Hi, friends! I hope you are all doing well and surviving the COVID 19 scare. Things are going well here. On Thursday I will have been back to work for a month. Most days I feel like I never left. It took me literally one day to get back into the routine. I realize now that I was not at all happy when I was at home. I feel like I have a purpose when I go to work and help students. Yesterday a student called the phone rotation and I got his call, and after talking him through some things he was so thrilled that he asked if I could be the one to review the paper he was going to send in. It always feels good to know that I am doing something that makes a difference. I will most likely work at my job for a long time--maybe even until I retire.
April found out last Tuesday that she got the instructional design job. Of course she is thrilled. Today was her last day as a CSU employee; tomorrow she transitions over to Waldorf. She was supposed to be at CSU for the next three days for training, but the trainer has decided to do remote training in light of the virus stuff, so I am not sure what is going on. I don't think she is either. She said she was coming in tomorrow at 9:00am, but I am not sure how long she will be there. I will miss her, but I am so proud of her success.
There is a possibility that my department will be going remote for awhile. CSU leadership is trying to get as many people working at home as possible. It's a little tricky for us because we have to talk to students on the phone, but they could set us up with a chat function for the short term. Today my supervisor came around and asked everyone if they have a reliable personal computer and internet connection. Normally, remote employees are given laptops, but there are obviously not 400 laptops laying around, so they are trying to work with what they have. I know they are working as fast as they can, especially since kids are now out of school until at least April 13th. Some people have no child care options, so life is going to be tricky for awhile. Working from home would definitely alleviate some of the stress for them. We are also not hiring new employees for the foreseeable future. Billie's last day is Friday, so it looks like we are going to be super busy with requests again for awhile. We've done it before, so we will be ok, but that means that projects will go by the wayside again. That is unfortunate, because the new APA Manual was released late last year and we are scheduled to implement it on July 1st. That means all of our new resources need to be ready to go by early- to mid-May. Fortunately, we have a good start on them, so hopefully we'll be able to push everything out on time.
Susan, to answer your questions on my last post, the birds are doing ok. Dan is a good bird dad, so they are always entertained. The kids are doing fine. April, of course, starts her new adventure tomorrow, and Ben is going to give his notice at the hotel he's been working at for almost a year and a half. He is planning to move back to Omaha sometime next month or early May. It's hard to say how the virus scare is going to affect hotels down here. It's spring break time, but I imagine most of the kids will stay home now. I did find a really nice church not too far from where I live. Dan has been going with me and he likes it too. Last Sunday we had an online service, and I imagine we will continue to do it that way for at least a month. I am still working on my doctorate. I have at least two more sessions to go, but it might take me three more to finish. I'm hoping to be done by the end of the year.
It's bedtime, so I am going to close for now. I will try to do some blog visits tomorrow after work. Maybe I'll have an update by then. Stay safe and healthy!
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Monday, March 9, 2020
Back in the Routine
I just read through my last post and realized that I have things to update. First, Nicole decided to make February 14th her last day at work, so when I got the job offer call on Tuesday the 11th, I was told my start date would be February 19th, so I had about a week to get everything done. I had to do another background check and drug test, and the drug test was so stressful! I had an appointment at 11:20, and in spite of the fact that I drank a ton of water before I went, I just did not have to go. So I sat there for an hour waiting to feel like I had to go, and when I finally did, I was accused by the medical assistant at the clinic of cheating. She said my urine looked like water and was not warm enough to have come from my body. I was so upset. Of course I knew it was a legitimate test, but she said she had to send it to an outside lab. Obviously everything turned out fine, but I am contemplating telling someone in HR what happened, because she was very rude and unprofessional, and this happened at a clinic that was opened for CSU employees. I do not think CSU would be happy to know that people are being treated that way.
Anyway, I started on the 19th and I only had to spend the morning in orientation. After lunch, I went up and spent the rest of the afternoon getting reacquainted with my computer, phone, and the processes. On Thursday I processed five papers, and on Friday I was back on the phone and back up to speed completely. Now it feels like I never left; they even put me back in the cubicle I was in when I first started. I am very happy to be back. I went through orientation with the new math specialist. That position had been vacant since before I left in August. I guess it is tough to find math people. His name is Larry and he is from South Africa. He is here on a student visa and needed a job because he had graduated and was at risk of being sent back home. He's very quiet. I hardly even know he's there.
