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« May 2007 | Main | July 2007 » June 29, 2007Hope ShatteredI shouldn't have done it. Why get excited about a job that you don't even know about? Yesterday my friend urged me to apply for an MSO position. I don't even know what the hell an MSO does. It's a big jump as far as positions go. Imagine walking up a flight of stairs and trying to step over four steps at a time. Yeppers, It's just like that. The worst part is that I wouldn't even want to be standing on that step in the first place. I've been wanting to move back to campus. Back to Westwood. Being out here is like the step child who lives out of the cellar. We're the afterthought of any UCLA celebration. Too far to go to any conference, too far to even join in on any parties. We get the party favors and stories of what went on, as if that's going to make it alright. A friend even referred to my location as 'the prison'. Sweat shop attitudes and minimal benefits. This morning I called my friend to get her honest opinion of the position. Together we read the description and my heart sank. Even halfway through I knew I wasn't a good fit. So did she. After talking for a bit I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going anywhere soon. Right now I feel like I've been punched in the gut. What's stupid is that I shouldn't have even started down this path until I read the description. 'You'd be perfect for it' is a line I've heard a thousand times. Perfect for some of it, for the rest... not so much. One thing is for sure, I need to start actively looking. My job isn't horrible by any means. For the most part it's one of the better positions. I've grown so much here. When I started I was content with answering phones and stuffing envelopes. As the duties mounted I fought it the whole way. Suddenly I woke up and they didn't seem so bad. Maybe I grew mentally. One day you put down the dolls and see there is a whole world out there. Now I want something more. The journey continues...
[keywords: Life Work] June 28, 2007Question and Answer Time!I usually loathe chain letters, but I love the answer and question kinds. Not to send, just to do. Here's my response to Jules' email: 1. What time did you get up this morning? 4:58 am (stupid needy cat)
[keywords: cyberculture meme chain-letters Q&A] June 27, 2007How Rudolph REALLY Came BackIt's always nice to know people have got your back. Take yesterday for instance. I walked around for an hour and a half with coffee on my nose without a single person telling me. We're not talking just a little dot, either. I could have won the Brown Nose award of the year with that baby. I noticed people staring at me with some odd expression, but figured it was because the coffee hadn't kicked in. Why not just go the extra step of telling me? Instead, I had to walk through a group of executives and three assistants with coffee on my nose.
[keywords: Rant oops] June 25, 2007Verizon Broke My Internet Part TwoOn Friday I got a call from the Verizon Complaint Center at the Corporate office. A nice lady talked to me about my ordeal and tried to get the ball rolling. First, the Modem was STILL not sent because they were using my PO Box to send it. It was down to the wire and I finally decided to buy the fucking thing myself and she agreed to credit my account. One little detail: I had to find a store that sold the type they suggested. After calling around I found a Verizon store who agreed to sell me the modem after reminding me it usually comes with a deal. Gee... thanks. I took off early and bought the damn thing ($60) which they billed. After setting it up we were back online. Of course that's not the end of it. Now I have to send back the other Modem that should arrive this week and wait until tonight or tomorrow to see what speed I can even get with my lines. Two more days and I *hope* it will be the last I will have to talk with Verizon for a long while.
