Offtopic Sofa Time

[Sinkwriter72]

Simone, that IS all very good news!

And I'm sorry to hear that both you and Marina are struggling with stuff, too. I hope things get better very soon.

[skftex]

So sorry about the job Sherry.

Wish I had something exciting/good to report but nothing good here, especially after having to spend over $600 to get a new fuel pump for the car. That'll put a huge dent into a already limited budget let me tell you! That and constantly having a ton of homework and being completely lost in one class, I'm just glad things are pretty normal for now! HAHA

[Sinkwriter72]

Ouch. Sorry about the fuel pump, Sharon. I can relate to the car repairs issue -- I had to shell out quite a bit for repairs on mine this summer. Though I will say my car's age is 2003 and (except for the time I hit a deer, and this summer when my aunt both side-scraped my car and accidentally broke a window by kicking up a rock with the lawnmower) it's lasted pretty well without any major repairs. The car itself has held up very well, and I'm grateful for that.

As for my job... let's put it this way: one of my bosses did something highly inappropriate, and when I put in a complaint about it with my immediate supervisor, the boss's son (also part owner and boss in the company) stripped that supervisor of all her 'managerial duties' and told her to leave. He then informed me that he would be the one 'handling' the issue, which -- when I met with him for a meeting about it -- seemed to be all about him trying to blame both me and my supervisor for something his father is solely responsible for. Essentially he seemed to be trying to sweep it all under the proverbial rug, leaving me with no one to advocate for me as an employee in this situation (or any other, should issues arise for me or my coworkers) and making me feel like it was now an unsafe work environment, making it impossible for me to return to the office. I felt that there was no other option but for me to resign. It's much more complicated than that, but ultimately my supervisor and I have major grievances with these 2 bosses, and it's going to be a while before all of this is ironed out in some way.

So I thank you all for your support. *hugs*

[skftex]

Ugh, what a mess Sherry. I'm truly sorry. It all sounds so wrong (and also very illegal!)

[ThyneAlone]

I'm really so sorry Sherry. It sounds a horrible ugly chaos and you are on the receiving end. Don't you have any support at all? If that happened to me at work the union would be on it like a shot, checking out the legals and giving me a representative and support both financial and emotional. You have not had a good moment in such a long time and I deeply regret that such a nice person should have to endure such burdens. Wish we could give more practical support, I really do.

[ThyneAlone]

Actually your situation does give me perspective on ours at the moment. We are a day into our new kitchen being fitted and the fitters have discovered, having stripped the walls to the brick, that the entire extension has been so jerry-built that half the wall has crumbled away and the addition is just barely attached to the original building. I suspect this means making good and a proper building repair before we get to the kitchen itself and, looking at it, it could be really expensive. I'm actually surprised the whole thing didn't fall down long ago. In addition we are going to end up with food and kitchen accoutrements lying round the house and the inconvenience of washing up in the shower room washbasin for quite a lot longer.

I guess I shouldn't do that. The wall might fall down.

[TJ4ever]

Steph, sorry I had to smile about your last comment with the wall! I know the whole situation is not funny at all. I'm really sorry! That sounds terrible ...and expensive! So they will not deliver the new kitchen until everything is fixed? Or do you also have the new kitchen somewhere which you need to store? Hope everything will end up well and fast!

Sherry, OMG, that's terrible! I'm so sorry! So, they did except your resignation or is there still hope you will sort it out with your bosses - or they with you? It takes courage to resign like you did. I was thinking about it too today but cannot do it! I wish you all the best. Hope the situation will resolve soon and that you will find a new job soon, too, if you cannot get your old one back! *hugs*

[TJ4ever]

You wanna see how my day was?!?!



etc.!

You don't need to comment! Just needed to blow off some steam and distract myself! This smilies say more than 1000 words!

[SmackyKennedy]

Oh, Sherry, that's terrible! I hope you and your supervisor can get some justice in this. It's just wrong and as Sharon said, sounds illegal. Positive energy coming your way to help you find something even better.

Simone, Steph, Sharon, Marina....more positive thoughts coming your way.

We all need to cheer up even if for a few minutes...maybe time to watch Validation again?

Someone wanted good news...Well, for me I do get to keep my job although I have to take a significant pay cut as well as loose my weekend differential rate. At least I still keep my flexibility (essential with my kids) and hopefully selling some artwork will fill in the gaps. I did a painting of an older couple's mansion, and they liked it so much they want me to do their 1st house, which is just a very plain little split level they bought for $20K in the 1950s. Working on that now and trying to make it look pretty. I've got at least 4 dog paintings lined up too, although animals scare me a bit.

