Damn expensive museum stores...

But oh, the puzzles they have!

Nice at my favorite price.

So I went to Kohl's and- with Tracy's help- found some new things to wear at my new job. I am slowly trying to work on unschlubbing my wardrobe, but I was feeling grossly unprepared. I got a 30% off coupon in the mail and put it to work today. Tracy deemed my haul a good one, and I found clothes I like that are both presentable AND comfy. And neat. They are neat.

This evening, I hit the art museum at 5:15, but dammit, the store was still open. I wandered through the Phyllis Shafer exhibit, which was just beautiful.

http://www.nevadaart.org/exhibitions/detail?eid=268

Here's the one they used to advertise for the exhibit:



Tallac Rex

Here are a couple of the ones I liked very much that were also on her website:

Truckee Cradle

Autumn in Yosemite Valley

And here's my favorite. I'm so glad I could find it online.

Tallac Morning

http://www.phyllisshafer.com/


Can't wait to hear what you think. These don't look like oil paintings, do they?


They also had an exhibit called Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works.

http://www.nevadaart.org/exhibitions/detail?eid=260

Part of the room had a large, comfy chair surrounded by low stools and a bookshelf with lots of Sendak stories. I looked, but Higglety Pigglety Pop was not there. I did get to read The Night Kitchen, though. I got to see some really lovely, detailed drawings of Max and his Wild Things, along with characters from other stories, but Max was just fantastic.



Oh, if you could see this one large and up close...

I was hoping for relevant postcards in the gift shop, but all they had were neat and horribly expensive things, that being a requirement for museum gift shops and all. I did get a Phyllis Shafer card and a mini Wild Things activity book, so I'm happy. I may go on the next free Saturday to see these exhibits again!

Saturday means time for eggs.

My cat alarm clock went off and I dutifully got up and zombied my way into the kitchen to feed her. I had already cracked open the can and was putting it in her bowl when I saw it was 3am. Dammit cat.

My cat alarm clock is very effective- you should get one. Here's how it works: when the cat wants me to get up, she leaps across my head and lands with all the intense pressure she can, since she's too light for me to wake up with her just walking on my bed. It's so alarming to be dead asleep and feel a hard landing either right in front on your face or just behind your head. I think the only way I've been woken less gently was courtesy of my Stephen King smoke alarm.

Yesterday I got my offer letter and confirmation that my promotion starts 3/9. Then at 3:30, I got my start date. I'll be working half days in each place for two weeks, but that's fine, as it really doesn't add anything to my commute that I wouldn't have already. I think it's also nice because you know how tired you get when you start a new job? Just being on for so long and trying to absorb as much as possible? I'm starting in the afternoons, so it will be business as usual for my Monday morning- nothing to get nervous about. Also, my hours will be changing. I'll be more of an early bird now, which is tough, but that means I'll be more likely to find parking! I'm excited. And hey- I just finished my last full day at the call center.

I can't tell you how many people at work have told me that I am perfect for this job. It certainly sounds interesting and varied, with lots of freedom and responsibility, and I am only nervous about doing a good job. I wonder what these people see, but I am not going to worry about it- I am going to charge on ahead and learn this new job and be super happy to not have to sit all day long anymore. And just by the nature of the parking situation, I will easily get twice the number of steps I would get all day at the call center just by walking into work at my new job. (Isn't that scary?) I was getting so depressed about the lack of steps at my job that I stopped wearing the pedometer. I read that the average amount to maintain weight is about 10,000 steps. Some days I had less than 3,000 steps and that was AFTER walking the dog. On weekends, I'll get as much as 16,000, and then I need naps. Maybe now I can even that out a bit. I'm excited that this job is going to be healthier. I won't be sitting all day, it's mentally stimulating, and while I will still be working with vets, I will be able to see some resolution instead of just the problems.

Yesterday, a coworker went to Whole Foods for lunch and brought back flowers.

I watched it open up all afternoon.

So today I'm going to do my normal Saturday nonsense- try to do too many chores and errands- but I'm also going to the art museum for their free admission day. They close at 6, so I'm going to go pretty late, as their parking lot is very small.

I'm also going to try to clear my table, start a puzzle, and read. I went to the thrift store looking for The Princess Bride, because Shannon and I have a very loosely coordinated book club, but of course it's not at the used bookstore or any thrift store, because nobody is going to donate that book. All copies- in any branch- are checked out of the library, so I am going to have to buy that sucker. I did find these:

I had the left two on my want list, but I had heard so much about the last one that I snapped it up. It's good- the first two stories made me cry- but it's depressing as all hell. Did I already tell you about that? Well, Jennyway. Beautiful Ruins got great reviews, and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love was actually really good, no matter what the trailer looked like.

