What's for lunch?

I'm sitting here eating lunch at my desk again. I do that almost every day now. My regular "lunch pal" has been tied up in training the people in India who are taking my job. So she doesn't really get a 'real' lunch break any more. So I eat alone and try to find interesting things on the internet. Thought I'd make an update here.

But there's not much new to update! I did attend my first post-surgery support group on Monday night. It was just OK. A good mix of people, some 1-2 years post, some just a few weeks and others who haven't had surgery yet. I found out about a chewable calcium citrate that I am going to get! I have the hardest time taking all the pills required by the doctor! I am supposed to take 2 multi-vitamins a day (I usually do) and 1500 mg. of calcium per day. Well, each calcium table is only about 200 mg, and they are like horse pills so I have to cut them in 1/2. That means I have to consume about 7-8 pills/day, but since they are cut in 1/2 about 15-16 that I swallow! And you can't take calcium within like 2-3 hours of the vitamin (or it won't absorb properly). This is all in addition to the other pills I still take for cholesterol and high blood pressure (and vitamin D and Biotin and then the icky one that I have to break open and mix in with yogurt or pudding - this is to prevent gallstones). It feels like I am constantly taking pills! So the thought of just sucking on 3 calcium tablets/day sounds good to me. They even have flavors like chocolate or cinnamon!! I will let you know how that goes!

I also received my new protein powder yesterday. It's cookies & cream flavored and I am anxious to try it (I was too full/bloated yesterday to try it). I sure hope it's good because I paid almost $45 for it, and the big jar is deceiving - it's only about 1/2 full! It's 2 pounds, but it sure looks little. I think the other brand I bought (Unjury) was cheaper and it's good too. Again, we'll see which I prefer. I ordered an ice cream maker too (did I mention that before) and plan to use the cookies & cream to try out ice cream.

I have Friday off to attend Anoka's Diva Days with Jan (my lunch buddy previously mentioned above). (It's a Holiday in India - thus she was awarded a vacation day). Then Saturday I'll go to Diva Days with my sisters and sister-in-law. Sunday I will kick Marylee's butt at Scrabble and then we're back to normal (work) again! Does anyone else think the weekends are too short? I mean it's really only Wednesday and I'm already sad that the weekend is almost over!!

I can't wait to see who they kick off Idol tonight. Hopefully it will be the right one!

Freaky Friday begins

Freaky Friday is something that we have determined happens here at work almost every week. Seems that our vendors or internal partners tend to "freak out" on Fridays when we have a reduced staff. So Judy and I are already preparing. She's already found something freaky (actually, she found it last night and Emailed me after I had left for the day, so I think it counts as "Freaky Friday" material). And so it begins...

I have a quiet weekend planned, other than a Target Transportation reunion tomorrow afternoon and my church's Youth Musical (in which my very beautiful and talented niece Marissa will be performing). Nothing else planned. Maybe I'll finally buy those athletic shoes (thanks for the nudge, Sally!). My knees have been doing real well and I'm officially cane-free now, so I am running out of excuses for not walking/exercising!

Hope you all have a great day and a fabulous weekend. Try not to freak out today!

And now for something completely different...

I just didn't know how to title this, and that came to me from the old Monty Python show. No, there is nothing completely different about this blog, so don't get excited.

I weighed again today (this morning - you always weigh less in the AM in case you didn't know). I am now down 122 pounds. Felt good. Hope it keeps going that way. I read another woman's blog http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ and she said she hit a slump around 80 pounds and decided it was because she wasn't getting enough protein. The reason - it's hard to digest "real" protein, and most of the protein powders taste like "monkey ass" (to quote her -- and I agree). So you can't drink it. She recommended a brand and I ordered some today so we'll see. I ordered "cookies and cream" flavor. I have one protein powder that I found tolerable, too. It's called "Unjury" and I also recommend that. But who could resist cookies & cream?? Not me! She makes ice cream with hers. So I am thinking I might try that too. I miss ice cream.

This afternoon I met with an employment counselor from the agency that is working with us Target losers. I liked her and so will keep updated with her. I wasn't impressed with the people they had that conducted our initial meeting and told myself that if this counselor was a bonehead, I was going to tell them "thanks, but no thanks". She knows that I'm not looking externally until maybe November..so she won't be bugging me until then. You can start to take advantage of their offerings (classes, etc) 90 days prior to your farewell date (mine is 12/18/09 one week before Christmas -- ho, ho, ho said the mighty retailer).

So that's all for now. Please leave me a message if you are reading these things. I feel like I'm typing in the wind here. Now I have to go and watch American Idol. My prediction: Lil Rounds and Matt Girboud (or however you spell it) are getting the boot. We'll see how good I am. I did afterall predict my nephew Collin & his wife Krista were pregnant. I'm good.

And it's the weekend again!

Wow..time went really fast this last week. I'm glad, because I didn't want to be at work and usually that makes the days just drag by. But for some reason, they just flew by this week. Maybe because I had lots to do - including a dentist appt. to "update" an old filling. And it is hurting like crazy! The dentist thought it may need a root canal, but wanted to try this first. It's just my luck that it will end up in a root canal and $2,000.00 worth of co-pays!

So I found out today that my boss was lucky enough to get one of the 2 manager positions that were open. So lucky in fact that he got the one that also awarded him a promotion. Hard for me to be terribly happy and excited for him, considering my fate. He's just lucky because in reality, he is a wonderful and nice person, but not an incredibly good "boss". I'm beginning to believe that at Target the more you goof off and don't know things, the better your chance for promotion (or just having a job).

