Some of my comments were caught in the new Spam filter that Google installed. I will be able to keep up now!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Apologies
If anyone has left comments for me in the last couple of weeks, I'm sorry if I haven't responded, but apparently, they are not getting to the blog for some reason. I keep getting emails that say someone left a comment, but when I go to my page, there are no new comments. I will try to figure this out with Google and get those comments; I need them in order to keep myself sane (or at least a reasonable facsimile of sane):)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
The shoe drops...
Well, I got official notice that I have 60 days to find another job within the corporation or suffer the slings and arrows of involuntary lay off. I think I'll probably get another position, but it will mean a major lifestyle change for us. The only positions available are in another city about 20 miles away as the crow flies (an hour as the car crawls in commute traffic). That means that I won't be seeing my husband every day for lunch, and I will have to drive quite a bit, which makes me a little nervous.
If I don't get another job, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm only 52, (too old to rock and roll, too young to die!), and I can't get my retirement until age 55. Besides, I've been in harness for over 30 years, and I'm not really ready to be turned out to pasture yet.
Well, it's another chapter. What surprises me is that with all this stress, my Parkinson's symptoms are very much under control. Could it be that I just needed a little shakeup?
If I don't get another job, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm only 52, (too old to rock and roll, too young to die!), and I can't get my retirement until age 55. Besides, I've been in harness for over 30 years, and I'm not really ready to be turned out to pasture yet.
Well, it's another chapter. What surprises me is that with all this stress, my Parkinson's symptoms are very much under control. Could it be that I just needed a little shakeup?
Friday, May 25, 2012
Bad news? Maybe not...
Went to the neurologist last week, and he says it's time to start thinking and talking about Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery. The side effects of the medications are increasing, and the good effects are decreasing. I kind of knew that I would eventually face this, but it takes some thought. I'm also not sure how much it's going to cost me, and whether we can afford it or not.
I've been warned that I am at the top of the list of about-to-be-layed-off employees in my department. Not enough work for all of us, and I make too much money. I have put in 28+ years at the company, worked so many extra hours, sacrificed my time, etc., etc.. Surprisingly, though, I don't feel resentful. I understand how these things work. They don't have enough to pay all of us, and it would be in the best interest of the department to keep the younger people and let those of us near retirement go. Also, when you work as a government contractor, you have this thing called total cost accounting, which means that you have to account for each and every hour that you work. If you have no contract to work on, you have no job. We just don't have enough contracts right now.
A year ago, this news would have felt like the end of the world to me. Now, though, I'm kind of thinking that I'm getting near the point where I can't really work anyway. I have too many uncomfortable "off" times, too much difficulty concentrating and too many times when I can't physically do what I need to do. Just standing in the laboratory for hours wears me out; I can't hold the oscilloscope or multimeter or logic analyzer probes on the electronics without accidentally shorting things out. I have to ask for help all the time.
Maybe all of this is the Universe's way of telling me to move on to the next stage. Maybe there's something else out there that I'm supposed to be doing. Who knows? It could be a very good thing. I sure would have liked to celebrate my 30th service anniversary, though. Oh well, maybe they'll let me go to the dinner dance anyway :-)
I've been warned that I am at the top of the list of about-to-be-layed-off employees in my department. Not enough work for all of us, and I make too much money. I have put in 28+ years at the company, worked so many extra hours, sacrificed my time, etc., etc.. Surprisingly, though, I don't feel resentful. I understand how these things work. They don't have enough to pay all of us, and it would be in the best interest of the department to keep the younger people and let those of us near retirement go. Also, when you work as a government contractor, you have this thing called total cost accounting, which means that you have to account for each and every hour that you work. If you have no contract to work on, you have no job. We just don't have enough contracts right now.
A year ago, this news would have felt like the end of the world to me. Now, though, I'm kind of thinking that I'm getting near the point where I can't really work anyway. I have too many uncomfortable "off" times, too much difficulty concentrating and too many times when I can't physically do what I need to do. Just standing in the laboratory for hours wears me out; I can't hold the oscilloscope or multimeter or logic analyzer probes on the electronics without accidentally shorting things out. I have to ask for help all the time.
Maybe all of this is the Universe's way of telling me to move on to the next stage. Maybe there's something else out there that I'm supposed to be doing. Who knows? It could be a very good thing. I sure would have liked to celebrate my 30th service anniversary, though. Oh well, maybe they'll let me go to the dinner dance anyway :-)
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About Me
- Marian
- I'm a lucky lady. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years, a fantastic 25 year old son (I'm so proud of him!) a loving and supportive family, the best friends in the world, a job that I love, and... Parkinson's Disease. I was diagnosed in September 2006. That was a jolt, but I'm learning to deal with it.