Glass Box Update ~again?!@#

Jones and I were going to work on Monday, but we never made it... My boy was HOT. His velocity started slowing down. I thought for sure we would end up stranded on the Xpress-way... We started up and down the ramp into the frontage road. Jones knew exactly where he was. I started praying for us to make it just a little bit further... just a little bit more... just a little bit further... At last, we were there... right in front of the Mechanic's shop... The gate was locked... And then, I read the sign... It was Monday and the shop was closed... So then, I tell Jones not to be afraid... I pray for him to go just a little bit further... I remember the shortcut to get to Wal-Mart... I knew they wouldn't have a mechanic to help but maybe, just maybe if I bought some coolant it might help... So we are finally there. Poor Jones was so HOT... I go in and ask for some coolant and one of the oil change guys comes out to see what I am doing... He says Wal-Mart will not allow them to help with such things... Well, why did you bother to come out to see what I am doing then? I thought to myself! LOL... So he lends me a funnel and he watches me put the coolant into my car. I ask him if he has water for my car and he says he does, so he adds a little bit of water. Then I take Jones around to the other side and wait until he COOLS off... Fortunately, I got home. There was not much more that I could do for Jones that day...

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On Tuesday, I had no choice but to go see if the Mechanic could check in on Jones. Once again, I prayed all the way. He was still getting HOT, but we made it to the Mechanic. I asked him if it was the water pump because of the evidence the steam left inside the hood. At first glance, he said it was. He also said that I was very lucky that Jones hadn't blown up... Ahhh... don't I know it?!! So I went into the waiting ROOM while Jones received a new transplant... Unfortunately, a SOLDIER man showed up. There he stood, in his Uniform, all cute with dimples and such... so Naturally, after he told the Mechanic his STORY about how he had to go and serve his country, even if it was only in Austin, Texas, it was his car that got worked on first while Jones was lying there, bleeding, with his guts out... So finally, the Soldier's car was fixed, and they finally took Jones into Surgery... You want how much money?! I think my Mechanic charged me too much for Labor this time... Was he hoping that I would just pay it? Well, I had to swallow my pride and just pay it, because Jones and I are a team, and I know he knew that he was injured pretty bad...

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So yesterday, I got the news... The Eye wants us to paint the Medical room. It is going to be an examing room. I am not impressed with my coworkers ideas, but I went along with them. I cannot believe we are going to be painting all day tomorrow. Grrr... especially since I already donated whatever clothes I could have used to paint. Now, I don't know what I will wear...

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Painting on Friday means that I only had yesterday and today to complete my work for the week. I saw all the kids on Wednesday and I worked a few cases. Today, I had a meeting in the morning. I did as many of the updates as I could and I filed them. What took a lot of my time is that I had a family who kept calling me. I talked to the sister-in-law, to the brother, and to the brother's boss. The brother wanted to take three days off to come "get his brother out of jail." I have no clue as to what the kid told him, but I spent so much time trying to calm all of them down because they were all so panicky... This means that I was not able to gather the paperwork that I needed for a case and I did not have time to complete a case to turn in for approval. How do you complete a week in two days?! Yesterday, I stayed after work for an hour and today I did the same thing, but I am no further ahead. Grrr...

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Betty Crocker is no different. She continues to ask me if I have done any filing. I have a feeling she is voicing a mean streak of jealousy that streams down from conversations with the click. What is her problem?!# Immaturity?

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This afternoon, I was surprised to see the receptionist filing the court documents... Has The Eye resolved the accessive filing problem by transferring the court documents to the receptionist? She is not under The Eye' s supervision... I wonder if her supervisor knows she is filing court documents...

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Also, something that freaked me out is that the Eye said that one of us has been talking behind his back saying that he is demanding and forcing us to work on tomorrow's project. Was it Betty Crocker? I am sure he probably thinks it was me... I spoke up and said that it was hard for me to believe that any one of us could have said something like that... I am wondering what happened.

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One fun thing is that I went to see a one bedroom apartment with a loft. Too bad the only way I might get it is if the couple who is in there splits up...