The weight has remained about the same this week. Thinking that I may cancel my membership at the YMCA and join Lifetime instead. I have some friends that go to Lifetime and it's also cheaper than the Y. And since I haven't stepped foot in the Y yet, I doubt they will miss me (only my $60/month).

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Nothing to do tomorrow, but Sunday is my great-nephew Ilijah's 1st birthday party!! Nothing like watching babies eat cake!! :o)

Hi Ho..Hi Ho..it's back to work I go :o(

I've been off since Wednesday and had a really wonderful and relaxing few days off. Now it's time to get ready to go back to the "bad place" and I'm really not looking forward to it.

Wednesday I worked the KTIS Spring Fundraiser, taking calls and pledges from supporters of the station. It was a very long day (9:00-5:00), but very rewarding. They exceeded their goal of raising $550,000 by almost $200K! I talked to a lot of really wonderful people. One that really touched me was "Brandon". He's an out of work contractor. He said he paid all his bills and decided that whatever was left over, he would donate to KTIS for all they do. He had $365.00 left and donated it all. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to do that and he said, "Yes! I know that God will take care of me. I keep saying that, now it's time I prove it!". What faith!

Thursday I did a lot of errands - new car tabs, oil changed in the car, car wash, went to the noon service at church and prepared a LOT of clothes to donate to the DAV next week (5 bags!). Felt good to get so much done. Friday I did some shopping, went to a doctor's appt and had lunch with my sister, Sandy. Went to church that night and experienced another very moving service. Saturday I hosted the church prayer vigil from 7-9:00 AM, then went to participate in a web call with my nephew Keith and his family, then had lunch with my "Fourever Friends" (Nona, Sandy and Carlene). Later went to church and after church I watched "Slumdog Millionaire". I fell asleep towards the end..thought it dragged on a bit..but it was good.

Today, Easter, I was with my family at my sister JoElla's house. Nice to see everyone, including my brother Rick and his wife, Roxi. I also got to meet my niece Amy's new friend Jess. Finally! Been hearing about her for a long time and was anxious to meet her. A wonderful woman! So now it's back to laundry and getting ready for work. I ate too much today and feel bloated and overly sugared, but I bet most of us feel that way on Easter evening!

Hope the week ahead is a good one and that it goes fast.

Hard work doesn't pay after all

Well, maybe it's bitter grapes, but I am a little angry about the decision by my management team at Target to offer the job to someone else. Although I knew in my heart of hearts that they had already decided (and perhaps even promised) the job to the other candidate long before they even posted the job, I had a glimmer of hope that they would give it to me. But, alas, no. They told me that my strengths are in supervising and managing a team, and while this new position will indeed have people reporting to it, they are looking for someone with a more analytical background (never mind that I used to be an analyst in one of my previous positions). I hope they will be happy with this person, especially considering that less than a year ago she was "bragging" to everyone who would listen that she was 'too good' for this department and she was going to get a new job downtown as soon as she could. Oh well. Am I bitter? Yes, I guess I am. I think I have the right to pout it out for awhile anyway!

I'm going with the faith that God has something else planned for me. I have to or I'll be consumed with bitterness and anger. So for now I look internally (although that won't get me anywhere unless I can suddenly produce a college degree or make Target believe that I had simply forgotten to tell them that I already had one). Then, on December 18 if I have no new job inside, I get a long, long vacation (and 44 weeks severence to go along with it). So until then, I am also putting out feelers for any company looking for a very highly thought of supervisor and manager of people. I'm applying my chapstick as I type!! :o)

Keep the prayer chain coming!! Thanks!

Some new underlings...

Oh..I mean underthings. I bought some new underwear today (sorry if that is TMI for some of you reading this). I knew the day would come and so it was today. Thought I'd buy some before the old ones fall off me in a most inopportune time. So now I'm set for awhile.

Not much else is new. I'm already done with my weekly laundry and so I am hoping I can watch one of my Netflix movies tonight. I want to turn one back in so I can get "Doubt" when it's released on Tuesday. If anyone has suggestions for other movies, let me know. My list is getting shorter because I can't think of ones I want to see.

I've got a busy week ahead. I'm only working Mon-Tuesday this week (hoping to find out the fate of my one job) and then Wednesday I work at the fundraiser for KTIS. Thursday and Friday I am free - hoping to see my dear friend, Nona one of those days and again on Saturday for a "Fourever Friends" lunch along with Sandy and Carlene. Then it's Easter Sunday! It will be great to see the family all in one place again!

...and now we wait

I had 3 interviews yesterday for the job that is one my one and only hope of staying at Target (beyond December 18). The first 2 went well, I thought, and the last one with HR was a nightmare. I couldn't think of what to say and the skinny, blonde 25 year old (who has a better and more secure job than me) sat staring at me like I was an idiot. Well guess what, we can PROVE that I'm an idiot because right after meeting with her, I had to take an assessment test. Yep, me - taking a math, reading and personality test. I know I didn't "pass" the math part because I felt like it was a foreign language. All about charts and graphs and percentages and "if the value of the yen remains status quo, how many days will it take until it exceed the Ruppee in value" -- UGH!!! The reading test (which I often brag about being good at) was difficult as well. And, well, the personality test just kept asking over and over and over things like "I enjoy making others look bad". I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully there is some plan out there for a woman like me who has been at the same company for 31 years and doesn't know a yen from a ruppee.

On the bright side, I weighed myself when I got home from the devestating day yesterday, and I'm down 109 pounds now. Yeah! Still don't have those new sneakers, but think I am going to start the program without them! Maybe not today..maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of my life!!!