Change is Good

Posted on April 13, 2014April 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Change is often hard. This coming from the person who packed up and moved to a new state where they knew no one and knew nothing about the state.

I was young and restless and fearless. Now I still get itchy feet. It comes out in my travels but I also have a stronger sense of home. I like my adopted state, maybe not the cold winters but there’s a lot of other good stuff to recommend it. (No digs about “Taxachusetts”).

Looks like change is once again headed my way. If it happens I guess you can say I went reluctantly which is surprising because I really want it to happen. It all boils down to change.

Rumor has it that there’s a position with another department opening up. The powers that be have brought the opportunity to my attention and it would be a fun job. Off the record I have been told I can keep working from home (once I’m trained). I’d be eligible for bonuses. Bonuses are very good. My budget has been quite tight without the overtime I used to get at my old company. So what am I hesitating for? The schedule change required.

I feel like I will have to mourn my old schedule.

I know that’s funny but for 10 years I worked weekends at my old company and I have continued as a Night and Weekend worker in my new job. I’m used to having weekdays to go to the doctor, dentist, bank, vet and all those other errands that can’t be done easily on the weekend. I am used to having quiet hiking spaces and deserted attractions. The crowds show up on weekends.

The new position requires Monday – Friday. The opportunity is too good not to try for it so I’ve been trying to get myself thinking positive about the schedule. Many events and activities are only on the weekends and I miss out unless I take a day off. Some examples are AAA Travel Expo… usually Thurs- Sun; Riverquest boat rides on the Connecticut River, again usually weekends; The Spring Flower Shows.. always weekends; summer Fairs, Autumn Harvest Festivals and so on.

So I guess there’s a lot to be said for being conforming and working like the rest of the world. Now if I can only get the job. 🙂

Post Trashed/ The Day After

Posted on November 29, 2013November 29, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Good Morning Friends!

Anyone with a Turkey Hangover?

I had quite a post planned for today all about my thoughts on Black Friday. Comments and opinions about shopping on Thanksgiving. Those poor people who had to miss Thanksgiving with their families because the big, greedy retail stores wanted one more day to put their paws in our pockets.

Then I thought whoa! Until this year I was one of those “Poor people” who had to work and it wasn’t so bad. Before I worked in Plymouth I seldom worked alone and we all brought holiday food to work. Our workplace became a Thanksgiving meal and the folks working celebrated with each other. It was nice. I still celebrated on my own when I had my next day off. The extra money that I got by working the holiday certainly came in handy.

Once they moved the office to Plymouth and went “Virtual” I found I didn’t always have anyone working with me in my office. Oh I had co-workers, just not at my location but again, I didn’t mind. It was usually a quiet day and it was in Plymouth that some of the nicest things were done for me.

One Thanksgiving 2 different co-workers drove to the office to bring me Thanksgiving Dinner because they knew I was alone there! I was amazed and thankful to even be thought of once, but twice. That’s pretty special.

Another holiday when just 4 of us were working one of the 4 brought in a whole meal; ham, baked potatoes, veggies…for all of us. All home made. He got up early before work, cooked up the feast and surprised us all!

Come to think of it, I have more good memories of working holidays than bad.

And judging from the interviews on the news, these workers were happy too. They talked about earning extra money for Christmas, about break rooms overflowing with food, of happy friends that were shopping and saying hi; people they wouldn’t see if they were at home.

So I don’t know if opening on Thanksgiving is really so bad. I worked because a telecommunication company that offers phone service has to have people on in case of emergency . It’s the law in Massachusetts, maybe even Federal law but here were people working retail, laughing and singing the praises of their employers for being open and giving them the opportunity to earn a little extra for the upcoming holiday season.

Maybe having a retail store open on Thanksgiving isn’t as bad an idea as I first thought.

Jumping for joy

Posted on May 9, 2013May 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I promised I’d keep everyone up to date on my job search.

I have great news! Today I received an offer of employment and I accepted. I won’t go into detail about the company because it’s my policy to keep things like that confidential so that I don’t run afoul of any company rules or restrictions. My former employer was quite strict about that and often monitored blogs and Facebook. But I will say that the total package… benefits, vacation, salary comes close to matching or exceeding the perks I had at my previous employer.

That means I will be able to keep on exploring “dusty roads” around me. I can see another visit to Florida in my future. I was thinking about Crystal Springs but there are lots of other places too. Yellowstone and Yosemite, California, Oregon and Washington, those remaining “A” states to name just a few.

I really want to go to Costa Rico too and on a safari in South Africa so lots of places to go and things to see. Yay! And I’ll keep sharing those adventures along with the mundane day to day challenges with you, my friends and internet neighbors.

