Today I had a "class" with my clients. I needed them to connect together the concepts that if they want money, they not only need a job, they need to keep the job, and not following the rules is a quick way to lose the job. And they don't want to lose the job because then they won't have money. Therefore, don't break work rules.

One kid got really excited and blurted out, "Yeah, it's just like what Ludicrous said in that one song, 'if you don't want to play take your broke ass home'". I paused for a second and realized that yes, it IS just like what Ludicrous said.

And who said rap music is a bad thing?

Dropped Drew and Kookcity2000 off at the airport.
Went to the grocery store to buy a ribeye steak, which I buy one or two times a year when Drew is gone for a lengthy period of time.
Prepared my ribeye steak in a manner that I love, which Drew finds disgusting. Thus the reason I buy it only once or twice a year when Drew goes out of town. That and meat is REALLY expensive, anyone else notice that? (gift idea for next years Secret Santa ya'll).
Enjoyed said steak while working my way through season 4 of Gilmore Girls.
Buckley is already sulking from the absence of Drew.
The cats probably haven't even noticed that Drew is gone.
And I have no one to boss around. But I do have a large bed and twice the pillows as usual to myself tonight.

Drew is going to try to periodically post pictures of the trip at the church's website, if you want to wander over there occasionally. www.elmwoodjesus.org

So, I've been relentlessly attending the meetings and parties of two chapters of this social sorority as you may recall Today, I dragged myself out of bed way too early this morning cursing and swearing as I drove all the way out to the furthest out suburbs to the meeting for the chapter that I really like so I can get into the chapter. It ended up worth the effort when I had the following two conversations:

sorority sister A: Didn't we just vote you into the group?

Janelle: Uh, I'm not sure. If you did, I'm not sure you're supposed to say yet.

sorority sister A: Oh, well, I'm just horrible with secrets!


Sorority sister B: I would have loved to have met your mom (who is also in said sorority) when she was in town.

Janelle: Well, she will definitely be coming out for my initiation...if I get initiated, you'll get to meet her (hint, hint).

Sorority sister B: Well, she may want to plan to come out in March then (wink, wink).

Sweet, looks like an invite should be in the mail shortly!

I know I talk (really it's more like complain) about my job quite a bit. It's to the point where some must be thinking, if you hate it so much, then quit or do something about it. Ha! I have a plan that I'm going to lay out over the next couple of days.

Step 1. Pick a quit date. I pick JULY 2009. I know, that's a bit down the road. But I have my reasons. And at least it gives me a concrete date that I can count down!

Reason 1. I want to make sure I'm not doing a "grass is greener on the other side" thing. Right now, I'm not actually doing the job I was hired to do. Starting in April or May, I should be doing the job I was actually hired to do, so maybe I'll be more satisfied then. Also, (e:Drew) wisely pointed out to me that I often hate my job for the first 6 months to a year. And then I hate leaving it when all is said and done.

Reason 2. I am not just quitting this job. I am going to leave the social service field. I am making plans and thinking on a new career path. I want to use the time to take a few classes and prepare a bit before I make the switch.

Reason 3. Finances. I have a few monetary goals to hit before I jump ship. Including paying for the classes to become a commissioned lay pastor.

Reason 4. I want to pop out a baby around July 2009 and it just makes sense to me to make a career shift at the same time.

Jason's post reminded me of our experience living in a manse in Pittsburgh. A manse is a house that a church owns for its pastor and family to live in. Some churches offer it as an option, but with our church it was sort of mandatory. It was an interesting experience and allowed us to save up lots of money to buy our house, but we definitely had some interesting experiences.

This story is my favorite. I noticed a leak one day coming from the ceiling light fixture in the office room. Leaks seem bad. Water and electricity seem bad, so we told the maintenance guy. Took him a few weeks, but he finally came over. Looked at it, declared he didn't know where the leak was coming from and shut off the electricity to the light. The leak continued and a neat little crack circling the light fixture appeared. Again, we urge the maintenance guy to look at it. He pulls down the light fixture, pokes around in the ceiling and declares that he doesn't know where the leak is coming from. Leaves the light fixture dangling from the ceiling by the electrical wires. Now a lot of water is pouring from the hole when it rains or snows, so we have to keep a bucket underneath. Again, we suggest to the maintenance guy that he do something. So he comes over and removes the light fixture altogther and doesn't fix the leak. Now there is a big hole in the ceiling where the light used to be and there is also a crack running the diagonal length of the room with lots of little tributary cracks. Water is leaking all along this crack and there are not enough pots and pans to collect all the water so I just let it leak into the carpet. Eventually paint starts peeling from the ceiling and dangling by big flakes and the cracks continue to widen. One night in bed, I heard a thunderous crash downstairs. I didn't bother to get up. I knew the ceiling in the room had finally fallen down. In the morning, I found chunks of plaster all over the floor. A 3' x 4' chunk of ceiling plaster had fallen from the ceiling. We let the maintenance guy know and he comes over, cleans up the plaster and tidies up the hole in the ceiling. Still, does not fix the hole or leak. And so it remained until we moved from Buffalo. I think from start to finish, this fun event took place over a 6 month period.

