Work, Jasper and Jodie

So the latest things going on here. Not too much exciting or even interesting things to report.

At work, we had the company we are working in take our recruiting team, the i-Hire people and Cognizant recruiting people out to dinner. The treated us well and took us to Vik Stewarts. So here is the group of people I work with. It was fun. Its a good group of people to work with. Hmmm what else happened this week....... Oh that's right

We won a coffee break at the office with KKIQ. They brought in all the pastries, yougurt parfaits, fruit and coffee. Hey, it was free and people I work with showed up before 10 to take part in the festivities. (They usually wander in around 10, but were in about 9) So now that I have sort of figured out how to attach pictures, here is another picture of us. (Fed ex guy happened to come in to deliver something, so we just had him join in. )

Saturday was exciting, at least Shannon found it exciting. I had to take the sweet cat I have to the vet. My cat is so sweet........... I can not even begin to tell you how sweet he is. He actually is very sweet with Shannon. He is like a lap cat with him. Anyway, the vet asked us to tranquilize the sweet cat before we bring him. Ok truth be told, he tends to think he is a mountain lion at the vet and attacks. So I shoved a pill down his throat and 10 minutes later......viola- drunk drugged kitty. It was actually kinda sad to watch him walking around. The drugs really hit him. Took him to the vet and that was pretty fast. Took maybe an hour. The rest of the day we did this and that. Poor cat (probably one of few times I feel sorry for him) he seemed to be paranoid all day. He could sleep for maybe 2 minutes and then had to get up and walk well.... stumble around. I don't know if he couldn't get comfortable or it just messed with his head. Kitty walking backwards and stuff. He never ever does that. Plus he normally sleeps about 18 hours a day. Nope not today, he slept about 2. That was the extent of our excitement on Saturday.

Sunday I took Shannon to the airport. He went to a conference in New Orleans. I fly in and join him Wednesday and we go to my moms Thursday. Then I came home and did a few things. Jodie's baby shower was that day. So I went to pick her up and take her. Since I will be out of town the weekend she is having her "friends" shower, I went to her shower with co-workers. (She has 4 showers total or is it 5? co-worker/friends, work, friends, family I think thats it) So that was fun. The baby is a boy as you know and the name has been a secret, but I know it now. Yep I know it and I am not going to tell.... Sorry. (Tami, either Jodie will post it in the comments or you have to wait until the shower) A clue, well it doesn't start with G. Hah, how is that??

Wow this was a pretty boring update. I thought of things twice to put in here over the last few days. Things I though might be entertaining or interesting, but of course I can not remember what they were.

So maybe if you are lucky, Jodie (who is now on maternity leave) might post a comment and share the name.

Oh I know what I forgot. We finally got a bike for me. So now I actually can ride the diabetes bike ride. Care to join us? It is in Napa. If not, I will take a dollar or more if you want to sponsor me. :)

Is this necessary?

So Pancho asked about a description of the bathrooms at work. He said I didn't describe it. There are 2 restrooms on each floor on opposites sides of the building. The one I usually use is of course the one that seems closer to our office. I walk in the door labeled restroom and I always seem to see a paper towel or 2 or 3 or 4 crumpled just inside the main door. (I kept wondering where this was coming from and why? Every day I would see one or more on the floor as the day progressed.) Then there is an enterance to the women's and a few steps further is the men's.
So, the other day, as I approached the main door labeled restrooms, it was sort of just being opened from the other side. This guy props the door open holding it just barely open with his knee. A second or two pass and it opens and he throws down a paper towel in the corner and then exits. Hah, he has been caught. I just was amazed someone has to use a paper towel to get out of the bathroom doors, yet apparently it is not necessary to use to get back in his office door. I guess by that time peoples germs are gone and he isn't worried about it.
My question is why can't these people just carry a stupid paper towel with them back to the office and throw it away, or throw it away somewhere???? Throw it on the floor? How rude and what a freaking litter bug.
So today I go in there and I guess someone said something or the janitor people just caught on because there was a little garbage can there now. (and it was 1/2 full!!!!!) Either way, why do people have to just throw a little paper towel down like that??? Just carry it to your office and throw it away. GGGGGEEEEEEZZZZZZ

