Topic : Is This Normal Social Discussion

So what're you sayin? When you grow up you want to be me?! lol I do do that ya know. If I ain't happy I'm outta there. We often times tell the young little whipper snappers at work to follow their bliss. And mean it too. You and Ami are the perfect example of why.

Ok JP, first I hope you are ok after 6 inches of rain in 3 hours. Sheese!! And yes you can whip me, I was in Louisville all day Sunday. =/ But girlfriend I don't know how we would have managed. I spent the day helping Matt unload and that was a circus all on it's own....

 

Ok let me back up. Thursday I went to my mom's in western Ky. Car loaded with half of Matt's stuff helping him move. Did my dentist thing on Friday and then went to Murray to see my oldest son, had mom with me and loaded car. Before I could get there my radiator freakin' cracked and damn near cooked my motor!!!! I had to put the car in the shop, then rent a vehicle, move all Matt's stuff to it. And all they had to rent was a 2009 pickup. Fine with that...except the forcast was rain...so bought a tarp and tie-downs. Then had to buy a stool so mom could get in the truck since she is so short she can't get in a pickup without help. It was a zoooooo!! Anyway found out my car wouldn't be ready until Monday (too the tune of $678...*tear*.  Anyway so Matt worked his shift off Sat. morning then drove up to Ky to Mom's. Slept and we headed to Louisville Sunday. Made 1022 trips (or something like that) back and forth from his apt to the truck and car unloading. OMG my feet hurt me so bad. =/  Then drove all around old Louisville until we found bank, drug strore, Walmart etc so he could mark it all on his Garmin. Did the Wally thing for the stuff we forgot...and food. Ate at the worst Golden Corral I have ever been to...=(  and then headed home. It was 8:00 pm and I still had to drive 3 hours. *eeek*  So sweetie I don't know when I could have managed it. I did dig through my purse for your number I was going to call you and the freakin thing has to be here on my desk because I never found it in my purse. I looked in the GC for a phone book....no book there.  When I finally got back to mom's I just collapsed and slept like hte dead!

 

I will be coming again in late Aug I'm pretty sure so I will do my best to catch you then. I won't be moving stuff just visiting so I should be good to go I hope. I get the last of my teeth out and dentures seated then. I am excited actually....and scared. I just can't get my mind around not having my own teeth on top. It's like I'm in morning about it or something equally dumb. I hate what I have...but they are mine. gahhh...it's just dumb. Anyway that is the plan. So unless I don't get to come all the way up, I should have some time then and I told Matt I would try to get up there. =)  He's going to be at the air hub. So he is a happy camper.

 

Bah, Neecie I hadn't thought about the Cobra thing. Sheese. If you were fired you can get some break from one of those programs going on but I don't know if it is still in effect or not. Our ins under Cobra is $620 a month with a $5k deductible on each of us (me and Raj). No ins on John. It is insane no doubt. As a cancer patient, you can't afford not to have it Neecie. I know your odds are a lot lower now, mine are too, but our risk factor is much higher than other people. That is the bummer of it. I am through my 3 years and clear, so my survival is now 95%. But that 5% makes me a risk. It will always be there too.

 

Anyway COBRA is simply where you pay for the ins your previous employer has through a 3rd party. It's the same policy they have. You are just private pay. A third party handles the payments etc. It has to be offered, because of HIPPA so there is portability until you are eligible somewhere else for coverage.

 

My endocrinologist told me I could not afford not to carry it no matter how expensive. The way he explained it...if you continue coverage (ie Cobra) then your next employer cannot exclude conditions calling them pre-existing. That period of exclusion is not allowed. Now I went through the exclusion thing with my cancer. If you recall we didn't have ins on me when I was diagnosed. So when I did get ins they excluded all cancer until 18 months had gone by. Sucked but they could not exclude it forever. Just fyi.

 

Oh the fb thing....omg I am so vocal, I'm sure I'm a boor about it. But it infuriates me how stupid this administration is handling this mess. Instead of looking at the insurance INDUSTRY they want to manage all health care. Which is crap they do a horrid job of the VA, medicaid, medicare and the military medical situation that what makes anyone think they could possibly manage national health care???? It's dangerous to put it in their hands and it is stupid to do it. Will these bastages look at insurance reform??? Oh hell no, that would be too logical. *rolls eyes*. HIPPA was a start at least in the right direction. Portability was needed for years. But no, a man who took six months to pick his dog, wants us to swallow his health care bs in 30 days. GRRRR!!!!!!!!  Look we all know this....when a professional works for the government they have no reason to work at being successful....they are drawing a government regulated pay check whether they do a good job or not. The 'caring factor' disappears. I have dealt with all those agencies. How can these people want us to jump on this when what exists already in the form of government funded health care blows monkeys????  Do they really believe we are this stupid???

 

How about this.....we all get what Obama et al gets. Yeah...right.