[keywords: Rant Verizon dsl] June 22, 2007Verizon Broke My InternetI have no internet connection. *cries* Here's my saga... Last week I called my DSL/Cell phone/telephone company about my bill. $200 a month was just too much with everything going on, especially when $70 of it was to my telephone line, which I never use. After talking to a guy who told me I should be getting some Triple Freedom discount for using all their products I mentioned that my DSL plan was still on the 768kb download speed and I hated how I couldn't get a faster speed. "Of course you can!" said the cheerful employee. "You can get 3mb on a newer relay." Heart be still... And since I was on the OLD DSL setup I was only able to get the Double Freedom discount (whatever) but they could switch me over and all would be better. Of course, there would be a three to five day downtime of internet access... *choke* From that point on it has been a complete nightmare. Here's the timeline of errors for posterity: 6/15/07: * I spoke with a nice guy who said I would be able to get a Triple bundle discount if I upgraded my DSL from the Relay Frame (old kind) to the ATM Frame (newer kind). I said sign me up! And he transfered me to the DSL section. Only downside: 3 to 5 days without connection * I end up in the Philippines. Another nice guy listens to what I want and says he will put in the order. They will send me a new modem (for free) since mine is ancient and I will get a call the next day about my order. He says no downtime is involved. * I get home and a nice gal from tech support says she checked the line and doesn't see the problem I reported. I explain the situation and she says to call tech support and make sure the order is still on. * I call Tech support and a nice guy says all is well and to expect a call tomorrow. Yippee! * No call happens. 06/19/07: * I call the DSL department and talk to a so so guy who tries talking me out of getting the upgrade. At least a week of down time, closing account and opening new one, blah blah... If you're happy with the speed stick with it. Oh, and no order was placed. * I say fuck that but ask to be transfered to tech support anyway. I end up in India. Some nice woman with a shitty connection reads from a script and puts me on hold for 3 minutes/4 minutes/eight minutes for each question asked. I finally ask to speak to the person she's asking the questions to. She hurries me off the line, saying the order has been placed and that someone will call me to answer all my questions. I try to explain that I don't want ANYTHING done until I find out what the realistic downtime will be and she tells me someone else will tell me. She hangs up. 06/20/07: * A nice guy who's local calls me to ask what the line problem is and I bite my tongue. I tell him the WHOLE story and he says I won't have any downtime, but I also won't have a faster service without ordering it. The only plus is that I can have the option to get a faster service on the new system. After explaining the way it works he tells me he has to call me back in about ten minutes because he is having some problems with ordering the new modem. I cheerfully say 'no problem!' * Ten minutes later the guy calls back to say he can't order it. I can either order it through Verizon or on my own. Afterwards I can be changed. I was NOT amused. I politely (while gritting my teeth) say I think that it should be on them since EVERYONE has said I could get the modem and he asks for a day to work on it. After offering to call customer service and complain he talks me into waiting til tomorrow. Again... I am NOT amused. 06/21/07: * IT guy calls back to say that he will be able to send the new modem to me for free... but he doesn't know when. Aparently there's some problem with their system, blah blah blah... and he'll call me back once it's ordered. * IT guy calls to let me know that the modem is on the way! Then he asks if the PO Box is okay for them to send it to... I say, "It depends. How are you sending it? UPS won't deliver to a PO Box." "I'll have to call you back." *screams* * ...*siiiiigh* I get home and there is NO internet connection. I call the tech department and get some guy in India who tells me he has to look through the script even though I tell him the answer won't be on there. Then he puts me on hold to ask someone. Eight minutes later he tells me he's still asking and I ask to speak to a supervisor. TWELVE minutes later the only jerky guy I've ever spoken to at Verizon answers. He's stand offish and simply says, 'Yep, they changed it over. Yes, there is a note saying to wait until the 27th. I guess they just ignored it. You'll just have to wait until Tuesday for the modem. You can call billing tomorrow about temporary dial up, but they're closed now'. When I tell him that's unacceptable because we start online classes THIS WEEK he says, 'Tell the teacher Verizon says we're sorry'. Rather than explode I opted to say, 'Oh, this phone call needs to end NOW.' He started to read off the Verizon script then stopped and simply told me to have a nice night. I had my fill. I sat and cried for a good thirty minutes before calling friends for advice. 06/22/2007: * I call Verizon and push the the first tier of tech support to the dial up section. After giving me all the info he starts to walk me through the set up. That's when I learn I don't have a fucking Ethernet connection. ARGH!!!!! Now I have to buy one and then call back. I also was transfered to the Complaint department where a nice lady listened to my saga and said someone from corporate would be calling me back within four hours (after they open). We'll see... * I spoke with a woman from the Complaint Department, who was really nice, and I *may* be on my way to being online again. Here's the catch: I have to go out and buy a modem (and they'll reimburse me) or wait until Monday for it to be sent via Next Day Delivery. Apparently the one that was ordered before went into a hold bin because they were trying to send it via UPS to my PO Box. The woman was VERY empathetic and said she would help me until it was finished. She said they would also address the unprofessional comment that the supervisor said. Of course there's always a catch... Best Buy didn't have the Modem they suggested and the Verizon store said that while they have it they can't check to see if they can bill me until I get there. Yeah, fun times... So now I have to leave work 1/2 hour earlier to drive to the store, get the DSL and then call the woman back. After that I have to try and install it before 4:30pm so I can go and pick up JakeD for our movie night. I had better be able to notice a difference after all this. Fuckers...
