Some Good News! (for a change)
Heard from Cari, she's got her application in at NECC. Jim and I are supposed to keep our eyes peeled for a decent, yet affordable, apartment. Yay!

AARRGGHH!!!
Mood:  irritated
We've come to the realization at work that the current method of scheduling isn't working. Jim came up with the idea of supervisors working 12 hour shifts. While I'm not wild about the idea, it would solve some problems. It might even make it possible for us to get rid of some "less desirable" employees. Here's the deal: I spent several hours one night (at work, at least I got paid for it!) working out a rotation schedule that was PERFECT. But, when I showed it to the manager, she didn't approve. Apparently, she wants just her, her sister, and me on a rotating schedule for Sat night. Well, I had Jim in there too. She didn't like that. I don't know why. There's also another supervisor that I had working 6am-6pm every Sat, and 12-6 every Sun. Apparently, she can only work every other Sat, and not at all on Sun, because she's living at the rescue mission. I guess they determine how many hours she can have, and they say she needs to spend more time with her daughter. I'm not holding that against her, but I really think it's unfair to the rest of us. I'm tempted to say it's discrimination. Just because I don't have someone telling me when I can work makes me available 24/7? Oh, and I don't have kids, even better. That's horse hooey. I'm bending over backwards for this company, and they keep asking for more. Do they think I like working overnight? If they do, they're very much mistaken. I'd rather be at home in bed, living a semi-normal life like anyone else. I'm pretty angry. When I started working nights, I told them that I wasn't available Saturday nights, because I go to church on Sunday. At that time, I was told that I wouldn't have to work Saturdays. Well, it's Saturday, and here I am, at work. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. The manager says the 3 of us are going on rotation until we get someone trained to be weekend supervisor. As far as I know, they don't plan to promote anyone currently working here, so it'll be a while. If my suspicions are correct it'll be a loooong time. Even then, I'll bet I'm still scheduled. I'm sick of it. Sometimes being "nice" is the pits. I let people walk all over me. I feel a little like Tevye in "Fiddler": "Where will it stop? Where will it stop?"

A-fasting we will go...
Forgot to mention that yesterday was the first of the 55 day Lenten fast. So, no meat for Jess until May 1 (and that includes fish). For those of you confused as to why I'm saying Lent lasts beyond March 27th, I'm not Catholic. I'm Greek Orthodox. Yes, I'm still a Christian. We just use the old calendar to determine the dates of "moveable feasts" like Pascha (that's the Greek word for Easter, pronounced pah-skuh.) If you'd like more info on the subject of Orthodoxy, please feel free to visit the Archdiocese website here. I'll be living on fruits and veggies, and a lot of pasta. And mashed potatoes. Should be great for my diet...maybe. That reminds me, I've got to start remembering to take my vitamins. I bought a bottle over a week ago. Still haven't opened it. That's me for ya! Lots of brains, but I seldom use them. Like Amanda says, I'm S-M-R-T! (Miss you bunches, kiddo.) :)

A little bit of nuthin'
I just finished the 11th book in the series I'm reading: Sue Grafton's "Alphabet" Mysteries. (Each book is titled with a letter of the alphabet, "A is for alibi" "G is for gumshoe" etc.) This creates two problems: 1. Now I don't have anything to do to keep me awake until my shift ends at 8; and 2. Ms. Grafton's just finished "R". I don't know how patient I can be. That means I only have seven more books until I run out of series. Then I have to wait until she finishes a new one. I'll have to find a new series to read in between. Not much else going on in my life.

Things may get a little hairy at work in the next week. The manager's had it up to here (indicating point 4 feet above head) with the childish nonsense that has unfortunately become the norm around here. So, she's going to stop being "nice" (think lenient), and start putting her foot down. Or, so she says. I've heard that one before. But, I haven't seen her as mad as she was yesterday morning. As a result, someone was terminated. (Remind me not to piss her off!) I don't understand why people have to lie, and act so stupidly. What on EARTH would possess a person to come into work HIGH? Or drunk, for that matter. Both have happened in the last 2 weeks. I really don't get it. I guess I should be thankful that the things I'm "addicted" to can't ruin my life like drugs and alcohol could. I mean, yeah, chocolate can make me fat, but it will NEVER control me. And no matter how many times I chew off my fingernails, they'll grow back. As far as I know, none of my bad habits will ever cost me my (or anyone else's) life. The day I start endangering others is the day I change the way I live. Maybe I'm just too naive. I don't know what to think. Am I living in a dream world, where everyone gets along, and bad things don't happen? Possibly. But if we lose sight of that dream, how can we deal with the reality of our lives?

