Y2/D324...

Taking tomorrow off as already reported - due to predicted icy weather. The temperatures start in the 50s then jump to the 30s and 20s. It's supposed to rain, then immediately switch to ice with up to ten inch thickness of ice being reported in some areas. I walk and take the subway - trying to do that in ice, with rain, and snow, and sleet - during a pandemic - is not my idea of fun.

Mother told my brother that I'd chosen to take a vacation day as opposed to venturing into the office - and he wholeheartedly approved, he had read the weather forecast too.

I think my writing is slightly off tonight. Brain fog. I need a break. Work stress + pandemic + prolonged isolation (well if you can call living in a huge city, and in apartment complex with 77 units, taking mass transportation or walking with others on the sidewalks all the time...isolation) = brain fog.

I may binge-watch The Expanse. I got into over the weekend, and it unlike other things is not frustrating me at the moment.

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Niece informed me that everything but the bus, the tube and flights to Europe is wickedly expensive. She was able to get a flight to Portugal for 50 pounds (not dollars as previously reported), which is far cheaper than either rail or uber or taxi. Tube is 2.50 and bus is cheap.

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Mother is worried about her left knee - which is bone on bone, the cartilage eaten away by arthritis. It hurts. But she doesn't want to deal with the ordeal of knee surgery - takes 6 weeks of recovery time, and once again with the home health care aids who are in increasingly short supply.
Poor mother - she's 79 years of age, and her body is breaking down on her. Also she's alone now - for the most part, because father has Alzheimer's and is in the Long Term Care Facility.( Read more... )

Mother tells me that I'm a lot like my father - good at redefining myself, adapting to new situations quickly, and teaching myself new skills. Also, I tend to talk myself down instead of up. Basically I'll tell everyone that I suck at something, only to turn around and excel at it. One former boss once told me to stop telling everyone I sucked at math. He decided I had a math phobia. Mainly because he watched me sit in a room with a bunch of mathematicians attempting to figure out why a royalty calculation database system was not working. The individual who'd been in the position prior to myself - did calculation after calcuation for months and could not figure it out. I figured it out in about an hour. They were leaving out part of the calculation. It was a video game royalty calculation database. It calculated how much was to be paid to channel distributors (for distributing the games) and 1st/2nd and 3rd party video game developers. There was only one third party video game developer - and they left them out of the calculations. The consultant who taught algebra on the side was writing it all up on the board. And...
( Read more... )

Then I was laid off - along with about fifty percent of the administrative/financial staff. It was an interesting group. The Finance Department was overworked and underpaid. They worked until midnight, came in at 10 Am, and took two hour lunches - often dragging me with them. Actually they always drug me with them. The group was lead by a sweetheart of a guy from Southern China. The Finance Department was a mix of Chinese, Ukranian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Columbian, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern Immigrants. We did lunch together - and since we were located on one of the top floors of One Penn Plaza - we'd take off to Little Korea, China Town, and Japan Town for lunch - it was a quick subway ride or walk away. I learned a lot about each of the ethnic cultures while there, and a ton about various food choices. I was gluten-intolerant - so Asian cuisine worked well. My favorite was the all-you-can eat sushi and Japanese buffet restaurant. I don't remember where it was - but it was amazing. Also by far the best sushi in the city. I think there were only ten non-Asians in the place - and they were all in our group. There's another great place that my pal, Alice Chiu had taken me too, back in the day. We've lost touch - she had a kid, moved to Long Island, and life sent us our separate ways. Happens a lot in this nutty city of over 8 million.

Anyhow, that was my experience working for a dot.com. Everyone should try it, or not. Early 00s. Over 14 years ago. In 2007. Yippee Ki Aye.

[Ah, found out what happened to it - like all the other companies I've worked for in my lifetime it was acquired by another company. I'm beginning to wonder if I've worked for an organization or company that wasn't bought out, merged or transformed either while I was working for it or shortly thereafter? And they all do the same dumb things. ]

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COVID & Other News..

* ( Australia )

While the US...sigh...

* ( The Olympics )

* ( Billionaires, their boats and jets. )

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I think my UU Zoom Bible Study Group gave up or just took me off the email list, one or the other - since I've not heard a peep out of them for a bit. Don't care. Lost interest. It last two years, so that's saying something, I suppose.

I dropped out multiple times - mainly because I hate Zoom. But I also dropped out prior to Zoom. So there's that.

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Ending with a picture..