Been tagged

Okay - everyone (myself included) can blame Tami for this one. She tagged me. (Don't worry, it didn't hurt.) So, get ready for some interesting reading...Rules: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things/habits about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird habits/things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

This is hard for me to come up with anythig about myself, darn you Tami. So I need to find 6 weird things/habits about myself huh??!!
1) Ok one thing that seems to happen is I get a feeling about someone or something and then it tends to happen. Sometimes this is good. However if I meet someone or get a feeling about someone I tend to speak up about it. If it is just something bad that I am afraid will happen I may not say anything and just hope it doesn't happen. (Examples may be knowing when my friend Amy was pregnant before she realized that was what it was- I had a dream about it) I bet you guys can come up with other examples.

2) I am upfront and outspoken (to a point..... well maybe) and I will usually tell it like it is. This can be about just about anything. You guys know me so you know what I am talking about.

3) I am friendly, social and outgoing, however if I am around new people, believe it or not, I will clam up and get shy.

4) I am afraid of heights. I can not stand too close to the edge of things. This will be an example and a few of you know this. Say I am at the top of the Stratosphere in Vegas. I can go outside and stand there no problem. Its not a straight drop because there is a ledge below that goes out a ways. However, inside just below there are windows and nothing below that, I can not get too close to that, it gives me the hibbie gibbies. Make sense?

5) I have never gone to a movie or retaurant and eaten by myself. ( I consider a restaurant a place with a server, not fast food) I don't count watching a few minutes of a movie in the theater at my break time when I worked there, going to a movie alone. Can you tell I don't like to do things alone?

6) I like to go fishing and I have no problem cleaning the fish. I enjoyed getting Janene to clean the fish when we were in high school up at the cabin.

7) I like shoes and keep wanting to buy more. I tend to look at the same ones I have or very similar.

8) Until recently, I would not eat hardly any green veggies. Yuck

Ooops thats more than 6.

So there, I came up with some things. Want to add some more weird things about me??? I am sure there are more.

Okay, now I am supposed to tag people. Well I dont know anyone else to have a blog except Tami. So.... what I will do is tag these people and they have to either create a blog or respond in mine. Pancho, Janene, Jodie, Kanika, Angel and Pousumi (since you may read this and have a blog) and someone that is reading this that I don't know is reading this- surprise me whoever it is. (apparently there are others reading and you people dont comment)

Have fun, I am looking forward to comments or new blogs or something

Work, cheese, people and whatever

Ok I am going to work on this post. I came into work this morning and found the refrigerator stocked, with cheese and well not sure what else, didn't pay attention. Yay!!! I have more to update but no time right now. Stay tuned for more.......
Ok so I am back here to update this. Now you guys comment on stuff the less I put in. Anyway nothing interesting or exciting I can really put in here. I probably had more to update when I started this but dont know what it was now.
Its beautiful outside and supposed to be about 76 so I am going outside to enjoy the weather and plant stuff and be in the sun. Sorry its not updated. I will think of something more exciting.

Ok 2/19. For those of you that noticed, I left out something in the work description. Here it is.....We are in an office building with 2 bathrooms on each floor. The bathroom is just as plain as can be and very very clean. However, the freaking bathroom smells like a fruity christmas tree due to the weird scented air stuff in there. Its it both bathrooms on the floor. Ugh!!!

So I have a new job!!

