Life at a Lively Pace

Why is it that, at age two, we fight nap time tooth and nail but when we become adults and could really use a nap (even 15 minutes in a cubicle), we can’t get one?

I survived the two weeks I was doing split duty between two offices.  Only by the grace of God.

This is my second full week at the new office and, as I’ve commented to several people, I hope that my husband’s health insurance covers traumatic brain injuries because my brain is going to explode.  Processing a lot of new information quickly is one problem but, of course, there are others.  There are three major systems I need to know in order to do my job effectively (and a handful of minor systems).  One is pretty self-explanatory.  I’ve been struggling with the second one for two weeks and I think I’m getting the hang of the basics and some of the intermediate stuff.  We haven’t even touched the third yet.  From what I’ve seen, they’ll need to send out a search party to find me when I get lost in the bowels of a mainframe.

Today, we just skimmed the surface of another mess.  It seems that my predecessor chose not to do much work and, when she did, it was done rather haphazardly.  I spent the bulk of the day today trying to figure out:

• the specifics of a project
• where she left off on the project
• where she left the pieces I would need to complete the project
• what to do with the leftover pieces (did I miss something or did she grab something unnecessary?)

This ongoing project, depending on constant incoming volume, needs to be done at least twice a month, if not more.  Finishing the piece of the project today was all well and good but it doesn’t bring us up to date.  There is still 6 weeks of catch-up work to do before we are current. Ick.

Overall, though, I think I’m pleased.  I was worried that some of the rote-ness might bore me.  While this isn’t the job that I’ve lived my life to get, I don’t loathe it either.  It’s not a bad way to spend my day.  The people at the company, for the most part, are friendly and willing to help.  While the basics of the job are on the boring side, enough nonsense comes through the pipeline that force me to use creative measures to get things done. I like that.

Now, if only someone would assign me my own network ID.  And get me my own desk. And computer. And phone…

:)

If someone had told me everything that was going to transpire between January and now, I would have either worried myself into an early grave or just lost my mind on the spot.  I’m very glad that God doesn’t typically let us in on the future.  Very few of us could handle it.  I sometimes wonder how the prophets were able to process and cope with the knowledge of the future that God gave them.

Besides the heart blip, I ended up with another physical issue.  Without going into details, I’m hoping and praying that my body will resolve the problem on its own.  If not, I’ll be in the doctor’s office in about two weeks for an interventionary procedure. **sigh**

Now, on to the good stuff.  Of course, none of it is simple - God doesn’t want me to get bored.

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First things first - thank you for your prayers concerning my niece.  The headache she developed was a direct result of the spinal tap that had been performed several days prior. We still do not have an explanantion for the symptoms that put her in the ER - I suppose it will remain a mystery for now.

The other bit of news is that my job hunt intensity has increased.  We were just informed yesterday that, instead of closing the office on June 30 (as originally planned), plans have been stepped up.  The office will be closing on May 31.  I just lost a 4-week chunk of time to find a job.  I’m beginning to feel the heat.  While I have applied to several jobs in a variety of industries, I hoping that one of my two favorites comes through: production assistant in a multimedia department or tech support role for one of the local universities.

No, I’m not dead or otherwise incapacitated.  So many things have happened in the last few weeks that I haven’t had much time to think about a post, much less actually posting the thought.  Sorry! I get involved in so many different things that I’m astonished I actually have time to sleep.  I may have to do something about that!  This is a general recap of what’s been going on:

• After much running between a variety of medical offices, I have a definite diagnosis - it’s called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). In a nutshell, the electric signal that is supposed start at the top, go down in, through and around the bottom of the heart to create the contraction gets screwy. Instead, it starts at the top, goes in and gets caught in a loop, causing the heart to beat faster and faster in an attempt to pump out the blood. Test results have shown that I can go from 80 beats per minute to 165 and not even be aware of the change. This is not good since the overly rapid heart beat causes the heart to pump inefficiently. Thankfully, I’m on a baby dose of medication and it’s completely under control now.
• My brother-in-law, Rick, and his family have finally moved into their home here in PA after a long and grueling search for a job and a place to live. We’ve been helping out on weekends, doing some minor repair work and helping set stuff up.
• Earlier this month, we managed to take a day off from work and went to the Philadelphia Flower Show with hubbie’s sister and her husband.  This year’s theme was Ireland.  I have a bunch of pictures from that - some really beautiful displays - but I haven’t had time yet to post it to my Flickr account.  Maybe I’ll get some down-time this afternoon…
• Our niece, Shannon, had a scary medical incident the other day. While at a friend’s house, she became incoherent, began mumbling strange things, broke into a cold sweat and started to drift in and out of consciousness. After a really long night (we’re still catching up on sleep) and a lot of nasty tests, the doctors came up with nothing. Fortunately, the tests ruled out a lot of very serious conditions that might bring on those symptoms but it isn’t very comforting when you still don’t know what caused it - or what might inadvertently bring it on again.
  Update (3/24/07): Got a phone call today around 11:30 AM - they’re taking her back to the hospital.  She quickly developed a horrible headache and is vomiting.  We’re praying that the doctor’s figure out the cause soon.
• I’ve been busy working on a website re-design for someone else. I’m not about to toot my own horn, so I’m not linking to it. If you know where/what the site is, enjoy it when it comes out (soon) - I’m really quite pleased with the way it has turned out. If you don’t know, oh well!
• The company I work for was sold and we merged another Local Company a few months ago. Prior to that event, the Local Company had become a partner of a Very Large Company, based south of here, that wanted to expand their territory into our area - a good business move. To consolidate things, Local Company let us know that our current office will be closing sometime around June or July and we were all going to move to their main office a few miles away. I would be moving out of my current position (receptionist/secretary) to a more tech-oriented position. However, Very Large Company has been downsizing in their region and now has asked Local Company, their partner, to consolidate the workflow and do the same. The responsibilities of the position I was supposed to take has been given to someone else at Very Large Company and the position was eliminated. I got that phone call yesterday.Now I have to start the great job hunt. While it is not likely that my current position will be cut prior to the office closing (someone has to answer the calls and keep things running smoothly), it always is a possibility. God has given me complete peace in this situation. I know that the right opportunity will turn up at the right time, as per His plan. One of God’s fingerprints is clearly visible : I have approximately 3 months to find a job instead of 3 days or weeks. This is a blessing that I know doesn’t happen very often - most times, you’ve got a couple of weeks at best - and it’s a blessing for which I am immensely thankful. He’s provided perfectly in the past and I know He will do so again. I just pray that my eyes will be open to see the door He’s opening rather than stubbornly staring in the opposite direction at a closed window, willing it to open itself.