 

Off my rant, it's bad. I hate this, hate it, hate it, hate it. And it freaking consumes me at times. Neecie I know something needs to be done, but this is a political issue that is about creating a nanny state. Which is nothing more than buying votes. It makes me sick. And it is horribly dangerous for any of us with serious illness in our medical histories.  Hmmm....does the school offer insurance? Seems like some do.

 

And don't even start me on the cash for clunkers garbage. I feel like we live in the book 1984, it's all an illusion nothing more.

 

Whhaaaaah!!!

 

America's got Talent....ok so tonight. I love Kevin Skinner. So sweet. Nice hair cut too. We Kentuckians clean up well! lol (Don't you love that ownership I have...hehe). I was in Mayfield over the weekend. Lots of excited me there over this! =)

 

I called in for two of tonights acts. Kevin Skinner and Arcadian Broad (I think that's his name.) They young kid dancer. He is very good I think.  The rest were good but not great to me.  I hate the yodeling, the trannies singers and magic. Though the magic guy is pretty good....I just don't like magic shows at all so I'm prejudiced from the get go on that. lol  I like the Acrodunk guys, they are fun to watch. The Houston dance group is too many kids, I didn't see the point of bringing them back I thought it was too fussy to begin with. *shrug*.  I can't wait to see the Ishaara group. I really like them and hope they do well too. I suspect they have a real shot at winning but I don't know. It's really too early to tell I think. I like the kids with the patriotic stuff too. Wow it is just so many, they are all so talented. It is going to be fun to watch!!!

 

Ok well it is so quiet here...guess this is what it would be like if I were single and all the kids were grown and gone. hmmmm....strange that's what. LOL

 

Hugs,

~Ami

xoxo

 

JP-try not to be too mad at me....I will be back to Louisville soon!

 

 

LOL, I just noticed on fb that we all missed your birthday....ooooopppppsssss!

 

So Happy Birthday!!!

 

Better late than never.....

 

Btw love your Lulu....now you make me want a new dog!

 

Hugs,

~Ami

xoxo

So Kevin Skinner and Arcadian Broad movin' on up!! Wheeeeee!!!

 

(can you tell I'm excited =P )

 

~Ami ;)

Why does life have to be so complicated? Everyone should have my problems, I know...

 

So, for the past few months I've been applying here and there for various jobs, and of course, getting no response at all. I've slowed down applying, since I've been thinking more and more about MT school. The last two positions I applied for, have now both contacted me for interviews.  They're both non-profits - one is called Water for People - they set up water and sanitation systems in depressed countries - and the other is Colorado Cancer Research Program - they facilitate and encourage participation in clinical trials. WFP called me last Wed for a short phone interview; they said they hoped to determine by the end of this week who they wanted to see back for a real interview. I talked to the Exec Dir of CCRP today and at the end of the phone interview she scheduled me for a real interview next Friday.

 

What a bummer, right? I'm definitely more interested in CCRP than WFP - I've got a personal interest in clinical trials, of course. But I'm still not sure that I want to do accounting work, even for them. And, I'm not convinced that I'm the right person for it, because, besides the day to day chores (which would be a no-brainer) they're looking for someone who can help research and transition to a new accounting system that will better handle the increased number of projects they are working on. I'm really not sure that I'd be any good at that, though I told her I'd be interested in trying to sort it out. She told me that she was glad she had set up these preliminary phone interviews (I think there were twelve of them) because many of the people she talked to weren't interested in BOTH (day-to-day and systems research) aspects of the job. It felt as though, just because I said I'd be interested in both pieces, that qualified me for a second interview. But I'm really not sure I can do that! Of course, I don't even know how their system works now, or what exactly they need, so WTF?

 

The good thing, maybe, is that it may not be a full-time job. It might be considered .75 FTE. Other than a reduction in pay, that could be a good thing, either to have more time with Erin, or set it up so that I could still go to MT school part-time. But I don't know if that would work either, because even part-time, MT school takes a lot of time, most likely every weekday evening.  So, it feels more like an either-or deal.

 

So, I suppose that the answer is, I'll be honest at the interview about my qualifications and limitations, and if they don't hire me... then I'll go to school. If they DO offer me a job, then I'll have to decide what to do. And of course, that could be influenced by how I get along witht the ED in the interview, etc., and how I feel about working there.

 

The whole idea just makes me tired. I hate not knowing what to do.

 

How do you make that raspberry noise again...?

You gotta laugh, it's like us if we WANTED a job in Houston....doh. So that fun interview that was supposed to be just a weekend for Raj to get out of the house....well you know the rest. lol Just when you least expect it life throws you a curve ball....or is it a spit ball?? =P

 

As for the transition to a new accounting system, that I bet is what I used to do. I worked for a computer company that sold accounting systems to various kinds of outfits from accounting offices to doctor offices. Each with their own special needs regarding what they needed to track and handle. So we would go in and analyze what their needs were (mainly just listen) and then design a system that was industry specific. Then went in and helped the business transition to the new system. Not a biggie really, except change is hard for people who are used to a particular type of system. In this case sounds like you would be stepping into a new frontier with a new system and if you are quick with computer programs it would be cake.

