Long, tiring day… and tomorrow is… just… uhmmmm….

So, a few years ago, a very serious series of events happened between a colleague and me.   I thought lunch would be lunch and lunch turned into a very horrible afternoon.  In the end, I lost a bit of reputation, however wrongly, and said person spread a lie that it was me that was after him, which was ridiculous.  

This past week, the person I saw that afternoon, the person behind the mask, committed his final curtain call as far as his employer was concerned.   Since his employer is one of my clients, I’ve spent the day rushing around, getting locks changed and doing everything I can to prevent an electronic retaliatory action he may decide to make over the weekend, once he finally has access to a computer.  I have to say, Constant Contact was sympathetic and quick to respond to our issue.  

The problem was that this particular person was incredibly controlling and kept a lot of passwords that he should not have had secret, and that also included the password recovery questions.  Everything has been changed over to the President of the organization.  So, in the end, even if this day was a total chaotic mess and the President had to make a difficult decision she did not want to make, the good that comes out of it is that she is, finally, in control of all of the correspondence, especially electronic that may leave the office.  

…And considering how the former colleague has been behaving especially this past few months or so, I’m glad to finally come out ahead with my reputation repaired from that horrible afternoon, and in fact, that horrible afternoon and the President of the organization’s handling of it, helped put her in a better spot after the events of this week.  

… 

Now, I have to prepare to go to my parent’s country home tomorrow, with Lexi in tow.  I was looking forward to it until my Mom turned into critical Mom on Mother’s Day.  However, evil sister who has been guilting me and saying that she’s “been taking care of Mom for Dad” these past weekends (every other weekend), when informed by our Dad that I would be going up there on Saturday, told him that she would be driving up tonight.  So, completely afraid of the ambush that awaits, because she will try to start a fight and it WILL be in front of my Mom and it will be done in such a way as to attempt to make me look as bad as possible and on top of all of that?   My Mom will make me apologize no matter how the fight comes out, at least she has in the past, because she tells me that I have the better heart so I should use it.  

However, I’m encouraged by the fact that when I called to officially wish my Mom happy birthday this evening (I waited because I wanted to talk to my Dad about my sister’s announcement to him and get his opinion) that she warned me that my sister would be there… To which I told her I had the plans scheduled before my sister did.  

…and if my sister uses the whole, “well, I’ve been taking care of Mom” guilt trip BS on me again, I’m going to say, but Donya?  You didn’t have to come up here this weekend, and you knew full well that you didn’t.  

Also?  My Dad told me which plant my Mom wants.  Score!!  Gonna be the favourite daughter with the better present. (Yes, I’m doing the cabbage patch… please don’t judge me.)  Juvenile, I know, but since my sister’s whole big thing is to try and make herself look like the better daughter by pulling this crap, and my Dad can see it and doesn’t like how she’s been treating a fair few people, I’m getting helpful inside information.

So tired already.  Good thing, though, Lexi should be extremely exhausted on our way home tomorrow.  

I do not recommend…

Twisting your knee and your thigh, injuring your arms, and activating your other knee’s injuries the day before a campaign kick-off party.  

Ouch doesn’t even begin to cover it.  Medicating with Pecan Street Rum and Diet Coke.  If that doesn’t work, I’m moving on to Merlot, but I’mma drink it out of the bottle, because I can’t be bothered with glasses tonight.  

And, holy hell I hate stairs right now… HATE them.  

On the bright side?  Lexi keeps walking slowly down and up the stairs with me.  She doesn’t always do this, but she knows I’m in pain.   It’s so awesome to have her right now, because as painful as stairs are, her going down them slowly with me, is like her saying, “okay, you got this… let’s keep going, Mom.”  

“You need to learn how to take a fall…”

My Dad says that to me… He says I hurt myself worse when I stress my body out by trying to prevent a full out fall and manage to stop at just a slip.

During this evening’s walk with Lexi, I slipped in the mud. The saving myself from falling down has become so ingrained, that I prevented an entire split into the mud, ensuring that I saved both my dress and my body, minus a few toes from an embarrassing walk back to my home. And, the best part? I did it all as an automatic reflex… Without thinking. Without even batting an eye. I had to save myself from embarrassment, so I did. Because somewhere I learned erroneously that near falls are better than full falls. I am sometimes a complete and total idiot.

I slipped and then, in the concentration of the path I was on, making sure I didn’t slip again in the mud or trip in one of the holes or that neither of these happened to Lexi, and then getting Lexi home and fed, I managed to put the near fall out of my mind… Probably because Saturday is a BIG day.

Anyhow, so after I fed Lexi, I went upstairs to my room, where I have been working throughout the day, and then, an hour or so later, tried to go downstairs… Oy! Pain. I had to hold the guard rail. My one good knee in excruciating pain. (The other knee has already had surgery on it.)

Still, it didn’t click why for a few more hours… And when it did, I finally got some ice on the knee, but… it’s not just my knee… it’s my other knee, my thigh, my hands, and my back…

In short, instead of a probable bruised ego, a sore bum, and a stained dress that would have likely come because of the fall, I am in a lot more pain because I tried to prevent the fall.

