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AquariusGuy

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  1. AquariusGuy
    Time to dust this blog thing off.... I haven't written anything since November 2015.
     
    So over the last few months I have come to the decision that moving back to the Maryland area was the wrong decision. While it may help with my career aspirations, I really want to move away.
     
    I pretty much have decided if I stay with Big Red (even though our colors changed the nickname sticks) I will either land up in Colorado or Minnesota. While Minnesota would be preferred I am not ruling anything out. I was given a heads up on an opening that is coming and I have been waiting for it to post.
     
    When I told a few co-workers my plan/idea... all my old boss could say was I told you so. When I chose to come back East I pretty much ignored the reasons I left which was a huge mistake. My boss new she couldn't talk me out of it as family was weighing on my mind heavily. Now that I am back I miss it.
     
    Yes it could get really cold out there. I learned what -50 felt like. Which is why when it is 20 degrees you will catch me in short sleeve shirt with no jacket.
     
    I bought a house here.... yeah it was cheaper than rent. The commute of one and half hours to two is killing me and the gas costs are though the roof.
     
    Friends... everyone complained I was too far away in Iowa. I moved closer and I am still too far. Despite the fact they go to the outlets 10 minuets from me.
     
    My parents seem ok with idea of me moving back. They noticed I am not as happy as I was. Actually a lot of people have. I need to do what makes me happy.
     
    My health... I was better off. No issues at all. No chest pain or kidney issues. I will find out Monday what they want to do about my right kidney. 10 months since the stone removal and it drains at a snails pace. I had a scan a few Friday's ago and the contrast was still chilling in my Kidney 45 minutes later. I also have another stone that may require surgery to remove.
     
    Here's to hoping I can pull this off.... maybe with relo this time so I am not paying out of pocket.
  2. AquariusGuy
    Today I was having a conversation with a co-worker who work in Minneapolis (about 4 hours away). She started talking all dark and about how she didn't want to live anymore and how she was done with our team and the company we work for.
     
    I got really scared for her and went to my local HR person and talked with her and shared the text messages that were traded. I landed up talking to her HR counter part in MPLS and provided her the documentation plus some other things my friend had told me.
     
    My boss and the HR person talked with her and she assured them that she was fine but that she appreciated their concern. My boss contacted me to tell me that I did the right thing and that she didn't notice (she sits 2 cubes away) the small things I pointed out that are tell tale signs of someone not doing well. My teammate had packed up her desk and done a few other things.
     
    We are going through another company re-organization but not one on our team is effected. This is the 3rd re-org this year alone. Most of the office in MPLS is being let go and this could have played a part in it.
     
    Despite everyone telling me I did a good thing... I feel terrible and I know I would have felt worse had she done something.
     
    I guess its human nature to feel this way.
  3. AquariusGuy

    This Week

    By AquariusGuy,

    This week is one I would not want to re-live ever.
     
    It started on Sunday with one of the worst things that could ever happen. I got the call from my uncle that my sister has passed away. I didn't believe him and called him all sorts of things but he still stood my me. He was here for my parents while I was 1,000 miles away in Iowa. I got on the first flight I could to be home.
     
    I had to help my parents prep and get things ready to lay my sister to rest. She was only 18 months older than me and my only big sister. When I was writing her eulogy I reflected on all the good times we had. Nothing still prepared me for losing her. It's not like she was sick and waiting 6-8 weeks to find out what happened is going to be a killer.
     
    I also learned how inappropriate my cousins and relatives can be. I was embarrassed by their behavior multiple times between people taking selfies with one of the guests (local tv personality) to them acting like they didn't care.
     
    Tomorrow I head back to Iowa and I am not sure how this is going to go. It going to be tough since my sister was my connection with home and texted me on a daily basis.
  4. AquariusGuy
    This week I go from doing the job of three people down to two, as I am training the new hire tomorrow.
     
    My Manager is coming to town to be with her new hire but she won't be doing any of the training. I don't think she actually knows how to do my job.
     
    What she doesn't know is that she is walking into the Lions den.
     
    Two manages (one sales and one operations) and an associate director are not happy with her.
     
    She is planning on taking something that belongs to them and is using me to get it. Little does she know that I informed them of her plans.
     
    My manager does not like confrontation of any sort and I know Wednesday is going to be full force confrontation.
     
    I don't feel obligated to tell my manager what is going to happen since she is using me to circumvent them.
     
    I can't wait to see if anything happens and how surprised she will be when confronted. The sales manager said he will not mention that I was involved and thanked me for the heads up.
     
    He personally took what she was coming for and that's why she will have to wait for Wednesday since he is out until then.
     
    I will also be prepping for my second interview on January 6th and need to decide between Rhode Island and Connecticut. I am leaning towards Rhode Island though.
     
    I also have to pack for my week of vacation as I am heading back to Maryland until December 26th and leave Thursday night.
  5. AquariusGuy

    Age.....

    By AquariusGuy,

    So lately I have been asked how old I am.
     
    I don't understand why it is frequently coming up and I am fine with my age. Really.
     
    So the issue has been people don't believe me when I tell them I am 32.
     
    When I joined the Y they didn't believe me and I had to show my license. I told them who would lie and make themselves 32 to be older? Maybe I would put myself in the 20's bracket but definitely not 30's,
     
    This has becoming increasingly annoying. So now when people ask I think I should lie and make myself younger.
  6. AquariusGuy
    I finally took a vacation (if you call visiting family that). First real time off since moving here... yeah so 8 months in the making.
     
    My flight left early due to incoming severe storms and all 15 of us were there early. We loaded quickly and were in the air before the storm moved in. I guess its good that the Des Moines airport is so small and my flight to DC was really empty.
     
    I got to see old co-workers and friends. Hanging out was nice but they were an hour away and I have been used to things being so close, so it was hard to go out and do something.
     
    My family loves to create drama and I kind of felt like they didn't want me there. My niece (who is 5) was all over me the whole time. I did spend time with her and according to my mom, my niece bawled the whole way home after leaving me at Reagan Airport.
     
