This is what unemployed Nancy looks like...

I hide it quite well, don't I? (especially with some fantastic cheekbones, eh?)

Thank you for all your well wishes and "fuck them!" comments. I totally appreciate it. To answer the questions ...

~ Will you and your family be okay?
-- I'm sure we will be. We have great support from our families, both mine and hubby's, so no matter what, we'll be okay.

~ Is it temporary?
-- I'm not too sure what this means. Is my layoff temporary? Yeah, they aren't bringing me back after some amount of time. Is my joblessness temporary? I certainly hope so.

~ What's wrong with companies? (yes, I understand this question, and many others I'm still going to answer, was rhetorical.)
-- They suck. It's all about the bottom line now. No heart.

~ Why do they have to do that shit on a Friday and ruin your weekend?
-- From the great movie, Office Space, "We find it's always better to fire people on a Friday. Studies have statistically shown that there's less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week."

~ What are your next steps? What are you going to do?
-- Panic. Cry. Find another job.

~ You had no idea?
-- Nope. 100% blindsided.

~ Did you at least get 12 weeks of severance?
-- 30 days notice. 25 weeks of full pay severance. All benefits paid throughout the 25 weeks. Prorated bonus of 10% of my salary.

~ What the hell is going on?
-- I wish I knew. If anyone figures out why 2009 (after jan 10th, of course) is/was one of my worst years on records, physically and mentally, please let me know.

~ Hey nancy remember me? (from miss t)
-- Why yes, yes I do. I actually think of you often.


Ugh. So after my severance pay runs out (25 weeks), if I don't have a job yet, I'll collect unemployment. Severance will be given to me in a lump sum payment about 4 weeks after my last day. It isn't really that good considering a few things...

-- During maternity leave, I used up all my vacation, so I'll have to pay back 2 weeks.
-- I have HCRA (health care reimbursement account) taken out of my paychecks, but you can use it before you pay into it. I had $3,000 taken out and have only paid in maybe $1,500 so far. Since I used up all $3 grand paying my medical bills, I'll have to payback the other $1,500.
-- I have an outstanding 401k loan, about $6 grand, which will have to be paid back.

So all of that will be taken out of my lump sum payment. Since I won't be able to collect unemployment until the end of my severance period, I'll have to divide the amount by 25 weeks and pay myself weekly to stay ahead. But due to being reduced by something like $10 grand, it will be such a lower amount than I'm used to, right off the bat. Oy vey. I guess it'll be better than what my unemployment checks will be, a hefty $487/week, before taxed. UGH. Just seeing that tiny number makes me want to throw up.

Okay, I can't think about this anymore tonight or I'll start crying again.

I've decided to be a hobo.

I am, however, worried about my choice of colors for my hankerchief. Would picking red mean I was associated with that gang?

I just got laid off.

Awesome.

12 years with a company and they just let you go like you are nothing.

No botox, filler for cheekbones and is there a lawyer in the house?

(I do have an important legal question at the end, so if anyone has experience in this area, I would be so appreciative if you read my question. Thanks!)

It was decided I should not get botox while still nursing. The doc read up and came prepared with a bunch of data, but he said it wasn't completely well tested yet and he suggested I wait. He did say if I ~really~ wanted it, he could see doing some, but I interrupted him to say no. I have no problem at all waiting. And there is no way in the world I would risk Karl's health for a wrinkle free forehead!

I ~did~ get the radiesse though. It was a super freaky experience. Three people (1 doc, 1 NP and the radiesse rep) all gathered around me as they drew a map no my face. Then after applying an ice pack, the NP put the first needle into my face up on my right cheekbone. One word. Ouch. No, more than one word. Ouch. Creepy. Fantastic.

First, the ouch factor. I won't lie - it hurt. A lot. It took maybe 5-8 minutes on each cheekbone, to get it just right. Having a needle stuck underneath the muscle and gel squirted out slowly along an inch and a half area simply isn't a pleasant experience. Second, the creepy factor. The gel stuff, when it gets between the muscle and bone, makes a crunch sound. Oh. My. God. It was terrible.

