here's an update.  I thought about making several posts...but changed my mind.  One long one will suffice and if you are interested you will read it, and if not...you won't.  LOL!!

Friday the 11th was my birthday.  I turned 43.  I woke up to find a new office chair at my desk and a pan full of brownies baked just for me by my hunny!  We worked for a while then had to pack up to go to Tupelo for the weekend.  Darcy traveled well this time, only threw-up once, and that was in the last few minutes of the 75 minute trip.

Saturday morning we got up and proceeded to go shopping for Chris some dress pants for his trip to NYC.  He's gained some weight since he's quit smoking and none of his pants fit.  After we purchased those we took in SpiderMan 3.  Back to the in-laws with flowering plants for my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.  She had knee surgery and has not recovered enough to get out and plant.  Besides, they are a bit on the broke side as my father-in-law was fired/laid off the previous Wednesday.  The company they both work for has declared bankruptcy and Dad got caught up in the last round of lay-offs.  Now he is contemplating becoming a truck driver.  I'm serious....who wants to hire a 62 y/o man who is planning on retiring in about 18 months? 

Sunday was Mother's Day.  So, Chris and Dad got up and went to play golf.  Mom and I got McDonald's for breakfast.  ~sigh~  I mean, I don't care that Chris plays golf on Mother's Day.  What else would he be doing?  Sitting on the couch watching TV.  I just wish they'd made breakfast or something before leaving.  oh well.  After they came home it was time for Chris to shower up.  We met my parents at O'Charley's to celebrate their 50th Anniversary.  A few years ago we threw a surprise party for my in-laws 40th.  My parents told me in no uncertain terms that they did not want anything done for them for their 50th.  So, we went out for a decent early supper.  All three kids with their signigicant others were there as well as a grandkid, a step-grandkid, and a great grandkid.  Missing were: three grandkids and four great grandkids.  (Man!!  That makes me feel so old!!!)  Anyway, a good time was had by all.

Monday Jordan didn't have school, so he hung out at the house while I worked and Chris went to T-Town to train some new people.  Now that he is a Manager he is responsible for training the people that he is 'managing'.  We had a guy come out to check the house for termites.  He said that it would cost around $1400 to get rid of them.  But, before they could do the work that we'd have to get rid of all wood to ground contact, and cut an access hole in the side of the house so they could get to underneath the laundry room.

Tuesday was awards day at school.  Jordan received five awards: Accelerated Reader, A Honor Roll, and the highest grade point average in; Spelling/Vocabulary, Basic Skills, and Science.

Wednesday we went to the office as one of the big bosses was down from NYC and we were invited out for supper.  While in the office I went over my work-load with my boss.  David informed me that I was doing more reports than I was supposed to be.  Which would explain why it's been taking me so long to get things done.  Friday I did my 'new' work load and finished in a reasonable amount of time.  All I have to do now is catch-up on what I fell behind on.

Thursday we had another pest control guy come out to see what he had to say about the termites.  His company can do it *before* we fix the wood to ground contact and we don't need to cut an access hole for them.  Unfortunately this company will cost us over $2000.  Even still, I think we will be going with company 2, so we don't have to cut a third access hole into the house.

Last night we went to see Shrek 3 at the drive-in.  It was an okay movie.  Definately a stretch and the main characters no longer act like they did in the first movie.  Donkey was not so funnily annoying and Shrek didn't seem as 'mean' and strong as he once was.  Maybe it is Disney's way of showing that after falling in love people are the same, but they aren't.

Next weekend is Pirates of the Carribbean 3.  I should endeavour to watch the first two this week....

Anyway, that pretty much wraps up my last couple of weeks.  Darcy is getting so much better.  Only having accidents on the weekends when life is not 'day to day' like the week.  I need to schedule her spaying sometime this week.  Baron is starting to concern me.  He doesn't ever ask to go outside.  As a result he only gets out about twice a day.  Yesterday he didn't go out until well after noon and hadn't been out since sometime the afternoon before.  He's just recently was seen by the vet for his yearly check-up.  Maybe he's just getting old...although he's just turned 7.