    It was good to get back to Des Moines minus the whole heat and humidity. We did have to detour due to a huge storm but it only added a half hour and beat the turbulence we were experiencing.
     
    So I went back to work for the first time in over a week and had 85 emails waiting for me. Many of which told me how the Great Plains Business team decided to reorganize it self and make things complicated. The thing is, they have apparently been talking about it for years and finally acted on it. While my team isn't directly impacted the bosses are scared that we could be next. We were the only team not changed. No one lost their jobs and there are some new jobs and lots of shuffling between management and teams. I will have fun trying to figure it all out.
     
    I also had one customer who knew I was going on vacation through a fit because I was not available and he refused to work with my team-mates. My boss told me it was hilarious and she called him and he said unless your Edward I am not talking to you and then hung up on my boss. It was hilarious.....
     
    Next vacation is end of September when I fly back for my friends wedding.
  7. AquariusGuy
    So today I had a meeting with my boss to do my monthly performance review. Usually it is done face to face but this time it was via telephone.
     
    We talked about my numbers for the quarter and what I have been doing and trouble I am stirring up in a good way.
     
    So the good news: I work the next 3 days but have been told not to do anything relating to our team email box. Not because I am going on vacation but because I have done triple the amount they want us to complete. Some people are struggling to make the 120 emails for the quarter and she needs me to allow them to do some of the work. So she said come in and surf the web and bring some good books.
     
    So we also had a serious conversation about some incidents happening in our office.
     
    I would like to point out that my boss is located in Minnesota, so much of the things they hear are word of mouth and hearsay. This also has nothing to do with my last blog about my co-worker, so we think.
     
    When we finished our conversation I mentioned to her how I was perplexed how someone in our office heard a very private conversation not held at my desk and how they also knew about the chat said person and I were having. They took this information to our Manager and told her I was being unprofessional. My boss was completely taken by surprise as our manager has not mentioned this to her.She told me that the other party I was talking to mentioned it in passing but she didn't know the whole story. I proceeded to fill her in and tell her what was going on and how I feel my conversations are no longer private, even leaving my desk.
     
    So this is where it got weird for me..... My boss said Edward the person you are talking about just doesn't like our kind and proceeded to tell me how the sales rep treats her. She said I know what you are going through and it can be tough. Just remember I am your boss and I have your back and you have my work and personal numbers. If anything happens make sure to let me know asap and I can work with his manager if I need to.
     
    The part that threw me is the "our kind". I know about my boss, as she told me she was gay the very first day I met her. Thing is I never said anything about me to her let alone dropped any hints.
     
    Well at least I know my boss has my back 100%, which makes me feel better.
  8. AquariusGuy

    What a day

    By AquariusGuy,

    So today has been totally weird.
     
    First I was the only member of my team in Des Moines as the others were out on a job today. I've had an escalated issue yeh big boss gave me to do and it hasn't been easy. Well today I asked someone from her office to try and look something up for me and she got the same results so she asked another person to look it up. Mean while it dawns on this guy that it was his customer. He calls me asking what I am doing as he's been trying to fix this account. My response was "insert boss's boss" gave it to me as an escalation and I am working on it and it hasn't been easy. Needless to say he really screwed a customer's account that our IT people can't even figure out what he did. He started complaining and worrying and going on and on. Well obviosuly he didn't like the fact I was working it. So it told him the big boss gave it to me and not to worry. Fat chance now. So big boss returns from visiting out in the field with the others. I asked her about his training and what he's gone through. She said not much why? I said you know that escalation you gave me? She said yes..... I showed her IT's response and told her that he admitted it was him who screwed the account. She got this look and I know he will be very unhappy Friday when shes back in Minneapolis. She and I talked and I told her I told him I was working it and not to touch it. She agreed. I told my boss to calm the other guy down that esclalations aren't a bug deal. She said what escalation, I didn't give you anything. I said big boss did and she copied you on the emails and a few minutes goes by and she goes so she did. So I had to explain it all to her and she asked me what big boss's face looked like when I told her. (I should mention this conversation with my boss is via a chat program) So I expalined the look and she said he will be screwed six weeks from Friday when big boss is back. I feel bad that I had to rat him out but she would have known any how because we had a trace on who helped him and him admitting it made my job easier.
     
    So big boss and I talked before I left as she is Omaha bound in the AM. She said not to worry and would see me first week of February.
     
    So I came home shut off my work phone.... and I read Mark's 9-11 and another story on a different site and I sign into facebook. I have a bunch of message from T who I mentioned in another blog. Why is your phone off I REALLY need to talk to you. I responded because my day is over. He said please call me. Alright so I did. He had this $4,500 accessory order that he has been flipping out over. He has called me constantly and the one day I swear he was on the verge of tears over it. We had to fight to get the accessories ordered and used my inter-office connections to do it. Well today the customer only received half his inventory and T was freaking out. I asked if he tracked it and he said yes but I only show one shipment delivered and one on the way. So I fired up my ipad and was able to tell him the customer has an additional 20 or so boxes coming that were delayed because of the snow in the east. He has said ok thats fine and we hung up. I swear not more than 5 minutes later did my text go off. T: Are you sure? Me: Yes T: How sure? Me: Well unless FedEx steals them I am confident they will arrive. No response came until later. T: I just want to make sure they are coming. ME: I showed you the tracking numbers if you are that bored sit there and refresh the page . T: Well I'll take your word for it.
     
    So I am not sure how to take today. it has been odd all over and this last part of the night made me wonder how T is going to survive in his position. He's a great guy but when he gets these panic attacks its annoying becuase he won't give up even when I assure him.
     
    To top things off my trip Friday out to Cedar Rapids was canceled. I also have a co-worker up in Minneapolis who wants to do dinner before our meetings since she knows we are coming in early the first week of Februrary.
  9. AquariusGuy

    Day 2 of 2014

    By AquariusGuy,

    Well it has been an interesting start to 2014.
     
    Started off the new year with some snow, which won't be going anywhere any time soon since we won't be above 10 degrees for a while.
     
    Today was probably the most interesting day.
     
