U R now ded wit da cuteness!

This all started with a ground-score that Fred had a few weeks ago... A rather obnoxious, camo-patterned bandana of black, flourescent orange, dark orange, and yellow. Fred was going to put it into his arsenal of other headbands that he could wear at work, presumably to blind his co-workers, or make them go into a froth-frenzy.

And then... Then somehow... He got the notion to place it atop my cat this afternoon... And she liked it... No, really - this is NOT something she normally puts up with at all. I can assure you, the following were not posed, or in any other way created. She did, in fact, wander from one end of the couch to the other, with it on, and then down from the couch to the window, a good 15 feet away... It's light enough that she could have (and, in fact, finally did) shuffled out of it at any time... Yet, she felt the need to have it on her for a good 6 hours.

So, here are quite a few photos of my cat being goofy. Why? Because I can - and I'm not the only one who must be inflicted with the camo-patterned badness. The interesting part: It goes with her fur...

~M

This is Shady curled up on her blankie... We take her to the vet with this one...

She's ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille!

Note the big smile on her face in this photo - I'm not kidding...

On Mama's lap - the comfiest couch in the land...

How... special.

Iran hates everything thats not praying or beatin your wife

I found that quote on a discussion list of the movie "300". That's the full quote of it as well - nothing before, and nothing after. It's nice to know that such generalized, blanket ideas are still being thrown out there for everyone to see the ignorance that is currently running this war.

Makes me sad... I'm pretty sure that, to this nincompoop, if they aren't white, anglo-saxon, protestant AMERICANS (or at the very LEAST, American supporters), they are horrible, less-than-human-beings who deserve to be completely flattened.

All I can hope for is that this person ends up being forced into a position where he has to take the biggest, nicest favor from an Iranian family, and ends up learning to eat crow.

~M

Guffaws and Hurrahs!

So, here I am reading FARK and I find the following link to YESbutNObutYES... This one is the Top 15 unintentionally funny comic book panels. This is great for a laugh, and shows how much our language has changed over the years - as well as how we see the world.

Have fun!

~M

By Freya's Bra-straps!

Some things just beg to be made fun at...

Take THIS little number for instance...

All I can say is WOW... The most amusing (appalling?) portion of it is found HERE with their little "cheers". I about blew my soda out my nose at the absurdity of it.

I never realized how much I abhore such fluffy-bunny-esque type groups... The most frightening thing is that I see these people ALL OVER THE PLACE in my hometown here... Right down to the dredlocked hair (look - you're white. I'm sorry, but it just looks DIRTY - deal with it, get over your lack of melanin, and get a JOB!).

I'm all for being motivated for peace, prosperity and the general pursuit of happiness - but honestly, there's such a thing as making a spectacle of yourself and the religion as a whole. This would be an embarrassment to any religion, honestly.

It makes me equate it to those in the right-winged christian sects who put their hands in the air for better reception. *shudder*

~M

New and shiny!

How appropriate... Today is the Spring Solstice, and the new moon, and the week of the Goddess' Dubious Blessing(tm)...

I wrote a bit ago about how I was going to try and start some new things, and get headed in a more positive direction in my life, including working out a bit more (or at least walking), eating better, and generally feeling better about myself.

In the spirit of feeling better, and new starts, I put in my letter of resignation to BPH. Of course, being the smart little fishie that I am, I also did so just after I got off the phone from accepting a new job offer with a company that is MUCH closer, with better bennies, and a better potential paycheck. I'm a relief (no, I'm not relieved, but I give relief - and your brain can take that however you'd like), and while it means that most weekends and holidays are going to be verbotten for me to take off, I at least have the knowledge that I am going to be getting *good* training, and get good bennies, and have a better chance at NOT getting stabby with my co-workers. Yay me!

So - here's to starting new!

~M

Getting closer...

