October 10 Behr Update

I'm happy to report that things are looking up!

I've been concerned with the condition of my home's roof and when I was offered the chance for a free inspection/estimate I jumped at the opportunity. I won't lie: the guy who did the inspection was drop dead hot. Bearded, tatted, but more otter than bear. AND NICE. He was completely understanding of my financial situation but he didn't hold back; basically the entire roof needs to come off and be replaced. I'm not surprised, to be honest. He gave me a week or so to think about whether I wanted to move on to the actual estimate. When he came back he gave me a presentation that explained exactly what the new roof would consist of, how they approach the job, the warranties, etc. Oh and the cost. YIKES! But I bit the bullet and signed on the dotted line and the tear-off of the existing roof begins Monday.

And for those of you who are wondering, yes I had other companies look at the roof and promise an estimate. Unfortunately, no one followed-up or submitted a written estimate. Besides, the company I am having do the work have a 50-year, transferable warranty. 

I obviously am having to finance the job. SO that plus the financing for the foundation retrofit I had done in August means I will be a lot more in debt, something that drives me bonkers. The mortgage itself is a necessary evil but I dislike having other obligations. I'm the type who pays off the credit cards every month. So taking on this extra debt - especially with my unemployment - is frightening. My reason for going ahead with the work is that a) I really need to be better about taking care of this home; b) there's talk we here in SoCal will be having El Nino next year. That last part may not happen but I don't want to take my chances. 

And that brings me to this announcement: I've been offered a job! The company called yesterday to officially make me an offer (I'll get the offer letter today via email, hopefully). I am so excited. I don't want to share too much prematurely but since I've already shared with my folks (and will share with my sister later today) I had to spill the news. I hope to start Oct 20. 

That's my news and update for now; I'll post more next week while the work is going on and am more comfortable sharing about the job. Things really are looking up! 

BEHR HUGS

Another Curve Ball

So this thing called "Life" never ceases to disappoint. As you may recall, I was laid off back in mid-June. I'm collecting unemployment and a severance so financially I'm doing okay. The mortgage is getting paid, there's food in the fridge and cupboard, and I'm able to basically live my life normally except I don't have to go to work.

I have been working on my resume and completing some online assessments in order to better "sell" myself, so I haven't been a total slack.

Unfortunately I've just inherited a huge debt. I did the unthinkable yesterday - I answered the phone and agreed to a "free no-obligation" inspection of my house's foundation. It wasn't good news. In fact, had the guy not shown me pictures I probably wouldn't have panicked. Here's the pic of one of the wood supports that rests on a cement pier (that holds up the floor):

Yes it's about 2 inches off where it is supposed to be. There are gaps in the beams and in some places, rather than there being a bolt there are two nails holding beams together. Needless to say, this is something that I must take care of before the next seismic event. If I don't, and the house moves again it's possible that the floor will crash to the earth and possibly the rest of the house with it. So I signed on the dotted line and work begins this Thursday. It's costing me $11000.

Yet here's some good news: the guy who did the inspection and signed me up is a project manager not a salesman. He gave me a senior citizen discount (20%) even though I am 12 years too young. AND he got me a better financing deal than if I put it on a credit card or depleted my savings. I got the paperwork today from the funding company and I'm not happy about the rate or the amount of interest that I will end up paying but beggars cannot be choosy. 

This project manager was VERY nice...straight, married, a new father...but an incredible man. Beautiful smile, a really good spirit. I feel I'm a good judge of character and I believe him to be a good man. How many straight businessmen do you know who are so thankful that their customer got approved for financing that they want to hug you? Yep....he asked if he could hug me. That is not the sign of a deceitful person.

So although it is an expense I do not need it is - in the long run - something that I cannot live without. If I were to sell the house this would be a major setback. So better now than later. And may I suggest for anyone who has a raised foundation and many cracks in the ceiling/walls...have your foundation checked out. It's better to do it proactively than when it's too late.

And here's hoping the work crew will be gorgeous even if they will be working under the house!

So that's my latest news. When it rains!!

BEHR HUGS

Turn of Events

I'm not sure where to start with this...but I've had a turn of events in my life. As you may remember, I was taking today off as a vacation day. It was just going to be a fun day, perhaps a trip to Disney, possibly a late afternoon movie with O that would have most assuredly included dinner.

On Friday afternoon I was informed that my position has been eliminated.

To say I was - and still am - in shock is putting it mildly. My immediate boss and a Business Partner Manager (a/k/a employee relations) dropped this bombshell. The BPM talked through the situation and gave me a blue folder filled with information and forms for signing. Evidently I have about 14 days to sign the separation agreement which basically says I won't sue the company. If I sign this agreement then I get a (generous) severance package. But that doesn't eliminate the sting of being let go after 18 years of service.

