Stuck in a Furrow

It has finally happened.

A sad day really.

I had been expecting it for the past year and today, there was the note tucked under my door.

I can no longer gloat or rub it into my friends and family that I have cheap rent.

Not as of August 1st.

NOTICE OF RENTAL INCREASE

Boo.

I can't complain really. My brother and best friend have each had at least 2 renal increases and this is my first.

What does that mean for me come August 1st?

I'm not sure yet...but it looks like I might be moving.

Boo :(

I cannot watch World Vision commercials. I choke up every time I see them, tears rolling down my cheeks. If you want to see my passionate or broken, talk about Africa and the pandemic that threatens to destroy an entire continent. My heart breaks for those little ones and I feel helpless. I have seen it first hand, the mothers with children strapped to their back, sorting through the garbage at the city dump. I have seen the begging, the swollen bellies, the open wounds. I have seen the smiles, the playing and the carefree joy that some of them still have. I have seen hope, because that is all some have. My heart is in Africa.


I am sittng here watching American Idol and their Idol Gives Back episode. I'm watching it for one reason. The African Children's Choir. This choir is near and dear to my heart and every now and then, I ponder dropping everthing, hopping on a bus and travelling with them as a chaperone. I have done the training. I have prayed extensively about it. My grandparents have spent many years as bus driver and choir administrator with different tours and the thought of being actively involved in making a difference is very appealing. Maybe one day...I can't even watch the choir perform without feeling like I've missed out on something great. You should sponsor a child.


My church is involved in a Compassion in Action project. We learned about the parable of the talents and challenged to go out and multipy our resources in order to make a difference in 4 countries with projects that we sponsor. My small group decided to step out of our comfort zone and the safety of the church body and make a statement amoung our peers. It is about awareness not stuffy church politics. So, we are heading to Cowboys Dance Hall this Saturday for a RED NIGHT. I'm excited. You should come.

I sometimes ask myself why I work for a non-profit organization when I know I could be making much better money at any other company. The answer is simple: I love the work that Samaritan's Purse does. We have a new initiave that started today called Turn On The Tap, which is raising money to install 65,000 BioSand Water Systms in 14 countries in the next 3 years. It is very exciting to be apart of something so big...global in fact. You should donate.

To me it feels like this isn't enough. I'm hardly making a dent and I may not get to see the effects of getting involved. But, I know I can't just sit back and hope that someone else will step up.

Heck, if I can't even make it through an AI episode without crying, then there must be something I should be doing!

I thought that the next time I posted, it would be either with good news about the job or at least, just news about the job. No such luck. I do, apparenlty, have a meeting with HR and my manager this morning. I don't think it will be a fun meeting.

My weekend was good...busy but good. I stayed home on Friday night in a much needed night of doing sweet nothing. I had great plans of cleaning my apartment and possibly laundry but that got shoved to the wayside in a night of tv watching and blog reading. Glorious. I was hoping for a great nights sleep but the partiers in the apartment complex beside me had other ideas for a Friday night. People were running screaming and yelling up and down the street, the cops were called and I'm sure there were a few fights. I eventually got up and read my book until the ruckus died down. At 3am. Saturday involved some work and then a date night. I even got flowers! I am not usually the girly type who expects such romantic gestures but when they come without the need for an apology or admission of guilt, I appreciate them. Fun! Supper was good...the movie was good...the company was fantabulous. He even got tickets to Bon Jovi. I'm spoiled.

Sunday I skipped church and watched the flames embarrass us again. Boo. I am truly a bandwagon fan so their losses don't really affect me that much. It would be horrible to lose the first round without putting up a fight though. I spent some time with my friends, went to the mall for 2 very specific things, only accomplished 1 and bought some new summer clothes. Sushi for supper and early to bed.

So that was my weekend. Nothing too exciting. Only 4 more days until I get to sleep in again! Woot woot.

I decided that it was time for a change. Spring is in the air and tiny blades of green are starting to emerge in the brown patch beside my office window. The 2 dogs that visit the construction site across the road have returned, wearing their bright orange safety vests. I did some spring cleaning in my apartment the other day, throwing out some junk that had accumulated over the past year. I even went through some files on my computer and deleted some of them that I no longer need or look at. When we were growing up, there was always spring cleaning to be done and it was the time when we'd pack up our winter clothes and pull out the spring apparel. I don't pack up my clothes anymore but I did go through my closet and drawers and create a nice little pile to go to Sally Ann.

So, in the spirt of starting fresh and clean in spring, I decided to update my template too.

Just in case you were wondering...

I have not heard about my new job yet. That is not what this post is about.

It is about my other job. The job that I can't wait to walk away from. The job that I left to come to SP. The job that takes up many hours in my week, pays well but causes me to have cold sweats, nightmares and no social life. The job where I'm technically on call, called an office manager and have a lot of power and pull with the boss. The job where my life is run by a remote server and a dictation machine.

The job where, apparently, I can not be replaced.

He hires, they try, he fires and I have to retrain someone new.

How much money would it take for me to go back there?

Lots. Lots and lots and lots.