Still here...still working....still not a permanent employee after almost four years. Which is longer than I was a permanent employee at some most of the positions on my resume. Including one of the stints I worked here before, and quickly closing in on the second.
Ah, irony!!!
After our recent yearly financial check-up, it seems that optimum security will be achieved if the Guy and I can contiue to contribute to The Retirement Accounts fully for another four years. It also seems that can best be done with my continued employment, so rather than the freedom to believe that we could possibly do without my income, I am thusly obligated to continue.
Taking the long view. Looking ahead. Planning for the future.
Gritting through each damn day with no incentives, no growth opportunity, no raise, no bonus, but putting it out for for everyone else's...
And counting down the pay periods.
And building up my fabric/yarn/fiber IRAs. You better believe it. Oh, not it big giant ways, and always with an eye for the bargain, as that is my wont and need. But it is also my little reward.
I believe that it's an age thing, not being put on permanent. That is a difficult thing to come which to come to grips. There have been times that my sex has brought me lower paychecks, and it was said to be due to experience. And I found myself helpless to fight that. But angry nonetheless. Now I feel that there are hungrier, cheaper, younger bucks that are eager, and I find myself too tired for the fight.
Again, I find myself a bit ragey at being put on the back burner. Punks. I helped fight the fight that gave them their damn smart phones! There's a chain of thought there, but I stopped my HRT in November and it's a little hard for me to connect the dots. Something about breaking ground in a non-traditional field for women, learning Windows 3.1 when people thought computers were 'hard', and in general...looking forward and being willing, dammit!
Trying to keep the positives in the fore front. Trying not to whine. It's a paycheck, not a bad one, and the best I can do right now. After all...I do not have retail, service industry, or admin experience. My options are limited. So I keep on keeping on as long as they will keep me on.
January 25, 2013
January 20, 2013
See 'Em Now!
Last August, The Guy and I met Eldest and Her Guy for some vacationeering in Glacier National Park. A fine time was had by all every single day we were there.
There were bears and mountain goats. Huckleberry 'something' everyday and also pie. Lots of pie. Even if it was the tail-end of beargrass, there was some and there were plenty of other wildflowers. Mountain peaks at sunrise. Beautiful lakes, creeks, and rivers. A bit of canoeing.
And glaciers.
The Guy and I were last at Glacier in 2005 a few months after I had an ACL repaired so did not do a lot of rigorous hiking. At that time, the story was that the glaciers would be gone by 2035. The rangers this time around were saying it seemed they were going faster, and would probably no more in 8 years. Well heck! Do the math. We were last there seven years ago. If we make it back there in another seven...
It seemed important to make the effort. Now this effort required some logistical planning as there are bears in Glacier. Big hungry bears. We prefer to hike with rangers there, and the ranger led hike to the Grinnell Glacier was on the other side of the park from where we were lodging, leaving about 8:30AM. We were going to have to leave WAY early to get across Going-to-the-Sun road, with construction, with minimum coffee, to catch the boat across the lake...yeah, logistics, but GLACIERS! MELTING!
So we tried it. We made instant coffee with hot tap water (better than it sounds). We ate breakfast bars in the car. While stopped at the construction, we caught morning alpenglow on the peaks. We got to the boat dock in plenty of time....and the line for those hoping to get on was way way long...(yeah, we didn't have reservations, another story).
After some head huddling, we decided to take the next boat across, and hike on our own, without the protection of fearless rangers. We determined this hike is well traveled, and probably bear free. And if not, we had bear spray. And GLACIERS! MELTING!
So off we went. For me, it was probably the best day of the time in Glacier.
There were bears and mountain goats. Huckleberry 'something' everyday and also pie. Lots of pie. Even if it was the tail-end of beargrass, there was some and there were plenty of other wildflowers. Mountain peaks at sunrise. Beautiful lakes, creeks, and rivers. A bit of canoeing.
And glaciers.
The Guy and I were last at Glacier in 2005 a few months after I had an ACL repaired so did not do a lot of rigorous hiking. At that time, the story was that the glaciers would be gone by 2035. The rangers this time around were saying it seemed they were going faster, and would probably no more in 8 years. Well heck! Do the math. We were last there seven years ago. If we make it back there in another seven...
It seemed important to make the effort. Now this effort required some logistical planning as there are bears in Glacier. Big hungry bears. We prefer to hike with rangers there, and the ranger led hike to the Grinnell Glacier was on the other side of the park from where we were lodging, leaving about 8:30AM. We were going to have to leave WAY early to get across Going-to-the-Sun road, with construction, with minimum coffee, to catch the boat across the lake...yeah, logistics, but GLACIERS! MELTING!
