New Routine

I am up and dressed and waiting for my sister to pick me up. We are off to get my father and bring him back here for the day.We feel bad that we have switched the summer routine and are trying our best to give him a change of scenery. He will decide how the day is spent. He can relax in my sister's air conditioned house or sit by the pool. Then he will come to my house for a BBQ. Either way, just seeing his face is what it is all about.

Maiden Voyage

This morning is the maiden voyage of my new washer and dryer. I visited it for the past few days but did not want to use it. I waited until I had enough clothes to give it a proper send off. I carefully read the instructions even though it basically works the way all washer and dryers do. I do plain laundry and didn't need the fancy features that it came with. I am listening to it quietly agitate and when it stops, the dryer will be asked to take over. I no longer have to hear banging and clanking for hours as I clean my clothes.

Busy Body

I work with a busy body. She needs to know everything that is going on. Once she knows, she might or might not inform other people even if they need to be aware. She prides herself on being the one with all of the information. Most times I am glad I do not know. If it has nothing to do with my personal life, I do not care. Yesterday I turned the tables on her. One of the doctors confided in me about a problem that was going on. I could gather that he did not want anyone else knowing. When the receptionist asked me what was happening, instead of saying I did not know, I said I could not tell. I especially said that because there was a difference in meaning. She looked like she was going to explode. How could something be going on that she was not included in? She then got very quiet and proceeded to fight with everyone in the office to ease her frustration. Unless the doctor tells her himself, she will never know and that will aggravate her to no end.

Email Reminder

As I get older, I am changing my outlook on life. I am adjusting how I interact with people. My family and friends are treated in the same manor, but my work associates are not. I decided that I will no longer coddle people that are capable of fending for themselves. I got an email the other day from my boss asking me to remind her that I need to get her mother a wheelchair when they fly to Turkey next month. There are a few things wrong with that request. Number one, why do I need to remind you? Number two, why can't you request the wheelchair on a ticket that you purchased? Number three, it is your mother, not mine.  Normally when she would walk into the office I would get her attention and refresh her memory on what she wanted me to do. Yesterday she walked in and I played dumb. If she cannot remember, neither will I. I sat all day waiting to see if she would come to me with her airline ticket and ask for my help. She did not. At some point in life, each person needs to be responsible for themselves. Yesterday even though she does not know it, I handed the torch to her.

PrOCD

Sometimes proactive and OCD join together and it becomes a good thing. Today a new washer and dryer are being delivered. The delivery men will cart away the old ones. Most people would leave the old ones in place and let the delivery men do the work. My husband is not most people. The OCD part of him needs to sweep and wash the floor under the old units. The proactive part of him need the area to be clear so the installation goes faster. Last night he moved away the old machines and saw that the dryer had been hardwired to the circuit. The new machines are plugged into a receptacle. He had enough time to go to the hardware store, buy a 30 amp receptacle and install it. If he had not done this, there would have been a problem.

Burning Bridges

It is never smart to burn a bridge. Sometimes you do not know you have burned it until you need it. One of the rooms in my office is not cooling down even though the air conditioner is on. Normally it would not really matter, but this room is the one that we are running a drug study from and it must be a certain temperature. The room is on a 24 hour temperature gauge and the company will know if it runs too hot. Since it went over the top limit by 1 degree, I had to call the air conditioning company to see what is wrong. I called at 8:30am and did not get a return call until noon. The company said that they were booked all day and for the next few days and would put us on a wait list. That was odd since normally, for the past 30 years, they come within a few hours. When I said that it was important to fix the issue, the woman on the phone said that maybe we should "Call the other company that did the last repair. Maybe they will come quicker". Then it dawned on me what was happening. Last year our building management made us move the HVAC units off of the roof and on to a platform so the roof could have air circulating on it. Our regular company came for an estimate and my boss thought it was too high so she went with a new less expensive company. I guess the old company was angry about that since they had been working for her for a long time and they thought the price was a fair one. Now, when she needed them, they wanted to show her that if you sever a relationship you need to suffer the consequences.