    There were these two guys I made friends with when I was in training in Chicago, we'll call them T and J. Both great looking and both married with children (not the show).
     
    I am assigned to T as a buddy to get him though his first couple months after training. We talk on a constant basis daily about sales issues he runs into but he knows with my job I support a whole bunch of people and conduct web trainings. Well today I was do a web training for a customer and T called me 8 times, texted constantly and emailed me. I answered each time except the calls telling him I was in a training and would call him back. To no end he kept going and texting. So when I was done my conference call and training I had a debrief with a team-mate H. She and I were talking and she said you kept cutting out when we talking and I said I kept getting calls. I purposly talked to H longer than I needed to since she and I are working on a project together and she's in Omaha, so its hard to put out heads together. So I got around to calling T back. He says to me you had me worried. I said why I answered your texts and emails and I was on a call with a customer then had to talk with H about the call and our project. He was like but I thought something happened to you. I told him that if it did I would have been answering his messages and he said it was valid. I asked him what he needed and he said nothing.... just thank you for wishing me a happy birthday yesterday. So he blew up my work phone because of that... Well later when he called he had a better reason and needed some real help and I helped him close a $3,000+ accessory sale. I told him he owes me and he said he knows. Closing that deal wasn't easy as I need to ask another Associate Director for a warehouse contact and I had to wait for an after hours response. I do say T has a knackk for knowing when I am at door, as he almost always calls me when I need to be unlocking it or using my badge to get in.
     
    Now to J. He was messaging me internally on our chat and I was helping him with a customer. I got his issue resolved and told him I had to go do this web conference and I put my status up that I was busy and in a web conference. Well he took a page right out of T's book and was texting me and mesaging me. When I was done with T I called J. He first said sorry bro. I told him I was in a meeting and I the distractions were a bit much. He appologized and said he promised to bug me more in the future and then hung up.
     
    Both T and J are wonderful people but they are both really testing my nerves. It was kind of sweet that T called to thank me for the birthday wish. I think something else was going on but that's all he could come up with since I probably sounded bitchy.
     
    So completely different subject. I refinanced my car through a differnt bank to cut the interest and lower my payments. It has been nothing but a hassle with them to the point if I could I would undo it. I started the re-financing before I moved and told them I was moving and the loan officer said hey no problem. Boy was that a lie. I told her to send me the title and I would get it changed to get Iowa plated since I heard froma friend they are really stingy here about getting it done to the point where they will fine you. I called them December 9th since my parents were getting my loan papers at their house. They had no record of me making the request for an address change. I had the email correspondence and shared it with their VP of lending and she assured me my title would be to me asap as they contacted the company that processes them and I would get it right away. So on December 30th I called and left a message with the title clerk asking hey its been 3 weeks whats going on. She sends me a nasty email back telling me I called on the 19th and she was looking into it. I finally got a response that she needed my address to have it overnighted. I sent her my address. The more I thought about it the more pissed off I got. So I fired off a nasty email telling her off. I told her the specific time and date I called and I know its right becuase I was in Chicago at the time and pulled up my phone records. The email she used to respond to me shows she didn't contact the title company until the 30th or atleast follow up until then. I basically told them that if Iowa fines me that they will be sent the bill for the fines I also blasted them on their customer service telling them basically it sucked coming form a servicing the customer perspective. I didn't get a response and I didn't expect one, what I did get was an email telling me my title was overnighted to the wrong place and they were correcting it.I know that they won't be my loan provider for very long.
     
    So 2014 has been interesting and its only 2 days in.
     
    Let's see what else can happen. Maybe the world will end since it ended a year ago Wednesday.
  10. AquariusGuy

    Damn TSA

    By AquariusGuy,

    So when I got to the airport today and was going though the TSA they were questioning my temporary Iowa Driver's license. It is equipped with a watermark and security features but the guy was asking for something else. He asked for my social security card, which I don't carry. I landed up showing an insurance card and credit card. I was surprised I didn't have to give a DNA sample. I was so happy when I got home and in my mailbox was my official Iowa Drivers License. Now when I am in DC next week I will be fine.
  11. AquariusGuy

    Life in Iowa so far

    By AquariusGuy,

    It's been amazing living on my own again, Oh I have missed not having to fight for the shower or the laundry room.
     
    Things were a little rocky when I left home. My brother didn't take it so well and was upset he couldn't update my computer and that I was not paying for him to come with me. So what did he do??? Got into a fight with my dad and bent the fender on my u-haul trailer. My dad fixed the trailer pretty well since U-haul didn't notice. Since the cops were called and I am the one who called I got a summons to appear. Slight problem is I am in a mandatory training that day and I have called the Maryland State Attorney handling the case and left numerous message that have not been returned. So it looks like they won't have a case and my brother gets another get out jail free card.
     
    Any how...,. I have been busy making friends EXCEPT no one is local. One is in South Dakota and the other is in Eastern Iowa. Both are married through and which sucks. They both called me today to check in which was funny. We met at training in Schaumburg for our new positions. I will be supporting them both so we will talk frequently. I will see them both again second week of December for our final training week and then again at the Business Sales Conference in Minnesota in February.
     
    So even though I am hundreds of miles away and a time zone behind my family is still bothering me. I got the 3rd degree from my mom for not calling the other day. I said mom nothing was going on and if you needed to talk you have my number. Friday they really put me on edge at 7:30 central. I got a text form my older sister telling me that my younger sister was in a car accident. Over an hour went by before I heard anything else and you can imagine what was running through my head. Especially since my sister just the week prior got her car back from hitting a deer. So my sister is OK but her Honda Civic was officially totaled today. Friday I was trying to check on her and all she could do was tell me about her car. I said look I asked about you and NOT your car. She has some bruises and a chemical burn from the airbag but all and all she is OK. The part that sucks is there was a lot of hoopla when she bought her car that her ex-fiance (they were engaged at the time) talked her out of GAP insurance. So after the loan is paid by the insurance her balance is $666.00 even. I told my mom that it was an omen that the car was the devil. My mom ate that up and went on and on about it. Funny thing is my cell phone must fall into the same category as the last 3 are 666.
     
