Ceejay – Can’t imagine how the driver took out 5 utility poles – did striking one mess up the wires for 5? I hope they’ve gotten another well up and running. Do they need to get electricity going to operate pumps on the wells?? Not long now for your nephew’s wife. Amazing she can still teach yoga so far along in her pregnancy!!
Shad – Makes sense to sell the stamp collection if the boys are no longer interested in that hobby. Who knows what the values will do in the future, so why wait if you can put the $$ to good use now? SAP Suckers, LOL! Nice you got outdoors on the weekend. I think being out and about in rainy weather isn’t such a bad thing if you’re dressed for it and you don’t have to show up anywhere. Re makeup – you’re right about spending big bucks on it. I asked for a Sephora gift card thinking it might be fun to try some new makeup/beauty products but all it did was overwhelm me. And it’s unbelievable the products that are out there that you don’t even know exist that many women are convinced they need. All kinds of primers and serums, etc. My routine is very simple and likely lacking, but that’ okay. I’m not looking to try and pass myself off for a 30 year old or appear on the big screen. I think I'm good with what I can get at the drugstore.
Annie – Good news re your brother – no growing/spreading. I’m so sorry about the stress of being unemployed and the job hunting. I’m glad you’re able to recognize the blessings in your life. Please know that this is a temporary thing and you will get through it!! Your former employer is being a real jerk about the unemployment benefits. They owe you this, don’t stop fighting for it when it’s due to you. Re the challenges – there must be the tiniest bit of competition in me, not against someone else, but me vs. the challenge. Something that makes me want to do the challenges and to complete them successfully. I guess that’s a good thing, keeps me from spending every after-work minute on my arse on the sofa, lol.
Jollygirl – Good for you doing the jog the other day and yoga today – being flexible and maintaining good balance is so important. It must be tough setting aside the time to totally clear your mind and let the meditation do its work – it probably takes a lot of time just to clear it before getting to the helpful part.
Terra – Good job walking further! Your body builds stamina and strength before you even realize it. Keep on walking!
Michelle – Glad you got the brakes and tires done. I bet the difference is very noticeable. Yay for graduating to level 2 of the exercise class!! Re the planks – as your strength increases, you’ll see your plank time increase – no doubt about it!! Did you get out for a walk at lunchtime yesterday??
Happy – You’re sure keeping busy these days! Your Easter sounded lovely, in spite of the big piles of snow left on the ground. So great you’re lending your efforts to the new shop in a big way. I’m interested in how it’ll turn out – May is just around the corner!! Did DH get the new grill? How are the kitties?? Re the ham bones – bf likes navy bean soup a lot, so he wants to make a batch of that. I like it too, but I also like split pea. Otherwise, that’s about it for the soups using ham. Awww, live spring chicks.
Hi Susie!! How’s your week going??
==
Yesterday was okay. Boss asked for input on replacing our admin asst – if the job description still reflected the job, and what type of person we need. Also worked more on the yucko project. Some good-sized chunks are done for our dept – we passed a bunch of files along to the records group to get scanned. All this legacy stuff is a major PITA. Like my former boss always said to me – “get your next job at a start-up”. LOL.
I was surprised my ww weigh-in yesterday showed the same as my last weigh-in two weeks ago. Based on my scale at home, I used to be able to gauge what the ww scale would show, but not anymore. I will definitely take a no gain result! My employer is about to offer a WW reimbursement benefit company-wide as part of its wellness initiative (right now it’s just for WW at work in our office here). If I could get a reimbursement for going to a non work-site WW meeting, I might switch to that. Our WW at work group has dwindled somewhat now that we’re on session #4, and I’m not liking our meeting leader as much as some others we’ve had in the past. And going through a personal period of “who cares” has made it a bit uncomfortable for me to go to the meetings with co-workers and act like I’m into it. If it makes me not want to go to a meeting, it's not a good thing. I think a WW day/time/location/leader of my choosing would work better for me.
