Purple's Catch Up Cafe - 2013

Maggie is a 2 year old terrier mix, 13.5 pounds, black with a white stripe down her chest. Like most terriers, she's hell on paws. The world is her chew toy, although hands and forearms are preferred.

It started on a bad note and ended with a tragic note. For all of you who think it's OK to text, talk, or otherwise use a cell phone in any fashion whatsoever while driving, there is one dead teenager, 2 still in critical condition who will end up in long term brain injury rehab, one that will need extensive psychological counseling, and 6 others who witnessed the semi run the stop sign while the driver fumbled with his cell phone, who can tell you exactly what happens. Turn them off before you stick the key in the ignition. Even using blue tooth, you're still distracted.

I left my job a couple of months ago after almost 20 years and have just been enjoying some time off over the holidays. Things had gone way down hill there and my commute was becoming a daily nightmare at 2 to 3 hours a day. In the end, I was able to work out an amenable agreement with my company and so I left. It was all for the best and the first time since I started working 40+ years ago that I was able to really enjoy myself over the holidays with family and friends and not be stressed out.

Now that January is here, I'm going to step up my efforts and look for a new job. I looked at a couple of jobs over the holidays, but most of them are near New York City and its too far for me. If I were younger, I would love to transition into data forensics or cybersecurity. I have always been a Network Admin and have a wealth of experience - over 25 years, but I think I would be screened out at trying a new take on my career because of my age. One thing I NEVER thought about when I embarked on a computer career back in the '80s is that one day my age would be a factor. I'll apply anyway, but I'm not hopeful.

I think I found a few consulting companies that might like my background servicing accounts in the professional services arena. Doctors, Lawyers, CPAs, etc. Real small business. They aren't looking for people, but I can ask, what the hey.

So thats my life now. Thankfully, my husband still has his job till I can get something new going. Aside from the uncertainty in the job market, I'm pretty excited at the prospect of starting something new.

I'm in the same boat as you, Purple. Maybe we can share some job hunting tips.

AV

The first half wasn't good at all. In late 2011, when we were over in Canada for the birth of my ever so gorgeous grandson, our house was flooded. We were renting, but almost everything in house was ours and we didn't have contents insurance. We lost everything but a few bags of clothes, some dvd's and kitchen stuff that was above water. So the beginning of 2012 was spent still trying to cope with losing everything. As so many people were out of their homes, rents in the area skyrocketed. As I wasn't working, most of our income went to service a ridiculous rent, plus trying to replace things we badly needed.
We lost our beloved Levi in early 2012. Some of you might remember my old avatar of a cat close up..that was him. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried for days. We had to make the hard choice to let him go after he suffered a blood clot. As he was on morphine for the pain, and not improving, we had to make that call :(
We had a fairly miserable few months where everything seemed to go wrong.

Things picked up in the second half.
Once our rental place was repaired, we moved back in, but not too happy with the place, so that kicked us into looking for a place to buy as were tired of renting. In late Nov we went sale agreed on a place and are hopefully signing contracts in the next week or two!
In late summer we got a new cat, Timmy. He's a 7 year old rescue cat and is a joy to have.
We went to canada for grandson's first birthday, which was so much fun. I miss the little tyke tho!
I started back working in Sept, so finances have picked up.
2013 looks to be brighter for us :)

3 Uncles and 1 Cousin have passed away. My beloved kitty died of cancer. I was in 2 car accidents.

On the plus side, I'm still alive :D Here's to hoping 2013 is much brighter and healthier!

My New Years Resolution like most people: Loose some weight!

I was separated in 2011, 2012 was the year to get a separation agreement and custody settled, sell the house, divide the assets etc. I went through some pretty intense emotional issues, my kids, a new relationship that didn't work out. I spent Christmas and New Years alone, something I'm not used to.

But I've paid off all my bills, and can now afford a larger apartment, big enough for occasional overnights with my kids. I've made some new friends. I've joined a great choir, and we will be a featured artist at a choral festival in July, in St. John's Newfoundland, the only province I've never been to.