And now for the fantastic factor... It's awesome. I didn't take any damned before pictures. I spaced it because I was freaked out about the pain I was about to feel. Here are a few pictures I took afterwards. I haven't put on makeup and done myself up yet, so excuse the ickiness of my appearance. Just focus on 1) the fabulousness of my cheekbones and 2) the decreased 'smile lines' (the creases going from nose to mouth).

This one was taken immediately upon returning home. You can really see how my cheeks "hollow" out because they are so plumped above. The plumping was done from mid eye and outwards, which really tightened up the sides of my cheeks.




This one was taken this morning when taking the kids to school before my post surgical appointment. I look uneven because it's a weird angle, but you can really see how well my right cheekbone (left side of picture) is now defined. I had just pulled my hair back so again, I'm looking fucking awesome , so please don't judge me other than my cheekbones!




This one shows how cool my foot looks underneath the bandages. Another week and I'll get the stitches removed and can start to wear shoes again! Yay! Oh, and my right toe is totally wobbly like there is no bone in there. Doc said by shaving it down, it will feel like that, but it will end up tightening up eventually.




~~ legal question ~~

I have a friend (Bob) who is getting screwed over from a personal loan and wanted to know what he could do about it. Let me give basics ...

~ About 18 months ago, Bob's then-girlfriend's mom (lets call the girlfriend Kelly) got arrested for embezzling money, along with a few other people, from some business. (I don't know the details)

~ Kelly wanted to post bond for her mom, which she needed $10,000. Bob withdrew the $10 grand he had in savings and gave it to Kelly. Kelly then turned around and bailed her mom out.

~ Nothing was written down (yeah, yeah, stupid) and they were supposed to pay Bob back. I don't think any special plans for payback were made.

~ Kelly's mom eventually was found guilty and is now in prison. The courts took the $10k and put it towards restitution.

~ Bob and Kelly are broken up. Kelly doesn't have the money and the family is obviously broke from the court case and owing restitution.

~ Kelly says she'll still pay him back, but has no way to do it. Bob wants to get something legally in place to demand payment.

~ His only "evidence" is the $10,000 withdrawal from his account. He's going to try to get her to admit it, via email or letter, without demanding payment, just to establish the fact she owes it. He then wants her to sign an IOU. If she doesn't sign or admit, it'll be a her word against his thing.

~ What is the statute of limitations on suing for a personal loan? What court will he have to go to because of the amount? Should he do anything else besides getting an official IOU signed? If she doesn't start paying him, what can he do (if fact is established she owes him the money) can he take her to court to demand her to start paying? If yes and court rules in his favor, can part of her wages be taken to pay it?

I appreciate any info you have on this!

Botox baby!

I'm vain. And I'm getting older.

It's been a known fact I ~will~ be getting a facelift when I'm in my 40s. My mother is a very wrinkly woman and I can already see too many on my own face. I already am obsessed with lifting up the sides of my cheeks to see what it would look like when I'm looking in a mirror (and my husband laughs at me each time).

I know of a cosmetic doctor whom I discussed my vanity with. We talked a few times and she has me interested in Radiesse, which is a filler like restylane, but I think it's better. I want it to go under my cheek bones, lifting up my cheek to chin area, just a teeny bit. It's a little pricey, about $700/syringe (I'd need 1 - 1 1/2 syringes for the job) so it's been something I've put on my to-do list.

Well, recently I was told there was an upcoming special on the pricing, an actual 'buy one get one 'sale' on the filler themselves. I would be saving $700! Yay! And what's cool is what isn't used can be saved for the next session (this lasts about 12-18 months) so I'm pretty excited. Today is the day of the appointment and it's now or never. (okay, maybe not that dramatic) The added bonus is the clinic is running a "12 month same as cash" financing, so I won't have to pay much out of pocket at all. And I'm really good at taking a larger debt and paying monthly payments, avoiding finance fees.

Oh yeah, while I'm at it and financing this (which isn't really that expensive, so I can always just pay the whole thing at anytime) I'm going to go ahead and get botox too. I've always wanted to see what that was like, so why the hell not. I'm getting botox on my forehead and the sides of my eyes and I'm getting the filler in my cheeks and between my eyes.

I'm pretty nervous about the pain. The doc said it hurts. Ugh. I'm really not wanting anymore pain right now, but what the hell. I'm sure I'm tougher than many of the rich chicks who get shit like this done all the time, right?

