A Circle

I had finished this and then it didn't save and so much of what I did was erased - grrr.

I know most of you have heard that I started a new job last month. Finally! I can appreciate the money. I really want to get my car paid off. I hadn't had a car payment since October 2000, and I wasn't really looking to add one. I had wanted to pay my first car off in one year. My second car was cheaper, but life hasn't allowed me to do the same. I fight the feeling that I'm going backwards. However, there were other things I wanted this blog to be about.
I have a temporary placement. It's through December/the end of the year. I'm still looking for a job because I feel like I'm going to be in a worse place come December. That's not exactly true because my placement ended is a better explanation than "I was fired" or however I chose to phrase it on a given day. The job is in a different city. Or rather my suburb is about half the distance between where I associate myself and this slightly smaller but good sized city. It feels a little like a foreign land because the neighborhoods and shops that you talk with you co-workers - I don't get the connotation or they what I say. But I want to learn more. It's just as easy to go there for activities or flights.
The company is in the medical field, which is good to expose me to a new industry. It's a non-profit and has a lot of shift workers. I always thought I'd like to work for a non-profit because I like the idea of doing good wihout looking at what the stockholders want. Now I'm finding this place doesn't seem to aspire to be the best. For example, they pat you on the back if you get a designation. I congratulations at a meeting is great, but a check would be greater encouragement. Therefore, I find that the chances of this job going permanent slim and that's okay with me.
I compare it every day to my previous job. I know I shouldn't, but it's my only comparison. I do compare some of the things I'm auditing to Walgreens, but really that's task oriented. This organization touches so many different things that it can be nuts to think about. I have a feeling that it's going to end just when I'm getting a handle on the acronyms.
But back to my original point, they do almost require managers to recognize someone in front of the department when theg accomplish an education goal. I can appreciate that so much. When I received my accounting degree, my manager forgot about it though he did remember that his favorite did complete her first semester of college. Some others found out and were upset on my behalf, but there was little we could do about it. The head of the department has never seen how manipulative the manager is. I like being required to acknowledge people's accomplishments as it makes them accountable.
My new boss has complimented me on my thoroughness, my ability to understand auditing as well as some quirky auditing things. She has sent me to represent the department at some meetings. The one project head has called me a rock star and passed on the compliment to my boss. I find it so interesting because those very things were why the last manager (after the guy in the last paragraph) wrote me up as reasons to fire me. I know it can only go back to a personality conflict or rather I am a woman who doesn't drink a lot and that didn't fit in with the boys. The company won't provide references, but two people have offered to provide one. If it was a true performance issue, I doubt they would have done that. I realize that I gave my all to a company that paid me back by removing me rather than moving me to a department that I could fit in. That was really harsh.

To Tell the Truth

I saw a story the other day that Bill Clinton thinks that there should be a place where the government helps stop rumors.
I don't think the government would work as there's no way to make it non-partisan.
I do like Snopes and enjoy their weekly updates. I know there have been rumors that they are biased but here's what I found. Yeah, not true at all.
But what really annoys me is the people who say they are just passing something on, that it's not their place to check. YES it is! Would you just pass along something about a friend, but then deny that you were gossiping? Maybe you would, but would you want to be known that way? Seriously, it's wrong. It doesn't create a good impression of yourself. I love how it's the same people who complain about the number of emails they get that they delete them because there's no point. Then why are you contributing to the problem?
Consider telling the truth.

Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Sweet Valley High

I thought this exchange I had on 1Bruce1 about the Sweet Valley sequel would amuse my Laura friends.

One Life to Live

I spend most days working around the house; looking for a job, cleaning, etc. Usually while I do this, I have the tv on. And not to be the unemployed person who spends her day watching the soaps, but yes, I do have them on while I'm going about my day. One of the ones I watch is One Life to Live, so I thought I'd break down my thoughts on the characters and what should happen next or should stop.

