work
Thank you
Oct 28th
Thank you to those who commented on my post yesterday. After talking to my mom and emailing back and forth with my grandma I feel a lot better. As my mom pointed out, people read things differently, and I don’t think it would ever occur to my awesome grandma that someone would read what that email said and take it as a reason to be mean or hateful toward other people. Or that it could go from her well-intentioned forward to someone she knows to other people who aren’t so well-balanced. Ahh, the beauty of the internet. Blah.
Anyway, moving on. Work is INSANE. Trying to get myself caught up enough to be gone for a week is bad enough, but then with my boss being gone for 3 weeks starting next week too…it’s made things very interesting around here. Things that people are giving us a couple weeks notice on are actually just a couple days notice because we need to get it taken care of before we both leave. Fun fun. It makes the days go by quickly though.
I had my glucose screening test this morning. The drink, while super-sweet, wasn’t as bad as I expected. It was basically 2 shot-sized glasses of the stuff, which I drank while they talked to me. I also got a regular flu shot and talked to the doctor about H1N1. She warned me that if I feel ANY flu-like symptoms that I’m to call her immediately. They don’t want to mess around with that stuff. I told her I would be extra careful while traveling, and I have a copy of my records in case something happens while we are on vacation (God forbid!).
I don’t get the results of the glucose screen until later, so I don’t know how it went. On the one hand, I feel pretty good about it because my weight gain hasn’t been crazy (from what I gather from the Dr), and I don’t ever feel like I have high or low blood sugar – I don’t even get a “sugar rush” of energy after eating candy or drinking pop, and I don’t really have a mid afternoon crash or anything. But on the other hand, from what I understand you don’t always have noticeable symptoms with Gestational Diabetes, so who knows. I guess we’ll just wait and see.
Ugh. Back to work. Only 2 days left!
Dude, you aren’t funny
Oct 22nd
I attended continuing education all day yesterday, which, if you’ve never been to insurance continuing education classes, let me tell you; they are brain draining enough on their own. The one yesterday included 2 hours of being lectured to by a weird looking guy about how we should be using social media to advertise our agency. I agree with this in principal, but first of all he said he doesn’t know how to use it, and that the solution is not to learn – it’s to hire a young person to do it for you. Because that’s going to happen. I can just see insurance agency owners running out to hire someone right out of college solely because they know how to use Facebook. Jeebus. He then allowed (and fostered) a discussion about how “young people don’t work hard.” Can I tell you how much I hate this generalization? Today’s young people work just as hard as any other generation of young people. They may work differently, and they may be in their first jobs at 22 instead of having 8 years of working under their belts, so they might need a little direction and help, but they aren’t inherently lazier than anyone else. And the implication in that statement is that people who aren’t “young” work hard all the time. Um, I’m sorry – no they don’t. I know just as many slackers over the age of 35 as I do under it. Of course I was one of 2 people in the room under 30, so that was fun awkward.
The rest of the actual class was fine – we talked about Equipment Breakdown coverage and Workers Compensation coverage (lesson of the day; don’t get hurt in California or Mississippi, or at least if you do make sure you are from another state).
However, over the lunch period they had a “box lunch” with a session on the new rules about Certificates of Insurance that the state has passed. Basically, the state passed a statute that says you can’t change the policy by writing anything on the certificate (proof of insurance), which was already technically the law, but it wasn’t spelled out very clearly. But companies requesting certificates don’t care what the law is or what the policy says; they only know that their lawyers told them they should get all this extra stuff on the certificate (long notices before the policy cancels, for instance). So they are asking for things that we can’t legally give them.
As you can imagine, this has caused a lot of questions from insurance agents. So they brought in this guy that helped get the bill passed to come talk about it. And he spent 15-20 minutes explaining EXACTLY how they went about getting the bill passed. Before he talked at all about what it meant (in fact, now that I think about it, he didn’t talk at ALL about what it meant). We have all see the School House Rock “I’m Just a Bill” thing, ok? We don’t need you to retell us. And then he finished up by telling a few jokes. Political jokes. The first one made fun of liberals (they all take other people’s money and just hand it to poor people instead of helping them help themselves). The second one was supposed to make fun of Republicans, but it didn’t really. I mean, on the surface maybe a little, but really it just said more bad things about Liberals (they teach their children to be biased against Republicans, they are stubborn and in the minority, they are only liberal because our parents are, etc). Of course he laughed and thought they were hysterical, but I wanted to raise my hand and remind him that not all insurance people are Republican, and I didn’t find either joke very funny. Also, maybe you should not tell a room full of people you do not know political jokes. Just a suggestion.
Oh, and after all that he sat and contradicted himself on what we are supposed to do about certificates. “Keep doing what you’ve been doing.” “Those people [that keep doing it the way we've been doing it] will get hung [the penalties for altering coverage on a cert include possibly losing your license and getting fined by the state].” “The state doesn’t really care right now about enforcing this law – they probably won’t worry about it for at least 6 months to a year.” Um…that was less than helpful. I was better off not listening to it at all. And I don’t think I was in the minority in that thought.
