This is my last pre-China post. I think.

As I mentioned in my last post, Lovegirl’s been acting a bit of a fool lately, so I’ve started praying with her before school.  How’s that working you wonder?  So glad you asked.

Monday, we prayed.  I sent her off to school with a hug and expected a great report that afternoon.  When I picked her up I was promptly told that she had been disobedient for most of the day.  The straw that broke the camel’s back?  Her teacher told her to “come here.”  Instead my girl promptly ran under a table, sat there and started singing Bible songs.  I gave her a stern talking to, dropped her off at the sitter’s and was told that she acted a fool there on the regular, but Ms. D hadn’t told me because, and I quote, “that’s my baby.”  She got a spanking, another talking to, and we moved on.

Tuesday, we prayed.  When I picked her up, the teacher was preoccupied.  So I asked Lovegirl how her day was.  “Oh Mama, I was disobedient.  I did something Ms. R didn’t like.  But I already prayed, so don’t worry about it, okay?”  After I stopped laughing (on the inside of course) I asked her what she prayed.  “Well, I sure didn’t pray for Israel’s enemies!  I asked God to help me be obedient.”  Where does she get this stuff?  Israel’s enemies?  What does that have to do with your behavior?  I asked her what she’d learned about Israel’s enemies.  “Something about David and Jonathan hiding.  I can’t really remember.  I think King Saul was mad.”  Alrightie then.

Today?  I prayed alone.

Gone ‘Til November

Alright y’all, let’s wrap this up.  I’m leaving for CA/China  Saturday, and I’ve got lots to do between now and then.  So I think this’ll be my last post until I get back.  There’s a bit of randomness floating around, so here goes:

• Please pray that I have a safe trip to Cali, China, and back to MS.
• I’ll be in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.
• Please pray that Smoochy and Lovegirl function well in my absence and that my kiddo is “okay” with my being gone.  I’m starting to feel guilty for leaving her for two weeks . . . I haven’t yet told her that I’m leaving.
• I Barack-ed the vote Wednesday!  Something very anti-climactic about filling about a paper ballot, sealing it up and turning it in to a county clerk.  I really hate that I won’t be in the country to watch the returns.  Think they’ll be broadcast in Beijing?
• First stop after I’ve claimed my luggage at LAX?  Senor Baja.  I plan on eating fish tacos ’til I pop!
• I was so stressed about my boss and her weird ways that I sat on my back porch the other night and smoked a cigar.  I know, right?  I haven’t smoked a cigar since college and it is not like I smoked many then.  It was rather relaxing though I had a helluva time getting that scent off of me.  I felt like a bad kid and kept waiting for someone to come outside and bust me. 
• My girlie started crying when we pulled up to school on Tuesday.  “Mama, I can’t go to school looking like this.  I told you I needed to dye my hair!”  Girl, if you don’t get yourself together and get out of this truck . . . I can only imagine life with this child once hormones hit!!
• Dear local political candidates, please stop spending money on television/radio ads.  Never have I been influenced to vote for someone because of them.  Especially you B.ennie T.hompson – at least get a new theme song. 
• Y’all, if when Barack Obama wins next week, I will probably just fall out.  I’m beginning to think it may be a good thing that I won’t be here.  My heart can’t stand the excitement of it all!
• I’m going to get the new J.ohn L.egend tomorrow.  Has anyone heard anything beside “G.reen Light?”  I’m hoping the rest of the album will be as good.  I love that little man.
• Yesterday’s sermon was all about speaking positive things into existence in your life.  I am so with that and plan on doing this on the daily!!  Lovegirl and I will also start our day with prayer.  I’ve been lax in that area of my life and I know better.  I’m also hoping that starting our day with prayer will influence Lovegirl’s behavior – some days she goes to school and just acts a plum fool!  My kid is a trip y’all.  She told me yesterday that she was “fearfully and wonderfully right.”  No ma’am.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Quit misquoting the Bible for your own purposes!!
• Thank you W.al Mart for adding S.tash teas to your inventory!  They are my favorite.  And the White Chai?  Add a splash of milk and a little sugar and it is beyond delicious.  Love it and buying a box of tea is way more economical than paying 3 or 4 bucks at the local coffee stand for the exact same thing!
• I’m thinking about training for a marathon next year.  I’ll keep you posted on that one.
• I guess that’s it.  Y’all be good.  Be blessed.  I’ll catch up in a few.  Peace!

