GREAT NEWS..........I HOPE

i wanted to do a separate entry for this news..............so here goes............

i have another job.  well, a supplemental job.  my other job doesn't pay enough so i had to find another part time job to supplement my pay.

i haven't said much about it, but awhile back i did some volunteer work for the local salvation army store.  most of the people there were friendly, loving, caring, compassionate people, and i am honored to call several "friends".  when i had trouble paying my huge electric bill i went to their benevolence director and asked for help.  they were able to pay the bill for me and actually seemed happy to do so.

i had thought of putting in an application with them for employment, but figured since they had helped me out financially, they wouldn't even consider hiring me.  i had put  in an application several years ago and never heard anything back from them, so wasn't sure if it was a waste of time or not.

anywho...........i asked for 2 weeks for an application and kept getting the run around.  then one day i went in to purchase something and they had the application for me.  it is 14 pages long.............so now i know why they put me off..........they didn't want to run the pages, lol.  they have to do a background check which takes time.  i waited a week and went back in, and the director told me there was some good news.  they were planning on hiring me for 2 days a week..........friday and saturday.  but they didn't have the background check done yet.  i waited another week, went in, and was told i was hired for fridays and saturdays, but since the criminal background check wasn't complete, i couldn't run the cash register.  that is the job i wanted to do, since i had experience.  so the director got on the phone, called the person in charge of the background check and was told that i had passed with flying colors.  I WAS OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  woo hooooooo!!!!!!!!!!  they don't pay quite as much as my current job, but on my current job i only get a raise of 15 cents an hour per year, and i never have gotten my initial raise of 25 cents from 4.5 years ago.  this new job offers a dollar an hour a year.  in 3 years the current cashier has gone from $6 an hour to $10 an hour.............which is more than a dollar a year.  so if they like me, i might be able to give up my other job after 6 months to a year.  on my current job, my days are about 5-6 hours long.  on the new job, i get a full day.......8 hours.  i also get 2 breaks and 45 minutes for lunch, which is better than my old job. 

THANK YOU LORD FOR PROVIDING ME WITH THIS JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

i just have the one obstacle........one employee doesn't like me........or if she does, she has a weird way of showing it.  but everyone there knows how she is and they just let her be, so i guess i will have to do the same.

i haven't decorated for halloween yet due to not wanting my stuff stolen out of my yard.  there is a lot of foot traffic on the side walk around my house, since i am on a corner.  so since i am off today and tomorrow, i will decorate. 

3  weeks ago i had asked my current general manager for 4 particular days off.  we have to do this via the company computer.  i got confirmation on 2 of them.  the other 2 i didn't.  one of the days was halloween night.  when i got to work yesterday, i discovered i had been scheduled to work on halloween..............I DON'T THINK SO!  i have tons of candy to give out and lots of cool decorations.  i spent the evening trying to find someone to swap with me and finally found a girl that was willing to and was elated i was taking her friday so she could go visit her parents.  it worked out well after all.

well, i have much to do so better get started.  i want to try to read some of the journals i have neglected. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!

ARM UPDATE

well, it has been almost 2 weeks since the injury to my arm, and i am still in pain.  but now i at least know what is causing the pain.  i thought i had dislocated my shoulder.  nope.  i have a tear in my rotator cup.  oh joy!!  upon researching this type of condition, i found out that 70% of americans over the age of 50 have it and most don't even know it.  it can be caused by normal wear and tear over time, or repetitive movements over years.  if there is some pain, most people consider it one of the signs of aging and they learn to live with it.......until bursitis rears its ugly head.  there is little that can be done other than exercises to strengthen the muscles and ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation and kill the pain.  so i bought stock in ibuprofen (just kidding).  sleeping has been the biggest problem.  i sleep on my right side most nights, and get a sounder sleep.  now i cannot sleep on that side.................well, i can, but not without lots of motrin and pillows all around my arm.  but after sleeping on my right side, i have pain when i get up for many hours.  oh well..................i guess that is what you get for getting old.......sigh.

i have stopped feeding the wild bunch altogether.  and they have moved on.  mama kitty still comes around from time to time to check the bowl.  i hated to do that, especially with winter coming on, but i had no choice.  since the arm incident, it gets harder and harder to fix them something to eat (i usually prepare something instead of dishing out cat food) and when i do feed them, only one comes around and leaves food in the bowl and other critters come around to eat.  i don't mind feeding the other critters, but i swear i smelled skunk musk the other night..............