Glass Box Update

I sent The Eye's boss an email this morning to ask him if he could see me today. Within minutes, the phone rang. It was him. He saw me right away! I went in a little scared but prepared to face my dragons... I told him that I wanted to know about my status at work, because I was on my last day of probation. He said so many nice things about my work... that I am very professional, that he wishes other people were as professional as I am, that The Eye was bragging at their meeting about me finishing the case last week in five days, that I have caught on quickly and that I am doing an excellent job... it just went on and on... so he said that I have nothing to worry about as far as my probation... that I am a valuable asset for the shelter... Then, he asked me if there were any problems. I told him that I have "concerns" about the women I work with. I told him about the whispers and how the girls do not want to answer my questions when I ask. I told him about the lack of privacy and how they are always watching and listening on every word... I told him about how they seem to act as if we are in competition but I am only trying to do my work... I told him about how the girls try to make me look bad in front of The Eye... He was very nice about it all. He said he would talk to The Eye about it and for me to let him know if there are any changes in their behavior. It's kind of scary to reveal these things, but he says that he does not want anyone to feel uncomfortable or harrassed at work and that he was glad that I was able to share this information with him. He even gave me his cell number to contact him if anything else should happen.

Young At Heart

Spelling Bee and Betty Crocker transformed themselves into She-Devils again today. How can women be so b*tchy or is that their real selves and they only pretend to be nice when it is convenient? I can relate to men when they say they don't understand why women can be so b*tchy?! Thank God, I am not a b*tchy woman... Betty Crocker is always bending over backwards to play herself up. She always wants everybody to know when she is doing good and that she is the best worker, although it must drive her nuts because The Eye always leaves Spelling Bee in charge when he is away. Were they listening when I told The Eye that I completed "the case" last week? I didn't brag about getting it done in five days. I told my boss that I thought the case was complete, but then they asked for proof of the sister's address and then they asked for the telephone logs. I just wanted to be clear about what I would need to complete a family friend case for the next time when I have to do a case like it. Spelling Bee asked if I was going to ask for the visit on Friday as the visit that they evaluate from. She sounded offended as if I was taking a shortcut that she hadn't thought about, and she didn't like it. Grrr @ they watch everything that I do and say in my work and everything that I don't do and everything that I don't say. It is so hard working in an environment where there are no walls or privacy to do my work, because their eyes are all over me. But what I hate the most is when The Eye comes in and they try to make me nervous in front of my boss, asking me if I have done this or that.

:::dip me in CHOCOLATE:::

What a STRESSFUL week! First of all, I got behind in my work again, but I was able to get my paperwork caught up by Friday. On Monday, I was assigned to a new kid who will be turning 18 on Thursday. That means that I only had last week to complete the case and turn it in for approval. This was the fastest anyone has ever been able to complete the paperwork and get the fingerprint results, and I am the newest case manager they've got! The problem was with the fingerprint results because the new interns at the fingerprint site had problems forwarding the prints to the site that processes them. Then, they asked me for more documents, because the Sponsor was not family... BUT I completed the entire case in one week and I turned in the case for approval on Friday... Wow @ it got me behind especially since I also had to arrange a visit because the child and the Sponsor did not know each other! People at work do not know yet that I turned the case in for approval on Friday. If the case gets approved on Monday, I have to wait 24 hours to request the Stipend and then, he can be released!!!!!! I am also in the process of trying to complete two other cases at the same time, and the money order for the airfare for the kid who will be released next week should be coming in by Monday.

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Another thing is that one of the medical staff was told that he will have to be demoted to direct care staff because they cannot afford to pay for two medical staff. He was puzzled about this because they never changed his salary when he went from direct care staff to medical staff. He went to school to become medical staff and he has to continue to take classes to keep his meical status, so he got upset about it, and rightfully so, so he is quitting. The thing is that he was still on probation when they told him, so I don't know if he will get unemployment. I will miss him, because I consider him a friend. This worries me because my probation is not over until February 17, but also because we are all "at will" employees, which means that they can let you go whenever they want. Scary...

