Wake Me Up When September Ends
Been a lot of busy around here, so much so that I haven't had much time for anything, much lest posting or really even reading around here.
I'll start by saying we've had Brandon as a house guest for several months now. We're back on Weight Watchers, and it's far easier for us all if we're together it seems. Plus he came down to keep me company while I was going through Jason-Withdrawal ... it's been a bit hard adjusting to honey not being home at times, and I had days where I was going berserk because the house was so still and quiet and I just couldn't take it anymore!
Saturday was his birthday and he wanted to go home for a little while, to see his momma and Johnny and Sassy (their dog), and to do some family stuff, and to renew his driver's license, etc ad infinitum. So Saturday we went to our meeting ... I lost .4, not great but considering I broke down and had McDonald's that week, not horrible either ... then came home and got ready. Jason was scheduled off at 6 that night, so we were planning to pick him up and go from there. So we knitted .. I started my first stretchy grocery bag .. and waited. 5:30 came around, and we got packed up, and were at the dealership by about 6:05 I think. He'd told us he might be a few minutes late, which was fine. We figured we'd knit in the car, and all would be good. About 5 minutes after we get there, a couple drives up in an ancient Chevy Silverado, walks in, and wants to buy a new (well, used, but new to them) truck then and there. Jason was the only other salesman on the floor, so he took them and got things moving. No big deal, shouldn't take too long. And we had our knitting!
An hour and a half later, they were still there. Not because they were being slow or obstinate or anything. Hell no. These folks with almost 800 Beacon scores were waiting very patiently for the couple that was in the finance manager's office .. who had by then been in there for 2 hours, and were reading every word and checking every term in their paperwork, and using their calculator to check numbers, and wanting this taken off and that taken off, and basically being every finance manager's worst nightmare. Poor Eddie.
I knitted through all of this. Sat with Brandon in the car, waiting. Knitting, and listening to my XM radio. Thank the goddess for XM radio! Somewhere around 8pm, we got really thirsty, and went to the gas station next door and discovered two new flavors of Diet Pepsi - Diet Pepsi Jazz, which comes in Black Cherry & French Vanilla and Strawberries and Cream. Zero calories, and incredibly yummy flavor, though if you don't like Diet Pepsi you might not like them. I love them. Yummo!
We headed back to the dealership and waited some more. Eventually, the annoying couple came out to start inspecting the car. And I mean inspecting. This woman was checking every minuscule thing .. finding barely perceptible flaws in the paint and shit. And this went on for an hour. An hour!!! Eventually, and by this time everyone was ready to leave but couldn't because of these idiots, they called the GM out. Will explained that he had a sick wife and three boys at home and that he really needed to leave, but the woman made him come out anyway and showed him every minuscule thing that she felt was wrong with the car. What a bitch! I realize that you want your new car to be perfect, but good Lord and lady, lady. She'd already nearly given Eddie a stroke with her behavior, and now she was pulling this with Will. I about wanted to get out of the car and scream at her to just take the car already.
But instead, I knitted, patiently waiting for Jason's customers to sign their paperwork so he could hand them their keys and shake their hands. Which he eventually managed. At 9:10pm. Now, I remind you, he was supposed to get off work at 6pm. So, I got a bunch of knitting done on the bag before we headed to dinner at Sakura, our favorite Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse. After a wonderfully enjoyable meal with a very nice family sharing our table, we headed back to Brandon's momma's home for cupcakes and ice cream.
We got home much late that night, and slept in on Sunday, but managed to go walking not once but twice with Momma and Diddy, for a total of, I'd say, 3 miles. If not exactly, close to it. And we discovered a new park that Brandon and I might do well walking at, cos it's flatter than Cherry park. It surrounds a bunch of baseball and softball fields, so it kinda has to be flat, y'know?