And speaking of 18 years of service...I want to know why this was all done hush-hush. I wasn't escorted out of the building but I was told that my personal things will be packed up and sent to me. I was basically asked to turn in my badge and keys and to leave. This was a job elimination NOT a firing. I did nothing wrong. So why was I treated so? I'm expected to walk away from 18 years of professional and personal relationships that I formed over the years without saying goodbye? That goes to show that the company knows this isn't right because now they can spin the story however they want without my presence to dispute it. I did send one email to someone I worked with these 18 years. I sent it from my personal email address.

Tomorrow I'm going to ride the train into LA so I can tell my train buddies that I won't be on the train. At least not for a long while.

I've never gone through anything like this before. I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude but I admit I'm still in the "denial" and shock stage. Anger is creeping in and I know will take over soon. I've always wanted to have a steady income but not have to actually work for it but I wanted it to be MY decision.

I've decided to wait a week before looking into revising my resume and beginning the job search. I need time to get my head around this. I can say though without hesitation that I have an awesome family. Friday I called my sister and told her what happened and we went to dinner. She was very good at listening and giving me a bunch of info she printed off the internet as well as a handful of different gift cards...which I thought was sweet but I had to tell her I'm not out of money or destitute! Telling my parents was really difficult because - although it isn't my fault - there's a stigma to losing one's job and a sense of guilt and failure. My parents were both very supportive and - as my sister had reminded me - my father went through this twice during his career. So he totally understands what I'm going through mentally and emotionally.

So I'm going to be around a while. Haha! I do want to do the job search thing although at 51 years of age it scares the bejesus out of me. I also want to concentrate on some other things, like having the time to do serious yard work, housecleaning, and taking care of those little things that have gone undone.

Expect me to revisit these topics over the next few weeks/months. And if I start sounding like a broken record or as if I'm feeling sorry for myself then please comment and tell me to grow a pair! 

My future my be uncertain but for now...I'm treating this as a well-deserved vacation. 

BEHR HUGS

Behr Bits

I leave for San Francisco this morning. What was I thinking when I booked a 7am flight the morning after closing night of the theater?!

I'll be in SF for a week...Sunday through Saturday, doing the usual commuting to Alameda for the actual work part of the time. I'll be staying somewhere new for me...down in the Embarcadero area. Just hope I remember to get off BART at the proper station.

Tonight are the Oscars! I'm a little excited because I've seen a small handful of the movies. I'm a lot sad because I'll be SF in a hotel room and not at my friend's annual Oscar-viewing party. 

Here in the Los Angeles area we've had much needed rain. Yesterday saw colder temps, thunder and lightening, and periodic torrential downpours. It's been great. The only down side is I'm going to SF where - at last look - the forecast is for a week of rain.

So that's about it for now. I won't be taking my laptop. Just don't want to worry about lugging it around (it's a Macbook and a bit heavy). It also precludes looking at some sites like Blogger on my iPhone because it's just too damn small.

Enjoy your week!

BEHR HUGS

Monday Monday

I'm off to the Bay area again this afternoon. Rather than go into work then drive to the airport, I'm "working from home." That basically means I periodically check e-mail from my Macbook. My parents offered to drive me to the airport; this saves on parking fees. It also gets them out of the house and they like doing things like this. They'll pick me up on Wednesday when I return, too.

This week shouldn't be quite as stressful as last week - except making that homebound flight. I think I will call for a cab to get to the airport on Wednesday afternoon. Class is scheduled to end at 4 and my flight is 5:25. If I can leave the building no later than 4:15 I should make it. No checking my bag this time. AND...I'll be sure to print out my boarding pass ahead of time. 

So that's how my week is starting. 

BEHR HUGS

Report from Behr's Lair

I'm back from my first trip to the Bay area...only home for the weekend as I fly out again on Monday. Friends have asked why I didn't stay the weekend...I suppose I could have but that would have involved 4 additional nights of a hotel and I can't afford that. My company certainly wouldn't pay for it. So evidently I'm missing Dore Alley by being home. (Sorry, Bear!)

I had a fairly good trip although it wasn't without drama. To start with, I arrived at the airport last Tuesday with plenty of time to check in and lounge before my flight at 3:30. Unfortunately my flight was delayed 2 hours. It seems that a plane that was supposed to arrive the evening before (from Chicago?) was rotated out of service because of mechanical issues. Rather than finding a plane to replace that flight, the airline decided to move planes around and switch things up so it affected THE ENTIRE DAY'S SCHEDULED FLIGHTS. Every single flight was delayed or impacted. Makes one wonder what the hell they were thinking. So I arrived at my destination airport not at 4:45 but 6:45. By the time I got to the hotel it was going on 8pm. And aside from the nibble on the plane my previous meal had been at 1pm.

