Chit Chat: What's on your mind?

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  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    That's always a huge decision, @Mellykay88! Do you have a good working environment where you are know? Do you know anything about the environment at the place you are considering going to? I agree that sometimes the grass may sound greener, and the shorter commute and more money are serious perks, but wouldn't be so great if the stress levels go up.

    ON the other hand, remaining where you are because you are simply reluctant to leave what you know is limiting. But I know all about that temptation! 2 years ago, I had the same problem because I had an opportunity to switch reporting locations in my position at the time, which would get me back into WV. It was the same job and same supervisor but in a different area, and I had really wanted to move back to WV, but I was really deeply into my rut and liked my familiar stations and familiar crews and familiar work practices. The WV crews and stations and practices would all be new. In the end I chose to go because I realized that not wanting to leave my rut was really the only thing holding me back.

    Last year, I took a new position completely in the company. This was a little different as I was switching jobs completely to a new area, so there were serious considerations there, but I will say the "rut" was still pretty soundly making itself known lol

    The sad part was, I greatly disliked my old position - I liked the crews and the field work and the substation environment, but hated the lack of training and the constant increase of regulations. But I guess it was the devil you know more than the devil you don't kind of thing :)

    Best of luck to you!
  • Mellykay88
    Mellykay88 Posts: 306 Member
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    @bmeadows380 I’ve decided to go for it! I’ve actually got a meeting this afternoon. I prayed about it last night and talked to a couple of trusted coworkers and my family and it feels right. I do know a lot of people at the new office and from what I’ve heard it’s a great environment. I’ll update you guys and let you know how it goes. I still feel guilty for leaving here, but I’m sure they’ll find someone to take my spot quickly and the world won’t stop spinning just because I leave (this is me trying to talk myself out of feeling guilty :wink: )
  • fatoldladyonamission
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    @Mellykay88 good luck with it! I took a huge leap of faith last April and left a job working in an environment I hated in order to try something completely new. It was terrifying but has worked out so amazingly well. I absolutely love my job now and wouldn’t change it for the world so the risk was definitely worth taking. I hope yours goes the same way.
  • Mellykay88
    Mellykay88 Posts: 306 Member
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    My meeting/interview went AWESOME! I’m getting a nice raise in salary and my new supervisors seemed super excited to have me start! My first day is March 11... now I just have to have a hard conversation with my current supervisor to break the news.
  • bigghunny
    bigghunny Posts: 549 Member
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    Congratulations on the new job.
  • meldwel
    meldwel Posts: 143 Member
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    Congrats! Glad you made your decision and looking forward to it!!
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    That's wonderful, @Mellykay88! You'll get through the hard part, today :) And hopefully, your old supervisor will help you with the transition. Great luck to you!


    I had some good news. My company sets certain operating goals each year, and if we meet or exceed them, we get what they call "Short Term Incentive Program" i.e. bonus. Tomorrow is hte bonus day, and I was just told we did meet most of our goals, so I'll be seeing some extra compensation in my paycheck. The only thing that stinks is that taxes are withheld, so I'll only actually go home with about 60% of it.......AND it counts as income for income tax.........

    On the diet front, I'm very pleased with myself today! I actually had a 2.8 lb loss to report today, which was fantastic because I'd been bouncing around the same darn weight for several weeks now. I was really happy to see that lower number this morning!

    And I managed to get almost an hour in walk yesterday, and a 30 minute one the day before! If the weather holds, I might even get another in today!
  • theowlbox
    theowlbox Posts: 912 Member
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    @Mellykay88 glad to hear about your good news! Re the difficult convo: nice people want what's best for you even if it's not with them. Hopefully they will be happy for you even if they are sorry to see you go.

    @bmeadows380 congrats on your $$! It's a drag about the taxes. I had the same thing with commissions. Boo hiss.

    In dog news, my dog is getting is teeth cleaned today and i'm a mess because he is scared of the car and when he gets off his anesthesia he cries and cries because he's confused. So i'm gping to go sweep the snow outside and try to zone out until i can pick him up. Woof.
  • cassie9393
    cassie9393 Posts: 30 Member
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    Hooray for new opportunities! I hope that works out for you @Mellykay88 ! And yay for some more moolah to you & @bmeadows380 !

    @theowlbox sorry to hear about your pup; I need to get my girl's teeth cleaned, but the last time she did, she ended up choking on something that hadn't fully digested - and I did keep her from eating anything during the time frame they'd suggested. She also didn't feel well afterward, but dental health is important for all of us, including the 4-legged guys.