I saw this in the December 2002 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine. A little levity is good at this time of year - helps keep your sanity intact.

14 Holiday Commandments

1. When thou bakest the holiday goodies, thou will treat thyself to some of the goodly ones and not just to the slightly burnt ones that ye would be too embarrassed to giveth unto others.
2. Yea, though ye walk through the mall on December 24, ye shall not buy any singing fish, nor any pull-my-finger gags, no matter how desperate thou art to find something for thy brother-in-law.

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“What we anticipate seldom occurs, what we least expected generally happens.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli

No one can deny it – we all have our expectations and, to some degree, a picture in our minds of how perfectly everything would turn out if people just did (or said) things our way. It is hard to accept that life does not always go according to our plans.

December was always a rough month at college. Final papers were due and exams loomed just around the corner. In the midst of a very stressful month, we would do just about anything to decompress. For the most part, it was always the four of us – Dave and Leah, Bob and me. It had been decided that, for the last weekend before Christmas break, we would meet at Bob’s room at the beginning of open-dorm hours to exchange gifts. Leah came to my room at 7PM and we walked over to the men’s dorm. Expecting Bob’s door to be open, it was a bit of a surprise to find shut and locked. After knocking on the door, we went up to Dave’s room. Dave’s roommate, Alan, was there. Alan had no idea where Dave and Bob had disappeared to.

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A good friend sent this link to me a few minutes ago.  I will be smiling all day as a result.

I’ve been working on a facelift for a friend’s blog. Having run into some unruly code, I spent the better portion of a week in a computer cave, oblivious to the happenings in the world around me. I came up for air briefly last week, just in time to hear about Kent Hovind and the tax fraud allegations as well as the Ted Haggard scandal. It was enough to make me want to live in the computer cave permanently.

The blogosphere is chock full of blame and explanations as to who went wrong and why. Tim Challies has a good perspective on the matter:

“If we look to Ted Haggard as a representative of all that is wrong in Evangelicalism, I think we miss the most important lesson. The lesson we need to learn is that we are every bit as sinful and fallible and willful and depraved as Haggard; perhaps more so. It is only the grace of God that, like a spider being held over the flame by a nearly-invisible web, prevents me from giving in to all the sin that is in me and being dragged down by it. Oh, that He would continue to extend this grace! And oh, that I would take heed lest I, too, fall, for what is in Haggard is in me.”

There is a tendency for us Christians to vociferously agree with the statement that humanity is totally depraved. However, when we get to church, we behave and expect to see others behave in a manner that all but screams, “Look at me! Am I not all nice and clean? I don’t think nasty thoughts or do bad things ’cause I’m redeemed and the redeemed are above that sort of thing.” Honestly, how comfortable would you be describing your deepest darkest secrets, thoughts and desires to the average person in your church? I know I wouldn’t be because the average church-going Christian, at least the ones I’ve been around, would :

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Ever since junior high, I have loved algebra. I “got” it. I was always a great math student but something about algebra made me fly and my math grades reflected that. Getting the right answer was necessary but was nowhere as exciting as was the problem solving process. There were plenty of rules to memorize; however, the rules did not hinder. Instead, as long as I played by the rules, I could twist, turn and sometimes invert the equation until the answer was naturally exposed - much like a peapod exposes its contents under pressure.

Because I understood it well, enjoyed it so much and was beginning to exhibit the ability to teach, I was asked by my teachers to tutor other kids in class that just weren’t getting it. Sometimes, a peer can go further than a teacher by explaining things in a language that another struggling student suddenly can grab onto. I tutored all the way through high school, into college and now, 10+ years out of college, I still do some tutoring though not as frequently. While it would not be accurate to say that I was prideful in my ability, I certainly was a bit smug.

At some point late in high school, it occurred to me that algebra wasn’t math. Yes, there were numbers involved as well as computational symbols and the necessary rules, but it was much more. Algebra wasn’t so much about getting the answer (though it was important) as much as it was an ongoing lesson in logical problem solving. You have to find a solution to a dilemma by using information that is known/revealed and you have to work within the confines of a framework of rules. Suddenly, the light bulb inside my head turned on. That’s not math - that’s life! Now I really “got it” . I understood the big picture and went on my merry way, spreading the knowledge around to others as I moved through life.

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