What?

Yesterday they had some new people join up and train. In my area we are closest to a window and four people with four desks in a square area. Some room to move around and fairly big corner desks. Two of the four were training folks in our space. The one gal was just annoying. She wore too much heavy perfume and is a smoker. She was also loud and not there to work. She was sitting next to me and in my ear that didn't have a head phone. The other gal getting training behind me was not noisy at all. Anyway, at one point I had to put my finger in my ear and my other hand in front of my mouth piece in order to do my calls yesterday. It was hard to concentrate.

She went on to tell all of us how much coffee she had to drink to try to stay awake, how sick she felt since it was her period, that she couldn't learn anything on an empty stomach. Just total high maintenance without the looks or bod to back it up. She had to leave several times during her training for her various needs. She put her head down and slept while Robert was training her on the job. At one point she was gone a long time. She said she threw up from all the coffee she drank. She wouldn't get on the phone and do calls herself. Robert kept telling her she should but she went home without trying.

This morning they moved Robert from our little group and left this gal at his desk. I don't know her name. In fact none of us could remember it. She was late and couldn't even turn on the computer herself! Mimi tried to help her for 30 minutes and she was going on and on about how hard it all was. I was tired of her fussing and wanted her to just do the f'ing job! It is hard to make calls with people talking in the background. I could see Mimi and Nick were done with her too. I jokingly said to her "It's not rocket science - just try it." She glared at me and I said "I was kidding." She replied with "I'm in no mood for kidding!" I went back to my call list. She then had a supervisor go over the whole job (the training she at times literally slept through the day before) again. After another 40 minutes she said she had it. She sat doing nothing for several minutes then went to a break. Mimi went to the bathroom and when she came back she told me that "gal with no name" was in the breakroom telling Robert in a loud voice how mean I was and she couldn't work around me. WTF? Mimi had told her to sit up, pay attention and be quiet yesterday but that was nice? She then told two of the big bosses about her troubles with me. Thankfully they didn't take her seriously and even sent another guy over to tell us what was going on. She called her temp agency and finally left. What a pain in the ass! Now the joke is if they want to scare or get rid of someone have them sit by me.

I sure do know how to make friends.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Happy F'ing Monday

After all the car repairs of recent you think my car would feel special and loved, right? I guess not enough. Saturday on the way to a free T.V. taping of CPW (wrestling) we went out to get in my pretty but the remote didn't work. We tried removing the back which took group effort and skill. After cleaning the contacts and battery we put it back together and still nothing. It was decided that A) we would not take my car 2)I needed to buy a new battery and we were running late now.

On my lazy Sunday I got up and used the computer briefly, had a horrible thought come to the front of my brain that made my eyes leak water then got dressed to walk to Fred Meyer to purchase a new battery. It was a short walk and easy switch. We did all the hard loosening work the day before. I walked home the longer way getting a few important errands of necessity done as long as I was out. I was going to walk to the bank but didn't want to carry coffee and bread sticks all that way. I thought I would just put said items in my car using my now charged up remote. Well, it still didn't work, Damn.

I was not mentally prepared for that. Leaking anew (not a flood but annoying) occurred which didn't help the situation. I went up to my apartment to brain storm. This was not cool! I was supposed to run the door at CSz for a friends show that was happening there. I texted him and told him that I had to take care of this, sorry. He was cool with it.

This was Sunday and places just aren't open! I tried in vain to call a couple of places but they were indeed closed. I called a Volvo dealership that was opened (not the service dept.) and checked that if I opened the car with the key even though the alarm was on via the remote would it be okay. They assured me I would not set off the alarm nor render the car useless (anti-theft) I unlocked the driver side door and got into a dark lifeless car. No head lights, inside lights, radio or noise when I turned the key. I called in to the temporary job and left a voice mail that I would not be there since I had to deal with my car during weekday hours. I talked with a friend that also had a Volvo and we agreed that either when I opened the car with the regular key the anti-theft "killed" it or a delayed reaction to the car battery being replaced tripped something. I didn't think it could be my new 1 1/2 week old car battery.

After calling AAA and confirming I could indeed get a tow to Swede One if necessary I gave up worrying about it for the night. I set my alarm for 7am figuring I would be walking the four blocks to Les Schwab when they opened at 8am. That is where I got my new car battery.

