...to following signs from the universe...

The group at work wanted to go out for drinks Friday night. I wasn't going to go, but figured after the week we had, I should go out and do something fun with them.

Michele gave me a lift home, and we passed a bus with a Legacy billboard, listing out their hospitals and such. Then yesterday, I decide to look at the hospitals to see if they have any new jobs. I go on Legacy's system, and what do I find but a posting for PR and Communication specialist, posted on Friday. I've been looking at them a few times, but wasn't ever really ready to leave OHSU. But since things have been so crazy lately, I am finally open to leaving. And this was the first time a job like this opened up.

I'm way more than qualified for it, and on top of that, I work for OHSU. OHSU is the prestigious hospital around here, and all the other hospitals want to steal OHSU employees. Since I got my job at OHSU fairly easily, I'm pretty sure they will at least call me for an interview.

I'm also positioning myself more and more on Sue's side. I don't know if her position will be approved, but if it is, I am in a very good place to get that job. So either way, my job situation is looking better, and I feel more in control, both of which are really good.

*However, I still need to remember the golden rule with my mother. I told her about my week, and told her about the job I found yesterday, and she was all weird about me applying. Golden rule: don't share stuff like that with her.

bad to worse....

Oy with the poodles already. What a week last week was.

So, after Trish talked to all of us after HR came down to the office, we met as a group on Tuesday. We were identifying ways to improve communication within the group, and better ways of tracking down Trish when we need her. We talked about having access to her calendar, calling her on her cell phone, sending her red envelope e-mails for really urgent stuff.

Tuesday itself was a crazy crazy day. Had a million things going on and kept getting interupted so I couldn't finish anything. And of course half of the stuff was stuff I was trying to do for Trish, who kept coming in and either asking if I had finished them yet or giving me more direction. I wanted to scream...if you leave me alone for 15 minutes I can get this stuff done.

Wed. comes around, and Trish is working from home. She cancels Kathryn's meeting for the cancer annual report and Kathryn is doing everything possible to track her down, call her house, call her cell, send her urgent emails, all while Trish is responding to stupid stuff about where to take our intern to lunch.

Kathryn flips, and calls the head of HR again. Head of HR wants to talk to us as a group and comes down around 5 and talks to all us except Patrick. Everyone's stress and anger and resentment came out, as we all outlined how insane and erratic Trish has become, and how she blocks us from getting stuff done. It was long and emotional, but it seems like a final decision on Trish will be coming soon. The head of HR was asking things like "what would it be like if Trish weren't here?" and that she has talked to the head of the hospital and will talk to him again.

So maybe there is some hope. Her contract is up in June, and they make their decisions about whether or not to renew in May, so hopefully they will make that decision soon. It won't be a fun month, but at least if I know the end is in sight, it will make it easier to deal with.

walk friends

Bruno, the little chocolate lab puppy. We met him the other day. So sweet, so cute. He awoke my barely dormant puppy fever.

The cat I named Molly. I met her last night, big white and orange fluffy cat. As soon as I stopped to pet her, she offered me her belly (hussy!) and was demanding attention. Later, when we were heading home, she ran across the street so I could pet her again. I pet her, we talked for a bit, I played with her with a stick. I know she's not a street cat, she is much too fat and sweet, I just wish people wouldn't let their cats out.

The littlest dog ever, who we met last night. Terrified of everything, and will only follow people from a safe distance behind them.

I love walking in our neighborhood :)

Celebrating spring Portland Style

Earth Day was yesterday, and the weather has been perfect all weekend. Happy weathter. Sun, blue skies, wind, lots of flowers, temps in high 60s, low 70s.

Perfect Sunday today. Tim took Myra to school this morning, leaving us free to lounge and read and drink coffee and just ease into the Sunday. Really nice. We picked her up from school, gave her lunch and then left her at home to nap and flop.

I took Tim to a bunch of neighborhoods he hasn't been to yet: Alberta, Beaumont and Broadway, all in NE. He likes NE as much as I knew he would, especially lower NE. The houses are gorgeous and you are close to a lot of stuff. We are definitely going to look at buying a house or a duplex in that area.

We went to the Lloyd Center Mall (nice stores, lots of trashy people) and Tim used his Oregon tax return and bought a sweet new Nikon digital camera. Really good digital camera. After we put Myra to bed we wandered around the neighborhood taking pictures, and it is so great to see Tim so happy to be taking photos again.

Yesterday, I went with Ava to First Impressions for the first of the store closing sale trips. Got a bunch of new stamps, some cool markers, and just generally had fun. I plan on going back at least for the 75% off sale in two weeks. I was playing with them in my journal tonight and it was a lot of fun.

Watched lots of Gilmore Girls, started watching Buffy, and just generally had a perfect Tim and Kelly weekend.

