Happy happy, joy joy

I know this is supposed to be a knitting blog, and there should be pictures and projects and finished objects and stuff, but right now life is more than my knitting (a sad realization) and that's what I've been feeling the need to write about. So that being said...today was a really great day!! I had a friend's little boy over to babysit for a few hours and it was so much fun for Alex. He loves playing with his friend (even if he still doesn't share very well) and they had a great time watching PBS and playing with Alex's toys. Just as I was getting them both settled in for lunch, Mom came to get him and I was a little sad that she'd gotten back so fast. I was looking forward to seeing how excited he was about having dinosaur sandwiches with Alex.

Later, we all got in the car and went up the Lincoln to pick up Dante's other prescription. Then it was off to Sam's Club for milk and lunch meat, which turned into a $60 trip (as these things usually do). We got home and Dante produced his progress report which was excellent! Every class shows his behavior, effort, and grades as good-excellent, and his math grade at the half way point is 75%! Not bad considering he shouldn't have passed math last year. My friend Melissa (who tutored him this summer) gets all the credit. I had him call her and leave her a message letting her know that he did so well, because I thought she'd like that. I have a meeting on the 23rd with his teachers and I'm feeling much better about the way everything is going so far.

Class started today for me. My biology class has video lectures and the text, but the text is really just a supplement to the lectures and chapter 1 was only five pages so I was able to get caught up on the reading right away. I'll even be able to make it to knitting on the weeks when it falls on a Thursday because my seminar is from 7-8pm, and knitting is at 8. This is a far cry better than last term when I thought I'd never survive. And to add to my excitement...I got a call from a wonderful gentleman from the State of RI dept of labor and training, informing me that he's processed my claim for unemployment and I can file a claim on Sunday so there's going to be no interruption in my pay. I was so excited that I could have jumped up and down (if my back could have taken it). Now I can look for a better job, and concentrate on school and getting my boys settled. Maybe I'll even get lucky and Aaron will find something before my benefits run out and I can stay home till I finish school!

On procrastination and lunacy

Today I went out and tried to pick up Dante's prescription only to find out that I couldn't do that because I forgot to call Rite Share and let them know that I don't have a primary care insurance anymore. I called them for an hour and a half before I was finally able to get through (apparently, the State of RI can just leave their out of office message on until after noon the day after a holiday, thereby extending the holiday). After I got a hold of a person, I was told that it would take 24 hours to update so I'm still without meds for Dante until tomorrow...afternoon. I picked up groceries for this weeks dinners, and tried to get my Adecco office to fax something to my managers office stating that I've been laid off but apparently they can't do that because of some corporate policy. They won't accept anything by mail either. My office has to call their company income verification line, only they won't call anyone because they can't verify who they're speaking to so that leaves me hanging in limbo. I called the managers office and told them that Adecco won't deal so they must call, and now I have to follow up with them tomorrow to see what they plan on doing. I also called the pediatrician's office to let them know that I never received the 18mg script and they put one out for me today, which I'll pick up tomorrow because I can't get his meds till then anyway and that way I don't have to worry about driving all the way up to Lincoln only to find out that my doctor hasn't had a chance to sign it. I let the school know that he's without medication (he's testing so they need to be aware in case they need to allow him to take his tests in the resource room). I had an appointment with the school today, which should have been the only one other than the review of the IEP, but it turned out that I only got to meet with his guidance counselor and it seems as though they didn't remember that I had a scheduled appointment because she squeezed me in for about 10 minutes before having to kick me out because one of the kids was testing in her office. Good thing I'm not working, because I told them that I couldn't afford to take time away from work to attend multiple meetings this year. So if Aaron can get that part time job, and I get my unemployment again, I'll be in a good place to get his schooling on track.