A long time ago, Billy Joel put out an album called "The Bridge". On it were some of (in my opinion) his best solo works, and one duet (with Ray Charles - what a fabu duet, it was, too!). "Getting Closer" was one of those songs that was kicky, and it stuck in your head for a long time after you'd heard it - not only for the lyrics and music, but for the message - that yeah, things had been bad, and ill-advised choices had been made, but still and all, the best was just around the corner... It was, in fact, getting closer.

I remember having this song kick into my head whenever I was on the brink of something good and positive happening in my life. It would sit there, playing over and over in my head, and I'd be humming it for days.

I know right now that I'm getting closer. This is the third day I've voluntarily gone out for a walk - for FUN. It's making me feel better... Well, actually, it's making me feel achy, sweaty and darn-right tired. But I know that eventually it will make me feel better. LOL. Meanwhile, I know that there's still a ways to go, and I won't every run a marathon, but still - I'm getting closer...


Getting Closer

by Billy Joel
album: The Bridge (1986)

I went searching for the truth
But in my innocence I found
All the con men and their acrobats
Who stomped me in the ground
If I count up their percentages
I know they're getting rich
But they haven't taken everything
Those paybacks are a bitch

Though I've lost quite a lot
I am still in control
They can keep what they've got
But they can't have my soul
And if I don't have this all worked out
Still I'm getting closer, getting closer
I still have far to go no doubt
But I'm getting closer, getting closer

What was ripped off by professionals
Is not all that it seems
While I must live up to contracts
I did not give up my dreams
If I see it as experience
It hasn't gone to waste
Lately all the missing pieces
Have been falling into place

And if I could go back and start over somehow
I would not change that much
Knowing what I know now
Thought there have been sins
I will regret
Still I'm getting close, getting closer
I don't have all the answers yet
But I'm getting closer, getting closer

I'm a mark for every shyster
From Topanga to Berlin
And I should have learned to kick them out
As soon as they crawled in
So to every bank in Switzerland
That stores my stolen youth
I'm alright because despite the laws
You cannot hide the truth

And although you will say
I am still too naive
But I have not lost faith
In the things I believe

And if I don't have a this all worked out
Still I'm getting closer, getting closer
I still have far to go no doubt
But I'm still getting closer, getting closer


Definitely getting closer...

~M

Food Fight!!

So, last night Fred and I were talking about food and Fred pulls out this cookbook... Specifically the More-With-Less cookbook. It was written 25 years ago, and addressed what nutritionists have only recently (in the past 5-7 years) been preaching... The majority of the US population eats too much, and really eats too much fast food - and needs to re-develop a healthy relationship with food again. "Written to challenge North Americans to consume less so others could eat enough, the book has sold an astonishing 830,000 copies since its release in 1976."

The website is really pretty good, as well, and the cookbook itself is really quite do-able - especially for those who actually are able to either work from home, or stay at home... It's currently in it's 47th printing, contains 500 recipes, and has practical substitutions and tips throughout it. While there is a bit of "God" sprinkled through it, I can handle it - after all, it was written by Mennonites... There's even recipes in there marked "T.S", meaning "time savers"... great stuff, really.

So, why bring it up? Well, it's something that links into my previous post of making myself feel better about my own choices, forgiving myself for what I've done in the past, and starting to make healthier, better choices for me and my family. There are several different cookbooks on the site, from "Simply In Season", which explores eating local, seasonal foods, to their children's cookbook on the same thing... They also have one called "Extending the Table", which pulls "recipes and stories from Argentina to Zambi, in the spirit of More-with-Less".

I had this same feeling when I left culinary school - America has really lost touch with its food. It sounds crazy when you consider that, as beings, we must eat in order to live, but it's true. We have separated ourselves so far away from the butcher block, the garden, and the fishing holes, there is no longer an understanding of what we're consuming, where it came from, or how it was created in the first place.

