for fun: Do/Would you still put on all your makeup and decent clothes if you are quarantined

[slidergirl]

17 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

dang, I didn't see Kat's post till today, so I missed the sale 😞    

 

@PurpleHays Happy happy birthday to you!  & enjoy your alone time... we all need that sometimes 🙂

 

Kat, congrats on last day of work, bet it's bittersweet 🙂   & have fun packing for your camping trip 🙂

 

speaking of work, it seems that my work got used to me being reachable & willing to work 24/7 in the last year...  & now that I'm back in person, they still expect me to be available 24/7...  very annoying 😉  

 About working remotely:  Yes, it does seem to morph into the expecation that you are available 24/7.  

 

Christie - Happy Birthday!  I know so many people born in April.  I believe it is the BEST month!!!

 

Two of my owners that I spoke to yesterday were shocked to learn that I was just seasonal and it was my last day.  They said "please come back"  and said some very nice things to me.  Then I got a text from my boss (she doesn't work on Sundays, even if it the last day) saying that she would love for me to come back next season.  Well,  that is going to be on my mind this Summer.  

 

OOTD:  Well, I'm not working anymore, so I'm just being lazy for now - Sweaty Betty harem pants and a Tshirt.  I am going down to Salt Lake later, so I'll switch to my "birthday" leggings I got from Sweaty Betty at a 50% discount (I couldn't pass that up!!!) and a long-sleeve Tshirt.  It's another Bluebird day, just cool enough to make a long sleeve T instead of a short sleeve needed.   

[Lois R]

Hi Kat, it seems like yesterday when you started working there again. Now, the season is done.

Being lazy is allowed😃

[cruise kitty]

Kat,  & Lois, I agree, lazy is definitely allowed :)

 

Kat, it sounds like it's a perfect seasonal job for you, something investing & fun for a few months a year, plus occasional free booze & some tips ;)

 

Had some good news, my older DD (she's 33) just received a job offer for a full tenure track professor...  she's been doing post-docs since she finished her PhD in spring 2015... so very exciting, & it's close to where her husband works in La Canada Flintridge... bad news, is that right now they live 10 minutes from us.... it would just make sense for them to move towards that area & save a lot of commute time...  we will see what happens... it's still better than when they lived in Washington a while back :)

[PurpleHays]

18 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Christy, happy birthday  a bit late. What a nice celebration you had even though it sounded like a lot of work for the birthday girl. Being with your family must have been the best gift ever! How long will your daughter and family be with you?

They flew back to CA the morning after the party on a 6am flight. I'm not sure they got any sleep. We spent just enough time together to not get tired of each other.

 

6 hours ago, slidergirl said:

 Christie - Happy Birthday!  I know so many people born in April.  I believe it is the BEST month!!!

I am part of a set of birthday triplets, one a former coworker and still friend, and my first skating coach.  I'm the middle child. 😆 I also have a niece and a ton of friends and coworker. I agree. As I tell patients, "April babies are the best!"

[Lois R]

Debbie, congrats on your daughter's good news🙂

 

I have been following the trial and tomorrow the Prosecution is supposed to rest its case.....the

Defense then starts and from what the Judge said, this case could go to the Jury early next week. 

 

Sadly, not 10 miles from where George Floyd was killed, a 20 year old was killed yesterday. You have to wonder how Minneapolis will stay sane through all of this...the officer said she thought she pulled out her taser but it was actually her firearm.......huh?😲 Really crazy!☹️

[purduemom1]

Hi girls,

 

Christy, where in CA does your daughter live? I think you have mentioned it but I don’t recall.

 

Debbie, congrats are in order for your daughter. That is quite an accomplishment. I’m sorry that she will most likely live farther from you. If it weren’t for the traffic, it probably wouldn’t be a problem. Just seems to take so long to get anywhere on So Cal.

 

Lois, I have been following the trial too. The prosecution has had excellent witnesses. Tonight there is a curfew in Hennepin, ( Minneapolis) Ramsey (St Paul) and Anoka counties. National Guard is also there now. I just hope that all is calm by the time we arrive. Still have a few weeks before we go. 
 

Kat, sounds like you have a tough decision to make about returning to work next season. It always feels good to be appreciated. When are you leaving on the camping trip? 
 

