Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Om nom, nom!

I love bacon, I love chicken and I love spicy food. So this afternoon when we realized we didn't have ground beef for the burgers we'd planned on having (Diced serrano pepper, chopped bacon, diced onion, all mixed into the beef and grilled, best burgers ever!), we pulled chicken breasts from the freezer instead and I searched chicken for something different on Pinterest. Score!

Sweet & Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken.

We used cayenne pepper, and didn't cut up the chicken breasts, but it was DELICIOUS!!!!

Monday, October 21, 2013

So over family!

Had an argument with my mom yesterday. She's "hurt" that I haven't been back to visit for years now, but my oh so perfect sister and her family finds the time to go see her. Well, let's see... They live no more than a few hours away from my mom, I live more than 12 hours away. Not to mention the fact that I am flat broke. Something she doesn't understand, because she's never had to worry about money, ever. Nor does she grasp the concept of work, because she's never had to do that either. I'm just supposed to walk into work at my busiest time of the year (this week and next have the potential to be $10k weeks) and say, "My mom's nagging at me, so I need to take a week off and go see her," leaving my department with no one who knows what the hell they are doing? 'Cause that wouldn't get me fired....

Part of the problem of course, is that I haven't told my mom about our financial struggles until now, because frankly, I'm a big girl and I don't need to tell my mommy all of my troubles. It's not like she would help anyway. So she really has no idea how bad things are right now and when I try to tell her, she doesn't really listen because it doesn't go with what she wants to hear.

I brought up the fact that we haven't been back to see my husband's family since the kiddo was 5, (she's 13 now!) and all I got was, "Well that's different because it costs thousands of dollars to go see them!" But really, it's not. $500 vs $5000, it's all the same when you don't have it. And the fact still remains that we've not seen anyone but my mother in law in much longer than my mother has gone without a visit.

I feel she's being very selfish, and trying to make me feel selfish in return, that good ol' Catholic guilt trip. At some point I am going to send her an email, because obviously I can't talk to her on the phone about this without both of us getting upset. As far as she is concerned, she's right and a good daughter would fall in line and come visit. As far as I am concerned, winter is coming and all of the good bridges are already taken, and I really have no desire to live under one anyway, which is what happens if I lose my job. Or Gods forbid, we move in with my mother!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Still dry, for now

Our first sign of serious trouble was when the school district sent everyone home at 11 am Thursday, due to concerns that roads would soon be impassible. Since then, we watched the river rise, first in Estes Park.


To the right is one of only 3 main roads to Estes Park. Totally gone, thanks to flooding. (Click on the photo to see the damage full size!) The town of Estes is pretty much inaccessible, with the other 2 main roads crumbling as well. The only way in or out is over Trail Ridge Road, which the National Park Service is keeping open despite snowfall, just so emergency services have a way in and out. Unfortunately, that's one heck of a detour!

Then they had to release excess water down the Big Thompson which combined with the constant rain, and things went even more wrong, as you can see by the photo of the Narrows part of the canyon.

From the canyon the water raced through Loveland itself, flowing over farmland and neighborhoods alike.


Eventually, the water overran I-25, just south of town this morning. This is the main route in and out of Loveland, Eventually, the entire interstate closed from Denver to the Wyoming border. Crazy when the interstate becomes a river! At that point, every route into Loveland from the south was cut off, due to topped or destroyed bridges.

The river continues to rush east, into Greeley, taking out a trailer park and heading for the Platte River, into which most of them eventually flow.

National Guard helicopters are evacuating residents from areas that are inaccessible.

And unfortunately, more rain is predicted for the weekend.

But thankfully, we are high and dry, safe and well. We send our positive thoughts to those that are out of their homes or have lost their homes, as well as our gratitude for the amazing fire & police, sheriff, State Patrol and National Guard folks out there rescuing people and keeping us safe. Also, a huge shout out for the Searcfh & Rescue folks that have come in from Nebraska & Utah to help out. Bless you all!

Monday, May 27, 2013

In Limbo

Still haven't heard back from the job I applied for. I asked my old boss if it had been filled internally since I hadn't heard anything by Wednesday. He told me they still had a few people to interview so hopefully I will hear something, one way or the other this week. *Sigh*

Meanwhile, I at least had a 3 day weekend so that got me outta there for a bit, and I took a 1/2 day Tuesday, because really, I was in a pissy mood and just needed to. It's hard when your job depends on working with people in a polite and friendly manner and you just want to smack them upside the head. I'm tired of being in a crappy mood all the time :(

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Changes?

