Monday, July 18, 2011

how to one up that walmart interview

E made it sound like i would be working the following week, but after the interview i didn't hear anything. i went to vegas & tried not to dwell on it; then i called B & asked him what he thought i should do, i'm always hesitant to put myself out there like that. he thought it would be better for me to call & ask about it, that it was unlikely to turn out bad.

so i did.

i called E from a hotel bathroom in vegas.
alone at least, no strippers or midgets....

i left a message asking what was the status of the position beings i hadn't heard anything after the interview. within a couple of hours i received a call from HR offering me the position.

with a bit of a raise!

i started the following tuesday!
it's my alma matter & where B's going to nursing school!

oh, & get this:
friday july 1st - B found out he was accepted into the nursing program, i received a check from my uncle thanking me for taking care of nana & i got the walmart interview call.
friday july 15th - i got the walmart interview job, S & M both won some $ in vegas.
nothing special happened on the 29th, but we're good!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

of course we saw jesus in vegas

on the strip...after midnight....on a wednesday....where else would he be?

as part of the birfday celebrations i flew the vegas & met S, thanks to her employer we stayed at Planet Hollywood :-)

wait, i guess i should go back & talk about how i had an entsy weentsie panic attack on the plane... hahaha, yes, i did, but i held my *hit together & nobody knew i was freaking out, so i have one lonely ounce of dignity... i flew on a lil bitty hopper plane to LA & after we landed my hands began to numb & i got hot & no matter how much i told myself "you're on the ground dumb*ss" it took everything i had to keep calm. then i spent like $50 on LAX snacks & qualudes dramamine. i was prepared for the other leg of my trip, only i didn't need it, bigger plane = no panic.

oh & before i left, Z made me cry at the airport, he was so upset i was leaving. i finally told B to take him, it was better for them to go rather than drag it out. silly to see the both of us crying like i was going away for a long time!

Weds night we walked the strip; among gobs of people we saw a few super heroes, a muscular man dressed in a toga & jesus (of course). the next day S had some silly training things to take care of so when i got up i walked the mall downstairs. they say vegas never sleeps but i discovered it does bc all the shops were closed until 10am. luckily M was on her way to town though! i think that's the night we splurged (unexpectedly) at the buffet, then we walked the other end of the strip.

Friday S finished her silliness & was free after lunch. we went out & walked about again while M stayed at our casino, it was hot so i didn't blame the girl. we walked & took a casino tram thing & it still took forever to get to some shark thing that we decided to not go to after all that! yeah....oh well, on the way back S gambled a bit here & a bit there, when ever she was up a tad she'd cash out & we were on to the next casino. then at one she actually made a little bank, we about ran out the joint. then we texted M & found out she'd won some too!

they'd made dinner plans so i was just the tag along. little did i know they were being sneaky & found a cheesecake specialty place. it was a quaint little italian place with homemade cheesecake. the food was really good & big portions, i didn't know the deal & didn't leave a spot for cheesecake, then i was surprised by a birthday serenade. oh, almost forgot to mention how the restaurant was entirely staffed by men.

Sat was time to leave; M went one way, S & I the other. the drive home seemed quick even though we stopped in LA to eat. i was happy to get home & see my boys. B even cleaned house, did laundry & changed the sheets [although i didn't hear that part & i changed them again].

thanks for my birthday dinner, cake & a memorable 40th birthday girls!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

racial slurs at their best

background - some time ago, when my mom was still talking with me, she was visiting & i don't remember how the conversation came about, but we were talking about the neighborhood car wash & i mentioned that i had taken the car in, but they had done a lousy job. then i went so far as to say "it was a bunch of white boys & they don't work as hard as the mexicans" bc normally it is a mexican crew & normally they do much better work. [sidenote - i'm both races, so i'm insulting myself 2x.]

but yes, i know, not exactly appropriate words....& trust me, i will pay for them, read on.

so skip forward to when S was visiting & she took her car to be washed & Z says to her: "the whities don't do as good of a job huh?"

yeah...............

i wasn't in the room, B said she kinda choked a little bit, but thankfully [omg!] she didn't get too worked up about it! so then B tells me about it & i'm had no recollection of it [until B unfolds the scene he apparently recorded scene-by-scene (wth?)].

ugh, so yes, we've had discussions with the little one about things being said in the home & certain things just shouldn't be repeated, etc.