Sharon

[awhfy]

Talking about the expectation of being available for work 24/7. I remember when I was issued my first office cell phone (blackberry)I told the general, if there is an event that I’m working on I will be available, if I’m on military travel I will be available. Otherwise I am only available during my normal work hours. He looked quizzical then said, write it up I want everyone to work that way. A balance between work & life is important. Man, I missed that guy when he was promoted & moved. 

[Anita Latte]

Melody...very wise, but not something easily implemented in today’s global world. DH had the virtual job that he got back in GA which gave us the freedom to move to NC. Back then, his clients and business venture partners were in Germany and so business hours were screwy. But still local were his companies team members and he had to be responsive to both. These days, same thing...customers and business partners in varying time zones and with the lack of ever having in depth meetings, the day is a constant barrage of group meetings. DH often eats lunch during a meeting he only has to listen to but not talk much. And his time to actually get work down is outside normal business hours when meetings aren’t scheduled. The only problem is that most others are doing the same thing and so if they see his green light and need input, he’ll get IMed. The list of cons for virtual work in a team environment is horrendously long...like the work day.

[cruisemom42]

26 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

DH often eats lunch during a meeting he only has to listen to but not talk much. And his time to actually get work down is outside normal business hours when meetings aren’t scheduled.

 

This sounds so much like me. 

 

Working remotely I start work earlier due to meetings taking place in EU I am now "expected" to be available for -- since I am at home.

 

Protecting a lunch break is impossible because what's the big deal if I schedule something, you are working from home, just eat while we are meeting....

 

And then in the afternoon the US-based meetings start. We have meetings now that were never on the agenda before and I suspect it's partly because managers want to convince themselves that employees are actually "working" by seeing plenty of meetings on their calendars...

 

It becomes very draining. My most productive times have become late afternoon/early evening when I finally have time to get ACTUAL work done without interruption.

 

[Anita Latte]

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I suspect it's partly because managers want to convince themselves that employees are actually "working" by seeing plenty of meetings on their calendars...

 

It becomes very draining. My most productive times have become late afternoon/early evening when I finally have time to get ACTUAL work done without interruption.

 

This sounds about right. There’s a lot of work being done to report to upper management. It’s like a full time job just to present work matrix to them to show work progress. And they don’t understand what the real workers are doing and it’s just a time consuming waste of time to try to get them up to speed because they want to be spoon fed and not really have to gain understanding. I sound bitter but it’s more frustration because I’m on the outside observing and it all looks and sounds ridiculous to me. I’m the family that gets impacted, missing time with DH  and when I hear these people on the speaker in the meetings...I do get angry about it.

 

And then I feel guilty because I’m also so grateful that DH has the kind of job where he can do this and we haven’t struggled in the same way so many have since last March...I feel like I don’t have the right to be upset about it. But it isn’t right, the way work had invaded the home. It’s not the same issues that people like my parents faced when they were self employed and worked at home. That was also a work life balance but it was a different situation because they didn’t have coworkers outside each other. I thought I read that Citibank was trying to make Friday’s a meeting free day so that their workers would have a least one work day where they could be productive.

 

It’s sad that cartoon is so funny because it’s true.

[Anita Latte]

On the subject of April birthdays...happy belated birthday to everyone! Mine was March 25 so I can’t jump on the April bday bandwagon but I would say that Aries are awesome!

[slidergirl]

6 hours ago, awhfy said:

Talking about the expectation of being available for work 24/7. I remember when I was issued my first office cell phone (blackberry)I told the general, if there is an event that I’m working on I will be available, if I’m on military travel I will be available. Otherwise I am only available during my normal work hours. He looked quizzical then said, write it up I want everyone to work that way. A balance between work & life is important. Man, I missed that guy when he was promoted & moved. 

I worked on a Sun Microsystems computer (good ole' Unix), attached to a 14.4 modem attached to a dedicated phone line.  Good times.  Then I was migrated to an IBM Microsoft computer and a special phone line.  THEN, I got a router from the company and was able to set up my own network once I got Wired Ethernet from the phone company.  Ah the 90s...  

 

I did go down to Salt Lake yesterday.  I picked up my tent!!!  And, I bought a new mattress.  They didn't have one of the two I was going back and forth on, so I got the one they had.  It's 2 inches less wide and .5 inches less high.  But, it's still better than what I have.  They did have another one that was wider and higher, but I didn't think it was worth $100 extra!!!   I picked up a few odds & ends so I ended up spending that $100 anyway.  Then,  went to Trader Joe's to pick up some stuff - woah, I picked up a LOT of stuff, another "Holy Crap" moment at the checkout counter...

