The New Water Cooler
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How do they get glasses so wrong?0
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I hate trying to get new glasses.
Also, even though I said it should be a recordable, I'm not sure if office noise causing a headache is actually an OSHA recordable - I did some looking to figure it out, but it's probably not. I need to just be glad that they did turn it back down. And, more thankfully, it stayed down today.
I have seen some of the hgtv shows showing the re-done kitchens with different cabinet colors on the uppers and lowers. Maybe you could find a way to mock up your thoughts, are there any home improvement places that do rendering type things?
The single bright point for my weekend was Zach hanging with me a few hours watching some old Burn Notice dvd's. That felt nice just being with him.
Here's last weekends fun Bernie story. Years ago I had set up a bank account that had a branch location close to where he drove by with a small auto deposit that was supposed to be for his cash. He rarely actually pulled it out (just made me get cash from the main account) and had put some gift checks into it. This was years worth of deposits. I asked him to put most of it in the main account (since it's different banks) so I could access it as needed for bills since I have no checks for that account and didn't want to mess with another online account. He actually said to me why did I need 'his' money. I'm like your money? I'm sorry, I didn't realize we did that in this family. Since it was 'my' saved money that paid off the house. It is all my money currently paying all the bills including HIS truck. I have always used whatever money that comes in as it is needed most. I almost always used my gift money for the kids. So for him to suddenly pull that really hurt. I told him that last night and he's like that's not what I meant. It's what you said. So you did mean it. What I had wanted to do was try one of the higher interest bearing accounts I had found and then he commented that why would I do that, I would have to pay taxes on it. You know what. Never mind. He won't pay bills or take over any of the finances, but when I try to make a move he suddenly knows more.
GAH
Happy monday.0 -
Let's see if I can broad stroke the job thing(s). This was back in June - Bernie did finally get an offer from BD. He didn't tell the offer came in for days and days because he suddenly decided that it wasn't going to work for (I think just fear thinking) and kept looking and doing other interviews and thinking this job that was like 38 miles away was way better (just have to get a cheap car to drive back and forth). I found out about the offer and jumped him for not accepting it. He said he hadn't declined it but was still looking. The 38 miles away place would be 'so much better for him' - maybe more money. I yelled at him for lying to me about saying that if BD offer came through it would be a dream come true and all he wanted. He claimed it wouldn't work out (fear, working for very experienced engineers, burned twice now). I threw my hands up literally and figuratively and said, whatever. If you get this 38 mile away job, you will be driving your truck. If it is too expensive for me to get a new vehicle, I obviously can't afford another car for you. He then stomped off saying, he would just take the BD job because I am being unreasonable and I better be happy with it. I laughed saying, yeah, there's so much for me to be happy about. BD only onboards once a month so he also thought he could get a sooner start date. The BD start date is 7/18 and none of the other ones came through. So I guess it's a good thing I 'made' him take the BD job. Will it work out? Who knows. He will have to work for it. He would never get another bite at that apple if he declined again. Whatever. And he still thinks he doesn't need counseling.0
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Your stress continues. I wish we could have a girl's night and go out for a good walk and wine. At least he took the job and it was still available. How long did he make them wait until he accepted? Now how long will he stay there? If you manage all the money, pay all the bills and run the house, does he even understand what you as a family can and can't afford, what money goes out just for bills, etc.? You are a saint for putting up with his stuff. I would be ranting and furious, probably drinking or something else just to escape!
I'm glad you got time with Z. How is he doing and feeling about job hunting? Such a transition time for him right now.
Rory and Hannah are waiting for the appraisal to come through on the town home they are buying. Hopefully it appraises well and they don't have to pay more money to the seller to make up difference in appraisal and what they offered. They are planning to close and paint bedrooms before they come here on 8/18. They will move in after they return to Mpls during the week of 8/25.
Russ and I are starting to look at travel tour trips to do some traveling now that we are retired. We think our first trip will be England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales so we don't need to deal with language barrier and we can see highlights of all 4 countries in 19 days. I was there in college for two months and saw stuff through the eyes of a 19 year old with a back pack. I always told myself I would go back and stay in nice accommodations and travel like an adult, LOL! If we like the tour approach we will do more. If not, we will have a travel agent help us in the future. The key is finding the right tour company and dates. People say smaller groups are best but the smaller you go, the more expensive the trip. Either way it will cost a bundle for both of us but this was the plan when retiring before 66.