I saw “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” last night and it was good. I learned right before the movie that it was over two hours long, but it didn’t feel that way. The only thing is that it would have been nice to see Chris Evans shirtless, LOL. Oh well, can’t have everything.
Kind of a late night for me last night, and then poor Coal woke us up around 2 AM in a major fright because the battery had gone out on the CO2 detector and it was emitting a beep. Poor baby. That all began a few years ago when we had a power outage during a huge thunderstorm and one of our detectors that was a plug-in variety that of course went out during the outage and it too had some sort of beep in spite of no power. Poor guy was panting and hovering by us even after we de-activated the CO2 unit. Bf ultimately got up and went with him into the living room so doggy could calm down a bit.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Annie
I can totally relate to how you are feeling. Back in the 80's I had a great job. Then my boss got pushed out and I got put under a guy who was one of the biggest jerks in the company. We did not like each other and he did everything he could to undermine my work. I didn't hate my job, I hated him and I knew it was only a matter of time before he found a way to push me out too. In the interim the stock market crashed and our financial exchange fell on hard times. For the first time ever they were offering severance packages for people to willingly terminate. Since I hated my job, without discussing it with DH, I went in and took the package. I figured we could use the money to relocate to another city - something we casually talked about. A couple of weeks after I left, DH's back went out to the point that he was on the floor from pain for 4 months. We weren't going to move afterall. I searched in vain for a job with no luck. This was hard for me because up to this point I was sought after for jobs and never had a hard time finding work. Meanwhile we poured through the severance quickly partly because DH was on medical disability at the time at reduced pay. And we needed 2 pay checks. I can still remember sometimes hopping the train to go downtown to meet friends for lunch and networking and I was looking at everyone going here and there - it seemed that everyone had something to do BUT ME. I was stunned to realize that so much of my self worth was tied up in my career and without a job, I felt useless. The harder I tried, the more I got rejected. I remember going on an interview (I was an old lady of 35 at the time). It was a trendy loft space on the north side of the city - a place that would have required me to take a train, a bus and a long walk to get to. I was interviewed by 2 guys who were just out of college at 22. And they were sort of sneery and full of themselves and looked at me as if I were an old dinosaur. I walked out of that interview so ticked off. The whole summer and fall was like that - not much in the way of interviews and the ones I did get - either I was very qualified for them and didn't hear back or I started to be less picky about what I applied for - starting to get desperate. Each rejection or ignore I took very personally. It was hard to keep the spirits up And I was handling the bills so each month it became more of an effort to stretch the money and make ends meet. Christmas was going to be a bust because come January - I wouldn't have enough money to make the mortgage payment. In the end, I pushed hard for a job I had interviewed for in October and was very interested in. This was hard for me, I am not a self promoter and I don't like "putting myself out there" but I was desperate. I finally got the job December 28. But it was awful and I will never forget those feelings. I went through a similar version of that in Tennessee - I'm very grateful we were able to work things out for the early retirement as this would not have gone well otherwise. I had applied for an opening for a help desk manager - and I managed a help desk at 2 companies for over 12 years and I couldn't even get an interview at the company I was working for! (jobs went to people on the "A" list even if they were not qualified for them) So the point of my very long story was that in several times of hitting rock bottom, things did manage to turn around. Can't say if the timing had to be right or just that I opened myself up to different things as time went on. I think the feelings you are having are totally normal. Other than watching your child struggle at something, I can't think of anything harder than a job search. Just keep looking for opportunities - things should pick up as we edge into spring when budgets get approved and they are looking for more people. I am sorry that you are also fighting Humana with unemployment. DON'T GIVE UP - that's exactly what they want you to do. They opted to lay people off - then they have to pay unemployment - that's how that goes. Too bad, so sad. Keep the faith sister
I'm sorry that I don't have time to get to everyone else. I have to get ready to meet a friend for lunch - not too crazy about the place she picked. but it will be nice to spend some time with her. Then I have to go over to my yoga class. Will be back later tonight to catch up.
