TGIF Chat - June 11
 

Good morning!

It's a cool and sunny day here in "Mayberry" and my peonies are coming into bloom. I love those ladies with their billowy skirts! We had torrential rain on Wednesday which smashed down the neighbour's early bloomers but mine are looking good as they were just in bud then. I took pictures but need new batteries in the carmera before I can load them in here.

I'm not even going to go into yesterday as I'd just as soon forget it. I will say that I was not OP but did try a Portobello Mushroom Burger at the new Longhorn Saloon and Eatery here in Delta that just opened this week. It was excellent! I may try the P. Mushroom Pizza from the book. This restaurant replaces Carole's which was dreary and boring with a miserable owner who never smiled or made you feel welcome.

Today I may just goof off a bit as tomorrow will be a hectic day with the "erection" party for the new gazebo at the corner park. I've got my cake contribution already made and frozen and I think that's about all I need to contribute. In the afternoon there is a special ceremony at The Mill unveiling a plaque dedicated to my friend Merla who died a while ago. She was a tireless worker at the Mill and left us way too soon. There will be speeches and tears and wine and cheese - a good combo.

Miss Lucy is looking good but plump in her new haircut. I didn't realize she had gained weight as it was hidden under the fur haystack. She has now joined Hershey and I on a diet! And to think that I worried about her being underweight!

I'm off to walk down for the newspaper and then decide what to do today. I still have roses in containers and a few perennials to bung in if it's dry enough out there. We really did get soaked on Friday!

Happy TGIF!

TGIF Beach Chick chat
 

Good morning, Chicks~~

I'm so very glad it's Friday. 2:00 can't come too soon for me.

Ended the day on a very bad note at work and I'm still trying to soothe my ruffled feathers. (Warning, rant ahead)

I work for one lab, but I draw for about 3 others as a professional courtesy for the doctor. It's convenient for him as he can send all his patients next door instead of having them drive a couple miles to the Big Name Monopoly Lab.

One of those patients called me up at 4:50 yesterday (I close at 5:00 but still had one patient left to draw) and proceeded to rant at me. Apparently *I* made a copy of the wrong insurance card and *I* caused him to be billed for $600 worth of labwork. (I can only make a copy of what the patient gives me and I don't have anything to do with billing, especially since I don't even work for that company) The cherry on top was that he didn't like the radio station that I listen to in the lab! :mad:

I suggested he call my boss and maybe she could explain it a little more clearly. All he wanted to do was scream at me. After about five minutes of this, I told him very politely; "Sir, I have to end this call. I have a patient here waiting for me. Good bye." And I hung up. After I finished drawing the patient and locking the front door, I called my boss. Her first words to me were "Number One, you can't talk to patients like that and Number Two you have to change your radio station." :bomb: Can you believe that?????? ARRRGH! I got so mad, all I could do was just sit there and not say a word. She now expects me to take time out of my already busy day and call this other lab and straighten this mess out for the patient. This patient who was so extremely ugly to me.

I looked through my archived paperwork and sure enough, I found a second copy of his card....the CORRECT card...the mistake was made at the lab who processed his bloodwork. They billed his previous insurance company instead of looking at the copy of the card I'd sent with his specimens.

The thing that has me most angry is that without even asking me my side of things, my boss assumed I was in the wrong. I'm so angry that my stomach hurts.

Okay, rant is over....

Hope you all had a better day yesterday than me and that you all have a wonderful day on the Beach.

Mamacita

Oh my gosh. Two friday threads. :lol3: I'll be back a bit later once everything has been fixed. :rofl:
Going to Mom and Dad's... love to all...

Mamacita... rant away... hugs, sweetie... :grouphug:

Ruthie... love you... :grouphug:

Good rant, Mamacita. Thanks for starting us up, although I beat you by a minute!
Ellis, catch you later. Hug your folks.

ellis as usual you crack me up!!! have a good visit with mom and dad.

ruth sorry you had a tough day yesterday!! hopefully today will be better for you. we had a goofy blooming season here this year everything came and went a little early so i am gardenly out of wack!! i think they said on the news we are about 3 weeks early this year. my purple coneflowers are already in bloom and i don't usually see them til the first part of july. doggone rain!!!

mama i hate it when management takes the side of the coustomer automatically, i don't think you said anything wrong sounds like you just set him straight. good luck at work today!!

school is officially over for all 3 little ones!!!! i am SO glad. this was the first morning in a long time i got up on my own at 6:30, had my coffee in peace, and got ready with out screaming "the bus is coming!!!!!" in a LONG time. start of a good weekend i hope. went to little ds teacher conference last night he goes to a different school then my other 2. little ds has alot of learning disabilities along with ADD and he is also hi functioning autistic, so i am always a little bummed after these conferences. i go in there with super high expectations (i don't know why) he did make progress this year he was able to master the pre primer (pre kindergarten) word list and the teacher is expecting great things for next year. my only hope is that he can get far enough to be able to take care of him self down the road. he is such a sweetie it just isn't fair!!!

rain, rain, go away is my song for today!!!!
have a good one!!