Well I hope things settle down for you. When does Bernie start work and what is the name of the company he will work for?0 -
A lot of these issues that continue to plague us are from fear. Even though job hunting sucked, I know Bernie has a lot of fear of going to BD and failing - he's obviously had some tough work times recently and that fear is not ungrounded, but again working on it would only help him (and us) and perhaps increase his ability to succeed. BD (Becton Dickinson) is where he did accept an awesome job. He has tried for years to get in there.
the official blurb:
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of healthTM by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of healthcare by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for healthcare providers. BD and its 75,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues.
the very first thing they made were needles and syringes in the very early 1900's. Still their 'bread-and-butter' today. They have been pretty much the largest employer in Columbus since establishing here in 1949.0 -
my screen is acting weird, so I wanted to save that in case I lost it!
Zach still hasn't had any luck in getting any interviews. When I throw him job postings he claims he is putting the resumes and cover letters out to them. It's just kind of shocking to me. I really thought he would have an easy time getting in somewhere. I mean, not just anyone can program. He is quite good at it. He isn't completely without experience, he had three summers of interning. I know he's not doing the networking like he 'should' - but honestly most people in that field would struggle with that as that group in general tend to be introverted and a bit awkward. Sigh.
You have some awesome plans in the works. That is so exciting to be thinking of your big trips. How fun.
Fingers crossed things work out for Rory and Hannah. The housing market it tough everywhere I bet.0 -
BD sounds like a huge, amazing company. What will Bernie's job entail? He is probably nervous. I hope it goes well and he likes the job. Not much else is there?
Z will find his niche and job soon. I imagine there is competition out there too. Did Wayne do any scheduling of interviews for graduates with potential employers or give them a list of companies to apply to? A job placement department at the school?
I got my hair cut today and started washing the sheets for the downstair's beds. Tomorrow I will vacuum and dust the room, mop the tile and get any bugs out of there. Thursday I will clean the guest bathroom and put out the towels for all. Russ is going to grocery shop tomorrow. Melissa and Rob's youngest boy, Sam, is a very picky eater. She is bringing his "foods" that are in her fridge so he can eat that. She said not to worry about getting his foods. They will be here for dinner Friday eve, take us out on Saturday eve, and eat lunch either by packing sandwiches on Saturday and Sunday or eating out. Not much for us to worry about. We will grill burgers and bake fries for Friday eve dinner. I'll make a green salad for adults as an add on.
The woman who cuts my hair owns the salon I go to. She is opening another salon in another town in the county so she will have two. She keeps hiring new stylists, has a masseuse/esthetician, and receptionists. Her husband provides care for the kids. He is creative and makes interesting things out of wood and antique tools, etc. They have a store in front of the salon that shows his things. Quite talented and expensive to buy too. She is so busy that she is only going to do cut and color clients going forward. Since I am cut only now, she will pass me on to one of her stylists. I have one more cut with her in September and then it will be the stylist that takes over for the November cut. I said to please make sure the person can cut very straight, thick hair with no bend.
Very windy yesterday and today so I have not been bike riding. I'm hoping in the next 2-5 days I can ride. Melissa and family are bringing their bikes so maybe we can ride together.
What is happening at your company right now and with your sister and husband?
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I don't remember which line Bernie will be working with - maybe one of the sterilization processes - but he will doing process engineering type stuff. Troubleshooting, improving flow, work instructions, safety, prints, drawings, routings - most likely. I guess we'll find out soon.
Things for Dan and Michele are stressful (more so than normal) - as the Omaha plant has to work towards closing they are trying to identify which machines will be moving to Columbus, where those will go, when the cut off will be, keep work orders flowing to keep Omaha working until it closes, get the new lines figured out and all the work centers and processes started. Along with all the 'normal' work.
Wayne has a career services office. For job searches they just seem to point everyone to the handshake app. Zach said he hasn't much luck with it, it points him to jobs in other states which doesn't interest him. He could probably have them review his resume - but I actually thought it was pretty great after we re-worked it, but maybe I'm too out of touch for new recruiters. I don't know.