So we tried it. We made instant coffee with hot tap water (better than it sounds). We ate breakfast bars in the car. While stopped at the construction, we caught morning alpenglow on the peaks. We got to the boat dock in plenty of time....and the line for those hoping to get on was way way long...(yeah, we didn't have reservations, another story).
After some head huddling, we decided to take the next boat across, and hike on our own, without the protection of fearless rangers. We determined this hike is well traveled, and probably bear free. And if not, we had bear spray. And GLACIERS! MELTING!
So off we went. For me, it was probably the best day of the time in Glacier.
Cooling our heels waiting for construction wasn't all bad. We watched the sunrise on the mountains.
We weren't imagining things. Bears everywhere!
The glacier melt shows in the run-off lakes a turquoise color. That's not Photoshop.
Beargrass. Lewis and Clark named it beargrass, not because they eat it, but because every time they saw it, they saw bears.
Grinnell Glacier, with Salamander Glacier above. Used to be one glacier, but with melting, has separated into two. Look here (about half way down the page) for photos from 1938 to 2009 of this particular glacier showing how it has decreased in size.
The change in hue of the color of the run-off lakes is evident as they descend.
(3.8 x 2) + 1.5 (the little hike between the two ferries) = 9.1 miles. Yes. She is leaning on the pole for support! But in a good way.
January 17, 2013
Picky Cat
The Boy Kitty gets about a third can of canned food each morning, with some meds. I would say it's his favorite part of the day, but one doesn't know for sure. He has many favorite parts of his day. Sleeping in the sun with Best Dog Ever. Laying on the Guy's papers while he is working. Climbing into my lap while I am knitting/quilting. Hanging out on top of the fridge. Watching the backyard. Watching the frontyard. His whole day is favorite.
But I digress. He does love his morning feeding. And should whoever gets out of bed first forget, or delay, or be off the routine, Boy Kitty reminds by various means. Loudly talking. Weaving in and out of the legs. Stretching to reach the kitchen counter as if to say 'Hey! Forget your lunch! What about my breakfast!?'
So we prepare his bowl. And take it to his feeding station in the laundry room. Where he dives in and finishes in short order.
Unless we have chosen the venison flavor.
Last trip to the pet and feed supply store, I picked up a couple cans each of of the different varieties of the brand we started a few months ago including a couple cans of the 'venison and green pea'. It's not the green pea. He eats other varieties with that. But the cans of venison? Each time we have sat that down for him it is tasted, and walked away from. The remainder is left to be thrown away the next morning.
Boy Kitty has no truck with deer meat.
But I digress. He does love his morning feeding. And should whoever gets out of bed first forget, or delay, or be off the routine, Boy Kitty reminds by various means. Loudly talking. Weaving in and out of the legs. Stretching to reach the kitchen counter as if to say 'Hey! Forget your lunch! What about my breakfast!?'
So we prepare his bowl. And take it to his feeding station in the laundry room. Where he dives in and finishes in short order.
Unless we have chosen the venison flavor.
Last trip to the pet and feed supply store, I picked up a couple cans each of of the different varieties of the brand we started a few months ago including a couple cans of the 'venison and green pea'. It's not the green pea. He eats other varieties with that. But the cans of venison? Each time we have sat that down for him it is tasted, and walked away from. The remainder is left to be thrown away the next morning.
Boy Kitty has no truck with deer meat.
January 13, 2013
Tee Tiny Socks
Along the same lines of the last post, I made 11 tee-tiny Christmas Stockings as gifts for my Bunko buddies to give during our annual gift exchange.
Our gift exchange requires that we bring one gift of worth a small amount, which I did, but also brought the little handknit socks for all of them as a bonus.
They have come to realize my knitterly tendencies, and generally are complimentary to the handknits I wear to our gatherings. A couple of them are crafty in their own rights, and one has joked in the past when we have exchanged gifts about looking for her handknit socks from me. The idea of knitting them ornaments had been percolating in the back of my mind, and I determined last December that this was the year I would do it. And so I began.
About Thanksgiving.
For the get-together that was the 1st week in December.
Nothing like a deadline.
I used the 'Mini Stocking Ornament' (rav linky) pattern by Mara Jessup. The cuff is a seed stitch rather than a rib which I think works better for a smallish object like this. For material, I went through my tail-ends, and pulled out all the ones that were of holiday colors in the weight range of fingering through worsted. I used needles sized 2 (fingering and sport) and 6 (worsted), and magic-looped them all.
