Happy New Year!

So....I love my perfect job. All has worked out well. However I will admit to all sorts of second guessing last week when I bumped into the gal that would've been my supervisor for the Library Tech position and she said she was training someone for MY job.

So it's a new year. I have too many resolutions to list, heck I can't even remember them all, so for now I'm concentrating on the two big ones...to read my Bible every day and get in shape. I've been very good about reading the Bible every day. I have a NLT read-the-Bible-in-a-year Bible and haven't missed a day yet!

The getting in shape thing....well, since Hubby was home with Bugman during Christmas Break, we decided to wait and start today to make it easier, have some structure, insert excuse here.

Breakfast - awesome smoothie with mango juice, tropical fruit and strawberries
Lunch - leftover Qdoba quesadilla and too many chips with salsa

Okay so the quesadilla wasn't so good for Day 1, but I couldn't eat it all yesterday and I can't let it go to waste. Will have to work it off later doing some Wii boxing or heck, it's 50-something degrees today...maybe we'll take a walk.

Note to self: Go buy a scale!

I got it!

So Hubby met me after my shift at 1 for lunch, but we swung by the house first to see if SHE called. I was so excited to see that there was a message on the machine, but it was from the library. They want to interview me for a Library Tech position...basically everything a librarian does minus the degree. It's $15 something an hour to start, but is nights and weekends, but it's also the kind of position one can build a career on.

About 2:54 I call HER...she said if I hadn't heard from her by 3, to call...close enough. Got voicemail. Damn.

As soon as Boogie and I get in the car and start to head home my cell rings. It's HER. Offering me the job. I accept. Whoo-hoo! So I start next Tuesday. Monday is me and Hubby's 13th anniversary..we're taking the day off together. (All together now....aaawwwwww)

So now I'm trying to figure out what to do about this other library position. The admin position I just accepted is PERFECT for our family. Perfect hours, perfect location, pays well. But the Library Tech position pays more and it's a career. So heck, I don't know. I feel like I need to do what's right for my family, but I worry about losing this opportunity. On the other hand, I'm not at all qualified for the Library Tech position but may be able to bs my way through the interview and I know the gal doing the hiring likes me. So heck, I don't know.

But yeah, I got the perfect job!!!

Update!

Interview went very, very well. I mentioned it's near the house, yes? And 50 cents an hour more than I was hoping. Only 30 hours a week, which is perfect, so Bugman and I will get home about the same time every day. And the chick I'll be working for seemed very cool with curly red hair and kick ass shoes. Seriously, I LOVED her shoes.

And she said to me . . .

"I can't tell you that you have the job b/c I have two more interviews today, but you can feel pretty comfortable."

and...

"You are exactly what I'm looking for."

The position sounds enjoyable, challenging enough, but nothing I'm intimidated by and it sounds like she keeps an upbeat office. So I'm way excited. She is supposed to call tomorrow by 3, but I half expect her to call tonight. So I may very well start working there next week since she's willing to work around my library schedule while I give them notice.

*fingers still crossed however*

In brief...

So Bugman got an awesome teacher this year. However, Bully is in his class. You'd think that common sense would motivate the principal to make sure this didn't happen, but ....

So a couple weeks ago I colored my hair a seriously bright fiery red. It's faded enough that I like it now. Hated it at first. Last night I was working at the library and a patron commented on how much she loved the color, but then said..."Now that pink that you're wearing...it doesn't really go with the hair". It's unreal just how rude people are sometimes.

Later though a little girl, probably about 6, told me 'I like your hair' with a great big smile on her face. Kids are awesome.

I have an interview tomorrow for a 30 hour a week Admin Asst position with a company within biking distance.

I've applied for a promotion within the Library...sure hope I hear something about that soon. I'd rather have the Library position. It's more hours and starts at $15 an hour.

Will let you know!

I feel like poo. I've been depressed and anxious for about a week now and can't seem to shake it for any significant length of time. But in an effort not to depress you as well, and I guess so as not to dwell on all the negatives my brain can think up, (and there's plenty) I'll keep this light.

I finished listening to The Greatest Generation Speaks today. There were so many moments that touched me. I guess the story that stayed with me most was the one a daughter of a soldier who had died in the war. She described how she and her brother would say their prayers every night..."Our Father who art in Heaven..." and as children they thought they were praying to their Daddy.

I was talking with a co-worker tonight about how obsessed I've become with learning about WWII. She shares my obsession and has a personal connection. Her father was in the war, even served in the Battle of the Bulge. She still has pretty close ties to the local VFW and offered to take me to their next open house. I can hardly wait.

In the meantime I've found the number to call to volunteer at the local VA Hospital. I'd like to do SOMETHING. Even if it's just knitting hats or blankets or whatever.

Oh yeah, tonight at work....I did you not....there was a little girl, probably 10 who asked her Dad, while I was checking out their books, "When can I get a credit card Daddy? I want a credit card." AND THEN she swiped a pencil from the cup and dropped it into her bag!

Kids these days....

Tomorrow I get to go see my Mommy and Daddy. We get to the spend the whole day together doing the usual 4th fare...cookout, bonfire and fireworks...and Dad has an awesome surprise for Bugman. But I can't say anything more about that lest he read this. I chatted with Mom a bit last week during a particularly difficult day with depression and it helped immensely, so I'm hoping actually seeing her and Daddy will kick me out of it.

I'll let ya know.