Please take care everybody. I know it's hard but try to stay positive. It'll get better soon.

[kayleigh_marie]

Wow, I've been gone so long!!!
I just read the last page of this thread, and I'm sorry everyone... About the job (near) loss, and the creepy boss' indiscretions...
About the car trouble (believe you me, this '95 honda gives me some serious issues....) as well.

Though, CONGRATS ANG on the paintings. I'm glad your art is doing well.
It was nice to see some good news

There's a lot going on here.... Still working at Toys R Us. Still crappy hours, but a better manager. :eusa-dance:
but here comes Christmas season! More hours, overnights, money. Yay.
I haven't been sick in a few weeks, which is new for me, especially with the weather change.

Then... Agh, where to start.
On September 11th, a family friend called and said her grandson died.
He was a 1 year old baby... He drowned. It's heart-breaking. It's being investigated. So I'm shaken up still. The death of an infant...
There are other things, but that's weighing on my mind heaviest of all.

I WILL BE AROUND MORE. I WILL BE AROUND MORE. I LOVE YOU ALL.

[ThyneAlone]

We love you too Kayleigh!
Although I can imagine you might love me less when I've whinged some more about the continuing soap opera of our new kitchen...

So the cooker was set for delivery yesterday so that the fitter could sort out all the surrounds and so on. And, surprise, surprise, it didn't turn up. So the poor guy is sitting round waiting for this non-event and hubby, incandescent with righteous fury, rings up to find that it's not due to be delivered because some glitch in the system is telling it that said item has already been delivered!! This is in spite of the fact that it had to be taken away again through no fault of ours and the date changed duly.

The upshot is that the appliance won't arrive till tomorrow and the unfortunate fitter will have to come in yet again over the weekend, on a Sunday no less, and I really do not feel like shopping at that particular store again.

Kitchen will look nice though.

[TJ4ever]

So sorry to hear that, Steph! It has a bit of a tragicomedy. It's of course not funny for you at all! Hope for you that this will be the best kitchen ever! ...and I still love you a lot! You won't get rid of me even with more "kitchen talk"!

[Sinkwriter72]

Congratulations to Ang on those painting jobs! I admire that you can paint like that. One of the classes I had to take as part of my associates degree had a painting assignment and it was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do! I'd rather write. I'll leave the paint brushes to you and Vero and all you other artists out there.

Kayleigh, it's great to see you back on the board! But I'm so sorry to hear about your family friend's child. That has got to be one of the worst things to ever have to go through. I can't even imagine how painful that must be. Simply gut-wrenching.

*HUGS* to Steph. What is it about home repairs and renovations that seems to immediately cause every hiccup you could possibly think of? It's like some weird law of nature or something. I'm sorry you've been struggling and I hope they finish up and leave you with a beautiful and fully functional new kitchen. When shall I come over for tea?

My update: Can't really talk about the work thing right now except to say that charges have been filed (by me and by my supervisor who had been trying to help me) with the Department of Human Rights against my former company. I just got the paperwork in the mail today, which means my bosses have probably received their copy as well. I'm sure you'll be able to hear them yelling from across the country. Not much I can do but wait now -- the Department will contact us both for a 'fact-finding conference' and then a possible mediation meeting to resolve the issues. What a nightmare.

Since I'm now out of work again ... *heavy sigh* ... I'm taking all my belongings out of storage (where they'd been while I was working and going to school, waiting for me to be able to move back into an apartment of my own again), and storing them in my parents' basement. (They kindly offered, in order to save me the monthly storage rental fee while I'm out of work.) So that's what I'll be doing today. Hauling boxes and filling a truck that my parents will take back to Wisconsin with them.

But it's not a completely dire situation. My aunts are still okay with me staying with them for now, and we've talked about the possibility of me postponing finding a new job (for now) and instead trying to finish school 6 months sooner. I'd take more classes (3 instead of 2) next semester and then the final 2 classes during the summer. Then I'd be done with school and could look for a full time job instead of having to look for a part-time job that could be flexible with a school schedule. So that's a relief. I'd very much like to be done with school, so that I can free up some of my life for other things! Like writing, or joining a choir, or just having some time to spend with people instead of being stuck in my house, glued to my homework.

I've also got a potential freelance website job or two in the works. My aunts' friend -- the one who runs the hair salon for which I made a website about a year ago -- says she thinks she knows 2 separate customers who need websites made and apparently they liked hers so they're interested in possibly having me make them one! I just have to give them a business card.

I don't have a business card. LOL.

But I've spent the last week designing one (and torturing Steph and Sharon about what color schemes look best *GRIN*), so now I just have to make a final decision and get them printed.