2 days until Shad's birthday. Well probably a day and a half if you factor in the time different since she lives in our future
I didn't get to the gym last night. I was feeling exhausted all day yesterday and struggled to just stay awake at work. So after picking up Santa I went straight home, ate, showered and then chillaxed.
I went to bed earlier than usual and am doing a bit better because of it. I've got my gym bag in the car and am hoping and planning to go to the gym after work.
==============
Annie - I'm so glad to hear your brother's PSA levels are doing better and that there hasn't been any growth or spreading of the cancer. I just sent you a rather long e-mail.
I'll be back later to do the rest of the personals.
Sailing along quietly with the job go-live. Getting all sorts of bits and pieces to do, and some of them are definitely not in my defined space or contract. Still it is all learning experience and I am getting a few more brain cells filled with data. Unfortunately I may have killed off some of yesterdays newly programmed cells with champagne last night. But then again - champagne, who cares?
Annie - can't say much since Happy has said it all and very succinctly too. However I do remember when I used to get extremely agitated if I didn't pick up a contract within a short space of time. Used to think that maybe I should have a second string to my bow and go and be a receptionist or something. I don't have a degree and there was a time when you just about had to have a degree to step on the training room floor. Luckily some companies saw sense after a period of time. There was also a time where you had to be 22, 9ft 12", blonde with legs up to the armpits to get a job training anything. Fortunately the miners themselves put the kibosh on that, they boycotted class unless they had a trainer that at least knew something more than a 1/2" bolt lived on a mine. I don't live in the States so I don't know how employers there think. Sometimes I wonder if they do actually do any thinking at all. Doesn't seem like it from the things I have heard on this thread over the years.
So delighted to hear that the brothers cancer is not spreading. One up to him. Whatever he is doing, tell him to double his efforts. He rocks.
Whatever else you do, keep fighting Humana. It is definitely not fair that they are trying to get away without paying you severance. You did a lot of work for them, they reaped the benefits from that. They made money out of everything that everyone of their employees did. DO NOT GIVE UP.
Jolly - my mind is never still when I do yoga classes or tapes. One of the Denise Austin dvds I have I am forever telling her to hurry up. This downdog is getting boring etc. etc. I know that slow stretching is what yoga is and does but it doesn't always fit with my lifestyle. I should just get on with it and just do it.
Bike, Weights and planks. You sure are moving it tonight.
Laura - When I did the entire training for a nickel plant, I had 450 trainees to cater for. When it came time for go-live, I requistioned 451 specimen jars from the store, created 451 labels that said:
SAP Soothers
Suck on these when you feel:
SAPped
Stressed
Sick
Stupid
Scared
Then I filled the jars full of M&Ms
Then before they all got to work I stuck them on each desk or work station. They were a complete success. They guys loved them and it took away the newness and change stress. Unfortunately I wouldn't refill the jars for them. What did I do with the 451th one? Aaaah well I took it to the big boss. He did very little training saying that his secretary would do most of the work for him. He was a very hands on (person type) manager. He thought it was a real hoot and went around the plant talking to the guys and girls about the SAP soothers. He told me some years later that his soothers worked as he never opened SAP in his entire tenure as the CEO.
Well done on the no gain, but no loss. I'd take it. I am a perennial maintainer.
Happy - well said. Hope you enjoy the Yoga class and the lunch.
Michelle - hope you are feeling more rested today.
Well I got up and did the challenge exercises again this morning. Now up to rest day on Day8 tomorrow. That's 7 pushups and 20 leg raises and crunches. I actually do the pushups twice. Once in easy format - knees and arms and once in the hard format - arms and toes. So I guess you could say I have done 14 however I find the easy format too easy. I do it basically to warm up the shoulder muscles.
Anyway, I had better go find some more work to do - oh hang on, it's lunch time. Might be time for a long lunch.