The director of the Success Center, Wendy, has been out since before I started because she has had some health issues, and she came in early last week to tell us that one of her doctors had potentially found something else, but after consulting with another doctor, her fears were put at ease somewhat. Wendy has had some really tough times lately, so I pray that she can start mending now. She also told us that she is fighting hard to get us a 12th writing specialist. Student requests continue to increase and we are very busy on the first two or three days of the week. She told me when I applied that she was trying to get a part-time position, which would actually suffice for right now, but I am not sure if the new person would be part- or full-time. I think that if she can justify hiring a full-timer, she definitely will. When my job was posted on the CSU website, I figured HR would take it down when I started, but it still up because Wendy is trying to get a pool of applicants to choose from. I know that Crystal, the Writing Center supervisor, is very concerned about finding someone who will mesh well with the rest of the team. When I very first started, there were a couple of very contentious people working there, and now they are both gone, so things have been much more pleasant. Of course there are still issues. I know of at least two people who really want to find new jobs, but there aren't a lot of opportunities in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach unless one wants to get into hospitality. One of the gals wants to find a job in Washington state where her daughter is, but so far I do not think she has had much luck finding anything. The other is looking for a remote copy editor position, but she only has a bachelor's degree and online jobs are very competitive.
Case in point, Billie has been applying for remote jobs since before I left because she want to be home with her little girl and have another baby, but until recently she had been kind of particular about the jobs she was applying for. She found out about a month ago that both her in-laws need surgery, and they are the ones who watch her daughter during the day, so she told leadership that she has to find another job and leave. Last Thursday she found out that she got a remote position with WGU and Friday the 20th will be her last day. It is only part-time, but it does offer some benefits. She is hoping to supplement that job with another remote teaching position. I am very happy for her, but I am sad for me because she is my best friend at work and I will miss her a lot. So we may have two new people coming into the department again.
I need to go get ready for work now. I hope you all have a fantastic week. BTW, I am not enjoying waking up when it's still dark. :(
Anyway, I started on the 19th and I only had to spend the morning in orientation. After lunch, I went up and spent the rest of the afternoon getting reacquainted with my computer, phone, and the processes. On Thursday I processed five papers, and on Friday I was back on the phone and back up to speed completely. Now it feels like I never left; they even put me back in the cubicle I was in when I first started. I am very happy to be back. I went through orientation with the new math specialist. That position had been vacant since before I left in August. I guess it is tough to find math people. His name is Larry and he is from South Africa. He is here on a student visa and needed a job because he had graduated and was at risk of being sent back home. He's very quiet. I hardly even know he's there.
The director of the Success Center, Wendy, has been out since before I started because she has had some health issues, and she came in early last week to tell us that one of her doctors had potentially found something else, but after consulting with another doctor, her fears were put at ease somewhat. Wendy has had some really tough times lately, so I pray that she can start mending now. She also told us that she is fighting hard to get us a 12th writing specialist. Student requests continue to increase and we are very busy on the first two or three days of the week. She told me when I applied that she was trying to get a part-time position, which would actually suffice for right now, but I am not sure if the new person would be part- or full-time. I think that if she can justify hiring a full-timer, she definitely will. When my job was posted on the CSU website, I figured HR would take it down when I started, but it still up because Wendy is trying to get a pool of applicants to choose from. I know that Crystal, the Writing Center supervisor, is very concerned about finding someone who will mesh well with the rest of the team. When I very first started, there were a couple of very contentious people working there, and now they are both gone, so things have been much more pleasant. Of course there are still issues. I know of at least two people who really want to find new jobs, but there aren't a lot of opportunities in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach unless one wants to get into hospitality. One of the gals wants to find a job in Washington state where her daughter is, but so far I do not think she has had much luck finding anything. The other is looking for a remote copy editor position, but she only has a bachelor's degree and online jobs are very competitive.
Case in point, Billie has been applying for remote jobs since before I left because she want to be home with her little girl and have another baby, but until recently she had been kind of particular about the jobs she was applying for. She found out about a month ago that both her in-laws need surgery, and they are the ones who watch her daughter during the day, so she told leadership that she has to find another job and leave. Last Thursday she found out that she got a remote position with WGU and Friday the 20th will be her last day. It is only part-time, but it does offer some benefits. She is hoping to supplement that job with another remote teaching position. I am very happy for her, but I am sad for me because she is my best friend at work and I will miss her a lot. So we may have two new people coming into the department again.
I need to go get ready for work now. I hope you all have a fantastic week. BTW, I am not enjoying waking up when it's still dark. :(
Saturday, February 8, 2020
I'm Going Back to Work!