NO GOOD DEED GOES.................

no good deed goes unpunished..............i always wondered about that phrase.  i was never sure whether i agreed with it or not.  but after last night, i think i might have to.

i was sick most of sunday with a stomach virus and apparent sinus infection.  needless to say, i was "stuck" in my house all day.  around 7 pm i heard a banging on my bedroom door.  there was my housemate, looking frantic, and asking me to take her and her grandson to his house to take him home.  she had a flat tire and couldn't take him.  it was the same tire she had had plugged a week or so ago.  i told her i didn't have much gas in the car and i was suffering from a virus and didn't want to get too far away from a restroom.  she huffed off and said she would ask the caretaker that lived behind us.  i told her i would be glad to change her tire for her if she had a spare or a donut tire, and if i could get the lug nuts off.  when they put them on with an air gun, you cannot get them off usually.  she didn't even know if she had a spare, a donut or a jack.  sigh..........

upon dressing and going down to her car, i saw she had a brand new looking donut, so i began to change the tire.  she was telling me this and that like she didn't think i was doing it right.  after all, i volunteered, and she didn't even know she had a tire.  her grandson kept getting near the car as i was jacking it up and i told him 5 or 6 times to stand back away from the car.  he wouldn't.  i finally told him and his grandmother that if they both didn't stand back and listen to me, i would let them change the tire and i would go back to being sick.  both got mad at me.  but i have seen what can happen if a child gets close to someone changing a tire.  when i worked at the health dept. i saw pictures at the medical examiners of small children killed by a car falling off a jack and onto them.  or the car rolling forward and smashing a child.  i just didn't want anything to happen to him.  finally, AFTER i got the tire changed and was about to tighten the lug nuts, my housemate's daughter and boyfriend drove up.  the daughter was surprised her mother didn't know how to change a tire.  then she thanked me for doing it for her.  i let the boyfriend tighten the lug nuts and put everything back into the car.  as i was getting up from the ground with the daughter's help, my foot slipped on some pine straw and i fell back onto my arm.  i heard something pop and the pain was unbearable.  i knew i didn't break a bone, but i was sure i pulled a tendon or muscle.  i humbly limped up the stairs and tried to rest.  i slept on a heating pad and that helped some.  as soon as i left the house i went to get gas, then bought some ibuprofen.  i took 4 tablets and the pain isn't quite as bad right now.  as long as i can take those, i will be ok.  i didn't have anything to take when it happened, so i suffered.

don't get me wrong..........i would help her again if she needed me.  but she has yet to thank me.........or check on me to see how my arm is.  at least now i understand the saying "NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED".  sigh.............................

ok, off to work i go.............in pain................

LOCAL TRAGEDY

i came along about 15 seconds after this happened.  it was clearly the fault of the police van.  not sure what happened to the officer to cause this, but it is truly unfortunate.  i didn't stop to help because there were already 4 cars stopping to help.  it is such a tragedy.

 

Published: Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Funeral held for teen killed in police collision

By Jason A. Smith

jsmith@henryherald.com

Family and friends gathered Monday at Bethany Baptist Church in McDonough to remember a Henry County teenager killed last week in an accident with a Locust Grove Police vehicle.

Trent Pyles, 16, was described by his stepfather, John deVente, as a "real solid kid" with a "big heart," who enjoyed soccer, playing pool and spending time with friends.

"Every day's been a challenge [since Pyles' death]," deVente, 33, said. "He was an only child, so that makes it that much harder."

Pyles, 16, died Wednesday after his car collided with a crime scene unit van around 11 a.m., at King Mill Road and Ga. Highway 42 in Locust Grove.

According to Locust Grove Police Chief Jesse Patton, the driver's sides of the two vehicles collided, and a third vehicle then rear-ended the police van.

Pyles was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Patton said the cause of the wreck is still unknown.

"I can't comment on it, because I don't know what happened," he said, adding that the Georgia State Patrol is investigating the crash. "We're doing an internal investigation, also."

He said the officer involved in the crash suffered minor scrapes. Pending the results of the investigation, the officer has been placed on administrative leave with pay, in accordance with department policy, Patton said.

He did not speculate as to the length of the investigation, saying only that it would likely take "a while."

Patton sent condolences to Pyles' family on behalf of the police department.

"We've been there for them, and we'll continue to be there for them," he said.

DeVente did not comment on the investigation, saying the family was focusing on their grief, and taking time to remember Pyles for who he was.

