And early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise? No, it doesn't work, we may be sort of healthy, but we certainly aren't wealthy and maybe not so wise, either, but I have been rising early for quite a while now, the older I get the more my body clock seems to want me to wake up early despite whatever time I finally fall asleep at night. Last night it must have all caught up with me because I ended up going to bed at 9:30. I was trying to watch Dateline and wanted to see who did the murder but I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. So, off to bed and then up at 5:30 to feed hungry hungry kitties.
I've been leaving my door open at night for a few days and for the most part the cats have been very good at not bothering me, good that is until their little body clocks say IT'S TIME TO EAT! and they start prowling about looking for someone to wake up and FEED US ALREADY!
In good news, if everything goes right and he passes all the rules tests and all the training, Keith is going to be a railroad conductor for BNSF. He has been wanting this job for years and finally got it! He passed the background checks and the medical exams and will start on Monday June 17th, the day after his birthday and how good is that timing? Happy Birthday, indeed! He is off this morning to start getting new work pants and shirts, all of the work pants and shirts he has now being totally ruined by oilfield dirt and oil.
Today we are going to take it kind of easy, I did a big house clean yesterday and mowed the lawn, so there aren't really any chores that need to be done. It's supposed to get really really really hot here today, records are supposed to be broken, so we will turn on the outdoor misters to help keep the outdoor cats cool, shut the blinds inside to help keep the house cool, turn on all the fans inside, and crank up that air conditioning and try not to sweat too much.
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new job. Show all posts
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Someone's Been Sleeping In My Bed
I just went out to the front porch and looked up into the tree to see if Lucy was on her little sleeping perch that Keith built for her (along with steps on the tree trunk to get up there) and there was a cat sound asleep but it wasn't Lucy. It was the pest of the neighborhood, the black and white cat that constantly comes over to eat our cat's food and in general annoy the heck out of them. The same cat that figured out how to get into Genie's shed and into her bed.
So, I say HEY and the cat wakes up in a total panic and tries to jump onto the roof of the house but fails, and what a big fail it was, with the cat tumbling to the ground and landing with a thud and then running off down the street. Apparently not hurt by the thud because it ran away FAST. Then I see Lucy looking over the side yard fence like what's going on out here?
So, what else is going on around here? Keith is almost done with his third week of work at a job that he feels overpaid for (good!) and doesn't really like (bad). When he used to fix pumps it was tear this thing apart and put it back together with new parts, but this job has loads of paperwork involved and you have to document every move you make along with pictures, and measure everything carefully, and he is finding all that quite the headache. They also want to train someone to be on call 24 hours a day seven days a week every other month to travel to fix things and he doesn't think he wants to do that. However, at this point he doesn't have much choice and will kind of have to do whatever they want him to do because there aren't many other jobs out there that will pay him as much and it will still be a job where he would have to fix broken things.
I'm trying to be patient with him and sympathize with him having to do a difficult job and not the job he really wanted, but it gets a little frustrating sometimes.
We are planning to work in the yard this weekend, getting the flowers and shrubs that we bought last weekend into the ground and getting more of the weeds that grow like weeds out there cleaned up. The side yard on the side of the house that we walk through got weed whacked so it looks a little better, but there is still a half finished walkway to the patio and another side yard full of wood and weeds out there.
I think Keith has a little hoarding tendencies when it comes to wood. He was talking about some 2x4s at work that they cut up to use for blocks and how he'd like to ask if he could have some of it and I reminded him about the side yard and garage that are both full of pieces of wood for 'future' building projects that have been sitting there for years. And years. And no, he doesn't need to bring more pieces home.
So, we will see how far we get and hopefully the sun will come out because it's a little chilly here today. Although I shouldn't complain about it because in a few more months I'll be complaining about how hot it is.
So, I say HEY and the cat wakes up in a total panic and tries to jump onto the roof of the house but fails, and what a big fail it was, with the cat tumbling to the ground and landing with a thud and then running off down the street. Apparently not hurt by the thud because it ran away FAST. Then I see Lucy looking over the side yard fence like what's going on out here?
So, what else is going on around here? Keith is almost done with his third week of work at a job that he feels overpaid for (good!) and doesn't really like (bad). When he used to fix pumps it was tear this thing apart and put it back together with new parts, but this job has loads of paperwork involved and you have to document every move you make along with pictures, and measure everything carefully, and he is finding all that quite the headache. They also want to train someone to be on call 24 hours a day seven days a week every other month to travel to fix things and he doesn't think he wants to do that. However, at this point he doesn't have much choice and will kind of have to do whatever they want him to do because there aren't many other jobs out there that will pay him as much and it will still be a job where he would have to fix broken things.
I'm trying to be patient with him and sympathize with him having to do a difficult job and not the job he really wanted, but it gets a little frustrating sometimes.
We are planning to work in the yard this weekend, getting the flowers and shrubs that we bought last weekend into the ground and getting more of the weeds that grow like weeds out there cleaned up. The side yard on the side of the house that we walk through got weed whacked so it looks a little better, but there is still a half finished walkway to the patio and another side yard full of wood and weeds out there.
