Wow, it's been a long time since I've been here. I nearly forgot my password, but in the end it was like riding a bike. Sort of.
Just before Christmas, I came down with the flu or something. At least I'm hoping it was the flu. Either that or I'm really wimpy because that thing had me horizontal for nearly two days.
It cleared up in time for the various festivities and left me appreciating my health when I have it. Yeah, it had to be the flu and not just a monster cold.
Anyway, we're a week into (possibly) the last year of the earth.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with what happened in my life in 2011:
I left my job with the horrible work hours. I got a new job that I half-liked I left the half of the job that I didn't like I started private tutoring with a good tutor company I am free from volunteering at the elementary school I (think) my artwork has improved I completed a round of sessions with a helpful life coach I feel more focused and motivated because of my life coach I've gotten more laid back My relationships with my kids are awesome My relationship with my husband is awesome Finances are in good order Friendships are blooming
So all of this will carry over into 2012. I'm at the start of the second part of the middle part of my life and I'm excited at the possibilities. That's why I got the life coach. Because I don't want to screw this up.
Yes, I think it's safe and sad to say that the cat is truly gone. I keep thinking I hear him padding around or snoring, but then I remember he's not here and get all sad again. Yesterday, I cleaned, and there was no cat hair on my favorite chair and that just sucked.
But life goes on. I'm getting up to speed with the police volunteering thing. I'm surprised at how much information and responsibility we peon volunteers are privy too! I have to remind myself that it's not a paid position! (*drat*)
About that coaching thing, that was a good decision on my part, I believe. I more or less "graduated" this week having reached a point where both the coach and I felt I was done.
I was frustrated and restless and unsure of which way to go with this transition time of life I'm in. So for about the cost of one month's pay from that sucky part-time job I had last winter, I signed up for some coaching.
I will say that coaches are like real estate agents - there are gazillions of them and they come from all kinds of different backgrounds and personalities. This is both good and bad. Good because there's got to be at least one out there that will fit a coachee's needs. Bad because of all the weeding out.
Just be very specific in your keyword search. That's how I found mine. It narrowed the hits down to about a small million or so anyway.
So now I'm graduated. It was a good decision. 2012 is looking to be a great year...
It's December and it's cold! Well, that's just nature's way. I do prefer having four seasons, but I can still complain when it's too cold / hot.
And finally FINALLY, I am all background checked and polygraphed and fingerprinted and urinalysized and properly badged to go fight crime. I start this coming week. Everyone I've met there is friendly and positive and seems to really like their work. I'll take that as a good sign. I'll probably be doing about 4 hours - one day a week.
I'm also seriously considering doing some volunteering at the humane society. They need just a couple of hours a week, so I think I could manage that too. Sadly, our cat went out the other night and never returned. That is just totally uncharacteristic of him. We'd had him for over 12 years and he's always been very reliable and never gone for long.
After a couple of days, we concluded that he's gone. We think he left on purpose to go off and die. I'd heard that some cats like him - with outdoor access and born to a feral mother - will sometimes do that. Eerily, I snapped a spontaneous photo of him and Candyman just before he went missing. The two of them were sitting at Candyman's computer and something just told me to take that photo.
He was my first pet cat and I miss him, but I think I've made it through all of the stages of grief and finally to acceptance. On the bright side, I discovered the local humane society. Elvis and I went down there to check for our cat the first day he'd gone missing. Even though the cat wasn't there, I just got a really good "vibe" from the place. The people are very warm and caring, and I found myself thinking of volunteering there.
And did I mention I'm working with a coach? To help me get a life? Yeah, she's helping. I feel better and more positive already. I'm looking forward to the new year.
Wow, really I have not been here in so long. Strangely, I've been doing quite a bit of writing lately, just not here.
But this is a nice "quiet" place, and I think I'll keep it around.
I'm going down to visit my parents tomorrow. They seem to be in a sort of limbo. They are getting older and more frail, but are still living independently in their old house. I wish they would have moved to a better home years ago. Their house is full of stairs and tight corners and just too big for the two of them, but they are so set in their ways...
So they're still there in the house they bought when I was 2 years old. In a way, I like to visit them there since it's my childhood home, but it really isn't practical. I sometimes feel like I should do more for them, but I don't know what to do, so I don't do anything in particular other than keep tabs on them and just "be here".
The weeks seem to be a-flying by. Halloween came and went, and we had our first snow day this week.