So most of the above was the lunacy, and I should be reading my Biology book and trying to finish the Ivy league Vest for Friday but instead I'm randomly surfing the web, catching up on my bloglines reading, and watching Cars with Alex. But I did get my dishes done...all my dishes. Now I'm planning to bake some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and put orange sprinkles on them because I saw those in the market and wanted them but realized that I had everything at home already to bake them and that I could save some money, which is important when I haven't got my unemployment paperwork yet and I'm not sure if I'll get it again. We do have a small cushion, and my trip is being funded by a check that I got from Sovereign a month or so ago from the proceeds of my employee stock purchase plan (which I didn't know I was enrolled in) so that won't touch the house money. Speaking of my trip, I need to figure out my snacks and get them together. I'll probably bring some pumpkin muffins and I have plans to pack some of the pumpkin cookies, but I need something more than sweets to keep me going if there's nothing sans-meat at the fairgrounds. Thankfully, breakfast is easy and I can probably find something for dinner at one of the local restaurants, so that just leaves lunch at the fair. Maybe there'll be a Domino's Pizza near by.

Slightly used kids for sale

Boy, I'm really feeling the consequences of being away at work for 10 weeks. Alex is growing more defiant every day (a product of being 3) and Dante decided tonight that he couldn't sleep so it would be okay to play his DS in bed until I heard him giggling at 10pm. He has school and NCAP testing tomorrow, plus he's out of meds. I called in for his prescription a week ago and I have it but I didn't look at it because I didn't need it yet but I when I did today, I found that it was only one of the two prescriptions that he takes. It's only 27mgs and he takes 45 mgs (in two pills because they don't make one at 45 mgs) so tomorrow, even when he gets his pills, it won't be the correct dose. So I took the DS away and I don't think I'm giving it back till the end of the year.

I had to go get a nap today and I slept for 4 hours. I'm just really tired from all the nonsense and I don't have much patience for my boys today. I need to clean my house, plan meals for the week and do some shopping, and my Dracula: Prince of Darkness DVD skipped right through the last two chapters of the movie so I couldn't see them kill Christopher Lee off!! My allergies kicked in this weekend and I have to buy some Zyrtec so that I can make it through the weekend surrounded by animals and hay and other non-familiar pollens and plants.

I finished Dan Brown's newest book The Lost Symbol and I enjoyed it over all but I think I'm not fully satisfied with the ending. There was definitely a twist at the end that I didn't see coming until right before they revealed it, which was good, but I thought that one part relating to the main character was a little far fetched, but I ran with it (without giving away any details for people reading that book). Now, after I go to UPS and throw a fit about how I still don't have my text book even though I spoke to them just under a week ago about redelivering it because my address was indeed correct, I will start reading chapter 1 for my class starting on Thursday. Biology... this should be fun.

The second scariest day of my life

To continue with my tough day or two, Alex really had a hard time in nursery today and he got tossed out three times. I put him in the corner twice. So after a rough day trying to plan how things out so Rachel can survive without us for her first ever sharing time, I went to my in-laws so that I could tell my MIL about my assignment being ended. Things were fine until it was time to go home and Alex was going down their stairs with Dante when he decided to break free from Dante and try to run down the stairs...which results in him falling down 8 steps and landing in a heap at the bottom. It was the worst sound I've ever heard and I jumped up and ran down to find him screaming and Dante trying to help him up. I had to holler at Dante to keep him from trying to pick Alex up until I could get an idea if his neck or back was hurt, and then I picked him up and took him back up stairs to check over the damage. I was really ticked off that my father-in-law who was sitting on the couch right next to the base of the stairs didn't get up at all to see if Alex was alright...not until I'd already gotten down the stairs and picked him up. I called his pediatrician and he said that it sounded like Alex is fine. The stairs are carpeted and there wasn't any swelling, bruising, confusion, loss of range-of-motion, or anything out of character for Alex so I could just watch him but he was most likely fine. And he is fine. But I'm not so fine. I was just so scared and the only time I've been this scared was when Dante's day care told my husband that I had already picked him up when I hadn't, because they hadn't bothered to check the kids against their roll.

On much more fun topics, I've chosen my pattern to shop for at Rhinebeck... Oblique. I'll be shopping for 1200 yds of aran weight yarn, preferably a wool-alpaca blend like the called for yarn. I'm also planning on some roving since I'm taking a spinning class, but not too much. just enough to knit a pair of hand warmers or something. And there's going to be some book signings, and my class, and a chance to knit on the worlds longest scarf, and The Big Sock, along with the Ravelry meet-ups going on. So. Much. Fun. Now my only worry is whether or not the fair will have any vegetarian-friendly foods as I gather that I won't be able to bring food in with me.

