That's it, I'm unemployed today! Although, unemployed carries the implication that I somehow desire employment, am actively seeking a paying job somewhere, or something along those lines, so I feel it's a bit misleading in my case. Maybe the title should read "Officially a stay-at-home-mom (again)" ... or "Happy to be bitch-free" .

I landed in the hospital the other day for pre-term labor, although it was a different hospital than the one I work at (which I know killed them because they couldn't just click a few buttons and check up on me - this because I was visiting relatives in another town when contractions hit strong and hard). They had the nerve while I was still contracting, not knowing whether my baby would live or die, hooked up to every monitor under the sun, IVs, etc., to CALL my hospital room to make sure I was really there. I'd had my mom call to let them know I wouldn't be working since I was in the hospital, and that was their response. Not "How are you and the baby, how can we help?", but "Yeah, just wanted to see if you were really there... oh, you okay?" Wasn't my boss either, was someone I'd never met from another dept. Go figure.

Contractions were stopped with meds and fluids, I'm on modified bedrest for now, but I haven't bothered to call or show up for work since then. I no longer care. Three people from three departments tried to call today, but thanks to caller ID I don't have to talk to them. They called my mom too. And my cell. I've determined that the stress associated with that place is not worth ANY amount of money at this point in my life, let alone the small salary that I brought home. I think they're afraid to go ahead and fire me (although they are perfectly within their rights to do so since I haven't bothered to call/show up for two days). So while it's not "official" I suppose (hence the (?) up top), I'm done. And I feel so much better!

It's really amazing the effect that stress has on us. I guess at some point I'll look back and wish I had fought for my job (maybe, maybe not) or sat home on leave and collected disability from them a while longer (since I'm on bedrest and entitled to a few more weeks) but right now, despite the financial aspect and the feeling that I've done exactly what they wanted me to do, I have this amazing weight lifted off my shoulders and IT FEELS SO GOOD! I didn't have to go drop off (or have hubby drop off) 5 copies of papers to 5 offices all over the hospital (I had to do this on crutches a few weeks ago...) I didn't get any leave approved, I didn't fill out any insurance papers, and I didn't have to try to convince anyone that I'm not making this shit up! There's a spring in my limp these days...

Baby is fine (checked in at the dr again yesterday to be sure), and mom is more than fine. I've never had a hint of anything pre term in any of my other pregnancies, so I'm really hoping it was the stress associated with the past few weeks and we'll be okay for the long haul now.

A week or so ago, hubby was complaining about how he needs, simply MUST HAVE a new cell phone. His old one is outdated, and doesn't hold a charge long enough to be functional. He's had it... less than a year and it was NOT a cheap cell phone. I was livid about not buying a new cell phone, and especially not the $300+ pieces of work that he was looking at. Personally, I'm thinking.. spend $50 on the phone, and I'll be happy to spend that extra $250 for you (since we seem to have it lying around just waiting to be spent ). He didn't want a cheapy one, so he didn't get one at all.

On Wed., hubby conveniently (?) "forgot" his precious cell in the bathroom, where toddler found it and propmtly tried to flush it. It's waterlogged and definitely useless at this point. Hubby made a big fuss over being all mad at toddler, blah blah blah, but of course now he just *had* to have that new cell phone. I feel like I've been played, and poor toddler was just an innocent pawn.

But, thanks to Bob, I shall have my revenge! I intend to go download a different earworm (definition at BobH's every night so at the very least I can chuckle knowing he'll have a silly song stuck in his head every day. I'm quite positive he'll change it daily as soon as it plays once (so hopefully my plan doesn't backfire and leave ME with an earworm instead!), but I wonder how many days it will take him to figure out that I'm messing with him... I'll keep you posted.

Hubby was lost for the two days it took fedex to get his new phone to him, but was happy I don't use mine so he could take it(even if the Buckeyes fight song ringtone did drive him crazy). At any rate, hubby has a new cell phone, toddler has a new toy phone, and poor mom never did get to go spend that $$. In time...

Sometimes it just hits you how much some things are completely taken for granted in life.

We did the fair yesterday. Actually I didn't do much, hobbled my way to a bench in kiddie land and watched from afar as hubby put the kiddies on rides and such, and brought my fair food to me. It was fairly hot there in the sun, and quite a trek really for me to get that far on crutches, but I made it without too much trouble (or grumbling).

I came home looking forward to a shower to wash away the stickiness. Undressed, turned on the water.... and ... nothing! There was a water main break about 2 blocks from our house, and we (along with many others) were without water for the remainder of yesterday.

It really hit me how much we take for granted that we will turn on that faucet and voila, that precious liquid just flows freely! Our lives were chaos yesterday trying to get around it! Of course everyone in the house had to go potty after all that fair food... I couldn't wash the dishes or cook dinner, let alone think about finishing that laundry or giving anyone a bath.