In addition to deVente, Pyles is survived by his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and several uncles and cousins

"THANKS" AND "SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO"

first i would like to thank those that commented on my last two entries.  one mentioned that it is a good thing to stand up for what you believe in, no matter if it is a popular opinion or not.  that is something i have always done, and in the process, have made lots of enemies as well as pushed away a lot of friends.  not that i have to have friends that agree with my every view.  just ones that accept me for believing in mine.

one commenter wanted to know if i was going to keep any of the wild bunch.  it is really not up to me, lol.  they have their own minds made up that they like munching on the back porch.  i do know i won't be keeping any inside, as it is not allowed.  but.....i will feed the ones that continue to come during the winter. 

now, on to something that i feel might be worthy of your attention.  i watch late night tv while i do my crafts.  usually i am up till 4 or 5 am.  i used to have a set tv schedule i watched, but when the season changed, so did the programming.  thus, i have either had to find other things to do, or change what i watch.

i was channel surfing the other night and something caught my eye on our local channel 8, which is GPB.  it was a special about a family who raised a child with down's syndrome.  when i was in school, i always wanted to be a therapist or teacher who specialized in working with children with down's.  of course, my life took another path, so i never was able to follow that dream.  but i have known several down's children and a couple of down's adults who brought so much joy and love to those around them.  the name of the program was "the teachings of jon".  this is the link to his story:  http://www.teachingsofjon.com/  it is worth taking a moment to view this, as i sat there and cried and laughed throughout the entire movie.  it is documentary format, but still an interesting viewing.

i had a very exciting note given me day before yesterday.  if you remember, i helped my house mate stuff and throw her newsletters.  i had been asked to work at my real job that day, but declined since i had already committed to helping her.  so i told her that i felt she did owe me something, but not to worry about getting me paid right away, since she was having to refund some of her clients their money.  when i came home the other night, there was an envelope taped to my door.  inside there was a thank you card, as well as a 10 dollar bill.  before reading the card, i assumed that was what she was paying me.  i wasn't unhappy about it, since i knew she was strapped moneywise.  but the note said that it was only a partial payment.  she was planning on giving me another $25, making it $7 an hour for my time.  i was only hoping for $4 or $5 an hour.  so hey, sounds great to me. 

i took the money and added to some i had and went across the street to the methodist church and signed up for the fall bazaar they are having tomorrow.  i was late signing up so i got a smaller table, but with God's help, i can make it work.  as long as i at least break even, i will be happy, but hopefully i will do as well as last year.  i am offering a small selection of jewelry, crocheted goods and handmade cards.  i didn't have time to make anything new, so will have to offer what i had on hand already, which is a pretty good selection.  now, i have to go home and get my stuff together and be there at 7 am tomorrow.............sigh..............

thanks again to my dear readers, whether they comment or not.  i am going to check out a few of you right now, and then off to buy some groceries and home to sort through my crafts.

ALONE.........ALAS

well, either alerts are down, people are busy, or...............i have finally lost all my readers.  my last entry was one i felt all should read.  but, alas, no one has commented.  i know we cannot control the views, beliefs and words of others, but when someone is in the public eye, they should be a little more careful of how they portray themselves.  i used to like kathy griffin.  she had a robust sense of humor and was loud and rambunctious, like me, lol.  but after that comment, which her own website agrees she said at the emmy's, i will never, i repeat, never watch anything in which she appears again.  i am done with her completely.  and from the way my Bible reads, she has blasphemed the name of God, meaning she will NEVER enter the gates of Heaven.  that saddens me.  i want everyone to go to Heaven.........walk forever with God and Jesus on the streets of gold.  my wish is that everyone who feels they agree with the petition should go to the site and sign the petition.  we must be heard.

it is finally october and i am wanting to start decorating the house for halloween.  but i know if i do it now, the decorations will get stolen or destroyed before the big night.  the night when all the little goblins come around to seek sickeningly sweet treats.  oh, that reminds me, gotta go buy some of those treats..........

i found a wonderful skull replica that plugs in and emits mist and red light comes out of the eye sockets.  there is nothing to add to make it mist other than water, so that works really well.  fill and plug...........instant fright.

i was a bit surprised that my general manager at work had only given me 3 days to work this week.  i would be off wednesday through sunday.  i have bills to pay, so i went to the assistant manager and he gave me another day.  whew!!!

i still have a few kitties i feed periodically.  mama kitty even let me pet her the other night.  gray is beautiful up close.  his/her markings are beige/charcoal/gray.  rocky almost came in last night to check out my kitty.  he was doing the cross-eyed look, bobbing his head back and forth from eye to eye, trying to figure out what my cat was, who was standing just beyond the door jamb.  my cat is so plump and short she probably looked like a fat o'possum. 

i guess i better sign off for now and go and read some of my reader's journals.