When God closes a door...

Yesterday, all the drama surrounding my new job came to a head. I had my first one-on-one with my manager and she told me that there had been another complaint about me from one of the girls. I had to give my side of the discussion on an embarrassing issue that happened a few days before (that two of the girls were helping me figure out and advising me on) and then I was questioned about a customer who would not allow me to assist her like I did something wrong. Add that to the two errors that I'd made that day (easily fixed but frustrating) and it was all I could do not to burst into tears at my station. I mean, one of the girls was trying to joke with me and I couldn't look at her or speak because I was that close to losing control of my emotions (and we'd just had a training about how crying at work reduces your credibility so I wasn't going to have that). After I got control again, the girl came over to apologize to me and I let her know that she hadn't done anything wrong but I was just really frustrated because the learning curve is so steep there and there's no formal policy to tell a person how to do things when they don't go exactly according to plan. I told them how I was frustrated because I was new, the system is so outdated and it can't do things that the systems at my other two banks could do, how I felt like I was trying to fit in and still wasn't, and it just got to me. The girl told me that it took her five month to learn what I'd learned in only a few weeks, and that maybe they forgot that we don't know this stuff and were holding us accountable for things that we couldn't do. they hadn't thought of it before. It took them seeing me that upset to start making an effort to make me feel like I was a part of that team, speaking to me without my first having to speak to them and trying to make me feel better...only it was to little, too late because when I got home the recruiter from the temp agency called and told me that the manager decided to end the assignment. Perfect ending to a perfectly horrible day. I was not told exactly why, but after I explained to the recruiter what I was dealing with there, she said that it didn't sound like a very good fit and that I was welcome to go into the local Adecco office to see if they can place me in another assignment. I'm going to speak to a friend of the family who worked in unemployment for years about my options because I would really like to take advantage of the offer I got earlier that I could continue to collect my benefits while I was in school.

You know, it's not that the assignment is over that bothers me. I really didn't care for the job and I knew that it wasn't working out but I was giving it my best effort. My issue is that I believe I know why she decided to end the assignment and it was for no fault of my own. My coworkers threw me under the bus because they were suspicious of me, and they were suspicious because of the way that she brought me onboard. They sabotaged me, and that's the part that upsets me. So after the tears yesterday over this whole Union Federal saga, I started to think about the other options for me. If I can get into this program, I can concentrate on school and continue to collect unemployment until it runs out. Aaron had an interview with Douglas Liquors yesterday for a part time job and they really liked him. They told him that it was between him and three others for a second interview. He told me that this is a blessing in disguise, and I know that it is because I trust my Heavenly Father but I don't know what I was supposed to learn or what my purpose was in this experiment. Maybe it was to show the group how their behavior affects other people. I'm not sure how they are going to take it when they find out this morning that I'm not there (I'm supposed to work today...my first Saturday). But on the good side, I can spend more time with Alex again, and I can collect until Adecco finds an assignment for me, and I have a better chance to finish my vest for Rhinebeck, which is next weekend. I'm going to knit something, and bake something, and clean something today...because I can.

P.S. on an awkward note, I have to bring my keys for the bank to the Adecco office, and I have to send my husband up to collect my personal things because it's clear that she doesn't want me to go back in there. I guess she is afraid that I'll cause a scene. I guess she never got to know me at all.

The results are in!

It's been a while since I had time to post, but I wanted to circle back (as my boss would say) and let everyone know that I passed my finals and I'm on vacation!! I got a 4.0 in my Honor's Cognitive Psychology class, finishing up with 1000 out of a possible 1000 points. My paper was good (or so I'm told) and I did a "great powerpoint". And in Algebra...I got a 90.6!! Sweet! It took four hours to take the final but I passed with a B, and I finished the class with an A so I couldn't be happier. Now I'm off for a week and my new book shipped so if things work out, I'll get that book in a few days (instead of having it delivered to a neighbors house until I gets rerouted to me only one day before classes start) and I'll be able to get started on my chapter for unit 1. This term, there's no psych. Biology, and College Comp II (I believe I'll be learning to write a persuasive essay this time).