    So as I sit here in cold Iowa pondering my next move. I am glad I not at home and won't be for either holiday. Ironically I have a training back in Maryland right before Christmas so I will be visiting then. My boss asked if I wanted to save money and stay with my parents. I said no really fast and she said what you aren't even going to think about it? I told her no I would not be staying at home as I would end up missing my training. I will be spending a day before the training with them but that is it.
     
    Things are looking up and I wish things would move faster but I am taking them one thing at a time. I have already had a few things go my way financially over the last couple of days including 2 surprise checks. Surprise money is not a bad thing. I am slowly making friends and we will see how things go.
  12. AquariusGuy

    Family

    By AquariusGuy,

    They say you can't pick your family but I sure wish I could. Between my immediate family and my mom's extended family I would trade the whole bunch of them in. The family dynamic between all of us is dysfunctional and that is putting it nicely.
     
    Many many moons ago my great-aunt asked me why we don't address my my aunt's and uncle's by such titles and just use their names. If she were here now she would probably tell me to be respectful but how do you be respectful to people who treat you like crap and don't deserve it? That great-aunt was my paternal grandmother's sister and that side of the family gets respect but the maternal side I wish I could just wipe the slate clean. It is a situation between my aunt and my mom that has gone on for far too long and some people are hard headed about it. My mom being the bigger person apologized but my aunt can't seem to let it go. They are separated by 16 years and my grandparents became grandparents before they were ready and were still raising kids themselves. This played a big piece in who we were treated by my grandparents. My mom's sister is only 9 years older than me and 6 years older than my brother. We were there when she was growing up and they all seem to forget that.
     
    My Mom's siblings are what I would call toxic narcissistic people. They use you for what they want and to get information about you about others. My younger sister talks to them quiet a bit and frankly I think she lies to us when she said she hasn't told them anything. I avoid the bunch of them like the plague ever since my grandfather passed away. I was thrown over the coals then and I haven't really spoken to them since. I lost a lot of respect for them at the time and they have done nothing to gain it back. My maternal great-aunt was surprised when I didn't show up at my cousin's wedding. It was my subtle message that I really don't care what they think. My great-aunt asked my mom why I wasn't there as my grandmother told her it was because of my allergies but my great-aunt didn't believe her. When she found out about all that has been going on after she broke up the fight between my mom and her sister at my cousins wedding my grandmother won't talk to my mom. Apparently my great-aunt cornered my grandmother and confronted her on a lot of things and my grandmother was not too happy. Especially since she told my grandmother why I really didn't come. My grandmother probably told everyone which is why I've gotten comments from my cousin who's wedding it was that me not being there really sent a message to some others.
     
    The reason I bring this up....When I get the job offer I am going to be moving across the country to the Mid-West. It looks like it will be in West Des Moines, Iowa, where I don't know anyone, My mom's family will then come out of the wood work and pretend that they care and I know I will get tons of Facebook requests from them as they are nosy. All will be rejected because I really don;t care about them any more. It is sad and yes they are family but I couldn't give a rats ass.
     
    I am going to take the Iowa job for many reasons. One is to get away from my immediate family. My parents I will miss but my siblings not so much. Over the course of the last few weeks they have all been fighting and arguing over stuff. My youngest sister was in 2 accidents and spun the car and last night my brother spun the car. They both say its the car and my parents disagree and told them both there is more to the story and they aren't telling. My brother was given a warning by the cop who witnessed it but my sister was alone when it happened. My direct younger sister is a manipulative person. She gets what she wants and my mom provides her free day care and has been helping her with her bills and all. My sister takes advantage of the situation and my mom never gets a break. I've called my sister out on it but she doesn't care. She is very much like my mom's sister which is probably why they are friendly with each other.
     
    Me on the other hand I've got nobody. So I am going to start over somewhere far away where there is no family to intrude. I might get lonely but hey I am in a house with 6 other people and I am lonely all the time. My one friend is mad that I am moving and the other she is busy planning her wedding and finishing up her last semester in college. So I sit here and write this long winded blog to say I really don't care for any one in my family and can't wait to disappear.
  13. AquariusGuy
    So.... its been over a week (almost 2) since I've last heard from a really good friend. It's kind of put me in a funk. Last time this happened with someone else I never heard from the person again and this person was there to help me through it and now.... gosh its a real pain in the ass. I just wish I knew if he was still sick, out partying for his birthday with his boyfriend (I know they were having a party), did he just decide to give up on me all together or did his pyshco ex-boyfriend do something.
     
    I guess I just don't take rejection to well... case in point.
     
    I had come out to my mother a few month's ago and she said she really didn't mind. I should have known better and read between the lines because now all we do is argue about my life and my choice. It first started when I had met someone online and we were going to meet in a public place for dinner. She did not want me to go all she could keep saying is I was meeting the person for sex. I told her that's not going to happen especially since I don't think the people at Red Robin would be too happy. Well that guy bailed on me after meeting and I learned a lot about him after the fact and how much of a liar he was. I am glad that things stopped because I probably wouldn't have found out about his lies for a while.
     
    I then made a new friend and of course my mom didn't like it. He is older than me and lives several thousand miles away. I have been talking to him until he decided to up and disappear too. My mom didn't like the fact that he was older, she thought he was some sort of predator, even though he is the same age as my aunt and my cousin. He is also old enough to be my dad but he would have had to gotten started really early and been into women for that to happen. So he is the person I mention at the beginning that I haven't heard from. This unfortunately has made my mom happy since I am not constantly texting or online all the time anymore. I don't know why she cares about my texting habits since I pay my own bill since I get my phone through Verizon.
     
    Things over the last several weeks have escalated between us which is sad since we were close. I was telling her about how my friend George went to DC pride at the begging of June and had asked me to go but do to an obligation I already had made I could not go with him.I told him I would go next year for sure. My friend Jason told me that He, his boyfriend George, my friend George and I should hit DC and Baltimore pride,. My mom just about him the rood when she found out that I told George I would go with him next year. Neither of them know about Jason's offer. She started going on and on about how I would go to hell and that the government would use secretly taken pictures from the event to round up people and do away with them. What really hurt out of the argument was when she said being gay was a choice. I told her it was not a choice and we argued some more about it. I told her if it was a choice maybe she should go out and date a lesbian, which she didn't take so well. That night I stopped the argument by walking away and staying away from her for the rest of the night.
     