Lol, Shad. I used to have a direct report who, if she knew I was coming up and she had to give me some not pleasant news, would put M&Ms in a medicine cup first. I love it!!
Hi everyone else. Hope you are having a fabulous day. Started out 36° and raining this morning, so I did spin bike instead of outside jog. After all, tomorrow is another day!
Happy Birthday, Shad! And wishing you a good Anzac Day as well!
Yesterday after work, I did something I won't do again for awhile. I went to the gym and did 15 minutes on the recumbent bike to warm up before trying an hour long strength training class (which also incorporates A LOT of cardio). It wasn't the cardio that was the hard part. It was some of the other stuff. I've determined that my back is just not ready for squat thrusts and burpees (still not sure I know what the difference is, but the instructor said there is one). After about 35 minutes of intense strength training and during one of the sets of bench presses where we lay down on a step bench, I felt like I was going to pass out. Thankfully, I didn't. It wasn't that the bench presses were difficult because they weren't. I did fine with most of the strength training moves as long as I didn't do any of the high-impact jumping (or squat thrusts/burpees as I mentioned). I did modify the pushups to be wall pushups, and the tricep dips to be overhead tricep presses. I think the class and the pace of the class was just a bit more than I was ready for. Last night, I still had periods of dizziness that didn't subside until I was finally able to lie down and relax. Walking the dog and showering are not fun when you don't have equillibrium. I'm much, much better today. All back to "normal" (whatever that means).
At least for the foreseeable future until my back improves, I'll either do my strength training at home via the challenges (and either dumbells or exercise bands), or use the Nautilus machines at the gym.
Tonight, I'm going to do the yoga class at the gym. Hopefully, there won't be too many pretzel moves...or if there are, hopefully they can be modified.
Tomorrow after work, I'll go to the gym to ride the bike, and then am getting together with friends. Saturday, I'm taking Santa to a doggie get together with some of his West Highland White Terrier (Westie) friends, then dropping him off at daycare for the afternoon while I go to a workshop followed by yoga class. Not much planned for Sunday, other than an afternoon yoga class.
=============================
Shad - Hope you are having a lovely birthday! Since it's Anzac Day, does that mean you get the day off? BTW, the "ask not" quote was made by JFK. I loved the idea of the SAP Soothers. How creative! I totally get what you said about yoga moving so slow. My yoga instructor usually makes us hold poses for at least 2-3 minutes.
Laura - Too funny about your boss' suggestion on working at a start-up to avoid legacy system issues. Being in IT, I can certainly relate. Glad you enjoyed the new Captain movie. Did you see the first one? I haven't seen the first one yet. I liked him in The Avengers, but he wasn't my favorite Avenger...Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is my fave. I'd kind of like to see Divergent, though I haven't read any of the books. Poor Coal with the beeping. Those things can be so loud even to us and with dogs' hearing being even more sensitive. So nice that your work is going to reimburse WW even outside of the "at-work" meetings! The right meeting and leader can make all the difference.
Happy - I hope lunch with your friend and your yoga class were both very enjoyable. I agree with all you said to Annie about job hunting and all the stress that goes with it.
Jolly - Wow! Bike, weights and planks! You go, girlfriend. I tried that combo (didn't even get to the planks) and nearly passed out. That's smart of your direct report to sugar-coat the bad news with M&Ms. 36 degrees and raining? Oh well, at least you were able to spin bike to warm yourself up. Well done!
Happy – Everybody experiences rough times in their worklife, with varying periods of unemployment. You certainly went through your share! I’m glad things are working out for you with early retirement. I’m another one of those folks who’s not a self-promoter, so it will be a rough go for me if/when I decide to make a move. I still don’t know what I want to go after, so I’m certainly not going to change just for change’s sake! How was your lunch and yoga yesterday??