Luckily for us, my mom has been on a bird flu kick and has been stocking up on canned goods and, more importantly, WATER, so she brought over enough gallons to hold us over until morning. I won't be making fun of her for *that* again . Still, it made me think of how rough it must have been before the advent of modern plumbing and how very much I take for granted on a daily basis.

The house my mom grew up in had no running water. They had an outhouse, and a well with a pump in the yard. There were seven kids... I can't even imagine how they did dishes or washed their clothes! And I think it's "work" because I have to start the washer and fold the darn things when they're finished. As if loading and unloading the dishwasher are really such a chore, imagine if I had to go pump all that water from the well first to wash the dishes in! And showers... where would my life be without showers? I'm quite certain they didn't bathe every day, it would have been far too labor intensive. They probably shared water in the wash tub too for that matter, although in my house each of my kids gets their own fresh, clean water (okay, occasionally the younger two bathe together still, but you get the picture). I'm certain they never could have filled up a pool or played in the garden hose (although perhaps they played in the pump?) What a different world! Maybe that's why Mom's been stockpiling water, she knows firsthand just how difficult life is without it.

This morning I woke up early for my trek to the potty, and was so relieved when I turned on the faucet and liquid actually came out! I was able to flush my toilet, and for once I really appreciated that fact. I also appreciated the guys down there working overtime (I could see their lights out my front window well past midnight) to ensure that I was able to get up this morning and flush my toilet. And I'm very grateful that I'm not of one generation earlier, when I might have had to learn the very hard way how very precious running water really is.

It's fair time in our little town. Time for me to take my mind away from the turmoil and focus on the fun stuff for a while, broken foot and all! I remember as a teenager I spent the entire week at the fairgrounds, hanging out with friends, riding til we puked, scoping out any cute boys who might or might not be following us around... and, oh the fair food!

Now I have a teenager of my own who is busy making his own plans to be gone for the week to the fair. Of course there's a small problem as he is supposed to leave Friday for another week with his dad, but EVERYONE knows that EVERYONE is going to be at the fair Saturday night... it's the demolition derby for crying out loud! I don't know if his dad will come around and let him skip a weekend or not (never know with him) but for his sake, I hope so.

Now, as a mom, I'm worried that he'll get dehydrated, that he won't eat enough, that he'll get into trouble, leave the fairgrounds... sigh. It's quite a different perspective. On the bright side, my teenager has a cell phone, something my poor parents never had the luxury of. They just had to trust me and let me go. It's not an easy thing to do, although all parents I'm sure have to do it, little by little and sooner or later.

I'll take my younger ones out on Kid's Day and torture my foot and my pregnant self in the 90+ degree heat in the name of fun, but really all I'm interested in is the food.

I honestly can't believe a person would stoop so low, especially considering I've never done anything *personally* to her. I've missed work, but always with a dr's excuse, and certainly nothing I could have made up. My boss has now resorted to interfering with my personal life, and trying like hell in general to make it as unpleasant as possible.

First, she reported me to CPS (Child protective services), saying that I left my four young children home alone unsupervised. They said she did not wish to remain anonymous. First, I have to say, it's really none of her business if I did leave my children home alone. Second, I only have two "small" children, one teenager, and one "tween" so it's not really possible that I'm leaving four small children home alone. And third, I never leave the younger 3 home alone anyway, only the teenager (who I hope by 14 1/2 is old enough to stay home alone while I run to the grocery store or whatever- not like I'm going on vacation and leaving him...)

Then, she called "anonymously" (but who else could it be?) to my HR dept, and told them that my hubby was on my insurance illegally because we're not married. So they called to launch an investigation, which will be a major PITA because we were married in Greece and all our official crap is in Greek. She knew this of course (she's the only one at work who did, which is why I say who else could it be?)

Luckily for me I suppose, HR will accept the Greek documentation as proof until I can get all the documentation translated, and CPS was rather pissed off to find that their time had been wasted when there are children out there who really do need them. Still, who the HELL does this? With the sole intention of inflicting hardship on another human being? And over what? It's worse than middle school!

I'm torn in two; on the one hand, I never want to go back to work there for this bitch, but on the other hand I want to go back and live out my days as long as I possibly can because I know it is killing her to have me on the payroll. Seriously, I think it's more trouble than it's worth and definitely not worth the stress at thsi point in my life. Were I in a different place I might "play" a little and see just how miserable I could make her life, but right now I just feel sorry for her that she has nothing better to do with her time. I for one have plenty of other things to focus my attention on, and don't have the time or the energy for the likes of her or her game.

But really, what kind of a person does that????