This morning I got up at the same time as Nick. He laid on the couch while I made coffee (for me) and oatmeal. (for him) I watched the morning news while sipping my Christmas Blend coffee and waking up. Just before getting dressed I called Dave at S1 to leave a message of my woes and that I was going to walk over to Les Schwab to see what they thought. By the time I got dressed I had sent Nick back to bed with an upset stomach and Dave called to say he thought something was draining the battery so I should have it towed to him.

I called AAA back and gave the pre-approved number to have them come and tow my pretty away. It was 8:15 at the time I called. They said someone would be out by 9:30 at the latest. Where was I going to go anyway besides back to bed. The driver called at 9:20 to say he was out front if I could give him the keys. He had a flat bed truck and had my car up and on it's way within ten minutes. Now we wait.

Happy f'ing Monday all.

Goodbye my pretty

So much . . .Do I ask for too much?

There is much I am thinking about. When I am supposed to be reading a script (at work) thoughts flash through my mind to distract me. "What am I going to do to fix this?", "Can I wait to get my life the way I want?", "Am I being fair and good with my boys?"

I want to be comfortable in my mind and in my world. I want the people I care about to be proud of me. I want to be with someone that can think of no place they would rather be than in My World with me. I want to be the important person that plans get altered for. I cant be the strongest forever. A whole world gets very heavy when you cant share the load.

Saturday

I am proud to say that I didn't eat too much during this food driven holiday despite the fact I had two Thanksgiving dinners. I dont deny myself I just eat sensibly. I enjoyed the food but I don't like eating until my pants explode. I hope all of you have recovered from any food-driven comas you might have lapsed into. Enjoy the rest of our extended weekend before the work week begins again.

"Beauty"

Happy Thanksgiving from My world to yours

Bron and Me at McMinns after The show

Me and Bron after her CSz show

Put a smile in my day

Today when I checked in at work I was again spending my morning calling New York and Chicago. I was in a fair mood but bracing for a long day. The job is not that challenging or exciting. At 8:20 they asked a bunch of us to help finish up with the London calls until 9:30. Boy did that cause excitement! The only people allowed to do the London calls had to work from 1am to 9:30am. From the first ringing of the phone it was so fun. I thought of Bron from the first call. (No, she isn't the only person I know with an accent.) Even as the receptionist did her job and screened why I was going to bug her boss I was enjoying myself. It really put a nice kick in my day.

It is usually all about me but the last couple of days it has been all about my car. I needed to do some general matenance I knew had to be done. It started out with a new battery and while the nice guys at Les Schwab fixed my one front tire that worries me they told me my front brakes were less than 20 % left. That reminded me that Dave said by the end of Fall I would have to do brakes. After getting that news and making the appointment for the following Saturday I looked at my oil change sticker. Yup, it was time to change it. The poor thing was pretty dirty to boot. As of yesterday I have completed all the above tasks at a cost of a bit over $500. bucks. I'm glad Les Schwab still had my account information from before and let me use it now. While this is not the best time of year to do this I had no choice but am grateful I had options. I really like my car and depend on it. Now it can go back to being all about me.

Rey is The Man!

I really like the style that Rey fights. I wish they would really let him cut loose. He is awesome to watch and I'm always amazed by what he does. Happy RAWwatching tonight.

Finally

Today Deeg and I are going hiking with each other and our cameras! I hope to have some awesome fall pics to share. I cant even tell you the last time we went hiking it's been that long!

Yesterday I had a wonderful, challenging, mind cleansing fall bike ride. Over 22 miles that covered Washington Park up to the Zoo, back downtown, Springwater path to Sellwood, the industrial area back into NW Portland and home. It was just what I needed. If you cant have mind blowing leaves you unable to speak sex my ride was the next best thing. ;)

Check me out here!
http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/martacycle/

Odd Monday

At my temporary work we definitely had a Monday on Monday. What I mean is the system that all the computers run on was having big trouble! A call that should take two minutes including all the data entry was taking ten or more minutes. As the day wore on it was even slower. Finally around one they had everybody log off for about twenty minutes so they could (hopefully) fix the problem. It worked better after that but still had some lag. Today when I got there they were asking for volunteers to go home. "We" have not had enough registrations so . . . .

Me being the dork I am, or simply not awake this morning, forgot my regular glasses in my bathroom and my reading glasses were at the computer at home. I could work for a short time without them but would have gotten a bad headache and it all gets more blurry the harder my eyes work. The job is in Tigard just off 217 near I-5 so to drive home at that time of day and to get back would have taken an hour. Basically, I got the day off today. I have so much I want to and need to do today I'm good with it. Thankfully I'm not going to penalized for my short comings since they needed people off the clock.

