A very productive night!

I got so much done, I'm smiling from ear to ear! I only have 3 more grommets to put on Blade's garb (only b/c I ran out) and got the prototype ritual robe done. I don't have a picture of it yet since Vickie's not here to take one. But as soon as I can, I'll post it.

Ok, horn tooting time! (Hey, if you don't toot your own horn, who will???) We finally have the new server at work set up & ready to go live. But.. it won't take the back up tapes used by our current server. This is a bad thing b/c I quite frequently have to do file restores. I was told by my server contact that we couldn't use our current tape drive b/c it's an internal drive & it won't fit in the new server. He priced an external drive at ~$1,000. This didn't sit right with me - I mean, why buy another drive when we already had one?? (AND the external drive was a refurb - that model has been discontinued). So I went trolling on the Internet to find an external housing for our current tape drive. Yup, you guessed it - I found one (where my server contact couldn't -yea me!). This will only cost the company ~$200. So with just one Internet search I saved the office ~$800. I jokingly (?!?) told Amy that if NW wanted to split that with me, they could put it in my Goal-sharing bonus. ‹VBG› And the crowd cheered!

I keep hearing this ad on the radio for "My Fair Lady", which is coming to town. Every time I hear "All I Want is a Room Somewhere..." I can't help but think of Crystle's version:

All I want is a room somewhere
With whips & chains & a grizzly bear
And candied underwear
Oh! Wouldn't it be loverly!

Dammit, woman...do you realize how much I miss you???

Speaking of Crystle, she's started a couple of blogs too. If you want a real good laugh & a warped (but sensible!) outlook on life, I strongly suggest you visit them too. I've added them as links on the side. ----->

I've taken on another project. (I really should have my head examined!) Remember I'm now a member of the Shadow Legion, an SCA household? Well...their web page hasn't been updated since 2004. The Webmistress is Zanna, a friend of DJ's who I met when we went to Memphis for ShadowCon in January. I've kept in touch with her & I asked her this week if I could help her update the webpage. (She hasn't been able to do it b/c she doesn't have a computer right now). Not only did she take me up on the offer, but she's made me her deputy! Oy. This should be interesting.

Got a busy weekend ahead too. Tomorrow going to a drum circle up by Yellow Springs. Mainly going b/c there is going to be a pipe ceremony (something I've always wanted to see/be a part of) and it's going to be done by Patches, the gentleman who gave us Malachi.Then Blade is coming over around 5 for her garb fitting. Sunday most likely will work on my green dress, the bead embroidery project, and/or the medieval girdle. Next Saturday is our Baronial Championship & I'd really like to have something to enter in the A&S (Arts & Sciences) competition. I'm thinking either the bead project (if I can get it done) or the girdle.

It's almost midnight & my eyes are starting to droop. Bedtime for Bonzo!

And so the job search will continue....

You guessed it, my mid-year review did not go the way I would have liked. What started out in March as "I think I'm worth more than a 2.2% raise and here's why" has turned into "Let's get you on track to become a SENIOR Service Desk Analyst (which, by the way, could take up to three years)." I told her I didn't care about the title, that I could be called Chief Janitor for all I cared, just so long as I was paid what I was worth. And, unfortunately, I got emotional. This damned sleep deprivation has GOT to stop!!! Anyway... I left work early yesterday (my passive-aggresive response to the review) and when I got in this morning I had this big long email from her saying she couldn't understand why I was upset (!), that mid-year promotions are a rare occurence, how my current salary is within Nationwide's standards, and how she tries to do what's in her power to make employees feel valued. Let's see... I'm upset b/c you totally misinterpreted my request for a raise; it's taken 5 months to get an answer on it; you led me to believe you were working on my promotion; yeah, my salary is within the standards but on the very low end; and pats on the back may feel good the first couple of times but after than a desire for something tangible kicks in. ‹sign› So...I'm perusing Monster & Careerbuilder even more closely.