Monday, July 11, 2011

so what now?

things haven't exactly been peachy keen with my mom for awhile.....& surprisingly they haven't gotten any better....

backtrack to saturday, 4th of july weekend, she left a vm "i'm going to the store, what kind of ice cream does Z want?" beings i wasn't part of the equation & Z needs to work on his phone etiquette, i gave him the phone to make the call. they had their conversation, Z ended the call & then a few minutes later there was a vm from my mom for me to call her.

when i called her back she explained she had 4 days off from work so she had asked Z if he wanted to come stay with her & he said no.

so, her original message was not exactly what she was calling for & she got to talk directly to him without any interference from me, only she didn't get the answer she wanted. hello, 4th of july weekend, right before my birthday & you don't ask me first if we have plans? trying to make me the bad guy when i say he can't go bc we have something going on? well, we didn't have plans & on his own, Z said he didn't want to go. also, i'm sure she knew in advance about time off, she could have called to set it up, but no.
she totally makes me feel like i'm in a custody battle with her.

anyways, Z said he didn't want to go bc S was visiting, so i told my mom i would talk with him & get back with her. i asked Z a few times over the weekend & as long as S was here he didn't want to go & S didn't have a plan, it was on a day to day basis & i ended up not calling my mom back.

really though, i think a big reason he didn't want to go is he told me the last time he was there he had a good time except my mom was bugging him with questions. she thinks she's helping, psychoanalyzing him, thinking she's going to discover all kinds of deep dark secrets & awful things that happen in this house not realizing it's her own unhappiness that she's projecting onto my family. this time when Z told her about his good dream, she repeatedly was asking him about his bad dreams & Z didn't want to go there.

on my birthday she called about 10:15am saying she was late for work & couldn't talk; it was an 18sec conversation. she gets up early, so it seemed like she waited for the last minute so she could use that as an excuse to make the call short. i'd hoped she'd call back that evening, but she didn't. i went with well, she's probably tired, maybe tomorrow after work, nope not sat either. then sunday, her normal day off, came & went with no call.

so apparently we're back to not talking.

& i don't know what to do.
i know if someone else treated me like this, i wouldn't let them back in my life, but what am i supposed to do when it's my mom?
i'm tired of letting her hurt me & i feel that's the only control i have.

i keep searching internally, externally, is there something i'm missing, a lesson i need to learn. all i see is the mother i don't want to be & hope i don't ever treat Z like this.

my mom & i were so close when i was growing up, the only thing i see is she can't handle my independence.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

my 40th birfday

we had a lazy morning, of course, i wouldn't have it any other way.
the plan was to head to a nearby mall for shopping & seafood buffet; then B got online & found out the place we planned on eating had closed due to renovations. not that big of deal, i knew of another one at a different mall, just further away. so we drove down to mall #2, only the restaurant wasn't there either & it wasn't listed on the directory. fine, i know of a 3rd seafood buffet place!

we went to #3 & we should not have. it wasn't that good & B was sure a bite of some sort of scallop concoction was no bueno. i didn't eat anything that bad, but i did have a bit of a roll that the fried outside was so greasy i had to spit it out. thumbs up on the crepes for dessert though.

after our not so good birthday lunch we went back to mall #2 for some birthday shopping. i didn't find all that much; Z got a darling lil hat & B got some good shoes. apparently we're of that age where we need good [read ugly] shoes.

oh, um, sidenote i forgot to make the awesome announcement:
B GOT INTO NURSING SKOOL!!!
so he really does need ugly, i mean, good shoes.

we even went to mall #3 [really 2 as we didn't actually go to 1 but whatev]. we malled it until 8pm i think, then we hit costco up for a birthday cheesecake, the vietnamese restaurant for some dinner then home to gobble up our goodies. i forgot to leave room for cheesecake :-(. Z didn't want vietnamese so he had chef boy-r-dee :>P

Thursday, July 7, 2011

the 4th of July weekend

surprise, S showed up out of the blue friday night while i was reading to Z. i was so enthralled with reading "fablehaven" i didn't hear her enter the house, or the bathroom, or anything until she was done & in the hallway announcing herself!

we had a quiet sat & sun, then on monday we went to the beach in carlsbad. it was a little alcove we've never been to before but we figured beings it was a holiday we were lucky to get a parking spot anywhere!

S had to head home before it got dark & we went to the neighbors for dinner. we had a nice time outside on the patio & then about 8pm we headed over near the park. we took a blanket & sat in the field & watched a great fireworks show.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

the walmart interview

i don't like to say too much about the job searching endeavors, it's boring to me, why would anyone else want to read it? also i'm afraid of jinxing myself...but this one's kinda weird so i'm sharing:

anyways, as you can guess, the search continues. the last interview i talked about [here] i surprisingly got a call back & went in for a real interview. all went well, they said they would be in touch soon, the HR chick emailed me within a couple of days saying they still hadn't made a decision & then zip. dead in the water. i even emailed HR chick back & didn't get a response.

i went on another interview last week & didn't get that job either. however, the HR lady did call me to let me know she was impressed with my resume & said i interviewed very well, then she gave me some tips on applying for other positions with the company. they hired someone who'd previously worked in the dept & although i need a job, it was something i wouldn't enjoy although i probably would have taken it if offered.

then on friday, before a 3-day 4th of july holiday weekend mind you, about 4:30pm while were out running errands my phone rings. i've been sending out resumes all over the place, but my first assumption is it's about Z.
it wasn't about Z.