Day and Date

I am beginning to lose the concept of day and date. Years ago it was a no brainer. Now I have to think. Yesterday I thought it was Saturday. My routine leaned towards a Saturday one. Then I realized it was Sunday and had to make a mental note to prepare for work this morning. I laid out my clothes and set my alarm early in the day so that if I forgot, there would be reminders. As far as the date goes, I have no idea of what the number on the calendar says. I thought it was the 26th and then saw that it was the 24th. Unless I have a special event, the number is meaningless to me. Lately, I am coasting through life on instinct and I am no worse for the wear.

Pressure Cooker

Ever person has their own type of pressure cooker brewing inside them. It builds and stores the steam until it is ready to be released. The method of the release is what separates our personalities. When the valve is opened, a variety of things can come flying out. There can be screaming, cursing or crying. There could be silence which can actually be the loudest of all. Every human needs a release method in order to adjust themselves back to a stable level. The timing may be different for each individual, but the result is always the same.

Pool Day

Today will be the first day of the 2019 pool season. The pool opened last week but it was not good weather. The day is gorgeous with a bright sunny sky and not a cloud to be seen. I am sure that once the season starts it will be deja vu. The same people will have the same conversations, but it will feel like home.

Marketing

This is not a political post, it is an observational one. It is about the marketing of a man. Do looks sway opinions? As an example I will use two political figures. One spent years going around the country with his sleeves rolled up. The other went around the same country in a suit and tie. The wardrobe set the subliminal tone. Sleeves rolled up gives a message of availability and camaraderie. A suit and tie gives a message of power and leadership. If I compare them to a school setting, it would be guidance counselor and principal. The guidance counselor is someone you can confide in and someone who will listen to your problems. The principal is a scary person whose office you never want to be called into and is not always likeable. When push comes to shove, in a crisis, who would you want at the helm, sleeves or suits?

The Next Day

Yesterday was the best day of my life. Today was the worst. One day makes a difference in a life. Yesterday 38 years ago, my son was born. Today last year, my mother died. From joy to sorrow in 24 hours. I am off of work today to spend the day with my parents. I will visit my mother and then my father. I will remember the wonderful years I had with her. Last year she had the consideration to hold on one more day so she would not pass away on her grandson's birthday. She would never have done that to him. She was in death as she was in life, selfless.

38

I remember every second of this day 38 years ago. It is mind boggling that 38 years have gone by. At this time of the morning my older son was already born, entering the world at 1:34am. To this day, every time I see 1:34 on the clock, it has a special meaning. Some life events stick in your mind as vivid as they were when they happened. I remember the clothes I wore. I remember the meal I ate. I remember the chair I was sitting on in the hospital lobby waiting to be admitted. The birth of my son changed the dynamic of a couple into a family. It would take two more years until the family was complete. Today was the happiest day in my life and although other days have come close, nothing will ever surpass this one.

Seattle

I feel like I am living in Seattle, Washington. The weather in New York has been the most depressing ever. I look at the weather icon on my phone and see day after day of clouds. I never remember it being so dreary outside. It feels like a grey cloud has been following the world. In a few days summer will officially begin. I hope someone has notified it so it can show up.

New Week

The weekend is over and the new work week begins. I thought weekends were for winding down and getting some rest. I do more on the weekend than during the week. I am beginning to think that Monday is my day of rest. I have two more interviews scheduled for this morning and I bet no one will show up. In a way I am hoping for that, so I can hire the girl whom I interviewed last week. I just want to get a person at the front desk and have them trained.

Organically Empty

Yesterday was my Father's Day celebration. I cried before my company arrived, remembering all of the previous Father's Days with my mother. I stood at the front door and envisioned my parent's car pulling up to my house. I saw myself run out to the car and walk my mother inside as my father emptied his trunk with all of the goodies he used to bring us. I saw her sitting in the lounge chair that was always set up especially for her. I dried my tears and went about my day. My company arrived and we sat outside on the deck. We talked, laughed and ate. When I went into the kitchen to get more food, I glanced outside and saw everyone seated around the table. For some odd reason my mother's regular seat was empty. No one sat there. Everyone organically gravitated to other seats. Her chair was still her chair, even though she was only there in spirit. In some odd way she was still included in the celebration.