After 6 years and 10 months I finally left Firemans Fund. I have taken a new job with www.i-Hire.com as a staffing coordinator. This is a great opportunity for me and I am very excited about it. I am supporting 4 recruiters in an office. I don't know a lot yet about the job since its only my 3rd day and as with any new job, I don't have a computer yet or employee ID or other stuff, whatever that stuff may be. Here is my experience so far.
Monday I went in and the vice-president of i-Hire was there to meet me and to get me set up with the i-hire sign on and email and review the job I will be doing with me. I didn't get much else or progress much further than that really. We had a conference call meeting with the i-Hire staff and the owner of I-Hire. Then eventually lunch came around. Well it was a late lunch. On Mondays the Sr. Recruiter, Darren takes the entire team out to lunch. That is the i-Hire people and the Cognizant people. The company I am working in is Cognizant. There were 13 of us and we went to Pasta Primevara. This was a great introduction to people and a nice social non work time. (team building)
We are in an office in Bishop Ranch. I am pretty sure I used to work across the courtyard from there. I am trying to find that out from Pancho, but I sort of think Provident Funding was in the building across the way. Anyway.... its a nice building with 2 others near it and a water fountain in the center of the courtyard. There are Canadian geese which is sort of ok as long as they leave me alone. (I have been chased by them near the building my cousin Amy works at, they are crazy and mean) There is also a beautiful fountain inside out building. Its a nice clean building with lots of plants and trees inside and lots of grass, flowers and trees outside. OH and there is a Cactus Cafe in the building next to us. (My co-workers from FFIC will laugh at that if they read this) You see, we had a Cactus Cafe in out building where FFIC is. I had a habit of getting a breakfast sandwich over there a little too often. It was all that was decent prices and they didnt screw it up. The seemed to screw a lot of things up in there. Anyway, I seemed to have this thought in my head about starting this new job. I figured I would be able to save money since I wouldn't have to pay parking, or much gas since it is 1.3 miles from home. I also figured maybe being closer to home I would be able to eat at home for lunch and breakfast and save money there and eat healthier. Well I guess we will have to see what happens on that. So far I have not gone in there and the co-workers in the office have not said anything good about Cactus Cafe. Maybe that will keep me away. I never really started going there while at FFIC until I moved further away and was eating out more rather than taking lunch. Ok so what else? The people are great. There are about 13 of us that will be working together. They are all really friendly and outgoing and helpful. The 2 guys that sit close to me are well uh.... loud. They are on the phone all the time since they are recruiters. The one on the other side of the cubicle from me is a big guy. He is like my friend at FFIC, Rosanne. He is always shaking, like a habit and I can feel it. Ok now the little office info: Well there are about 13 people there all the time and another 6 that come and go. (They work remote and do sales or something) This office has a little break room. The breakroom has no vending machines and is my worst nightmare. The office manager chick keeps this refridgerator stocked with Pepsi and diet, Coke and diet, diet ginger ale, Lipton brisk tea in a can, Arizona teas (those huge cans), snapples, regulars and diets, V-8 and v-8 fruit juice (or something) orange juice and bottled water. I might have missed something. Then there is a water cooler with hot and cold water. Ok now if i turn around in the little break room there are cupboards and it is like a kitchen with a microwave, sink and dishwasher and cupboards. IN the cupboard is: utensils, excederin and tylenol, lipton cup of soup packets (3 flavors) top ramen and cup of noodles and the typical coffee supplies for the coffee machine and stuff. Probably more and I forgot. ON the counter is tea varieties, splenda, equal, sugar, hot cocoa and all that stuff. Then the other end of the counter the evil woman has 3 jars, one with the bags of dried fruits you get at costco, one with pistachios (I can eat that) and one with mini snickers, and little hershey bars. Then there is also this freaking m&m dispenser. OK then there is 2 tables, one has little bags of Doritos and Sunchips and Cheetos and all these chips. The other has mini reeses peanut butter cups and packets of famous amos cookies and snackwell cookies and Grandmas brand cookies and something else (I forget what) Now, this is all just kept stocked and she tells me, just let her know what I need and she will get it. She is planning on starting to stock fresh fruit, thankfully. Good lord and I thought I wont eat?? So far I have done good and not really touched anything, just the pistachios and a few m&m's and I do mean a few. But HOly Crap! So the office is well stocked. The people are great and it is pretty relaxed in terms of hours and anything. I think it may be good in terms of all that. Now I just need to get more introduced into the job.
I am sure there is more I can tell you but not sure what would make sense. I guess I will report more as it happens. I am looking forward to seeing what the job is like and get started. I will keep you updated.