I want my children to understand what veggies look like as they grow, have the satisfaction physically working for their food, and taste how good it can be when picked and eaten straight from the garden. I want them to understand that it's hard work, and food should be appreciated every day. It may sound silly to many people, but there are many people in the world who have so little - we *should* feel greatful for what we have, and what we grow, and what we eat. Why not teach our children that food is a renewable resource, but one that requires work, and a relationship with the earth?

Crusade? Perhaps... On the other hand, I've always loved working in the garden and growing my own foods. I grew up that way. My parents had a HUGE vacant lot that was raised about 6 feet up, and they made a full garden out of it. We had fresh fruit and veggies every year, from early spring to late fall. Mom canned, made jam, and froze for winter. We gave away what we couldn't consume reasonably to our neighbors and those who couldn't afford as much. It felt good to be able to eat fresh blackberry pie, or baked squash, or fresh steamed carrots. I still remember how fresh snap peas taste right from the vine.



It's probably just me. I'm probably a weirdo. But I'm going to be a happy weirdo, and I'm going to have my own garden with tomatoes, carrots, squash, zuccini, beans, lettuce, potatoes and onions, and even a bunch of different herbs... There's just something about a garden - it's almost a permanent thing - and it can do wonders...

If you'd like to create your own garden, here are a few links to good websites with information on how to plan your own...

Happy reading!

~M

PS - I gotta get a BUNCH of stuff from this one: Herb Kits dot com

Ed Hume Seeds

Organic Gardening

Garden Guides

Gardening

Gardens Alive

The Herb Society

The Culinary Herb Guide

Garden Plans

Herb Garden Designs from BBG.org

Seeds Of Knowledge

Forgiveness...

Sometimes, it's so easy to get so involved in the drama of the outside world, that you forget to look within yourself and see what's going on there...

I'd forgotten how hard it is to be forgiving to yourself. It's so much easier to forgive others around you for various things - but it can be difficult to forgive yourself for even the littlest of transgressions.

I suppose the biggest reason why would be because you cannot control everyone else's actions. We can't forgive ourselves our actions, thoughts, or ideas, because we are in control, and can make the choices, good or bad.

I've decided that it's time to be a little kinder to myself. I'm looking to start fresh and turn a new page in my life. It might sound silly, but if you look at all the things in your life that you've done in the past and list down your regrets, your personal admonitions, your self-anger at what you've done in the past, the list may get a little out of hand.

My list includes weight issues, my issues with control, with relationships, with self-worth, with intelligence (and lack thereof), personal choices, financial choices... you name it, it's long.

I'm thinking that I will be a lot more healthy if I can get a lot of these things out of my brain and quit dwelling on them so often. A lot of them are things I can no longer change or do anything about, so I need to simply up-root them and throw them away. They're not doing anything useful, and are cluttering up my brain with nasty, self-depreciating thoughts. Others are things that I can do something about in the future, but only once I have the tools to straighten them out - which means I need to work with them next, and figure out how to store them until I *can* work with them to resolve it.

So - since tomorrow is the new moon, I think I'm going to do a ritual tonight to help work with all of these new thoughts and ideas, and start fresh. I understand that this is going to be a step-by-step process, and that I will have a lot of bad habits to break, but I think if I do this a step at a time, and take it slow, I should be able to get to a much healthier way of thinking...

~M

Yawning...

Today feels like it's the first day off I've had in about 3 weeks... I can't seem to stop yawning. Could have something to do with the cat tap-dancing around the bed at 4:30 this morning letting me know that she was *HUN-gry, mama!*...

She's been eating MUCH better, of late, and while I have no doubt that she will be on the renal food for the rest of her life, I am fairly sure that said life should be longer than originally expected when she was first diagnosed with early renal failure.

Fred's latest toy showed up - a new Dell computer. While I realize that Dell is proprietary with its stuff (as much so as Apple is when it comes to repair), they're fairly reliable hunks, and it gives Fred the ability to do all the graphics and music stuff he's been wanting to do, as well as play the latest and greatest of Command and Conquer *chuckle*.

