YES!!!!!! It is OVER!!!!

Whew! We did it! We FINALLY are done with 2008!! ...sigh.....
I figured it out, years that end with "8" are NOT good.
1978 - HORRIBLE year!! 4th grade. EVIL teacher, SATAN SPAWN classmates, picked on EVERY SINGLE DAY!

1988- Junior year of High School. Lots of friends, school okay. Family stuff cool.
But I began my decent into anorexia. Eventually got to 90lbs. (at 5'8' !). Ewww.

1998-My mom passed away from CML luekiemia. Worst.Year.Ever.

2008-My 2 precious dalmations, Molly and Othello (My baby boy) died. Sweet Milton the ferret died. Lost my job because of CHUPACABRA, bad financial problems. Turmoil.

2018........um......maybe I'll leave the country?

Happy New Year sweethearts! 2009 has GOT to be better!!!!

New Jobs....?

O.....kay..... so most people that know me know that I am an..ecclectic person...to say the least.

I am a Christian, but I have friends who are Jewish, Buddist, Hindu, Agnostic, Mormon, Jehova's Witness, Wicca, Atheist...the list goes on.

I am friends with people of all races, ages, ethnic backgrounds, Sexual orientations/gender identity.

I have friends who are Conservative and Liberal. Democrat and Repbulican, young/old, black/white, gay/straight....any combo you wish...!

The Good: this makes for VERY interesting parties!
The Bad: these different groups of people don't always get along well with each other...obviously.

Oddly, I've always been a mix of different personality traits and interests/beliefs myself.
Some thoughts I have could be considered "mainstream", some "forwardthinking", some just..."whacked out". No surprise there I guess. You never really know WHAT you're in for with me!

Example: as you know I am "between jobs" since CHUPACABRA divorced me from my employement for Christmas. I now have TWO new "sort of " jobs.
I call them "sort of" jobs because they don't involve any actual pay, something those doggone bill collecters are so-ooo freakin' PICKY about.
JOB ONE: I am the hospitality hostess for my church (Unidiversal Charismatic Christian Church). They are a very welcoming, no-condemnation type church, so it's a perfect place for me. I am also on the Animal Ministry team. It's still a ministry in progress, but we want to help low-income, elderly, disabled, ect. people take their pets to the vet, get pet meds, food, spay/neuter their animals, go with them to the "last vet visit" (so-ooo very difficult!!!!), council and comfort them after a pet illness/death, and so on.
And very soon my friends, I will be an ACTUAL ORDAINED PET AND ANIMAL MINISTER!
Seriously!! ME! A Minister! (okay...I hear all of you laughing out there.......)

Of course, minisrty never REALLY translates to money....but that's okay. I'm excited about it nonetheless.

JOB TWO: I was recently hired to be the manager/promoter for a local Metal/Fusion band.
I have know one of the band members for several years. It just happened that they had a falling out with one of the band members and their former manager.
They were looking for a new Manager...I was unemployed....why not?
They are in a state of flux right now, but they are a great group. They write all of their own lyrics and music. It's really a cool, unique sound. It's a Rob Zombie/Techno/Marilyn Manson/Prodigy/Metallica/Moby kind of thing.....yeah...a bit hard to explain.
They're named SYI...check 'em out! http://www.myspace.com/syisupplementaryirreverence


So anyway, I am an Ordained minister who promotes/manges a Heavy Metal band.......

Yeah, who ELSE but me?

There you have it. Just one of MANY examples of the oddball-mix that is Susan....

Ya gotta love it! :)

Merry Christmas!