It’s not you, it’s me. I guess.

I heard someone say – or read somewhere, I can’t remember – that most work problems have nothing to do with the job, the work, but with the people.  I am here to totally agree with and testify to that!

If you’ve been reading for a minute, then you know I was fired from my last job when my new boss basically decided that she didn’t like me.  Sure, that’s not the reason given on my pink slip, but that’s what it was.  Anyhoo, fast forward to October 2008.

My boss called us all (administrative support) in last week, read us the riot act, told us that we were not behaving or working in a manner that positively represents us as administrative professionals, and that we’re all “on notice.”  Here we go again.  We were told that we are turning in low quality work with poor grammar, missing deadlines, and displaying cavalier attitudes.  Now, I know I don’t do low quality work – period.  I am no grammar queen, but I work for a woman who probably doesn’t even know how to spell grammar, and I double, even triple check every thing I turn in to her.  Now the cavalier attitude?  That one was probably meant for me.  I don’t like being here, and it is a daily struggle for me to pretend that I do.  But I think that on most days I pull off the front rather well.  Anyhoo, now she’s walking around talking about we don’t “act” like we want to be here and that layoffs are probably around the corner.

Y’all – I am tired of this.  I don’t think that everything she said was directed toward me, but I can’t help but to doubt myself when it comes to my professional life.  I am never called to task for my work, but my attitude.  Thing is I don’t think I have a bad attitude.  I admit that I have a nonchalant attitude, I’m not an ass kisser (pardon my french),  not good with the whole schmoozing thing.  If I like you, I like you.  If I don’t, well then I don’t.  But that doesn’t mean I talk crazy (no matter how much I want to), am insubordinate or any of that jazz.  I’m just not a good fronter.  A non-fronter that does good work.

Do you all experience this at work?  Are you naturally bubbly (I’m not, in case you couldn’t tell).  Are you a supervisor?  What do you think about employees that don’t walk around cheesing all of the time?  Do you think they hate their jobs?  Do you think they hate you?  Do you accept it as part of their personality and know that it has nothing to do with you? 

I can’t help but think that I am continuing to go through this because I haven’t yet “gotten it,” I haven’t learned my lesson.  I’ve prayed about it.  I pretend – to the best of my abilities – that I like it here.  I get along with all of my coworkers – administrative staff, nurses, most of the doctors.  I always seem to have problems with my supervisors.

Any words of advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance!!

Happy Friday!

 

Things That Made Me Happy This Week:

• Two people – count ‘em, two – called me this week and asked me to send them my resume.  Maybe something will pan out, maybe not, but isn’t it awesome to know that God is always working in our favor even when we can’t see it?  I don’t even really know one of the women – she is the wife of someone with whom I work, and I don’t remember ever discussing the fact that I’m looking for a new job with her.
• My kid has been cracking me up.  She told me the other day that she is and I quote “tired of this hair color.  Can we dye it?”  No ma’am we are not dyeing your hair!  I don’t even know how she knows what hair dye is. I certainly didn’t dye all this gray into my hair!  Her color of choice?  Red.
• I’m back in boot camp!  As part of my “fine in ’09″ mission, I’ve re-enlisted.  I can tell that I’m in better shape than I was the first time I went through.  It still hurts, just not as bad.
• Two weeks of work left before I leave for China.  The closer this trip gets the less I can stand myself!  I’ve got to semi-master chopsticks before I go . . .
• A dear friend who has been miserable in her job finally got a new, higher paying position – yay L!
• This weekend is girl’s night out.  We’re going to eat Chinese (yes, at my suggestion) and to see The S.ecret Life of Bees.  I loved the book and hope the movie does it justice.

