I am going to sign up for NaBloPoMo for June.  I find that I am here more, read more, write more and comment more when I have a goal of a post a day.

If anyone else is interested, the website to sign up is www.nablopomo.com

The second topic from Featured Grownups is to write about a time we received something we didn’t deserve.

I kept trying to thing of good things I had received, that I didn’t deserve, and couldn’t think of any.  But I do remember something I received once that I felt I didn’t deserve.  You can decide if it was good or bad.

 I have blogged about this before, but I don’t feel like going back to look for it, so I’m going to write from what I remember LOL

A pink slip.

No, not the kind pictured to the left.  More like the one pictured on the right.

Let me start from the beginning, and I’ll try to make it short.

I hired in with a trade association in 1996 as a computer specialist.  In three years I was promoted to Information Systems Manager.  Two years later, my title was changed to Information Technology Manager.  My salary nearly doubled in those five years.

My reviews were always “Exceeds Expectations” and the CEO thought I walked on water when it came to technology.  My own boss could not convince the CEO that we should be replacing our computers every three to four years after the auditors suggested it.  So he brought me into the meeting.  The CEO asked me what I thought.  I said I thought they should be replaced no less often than every 4 years, and preferably every three years.  He asked me how often I replaced my home computer.  “Three years.”  “Okay,” he said, “every three years it is.”

He planned his retirement and a search was commenced to find his replacement.  One of the caveats given for the replacement was that he was not to “turn over staff” with his own people.  They selected Jake Dunghole (you have no idea how close that is to his real name lol) to replace the CEO.  The new and old CEOs worked together for several months and finally the old CEO retired.

Three months later our Director of Administration and HR suddenly decided to retire – no notice.  A quick reorganization was done and a new Vice President of Operations was brought in to replace her.  From the new CEO’s old company.  Imagine that.  (We all pretty much assumed the two of them were having an affair.)

A week after new VP started, she was to interview everyone who would report to her.  I was no longer reporting to the comptroller when she was hired, I was to report to her.  We interviewed.  She mentioned a report she would like and I went right back to my desk and created it for her.  As I approached her office, I overheard her say “I think he would be perfect for the position.”  As soon as she saw me she said “gotta go!” and hung up.  Is there a more sure evidence of guilt???  LOL  This was my first inkling that my days were numbered, because I was sure she was talking about one of their friends to be my replacement (Jake had mentioned this guy before – in an abstract way.)

Over the next few weeks, they tried to find things that I was doing wrong.  They could find nothing.  At all.  I was clean as a whistle.  But during that time, I went to CEO’s old company and looked to see who their tech guy was. Some guy named Chase N. Rubenesque (that is amazingly close to his real name, too.)

About a month later, the I.T. department was called together to announce we were getting a new Director of I.T. and his name was – yep – Chase N. Rubenesque.  No freaking experience managing people – three years as a system administrator and NO OTHER TECH EXPERIENCE.  I knew then that my days were numbered.  We didn’t need a director AND a manager to manage a department of six.

So over the course of the next six weeks, I trained Chase.  He was asked to create a position description for his position, so he took mine, deleted “Manager of Information Technology” and replaced it with “Director of Information Technology” and saved a copy.

Then they hired a consultant to look over their operations and see where they could save money.  Guess what?  There were two people in Tech doing the same job.  One should be eliminated.  That was  -  you guessed it – me.  After 8 years (almost to the day) of loyal service to the organization.

But the day before I got the pink slip, my old boss was told to write my review – he again gave me an ‘exceeds expectations’ review.

I did not deserve to be let go.  But in the end, it all worked out well.  I realized after getting no hits on my resume after a year that I needed to finish college, so I got my degree in business (at age 50 – with honors!) and immediately landed the very lucrative position I now have.

I don’t believe in Karma, but if I did, I think it ended up happening here. Jake Dunghole ended up getting fired a year later for mismanagement (he nearly ran the company into bankruptsy and went from 80 productive staff to 26 overworked staff with very low morale.)  His chickie VP replaced him – Oh, I forgot to mention, he eventually promoted her to Executive Vice President and the Board knew she was doing all the work trying to run the org while all he did was take business trips and spend money.  Eventually Chickie VP left and went to another org.  Chase is still there, last I heard.  Probably making $20,000 a year less than I make.  From what people in my industry have told me (including vendors) he’s still a bumbling idiot.

And though it seemed like a bad thing at the time, and definitely something I didn’t deserve, it all turned out well.

I saw this featured question and gave it some thought.  I have several answers, but they finally lead to one.  All ages would require that I know what I know now.

1. 17  I was a pretty girl at 17 with a great figure.  I had no idea.  I thought I was ugly.  I was too shy to date.  OMG if I knew then what I know now….

2. 30 I was still young and pretty, and still had my figure.  I would be more active, though, knowing what I know now.

3. 40 I was in the midst of my career, becoming successful and embarking on a fast upward mobility.  I had not been diagnosed with diabetes yet.  If I knew then what I know now, I would have become more active.

4. Whatever age I am at whatever age I am.  I would not be who I am if I had to stop at one age.  I wish I wasn’t diabetic.  I wish I was more active.  I wish I still had my girlish figure.  But I am happy.  I have a wonderful husband, and a wonderful life.  If I died tomorrow, it would be without regrets, knowing I lived life to the very fullest.

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

I should have kept participating in NaBloPoMo – it kept me writing every day.  I guess I’ll join back up in June.