Michelle – Your workout sounds like it was very challenging! That class sounded like a bootcamp sort of class. Ugh, burpees, mountain climbers, squat thrusts – whatever, I hate all of those types of moves!! I hope you’re not in any severe pain today from all that. The yoga should feel good if you have some soreness. The yoga classes I’ve gone to don’t hold the poses long like you said.
Jollygirl – Sounds like you’re keeping active – yay for you!!
Shad – Love the idea of the M&M jars you gave out to the trainees! I don’t think I’d do well doing contract jobs. I like the perception of security from a “permanent” job, lol. Good job on your challenge!! I see it’s now Friday morning, so I can wish you a Happy Birthday!! Have a wonderful day and I hope you have a fabulous year to follow. And Happy Anzac Day too!
Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies – hope everything is going well in your necks of the woods.
--
Work’s keeping me busy and it’s going to be like that for a while since the admin assistant is leaving. We’ll be busy with interviewing and then getting someone up to speed. In the meantime our busy time is getting started. Bad timing to be taking on a new person, especially with two other people in new roles as well. Oh the fun. I think I’ve got my part of that big ugly project done, and I have to make sure the admin is getting her part done as well.
I did my 4 min. plank last night and it was really really tough, and this time I felt it in my back, and it’s even a bit sore today. Today’s day 28 - another 240 seconds, followed by 270 and 300 on days 29 & 30. I’m at the bitter end and it’s not pretty. Ugh. I did day 26’s pushups yesterday on day 27, but didn’t do day 27’s. Today is day 28 and a rest day, so I will get caught up. I haven’t been doing any standard pushups the past few days. Because the plank challenge is now so hard, I try and get that out of the way first and do the pushups later, and by then I just don’t want to work very hard. So I’ve been doing the knee version the past several days.
Tonight I’ll probably go through our vet file and pull together doggy’s vet bills to submit to his pet insurance. BF wasn’t keeping up with submitting them and I have a feeling we’ve loss some possible reimbursements because of that. I’ll likely just do it myself going forward because bf will say that we only get a limit of so much per year for certain treatments (like Coal’s monthly adequan shots for osteoarthritis), so why bother. All I know is if you don’t ask, you don’t get. I’m going to submit all the bills starting where we left off and be done with it. The current policy expires May 4th, so I want to get everything to them ASAP.
Hi Everyone. I have come to the site twice this week to post and I would get through reading and then my lunch would be interrupted with work--my manager was out two weeks for vacation, back a week and then out a week for his father's death and he had a lot of "I need" to give to me.
I got into the poditrist on Tuesday and she took more x-rays of my foot to see if anything else showed up. It didn't. She thinks it could be inflamed nerves from the broken toe and is going to send me for a MRI. I am waiting for them to call and set up that appointment. I checked today because I hadn't heard anything and the doctor's office said they sent the order to the MRI place and they should be calling me. The MRI place is most likely checking with my insurance.
In the meantime, they gave me a boot to wear. It's been two days and I wear it mostly at work (have to take it off to drive) and at home I am not on my feet a lot after work so I'm not putting it on then, but I can tell a BIG difference. That tells me it is something with the nerve along the foot for sure.
I'm going to have to find some new exercises to do until I get this foot problem cleared up and can get on the treadmill or bike or elliptical. It figures this would happen now that I have ordered a treadmill. It comes on May 1. DH is looking forward to it.
I had a small gain at my TOPS weigh-in tonight. I was disappointed because I really watched my food and thought I did ok. I'll just keep doing what I was doing and I'm sure next week I will have a loss.
Shad: Happy Birthday! I hope you had a wonderful birthday.
Annie: Great news about your brother! I'm so sorry that this unemployment thing is going so hard for you. It is very hard to be out of work. The feelings you are having are normal. Things will turn around. I know they will.
It is hard to appear confident when you are wondering how you will pay the bills but really try to do something every day for yourself that makes you feel good so you can build the confidence and potential employers will pick up on that confidence and will look at you before the other candidates.