After my fairly spectaculer melt-down this last weekend, I went to the doctor. It's been determined that I most likely was in need of a change of medications, so I'm now on a slow move over to Lexapro from the Paxil. I haven't had anything else new happen, but I'm supposed to be making a yearly "girly" appointment within the next week so I can be poked and prodded, as well as have a general monitoring of my mental well-being done by my PCP.

The job is... well... the job. It's honestly neither better nor worse than it was last time I talked about it. I have an interview on Monday, so hopefully that will go well. I was to have had an interview today, but it was a bust - turns out, since it was for Express Temp agency, they wanted me to quit my job immediately and then wait for them to find me a position to fill... Uh, no thanks. I can't afford it. I may be stressing, and I may not be getting paid what my qualifications show that I'm worth, but I'm not going to quit a job until I have a guarantee of a job offer in front of me, thankyouverymuch.

Tomorrow should be exciting for Fred and Speedboy. Speedboy was informed today that they were going to go to lunch tomorrow together... The conversation went thusly:

F: So, kiddo - you and I are going to go to lunch tomorrow.
S: OK.
F: At Sheri's (about 2 miles away or so).
S: [insert HUGE grin on face]
F: But we aren't taking the bus.
S: [even bigger grin] We got a CAR?!?!
F: Nope - we're running there.
S: [insert look of disbelief on face]
F: And the catch is, if you can keep up with me the whole way and not walk, you can order anything on the menu...
S: [thrilled] Cool!
F: But you don't want to eat a lot of heavy stuff - since we're running back, too.
S: oh.

I'm more than amused by this exchange.

Tonight we're having our obligitory Irish dinner of Corned Beef and potatoes, but with a switch - instead of cabbage, I got two beautiful bunches of asparagus from Freddy's at $0.99/lb! So, should be mighty tasty after gentle steaming and a little butter. Nummy.

Fred and I have sort of had an unspoken decision, from what I can tell... We're going to try and get better at the whole food consumation thing... Me, because high grocery bills stress me out, and him AND I because we both feel better when we're not quite as heavy as we've gotten over the winter. So - while we aren't going to *diet*, per se, I think we can safely say that healthier eating habits are going to be followed more, as well as some better physical activities (you know, ones that don't include the picking and shovelling into the mouth of Aplets and Cotlets on a minute-by-minute basis). Speaking of physical activities - anyone have a bellydance DVD they'd like to hand over? I'm kind of strapped for cash, and would like to start working out twice a week or more if possible...

***Amusing side note... The new Command and Conquer "Generals" game Fred is currently playing has an interesting background song to it at times... I keep hearing it and thinking of "Pirates of the Carribean"... I'm waiting for one of the AI's to ask "But why are the Bombs gone?" or "Because the man who's doin' the firin' is dropping a bomb - and the bomb that's doin' the droppin' is goin' to take out your base, savvy?"***

And I'm now going to turn my attention to the preparation of the asparagas... which will be tasty.

~M

New Digs for Sallie Mae Crap

I decided that it was bogging down this blog - while it's angst-y for me, it also includes information that could be of help to other people. In addition, it's a way for me to track what's going on without having to search through lots of other flotsom to find it.

So - if you're interested in finding out more about what's going on, you're welcome to join in there... I'll be adding a link to the roll on the side, as well.

http://sallie-mae-warning.blogspot.com/

~M

Doesn't even BEGIN to cover it...

Being poor that is... And we're about to get even MORE poor...

In order to get Sallie Mae off my back for a few months, I agreed to a payment plan for the private loan. It's lower than what they originally were asking me to pay ($556/month... of course, if I wanted the interest ONLY it would only be $525/month...), but it's still higher than I can afford to pay. But, at least it shows that I'm trying... The crappy bit: I have to pay February and March right now, plus a $50 fee to set everything up... SO - no more wedding money from this point forward. I'm officially tapped, and I haven't purchased the fabric for my Best Bitch or flower girl, or for Fred and Josh's jackets, or for the remaining portion of my dress... I just don't have it. They want $175 per month - and the first payment is actually a double payment as of March 24th, to "catch me up"... *sigh*

I'm still working on figuring out how bad it's gonna hit, but it'll be pretty harsh, I'm sure. Bleh. Hope everyone in the family likes top ramen and not going out to eat for a while.