I am not getting older

So yes, February 1 was my birthday. I also share my birthday with my grandmother, though she is now living in Texas, so we were not able to celebrate together.
I took a different approach to my birthday this year. I didn't plan anything, didn't try to get people together for dinner or anything, no evites sent out (so nobody had to ignore them or not reply or say they would do something and not do it) I did not involve others at all. I really didn't want to try and plan something, get my hopes up that people would join in and then not make it.
So I had a really nice day. It was the first time I have had my birthday off of work in probably 15 years. This year, January 31 was my last day at a job and I didn't start the new one until February 5th. It was actually kind of funny. The day after my last day I had to go back to FFIC and pick up a check. I also did not know what to do with myself since it was my birthday. I didn't want to spend the day alone, so I had lunch with friends/co-workers at FFIC. It was really nice to do that. The best of the gifts I got for my birthday was to have Jodie tell me the baby's heart was strong. (She had a test done that day to check his heart and that was great news considering some of the other news)
I had phone calls all day long and email messages from friends I have had forever and the newer ones also. It seems nobody really forgot my birthday. All the cards I got and messages really were nice and made me feel great. So thanks to all of you!!
When Shannon got home from work, he was looking around the house funny and asked if something had been delivered. Nope, nothing was delivered but now I wanted to know what was supposed to be here. Of course he would not tell me. Hmmmm cookies, flowers, gifts..... now I had to wait.
Shannon and I went to dinner and went to Outback. We don't go there very often so it was a nice treat. We were going to Hungry Hunter, however we got to the one in Pleasanton and well it isn't there anymore. Oh well at least now I know where Tommy T's opened. So Outback it was and it was a nice dinner.
Friday I also had off and while at home some beautiful flowers were delivered, from Shannon. Wow, that was nice and a surprise since he has never sent flowers before. Friday and Saturday were pretty non eventful.
Sunday was superbowl Sunday. I was invited to Pancho and Laura's. (Yay pancho and laura, thank you for the invite) I can not say how excited I was to be doing something social. Tami went with me. Shannon went to deliver the glider to get worked on so he didn't go. We got to Pancho's place in Alameda. It is across from the beach and has a great view. He had birthday balloons for me. I thought that was really nice. I had taken some dip and veggies and Tami took cake. There were about 10 of us total. I never thought anything of the fact that Tami took cake other than that was her contribution. So when I asked if we can cut it, she said not, not until the 3rd quarter or something. When the time came, she had candles and they all sang. I didn't know that was the plan at all. I was actually pretty clueless until just about then. Anyway that was really nice also. So the superbowl party included a little of my birthday. You can check out Tami's blog to see the cake. As for the superbowl, it was all a bit disappointing. Of course because it was not a Bay Area team or any other team I like. Also, the commercials and half time were all disappointing. Not much I recall on the commercials except the coke machine one. Prince was not too exciting. Pancho does have a huge tv so that was nice. The food was fabulous also so that was great too.
So I have a nice birthday just low key and I guess I am uh....26.

Uncle Harry

Well my great Uncle, Harry passed away Sunday. He was a great strong man and what a character. Some of you may remember him as the 85 year old with under wear on his head and a bra around his neck at my brothers wedding. There are so many things people can say about him and all are good. He played golf with everyone, except the alligators. When the babies took his golf ball he just let them have it, since the mama was around nearby. Anyway, lots of wonderful memories of Uncle Harry. Here is a picture of Harry dressed up for Halloween in 2004.

This was by Martin at Pine Island Golf Course:

MY FRIEND HAIRY

HERES TO HAIRY, MY GRAND OLD FRIEND
HE ENJOYED LIFE, RIGHT TO THE END

WHEN GIVEN A CHOICE, A FEW YEARS BACK---BETWEEN SMOKING OR DRINKING
HE CRIED---GIVE ME MY “JACK!”

SO GO HAVE A CIGAR, ENJOY THE SMOKE
MAKE SURE THAT JACK IS WITH WATER, NEVER WITH COKE!