As for the fight for unemployement. That is yours and you must fight for it. Don't give in. Humana decided to lay you all as they were restructing and positions where elminated..not people but positions and so they must pay the unemployment.
To the rest of the Wordlies, I am sorry not to post individual posts but I need to go take care of my nieces. It' my "mommy" night and karatee and dance have ended.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Hi ladies,
Shad - a very happy birthday to you - it's still going on now so I hope it was a pleasant one for you even if you have to share yours on a rather somber day. Sounds like you attended an Anzac service as is your way of kicking off the day. Did you spend some time with the rellies or will you be making a 3 day weekend of it? I love the idea of softening the shock of conversion with some sweets - very thoughtful and fun!
Susie - that is a bummer on the foot but glad that the boot is helping. It's really tough to exercise with a foot boot BUT you don't want to hurt your foot any more than it is - not worth tripling the recovery time - still it will be frustrating to see DH break in the new treadmill. Good advice to Annie.
Laura - I'm sure we all have a war story on the job front - just seems so darn hard when we are facing things ourselves. I have taken my experiences and always tried to be kind to people I was interviewing myself - just because I knew what it was like on the other side of the desk. I think job hunting is much harder now than it was 20 years ago. They changed the rules when we weren't looking Wow - you're going to be rock hard after all that arm and core work! I'm sure you can see improvements even if it is tough. Bummer on the pet insurance and lost claims. I would not let DH ever deal with that or we'd be missing out too because "it's too hard, it's too confusing, I forgot..." I hope you can find a WW leader now that you have other options. To me, a good leader is fundamental to the program.
Yikes Michelle - sounds like you stepped into a pretty intensive exercise class. I would not have been able to move today Maybe it was a bit too much but at least you were able to tell for yourself. Sorry you got some bouts of dizziness. Sounds like you are really getting into the yoga
Hi Jolly, Annie, Ceejay
I had a nice lunch with my friend yesterday. Had an interesting sandwich. We met at a coffee shop which had wraps and sandwiches and some flatbread pizzas. I decided on a sandwich which was avocado spread on some marbled rye bread, sprinkled with toasted sunflower seeds and some raisins and topped with some greens and a piece of mild white cheese. It was surprisingly good. Creamy avocado, a bit of salt and crunch with the seeds and a touch of sweetness with the raisins. I might be trying that at home, especially when I have some avocados to use up. We had a nice opportunity to sit and chat quietly and she told me of her trip to Arizona over the winter. (I am trying to figure out how people up this way can afford to go to the sunbelt for 2 to 3 months over the winter). We chatted all the way until it was time to run off to yoga. I am disappointed that my teacher is taking the summer off - but she deserves it. Will be a mad scramble to get into her fall classes. After class I rushed back into town to get some netting to cover a few bushes we have. Now that they are sprouting they are too attractive to the deer who would rather nibble greens than corn. It appears that Mr. Bear has woken up from his long nap. One of our bird feeders is broken. DH has to use a pole to reach the thing and refill it so this may be one very tall bear I woke up early today and ran off to Walmart to pick up cleaning and office supplies for the new shop. Then ran off to a meeting at the new place. Things are coming along, people have opinions but they are for the most part, getting along. I'm glad of it. We decided to rent a truck to pick up most of the store fixtures and living in the tiny town that we do, we can't get a very big truck. May mean 2 trips back and forth to the store which is an hour's drive from here. We are making progress - should be open for business again May 12. Yes, I am putting in a lot of time with this but the start up is exciting and there are some overburdened people who can use some relief from having most of the stuff stuck on them. So I don't mind. Once we get going again I can back off to my 2, four hour shifts a week. I'm toying with the idea of occasionally helping out at our little live theater in town, but still thinking about it. I need to get at the boxes in the garage for sure this year. Kind of glad they need donations at the thrift shop as that is motivation. My friend and I were bemoaning the fact that we both have not paid much attention to our crafting work - even over the long winter. We promised to nag each other along I have gotten away from my writing too...