Monday he had to work, and I spent the day puttering around the house. I'd let him take the car because I was sore and exhausted from the walks the day before, but about halfway through the day I was stir crazy, wanting to get out of the house. I made soup .. minestrone, yum! .. and got some cleaning done, but I was so happy when he got home. It rained too, which was nice. We've been needing the rain. It rained Sunday too, so that'll certainly help the grass that's about brittle it's so dry.
Tuesday was his day off, and we enjoyed a rather lazy day, but did go walking with momma. Through all of this, I've been waiting to hear from Donna, my boss at Mosaic, so I could get started with my training. They'd been waiting for a couple of courthouses to return my background check. Well, Tuesday she called her manager and they pushed everything through. While we were on our walk she called me, and I made plans to call her to get started with the training. Not that I hadn't already explored the website and knew what I needed to do, but I wanted to let her get me started. And besides, the training was supposed to be 5 hours, so I didn't want to do it that day, when I was doing a ton of running around and stuff.
Yesterday I called her in the morning, and started my training online at around 9:30. By 11:30, I called her to ask if she wanted me to do the Exact training also. She wants to cross train me for that program too, so I can handle both sections of the store I presume. She was surprised and impressed that I was already done .. but didn't want me to do the music program yet. She thought it would be too much to take in all at once. Which I don't necessarily agree with, as I already proved my retention by taking the training in less than -half- the time given. But .. eh.
So Monday and Wednesday I will be training in the store with her trainer, I think 5 hours a day is what it'll be. Might be less though, and I hope it is. That's a long time to be on my feet when I'm not used to it. And then Friday, I'm on my own. It's been a long time coming, this job, but I think it's going to work out to be a wonderful thing. Jason likes to say I'll have Donna's job in a few years .. and who knows?
In addition to the new job though, we're also beginning classes this semester at Piedmont Technical College. We're both, I believe, going for our Associates in Arts, in preparation for our Bachelors degrees. I might decide to go for a business degree, but I haven't decided just yet. Either way, I could easily transfer in, but I'm thinking that starting with the Associates in Arts might give me a broader (more broad) base of coursework to carry with me. Classes start on August 23rd, so I'm hoping that we get finished soon. Jason's got to take the COMPASS test to place in Math, and I'm waiting on my transcripts to be looked over. Waiting impatiently, I might add.
And here's a House of a Different Color.
Just had to share.
Jason's aunt Kathy passed away yesterday. She had suffered for a few years with Parkinson's Disease, and a rather aggressive form of it too. She was healthy, vivacious and alive at our wedding 5 years ago (OH GOD! Our 5 year anniversary is in a WEEK!) and when we last went to see her in May or June, she could barely speak, and it felt to me like she was a living person trapped in a cocoon, desperate to break free. Well, Wednesday around noon, she finally slipped out of the cocoon that had trapped her, and may now live free of the disease that had attacked her so violently. I'm happy for her. I cannot imagine she had any quality of life as she had been living. But her family .. she has three grown children all around Jason's age or younger .. is fractured as it is, with one having joined a cult .. no, really. A cult. And another a pothead, and the other just cracked. They're all lashing out at their aunts and uncles now, and it's very sad to see. I hope for some peace to come to them. I know it cannot be easy to lose their mother so young, but they had to realize Kathy was suffering.
*sigh*
Anyway, I'm waiting to hear from Carmencita, who's coming in to Rock Hill today to talk to a mortgage company, and is planning to come over afterward. I've not seen her in forever, so it'll be nice to have her around. I've also got to go to Wal*Mart tonight before I pick Jason up, but that's not until 9pm, so I'll have plenty of time. It's so hot right now anyway, I'm kinda glad I have something to keep me busy until it gets later and the sun won't be nearly as strong. It's awful here still, and I cannot wait for Autumn.
Today: Scattered thunderstorms. High near 90F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 91F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow night: Scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Saturday: Showers, maybe a rumble of thunder. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 60s.
Sunday: A few clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s.
Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s.
