tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:31:53 +0000http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)Blogger921125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6377807216422038449Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:30:00 +00002012-01-27T20:31:53.753-05:00http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/2_pQMTk1eDs/rip-car.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/rip-car.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-5767487320826472706Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:48:00 +00002012-01-26T22:35:53.624-05:00Yesterday at 4:00 PM I was waiting at a stop light. It turned green, I paused (like my mom taught me) and then drove forward to cross the intersection.I saw a tan blur coming at me on the passengers side. I had just enough time to register, "What the..." between blur and impact. Both my airbags deployed and I was spun 360 degrees. Through my cracked windshield I saw the other car careen into a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/Ytsn1RjmdUk/biggest-car-accident-of-my-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/biggest-car-accident-of-my-life.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-7146323426137502115Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:08:00 +00002012-01-20T12:18:35.600-05:00I lucked into a contract gig in Quincy this week. It's supposed to last about 3 weeks. The pay is miniscule (barely better than unemployment). The way I got this job is thanks to a job interview for another position in the company so when this project came up, they thought of me!It is an Excel nerds dream job. I basically need to clean up a database that was screwed up by an outside company. It'shttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/mxpzhoc2-4o/employed-interlude.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/employed-interlude.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-8568424680356881689Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +00002012-01-13T03:19:42.197-05:00The past couple of days I have been out of commission. Why? Because I entered week 2 of taking Lamotrigine. Week 2 is when I had to double my dosage by taking two pills a day (50 mg). I tried one in the morning and one before bed. I felt really gross so I did one in the morning and one after dinner. Day 3 I stayed in bed wracked with nausea, crying jags, dizziness, and utter exhaustion. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/XCA0iYC3qls/titration-sucks-donkey-gonads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/titration-sucks-donkey-gonads.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-1949200649335808407Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:36:00 +00002012-01-04T23:45:39.787-05:00Remember how I fell three times last winter and completely wrecked my knees winding up in PT for months? Since I had no plans on moving to Florida, I did some research on what gives the best traction in the winter. So I bought these babies back in August.My goodness, YaxTrax are simple amazing! I used them all the time for my Stowe weekend. I walked up to a ski lodge on packed snow with just http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/zcKCdw2LFcs/you-should-buy-these-asap.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-should-buy-these-asap.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-8061447211208919449Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:43:00 +00002012-01-04T02:25:46.582-05:00I know, I know it has been a month. So, apologies all around. It wasn't like I didn't have the time to blog, I didn't get around to it.The GoodThe Medical Security Program is now covering 80% of my monthly premium. No more loans from my retired fixed income father - woohoo! Also, I had help figuring out the paperwork and submission process from my local career center. So I highly recommend http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/GV7ZDllkl8s/ringing-in-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2012/01/ringing-in-year.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-1172120515030973269Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:18:00 +00002011-12-06T16:09:55.573-05:00Wow, it has been a while! Now, it's December - which blows my mind. November was a complete desert job-wise. No interviews, phone calls, or any interest. Also, the job search group I joined turned out to be just two older guys on the verge of giving up on employment so that was a bust. But, oddly enough, the second it turned into December, I got an uptick on interviews and phone calls! I'm http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/CFm9QNIkdu4/garden-of-minds-eye.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)2http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/11/garden-of-minds-eye.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6028186663891718405Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:22:00 +00002011-11-19T13:59:48.639-05:00 <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Times;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/qczudpgby1g/fall-2011-tv-report-card.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/11/fall-2011-tv-report-card.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-3799017130459842706Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:06:00 +00002011-11-08T15:15:15.298-05:00Veggie StewJust get out your crock pot.-Fill the thing with frozen vegetables, whatever you want. I specifically used: grilled asparagus, broccoli, chopped spinach, peas, artichoke hearts, mixed grilled onions and peppers. -Splash a little water on top, I used much less than a cup. It doesn't need much, because the frozen veggies will provide water as they melt.