Now or Never

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/?m=1

When I posted the title, I had the Elvis song playing in my head.  Ear worm.

I used to have a really busy job in the insurance industry.  In college, I majored in business.  It was the 80's and I was under the influence of such movies as Working Girl (Melanie Griffith), The Secret of My Success (Michael J. Fox) and Trading Places (Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy).  I considered a job in a lab (biomedical engineering - I loved chemistry but hated math) and something more artistic (decorating - too impractical).  My parent's felt I needed something more concrete since I was the first person in the family to go to college and they persuaded me to at least take typing and computers, so business made sense.  I figured I would probably end up as a secretary, but secretly longed to go to law school.
I finished with a BS in marketing.  I got a job in sales and hated it.  I had worked retail through college and like it mostly, but hated the hours and the flakiness of the employees.  Plus it did not pay well and you were on your feet all day.  But I liked helping the customers and displaying/showing the merchandise.  I consider fashion merchandising and advertising, but figured I would have to move far away and I missed my mom and sister too much in college. 
I applied for a job I found in the paper that was a good salary, but was not sales.  I got it.  Be careful for what you wish for.  I should clarify and say I did not get the actual job, but a slightly different version of what I applied for.  The other applicant that my hiring manager liked had a wife and kid.  My manager told me this, something you could never say today.  So, he hired the other guy and told me that he really wished he could hire us both.  I figured he was just saying that to be polite.  Well, about 2 - 4 weeks later I heard from him again.  Would I want to take the job that was just a step below and possibly work into the same position down the road?  Sure!  It was $23,500 a year and full benefits.  I actually would have medical insurance, vacation days and a 401(k).  Whooooopiiieeee.
This job was challenging but entertaining.  Everyday was something new and different.  We were quickly given very thorough training and authority.  We learned a lot.  I excelled.  It was unique enough, I got to use my left brain creative side.  But very time intensive and I worked long hours.  For many years.  I moved around, different states.  Got moved up and promoted, learned to specialize.  I liked the nature of my job overall, but 2 things remained challenging...time management and politics. 
We were given much training and pep talks in time management.  No preparation at all for politics.  Haha.  I really had no help at all in either area.  My father was a blue collar worker who essentially worked for his friend and my mom was a bank teller who hated management.
One of the things we were taught by Big Insurance was, only touch something once.  We had daily "diaries" of stuff to do on each "file" assigned to us.  Often the job was so overwhelming with "fires" that come up from tasks being forced up on us from new "files" or people calling and yelling at us that we would just move the diary ahead a few days, or a week.  This did not help in the long run, these tasks were still waiting for us, along with new "fires".  So, we were taught to 1)  do what you could to move the file forward any time you looked at it, 2)  diary ahead realistically and 3)  each piece of mail you got - put it where it needed to go when you first touched it.  Don't just stick it in a pile.  Summarize the mail in the computer database and file it with the appropriate hard file.
This has served me well in life.  I hate junk mail, I hate all mail, really.  Paper or electronic.  I do what I can to minimize it.  I elect to get electronic billing on all accounts and zero junk email (I opt out of all and create spam for all the offenders who ignore) and when I open paper mail I deal with it right then...a)  keep and file or b) shred and throw away.  I hope to add more efficiencies in my life like this (systems) upon retirement, so that I won't become bogged down with the slack routine and have loose ends.  I don't deal well with loose ends.  I would almost rather do something wrong than do nothing!  Ha.  Anyway, this has been your lesson in 90's Big Insurance rah rah boom bah pep talk about how to cram more into your day.  Not really, this is a way I can do my chores and have more fun.
Have a great Monday!

Thursday Snow Day, Finally Friday

I stayed home yesterday.  The temp dropped from way above freezing to below while it rained iceapprox 8 to noon.  We did not get a whole lot of ice, fortunately.  And since I go in 6:20am to arrive by 7, I prob would have been fine, but after the ice the forecast was snow, so I was more concerned about the commute home.  One year it showed a couple inches during the workday and it took me 3 hours to drive home.  It was nice, DH stayed home too.  Plus, I had just washed my car and took photos to list it online for sale, so it seemed sort of like tempting fate!

I did laundry and listed a bunch of more of our old work clothes we won't wear if we are retired.  I have had more luck selling men's clothes/shoes lately than mine.  The website I use (Poshmark) I think is exploding, but instead of more selling, I think people are all wanting to get rid of stuff and it has become a lot like an online garage sale.  I see genuine leather jackets go for $20-$25 and nice leather shoes for $8.  It is fine to get rid of large hoard of stuff, but if I am giving it away, I would rather just load the car and give it away, literally.  Which I also did.  My DH has started to work on his closet and we have spent couple of hours 2 diff days down in it sort of getting an overview of strategy.  I think I now have removed most of the stuff of any value he does not want to keep and have listed it (like 10 really nice canvas/twill type Tommy Hilfiger shirts he has had laundered professionally that are spotless.  Also about 10 of his really nice basic suits).  The rest he is 1) keeping - I am not sure where he is going to put 50 Harley tee shirts, lol; 2)  donating or 3) throwing away.  But at least, we sort of have it figured out.  I also listed his travel golf bag and my car online! 

As far as staging my house, I have decided that the 4 bookcases we are keeping in our basement, we are going to go ahead and move them and stage the space another way.  I have a large picture and a chair I am going to move from master bedroom down there.  DH and I think the more bigger stuff we can move each trip, the better off we will be.  We may even sell the Suburban before next fall.  It is 19 years old and we got a good deal on it, but we had to put a little more into fixing some things than we had planned.  We have just about decided that rather than keeping an older vehicle that is not exactly what we want or need (we don't really need 4wd, but if we do, we would almost rather have a truck).  So, if we get our stuff basically all moved without having to rent a trailer or spend way more time, then the repairs will have paid for themselves and we will go ahead and cut our loss.  We also have a 14 year old Camry, but it is low miles and we think it will last for years and is more economical, so we think we will keep it longer and maybe get a small truck instead of old suburban and my new expensive SUV.  So excited to consolidate our assets/efforts and get rid of debt!

I am ready to move and want to do more, but really we are sort of in a waiting pattern until we can get couple more loads to RH, including getting the bookcases out of basement.  First we will move all the Christmas stuff and some other stuff (cabinet from dining room) i have packet up.  Then next trip (early Feb we will move the bookcases).  Then move loveseat out of the basement, get the carpet re-stretched and cleaned.  Then move couch and chair from master downstairs and stage with the large painting.  Move dresser from master to RH and late winter, move large shelf from master to RH master closet for sweaters/sweatshirts/shoes.

All while I am trying to help take care of Granny and work full time.  Ugggghhhhh.  I will be glad when this is all over.  We have tried to talk Granny in to moving with us, but she thinks she cannot leave her daughter and cannot intrude on us.  Actually I would consider it an honor to care for her and much prefer to her going to a nursing home and also, it really would be much easier for me.  But I truly doubt she will come with us.