Tuesday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
I'll start by saying we've had Brandon as a house guest for several months now. We're back on Weight Watchers, and it's far easier for us all if we're together it seems. Plus he came down to keep me company while I was going through Jason-Withdrawal ... it's been a bit hard adjusting to honey not being home at times, and I had days where I was going berserk because the house was so still and quiet and I just couldn't take it anymore!
Saturday was his birthday and he wanted to go home for a little while, to see his momma and Johnny and Sassy (their dog), and to do some family stuff, and to renew his driver's license, etc ad infinitum. So Saturday we went to our meeting ... I lost .4, not great but considering I broke down and had McDonald's that week, not horrible either ... then came home and got ready. Jason was scheduled off at 6 that night, so we were planning to pick him up and go from there. So we knitted .. I started my first stretchy grocery bag .. and waited. 5:30 came around, and we got packed up, and were at the dealership by about 6:05 I think. He'd told us he might be a few minutes late, which was fine. We figured we'd knit in the car, and all would be good. About 5 minutes after we get there, a couple drives up in an ancient Chevy Silverado, walks in, and wants to buy a new (well, used, but new to them) truck then and there. Jason was the only other salesman on the floor, so he took them and got things moving. No big deal, shouldn't take too long. And we had our knitting!
An hour and a half later, they were still there. Not because they were being slow or obstinate or anything. Hell no. These folks with almost 800 Beacon scores were waiting very patiently for the couple that was in the finance manager's office .. who had by then been in there for 2 hours, and were reading every word and checking every term in their paperwork, and using their calculator to check numbers, and wanting this taken off and that taken off, and basically being every finance manager's worst nightmare. Poor Eddie.
I knitted through all of this. Sat with Brandon in the car, waiting. Knitting, and listening to my XM radio. Thank the goddess for XM radio! Somewhere around 8pm, we got really thirsty, and went to the gas station next door and discovered two new flavors of Diet Pepsi - Diet Pepsi Jazz, which comes in Black Cherry & French Vanilla and Strawberries and Cream. Zero calories, and incredibly yummy flavor, though if you don't like Diet Pepsi you might not like them. I love them. Yummo!
We headed back to the dealership and waited some more. Eventually, the annoying couple came out to start inspecting the car. And I mean inspecting. This woman was checking every minuscule thing .. finding barely perceptible flaws in the paint and shit. And this went on for an hour. An hour!!! Eventually, and by this time everyone was ready to leave but couldn't because of these idiots, they called the GM out. Will explained that he had a sick wife and three boys at home and that he really needed to leave, but the woman made him come out anyway and showed him every minuscule thing that she felt was wrong with the car. What a bitch! I realize that you want your new car to be perfect, but good Lord and lady, lady. She'd already nearly given Eddie a stroke with her behavior, and now she was pulling this with Will. I about wanted to get out of the car and scream at her to just take the car already.
But instead, I knitted, patiently waiting for Jason's customers to sign their paperwork so he could hand them their keys and shake their hands. Which he eventually managed. At 9:10pm. Now, I remind you, he was supposed to get off work at 6pm. So, I got a bunch of knitting done on the bag before we headed to dinner at Sakura, our favorite Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse. After a wonderfully enjoyable meal with a very nice family sharing our table, we headed back to Brandon's momma's home for cupcakes and ice cream.
We got home much late that night, and slept in on Sunday, but managed to go walking not once but twice with Momma and Diddy, for a total of, I'd say, 3 miles. If not exactly, close to it. And we discovered a new park that Brandon and I might do well walking at, cos it's flatter than Cherry park. It surrounds a bunch of baseball and softball fields, so it kinda has to be flat, y'know?
Monday he had to work, and I spent the day puttering around the house. I'd let him take the car because I was sore and exhausted from the walks the day before, but about halfway through the day I was stir crazy, wanting to get out of the house. I made soup .. minestrone, yum! .. and got some cleaning done, but I was so happy when he got home. It rained too, which was nice. We've been needing the rain. It rained Sunday too, so that'll certainly help the grass that's about brittle it's so dry.