    Now my sexuality seems to come up a lot and has been the butt (no pun intended) of several jokes. Everything seems to be crashing down and I don't know what I am going to do. I had my aunt grilling my sister over my friend George since he was with me when I dropped my niece off to her and my aunt was visiting. I know my aunt better than my sister and I am glad my sister chose to ignore my aunt's Inquisition despite her trying to get information.
     
    Besides my family issues.... there was a point where I thought I was going to be fired from Verizon. I have exhausted my FMLA and had used more than allowed and was unaware of this until well over the limit. I was sick for a long while and it turned out to be a combination of things. One was a medicine I was one, second was finding out that I can not tolerate fructose or lactose (which includes high fructose corn syrup) and lastly gluten. While all my celiac test were negative I still can't tolerate more than a small amount. So I was on edge about my job which made things even more stress full. I did have an interview with another company and I am still waiting to hear back since it was right before the holiday and he needed to interview some more people. Verizon excused the days that I went over through and internal program but they were reluctant to do it. So the job is safe for now but I am continuing to look for something I really want to do.
     
    End Rant.
  14. AquariusGuy
    So if you read my status you will see that I have had a real rough last 2 days.
     
    Yesterday I found out that my job in in jeopardy because I have exhausted my family medical leave time. If my doctor doesn't fill out the papers for short term disability for time I was out and if Verizon doesn't excuse the days through another program I will be terminated. Mind you they are medically excused absences and Verizon doesn't care. Use more time than you're allowed they will fire you and since Maryland is an at will state good luck on that. I've talked to my boss and MetLife. I've called my doctor but he has ignorant people working for him so when I see him on May 29th he and I will be having a conversation. I also applied for a new job last night and they had the application less than 24 hours before dumping it.
     
    So this whole debacle landed up derailing my plans for the weekend for an escape for a much needed vacation. I planned to meet my best friend Melanie and go to Deep Creek Lake out in far western Maryland. Since I now have to account and save every penny that is out as an option.
     
    My second blow was today did not go as planned. There was a fight amongst several family members and I had to play referee. It also didn't help matters that it interfered with my nieces 4th b-day. I would expalin more but its complicated and hard to follow.
     
    Third blow came today... I blogged about a new friend Matt at the end of January beginning of February. He and I hit it off very well and were talking quite constantly. He then one day stopped answering my text. I had no other way to reach him since I had no email and we met on Tumblr and his account was closed due to violating terms or some crap. We talked after that and even met up since he lived close by and we had tons in common. When the texting or should I say iMessaging stopped I was curious as to why. He couldn't say he didn't get the message because my phone showed me delivered and read. I basically wrote him off and posted in here about people not being able to tell you they no longer want to talk. That is how I made a new friend who I talk to constantly and have an open chat with right now and I know he will read this so here is my shout out to harcallard (gosh I hope I got that right.... don't want to use your real name people might not know who you are). He and I have become real close as friends and I know I can tell him anything. He was good at lofting my spirits and I do the same for him.... at least I hope.
     
    So.... a week ago I stumbled upon Matt's new tumblr. I didn't know what to think. I talked about it at length with Harcallard and wasn't sure what to do. Do I stalk him, confront him, forget him what? Let's just say I've done everything but directly confront him. I wrote a quick note on my tumblr (marylandguy1982.tumblr.com it is nsfw fyi) tonight about after discovering there were something about Matt that were a complete lie. I can understand people who are closeted and insecure in their sexuality as I have been there myself. What irks me is the fact that a whole lot of what happened was a lie. If you are not comfortable being friends with people then you really should go and hide. I am recently out of the closet to my immediate family and it did not go over so well. Matt knew this and was there for me when it happened. To find out a lot of what he told me was a lie is what really hurts. Harcallard is trying to talk me out of tp'ing his trees and egging his house, not that I ever would.
     
    So life decided to dump a shit load of lemons on me and did give me any sugar for my lemon-aid. I have to sit back and figure out what I am going to do about work and for now on will avoid Matt if he bothers to try and contact me.
  15. AquariusGuy

    Real Estate Drama

    By AquariusGuy,

    So... I had no clue that after not being able to buy a house the drama would get worse.
     
    First let me outline a few things. The purchase would have been a dual agency, meaning both the listing and my agent are in the same office. The day I did the contract the listing agent showed up in sweats and smelled like a bar. She said she was at a soccer game and it must have been some game. Any how... after all was said and done she took almost a month to get a response from the seller on my contract. We also had an issue with getting the condo project FHA approved. All was taken care of.
     
    I lost my financing due to some issue with my income since I have unpaid medical leave. I tried several different avenues to get financing and they were all a bust. I finally told my agent to pull the deal. She emailed me back and said she went to the listing agent and told them what the final approval amount was and see if the sellers would take it.
     
    Fast forward to now where the drama comes out. I saw the condo re-listed and emailed my agent and told her. She was surprised as she was waiting to hear from the listing agent. I also told her that I do not appreciate that in the listing it says already inspected and appraised for higher amount than asking (actually is was appraised for the asking price). I told her that if the listing agent wants to use MY INSPECTION and MY APPRAISAL she can pay me the money I spent. I haven't really gotten an answer. The one thing my agent did say was that I still have a contract since neither the sellers or myself signed the contract release. The only thing I can think of is that my agent is talking with their broker.
  16. AquariusGuy
    So.... who knew buying a house was such a pain. I haven't officially been told no but I haven't been told yes.
     
    The drama all began to unfold last Thursday. I was pre-approved but after seeing my income from 2011 to 2012 dropping they started to back off. I have a medical condition that is documented and I receive family medical leave for it. Most of it is unpaid unless I have vacation or personal time available. My condition is worse when I get stressed out. So imagine how I felt after getting the email last Thursday that in order to use my bonus and overtime on my checks and in my income I need to have Verizon sign this form saying they are "likely to continue". Verizon will not sign anything and this has made it difficult.
     
