Friday 26 March 2004

Copping a break

What a week; I can't tell you how glad I am that it is Friday, and Tuxedo and I have a chance to recover, re-energise and attempt to process the week's events.  I've never known such a ker-razy week, to be honest, its been insane and quite exhausting.  I feel like I could fall face down onto the bed, kick off my shoes (if that) and sleep for a fortnight. 

It really was all about Tuxedo this week; not much focus on mememe at all; the main event/s revolved around Tuxedo and jobs.  Which is fabulous of course, and I did get some parcels of very good news of my own so wahey!; just that his news is more important/significant, but I'll tell my snippets first.

Health:  I had an appointment with Zeus yesterday, for a jabfest and follow-up to my Radioactive Girl test of last week.  I was concerned about the scans, hoping they wouldn't show up any deterioration or heaven forbid anything new, but conversely hoping they would show something concrete to explain the worsening flare-ups.  Lucky me, it was extremely good, encouraging news, the areas that were highlighted as major trouble spots (neck at vertebra C2-3; clavicular area (collarbone/breastbone), sacroiliac joints and left hip) are indeed the areas I'm having most pain.  Other than that my neck and spine are in good condition; Zeus was most happy with the results, always a happy-making and encouraging thing when one's specialist is thrilled.

Given the scan's results, I'm going into hospital in a couple of weeks for a procedure - a facet joint injection where a mix of local anaesthetic and steroids is injected into the tiny joints between the vertebrae (in my case, it will be at C2-3), which hopefully will ease and calm the pain significantly.  If it does work (ie last longer than a week) I am a good candidate for a further procedure, a radiofrequency rhizotomy where tiny groups of nerves are "burned" or otherwise deadened, so easing pain on a more semi-permanent basis.  There's no associated numbness or loss of sensation or strength from such a procedure; sounds interesting and we'll see how I go.  I adore Zeus; he doesn't do anything unnecessary just for the sake of doing something, but when there's a possibility of a fix he doesn't hang around; he called the hospital and booked me in while I sat there. 

My bum doesn't half hurt though; three injections, all biggies; B12, prednisolone, some other concoction.  Ow.

My Brilliant Career:  I have a job lined up!  Its for three half-days a week, working for one of the state or local government parks departments, just cushy fill-in reception, word-processing and spread-sheet work.  Excellent pay for the level of work, nice area, will take two buses to get there but connections are straightforward and its about an hour round trip, not too bad at all.  Yay me!  I don't have an actual start-date yet, which is a bit of a bummer, as the incumbent is looking for a full-time job so when she leaves I'll just slip into the role.  The best thing: I didn't even apply for it, a friend who runs a personnel agency just rang me on the off-chance, thinking it might be a good fit for my lifestyle etc.  Too bloody right.

Also on the job front; I put my c.v. into a particular rheumatological/musculo-skeletal charity organisation asking about work possibilities, and got a phone call and email asking me to come in for a meeting with the CEO and Education Officer.  AND one of the Agency Guys Tuxedo has been dealing with a lot this week told him to send my c.v. into him as I sounded very efficient and interesting.  Wow.  A nice boost, anyway, even if nothing comes of it.

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Okay, Tuxedo.  Last heard of our hero (anti-hero? what would you call an aspirant to Evil Dark Overlord of the Universe?) (apart from a geek) had had two interviews, both positive, with Company A (let's call them Dot!Matrix) and Company B (let's call them Pixel8).  On arriving home from the interview with Pixel8 on Tuesday afternoon there was already a message on the answering machine, calling him in for a follow-up interview the very next day (Wednesday).  Huzzah! we said.  And thus came to pass some hugging and congratulations and a bottle of Trilogy (v.g. Aussie bubbly).