I have found a number of friends who genuinely care about me, and that will help get me through.

and somewhere in that time I applied for a McDonalds manager post. They didn't even respond, presumably because I was "over-qualified". Later, during a 19-month stint of unemployment in SF, I was given a temp job answering the phones at Wells Fargo. After 4 days the department manager looked at my CV (sent by the agency) and fired me because I was "over-qualified".

NT

prayers he has a speedy recovery

shifting gears to business owner has been an experience, plus changing focus,
no longer doing a lot of IT stuff, just pharmacy. I still work on friends and families
systems if asked, for nominal fees, and I do my own maintainence on my home
and business systems. Health wise, I'm ornery as ever, Mrs. Wiz is still in
remission from breast cancer, so things are looking up there! I'm hoping the
economy finally gets going a little bit more, grow my business some, and keep
afloat. Added a 5th grandchild in Sept, another granddaughter...4 of them and 1
grandson.
Best wishes to my fellow TR members for a great year!
Wiz
Glenn

My prayers that he has a fast and full recovery

TR will become the new Lourdes, and that the ailing and lame won't start making e-pilgrimage postings here for healing. :-)

'Saint Jason'; sheesh!

What a traumatic experience for him.

AV

i did give it a look but i didn't really see where there would be Canadian jobs...maybe I didn't look in the right spot? I've bookmarked just about every job board I can think of up here. Responded to a job ad last night and had my resume requested so I'm hoping for at least an interview. Have to wait and see I guess.

thanks for the tips :)

so how's everyone's friday night shaping up? I'm personally looking forward to the third last episode of Fringe. I've always loved this show; I'm wondering if everyone is going to end up back in their proper timelines. And just why is Peter the key to the whole thing anyway? Is it because he's been living on one world when he should be in another...or even the other by that matter? Before all that, I'm all over Blue Bloods (what lady doesn't think that Tom is still kinda hot, even at his age now ;) and CSI NY; I'm almost concerned that they are going to tank this show come February, I read something somewhere that there would be an early season ender this year. I'm not impressed :( , guess I'll have to wait and see.

:)

Life has been a trial since May of 2010 when G had his stroke. Bloody freakin' mess until the past couple of months when the upset settled to good degree. He retired, we had to move to FL to take care of his mom. She died shortly after all kinds of arrangements were in place for semi-permanent life there. I'm back home, this is our headquarters now. G is roaming between FL, Hot Springs, and here. I like having the place mostly to myself. I'm job-hunting with no flippin' luck...

So during the resettlement in FL mess, one of our kitties acquired a thyroid condition, and has lost half his weight during the past two years. Thursday I take him for examination to determine whether or not UMC Vet School will give him a radioactive iodine treatment. It's contingent upon them determining him healthy enough for it to be worthwhile for him. His vet says he is...

He's rented the place in FL to a waitress at his favorite family restaurant. Rented it cheap, too, with the right to come and go as we please. Which realistically means he's coming and going as he pleases. I don't give a rats about FL. Too buggy, too sandy, too hot. Yeh, the implications there pretty much piss me off. Whatever. And the implications in that word are astoundingly evil, mean and nasty on my part.

This year, I'm planning to join an odd little version of a CSA. This one does the heavy garden work, including some of the planning, all the weeding for one basket of food per weekly harvest. I get to keep the rest. I hope to be able to spend time with whoever is tending my garden and learn a lot more than I already know, which isn't much. I'm looking forward to having a garden again. And reclaiming more of the yard. It went untended for too long. :)

There's been more trouble on our street from a different new neighbor. Fortunately, not next door to me, but the people he was next door to got flat out tortured, then screwed by the county nonjustice system.

I did get a significantly remodeled living floor, including some badly needed rewiring. My kitchen kicks butt! :D The basement needs some work, but that won't get done if I don't find a job.