Vicki, Charlie, Echo, Dorian - Vickie needs to find out that Charlie slept with Echo, pronto. Yes, she has a lot to deal with right now with Jessica, but that should be wrapped up soon. We need to know if Echo will be a long term character or if she is just passing through. If she's not just passing through, maybe she would like a job at the Sun? Working for Todd, would allow her to stick her nose in everyone's business. Dorian needs her own plot, possibly taking a page from Sami and Lucas's book on Days and planning a green wedding to David. I heard that Charlie has been fired, so I assume he's going to leave town with his tail between his legs.

Shane, Jack - I'd like this to end before something big happens like a suicide attempt by Shane. I can just see how it's going to reach that point and then we are going to have an Afterschool Special about how bullying is wrong. However, what if Jack would realize the problem before then? His sister's boyfriend was punched out by his father at Thanksgiving. His father was abused by his father. What if they both opened up to him about how bad it is, and Jack realized his problem before it became an Afterschool special and mined into the shows history.

Todd, Blair, Tomas & Tea - What are truly the odds that One Life is going to bring back the original Todd? I don't believe it. Roger Howarth had been quite insistant that Todd not have love scenes and that is a basis for Todd and Tea's relationship, so I don't see that happening. I don't see Tomas as a long term character - he's the new version of Elijah Clarke. Here now, to be arrested/killed during November sweeps.

Langston, Robert, Jessica, Brody, Star, James, new girl, Nate, Dani, Inez - I assume Langston is going to go out of town to college or to Paris with Arianna because the writers writers want Robert to be the hero. I don't want Jessica and Robert to be the new Nash and Jessica. Boring. I'd put back with Brody, but I, also, think that Brody could be interesting with Star. I do think James is cute, so I'd like him to stay on the show. Maybe the new girl will be interesting and they can get together. I'd like to see Brody be the hero cop, or develop some male buddies. I remember how much a disliked the Rappaports when they came on and took over the town. The Fords are quickly reaching that point. OTOH, maybe Robert could get a job on Access Llanview, and Inez could go simper at someone far away. Nate and Dani - please don't let them have sex, and please don't let them be the new Star and Cole. I do know think Dani may be onto Jack. That would be a good use of her to build a relationship with her brothers.

Destiny, Darren, Matthew - Matthew needs to realize some truths about his uncle and quickly. How long can he be clueless? Maybe have a love triangle between him Darren and Destiny. It would be interesting if it pulled Shaun and Theo in while they help Brody investigate, say Tomas.

Marty - have her transferred to an insane asylum away from Saint Ann's and let me never see her whine onscreen again while I'm being told how strong of a character she is. No, she's not she has never moved out of the past, and she's easily the character I would gladly sacrifice to a serial killer.

Rex, Gigi, Christian - Rex and Gigi need to find out about Shaun again before it turns into an Afterschool special. They need to plan a wedding, but perhaps in the meantime, Christian and Gigi should move closer together - possibly having an affair themselves. Christian needs a woman though I'd like to explore him and Blair after he helps Brody bring down Tomas - he comforts her and they grow closer.

David, Nigel - David is going to leave soon, but using him to help knock some sense into Matthew might be interesting. Nigel needs to learn that he's a long lost Buchanan or maybe that Kutter is his long lost son. Yeah, I like the second one better. It could bring him into an actual plot rather than just serving the brandy.

Kutter, Aubrey, Joey, Kelly, Kevin, Natalie, Clint - I do agree with bringing Kevin back. It might be interesting to see him come back as Aubrey reforms. We know she's going to really fall for Joey. I assume right before he finds out the truth. Joey gets back together with Kelly. Kevin comes back to Llanview to take over BE as Clint has to step down to solve his problems. He falls for Aubrey. Natalie comes back to BE as she doesn't want to keep working along side John after he realizes he will always hold a grudge about Liam. Natalie is drawn to Kutter as he reminds her some of Jared. He has to struggle between working Dorian over for money while being drawn to the strong single mother.

John - becomes the skeptical cop, goes over the top on something and has to take a leave of absence. Possibly opens a PI agency with Rex. Maybe has a one night stand with Blair before she ends up with Christian, and has to be the one with a broken heart for once.

