Jim’s employment status:
Fast forward 8 or so months and Beth has been promoted and moved into another department but still underwriting. She pushed hard to her departing position’s supervisor to get Jim in.
The funny thing is all 3 of us are working in different departments as underwriters but in the same building and on the same floor. Our building is “E” shaped. We are a 30-45 second walk from one another. Jim’s new start date is about a week’s difference from when he worked here 4 years ago!
Back update:
Later in the afternoon, I met with Dr. Wolf. He recommended I use that DRS machine thingy but insurance won’t cover it. He wants to use it on me 4 times a week for 6 weeks. It’s $150 a session X 4 days a week = $600 a week X 6 weeks = $3600. Yeah, I don’t think so. So now, I’m waiting to get my X-ray and MRI CDs from my chiro and then get a second opinion from a spine/back doctor. Oy.
Golf?:
We bought a used golf cart off of Craig’s List. No we don’t play golf and it won’t even go to a golf course. It’s for the Augusta Campground. 90% of the RVers/residents here have one and we need to keep up with the Jones’. It comes in handy for going to the slightly offsite bar and the pool. We’re not lazy. We’re far away from the pool and in the summer that can be miserable. We go to the pool to cool off but by the time we get back to the RV we’re sweating again. Don’t judge.
We had to drive approximately an hour away (Statesville) to see the golf cart. Once we agreed we wanted it, Jim got his best price and plans were set into motion to buy it. A day or 2 later, Jim rented a Uhaul trailer and then met the seller at a bank to run the cash through their machine to ensure it wasn’t counterfeit. Voila, there it is.
We decided I should take a half day Friday so that we could arrive in Augusta in daylight with the cart. At that point we didn’t even know Monday was a holiday until Jim’s coworker and he were setting up lunch plans and she said something about if I’d be able to join or if I was off. Jim asked me if it was some holiday and and then I remembered. “I think it’s Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday!” I confirmed on the calendar. I didn’t think I was off. I checked a work holiday schedule that confirmed I was off but I still didn’t believe it. I guess I was used to working at the phone bank and my site was open for most holidays. This is the first full year I’m in underwriting. The next day at work I confirmed on my calendar and just double checked with a coworker. Score! 3 days weekend with an early Friday start!
On Friday, Jim had most everything loaded up. I left work at noon, came home, we ate a sub, loaded the Rav4 with our last minute stuff, grabbed the dog and drove to Augusta. The trip went fine. I unpacked while Jim went to UHaul to return the trailer.
My Job:
We were told that no new supervisor would be assigned because another department was listing a position and we’d be losing 15 people to that. They’d then take our team of 10 or so and divide us up amongst the other teams accordingly. New managers, new team mates, new seats.
On my half day Friday, they announced the changes. Who was going where? I am staying in my area, and quite possibly in my same seat but would of course have a new manager and would also be working the affluent clientele's applications. I would define affluent according to my bank but I think that would be saying too much.
I’m not sure how I was chosen for this but I was. It will look good on a résumé I suppose. When I was in phone bank I had taken a position in Premier which was with affluent clients. I’m sure they didn’t dive into my past to match me to this, especially since there was no pattern for the other selectees. I’m just gonna roll with it.
A Purchase:
We went to Costco with friends Paul and Jeff. Unfortunately, we don’t have one near us in Charlotte. It’s too far at 30 minutes away. Anyway, I spotted a Panasonic phone system that allows us to connect our cell phones to it. It allows for 2 cell phones to be linked at the same time via Blue Tooth. So when a cell phone rings, the phone system will ring it through all the phones and we can talk from any of the handsets. This is perfect for not missing calls when we’re up stairs and the phones are downstairs or vice versa. Depending on who’s cell phone is ringing can be determined by the ring tone. We can also make outgoing calls from it using the landline or any of the cell phones. It also features the ability to import contacts from the cell into the Panasonic.
I never knew this technology existed. Googling around though, I see several manufacturers (AT&T, VTech, etc) have this. Where have I been? Obviously not in the phone system section of stores.
This is exciting because I want to ditch our landline and probably cable too. We’ll save over $100 a month!
That’s all I got!
There’s a few odds and ends to report. #1, I have back pain. Perhaps it’s my huge gut, my poor posture, genetics or whatever else but it’s a mess. I’ve had non-diagnosed back pain for years. I go to the chiropractor for a few treatments and viola, I’m good as new. This time, not so much. The pain has been different. My chiro thinks I may have a disc issue and ordered x-rays and an MRI. Joy. X-rays are done but not yet reviewed. MRI is still being coordinated.
Using another <insert discount coupon name here>, we went to 
Earlier in the week Jim spotted a cheap deal at a restaurant, NC Tavern. $5 burgers which includes the sides and the drink. Good deal. Monday, we roped Beth into going with us. We were seated next to the bar. I really hate the bar area. Service tends to be slower since the bartender in mostly concerned about his/her drinkers and he/she must make cocktails for the entire restaurant. I rarely goes well. Service was virtually non-existent. A group of men at the bar started talking VERY loudly. We could barely hear one another. The ambiance was a miss at this point. Getting refills was an annoying process. The food was OK but that’s all I’ll say. What do I want for a $5? Yeah, I know.
