[Jupiter]

Spoiler

So, setting up a new challenge thread didn't happen. A lot's been happening the last few weeks. I just finished around 5 weeks of training at my new job and honestly, I still feel totally unprepared. They gave us a ton of information, and then just sort of threw us into the work without much time to process or practice. I am technically still "in training" for the next couple of months, but I'm doing all the work on my own now, and I feel like I have no idea what I am doing and feel like I keep messing everything up. So that's been a little frustrating. Other than that, though, I do like the vibe of the place so far. The people here are so much nicer and easier to work with. The biggest problem right now is that the pay isn't great, so I've been applying to other jobs. Haven't heard anything back yet. I'm also considering doing some freelance work on the side as another option. 

 

Have also been dealing with friend drama again. I made a stupid mistake months ago that made one of my friends very, very mad and she told me that we were done and that she didn't want to speak to me ever again. Well now I've been banned from all future friend/family events, including events over the holidays, because she is "uncomfortable" being around me. I am... pretty hurt by it, and don't really understand where this animosity is coming from. I mean, my mistake was relatively minor (at least I think it was) and didn't hurt anybody. So, I guess I just don't really understand, and at this rate I may never. I was told that there is nothing I can do to fix things between us and that she is completely unwilling to reconcile, or even talk about it. Unfortunately, I'm starting to see a pattern with her, as I'm not the first person she's done this to. Still, I feel pretty awful about the whole thing, because I know if I hadn't been stupid, everything would be fine right now. And it makes me sad, because I'm not only losing a friendship that I valued, but I also have relationships with some of her family members and she's trying to cut me off from them too, as I see/interact with them mostly at said friend/family events. So, I won't get to see them anymore, either. 

 

Anyway, I have also been doing NaNo this month, which has been eating my brain. I've been able to stay mostly on track writing-wise, except for this week, which put me at around 4000 words behind. I'm hoping I can make up the words over the weekend. Pretty much all my good habits went to the wayside though. Although, at my doctor's appointment last week I found out I lost a total of 12 pounds since my last appointment. So, there is that. 

 

[WhiteGhost]

Ugh, that all sounds pretty rough.  I am glad that the work environment is better than the last one.  Give yourself some latitude on the work stuff.  Getting used to a new system and way of doing things takes time  

[ReturnOfTheDad]

So sorry to hear about all the drama. I’ve had something similar happen with a family member. As someone told me it that person may be going through something I’m completely unaware of and I might just be a small part of their pain, if I’m even a part of it at all. Their reaction sounds pretty over the top and may have nothing to do with you. Again, sorry to hear that happened, hopefully you have some other friends and family you can hang out with.

 

On the job front, I’ve been there, it sounds good that you are still considered ‘in training’ for a few months to let it all percolate. Hope this works out for you or that you find something better.
 

Just know that you are not alone and that this will pass.

[Jupiter]

On 11/23/2022 at 10:50 PM, WhiteGhost said:

Ugh, that all sounds pretty rough.  I am glad that the work environment is better than the last one.  Give yourself some latitude on the work stuff.  Getting used to a new system and way of doing things takes time  

 

Yeah, very true. I've been trying to give myself a break and focus on learning, it's just been slow and frustrating. A few of my coaches over the last few days have told me, "You should know this already," every time I ask for help or have a question, so that doesn't help.   

 

On 11/24/2022 at 8:44 AM, ReturnOfTheDad said:

So sorry to hear about all the drama. I’ve had something similar happen with a family member. As someone told me it that person may be going through something I’m completely unaware of and I might just be a small part of their pain, if I’m even a part of it at all. Their reaction sounds pretty over the top and may have nothing to do with you. Again, sorry to hear that happened, hopefully you have some other friends and family you can hang out with.

 

On the job front, I’ve been there, it sounds good that you are still considered ‘in training’ for a few months to let it all percolate. Hope this works out for you or that you find something better.
 

Just know that you are not alone and that this will pass.

 

Yeah, I've been trying to keep all that in mind and not to take it too personally, it just sucks. Thanks, I really appreciate it. ❤️

[Jupiter]

Well, the last few weeks have been busy. I reached 50k words and won NaNo. I wasn't sure I was going to make it there for a bit. I missed a few days and had low word counts on some days. But I managed to make up the words and I made it to the end. Added bonus, it helped me enjoy writing again and helped me get some discipline back. This year's been a struggle, and after everything, I really needed a win, and I got it. Afterwards, my brain was fried, so I took a break the last few days and read a few books to mentally recharge, Wolf Trouble and In the Company of Wolves in Paige Tyler's SWAT series. Both were pretty good (@Waanie, you might like this series). I've also started some small workouts again to try to get back into the swing of things and I'm making up my grocery list so I can go to the grocery store sometime this week to get real food instead of the takeout I've been eating. 

