Much improved

Learned from my mistakes. Today was much better. Nowhere near the speed I need to be. 

Supposed to do 70 cases a day. Today, I did 20. However, they give us 90 days to reach that speed and telephone cases go faster than written cases, which is all I'm allowed to do just yet. For the first 90 days, we're paid hourly, then we get paid per case. It equates to the same as hourly if you achieve 70 cases per day. If you go beyond that, you can make more money in the same number of hours. On the other hand, accuracy counts a lot. If you go above a certain number, they start scaling the pay per case to discourage reviewers trying to achieve high case counts while sacrificing accuracy.

Got about 20 lbs of tomatoes skinned and seeded. Letting them cook overnight at low heat into tomato paste. 

Gotta get some sleep. 

Try for a better day

Going to try for a better day today.

Get working in just a few minutes. My actual shift starts at 10:30 but I'm going to get some things going before then.

After all the incidents and long periods I have gone through in the last few years, I have become rather paranoid about finances and employment. Really hoping for better than what I've been experiencing, since my new employer has no management at all in NM. Before coming here, my whole life any employment difficulties were either definitely my own fault, changing careers or the result of the employer having difficulties which resulted in things like bankruptcy. Since coming here, that whole story has changed. 

UI has officially ended. That's one thing that brought the anxiety to mind. It would normally have been in the bank this morning. However, I have enough to live on until next Friday. So no complaints.

In any case, I'm going to get the woodshop completed (along with other goals) in as short a period as possible. Not in the next month, of course. Then I'm going to start working on setting up as a motor scooter dealer or broker. Plus get my insurance license. Keep as much of all of these automated as I can. If any of them take off in a big way, I'll hire some help. 

For the moment, I have a lot of things to do this week. Doing another tune-up on the bike. Getting some expense accounts finished and mailed out. Cleaning house thoroughly. Making tomato paste. Need some smaller jars but at least I can afford them now. 

Okay, time to get moving.
 

Bad start

I got off to a really bad start on the new job today.

Didn't have the monitor. Then the monitor was delivered while I was on the phone with my supervisor. Meaning I had to get hooked up and running a lot more quickly than I may have liked. 

My supervisor is in NY and works until 4 PM, her time. That's 2 PM my time. While I work until 7 PM here.

Had multiple tech problems. For one, I was given the wrong logon in training. Later, my computer locked up. 

In some cases, I wasn't all that clear on how to handle some things. Lots of things were far different live than in training. Some things were covered in training but there was no practice. Seemed like those things would be fairly minor but turned out to be a lot more important than anticipated. 

I think tomorrow will be much better. Made most of my mistakes in the first day. (Yeah, that feels great.) I'm accustomed to adapting to things much more easily than this. 

Cats are gone. Neighbors adopted the female yesterday. Animal control picked up the male today. It was kind of sad because the male became much less aggressive and more affectionate after the female was gone. However, daughter is too allergic and she's far more important than the cats to me. I do hope they both have good homes. 

I now have all week to clean house of dander, cat hair and odor. 

Zoo day

Ex brought daughter over early yesterday afternoon. We didn't do a whole lot on Sat but watch TV and tickle each other. lol! Plus she told me a lot about her newest PS3 game. She's turning into quite a gamer girl. (I sure can't say anything bad about that, with my own history.)

Today we went to the zoo. Spent nearly 7 hours walking. I'm happy she is getting back to not minding walking long distances. Besides, she really loves the zoo. 

Sat, I put the well pump back together. I was quite surprised that it works! It pressurized the way it should and everything! Nice! 

So, some areas of the garden were showing a bit of stress from not getting enough water. However, in two days of the irrigation system running, things have recovered nicely. 

I picked a bunch of tomatoes but still have lots more which are ripe. Have to start canning this week. 

Daughter and I put some notices in mailboxes to give the cats away. Some neighbors came and took the female this evening. If no call for the male, I emailed animal control and they should come pick him up this week. Both are good cats but daughter is too allergic. And it seems I still have allergies to cats but not as bad as daughter. 

Friday, UPS left me a message and a tag on the door. Said they had a package which would be delivered on Monday because they don't deliver on Sat. Then on Sat, they delivered a package with the company computer. However, they did not deliver the monitor! (I am relatively sure this is a UPS thing, as all the computer equipment was shipped on the same day.) So, I was supposed to start work tomorrow morning but that's not looking likely. Have to wait for the monitor to arrive. 

Getting to bed in a minute. Be up early, get my work area set up, just in case they actually deliver the monitor at a decent hour. 

Colorado Springs

For the last two weeks, been in Colorado Springs, training for the new job. 