THE NAME MARTIN WE SHARED, MOSTLY IN FROLIC AND FUN
BUT IT WOULD HAVE SERVED ME AS PROUD, IF I HAD BEEN YOUR SON

BE HAPPY MY FRIEND, AT LAST YOU WILL REST
GET AWAY FROM THE GRIND, YOU’VE SURELY PASSED THE TEST

SO OFF TO THAT GOLF COURSE, WAY UP IN THE SKY
I’LL JOIN YOU AND POP LATER, AT PINE ISLAND UP HIGH

I’VE MENTIONED SOME CLOSE FRIENDS, BUT SO MANY YOU KNEW
REST ASSURED, THEY ALL LOVED YOU TOO

WELL BACK TO THE LINKS, YOU AND THE “GNAT”
AND BE SURE TO WATCH NASCAR, I KNOW YOU LOVED THAT!

MAKE SURE TO CALL OLE KARKLIN, AND ASK HIM TO PLAY
ADD JIM DENYER---YOU’LL NEVER SEE ANOTHER BAD DAY

GO TAKE A DRIVE IN A CAR, NO MAILBOXES TO HIT
SWING LIKE A PRO, NO HOOK WOULD DARE GIVE YOU A FIT!

I’VE HAD MANY FRIENDS, BUT FEW LIKE YOU
GOOD TIMES OR BAD, YOU WERE THERE THRU & THRU

COULDN’T MAKE IT BACK TO SEE YOU, EVEN THO I TRIED
DROVE THAT LAST 200 MILES---EYES FULL OF TEARS AS I CRIED

BUT I WON’T BE ALONE, CAUSE THOSE THAT YOU KNEW
WILL SOON BE GATHERED---FOR A BIG TOAST TO YOU

JUST COULDN’T GO TO CASTAWAYS---WHERE THEY GAVE YOU THAT TOAST
IT WOULD SURELY BE A CRYING CONTEST, TO SEE WHO COULD CRY THE MOST

SO I HELD A SECRET MEETING, WITH ME, GOD & YOU
& ASK HIM TO PLEASE REMEMBER, ALL THE GOOD I’VE SEEN YOU DO

THE COUNTLESS LITTLE GESTURES, YOU NEVER WOULD TELL
THE KINDNESS & GOODNESS, IN YOUR HEART YOU HELD

NOW, DON’T RUSH TO TAKE A JOB---WAIT A YEAR OR TWO
MAYBE WE’LL GET BACK TOGETHER, POP & ME & YOU!

MY MAN, YOU WERE “REALLY EXTRAORDINARY”
THANK YOU GOD, FOR MY FRIEND HAIRY!

Obituary for Harry C. Martin

Harry C. Martin, 85, a long-time resident of Ocean Springs, died on Sunday, January 28th, 2007, at the Providence Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. He was born in Richmond, California and moved to Ocean Springs in 1964 to help start the Pascagoula Refinery with Chevron.

After serving his Country in WWII, He went to work for Standard Oil of California, where he remained employed until he was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. He retired after 37 years as an employee of Chevron. Harry was indeed a patriotic American.

He was preceded in death by his wife Helen, and his daughter, Kathleen. He is survived by two Grandsons, Kyle Moxley of Ronan, Montana and Kristian Moxley of Memphis, Tennessee.

After retirement, “Hairy”, as he was affectionately known, spent his time at Pine Island Golf Course in Ocean Springs, where he volunteered to work in the Golf Shop until the course sold in 1998. Although “Hairy” donated many hours and dollars to Jr. Golf, he wanted his contributions kept “under the radar.” After Pine Island sold, “Hairy” couldn’t stay away from a golfing environment---he volunteered to be a “Player Assistant” at St. Andrews Golf Club in Ocean Springs, where he was still active until the time of his death.

In keeping with his tradition of supporting Jr. Golf, and his love for the game, the family requests any donations be mailed to: Gulf Coast Golf Foundation
PO Box 1413
Biloxi, MS 39533

There will be no services.

Miss you Harry