Crappy Customer Service

Again, Really?

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

2010 will be remembered as a time when I attended some dull-ass parties.  Everyone in my social circle is a certain age, the same certain age as myself.  We don't have many children among us, since I have a lot of gay friends.  So we are creeping towards senescence at an alarming speed.  I wanted to have a good time and live it up, but everyone I know is so boring.  No shenanigans were included. 

And I'm not referring to drinking or drugging, because that also bores me.  I'm talking about fun!  They all yawn and head for home at 10pm.  No one wants to play Rock Band with me or dance or jump around.  They all want to stand around tasting wine and talking about nothing.

The work parties I attended were better - especially the year-end pot luck with 40 people.  That is a lot of food and we have some damn fine cooks at work.

Really?

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

What?  I'm not a lighter-up-of-people.  I'm a puritan weirdo that is ignored at best!  Sadly, these days I am finding my sense of civility is the difference between myself and others.  I am really polite to strangers and acquaintances.  I wish it wasn't a lost art.

Let's Roll.

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I joined a community of public-service-minded people when I started my new job.  These people are actually serious about making the city a better place to live.  It scares the crap out of me.

I also reluctantly joined the World of Warcraft community.  Mr. W and I were growing tired of playing Lord of the Rings Online, two years (!) in.  The eagerly awaited debut of DC Universe Online was a bust, it's not even up to the standards of games designed ten years ago.  So...World of Warcraft is our chosen Sunday time-sink.  It's not my favourite game but my friends and husband make it tolerable.

 

Mush! Mush!

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Homework has forced me to give up a few things I enjoy doing, like Rock Band drumming.  My knitting output has also suffered.

I bought a couple of balls of Socks that Rock heavyweight yarn in a colourway I have been eyeing for, oh, years.  It's expensive stuff but looks so incredible in a skein that you could just hang it on a nail and present it as art.  I am knitting myself a simple scarf from 60 Quick Knits so I don't have to memorize a pattern all over again after an abscence.  Now all I need to make is a few more hours in the day.

Gettin On Wi It

December 5 - Let Go What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

I let go of my old job, obviously.  I had no idea it would be so emotionally difficult, because at the time I had a grievance list a mile long and was clutching my desk so I didn't just walk out every day.  But I loved working for my supervisor, and I enjoyed working with apparel.  I still kinda miss them both.

Part of me is in mourning for the ideal of the job, not the reality of it.  The job I wanted at the Sporting Company doesn't exist anymore, and never will again.  This was confirmed for me when I ran into someone who still works there.  She aired a laundry list of grievances I recognized. 

She also didn't ask me how I was doing because she was tied up with her own devils.  She is of a certain age, but unable to retire from the Sporting Company's pittiful wage (never mind that, there's no retirement planning either).  I'm certain that she also feels her age is a challenge to finding new work.  Her life is tough enough without me being petty or spiteful, even though she was terrible to me at the beginning of my tenure there.  So I let go of that, too.

Somewhat December 4, Reverberating

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

I didn't have time for wonder this year.  I had a lot of time to kick myself in April while I wasn't working.  Maybe I could spin this...in April, I was "wondering" when I'd ever be happy in my work.  My month off wasn't cool and fun and relaxing.  I actually did look for a job every day - and found more than one good possibility.  I "wondered" about impending bills and whether I'd done something stupid that was going to ruin our awesome credit rating.

December 3 ish

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

Off the top of my head?   It was in early September, when we ended a 7-year absence from our local gym.  And it was not the moment you're thinking of, when exercise starts to feel easy and meaningful.  Being over 30 means that moment takes much, much longer to arrive than it used to.

I'm talking about the day after you start to ramp it back up and everything hurts.  It's when you have to bend your head down to wash your hair because you can't lift your arms any higher than John McCain.  When stepping off the bus makes you choke back a scream.  That's when I feel alive, when I'm in pain. 

Reverb 10 #2

December 2 - Writing.  What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your writing - and can you eliminate it?

This is a question for those who are serious about taking their blog to a higher level, I suppose.  But who does that anymore?  It's 2010, people.  No one's writing a blog anymore.

I'm damn busy trying to carve out a life for myself, and writing isn't that important to me other than as a way of sorting out my thoughts.  It's all I can do to get through the day without constantly cringing in embarrasment about everything I say and do.  Do you do that to yourself?  And yeah, I cringe about what I write here too. Maybe that's the answer - Shame keeps me from writing more often.

Playing Catch-Up

Having been absent the Internet until school finally ended, I am now ready to power through Reverb 10 and catch up to the present date.

December 1st:  One Word

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word.  Explain why you're choosing that word.  Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

My word for 2010 is Trial.  For some reason, even-numbered years are downers, and years ending in zero are full of crisis management.  I've looked back through my long life and found this to be true for as long as I can remember. 

This year I quit my job with about one month's slack to get a new one.  It was a matter of choosing my life and health over a toxic workplace.   My new job had six months' probation to get through, which I finished last month; let the idea of being fired with no notice hang over you for that long some time. Plus the whole aforementioned school thing.

Mr. W and I are finally recovering financially from my lost salary and a few major house-related purchases that we were forced to make.  Happily, my wages have increased by quite a bit in my new job so I'm hoping that next year's word will be Investing.