It was raining all day today and several times it turned to a mushy snow but kept just a few degrees above freezing so it didn't stick. Thank goodness. I will go and get my hair done this afternoon. Not sure if I will get a cut or just a trim. I'm trying to grow my hair a bit longer from the short cut I had last year. Still too cold for a short cut.
And I will sign off now as my eyes are tearing from yawning and I should have been in bed an hour ago but I haven't posted much so I thought I'd at least show up to the party.
Happy birthday again Shad and a good night to the rest of you lot.
Good morning all, and happy belated birthday Shad. Hope it was a good one.
Don't know what all I will get done today. Got to bed late, due to book club, then got woken up when my younger dog had a seizure. He seems fine this morning, my other dog and I are zombies. LOL.
Will try to post later. Hope everyone has a good day.
Susie – Glad the boot helps a lot. If the MRI shows inflamed nerves, what would be the treatment – anti-inflammatories and time? The bike sounds like a good alternative exercise in the meantime. If you’ve been watching your food intake, it was probably something else that caused the gain. In which case, you’ll probably show the loss next week. Hang in there!
Happy – Not surprised to know I’m not the only one who has a significant other who can’t/won’t deal with the insurance stuff – or can’t be trusted to! When you think about it, even if you were to try and simplify your life, this part of it wouldn’t go away – if you want to be insured, you have to deal with this stuff. It’s almost humorous how complicated it can be. I’m glad you enjoyed your lunch. That sammie you had sounds delicious. Yeh, if you learn how snowbirds can afford to be snowbirds, let me know. Otherwise, I will probably be splitting my retirement years shuttling between places that have nice weather, but living out of a pop-up camper in some cheesey campground, LOL. It’s great you’re helping out with getting the shop set up again – once it’s up and running things will hopefully calm down again. This is a great time for you to go through those boxes in the garage and donate the excess/unwanted to the shop – kill two birds with one stone. I just had to look up an alternate quote - feed two birds with one scone.
Jollygirl – It’s hard to get through a day sometimes if you’ve been shorted on sleep the night before. Good luck with that – keep your coffee mug filled! I hope your younger dog is okay after his seizure. Does he have them frequently?
Hellos to the rest of the Worldlies. Ceejay - where’ve you been? I hope all is well with you and the plant and that you’re now enjoying your weekend.
--
I started my long plank last night, but made the mistake of doing it in my stocking feet. Then the socks started slipping and bf decides he’ll help hold my feet in place, lol. Then doggy decides to come over and visit bf and stepps over/on my legs trying to get there, LOL. That was it for me. I only finished about 2.5 min of that plank. Oh well. I decided to do a couple side planks – wow, were my arms shaking during those. I think I only managed about 30 seconds each side on those. I’m now caught up on pushups. Two more days of both challenges – whoo!
Nothing much else to report. Didn’t tackle the vet bills for the insurance claim, so that’ll have to happen over the weekend. No firm weekend plans except Jazzercise Saturday morning and then my mammo appointment at noon. I'm glad for no social plans - there's plenty to do around the house – I suppose bf and I need to get the garage project done – no time like the present, especially now that it’s warm enough to work out there.
Okay, back to the grind. TGIF. Yes it’s worth saying again. Everyone have a great weekend.
I'm here. Just needed some me time after an extremely stressful work week.
Shad You've made it another year. Hope you are blessed to have many more.
Laura
In reference to your question about the utility poles-it was a mess for sure. When the person's 2014 Mustang hit the pole with such speed that it broke the pole, the wires that were attached to that pole were pulled down and the other poles and pulled down the wires The pole that was hit had such an impact it also pulled the wires that were attached to the water plant building and other wires for two city blocks. It took our electric crew until yesterday to get one of our wells back online. I'm still tired from all this mess And with the running on one ground storage tank is stressful in itself
I'm impressed with the time of your planks. A job well done.