Austin Peck/Roxi - It's not been announced who he will be playing, though the last preview showed him talking to Rex. I assume they don't want Joey to look like the dumbest guy on the show. Maybe he's related to Roxi and together they will have the brainpower to tie a pair of shoelaces. I know a lot of people like Roxi, but I have a low tolerance for people who are that stupid. Maybe it's because she's drunk a lot. Have her and Echo bond at AA, and then Roxi can not be an idiot because she's sober and previously she must have been drunk 24/7.

Renee - BTW, where is she? Maybe Renee and Nigel could fall in love and end up running the Palace together. That could be fun. Afterall, Victor and Maggie are the most popular couple on Days right now.

Bo, Nora, Vimal and spouse - Bo and Nora must nail Clint for something, though he escapes jail time by stepping down from BE. They deal with issues stemming from Matthew's conception, which we saw aren't really over. Bo decides to run against Dorian for mayor.

Do you have any suggestions?

Count Down to the Iditarod: My experience with Dog Sled Racing

I put several childhood pictures on Facebook the other day.




My friend, Gwen, asked me about my experiences with dogsledding. With the Iditarod starting on Saturday, I thought this would be a good time to share mine.
My Dad worked nights when my parents were first married. My Mom decided she wanted a dog to keep her company and to frighten away any noises. She saw an ad for free Cocker Spaniels in the paper. My Dad went to work and a friend convinced him that he wanted a Siberian Husky. The question why might be asked since the first thing about Siberians is that they are not guard dogs, but I guess my parents were naive back then. They bought Sabra. The following year, my parents bought Koly, and Jim, a friend of my Dad's, bought Amy. In the top picture above, Sabra is the white dog, and Koly is the black and white. My Dad had enough for a three dog team! We bought Spitzi when I was three. She was my dog. I think my Dad ran a four dog team a few times, but Sabra did NOT appreciate being expected to pull someone and gave up her career.
I was born the following year. I remember more general impressions of dogsled races as a three and four year old. My Dad gave it up when I started school and trips to Cleveland or Michigan were practical. Generally when we went on vacation, and I'm showing my age here, I had a pad to lay down or play in the back of the Pinto stationwagon. This, children, was before kids were required to stay in some kind of safety seat in the back seat for the first decade of their lives, and I have to add I'm extremely grateful that I was born then. I like to stretch out and sleep while we drove. When we went to races, we had to pull the dog trailer. Because of that we took the Torino. The water jug was in the backseat as well. I couldn't stretch out as much.
We would get to the race. It would involve a lot of waiting around in the cold, and the dogs were tied to the trailer. Lesson #2 Huskies will run like crazy and have no idea where they are when they stop, so a fenced in yard and leash are mandatory. The second picture shows me "helping" harness. Koly had to be the last harnessed and the first harnessed, or he would unharness himself. Mom learned harness repair. The dogs and my Dad would take off. My Mom, I, and sometimes Sabra would would wait for their return. He was running only 3-7 miles, and I know huskies can run 15 mph. I don't remember how long it would take. It seemed a long time in the cold. I know he was at a disadvantage. He at 6'5", 200+ lbs was competing against 16 year olds a foot shorter and 100 lbs lighter on the dogs. He was never the first person to cross the finish line.
He would take the dogsled across the street to the elementary school and the 5th graders would race the dogs. I'm not sure how it started or how often he did it. We moved away from that school (though still in the district) after I finished first grade. We had All-About-Me week in kindergarten. On Friday, we could do something big! I brought in the sled and Spitzi. Spitzi didn't get along with dogs, but she was good with kids. We still have the sled in the barn. I'd love to hitch Blitzen and Koti up to it and take some pictures. We had a "rig", a type of sled on wheels that my Dad could use to train when there wasn't snow. I remember playing on it in the backyard.
I knew my "Gee" from my "Haw". I, also, knew enough to know that "Mush" is rarely to never used to get a team started. An upbeat work is used. Dad used "Hike" Imagine yelling "HI!-K" with a really hard "k". Now imagine yelling "Muuuusssshhh", yeah which gets your attention?
My Dad was then interested in the Iditarod Race. The 1,049 mile race across Alaska. We have VHS copies of the Wide World of Sports footage going back to the early 80s. Sometimes the Enquirer would publish the top ten standings during the two weeks of the race. I think my Dad liked me following the race as it truly is a sport where men and women compete equally. In most sports some sort of adjustment is given to the women. In dogsledding, the dogs are the atheletes so no advantage is given to the women. In fact if you read about it, the dogs in the race are equally males and females.
When I got to college, the Internet was just getting started. I found the Iditarod's webpage. OMG, they had near live updates. It was so addictive! There was a dog who wrote journal entries as well. I loved Zuma! One day a few years ago, I was surfing their page. I found one woman who runs purebred Siberians. I joined her mailing list. From there, I joined several others and made friends. We've never been to the race start, but a group from one list meets after the race ceremonial start every year for dinner. Last year, they collected a list of those who couldn't be there. Dad and I were among those toasted. The Iditarod offers an Insider package so that the ceremonial and official start,as well as all the finishes can be watched live along with daily updates. The race takes around 9 days for the winner to finish and around 14 days for the Red Lantern winner to finish. This is my version of March Madness to check who is currently in the lead.
The race starts on Saturday. I plan to hook my laptop up to the television and sit back and enjoy the show.