it was E.
i thought it was rather presumptuous of him but he didn't ask if it was a good time for me. it was hot & i'm in a walmart parking lot & really, you want to talk about work?

he did.
he needed someone right away, someone to start supporting one of his underlings, then transition over to him. we talked about my experience, he ran a full impromptu interview & he told me he was going on vacation the following week. he said HR would check my references & if i didn't hear from them or him on tuesday to call him.
it was kinda crazy.

i got online to check my references bc i wasn't sure whom i had put down but i couldn't access that part of my profile.

about 3pm on tues i got a little nervous beings i hadn't heard anything from anyone, so i called & left a vm for E & within an hour i received a call from HR to schedule an interview.

the next morning i interviewed with 2 people. it was strange, their first question was why did i apply & how was i qualified for the position? haha, ummmmmm, i didn't apply, i got a call from E.....it was a bit awkward to say the least....
so i fumbled some & went on to explain my work experience hoping that would work. i got a somewhat better understanding of the position. it reports to interview guy for 3 months while some transitions go on, there was no talk of E or his position.

later in the evening i received a call from HR that they needed references, so there wasn't a place to input them on the profile & i don't have any listed on my resume. i provided the information, then the next day they called back bc they needed supervisors, not coworkers. so that's done & now i wait.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

wednesday, may 29th, 2002

Z was putting away his birthday cards, in a storage box that has old cards & other momentos & he found the e-mail string print out from the day he was born:

Dear Baby Z (ok, they didn't know the name, but you get the idea) -

Just wanted to let you know how excited everyone is to have you as the newest bud! The day you were being born I got a call from Auntie Chaz who said "S's in labor"! She gave me the number to the hospital and was very excited. then I checked my e:mail (which by the way has only been around a few years) and got a message from Uncle Steve. From then on it continued. I thought you would get a kick out this some day.

10:24am - from Steve
Hello All,

How is everyone? Long time no talk. I just got a call from Chaz. S is in the hospital right now about to give birth to a new baby boy. If anyone would like to call and wish them the best, the number is (yyy)yyy-zzzz room #236. I hope everyone is doing well.

Regards,
Steve

10:38am - from Sharon
Thanks for the info!! I am very excited!!

10:51am - from Kev
don't call now! i just called and she can't come to the phone.....she's in the throws of labor as i type! GO S!! 1, 2, 3, PUUUUSH.... 1, 2, 3, PUUUUSH.... 1, 2, 3, PUUUUSH....

10:52am - from Steve
Don't take me there again. So much pain for that poor little girl.

10:52am - from Sharon
Thanks for the heads up I left a message at home since she's kinda busy right now.

12:36pm - from Sharon
Does anyone know if he's here yet?

1:30pm - from Sharon to Maya
Can you do me a big favor and e:mail Steve S's address. I completely forgot about it and he's been asking since the shower. Thanks

1:30pm - from Maya
did you call S at the hospital? I tried just a few minutes ago and no one answered....all i could picture in my mind was legs up in the air....baby coming out...doctors & nurses up to their elbows in who knows what...and the stupid phone ringing in the background!

1:46pm - from Kev
not i

2:32pm - from Maya
hey all!
S & B's address is:
(private, duh, we still live here!)

3:38pm - from Maya
i just called and there was no answer...as i told shar...all i could picture in my mind was legs up in the air....baby coming out...doctors & nurses up to their elbows in who knows what...brian with a big goofy "i'm gonna be a dad" smile on his face and the stupid phone ringing in the background!

if i hear anything i will let all of you know!

3:39pm - from Maya
I thought these things took only a couple of hours? Boom Bam Your otta there?

So no news yet? Someone let me know. I'm afraid to call after Kev's message! Who;s keeping tabs?

ps j/k to all you long laboring moms

3:38pm - from Kev
call and find out....inquiring minds wanna know....

3:52pm - from Sharon
I would have called but I thought from your message earlier I shouldn't. I'll try her. I thought we were not supposed to call cuz I thought it all happened in that one room. I don't know about these things! @#)&*#@

3:54pm - from Sharon
O.K. I just tried and got the phone ringing thing to. Personally, I think they went out for pizza.

4:01pm - from Krys
fur sur! I thought i would be back and find an email announcing the arrival. no clues anyone?

4;01pm - from Steve
Ok, I'm not calling. Too much emotion running in that room. Chaz should do it, she is the closest.

5:10pm from Sharon
Z was born 12:53pm

If anyone is still at work and checking messages!! She was moved to another room so that is why we could not get a hold of her today!!

The number to call tomorrow is yyy-yyy-zzzz Room 304
She asked for rest tonight,
Love you all
Yay a new bud!!

5:10pm - from Sandy
What a beautiful name! Congrats to S & hubby!!!

5:10pm - from Sandy
Congratulations!!!! :-)