Jim-ism
Yet another jewel in conversation with Jim: "I think I've been sniffing too much birdseed." This morning he went to the "Exotic Animal Sale" in Madison, where he spent time with his 11 year-old son and his ex-wife. (He knew they would be there, it wasn't an accident.) Along with assorted birds, reptiles, and small animals, (for instance, one man was selling 200+ guinea pigs, and a lady had 84 pairs of cockatiels) there were African antelope, odd species of goats, spectacled cayman, leopard tortoises, white peacocks, an irridescent green turkey, and an entire herd of miniature horses with colts the size of puppies. He also saw a small blue parrot who mesmerized the crowd by performing a Bill Cosby routine! Ever seen a group of people laughing at jokes told by a BIRD?!?!? (Not suprisingly, it sold for $8,000) Upon hearing all of this, I regretted not going with him. I woke up with a doozy of a headache (possibly due to the B-52 I had last night!) I spent the entire day in bed. Oh well, there's always next time. This sale goes on twice a year. We also have Val's swap meet in the next few weeks. (She's a friend of Jim's.) Maybe I'll get to go to that. And there's the Zoo Sale over in Donovan. Not sure when that one is. That's about all I have to say for now, maybe I'll blog more later... :)

Hail the conquering hero...
Mood:  celebratory
Ahem, ahem, (taps mic) AS OF THIS MORNING, I HAVE LOST A TOTAL OF 20 POUNDS! (crowd erupts into thundering applause) May my weight continue to dwindle until I reach my goal. Hooray!

I Shot the...target. (actually, I missed!)
Mood:  rushed
Now Playing: ...Sheriff. Clapton is King!!
Went out and shot rifles again today, still in the sighting in process. Was windy, and a little cold. Both of us had trouble keeping it steady. I was wiggling/shaking so much I shot way off to the left. In fact, I missed the target by about an inch. Pretty bad. Jim wasn't doing as well either, so we decided to call it a day, and try again later. I still say it's because neither of us had eaten yet. I get shaky when I don't eat. We're going to go up to Butterfield on Saturday (I hope) and get these things hammered in.

The Sun'll Come Out...
Mood:  happy
Wishin'...and hopin'...and thinkin'...and prayin'...Plannin'...and dreamin'...If Cari moves heeeeere, then maybe life won't be so dreeeear(y). But only if she decides that's the right thing for her to do. I don't want to make it sound like I think she HAS TO. It sure would be nice, though. Since I moved to Norfolk, I've been in a seemingly theatre-less existence. First I started seeing less of Amanda (nobody's fault, it just happened), then she moved to Oklahoma. Thus stretching my link to the theatre world very thin. It's not gone completely, Jim still looks at available shows here on occasion, but it's not the same without her. Them's the breaks, I guess. Maybe if Cari moves here I'll be more aware of what goes on up at NECC. I usually don't hear about shows I might be interested in until after they're over. That's just my luck. I keep meaning to call the Performing Arts Council, but I forget. (That's easy to do after working 9 hours overnight.) Maybe if I write it on my hand, I'll remember to call tomorrow morning. Then I can find out just what's available here. I've got to find some outlet for my creative/performance tendencies, I'm driving myself (and Jim) nuts. I miss it. The last thing I did was "Mattress". That was over a year ago. It's amazing how many things change in a year. I'm curious to see what will happen next...

Lookee there!
Mood:  surprised
We went out and "sighted in" our rifles today. According to Jim, I did very well for my first time out. Those of you who know me are aware that guns and I are rarely seen together, so the concept of my OWNING one is rather strange. Jim shot a "cloverleaf" (all 3 shots touching) with his first 3. He said he's never done that on the first try before. Yay us! Click here to see a picture of the target, with shots labeled.

aGAIN!?!?!?
This darn blogger is driving me nuts. I've tried to get in here for the last 2 DAYS, but my blogs weren't there. I don't know where they go, it's like they take a little vacation every now and then. (This has happened before.) Well, at least they came back...