[keywords: Rant Personal Internet Verizon dsl] June 21, 2007Purple Bracelet (For Purple Thursday)Screw it, I'm using the shitty photo. I wanted so bad to find something purplish to post for Purple Thursday and couldn't find a thing. I hate feeling like I am forcing myself to take a photo of anything just for the photo. you were inches away from an ad for Celine Dion. Gah!Now that Jake has classes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays I am left to either walk alone (as if) or ride the stationary bike. Not that we see a whole heck of a lot walking the same streets. There's only so many shots of crows and graffiti you can take. At home there's even less. "Oh look! Phoebe is in the broken litter box!" "Yay! Trixi just hocked up a hairball!" *click* *click* Of course my 'waving in the car' ranks right up there with sleeping kitties, but oh well.
[keywords: Flickr purple-thursday photos] June 20, 2007Stupid People SignsI swear I'm going to start a photo album on stupid people signs. While at Universal Studios we came across a sign that said not to sit on the escalator, complete with stick person showing what not to do. This was just one of the many 'no shit' types of signs that we seem to need in order to keep us from peril. Another of my favorites is the stick person crushed by closing gate signs. I just hate to think we're that stupid as a whole to need these sorts of signs. My friend made a comment about how sad it was that someone was actually this stupid and they had to make a sign to warn them from doing it. We glanced over only to see three people on their way down sitting on the escalator. They overheard our conversation and sheepishly got up. Part of me wanted to say 'No no.. Please, just sit. Let Darwinism take over'. But the rest of me was too busy staring at them slack jawed to get those words out.
[keywords: Flickr stupid-people universal studios] June 18, 2007Changes in Lifestyle:jake: and I are about to have some pretty strong changes in how we live. Between bills and school books we are tapped out of cash. Add to the fact that him going to school instead of just using the online classes means I have to re-adjust my eating and exercising habits. Instead of Jake being home to cook the meals and being my support system to make me walk when I don't want to I have to push myself. Take tonight for instance. I sat at my computer and didn't do shit. Yeah, this is going to work out perfectly. I am amazed at how much I depend on him for every little thing. Now we have to deal with these changes and see where it takes us. *sigh*
[keywords: Health boyfriend jake lazy] June 17, 2007Universal Studios Review!Jake and I went to Universal Studios with our friend Pattie this weekend and had a blast. It was a last minute day trip that ended up being worth every cent. We took TONS of photos and walked our asses off. It was nice to just get out and be entertained. I gave it a review over at 43 Places, and decided to cross post it here.I just got back from Universal Studios and had a blast. They are constantly changing and upgrading the tours so it's always something new. I took my boyfriend, who has never been to Universal Studios, and my friend. We arrived at opening time (9am) on a Saturday and there were hardly any lines. We headed straight for the guided tour (a MUST SEE) and walked right on. The rest of the day we spent going through the different attractions and enjoying the day. If you are into movies you will appreciate this more. It is geared towards showing people what happens behind the scenes and giving them an enjoyable time. Attire: Prepared to get wet. Most places have at least a mist. By the second ride my makeup was off and my hair was wet. Keep this in mind when carrying bags, cameras, etc... Comfortable shoes are a must. It's a very large place. I enjoyed every attraction I went to, so I'll give a break down of my opinion of each (I did not go on all of them so this is an incomplete list of what is available): The guided Tour: Go there first to beat the lines. It's a great ride where you get to see set designs, surprises and thrills. My favorite part on this ride was King Kong as far as scream value. My friends' left ear can attest to this. Jurassic Park ride: Be prepared to get soaked. SOAKED. I swear you would have thought someone stood over me with a bucket of water by the time I got off. It's perfect for the hot summer days. Backdraft: Perfect for after Jurassic Park ride to dry off. A pyrotechnic show with some surprises. I never saw the movie but it was still highly enjoyable. Special Effects stages: We had a blast in here. Sit down and watch how the magic happens. Everything from Blue Screen to CGI is covered, as well as sound effect. The tour guides were hilarious and we had a lively group. House of Horrors: Oh G-d! I screamed my way through this place. It was definitely one of my favorite parts. I walked in expecting some sort of museum about horror films and ended up walking through a VERY dark haunted house tour. I have a scream factor of ten so I spent half the tour scaring those around me. Back