Wednesday 1500, interview.  We trekked into town again (interminable sick-making bus ride etc etc) and I plonked myself down in a cafe to wait for My Man.  We figured 45 minutes, as is usual for an interview ... 4 pm came and went; at 4.30 the cafe staff started packing away chairs and tables, and mopping the floor around my feet.  I got the hint, and trekked up to wait in the building where Tux was having his interview.  Where I stood in the lobby and read my book (standing up; the lifts were not visible from the occasional chairs and I didn't want to risk missing Tux coming out of his meeting).  Had he been kidnapped?  Being ravished by piratical slave traders as I read another two chapters of The Poisonwood Bible?  Lucky sod if so, much as I adore Barbara Kingsolver.  Waiting waiting ... 5 pm ticked over, office workers poured out of lifts, rush hour began, no sign of Tuxedo.  Maybe I'd missed him somehow?  So I walked back to the (closed) cafe and sat on a nearby wall to wait some more.

Finally he appeared out of the crowds and plonked himself down next to me, looking totally knackered, and no wonder; 5.30 pm?  Two and a half hours in an interview?  Ker-razy, I told you.  Turned out the folks he'd met with at Pixel8 were very very interested indeed and he pretty much had the job.  Fucking couldn't believe it, after all this time, oh wow ... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They were so keen as to want to take him out to the actual work site - the job itself being with Pixel8 but contracted out to another company - to introduce him to the people there later in the week.

Got home late - interminable bus trip etc - which at least gave Tux a chance to debrief (teehee) me on the interview, the company, the role, all sounding incredibly amazingly fantastic.  He (we) were FINALLY fucking COPPING A BREAK.  He decided to call Dot!Matrix to advise he had another job offer and what was the status of the position he'd interviewed for on Monday?  Why not try and start a bidding war, it certainly couldn't hurt after all.

I started dinner while Tuxedo called Dot!Matrix, who immediately returned his call, the upshot being that he was called in for a second interview on Friday morning (today), and that he was the only candidate being given a second interview.  Obvious conclusion;  Tuxedo has two, count them TWO job offers.  (Weirdly I had said something totally off the cuff to Tuxedo, and also to Fifi that knowing our luck he'd get offered two jobs at once, given the feast or famine principle.)  And there was again much rejoicing, much red wine and delicious dinner eaten, and I fell into a coma about midnight.

Thursday you know about;  Friday Tuxedo had the second meeting with Dot!Matrix in the morning, and the third meeting with Pixel8 at noon where he would also go visit the site.  I decided not to tag along on this occasion, being entirely superfluous to requirements and quite possibly in the way, as well as likely to whinge and whine a lot (the other days I was there for moral support and post-mortem chat).  Just as well I stayed home because I ended up playing secretary and answering about 40 phone calls to/from/about Tuxedo and his movements/future career.  We really could do with a mobile phone each ... <Jules updates wish list>.

The result of all the meetings and long long discussions and question/answer sessions and major lovebombing and woo-age?  Two packages each containing an excellent job offer and a contract to be signed off as soon as humanly possible.  My Tuxedo is a genius, I am so proud of him.

The problem?  Nearly impossible to make a decision, there being no clear-cut distinction between the two and either job would be brilliant; both roles are excellent roles, both pay excellent money, both hold good prospects for upward mobility, both have their own individual advantages and major benefits.

In a word:  ARGH.  We've been talking about it for the past few hours and will thrash it out some more tonight and tomorrow ... I can't believe this is happening.  Talk about a break; talk about good news; talk about life suddenly taking a turn for the better, seeing some progress.  Can I get a "yay"? 

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Weird factoid for the day.  Whilst cruising around the BBC Health website I came across a BMI calculator and typed in my numbers.  I had no idea what my BMI actually was; I've never calculated it, and merely presumed from figures I had read previously that I was more or less dead-on average as far as height:ratio went.

The BMI said different.  According to it I am "underweight" and in the 10th percentile, ie 90% of people in my height and age range are heavier than me.  This came as a complete shock to me, I sure wouldn't have placed myself as underweight.  While I don't have major hang-ups about weight and never have, I do have a fairly well-padded bum and thighs, and large boobs, but do have skinny arms and teensy wrists, and yes I am on the small side.    Its true I don't eat a huge amount on a daily basis (although I can eat unlimited amounts of seafood noodle soup), but being a Coeliac and following a strict gluten-free regime my diet is excellent and very balanced, with zero processed or junk food components.  Still, underweight?  Naaaaaaaah. 

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