Last night I watched the beginning of RAW before going to bed. From the beginning I had tears rolling down my cheeks. The roster from RAW and some from SmackDown were at the top of the ramp. Most of them were not just having tears but all out crying. It was very moving and because of my tears the boys came to watch. They seemed moved too but unsure how to act. After all we didn't even know Eddie, just watched him on a show. I was sad but glad they did such a nice tribute for Eddie but also for the fans.

Big Show had been crying and was still upset when he came out as the first match for the tag team with his partner Kane. He pulled himself together and he and Kane had a nice match against M and M. I smiled through tears at the end of the match. Big Show did Eddie's "dance" with tears in his eyes after he and Kane won.

They had touching testimonials by John Cena and Lillian Garcia. Before the next match started they had a short clip of Eddie up to his own silliness when he was auctioning off Kurt Angle's "personal" items. That made me smile remembering that whole story line. It was an up time for Eddie. It made my feel better and was the perfect time to start the tape, turn off the T.V. and go to bed.

I didn't know Eddie personally but I am saddened by his death. He seemed to be on an up swing in his wrestling and his life. He was the type of personality that you loved to love and loved to hate. He was a great "face" but did a super job playing the "heel." He was so young. I hope he had no regrets in his choices.

I plan on getting many things done today including a longer bike ride. I don't want to waste this "free" day I have been given. It is sooo cold in the morning and beautiful and brisk the rest of the day. The colors and smells are wonderful. I love fall and cant wait to be out in it in a bit. Have a super day and do at least one thing for yourself today!

The way I want to remember Eddie

I was very saddeded by the news this moring about Eddie Guerrero. I

didn't always "like" him but he had skill. I hoped he had overcome his

demons and was moving forward positively in his life. I will miss

seeing him in the ring.

Jeremy Blanchard turning babyface last year.

Doing the Standing thing

I have been placed in a temp to hire position as business to business appointment setter. I'm on a phone making at least 200 calls a day. It is not my dream job by any means but I can make some money and take care of my boys. It's not rocket science and nobody will die if I do make a mistake. I'm still looking at night and hoping things change soon but until then I'm doing what I gotta do.

It is hard for me to sit still so I get up and move around as much as I can. My calls are very short and if I do get a real person I might need to switch between some screens for no more than 5-10 mins then back to quick calls. They think I'm doing super.

I raced home today so I could get a ride in the beautiful fall day we had. I rode through my neighborhood working around in an odd patterns but riding hard the whole way. Since it was after 4 I needed to stay near home as it was going to get dark. I don't have a headlight anymore. I did almost 8 miles in 40 minutes. Not bad and very needed!

Good times

Last night I was in the CSz show. It has been a real long time since I've been in a show. It was wonderful not only to play but to be a captain.

The picture is Sam Super's last show at Eugene CSz on his way out of town to Chicago. He is now on the Chicago team with some other folks I miss too.

Sam, Tim and I in Sam's last show in Eugene.

Buffy and Kendra

Trying to find my way

There are things we lean on for comfort in times of discord. For me it was having Buffy and Charmed on in the background in the mornings as I got up and going. They were always on a couple times a day and like good friends for me these last four years. If things were not going well I could turn them on and their message of "Good over Evil" and "Count on yourself" lifted me. Now that there are so many changes and harsh things coming at me everyday I feel abandon. They have both been cut back so that Buffy is only on once at 7am and Charmed is on at an awkward time of 4pm. It has made my days seem out of sync.

Power of three please!

Hiking to the big one (three!)

I woke up in the middle of the night to the patter of rain. It was nice to lay there listening to such a soothing sound. The wind moved my chimes on occasion. There was even a car that went by with a delightful swishing sound. That is comfort and brings a smile to my face.

The photo above is one of the pictures I took while hiking with Deeg a couple of years ago. It was a small waterfall only about four feet tall and maybe three feet wide. The amount of water involved was very small. It was on the side of the trail amongst ferns and moss. For being small it was very intricate with many levels and had the sweetest sound.