Pati came by for a visit Tuesday night and (of course) ending up playing with the kitties.
I don't know what I'm going to do for cute pictures after the babies leave. :-(

Sleeeeep....I need sleeeeeep......

For some reason my body thinks it's necessary to wake up around 3:20 every morning. Last couple of nights it's been because it needs me to walk it to the bathroom. I've tried not drinking anything in the evening but my mouth gets so dry. My friend Terri suggested taking Benadryl, so going to try that tonight. I'm just so damned tired of feeling tired!!!(I wanna do like the kitties do)
I forgot to mention the other day...for those of you who heard the story of Crazy Red Dress Lady, she sent me a check for making it. For those who *haven't* heard the story - in a nutshell, she said she wanted to learn to sew to make this dress. Turned out all she wanted to do was talk, and I ended up making the dress for her. After a couple of months of feeling like she'd taken advantage of me, I finally told her I needed payment for it. I wasn't entirely sure how she'd respond to that but at that point I didn't care. Oh, and I talked to Blade this weekend & told her I almost had her garb done. We arranged for her to come over for a fitting and I asked her if we could discuss compensation. Again, I wasn't sure how that would go over, but she didn't hesitate and said, "Oh, yeah, sure!" So maybe I *can* make some money of my sewing after all. :-D
Sage decided it was her turn to help me sew.
I have my mid-year review tomorrow & I'm not looking forward to it. Back in March, at my yearly review, I presented evidence to my boss showing how I brought more value to the company than they were paying me & why I felt I deserved a larger raise. Since then whenever we've had any kind of update meeting she's told me, "It's in the works". At our last meeting I got the impression she had news but was saving it for the review. And I'm thinking it can't be *good* news since she's waiting to tell me. This is why I'm looking for another job. Oh, and I went to lunch last weekend with a couple of ladies from work. The one told me story about how she was supposed to get a chance of title & the larger salary that went with it, but it never went through. She pestered my boss (the office director) and her manager for several weeks & nothing ever happened. This is another reason why I'm thinking the news tomorrow won't be in my favor.

I was out with a friend this weekend who was totally fed up with her man of 20 some-odd years. As she described it, he tells her she's the best thing that ever happened to him & he loves her dearly. Her response? "Yeah, well, show me..." This sounds like a song I've heard before...in my house, when DJ was there. What is it with men? We don't need to hear it..we need to be shown it. At the very least, clean up after yourself. Do something simply because you know we'll like it. You don't need to spend a lot of money on us. As the saying goes, little things mean a lot. If you get home from work before us, make dinner. Or make sure the house is picked up. Make us feel like you appreciate all we do for you. INSTEAD OF BEING A BIGGER BURDEN ON US, LIGHTEN OUR BURDEN IN SOME WAY. So many of my friends feel like their man is just one more kid they have to raise. No wonder we're always so tired.

And while I'm on my soapbox: why can't people answer their emails? Did they not get lessons about ettiquette when they were younger? I have an acquaintance I've written to several times, asking questions. She's never answered me. However, the one time I wrote to offer her assistance with something, she jumped all over that one. Makes me think the only time she wants anything to do with me is when it benefits her. And that's why she's an acquaintance rather than a friend.

Reader's Digest Condensed version of my weekend: Saturday, had lunch w/Jake & Megan, went to a very small festival in Batavia, hung out with Terri the rest of the night. Didn't go to the Balloon festival because I was exhausted & was afraid I'd fall asleep during the hour drive there. Sunday went to KY to drop something off to a fellow SCA member, then did shopping at Wal-mart. Rest of the day was spent sewing. Yeah, I love my new Viking! Did get a bit of bad news Saturday night though: my Dad lost another dog to the idiots who go flying down his road. There is absolutely no need for people to go over 25 mph on that road - it's very narrow, curvy, and not very far from Dad's house it dead ends into someone's yard. There's kids that play in the yards along there - what if one them gets hit next???