I'm the snitch???

Patrick talked to HR this week about Trish, about how unprofessional she is, how she doesn't support the team, how she is very erratic, etc.

Our HR rep went to the head of HR, who was horrified at what was going on in our department. Then the head of HR comes storming over to our building yesterday for an improntu meeting with Trish (very unprofessional of her to have that meeting in Trish's office, I thought).

They were in there for a long time. Trish comes out and has clearly been crying. She goes right into a meeting with Kathleen and Kathryn, and immediately does the high school thing of trying to figure out who went to HR. Kathleen and Kathryn say it wasn't them, so Trish starts trying to figure out who she made mad in the last two weeks. She settled on me, since she gave me her work then disappeared entirely (work that I shouldn't be doing and have no interest in). Then she did the even more childish thing of covering her eyes so she wouldn't see by looking at Kathleen and Kathryn if that was the right answer.

So now I'm the snitch. I have to meet with Trish today. And I will certainly tell her that I want no part of her work, and that if she is going to give me stuff I have never done, she can't expect to know what I am doing, but I think I will just play dumb and say I don't know who talked.

Gaaaa. This whole thing is so insane, so unprofessional. I don't know whether to be amused or horrified or both.

mornings

New morning routine. Myra starts flopping around on the bed, wanting us to pet her, we both wake up and pet her as she rolls around. It's early, but she's so cute, it's hard to be mad.

She usually gets up around 6:15, which I can't say I am too fond of. She'll chew on her bone for a while then squeak till I get up with her. We'll play wrestle for a few minutes and then I'll take her out and either on a walk or to school.

I have never been a morning person, I likely will never be a morning person, but I am enjoying our morning routine. It is so quiet outside when I walk her, the light is soft and there aren't many people walking around. Walking around in Ladd's Addition you don't even hear many cars, so it is very peaceful. People wave and smile when they see you walking, and I always hope to see the Chinese man and woman on their walk too. I believe the woman is a nun and the man is a monk. The man has the sweetest face I've ever seen and when he smiles, it just lights up his face.

Or when I'm driving her to school. Yesterday, it was really foggy, but the fog and mist were tinged with pink because of the sunrise and I always notice new things on our walk or on a drive to school. It's a very nice way to start the day.

I just wish she didn't insist on starting it so early!

weekend roundup

It was a very nice weekend. Friday, I went for a run, came home and had fish & chips then we went to Powells. I love wandering around there. I bought Charlotte's Web, one of my favorite books from when I was little.

Saturday, I met Tawny for breakfast at Jam on Hawthorne. Had a belgian waffle with hazelnuts and berry sauce...so good. It was so raw and windy and rainy for the first part of Saturday that we didn't do a whole lot. We started watching Anne of Green Gables, and I can't believe I haven't watched it before now. In the words of Anne, I would be a kindred spirit. The movie/miniseries was great.

Yesterday, I met Celena, Toni's friend who recently moved out here. We went for a walk in Mt. Tabor park. It is beautiful. I love how many parks are right inside the city limits. It ended up pouring and hailing at one point, so we were pretty soggy, but it was still a nice walk.

It had everything a good weekend should have, including nap time :) I just wish I didn't have to go in today, but alas, I should.

my subconscious is a bad movie writer

At least it would seem that way from my dreams.

This morning, I dreamt about this girl who used to play soccer but is now a kicker for a professional football team. Of course she is blond and perfect looking. I tell her that she can't handle competition, and is only good when there isn't any pressure and she storms away in a huff. Later, her sister hold her down in a bath tub, I think raping her with something, as part of an initiation.

Why can't I have normal dreams about showing up to work naked? lol

holymoly

Tim and I were doing budget stuff, money planning and figuring out of stuff, for what our money situation will look like with Tim full time as of Monday.

We will be able to put 20% of our salaries into savings (10 in short term, easy access and 10 in long term). Each have $100 in cash each week. And still have $300 left over at the end of the month...that we can put toward paying off school or the car. I think our dream of buying a house in a year is becoming closer to a reality...because we will have the money saved, and our debt to income ratio will be incredible, even with the bankruptcies. Pretty damn cool.

And today, I did Tim's taxes. Granted it won't be like this next year, but I got a lot of money back for him. Between the move, working from home, school and not making much money, he got over $1000.

Just wow.

cute myra-isms

• When Tim lets her out at night, and she goes back into her crate because she loves it in there so much
  
• In the morning when she first wakes up, she is so snuggly and will squeak until we start petting her, and she will roll around to get both of us to pet her
• She looks so proud of herself when she destroys/shreds a new toy
  
• When she meets new people/dogs, her whole body will wag sometimes
• How loooong she stretches out when she's tired
• The way she droops her ears when she is the SADDEST PUPPY IN THE UNIVERSE

Get out of my head!