So... good things and bad things happening, but I persevere and try the best I can to get through it.

Thanks again for all the support, wonderful ladies!

[MarinaDuister]

Wow... Hearing all of this makes me less sad for some reason ^_^ Well, hugs to everyone!!
For me, I'm currently battling against something which they call a 'sensitivity disorder' or something like that. It practically means that sometimes the smallest noise can annoy me that bad I want to burn down the world . And that things hurt me quite quickly. But I'll find out one day how to deal with it, right?

Oh, and ofcourse battling againt my jealous-much-issue hahaha.... Well, it's not really an issue because, you know, ít's not like it will kill me but today I might have let some tears because Chels met TJ today and that made me jealous. But what TJ fan wouldnt make that jealous?! Well, maybe Sharon a bit less ofcourse but still...

AND I WROTE MY VERY FIRST LETTER!! Yes, I finally did. Well, if you don't count the piece of text I send Chels for in the fanbook she gave TJ today... Maybe I'll get mail from the US now, that'd be SOOOO COOOOOL already :eusa-dance: BUT FROM TJ WOULD MAKE IT EVEN BETTER!

Well, enough with the excitement about my letter, heading to bed now.. oh, did I forgot? it's 0:16AM now
Xx

[ThyneAlone]

Hi Marina! Hope your hypersensitivity issue can be sorted out or at least alleviated, and well done getting your letter written and sent at last!

Anyone want to know any more about my continuing saga?
The cooker finally arrived this morning. It seems there is STILL a cupboard overhanging! The builder thinks this is total nonsense (though that wasn't exactly what he said, I'm paraphrasing!) as he has measured it all out precisely, he reckons the gas fitter was an utter jobsworth trying to make a point - however, we've had to sign an undertaking not to use it until the (apparently) offending couple of millimetres have been sheared off. So the kitchen fitter is still having to fiddle about - unnecessarily in the view of us all. Altogether we have now had £80 refunded because of the inconvenience to all of us, but I'm still fairly determined not to go to that store again.

[Sinkwriter72]

Oh, Steph... what a PAIN! Shame on them for putting you through all of this. Definitely doesn't speak well to their work, especially if he measured 'precisely.' I hope it gets fixed soon and you can move on from all this chaos. *HUGS*

[SmackyKennedy]

Congratulations to Ang on those painting jobs! I admire that you can paint like that. One of the classes I had to take as part of my associates degree had a painting assignment and it was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do! I'd rather write. I'll leave the paint brushes to you and Vero and all you other artists out there.

Thank you...and I will leave the writing to you and all the other brilliant writers out there. I'm terrible at it. .

[Sinkwriter72]

We've got a mutual admiration society going on here. I love it.

*salutes you heartily* :eusa-clap:

[kayleigh_marie]

/pats
I'm sorry, Steph.
And no. The whole situation is horrible, as I'm sure you know. xD
It has to be annoying!!!
I wouldn't ever shop there again, either.

Well, I hope the whole work thing does get sorted out soon, Sherry. I can't imagine. :S
Good luck with the website jobs! Would be nice to work from home, eh?

Oh, do you have sensory issues Marina??
I've heard of that; a friend of mine is going through something really similar.

Big hugs around for everyone!!

[skftex]

So last week I saw that the Space Shuttle Endeavour was going to be here on Sept 19, and I was very excited-Wednesday was perfect because it was supposed to be here by 8:30 am, and leave around 11 am, and I don't have a class until 4:00 pm on that day. Then Monday came and they delayed it leaving Florida but said it would still be in California on Wednesday. Then Tuesday came and they had to delay it another day so it was going to be in HOUSTON on Wednesday and here on Thursday. I thought that pretty much killed it for me to see it up close (it can be seen from the freeway that I use to go to school) because my mother had a doctors appointment I had to take her to in the morning and then I had to leave home by 12:30 to make it to class on time.

BUT today came and the doctors appointment was over by 9:10 am, which left enough time to head over to the airfield to see the shuttle.

Oh, those that don't know, it is the last Space Shuttle move, there won't be anymore, and this one is going to a museum in California (California Science Center in Los Angeles). Anyway, I did get to see it, even watched it take off to head off to California. And here are a few pictures of it on the ground (I couldn't get it in the air, too far away).



This photo I took standing on a ladder. These men were setting up a ladder so one of them could get up there and take pictures and I asked if I could climb up on their ladder. He said "SURE" and then held the ladder for me while up I went to take the photo! LOL Nice man!


In this one, the ground wasn't really sloped, I just can't hold a camera straight while trying to take a photo over a rock wall that is taller than I am.





On its way to the runway to fly away to California!