 

I also went to get my hair cut. My usual hairstylist quit, so I went with one she recommended. I only went in for a trim and for some reason this lady decided that my hair needed to be "fixed" and added layers. Why she did this, I have no idea. I didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late, and the end result was...not good. It technically looks fine, I guess, and I doubt anyone would even notice the difference. But I notice it, and I hate it. I don't think it works with my hairstyle and it's not what I wanted at all. I've been trying to tell myself that my hair will grow out and that once it does it can be fixed, but every time I look at it, I just want to cry. I'm sure I've had a bad haircut and felt bad about it before, but I can't remember when. I'm keeping it pinned back for right now so I don't have to look at it or deal with it. 

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Jupiter said:

I also went to get my hair cut. My usual hairstylist quit, so I went with one she recommended. I only went in for a trim and for some reason this lady decided that my hair needed to be "fixed" and added layers. Why she did this, I have no idea. I didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late, and the end result was...not good. It technically looks fine, I guess, and I doubt anyone would even notice the difference. But I notice it, and I hate it. I don't think it works with my hairstyle and it's not what I wanted at all. 

 

I used to work in a hair salon, and this is completely unacceptable. You have every right to be upset and unhappy about this, and she had no right to add layers without your permission, let alone without telling you. In fact, it's such a massive over-step that you might be able to get a refund from the salon if you go back and explain that you had extra things done to your cut that you were not told about, and you don't want. 

 

In the salon where I worked, we would have responded by offering to fix it for free. If that's not possible, then yes we would give you a refund for the initial cut. (And then the manager gets to have a "fun" conversation with that stylist...)

[Jupiter]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:12 PM, Scaly Freak said:

 

I used to work in a hair salon, and this is completely unacceptable. You have every right to be upset and unhappy about this, and she had no right to add layers without your permission, let alone without telling you. In fact, it's such a massive over-step that you might be able to get a refund from the salon if you go back and explain that you had extra things done to your cut that you were not told about, and you don't want. 

 

In the salon where I worked, we would have responded by offering to fix it for free. If that's not possible, then yes we would give you a refund for the initial cut. (And then the manager gets to have a "fun" conversation with that stylist...)

 

Thanks. ❤️ Yeah, unfortunately she is the boss. She owns the salon and won't do refunds. And the layers she added are too short to fix, so at this point all I can do is wait until my hair grows out. 

[Scaly Freak]

On 12/5/2022 at 10:18 PM, Jupiter said:

 

Thanks. ❤️ Yeah, unfortunately she is the boss. She owns the salon and won't do refunds. And the layers she added are too short to fix, so at this point all I can do is wait until my hair grows out. 

 

And warn everyone you know about this salon, while making sure you never go back. Of course.

[Jupiter]

21 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

And warn everyone you know about this salon, while making sure you never go back. Of course.

 

Yup. I already asked my old hairstylist for other recommendations, too so I have someone else I can try in a few months, once my hair grows out. 

[Jupiter]

Today did not go well. Didn't do a workout, or eat well, or get any writing done. The job search has also been frustrating. I'm finding very few jobs I want to apply for, and the ones I do are either gone before I can even apply, or they want like 10 years of experience for what is essentially an entry level position. It's been pretty disheartening. 

[Waanie]

I'm sorry that the job market is that bad where you live .

[ReturnOfTheDad]

How are you holding up @Jupiter?

[Jupiter]

On 12/18/2022 at 5:46 PM, ReturnOfTheDad said:

How are you holding up @Jupiter?

 

Hey, ReturnOfTheDad, I'm hanging in there, thanks so much for checking in. ❤️ 

[Jupiter]

Happy New Year, guys! Sorry I've been MIA, the last few weeks have been kind of exhausting. Still no luck on the job search front. This industry is turning out to be very hard to break into, and unfortunately there just aren't a lot of opportunities for it here. And the ones that are here want a bunch of experience, which I obviously don't have, which makes it even harder. So yeah, it's been tough. I signed up for an online course that should give me some knowledge at least, if not the experience. Maybe it'll help. Bright side, at my current job my team leads say I'm doing well. And the people here are pretty awesome. I just wish the job (and pay) was better. I tried applying for a few jobs in other departments, just to see if I could get a job with a little more pay if nothing else, but no dice there either unfortunately.  

 

Been having some issues with my dog. The last month or so she's been having diarrhea all over my floor, not every day, but often enough. It's been pretty awful and exhausting. Finally managed to get her into the vet yesterday, and they gave me some probiotics to give her, so hopefully that helps. Otherwise, they said everything looks good. She's very healthy for an almost-fifteen-year-old pup, which was good to hear. 

