Needing more

Having worked in call centers for nearly 4 years, I have mastered customer service and sounding as if I care.  In the past few weeks I have developed complete and total hatred of my job.  Either I'm becoming over sensitive (which I doubt) or customers are getting meaner.  I've had more people scream at me in the past few days than I care to count.  I respect that everyone is having money issues, and that auto insurance seems like a racket.  However, does anyone realize that nothing I say or do will change anything in the minds of the executives?  When I first began working for the big P, there was a great deal of opportunity for advancement, which is something I have always wanted.  I'm entirely too smart and driven to sit at a desk answering phones for the rest of my life.  In moving to Colorado, I was advised that there weren't many opportunities for advancement.  I wish someone would have been honest...there are no opportunities out here.  It's great that I am getting my MBA, but it would be useless for me at work.  I learned earlier this week that IT people get a larger tuition reimbursement, once again reminding me that IT people are king at work, everyone else is there to keep IT working.  I have been applying and interviewing like crazy to just about anyplace.  I have my fingers crossed and am holding my breath that I get a call this afternoon from a bank.  It's another call center job, but there is a great deal of advancement opportunity, so I'm willing to tough it out long enough to move up the ladder.  For those who are the praying type...I could use any help I can get.

Christine and I are doing very well.  Communication is a billion times better, having had a handful of long talks has made all the difference.  Sadly Max has been sick all week, we think he might have pneumonia.  He goes back to the doctor today, so we'll see.

The loss of Stephanie Tubbs Jones has struck an odd chord with me...I feel quite saddened by it all.  Political opinions aside, she did amazing work for women, blacks, and Cleveland.

I need a new job, before I lose my mind.

grrr

a post is coming, I promise...

but on an un-related note. today sucks...it's one of those days where I don't make enough to deal with the amount of stupidity that I am being attacked with.

Getting my Gay on

It's gay pride month, which usually means all sorts of events filled with rainbows and extreme gayness. When we first moved to Colorado, we were worried about where we might find community. Little by little we are finding nice places to spend time and such. Tomorrow we get to celebrate our gayness. It's gay pride weekend in Denver, and as is that standard for pride events, all sorts of FABULOUS things are happening. Allow me to digress for a moment. In the past several years, I almost always enjoyed attending pride events in Cleveland. To me Cleveland was a small fesitval full of familiar faces. Columbus has a much bigger event, I once read that they usually have about 70,000 people show up. I always saw Columbus as a huge festival.

Denver, will be an all new experience. Aside from living in a relatively conservative state, I imagine I will see all sorts of gay cowboys, baby dykes, and hopefully some fabulous drag queens. Oh, and here's the kicker...Denver's festival anticipates their attendance of over 200,000.

HOLY GOOD GAYNESS BATMAN!!! Nearly a quarter of a million gays...Fred Phelps would want to pass out and die. Yes, pictures will be taken...and you can bet that I anticipate some rather large religous protests...and I will take pics of that too...nothing makes my pride festival as much fun at a 5 year old holding a sign that says "Turn or burn fag!"

Bon Voyage

I leave Cleveland today to head home.  I have had many thoughts about what home means, and I once thought Ohio would always be home for me.  The house I grew up in as a child is up for sale, and it is in deplorable condition.  I had to laugh when it was discovered that in a matter of two years, it will be registered as a historical home and a special permit is required to tear it down.  It should have been wrecked long before I ever lived in it.

I enjoyed seeing my dear friends, as they are missed daily in Colorado.  I have a long list of things I want to accomplish once I return, and I look forward to the work.  I can't say that I will miss Ohio, but I will miss the loved ones I have here.  I hope that one by one they will come to visit.  Being here has shown me that my future is bright, but that bright future involves mountains, wildlife, and a family that I cherish.  

Flying blind

One of the aspects of living in Colorado Springs that takes some getting used to is the fact that I now live in a military town.  I have an army base about 20 minutes south of me, and about 15 minutes north of me is the Air Force Academy.  One of my favorite things about living near the academy is that almost every day driving home, I get to see cadets learning to fly in bi-planes.  This weekend I was able to see the Thunderbirds from work.  Today is graduation day for the cadets, traffic all along the freeway was very slow, and I think just about every police officer and state trooper was out making sure no one stopped along the freeway to watch the flight events.  Anyone who watches the news knows that our dear president gave the commencement address.  There have been a number of times in my life when I was in close proximity of the president.  I have never met one, and really, as a species, I'm not all that interested in politicians.  

My official stance on the upcoming presidential election is to wait until both the elephants and the asses have picked their front man or woman...and go from there.  The things that are important to me may not be important to who ever becomes president.  Perhaps it's because I don't fit the mold of what most lesbians are, but I'm not worried about marriage, adoption, or most other issues that the gay community unites over.  I want to be able to fall asleep at night knowing that I'm safe, that I will have a job, and that my family will have a roof over their head.  Maybe it's naive, but I have so little faith in politics, that I've almost stopped caring.  Maybe it's not the best way to view things, but it sure beats being stressed out at night watching the news listening to candidates argue over who is more wrong.

a useless piece of paper

The recruiter for the IT position I applied for called me.  Initially I was very excited, afterall, it would be a new challenge, a new work group, and all sorts of other good things.  I was informed that because I have a degree in English they aren't even going to consider interviewing me.  Now, IT help desk at Progressive is just like any other help desk...follow some steps, if those don't work, pass it along.   Not once did the recruiter ask me if I had any IT experience, they just judged the book by it's cover.  I told my boss that the entire situation was handled very poorly, and it makes me lose respect for the hiring practices of such a large company.  Oh well, I'll just keep trucking along and see what happens.

I was very excited to hear that Mr. Pistorius is able to run in the Olympics.  I will be even more excited if he takes home some medals.  I have learned a great deal in the past few years from Breda about all things amputee.  I'm thrilled that many major marketing campaigns feature amputee athletes do anything and everything.  Now that I'm focusing my MBA on marketing, I notice all sorts of little details.  

I had another interesting medical experience today. Not only did I see a doctor that reminds me so much of my brother it's scary...but I endured a new treatment.  Trigger point injections.  All totalled, it was 4 shots, two in the neck, two in the shoulders.  By the time I die I have a feeling that I will have had injections in all sorts of goofy places.  My eye still takes the cake at this point though.

Nelson

I can't even begin to express what a sad and pathetic disappointment this is. Once again our government not only drops the ball, but makes us look like fools in the process.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-04-30-watchlist_N.htm