    I talked to a friend who just bought a house last year and I she referred me to her mortgage company. I haven't gotten a definite answer but seeing I am supposed to close next week this is not looking good. What angers me is that the first mortgage company had all my paperwork prior to me completing any offer. So in the end if nothing goes through I am out $665 dollars.
     
    The second guy said I will know tomorrow and hopefully it is good news. The first one said things were not looking so good.
     
     
    So I sit and wait to find out what will happen. If I don't get it I don't know what I will do......
  17. AquariusGuy

    Nervous and Angry

    By AquariusGuy,

    So... I am supposed to meet up with my new online friend later today (2/9). We have been texting back and forth since the end of January (over 2000 texts) and we have a whole lot in common. I don't know why on earth I am nervous but I am.
     
    Yes we are meeting in a public place Red Robin here locally.
     
    He has been one of my rocks the last couple of days and maybe that's why I am so nervous. I know he knows a lot about me as I gave him the link to my blog here on GA so he could see my thought's and some of the things I have posted.I do know a few things about him and I know he is really talented when it comes to home repairs. He is currently redoing parts of his house by himself and from the pictures it looks really great.
     
    He was there when my mom and I got in argument this week about me meeting him. She is afraid that I met him on a porn site and that we are hooking up. Well one it was through tumblr (not exactly a porno site per say), second that is not what we are looking to do, as we are both not out to family, and finally I don't think the people at Red Robin would be too happy. Since my mom is very conservative in her view points its difficult to get her to understand. I told her he is a friend and that we are meeting just to meet face to face. The argument got really heated and my mom compared me to my sister and her fiance, which is no comparison. She wants me to meet a nice girl through the church and I guess after 31 years she would figure I am not interested in girls. Yes a majority of my friends are female, but that is the extent. She said some really rude things about what he does for a living and I really could not believe what she was saying. This argument has carried on for days and I did tell her she can not stop me from making friends. She said she was concerned about him being gay. I told her it didn't matter to me at all (and it better not). She still won't give in but he and I are meeting as planned later tonight for dinner and to celebrate his recent promotion.
     
    The argument has fueled my want to get out of here. I being held up in the home buying process because the condo units are not FHA approved. The property manager told both agents he was working on it. I found out on Wednesday myself after googling the process that it was rejected due to missing or incomplete paperwork. I passed the link on to my agent with a little note and she forwarded it to the listing agent, who is now just as furious as I am. She is going to the condo board and is working on expediting the paperwork. If all goes as planned the potential settlement date is March 14th.
     
    I've got a lot on my plate and I just wish I wasn't so nervous. I know if he reads this he will tell me not to be, as he has been doing the last couple of days.
     
    Oh well.... here's to making new friends.
  18. AquariusGuy

    Conflicted

    By AquariusGuy,

    So.... the Baltimore Ravens (team, coaches, cheerleaders and mascot) visited my job today.....Didn't see much since I was in a training.
     
    I also had this young man flirting like no other with over the phone and he wasn't holding back on anything. I really wanted to say to him you know this call can be recorded and monitored for quality assurance right? I could only imagine what my supervisor would have said given all calls are recorded. The guy was having an issue with harassing calls. Maybe he flirted with the wrong person?????
     
    Now the real reason for my blog.
     
    So last night a strange thing happened. My BFF (or should I say former BFF) who hasn't really said much to me over the last year started texting me. He was in a car accident and was sitting in the waiting room and wanted to chat since he was bored.
     
    Great so he was bored and I was the first person he thought of? Probably didn't help his parents were sitting right there with him. He was hit in the rear end (of his car). He was at a complete stop and the guy who hit him was going a about 55 mph or so, Needless to say my friends car is totaled but he is ok. He had a bump on his head and was cleared and went home. We talked quite a bit back and forth over text and told him to take it easy since tomorrow he would feel the effects and be really sore. So this morning at 6:30am he texts me to say hey I feel great so much for this pain you were talking about. Around 2:30 this afternoon through he was whistling a different tune. He was getting really sore and having trouble moving around and I told him he was lucky not to ride his motorcycle to work because he never would have gotten home. A coworker drove him to work even though his parents have a spare car. They didn't want the extra mileage put on it and this shocked me quite a bit. I asked him what he would be doing and he said buying a car on Saturday and I said if you can move around.
     
    So I am confused. He only seems to reach out to me to see what mischief or stupid things have happened in my family. He finds my family hilarious, which I don't see. Maybe because he only had 1 sibling where I have 4. He told me he was bored... and wanted to talk to someone. All I could think was "wow that's nice you are bored and you want to talk to me?".
  19. AquariusGuy

    Reflection

    By AquariusGuy,

    Recent events have had me thinking about a lot of things lately.
     
    One thing is what lead me to this site. A little over 6 years ago (tax day 2006) I decided to follow the link to the site from Nifty. The link was at the bottom of my favorite story from author Vance aka Vlista20. When I joined the site I didn't know what to expect, nor did I think I would find some many different stories. I eventually branched out and found some really cool stories to follow and authors. I eventually became a Domaholic among other things. I pretty much have been a lurker for a majority of the 6 plus years commenting here and there on stories and some forms. Mostly remaining quite and staying in the shadows which I am good at.
     
    I have interacted in posts and some message with a small variety of people. Mike aka Meeko was one of the firsts contacts and it's gone on from there. More recently I've had interaction with Ashi, He is a really positive person and I hope I can use some of the positivity he has provided. (I had to word this carefully because what I was thinking sounded dirty even through it wasn't )
     
    More recently in my personal life I've felt alone. I've never really gotten along with my 4 siblings and I do have a decent relationship with my parents, but since they have to worry about everyone else its been worse. Let's just say.... people call me the normal one.
     