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I bought my own flowers

and

I bought my own CHOCOLATE

and

I danced with myself in the kitchen.

LOL...

::::::MUAH!!!!!:::

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Update

Lots of changes happening at work. I am still on probation until Tuesday of next week. One medical staff person is being demoted before his probation ends so he is quitting. Please keep me in your prayers.

XX

Lao~Tzu::Being Loved

I have been up since 2:30 a.m... I hope I won't fall asleep at work! I would crash for a few minutes but I will have to go out the door earlier than usual because I have to gas up. The price of gas was going down last year. What happened? It's gone up 50 cents. Wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to gas up every other day. Prayers requested to stay awake! LOL

XX

I'm ::TOO SEXY:: for my Car

First of all, thank you for your insight on yesterday's entry about Beauty. I have so many girlfriends who are wondering what they are doing wrong. LOL...

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LOL @ I couldn't resist this graphic. Had to make a tag out of it. Is this one rated G, too, Lorenzo? LOL @ I see you are a cockroach now, so I am not sure if a cockroach can rate tags by adult content. ha ha...

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Anyways, this graphic got me to thinking about the drivers in the Valley... I must say that the drivers here keep you Spiritual, because I have brushes with death everyday. Statistics say that the one thing people do most when they are on the road is pray. LOL @ if you drive in the Valley, that's got to be TRUE!!!!

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Most people complain about the "race car drivers" who drive at the speed of light. There are a few of those in the Valley, but most of the drivers here drive as if they have their Grandma in the car. I have seen drivers driving at less than the allotted 45 miles an hour in the center lane. LOL @ it sounds funny but not when you have to drive an hour to get to work. I am not sure if the drivers here are afraid to be on the EXPRESSway, if they are too macho that they are trying to look cool, or if that is as fast as their cars can go.

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I know my brother's first car would not go very fast. "Let's take a drive down the Boulevard, Sis," he'd say... and then, he would lower himself down into the car, driving with one hand on the steering wheel. All his friends thought he looked cool, but actually, it was as fast as his car would go. LOL

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Another concern is the drivers who come in from Mexico. Did you know that some Mexican drivers have United States license plates? Did you know that in Mexico they do not take a test to get a license?! Scary; isn't it?!!# If you have ever been to Mexico, then, you know the way these people drive. OMG @ I think I left my pancreas at the other block! Teeheehee...

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The Snowbirds have already started coming in, too. Snowbirds are the people who come to Texas for the winter. Sometime they call themselves "Winter Texans" but I like to call them Snowbirds. LOL... They drive slow, too, sometimes, but not as bad as the people who actually live here. I love it when the Snowbirds show up, because it gives me an opportunity to speak English...

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Although I must admit that I pretend not to know Spanish when people in stores want to sell me things. I figure that if you are going to work in America as a salesperson, you better speak my language. ha ha... My bad.

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XX

:::Beau:ti:ful:::

"If you could see yourself as others see you, you'd want to be as beautiful as you." I think the saying on this tag is funny, not funny "ha ha" but kind of shocking funny...

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Like Marilyn Monroe, no one ever told me that I was pretty when I was a little girl and no man has ever told me that, either... I think the only man who came closest was the guy who would always said "M*E*R*C*Y!!!" whenever he would see me, but that really isn't the same thing; is it? In a way, you can see they are attracted to you by the way they look at you. Their eyes seem to light up just as if they have seen their first Trans Am, but no man has ever come right out and told me that I am beautiful. Is that a word that they reserve for their mothers or is it just a word that is not in men's vocabularies?!

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With all the "beautiful" people making their way on the covers of magazines and on the modeling runways, average-looking people are spending thousands of dollars buying beauty products, age-defying creams, lotions, diet pills, makeup, name brand jeans, sexy clothes, etc., just trying to look "like everybody else." But then, there are people who don't want to look "average." They want to look more like the "beautiful" people. Those are the people who take more drastic measures to transform themselves through plastic surgery, adding or subtracting boobies and butts, and sucking in their guts through liposuction...