So, Wednesday when I went to meet Billie, she asked me what I was doing today (Saturday), and I said I didn't think I had anything planned, and she said, "Good, because we have to help Nicole pack." Nicole got a job in Iowa and she starts two weeks from Monday! So today she and I spent several hours at her apartment helping her pack things up, and I will probably go help her again next weekend. Then yesterday, April came over after work to feed her snake (which I am temporarily housing for her) and she told me that Nicole's job was already posted on the CSU website, so I texted Wendy and asked her if I needed to apply or if my old application would suffice, and she told me to go ahead and apply, so I did that yesterday. I texted her and told her I had it submitted, and she seemed very excited. Then this morning, she texted me and said, "Oh. And you are hired!!!!! Hahah" Then she said, "I may need to interview you first to determine if you are still as awesome as we know you are. Lol." We bantered back and forth a bit and then I asked her when I could start and she said, "As soon as the position is available and next start date. I’m thinking first week of March!!!! I will talk with HR Monday." So, it looks like I will not need to interview for it and that my start date will be March 4th. I wish I could start sooner, but I am super excited. I have at least two dreams every week that I am back at work, and now my dreams are coming true. April is happy, too. I will get to see her every day again--at least for awhile. She applied for an instructional design job and if she gets it, she will be working from home. She wants it really badly, so I pray that she gets it.
Susan reminded me that I didn't update about my cruise, and to be honest, it wasn't all that great. We were all ready to set sail when we were informed that Mobile Bay was closed due to fog and they were not sure when we would be able to leave. I woke up the next morning and we were still in port, and at about 8:30 they announced that we would set sail about 11:00 and that those who elected to stay on board would receive a 50% refund and 50% off a future cruise. Those who elected to not sail would receive a 100% refund. We decided to go ahead and sail, but the weather wasn't great and we did not get to go to Cozumel because we lost an entire day, so we basically sailed around in the Gulf for two and a half days. The weather was really nice the last day and we had a nice time being together, but I was ready for it to be over and get back home to normal life. I didn't eat as well as I wanted to during the cruise, but I also didn't eat terribly. It has taken me awhile to want to get back on track with my healthy eating, but I finally did at the beginning of this week. Dan and I also started walking every night again, which helps me want to eat healthy. Nicole took me and Billie out for lunch today at a place called Island Wing Company and Billie and I both got the vegan tacos. They were really good, but I doubt they were particularly healthy. I got some exercise today, though, so I don't feel too bad about it. I ate better than I would have eaten a week ago.
I need to go get ready for my walk now, so I will end this for now. I will update again soon.
Susan reminded me that I didn't update about my cruise, and to be honest, it wasn't all that great. We were all ready to set sail when we were informed that Mobile Bay was closed due to fog and they were not sure when we would be able to leave. I woke up the next morning and we were still in port, and at about 8:30 they announced that we would set sail about 11:00 and that those who elected to stay on board would receive a 50% refund and 50% off a future cruise. Those who elected to not sail would receive a 100% refund. We decided to go ahead and sail, but the weather wasn't great and we did not get to go to Cozumel because we lost an entire day, so we basically sailed around in the Gulf for two and a half days. The weather was really nice the last day and we had a nice time being together, but I was ready for it to be over and get back home to normal life. I didn't eat as well as I wanted to during the cruise, but I also didn't eat terribly. It has taken me awhile to want to get back on track with my healthy eating, but I finally did at the beginning of this week. Dan and I also started walking every night again, which helps me want to eat healthy. Nicole took me and Billie out for lunch today at a place called Island Wing Company and Billie and I both got the vegan tacos. They were really good, but I doubt they were particularly healthy. I got some exercise today, though, so I don't feel too bad about it. I ate better than I would have eaten a week ago.
I need to go get ready for my walk now, so I will end this for now. I will update again soon.
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Very Long Overdue Update
I am sorry that it has been so long since I last updated. I just really have not had a lot to write about. After I stopped working and got past my oral exam, life seemed to get boring, if not a little depressing. I knew very quickly that I wanted to return to work if Wendy would have me, and now it looks like it may happen relatively soon. Two people (perhaps three) that I know of are looking for other employment. One gal's husband had open-heart surgery in his home town in Iowa, and his doctor wants him to stay close, so he has requested to work remote from the Des Moines area. She is looking for employment in Iowa and once she finds a job, she will move. I am praying that it is soon for both of our sake. The other person who is looking for another job is Billie. That one makes me sad, but she has a little girl and wants to have another baby, so I understand her wanting to find a job that she can do from home. It's not easy to find online employment, but she is determined; so much so that she told Wendy and Crystal (the supervisor of the writing center) that she has to find another job. I also know that one other lady wants to move to Washington state to be closer to her daughter, so last I heard, she is looking for a job there. She has not been happy at CSU for some time, so it is not surprising that she wants to leave. Another lady also wants to leave, but her prospects are limited, so I don't anticipate that she will be leaving anytime soon. So I have several opportunities to go back; it's just a matter of one of the gals finding the job she is looking for.