Morning :flow2: everyone... I sure hope today is better than yesterday.

My yesterday was yickey too :(

(lookout.. she got a :soap: and she's gonna use it!)

I am going though my state department of vocational rehab for my nursing education (they're paying for school) and they are not used to dealing with high functioning people with my learning difference. I've been asking for a very specialized service (ADD coaching) for the entire time I've been a client of the department... after a surprise meeting were it was the supervisor and my "counselor" on one side of a big conference table and just me on t'other where I was basically told "you be quiet and stop bugging us so much when when we've bent over backwards for you already and we'll keep paying for your schooling... if you don't there will be consequences. We think your educational goal is wrong."

So fuming I drove myself over to the state funded agency that investigates the state agency and they picked up my case. I had a meeting yesterday with my "advocate" and the two of these people from the state and the stupidvisor (oh, sorry... I mean supervisor) who is ignorant and closed minded starts attacking me. I let the advocate respond to the attacks and so this person starts attacking the advocate.

Despite the fact that I went through a gigantic battery of tests (including two types of computerized testing) to get diganosed at a neuropsychatric behaivoral institute at UCLA they are now saying that they think I may have something OTHER than my diagnosed learning difference and the term "personality disorder" was repeatedly stated by this supervisor.

I was a police dispatcher... with the testing that I went through over 10 years ago for my LD diagnosis, and psych evauls for the police department and having been under the care for my medications by the same psychatrist for at least 5 years or so that someone would have noticed if I had a personality disorder, eh? Oh... and the fact that I've been a client of this department for some 4 years and they never mentioned this before I brought in the advocate to demand a formal declination of services so that I can appeal (because I can't appeal without it) they NEVER ONCE MENTIONED THIS... just a little too coincidental don't you think?

Not to mention that I'm NO GOOD at not taking this kind of crap personally so I was in tears off and on all day... :no: Why do the mean people always seem to win? :?:

The one thing that I didn't do was eat off plan... I don't know that you can say I was on plan since I didn't have much appetite for anything... but I didn't have anything that was not on plan.

Sorry for such a long post...

ADD, Ruth and Mamacita,

Sorry you all had such rough days yesterday :( We're here to listen to you :grouphug: I'm hoping that today is a better day for everyone :goodluck:

I HAVE A CONFESSION. (eek)
 

Wow, girl, I wish I had something to say to cheer you up. You, AND Mamacita. Ladies, you're strong people with good hearts -- don't let them get to you. Just KNOW you're in the right and that karma catches up eventually. Got my fingers crossed for the both of you.

Now, I have a confession. I cheated last night. My first week on, and I cheated. I'm so mad at myself! I did it willingly and consciously... oh yeah, and BIG. I had a beer and a half at the football game, a bunch of peanuts (even though I should have been finished eating for the day), and a couple of handfulls of popcorn. I kept saying to Rob, my DBF, "I'm cheating, I shouldn't be eating this. Let's go to Burger King after the game, ok?" Thankfully, he's SO in support of me, he said, "No. You do this every time, it's like you cheat and then you say, screw the whole day. It's all or nothing with you." He's SO right. Thankfully he was there, or I would currently be posting about the beer, peanuts, popcorn and WHOPPER AND FRIES I ate. Phew.

Actually, I guess I have two confessions: I snuck a look at the scale this morning. I had made myself promise that I wouldn't do that until Sunday, my official first weigh-in. But I have been feeling SLIGHTLY slimmer, so slightly that I couldn't even say for sure if I wasn't just imagining it. That's WHY I stepped on the scale. I had to know.

Verdict is? 149lbs.

My GOD, that feels so good to see that number. It's funny how you can feel three pounds. Not enough to actually see, but enough that you wonder, "Are my pants a teeny bit looser? I don't know, but maybe?"

Granted, my SW 152 was taken after breakfast last Sunday, so I don't know for SURE if I'm down three -- likely more like a single lb. That does make me a little sad, because I hoped to lose at least 5 lbs in the first two weeks, maybe more, and obviously that's not going to happen at this rate.