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It's funny how women are always critical of themselves. It's as if we cry the same cry as the Elephant man when we think about the way we look: "I am not a animal (freak)!" My efforts lately have not been anywhere close to the efforts of the "average" woman... pretty sad, I guess... I mean, I dress for business and I wear makeup in the morning, but the other day, I bought something I haven't bought since my youth: flavored lip gloss... It put a kick in my day that brought a smile to my face, knowing I was wearing something that was my own little secret...

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As a woman, I think it is only normal to wonder how men decide which woman is good enough to be a girlfriend or a wife and which woman is only good enough to have sex with. Does a woman's "beauty" have a part in that decision? Actually, being beautiful does not guarantee that a woman will find a man to love her. Marilyn Monroe was beautiful but she suffered this same tragic story. Men were so busy trying to undress her, focusing only on their own selfish desires, but they were blind to the true beauty that was before their eyes... It is not unusual to see ugly girls with gorgeous looking guys or girls who move up to "wife" who don't work and can't even cook. What is their secret? What makes them "more special" than the average or the beautiful woman who has actually gone out of her way to learn how to cook, how to sew, is economical, has a job, and is clearly a better "wife" choice?! Why don't they get noticed? What is the criteria? No mustache? Able to party? She's got to be pretty enough to show off to my men friends?

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Why are men always in a hurry to get sex without even knowing what my name is... If you are a man and you are reading this, please take the time to get to know us! Duh @ that's what most women want!!!!!!!!

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Being beautiful is not just about what I look like on the outside. Being beautiful is also about the lessons that I have learned in my life... It is about the skills I have strengthened in myself and for the good of all humanity... It is about all the things I have been able to accomplish and master when I had doubts in myself... It is about my personality, about my gestures, and the way I walk... It is about my ability to think for myself... It is about the little acts of kindness that I do without wanting to be found out and without asking for anything in return... It is about choosing love over fear... It is about having a huge capacity to love... But most of all, it is my flaws that make me beautiful.... Like my chocolate flavored lip gloss, it is a secret that only a very special man will be able to discover... or not...

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XX

Cupid's Bow

O.K., Lorenzo... Hope this tag is more to your liking. I used my body on this girl's head, by the way. LOL...

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I was very disappointed in Dr. Bandaid today. You know the type: They only put a bandaid on whatever is ailing you, because they don't want to cure you. Vampire George took out blood, but then, he set it aside, even though they do all of the bloodwork there... That's more money in their pocket, because you are forced to come in for the results. Good grief. Whatsmore, they make you wait forever. I wasted all day there, but I walked out without medication. Every other doctor I have ever seen has given me meds, but Dr. Bandaid said I had to wait for the results. What is that?!# She didn't even check my ears. I wasted all day for nothing, and they don't expect the results to come back til Friday. What is that?! Oooo, that made me mad. If I go back, I am going to wait for the Physician Assistant. He may be an assistant, but he is a much better doctor than Dr. Bandaid.

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Today is Carolina's birthday. We used to call her mother Maria La Loca, because she never took a bath but she always went visiting. Carolina would follow me everywhere. She was about four years old, and I was about seven. She had hair of gold and her eyes were blue. Like her mother, she was always dirty. I would clean her up with a washcloth and brush her hair until she looked like the pretty little girl that she truly was. One day, Maria was cooking beans. Carolina and her little baby sister Raquel were sleeping. Maria locked the door and went next door to visit and gossip with the neighbors. Suddenly, the curtains caught fire and Carolina was yelling for Maria to get her out, but the two little girls burned to death in the fire and there was nothing left of the little girls or of the home but ashes. Carolina was very special to me. If I hadn't been at school when it happened, I would have run into that house to save her and her sister. I will have to take some flowers to her grave this week.

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Another sad thing that happened recently is that the Nun downstairs moved and didn't tell me. She probably moved when I was at work. I leave in the dark and return in the dark. Is it any wonder that I missed her?! She was my favorite tenant in the building. She left behind a spider plant that is not doing very well. I brought it in to try to doctor it back to health. Every time I water it, it will remind me of our friendship.

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