    Does anyone use the Neighborhood app? It connects you with people who live close by. Basically, it ends up being stuff about little nit-picky items and lost/found pets mostly, which I guess is kind of nice. I actually offered to pick up a dog from a house who "found" him over this last weekend because they said their cats didn't like dogs. Understandable. But then they asked me on Monday night to come get him - right before going back to work! Why, I ask you, did they wait the three days?? I felt so bad, but of course I work away from home and can't just leave him alone all day with my dog without knowing how he or they will act, but now I feel guilty about it. Sometimes I just hate emotions, you know?
  • theowlbox
    theowlbox Posts: 912 Member
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    @cassie9393 emotions are so hard! I hope everything ends up well with that dog. I love all dogs but all people, not so much. Your poor pup! The tooth cleaning thing is a necessary evil. Sucks but we have to. Ugh.

    What is everyone else doing today? Distraction please!
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    I did get my walk in today, though I'm going to have to stick around work a little longer to make up the extra time. Which means I should probably get the power point slides done I promised instead of shopping around for vacation cabin rentals for Memorial Day weekend........ lol

    @cassie9393 that stinks. I was working in my yard on Tuesday when this little white chihuahua come prancing across the road - nearly getting hit - and right up to me. I suspected it belonged to the neighbors, so I took it back, but no one was home. They have a kennel with 6 other dogs in it *grrrr* and since they were barking like crazy, I wasn't going to leave the little guy with them. The front door was open, but no one answer, and since I wasn't 100% sure it was there, I wasn't comfortable just putting in and shutting the door. I put it in a crate that I had and took it over to my mom's because I was also concerned that the front door was unlocked and a truck was in the front yard but no one answered my calls, and she said "oh, I saw the thing too, and we tried tying it back up but it got loose. You'll just have to leave it on the front porch."

    *shakes head* sometimes my mother and I do NOT see eye to eye on things.....I wasn't going to do that, but I also have 6 cats who were NOT happy when I brought that poor dog into the house.....thankfully, the neighbors came home not long after and it was their dog, so all's well that end's well.....well, sort of. I'm still not happy with the 6 dogs in the kennel thing :(

    @theowlbox My cats have never had their teeth cleaned, but when I take them to the vet this year, I'm going to request it for some of them. My oldest has a tooth that really needs to go, but I'm very afraid to have them do it. He's 15 years old and cats don't respond well to anesthesia anyway. My previous vet pointed it out but she was hesitant to put him under to get it out too.
  • Mellykay88
    Mellykay88 Posts: 306 Member
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    New job is a go! I talked to my supervisor this morning and she was very supportive. Resignation letter is sent and now I just have to get ready for my last day in a couple of weeks. I’m so excited for this transition!
  • CheezWhiz88
    CheezWhiz88 Posts: 116 Member
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    Okay, I am struggling a bit here. I have been wanting a baby very badly; it’s actually a huge motivator for me to drop some poundage. My sister in law is pregnant and is very depressed about it (unmarried, no longer with the father, unemployed,...it’s a mess). But she wants a baby shower and wants me to make the cake. Her mother (my mother-in-law) whom I have a contentious relationship with (at best) is very insistent on a specific cake which is outside my personal abilities. I have been baking cake after cake to try to perfect it (which is hard when you are trying to eat healthy). My husband has been bringing them into work so they aren’t sitting around, which helps. My mother-in-law has made her feelings very clear from the start of all this that I am wasting my time losing weight because I’ve “gone beyond the point of no return and will be back to my old habits soon enough.” I’m getting to the point I am just going to make the cake I want to make because surrounding myself constantly with cakes is making an already-difficult journey much harder.