to the Future ride: Fun but a tad long in the beginning. The signs give warnings about claustrophobic people but I didn't think it was bad. It's a simulator that takes you on a trip through time, flying around. Terminator 2 - 3D: There was an obnoxious guy on the mic outside which was funny for about 2.3 seconds... but thankfully he was not part of the ride. Long intro, so be prepared to stand. I was almost ready to leave when we finally went into the seating section. If you like 3D movies and special effects together you will enjoy this one. The funniest part was the 'commercial' showing how Shaq's free throw improved with Cyberdyne technology. Revenge of the Mummy ride: A roller coaster with fun special effects. I thought the warning signs were a tad over done. They made it sound like a terrifying ride that only the healthy should ride (back/neck problems, seizures, heart trouble, motion sickness, recent surgery, prosthetic limbs, etc...) It was a little too short but still worthy of checking out. I wouldn't bother standing in a long line for it though. We ate lunch at Doc Brown's Chicken, which had decent prices and really good chicken. There are tons of places to eat or grab drinks. Overall: City Walk is an interesting place to go in itself. You can hang out, eat and go to the movies. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to enjoy a fun day who enjoys the magic of movies and fun rides. The park is kept clean and the staff are very friendly. You can always find someone to help you with directions and the rides are enjoyable for all age groups. I'm not sure why some did not like the place, but we had a blast.
[keywords: boyfriend jake California Flickr weekends daytrip universal studios] June 14, 2007Purple Flowers for Purple ThursdayWhat a day today was. I didn't get a chance to breathe. By the end of the day I had sent over 80 emails (and gotten twice that in response). It started off with four emails asking me to do different reports, all due by 9:30am. This was at 8am. After that it was a series of orders until she had to go to her meeting (thank G-d). I continued to work on the original report due when she came back with more work.After asking to meet with her I started to relay my encounter with Heifer from the day before. She cut me off, saying she just wants to see if it's taken care of. That sent me into bitch-mode and I snatched the papers off of her desk. She tried to calm me down by explaining that she's got a million things to do and I gave her my "FINE" response that sets the hairs on the back of her neck on end. I hate when she wants to meet, but only so SHE can talk. I finally managed to tell her most of it. Afterwards she calmed down a bit and we managed to stay out of each other's way for the rest of the day. That is, except for the volley of emails that never ended. At one point I tried looking up the sentence for breaking someone's fingers... but figured I'd stick to just deleting them. Thank goodness it's almost the weekend!
[keywords: Work Flickr purple-thursday] June 13, 2007What... The... FuckThat lazy cow. My coworker pissed me off three shades of red. No, FOUR. After running a report I noticed one of the referrals was wrong. I called up my coworker (we'll call her HEIFER) and asked what happened. After doing her usual song and dance she said the doctor on the patient's referral wasn't listed so she picked another doctor's name with the last name of 'Weis....'. Oh yeah, THAT just makes all the sense in the world. It's like referring a patient to a Neurologist who needs a Hysterectomy (not real medical problem of patient). Her response: I just chose by the last name I guess. When I said that means my reports are fucked she backed up saying she's sure she doesn't do it all the time. Then I felt my eyes bulge. Heifer is in her 50s. Mentally... not so much. I tried to find this doctor in the Medical Group and came up empty. He's NOT our doctor. When I mentioned it to her she tried blaming the nurse who didn't catch it. I told her she was right... but that she was ALSO responsible for making sure we had the right info. She blinked. She scrunched her face. She made a 'bullshit' face. I wanted to rip that face right off, too. Apparently I didn't hide said face ripping feelings because she started to back away. After going over to my friend and bitching up a storm I took a deep breath and went over to Heifer with authorization in hand. "Call Facey and let them know the doctor isn't ours and have them change the name. Then get Medical Records. THEN call the patient and let them know." She started to argue about having to call for medical records and my eyebrows flew off of my forehead... then landed back on in a furrowed position. She snapped her mouth shut and took the paper. Honest to G-d, these people are lazier than a cat in sunlight. We've got some good workers, but it's the ones that don't want to do ANYTHING other than the minimum required that get my panties in a wad. It's not like we're working in McDonalds for Pete's sake! We help patients. These people depend on us. GAH! I need chocolate.