-Seasonings on top. I used: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/o8mAbCZAn4M/recipes-from-my-brother.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/11/recipes-from-my-brother.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-9051360923277289632Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:36:00 +00002011-10-30T15:44:09.846-04:00I have a feeling this blog title will be popping up kinda frequently as I get older.. This pioneering apology pertains to Play-doh.As a little kid, I loved the stuff. I was a bit confused by the food making contraptions because Play-doh made such good looking fake food and yet you couldn't eat it. Also when I was little, my mother only allowed us to use Play-doh down in the basement because http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/e4wdo-H5hDo/apologies-to-my-mother.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/10/apologies-to-my-mother.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6106607762540988632Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:23:00 +00002011-10-21T13:36:29.167-04:00145 job applications, 10 rejections, 3 interviews over 85 days (approximately 3 months). This has been the most discouraging job hunt period I've had for the past several years. Everyone from recruiters to job specialists at the Unemployment office love my resumes. I've been told that I am doing everything right. But what the hell? I'm applying to a variety of positions from analyst to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/NP0HbOMpJW4/what-am-i-doing-wrong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/10/what-am-i-doing-wrong.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-441659696792534782Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:01:00 +00002011-10-12T17:28:56.789-04:00One of the remaining deficits from my stroke is messed up feeling on my left side. The nerves are fine but the feeling interpretation center in my brain isn't in top form. Medical stuff doesn't make me feel queasy and I just love telling gross stories to queasy people. So buckle up!Years ago, around 2002 or 3 when I was living in Waltham, I was organizing my bedroom and folded up one of those http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/w2tru-YfmsU/left-behind.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/10/left-behind.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-4944509284349079750Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:31:00 +00002011-09-30T11:32:07.079-04:00http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/9IE_yUI35EA/laughing-while-i-drink-frosting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/09/laughing-while-i-drink-frosting.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-364789126210721102Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:08:00 +00002011-09-25T18:23:24.025-04:00June 2011. It was a warm night so I had my bedroom windows open. My bed was against a wall with two windows on either side. The windows open out onto the roof of the porch downstairs. Stella had been home for 3 months and had settled in nicely. Rasputin was still curious and when he approached her, she would swat or hiss. She would never approach him. She just wanted to exist alone.Around http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/zGhEkDIHvIk/bette-davis-eyes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/09/bette-davis-eyes.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-5280561864000066357Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:25:00 +00002011-09-13T16:36:23.217-04:00Guess what I found out today with the help of a health insurance specialist at the unemployment center? I had secondary health insurance for a year that I didn't know about! Apparently, on the back of the rejection letter that Mass Health sends out, is your Health Safety Net member info. A year ago, I saw the first paragraph rejecting my Mass Health application and threw the letter out. Who http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/VN4wp3VorIo/health-insurance-is-bananas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)1http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/09/health-insurance-is-bananas.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6813556306857962864Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:05:00 +00002011-09-09T19:32:14.661-04:00My first day back to work full-time was Tuesday September 11, 2001. I had been working a reduced schedule due to my stroke. By September, I had made pretty decent progress. My speech was still horrible - getting mangled on hard consonants and left sided feeling was weird. The day started at 8:30 and I settled into my desk as an admin at a local college. Not many professors had come in yet sohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/E_2eAd8Djus/mardi-septiembre-tizenegy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/09/mardi-septiembre-tizenegy.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-5754988707521304081Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:30:00 +00002011-08-31T13:44:36.943-04:00Irene The forecasts and warnings got me into super prep mode gearing up for the storm. I hauled out my red cross emergency kit and packed a go bag. I also lined up two evacuation locations. If driving was fairly decent, I'd go to my parents. If driving was FUBAR, I'd go to my grandpa (who was alone at my aunt and uncle's place one town over). With the cats of course... I was hoping that http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/jV_a3NVoov4/life-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/08/life-update.