I need to learn to take a fall… Falls happen, to the best of people. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off… And maybe you have a mud stained dress. Friends and people that care about you will help hide the mud or help you clean the stain. Falls are normal… They are natural. They prove gravity and happen to the best and the worst of us.

Preventing a fall, doesn’t do anything but cause more worry, more injury than necessary. Falls happen, they even give us humour sometime…

I need to learn to take a fall… Take a fall and find out whose going to lend a hand to help me up and dust me off, rather than fearing no one will be there and I’ll have to do it myself anyway…

What is it about Facebook?

…That makes people think they’re entitled to act like assholes?   And then hide behind… “What?  Oh you can’t take a joke?” 

I’m not even kidding.  

Going for a walk, but feel free to vent.  

Long Day… Little Sleep… Too Much to Do…

….and why is it that when you have very little time and for the first time in a long while you leave your laptop at home, because you figure you’re going to be at a picnic taking photos and videos that you can deal with later, that your car just all of a sudden decides it’s going to have issues?  

But… the only really bad thing that happened was dealing with a no underwear wearing, did not take a shower, girl being rude when she asked a question.  

Like, I’m trying to answer your question politely and you’re going to be obnoxious about me and the guy that works at NTB trying to help you to the person you’re speaking to… ?

So…. how was everyone else’s Saturday?  Entertain me while I do some work?  :o) 

Ugh

A couple of hours ago, I was getting incredibly nauseous.  So, I went upstairs and laid down after taking some Aleve, asthma meds, and vitamins… 

It cleared up, for a little while, but it’s back, so I’m drinking some Decaf Green Tea w/ Mint and having some pasta (no sauce), because I had the leftovers and I was supposed to be eating “toast” w/ my tea, but I don’t keep a lot of bread in the house, because I don’t buy a lot of bread, because I eat maybe two or three pieces and then, mold.  So, I’m sitting here eating a very small portion of pasta and drinking a large cup of Green Tea w/ Mint (decaf) and hoping that the nausea will go away so I can get about four hours sleep before an event tomorrow. 

I hate this part of getting older.  Used to have a cast iron stomach and fainted much more than my stomach would purge itself.  Apparently hormones eat through cast iron stomachs, too.   Not that any purging is going on, but I never used to even have nausea unless I was about to purge… now, every so often.  UGH.  I’d honestly have the cold clammies and the near faints and the actual fainting.  At least then, I know exactly what to do.  (Sorry… TMI.) 

Also?  This is weird for me… this Green Tea and pasta / bread as a remedy.  I normally reach for the Pepto immediately, but something in my body is just refusing to let me go that route.  Some weird intuition thing that’s kind of telling me to stay away from it for now.  

Conversations with my Dad

So… I kind of just blurted out my side of the story of the continuing battle between my sister and me to my Dad, and as I suspected, he already knew her side… and, yeah, she conveniently left out a lot of details… (Not shocked.) 

The difference between my sister and me is this: I use my powers for good.  She uses hers for herself.   I may observe, but I don’t judge and I definitely try to be supportive / positive where I can - not destructive or hurtful.  

I also found out that during the time my Mom was in the hospital, my sister took two full days off from work.  Two days in which she didn’t offer to help with the dogs.  Two days in which she most definitely did NOT go to the hospital.   (Which makes the comments on the photos about the dogs even worse, in my opinion.)

My Dad said that my sister took my Mom’s fall very hard.  I agree with that.  On Tuesday, I was a wreck… but, I also move quickly from, “okay, that’s the bad… this is the good…”  It’s survival.  I adapt, because you have to when you work on campaigns.  ”This has happened and it sucks and you can process it later, but these are the ramifications and this is what needs to be done, moving forward.”  It’s very much in my make up.  

He also asked me to potentially go up there to take care of my Mom on Saturday.  My sister is supposed to but is hedging on it, and if she hears that I’ve volunteered to go if she won’t (possibly)*.  It’ll be my “punishment” for not responding to her texts this past weekend.  Punishment because I don’t breathe easily up there, so it’s a struggle for me to go… but, I haven’t spent time with my Mom in a while and she wants to go to a Garage Sale and if we can maneuver it, there’s some kind of Folk Festival that actually sounds incredibly interesting.  I may tell my Dad not to bother my sister and that I’d like to take Mom, anyway.   I love my Mom and if she’s in a good mood, which she should be for the Garage Sale, I can handle that. 

I’ll just need to figure out when the landmines are being laid closer together and take her home and head home, myself.   Not engage in the arguments that will strike as she gets worn down.  

As for my Dad?  He validated that I had a point, where my sister and me were concerned.  That’s all I wanted.   