If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm not. The airline issued me a $50 credit that I can use any time during the coming year. I guess I cannot complain.

The work part was status quo. I say something five times and the participants still get it wrong. *sigh* They made the same mistakes over and over. So I did what I could. On my last day I left with plenty of time to get to the airport and catch my flight. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen delay on the BART and AirBART, I made my flight with minutes to spare. Fat man can run!

At least I know what to expect next week AND to ask for a ride to the airport rather than trying to make it via bus/BART. And I'll print my damn boarding pass out first!

Today (Saturday) I've done laundry, made a quick trip to the market for eggs and bread, and watched movies. I decided to not overdo or stress myself about other things. I need the rest.

So that's what's happening in my neck of the woods.

BEHR HUGS

Sunday Favorite: 89

Today I am off to the Santa Monica Beach with my Mom for the Arthritis Foundation Walk. I've done this walk for the past several years and have blogged about it before. Thank you to my friends who have supported me. My Mom asked if I wanted to skip it but I said no...I think we should go. It'll be good.

The past few days have been difficult for me...I'm doing better but know the worse is to come. In my last post I told you that my friend Rosalee passed away. I've been an emotional wreck. Just about the time I think I have a hold on it I start crying again. It's been most difficult at the theatre where Rosalee was an integral part of the workings. Each night at the end of the show when the audience begins applauding I start crying. Rosalee would have loved this show. She would have laughed and laughed and had witty things to say. She will never experience the joy of performing again.

Friday night I had a call from Rosalee's sister. She called to tell me about Rosalee and to ask me to be a pall bearer at the service/internment on Thursday. She said that they realized they needed them and her younger sister said "Markus." That touched me, made me feel honored, and totally ripped my heart out. Her sister said "She loved you so much." 

I have a rough work week ahead. Lots of classes and a little traveling to the Inland Empire but just for one day. It'll be about an hour drive each way if I'm lucky. The drive home will probably be rough. 

In addition, my Mom shared today that she's having another medical procedure. Without going into too much detail she's upset about it (there's a hassle with having to have changed doctors) and she's afraid of what they'll find. So that's weighing on my mind as well.

Thankfully there are no rehearsals until Thursday and that's cast only; stage crew not required. Yippee!!

So that's the update as of this morning. I certainly hope all of you out there are well.

BEHR HUGS

Labor Day Catch Up

Happy Labor Day!

For my non-American followers, this is a Federal holiday to celebrate the economic and social contribution of workers. It's usually deemed the unofficial end of summer and is celebrated with BBQs with family and friends.

Ironically, this is always the beginning of Hell Week at Whittier Community Theatre (WCT). Our season opener is "Fiddler on the Roof." I'm on the stage crew although I do have a non-speaking walk-across role...don't laugh but I'm the priest! Hahahaha! I'm hoping someone takes my picture in my costume - it's awesome in that 'community theater' sort of way.

On Saturday, we spiked the stage of where the set pieces go (big movable pieces, benches, tables, etc). We also figured out when the Grand (the main curtain) and other curtains are used, opened, closed, etc. Since the stage manager wasn't there, it fell to me to make notes (I'm working backstage). I didn't do too bad although in copying my notes there are some definite holes. Not being familiar with the script I had to keep asking "what happens next?"

Yesterday was Hell Sunday (some people call it Tech Sunday); we finished gathering props, got the lighting programmed, ran through some of the set changes, and the orchestra rehearsed. I was at the theater for about 8 hours. LONG day. But worth it because we had a lot of laughs during the day. I was completely pooped by the time I got home...my feet hurt and my back hurt. All I want to do is sleep, like the bear in today's accompanying picture.

Tonight is the first run through start-to-finish with the orchestra, lighting, and set changes. We'll run through the show every night this week with Opening Night being on Friday. I know I'm going to be exhausted by then. But hopefully it'll all come together and be a great show.

I've been really busy on the work front as well. Thankfully things are going to lighten up somewhat. Next week I'll be attending a five-day training for an upgrade to one of our systems...the class runs 8am to 6pm! YIKES! During the month I'll also be doing some dog-and-pony shows for the web-base system that we're migrating to from the DOS version. Luckily these presentations don't last more than a couple of hours and I get to go home afterwards.

