TechGirl's Little Blog

I finished up my last campus delivery and configuration today. Actually, I'm not totally done with that. She's ordering a dvd burner through the company website and I have to go install it when it comes in. But other than that, I'm done with the people on campus. Now I'll start to just configure laptops that will be shipped out to bank employees around the country and answer their phone calls when they can't figure out how to follow the instructions about transferring data from their old machine to the new one. Bah.

I had a really good job interview yesterday in northern Cincy. I was really nervous, which is odd for me. They apparently liked me, though, because they called me back today. The HR chick called and I wasn't able to get it because I was with a customer. She called back 5 minutes later, and again a few minutes after that. I didn't recognize the number and thought it must be something important (mom isn't well) so I finally picked up. She apologized about calling so much but explained she was leaving in a half hour and wanted me to come in for a second interview on Monday afternoon. They want me to meet with the COO and some engineer person from 3:30-5pm on Monday. I guess we'll see how this turns out. Wish me luck.

I'm gonna go catch up on the DVR stuff from the week. Talk to y'all later.

me

Well, that Extreme Bodies show wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. They didn't mention Gary or the DS until 45 minutes into the show after talking about metabolism forever. I guess beggars can't be choosers. At least they talked about the procedure and explained it to some extent.

So, what's new...
I was diagnosed with Adult ADD last week. When I was researching ADD for Jo, I recognized a lot of the same symptoms in myself that I've had all my life but figured it was just normal. So, I took myself to the doctor and he gave me a test. I was way off the charts so now I'm on meds and my head is quiet for the first time ever. It's definitely different.

Jo had her first parent/teacher conference today since she started her meds. Her teacher just raved about how much better she's doing now than before. She remembers what she reads and writes complete stories. Her handwriting has improved 100%,too. We looked at her drawings and writings from before her meds and compared it to her assignments afterwards and it looked like they were from two different kids. It was just amazing. I kept waiting for the teacher to say something bad about her, but it never came. She's doing perfectly fine and as the proper level for her age. Yay!

I'm still working at The Bank waiting for the shoe to drop. I'm 3 pc's away from being done deploying machines around the campus and am focusing more on configuring and shipping laptops out to branches around the country and then helping people with those laptops when they call in. We're supposedly done with the campus people, but everytime I go out to deploy a machine, someone always comes up to me asking when they're going to get their new computer. Someone told me today there are at least 300 people around campus yet to do. So...who knows what's going on. I think I'll at least be there until the end of December unless I find something else first.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. I'm really tired tonight. later.

This is what we do for fun at my house. Yeah, we're weird.

Monday night, Nov. 17th at 9pm on The Discovery Channel is a show called Extreme Bodies - Super Obesity. The show follows Gary as he goes through the process of having the BPD/DS surgery, the same one I had. This is exciting to me because when you tell someone you had "weight loss surgery", they just assume you had the gastric bypass, commonly known as the RNY. This is a very wrong assumption since there are a few different types of weight loss surgery (WLS). However, the less successful RNY is easier to perform for surgeons so it is done by more doctors than the BPD is and is done more often so it has become synonymous with the phrase "weight loss surgery". We (my group of DS friends and I) are hoping that this show helps to get the word out to people seeking WLS that there are OTHER and better options available, surgeries that allow you to live a normal eating lifestyle afterwards rather than requiring you to be on a diet for the rest of your life. By the time someone reaches the point where they decide to have WLS, they have already spent probably most of their life on a diet. Why spend the money and time on having a surgery that requires you to...be on a diet the rest of your life? Most of us just want to be able to live a NORMAL life, which is what I do now. I can eat just like the average person out there now that I have my body processing food more efficiently than before.