Happy for the new job. Loved Co Springs. However, really happy to be home. 

Made one big decision on the ride up there and back. My next bike will have a much larger engine, with at least two cylinders. That was a painful experience. 

On the way there, I had to stop once for a short rain storm. Then, while going through Pueblo, there was another rain storm which was not going to stop for many hours. So, I had to drive through it. Then it started to blow sleet horizontally, right in my face. I was freezing when I got to the hotel. Wound up driving in the dark both directions a large part of the way. 

While I was gone, one of the cats got into the bedroom. Now absolutely everything has to be washed. And you do not want to know what the house smells like. (Well, smelled like. That's been top priority since I got home.

The dogs destroyed my well pump. They jumped on the intake pipe (probably multiple times), knocking it loose. Looks like they did that 2-3 days ago and the pump has been running dry all that time. I'll give it a try and see if it works. (Not much chance.) If not, have to see if I can get a new impeller. Motor and tank are still okay. 

Because that was how their water was filled up, they were quite thirsty when I got home. I filled their bucket and they all drank for several minutes and didn't even fight with each other. They're healthy, though. The two pups grew much bigger while I was gone. 

Right now I need food and sleep. It was well after 12 when I got home.

 

Almost ready

Almost have things ready for the trip.

Alarms are set, just have to turn them on. Other security measures in place. Some neighbors I trust will be keeping an eye on the house, also.

Food and water set up for the dogs and chickens. Easier for the cats. 

Clothing is washed and packed. About the only thing left to pack is my toothbrush. 

Have a few last minute things to do to make sure the house isn't filled with rotten food and bugs by the time I come back.

Bike is tuned, tires Slimed and proper air pressure. Oil changed. 

Had to fix my saddlebags. The mount was torn years ago by someone trying to steal them. Have them fixed and just have to mount them. Extra battery is charged up. Carrying the charger with me, just in case. 

Put up four quarts if pickles and six quarts of green beans tonight. Still lots of green beans left but out of jars and freezer space. I'll give the rest to the ex, along with some tomatoes. Better to give them away than throw them away. Along the way, I taught daughter how to make pickles and a few basics about canning. 

I cooked and froze the corn with the shucks on. It's a trial thing. By my reasoning, it should help protect the corn against freezer burn. Means more work when thawing it out but that's okay. Hope I'm not forgetting something.

My biggest apprehension is the odor from the cats over that time frame. Blech!! Dogs will be bad enough but at least they're outside. The little one is poorly adapted to using a litter box and keeps going under my work bench. I finally moved the litter box in front of the work bench and tossed litter on the floor under the bench. She seems to be getting the message, slowly. Not fast enough for me to go only with the litter box while gone, though. 

Need to take a bath and get to bed. Going to be a long day tomorrow. 

Fun day

Took daughter to It'z Pizza today. I can really only afford to take her once a year, most years. Couldn't have done it today but they had an email only special which let me just squeak by.

Here's a great thing- They don't advertise or post notices but I inquired if they had GF crusts. Expected a no but got a yes! They only have the small size but they did offer to make two for me and I could ask for any toppings I wanted. So, they made one for me and it was great! Much better than one I got last year at another place that charged a fortune. 

Daughter had fun. The special included an unlimited ride pass. Though there are really only two rides she likes there. I got a cheaper deal for myself which included more points which could be used for games. 

Got my new electronic cigarette today. It works so much better than the old one! Puts out more vapor. Can be charged by wall charger or USB and can even be used while charging. Reduces need for an extra battery. The liquid chamber holds enough fluid to last for many hours, maybe days and is not as prone to evaporation. I tried using my old unit and it just doesn't compare at all. However- turns out the battery is compatible and still works well. The old charger is also compatible. The new unit can also be rebuilt and parts are cheap. So, this route is healthier and less expensive. And may make it easier to edge toward finally quitting completely at last. Still won't be easy because I still crave regular cigarettes, even with the electric one. Though less. Down side- this one is still button operated, rather than draw activated. That's okay. Still a really good unit for the price and features. 

Next couple of days have to include a lot of cleaning and work around the house and yard. Daughter said she'll help me. I do enjoy it when she does things around here with me.  

Allergies

More hoops to jump through.

Finally got the authorization for the urine drug screen today. Had to go across town and do that. Would have been nice if this stuff was done sooner. I hate last minute stuff that doesn't have to be last minute.

Took down all the corn today and over half the sunflowers. That was no small task. 

Looks like there's a bunch of mutant corn in the crop. Things like individual kernels growing on the tassel of one plant and a tassel growing out of an ear from another plant. I think corn mutates fairly frequently.