    I don't have many friends... more of acquaintances. A majority of them I worked with at some point in time or currently work with them. I do have to say that work friends can be worse because all you do is talk about work, which can be boring. One person I used to consider my BFF, who I've known for 19 years, recently has drifted away. Our friendship became mostly one sided with me doing a lot of the work. I kind of miss hanging out with him but he's always busy or just can't commit to a time to meet up. Last year he kept pushing out the date we could hang out back. It went from October to November to December and finally in January he was available. We didn't have much of a conversation then because he was too engrossed in his phone (all ways has been). The only thing I think I will miss is some of the stories from his parents. His dad is a PH. D (real rocket scientist works for NASA and another government agency) and his mom has multiple Master's degrees in languages and library science ( she translates books for the Library of Congress). I mention this because they are a real smart group of people but did one stupid thing that always makes me laugh. They vacuum sealed their bread and could not figure out why it became so flat. I've had a bit of a hard time letting go.....
     
    I had this dream job with a really great company fall through because the hiring manager couldn't make up his mind and they weren't sure where the job would be located. Worse case scenario it would have been between 2 locations both, which were an hour and fifteen minutes apart, but one was 15 minutes from my house. I didn't care about the commute and did express I was open to commuting. The recruiter wanted me to apply for the position down in Glendale, AZ. I did apply for it and I am waiting to hear.
     
    I initially came to this site many moons ago as a reader, now its more of a refuge where I can come to hang out with judgement. I am on the site daily but mostly anonymously to read and browse the forums and blogs. It is also a place where I can voice my thoughts and feelings without family becoming nosy and asking questions.
     
    Right now I am just trying to find my place in the world and thanks for allowing me to vent.
  20. AquariusGuy
    Customer: I'm taking a trip to Hawaii and I need to make sure I'm set-up correctly.
    Me: starts to go over her nationwide plan
    Customer interrupts: I don't think you get it.... I'm going to Hawaii.
    Me: Explains Hawaii is covered under her plan.
    Customer: I really don't think you understand. I am going to Hawaii.
    Me: Detail again explaining Hawaii is covered under nationwide.
    Customer: I don't think you get... I'm going to call back.
     
     

  21. AquariusGuy

    What to do

    By AquariusGuy,

    So... for quite sometime I have been looking for a new job. One of my friends/colleague wants me to stay with VzW. I initially wanted to because we get a bonus every year and pay increase, which is unheard of in many jobs. The problem is the job makes me sick and I mean literately and I can't go to work because when you're in a call center you have to be available and on the phones.
     
    I've tried posting within my current organization and had tons of interviews (Let's just say to the tune for 50 plus). I never get the same feedback on what to improve on and some of the jobs were the same position, just different states. I even went as far applying to be a call center supervisor but I failed their assessment. My past supervisor told me it means I don't kiss ass and will actually do what I think is right not necessarily what they want.
     
    I have tried switching fields, as I have a retail background but its in cellular (12 years this November in cell). I've been turned down for various reasons: I have a Bachelor's and that means I will leave or that I am over qualified for positions, I won't be able to handle the commute (thanks for making the decision for me. I've commuted 2 hours to work one way), you don't have the skills to work here (must be real rocket science), you won't be able to take going from management to non-management (thanks again for making this decision, I've done it before).
     
    So today I had a final interview for a company that has a huge domestic presence and global presence. It is my dream job as it combines a lot of my cell experience and customer service. I think my interview went great but the interviewer had a good poker face. He wanted some with an IT background and mine is in Business Administration. I did a fairly good job in my opinion selling myself by relating all my current experience to what this job entails. When I was walking out with the HR recruiter, she told me he is difficult to read but that she wants me, her boss (HR manager) and the Wireless and Global Lead want me. So now comes the time to sit and wait and see what happens. She said I will know one way or another by Monday.
     
    I just don't know what I will do if I don't get, as its been a tough job market. Working in the high stress is making me sick and I need to figure it out fast.
     
    Good News is I'm fully vested, so my 401k is all mine.
     
    Thanks for listening to my rant.
  22. AquariusGuy

    Disappointment

    By AquariusGuy,

    Sooo... Approximately 3 weeks ago I traveled to New Jersey for a face to face interview with a Vice President of a department I wanted to work in. The Director, Associate Director and the hiring manager all loved me and were really excited. Then the interview came. I arrived early to meet with the three decision makers prior to my interview. Everything was solid and good. The VP thought I was late because his secretary didn't know I was there over an hour early to meet the others. I didn't get a good read from him and he seemed put off. I was told by the hiring manager I would hear from him by Friday March 23rd. That day came and went. Three weeks went by with nothing and not a peep from any one. Today I come in and find a very generic email telling me I wasn't selected for the position. I reached out via email to get some feedback on the interview so I can be prepared for the next one. I didn't get a single answer or acknowledgement from anyone. I was thinking maybe I have higher standards because they are corporate folks, but my supervisor told me I should hold everyone to the same standards.
     
    I have had so many interviews; I've become the subject matter expert in interviews for my call center.
     
    I've been told my experience isn't relevant and that customer service people don't do well outside a call center. I would beg to differ on that one. I talk to on average 900 people a month and get yelled at, cursed at and called so many names. I want to challenge people who say my job isn't relevant or is easy to come do my job for a day. I know they would not last long at all. Being in customer service you have to be able to put it all aside and listen to people rant all day. It is quite and interesting experience.
     
    Just I'll just go crawl under my rock and continue to be disappointed.
  23. AquariusGuy
    So my best friend who is a few months younger than me had to tell that I should tell people I am 3 decades old other than turning 30. To me saying 3 decades makes me sound real old, so I'm sticking with 30.
     
    I had a goal I wanted to achieve by my birthday and it didn't happen.
     
    I wanted to be moved out and in a different job position by then.
     
    I've interviewed for jobs with Verizon outside of my current area. I interviewed for jobs in Colorado Springs, CO and King of Prussia, PA. Both jobs I lost to other people... the Colorado job he said it was a tough decision but the person had a better action plan. They talked about current sales and how they would drive them up. Unfortunately I don't have access to the numbers and neither does anyone else I've asked. I will just have to see what else comes along. I've applied for local jobs and other out of state jobs. One local I was turned down because I didn't meet the minimum qualifications, but I've interviewed for the job 3 times.
     