I think Keith has a little hoarding tendencies when it comes to wood. He was talking about some 2x4s at work that they cut up to use for blocks and how he'd like to ask if he could have some of it and I reminded him about the side yard and garage that are both full of pieces of wood for 'future' building projects that have been sitting there for years. And years. And no, he doesn't need to bring more pieces home.
So, we will see how far we get and hopefully the sun will come out because it's a little chilly here today. Although I shouldn't complain about it because in a few more months I'll be complaining about how hot it is.
Monday, March 28, 2011
More Mean Kitty and Other Stuff
I spoke too soon yesterday. I was doing something in the kitchen and turn around to see Bear frozen in place by the hall and Lucy down the hall growling at her. Bear didn't know what to do because her escape route to the bedroom was blocked by growling Lucy so out came the spray bottle and some yelling at Lucy on my part and then back under the bed Bear went. Sigh.
Well, today is the first day of Keith's new job. He did the yard yesterday morning and we had lunch and then he got his stuff all packed up and got his maps ready and got money for food and gas and off he went. It was really weird watching him leave knowing that he'll be gone until Friday night. Then if he passes all his tests and moves on in the training he'll be gone for even longer to Kansas for welding school.
I thought that I would sleep really well having the bed all to myself, but not really. I called him this morning to make sure he was up and ready to go and he didn't sleep well, either. The hotel is right by the railroad tracks so he could hear trains going by all night and dogs barking and the little refrigerator in his room makes weird noises.
I'm figuring out my plan for the week, today I'll do some vacuuming and dusting and pick up a few things from the store, and then work on some new gift tag things for the shop. I have a bunch of new pendants to take pictures of if the sun ever comes out again. We are supposed to get some nicer warmer weather this week and I'm so looking forward to that because I am tired of being cold. Remind me that I said that when I start complaining about how hot it is in a few months.
Well, today is the first day of Keith's new job. He did the yard yesterday morning and we had lunch and then he got his stuff all packed up and got his maps ready and got money for food and gas and off he went. It was really weird watching him leave knowing that he'll be gone until Friday night. Then if he passes all his tests and moves on in the training he'll be gone for even longer to Kansas for welding school.
I thought that I would sleep really well having the bed all to myself, but not really. I called him this morning to make sure he was up and ready to go and he didn't sleep well, either. The hotel is right by the railroad tracks so he could hear trains going by all night and dogs barking and the little refrigerator in his room makes weird noises.
I'm figuring out my plan for the week, today I'll do some vacuuming and dusting and pick up a few things from the store, and then work on some new gift tag things for the shop. I have a bunch of new pendants to take pictures of if the sun ever comes out again. We are supposed to get some nicer warmer weather this week and I'm so looking forward to that because I am tired of being cold. Remind me that I said that when I start complaining about how hot it is in a few months.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Somewhere
...over the rainbow! It was actually raining while I took these pictures. We are having crazy weather this week, rain and snow and that's pretty much unheard of this time of year here in 'sunny' California. Roads were closed up in the mountains and traffic was backed up for miles on the interstate, and trees and power lines down because of the wind.
Keith is on vacation this week, trying to fix our fence and some of the other projects that need doing, so of course it rains because he is on the first week long vacation that he's had in years.
He finally got his email with his hotel reservation and directions on getting to the training center on Monday, we were starting to wonder if it was all just a hoax. They arranged it so that he can check into the hotel on Sunday night so that he doesn't have to try to drive all the way early Monday morning and then be all tired for the first day, so that's good.
Lucy attacked Mimi last night, so we are going to have to take her to the pound today. Cruel and heartless, yes, but we don't have the time or the money to go get her checked by the vet, pay for blood work to see if it's a medical problem, take her to a 'cat whisperer' or whatever else people do to try and calm down an aggressive cat. We can't have every other cat in the house constantly afraid and stressed out. It's kind of like five to one, they stay and you go. So, cruel and heartless we will have to be.
Keith's mom is in the hospital with pneumonia, the last we heard was that she was still in the ER because the hospital has no bed for her. We are hoping that she will be okay, after pulling through her near death stroke thing last year her health has been pretty fragile.
Friday, March 4, 2011
New (Old) Jeans and Giving Notice
I wore my $2.75 new old jeans yesterday and didn't have to yank anything up all day. They are normal everyday jeans that go up to your waist, none of this low rise crap, and the legs are slim fit and they fit perfectly and I was very comfortable in them. $2.75 well spent.
We typed up Keith's resignation letter last night and he will be giving it to his boss today. He's still kind of in shock that he will be quitting his job and going into the unknown. He talked to the training coordinator for BNSF yesterday and will be staying in Redlands for a week, and they are going to try and get his hotel room set up for Sunday night so that he can be all fresh for training on Monday morning. They get reimbursed for their breakfasts and dinners during the week and are provided a lunch each day. It will take a little while to get used to the new pay schedule, you start out at a reduced pay rate for the first week of training and then get a little more each week that you pass all the tests and move on and then finally move into the pay rate for the job. So, hopefully we won't have to send all of our money to the IRS this year and will have a little in reserve for the weeks that he is waiting for his first paycheck.