G will be 65 next year, so our health insurance costs will rise, I'm sure, as we'll lose his company care. I don't look forward to figuring out what we need and who we can get it from for the best price. Ugh.

I feel older and tireder the past couple years than I ever thought possible. Though now things have settled down in personal life, I'm regaining some optimism, and am happy to be older. Weirdish.

Ooooh. And I discovered hot buttered rum. :D

Mmmm. Good coffee. Got waffles? :D

but in my case, I think it's more related to cowardice.

I'll pass a driver that is doing 5-10 below the posted speed limit and resume my usual speed of 5-7 over (yes, I'm a scofflaw!). I'll check the rearview and the same dummy that wouldn't get up to the speed limit before I passed him is now right on my bumper doing 5 mph over because now he knows there's somebody in front of him to get the cop's attention.

I had a rough 2011 and nearly died following complications from a triple bypass. I had an infarction in my lower left leg that led to 5 different operations to remove dead muscles, nerves, ligaments and connective tissue. After doing cardiac and physical rehab to learn to walk again with an ankle foot orthosis and a cane, my father passed away unexpectedly from meningitis. A lot of you will recall my father's daily updates to FaceBook about how I was doing.

I mentored several people at work in Active Directory and led a project to clean up the environment at Turner Broadcasting System for a major project to move to a Microsoft-hosted cloud-Exchange mail solution.

I was also able to make a TR event in November where I got to flirt with the curly-haired lady, claim hugs from Soni-poo and The Queen of Michigan and Bill bought me a Grand Marnier.

I had a major life event the Friday before Christmas, when a huge global electronic manufacturer in Tampa, Florida made me an offer to assume the role of Active Directory Architect. I accepted and have moved to Tampa, Florida, as of last Saturday.

So now, I am that old fart holding up traffic in Clearwater driving to the beach to oogle young things in bikinis.

I hope everyone has a great 2013.

NT

He turns 18 tomorrow, so I'm heading out this afternoon to go see him and bring him his interim present. He'll get his real presents when he's better.

happy birthday to the birthday boy...i wish him many, many more ((hugs)) to you all

He called me last night, and sounded great. He doesn't remember anything from before Christmas up to this past weekend. He remembers nothing about the accident or that his friend was killed. He just was told an hour before he called that he was in a car wreck adn he has a broken leg and head injuries. All of that sounds bad, but he remebers all of us now and all of his friends, and he's using his words appropriately and is speaking with better tone, if a bit slow at times.

He was able to use his walker to walk for 6 minutes after walkign to therapy, then went back to the wheelchair for the rest of the day. Not bad for a broken leg, and being emaciated. He's 6 feet 5 inches, and lost down to about 160 pounds, so he was skin and bone. They've got him on 4500 calories a day trying to buid weight and muscle mass. He also said the goal is that he goes home on March 20th!

I've heard in a while. I hope he makes his goal of getting home by March 20th; sounds like he's determined enough to get there. :)

March 20 return home hopes, even sooner would be better but these types of problems do take time, nice to see progress.

A man comes home from the war, and is greeted at the station by his servant.

He asks him how everything was.

The servant says, "Well, not too bad, except that your dog died".

"My dog died, how did that happen??!" the man asked.

"Well, near as we can figure, he got hold of some bad horse meat" said the servant.

"How did he get hold of bad horsemeat"? asked the man.

"Well, we think he was down at the stables after they burned down". the servant replied.

"The stables burned down? How?" said the astonished man.

"Sparks from the main house, probably did it" said the servant.

"The main house burned down?" asked the man.

"Yeah, it was from all those candles" said the servant.

"What candles?" asked the man.

"From your mother's funeral". said the servant.

"My mother is DEAD????" asked the man.

"Yeah, the shock was too much" said the servant.

"WHAT SHOCK!!!???" asked the man.

"From your wife running off with the butler". said the servant.

I wish 2012 had been that good for me.

to wish everyone a very happy Friday and a most spantabulous weekend :)

How are ye all?

would come back. The coffee's on....