*Problem is, if I express any sort of happiness in doing this - just because I do want to spend time with Mom, my sister will jump at the chance to cut me off at the pass and look like the “better daughter”.  Maybe the way to play this is for my Dad to tell her I’d like to go, but if she still wants to, no worries, because I’ll go to the NRA Convention Protest with him.  The only thing worse, in her eyes, than me being happy spending time with our Mom is me being happy spending time with our Dad, because in her opinion, I do that far too often and I’m his favourite.  Two parents, two kids: one favourite for each.  I’m okay with that.   Otherwise, my Dad and my Mom can play it off as Donya can take the weekend to relax and enjoy with her family…  Do I have to manipulate my sister?  Unfortunately yes.  Do I like doing it.  No.  I do not.  

I wish, more than anything, that being a sister meant the same to her as it does to me.  

Updates

Important:  My mom is healing, which is good news.   She was afraid of wearing a “halo” and/or getting screws into her scalp, but for now she can continue to wear the brace for another two months and hopefully she’ll have healed by then.  So, that was an incredible sigh of relief.  

Less Important:  Still haven’t received my call for my second interview, but I know that she was interviewing candidates up until today for the first round.  So, I’m hopeful that second round interviews will be scheduled either later today or tomorrow.   

Maybe too personal: I would be peachy keen if the build up to girl problems would quit and actually start.  A little on edge and a bit uncomfortable, but this time?  Has always been good luck in interviews for me.  No idea why.  

10 a.m.

My day got a little brighter around 10 a.m.  Everything just seemed to click.  I went to get my eyebrows waxed and I’d been up and going for a few hours, so, instead of everything being rushed, I was super on time, actually running early, which always relaxes me.    

Before then, I was gulping down water like you wouldn’t believe.  My body is currently retaining it because of girl problems and my face was on fire yesterday and this morning.  I believe in part because of hives, in part because of dehydration.  So, I’m still gulping down water as much as I can.  

So, the first good omen was the fact that I had just enough regular staples to staple my resumes, which were printed on official cotton paper.   By regular staples I mean, I have a stapler with green staples in it, which is okay for regular work and fun little things, but for this?  Nope.  I’m also sure if I hunt around, I’ve got a box of plain staples somewhere, but I didn’t have that kind of time.  I mean, who knows, off hand the amount of staples left in a stapler.  It’s not the kind of thing you check on until you’re about to use it or you run out in the middle of using.  

Second and third good omens: I needed gas, which I already knew and had allotted for, but on my way to the cheapest local Kroger to get it (via the Gas Buddy App), I remembered that I also had enough “points” for a $.10 off per gallon reward.  When I got there?  The station was filled…. some people even waiting behind others, only - there was ONE spot left vacant.  Completely vacant.  So, I pulled in right away.  

I got to the office easily enough, and pulled in with no paid parking, which is a toss up near the Galleria, which I thought it probably would be, but I allowed enough time for a bit of traffic and a little bit of whatever can go wrong.  I was 15 minutes early, but because of the drinking water thing, decided to go in and ask about the restroom, because I was DYING to go.  (I went before I walked out the door, but all this water, you know?  To keep from bloating again…)  So, even when I checked in, I let the assistant know that I knew I was early but was allowing time to make sure I wasn’t late.  

Fourth good omen: I ran into one of the guys that I worked on the last campaign with - he was loaned out to us from SEIU, but it was nice to see a familiar face in the office and to be able to tell my interviewer that I already knew people inside.  And, likely she’ll ask about me this afternoon.   (I also know that he’ll give me an awesome reference.) 

Fifth good omen:  the man that was supposed to interview an entire hour after me?  Showed up maybe 5 minutes after I did.   (Important considering the interviewer asked me about time management skills.)  When the assistant asked us if we wanted water, I did, of course, because bloat, but he did as well.  She showed us where the water cooler was and where the cups were, making it obvious that’s what they preferred and, knowing what I do of campaigns the bottled water sitting there is for canvassers or for parades or the like.   Anyhow, the “competition” asked if he could take one of the bottles of water, then proceeded to start walking around the offices, without permission, making the assistant direct him back up front.  I also thanked her by name, softly.  (Because, it’s the right thing to do….) 

Sixth Good Omen: I made my interviewer laugh really hard and in an appropriate situation response.  My answer was common sense but appropriate and hilarious, which I often can be.  

….and, she knew I had done my research about the organization and their current issues, because I was using all of that as an example, including a personal account of one of their members and how certain changes would directly affect her from the story they had written on that issue.  

So… I’m waiting to hear back on a second (and final) interview with board members… for hopefully later this week.   Which I was asked about just as my interview was wrapping up.  

Today.

Today, my mother is on her way to get an x-ray, to find out if she is healing.  (We’ll get the report from the doctor on Tuesday.)  I don’t exactly know the options if she isn’t, but I believe surgery is probably a recourse they may explore, although, being the vertebrae that connects the brain to literally everything else, including the heart pumping and the lungs breathing, that may be risky.  

She has osteoporosis, which will make healing this injury lengthy if she continues to do it by wearing a brace, but we do want her to do it in the best way possible, and surgery is always a risk, no matter which surgeon’s table you’re on.  

So… I’ve got a LOT on my mind, that I wish I didn’t.  

….and nerves so bad, that I’m pretty sure I broke out in hives yesterday.   Has only happened once before.