Seems sunflowers do, too. Turns out I had several sunflowers which grew multiple blooms. Either that or something in my soil is causing mutations. I'm going with the idea of nature simply because it has only been those items which showed mutation. 

Picked up daughter this evening. I knew it would be difficult to get her to bed, even though she was here until Monday this week and now back again until Sunday morning. Though it's her last week before school. Ex had to start work this week. Kiddo starts school next Tue. Then I'll be out of town next weekend. Think she's slightly stressed.

Something concerning me is the likelihood she is having an allergic reaction to the cats. Trying to keep things controlled but if she keeps showing allergic reactions I'll have to get rid of the cats. Her main reaction right now is very reddened eyes. I'm watching closely for any respiratory symptoms. Making her wash her hands and face every time she touches one of them. Give it one more day, then decide.

I've been getting my body prepared for this trip. Taking iron every day instead of every 2-3 days. Help build extra red blood cells. That may help with elevation, since Colorado Springs is over 1000 ft higher than my part of Abq. Also been riding the bike every chance I get, to condition myself for a long ride. 

Still, two of my biggest concerns is cross winds and other drivers. Spent more money I didn't want to spend today because I had to get new sideview mirrors. One was duct taped in place and still just hung there. The other was a bit loose and wouldn't stay in adjustment very well at all. I checked at Walmart for LED lighting, which they used to carry but they didn't have them. At least not at the one near my house. (Big surprise there. This Walmart sucks.) 

I ordered an electronic cigarette and fluid for it. One of my old ones still works. Couldn't find the second one. Going to try moving over to those. The cigarette and one bottle of fluid should arrive tomorrow and the other bottle should be here Fri. Ordered from two vendors to compare. Problem in the past was the liquid wasn't strong enough and not enough vapor. Hoping for a better experience this time. It wasn't bad before, just too weak. Ordered the strongest solutions available from each vendor. I've found I also like the e-cigs that activate when you draw in, rather than using a button. See how it goes. At the least, hope it helps me cut down on regular smoking. Maybe if I taper from the mixture of chemicals to just nicotine and menthol, then it will be easier to stop.

Resolution

So, figured out that I could (barely) spend the money if I did some juggling. Went and got my nursing license transferred from Texas to NM today. Had to do some running around, getting fingerprints and notarizing papers, get a money order. Those were after paying for license info to be sent to the NM board online. Once all that was together, drove over and dropped off the application in person. They expect I should have the license in under two weeks, so I should have it by the time I come back from training. 

That resolved, the hold on the job offer was removed and employment confirmed this evening. 

Started getting things ready to go. Bought lots of dog food and some chicken feed. The cats prefer the dog food over cat food, so no problem there. Have to set up auto feed and water tomorrow for all the animals. 

Have to work on the alarm system, so it works properly. 

Took down bush beans. Take down the pole beans in a day or two. That will make it easier to weed again. Still have to take down some corn and most of the sunflowers. 

Have to spray tomorrow. Squash bugs have made a return. Not bad yet but have to take care of the problem immediately. Long as I can control that problem, I will have my giant this year. 

Taking the trip to Colorado on my bike. That will be the longest trip I've taken on a motorcycle. I expect my butt to be quite sore by the time I get there. 

Complications

Had to happen.

Accepted the job offer after the interview the other day. It was just a matter of formalizing the position and arrangements being made. That was supposed to happen today.

So, got a phone call this afternoon. They brought up my Texas license as a possible complication. This was after the issue had been brought up during two interviews. So, until a final word comes through, everything is on hold. 

Thing that sucks is that I had another call today (before the above incident), possibly offering another position. I declined that position because I had already accepted this one!

Supposed to hear something back tomorrow. They may want me to get a New Mexico license and that's fine, if they give me a grace period. 

One of the things that sucks is that, if I'm going to Colorado for training next week, I have to get things prepared a certain way, which includes taking down part of the garden. If I'm not going, I won't be taking that section down. 

At least I finally got my final check from Unival. As suspected, it was mailed on 8/1, when it should have been mailed on 7/31. They behave like payday caught them by surprise. Every payday. No direct deposit available. No confirmation available online if or when checks are sent. 

Out of hiding

The older cat finally came out of hiding today. No big surprise it happened while daughter is here. She very patiently coaxed the cat into being comfortable with being petted. He's still very slightly skittish but nothing like he was. Until today, he has been remaining in hiding in the laundry room since Monday or Tue, when I caught him (again). He has only come out at night or while I was gone to eat, drink and use the litter box. 