Anyway, that was the story of my day of continuing education. I did get my halloween shirt in the mail yesterday, though, and I got my haircut and I like it, so it wasn’t all bad.
Do you have to attend educational classes of some sort? Are they usually helpful or do you feel like you are wasting your time?
Appley goodness
Oct 2nd
It is Friday, which makes me happy. I get to leave work 1/2 an hour early today because I stayed late for my boss on Wednesday. That makes me even happier. And Ryan’s parents are coming up and we are going to the Bayfield Apple Festival this weekend. And that makes me happiest of all. Mmm…apples. Caramel apples, apple cider, apple brats, apple pie, and apple wine (not for me, but maybe we’ll get a bottle to keep until after the baby comes). And Honeycrisp apples by the bushel-full. If you haven’t tried Honeycrisp apples you are totally missing out. Even in Duluth, where we are close to an area that grows a LOT of them, they are still only available for a limited amount of time, and they are more expensive than other apples. But they are the crunchiest, sweetest apples ever. They are fabulous for eating by themselves, and I hear they make great pies and stuff too (although they never make it that long in our house).
The weather is trying to beat us down (the highs for the entire next week are in the 40s and it’s supposed to rain almost every day), but it’s ok. I like fall. I like drinking hot chocolate and hot apple cider, and curling up under a blanket to watch tv. And I love driving down the hill to work in the morning and seeing Lake Superior all riled up. The waves are really crashing this week (could have something to do with the crazy off-the-lake winds we are getting). It’s gorgeous. And makes me realize why it was that they moved the harbor inside the point. It used to be outside – just on the shores of Duluth. And many ships sank there when the winds picked up and beat them against the rocks. Now the ships are all protected by the worlds longest above-ground sandbar. Just a bit of Duluth history for you.
Anyway, this week is finishing up well. Especially as I just got the OK to take a vacation day on Monday. Ryan and I both have the day off, and it’s the ultrasound (in case I haven’t mentioned it 15,000,000 times). We plan on relaxing, going out to lunch to celebrate, and maybe going shopping. Eek! Baby stuff! It will be fun.
Nothing new
Sep 16th
I feel like I should probably update, but there isn’t really anything going on. Wausau was fabulous, as expected, and the car didn’t revolt against us for taking it into the state. Someday I will have to share my Wisconsin experiences. They are about 5 years old now, so getting to the point where they aren’t so painful…err…painfully embarrassing maybe is a better way of putting it.
My birthday was splendid. Ryan is a good husband and got me Season 5 of The Office, a cd I wanted (that brings my collection to at least 15!) and the game Sing Star for the Playstation 3. It’s a karaoke game, and from the little we’ve tried it out it seems like fun. Of course, like most games these days, they give you a limited number of songs and you can buy more online. Which I will of course do because what better use for my hard earned cash than spending it on songs that I can sing along to a couple times a month max?
This week we went out to dinner with friends in town to celebrate my birthday, which was fun. And the waitress loves us and got us fried ice cream for free (even though I would have paid for it). Yum. And I ate a pepper stuffed with cheese and deep fried for dinner. Was it delicious? YES. Was it healthy? Probably not so much. But I’ll rationalize it anyway – cheese is dairy! Peppers are a vegetable! Breading! It was almost all the food groups!
Ryan is on call for work this week, so we are mostly laying low. No big plans for the weekend or anything, which is nice. This summer has involved a lot of running, so it’s good to spend some time at home. Plus, we’ll be driving up north for Oktoberfest in my mom’s hometown the next weekend. It’s her birthday that weekend, and it’s a milestone one, so there is sure to be a celebration of some sort. I can’t wait! Pictures will follow, hopefully.
They are doing construction in our office. We are expanding into the office space next door, so that was getting completely renovated, and now they are moving into our actual space. They are installing a sprinkler system while they go, so there’s a lot of ceiling work and hammering and sawing and stuff. Good times. The ceiling pieces were falling on my head yesterday for a bit. Just little ones, though – no work comp injuries here! Hopefully they will be done soon. I kind of wish they would just give us a few days off and they could just crank it all out, but that’s not going to happen.
I’m hungry. Also I don’t know how to close out this entry, so why not with a totally random statement? Snack time!
Stress
Sep 4th
Work has me stressed this week. Not so much the volume of it or what I’m doing in particular, but more the co-workers part of it. I can’t really say much, but it sucks. And I don’t know if I should just get over it or actually go talk to the boss. Ever since becoming pregnant I’ve felt a distinct lack of confidence in the ability to tell what are real issues and what are issues that I’m just crabby about because I’m emotional. And the funny thing is that it doesn’t even come up that often, because I HAVEN’T been that emotional. Ask Ryan – I don’t think I’ve been more emotional than usual (which was already admittedly more than some people). I have the occasional breakdown in tears, but for the most part I’ve been pretty happy.