 

Another bright spot: I'm up to 15 pounds lost now. I put on an old pair of pants today that I haven't been able to wear in a while and they actually fit! So that was pretty exciting. 

 

Edit: Also, apropos of nothing, but I need to learn how engines work. 🤔

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Jupiter said:

Been having some issues with my dog. The last month or so she's been having diarrhea all over my floor, not every day, but often enough. It's been pretty awful and exhausting. Finally managed to get her into the vet yesterday, and they gave me some probiotics to give her, so hopefully that helps. Otherwise, they said everything looks good. She's very healthy for an almost-fifteen-year-old pup, which was good to hear. 

 

We give our 12-year old one probiotics for every meal now after the digestive system disaster a few months ago, and they are impressively effective. I hope they do the same for your dog, so she can be more comfortable and you can relax again.  

[Waanie]

Good to see that you're doing well! It's a pity that the job doesn't pay that well, but otherwise it sounds perfect right now. I'd just stay there for a bit if expenses allow, to learn and to build a network. You're spending eight hours a day with those colleagues, so having a great team is worth a lot imo.

 

Congratulations on the weight loss!

[NightWatcher13]

On 1/1/2023 at 11:02 PM, Jupiter said:

Edit: Also, apropos of nothing, but I need to learn how engines work. 🤔

Welcome back! What is it you need to learn about engines, and why? I find narrowing those two things for me helps me know how to look up what I need to find out without getting bogged down in too many details.

Best of luck on the job front! Getting a better job can definitely be a slog

[Jupiter]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:43 PM, NightWatcher13 said:

Welcome back! What is it you need to learn about engines, and why? I find narrowing those two things for me helps me know how to look up what I need to find out without getting bogged down in too many details.

Best of luck on the job front! Getting a better job can definitely be a slog

 

Well, I kind of disappeared again, lol, but thanks!  Not sure about the what quite yet, but I need it for a story I'm working on. 

 

Thanks! Yeah, it's definitely been a slog. I've had to put the breaks on searching for now while I deal with other things, but I'll get back to it soon hopefully. 

 

On 1/1/2023 at 10:49 PM, Scaly Freak said:

 

We give our 12-year old one probiotics for every meal now after the digestive system disaster a few months ago, and they are impressively effective. I hope they do the same for your dog, so she can be more comfortable and you can relax again.  

 

Thanks, it's taken a few days, but I think they're finally starting to work. She seems to really like them, too. As soon as I open the packet and start spreading it on her food she comes running.  

 

On 1/2/2023 at 12:21 AM, Waanie said:

Good to see that you're doing well! It's a pity that the job doesn't pay that well, but otherwise it sounds perfect right now. I'd just stay there for a bit if expenses allow, to learn and to build a network. You're spending eight hours a day with those colleagues, so having a great team is worth a lot imo.

 

Congratulations on the weight loss!

 

Eh, I don't know, I've been at this job for a little bit now, and there are a lot of days that aren't that great. I deal with customers directly now instead of on the back end like I'm used to, and I get yelled at quite often. One guy even threatened to get me fired, which reminds me of my retail days all over again. Those weren't fun, either.

 

Thanks re: the weight loss!  

[Jupiter]

I have computer woes. Can I just complain about them for a minute? I can't find a decent new computer. I've tried a few different laptops and they are awful. I hate them. The screens are either way too bright or way too dark, or the color is way off, or whatever. I can't find the right setting and it's driving me nuts. The first computer hurt my eyes so much I couldn't even look at it. I tried all the settings and nothing worked. The second one is a little better, but I still don't like it, so that may end up being returned, too. I love my tiny little laptop, but it is very old. They don't even make replacement parts for it anymore. One of my friends suggested one that she has that she really likes. Maybe I'll take a look at that. 

[Scaly Freak]

36 minutes ago, Jupiter said:

Thanks, it's taken a few days, but I think they're finally starting to work. She seems to really like them, too. As soon as I open the packet and start spreading it on her food she comes running.  

 

I wonder if this is a thing with these supplements? Ours is also a powder (Fortiflora), and it has the same effect on our dog

[Jupiter]

On 1/13/2023 at 10:42 PM, Scaly Freak said:

 

I wonder if this is a thing with these supplements? Ours is also a powder (Fortiflora), and it has the same effect on our dog

 

LOL, maybe.  

[Jupiter]

So, I think I'm going to take a break from the challenges for a bit. They're just a bit hard for me to keep up with right now. I'll still hang out in others' challenges and follow along, but I'll be switching to a battle log. In case anyone is interested.