Here it is, another Christmas eve. I must admit, it's been a rough year.
Three of my animal babies died. Othello, my sweet dalmation baby boy was first. He was 14 years old, and I knew it was coming. I should have had him put down earlier I suppose, but that is such a horribly difficult call to make.
He could no longer walk, couldn't even wag his beautiful tail, but his spirit was still there, he still had that spark in his 2-color eyes.
His sister Molly (by adoption, not by birth) was also a dalamtion, 13 years old, getting close to 14 herself.
She had been doing so well (for a very elderly dog). But she and Othello were close. I knew whoever went 1st, the other would follow soon thereafter.
Sure enough, after Othello passed, Molly began to decline. Her kidneys gave out. She gave up. Missed her brother. She died April 18th.
One of our ferrets, Milton, also passed this year. Now, to be sure, he was an OLD ferret. 8 1/2 years, ancient by ferret standards.
He died in my arms this past summer. I thought I was ready to blog about it, but I'm still not. Sorry.
Of ccourse, we had money problems all year, like everyone else. Then there was my job loss from CHUPACABRA. Which could still be a blessing...but not so fun economically.
No presents will be exchanged this year, no money for them. We didn't even put up a tree.
Of course, pasr of the reason for that was Obie (our destructo-dog.) And the fact that my "new"/old computer is currently sitting where we usually put the tree.
We did put up lights tonight. A long colorful strand, decorating the entire living room.
Light were always my favorite part of the tree decorations anyway.
So Christmas will come quietly to our home. But we are safe. We have HEAT! ELECTRICITY! A HOME! Each other. we have beautiful friends. Family. And though me ache for the furry babies that have passed, we are enjoying the ones that are here with us now. All 8 of them!

Merry Christmas to you all!! May your day be JOYFUL!!!!!!!!

Unemployed....sigh....

It was bound to happen sooner or later. But right before Christmas? Somehow, that just doesn't seem fair.
Yeah, yeah, life isn't fair, work with me people!
So right after I left the wonderful world of RADIO, I did a year long tour of duty in office jobs.
Oh My!! NOT for me. BORED, bored bored out of my crazy little mind. Nice people (mostly), decent pay (better than radio...which is not saying much), but NOT for me.

Then, I found a job at a local business college. It was presented to me as a Public Relations job.
Travel to any/all High Schools with-in a 150 mile radius of my town, and tell said students about the college.
YES!!! I could once again get PAID to talk!!!! Whoo-hoo!!!!

I started in July 2000. some days were better than others, but overall I loved it. No pressure, I LOVED working with the students, and since my Husband was a TEACHER, it was perfect for us as a family too.
Then HE took over....oh how I would LOVE to name him here...but we shall call him....
CHUPACABRA......(long story, X-FILES ref....look it up..).

CHUPACABRA HATES women!!!! Most of our employees are women. He REALLY hates me because I speak my mind, and I am not afraid to tell the Emperor that he is FREAKING nekked!!!
Every year, he tells my manager (Who changes frequently....it's a hard job!), NOT to hire me back.
They hire me back...every...single year......
I related VERY well to the students. Truth be told, I never really GREW UP, so I was TOTALLY on their level. I think this is a good thing, but that's just me.


CHUPACABRA wants us to do a HARD SELL to CHILDREN....basically tell them anything and everything to get those kids to sign on the dotted line.
I refuse.
I don't like to be "sold", and I will never do that to someone else.
At the beginning of this school year, my direct manager has a meeting with me. Says that CHUPACABRA HATES me. OKAY!!!! At least the feeling is mutual!
I must improve my "numbers", wants to know that I BELIEVE in this College.
BARF!!!!!
I decide that this MUST be my last year. I love this job, I am GOOD at this job....but I will NOT sell my soul for any career.
It had turned into a sales job right before my eyes.....and SUSAN does not do sales.

I suffer from a variey of physical/mental/emotional issues/problems. Migraine headaches is the newest addition to the lovely little list.
Monday, I have a downright evil migraine!!! I try to be a good little soilder and go to work anyway. I don't remeber much about the drive there, I remember NOTHING about the drive back home. But I did it. I am a professional.
In Radio, I went on-air under ALL manner of "conditions", sick, tired, hung-over....you get the idea.
I was fabulous in the classroom.....went to throw-up and beg to die during my break.

Tuesday, I work again, felt good, I totally rocked the room!

When I get back to the office, one of CHUPACABRA'S minnions calls me into a meeting. He tells me of "problems" on Monday.
I want to say "Yeah, no s#ht dude, I was dying!"
Then he informs me of "layoffs". I am offically unemployed. Just. Like That.

Not even a cheap little Christmas present.
So here I am, a house, a husband, 8 (furry) children, a HUGE mound of bills....and no job....

Oh dear..... the American dream .......crap.

So, friends.....it's time for me to re-invent myself again. It's not ALL bad. This is how God must deal with me, give me a little push to get me to move in the next direction...

more to come................