[keywords: Rant Work coworkers cow heifer] June 12, 2007Day Trips Make Me HappyMy weekends are one hundred times better now that we're actually going out and doing things together. So far we've only ventured semi local places, which is fine. We have to save up the time and money to venture furture north. As it is I am trying to slow down my spending and I'm at a battle to the death it seems over that one. I am frustrated that I can't do more and end up buying more than I need to compensate for that. I've been looking into laptops and wireless broadband for our weekends away and we have yet to spend the night anywhere. It'll be six months before my big credit card bill is paid off and I am still trying to pay myself back from the IRS adjustment from hell. I don't know what I'm going to do come next year. Part of me wants to go back to the same guy and the other is too nervous. Was it just a fluke or did he do other things? So far it looks okay. *sigh* I have been looking around at other job prospects and throwing my name out into conversations. For the most part all I get back is that they'd LOVE to hire me... if I wasn't at such a high level. One possibility might be opening up in August... but I am not holding my breath. Well... maybe a little.
[keywords: Work weekends taxes daytrips money] June 11, 2007Hell Week...My boss is going on vacation for a week starting this Friday. This means, of course, that she will be making my life hell right up to the second she walks out. Last minute reports, enough work to make me behind for a month and all the little side jobs she can think of. Whenever she goes away she HAS to make sure we are too busy to have any fun. The irony is the minute she walks out all work will be set aside and we will spend the week having fun, doing as little work as possible. Stay tuned for the panick ridden 'oh shit she's coming back and I haven't done a fucking thing' post.
[keywords: Work boss] June 09, 2007Eat Me...Jake and I decided to go to the Huntington Library this weekend. We had a blast! Jake ran over to Coffee, Bean & Tea Leaf to grab a couple of Frozen Mochas I filled the tank at the local gas station. While pumping gas some twit calls for the attendant because she's having issues. After trying to explain that it won't pump when she tries, she yells "I'm not blonde, either." WTF!?! I jerked my head up so fast I almost snapped my neck. I yelled out "I am!" as uber bitchy as possible and the dipshit meekly says, "Well then maybe you'll be able to pump the gas" and shuts the hell up. The next time I saw that stringy haired cow she was driving away, ducking so far down she had to look through her steering wheel. Fucking heifer. Jake comes jogging back with iced mochas in hand and finds me furiously typing away on my Treo. He read the result (complete with annoyed picture goodness to get my point across) and laughed all the way onto the freeway. What the hell is it with people? Why do you have to go there? Why put someone else down? Bah!ANYWAY.... We had a blast trekking through the different sections. You can check out my Flickr page for all the photos. Huntington Library is a library with art collections and outdoor botanical gardens that has plants from around the world. There's also a few museums to walk through and cool off while enjoying paintings and artifacts from the past. It's a MUST SEE for anyone living in or visiting Southern California. Right now I'm sipping White Zinfandel and enjoying the rest of my weekend. *smiles*
[keywords: Rant California Flickr Huntington Library] June 07, 2007LovelyI just love my job. My boss commandeers my coworker so I have to drive alone to some stupid class on a program I'll never use and then ditches me when they get there. I felt like it was Junior High. The worst part is she made us leave an hour and fifteen minutes before the class was to begin on a drive that takes twenty minutes... tops. Me: I'm here. Where are you? WTF!?! So I was left sitting in an empty room alone while they were out having fun. At least I got to leave early. Suffice to say you could have fried an egg on my face with the look I gave them when they *finally* arrived.