Anyway, that’s what’s on my mind, and it’s making sitting at work all day kind of stressful (although I will say that at least the main source of my stress is out today). Unfortunately, I can’t go home early. But let me tell you; there will be ice cream in my near future.
On a lighter note, Ryan and I need to go home and clean our apartment like Jesus is having a sleepover in it (I want to be a mom like the woman who wrote that note). We are dogsitting this weekend, and puppies shouldn’t eat dust bunnies that are bigger than they are. I’m pretty sure that’s in the manual somewhere.
Questions:
Mar 2nd
In bullet form, because I’m feeling bullet-y:
- Why are meeting rooms always so cold? It is commonly known that if you are going to attend a continuing ed class (I have to attend classes to keep my insurance license) you should wear layers, because it will be freezing. This is not just in Duluth. And it’s not just insurance classes. Is it some sort of public speaker conspiracy or something?
- Why do people not participate in class-like discussions? Every time I go to continuing education, the speaker tries to get the class involved by asking questions. Yes, most of them are easy, and no one wants to shout out an answer that they think is easy only to find out that they are wrong, but does no one else feel sorry for the speaker? I’m totally the obnoxious person in your class that ACTUALLY ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS. And I don’t feel bad about it at all. In fact, last time I did it, they gave me chocolate for participating. Also they told me I was “on fire” because I could answer like 3 questions. That everyone else in the room knew the answer to, but didn’t say because they are too cool for school or something. I am not exceptionally smart. I am, however, becoming convinced that this is the reason I always did well in school. EVERYONE likes it when you make their job easier. And audience participation (at least if it’s respectful) makes a public speaker’s job much easier.
- Why am I always hungry and bored at about 3 o’clock? It’s getting so that it’s kind of late in the day to go get a snack. I mean, once the time hits 4 it flies by, so there’s really only an hour to go. Obviously I should bring a snack to work with me. But do you think that I ever actually do that? Nope.
- What the heck is so awesome about facebook that is giving me withdrawal pangs? I gave up facebook during work for lent. Which sounds weird, but it was getting to the point that I would check it about 10 times a day. And even if it’s just for a couple seconds, that is too much. So I’m not logging in during work at all. Not even on lunch, because that would be a slippery slope.
- Why don’t they make healthy food that tastes like raw chocolate chip cookie dough. And carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting? I would be the healthiest person EVER if that was the case. And yes, judgers, I’m still going to the gym, and I’m mostly eating healthy. I just kind of slip and fall sometimes. Or totally wipe out…whatever.
Thursday already? SWEET!
Aug 7th
That sums up my general thoughts about today. It’s a nice sunny morning, and I’m in a good mood. I’ve been debating about whether or not I should talk about some changes that may or may not be happening in my life. On the one hand, nothing is for sure, and so why get people excited about something that might not happen (including myself)? And since this blog isn’t totally anonymous I sometimes worry about what I write…that it will get back to someone I don’t want it to (see my rant a couple weeks ago about payday). But on the other hand, I don’t like censoring myself on here, and I am so excited even about the possibilities that I don’t know what else to talk about right now. So here we go.
I have applied for a couple jobs completely out of my current industry. I know that most people are always keeping their eyes open for opportunities, and smart people are always open to changes. But I have always been a loyal employee wherever I’ve worked. And it feels weird looking for a new job when my current employer doesn’t know that I’m considering leaving if I get the right offer. It’s not at all that I don’t like my boss, or the people in my office. My previous rant notwithstanding, I have really enjoyed working there. But there is no room for me to move up in the organization unless I want to go into sales. And while I don’t mind soft sales or promoting something I believe in, I don’t want to go into insurance sales. (Note: I am not saying that I do not believe in insurance. Everyone should carry insurance. Everyone should carry enough insurance. Not doing so can ruin your life. Seriously. Don’t do it.)
While thinking about that, I’ve been thinking about whether I even want to stay in the industry permanently. Living in Duluth, my options are extremely limited…it’s not like we have insurance companies headquartered here that I could go work for and do something entirely different than what I do now. My options are pretty limited.
So, I had made the decision that I wanted to move on to the next challenge. And I thought of what I would really like to do. And here I have a confession to make. I LOVE HR blogs. I read about 5 or 6 of them regularly, including a few that are well-respected people within the HR industry. I find Human Resources totally fascinating, and I think it is an area in which I would do well. And since HR is much easier to break into than the only other job I could think of that I would really love (teaching college courses), I have decided to pursue that route. And don’t worry, I’m very aware that working in HR isn’t just like reading an HR blog. I know that it will have its own challenges. I want to do it anyway.
And so here I am. Obviously I’m just at the beginning stages of my search, and I’ve only applied for 2 jobs so far, but the thought that I’m ready to move forward when the right opportunity presents itself makes me really happy.
If you pray, say a prayer…my current job was my first “real” job, and so this makes me very nervous.