He decided to give 2 weeks notice and then take that last week off in between jobs to hopefully get some of the unfinished things done around here, like moving the computer out of the bedroom among lots of other things, and to relax a little before the job starts because it will be a long time before he gets another vacation. This will only work if his job does indeed pay you for unused vacation time when you resign since he has like 50 hours on the books.
So, anyway...
I got inspired to redo all of my shop pictures yesterday with some paper for the background that kind of matches my shop banner so I'll be all coordinated and such, so I'll be working on that for the next few days as long as the skies stay sunny enough to take pictures.
We typed up Keith's resignation letter last night and he will be giving it to his boss today. He's still kind of in shock that he will be quitting his job and going into the unknown. He talked to the training coordinator for BNSF yesterday and will be staying in Redlands for a week, and they are going to try and get his hotel room set up for Sunday night so that he can be all fresh for training on Monday morning. They get reimbursed for their breakfasts and dinners during the week and are provided a lunch each day. It will take a little while to get used to the new pay schedule, you start out at a reduced pay rate for the first week of training and then get a little more each week that you pass all the tests and move on and then finally move into the pay rate for the job. So, hopefully we won't have to send all of our money to the IRS this year and will have a little in reserve for the weeks that he is waiting for his first paycheck.
He decided to give 2 weeks notice and then take that last week off in between jobs to hopefully get some of the unfinished things done around here, like moving the computer out of the bedroom among lots of other things, and to relax a little before the job starts because it will be a long time before he gets another vacation. This will only work if his job does indeed pay you for unused vacation time when you resign since he has like 50 hours on the books.
So, anyway...
I got inspired to redo all of my shop pictures yesterday with some paper for the background that kind of matches my shop banner so I'll be all coordinated and such, so I'll be working on that for the next few days as long as the skies stay sunny enough to take pictures.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Well Whaddya Know!
After days and days of checking emails and not getting that email, after days and days of stressing and worrying, Keith finally got the final job offer from BNSF yesterday afternoon. And then we couldn't get the final offer letter to come up in the email so we had to call the help line and go into Internet Explorer to be able to read the letter. Internet Explorer? Who uses Internet Explorer these days? It's kind of like still being on My Space instead of Facebook.
But, anyway, he starts on March 28th, so at least he's got 3 weeks to give his notice and get himself together. The way BNSF works is you fill out all your paperwork online so he sat there for about 2 hours last night going through all the forms and dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. He has to be down in Redlands near San Bernardino on Monday the 28th at 7:30 am. I'm assuming they will keep the training class down there for the first week and then something about going to Kansas for 2 weeks and then on from there. The training is rigorous with lots of testing and if you don't pass something you are given a second chance and if you don't pass again, it's back home you go. Kind of like American Idol. Then when you are all done training you still might not actually work, you have to kind of bid on your jobs and can be bumped by someone with more seniority at any time.
He's excited and also a little sick to his stomach.
Since it's a union job, the pay is $5.00 an hour more than what he's making now, the medical package costs $200.00 a month, right now we are paying about $260.00, so a little savings there. You don't have to pay social security taxes since the railroad has it's own retirement fund and we figured out that the percentage taken out for that will be about the same as what's coming out now between social security and his 401K. Hopefully he will be working out of Bakersfield so we'll save about $40.00 a week in gas costs, but who knows with that. Scary thing starting all over again.
I did find some pants over at the Goodwill yesterday, two pairs of capris for $2.50 each and one pair of jeans for $2.75. I looked around at some of the other clothes but most of what they had was pretty worn and pretty ugly, but at least I've got some pants that hopefully won't annoy me like my jeans from yesterday that are now in the trash can.
But, anyway, he starts on March 28th, so at least he's got 3 weeks to give his notice and get himself together. The way BNSF works is you fill out all your paperwork online so he sat there for about 2 hours last night going through all the forms and dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. He has to be down in Redlands near San Bernardino on Monday the 28th at 7:30 am. I'm assuming they will keep the training class down there for the first week and then something about going to Kansas for 2 weeks and then on from there. The training is rigorous with lots of testing and if you don't pass something you are given a second chance and if you don't pass again, it's back home you go. Kind of like American Idol. Then when you are all done training you still might not actually work, you have to kind of bid on your jobs and can be bumped by someone with more seniority at any time.
He's excited and also a little sick to his stomach.
Since it's a union job, the pay is $5.00 an hour more than what he's making now, the medical package costs $200.00 a month, right now we are paying about $260.00, so a little savings there. You don't have to pay social security taxes since the railroad has it's own retirement fund and we figured out that the percentage taken out for that will be about the same as what's coming out now between social security and his 401K. Hopefully he will be working out of Bakersfield so we'll save about $40.00 a week in gas costs, but who knows with that. Scary thing starting all over again.
I did find some pants over at the Goodwill yesterday, two pairs of capris for $2.50 each and one pair of jeans for $2.75. I looked around at some of the other clothes but most of what they had was pretty worn and pretty ugly, but at least I've got some pants that hopefully won't annoy me like my jeans from yesterday that are now in the trash can.
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