 

I used to test accounting programs and tax programs for distributers to find the bugs in them. Soooo long ago! In those days there were many many programs on the market. As the years have gone it's weedled down to a few that still exist. Funny thing the two best programs I ever tested don't exist any more. Funny how that works. The best functionality wasn't what survived. Anyway I digress....as usual. =P

 

Point is I wouldn't sweat a transition of systems Neecie, it's not going to be a biggie for you to 'get' or be able to do. It really is a matter of IF you want to do it. And you know what, if you don't want to do it then don't. Just let these folks know that your plans have changed and you will be pursuing a different path. Or you may get a whiff of the job like Raj did and realize that it might well be a very good fit for you. I will say accounting for one person/business is much different than managing the juggle for many. There is a sense of belonging that you don't get with being a public accountant.

 

Just food for thought. I like the massage school info, it sounds great. If you are really looking for a clean break then you already know the answer. ;)  Have you looked into maybe working at the school?

 

Hugs,

~Ami

xoxo

 

 

I appreciate the systems feedback. I think part of my confusion is that I have no idea what they need! Feels like I would need to get in there and learn the system they have and then figure out what the limitations are and what they need instead. Probably they have already done that, but I would have to get up to speed on what they're looking for really quickly. I will say that I've worked with a LOT of different tax softwares, have been in position to find the bugs and the workarounds, and I'm pretty comfortable finding my way around various software programs.  But I'm definitely not a computer programmer!

 

I do plan to really study their website over the next week.  There's a lot of information there, old newsletters and so on, so I should be able to get a better feel for what they do.  I think the question in my mind, is as you say, is it something I want?  Maybe. It could be really cool, just to be around these doctors and nurses, learning about the studies and what information is being gathered from them. Perhaps, I could transition to more of a direct support person, i.e. paitient advocacy. I think I need to figure that out in the next week, so that I'll know whether to really sell myself, or go in a little more cool, and see if they can pull me away from my dream of oncology massage.

 

Here's the website in case you want to check it out:   http://www.co-cancerresearch.org/

I checked it out, it looks nice Neecie.

 

I guess it will be hard to know exactly what she meant until you can talk to her first hand. I doubt it is about programming. More like you are saying working the bugs and so forth. Efficiency of programs is a big thing with so many companies. They either have programs that are too small and limited or they have programs that are way too big and wasteful. Well that is how it used to be anyway.

 

Sounds like you would have no problems at all working with new software. It will be interesting when you find out more. If you really are through with numbers it will make your stomach hurt while you are there. ...LOL not really but you know what I mean. You won't feel happy about it I'm betting.

 

I think I would still hang on to the MT idea and be moving in that direction regardless. Who knows it might be that you can do both. Either of these jobs means the elimination of one big thing.....TAX SEASON STRESS. =D

 

Hugs,

~Ami

xoxo

I was looking at the site at the same time... :-) It is really interesting to me, at least the medical part. Just looking through the site, I understand it better. They really are facilitating these studies, not just doing education or whatever.  There are numerous ways to get in on a climical trial if you're a patient, but it used to be that you only had access to that if you lived close to the Mayo Clinic or something.  For myself, I was lucky to get in with one of these cooperative groups, at least I think so. The hospital system in Fort Collins is associated with Mayo and other hospitals to combine resources and offer the trials. CCRP is an organization that reaches community doctors, ones that might not be associated with these big associations.

 

I like the litmus test you came up with, and I think you're right. If I get in there and start talking about this stuff, I'm either going to get all excited about it, or I'm going to have that feeling of dread. And you're also right -- one way or another, no more tax seasons for me! If I don't get this job, I'm going to school!! It is nice to have options.

 

And, on Saturday morning the 15th, Ralph and I are going to get in the car and start a road trip. By Monday we'll be in Jackson Hole. We're not sure how we'll get there, but we're just going to see where the road takes us. I can't wait!

Tis what it tis. Glad things went well and so sorry bout the car. Seems if it's not one thing it's taother. Always.

 

Neecie you'll know what to do and obviously you do have options. I'm sure we'll talk but the trip sounds maavelous!

 

Loretta Happy birthday, belatend though it be. Of coure I come on here and simply say "Ahem...." lol Hope it was good and you'll have to tell us about it.

 

So. I used up all my FMLA and am not approved for anymore leave. I called to see what my options are and they said to go to my mgr and have him contact HR to save it internally. So I do and my mgr told me that if I couldn't come back on Aug 17th they'd look at termination. So I tell him I can work, but I can't walk and I"ll need to use my scooter (which I still have) and he didn't like that idea at all. So there you go. I'm not sure I give a care. Be nice if I could draw unemployment and disability ins and COBRA. I'll keep you posted.