January Was A Bust!

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! SNIFFLE! SNOW! WIND! COUGH! SNOW! HEADACHE! ICE! FEVER! SNOW!! SNOW!!! SNOW!!!!

That is January in a nutshell. We had big plans -- parties, going to NY for Tommy's 50th Birthday Bash, interviews for positions! Unfortunately, we did very little. Just an asside at this juncture... It didn't phase me one bit when Rus turned 50. I saw it coming. I didn't mind turning 50. It is just a number. Again, didn't bat an eyelash. But you KNOW you are old when your younger siblings turn 50. AND I will be damned if Tom doesn't look like he is 35!!!! So, is that a spotlight on HOW OLD I LOOK??? Whatever! OK back to the story. Everyone had colds. It snowed a ton! It was freezing cold! The winds blew ferociously! I had a sinus infection after the holidays (It is practically tradition!) which turned into something wicked! I went to the doctor to get meds in order to enable us to go to NY to Tommy's 50th birthday party. I dutifully took meds to "cure" the sinus infection which had turned into a HUGE, loud, riotous, mucus party in my head, per Mucinex commercial. As it turned out, after taking the meds, I was worse - 103 degree fever, dizzy, weak, unable to drink or eat, sleeping 22/24 hours, unable to put two thoughts together. After 6 days, I stopped the medication, and broke out in a chicken-pox-like rash. Went back to the dr. "Oh! This is a rare reaction!" Tell me something, do any of you think for one minute I would have a "rare reaction" to winning the lottery???? No. Me, either! The good news....I lost 15 lbs. The bad news....it wasn't my "Get out of Jail free" card. As soon as I started to feel better, drink more regularly, and eat more than ice pops and chicken broth, it came back. So I missed the party, rescheduled the interview, and am on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, in the middle of this, I am still applying for positions. I applied for a part time position as a LACES teacher for Columbus City Schools. It involves going into an assigned school, working with low functioning K - 3 kids, for 15 hours a week. OK. It is not exactly going to pay the mortgage, but it is a foot in the door to a school system. I scheduled an interview right in the middle of this whole illness fiasco. Needless to say, I rescheduled! Then, the day I did have my interview scheduled, there was a blizzard. The interviewer called to schedule a phone interview. After the hour long interview, I was directed to go down to the Board of Ed office to fill out paperwork and have another TB test, which I did. The woman took the top half of my license and ripped it off the card. I almost fainted. I asked if I was going to get it back before I left. She said, "Do you want the job or not???" DID I HAVE THE JOB??? Oh yes. I was just waiting to be assigned! YIPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh but remember who you are reading about.....if something was going to go wrong it would..........and it did........ Again it is a good news/bad news thing. The good news: I have the job for which I am thrilled! The bad news is that I can't be "boarded" until the Board of Ed meets to approve my appointment on MARCH 17....THEN there is training.......so I won't be assigned until the end of March/beginning of April. Oh. And then there is how long I will be doing this job... Well it seems that the LACES teachers won't be needed after May 15th. Breathe!!!! Looking on the positive side: It is a foot in the door, and closer to a job in a school than I have been in almost 3 years, so I am thrilled.

Probably the worst part of this whole episode........I know...you thought the last part was the worst...but NO. Throughout this month, Rus was beginning to hear rumors about people losing their positions at AEP. Not again!?!?! His contract was for a year! This rumor came to fruition on January 28th, when it was confirmed that, in fact, his last day was to be February 4th. Not two weeks notice and not exactly the contract he signed. When you are employed here in Ohio, an at-will state, that piece of paper doesn't amount to a hill of beans. So we are now both unemployed, sitting side-by-side, in the study, looking for positions daily! Keep sending those prayers, tips on jobs, and positive thoughts coming our way!