[keywords: Work boss] June 06, 2007*grumbles*So I haven't lost any weight in a couple of weeks, besides stepping up on my exercises. I'm annoyed to say the least. Email to my doctor:
His response:
My doctor loves me... *smiles*
[keywords: Health] June 03, 2007Wish You Were Here... Okay, Not ReallySaturday we had a blast on our first official day trip. We started out an hour later than planned (beauty will not be rushed) and made our way up the coast in what turned out to be a wonderful ride. It added a little more to the drive time, but was worth it just to enjoy the scenery and get a chance to talk.We finally arrived at Solvang a little after 12 noon and started to wander around the streets. Half a dozen tour buses pulled up and small groups of Japanese tourists piled out, snapping pictures at all the buildings and chatting politely to each other. The first impression of this little town is 'hokey'. Then 'touristy'. After peeking through a few shops filled with the best junk that money could buy I was about to call it a day, but knew Jake wanted to see more. As we walked around to more of the shops I wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this. It was the ultimate tourist-driven town. Every shop was filled with glass baubles and little Danish themed nicknacks. Then we arrived at the food section. Yummy deserts that we didn't get and overly priced meals that we also didn't get. Finally Jake found a decent priced cafe called Mandarin Touch and we started to enjoy the atmosphere. I even got to see the Clydesdale horses I remembered from so long ago. The town is worth a visit just to see. You need to come with an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is: A touristy spot with nice people to guide you along the way. Everything is kept clean and freshly painted. The public toilets are everywhere and kept clean and stocked. The town maybe a tourist trap, but it's a well done tourist trap. I'm glad we went. On the way home I started feeling... sad. The day was only halfway over and I just didn't want to go back to our normal routine: Computer or TV. Three O'Clock seems to be the most frustrating times for me on the weekends. It's almost too late to go most places and yet worth it just to get out. I looked at the clock and saw the time. I sighed. Jake asked what was wrong and I told him I still wanted to hit Santa Barbara... even if it was to just go on the beach. I admit being the fussiest person... so this was a last ditch effort to just prolong going to our crappy little apartment. He agreed and my mood lightened. We arrived at the beach around four and parked next to a skating spot. Dips and curves that made me cringe were being treated as ramps by kids that came up to my hip. We oohed and ahhhed all the tricks they did and groaned when a few ate concrete in front of us. A couple of guys sat at the side with Skating Monitor on their shirts and listened to their MP3 players. Every once in a while one would call a kid over and hand them a helmet. They were always polite and the kids seemed to have a good repore with them. We ventured on, taking pictures of all the beautiful sites and walked along the beach. I asked a few people if they were locals and what restaurants were good. Everyone seemed to be tourists or new in town. We ended up eating at a restaurant back on Stearns Wharf. After choking on the *nice* restaurant menu ($34 for some sort of lobster dish) we ambled up to the bar/cheap restaurant called Longboard's Beach Bar and Grill on the upper level. There we had a delicious casual meal (the chicken strips are to die for) and drank some alcohol (I had two glasses of wine, he had some beer) while watching the boats and birds glide across the ocean. When the sun finally got close to setting we rushed out to snap a couple of photos. It was a wonderful day that I didn't want to end. I thought about getting a hotel room but figured we'd wait a paycheck (or two) and look for a few more spots to hit while there. It feels so good to finally be able to travel around. I felt like we were falling into a horrible routine of just being together instead of enjoying each other. Saturday was a much needed shot of relationship 'couplism' time that was long overdo. Sometimes just being together isn't enough. You can be in the same room and still be miles apart. I look forward to venturing farther and traveling more. Yay for couplism!
[keywords: boyfriend jake Flickr weekends traveling daytrip solvang Santa Barbara] June 01, 2007The Final HoursTwo hours to go before my weekend officially kicks off. Two hours before I jump into my car and sit in traffic. Two hours... and counting down. This weekend we're off to another fun California location. After three years of surgeries and injuries and sitting around I decided that 2007 was the year we started acting like a couple. No more weekends at home spent chatting online and playing games. At least, not the whole weekend. I want to travel. I want to have fun. I want to start taking photography lessons... and need to practice my shot. I've lived here all my life and there are so many things I haven't explored. No more putting stuff off. We may not make it to Europe for a while but we can at least travel within our means. California here we come! Next stop: Salvang!
[keywords: Life boyfriend jake California weekends traveling] |
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