Still here...

I am in Iowa visiting family and friends for an 80th birthday and a wedding.

I forget how much I miss Iowa sometimes...

I’ve always had a thing for Quakers

When I was little, I wasn’t much of a breakfast kind of gal. My mom still to this day makes the best toast*, hands down, but if I had to pick my favorite breakfast, it had to be a tie between two cereals.

Lucky Charms and Quaker Oats Crunchy Corn Bran (AKA QOCCB).

Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking.

Corn Bran? She, as a kid, loved Corn Bran? Just having the name “bran” in the name makes most kids run screaming the other direction. I can understand Lucky Charms, but CORN BRAN?!? No way.

But really, this cereal was amazing. Yummy pockets of sweet goodness in 2 percent milk**. They almost pop open in your mouth if you catch them at the right pre-soggy moment.

I haven’t had QOCCB in almost 10 years—not for lack of trying.

Each time I was in (add chain grocery store name here) I would search the cereal isle for it. Top row of “good for you” cereals. Middle/second row of “the most popular and sometimes the most expensive cereals” (cuz they are eye level for most people--really) and the bottom/middle row of “the most kid –friendly” cereals (yep, you guessed it, kid eye-level)

No luck.

UNTIL TONIGHT. (!!!)

Who would guess that my ‘lil ‘ol local Publix would have EXACTLY what I have been searching for.

Tomorrow’s breakfast?

Is gonna be a good one.

-----

*And popcorn. And cereal. We still laugh that I remember her “cooking” 3 things that take no effort at all, but not the 100’s of other great meals she slaved for hours over.

**It HAD to be 2%. Maaaaybe 1%. But none of that watery skim junk. Have you ever tried Lucky Charms with skim milk? If not, just…don’t. Ew.

Thanks for your prayers…

Though I can’t say the same for some of my very very very good friends, I still have a job.

Today was a horrible day at work.

My boss was let go.

I listened to another colleague sob uncontrollably in her cube just down from mine. She has worked for my organization for 25 years and she was let go today.

Brutal. Just brutal.

It is very hard for me to be “happy” I still have a job when I see the devastation going on around me. 

Tomorrow, 3 more departments go under the knife.

I just want to call in sick.

Waiting to Exhale

I have never been more uncertain of my professional future than I am today.

Prayers are needed from 9-12EST- I will learn if my role has been eliminated or if i have a job tomorrow. Most of my friends and colleagues will learn their fate around the same time.

Not a good day to be in the office.

5 people I know were let go yesterday—but today will be the worst of it.

I am scared.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Hope you all had a great Mother’s Day!

Open letter to the cable company

Dear big behemoth company with a monopoly:

I am done with you.

Tomorrow, I will call your disconnect line and get rid of your DVR service, your On Demand service and your stupid box. Oh, and the phone service too. I wish I could get rid of the cable completely and my internet service, but alas, you are a MONOPOLY, and I can’t have any other service in my building.

And you know that. You are twirling your handlebar mustache  and laughing behind my back right now, aren’t you??

I have spent COUNTLESS hours on the phone with your incompetent  “customer service reps” and have had 5 techs in my home in the past 35 days.

None of them can figure out what the problems are. NONE OF THEM.

I have had my condo rewired.

I have been yelled at by a CSR.

I have stayed home from work 5 times for you to tell me you can’t fix my problem.

I have had 4 new cable boxes.

I have been given credits* and fake apologies.

I have been told (today) I am past due on my bill, though the 7 different CSR people I have talked to over the past 7 days have told me my bill was due on 7 different days and that they had given me so many credits I would not have to pay for another few weeks.

I am done with your shady business practices.

I miss the ease of use of TiVo (and it did SO much more than the DVR for Comcast). It only costs 3 bucks more for better service. I am going back to them as soon as I can.

I had DirectTV for 7 years in Chicago, and other than the few times we had issues during weather related outages, I never had a cable TV problem. NEVER.

Your company- nothing but problems, and outages and issues., Issues you can’t seem to fix.

Gee, do you think it was because they did not have a monopoly and they had to treat their customers with respect and dignity?

You are picking a BAD time to make your customers mad. The economy is bad; you don’t want all your customers to leave you do you?

Oh, that’s right, WE CAN’T! You have a MONOPOLY OVER US!!!!!!!!!

Signed-

A former DVR/OnDemand customer

*that more than one mean CSR has told me I don’t deserve. GRRR

Still here...

I have been a bit preoccupied with work and with life lately-- most of my time at work has been spent writing for my job (you know what I do) and since I have been writing for that, I haven't wanted to write personally. I submit my work to the designer today so it will be nice to be FINISHED with my project for a few days so I can get some other work done.

I have been a bit depressed- the organization I work for is laying off 15% of the workforce next week so it has been especially scary the past 2 weeks with everyone I work with speculating if they are going to be laid off (or not). I have no idea if I am one of the people to be laid off, but if I am, it will be especially hard since I just moved here less than 2 months ago and have no network to help me find another job. And bought a new car. And have a 2 year lease.

No matter if I stay or go I will still be sad-- a lot of people I think are extremely smart and talented are going to be let go.

It will not be a good week next week.

I am breathing and trying to just get through these next few days.

I got my bridesmaid dress for the May 30th wedding, and have to go buy the undergarments for it sometime in the next few days, then get it altered. I am excited to be back in the Midwest from May 22-June 2nd.

My cousin is graduating from college this weekend so I am traveling to see my family and see him graduate. I am proud he found his calling in life and am happy he was accepted into a great graduate program.

TBO has a vet appt on Friday-- he has 3 large and scary lumps on his back and has been crying a lot. I hope he is OK and not in pain. We shall know soon enough, I guess. 15 is a ripe old age for a cat. He is starting to have "grumpy old man" days where all he does is pout and sleep.

So all in all, kind of a crappy month and it is only May 6th.

Sorry I am such a Debbie Downer today!!