in which I maunder on about old jobs, new glasses, and being back from vacation

[derien]

Am using the unseasonal lilacs in honor of Camwyn's grandfather.

jimdes - my apologies on missing your birthday. I got a notification the day before, but not the day of your birthday.  I think it only gives me birthday notifications if I log out and back in again.  Hope you had a good day!  And that your NaNo is still progressing.  (?) 

I went to my optometrist this morning, which gave me such a snuggy sort of 'being part of the community' feel. He probably has a note in my file to remind him, with my nickname and the fact that I used to work for his brother (who's business grinds the lenses and/or puts them in frames) years and years ago, but he's very personable and he gives me the updates on who's still working there. :)  He said a couple of staffing changes have happened, recently - one guy (who'd had a pretty bad stroke before I even worked there) finally just retired, and another just got another job, and is very missed.  A third is having health problems.  Still, they had all been working there for at least twenty years, which is amazing employee retention, these days.  And makes me wonder if they're hiring...  Only, they'd really have to train me, which would probably not be a help to them at all, at the moment.  I didn't grind lenses when I was there, I did shipping, and their office staff hasn't changed at all.  Also, they'd certainly have to pay much less than what I'm getting at TSA.

I haven't picked out my frames, yet - decided to let that wait for Saturday, when eor can accompany me - though I gave them a look through.  Meanwhile, the technician straightened my frames and put new pads on.  I bent them two weeks ago, roughhousing with Eor (Yeah, I should be more adult at my age, hm?  But I like to play. :)), and the old pads had been giving me infections under them if I didn't wash them with alcohol. 


It's good to get myself out fairly early in the morning - a little walk around the block wakes me up a bit.  Yes, my optometrist's is pretty close to just a block away. :)  Now I'm hungry.

I've been telling myself I should write entries for the time I was away and backdate them.  I still want to do that, I don't want to forget everything.  Don't fool yourselves, my friends, into thinking this journal is only for your benefit.  No, it's also my memory dump - if I don't write things down, I DO forget everything. ;)

First day back at work after vacation was, as always, a bit of an odd experience.  The other OSARP monitor greeted me with, "Thank God you're back!" because he's been handling everyone while I've been gone.  He was actually eager to get into the checkpoint for a day, because he was afraid he would lose his certification if he didn't have a chance to work up there.  I don't think he could actually be in danger, yet.  I think he mainly needed a change of scene. 

And, I'm back to not sleeping well.  On vacation I dropped right off to sleep every night, even though I was getting no exercise at all during the days, and slept for at least eight hours every night, quite happily.  Last night I laid awake with my brain going like a squirrel in a cage and then had bad dreams.  I sent out a general notice to almost everyone I have email for letting them know that my email had been down but is back up again, and got several letters back from people I haven't heard from in ages.  One, though, said she'd been back in Maine and didn't let me know.  I can forgive her, though; it sounds as though she was very busy.  She and her husband spent four days visiting people in Rockland, Appleton, (the town of) Washington, Union, and Hope, and she went by the house where her family and mine used to live in South Hope (she was an adult and I was a child, then) and said it was looking good.  Of course the mention of the old house gets me thinking of how very unfriendly the woman was who was living there when I last went by. 


And go me - I actually wrote a long, newsy email to somebody (ex-co-worker, Fatima) this morning. :)

Comments

[cygny.livejournal.com]

I need new glasses too. I lost mine a few weeks ago now and with this early night and bad weather I really need them in the car. I'm driving without now and have to pay really really close attention.
First days back at work are always tough, or strange at least. Hope you'll manage to get some sleep at least.

[derien.livejournal.com]

You're really lucky you CAN drive without them - if I lost mine I would be completely unable to do anything. When I bent them up, two weeks ago, I couldn't just do without them, and having the focal points in the wrong places gave me headaches and nastiness. Now that they're straightened out they feel almost new, and my brain feels like it can work better without all that distraction from my eyes not doing the right things. :)