I love the rain

Ken's words from CSz forums

Tuesday 18th
As is the case for my co-volunteer, JR, I am being deployed by the Red Cross. I am leaving for New Orleans on Wednesday morning. I think a flight at 7:00 a.m. qualifies as a 'red eye.' My deployment is to drive an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). It's a mobile feeding unit that is symbolic of the Red Cross. You typically see them at fires (and such) feeding emergency responders as well as clients. I don't know if I will have a route (taking hot food to clients) or set up at a specific location (clients coming over for hot food). The Red Cross sent the national ERV fleet down to New Orleans soon after Katrina struck. Since they pretty much all arrived at the same time, the crews finish deployment at about the same time as well. That sets into motion a request for a couple hundred ERV drivers. I did my ERV training about 10 days ago here in Vancouver. It turned out to be a timely class to take. It is interesting that in 'normal' times, Red Cross training for disaster services takes 12-18 months (and requires 'experience' at the local level). Some classes, like the ERV, get offered once a year. Other classes, once a quarter or so. In response to this series of disasters, the training process is measured in days or weeks. Wish me luck! My return date is November 9th. I'll miss the Farm Team Shows, being a DIP WAD on Saturday, and the workshops. Actually, I miss the people in each of them the MOST.

Monday the 24th
Here's the status...

I am in a staff shelter in some small Louisiana town that I cannot pronounce or spell. The local folks have been most helpful with my education. Across from the church is a small Internet Cafe with three computers. None of the Red Cross folks seem to want computer time (or they have not found it yet).

The shelter is in the St. Thomas Methodist Church gym. I guess that tonight, there will be 50 something here. It changes every night. This is my third shelter and finally where I call home (as in used the air mattress). The church members are taking good care of use too. We have a drop off laundry service! That is the envy of all shelters. Also, they cook wonderful meals a few nights a week. Last night, the Boy Scouts fed us some Dutch oven strew.

Our living conditions are a contrast to the city. I have an assignment working at a drive up distribution center on Orleans Ave. In New Orleans. It is at the Civic Auditorium and across the street from the infamous looted Winn-Dixie store. There is NO power or water in this section of the city. It is a mess. I can't believe what I see and smell every day. We hand out food, water, diapers, cleaning supplies, Red Cross bad jokes, and smiles to people from 10-3 every day. We run out of supplies (four larger truck loads DAILY) before we run out of clients needing help.

People we see and give items to are often living in their cars. Each day new people say they are returning for the first time. The storm hit almost two months ago now. Can you imagine leaving home for a short stay for a storm to pass and being faced with returning to nothing.

Yesterday, I asked a man if he needed cleaning supplies. He said; "Man, my house is gone." "There's nothing left to clean!" I got off the line for a minute to recompose.

There is no way to describe what is going on here in this city every day. I will know that once the story fades from the hot news of the day, there will still be people in the Site 12 line looking for food and water (and NOT needing cleaning supplies) because: "There's nothing left to clean!"

This Bulk Distribution site has been up and running for a month now. It may be here for months longer. It is strange to leave every day and see NOTHING happening to clean up this part of the city (just a fact not a political statement). The traffic signals are still dark. Stop signs on tri-pods replace them. The flooded cars in the Winn-Dixie parking lot have not been moved. Nobody even looks at them!

Red Cross volunteers cannot tell what day of the week it is. My guess is that our clients are in the same boat. Every day is the same (but new) routine.

The medical staff will not allow us to wear our shoes into the shelter as they are feared contaminated. I was told to leave all my clothes here and buy new one upon departure.

Back to business is not at all normal. Open restaurants have a limited menu. We have been handed a sheet of paper at an Applebees in Covington for example. Every place has signs looking for help. There is nobody left to help. The 24-hour Wal-Mart closes at 8:00 p.m. now.

Many of the rules we expect to see are gone. Trucks park on the Interstate to convoy up overnight. Anyone in our line that even raises a voice is met with a swam of Federal Agents to ensure they are calm. Our site has an escape truck that we are all briefed on. It is a necessary thing to know; what to do if all hell breaks loose. Get out and let the police handle it. Speaking of police, I have not yet seen an NOPD officer in anything but jeans and a t-shirt; there are no uniforms.

My time is expiring and the cafe is closing. More later.

Ken
_________________

I got to talk to Ken tonight for about 20 minutes. He said that it is near impossible to get cell signal where he is. He seemed in fair spirits but very tired given his long days. I feel better having talked to him and hearing the personal satisfaction in his voice and words as he told of his work. The way things are run don't seem right or efficient but he is doing his Kennest to get the job done.