    Sorry, guess I just needed to vent.
  • bigghunny
    bigghunny Posts: 549 Member
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    @CheezWhiz88 .... sounds like there is no pleasing your mother in law. You are making choices to better your life. Having a baby is an awesome reason why to get healthy. Does your MIL pay your bills? Does she support you? Does she have any impact on your life besides being your MIL? If no to any of those questions than I. Would just chalk it up to her just being sour. The only one you need to listen to is yourself. It's your life take charge of it. If it bothering you this much talk to your husband and tell him that you want boundaries regarding his mom. We on this journey have so much to deal with without inner family adding there 2cents in. Believe in yourself and don't give up!!! You are an amazing person and you need to see that. All the other stuff is just bumps in the road
  • cnavarro002
    cnavarro002 Posts: 235 Member
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    @CheezWhiz88 What a horrible situation you are in. A couple of things to remember... #1 whatever you decide to do, it's your gift to the BABY, not your SIL, definitely not your MIL, but the baby, who is innocent in all of this. Do the best you can, with what you feel comfortable with, and have no regrets. #2 we all have haters in our lives in one way or another. People that are jealous of the chance that we may actually succeed. Your MIL is that person. When she spews toxic garbage out of her mouth, just try to let it roll off your back, and in the back of your mind use it as motivation to show her that you are not a failure. You've got this. No one said it would be easy, but you can do this.
  • CheezWhiz88
    CheezWhiz88 Posts: 116 Member
    edited June 2018
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    Thank you @bigghunny and @cnavarro002 : I finally just told my husband what was going on. He was very upset and said he would deal with his mother and sister. He has been incredibly supportive and was the first one to tell me when I wanted to start this journey “I love you at any size, but if losing weight makes you feel better and healthier, let’s do it” and hasn't wavered in his support since. It just opened my eyes all the more to not just surrounding myself with people who support this long journey, but to distance myself from people who will do their damndest to sabotage any success I have. This board has become a lifeline for me, and knowing you are all here, on the journey too, makes the trip a little easier :smile:
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    @CheezWhiz88 : your husband sounds like a wonderful man and I'm very happy to know he is supporting you! Support from a few key people in our lives really does make a huge difference in our lives, doesn't it?
  • MzCara148
    MzCara148 Posts: 205 Member
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    @CheezWhiz88 - that is wonderful that your husband is so supportive. My MIL used to hate me and my H was too afraid of her drama to ever confront her rude behavior. The good news is my MIL loves me now - so hopefully your MIL will come around.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    I can't believe July is already here and almost half over! Even more mind boggling is the fact that I'll be on my way to my conference in St. Louis in less than a week! that really sneaked up on me - I realized just this week that crap, I needed to make hotel and rental car reservations lol

    I'm looking forward to this trip, but admit I'm also a little scared and part of me is looking at the other part with wide eyes and going "what are you thinking, hopping in a car and driving 1/3 of the way across the country by yourself! are you nuts?"

    Does anyone else have that going on? lol I swear sometimes I really do have that cartoonish devil and angel thing going on, though it's not really evil/vs good, its more like my wild, independent, adventurous side scaring my timid, closed in, introverted side; sort of like Vicky/Rose in the Rose is Rose comic strip; except my alter-ego personality streak isn't a biker chick and I certainly don't like jalapenos :smiley:

    I think my reluctance is just because right now I'm tired - physically, mentally, and emotionally, and when I get tired like this, trying to even keep up with my basic daily chores is a huge effort, so the thoughts of packing and changing up my routine sounds even more exhausting. But once I hit the road, the excitement of the trip will start to kick in, I think, especially when I can get a couple of days of not having to get up at 6 am every morning down. I am not a morning person by any stretch, and cannot still get used to 6 am getups, even though I've been in the work force 14 years now. *sigh* But there's no way I'd be able to talk my boss into letting me come in at 9 am every day, and even if she would understand, my coworkers definitely would not!

    Anyway, one thing that makes me look forward to this conference is that I'm really, really hoping I can meet some folks who have similar interests and passions to mine - you know, a few birds of a feather to flock with for a little while! I'm a Christian who enjoys fantasy and creating characters and plot lines and imagining people and places in different worlds. I'm not really a writer, but I love world building and wish I could write. However, since I am a Christian, I'm really choosy in what kind of fantasy I'll read and indulge in, and I'm reluctant to attend comic cons and such because I know what some folks get into at those sorts of things. Its just like RPGing (role playing games); I'd like to get involved in a group that did that, but there are lines I don't want to cross and contents that I am not comfortable around but which I know most folks don't mind and since I really don't want to be a wet blanket or a drag, I tend to stick to myself.

    I'm afraid there just isn't anyone else around here who has similar world views and passions to mine, so I usually have to keep it to myself. But this conference I'm going to is Christian based, so I'm really excited to be able to go mingle with others who just might be similar to me! Keep your fingers crossed, anyway! lol
  • PloddingTurtle
    PloddingTurtle Posts: 283 Member
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    A little MFP inspiration for us all:

    From 510 lbs to 187 lbs, a 323-lb weight loss journey