Okay~ this totally cracked me up (what do you think, ladies- too close to the truth, maybe?)
So, let’s see~ I left off on Wednesday, right?
Well, Thursday was a peach also. We had a staff meeting first thing in the morning (crikey- I hate 7:30 meetings) & the CEO announced that the previous day, he had laid off three people- one from each department, except accounting (Thank you, Lord).
Ouch!
Our entire company only has nineteen employees~ that’s a 16% cut in staffing (sorry, I’m an numbers geek- I can’t help myself); to say things were a little grim around the water cooler would be an understatement of the first magnitude. Everyone is a bit on edge, despite assurances of our financial stability & that these were proactive measures to cut expenses; human nature being what it is, I hear a lot of grumbling. The truth is, it wasn’t as bad as all that- one person had already given notice & was just cut loose a week early, & another was on extended medical leave & volunteered to be the one laid off (she is such a sweetie & fortunate enough to not really have to work.) Also, we are more fortunate than most; our institution hasn’t gone into the home mortgage business, so we aren’t facing dissolution like some; what we’ve been experiencing are the residual effects- consumer loan defaults, like autos & credit cards, plus a rash of bankruptcies.
The evening was spent at choir practice; we had a whole month off from rehearsals, as well as a break from doing two services, but it was still hard to get back into the routine- especially with a 2 ½ hour practice L There is lots of new music coming up with the church’s 75th anniversary celebration in September & October, followed quickly by the annual Christmas program. I am seriously considering a sabbatical from music ministry after the first of the year; for a while now, I’ve been feeling unmotivated- the music doesn’t inspire me & rehearsals have become an obligation, so I think it’s time for a break.
Friday way all about running around: knitting group; drive a carload to tricking practice (think Jackie Chan/Jet Li- choreographed “fights” with flips, jumps, twists, etc); drive back for tennis lessons (which were cancelled- thanks for the call, John); back to tricking; over to pick up Chris from the bus; stop for a burger; drive the carload home, via the pizza place; then finally home to fall asleep watching “Jeeves & Wooster”. Sad part is- it won’t change that much when Sam has his license- he can’t drive with anyone under 18 in the car (without a licensed driver over 25) for 12 months, so either we’re up or the others find their own way- I don’t want to put too much temptation in Sam’s path.
Saturday was Chris’ birthday; he had to work all day (it’s now been 2 weeks since he’s had a day off), so I fielded telephone calls for him (he left his cell phone at home) put in 3 hours at the office, then to the gym, grocery store, post office, & library. We had a late-ish dinner at Famous Dave’s & gave him a couple gift cards- Sear*s & Star*bucks- before sending him off to sleep.
Sunday, I was all by myself; Sam went to a birthday party at a place called Sky High Sports- the pictures are scary, but he only pulled a couple muscles- so I indulged in a visit to the fabric store (a necessity, really- I needed one skein of yarn to finish Chris’ vest & needed fabric for an apron swap due Sept 1st), a lunch of Banana Crème Oreos & iced tea, & an afternoon nap with the girls. I think that was the appropriate way to end a week of trauma, drama, & over-schedulingness, don’t you?
3 comments:
Oh yeah. That picture pretty much sums it up.
And uh, banana creme oreos? Never heard of them. Are they new? Oh. Lord help me.
Lunch of banana cream oreos and a nap sound PERFECT to me! Sheesh... what a week!
I actually do hope you take a break from music ministry, Meg ~ especially if it's feeling more and more like an obligation. (And the holiday season can be a big meanie bear about music ministry busy-ness). Happy Birthday to Chris!
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