Exciting news (for me, anyway) is that I found the camera I lost at Thanksgiving.  Both Mac and I searched both laptop cases thoroughly. (Or so we thought)  A couple weeks ago I was looking for my wireless mouse and happened to find it in an obscure pocket in my laptop case, right next to my digital camera!  So I have another window open with Photoshop shrinking or cropping the images to see what I can post here.

In the meantime – if you go to Starbucks, pick up the Bob Marley CD they are selling (it’s an old CD repackaged).  It is an EXCELLENT CD.  You don’t even have to like Reggae to like it (but it would help!)  Or maybe you do, I don’t know, but it has some great rhythms and singing.  As soon as I am done here I’m going to be adding it to my iPod.

I wrote before that we rescued a kitten right before Christmas.  We named him Nico (reference to St. Nicholas) and took him to the vet.  He was so sick that we likely saved his life by taking him in – if the elements hadn’t gotten him, all the parasites would have.

We worried about Ping, because she’s been an “only child” for 12 years.  And at first, she howled and hissed every time she saw Nico (we kept them apart for a couple weeks, til Nico was well.)  Then she just howled.  After we let him loose, she would hiss and growl at him, but he was so playful and persistent that eventually she became used to him.  I doubt there is any “affection” there, but she does tolerate him well.  Or did.

Nico needs to be neutered.  Yesterday I saw him trying to mount Ping and she was hissing and growling.  We had Ping spayed as soon as she was old enough, so she had no idea what Nico was trying to do, she just knew she didn’t like it.  (Mac is going to call to make an appointment – hopefully for tomorrow).

So here are some pictures of my babies.

First, a picture of Ping – always so regal – she’s very affectionate, docile, good natured.

Now Nico – agressive, playful, somewhat affectionate (but he’s only 7 months old so we’ll see how he turns out.)
 

And fortunately, they get along pretty well   (And their eyes don’t like flash LOL)

Ping has green eyes and Nico has brown eyes.

And as long as I’m posting pictures, I planted the hydrangea that my stepdaughter gave me for my birthday (about a week after I brought it home).

It has since lost the blooms and the leaves wilted.  I hope it didn’t die.  I guess I’ll find out next year. 

Well, this featured questions just SCREAMED at me to answer it.  Of course I’d rather be extremely intelligent and average looking.  Because that is who I am!  LOL

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

I went in to the dentist’s office a few days ago for some dental work.  While I was sitting in the chair, the assistant felt the need to chatter –

“How’s the weather out there?  Getting warmer?”
“How was traffic?”
“Has anything exciting happened since the last time you were here?”
“How is work going?”

And sometimes they start talking about personal stuff.

“You live in _____?  My husband is a truck driver and used to work there.”
(and then more stuff about her husband.)
(and then stuff about her kids.)

The hygienist is even worse.  She’s poking and prodding around in your mouth, talking a mile a minute and throwing in a question every once in a while.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t talk when someone is poking around in my mouth with a hook.  (In fact, my husband and I have begun calling our hygienist “Helga the Hook”)

Seriously, dear hygienist, just do your job.  When you talk, and then stop doing what you’re doing to use your hands to make a point, you’re making my dental cleaning take longer than necessary.  I come to see you every six months so that I don’t HAVE to have long cleaning visits.  If you must talk, stick to talking about what you are doing in my mouth.

Maybe they are trained to do that. Maybe it’s to help patients relax.

I’d rather put on some headphones and listen to my iPod.

This month’s first assignment for Featured Grownups is to write a letter of thanks to a fellow Xangan without identifying them, to tell them why Xanga is a better place with them here.  I am 99% certain that the person who I am going to write about is going to recognize this.

Dear Fellow Xangan,

When we first met online, it wasn’t on Xanga, but it seems there were so many parallels during the course of our friendship.  I remember taking a chance – hoping I wasn’t offending you – when I closed off one of our chats with “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”  When you responded with “42″ I knew that we were going to be good friends.

When we first met in person, I was nervous as hell but watching you check into your hotel room, you seemed so confident (and it’s funny how on another place, you said the same about me), though you seemed a little timid when we sat down to talk.  I knew you were in town for your trade and was in awe of you for breaking through the glass ceiling.  You really inspired me to try to do the same.  (In fact, you’ve inspired me to do a lot of things, whether or not you know it – going back to school not being the least of these.)

We always shared what was very close and personal to ourselves with each other – more-so when we started writing first on MDD, and later on Xanga.

I have been able to keep up with your life in a way I wouldn’t have been able to had you not been a part of the Xanga community.  I almost felt at times like we were sitting in your kitchen over coffee while talking about our relationships.

I was there while you wrote about the trials and tribulations of your marriage, and even witnessed some of it firsthand.  I felt like you deserved so much more than you were getting from that relationship.  I felt like there were signs of mental abuse (it just seemed your spouse was always finding ways to burst your bubble) and knew you were worth so much more than either of you thought.

I was there through the “doofus” era, and was so hoping you would not get your heart broken, because my fear was that things were moving way too fast for comfort. 

So of course, when you met your current Significent Other, I was cautious and felt overly protective of you.  But as time went on, I grew to trust that you would not be hurt – because of how happy you were.  Seeing the two of you – the love that passed like a bolt of electricity from your eyes when you looked at each other – made me realize that this was THE ONE.  I cried because I just knew you were going to be happy the rest of your life.

Now, reading about your happy life really makes me feel so happy for you – sometimes I could burst with it. 

Thank you for keeping Xanga someplace I want to return to – yours is the first blog I check for updates (so you need to update more often!!!)  Thank you for being someone that I trust with everything that is sacred to me – things I can’t share with other people who know me IRL.

But most of all, thanks for being one of my very best friends ever.  I’m sure you know who you are.