Party Weekend

It is Father's Day weekend. It has always been a special weekend for me as we always celebrated my son's birthday on this weekend. We took the annual picture of him sitting on the front step and I have each picture in sequence in his own album. Even though he is not in New York to celebrate, this will always be his weekend. This year I made two parties, so every family member can spend time with my father. Yesterday I had a dinner with my sister in law and brother in law. My father had the best time and the evening ended with him singing a song. Today the rest of the family will be here for dinner. It is the last of the "firsts" without my mother, since she died the week after Father's Day. I cannot believe that I have lived without her for a year. It does not seem real. So today we will all be together and she will be here in spirit.

Judgement

My judgement was correct regarding my interview yesterday. I had 4 appointments and only two showed up. One young girl and one elderly woman. The young girl will probably be hired Monday if the next two interviews do not go well. I was correct in assessing the older woman. She arrived at my office on time and took about 5 minutes to close her umbrella and take off her coat. She was dressed in nice business attire. She filled out the application and handed it back to me to review. Her resume did not have the year she graduated college. The application did. She graduated Rutgers in 1959. If my math is correct, she would be about 82 years old. I knew she was not getting the job, but it is hard to sit across from someone and give them the respect they deserve while knowing they will be disappointed. We chatted for a bit and I reviewed her resume. Luckily she had no medical office experience. I told her that we needed someone who knew coding and medical terminology. She agreed and understood. The interview ended on a very pleasant note but I feel bad for her. She seemed lonely and just wanted to be in the working world again.

Omission

Today I will interview four more people. The first person does not seem too promising. Her resume did not reflect what she sounded like on the phone. She listed her work experience starting from 2008 which led me to believe that she was a young girl. When I called her she sounded like an elderly woman. She had to make the interview early in the day as she had a doctor appointment in the afternoon. She sounded frail.The job duties are not for the faint of heart as the office is busy and no one will pick up your slack. At 9am I will see if I have assessed the situation correctly.

The Shot

This morning I am up early. My husband is going for an injection that will hopefully ease the sciatica pain that he has been having for months. I am up early. He is still sleeping. We need to be out of the house in 30 minutes and he is a slow moving person. Years ago I would be standing over him nagging about the time. Nowadays I just worry about myself. As I get older, my attitude towards life has changed. We will get there when we get there.

New Names

Names used to be clear. Jane was a girl and John was a boy. Now it is a free for all. Sometimes I do not know if a name is female or male and other times it looks like a parent took Scrabble letters, tossed them on a board and named their child whatever fell into place. Since I am interviewing potential job candidates, I am receiving many resumes. I have no idea if the applicant is a Man or woman. The job opening is best suited for a female, as most front desk receptionist jobs are,  but if a qualified male comes along I would hire him. Yesterday I called a person whose name sounded female, but a male answered the phone. I was a bit surprised although it did not really matter. I will be interviewing him today even though he has little office experience. I did not want to make it look like he was being overlooked due to gender.

Fresh Start

Today there will be a fresh start in my office. I will review resumes for a part time receptionist. Sometimes it is best when an employee leaves when their work ethic has left before them. A new person gives the office a fresh start. Hopefully there will be a good amount of resumes waiting for me when I get into the office. With my staff members going on vacations, I will need to hire immediately so I will not have an empty seat at the front window.

Pinned

I was at dinner last night and my grandson was telling me a story about one of his school friends. He said that the friend was acting badly and that made him pinned. He continued the story and again he said that he was pinned. I said that I did not understand what he meant by saying he was pinned. He jumped off of his chair and came close to whisper in my ear. He said that the real word was pissed, but since his parents said he could not use that word, he is using pinned instead. From now on, when people annoy me, I will say I am pinned off.

Mail Merge

Last night I needed to check something on my work email. My boss wanted me to do something immediately and I was not near my computer so I did it on the phone. That opened up a whole can of worms. When I opened the email, it merged all of the work contacts into my personal contacts. All 1848 of them. I do not want any contacts in my phone other than the 134 people I need. One by one, I am deleting them. I will be charging my boss for the time it takes to empty out the unnecessary information as what she needed me to do was nonsense. 