My Laura Collection

There's been discussion on Facebook among the Laurapolooza attendees about the portion of our homes dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Since the day was so beautiful -



I decided to upload my collection. I didn't think the screen would show this much.

First, we have my program from Laurapolooza. I had several authors and Dean Butler autograph these pages with the intention of framing it. (Amy, do you feel good that I have your autograph framed on my wall?)



On my corner display, I have the television plates that a friend so incredibly generously gave to me this fall. Also, you can see the china sheperdess that I bought in DeSmet. The corn cob doll, button string, tin pail candy are on the shelves. I made these at Laurapolooza. In the bottom corner, you can see the red and white tin that I received as part of the Frontier Girl gift exchange this year.



I have a few more books to add to the shelf. It's a long sort of OCD story about why. But the bottom shelf is all my books by and about Laura. On the next shelf, you can see my L. M. Montgomery collection. Have I mentioned that I need to order the new release of "Rilla of Ingleside"?


Here's the overall view. Sorry the lampside looks crooked.




Hope you enjoyed the tour.

I am, but

Many people know that one of my favorite websites is "StuffChristiansLike.Net" It's a satire site run by an employee of Dave Ramsey to laugh at the things we do as Christians. Browse around and you will find things that will make you laugh like a score card as to how Metrosexual is Your Worship Leader. A few days ago, the author asked for readers help with his upsoming book.
"Whenever I travel and meet people or connect online with folks, our conversation inevitably drifts toward a simple question, “What do you do?” The most common answer I hear, from people of all ages, is simple: “I’m a __________, but I want to be a ___________.” That’s what my next book is about and I need your help.
If this sounds like something you’ve ever thought about before, if you’ve ever felt like your job wasn’t using your to your full potential or that you weren’t doing what God designed you to do, I’d like to talk with you. I’d love to hear your story"

I decided to share my story. Here it is.

I am an accountant, but my heart is with the youth of my church. I don’t want to become a youth minister. Honestly, I think my skills and talents are more closely aligned with accounting. My talents aren’t getting a group of teenagers to follow me. I don’t have the charisma for them to do so. I usually end up sounding like I’m barking at them. I enjoy though the small moments when I can feel like I’ve connected with a teen and helped them learn and grow. More often, they teach me something than I teach them.
I’m currently looking for a job; therefore I’ve been reading books like “The Complete Idiots Guide to Getting the Job You Want.” I don’t think the author is a Christian. However, he said that people should never say, “I’m a plumber” or “I’m an accountant” rather we should say, “I’m Lauri, and I work as an accountant.” The idea struck me as truth that we limit ourselves to what we do 40 hours a week rather than the other 128. People often ask me if I’m a teacher. No way. I enjoy playing with teens and sending them home to their parents not beating Algebra into their minds. I often think it’s because, and I don’t know where the disconnect occurs but, we expect Christians to not work in the for profit world. Why is that? Wasn’t Joseph a carpenter, Moses a shepherd, Paul a tent maker? Yet they helped fulfill God’s world. Why do we feel the need to apologize for doing the same thing?

What's your story?