Tomorrow, I have my knitting group and then Wednesday my friend Heather and I will attempt to teach the Young Women's group to knit. Heather made knitting needles out of 3/16 dowels, and Kelly's got the yarn covered so I guess I'll be there to interfere and get in the way, lol. Heather and I are both left-handed but she knits Continental and I knit "whatever-the-heck-is-the-opposite-of-that" (or right-handed) so we've got all bases covered for this...or at least that's what we're telling ourselves. It ought to be interesting.

Next Tuesday I have a meeting at Dante's school with his team to discuss the reevaluation they are doing to see if he still requires an IEP and needs additional services. I let them know that I didn't have a great experience last year, and that I would be getting a second opinion based on the results of the evaluation from the pediatrician. My friend Melissa is also going to take a look at it for me (my lovely inside-woman...as it were) to see if the findings agree with what she saw in Dante from tutoring him this year. I've met his math teacher and this resource teacher, and I feel good about them but I'm going to make it clear that I'm not joking around this year and that I can't afford to come down there all the time to deal with this stuff so it needs to be done right the first time. Dante is going to homework club this year, starting right at the beginning of the school year, and it's being run by his resource teacher so I can trust that she knows how to assist him if he's having trouble. She let me know that she has him for homeroom and that they spend the first 20 minutes minimum on math every day, plus she told me that any kids who don't do well on the weeks test gets extra instruction from her in the study org class. Dante passed his first test and she said that he seems to be enjoying himself and he's excited about classes so that makes me feel much better. All the work and stress and prayers this summer are coming together now.

And now...I'm off to read Dan Brown's latest book, and try to get in a B-movie on AMC.com online. They have the schedule up for Frightfest '09 and they have another list of some spectacularly bad B-movies that you can watch online. I recommend the black & white 1950's Italian vampire movies. Hilarious.

It's almost over

I've been silent for a while but I'm in the middle of finals for this term and it's taken every spare minute of my time. You can ask the ladies who haven't seen me in a few weeks at knitting night or other ward activities (and I'm a die-hard knitting night attendee).

So today I took my Algebra final, and it took me all of 4 hours to finish it. So what did I do after I finished that? I had a bowl of watermelons sherbet and then dove head first into another revision of my PowerPoint for my Honors Cognitive Psych class with my husband's help. He's lending me his eye for design and tweaking my PowerPoint so that it looks more polished. I've even had him time the slide transitions for me because after reading the material so often, I can speed-read right through and that doesn't really help any if the instructor has to keep going back to the previous slide because it's going to quickly. In the mean time, my house is cluttered with clean laundry and dirty dishes, and I'm really tired and didn't plan dinner for the week or buy it, and I just need to sleep for a few days. I'm really looking forward to my two weeks off and a much lighter course work load next term. It's gotta be easier after dealing with the amount of work I've had for Algebra this term. And after spending 4 hours on that final, I didn't even get to see my grade when I finished. I have to wait. That's just crap considering every other test I've taken with this program graded me instantly.

The job is becoming tolerable. I just hope it stays that way after they learn about my position next month at the team meeting. I guess that's going to be when it's announced because when I was being chewed for my internet usage, my boss let me know that she had intended to announce it then but didn't feel like she could right now. (And after all the fuss, the girls are online every day shopping for dresses or throw rugs, or reading odd news articles and I haven't touched it since so we'll have to see how things go from here...) I'm just praying about it, and I spent some time on it today (being fast Sunday and all) so I just have to turn it over now and see what gives. I'm hoping that I can show all the ways that I can improve on their daily routines and that will help. If not, I'll just live with it till Aaron gets working and then go back to full time student and house-wife. That'd give me time to use my brand new pasta machine!

The vest, she is in progress and looking lovely. I just need time to work on it and next week I'll be full time Ivy League Vest and see how far I can get. I might even have time to take a photo!