    I decided since my birthday was Sunday and I wanted to get my self something.... I bought a newer car. It was completely unplanned and spur of the moment.
  24. AquariusGuy

    Family and work

    By AquariusGuy,

    To give a little back ground first... I am the middle 5 children, ranging in age from 32 - 21. I have an older brother and sister and 2 younger sister's. My family is a single income, as something has always kept my mom from working (that would be my older brother showing up at her job or constantly calling her). That being said in my house there are a total of 8 people my niece included and she's 2.
     
    I work 40 hours week, commute 2 hours round trip to work with out traffic and its a 56 miles one way. I deal with crazy people on a daily basis at home and at work.
     
    When I get home my siblings expect either my mom or myself to cook them dinner. It wouldn't be so bad but they are home 24/7 as a majority of them don't work. Only my dad, younger sister and I work full time jobs. My mom watches my niece and has to balance house work too. My younger sister (mother of my niece) doesn't know how to take care of her. Let's just say my niece wears the pants in their relationship. 3 of my siblings have asperger's and don't get out much and can't seem to hold a job at all.
     
    While everyone is capable of cooking; they won't because sometimes you have to make several different things as some people don't like certain foods. You could be making 4 or 5 different food and don't forget the side dishes. It can get to be such a pain to cook for so many people and if I don't help my mom, we don't eat. I learned to cook from my mom. It was the only way to spend time with her because nobody wants to help.
     
    SO.... tonight I get home and everyone was here and only my dad and I had to work. My brother refused to cook and no one would help my mom and she was making burritos and hamburger's. Since she couldn't be 2 places at once I get drafted to stand outside and cook. Which sucks since I don't have much time to do anything but work and sleep.
     
    This leads to my work issue. My supervisor had told me I could begin to post to a different job as I have been in the department 9 months. I was excited because there were tons of jobs available that I wanted and I applied for 15 of them. I didn't care where they were as long as it wasn't here. When she was contacted by a HR representative and reemed out since I hadn't had my position a year , I lost all the interviews (15 application and 15 jobs interviews). I was livid with her and all she could say was oops. Well had a meeting before with her boss our Associate Director (will be referred to as AD), In this meeting with the AD we had found out our sup had been lying to us about a bunch of stuff and I lost all my trust in my sup. So after talking with another sup I was directed to speak to the AD about my career progression or lack there of. I spoke with her and she went to HR and they said 1 year or financial difficulty, which can't be proved since I was will to move.
     
    So now I am stuck with morons at home and a moron for a supervisor. She freaks out when she see me talking to the AD and flipped out when I went to HR about something else that had nothing to do with her.
     
    My family drives me crazy and I don't have anyone I can really talk to or hang out with. When I go out with people from work, that's all we talk about is work. None of my cousins or relatives are talking to me since the funeral incident. I have never felt this alone before....
     
    I am trying to decide what I am going to do and that November 15th can't get here fast enough. That's when I have held my position for 1 year and can move on.
  25. AquariusGuy
    Things have been kinda of spiraling out of control since April.
     
    To set the stage: Christmas 2009 my grandfather was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was removed but had spread. He was seeing a doctor at Johns Hopkins and was getting some experimental treatment. When that didn't work and the cancer had spread they tried cemo. It didn't work and my grandfather got worse. In March this year, he did a 15 minute conversation with his kids. The day he met with my mom he had her drag me from work because he needed to talk to me. Granted I had just visited a week ago. He wanted to let me know how proud of me he was and was glad that I was making something of my self and oh can you be a pall bearer? I it was kind of strange being asked but I told him I would.
     
    My grandparents normally host an Easter dinner at their house and my grandmother insisted they would not be. She didn't want a repeat of this past years Christmas. Low and behold my aunt and uncles do not know how to listen and came over any how. They didn't bother to tell my mom and she was upset. So I posted something on facebook and was having a conversation with my uncles ex-wife via some posts. Apparently my other uncle and cousin decided to provide commentary to the others at the house.
     
    When my grandfather passed the next day, I was at work and had posted a Rest in Peace Grampy in my status on Facebook. When my uncle called a friend of my grandmothers they said they saw it on facebook. I have no idea who the person was and my profile is private so no one can see my page unless they are a friend. My uncles, aunt and grandmother proceed to chew out my mom who gave me the same BS. I told they I had no idea who they were talking about. My one uncle who just joined facebook was trying to tell me how it works. I told him I have had an account longer than him, since when I joined you had to be in college and have a college email. It was around 2005/2006. So during the first viewing no one would talk to me and everyone was avoiding me, so I sat and played angry birds. During the second viewing I spent time talking to my great uncle, my grandmothers friend who is the mother of my friend, my grandmothers old neighbor and her daughter who is the grandmother and mother of one of my other friends. Afterwords I got the 3rd degree about why did I talk to those people. Who knew I needed their permission. My other uncles girlfriend had come up to me during the second viewing and pulled my aside to let me know her and my uncle did not agree with how they were treating me over the whole status thing and they thought everyone should apologize to me. She must not know the family that well cause hell would need to freeze over.
     
    Since that all played out I began to realize things. The none of my cousins ever talk to me and they are always more interested in my sister. On my moms side I have 14 cousins and my dads I have 7. I'm not real close to any of them or my aunts and uncles. The only person I felt close to was my grandfather and know with him gone it makes things difficult. My cousins are always commenting on my siblings facebook stuff and give birthday wishes to them. I hear from none of them. The only people I converse with are my grandfathers cousins, who I have met a few times.
     
    I feel like I need to escape, but I don't know where I would go. Work is too stressful and while I have talked to some real interesting people (set designer for Law & Order Criminal Intent) I'm not sure about anything anymore. Some of the family that laid the blame on me I used to hold in high regards, now I don't and I am kind of surprised that he would stoop that low. Many of my cousins and other uncles unfriended me on facebook. Only 1 kept it and another added me. I am sure he only did so since his mother uses his account and like to spy on people.
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