So now, when people ask if we live in a manse in Buffalo, I say no and laugh hysterically. I will never live in a manse again (*knock on wood*).

It annoys me that my supervisor keeps asking me if I'm "comfortable" with a plan of action document that I wrote over 3 months ago and submitted for his review AND have already started implementing. What the hell does he mean by "comfortable"? And why, 3 months later, has he yet to review it? And it seems a little late to be asking me if I'm comfortable with it when I'm already knee deep into it.

It annoys me that he treats me like his personal administrative assistant. I'm not his administrative assistant. I'd actually like to be an administrative or executive assistant. But currently, that's not my job title or an accurate description of my job. I suppose if he respected me enough to read the documents he's always asking me to create, I'd be a little more easygoing on this point.

It annoys me that I was told at the initial interview that this program for which I'd work was for all intensive purposes approved, when in reality, its' 6 months later and it's still not approved. Lesson learned, I will never work for a social service program again that doesn't have its approval and financing at the time of the interview. Oh, wait...I'm thinking I should just wash my hands of non-profits all together.

It annoys me that it was highly stressed to me at the interview that this job required an individual who can be successfull working autonomously and independently make decisions and follow through(terrific, that's my strong point). In reality, my position requires a person with a strong personality who is good at team work and doesn't mind running their projects and work by 20 other people to see what they think until they run around in bloody circles. Not my weakness, but certainly ain't my strength.

2007 ... the year of changes ...

We left Pittsburgh. Traveled to Vietnam. Bought a house in Buffalo. I reconnected with a childhood friend who lives here now. Childhood friend helped us make new friends. We met a ton of new people through estrip. I started blogging for the first time ever. We started at a new church that we really like. I started a new job. My last job I loved, but I came home angry and frustrated. This job, I don't love, but I come home with a happier disposition at the end of the day. I now have time to do the things I enjoy because I'm not utterly exhausted from work. My mom declared she was divorcing my dad, an act that sent our little family into a tailspin. We celebrated the holidays in our home with my family and it turned into a mini family reunion. In 2007, I have been the happiest I've been for several years.

2008

I want more changes for 2008. I'm going to make a plan for work...go back to school, switch jobs, do something...but I need to make a plan for the future. I'm going to consider being a commissioned lay pastor, so I can serve a church in a way that won't conflict with my husband being a pastor. I offered to teach piano lessons to children at Massachusetts's Avenue Project and I am going to try to make it happen. I'm going to travel to Bulgaria in July, hopefully.

I hope a few things stay the same. Share my life with (e:Drew). Live in Buffalo. Stay connected with our friends and church.

Here's to another year!

This is our view from the bathroom. Usually when I look at it, I think, they really need to paint their house before the clapboard starts rotting. But in the winter time it has this old rustic farmhouse look to it that I like.


This was the view from our window this morning. I rarely watch the weather, so unless I hear weather murmuring from other people, snow like this is a pleasant surprise.


This is the view of a window from our bedroom door. One day, we plan on having a stained glass window. In the summer I'll have a beautiful stained glass view and in the winter I already have a winter wonderland view, I'm never going to want to leave bed.

I'm such a little kid...I'm so excited to be off from work soon for the Christmas holiday...I can hardly stand it. It's only 10:15am and it feels like the day is dragging on FOREVER.... It is the never ending work day full of bad Christmas music and minory annoyances. It's standing in between me and family, fun, presents, Christmas celebrations...I have work I COULD, in theory, be doing, but I can only think about 4:30pm...at which point the work ends and the fun begins.

So a person comes to work with the plan to check e-mail and voicemail from the previous work day and shoot off to a morning meeting in Hamburg. Voicemail, e-mail and estrip checked, the person gets up and starts leaving the building to drive to the meeting. The person runs into their supervisor who lives in Hamburg. "Hm", the person says, "Mr. Supervisor, why did you drive here to work only to turn around to go back to the meeting in Hamburg". Mr. Supervisor pulled a face that said, Meeting? What meeting? That face was quickly folllowed by a face of dawning realization. Then Mr. Supervisor finally said, "<ahem, clear throat> The meeting was cancelled....oh, no, I need to call everyone else to make sure they know".

Is it just in social services where these things happen? Would people at the prestigious Roswell schedule meetings then capriciously cancel them without telling anyone? I mean, am I complaining about something that happens everywhere....I guess scheduling and canceling meetings is just a pet peeve of mine I like to rant about it.