[lizardlady]

This probably belongs elsewhere, since it really doesn't have anything to do with fibro, but I just need to vent.

This week has been employee "appreciation" week at work. Yes, I meant to put quotes around appreciation. We got an e-mail last week telling us all the exciting things that were going to happen this week.

It started with a "big surprise" on Tuesday. Some of my co-workers though maybe we were getting a bonus or raise. I knew that wasn't gonna happen. The "big surprise" turned out to be a cheap plastic cup with the company logo on it, a cheap pen with the company logo and some pieces of candy. I'm sorry (not really) that doesn't make me feel appreciated. It's an insult. I bust my arse for the company and to show appreciation they give me some cheap junk?

Wednesday they arranged to have pizza delivered to the offices. Thing is most of us work in the field. I work at a satellite office 40 miles from the office where the pizza was delivered. Drive 40 miles - ONE WAY - and rearrange my schedule in order to have some free pizza? Nah.

Yesterday they had a drawing for employees to receive company related stuff - t-shirts with the logo, that sort of thing. Absolutely NO ONE on my team got anything.

The capper to all this is the company sponsored picnic today. We are expected to arrive at our work site at the usual time and clock in, then clock out when it is time for the picnic. WTF?!?!?! In the past we were allowed to just go to the picnic. What's ludicrous in my case is that my work site is in the opposite direction of the picnic. I would get there in time to turn around and leave! What's so absolutely ridiculous about the employee "appreciation" picnic is that attendance is mandatory! So I have to drive two hours to a picnic I don't want to attend to receive a free hamburger. Then drive home through Friday rush hour traffic. Oh yes, I forgot to mention EMPLOYEES HAVE TO PROVIDE ALL OF THE FOOD BESIDES THE BURGERS!!!! Again, WTF!?!?!?

None of this tells me I am appreciated. What it tells me is that senior management came up with ideas that make them think make them look good to the employees. Everyone I've talked to says they are insulted by all this crap.

[cakeladie]

Oh Liz I feel your pain. It's kinda funny you brought this up today because my husband was complaining last night about administrative appreciation day. He works in the field and he works for an electrical company. He says he knows the ladies in the office work hard but to tell someone you need to send so and so an email thanking them for all their hard work when you are working hard and you have to stop working to send them the email and there is not happy electrician day.

So yesterday someone put out a email including EVERYONE so when people responded they responded to EVERYONE and when you are on a ladder to to wire something and your cell phone goes off it better be for a good reason.

So I texted my old boss happy administrative day she got a good laugh out of it because in all the years I worked there they did nothing for us until we got this new lady in who liked to kiss butt and believe it or not there is a happy registered veterinary technician day so she would go out and get them gifts take them to lunch and exp cat the department to pay which they did so we complained and they got made at us but then they started getting us something little.

Now they gave out $5.00 Starbucks gift cards and I asked her can you get anything do $5.00 at the nearest Starbucks to our department and she said heck no.

So I get it Liz and you are more then justified in being angry and frustrated and this might be the fibro thread but ANY venting is ok

Sending you hugs and positive vibes xoxox

[January]

Oh Liz, this is the place to vent! We are friends are family. If you can't tell is, who can you tell? After all, as far as I know Belle doesn't have fibro.

I think your job admins are have made a horrible, horrible decision. You and your coworkers have been horribly demeaned. What kind of surprises and gifts were those? Grr. Also, the picnic. That's absolutely horrible. I'm so sorry this has happened to you.

Is there anything at all in your area that would afford you a better job? Can you possibly find something else? You deserve to be treated with respect!

Cake, I feel for your husband with all those emails and not being respected either. I want to wish you Happy Admin Day!

I am having a most stressful day here at the apartment. When I'm so nervous, I start compulsively cleaning, I'm stressed. I normally hate house work, mainly because I'm too sick to do it. Oh well. We'll see what happens... Say a little prayer for me and Belle or send us good thoughts, please. Things are very, very stressful with the neighbors.

I've got to get my thoughts and nerves together enough to pay the bills this evening.

[cakeladie]

Jan when your nervous please come come to my house and clean I need all the help I can get

I used to be able to clean to the point my house was spotless. This last week with McGee going MIA and me standing on a ladder for 3 hours trying to get him down then my cleaning like a nut today because we decided to refinance our house to get our payments down. With lower payments if something was to happen to either one of us the other would be able to stay in the house. It's been a long road refinancing and they come to your house for you to sign the papers so of course I ran around cleaning and dusting and moping etc. then I had to sit at the table for an hour and sign my name. When we were done I could not get up and my legs and feet swelled up.

After ken let the guy out he helped me up and I changed to my PJ's and took my meds. Hopefully they will kick in soon

We haven't heard from kiya in a while I hope she is ok. I hope Christina's move is going good.

Everyone take care and Liz I am very sorry. It should not be mandatory nor should you have to bring something. It's just not right.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better for me I have to go to the bank and to the grocery store or there will not be anything for ken and Mikey to eat unless they like cat food and dog food

Hugs to all

[lizardlady]

Thanks ladies. I survived the picnic. I made a point of having face time with management of my program. Believe it or not they pay attention to who is there and who is not. A few years ago I missed the winter meeting. I ran over my dog as I was leaving for the meeting. I called my boss, hysterical, to tell her what happened and that I would not be at the meeting. (Dog ended up being sore, but okay.) Over the following year when I saw people from upper management they asked why I wasn't at the meeting. I hate this crap, but it's part of the politics of working some place.