Change

Posted on April 1, 2013April 1, 2013 by Dusty Roads

When one door closes another one opens…or so the saying goes. No matter what, change is hard and sometimes scary. These last 3 months have been a roller coaster of emotions; sometimes exhilarating, sometimes sad, sometimes nearly panic only to swing back to excited.

I have worked many places with many people but no other work situation has fostered such close ties. From the dispatchers I shared the office with to the techs in the field it was like a big family. Things didn’t always go smooth. There were disagreements and arguments but there was also laughter, kind words, support and fun and over the years we began to feel like family. This made for great working conditions but now that it’s over there is a lot more emotion than just leaving a job.

This last week has been a concentrated version of the past three months. Everyone seemed to be wearing their feelings on their sleeves, one moment laughing, the next crying and the work demands never let up to give us a chance to come to terms with the “Last Day”.

This week the management team ordered pizza, the HR manager brought pizza, even one of the techs spent his own money to bring us pizza. Then the last morning we all brought breakfast food; juice, coffee, sweet rolls, coffee cake, apple fritters, fruit, bagels, muffins…enough food for an army. I couldn’t help thinking it was like a wake or funeral as more food poured in and visitors came by to say their good byes.

At a particularly loud moment it hit me hard. Yes like an Irish Wake without the whiskey and like a funeral after the burial those of us that remained would be…alone.

For all the complaining and groaning that goes on in a normal day-to-day give and take, when it was over those of use not going on to Malden would be alone with no place to go on Monday morning. No co-workers to chat with, fight with, laugh with…no work family.

But then the emotional swing went the other way arching back up to optimism. Look at all the opportunity, a clean slate . This is different because of the bonds made over the last 10 years but the job changing is not. Everything will be fine, not the same but it will be fine.

It will all work out and the adventure of finding where this path will go is still ahead.

The Saga of a Stray Cat~ Chapter 3

Posted on March 13, 2013March 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I wish I’d had another day off to supervise the trio but first thing in the morning I had to go to work. I was pleased to see that all 3 cats had survived the night with no blood-shed. The cats were still wary of each other so I placed the breakfast food bowls in 3 different places. While they were eating I headed into the bathroom for my morning shower.

Imagine my surprise when I went to step out of the shower only to have all 3 cats sitting there waiting! My bathroom is tiny! But at least they were all together with no evil looks or sounds.

With my heart in my throat I headed off to work. It would be about 12 hours before I’d get back. A lot can happen in 12 hours.

While at work I was telling my co workers about the new addition. He didn’t seem to like the name Mittens or Tippy so I’d tried 007 (his coat is a tuxedo pattern), James Bond, Moose (because he’s so big and he’s clumsy), Bulwinkle (to go with Rocky) but so far nothing seemed to stick. My most recent attempt was “Puss” short for “Puss in Boots” because of the effect his plaintive little meow had seemed to have on the other cats as well as me.

One of the girls really perked up as I was telling my story and asked if I really wanted to keep him.

I told her I’d consider letting him go to a good home. She immediately called her mother who had been looking for a cat. Her mother jumped at the chance to give an adult cat at home. The only drawback was that I couldn’t take him over until Monday or Tuesday of the next week. This was only Thursday.

Meanwhile at home the bonding was continuing.

As I drove home I had mixed feelings. I really don’t want or need a 3rd cat. Especially one the vet estimates is only 5 years old. At the same time he was fitting in pretty quickly with my other two. I was not sure what I’d find when I got home. The closer I got the more my imagination ran wild and not with good scenarios.

Finally …Home…I unlocked my front door and 3 streaks of fur came flying out. Previously only Rocky ran out. It was a game for him. He’d run out and I’d go pick him up and carry him back but tonight all 3 came flying out, even Smokey! The “Puss”ran down the stairs to the laundry room, Rocky headed for the front entrance and Smokey got to the stairs and froze not sure where to go or who to follow!

I snagged Smokey first and tossed him back through the doorway.

Rocky was next and I closed the door.

Then at the bottom of the stairs I saw Tippy/ Puss/ Mittens waiting as if to say “Are you coming to get me?” What have I gotten myself into!!!

Dinner time was anti-climatic after that homecoming. Rocky and Tippy wound around my legs while I opened cans of food. Smokey kept his distance so I let Rocky and Tippy eat side by side and set Smokey’s food bowl a little apart. After dinner they each came over for head rubs and pets before taking up their “spots”, Tippy at the top of the cat tree, Rocky under his heat lamp and Smokey on the couch next to me.

It was like Tippy had been here forever.