Ok, my stomach is growling and I have a lot to do, so ta ta for now. OH- and The Wire is getting really good! It's a good thing I don't have the next few episodes, or I would not be writing this now. I'm not even usually a fan of TV shows. I did watch the first episode of Breaking Bad something like two weeks ago, but I guess I'll have to watch a couple more before I'll know if I'm hooked. That's on the streaming side, Tracy, but The Wire is through the mail. Oh, Netflix, I love you so. The sun is creeping up over my porch and into my eyes, so now I really have to go. It burns, it BURRRRNNNSS!!!!!

Whew.

Well, my little girl is actually a tough old bird.

At the vet appointment, the vet assistant and I were trying to find the lump and were unsuccessful. I thought it was similar to what happens when you take your car in. I brought my dog to the dog mechanic, and suddenly the problem disappears. The vet couldn't find the lump either, and that shit was THERE for YEARS. She thinks it was a cyst that ruptured. She says that would explain both the temporary pain and disappearance. I asked if it was possibly a strain, but she said she would most likely be able to feel inflammation there.

Added bonus- they gave me a much better quote for her teeth cleaning, they were very kind and personable, and explained the whole process. I felt very comfortable, and Riley actually stopped leaning on me several times. In her defense, though, I think if I was brought to a scary place and made to stand on a table, I'd want someone to hold my hand too. They invited me to bring her by when she doesn't have an appointment- just to weigh her, get some love, say hi, and get used to coming to the vet without it always being a negative experience. I love that.

When Tracy and I were pedaling Google bikes around the Google complex, we made a few loops and had a decision to make: keep going or stop while it was still fun. I was so glad she agreed that we should keep riding until it wasn't fun anymore. I'm feeling that way now about the call center, not that this is nearly as fun as Google bikes. It's more that things are always so much better in the beginning, before you know how good you have it. Like being at my first base versus the rest of them. Or even how fun it was at first at Edwards. Good people move on, and... well, I think we have it right there, don't we? Well, I think I have exhausted all fun here, and I KNOW it's done, so I won't miss it much. I have been here long enough to get jaded, for good people to leave, for changes to happen that... well. Jennyway. I am ready to go.

Ha, Success!

Yesterday, an old coworker came to visit with her daughter and granddaughter. I met the daughter, but failed to say hello to the granddaughter. It felt like something from a story: Grownups often did not see her because she was very small. I was the only one who didn't seem to see her, though. Everyone else said hi to her, but she would retreat behind her mother's knee. Further into their visit, however, I turned around in my chair to see her through the glass in someone's office while the grownups chatted. She saw me and I waved. Her whole face just lit up and she enthusiastically waved back. I felt like a champion, and that carried me through the whole day.

A Vente Vent

Holy cow.

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2014303020038&nclick_check=1

This article says that the VA regional office here is the slowest in the country to process claims. Guaranteed, this article is getting attention, but it sounds as if that fire has already been lit. Seems like they would need extra help in catching up on that backlog, doesn't it? Yeah, that would be the job I applied and toured for and really wanted. As the article points out, it takes two years to become proficient in processing claims, but you'd think they would at least be getting some people in the pipeline while they figure out a better plan. Why do I care now? This is exciting to me for two reasons:

1- My coworker and I have had our eyes peeled for those claims processing jobs. I may be out of the running now, but I've got my fingers crossed for her.

2- There were rumored to be four openings for Veterans Service Reps, and the job posting was taken down just after we toured. This was the prospect that made me bypass the library technician job, which was also taken down, but reposted shortly afterwards. I figured that was a sign, and applied for the library job. I interviewed last Monday, and they were finally able to convince me that I had the job on Friday. TODAY I hear about this article and realize that the VBA is likely going to post those jobs again. So Reason #2 for me being excited about this is that I am clearly meant to be taking the library job. I love those corrections that the universe makes: Here, let's present you with a crossroads. Choose wisely. No, no, not that way. Let's try this again.

So. This job.