I have a second interview today. Something just came up out of the blue and I feel like I have to go for it. Recently one of my former bosses quit our company and went to work for another one. He told me he would steal me if something came up. But knowing that he'll most likely be taking a position in another state with this new company soon, I didn't really think much of it. Well, he sent me a text the other day telling me that one of the local locations had a full time position and would I be interested, oh and by the way, the position starts at $100/week more than you are making after nearly 5 years with your current company. And there's potential for promotion, unlike with the current company. I'm at a dead end where I am at right now, and frustrated with the lack of incentive to stay.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, since I know there are people within the company that are after the same spot, and J is new with that company, so I don't know how much weight his opinion holds. But I think the second interview is a positive sign. We'll see. And it doesn't hurt anything to try.

Meanwhile, my current company is falling apart around me. Not my location so much, but my hubby's. It is in major turmoil. No one is happy with the new boss. He totally took credit for everyone's hard work and a bunch of things that were already in place before he even started with the company. There are maybe three people at his location that are actually doing their jobs, the rest just feel entitled to a paycheck for doing nothing. And one of the three is about to turn in his notice. I told my hubby that he needs to stop working so damned hard because everyone is taking advantage. He's doing stuff that isn't in his job description, which is leaving what he's supposed to be doing undone. I wish now that I had never recommended him for the job. He was almost better off at Wal-Hell, even working overnights :(

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Not much to say

Work sucks. I'm totally burned out and fed up with the company I work for. They seem to have decided that short term goals are more important that long term benefits and it's just stupid.

Not too long ago, they announced that they were doing away with the position of Assistant Manager and Customer Service Lead at all but the busiest stores and implementing a new position that combined the two in an effort to improve customer service. Huh? The theory being that this would free up some payroll so we could have more people on the floor.

All of the people that were in danger of being made redundant were to be assessed and the position given to the best candidate. As it would be the number two spot in the store, the new position carries more responsibility than CSL, so more pay was discussed. Everyone who assessed poorly would be given a severance package. Including out CSL. I was inline to get the new spot, my last, best chance to move up with this company since the removal of the AM position.

Three days before the changes were going to take place, someone finally did the math and realized that with so many of the CSLs assessing poorly they would be paying out a huge amount of money. Cue the 180 degree flip. All CSLs were automatically given the new position and since they are calling it a sideways move, there's no pay increase. So now we have a TON of poorly assessed people as the second in charge in a TON of stores. And me still in my little corner.

Which I thought I was ok with, because I really did like my job. But now I just feel bitter and annoyed and frankly, taken advantage of. All.The.Fucking.Time.

Meanwhile, the things I said months ago to my current boss are starting to come to pass. General Managers who have been with the company for years and got screwed over this year by this and other company wide fuck ups, are starting to leave. My old GM, who I loved to death got screwed one too many times, lied to too many times, and just left to go work with a company that has a long term vision promoting growth, not penny pinching. I see his former AM, now a GM in her own store, heading that way soon too, but time will tell.

Oh and the mythical payroll that was supposed to increase customer service by putting more people on the floor? Dried up. Good luck finding someone on the floor to help you unless we're working freight.

I give them until July to prove me wrong in my theory that they're going to drive the company into the ground in pursuit of the almighty dollar. That's when I get my yearly review and normally, a pay increase. If I don't get one, they can blow me.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Closing up shop?

Thinking about closing down the ol' blog. I just don't post very often anymore and frankly don't have a lot to say lately. Life's kind of boring here ;)

Actually, there's a lot of stuff going on in my life, but I have to be vague when discussing it, 'cause I don't want to have the internet come back and bite me on the arse!

Work has cut operating hours drastically. My work hours have stayed the same, and my job is safe, thankfully, but not everyone has been so lucky. DH and I work for the same company, different positions in different locations. Hubby's job is being made redundant, as well as another position, though he's not supposed to know it yet. Lucky for us, my boss has a big mouth and told me what was happening, so of course I told my DH. He went to his boss and said something. After his boss got over being surprised that my hubby knew what was happening, the good news is, he's pretty much guaranteed that he'll get the position that is being created to take the place of the two that are going away, if he wants it. But it's not really his cup of tea, so he's looking further afield, too.

Anyhoo, not real sure where I'm going to go with this blog over the next year. We'll wait and see a bit.

For me.

It's been a long winter. Mentally, I feel even worse off than I was before, though things are finally looking up. I abandoned the gym. I...