Tuesday was his day off, and we enjoyed a rather lazy day, but did go walking with momma. Through all of this, I've been waiting to hear from Donna, my boss at Mosaic, so I could get started with my training. They'd been waiting for a couple of courthouses to return my background check. Well, Tuesday she called her manager and they pushed everything through. While we were on our walk she called me, and I made plans to call her to get started with the training. Not that I hadn't already explored the website and knew what I needed to do, but I wanted to let her get me started. And besides, the training was supposed to be 5 hours, so I didn't want to do it that day, when I was doing a ton of running around and stuff.
Yesterday I called her in the morning, and started my training online at around 9:30. By 11:30, I called her to ask if she wanted me to do the Exact training also. She wants to cross train me for that program too, so I can handle both sections of the store I presume. She was surprised and impressed that I was already done .. but didn't want me to do the music program yet. She thought it would be too much to take in all at once. Which I don't necessarily agree with, as I already proved my retention by taking the training in less than -half- the time given. But .. eh.
So Monday and Wednesday I will be training in the store with her trainer, I think 5 hours a day is what it'll be. Might be less though, and I hope it is. That's a long time to be on my feet when I'm not used to it. And then Friday, I'm on my own. It's been a long time coming, this job, but I think it's going to work out to be a wonderful thing. Jason likes to say I'll have Donna's job in a few years .. and who knows?
In addition to the new job though, we're also beginning classes this semester at Piedmont Technical College. We're both, I believe, going for our Associates in Arts, in preparation for our Bachelors degrees. I might decide to go for a business degree, but I haven't decided just yet. Either way, I could easily transfer in, but I'm thinking that starting with the Associates in Arts might give me a broader (more broad) base of coursework to carry with me. Classes start on August 23rd, so I'm hoping that we get finished soon. Jason's got to take the COMPASS test to place in Math, and I'm waiting on my transcripts to be looked over. Waiting impatiently, I might add.
And here's a House of a Different Color.
Just had to share.
Jason's aunt Kathy passed away yesterday. She had suffered for a few years with Parkinson's Disease, and a rather aggressive form of it too. She was healthy, vivacious and alive at our wedding 5 years ago (OH GOD! Our 5 year anniversary is in a WEEK!) and when we last went to see her in May or June, she could barely speak, and it felt to me like she was a living person trapped in a cocoon, desperate to break free. Well, Wednesday around noon, she finally slipped out of the cocoon that had trapped her, and may now live free of the disease that had attacked her so violently. I'm happy for her. I cannot imagine she had any quality of life as she had been living. But her family .. she has three grown children all around Jason's age or younger .. is fractured as it is, with one having joined a cult .. no, really. A cult. And another a pothead, and the other just cracked. They're all lashing out at their aunts and uncles now, and it's very sad to see. I hope for some peace to come to them. I know it cannot be easy to lose their mother so young, but they had to realize Kathy was suffering.
*sigh*
Anyway, I'm waiting to hear from Carmencita, who's coming in to Rock Hill today to talk to a mortgage company, and is planning to come over afterward. I've not seen her in forever, so it'll be nice to have her around. I've also got to go to Wal*Mart tonight before I pick Jason up, but that's not until 9pm, so I'll have plenty of time. It's so hot right now anyway, I'm kinda glad I have something to keep me busy until it gets later and the sun won't be nearly as strong. It's awful here still, and I cannot wait for Autumn.
Today: Scattered thunderstorms. High near 90F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Tonight: Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. High 91F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Tomorrow night: Scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Saturday: Showers, maybe a rumble of thunder. Highs in the mid 70s and lows in the mid 60s.
Sunday: A few clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s.
Monday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s.
Tuesday: Plenty of sun. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.