He shows signs of having been abused. His tail is slightly crooked, like it's been broken at some point. Of course, that could have been done by a dog or something else. However, his caution around people seems to say otherwise. 

Daughter and I had a simple day. Grocery shopping and swimming at the indoor pool. 

She still wants to try and sell some produce this weekend. I decided against the growers market because the numbers didn't add up. I have a decent amount of produce but not enough to make any realistic profit after paying the table fee. So, we're going to set up a table in front of the house, put up a couple of signs and maybe put a post on Craigslist tomorrow. If little or nothing sells, I can always can it or freeze some items. 

Good thoughts

Having good thoughts about what the new job means.

I was worried about whether I would have enough money next month to take daughter to the State Fair. Now it seems assured. Happy for that. I've managed to take her every year without fail. There are just some traditions I have established with her and it feels like I would be failing her if I miss some of them. 

As she gets older, some of those things seem to mean a bit less to her. She takes them for granted a bit when we do them. Though I know two things. First, it would be a disappointment if we actually did miss one of those things. Second, even if it means little now, it will mean a lot more when she grows up and looks back on these things. 

Some other thoughts are getting a different vehicle. One that I don't worry about breaking down all the time. This truck has done well for the $800 I paid for it two years ago. However, it's bound to break completely at some point. It overheats too often. I can't get some parts for it which I need. The parts are no longer made. It has nearly a quarter million miles on it. Burns gas like crazy. 

I need new glasses. Badly need dentures. And I need to insulate the ceiling of the main section of the house. That's definite. This winter is going to be really cold. 

Daughter's room needs to be completed and furnished. 

Wish I could prioritize these things by actual need. Instead, have to set priorities by balance, what I can afford and more acute need. 

Of course, all of this comes after bringing bills back on track. Have not heard a final word about the mortgage. I am somewhat hoping for some small assistance, so I don't have to spend a huge amount up front to bring it back on track. Though, if it comes to that, at least I'll be able to bring it current within a couple of months. 

Of course, I want more than these things. Nothing extreme or too fancy. Mostly things I can build slowly over time. Things to fix up the house and yard more. Not to hire someone else but to buy materials and do it myself. And I'd like to get some more decent clothes. Like better blue jeans. 

Obviously, I'm not too demanding.

Hired

Got hired for a job today. It will be working from home and it will definitely be work. Fielding up to 70 calls a day, coordinating radiology studies. Pays well and it's away from clinical work. It's also permanent, not contract.

I had tears in my eyes once the concept finally sunk in. Relief at finally having a permanent job again. A reliable income. 

It is really a sad state that I am relieved at leaving clinical nursing. All these years, I have loved nursing. It's a strong part of me. However, the political part has left me in a severe state of stress and outright paranoia. So much so that the idea of going back to clinical nursing has done nothing short of causing panic attacks. I've had less emotional reactions to having a gun pointed at me. For real. 

I will be continuing toward my insurance license. Turns out that, once again, this position will be working for insurance companies by proxy. This company is contracted with the insurance companies, so the situation is not direct employment with the insurance providers. 

However, the experience I gain from this position will be valuable on my resume. I may remain with this company permanently, depending on how much I like the actual position. Otherwise, I know I will remain with them at least until next year. 

The one thing that gives me some apprehension is that the pay rate is hourly for a limited time. Then it switches to pay per case. That's fine, with enough cases. However, if they divert cases from those paid per case to those being paid hourly, it won't work out. Then again, if I can handle cases efficiently enough, that does stand to allow me to make more money, rather than less. 

My biggest concern at this point is continuity. So I still will be investigating a second income source in some form. Long as it causes no conflict. No matter how stable and reliable I am, I no longer trust employers as far as I can throw the corporate office because I have had far too many experiences with unreliable and untrustworthy employers. I can always hope this one will be different. And I do hope. 

Waiting

Waiting for my telephone interview at 1:30. 

No decision has been made on the legal medical consultant position. So, if I'm offered this position today I will accept it. While my preference has leaned toward the legal job, my intuition has been saying the radiology position would be most likely.

I did get a call back about another position, phone interview on Monday. It's for an insurance company as a care coordinator. I had applied before and received an email telling me I was not hired. The job posting expired. Then they posted it again and I got the call this morning. Guess their first candidate failed to show up or something. That's what they get for not hiring me in the first place!

I have decided two employers I will not work for again are the site review companies I worked for this year. Both are unreliable. 

The most recent one has been bad about sending out paychecks and their tech department made major errors which caused reviews to take much longer than they should have. Last check should have been mailed two days ago and arrived today. It's not here. 