I finished my last class at the end of December and am now officially in the dissertation phase of my degree. I am not at all excited about school anymore and am just so ready to be finished. I am hoping that I can finish up by the end of summer, but it will depend on how long my committee drags the process out. I am required to take three dissertation classes and my first one ends at the end of March and my second one ends around July 4th. I am not sure when the third one ends, but I am guessing around the end of September. Regardless, time will get behind me and it will all be over soon.
I was very happy to see 2019 come to an end. It started off rough and ended a bit rough as well. In January I said goodbye to my beloved Jasper, in February we had Hailey, our eighteen year old westie, put down, in April I had to say goodbye to my other beloved bird, Avery, and then right after Thanksgiving, we said goodbye to our almost twelve year old silky terrier, Maddie. I am now down to my two sun conures, my blue crown conure, and Emma, the shih tzu/maltese mix. If anything happens to any of them, I will not be replacing them. I thought getting birds would heal my heart and help me get over Jasper and Avery, but it didn't. These birds are nothing at all like them. Of course I knew that they wouldn't be, but I think my broken heart wanted one of them to be close at least. They are quirky and entertaining (and quite messy), but they will never replace Jasper and Avery.
Other than that, things are pretty much status quo. Dan and I decided to get back to eating strictly vegan, so I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought a whole bunch of fruits and veggies. Last night I made ratatouille and tonight I think I'm going to make vegetable fajitas. I am kind of glad to be cooking again, because while we were not being strict, we ate a lot of black bean burritos, and Dan usually made them for us. I sat around a lot and played my Pokemon Sword video game. April bought it for me for Christmas and I got hooked. I've finally gotten to the point where I am tired of it, so now I can go back to watching recipe videos and planning meals.
Well, I need to finish reading my chapter on Anna in my Twelve Extraordinary Women book before I go have lunch with Billie. We started doing this Bible study together a couple of months ago, and I have really enjoyed spending time with her talking about spiritual things. Unfortunately, it is pouring and doesn't look like it is going to let up any time soon, but hopefully it won't be coming down as heavily in an hour. I will try to get here more often to update, but I may not be back until I know I've gotten my job back. Here's to hoping that it will be sooner rather than later. My job gave me a real sense of purpose and I really miss that.
I finished my last class at the end of December and am now officially in the dissertation phase of my degree. I am not at all excited about school anymore and am just so ready to be finished. I am hoping that I can finish up by the end of summer, but it will depend on how long my committee drags the process out. I am required to take three dissertation classes and my first one ends at the end of March and my second one ends around July 4th. I am not sure when the third one ends, but I am guessing around the end of September. Regardless, time will get behind me and it will all be over soon.
I was very happy to see 2019 come to an end. It started off rough and ended a bit rough as well. In January I said goodbye to my beloved Jasper, in February we had Hailey, our eighteen year old westie, put down, in April I had to say goodbye to my other beloved bird, Avery, and then right after Thanksgiving, we said goodbye to our almost twelve year old silky terrier, Maddie. I am now down to my two sun conures, my blue crown conure, and Emma, the shih tzu/maltese mix. If anything happens to any of them, I will not be replacing them. I thought getting birds would heal my heart and help me get over Jasper and Avery, but it didn't. These birds are nothing at all like them. Of course I knew that they wouldn't be, but I think my broken heart wanted one of them to be close at least. They are quirky and entertaining (and quite messy), but they will never replace Jasper and Avery.
Other than that, things are pretty much status quo. Dan and I decided to get back to eating strictly vegan, so I went grocery shopping yesterday and bought a whole bunch of fruits and veggies. Last night I made ratatouille and tonight I think I'm going to make vegetable fajitas. I am kind of glad to be cooking again, because while we were not being strict, we ate a lot of black bean burritos, and Dan usually made them for us. I sat around a lot and played my Pokemon Sword video game. April bought it for me for Christmas and I got hooked. I've finally gotten to the point where I am tired of it, so now I can go back to watching recipe videos and planning meals.
Well, I need to finish reading my chapter on Anna in my Twelve Extraordinary Women book before I go have lunch with Billie. We started doing this Bible study together a couple of months ago, and I have really enjoyed spending time with her talking about spiritual things. Unfortunately, it is pouring and doesn't look like it is going to let up any time soon, but hopefully it won't be coming down as heavily in an hour. I will try to get here more often to update, but I may not be back until I know I've gotten my job back. Here's to hoping that it will be sooner rather than later. My job gave me a real sense of purpose and I really miss that.
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