~M

Can I enter insanity as my plea?

I am going to lose it... I'm either going to kill someone, or I'm going to bust up crying from frustration. Either way, it's not going to be pretty. I feel like I'm going to explode, and am filled with rage for no particular reason other than the amazing amount of stupidity involved with my job and the people I deal with on a daily basis.

I was just "lectured" by another rep here about how I wasn't supposed to do something "that" way, that it was supposed to be "this" way... Which was interesting, since that's the 7th different way that I've been told to do this specific thing... Not that we have an "official" way of doing ANYTHING here - because if we *DID*, we'd have a written policy and procedure manual that we could easily refer to at any time, and that everyone would be able to utilize without any question about these situations...

But NO - no, no... That would be FAR too simple and smart for THIS call center to do. Instead, they would rather have us burrowing around in our emails for 6+ months, trying to figure out what the answer is, or getting 7 different answers from 7 different leads because NO ONE CAN GET THEIR ANSWERS STRAIGHT...

Not surprising, when the "official" answer was emailed back to me, it was apparently the "new" official answer, and it finished off with "let me know if you have any questions". I couldn't resist - it may get me fired, but I don't care anymore. I'd rather PUMP GAS NEXT DOOR TO MY APARTMENT THAN DEAL WITH THIS SHIT ANY LONGER!!!

I answered with "Yeah – when are we going to have a policy and procedures manual set up to where all of this is spelled out and can be easily accessed by everyone, so that we don’t have to search through 6+ months worth of emails to find what we’re looking for?"

So far, not surprisingly, I've had no answer. The last time I asked such a question, I was told "We do everything by email - we prefer it that way - it's easier." Easier for WHOM?!?!?!?!

I am, indeed, fed up. I have no reason to stay here any longer than I absolutely need to, and am currently desperate for ANY type of job at this point - even if it's minimum wage. I'll cut off the cable... I'll take a 2nd job... I'll give plasma... I'll live on Ramen... We'll go vegan if necessary, dammit. I won't deal with this shite any further.

~M

Yuppers - time for the big guns...

So - here's a letter that I'm thinking of plopping on the owner of my company's desk... Let me know what you think. I'm honestly interested, even if you don't agree that it's a good idea...


I know this is highly irregular, and I normally would not bring this up to anyone without first following the proper chain of command. However, I have realized that my concerns are not being taken seriously by my superiors, and I feel that I have no recourse but to go to you, as you are the head of B*******.

After being in call center environments for eight years and creating call center policy and procedure manuals, I can honestly say that I know whereof I speak when I state that this call center is not being run as efficiently or effectively as it could be. There are ways to deal with these issues, but it would require a re-vamping of the call center and its current operating procedures.

Major issues within the call center currently include:

 no training manual
 no follow-up training when changes occur
 no policy/procedural handbook
 no software training on P***W****
 no agreement between supervisors as to what are correct policy/procedures
 no interest by supervisors in changing any of these situations

While I can appreciate that each call can, in theory, be a different situation, the majority fall into separate categories which can be efficiently resolved by utilizing proper policy/procedural practices. There are three main types of calls which come through the queue each day. They are:

- Hospital Calls

- Client Calls

- Collections Calls

Within these three types there exist sub-catagories which need to be dealt with properly based upon what is needed for the specific calls. These sub-catagories include:

- Hospital Calls
- Transfers
- Adjustments
- Collections questions
- Technical support

- Client Calls
- Payment information updates
- Collection questions / disputes
- Lost and found pet issues

Collections Calls
- PetCredit calls
- Collections payments
- Collections disputes

The first issue that must be addressed is two-fold: There must be an agreement between ALL supervisors across the board that they will adhere to the written policy / procedures and make exceptions to those policies and procedures when necessary, based upon pre-approved extenuating circumstances that are understood and accepted by all supervisors.