Oh, it's so hard changing hair people. I hope it works out.
Working on getting my glasses figured out. I made the awful trek to the place yesterday and they adjusted them. It made the sides feel better, but actually made the left side seem even less clear. I think where I am looking out of the lens isn't quite right, but they are having me come back today for a recheck with the doctor. I really hope I don't have to keep going in - it's such a nightmare getting there. At least the people are being kind. Often times they tell you just give it time.0 -
Hump day!0
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It sounds like your sister and husband still have jobs and will stay in their house?
I would imagine if Z wants to stay in NE, he will have fewer options of places to work. Hope companies are hiring. Is he open to live out of state for experience?
I hope you get your glasses figured out. Russ and I need to schedule eye exams since it has been 1.5 years since our last one. New glasses are a bite in the butt!
Note to self: don't wait a year between guests to clean the bunk room in the lower level. We need to spray the outside of the house with Home Defense again. Lots of spiders and bug residue on the floor near the baseboards. The smartest items I bought when I finished that room were the very large, colorful, printed rugs from Amazon. Hides a lot and easy to vacuum. Today I pulled all furniture away from the walls, vacuumed, sprayed a home made bug repellent with essential oils, steam mopped, dusted, took all comforters and more sheets to the laundry room to be washed and freshened up and put some toys for the boys (ages 6 and 8) on the shelves. I will have some in the living room too. Just a few in case they have down time. Tomorrow, I will make the beds, check for bugs, mop again along the baseboards, and clean the upstairs bathroom. Towels are washed and ready to hang on hooks in there. Just need to clean shower, toilet, vanity top, sink and floor. With this thorough cleaning, it will be easier to clean and change beds for the next group and then for Jeff, Karah and the kids. Luckily my maid, Dusty Rhoomba, will vacuum the main level for me tomorrow while I finish the down stairs, LOL!
I am beat so I will relax and read, finish up washing sheets and comforters and go out and get some sun on the deck.
Have a nice evening!
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You are a cleaning machine!!
Dan and Michele are still working for the Behlen machine and living in their Columbus (and doing their farm stuff with dad in Wayne and Pender). Nutbars. At least for now. Michele's current biggest fear is that she will get shifted to report to the new CFO who apparently has the nickname, the Big Evil. More fun in the future obviously.
Oy - I think I just found a spelling error on Zach's resume - I have one of his programming languages as COLBOL and I think it's supposed to be COBOL. Ugh. And, yes, Zach isn't currently looking for a big move. His closest college friends still have another semester to year left, my guess is if they graduate and then move elsewhere he might be willing to tag along.
Zach said he got a call for a phone interview for Monday. It was one we did for Central Community College. I was so excited for him, until he said it would be in Grand Island not here. CCC has a campus here, but I guess this job is for the Grand Island campus. Bummer. He'll still do the interview, but it's likely just a gatekeeping one since it's phone. But he needs the experience and if it goes well, we'll just have to see if it's worth the potential move. CCC definitely won't be a huge salary that's why us thinking it was local was better. We'll see. Bernie texted that he is sitting next to some IT people (doing all his onboarding stuff) and he was listening to them talk about reviewing candidates this week. So maybe Zach still has a chance to at least be interviewed. He had put in for the BD jobs so long ago I have wrote them off. Send some good juju. Especially because honestly I think BD would be an amazing fit for Zach. They have dozens of physical locations aside from Columbus, it's need (medical) is not going anywhere, and Zach could learn from all sorts of senior and junior partners and just settle in and start a nice career. Zach is definitely the type to stick if it's a good fit. BD has high expectations and work their people hard. Sigh, we'll see. The right thing is out there...
Don't overdo it!0 -
Downstairs is clean and ready. Just a bug and spider check tomorrow in case some came out of hiding. I don't want the boys to freak out if they see a spider going up the wall. They are spindly and small. We called them Daddy Long Legs as kids. Harmless but a creepy bug any way. Bathroom is ready and I told Russ we can't use it now. Dusty Roomba is drunk! He is all over the place even though I selected the Den and Guest Bathroom for vacuuming. He has been in and out of the Den 3 times now. Not a big room either. I hope he finds home port soon.
