Meh.

It's the tail end of Tuesday. Heading into Wednesday on an icy slide.

Some good, some bad since last I updated.

Bad:

I do not now, nor will I have, health insurance. At least for a bit. Minimum would be 4 months. Maximum? Don't know. See, to get COBRA health insurance through ADP, it would have cost me $300/month. They wouldn't let me "downsize" health insurance plans, so I'm screwed. Insurance for the new job doesn't start 'til 3 months after I go permenant employee with them. Technically, I have another month to wait...

Good:
...But I did put in my resume and cover letter to apply for a permenant position last night. Spoke with the HR lady today, and she mentioned she had received it. Spoke to my immediate supervisor today, and she mentioned that she really wants me to get through the next level of training as quickly as possible. Must mean I'm doing a good job, right? She wished me luck, as did my department boss.

Bad:
It snowed today. Not enough to do anything more than make people crabby, and ensure the road down the mountain will be icy and slick for my morning commute. Blah.

Good:
It's supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow, so my evening commute should be much faster.

Bad:
My department is shrinking, due to people leaving. One person left last Friday. Another's leaving at the end of the month. Add to that, we had several people out of vacation today, and 3 people sick. I took 130 phone calls today. That's just the ones I wrote down. That doesn't include calls out. Blah.

Good:
All the people leaving means there are definitely full-time positions open and available. I have my fingers crossed, as full-time/permenant means I'm that much closer to health insurance, and I start getting a MUCH bigger paycheck.

Bad:
My need for red meat nailed me last week. Got more depressed and crabby as the week wore on, 'til by Thursday, I was ready to strangle anyone in reach. Went out, had steak, felt immediately better. Glad it made me feel better, not happy that I'm hitting another period where I have to red meat frequently, or pay the price. Meh again.

Good:
Bought my plane tickets for Darrin and Cathy's wedding in May. Dad's doing the ceremony. Set it up to leave early the day I leave, to make my plane on time. So, I'll get to see everyone in the Cities, plus my folks. Yah!

Good:
One of my really good friends from my freshman year at Beloit emailed last week. Got home on Thursday to discover Chris Knowles had written. Way cool! Haven't talked to him since he graduated. He's now married, to Lara (his gf in college), and they just had a daughter. Nifty!

So, as you can see, things continue trippingly. Still love the mountains, still miss everybody.

Hope this update keeps you for a bit, since I'm not sure when I'll update again. Hopefully soon.

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday.

Okay, so I've survived Eero's least favorite day of the week. Slept really well. Stayed in bed 10 minutes longer than normal this morning. Talked to my mom on the phone on the way to work. Got to work to find fresh donuts from the boss. Had a pretty good day at work. Drove home in decent traffic (not terrific, but decent). Went out for Chinese food (good Chinese food, too). Then went for ice cream at Baskin Robbins (I got Tiramisu flavored, which was pretty good). Only have two days left this week, 'til I reach my beloved weekend.

All in all, things are going well. One of my co-workers is leaving, effective next Friday. Her husband is being transferred within his company, and his new position involves lots of travel. So, she's leaving APL, and will be working on her Masters, and travelling with him. Normally, this wouldn't provoke mention. However, as a temp, I am required to work at least 480 hours, and then apply for a permanent position. With her leaving, I have a much better chance of scoring that permenant position as soon as possible, since there'll be a full-time opening. So, keep your fingers crossed, and stay tuned for further developments.

Anyone I haven't heard from in awhile, post me a comment, and I'll try and email. Dave Atlas, this means you!