In addition, there must be a training manual with these policies and procedures clearly spelled out and provided to each call center member and each hospital staff person, with an online version accessable to each person within, or in addition to, S****H****.

The first question, I'm sure, is why we would need such a thing. The answer is simple:

Miscommunication and misunderstanding

Miscommunication and misunderstanding are the biggest reasons for revenue loss, client and employee turn-over, customer dissatisfaction, and job stress.

I have suggested a number of times to my leads and supervisors that we need a policy and procedures handbook so the call center is easily able to provide quick, correct responses to hospital calls, and refer to appropriate guidelines to resolve client calls.

Each time, I have been told that no one in the call center is interested in such a handbook, and that everything works fine with emails.

This is interesting to me because when I speak with fellow co-workers regarding having a policy and procedures handbook, they are very much for the idea, and would like to see it come to fruition - but know that it would not because supervisors have been so openly opposed to such a thing.

Further issues had been seen as well. Supervisors had been refusing to take calls from clients who specifically request to speak with supervisors here. Their reasoning was that the client most likely will need to speak with the hospital anyway, so there's nothing they were going to get from the supervisor - and therefore, we shouldn't waste the client's time. This is something which has our clients (not to mention our hospitals and the call center) very upset. Regardless of whether the supervisor can make an exception or whether the client must go back to speak with the hospital, the client deserves to have their request fulfilled to the best of our ability. If the client requests to speak with a supervisor, then they should be able to speak with one.

Recently, a line dedicated to questions and taking supervisor calls was opened, known as the Resource Desk. This could be an excellent tool if used in conjunction with a policy and procedures manual - however, it is currently being used as a simple Q & A line for reps unsure of how to handle standard procedures. Further - there are times when either no one is scheduled to man the line (after 6pm), or when those who are scheduled to man the line simply refuse to log in and take calls, leaving those needing the line without assistance.

These issues, singly, would not be worrisome. However – when they all stack up together, they create a weight of stress and dissatisfaction throughout the call center which in turn weighs heavily upon the hospitals and our clients.

Successful companies are built on solid building bricks, a major portion of which includes happy employees who are satisfied with both their jobs and their training. Changes can be easily implemented which will create both a positive work environment, and a positive customer experience with both clients and hospitals.

The question then is how to fix the issue. This can be done in a series of steps, starting with having the call center supervisors sitting down with a QA representative, D*******, the VP of O*********, and the VP of M**********, and ALL agreeing upon specific policies and procedures that should be provided within a training manual.

This policy and procedures handbook should then be created in an easy-to-read, simple search format on an intranet page linked through S****H**** (for ease of updating in times of change). Each person within the call center and at each hospital should receive this information, so that everyone can be informed as to what the call center is capable of doing, whom to call when the need arises, step-by-step procedures of what to do, and how to deal with specific scenarios regarding accounts.

The training manual should then be created around this set of policies and procedures, based upon what is necessary to learn within the call center specifically. It should be created in an easy-to-read, simple format which would walk new hires through working within software that is utilized both within the call center and at the hospital level. Testing would then be created based upon the manual to evaluate the levels of learning that has been achieved, and give a base idea when the new hire would be ready for the next step.

The manual should have three portions to it – specifically set out to work with hospital calls, client calls and collection calls. These three chapters should be broken up into the sub-catagories listed in the first of this letter, and therein given the individual instructions on how to deal with the calls in general. Specifics would be learned through mentoring, at the last stage of training where the new hire would listen in on calls and eventually take them while having their mentor listen in and answer questions.