I thought of dressing up for Halloween, for the school kids that use my crosswalk anyway. But then I couldn't think of anything particularly entertaining. One of those viking hats with the horns and blonde braids might have been fun - very unlike me, the smallish Asian-ish crossing guard.
Then there's the play on the whole crossing guard thing. Hit and run victim? Perhaps traumatic and mildly inappropriate. In the end, I was just me.
Things are moving forward with the police thing. I finally got my polygraph done yesterday. I showed up barely at the appointed time - not a whole lot of parking at the police station yesterday for some reason. Fingerprinting waiting room was full to the brim.
Anyway, I got there and the polygraph examiner was there waiting for me and I happily left the fingerprinting waiting room. He took me through a series of badge-only-access doors and eventually we were in the polygraph room.
He was a very mellow guy. Struck me as intelligent and not easily phased. We made friendly conversation between his questionings about my not-so-illegal past, mostly involving drugs and sex. He admitted that doing polygraphs for volunteers and employees was typically pretty boring, but that the criminals were fun.
I noticed that he wasn't wearing a wedding band. Just saying.
Anyway, I think I managed to convince them that I'm boring enough to be a trusted volunteer. After the polygraph, he surprised me with an order for a urinalysis. Right, some things they just don't want one to know ahead of time...
With those two hoops having been jumped through, I should be summoned soon to the life of non-paid crime fighter.
I've been a neglectful blogger. Good thing this isn't a pet.
Ah well, I'm here getting caught up on a day off. Already Friday, where did this week go, seriously? We made it up to camping last weekend. It was nice to get away. There was hardly a soul up in the boonies besides us. Made it all rather 'Blair Witch', which wasn't such a bad thing.
Tonight, I get out to a much needed girls night out. Drowning in testosterone again here.
The gods of camping are against us it seems. We were going to go do a fall camping trip this weekend. The kids have Friday off from school. Weather forecast is for crap, crap, and more crap. We're staying home.
Ah, it's just as well. I'm pretty indifferent to the whole camping thing, but I am feeling like it would be nice to have a change of place. Just a simple getaway would be good.
Otherwise, the week's been good. New students, and keeping busy. I'm looking forward to starting the thing with the police, but I have to pass the polygraph first. The polygraph man is booked for the next couple of weeks. Anyway, the people at the crime analysis place all seem pretty nice and interesting. I had no idea about such a thing. It's like real-life "Criminal Minds". My supervisor has a masters in psychology. Who knew?
In the meantime, I bought these rockin' boots today. Wore them with a denim skirt to tutoring.
My tutoring profile seems to be working. I've been getting requests all week - mainly from parents of high schoolers needing help with college entrance tests.
When I was a tutor last time, it was with a leading test prep company. One of the drawbacks to that was we were expensive (even though my cut was pretty much the same as now), and our clients were a bit snooty. They could afford the best, and they could be pretty high maintenance.
These students I'm getting now, so far, seem from families more at my own tax bracket. That's a plus. I'm actually more motivated to help them. Is that reverse snootiness on my part?
And, it looks like I'll be doing some volunteering with the city police department. A friend of mine enticed me, and I had an interview with them this week. I'll be working with the group that deals with incoming tips to unsolved crimes. OOoooOOOh!
I figured that police volunteer would be a good thing for me. It gets me out of the house, I'll meet some new people, and - what the hell - it looks good on a resume'. I'm training for my future.
Everybody gets sleepy and nods off or at least often feels like it, don't they? I'm beginning to suspect that either I (a) have a sleep disorder or (b) read too much into information gleaned from the internet.
This morning, I was having a lovely 14-mile bike ride. About halfway through, I was feeling all groggy. No pain, no nausea, I didn't even feel "tired", but I did feel "sleepy". I swear there's a difference. I had a typical night's sleep last night so WTF?
So I nosed around the internet some this morning. Most paths lead to narcolepsy. What? Nah. I completed an 8-question questionnaire to determine where I am on the "Epworth Sleepiness Scale" - something else I've never heard of. Anything over a 10 can indicate a sleep disorder. I scored a 15.
Ah well, I'm not going to look into it further. This morning's bike ride was not typical. As usual, the remedies are drugs for daytime and drugs for nighttime to counteract the drugs for daytime.
In the meantime, I'm watching part of the U.S. Open (tennis) match between Serena Williams and Samantha Stosur...