Damn Britney Spears. She and her loser ass husband were in my dreams last night. I was apparently talking to both of them, but each by themselves.

I was telling the husband not to have an affair with the babysitter

Then I went to Britney Spears to say he was having an affair with the babysitter.

So, now I wreck unhappywhitetrashcelebrity marriages in my dreams? At least it wasn't violent.

mmm red head girl

Droool. This girl is possibly one of favorite red heads right now. She just looks yummy and flirty.

And I love Tim for sending me this. I kept seeing her on ads on yahoo but couldn't figure out how to keep her. Now I can :)

a good weekend

Overall, a very nice weekend :)

Friday...bad horrible draining day at work. Everyone is unhappy. Everything is falling apart. Everyone is complaining about how everything is falling apart. Trish is teetering on the edge of collapse. Everyone is job searching. I came home exhausted, feeling like I was carrying the weight of all that. But then we went out to dinner, intended to go to Old Towne Pizza, but couldn't find parking, and ended up at Kells Irish Pub. I had their yummy fish and chips, Tim had sausage and we both had a good night.

Saturday, Ava came over, we made a bunch of cards...it was fun being crafty with someone! I feel bad for her, her marriage is clearly not in good shape and her husband Aaron is a loser. :( But after we made cards, we went up Division, I took her to Village Merchant and Portico, two great second-hand stores. I got two skirts and a work top, earrings and cool decorative bath salts for the bathroom, all for about $30. Sa-weeet.

Today, I met Tawny for lunch at Vita Cafe...really good! I had vegan BLT, and it was so yummy. It was my first time in the Alberta Arts district, cute shops. We found a great bead store, and they sell necklace cords, I might buy some and some bead pendants.

I went for a great run, did the whole loop (over both bridges) and I felt really good.

And...Tim and I are "househunting." We aren't planning on moving for at least a year, probably a year and a half, but we are starting to plan out the house we want to buy. We think we want to buy a house a little cheaper and work on it, make the kitchen our dream kitchen, redo the bathroom. The number of gorgeous, great houses we are finding for less than $250K are incredible. It isn't out of the question at all that we would have enough money saved up to at least pay closing costs and possibly have some down payment within a year or two. It is so much fun to think about "our house." And I saw lots of cute houses for sale in NE today, and we've seen some really nice ones in SE. It's fun to plan for that stuff :)

crafty and new myra pics

Cards I made today when my friend Ava came over









Myra rolling around on the rug on her toy









Myra hanging out on the rug, her favorite place in the house.

new girl crush

Rachel McAdams....she's awful yummy :)

senile...and old??

I was unpacking boxes for my desk today and found a birthday card from my parents from last year. In it, my mom wrote Happy 28th birthday. I immediately started picking on her to Tim, saying she doesn't even know how old I am.

Actually, that would be ME who doesn't know how old I am.

If you asked me yesterday how old I was, I would tell you 27, 28 in July. I listed 27 in my Craig's list ad, I've listed 27 on housing applications.

But no..actually, I'm 28, turning 29 in July. So naturally this is taking me a bit by surprise, I feel like I lost a year (four moves since May of last year, I guess I kind of did lose a year...and we moved to Freeman Street right before my birthday, so obviously my birthday was the furthert thing from my mind). And now I have no time to prepare for 29! Not that I'm upset about turning 29, I just honestly believed it was another year away. Man, that completely boggled my mind. Completely altering what I thought was true and wasn't at all.

Apparently the mind really does go with age!

Fully furnished!

Today, we lost the last part of our ghetto, college ways...we now have an entertainment stand, instead of the milk crates we have been using for almost a year. We also bought our first coffee table, it is unfinished wood though, so we still have to stain it.

We bought them at this surprising store. Lots and lots of old books and magazines...and furniture. Some really nice unfinished pine pieces, some really horrid couches and rugs and knickknacks. The guy who sold us the furniture, I swear he must be related to my mother. He kept repeating the same thing over and over. "It was so funny, I saw you were interested in that one, and I have the same one one in my car stained already. I sold it to this woman three years ago and I bought it back at this estate sale. It's so funny, I have the same entertainment stand in my car, I sold it to this woman three years ago..." And repeat.

The house looks really great, and feels like a home. And it finally feels like a grown up place, not a place with post-college furniture and decorations. It's nice to be home.

*Photos to follow as soon as I find the camera/computer connector...

Goodbye March, Hello April!

Wahooo! I got a statement from one of my school loans, I only owe another $700! I am going to start throwing more money at that loan, instead of paying $60 a month, I will pay $100 so I can pay that off faster. Then, when that is paid off, I will take that extra $60 that I was paying to my other school loan and apply that toward my last school loan.

It will still take me awhile to pay the second one off, but at least I feel like I am making progress with them! Yay!