Jan, as much as I complain about work I love what I do. I love my actual job. It's the BS that bugs me. I don't like the direction upper management is taking the company, but am hoping I can hold on for three more years. At that point I can retire.

Can I be next in line after Cake for you to come clean when you are stressed? I HATE housework.

Cake, we weren't told we had to send out e-mails appreciating our admin assistants this week, but I did. What they do is critical to me being able to do my own job. Could your husband mute e-mail notifications on his phone when he is up a pole working? I have my work phone set to vibrate when I get an e-mail. It's annoying when I'm with a client, but I'm not up a pole handling power lines!

[cakeladie]

He's not to good with iPhones and computers he though the moon on his iPhone was pretty so he clicked on it. What he really did was put his phone on do not disturb he thought his phone was broken since it would not bring anymore

[Gus1234U]

i can't believe it's snowing again~!! my cousin must have brought it with her, saying: "is there gonna be a blizzard ??" (well, not til you mentioned it...)

we're having a lot of fun. what it takes for me to clean house is for someone else to see it... O.O LOLOL doing laundry and everything, cause we're having a slumber party tonite~! and maybe,, tomorrow we'll go to the hot tubs.

wish you were here~!

[January]

Gus, you have hot tubs! Oh wow. That would be so awesome. I'm so glad you have them. I'm horrified about the snow, but I would rather have snow than hot weather.

We are to have record highs today and tomorrow. No fun!

Liz, I'm glad you got some face time with your supervisor. That's very good. I have a question. I have never really understood what you do. I know it's very important and helps people, but do you mind sharing what it is?

Cake, I'm so glad you got your house refinanced. How wonderful that you'll always be able to afford to live there!

I finally stepped outside way after dark last night. There was the gf sitting in the dark smoking. She startled me. We talked for a while. She also thought the man with the stick was going to attack me in his rage. However, I have news. The stick man is moving out the first of the month. That part is great news.

The bad news is, the gf is moving into his apartment! She'll be directly next door to me and the bf will still be across the breezeway from me. I am in shock. Absolute shock. I can't protect Belle from her.

I spent money I really couldn't afford yesterday on four little bags of potting soil and two small metal trellises. I bought Morning Glory seeds and I already had some Wild Flower seeds. I'm going to plant my own little garden right in front of my window. I miss my flowers so much and my soul and heart needs to be around the flowers again.

I hope I can get some more work done today. I am exhausted from yesterday, and believe me, I would rather dig a ditch than clean house, but it just needed to be done so badly. I used to clean houses and do laundry when I went back to college. It was a way to get gas money to get to school.

Love you all!

[Kiya]

Hi all- hmmm thought I'd been here, but now I see I was missing. I'm ok, losing more time. My p nurse wanted me to try TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and I told her to jump in a lake (ok not really). It's one step down from ECT. There are no longitudinal studies on it. I don't need an electrified magnet pointed at my brain. ( for my supposedly treatment resistant depression… Which I don't have. )
I did pull out my Alpha Stim which is a sort of related cousin I guess… And the only thing I can report is more DID switching. And more losing time.
I have had several Fibro flares lately. Today is a bed day with a bonus of IBS.
I get out and walk when I can.

As a quick synopsis, I'm glad the cat is back, sorry the business picnic was sucky as for the prizes (Been there, done that crap, returned it all when they fired me- I was the 21st person to be "fired"... They went out of business, hooray!)
And I'm sorry people are feeling bad. I hope everyone gets enough rest and does good self-care. Hugs!
Kiya

[lizardlady]

Jan, I don't mind talking about what I do for work here even though I don't post about it in the forums.

I'm a licensed mental health counselor. The program I work for provides counseling and case management to kids 6-18 who are not attending school, not following the rules at home or school or who have run away from home. It's a tough population to work with, but can be rewarding. The parents are more of a pain than the kids.

I don't talk much in the forums about being a therapist because there are some folks at PC with some very negative feelings about Ts. Or there are folks who want free therapy.

[cakeladie]

Yay Kiya is ok.

Liz having a mentally challenged child that age is tough and yes the parents can be a pain in the neck. In my case I have had to fight for everything my son received.

[cakeladie]

One more thing Liz thank you for doing a thankless job. I just wished you worked in the school where my son was going.

[January]

Thank you, Liz.

[RhubarbS]

I'm new here would not wish Fibro on anyone.

[Gus1234U]

[Kiya]

Spent the night in psych ER. :/ back to square one. I wonder what I have for dinner.

[January]

Oh Kiya, I'm so sorry. Are you all right?

Gus, thank you for the beautiful picture!

My brother is going to take me for another course of spinal shots in the morning. I'll give Belle extra medicine before I go and turn up the tv really loud for her. It's the best I can do.

[cakeladie]

Kiya are you alright

[lizardlady]

Quickly checking in with everyone. Took my meds and will be in bed soon. Well, asleep soon. Conked out on the sofa last night. Crawled into bed at some point.

I hope Kiya is okay. Losing time is no freaking fun!

A funny to share with everyone.....

Yesterday some adults at the school where I'm based were talking about the life skills we don't teach in school any more. A student standing nearby agreed and said.....

wait for it...








"Yes, we need to learn to be adulterers."

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Quickly checking in with everyone. Took my meds and will be in bed soon. Well, asleep soon. Conked out on the sofa last night. Crawled into bed at some point.

I hope Kiya is okay. Losing time is no freaking fun!

A funny to share with everyone.....

Yesterday some adults at the school where I'm based were talking about the life skills we don't teach in school any more. A student standing nearby agreed and said.....

wait for it...








"Yes, we need to learn to be adulterers."

lol that was great

I needed that