For eight days in August I traveled on one of our light rail lines to another location to do training. I had a funny experience one day on the way home; I noticed this tall big bearish guy get on at one of the stops. I didn't really turn and check him out until he was disembarking. About 10 minutes later he messaged me on Growlr! He said he noticed me. Unfortunately nothing came of it but I thought it was a humorous. 

Posts are going to be a bit light due to work and the theater; I'll try to post when I can but it may not be until next weekend.

BEHR HUGS

Topsy-Turvy Week

It's been a topsy-turvy week for me...no matter how I looked at it, I was looking at it wrong. It started with Tuesday feeling like Wednesday - and it just continued on. Today is Friday but yesterday felt like Friday! To add insult to injury, I'm doing a quick two-hour training today - on a Friday! I never train on Friday! 


I think  a lot of it is because I've been slammed at work. I may have mentioned that one of my colleagues is out on medical leave and so all the technical training has fallen in my lap. I'm up to the challenge, oh definitely. It's just that I've been receiving lots of requests for training outside the norm. Next week I begin a hectic schedule of training a certain group of colleagues; the entire group will take 16 three-hour training sessions over eight days. In between I also have other classes to train. I already have two other groups scheduled for two different dates in September.


It doesn't help that I cannot believe we're in August already. The Olympics have been a nice distraction although I'm not certain I care for the NBC coverage; why are all the popular events broken up and spread out throughout the evening into the late hours? While I think male swimmer bodies are hot I'm a little done with all of the prelims, semi-finals, and finals. Too much swimming, imo.


 Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, may your Friday be quick and painless so we can get to the weekend.


BEHR HUGS


PS: Hypocritical comment: Congratulations to Tyler Clary on his Gold medal for the Men's 200M Back. It's nice when there's an unexpected winner!

Sunday Favorite: 78

I'm off to Nevada today for the work week. Wish me luck as I travel through the desert to America's Playground a/k/a Sin City. As I mentioned I'm not much of a gambler and not much of a drinker these days. The hotel/casino I'm staying at has movie theaters, a bowling alley, several restaurants, a pool and other amenities. So once the work day is over I shouldn't be bored. I'm also taking a book. LOL! 


Did I mention that the forecast is for 105-degrees every day?


Today's favorite lives in Sitges.  I've chatted with him on Growlr and aside from being drop dead gorgeous, he's a really nice guy. Oh and he wears glasses, too:

Woof! And Grrr!


BEHR HUGS

2012: Day 3

It's back to work today....


BEHR HUGS

Thursday Grrrrr

Where I work, we are always having printer problems, usually with our color printer/copiers. Rather than call our internal IS department, a technician is called. There's one in particular for whom I have the hots. He's older, Hispanic, with short salt-and-pepper hair and a thick salt-and-pepper moustache. When he rolls his sleeves up, he's got tattoos up and down his arms. I suspect he's an ex-gang member.

He's the hottest Latin tech daddy I've ever seen. I so want to kiss him. I'd love to see him shirtless because I suspect he's got a nice thatch of chest fur. I secretly fantasize that his nipples and dick are pierced. Who knows - maybe they are. To add cream to the topping (heh heh - I said cream), he's the most polite guy. He calls me "sir." Very little else can give this behr an instant woody than being called "sir" by a hot masculine Latin papi.

I just saw him working on our copier. I had to come back to my office to hide my interest.

Is there anyone at your place of work - co-worker, technician, delivery guy - for whom you have the hots? Leave a comment and tell us about him. In the meantime, I think I need to stroll back by the busted copier. *SWOON*

BEHR HUGS!!

Back to Work Monday

It's back to work for me today after one week in SF and two weeks on vacation. I'm not sure what the day will hold but I can say that I am NOT looking forward to putting on a tie. If I looked as good as these men in a tie perhaps I wouldn't complain.

Happy Monday and BEHR HUGS!!

Black and White

Thursday at last! And I can't tell you how much I look forward to it. I probably haven't 'splained Lucy what I do for a living. First the bad news: I work for a bank. Now now stop your booing and hissing. The bank I work for is safe and sound and was before during and definitely after the financial debacle of the past months. We are based in California and also have offices in Nevada plus a regional center in New York City. I started out as a tech writer documenting policies, procedures, and systems. After about 9 years of that I transferred to HR where I joined the Training team. So now I'm a trainer. I'm excited for Thursday because a recent new hire needs one-on-one training on a specific application. This gentleman is GORGEOUS. Brilliant blue eyes, clean cut in a preppy-ish way and did I mention he has dimples??!! He's an absolute dreamboat. And to boot, an extremely nice guy. Rumor has it he plays for the same team that many of us do. KA-CHING! So tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day. I hope you all have as wonderful day as I anticipate mine will be. BEHR HUGS!!