I hung them on the edge of a gift bag toward the inside, and let them all pick one as it was their turn to chose a gift. It was a surprise, and they were tickled , comparing each to the other.
When we met for January, the tee tiny socks were made mention again. Definitely worth the effort.
(But I am not sure I am a production knitter!)
Our gift exchange requires that we bring one gift of worth a small amount, which I did, but also brought the little handknit socks for all of them as a bonus.
They have come to realize my knitterly tendencies, and generally are complimentary to the handknits I wear to our gatherings. A couple of them are crafty in their own rights, and one has joked in the past when we have exchanged gifts about looking for her handknit socks from me. The idea of knitting them ornaments had been percolating in the back of my mind, and I determined last December that this was the year I would do it. And so I began.
About Thanksgiving.
For the get-together that was the 1st week in December.
Nothing like a deadline.
I used the 'Mini Stocking Ornament' (rav linky) pattern by Mara Jessup. The cuff is a seed stitch rather than a rib which I think works better for a smallish object like this. For material, I went through my tail-ends, and pulled out all the ones that were of holiday colors in the weight range of fingering through worsted. I used needles sized 2 (fingering and sport) and 6 (worsted), and magic-looped them all.
I hung them on the edge of a gift bag toward the inside, and let them all pick one as it was their turn to chose a gift. It was a surprise, and they were tickled , comparing each to the other.
When we met for January, the tee tiny socks were made mention again. Definitely worth the effort.
(But I am not sure I am a production knitter!)
January 10, 2013
MIne Are Knit-Worthy
Guess what? I made some of the gifts I gave to others. Surprise! While I have read and heard stories that this can be disappointing for some, I practice the attitude that once given, the gift is out of my hands for the recipient to do with as they will. It is my choice to follow up with additional time and effort, but I hold no resentment or misgivings or second thoughts once I give a handmade gift. Done and finished.
Before Christmas, Eldest asked for my Ravelry password, and snuck a pattern into my queue. The Step-Daughter was traveling with us and saw a hat she liked, full of cables. I said I thought that was within my capabilities. She also commented that 'those infinity scarves sure were cool'. We spent some time with the Rav search engine (which is AWESOME!). The aforementioned traveling took us to see my SIL, who questioned what it took to get on the 'slipper list'. And Middle Daughter wanted handknit socks for Christmas.
SIL recieved the slippers enthusiastically, which I have heard fit beautifully.
I sent Middle Daughter a couple of pair of socks I knitted over the summer, which she unwrapped over the phone, and loves. I think that gives her four pair. I think she is ahead of the other girls.
Eldest and Step-Daughter unwrapped their handknits on Christmas with praises and compliments. The articles were worn continuously pretty much until they left for their respective homes. Very heartwarming indeed.
And the little handknit ornament I made for Wisest Sister? Made it to Facebook. With many 'likes'!
I see the toes of handknit socks peak out from the cuffs of jeans.
And I see the hats of Christmas past on the fellow's heads.
Pretty humbling, and rewarding at the same time, I must say. One needs others to knit for, really. When we picked up Eldest from the airport, she commented on my sweater, and asked how many sweaters I had knitted for myself. I counted them in my mind.
This one really needs others to knit for.
Before Christmas, Eldest asked for my Ravelry password, and snuck a pattern into my queue. The Step-Daughter was traveling with us and saw a hat she liked, full of cables. I said I thought that was within my capabilities. She also commented that 'those infinity scarves sure were cool'. We spent some time with the Rav search engine (which is AWESOME!). The aforementioned traveling took us to see my SIL, who questioned what it took to get on the 'slipper list'. And Middle Daughter wanted handknit socks for Christmas.
SIL recieved the slippers enthusiastically, which I have heard fit beautifully.
I sent Middle Daughter a couple of pair of socks I knitted over the summer, which she unwrapped over the phone, and loves. I think that gives her four pair. I think she is ahead of the other girls.
Eldest and Step-Daughter unwrapped their handknits on Christmas with praises and compliments. The articles were worn continuously pretty much until they left for their respective homes. Very heartwarming indeed.
And the little handknit ornament I made for Wisest Sister? Made it to Facebook. With many 'likes'!
I see the toes of handknit socks peak out from the cuffs of jeans.
And I see the hats of Christmas past on the fellow's heads.
Pretty humbling, and rewarding at the same time, I must say. One needs others to knit for, really. When we picked up Eldest from the airport, she commented on my sweater, and asked how many sweaters I had knitted for myself. I counted them in my mind.
This one really needs others to knit for.
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