Thursday, March 19, 2009

Jumpin' Back In

It had to happen...I had to go back to work.

After almost 3 weeks of sick leave due to my beloved blood clot (almost 4 weeks if you consider I was on vacation the week before it happened), my first day was what has become the toughest day of every week -- clinic. I was a bit worried about how rusty I'd gotten after such a short time on the job, & that didn't help.

The day sucked. The boss was in a horrible mood & was very hard on me & the other 2 women working with him. Well, mostly me. I really wanted to tell him that I wasn't hired to excel in clinic, I was hired to excel in what I already excel in, but that wouldn't have been appropriate. Instead, I very nicely told him that, if I'd been able, I would've gladly rescheduled my near fatal medical emergency to a time after I'd gotten much better at my new job. Now, I didn't use those exact words, & I really was very polite, but it doesn't matter. He didn't hear me because he wasn't listening to anyone. Even though I knew he was acting out-of-character & irrational, & that my work that day really wasn't that bad, I couldn't help but feel like crap & like a failure at the end of the day.

Life went on. I went at the enormous stacks of work that had been accumulating since I left for vacation (& I'm still not done). We met with some people for our side business, had drinks with friends on St. Pat's, & I had my blood drawn. You know, because I haven't been poked with needles enough over the last few weeks. My blood ended up being too thin - I could've told you that when I bled like crazy after the needle was removed - so my medicine was adjusted once again. My right arm is beginning to make me look a junkie. Then there's been a bit of drama with my parents, but that might be another post for another time. Regardless of that, things were getting better, even though I was still stinging a little bit from Monday.

Fast forward to this evening. We get home & I grabbed the mail. I was so surprised to see that there was already a birthday card (my birthday isn't until the end of the month). I was even more surprised to see the name on the return address label: my boss. I ripped open the card on my way up the driveway, & couldn't suppress a "Holy shit!".

There was a check for $100 inside the birthday card, sent on Tuesday.

Now, let's get something straight. I don't know this guy that well, but I do know that he very likely didn't realize that he was too hard on me this past Monday. He was NOT kissing my ass. Apparently, this is just what he does...he buys me lunch every Monday, sent me flowers on Valentine's & while I was in the hospital, & now a birthday bonus with a note that said "Thanks for all of your hard work, Claire"...spelled correctly & everything. And hey, maybe he doesn't think I'm so bad after all.

To celebrate this gift - & the fact that it's Thursday - we decided wine was in order. Shocking, I know. The first wine we reached for is a favorite of ours...& it was corked. Crap. That's such a bummer, but never fear, we had more wine. We grabbed the Four Vines 2006 Biker Zinfandel , another favorite, & we were not disappointed. Nope, not one bit.

Mmmmm, mmmm, good. Talk about a ballsy Zin!

But you know what? There was more to this big-ass Paso Robles wine than that. Big berry, with wonderful pepper & spice that's not just in-your-face, it's very well done, & very deserving of your purchase. Actually, all of the Four Vines wines are - we've loved every single one that we've tried, which is almost all of them.

Go to your nearest wine store & treat yourself!

8 comments:

joetalk said...

Glad you are doing better. I have that adventure coming up on Tuesday, as I return after a month on off for my surgery . . . not lookin' forward to all the work that awaits :)

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear your doing better! And I think I could deal with my boss being an ass every now and then if I got $100 for my bday...all I get is a card and cake! :)

Angie said...

Going back to work after being off that long would be intimidating. Sorry you had such a sucky day. At least it's behind you now and you got some fat cash out of it!
I love your wine descriptions. I'm a novice and trying to learn about it so this really helps me.

Anonymous said...

Going back to work is always a crime but all the boss gifts does sound pretty good to celebrate with wine!

LucyinStLou said...

Aw, sorry about the bad day, but it sounds like you made the best of it. $100 is awesome!

Thom said...

Don'cha just love when they play around with meds like blood thinners and then stick you repeatedly like you are a masochistic voodoo doll? Then as a bonus, you get to go back to work. OK, the $100 is pretty cool...

Mary said...

It must be so hard to get back into the swing of things after being gone that long. Your boss sounds completely clueless, or very passive-aggressive. Glad you're feeling better and I hope you are coming to the end of this needle-sticking phase.

LucyinStLou said...

I just tagged you. (I know you're swamped though so I completely understand if you don't get to it right away!)