 

Today, my hair stylist had me come in today and get my "skunk stripe" taken care of because she was insistent that I didn't go on a trip with grey hair.   She just painted the stripe, we sat and chatted and then she washed it out.  More of an excuse to get together and gossip than anything, really.  I see her for a "full" job the day after I get back.  

 

Watching all the sadness in Minnesota.  The trial - the defense is trying to put on it's part of the trial.  Some yahoo they've paid said it was not a use of force...  *****.  

[awhfy]

I’m glad I retired before the 24/7 work became common. Our son works at home; our oldest daughter has a hybrid of half home/half work; our middle daughter is teaching PE on line (still haven’t figured out how she teaches swimming & life guarding on line). They all work longer hours than before the pandemic. 

[Lois R]

5 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

On the subject of April birthdays...happy belated birthday to everyone! Mine was March 25 so I can’t jump on the April bday bandwagon but I would say that Aries are awesome!

Belated Happy Birthday to you🙂.  Mine was March 18th. I am a Pisces.😃

[Lois R]

I have some news😃it looks like there is a good possibility I will be sailing out of Greece in July🙂Not booked yet but it is looking very likely.  Will let you know all the details when I have them.

[cruise kitty]

Happy Belated birthday Anita!  I get your frustration with your husbands work, it's difficult having no line between home life & work life...  hopefully things will improve over the next year, for everyone's sake.

 

Cynthia, right now your job situation sounds awful.  For myself, I don't have anywhere near the amount of meetings that you have, my situation is constant text messages that start around 7:30 in the morning & end around 10:30 at night... & the thing is, I'm not even supposed to be full time, just 3 days a week, but somehow it's grown :(  

 

Lois, congrats on your possible cruise!   I've been looking at the ones on Celebrity out of Greece, but I think I'll probably just keep my Med booking for October & see what happens.

 

-Debbie

[Lois R]

Good morning,  Kat, I saw that Yahoo.......omg, if that is the best witness the Defense has? Comfortable laying on the pavement with your face pushing down trying to breathe.? You have got to be kidding me😲.  At least the Prosecutor got him on the cross examination.   

[slidergirl]

I couldn't deal with watching anymore.  Today, I'm watching reruns of Real Housewives of New Jersey, watching the snow come down (about 3 inches in the last 2 hours), and swapping my USB devices into my chargers to get them ready for camping.   Looking at the snow coming down, I just remind myself that the weather down at Zion NP is going to be sunny and in the upper 70s.  

 

Lois - I sure hope your cruise comes true!!  

 

OOTD:  Lady of Leisure attire today:  a pair of joggers and a Tshirt.  

 

Have a good day ladies!

[sjb317]

Belated Happy Birthdays to Christy and Kat.  Sharon, condolences to you.   Congrats for your daughter, Debbie, that is quite an accomplishment.  And congrats Cynthia for getting that jab!   Lois, I hope you get this cruise worked out!  

 

Son and family have gone back to VA, house is very quiet and I think husband and I have recovered from the chaos of having a 5 year old around.  It was so fun to have him here, he is such a humorous guy.  He loves music, especially singing, and His preschool did a unit on the US for president’s day so now you never know when he is going to break out in his rendition of  “It’s a Grand Old Flag”  or “My Country Tis of Thee”.  In a restaurant, at Disney, in the car, just whenever the mood strikes him to sing.  We laughed a lot! 
And I have decided I never want to hear any adult complain about having to wear a mask, Eli managed to wear one for over 8 hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom without complaining a single time.  And he never once put up a fuss when we said we need to wear a mask.  
 

We are leaving early Friday for our trip to the Dominican Republic.  Yesterday was a big day for me as I had my yearly mammogram and then went to the salon for haircut and color.  Today I got my first pedicure in over a year and my toes look so much better!  OOTD: Gap tshirt, denim capris and flip flops plus makeup and earrings.  This is pretty much my standard OOTD since moving to Florida if I am going out somewhere, although sometimes I will wear khaki capris instead of denim.😂.  Once in awhile, I will wear a sundress if I want to be a little “dressier” but that is rare.  For our trip, I am taking only sundresses, swimsuits and workout clothes!  No capris😂

 

It’s nice to see everyone getting out more, visiting with family, and making plans for future endeavors.  It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, that light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter!