What made you happy this week?  What’re you doing this weekend?  Enjoy!

Dadgumit!

Leanne won.  I was so rooting for Korto.  I liked most of the stuff Korto sent down the runway – that short green dress didn’t work for me - but I’ve got to admit, Leanne’s things were gorgeous.  Great color palette, those pleats are awesome.  I kinda figured Leanne would win, but I hoped maybe, just maybe Korto would win because Leanne’s collection was so homogenous.  No comment on Kenley.  She worked my last nerve, so I knew I wasn’t unbiased looking at her work. Here are my favorites from each collection:

Leanne:

Korto:

Kenley:

Did you watch?  What did you think??

And er um, no, I didn’t watch the debate.  But hey, I already know who I’m voting for.  Yes we can!!!!

He’s Not Heavy . . .

He’s my husband.

Y’all, my husband really, really needs to lose weight.  The problem is that he doesn’t seem to be motivated to do anything about it.  I am worried about his health.  I’ve begged, pleaded, suggested . . . nothing seems to work.  I cook about as healthily as I possibly can without being a food nazi and I don’t keep many snacks in the house anymore.

I love the man, honest I do, honest I do, honest I do.  Sorry – where was I?  Oh yes, I love him.  But in all honesty, and I can’t believe I’m even putting this out there, I am not all that attracted to larger physiques.  I wish he would lose weight – for himself and for me.

Am I wrong?  I always hear women talking about how their husbands should love them as they are, they put on weight because of the babies, etc., etc.  I know I should support my sisters, but really, I’ve always agreed with the husbands on this one.  It might not be easy, but I think you should try to maintain the physique you had when you attracted and married your spouse.  Now, I’m not going to lie – I am a size bigger than I was when I met Smoochy almost 15 years ago.  I was a 10 in college, now I’m a 12.  I work out, and think I’m in pretty good shape – I do need to tone back up, but I haven’t gone to the extreme in either direction.

I’m not expecting physical perfection from Smoochy, he’s always been big – I just want him to get back to a more . . . agreeable size. 

I’m thinking I should just leave it alone and up his insurance policy.  Seriously.  Is this one of those things where “until he’s ready, it doesn’t matter what anyone else says?”

Has anyone ever told you that you needed to lose weight?  How did you take it?  Have you ever told anyone that they needed to shape up?  What was their response?

 

 Roses are red, violets are fine, today is someone’s birthday – yep it’s mine!

36 and counting.  Who’da thunk?

I Won The Lottery!

Finally the week that seemed like it would never end is just about over.  Thank goodness!

• I am going to adopt the Palin approach and only talk about what I want to talk about, whether true or not.  All the time.  Seems to be working well for her.  So please know that any comments on your blog – or this one – may or may not be related to the actual post topic for that day.
• As much as I like TI’s ‘W.hatever You Like’, I shall no longer listen to it when a certain 4 footer is in the car.  It was cute when she was singing “you can have whatever you liiiike.”  Her singing “I want your body I need your body” is not cute.  TI – no mas.
• Blogging is amazing – I have met some truly lovely people through this medium.  A certain blogger who shall remain nameless (Pserendipity) really helped me out this week by watching Lovegirl so that I could get in some extra study time.  This is my public shout out – Thank You Pserendipity!!!!  You are a wonderful example of paying it forward and have reminded me to do so as well.
• What should I do this weekend?  Take Lovegirl to the state fair or to the JSU v Southern football game???  I already know the fair is going to win this one – way less expensive. Besides, the game is probably sold out.  Those Southern fans are no joke.  Go Tigers!!!
• My boss is nuts.  Just thought I’d throw that one out there.
• This time next month?  I’ll be in China!
• Happy 60th Birthday to the greatest Mama in the world – mine!!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend – enjoy this glorious weather

My latest favorite song?  Green Light by John L.egend w/Andre 3K – what an awesome duo!  I must have this album – love it.  Enjoy!