Post drama.....

Soooo....well....nothing really happened. I think Bully was suspended for a day and that was it. The following weekend we discovered two bruises on his upper arm from where Teacher had grabbed him. Took pics of those and sent them to the principal. Principal said she'd follow-up with an investigation procedure according to school policy, but that we would not be made aware of any disciplinary action against Teacher.

Three weeks goes by and we hear nothing from Principal. At this point Bugman has said that Teacher is being much nicer to him, but I'm still curious about why we haven't been contacted regarding the investigation. Shouldn't they have additional questions for us? Wonder if we took him to see a doc? Contacted a lawyer? But nothing. So I email Principal asking where we are in the process and this is what I got back....

"As I think I explained, outcomes of disciplinary investigations are confidential, so I'm not sure what I can share with you at this point except to say that I did investigate and follow through on the "formal procedure.""

Slightly snotty, I'd say, wouldn't you? And how exactly did she conduct a thorough investigation without asking us or Bugman anything?

But in better news....SCHOOL'S OUT! Bugman will have a new teacher next year. And though policy dictates that we cannot request a specific teacher we did so anyway, because there's a 5-6th grade teacher that Bugman has a good relationship with already. On the last day of school I asked Principal if she could tell me who Bugman was 'likely' to have. Naturally she wouldn't tell me, but I made my point that we had put in a request and that it meant a lot to us.

Anyway.....Bugman and I have been playing the last couple of weeks. Not doing quite as well with studying math as we'd planned. But there's still time. My goal was to arrange at least 1 playdate a week and so far we've made 2 each week. We've been to the pool, to a Pokemon tournament at the library, have re-arranged the furniture in the living room and were the first ones in line to get the new Pokemon game. I still want to make it to the farmer's market some time this summer, and the zoo, and to pick strawberries, and....oh yeah....teach my son multiplication and division. Can't forget that.

We're all signed up for the library's summer reading game. Adults only have to read 5 books, kids have to read 10. Bugman wasn't too happy about that, so I agreed to read 10 too. Of course all I get is a coupon for a free loaf of fancy bread and he gets a free book. I wanna free book. But I'm 3 books into my 10 already, while he's at 1. I've read....

From Baghdad, With Love...about a Marine in Iraq who falls hard for a puppy and does everything imaginable to get the puppy back to the States. Sweet story peppered with real life scenes, often sobering, of what life is really like for our soldiers in Iraq. Made me really wonder what my Uncle did and saw over there during the first Gulf War. It's not exactly the long-range, impersonal way I thought modern war was fought.

The Good German...awesome story about a journalist trying to solve an American soldier's mysterious murder while also trying to track down the married German woman he's in love with. The movie with Cate Blancett (love her) and George Clooney (I'm female-love him too) just came out on DVD. Can't wait to watch it.

Lust in Translation...very interesting report of infidelity in other cultures. Did you know that in Japan it's not cheating if you pay for it? Or in Moscow, even men who do not have girlfriends will lie and say that they do because that's the standard? And in South Africa the men will seek out impotence treatments because they can only have sex once or twice a day and that's not enough to keep up appearances with their wife as well as their girlfriends? I found it very interesting that in so many cultures women clearly outnumber men, but yet we continue to allow ourselves to be treated poorly for a little financial stability.

Now I'm on My Father's Secret War....memoir of a daughter who discovers her ailing father was once an Allied spy in WWII, under cover within the SS. I just started it, but I adore memoirs, spy stories and anything to do with WWII, so this one doesn't need much else to hook me.

Oh, and I'm also listening to The Greatest Generation Speaks. Gosh how I wish I could be more like those folks. Live simply, do what you say you will, a sense of personal responsibility, putting family before anything else....I wanna be like that.

Drama!

Oh how I love drama.

Last week....Bully told Bugman he wished that Bugman had been at Virginia Tech. Talked to principal. She assured me they were taking it very seriously though she could not discuss consequences with me.

Monday....Teacher told Bugman that he "taunts" Bully and that's why Bully is mean to him. I planned to discuss this with her Wednesday when I'm there for book groups.

Tuesday...Bugman was confused about which art group he was supposed to be with, so Teacher pulled him roughly by the arm and hurt him and began to yell at him for arguing with a grown-up. I've since talked to said grown-up who assured me he certainly was not arguing.

Wednesday...I meet with the principal, am assured that she will address the above with Teacher and get back to me. I proceed to book groups where Bully and his buddy proceed to makek fun of Bugman right in front of me, reducing him to tears and Teacher concludes that Bugman instigated the whole scene. No I am not kidding. Teacher could not stay after class to discuss with me, so I email her and cc the principal.

Thursday....no word from Teacher or Principal. Bugman reports no problems.

Friday...Bugman has not been sleeping well and clearly needs a break from the drama, so I keep him home. I call into the school to excuse his absence, the principal answers the phone and simply replies 'Okay'. No follow-up from our conversation or the email. No call later in the day either.

At this point I would really like to just home-school him for the next 6 weeks, but they likely wouldn't hold his place at the school for next year and there's a pretty good chance he's going to get an awesome teacher. I know that he is way behind in math and have already started on a workbook with him in the hopes that we can catch him up this summer.

Next week Bugman's class is going on a 3-day, 2-night fieldtrip. Bugman will not be going. I simply don't trust that he will be cared for appropriately and that if something did happen that she would provide him access to a phone.

....sigh....