 

I hope you all have a great week!

 

Sherti🙂

 

 

 

[cruise kitty]

Hi Sherri, your time with the grandson sounds wonderful !  Sounds like a very cute character... & yes the little ones have adapted quite well to the masks :)    A big congrats on getting your pedicure...  I had my first about a month ago... definitely time for another one, it's amazing how those "little" things make us feel human again :)

 

Lois & Kat, I can't watch anymore...  just listening to snippets on NPR in the afternoon...  praying his family gets some justice...

 

Kat, for Christmas my DD bought me a solar usb charger, do you have one?

 

& on topic: OOTD   wearing very "cruise appropriate" outfit:  Black linen wide leg trousers with black cutaway tank,  a brown polished stone pendant necklace I bought on a New Zealand cruise,  leopard print calf hair flat mules, & my tilley hat :)   

[Lois R]

Hi girls, Sherri, sounds like a great time was had with your grandson!  

 

I didn't realize you were going to the Dominican.......are you staying at an AI? If so, which one would that be?  I hope you have a great trip🙂 (and a safe one of course)!

[sjb317]

1 hour ago, cruise kitty said:

Hi Sherri, your time with the grandson sounds wonderful !  Sounds like a very cute character... & yes the little ones have adapted quite well to the masks 🙂    A big congrats on getting your pedicure...  I had my first about a month ago... definitely time for another one, it's amazing how those "little" things make us feel human again 🙂

 

Lois & Kat, I can't watch anymore...  just listening to snippets on NPR in the afternoon...  praying his family gets some justice...

 

Kat, for Christmas my DD bought me a solar usb charger, do you have one?

 

& on topic: OOTD   wearing very "cruise appropriate" outfit:  Black linen wide leg trousers with black cutaway tank,  a brown polished stone pendant necklace I bought on a New Zealand cruise,  leopard print calf hair flat mules, & my tilley hat 🙂   

That was my first pedicure in over a year!🙂.  I have tried to do my own but results were never good. 
 

Your outfit sounds very nice!

 

Sherti🙂

[sjb317]

47 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Hi girls, Sherri, sounds like a great time was had with your grandson!  

 

I didn't realize you were going to the Dominican.......are you staying at an AI? If so, which one would that be?  I hope you have a great trip🙂 (and a safe one of course)!

My husband booked this trip about a month ago, got a great deal for an AI & airfare.  We are staying at Hilton La Romana.   This will be our fist time to try an AI resort.

 

Sherri🙂
 

 

 

[slidergirl]

5 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

Hi Sherri, your time with the grandson sounds wonderful !  Sounds like a very cute character... & yes the little ones have adapted quite well to the masks 🙂    A big congrats on getting your pedicure...  I had my first about a month ago... definitely time for another one, it's amazing how those "little" things make us feel human again 🙂

 

Lois & Kat, I can't watch anymore...  just listening to snippets on NPR in the afternoon...  praying his family gets some justice...

 

Kat, for Christmas my DD bought me a solar usb charger, do you have one?

 

& on topic: OOTD   wearing very "cruise appropriate" outfit:  Black linen wide leg trousers with black cutaway tank,  a brown polished stone pendant necklace I bought on a New Zealand cruise,  leopard print calf hair flat mules, & my tilley hat 🙂   

Yes, I do have a solar USB charger.  I just want everything charged and ready to go since I'm getting down there probably around 6pm or so.  Not much sun left then.  I also have a car battery/USB charge - it's a nice little package.  All my lighting is USB.  It worked well 2 years ago when I was on the road for those 2 weeks.  And, I was charging my iPhone and iPod, too.  Now, I have my Apple Watch to add into th mix.  

 

Sherri - have a wonderful time in the DR.  I'd take one pair of capris - you may want to go horseback riding and I'm not sure a sundress would work 😉

 

It's been snowing all day long.  I think my driveway is up to about a foot of snow.  And, I just had the last bit melt off the driveway...  

[awhfy]

16 hours ago, sjb317 said:

My husband booked this trip about a month ago, got a great deal for an AI & airfare.  We are staying at Hilton La Romana.   This will be our fist time to try an AI resort.

 

Sherri🙂
 

 

 

We’ve never tried an AI, I’d be interested in hearing if you enjoybit