First day and already done!

After battling sicknesses in 3 other family members, I have finally succumbed to this hideous head and chest cold. It's the first day of this cold (for me) and I am already tired of being sick.
I may not be able to rest as Scout may need to make another trip in to the Doctors. This will be the 3rd trip in 3 days. Scout is right: the 21 mile drive from here to Redmond really IS the most boring stretch of road on the planet. (Next to Eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan).

Perhaps Job may still Be Me?

Well because of the commitment restrictions mentioned in the previous post, however, there seems to be an ongoing need for a flexible, office/jacqui-of-all-trades/Nanny McPhee sort of person that can be of help in an ever changing way.

Today, for example, my employer/friend's new baby was up all night, colicky. She needed sleep. So I got to be "Nanny McPhee" (as I am now known in this capacity) to the wee lad while my Employer Friend got an ever-so-brief nap in. That and I can do office and errand type stuff, it may be possible for me to create/morph into a new support position. When working for some one, one's base M.O. must be implanted deep within their brain before they ever fill out an application: how can I serve this person/business? What are my unique abilities, experiences insights that I can give to help grow/support in this situation? In my case just now, in all honesty i had to turn down the position my friend was offering me because it may not suit her needs in the long run. How ever, after observing her other needs and concerns, its possible that I can serve in another way. The original job offered was for more pay than I am proposing in this new, morphed and additional version. But a job is good to have, even if it pays less than another one. And it is MOST important to provide VALUE to the employer.

So there is where it is today.

I am Nanny McPhee, Baby Crooner/Rocker, Office Diva and Errand Girl Friday.
(Hopefully).

I am NOT job.

Ugh!
So I go to work.
Day one: great day. happy times.
Day two: Early AM dad is very sick, His A.M. Doc appt nearly makes me late to
work. Potential pneumonia or brinchitis, he needs nebuliser treatment 3 times a day for the next week. During the course of the work day, my friend / employer asks me if I am truly interested in the job? I am like "yeah!"
"Good!", says she to me, "because I need someone who can be here for some years and if I train some one I don't want them to quit in like 6 months and I have to train some one else."
Understandable, and yet...
sirens and red lights begin to go off inside my head:
-Can I predict the future?
-If my dad falls 2 months from now and breaks a hip I'm going to halt everything in order to take care of him. Its a no brainer. I can't bloody predict the future.

I say this to her.
She says well, think about it and let me know by Monday (this being last Friday).
I said, "Well if its a 100% commitment without waivering that you seek, then I can answer you right now: I can't give you that promise. I am the caregiver for my elderly dad. He must be my priority in such a case."

She was upset and so was I.

That night I stressed and tossed and turned and woke up with the WORST migraine I have had in 15 years.

Thoughts mulled over during the nights wrestle:
-I can't bloody predict the future, and while I understand the dire need, I am thinking perhaps that might have been an unfair question for her to require an answer to, however she just had a baby and post-partum freakyness can be partially attributed.
-After only 2 days of emplyment by this person I am already experiencing enough stress and turmoil to give me the worst headache I have had in 15 years. And a sleepless night to boot.
-Rather than have peace about the situation, I have surprisingly, a deep inner sense of trauma and turmoil.

I think I am going to find my friend some one who can fill her need but also be able to make the commitment she seeks - even though part of me says, "Girl, don't mention the promise to work for you for 4 years" clause. You will scare them away."

So instead. I will be "Nanny McPhee" to her baby for the month while she finds and trains a new person.

I updated my brother on my dads condition and all of the above. He thinks its a good idea to perhaps check out as to whether the state my pay for my hours as I take care of my dad... and possibly in the event that we don't meet the state criteria, my brother thinks it would be good idea to approach my dad to just pay me out right from the proceeds of one of his annuities. This would keep him home and not in an elder facility, which he disdains (even though he would enjoy the social life there, he has this stigma attached to it), and it would allow me to keep the simple job I have, and supplement what I am not
able to find for work outside the home because of his care needs.

Anyway, tomorrow will be my first day back to work with her, since we came to the uncomfortable realisation that I will not be able to be her "End All, Be All Go-To Girl Friday."

I am feeling MOST awkward and uncomfortable.

Krap-tacular.

Kitchy Jazz from the 60's

I FOUND a sampler of the music that Kristi got me to play in the Studebaker!
at nutsie-dot-com you can find samples of the "Ultra Lounge" CD series.
By visiting the site, it automatically starts the music.

Anyone who has ridden in "The Stude" so far, has agreed unanimously that :
"Gay Spirits"from the Ultra Lounge Space Capades CD is it's theme song!