That would be great if Z got the job at BD. If he isn't anxious to move out, living at home and saving money for future 1st and last month's rent or building the savings for a car, etc. would be great for him.
Nothing worse at work than a bad boss. I had my share over the years and it makes or breaks morale and wanting to go to work. I hope for you and your sister's sake, you don't have to report to this "evil" person.
We had heavy rain today and now it is just cloudy and humid. I need to go check my garden and see what is growing, needing weeding, etc.
I am so sore from the two days of cleaning. It is the bending, pushing, wiping, going up and down stairs, etc. Getting old is painful. No one ever said that anything you do, no matter how small, would cause muscle aches.
With all these guests this summer and Fall, my house will be clean. Normally I am not interested in cleaning unless the bathroom or kitchen need it badly. My house isn't dirty, it just doesn't sparkle. But with people coming and going, I will need to clean inbetween, so it will look the nicest it ever has.
One more day of work this week for you! Yay!0 -
Friyay.
Here's hoping for a good weekend.
Unfortunately, I think the excessive heat it coming for us. Nobody wants that.
Rest up. I agree that everything hurts these days.
Friiiiii yay0 -
Our weekend guests just left. We had a fun packed weekend. It was my former coworker and friend, Melissa, her husband and two boys, ages 6 and 8, who live in southern MI near Detroit. We were on the go all day Saturday and today. They arrived in the area early Friday and did the sand dunes and beach before coming to our home. Saturday, we visited the state park and looked for rocks on the shore line and had a picnic at the play ground. Then I took them to one of our beautiful Lake MI beaches for the afternoon. Those kids are fish! They love the water and won't get out. We all went in the water and hunted for pretty rocks. Then we went to a village that has a place that their specialty is cherry products since we are a huge cherry growing area. We tasted samples, they bought stuff and then we headed home to change and back out to a local tavern. They wanted to treat us to dinner since they had a free place to stay. Then home for bonfire and s'mores in the back yard. The kids were exhausted after that. Today, we went on a six mile bike ride and then Rob took the boys to the marina to see boats and then to the beach in town. Melissa and I browsed the cute shops in our town, bought the local fudge to split up between our families, then home for lunch and packing up. They just left and I'm relaxing! My next group arrives a week from tomorrow. Five retired women I use to work with, be in book club with and go to the theater for plays with, life long friends.
We had beautiful weather but it is suppose to get warmer this next week. It has been 70's to 80 recently with some rain and lots of sun. I hope it continues.
What is new with you?0 -
You are going like a regular B and B!
Sleep well!
Here comes another week.0 -
I am calling our house the Triple B (Banta Bed and Breakfast), LOL!
I am washing towels and bedding, making grocery lists, went to Costco for paper products and gearing up for next week's group.
I harvested sugar snap peas, sweet banana peppers and serrano peppers today.
Busy week. Tomorrow I am going to the beach with a friend. We will pick up sandwiches and eat at the beach, chat and get some sun. We have a nice beach in Suttons Bay next to the marina so we will go there because they have shade too.
I hope you have a good week!0 -
What do you do with your Serrano peppers?
Enjoy your beach day break.
Roll on0 -
I don't think I've ever had a serrano pepper but wanted to try them. Russ told me they are similar to jalapeno peppers so I guess I would put them on tacos, a sandwich, nachos, etc. Maybe in a pico?
The beach was so nice today. Mary and I ate our sandwiches at a picnic table and then set up chairs in the sand and chatted for hours. We walked into the water and cooled off but didn't swim or go under the water. It was fun to spend time with her. We don't get together very often since she lives in Ohio. She and her husband are up here while they get a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom reno in Ohio. They have a cottage up here.
I have been washing bedding and getting ready to remake beds this weekend. Cleaning won't be so rigorous this time.
Hope you are having a good week.0 -
Another day Glad you had a nice beach day
Hope you are staying cool. It’s wicked hot here this week.
Take care.0 -
nothing really to report - just trying to gut out another week
hoping the heat eases off after today's broiling0