Still. I will die when I see 145, I swear to you all. It'll be such a happy day. (Let's just hope it comes. I'm so scared to go on Ph2 -- I sense I won't loose anything, even if I ramp the exercise WAY WAY WAY up. But I'm struggling on Ph1 finding foods to eat.)

Thoughts? I love your feedback girls, each and every one of you. It's so helpful to hear what you all think. Thanks for listening!

Wow, it sounds like Thursday was a sucky day in general for everyone! Know that you are all in my prayers, and that I'm sure that things will work out...and you deserve that. :grouphug: I take major comfort in this verse (hope I'm not offending anyone by sharing it: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

I hope that Friday is a great day for everyone to make up for the yuck of yesterday. And I'm so thrilled to hear that many of you did a great job staying OP! That is such a major feat! I feel so empowered when I am able to stay OP in spite of great stress! :cp:

Mamacita, I think your supervisor needs some serious help. It is so frustrating when people do not support you! But do yourself a favor and don't let it make you feel unimportant! You are important, especially to people like me who hate needles and rely on people like you to draw the blood quickly and well so it hurts as little as possible and add some humor along the way to make it a better experience. I can't tell you how grateful I have been to the kind and patient phlebotamists I've met over the years! When the administration gets nutty here at school, I just try to focus on the students, who are the real reason I'm here. I hope your patients give you some great encouragement in the next few days and help you remember why you are really there. That said, big hugs :grouphug: and know that your supervisor might not know the truth, but *we* do. :cp:

Ruth, I'm sorry yesterday was so heinous! Today sounds like a lovely day, though! I hope you have a great time goofing off and enjoy the hectic parties tomorrow. Your peonies sound gorgeous and I am jealous! I would love one, but they are so expensive! Please do share pictures when you can. I would love to see pics of your whole garden...it sounds like paradise! Hope Lucy feels better on her new diet. Our pup's diet is very restricted, so she has no chance to become plump, but she also has a super-short coat, so we would know right away. The kind of coats your puppers have hide a lot!

Jodi, I hope you greatly enjoy the summer schedule! It must be fabulous! :goodvibes: And huge congratulations to your ds for making preprimer! He is well on his way to reading...getting to preprimer is a major accomplishment!!! :bravo: How old is he? He is one lucky kid to have you for his caring mom! :grouphug:

ADD, I am so sorry you are going through this, but I must say how in awe I am of your courage and bravery in the face of bullies! :cp: I think you have done a great job of standing up for yourself, which is awesome! I'll keep you in my prayers and hope that things work out for you! Keep us posted, 'kay?

I'm very happy today is Friday! Our servers were being worked on yesterday, so I didn't really get any posts in. We were working offline all day, which was a bit odd. But I got a lot done. :) Had the Spinach dumplings for dinner last night. They were a pain to make, especially since I couldn't find WW bread crumbs anywhere. Has anyone else seen them? However, I have to admit that they were totally delicious! They did fall apart in the the pot when I didn't put a ton of them in there. I would also say, if you decide to make them, put less salt in. It calls for two teaspoons, and you put that in the water when you cook the spinach. I heated it in the micro., so I added the salt to the mixer when making the dough. It was way too much salt for that method!

We'll go out to dinner tonight...maybe Applebees. They have a WW menu that has some possible SBD choices, but they do not list a lot of nutritional information, which I find annoying. Oh well... :shrug: I am hoping to go to Jo-Ann's and pick up some fabric to make these adorable wallhangings for my friends. The fabric is so darling...little shoes (with titles under them like "earthy crunchy shoes" for birks and "too high shoes" for a pair of heels) and little bras (with titles under them like "date bra" and "ouchy bra"), little purses, and tons of cute sayings. One of them reminded me of you guys. Something like, "No friendship is dearer or more close that that of friends who are dieting together!" ;) The pattern for the wallhanging is a shoe and a purse made out of the fabric. It is so cute!

A friend just e-mailed me to see if I wanted to go to a murder mystery theater performance on a local train! That would be awesome!

I hope everyone has a much better day today and a fun-onmenal weekend! :goodvibes:

Morning all-

Mama-people are crappy, glad you at least got it out of your system, despite management.

Ruth and Ellis :)

Sorry I've been MIA. Having one of those weeks. Instead of ranting here, I've been ranting IRL.

I weighed in and am at my lowest yet!!! So that good news brought me back ;)

I went out last night and had one too many bacardi and Diet's so I am running slow today. I have the day off too. So laundry, Target, grocery shopping and to the gym I go. After I make something to eat! I love payday.