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6101986704520254368Thu, 11 Aug 2011 02:43:00 +00002011-08-10T23:11:48.315-04:00I love food. I have been eating like a maniac for decades. If food is my drug then I am Keith Richards. Oh sure, there were years here and there where I made an effort to eat healthy but that never lasted. I'm approaching 35 at my highest weight ever. Sadly, that knowledge doesn't make ice cream taste less sweet or chocolate less tantalizing... Maybe fear can get me into food rehab? I had http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/we4AM2iCtdY/paying-piper.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/08/paying-piper.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-1296203472260783716Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:12:00 +00002011-07-29T21:36:35.380-04:00My contract has ended and I'm unemployed again. This comes after a week where I was told that my job was secure and everyone loved me. And also after a week where I discovered that vlookups in Excel aren't fool-proof. Apparently if you have files in two versions of Excel, vlookups don't link properly. Which leads to errors in reports. Tuesday, I was given a stern warning to "be better". http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/wjZnDLvQzAQ/extended-vacation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/07/extended-vacation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-7231458171698470196Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:02:00 +00002011-07-24T22:32:07.764-04:00I have been back at work for the past three weeks. The first week I tried crutches. It was no fun at all. I wound up in more pain from my back than my knees! After some consultation with my physical therapist, I moved onto a cane. Of course I got some crazy pink and purple flowered number. One must add a hint of color! Again, I should praise my fellow T commuters. I only got one jerk who http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/JHtPn346JN0/crazy-goodness.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/07/crazy-goodness.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-4218225947541900473Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:45:00 +00002011-06-30T14:23:11.094-04:00Guess what? Inspired by HBO's "Game of Thrones", I will be writing my own fantasy series! No, actually that's my lame attempt at a joke after two weeks being laid up in my apartment.Technically, it all started back in February when I fell on ice. But the bad screaming pain built up to unbearable June 14. Even more alarming, the pain was on my left side which has muted feeling thanks to my http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/yymX_j8RQfE/cripple-in-tower.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/06/cripple-in-tower.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6181855901625901561Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:07:00 +00002011-06-14T20:09:33.720-04:00Well, it has been a while! A lot has been going on lately so it has been tough to find time to write.The first thing is a combination of good and bad. A department member left the team at the end of May. So, I assume you are thinking what I was thinking – job opening! Unfortunately, the department head refused to place a new hire requisition. Guess who wound up with all the exiting analyst’shttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/e_zjkFaOJPQ/belated-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/06/belated-update.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-7742035458418294463Fri, 20 May 2011 20:19:00 +00002011-05-20T16:32:50.012-04:00You will not believe what happened last Sunday. I fell. AGAIN. My knee is pretty messed up. AGAIN. I worked from home for two days AGAIN. Apparently, if I injure the same area three times in four months, I finally am willing to admit that I need serious medical help. After an appointment with my orthopedist and X-rays, it has been decided that physical therapy is in order. If that doesn't http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/Mu-N3lNHCdA/time-to-shut-up-and-heal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/05/time-to-shut-up-and-heal.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-4594388859368215174Wed, 18 May 2011 18:04:00 +00002011-05-18T14:15:52.598-04:00I drive through the intersection above every single day. It wasn't designed in the best manner taking into account Quincy drivers' temperament and traffic flow. The Quincy driver temperament is "I don't care about right of way, here is my horn, I am in a rush everywhere." Stop signs are mere suggestions and blocking intersections is par for course. Also, it is not unusual to see a car pissed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/LXjODjk2vWg/quincy-road-construction-nightmare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/05/quincy-road-construction-nightmare.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14493204.post-6239476250472127858Tue, 17 May 2011 00:19:00 +00002011-05-16T20:25:37.286-04:00So, there is a TV couple that makes me giddy as a 13 year old girl. I obsess over every smile, and baby step towards coupledom. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this couple is Ben Wyatt and Leslie Knope. Enjoy this little fanvid fellow Beslies/Wypes:And boy did they take a big step last week! If your dogs started howling Thursday night, that is because I was squealing hyper-sonically.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Chokmah/~3/LbY4Oc9_wpg/im-sappy-nerd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (AnnaB)0http://slurmfactory.blogspot.com/2011/05/im-sappy-nerd.html