So this is how it will be.

I've been getting a little taste of what it will be like when the husband really retires. For the past few weeks, he's been in a fake retirement mode. It started while I was working temp jobs in November and December.

Since I was gone all day working, he got in the habit of working at home. When things slowed down in his business between Christmas and New Years, he played more than he worked. None of this was a problem for me because, like I said, I was gone all day.

But now, two weeks into January, he is still in the work from home mode. I'm not used to having him around during the day. It kind of throws off my routine. I like my space during the day and having him, shall we say, under foot, most of the day is a little problematic.

I mean, he commandeers the computer for most of the day. How I am suppose to play Mah Jong, surf the net or constantly check my email?? If he's not on the computer, then he's on his phone and he doesn't like background noise when his on the phone so there's no TV. I guess that's because he's trying to fool people into thinking he's at his office and not sitting around in his underwear. It's a good thing we don't have a web cam. Well, he really isn't in his underwear.

Then there are the times when he's bored. He wants me to go skiing with him, go to a movie, go to the Apple Store, go to Barnes and Noble, go check out the skis and jackets at REI, go for a walk, go here, go there. You know, buddy, sometimes a woman just wants time to herself.

I guess I wouldn't mind the present working arrangement if we were living in a place that was bigger than 1300 sq ft. At least, I'd have a place to hide if I needed.

But, I guess I shouldn't complain. He could want to go on my errands with me or not want to be with me at all. I just need how to figure out how I'm going to get my computer time. Maybe I should set up a schedule.

Just a little mistake

I just opened up the KSL.com website. The site has a little weather blurb at the top with the current temperature. According to the website, it's 104 degrees right now!! If that's correct, why is my furnace going full blast and 8" of snow on the ground?

Blue skies smiling at me

After two days of steady snow, the sun is out and skies are blue. Now if it were only 45 degrees warmer, husband and I would be on the motorcycle and outta here!

Question of the day

I've been working in Public Affairs for the Church. It's been rather quiet with only a few random, whacky phones. But one I got today was a real head scratcher. The caller wanted to know when Christ's birthday was i.e.: month, year.???

Christmas Day Chronicles

Christmas Day 2008 was the first Christmas in 30 years that my husband and I haven't had children (big and small) anxious to get up and see what Santa brought them.

At about 7:50 am, I got up briefly and saw the sun coming up over the eastern mountains. I grabbed the camera and took this picture:


Then I went back to bed. Around 11 AM, husband and I went to our youngest daughter's apartment for our traditional Christmas brunch. Usually, most of the family make it to the brunch. This year it was just four of us....me, husband, youngest daughter and youngest son.
But it was the same good food.


After the two kids opened their presents from Mom and Dad...
(Yes, I know she's sitting on the table, but it was her table.)


my husband and I made visits to friends
(My friend is trying to hide behind her son. She didn't want her picture taken. But I think she looks pretty good.)


and family to deliver the traditional Eggless Cake.
(The oldest and youngest kid in the family. I love it that the Bowie knife is mounted on the wall above husband's head.)

The final stop was at my oldest daughter's apartment to share a Christmas dinner and play Pictionary.
(I'm horrible at that game!)


When we left my daughter's apartment it was snowing heavily. We got a phone call from a gal in our ward who was stuck downtown and couldn't get up to the upper avenues where she lived. We weren't too sure if we could get her home either. But in the Volvo XC 90, we passed others stuck on the hills, got her home and back down the hill to our apartment. My husband talks about selling the Volvo.....but maybe that's not a good idea.

I hope all had a great Christmas holiday and have fun plans for the new year!

Just a little rant

I have a hard time with people who have to see someone, or have an appointment with some body, but they don't know the person's name, or where exactly to find that person. It has happened a lot in the two temp positions I've been working the last month.

At central HR desk, more than once, a job applicant would show up and state they had an interview for a job, but wasn't sure who it was with or where they were suppose to go. It then became my job to start asking questions to try and figure out where they were suppose to be. Don't you think that for something as important as a job interview, you'd have all the contact information before you left home? At least, that's what I'd do, but maybe I'm a little OCD that way. For some reason, showing up and saying "I have an interview, but I don't know who it's with" just strikes me as being unprepared and unorganized and a little ditzy.

A woman just showed up here in Public Affairs with a CD for an employee. That employee wasn't here so she said that she has also been working with Chris. Well, there's no Chris in this department. I ask for his last name, but she didn't know it. I go into the online employee directly to see if I can find Chris. There were only 415 people with name Chris. Uh - not too likely I was going to find him that way. She also had her master copy and wanted me to copy the CD to my computer and email it to our employee. The file was to big to email. She's in kind of panic because there was a deadline involved. Am I wrong to think that she should have been a little more prepared? After all, it's the end of the work day, the day before Christmas Eve and employees around here have been heading home early. She got lucky when the employee in our department happened to walk through the door. Her problem was solved. Lucky for her.

I realize that as a receptionist, I'm suppose to helpful. But I a little help from some of these clueless people would be nice.

And some of the questions I get on the phone are head scratchers as well. Like the one yesterday. The caller asked if I knew if the group "Christmas Brass" that was playing in the Church Office Building that afternoon used percussion. Why? She was a little upset when I didn't know. I hope that she didn't stay away from the performance because I couldn't give her the answer.

Shutter Bug - a camera and a 3 year old