Happy Friday all.

I think I'm about as cranky as ever. What was proving to be a moderately relaxed weekend while they rebuilt our retaining wall and I got my hair done - it is now apparent that despite the fact that I'm at 55 hours right now for the week that there will be weekend hours..........................................

that's all. Not reading anyone else's crankiness b/c I may start to feel for you and then I won't be able to think my day is awful.

I am going to start taking bets on which person on my team will start crying first. Yesterday was close - so I think today is the day.

laurie, you are so positive!!! just awesome!! my ds is 9 years old, thank you very much for the compliment yes preprimer is fantastic and i am very proud of him they have been testing him for 2 school years now and this is the first time his score was high enough to place in a level. have fun at dinner the ww menu at applebees looks very good they have it online applebees.com they only give the points value, fat, cal and fiber info tho. good luck with your choices.

hi jenn glad you made it through to payday. enjoy your day off!!!

I just got back from Mom and Dad's, and Dad looked GREAT! (compared to last week, when he was lying in bed all day looking like he was dead) He's walking around and doing a bit of cooking, and taking Mom up tea in bed in the mornings. :) It's so nice to see he's regained a bit of stamina. He DID lose 10 pounds last week when he was so sick, which for him is a huge amount (he's small, and he's never overweight.)
He said to me today, "Too bad YOU couldn't lose 10 pounds in one week, eh?" :rolleyes: God... ya love 'em, but them make you CRAZY!!

Ruth, enjoy yourself tomorrow. :grouphug: I swear there's something wrong with your metabolism. You never STOP, girl!! :lol:

Mamacita, what is WRONG with your boss!! That's HORRIBLE, sweetie. No one deserves to be treated that way. Can you sit down with her and discuss this? Can you tell her to just piss off?

Oh, Jodi... :( Your little love is autistic. My DH used to work with adults with autism, and he found it so rewarding. They're such special people. I'm glad to hear that he's high-functioning. We'll keep him (and you!) in our prayers. :grouphug:

Oh, ADD, I'm so sorry!! :( You come in here and we'll give you lots of love and hugs... :grouphug: I hope things get worked out quickly.

Kim, what a great husband you have! Stay on Phase I a little while longer if you want to. It's all about willpower, hon. If that's what you feel you need to do, then do it!

Laurie, people around here are only offended if you actually try to CONVERT them! :lol3: That's a lovely verse... I think it's one of my Mom's favourites. (I say that in the NICEST way possible!)
WW breadcrumbs!! God forbid that you should buy a loaf of WW bread and actually GRATE it!! :rofl:
That mystery train thing sounds like a HOOT!

Jenn! It's payday!! Enjoy yourself, hon!! :hat:

Barb... Pebbles... hugs... :grouphug:

I'm going to a lecture tonight with my friend, Jim. "The Fantasy of War: Weapons of Mass Destruction and 'Democracy'." By renowned international journalist and middle east correspondant, Robert Fisk. Should be good if I can only keep my eyes open.

Jenn, congrats on making it to payday with such a fantastic weight! You are squarely in onederland!!! :cp: :cheer: :cp: Hope you have a marvelous three day weekend!

Jodi, :thanks: Seriously, I just finished a class on literacy programs, and all these programs brag about getting kids to the preprimer level. It's a big accomplishment. To do it at 9 is great for a kid with high-functioning autism! He's doing awesome! :grouphug: Have you looked into things you can do with him at home to raise his awareness of letters and sounds? Do you read to him frequently? The more you read to him, the more ready he will be for the primer and beyond. Spend time talking about the author and illustrator, who they are and what they do, and show him the title page and tell him what it does. Slide your finger underneath the words as you read to help him see that you are reading those letters, and ask him to interpret what will happen next and see what he can guess about the story from the pictures. All these activities can help him learn to read. Also, listen to and sing rhyming songs like "Down by the bay" and "The Name Game" with him. Point out signs and take him places to increase his vocabulary. The more work you do with him this summer, the less he will have backslid by the time he gets back to school.

Okay, off my :soap: . ;)

Have a great weekend, chicks!

Oh Ellis!! That's funny, if it wasn't so torturous! I so feel where you're coming from there... but he's right, it IS too bad we can't lose 10 lbs in a week! Me, anyway. ;) heheh

By the way, Rob, my DBF, is a HUGE fan of Robert Fisk -- he's be drooling with jealousy if he knew you were getting to listen to Fisk speak!

Have a great weekend!