Anyway, before I go babbling on...I wanted my friends to know this show is out there in case your interested in knowing exactly what I had done. Or if you know someone who is considering WLS, this would be good to watch. There are only about 50 surgeons in the world that perform this surgery and we are very lucky to have 3 of them right up the road in Dayton. People who are seeking WLS tend to go with what they know is out there without digging deeper and doing research, so a lot of them go with the RNY without ever knowing the BPD/DS even exists. You'd be surprised by how many RNY people tell me they had their surgery because they'd never heard of the one I had. If you don't do the research, you just don't hear about this surgery. And it is more successful long and short term. That just amazes me. So, hopefully this show will help get the word out there that there are alternatives and better ones at that.

I ordered some of these:

MoveOn is giving away 2 million Obama Victory stickers, designed by Shepard Fairey. Free. You can get one too. They're totally free, even free shipping if you're just ordering one. I ordered 5 for a donation of $3.00.

I've always considered my nephew to be kind of an unofficial son. I adore the hell out of the kid and he's been a big part of my life since the day he was born. When I was a teenager, he was my constant companion and could often be found cruising around with me in my car when mom would send me on errands.

Well, my little buddy turned 18 today and I've been feeling kinda down tonight. It's not so much that his being 18 makes me feel old, as much as that my little guy is now an adult, all growed up. Anyway, we went to my sister's house tonight and had ice-cream and cake for him and had a good time. His big plans for the night were driving his mom's mini-van down to Middletown at midnight to go to Rocky Horror. All of the kids he was bringing were Rocky virgins so they were up for a good time. I told him to call me if he needed me since I live in Mtown. So, I've been home all evening fighting a headache and laying in bed feeling down and catching up on the DVR when at about 11pm, my cell phone rings. "Lee, I need help". Suddenly, I don't feel so down. He's all growed up, but I still get the phone call when he gets lost on the road. He apparently made a wrong turn and ended up somewhere unfamiliar. I stayed on the phone with him until he got to the road he needed to be on. I hadn't been aware of the reason for my slight depression until I suddenly felt much better after that phone call. I told JR "I think I've been depressed cuz Joey turned 18". Maybe I felt like I wasn't going to be important to him anymore, I dunno. Then his needing me just sort of made me very happy. Is that weird?

Ah well, here's a pic from tonight.

I love this...
Yes, this is my kid...

I had two really great interviews today at a BIG company just a little south of my place. It's about the same distance as The Bank is from my house, just south instead of north. I'd love to work for them, the money is almost right and the people are really nice...but the job they interviewed me for isn't the job that the recruiter sent me there to interview for. When I mentioned to the 2nd interviewer that I was currently studying for a certification in network security, he asked me if I'd be interested in a position that was partly support and partly security administration. As much as I don't like phone support, I think I'd like to do something like that if only for the security experience. He said they won't be making a decision for about a week, so we'll see. I think the interviews went really well, but I'm not sure I'd be able to accept a position that is strictly phone support. Nothing against those that do that particular job, but I did it for years and worked myself up into other positions that I enjoy much more and those are what I'm really looking for. If I took this just to have a job (anyone remember Sara Lee?), I know I'd be really unhappy. We'll see how it goes.

I've got a few other leads, too. I'm looking at a couple positions at the base. And my current recruiter has this idea that I should go back and work for Siemens again. I must say that idea is very interesting to me especially since there is new management now.

I'm really tired now so I'm gonna go crash.

-me

...it's no big surprise since I work in an upper-class suburb that there are many wingtards bemoaning the election results there. Oh my god, how are we all going to afford to live when the big black man raises all our taxes. waaahhhh...

You had eight fucking years...look what we got. You fucked up, now it's our turn.

I am hopeful. I am excited. Most of all I'm ecstatic over the fact that we were a part of history in the making. My friends and I, we helped elect the first black man into the presidency when there was a time when the black man wasn't even allowed to vote. Amazing.

So to the woeful McCain supporters crying over what the future holds...fuck off. Your boy fucked up big time for 8 years. And no, it's not Clinton's fault. Get over it.

me

Courtesy of JR over at Reconstitution