Phantom Neighbors

Eight months ago, new neighbors moved in across the street from me. The day they moved in, they rang my bell with a bottle of wine and introduced themselves. They are a young Asian couple in their early thirties. They seem very nice and went to all of the other neighbors with the same introduction. The woman said they have a two year old son. I saw her mother at the house sweeping the front walkway. From that moment on, they have been an enigma. They leave for work every day, seven days a week, at 7:15am and return at 8pm. They rotate their cars. They leave with one van and return with another. Three vans are in the rotation. Two have Connecticut license plates and one has New York plates. A fourth van never leaves the garage. I have never seen a child. I have never seen visitors. The outside of house is kept neat and clean. Every morning I wave as they leave for work as that is when I also leave. Yesterday I saw them take a walk, but they only walked three houses away and then returned home. Maybe this summer they will be outside long enough for me to talk to them. They are an unsolved puzzle.

Too Many Cooks

Lately there have been "too many cooks" in my office and as we all know, too many cooks spoil the broth. After years of complaining, we are finally getting a new phone system. Verizon has a great option that only costs the price of the phones. I called them up and negotiated the system and other services and they sent a work order quote. When I came into work yesterday, I saw another quote in my email. I found out who did it and they said that one of the administrators asked them to. I called that person and asked why in the world would you have a new receptionist call Verizon to discuss a phone system. She said that she thought it would be a good exercise for her. I informed her that since a new quote with all incorrect information was given, the old quote I spent an hour working on was negated. She had no idea this would happen. I then had to call Verizon again and spend another hour redoing the work order. Now I know what the slang term "stay in your own lane" means.

Downloads

Last night I tried to download a file. First I tried it on my phone and it did not work. Then I tried it on my computer and it did not work there either. I added programs, joined the cloud and did everything possible to get the information downloaded. It never worked and now I have to get what I want the old fashioned way. I will take my sister's flash drive and put it into my computer. Hopefully then I can get what I needed. 

Iris

Yesterday I got an upsetting letter from Iris. That is the pet name I gave to the IRS. She told me that I owed her money and that my failure to pay would cost me penalties and interest. I was quite upset as Iris is the kind of friend that you never owe money to and never disrespect. The first time I tried to call her she was too busy to speak to me. The second time she took my call. After a brief discussion, Iris realized that she made a mistake. She received my payment and even cashed it at the bank. She said that she had such a busy month in April that she forgot to enter my payment in her notebook and she was so sorry. As we spoke, she posted my check and all is well.

Saving for a Rainy Day

Some people save for a rainy day. Some people spend accordingly. Others just do what they feel even if there will be no money left. If you mix a bit of each spending style, you will have a well rounded life. If you only save for a rainy day, you might not be around long enough to see the rain. In that case, you spent your life lacking things you wanted. If you spend accordingly, you never live outside the box and take a chance. Everything is safe but nothing is exciting. If you spend wildly, you will not have enough money for emergencies and that could be dangerous. I think people should spend some, save some and every once in a while splurge. 

Minimalist

I am a minimalist. The older I get the less I need. I was never a person to need a lot of things and if I had one of everything I needed I was just fine. I see a co worker get deliveries from UPS at my office on an almost daily basis. She mostly gets shoes and handbags. When there is a sale, she buys. She has them delivered to the office so her husband does not see and then she smuggles them into her house. She must have hundreds of shoes and bags. Honestly, to me she looks plain. I have never noticed anything outstanding about her. I use the same one or two handbags, probably because I am too lazy to change their contents. I wear shoes that fit comfortably and lately have one pair of "go to" shoes. I like to invest myself in people not objects.

Traveling Bee

After my mother died, I had daily signs from her. If you are a believer, you understand what I mean. If you are not, there is no way to convince you. You will think the signs are random acts. Yesterday morning as I got into the car to pick up my father, I asked my mother to give me a sign that she is still "with me". Usually a special song plays when I ask that. For the first month after she was gone, the song played daily, then I only heard it sporadically. On the drive to Brooklyn, the song never played. On the drive home, I was waiting for it but it did not play. I was at exit 17 on the Belt Parkway when  my "sign" appeared. A tiny bee flew onto my windshield. It placed itself right in my line of vision. It was not an ugly, big, round bee that would make us scared of being bitten. It was a thin, miniature bee. It was beautiful. It stayed on my windshield, looking into the car and drove with me for about five miles. Then it flew away. Was it a random incident or was the bee (Bea) there to show me that I am still being cared for? I got what I asked for.