My appointment is in 3 hours. I'll post before and after pictures. Unless, of course, something goes horribly wrong and I end up looking like a train wreck.

Taking a long, slow breath.

I'm back. I think.

Immediately following a very successful surgery on Friday afternoon (hot, eh?) ...



... my husband packed me up into the car along with the other family members and drove us off to Salida so we could go to fibark.

The weekend started out great, not only because I had a total nerve block for my foot and had ~zero~ pain, but some of our best friends, Pete & Laurel, came up and stayed with us. (Laurel is a long time blog reader, of many blogs, not just mine, but she's a new blogger herself. I have plans to write a proper post about her blog, but this is obviously not it.)

We started the evening with a combined effort of all 4 of us putting together a ginormous smoker to cook the 25lb pork shoulder purchased for Pete to make for us all. I passed out around 1am and the fire on the smoker was started around 3am.

My day started at 6a with Pete surprised me only 30 minutes later when he showed up on the couch next to me to start his long day with his meat. (heh, I couldn't resist.) See, Pete isn't a morning person, but when he's got cooking duty, he's all about it. Our respective spouses were up soon later and we made it downtown for the big parade.

Saturday afternoon consisted of lunch and naps and everyone packed up, once again, to head downtown. This time for the hooligan race (see the fibark link above - it's a homemade boat "race" down the rapids on the arkansas river), which my father in law was in his 3rd year running. My nerve block had since worn off and I was in some pain, so I stayed home with the boy instead of scrambling up and down the side of the river. Pete had also stayed behind to keep watch on the pork shoulder (which, by the way, was looking and smelling fanfreakingtabulous at this point) and I had some cooking tasks to complete. My mother in law and hubby's aunt and uncle arrived home first, followed by my father in law, still quite blue from spending time in the river (he made it through the rapids though!).

My father in law is the administrator for the local hospital they are currently interviewing surgeons, one of which came over for dinner. The reason I mention this is because she provided quite a bit of entertainment for the evening. First of all, she was completely confused when she was first introduced to us. Pete and I were in the kitchen and I was holding the baby. My mother in law said "this is my son's wife" and she looked to Pete, assuming he was my husband. So when she said as much, my mother in law explained he wasn't home yet and Pete said "he's with my wife." Although all quite innocent and not at all funny in print as it was in person, the look on her face was priceless. It looked like she thought she was in a real life case of wife swapping right then and there.

The next piece of entertainment occurred once everyone was back and the kitchen was full of the hustle and bustle of the last 10 minutes of dinner preparations. I heard my mother in law ask her (referred to as Dr from now on) if she wanted a hamburger or a hot dog, which she replied she didn't eat red meat. Here is the rest of the conversation ...
Me: "That's good, since we're eating pork."
Dr: "I don't eat that."
Me: "But it's not read meat, it's white meat. Isn't it?" (as I look to Laurel)
Laurel: "Right. It's 'the other white meat'!"
Dr: "Well, most people think of pork as red meat."
Me and Laurel: "Um, okay."

Not that we needed her to each the pork, but calling pork red meat? Heh. So at dinner, Laurel (and apparently everyone else except me) witnessed the doctor really show her loving of bbq sauce. See, Pete had made the best homemade bbq sauce ~ever~ for the pork. The Dr, the one who doesn't eat red meat, including pork, was quite literally eating about 1/4 cup of sauce with each piece of broccoli. They said she was spooning it up on top (it was really thick) of each bite of veggies like it was soft serve ice cream. After the doc had left, Laurel reenacted the event because saying she was "eating sauce with her broccoli" would have never elicited the thought of how much she was really eating with each and every bite.

Argh. None of this is as funny as it was in person.

Okay, let me wrap this up. Sunday was spent eating a big breakfast, playing batchi ball, shooting guns (I shot a .40!), losing my inlaws dog and then later finding him (which pete and laurel went hiking all over the place to search. what great friends), packing up, driving home and then unpacking. By the end of the day my foot was throbbing in bolts of pain and I finally was able to pass out by 1am.

So that's my catching up from this weekend. I will get back into my regular blogging here very soon. I've got lots of fun topics on my mind!

the i.v. is in.