New hire training itself should consist of several levels – the first week being an introduction of what the call center is about and a look at the different programs used to track data for a client and how they interact. The second week should be a hands-on walk-through of the policies and procedures with testing at the end for each of the policies and procedures. It should also include listening in on pre-recorded calls and, based on the understanding of policies and procedures provide answers and debate about them. The third week should be used to learn the basics of P***W*****. The fourth and final week should be where new hires would listen in at desks of mentors, and by the end of the week, take calls on their own with minimal assistance.

Not only would these changes create a calmer, more relaxed atmosphere in the call center, relieving stress and repeated questions to supervisors and the Resource Desk, it would also provide a more knowledgeable staff, capable of handling situations outside of the ordinary with confidence and ease.

These are the biggest changes that I feel need made right away. The call center is currently failing at meeting monthly, weekly and daily call center statistic goals due to guidelines being misunderstood, clients being misrouted and misinformed, hospitals giving and receiving incorrect information, and representatives being stuck in the middle due to inconsistent and questionable training.

Please be aware that it is not just me who feels this way. I have spoken with other representatives within the call center who feel similarly, and who no longer enjoy working for B******* due to the increased stress caused by this serious lack of structure.

I am hoping that with this letter, something positive can be done for the call center and, in turn, something positive will happen for B******* as well.

Thank you

Holy Effin' Hell...

I'm exhausted... Mentally, physically exhausted. That's the only reason I can think of as to why my brain feels like my Paxil has worn off and I'm all wonky-headed...

Doesn't help that I'm working 4 tens and heading 14 miles one way to work, which leaves me exactly 5 hours each night for sleep - IF I manage to get to sleep within a half hour of getting home each night, and I don't unwind. I spend most of my days off currently sleeping. That's sad, honestly. There's so many things that need to be done, and so much that needs to happen - and I'm so tired that I just can't wanna.

It wouldn't be so bad, except that I feel like my head (or at least my eyeballs) will fly off my head if I turn it too quickly, I can't concentrate on anything for more than 15 minutes at a time without feeling like I need a break or a nap, and I have NO patience left with anyone anymore. I'm afraid it's going to start really negatively affecting my home-life because of it.

Fred has been a TOTAL Godsend throughout all of this. He's been so supportive and wonderful, helping when I've asked him to and just being there when I needed it. I am really lucky to have him, and I can't imagine going through this without his support and love.

I'm trying, desperately, to get another job closer to work. I had an interview recently, and am hoping that I hear back from them this week for a follow-up interview. I want to get out of the long trip, poor bennies, and crappy training here. The company itself isn't bad, and their product is really great - but the implimentation and training is for shite.

I said jokingly the other day that I should simply start my own call center consulting business... The more I think about it, the more I think I could, if I could just get my act together. I may not earn a lot of money, but at least I'd be doing something that I'd know something about, and be helping out others within the call center...

I'm thinking right now that one of the reasons I'm wonky-headed is because I'm not getting enough rest to allow my brain to process the Paxil properly. It would explain why I feel like I'm constantly coming off it, but not quite getting there... I get the tingly lips, the dizziness, and the on-edge feeling, like I'm going to head off into panic-attack land, but nothing really gets there.

I'm also eating crap, which doesn't help. I'm living on energy drinks and chocolate, which would explain (along with the stress) why I've gained weight and felt like shite. I'm like some sort of junkie, really... Get up and down a "Wired", then sip diet Pepsi all day while eating tons of sugar to keep me awake enough to do my job, then head home and take 3 Melatonin in order to get to sleep... Then wake up and do it all over again.

I need out. Now. Pray for me...

~M

A few Macros More!

A Fist Full of Macros!

Holy Macros!

Oy! The Macros!!!

Macros!

Macros galore!

Whoot! It r be more macro tiem!

All mine Macros!

More Macros!

Because being at work...

... totally SUCKS on a Saturday, I am therefore going to be posting Cat Macros all day long! BWA HA HA HA HA!!! Please to be enjoying now!