Happy
I'm glad that the Thrift store has found a new location and that things are coming together. You sure are putting in some time.
Susie
Sorry to hear your foot is giving you trouble. Glad the boot is helping.
Nice you got outdoors on the weekend. I think being out and about in rainy weather isn’t such a bad thing if you’re dressed for it and you don’t have to show up anywhere. Re makeup – you’re right about spending big bucks on it. I asked for a Sephora gift card thinking it might be fun to try some new makeup/beauty products but all it did was overwhelm me. And it’s unbelievable the products that are out there that you don’t even know exist that many women are convinced they need. All kinds of primers and serums, etc. My routine is very simple and likely lacking, but that’ okay. I’m not looking to try and pass myself off for a 30 year old or appear on the big screen. I think I'm good with what I can get at the drugstore.
Your former employer is being a real jerk about the unemployment benefits. They owe you this, don’t stop fighting for it when it’s due to you. Re the challenges – there must be the tiniest bit of competition in me, not against someone else, but me vs. the challenge. Something that makes me want to do the challenges and to complete them successfully. I guess that’s a good thing, keeps me from spending every after-work minute on my arse on the sofa, lol. 
Re the planks – as your strength increases, you’ll see your plank time increase – no doubt about it!! Did you get out for a walk at lunchtime yesterday??
So great you’re lending your efforts to the new shop in a big way. I’m interested in how it’ll turn out – May is just around the corner!! Did DH get the new grill? How are the kitties?? Re the ham bones – bf likes navy bean soup a lot, so he wants to make a batch of that. I like it too, but I also like split pea. Otherwise, that’s about it for the soups using ham. Awww, live spring chicks. 
How’s your week going??
My employer is about to offer a WW reimbursement benefit company-wide as part of its wellness initiative (right now it’s just for WW at work in our office here). If I could get a reimbursement for going to a non work-site WW meeting, I might switch to that. Our WW at work group has dwindled somewhat now that we’re on session #4, and I’m not liking our meeting leader as much as some others we’ve had in the past. And going through a personal period of “who cares” has made it a bit uncomfortable for me to go to the meetings with co-workers and act like I’m into it. If it makes me not want to go to a meeting, it's not a good thing. I think a WW day/time/location/leader of my choosing would work better for me. 
Oh well, can’t have everything. 
That all began a few years ago when we had a power outage during a huge thunderstorm and one of our detectors that was a plug-in variety that of course went out during the outage and it too had some sort of beep in spite of no power. Poor guy was panting and hovering by us even after we de-activated the CO2 unit. Bf ultimately got up and went with him into the living room so doggy could calm down a bit. 
I just sent you a rather long e-mail. 
That's smart of your direct report to sugar-coat the bad news with M&Ms. 36 degrees and raining? Oh well, at least you were able to spin bike to warm yourself up. Well done!
Have a wonderful day and I hope you have a fabulous year to follow. 
I hope you had a wonderful birthday.
Maybe it was a bit too much but at least you were able to tell for yourself. Sorry you got some bouts of dizziness. Sounds like you are really getting into the yoga 
Don't know what all I will get done today. Got to bed late, due to book club, then got woken up when my younger dog had a seizure. He seems fine this morning, my other dog and I are zombies. LOL.
Yeh, if you learn how snowbirds can afford to be snowbirds, let me know. Otherwise, I will probably be splitting my retirement years shuttling between places that have nice weather, but living out of a pop-up camper in some cheesey campground, LOL. It’s great you’re helping out with getting the shop set up again – once it’s up and running things will hopefully calm down again. This is a great time for you to go through those boxes in the garage and donate the excess/unwanted to the shop – kill two birds with one stone. I just had to look up an alternate quote - feed two birds with one scone. 
I hope your younger dog is okay after his seizure. Does he have them frequently? 
You've made it another year. Hope you are blessed to have many more.