And she's back...

Whoa, it's been forever!!! Sorry, folks.

So, here's a brief rundown of what's been going on.

At the end of July, I found out that I was losing my job at the end of August...you know, the one I had just been promoted to last December, & after 9 years with the same employer.   Talk about a blow.  And it had nothing to do with anything I did or didn't do - instead, it was some hotshot that thought he was bulletproof.  Other than to say that the U.S. Congress didn't agree, that's all I'm going to say about that.

Some of you may be asking why you didn't know my situation.  Well, that's because I didn't want you to know.  Don't take it personally, I just didn't want more of the questions from people that already knew - like "Oh my god!  What are you going to do?", & "Have you thought about starting your own dogwalking/sitting business?".  I could go on, but I won't.  People, while they may mean well, can be really, really stupid.  (In other words, think before you say anything to friends that have lost their job.)

So, 5 months of unemployment... I can't tell you how many times I've thought that would be close to Heaven.  Boy, was I wrong.  Day after day, hanging out in the house.  I mean, all of my friends worked, & although we were ok financially, I couldn't exactly justify going to lunch with them several times a week.  Oh, I had grand plans for my time off - I was going to get in shape, volunteer, organize this mess of a house I live in, etc.  Well, it turns out that it would take at least 2 people to get even a start on the organizing, the weather turned really crappy, & Truvy was a terrible brat that needed to be worn out so that Doug could get to sleep at night.  Staying home was just easier, but the nasty funk that settled in was pretty tough to deal with.  I did the best I could to keep my chin up, but I know it seeped out from time to time.  Yuck.  So not my style.

Then, Mattie's cancer returned, in her back leg again.  Ugh.  Obviously, at 15 & 1/2, she's just too old to aggressively battle it, so we turned to medicine.  It worked, for the most part, but the Prednisone made her very, very sick, & I really thought we were going to lose her if we didn't get her off of it pronto.  So, we did, & after a while, she got better.  It took a lot of TLC & McDonald's cheeseburgers to get her strength back, but I'm happy to report that the tumor has not grown & Mattie is doing well. 

Ok, let's get to the good stuff.

We all know that the economy is in the toilet, & unemployment is the new epidemic in this country.  I applied all over the place, & didn't get a single call from anyone.  I might as well have taken my resume', folded it into a paper airplane, & flown it into the Grand Canyon... my chances of getting called would've been the same.  So, I saw this part-time job on Craigslist with next to no information other than the hours & general location & figured why not?  A few weeks went by, & I had a voicemail.  I got an interview, walked in, & got the job the very next day.

Yeah, yeah, that's great.  But here's the kicker....

Ladies & gentlemen, I am now working as the office manager for ....

Wait for it.....

A WINE DISTRIBUTOR!!!!!!!!!

The ONLY call I got in 5 months, & it was this!  I know, crazy, right?  Me, working in the wine business.  And my job rocks.  So much.  I couldn't have ordered nicer people to work for & with, & of course, the part-time hours &, oh yeah, the 20% off of wholesale discount of all the wine & liquor we carry doesn't hurt, either!   Oh, & did I mention that Mattie can come to work with me?  She can!  I can bring my dog to work!  I can bring any of them, but I know my time is running short with my girl.  I want to spend as much time as I can with her, & she loves being at the office.  The warehouse seems to be her favorite place (she takes after me, she wants to be around a lot of wine). 

So, there you have it.  My life is a great thing again, & here's hoping that yours is, too!

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!