I'll be at the hospital, which is maybe 3 more miles away and not horribly convenient to the freeway, the parking sucks, etc., but it will be fine. I'll be taking over the PERC, which is the Patient Education Resource Center. It consists of an office, a computer room, and a classroom. A lot of departments use the PERC classroom, so I'll be in charge of the schedule. I will be helping vets use the computer for various things, but mostly the idea is for them to be able to research their conditions, etc. I'll be at least partially responsible for the MyHealtheVet program, which is an online tool to help vets order meds, check on appointments, and send secure messages to the doctors. I will also be in charge of keeping the VA in pamphlets (How funny that that goes back to high school too, huh Camille?) as well as developing and editing new ones. I'll be trying to promote the PERC, helping providers get access to medical journals, working with the librarian at the Sacramento VA, coordinating inter-library loans, and, I suspect, learning a LOT about online research. Thankfully, I have some experience with that from school, but I know I've got a long way to go. If that's not daunting enough, I'll be overseeing the volunteers that staff the PERC. The only supervisory job I've ever had was Latrine Queen in Basic Training, so that ought to be interesting.

I'm trying not to focus too much on what I am lacking. Mom says that you should not be a perfect fit for any job- you need room to grow within it. I also really feel like I was honest in answering questions about the experience I have, so I hope they are not expecting me to be some hacker wizard, but I feel highly motivated to learn the things I don't know.

The main thing is that this feels like I am crossing a line- that all my jobs have been entry level, and this is the first time I'm doing something at a higher level. Thankfully, I saw my counselor last week. She gave me some strategies to help alleviate my anxiety, and said I have had a major change in mindset since this whole trainwreck. I agree (now that it has been pointed out to me), and I realize that the mindset change is what allowed me to apply for this job in the first place (along with lots of encouragement).

The big thing she says I am doing is embracing the word "and." As in, "Yes, I'm terrified AND I'm doing it anyway." This instead of "but," which I was apparently quite a fan of.

"But I won't know anyone."
"But I need to know what I want first."
"But I LOVE cheese."

What's funny to me is that it feels like this is the first time where the pros outweigh the cons, but she gave me a raised eyebrow on that one and brought up school again. Ok, ok... but this feels bigger.

Jennyway, so I've been busy overhauling things at home too. I feel so positive about these changes. I will not bore you with all my reorganizing/rearranging, but I will tell you about Riley. She's been crying for about a week when someone touches her shoulders, and it took me until Saturday night to figure out which shoulder is bothering her, and then I froze. It's the right shoulder, which has had a lump in it for several years. I asked the vet about it every time I went in, and they always said it was fine unless it started to bother her. I had an appointment today at a new vet office, but the vet is sick, so they got me in tomorrow evening. I'm trying a different vet because I need ONE vet, not six. I never see the same vet at Klaich, and when I do request the same one, they show no signs of recognizing Riley. I knew she was going to start having problems and wanted someone to be familiar with her and know what's normal. The other problem was that the visit would last all of five minutes- I'd be out the door before I could collect my thoughts. I can relate- I've got this call center process down so well that if a vet knows the drill, we can knock out the call in 30 seconds, but the problem is that a lot of them want the extra time. That's yet another reason for me to move on and let someone else come in here who doesn't know the drill.

So I'm worried about Riley, but she's walking, going up and down the stairs, jumping in and out the car... all with no yelps. It's only when someone pats her shoulder. Saturday night, she was lying on my bed while I brushed her, and when I moved her to closer to me, she bit me. I needed a moment to be stunned, then I wrestled my mind back to her position and walked through the scenario to make sure which shoulder it was. She didn't break the skin- there wasn't even a red mark- but she never, ever bites me. I'm scared that it's a tumor. Even as I sat there realizing that it was THAT shoulder, I was thinking about the appointment I already had set up and the fact that my new job means more money. This is probably going to be costly, but I'll be able to manage it. So, ok. I'll go find out more tomorrow.

Equine hairstyling?

I heard that someone else I haven't spoken to since middle school just died. No word on how, just that it happened, and no confirmation. I don't know why we always want to know how- if that satisfies morbid curiosity or if it helps us distance ourselves from that particular end and perhaps buy us some more time. Either way, it alarmed me enough that I had to go clean the kitchen and the bathroom. It's good, they're off my to do list now, but I still can't escape the need to process it through writing.

I am deciding not to panic about the new job. I think being intimidated is much better than staying where I'm at. I wrote some about the new job and I'll post that tomorrow. Emotion and a tail braids in the works. Thank you, voice recognition. That was supposed to say:

I've got a promotion and a pay raise in the works.

Arghhhh, will resume tomorrow on an actual keyboard.