The first one scheduled reviews and then changed the schedule, reducing my number of reviews without warning. They told me in early June that I would receive boxes to return their laptop and equipment. I have not received any boxes and the equipment is still sitting here. I left a voice mail for my supervisor but never got a return call. Emailed them this morning. Besides, most of my expenses which should have been reimbursed never were. Their requirements for reimbursement are offset by methods which make it most likely you never will receive reimbursement. It took over 40 emails to clarify an issue of travel pay, which was actually crystal clear by the third email, at most. 

Learned my lesson and won't go back to those companies. I am happy for the experience and the illustration of abilities on my resume. Plus exposure to fields I probably would not have considered otherwise. That's okay, they're not the first unreliable employers I've had in my life. Though I had hoped by this point in history, my life and career that such things would be a thing of the, or my, past. No such luck. Hoping for better in the future.

Better

Feeling better today. Felt really bad yesterday because of the Candidiasis. However, yesterday I took the treatment to an extreme level. As the organisms die off, they release toxins into your system, so you get more ill before getting better.

Today was the first day in months that I did not feel dehydrated no matter how much I drank.

So, the regimen I have put myself on involves the following- 
Gargling intensely with hydrogen peroxide at least once a day. I also drink a diluted very small dosage each day. 
At various times each day, I consume a multivitamin, additional vitamin B, iron (every other day now), an adult aspirin, 6 cayenne pepper capsules (spaced out), diluted white vinegar, lemon juice and salt mixed together several times a day, at least one spoon of minced raw garlic and a small dose of Epsom salt. 

Most of these have direct antifungal properties. The aspirin helps thin my blood to reduce risk of blood clot, which is increased with Candidiasis. (Note: Garlic also thins the blood in large doses. More likely with concentrated capsules than with whole garlic.) The acidity of the pepper, vinegar and lemon juice make a less hospitable environment in the digestive tract for fungi. Epsom salt is Magnesium Sulfate. Candidiasis interferes with magnesium absorption and sulfur is antifungal. Plus it acts as a mild (in low doses) laxative, making it easier to mechanically flush the fungi from the body. 

So, this combination is working. I am also eating lots of protein and avoiding too much sugar, which feeds the yeast and makes it grow faster. This combination is also less expensive than prescription antifungals and does not carry the toxicity they do. Most of these items are also vitamins, minerals or antioxidants. 

Insurance proxy

So, the job working from home, coordinating radiology tests seems to be moving more quickly than anything else at this point. That's the one which will require two weeks of training in Colorado Springs. 

The recruiter said my application (resume, experience, test scores and first interview) are impressive and in the top 1 percent, above most RN's applying for the same position. Her words were, "You're the most impressive LPN I've ever spoken with." Since she has been doing this for many years, that's a compliment!

Once again, this is a position which is working for an insurance company by proxy. I am seriously taking this as a sign of the direction I need to be going. If I get/take this job, that will be three consecutive jobs working indirectly for insurance companies, all since the beginning of this year. 

I'm happy to have some time to plan for this. Since I will have to travel out of town for two weeks, it will mean some serious planning. I have to plan for making sure the animals have food and water. Taking the bike, I have to get some coveralls and mount the saddlebags securely. Clean house really well. Make sure I have enough money in reserve for food and gas during that time. I'm also going to put Slime in the tires. Think I'll do that today. Hold mail. 

Good thing about this position is that it is most certain to be long-term, if not permanent. They wouldn't be providing two weeks of paid training and reimbursed mileage and food, plus provide a hotel room if it were not long-term or permanent. 

If I get this job, I will also be working toward getting my insurance license. So, it may well lead directly into something else.  

There is another issue at hand here. The companies I have worked for and the company currently hiring are not local. They are out of state. I believe it is a strong indication of local prejudices that it is much more likely that I can obtain a job from an out of state employer, rather than a local employer. And be treated better once I do. Local prejudice states that employers almost universally prefer to hire someone who is Hispanic, Native American, New Mexico native, female (for nurses) and that speaks Spanish. (Note: I am in no way racist or prejudiced. I am speaking about the prejudice of local employers, which is rampant.) Clinical competency and experience do not matter. In fact, it can well count against you. They have a strong preference for nurses whom they can force into silence and passivity. 

It is another sign of how archaic and territorial so much of the culture here is. Management and administration, which should be the level where those influences are discouraged and resolved, are very often the place where those influences thrive the most. It's a sad state of affairs and damages the business and economy of New Mexico far more than the locals realize. Not going to change any time soon. Probably not in my lifetime. The entire state is going to have to hit complete financial rock bottom before attitudes change. Basically, it has to get worse before it will get better.