In which I slack off and return

Yeah, I sucked at blogging for a while. No apologies, I just didn't feel like it. I started a new job on December 18th. This was the day after my mom got released from the hospital after getting her gallbladder out and contracting pancreatitis. With all that going on, I was just very tired. Now I've been at this job a month, my mom is doing better, and I have a bit more energy. It's a demanding job. I expected something a bit more strictly secretarial. I was wrong. It's a secretary, mail room, accounts receivable , consumables purchasing, office go-for role. So I'm busy. And I'm very much still learning. It's a pretty steep curve. Hopefully I'll keep up better with this blogging business. That's my catch up for now.

In which Winter is hard

I've never been a winter person. I hate the cold, wet, always dark outside weather. I'm not particularly into the holidays. And I have cold urticaria, which means I have a cold allergy that causes hives when I get too cold and/or wet in the winter. It sucks just as much as it sounds like it does. I've had in my whole life, and I was hoping I'd grow out of it. No such luck, though.
I'm still at my new job. I'm hoping as I get used to it, I'll enjoy it more. I wish I had a job I liked, but maybe that'll happen someday. I can't afford to be picky right now, so I won't.

In which I'm back

Okay. I was away for a while. I just didn't feel like posting. My mom being in the hospital for most of a week was a really draining experience for the whole family. Thankfully she's doing much better. She needed to have her gallbladder out. The main duct was clogged and infected so she had a stent put in. Due to some of the infection leaking out, she ended up with pancreatitis. Luckily her numbers went down quickly enough that she could have the gallbladder out soon after the stent procedure. She'll need that out in a month or so but it's a very quick out patient procedure. She's still a bit more sore than I expected, but she tends to heal slower than most people so I'm not surprised.
I also got a job. It's an hour away for crap pay, but beggars can't be choosers. It's a temp to hire position, so I guess I'll see. If I don't get a raise when I'm not through an agency anymore, I'm done. I use up most of a day's pay on gas a week.
So that's the quick and dirty wrap up to where I've been.

In which my mom is home!

It's a long story, and it involved surgery. I just don't feel like typing it out right now. Long story short, she'll be okay.

In which my mom is hospitalized

It's been a rough few days here.My Mom got very sick Friday. She couldn't move with out extreme pain and yelping. It got so bad she couldn't even talk. The doctors finally discovered she had a blocked bile duct. She went for more tests and it turns out she needs her gallbladder out. They cleared out the infected duct and put some stents in. Due to the infection, she ended up with a case of pancreatitis. Now she's stuck on compete bowel rest while her numbers clear up. Hopefully she'll be able to get her gallbladder out Tuesday or Wednesday, and she'll be home the day after. She has her pain managed, and is able to move with her walker. Hopefully the pain continues to improve as they can't send her home with the heavy narcotics she's on. So now we wait, and hope for good news. Hopefully she'll be back Thursday at the latest.

In which my mom is sick

She's been doing pretty crappy for a few days. Last Monday she had to go to the hospital because she had horrible intestinal problems. She's had a partial intestinal blockage before, so we were very worried. She refused to go for three days, which pissed me off something awful. She finally went, and it was her IBS acting up in an extreme way. They hydrated her, and she was doing much better. The next day her back slipped out a bit, but was fine by that night. Sometime during the night it went out again. She didn't do anything and hobbled around a tiny bit yesterday, but she can't stand up at all or bear her full weight. She finally went to the hospital this morning with my dad because she's totally immobile without help, and she now has a fever. Now I wait for news, and hope they don't just pass her off as a whiner.

In which I need to be more productive

I'm incredibly proactive in my job hunting. I've been applying online, through temp agencies, and networking with friends. However, I'm not productive in terms of other aspects of my life. My social like is in shambles as most of the people I actually care about are hundreds of miles away. Those that aren't are often busy. And, in all honesty, when I'm not working, I don't feel like going out. I don't feel as though I can contribute much to the environment when I can barely drag myself out of the house anymore.
I also really need to get better at cleaning. I'm great with laundry, but not other basic household tasks. I try to keep a schedule, so it doesn't get so overwhelming. This really doesn't work. Any suggestions are welcome.
It doesn't help that it's cold, cloudy, and often wet this time of year. I hate winter.