I am all ready to be wheeled back. i'll take a picture and post it later.

Off to dreamy land soon. I wonder when they will take my blackberry.

The nurse is talking to the grown man next door like a child. "keep your undies and sockies on!" I want to say something smartass.

I know. Me. Smartass. Go figure.

Kym. Eden. Chicklet. Pam. Jenn. Kat. Jen. Shit, doc is here writing in my chart. I don't get to finish my thought.

surgery day!

Today is surgery day, which means I'm home! I arrived yesterday afternoon exhausted. Now I wake up to remember I can't eat or drink until my 1:45 surgery, meaning I won't be eating until at least 5pm. Booo.

Lots to get done so again, I'm being a lame blogger. But at least there's an update. I have ~so~ many people to catch up on! Oy Vey.

change of plans

I suddenly find myself in Florida. Tampa, to be exact. The weather is even more miserable, for me, here. Whew!

Still on blackberry, will be able to communicate better soon.

Congrats Sarah!

where is nancy?

Hi! I am on a business trip and ridiculously busy. Flew in on red eye saturday night, working from early morning until time for bed.

I am exhausted. East coast weather is humid. Shit. My plane leaves for home Thursday morning.

I may get some online time tomorrow or Wednesday, but for now, I am done, as I am typing this on my blackberry and its rather difficult.

I have been offline for like a week, is there any big news with you or with anyone in blogland?

Home Depot and other fun things.

Eden, Home Depot is a home improvement store here and in canada. Not sure where else it is, apparently you don't have one of this brand name.

I don't know what it is about home depot I love so much. I just walk in there for a specific item and through wandering the rows and rows of 20ft industrial sized shelves in this warehouse, I just feel so inspired to DO something with my house. Of course, I'm too busy to attempt a home improvement project ("painting the shed" has been on my list with ~each~ of my leaves, still in todo form), yet that store gets me.

And obviously, it gets to chicklet too, as we have a very long running joke about home depot. I don't even know how it started, but it's mentioned in at least 50% of our comments to one another, usually in very inappropriate situations. "Oh, you got a BFN? Maybe you can go to home depot and buy the parts to build a baby". See what I mean? Inappropriate with a capital 'I'. But chicklet gets it so that's all that matters.

--

It's been a week since I blogged. Nothing really has been going on, I've just not been inspired to say anything. I'm slowly trying to get through my blog list, trying to comment where I need to leave some comments. (and what's with my favorite bloggers typing HUGE fucking blog posts while I'm slacking? HUGE in themselves and/or HUGE in the number of posts themselves. I can't keep up. I'm unworthy.)

--

Mareike? Where the fuck are you? (like i'm the one to talk, right?)

--

Hrm. I'm getting really excited for the Mile High Music Fest. Check out the lineup. The Black Keys! Tool! Incubus! Ben Harper!

--

I'm also not sure what to do. I was going to vans warped tour, but kings of leon are playing same night at red rocks. I don't know what to do. Ugh.

--

Oh, and DCFC is playing again at red rocks. And I'm rocking the guest list. Yay.

--

My derby wife just called me "snarky" tonight, without knowing I use the word "schnarky". See why she's my wifey?

--

No word on surgery date yet. Seems they are busy, expecting call tomorrow.

--

I wonder how much I weigh. I've been feeling really skinny and I tried to put on my "skinny jeans" (jeans I wear when I'm thin, not skinny jeans - I hate those), which aren't really that skinny to be honest, they are seven for all mankind size 27s (what's that equal to? Like a size 4? Which are really skinny for ~me~. I don't think my skeleton could be a size 0-2.) and they do not fit. I could get them on, but no zipping/buttoning the top for me. So the 29s is where I'm sitting at the moment. I didn't realize quite how many sevens I had - I have them in all sizes 27-31. Hey, at least I have nice jeans no matter how much I eat, eh? I think I'm still 134lbs and I was wearing the small jeans at 120-125. yeah. Not going to happen.

--

Blah. I really have nothing more. Things around the internet/message boards has really been bothering me lately so I'm just going to let it go. Yeah, ME, letting something go without getting schnarky about it. How's that for something new?

Hey chicklet, im on my way to home depot. Jealous?