Also, the song "Power House" , and "Holiday for the Strings" are particularly memorable. I would say, sample all these tunes because they are a hilarious romp through the 1960's and 70's horrible parental music we heard. This is a series worth collecting.
Other titles in the series include:

Ultra Lounge: Organs in Orbit. (Think Hammond and Wurlitzer.)
Ultra Lounge: Crime Scene
Ultra Lounge: Bachelor Pad Royale

To name only a few of the Ultra Lounge treasures, which can all be sampled here: nuTsie dot com

(PS- I am thinking that "Ultra Lounge: Tiki Sampler" is going to be my next purchase!)

The Eatin' O' the Green

So far today I have inadvertently managed to eat only green things:
celery & 3-cheese peperonccini dip, pickles. Time for something orange.

I am job

Start another new job today

Well, it appears that in my ever failing search for jobs, one has actually come seeking me.
A designer friend of mine from the old Multnomah Publishers days, now runs a Wildland fire fighting company and tree falling service. She needs additional hands in the office, and she said my name kept coming to mind.

It's a LOT of new stuff to learn, and eventually dealing with State/Fed Wildland Incident Response coordination and bidding/proposals etc. Fire season starts (in the office anyway) in April and cooks right along through the summer. So this will supplement my other 2 days at Heritage.

I swear these girls are going to be the death of me yet.

Someday...

Morning Edition:
Someday, I will live in a place where there is peace and harmony, and people do not extreme-prank each other, to the point where the cops get called. :o/

This week's "Stude" update:

Thanks Gardner, for snapping the pic in front of Sisters Coffee!
:o)

Mark F. installed the CD/MP3 player and so now I can play the CD's Kristi Miller got for me:
"Ultra Lounge: Space Capades", and "Ultra Lounge: Organs in Orbit". The first thing I put in was an old David Bowie CD and listened to "Rebel Rebel". I also did my next gas-up experiment in this thing: 60 miles = 3gal. It was all in-town driving, so I can't believe it...but I think I am getting around 20 miles per gallon in this crate? Of course, I do coast around in neutral a LOT. once this thing gets up to speed it manages to coast for a pretty fair distance at a good clip.

So on Friday, on a whim, I asked if I could go pick up Scout Miller from school, because she loves all things retro, and she hadn't had a ride in the "Stude" yet. So it was a total surprise for her on Friday. The sun was out, so we could roll down the windows. It was a good Friday. Kristi and I dropped Scout at her next class and then cruised the town. When I got back home at the end of the afternoon, I remembered that I had originally gone in to town to do some errands - which I had completely forgotten to do ANY of them at all!
Oh well. It was still fun.

And in stumbling through the site stats this morning I stumbled upon this old post from the
Uhaul trip from RI to OR. Hah! Kinda funny to look back on. Apparently people are still reading this post, cuz it popped up in this weeks stats.

I guess people need to commiserate about their own nightmare journeys.

Bad Fridge

By Mih
(This only makes sense if you have some French.)

Bad Fridge Update

By Scout

By Scout

Addendum By Kenz

Studebaker Update

BArring any oddities, I think the next steps with "The Stude" will be to locate the following items and then have them installed:

-Shag carpet/headliner deal
-CD Player
-Weather Strip Kit
-Gas Gauge Sending Unit.

Max said he is going to the swap meet in in Portland this weekend and that he would keep an eye out for the sending unit.

Jeremy at the body shop said he would help me buff it out really good this summer and clean up the chrome.

Mick at the gas station insisted that I let him fix the broken visor.

Through Kristi, I've gotten some amazing old 60's lounge jazz which will be perfect
to play loud with the windows rolled down this summer! I am hearing the theme from the Peter Seller's movie, "A Shot In The Dark" blaring down the main highway through town! Maybe during rodeo parade even!

Max found the horn! Its under the dash to the left of the steering column.
It is a deep rich, 'old' sounding horn!
It is perfect.
Now I can terrorize people with it.
I should collect the sound and save it as a wav file.

Where ever I drive in the Stude it seems to make people smile.
It really IS a goofy looking car!

It is funny how so many people have come out of the woodwork and are willing to help me do really neato things to this car? Some won't even accept payment?!

It is kinda a happy car.

:o)

Going AWOL and Amber Alerts

Funny, it seems there are a lot more people jumping the FaceBook ship lately.
I am hearing reports of people "not being there, where did they go?"
That particular post I referred to about how to completely delete your account - not just deactivate it has gotten the most hits in the last month of any post on the site.

Interesting...